Manufactured in 1940 with standard markings and features, this pistol was one of approximately 6,800 purchased by the Royal Dutch Netherlands for arming their forces in the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia). In 1942, Indonesia was invaded by the Japanese and Dutch residents were placed in internment camps. Some four million people were killed as a result of the Japanese invasion. After the war, Indonesians refused to allow the Dutch to recolonize the islands and eventually won their independence after several years of guerrilla warfare. The included factory letter confirms the current configuration (grips and barrel length not listed) as well as shipment to Royal Dutch Indies Ordnance in New York on 29 October 1940 in a 200 gun shipment. Includes a collector's Kraft style box hand numbered to the gun. Provenance: The Dr. Robert Azar Collection