r/interesting • u/AugustIstheMonth • Jul 31 '26
HISTORY How the US Military used to pack pistols for airdrops
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u/BlownUpCapacitor Jul 31 '26
iirc the middle space was filled with holsters. I remember reading it from a reddit comment a few months back.
Take this info with a grain of salt.
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u/TheresNoHurry Jul 31 '26
A surprisingly vast amount of my knowledge has come from Reddit comments, I guess I’m not gonna quit today
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u/caserock Jul 31 '26
When I catch myself taking advice from reddit, I try to remind myself of all the made up bullshit I see in subreddits where I actually am an expert in the subject.
"Trust but verify"
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u/knewbie_one Jul 31 '26
Ah. You've met chatgpt, I see.
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u/mexican2554 Jul 31 '26
That's Mister ChatGPT, sir. Put some respect on our future overlords
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u/your_average_medic Jul 31 '26
It's Sir Charles Gpt, respect on their name not just their position
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u/Disastrous_Form418 Jul 31 '26
Mista skynet*
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u/Tatworth Jul 31 '26
I have the same thought about articles in trade magazines. You read articles about other folks' deals and think it is gospel then read about one of yours and realize how clueless they are.
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u/MattTreck Jul 31 '26
There’s also a surprising amount of reliable information as well. I need a fifty pound grain of salt
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u/Jamsedreng22 Aug 01 '26
It's called something like "Newspaper Dementia" or "Page-turn Dementia". Basically you read something in a newspaper you're an expert on or knowledgeable about, shake your head at all the wrong information/details, turn the page and read an article you know nothing about and suddenly just sorta accept it as factual reporting, ostensibly having "forgotten" how much they got wrong just a moment ago.
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u/dudeCHILL013 Aug 01 '26
That said, at least in my field I have acquired more novel ideas from novices than experts.
Never be too proud to hear out the rookie.
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u/reality72 Jul 31 '26
A lot of LLMs were trained on Reddit comments which is why they have a disclaimer that the info they spit out may be confidently incorrect.
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u/kingtacticool Jul 31 '26
Reddit is the comments. It's both the only redeeming feature of this site and at the same time the worst discourse our species can produce.
I love it here.
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u/xuncx Aug 01 '26
lol same. My gf is always amazed at how I know a little bit about a lot of stuff. She thinks I’m smart but I’m really just chronically online.
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u/ExuDeCandomble Jul 31 '26
And here I assumed it was packed with jellied cranberry.
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u/Scav-STALKER Jul 31 '26
Reddit is a treasure trove of knowledge, but it is also a desolate hellscape of ignorance
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u/oxnardmontalvo7 Jul 31 '26
What if I take it with a can of (checks pic) jellied cranberries for scale
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u/Nice-Cat3727 Jul 31 '26
I mean it makes sense otherwise it's just random empty space for no reason
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u/Yutenji2020 Jul 31 '26
Good info. I was gonna go with Jellied Cranberries, so i really (removes sunglasses) dodged a bullet.
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u/-Mac-n-Cheese- Aug 01 '26
that would make the most sense, either leave it empty for weight saving or put holsters in there for the soldiers would be the only two real options imo
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u/TyrannyOfBobBarker_ Jul 31 '26
was the cranberry sauce just for weight or did it serve some function to the protection of the weapons?
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u/VeganDiIdo Jul 31 '26
That's for the guns, they get hungry during the journey
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u/Jesus_of_NASDAQ Jul 31 '26
They also enjoyed roast turkey with dressing to go with their cranberry sauce.
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u/VeganDiIdo Jul 31 '26
Oh stop it, cant be eating that much on duty. That's for dinner back at the base.
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u/IKIR115 Jul 31 '26
Everyone knows that 1911’s need to be transported in cranberry sauce for safety. They open a few cans and pour it in, and top it off with wet wipes.
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u/CreeepyUncle Jul 31 '26
Deadly…and delicious!
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u/IKIR115 Jul 31 '26
Who doesn’t love the smell of napalm and cranberry sauce in the morning?
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u/MrNetworks Jul 31 '26
Rule number 1 of the military if it can hold food it holds food, I'm assuming that middle area could be used to put food and most likely did.
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u/Relative_Payment_192 Jul 31 '26
To fight barrel infections.
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u/VanillaRadonNukaCola Aug 01 '26
Man the last time I got a BTI I was so miserable. Every trip to the range hurt and I don't even want to remember the powderclots
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u/delaydude Jul 31 '26
Its a proactive defense against jamming.
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u/1001110100100110101 Aug 01 '26
I came here to do this. You did it. You’re the only one. I hate you.
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u/Nothing93124 Jul 31 '26
So much moneys in 1911’s right there
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u/FordCVP71 Jul 31 '26
Now imagine if they were all made by Singer or some other war effort outside company and not colt 🤑
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Jul 31 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/IceTech59 Jul 31 '26
No kidding. If that many mint Singer 1911's hit the market it would actually depress the collectable price though.
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u/RollinThundaga Jul 31 '26
'Oh no, a collector hobby might become more accessible'
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u/__life_on_mars__ Jul 31 '26
Only Americans would see a barrel of handguns and start arguing about collectors prices like they're fucking Pokémon cards.
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u/IceTech59 Jul 31 '26
$95,000 handguns? Yeah collectors would be right up in that. Sometimes Grandpa left behind junk. Other times that junk pays off all your student loans. Holy Grail Singer M1911A1 pistol.
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u/DookieShoez Aug 01 '26
I mean…….what else are we supposed to argue about with regards to rare expensive collectible handguns?
I get that you’re not so used to guns but they haven’t done anything wrong 🤷🏻♂️
I’ve been shooting for decades since I was 11. It’s a fun hobby and not that big a deal as long as you always follow the safety rules.
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u/ntkwwwm Aug 01 '26
I mean collecting rare items becomes null if they’re no longer rare.
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u/DerekCoaker80 Aug 01 '26
Awesome, then I'd just be collecting cool shit.
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u/That-Makes-Sense Jul 31 '26
TIL that Singer made 1911s. Very interesting.
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u/brenttoastalive Jul 31 '26
IBM made M1 carbines, I could have bought one 15 years ago for $750 and I regret it constantly. They ended up selling it to a museum
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u/LakeMungoSpirit Jul 31 '26
If I was in your shoes id be happy they sold it to a museum! Now it gets to be a learning tool for generations to learn about World War II
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u/Crusty-the-Clown-666 Aug 01 '26
You can still get a really nice one for around double that without too much trouble. The last carbine I bought was a National Postal Meter that I got last year for $1k, so deals are still out there.
The IBM is the last one I’m still looking for. I don’t really care about having a Winchester as I think the carbines that weren’t made by gun companies are more interesting.
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u/IcePhoenix18 Jul 31 '26
TIL but I'm not surprised. My sewing machine could and absolutely would kill a man without hesitation, without skipping a stitch.
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u/Aeolus_14_Umbra Jul 31 '26
Agreed. This is why I love Reddit. I’m familiar with the Colt 1911 but never heard of the Singer.
”The Singer M1911A1 is widely considered the rarest and most valuable World War II U.S. military pistol, with only 500 units produced by the Singer Sewing Machine Company.”
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u/That-Makes-Sense Jul 31 '26
Only 500😔 Well, at least now I know what to look for at the garage sales/auctions🤞
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u/AlbatrossOk6239 Aug 02 '26
Story goes they made them so well, with such consistent tolerances that the military had them stop making pistols and start making precision equipment like norden bomb sights.
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Jul 31 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/That-Makes-Sense Jul 31 '26
Yep. Same thing will happen if we continue the stupid, unplanned for, war in Iran. Making cheap, long-range drones is trivial, and Iran will be cranking out hundreds, or thousands, per day.
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Aug 01 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Repulsive_Target55 Aug 01 '26
It isn't all about industrial capacity, and the US has struggled to 'finish it' against Afghanistan and Vietnam, countries with smaller industrial capacity than Iran, with much more investment.
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u/KiltedMusician Aug 01 '26
And some miniature mounted, belt fed .50 cal machine guns that shot .22LR instead of .50
They were otherwise identical. It used little cloth belts that didn’t disintegrate like regular metal belts.
Don’s Weaponry in North Little Rock Arkansas had one for sale for something like $16,000 about 15 years ago.
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u/ngerm Aug 02 '26
In addition to IBM mentioned by another person, M1 carbines were manufactured mostly by civilian companies, not arms companies: Inland and Saginaw divisions of GM, National Postal Meter, Rock-Ola jukebox company. One of the subcontractors making rifle stocks for IBM was Milton Bradley, the board game company.
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u/RepulsiveUse3372 Jul 31 '26
didnt they only make like 500 of them? i had a Remington Rand 1943 1911, i wish i never sold it i got it for $600 back in 2016
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u/FordCVP71 Jul 31 '26
Singer yeah only 500. My grandpa had one along with a few German pistols that all disappeared after he died 25yr ago .
He mailed them all home to my grandma in pieces during the war lol
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u/warhammer1-1 Jul 31 '26
Yeah, Singer only made it to the test contract which was about 500 before the tooling was moved to other manufacturers even though they were very high quality. Other items were higher priority for the quality they could deliver. They even made all the internal parts and magazines. Have to give credit to Forgotten Weapons for the info.
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u/DreamsAndSchemes Aug 01 '26
Dumb question, but why did they only produce 500? Test batch?
I live in NJ so seeing them made in Elizabeth piqued my interest.
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u/HenryGotPissedOff Aug 01 '26
Yes, in the lead up to ww2 the government was offering small production run contracts to manufacturers for all sorts of military gear so the tooling an processes could be set up ahead of time. That way they could iron out any major issues so that if the US wound up going to war they could spin up production without a lot of lead time.
Singer had the contract for 500 pistols, as well as contacts for some other stuff. The government ended up deciding that the other contracts were higher priority and singer didn’t have the capacity to fill the pistol orders along with the other stuff, so the pistol contract was canceled after the 500 unit test run
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u/Crusty-the-Clown-666 Aug 01 '26
The most common WW2 1911 are made by Remington Rand (900,000), who made more than twice as many as either Colt and Ithaca did (400,000 ea), followed by Union Switch and Signal (50,000) and Singer (500)
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u/ExpBalSat Jul 31 '26
Used to? How do they do it now? That comparison would certainly be interesting.
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u/TestyBoy13 Jul 31 '26
Nowadays, they just carry everything down with them. They can carry and 80lb rucksack on their chests, a Modular Airborne Weapons Case (MAWC) or their side which holds their primary weapon and side arm, and any additional items are in a drop bag placed between their legs that they release on the ground a few feet before they land.
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u/Chaosr21 Aug 01 '26
Yea pistol don't really have a place in the military outside of MP, IT staff, and non fighting rear mechanics
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u/queef_nuggets Aug 01 '26 edited Aug 01 '26
officers used to be issued them too, depending on the unit. I would know, lol
Not sure about today, I got out 20+ years ago
Edit: spelling
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u/DaBestSwede Aug 01 '26
Medic don’t get them anymore?
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Aug 01 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/SIGH15 Aug 01 '26
I've been issued a Pistol for my entire career as a Tanker, honestly prefer them over the M4 as I dont need to have a dedicated space in the very limited space I have. As it (M4) would end up out side stuck under a a M240 mount or in the loaders storage getting rusty AF. Though the rifle has come in handy a few times during training events my last Germany rotation our M2 and the M240 jammed in middle of a fire fight so me and the TC grabbed the M4s and where able to hold off dismounts until we where able to get re enforced.
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u/No_Procedure_5039 Aug 01 '26
I deployed to Afghanistan in 2016. Everyone who was a team leader and above when we first arrived had a pistol.
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u/Tyr_13 Jul 31 '26
Pistols aren't bothered with enough to be air dropped anymore. Even most people who could carry a pistol carry another two mags for their M-4 instead.
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u/Mad_Gouki Jul 31 '26
Nowadays they just throw a pile of glocks out the back of a plane and they mostly survive the fall
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u/Ent_Soviet Aug 01 '26
A gross improvement from the earlier attempts of dropping a bushel of SIG P320’s
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u/Commercial_Pie_1273 Jul 31 '26
Ammo is more important and it could have filled the central hole
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u/VeganDiIdo Jul 31 '26
It probably is supplied in other creates while full magazines are dropped for people in action. When under fire, soldiers wont have the time to line up bullets and fill their mags.
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u/Don_Quejode Jul 31 '26
You could still pack some mags in the middle hole, and if necessary the guns already loaded with one as well. Unless it’s a weight and balance issue.
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u/VeganDiIdo Jul 31 '26
The mags are there. Its easier to carry 2 guns instead of switching mags in high intensity situations.
Plus the drop needs to spin for better drop accuracy, so the low weight core in necessary. I am not sure of this, but some sort of light cushioning material is also added in some cases.
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u/eggyrulz Jul 31 '26
Call of duty trained me for this moment. Remember, its quicker to switch to your sidearm than to reload
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u/zealoSC Jul 31 '26
And when that runs out it's quicker to switch to your other side arm than reload
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u/eggyrulz Jul 31 '26
Its sidearms all the way down
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u/ArtificialHalo Jul 31 '26
Until you get to your actual arms
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u/FullMetalMessiah Jul 31 '26
Are you sure about that? Where are your actual arms? On your side!
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u/throwitoutwhendone2 Jul 31 '26
Lmfao the funniest thing is I kinda already had that dialed in from other video games; Then COD said it straight up. I remember during a match once I ran outta bullets when fighting a duo with my buddy. His clip ran dry right before me and he got downed reloading. I bested the duo cuz when my clip ran dry I immediately swapped to another gun. He use to always ask me how I remembered to swap guns in the heat of the moment. Idk, just drilled into me at this point
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u/YouArentReallyThere Jul 31 '26
“…the drop needs to spin”? No. These things weren’t doing anything other than hanging underneath a cargo chute as they descended. No spin needed.
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u/Mongobearmanfish Jul 31 '26
Also so they could fire two guns whilst jumping through the air
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u/Rampant16 Jul 31 '26
These arent single shot flintlocks. No one is carrying multiple 1911s. The drop is attached to a parachute. It's not spinning.
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u/MTB_SF Jul 31 '26
I cant imagine these were being dropped to units under fire. First of all, in combat you want a rifle. Second, you already have a rifle so you just need ammo.
My guess would ne these would be guns for partisan operations behind enemy lines, not active combat.
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u/Miraclefish Jul 31 '26
They likely dropped drums of ammo separately and this was a contingency for making sure the pistols had immediate ammunition.
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u/Sprinkles276381 Jul 31 '26
My understanding from a museum in Denmark was that a lot of these barrels were dropped for resistance fighters and the 1911s were supposed to just tide you over until you could shoot a Nazi and take his rifle or submachine gun.
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u/JohnWorphin Jul 31 '26
That was a story about the liberator pistols that were simple stamped guns with a smooth bore
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u/QuarterlyTurtle Jul 31 '26
Each gun already has two magazines each, and the center was certainly filled with something, it’s just not in this particular can so you can see into it.
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u/AHumbleSaltFarmer Jul 31 '26
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u/the_moosey_fate Jul 31 '26
I always knew canned cranberry sauce wasn’t good for shit except making something slimy. I see I wasn’t wrong.
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u/GTCapone Jul 31 '26
Holy shit, I was gonna make a lube joke but I didn't expect it to be real
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u/cloyd-ac Aug 01 '26
There's a lot of things like this with military supplies. Cigarettes in rations could be used to eat and pass intestinal worms for soldiers. We would use condoms and wrap the ends of the barrel of our rifles with them to keep sand out of them when I was deployed. Rain ponchos that were issued could be used for makeshift shelter/tent in a shitty situation, etc.
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u/notoriousbpg Jul 31 '26
This was canning for long term storage, not air drops. Desiccant was used to prevent rust instead of packing with cosmoline. They stored Garands the same way.
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u/TuntBuffner Aug 01 '26
Cranberry sauce is a dessicant?
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u/RealSlyck Aug 01 '26
I remember my grandma vividly canning beet salad and 1911s, sometimes together. You’ll want to strain the juice before eating or firing though.
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u/TuntBuffner Aug 01 '26
All I'm saying is that my canned Kalashnikovs can fire without straining at all
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u/T1m3Wizard Jul 31 '26
What happens if their coordinates were off and they accidentally dropped a barrel right on your backyard?
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u/SpiveyJr Jul 31 '26
You pick it up and join the fight because congratulations, you were just drafted.
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u/Creative-Comb5593 Jul 31 '26
I wonder if some lucky farmer found one of these and thought, "Merde! I better bury this quick before the Germans find it on my land!" And a few years later, "DePuis and Sons, Purveyor of Fine Wine and Firearms".
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u/SAM5TER5 Jul 31 '26
There were probably thousands of farmers in Europe who did exactly that, minus the “starting a legit firearms business” part haha
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u/seriousfrylock Jul 31 '26
You would continue living in a refugee or concentration camp, or cowering in your local church or your basement, or whatever you were doing before it landed in your backyard. Because your backyard is in Nazi occupied Europe and is currently an active warzone.
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u/what_the_fuckin_fuck Jul 31 '26
Ye olde 1911. John M. Browning was a genius.
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u/Joe_bob_Mcgee Jul 31 '26 edited Jul 31 '26
An old school Colt 1911 Government is always, hands down, my favorite gun to shoot. I don't know what it is, there's something just so damn satisfying about racking and firing that gun.
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u/BigManScipio Jul 31 '26
Switching to your 14th barrel pistol is faster than reloading
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u/RepresentativeOk2433 Aug 01 '26
Are they? I thought these were just the longterm storage containers. Sidearms aren't usually the type of thing to be air dropped and distributed like that. Most troops didn't even have one and if a paratrooper did, he certainly would have kept it on him for the jump.
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u/Blue_Sail Aug 01 '26 edited Aug 01 '26
This is a storage container, not an airdrop container.
Edit: See some discussion at 1911forum.
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u/Narwahl_Whisperer Aug 01 '26 edited Aug 01 '26
Pistols. Pistols all the way down. (both to the ground, and to the bottom of the barrel.)
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u/acemonsoon Jul 31 '26
If I was a millionaire I’d love to have one with a glass top as a table in my man cave. It’s all imaginary right now
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u/cejmp Jul 31 '26
This is not a microdrop container, it's a storage container.
The US used the A series of containers, which were boxes and the Brits used CLE canisters.
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u/ImpertantMahn Jul 31 '26
I’ve seen this years ago and apparently they’re for long term storage and the pistols get submerged in oil in these.
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u/Fragrant_Goat540 Jul 31 '26
I get that two pistols need two magazines, but why include the infinity mirror?
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u/Clawdius_Talonious Jul 31 '26
Dang, so here I thought Joshua Graham had a ridiculous number of vintage pistols in the post apocalypse, when really he'd only need to find one of these cannisters.
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u/hiddenrealism Jul 31 '26
Canned jellied cranberry sauce beats homemade anyday.
Ill die on this hill.
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u/That-Makes-Sense Jul 31 '26
It doesn't appear that the magazines have ammo? Can anybody confirm, and give the reasoning why they wouldn't drop them with ammo?
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u/Northwindlowlander Jul 31 '26
That looks like the magazine that you load into your pistol-shooting machine gun
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u/DrGrizzley Jul 31 '26
That's cool. I really like real world, specialty designs like this. It's why I think some chemical plants are actually works of industrial art.
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u/uselink126 Jul 31 '26
If the pistols didn't work, they would love the can of cranberries at the enemy!
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