Original German WWI Artillery Luger Holster Post-War Reworked as Münster District Police P.08 Luger Holster by J.F.C. Ludewig Berlin Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a great WWI J.F.C. Ludewig Berlin leather front dyed P08 Artillery Luger holster marked to the 78th Infantry Regiment. This example is also stamped S.M. 1160 on the back, which identifies it as being used post-war by the Münster District as evident by German police markings of the period and its conversion to hold a normal Luger.

The holster is stamped on under the flap for the maker J.F.C. LUDEWIG / BERLIN, a well known maker of WWI holsters. Under that marking is the unit stamp IR 78 for the 78th Infantry Regiment. A small pouch for a tool kit has been stitched under the flap. On the back of the holster is a later stamp S.M. 1160 indicating use by the Prussian Schutzpolizei Muenster District Police.

The condition of the holster is rough, with the small strap on the front that secures the large strap missing. Both belt loops are retained and the black finish of the holster is mostly retained. The magazine pouch is stitched to the side of the holster and is still retained well. The stitch markings for the long cleaning rod for the artillery luger can still be seen underneath the magazine pouch.

This is a great example of a WWI German holster that saw many years of use during and after the war, ready for further research and display.

The P-08
The Pistole Parabellum—or Parabellum-Pistole (Pistol Parabellum), commonly known as just Luger —is a toggle-locked recoil-operated semi-automatic pistol which was produced in several models and by several nations from 1898 to 1948. The design was first patented by Georg Luger as an improvement upon the Borchardt Automatic Pistol and was produced as the Parabellum Automatic Pistol, Borchardt-Luger System by the German arms manufacturer Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken (DWM). The first production model was known as the Modell 1900 Parabellum. Followed by the “Marinepistole 1904” for the Imperial German Navy. The later versions included the popular “Parabellum Pistole Modell von 1908” or simply “P08” (Pistole 1908) which was produced by DWM and other manufacturers such as W+F Bern, Krieghoff, Simson, Mauser, and Vickers. The first Parabellum pistol was adopted by the Swiss army in May 1900. 1904 they were adopted by the German Navy. In German Army service, it was adopted in slightly modified form as the Pistole Modell 1908 (Pistole 08) in caliber 9×19mm Parabellum. The Model 08 was eventually succeeded by the Walther P38.

The Luger is well known from its use by Germans during World War I and World War II, along with the interwar Weimar Republic and the postwar East German Volkspolizei. The P.08 was introduced in 7.65mm Parabellum, though it is notable for being the pistol for which the 9×19mm Parabellum cartridge was developed, also known as the 9×19mm Luger. The pistol has been used in fictional works by many villainous characters over the past several decades because of its association with WW2 Germany.