Sports Publications

Fighting handguns of WWII: heroes, their hardware and the American fighting spirit

American Handgunner, March-April, 2003 by Clint Smith

Whether or not they are effective, whether or not "we" like them, handguns did, and do, have a place in combat. Either as a comforting tool or as a close-quarter fighter, handguns served a purpose in World War II. And they beat an entrenching tool every time.

I read every citation for every Medal of Honor awarded to Americans in World War II as part of my research. The citations pay no attention to politics, religion, the color of skin or ethic background, and every American should read them. You'll then grasp who paid for the freedoms we all enjoy.

Some of the heroes are remembered, but many perished in obscurity in flaming, flak-riddled hulls over Germany and Iwo Jima. These, and the Sailors who were incinerated in Kamikaze and U boat attacks; the G.I's and Marines who filled the dirty frozen or wet foxholes of Attu, Normandy, Tarawa, Africa and Italy are the ones. They paid the price.

Victory model U.S. Navy marked South & Wesson .38 Special caliber revolver and M3 styled shoulder holster, Most often used by pilots and aircrews as personal defense weapon.

Both a Colt 1911 and 1911A1 are shown with an original Vest Emergency Sustenance manufactured by Cappel MacDonald & Co. for the United States Army Air Force circa 1943. Both the 1911 and 1911A1 pistol were used in World War II.

The author's father is seen receiving a Distinguished Flying cross on Saipan in late 1944. Other awards are a DFC 2nd award, Air Medal with 5 Oak Leaves, American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, Army Goad Conduct Medal. In addition are Aerial Gunner's wings, Staff Sergeant stripes and 7th USAAF shoulder patch.

Colt 1911A1 in an M-3 shoulder holster with 27th Squadron 30th Bomb Group 7th USAAF flight jacket. The Zoe Mozart pinup is the nose emblem of the Sky Skow III's a B-24, The Sky Skow Ill's entire crew was killed in action October 1st, 1944 over Iwo Jima. The A-2 jacket is a reproduction of the jacket worn by the author's namesake, who was the top ball turret gunner on the Sky Skow III.

General Order Number 35, 9 May 1945:

Private Thomas A. Baker, Company A, 105th Infantry, 27th Infantry Division Born 25 June 1916, Killed in Action 12 July 1944, Saipan, Mariana Islands.

General Order Number 95, 30 October1945:

Corporal Edward A. Bennett,

Company B, 1st Battalion, 35B Infantry,

90th Infantry Division.

Born 1 February 1920,

Passed 2 May 1 9B3 Campbell,

California 1 February 1945 at Heckhuscheid, Germany.

Books: Medal of Honor Recipients 1863-1994, Lang, Collins & White; One Damned Island After Another, Howard Whitley: Flying Boxcars, Col. Edwin B. Miller, Jr., U.S. Infantry Weapons of World War II, Bruce Canfield.

World Wide Web: John Spangler and Marc Wade, WW II weapons / holsters and period equipment, www.oldguns.net Oral interviews: C. W. Staples. through his son Rick Staples, Overland Park, Kansas.