I have a 4", .38 special Victory, s/n V494011 with smooth grips marked to the gun. I don't see US markings on the gun and the backstrap is marked WB-S-ESS followed by a markings covered by pitting that appear to be 110.48 with the 48 in a larger font. The matching serial number under the barrel is followed by the letter, P. Can anyone shed some light on what the markings mean?

Markings like that are found on those revolvers supplied by the allies to Austrian and German civil police agencies during the post-WWII occupation period. Someone will post shortly exactly what those on yours mean.

I suspected the backstrap markings were as you say, what of the P after the barrel s/n?

Welcome to the forum!

Sounds like this might be a Victory model used by post war German police, in the American occupied zone. Many of these will show various back stamps...such as HE-M, WB-S-KAR, WB-S-STG, and some will have a Bavaria Municipal Police stamping... all of which are post war German police markings.

The letter "P" stands for "proof" and is found on military guns. The P appears under the barrel flat and also most frames - left side, between the cylinder and the hammer.

Yours sounds interesting especially since there is no US Property marking.

I have a Victory very similar to yours and fairly close in serial number that was shipped in December of 1943.

Post some pics if you can including the butt of the gun.

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Linda
SWCA #1965, SWHF #245

"Yours sounds interesting especially since there is no US Property marking."

That is odd. Were it a former military revolver, it should have "U. S. PROPERTY" stamped on the topstrap. V494011 would put shipment from S&W at around January 1944. Maybe an OSS gun originally? Might be worth getting a letter.

WB-S-ESS =
Württemberg-Baden (a state in occupied Western Germany)
Stadtpolizei (city police)
Esslingen (name of the city)

The numbers are likely inventory numbers of some kind.

If the P is on the barrel flat, it should also be on the cylinder face and on the upper left frame. Earlier Victorys had it only on the butt, but I do not believe only on the barrel was ever a standard proof pattern.

Thanks, Absalom...!

I had the WB but wasn't sure of the rest!

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Linda
SWCA #1965, SWHF #245

Is there a W on the butt?

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Kevin Williams SWCA1649 HF208

I'm waiting, too!

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Linda
SWCA #1965, SWHF #245

Thanks for the info, will try and get pics. No w on the butt.