The Luger 9mm Parabellum pistol was the standard German military issue in WWI and, after difficult times in the inter-war years, continued in production during WWII, although the company had been taken over by then. Yet the standard issue German military pistol in WWII was not the Luger, it was the Walther P38. You read many accounts which suggest that almost every German officer had a Luger and these were prized trophies much sought after by allied troops. Yet we know that this cannot be true, as most will have been armed with issue weapons. Can anyone comment on how the myth of the Luger came about? A link: http://www.lugerforum.com/
the popularity in my view came from the pistols stint during WW 1 and with the broomhandle variant which was rather accurate at above average ranges. Also used as an early WW 2 standard. Here is a pic of my P-38 cyc which the cyc variant is usually made from cheap alloys in comparision to others, this item is in quite good condition. As with all P-38's the range, and I mean accurate range is around 25-40 feet before the rounds trail off to the right or left.
I think that the P38 was a Walther not a Mauser. As for the PO8 I think there was still alot of the weapon around in circulation, in fact The German army made use of many small arms, belgian brownings and Polish Radoms being two that were made under occupation and used by German troops. I think being designated P-38 meant that it was not standard issue till 1918 and it would have been hard to fully equip an army in one year, especially when the war mobolised troops to high levels. It may be that it was 'Hollywood' type popularity that made this weapon the prized trophy, after all the men of the first war would instantly recognise this weapon. Perhaps if the P38 had been in circulation for a few more years it would hav ebeen better known. Much like the Thompson and grease gun are remebered in the US forces. regards Arm.
I'd have to agree Arm that the P08 Parabellum was replaced indeed by the P38 Walther . The more famous Mauser was the C96 which could have the wooden stock fitted to it. Looked flashy but not very effective. I think the range was known as 'broom handles' To quote from www.luger-pistol.com "Mauser purchased Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabriken Luger manufacturing machinery in 1929, and produced Lugers until the later part of World War II. The Luger was officially replaced for German military use in 1940 by the Walther P38 double-action 9mm Parabellum pistol, but certainly Lugers saw service throughout the war." Ryan
Originally posted by armourersergeant@Aug 22 2004, 07:40 AM I think that the P38 was a Walther not a Mauser. 'course it was. Brain not engaged! Original post amended.
surely what made up part of the Lugar myth is the superb engineering involved, de-activating these weapons seems more like vandalism
HI my names Peter and I know that the luger also had a detachable snail magazine. This was not widley used in WWII but it was used! Thanks Currahee
There is a miss conception about the C96. The knick Name "Brrom Handle " comes from the odd shape of the grip almost like a broom handle. With the shoulder stock fitted to the weapon it is very accurate , the sights were adjustable to 1000 meters on the .30 and 500 on the 9mm. I have one of the Bolo's and it is a great gun to shoot it also is very easy to blank adapt. SSGT. Dave
Originally posted by ssgt. Dave@Dec 7 2004, 03:52 AM There is a miss conception about the C96. The knick Name "Brrom Handle " comes from the odd shape of the grip almost like a broom handle. With the shoulder stock fitted to the weapon it is very accurate , the sights were adjustable to 1000 meters on the .30 and 500 on the 9mm. I have one of the Bolo's and it is a great gun to shoot it also is very easy to blank adapt. SSGT. Dave [post=29931]Quoted post[/post] Am i mistaken? surely the broomhandle mauser or the bolo were never Lugers??
Originally posted by stuka101@Oct 15 2004, 12:08 AM HI my names Peter and I know that the luger also had a detachable snail magazine. This was not widley used in WWII but it was used! [post=28718]Quoted post[/post] I think you'll find that the 50 round snail magazine was used in conjunction with the detachable stock on the Artillery Luger in order to provide the artillery with a light carbine type weapon for self defence. Having never fired a Luger with the 50 round magazine I could still believe that having forty odd rounds adding an off-centre counter weight to the weapon, would require the stock and the longer barrel just to keep the weapon accurate to even short ranges. Any of our American friends had the oppertunity to prove or disprove my suspisions?
This artillery Luger model really did exist. It was mostly used during the World War 1. It had longer barrel than a normal Luger had. Its drum-like magazine was able to hold 32 9mm Parabellum rounds. The fire rate of the weapon was really high and it didn`t weight much. Therefor its fire bursts were hard to control. By theway did you know that the Luger was a prestage of sub-machinegun?
View attachment 497 here is a browning 9MM with a similar stock. Pistol 9 mm (Parabellum) (Pair) View attachment 498 View attachment 499 These German Luger pistols were manufactured by 'Deutsche Waffen und Munitions Fabriken' (DWM) in 1917. They are the 1908 long barrelled pattern, having a barrel 8 inches in length and a tangent sight, which were frequently issued with a 32nd 'snail' magazine. The pistols first made their appearance towards the end of World War 1 and are made of P'08 components with the exception of the barrel and sights. This pistol is no longer a standard pistol in any country because it is prone to stoppages when mud or sand gets into the action. A calibre .22 inch version has, however, been produced by 'ERMA' in West Germany. reme museum
Finns made their own Luger copy called Lahti L-35. It might look like an ordinary Luger but its mechanism has been modified to suit harsh finnish conditions. It can withstand low temperature, sand and dust better than the original Luger. Here is a picture of Lahti L-35. Note the marking "VKT" on the handle. The letters stand for "Valtion Kivääri Tehdas". If translated it would mean Goverments Rifle Factory. View attachment 504 Additional information: Lahti L-35 was desinged by Aimo Lahti (1896-1970) during the year 1935. Lahti L-35s lock mechanism is quite diffirent from original Lugers mechanism because Lahti L-35 was equipped with lock accelrator that the original Luger didn`t have. The purpose of the lock accelrator was to maintain locks function even when it was dirty or frozen.
The Lahti was not, I am afraid, a Luger copy or modification. The mechanism is totally different, and the Lahti does not have the luger-type toggle action. I believe the only similarity is in their external shape. Doc
One thing not mentioned is that the Luger had a very slight taper to it's bore, whereas the P.38 did not, nor so far as I know did any of the other 9mm's. I agree the Lahti was not a copy as it's action was quite different to the luger and, as has been posted, was more reliable in rough conditions and definitely less prone to jamming. I have fired both with factory ammo' (and home made) and the luger always jammed through misfeed, while that was a rare ocurence with the Lahti.
I checked my sources again and found out that Lahti L-35 was luger like only by appearance. I should have typed "Luger like" instead of "Luger copy". Thank you noticing this error.
