Original Item. Only One Available. This is an excellent, lightly used original German WWII black leather softshell holster manufactured for the standard issue Walther P.38 pistol. It is clearly marked with the bml manufacturer code, a 1944 date, the correct WaA23 Waffenamt inspection stamp, and a faint P38 designation on the upper right rear. The well retained black finish, supple leather, and limited service wear distinguish it from the many surviving examples that have become heavily worn, cracked, or misshapen.

The maker and date marking is stamped between the two belt loops, bml 44. The bml code identifies Hans Römer of Neu-Ulm (Donau), Germany, a wartime manufacturer of leather holsters and other military accoutrements. The 44 indicates manufacture in 1944.

The holster remains in very good, lightly used condition and does not appear to have experienced extensive service during or after the war. The interior shows basic contact and storage marks from having held a pistol, together with a natural patina from age.

The exterior exhibits light wear but retains its black finish very well. There are no major finish losses or areas of cracking. Some crazing is present where the leather bends, but the material remains supple rather than dried or rigid.

The softshell P.38 holster represented a simplified late-war alternative to the earlier close fitting hardshell pattern. Its partially open profile required less leather and labor to manufacture while continuing to provide secure carriage for the pistol and its spare magazine.

The Walther Pistole 38 was introduced before WWII as the intended replacement for the P.08 Luger. Chambered for the 9×19mm Parabellum cartridge, the P.38 incorporated a double action trigger system, a locked breech mechanism, and a design better suited to large scale military production than the intricately machined toggle action P.08. Although the P.08 remained in wartime service, the P.38 became one of the principal German military sidearms of the period.

The clearly legible bml / 44 maker and date marking, corresponding WaA23 inspection stamp, faint but surviving P38 designation, and supple leather provide a well documented example of late-war Hans Römer production. It would be appropriate for a collection focused on Walther P.38 pistols, German WWII sidearm equipment, or coded wartime manufacturers.

There is a clear P38 stamping on the upper right rear, which is definitely a rarity on these holsters. Pebble grain leather is much harder to stamp than smooth leather, so often the larger stampings do not take as well.

The holster shows little to no signs of use, with just a bit of staining on the interior where a pistol was once stored. There is also a bit of wear around the eyelet on the flap retaining strap. Otherwise, the exterior finish is completely retained, and the leather is still nice and supple, just how we like to see them.

A perfect addition to any WW2 Walther P.38 pistol in need of an excellent condition original holster.

The Walther Pistole 38 (P.38) pistol was first introduced in 1938 as a replacement for the P.08. The P.38 was a more cost-efficient and more reliable in war conditions such as mud and rain. The P.08 was a typical prewar German gun, over engineered to perfection, with a sensitive toggle breech system that would malfunction when dirt was involved. The P.38 was a workhorse that did just what it was meant to do. It could handle most harsh battlefield conditions and as such the closed hardshell holster was discontinued later in the war and replaced for a partially open softshell holster. During the War close around 900,000 were produced, so the holsters were also produced in large quantities.