shoelessjoe
"I took out a Chihuahua!"
Colt 1911A1
Yesterday, I once again had the honor & privelage of cleaning, re-springing* & test firing a friend’s 1942 Colt 1911A1, which has now been assigned nightstand duty. Previously, I had done the same with his M1 Carbine & Remington Rand 1911A1.
Here’s the dope...
A few years back, I was approached by a fellow rail worker who asked if I might help him with the cleaning & operation of some recently inhereted firearms.
Turns out, the weapons were his father’s, who had served as a junior officer with The 9th Infantry Division, & three of them (an IBM M1 Carbine; a Colt 1911A1 & a post-Cherbourg, Remington Rand 1911A1) had been carried & fired in hostilities from, to name a few: Algeria-French Morroco; Sicily; Normandy/Cherbourg; Belgium; Remagen & its’ infamous bridge; the Ardennes & lastly, throug the German heartland & into Central Europe.
What really sets the IBM & A1s apart is that his father (who is mentioned by name) & some of his battlefield exploits are chronicled in Ernie Pyle’s book, Here Is Your War & Henry G. Phillips’ books, El Guettar: The Crucible of Leadership & Sedjenane: The Pay-Off Battle.
Two additional weapons that also found their way Stateside were acquired by his father following the Battle of Cherbourg. One, a Kriegsmarine Model 34 Mauser, has a rather interesting story behind it. In addition to a large, folded Kriegsmarine battle flag, that now hangs in Cherbourg’s, Musee de la Libertion, a surrendering Kriegsmarine officer also handed over his holstered Luger to my pal’s father ... and immediately after handing over the Luger, the officer, via an interpreter, suggested a “better” sidearm & scrounging through a pile of turn-ins, presented him with the pristeen Kriegsmarine Mauser 34 ... and from this collector’s viewpoint, sadly, the holstered Luger was tossed onto the turn-in heap!
Lastly, and I’m guessing with an eye to offspring yet to be, my friend’s father grabbed a (still!) minty early-war, Suhl DSM34 .22 training rifle.
* yes, each & every one of the original springs are oiled, tagged & retained.
Yesterday, I once again had the honor & privelage of cleaning, re-springing* & test firing a friend’s 1942 Colt 1911A1, which has now been assigned nightstand duty. Previously, I had done the same with his M1 Carbine & Remington Rand 1911A1.
Here’s the dope...
A few years back, I was approached by a fellow rail worker who asked if I might help him with the cleaning & operation of some recently inhereted firearms.
Turns out, the weapons were his father’s, who had served as a junior officer with The 9th Infantry Division, & three of them (an IBM M1 Carbine; a Colt 1911A1 & a post-Cherbourg, Remington Rand 1911A1) had been carried & fired in hostilities from, to name a few: Algeria-French Morroco; Sicily; Normandy/Cherbourg; Belgium; Remagen & its’ infamous bridge; the Ardennes & lastly, throug the German heartland & into Central Europe.
What really sets the IBM & A1s apart is that his father (who is mentioned by name) & some of his battlefield exploits are chronicled in Ernie Pyle’s book, Here Is Your War & Henry G. Phillips’ books, El Guettar: The Crucible of Leadership & Sedjenane: The Pay-Off Battle.
Two additional weapons that also found their way Stateside were acquired by his father following the Battle of Cherbourg. One, a Kriegsmarine Model 34 Mauser, has a rather interesting story behind it. In addition to a large, folded Kriegsmarine battle flag, that now hangs in Cherbourg’s, Musee de la Libertion, a surrendering Kriegsmarine officer also handed over his holstered Luger to my pal’s father ... and immediately after handing over the Luger, the officer, via an interpreter, suggested a “better” sidearm & scrounging through a pile of turn-ins, presented him with the pristeen Kriegsmarine Mauser 34 ... and from this collector’s viewpoint, sadly, the holstered Luger was tossed onto the turn-in heap!
Lastly, and I’m guessing with an eye to offspring yet to be, my friend’s father grabbed a (still!) minty early-war, Suhl DSM34 .22 training rifle.
* yes, each & every one of the original springs are oiled, tagged & retained.
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