JohnBurke

Well, this debate has certainly gone off on a tangent that I never expected. I am glad that there are those who are as passonate about the history as myself. I could go on forever. Based on the picture provided (29 men) and the unit mark on the weapon itself, MWAs (or something) were armed with the P08 Lange. Wheher or not there is any additional information on the LIR 382 is available, I do not know. Fact is, there is a weapon with a unit mark that can be attributed to the LIR 382 and we want to know more about it. The record indicates that there were assault troops assigned to the LD 44 to which the LIR 382 was assigned for over three years. Is there nothing out there that sheds light on this unit? I believe there is a connection to the MWA. So, my hope is that something will surface about this unit to explain the mark on the weapon. This my friends is a fact that we cannot deny. This is a clue that has been left behind. It is for us to figure out why. Sincerely, John

Roger all. Its hard to debate a first hand account. I think the P08 was of course often used. The proper terminology would be P08 Long or Lange. Counter attack after an assualt was always a possibility. With 32 rounds, the P08 Lange delivered superior fire power. Attached is a picture of an MW unit. I was hoping to find a similar picture of the unit of interest or at least some more detailed information about it. that is the LIR 382. John

Chip, Yes, I do believe that M.W.A. stands for "Minenwerfer Abteilung". I imaged MWAs as a component of the assault troop formation providing rapid, mobile, and close support to an advancing assault formation. Hence, they would have to be quite close to where the action was occurring. I think the artillery luger with 32 round trommel magazine would be one of the weapons of choice for close combat. Some say it was the forerunner to the MP18. John

Hello Gentlemen, I'm new to the forum and so I've probably got more questions than answers for you at this point in time. However, I do enjoy Imperial German research just for the fun of it. I have a number of items in my collection that I've researched including photos. So for some of you excellent research detectives, here is a nice unit marked Luger that I have turned up precious little on. I believe the L.I.R. 382 MWA unit correllates with the 44th L.D. which included the L.I.R. 382. (Picture is attached but not very readible, the unit mark is M.W.A.L.I.R.382.3.B.54. ) This info comes out of the reprint of 250 German Divisions in the Great War. According to that resource, the 44th L.D. was a bunch of old men that were able to hold a sector well. There are some things that old men are good at, this is just one of them! I noted that the 44th's regiments contained assault units (probably much younger and still bullet proof), used to gain intelligence in the front and improve positions for defensive purposes. I postulate that the L.I.R 382 MWA belonged to one such assault unit. I have seen similar units pictured and armed with the Artillery Lugers. So it makes sense that this particular Artillery luger was indeed something that this MWA unit would have been armed with. I'd like to learn more about this specific unit if there is more information out on it more specifically than at the Division level. Also, any pictures of the LIR 382, if any do exist which might add to an interesting piece of history. Thanks to any contributions, John PS: I see that maximum size for an attachment is 70K which doesn't allow for high resolution. However, there must be a better way that I'm just not schooled in.