Introduction of "Police-style" Luger holsters

[Don M]

I have been puzzled for some time about when the "police-style" Luger holsters with studded upstrap closures were introduced. I recently had the opportunity to examine a number of Weimar- and early Nazi-era photos of the Berlin Schupo. The latest photo with the military-style closures is dated May 1924 and the earliest with the police-style closures is March 1928. There were no photos between these dates that were useful.

Until the issue of new holsters to the Landjägerei in 1929, police holsters with the studded upstrap were converted from the military-style buckle closures. Of course, P08 holsters converted from LP08 holsters had this closure originally and were not changed.

There were also photos from June 1932 of the Police School at Brandenburg/Havel showing military style holsters and S98/05 bayonets. Perhaps the police schools didn't get new equipment as early as operational units.

I guess the best that can be said is that the introduction of police-style holsters began in the mid-1920s with the conversion of military-style holsters.