Luckily for collectors, Germans have always been meticulous about marking their firearms, both military and commercial. It's fun to "read the marks" that can tell you a lot about firearms made in or accepted by Germany. Here are the marks on a Polish P.35 Radom pistol made in 1942.
In this picture you will see the "Eagle over WaA77" mark on both the slide and the frame. This
waffenamt codes the pistol as being made at the Polish weapons factory in Radom.
The next mark (somewhat indistinct) "P.35(p)" is the official German designation for the Radom P.35.
The Eagle over Swastika indicates ownership by Nazi Germany.
The "Eagle over 623" stamp indicates that the pistol was given its final acceptance at the Steyr plant in Austria. From there it was likely shipped to the German armed forces, likely paratroopers, police or SS.
The markings on the barrel camming lug are fairly straightforward. At the top are the last three digits of the serial number, insuring that the proper barrel is mated with the proper slide and frame.
Next are two "Eagle over 623" acceptance stamps by the Steyr plant in Austria. Probably dimension checks and a proof load.
And finally, the "Eagle over swastika" ownership stamp of Nazi Germany.
Again, the history of a German firearm can be read if you know their marking customs and codes. Although this is a Polish-made firearm, if the Germans used it, it was marked per their protocols. Hope you found this as interesting as I did.
John