A Colt Commando and secret airplanes

[Absalom]

I just prepared this post for the Colt Forum, but since it might be of interest here too, especially due to the Commando's role as Colt's equivalent to the Victory, I thought I'd share it here also.

I recently lettered a Colt Commando I acquired a while ago, a nicely preserved specimen with just the right amount of wear to attest to an active duty career, but with no signs of abuse and intact plastic stocks. It had no special markings, so the letter was a stab in the dark.

Given my interest in aviation and WW II history, I hit what I consider a jackpot. As you can see from the letter below, it was part of a batch that went in 1943 to the Northrop Aircraft company in Hawthorne, California. While it was dwarfed in size by other famous names (among US corporations, Northrop was 100th in terms of war production value, nearby Douglas in Santa Monica and Lockheed in Burbank were 5th and 10th respectively), Northrop was involved in some very interesting secret and experimental designs, most notably the XB-35 "Flying Wing" bomber, cancelled in the 1940's but reincarnated in 1981 when Northrop-Grumman received the contract for the B-2 Stealth bomber.

The Commandos were most likely for site security purposes. This gun would have pulled guard duty at one of two Northrop locations: either the main plant at Northrop Field (Hawthorne airport), where during the war the P-61 Black Widow was assembled (see picture), or at their test site at Roach Dry Lake in the Mojave Desert. The link below takes you to a website with more information on the different Northrop designs tested there:

NORTHROP'S ROACH DRY LAKE SITE

The last photo attached shows a group of Northrop test pilots in front of a XB-35 at Hawthorne in 1946. Note the red arrow pointing at the guy in the background. I wonder what revolver is in that holster?

 

[alaskavett]

Very cool and thinks for posting this. There were a lot if interesting things happening at a rather hectic pace at that time. Kyle

 

[Texas Star]

Enjoyed the data on Northrup.

I occasionally carried a Colt Commando and an Official Police in the USAF in the 1960's. I think we got them with some S&W Victory Models from the Navy. There were only a few Colts, and I quit carrying them after I found that the sights were so far off that I barely qualified one year. The S&W sights usually shot dead-on or very close to point of aim.

Col. Charles Askins mentioned that he had to re-sight almost every Colt .38 that he bought for the USBP when chief marksmanship instructor there. I believe it.

I hope that someone has turned the barrel just a mite to bring the sights of your gun in line. You probably bought it as a collector's item, but it'd be nice to shoot it a little if you want.

 

[moosedog]

A very important part of history and in excellent condition to boot. You did good.

 

[Qball]

Note the red arrow pointing at the guy in the background. I wonder what revolver is in that holster?

Really cool info on you revolver. Nice find

The holster though, seem a little large for a 4" revolver?

 

[Big Cholla]

A BIG thanks for posting the Northrup history. As an amateur welder, I found it fascinating that a Northrup factory operation had to invent Heliarc welding in order to build with their choice of metals. I never knew that. I have been all over the Roach Dry Lake many times. I have landed my Cessna 180 several times there. I found an intact champagne bottle near where the Northrup hanger once stood. I wonder what was being celebrated.

Jack Northrup certainly chased his tail in development of all but unusable aircraft. BUT, for every failure his chase for the perfect aerodynamic air-frame his efforts furthered the knowledge of aircraft design for those that followed. .......

 

[Absalom]

.....
Col. Charles Askins mentioned that he had to re-sight almost every Colt .38 that he bought for the USBP when chief marksmanship instructor there. I believe it.

I hope that someone has turned the barrel just a mite to bring the sights of your gun in line. You probably bought it as a collector's item, but it'd be nice to shoot it a little if you want.

I must admit that I have not fired this Commando yet. I do also have a Colt Army Special from 1924 and two Colt Official Police's from 1942 and 1951, essentially the same gun, and all three have outperformed comparable period M&P's. I must add that I'm only interested in acquiring guns with clear evidence of a long active service history; I don't care for minty or new guns. So if those Colts of mine didn't hit where they were supposed to, some department armorer probably "cured" them fairly early in their career.

 

[DWalt]

Except for some minor cosmetic differences, the Army Special, OP, and Commando (at least the WWII version) are all essentially the same revolver. I'd like a Commando (I already have several Army Specials and OPs), but have not yet found any which I felt were worth the prices being demanded.