The World War II U.S. M1911 & M1911A1

A Marine armed with the M1911A1 pistol advances on Okinawa.

A Marine tanker armed with an M1911A1 takes cover outside his disabled Sherman tank on Iwo Jima. The M1911A1 pistol was standard-issue for tank crews.

In a photo taken on March 14, 1945, a Marine combat cinematographer is armed with an original M1911 in the black volcanic ash of Iwo Jima.

Despite being a posed photo, these two Marine radio reporters on Iwo Jima in March 1945 were smart to keep their M1911A1s at hand as there was always a danger of enemy activity almost anywhere on that terrible little island.

With a rack of Springfields behind him, an armorer inspects a brand-new M1911A1.

The crew of “The Pay Off,” a U.S. Marine M3 Stuart tank, pose with their personal arms on Bougainville. Included are three M1911s, an M1 Thompson submachine gun, and one mean-looking machete.

An Army G.I. inspects a Japanese coconut log and coral rock bunker on Munda, New Georgia during October 1943. These positions proved remarkably strong.