My grandpa was a navigator in the 8th AAF during WWII. Got me to wondering what gun(s) he would have been issued, along with the rest of his crew. Thoughts?
Generally, B-17 and B-24 crews in the Eighth Air Force carried a .45 ACP M1911 pistol, typically in a shoulder holster. Revolvers like the .38 Victory Model revolver were also issued and carried, but much, much more rarely.
I spoke with a former B-24 pilot from the 389th Bombardment Groupafew years back who said that downed aircrews tended to throw away their pistols as soon as they'd landed -- they didn't to give the Germans coming to capture them an excuse to shoot them!
Some aircrews did get ahold of Thompson submachine guns and M1 Carbines to be used in the event of a forced landing, but these were also rarely carried. As far as I know, they were never fired in anger by any crew.