Walther PP Markings

[Hellboy]

I recently acquired a Walther PP with a very professionally stamped inscription on the front grip strap. The top line reads SA der NSDAP (I think) and the bottom line right under it reads Gruppe Nordsee. The gun is a 990xxx serial number range. I think this stamping/inscription probably has some significance to it but I don't know what it is. Can anyone explain this? Mark

[mike ford]

Hellboy,
If the markings are genuine, they do have significance. I think our member,Axel (Ask Axel) would be the one to help you with this. Maybe he will speak out soon.
Mike

[C. Roger Bleile]

Hellboy,

SA is the abbreviation for Sturmabteilung (Storm Detachment more commonly known as "the brown shirts") and NSDAP is the abbreviation for Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (National Socialist German Workers' Party more commmonly known as the NAZI party). Gruppe Nordsee translates as North Sea group. There should be proofmarks on the pistol including waffenampt acceptance marks. They look like a tiny eagle with a number underneath.

If genuine, the pistol (in good condition) may be quite valuable to Walther collectors and collectors of NAZI era items. The key words are if genuine. There is no area of collecting more filled with fakes, forgeries, and fraud than NAZI memorabelia. Some of the fakes are over 50 years old. Those who collect NAZI items need to have an encyclopedic knowledge of the subject and even then sometimes get burned. That is one reason I have never been interested in collecting WWII German military guns along with the stigma of Naziism. I should add that the GGCA is interested in Germanic sporting firearms though some members may also have an interest in military arms.

To have a better idea of what you have and its value you would need to post sharply fucused, detail photos of all markings on the gun.

Regards,
Roger

[mike ford]

Hellboy,
In addition to Roger's comments, the SA was formed in 1921 to protect Nazi meetings and stir up trouble for other parties(communists).After the Nazis took over there was interparty unrest with the SA leader Ernst Roehm wanting to take over the army.This resulted in "the night of the long knives" in 1934, where Roehm and others were taken out and the functions were taken over by the SS.Therefore, if your pistol has serial number or other features that show later manufacture, you may want to have a closer examination done. That said, I am a poor enough source of infomation for sporting guns and certainally not on military. Other sites may be better able to help you.
Mike

[Jim Cate]

The vast majority of the SA marked pistols (Walther, Sauer, etc.) do not have Waffenamt acceptance markings. There are numerous known SA Walther PPs that are Nordsee property marked. I believe your serial number would put the pistol in the 1936/37 production era. Regards, Jim Cate