While on duty outside Canada, Provost were armed with a variety of weapons. Handguns were normally carried on duty, Provost were also issued rifles and submachineguns for PW escorts and in forward areas.
Revolvers were the standard issue up to late 1944, these were mostly American made .38 calibre Smith & Wessons and British Enfield No2 Mk1s.
Military .380 revolver ammunition was a rather anemic round by today's standards. The issue military load had a copper jacketed lead bullet weighing 200 grains, and was known as the .38/200. To avoid confusion with the longer and more powerful .38 Special cartridge then in common use in North America, the designation 38/380 will sometimes be found stamped on the barrels of American made revolvers.
Beginning in late 1944 revolvers on issue to Provost were withdrawn and replaced with Inglis Browning semi automatic pistols, the Hi-Power was not completely standard issue until early 1945. The Inglis was a Canadian made version of the Belgian P35, and was an immediate success. It proved to be very reliable and saw service with the Canadian military for more than 50 years.
Canadian military issue handguns are often found marked with the C Arrow denoting Canadian ownership, but this was by no means universal.
The Smith & Wesson Military And Police revolver (S&W M&P) was first produced in 1905 as the .38 Hand Ejector model. It was availible in 4 inch, 5 inch and 6 inch barrel lengths. Purchases by Canada began in 1940 and eventually totalled over 118,000.
In late 1944, revolvers held by Provost were withdrawn and replaced by the Inglis Browning. Of interest, the Smith & Wesson Military And Police revolver saw long postwar service with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. In .38 Special calibre, it was known as the Smith & Wesson Model 10.
Left and right views of an early Canadian acquisition Military & Police revolver. Typical features are the checkered grips and good quality blued finish.
Left and right views of Military & Police revolver with smooth grips.
Large numbers of Enfield No2 revolvers were used by Canadian Provost from 1939 to late 1944. British made, it was a 6 shot single or double action revolver in .380/200 calibre.
Detail of an Enfield No.2 Mark 1 as originally produced.
Detail of the double action Enfield No.2 Mark 1** showing the lack of hammer spur.
By early 1945, most of the Enfield revolvers and other handguns on issue to Provosts had been withdrawn and replaced by the Canadian manufactured Inglis Hi-Power pistol. A copy of an FN Browning design, the Hi-Power was a 13 shot, 9mm semi automatic pistol. It proved immensely popular and was so successful it became the standard Canadian military sidearm for the following 50 years.
Considerable numbers of Thompson submachineguns were purchased by Canada and the United Kingdom early in the Second World War. The M1928 Thompson was familiar to Canadians as it appeared in dozens of gangster movies in the 1930s. It had a distinctive vertical foregrip, and like it's successor the M1928A1, it could use a 50-round drum or 20 or 30 round stick magazines. The M1928A1 variant entered mass production in 1941. Changes included a horizontal forend omitting the foregrip, and military sling swivels. Although fairly heavy, the Thompson was a popular Infantry weapon and also saw limited issue to Provost.
Thompson M1928 with the butt removed and a 50 round drum magazine.
Characteristics and employment:
Length:33.5 in (851 mm)
Weight:10.8lb (4.9kg)
Operation: blowback, semi or full automatic
Magazine capacity: 20 or 30 rd stick mag; 50 or 100 rd drum mag.
Rate of fire:800 - 1200 rpm
The M1, formally adopted as the United States Submachine Gun, Cal. .45, M1, was a result of further simplification. The bolt was modified and rate of fire was also reduced to approximately 600-700 rpm. The M1 utilized a simple blowback operation, the charging handle was moved to the side, and the flip-up adjustable rear sight replaced with a fixed aperture (peep sight). The slots adjoining the magazine well allowing use of the drum magazine were removed, as were the Cutts compensator, the barrel cooling flanges, and the Blish lock.
Fire Controls MI Thompson Front lever is selector switch set for full auto.The less expensive and more-easily manufactured "stick" magazines were used exclusively in this version, with a new 30-round version joining the familiar 20-round type. Wartime production variants omitted the triangular rear sight guard wings. The M1 also has a permanently attached buttstock, and was first issued in 1942. The multi-piece firing pin of the M1 was supplanted by a simplified firing pin machined into the face of the bolt. The 30-round magazine was very common. Wartime production variants omitted the triangular rear sight guard wings. The M1A1, formally adopted as the United States Submachine Gun, Cal. .45, M1A1, could be produced in half the time of the M1928A1, and at a much lower cost. In 1939, a Thompson cost the government $209. By the spring of 1942, cost reduction design changes had brought this down to $70. In February 1944, the M1A1 reached a low price of $45 each, including accessories and spare parts. By the end of 1944, the M1A1 was replaced with the even lower-cost M3 (commonly called "Grease Gun").
Characteristics and employment:
Length:32 in (813 mm)
Weight:10.6 lb (4.8 kg)
Operation: blowback, semi or full automatic
Magazine capacity: 20 or 30 rd stick mag.
Rate of fire: 600 - 700 rpm
