I find it interesting that Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering, World War I fighter ace, the leader of the Luftwaffe, and the number 2 Nazi under Adolf Hitler, carried a Smith & Wesson M&P revolver by preference during WWII and turned it over to Allied forces when he surrendered. Records show that the gun was produced in 1934; it had a 4-inch barrel. Goering evidently purchased it at a Hamburg gun shop before WWII. While other high-ranking Germans at the time carried Walthers, Lugers, and P.38s (notably Irwin Rommel favored a stock P.38), Goering preferred an American revolver. It's interesting that Hitler himself often carried a S&W Ladysmith .22 revolver - the same gun with which his cousin/former mistress Geli Raubal committed suicide in 1931.
I happen to have a S&W produced in 1934, the same year as Goering's gun. It's a Model of 1905 fourth variation with a 5" barrel. Apparently its only distinction from the Goering gun is the length of the barrel. The finish and grips look identical.
Here is Goering's gun, now on display at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, NY:
Here's a better view of my almost identical revolver:
So there have been historical Smith & Wessons on both sides during WWII - quality guns were recognized on both sides of the Atlantic!
John