© 2023 Cabot Guns All Rights Reserved
To recognize the incredible sacrifices, sheer bravery, dogged determination, and hard-won victory of genuine American heroes that began in the early hours of 6 June 1944, Cabot Guns is proud to present our 80th Anniversary D-Day Tribute Pistols (“D-Day Pistols”).
Please note – these pistols are not for sale
Of Dust from the Ground
In a 12 June 1944 report from the beachhead at Normandy, France, American war correspondent Ernie Pyle described the Allied invasion dubbed “Operation Overlord” as ‘a pure miracle.’ By that time, the fiercest fighting had moved inland, with only ‘occasional sniping, artillery fire, and geysers of brown sand erupting into the air from hidden mines’ reminding the rear guard to be vigilant.
The story of our D-Day Pistols begins with that sand.
These Sands Forge Metal
Cabot founder Robert Bianchin met Ray Rybar, a renowned blacksmith and Vietnam War veteran, at a small event in Ligonier, PA in 2023 and learned that Ray’s uncle had fought at Normandy. As the 80th anniversary of D-Day approached, Ray suggested something incredible: employing a nearly forgotten art that would turn iron ore-rich sand from Normandy’s beaches into steel. His idea included the use of recovered D-Day metals to forge Damascus steel, and to integrate mosaic sections featuring legible written words and iconography, a rare and complex blacksmithing skill.
D-Day refers to the joint military operation in World War II when 156,000 American and Allied forces launched the largest amphibious assault in history on the beaches of Normandy. Army Sergeant John Galla (115th Rifle Company, 29th Division)—Ray Rybar’s uncle—was among the very first fighting troops ashore on D-Day, landing at Omaha Beach.
All Gave Some
From our initial discussion with Ray, it took nearly a year to design, plan, and execute the D-Day Pistols. We believe it is our most important project ever, coming with the realization America desperately needs a tangible and timely reminder of its greatness. There is growing concern that what we have achieved through sacrifice, courage, and collective effort is in danger of being lost. The Spanish-American philosopher and writer, George Santayana, is noted for his prescient warning: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
And thus, remembering and honoring our past, especially moments of American exceptionalism during which we have stood in the breach for the freedom of all mankind and conquered evil, is crucial. It inspires hope and unity, reminding us of what we can achieve together. Without these efforts, our world would be drastically different, and our freedom, as we know it, would be at risk.
The A Team
Although certainly not on the scale of the Allied Forces’ D-Day plan, the D-Day Pistols project nevertheless was a complex undertaking that required Ray to assemble a crack team of experts who could smelt and forge the project’s unique materiel and deliver it to us for machining, the final transformation into the finished D-Day Pistols.
In addition to the precious sand from Normandy’s beaches, we collected a conglomerate of bits and pieces of weapons and gear carried into battle by courageous heroes. The creation of all the project steel required a careful blend of Thompson machine gun and M1 Garand bolts and barrels, web buckles, parachute rings and snaps, bayonets, ship and aircraft parts, and one very special piece of steel taken from the actual helmet worn by Uncle John during the D-Day assault.
Kilroy Was Here
Standing in the shadow of Pike’s Peak, Kilroy’s was selected as ground zero for the initial smelting and forging. The smelting process is nothing short of magical. Ray Rybar transformed several crucibles of sand (iron ore and silica) from both Omaha and Utah Beaches into usable iron ore and steel.
Two century-old power-forging hammers were essential throughout the smelting and forging processes. The first was a Chambersburg (PA) C-Frame utility hammer salvaged from National Tube Steel Works in McKeesport, PA, one of many that supported the war effort in 1944. The second was a Beaudry power forging hammer, made in Boston and retrieved from the Westinghouse Air Brake factory. This hammer also contributed to the war effort, and Uncle John, who returned safely stateside, worked as a Master Machinist there for forty-four years.
Some Gave All
Crafting the Damascus billets to yield legible words and icons was one of the most difficult aspects of the D-Day Pistols project. One term of remembrance featured on the pistols, “some gave all” is especially poignant for service member families. It also resonates deeply for visitors to the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy, France. The cemetery is the final resting place for 9,387 American soldiers and overlooks a now-peaceful Omaha Beach and the English Channel to the west. Most of the soldiers buried there died during the D-Day landings and subsequent operations.
Frank DeVita, a Coast Guard gunner’s mate whose job it was to man the ramp controls on a landing craft made one of the first runs to the beaches on that long-ago morning. Afterward, overcome with shock and fear, he recalls asking himself, ‘Do I want to go back into the belly of the beast?’ Everything in the man screamed, ‘Don’t go!’ But Frank realized if he did not, someone else would. He knew he couldn’t live with it if that person died in his place. So, Gunner’s Mate DeVita braved fourteen more runs to the beaches of Normandy that day.
Many years later, when asked if he thought about D-Day much, Frank answered in a soft voice, “I relive D-Day every day of my life.” He wanted to make sure the interviewer understood. “I’m not a hero,” Frank said. “I am a survivor. Those 9,400 kids in Normandy American Cemetery – those kids are heroes.”
We highly recommend watching Frank DeVita’s full interview, which can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leeB5EoQcIs.
The D-Day Pistols
Our motivation for this project drove us to assemble a team comprised of some of the finest steel creators and Damascus artists in America to forge two unique 1911 pistols that would capture the spirit of our brave fighting forces and forever pay tribute to those who selflessly answered when called to enter “the belly of the beast” on D-Day.
Using the smelted sand from Omaha and Utah beaches, and the assorted metal artifacts from D-Day, this amazing team forged these materials into metal bars using the same 100-year-old forging hammers that American workers used during World War II. This unique steel was then forged and reforged into 49 to 70 layers of Damascus steel, with legible sections reading: ALL GAVE SOME, SOME GAVE ALL, 6 JUNE 1944 D-DAY, US PARATROOPER with the silver parachute and wings badge, and RANGER. This extraordinary blacksmithing achievement is both a technical and artistic triumph.
It’s important for us to note that this wasn’t an engraving process. These meaningful words and icons are an elemental aspect of the steel itself. The fact that they appear reversed on one side of the slide but are clearly legible on the other demonstrates how they are an integral, embedded feature of the steel’s composition. On the other hand, the Damascus used for all four grips was forged so that the words and icons would be clear and legible for each panel.
SN: 6-JUNE-1944
SN: D-DAY-1944
Final Orders
One D-Day Pistol will be sold, with one hundred percent of the proceeds contributed directly to veteran charities. The “trial” pistol will be displayed for educational purposes and a remembrance of the heroes of D-Day, and in the spirit of George Santayana’s fervent warning, make effort to prevent “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” May the sands of a foreign shore never be collected to pay tribute to fallen warriors ever again.
We, the humble craftsmen of America, dedicate these pistols to the brave men and women who served. We remember.
Acknowledgments
Blacksmithing
Master ABS Smith Ray Rybar with the assistance and contribution of blacksmiths and patriots, Nick Meyer, Javier H. Arellano, Tony Immordino, Kyrie Schroetlin, Max Harder, and Stanley Yee. Ron Hardman of Kilroy’s Workshop, Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Case
Retired Navy SEAL, Jimmy Hintzke, and the team at Valhalla’s Forge.
Normandy Relics and Artifacts
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the many who contributed cherished relics and mementos to make the D-Day Pistols a reality. Although, for security reasons, we cannot include the full list, it includes the good people at the National Museum of WWII Aviation in Colorado Springs, CO, from whom we obtained Normandy beach sand, plane and ship parts, rivets, and springs, to name a few items.
Veterans and patriots, many of whom had direct connections with those who stormed the beaches on D-Day, include Ray Rybar’s cousin, John Galla, Jr. whose father (John Sr.) wore the helmet during the June 6th assault and from which a cherished piece of steel was donated.
When veterans across the country learned of our project (many by word of mouth), they selflessly offered their own artifacts and mementos. The generosity and patriotism of these donors provided what we needed to complete the D-Day Pistols project. These included a trove of relics, including 20mm shell cases, paratrooper snaps and buckles, M3 daggers, and steel barrels and bolts from Thompson machine guns and M1 Garand rifles, as well as shoe polish cans full of Normandy beach sand, ship parts from troop carriers, and even a full T9 paratrooper harness. Cabot also obtained several certified authentic relics from the D-Day invasion for the project.
Jeep
Special thanks to Pat Koestner for allowing us to film with his jeep. It features the unit number for his Uncle Steve Bartha who landed D-Day+ 6 with the 3rd Army, 83rd Infantry Division, I Company.
Ron Finch – Jeweler
Thank to to Ron for taking the time to smelt used brass from Normandy and cast it into the Brass Bead front sights for both pistols.
North Texas Military Heritage Collection
Thank you to the Military Heritage Collection in Nevada TX for allowing us to spend 3 days filming with their artifacts and location.
Cabot Gunsmiths & Machinists
Our own craftsmen at Cabot Guns are honored beyond imagination to have participated in this tribute to the brave heroes that fought bravely against evil. While we humbly withhold our names we collectively view this as the most monumental efforts of our collective careers.
Additional Acknowledgments
Stephen Parker
Michael Dunne
Interested in your own Cabot Custom? Call 855-THE-1911 or fill out the form below to begin.
© 2023 Cabot Guns All Rights Reserved