Identify 2 pistols

Here are two pistols taken from a German officer and a non-com by a friend of mine at different times during the war. He carried them both the remainder of the war and brought them home with him.

He never fired either one in combat, although he did use the smaller of the two weapons to "persuade" a male German civilian to get off of the side of his halftrack, as they were moving through a town late in the war.

Can anyone identify either of the two weapons?

 

The first is a Browning FN Model 1900 in 7.65mm
The second is a pre-war Belgian Melior Pistol made pre WWII again 7.65mm

 

The first is a Browning FN Model 1900 in 7.65mm
The second is a pre-war Belgian Melior Pistol made pre WWII again 7.65mm

thanks Jedburgh.

He had told me that the first was a Browning, but he could not rembember the model. He also said that the second was a Belgium weapon, but that was about all he could remember.


Thanks again.

found these pages
Melior Pistol
Nouvelle page 0

the page referred to the Melior as a pocket pistol. My friend took it out of the officer's boot. He apparently had a little pocket sewn into the top of his jackboot to hold the pistol.

 

Nice collection and well spotted Steven.

Regards
Tom

 

He carried an M-1 carbine during the war as his personal weapon. He liked it so much, that when he came home, he bought one for himself. He tells me that this is the same model as he carried. It has points to attach the short bayonette, but he does not have that.

 

I think you also might be interested in seeing this gorget.

I forgot to take a photo of the reverse. It is in excellent shape.

 

Cheers for sharing the pics Jeff.....I always liked the M1 Carbine above all the other personal weapons from the US.

 

He liked the carbine a great deal. He was issued the Thompson, but asked before they left the States to get the carbine instead.

I am writing a book about this man. I hope to have it published by this time next year. He was in the US 30th ID, in the mech recon cavalry troop of that division.

 

I think you also might be interested in seeing this gorget.

I forgot to take a photo of the reverse. It is in excellent shape.

Great photograph of a much sought after piece. The words and other objects on the gorget glow in the dark!

Regards
Tom

 

He liked the carbine a great deal. He was issued the Thompson, but asked before they left the States to get the carbine instead.

I am writing a book about this man. I hope to have it published by this time next year. He was in the US 30th ID, in the mech recon cavalry troop of that division.

Jeff has he said why? I was always under the impression they wasn't liked due to a lack of stopping power - Not that I'd know mind.

 

A short digression on Browning pistols the Browning Model P35 was an issue weapon to both the Allies and the Germans in WWII the Allied Model was made by Inglis in Canada and was a favourite of SOE, the OSS, Airborne Forces, Commandos etc. Its designation was Pistol No 2 Mk 1 or Mk1* depending on wether the sights were fixed or adjustable. The German Designation was Pistole 640(b) used mainly by the Fallschirmjaeger and Waffen SS. The P35 is still in service today and was a favoured weapon by the SAS well into the 1980s.

 

Jeff has he said why? I was always under the impression they wasn't liked due to a lack of stopping power - Not that I'd know mind.

Drew,

I'm guessing he'll say the weight. That was always the knock on it.
The Thompson weighed more than twice as much as the M-1. It was 10.8lbs. vs only 5.2 lbs. (empty).

 

Jeff has he said why? I was always under the impression they wasn't liked due to a lack of stopping power - Not that I'd know mind.

Drew,

I'm guessing he'll say the weight. That was always the knock on it.
The Thompson weighed more than twice as much as the M-1. It was 10.8lbs. vs only 5.2 lbs. (empty).

That was it.

Old Hickory was not a large man and it was just too heavy for him. He said that he could not run fast enough carrying the weapon and a good supply of magazines. With the carbine, he felt he was far more mobile.

As it was, he thought he would be using the .50cal on the halftrack more often anyway, which he did. He did use the carbine against enemy troops, but it was not all that often.

One incident comes to mind during his drive across France, where he and his section shot up a command car with 4 officers that had refused to stop. They wounded one German officer, breaking his leg when a bullet hit it, and pretty much destroyed the car. They counted well over 200 holes in it.

He said the Germans came around the corner of the road and let loose with burp gun at them, hitting one of his section in the chest as they all returned fire. The wounded GI turned out to be only lightly hit. The bullet went in one side of his shirt and exited out the other side, leaving a raw streak on the skin across his chest. It never actually penetrated. He said it was almost like a rope burn across the man's chest.

 

That was it.

Old Hickory was not a large man and it was just too heavy for him. He said that he could not run fast enough carrying the weapon and a good supply of magazines. With the carbine, he felt he was far more mobile.

As it was, he thought he would be using the .50cal on the halftrack more often anyway, which he did. He did use the carbine against enemy troops, but it was not all that often.

One incident comes to mind during his drive across France, where he and his section shot up a command car with 4 officers that had refused to stop. They wounded one German officer, breaking his leg when a bullet hit it, and pretty much destroyed the car. They counted well over 200 holes in it.

He said the Germans came around the corner of the road and let loose with burp gun at them, hitting one of his section in the chest as they all returned fire. The wounded GI turned out to be only lightly hit. The bullet went in one side of his shirt and exited out the other side, leaving a raw streak on the skin across his chest. It never actually penetrated. He said it was almost like a rope burn across the man's chest.

Jeff,

That sounds like one very lucky person to me.

Regards
Tom

 

Jeff,

That sounds like one very lucky person to me.

Regards
Tom

You got that right.

Old Hickory does not remember the man's name unfortunately, 66 years is a long time.

He has also related a couple of times that he had passed an area only minutes before vehicles in his troop came under fire and men were killed or badly wounded.

I think I remember him saying that he was about 100 yds away from his best friend's vehicle when that man was killed. They had been taking a lot of gunfire from some buildings in village in Germany, which they silenced. He heard on the radio that a man had been killed up the way a bit. It took a while for word to filter back to him that casualty was his friend. This death was in late April and really had a hard effect on Old Hickory then and it still does now. It took him a while to talk about it to me.

 

Jeff,

Many vets never open up that much about the painful memories. He must have a lot of trust in you.

 

He carried an M-1 carbine during the war as his personal weapon. He liked it so much, that when he came home, he bought one for himself. He tells me that this is the same model as he carried. It has points to attach the short bayonette, but he does not have that.

If you'd like you can probably get him a bayonet from Shotgun News. He might enjoy a surprise.

The carbine was the weapon of choice for Audie Murphy and also my dad.

My dad used almost the same words your friend did. " ... light and he could carry plenty of ammo".

He also said it was accurate to 100 yards and that 100 yards was plenty.

Dave

 

Jeff,

Many vets never open up that much about the painful memories. He must have a lot of trust in you.
Thanks. He asked me to be his Honor Flight escort last year. We've gotten to be good friends.

I've been talking with him most every Tuesday since last June. I have about 18 hours of dialogue recorded. He is really quite funny and I had been telling my wife about his good sense of humor. I've working on the outline for the last month or two and I listen to our talks while I work. My wife has been in the study with me and she is finding out just how funny he is. I'll be typing away and I'll hear her laugh at something he had said on the recording.

He is in great health. I went over to his house last July and he had just gotten finished bush-hogging a patch up at his farm. Then last December, I got there and he had been felling some trees with a chainsaw. I fussed at him for doing both of them, not because of his age, but because he was alone and well away from any help if anything had happened. His wife (who was born after WWII, BTW*) thanked me for barking at him about it.

*His first wife died about 15 years ago.

 

Jeff

I've enjoyed this thread as I do most associations with veterans. Considering what they went through, what they accomplished and the personal sacrifices they made, they are an exceptionally humble and good natured group. Mostly, they just came back and got on with life and asked for nothing.

Sounds like Old Hickory is in fine shape. Don't stop him from doing work. That spunk is what keeps him young. The ones who die early usually have retired to the recliner. My grandmother lived to 96 and was up a ladder painting her apartment at age 95. She could also skin me at Euchre on her worst day and always for money!

I look forward to reading your book one day. In the meantime, please pass along best wishes from north of the border to that fine old gentleman.