luger lanyards

[lugerholsterrepair]

Rob, I have studied German luger lanyards for four years now and I can tell you there are deffinitly records found by the Heers Waffenamt that luger lanyards were issued to cavalry and motorcycle troops. When you think about it out of millions of lugers very few were made without a lanyard loop. Most accounts I have heard personally involved the use of the breadbag strap as an unissued luger lanyard.


The lanyard I have researched and believe to be German issue is of slightly larger than pencil thickness round leather for a strap. There is either a brass or steel swivel at the end of this strap and a leather tab is attached with a brass stud to fold the tab into the luger loop and back to the stud.


I havbe made and sold fifty or more of these over the last four years to collectors and shooters who want a working lanyard for display or to take to the shooting range. I have several left but They are quite difficult and time consuming to make so I doubt if I will make any more.


The only original lanyards I was able to find in the U.S. was one Ralph Shattuck had and one Mike? had who wrote :: Luger Tips"" Ralph would not sell his for any amount of money and Mike wanted $500.00 for his. The others were all found in Europe by a collector named Georges Machtelinckx. He sent me dozens of photos of German lanyards found in collections all over Europe.He also sent me documents certifying the issue of lanyards to the German Army.Patrick Villiers of Berlin Germany has also helped me in my research and has in his collection an original lanyard used by his father who was a soldier during the WW2 era. I believe he told me it was a private purchase and made by a small shop in Germany.


There are WW1 and WW2 photos that show the use of the luger lanyard and if anyone out there has any I would like a copy and will be happy to pay the costs for it. Jerry