The fourth marking on this AC 40 added is an eagle over Hza Jt3. On Third Reich small arms the marking means a depot level rework. This gun has seen battle! Most parts replacement was done some level below the depot (ie: the unit) Depot level work is usually reserved for a major overhaul or repair. This gun has had the barrel (and perhaps other parts) replaced since the serial number is missing the letter designator on the barrel and block.

The abbreviation is for the Heereszeugamt organization that performed the repair to the gun then the Instandsetzungwerkstätte (Repair Work Shop) and the number of the shop. The capital letter "J" was often used to represent the letter "I".

The marking is extremely rare for P38's as Buxtom has only two reported, one is pictured on page 271 of vol. 1.

 

Another HZa marked BYF 44