“Tag: WWII”

Deemed a safer option than a direct attack on Nazi-occupied France, Operation Torch—the Allied invasion of French North Africa—was nonetheless a hard-fought, six-month campaign. These are the guns that helped America’s warfighters win victory.

From training in the States to fighting in Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge, this World War II combat rifleman depended on his M1 Garand, which he described as getting him through “some tough situations.”

Today’s Model 10 chambers .38 Spl. and can handle +P loads. Cylinder capacity is six cartridges in the single/double action. Its frame, cylinder and barrel are carbon steel, blued in classic fashion and the grips are wood. It’s a timeless look.

Mauser’s a storied name in firearm lore. Perhaps more than any of its creations, the Model 1898—with its staggered magazine and controlled round feed—permanently cemented the firm in small arms history. It was years ahead of other designs, issued to German troops during World Wars I and II and is made to this today.

It’s best known as the Mosin-Nagant in the West. They refer to it as a Mosin in Russia, but when adopted by that country’s military, it was officially labeled the 3-Line Rifle.

From the archives of American Rifleman, learn about the history and production of the most widely used U.S. military handgun of the Second World War.

Spanning 160 pages with more than 300 images, Tom Laemlein’s USAAF Aircraft Weapons Of WWII is one of the richest collections of original period photos published to date, giving readers a unique window into a crucial element of World War II.

Swept into World War I in April 1917, the U.S. military desperately needed .45 ACP handguns. Both Colt and Smith & Wesson had existing revolver designs adopted as the Model of 1917, and they would go on to serve again during World War II.

Although the M1911A1 was the standard U.S military sidearm during World War II, more than 350,000 S&W Victory Model revolvers were produced, and they accompanied many U.S. Navy and Marine Corps aviators during pivotal battles of the Pacific Theater.