2007.01.25 Das Heereswaffenamt (From various sources ... - NVBMB

25000
During its lifetime, the HWA and the Abnahme were reorganized as German needs
changed. It was also subject to staffing reversals near the end of the war, and was reorganized
in 1944 and again in 1945. Manpower shortages were such in the Wehrmacht, that in
the middle of 1944, 8,000 Abnahme personnel were released for front line service, which
cut its total personnel by one third. In the 1940 time frame the 25,000 Abnahme inspectors
were in five Departments, which had 14 regional Armament Inspectorates. The Abnahme
regional offices were located in: Konigsberg, Breslau, Berlin, Dresden, Hannover, Erfurt,
Nurenberg, Munster, Stuttgart, Vienna, Radom, Prague, Paris, and Brussels. There may
have been a few additional areas in the occupied countries, but this has not been confirmed
as to number or location. There was one Abnahmemeinspizient (Acceptance Inspector) in
each Inspectorate area, who acted through the assigned personnel (Acceptance Commissions)
at the various factories. The Abnahme themselves, because of their relatively small
numbers, were oftentimes helped by specially trained factory personnel to assist them at
some of the factories. The Abnahme were responsible for the testing and acceptance of all
weapons, ammunition, and other items before delivery to the Wehrmacht. They were instructed
on what to do by Technische Lieferbedingen (TL’s) issued by the various Waffenprufamter
sections listed below:
WaPrüf 1 Ballistische und Munitionsabteilung (Ballistics and Munitions Section
of Army Ordnance [Ammunition]}.
WaPrüf 2 Infanterieabteilung (Infantry Section of Army Ordnance)
WaPrüf 2 I Rifles
WaPrüf 2 II Machine Guns
WaPrüf 2 III General Equipment
WaPrüf 3-12 Other Items
The inspection Officers and Officials of the Abnahme that were assigned to the various
armament factories were originally Wehrmacht armourers, who were given civil service
status and the rank (equivalent) of a Leutenant [W] (Waffenamt Second Lieutenat). In
preparation for their duties the new personnel were sent to a four week Heereswaffenmeisterschule
(Army Ordnance Armourers School) in Berlin at Spandau. At the end of the training,
a Technical Inspector test was given, and if it was successfully passed the applicant
became an Oberleutenant [W] (Waffenamt First Lieutenant). By 1939 almost all of the personnel
who had started in 1935 were promoted to Technical Inspector First Class with the
equivalent rank of Hauptman [W] (Waffenamt Captain). As an example of how the system
worked, 98K rifle production plants had an average of ten Officials employed at each factory
that made the rifle. Several Ordnance and Technical Sergeants would also be assigned to
each of the rifle manufacturers, as well as the Abnahme Mannschaften, and factory helpers
as needed. At Mauser Werke, a very large factory, a Technical Administrator was assigned
who had the rank of a Major [W]. In some cases, the acceptance location for a given area
was used by surrounding factories as well, and was called an Heeres Bezirk Aaabnahamestelle,
(Army Area Acceptance place).
When a Waffenamt Officer (Acceptance Inspector) assumed command of an inspection
team, he received a commission number and a corresponding numbered set of Wehr-