Welcome to ALPS
Information, photos, references, and trivia on the WW2 Walther P.38 and post-war P38 pistol. If you wish to link to this page, please link only to the main page, not sub-pages or documents. Please do not rip off my PDF files or pictures for your own site. Thanks.
Updated 20 Feb 2014 17:33 -0800
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Most Recent updates:
Two more "BTH12" pistols have been reported. See "BTH12" under "Pistols"
Added "When was my post-war pistol made?" to "Information"
Added another late date AC frame pistol to "Pistols"
Added some late war pistols to "Pistols"
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Post-war volume I Post-war parts gun, two guns in .30 Luger, and a high-polish gun. |
Late date AC frame variation. Warren Buxton calls these the '"oddballs of oddballs." Who made these - and when? |
byf44 FN slide. |
Post-war volume II P38 surplus, P1 surplus, P38 commercial, and P4 surplus guns. |
| Consecutive serial number SVW-45s. | Consecutive serial number SVW-46s. | Post-war P38 in 7.65mm Parabellum. | East German P.38s. Reworked wartime ac40, ac44, and an East German manufactured gun. |
| Steel frame P38 from Earl's Repair Service. |
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Post-war
P.38 in 5.6mm
(.22 LR). Â |
A Zero series and "a" prefix Spreewerk reworked for use in post-war East Germany. |
| The Czechoslovakian Vz46. |
byf44 police issue
with British markings. Â |
Commemorative "100 Jahre" P38 marking the 100th year anniversary of Walther. | Unknown BTH12 marking on several P.38s. |
| Norwegian military surplus P38. | Mixmaster P.38 with WW2 German, East German, Czech, and British markings. | The ultra-rare "ac no-date" - and how to spot a fake. |
Some things you can
do to a P.38. Please don't! WARNING: disturbing! |
| French Mausers 1945 to 1946. | Gotterdammerung - some pistols from the last months of the war. | Another version of the late date AC frame pistol. | Â |
Pistol Information
An excellent article by Peter Kokalis on the wartime P.38 pistol can be found here, and another article on the post-war P38 here.
My post-war pistol has no date or date code - about when was it manufactured? You can get a rough estimate based upon these observed pistols.
Need to replace a broken WW2 slide part with a post-war part, and don't know if the new part will fit? Read the slide part compatibility guide. Note: this information is intended as a guide only. I am not a gunsmith. If you do not have working knowledge of the P.38 pistol, consult a competent gunsmith before attempting to effect repairs to your P.38.
Over the long term, will oil cause bakelite grips to deteriorate? An attempt to find out starts here. And continues after one year... and finally ends at three plus years.
Atarian's quick reference magazine guide. Helps to identify which magazine is correct for your pistol.
Atarian's post-war reproduction and aftermarket grip guide. Some of the currently available non-World War II grips for the P.38.
Can a "dipped" pistol be "un-dipped?" The answer is yes, and quite successfully. Take a look at zero series cyq serial number 030.
What's that 13 digit number on my pistol and/or magazine?
Drawings and Manuals
P38 Owner's Manual  (multilingual - 4.8 MB). P38 Owner's Manual v2 (multilingual - 6.2 MB). P38 Operating Instructions (multilingual - 1.2 MB, source: Walther Germany). P38 Owner's Manual (1 MB, source: Interarms(?)). P38 Owner's Manual (edited for clarity - Thanks to Quentin for providing this).
German military drawings of the 9mm Patrone: page 1, page 2, page 3, and page 4.
P.38 manual from 1940 (German) - Thanks to Johan and Ron Clarin for providing this.
P.38 illustrated parts breakdown (German - 95KB, source: Walther Germany).
Explanation of the markings on a post-war P38/P1 (source: Federal Foreign Office – Division 241, Germany).
Time Wasters
Test your P.38 knowledge with the P.38 quiz!
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four (new!) |
Auction Antics - Fantastic stories and overpriced pistols:
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Most expensive P.38 ever listed (this was a typo...) |
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Second most expensive P.38 (...that this genius later referenced!) |
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Best story/crappiest p.38 ever? |
Articles and Advertisements
Information on the P.38 from the 2008 Walther catalog.
The Defense Intelligence Agency's Small Caliber Ammunition Identification Guide. German ammunition section (213kb) or the entire document (10.1Mb).
Small arms section of the Handbook on German Military Forces.
1964 Luger parts list and prices.
1964 P38 parts list and prices.
Pricing of Stoeger's Mod HPs and Lugers (1948).
1970 Interarms P38 advertisement.
Stoeger's guide to World War II pistols circa 1948 (page 1, page 2).
Miscellaneous
A baker's dozen of Walther post-war slide legend variations (this is far from all-inclusive).
Here's what a P.38 frame looks like before the machining process begins.
Is Walther still making the P.38?
Information Exchange Pursuant to the OSCE Document on Small Arms and Light Weapons 2003, 2008, 2010. Note in 2002 the United States was by far the largest importer of German "Revolvers and Self-Loading Pistols" with 1,040,985 imported (of 1,082,797 - the balance of 41,812 or about 4% going to 20 other countries), while the Germans destroyed only 5,666 "surplus" pistols. In 2009 the US imported none and 17,520 surplus pistols were destroyed (none were exported to any country). See Annexes 2 and 3.
Patent Information
Fritz Walther's "automatic pistol," patent number 2135992 dated November 8, 1938 (English).
Fritz Walther's "automatic firearm," patent number 2145328 dated January 31, 1939 (English).
Walther pistol patents 1926 to 1942 (German).
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Patent | Date |
Page Number |
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| 433937 | Sept. 1926 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 664926 | Sept. 1938 | 1 | 2 | 3 | Â | Â | |
| 677094 | June 1939 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 678067 | July 1939 | 1 | 2 | 3 | Â | Â | |
| 706038 | May 1941 | 1 | 2 | 3 | Â | Â | |
| 715176 | Dec. 1941 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 721702 | June 1942 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 722332 | July 1942 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 726501 | Oct. 1942 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
Interarms was a long-time importer of products from Walther and many other manufacturers. Browse some of their catalogs here.
The Hindi dubbed version of Kumbalangi Nights, titled Kumbalangi Nights 2019 1080p WEB-DL Hindi Dub, has gained significant traction online. The dubbed version has made the series accessible to a wider audience, allowing Hindi-speaking viewers to enjoy the show.
Kumbalangi Nights , released in 2019, stands as a landmark achievement in modern Indian cinema, specifically within the Malayalam film industry. Directed by Madhu C. Narayanan and written by Syam Pushkaran, the film is a poignant exploration of family, masculinity, and the human condition, set against the backdrop of the picturesque fishing village of Kumbalangi in Kerala.
For cinephiles and digital media enthusiasts, the structured title of the file conveys specific details about the viewing quality and source:
The film explores how men can care for each other without needing to be traditionally "macho." Kumbalangi.Nights.2019.1080p.WEB-DL.Hindi.Dub-K...
Sushin Shyam’s soundtrack and background score are considered among the best in Malayalam cinema. Songs like "Cherathukal" enhance the intimate and emotional tone of the film, making it an immersive experience. Analysis of the Hindi Dubbed Version (WEB-DL)
The original Malayalam version (with subtitles) is available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video . While dubbed versions like the one you mentioned exist on various web platforms, the original performances are highly recommended to capture the authentic nuance of the dialogue and setting.
Fahadh Faasil’s portrayal of Shammi is legendary. Shammi is the self-proclaimed "complete man"—a charming yet deeply terrifying anti-hero representing toxic masculinity and misogyny. His portrayal serves as a critical counterpoint to the vulnerability shown by the four brothers. 3. Aesthetics and Cinematography The Hindi dubbed version of Kumbalangi Nights, titled
The filename ends with -K... – likely missing:
While the original Malayalam version with English subtitles won hearts globally on streaming platforms like Amazon Prime Video, a vast segment of the Indian audience prefers watching cinema in Hindi.
Three thousand miles away, in a cramped apartment in Delhi, Rohan stared at the loading bar. He had never been to Kerala. He didn’t speak Malayalam. But he had heard of this "Kumbalangi"—a place where the water turned neon blue with bioluminescence and the houses breathed with the salt of the Arabian Sea. He hit 'Play' just as the sun began to set over the smoggy Delhi skyline. Directed by Madhu C
Kumbalangi Nights is not a film about brothers. It is a film about the failure of brotherhood as traditionally defined—competition, hierarchy, silence—and the slow, painful construction of an alternative: mutual vulnerability. The 1080p WEB-DL Hindi Dub version (your file) serves as a valuable accessibility tool, but the film’s true power lies in its visual and linguistic rootedness. It asks a radical question: What if the hero of a Malayalam film simply… stopped performing? And the answer is a masterpiece.
The film profoundly questions and deconstructs toxic masculinity. It shows how traditional patriarchal norms harm men, trapping them in cycles of violence and emotional isolation. It breaks the usual "hero" archetype: here, the "hero" is not a single, larger-than-life star, but a collective of flawed individuals who find strength in vulnerability and solidarity. The film's radical politics lie in how it redefines power dynamics between men and women, making "virtue" anarchic and "delinquents" the saviors.
Set in the idyllic, backwater-surrounded fishing village of Kumbalangi near Kochi, Kerala, the film revolves around four brothers—Saji (Soubin Shahir), Bonny (Sreenath Bhasi), Bobby (Shane Nigam), and Franky (Mathew Thomas). They live in a dilapidated, roofless house, representing their shattered familial ties and dysfunctional lives.
Outside Rohan’s window, the traffic honked and the heat was oppressive. But inside the glow of his monitor, he was fishing in the backwaters. He was learning that a home isn't built of bricks, but of the messy, broken people who decide to stay in it.
