A 1911 erfurt with unit markings

[cirelaw]

Unit marking indicates that this pistol was issued to the Imperial German Saxon Train Battalion number 12, 1st Sanitacts Company. This was a stretcher bearer and ambulance company. This battalion would have been attached to the First Saxton Army Corps, number XII(12) in the the German Army. The units were further divided in up to the two Infantry Divisions within the 12th Army Corps. It might have seen active service with either the 23rd or 32nd Infantry Divisions. The 12th Train Batallion was garrisoned in Dresden the capitol of Saxony. Features of this pistol include an added hold-open device as pistols manufactured for the army in 1911 and did not include the hold-open. The modifications included changing the front sight blade. The early pistols were sighted for 100 meters. The new sight blade was for fifty meters. The alterations were made in 1914 at the Erfurt Arsenal although many Saxon issued P08s were not modified. The alteration of sight and hold-open are marked Erfurt inspection proofs, one on the right frame where the pin for the hold-open was set and another on the left flat of the front sight. The pistol also has many Erfurt acceptance stamps on all parts including tthe grip screws. This practice was minimalized in later years of production. Early Erfurt magazines up till 1916 will have two inspection acceptance marks and the last two digits of the serial number. This pistol has an excellant bore, especially for a military pistol one hundred and one years old. This history was included by George Anderson with the gun. Regarding the holster Georges writes: The holster was made by Becker & Co. in Elberfeld. It was originally brown but dyed black on the front according to the German Army directives of 1916. It has a mostly obscured unit mark in the lid and with the date 1912. The rig includes an Erfurt take down and loading tool that is acceptance stamped on it.