Need help locating deceased Father's captured luger
 

My Father (and Mother) died last summer and I found in his memory box a military "certificate" of captured enemy equipment of a Luger pistol serial number 8643. It also states the caliber as 38, which I did not think were made. Perhaps that was a typo on the original document. Date 24 Sept 1945. It is signed by Richard E. Newlin, 1st LT, AC., 100th Sta Comp Sqdn (SP) IX AFSC, Although my Father was in the 356th fighter group.

I do remember him telling me that my Mother wanted him to sell it as she did not want guns in the house with the kids, so he did sell it in 1957 from his notes. The location of the sale was Chicago.

I know it's a long shot to locate as I have done every internet search I can think of, but hopefully someone would know of a collector register or some other way to locate it.

Any help is appreciated.

Thank you.

Ray,

Welcome to the forum.

Your task is a very difficult one. The major problem you'll have is that you don't have enough info to locate the very same pistol.

Let me explain: Lugers were serialized in batchs of 10,000 guns, starting in 1-10000, then 1-10000a, 1-10000b, and so on. When the alphabet runned over, they started all over again.
In addition, the guns were also dated over the chamber. So, to locate a specific Luger you have to have at least these two informations in hands (complete serial number, including suffix letter if presente, and manufacturing date), because there was (or is) more than one Luger with serial number "8643".

The problem is: the dates (as well as the suffix letter) are seldom seen recorded on capture papers.

Sorry for the news and good luck with your goal.

Douglas

Ray,

Here's another "welcome" wish... and some rough conversions for caliber to mm.

.38 = 9mm

.380 = 9mm Kurtz

7.65 mm = .30 Luger = .32 cal.

Welcome to the forum and good luck with your search.

Welcome to the forum

In addition to what was said above, you would need to know, is it stamped with a suffix?

Plus, whether it was a DWM, Erfurt, Simson, krieghoff or a Mauser, with that serial number, it could have been made by any of the companys...

and, uh, 1957 is three years before I was born :D

Ed