U.S. Coast Guard handguns - WWII

P

Paul1948A

Member
Joined
Mar 2, 2010
Messages
138
Reaction score
50
Location
North Carolina, CSA
I'm researching the small arms used by the USCG during WWII. I know they used 1911 pistols and S&W Victory Model revolvers but was wondering if they used any other sidearms. Say Colt Commando or S&W/Colt M1917 revolvers?

If you have any info - or better yet photos - please post them here or contact me.

Many thanks.
 

Attachments

  • Horses.06.jpg
    Horses.06.jpg
    68.9 KB · Views: 220
Register to hide this ad
Paul, have you reviewed the data bank at the Springfield Research Service for the WW2 period lists of small arm models and serial numbers recorded in the National Archives a being in the inventory of various Coast Guard units? Ed.
 
My guess is 1911's and Garands since we were still using them when I went through boot camp in '68. Poor old 1911s would rattle something terrible if you shook them. The one I used shot sub moa (mile of angle).
Larry
 
Oldiron - all the WWII photos I've found so far of Coasties show them using M1903 and M1917 rifles. I found one of a landing party from a cutter with Colt M1917 machine guns ("potato diggers").
 
Could be. We always got what the other services wore out. Maybe the 1911s weren't all the way worn out until after the war. Did you know that a Coast Guard Cutter got off the first shot at Pearl Harbor? The Taney shot the steeple off of one of the churches there on that first shot.
 
All I can say is LMAO!!!

Oldiron said:
Could be. We always got what the other services wore out. Maybe the 1911s weren't all the way worn out until after the war. Did you know that a Coast Guard Cutter got off the first shot at Pearl Harbor? The Taney shot the steeple off of one of the churches there on that first shot.
Click to expand...
 
I assume that you have these books. If not, you need to get them:

_Shots That Hit: A Study of U.S. Coast Guard Marksmanship 1790-1985_ by William R. Wells, II, USCG Historian's Office, 1993.

_U.S. Handguns of WWII, The Secondary Pistols and Revolvers_ by Charles W. Pate, Mowbray, 1999.

Regards,
Kevin Williams
 
Hi:
In small arms room were Model 1911s,Colt Officer Model Match .38s, Colt Woodsman Target .22s, Garand M1s.
In the Armory were M1911s, Garand M1s, Springfield M1903/M1903A3, M1/M1A1,M2 Carbines, Thompson M1928 and Reising SMG, Lewis LMG,
Browning .30 &.50 MG, BARs, M1897/M12 12ga.
Smith and Wesson/Colt .38 Revolver were in reserve for Station Police and Shore Patrol.

During WWII the Coast Guard issue were M1911.45acp /M1903.30-06/Reising .45acp SMG/ Lewis LMG.
During wartime the Coast Guard was part of the Navy, mostly landing craft operators and gun crews on merchant ships.
A Coast Guard landing craft operator (Douglas A. Munro) was awarded the Medal of Honor
for saving a company of marines on Guadacanal 9/27/1942 that were overrun by japanese by laying down covering fire with a Lewis Gun.
 
Last edited:
JimmyJ pretty muched covered it! I checked my copy of "Shots that Hit- A Study of U.S. Coast Guard Marksmenship 1790-1985" and it stated that they had Colt and Smith& Wesson .38 Revolvers with the Victory Model replacing older revolvers. M1 Garands and 1911s were mostly used in overseas operations. That was Signalman First Class Douglas Munro who covered the withdrawl of Marines from the beach. My last cutter maintained a couple of 1911 match grade pistols we used for competition.
 
Last edited:
There's a WW II Life Magazine cover of a Coastguardsman on beach patrol with a German Shephered on a leash. Over his shoulder he's carrying an M 1917 rifle.
 
I would think that since the Coasties worked primarily in the U.S. they would been given second class arms- meaning the majority of 1911's, m-1's and other current issue weapons of the WW2 era would be prioritized for units deploying overseas. Therefore more 38 revovlers and bolt actions in the hands of C.G. personnel during WW2.
 
My father in law was a Coast Guard LT. durinng WW 2. He spend most of the war in the south Pacfic as gunnery officer on a LST The drawing was done by an uknown ship mate labeled 'BEACH PARTY WILBER'. I think the drawing shows 1911's
w1-1.jpg
 
USCG weapons

I went through Cape May basic training in 1957 and we used colt 1911 & M1 rifles. I qualified as "Sharpshooter" with a .45 Colt (missed "Expert" by a few points)....they were'nt that bad to shoot!
 
Muley Gil said:
The Army must have had a BUNCH of those McClellan saddles! The Horse Marines in China had 'em also.
Click to expand...

Just about every branch used the McClellan at some point. I've seen quite a few photos of CG and Navy beach patrols using them in WWII. There were tons of them surplus after the horse cavalry and artillery was phased out following WWI. I believe the one shown in the original post of this thread is a Model 1904. Cool photo!

Cheers;
Lefty
 
One of the rarest S&Ws is the fixed-sight 6" K22 made in a small batch before the war and, as I understand it, done for the Coast Guard.
 
I thumbed through the book "US Small Arms in World War II" today at B&N. It had a nice picture of a Coast Guardsman posing with his 1917 on the beach. Other cool pictures included a soldier cleaning his 1917, and a servicemember passing a dead Japanese soldier with his revolver at the ready.
 
Is there any evidence that the USCG used .38 S&W H&R Defenders as sidearms in WWII? I could swear I read that years ago in some article.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

ddeanjohnson
WTS: list of 22 guns that remain -- MORE PRICE REDUCTIONS -- collection liquidation
2
Replies
28
Views
15K
ddeanjohnson
ddeanjohnson
Quiet 1
Repost: My WWII & WWI Military Handgun Collection
Replies
13
Views
1K
Birdgun
B
samandglove1
  • Locked
WTS WWII US Navy Victory Model with Correct Holster - M1917 SPF
Replies
3
Views
2K
Gardner11
G
everReady Rob
U.S. Hanguns of WWII by Charles Pate
Replies
7
Views
3K
mg357
M
PALADIN85020
The S&W Victory Model wasn't the only U.S. WWII .38 revolver...
Replies
9
Views
6K
Ameshawki
A

Latest posts

Back
Top