Hermann Göring's Lugers

[Rick Lee]

This is worth 11:43 minutes of your time.

[sc_rufctr]

Thanks, excellent video. History is important.

Goering was one of the more interesting Nazi generals. He lost a lot of weight after he was arrested.
I didn't know had an anti Nazi brother. (That he protected)

One of those engraved pistols would have been the ultimate trophy for a young GI.

[astrochex]

Interesting he carried a western revolver around.

[shadowjack1]

That was worth the time. Thanks for sharing.

[UconnTim97]

Very interesting video. Thanks!

[GH85Carrera]

It is interesting he carried a Smith & Wesson revolver. What little I know about guns I do know that the 38 or 357 S&W revolver is a very reliable point and click works every-time gun. Why a top German would not carry a German gun is an interesting question.

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

It is interesting he carried a Smith & Wesson revolver. What little I know about guns I do know that the 38 or 357 S&W revolver is a very reliable point and click works every-time gun. Why a top German would not carry a German gun is an interesting question.

Once the Nazis got into power, after the riots and general chaos of the Weimar Rep., I doubt Göring was ever going to really need to use his sidearm. He was an avid hunter, so he probably had one on him then. But when in public, it had to be for show, not utility.

[pmax]

I bet that has been used to kill lots of innocent folks.

Please toss it into the furnace.

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by pmax

I bet that has been used to kill lots of innocent folks.

Please toss it into the furnace.

Looks like we have a real historian here.

[MRM]

That was a great video. Who is the guy in the video? He handles those guns so confidently and casually that he’s clearly a big figure in the collecting world. Big enough that someone sends him a previously undocumented one of ten Herman Goering presentation Lugers just so it can be put on YouTube. The platinum plated one will never tarnish, but shouldn’t he have been wearing gloves when he handled the silver one?

Does anyone know who had the guns during the war and how they came to the US? It would have been even more fun to hear some of the province of each gun.

[pmax]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

Looks like we have a real historian here.

Given the nature of the owner, I have little doubt the weapon has been used at least once if not more.

[herr_oberst]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

Looks like we have a real historian here.

Yeah, because Hermann Göring was just misunderstood, a victim of circumstance.

Those should be sold at auction with the clear understanding that the profit will be used for the Holocaust museum and these trinkets ceremoniously destroyed.

[varmint]

Originally Posted by pmax

I bet that has been used to kill lots of innocent folks.

Please toss it into the furnace.

Decorative presentation pieces that probably never left the box. The high level nazis had other people to do their killing for them anyway.

I remember a few years back when hitler’s engraved walther showed up at auction. The collectors wanted the one he used to off himself. Not the fancy thing that he likely only touched once.

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

It is interesting he carried a Smith & Wesson revolver. What little I know about guns I do know that the 38 or 357 S&W revolver is a very reliable point and click works every-time gun. Why a top German would not carry a German gun is an interesting question.

American made arms were a big status symbol among German (and Italian, and Russian, and...) officers. We take them for granted, but they were extremely difficult for those people to get during wartime.

The guy says it is probably a .357 magnum or .38. My vote is for the latter, a .38/44 "Outdoorsman". The .357 mag was not introduced until 1937. I think that would have made it unlikely one would have made it to Germany before the start of the war. Who knows, before hostilities started, Göhring may have had connections. He was still just a foreign dignitary at that time.

Originally Posted by pmax

I bet that has been used to kill lots of innocent folks.

Please toss it into the furnace.

I will absolutely guarantee you that once Göhring gave up his seat in a fighter and took a seat on Hitler's staff, he never personally killed anyone. That, and he gave these away to fellow dignitaries, likely not even keeping one for himself. I bet every one of those ten remain unfired today.

Originally Posted by herr_oberst

Yeah, because Hermann Göring was just misunderstood, a victim of circumstance.

One of history's true monsters, no doubt about that. But that's not the point here...

Originally Posted by herr_oberst

Those should be sold at auction with the clear understanding that the profit will be used for the Holocaust museum and these trinkets ceremoniously destroyed.

As long as the collectors who legitimately purchased these are compensated, I agree - sell them at auction and donate the proceeds to something worthwhile. Not necessarily the Holocaust Museum (it is quite well funded anyway, so I believe these proceeds would just get "absorbed" there without doing much good), but to something that maybe raises awareness of this kind of thing.

Which leads me to my disagreement on the last point. I think we need to preserve significant historical artifacts. Even those that represent the darkest points of human history. It is part of how we remember.

One last, insignificant point, just because I'm a gun guy - that "takedown tool" shown at about 2:10 isn't. It is a magazine loading tool, used to depress and hold down the magazine spring and follower while loading. A collector of this guy's means should know that.

[yellowperil]

Originally Posted by pmax

I bet that has been used to kill lots of innocent folks.

Please toss it into the furnace.

That would be the right thing to do IMO

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

One last, insignificant point, just because I'm a gun guy - that "takedown tool" shown at about 2:10 isn't. It is a magazine loading tool, used to depress and hold down the magazine spring and follower while loading. A collector of this guy's means should know that.

I dunno about that. The tool looks just like the takedown tool that came with the H&K P7s. Neither those, nor Lugers, really required any assistance to load their 7-8 round mags. There were no "hi-capacity" mags in those days. But I'll confess to having never field-stripped a Luger, so I don't know if it requires tools.

[Eric Coffey]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

One last, insignificant point, just because I'm a gun guy - that "takedown tool" shown at about 2:10 isn't. It is a magazine loading tool, used to depress and hold down the magazine spring and follower while loading. A collector of this guy's means should know that.

I believe you and RL are both correct. It's a combo tool for field-stripping/mag loading and "takedown tool" is the correct/common nomenclature there.

[Jeff Higgins]

Nope, sorry guys, but I've played with a lot of Lugers. The tool shown does nothing that is "model specific" to aid in disassembling one of these pistols. Oh, it does have a screwdriver tip on it, so maybe one could call it a "takedown tool", but it performs no specific function that a normal screwdriver could not. The original German blueprints (which, unfortunately, I cannot find online, but have seen personally) call it a "magazine loading tool".

[Tobra]

I find it a bit distressing how eager some are to destroy a relic like that.

Calls to mind a prophesy I vaguely recall. Something something doomed to repeat it, just can't remember the rest.

Oh, and thank you again Mr Higgins for another tutorial on firearms, prompted me to read up on the .38/44. I had no idea there was a cartridge that fell between the .38 Sp and the .357, which is what it seemed to be to me. 1100 fps

[pmax]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

I will absolutely guarantee you that once Göhring gave up his seat in a fighter and took a seat on Hitler's staff, he never personally killed anyone. That, and he gave these away to fellow dignitaries, likely not even keeping one for himself. I bet every one of those ten remain unfired today.
...
Which leads me to my disagreement on the last point. I think we need to preserve significant historical artifacts. Even those that represent the darkest points of human history. It is part of how we remember..

By that same token, there is no significant historical value in an artifact which has never been used in any meaningful way.

It has significant value to Nazi memorabilia collectors precisely because of the association with Goring *How in the world did the OP get those double dots over the o*.

Do as you please. I have added my 2c.