Row upon row of small arm munitions ready for shipment to battle zones during WWII.
At the start of World War II, the United States wasn’t prepared by any means. There was a vast shortage of weapons. But within a year and a half, the U.S. was tooled up and pumping out everything imaginable for fighting a war. Tanks, trucks, jeeps, battleships, aircraft carriers, along with small weapons and munitions, were cranked out at an astounding rate. It was a classic example of what America could do once her mind was set on an enormous task.
Ammunition factories spread across the country were producing billions of rounds a year. Civilian factories making civilian products stepped up to the plate to manufacture the small arms our soldiers needed.
Women filled the gap making arms and contributing any other way they could during WWII.
The 1911s
Factories such as Singer, Remington Rand, and Union Switch & Signal retooled to make 1911s for our soldiers. Remington Rand produced the most, making between 878,000 and 1,000,000 pistols. Colt produced 400,000-629,000 guns. Ithaca produced 335,000- 400,000 units. Union Switch & Signal produced about 55,000 pistols. And Singer Sewing Machine Company produced around 500.
These five companies were the main contractors for WWII-produced 1911A1 pistols. Remington Arms produced 1911s during World War I, which were pulled from storage and reissued during World War II. Experts estimate that approximately 7 million 1911A1s were produced during WWII.
Inspecting Victory models before shipment.
Victory Model
Smith & Wesson stepped up their game, producing both the Victory Model .38 Special, a specially made and modified Model 10 double-action revolver. The Victory Model differed in its subdued matte Parkerized finish, designed to speed up production for soldiers to carry during wartime.
Approximately 800,000 revolvers were manufactured between 1942 and 1945. They were issued to the US Navy, the Marines, the Army Air Force, and British/Commonwealth forces via Lend-Lease.
The guns are distinguished by a “V” prefix, for Victory, in the serial number. Generally, 4-inch-barreled guns were issued to U.S. troops and 5-inch-barreled guns to British forces using .38/200 ammunition. The guns were considered very reliable and used primarily by air crews and security forces.
Collection of arms after the WWII.
Typical sales ad of the time after WWII.
1917
While the 1917 was manufactured during WWI, it saw plenty of service during WWII, being reissued to tankers and artillerymen, and also served in Korea and Vietnam, particularly with “tunnel rats” in close-quarters combat due to its reliability.
The 1917 was a large-framed revolver firing .45 ACP ammo through the ingenious design of half-moon clips and was manufactured by both Colt and S&W. Roughly 300,000 1917s were built during WWI, with both Colt and S&W producing around 150,000 each.
Sadly, surplus guns getting melted.
Civilian buyers inspecting the goods before purchase.
Ammunition
The U.S. produced over 41-45 billion rounds of small-arms ammunition and 47 million tons of artillery ammunition by 1945, in addition to around 300,000 aircraft, 100,000 tanks, and billions of rounds of ammunition, described as a “miracle” of production. Between 1940 and 1942, they built a huge network of manufacturing plants, with expenses exceeding $ 1 billion.
Remington Arms, Chrysler and other manufacturers were the primary producers of ammunition. Due to brass shortages, industries developed steel cartridge cases for .45 ACP ammo. Most factories ran 24/7 to keep up with demand. Milwaukee Ordnance Plant produced 28 railroad boxcar loads of ammo per week.
Hardware stores were a popular place to sell surplus guns.
Post-War Problems
WWII ended as fast as it began, leaving a surplus of the same trucks, Jeeps, small arms, and ammunition. Storing ammo costs money, takes up space, and poses a real danger that never goes away. Much of the ammunition was in remote areas like the South Pacific, and it was cheaper just to leave the equipment on site. Ammunition was simply dumped in the ocean.
Surplus Victory models being shipped.
The small-arms and munitions surplus presented a great opportunity for savvy businessmen who bought large quantities and sold them to the civilian market. Companies like Sears & Roebuck, J.C. Penney’s, and small mom-and-pop gas stations and hardware stores sold guns and ammo, often displayed in large barrels in their stores.
Veterans were able to buy the same guns they carried in war.
The Civilian Marksmanship Program also bought many of the guns for members. Members who qualified based on their shooting skills were eligible to buy discounted guns at good prices. Sadly, many of the guns were melted down for their steel content and recycled into other products, such as steel beams, car parts, and other metal products.
A crowd forms waiting to enter a surplus store.
The U.S. showed it had what it took to manufacture what was needed to win WWII. The term “The Greatest Generation” is overused and rightfully so. While men were eager to fight for their country, women stepped up to fill the jobs men left behind. Families sacrificed food, gas and other commodities for the war effort. It was a time when the country pulled together.
Unfortunately, many surplus guns ended in the scrap yard to be recycled.
Typical post war J.C. Penney display for 1911A1’s.
Golden Era
With the end of the war came the surpluses. As our own John Taffin used to say quite regularly, the 1950s were the greatest era of the United States. We were united and proud, and not embarrassed or sorry to be so. You could buy a surplus GI 1911A1 for $8 at a local Sears, Wards, or Penney’s, buy single rounds of ammo by the bagful for pennies a round, and all was good. I sure wish those days could be revisited.