The First German Assault Weapon: The Lange Pistole 08

Get Entered to WIN this original Artillery Luger rig!
go.getenteredtowin.com/forgottenweapons
DEADLINE to ENTER is 07/28/23 @ 11:59pm (PST).
The Lange Pistole 08 (long pistol), or Artillery Luger as it is commonly known today, has an interesting history. It was originally developed as a personal defense weapon for German field artillery and air crews. While the foot artillery had been issued carbines, the field artillery were mounted and highly mobile, and needed something smaller than a carbine. The LP08 was to replace remarkably old black powder 1879 and 1883 Reichsrevolvers for them. With its detachable shoulder stock, it could serve as a handgun or a faux carbine.
The LP08 was adopted in 1913, but significant production wasn't pushed until World War One began, and deliveries took some time to really get moving. About the time substantial numbers were able to be issued to new artillery units, troops in the trenches were recognizing just how well-suited the weapon was to the patrols and trench raids of the static warfare of northern France. In 1916 a drum magazine with a 32 round capacity was designed for the LP08, using Freidrich Blum's patent originally intended for an aviator's drum magazine for the Mondragon rifle. With a stock and drum, the LP08 was arguably the single best existing weapon for close-quarters fighting.
Incidentally, a fully automatic version of the Luger was tested (mostly for air crews) but rejected because its rate of fire was simply too high to be practical.
In February 1918, a German High Command order first used the word "sturm" in an assault context, describing elite "sturmkompagnies" that were to be issued artillery Lugers and drums for close combat. These would be replaced late that year by new submachine guns (the MP-18,I) as they became available, but the LP08 was the original specialty weapon of the Sturmtruppen.
What I find doubly interesting is that this sort of story would repeat itself many times over the following century. A light and handy weapon was developed for rear echelon or support troops, and became embraced by elite special forces, often to the exclusion of its original intended users. Notable examples that come to mind are the MP7, P90, and M1 Carbine.
utreon.com/c/forgottenweapons/
www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons
www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons
Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! shop.forgottenweapons.com
Contact:
Forgotten Weapons
6281 N. Oracle 36270
Tucson, AZ 85740

[@ForgottenWeapons]

Get Entered to WIN this original Artillery Luger rig! go.getenteredtowin.com/forgottenweapons DEADLINE to ENTER is 07/28/23 @ 11:59pm (PST).

[@urufushinjiro]

Thanks so much for describing how the contest works in the video now, much needed improvement.

[@johnburnett9404]

Qq1😂😢.. 11:15 😢0.7 k😊

[@cin294]

Is the mug the only thing to buy to enter to win?

[@davidkomen5283]

I tried, but I don't have a credit card.

[@eugenespicer3272]

Kathy Hochul will never allow this in NYS

[@daaaah_whoosh]

The idea of early airplane pilots shooting at each other with handheld small arms is so crazy to me. Like WW1 really was the Wild West of warfare.

[@kenibnanak5554]

The first person to put a machine gun on his plane was an Italian who was also the first pilot to experience another plane plinking at him.

[@sir_vix]

One of the VR games I've got is a WW1 fighter 'simulator', and you bomb targets by literally grabbing mortar style bombs out of a box and dropping them from the side of your cockpit...

[@sir_vix]

@@kenibnanak5554 on 7 June 1912, Captain Charles Chandler of the US Army fired a prototype Lewis gun from the foot-bar of a Wright Model B Flyer.

[@todderstaffes]

My grandfather was with the Royal Flying Core and fought over France in 1918 told us stories as kids about shooting at enemy aircraft with his Webley pistol when his Lewis gun stopped working, he said it was useless but made him feel better😮 Amazing man who lived to be 100 and served in both wars… A brave generation on all sides

[@markfergerson2145]

Remember that military aircraft were a new thing that all sides were figuring out how to use. They began as observing and spotting tools, then different sides would get a little too close to each other and the pilots and observers realized they were in small arms range so they gave it a shot(!) in hopes of denying the enemy whatever surveillance information their planes had gathered. Nobody had thought to mount guns on planes yet so they used what they had. Compare against early tank designs. For that matter, compare the evolution of warships once people started mounting cannons on ships. It’s all trial and error.

[@krissteel4074]

Well you see Hans, if you push the sight out to 800m, now you are doing artillery

[@kenibnanak5554]

Is what we used to call plunging fire. :)

[@th.burggraf7814]

😅👌🏻

[@DickHolman]

@@chriswaring3783 If several snail-drum LP08s are giving plunging fire, the resultant beaten area is not a good place to be.

[@christopherreed4723]

>plink< >plonk< "I say, is it raining again? It really doesn't have to, you know. Bloody wet enough as it is." "No, bloody Huns are shooting those dashed long-barreled Lugers of theirs from long range. Rotters. Put your tin hat on and *keep* it on, dammit!"

[@th.burggraf7814]

@@christopherreed4723 😅👌🏻👍🏻

[@mst3kguy754]

Ian: "You can win this PIstole 08!" Me, living in a country where i probabily will never be able to legally own one: "STOP TORTURING ME;,YOU MAGNIFICENT BASTARD!"

[@marvindebot3264]

No trouble owning that here in Australia but private import of that would be a nightmare.

[@Hybris51129]

Reporter: "So why did you overthrow the old government?" You: "I wanted a chance to win a WWI era German stocked pistol."

[@TexasSpectre]

@@Hybris51129 There are far worse reasons... :P

[@AR15andGOD]

And you are the problem. What do you mean "legally allowed to own one"? You DO realize personal protection is a human right? It isn't given by the government, it is protected by the government (assuming your gov IS protecting it, which it obviously is not). What this means is that it's your choice since it's your right, and any consequences for doing so would actually be illegal. It's like owning a machine gun without the registration. Illegal? According to fake laws. Justified? Yes. 2A says we can have them and we'll accept any consequence if we know we're in the right. The point is, own whatever gun you want. it's your right

[@caprise-music6722]

@@AR15andGOD well yes, In the promised lands, sure.

[@AllAboutSurvival]

It's incredible to see how this firearm evolved from a personal defense weapon for German field artillery and air crews to become a favored weapon in the trenches during World War One.

[@johnsanko4136]

It's similar to the winchester trench shotgun being popular in the trenches. At the time rifles with 30 inch barrels were commonplace, but they're awkward to use in trenches.

[@rodeoclownobama5796]

@@johnsanko4136 trench shovels were quite effective

[@jpmtlhead39]

The Trench Sweeper.

[@BeingFireRetardant]

Ian often says, all weapons are a compromise. This just happens to be one of the best of breed. Everyone wants light and handy firepower with high capacity, who knew?

[@mm3mm3]

Count me in lol

[@anthonyburke5656]

I’ve a mate, a country boy, he is a firearm collector, by “day” his job is aHealth Inspector. In a previous life he was in Special Forces. He has a collection of firearms, including 9 Lugers. He has an artillery Luger, including the holster and harness AND the decorations and paperwork of the German soldier from whose corpse it was taken and the Sworn Deposition of the man who collected it in WW1. The story is my mate was inspecting a Nursing Home when someone told the patients he was a veteran. One of the patients started chatting about his time in the Army, he was a veteran of WW1. From time to time my mate was required to inspect the premises and he continued to chat with the patient. One day when he was visiting, he was asked to go to the patients room, the patient “presented the Luke’s and associated bits to my friend. My friend protested, because he knew the sale value of the gift. The patient said, I quote “No, I specifically used my day out to go home and get this for you, if I left it home, after I die they would use it to shoot rabbits in the back yard and probably shoot their fool foot, you have spent more time with me over the last few years than all of them together, I know you will appreciate this and keep it in good condition”. My friend cherishes the gift, not because it’s an artillery Luger, but because it was a gift from a friend. My friend didn’t have any sons, but his daughter is a gifted shooter and collector.

[@nerdherd1819]

May we all appreciate friends and artifacts they leave as well as your friend did.

[@alecmiller2270]

thats sickk

[@dimitridoes7936]

May we also acknowledve your apparently regret that friend has no sons, but that - apparently as a mildly mitigating factor - his daughter like guns. Hardly heard any such ancient views as these ...

[@johnfisk811]

Thank you Ian. So we see how the classic SMG magazine of 32 rounds capacity began. Luger to MP18 to MP28 and copies like the Lanchester machine carbine and Sten and so forth. All because of the maximum capacity of Herr Blum’s drum magazine for the Luger.

[@borjesvensson8661]

It comes from the capacity of the pistol. 8x4=32.

[@johnsmithee6541]

As a German, i like the way you say german words, and its mostly 99% correct pronouncing, thank you for that (and excuse my poor english skills). 👍

[@caspar_van_walde]

If one overhears, he does speak a sh sound in Pistole, what is following the logic of other words, but ,,Pistole" being an exceptional case, the ,,st" is spoken like in English. But the stress being at the right place & him following the right logic, no matter the exception, it indeed looks like, he actually took some time to figure out, how it might be pronounced, what indeed is respectable.

[@adambielen8996]

Your English is pretty good.

[@williamromine5715]

Your English is way better than my German.

[@johnnydoe7846]

Your English is mostly 99.9% correct. 👍😊

[@brittakriep2938]

@@caspar_van_walde : I, Brittas boyfriend, am swabian, so i speak the word Pistole as , Bischdool' in my dialect :-).

[@okaro6595]

There is interesting similarity with FN P90 that a weapon intended as a self-defense weapon is actually adopted more by special troops. Those are of the opposite ends but both need a good close combat weapon.

[@jeromethiel4323]

Agreed. Love the P90. Super controllable, small, and a high magazine capacity. The biggest problem with it is the EXTREMELY awkward reload.

[@maxout214226]

The P90 is somewhat large to be a PDW, but is very compact in OAL for a SMG making it somewhat better as an SMG than a collapsed MP7 with a flush mag. For a truck crew you could carry a MP7 on your leg with an oversized drop holster, the P90 would have to be slung.

[@Riceball01]

The P90 was intended to be a PDW and was in competition with the MP7 for a NATO contract but NATO ended not adopting a standardized PDW which is why the P90 was never used by anybody as a PDW.

[@mattsmustang65]

I believe the same thing happened with the original CZ "Scorpion." I think it was originally intended for tankers but ended up heavily uses by the KGB

[@Joshdun248]

Woke from an amputation to a new Forgotten weapons video, my luck is turning around already!

[@ForgottenWeapons]

Safe recovery!

[@atestamenttohistoryllc6090]

10 years ago I had a friend lose about 20 trommel mags, multiple loaders and unloading tools and over a dozen og non commercial stocks burn in a fire. That was just a small amount of what he lost. Been collecting Lugers since 1944

[@CharlesRTinsley]

Thanks Ian, for the obscure history of firearms. My late brother a 43 year LEO, Retired. His knowledge of was second only to you. We would haved loved your channel.

[@LD-Orbs]

I'm not even Ian, and I'm still honoured to hear that!

[@geraldgriffin8220]

There is or was ( if it wasn't melted) a lange Pistole 08 in the Dublin Castle collection converted to full auto..They didn't know if it was converted at a German arsenal or by German soldier in the field or converted later in Ireland.

[@_ArsNova]

Any video you do on German weapons is always a treat Ian! Thanks for another quarter-hour of fascinating knowledge on an super cool gun!

[@ravenslaves]

The very first German assault weapon has to be the Spitzerstein. Which was followed up later with the Spitzersteinstockgerbunden model, which extended the range considerably. It proved to be a devastating weapon at close range. This family of weapons was extremely innovated and many can still be found. Although most are in museums and private collections. The Scharferfels variation, had a very long service record, as well. Being perhaps the most versatile of the entire line.

[@chadconway927]

I love these, I acquired one at a gun show I was working at. Didn't have this magazine tho. Still a very nice piece of history

[@kenibnanak5554]

Every once in awhile Numrich sells hand made exact replicas of type 2 drum magazine and the loading tool for them. They are well made and mine functions well,.

[@matthewspencer5086]

George Orwell's requirements for a trench raid in the Spanish Civil War were: total darkness, two grenades (he states that it took a while for his unit to have grenades worth throwing) and a pistol or club. The objective was usually the Fascist machine-gun and if you _fired_ a rifle or made any other rifle-like noise the machine-gun would fire at you. He would sneak close enough to throw his grenades at the machine-gun crew (this didn't give his location away) and not fire his pistol (which would give his location away) unless he had to. It was only a 6.35mm in any case. (Was there a Spanish-made 6.35mm?) I get the impression that in WWII, a lot of Lugers of all sizes ended up with the garrison on the Channel Island of Guernsey. I have yet to meet a "Sarnian" of a certain age who didn't have a working one in his possession at some point when he was growing up and the only one who got into trouble for this had traded his stamp collection for it: his mother was furious because she thought the stamp collection was worth a lot more than a Luger. At that point in time, it might have been! The story might have been similar on Jersey, but because Jersey was deemed less defensible than Guernsey and Alderney so the Germans didn't invest so much in its defence: fewer bunkers, fewer handguns. There seem to have been a lot of 20mm guns of many makes on Alderney.

[@Celebmacil]

There were plenty of Spanish-made 6.35mm vest-pocket automatics made, a good example would be something such as the Astra M200, a copy of the Browning FN M1906.

[@petergray7576]

​@@CelebmacilYes, 6.35 mm is the metric designation for the .25 ACP.

[@matthewspencer5086]

@@Celebmacil So not actually a hopeless choice, in the circumstances: if they were made and sold in Spain, there would have been ammo and perhaps even spare parts in Spain. His accounts read as if you took as little as possible with you, which might catch on barbed wire or a tripwire, and _nothing_ which made any noise until it was fired. A lot of bigger firearms, even handguns, might be heard as you got them _ready_ to fire.

[@cyrilhector9183]

My dad told me that during WW2 he took one of these from a downed German pilot that had been attacking the airfield where he was stationed but unfortunately he obeyed orders and turned it in. It's nice to see what they actually looked like. Maybe it was personally obtained by the pilot for protection. PS My dad was an armaments officer and really knew his stuff. After the war he would often do firearms repairs when people brought weapons to our house.

[@charlesphillips4575]

I have always thought that the Mauser C96 with a detachable box magazine would have been a better choice. A nice double stack, double feed magazine would have been easier to manufacture, carry and load that the Luger drum. There was a M1917 Mauser trench carbine, but it came too late and was not adopted. If only Mauser had done the conversion to 9x19mm with a detachable box magazine, that would have been useful enough to justify developing a proper trench carbine.

[@ForgottenWeapons]

They actually did design just that: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qavPe2ynrsSGeck

[@panzerdeal8727]

Ah..the Mauser Schnellfuer...

[@th.burggraf7814]

@@panzerdeal8727 *feuer 👍🏻

[@itsconnorstime]

That would have a very simple and easy choice for anyone except the Germans to make.

[@th.burggraf7814]

@@itsconnorstime...yet none of em all did it. I wonder why that is, given the fact it's that obvious... 🤔

[@robinblackmoor8732]

You earned the thumb easy today Ian. I clicked just from seeing the thing, before you started speaking. You are full of surprises and information Ian.

[@JoseMr57]

thanks Ian, for all your work and expertise

[@bobhill3941]

Very cool as always, I really appreciate all the information, I learned so much. I always wondered the purpose of the long barrelled "artillery Luger".

[@MisterResistance101]

Love my Artillery Luger. Just wish my state didn’t have the stupid “high capacity magazine” ban so I could’ve had the drum magazine.

[@katakanta1941]

"God dammit Hanz, we have this huge "Machine pistol", that if I fire this. I'll be court martialed for friendly fire"

[@Pattamatt1998]

Same boat here. Gotta love it when the magazine ban is gets the most testimonials out of any bill in your states history with those opposed outnumbering those in favor almost 10 to 1 and they still push the bill through.

[@MisterResistance101]

@@Pattamatt1998 “Call your Representative / Senator and tell them to vote NO!” - Look them up and every single one of them are anti 2nd amendment to begin with and have been in their offices for years because they keep being voted in to stay. I give my state’s 2nd amendment rights group credit for fighting but at this point it’s obvious that their voices don’t matter and they continue to get walked all over anyways.

[@teagame1011]

Interesting how the downfall started around the same time we stopped selling Thompsons in the newspapers for 3 dollars by mail. Not saying those things are correlated, but it makes you think.

[@F74D3N8r0T]

You might have heard that it is commonly called the "08 ARI" derived from the idea of equipping the artillery troops with it, as you explained. But it turned out to be pretty effective when jumping into a trench full of enemies with a drum magazine. There goes a specific case with it usually. Also there belongs a scope to it! That makes it a great piece of equipment. For the aviators there also was the Luftwaffendrilling in use as a SHTF weapon. I hope you might find the chance to show this once in another video.

[@assasinsbear]

I love this weapon in Verdun (the videogame) and I love hearing all about it here!

[@kenibnanak5554]

They are interesting guns. The addition of the drum magazine definitely impacts balance and weapons handling. But it handles okay with regular pistol magazines. I will never understand why Mauser waited so long before making a detachable magazine version (schnellfeur) of their C96. The biggest limitation of the C96 was the requirement for the cursed stripper clips. The conversion kits SARCO and Federal Ordnance were selling in the 1980s to allow a 20 round box magazine was IMO a major improvement for a C96. But Germany in WW1 never saw anything like that. I have never understood the why.

[@ADUSN]

Rifles still had magazine cut offs. There's your answer. The doctrine hadn't developed

[@ForgottenWeapons]

Here's the C96 version: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qavPe2ynrsSGeck

[@kenibnanak5554]

@@ForgottenWeapons Wow, that's cool I had never seen or heard of that. Sigh, why did they so over complicate what could have just been a simple floor plate conversion kit like the Chinese did with theirs? The biggest issue, I have heard of with the imported Chinese conversion kits that came to the US in the 80s was that the magazines were junk and don't interchange. Probably different workmen in different places is my guess. But I think Mauser could have done a better job on the magazines if they had gone in that direction. Instead, they made a whole new gun and made it too costly.

[@carljenkins8481]

coming from germany and watching you for idk ages at least 5 years this might have the chance to be an instant classic, again xD ♥listening to ian just gives me inner peace, thank you for that =)

[@tomtruesdale6901]

Very interesting, I have heard about the "Artillery Luger " before but never knew that it turned into this weapon. Learned something new.

[@lairdcummings9092]

It seems that the PDW, and PDW-adjacent weapon, type is perennially open for debate. Long arms are easy enough to settle within general type, and side arms likewise, but that intermediate weapon just can't gel.

[@ADUSN]

People get too hung up on the cartridge

[@lairdcummings9092]

@@ADUSN the cartridge is where the *real* money lies; arms sales make money, but ammunition sales make stupid huge money.

[@ADUSN]

@@lairdcummings9092 I mean in terms of semantics.

[@lairdcummings9092]

@@ADUSN ok. Still, in terms of logistics, you were also correct.

[@wacojones8062]

A have one with the snail drum, leather holster is not mounted due to wear issues and it needs a new rear sight spring. When I was very young, I was hitting 8-inch steel plates at 200 yards on a consistent basis. My grandfather brought it back along with his issue 1911 at the end of WW I he was an artillery captain. 123rd FA battery commander, regimental adjutant and Brigade Fire control officer. He had his pharmacist license when he was 19.

[@waynemyers2469]

I've always had a fascination for the Villa Perosa, side-by-side aircraft machine-guns that have been dissected, examined and fired in a variety of KZbin videos including on an episode of Forgotten Weapons. Long before that though, when all I had available to me were blurred still photographs and written descriptions of it's operation, cyclic rate of fire, etc., I had concocted an image in my head of a freaky little gun for trench warfare. Clearly, that little Italian gun was the archetypical "bullet hose" and it came in a surprisingly compact package, made even smaller if one were handy enough to detach the two guns from one-another. Many times since I originally had that thought I went a step further and imagined the trimmed-down gun fitted with a foregrip and a stock and some kind of linkage for a rifle-style trigger and voila, a trench-sweeper that could, literally, sweep a fuckin' trench. I know there are probably problems I'm unaware of, design restrictions but still, considering the fact that at the start of the war hardly anyone had really fielded a compact, pistol caliber, shoulder fired machine-gun (that I can recall) except in small numbers. I seem to recall the Thompson and perhaps a French gun, can't remember it's name and, of course, the luger but everything else was crew-served light machine-guns and heavy machine-guns. Anyway, I can't pretend to be an authority on anything and I'm probably way off in my estimation of what weapons made it onto the battlefield and when they made their first appearance but still, a scene remains in my imagination of an Italian or German commando with a sack full of grenades and a sack full of magazines dropping into an Allied trench and letting loose with that little gun to the surprise and horror of everyone within ear-shot: Brrrrrraaaaap! Smoke and dropping bodies, end of story, trench swept.

[@rolf-arnesand2304]

Thanks for that - great information. Would love to own an Assault Luger

[@johnstewart2011]

I was going to post this comment for the video about the drawing for the M1903A4 sniper rifle, but it is evidently no longer available. I could find no other way of bringing up this issue, and therefore here it is even though I don’t know if it is applicable to this drawing directly. After receiving the cup I purchased to be entered in that drawing, disappointing was an understatement. The cup did have the somewhat crude image of Ian with the rifle as the cup was pictured, but the other side had an even larger advertisement for the company conducting the event. I didn’t pay $50+ to have a garish advertisement sitting on my shelf, but that wasn’t the worst. The bottom of the cup proudly announced that it was made in China. I won’t go into the rant I was originally thinking of, but having an American rifle like that associated with this country’s greatest current enemy was … highly unexpected to say the least. I disposed of the cup in an appropriate manner, and I will be much more careful about supporting such activities in the future.

[@wesleypatton5820]

Hey Ian! I have loved your channel for many years and I just entered to win! I’ve always loved the luger and would love to have a full rig! One of my favorite memories of Colorado was going to old steel guns and was determined to go there through your channel!

[@acmelka]

Wow! Been waiting for this video!!! Thank you

[@ForrestGreen-bi9nj]

How cool is that? The prototype for the semiautomatic braced pistol. Revolvers with longer barrels and wooden stocks existed in the 1870s, I believe. That drum magazine is brilliant!

[@discerningscoundrel3055]

It's a brilliant piece of design to get extended capacity into the heavily angled grip of a pistol designed for a single stack mag, but it really is trying to fit a quart into a pint pot, and as a consequence its a pig to reload and reliability is less than stellar.

[@axewolfjack]

What a beautiful piece of history!

[@sierraecho884]

Very interesting. This weapon really is great for that time. 32 projectile capacity and small size is pretty awesome compared to a K98 or something similar.

[@jamescherney5874]

My Great Uncle picked one of these off the battlefield in WW1. He was a cavalry Lt. in the 32 nd division. It didn' t have the drum magazine. It was in great condition. Sadly it got sold many years ago.

[@brittakriep2938]

A small mistake. Feldartillerie/ field artillry was Not alsways mounted, this was Reitende Artillerie ( mounted artillry). But , Fahrende Artillerie ' ( driving artillry also existed . Here only the commanding officer was mounted, the gunners sat on march next to drivers of guns and ammunition carts.

[@apiwichteralapsuwan2660]

been seeeing these alot for long time thankyou for making the vid

[@russwoodward8251]

Excellent. A cool magazine. Thank you.

[@minisforerbody]

If I remember rightly, the Royal Armouries museum has a Mondragon with a drum magazine like the one mentioned.

[@rebel4466]

The German pronunciation is really good, Ian! No need for any insecurities. Some words are just tricky as an English native, especially those ending in "e". The e is basically dropped in English, while being pronounced 100% of the time in German. Like in Luftwaffe, Pistole, lange, Porsche and a million other words. It's basically the sound of the "e" in "end" (or maybe like in "Luger" without the "r"). But it's a lot harder to remember to use than it is to know how it's done. Nothing to worry about though. Everything German in the video is easy to understand and you even incorporated the "sh" sound in "Sturm". Uncommon for foreigners, but absolutely correct. (For the curious: St or Sp at the beginning of a German word are pronounced like sht or shp. Otherwise they're sounding like in "list" or "special")

[@BootedVulture]

interesting episode. I look forward to the two more entries about it to flog the competition.

[@toxicclown3035]

Living in the UK, it's so frustrating whenever these competitions crop up.

[@TheStig505]

To be fair, it's a shady looking business anyway.

[@jeromethiel4323]

P90 is my personal choice of best PDW for non-front line troops. Small, maneuverable, high capacity, and capable of full auto when needed. Not to mention pretty darn accurate.

[@glueguzzler9548]

Ian must be saving up to buy another Chauchat(or two) with all his sponsors. Thatta boy Ian! So happy to see him doing well after watching for years and years. Just waiting for the day you get on the red carpet, in the name of Gun Jesus it will happen.

[@TheHylianBatman]

These kinds of Luger are my favorite. I would really like one.

[@drewynucci9037]

I don’t know why it just dawned on me that you look like col. Custer… always cool segments!

[@kirillgorovatski1492]

The main revolutionary item for me, is that Reich-documents didn't adress the LP08 para-model as "artillery" AT ALL (!!!). THX Ian for the exellent content! (As always, btw).

[@JGCR59]

It's basically the eternal story of PDW style weapons. Like the HK P7 or FN P 90 also. They never end up with the troops that are supposed to get them and instead go to "special" units of their time

[@Cthippo1]

Same to some extent with the M1 Carbine

[@Supercohboy]

It reminds me of that low IQ, middle IQ, high IQ standard deviation graph. Low IQ: We need our special units to have a gun with a high magazine capacity and a compact profile! (because they're busy doing other things like shooting cannons) Mid IQ: We need range capability in order to properly engage the enemy. This necessitates a higher caliber, which in turn results in a lower magazine capacity. High IQ: We need our special units to have a gun with a high magazine capacity and a compact profile! (because special forces are usually positioned in close proximity to the enemy, they don't need the range capability but need maximum compact firepower)

[@danieljob3184]

The first time I heard the term 'artillery Luger' as a kid, I imagined an artillery piece with a Luger style toggle lock breech. 🤪

[@DickHolman]

The Swiss deployed an anti-tank gun with a toggle-lock. :) I can't remember the calibre, probably ~30-40mm. Bloke on the Range covers them very well.

[@lawrencehudson9939]

Its interesting that we name this longer version of a military pistol as artillery and the shortened US 1873 revolvers as artillery models. Sadly, no drum magazines for the Colt revolvers.

[@l0rf]

But aren't all revolvers also drum magazines? I can only imagine I just caused someone an aneurism by saying that 😅.

[@LTC_Tiger]

My great uncle actually brought one of these back from WWII after serving with the 100th Division in Europe. My grandfather wound up with it after my great uncle was clipped by a drunk driver and killed while on his motorcycle in ‘47. We still have it, and it still works. It’s a WWI era piece, marked DWM 1917. We have the standard magazine and the holster (complete with the Nazi badge pinned onto the leather) but not the rifle stock or snail drum mag.

[@tmimify]

The first thing that comes to mind when a handgun is mentioned in aviation context is the epic final duel between Porco and Curtis in Porco Rosso. I might not be the only one with this idea. :D

[@jamesjean8848]

Awesome weapon! 👍🏿

[@frankbrowning328]

Very interesting history & pistol/carbine.

[@possumpatrol45]

An elegant weapon from a more civilized age

[@I.G_NL]

I’d hardly call the 1900’s civilised… (late 1800’s too)

[@c1ph3rpunk]

@@I.G_NLyea, the Somme doesn’t seem terribly civilized.

[@kennethstaszak9990]

@@I.G_NL You've never seen Star Wars?

[@Able-Man]

To call the "Turn of the Century" a "More Civilized Age" is simply MIND BLOWING to me... I'm sure my Grandfather would be amazed and shaking his head! (He'd walked and crawled across France and Belgium, during that "War to End All Wars"!!!)

[@gabrielg5118]

WWI was you more civilized age Really??

[@BB2K-Airsoft]

Thank you for this great video!! Greetings from Berlin/Germany

[@vernonbender3384]

I love the somewhat threadbare smoking jacket. As usual, Ian never fails to impress.

[@frenchfan3368]

Thank you for the research and information Ian as always. What was the role of this pistol during the Second World War? Did the Kriegsmarine and/or Luftwaffe use many of these? Thank you for any information. Keep up the great work!

[@This_Is_TinN]

this and the Mauser are my favorites due to the holster stock.

[@joemoore4027]

A beautiful weapon to say the least.

[@Salieri47]

Anoter worthwhile history lesson!

[@caseycuttler-ng4ip]

I love seeing videos of firearms i own. All I'm missing is the trumel mag....

[@christineshotton824]

America's answer to the trench warfare version of this problem was the 1897 trench shotgun. Two very different firearms doing essentially the same job; providing lots of small caliber rounds quickly at short range.

[@NKA23]

To anyone who's pissed off by the term "assault weapon" : "Assault weapons" are weapons originally designed to be used in fast paced military assaults (German: "Sturmangriff" = "storm assault") on enemy positions. In German language the term "Sturmangriff" is often shortened to "Sturm" ("storm"), f.e. in soccer teams a team's offence's players are called "Stürmer" ("stormers") and in German news the events of january the 6th 2021 were called "der Sturm auf das Kapitol in Washington" (" the storm on the Capitol in Washington"). Because in English language the term "storm" could be irritating or misleading, f.e. "Sturmgewehr" (which is basically short for "Sturmangriffsgewehr") got translated to "assault rifle". It's a term that describes the originally intended purpose and tactical/stratigical niche of that kind of weapon, which is "a lightweight, compact rifle combinating the capabilities of rifles, carbines and submachine guns, making it ideal to be used in fast paced assaults on enemy positions". The term doesn't imply that f.e. "assault rifles" are somehow more prone to be used during the crime of "assault" than others. And no, if you use a spoon to assault somebody, that doesn't make it an "assault spoon". If there was a spoon that had been specifically designed to be used during "Sturmangriffen" = "storm assaults" = "fast paced military assaults on enemy positions", THEN it would be an "assault spoon".

[@katakanta1941]

It's just the rationalization of many gun activists that a black gun firing rifle rounds is considered an "assault weapon". In my opinion all sub machine guns are "assault weapons" Because it's intended purpose is assaulting an enemy defensive position

[@SM-pv4sn]

Perhaps a long time ago it had a meaning, however for the past couple decades it's only commonly used as a misnomer and the phrase isn't generally used to classify any military firearms.

[@dscrappygolani7981]

😂are there really people like that? Getting pissed off at words is a sad way to live one's life I reckon

[@dscrappygolani7981]

​@@katakanta1941would they turn into swizzle sticks if we paint them in gay colors? 😮

[@katakanta1941]

​maybe.

[@linus11vf1j]

The 1915 equivalent of "Does it take Glock magazines?" Is "Does it take Trommel magazines?"

[@Mrgunsngear]

Thanks

[@airshootist]

Many years ago my local gun shop had one of these (complete, with drum and standard mags) for sale for only like 1600 galactic credits. I kick myself every day for not grabbing it back then.

[@gammalgubbestorstadshoodie9148]

This Gun could be a perfect weapon for Jonathan Ferguson in British Royal Armoury Museum in London so Ian should send Jonathan this weapon to his collection.

[@ForgottenWeapons]

Jonathan already has one (probably a bunch of them) in the Armouries.

[@njones420]

That museum is all the way up in Yorkshire...Eeh by gum! ;) I wish it was as close as london.

[@harryspeakup8452]

@@njones420 It is in the centre of the United Kingdom, as it obviously should be

[@njones420]

@@harryspeakup8452 😁 A fair point!

[@FrankyBabes]

Another great intro. I don't think I've ever seen this channel phoning it in.

[@jonathanmays2600]

Awesome video about an awesome pistol in awesome history

[@claywurzlow8487]

Absolutely 💯/nice video... .Thanks

[@Maverick-dv6ps]

props to ian pronouncing the ü in Sturmgeschütz flawlessly

[@Seb-Storm]

Sturm is storm in german which in military context is used as assault in case anyone was wondering

[@bachtomin213]

I have my pistol license and technically the drum would be OK in Canada, (pinned to 10 rounds) but I couldn't live with seeing that beautiful machine limited to a gun safe only rig.

[@jayfelsberg1931]

In "Myth pf the Great War," historian John Mosier documents the beginning of storm trooper tactics as early as 1915 in what is roughly the Argonne region under a general named Von Munda, an engineer. What gradually developed was the application of firepower. As noted the standard carbine was not a useful weapon for close assault. Under the tactics developed, a section of the French line that needed to be taken was identified. The Germans would then drench the section with fire from artillery for a short, but fierce bombardment. Assault teams armed with pistols, grenades and, yes, standard folding field shovels (suitably sharpened - shudder), supported by minenwerfers (clumsy looking things, but they could be carried by just a few men; they ranged up to 15cm), and eventually the MG 08/15. The teams would follow up the bombardment, clean out the trench (shudder), and set up for the inevitable counterattack. Reserves would back the teams up.

[@smittywerben3400]

Hello Ian, maybe you could make a video about a full auto P08 Luger. I heard rumors, that back in WW1 they developed one. I also remember, that i once saw a picture of this Luger pistol. There was also a german gunsmith named Herbert Werle who was a godfather of Luger pistols here in Germany. He also made some in full auto. I video of the brazilian PASAM machine pistol would be very interesting too. After all they were modified Mauser broomshandles. Greetings from Germany

[@maggotpudding]

This isn't my favourite but stocked pistols are somehow just super cool to me.

[@sergecashman4822]

Why not just put that magazine into a regular Luger? Were there some muzzle velocity or range concerns? Probably wouldn't matter in a trench... Would be more compact, too. And why not just a longer box magazine... Hugo Schmeiser ended up using that in the end... And it worked.

[@kalpi_plays]

Super zoomed in Ianface opening shot made me think of @Candrsenal 's "Ian can't Othais" vids

[@johnstevenson1709]

As a none yank it might be a good idea to offer a alternate prize for people you can't send guns

[@mabbrey]

great insight

[@brittakriep2938]

A Note: During 16th century up to 1918 the term Landsturm existed . In early time, this had been badly trained and armed militias, after 1815 this term was used for units of welltrained, but older soldiers.

[@williestyle35]

Man, that H K mp 7 still looks like the future. 😊

[@Huttares]

Lets go! I love this gun!

[@mikepette4422]

man this would be an amazing thing to own...of course being canadian its more trouble than its worth for me. For all the tactical and strategic innovation the Imperial German Army partakes in for the years leading up to WWI the fact that someone somewhere couldn't see that the Reich's Revolver was not a good modern weapon or even a good Old weapon is just beyond me and makes my head shake.

[@buzzyinurface]

Ian, a suggestion for you sir. When you reference a gun (such as the Mauser M88 or M91), put a small picture of it on screen to refresh our memory!

[@Lankythepyro]

So the path from secondary echelon defense weapon to elite combat weapon is a straight line it seems.

[@dscrappygolani7981]

It seems to me that by giving it a forestock and a fixed butt and shortening the grip to just act as a magazine well, they could have made a much better trench sweeper .... then again, hindsight is 20/20

[@davidcarr7436]

Dang! I wish you could enter this in Canada.

[@dannynye1731]

I got to shoot one in 1984. Brought into our shop for safety check and cleaning. 50rds checked just fine

[@omartorres5688]

I think in my opinion that the Luger variant of choice should have been the Model 1900 carbine long barrel and Stock as it would have had the length and weight to handle the recoil and thicker barrel to be fired longer as compared to the P08 8 inch barrel artillery model

[@simonturner3515]

Would like to see a video on German drop holster

[@nikoszaxarias5200]

Hello, Ian. This is truly a fantastic weapon, I like its look. I still wonder if this weapon could turn into a fully automatic one - though I highly doubt, as I know the history of the Lugers and this category of the pistols, like the Bergmans, the Mannlichers and the Mauser C96s, of course though your channel... 😁 I wanted to ask two things: 1. Are you going to fire it in the range? If yes, it would be wonderful to watch that episode, should it come on YT. 2. I'm sure that you know about the Luger Carbine. Could you make videos for this weapon, the technical one and a shooting video at the range, should you happen to get your hands in one? I'm sure it would be very fun.

[@classicbandgeek]

He has already done videos on both the 1902 Luger carbine and the Benke-Thiemann stocked Luger

[@nikoszaxarias5200]

@@classicbandgeek , OK, many thanks. I'll search them in the channel.

[@JordanFlayer]

@@nikoszaxarias5200 firing video will be next saturday :)

[@nikoszaxarias5200]

@@JordanFlayer thanks, mate.

[@derekmcmanus8615]

The ship captain in Peter Jackson's King Kong remake used one of these Lugers to take out a cannibalistic native on Skull Island

[@fearthehoneybadger]

Bless you, Gun Jesus.