Hitler’s $42M Luger Sparks High-Stakes Argentine Court Battle

An Argentine civil court is weighing compensation for appliance repairman Juan Pablo Ruppel after his home-raided Luger Parabellum No.5—believed to have belonged to Adolf Hitler and described as the “holy grail” of firearms—vanished while in police custody in 2016. The state was ruled liable for about $15,000 plus interest, while an independent expert later valued the pistol at roughly $42 million. Two officers who led the raid face criminal theft charges, and the case hinges on provenance linked to Ruppel’s great-uncle Hans Ruppel, Hitler’s bodyguard, who reportedly brought the gun to Argentina in 1948. The saga continues as Ruppel seeks full compensation and authorities pursue the weapon’s recovery.