Soldiers Pose with Colt USGI M1911

Soldiers Pose with Colt USGI M1911

Colt Manufacturing; Connecticut Firearm Production in World War I

Pictured here are just fourteen (one soldier is carrying a different model) of the over two-million Colt M1911 handguns produced by the Colt Manufacturing Company. The handgun became the standard for soldiers of the United States army and navy, and was also adopted by the British navy and air force.

Nearly every soldier depicted in photographs can be seen carrying their Colt 1911 in their holster. As the war progressed, some soldiers used the Colt 1895 during training, preferring to save the 1911 and it's unique anti-locking trigger for actual combat. Only one soldier (top row, second from the right) appears to be holding a pistol that is not a Colt M1911 but a smaller, and perhaps older, pistol.

Historically, soldiers posing together for such an image would have included larger weapons such as a rifle, musket, or bayonette. The fact that soldiers in World War I began to pose with their smaller, lighter handguns speaks to the power and reliability of the Colt M1911, and the trust soldiers placed in these pistols.

Historic-Firearms

Public Domain/Fair Use

1911-1918

James Annunziato

Public Domain/Fair Use

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English

Photograph