G Dated H. Krieghoff

This is the legendary and seldom seen G-Dated Krieghoff, one of two hundred believed made a the Suhl plant at the very beginning of the contract. This gun is identified in the Gibson book The Krieghoff Parabellum a known gun and the fine quality of Krieghoff is still evident. This is a Chamber G-Dated 1935 Krieghoff, made for the German Luftwaffe from the 10,000 gun contract that was believed finished in 1938 with the shipment of the last 50 guns. This is a 1908 Model, 9mm with a 4" (100mm) Barrel. (1371)

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In 1934 the Luftwaffe announced it was seeking bids for military pistols. It is assumed that Krieghoff had acquired the old Erfurt Luger tooling from Simpson to enable it to contract for only 10,000 Lugers in 9mm. The chamber date places the assembly as an example of the original military contract.

Reichmarshall Hermann Göering as Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) was directly involved in the contract with Heinrich Krieghoff as the corporate head of Reichwerke Hermann Göering which let Luftwaffe contracts.

Göering entered the army in 1914 as an Infantry Lieutenant, before being transferred to the air force as a combat pilot. The last Commander in 1918 of the Richthofen Fighter Squadron, Göering distinguished himself as an air ace, credited with shooting down twenty-two Allied aircraft. Awarded the Pour le Merite and the Iron Cross (First Class), he ended the war as a much decorated pilot and war hero.


This is one of the "known" G-Date Krieghoff' its number appearing on page 172 of Gibson's *The Krieghoff Parabellum.* The Stage I and Stage II proofs are very early. This is a 1908 Model, 9mm with a 4" (100mm) Barrel, wooden grips and came with the rolled nickel aluminum base.


Under the barrel we can see evidence that this G-Date must have been captured by the British and in accordance with their laws was proofed and marked in the British manner. Perhaps captured from a Luftwaffe bomber crewman during the Battle of Britain it survived the war as very few have. (Only three known in 1980 when the book was written)

Here you can see the highly defined late Krieghoff logo; there are four categories of defining the logo and this is of course the early HK, Anchor with the SUHL slanted to the right with the "U" having the rounded bottom. This is only found on the very early toggles soon to be replaced with the Type C the restored the Krieghoff to the logo.


Proofing is extensive on all the small parts of these early Krieghoff's; the majority of the inspection proofs were on the underside of the part. Above we see the Early Stage II proofs under the 1st toggle and on the coupling link. Below you can see the proofs on the side of the breach block and rear toggle. The last two digits of the serial number appear on the 1st and 2nd toggle links.

Luftwaffe (German Air Force) and Fallshirmjaeger (Paratroops) were the ones issued the Luger under the original and subsequent purchases from Krieghoff.



Above the underside of the hold open and the back of the sear bar lever. Below the back of the thumb safety and the obverse of the trigger appears the Stage II proof.


Here is the right side of the Krieghoff with the stage II proofs and the final Krieghoff Logo that had experienced slight changes over the year.

Above Right: The Stage II proof of the Krieghoff magazine makes this a correct magazine for the gun but the number of the magazine does not match the gun. Above Left: The frame is numbered "99" and the gauge markings and the Stage II HK inspection proofs are not disturbed by the application of the British capture proofs.


The inside of this Luger is in Very Good condition. There are marks of rusting under the grips which is a caution to all collectors that the wood grips retain moisture long after the oil on the gun has evaporated. On the left side one can see the British marks on the barrel, frame and receiver. At this early stage the Locking Bolt is marked on the outside. This was later changed to a hidden position.

Above the firing pin and the firing pin retainer are both marked with the Stage II proofs.

The British carefully proofed the barrel without disturbing the German gauge markings with the 9.mm and caliber markings. Plus their pressure tests were measured in pounds. Below on the breach block the Brits attempted to mark the BNP but found the space too small.



*FALLSCHIRMJÄGER* were the German paratroops who were a part of the Luftwaffe and (as we can see in the pictures above) who were armed with the Luger.



Above With the grip removed and magazine inserted one can clearly see the proofs and serial numbers on the parts. The thumb safety is marked "Gesichert" and safe is in the down position. The extractor is marked "Geladen."

Military Krieghoff Lugers bear serial numbers of one through five digits without any suffix. They began military production in 1935 with the "G" Code at serial number 1 and continued consecutively upward until approximately 13158 (known) in early 1945. The serial numbers overlapped "variations" as defined by collectors and require some study to be certain the exact variation one is looking at.

The rarity of the G-Date Krieghoff makes it very difficult for the Krieghoff collector to complete a series collection. While this is one of the "known" guns it comes with the British capture proofs, a non-matching side place and magazine.

A lot of collectors will wait for a better gun to come along but when applying this rule to the G-Date Krieghoff one's lifetime may transpire before another comes along.

This extremely rare "G" dated 1935 Krieghoff is the crowning jewel in most Krieghoff collector's collection. If there are any questions regarding this end of the war issue email josef@phoenixinvestmentarms.com . This Luger is offered over-the-counter for $18,950.00 and is subject to prior sale. Please check for availability.