Actually German Officers would've had to purchase their own pistols, and most commonly chose the P38 because it was cheaper than the Luger, and generally believed to be more reliable.

Here in India, they weren’t depicted much in films, but they were a mainstay in detective novels and police crime thrillers. Nothing showed the class of the criminal as much as him brandishing a Luger.

The Luger pistol in 45 ACP almost became the standard issue pistol for the US military instead of the Colt M1911. It was tested at the 1907 US Army pistol trials but the gun was rejected because it had reliability issues with the US ammunition. The Army asked for DWM to come back with an improved version that could fire the American ammo but DWM declined because they were at full capacity making Lugers for the Swiss and German militaries.

I know the browning Hi-Power doesn't show up in a lot (or any) WW2 movies to my knowledge but it would be pretty cool to see what I think is one of the most underappriciated WW2 sidearms.

Fun Fact: The Netherlands were the third nation to adopt the Luger in 1912. Interestingly, the Japanese captured many Dutch Luger pistols in the Far East and put them in service.

Thanks, Johnny, for the nice video featuring my favorite pistol! It drove me crazy when watching a WW-1 era movie when the officer realized that his Luger was empty by hearing a "click" when he pulled the trigger rather than the toggle locking open. 👍😎

I’m not sure why it’s so associated with Nazis. By then, they were mostly using the p38. The Luger would be the most common in WW1

Hopefully we'll see you cover The C96, The Iconic WW1 Era Pistol that turned into a weapon welded by a famous Smuggler from a Galaxy Far Far Away.

In Band of Brothers when the German colonel surrendered his pistol to Major Winters, Winters in real life accepted it and held on to it until the day he passed. He also never fired it, plus the real pistol was a Walther PP not a Luger as portrayed in BoB

Here in Brazil, Luger and Walther are the most common weapons among collectors, as ours Pracinhas have captured many of them in Italy.

Since you asked for our knowledge, I am gonna contribute with mine. At 5:42 the blonde bombshell is Anna Semenovich, a hot Russian who used to be part of the hot Russian group Blestyashchiye and before that she was an ice-skater. The Brazilian Army purchased 5,000 Luger pistols around 1907, chambered for 7.65mm and 120mm-barrels. Private purchases also occured, with the infamous bandits of the outback - Cangaceiros - being the biggest users. The most infamous of all, dubbed "Lampião", was inseparable from his Parabellum (as it was called in Brazil). In the photograph of the exposed heads of his gang, there are 8 Lugers on display as trophies taken by the police. Portugal was also an enthusiastic user of the Luger and it was still in service in Angola up to the 1970's. In the Brazilian veteran's association in São Paulo there was a Luger, captured in Italy, but someone broke in and stole it. Nothing else was stolen, only the Luger, so it was a collector who knew what he was looking for.

one correction: The Luger was not more sensitive to dirt or sand/mud than other pistols of the time. in fact, the tight tolerances made it difficult for grime to enter the gun when it was closed. Ian Mcollum from Forgotten Weapons made a very nice mud test here on youtube

My great uncle captured 5 German soldiers, towards the end of the war, that were hiding in a root cellar. Upon disarming them, he had in his possession a Luger and a P-38. When he met back up with the rest of his outfit, he gave his lieutenant the Luger and he kept the P-38. He was later wounded and briefly captured by the Germans (an interesting story within itself).

Captain/Major Winters: “You may keep your sidearm Colonel” - I love the mutual respect.

Other than some rare exceptions like the Panzerfaust, the phrase "over-engineered" seems to work it's way into discussion on almost any German weapon.

My great grandfather got a Walther P-38 from a dead German officer or something along those lines, and passed it on to my dad. We just recently got to fire it at a shooting range, and I love the thing.

Nice I just watched Anzacs the war down under. Hadn't seen it since it was on TV back in the 80's. Amazing what you find on KZfaq.

You've gotta love that smooth toggle-action and light trigger pull

I re a trait member the late Luger that my Dad brought back from WW2. It was full of tool marks from rushed production and lower standards but it worked well, The Luger has a natural balance (at least in my hands) The Glock also has that "right for the hand" feel. Pointing the Luger is as easy as pointing your finger.

Love the Luger, nice to see it get the spotlight!

GI’s in WW2 called all German handguns Lugers in the same way that many people call all earswabs Q-Tips. The handgun that Hoobler found, and accidentally killer himself with, was a .32 Browning. As a collector, with 15 Lugers of my own, I have on several occasions met with people who have pulled out Granpa’s “Luger” only to be disappointed to learn that a P38 is a cool war trophy but it is not a Luger.

I loved the video, Johnny. Some observations: the original Luger P-08 had a 5" barrel, but the terms of the treaty of Versailles forbade the Germans from making anything over 4". Lugers had to be hand-fitted and thus were slow to make. Dirt will clog up most guns, but the tight tolerances may have kept dirt out, too. The few Wehrmacht veterans I spoke to about their guns praised the Luger highly. I have a WW-2 issue, and a 1980s last-gasp, Luger. Both are reliable, accurate guns. (I am actually a P-38 junkie.) My buddy who used a captured Luger in the 82nd Airborne in WW-2 said that an average marksman could drop a man at 100 yards with one. I guess he'd done it. Now, let's see the Broomhandle video. --Old Guy

Very nicely done video. I own two WW1 Luger P08's, both in the .30 Luger caliber. I found the disassembly to be rather complicated, but I did shoot one of them with modern PPU ammunition. The sight picture is not ideal, but the ergonomics are excellent, and it is surprisingly soft shooting. Accurate too.

i got this pistol as a replica, i love this gun since my first time seeing it! it feels so good in my hand thank you again, Johnny!

I finally got my Parabellum Pistol 1908, a DWM 1914/1920 Treaty of Versailles overstamp, when I retired in 2008.

The part when the Brit in German uniform shows the American the Luger is absolutely hilarious. “Yeah it’s pucker innit?” “What?” “Aye?” 😂😂💀

Judging from the InRange mud test on the Luger, the Luger actually has excellent tolerances.

2:28 I've always thought it was funny how the actor goes to pull back on the slide like it were a regular pistol and then catches himself before switching to pull on the tabs at the back XD

Love your videos! The Luger and other side arms were issued not by rank but by roles. For one example an MG gunner was issued a sidearm.

Had a palm sized version of die cast metal as a cap gun years ago The Ruger mark 2 and up versions resemble this handgun. 👍👍 Thanks Johnny

The Luger P08 is probably my favourite handgun. I actually possess replicas of all three models (standard, Navy and Artillery) that have a really nice feel in the hand. I remember seeing it in a film where one character advises filing down .38 calibre bullets and forcing them into the breech in lieu of actual 9mm ammunition; nearly had a conniption at that scene because that would be more likely to make the gun explode rather than successfully fire.

Love that scene of the Joker casually pulling what must be a Boys Anti-Tank Revolver out of his pants

Awsome video! Comprehensive information along with a suprisingly versatile collection of movies and media. The former is very helpful in cementing the cultural impact of the weapon! The touches of humor were also a very nice touch!

My carry weapon is a P08 made in 1914. It was turned in and after the great war converted to 30 luger caliber per the treaty. It fires an 85 grain bullet at about 1250 f/s and is easily one of the most accurate weapons I own.

Outstanding video and presentation.

YESSSSS!!!! Someone finally remembered that Layer Cake exists! One of, if not my favourite movies of all time. I desperately wish that more people watch this movie, it is so perfect. Also InRangeTV mud tested a Luger a few years ago and thoroughly debunked the myth that the Luger is finicky and sensitive to conditions. The Luger actually did better in the mud test than some modern pistols like the Glock 19.

Thanks for the Lucerne video Johnny and for including the clip of the actor Paul Hogan who was to go on and play 'Crocodile Dundee's in which he preferred the knife.

An interesting note about Hoobler in BoB is that in real life it wasn't actually a Luger he acquired and which killed him later. It was a belgian pistol used by the germans.

I had to laugh a lot when I saw the scene from "Where Eagles dare" (1968), the essential part with Major Von Hapen has unfortunately been cut out by you.😂😅🦅

YES! thanks for the video!

There's an old Gundam 0080 scene I'm suprised I didn't see here. Main character absolutely cleans house in a facility using a supressed luger with a snail drum

I think the luger gets used, so much, because it is so recognizable. My uncle brought back a Walther P38 from WWII. A fascinating weapon with a double action. It was used in the "Man from U.N.C.L.E" series.

I believe "that Aussie soldier" in the Anazac's movie is Paul Hogan. At the time he was more so a comedian than an actor.

Absolutely iconic, elegant, aesthetically pleasing and perfect for a collector! From what I've heard, they are generally very functionally effective pistols too, however there is something that I just don't like. I think it's probably the long skinny barrel that looks like it could bend if it got knocked against something. Given a choice, I'd go for the Browning Hi Power instead.

My brother owned a Michell Arms Luger "Artillery" model clone, in stainless. It never worked well, magazine fit was horrific. By the time I had learned anything on how to get it working, he had gone 1911....A family tradition, as all cowboys from the mountains of Mexico carry one....Follwed by Browning Hi Powers.

The Luger detachable stock was a common option in the first years of commercial production: Commercial Luger Carbines (with barrel lengths of up to 13"/330mm ) with the wooden forends often had a wooden shoulder stock/ holder similar to the Mauser. Though similar in appearance and identical in function, the Luger and Mauser stocks were not interchangeable (in fact, the mounting systems used were keyed opposite to one another). Military "Artillery" Model Lugers with the 8" barrels were fielded with a much simpler shoulder plank wood, and the holster feature was often a leather holster laced/attached to the stock plank.

Borchardt and Luger were also precursors for SMG's. There existed small amounts of full auto Borchardts which later inspired full auto Artillery Lugers in WW1. Those were fitted 32 round snail mags which were later fitted to MP18s.

My grandfather had a P08 when he was in the Wehrmacht. At the end of the war he threw it into a well so that it would not be collected by some brits. He also had a 6.35 pocket pistol. When I remember correctly the Luger was used by the GDR (East Germany) police officers till 1956.

One feature of the Luger is that when a round is chambered, the extractor extends above the top surface and is marked "Geladen" (Loaded). In movies, one rarely sees it, unless the weapon is actually to be fired, having a round chambered. (Another quirk is that the upper will still fire a chambered round when separated from the frame, if squeezed where the side plate normally fits). I read of one case where an owner made that fatal error while attempting to clean his Luger.

The Luger is a brilliant firearm providing you maintain it properly and it's perfect for introducing people to shooting

The p08 is a lovely pistol to shoot, although not to load! The one I have fired most often, which belonged to my great uncle, is chambered in 30 Luger. It is extremely accurate, light recoiling and all lugers are naturally pointing pistols. I do wish they would reintroduced a modern variant in the $1,200 us range.

Very nice video on the Luger Johnny

Right on. Great video

You know it'll be a good day when jhonny jhonson uploads.

Ahh the luger. Love seeing it both in movies and games. Even some anime has one

7:21 The Luger P08 and the Colt 1911 got excellent results in Ian McCollum's mud test. They just kept firing regardless of how much mud they were exposed to. The Glock on the other hand failed miserably and completely locked up immediately becoming totally unuseable. It wasn't even possible to field strip it. So if you find yourself in a muddy trench go with the old ones, they won't let you down.

Hermann Göring reached level 100, unlocking the prestige Luger skin.

Once saw a silver plated Luger with engraved iron crosses at a gun show once. It was selling for $37,000

The Finn officer in the film "The unknown soldier 2017" is holding a luger but most likely he would be holding a Lahti pistol which is very similar in appearance to a Luger.Probably it was easier for the producers to find a Luger than a more rare Lahti.

I think it’s more the gun profile (with only the bare barrel sticking out front) that makes it perceived as a villain gun. It’s doesn’t have be a Luger, Mauser C96, Walther P38, or even a Nambu pistol in media though perhaps that idea may stemmed from those guns.

I am always reminded of poor Hubler and his quest for the Luger! Love the RDR2 clip learned something, but I am still going to use the broom handle Mauser in game!

There are a lot of weird details, that could be still added. Someone compared contemporary pieces and found the Luger MORE reliable in dirt than the early 1911, but you can't shoot it without goggles, as the lever throws all the dirt in your face! The Americans were so impressed by the gun that they ordered the company to develop a version for 45 ACP. It wasn't fully servicable when the trials came, which gave it the reputation of being unreliable. Similarly, it took ages to adjust the MG42 to 7.62mm NATO. Temporarily, they even gave up despite both cartridges being so similar! The artillery Luger was named so because it was issued to the artillery branch. At the time, they weren't carrying rifles or SMGs and thus found themselves badly outranged when soldiers closed in. You could see their version as the first (compact) personal defense weapon (this concept usually is associated with MP7 and P90!) The Luger parts are not interchangeable! The tight tolerances are not in mass production, but individual guns. This means that the mass produced parts were hand adjusted and finely tuned to work together. This made production and repair a nightmare! For a custom sport pistol it would be almost normal, but a military gun??? The reason seems to be that the production line was still semi manual and thus highly inaccurate.

The Luger is one of the first firearms I can think of with a mounted flashlight. It's interesting that this concept disappeared for something like 50 years. Nowadays, practically every firearm can mount a light.

Funny you put new kids turbo in here. Love from the netherlands!

Another great video, thanks Johnny. And a few movies I have not seen. I have a Stoeger Luger made in Hackensack New Jersey of all places! It's a .22 cal. pistol and part of my German collection. Supposedly the same look and feel of a 9 mm or 7.62 Luger. Requires the best ammo as it has a tendency to jam. Thanks for an entertaining and informative video. Since you live in a really cold province, how about a recap of war movies and snow? There are a ton of them. PS, love all your subscribers' comments!

I've had the privilege of handing and firing a 1915 dwm luger with all parts having matching serial numbers. Great firing pistol.

Best a luger ever looked in a film would be on Oddball I reckon. Kellys heroes

I own a 1939 Mouser Luger P08. It's a nice handling pistol and shoots well. My only complaint is ejected spent casings are erratic some landing atop my head!

They were sought after trophies.....however the axis used a staggering variety of pistols, from pocket models to service types from many source nations.

Good pistols and they can always still be found anywhere at anyplace as well

Luger meets mud! kzfaq.info/get/bejne/sMV5mKSSt5ulnYk.html

It just fit so comfortable in your hand.

Charlie’s Angels (2000) also has one scene with a Luger P08, where it was wielded by The Thin Man, played by Crispin Glover. He’s bad ass on that film!

I like the luger, it looks cool and small. And the barrel look awesome

I still remember back in the late 70s sitting by a friend with another friend of his sitting at the same table. He was an art major and they showed a Luger as an example of something that is both lethal and beautiful in a art book. Art majors are not known for being gun guys, but the Luger is an exception. Also Jim Morrison girlfriend collected Lugers.

Back in the 1990s, I got to fire a 1917 Luger pistol. It was very accurate, but occasionally the toggle mechanism would stay open even though there were still rounds in the magazine. We kept the range to about 30 metres, though it could well have been accurate out further.

There is a very in depth series of videos on the Luger on Forgotten Weapons. It starts with the Borchard.

The c93 borchardt is one of the most beautiful pistols I've ever seen. Yes it's mechanically complicated and the p08 is a superior refinement, but I would absolutely love to own a c93. Or two. With shoulder socks of course!

now i want to see mauser!

... I think the Germans ,preferred the latter modern P38 replacement. But the luger was still issued alongside,as mentioned!.

I love my Luger pistol (DWM 1920's commercial production).

before anyone says it - NO mechanism was going up and down so fast you wouldn't notice it even if you tired to shoot in a "tacticool" way also bullet casings wouldn't go to your eyes just like they didn't with p38, nambu, beretta or ppsh

Besides the Lugers you show are a couple not seen outside of books or magazine articles: The more famous being the Artillery Luger with wooden holster/stock and the Snail drum magazine. I forget if it was supposed to be Fully Automatic, but it sure LOOKED like it! I doubt you'd see it in any but First War movies.

If there is one appearence of the lugger Johnny forgot is its appearence in the G1 transformers series of 1984 where it was the alternate mode of Megatron

Great video!

There was a scene in one of my favorite anime series, Black Lagoon where Two Guns Revy encounters a Nazi who was so full of himself, he starts going on and on about how exemplary his gold Luger is, that Revy just shoots him with her fancy Berretta and says "what were you trying to do, trying to *sell* me the damn thing?" Funny scene. 🤣🤣🤣

Smoll Brain: "That's a fat ass" Big Brain: 2:42

The luger was also used in Rogue One (Jyn Erso's side arm)

I worked at an auction house that sold some for $1500 each. Pretty cool seeing real war time ones

Star Wars: Rogue One also used blasterised Lugers.

Bravo.thenks

Fun Fact: Exists a .45 version of the luger for the 1907 trails for the U.S cavalry and army Fun fact: The "Artillery Luger" had a strange "Snail drum magazine" wich carried over 32 or 32(+1) rounds, much later this magazine was used in the MP18, 1 submachine gun Fun Fact: between 1900 and 1906 was created a carbine version of the luger, with a wooden handle at the front Fun Fact: also existed sort of a rifle version of the luger desing commoly known by the battlefield fans as: "SELBSTLADER 1906"

The platinum-ivory designs were actually in Göring's collection, but that's just nitpicking... Your videos are solid, keep it up

I collect Lugers and C96 Mausers. When the great war ended many Lugers were converted to 7,65 Parabellum (30 Luger). My carry weapon was once an artillery Luger (1914) in 9mm. It's now in 7,65. I hope you make a video on the C96 Mauser. If ever I can be of assistance in such, please let me know.

It's inevitable that the M3 a1/Grease Gun must have its own list! Lol Regardless I love every single videos you make, learning about if it was common or not whats popular for weapons, such as the luger. Makes me more intrigued keep it up!!

Just for side note to everyone: Borchardt C-93 appears as main pistol of Lt. Tsurumi in Golden Kamuy. If anybody is interested anime has a lot of homage to guns that could be found in early 20th centenary and there is even cameo of Lt. general Arisaka of all people (the designer of most famed/inflames Arisaka series of rifles and many more things for Japanese arsenal).

In Wall Street (1987) Gordon Gekko shows off "the rarest handgun in the world," a .45 Luger. 5:10 Trophy-hunting soldiers better be careful. It's fairly common to rig booby-traps and bombs under discarded weapons, desks, boxes, etc.

Funfact: The Luger/Parabellum 04/08 are very dust and dirt resistent as long as theyre not thrown into it with the knee joint left open (like when u fall in it while running reloading it for example). This is a good thing of thos very small tolerances cuz the dirt have nearly no chance to even get into the gun. Didnt believe it myself until ive seen it myself.

Funny thing is Japanese officers carry Lugers in the Korean-Drama TV show “Mr. Sunshine”, btw take place in Korea leading to the Japanese annexation in 1910. I say “funny” because my thought was “How did a Japanese officer get his hand on a Luger? Come on! How many Asians or people in Asia own a German (semi-automatic) pistol (other than Mauser C96)?” Of course, there are least two explanations: 1. Historically inaccuracy. Or 2. Private purchase. But still, worldwide shipping can’t be that common as we have UPS, FedEx, and Amazon today. And newer guns are often harder to buy. You know, low production and supply and regulations. As you already know, the Mauser C96 was made before the Luger and massive-produced and sold around the world. In other word, you’d find more Mauser C96s than Lugers in the earlier 20th century. Another funny thing is, guns often represent the country they are made from or used in service, if not still today but more commonly perceive in the old days. I wouldn’t carry an enemy weapon if I were in either World War unless I’m desperate during battle. I might be mistaken for an enemy soldier, infiltrator, spy, or even a collaborator. Again in “Mr. Sunshine,” a Korean politician was carrying a Nambu pistol. What the **** is a Korean minister carrying a Japanese pistol? Maybe he bought it, from the Japanese? No right-minded Korean would buy anything remotely Japanese during that time unless they force to for necessity. Spoiler alert: he’s a collaborator; a sellout! I know it’s somewhat an old stereotype of what people uses which guns. I mean, there’s standard issue and politics behind them at the time.

They used the luger in mice and men staring Gary Sinise and the 1941 film featuring Gary Cooper as sgt york