Sauers were being produced on both sides of the Iron Curtain after WWII. Sauer moved to Eckernforde in West Germany. But Sauers were also being produced in the above-mentioned Thalmann Werks, but for at least part of the time, they were called Fortunas.
During the Iron Curtain period, the US wasn't a very good market for Commie guns because of a very high tariff. The West German Sauers, imported by Stoeger, sold pretty well. Also, quite a few German guns were imported before the war . . . and a surprising number made it home in the duffel bags of GI's coming home from the war. Since the Wall came down and Germany reunified, the market is kinder to used Sauers, Merkels, and Simsons. And while you'll find nice ones, you do have to watch out for those that have been ridden hard and put away wet. They're all solid guns to start with, but there are a lot of victims of serious abuse to watch out for.
The basic sxs design used by the German Big 3 (Sauer/Merkel/Simson) is very much the same. And most other German doubles follow the same pattern. In particular, the ones that weren't made for export are usually fitted with a Greener crossbolt, have double triggers, usually a pistol grip of some sort, sling swivels, and a cheekpiece.
