Since
1908 the Luger P.08 is the standard sidearm of the German Army.
Although the Walther P.38 was produced to fully replace the Luger P.08,
the P.08
was used (and favoured by many) throughout the war.
Not only officers were issued with the P.08, but it was also a personal sidearm for MG Gunners, Medical Personnel etc.
This section will be dealing with the holster for the P.08.
The front side of the P.08 holster is shown.
The leather belt which closes the cover is visible on the left.
On the right, just below the cover, a small leather piece is visible which is attached to a leather strap inside the holster. This strap is used to pull the sidearm out of the holster.
On the far right, the magazine pouch is visible.
On the left, the back side of the holster is shown.
The belt loops are clearly visible.
Also clearly visible, the designation P.08
Furthermore the makers mark, and the WaffenAmt (WaA) stamp are visible.
When the cover is opened, the pocket for the small P08 loading and disassembly tool is visible.
The spare magazine can also be seen, since a little piece of leather is removed (probably for a quicker way to get the magazine).
Top view of the holster.
The typical white stitching for the small pocket is visible.
With the small pocket opened, the tool is exposed.
Here the front of the tool is shown.
And here the back side of the tool.
Note the grooves on the tool so it fits the mag.
Detail picture of the Waffen Amt (WaA) stamp.
WaA 655 stands for: Mauser Werke K.G., Oberndorf-am-Neckar, Nordrhein-Westfalen.
This picture shows how the magazine is loaded (translation of the text: filling of the magazine).
This picture is taken from the Reibert series (which are german manuals for Riflemen, Machine Gunners, Anti Tank troops, etc etc.)
The tools is used to make it more comfortable to push down the knob which allows filling of the magazine.
Here the tool is fitted to the magazine.
Detail shot of the tool on the magazine
Front view of the magazine with the tool.
Here the pouch for the spare magazine is shown.
Clearly visible is where the leather is removed for a quicker removal of the spare mag.
On another holster the original configuration is shown.
Indeed, the magazine sits more tight and is difficult to remove.
On this picture, the inside of the holster is shown, to get a clear look at the pull string, whuch was used to pull the sidearm out of the holster.
Same view with the leather string pulled. The sidearm could easily be pulled out of the Holster.
When the sidearm was inserted again, the string would be pushed into the Holster again.
Here, the stamps on the back of the holster are shown.
Clearly visible, the P.08 stamp.
Here in detail the makers mark, date and WaA stamp.
The cdg and WaA 101 code stands for:
Auwaerter-u. Bubeck K.G., Koffer-u. Lederwarenfabrik, Hasenbergstr. 31, Stuttgart, B-W
Finally, a picture of how the holster was worn on the belt, together with a belt loop, which was used for securing the Y strap.
The belt loop will be dealt with in another section