Monday, November 10, 2008



















The Luger my grandfather brought back from WWII is 100 years old this year. It is a "first issue" Luger, meaning it was part of the original Luger contract for the German Army in 1908, hence the Luger was known as a P08 in the German Army. There were 25,00 in the original contract. This one is unit marked as well - the abbreviation for the unit it was assigned to is stamped on the grip strap. About a quarter of the original contract first issue pistols were unit marked. Alas, this pistol was assigned to a horse-drawn munitions supply column, at least originally in the Great War. No telling after that.

It also has the mysterious "W" on the outside of the trigger guard. No one has yet definitively figured out what that is supposed to mean.

The first issue Lugers and many subsequent Lugers were made by the DWM company - Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabriken (German Weapons and Munitions Works).

2 comments:

Taras Bulba said...

W for "Wehrmacht?"

Taras Bulba said...

Also, welcome aboard, gun nut!