Walther began manufacture at their plant in Zella-Mehlis and produced three series of 'Test' pistols, designated by a '0' prefix to the serial number. The P38 concept was accepted by the German military in 1938 but production of prototype ('Test') pistols did not begin until late 1939. The first designs submitted to the German Army featured a locked breech and a hidden hammer, but the Heer ( German Army) requested that it be redesigned with an external hammer. It was intended to replace the costly Luger P08, the production of which was scheduled to end in 1942. The Walther P38 (originally written Walther P.38) is a 9 mm semi-automatic pistol that was developed by Carl Walther GmbH as the service pistol of the Wehrmacht at the beginning of World War II.
Short recoil, hinged locking piece assisted breechblockġ,050 ft/s (320 m/s)
Carl Walther Waffenfabrik, Mauser Werke, Spreewerk
