U.S. General Officer Pistols:

Brand new off the press in Large Format with Color Photos. The authors' new book on General Officer pistols is a welcome volume to the collector and historian. The traditional badge of rank for officers was a sword. By WW-II the U.S. Army began issuing a small pocket pistol that was considered a "badge of authority" rather than something they would have to use in combat. Although a .380 pistol may seem rather underpowered for military use General Patton did boast that he shot down a Nazi warplane in North Africa with his .380 pistol. (There was a 50 caliber machine gun firing at the same plane, at the same time!) This issue continued until 1972 when all inventories were exhausted. A special belt, gold buckle, holster and magazine pouch were issued along with those Colt pistols. In 1972 Rock Island Arsenal began making a modified M1911 pistol which became the Model 15. These were the last .45 ACP caliber pistols issued. Prior to the adoption of the Berretta M9, there were 410 standard M1911A1 pistols issued to General Officers. The US Navy and USMC did not issue special pistols to officers. In 1967 the US Air Force began issuing Smith & Wesson Model 39 pistols to flag rank officers. This volume gathers in one place all the known serial numbers of General Officer pistols. The value of these pistols is worth several times that of its civilian counterpart. The authors welcome any additional material for future editions of this volume.