Originally Posted by Vern
Ed, the letters were added to the end of the serial number in 1938. They used a "P" for the Model PP and a "K" for the PPK Model. Slides are marked "Zella-Mehlis (Thur)" on the pre-1945 examples. Carl Walther fled Germany in 1945 ahead of the red army. In 1952, he licensed a factory in France, Manufacture de Machines du Haut-Rhin, to produce the PP, PPK, and later, the PPK/s under the "Manurhin" label. The French firm stopped producing the "P" serial in 1986. Fritz Walther, Carl's son, began assembling "P" series pistols at the "Ulm/Do" factory in 1953 from parts produced in France. By 1956, all parts were being produced in Germany.............

A bit of an historical correction Vern. Carl Walther, the firm's namesake, died during WWI. He was succeeded in the management of the company by sons Fritz, Georg and Erich. Fritz was the master designer of the succession of models after WWI. He and his brothers and families were "escorted" out of the soon to be Red Army occupied Zella-Mehlis to the US occupied zone by US forces.

Last edited by JoeW; 01/09/2023 01:20 AM.
"This hobby is a continuing education"
Looking for Walther Model 8 #727649
and Walther PP #975557