With the fall of Germany at the end of World War II, Oberndorf came under French control, and the entire Waffenfabrik Mauser AG factory was dismantled by French occupying forces. All factory records were destroyed on orders of the local French Army commander. In 1948, three former Mauser engineers, Edmund Heckler, Theodor Koch, and Alex Seidel, saved what they could from the factory and used what they salvaged to start a machine tool plant in the vacant factory that became known as the Engineering Office Heckler & Co.[4][5] Buy Heckler & Koch Firearms for sale online

On December 28, 1949, the Engineering Office Heckler & Co. changed its name and was registered officially. Initially the new company manufactured machine tools, bicycle and sewing machine parts, gauges and other precision parts.[6]