Hi Olivier,
You are right, there are not formal evidences (document) to state that the LP08 was used by the Gendarmerie.
Let me fix something on your previous statement, if I can:
The P08 was used by the gendarmerie until 1970. I have two evidences about this specific point:
1) if you look at the official gendarmerie web site you can read the following:
â??De toutes ces armes, une seule fait carri?¨re, la Sten. Si cette mitraillette est rentr?©e en gendarmerie dâ??une fa?§on ?« classique ?», il nâ??est est pas de m?ªme pour deux futurs PA r?©glementaires dâ??origine allemande. Il sâ??agit bien entendu des mythiques Luger P 08 et Walther P 38, qui sont en service de 1945 au d?©but des ann?©es 1970. Lâ??arriv?©e officielle de ces deux PA au sein de lâ??arm?©e fran?§aise, et plus particuli?¨rement dans la gendarmerie, fait suite ?* une prise de guerre cons?©quente.â?
2) In a letter exchanged between Mr.Kornmayer and the â??Ministere dâ??etat chargeâ?? de la defense nationaleâ? on date 18 january 1973 (I have one copy of this letter in my files), Mr. Daumard (sous directeur du controle du commerce international des materiels de guerre) wrote:
â??En effet ce type dâ??arme (he was writing about P08) qui ?©tait utilis?© par la Gendarmerie Fran?§aise nâ??est plus en service depuis 1970. Les pistolets one ?©t?© mis en depotâ?¦â?
I am doing in deep research about the use of the LP08 and P08 by the French Army and Gendarmerie (no LP08) and I am in contact with a couple of Ministerial offices that are providing to me some really interesting documents about the use of the P08 and LP08.
I need all these documentation for my new book project about post WWII Mauser production.
All information you can provide to me about the use of the French models is really welcomed.
Have fun
Ciao
Mauro
P.S. Hereafter the link to the Gendarmerie web page I mentioned above:
http://www.servicehistorique.sga.def...nt/centre1.htm