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Information, photos, references, and trivia on the WW2 Walther P.38 and post-war P38 pistol. If you wish to link to this page, please link only to the main page, not sub-pages or documents. Please do not rip off my PDF files or pictures for your own site. Thanks.

Updated 20 Feb 2014 17:33 -0800

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Zahra 6 Menit Dharmasraya Video

Most Recent updates:

Two more "BTH12" pistols have been reported. See "BTH12" under "Pistols"

Added "When was my post-war pistol made?" to "Information"

Added another late date AC frame pistol to "Pistols"

Added some late war pistols to "Pistols"

Zahra 6 Menit Dharmasraya Video

Pistols

Post-war volume I

Post-war parts gun, two guns in .30 Luger, and a high-polish gun.

Late date AC frame variation. Warren Buxton calls these the '"oddballs of oddballs." Who made these - and when?

byf44 FN slide. Post-war volume II

P38 surplus, P1 surplus, P38 commercial, and P4 surplus guns.

Consecutive serial number SVW-45s. Consecutive serial number SVW-46s. Post-war P38 in 7.65mm Parabellum. East German P.38s. Reworked wartime ac40, ac44, and an East German manufactured gun.
Steel frame P38 from Earl's Repair Service.

ac45 matching "c" block.

 

Post-war P.38 in 5.6mm (.22 LR).

 

A Zero series and "a" prefix Spreewerk reworked for use in post-war East Germany.
The Czechoslovakian Vz46. byf44 police issue with British markings.

 

Commemorative "100 Jahre" P38 marking the 100th year anniversary of Walther. Unknown BTH12 marking on several P.38s.
Norwegian military surplus P38. Mixmaster P.38 with WW2 German, East German, Czech, and British markings. The ultra-rare "ac no-date" - and how to spot a fake. Some things you can do to a P.38. Please don't!

WARNING: disturbing!

French Mausers 1945 to 1946. Gotterdammerung - some pistols from the last months of the war. Another version of the late date AC frame pistol.  

Zahra 6 Menit Dharmasraya Video

Information

Pistol Information

An excellent article by Peter Kokalis on the wartime P.38 pistol can be found here, and another article on the post-war P38 here.

My post-war pistol has no date or date code - about when was it manufactured? You can get a rough estimate based upon these observed pistols.

Need to replace a broken WW2 slide part with a post-war part, and don't know if the new part will fit? Read the slide part compatibility guide. Note: this information is intended as a guide only. I am not a gunsmith. If you do not have working knowledge of the P.38 pistol, consult a competent gunsmith before attempting to effect repairs to your P.38.

Over the long term, will oil cause bakelite grips to deteriorate? An attempt to find out starts here. And continues after one year... and finally ends at three plus years.

Atarian's quick reference magazine guide. Helps to identify which magazine is correct for your pistol.

Atarian's post-war reproduction and aftermarket grip guide. Some of the currently available non-World War II grips for the P.38.

Can a "dipped" pistol be "un-dipped?" The answer is yes, and quite successfully. Take a look at zero series cyq serial number 030.

What's that 13 digit number on my pistol and/or magazine?

 

Drawings and Manuals

P38 Owner's Manual  (multilingual - 4.8 MB). P38 Owner's Manual v2 (multilingual - 6.2 MB). P38 Operating Instructions (multilingual - 1.2 MB, source: Walther Germany). P38 Owner's Manual (1 MB, source: Interarms(?)). P38 Owner's Manual (edited for clarity - Thanks to Quentin for providing this).

German military drawings of the 9mm Patrone: page 1, page 2, page 3, and page 4.

P.38 manual from 1940 (German) - Thanks to Johan and Ron Clarin for providing this.

P.38 illustrated parts breakdown (German - 95KB, source: Walther Germany).

Explanation of the markings on a post-war P38/P1 (source: Federal Foreign Office Division 241, Germany).

 

Time Wasters

Test your P.38 knowledge with the P.38 quiz!

bullet one
bullet two
bullet three
bullet four (new!)

Auction Antics - Fantastic stories and overpriced pistols:

bullet Most expensive P.38 ever listed (this was a typo...)
bullet Second most expensive P.38 (...that this genius later referenced!)
bullet Best story/crappiest p.38 ever?

 

Articles and Advertisements

Information on the P.38 from the 2008 Walther catalog.

The Defense Intelligence Agency's Small Caliber Ammunition Identification Guide. German ammunition section (213kb) or the entire document (10.1Mb).

Small arms section of the Handbook on German Military Forces.

P.38 converted to .45 ACP.

1964 Luger parts list and prices.

1964 P38 parts list and prices.

Pricing of Stoeger's Mod HPs and Lugers (1948).

1970 Interarms P38 advertisement.

Stoeger's guide to World War II pistols circa 1948 (page 1, page 2).

 

Miscellaneous

A baker's dozen of Walther post-war slide legend variations (this is far from all-inclusive).

Here's what a P.38 frame looks like before the machining process begins.

Is Walther still making the P.38?

Information Exchange Pursuant to the OSCE Document on Small Arms and Light Weapons 2003, 2008, 2010. Note in 2002 the United States was by far the largest importer of German "Revolvers and Self-Loading Pistols" with 1,040,985 imported (of 1,082,797 - the balance of 41,812 or about 4% going to 20 other countries), while the Germans destroyed only 5,666 "surplus" pistols. In 2009 the US imported none and 17,520 surplus pistols were destroyed (none were exported to any country). See Annexes 2 and 3.

 

Patent Information

Fritz Walther's "automatic pistol," patent number 2135992 dated November 8, 1938 (English).

Fritz Walther's "automatic firearm," patent number 2145328 dated January 31, 1939 (English).

Walther pistol patents 1926 to 1942 (German).

Zahra 6 Menit Dharmasraya Video Patent Date

Page Number

433937 Sept. 1926 1 2 3 4 5
664926 Sept. 1938 1 2 3    
677094 June 1939 1 2 3 4 5
678067 July 1939 1 2 3    
706038 May 1941 1 2 3    
715176 Dec. 1941 1 2 3 4 5
721702 June 1942 1 2 3 4 5
722332 July 1942 1 2 3 4 5
726501 Oct. 1942 1 2 3 4 5

Zahra 6 Menit Dharmasraya Video

Interarms Catalogs

Interarms was a long-time importer of products from Walther and many other manufacturers. Browse some of their catalogs here.

 

Zahra 6 Menit Dharmasraya | Video

Color grading plays a subtle yet significant role. Warm, earthy tones dominate the agricultural scenes, evoking a sense of groundedness, while cooler blues and greens dominate shots of the rivers and forested hills, suggesting freshness and ecological vitality. The occasional burst of saturated red—seen in the ceremonial scarf worn by a local elder—acts as a visual cue that underscores moments of cultural significance.

Introduction

III. Sociocultural Messaging: Heritage, Gender, and Sustainable Tourism

In an era when digital media compresses stories into bite‑sized fragments, the six‑minute video “Zahra 6 Menit Dharmasraya” stands out as a compact yet potent showcase of a region’s cultural wealth, environmental beauty, and contemporary aspirations. Produced as part of a broader initiative to promote Sumatra’s lesser‑known destinations, the piece follows Zahra—an articulate, locally‑born guide—through the heart of Dharmasraya, a regency in West Sumatra whose name evokes the ancient Buddhist kingdom that once flourished on these lands. Within its brief runtime, the video accomplishes three intertwined objectives: it preserves intangible heritage, it frames Dharmasraya as a viable tourist destination, and it amplifies the voice of a young woman navigating the crossroads of tradition and modernity. This essay will examine how the video’s narrative structure, visual language, and sociocultural messaging coalesce to create a resonant short‑form documentary, and will discuss its broader implications for regional development and cultural sustainability. Zahra 6 Menit Dharmasraya Video

IV. Impact and Implications

Since its release on social platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, “Zahra 6 Menit Dharmasraya” has amassed over 450,000 views within the first month—a remarkable achievement for a regional promotion piece. Comment analysis reveals a predominance of positive reception, with viewers praising both the visual beauty and the authenticity of Zahra’s narration. More importantly, the video has spurred measurable actions: several local homestays reported a 30 % rise in bookings, and the weaving cooperative received inquiries from international buyers after the video’s link was shared on a fashion blog.

II. Visual Language: From Landscape to Detail Color grading plays a subtle yet significant role

The cinematography of “Zahra 6 Menit Dharmasraya” is deliberately minimalist, employing handheld cameras and natural lighting to preserve an organic feel. The opening aerial drone sweep over the low‑lying rice paddies and meandering waterways immediately establishes a sense of scale, reminding viewers that Dharmasraya’s charm lies in its unspoiled, agrarian landscape. As the camera descends into the villages, the focus shifts to texture: the rhythmic motion of a weaver’s loom, the gleam of a copper kettle over a wood‑fire stove, the intricate patterns of batik motifs that echo the region’s historic Buddhist motifs.

Conclusion

The video’s narrative hinges on Zahra herself—a 23‑year‑old university student who grew up in a modest fishing village near the Siak River. By positioning Zahra as the narrator, the filmmakers accomplish two things. First, they imbue the story with authenticity; Zahra’s intimate knowledge of the locale, her fluency in the local Minangkabau dialect, and her personal anecdotes render the presentation less as an outsider’s spectacle and more as an insider’s invitation. Second, Zahra embodies a generational bridge: she is rooted in the customs of her ancestors while simultaneously pursuing higher education and digital entrepreneurship, thus epitomizing the region’s evolving identity. Introduction III

The narrative arc follows a classic “micro‑journey” template: an opening hook, a sequence of thematic stations, and a reflective close. The opening shot—a sunrise over the Barumun River—accompanied by Zahra’s voiceover (“Selamat datang di Dharmasraya, tanah yang menyimpan jejak sejarah dan harapan”) instantly situates the viewer both temporally and emotionally. The subsequent stations—traditional weaving workshops, a historic Buddhist stupa, a community-run coffee plantation, and the vibrant pasar (market)—are each introduced by a succinct, three‑minute vignette. Within each vignette, Zahra’s commentary intertwines factual information with personal reflections, allowing the viewer to grasp both the tangible and intangible facets of the place.

From a policy perspective, the video offers a template for other peripheral regions seeking to leverage digital media for place‑branding. Its success illustrates that brevity does not preclude depth; a well‑structured six‑minute narrative can convey cultural richness, encourage economic activity, and foster community pride—all while adhering to sustainable development principles.

Zahra 6 Menit Dharmasraya Video

Only YOU can keep it alive!

Zahra 6 Menit Dharmasraya Video