P-08 Black Widow?

[james m]

Quote:
"Did not "grey Ghost" refer to late war or French assembled phosphate finishes"
Not the dual toners-all phosphate. "

Yes

Jim

[Johnny Peppers]

I think more from the gray phosphate finished metal grip panels than anything else, but wondering who coined the term.

[phild]

I think more from the gray phosphate finished metal grip panels than anything else, but wondering who coined the term.

It was used in the title of a circa 71-72 "Guns of the World" article by Buxton on the French occupation P.38s, so it dates at least that far back.


I've never placed a dimes worth of thought or mystique on the nick names given to weapons or military units for that matter. Things tend to be given nicknames by soldiers and I would not rule out the Shattuck in fact heard the term Black Widow from a vet that sold him a composition gripped byf.....and perhaps a few vets had come up with that name while looking at these Lugers.....who knows. How any collector could think that the Germans called them Black Widows is beyond me......well almost.....as I tend to believe most anything when it comes to collectors.

I will say that I personally really like them because they have a very striking look (again my opinion) and they were the last run of 35 years of regular Army Lugers......and lastly they were really mainlined into the real fighting units of the German Military at the height of the war. Most of these would have been issued from late 41 thru 1943.