The Luger pistol, officially the Pistole Parabellum, was designed by Georg Luger in the late 1890s as an improvement on Hugo Borchardt’s earlier C-93. Produced by Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabriken (DWM), it entered service first with the Swiss military in 1900, followed by the German Imperial Navy in 1906 and the German Army in 1908. In German service it became the Pistole 08, chambered for the new 9×19 mm Parabellum cartridge, which would go on to become one of the most widely used handgun cartridges in the world. The pistol stood out for its unique toggle-lock action, where recoil drove the barrel and toggle assembly backward until a cam forced the toggle to bend upward, unlocking the breech and ejecting the spent case. The mechanism worked smoothly with full-power ammunition and was praised for reliability even under harsh battlefield conditions, though it could be temperamental with weaker loads. Its distinctive knee-jointed silhouette and precision engineering set it apart from simpler, later designs like Browning’s slide-operated pistols. During World War I, the Luger became one of the most recognizable German sidearms. Specialized versions were developed, including the long-barreled “Artillery Luger,” which could be fitted with a shoulder stock and 32-round “snail drum” magazine. This model influenced early attempts at fully automatic pistols, though its rate of fire proved uncontrollable. After the war, the pistol remained in service with the Weimar police and military, and it was again issued widely during World War II, where it was highly prized by both German soldiers and Allied troops who captured them as souvenirs. Beyond Germany, the Luger served as the standard sidearm of several nations, including Switzerland, Portugal, the Netherlands, Brazil, Bolivia, and Bulgaria. Each adopted slightly modified variants, sometimes in different calibers, showing the pistol’s wide international appeal. Despite its success, the complexity of its toggle mechanism and production costs made it less practical than newer designs. By the late 1930s, Germany began phasing it out in favor of the Walther P38, though existing stocks of Lugers continued in combat use through 1945. By the time production ceased in 1949, the Luger had secured a lasting reputation as one of the most iconic handguns of the 20th century. Its association with German forces in both world wars, its distinctive engineering, and its link to the 9 mm Parabellum cartridge ensured its place in firearms history. Today, the Luger is as much a collector’s piece as it is a reminder of the industrial and military innovations that shaped the first half of the century.