The "elusive" Luger Lanyard

Milt Keller · 02-19-2001, 04:13 PM

Dear All,

Got this e-mail from a friend in Essen Germany who is a SERIOUS German military collector, as a response to "The Luger Lanyard Question" Hope it helps to foil any pending "Luger Lanyard" purchases:

Dear Milt,

Thank you very much for your mail! I hope you and your family are doing well

and despite of the electricity crisis in California you don't have too much

to suffer from.

Yes, you are right to wonder, because no German army ever used an official

lanyard to secure their pistols. If you take a close look at your holster,

you'll see, that it is impossible to carry the pistol within fixed with a

lanyard. On pictures from WWI or WWII you can see several ways, how soldiers

improvised a lanyard with a cord or anything else to have the pistol fixed

at their belts or uniforms - but there never has been any officially issued

lanyard. I'm sure, the soldiers considered it a good idea to improvise

something to prevent them from losing their pistols in the battle, but the

army didn't offer any official help.

Now you can ask: when there was no lanyard, why did the pistols have a

lanyard ring? The truth is: I don't know. Maybe the Prussian army took the

lanyard ring over from the Navy pistol 04. Because the early Navy holsters

are differnt, seamen on duty used to carry their 04s with an improvised

white cord as a lanyard - but even the Navy never issued any official

lanyard, as I have one for example for my Colt Government M1911 pistol or as

the British army had. So, if anybody tries to sell you an official German

lanyard - be sure, it's a fake!

Frank

Marvin · 02-19-2001, 07:53 PM

Milt,

This is really good information on the lanyard and I appreciate your efforts in obtaing this for us. I hope DOK will put this information on the FAQ section of the Forum. You also need to provide this to the members of NAPCA in "Auto-Mag".

From the thread that began with a simple question, you have now provided a BIG answer for all of us. A big THANK YOU!!!

Marvin

Milt Keller · 02-19-2001, 10:06 PM

Marvin,

"You also need to provide this to the members of NAPCA in "Auto-Mag". Marvin, how do I go about doing that, advise and thanks...I hoped it might be helpful.

Milt

Dok · 02-19-2001, 10:27 PM

has been added to the FAQ.

Patrick · 02-20-2001, 06:15 AM

ust to put forward the other side of the lanyard discussion, it would seem that Luger lanyards really were issued.

Hans Reckendorf: Taschen und Tragweisen (Holsters etc) page 56 (translated summary): Cavalry units were issued with revolver lanyards towards the end of the 19th century. After the Luger was introduced, no specific standard lanyard was issued until Army Order dated 09.11.1935 was published. A further Order dated 05.07.1941 specified different lanyards for the P 08 and the P 38.

Jan Still: Weimar and Early Nazi Lugers (Appendix D, page 307 - Notes from Prussian Weapons Manuals): quotes a Ã¢??Clothing RegulationÃ¢?Â dated 31.1.1932: Pilstol Lanyards for Mounted Officers only - blackened leather 4mm thick and 160cm long with nickled carbine hook. Two further regulations stipulated lanyards in Saxony and for Nazi Police.

Joachim Goertz : Die Pistole 08, 2nd Edition, page 250: copies of two orders 539 dated 22nd November 1935 and 619 dated 15th July 1941 stipulating lanyards for the P 08 and P 38 as well as a photo of the P 38 lanyard and holster and a makeshift lanyard for the Luger.

Eugene J. Bender: Luger Holsters etc. page 250: photo of a flat leather strap lanyard

The round bootlace type Portuguese lanyard with a short attachment strap and button could have been based on an original German lanyard.

No Wa-stamped lanyards have been offered for inspection to any of these authors. BUT a simple leather strap with a loop or a hook would most likely have been put to some other use after the war and they then just disappeared (the round bootlace lanyards were often used as a belt drive for sewing machines).

Milt Keller · 02-20-2001, 04:13 PM

Patrick,

Am sending yours to my friend in Essen Germany, I'll let you know his response. It will be interesting. Thanks for all the time and effort you put into it.

02-19-2001, 04:13 PM	#1
Milt Keller User Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 191 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	The "elusive" Luger Lanyard Dear All, Got this e-mail from a friend in Essen Germany who is a SERIOUS German military collector, as a response to "The Luger Lanyard Question" Hope it helps to foil any pending "Luger Lanyard" purchases: Dear Milt, Thank you very much for your mail! I hope you and your family are doing well and despite of the electricity crisis in California you don't have too much to suffer from. Yes, you are right to wonder, because no German army ever used an official lanyard to secure their pistols. If you take a close look at your holster, you'll see, that it is impossible to carry the pistol within fixed with a lanyard. On pictures from WWI or WWII you can see several ways, how soldiers improvised a lanyard with a cord or anything else to have the pistol fixed at their belts or uniforms - but there never has been any officially issued lanyard. I'm sure, the soldiers considered it a good idea to improvise something to prevent them from losing their pistols in the battle, but the army didn't offer any official help. Now you can ask: when there was no lanyard, why did the pistols have a lanyard ring? The truth is: I don't know. Maybe the Prussian army took the lanyard ring over from the Navy pistol 04. Because the early Navy holsters are differnt, seamen on duty used to carry their 04s with an improvised white cord as a lanyard - but even the Navy never issued any official lanyard, as I have one for example for my Colt Government M1911 pistol or as the British army had. So, if anybody tries to sell you an official German lanyard - be sure, it's a fake! Frank

02-19-2001, 07:53 PM	#2
Marvin User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Upstate S.C. Posts: 1,132 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: The "elusive" Luger Lanyard Milt, This is really good information on the lanyard and I appreciate your efforts in obtaing this for us. I hope DOK will put this information on the FAQ section of the Forum. You also need to provide this to the members of NAPCA in "Auto-Mag". From the thread that began with a simple question, you have now provided a BIG answer for all of us. A big THANK YOU!!! Marvin

02-19-2001, 10:06 PM	#3
Milt Keller User Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 191 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: The "elusive" Luger Lanyard Marvin, "You also need to provide this to the members of NAPCA in "Auto-Mag". Marvin, how do I go about doing that, advise and thanks...I hoped it might be helpful. Milt

02-19-2001, 10:27 PM	#4
Dok RIP Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Bermuda (Eat Your Heart Out) Posts: 1,626 Thanks: 0 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts	The lanyard write-up... has been added to the FAQ.

02-20-2001, 06:15 AM	#5
Patrick User Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 241 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: The lanyard write-up... ust to put forward the other side of the lanyard discussion, it would seem that Luger lanyards really were issued. Hans Reckendorf: Taschen und Tragweisen (Holsters etc) page 56 (translated summary): Cavalry units were issued with revolver lanyards towards the end of the 19th century. After the Luger was introduced, no specific standard lanyard was issued until Army Order dated 09.11.1935 was published. A further Order dated 05.07.1941 specified different lanyards for the P 08 and the P 38. Jan Still: Weimar and Early Nazi Lugers (Appendix D, page 307 - Notes from Prussian Weapons Manuals): quotes a Ã¢??Clothing RegulationÃ¢?Â dated 31.1.1932: Pilstol Lanyards for Mounted Officers only - blackened leather 4mm thick and 160cm long with nickled carbine hook. Two further regulations stipulated lanyards in Saxony and for Nazi Police. Joachim Goertz : Die Pistole 08, 2nd Edition, page 250: copies of two orders 539 dated 22nd November 1935 and 619 dated 15th July 1941 stipulating lanyards for the P 08 and P 38 as well as a photo of the P 38 lanyard and holster and a makeshift lanyard for the Luger. Eugene J. Bender: Luger Holsters etc. page 250: photo of a flat leather strap lanyard The round bootlace type Portuguese lanyard with a short attachment strap and button could have been based on an original German lanyard. No Wa-stamped lanyards have been offered for inspection to any of these authors. BUT a simple leather strap with a loop or a hook would most likely have been put to some other use after the war and they then just disappeared (the round bootlace lanyards were often used as a belt drive for sewing machines).

02-20-2001, 04:13 PM	#6
Milt Keller User Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 191 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: The lanyard write-up... Patrick, Am sending yours to my friend in Essen Germany, I'll let you know his response. It will be interesting. Thanks for all the time and effort you put into it.