Lugers in Thailand: The Siamese Artillery Luger
Forgotten Weapons
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6m 18s
In 1936 and 1937, Siam purchased a batch of several hundred new Luger pistols for the Bangkok Police, including 100 long-barreled lP08 Artillery Lugers. These were new production gun, but made with surplus WW1-era barrels, sights, and stocks. The Siamese serial numbers range from 3450v to 3553v. The guns are standard Mauser production, all dated 1936, similar to the purchases by Persia and Turkey around the same time. The one distinctive marking on the Siamese contract are local rack numbers added to the back oft he frame some time after World War Two - a circled lion’s head emblem and a 3-digit Thai number (this example translates to #278). Those rack numbers are not exclusive to the 1936 Lugers, as they are also seen on other pistols in Bangkok police service.
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