Parabellum for the police. Safety, security and more safety
Rice. 1. Policeman P.08, equipped with a Shivi fuse, with a police-type holster (author's photo)
Safe handling weapons increased attention has always been paid, both in the army and in all units of other state power structures, such as, for example, the police. Rigorous adherence to strict safety rules from shooters is required in sports. And these requirements are almost identical in all countries of the world. But non-combat losses of personnel due to incidents with weapons, especially in peacetime, unfortunately, have occurred, are occurring and, alas, will continue to occur. According to unofficial statistics, about 50% of such losses among law enforcement officers are due to a disdain for the observance of security measures when handling weapons.
What this leads to, I had to face while serving in the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany (GSVG).
After standing up for a day in a detachment for the database, I went to the regiment headquarters to hand over my service PM to the gunsmith. I went to the door of the Duty officer's room, and ... I heard a shot. Then there was a ringing silence, which was interrupted by a selective mate. I open the door, and I see - there is a pale ensign with a Makarov in his hand, a meter away from him at the window - a shelf officer with a face as white as chalk and a cigarette in his hand. And three more officers yell at the ensign, scolding him with the very last words.
What happened?
The culprit of the commotion bluntly violated the order of unloading the Makarov pistol. The standard procedure is to first remove the magazine, then pull the bolt back to make sure there is no cartridge left in the barrel. Then - the control trigger release and setting the weapon to safety.
Either a sleepless night in a dress, or just slovenliness, but the ensign first mechanically pulled the bolt, then took out the magazine and pulled the trigger. The cartridge, of course, remained in the barrel, and there was a shot. By a lucky coincidence, the bullet did not hit anyone in the rather cramped room and after a triple ricochet flew out the window past the attendant. The captain, by the way, has gone through Afghan twice, has seen a lot and experienced. But, according to him, for the first time in his life, literally speaking, he was so wildly scared.
It must be said that in the process of evolution of firearms, not only their lethal abilities were improved, but also devices that make them safe to use.
For example, the 6-round Colt Walker capsule, developed in 1847, was only loaded with 5 rounds for safety reasons, so that the empty chamber could be installed opposite the trigger, which allowed the shooter to safely carry a loaded revolver without fear of accidentally dropping it. or strike, inadvertently initiating a shot. Moreover, all the charged chambers in front were smeared with grease in order to avoid the ignition of the gunpowder in them from accidental sparks when fired (also a kind of fuse).
Rice. 2. A shot from the Western "Dead and Fast" directed by Sam Raimi, where at the 27th minute the process of charging the Le Mat primer revolver is shown in detail. Finishing operation - the front drum chambers are thoroughly smeared with fat
The appearance of the unitary cartridge saved the shooter from performing this procedure. Nevertheless, the same famous Colt Peacemaker was still recommended to be loaded with only five rounds.
Adopted by the French army twenty-six years later, the revolver "Chamelo-Delvin" M 1873 already had a trigger with a release of the trigger, which, when the trigger was not pressed or released after a shot, was retracted a few millimeters back. In this position, the hammer of the hammer did not touch the cartridge primer located in the drum chamber, which made it possible to carry the weapon completely safely in a fully loaded position.
Later, the trigger mechanisms of revolvers were equipped with the so-called transfer rods, which did not allow the striker to reach the cartridge capsule in the revolver drum, if the trigger was not pressed. Which made the weapon even safer.
Rice. 3. Revolvers: Abadi model of 1886, equipped with a trigger trigger (above), and a Sturm Ruger Speed Six of the 1970s with a transfer bar in the trigger (below) (photo by the author)
The advent of self-loading pistols gave impetus for further development and safety devices for them. Especially considering that, unlike revolvers, it was impossible to visually determine if there were cartridges in the pistol magazine.
Fuses of various types and purposes were born. Some - blocked the trigger or drummer, not allowing them to be released from the combat platoon and thereby firing a shot. Others - the trigger, still others - whispered. Some were triggered by forced rotation / movement of the key / button, others - when the pistol grip was covered with a hand, and still others - when the magazine was inserted / removed.
Rice. 4. Pistols equipped with various fuses. From left to right: Sauer 38H has a safety trigger system and a safety catch; Frommer 37M - safety cocking of the trigger, handle and lever fuses; Luger 1900/06 - handle and lever fuses; Hungarian FIREBIRD and Spanish Star B - trigger guard and safety lever (photo by the author)
The flight of the designers' thought was not limited to the vastness of their imagination ... But this "flight" did not always lead to the desired results. The presence of safety devices, manual or automatic, definitely made the weapon safer to use.
But was the possibility of an unauthorized shot always excluded?
If, say, the design features of a weapon make it possible to fire a shot from it in an abnormal situation, be it accidentally or intentionally, then this is most likely a miscalculation of the designer and, accordingly, the imperfection of the design of his brainchild (we do not take into account the malfunction of the weapon in this case) ...
And it is not always possible to compensate for such shortcomings only by strict adherence to the requirements and rules for the safe handling of weapons set out in the user manual or operating instructions for each specific sample. As a rule, in such "manuals" they are reflected in great detail and with all the nuances.
Rice. 5. Page of the original operating instructions for P.08 (flick.com)
Dangerous Parabellum
But, alas, it is impossible to foresee everything.
The human factor has not been canceled - as experience shows, this is the main source of danger and the overwhelming majority of accidents, be it anywhere at work, on the road, at home or at work. And the use of various safety devices is one of the solutions to this problem.
But sometimes that doesn't help either. And then additional protection is required - the so-called "protection from the fool", acting automatically, without the need for a person to participate in its activation.
A similar situation has developed with the famous Parabellum.
The experience of using a pistol in the army and the police has revealed one unpleasant feature of the weapon. The design of the 08th and the procedure for its incomplete disassembly did not rule out the possibility of an unauthorized shot with a partially disassembled pistol, if a live cartridge remained in the chamber. To do this, it was enough to accidentally press the sear before removing the bolt group from the receiver.
Rice. 6. That very dangerous point - accidentally clicking on the sear in this place when the drummer is cocked - and a shot can occur if there is a cartridge left in the chamber (author's photo)
The danger of such an unintentional shot was recognized by all P.08 users. Therefore, in order to avoid such incidents, the command of the army and fleet In Germany, instructions, posters, and illustrated leaflets were regularly published to train personnel in the safe handling of the Pistole 08.
Rice. 7. An educational wall poster for the Luftwaffe, issued by the commander of the anti-aircraft forces: "Beware: danger here." The sear is highlighted in red and the cartridge is shown in the chamber. The Lance Corporal, disassembling the pistol, approached the sear dangerously with his left thumb.
But the leadership of the German police considered such measures insufficient.
And it has taken additional and more radical steps to minimize such incidents with the P.08, which usually occurred when weapons were taken apart for cleaning.
It happened against the backdrop of stormy historical events that shook Germany after the First World War.
Police of the times of the Weimar Republic
On November 9, 1918, the leftist revolution overthrew the Kaiser and on November 11 forced Germany to conclude an armistice. The Reich ceased to be a monarchy, a parliamentary form of government was established. The Weimar Constitution entered into force with its signature by President Friedrich Ebert on August 11, 1919.
In the newly created republic, there were few organizations to maintain order. There was no nationwide police. There were internal affairs bodies of individual states included in the federation. Because all police powers were delegated in accordance with the new constitution to the seventeen states of Germany. Prussia was the most powerful among them.
In addition, there were voluntary law enforcement organizations in the Länder - the Public Police (Gemeindepolizei). Also separately in each state there were state security organs, for example, the Prussian political police (Preußische politische Polizei), etc.
In addition to the organized police, governed by the land (state), there were quasi-military organizations (eg Freikors, "Steel Helmet") that performed police duties. The Weimar Republic also laid the foundation for the so-called security police (Schutzpolizei, SchuPo), a unit whose main purpose was law enforcement, patrolling, receiving applications, controlling roads, searching, etc.
The existence of such a "diversity" of police forces in one state could not last long. Centralization was needed. Hitler's rise to power hastened it. On June 16, 1936, the National Police was created under the leadership of Heinrich Himmler. The state power structures of the Lands lost their autonomy.
After the First World War, weapons in Germany remained in abundance, including the Parabellum pistol, which had proven itself in war. Therefore, he was adopted by the police.
The real danger of accidental firing when disassembling a P.08 with a cartridge in the chamber was recognized early in his service with the Prussian police in the 1920s. Police captain Gustav Schmidt, in Waffentechnisches Unterrichtsbuch fur den Polizeibeamten, first published in 1923, illustrated this with his improvised accidental firing device.
Rice. 8. Device for demonstrating the possibility of accidental firing when disassembling a P.08 with a cartridge in the chamber. After clicking on the sear at point S, a shot is fired. (Joachim Görtz "Die Pistole 08")
For this, the upper part of the pistol, complete with the barrel and the bolt group, was fixed on the board with nails (N1 – N2). At the back, this structure rested on a wooden block. For the purpose of simulation, the chamber was loaded with a blank cartridge, then the sear safely descended from the combat platoon at point S, simulating an accidental shot, in order to draw the students' attention to the possibility of such a dangerous situation arising if the pistol was not completely disassembled. The blank cartridge used was presumably star-crushed, as the wooden bullet cartridge (which was in service with the police in the 1920s) was almost as dangerous in classroom demonstrations as conventional bullet ammunition.
Rice. 9. Blank cartridges. Left to right: 2 pcs. with a blue wooden bullet and stamps 11 26 and 1 27 on the bottom of the cartridge case for the Bavarian police, 2 pcs. experimental with a red paper bullet, and one crimped with an "asterisk" for MR.38 / 40. Below is a cardboard box for blank cartridges of a characteristic orange-red color, indicating the type of ammunition (author's photo collage)
Accidents when an unwary shooter himself or someone else got hurt were pure coincidences and took place from time to time. But after the adoption of the Parabellum, such incidents in the Prussian police service apparently began to occur with sufficient regularity.
Part of the reason, as noted by the leadership, was both inadequate training of personnel, and in excessive savings in practical combat firing - only 60 rounds of ammunition were allocated annually per policeman.
Therefore, the increase in the number of accidents when handling weapons has renewed interest in systems for the protection of accidental shots. And the current situation required the police authorities to take radical measures as soon as possible to prevent such emergencies.
Double insurance
In order to exclude the occurrence of such excesses with the P.08, the Prussian police planned at the end of the 1920s to equip the weapon with two additional fuses. This was supposed to achieve two goals:
• Impossibility to fire a shot with the magazine removed ("magazine fuse").
• It is impossible to fire with a partially disassembled pistol by simply pressing a finger on the sear (“sear safety”).
Unfortunately, it is now difficult to establish exactly when the corresponding requirements of the Prussian Ministry of Internal Affairs were formulated and published.
However, it is clear from the database of the German Patent Office that between 1929 and 1932, many well-known German firearms specialists and arms companies enthusiastically developed magazine-type fuses and sear fuses for pistols in general and for the P.08 in particular. ...
About a dozen registered industrial designs and patents were registered in the Patent Office between 1929 and 1932. The list of firearms firms involved in this program was quite extensive and included well-known companies such as Carl Walther in Zella-Melis, ERMA in Erfurt, Simson & Co and Sauer & Sohn in Suhl.
As a result, in accordance with the circular decree of the Ministry of the Interior of Prussia of August 30, 1933, two additional fuses for the P.08 police were adopted for mandatory use.
These were:
• Magazine or trigger safety, protected as German registered design DRGM 1 237 949 dated 01 October 1932, issued by Waffenfabrik Carl Walther of Zella-Melis. The ministry decree itself does not mention either the number or the name of the document, but the origin of the design cannot be mistaken if we compare the store fuses in the surviving police pistols with the drawing given in the DRGM.
• Whisper fuse patented by a Berlin inventor named Ludwig Schiwy - DRP 501 267 dated July 19, 1929. And again: neither the name of the author, nor the number of his patent are mentioned in the decree of August 30, 1933. But both the drawing in the patent and Shivi's letter with his proposal to the Bavarian Ministry of the Interior allow us to identify the origin of the structure.
Rice. 10. Letter from Ludwig Shivi to the Bavarian Ministry of the Interior with a proposal to equip the P.08 pistols with an additional whisper fuse of his own design (Joachim Görtz "Die Pistole 08")
Here it is necessary to give a little explanation regarding the German patent law of that time and the abbreviation designations of the corresponding documents.
DRP (Deutsche Reich Patent) - German Reich patent.
DRGM (Deutsches Reichs-Gebrauchs-Muster) - a model established in the German Reich or a registered model of the German Reich.
What is the meaning and what is the difference between these designations?
From 1877 to May 1945, the state registration and patenting system of Germany issued the Patent of the German Empire - DRP to applicants and the corresponding marking was put on products protected by such a patent. It must be said that German patents were prohibitively expensive. And many manufacturers simply could not afford to pay the full patent filing fees (German patent fees were 36 times more than US patent fees). Those who could afford a patent in Germany put the DRP or DRP stamp on their products. Such a patent provided the patent holder with a full 15-year copyright protection.
DRGM was not a German patent in the full sense of the word. If a manufacturer did not want to pay the very high patent fees charged by the state, he could, instead of a patent, obtain a document to protect his copyright for the intended use or design of his product. In other words, register the design in all German states, its design or function. Since 1891, such products made in Germany could have a corresponding stamp - DRGM. Initially, this copyright was extended for 3 years with the possibility of renewal for another 3 years. This gave the copyright holder protection for a maximum of 6 years.
Figuratively speaking, DRGM is a copyright in Germany at the beginning of the XNUMXth century.
No wonder a well-known company like Karl Walter won a government tender. She just had to do it.
But Ludwig Shivi, on the contrary, was practically unknown to anyone in comparison with her competitor. Former officer in reserve; motorist, sportsman-shooter; owner of a small factory for the production of guns and their accessories (Gewehr-Fabrik Vandrey in Berlin, located at SW68, Lidenstrasse 90). In 1924 he received a patent for a rifle stock with a special forend (DRP 419 182).
Rice. 11. Parabellum carbine with custom-made stock in a leather case from Gewehr-Fabrik Vandrey. The inside of the lid is embossed in gold on a red leather label: “L. Schiwy Gewehrfabrik Berlin SW68, Lidenstrasse 90 "(Joachim Görtz, Dr. Geoffrey Sturgess" The Borchardt & Luger Automatic Pistols ")
In a tender for additional fuses for the police, he proposed two inventions: a sear fuse, as indicated above, and a store fuse (DRP 587 871 dated February 10, 1932). The latter lost to Walter's fuse.
The first one was adopted for unknown reasons. Perhaps because it was better / simpler / cheaper than all the proposed solutions. Perhaps Shivi had connections and acquaintances who knew the right people. Or maybe he was just the first to come up with the right solution, getting a patent six months earlier than any of the competitors.
The story is silent about it.
Be that as it may, but the police have adopted precisely its development.
Rice. 12-1. Patent DRP 501 267 dated July 19, 1929, issued to Ludwig Shivi for the "Automatic safety of the whispered small arms" (Selbsttätige Sicherung für die Abzugsstange von Handfeuerwaffen) (Joachim Görtz "Die Pistole 08")
Rice. 12-2. Drawing from the patent DRP 501 267 of July 19, 1929, issued to Ludwig Shivi for "Automatic safety of the whispered small arms" (Selbsttätige Sicherung für die Abzugsstange von Handfeuerwaffen) (Joachim Görtz "Die Pistole 08")
It should be noted that the production version of the fuse was slightly different from the one stated.
The patent shows that the safety catch is a lever rotated around the horizontal pin E1 by a leaf spring e4 with a thinned end, and the locking pin e2 should have a rectangular cross-section. But during production they made a simplification - the rear end of the lever was simply riveted vertically to the sear casing, while it itself was a flexible leaf spring of constant cross section, and the locking pin was a cylindrical rivet.
Since 1933, the fuse has been installed on all existing P.08 police in Prussia, and since 1937 - in the rest of Germany.
Rice. 13. Receiver of the "policeman" R.08 with the installed fuse Shivi (above) and the usual (below) Parabellum (photo by the author)
Rice. 14. Receiver of the "policeman" R.08 with a Shivi fuse - you can see a fixing pin and a hole in the sear (photo by the author)
Rice. 15. Receiver of the "policeman" P.08. Shivi's fuse in working position - a fixing pin protruding from the bottom of the sear fencing is visible (author's photo)
Rice. 16. Whispering "police" (above) and ordinary (below) R.08. The arrow indicates the hole for the fixing pin of the Shivi fuse (photo by the author)
Rice. 17. Side cover of "policeman" (left) and usual (right) P.08. The cutout for the Shivi fuse is highlighted in red (photo by the author)
Rice. 18. Two Р.08 made in 1916 by DWM (upper) and Erfurt arsenal (lower). In 1920, adopted by the police (second date) and later equipped with a Shivi fuse. Under them is a police-type holster (photo by the author)
Without a doubt, Shivi's whispering fuse, however simple it was, really served its purpose. It actually prevented a shot from the receiver with the barrel and bolt group removed from the frame.
The device was a leaf spring riveted on the top left of the receiver above the sear casing, carrying a 1,4 mm diameter pin, which automatically entered the hole in the front sear lever, blocking its displacement when the side cover was removed. As a result, the striker, if cocked, could not be released from the combat cocked intentionally or accidentally.
When installing the side cover, the locking pin was lifted and released the sear, ensuring the normal operation of the shock-and-sound mechanism. To mount the fuse, a cutout was made in the upper part of the side cover, and a small hole was drilled in the sear at the top in the front part for a locking pin. Another hole of the same type was drilled in the back of the sear fencing for a rivet to secure the plate.
Whether the Shivi safety catch is present on the pistol or not, the receiver with these modifications identifies any P.08 as an ex-cop.
Rice. 19. Ex-policeman P.08 produced by DWM. Shivi's fuse is removed, a hole for fixing it is visible in the sear (arrow on the left) and a hole for installing a fuse in the sear casing (arrow on the right) (photo by the author)
Walter's magazine fuse was a U-shaped piece bent from stamped sheet spring steel, with three cams, followed by finishing hardening. It was installed on the left under the frame panel and cheek, directly in front of the trigger guard, and was held by a curved protrusion No. 3 in a slot milled in the lower part of the frame sidewall.
This slot uniquely identifies such a pistol as an ex-policeman P.08, regardless of whether the fuse is present or removed, as is the case with the Shivi's fuse.
In front of the U-shaped spring there were two cam-projections bent at right angles to the pistol axis. Cam # 1 interacted with the magazine through a hole drilled above the trigger. A magazine inserted into the handle was pushed outward, while cam No. 2 behind the trigger moved to the left, removing the lock from the trigger. When the magazine was removed, the cam returned to its original position behind the trigger by the force of the U-shaped spring, blocking it.
Protrusion No. 3 was used to install a safety device in a vertical slot milled in the lower part of the pistol frame.
Rice. 20. Shop fuse designed by Friedrich Walter for R.08 (author's photo collage)
Rice. 21. Illustration for the application for a registered design of the German Reich DRGM 1 237 949 dated October 01, 1932, issued to the company "Karl Walter", under the name "Magazine safety lock for multiple-shot weapons". For mass production it was slightly simplified - this can be seen in the isometric view (Joachim Görtz "Die Pistole 08")
Rice. 22. Two of the rarest copies of the P.08 policemen with intact Walter fuses. The magazine is removed, the safety cam goes behind the trigger from behind and locks it. In the photo on the right: a window under the fuse is cut out in the upper left cheek (author's photo collage)
Rice. 23. Rare P.08 with intact Walter fuse (morphyauctions.com)
Both fuses were approved for use by a circular decree of the Ministry of the Interior of Prussia dated August 30, 1933, which became known on September 6, 1933. The goal of this decision was declared "to prevent accidents."
It is worth noting that the decree and the fuses themselves were intended only for the Prussian police units and never for military units or commercial sale. Their installation was carried out at local or regional weapons depots, and not by forces and / or personnel of weapons manufacturers.
To ensure the correct installation of the sear and magazine fuse, one pistol with fuses installed, a set of drawings required for drill operation, two calibers and a copy of the modification instructions were prepared as a reference sample for each police warehouse.
Rice. 24. Information bulletin of the Prussian Ministry of Internal Affairs of September 6, 1933, in which the Decree of the Prussian Ministry of Internal Affairs No. 66 / 33V of August 30, 1933 was published (Joachim Görtz "Die Pistole 08")
Judging by the decrees and other guidance documents published in the information bulletins preserved in the archives, the installation of additional fuses was initiated in the winter of 1933-1934 and extended to pistols on the staff of the Prussian police.
There are no records as to how long it took such a retrofit of the weapon.
Also, there is no documentary evidence of whether or not the Mauser company produced the new P.08 with the sear and store fuses originally installed at the factory, since the number of pistols ordered from the Mauser company for the police was extremely small compared to military orders. Moreover, it seems unlikely that the Ministry of the Interior would agree to an additional payment to Mauser for the production of a special pistol, while the required tools, calibers and instructions were at hand in the police arms depots.
The life of a magazine fuse protected by DRGM 1 237 949 was rather short.
Walter's development was installed only on those P.08 of the Prussian police that were released in 1933-1934. Moreover, the rather hard contact of the fuse cam with the magazine caused damage to the latter. First of all, the protective coating of the store was worn out and sometimes the front left edge of its body was deformed.
By order of the "Reichlider SS and Chief of Police of Germany" on May 27, 1937, the trigger guards and any similar devices were canceled. This obviously applied to Walter's fuse as well.
Rice. 25. Decree of the Reichsfuehrer SS and Chief of Police of Germany on May 27, 1937 (Joachim Görtz "Die Pistole 08")
Berlin, May 27, 1937
Reichsfuhrer SS
and Police Chief of Germany
Reich Ministry of the Interior
O. - Kdo. T (3) 306 Nr. 8/37
Topic: Sears Fuse and Operation Manual for P.08 Pistol
Reference: Circular Decree of December 15, 1936 O. - Kdo. T (3) 71 Nr. 19 III / 36
In order to avoid accidents and to ensure uniformity of training, the sear fuse - made by Vandrey - of the P.08 pistol, which was already presented in Prussia and some other lands, is currently accepted by all units of the Guard Police, Gendarmerie and the Public Police.
The demand for fuses in the Länder was whispered to the Technical Police Academy, Berlin, deadline July 1, 1937 (separately for the Public Police). The required amount will be purchased and distributed.
By the same date, all lands, except Prussia, must send one P.08 pistol to the Technical Police Academy. These pistols will be fitted with sear fuses and will then be returned to departments to serve as samples. In this case, 1 drill gauge and 1 fuse installation instruction will be sent to each weapon repair shop.
All fuses whispered of other existing designs on P.08 pistols of the Guard Police, Gendarmerie and Public Police in all lands except Prussia, and all trigger fuses of any design must be disabled.
(The article of the decree concerns the adoption of the army manual P08 H. Dv. 255 for the police and the modification of this instruction in accordance with the safety requirements for whispering and cleaning equipment 34 see Ch. 5).
As a consequence, it is now very difficult to find an intact Walter fuse.
Most of these have been modified by grinding the front cam tabs to make it inoperative and leaving it solely to fill a groove in the sidewall of the frame, but in some cases they have simply been completely removed.
Rice. 26. Walter's fuse, deactivated in accordance with the decree of May 27, 1937. The cams interacting with the magazine and the trigger are cut off (author's photo collage)
In accordance with the same decree, all whispered fuses, except for those produced by Vandrey (that is, Shivi designs), were to be disabled. Including the whisper fuse, invented by the senior gunsmith of the Hamburg municipal police, Emil Schmidt, and protected by the DRGM certificate 1 228 449 dated 25 July 1932, which he offered to the police departments of Hamburg, Bremen and Bavaria. The basis of his invention was an elongated sear plunger, which, when the side cover was removed, entered a groove in the front of the receiver, blocking the sear. With the cost of the device ranging from 0,15 to 0,20 marks, it took only two to three minutes to install it.
The decree of May 27, 1937 also ordered the use of a sear fuse (Shivi design / Vandrey production) by all non-Prussian German lands that had previously refrained from using this device. This also applied to Bavaria, where the police leadership had already tested the Shivi fuse in 1932, but refused to implement it, citing mainly the fact that the pistol could be scratched when the modified side cover was reassembled.
Shivi's fuse can be found on P.08 policemen produced up to 1942. The last production batch with the "y" prefix in the number was obviously prepared for its installation (which may indicate a factory modification of the pistols), but the spring plate itself was missing from the left side of the receiver. Whether this was a consequence of the decree not to install such devices anymore or, perhaps, the Vandrei company in Berlin, which was engaged in the manufacture of Shivi fuses and accessories for it, became a victim of Allied bombing, it is unknown.
Almost no copies of the P.08 have survived with additional fuses installed, since in the early 1930s there was no commercial market for such a pistol outside Prussia. And the pistols in the police service in accordance with Himmler's decree of May 27, 1937 in all German states were brought to a single state, having lost such devices.
And only a small number of them, by some miracle, remained intact, becoming incredibly rare specimens of Parabellums that can adorn any collection.
Rice. 27. Two rarities: R.08 produced by DWM (upper) and Erfurt arsenal (lower) with preserved additional Shivi fuses (author's photo)
Another interesting fact worth mentioning.
For wearing the Parabellum on a waist belt, the police adopted their own type of holster, which differed from the army's method of closing it "with a lock." What caused this - history is silent. But according to my personal subjective feelings, it is much easier to unfasten a police holster in order to remove a weapon from it than an army one.
Rice. 28. Leather holsters for Р.08: in the center - for the police, on the right and left - for the army and the navy (photo by the author)
Not much information and details about other additional safety devices for the P.08 survived also because, although they were protected by DRGM certificates, in the 1950s a massive destruction of the pre-war register records of the German Patent Office was carried out. And therefore it is worth talking about them separately ...
To be continued ...
Information