1914 Erfurt, Mannheim Police, Unusual Holster

[Don M]

This is a continuation of a thread (http://forum.lugerforum.com/showthread.php?t=24150) started by keny941. He and I exchanged a number of emails about this rig and he has requested that I post resized photos for him. I am starting a new thread to include a more descriptive title.

The pistol is a 1914-dated Erfurt P08 serial numbered 4684a with a 1920 government property stamp. It is further described in http://forum.lugerforum.com/showthre...661#post178661. The front grip strap is stamped Ma.536. and reads from the top down, opposite of Prussian police markings. The property number 536. is also stamped on the rear frame and there is a circled-S stamped on the left side of the receiver. This marking has recently been identified as belonging to the Weimar-era municipal police of Mannheim in the state of Baden (http://luger.gunboards.com/showthread.php?t=22569 & www.historywritinsteel.com).

The holster is very unusual. It originally was an LP08 holster and, along with many others, was modified for police use after WWI. However, in all the modified LP08 holsters I have seen, the original upstrap was retained and a closure stud added on the outside of the cover. In this case, the cover was partially cut off, the original strap was removed, a new downstrap was attached to the inside of the cover and a closure stud added on the body of the holster. Unfortunately, there are no markings on the holster to prove that it saw police service with this pistol but one wonders if this was the way the Baden police modified these holsters. Has anyone seen one like it?