This young USAAF Airman has substituted the regular issue M1911 .45 auto for a slightly ill-fitting Colt M1917 .45 revolver in his M3 shoulder holster on Attu, Aleutian Islands - 1943
His A2 leather jacket is nicely seasoned!
Original above caption by the late Ian Phillips
The two variations of M1917 Revolvers were ordered from Colt and Smith & Wesson in 1917 due to a shortage of M1911 Automatic Pistols in WW1. Both manufacturers modified existing revolver designs they manufactured. The M1917 Revolvers used half moon-clips to hold the rimless .45 ACP cartridges so the empty cases could be ejected.
From 1917 to 1919, Colt and S&W produced 151,700 and 153,300 M1917s in total (respectively) under US Military contract.
In late 1940, the Army Ordnance Corps recorded a total of 96,530 Colt and 91,590 S&W M1917s still in reserve, during WW2 they were issued to stateside security forces and military policemen, but many saw service overseas as well….
LIFE Magazine Archives - Dmitri Kessel Photographer
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