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Anyone seen a personalized pistol like this?

racerlee

Well-known member
I was thinking of bidding on this pistol and wasn't sure if it is a fake. I was kind of bummed that I didn't bid on it, but I'm not familiar with pistols having the soldiers name etched on them. So I was worried to bid. I was in the process of trying to find information on the officer and the regiment that is on the pistol, but couldn't really find anything on the officer. What do you guys think of the pistol and etching?

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/800130188
 
Rather crude etching but probably done by a 19 year old soldier who took it as his war souvenir and was proud of it. Not that unusual in the military pistol collecting world. Lots of them also got nickel and chrome plated after the war.
 
Rather crude etching but probably done by a 19 year old soldier who took it as his war souvenir and was proud of it. Not that unusual in the military pistol collecting world. Lots of them also got nickel and chrome plated after the war.

Could have been. The etching says,
Th. Haacke Oblt.
Stb Art Rgt 326 or 328.
I figured that it would be from the German officer, but could have been the G.I. that captured it.
 
Rather crude etching but probably done by a 19 year old soldier who took it as his war souvenir and was proud of it. Not that unusual in the military pistol collecting world. Lots of them also got nickel and chrome plated after the war.

Doubt if a 19year old soldier would bother to etch/scribe an identification of a German officer and unit. His own name and serial number perhaps.

Could have been. The etching says,
Th. Haacke Oblt.
Stb Art Rgt 326 or 328.
I figured that it would be from the German officer, but could have been the G.I. that captured it.

I can't read clearly the Artillery Rgt number from the GB pictures. With the right books, you can find some history of the unit. Perhaps what division it was in. Oberleutnant Th(eo Haacke was an officer in the Staff (Stab) of the artillery regiment. He might be listed in missing or deceased records.
 
Theodor Haake was reported KIA on the 2nd of January 1945. This is the only listed casualty of this name. His recorded place of death is Elbing, now in Western Poland.

Of course our Theo may have been a POW.

It is likely the 326th Regiment, as this belonged to the 326th Inf. Div, wrecked at Falaise and finally surrendered in the Ruhr in April 1945. The 328th was destroyed in Rumania in late 1944.
 

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