February 9th, 2021
6minute read
What is the archetypal combat pistol?
A great many corn-fed Americans would submit John Moses Browningstimeless 1911.
I will admit that I myself have partaken of that Kool-Aid.
The history of John Browning’s Hi-Power is extraordinary. Yet, it often plays second fiddle to the 1911 in handgun lore.
In fact, it is the basis of the incredibly popularSpringfield SA-35 pistol.
John Moses Browning began the project but died in 1926 before it was completed.
His protege Dieudonne Saive completed work on the gun in 1935.
Browning’s Hi-Power, typified here by a Belgian version made under Nazi occupation, was a groundbreaking design.
He designed every belt-fed machinegun used by the United States during World War II.
Dieudonne Saive was responsible for the FN Model 1949 semiautomatic rifle.
His work also led to the development of the extremely prolificFAL rifle.
When viewed from this angle, the sleek lines of the Hi-Power are obvious. It proved to be a classic design imitated by others.
The collaborative efforts of these two guys changed everything.
Browning built the gun using his 1911 as a starting point.
Saive developed a double-column, single-feed 15-round box magazine and mated it to a modified FN Model 1903 pistol.
This Waffen SS trooper was photographed with his Pistole 640(b) version of the Hi-Power during the Ardennes Offensive at the end of 1944.
That early pistol was titled theGrand Rendement, which translates to High Yield.
By 1935, Saive had the holy melding perfected into the GP-35Grande Puissanceor Hi-Power.
By the time the Germans overran Belgium in 1940, 56,000 copies had been sold.
During WWII, the Hi-Power came in two broad flavors. The gun on the left is a stocked Canadian version. The base model on the right was built in occupied Belgium for the Nazis.
The b stands for Belgium.
The Nazis consumed some 65,000 Hi-Power pistols, particularly among Waffen SS and Fallschirmjagers.
Saive escaped to London with the drawings for the Hi-Power in mid-1941.
The German Pistole 640(b) was a variant of the Hi-Power widely used by Waffen SS and Fallschirmjager troops.
He went to work at Enfield in Cheshunt, England, preparing the Hi-Power for production by the Allies.
The Chinese contract was given to theCanadian firm of John Inglis and Company.
The Chinese stipulated that the guns include a wooden shoulder stock-cum-holster similar to that of the C96 Broomhandle.
The Springfield Armory Hellcat is shown on the left. The Browning Hi-Power is on the right. The basic common mechanical philosophy is obvious.
The Broomhandle commanded a rabid following among Chinese troops who affectionately referred to it as the Box Cannon.
A great many of these guns were ultimately diverted for use among Allied troops fighting in Europe.
The first to see action were used during Operation Varsity, the airborne assault across the Rhine in 1944.
Shown with a helmet and replica Stielhandgranate, the P35 Hi-Power was a popular pistol on both sides of World War II.
The Hi-Power came in two broad variants.
The simpler one featured basic fixed sights.
The holster stock featured a web belt hanger.
Mechanical Magic
The beating heart of the Hi-Power is its linkless short recoil operating system.
Most German wartime guns eschewed this feature.
Mr. Saives double-column, single-feed high-capacity magazine is now the accepted standard the world over.
Trigger Time
Brownings Hi-Power is a uniquely delightful tactical handgun.
Ive got big monkey fingers, and the Hi-Power fits me perfectly.
Normal folk do well with the gun as well.
The single-action trigger is quite nice.
The magazine release and thumb safety are right where Mr. Browning put them on the 1911.
Hammers come in both ring and spurred varieties, though the beavertail is a wee bit stingy.
Let your grip get too high, and the Hi-Power can give you a nip to your webspace.
Regardless, the Hi-Power remains my favorite WWII-era pistol.
Ruminations
The Hi-Power was ultimately adopted as the standard service pistol by more than 50 armies.
It has seen widespread use among military and law enforcement agencies in 93 nations.
Muammar Gaddafi died in the company of a gold-plated Hi-Power sporting his likeness on the grips.
Even this deep into the Information Age, the classic Hi-Power remains competitive.
Its apparently perfect linkless action and high-capacity magazine inspired just about everything you see today.
Special thanks towww.worldwarsupply.comfor the replica gear the author used to outfit the period reenactor.
