On the trace of the forgotten GDR weapon “Wieger”
Storm rifle from Wiesa should be presented again - construction plans stolen
Anna mountain Buchholz. 50 crates, without trace disappeared. Crates of full papers, tools and measuring instruments. It concerns thus not only a considerable volume, but also a substantial weight, which dissolved there apparently in air. In the crates everything that is needed, was to be manufactured in order the storm rifle Wieger developed at GDR times in the VEB equipment and tool construction Wiesa with Anna mountain Buchholz industrially.
Prevented rebirth
Karl Bernd Esser, historian and journalist from Munich, wanted to again produce the weapon in the ore mountains, legendary in contactor circles. In Großolbersdorf, where Essers family bought an old factory, a factory should develop. Esser negotiated with the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and went on investor search. But when it wanted to make Ernst and see the old design documents, it stated that these away were.
Seemed to be sun clear, where the 50 crates had remained after the turn. Before 16 years, when the once state-owned enterprise stood under trusteeship, they were handed out to an agency of the German Federal Republic: On 9 November 1993 a commander Völz signed an instrument of surrender, according to which the weighing he material should be transferred to Munich, into the Maria Theresia road 16a, where the “group of training for use had its “documentation” at integrated staffs”.
That sounds after military archives. Only such a archives probably never existed. “I could make it anyhow not”, say Karl Bernd Esser, which controls archives work from the EFF EFF as historians. However it discovered an explosive track: “Under the indicated address was in former times Munich the city office of the Federal Intelligence Service.”
Did the intelligence service of the German Federal Republic responsible for foreign clearing-up actually bring the plans for the former enemy weapon? The conclusion forces itself upon, by the agency however neither is confirmed nor disclaimed. The Federal Intelligence Service is “technically incompetent”, communicated the Federal Intelligence Service center in Pullach briefly tied up.
Officially disappeared
An inquiry of the “free press” in the Office of the Federal Chancellor, which became the Federal Intelligence Service superordinate agency, similarly scarcely answered: Over the whereabouts of possible documents to the storm rifle Wieger is not anything well-known, communicated a speaker. Before the man had still in good spirits been. One has someone found, which is been versed “absolutely well” with such things in the department of intelligence services, was called it there. The expert investigated two week long and found - nothing?
Informative is the short answer from the chancellorship nevertheless. It shows nevertheless that the weighing he materials are actually not discoverable. That also excludes that the Federal Republic sold the GDR storm rifle legally into the USA. There, more exactly said into the US Federal State North Carolina, leads an interesting trace.
The Wieger under the designation “STG offers in Monroe the residents to weapon company inter Ordnance 2000” (storm rifle 2000) for two years for scarcely 400 dollar. A dumping price, which is in the opinion of weapon experts to be only obtained, if the company could save development costs. Were the 50 crates from Wiesa shifted thus illegaly over the large pond?
“After I gave no peace, received I an unofficial call from the Federal Intelligence Service”, report to Karl Bernd Esser. “The caller meant, the delivery was at that time from state security service people fictitious, those the weapon system later illegaly sold.” A variant, which lies in the range of the possible one. The impact for the development of the Wieger nevertheless came from the range commercial coordination (KoKo) of the GDR Ministry for Foreign Trade, which by state security service Colonel Alexander Schalck Golodkowski was led. Its arms traffic company Imes import export should the Wieger for the GDR on a large scale marked out. The business descended by the turn the brook. Did it continue later?
The Americans explain their low price certainly with the fact that they let the weapon in Romania produce. One procured oneself a original Wieger and copied these, so the information of a company spokesperson to a German television team, which works at present on a documentation over the Wieger.
The formulation, over which the whereabouts are not “more possible for documents” anything well-known, suggest also that chancellorship and Federal Intelligence Service place in agreement that they had to do ever with the 50 crates weighing he material. The request to specify this statement remained so far without answer.
Burned millions
It would be however also more than embarrassing, should have lost government agencies of the German Federal Republic the crates. These represent an immense value. The GDR enterprises taken part in the development had at that time invested at least 150 million ostmark. After the turn the Federal Republic spent then scarcely 200 million D-mark, in order the Wiesaer Rüstungsbetrieb, which was allowed to suddenly manufacture no more weapons to change over to civilian production. In addition conventional penalties come into unknown quantities height, that were paid, because the enterprise could not fulfill its weighing he supply contracts with India and Peru.
Karl Bernd Esser did not give the idea up of a new birth of the Wieger in the ore mountains yet. “Case we a reproduction for 1000 dollar in better quality than the Americans get, could find we our market”, mean it. But these considerations are vague.
Momentarily Esser thinks to place because of the disappearance of the documents charge against unknown. Whether becoming known the dubious connections will lead around the crates removed in Wiesa to an investigation, wanted to know the “free press” from the chancellorship. An answer is still pending.
Published in 15.02.2010 (by Mario Ulbrich)
http://www.freiepresse.de/NACHRICHTEN/T ... 683135.php