Greetings! I have recently purchased a P38 with the code "cyq" with orange grips. Upon further research, I have found that the cyq code is linked to the Spreewerke factor in Berlin-Spandau. The year of manufacture of cyq pistols is not marked. Does anyone out there have any knowledge of when approximately the cyq P38s were manufacture? I have a hunch they were produced no earlier than 1943 but I am unsure. Thank you for your responses!
the grips should either be black or dark red such as mine, orange... ? none of the cyq's are marked with date. mine has the usual waffenmat markings and # 9622. are yours numbered hopefully above the trigger left side and left side receiver, eagle/swastika on right side-receiver. Sometimes taking the grips off will reveal other numerations as well. E ~ I believe at one time the P-38 and manufact.'s were covered on a very detailed web-site
Spreewerk were the second Wehrmacht subcontractor to deliver P.38s after Walther ( their first 50 were delivered in May 1942 ). Approximately 275,000 were made in total by this company and most of them came from Spreewerk's factory at Grottau-Zittau in Czechoslovakia. It should be possible to work out the date of manufacture from the serial number. ( Above info taken from John Walter's 'Guns Of The Reich' ).
