Original German WWII 1940 dated Walther P38 Black Hardshell Holster by Carl Heinichen of Dresden Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. Just purchased from a private collector, this is a very nice WWII issue Black Hardshell holster for the standard issue Walther P38 pistol, complete with correct period markings.

The back of the holster is marked C. HEINICHEN / DRESDEN / 1940, indicating 1940 production by Koffer- u. Taschen- Fabrik (Suitcase and Bags factory) Carl Heinichen in Dresden, Germany. To the left of this marking is a faded Waffenamt marking, which we unfortunately cannot read. This company made many holsters during the WWII period.

The holster is mostly complete, with the pistol ejection strap unfortunately missing, having torn away long ago. It definitely shows wear, and has the look of a well broken in holster that was in service for years. The stitching is mostly intact, though there definitely is some wear through visible on the back of the holster. There look to be some faded letters marked on the front of the top flap, but we cannot read them.

This is a great WWII Dated example of a P.38 holster, and would make the perfect accessory for a P.38 pistol that no longer has its holster. Ready to display!

The Walther Pistole 38 (P.38) pistol was first introduced in 1938 as a replacement for the P.08. The P.38 was a more cost-efficient and more reliable in war conditions such as mud and rain. The P.08 was a typical prewar German gun, over engineered to perfection, with a sensitive toggle breech system that would malfunction when dirt was involved. The P.38 was a workhorse that did just what it was meant to do. It could handle most harsh battlefield conditions and as such the closed hardshell holster was discontinued later in the war and replaced for a partially open softshell holster. During the War close around 900,000 were produced, so the holsters were also produced in large quantities.