Help with Black AWM -3-11 Holster

[Pistol]

The early holster teamed with the unit marks and commercial pistol lead to the plausible assumption that the gun was carried by an officer.

The unit markings are Infantry Regiment 2, Second Battalion Staff and Infantry Regiment 16, First Battalion staff. I can not give you more details on the unit markings at this time as I am away from my library.


Was that you George with the above answer. Thanks for that answer. But you have to excuse my ingnorance as the previous poster pointed out. I was not certain if that was WWI or WWII. See complete questions from this post.
I'm sure you assumed I knew which War the regiments served.

[Pistol]

Originally Posted by alanint

That GI must have taken a wrong turn and been WAY behind the lines to have obtained this pistol in Munich in December, 1944!!
In December 1944 we were getting a tarring in the Ardennes and the only incursion into the Reich had taken place weeks before in the Aachen area.

I'm sure they mean 1945

Alanint - I will have to check with that GI and see if I misunderstood 1944 vs. 1945. Also try and confirm Dec. I may have misunderstood that as well. However, I don't really see the significance as it relates to the question unless you are implying the GI does not exist.

Nevertheless, I can assure you that it was taken from a German(either officer or political official) by a real living WWII Gi that served in the 3rd Infantry Division (nicknamed the Rock of the Marne).

In May the Division broke out of the beachhead and drove on to Rome, and then went into training for the invasion of Southern France. On August 15, 1944, another D-day, the Division landed at St. Tropez, advanced up the Rhone Valley, through the Vosges Mountains, and reached the Rhine at Strasbourg, November 26 – November 27, 1944. After maintaining defensive positions it took part in clearing the Colmar Pocket, 23 January 18 February 1945, and on 15 March struck against Siegfried Line positions south of Zweibrucken. The Division smashed through the defenses and crossed the Rhine, March 26, 1945 ; then drove on to take Nurnberg in a fierce battle, capturing the city in block-by-block fighting, 17-20 April. The 3rd pushed on to take Augsburg and Munich, 27-30 April, and was in the vicinity of Salzburg when the war in Europe ended. The 3rd Division suffered more combat deaths in World War II than any other U.S. division, and the third highest among modern U.S. Divisions, behind only the 2nd Infantry Division in the Korean War and the 1st Cavalry Division in the Vietnam War.[citation needed]


Maybe it was spring 1945 since the above indicates they took Munich in April. What do you think Al?

[George Anderson]

Originally Posted by Pistol

The early holster teamed with the unit marks and commercial pistol lead to the plausible assumption that the gun was carried by an officer.

The unit markings are Infantry Regiment 2, Second Battalion Staff and Infantry Regiment 16, First Battalion staff. I can not give you more details on the unit markings at this time as I am away from my library.


Was that you George with the above answer. Thanks for that answer. But you have to excuse my ingnorance as the previous poster pointed out. I was not certain if that was WWI or WWII. See complete questions from this post.
I'm sure you assumed I knew which War the regiments served.

Yes, they are WWI or earlier markings and lend strong credibility to the chances that the pistol was an officer's private purchase pistol