Nazi Leaders' Everyday Carry Pistols
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What weapons did the leaders of Nazi Germany use as their everyday carry pistols and do any still survive today?
Dr. Mark Felton FRHistS, FRSA is a well-known British historian, the author of 22 non-fiction books, including bestsellers 'Zero Night' and 'Castle of the Eagles', both currently being developed into movies in Hollywood. In addition to writing, Mark also appears regularly in television documentaries around the world, including on The History Channel, Netflix, National Geographic, Quest, American Heroes Channel and RMC Decouverte. His books have formed the background to several TV and radio documentaries. More information about Mark can be found at: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Fe...
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Credits: US National Archives; Library of Congress; Bundesarchiv; Michael Sullivan; Cmacauley; Asked Antonsen; Vitaly V. Kuzmin; Tylerweatherill
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Did Churchill had a sidearm besides his cigars ?
@@djzrobzombie2813 he probably had a classic British side arm in his jacket pocket. I understand he was a good shot too
I believe the subject of Hitler's firearm was brought up in an episode of Doctor Who I believe it was set in 1935
Hitler should have used Nord...
I don't know because there are so many good fake Nazi. Pistols.....Thanks....
Shoe🇺🇸
"Did Hitler and the other top Nazi leaders pack heat?"
I don't need to hear another word after that awesome introduction to know it's going to be another well-researched, humorous, and eminently enjoyable history lesson from Dr. Felton.
They were strapped
@@Alex-ff1mk Within arm's reach of grabbin' the stick
They won't be caught lacking.
“What kind of piece did nazi leaders carry?”
“What kind of piece did nazi leaders carry?”
Only Mark could have woven Liberace into a documentary about the weapons carried by the German leadership. And he did it with such style and aplomb.
He always does
Given his drug use I would say the fat aviator more resembles a somnambulant, sinister version of Elvis who can't sing.
Liberace was a really nice guy. His style was only a gimmick for show business. He doesn't deserve such negative comments.
@@yank-tc8bz What was negative ??
Hermann Goering and Liberace are actually the same person. The guy who committed suicide in Nuremberg was a double.
My father had a Walther PP that he carried when he was plainclothes. Never asked how he came about it. Years later I found out that it was made during WW2 at the original factory. It still shoots great to this day despite being almost 80 years old.
Your dad carried a PP? Sounds pretty gay
is your father Argentinian and is also German?
@@marcushalberstram6574 yes and happened to move here around 1946!
Based on their username, I'm guessing they're from East Coast US. likely NY. But that's so funny 😂
@@marcushalberstram6574 xd
My grandmother worked as a maid for Liberace for 2 years 83-85. She never ever saw him practice and he only played Piano when doing a performance. She asked him why he never practiced and he said "My dear I am a genetic freak"! He only played for an audience. That is how amazing of a pianist he was.
Amazing all right! The famous pianist Jan Pederewski once said "If I don't practice for a day, I notice it. If I don't practice for two days the critics notice it and if I don't practice for three days the audience notices it."
@@wayneantoniazzi2706 Think about that level of muscle memory and talent for him to just instantly play without practice. That is a MASTER of his profession.
@@LutherMahoney Absolutely!
pretty awesome. my lil brother is sorta like that. just teaches him self anything. taught himself the drums, and the bass.
Love the firearms content BUT that Liberace line was pure comedy gold.
You beat me to it!
...I think Dr. Felton also said "...House of Crack"...which is even funnier!!!
@@jonclassical5710 thought he said house of crap
'Crap' just like Liberace...... oh and the Nazi Scum.
@@TheRealBatCave sounded like that to me
I've always found it interesting how fond Goering was of his American revolver, and that he carried just a plain Jane unmodified one at that; I would've thought he'd at least have a nickel-plated one, given his propensity for flashiness
Pearl handled would have been his style as well!
They were almost all WW1 veterans and engaged in somewhat turbulent activites afterwards, so practicality would have won out when it came to personal firearms.
I'd have been laughing if it was pearl handled considering what G.S.Pstton is allegedly to have said about that.
He probably never fired his gun anyway he would just have someone else do his dirty work..
@@ssherrierable I'm sure that he lived aware of the possibility that there must be times when he would be on his own.
"If you are wondering what happened to Hitler's PP...." 🤣 Great episode as usual, this one had me giggling a bit as well.
XD
Same here...🤣
I heard it was relatively small
FEGELEIN!
@@benthecartoonist3518 and it only had one ball
My dad brought back a beautiful Walther PP with "Julius Streicher" engraved on it. I thought for years that he had captured Julius Streicher's personal pistol. I have since discovered that it is a presentation pistol from the 30's that Streicher gave out as an award at shooting competitions. There are dozens or more of these pistols out there, It's still a great piece of history that I treasure.
When I was a kid we lived across the road from a WW2 vet. One one the firearms he brought home was a Luger date stamped 1935. In my opinion the Luger is one of the most beautiful handguns ever made.
An uncle of mine also had Luger when he was young. He could get 9 mm ammo from the Dutch Air Force. But his Luger malfunctioned more and more. It turned out that the ammo was fitted with more powerful dose of powder, designed for the Uzi sub machine gun. That nearly broke the knee joint of his Luger.
Nothing falls to hand like a Luger, It's like pointing your finger...
Agreed wholeheartedly
I fired one last week.
The Luger was a well made and accurate pistol, but not really suited to general military issue. The Luger was susceptible to malfunctions caused by dirt, and from 'limp-wristing' the pistol. The pistol was notoriously difficult to manufacture, and the cost to produce it were high. Interestingly the P-08 remained in production throughout WWII as 'substitute standard' since German industry was not able to meet demand for side arms. Even with both the P-08 and P38 in production Germany was forced to acquire sidearms of non-German manufacture. Large numbers of Polish Radom and Belgian Browning Hi-Powers were used by Nazi Germany.
Too bad mark can’t “Pack Heat” in the UK. He seems like he’d be a Webly Revolver kind of guy.
UK is dumb that way.
🤣 back in the day when we were still allowed handguns in UK, a gentleman who was a member of our shooting club brought along his WW1 Webley revolver.
Everyone wanted a turn at firing it but even the European champion couldn't get it to shoot straight! The owner told us this was about right and although its age and wear were undoubtedly a factor, we disrespectfully renamed it the wibbley, wobbley Webley. So they have remained since🤣
@@Anmeteor9663 I always thought I really want to own and shoot Webley revolvers but, with one exception, never came across any that really impressed me for ease of fast and accurate shooting. The one exception was my mate's Webley No. 5 Army Express, an 1878 design.
So, until the shutters came down, I mostly owned S&W revolvers. These were (mostly) respectable target guns, but my 2.5" Model 66 would have make an OK EDC, if we had ever been allowed that.
Yeh, a Webley revolver would be state-of-the-art for Britain today…
He’s already been arrested for talking about guns!!! Remember they don’t have a 1st amendment either!!!
Long time Axis pistol collector....I can say that the majority of high ranking Germans did carry pistols and they generally carried a 7,65mm or a 6,35 mm...both as a means of self defense but also as a symbol of authority.....the 6,35mm was a very popular concealed handgun and the Germans had a plethora of different models to choose from....and yes, the Walther Model 8 was very popular.
I think the expectation was that an officer used it on himself rather than face capture or compromise.
@@mwoods59 In Europe the 6.35 was considered adequate for self-defense back then, and the 7.65 considered powerful. They were a symbol of authority mostly; high-ranking officers were expected to be smart enough to not put themselves in a situation where they would need to use their sidearm.
😅
I remember reading an article or book and the German writer worked in the arms room perhaps for a headquarters unit and was always being approached by higher ranks who wanted smaller pistols such as the PPK in 32, or even the 25 caliber pistols. I carried a PPK/S in .380 in a ankle holster as my backup years ago when my department issued 6 shot 38’s for our service pistol. I also have a police marked PPK in .32 with german eagle and C on left side of the frame. The PPK pistols were advanced for their time.
My Dad fought in WW2, in Europe. He told me about "Liberated" items. For example, he liberated a Mercedes Benz staff car, and one night a German stole an Army truck. As he said, "Different name, same result."
Yeah I remember when I 'liberated' that candy bar from 7 eleven
One man's freedom fighter, another man's candy shoplifter.
I remember when a camp guard inspected a truck thoroughly from top to bottom. Because the smuggling of contraband was rampant on the army base.
The guard found nothing suspicious, so he waved the driver on.
Later he found out that the driver was stealing the truck.
@@reynaldoflores4522 That's funny!!
That dig at Goering's awful fashion 'sense' had me howling lmao.
Yes it was outstanding.
Goering was more daring when it came to fashion, he was a risk taker not like all those other sheep and copy cats
@@kek7320 no, the correct writing is Göring. The 'ö' can be substituted for 'oe', if the "machine" doesn't support the special character (same as ä for ae, ü for ue). I assume it's from the olden days of early type writers and/or maybe telegrams, not sure. Therefore Goering is also correct. Goring would be wrong.
@@kek7320 I'm afraid you're incorrect.
@@kek7320 spot the american
Mark, thanks for doing this video. It sheds some light on something that has intrigued me for several years. I am a retired New York City Police Officer. A few years ago a friend from Germany came to visit us in New York. While here she expressed an interest in visiting the Military Academy at West Point. While touring the museum I spotted Goering's revolver. I was admittedly, quite surprised by Goering's choice in sidearms. I explained to my friend that Goering's revolver was essentially the same gun that I was issued as a rookie cop in 1983. The only difference that I could see was the barrel. The S&W Model 10 (.38 caliber) that I was issued had a thicker or bull barrel. I surmised that with the worldwide popularity of American gangster, cop and cowboy movies; Goering may have thought that carrying an American revolver gave him a certain panache. It didn't help.
I had a friend who was in the bag up there, he was at One P.P. We walked around the city until he was off duty, went to The Iron Works & got a few t-shirts. We’re on the job in a different state so they let us buy some, then he took us in the small store inside One P.P. Was a great experience in the city, met a few guys that was on the job & they treated us well!
The Reichsmarschall likely chose the S&W revolver for it's power, accuracy, compact size/style over complicated European revolvers, and its straight-up dependability. He was a pilot in WWI, a hunter, shooter, and collector - he knew guns.
Vintage S&W pistols are well known for their quality. No doubt Goering was aware of this.
goering was cooler than any flatfoot from nypd.
@@notlisted-cl5lsGoering was a war criminal and a above all else a convicted Nazi who died a cowardly death. Make of that what you will but he was just that and nothing more.
At the end note that when you said the magazine was dated 1935. Luger magazines were not dated, rather that would be the serial number to the gun it was fitted to.
“Straight out of the Liberace house of crap” Nice one Mark! I like it and it flies over the head of most youngsters too. 😂😂😂
My grandmother insisted Liberace was straight 🙄
Depends on your definition of youngsters, I think most people under 30 will have watched Friends at some point
@@atomicshadowman9143 Everyone's grandmother did.
I am anxiously waiting for the chance to use that phrase ☺
Looks like WonkyTonkBotty needs this fodder for the Lardass Goering videos.
Mark, what you do you do at the very highest levels of the craft. There isn’t another channel on YT that CONSISTENTLY puts out quality content like this channel does. Well done.
Once again, The Doctor bringing us impeccable narration and content.
“Carry that heat!” Best part
Lol if he had said "Did Hitler and other top Nazi leaders stay strapped?" I would've died laughing
Liberace House of Crap is pretty good too lol
When Dr Felton referred to von Ribbentrop's Luger, and added, "This weapon was captured by a US officer concealed in some of his personal baggage..." Did anyone else just for an instant wonder how a US officer managed to conceal himself in von Ribbentrop's personal baggage?
OK, I'll get my coat.
That's a very good question about how a US Officer could have concealed themselves in Von Ribbentrop's personal baggage.
On the other hand, an entire US Army platoon could have concealed to themselves in Göring's personal baggage.
get your coat for sure you know where the door is
A platoon in his baggage, an entire corps in his belly😂😂
Apparently it was a "hold my luger" moment.
Dr. Felton, on the subject of Hermann Göring lavish Walter pistol. I recently was an intern to Military Museum in Fort Worth and I got to meet with a collector, who became part of the museum board member, who had Göring lavish pistol on display back in his own military museum. However, that pistol was stolen from him but manage to track down the last known location of that pistol
"It was holding a PP"
I'm too old to have laughed so hard at that line.
I own a Walther P-38 my grandpa took off a dead German in France. It is scary accurate and molds to your hand like it was born there. Really great 9mm.
I'm jealous
I have two P-38s: a 1941, Mauser-made as per the BYF code, all matching, Waffenmacht and Nazi proof marks consistent gun. I shoot it occasionally but not often for obvious reasons.
The other is another Mauser-made gun but made in 1943, barrel, slide, locking block all different serial numbers, so not much collector value but works perfectly as a shooter. My nightstand gun
Riiiight
War loot eh?
Just don’t run +p ammo out of it ! I would stick to 115 or 124gr ball ammo to prevent too much pressure damaging the gun !
Anyone that carries should practice with both hands. If you only ever practice using a 2-handed grip, you won't be prepared if you have to shoot 1-handed or with your off hand. Practicing for different scenarios is essential.
My son has the Mantis practice system. It was weird we tried one handed during the last round and we both were more accurate according to the Mantis
5:57 even the guy who disarmed Goering looked surprised he had a S&W.
I carried a Walther PPK as personal protection weapon ( Ulster Defence Regiment , standard issue, early 80s) amazing to learn Hitler committed suicide with the same pistol ! Reliable, and easy to conceal. Great work Mark , keep the videos coming.
I've read in the past that the PPK in .22lr caliber was often issued for off duty protection there, was yours one of those?
@@chuckhaggard1584 That is my understanding too.
I visited Northern Ireland twice. Didn't care for the place. Glad citizens of the Republic Ireland gave up any claim to the place decades ago.
That said, I met some very decent Unionists/Loyalists during both visits. 😊
Alledgedly*
The Germans always have nice aesthetics for everything, and it's no different when it comes to firearms. The Walthers and P08 are so nice to look at. Always wanted a PPk.
It is an iconic piece but is actually not that pleasant to shoot! The DA trigger is terribly long. Although the PP /PPK were revolutionary for the time, their time has passed. All that said, I want one too! Certainly something to be said about a pistil that has been in production for almost 100 years.
Bought my PPK after watching the James Bond movies. Not really that fun to shoot, modern guns (like Glocks and Hellcats) are so much better. Astoundingly, a relative whose father served in WW2 in Germany GAVE me a Luger he did not want! It is pristine, perhaps unfired, and was surrenedered too my uncle at the Battle of the Bulge. Has wonderful balance, but I cannot shoot it, of course. Someday it may reside in a museum.
@@twalk6164 Have you tried the Walther PPQ or PDP line of handguns? I'll likely start a battle of my own here, but I don't think I'll ever go back to Glock after having owned/shot the Walther line of striker fired weapons. The only thing that I've found to be superior with the Glock is the upgradeable parts availability and customization.
@@99somervilleyep, that DA pull is long. The only complaint I would have about my PPK is that it's too small. Good thing it's only a .380. It's pretty accurate and quit malfunctioning after I replaced the magazine.
the p08 is actually austrian but i guess thats the same thing
I guess Goering and I have two things in common now, we’re both train nuts who like revolvers…
Not sure how I feel about this lmao.
Honestly a vid on Goering’s trainset would be cool, dude had a super elaborate setup that had like 6 or so main tracks, and I genuinely wonder if any of his stuff survives in modern collections.
It would be interesting Felton did one on the event where G drove the working Replica of that 1830s steam locomotive.
talk about playing trains with the real thing
I like old west revolvers myself. I still regret selling my reproduction Colt Navy back during Covid along with my SKS.
@@slickslyke1870 don't worry depending on the state you live in they'll be illegal soon enough. At least I moved during covid to get away from their dumbassery.
@@slickslyke1870 daaamn... I got myself a s&w 638 and Ive become engrossed in revolvers.
Id say try to get another one if funds can allow. You can get away with a couple semi-autos but one good big iron is all you need
As they say, "a broken clock is right twice a day" - trains and revolvers are incredible feats of engineering and a fascination with them would lend me the impression that you have wonderful taste, good sir.
Best Mark Felton intro ever
I have a early production Walther PP/K that my grandfather gave to me when I was 12. Has Nazi insignias on it with the Imperial Eagle as well. It was apparently taken off an officer that was a POW and made it's way back here. Not sure what it's current value is but it's in great condition. Sadly the leather holster it came with is long gone.
if it is in great condition it can be a really valuable item to store in closed place far from anyone until you’ll think it’s time to give that masterpiece a new owner. It can be priceless in the future from my knowledge if insignias and all the markings are untouched
In today's market, depending on condition and if it's a special issue or not e.g. police issued, it's worth between $1500 and $2,500.
@@maximusextreme3725 I just looked em up and you're knowledgeable about thks stuff and im jealous 😂
You're a little on the low side but probably pretty accurate actually if you're a knowledgeable buyer snd even know where tk find such things outside mainstream auctions.
Seems like about 3500 is what most people *want* but the only ones I could immediately find sales records of were the special issue. Party leader issues for around 15k all the way to 25k
Kind of shocked me, as those to me seem like, personally, the least coveted. I do think it's still cool, as I'm sure some Japanese person would find a US WWII pistol cool, but for tens of thousands of dollars I'd want something held by an officer with proven combat use or something, I don't know.
The party leader issued ones are ceremonial, and I'm not sure if it's bakelite or what but it looked like the decorative stuff was on that plastic handle scale.
I want something with the proof mark stamped in the metal, and 1/10 the price. Combat use makes for an even more interesting aspect, but regardless I like the idea of owning a weapon that some "everyman" (even if he WAS an officer) owned and carried. Not some fancy gift like Mark discussed when it came to the hype around these stupid "owned by Hitler" guns that he fake smiled with, took a picture, then threw in a box into the closet. Rich/famous people owned a lot of stuff, it's completely irrelevant if that object wasn't cherished at all. 99% of those gift guns were honestly probably forgotten about within weeks to months after receiving
I have a Walther PP from that era. It has a very small Nazi acceptance mark on it. It is an early 1930's copy that, for some reason; appears not to have seen combat. Got it in the mid-80's. Shoots extremely well.
The quality of humour in these videos is catching up to the high quality of research 😂
I know I'm severely late to the conversation, but I found these pistols and their connection to their owners, very interesting even to a psychological degree. All of these pistols and more importantly how they were used and who they were used by seem to indicate differing psychologies of each owner in a very unique way.
Hitler, the leader of his people, often carried a weapon but I rarely seen any photographs of him ever actually holding one, and the models of guns when he carried them, were often standard issue or fairly common pistols in the German military and officers. Despite his magnificent want of artistic credibility and architectural grandeur, he seemed to be a very practical man when it came to his firearms, and rather than using anything with sentimental value, he opted for the most practical option.
Goring, despite owning hundreds of firearms and being extremely well known for his flamboyant Liberace-esque clothing, opted to use a weapon that would, in contrast, seem very utilitarian if not downright uncharacteristic. Based off of the condition, he seemed to treasure this revolver and almost looked annoyed at the fact he had to surrender it, which would indicate some sentimental attachment. A revolver would also be befitting of a WW1 fighter plane ace as earlier on in that conflict most pilots would've carried revolvers rather than auto loaders in fear of the hot spent casing starting a fire in the linen and fabric monocoque planes. Furthermore, despite outwardly appearances, this revolver would also seem to indicate that Goring was very utilitarian in his firearm choices as he would opt for something that would work properly, rather than be a show-off piece.
Himmler is hilarious to me frankly speaking. As a man he seemed to very self conscious at the fact that he wasn't able to participate on the Western front and this anxiety was fueled even more so by the fact that he didn't have anything to show for it while his brother came back with a knights cross. When the SS was formed, he was immensely focused on appearances almost to a fetishistic degree and sought for the best uniforms, and maintained strict height and eugenic genetic requirements for the unit (all of which, I doubt he personally qualified for). He was an anxiety addled creep who always wanted to play soldier, and once he got the chance to do so, he became a showman. He practiced shooting with both hands (a common officers practice) and he always had photos of himself taken. This behavior evokes something a despot dictator would do -- have footage, of himself doing cool military things in order to garner a sense of martial military masculinity that he felt he lacked.
Goebbels is also fascinating, as the head of the propaganda department, his weapon of choice was in fact: Propaganda. Propagandists always work from the shadows, creating media for people to consume and it was arguably the most effective thing that have affected the way people viewed Nazism back then and even today as well. Goebbels was not a military man, and he was even rejected by the military for WW1 because of his physical deformity. As such, when he rose to power, his propaganda being his main weapon of choice, it is easy to say that he didn't really care for weapons or feel a need to upkeep a sense of military tradition to carry a sidepiece with him. I wonder if his first ever physical kill of a human with a pistol or weapon was in fact his wife.
Skipping Speer, Ribbentrop is also interesting -- A proud Prussian from a military family, he served on both the Eastern Front and Western front of WW1 where he earned a knights cross. It is safe to say that military tradition was very important to him and he carried a weapon that was symbolic of Germany's military of WW1 as a personal sidearm. As a veteran of that conflict, I suppose it meant a lot to him personally to carry that pistol which would've seen him through both wars. A military man that Himmler would've probably been jealous of.
Psychologically speaking, I find these pistols to be a very interesting character study and I hope my weird short, and hastily made analysis would be of some fun insight.
Never thought I'd hear Dr. Felton say, "pimped out". Love it!
Love how Mark can find WW2 history which no other person can which shows things about WW2 which no one would think about.
my brother has an original walther p38 from 1942, still has its original markings on it, fires like it came off the factory floor yesterday. my dad also picked up an old ppk when he was working in the Congo, but we never test fired it because it wasnt in great condition.
I have a P-38, same markings. Best pistol I own hands down.
I used to own an shoot an ex-WW2 P38, until I had to retire it after the slide cracked. I've also shot ex-British WW2 service versions of the S&W .38 revolver and I'd definitely choose the latter over the P38 any day.
@@derekp2674 More reliable than old pistols i think. Had Italian pistols really pissing me off due breakdowns.
@@derekp2674 That is exactly what happened to my old man's P38 except it cracked a bit more catestrpohically. He'd just sold it too.
It’s not a pistol, but I have a 1908 Mauser rifle made for Brazil by DWM (same company that made Ribbentrop’s pistol). Amazing rifle. Still incredibly beautiful and accurate, well over 100 years after being made.
Another very interesting and researched video. I once saw one of the golden presentation pistols at the Great Western Show in Pomona, California. It was accompanied by a typed sheet with letterhead. It was from a German manufacturer stating the serial number matched a pistol presented to Himmler on his visit to the factory. I cannot recall the type or manufacturer. But it was an interesting piece of war booty history!
I used to go the the gun shows in Pomona, California. It seems their was a pistol from all top Nazis for sale there. One guy even claimed he had Rudolf Hess leather jump suite.
I carry a Walther PPKS chambered in .380 as my EDC, and I have to say what a gun. Small, comfortable, and effective at close range you couldnt ask for more. Reliable too, as long as you dont go with super cheap ammo. Very easy to clean too, but I must say its an interesting break down.
I currently own a 9x19mm Walther PDP Compact. I bought the gun in 2021. It's light & easy to field strip, clean. 15+1 cap.
@Phil Leotardo no, not really. Honestly dont mind it at all. Always gonna have bad people in the world, just in your country they probably beat people to death with hard stuff like rocks, in my country its guns, in other countries its knives or swords. Plus no one says i HAVE to carry. But im very happy of the fact that i CAN carry. Not to mention shooting sports is probably my favorite hobby... idk if u actually live in a country where guns are banned or if its just like switzerland or something but i like to shoot
This video is a riot! Really enjoyed the commentary style!
My bosses brother was a ww2 vet and brought home items from the war including a luger p08 , us kids all got to shoot it for target practice, quite loud and a recoil but deadly accurate
"Who's sense of fashion was right out of Liberace's house of crap" 😂 Dr. Felton i almost choked on my 3 shots of Café Cubano.
6:32 Off-hand shooting, as it is called, was a common practice then and is a common practice now for any soldier worth their salt. This is done in case the soldier is wounded in their dominant hand/arm/shoulder/body so they can still return fire and defend themselves.
Absolutely fascinating, Dr Felton. Thank you.
Those were some very practical choices for personal carrys for the most part. Thank you again.
I've seen the S&W Ladybird claimed to be owned by Hitler and spoke to the owners. From what I recall, the story goes that Hitler recovered it on the Western Front in WWI from a dead French officer. This information was extrapolated from tracing the serial number of the pistol and finding export and import documents from S&W and France. The pistol was not for sale, though the owner was selling books he had written about it.
I laughed out loud when you said Goering’s favorite was a S&W 38 special, as I have one mounted on my night stand right next to me. My dad who was a WWII vet from the Pacific Campaign, some how wound up a 7mm Mauser rifle, which is now mine. Liberace, wow.
I used to everyday carry a luger that was my grandpa's. Great guns. Now have a 1911 much of the time. Love the 45 ACP.
Did you ever see C&Rsenal's video on the Luger 1907? In that year Luger submitted this model in .45 ACP to the US Army's pistol trials - the same trials that saw the adoption of the 1911. Forgotten Weapons has done video on this also.
I think the hand gun was more the modern replacement for a officer sabre than self defence purpose.
Your pretty close to the mark. Depending on his duties in the German (or other armies) in many cases an officer's pistol is as much a badge of office as it is a weapon, hence the common use of Walther PP's and PPK's. Combat officers though you can believe were carrying 9mm's.
Yes, that line was certainly true. It was also said that the smaller the caliber, the more high ranking the officer. The cool thing about pistols is that they certainly do carry a status symbol, but yes, they can be used as a last means of personal defense if absolutely necessary.
can’t believe I discovered in only 2 minutes of video time that “packing heat” and “pimped out” are phrases Dr. Felton uses
How you keep coming up with fresh yet interesting content so regularly is amazing. I have a request. Could you please do a video on the Hungarian Arrow Cross party? My background is Hungarian and i'd be fascinated to hear your take on them!
"That's a Smith and Wesson 38 mister, and you've had your six." James Bond
imagine being the guy disarming goering, looking for a nice war trophy like a luger or something more valuable and getting a 38 special instead
i would be even more surprised seeing goering with a smith and wesson made revolver
The S&W Military & Police that Göring carried was a classy handgun. Its modern Model 10 offspring is still classy today. It is interesting that he chose to carry an American revolver.
Another great video I always learn more watching your videos Mark please keep making the videos 👍
Excellent content Mark, thanks yet again for bringing your wealth of knowledge to us
Got two PP's, a pre-war PPK, an Interarms stainless PPK .380, and a newer PPS 🙂
Interesting subject, I collect Japanese ww2 officer swords (gunto) and many of those officers had more than one sword, with different decorations, especially higher up officials/generals / admirals. I assume the case would be similar here with high ranking Nazi officials with their side arms. Many different side arms for each individual. I know you have done videos on Imperial Japan before, but maybe a video focusing on the Gunto and the use of it would be interesting. Keep up the great work! I appreciate the videos!
Weren't some Japanese swords family heirlooms? That would explain the different levels of ornamentation, especially amongst higher ranking officers.
@@jamesyeh364 Some were others are not. it is hard to figure out what are heirlooms and what are not since sword production later on in the war was devastated by allied bombing. There was a call for families to donate swords to the Army so that they could be used as Gunto.
The different ornamentation is all up to the individual officer, an officer could customize their gunto however they wanted as long as they had the money!
Yikes, don’t you think (know) those were almost certainly used to chop off heads?I guess no different than bayonet or gun but it’s still a little too personal a weapon for me
@@shermansales9345 like i said before, many blades we may consider "ancestral" maybe from donated blades to the war effort. We have documentation from as early as 1943 calling for swords to be donated to support the war effort. Hundreds of thousands of swords were made during the war period, from traditionally made, to machine made. True ancestral blades that belonged to the individuals family, passed down from generation to generation would be less common than we think. True masterpieces rarely do show up in Gunto mounts.
We have figures from different sword manufacturing shops / smiths that give us an idea on how many swords were being smithed a year, the South manchurian Railway swords are a good example of sword production outside of Japan and how the blades adapted over the years to better suit the conditions of a modern battlefield.
I believe that with the large number of swords being produced at the beginning of the invasion of China and the production kept high until the last few years of the war it is most likely that most swords captured by American forces are from later production whereas most captured from the South Pacific and China would be from earlier production. This maybe why collectors in North America may see more older blades in gunto that would have been donated to prop up sword demand near the end of the war and eventually captured by the Americans.
Hundreds of thousands if not millions of swords were destroyed at the end of the war by the occupying Americans as well. It was not uncommon for significant family heirlooms to be hidden to avoid destruction.
nazi dress knives can be quite grandiose
Based on the pictures of Himmler, it appears he was, in fact, left-eye dominant and right-handed. About 10-20% of shooters (mostly male samples) are right-handed and left-eye dominant. I am right-right, however I do shoot left and right handed regularly, as I was taught by my father and he, his father before him. I was explaining this to an Army buddy of mine who said he shot both left and right handed. When I started a conversation with him about who taught him to do that, he chuckled and held up his right arm, reminding me that half his forearm muscles were blown off in a firefight a few years earlier. Good times, John. The grenade machinegun he was operating at the time did not allow for one-handed operation, so he was out of the fight till he could transition to his M4. Mk47, I think. New at the time, but brutal. Shooting 'smart' grenades.
Always an outstanding video and presentation.
If you could, could you do a video on Mussolini's pistols? He had a small collection and carried a pistol on him and was captured with one
Love your videos Dr Mark Felton
Very cool video and topic! Thank you Sir!
another great and random video by you Mark, thanks!
One video I'd be curious about is a list of all of Herman Goerings uniforms and where they are today
Although It was kind of for protection. I believe most of these were carried by leaders for ceremonial reason, this comes from the tradition of 1800s officers wearing pistols. These generals were mostly sitting in hq all day.
Dr Felton forgot the explanation for Walther PPK: Polizeipistole Kriminal - police pistol for detectives.
By the way - "Luger" is a brand for US market. In German, it's P08 (Pistole 08), or Parabellum.
It looks like Himmler's .22 target pistol was a Webley single shot. I have one. They are well made.
Two things I'm obsessed with: WWII and old guns. Clicked fast as I could
😀
Then you’ll love hearing this. A note on the “Himmler collection”, he carried a Luger at times for ceremonial purposes but most of the time had a pp. He and Heydrich (Gestapo chief and SS assistant director) often tagged along with goring on hunting trips
@@scotthenson7340 wow! That's actually fascinating, thanks for sharing
02:35 - 02:41 "Goering: who's sense of style was straight out of the Liberace House of Crap."
I spit out the mouthful of coffee I was drinking and rolled on the floor laughing for a good 30 seconds. 😂
thanks, great presentation as always!
Great video as usual Mr. Felton. Keep up the good work.
Another quality installment Mr. Felton. Also love the humour interspersed in the commentary. This is my favourite TH-cam channel. My wife knows your theme music well as I watch on the main TV whenever you release a new video.
Mark, love the history and especially love your occasional condescending remarks. That Liberace line had me rolling.
Me too
I wasn’t sure I heard it right and had to replay it.
Mark, your content is so overwhelmingly great! Much love from Canada! 🇨🇦
_"...straight out of the Liberace House of Crap."_
I literally lol'd😂
My Farther ( Private ) said that many Soldiers would mail back "Lugars" to the USA and most of them were confiscated by the people who search you luggage.
My kind of video! Was happy to see the HSC get a cameo here. The Mauser 1914 was a common one. Walther holsters are a bit hard to differentiate what they actually hold as the holster pattern was common and wide spread and will even today are still issued and fit many different handguns.
The war effort was always so hungry for everything- notably trucks, tanks, and handguns, and so many of these from foreign sources were supplied to frontline troops. Spanish Rubys, Astras, Browning Hipowers, and Radom Vis 35s, many of these foreign weapons were held in higher regard by soldiers and the waffenamt markings command a higher premium today though many marks have been faked. Most of these of course would be ill-suited to carrying around all day, as you point out, most leadership figures already having a large cadre of bodyguards around.
The Radom Vis 35, is a resistance story in itself, the factory workers producing one for the occupying forces, meanwhile assembling one with the exact same serial number for the underground.
I recently lost my right to own firearms so I had to sell a number of them however I was able to hand off my Crown Jewels to my father who has assured me that he’ll keep them safe until 11/18/24 when I will have the judgement against me completed. If he passes on before then ( unlikely) his wife will ensure I have my property returned. I’ll have to get an expungement before I can seek to have my permit restored but it’s only close to 3 years. ( he saved my Browning hi power, my Star BM, my Makarov PM and my GI spec 1911 to name a few. These guns are safe and at least I know the good ones are safe)
I was lucky enough to handle a pre-war production Radom Vis 35. The workmanship on that pistol was outstanding, better than any of them produced under German occupation. Fit, finish, and bluing were first-rate, the equal of anything produced by Colt, Smith & Wesson, or the German gunmakers. The Poles (and the Czechs) were a class act when it came to firearms.
@@matthewcaughey8898 funniest part of your entire post is how sure you are about 11/18/24 goodluck!!!!!
Thank you for video!
This is a really interesting video! Very well researched and pieced together!
I am interested in the "strong hand / weak hand" holster positions. Cross draw seems to be a hold over from the "strong hand" reaching to the "weak hand" side to give a sword more room to leave the scabbard as it is drawn. Then as firearms replaced swords, the "uniform" continued to place the firearm where the swords used to be, pistol or revolver butt facing forward. As you showed, some were wearing a pistol butt facing rear (like US uniforms), likely to be more useful to draw from a holster on the "strong hand" side. Many thanks for your scholarship.
Donald Dodson: Hello. Crossdraw holsters are great for those of us with long arms. Much easier to get to and draw that way than kinking/bending your arm unnaturally. I had to carry the M1911a1 in my holster on the right attached to the web belt when I was in the military. Not a "quick" or easy draw that way, but it was "Uniform".
Later in civilian world I put my holster on my left hip tilted/canted to the right. Much better access to the handgun, and quicker to get "on target".
@@gusloader123 Thank you for the comment. I wore an unloaded 1911 one Payday in Vietnam. The XO didn't want to wear it so he he had me wear it as the Payroll NCO. I asked him about the clips. He told me he did not want anyone hurt so he was keeping them. Funny thing is the EM & I were both carrying M-16s with a bandolier of 5.56mm each. We picked up the Company's payroll in MPC Script.
@@donalddodson7365 Well --> That Payroll Officer sounds more like an elementary school playground monitor than a military Officer in a hostile warzone zone. 🙃.
@@gusloader123 I hope it was that he trusted the EM and I with his life. At the time, we were not experiencing any daytime attacks at Camp Radcliff.
excited to watch this new video. great content as always
Excellent video as always. 👍
Really interesting! Thank you for sharing!
At the end of the war my Nazi Opa dug down his service pistol along with a certain book. Years later he dug it up and an showed it to me.
It was then very slightly pitted. It was a 7,65 blow back pistol, exposed hammer bout otherwise mechanically like FN M1903 and dismantled
the same way. It was stamped "M/35". Today, some 40+ years later, I can not remember the make. A captured " trophy" gun?
de SA3BOW
Back when I had a subscription to guns magazine, they featured an article about some guns that were brought home by a GI who had been in the bunker. He arrived well after the Soviets had already been over everything, but he turned his attention to something of interest that no one else had noticed. A crate had been placed at a doorway where there was not a step so that people could step down without too much effort. He decided to examine this crate and found it was addressed to Paula Hitler in the United states. So he broke a hole in the side of the crate and started removing contents. Among those items were three pistols, two of them presentation pieces, one of them a tight commonly issued during World War i. I believe that the World War 1 issue pistol was a Mauser model 1912. One of the two presentation pieces was gilded and engraved in a fashion similar to the one Illustrated in this video. It was presented by one of the big cities, like Nuremberg the other fancy presentation pistol was a Walther pp-- perhaps the same one in the holster that he was carrying in poland. A very, very fancy piece. I do not remember the circumstances about it, but these ones were all donated to West point, if I remember correctly.
So he did value the presentation pieces, however, it appears that he, while not carrying them everyday, did desire that they be kept in his family.
Oh, one more thing. I forgot that another item that was included in the exhibition was a ring in an ivory case which was presented to him by the city of Nuremberg viewed from above it was a swastika, but viewed from the side it looked a lot like the medieval castle on top of a hill. Of course it was encrusted with gemstones, and it was the type of thing that almost no one would wear on a daily basis.... unless he were Herman göring..
As i recall, one of the pistols from that crate/step, was a menz spezial, with some damaskeening
Great video, learned much. 👍
I have been collecting Mauser rifles most of my Adult life: German, Swedish, and Argentine. I started collecting German and Argentine pistols in the early 2,000s. I have WW1 Lugers, a C96 Broomhandle,1920s Mauser Werke Ortgies, Walther Model 8, P-38, and West German PP.
Anything in the Bersa brand?
@@bloodybones63 no
Very informative as usual Dr. Felton, thank you!
My grand-father had a Colt 1908 in 380acp took off a german captain in 1944 in Italy !
The Overall BEST Military historian I’ve ever listened too! Thank you Mark for uncovering these great Jems of history!
Thank you for clarifying that Fatso Goering was known to carry a Smith & Wesson M&P .38 Special revolver.
A while back I commented on another thread that showed him surrendering this revolver to US authorities, an M&P .38.
A know it all responded and said that was all BS. Goering came empty handed to surrender, he would never own an American revolver. The Americans gave him the revolver just before the cameras started to roll, so it looked good for the US Army when they took him into custody.
Wasn't he also under the illusion the Americans would treat him with respect because of his rank, and was shocked to see that he was going to be treated like the criminal gangster he really was?
My grandfather brought back a captured 9mm pistol from the first world war. My father brought back 9mm ammunition from the second world war. When my grandfather died my grandmother gave the weapon to her cousin a police Sargent to prevent my father from having it.
That's stupid. I don't understand why most people here in Europe are against guns. Most US people would never do such a thing. Here in Sweden we originally had no gun law at all, but in 1927 the first gun law mas made. All guns before that were legally bought without a license, and the police knew nothing about them, yet most people accepted to also have their old guns licensed or scrapped. You can hardly find an unlicensed gun from before 1927 today, although a well kept firearm will easily last more than 100 years.
@Shinshocks I think that guy is from the UK, but sure, there are people like that everywhere, especially women who think they're "caring" by removing a weapon from their home.
With regard to Goering's Smith and Wesson; the saying often rendered as "When I hear the word culture, I reach for my revolver" (and wrongly attributed to Goering or Himmler) actually reads "When I hear 'Culture'... I release the safety catch on my Browning!" ("Wenn ich Kultur höre … entsichere ich meinen Browning!"). It's found in the 1933 play "Schlageter" by Hanns Johst, a German poet, and playwright, and Nazi Party member.
True, it's dubious that Goring ever actually uttered the famous phrase, but w/o doubt he shared the sentiment. If ever there was a fellow that epitomized Nazi "kitsch", it was the Reichsmarshal.
My Grandads Export 1913 Luger chambered in LUger 30 is one of the finest pieces of machinery I have ever seen let alone fired. A wonderful gun from beginning to end
Great idea for this video professor
Strapped in style. The Walther is certainly a quirky mechanism design, but is cool, and the Luger just looks great and is as smooth as ice.
Nice build quality and remarkably smooth trigger pull as well for a military sidearm.
I once had the opportunity to shoot this 100+ years old vintage pistol.
The Walther is just straight blowback. No funky mechanism anywhere on that gun.
@@G-Mastah-Fash True, I mean, I guess when referring to the P 38 that it is a strange design the way the slide is attached to the barrel and the shape of designs for its movement.
@@wolfgangwust5883 Absolutely great. Maybe coolest pistol ever, in certain ways. That grip angle, magazine and charging handle are ridiculously badass. Sehr gut gemacht Luger.
@@LiebeNachDland Oh you were talking about the P38 (which is locked breech). When you said Walther I thought you were talking about the PP. Yeah the P38 is kinda weird with it's locking block. Beretta copied that system for their model 92 (or M9 in american service). But I'd say the Luger knee joint is a lot weirder (and cooler).
Dr Felton thank you for all that you do….your voice and storyline is very addicting 🙌
My grandfather was a sheriff from 1948 - 1970. One of his back up guns was a FN model 1922, made during the Nazi occupation of Belgium. He was too old for the war, but several of his younger brothers served, so it may have been a "bring back".
I recently saw a photograph showing US and Japanese soldiers gathered around on the deck of the Japanese Battleship Nagato in Tokyo Bay on August 30, 1945 after it was surrendered. What made that particular photograph interesting is the fact that they were looking at the ships deck plans. The deck plans had a one of a kind status, as all of the other battleships in the Japanese Navy had been sunk taking their offical deck plans to the bottom with their crews. Nagato was the only battleship still afloat and to retain her deck plans.