View source for Luger pistol

{{Short description|German semi-automatic pistol}}
{{About|the Luger pistol|other meanings of parabellum|Parabellum (disambiguation)}}
{{redirect|P08|other uses|P8 (disambiguation)}} 
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}
{{Infobox weapon
| name               = P08 Luger pistol
| number             = 3,000,000
| feed               = 8-round detachable box magazine
| rate               = 116 rpm (semi-automatic)<ref name="NAV">''Proceedings of the United States Naval Institute'', Annapolis, Maryland, Vol. 27, No. 1 (March 1901) p. 436</ref>
| action             = Toggle-locked, short recoil
| velocity           = {{cvt|350|–|400|m/s|ft/s}} (9mm, 100&nbsp;mm short barrel)
| range              = {{convert|50|m|yd|abbr=on}} (9mm, 100&nbsp;mm short barrel)
| cartridge          = {{unbulleted list|[[7.65×21mm Parabellum]]|[[9×19mm Parabellum]]<ref name=giwarchive>{{cite book |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=German Infantry Weapons |url=https://archive.org/stream/GermanInfantryWeapons#page/n17/mode/2up |publisher=United States War Department |page=5 |date=25 May 1943}}</ref><!--the .45s were prototype specimens-->}}
| part_length        = {{unbulleted list|120 mm (4.7 in) (Pistole&nbsp;00)|100 mm (3.9 in) (Pistole&nbsp;08)|200 mm (7.9 in) (Lange Pistole&nbsp;1908)}}
| length             = {{cvt|222|mm|in}}
| weight             = {{convert|871|g|lboz|0|abbr=on}}
| unit_cost          = {{Reichsmark|35|link=yes}} (1943)<br>(equivalent to €{{#expr:({{Inflation|DE|35|1943|r=-1}} / 1.95583<!--Conversion factor: official DM-to-euro factor (Reichsmarks were replaced with DM at a ratio of 1:1 for current accounts, cash at 10:1 but accounting for the latter results in a ludicrously low price)-->) round 0}} in {{inflation/year|DE}}{{inflation/fn|DE}})
| production_date    = 1900–1953
| image              = Luger IMG 6768-retouched.jpg
| manufacturer       = {{unbulleted list|[[Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken]]|Imperial Arsenals of [[Erfurt]]|[[Simson (company)|Simson]]|[[Heinrich Krieghoff Waffenfabrik]]|[[Mauser]]|[[Vickers Ltd]] (final assembly only)|Waffenfabrik [[Bern]]}}
| design_date        = 1898
| designer           = [[Georg Luger]]
| wars               = {{unbulleted list|[[Boxer Rebellion]]<ref name="DAT"/>|[[Philippine-American War]]|[[Maji-Maji Rebellion]]|[[:pt:Combate de Mufilo|1907 Expedition Against the Cuamato]]|[[Balkan Wars]]|[[Contestado War]]<ref name="Brazil''>|{{cite web | url=http://www.ebrevistas.eb.mil.br/ADN/article/download/3435/2801| title=A pistola Parabellum do contrato brasileiro}}</ref>|[[World War I]]|[[Warlord Era]]|[[German Revolution of 1918–19|German Revolution]]|[[Irish War of Independence]]|[[Russian Civil War]]|[[Finnish Civil War]]|[[Irish Civil War]]||[[Tenentism|Tenente Revolts]]<ref>Jowett, Phillip (2018), ''Latin American Wars 1900–1941'', Osprey</ref>|[[:pt:Revolução de 1923|1923 Revolution]]<ref name="Brazil''></ref>|[[Chinese Civil War]]|[[Brazilian Revolution of 1930]]<ref name="Brazil''></ref>|[[Constitutionalist Revolution]]<ref>{{cite web|author=Douglas de Souza Aguiar Junior|url=https://armasonline.org/armas-on-line/o-museu-da-pm-de-sao-paulo/|title=O Museu de Polícia Militar de São Paulo|website=Armas On-Line|date=25 June 2017|language=pt-BR}}</ref>|[[Chaco War]]|[[Spanish Civil War]]|[[World War II]]|[[Second Sino-Japanese War]]|[[1947–1949 Palestine war]]|[[Indonesian National Revolution]]|[[First Indochina War]]{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=57}}|[[Algerian War]]{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=57}}|[[1958 Lebanon crisis]]|[[Vietnam War]] (limited use)|[[Laotian Civil War]]|[[Lebanese Civil War]]|[[Portuguese Colonial War]]{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=4}}|[[Rhodesian Bush War]]|[[The Troubles]]|[[Operation Urgent Fury]] (limited use)}}
| used_by            = See ''[[Luger P08 pistol#Users|Users]]''
| service            = {{ubl|1904–1953 (Germany) | 1900–1970s (other countries)}}
| is_ranged          = yes
| type               = [[Semi-automatic pistol]]
| origin             = [[German Empire]]
| caption            = ''[[Wehrmacht]]'' P08 ordnance model <!--c. 1935-1938? reference?--> (Collection Paul Regnier, Lausanne, Switzerland)
| image_size         = 300px
| sights             = Iron sights
}}

The '''Pistole Parabellum''' or '''Parabellum-Pistole'''<!--Official designation? Reference needed--> ('''Pistol Parabellum'''), commonly known as just the '''Luger''' or '''Luger P08''',<ref name="Fitzsimons">{{cite encyclopedia |year=1977 |title=Luger |encyclopedia=The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Weapons and Warfare |publisher=Phoebus |location=London, UK |editor-last=Fitzsimons |editor-first=Bernard |volume=16 |page=1778}}</ref> is a toggle-locked recoil-operated [[semi-automatic pistol]].  The Luger was produced in several models and by several nations from 1898 to 1949.

The design was patented by [[Georg Luger]]. It was meant to be an improvement of the [[Borchardt C-93|Borchardt C-93 pistol]], and was initially produced as the ''Parabellum Automatic Pistol, Borchardt-Luger System'' by the German arms manufacturer ''[[Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabriken]]'' (DWM).<ref name="DAT">Datig, Fred A., ''The Luger Pistol'', Gun Digest, 1957 ed., Chicago, Illinois: Edward Keogh Co. Inc. (1956) pp. 164–165</ref> The first production model was known as the ''Modell 1900 Parabellum''.<ref name="DAT" /> It was followed by the "''Marinepistole 1904''" for the Imperial German Navy.

The Luger was officially adopted by the Swiss military in 1900, the Imperial German Navy in 1906 and the German Army in 1908. The Luger was the standard service pistol of Switzerland, Portugal, the Netherlands, Brazil, Bolivia, and Bulgaria. It was widely used in other countries as a military service pistol and by police forces.<ref name="Luger">{{cite web |title=DWM Luger P-08 Pistol |url=http://www.chuckhawks.com/dwm_luger.htm |access-date=12 May 2017 |website=chuckhawks.com}}</ref> In the German Army service, it was adopted in a slightly modified form as the '[[Model 08 Semi-Automatic Pistol 0.3 Inch|'Pistole Modell 1908'' (''Pistole 08'')]] in caliber [[9×19mm Parabellum]].<ref name="DAT" /> The Model 08 was eventually succeeded by the [[Walther P38]].

The Luger is well known for its wide use by Germany during World War I and World War II, along with the interwar [[Weimar Republic]] and the postwar East German ''[[Volkspolizei]]''.

The name ''Parabellum'', which also featured in DWM's [[Telegraphy|telegraphic]] address, comes from the Latin phrase {{lang|la|[[Si vis pacem, para bellum]]}}; "If you wish for peace, prepare for war."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Farwell |first=Byron |title=The Encyclopedia of Nineteenth-Century Land Warfare: An Illustrated World View |publisher=W.W. Norton & Co. |year=2001 |isbn=0-393-04770-9 |location=New York}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=7.65 X 22: DWM; 7.65 mm Parabellum & DWM 471 |url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30027291 |access-date=25 August 2021 |website=iwm.com}}</ref>

== History ==
In 1897, after the success of the [[Borchardt C-93]], as the first mass-produced [[semi-automatic pistol]],{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=10}} the Swiss military began to look for a semi-automatic pistol to replace their issued pistol, the [[Ordonnanzrevolver 1872]].{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=12}} Georg Luger, working for the German company [[Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabriken]], provided the Borchardt-Luger design, which during Swiss military trials, was found to be more accurate and reliable than competing designs such as the [[Mannlicher M1901]] and [[Mauser C96]].{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=12}} 20 examples of the Borchardt-Luger were sent to Switzerland in 1899, and after a revision to reduce its weight, was adopted the following year as the Ordonnanzpistole 1900.{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=13}} The Luger remained in Swiss service until 1949, when it was replaced by the [[SIG P210]].{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=13}}

=== German adoption trials ===
In 1898, Germany adopted a total of 145 C93 pistols, but found that it jammed too often to be effective.{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=19}} In 1901, testing of the Luger commenced, alongside an improved version of the C93, in which the Luger was found to be both lighter and more reliable.{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=19}} Following a change in caliber from [[7.65×21mm Parabellum]] to [[9×19mm Parabellum]], the Luger was adopted by the [[Imperial German Navy]] as the ''Selbstlade-Pistole Modell 1904, and'' later simply the ''Pistole 1904''.{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=20}} The [[Imperial German Army|Army]] delayed their adoption, as Mauser requested time to develop a new pistol of their own, which was finished in 1907.{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=21}} However, the new pistol was still found to be less desirable than the Luger, and on 22 August 1908, [[Wilhelm II, German Emperor|Kaiser Wilhelm II]] signed an order for 50,000 Lugers for the German Army, with orders to produce a total of 170,000.{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=22}}

=== U.S. trials ===
In 1901, DWM sent two Lugers to the United States, who were also interested in a semi-automatic pistol.{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=15}} After doing well in testing, a total of 1,000 pistols and 200,000 rounds were purchased for use by the [[Military Academy at West Point]], and several other forts. The Luger was unpopular, with most troops preferring their [[.38 Long Colt]] revolvers, resulting in the Luger being recalled in 1905.{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=16}}

In 1906, the United States evaluated several domestic and foreign-made semi-automatic pistols, including the [[Colt M1900]], [[Steyr Mannlicher M1894]], and an entry from [[Mauser]].<ref name=":0" /> This was in response to combat reports which stated that the .38 caliber revolvers used in the 1899–1902 [[Philippine–American War|Philippine Insurrection]] lacked [[stopping power]]. Due to the findings in the [[Thompson–LaGarde Tests]], the military required a handgun in .45 (11.25mm) caliber.

In 1906 and 1907, the U.S. Army held trials for a large-caliber semi-automatic pistol. At least two, and possibly three, Parabellum Model 1902/1906 pattern pistols were brought to the U.S. by Georg Luger for the 1907 trials, each chambered in [[.45 ACP]] caliber.<ref name="DAT" /> Prior to his arrival, the U.S. [[Frankford Arsenal]] had provided Luger with 5,000 rounds of .45 ammunition for experimentation and to serve as a guide for chambering measurements.<ref name="DAT" /> Finding numerous defects in this prototype ammunition (U.S. authorities later were forced to produce new ammunition for the 1907 trials), Luger had DWM pull the bullets of these cartridges and had them re-loaded with a special faster-burning powder in new brass cases.<ref name="AR">American Rifleman, ''The 1907 Pistol Trials,'', (Feb 2001) www.nramuseum.com/media/940450/1907%20pistol%20trials.pdf</ref> Luger brought 746 rounds of this new ammunition to the March 1907 trials with his .45 Luger pistol.<ref name="DAT" /><ref name="AR" /> Two test .45 Luger pistols, bearing serial numbers 1 and 2, are known to have been used in the 1907 tests.<ref name="AR" /> Although the .45 Luger passed the firing tests, it was ranked below the Colt/Browning and Savage pistols in number of malfunctions and misfires, though Army officials conceded that the .45 Luger performed satisfactorily with the DWM-loaded ammunition:<ref name="AR" /> "The Luger automatic pistol, although it possesses manifest advantages in many particulars, is not recommended for service tests because its certainty of action, even with Luger ammunition, it is not considered satisfactory, because of the final seating of the cartridge is not by positive spring action, and because the powder stated by Mr. Luger to be necessary, for its satisfactory use is not now obtainable in this country."<ref>Appendix, ''U.S. Army Annual Report for the Fiscal Year ending June 30, 1907 (1907)'', p. 89</ref> DWM and Luger later rejected an invitation by Army officials to produce 200 pistols in .45 caliber for further competition against the Colt and Savage submissions, at which point DWM effectively withdrew from the U.S. trials.<ref name="DAT" /><ref name="AR" />

The fate of the .45 Luger, serial number 1 is unknown, as it was not returned and is believed to have been destroyed during testing. The .45 Luger prototype serial number 2, believed to have been a back-up to Serial Number 1, survived the 1907 trials and is in private ownership. Its rarity gives its value of around US$1 million at the time the "Million Dollar Guns" episode of the [[History (U.S. TV channel)|History Channel]]'s ''[[Tales of the Gun]]'' was filmed,<ref>{{cite web|title=Tales of the Gun: Million Dollar Guns|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KycZtUsJmFM|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401054941/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KycZtUsJmFM|archive-date=2019-04-01|publisher=History Channel|via=YouTube}}</ref> recheck by ''[[Guns & Ammo]]'' as of 1994.<ref>{{cite web|last=James|first=Garry|date=October 2010|title=Would you Shoot the Million Dollar Luger|url=http://archives.gunsandammo.com/content/would-you-shoot-milliondollar-luger|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130604051822/http://archives.gunsandammo.com/content/would-you-shoot-milliondollar-luger|archive-date=4 June 2013|work=[[Guns & Ammo]]|publisher=InterMedia Outdoors}}</ref> At least two .45 caliber Luger pistols were manufactured later for possible commercial or military sales; one is exhibited at the R. W. Norton Art Gallery, in [[Shreveport]], Louisiana. The other was sold in 2010 and remains in a private collection. A single .45 Luger carbine is also known to exist.<ref>{{cite web|title=Investment Firearm – .45 Luger Carbine|url=http://gmund.rennlist.com/luger/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041115220142/http://gmund.rennlist.com/luger/|archive-date=15 November 2004|website=rennlist.com}}</ref>

=== German combat use ===
The first known instance of the Luger being used in combat was during the [[Maji Maji Rebellion]] in 1905-1907.{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=38}} Therein, it was somewhat poorly received, as it was thought to be too heavy to be used quickly, in particular because the grip safety had to be held tightly, reducing accuracy, leading to the removal of the safety in the P08 model.{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=38}}

At the beginning of [[World War I]], not all units of the German Army had been equipped with the Luger, leading to an acceleration in production.{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=38-40}} Alongside the P08, Germany also developed the LP08, a version with a [[Stock (firearms)|stock]] and longer barrel that could also accept [[Drum magazine|drum magazines]].{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=40}} The LP08 was used by the [[Luftstreitkräfte]] during the early days of the war, before planes were equipped with [[machine guns]], although due to a lack of pre-war production, the LP08 was much less commonly used than the P08.{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=38-40}} The main user of the LP08 was the Army, who used its drum magazine to deliver a high rate of fire at a close range, a concept which would lead to the development of the [[Stormtroopers (Imperial Germany)|Stormtroopers]] and the [[MP 18]].{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=40}} After the end of the war, Germany signed the [[Treaty of Versailles]], which restricted the size of their army – the treaty specified that the German Army could only have 50,000 pistols, and prohibited [[submachine guns]] and pistols with stocks altogether.{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=47}} 

As the Luger was expensive to produce, Germany started to look for a replacement as early as 1927, settling on the [[Walther P38]] in 1938, which offered similar performance to the Luger, but took almost half the time to produce.{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=50}} Moving the production lines to the P38 once World War II started took longer than expected, leading to the P08 remaining in production until September 1942, and pre-existing copies remained in service until the end of the war.{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=51}} In [[East Germany]], the P08 was used by the [[Volkspolizei]], mostly from ex-Nazi stocks, but they produced a small number up until 1953.{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=59}}

== Design details ==
[[File:Luger toggle action.svg|thumb|Luger toggle-lock action]]
[[File:Luger_cutaway.jpg|left|thumb|Cutaway drawing of the Luger pistol from Georg Luger's 1908 9mm patent.]]
[[File:Luger IMG 6761b.jpg|thumb|Toggle-lock action with the knee joint bent upwards]]

The Luger has a toggle-lock action that uses a jointed arm to lock, as opposed to the [[Pistol slide|slide]] actions of many other semi-automatic pistols, such as the [[M1911]]. After a round is fired, the barrel and toggle assembly travel roughly {{convert|0.5|in|mm|abbr=on|order=flip}} rearward due to recoil, both locked together at this point. The toggle strikes a cam built into the frame, causing the knee joint to hinge and the toggle and breech assembly to unlock. The barrel strikes the frame and stops its rearward movement, but the toggle assembly continues moving, bending the knee joint upwards, extracting the spent casing from the chamber, and ejecting it. The toggle and breech assembly then travel forward under spring tension and the next round is loaded from the magazine into the chamber. The entire sequence occurs in a fraction of a second and contributes to the above average mud resistance<ref>{{Citation|title=Mud Test: WW1 & WW2 P08 Luger|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_IeAaR5AmU|access-date=2019-08-06}}</ref> of the pistol.

This mechanism works well for higher-pressure cartridges, but cartridges loaded to a lower pressure can cause the pistol to malfunction because they do not generate enough recoil to work the action fully. This results in the breech block either not clearing the top cartridge of the magazine or becoming jammed open on the cartridge's base.<ref name="hogg">{{Cite book|last1=Hogg|first1=Ian|title=Military Small Arms of the 20th Century|last2=Weeks|first2=John|publisher=Krause Publications|year=2000|isbn=0-87341-824-7|edition=7th|location=Iola, Wisconsin}}</ref> This malfunction with under-powered cartridges does occur with Browning-type and other pistol designs as well, but the Luger is sensitive to cartridges other than the brass-cased ammunition that it was designed to use.<ref>Dunlap, Roy, ''Ordnance Went Up Front'', Stackpole Books (1948), p. 104</ref>

[[Submachine gun|Submachine guns]] were found to be effective in trench warfare during World War I, and experiments were conducted to convert various types of pistols to fully automatic machine pistols, including the P08. The Luger proved to have an excessive rate of fire in full-automatic mode, however, as did the [[Mauser C96]]. The [[Drum magazine|'snail drum']] [[Magazine (firearms)|magazine]] for the [[MP 18]], which was used by German [[Stormtroopers (Imperial Germany)|Stormtroopers]] towards the end of the war, was originally designed for the Artillery Luger.<ref name="Bishop 1998">{{cite encyclopedia|year=1998|title=MP 18 and MP28|encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II|publisher=Orbis publishing|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MuGsf0psjvcC&pg=PA258|editor-last=Bishop|editor-first=Chris|page=258|isbn=1586637622}}</ref>

== Production ==
[[File:Luger_carbine_new_noBG.jpg|thumb|Luger Model 1900 pistol carbine]]
Luger pistols were manufactured in Germany and Switzerland to very close tolerances and exacting standards using the highest quality materials of the day, and original pistols were known for having a long service life.<ref name="KEIT">Keith, Elmer, ''Sixguns'', Ravenio Books (1961)</ref> The design requires hand fitting of certain parts for proper operation. Assembling the gun using a sideplate from another pistol, for example, may prevent the [[Sear (firearm)|sear]] from working, making the pistol inoperable. The Luger barrel, which was rigidly fixed to the barrel extension and carried the front sight, provided excellent accuracy.<ref name="KEIT" /> [[William B. Ruger|William B. "Bill" Ruger]] praised the Luger's 145° (55° for Americans) grip angle and duplicated it in his [[Ruger Standard|.22 LR pistol]].<ref name="KEIT" /> Handgun author and enthusiast [[Elmer Keith]] observed that the Luger design had been unfairly criticized by gun writers over the years as unreliable, partly due to poor experiences with Lugers constructed from salvaged parts.<ref name="KEIT" /> Keith noted that the Luger was a "natural pointer", one of the most accurate of all autoloading pistols—particularly at long ranges—and reminded critics that the Luger was the choice of more nations as their military sidearm than any other contemporary pistol or revolver.<ref name="KEIT" />

=== Interwar period ===
From 1919 onwards, DWM rebuilt P08 frames with new parts or existing parts (including barrels) into complete pistols for sale to the civilian and export markets. These sales helped restore DWM to solvency after the Armistice.<ref>Davis, Aaron, ''Standard Catalog of Luger'', p. 25: In 1922 DWM became part of a holding company, Berlin-Karlsruher Industrie-Werke (BKIW).</ref> Most of these commercial pistols were in 7.65 Parabellum (.30 Luger) caliber, although a number of pistols were also re-barrelled to 9mm Parabellum (9×19mm). The new component parts were stamped with serial numbers to match the frame to ensure that all the fitted parts stayed together. Many thousands of these pistols were thought to have been assembled and sold between 1919 and 1923. Some of these pistols were fitted with new barrels of different lengths by the importer upon customer request. Many so-called 1919 and 1920 Commercial Lugers were imported to the United States by such firms as Abercrombie & Fitch, Pacific Arms Co., and A.F. Stoeger Inc. The latter importer sought and registered the name ''Luger'' in 1929, in the United States.<ref name="DAV" />

In 1923, A.F. Stoeger Inc., the predecessor to [[Stoeger Industries|Stoeger, Inc.]] began importing commercial pistols from DWM stamped ''A.F.Stoeger Inc. – New York.'' and "Germany". These pistols were exported to the United States in both 7.65 Parabellum (.30 Luger) and 9mm calibers, with barrel lengths from 75&nbsp; mm to 600&nbsp; mm. These imported Parabellums were also the first pistols to bear the name "Luger", roll stamped on the right side of the receiver. That same year, DWM also signed contracts to supply small numbers of P08 pistols to the armed forces of Finland (8,000 pistols, designated ''m/23''),<ref name="Finland">{{cite book|last1=Jowett|first1=Philip|url=https://archive.org/details/finlandatwar00jowe|title=Finland at War 1939–45|last2=Snodgrass|first2=Brent|date=5 Jul 2006|publisher=Osprey Publishing|isbn=9781841769691|series=Elite 141|page=[https://archive.org/details/finlandatwar00jowe/page/n46 46]|url-access=limited}}</ref> the Netherlands, and Sweden.

Until 1930, DWM continued to export both P08 and commercial Parabellum pistols to nations in Europe and to overseas markets, including the United States and the Far East. Although never officially adopted by Nationalist forces, all variants of the Parabellum or Luger pistol were highly sought after by both Chinese Nationalist officers and irregular guerrilla forces. In 1924, just before the outbreak of the [[Chinese Civil War]], a review of Chinese Nationalist small arms reported that "Among officers, bodyguards, and police, the German Parabellum (Luger) 9-mm automatic pistol was the weapon of choice...".<ref>Waldron, Arthur, ''From War to Nationalism: China's Turning Point, 1924–25'', Cambridge University Press, {{ISBN|0521472385}} (1995), p. 57</ref>

In 1930, [[Mauser]] took over the manufacture of P.08 from DWM.<ref name="Fitzsimons" /> Additional P08s were produced by Simson and later Krieghoff. Many P04 and P08 pistols would continue in service with German army and navy personnel throughout World War II. Towards the end of 1937 (beginning with 't' & 'u' block pistols), Mauser phased out the rust blue process and "straw finishing" small parts and levers on the P08, choosing to salt blue all parts of the weapon at one time. In 1941, some of these pistols were fitted with inexpensive black [[Bakelite]] grip panels to cut production time and expense. Years after the war, these pistols would be given the name "Black Widow" by a postwar US arms dealer as a marketing ploy.

=== World War II ===
The P08 was technically replaced in service in 1938 by the [[Walther P38]], but ever-growing wartime demands for handguns resulted in continued P08 production by Mauser until December 1943.<ref name="Fitzsimons" /><ref name="JAN" /> Mauser production was supplemented by a small contract for Luger pistols given to Heinrich Krieghoff & Son of Suhl in 1935 to produce a Luger variant for the Luftwaffe; a second contract for 15,000 pistols was only partially completed when Krieghoff ceased Luger production in 1944.<ref name="JAN" /> The German Army took their last delivery of 1,000 Mauser-made pistols in November 1943.<ref name="JAN" /> A further 4,000 pistols assembled by Mauser in December of that same year were sold to Portugal, which renamed them the Model 943.<ref name="JAN" /> German military authorities refused to take any more Luger pistols, leaving a large stock of parts at the factory in Oberndorf.<ref name="JAN" />

Captured Lugers were much prized by Allied soldiers during both of the world wars as war trophies.<ref name="bishop2002">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MuGsf0psjvcC&pg=PA228|title=The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II|publisher=Metrobooks|year=2002|isbn=1-58663-762-2|editor1-last=Bishop|editor1-first=Chris|page=228|access-date=2 March 2010}}</ref> However, during World War II, German soldiers were known to sometimes use a discarded Luger pistol to lure unsuspecting trophy hunters, rigging it to detonate land mines or hidden booby traps when disturbed.<ref>Rottman p.49</ref> Word also spread of accidental discharges and deaths of Allied troops by users unfamiliar with the P08 and its safety mechanisms, as well as stories circulating that American soldiers were being executed if captured in possession of German weapons.<ref name="DAV" /><ref>Rottman p.32</ref>

Soviet forces captured tens of thousands of Lugers but they were never issued to their own troops, only kept in storage.{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=59}}

=== Post-World War II ===
[[File:Stainless Stoeger Luger, Wikipedia.jpg|thumb|150px|Post-war, stainless steel Luger, 9mm Parabellum.]]
[[File:Erma .380 Luger, Wikipedia.jpg|thumb|150px|Post-war, [[Erma Werke|Erma]] manufactured, 9mm Kurz.]]
Although Mauser P08 production terminated in 1943, the P08 re-appeared in postwar form because of the continuing demand for handguns for military and police requirements. In 1945, Mauser restarted Luger production under the control of the French occupation authority to supply the French military and occupation police forces. Assembly commenced under French control from June 1945 until mid-1946. In the second half of 1946, tooling and some Mauser personnel moved from Oberndorf to Châtellerault in France, the location of MAC (Manufacture d'Armes de Châtellerault) to continue assembly from existing parts stocks. About 4,000 Luger 'parts' pistols, including a few LP 08 models, are thought to have been assembled for French forces, a sufficient number to justify the production of new-manufacture Luger magazines in France for several years.<ref name="WAL" /><ref name="JAN" /> Surviving examples of Lugers assembled under French supervision are sometimes found with a distinct, gray [[Parkerizing|parkerized]] finish.{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=58}} A few early French control pistols bear a five-pointed star proof mark known to have been used by French Occupation authorities. Later pistols assembled in France often carry a French arsenal/manufacturer name, such as ''Manufacture Française d'Armes & Cycles de St. Etienne'' (Manufrance).{{Citation needed|date=June 2019}} Surviving French Control Lugers were retained in French storage depots of the paramilitary [[National Gendarmerie]] as late as 1970.{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=58}}

Pistols were also assembled under the direction of Soviet (and later, East German) authorities to arm military and MP units, as well as the [[Volkspolizei]].<ref name="JAN" /> During the immediate postwar period, complete Luger pistols were also assembled from rejected or salvaged parts with different serial numbers, then sold as souvenirs to occupation forces in Germany. Thousands of original Luger pistols were taken home by returning Allied soldiers after both world wars. Other Luger pistols were later assembled in the United States by gunsmiths of varying aptitude using secondhand, rejected, or salvaged parts imported from Germany and other countries. These pistols and their construction quality (or lack of it) would contribute to criticism of the Luger as a finicky and unreliable weapon. However, a well-maintained Luger with new springs and suitable cartridges is a very reliable weapon.<ref>{{Citation|last=InRangeTV|title=Mud Test: WW1 & WW2 P08 Luger|date=2016-04-18|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_IeAaR5AmU|access-date=2019-02-12}}</ref>

The Swiss Parabellum 06/29 continued in production until 1946. In 1969, after purchasing the Swiss 06/29 tooling, Mauser Werke in Oberndorf restarted Parabellum production, which ceased in 1986 when the last commemorative model was produced.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II|publisher=Orbis Publishing Ltd.|year=1998|isbn=0-7607-1022-8|editor1-last=Bishop|editor1-first=Chris|location=New York}}.</ref> While new Mauser Luger production ended at this time, pistols continued to be assembled and sold from parts on hand until the 1990s.

Aaron Davis, writing in ''The Standard Catalog of the Luger'', claimed that "From its adoption, the Luger was synonymous with the German military through the end of World War II" and "Ask any World War II vet of the [European Theater of Operations] what the most prized war souvenir was and the answer will invariably come back, 'a Luger'."<ref name=":1" /> Colonel [[David Hackworth]] mentioned in his autobiography that it was still a sought-after sidearm in the [[Vietnam War]].<ref name="hackworth1990">{{cite book|last=Hackworth|first=David H.|url=https://archive.org/details/aboutface00hack|title=About Face: The Odyssey of an American Warrior|publisher=Simon & Schuster|year=1990|isbn=978-0-67169-534-7|location=New York|author-link=David Hackworth|url-access=registration}}</ref> Vietnamese gunsmiths even copied the basic Luger design, producing a few crude "Luger" pistols with which to arm Viet Cong and other irregular forces.<ref name=":3">{{cite news|last=McCollum|first=Ian|date=27 January 2016|title=Viet Cong Handmade Luger Lookalike|url=https://www.forgottenweapons.com/viet-cong-handmade-luger-lookalike|access-date=12 December 2017|work=ForgottenWeapons.com}}</ref>

== Variants ==
=== Model 1900 and Swiss Luger ===
[[File:Parabellum_29.jpg|thumb|Swiss Pistol 06/29, 7.65×21mm]]
A number of countries purchased the Model 1900 Parabellum in [[7.65×21mm Parabellum]] (.30 Luger) caliber and issued the pistol on a limited basis to officers, non-commissioned officers and mounted troops, including Germany, Switzerland, and the United States.<ref name="DAT" /> The Model 1900 or Pistole Modell 1900 was issued to German officers and likely first saw combat in China during intervention by German troops in the aftermath of the [[Boxer Rebellion]] of 1900.<ref name="WAL">{{cite book|last=Walter|first=John|title=The Luger Story|publisher=Greenhill Books|year=2001|isbn=1-85367-436-2|page=127}}</ref><ref>Cohen, Paul A. ''History In Three Keys: The Boxers As Event, Experience, and Myth'', Columbia University Press, {{ISBN|0231106505}} (1997), pp. 185-185</ref> On April 16, 1901, following a successful preliminary test of the Model 1900 at the [[Springfield Armory]],<ref>''U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings'', Vol. 27 No. 1 (March 1901), p. 436: "The Board...has recommended that $15,000 be appropriated for the purchase of $1,000 of the Luger automatic pistols, which recently made such a wonderful record in the tests at Springfield Armory. The sum allotted—for the recommendation of the Board was instantly approved by the Secretary of War—is sufficient to furnish five of these pistols for each Troop of Cavalry in the service..."</ref><ref name="ORD">Annual Report of the Chief of Ordnance, United States, Army Ordnance Dept., 28 October 1902, p. 258</ref> the U.S. Board of Ordnance purchased 1,000 ''Model 1900'' Parabellum pistols with 4.75-inch barrels, marked with what appear to be standard U.S. ordnance bomb proofs, but are not,<ref>1900 Luger U.S. Test Trials, by Michael Reese II, 1976, pages 1,7</ref> and "American Eagle" stamps over the chambers, and issued them to each troop of mounted cavalry of the U.S. Army for field testing, with the remainder to the light artillery and officers at West Point.<ref name="DAT" /><ref name="ORD" /> In 1902, U.S. Army officials purchased another 50 ''Model 1902'' Parabellum pistols with 4-inch barrels, again in 7.65mm Parabellum, for further testing and evaluation. This was followed by a third test of 50 so-called "cartridge counter" Parabellum pistols in [[9×19mm]] by Springfield Armory in 1904. Other nations either tested the Model 1900 or purchased small numbers for limited field service, including Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Russia, Norway, Sweden, and Portugal.<ref name="DAT" />

Commercial models of the Model 1900 were exported in quantity as well. In the U.S., Model 1900 pistols in 7.65 Parabellum caliber (aka .30 Luger in the U.S.) were first imported by Georg Luger, then by a DWM sales agent, Hans Tauscher, until World War I.<ref name="DAV">Davis, Aaron, ''The Standard Catalog of Luger'', Gun Digest Books, {{ISBN|9780896894112}} (2006) p. 6</ref> Referred to at the time as the '[[Hugo Borchardt|Borchardt]]-Luger' by U.S. authorities, Tauscher consistently referred to the pistol in his marketing and advertising materials as the 'Luger', after its inventor. Model 1900 pistols shipped to the U.S. were typically stamped with an American Eagle atop the barrel extensions.<ref name="DAV" /> 'American Eagle' 7.65 Model 1900 pistols were used by a variety of buyers, including American lawmen such as Stringer Fenton, outlaws, and Texas Rangers.<ref>''Tells Of Taking Bandit M'Curdy'', Tulsa Daily World, 15 October 1911, p. 18</ref><ref>Skelton, Bart, ''[http://www.shootingtimes.com/uncategorized/thelastround_for_the_love_of_lugers_100410 For The Love Of Lugers]'', Shooting Times, 4 October 2010, retrieved 12 December 2017</ref><ref>Dolan, Samuel K., ''Cowboys and Gangsters: Stories of an Untamed Southwest'', Rowman & Littlefield, {{ISBN|9781442246690}} (2006), p. xx (Introd.)</ref><ref>Farris, David, ''[http://edmondlifeandleisure.com/the-last-of-the-old-time-outlaws-p13890-76.htm The Last Of The Old Time Outlaws]'', Edmond Life & Leisure 29 Dec 2016, retrieved 14 Dec 2017</ref>

=== Swiss Luger ===
After testing, the [[Swiss Army]] adopted the Model 1900 on April 4, 1901, in 7.65×21mm caliber as its standard sidearm, designated ''Pistole 1900''.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|last=Datig|first=Fred A.|date=2009-04-20|title=The Luger Pistol {{!}} Gun Digest|work=Gun Digest|url=https://gundigest.com/more/classic-guns/thelugerpistol|access-date=2017-09-06}}</ref> This model uses a {{convert|120|mm|in|abbr=on}} barrel and incorporates a grip safety and leaf-type mainspring. A later Swiss military contract with DWM resulted in the latter supplying improved Model 1900/06 pattern pistols designated the Model 1906 or ''Pistole 1900/06''. Commencing in 1918, these Model 1906 Parabellum pistols were manufactured and assembled at [[Waffenfabrik Bern]], Switzerland.

In 1929, Swiss authorities adopted an improved version of the Modell 1900 designated the ''Modell 06/29'' with improved sights, trigger and a stronger toggle link. Manufactured entirely at Waffenfabrik Bern, the 06/29 pistol served the Swiss Army until well after the adoption of the [[SIG Sauer P210]] in 1949, and remained in limited service until the late 1960s.

=== Model 1902 ===
In 1902, DWM introduced a slightly improved version of the Model 1900 Parabellum as the Model 1902. The Model 1902, with its shortened 4-inch barrel, was the first Parabellum pistol to be offered in 9×19mm Parabellum caliber, along with a change from four-groove to six-groove rifling.<ref name="JAN">Stephenson, Jan, ''The Parabellum Story'', Part I and II, Gun Facts Magazine (July 1969) pp. 10-15, 35-37</ref>

=== Navy model ===
[[File:Luger_04_Marinepistole.JPG|thumb|Luger 04 Pistol of the [[Imperial German Navy]]]]

The Luger pistol was accepted by the [[Imperial German Navy]] in 1904 in [[9mm Parabellum]] as the ''Pistole 04'' (P04). The navy model had a {{convert|150|mm|in|abbr=on}} barrel and a two-position – {{convert|100|m|yd|sp=us}} or {{convert|200|m|yd|sp=us}} – rear sight. This version was also referred to as the "Marine Modell 1904" or, more colloquially in the US as the "navy Luger".<ref name=":0" /> The Pistole 04 was later updated with a coil mainspring to Model 1906 pattern as Luger continued to refine and improve his design.

=== Model 1906 (''Neues Modell'') ===
Georg Luger introduced a new version of the Parabellum pistol in 1906, which would become known as the Model 1906 or ''New Model'' (''Neues Modell''). This version of the Parabellum replaced the old flat laminated main spring with a more reliable coil design.<ref name="DAT" /> As all models of the Luger built after 1906 have the coil mainspring, they are known as ''New Models''.<ref name="DAT" /> Older Parabellum pistols in German service were usually upgraded to the ''New Model'' specification.

=== ''Pistole Modell 1908 (P08)'' ===
In 1908, the German Army adopted the DWM Parabellum pistol as the ''Pistole Modell 1908'' (P08) Parabellum to replace the [[M1879 Reichsrevolver|Reichsrevolver]] in front-line service.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Huard|first=Paul Richard|date=2015-03-06|title=The Nazis' Handgun|url=https://medium.com/war-is-boring/the-nazis-handgun-7d2eaba39994|access-date=2017-09-06|website=War Is Boring}}</ref> The '''Pistole 08''' (or ''P.08'') had a {{convert|100|mm|in|abbr=on}} barrel and was chambered in [[9×19mm Parabellum]]. This version of Georg Luger's design reflected a number of improvements requested by German military authorities. The grip safety used on earlier versions was omitted, while a lug was attached to the heel of the pistol frame for attachment of a shoulder stock. The barrel was reduced in length to 4 inches (102mm), and the caliber was 9×19mm Parabellum, and the 9×19mm DWM cartridge (Catalog No. 278F) initially adopted by the German Army featured a 123-grain truncated-nose bullet design intended to increase wounding effect of the fully jacketed bullet.<ref>Kinard, Jeff, ''Pistols: An Illustrated History of Their Impact'', Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO Publishing, {{ISBN|1851094709}}, p. 178</ref> With slight modifications, notably the addition of a stock mounting lug and a hold-open latch, the P08 would serve as the German Army's principal sidearm during World War I, augmented by Mauser C96 and Model 1914 pistols. Over 2 million Luger pistols were used by German forces from 1914 to 1918.<ref name="JAN" />

The [[Bolivian Army]] also adopted the DWM Luger in 9×19mm Parabellum as an officer's sidearm; 500 were bought in 1913. They bore the legend "Ejercito Boliviano" stamped on the chamber.{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=28}}

=== ''Lange Pistole 08'' (Artillery Luger) ===
[[File:Arty08.jpg|right|thumb|'Artillery Luger' Lange Pistole 08 with a 32-round Trommelmagazin 08 drum magazine and removable stock.]]

The adoption of the ''Lange Pistole 08'' or LP 08, known as the "Artillery Luger", was authorised by the Kaiser on 2 July 1913. This P08 variation was equipped with a {{convert|200|mm|in|abbr=on}} barrel, an 8-position tangent rear sight (calibrated to {{convert|800|m|yd|sp=us}}) and a board-type shoulder stock with an attached leather holster. In the event of close combat, the pistol was intended to be used as a carbine with the shoulder stock attached to a lug mounted on the heel of the pistol frame. When set for long range use the rear sight element visibly moves to the left to compensate for [[External ballistics#Gyroscopic drift .28Spin drift.29|spin drift]]. While initially intended for use by German artillery units who could not be encumbered by the long and heavy K.98 rifle, the LP 08 was also used by Aviation units (prior to equipping aircraft with machine guns) as well as the infantry, primarily on the Western front during World War I. ''Stoßtruppen'' ([[Stormtroopers (Imperial Germany)|stormtrooper infantry]]) units frequently employed the Artillery Luger equipped with a new large magazine, the 32-round Trommelmagazin or 'snail' magazine. Production of the LP 08 ended in 1918 with the end of the war. By that time, German troops had begun using the newly developed [[MP 18]] submachine gun in place of the LP 08 for their stormtrooper assault companies. However, by this time enough LP 08 barrels had been manufactured and stockpiled to fill LP 08 export orders into the 1930s.

[[Carbine]] versions of the LP 08 were also produced commercially, with yet longer barrels. The firm Armeria Belga of Santiago (Chile) also manufactured a detachable stock, the Benke Thiemann stock, that could fold out from the grip section.

In the early 1920s, carbine production was restarted. Under a small contract, LP 08 or Artillery P08s were assembled in the 1930s to fill an order from the Shah of Iran for his artillery troops, with some of these weapons ending up with Thai police forces. Existing LP 08 pistols that had remained in storage were re-issued in World War II with new-production board stocks for some German units such as artillerymen and Waffen-SS units, and these continued in use until the end of the war in 1945.

=== Luger rifle ===
The Luger rifle was an attempt by Georg Luger to make a full-powered [[semi-automatic rifle]] using the same toggle-bolt [[Firearm action|action]] of the pistol. A single rifle, serial number 4, exists in a private collection. The Luger rifle was protected under British patent No. 4126 of 1906. It was chambered in [[7.92x57mm Mauser]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-12-17 |title=German Luger rifle |url=https://www.forgottenweapons.com/early-semiauto-rifles/german-luger-rifle/ |access-date=2020-07-27 |website=Forgotten Weapons}}</ref>

== Users ==
<!--READ FIRST: This section is for cited entries only. Please do not add entries into this list without a citation from a reliable source. All entries without a citation will be removed. Thank you.-->
* {{flag|Algeria}}: Used by the [[National Liberation Army (Algeria)|National Liberation Army]], bought from Yugoslavia or Czechoslovakia{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=57}}
* {{flag|Australia}}: Used captured examples in the [[North African campaign]] of World War II<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|last=Rottman|first=Gordon|title=The Big Book of Gun Trivia: Everything You Want to Know, Don't Want to Know, and Don't Know You Need to Know|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|year=2013|pages=32}}</ref>
* {{flag|Austria}}: Armed forces used Lugers after 1945, supplied from the French-controlled Mauser factory<ref name="WalterJ">{{cite book|last=Walter|first=John|title=Luger Book: The Encyclopedia of the Borchardt and Borchardt-Luger Handguns, 1885–1985|publisher=Arms & Armour|year=1991|isbn=978-0-85368-886-0|location=London, UK|page=66}}</ref>
* {{flag|Bolivia}}:<ref name="WalterJ" /> delivered from 1912 and used during the [[Chaco War]]<ref name="Chaco">{{cite book|author=Alejandro de Quesada|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dTm3CwAAQBAJ|title=The Chaco War 1932-35: South America's greatest modern conflict|date=20 November 2011|publisher=Osprey Publishing|isbn=978-1-84908-901-2|page=23}}</ref>
* {{flag|Brazil}}: The 7.65 model 1900 Luger was adopted in 1906 after navy trials, but purchases failed to materialize due to problems in the economy. In 1908 the improved 1906 model in 7.65 was ordered by the army. The Lugers were delivered to Brazil in 1910 and issued primarily to military officers; following a 1919 law a number of those were lent to police forces.<ref name="WAL" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Luger of the Tropics |url=https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/the-luger-of-the-tropics/ |access-date=2023-07-05 |website=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Military and police handgun cartridges of Brazil. - Free Online Library |url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Military+and+police+handgun+cartridges+of+Brazil.-a0248661694 |access-date=2023-07-10 |website=www.thefreelibrary.com}}</ref><ref name="Brazil''" />
* {{Flag|Canada}}: 1900 commercial model bought for trials<ref name=":4">Davis, Aaron, ''The Standard Catalog of Luger'', Gun Digest Books, {{ISBN|9780896894112}} (2006) p. 36</ref>
* {{Flag|Chile}}: 1900 commercial model bought for trials<ref name=":4" />
* {{Flag|Czechoslovakia|1920}}:The Luger was in use with the Czechoslovak military after the declaration of independence in 1919<ref>{{Cite web |title=Czechoslovak Weapons of World War II: part 1: Czechoslovakia was well-armed and fortified before World War II, but appeasers in Britain and France pulled the rug out, making "Munich" a synonym for betrayal. - Free Online Library |url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Czechoslovak+Weapons+of+World+War+II:+part+1:+Czechoslovakia+was...-a0501831675 |access-date=2022-12-18 |website=www.thefreelibrary.com}}</ref>
* {{flag|Kingdom of Bulgaria}}:<ref name="Miller">{{cite book|last=Miller|first=David|title=Fighting Men of World War II, Volume I: Axis Forces — Uniforms, Equipment, and Weapons|publisher=Stackpole Books|year=2007|isbn=978-0-8117-0277-5|page=369}}</ref> Three types of pistols were purchased from DWM.: The 7,65mm obrazetz 1903 (Old Model) was acquired in comparatively small numbers in 1903-4 and featured the distinctively cutaway toggle grips and a 4.75-inch barrel. The 7,65mm Obrazetz 1908 (New Model) was supplied between 1908 and 1909, and had flat-face checkered toggles; around 1,500 were ordered. The 9mm obrazetz 1911, was a 9mm pistol with a 3.9-inch barrel similar to the German Pistole 08 but lacking a grip safety, stock lug and with a lanyard loop on the lower left side of the butt;  around 10,000 were ordered.  After the Second Balkan War many of the 7,65mm Lugers were re-barreled to 9mm<ref>{{Cite web |title=BULGARIAN SMALL ARMS OF WORLD WAR II, PART I: SOME OLD AND SOME NEW. - Free Online Library |url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/BULGARIAN+SMALL+ARMS+OF+WORLD+WAR+II,+PART+I:+SOME+OLD+AND+SOME+NEW.-a0583655275 |access-date=2022-12-19 |website=www.thefreelibrary.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Jowett |first=Philip |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/842879929 |title=Armies of the Balkan Wars 1912-13 : the priming charge for the Great War. |date=2012 |publisher=Osprey Publishing |isbn=978-1-299-58155-5 |oclc=842879929}}</ref>
* {{flag|Republic of China (1912–1949)|name=Republic of China}}: Used by [[Zhang Zuolin|Chang Tso-lin's]] warlord army.<ref>{{cite book|last=Jowett|first=Philip|url=https://archive.org/details/chinesewarlordar00jowe|title=Chinese Warlord Armies 1911–30|publisher=Osprey Publishing Ltd.|year=2010|isbn=978-1-84908-402-4|location=Oxford, UK|page=[https://archive.org/details/chinesewarlordar00jowe/page/n11 21]|url-access=limited}}</ref> 
* {{flag|Democratic Republic of Georgia}}: Mainly issued to officers.<ref>{{Cite web|title=მსუბუქი შეიარაღება|url=https://history.mod.gov.ge/ge/page/39/msubuqi-sheiarageba|access-date=2021-05-04|website=history.mod.gov.ge}}</ref>
* {{flag|Empire of Japan}}: Used Luger pistols in a semi-official capacity taken from disarmed [[Royal Netherlands East Indies Army|Dutch forces in Indonesia]].<ref name="Luger" /><ref>{{Cite book|last=Cormack|first=A.J.R.|title=The Luger|publisher=Profile Publications Ltd.|year=1972|pages=57}}</ref>
* {{flag|Finland}}: Small numbers of  P08 Lugers acquired by [[Jäger Movement|Jägers]] and the [[Whites (Finland)|Finnish White Army]] during the civil war; including 100 artillery lugers. 7.65 pistols with 95mm and 98mm barrels were ordered from DWM and designated m/23 pistol; 2,000 were delivered in 1922 and a further 2,000  in 1923, by 1929 the army had 8,000 m/23 pistols. During the Winter War those pistols were converted to use 9mm ammunition.<ref name="davis2006">{{cite book|last=Davis|first=Aaron|title=Standard Catalog of Luger|publisher=Gun Digest Books|year=2006|isbn=0-89689-411-8|edition=2nd}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=The Luger in Finland |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vTynFRdBlA |access-date=2024-01-02 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=FINNISH ARMY 1918 - 1945: REVOLVERS & PISTOLS PART 1 |url=https://www.jaegerplatoon.net/PISTOLS1.htm |access-date=2024-01-02 |website=www.jaegerplatoon.net}}</ref>
* {{flag|France}}: The French occupied and operated the Mauser factory 1945–46, then seized remaining Mauser parts stocks to assemble approximately 4,000 Luger pistols for French forces<ref name="WalterJ" />
* {{flag|Germany}}<ref name="miller2001">{{Cite book|last=Miller|first=David|title=The Illustrated Directory of 20th Century Guns|publisher=Salamander Books Ltd|year=2001|isbn=1-84065-245-4}}</ref>
** {{flag|German Empire}}<ref name="bishop2002" />
** {{flag|Weimar Republic}}<ref name="bishop2002" />
** {{flag|Nazi Germany}}<ref name="bishop2002" />
** {{flag|East Germany}}: Used until the 1960s by the [[Volkspolizei]]{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=59}} and [[Stasi]] agents. A small number were sold abroad to Ethiopia in the 1980s.<ref name="Luger" /><ref>{{Citation |title=Lugers, Lugers and Lugers. Detailed description of the most recent import of German P08 pistols. |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLFQFb4fTw8 |access-date=2023-09-06 |language=en}}</ref>
* {{flag|Grenada}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=jwh1975 |date=2015-10-18 |title=Urgent Fury 1983: WWII weapons encountered |url=https://wwiiafterwwii.wordpress.com/2015/10/18/urgent-fury-1983-wwii-weapons-encountered/ |access-date=2023-07-04 |website=wwiiafterwwii |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite web |title=Historical Breechloading Smallarms Association |url=https://hbsa-uk.org/knowledge-and-research/hbsa-dvd-index-and-content/hbsa-ww1-commemorative-film/p08-lang-artillery-luger-9mm-self-loading-pistol/ |access-date=2023-07-04 |website=Historical Breechloading Smallarms Association |language=en-GB}}</ref>
* {{flag|Indonesia}}: Almost 14,000 Dutch KNIL M.11 Lugers were in Indonesia before the [[Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies]]. As such, the Luger was widely used during the [[Indonesian National Revolution]]. General [[Sudirman]] is known to have personally carried an M.11.<ref>KNIL-wapens in Indonesische musea (KNIL weapons in Indonesian museums), D.W. Staat, SAM Wapenmagazine 85, p.51 (In Dutch)</ref>
* {{flag|Italian Social Republic}}: Supplied to forces collaborating with Germany in northern Italy.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Riccio |first1=Ralph |title=Italian small arms of the first & second world wars |date=2013 |publisher=Schiffer Publishing |isbn=9780764345838 |pages=163}}</ref>
* {{flagicon image|Naval flag of Iran 1933-1980.svg}} [[Pahlavi dynasty|Imperial State of Iran]]<ref name="Luger" />
* {{Flag|Latvia}}: Purchased less than 1,000 between 1936 and 1939.<ref>Davis, Aaron, ''The Standard Catalog of Luger'', Gun Digest Books, {{ISBN|9780896894112}} (2006) p. 182</ref>
* {{flag|Libya}}<ref>{{cite web|author=Grey Tiger|date=2015|title=World Infantry Weapons: Libya|url=https://sites.google.com/site/worldinventory/wiw_africa/wiw_af_libya|access-date=13 December 2017|publisher=WorldInventory|via=[[Google Sites]]|archive-date=5 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161005200329/https://sites.google.com/site/worldinventory/wiw_africa/wiw_af_libya|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Lithuania}}<ref>{{Cite book|last=Görtz|first=Joachim|title=The Borchardt & Luger Automatic Pistols: A Technical History for Collectors from C93 to P.08|pages=537}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Luxemburg}}:1900 commercial model bought for trials<ref name=":4" />
* {{Flag|Mexico}}<ref name="DAV" />
* {{flag|Netherlands}}: Dutch arms factories made Lugers in 1912 for use by the [[Royal Netherlands East Indies Army|Dutch East Indies Army]].<ref name="WalterJ" /> Other contracts were completed for the Dutch Navy commencing in 1923, and the Dutch Air Force in 1928
* {{Flag|New Zealand}}: Captured P08 Lugers were carried unofficially by some servicemen during WWI and WWII. At the end of WWI many captured Lugers were brought to New Zealand and were surrendered under amnesty following the 1920 Arms Act which outlawed the civilian possession of 'semi‐automatic pistols'. In 1942 the surrendered P08s held in Government stores were issued to RNZAF officers in the Aerodrome Defence Squadrons.<ref>{{Cite web |title=NZ Arms Register- Luger Pistol |url=http://www.armsregister.com/arms_register/arms_register_documents/nzar_377_luger_pistol.pdf}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Norway}}: In use from 1945 and phased out in 1987.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://urn.nb.no/URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2007091104011|title=Hæren etter Annen verdenskrig: 1945–1990|publisher=Fabritius|year=1990|isbn=8290545169|location=Oslo|page=563|language=no|trans-title=The Army of the Second World War: 1945–1990}}</ref>
* {{flag|Palestine}}: the [[Palestine Liberation Organization]] received P08s from East Germany{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=59}}
* {{flag|Portugal}}: Around 1901, a commission tested various semiautomatic pistols,  the 7.65 model 1900 Luger was considered superior. No immediate decision was taken and in 1907 another commission decided on the Luger. That same year 50 Model 1906 commercial pistols were bought for an expedition into Cuamato territory in Angola. In 1908, between 3.500 to 5.000 model 1906 pistols in 7.65 were delivered. In 1910 the navy bought 650 Lugers in 9mm. In 1935 564 Lugers in 7.65 were bought for the National Republican Guard. In 1942 4.500 P08 Lugers were purchased<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Telo|first1=António José|title=Armamento do Exército Português, Vol.I – Armamento Ligeiro|last2=Álvares|first2=Mário|publisher=Prefácio|year=2004|isbn=972-8816-43-X|location=Lisbon|pages=100–103|language=pt|trans-title=Armament of the Portuguese Army, Vol.I – Light Armament}}</ref><ref name="Luger article">{{cite web|last=Arnold|first=David W.|date=11 November 2010|title=Classic Handguns of the 20th Century: The P.08 German Luger|url=http://www.handgunsmag.com/reviews/featured_handguns_po8_luger/|access-date=12 May 2017|website=Handguns}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=2012-03-27 |title=:: Revista Militar ::-Revistas - As Indústrias Militares e As Armas de Fogo |url=http://www.revistamilitar.pt/modules/articles/article.php?id=528 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120327041640/http://www.revistamilitar.pt/modules/articles/article.php?id=528 |archive-date=27 March 2012 |access-date=2022-12-29}}<!-- auto-translated by Module:CS1 translator --></ref>
* {{flag|Romania}}<ref name=":5" /><ref>{{Citation |title=L |date=2000-12-31 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/9783110956863.119 |work=International Directory of Libraries for the Blind |pages=119–122 |access-date=2023-07-04 |publisher=DE GRUYTER SAUR|doi=10.1515/9783110956863.119 |isbn=978-3-598-21816-3 |url-access=subscription }}</ref>
* {{flag|Russia|name=Russian Empire}}: 9mm Lugers were authorized as a sidearm in 1907; small amounts were privately purchased by officers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Russian/Soviet: military handguns part 1 from Lefaucheux to Luger. - Free Online Library |url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Russian/Soviet:+military+handguns+part+1+from+Lefaucheux+to+Luger.-a0323975952 |access-date=2022-12-16 |website=www.thefreelibrary.com}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Small Arms of WWI Primer 185: Foreign 1911s |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aYmsNoPwNM |access-date=2024-01-22 |language=en}}</ref>
* {{flag|Spain|1936}}<ref name="davis2006" />
* {{flag|Soviet Union}}: Used by the Red Army during the civil war;<ref>{{Cite journal |title=US Army, Report, Commanders' Conference, October 2, 1952, Top Secret, NARA. |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/9789004346673.wmdo-02_462 |access-date=2022-12-30 |website=Weapons of Mass Destruction|doi=10.1163/9789004346673.wmdo-02_462 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> in September 1929, an agreement was signed under which about 300 pistols were delivered from the Weimar Republic, their assembly was carried out at the Sestroretsk arms factory.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2007-05-24 |title="ПАРАБЕЛЛУМ" Легендарный пистолет |url=http://www.weapon.df.ru/luger/Index.html |access-date=2022-12-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070524130636/http://www.weapon.df.ru/luger/Index.html |archive-date=24 May 2007 }}</ref> stored captured P08s but never used in combat{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=59}}
* {{flag|Sweden|1923}}<ref name="DAV" />
* {{flag|Switzerland}}: The Swiss Army was the first to adopt the Luger. 1900–1950<ref name="davis2006" />
* {{flag|Turkey}}<ref name="Luger article" />
* {{flag|Thailand}}{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=28}}
* {{flag|United Kingdom}}: used by [[Special Operations Executive]]{{sfn|Grant|2018|p=69}}
* {{flag|United States}}:<ref name="DAV" /> The U.S. Ordnance Board purchased 1,000 Model 1900 7.65mm pistols under an official military contract order in 1901 and issued them to active duty cavalry troops for field testing. Most were distributed to U.S. Cavalry troops involved in police actions in the Philippines and Cuba. As the American Cavalry troops had used .45 and .38 revolvers for over 30 years, the small caliber, complex Luger, was viewed with some suspicion and not readily accepted. There were complaints as to small caliber, safety while riding from horseback, and unreliable action. As a result of these reports 50 Lugers in caliber 9mm were briefly tested by the Army in 1904-1906 and three Lugers in .45 caliber were tested in 1907. The Luger was rejected by the U.S. Army in favor of the Colt M1911. In 1905-1907 the Springfield Armory called in most of the M1900 Test Lugers.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Meadows |first=Scott |title=U.S. Military Automatic Pistols 1920 - 1945 |year=2010 |pages=386}}</ref>

=== Non-state entities ===

* [[Ação Libertadora Nacional]]<ref>{{Cite book |last=Magalhães |first=Mário |title=Marighella: o guerrilheiro que incendiou o mundo |date=2012 |publisher=Companhia das Letras |isbn=978-85-359-2170-0 |edition= |location=São Paulo, SP}}</ref>
* {{flagicon image|Forces Libanaises Flag.svg}} [[Lebanese Forces]]<ref>{{cite web |title=The Weapons: Semi-auto Pistols |url=http://www.lebaneseforces.com/wsemiauto.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402114327/http://www.lebaneseforces.com/wsemiauto.asp |archive-date=2 April 2015 |access-date=12 March 2015 |work=lebaneseforces.com}}</ref>
* {{flagicon image|OAS Flag.svg}} [[Organisation armée secrète]]<ref name="Algeria">{{cite magazine |last=Perez |first=Jean-Claude |date=March 1992 |title=Les armes de l'O.A.S. |url=http://fr.1001mags.com/parution/gazette-des-armes/numero-220-mars-1992/page-28-29-texte-integral |magazine=Gazette des Armes |language=fr |issue=220 |pages=28–30}}</ref>
* {{flagicon image|Flag of Ireland.svg|23px}} [[Provisional Irish Republican Army]]<ref>{{Cite news |title=Martin McGuinness: I'm not bothered by gun photograph |language=en-GB |work=belfasttelegraph |url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/martin-mcguinness-im-not-bothered-by-gun-photograph-28494515.html |access-date=2022-10-06 |issn=0307-1235}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Blake |first=Andrew |date=1979-09-04 |title=The American Connection: Running Guns to the IRA |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1979/09/04/the-american-connection-running-guns-to-the-ira/cc17f812-fc79-4b3c-8b7e-4d42815fed9a/}}</ref>
* {{flagicon image|Flag_of_the_Puerto_Rican_Nationalist_Party.svg|23px}} [[Nationalist Party of Puerto Rico|Puerto Rican Nationalist Party]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Congress Congressmen Capitol Shooting 1954 |url=http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Watchf-Associated-Press-Domestic-News-Dist-of-/aba8cc33b0754cd2a4d599804316135d |website=AP Images}}</ref>
* {{flagdeco|Republic of South Vietnam}} [[Viet Cong]]<ref name=":3" />
* {{flagicon image|Yugoslav Partisans flag (1942-1945).svg}} [[Yugoslav Partisans]]<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Scarlata |first=Paul |date=1 October 2017 |title=Yugoslav Part II: World War II small arms: an assortment of small arms from friends and foe alike |url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/YUGOSLAV+PART+II%3A+WORLD+WAR+II+SMALL+ARMS%3A+AN+ASSORTMENT+OF+SMALL...-a0510936519 |magazine=Firearms News}}</ref>
* {{flagicon image|Flag of ZANU-PF.svg}} [[Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army]]<ref>{{cite web |last=Stewart |first=Major Michael P. |title=Art of War Papers |url=http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/cgsc/carl/download/csipubs/ArtOfWar_RhodesianAfricanRifles.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130302074435/http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/cgsc/carl/download/csipubs/ArtOfWar_RhodesianAfricanRifles.pdf |archive-date=2013-03-02 |access-date=12 March 2015}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Lahti L-35]]
* [[Nambu pistol]]
* [[Stoeger Luger]]
* [[Table of handgun and rifle cartridges]]

== References ==

; Citations
{{Reflist|30em}}

; Bibliography

* {{cite book|last=Bishop|first=Chris|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MuGsf0psjvcC&pg=PA228|title=The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II|publisher=Sterling Publishing Company, Inc|year=2002|isbn=978-1-58663-762-0}}
* {{cite book|last=Rottman|first=Gordon|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-CBO0uL41N0C|title=World War II Axis Booby Traps and Sabotage Tactics|publisher=Osprey Publishing|year=2011|isbn=978-1780961439|location=Oxford, UK|oclc=650113182}}
* {{cite book|last=Grant|first=Neil|title=The Luger|date=20 Sep 2018|publisher=Osprey Publishing|isbn=9781472819734|series=Weapon 64}}

== Further reading ==

* ''The Borchardt & Luger Automatic Pistols'' by Joachim Gortz and Dr. Geoffrey Sturgess (Simpson Ltd, 2012)
* ''Imperial Lugers'' by Jan C. Still (Still's Books, 1994)
* ''Third Reich Lugers'' by Jan C. Still (Still's Books, 1988)
* ''Weimar Lugers'' by Jan C. Still (Still's Books, 1993)
* ''Lugers at Random'' by Charles Kenyon (Hand Gun Press, 1990)
* ''Simson Lugers'' by Edward B. Tinker and Graham K. Johnson (Simpson Ltd, 2007)
* ''Luger Book: The Encyclopedia of the Borchardt and Borchardt-Luger Handguns, 1885–1985'' by J. Walter (Arms & Armour, 1991)
* ''The Parabellum is Back! 1945–2000'' by Mauro Baudino and Gerben van Vlimmeren (Simpson Ltd, 2010)

== External links ==
{{Commons|P08 Parabellum}}

* [http://www.lugerlp08.com/ Artillery Luger and Mauser Parabellum]
* [http://www.lugerlp08.com/mauser%20parabellum%20certification.htm Mauser Parabellum (INTERARMS) Certification Service from the Original Mauser Production Ledgers.]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130724035723/http://www.bimbel.de/artikel/artikel-45.html Luger 08] in parts
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110103025032/http://gunstribune.com/handguns/bulgaria/luger-9mm Bulgarian Luger 08 on GunsTribune]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160430175334/http://germanlugers.org/ A Luger-related searchable database with hundreds of photos and values]
* [http://ru.scribd.com/doc/194609953/Ma%C3%9Ftafeln-zur-Pistole-08-und-langen-Pistole-08 Maßtafeln zur Pistole 08 und langen Pistole 08]
* [http://ru.scribd.com/doc/147326265/The-Luger-Pistol-Blueprints-Ordonnanz-Zur-Pistole-1900 Luger Pistol M1900 Blueprints]
* [http://ru.scribd.com/doc/147327275/The-Luger-Pistol-Blueprint-Pistole-1900-1906 Luger Pistol M1904 Blueprints] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140115111453/http://ru.scribd.com/doc/147327275/The-Luger-Pistol-Blueprint-Pistole-1900-1906 |date=15 January 2014 }}
* [http://ru.scribd.com/doc/147327854/The-Luger-Pistol-Blueprints-Pistole-1906 Luger Pistol M1906 Blueprints]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wmYQpYotGs: YouTube animation showing mechanism of Luger P08]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTlvw5XmiU4 How does it work: Toggle Actions] Forgotten Weapons
* [https://www.selfdefensefund.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Luger.pdf ''Standard Catalog of Luger'']{{dead link|date=March 2025}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Luger P08 Pistol}}
[[Category:7.65×21mm Parabellum semi-automatic pistols]]
[[Category:9mm Parabellum semi-automatic pistols]]
[[Category:9mm Parabellum submachine guns]]
[[Category:19th-century semi-automatic pistols]]
[[Category:Machine pistols]]
[[Category:Semi-automatic pistols of Germany]]
[[Category:Weapons of the Ottoman Empire]]
[[Category:Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1900]]
[[Category:World War I German infantry weapons]]
[[Category:World War II infantry weapons of Germany]]
[[Category:World War II infantry weapons of Brazil]]