The Walther P38 is a semi-automatic pistol used by the Wehrmacht forces during WWII. The P38 was intended to replace the Luger P08. Luger P08 production was meant to stop in 1942, by which stage the P38 would be the standard issue German sidearm.
Development
The P38 concept was accepted by the German military in 1938. However, the prototype pistols were not manufactured until late 1939. Walther made three series of test pistols. These pistols can be identified by the '0' prefix on their serial numbers.
As the war went on, the quality finish of the Walther P38 degraded - older P38s had a better finish. However, the mechanics of the pistols remained well made, in particular the Mauser-built models.
Variants
The Bundeswehr (German federal police) adopted a modified version of the P38, known as the P1 in 1957. The P1 remained in use until the 1990s. There was also a model of P1 with a shorter barrel, known as the P4.
The P38 was improved on in the 1970s and released under the name of the Walther P5.
Countries of Use
Below is a list of all the countries that have used the Walther P38 or a variant of it:
- Austria
- Bulgaria
- Chile
- France
- Germany
- Japan
- Macedonia
- Nazi Germany
- Norway
- Portugal
- West Germany
Trivia
This is the gun that Megatron transforms into in the Generation 1 animated series.
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