Imfdb.com and wikipedia images As the 1930s arrived, much of the world was in a massive economic depression. Germany, which was already in a violent political turmoil, fell into economic collapse in mid-1931. The Wehrmacht (defense force) quietly began a campaign to rearm the country. Among its tasks was to replace the relatively fragile and expensive-to-manufacture with a more modern and easy-to-manufacture design. Had recently gained a contract to supply German police with its ( Polizeipistole, or police pistol) and PPK ( Polizeipistole Kurz, or police pistol short) pistols.
Hi all, I just got this Spreewerke (cvq) P38, serial number b 3605. I assume it is a late war (1945?) production. Magazine is marked WaffenAmt.
It stood to reason that the company would be in the competition for a new service pistol. Armee pistole Its first submission, called the Model MP ( Militarische Pistole) was a larger version of the PP chambered in 9x19 mm Parabellum. However, the cartridge was too powerful for a blowback-operated pistol, and the Heer (army) sent Walther back to the drawing boards. Walther then tried a variation of a Paul Kiraly design, calling it the AP ( Armee pistole). It featured a delayed-blowback operation from a locked breech, a double-action/single-action (DA/SA) fire control system borrowed from the PP series, an internal hammer that could be safely lowered onto a live round via a decocker and a 4 7/8' round barrel.
It is estimated that no more than 55 of these prototype pistols were made and the few that have made their way to the collector’s market fetch prices from $35,000 to $55,000. The Heer liked the design but wanted an exposed hammer so that a soldier would have the option of manually cocking the pistol.
Walther P38 Walther redesigned the AP to include an external hammer, along with some changes to the safety/decock mechanism, renaming that iteration the HP ( Heeres Pistole) and produced three more for testing. Though accepted in 1938, it wasn’t until 1939 that the three prototypes were furnished to the Heer. Mass production commenced mid-1940, just as Germany was in a rapid expansion of its war-making machine, and the pistol was given the name P38.
One cannot help but wonder whether the designers at Walther knew that the P38’s design would be a seminal moment in the evolution of modern service pistols. The P38 was the first pistol to combine a locked breech with a DA/SA trigger, whereby the hammer could rest with a round in the chamber, and the first shot could be fired in double-action mode, with subsequent shots fired in the single-action mode.
This design has been copied numerous times up to and including today for most modern pistols, until the advent of the striker-fired pistol. While many old-schoolers scoff that the DA/SA is a solution to a non-existent problem, the feature has become widely accepted by military and police organizations worldwide. The P38 is also one of the first service pistols to employ a loaded-chamber indicator, a small piece of rod that protrudes out of the top toward the rear of the slide when a round is in the chamber. Instead of using a link like a 1911 to unlock the barrel and allow it to drop out of battery during the cycling of the slide, the P38 employs a wedge-shaped falling block to keep the slide and barrel locked together until enough pressure has decayed to allow the slide to reciprocate safely.
The wedge locks the barrel and slide together and moves rearward a short distance before falling into a recess, allowing the slide to continue its movement to the rear. As the slide moves forward under the pressure of dual recoil springs set to each side of the slide, it strips a fresh round from the single-column, eight-round magazine, and the wedge is cammed back into its locking recess as the slide goes into battery.
Stocks on the early P38 were made from walnut, but the challenges of wartime production necessitated changing the material to Bakelite fairly early on. The left grip panel has a recessed lanyard ring. Sights consist of a fixed front blade and a fixed notched rear.
Like the 1911, the P38 was quite popular with troops so armed. It was much more reliable and rugged than the P08. Trouble was, however, production could not keep up with demand.
Germany even resorted to getting —the manufacturer of the P08—and Spreewerk GmbH of Berlin to help produce the popular pistol. More than 1.2 million P38s were produced in Germany from 1938 to 1946.
The P38 even enjoyed the respect of many allied soldiers. Wartime captured P38s found their way to the hips of many in the infantry, paratroopers and pilots. After the war, the market became flush with surplus P38s. Many were brought to the states as wartime souvenirs by returning GIs. As West Germany picked itself up out of wartime ashes, it had Walther—which had to relocate its factory out of East Germany to Ulm—start producing the P38 again. From 1957 until 2000, another 600,000 copies of the iconic warhorse were produced.
It remained Germany’s service pistol of choice up until 1994, when it was replaced by the P1. Walther P38K The P38 was made in a number of variants.
Early experimentation with chamberings like.38 Super and.45 ACP didn’t go far. A few chambered in 7.65×21 mm Parabellum and.22 Long Rifle versions were also manufactured and sold. Walther also made a P38K, with a short barrel, but is actually made from the P4 pistol. Very few of these were made, consequently they are very high priced. A lot of what is put forth as a P38K are home-cut-down fakes. The P38K did enjoy some “wow popularity” as the pistol of choice for the stars of “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” television show from the 1960s.
Another variant is the P38SD, which is a P38 with a ported barrel and a wipeless suppressor. Developed by Walther engineer Siegfried Huebner, it was intended for use by NATO militaries on “special occasions.” While Walther’s P38 may have lacked the “fineness” and graceful lines of its predecessor the P08, nor the legendary thump of the.45-caliber 1911, it marks the starting point of the modern day service pistol. Tough and raw-boned, it doesn’t lure you to it with a perfect single-action trigger release. But out in the mud and dirt-soaked world of wartime combat, it certainly earned its place as one of the great pistols of our time.
SOLD FOR: $1,00.01 Make: Spreewerke Factory at Berlin-Spandau Model: Walther P38 Serial Number: 7595 Block S Year of Manufacture: 1942-1945 (Caliber: 9mm Parabellum Action Type: Double Action/Single Action Semi-Auto with Removable Magazine. This pistol has a de-cocker lever. Markings: The left side of the slide is marked “P38”, “cyq” and “7595 S”, which identifies this pistol as a Spreewerke Block S P38.
The left side of frame is marked “7595 S” and with the “Eagle 88” acceptance mark. The right side of the slide is marked with a “.”, 2 “Eagle 88” acceptance marks, an Eagle holding a globe with Swastika and a smaller mark which appears to be a “Starred 88”. Barrel Length: 4.9” Sights / Optics: The pistol is mounted with a flat topped square notched rear sight dovetailed into the slide and a blade front sight dovetailed into the barrel. Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are black serrated plastic. The grips show very minor handling marks. The grips rate in Excellent overall condition. Type of Finish: Blued Finish Originality: All Original Bore Condition: The bore is bright and the rifling is deep.
There is no erosion. Overall Condition: This pistol retains about 98% of its metal finish. There is surface loss at the muzzle, on the front edges of the slide, and on the right side of the slide below the port. The sides of the slide also show minor handling marks. All of the serrations are sharp. The grip screws have very slight disfigurement.
The markings are clear. The quality of the metal preparation prior to finishing is rather poor, and would indicate that this pistol was made more towards the end of the war.
Overall, this pistol rates in about Excellent condition. Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We did not fire this pistol. Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This pistol comes with two 8 round single-stack blued magazines, a black leather holster and documentation. Both magazines are marked “P.38v”. The one in the pistol shows very little wear, and has light frosting on both sides. It is in Excellent condition.
The spare magazine shows wear marks, thinning, frosting and scattered spots of pinprick surface erosion. It is in Fine condition. The back side of the holster had no maker markings. The leather of the flap hinge has no cracks and the stitching is intact except for at the very front. The flap shows handling marks and several indentations, with no cracks, and the buckle strap is present. The inside top edge of the holster next to the flap shows very slight wear and the stitching is loose at the rear. The pull-out strap shows no cracks or disfigurement.
The magazine pouch on the front of the holster shows light wear and a surface loss near the bottom. The leather on the outside of the holster shows handling marks, with a cut through the leather at the bottom.
There is no surface loss. The back side of the holster has 2 belt loops, which are intact, and show minor handing marks and light surface loss where a belt would rub.
All of the stitching appears to be intact. The takedown tool is missing. Altogether, the holster is in Very Good to Fine condition. Also included is a notarized declaration from our consigner that this pistol is one of three that his stepfather, Sgt. Whitmore of the 1st Armored Division, brought back from Northern Italy when General Wolff surrendered, and the German forces under his command turned-in their weapons in March 1945.
The declaration also documents Sgt. Whitmore’s involvement with the Italian campaign and the circumstances under which the weapons were acquired. Our Assessment: The P38 occupies a significant place in history. It was the first locked breech pistol to have a double action/single action trigger. After the start of WWII, Walther could not keep up with the production required, and production was finally started in 1942 at Mauser and Spreewerke. This Spreewerke built WWII P38 “Bring Back” is in Excellent condition with all the appropriate markings and matching numbers.
It also comes with a period holster and a spare magazine. We rarely see complete packages like this where everything is there, with documentation on the “Bring Back”. This is a great correctly marked package for the P38 collector. Lock, Stock and Barrel Investments specializes in the acquisition and sale of firearms, firearms paraphernalia and military / war memorabilia. We acquire items of any vintage and any condition from estates for any liquidation purpose. We will purchase or consign single items or entire collections.
We pay fair market prices and have a history of achieving better than market prices for our consignors. We are liscensed FFL dealers and adhere to all local and federal laws. Firearm Consingments are ALWAYS welcome.