Taking a Look at Historic 1911 Handguns from WWII

Not many things are promised in life, but I will guarantee you that these 1911s are in fact not typewriters or train signals. Now, that might seem like an odd statement, but these guns have an interesting history hidden below their well-kept exteriors. What they really are – aside from being great pistols – is a testament to America’s sheer industrial muscle in World War II.

The Union Switch & Signal 1911 and the Remington Rand 1911 are unique American products made in the patriotic drive to win the war. As the entire country pivoted to answer the clarion’s call, companies like Union Switch & Signal retooled to meet the needs of a nation at war. With two world wars in two successive generations, US&S had experience serving the wartime needs of the U.S. But it was a new hat for Remington Rand.

In World War I, Union Switch & Signal helped produce aircraft engines. Remington Rand, on the other hand, was established after the war and originally set up to produce typewriters. Both were tapped by the U.S. government for wartime production of firearms at the start of World War II, with the .45 caliber M1911A1 landing near the top of the list.