WW2 Commemorative Firearms

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djmay71

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Since I've gotten into the hobby, I've been wanting to acquire a firearm from WW2- preferably one that my grandfathers may have used.

Now based on stories my grandfather once told to my father, my dad describes a firearm that sounds like it could very well be a Thompson M1928A1-Chicago Typewriter stock. After doing an extensive amount of digging in my grandmother's old photographs, I found a picture confirming this- he indeed did carry a Tommy M1928. That being said, I don't have 12(6), and cannot therefore acquire a non-neutered Thompson. (I would most defintely preferred a non-neutered)
Moving on. What sidearm was carried by Allied troops, or more specifically the Canadian Troops? Wikipedia/Yahoo Answers tells me some sort of 1911.
Would a fella with a restricted license be able to get his hands on a 1911 of the same make, or, if prohibited for some arbitrary reason- is there a 1911 out there that would be similar?

The purpose of this firearm would be strictly for display purposes only, and maybe a range visit once in a blue moon.

Any help would be appreciated.
 
Find a nice, Maple-leaf decal-ed, Englis-made HP35, like I did in yUK back in 1968.

Then, hang on to it like grim death when your own gubmint bans handguns, like it did here in UK. Mine went via a dealer to a collector in Ontario, and I haven't seen it since but I know it's loved and cared for.

tac
 
If your grandfather carried a Thompson then it is possible that he was supplied by an American chain at some point (or "acquired") and may also point to a 1911. It would make sense from an ammo standpoint as both chamber the .45 cal.

Odds are slim on the Inglis Browning High-Power as by the time production was up and running at the Inglis plant (1944), and pistols started being issued to front line units (other than airborne or special forces) the war was pretty well over.

The other possibility is an Enfield or Webley revolver as those punchy little revolvers were the official pistols of commonwealth forces in the war.
 
1st of all- I'd like to thank the amazing people who responded to my EE ad on a .45 Browning HP. It would seem that the Browning HP was never chambered to .45 ACP.... As well, combining the suggestions from the PMs I received: What model of 1911 would resemble the Browning HP, in .45 ACP- preferrably to what the HPs looked like back in the 40s, with wood grips?

I know its a lot to ask out of one gun, but its already been suggested to check into what Para-Ordence has, and I'm sure the smart guys here in Milsurp can thing of something...
 
The Browning HP was John Moses' last design, and actually pretty much updated the Model 1911 in most respects, particularly in having fewer parts, in the main, that pesky bushing that needs fiddling to get it back together and the articulated barrel link.

You CAN have a 9mmPara calibre M1911 look-alike, but there is NO HP look-alike in .45ACP that I know of.

So, you either go for a HP35 [an an acquaintance of mine, Mr Rombaugh, over in Coldstream is a real maven on the subject, if he's looking in [Merry Christmas, Grant!]], or you go for a M1911 of one calibre or another.

My Can$0.02

tac, stuck in yUK
 
Would love an original, authentic MP-40

had a chance at a dewatt a few months ago but the price went up too high between 2 other bidders.
 
The most commonly used sidearm for Cdn troops in WW2 was probably the Smith&Wesson Pre-Victory model revolver in .38 S&W/.38-200 cal. the Browning HP didn't get to the troops until the last year of the war. Cdn troops were also issued some Enfield/Webley revolvers from British channels.

The well known photo of Maj David Currie of the South Alberta Regt at the time of him winning the VC at St. Lambert in Normandy in Aug 1944 shows him holding a S&W. I have my late uncle's personal issue S&W, complete with C/ Broad Arrow Stamps, and a matching one. He carried this from landing in Normandy until VE Day and mailed it home in pieces after the war ended. I knew a now deceased vet who brought home a stone mint Browning HP, and unfortunately got so spooked over the gun control nausea 18 yrs ago or so, that he destroyed it in a wood burning stove.
 
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During the early part of the war, the Canadian 1st Division went overseas with the Smith & Wesson No. 2 revolver which was in use until conversion in 1944

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By lawrence9 at 2008-06-30

By 1943 a need for pistols got the govenment to purchase 1,515 Colt 1911A1 pistols, a number of these were issued to 1 Canadian Parachute Battalion. Canadian issued pistols were marked with the Canadian broad arrow in 2 places, below the magazine release and behind the serrations on the left of the slide.

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By lawrence9 at 2011-12-16

In early October 1944, Canadian Armoured units were the first to be issued with the Browning 9mm Pistol.

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By lawrence9 at 2011-12-16
 
The Thompson submachine gun was the most prevelent submachine gun in use by Canadian forces up until late 1943 when units started to convert to the Sten Gun.

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By lawrence9 at 2011-12-16

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By lawrence9 at 2011-12-16

The second picture is of a soldier in the "Hasty P's" in Italy in 1943
 
I think I know what I'm gonna do: I'm gonna but this idea on the backburner (seeing as I have a NEA coming in the mail soon), and in the meantime try to get a hold of my grandfather's military records. Using his military records, I can then use hard facts based on the record to deduce what type of sidearm he carried.
Based on the sidearm he carried, I'll attempt to get a reproduction, look-a-like or clone of the firearm. From there, I'll get wood grips for the gun (if it didn't come with any) and have the one grip engraved with the crest of the battalion he belonged to, along with his name. The other side will be engraved with a Canadian Leaf & Irish clover, as my grand-dad was a 2nd generation Irish-Canadian. This part of the engraving, I'll have initially drawn out by my sister.

Also: Thanks to Garand for the amazing history lesson! If only they taught that kind of stuff in normal history classes, I might've paid attention.
 
In the past I ordered my Grandfathers Service records from the First World War and nothing I received from Library and Archieves Canada indicated to what he carried during that war.

Your best bet for a Thompson is a De-Wat which is available a couple of times a year at around $1,800.00. Find out what Regiment that your grandfather was in, then you can determine which Canadian Division that he was in and as the Weapons issued to a Division was consistent throughout the Division, it will make your search easier. For example my uncle (god rest his soul) served in the Irish Regiment of Canada which was in the 5th Armoured Division. In that Division were 9 different regiments, which would have been kitted out alike.
 
The S&W Victory models revolvers are quite under valued in relation to the Inglis Browning HPs. I've seen Cdn marked ones go quite cheaply. Maybe they just aren't considered as ###y as the Inglis HPs.

On the M1911 Colts, these and other US small arms were issued to Cdn troops serving in the 1st Special Service Force ( AKA the Devils Brigade) and were also issued to the Cdn Army Pacific Force (6th Div) in mid 1945. The 6th Div was equipped with US weapons and organized along US lines to simplify logistics and command arrangements while serving under US command. The 1st Cdn Para Bn was a component of the Brit 6th Airborne Div and would have been issued the standard Brit small arms through Brit channels.

During WW1 Cdn troops did use some M1911 Colts in both .45ACP and .455. Some were procured by the military while others were privately purchased by officers. Both Colt New Service and S&W revolvers in .455 were used extensively by Brit/Cdn troops in WW1. Private purchase of some gear by officers outside of military channels was a quaint custom which we maintained up to the time of unification in 1968.
 
If you are looking for a good book on the uniforms, weapons and other kit of the Canadian Soldier during WW2, I would recommend "The Canadian Soldier, From D-Day to VE-Day" by Jean Bouchery. You don't find a better basic reference to the kit issued to the Canadians during that time period.
 
Garand- your wealth of knowledge is not measurable by any modern standards. You wouldn't happen to be that guy from somewhere in Alberta who privately owns his own tank, would you?

As for information regarding my grand-dad's military life, is quite scarce, as my father can only remember him talking with him at length only once about his time overseas. He apparently burnt his uniform. (A common practise, from what I've heard from WW2 to Cold War vets) The only information therefore then lies with my grandmother, who is extremely reluctant to speak about it.

I'm printing off the application for the release of his records, although it looks like I'm going to need to find something to prove my relationship to him. Apparently an obituary is ideal.

As for the firearm, the more information I get concerning the subject, the more it leans towards an M1911 made either by Browning or Inglis. Since I haven't found anything by Inglis, looks like a Browning. Although the WW2 standard issue may have been a 9x19 Luger, I'd much prefer a .45 ACP, just because I don't yet own a .45.
Now since a Browning HP .45 didn't exist, so it looks like I'll be looking for a look-a-like.
I've brought down the wide array of potentials to these few:
-Norinco M1911A1 Government .45 (+replacing the poly grips with wood grips)
-Kimber Custom II .45 (+replacing the poly grips with woods)
-Shooters Arms Manufacturing 1911 .45

Like I said, its a short list.
 
djmay71 said:
Garand- your wealth of knowledge is not measurable by any modern standards. You wouldn't happen to be that guy from somewhere in Alberta who privately owns his own tank, would you?

As for information regarding my grand-dad's military life, is quite scarce, as my father can only remember him talking with him at length only once about his time overseas. He apparently burnt his uniform. (A common practise, from what I've heard from WW2 to Cold War vets) The only information therefore then lies with my grandmother, who is extremely reluctant to speak about it.

I'm printing off the application for the release of his records, although it looks like I'm going to need to find something to prove my relationship to him. Apparently an obituary is ideal.

As for the firearm, the more information I get concerning the subject, the more it leans towards an M1911 made either by Browning or Inglis. Since I haven't found anything by Inglis, looks like a Browning. Although the WW2 standard issue may have been a 9x19 Luger, I'd much prefer a .45 ACP, just because I don't yet own a .45.
Now since a Browning HP .45 didn't exist, so it looks like I'll be looking for a look-a-like.
I've brought down the wide array of potentials to these few:
-Norinco M1911A1 Government .45 (+replacing the poly grips with wood grips)
-Kimber Custom II .45 (+replacing the poly grips with woods)
-Shooters Arms Manufacturing 1911 .45

Like I said, its a short list.
Click to expand...

The simpler and more basic a replication the better - I've heard good stuff about the Norinco no-frills plain-jane version, which is what you would have seen in WW2. AFAIK, Inglis did not make any kind of a .45 self-loading pistol.

Browning never made anything - he was the designer of the series of guns named after him, of which the most famous handgun is likely to be the Model 1911. The factory and company for which he carried out most of his latter-day work was Fabrique Nationale, based in Herstal, a suburb of Liége, and during WW2 nazi occupation they continued to make the HP35 for the Germans. Englis made them under licence in Canada, so you can see that you DO have a choice of HP35 - you can find an Englis-made version, or a WW2 occupied Belgium model with nazi-German waffenampt stamps.

tac
 
Thanks for the compliment, while I don't have a tank, I've probably blown up at least three to five dozen during my career as a soldier then as a snivelling civilian with Defence Research as an Explosive Technician. It all depends how authentic that you want to go. Accuracy will cost you money, ask me, I do WW2 re-enactor matches and the period correct item is always the one you want to buy. If money is an issue, go with a Norinco 1911 in .45acp. Down the road if you want to buy a .22 LR conversion kit for some cheap plinking, your half way there.

The most important thing I can suggest before you spend your hard earned money, is research your purchase in depth. Remember, opinions are like A***oles, everybody has one! Even me :)
 
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