Help With Unit ID

[pipercasey]

I inherited my uncle's WWII luger brought home from N. Africa or Anzio Beach landing. He was at both. He got several guns out of a german truck seat when they overrun them. The luger has some parts that are not matching. The original unit numbers are stamped on the front strap but are X'ed out. They were: S.Mg.H.616. I have figured this out to be Signal Corpe, Machine Gunner, Hussars(Cavalry), gun issue number 616. New numbers were stamped in to the front strap just ahead of the X'ed out numbers. They are: 0.H1.35. The listing I have does not contain an O or 0. It also in in a black holster that has the same new number stamped on the back and says Robert Larsen, Berlin 1935. Any help will be appreciated. I am new on the forum.

[Don M]

Roger, welcome to the forum. You have a very interesting Luger. While I can't be absolutely sure without viewing photos, I believe this pistol belonged to the German police. The canceled marking is probably S.Mg.II.616. which is from the Schutzpolizei of the Magdeburg administrative district in Prussia. In the early 1920s, there were Schupo commands located in four cities in that district. By 1926, these had been consolidated into a single command located in the city of Magdeburg. As a result of this downsizing, this Luger apparently was transferred to the Ordnungspolizei of the city of Hildesheim, hence the marking O.Hi.35. More about these two police units and their pistols may be found in Chapters 10 and 5 of History Writ in Steel.

I hope you will post photos of the markings along with the top, left and right sides of the pistol. I would also like to know the serial number and letter suffix located on the front of the frame above the trigger guard. Photos of the holster and its markings will be helpful also.