Another German (?) Pistole.

[Adam Helmer]

Last week a neighbor farmer gave me a Colt M1903 hammerless .32 automatic pistol his brother took out of a house in Belgium in December 1944. The brother was in the 28th Division and entered a house formerly occupied by the Germans and found the pistol and two magazines. The farmer got the pistol in 1946, shot it occasionally and never cleaned it. Today I detail stripped the piece and found light rust throughout. The Colt has no German proofs, but it may have been pressed into German service or it may have belonged to the displaced Belgian home owner. This mystery is why I like military arms.

Adam

[Gil Martin]

You have to strike while the iron is hot. All the best...
Gil

[earschplitinloudenboomer]

I think these were actually issued to and carried by officers. My father in law was a paratrooper in Belgium, took one from an officer, brought it back, it is pristine, holster also very good.

[Mad Reloader]

About the only Fremdengerat (captured enemy weapons) of the handgun variety that were NOT re-used by the Deutsche Wehrmacht were ones that shot revolver rounds not commonly available in captured stocks of ammunition. (.455 calibre Webleys, .38-200 revolvers, the "K-Frame" Colts and Smiths taken from downed USAAF flyers)

There was apparently SOME limited use of 7.62x38R Nagant revolver /1895 Nagant Gas-Seal by "HiWi" and "Schuma" type units composed of Slavic national volunteers on the Eastfront--at least until the stocks of ammo for them captured in 1941 & 1942 ran out.

Anything else: If DWM and other German/Axis/Occupied munitions-werke were cranking out ammo, they'd use it!

(The Mad One's still kicking himself over missing out on a "Bohmische-Waffenfabrik" stamped CZ-27 back in 1988 when they still were going for very reasonable prices!)