UBB.threads Forums General Militaria Historic and Period Firearms Forum 1938 Walther PP Question

Here is my 1938 Walther PP. I have had this for over 30 years. I was wondering if any of the forum members know what the engraving on the strap means? Any help is much appreciated.
Thank you

Reichs Finance Ministry, inventory control number, and "W" specifying Walther model PP. The RFV marked Walthers were pistols in the RFV inventory issued to officials in Regional Finance Districts as designated by the Reichs Minister of Finance. There is no documentation of the number of PPs issued. While the RFV is generally thought of as the agency collecting taxes and customs duties, after the Nazi takeover, their offices and the Zollfahndungsdienst were enlisted to enforce the Nuremberg Laws by seeing that those Jews seeking emigration from Nazi Germany were limited in the funds they could take with them. And after the war started, RFM directives insured cooperation between RFV agencies and police and RSHA agencies.

Thank you Vern! Great info.

Glad to help

Great info Vern. And remember, those Walther PPKs marked with R.F.V. xxxxKW were only issued to those members of the Zollfahndungdienst. They were Customs detectives and they carried their PPKs in concealed holsters.

While the meaning of the "W" and "KW" markings after the RFV property number as indicating Walther or Kriminal Walther is only a theory, it is the most logical explanation of the markings. All other RFV weapons carry only a numerical inventory/property number. Only the new Walthers purchased by the RFV beginning in the early 1930s carry the letter(s) suffix after their respective inventory number, logically indicating the weapon was the recently purchased Walther pistol specifically designated for special distribution.