Holster Origin

[rpbcps]

Can any one identify where this holster may have came from?

It has what I thought was an unusual feature, in the provision for a cleaning rod, located by the spare magazine pocket.

There are no markings at all on the holster, in or out.

[Vlim]

Bulgarian.

[Ron Wood]

Gerben (Vlim) nailed it...one of the nicer Bulgarian variants I have seen
Ron

[rpbcps]

Gerben / Ron,
Thanks, the seller is looking for £150, ($200), for it, is that a reasonable price?

Richard

[Vlim]

They used to go for about $20 not too many years ago.

[rpbcps]

Unfortunately, those days are well gone, I fear

[wlyon]

That is to high for a Bulgarian. Bill

[spangy]

I think $200.00 is just fine rpbcps.
People are paying much more for scuffed up, torn black holsters.

This holster is beautiful and if you every want your money back I would take it off your hands.

You can always get more $$ but its hard to find one of's like this lil gem.

Way to go rpbcps.

[rpbcps]

Bill / Spangy,
Thanks for both your replies, both of which are appreciated.

[rpbcps]

I hope all our friends across the pond are having a good Thanksgiving day.

Here is an interesting Holster, which looks like it has had a hard life. It appears to be marked 'Gebhart' followed by illegible word and dated 1916.

It has been modified during its service, so I think went into Police service post WW1 and there are some markings and numbers on the rear of the holster, which again appear to be almost illegible, but I think are Police markings?

What confused me is the belt fixture, I have seen these used in the past by French forces, who I know used Lugers Post WW2 in Indo China.

Your thought would be appreciated.

Thanks
Richard

[Ron Wood]

Looks to me like a U.S. GI modification to attach to a web belt.
Ron

[rpbcps]

Originally Posted by Ron Wood

Looks to me like a U.S. GI modification to attach to a web belt.
Ron

Ron,
Yes, the French used a lot of US Army kit post WW2, especially in Indo China, but also right through to the 1980's. I passed my Heavy Goods driving course in 1984 in a WW2 GMC and we also used Dodge 6x6's in Djibouti in the 1980's. Our entrenching tools were called ‘Pelle US’, ‘Pelle’ French for shovel, ‘US’, as they were WW2 lend lease probably, but had US marked on the covers, as did our web grenade pouches.


Richard

[gunbugs]

I'm pretty sure the Norwegians also used the US web belt attachment on "surplus" Luger holsters. Most I've seen have the attachment removed and just the 4 big rivet holes to show the history.

[rpbcps]

I thought about the Norwegian option too, but presumed that the lugers and the holsters the Norwegians used, would have been ones recovered from the 100,000 German troops, when they surrendered in May 1945.

As I suspect this holster is a police one, in theory, it not have been in Norway at the time of the surrender, but serving with some policeman in a German town. Mind you the illegible markings on the rear of the holster, do look like they have been scored out.

[gunbugs]

The German Police at the time of surrender were essentially a branch of the SS, and there would very likely have been Field Police, (Feldgendarmerie), in Norway at the time. I would not consider that holster unusual in that respect. But, I've been wrong before, and will be wrong again. That I am sure of.

[sheepherder]

Originally Posted by Ron Wood

Looks to me like a U.S. GI modification to attach to a web belt.
Ron

One of the better conversions, too, whoever did it.

[rpbcps]

Originally Posted by gunbugs

The German Police at the time of surrender were essentially a branch of the SS, and there would very likely have been Field Police, (Feldgendarmerie), in Norway at the time. I would not consider that holster unusual in that respect. But, I've been wrong before, and will be wrong again. That I am sure of.

Doug,
Good point, I had not thought of that.

[Vlim]

Norwegian conversion. No doubt about it.

But it was indeed converted from WW1 army to post-WW1 police first. It is a well traveled holster, I like it.

[rpbcps]

The seller let it go for £100, ($135), + Shipping.

As I have a 1916 dated 'double date' DWM in my collection which was later used by the police during the Weimar period, see photos in my album, I thought it would be a good match. So after a little negotiation, I purchased the holster.

Now, I am looking forward to seeing it 'in the flesh', so I can see if the letter / numeric codes on the rear of the holster are any clearer. I think it is marked "SW I 387’ and below that "SM 100", but I may have miss read or missed some digits or letters, TBC.

[Vlim]

Here you see them 'in situ' in the 1970s.