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WW2 German General Wolff - Walther PP
nyforester
Member Posts: 2,575 ✭✭✭
Hi - I met a gentleman that is selling a Walther PP in 7.65. He claims his father took it from General Karl Wolff's home during WW2 around 1941. He also has swords, photos, letter, maps, and flags from the home that definitely appear authentic to me. This is an old PP with no import stamp. It has the original mag and holster. Does anyone know if this can be verified to be Wolff's and what the value of this Walther would be.
Thanks.......
Thanks.......
Abort Cuomo
Comments
The gun is worth the same as any other PP with similar markings & in similar condition.
Neal
If you can't research this German General yourself on the net. It might be worth your while to hire sombody who could, that has knowledge of the German language.
If all else fails contact this collectors group, they have ties with the fatherland, and possibly could help you.
http://www.germanguns.com/q_a.html
Captain Kirk, Tech Staff
Herr Wolff was a very BAD NAZI HOMBRE! Date has to be wrong -
general's had Reich guarded homes during the war - no exceptions!
To burgle a general's house would have been an ENORMOUS COUP - an
SS general? - forget it!!! Didn't/couldn't have happened!
http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/wwii/2005-March/006518.html
If this is a "Plain Jane" Walther PP....no engraving, no high polish finish, no NSDAP markings, etc., it's unlikely to have belonged to an SS General.
Reminds me of just after WWII, every pre-war Mercedes-Benz brought into the U.S. was "Hitler's Personal Car".... [:D]
Veritas vincit "Truth conquers"
"There is nothing lower than the human race - except the french." (Mark Twain)
U.S. Troops didn't enter Germany until September 13, 1944.
With some of the other items that came from the Wolff home (Wolff family pictures, signed papers, etc.) the pistol has provinance, and is potentially valuable.
Without these, unless the pistol has some special markings tying it to Wolff, it's just another Walther PP.
If the seller would be willing to give you some copies of some of the Wolff papers, photos, etc. and a letter stating that his father captured these items, along with the pistol, from the Wolff home, that adds provinance to the pistol and makes it more valuable.
Provenance would be, say, German issue papers for the gun, a diary or letter written by the general listing the serial #, or a photo of the general wearing or holding the gun. Even a US Army "war trophy" form might be adequate. But, a written statement from the GI who sold it? No way.
Without documentation linking this particular pistol to the general, it will always be a gun whose value is judged by the gun alone. And, since we don't have photos, we have no way to determine that.
Neal