July 4th 1944...a pistol in aerial combat at Iwo Jima

[Johnny Peppers]

Agree with Scott on the "been there, done that" look pistols. Most of the pistols we commonly find were in use for only a short time, and most were protected by a holster when being used. The no finish pistols so cherished by some probably didn't even exist in the military. None were used long enough to suffer almost total removal of the finish, and the military was pretty good at having worn firearms rebuilt and refinished. A pistol that is thrown in a glove box or under the seat of a car or truck will experience a lot of wear, and this is the dark side of the pistols history. If a pistol has no documented history, just accept it for what it is and as being one of many that were all made for the same purpose. A story is the easiest thing to attach to a firearm, so don't get suckered into believing too many war stories.

[CJS57]

My shooting instructor at the Ramapoo Range in Ridgefield Ct. Told a very similar story! He was a naval aviator during WWII. His plane came back so shot up they had to immediately push it overboard to make room. His CO asked if he had gotten his issue Colt 1911-A1 out of the plane. He thought quick and said no, it went over the side with the plane. He had the gun right there in his hand when he told us about it back in the 1980's.

[Bob Womack]

It reminds me of the disappearing choppers in the Vietnam War. Supply sergeants welcomed a report of a lost supply chopper. There would follow a period of weeks during which supply sergeants from all over the theater would send in reports of the gear their unit (supposedly) had on this chopper, allowing them a handy way to clear off their inventory discrepancies. Once the list of everything that went down with the chopper was published, some wag would make a tally of the supposed cargo weight carried by the chopper. The inevitable comment was, "Wow! That must have been the most powerful chopper in the theater! It was carrying twenty times its max cargo weight! No wonder it went down!"

I wonder if a bit of this was practiced in WWII?

Still and all, it's a great piece and great documentation.

Bob

[enbloc8]

My shooting instructor at the Ramapoo Range in Ridgefield Ct. Told a very similar story! He was a naval aviator during WWII. His plane came back so shot up they had to immediately push it overboard to make room. His CO asked if he had gotten his issue Colt 1911-A1 out of the plane. He thought quick and said no, it went over the side with the plane. He had the gun right there in his hand when he told us about it back in the 1980's.

There was an episode of the 1970s TV documentary series "G.I. Diary" that showed that very sequence of events. Some pilot in a Hellcat (I think) either bellied in on his carrier or had a gear collapse on landing. They got him out and shoved the plane overboard.