Hi Guys!
At the request of John D, I have assembled a photo and description of the items that fit into my little collection, as modest as it may be compared to the collections of some people on this forum...
I will start with the first Luger I ever bought:
My 1937 S/42 2nd Subvariation, picked this up from an individual at a gunshow for around $650.00, I had never read anything from a Luger book, all I knew was I liked these pistols, and it was well worth the price, if for nothing else, to spark my interest in the history of these pistols, which lead to me finding this forum and making some of the best friends I will ever have...
The second German Military Pistol that I purchaced was the "ac 44" code P.38 rig (Holster, Spare Mag, and 64 Rd. Box of ammunition) that you see in the picture, picked it up from an ad in a local trading paper for the price of $600.00, the man who was selling it was into reenacting and was using the money to pay for a non firing M-60, the man's father got it from a veteran that he took care of in the last years of his life, the veteran picked up the entire rig from a German soldier in/near Munich Germany in 1945...
Now on to the 1916 DWM LP-08, After making several friends on this forum, I was directed tward this piece by one of the best guys I know: Mr. George Anderson, I purchased it on Gunbroker.com for $1526.00, after winning the auction George invited me to his home, so that he could look over my purchase and give me his thoughts within the 3 day inspection period, while at his home I had the fortune of looking at some of the finest Lugers and Luger accessories I have ever seen! George Anderson is a good man, and is highly respected by me!
Now for some of the small items that you see in the photo:
I guess one of the most interesting items in the photo (for me anyway) is the little blue booklet, it is an official Army shooting manual for several different weapons including rifle, light machinegun, and pistol, but what makes this particular manual unique is the fact that inside the front cover there is an inscription stating that it belonged to a man in the 14th Kompany (Panzerjaeger or Tank Destroyer Company) of Waffen-SS Regiment Deutschland, by the name of Schilling! This was pointed out to me by a great expert and friend Mr. Klaus Schad! Picked it up for under 50 bucks...
Beside the manual lies a WWII era Flak shell, which is of interest to me because I know an elderly gentleman who was in the HJ and served as a loader for a German four barrelled flak battery...
The bayonet is Imperial Unit Marked 101.R.9.218. which translates to 101st Infantry Regiment, 9th Company, Weapon 218, this bayonet was given to me by a good friend when I was about 7 years old, he knew I liked military artifacts...
Lastly the Imperial photo album is filled with photos of high ranking officers, it is assumed that this belonged to an officer in the 76th Landwher Regiment because the album is littered with photos of men from that unit, there are also photos of Death Head Hussars, Uhlans wearing Luger holsters and all sorts of other neat things, it is very interesting to be able to look into the past by thumbing through this album...
Well there is my little collection of goodies for you, I know it pales in comparison to the collections that some of you have, but I am only 16 you know...
Best Regards, Brandon