THE WALTHER PPK/S & MACV-SOG

The Walther PPK is far from just the preferred sidearm of 007. While many, such as myself, can easily point to their first Bond movie as the precise moment the PPK entered into their hearts and minds, its service extends far past the silver screen, and even past the dark history of the brown epoch and WWII. As Major Boothroyd famously said in Dr. No while introducing the world to the PPK in 1962, “The American CIA swear by them.” Despite the screen used gun in that film being the larger Walther PP, a legend was born. It would not be until From Russia With Love that Sean Connery would wield the correct pistol with his stunning Anthony Sinclair tailoring. Despite that, Boothroyd’s words did have truth in them.

In my research for Licensed Troubleshooter - The Guns of James Bond, I was able to confirm that the CIA did in fact utilize the Walther pistol. Their Special Weapons Supply catalog had them available, and a partially redacted document from August 1956 confirmed that CIA drivers had the option of a PPK as their sidearm during a survival training course. But the use of the PPK by American clandestine operatives would not be limited to the CIA.

Deep in the jungles of Laos and Cambodia, far from the official lines of battle, the men of Military Assistance Command, Vietnam - Studies and Observations Group, or MACV-SOG would find a use for the diminutive Walther pistol as well. SOG men were taking part in a “Secret War,” against the communist forces across the fence. Their mission was defined by plausible deniability, that meant no patches, insignias, or standard American weaponry. The benefit of this - a medley of nonstandard, unique weaponry, oftentimes customized by the men themselves based on their unique needs. One such weapon was the suppressed Walther PPK/S.

The Walther PPK/S is the result of American legislation. The Gun Control Act of 1968 prohibited the importation of arms under a particular weight and size, and the small PPK struck out on both counts. Walther, to keep up with the demand for their pistol, made evermore popular by the Bondmania sweeping the world in the 1960’s, married the shorter PPK slide and barrel to the longer frame of the PP, creating the Walther PPK/S. The larger pistol allows for eight rounds of 7.65mm in the magazine, or seven of .380 automatic. It makes sense then, when SOG requisitioned suppressed Walther pistols, alongside suppressed AK pattern rifles in September of 1970, that the newer PPK/S would be what was sent along, with custom threaded barrels pressed in. 

The PPK/S pistol photographed in John L. Plaster’s Sog - A Photo History of the Secret Wars, clearly sports a Pachmayr wrap around rubber grip, a detail that can be confirmed by the silhouette of the rubber front strap visible in this lone image of a SOG issued Walther.

The aftermarket grips were popular in the period, particularly with pistols that had smooth front straps, like the Colt 1911 and the Walther PPK. Custom 1911 pistols, like the Armand Swenson built Bobcat, built by Swenson for Jim Wood to carry in Vietnam, used the Pachmayr grips, but with the wrapped front cut out, allowing the positive purchase from the rubber stocks and the hand checkering of the “Big Swede” to shine through. In the case of the PPK/S and the conditions in jungles of Southeast Asia, it’s little wonder why these grips would have found their way onto the Walther.

Plaster’s book also identifies Sfc Newman Ruff as a SOG Operator who selected the silenced PPK/S for HALO. Sfc Ruff took part in the fourth of five SOG HALO jump insertions, alongside Captain James G. Storter, SSGT Millard Moye, and SGT Michael Bentley. The team was successfully inserted on September 22, 1971, with the men landing just 30 yards from one another. Their mission - reconnoitering a new road being built by the NVA in the Plei Trap Valley. After four days of careful reconnaissance, the team successfully returned to base, their presence unknown to the enemy.

The pistols were requested in September of 1970, and “were shipped to the RVN (Republic of Vietnam) in 3rd Qtr FY71 for evaluation by the requestor.” This would place the pistols correctly in the hands of SOG before Sfc Ruff’s HALO jump. This is of course, not to say other pistols of the type were not already in the vast SOG arsenal prior to this requisition, but it is exciting to have documentation confirming that Walther pistols, in both 7.65mm and .380 Auto were retooled for use in SOG’s Secret Wars. In total, Four modified PPK/S in 7.65mm and another four in .380 Auto were shipped to Vietnam in 1971.

An incredibly iconic pistol, Walther would not produce a threaded barrel example of the PPK/S commercially in 7.65mm until this year. Now available, it is one of my favorite suppressor hosts. Mine of course, is wearing a set of Pachmayr grips, a quiet nod to the men of the Secret Wars.