Walther P.38

Description

Manufactured by Spreewerk, the manufacturer known to have produced the least number of P.38's. In 1938, the Wehrmacht looked to replace its legendary Pistole Parabellum 1908, better known as the Luger & chose as its replacement the Walther-designed Pistole 38, however Walther wasn't the only manufacturer of these handguns. Three manufacturers produced collectively over one million P.38s during the war. Walther was the earliest to begin production in June 1939, followed in 1942 by both Mauser & the lesser-known Spreewerk. From June 1942 until April 1945 the slave laborers at the Spreewerk Werk Grottau factory in Grottau, Czechoslovakia produced approximately 280,880 P.38s. As the war progressed, the steel slides on these examples often exhibited a rougher finish than those produced by Walther & Mauser which can clearly be seen on this pistol. At under 300,000 P.38s, Spreewerk produced the least of the three manufacturers, making these more highly collectable. Also differentiating itself from Walther & Mauser, Spreewerk examples were the only complete wartime P.38s produced outside of Germany. The only wartime P.38s that clearly display the names of their manufacturers are those produced during the first few months of the war by Walther. Concerned that the factories would become a prime target for allied bombing raids, in 1940 the Wehrmacht developed a secret squirrel code system to obfuscate the true manufacturers of these handguns, similar to that employed for the Kar98k. Most Walthers were marked 'ac'. The majority of Mausers were marked "byf", however in 1945, shortly before French occupation of their factory, Mauser changed its marking to "svw", just in time to produce roughly 15,000 more P.38s. Lastly, Spreewerk examples were marked "cyq". A very limited number of very late war pistols from Spreewerk P.38s including this example appear to be marked "cvq". There are two schools of thought regarding these. Some collectors & historians believe this is due to a damaged die stamp, where the leg of the "y" was missing. The other side believes that Spreewek changed from ''cyq'' to ''cvq'' toward the very end of the war, as Mauser did from 'byf' to 'svw'' Behind this 2nd groups belief is that there would have been more than one (1) single ''cyq'' stamp in use, meaning if one did become damaged, it wouldn't affect production plus, many do not believe the super efficient Germans would have been accepting of a busted stamp being used, thus leaving incorrectly marked guns leaving the factory, under any circumstances. Supporting this theory, you can clearly see 'cyq' on the inner parts whereas the slide displays 'cvq'. We are in the 2nd camp & believe this is an example of the very limited number produced with the 'cvq' stamp. Whoever is correct, the fact remains a very limited number left the factory with the cvq stamp, regardless of why. This example is all matching numbers, & was one of just 41,200 made in 1945 with this being produced in March 1945, according to available records & the research conducted by collectors. As can be seen in the photos, it is in pristine condition & comes with a correct wartime magazine which has the appropriate Waffenamts as does the pistol, not a post war P.1 mag as so often accompanies wartime P.38's. This comes from a private collection & a black wartime holster in mint condition is also available if desired, call for a price. These are increasing in cost as they become scarcer, so is a good investment. We are offering this pistol as a collectable piece of military history & acknowledge the grievous atrocities committed by the Nazi regime & some of its military, particularly toward the peoples of occupied territory & the Jewish population in Europe. In no way do we condone or glorify the Nazi regime which must be remembered for the vile stain on human history that it was. We think we have described it accurately & correctly but do not claim to be infallible so if we have got anything wrong, it is unintentional & are happy for feedback from people who know more than we do. Whilst we check these out for serviceability, the warranty has expired & this is sold on an 'as is' basis. As with all used guns, we recommend you have this checked by a suitably qualified person prior to shooting. We have a pretty unique refund policy on our collectable guns whereby we will refund your money if it is not as described when you receive it. Just let us know before you decide to send it back. Standard cost for shipping is $55 & all guns are sent via Startrack without insurance but we pack very well.  

Specifications