P38 Serial Numbers Spreewerke Factory

• Walther P38 Cyq Serial Numbers
• Spreewerk P38 Value

A few months ago, I was watching P38's on Gunbroker and doing the usual research that I do prior to buying a surplus weapon. My collection tends to be intentionally eclectic. An Enfield Number 2 Revolver made by a Scotish auto manufacturer, IBM M1 Carbine, etc.In my research I learned about Spreewerk and the 'CYQ/CVQ broken die controversy'. So when the owner of my local gun shop said he had a P38 he wanted me to look at AND it turned out to be a Spreewerk CVQ. I quickly snatched it up.Sometime in January of 1945, Speewerk switched from CYQ to CVQ as a manufacturer. There has always been a controversy did they switch codes or did the stamping die break causing the 'Y' to look like a 'V'.What I think makes my P38 interesting is that although the serial numbers on all the parts match, it has CVQ stamped in the slide and CYQ on the barrel.Although, it fits and functions well.it definitely shows the character typical of Spreewerk's haste to manufacture and unskilled labor.Here are some pictures of my February 1945 Spreewerk manufactured P38.

Have you been to.Look at the Spreeworks section.He shows the Late cvq guns.I would e-mail and see what he says.In 'Pistols of the World' by Ian Hogg and John Weeks, they state that 'In the final months of 1943, another contract was given, this time to Spreewerk GmbH of Berlin, thier code groups being cyq and cvq.' Walther was ac, mauser was byf,Because a coding system was ordered by the German Army Weapons office in 1939 to prevent anyone from knowing where the weapons were made, denying the enemies any useful economic intelligence!At first it was numeric,(Walther's Zella Mehlis factory was 480) then changed in 1940 to alphabetic.in 1945 the Mauser Code was changed to `svw`.

Click to expand.I did read it.Looks convincing.But one thing he didnt consider in his report.What if it was done Intentionally??? Towards the End of the war when Intelligence was starting to give the allies Targets, the weapons plants, Ball bearing Factories, And research facilities were prime Targets.Germans were some of the finest craftsmen in the world and I find it hard to believe they would use a Broken Die after the Y broke.UNLESS they turned it into a V on purpose as a possible Intel countermeasure. The tail of the Y was the thickest part of the die charachter, and it should have been the strongest. Click to expand.I had been watching them for a while. I really wanted a 1943 BYF(Mauser); but, they seemed to be going for $700 or $800.

I had given up because I thought they were out of my price range. So, I spent the $500 I had burning a hole in my pocket on an American Eagle limited edition Mauser HSc. When I went to my FFL to arrange receiving the HSc, I told the him the story of my search for a P38. He told me that he had a P38 he wanted to show me.

He brought this Spreewerk P38 with a price tag of $550. I tried to disguise the fact that I'd watched these sell for much more. I told him to hold it for me. When I went to pick up the HSc, I told him that I'd give him $500 because the finish was almost too nice to be original(.I had read that the finish on these last P38s was rarely nice and dark).

Since I had talked to him, he had spoken to a more savvy surplus guy and that guy told him he'd take it for $550. He counter offered the original price and he'd throw in the transfer fee for the Mauser.Long story short, I walked out of there with two nice examples of German weapons.In my research, I learned of the die controversy; that was what made it interesting to me.

It represents the desperation and confusion of the last three months of the war. I had been watching them for a while. I really wanted a 1943 BYF(Mauser); but, they seemed to be going for $700 or $800. I had given up because I thought they were out of my price range. So, I spent the $500 I had burning a hole in my pocket on an American Eagle limited edition Mauser HSc.

When I went to my FFL to arrange receiving the HSc, I told the him the story of my search for a P38. He told me that he had a P38 he wanted to show me. He brought this Spreewerk P38 with a price tag of $550. I tried to disguise the fact that I'd watched these sell for much more. I told him to hold it for me. When I went to pick up the HSc, I told him that I'd give him $500 because the finish was almost too nice to be original(.I had read that the finish on these last P38s was rarely nice and dark).

Since I had talked to him, he had spoken to a more savvy surplus guy and that guy told him he'd take it for $550. He counter offered the original price and he'd throw in the transfer fee for the Mauser.Long story short, I walked out of there with two nice examples of German weapons.In my research, I learned of the die controversy; that was what made it interesting to me.

Walther P38 Cyq Serial Numbers

It represents the desperation and confusion of the last three months of the war. Click to expand.Well, fancy you should mention the byf code of German small arms. Coincidentally enough, my RC K98 is a byf 42, and my P38 is a byf 43! I thought that was pretty cool, and I didn't even try for it either. I had a heck of a time with loading issues on that P38. I probably should have got some new recoil springs for it, and a mainspring. I might look in to that and check it out.

But the low end of the slide block that strips a round off the mag was protruding way too far. At first I thought it was an issue with the extractor, but come to find out the slide needed a slight modification. Now it cycles every time perfectly!Another interesting thing when I bought it, the bore looked very odd. It looked as if someone reblued the pistol at some point, and didn't plug the barrel. I'm not sure but it still shoots quite good! It came with a holster too, which I believe is a reproduction but I think it's an older reproduction. I am quite happy with it.

Mauser changed to SVW on their rifles in late Jan/early Feb 45 - after having produced byf 45 marked rifles. They then made svw 45 marked before finaly going to the svw MB markings - which the frogs continued to use after the war.However Mauser began the letter code change on P.38s in Dez 44. There are a few known examples of svw 44 marked P.38s. I saw one at a gun show in the summer of 1970, right after I came back from RVN. Unfortunately it wasn't for sale!The idea that Spreewerk cvq marked pistols was from a broken die doesn't hold water for a couple of reasons:1.

German efficency, even late in the war, wouldn't have allowed it.2. More importantly there was more than one machine stamping slide markings.

They were Not making 10K pistols a month with only one stamping machine for slide markings. NO way did all the stamping machines have broken dies!Sarge. I just finished reading 'The P.38 Pistol, Spreewerk Production' by Jan Balcar and Ron Clarin. The authors did a pretty remarkable job of collecting data, interviewing former forced laborers and supervisors, and pouring over available data.The book contains political, social and manufacturing history of Czechoslovakia and the town in which the P.38s were manufactured.

Spreewerk P38 Value

There are numerous antidotes from the workers themselves.interesting stuff.There is an entire section dedicated to 'broken die theories'(.yup, there's more than just the two theories and the code change theory is the least plausible). I won't spoil the ending. It is worth the read!It is a great read for the serious P.38 collector and a must read for those folks that have the 'cyq' or 'cvq' marked P.38s.