My Father's Luger

unterhund · 01-26-2007, 01:53 PM

Hello to my new friends. I ask your indulgence of this new guy and allow me to post what I know of the story behind the only Luger I own.

My late father was a career officer in the U.S. Army, Infantry. He was drafted in the Spring of 1941 and served with distinction in the Pacific Theater as a platoon leader in the 17th Infantry Regiment of the Seventh Division. He saw action from the Aleutian Islands, to the Marshall Islands, the Philippines, and Okinawa. After VJ Day, his unit was sent to Korea to oversee the surrender and disarmanent of Japanese forces there. Dad returned home to Maine for Thanksgiving of 1945, married my mom, and settled down to a cvilian life. He became a professional photographer, and also worked part-time at a sporting goods store. There he found a Luger pistol on consignment sale, probably a wartime trophy brought to America by a G.I. Lured by the mystique of the Luger that we all on this forum know, he bought it.

Dad was recalled by the Army during the Korean War, and served on active duty until his retirement in April of 1968. He attained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, and was highly decorated. The only award he truly prized was his Combat Infantryman's Badge.

He was hardly a flamboyant man. Indeed, he was rather modest. He did project a quiet but impressive command presence, which served him well in various assignments, including company commander in Germany in the early fifties, and again in Germany ten years later as a battalion commander of a "combat ready" infantry unit of the Third Division.

His one great indulgence as an officer was the carrying of that Luger as his personal sidearm. He was always sure to have it approved, and recorded by the Provost Marshal. He carried it in a WWII era G.I. shoulder holster.

After his retirement, he wrapped the weapon in an oily cloth and only took it out to field strip and re-oil it.

The pistol is apparently a standard four inch barrelled, 9mm variant. It has the markings of "1936" over the breech, and "S/42" on the toggle. All appropriate parts are numbered and matching. The grips are a very dark brown, almost black, probably from being wrapped in that cloth all these years. Dad had a German gunsmith in the early sixties re-blue the pistol. Collectors today would disapprove, but for Dad, this was a working gun. Besides, any collector value the weapon had before re-bluing would be miniscule compared to the sentimental value it has for me. The gunsmith admired the pistol very much, and did a fine job, except that he removed all the strawing, and even put a "jeweled" finish (like the inside of a watch case) on the trigger, the safety bar, and the numbered part in front of the safety bar. The mag release he blued. The "gesichert" lettering was also blued.

I would like to shoot this piece, and restore the strawing, and the grips. If anyone here has any thoughts on this piece, I'd appreciate it.

The accessories I have include: two magazines with wooden bottoms, a German holster modified for a snap closure, an original loading tool, that G.I. shoulder holster, the provost marshal paperwork from both tours in Germany, and a box of Peters ammo, 124 grain, full metal case. I also have a handful of blanks that Dad loaded when on manuevers.

Dad died in August of 1945, a week and a half from his 76th birthday and the 50th anniversary of the end of WWII. The gun is mine now. I have a number of guns in my collection. Several have come and gone over the years, but this Luger will remain mine, and be passed down to my descendants.

I include a couple pictures below. I again thank this forum for allowing me to tell this story, and I look forward to any comments.

01-26-2007, 01:53 PM	#1
unterhund User Join Date: May 2005 Location: A small town in Maine Posts: 13 Thanks: 7 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	My Father's Luger Hello to my new friends. I ask your indulgence of this new guy and allow me to post what I know of the story behind the only Luger I own. My late father was a career officer in the U.S. Army, Infantry. He was drafted in the Spring of 1941 and served with distinction in the Pacific Theater as a platoon leader in the 17th Infantry Regiment of the Seventh Division. He saw action from the Aleutian Islands, to the Marshall Islands, the Philippines, and Okinawa. After VJ Day, his unit was sent to Korea to oversee the surrender and disarmanent of Japanese forces there. Dad returned home to Maine for Thanksgiving of 1945, married my mom, and settled down to a cvilian life. He became a professional photographer, and also worked part-time at a sporting goods store. There he found a Luger pistol on consignment sale, probably a wartime trophy brought to America by a G.I. Lured by the mystique of the Luger that we all on this forum know, he bought it. Dad was recalled by the Army during the Korean War, and served on active duty until his retirement in April of 1968. He attained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, and was highly decorated. The only award he truly prized was his Combat Infantryman's Badge. He was hardly a flamboyant man. Indeed, he was rather modest. He did project a quiet but impressive command presence, which served him well in various assignments, including company commander in Germany in the early fifties, and again in Germany ten years later as a battalion commander of a "combat ready" infantry unit of the Third Division. His one great indulgence as an officer was the carrying of that Luger as his personal sidearm. He was always sure to have it approved, and recorded by the Provost Marshal. He carried it in a WWII era G.I. shoulder holster. After his retirement, he wrapped the weapon in an oily cloth and only took it out to field strip and re-oil it. The pistol is apparently a standard four inch barrelled, 9mm variant. It has the markings of "1936" over the breech, and "S/42" on the toggle. All appropriate parts are numbered and matching. The grips are a very dark brown, almost black, probably from being wrapped in that cloth all these years. Dad had a German gunsmith in the early sixties re-blue the pistol. Collectors today would disapprove, but for Dad, this was a working gun. Besides, any collector value the weapon had before re-bluing would be miniscule compared to the sentimental value it has for me. The gunsmith admired the pistol very much, and did a fine job, except that he removed all the strawing, and even put a "jeweled" finish (like the inside of a watch case) on the trigger, the safety bar, and the numbered part in front of the safety bar. The mag release he blued. The "gesichert" lettering was also blued. I would like to shoot this piece, and restore the strawing, and the grips. If anyone here has any thoughts on this piece, I'd appreciate it. The accessories I have include: two magazines with wooden bottoms, a German holster modified for a snap closure, an original loading tool, that G.I. shoulder holster, the provost marshal paperwork from both tours in Germany, and a box of Peters ammo, 124 grain, full metal case. I also have a handful of blanks that Dad loaded when on manuevers. Dad died in August of 1945, a week and a half from his 76th birthday and the 50th anniversary of the end of WWII. The gun is mine now. I have a number of guns in my collection. Several have come and gone over the years, but this Luger will remain mine, and be passed down to my descendants. I include a couple pictures below. I again thank this forum for allowing me to tell this story, and I look forward to any comments. Attached Thumbnails __________________ In danger, all that counts is going forward.