P38 Holster Marking
 

A friend, the owner of a LGS, showed me a hard shell P38 holster he'd picked up. He's trying to determine the significance of one of the markings on it, a stamp on the reverse side high up between the belt loops. The stamp consists of a stylized shield outline about 3/4" high, symmetrical in shape. Within the shield is a vertical oak leaf, also symmetrical, with the number "9" within the oak leaf. Below the leaf but still within the shield outline, with two digits on either side of the stem, is the date, like this: 19l43.

I hope anyone reading this can visualize what I'm talking about - I took some camera phone pics, but they didn't turn out.

Because my friend had seen an oak leaf insignia on German uniform collars, he thought the stamp might give some indication of the rank or branch of the officer to which it is assigned. I don't think so, because the oak leaves on the collars of general officers were not symmetrical, and branch was denoted by color. SS rank insignia did use oak leaves, and I suppose this is a possibility, but then why the 9?

Any info will be appreciated.

Although I do not have a reference on holster makers handy, I can assure you this symbol is a company insignia and not a rank insignia. The Oak leaf is a very traditional German symbol and can be found on a number of corporate, heraldic and other insignia.

All,

The makers mark is actually... a bearskin rug, with an oakleaf on top of it, with the number 9 on top of that...
WaA938...should be on the holster also....

Your Holster is the Makers mark for Christof Neuner, Lederfabrik, Klagenfurt, Austria

They made hardshell holsters for P38's in 1942 and 1943....and softshell holsters in 1944..

HTH,
Paul