Journal · Collector’s Guide
Himmler Sauer 38H: The Sniper Award Pistol
The Himmler Sauer 38H is a J.P. Sauer & Sohn pistol engraved on the slide “Dem Scharfschützen,” to the sharpshooter, with a facsimile of Heinrich Himmler’s signature. According to Forgotten Weapons, these pistols were reportedly a prize offered to German snipers credited with 100 kills. Ours is serial 475397. An American private’s bring-back paper from April 1946 names that number and lists the container as a duffle bag. It is part of the Old Steel Arsenal collection.
A prize for German snipers
The award reportedly came in tiers, as Forgotten Weapons describes it. A sniper with 50 kills was to get leave from the front and a good watch. At 100 kills, it appears, he could choose between binoculars, a hunting rifle or this pistol. At 150, the reported prize was a hunting trip with Himmler himself. How many of the pistols were made, and how many were actually handed out, is not clear, and we have not seen the order itself. None of this is the same as the Wehrmacht’s sniper badge, the Scharfschützenabzeichen, which was a separate award.
The known examples are numbered close together. In 2016 Forgotten Weapons gave the known serials as 475396 to 475409, and Ian McCollum reads the close numbers as a sign of a single batch. Ours, 475397, is one number after 475396, the pistol Forgotten Weapons showed. Jim Cate and Nico Van Gijn’s reference book on J.P. Sauer & Sohn places the group a little wider, to about 475412.
We do not know which German sniper, if any, received 475397. No award paper or recipient’s name came with it; what came with it is the American paper described below.
How to read a Himmler Sauer 38H
Start with the left side of the slide. It reads DEM SCHARFSCHÜTZEN, followed by a dash and the signature H. Himmler, engraved as a facsimile. Scharfschütze is the German word for a sniper or sharpshooter.
On early 38Hs the maker’s name is on the left of the slide. On this one it moved to the right side, two lines reading J.P. SAUER & SOHN, SUHL. and CAL. 7,65, with the German decimal comma. The left side carries the inscription.
The serial, 475397, is stamped on the left rear of the frame, below the slide serrations.
On the right side, the frame and the slide carry the eagle over N, the German commercial nitro proof. The black plastic grips carry the SuS monogram of Sauer und Sohn on the left panel.
How the Sauer 38H works
The 38H was made in Germany from 1938 through the Second World War by J.P. Sauer & Sohn, then in Suhl. The H stands for Hahn, German for hammer: the 38H has an internal hammer, covered by the rear of the slide. It is a straight blowback, double-action/single-action pistol with a fixed barrel, the recoil spring around it, and a single-column eight-round magazine, in 7.65mm, the cartridge Americans call .32 ACP.
The feature it is known for is the lever on the left side of the frame, just behind the trigger. Pressing it cocks the internal hammer, and the same lever lets a cocked hammer down safely. Many 38Hs also have a safety on the slide, which on ours sits at the rear of the slide with its red dot.
Late in the war Sauer simplified the 38H: plainer markings, rougher finish, and on some late pistols no slide-mounted safety, or no cocking lever. Ours has both.
How 475397 came home: the bring-back paper
A GI needed paperwork to bring a war trophy home. On April 2, 1946, Private First Class Paul W. Sansone Jr. signed his bring-back certificate, and his commanding officer certified one German pistol. The line reads “1- GERMAN PISTOL NO # 475397.” Under type of container, the form says duffle bag. The paper ties this pistol to Sansone in 1946; it does not name a German owner or record an award.
The Sansone family kept the pistol for 78 years. In 2024, it came to us.
Specifications
| Item | Sauer 38H, Himmler sniper award |
|---|---|
| Maker | J.P. Sauer & Sohn, Suhl, Germany |
| Model | 38H |
| Cartridge | 7.65mm (.32 ACP) |
| Action | Straight blowback, double action/single action, internal hammer, cocking and decocking lever |
| Magazine | Single column, 8 rounds |
| Serial | 475397 |
| Inscription | DEM SCHARFSCHÜTZEN and facsimile H. Himmler signature, left side of the slide |
| Factory marking | J.P. SAUER & SOHN, SUHL. / CAL. 7,65, right side of the slide |
| Proof | Eagle over N |
| History | Bring-back paper of Pfc. Paul W. Sansone Jr., April 2, 1946 |
Collecting a presentation 38H
An ordinary 38H can be engraved later, so the inscription alone proves little. With the Himmler sniper pistols, look at the serial number and the paper trail as well as the engraving. A serial inside the known group and a period document that names the number are supporting evidence, not proof on their own: the engraving, the finish and the parts each need to be judged on the pistol itself, and an award to a particular sniper needs its own record. A wartime 38H in its original configuration is old enough to fall in the federal curio and relic category; our curio and relic guide explains what that means.
On the floor at OSA
The Himmler 38H in these photos is part of the Old Steel Arsenal collection. If European pistols of the period are your interest, these pieces in our case share something with it:
- Mauser Model 1914 pistol in .32 ACP: a German pocket pistol in the same 7.65mm cartridge.
- 1927 Czechoslovak CZ vz. 24 in .380 ACP: a Central European service pistol of the interwar years.
- 1942 Kongsberg M/1914 in .45 ACP: a pistol made in Norway in 1942, during the German occupation.
- 1911 DWM Luger P08: the German Army’s standard sidearm before the P38.
The grid below updates by itself as pieces come and go.
1927 Czechoslovak CZ vz. 24 Pistol .380 ACP All Matching Unit Marked with Holster$745.00
Mauser Model 1914 Pistol .32 ACP 7.65mm Excellent with Leather Holster$745.00
1942 Kongsberg M/1914 .45 ACP Matching with Signed Factory Archive Letter$4,950.00
Waffenfabrik Bern Swiss Luger 06/29 pistol chambered in .30 Luger$2,379.00See it on our Instagram. Watch it on Instagram.
General information for collectors, not legal advice. The award history comes from secondary sources and is not documented for each pistol; check the individual pistol and its papers.
Common Questions
What is the Himmler Sauer 38H?
It is a Sauer 38H pistol engraved “Dem Scharfschützen,” to the sharpshooter, with a facsimile of Heinrich Himmler’s signature, reportedly presented to German snipers credited with 100 kills.Is the Himmler signature on the Sauer 38H hand-signed?
No. It is an engraved facsimile of Heinrich Himmler’s signature on the left side of the slide.How many Himmler Sauer 38H pistols were made?
The number is not known. In 2016 Forgotten Weapons listed known serials from 475396 to 475409; the Cate and Van Gijn reference book places the group to about 475412. Neither range is a production count.What does the H in Sauer 38H stand for?
Hahn, German for hammer. The 38H has an internal hammer covered by the slide, cocked and lowered with a lever on the left side of the frame.What caliber is the Sauer 38H?
7.65mm Browning, known in the United States as .32 ACP. Our pistol, serial 475397, is marked CAL. 7,65 on the slide.Sources
- Forgotten Weapons, “Himmler Presentation Sauer 38H for Snipers” (Ian McCollum, 2016) — https://wp.me/p88roK-570 (reported award tiers at 50, 100 and 150 kills, numbers made and awarded unclear, known serials 475396 to 475409 as of 2016, pictured pistol 475396, McCollum’s one-batch reading)
- Wikipedia, “Sauer 38H” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sauer_38H (J.P. Sauer & Sohn in Suhl, H for Hahn, hidden hammer, cocking/decocking lever, straight blowback, double action, SuS monogram, fixed barrel, single-column 8-round magazine, late-war simplifications)
- Jim Cate and Nico Van Gijn, J.P. Sauer & Sohn, Suhl: A Historical Study of Sauer Automatic Pistols (1996), pp. 353–356 (the group running to about 475412)
- Bring-back certificate of Pfc. Paul W. Sansone Jr., April 2, 1946, kept with the pistol (serial 475397, container: duffle bag)
- Old Steel Arsenal, “Luger P08 Markings Explained” — https://oldsteelarsenal.com/luger-p08-markings-explained/ (eagle over N as the commercial nitro proof)
- 27 CFR 478.11, definition of curios or relics — https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-27/chapter-II/subchapter-B/part-478/subpart-B/section-478.11 (firearms manufactured at least 50 years prior)