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This is a 9mm weapon with all the
matching parts marked in the military manner (exposed). The barrel is
200mm and it has an adjustable front site. The frame has the
stock lug and the thumb safety.
The thumb safety is marked "Gesichert" and extractor "Geladen".
The barrel is numbered and proofed to the weapon. The inside of the gun is
clean and well cared for. |
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This is a 9mm weapon with all the
matching parts marked in the military manner (exposed). The barrel is
200mm and it has the adjustable site. The Imperial proofs are well struck and
tell the story of the gun. The barrel inside is shiny with
distinctive lands and grooves. The magazine is clean and grips match
the gun. |
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The magazine is clean and grips match the
gun.
The original intent was to issue the 8" weapon to gun boat crews but it
then became standard issue to machine gun crews and artillery units.
The barrel is
200mm (8") and it has the blade adjustable front sight and an adjustable site.
The rear of the receiver has the lanyard loop and the back strap has the
stock lug. |
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Acknowledging a requirement to protect the crew served weapons the
German army was in search of a shorter, more lightweight weapon than the
G98. The Luger Carbine was well known (the Kaiser hunted with
one), so the idea for a long barreled pistol with a stock was an easy
jump to make. In 1914 DWM produced a very few "artillery" models
when the decision was made for the Royal Arsenal at Erfurt to produce
the 8" Parabellum and DWM to produce the 4" version. DWM with the
greater capacity to expand in 1915 produced both the short and long
barrel versions. |
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Note above how some of
the Imperial soldiers carried the Parabellum on their waist belt and in
other pictures it was carried over the shoulder by the straps. Some of
these conversions were done with removal of the stock block and the
sewing of belt loops on the holster. In this case the belt loops
were additional strips of leather inserted in the stock block and held
by studs. (See below) |
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Sometimes in examination
people think the leaf site is bent. However, when raising the site
to the full 800 meter position reveals a 7° left movement. This
design compensates for the rifling on the 200 mm barrel which gives the
bullet a twist in flight and if properly adjusted will permit a corrected
point of impact. Another example of Luger engineering. |
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The 95 year old holster is in
good condition with the snaps, straps and closures all functional. The
inset picture is the manufacturers cartouche from the city of Erfurt in
1916. A real find for the collector. |
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The Imperial proofs are well struck and
tell the story of the gun. The barrel inside is shiny with
distinctive lands and grooves. The magazine is clean and grips match
the gun. |
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Note the holster above and the belt
conversion. In this case the belt loops were additional strips of
leather inserted in the stock block and held by studs. Additional
magazines were carried in pouches and boxes of 9mm were carried often in
the K-98 rifle leather pouches as shown in the picture right. |
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Corporal Adolph Hitler
had volunteered at age 25 by enlisting in a Bavarian Regiment.
Hitler was a dispatch runner, taking
messages back and forth from the command staff in the rear to the
fighting units near the battlefield. During lulls in the fighting he
would take out his watercolors and paint the landscapes of war.
On October 7, 1916,
Hitler's luck ran out when he was wounded in the leg by a shell fragment
during the Battle of the Somme. He was hospitalized in Germany. It was
his first time away from the Front after two years of war. Following his
recovery, he went sightseeing in Berlin, then was assigned to light duty
in Munich.
In August 1918, he
received the Iron Cross 1st Class, a rarity for foot soldiers.
Interestingly, the lieutenant who recommended him for the medal was a
Jew, a fact Hitler would later obscure. Despite his good record and a
total of five medals, he remained a corporal. Due to his unmilitary
appearance and odd personality, his superiors felt he lacked leadership
qualities and thought he would not command enough respect as a sergeant.
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