This is a 1934 Pistole 08 military Parabellum manufactured by Mauser. As a K-Date police gun this is one of those "never was" Lugers based on the writings of the experts. This piece is a 4 inch (100mm) 9mm Parabellum.  To conceal production a series of alphabetical dates were assigned in addition to the code on the toggle S/42 (Mauser).  ''K" dates are representative of the Luger produced in 1934, the very first year of military production for Mauser.   (972)

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The chief of the SD was Reinhard Heydrick who reported directly to Heinrich Himmler.

Note the SD patch on the left sleeve of Heydrick.

The SD was one of the oldest security organizations of the SS and was first formed in 1931 as the Ic-Dienst, operating out of a single apartment. Both the SD and the Gestapo were effectively under the control of Heinrich Himmler as Chief of the German Police, but Kripo kept a level of independence, as its structure was longer-established. 

The Sicherheitsdienst (SD, Security Service) was primarily the intelligence service of the SS and the NSDAP. The organization was the first Nazi Party intelligence organization to be established and was often considered a "sister organization" with the Gestapo, which the SS had infiltrated heavily after 1934. Between 1933 and 1939, the SD was administered as an independent SS office, after which it was transferred to the authority of the Reich Security Head Office (Reichs-sicherheitshauptamt, or RSHA), as one of its five offices.

The SD was tasked with the detection of actual or potential enemies of the Nazi leadership and the neutralization of this opposition. To fulfill this task, the SD created an organization of agents and informants throughout the Reich and later throughout the occupied territories. The organization consisted of a few hundred full-time agents and several thousand informants. The SD was mainly the information-gathering agency, and the Gestapo, and to a degree the Kriminalpolizei, was the executive agency of the political police system.

Serial number placement is in the military ("exposed") style.   The serial number appears on the front of the frame, on the side of the locking bolt, on the trigger, on the bottom of the barrel, the side plate,  the left side of the receiver, the safety bar, the sear bar, the rear connecting pin, and on the extractor.

The thumb safety is new style, and strawed. The finish is 98% Blued and 25% straw blued and model has a hold open latch and stock lug.. This Luger has all matching numbers including the magazine. The gun has a numbered hold-open and the stock lug.

Hermann Göring as the Interior Minister of Prussia issued a degree on Feb 22, 1933 raising an Auxiliary Police (Hilfspolizei HIPS) from members of the SA & SS made up of volunteers from the Prussian SA & SS and Stahlhelm and reached a strength of 50,000.

Here a Berlin Polizei is checking on a photographer's papers. 

Right:  The early police magazines were made rolled steel and this one is also proofed with the early Mauser 37 code which displayed on the magazine the receiver and the loading tool.  Itself a fantastic collectors dream.

In early 1930 production was begun by Mauser in Oberndorf with the transfer of  the tooling and equipment from BKIW (DWM) factory in Berlin to Mauser-Werke. The first order was for the Dutch in November 1930 and then the American Eagle orders for A.F. Stoeger.  From 1930 until 1934 Mauser assembled many thousands of Lugers from DWM parts and stocks, plus reworked other for the paramilitary groups and the police.  Mauser proof marks left a trail across many Lugers.

Note all the extensive proofing with both the Scriptic S on Gothic S on all the other parts. Also to note is the droop wing early acceptance stamp and the distinguishing 37 code of the early Mauser proofs.

This variation of the K-Date is estimated to be only 3850 guns with the Police Gun being unknown to collectors.

There were four variations of the "K" date, the early with Scriptic S acceptance  on all the parts and numbered from 1-1700. The second variation (1700-5250)  had a mixture of Scriptic and Gothic S; while by 5200 until 9100 the Scriptic S appeared only on S/42 code. The final variation of the K-Date did not have the Gothic S code on the parts, only the Scriptic S on the S/42.   There was a Navy production K-Date numbering 600 Lugers.

The inside of the gun is clean with indicating that it has been cared for many years. The bore is good. This gun is a great Luger being in such good shape and bearing all the correct proofs and markings to make it a text book "K" date. Jan Still in The Third Reich Lugers  does not recognize the K-Date Police gun, probably due to the scarcity of production and lack of records to indicate one. Now you can see it. Truly a great gun for the Police Collector.

Below we inserted a dummy cartridge in the chamber to both show how the extractor (Geladen - Loaded) becomes extended and the disconnect of the sear safety with the side plate removed.

Sear Safety (above):

During the 1920's it was determined by German authorities that one could remove the side plate with the gun loaded, thereby exposing the sear, and by then pressing on the sear discharge the gun.  Patented in July of 1929 by Ludwig Schiwy of Berlin.

[The P-08 is designed with the firing mechanism on the side and not behind or on top as most automatic pistols.]

The Sear Safety consist of a spring bar riveted to the top left side of the receiver. (Seen over the sear bar lever). This bar has a vertical pin which is directly over a hole drilled in the sear bar assembly which when the side plate is removed falls into place preventing the sear bar from moving.

Therefore you can remove the side plate while loaded (never recommended) and the sear safety should save you from an accidental discharge.

The magazine is serial numbered to the gun. There is also the "37" proofed magazine contract number on the magazine, specific to the "K" Date Mauser.  Truly a matching magazine.

The Barrel is matched to the gun with the caliber 8.82mm stamped representing the distance of the lands. 

The 5342 serial puts this K" Date very early in the 3rd variation of the K-Date and confirms Jan Still's criteria of the change from Scriptic S to Gothic S on the parts.

Every Luger has a tale to tell and this one is no exception. It has been to war and with it the proofs of the early Mauser production.

German Polizei marching in a parade in Berlin displaying a "Germany Awake" Banner

Serial #42 on the Thumb Safety

It is entirely subjective to give any Luger a rating of excellent or fine, just as it is to declare it xx% blued or strawed. Few Lugers are out of the box new and these are premium priced. Bluing percentages is like Beauty, in the eye of the beholder.  We strive to provide pictures so you can judge for yourself if the gun meets your criteria.

 In 1934 Mauser got it's first Military P-08 contract from the German Government. So was born the first military Mauser Luger, the "K" date of which it was estimated 10,900 were made. These were the 1934 production designation "K". 600 were pulled for the German Navy (Kriegsmarine).

Beginning in 1935 Mauser began by marking the guns with the "G".  From the "G" series beginning approximately with 930a to 5000f, (in blocks of 10,000) for approximately 54,700 guns, 700 were pulled out for the German Kriegsmarine and so marked.

This is a nearly impossible to find K-Date Luger police variation in this excellent condition. A much sought after piece for the Mauser police collector with a "K" Date a crown jewel in anyone's collection due to the fact that until now it is an unpublished variation.  This Parabellum is offered with the all-matching K-Date, the 2nd Matching Magazine, the Matching 1934 Berlin Marked Holster, the matching 37 proofed loading tool a period belt and Nazi Polizei belt buckle.  This Luger is identified as a curio and can be send directly to C&R licensees and above.   Questions to: josef@phoenixinvestmentarms.com