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Your knowledge will be welcome.
In Europe we could find a lot M1911A1 which are stamped with different Arsenal marks like AA,RIA,BA,RA,SA,OG etc, as all arsenal are situated in US, what was the travel of these pistols did these guns have been shipped to US arsenal and back to Europe, or Arsenal has depots in Europe authorized to refurbished, repair, and stamp them?
I know it would be difficult to know what was the way these guns has taken on WWII.
Anyway Thanks... :)
The guns were issued and used from the time they were new. If during that conflict they needed re-build, it would be done local by a group on hand. I doubt any re-build marks were used. After the conflict the vast majority were returned and re-built as needed. That's where the arsenal markings were applied. From time to time various surplus weapons were released for purchase and you end up with them scattered around the world. Also there was a lend lease that would move vast quantities around the world, which in turn would be surplussed off through time. Although there were workshops in Europe and I think in occupied Japan years ago, I'm unaware of any marks they would apply compared to the others you mention. (RRA, RA, SA, BA...)Does that answer your question?
Thanks Jim, If I understand your comments, no guns during the WWII conflict was arsenal marked in case of repairing or re-build, just after war. So the pistols we can find in Europe with arsenal marking has been send to US arsenal at the end of WWII and back to Europe?
Something like that. They would have been re-built after and through various conflicts have found their way to you. The re-build depots mentioned are US located. There ARE other people here that can be more specific.
After WWII a lot of U.S. military weapons were given as aid to numerous countries trying to get their police reorganized. The Lend-Lease Act ended almost as the same time WWII ended, so these were not Lend-Lease. There was no major overhaul program for the 1911 and 1911A1 pistols after WWII, and they were done as needed. These rebuilt pistols were probably the ones sent to foreign countries. A high percentage of the pistols sold through the old DCM in the early 1960's were rebuilt pistols, and they had not been issued after rebuild.
And many weapons were sent back over in those now empty ships to be rebuilt here during the war years , too . I can't lay my hands on Duff's red book , but he lists the thousands of 1903s , 1911s , and others SA redid during WW2 .
Chris
There was a massive rebuild program for the M1 Rifle and M1 Carbine following WWII, as most had been used hard as well as having several upgrades that were needed. There was no massive rebuild program for the 1911 and 1911A1 following WWII.
Springfield had a hard time keeping enough staff to meet the needs for new M1 Rifles, but eventually got deferments for the men working there and eventually did some rebuilds. 100,000 M1 Rifles were sent to Springfield for "cleaning and repair" during WWII, but to the best of my knowledge there was no large overhaul program for the rifles at that time. 100,000 1903 Springfields were overhauled in the event they would be needed to supplement the M1 Rifles, but there was no overhaul program for the 1911 or 1911A1's.
Those two last posts sort of confirm my thinking. Not much in the way of stateside rebuilds (comparitively) until after the war.