This young Airman has substituted the regular issue M1911 .45 auto for a slightly ill-fitting Colt M1917 .45 revolver in his M3 shoulder holster on Attu, Aleutian Islands - 1943
His A2 leather jacket is nicely seasoned!
Original caption by the Late Ian Phillips
The two variations of M1917 Revolvers were ordered from Colt and Smith & Wesson in 1917 due to a shortage of M1911 Automatic Pistols in WW1. Both manufacturers modified existing revolver designs they manufactured. The M1917 Revolvers used half moon-clips to hold the rimless .45 ACP cartridges so the empty cases could be ejected.
From 1917 to 1919, Colt and S&W produced 151,700 and 153,300 M1917s in total (respectively) under US Military contract.
In late 1940, the Army Ordnance Corps recorded a total of 96,530 Colt and 91,590 S&W M1917s still in reserve, during WW2 they were issued to stateside security forces and military policemen, but many saw service overseas as well….
LIFE Magazine Archives - Dmitri Kessel Photographer
Pioneer family with a tamed deer at their ranch in Clear Creek, Kansas. 1867.
Drive-in Diners were very popular, this one didn’t require a server on skates. The Motormat drive-in, invented by Kenneth C.Purdy, where the food tray was sent out on rails (1948) Los Angeles. The little awnings provide a quaint touch.
A couple of Victorian travellers, 1890s.
Wednesday, April 10, 1878, notorious Old-West outlaw Sam Bass (1851-1878) & his gang robbed a Texas & Pacific train at the town of Mesquite in Dallas County, Texas, making off with only a few hundred dollars.
The Mesquite train robbery turned out to be one of the Bass Gang’s last jobs, as county sheriffs, Pinkerton men, U.S. marshals, & the Texas Rangers were soon hot on their trail.
Just three months & nine days after the Mesquite robbery, on the fateful afternoon of Friday, July 19, 1878, “The Long Arm of the Law” finally caught up with Sam & his gang on the Old Chisholm Trail at the town of Round Rock in Williamson County, Texas where they had planned to rob the Williamson County Bank. In the ensuing shootout, Sam Bass was mortally wounded by gunfire from two Texas Rangers. Standing nearby was the notorious Old-West character Soapy Smith (1860-1898), “The King of the Frontier Con Men,” who uttered the immortal words: “I think you got him!” Sam Bass met his earthly demise two days later when he died from the effects of his gunshot wounds at the age of 27 on his own birthday -- July 21, 1878.
From the 1991 Historic Round Rock Collection: The legend of Sam Bass has grown way out of proportion in relation to his actual deeds. One of Round Rock’s major streets bears his name as do several businesses. Texas history has often referred to him as “Texas’ Beloved Bandit” or “Robin Hood on a Fast Horse.” In actual fact, Sam was probably more inept than brave or noble, & he appears to have never realized that robbing trains & banks was anything more than an amusing diversion. For him it was mere sport, the reality that people often were injured, either physically or financially, appears to have never surfaced on his shallow conscience.
The undated photograph depicts the moustachioed visage of legendary Old-West outlaw Sam Bass.
Twenty-mule-team-drawn farm combine. Walla Walla County, Washington. Photo by Russell Lee, July 1941