[Kyrie]

Hi Bill,


Let me start by saying I understand and respect your views on this subject, even though I don't necessarily agree with them


And a clarification - the pistol described is not mine. My association with was limited to a detailed examination in order to estimate its value for insurance purposes, and so far as I know it is still in the family of the original owner.


All that said, let's remember the pistol in question left Germany long before the 1932 order concerning numbering rear connector pins, and this order cannot be employed to explain the presence of a numbered pin in this specific Luger. Moreover, there is no indication the pistol left the possession of the original owner from the time he acquired it as issue. Certainly the pistol showed no signs of rework or repair that were visible to my eyes, and was complete with issue holster, spare magazine, and tool, and many of the man's original service documents. In short, there is no evidence that the pistol was anything other than as it came from the armory on the day it was issued.


Nor is this the only Great War Luger I've seen with a correctly (used in the sense of matching) numbered connector pin. I chose this one as an example because its provenance was fully known and documented, but there are other similar pistols.


I think there is actually another, and broader, issue lurking in here; the degree to which orders, regulations, and even laws were observed. Given the contrary nature of human beings, I have to say I do not find it surprising we have examples of orders, regulations, and even laws being ignored, disobeyed, or simply misinterpreted. Consider, as another example, the regulation concerning unit marking of equipment during part of the Great War. We have many examples that these regulations were followed precisely. But we also have many examples of these regulations being ignored - appropriately unit marked pistols being in the minority! Certainly here is a case of regulations being ignored. The 'G' date Luger with the '1920' property mark pictured in Still is yet another example (this time of regulation being incorrectly applied) - as the subterfuge of concealing new production intended for military use as a Weimar rework had long been abandoned by 1935. And then we have those few Lugers with a red nine burned into the grip panels - possibly due to confusion over the order that all "big Mauser pistols" (meaning Mauser C96's chambered for the 9x19 Luger) be so marked. I could go on for hours with these exceptions. It is my opinion we have far too many examples of regulations and orders not being followed to give credence to an assertion regulations were always obeyed, or even understood by everyone in the process.


I think that, while we desire there to be some decreed and universally obeyed set of regulations concerning the manufacture and marking of Lugers from the various periods, this desire is going to ultimately frustrated by the general perversity of Man. There will always be someone in the process who felt the rules did not apply to him, or simply didn't get the word, and went about things as he thought best rather than as required by regulation, decree, or even statute.


All just my $0.02 worth, offered entirely FWIW.


Best regards,


Kyrie