Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

WALTHER P-38

Date Range From

1940

Date Range To

1950

Materials

STEEL, BAKELITE, LEATHER

No. Pieces

3

Description

1. PISTOL: 9MM. P-38 WALTHER SEMI-AUTOMATIC PISTOL. PISTOL IS LUGGER STYLE WITH EXTENDED BARREL AND SQUARE RECEIVER SLIDE. SLIDE HAS RECTANGULAR OPENING FOR CARTRIDGE EJECTION. MUZZLE OF BARREL HAS SIGHT POST STAKED TO TOP AND AT BACK OF RECEIVER SLIDE IS OPEN V-SIGHT IN FRONT OF HAMMER. ON BACK LEFT SIDE OF SLIDE IS SAFETY SWITCH. ON BOTH SIDES OF BACK OF SLIDE IS RIDGED AREA FOR GRIP. HAMMER AND SAFETY SWITCH ALSO HAVE FLUTED RIDGES. HANDLE OF BUTT IS MADE UP OF TWO PIECES OF BROWN SPECKLED BAKELITE. HANDLE HAS HORIZONTAL FLUTED GROOVES. STAMPED INTO LEFT SIDE OF RECEIVER SLIDE IS "P.38" WITH "BYF 43" AND "216" BESIDE A STYLIZED "F". JUST BELOW SLIDE RAILS ABOVE TRIGGER IS "216" WITH STYLIZED "F". TO ITS RIGHT IS STAMPED "135" BENEATH EAGLE STANDARD WITH SWASTIKA. ON RIGHT SIDE OF SLIDE IS "135" OVER EAGLE STANDARD STAMPED TWICE. BETWEEN THEM IS A SLIGHTLY LARGER STAMP OF EAGLE STANDARD OVER A SWASTIKA. METAL ON PISTOL IS HEAVILY OXIDIZED. 2. MAGAZINE: 12.5CM X 4.2CM X 1.7CM STEEL CLIP WITH SPRING LOADED FEEDER. MAGAZINE HAS WIDENED BASE WITH ONE ROUNDED END. ALSO HAS 7 HOLES ON EACH SIDE RUNNING VERTICALLY. METAL IS OXIDIZED AND HAS SLIGHT AMOUNT OF CORROSION, ESPECIALLY AROUND BASE. 3. MAGAZINE: IDENTICAL TO (2.) 4. HOLSTER: 25CM X 20CM X6.5CM LEATHER HOLSTER. WIDE AT TOP WHICH NARROWS TO BOTTOM WHERE BARREL FITS. CONSISTS OF THREE PIECES - A FLAT BACK, A MOLDED FRONT AND A MOLDED FLAP SEWN TO BACK. TOP LEFT OF FRONT PIECE HAS RECTANGULAR AREA CUT AWAY FOR EASY ACCESS TO PISTOL. SEWN TO RIGHT SIDE OF FRONT IS NARROW POCKET FOR EXTRA MAGAZINE. INSIDE IS NARROW STRIP OF LEATHER SEWN TO BACK AND INSIDE HOLSTER TO PREVENT PISTOL FROM SLIDING TOO DEEP. RIVETED TO OUTER FLAP AND ON FRONT ARE TWO OVAL STEEL PLATES. THE PLATE ON FRONT HAS STEEL LOOP MOUNTED ON IT. PLATE ON FLAP HAS MIDDLE AREA CUT AWAY TO FIT OVER LOOP ON FRONT. SEWN TO COVER FLAP IS LEATHER STRAP WHICH FITS THROUGH LOOP TO CLOSE HOLSTER. STAMPED INTO LEATHER ON BACK IN LARGE LETTERS IS "P 38". IN TOP LEFT OF BACK IN SMALL LETTERS "BDR 42" WITH EAGLE STANDARD OVER SWASTIKA. BENEATH STANDARD IS "WA A86". SEWN TO BACK ARE TWO LEATHER STRAPS TO FORM BELT LOOPS. LEATHER IS IN GOOD CONDITION BUT WORN SLIGHTLY ON FRONT AND ALONG EDGES. METAL PLATES HAVE BEEN PAINTED BLACK BUT PAINT IS CHIPPING AND METAL IS CORRODED SLIGHTLY.

Subjects

ARMAMENT-FIREARM

Historical Association

MILITARY

History

PISTOL BELONGED TO DONOR'S HUSBAND, JOSEPH ROBIN TOOGOOD. MR. TOOGOOD WISHED HIS GUNS TO BE DONATED TO THE MUSEUM. IT IS PRESUMED THAT THE P-38 WAS ACQUIRED BY MR. TOOGOOD AS ENEMY WAR BOOTY AS A RESULT OF HIS CANADIAN ANTI-TANK GUN SERVICE OVERSEAS DURING WORLD WAR TWO. FIREARMS OWNED BY LIEUTENANT J. ROBIN (BOB) TOOGOOD OF FORT MACLEOD, ALBERTA. TOOGOOD JOINED LETHBRIDGE’S 20TH FIELD BATTERY IN SEPTEMBER 1939, ONE OF FOUR BATTERIES THAT, BY YEAR’S END, WOULD BELONG TO THE 2ND ANTI-TANK (A/T) REGIMENT, RCA. HE SERVED OVERSEAS WITH THE 2ND A/T REGIMENT FOR A TIME, RECEIVING HIS COMMISSION IN AUGUST 1943. TOOGOOD WAS LATER TRANSFERRED TO THE 4TH A/T REGIMENT AND SERVED IN ITALY. IN DECEMBER 1944, LT. TOOGOOD WAS PART OF DESPERATE DEFENSE TO MAINTAIN A CANADIAN BRIDGEHEAD ACROSS THE NAVIGLIO CANAL. THE GERMANS LAUNCHED FOURTEEN COUNTERATTACKS WITH TANKS AGAINST THE CANADIANS IN AN EFFORT TO PUSH THEM BACK ACROSS THE CANAL. IN A WAR CORRESPONDENT’S COMMUNIQUÉ, TOOGOOD WAS PERSONALLY CREDITED AS HAVING A ROLE IN THE CANAL’S DEFENSE, LEADING HIS GUNNERS TO DESTROY A PANTHER TANK. TOOGOOD RETURNED HOME IN 1945 AND JOINED THE 93RD FIELD BATTERY, 18TH FIELD REGIMENT, RCA IN FORT MACLEOD. HE REMAINED WITH THE RESERVE BATTERY UNTIL THE EARLY 50S AND WAS AWARDED THE CANADIAN EFFICIENCY MEDAL FOR 12 YEARS OF MILITARY SERVICE. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON TOOGOOD, PLEASE SEE DONATION'S PERMANENT FILE, ARTIFACT P19960061001-GA (SERVICE RECORDS) AND ARCHIVAL PHOTO P19991039019-GP.

Catalogue Number

P19940022002

Acquisition Date

1994-08

Collection

Museum

Less detail