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Title:	PISTOL, SEMI-AUTOMATIC -  GERMAN PISTOL BEHOLLA 7.65MM SN# 53167
Maker/Manufacturer:	BECKER & HOLLANDER
Date of Manufacture:	1919-1926
Eminent Figure:
Catalog Number:	SPAR 998
Measurements:	OL: 13.9CM 5 1/2" BL: 7.1CM 2 7/8" 1.6 lbs. unloaded

Object Description:

GERMAN PISTOL BEHOLLA 7.65MM SN# 53167
Manufactured by Stenda-Werke, Suhl, Germany - Standard German semi-automatic blowback, striker-fire, pistol with fixed blade front and fixed V-notch rear sight. Blued finish with checkered plastic grips. 7-round detachable box magazine feed. 6-groove rifling, right hand twist. Muzzle velocity 900 fps. Weapon weighs approximately 1.6 lbs. unloaded. AKA: Leonhardt or Menta. Cartridge: .32 ACP. Magazine missing otherwise complete and in very good condition.

Markings:
Frame: 53167 Crown/N (proofs).
Slide: SELBSTLADE - PISTOL "BEHOLLA" CAL. 7.65 DRP, Crown/N. Right side: STENDA-WERKE GMBH WAFFENBAU, SUHL.
Grips: ST.W in oval.

Notes: "This pistol takes it name from the firm of Becker & Hollander of Suhl who were the principal manufacturers. During World War I it was taken into military use as a substitute standard weapon and was manufactured in a number of establishments, often being given a fresh name in the process, for example, Leonhardt or Menta. The designer was Stenda (another name under which it may be met) and the example shown here was made by Stendawerke - although still called the Beholla. Altogether a most confusing piece of business.
It is straightforward enough blowback pistol of the pocket class, marginally capable of combat performance, being robust enough to withstand the rough and tumble of military use and with a bullet that just manages to be disabling. The only remarkable feature of its construction is the method of barrel attachment, which demands recourse to a bench vice and tool kit in order to dismantle the weapon." - Hogg

"This simple and sturdy blowback pistol was designed just prior to World War I by Stenda, with the intention of marketing it commercially. Before these plans got under way, the war began and the German army began demanding supplies of pistols. Since the standard Pistole '08 could not be produced fast enough, the Beholla was selected as a substitute standard weapon for staff officers and others whose pistol had no need to be of the same heavy caliber as the combat pattern. Manufacture was contracted to a number of companies and the design will be found bearing the names 'Beholla', 'Menta', 'Stenda', or 'Leonhardt', depending upon the manufacturer.
The design is quite simple, leading to rapid manufacture and a trouble-free life, but it remarkable in that the gun cannot be dismantled without using a vise and a tool kit. A hole in the slide gives access to a locking pin which has to be driven out with a drift before dismantling can begin. With this removed, the slide is locked back and the barrel driven from its mounting with a hammer, after which the rest of the weapon can be stripped.
Manufacture for military use ceased in 1918, but Menz and Stendawerke produced it commercially from 1919 to 1926, while the Gering company acquired a host of Beholla spares and assembled them for sale as the 'Leonhardt' in the same period. So many thousands were made that they are still relatively common." - Hogg & Weeks

"This pistol was designed during the First World War specifically for military use, the intention apparently to produce it in several factories simultaenously....The Beholla was a simple blowback, easy to make, durable, reliable and compact." - Zhuk

References:
Hogg, Ian. V. GERMAN PISTOLS AND REVOLVERS 1871-1945. Galahad Books. N.Y., N.Y. 1971.
Hogg, Ian V. John S. Weeks. MILITARY SMALL ARMS OF THE 20TH CENTURY. 7th Ed. Krause Publications. Iola, Wi. 2000.
Hogg, Ian. GERMAN HANDGUNS: THE COMPLETE BOOK OF THE PISTOLS AND REVOLVERS OF GERMANY, 1869 TO THE PRESENT. Stackpole Books. Mechanicsburg, Pa. 2001.
Schwing, Ned. 2000 STANDARD CATALOG OF FIREARMS. Krause Publications. Iola, Wi. 2000.
Zhuk, A.B. THE ILLUSTRATED ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HANDGUNS: PISTOLS AND REVOLVERS OF THE WORLD, 1870 TO THE PRESENT. Greenhill Books. London, England. 1995.