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What Is Value of French Military Pistol? (SOLD)

3K views 19 replies 17 participants last post by  6541  
#1 ·
depends on how many times it was dropped
 
#5 ·
I was tempted to sling the usual slur toward the French here but took your question seriously. The above link values your Pistol at ~$600 to $900 in NRA Excellent. Yours is considerably less than 'Excellent' though. A search on Google using the search term < French 11 mm Pistol M1873 > returns a lot of information, for instance the M1873 was adopted as the NCO Sidearm. The addition of the term < value > to the search returns different information including the above link.

HtH.


Don T. Littleton CO
 
#13 ·
France has a long history of military success and friendship with the United States (along with some significant failures).


Clovis I, circa 500 AD, unified the Frankish nation which included most of Western Europe.


Charles Martell (Charles the Hammer) defeated a huge Arab army at the battle of Tours in 732 and probably saved all of Europe from coming under Islamic control.


Charlemagne (Charles the Great), the grandson of Charles Martell, subdued the Saxons and the Bavarians and pushed his frontier into Spain. He expanded his kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. Upon his death, his empire was divided into France and Germany plus smaller countries.


Gilbert du Motier, the Marquis de Lafayette, served as a major-general in the Continental Army under George Washington. In the middle of the war, he returned to France to negotiate an increase in French support. On his return, he blocked troops led by Cornwallis at Yorktown.


The French Navy, blocked the British navy and prevented the escape of Lord Cornwallis army at Yorktown. The French Navy allowed General George Washington to defeat Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown. Without French assistance, the American Revolution might have had a different ending.


Napoleon was one of the greatest generals and organizers that ever lived. Although defeated, his tactics were used by both sides during the American Civil War. He loved his cannons.

Germany attacked France at the beginning of World War I the German plan was to drive through Belgium and quickly defeats the French. The French and British stopped the German advance and WW I became a meat grinder of trench warfare. The loss of life by the French, British and German armies was appalling. The entry of the United States into WW I tipped the balance in favor of the Allies.


After WW I, the French built massive fortifications along their border (the Maginot Line) to prevent a repeat German invasion. Due to cost and political considerations, the Maginot Line was not extended to the Atlantic and the Germans simply went around the end of the Maginot Line. Also, the advent of air power rendered fixed fortifications, less effective.


The massive loss of life during WW I caused the French and British to be cautious and conservative. The German blitzkrieg conquered all of France in a matter of weeks as the French leaders sought to fight the invading Germans with WW I tactics. England held out against the German offensives due to the strength of its navy and air force, and its development of RADAR. The entry of the United States into WW II saved the British and French.


After the war, Charles De Gaulle became Primer of France. His view of the world, known as Gaullism, was that France should continue to see itself as a major power and should not rely on other countries, such as the United States, for its national security and prosperity. He withdrew France from NATO military command.

I served with some French officers during the 1960's at a Transportation Corps training command. They disliked De Galle and, in social settings, said that they were from South Africa.


IMO, relations with France have been difficult but might be improving. We should be grateful for France's assistance during the American Revolution.


Ed Ward
 
#17 ·
The French helped the overthrow of Mommar Ghadaffi this time. They even used their aircraft carrier, the De Gualle, in support of a no fly zone. I would have named the French carrier the Charles Martel.


One of the quirks in history, IMO, is that the son of Charles Martel (Charles the Hammer) was named Pippin the Short. Pippin the Short then fathered Charlemagne (Charles the Great). I guess that greatness sometimes skips a generation.


If it was not for the French, who would the Brits have to hate?


The WW I "French 75 mm" field gun was a revolution in its own right. It could fire about 30 times a minute without having to be re-aimed as it had one of the first pneumatic gun mounts that returned the tube to its original point of aim after firing. It had a level trajectory about 4 feet high for well over 1000 yards.


American pilots flew mostly French aircraft during WW I as we had not yet developed the proper aircraft types.

Ed Ward
 
#20 ·
Byrrrdmann:


The French did fight effectively in WW I. They were fighting on their own soil for their country. Germany attacked Belgium and then pushed through into France. The German objective was to quickly defeat the French so that Germany could devote more forces to defend against a feared attack by Russia's huge army.


The Battle of Verdun was one of the major battles during the First World War on the Western Front. It was fought between the German and French armies, from 21 February to 18 December 1916, on hilly terrain north of the city of Verdun-sur-Meuse in north-eastern France. It ended with a French tactical victory since, by December 1916, they had recaptured most of the lost ground including the centerpiece of Verdun's defensive system: Fort Douaumont.


According to contemporary estimates, Verdun resulted in 714,231 casualties, 377,231 on the French side and 337,000 on the German one, an average of 70,000 casualties for each of the ten months of the battle. It was the longest and one of the most devastating battles in the First World War and the history of warfare. Modern estimates increase the number of casualties to 976,000.


The Russian army did not become the fearsome opponent envisioned by the Germans. During the war, the Russian army defeated itself via inefficient logistical support and inferior leadership. Individual Russian soldiers fought bravely but most of the time they were starving and short of ammunition. The Russian artillery, when it could be employed, was very effective.

By the time the Americans entered the war, Germany was poised to defeat the British and French armies. With the defeat of Russia, Germany had shifted huge numbers of soldiers from the eastern front to battlefields around the Marne River. When they attacked, the Germans ran into fresh American forces and could not advance. With Germany on the verge of starvation due to the British naval blockade, Germany was forced to surrender.

Ed Ward