Manufactured in 1941, a Robert Sears inspected Colt. Blade and flat top notch sights, with the Rampant Colt bisected address and patents on the matching numbered slide, "R.S." stamped frame with "T/VP" and "60" marked trigger guard, short milled trigger, wide hammer, checkered arched mainspring housing, checkered Colt grips (unribbed, reinforced screw holes), "COLT/45 AUTO" marked full blue magazine and a "COLT 45 AUTO" barrel (as is the case with most pre-War issued 1911 A1 pistols). This Colt was the service issued sidearm of Maurice E. Druhl as per his affidavit. Inducted into the Army in 1942, he was issued this pistol during training at the Myrtle Beach Bombing Range, 1943, prior to being posted to the 455th Bomb Squadron, 323rd Bomb Group in England as a B-26 Marauder pilot. His service decorations include the Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal (with 7 Oak Leaf Clusters), Purple Heart, Air Force Commendation Medal and the Presidential Unit Citation. The Silver Star and Purple Heart were awarded for an incident on May 9th, 1944, while flying the lead plane on a strike against a German "Vengeance Weapon" emplacement at St. Omer, France. The emplacement was responsible for firing V-1 "buzz bombs" and was protected by at least 10 emplacements of 88mm anti-aircraft guns. Druhl's article on this mission was awarded First Prize by the B-26 society in 1997. Druhl described the first contact with the flack-it seemed "that all hell was breaking loose". It was the worst explosion he had ever experienced. The first burst smashed his left hand and paralyzed his right arm, cutting his tendons. Druhl goes on to say that the left engine was completely shot out, all hydraulic lines, both main and emergency shot out, the perplex broken and most of the instruments shot away. To top it off the nose section was half gone and the bombsight lay scattered over half of the bombardier's compartment. Druhl told his crew that he would not have them bail out so they would not be captured by the Germans-they made the twenty miles out to the channel, with their wrecked aircraft loosing altitude rapidly. Druhl was the last one out and with great effort he managed to pull the chute, just before he hit the water. The entire crew was successfully recovered from the water. In addition to their official decorations (three Silver Stars and five Purple Hearts), Druhl and his crew were inducted into the Goldfish Club, the Sea Squatters Club, and the Caterpillar Club (as seen in an included display case). During the Battle of the Bulge Druhl's group was awarded the distinguished unit citation. Ending the war at the rank of Major, Druhl retired from the U.S. Air Force Reserve as a Colonel in 1972. Included with the affidavit are copies of pictures of Druhl in and around B-26 bombers, a copy of a Walter Cronkite article about another incident his crew was involved in and copies of correspondence related to the crew's membership in the survivor's clubs, and his 1st place prize article on the Silver Star incident. Also included with the grouping is a brown leather U.S. Boyt 1943 chest rig (hand numbered to match the pistol on the back and signed "Druhl" on the front), a translucent plastic waterproof pistol cover (in the style often associated with Normandy), a case containing a leather patch for the 455th Bomb Squadron (a copy of a note on Colonel Druhl's letterhead discusses the history of the patch, noting it as having been designed by a Disney artist), a silver duck pin, a gold Caterpillar Club pin (for Boyer, one of the crew; his name is on the reverse), and patches for the Goldfish Club (a winged goldfish flying over two blue waves) and the Caterpillar Club (a silver embroidered caterpillar with "CATERPILLAR" on the side on black cloth); not official, the consignor notes that he has handled a number sewn on to their Class A uniforms.

Excellent, with 97% original blue finish, showing some light edge wear and handling marks. Traces of storage grease are present in the protected areas, and some light cycling wear is present on the slide and chamber hood. The grips are also excellent, with some scuffing concentrated around the screws and sharp checkering. The thumb safety is a bit stiff, likely from the aforementioned storage grease, and the pistol is otherwise mechanically excellent. The holster has a detached lower snap and some heavy verdigris buildup, and the plastic cover shows some creasing and tearing. All of the cased insignia is in good shape. A superb group and a top-quality Colt 1911A1 pistol documented to a decorated American Aviator.