Sherman, weapons are issued via TO&E which stands for Table of Organization & Equipment for anyone unfamiliar with the term. Anyway, everyone on a typical TO&E has a personal weapon assigned to them based on their job. Essentially, if you need your hands free for your primary job, you are issued a pistol. For example, in a light infantry unit, if you are a member of a crew fired weapon such as a mortar, you are issued a pistol otherwise your TO&E weapon is normally a rifle. That's not to say that an officer, especially field grade, would not show up with a matched pair of pearl handled pistols! But that was not the norm.
On the subject of the .45 cal pistol, that was my favorite personal weapon. I fired it competitively in the Army. I have a whole box of plaques, trophies, ribbons, etc. from various competitions. More importantly, I have won many beers and such from the unsuspecting officer or other braggart. :lol: I won a steak dinner from a company commander (not mine) on the very last week I was in the Army.
I had driven my new CO to the range because he was due for qualification. While he was there he started to get into a challenge with the line company officers. It was getting a little late and they couldn't begin firing until one last private finished his qualification. The kid was having the worst time of it. My CO said "Top, can you help this kid out?" I said I'll try and I asked the Lt. in the tower if I could fire a few round while this kid was qualifying. He said OK so I took the position next to the Pvt. I asked him which target he was firing at (to be sure
) and asked him if he wanted to get off the range. Well I qualified us both by firing at his target too and that's what apparently put the idea in the officers' heads that I could be an easy mark for their silly challenge. After the private left the range all the challenges came out among the officers. When the challenge got to be a steak dinner and beer I couldn't resist getting in on it.
When it was over I had fired 4 perfect scores in a row, won the bet, and had the Range OIC demanding that I become part of the battalion pistol team. At some point during all this, our BN CSM drove up and after he found out what happened, while laughing his butt off, he told the officers that I was a past captain of the BN team that finished best ever among the Division teams. I briefly felt like a pool hustler but the steak and beer cured me very quickly.
BTW, as to why the .45 was replaced. To my knowledge it was a combination of NATO standardization and the increased cost of .45 cal. ammunition.
I found with the .45, there were people who were naturals and those who couldn't hit a tank with it if they walked up and threw it at the turret :lol: