UBB.threads Forums General Militaria Flags, Field Gear, and Miscellaneous Militaria and Regalia Forum Surgical Instrument Set from AESCULAP

Just bought this nice set of German WW2 surgical ENT instruments. Maker of the instruments is AESCULAP, Tuttlingen.

There´s a leather strap with push button for opening and closing the storage case.

The set contains various ENT instruments.

... the instruments

... makers mark with Waffenamt stamp

... each instrument is etched with a particular number. This number is also printed in the storage case for easy identification of correct storage place.

... more marked instruments

... number 26

... nice marking

Wonderful set but there's something that worries me. The German Waffenamt Code 815 was issued to an Inspector at Steyr-Daimler-Puch A.G., Werk Graz, Österreich and used there from 1940 to 1945 . The reference I've found makes no mention of that Code ever being used anywhere else.
And whoever did the stamping didn't seem to care if he stamped over the company Logo or if the stamp showed clearly.
I'm wondering if this set could have been stamped post War.
Here's the site with the Information I found --
http://crufflecarp.org/crffl/waae.pdf
and 2 more --
http://www.gonefission.net/waffenamt.html
http://users.swing.be/sw017995/waffenamt.htm

Mike, I see your point.

However, it is also known that inspectors have been transfered to other manufacturers and thus one can find the same WaA stamp on items of different makers.

Regarding the WaA stamp on the makers mark, I assume he had no other chance than to stamp over the makers logo. The instrument in question is a suction cannula with a round design (see picture). There are only 2 spots with flat surfaces at this instrument for stamping. On the one spot is the makers mark and on the other spot at the opposite side is the individual number of the instrument. I assume it was more important to identify the instrument number than the makers mark. The number on the instrument made it easier for the nurses or the doctors to sort all instruments in the set to their specific position.

Of course, one can only speculate about these things after 70 years.

quote:

Originally posted by ivbaust:
Mike, I see your point.
However, it is also known that inspectors have been transfered to other manufacturers and thus one can find the same WaA stamp on items of different makers.
.

I already considered that and if you look at the code list , you can actually track a single inspector as he moved from place to place (since he took his # with him). Look at Code #47 ..that guy worked at 3 different Factories.
The 815 Code on your Set doesn't seem to have ever been used by anyone else ...only at AESCULAP.

As far as the stamp ...I've seen some Tiny ones so , they didn't have one size for everything ..I think they would have made a special tiny stamp for him so the "Inspector" would not be defacing or damaging the final product. You know how anal they were when it came to quality.
I bet if you contacted the AESCULAP and provided them a few pictures of the set , they'd be able to tell you when it was made and remove any doubt. They have a Museum so it might be worth a shot

Mike, thanks, that´s indeed interesting information.

Regarding the inspector: maybe he has moved and so far it hasn´t been documented. At least a possibility.

Regarding the stamp: I was looking once again on the instrument and to me it looks like the stamped surface is the only solid area to stamp on. The rest of the suction cannula is a thin tubing. I´m wondering what would have happened if he would have hammered his stamp onto that thin tubing? I assume it would have been damaged.

As I said, lot´s of speculation. I would love to meet a WW2 veteran doctor, who could give me his opinion on this set!

I don't think I'd trust a Doctor for the answers ..I bet you'd find all the answers you need at the Company incl what Code #'s were used and a date range of when the instruments were made. I don't think that code was used anywhere else because it would have showed up by now and been documented, too many sites show it as only being used at Steyr-Daimler-Puch A.G.
If I collected items from this Company , I'd go out of my way to meet their Museum Staff and find out what ref they have available and get pictures of their War time items and how & where they were marked. Myself , I wouldn't be surprised if the Waffenamt markings were only put on the cases and not the instruments. The less markings or stamps on an item , the easier it would be to sterilize ..less crevices for bacteria to hide in . If the Tool was not Stainless Steel and first plated and then stamped , I'd think that would damage the Chrome finish and could be where the rust would start.
The fact that the Code does not match with the Company would be a big problem to me.
Best of luck with it