[Mike B]

I know this is an old post, but I have been studying the Mauser book in the French Mauser section. This has renewed my interest in finding out more about this Luger especially why a Crown U proof on a Luger that was produce in 1945 or 1946; seven years after the last crown U was used. It is a matter of good fortune for me and all that Joop came back to the forum. I asked him the same questions. Here is his reply:

Hello Mike,

Until now there have no Crown/U proofed pistols emerged from the French controlled production. Yours is the first one I see. The pistol looks fine to me; its appearances fit nicely into the consistent properties of the "French" production of 1946.

So why this lonely C/U in stead of the usual Eagle/N? First of all we must remember that the Crown/U proof was only used on commercial and Police Lugers until 15 January 1940. From that date on the Eagle/N was used. None of the hundreds of 1940-1942 dated pistols I examined showed a C/U proof.

When the French occupied the Mauser factory, they urged the workers there to assemble weapons from the stock of parts that were available in the factory at that time. There was no new production of grip frames or receivers - the assembly halted when the stock of parts was exhausted in 1946.

We know also that the proof stamp was applied in the factory, civilians of the German Proofhouse system came to Oberndorf, unlocked a cabinet holding the proof stamps and applied this on the weapons that had passed the pressure test firing and the accuracy test firing.
I doubt that someone amused himself by using the then 5 years obsolete C/U for just one pistol.

In our book on page 599 you will find the five variations of proof stamps we found on the French Luger pistols. Please read the text at Variation 5: "(one observed) date '41'on the chamber, S/42 on toggle".
This fifth variation is also mentioned on Page 600, Table 34.03. You will notice that the serial numbers of this variation are above # 3000 - just the last pistols that were assembled.
In view of the fact that we find here also a pistol having a S/42 on the toggle (made until mid 1939) it seems probable that also the very last parts from the stock were used. So it might well be that there was also a receiver having the old C/U stamp - it was simply used, and no need to add an E/N stamp.

Your pistol is one of the 50 last produced. I think that when some more of this bunch emerge we would find more mixed markings.

I hope this helps,
Best regards

Here is bit more information from Joop:

Just one more thought: We know that the French used a part of the 1945-46 Luger production for the war in Vietnam (Dien Bien Phoe). But after that they switched to the French P-50 pistol, and the Luger pistols were stored in an Armory. In 1955 some 1,000 were transferred to the new Austrian Bundes Heer. So many of these pistols were simply never issued to armed forces. It explains why there are so many pristine looking pistols in this lot.

Joop