The US Green Berets were formed in 1952, and are a specialised commando force. So, how likely is it that members of a post-WW2 United States Army unit are going to be carrying WW1-vintage German automatic pistols ?
Those in the toy industry seem to think they are standard issue. These two target sets are by different manufacturers, but both include a dart-firing Luger.
The boxed U.S. Special Forces Green Beret Target set includes a yellow plastic Luger, and a metal target. According to the back of the box it is made by Palmer Plastics, of Brooklyn, New York.
The smaller, carded Green Beret Pistol & Target Set has a cardboard target, printed with what look to be scenes from the Vietnam War. The black plastic Luger is marked Park Plastics, which was based in Linden, New Jersey.
Surely a Colt .45 automatic would have been more suitable for a US Army unit? Why a Luger?
Four photographs from Worthpoint
Paul Adams from New Zealand
Interesting Paul. Yes, why the Luger? I guess it was so well known from all the war films in the fifties that it ended up in toys. Maybe you couldn't copy the colt 45 or US Army pistols at the time?
ReplyDeleteDuring WW2, British 8th Army soldiers found that US forces, especially the Rangers, were prepared to trade handsomely for Luger pistols taken from captured Germans. British tank crews also favoured the Luger which probably says loads about the British Webley.
ReplyDeleteFascinating Terran. I wonder if there are any toy Webleys?
DeleteWere they using them in combat or just souvenirs?
DeleteI read somewhere a kid took his father's souvenir Lugar to play war with his friends and lost it. Today they would lock down the whole town if that happened. Different times.
DeleteAs I recall the father confronted a German officer and the officer could have killed him but since it was late in the war he surrendered instead. He went on to say he had the gun for years until his son lost it.
DeleteBritish tank crews liked them for their reliability and that they were more compact, not much room in a tank! The Webley wasn't that reliable. Lone Star made a revoler with a ring on the handle for a lanyard but I think it was sold as a US Cavalry pistol not a Webley.
DeleteMy money says that the reasons they picked the Luger were that it is a very well known pistol that has a mystique around it. I suspect that also it would use less plastic to make than a 1911 so it was less costly.
ReplyDeleteInteresting Lance. I get the mystique thing. Didn't the Luger feature in the spy craze too?
DeleteNever fired one but all the exposed working parts were prone to dirt causing a jam. Or so I read in the history books.
DeleteAny kind of German pistol featured in the spy craze - Luger, Walter PPK (James Bond), and the Mauser with a shoulder stock.
ReplyDeleteYep. And the Schmeisser too.
DeleteI had a Lone Star gold plated Luger with brown grips, removable shoulder stock, telescopic sight and silencer. Just the sort of low visibility device for long distance assassinations!
DeleteWas it called the Golden Sniper Looey? There were cap-firing snub- noses allover our house!
DeleteI know we had several toy 45s back in the day so I believe they were using what they had available. Since when have rack toys been concerned about accuracy. That is what makes them fun.
ReplyDeleteYep, rack toys forever!
Delete