Lot 2680

Description

Cal. 7,65mmBrowning, SN. 812629, pistol formerly owned by Munich's Police President August Schneidhuber, who was assassinated on 30 June 1934 during the so-called "Night of the Long Knives". No ownership markings on the left side of the frame. Slide fully engraved. 90°-safety. Mirror-like bore. No charging indicator. Magazine release at bottom. Special feature: a thicker barrel muzzle, which is why the slide opening had to be enlarged (no other slide is compatible with this pistol). Fully preserved bluing, fully preserved foliage engraving, thick, heavy grips with cast-in metal reinforcement plate, which were typical for that period. Correct magazine with early shoe. In leather gift box lined with green velvet, with dummy round and cleaning rod. Including the original cardboard box and two instruction manuals. Mrs. Adelheid Held, née Schneidhuber, presented the pistol to Dr. Koller on 31 December 2009. Dr. Koller was Chief of Police in Munich from 1988 to 2003. Total production from 1933 to 1937 approx. 1,800 pieces. Very rare and in excellent condition. Amidst the political upheavals of the early 1930s, Ludwig Ernst August Schneidhuber took on a role that brought him power and responsibility – and ultimately led to his downfall. Schneidhuber had held a leading position in the SA since 1929: from 8 February 1929 to 1 April 1931, he led the SA in Southern Germany (Bavaria, Württemberg, Baden and The Tyrol) as Deputy Supreme SA Leader for the South. Appointed Police President in Munich in April 1933, he was one of the central figures in a city undergoing rapid changes. With him, a man came to the top of the police force who had already attracted attention through his activities in the SA, but who was also considered a pragmatic official. The pistol now up for auction was part of this history – his personal service weapon. It is a rare, authentic relic of those years when political fronts shifted and the entire structure of state power was reorganised. Schneidhuber, born in Traunstein in 1887, served in the First World War before becoming an active supporter of the National Socialist movement in the Weimar Republic. As part of the SA, he rose rapidly through the ranks and his appointment as Police President marked not only the peak of his personal career, but also a turning point in Munich's police force. However, his tenure was short-lived. In June 1934, he was arrested in the wake of the so-called Röhm Affair and shot on 30 June in Munich-Stadelheim – not by foreign enemies, but by a political upheaval within his own camp. It was a fate shared by many high-ranking SA officials; this pistol is therefore much more than a technical object. It represents a phase in German history in which ideology, institutions and personal loyalties came into conflict. As the personal companion of a high-ranking official from that period, it is a silent witness to power, responsibility and an abrupt end.

WBK: Attention - For this gun we will need to obtain an export license for you, based on your import permit (if needed in your country) or through your firearms dealer - more info here

Provenance: Mrs. Adelheid Held, née Schneidhuber, presented the pistol to Dr. Koller on 31 December 2009; who was Chief of Police in Munich from 1988 to 2003. The original letter of transfer is available and included in the lot.

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