Georg Luger
Encyclopedia
Georg Johann Luger was an Austrian
designer of the famous Luger pistol
and the 9 x 19mm Parabellum cartridge
.
, Tyrol
to Dr. Bartholomaeus von Luger, M.D. a surgeon. Georg grew up with Italian as his second mother tongue and finished school and Gymnasium (tertiary prep high school) in Padua
, Italy
. After graduation, his parents sent him to Vienna, where he studied at the Wiener Handelsakademie (Vienna
Commercial School), the predecessor organization to today's Vienna Business School.
In October 1867, Luger volunteered for military service as a Reserve Officer Cadet with the 78th Infantry Regiment. He was promoted to Cadett-Corporal (Officer Cadet Corporal) on June 1, 1868, and to Faehnrich (Ensign) on October 1. Luger's good marksman
ship brought him to the attention of his superiors, he was sent to the Austro-Hungarian Military Firearms School at Camp Bruckneudorf, where he soon became an instructor. There, his interest in automatic loading systems began. In 1871 Luger was promoted to Leutnant der Reserve (lieutenant
) and moved to the military reserve.
Luger's first son, Georg Franz, became a civil engineer and joined his father in military weapons development. His second son fell as a Hauptmann d.R. (Reservist Captain) in World War I
on the Galician front in 1915.
He met with Ferdinand von Mannlicher
in about 1875 and the two collaborated on rifle magazine designs, which seemed to awaken a latent talent for design within Luger.
In 1891 Luger was employed by Ludwig Loewe & Company (of Berlin
, Germany
). and gradually became a consultant designer.
In 1894, he was sent to demonstrate a Hugo Borchardt
-designed weapon, manufactured Deutsche Waffen und Munitions Fabriken (DWM) (which had evolved from Loewe after its founder's death), to the US Army. The Army rejected the pistol
, but from criticism he received, Luger improved it, creating the Parabellum pistol
(commonly called a Luger). This pistol was a success for both Luger and DWM.
Luger's contract with DWM was cancelled in 1919 and he successfully sued them over patent
royalties
. However Luger had lost all his savings by this time.
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
designer of the famous Luger pistol
Luger pistol
The Pistole Parabellum 1908 or Parabellum-Pistole , popularly known as the Luger, is a toggle-locked recoil-operated semi-automatic pistol. The design was patented by Georg J...
and the 9 x 19mm Parabellum cartridge
Cartridge (firearms)
A cartridge, also called a round, packages the bullet, gunpowder and primer into a single metallic case precisely made to fit the firing chamber of a firearm. The primer is a small charge of impact-sensitive chemical that may be located at the center of the case head or at its rim . Electrically...
.
Early life and military service
Georg Luger was born in Steinach am BrennerSteinach am Brenner
Steinach am Brenner is a market town in the district of Innsbruck-Land and is located south of Innsbruck in the Wipptal at the Sill River. It has 3340 inhabitants.-Geography:...
, Tyrol
County of Tyrol
The County of Tyrol, Princely County from 1504, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire, from 1814 a province of the Austrian Empire and from 1867 a Cisleithanian crown land of Austria-Hungary...
to Dr. Bartholomaeus von Luger, M.D. a surgeon. Georg grew up with Italian as his second mother tongue and finished school and Gymnasium (tertiary prep high school) in Padua
Padua
Padua is a city and comune in the Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Padua and the economic and communications hub of the area. Padua's population is 212,500 . The city is sometimes included, with Venice and Treviso, in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area, having...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. After graduation, his parents sent him to Vienna, where he studied at the Wiener Handelsakademie (Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
Commercial School), the predecessor organization to today's Vienna Business School.
In October 1867, Luger volunteered for military service as a Reserve Officer Cadet with the 78th Infantry Regiment. He was promoted to Cadett-Corporal (Officer Cadet Corporal) on June 1, 1868, and to Faehnrich (Ensign) on October 1. Luger's good marksman
Marksman
A marksman is a person who is skilled in precision, or a sharpshooter shooting, using projectile weapons, such as with a rifle but most commonly with a sniper rifle, to shoot at long range targets...
ship brought him to the attention of his superiors, he was sent to the Austro-Hungarian Military Firearms School at Camp Bruckneudorf, where he soon became an instructor. There, his interest in automatic loading systems began. In 1871 Luger was promoted to Leutnant der Reserve (lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
) and moved to the military reserve.
Family
Luger married Elisabeth Josefa Dufek in 1873. He moved to Vienna with her and they had three children (in order):- Georg Franz Luger
- Julius Wilhelm Bartholomaeus Luger (born March 16, 1880)
- Friedrich Alexander Georg Luger (born April 26, 1884)
Luger's first son, Georg Franz, became a civil engineer and joined his father in military weapons development. His second son fell as a Hauptmann d.R. (Reservist Captain) in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
on the Galician front in 1915.
After the military
After leaving the military, Luger worked as an accountant and later in the management of the Jockey Club, one of the top social meeting points in Vienna.He met with Ferdinand von Mannlicher
Ferdinand Mannlicher
Ferdinand Ritter von Mannlicher was an engineer and small armaments designer. Along with James Paris Lee, Mannlicher was particularly noted for inventing the en-bloc clip charger-loading magazine system...
in about 1875 and the two collaborated on rifle magazine designs, which seemed to awaken a latent talent for design within Luger.
In 1891 Luger was employed by Ludwig Loewe & Company (of Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
). and gradually became a consultant designer.
In 1894, he was sent to demonstrate a Hugo Borchardt
Hugo Borchardt
Hugo Borchardt was a firearms inventor and engineer, born in Magdeburg, Germany. He is known for his inventions of the Borchardt C-93 pistol and the Sharps-Borchardt Model 1878 rifle....
-designed weapon, manufactured Deutsche Waffen und Munitions Fabriken (DWM) (which had evolved from Loewe after its founder's death), to the US Army. The Army rejected the pistol
Borchardt C-93
The Borchardt C-93 pistol was designed by Hugo Borchardt in 1893. Ludwig Loewe & Company of Berlin, Germany, a manufacturer of machine tools, produced the C-93, a semi-automatic pistol that he had invented based upon the Maxim toggle-lock principle. He also developed the 7.65×25mm Borchardt...
, but from criticism he received, Luger improved it, creating the Parabellum pistol
Luger pistol
The Pistole Parabellum 1908 or Parabellum-Pistole , popularly known as the Luger, is a toggle-locked recoil-operated semi-automatic pistol. The design was patented by Georg J...
(commonly called a Luger). This pistol was a success for both Luger and DWM.
Luger's contract with DWM was cancelled in 1919 and he successfully sued them over patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
royalties
Royalties
Royalties are usage-based payments made by one party to another for the right to ongoing use of an asset, sometimes an intellectual property...
. However Luger had lost all his savings by this time.