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Awkward Family Photos... Habsburg Empire Edition

By The Armorer on August 3, 2011 | | Comments (7)
austrian_pistols_web.jpg[This pic will embiggenate.]

From left to right, top to bottom - Mannlicher Model 1905, Roth-Steyr (Krnka) Model 1907, and the Steyr-Hahn Model 1912.  Aside from being used by the Austro-Hungarian Army (the Mannlicher as a private-purchase, vice issue, arm) the other commonality they share is they were made by the legendary armament-maker Steyr, hence the family connection.  Other achievements represented here...  the First and the Last.  The Model 1907 is an exemplar of the first semi-auto pistol adopted by an army as an official issue arm, and the Steyr-Hahn has the distinction of being the last semi-auto ever adopted by the Austro-Hungarian Empire...

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7 Comments

By BillT on August 3, 2011 1:57 PM
The Austro-Hungarians made ugly airplanes, too.
 
By JimC on August 3, 2011 4:54 PM
Bill, flew not made.  I believe these are German designed and built.  The Allies had some real stinkers too.  The Bristol SE-5 comes to mind an several other Brit planes as well.
 
By John of Argghhh! on August 3, 2011 8:03 PM
 The Royal Aircraft Factory made the SE-5, and, IIRC, it was a fine aircraft.  You mean perhaps the Bristol F2, Jim?
 
By BillT on August 3, 2011 8:05 PM
About half of the types the Impies flew were German designs built under license in Austria, but the remainder were home-grown. You can tell an Austrian design by the steampunk look of the engine exhaust system and -- sometimes -- the empennage.

They were also proof that an airplane didn't have to be pretty to be effective -- the relatively tiny A-H Air Force produced fifteen aces, including several who fought on the Western Front and one who was Frank Luke's soulmate...
 
By Justthisguy on August 3, 2011 9:52 PM
I think Gaston Glock was looking at the Roth-Steyr when he was designing his ugly Plastic Police Pistol.
 
By Justthisguy on August 3, 2011 10:00 PM
Not the external appearance, mind you, but the operating system, with its half-cockedness.
 
By Rod Thorsen on August 3, 2011 10:36 PM
Love the history these have carried forward to us.

As for the ugly Austro-Hungarian aircraft, here's one with Bill in the Bucket.

http://www.aviastar.org/helicopters_eng/petroczy.php