By John MarshallThe Walther P.38 pistol was a milestone and
a true classic in that it was the first trigger-cock-ing semiautomatic pistol to be adapted by thearmed forces of a major country. This wasGermany, in 1938.
Its history is quite interesting. In the late1920s, the German gunmaking firm of CarlWalther Waffenfabrik, under the direction of FritzWalther, had designed a unique sidearm, the PP,or Polizei Pistole. It was the first of Walther’s dou-ble-action-on-first-shot pis-tols. The concept was thatthe pistol could be car-ried safely with thehammer down, yetthe first shot couldbe launched instantlywith a long pull onthe double-actiontrigger.
Succeeding shots would be triggered single-action, as the pistol then cocked itself followingthe first shot. It was a novel concept that alsoallowed repeated tries on an imperfect primer indouble-action mode. In the event of a misfire,you had a good chance to fire the gun simply bypulling the trigger again. The PP was soon fol-lowed by the PPK, or Polizei Pistole Kriminal, amore compact version designed for concealedcarry by plain-clothes policemen. Both modelswere offered in .32 ACP, .380 ACP, and .22Long Rifle. The .32 and .380 versions alsooffered a loaded chamber indicator, a pin whichprotruded from the rear of the slide when therewas a round in the chamber. It could easily beseen, or felt in the dark.
Right after Hitler came to power in Germanyand began ramping up the armed forces there, asearch began for a military pistol to replace theP.08 (Luger) pistol. Although the P.08 had givengood service, its many machined parts wereexpensive to make, and reliability was often anissue when the gun was subjected to dirt in com-bat. Its closely-fitted parts were not tolerant of for-eign material in the gun.
Walther and other arms companies (whichincluded J.P. Sauer & Sohn and Mauser) wereinvited to compete by submitting designs for anew German service pistol. Walther’s first submis-sion was the MP, or Militarisches Pistole. It wassoon improved upon; the newer pistol was calledthe AP, or Armee Pistole. It closely resembled thelater P.38, but featured a hammer fully enclosedby the slide. Both pistols had double-action triggersystems similar to those used on the PP and PPK.A unique falling-block system was used to lock thebreech against the power of the 9mm Parabellumcartridge which was specified. Upon firing, the
barrel assembly and the slide were locked togetherby the locking block in the rear of the barrelassembly. Barrel and slide moved to the reartogether. After the bullet had left the barrel, asmall, short sliding shaft in the rear of the barrelassembly then struck the frame. That moving shaftcammed the barrel’s locking block down fromtwin recesses in the slide. This freed the slide fromthe barrel, allowing it to continue under momen-tum to the rear, extracting and ejecting the firedcase. Twin recoil springs in the frame then movedthe slide forward to chamber another round fromthe magazine. When the last round was fired, a
ledge in themagazine’sfollowermoved theslide releaselever upward, lock-ing the slide to the rear. Itwas a simple, effective, anddirt-tolerant system.
The AP pistol was the clearwinner in the German service trials,but the military wanted an exposed-hammer model. Walther responded
with the HP, or Heeres Pistole (army pistol). Asidefrom some minor differences in the safety system,it was a dead ringer for the eventually adopteddesign. The slightly-modifed HP was adopted asthe Pistole 1938, or P.38. Phonetically, inGerman, it was pronounced “pay-oct-oond-drysig.” The single-stack magazine held eightrounds of 9mm Parabellum ammunition.
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New Blue Press Section 2 8/15/08 10:21 AM Page 40
