I just purchased a 1916 Spanddau from a fellow who said he got it in the 1960's from a friend who brought it back from France. All the major parts match but some of the smaller ones like the barrel bands and one of the sight parts are mismatched. One part I question is the front guard screw. It has the three cutouts for the lock screw while the rear guide screw has only one and carries the last two digets of the serial number. I think the front screw is possibly a later replacement as I understand this is a post WWI type. Am I correct or could this have been replaced during WWI.
As a sideline I am somewhat of a history buff and since the seller had the full name of the man who gave him the rifle I looked up his history through our state historical society. The vet who had the rifle told the seller he was an airplane mechanic in WWI and after one of the battles he and a friend got a ride to the site of a recent battle to look around and found the rifle on the battleground and he sent it home. I think his story checks out. His military record indicates he left for France in Feb. 1918 and returned in May, 1919 and served with the 658 Aero Squadron. How nice it would be to talk to some of these men.
As a sideline I am somewhat of a history buff and since the seller had the full name of the man who gave him the rifle I looked up his history through our state historical society. The vet who had the rifle told the seller he was an airplane mechanic in WWI and after one of the battles he and a friend got a ride to the site of a recent battle to look around and found the rifle on the battleground and he sent it home. I think his story checks out. His military record indicates he left for France in Feb. 1918 and returned in May, 1919 and served with the 658 Aero Squadron. How nice it would be to talk to some of these men.