Odd ball P-38????

Python

March 02, 2003 21:58

OK guys,
My turn to ask a question. I recently bought a beutiful P-38.Here's the thing. It is NOT a Walther, it is not stamped P-38. It does have nazi proof narks,however it also bears Fabrique National Herstal proofs and has a four digit serial number. Aside from this, it is identical to the other P-38's I own. I can't seem to find any reference to it in any of my books on these pistols, Any ideas???
Thanks

0

• 

  timberbeast

  March 02, 2003 23:50

  I had a buddy who collected P-38's but he's gone now, unfortunately. From what I remember him saying, though, the gun that you mention was probably made late in the war, because of the absence of the Walther name. I'm not sure what you mean by Nazi proof marks, but if it has a swastika, it was most likely an officer's gun, though the P-38 was mainly carried by regular troops. My Gramps was an SS Lieutenant in the Latvian Legion and he carried a P-38 with no Walther name on it, he gave his Parabellum to a kid in his platoon because he hated to clean it three times a day. He said he never saw the Walther name after '44, but he was always in the field or in prison (NKVD Daugapils), so he never saw weapons that weren't taken from dead guys.... Wish I could help more!

  0
• 

  Basil_O

  March 03, 2003 02:03

  You might try asking here:
  http://www.p38forum.com/

  0
• 

  p3skyking

  March 03, 2003 10:42

  FN barrels late in the war were used on some Walther made weapons (look for an Eagle 359 Waffenamt). Numbers may or may not match from the factory.

  0
• 

  captkirk3@dslextreme.com

  March 03, 2003 13:28

  Here's a little history for You.....
  The P38 was produced by three firms..... WALTHER at Zella-Mehlis used its own name on the slide until 1940. Code 480 was introduced until October of that year {1940} when code 'ac' was used. The total production of Walther was 583,000 pistols. The Walthwer WaA stamp was 359. The Mauser combine at Oberdorf was producing the weapon by November 1942 using cose 'byf'. In January 1945 'svw' was substituted.
  The Mauser WaA stamp was 135. Production ended when the French captured the factory in April 1945. Over 300,000 pistols had been produced. Spreewerk of Berlin produced 280,000 pistols from 1943 until the Soviet occupation in 1945. The Spreewerk code was 'cyq' with WaA stamp 88....
  Under the Speer plan for the dispersal of production the Czechoslovakian factory Ceska Zbrojovka, renamed by the Germans Bohmische-Waffenfabrik, produced barrels and locking blocks for the P38 under the code 'fnh' and the WaA stamp 76.
  Erste Nordbohmishe Metallwarenfabrick of Niedererinsiede in Czechoslovakia produced magazines with the code letters 'jvd' and WaA stamp 706.
  Here it gets interesting...Slides and Frames only were produced by Fabrique Nationale at Herstal Belgium and stamped with WaA 140. Parts were shipped from the FN Plant to the major contractors for assembly.
  After the end of the War a Number of Weapons were assembled from War-Time components by the French at the Walther Plant. This was stopped by the distruction of the plant at the insistance of the Russians.....Hope You find this information useful and interesting....Best.....
  
  Captain Kirk, Tech Staff

  0

Please sign in to leave a comment.