BACKGROUND: Shortly after Czechoslovakia was formed in 1919 the newly formed government established the armaments firm of Èeskoslovenská Statni Zbrojovka, (Czechoslovakian State Armory), in Brno, drawing skilled personnel from the defunct armaments firms of Austria and Hungary and some of the machinery from the demilitarized German Mauser armaments plants. Shortly after its formation the new Ceska Zbrojovka firm secured a contract to produce pistols for the Czechoslovakian Army. The first pistol developed was the 6.35mm caliber "Fox" pistol, which developed into the CZ22 pistol. Further developments brought about the 9mm caliber "Nickl" which evolved into the 7.65mm caliber CZ27 pistol. As with other pistols the CZ27 was issued with a specific holster. The CZ27 has a muzzle velocity of 920 feet per second which gave it sufficient hitting power and it proved to be very popular with the troops and was widely used during the war. In September 1938, as a result of the "Munich Agreement" between Britain, France and Germany the north eastern Czechoslovakian Sudetenland was ceded to Germany, allegedly as Hitler’s last territorial claim in Europe. On March 14TH 1939 the German army marched into what remained of Czechoslovakia, unopposed, and established the German Protectorate of Bohemia & Moravia and the independent state of Slovakia which in reality was just a puppet state of the Germans. As with other states the Germans had occupied they soon began utilizing the armaments industry of the occupied Czechoslovakian states to make up for short falls in German armaments production. Of Note: After the occupation the Germans changed the name of the Èeskoslovenská Statni Zbrojovka, Brno to the more appropriate German, Waffenwerke Brünn and additional armaments facilities were also established including the Böhmische Waffenfabrik A.G. in Prag, (Bohemian Weapons Factory A. G. in Prague).

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Roughly, 18cm tall, 13,5cm wide at the top, tapering down to 5cm at the bottom, pebbled, blackened leather construction, pistol holster with brass and steel fittings. The holster features a scalloped, fold over, top flap with a rivetted on, vertical, leather closure strap, with single cut-out eyelet to the obverse. The obverse closure strap is secured by a steel rivet and attaches to a corresponding, natural steel stud on the scalloped left hand side of the holster’s body. The holster body has a stitched on, vertical, spare magazine pocket to the right front. The reverse of the holster has a single, wide, stitched on, vertical belt loop. Reverse has a faint "44" date on the belt loop. Nice example.