Quote:
Originally Posted by Lang
I think the Army has very little use for pistols these days but I suppose a pistol is better than trying to stick someone with a bayonet from 2 metres.
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In my experience in three hostile environments, pistols are the preferred sidearm for low possibility conflicts. Rifles have a clear and definate place, but having a sidearm does give the soldier a means of protection when all else fails. Vehicle crews almost always had handguns.
The camp in AFG where I was had several distinct armed classes. The Canadians were always armed and carrying live ammo. The Americans had their rifles, but no ammo. The Brits had neither. The Aussies had their version of the Steyr AUG and Browning, but I forget whether they had ammo or not. The Dutch were unarmed and longhaired. The French had their FAMAS rifles and fashionable sidearms. Some Danes carried their early SIGs (those were not the same ones who wore sandals and shorts, and road bicycles).