[OldSmaj]

The "Ruby" pistol is the result of France's desperate need for arms...

Yeah, they needed something to throw down as they ran from the enemy.

You wouldn't expect them to drop their cheese or wine, would you?

[BenLurkin]

.32 seems awfully light for combat?

[LibWhacker]

Too bad they melted them all down to make little flowery
knick-knacks.

[buffaloguy]

French population in 1914 = 40 million
Dead combatants in WWI = 1.39 million
Wounded 4.5 million

A very high price.

Valiant fighters.

[Nailbiter]

the difference between having something to fight with and nothing, I will take the .32 over nothing,

[trebb]

I have an old Browning Belgique .32 (actually says “Belgique” vs. “Belgium”) that my Dad gave my wife about 25 years ago. Little bit loose but fine for a bedside insurance plan.

[Billthedrill]

Better than nothing, maybe, but not a great deal. The author describes some difficulty in keeping the groups within 10 inches at 25 yards, which restricts the combat profile of the thing pretty severely. Even in trench warfare that's pretty close. More problematic is the reported tendency not to go bang when the trigger is pulled. At that point accuracy isn't an issue.

The United States outsourced 1911 production prior to WWII with some interesting results. The Singer Sewing Machine company made around 500 of them - nice collector's pieces today if you can find one - and the Union Switch and Signal Company produced about 55,000, and Remington Rand (the typewriter company) about 875,000. Production at the latter was halted on several occasions when the production models' "interchangeable" parts weren't, which seems to be an issue with multiple manufacturers that the Ruby had in abundance.

I have only this to say about service in WWI: be glad it wasn't you.