The region around Mehlis already got a long history connected to arms-manufacture. The central geographical situation for trade, connected with the wood and coal-minig, iron-ores, silver and gold secured the continuance. By that already in 1357 an iron-hammer-work was in operation in Mehlis.
Until approximately 1570 the main arms-deliveries were edged weapons, halberds, pikes, swords, crossbows and harnishes, then the manufacture of gun-barrels took overhand, and around 1630 the development of arms of more modern construction started. By that time not only 106 gunmakers were already working in Mehlis, but also two gun-factories and ten hammer-businesses as well as an own melting-furnace were existing
The roots of the Walther-clan reach back to the 18th Century. After a marriage with a member of the family Bodenschatz the Name Walther joined the gunmaking-interests too. The son August Theodor Albert Walther coming out of that connection already learned the craft of the brass- and ironcaster at the master Ernst Ludwig Barthelmes and married in 1858 Rosalie Wilhelmine Amalie Pistor. She was the daughter of the factory-owner William Pistor,who also came out of an old gunmakers-dynasty. From that connection of Rosalia and August Walther on Nov.22, 1858 as first of three sons Carl William Freund Walther was born in Zella St.Blasii.
C.W. Walther, the later founder of the Walther-dynasty started his education in 1873 at the gunmaker Willibald Barthelmes and got his skilled workman-letter there. After his military service he returned for some time to his old master an finally accepted an employment as assistant at the gunmaker Albin Schneider. After two years he left this employment in order to increase his skills in bigger mechanical factories. So for some time he worked at the company Jopp in Mehlis, where mainly guns of Mauser-system were manufactured.
In autumn of 1886, 28 years old, Carl Walther founded his own independent workshop in Zella St.Blasii. The business was doing well and he employed some additional craftsmen.
In 1888 he married Minna Georgine Pickert, the daughter of the well-known revolver-manufacturer Christian Friedrich Pickert, whose products were well known by the trade-name "Arminius".
First of all target-guns with martini-system were produced, later on arms with the Aydt-system followed. In 1903 he started to increase the company and to equip it with better machines.
To the pride of C.W. Walthers he got five sons: Fritz August (March 24, 1889), Georg Carl (March 16, 1890), Willy Alfred (July 2, 1891),Erich Hans (November 4, 1895) and Carl Lothar (May 3, 1899). They already premature participated in some smaller works in the workshop.
Son Fritz had the biggest talent and he completed as first son a strict apprenticeship at his father's company .Georg and Willy follwed him. The first three sons continued the gunmaker-tradition, while Hans Erich learned the commercial business and Carl Lothar became tool-maker.
To his final examination Fritz Walther went to Berlin and got a job as toolmaker at the big company Loewe & Co.
One day he got sent a few pistols from his brother Georg from of Zella St. Blasii. They came out of the bankruptcy-mass of a company and Fritz was asked to sell them to have more money. However, Fritz did not sell the guns, but began to experiment with them and soon persuaded his
father to raise a pistol-production. Two years late he returned to his home-town to help raising the projected pistol-fabrication.
In 1908 already 15 employee were existing, and with them the series-production of the new pistol-.type of caliber 6.35 mm, named "Modell 1", started. As early as 1909 the "Modell 2" followed, also of caliber 6.35 mm. And one year later Walther put the "Modell 3" and "Modell 4"on the market. The "Modell 4" soon became a great success. Three years late the "Modell 5" followed, a revival of the "Modell 2".
1913 Fritz Walther married Gertrud Schmidt, and on June 25, 1913 as first son Gerhard Carl Emil was born. On June 9. 1914 followed Anneliese Helene Minna and on March 27. 1916 Charlotte Paula Heide. Finally on November 3. 1923 Karl-Heinz was born.
In 1914 World War One started and the Walther-sons Georg and Willy had to enter their war-service, whereWilly was killed. Erich and Lothar still went to school. Fritz as eldests was claimed to lead the company. At this time 80 employeey were working at 50 machines in the company. A this time room was not longer sufficient and Walther planned a new, essential bigger factory at the "Märzenberg".
The war made big requests to the factory, and the work ran day and night.
In 1915 the company settled into the first building-section, at an 22000m2 sized area near the "Langewiese"-street. 6750m2 for the actual production were available now. Only two years later the factory was enlarged again, and 500 men worked at 750 machines to fulfill the war-requirements. Not only own constructionss, but especially smallparts for other arms and tools, as for example the machinegun-production were produced. In the construction-office Fritz already started with the construction of pistol "Modell 6" in the new caliber 9 mm Parabellum, which was ready in 1915.
On July 9. 1915 Carl Wilhelm Walther died. The guidance wes taken over by his three oldest sons. While Fritz took over the overall-guidance, Georg and Hans Erich as general director and sale-leader directed the fates of the company.
In 1917 the pistol "Modell 7" was put on the market.
During the autumn of 1916 the gun-factory Spandau had to realize, that the amount of orders for the MG 08 by the troop could not longer be fulfilled without inclusion of the private-industry. Especially the delivery of the wear-susceptible machinegun-breech made big difficulties.
12 private companies got complete construction drawings as well as an example-pattern and material. Instantaneously they should send at least four breeches for proofing.
As the first four MG-breches of the company Walther arrived in Spandau , they were immediately prooved and as soon as in the next days Walther got paying jobs for this particular arms-branch.
In 1918 the war was finished, and on June 28. 1919 the peace-edict of Versailles followed with unsatisfactory results for all parties. During the wartime Walther had produced the models "4" to "7", however now the contract of Versaille put an end to a bulk of arms-productions in Germany. But as the company's-structure was not primary lined up for war-production, Walther did not come to existence-threatening situation like many other companies. Nevertheless the arms-market was considerable down. The number of employed people went down to 350 in the first years.
Like other companies Walther looked for new products to enlarge their delivery-program. The Walthers started with the production of bicycle-parts and mechanisms. However in 1924 the direction was clear: calculation-machines should widen the companies-offer. Walther was one of the few companies who could avoid mass-dismissals at that time. While different reputable arms-factories announced bankruptcy the company was relatively stable by their calculation-machine production.
In 1919 the villages Zella St.Blasii and Mehlis fusioned to "Zella-Mehlis". For the arms-collectors the year 1920 is of interest, because that time the alteration of the inscriptions from "Zella St. Blasii" to "Zella-Mehlis" on Walther-products took place.
In that time the "Modell 8", an outstanding vestpocket-pistol, appeared on the market. Shortly after that Fritz Walther started with the production of his pistol "Modell 9" and the automatic-shotgun.
When they started serious thoghts about the future of gun-production, they got the formative-job for a flare-pistol, and short time later as first big order from the Federal Defense Department in 1926/ 27 thousands of flare-pistols left the factory.
In 1929 Fritz Walther finally put his "PP"and two years later the "PPK" on the market. With these two guns the name of "Walther" and of his home town "Zella-Mehlis" went around the whole world.
Before the year of 1933 the company Walther hardly urged into the military supplies. However with the advent of the "Drittes Reich" they were busy to catch up there. To the unprecedented success of the police-pistols in 1938 as next step the new service-pistol "P 38" for the army followed. Up to 1933 the high ranks of the Federal-Army were good customers of Fritz Walther. Now the NAZI- party-organizations followed.. Besides the usual national and foreign authorities also these groups of the NSDAP, how for example the NSKK, NSFK, HJ, SA and SS, wanted to be equipped with Walther-pistols. Especially favorized by the political leaders were the "PP" and "PPK", which they gladly accepted as so-called "gift of honor"
The capacity of the company reached the top at the start of 1945 with 2500 employees , producing 25000 piece "Karabiner 43" and "\/olksgewehre" as well as the same amout of pistols per month. The factory-plants had to be widened in their scope, which was as well done by purchasing obvious different factory-facilities near around.
With the end of World War Two Germany laid in ashes. On April 3. 1945 the American 11th armored division as advance-squad of the 3.US-Armee conquered Zella-Mehlis without armed opposition. Now the factory was taken over by the Americans without damage..
The fighting troop was followed by the specialists, the "Technical Intelligence Team". They were responsible to take care of the technical developments and documents.
Then the Soviets took over Thüringen. The plants became dismantled and vanished behind the Iron Curtain. The remaining buildings were exploded.
Shotly before the Family Walther was brought to an American camp.
After three weeks they were dismissed and moved to Bissingen-Oblohn counting 800 inhabitant, where Fritz Walther started anew with his work. Some years they stayed there, then a friendly company in Heidenheim lent the Walthers a better shed including some smaller machines. In 1947 Walther had already 22 employee in Heidenheim, developing a little calculation-machine.
In spite of all difficulties times got better. In 1947 Georg Walther rented a hut in Gerstetten, where the internals for the calculation-machines were produced. Finally they moved to Niederstotzingen in September 1948. The growing "Wirtschaftswunder" soon was noticeable, and the second factory in Gerstetten grew large. A selfstandig "Office-Machines-Company" was founded , which Georg Walther took over. Additional expansions followed in Niederstotzingen too.
The main-interest of Fritz Walthers still was the arms-production though.
Because of the limitations by law Walther started to produce pressure-air-guns. For this he rented a doublefloor building in Ulm, a part of the old Danube-bastion in the Schiller-street 1. Some surplus areas Fritz Walther rented for the company Anschütz.
Already in 1950 the transformation of the OHG of Zella-Mehlis to Ulm was reported in the trade-register. And one year later in 1951 Fritz Walther already had to think to move to bigger areas. Finally he acquired a bigger property in the Wilhelmstrasse 28, and in October 1953 he started with the manufacture of a newly projected air-pistol.
An own-continuous fabrication of fire-arms failed furthermore because of official permissions. Therefore Walther made an agreement with the company Hämmerli AG in Switzerland for the production of the sporting-pistol "Olympia" and a contract with the French company Manurhin (Manufacture De Machines de Haut-Rhin) in Mühlhausen]/Elsass for the utilization of his patents to the "PP" and "PPK", which went there in production in October 1952.
Then the restrictions were loosened. The air-pistol was followed by the first small-bore-gun and finally by a "Schonzeit"-rifle, that grew a big export-hit. The number of employee meanwhile had increased to 200 persons.
Since 1953 Walther made pistols parts for the "PP" and "PPK" for the assembling of Manurhin-products. Furthermore he developed a
a blank firing-pistol for the self-protection needs of women.
As now the new armed forces were organized and showed big interest in the former "P 38", he started immediately with corresponding basic-works. Actually the first pistols, named "P 1" were delivered in May 1957.
1966 Fritz Walther died with the ages of 77 years. His son Karl-Heinz took his place as family-proprietor in the companies-leadership.
In 1970 the family Walther could look again on a widespread companies-empire.
Few years later Karl-Heinz Walther had to stand a difficult task: Recession and simultaneous break-ins caused by the new arms-restrictions of 1972 in Germany.
Karl-Heinz Walther died surprisingly on November 2, 1983. The companies-guidance remained in the family for the first time.
The recession lasted on, and everthing possible to sell got sold. Not only company's building, but also the best and most expensive guild-master-precision-machines. in addition the stock-factory and hardening-works were sold as well as the tool grinding works. The free pistols an the small-bore-guns were removed from the production program.
It was well known, that Carl Walther GmbH was in a crisis, and a possible sale was awaited. It even seemed to be fix, that the Austrian company Steyr-Mannlicher got the deal, because a precontract was already prepared.
In 1993 however, completely surprising, Walther was bought by the UMAREX-group, with their statement:
"Our first goal is the reestablish the marketname of Walther"