Gatofeo-


I was an Air Policeman from 1963-1967. I worked both LE and Security posts, depending on the day's assignments. We didn't separate into divisions until Security Police replaced the AP term/.

At Lowry AFB, we had some .45 autos and I often chose one. The weak 130 grain .38 load was a big reason why. We later got some 150 or 158 grain Hi-Velocity ammo, bought off base, with unit funds. Senior NCO's and our few officers got Combat Masterpieces, although one carried his own M-14 and another chose a snub Colt 38 meant for Investigations personnel. It had a shrouded hammer, I think. Don't know if it was a Det. Spcl. or a Cobra. I detested this officer, whom I later met outside of the service. I declined to take a job where he was the supervisor. For this reason, I never asked if the gun had an alloy frame. He probably didn't know, anyway.

Lower ranking personnel got Victory Models and a few Colt Commando and Official Police commercial guns, supposedly scounged from the Navy. Not enough Combat Masterpieces were available, most going then to SAC and to combat forces in Vietnam.

Later, in Newfoundalnd, all we had was 1911A-1's. The story was, we had to leave all the small arms and other equipment in Canada if the base ever closed, so it was low priority to get new weapons. The augmentees and we had .30 carbines for repelling Spetznatz invaders or riots. Most personnel had not been trained on those carbines and had fired the M-16 briefly in Basic. They also did not know the .45 auto!

I knew the carbine from Basic and from high school ROTC and because I had a friend in high school who owned one. I was already a fan of Jeff Cooper's writing and did know the .45. I bought one from the BX, a Colt Gold Cup model. I often carried this .45 on duty until a grumpy new commander realized that and forbade it. I then field-stripped a couple of the issue .45's, assembling one with all Colt parts and a wide-spur hammer. I then chose that "frankengun" until I went home for discharge.

BTW, while rotating to McGuire AFB, NJ for release from active duty, I visited Goose Bay AFB in Labrador. We had half of the base, mainly for an F-106 wing tasked with intercepting Soviet aircraft that violated Canadian airspace. The RAF (not RCAF) had the rest of the base, operating a wing of Vulcan strategic bombers, their equivalent to our B-52's. It was amazing to see those Vulcans take off. They didn't struggle aloft and gradually climb, as I've seen B-52;'s do. Once the landing gear was up, they climbed fast!

You can see a Vulcan bomber in the James Bond film, "Thunderball", although I think the movie may have called it sometjhing else.


"Goldfinger" came out in 1964, I think, and the weak M-41 ball ammo was already being used. I think it was adopted for the light alloy guns that were later destroyed. (Aircrewman .38's.)

However, RAF aircrew and various security agencies in the UK were issued Walther PPK's in lieu of Browning 9mm's, and the 007 influence may have caused some of that. I talked with an RAF fighter pilot in the 1990's and he wanted his Browning back Didn't think the PPK was either reliable or powerful. If the Bond influence didn't cause the Walthers to be adopted, NATO standadization may have. German pilots carried the PPK. Don't know about Dutch, Norwegian, Belgian, etc.

One reason for the smaller gun was to let serving officers and security personnel be covertly armed in Northern Ireland, during their "troubles." I believe that British general officers often carried PP .32's then. SAS began using P-226 and P-228 9mm's to supplement or replace their Brownings. But this has veered off the subject of USAF .38's, so I'll close.