by SVaaka on 10 Apr 2012 13:48
When you think about professional soldiers, officers or pettyofficers it is most likely that they purchased personally their sidearms. So it is possible that they carried what ever was their favorite. Troops and reservists get what got from the depot. And once again - Germany was lacking pistols like hell during WW II - all captured, manufactured in germany, france, poland, tsechs, italy and spain were issued to troops. Ofcource there were some standards, better guns like P-08, P-38, FN GP-35, Radom were given to those who needed them most in combat. Luftwaffe and Navy get guns like Fn 1910/22, Cz 23, Walther PP, Walher PPK and so. But fact is that pistols were so much needed that all frontline troops were not in position to get those better guns and they had to carry, what ever they were able to get. Even if Germany was the leading axis-power - they were not so rich in pistols like US government - which mostly had one standardgun, fairly simple to make (compared to P-08 and P-38) and manufactured in tens of different factories.
About these two pictures - it is quite obvious that these two soldiers happened to be in line in such a place that they happened to reicieve C96 from depot.
