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Hi browningautorifle,
the revolver you`ve seen was a "Reichsrevolver". Cal. 10,6mm .
The base for the development was a S&W Russian .44. He must give the revolver to the officer of his guards ( US Army ) and i think he would found a new owner somewhere. Görings revolver was luxury model and not a simple one like this in the pic.
Regards
Gunner
It was also said ( dont know if it is true)that the Luftwaffe used your bombers with the original signs and the days parole to fly with your bombers and shoot them down. I think the KG 200 had used such a tactical. This is a report from the WW2 Web page:
Allied bombers in Luftwaffe service
During the war, the Luftwaffe downed many allied bombers over German held territory. Others landed because of technical problems. Some of these bombers remained flyable. Initially these captured bombers, such as American B-17s and B-24s and Russian Pe-2s and Tupolevs and other aircraft, were flown by the Luftwaffe for studying their capabilities for intelligence and technological analysis. These test-flown bombers were given Luftwaffe markings, like the one in the picture above.
Later, KG 200 began to use these captured long range bombers for its top secret missions. With the increasing air superiority of allied air forces, the German retreats, and the increasing use of RADAR and RADAR-equipped night fighters, it became ever harder for the German bombers to fly deep into allied airspace. Flying long-ranged captured allied bombers instead of the smaller and shorter range German bombers was a perfect solution for the Luftwaffe. These bombers could fly further and could fly over the most protected allied targets, day and night, without being even shot at, as they looked and sounded exactly like allied bombers. It was the perfect equivalent of the stealth bomber. The captured allied bombers used by KG 200 were not given German markings and remained with their original allied colors and markings for complete day or night deception of allied pilots and anti-aircraft gunners which saw them. They could fly anywhere, day or night, make aerial photos, drop agents, bomb targets, track allied bomber formations and constantly report their exact position and altitude without being intercepted by their fighter escorts, etc, etc, and so they did.
Regards
Gunner
Goering's surrender pistol was a prewar S&W .357 Magnum, a personal possession.Quote:
Originally Posted by browningautorifle
He had a fine inlaid Astra auto pocket pistol hidden away, a gift from the Condor Legion pilots who'd served in Spain. That pistol showed up years ago, a US soldier had liberated it.
Yes Alfred you`re right in one part. He had also the Reichsrevolver and in my opinion i have seen it in a film at History channel a few months ago. He gave it away and the soldier shows it into the camera.
Regards
Gunner
Still photos I've seen show it to be an S&W. But theres always the possibility the photo was restaged for the camera and an S&W belonging to one of the allied officers was handed over, Goering's own sidearm having already been taken away.Quote:
Originally Posted by gunner
The Italians captured an intact P-38 fighter that had landed on a road when its fuel lines became clogged, the pilot was captured before he could burn the plane.
An Italian ace then used the P-38 to pick off stragglers from bombing formations.
He'd slip up to damaged aircraft limping home and pretend his radio was out , he then pretend to escort the crippled bomber till sure no other US planes were in the vacinity and shoot them down.
He was put down by a modified B-17G gunship, a bomber loaded with extra machineguns and ammo, designed to act as a long range escort.
The gunship pretended to be a damaged straggler to lure the pirate P-38 out.
When he pulled up alongside they put about ten thousand rounds into him.
Alfred, i must admit that you are right and i was wrong :bow::bow::bow:
Here is the film ifound on Youtube.
YouTube - (12/15) Hermann Goring
At this day he weared the S&W .38 .:crying::crying::crying:
If f you were closer i have to invite you to a good beer.
Regards
Gunner
The S&W in the flim clip appears to have the under barrel shroud.
It could be a WW1 war trophy, a British issue S&W Triplelock Hand Ejector in
.455.
Since Goering had been arrested by German authorities shortly before his surrender, his regular carry piece may have been taken then, and he picked a pistol from his private collection later.
The S&W Hand ejector, the .38-44 Outdoorsman, and the early .357 revolvers all look very much alike.
Everything I have seen on Goring's S&W revolver describes it as a 4" .38 Special M&P.
An uncle that died a few years back was in the 1269th Engineer Combat Battalion in support of the 101st Airborne in the Berchtesgaden area at the end of WWII. After the war ended a local lead my uncle and two of his men back into the mountains where a stash of Goring's treasure was hidden.
My uncle, Sgt. Harold Courtney is the only GI in a white tee shirt. The same group was in a picture in Ltc. Thomas Johnson's first volume of "World War II German War Booty", but in the picture my uncle's head was cut off in the photograph, and he never knew that he was in the picture in the book. In the book Johnson gives credit to the 101st for opening the cave, but it was the 1269th ECB.
1269th ECB-Third Platoon
Could be, but all stills I've seen describe it was a .357, and it looks to have the under barrel shroud.
A .38-44 might be mistaken for an M&P I suppose, main differences are the size of the frame and the shroud.
I do remember reading that some WW1 German pilots prefered the old revolvers, because they'd served in the cavalry before the war.
From information on the West Point Museum.
Many of the arms are historically significant. You'll find General George S. Patton's Thompson Submachine Gun, Adolph Hitler's Liliput pistol, Herman Goering's Smith & Wesson .38 Special, ivory ceremonial baton, and sterling silver bound guest book. Napoleon's pistols and sword are on display, as well as General Yama****a, "The Tiger of Malaysia"'s sword. One of the two green safety plugs pulled from the Nagasaki Fat Man Atomic bomb after takeoff to arm the bomb is on display, along with the first pen used in the signing of the Japanese surrender documents at the end of WWII in Tokyo Bay. The French 75mm field cannon that fired the first US shot against German troops in WWI can be found on the lower floor in the artillery section