Standard issue of handgun ammunition during World War II?

[RoninPhx]

interesting that spam can of .45acp ammo. some years back a bunch of it surfaced and was being sold. I bought one of those spam cans, winchester ammo, and have never opened the can. I like the yellow stencil stating the can should not be used for human food consumption. I have a few boxes same as shown in the picture. I do have a victory pistol, looks brand new, with the pilot shoulder holster. it was supposed fired six rounds off the fantail of a carrier to test for function, then never shot again. the holster had loops for 12 cartridges, that were still in place. they were green from patinia, that green color. Let me to believe 18 rounds, six in the gun, 12 in the loops. as to iraq and desert storm, a door knocker friend of mine, said once they left the wire, the military issue 9mm was stuffed in a pack, and they reloaded the beretta's with winchester 115 grain jhp, which they bought in the village bazaar. ammo loaded into beretta mags they brought with them, rather than the govt issue. When the got back in the wire, ammo was replaced with the govt issue. friend of mine that flew f4's out of thailand actually had a .410 revolver built. he thought it would be better for shooting monkies if he was shot down than the 38special revolver he was issued.
i do have a paper box of british ammo for the 38/200. without pulling it out of the display case, i think there are 12 rounds there.

 

[Texas Star]

interesting that spam can of .45acp ammo. some years back a bunch of it surfaced and was being sold. I bought one of those spam cans, winchester ammo, and have never opened the can. I like the yellow stencil stating the can should not be used for human food consumption. I have a few boxes same as shown in the picture. I do have a victory pistol, looks brand new, with the pilot shoulder holster. it was supposed fired six rounds off the fantail of a carrier to test for function, then never shot again. the holster had loops for 12 cartridges, that were still in place. they were green from patinia, that green color. Let me to believe 18 rounds, six in the gun, 12 in the loops. as to iraq and desert storm, a door knocker friend of mine, said once they left the wire, the military issue 9mm was stuffed in a pack, and they reloaded the beretta's with winchester 115 grain jhp, which they bought in the village bazaar. ammo loaded into beretta mags they brought with them, rather than the govt issue. When the got back in the wire, ammo was replaced with the govt issue. friend of mine that flew f4's out of thailand actually had a .410 revolver built. he thought it would be better for shooting monkies if he was shot down than the 38special revolver he was issued.
i do have a paper box of british ammo for the 38/200. without pulling it out of the display case, i think there are 12 rounds there.

There are probably 12 rounds in the British box. Linda (Digi-Shots) and a couple of other members have shown similar packs from Canada and from South Africa. Someone actually has a pic of Canadian-loaded .45 Colt ammo, which was issued with New Service .45's to Royal Canadian Navy ships in WW II. Bullets are jacketed, to conform to Hague Accords rules.

My son used a M-9 Beretta and a Browning Hi-Power to kill a number of jihadi in Iraq, and mentioned buying his own Beretta mags as he didn't trust the GI ones. But I never asked how much ammo he had. I know he wore four magazines in his vest while there as a mercenary (contractor). A couple of times, he fired all four pistol mags after his rifle was dry, and was lucky not to have had to resort to his knife in a few cases. He has a Purple Heart and two Oak Leaf Clusters. He didn't get off unscathed for his three combat tours.

I've been issued as few as five rounds of .38 or .45 ammo as an Air Policeman in the 1960's. But have seen pics of men in my field in Vietnam who had gun belts full of spare .38 ammo. One was also draped with ammo belts for his M-60 machine gun.

 

[Texas Star]

But the OP was about WW II. Read books like those by the late Donald Burgett, who dropped into Normandy with the 101st Airborne Div. on D-Day. He told very vividly about battle conditions. Ammo was often scrounged from US casualties. I think I saw that in, Band of Brothers, a production where the actors portrayed real soldiers, who described what they did and where to the men playing their roles.

BTW, Maj. Richard Todd, a British paratrooper, was among the men told to hold Pegasus Bridge at all costs on D-Day. He served with Maj. John Howard.

When, The Longest Day was being cast, Todd was asked to play himself. But he demurred, asking to play another officer. I forgot who was cast as the real Todd.

Except for Todd and when Audie L. Murphy, MH, was asked to play himself in the film version of his book, To Hell and Back, I can't think of an occasion when a man was asked to play himself in a movie!

 

[10mm_Shooter]

While in Europe in early 80s in USAF as an SP when we drew a side arm it was the old m&p .38s 6 rds loaded at the clearing barrel, 12 more rounds in a pouch(prior to the m92). M-16 loadout was 240rds, 2 pouches 3x30rd mags each, 2 single mags one in the weapon, the other anywhere you want on your web gear. Rarely drew a side arm it was just something else to keep up with while on duty.

 

[Texas Star]

While in Europe in early 80s in USAF as an SP when we drew a side arm it was the old m&p .38s 6 rds loaded at the clearing barrel, 12 more rounds in a pouch(prior to the m92). M-16 loadout was 240rds, 2 pouches 3x30rd mags each, 2 single mags one in the weapon, the other anywhere you want on your web gear. Rarely drew a side arm it was just something else to keep up with while on duty.

Are you sure the revolver wasn't a Model 15, Combat Masterpiece? That looked like the Model 10/M&P, but had adjustable sights. At the time you served, it was the norm.

 

[10mm_Shooter]

Texas star, could have been, I just remember it as a .38 with a heavy barrel, funny ammo was nickel cased lead round nose.... very old school

 

[REM 3200]

My father, at the time a captain in the U.S. Army Medical Corps, was issued a M1911A1 for the upcoming invasion of Leyte. (I believe guns were available for medical personnel because Japan was not a signatory of the Geneva Convention of 1929, and they had a track record of treating medical corps personnel as combatants.)[/SIZE][/FONT]

I entered the Army in 1963 and medics had no problems drawing weapons and ammo. A Medic has a DUTY to protect the wounded in his care and the right to self protection, and thus can be armed.

As a Flight Medic on a Dust Off ship in Vietnam, I carried a 1911A1 and 3 loaded magazines plus a shotgun with 5 "OO" buck rounds. A Win Model 12 with a 20" bbl. and cylinder bore, when the shotgun wasn't available I used a standard M-16.

I felt safe as the Crew Chief was a walking arms room. I think he had one of everything and two of most.
The A/C and pilot each had a S&W M10 and a Car-15 strapped to the side of their seat.

 

[Gene L]

I've heard from several Gun sites on tv that the German Army was the most pistol oriented of that conflict. Some pistols, like the Luger, were status symbols, but there were a lot of P 38s, FN High powers from occupied Belgium, and pre war .32s confiscated and carried by the troops. Same in WW I which brought the Ruby to fame.

When I was in the Army, in VN 68-69 and before, the pistol wasn't highly regarded, probably from qualifying with worn-out 1911s. The second most challenging weapon for our infantrymen to qualify. Our ignorance of foreign pistols was universal....I thought the Tokarev was 9mm instead of 7.62 x 25, and I captured one. No ammo, though, 9mm was not available that I knew of, and 7.62 x 25 ammo wasn't ever captured, that I knew of.

On the squad level, machine gunners could be issued 1911s, no ammo limit but few did in my unit. Medics were issued them, but mine carried an M 16...and he started out as a Conscience Objector.

I found one on a real dusty road, cleaned it up, and carried it in my rucksack in Condition 3 as a last ditch weapon, but not always. Which was the Army approved way. .45 ammo was readily available, but most troops would opt to carry a few more M 16 mags. Never a shortage of ammo. The Company Commander of A 2/3 carried a High Power rather than a rifle.

 

[Cal44]

My dad was a naval officer (LT) on an LST in the Pacific in WWII.

He was issued a 1911 pistol, and at most, a box or two of 45 acp ammo. Ball type.

He never used the gun, as it was still packed in cosmoline until he unpacked and cleaned it up in the late 1950's.

He let me shoot it right after getting the cosmoline cleaned off. I was 8 years old at the time. What a blast.

He also brought back an M1 Carbine, and we shot that a lot. I have no idea how many rounds he was issued for the carbine -- but I do remember going to the sporting goods store with him to buy more 30 cal carbine ammo.

 

[cjwils]

There must have been lots of 45acp ammo available on the American front lines in WW2 in order to serve the guys who carried Tommy guns. Giving a few rounds to a guy with a pistol would not have made much difference.

Or maybe Hollywood has misled us about the use of Tommy guns back then, and they were actually rare in the real world.

 

[jimmyj]

In my era, whether a float or land based I issued what was requested if available. Normally if the request was for a M1911-pistol, three magazines (already loaded with five rounds) holster, web belt, magazine pouch, and first aid pouch. For .38 revolver- revolver, 18 rounds, holster, web belt. cartridge pouch, and first aid pouch. The issue ammo was FMJ for .45acp and .38spl.
Arm issues was by written ok from higher pay grades.
Special detail arms included SMGs, Carbines, and Shotguns which was issued by higher pay grades. BARs and Lewis Guns were in inventory but I don't recall them being taken out except for routine maintained .

 

[Sistema1927]

Soldiers have pretty much been the same, down through the ages. It really doesn't matter what the TO&E says, there are always going to be the scroungers.

 

[Texas Star]

There must have been lots of 45acp ammo available on the American front lines in WW2 in order to serve the guys who carried Tommy guns. Giving a few rounds to a guy with a pistol would not have made much difference.

Or maybe Hollywood has misled us about the use of Tommy guns back then, and they were actually rare in the real world.

Honestly, how many books of WWII photos have you carefully examined? Tommy Guns of both types and M-3 Grease Guns were DEFINITELY widely issued. There are good photos of paratroopers boarding planes on D-Day, showing Thompsons strapped to the the men. You should also be looking to see how many have pistols, and how many have M-3 knives strapped to their boots. One good pic of a combat photographer shows his Cattaraugus 225 knife quite well.

Buy and read everything that Sgt. Donald R. Burgett wrote. Especially, "Currahee!" covering training & the D-Day jump, and, "The Road Past Arnhem." Pay attention where he tells what all he carried when he went out the door of a C-47 to invade Normandy on June 6, 1944.

Burgett was sometimes issued a Thompson as a squad leader, but he traded it to a rifleman for an M-1 Garand. That would reach out further and kill the enemy with almost any good, solid body shot.

He had two pistols: a nickel .45 auto sent by his father and a P-38 captured off a German supply truck soon after D-Day.

When he was evacuated to England for surgery following a wound, he pleaded with the docs to let him keep those guns. The senior surgeon heard him and had the pistols hidden in his bedding. Burgett said that he still had both as he wrote those splendid books! I suppose he kept them until his recent death.

You can see him discuss the M-1 on YouTube. It was a privilege to hear him in person.

Burgett lost one Garand to a German shell that nearly got him, too. He jumped in a foxhole during the barrage and a shell found the rifle, which was sticking out, and ruined it.

Read books by Commonwealth soldiers, too. You 'll see many pictures and learn a lot.

And Hans Helmut Kirst referred to the P-08 (Luger) in his novels based on German service. Clearly, they were not regarded as just a badge of rank.

BTW, I STRONGLY recommend the movie version of his book, "The Night of the Generals", which stars Peter O'Toole, Omar Sherif, Donald Pleasance and a host of other fine actors. It's both a war story and a detective tale, excellent in both realms.

 

[Abbynormal]

You are in luck!
Here's some WWII Ball for sale!

Steel cased 1943 vintage Evansville Chrysler! Haven't seen much of that lately.
Beware of damaging extractors in M1911's.

 

[Abbynormal]

Here's some WWII 38 Tracer.
I have carried and shot 38 Tracer, but not this Tracer!

The USN issued those to Aviators. They were "kinda" both flare and tracer. I had 12 rounds given to me from a retired FBI agent. They were impressive at a rural 4th of July evening!

 

[Aggie1906]

Ammo

Pal gave me a 1911 loaded mag his dad brought back from the War.
Recon, Silver Star. Steel cased rounds. I still have it. Should look to see if it is mfg marked.
Another great guy I knew was with the 95th Inf. Fought at Metz, and said after his battlefield commission he continued to carry an M-1 Garand so as not to stand out. He had a P.38, but I never saw it. Did not finish his memoir, far as I know. Told me enough stories about street fighting for me to agree that Sherman was right.