Indians For Guns

These were like the tunnel rats of Vietnam era volunteers in US army who used to crawl into Vietcong tunnels armed with Colt pistol and clear them out...they both used pistols designed by the same genius Browning...
From american Rifleman NRA magazine
WORLD WAR I PISTOLS: TRENCH SWEEPERS
Elite Belgian and French “trench sweepers” used Browning-designed FN and Colt pistols in the perilous job of clearing the trenches of World War I battlefields.

In August 1914, German forces crossed into Belgium and France. Their objective was to reach Paris with unprecedented speed and outflank the French army by sweeping through Belgium. Almost immediately, the Germans encountered unforeseen resistance from the Belgians that jeopardized the Schlieffen Plan. The Germans, using their overwhelming manpower, managed to push forward into Belgium. The French, British and Belgians relied heavily on delaying tactics to gain the time needed to mass their troops and halt the German advance. The Germans met their first defeat within sight of Paris, as they underestimated the French Sixth Army and the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) at the Marne. From September 1914 on, the Allies and the Germans raced westward toward the North Sea, trying to outflank one another before the stalemate of trench warfare set in. By the time the front stabilized, the Germans had conquered most of Belgium and parts of northern France, both of which were heavily industrialized areas. In December 1914, the French and Belgian forces took stock of the state of their forces, their equipment and supplies; the results were grim. Troops were exhausted, equipment was worn and in short supply, and logistics were problematic. At first, the depleted Belgians relied on the French for arms, munitions and materiel. This proved to be a mistake, as the French could barely supply themselves.
A Shortage Of Handguns
Fabrique Nationale’s first production pistol was the John Browning-designed Model 1899, and the Belgian military adopted a variant of that gun as the Model 1900. By 1914, it was the only pistol in use by the Belgian military and was known for its reliability and durability. Because FN had been overrun and no new arms were available, the Belgian government wisely turned to England and the United States.
Rifles and carbines were made in England and the United States, and Colt was approached for machine guns and pistols. The Belgians insisted on the reliability of the Browning designs and purchased .32 ACP Colt Model 1903 pistols as the ammunition was readily interchangeable with the FN Browning 1900 pistols already in service. Both pistols were designed by John Browning; the FN Model 1900 pistol originating from an 1896-1897 design and the Colt Model 1903 from a 1901 design.
While the Belgians purchased pistols across the pond, the French turned primarily to Spain, more specifically the Basque region around the city of Eibar. France looked at the Spanish “Star” (a trademark of the Bonifacio Echevarria company) and “Ruby” (a trademark of the Gabilondo y Urresti company) pistols to alleviate their shortages. These were inexpensive and easily obtained. Foreign purchases alleviated pressure on the French domestic industry, which prioritized the manufacture of more vital arms.
Unlike the Belgians, who focused on purchasing one pistol model, the French bought and used just about anything they could get their hands on. As such, a myriad of handguns were used by the French throughout the war, including older 8 mm French revolvers, Spanish 8 mm revolvers and Spanish Ruby and Star pistols. In desperation, the French Purchasing Commission further acquired Savage 1907 pistols, Colt M1911 pistols and Colt Army Special .38 revolvers.
The French and Belgians also made attempts at obtaining arms from the commercial market and private citizens. The Belgians were even so bold as to smuggle pistols from their occupied land to the free Belgian forces. Most often, these guns had been removed from the Liège area factories at the time of the German invasion. The city of Liège, as the center of the Belgian arms industry, had suffered greatly in the first days of the war. Belgian armsmakers sent many of their employees home with as many guns as they could carry in order to avoid seizure by the invader. The guns were hidden in homes throughout the city. Many area armorers made their way to the Belgian free zone in order to work for the war effort, while other patriots worked as smugglers carrying not only arms but also tools, plans and even machinery.
http://www.americanrifleman.org/article ... =20&sub=25

More on browning pistols
http://www.fn-browning.com/new_page_1.htm

Interesting article, thanks for posting it.

My grandfather was a Combat Engineer in WW1, and like the huge majority of those guys from that era he did not talk much about his wartime experiences. About the only thing he told my Mom and my Uncle was that he dug tunnels under German lines and planted explosives, and said that they had to be very quiet when digging as they could hear the Germans digging in the opposite direction!

Navi:
Thanks for posting a great article. There is so much fascinating history covered by this, such as Ludendorf striding up to the Liege Citadel gates alone, before any German soldiers arrived, and banking on the door for their surrender. Then there is Kluck turning east before Paris to close the gap between his army and von Below's, and Gallieni's "taxi cab army" attacking Kluck's flank. There's von Moltke's withdrawal of three corps and a cavalry division to reinforce Hindenburg's 8th Army in the East, which could have filled the gap between Kluck and von Below. Rennenkampf's and Samsonov's armies were destroyed, but even though Hindenburg won, the withdrawal from the Western Front may have fatally damaged the German cause. It may also have convinced Stalin not to pull the Allies' "chestnuts out of the fire" again in 1939.

It's my understanding that the 1911 was well-respected as a trench weapon in WW1, and I've got to wonder how effective a 32 ACP could be, especially in the winter when heavy coats were worn. Still, they must have felt them of use, considering the demand for them. What is interesting is the French doctrines: I believe the M1892 revolver, a finely made weapon, was mainly an officer's sidearm and not widely available, and older Model 1873 Chamelot-Delvigne revolvers were pulled out of stock.

The mention of the Model 1897 Winchester pump is interesting, too: I understand that the Germans considered them as an inhumane weapon. A "trench-sweeper," indeed!

Great stuff, Navi, thanks!

mark and timmy that s great information..Mark there was one battlefield where allies dug scores of mines and just blew the whole area up and these tunnel rats were fighting each other. One of my great grandfathers from maternal side was injured in france and then treated in Brighton..and another played role in leading 1 Kashmir rifles on attack at Jerusalem..I just read his name and medal in a book

Navi: fascinating about your ancestors! The things these people saw: how interesting it would be to hear their accounts.

My paternal great uncle was a Hallerczyk: The famous pianist, Ignacy Paderewski funded the recruitment and raising of an "army" consisting of Polish immigrants in the USA and Canada. The idea was that this would make Poland a co-combatant (even though the Nation did not exist politically at the time) and have a seat at the subsequent peace conference. (Poland did have representatives at Versailles.) This "Blue Army" (so called because of their uniforms) fought under General Stanisław Haller, thus the name "Hallerczyk."

A great account of the beginning of WW1 is The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman. She was a great historian and writer (I like her even better than Manchester) and won the Pulitzer Prize for this book. It reads like a novel and is quite fascinating for what it can tell you about the history, strategies, events, and personalities of the time. Grab a copy!