Luger and Walther P-38 pistols are often confused with one another, as both were developed and manufactured to be used by the German army during WW I and WW II.
Luger and Walther P-38 pistols are often confused with one another, as both were developed and manufactured to be used by the German army during WW I and WW II.
In total, several million of the Lugar and the Walther P-38 pistols were produced by many different manufacturers, in different arsenals, in Germany, Switzerland and England. In addition, multitudes of commercial versions were manufactured before and after both wars. The Olive-Drab.com page on the Luger has a table of serial numbers and markings that apply to both pistols. The Luger was an aging design as Germany began preparations for war in the 1930s. In the mid-1930s, the Wehrmacht requested Carl Walther Waffenfabrik and other companies to develop a new military pistol, a more modern approach that would be cheaper to mass produce for the coming war. Walther had already been working on such pistols, in particular the Armee Pistole (or AP) and the Heeres Pistole (or HP) that were quite similar to the forthcoming P38. In 1938 the Wehrmacht accepted Walther's work and adopted the new design as 'Pistole 38'. Military production began the next year, issued first to elite Panzer crews. The P38 was well regarded by those who carried it. It was tough, accurate and simple, an advanced design for its time. The double action feature was used as a model for many post-war designs. Mauser and Spreewerke also produced the P38, over one million in total during World War II, but the Walther versions were always most prized. Production for the P38 resumed in 1957 for the Bundeswehr, with a new name, the Pistole 1 (or P1). The original steel slide was replaced by dural. It is still being manufactured today in many countries. The P38 is a recoil-operated, locked breech design with a verticlally tilting blocking bar that connects the 4.9 inch moving barrel and the slide. A locking wedge under the barrel holds the slide and barrel together during recoil. When the wedge reaches the limiting point against the frame, it drops down, releasing the slide to return to its forward, locked position for the next round. The P38 has a short, open top slide and a double action trigger, the first DA military handgun, a design pioneeried by Walther with the PP and PPK. The slide catch is on the left side of the frame. The catch for the 8-round magazine is located at the bottom of the grip. There is a post front sight and notch rear sight. The frame and slide are all-steel while the grip plates are plastic. The Walther-produced guns are had an overall black matte finish and black plastic grips. The Walther P38 could be dissembled easily and had multiple safety features. A manual safety is mounted on the left side of the slide, which also de-cocks the hammer. There is a loaded chamber indicator at the rear side of the slide, just behind the rear sight. There are many fine websites that have additional information on thistopic, too many to list here and too many to keep up with as they come and go.Use this Google web search form to get an up to date report of what's out there. For good results, try entering this: walther p38. Then click the Search button. Find at Amazon: Military Issue equipment, clothing, boots, MREs, MOLLE gear and much more. |
![P.38 P.38](http://www.tague.at/pistolen/images/P38%20ac43%202710l%20links1.jpg)
P38 | |
---|---|
300px P38 | |
Type | Semi-automatic pistol |
Place of origin | Nazi Germany |
Service history | |
In service | 1938-present |
Used by | See Users |
Wars | World War II[1] Portuguese Colonial War |
Production history | |
Designed | 1938 |
Manufacturer | Carl Walther Waffenfabrik, Mauser Werke, Spreewerk |
Produced | Walther P38 1939-1945 Pistole P1 1957-2000 |
Number built | ~1,000,000 [1] |
Variants | HP, P1, P38K, P38 SD, P4 |
Specifications | |
Weight | 800 g (1 lb 12 oz) |
Length | 216 mm (8.5 in) |
Barrel length | 125 mm (4.9 in) |
Cartridge | 9×19mm Parabellum |
Action | Short recoil, locked breech |
Muzzle velocity | 365 m/s (1,200 ft/s) |
Effective range | Sights set for 50 m (55 yd) |
Feed system | 8-round detachable single-stack magazine |
Sights | Rear notch and front blade post |
DevelopmentEdit
Design detailsEdit
VariantsEdit
UsersEdit
- Argentina (trial purposes)[4]
- Austria[5]
- Chad: P1 variant.[5]
- Chile: Chilean Army.[6]
- Independent State of Croatia[7]
- Finland: Finnish UN peacekeeping forces, P1 variant.[8]
- France: Replaced by the mid-1950s.[1]
- Germany: P1 variant.[5]
- Kingdom of Hungary[7]
- Italy[7]
- Lebanon[5]
- Macedonia: P1 variant.[5]
- Mozambique[5]
- Nazi Germany[6]
- Norway: Norwegian Armed Forces.[9]
- Pakistan[5]
- Portugal: Portuguese Army.[6]
- South Africa: Standard sidearm of SA Police.[10]
- Sweden: HP variant.[11]
- West Germany[6]
- Kazakhstan - at least up to 2007 were used as service pistol in private security companies[12]
ReferencesEdit
- ↑ 1.01.11.2Bishop, Chris. Guns in Combat. Chartwell Books, Inc (1998). ISBN 0-7858-0844-2.
- ↑Military Small Arms of the 20th Century, Ian Hogg, John Weeks
- ↑'P38 - 9mm semi-automatic pistol - history & development of the weapon'. Hellcat Patriots' Rifle Club. http://p38.50webs.com/history.html. Retrieved 2009-04-16.
- ↑Julio S. Guzmán, Las Armas Modernas de Infantería, Abril de 1953
- ↑ 5.05.15.25.35.45.55.6Jones, Richard D. Jane's Infantry Weapons 2009/2010. Jane's Information Group; 35 edition (January 27, 2009). ISBN 978-0-7106-2869-5.
- ↑ 6.06.16.26.3Diez, Octavio (2000). Armament and Technology. Lema Publications, S.L. ISBN 84-8463-013-7.
- ↑ 7.07.17.2Scarlata, Paul (10 March 2013). 'Evolution of the Modern Military Pistol'. Shotgun News.
- ↑Hyytinen, Timo (2002). Arma Fennica II Military Weapons. Gummerus Oy, Inc. ISBN 951-99887-0-X.
- ↑Marchington, James (2004). The Encyclopedia of Handheld Weapons. Lewis International, Inc. ISBN 1-930983-14-X.
- ↑Helmoed-Romer, Heitman (1991). Modern African Wars (3): South-West Africa. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 185532122X.
- ↑Reichert, Orv. 'P.38 variations'. Pistole38.nl. http://www.pistole38.nl/P38-variations/P38-variations.html. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
- ↑Постановление Правительства Республики Казахстан № 1305 от 28 декабря 2006 года 'Об утверждении Государственного кадастра гражданского и служебного оружия и патронов к нему на 2007 год'
External linksEdit
- Walther P1 article (translated from German)
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