M-1911A1 Pistol

1943 & 1944 Colt M-1911A1 Pistols  

Pistol Automatic .45 Cal, M-1911A1. This pistol was invented by the legendary John Browning and developed by the colt firearms company of Hartford Connecticut.  It was developed as a result of problems with .38 cal. revolvers during the Spanish-American war. In 1911 the new 45 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol) was adopted by the Army. It was primarily manufactured by Colt & Springfield prior to W.W.I.  When the war started Springfield dropped production of the  ACP for its own rifle the M1903. The slack was picked up by the Remington Fire Arms  Company. With the success of this pistol during the 1st World War, the US Army was convinced and the .45 ACP  remained as the standard U.S. Army side-arm. Some minor changes were made to the design and in 1926 the nomenclature was changed from M1911 to M1911A1. Few M1911A1s were manufactured  prior to W.W.II because of the overstock of M1911s from W.W.1. With the U.S. involvement in W.W.II. the situation changed, Colt increased its production of the pistol and several other companies  were awarded contracts to produce the weapon.  The 45 ACP was used in all theaters during World War II with great success.  The side-arm was issued  primarily to officers but many soldiers obtained them on their own and were used effectively in combat.