[Jan C Still]

TWO BEHOLLA’S AND A MENTA, SUPPLEMENTARY ARMY PISTOLS

Manufacture of the Beholla started in 1915 at Becker and Hollander in Suhl, Germany. 22 are reported in the 5 to 43853 serial range and almost all bear a German military acceptance stamp. Some in the later serial range bear a trigger guard eagle ( termed Prussian Eagle). About 45,000 were manufactured for the wartime German Army.

BEHOLLA SERIAL NUMBERS AND DESCRIPTIONS (Military stamped unless noted otherwise)
5 (no military stamp)
360
774
2096, (groved wood grips)
4074
5492
5494
7689, (plastic grips)
14849
15401
16064
16461(trigger guard eagle)
19597
22718 (trigger guard eagle)
23756 (trigger guard eagle)(groved wood grips)
25545 (trigger guard eagle)
27293 (trigger guard eagle)
27397
27858 (trigger guard eagle)
29507 (groved wood grips)(trigger guard eagle)
30003
30019 (trigger guard eagle)(groved wood grips)
36767(trigger guard eagle)
37310 (trigger guard eagle)
40094 (trigger guard eagle)(checkered wood grips)
43853(no military stamp)

The Menta is basically the same pistol as the Beholla except that it was manufactured by August Menz in Suhl, Germany. Only 4 are reported in the 1432 to 10638 serial range. Only three of these, sn 9566 (plastic grips), 10567(plastic grips) and 10638, bear the German military acceptance stamp. (This same pistol was also manufactured as the Leonhardt and Stenda)

Both the Beholla and Menta are listed in the August 8, 1917 dated list of pistols offered for sale by the Prussian Army Arsenal to officers. (Still Volume I, page 127) The Beholla is listed at 41 marks and the Menta at 35 marks.


Download Attachment: MENTABEHOLLAa1.jpg
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Figure 1. Top to bottom: Beholla, serial number 7689; Beholla, serial number 40094; and Menta, serial number 10567. All three bear the C/D German Army acceptance stamp. In addition, the Beholla in the middle bears a Prussian Eagle on the front trigger guard.



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Figure 2. Beholla, serial number 7689. Left side. It bears an Imperial Army C/D on the left frame; and a commercial C/N on the left frame, left slide and left barrel.


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Figure 3. Beholla, serial number 7689. Right side, showing the manufacturer name, Becker & Hollander.


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Figure 4. Beholla, serial number 7689. Left side, markings details.


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Figure 5. Beholla, serial number 7689. Showing inside of matching horn grips.


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Figure 6. Beholla, serial number 7689, with Imperial military holster and extra magazine.


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Figure 7. Beholla, serial number 7689, with open Imperial military holster.


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Figure 8. Holster manufacturing hallmark, 1917 date, and Imperial B.A. XII (12 th Army Corps) 18, stamp.

 

[Jan C Still]

Download Attachment: MENTABEHOLLAa9.jpg
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Figure 9. Beholla, serial number 40094. Left side. It bears an Imperial Army C/D on the left frame; and a commercial C/N on the left frame, left slide and left barrel.



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Figure 10. Beholla, serial number 40094. Right side, showing the manufacturer name, Becker & Hollander.


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Figure 11. Beholla, serial number 40094. Left side, markings details.


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Figure 12. Beholla, serial number 40094. Showing inside of matching wood grips.


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Figure 13. Beholla, serial number 40094. Showing Imperial Eagle stamped on the front trigger guard. According to a directive dated July 1918, supplementary pistols were to bear an Imperial Eagle (of the largest possible size) as a measure to prevent theft.


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Figure 14. Menta, serial number 10567. Left side. It bears an Imperial Army C/D on the left frame; and a commercial C/N on the left frame, left slide and left barrel.



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Figure 15. Menta, serial number 10567. Right side. It’s grips are of plastic and unmarked.


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Figure 16. Menta, serial number 10567. Left side, markings details.


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Figure 17. Soldiers of the Reserve Infantry Regiment 72 during World War I. The second from right is armed with a 7,65 caliber (supplementary) pistol. The holsters for these pistols often had an inexact fit (one size fits all).

 

[r_t_darc]

In the interest of being complete, I present some views of a
third variation of Beholla pistol grips, on my serial # 29507:

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Download Attachment: MyBeholla2.JPG
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[Jan C Still]

Richard
Thanks for the photographs showing the groved wood grip variation. SN list updated.
Jan

 

[jacobtowne]

Gentlemen:
Thank you for the detailed information about Behollas. It is especially useful, as I've been on the lookout for a Beholla to add to my collection for more than a year now.
JT

 

[r_t_darc]

Oh, by the way- #29507 has the trigger guard eagle, also.

 

[r_t_darc]

Download Attachment: MyBehollaHolster.JPG
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I thought some here might also appreciate a view of my Beholla's
holster, which is some sort of Weimar rework for a pocket auto.
It isn't maker marked, but is property stamped beneath the flap
with a simple BS, for the Braunschweig Sicherheitspolizei group.

 

[k98man]

Interesting holster. The BS is found with or without dots and guns of Reichswehr era. I have one Luger clip which is B.S. plus number marked on the spine. It would be interesting to know whether there is a difference between B.S. and BS in meaning. Regards Dietrich

 

[r_t_darc]

Dietrich,
The BS marks seem to vary from the normal police stamps.
I also have two long guns which are marked in this way.
The Gewehr 98 is B. S. stamped on the receiver ring,while
the Kar 98AZ is BS identified at the same location. Both
are 1920 'double-dated', but neither has a weapon number
appearing in conjunction with the BS property markings.

Rich M.

 

[k98man]

You are correct. My Gew.98 is a Spandau 1915 Reichswehr conversion for s.S. cartridge and has the B.S. mark on receiver as well as on the stamping disc. Both without an inventory number. Thanks for your input. Regards Dietrich

 

[k98man]

Dear Jan and fellow collectors. Here another serial number of my Beholla. It bears the Imperial eagle on the triggerguard and has the long serrated wooden grip panels which are numbered on the inside to the gun. Serial number is 23 756. Regards Dietrich

 

[stormfront]

Thought I would add mine to the list
serial number 30019, imperial proof on trigger guard, stripe grips


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[jacobtowne]

The different stocks raise a question.
In his book Pistols of World War I, Robert Adamek shows Beholla #2096 (I think it's a zero) with grooved wood stocks. He states that early examples had grooved hardwood stocks, and later ones had plastic.
Seeing the posts here, I'm beginning to question that statement.
JT

 

[Jan C Still]

Richard and Brian
Thanks for the information. Table above updated.
Jan

 

[r_t_darc]

I'm pretty sure most of the early ones did indeed have plastic grips.
The wooden ones stayed until the name changeover to 'Stenda' happened.
At least that's the way it's supposed to have gone. Here's some Stenda
pistol photos I found while googling a while back. There is a lot of
variation it would seem, so judge for yourself. The first is an
interesting hybrid of features and markings.

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Download Attachment: Stenda1.jpg
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Download Attachment: Stenda-filled.jpg
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[jacobtowne]

R.T. Darc:
It would seem so. Beholla SN 774 listed above, which is pictured on page 185 of Ezell's Handguns of the World, has plastic grips.
JT

 

[rr108]

I have serial number 10259 which is imperial marked (crown D, no eagle) with black plastic grips.

Randy

 

[Olefogey]

Jan, I hope this isn't too late to add to the list, but I just picked up a Beholla today (a bit of a roach!!), with imperial eagle on the trigger guard, C/D and C/N on the left side and grooved wooden grips. Serial #18246.

Dave

 

[Greg G]

I have one to add:
SN 16871 Prussian eagle on trigger guard, C/D and C/N on left side, Grooved wood grips numbered to pistol.

 

[Jan C Still]

JT, Randy, Dave, and Greg
Thanks for the information. Book table up dated.
Jan