Guns issued during WW2/Vietnam?

[grimjaw]

First, thanks for providing so much valuable information already. The various firearms forums online are a treasure.

Both my maternal grandfather and one of my maternal uncles served in WW2 and Vietnam, respectively. My grandfather was in the Pacific as an Army combat engineer, I believe, and spent time in the Phillipines. He returned after the war, but died of natural causes in the '80's, when I was much younger. My uncle was a Navy pilot on a P3 Orion, and was either shot down or crashed over the Gulf of Thailand in 1968, listed as KIA.

What I'm hoping to find out is what guns would have been issued to them, if any, at the time of their service. I believe in my uncle's case it would have been just a sidearm, but I don't know that for sure. I'm not sure in my grandfather's case. I don't believe he was front line infantry, but I could be wrong. Unfortunately, anyone that would have known him has passed away, too. I can only rely on official military records if they were available, or correspondence and pictures my mother might have, which is 2000+ miles away at the moment.

If there's a better forum for this question, let me know, and much thanks.

jmm

 

[Old Fuff]

It is most likely that your Uncle was issued a Smith & Wesson "Victory" model .38 Special revolver, made during World War Two, or a similar Model 10 that was being made during the Viet-Nam era.

The Victory Model was S&W's standard K-frame, 6-shot, 4-inch barreled, .38 Special revolver with plain uncheckered walnut grips and finished with Parkerizing rather bluing. The Model 10 was an updated version of the Victory Model, but was usually blued with checkered walnut grips.

A Combat Engineer during World War Two would have most likely been issued a M-1 Carbine, or less likely, a 1911A1 .45 Pistol.

 

[Jim K]

The only military records that might be available would be the men's personnel files and they don't list the weapons issued.

The Navy pilot could have been issued several types of sidearms in that period, from a WWII S&W Victory model to a new S&W or Colt double action. A .45 M1911A1 is a possibility, but Navy pilots were more commonly armed with a .38.

The combat engineer would probably have had an M1 rifle, though a M1903 or M1903A3 would be a possibility. If he were a company grade officer, he would probably have had a carbine, if higher, a pistol.

The above are the best guesses as to what the men might have been issued, but beyond that, I don't know. If you can find letters, pictures or the like, they might help. Diaries often help and sometimes the man writes something like "I was issued a new M1 rifle today, number 1234567" but that kind of luck doesn't happen often.

Jim

 

[palerider1]

i found this site to be interesting http://armscollectors.com/sn/usmilookup.php?file=us_m1911gvt.dat you can type in any serial number and find the year the gun was made. the link is not to the home page, but you can manouver around the site from there. have fun with it!!!!!!!

palerider1

 

[grimjaw]

Thanks gentlemen, this is very helpful.

jmm

 

[littleperk]

Sidearm - Viet Nam

As an ordinance officer in the navy ( Viet Nam 1966,67,70) I saw many types of firearms issued to all types of personnel. Most were 1911's and many were recycled from our Marine brothers. However, I would like to mention one sidearm that very little is known about. It was the S&W model 39. The 2 or 3 that I saw had steel frames instead of the common alloy frame. A friend of mine who was a Navy seal showed me the most unusual sidearm I had ever seen. It was a model 39 With a supressor and a slide lock. He also carried 3 mags. of supersonic 9mm ammo. The seals referred to this pistol as a " hush puppy " for what would seem obvious reasons. I have never seen or heard of one again. It would be very interesting to know if any of the other service men had any experience with this gun. It may even be possible that your uncle went down with one. God bless each and every one who gave life or limb for us and may they never be forgotten. You have a great heritage. littleperk

 

[Shear_stress]

The seals referred to this pistol as a " hush puppy " for what would seem obvious reasons. I have never seen or heard of one again. It would be very interesting to know if any of the other service men had any experience with this gun.

From The Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson, 2nd ed:

"Hush Puppy: A special 14-shot stainless version [of the M39] with a silencer or suppresser was used in Southeast Asia in the late 1960s. Named for its intended uses silencing enemy guard dogs, it included a slide lock to fire it in single-shot mode, avoiding the noise of the operating slide mechanism. The double column Model 59 reportedly was developed from this program."

 

[Lo.Com.Denom]

Something like this?

IIRC, the silencer is fake on this one, but the gun is genuine. (Can't remember where I found the piccy, unfortunately.) Don't think that these things ever got issued to airmen.

 

[Ron James]

The gun I observed being issued to Army aircrewmen in VN were the Blued Model 10 , of course the .45 was always present but rarely carried in the cockpit. If the .45 was carried it was always a trade from one of the ground crew. However as someone stated there were a slew of personal weapons, every thing from Browning Hi-Powers to .357 Ruger Blackhawks. I even saw a old top break .38 Iver Johnson being carried. The farther away from Saigon you were, the more you could get away with.