VOPO Lugers...what IS the real story?

I own a 1918 Erfurt Parabellum with an EG replacement barrel and all matching numbers, except the magazine. Judging by the almost non-reflective all blued finish and the bakelite grips with the bullseye and the star mark on the frame, it is an East German re-work. this is one of the pistols that Aim was selling a few years ago and is a fantastic shooter for the 350 bucks I paid for it at the time.


I have often heard of these as "Russian captures" as well as "Vopo Lugers".


Does anyone really know the story behind a pistol like mine? Was it a WWI issue piece that was captured by the Russians during WWI? Were these re-issued to police or Wehrmacht soldiers during WWII and captured at that point in time? Mine has no swastika or Nazi proofs or police markings - does this mean it was not used by the German forces during WWII?


Does anybody know the timeframe when the East Germans re-worked these pistols?


Although this WAS an EG issue piece, I am very interested in finding out more about the origins/story behind these pistols, but I have heard so many stories...who is right?


I know these are kind of the "red-headed stepchild" of Lugers, but I am hoping that someday they will come into their own as collector pieces. Just as the Nazi-marked stuff represents a time we will likely never see again, so does the time period of East Germany and the iron curtain...right?


Anybody know the real story of the Vopo Lugers?


Thanks,


-SA