In an upper bedroom, I pulled the pillows off a bed and in a plain leather holster, I found the gold gun.” General Wolff was captured nearby while celebrating his 45th birthday at a grand party. During the raid, Rielly “chased all the German personnel out of the building and threw all guns out the windows to awaiting Recon men. Finally, General Kendall of the 88th Division ordered the 88th Recon troop to raid General Wolff’s headquarters to capture the weapons and round up the men for detainment. He notes that even after the German surrender in Italy, which Wolff had recently returned from organizing in secret meeting with the OSS in Switzerland, the situation on the ground was complicated and many German soldiers continued to walk around in uniform carrying their weapons much to the unease and disgust of the Americans. Rielly (written in 1985) is included and notes that he liberated this Walther PP pistol in Bolgano, Italy, directly from the "SS-General (Obergruppenführer) Karl Wolff's" SS headquarters in early March 1944. In the second book, Rielly is pictured with his men on a tank. Their glory failed to gain much attention because the D-Day Invasion at Normandy took place just two days later. A six man squad of the 3rd Platoon of the 88th Reconnaissance Troop entered Rome at 7:15 am on June 4, 1944, and was credited as being the first Allied troop element to enter the city. Delaney and "Operation Rome" by Lawrence Cortesi which discuss Rielly’s unit’s entry into Rome. Included are copies of pages from "The Blue Devils in Italy: A History of the 88th Infantry Division in World War II" by John P. He enlisted on September 25, 1942, and was a member of the 88th Reconnaissance Division of the 88th Infantry Division “Blue Devils.” His unit was the first to enter Rome. Staff Sergeant John Rielly (also spelled Riley, Reilly, and Reilley in some of the included source material) captured this pistol during the Italian campaign. Although the caption of the WPA pistol in Rankin's books lists that serial number as "221231P", the serial number is actually "321231P" as can be seen in the picture, and thus, it is consecutively numbered to this pistol. The WPA pistol (321231P) is identical in the level and detail of the engraving and has the same presentation grips as this pistol (321232P). The West Point Museum pistol is pictured in the book "Walther Vol II: Engraved and Presentation Pistols" by Rankin on page 36. This beautiful, and certainly rare, pistol is consecutively numbered to the matching pistol housed in the West Point Academy (WPA) Museum that was captured from General Wolff in the last days of the Italian Campaign. Himmler" signed Model PP presentation pistol. This is a beautiful, all original, and "brand-new" to the collector market, Walther full factory engraved "H.
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