SunSpot/Jeff:
Kept by v. Issendorff after the war and engraved then, during (or before the war) for officers?
This is an interesting question as it relates to your Luger. Generally speaking, officers in the Imperial German Army had to buy their own pistols. Because there were may types of pistols approved for them to buy and use, if they chose a Luger, the Luger would typically have been a commercial model. In this regard, there are examples of Lugers "personalized" before and most probably during the war.
A military proofed/marked Erfurt dated "1917" most typically would have been issued to enlisted soldiers. To have an officer purchase this Luger and and then personalized it (either then or after the War, would not followed their normal procedures. Having said that, at this stage of the War, it is understandable how "normal procedures" may not have always been or could be followed. Indeed, v. Issendorff could have lost or other wise been separated from his original Luger and could have obtained this Luger as a "battlefield pick-up" and continued using it for the remaining portion of the War.
Trying to understand, place into context and then decipher these historical puzzles that Lugers often present is what, at least to me, makes this hobby/passion so intriguing!!!
You clearly have a wonderful piece of history……congrats.
Ron
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