U-Boat Sidearm Question

[Mr. Bill]

Greetings,

It is my understanding that one of the more common sidearms used by the DKM during the war was the Mauser HSc pistol.  How can one know if a Mauser HSc 7.65mm automatic produced in 1943 was issued to the Kriegsmarine?  Serial number?  Special markings?  I acquired one of these pistols from a relative decades ago and would like to know more about its history, especially during the war.  Were these pistols issued to U-Boat officers?

Many thanks!

Cheers,

Bill

[dbauer]

Hello!
Good Question! Most officers had the standard   P-38, 9mm. However, officers were allowed to carry any  sidearm they wished in the Kriegsmarine. Especially Commanders of U-Boats.  Most would not have special marks. So what you have may be true.  Dan

[Mr. Bill]

Thanks Dan for the information!  While seeking more information, I found this 1946 Portsmouth Naval Shipyard document at uboatarchive.net listing small arms on a German IXC:

 

 
 

	CONFIDENTIAL REPORT 2G-9C S79[/t][/t][/t][/t][/t][/t][/t][/t][/t][/t][/t][/t]

	FORMER GERMAN SUBMARINE TYPE IXC
	SMALL ARMS
	SUMMARY
	Small arms listed in the general information book are:
	2 Mark 98 Rifles 6 Mauser Pistols 5 Bayonets
	These are all stowed in racks in the Wardroom.
	In addition, there is one 8 MM machine gun.
	Small arms ammunition consists of:
	6000 rounds 8 MM in the No. 1 Magazine 768 rounds automatic pistol ammunition 360 rounds Mauser ammunition
	No information is locally available which would relate the 98 rifles to the automatic pistol ammunition.  There is no reference made to rifle ammunition or to automatic pistols.
	July, 1946
	PORTSMOUTH NAVAL SHIPYARD, PORTSMOUTH, N. H.
	- 1 -

Although the report does specify which model of Mauser pistol was carried, my understanding is that the 7.65mm HSc and the Model 1934 were the only ones being manufactured by Mauser during the war?   Too bad this report does not list the actual serial numbers of the pistols that were captured.

Cheers,

Bill

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[Mike Coleman]

Mr. Bill,
Weapons used by the various branches of service were made under contract with private firms. As you know each weapon made had a unique serial number so when a company was contracted to make a run of weapons then they would have a certain run of sequential serial numbers that would be assigned to that order. As an example, let's say the army ordered 2000 Kar 98K's from Mauser. They would have numbers 0001 through 2000. Then the KM ordered 500 so they would be 2001 through 2500. The contract run numbers are known for many pieces of equipment used by the Germans during the war such as weapons (specific to your question the serial number series for Mauser Hsc runs are known), binoculars, helmets and other optics. Also, just about anything made for the KM would be inspected and have a KM acceptance stamp that would include a "M". I will try to attach a photo of one such stamp on a pistol. Not all were so prominent. Sometimes it was just the KM modification of the small Waffenamt stamp (3mm) that would show a "M" in stead of the WaA before the manufacturer's code. This is a very brief and generalized summary, there are entire books written on this topic.

[Mr. Bill]

Hello Mike,

Many thanks for the information on the Mauser HSc pistol.  The serial number on my pistol is 865698, which I believe falls into the 1943 production run.  There is a very small production stamp on right trigger guard of an eagle with a letter "N".  On the left side of the trigger guard there is a stamp of an eagle with the numbers "135".  At the end of the slide on the right side is a stamp of an eagle with a letter "N".   I don't see any other markings other than the large "MAUSER" logo and "Mauser-Werke A.G. Oberndorf a.N. Mod. HSc Kal. 7,65mm" on the left slide.   I can't find any letter "M" on the stamps that look like the photo you provided, so perhaps this pistol was not KM?  Any idea which branch of the armed forces this may have issued to?

Cheers,

Bill

[Mike Coleman]

Hi Bill,
I am a KM collector and not so much a weapon collector but based on what you have shared with me I can tell you this about your HSc.
Based on the serial number it falls into the production of what is called the forth variation from 790000 to 886000. Over the course of production several changes were made to either improve the weapon or, more frequently, to make it cheaper and easier to produce. Examples of changes were position of grip screws, material of grips and finish, quality of final machining and blueing, etc. These had an eagle over 135 acceptance stamp. 135 was the waffenamt number for Mauser Werke AG, Oberndorf am Neckar, Germany. The eagle over N are the firing proofs. These did not have the final machining to the mirror finish and the blueing was not the deep blue/black but now had a grayish, cloudy tint. Prior to this there was a cross hatch strip on top of the slide in the site channel but with this type that was no longer done. Based on the lists I have the serial number on your piece does not match KM contract numbers. So this is most likely a Heer issue piece. Having said that, the navy was known to accept weapons made on Heer or Luftwaffe contracts to quickly fullfill their needs and there have been weapons obtained directly from vets who took them off of KM personnel or stores that are devoid of KM markings and not in KM contract serial number ranges.
Regards,
Mike

[Rokket]

Excellent and interesting info, Mike! Thanks for that, and welcome aboard!