I've trawled through my books, I've scourer t'interweb, but I can't find a definitive answer. Heer panzer officer P38 hard holster - brown or black? Regulations early war were brown for Heer officers and black for SS officers, but did that change later? The original P38 hard holsters are certainly around in brown, and the soft holster that came in in 1943/1944 is also found in brown. Were these for Heer officers though?
Thoughts gentlemen please
Heer Panzer Officer Holster Colour?
Moderator: berlin1945
Re: Heer Panzer Officer Holster Colour?
Did officers indeed wear a P38? Enlisted men certainly had them as issued sidearms but again..... Officerx usually purchased their own and were given a voucher (Eigentumswaffe) to aid this. In Panzers a small semiauto was favoured as the compactness made it less prone to snagging on things when worn. No doubt some officerx did wear P38s as seen in phtot and film evidence. Again a good poser and one that I suspect can not be definitively answered.
Re: Heer Panzer Officer Holster Colour?
I've never found one Bryn and I've been looking for a few years now. What I did presume to be P38 holsters in books etc were upon closer inspection P08's. I've seen one illustrated picture with a brown one, but as we know with Osprey books, somethings are left open to interpretation.
I've also asked a few 'faces' if they were issued in brown and the answers have all come back as a big fat no (so I'm inclined to agree at this point). The only suggestion I've had is that through wear and polishing with brown polish they start looking a bit more browner than black.
As PD says, the research so far suggests P08's or PPK's as private purchase items were the choice of Offiziers on the move.
I've also asked a few 'faces' if they were issued in brown and the answers have all come back as a big fat no (so I'm inclined to agree at this point). The only suggestion I've had is that through wear and polishing with brown polish they start looking a bit more browner than black.
As PD says, the research so far suggests P08's or PPK's as private purchase items were the choice of Offiziers on the move.
Re: Heer Panzer Officer Holster Colour?
If you google brown P38 holster in images, there are quite a few originals turn up, Neil, in both early hard and later soft pattern. The ones I found were not P08 holsters and were clearly marked P38.
Re: Heer Panzer Officer Holster Colour?
Bryn
FWIW, I found this Doesn't answer your question directly, but it seems plausible some of the 08 holsters in pics are actually P38
Cam
http://eartist.nl/holsters.htm
FWIW, I found this Doesn't answer your question directly, but it seems plausible some of the 08 holsters in pics are actually P38
Cam
http://eartist.nl/holsters.htm
Very rare zero type holster This is the only type known where the Germans used the strap to the side (as the P08) for the P.38