Walther P38: Difference between revisions

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[[Category:Weapons]]
[[Category:Weapons of Vietnam]]
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|[[File:Flag_vc_new.png|50px]]<br><strong>[[VC]]</strong>|| [[File:P38.png|512px]]<br><b>[[Walther P38]]</b> || [[File:Weapon p38.svg|512px]] || <b>Everyone Except Sniper<br> || 8[[+1]] / 16
|[[File:Flag_vc_new.png|50px]]<br><strong>[[VC]]</strong>|| [[File:P38.png|512px]]<br><b>[[Walther P38]]</b> || [[File:Weapon p38.svg|512px]] || <b>Everyone Except Sniper<br> || 8[[+1]] / 14
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|28||×2.4 = 67.2||×1.6 = 44.8||×1.5 = 42||×1.15 = 32.2||×1.15 = 32.2||2.3 Seconds||2.9 Seconds
|29||×2.4 = 69.6||×1.6 = 74.2||×1.5 = 43.5||×1.15 = 33.3||×1.15 = 33.3||2.3 Seconds||2.9 Seconds
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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.
The Walther P38 is a German semi-automatic pistol chambered in [[9×19mm Parabellum]]. It introduced a double-action/single-action (DA/SA) trigger with a decocking safety lever on a locked-breech service pistol, features that influenced many later handguns. The P38 is best known as the Wehrmacht’s standard replacement for the [[Luger P08]] during World War II.
=HISTORY=
==HISTORY==
Due to the high production cost of the Luger P08, Germany sought a replacement in 1927, selecting the Walther P38 in 1938. The P38 offered similar performance but was quicker to produce. Initially featuring a hidden hammer, the German Army requested an external hammer redesign. Accepted in 1938, prototype production began in late 1939 at Walther's Zella-Mehlis plant. Three series of "Test" pistols with a "0" serial number prefix were made, resolving issues by the third series. Mass production started in mid-1940. Experimental versions in .45 ACP and .38 Super were made but not mass-produced, while some 7.65×21mm Parabellum and .22 Long Rifle versions were sold.
Germany began seeking a replacement for the expensive, labor-intensive Luger in the late 1920s, eventually selecting Walther’s P38 after a series of trial and “test” pistols in the late 1930s. Adopted in 1938 and entering mass production in 1940, the P38 used a short-recoil system with a locking block, allowing faster production than the P08 while providing modern features such as a decocking safety and a loaded-chamber indicator.
<br>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walther_P38 SOURCE]
 
After World War II, large numbers of P38 pistols were captured, rebuilt, and redistributed, and the design continued in postwar forms (including French manufacture at Manurhin and later German P1 variants). Because of this wide postwar circulation, P38 pistols and related variants occasionally appeared far beyond Europe as surplus or captured sidearms, especially where older stocks remained in service for secondary roles.
 
===Sources===
* [https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/1500083347 Imperial War Museums – The Walther P-38 pistol (collection entry)]
* [https://royalarmouries.org/collection/object/object-20140 Royal Armouries – Centrefire self-loading military pistol: Walther Model P.38 (collection entry)]
* [https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/rmgc-object-221950 Royal Museums Greenwich – Walther P38 pistol (collection entry)]
* [https://www.ospreypublishing.com/us/walther-pistols-9781472850805/ Osprey Publishing – ''Walther Pistols: PP, PPK and P 38'']
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<div class="mw-collapsible" style="border:1px solid #ccc; padding:5px; width:100%;">
<gallery mode="packed" heights="400px">
  <div style="text-align:center; font-weight:bold;">Real-Life Photos</div>
File:P33338.jpg
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File:Walther-p38-svw45-gray-ghost-9mm-pr61139.jpg
    <gallery mode="packed" heights="400px">
File:P38lede.jpg
File:P33338.jpg|Walther P38 pistol.
File:Z53221A 47284.jpg
File:Walther-p38-svw45-gray-ghost-9mm-pr61139.jpg|Postwar “Gray Ghost”-style P38/P1 variant.
File:P38lede.jpg|Walther P38, profile view.
File:Z53221A 47284.jpg|Walther P38, detail view.
File:P38vietnam.jpg|Vietnam: L Co Ranger with a chrome P38.
File:P38vietnam.jpg|Vietnam: L Co Ranger with a chrome P38.
File:P38Field.jpg|Officers of the PAVN during field maneuvers. They are visibly carrying Walther P38 pistols.
File:P38Field.jpg|Officers of the PAVN during field maneuvers carrying Walther P38 pistols.
File:Anatomy-p38.png|[https://www.candrsenal.com/product/anatomy-german-pistol-walther-p38-2/ Buy a print of this here]
File:Anatomy-p38.png|[https://www.candrsenal.com/product/anatomy-german-pistol-walther-p38-2/ Anatomy of the Walther P38 (print)]
</gallery>
    </gallery>
 
  </div>
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Latest revision as of 06:33, 25 February 2026

Factions Weapon Icon Classes Ammo

VC
Walther P38		 Everyone Except Sniper
 8+1 / 14
Damage Base Headshot × Chest × Stomach × Leg × Arm × Reload Speed
Partial Empty
29 ×2.4 = 69.6 ×1.6 = 74.2 ×1.5 = 43.5 ×1.15 = 33.3 ×1.15 = 33.3 2.3 Seconds 2.9 Seconds
Designation Weapon Type Fire Modes Fire Rate Bullet Spread ° Range Modifier Muzzle Velocity Projectile weight Weight
P38 Pistol Semi 50 RPM 6.31° & 2.29° ADS 0.75 315 m/s 6.1 g (94.13 gr) 0.737 kg (1.625 lbs)
Full name Caliber Place of Origin Date Manufacturer Barrel Length Total Length Weapon Script Name
Walther P38 9x18mm Nazi Germany 1939 Carl Walther Waffenfabrik,
Mauser Werke,
Spreewerk		 4.9 in (125 mm) 8.5 in (216 mm) weapon_p38


The Walther P38 is a German semi-automatic pistol chambered in 9×19mm Parabellum. It introduced a double-action/single-action (DA/SA) trigger with a decocking safety lever on a locked-breech service pistol, features that influenced many later handguns. The P38 is best known as the Wehrmacht’s standard replacement for the Luger P08 during World War II.

HISTORY

Germany began seeking a replacement for the expensive, labor-intensive Luger in the late 1920s, eventually selecting Walther’s P38 after a series of trial and “test” pistols in the late 1930s. Adopted in 1938 and entering mass production in 1940, the P38 used a short-recoil system with a locking block, allowing faster production than the P08 while providing modern features such as a decocking safety and a loaded-chamber indicator.

After World War II, large numbers of P38 pistols were captured, rebuilt, and redistributed, and the design continued in postwar forms (including French manufacture at Manurhin and later German P1 variants). Because of this wide postwar circulation, P38 pistols and related variants occasionally appeared far beyond Europe as surplus or captured sidearms, especially where older stocks remained in service for secondary roles.

Sources

Real-Life Photos
  • Walther P38 pistol.
    Walther P38 pistol.
  • Postwar “Gray Ghost”-style P38/P1 variant.
    Postwar “Gray Ghost”-style P38/P1 variant.
  • Walther P38, profile view.
    Walther P38, profile view.
  • Walther P38, detail view.
    Walther P38, detail view.
  • Vietnam: L Co Ranger with a chrome P38.
    Vietnam: L Co Ranger with a chrome P38.
  • Officers of the PAVN during field maneuvers carrying Walther P38 pistols.
    Officers of the PAVN during field maneuvers carrying Walther P38 pistols.
  • Anatomy of the Walther P38 (print)
    Anatomy of the Walther P38 (print)
Videos
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