One source indicates that the East German Model PM was built under license at the Ernst Thalmann manufacturing plant in Suhl, Germany. For example, East Germany made its own variants of the AKM and SKS rifles, as well as the Makarov. Most Communist Bloc/Warsaw Pact countries manufactured and used arms similar to that of the Soviet Union, and East Germany was no exception. However, the extent to which these earlier Walther designs impacted the development of the Makarov pistol and its cartridge has not been documented. There has been speculation that the pistol and the 9 mm Makarov cartridge were strongly influenced by the Walther PP pistol and the experimental 9 mm Ultra cartridge given that the Russians had access to the Walther factory at the end of World War II. Samples made in 1958-1959 are the most difficult for collectors to find. East German production of the Makarov pistol began in the late 1950s and continued until 1965-a relatively brief production run.
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