Heydrich my friend, I was not trying to say that Waffen-SS were "just combat troops", I said they were front line troops. This is not to say they weren't just as guilty of acts of bastardry as any other, the actions of Peiper's men at Malmedy proved that. It is my belief that they generally carried 9mm sidearms. Lugers or P38's when available, Radoms and Browning HP's when not as did other front line troops.
As for the others mentioned by RK (Einsatztruppen (occupying troops), Sicherheitsdienst (SD), Sonderabteilungen (special units) or the GP (Geheimpolezi)) they were lines of communication troops and I do not believe they saw widespread issue of 9mm sidearms. Your quote from the D-Day book appears to illustrate this.
Many of the German troops encounted early in the Normandy Campaign would have been lines of communication or garrison troops. 18 types of pistols taken, 4 Wermacht standard issue (P08 & P38) 7 "Fremdenpisole" and 7 types of pre-war commercial handgun.
Makes for an interesting discussion though doesn't it!
Regards to all.
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