Federal arms factory

The company Eidgenössische Waffenfabrik ( W + F ; French Fabrique fédérale d'armes ) in Bern was a management company and part of the armaments services group of the Federal Military Department (now DDPS ). The Eidgenössische Waffenfabrik (W + F), founded in 1875, took over the grounds and facilities of the Swiss Federal Assembling Workshop in Bern. It then produced handguns and handguns for the Swiss Army, under license or as an in-house development. In the abbreviation "W + F", the "+" stands for the Swiss cross , ie for "federal"; analogous abbreviations were and are also common for other federal companies. The W + F was 1,999 in the RUAG on which later the construction of fist and handguns established.

Weapons factory Bern 1876

Products (selection)

Handguns

Test pistol 1943 from the Bern weapons factory

• Modification of the revolver in 1872 to central ignition
• Ordinance revolver 1878
• Revolver model 1882, 1882/29
• Self-loading pistol Ordonnance pistol 1900/06 W + F cal. 7.65 mm
• Self-loading pistol Ordonnanzpistole 06/29
• Self-loading pistol W + F 1943. Trial, from 1943 to 1945 a number (known as No. 39) Browning system pistols of various stages of development were produced.
• Self-loading pistol W + F 1947. Attempt, in contrast to the W + F 1943 pistol, this pistol has a gas-braked, delayed mass lock .

Handguns

System Vetterli

• Vetterli 1878 repeating rifle

Schmidt-Rubin system

• Schmidt-Rubin repeating rifle 1889 and 1889/1896
• Cadet rifle 1897
• Cavalry carbine 1905
• Carabiner 11
• Carabiner 31

Assault rifles

• Sturmgewehr 57 in cooperation with SIG
• Stgw 90 in cooperation with SIG

More weapons

• Machine gun 11
• Light machine gun 1925
• 7.5 mm machine gun 51
• various anti-aircraft guns
• 12 cm fortress mine thrower Zwilling 1959

Anti-tank weapons

• 24 mm tank sleeve 41
• 4.7 cm infantry cannon 1935 and 1935/41 (together with K + W?)
• 9 cm anti-tank gun 1950
• 8.3 cm rocket tube 1950
• Anti-tank project NORA (1973–1978, canceled due to excessive crosswind influence)
• 8.3 cm rocket tube 1980

literature

• Ernst Hofstettler: Handguns and handguns of the Swiss Army. From 1842 until today. 3rd edition 1987, Zurich (Schweizer Waffen Magazin) 11, 2012, p. 17.
• Henri Habegger: "Anti-tank weapons in the collection of the Swiss Army Museum Association" , Documentation No. 006/2006 (PDF), sam, Thun.
• Federal Arms Factory Bern. A modern company with a historical background, publisher Eidg. Waffenfabrik Bern. Approx. 1970, 24 pages.

Web links

• Hervé de Weck: Arms factories. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .