After WW1 the Versailles treaty made the German Army go from wartime levels down to only 100,000. They had issues with troops taking home their pistols and other weapons instead of turning them back in to the army depots. In conjunction with the Weimar government essentially outlawing most civilian gun ownership, the army started to make a property date on their pistols that they retained into use. This also helped identify anyone who illegally kept an army property pistol.
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-QM
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