The Pistole
Parabellum P08, commonly the
Luger, was the main sidearm used by the German
Wehrmacht during
World War II and the army of the Kaiser during
World War I.
The pistol was adopted by the German
Wehrmacht in 1908, and saw considerable action throughout WWI.
The original design dates back to a design by Hugo Borchart in 1893, and in 1900, George
Luger helped Borchart refine the gun which now bears his
name.
In 1901, Deutche Waffen und Munitionsfabrik (DWM) gave it's official name - "Parabellum" - and soon upscaled the caliber from the original 7.65mm to
9mm.
The
Treaty of Versailles in 1919, forced Germany to stop the production of the
Luger. Not until 1923 would the assembly plants start outputting the weapon, issued as the principal sidearm of
Wehrmacht officers, weapon crews, messengers, signalers and
non-commisioned officers.
The P08 was a popular weapon, and offered superb accuracy and extreme resilience. But a complex trigger mechanism and poor sights, combined with the relative expensive gun would force the P08 to be superseded by the
P38 in 1938.
Specs:
Caliber:
9mm parabellum.
Clip: 8 rounds.
Action: Single action automatic.
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