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John Winter · 05-23-2008, 02:34 PM

Ron,

Thanks for the input! I have Still's book and both illustrations are of WWII era reworks. The German military abbreviation for machine gun is MG and not Mg. There are numerous publications in my collection which ascribe the latter abbreviation as being interchangeable with the former. In my experience, the MG unit markings were widely used as grip strap markings on Lugers prior to the NS era and the advent of highly mechanized warfare and are in fact, relatively common. By 1939, the machine gun had been widely integrated into all aspects of the German tactical philosophy down to the infantry squad level. Had each machine gun crew been issued with specially marked weapons, the number of these so marked would be colossal. Also, the hypothesis that the Mg abbreviation indicated issue to some form of a national machine gun school is suspicious because this training initially took place at the divisional and regimental levels and even actual unit marked weapons from this period are controversial. There are numerous online sites containing info on German military abbreviations, but the best source in my collection is a U. S. Army WWII booklet.

Photos of Wehrmachtsgefolge units usually depict sidearms of lighter calibre. Except for time spent in college and the military, I've been collecting and trading Lugers since 1957. Over the years, I have owned mostly common examples, but this holster is a definate departure from the norm. I'll send pix as soon as I learn how.

05-23-2008, 02:34 PM	#4
John Winter User Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Texas Posts: 55 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Ron, Thanks for the input! I have Still's book and both illustrations are of WWII era reworks. The German military abbreviation for machine gun is MG and not Mg. There are numerous publications in my collection which ascribe the latter abbreviation as being interchangeable with the former. In my experience, the MG unit markings were widely used as grip strap markings on Lugers prior to the NS era and the advent of highly mechanized warfare and are in fact, relatively common. By 1939, the machine gun had been widely integrated into all aspects of the German tactical philosophy down to the infantry squad level. Had each machine gun crew been issued with specially marked weapons, the number of these so marked would be colossal. Also, the hypothesis that the Mg abbreviation indicated issue to some form of a national machine gun school is suspicious because this training initially took place at the divisional and regimental levels and even actual unit marked weapons from this period are controversial. There are numerous online sites containing info on German military abbreviations, but the best source in my collection is a U. S. Army WWII booklet. Photos of Wehrmachtsgefolge units usually depict sidearms of lighter calibre. Except for time spent in college and the military, I've been collecting and trading Lugers since 1957. Over the years, I have owned mostly common examples, but this holster is a definate departure from the norm. I'll send pix as soon as I learn how. __________________ JRW