Inquiry about a gun

[werke]

Hello Everybody,
I am writing from Madrid Spain. I registered months ago, introduced myself and explained I was looking for information about a german gun I have inherited from my grandfather. I was told to send some photo of the gun, something I delayed till today (due to work obligations mainly). But here I go. The gun is a shotgun Gustloff Werke caliber 12mm. My grandfather had a diplomatic status in Berlin from 1939 till the end of the war. The gun came with him to Spain, together with some other interesting things. It's a double, vertical barrels. I have used it sometimes, not for hunting, but for skeet. It's used, in general good condition, with a black leather bag from those years. It's missing a white aim at the front sight.
I am interested in knowing general information and aproximate value of this gun, since I have no references. Any help is very much welcomed.
Thank you in advance

(I am not sure this is the correct thread. I apologize if it's incorrectly placed and also for the reversed photos)

[mike ford]

Werke,
Your gun has a sad history. Gustlof Werke was a company that was formed as Simson Suhl by the Simson family who were Jewish. Simson Suhl was well known with a reputation for building fine guns and after the "Great War"( WW1) were allowed to produce guns for the limited German Army and Police forces. When the Nazis came into power in 1933, the Simsons along with the other Jewish people had reason to fear the future. They consequently changed the company name to Berliner Suhler Waffenwerk, so their name wouldn't be so prominent. They were subsequently forced to accept Nazi officials on the board of directors and they changed the name to WAFFA and attempted to take the company over by buying stock. This stock buy was insufficient and they were unable to take the company from the Simsons. Arthur Simson and Ewald Mayer were arrested and put into jail in 1935, under orders of the Nazi Gauleiter (local administrator) Fritz Saukel without charges. Ewald Mayer was forced to sign the family's property to Fritz Saukel to gain his and Arthur Simson's release. Upon release from jail, they escaped with the family to Switzerland and made their way to the us. Fritz Saukel then renamed the company Gustloff Werke in an effort to please Hitler. Gustloff had no connection to manufacturing guns, rather he was a former Nazi operative who had been killed and the killing was blamed on "the Jews". Fritz Saukel was responsible for foreign slave labor brought into the area and was responsible for the Buchenwald Concentration Camp where 56,000 people died. He was worst among the 20 war criminals who were convicted and hanged at the Nuernberg War Crimes Trials. Now to the gun itself. It is a 12 gauge over and under shotgun with 70mm( 2 3/4") chambers, which is the current standard depth. It was proofed in Suhl in Feb. 1940. The barrels are made from fluid steel, manufactured be Krupp, which was located in Essen, a city in the Ruhr River valley. The Eagle N stamp is the smokeless powder definitive proof.
I hope you find this helpful.
Mike

[werke]

Mike,
It's a very sad and complex history indeed, thanks for letting me know. About the gun, were many of them built? Is it a rare shotgun or a fairly common one?
Thanks again,
Joseph

[mike ford]

werke,
I have no real idea how many were made, I only know I don't see very many of them. One reason of course is because the company had different names in a fairly short time. They really didn't stop making guns until the end, but a lot of hunting age men were otherwise engaged. Also, because of the way you acquired the gun, you know the history of it and it is in very good shape( the front sight bead can be replaced w/o issue). This and the fact that it has original 70mm chambers are all positives.
Mike

[Old No7]

It's a beautiful gun with a fascinating yet tragic backstory... I think Joseph ("werke") should copy Mike's narrative into Word and laminate it to keep with the gun.

"Lest We Forget".

Old No7

[mike ford]

Just to put the credit where it belongs, my comments didn't come from original research on my part, it was mostly plagiarized from articles written by our founder, Dietrich Apel. This can be found in his website that is maintained by our member Larry Schuknecht, Dutchman Wood Works, where a more complete history can be found.
Mike

[werke]

Thanks again. All this is very interesting for me. I am going to try to get all the information about the gun, so I can and save it with it, as Old No 7 suggests. I'll check Dietrich Apel website too, that's a good tip. As for the condition, I didn't use it much, but I like to keep my things in good condition, for the pleasure of it (not overdone, with minimal changes on the original). I just restored a Citroen 2cv almost 50 years old and is almost pristine. I am working now on a 65 years old motorcyle. I enjoy all types of machines and their history. Take care,
Joseph

[mike ford]

werke,
For the info you are looking for, check: www.germanhuntinhguns.com.
Mike