A Commercial Sauer and Sohn Model H

[Donp236]

This is a commercial made model H by Sauer and Sohn in August of 1944. This is not an eagle 37 (military) or a police issue gun. Jim Cate, who wrote the book on the Sauer pistols, told me the this variation was never issued to anyone but was available for purchase by anyone authorized under the NASDP regulations and had the paper work to prove it.  Like Doctors, SS and Police and military high ranking officers.  The are no other stamps on the other than the caliber, serial number and the Eagle/N nitro proof.

The left side


the Right side

[running-man]

That's quite the nice one Don!!
Are these pretty hard to come by?  Sounds like there's probably not too many of them out there these days.

[carls sks]

neat, thanks for sharing. 

[Phosphorus32]

A beauty as usual   

It's interesting that these were made available for the elite of Das Reich, and still being manufactured for these private sales with just 9 months remaining in the war. Any story available on this one? No import marks, so I'm guessing it was brought back post-WWII, or were some of these imported before the GCA of 1968?

[Donp236]

This gun was a GI bring back from WII so no import stamps. You are correct that this is a rarer variation. The only pistols from WII that get import stamps are the WII P.38's captured by the Russians.  These were released from Ukraine in  Eastern Europe in the 1990's and handled by FEG for import to the US. Also the post war P.38/P-1's the were imported post 1968 have import stamps.

As far as Sauer and Sohn in Suhl Germany goes post war the US 11th armored division occupied Suhl for about 6 months then the area was in the Russian sector post war. The Russians converted the Sauer plant to make the Fortuna typewriter so after WII the pistols we have are all there is. No more Sauer pistols are made at the Waffenstadt Suhl.  You have also have to realize the only 10% of the pistol prodution was in Western Europe the other 90% went east and are lost forever.

The picture below is from an import by FEG of P.38's their original crate. Originally taken by the Russian's from the Walther Plant post WII and taken to the Ukraine. In the early 1990's the Ukraine government in need of cash sold off stocks WII captured weapon's. including the crate pictured.

http://p38forum.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=5&pictureid=150

[carls sks]

good stuff Don, thanks for sharing.