Manufactured in 1942 as part of an American military contract, many of these pistols are known to have been retained following World War II and issued as sidearms to newly promoted Brigadier Generals. This example, according to information provided by the consignor, comes from the family of one "General Douglass", and is so marked on the included box, with records in Brunner's "Colt Pocket Hammerless Automatic Pistols" including one "R.W. Douglas(sic) Jr" as the recipient of an unspecified Colt 380. Notes from the consignor identify Douglass (also spelled Douglas and Dauglass in different provided materials) as Robert Wilkins Douglass Junior, an Army/Air Force officer who retired at the rank of Major General. Born in Tennessee in 1900, Douglass was a 1922 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, spending time as an infantry officer before being accepted into the Army aviation program in 1924. Flying with pursuit squadrons in Michigan and the Panama Canal Zone, he was tapped for instructor and staff positions with the Army Air Corps. In the lead up to World War II, he alternated between pursuit and reconnaissance duties, including stints at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii and observer duty in England. At the start of the conflict he was operations officer for the Third Air Force, and during the war he would sit on the Permanent Joint Board on Defense of Canada and the U.S., head up the Seventh Fighter Command out of Hawaii (which was responsible for airfield defense and long-range escort of American bombers during the Marshall Island Campaign), and command the Seventh Air Force (which was a crucial hub of Allied airborne logistics, as well as seeing action from the Gilbert Islands right through the Battle of Okinawa). After the war he worked with the Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, became Chief of Staff of U.S. Air Forces in Europe, commander or acting commander of two Numbered Air Forces, and was the senior Air Force representative on both the Joint Mexico/U.S. Defense Commission and the Joint Brazil/U.S. Defense Commission. During his career he earned the rank of Major General, the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit and the Distinguished Flying Cross. Retiring in 1957, Douglass joined the private sector as a representative for United Aircraft International, parent company of Pratt & Whitney and Sikorski, major players in American jet engine and helicopter development, before retiring again in 1967. General Douglass passed away in 1976 at age 76. Overall features are standard, with a high polish Colt blue finish, a "U.S. PROPERTY" mark on the right side of the frame (no crossed cannons or inspector marks), a set of checkered Colt medallion grips and a two-tone magazine. Included with the lot is the aforementioned brown Kraft box, which is hand-numbered to match the pistol, an instruction sheet and a barrel brush. Among the papers included by the consignor are the General's USAF biography, an assortment of public information on the General's assorted commands, and two books; Air Mobility - A Brief History of the American Experience by Robert Owen and Air Commando One - Heinie Anderholt and America's Secret Air Wars by Warren Trest.

Excellent plus with 99% of the original blue finish, showing some light handling marks overall, a few dings on the front strap, and bright wear along the leading edges. The grips are also excellent, with a few dings on the crisp checkering. Some light scuffs and split edges are present on the numbered Kraft box. Mechanically excellent.