Does anyone know much about "Civil Defense" marked Victory models?

Mine is a "U.S. Navy & Civil Defense" marked Victory model that was shipped to the U.S. Navy in Oakland, CA in 1943. How was it determined that these guns would be sent to the Civil Defense? Did the guns stay in the local that they were being used in or did they get shipped to other places across the U.S.A.? Were they issued to Civil Defense Police? How long did the Civil Defense use the guns?

Someone here probably knows the details of how these guns were supplied to CD. There is a mention and photo of two in Pate's WW II Handguns book, pages 148-'49.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

That's all I have been able to find on the subject so far too.

I really like these Victory models.

Just a thought, but it's entirely possible that these were military surplus supplied to the Civil Defense authorities in the early Cold War era.

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SWCA #590
"Colligo ergo sum"

I hadn't thought about that possibility. Sounds very plausible.

It used to be called the PDO (Property Disposal Office) now I think it it has a new acronym starting with Defense. Excess to needs property is sorted out for everything from foreign military assistance to open sale Often it is shelved in warehouses where the pre-qualified can come and shop. Government agencies of all types participate in this reutilization.

Civil Defense, as I recall, was the civilian organization of Air Raid Wardens, Aircraft Spotters, EMT types, Boy Scouts who served as messengers, etc. during WW2. ( I was in the Sea Scouts branch of the Boy Scouts and we took turns on hill tops around San Diego area, spotting aircraft and telephoning their description ( friend or foe) to various Anti-Aircraft gun emplacements. At night you patrolled the streets looking for houses that did not have their blackout curtains tight against their windows. You were issued arm bands that said CD, WW1 type steel helmets painted white with the CD logo on them, police whistles, flashlights, etc. The California Militia ( Home Guards) who took over the Calif. National Guard's functions during the time the Nat'l Guard was called up for active duty with the Army, were the only civilians I remember who carried side arms, besides the local Police & Sheriffs, and they were not part of the Civil Defense organization, per se. There were CD personnel who acted as auxiliary law enforcement, so I suspect they may have been issued Victory Models, which then acquired the Civil Defense markings seen on some Victory Models today. Ed.

Civil Defense lasted long into the nuclear era.

See: Civil Defense Museum Art Gallery

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SWCA #590
"Colligo ergo sum"

I found these interesting. I found them at Culvers Shooting Page Forums

They forgot to put the "K" in front of those serial numbers and therefore they could not have been Victory models left over from WW2, but apparently new K 38s ! Ed.

Looking at these forms, I see no reason to presume that these S&W's were new, although I concede that the serial numbers are all about right for "K" prefixed production from around 1959. The description of the guns is vague at best and that there is no reference to a model number leads me to suspect that the guns could possibly date to the pre-1957 period, and therefore the omitted letter prefix could just as well be a "C", or even a "V" - there's really just no way of knowing. But these documents do confirm that Civil Defense was still being provided with surplus sidearms as late as 1960, and that it was required that they be clearly marked "as Civil Defense equipment."

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SWCA #590
"Colligo ergo sum"

I just got V223777 that is a "U.S. NAVY" but also is a Civil Defense marked gun. The marking on the left side below the cylinder release is the "Triangle CD".

Bob

Do you have any pics?

Got some. Just have to figure out how to reduce the file size in Aperture.

Bob

Here we go.

Bob