C96 Rig of the Düsseldorf Sipo/Schupo

[donmaus]

I have just assembled another "mongrel" police rig. About two and a half years ago, I posted photos of my reworked Red Nine Mauser C96 with the grip strap mark S.D.IV.9.23. from the Prussian administrative district of Düsseldorf (http://luger.gunboards.com/showthread.php?t=8677). I have recently acquired a C96 holster (& cleaning rod) marked S.D.V. These are the only two instances of C96 markings from this district that I have recorded out of almost 2500 police markings. They probably originally were issued to Sicherheitspolizei (Sipo) units that merged with the Schutzmannschaft in 1920 to form the Schutzpolizei (Schupo). Mauser C96s were replaced in Prussian Schupo units with Lugers in the early 1920s. I have not been able to identify the specific commands represented by the Roman numerals IV and V but can narrow the probable locations to Duisburg, Mühlheim, Hamborn and Oberhausen, all of which were neighbors. While this holster and pistol were not married, they may have known one another in the early 1920s!

[klaus 3338]

Don, the uncle of the local gunsmith was the police gunsmith of Duisburg from 1932 and during the war. He died 1980 and the local gunsmith showed me what he got from his uncle. Some items as police cleaning rods were stamped with S.D.IV......So it seems that S.D.IV. is Duisburg. Next town is Mühlheim and than Oberhausen. All have the same city boarder.
Regards Klaus

[donmaus]

Klaus, for a variety of reasons, I have suspected that S.D.IV. was Duisburg but this is the first hard evidence. Thank you very, very much for solving yet another mystery about these markings.

[Ranger-CPT]

Don, very interesting holster! Most holsters of this type were 1930's manufacture, although there are some that are WWI vintage. I aquired one from Jan several years back that is maker marked and 1939 dated.

Attached is a picture of a police marked holster that came out of Russia about a year ago. An ebay seller had about 10 of them for sale, and I regret not picking one up. They were all unit marked on the back. Ryan

[donmaus]

Hi Ryan,

There is no maker mark or date on this holster but I believe it was manufactured in or before WWI because period documents indicate that C96s had been replaced with P08s in the Düsseldorf district by March 1924 or earlier. In Prussia, the Schupo of Köln was an exception, continuing to use C96s until about 1929-30.

It would be very interesting to know the markings that were on the holsters from Russia. I have recorded a number of Prussian Schupo markings on C96s from the eastern provinces of Weimar Germany. I suspect these had been stored when replaced by P08s and that the Russians captured these stores.

[klaus 3338]

I can´t remember exactly the stamps on the backside of the holster. P... and something was the stamp. Many of these holsters were altered for the Luger. I saw same on auctions during the last month.

[klaus 3338]

Some more photos:

[huggiebear]

Klaus : Your C96 holster which had the stripper clip pouch removed and a luger magazine pouch added was for the SA in 1928 and I have pictures of such elements using them on the target range.

[Ranger-CPT]

John, could you share such a photo?

Don, most of the Prussian State police broomhandes ended back up in Army Inventories during the war. They were routed through the Spandau arsenal where their Police unit marks were canceled out and they were re-blued and received an E/Su4 stamp. I have such a C96 with post-war Norwegian markings on it, indicating it was surrendered by the German occupation force in Norway in 1945.

[donmaus]

Ryan, some of them apparently avoided transfer to the Army. I own two with uncanceled police markings and no E/Su4 stamp and have recorded several others. In particular, C96s from the Köln Schupo fall in this category.

Your observation about the fate of most of the police C96s probably explains why so few are observed with police markings, especially from a district like Düsseldorf which must have originally had many.