[sauerfan]

Dear All,

as this is my first post on this forum: hello everybody, I'm Martin Krause from Germany, interested in Sauer pistols. I have already one or two

Some weeks ago I bought a wonderful rig in AUSTRIA: a Sauer 38-H, SN 267,479, crown/N proofs, with all normal features a pistol of this SN range should have. Came in the matching box (matching SN on label)with all accessories (including the small aluminium box with hemp, glass bottle and yellow cloth). AND with an holster. This holster is quiet unusual, as it is a Akah DRGM marked SA holster, type II (deep cut-out around the trigger guard), which most probably is the holster, which accompanied the Sauer since its beginning.

So far – so nice. But what is MOST unusual with this holster: somebody tried to eliminate the SA logo. And this work was carried out very careful and professional: a stamp tool was used and pressed on the soaked leather. I, personally, have never seen such an "artist's" effort to eliminate a Nazi symbol. Now: the question I have:

Has anybody seen a comparable holster? Any idea about answering the question WHEN? WHY? WHERE? And WHO?

Any idea is welcome! I already asked some true experts; reaction was the same:

1/UUUUUUH! That hurts! It would be worth xxxxx $, but now….
2/Professional work, in deed!
3/Never seen before
4/Turning back to point 1: too bad….

Well, I don't care much for points 1 and 4. It's an interesting piece of history anyway.

Regards

sauerfan


Download Attachment: SA Holster für S&S Mod. 38 004.jpg
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Download Attachment: SA Holster für S&S Mod. 38 011.jpg
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Download Attachment: SA Holster für S&S Mod. 38 022.jpg
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[Fritz]

Hello Martin,

welcome to the forum and congatulation to this very special and outstanding rig. We need pics !!
Thank you very much for the term "expert". I'm feeling esteemed.

Fritz

Lieber Martin, das wurde aber auch Zeit, dass du hier mitmischt.

 

[sauerfan]

Dear Fritz,

you ARE an expert - no doubt!

Ha, ha... hätteste mir ja auch mal mitteilen können, wo Du Dich so rumtreibst... ich sag nur: Ortgies Patente!


Sorry, dear All for this internal joke! But Fritz and I do know each other since years! We are located only some miles way - but I did not know, that Fritz is a member of this fine forum. our world is a small one!

 

[huggiebear]

Martin ; your holster was done or rather redone in the later part of the war or so we have speculated as I have a Walther PP SA holster done exactly the same way and I am aware of another 38H Sauer SA holster just like yours. The theory goes that an individual shopowner had these SA marked holsters but no customers. A shooting event or some other style of awards ceremony were in need of some holsters so he/they had these extra holsters lying about and remarked them so as not to be confused with the original SA organization and either sold them or awarded them as prizes along with the pistols. Either that or the shopowner just simply not wanting to waste a good leather examples simply remarked the holsters and sold them commercially. The era had to be when some kind of leather restrictions were placed upon a sadderly shop and there was no longer any need for such marked holsters by its original intended purchasers. It is of no small wonder that your find was in Austria as that is near the Tryolean Shooting Matches held ever year during the Third Reich and may even be such an on-going event even today but I don't know that for certain.

 

[sauerfan]

Huggiebear,

thanks much !! for this info! If it's possible: please, please let us have photos of your Walther PP holster! And: where is the other Sauer Holster with this special "decoration" located? Can you give us "Sauer guys" abny further information?

Any advise you be fine!

sauerfan

 

[Jan C Still]

Martin
Welcome to this Forum.

"Well, I don't care much for points 1 and 4. It's an interesting piece of history anyway."
I agree with you. Its a very rare historic holster and one is fortunate to have it.

I have SA der NSDAP Thuringen marked 38H, serial number 267734 which is fairly close to your Sauer 38H, SN 267479 that came with the SA holster. (See page 254-257 of Axis Pistols)
Jan

 

[huggiebear]

Martin : You will have to wait a bit on me finding my holster as I would have to dig deep in order to find it and right now I wouldn't know where to start. The fellow who had/has the 38H Sauer SA marked holster like yours is Charles Justmann. If you need his email address, let me know.

 

[sauerfan]

huggiebear: thanks so much for your help! I'd appreciate it very highly if you would start digging and would find out Charles Justmann's email address! Thanks in advance!

sauerfan

 

[huggiebear]

[email protected] is Charlie Justmann's email address.

 

[sauerfan]

huggiebear,

thank you very much for Charlie justmann's email address! Here's what he answered today on my request:

Hello Martin,

It is good to hear from you. I've had my holster for a number of years
and I believe it was originally an SA crested holster that possibly had
the crest stamped over with the concentric circles after the war when the nazi
markings were not acceptable. Otherwise I'd thought it might be for a
shooting prize pistol or possibly a Himmler presentation pistol. I have
also heard of a PP holster with the same design on the flap. I appears to have
the faint lines of the SA crest under the concentric circles and has the
shortened and stitched closing strap also.
Yes, mine is exactly like yours. I can see the SA crest appears to be
under the concentric circles on yours also. As I've said, I wonder if this
was done after the war to get rid of the crest and in order to make it more
'socially acceptable' as we say here. These are only my thoughts on this.
I've had my holster for 10-15 years.

God bless,
Charlie Justmann

Yes, and I agree with him: the question is and remains, when the amendment was carried out: during or after the war.

sauerfan

 

[huggiebear]

Yes, a very good point as to when this action took place. Prewar or Postwar ?? Could very well been done postwar in order to be "Politically Correct". It is too bad as we need all the unaltered examples of these pieces of history that we can find. This is especially true when we are discussing leather products as deterioration/abuse is also a major factor in and of itself without having any outside influences.

 

[huggiebear]

I have found the PP holster in question and here is a photo of the canceled SA holster.

Download Attachment: blocked SA mark.JPG
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[sauerfan]

kk,

thanks a lot for your efforts to dig out the holster and for the photo! Seems, as on both holsters the very same tool was used to eliminate the SA logo.

Martin