Jan C. Still Lugerforums banner

Pre war 6.35mm PPK dewat with documentation

5K views 12 replies 7 participants last post by  peter meyer 
#1 ·
Here we have an excellent example of how “bubba”, in this case the IRS, gets the best ones. This pistol was deactivated shortly after the war by welding its muzzle shut and the sear under the grip. This pistol suffered from severe storage neglect after its deactivation but with careful cleaning it’s much better.

The info below I’ve gathered from online searches, mainly on this forum. I’d love any and all information you may be able to provide on this pistol, post war dewat practices etc.


This is a pre war 6.35mm (25 acp) Walther PPK, one of the rarest Walther variants. This one is solidly in the listed serial range for the 6.35. The very few I’ve seen at auction have sold between $10,000 and $23,000 in much better condition of course ;) Note the 6.35 PPK unique magazine constructed of inserting a Walther model 8 6.35 magazine body inside the 7.35 PPK mag body. This can be seen clearly at the feed lips.


This PPK has a full complement of documentation to include its WWII capture certificate, dewat turn in receipt and completed dewat receipt. I have never seen a handgun with this documentation. I have spoken with other knowledgeable war trophy collectors and they think it was a local ordnance or intimidation encouraging the surrender and destruction of war trophies.


Note that the authority is the IRS Alcohol Tax Unit – the predecessor of the ATF according to cursory research.


To echo above - I would love to hear any insight you may have on this piece, especially if you’ve encountered similar post war dewat paperwork on things other than machine guns.

Also does anyone have information on the holster? It’s marked Deutsche Solvay Werke under the flap.
















- - - Updated - - -

Holster pics-



 
See less See more
11
#2 ·
James it is just amazing what gets destroyed of historic value but it gets replaced with plastic guns. So I am assuming that you are the new caretaker of this unusable 6.35mm PPK. As for the Holster it belongs to Werkschutz (Mfg. Security) at;Solvay Chemicals GmbH Werke in Rheinberg you have a very interesting piece of History. I happen to have serial number 878077 but this one is one of the lucky once.
Happy Hunting!
Peter
 
#3 ·
Peter,

Thank you for deciphering the holster markings! I was under the impression it was the holster manufacturer as usual, not a company/security marking.

It is sad that this PPK has been rendered inoperable and neglected, I’m happy that it didn’t end up getting melted down. I acquired this rig as I primarily collect documented bring backs and this was the first dewat example with the associated paperwork I had found. I only had a few out of focus pictures to work from and didn’t realize it was a 6.35 until after the purchase.
 
#4 ·
I expect that we have New York's Sullivan Law to thank for the deactivation;
if the owner wanted to keep it in NYC, he had to do something to remain legal(and out of jail). :(
 
#5 ·
Fascinating documentation, especially the notation of the "Belgian .38 cal.pistol". And the notorious Sullivan Law did a number on this rare piece of history. Actually, the German factory of the multi-national Solvay company was in Bernburg, near Magdeburg. It was Deutsche Solvay Werke, Aktiengesellschaft. I can't make out the beginning of the third line of print in the holster, but it ends with "...sodafabriken Bernburg".
 
#6 ·
#7 ·
Got to thinking about this (boy that is scary) since James did not make any mentioning regarding any other markings on the pistol I suspect that the pistol did not originally come with this Werkschutz Holster. My reason for having this opinion is all pistols that are designated for Werkschutz (Factory Security) those pistols are identified by added inscriptions/ markings. Also a 6.35mm caliber to me is unlikely for a security pistol.
Happy Hunting!
Peter
 
#9 ·
The time frame of the documentation is interesting; brought home in December ‘45, surrendered to the Feds in Oct ‘49 and returned in Sept ‘50. But reading further, I find I was mistaken and these letters would seem to have nothing to do with the NY Sullivan Law which only restricted the unlicensed carrying of concealed weapons. So why was the PPK deactivated?

Peter, we have evidence of marked Werkschutz firearms in the Thiel PPKs and some other firearms, but can you really state that ALL Werkschutz weapons had to be marked in some manner? As to the caliber of a Werkschutz weapon, perhaps the smaller caliber (less penetration) was seen as necessary given potential damage in chemical production facility? I suppose the gun and holster could have been united by the vet from two different sources or by a subsequent owner, but I can’t imagine a vet disarming a plant guard or selecting the “Werkschutz” pistol from a pile of surrendered weapons and not keeping the pistol and holster together for ease of storage.
 
#10 · (Edited)
Roy, of course I can not state All Werkschutz weapons are ID. by the company, it is an assumption by me, I would think that it does make sense. All that are in my possession are marked, Rail Road, Post, Banks, Thiel, RRZ. As for the Holster, I think by looking at it that the toe is a little long for a PPK and this is just a other reason for my thinking. It be nice if James take some dimensions of his Holster and confirm that the rub marks in the flap match up and dig for possible mfg. mark. Looking at the backside of the Holster you can see that it did not fill the toe, so a PPK possibly does match the imprint.
Happy Hunting!
Peter
 
#12 ·
Turbota, that is a very rare and very nice piece, especially with the documentation. A skilled gunsmith may be able to reactivate it, I can give you the information to one of the best in the country if you would like. It wouldn't be easy, but on a piece of this caliber, it would be well worth it.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top