Original German WWII USGI Modified Black P.08 Luger Holster by Karl Barth with Added Heer Eagle Insignia - Dated 1941

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very interesting example of a black finished leather P.08 Luger pistol hardshell holster, which was still standard issue for many officers during the war. It was captured by a USGI during the war, and then heavily modified into an open top holster, probably used to hold some type of service revolver, as a Colt 1911 or other Browning style slide action semiautomatic will not fit. The entire top cover was removed, and the front cut down as well. It looks like a piece of the cut off leather was used to make a new securing strap, rivetted through the back. A Wehrmachtadler Heer Army Eagle from a visor cap was also added to the front of the holster as a trophy, something we see very often with USGI Bring back items.

The holster still retains part of the correct P.08 stamp on the rear right, and is maker marked dla and dated 41, with a Waffenamt WaA195 proof. Research reveals that three letter code "dla" stands for Karl Barth of Waldbröhl / Rheinland, a known maker of all types of leatherware during the WWII Period, and inspector 195 is correct.

Overall condition is very nice, with the belt loops on the back still in very good shape, and the leather displaying some great period wear.

A lovely USGI Bringback modified holster that would be home in any WWII collection!

The P-08
The Pistole Parabellum—or Parabellum-Pistole (Pistol Parabellum), commonly known as just Luger —is a toggle-locked recoil-operated semi-automatic pistol which was produced in several models and by several nations from 1898 to 1948. The design was first patented by Georg Luger as an improvement upon the Borchardt Automatic Pistol and was produced as the Parabellum Automatic Pistol, Borchardt-Luger System by the German arms manufacturer Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken (DWM). The first production model was known as the Modell 1900 Parabellum. Followed by the "Marinepistole 1904" for the Imperial German Navy. The later versions included the popular "Parabellum Pistole Modell von 1908" or simply "P08" (Pistole 1908) which was produced by DWM and other manufacturers such as W+F Bern, Krieghoff, Simson, Mauser, and Vickers. The first Parabellum pistol was adopted by the Swiss army in May 1900. 1904 they were adopted by the German Navy. In German Army service, it was adopted in slightly modified form as the Pistole Modell 1908 (Pistole 08) in caliber 9×19mm Parabellum. The Model 08 was eventually succeeded by the Walther P38.

The Luger is well known from its use by Germans during World War I and World War II, along with the interwar Weimar Republic and the postwar East German Volkspolizei. The P.08 was introduced in 7.65mm Parabellum, though it is notable for being the pistol for which the 9×19mm Parabellum cartridge was developed, also known as the 9×19mm Luger. The pistol has been used in fictional works by many villainous characters over the past several decades because of its association with WW2 Germany.