Here's the thing. Modern suppressor (suppressor is the trade term for what's popularly referred to as a silencer, but that's a minor semantics nitpick) designs are light weight and can be used on almost any handgun.
Older suppressors were all steel and fairly heavy, though. This is important because on guns with Browning-style actions, where the barrel moves as part of cycling, the weight of the can could actually prevent the gun from cycling properly.
Modern cans designed for such guns are either very light in weight or have recoil-boosting mechanisms (like the AAC-brand cans).
So, back in Yon Olden Times, it was more common to mount suppressors on guns with fixed barrels that didn't use the Browning action. In Europe, the Walther P38 (and Post-War P1) pistols could be used for this, as could the PPK. Smaller guns, like .32s and .25s, from Beretta could be used for this task as well.
Also, the Beretta 951, the predecessor to the M92, might've been able to function suppressed, though it doesn't technically have a fixed barrel.
On the Communist side of the fence, the Makarov 9x18mm was easily adapted to suppressed use. Above and beyond that, the Soviets devised a few different specialized suppressed weapons, though they may not have debuted until the late sixties (or later). An example would be the PB/9P9 Silenced Pistol.
The Chinese also had the Type 64 and Type 67 silenced pistols.
I think it was most common to suppress fixed-barrel .22 pistols, though. No cycling issues to worry about and with a good can, a .22LR can be ridiculously quiet. I mean, sounds-like-a-staple-gun quiet.
Visit Max Popenker's site,
World.Guns.ru. It's the best place to research such historical firearms.