how do i find out
 

i have said here i own 2 lugers i posted a pic of them now i want to find out there history i have some clue to the history of both lugers now i want to see if its true...i can provide any and all info if i am told what to provide...maybe some one can lead me in the right areas to find out the history origanl person/persons they were issued to and so on...i guess im tring to comfirm the providance on them...here is the pic of them i can of cource provide more detailed pics just tell me what of and ill do so..

thx http://boards.rennlist.com/lfupload/...9resampled.jpg

It is difficult to find out info on a specific gun / owner. Being military guns they were issued to a person, turned in, reissued etc. There are exceptions, officers and NCO's who became officers many times were required to buy their own pistol. However, unless the gun is unit marked, has documentation etc., then it is the word of the person that told you. Written records, a written or noterized statement all help, but are still "their" word.

Ed

Jean,
I have placed your topic here, because of it is not related to the Artillery model.
Ciao

Jean,
the top Luger looks like a customized target gun. Its identity has therefore been lost as a collector piece or even type of Luger. If you want to find out who customized it, then thats another story.

There is not enough in your picture of the second Luger to see just what it is.
Big Norm

Jean,

Norm is correct that the target Luger has no provinance other than the individual who customized it.

For the S/42 it is virtually impossible to trace the original individual to whom it was issued. There were few records maintained and of the few that existed most were destroyed by war and time. It is rare for a common military Luger to be associated with an individual, and usually this is only loosely established by family records or the name of the individual written inside the holster, and even then you seldom know if the Luger actually was the one carried in that holster.

This topic comes up frequently by new collectors who would like to know the history of their Lugers. Unfortunately the answer is disappointing. Edward Tinker stated the situation very well.

well here are a few pics that may help...the s/42 was captured from a colonal out side of Auswitz and the other artillery was a canadian marks mans in the millitay and won 8 target champion ships with it. and i believe it was J Dewey that put it together for him as thats what is on the barrel any way here are the pics i can get the docs of the canadian colonal that got it as a war trofy. its well documented that he was there and that he did take the serender so i have no reason to not believe him...ill get it in writing and the name of the officer he got it from to...that should help..

http://boards.rennlist.com/lfupload/...2resampled.jpg

http://boards.rennlist.com/lfupload/...3resampled.jpg

http://boards.rennlist.com/lfupload/...4resampled.jpg

http://boards.rennlist.com/lfupload/...6resampled.jpg

http://boards.rennlist.com/lfupload/...7resampled.jpg

http://boards.rennlist.com/lfupload/...9resampled.jpg

http://boards.rennlist.com/lfupload/...1resampled.jpg

http://boards.rennlist.com/lfupload/...2resampled.jpg

Nice G-Date! The information you already have on your Lugers is probably the most you can find out about them. A letter from the Canadian marksman or some other documentation attesting to his ownership and the championships he won with it may have some value to future collectors.

A letter from the Colonel stating from whom he captured the S/42 and perhaps the "surrender papers" would go a long way toward establishing provenance and be of much interest. However, it does not absolutely guarantee that such documentation would be accepted by some collectors as establishing original ownership.

I would recommend obtaining as much documentation as you can and keep them with the Lugers. Every little bit helps in preserving history. Thank you for a look at a couple of very nice Lugers.

how do i find out the date of the G s/42 model

Hi Jean,

All G-code Mausers were manufactured in 1935. 1934 Mausers were marked with a "K" to hide the date of manufacture. 1935 Mausers were marked with a "G" instead of the date. In 1936 and thereafter, all Mauser Lugers were stamped with the year of manufacture.

Jimbo

thank you...so G = 1935..cool

Jean if you do get the German's name and you have some time to do research give this a try.

http://www.archives.gov/research_room/research_topics/captured_german _records/berlin_document_center.html

Jean, If customizer Dewey or his company is still in business, he can probably tell you the buyer of this luger from the serial number. Then it would be a matter of finding his history. TH

I don't want to be rude, but isn't Auschwitz in Poland? Wasn't it, therefore, captured by the Reds?

George is correct. Auschwitz is and was in Poland, and I didn't think any troops from the Western Allies got that far east (unless the allied officer was Russian, or the story is, well, not quite true).

BTW, Auschwitz is the German spelling; the Polish name is Oswiecim, and that is what is shown on most modern maps. It is near Krakow.

As for original ownership, the U.S. at least does not have that information for its own weapons, let alone for enemy weapons. Any such trace attempts are almost always a waste of time.

Jim