Finally, Pate points out that out that 7193 Commandos went to the OSS, 5602 to various Military Intelligence/Counter-Intelligence organizations and 1814 to the Navy. Those would account for somewhere between 25-30% of production.
This is sort of the point I'm trying to make and probably wasn't clear about. Just because it was shipped to somewhere military, doesn't automatically mean it was used by the US Military. At this time everything was under the control of the Govt. So when you see something shipped to a Armory, even a main US Armory for example Augusta, you cannot automatically assume just because it was shipped to the Armory means it was used by the US military. I don't know Pate's research or where he got his info from, or when he did it. But I have a large portion of the National Archives on my hard drive. So I've seen a lot of the documents on how the weapons were shipped and distributed from arsenals.
So your comment here about the ones sent to the military counter intelligence organization, one might assume that means they were used by the US Military. But when you read the docs on that shipment, that really wasn't their intended use. Their intended used was for a task force of Allied soldiers. So they just as likely ended up in the hands of a British soldier as they did in the hands of a American. That is why in 1945 Army Ordnance stated so few were used by the US military
This is not my area of study, but I spent about 10 to 15 minutes reading some of the docs on these shipments on the Commandos. You would have to follow all the docs and put everything in order to say 100% for sure what happened, but it does not appear even all those ones going to the Intelligence were shipped. The docs in 1945 show only partial orders arrived from that contract. Then the ones that did could have ended up in allied hands.
On the 1800 to the US Navy, I'm seeing stuff that makes me really wonder on that shipment as well. The docs are talking about the fact that the Navy got that Colt contract but later couldn't get them because of shortages, so S&W filled the orders.
Again, I don't know Pate's research, or when he got it. A substantial amount of the docs I have found is because technology has improved. I can go in with a digital camera and copy 5000 pages a day. So I can go through really quick and copy docs, and then read them at my leisure at home. Back in the day researchers had to go in and read the docs in a little cubicle and for the 5000 I can go through in a day, it would take them weeks to read there. Also new docs are released all the time at the Archives and made public.
I have no desire to research this topic, it's not my thing. But this appears to be a topic that I think someone could research and find out new info on. At least from the limited amount of docs I just read on my hard drive, comparing them to what I have seen stated in this post. I just see things that are contradicting to each other.
My only really point on this post was, just don't assume because something shipped to a military location, would automatically mean it was to be used by the US Military. Because most of the time, that was not their intended use, especially on these pistols. Everything I read in the docs make me think the ones that actually were used by US Military personal were pretty rare.
Which is what I had seen Tuna say, and I just wanted to say everything I am seeing written on these pistols from the Archives is backing up his statements.
I hope you can keep on researching it and find more info on it.