A Closer Look at Walther P38 from the Vault

Designed to replace the iconic Luger as Germany’s new sidearm, the pistol that became the P-38 went on to have a much longer service life.

Engineered by a pair of Fritzes– Fritz Walther, the son of Walther founder Carl, and Fritz Barthelemes– just after their work on the company’s PP-series handgun, their new gun used a lot of then-novel developments. This included twin recoil springs housed on either side of the slide and a pivoting locking block on a fixed barrel. This design, mated to a double-action/single-action trigger, was unique at the time. Compared to the complex toggle action of the Luger, the Walther P-38 was simple and reliable.