Original Item: Only One Available. Just purchased from a private collector, this is a very nice WWII issue Black Hardshell holster for the standard issue Walther P38 pistol, complete with correct period markings.

It is nicely marked bml / 43 between the belt loops, indicating 1943 manufacture by Hans Römer in Neu-Ulm (Donau), Germany. This was a known maker of holsters and other military accoutrements during the war, according to GERMAN MILITARY LETTER CODES 1939-1945 by John Walter. There is also a Waffenamt inspection mark above the maker mark, WaA23.

The holster is complete and it definitely shows wear, and has the look of a well broken-in holster that was in service for years. The stitching is mostly intact, though there definitely is some wear through visible on the back of the holster.

This is a great WWII Dated example of a P.38 holster, and would make the perfect accessory for a P.38 pistol that no longer has its holster. Ready to display!

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 partially open softshell holster. During the War close around 900,000 were produced, so the holsters were also produced in large quantities.