I never posted the lists of RSHA PPKs issued to the Einsatzgruppen that was found in German and US Archives. This list was part of the foundation of the original Red Book and its successive iterations in Black, Gold and Green. Following is the list of over 1000 PPKs supplied to the Einsatzgruppen assigned to folllow the invading Wehrmacht forces into Russia in the July of 1941. According to the documetation, over 1000 guns had been distributed through the Grenzpolizei School in Pretzsch. But no accounting of this distribution was made and forwarded to the RSHA arsenal.

As the RSHA arsenal never received a documented receipt for the pistols, in 1943 it requested of the Einsatzgruppen reports of the whereabouts of those pistols received by their units. The request of1943 to Einsatzgruppe C to account for the guns was finally answered by a letter shown in the last post. It was accompanied by the previous number/name list. The letter sent on April 2, 1944 came from the static Einsatzgruppe C of the Sicherheitspolizei in Lemberg, detailing those PPKs that had been issued about which they had information. By "static" I mean that after finishing their murderous job following the German army into the Soviet Union, these Einsatzgruppen became static police units centered in major cities in the east. EG C was centered in the city of Lemberg, the Polish city of Lvov in Eastern Galicia.So the Einsatzgruppen had retreated out of Russia to take up static positions.

The small list of several dozen guns were all that could be accounted for. Most of these PPK serial numbers and names are included in the Red Book, but if you go through the numbers listed you will find a dozen or so new numbers with issue names that can be added to your copy of the book.

The one handwritten notation that is difficult to decipher is " +306 476 ".

The original list from the RSHA arsenal.

Return cover letter from April 1944 with serial number list attempting to account for some of the delivered RSHA PPKs and First page.

Subsequent pages.

Close but no cigar? Well mayber I get one. Here is an RSHA issue PPK noted by the serial number appearing on the slide along with the frame. The serial number 301621 k would have been right after the two issued on the first list: 301619-301620 K. Not listed but returned by the vet in this RSHA issue shoulder holster with marking of an RSHA unit in Occupied Poland.

Curious about a PPK serial number beginning with 240. Any thoughts? Can't seem to find where this and to whom might have been issued. Thank you!

Mark, the first three digits of the serial number doesn't help much. Can you provide the full serial number? Are you thinking that the pistol was in the RSHA contract? Does it have the necessary characteristics?