I gather the .455 was replaced in huge quantities by the .38 at the start of the war. But, did any survive and used through the war? If so, by whom?
The RN certainly used them. IIRC .455 ammo continued to be available through the Army supply system, so probably quite a few remained in army service. Many BEF photos show .455s, and there are several photos of German soldiers using them in France in both 1940 and 1944 - so presumably they were still on the front line after D-Day.
Interesting. I wonder what holster the BEF were keeping them in as they don't fit in a 37 pattern item. Bought myself a 1916 Colt New Service .455 the other day and wondered what the scope of usage was.
My schol chum & I used to blat away with his grandfathers a Westley Richards on the colt pattern. The Italian firm does /or did make the .455 ammo in corto version at least up to the mid '80's. ATB Simon
Had a point-38 Smith & Wesson, used only twice. Preferred to carry a German self-loading rifle, equipped with a 10-round magazine. An officer carrying a rifle was less conspicuous and I believed 10 rounds would see me ok in a quick response situation; but there was ammunition to be pick-up and the rifle could use 7-point92 Besa. Joe
There was a 37 Pattern holster made by the Canadians in WW2. I have two. As far as use goes, they were used in WW2 by second line troops, mainly, I believe.
http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/1940/31830-service-revolver-1940-a.html A bit about British issue revolvers here Ron
Dear Joe: First of all, thanks for joining the forum. I don't know if we've had anyone from 52nd (L) Div before, and veterans of any outfit are always welcome. Second, do you know which model of German self-loading rifle you used? The Walther Gewehr 41 was made only in small numbers (8000 or so), but about 500,000 examples of the Walther Gew 43 were made in 1943-45. I am running a thread on captured and substitute arms in British service, which is why I ask.
I think it must have been the Gewehr 43. I am sure it had a detachable magazine. My main concern then that it was not booby-trapped and would not blow up in my face when I first used it! I tested it out with about ten rounds and caught myself trying to use bolt action to reload . . . In late 1939/1940s as infantrymen would often have to do a before breakfast PT period with rifles and keep them in the shoulder and do constant re-loading, so it was well-drilled instinct to instantly reload. Our colourful instructor would remind us that the Germans thought our fathers in 1914-18 were equipped with machine-guns because they were so proficient at re-loading when giving rapid fire! Joe
.455in Revolvers were not 'front line' issue however to ensure Enfield and S&W .38in were, they were issued to all manner of other users at home, abroad and at sea. Some officers might have carried them for personal preference however may have had to find their own ammunition. Keith
I think it must have been the Gewehr 43. I am sure it had a detachable magazine. My main concern then that it was not booby-trapped and would not blow up in my face when I first used it! I tested it out with about ten rounds and caught myself trying to use bolt action to reload . . . In late 1939/1940s as infantrymen would often have to do a before breakfast PT period with rifles and keep them in the shoulder and do constant re-loading, so it was well-drilled instinct to instantly reload. Our colourful instructor would remind us that the Germans thought our fathers in 1914-18 were equipped with machine-guns because they were so proficient at re-loading when giving rapid fire! Joe Thanks, Joe, I suspected it was a Gew 43 because they were made in fairly large numbers by 44-45, though the Germans don't seem to have realized what they had in the rifle. I will feature this on the weapons thread I have going if that is OK with you. By the way, if anyone has any questions about the Webley .455 Mk VI, then contact TonyE on this forum. As for me, I always understood that while the Enfield in .38 theoretically replaced the Mk VI as a frontline weapon, it still remained in widespread service to the end of the war. That is not surprising, seeing how many were left over from WWI. The Webley Mk VI was also a much more powerful gun than the Enfield, and many preferred it for that reason. I think it was finally declared obsolete in 1947. The British forces were short of handguns early in the war, and almost anything that would shoot was pressed into service. Besides the Webley Mk VI (.455), the Enfield, and the Webley Mk IV (.38), the British used numbers of large-frame Colts and Smith & Wessons in .455, as well as the S & W Military & Police and Colt Official Police in .38, Colt .45 and .455 autos, Colt pocket autos in .32 and .380, and the Browning High-Power in 9mm. Those were just the more-or-less 'official' and substitute types liable to show up on the front line. The Home Guard, Merchant Navy, SOE, etc, got an incredible grab-bag of Colt, H & R, and Iver Johnson revolvers, Argentine Ballester and Spanish Astra automatics, and even some Mauser and Luger pistols, among others.
