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Background info needed on WW2 walther P.38

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ac45 p.35 ww2
1K views 1 reply 2 participants last post by  searcher451 
#1 · (Edited)
just joined the forum and i need some identification help and background/history on a p.38 that was brought home from the war by my grandfather.

I believe that it is a authentic p.38 taken from the battle field and not the factory but let me know what you think based on the specs. I will upload pics if I can figure out a way to do that.

The inscriptions on the left side read as follows from barrel end to hammer:
P.38 5575 b ac 45.

Inscriptions on the right side appear two proof marks with 359 underneath each and the wehrmacht stamp- the eagle holding the swastika. i have found 3 serial numbers all reading 5575 b (slide, above the trigger, and just below the barrel.

after more research I have dated it to around feb. 1945 and the factory was raided in april so mine just barely made it out. only thing thats killing me is the finish. its a stainless steel finish with brown grips as opposed to the traditional black finish. maybe this once belonged to someone important??
any info you have helps
 
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#2 ·
Post up some photos so that we can all get a good luck at it, but one thing is certain: Your pistol, if it has a chrome/stainless look today, was once owned by a hero, all right ... but it most likely wasn't anyone famous. Many returning GIs had their war relics hard-chromed, either upon their return to the USA or in Europe after the war, where a cottage industry quickly sprang up to accommodate the requests. The pistols we see today with this finish are the result; they were not special presentation pieces done by the German factories and given to muckety-mucks. There was simply no time for that, certainly not as the war dragged on, and only one plant (Spreewerk) had any record of a "special" pistol being given to a so-called dignitary.

This thread ...

http://www.waltherforums.com/forum/...10404-tips-shooting-posting-great-photos.html

... should help with the photos.

Hope that helps a bit. Welcome to the forum; enjoy your time here.
 
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