Even with Europe embroiled in World War 1 (1914-1918), local serial production of the Kongsberg Colt was limited in the early going as Norway remained officially neutral. The Norwegian Navy became the first users of the Colt gun in 1915 when an initial 400-strong batch arrived from Colt USA. Local Norwegian production added numbers in 1916 and another Colt batch followed in 1917. Production ramped up in 1918 (with some minor changes introduced). It is worth noting that early production forms were incorrectly marked as Model 1912s, this addressed in the production of 1918. Previous models were then rounded up and corrected to follow suit.
The Kongsberg Colt continued in service throughout the interwar years. However, only some 22,000 units were in circulation at the time of the German invasion of Norway as part of World War 2 (1939-1945). The invasion began on April 9th, 1940 and resulted in the formal German occupation of the nation. The country would not be liberated until May 8th, 1945.
As was the case with other useful weapons (and their production facilities) falling to the Germans during the European campaign, the Kongsberg Colt was pressed into service by its conqueror. This practice created a rather efficient use of local manufacture and existing material stocks which served the occupying forces quite well - freeing up much-needed, frontline war goods to German and Axis forces fighting along active fronts. The Kongsberg Colt, in German nomenclature, therefore became the "Pistole 657(n)" - the "n" signifying its Norwegian origins. All other facets of the design were largely retained though late-war versions began appearing with German inspection markings and overall war time production netted an additional 8,200 guns to the line. As there proved a heightened commitment to Krag-Jorgensen rifles for a time, no Kongsberg Colts were produced from 1943 to 1944.
In all, only 32,874 Kongsberg Colts are reported to have been produced, making the series an extreme rarity in today's collector's market.
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