Browning Hi Power Serial Number Lookup

Browning hi power serial number lookup

When Was My Browning Hi Power Made

NumberBrowning Hi Power Serial Number Lookup
The German Occupation Browning Hi-Power Pistol
Pistole 640(b)”
Dane Trembath
On the 10th of May 1940, the German Wehrmacht invaded Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Belgium as part of the overall invasion of France. This operation, codenamed Fall Gelb (Case Yellow), began with extensive air raids by both combat aircraft and Fallschirmjager (Paratroops) on airfields and other military installations, which severely disrupted the Belgian defenses. The Allied armies of Belgium, France, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom attempted to halt the invasion by concentrating their forces in Belgium as they believed the main German forces would move there. Army Group B led by Generalfeldmarschall (General) Fedor von Bock engaged the Allied Forces, while sometime between the 11th and 12th of May the German Army Group A, led by General- feldmarschall Karl Rudolf Gerd von Rundsted made a decisive run through the Ardennes and reached the English Channel in five days therefore encircling the Allied armies.
Through a series of bitter battles the Germans were able to reduce the Allied army size within the pocket and force them back to the sea. After 18 days of continuous warfare King Leopold III Léopold Philippe Charles Albert Meinrad Hubertus Marie Miguel sought an armistice with the German Army, thus ending a conflict which it is estimated claimed the lives of over 150,000 soldiers and an unknown number of civilians. On the 20th of May 1940 Mayor (Major) Wider, accompanied by the Leutants (Lieutenants) Rank and Terla, seized the Fabrique Nationale Plant in Liege. Upon seizure the following notice in German was placed on the front gate: “The entire F.N. Plant with all its installations and stocks is seized. The further manufacture of delivery on Thirds is only allowed with special permission of the Army Group”. Between June and July 1940 representatives of Mauser/Obendorf and Deutsche Waffen-und Munitionsfabriken (D.W.M) visited the factory and Dr. Franz Scharpinet of D.W.M. was placed in charge of getting the factory into production. As a result of the invasion most of the original technicians had disappeared so German technicians and labor were sent to operate the factory. Some of the former employees escaped to Britain with drawings and manu-facturing notes on the Browning High Power. In 1942 these drawings and notes were sent to Canada where the John Inglis Factory undertook production of this pistol for the Allies.
Prior to the occupation the Fabrique National Factory had employed around 900 staff on salary with 10,000 workers. The Germans, through coerced labor and imported German technicians, increased the overall number to 12,000 staff. Production was slow at first with around 8,500 Browning Hi-Powers produced in 1940; however the following years saw a major increase in production (1941 – 65,700; 1942 – 80,600; 1943 – 101,200). By 1944 production was halted at 63,000 pistols due to the liberation of the factory by the Allied forces. Despite the German’s being pushed out of Belgium, Liege was subjected to aerial attacks of more than 1,500 V1 and V2 rockets from liberation until the end of the war.
The Browning High Power Pistol was the last of John Browning’s pistol designs he worked on from 1914 till his death in 1926. In essence this model is considered a further development from the M1911 he produced while working for Colt. From 1935 till the occupation of the Fabrique Nationale Plant, the Browning Hi-Power was offered worldwide for military and commercial sales. This model was built with a detachable holster/shoulder stock and some examples exist that have been Waffenamt marked, however it appears these were made up from
already existing parts in the factory as the Germans chose to eliminate this feature to save production time. There were three models produced under the German occupation. The early models with the slotted grip are marked WaA 613 indicating the Arms-Inspektor mark of Tennert and are in the serial number range of 44,500-65,200. From January 1941 till May 1942, the pistols produced retained the adjustable rear sight and are marked WaA 103 indicating the Inspektor mark of Lüttich and are in the serial range of 65,200 to 95,000. The last model produced are marked WaA 140 which is also the Arms-Inspektor mark of Lüttich. There are various examples of these that possess both the tangent rear sight and also a fixed rear sight. Serial numbers within the 95,000-135,000 appear to have the tangent rear sight whereas models after 150,000 have the rear fixed sight. At the beginning of 1943 an entirely new serial code number system was introduced: starting at 1a until number 99999a. This was started again in 1944 with 1b and continues to about 6300b when the Germans were pushed out of Belgium.
Within my collection there
resides a fine example of a
German Occupation Browning
Hi-Power Pistol “Pistole 640(b)”. I acquired
this piece from a fellow ACANT member along
with an assortment of magazines for it and instantly
started researching its origins. Luckily the firearm
had been covered in a large amount of grease which
has helped prevent corrosion while it was exposed to
the “non friendly to firearms” environmental conditions
of the Northern Territory. Once I had received this pistol
into my collection, I immediately disassembled it using the instructions in Ian Skennerton's “9mm Browning Hi-Power Handbook”. After a few hours of cleaning, I was able to clearly see that it displayed WaA 140 indicating the last Waffenamt code used by Arms-Inspektor Lüttich at Fabrique Nationale. Additionally, the serial number in the 140,000 range indicates that this was from the last batch of adjustable rear sight models. This would probably indicate manufacture sometime during 1942, as the serial numbers changed in 1943. The magazine within the pistol bore the date of 1979; however one very rusty extra magazine proved to be an original Waffenamt magazine. While conducting
research on the internet I was able to acquire a Waffenamt marked leather holster for this pistol. After a tedious wait, I finally received the holster and was excited to see that condition was remarkably good. Apart from the large German eagle with swastika stamped into the leather it was clearly marked WaA 182, ftc, and also the date 1942. Using John Walter’s “Ger- man Military Codes Book: 1939-1945”, I was able to learn that
ftc is the manufacturer code for Frost & Jähnel, Breslau 1, Schlossohle 7-9, who were a leather making business in Poland who manufactured holsters for the P.08 (Luger) and other handguns.
Realizing that this holster was also made in 1942 was especially pleasing as both these items had come from Belgium to Australia and then were finally united in the Northern Territory. In ending I find the Browning High-Power to be a very interesting pistol as it was used by almost all forces in WWII. I have fired it on numerous occasions at the endorsed Collector Club Shoots and find it to be remarkably accurate and easy to shoot. In conclusion I encourage anyone
with Waffenamt marked weapons or militaria to take the time to research them as you might be able to reliably date them as I have been able to do with my pistol and holster.
Miller, D. (2001). The Illustrated Directory of 20th Century Guns. Salamander Books. London, England.
Skennerton, D. (2005). 9mm Browning High Power Handbook. Ray Riling Arms Books, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Walter, J. (2005). German Military Letter Codes: 1939-1945. Tharston Press, Godstone, Surrey, England.
Whit, J. (2011). Able Item Four Fox Roger Homepage. (Accessed March 2011)
http://www.ai4fr.com/main/page_militaria__collectibles_germany_hipower.html
Whittington, R.D. (2005). German Pistols and Holsters: 1939/1945: Military – Police –NSDAP 6th Edition. Ray Riling Arms Books, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Browning Hi Power Serial Number Lookup
The German Occupation Browning Hi-Power Pistol
Pistole 640(b)”
Dane Trembath
On the 10th of May 1940, the German Wehrmacht invaded Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Belgium as part of the overall invasion of France. This operation, codenamed Fall Gelb (Case Yellow), began with extensive air raids by both combat aircraft and Fallschirmjager (Paratroops) on airfields and other military installations, which severely disrupted the Belgian defenses. The Allied armies of Belgium, France, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom attempted to halt the invasion by concentrating their forces in Belgium as they believed the main German forces would move there. Army Group B led by Generalfeldmarschall (General) Fedor von Bock engaged the Allied Forces, while sometime between the 11th and 12th of May the German Army Group A, led by General- feldmarschall Karl Rudolf Gerd von Rundsted made a decisive run through the Ardennes and reached the English Channel in five days therefore encircling the Allied armies.
Through a series of bitter battles the Germans were able to reduce the Allied army size within the pocket and force them back to the sea. After 18 days of continuous warfare King Leopold III Léopold Philippe Charles Albert Meinrad Hubertus Marie Miguel sought an armistice with the German Army, thus ending a conflict which it is estimated claimed the lives of over 150,000 soldiers and an unknown number of civilians. On the 20th of May 1940 Mayor (Major) Wider, accompanied by the Leutants (Lieutenants) Rank and Terla, seized the Fabrique Nationale Plant in Liege. Upon seizure the following notice in German was placed on the front gate: “The entire F.N. Plant with all its installations and stocks is seized. The further manufacture of delivery on Thirds is only allowed with special permission of the Army Group”. Between June and July 1940 representatives of Mauser/Obendorf and Deutsche Waffen-und Munitionsfabriken (D.W.M) visited the factory and Dr. Franz Scharpinet of D.W.M. was placed in charge of getting the factory into production. As a result of the invasion most of the original technicians had disappeared so German technicians and labor were sent to operate the factory. Some of the former employees escaped to Britain with drawings and manu-facturing notes on the Browning High Power. In 1942 these drawings and notes were sent to Canada where the John Inglis Factory undertook production of this pistol for the Allies.
Prior to the occupation the Fabrique National Factory had employed around 900 staff on salary with 10,000 workers. The Germans, through coerced labor and imported German technicians, increased the overall number to 12,000 staff. Production was slow at first with around 8,500 Browning Hi-Powers produced in 1940; however the following years saw a major increase in production (1941 – 65,700; 1942 – 80,600; 1943 – 101,200). By 1944 production was halted at 63,000 pistols due to the liberation of the factory by the Allied forces. Despite the German’s being pushed out of Belgium, Liege was subjected to aerial attacks of more than 1,500 V1 and V2 rockets from liberation until the end of the war.
The Browning High Power Pistol was the last of John Browning’s pistol designs he worked on from 1914 till his death in 1926. In essence this model is considered a further development from the M1911 he produced while working for Colt. From 1935 till the occupation of the Fabrique Nationale Plant, the Browning Hi-Power was offered worldwide for military and commercial sales. This model was built with a detachable holster/shoulder stock and some examples exist that have been Waffenamt marked, however it appears these were made up from
already existing parts in the factory as the Germans chose to eliminate this feature to save production time. There were three models produced under the German occupation. The early models with the slotted grip are marked WaA 613 indicating the Arms-Inspektor mark of Tennert and are in the serial number range of 44,500-65,200. From January 1941 till May 1942, the pistols produced retained the adjustable rear sight and are marked WaA 103 indicating the Inspektor mark of Lüttich and are in the serial range of 65,200 to 95,000. The last model produced are marked WaA 140 which is also the Arms-Inspektor mark of Lüttich. There are various examples of these that possess both the tangent rear sight and also a fixed rear sight. Serial numbers within the 95,000-135,000 appear to have the tangent rear sight whereas models after 150,000 have the rear fixed sight. At the beginning of 1943 an entirely new serial code number system was introduced: starting at 1a until number 99999a. This was started again in 1944 with 1b and continues to about 6300b when the Germans were pushed out of Belgium.
Within my collection there
resides a fine example of a
German Occupation Browning
Hi-Power Pistol “Pistole 640(b)”. I acquired
this piece from a fellow ACANT member along
with an assortment of magazines for it and instantly
started researching its origins. Luckily the firearm
had been covered in a large amount of grease which
has helped prevent corrosion while it was exposed to
the “non friendly to firearms” environmental conditions
of the Northern Territory. Once I had received this pistol
into my collection, I immediately disassembled it using the instructions in Ian Skennerton's “9mm Browning Hi-Power Handbook”. After a few hours of cleaning, I was able to clearly see that it displayed WaA 140 indicating the last Waffenamt code used by Arms-Inspektor Lüttich at Fabrique Nationale. Additionally, the serial number in the 140,000 range indicates that this was from the last batch of adjustable rear sight models. This would probably indicate manufacture sometime during 1942, as the serial numbers changed in 1943. The magazine within the pistol bore the date of 1979; however one very rusty extra magazine proved to be an original Waffenamt magazine. While conducting
research on the internet I was able to acquire a Waffenamt marked leather holster for this pistol. After a tedious wait, I finally received the holster and was excited to see that condition was remarkably good. Apart from the large German eagle with swastika stamped into the leather it was clearly marked WaA 182, ftc, and also the date 1942. Using John Walter’s “Ger- man Military Codes Book: 1939-1945”, I was able to learn that
ftc is the manufacturer code for Frost & Jähnel, Breslau 1, Schlossohle 7-9, who were a leather making business in Poland who manufactured holsters for the P.08 (Luger) and other handguns.
Realizing that this holster was also made in 1942 was especially pleasing as both these items had come from Belgium to Australia and then were finally united in the Northern Territory. In ending I find the Browning High-Power to be a very interesting pistol as it was used by almost all forces in WWII. I have fired it on numerous occasions at the endorsed Collector Club Shoots and find it to be remarkably accurate and easy to shoot. In conclusion I encourage anyone
with Waffenamt marked weapons or militaria to take the time to research them as you might be able to reliably date them as I have been able to do with my pistol and holster.
Miller, D. (2001). The Illustrated Directory of 20th Century Guns. Salamander Books. London, England.
Skennerton, D. (2005). 9mm Browning High Power Handbook. Ray Riling Arms Books, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Walter, J. (2005). German Military Letter Codes: 1939-1945. Tharston Press, Godstone, Surrey, England.
Whit, J. (2011). Able Item Four Fox Roger Homepage. (Accessed March 2011)
http://www.ai4fr.com/main/page_militaria__collectibles_germany_hipower.html
Whittington, R.D. (2005). German Pistols and Holsters: 1939/1945: Military – Police –NSDAP 6th Edition. Ray Riling Arms Books, Philadelphia, PA, USA.

Browning Firearms Serial Number Lookup

Serial Number Example: 245RT01001. This would be a 9mm Hi Power pistol, manufactured in 1976 with the serial number 01001. 1998: In 1998 Browning redid the standardization of its serial number identifications to work with its new data base program, Oracle. BROWNING'S PATENT DEPOSE. Finish: military-finish: Grips: walnut grips; chequered: Serial number: 4-digit number with suffix right on frame. 4-digit number with suffix right on slide. 4-digit number with suffix right on chamber. Acceptance stamp: E/WaA 140 left on frame. E/WaA 140 left on slide. E/WaA 140 below muzzle. E/WaA 140 left on chamber. C=Hi-Power 1976-1997 In 1975 Browning standardized its serial number identification which it followed until 1998. Hi-Power Type 2W5=40 S&W 245=9mm 2. Date of Manufacture is a two digit code Z=1 Y=2 X=3 W=4 V=5 T=6 R=7 P=8 N=9 M=0 3. Serial Number Serial Number Example: 245RT01001 This would be a 9mm Hi-Power pistol, manufactured in 1976 with.