U.S. Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless General Officers Pistol Belonging to Brigadier Gen. Joseph ''Cider Joe'' Stilwell Jr.

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Auction No. 120 Featuring Fine Collectible Ar...

By Amoskeag Auction Company

Nov 17, 2018

Set Reminder 2018-11-17 09:00:00 2018-11-17 09:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Auction No. 120 Featuring Fine Collectible Arms Day 1 https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/amoskeag-auction-company/auction-no-120-featuring-fine-collectible-arms-day-1-3610
Fine Antique and Collectable Sporting and Military Arms Featuring items from the collections of Cletus Klein, Tim Falvey, Dr. Jess Lewis, Dr. Louis C. March Jr., Roy Jinks & Others Amoskeag Auction Company amanda@amoskeagauction.com

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• Lot Description
  serial #567675, 32 ACP, 3 3/4'' barrel with a bright excellent bore. The metal surfaces on this superb Model M pistol retain about 98% original factory parkerized finish, the loss being some very light high edge wear, operational wear, the dust cover of the slide and scattered very light handling marks here and there. The checkered walnut grips with silver Rampant Colt medallions rate very good plus to near excellent showing some very light wear along their butt edges with a few compressions or light chips to the points. Included with the gun is a single phosphated ''Cal. 32/Colt'' marked magazine. All of the markings remain clear and crisp including the ''U.S. Property'' marking and the ordnance wheel on the left side of the frame, which still shows bright metal within its recesses, as does the ''VP''/triangle Colt proof. Brig. Gen. ''Cider Joe'' Stilwell is the stuff of legend. His father ''Vinegar Joe'' Stilwell distinguished himself during the Second World War in the China-Burma-India theater, young Lieut. Stilwell serving as his father's G-2 in the 7th Infantry Division. ''Cider Joe'' was commander of the 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division during Korea. During the Vietnam War Brig. Gen. Stilwell was deputy Commanding General of the 18th Airborne Corps until '61 then from '61-'62 he was the brigade commander at Fort Devens Mass. He later became Commanding General of the U.S. Army Support Group in Vietnam and was assigned to the JFK Special Warfare Center as Deputy Commanding General 1964-1965. Stilwell is likely best known for his service with the U.S. Special Forces as a Green Beret, much to the chagrin of his superiors often riding along in helicopters, sometimes flying them, and often sitting as door gunner. He took up skydiving in his 50s, on a military and sport level and once at Bragg suffered fractures of the back, pelvis and both heels when his parachute failed to open properly during a free-fall jump. On one occasion Stilwell helped carry out the wounded after being trapped by Viet Cong fire in the Mekong Delta, and later became the only American general wounded in combat in Viet Nam.Medal of Honor winner Major General Patrick Brady recalls of General Stilwell in his book When I Have Your Wounded : ''He was Vinegar Joe's boy, and we called him Cider Joe. This guy was a genuine character. He was not an aviator, but he flew; and when he wasn't flying, he rode as door gunner. The man was combat hungry and tough as hell. I was told he once survived a jump after his parachute malfunctioned. The last I heard about him was that his plane ditched at sea, and he was never found. Some folks waited a long time for him to walk up off the ocean floor.''. In July 1966 Stilwell took three days leave from Fort Bragg to visit his son who was about to leave for active duty in Vietnam and intended to co-pilot on a DC-3 to Hawaii with his longtime friend, pilot Harold Grimes. The plane turned back once due to engine trouble but none was found and it continued back over the Pacific at 11:30 PM. At 525 miles out at 3:40 AM, Grimes radioed a passing passenger airliner that oil pressure problems were causing him to feather one engine. He carried extra fuel tanks as the plane was heading to Thailand from Hawaii, the Coast Guard assuming the plane could stay aloft for only about one hour on one engine due to the extra weight. Even so the DC-3 were renowned for their ditching capabilities and plane was equipped with a four-man life raft, flares, and other emergency gear, so searchers were at first instructed to look for a floating plane. The United States Coast Guard, U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy (including three destroyers and the USS Yorktown) searched an area of 105,000 square miles. Despite being tough as nails and having his father's famed knack for survival, no trace of the airplane nor the three men aboard was ever found. The included Colt factory letter shows a shipment in December 1944 to Springfield Armory and the included Springfield Research Service letter shows issue to General Stilwell in April 1961. The Colt U.S. General officers Pistol by Greeley and The Colt Pocket Hammerless Automatic Pistols II by Brunner both list the gun by serial number, along with one other number ''571245'', being issued to Stilwell. His decorations and commendations include: the Distinguished Service Medal; the Legion of Merit with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster; the Distinguished Flying Cross; the Soldier's Medal; the Bronze Star Medal with Combat Valor Device; the Bronze Star Medal (Merit) with 2 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters; the Purple Heart with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster; the Air Medal with Award Numeral 26; the China Service Medal; the American Defense Service Medal; the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal; the World War II Victory Medal; the National Defense Service Medal; the Korean Service Medal; the Vietnam Service Medal; the United Nations Service Medal; the Vietnam Campaign Medal; a Presidential Unit Citation; a Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation; the Combat Infantryman Badge; and the Master Parachutist Badge. The slide is numbered to the frame and the gun seems to function very well mechanically. Included are numerous photos of Gen. Stilwell, a facsimile of his service and decoration medal ribbon bars and a masters parachutist jump badge. A wonderful pistol in a very fine state of condition belonging to a true American hero and man of action, who very much distinguished himself in everything he undertook. (38668-2) {C&R}
• Shipping Info

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