[Ron Wood]

P.J.

Actually, Vickers isnâ??t really a â??laterâ?� gun. The first contract for Dutch Lugers was with DWM in 1911, consequently the Dutch model designation for their Luger is â??M11â?�. The Vickers contract was the next contract in 1919. The next contract did not occur until 1927 and was with BKIW. Since the Vickers contract was for the East Indies (and possibly a few for the West Indies) it is likely the magazines were of the spring catch type. The modification to add a pin was started around 1927. As I posted earlier, any of the three types is â??correctâ?� for a Dutch Luger.

With regard to the meaning of â??KOLâ?�, it was originally thought that the KL in a circle represented â??Koninklijke Luchmachtâ?�, or Royal Air Force. However, referring to KOL Lugers as â??Dutch Air Forceâ?� is a misnomer. These Lugers were the DWM/BKIW contract with delivery starting in 1928. The â??Royalâ?� prefix for Dutch weapons did not come about until the late 1930â??s. Also, in 1928 the Dutch air force was still a part of the army, like the US Air Force was originally the US Army Air Corps before it became a separate branch. Therefore the designation of â??Dutch Air Forceâ?� cannot be correct.

The most current and best reference for Dutch Lugers is the aforementioned â??The Dutch Luger (Parabellum) A Complete Historyâ?� by Bas Martens and Guus de Vries. They state that unfortunately there is no documentary evidence remaining for the meaning of the KL in a circle. However, they believe that the most likely answer is that it should be read as â??KOLâ?� and probably indicates â??Koloni�«nâ?� or â??coloniesâ?� since the Lugers were destined for and employed in colonies in the Dutch East Indies and would therefore be issued to ground units. This notion is reinforced by the fact that Peteâ??s KOL Luger is unit marked to an Infantry Battalion!

If you have a genuine interest in Dutch Lugers, the Martens & de Vries book is an absolute â??must haveâ?� item.