I guess I'm a sucker for guns with interesting stories. This one fills the bill. Did you know that the Germans used some Spanish pistols during WWII? Some of you probably know that the Luftwaffe's Condor Legion that fought in the Spanish Civil War as a prelude to the late great hate used Astra 300s. These were chambered in .32 and .380 ACP. They were basically the larger Astra 400 (in 9mm Largo) scaled down for the smaller cartridges. In 1941, the Germans ordered about 6000 Model 400s. They sometimes used their own 9mm Luger cartridges in them, but with 9mm Largo chambers, this was dicey, not reliable, and sometimes dangerous.
The Nazis like those Astras so much that they ordered more in 1943, similar to the Model 400, but chambered for their standard 9mm Luger (Parabellum) cartridge. The Heereswaffenamt requested them to supplement their other 9mm handguns. The resulting handgun was designated by the Wehrmacht as the Pistole Astra 600/43.
An initial trial order of 50 resulted in another order for 10,450 more pistols. Deliveries on this contract began in May, 1944 through the Franco-Spanish border town of Irun, and continued through July of '44. A second contract for 31,350 units was placed, but something interesting happened in the meantime. The Allies had invaded France, and deliveries to the Nazis from Spain were cut off at the ankles.
Those 31,350 units were not delivered, and they were seized under orders of the Spanish Government. Those guns, already paid for by the Germans, were sent to Parque de Artilleria in Burgos, Spain until the war was sorted out. Production did not halt, however, and continued until 1945. In all, a total of 59,400 units were produced.
After the war, many of the seized and stored pistols were re-sold to the Germans (nice going, Spaniards!) for police and border guard duties, and the remainder were sold here and there on the world market. Some were purchased by the Portuguese for their navy, some went to Chile, Turkey, and Jordan. Even the Philippines, Costa Rica and Egypt bought some for troop trials. The rest were sold to civilians in Spain.
This pistol was one of those manufactured in 1945 after deliveries to Germany were cut off. It has matching serial numbers on the frame, slide and even the magazine. There are no import marks on it. A brown leather holster similar to that used for the P.38 came with it.
These are well-made and substantial blowback pistols, with the leverage of the internal hammer making them more of a delayed-blowback type.
So - an interesting footnote to WWII - A Spanish pistol modified to suit the Germans and actually issued to them.
If only these old guns could talk, hm?
John
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