Interesting Early WWII Sweetheart Grips on Military Issue .45 Pistol

By Dean Weingarten

Arizona – -(Ammoland.com)- Some GI wanted to keep his sweetheart picture close at hand.

I have seen pictures enclosed in Lucite grips before. The uniform appears to be an Army officer’s winter service uniform from early in the war.  The Sam Browne belt and shoulder strap were replaced early in 1942.   Of course, existing uniforms were often used for quite some time after they were superseded.

If you look closely at the frame, just below the slide, you can make out the UNITED STATES PROPERTY stamp.

Large numbers of soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines kept their .45 service pistols after the war, believing that they had earned them.

I cannot make out the rank of the officer in the picture.  Perhaps an alert reader can puzzle it out.

One observer noted that there are no campaign ribbons; the officer is young, therefore it is likely that he is either a 2nd Lt. or a 1st Lt.  That seems probable.   Another says that the shape of the MOS insignia indicate either Infantry, Armor, or Military Police.  As the uniform in question was superseded in early 1942, it the officer may well have been in service before Pearl Harbor.

c2014 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included. Link to Gun Watch

About Dean Weingarten;

Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of constitutional carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and recently retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.