My mother in law Grandma Jeannie is downsizing and will be moving into independent living soon. While cleaning out the house she came across her deceased husband Earl’s military items. Earl never talked about the war. I do know he was part of the “Rolling W” of the Army 83rd Division. Earl graduated from high school early and enlisted as soon as he could. Earl and his three brothers all fought in WW 2. Grandma Jeannie presented me with Earl’s war trophy, a CZ model 27. As I understand it, the Germans invaded Czechoslovakia and took over their industries, including armaments. The Czechs made these guns under German occupation for the German army. I read that these were guns for the officers, but I also read these were guns for enlisted men. The gun has three Nazi markings, above the right grip, along the top of the barrel, and on the ejector slide. The gun has a holster and an extra magazine. The German who originally had the gun put his name inside the holster flap. Earl’s name is signed below it. The first time I dry fired the weapon the hammer stuck!

Grandma Jeannie also found some pics from the war. I enclose one showing Earl, his friend Zawada and a small deer Earl shot. No doubt the men feasted on venison that night!

Earl’s medals include the Purple Heart. I cannot ID the other medals. Earl never talked about the war, despite my asking. I do know that the men liberated concentration camps.

I include pics of my Victory Smiths. Unfortunately, two were nickeled after returning from the war. The third retains its parkerized finish.

I wonder if these guns ever squared off in the war. I wonder if the dirt I cleaned off my Victory was French dirt or Austrian dirt.

In our minds Earl is a war hero. He was a very fine upstanding man who is missed. Here’s to men like Earl and here’s to their superior arms.

Dave

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	Earl 1.jpg (212.7 KB, 345 views)
	Earl 2.jpg (187.0 KB, 312 views)
	Earl 3.jpg (212.1 KB, 286 views)
	Earl 4.jpg (166.7 KB, 279 views)
	Earl Deer New.jpg (71.7 KB, 324 views)

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Illegitimi non carborundum

God Bless Earl.

It would be interesting to see his medals.
This is a worn example of the most common.A WW2 Victory ribbon.


Since two of your V guns have later grips, I would probably put the smoothies on the gun with the original park finish.

Attached Images

ww2 001.jpg (76.5 KB, 72 views)

Great story. Photograph your Uncle's ribbons and/or medals so we can help you ID them.

Camster did not ID his, but it should be a World War II Victory Ribbon. Agree that you should put on a couple sets of smooth stocks. Almost all Victory revolvers had them. ebay almost always has sets for sale and they are usually very reasonably prices.

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Gary
SWCA 2515

Great post. God bless all the guys that served in the war. I'm no expert, but I would think our Victories would be more likely to have ocean salt in them then French dirt. hehehehehe. Although anything is possible.

My Grandpa died in France in the 2nd ID and I so wish I had pics of what guns he carried. But I don't. My guess is either a Garand or Carbine. And possibly a 1911. He was a Sgt. But I don't know if every Sgt, had a handgun. He was a buck Sgt, not a higher up one. I can almost garrauntee he used a 1903 at some point. But beyond that, it's anyone's guess. I've read somewhere that some of the Sgt's sometimes carried a 1903 with the grenade launcher attachment.

He only made it to July 27 of 44 was his official KIA. I think he was gone by the 26th though.

Victory's are my favorite WWII gun though. Maybe some day I can get one.

Great write-up!

Of the P27, about 480,000 were supplied to the Wehrmacht and police, and the Waffenamt stamps on yours (I assume that’s what you mean by Nazi markings) indicate it went through military inspection; I’m not sure whether all or only the military pistols were so inspected.

These non-frontline sidearms in 7.65mm were issued to various troops behind the battlefield and in the occupied areas who might need a gun for protection, but they were also sold to officers as personal sidearms; officers were “Selbsteinkleider”, meaning they had to buy their own uniforms and accoutrements except battlefield equipment, and purchased their own pistols except for issued P08 and P38 in a combat unit. After the start of the war, those purchases went through military ordnance channels, so Waffenamt stamps do not help distinguish private from issue pistols.

I wish that I had more of my father's WW2 items. (Pretty sure that the WW2 Victory medal that I posted above, was acquired when I was a kid in the 60s from another kid) My father only kept his hat pin and photo album, from when he was a CPO in the SeaBees, serving in Australia and Samar,PI. I once asked him about the 1911 that he was wearing in old photos from overseas and he said that there was no way that he could bring it home.
He mentioned that was the only one in his battalion to qualify as sharpshooter or? during training -I wish that I remembered the exact one, as I would have enjoyed owning that pin.
I do have my mother's ensign bars, cuff links and dog tags, from her time as a Navy RN during the war.

I'm glad those guns went to someone who appreciated them.

I have two CZ-27s that saw Nazi use. One has only the single WA mark on the right side of the frame. And the other has no (Waffen Amt) marks at all...and I KNOW it was captured during the war, because I talked with the guy that captured it.

And while I'm at it, can't help but post my Dad's medals.

76th ID - WW2 Victory - Sharpshooter badge - Good Conduct - Bronze Star - 30th ID (Old Hickory)

Dog Tags - Campaign Bar (w/ 3 battle stars - Rhineland, Central Germany and something else) - 4th ID

Combat Infantry Badge - Ruptured Duck pin
(Dad called the CIB the "been there - done that" medal)

The pistol was produced for some time prior to 1939, and those issued to Czech police and military ended up in German hands too.

And just like with the ordnance inspections and property stampings on S&W Victorys, the German Waffenamt inspectors were stationed at the factories, so once a gun left the factory unstamped, that was that, even if the gun later came into Wehrmacht possession.

I was givien a Astra 66/43 9mm pistol a war bring back from my uncle. My favorite is the Lahti m40. But I have others.

Great Items.

The Rolling W was the 89th Infantry Division.

Thanks for sharing with us. As others mentioned, we can probably ID your medals if you show us pictures.

Best Regards, Les

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SWCA 3084, SWHF 495, PGCA 3064

Thanks for the kind words and info, gents. I’ll snap some pics of Earl’s medals and post them. Grandma Jeannie has no idea what they represent. Earl never, not once, spoke of the war. Dave

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Illegitimi non carborundum

I once dated the daughter of a Marine who served on Saipan. He would never say a word.
After father that I knew wanted to relate his experiences though his wife didn't want him to.
He told me of capturing three Germans in a basement,when he was out alone as an Army scout.He saw them in the shadows, and knew he was in trouble until he got the idea to call out to non existent comrades upstairs,to suggest that he was not alone.
His most amazing story was being shot in the center of his chest,with the bullet exiting his back.Miraculously, nothing vital was hit.At the time, he was firing a M2 during the Battle of the Bulge.Since he had his hands out in front of him on the handles of the machine gun, the bullet took off a finger before hitting his chest. He passed just a few years ago.