[Joop van de Kant]

To all,

Today I got a reblueed Navy P04. Serial # 3036a. On the backstrap there is a unit marking I cannot find in the books:
III.St.S.I.
22

Any idea what unit this might have been?
Thanks for helping me out!

 

[Jan C Still]

Joop
I cannot find a match for your III.St.S.I.22. However, Dr. Gene C. Stevenson (who is an expert on Imperial German Navy unit markings)identifies a similar marking on page 199 of Imperial Lugers.
"The GOUV. KIAU. stamp and property number were likely applied in Germany before the Lugers were shipped overseas at the Kommando des III Stamm-Seebataillons( III.St.S.B.). located in Cuxhaven (This was the administrative center and training/depot unit for the III. S.B. troops in the German Colony at Kiaochow)."

Based on Dr. Stevenson's research I would speculate that III.St.S.I.22. relates to the administrative center and training/depot unit at Cuxhaven, possible to the Kommando des III Stamm-Seebataillons.
Jan

 

[Joop van de Kant]

Jan,

Thank you for answering and pointing to the possible solution. As this Navy got here in Belgium the "royal" treatment of light polishing and reblueing, usual during the period of 1950 - 1980, it is very well possible that the last character 'I' should read 'B' instead. I will post tomorrow some pics explaining this.