I've looked thru my lifted Simson images and have also found some from 1946 & 1947, all of which were in the possession of the Russians. Remember after the war reparations were made by Germany to Russia and I would say that is one of the main reason that Sauer & Simson 1945 forward examples are found in Russia. I've read accounts that after the late 1930s and up until the end of WWII that the Krupp steel effort was diverted solely for the war effort(Krupp did not make sporting arms tubes, only the steel from which the tubes were drawn). Sauer had huge stockpiles of tube steel and that the 3 Ring stamp was very liberally applied. Post WWII it has been said that the stamp might even be found on bicycle tubes???? Krupp and Sauer paired up to develop and produce a weapons grade steel for sporting arms and some suggest that the 3 Ring suggest more of a Sauer origin/effort more so that that of Krupp. Also that there were so many tubes with the 3 Ring stamp that sporting weapons with the 3 Ring stamp are found on late 1950s examples. Where Sauer sourced their sporting arms during WWII, for now I cannot say. I think it was in the early 1950s that the 4 Ring(IZH 50A) stamp arrived on the scene.
Given as a 1946 Simson example
Given as anther 1946 Simson example
September 1946 dated Simson
April 1947 dated Simson
Kind Regards,
Raimey
rse
