Exhibit of the Month - Apr. '24

This pistol model was developed in the mid-1890s at the Mauser weapon factory in Oberndorf and registered for a patent in December 1895. Machine production began in December 1897.

With this pistol, Mauser lost the competition to introduce a new standard pistol for the imperial army against the pistol 04 developed by Georg Luger, which was later developed into the famous 08.

Although the Mauser company was defeated in this competition, the C 96 was still a great commercial success for the company, as the Oberndorfer Waffenfabrik subsequently secured sales of the weapon worldwide. It went in large numbers to Turkey, Mexico and China, among other places, and was officially included in the armies' equipment there.

When World War I broke out, the Mauser C 96 was in widespread use and even British officers wore it. One of the most famous owners of a C 96 was Winston Churchill.

Various models of the pistol were still used by the Wehrmacht during the Second World War. In particular, it was used by military drivers and behind the front lines.

The exhibit we show in the collection is an archaeological find from a forest in Augustdorf. It has probably been here since the time of the fighting for Augustdorf between April 1st and April 4th, 1945.