World War 2 Guns "The Handguns" GunData.org

World War 2 Guns "The Handguns"

Article Posted: August 12, 2013

Luger P08 Patent 1904

WW II had a personal impact on virtually everyone. From French housewives, English businessmen, German Jews and even Glenn Miller, the impact was felt by most people in one way or another. For military troops, regardless of affiliation, that meant fighting with the best tools they had available and for most of them, the main tool they had was their pistol.

While the average person directly involved in one battle or another, any weapon they could bring to bear was used. For the military, reliance on the armament they were issued, or they could acquire on the battlefield was paramount. World War II soldiers needed pistols/handguns that worked reliably, they could locate ammunition for and was plentiful enough they could swap parts if needed.

Here are some of the most used pistols during Second World War:

Beretta 1934 & 1935 - Compact pistol used by the Italians. Was adopted before WWII and became standard service issue.

FN Model 1910 - Pistol used to initiate WWI with the assination of Archduke Ferdinand of Austira, this pistol was standard issue for the German Luftwaffe (air corps) and was significant during the occupation of Belgum from 1940-1944

Newer Browning High Power

Browning High Power - Originally used by many countries during WWI and WWII, was mostly used by the Germans for the occupation forces.

Inglis High Power - Canadioan re-engineering of the Browning High Power for Allied forces.

Luger P08 - This was the standard German side arm starting in 1908. Seeing service through both WWI and WWII, production was discontinued in 1942, although many german troops and officers were issued the Luger P08 throughout the war.

Mauser C96 - AKA the "Broomhandle" Mauser due to it's distinctive handgrip, the Germans used both domestic knock-offs as well as imports of this pistol for the Luftwaffe (air corps). This gun was well suited since the wooden detachable stock could also be used as a protective holster. First introduced in 1896, production ceased in 1937, even though this pistol saw wide use throughout WWII

Colt M1911A1 - Originally designed by Browning in 1911, it became the standard military issue service weapon for virtually every branch of the U.S. military. This ubiquitous gun, still in manufacture by many companies today, was still standard service issue until the late 1980's, although its usage throughout the U.S. military is still popular today.

M1942 FP-45 Liberator - This single shot gun was designed as the WWII version of the "zip gun". It was simply designed, cheaply made and was designed to be dropped into occupied territories, manly France, to give resistance forces a weapon they could use to capture a better one.

Nagant 1895 - A gas seal revolver used by the Russians extensively in WWII, this seven shot revolver is the only revolver that could reliably use a silencer

Vis - Polish service pistol issued to troops entering WWII, was produced through 1944 for the German Waffen SS (Schutzstaffel or "protective forces")

Revolver #2 - Based on the Webley Mk 4 design, this pistol was the standard service issue for British troops

Sauer 38H - Pistol incorporating several innovations such as a shrouded hammer and a decocking mechanism for easy safe carry. Favored by German Luftwaffe (air corps) and Fallschirmjager (paratroopers)

Tokarev TT30 (buy here)

Tokarev TT30 and TT33 - Russian standard issue service weapons throughout WWII. The TT30 was phased out early in the war, replaced completely by the TT33 which was based on a Browning design although easier and less expensive to manufacture

Type 14 and 94 - Standard issue Nambu service pistol for Japanese troops in WWII. This is NOT the Type A (Papa Nambu) or Type B (Baby Nambu) which were only available to Japanese officers through officer stores. The Type 94 was a commercial Nambu available for purchase prior to WWII which was later produced for the Japanese military during WWII

Walther P38, HP, PP and PPK - Series of German pistols in use throughout WWII. The P38 was designed to, and replaced the Luger P08 in 1942 and the HP was a commercial version of the P38. The Walther PP was designed for police service and also served quite often as the military sidearm for German troops. The PPK was designed for covert operations and was a shortened version of the PP.

While there were many other pistols in use during WWII, these were the most popular used around the world during various battles, campaigns and conflicts. Many of these guns, especially the Luger, Broomhandle Mauser, M1911A1, the Nambus and the Walthers are very collectible weapons and, if numbers match, especially the magazine, can fetch a premium price at auctions and gun shows. Thanks to U.S. troops sending home captured weapons from the battlefield, many of these collectibles are actually available in the U.S. today.