Mauser Pistol Vet Bring-Back

[Clemson]

This gun was found in the personal effects of a WWII veteran after he died recently. The Mauser pistol is a 7.65 mm and is fairly unremarkable. The holster, however, is another matter. It is a cloth holster with a camouflage pattern marked (as well as I can see it) "1941". Have any of you run across one like this?

Bill Jacobs

MauserPistol3 by jakefromclemson, on Flickr
MauserPistol2 by jakefromclemson, on Flickr
MauserPistol1 by jakefromclemson, on Flickr

Information

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[Singer B]

I personally would love to have the "unremarkable" mauser haha!!

[Aragorn243]

Hermann Goering's personal Mauser pistol with holster camouflaged for his hunting expeditions.

Has to be civilian manufacture and use. I doubt that fabric would hold up long in military service.

[Fushigi Ojisan]

That is an awesome holster!

Any idea of the pattern? I wonder if it was made from a shelter piece.

[GeeRam]

The stamp is 1944 to my eyes......

Which would be more explainable as the SS Oak A pattern HBT material its made out of didn't exist in 1941.

However, my gut feeling the holster is not original and has been made post war from either repro material or maybe remnants of an original Oak A smock/tunic etc.
If it had been wartime made from a local source from old material, it would never have had an ink date stamp, as it would have been locally made, not from an official supply source, so not subjected to any acceptance stamps etc.

[free1954]

i have to agree. i don't think it is military issue.

[Riter]

Don't store it in that holster. If it's not a shooter, apply Renaissance Wax to the Mauser (including the wood grips).

[Clemson]

Thanks for the comments. Here is a back view of that holster. I agree that the date is more likely 1944. If it is a post-war fake, someone went to a lot of trouble with the pattern and even the button. I have simply never seen one like this. The pistol itself would have been appropriate for WWI. As 1944 issue under the pressures of late WWII bombing, etc., it makes some sense that it might have a substitute standard holster. Could have been a "Home Guard" sidearm or a Police gun?

CamoHolster by jakefromclemson, on Flickr

[GeeRam]

Thanks for the comments. Here is a back view of that holster. I agree that the date is more likely 1944. If it is a post-war fake, someone went to a lot of trouble with the pattern and even the button. I have simply never seen one like this.

But the tunic and smock material and the buttons are all reproduced and have been for many years now.

I've been collecting German/UK/US militaria for 30+ years and I've never seen anything other than a brown or black leather PP holster, or P08 or P38 holster, in anything other than leather, or even in the reference books on German equipment. I've never even seen any in the thicker canvas as used for the MP40 and MP43/44 mag carriers, which if they were going to do something like this would have been what they would have used, rather than uniform material.

I'm 99% certain its a post-war fake.
It makes no sense that you'd have a holster made up in autumn Oak A camo, given that the SS often changed camo to suit the seasons, hence why holsters and belts for officers were black or brown leather, as were the K98 ammo pouches...across the SS and the Heer, Luftwaffe etc.

[browningautorifle]

I'm 99% certain its a post-war fake.

I think it was made up at best. We used to use our own textiles tech to sew specialty stuff for us. Did they go to a lot of trouble? Yes, they usually do. Date stamps, maker marks, inspector cartouches...all available. Very ambiguous stamp too, just right.