How Often Are Handguns Used In Warfare?

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TruthTellers said:
The point of a pistol is a second gun when your rifle or machine gun malfunctions. There are no situations or missions where the pistol is someone's main weapon because they have MP5's and other short barrel rifles to replace the pistol.
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Pistols are far more common in the military than MP5s or other types of SBR or PDW. I only know of one person who was ever issued an MP5 and he was a Marine doing a specific protection mission in Iraq. Most senior NCOs, officers, turret, and crew served weapon gunners are issued pistols in the Army.
 
I have used a handgun twice in combat.

I have a friend whose company was fighting in a VC base camp. He noticed the VC were in spider holes, and they would hold up an AK47 above their heads, while keeping their heads below ground level and fire off a whole mag, full auto. He got behind the spider holes, and when a pair of hands came up, he'd grab the VC by the wrist (he was a BIG guy), and haul the VC up high enough to shoot him in the head with a .45.

He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, which is just below the Medal of Honor.
 
During the Aleutian Campaign (1942-43) a Jap reconnaissance plane flew over Dutch Harbor, so my dad decided to have a little fun and took some potshots at it with his .45. He said the barrel warmed his hand for a couple of minutes. :D
 
herrwalther said:
Pistols are far more common in the military than MP5s or other types of SBR or PDW. I only know of one person who was ever issued an MP5 and he was a Marine doing a specific protection mission in Iraq. Most senior NCOs, officers, turret, and crew served weapon gunners are issued pistols in the Army.
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Yeah, they're more common, but I was talking about when they're used. The first weapon for any soldier/marine is his rifle. The only time he will use his pistol, if in possession of one, over his rifle is if he can't use his rifle or it's malfunctioning.

If someone is issued an MP5, that becomes their main weapon and will see more use because it's their main weapon.
 
Pistols are useful for such things as interior guard, Military Police, Payroll Officer and vehicle crews.

I am amazed at the tanker upstream that never shot his side arm. In the 3rd AD all tank crewmen had to have a current annual pistol qualification to be promoted. Also any other folks that were issued a pistol.

When I was enlisted ALL infantry men received training on the 1911A1 and in my unit everyone shot a qualification course annually. Annual testing included the ability to strip and reassemble a 1911A1 whether you were issued one or not

Our Machine gunners and assistant gunners , Recoilless Gunners and assistant gunners and officers all had 1911A1s issued along with the holster but no magazine pouches. When issued three magazines the two spare were carried in a pocket.

Among the VN vets in my unit a couple had used pistols in combat to shoot enemy with. Among them was a medic that used a privately owned weapon. Another used a 1911A1 just beyond arms distance against an SKS armed VC early on. That pistol was an off the books gun re captured from a VC only a few weeks earlier.

Like knives, many troopers want pistols and will deal with the weight penalty just because they make one feel better. Like knives many troopers will seek to have pistols whether they are issued or not.

Yes an M9 loaded or a 1911A1 or other full sized pistol does weigh about the same thing as two extra magazines of 5.56. Are those extra two mags really useful if your AR15 by whatever name stops working while you are "amongst them?" How about if you become separated from your rifle and there are folks meaning to do you harm right here, right now?

"Gentlemen, Prepare to defend yourselves."

-kBob
 
Fired 7 rounds in basic in 1968. Over the next 2 years carried a .45 a few times as a personal weapon but it never left the flap holster and never chambered another round. I don't personally know of anyone else who had a different experience.
 
"Gentlemen, prepare to defend yourselves". God, I loved First Sgt. Plumley. "Sir, I reckon if I need one there'll be plenty of them laying around". His face should be on Mt. Rushmore.
 
lysanderxiii said:
WW1 was almost half way over 100 years ago.

The Gallipoli campaign was over 100 years ago (9 Jan 1916).

Conscription started in Great Britain in January 1916.

And, May will mark the largest battleship fleet action in history.
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Weren't any Americans at Gallipoli or 1911s for that matter.
 
Nicky Santoro said:
Fired 7 rounds in basic in 1968. Over the next 2 years carried a .45 a few times as a personal weapon but it never left the flap holster and never chambered another round. I don't personally know of anyone else who had a different experience.
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Me, too. As a tanker in the Army, I fired 25 rounds of .45 in AIT, carried one in a shoulder holster for years but never fired it again. It just depends on what your military job was and what your circumstances are.
 
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Tunnel rats, tankers, and sentry-dispatch-duty (locked-action suppressed .45)
 
herrwalther said:
My pistol was very useful on my deployment. Although it was never fired outside qualification. There were only two instances where it needed to come out of its holster. Pistols are seen as a sign of authority in most middle east countries, so I got more done when interacting with locals as I was seen as someone in charge. Even if I was a junior enlisted team leader.
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I can attest to this, as well. It's like they were so used to seeing a rifle, it was no big deal. But the pistol, that meant business.

They don't seem to care much for shotguns, either.
 
The use of a pistol comes up fairly often in medal of honor recipients, which speaks to the sort of situations where a pistol is necessary in warfare.
 
Weren't any Americans at Gallipoli or 1911s for that matter.
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No, but Winston Churchill resigned as Lord of the Admirality over the Gallipoli disaster, and went to France to join his regiment. Before leaving England, he purchased a Colt Government Model -- the civilian version of the M1911.

Earlier in the 1890s in the Sudan, he carried a Mauser C96.
 
In my outfit usually only officers carried pistols along with MP's. When I was a gunner the NCO on the platform usually had an M79 grenade launcher and a pistol. I don't remember seeing any NCO's using a pistol but we had a Captain that had two pearl handled 1911's and he shot them and yelled useless orders to make sure he was seen shooting. But he wasn't around long and that was pretty much for show.
 
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I read somewhere that the DoD had approximately 600,000 M9s in their inventory. If this is true, the DoD must hold them in high regard.
 
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