Schildbach, Gustav- Master Engraver

By Larry B. Schuknecht & Dietrich Apel

Over his years of operation, Kurt Jäger (Jaeger) produced a number of highly engraved rifles, shotguns and handguns which are now highly valued by their owners and the firearms collecting fraternity at large. Contrary to what some people think, Kurt Jäger did not engrave them. He had three gentlemen who did almost all of the engraving for him. They were Emil and Claus Willig and Gustav Schildbach. Emil and Claus are well known but Gustav has to date been overlooked. This article is intended to change that and finally give Gustav his due recognition. The following information was sent to Dietrich Apel by Gustav’s son Klaus in 2013. Sadly Dietrich did not live long enough to use it.

Gustav was born on December 4, 1895 in Breitenbach, Germany. Thanks to information supplied by his son Klaus in August 2023 we know that he began an apprenticeship at j. G. Anschutz on April 1, 1910 and finished that apprenticeship on March 31, 1912 at the age of 17. From April 1, 1913 to August 1, 1914 he worked there as an assistant engraver. The following Recommendation document states

“Transcript- We heredby certify that Mr. Gustav Schildbach, born December 5th, 1895 from Zewlla-Mehlis, who trained as an engraver in our Company from April 1st, 1910 to March 31st, 1912. From April 1, 1913 to August 1, 1914 he continued to work in our Company as an Assistant Engraver and left of his own volition after being properly dismissed.

Schildbach always carried out all the work assigned to him to our complete satisfaction, he was honest and his behavior was irreproachable. We can highly recommend him as a useful and capable worker.”

In 1934 he became an active member of the National Socialist German Workers Party (the Nazi Party) as a Block Leader which would cause him problems and censure after the war. During World war II he lived and worked in Zella Mehlis and in 1947 his residence was at Ludenbach-Siedlung 14. On February 11, 1947 the reinigungsausschuß für den Landkreise Suhl revoked his Trade License and Craftsman’s License for a period of 5 years according to Directive 24, article 10 for his involvement in the Nazi Party. In May of 1951 he and eight other craftsmen were accused of making and or engraving guns which were sold to the West. He was acquitted while the others were punished, some in absentia. At this time he left East Germany and ended up in Wiesbaden where he worked alongside Kurt Jäger in the Rod and Gun Club. His family stayed in Zella-Mehlis until 1959 when they joined him in Mainz where he had an apartment on Mombacher Strasse below Kurt Jäger’s workshop. He had three children- Uwe who was born in 1947, Klaus who was born in 1949 and Helga who was born in 1951.

Gustav passed away on October 27, 1972 of a Heart attack and he worked up to two days before that attack. His son Klaus worked with his father in the last few years with work such as punching out background or making steel stamps such as a Star for the American Flag. One of his apprentices was Karl-Heinz Helfricht, an engraver and Gold Smith in Zella-Mehlis.

Thanks to the generosity of Gustav’s son Klaus, we have an image of Gustav’s engraving tools and a stunning Schützen Rifle which might be his Masterpiece or if not, on the same level of craftsmanship as a Masterpiece.

Many collectors are familiar with and can recognize the work of Emil and Claus Willig. they were masters of the Vine and Scroll designs but were not limited to that, they also sometimes did Oak leaf styles when called upon by a customer. The work done by Gustav is very different, usually consisting of large heavy looking oak leaves. But Gustav was not limited to the Oak Leaf design either, he could and did do scrolls or a vine motif when called upon as seen on the Weihrauch Zimmerstutzen owned by his son-Klaus Schildbach. Following are some examples of his engraving.

Below are two images of the Weihrauch Zimmerstutzen rifle engraved by Gustav and owned in 2013 by his son Klaus Schildbach.