Pistole 640(b) holster – Softshell – dla 43
During the war the Germans produced, captured and reissued many different pistols to their troops. Most if not all pistols had specific holsters and some pistols even had multiple kinds of holsters. Captured pistols where sometimes even fitted with new, German made holsters during the war. The standard pistol in the German army was the P.08 which in 1938 was replaced by the P.38. The P.08 was replaced but remained in production until 1945 by Krieghoff.
The Walther Pistole 38 (P.38) pistol was first introduced in 1938 as a replacement for the P.08. The P.38 was a more cost-efficient and more reliable in war conditions such as mud and rain. The P.08 was a typical prewar German gun, over engineered to perfection with a sensitive toggle breech system that would malfunction when dirt was involved. The P.38 was a workhorse that did just what it was meant to do. It could handle most harsh battlefield conditions and as such the closed hardshell holster was discontinued later in the war and replaced for a open softshell holster. During the war 990.080 P.38 pistols where produced by Walther, Mauser and Spreewerk.
Pistol: Pistole 640(b)
Model holster: Softshell
Markings: dla 43
Year: 1943
Maker: dla refers to the maker Karl Barth, Militäreffektenfabrik, Waldbroehl, Rheinland.
Material: Brown tanned leather
Notes: – As the Germans occupied Belgium they soon took over the famous FN arms factories to produce weapons for the Wehrmacht. The FN GP35 or the Hi Power was a very well made 9mm pistol with a “double stack” magazine that nearly had the double capacity of the standard German pistols. 319.000 Where produced during the war and it was a accurate and much loved pistol within the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS.
