Walther arms

Infobox Company
company_name = Carl Walther GmbH
company_
company_type = Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung (GmbH)
foundation = Founded 1886 in Zella-Mehlis; Factory destroyed in World War II; New corporation founded in 1953 in Ulm
location = Ulm and Arnsberg
key_people = Carl Walther, Fritz Walther
industry = Defense
products = Firearms, weapons
revenue =
num_employees =
homepage = [http://www.carl-walther.de/ www.carl-walther.de]

Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen or Walther is a German arms manufacturer. For more than 100 years, Walther made major breakthroughs in the development of pistols. Some are legendary, like the PPK and the P99—both pistols of choice for the fictional character James Bond—and the P38, often used by Nazi movie villains.

Pronunciation of the name "Walther"

In German, "w" sounds like /v/ and "th" sounds like /t/. However, it is common for English speakers not familiar with German phonology to pronounce the "w" and "th" in the usual English manner. (As for the "-er" ending, both German and English have several typical variations, depending on the speaker's regional accent.)

History

The firm was founded in 1886 by Carl Walther in Zella-Mehlis, Thuringia. The company originally manufactured hunting and target rifles. It was not until 1908 that, under the initiative of Fritz Walther, the oldest son of Carl Walther, they began to make pistols. Models 1 through 9 were in calibers 6.35 and 7.65. In 1929 they began to make the popular "police pistols" or PP models. This was followed in 1931 by the first of the PPKs ("Polizeipistole, Kriminalmodell"). The PP models were the first mass produced pistols with stamped parts, but the high quality of production made them a favorite to replace the P-08 Luger. In 1938 the German Reich awarded the contract for that replacement to Walther for the 9mm P38 with a weight of 960 g.

After World War II, Walther was reduced to just a collection of designs and patents. But Fritz Walther started anew and began manufacturing in Ulm in southern Germany. The company resumed production of the P38 (renamed as the P1) in 1957 in order to equip the new West German Army, the Bundeswehr, with sidearms. When Fritz Walther died in December 1966, his son, Karl-Heinz, took over the company, which then concentrated on the sports sector and the introduction of new technologies. In 1993 the Walther firm was acquired by Umarex of Arnsberg, who continued to manufacture under the Walther name in Ulm and Arnsberg.

Products

Handguns

port

* Walther OSP
* Walther GSP
* Walther GSP Expert
* Walther SSP
* Walther Olympia
* Walther P22 Target
* Walther SP22

Defense

* Walther PP
* Walther PPK
* Walther P38
* Walther TPH
* Walther P1
* Walther P4
* Walther PP Super
* Walther P5/Compact
* Walther P88/Compact
* Walther P99
* Walther P22
* Walther PPS

Submachineguns

* Walther MPL
* Walther MPK
* Walther MPSD

Rifles

* Gewehr 43
* Walther G22
* Walther WA 2000

Knives

Walther makes a long line of tactical knives.

External links

* [http://www.carl-walther.de/ Carl Walther] , official German site.
* [http://www.waltheramerica.com/ Walther U.S.] , official U.S. site.