Hamburg 1974: S&W K-frames in action

[Absalom]

I was poking through the newsreel collection of the German federal archives for unrelated reasons and came across this footage, an event I remember as the first successful hostage rescue pulled off by German police after the disaster at the Munich Olympics.
Effective and reliable gun/ammo options in the prevalent 9mm auto caliber being almost non-existant back then, many of the SWAT units newly formed after Munich adopted US-made revolvers, overwhelmingly the Model 15 and 19 (although the Model 36/60 also saw use, most famously with the GSG-9).
In this case, a bank robbery gone wrong turned into a hostage situation. The robber had already killed one cop, and demanded a car to be brought right up to the door of the bank, which he intended to depart with several of his hostages. Authorities had decided to not allow him to leave under any circumstances, but the bank's interior was too difficult for an entry, so the decision was made to act when he came out. After the disastrous experience with snipers at Munich, police decided to handle this "up close and personal" instead.
If you go to the link, click on the thumbnail on the right that shows a white car; that starts the section covering the story. It's all in German, but it's pretty self-explanatory.
Below is a still photo from a different angle than the film cameras.

UFA-Dabei 926/1974 ? Films at the German Federal Archive

[cmj8591]

I guess he won't do that again!

[DWalt]

I suppose the guy in his underpants must have been a police hostage negotiator.

[Arik]

Originally Posted by DWalt

I suppose the guy in his underpants must have been a police hostage negotiator.

Maybe it's just really hot!

[Jeffrey A. Cooper]

Wow, can you believe that LE Officer fired that handgun with one hand. Unheard of today, did not know it could be done, wonder how he got that training. Seriously, thank you, can't stop looking at the archives from a country I love. Salom

[Dennis The B]

Originally Posted by Jeffrey A. Cooper

Wow, can you believe that LE Officer fired that handgun with one hand. Unheard of today, did not know it could be done, wonder how he got that training. Seriously, thank you, can't stop looking at the archives from a country I love. Salom

If the LE officer was trying to maintain a slimmer profile, i.e. against a building, an off-hand hold would be required. Couldn't maintain his low profile with a two-hand hold.

I was really impressed with his focus. Eyes looked like lasers. Talk about concentration!

[Tom_R]

The Officer was the real deal, no doubt about it. Did not hesitate to take out the bad guy there.

[pawncop]

That is the definition of TCB, taking care of business.

[Absalom]

I somehow notice the old-fashioned casualness of the whole thing: No contained scene, cameras everywhere, people milling around, all the neighbors hanging out their windows gawking; no tactical gear, the officers just in street clothes, with only a protective vest and their weapons. Still got the job done. Different times.