Experimental Weapons of the OSS (Office of Strategic Services)

In this episode, we show you a bunch of very interesting and experimental weapons that were issued to the OSS or Office of Strategic Services!
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[@stevegray3104]

The .38 Super had an armor-piercing ability that the .45 lacked. Former Texas Ranger Captain Frank Hamer ordered two or more shortly before his final encounter with Bonnie and Clyde. Hamer correctly anticipated shooting through car doors during the coming confrontation.

[@wgs6606]

It’s too cold for ice fishing today and your channel is the RAREST of all gun channels. Bravo! Super interesting today.

[@Foche_T._Schitt]

"Depending on what country you're from" Wait, what country views the CIA positively?

[@magumba1000]

The pancake flipper was actually the blade off a spatula as the company making the scabbards made kitchen utensils pre war

[@MrPh30]

Norwegian SOE and Linge guys liked the .38 Super also, good penetration and more ammo in the magazine it had . The OSS scabbard was made by a kitchen utensil fim so thats why the scabbard is spatula like ,same press made those bits,

[@bushcraft_in_the_north]

God info

[@nagjrcjasonbower]

As I recall, .38 Super was designed to penetrate steel (like a vintage car door at odd angles) that a .45 ACP just couldn’t handle at the time. Great video! You certainly earned my sub!

[@Stigstigster]

That .38 calibre 1911 is such a nice thing. A great looking example if ever there was one.

[@grahamchalk4727]

Heydrich's assassins practiced with the .38 super in England. Reportedly crack shots with it. So they sent them to do the job armed with a Sten. Which jammed. Military intelligence never changes...

[@MrPh30]

Odd they did no use a Mp40 instead of then.

[@isographer]

I think the fact that they were sent with a Sten speaks a lot about the confidence their British superiors had in the success of this mission. I have always wondered myself why did they only got Stens and not something better as a captured MP40 or even a Thompson, given the high profile of the target, but the hard truth is that this mission had more chances of failing than being successful. And considering the fact that during that time Britain was in a severe shortage of equipment, including small arms is no wonder they were issued with what is essentially the bare minimum. A captured MP40 for example was rare and quite useful.

[@grahamchalk4727]

@@isographer I suspect, given my suspicion of bureaucracy, they were issued with what it said on hmg's tick sheet. Personal preference wouldn't enter Into it. In the end they got the job done. We won.

[@culshie]

W.E.Fairbairn and Eric Sykes both former members of the "Shanghai Municipal Police", are considered the people who more than any other created what we consider today Special Forces and probably deserve greater exposure being really remarkable people, after creating programs in England for training of Commandos and the Special Operations Executive they were sent to a secret installation in Canada just outside Toronto (Oshawa) called Camp X where they trained highly unofficially American Trainers who went on to be influential in the various Special Forces of the Army and Marines during the war. Ian at forgotten weapons has a video on W.E. Fairbairn which is well worth a watch.

[@keithmoore5306]

tom you can still buy those cosh's today brand new both a spring type and a solid non flexible model!! guide lamp also made the M3 grease guns! they also had a 9mm conversion kit for the grease gun!! the welrod it was originally in 32acp and used a colt 1903 mag for the grip/mag assembly!! that Fairbyrne has the B model sheath! Fairbryne (a brit!) was a cop in shang hi and set up the first swat team type unit there!! that grenade is also known as the baseball grenade and was developed into the bomblets for the cluster bombs we have today! they used HMX in them which they called aunt jamima in service they used to smuggle it into china as flour! it was an explosive that you use like flour to bake and cook with you could actually eat it without ill effects but you could also use it to destroy bridges or whatever by making it into a plastic explosive!

[@JohnW1711stock]

Get some black blazers, gold ties, and slacks for total ensemble. LOL!! Cool video.

[@harrylime8077]

I never tire of watching these videos.

[@highpower3006]

Interesting. I have a Ithaca 1911A1 serial number 121xxxx. I never knew it was OSS issue.

[@DivXDemonRik]

First time I have seen a Beano, very interesting, thanks

[@manfredrichthofen2494]

The grips on the Colt Commando revolver 🔫 was called " Colt Wood " by Colt Co. to distinguish it from real wood which Colt find not so "durable "..time consuming and expensive to make. Anyway,it was something of a Colt co.credence , just as the way Colt called their gun finishes as " Colt Royal Blue " 💙..to give it an image of exclusiveness from the rest of the other gun makers.

[@Nighthawk1966]

That Colt Super was awesome ! Great video, as usual. I am a fan !

[@TrainTracker911]

Sometimes the staining/pitting on a knife or firearm can be the result of blood not being cleaned off.

[@markwoodger2]

Those spring coshes or koyoga, are quite capable of smashing bone, a head strike could well be fatal in the hands of a trained opponent.

[@robg9236]

If my wife was a streetwalker I wouldn't advertise it.

[@454FatJack]

W,E, Fairbairn‚& E,A, Sykes knife designers + 1930's Sanghai Municipal Police

[@easterriot1916]

Its the seam on the backside of the grip that pinches the webbing of your thumb. Regarding your comment on the liberator...

[@BeoZard]

One of my uncles lost his arm while deomonstrating an impact fused grenade for his troops during the war.

[@cheapolegunguy]

38 Super is a more powerful cartridge than a 45 ACP (superior velocity and penetration), just saying :)

[@Antek104]

15:20 yeah it is a great self def weapon, we still use it in poland (its hard to get a gun and this is way more effective than a kife). Its called pałka teleskopowa ;)

[@bigbat21]

That is a beautiful 38 super

[@mabbrey]

very smart tom

[@EVILDR235]

Great teaching / entertaining video. I have a question about the 1911 Colt brown plastic grips. Years ago I picked up several sets of them and I was wondering when Colt first used them ? I understand how parts can be recycled / swapped during rebuilding at a arsenal. Mine were never installed. Thanks Tom.

[@COIcultist]

The picture at 07.04 of Dr John Bruner. In the picture, Dr John is holding the Fairbairn -Sykes fighting knife in his left hand, but in his right hand is holding the less well known Fairbairn designed Smatchet. If there are any markings on your knife you might be able to discern if it was US or UK made, the majority of UK made comando knives were made by the well known sword makers Wilkinson Sword. Fairburn appears in two WWII training films, the British "Unarmed Combat" narrated by David Niven and the American "OSS Training Center" directed by John Ford.

[@alfredkonig4639]

....... the english made Fairbairn Sykes commando knifes often had inscriptions with the makers name and / or english military markings (f.e. broad arrow and so on ) . BUT: there are original WWII english Fairbairn & Sykes commando daggers without any inscription or marking! Regarding to this similiar O.S.S. dagger : no inscriptions and no markings at all! Never! ( the manufacturer shouldn´t be known!) The only maker was Landers, Frary & Clark, New Britain , Connecticut.

[@jensenwilliam5434]

Thank you Tom!!

[@johnstewart9745]

Great video 🇬🇧

[@ENWWN]

Thank you! The Colt 38 Super is beautiful.

[@jamesallred460]

OMG a silenced M1 carbine?! Holy crap I want one!!!

[@schizoidboy]

The Liberator pistol might not look or be much, but for someone in occupied territories with no available firearms something, anything that can be loaded and fired is going to be a must have.

[@JayKayKay7]

21:08 My Colt CMP 1911A1, serial number 162001* is sitting in the group two below the fold marker. 28:05 Serial No 1100010 The 'Binary Digit" gun

[@bobspistolsandpaydirt8607]

Great video and info…..

[@kottbusserdamm3560]

I read in a source I do not more remember, that none of the liberators has been given out, for different reasons; I think forgotten weapons has a video about this "gun".

[@keithmoore5306]

some of them got issued there are pictures out there of guerillas with them in the phillipines the himalayas and china with them! i've seen four or five different pictures taken in different countries with them!!

[@JohnDoe-pv2iu]

I think that you are thinking about the Stinger never being distributed to foreign nations.

[@leonardjanda6181]

You are a class act keep it coming 👨‍🚒❤️

[@alliswell-pb9vo]

I watched in a video that the spring cosh is hidden in the sleeve (probably secured with a lanyard) and pretend to swing the fist but instead surprise the opponent with the extended weighted block

[@johnniecameron8829]

Never seen the baseball gernade ,,,cool idea

[@MGB-learning]

Great video

[@nagjrcjasonbower]

As I recall, the original liberator had no rifling. The repros do.

[@ericgarringer6911]

Love the hi standard I have one obviously not the oss one but damn its accurate

[@user-yn2sx5ly1o]

Как всегда-круть.

[@bermudezhg]

According to 3 or 4 authors of the former OSS, the Liberator was not distributed in meaningful numbers in Europe. The shooting of lone sentries was not possible as the Nazis weren't fools. Sentries were always deployed in numbers.

[@mfreund15448]

Love the OSS weapons. A can do attitude!

[@SamuraiAkechi]

8:55 One of those was issued to Harry Powers when he was shot down over USSR. I don't know where it's stored, but I've seen the photo in the Russian Army Museum.

[@jeremybriggs1707]

The sheath for the knife was called the pancake flipper. The company that made them made kitchen utensils before and after the war and used the same tooling pattern that they used for making spatulas.

[@alfredkonig4639]

Yes, right. Maker of the stiletto and its sheath was Landers, Frary & Clark, New Britain, Connecticut. All the best from Germany, cheers!

[@Safeprogress]

10:20. That is the classic F&S Fighting Knife. That particular style (which may have been copied in the US for the OSS) was classic Wilkinson with chequered hand grip (as opposed to the later ringed grip). The pommel style is classic Wilkinson and was conical and merely screwed into place. The handle style is a variation of the earlier plug bayonet (Wilkinson I believe) as used in early muzzleloaders. All in all that is still an F&S Fighting Knife and not per se an OSS knife, even though it was used by them.

[@gunfighterzero]

Except it was made in the states by Landers, Frary, and Clark of New Britain, Connecticut...so it's all OSS they just used the F&S as a template

[@Safeprogress]

Thanks, Chewie42. Noted.

[@alfredkonig4639]

Yes, this stiletto was made by Landers, Frary & Clark, New Britain, Connecticut. Just for the O.S.S.! There are no markings and no inscriptions on the O.S.S. daggers. And yes, the style is similiar to a few of the english made Fairbairn Sykes Commando daggers. So the O.S.S. stiletto is approx. a 90% copy of the Fairb.-S.dagger. The blade is narrower and more pointed than most Fairbairn Sykes models. The ribbing on the handle is also placed slightly differently than on any Fairbairn Sykes dagger. Just the scabbard is totaly unique.

[@bigshot9557]

You could strap to to the end of your boots and use it as ice spikes on the end of your boots incase you had to cross a ice hill lol besides a spot for your belt to go through to hold the knife on your side or maybe if you were stranded use it as a cooking spatula lol just guessing

[@pcmacd]

I would say that it "Amplifies your advantage."

[@RichardGoth]

25:00 .38 super for agents going to south and central america perhaps?

[@alanrogs3990]

Isn't it very risky to dry fire a Liberator?

[@thomaswhiteman4261]

Only to your finger

[@alanrogs3990]

@@thomaswhiteman4261 lol, I thought I read some place that the firing pin mechanism is a very brittle piece. Perhaps I am wrong.

[@rafsmith1993]

I noticed that the final 1911 you displayed, which was issued to the LTJG in Naval Intelligence, has US ARMY stamped on the side. Did they all get issued to the Army then the Army reissue to the Navy? Also, isn’t it unusual for a service member to keep their issued weapon?

[@thomaswhiteman4261]

They are all marked Army no matter where they were shipped. And yes, it is unusual for a service member to keep his sidearm

[@grogvaughan5649]

the pancake flipper is for belt loops or the issued pistol belt/web gear

[@alfredkonig4639]

AND : it is possible to wear the dagger in higher or lower position!

[@rayeisenstein4245]

Please put link to legacy store

[@LegacyCollectibles]

Thanks for your interest Ray. We are actually not allowed to provide a link as we are sellers of guns and KZbin does not allow it. But if you look for the company name Legacy-Collectibles you will find the website. Then under Accessories you will see "KZbin store" Best wishes.

[@oakfire4971]

I believe that other explosive might be RDX.

[@brienmauer8134]

Hey! Where's the O.S.S. "gravity" knife???😳

[@andrewb8809]

You brought that to a knife fight? Yeah, sucka. I am subscribed, sir.

[@Willy_Tepes]

The Koch is a police weapon and is still used by police today.

[@anibalperales1008]

The Súper .38 is very rare because pre-wars súper .38 has a very fines 7 checkeres but this one un the vídeo doesn't has them, so it means it was Made with .45 parts, that was normal before 1947, but not un 1945. It was Unique.

[@jasontucker3456]

Shirt is really wrinkled, or is it the material

[@thomaswhiteman4261]

Just took it out of the box

[@jcg66]

Why you checking mans garms your a battyman

[@martinleicht5911]

What IS your favorite pie ? 😎 👍

[@thomaswhiteman4261]

Probably Key lime

[@Chiller01]

Dr. John Bruner PhD author of the book. The double title is just gauche. Use Dr. Or use PhD but not both. By the way cool episode.

[@bermudezhg]

The "Pancake Flipper" is just to tread the belt of your pants and carry the sheath of the Sykes Fairbairn Knife......and this is the original name, that was changed in the 90s, to Fairbairn Sykes, by Dimwits in the Gun Writing Business.

[@TylerSnyder305]

Those daggers are unmarked but were discovered to have been made by Landers Frary and Clark, because as it turns out that " pancake flipper " is actually the head of an LF&C spatula. I guess they realized it would suit the purpose and they were already making these spatulas so they repurposed some.

[@ashleysmith3106]

Why are you talking about a COLT Woodsman when describing the silenced HI-STANDARD H-D MILITARY ??

[@ashleysmith3106]

William F Fairbairn did NOT come "back to the United States, designed this knife with Sykes" as you state: Fairbairn and Sykes were BRITISH, and designed the knife in the village of Lochailort in Scotland, where they were staying close to the Commando training site at Fort William !! The US version of the knife, manufactured by Landers, Frary & Clark, of New Britain, Connecticut, was improperly tempered and inferior to the British F-S fighting knife in materials and workmanship. Only the US version had the stupid US-ELESS self-wounding spatula-type scabbard mounting ! You missed mentioning the Smatchet fighting knife, also designed by Fairbairn; on the next page of your book !

[@panchopistola8298]

Thanks Karen . Take a beano ans relax

[@gunfighterzero]

Well put

[@calvin2876]

Suppressed not silenced