US Navy pilot Lieutenant J. M. Stubblebine boarding his TBM-3 Avenger torpedo bomber, somewhere in the Pacific aboard USS Ticonderoga, late 1944; note butt of .38 Special revolver and bandolier of 18 cartridges

Caption     US Navy pilot Lieutenant J. M. Stubblebine boarding his TBM-3 Avenger torpedo bomber, somewhere in the Pacific aboard USS Ticonderoga, late 1944; note butt of .38 Special revolver and bandolier of 18 cartridges ww2dbase
Photographer    Unknown
Source    ww2dbaseOregonian Newspaper
More on...   
TBF Avenger   Main article  Photos  
Ticonderoga   Main article  Photos  Maps  
Added By David Stubblebine

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Visitor Submitted Comments

1. peter bullock MD says:
21 Dec 2008 11:19:17 PM

I knew Dr Stubblebine. He won the Silver (Navy) Cross and was a good friend. He was also the luckiest guy I ever knew. An appetite for a sandwich on Ticonderoga saved his life!
PB
2. Commenter identity confirmed Bill says:
20 Jun 2012 03:12:25 PM

LT. STUBBLEBINE: THE GREATEST GENERATION

Does Lt. Stubblebine have the thousand yard stare. All combat GIs have experienced it a
gaze unfocused stare of a battle-weary warrior, one who was so young, and seen too much.

UNIFORM OF THE DAY:

Lt. Stubblebine has been issued the type A-4 lightweight flying suit, lightweight flying helmet w/leather chin cup, M44 goggles?, the A-4 or B-4 WWII famous "Mae West" life jacket, gloves, parachute, survival knife, first-aid kit and Smith & Wesson .38 special revolver with 18 round bandolier of ammo.
During WWII some navy and marine pilots were also issued the M1911 .45 caliber semi-auto
pistol
3. Commenter identity confirmed Bill says:
29 Jun 2012 04:51:18 PM

Lt. J.M. Stubblebine assigned to VT-80 flew from USS Ticonderoga CV-44.

With respect to Mr. David Stubblebine, you can read: Torpedo Squadron Eighty VT-80 Unit History.
4. Commenter identity confirmed Bill says:
1 Jul 2012 12:25:27 PM

When most people think of the WWII service pistol, of the US Armed Forces used during WWII, you think of the Colt M1911 .45 ACP, Caliber Automatic Pistol. What does ACP mean:
Automatic Colt Pistol.

However, between Britain and the USA, it was the U.S. Armed Forces that used the largest number of revolvers. During WWII With the lack of .45 Pistols, The "Old Wheel Gun" came into use the military had large numbers of revolvers stored in warehouses that were both Colt and Smith & Wesson revolvers.

NEW CONTRACTS: VICTORIES AND COMMANDOS

In 1941 the US Government placed orders with
Smith & Wesson and Colt for Revolvers these weapons were issued to US Navy and Marine Pilots and Air Crews, Merchant Marine, Coast Guard and Military Police. By 1945 over 300,000 Smith & Wesson Victories and 48,000 Colt Commandos were produced the weapons had a parkerized finish, wooden grips and a lanyard fitting on the bottom of the grip.

Lt. Stubblebine could be pack'in either the Smith & Wesson Victory or the Colt Commando revolver both were .38 Caliber.
Carries the typical US Navy shoulder holster rig, also to make sure his B4 "Mae West"
Life Jacket doesn't get lost, pilots and crews had their last names stenciled on both jackets and other equipment.

Smith & Wesson:

Double Action Revolver
Caliber .38 Special
Capacity 6 Rounds
Barrel 4 Inch
Finish Parkerized
Produced by Smith & Wesson and Colt

I thank the editor/ww2db for allowing me to
leave all this amazing information that was taken from one photograph, taken three years before I was even born.
5. Commenter identity confirmed David Stubblebine says:
1 Jul 2012 02:19:37 PM

The smooth finish on the wooden grips and the position of the grip screw identify Dad’s sidearm as the Smith & Wesson Victory. Dad never talked about such things so; Thanks, Bill for all the info.

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