Nazi issue .22 Walther

Most likely a commercial gun purchased by the officer.

Nazi commercial proof stamp - Eagle over N (Waffenamt) manufactured 1940 - 1945 era.

rc

Or a gun taken from a private residence, like all armys the American soldier believed if it wasn't nailed down it belonged to them. Looting was not confined to the Russians ( except the Russian troops would literally take every thing, sinks, toilets, everything was new and strange to them )

Confirm military markings.
Walther used a standard proof stamp that many confuse with a Nazi stamp.
Denis

No. The caliber of choice was 7,65 Browning.

PabloJ is right as 7.65mm. (.32 ACP), was the authorized caliber for secondary sidearms like the Walther PP and PPK, Mauser HSc, and Sauer 38H. More than likely a PPK in .22 caliber was a private purchase and has government proof marks, but not military acceptance marks.

Some were military. Shooting competitions used .22's. some went to the SS. Pictures would help a lot. And, it could be quite valuable. Even more than a normal .22 from that era.

Even if they were used by shooting clubs or were given to the SS they will not have Military acceptance codes because they were never an issue item. However the serial number and pictures would help. Walther PP's in .22 LR from that era bring a premium. I would also disregard the " taken from an officer story ". Every bring back that was taken from a pile of confiscated firearms or won in a poker game supposedly ( according to the vet ) was taken from a SS Colonel in hand to hand combat. You also have to remember the unofficial code of the rear Headquarters troops, " you shoot them, we loot them".

My dad was a WWII vet...when I asked him how he got his bringback pistol his answer was "I took it from a DP (displaced person)".

"... taken from a SS Colonel in hand to hand combat."

A mere colonel? Ron, you talked to the wrong vets. Walthers were all taken from Adolf Hitler, Hermann Göring, or at least a Feldmarschall.

Seriously, I have two .22 PP's. They have beautiful trigger pulls and ares very accurate with target ammo. One has the wood finger piece magazine and the grips that extend down so the wood of the magazine is flush with the grips.

Jim

The old story was that when the the U.S. Army left the areas it occupied at the end of the war in Germany "They took everything that wasn't nailed down" from private homes, factories, military bases etc. Then when the Russians arrived "They took everything that was nailed down including the nails".

tipoc

I have a Walther .32 and its made in France with original box etc. ?!?

The monetary value of gun is not relevant. They piece of history is rather. Something to clean and fire occasionally.

At the end of the war the Germans were forbidden from making firearms for awhile. Walther used to make the parts at their plant in in Ulm and truck them across the French border to the Mannurhin plant where they were assembled. The finest post war Walther pistols were made in this way.

Mannurhin at a certain point made and sold them under their own name. Exactly the same guns. Less expensive without the Walther name.

tipoc

After the smoke cleared away at end of WWII, Walther had no factory to make anything. The Russians were now the proud owners of their factory and equipment while Walther and key personnel evacuated to Ulm to start over. In 1952 Walther entered into a licensed agreement with Manurhin of France to manufactory the PP, PPK and the P1, From 1952 until 1984 Manurhin built all of the Walther PP's and PPK's { and PPK/S}. They were then shipped to Ulm Germany and there proofed, final finishing and marking were done. German law allowed the guns to be considered German made and marked " Made in Germany ". In the 1980's Manurhin came under new ownership and the new owners got greedy, they wanted more sales and started marking the guns " Walther { or what ever }, made by Manurhin in France. you can still find these guns on the market. Since the license agreement was due to be renew, Walther said { in German }to shove it and pulled the license. Walther continued to make the guns for a while and then farmed it out. Manurhin still made their version but with out the allure of the Walther name they didn't sell very well. People knew who Walther was but who the heck was Manurhin? That is a very short history of what happened and many things were left out PS: Manurhin also , during this time sold the guns under their own name Manurhin, same guns as the German marked guns but a whole lot cheaper.+

I inherited a PPK 7.65 brought back from WWII - still have the papers. It came with a German military holster (soldier's service # written on the inside under the flap). There are no martial markings on the pistol so it would have to be a civilian gun personally bought by the soldier. The PPK is accurate, in excellent condition (lots of bluing wear) and very reliable. It's ready for ccw still. It has two magazines - the holster has an integral spare mag pouch - one of which is balky; the other works fine.

The U.S. Army didn't loot Germany after the war was over, but while it was still on they had the authority to seize weapons and about anything else the enemy could use. When an allied unit entered a German town, they posted orders for everyone to bring out guns, signal equipment, etc. The guns were laid out on the streets, and GI's allowed to take what they wanted, then tanks were run over them. The GI's didn't care if it was a G.43 some SS man left in the house or a 200 year old flintlock shotgun, it was destroyed.

Of course, most GI's didn't want to admit that they got some German hunter's or target shooter's pride and joy, so they told the folks at home that they "took it off" a German general. One man told me that he took his Walther PPK "offn old Adolf hisself when we captured him." I said that I thought Hitler committed suicide in Berlin. "Well," the vet said, "That was later see, we turned him over to the lootenant and that goldbrick SOB let him get away."

Yep, the "greatest generation" may have been great heroes, but they were also great liars.

Jim

sorry for the hijack, not a .22 here.

I have my Dad's commercial bring back P38 manufactured in 44 or maybe 45. One of 1800 made at that particular plant. The numbers all match but still shooter grade and after a little work it functions as designed. These sidearms were ahead of their time. Double action, loaded chamber indicator, decocker.

As I researched this particular pistol I did some checking on a P38 website. Maybe not my commercial pistol but being a commercial pistol does not mean a German solder never carried it. There were desperate times toward the end for the losers and who knows what was pressed into service.

My dad was a Master Sergeant in Ordnance when they took over the Walther factory at the end of WWII. He brought back a few momentous.

I asked him why he didn't bring back more stuff. He said he had so much crap he had to get rid of, he couldn't have cared less. He described a city street, curb to curb, three feet high with swords, guns, knives, scopes, binoculars. He said my job as to get RID of all that crap.

By the end of the war, everybody, Germans and Americans were tired of it. He spoke German and actually got along quite well with everyone there. He said most of the guns and parts were completed and shipped off to the Russians.

They did present him with a gift when he left.



I have somewhat of a soft spot for Walhters...



My latest member of the family...



Actually, pretty hard to find in .32 ACP. Every Walther I own is in .32 except a .22 PPK/s

That holster looks like the one I have for my PPK only mine is a bit smaller.

Hi, 76shuvlinoff,

Please post a better picture of the left side of that P.38. AFAIK, there were no factories that made only a small number of those pistols; all the makers were cranking them out as fast as possible.

Jim