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World War I had broken out in Europe in 1914. In hindsight, it was only a matter of time until the United States was drawn into the war. America entered on the side of the Allies on April 6, 1917. At that time, apparently without any actual analysis, Ordnance believed that Colt “…would be able to take care of the entire pistol program….” However, the new conditions of trench warfare caused military planners to increase the distribution of sidearms. At first, 10% were to be armed with the 1911, then, up to 60%. Eventually, up to 72% of front-line troops were authorized to carry pistols as well as rifles.

The United States was not prepared to achieve this kind of pistol production. Because of the need for more rifles, Springfield Armory stopped pistol production during 1916 and 1917. (It did resume Model 1911 production in 1918, after the use of the 1917 Enfield had eased the need for 1903 Springfield rifles.)

In 1917, Colt delivered pistols at a monthly rate of about 9000 guns. In 1918, production increased from about 11,000 to a monthly peak of over 45,000 by the end of the war. This was not enough.