Relics of War

[Riomouse911]

My maternal Grandfather and paternal Great Unvle both served during WWII, but neither saw combat so they were some of the lucky ones.

Grandfather was a Lieutenant in the Marine Corps, and was stationed for the duration on Kodiak Island in Alaska waiting for a Japanese invasion that never materialized. He mustered out in 1945 and was able to keep his .45 service pistol. I saw and held the gun several times, but I never shot it and I have no idea where it may be (he passed away in August of 1990).

My Great Uncle was a 44 year-old Scottish immigrant who went to an enlistment office after Dec 7, 1941 and signed up for the Army. He convinced the Army folks that somebody needed to type up the forms and handle clerk duties, so they took him. He graduated boot camp and served in a few stateside posts as a private until he, too mustered out in 1945. He didn’t keep anything other than his uniform.

I do recall a family in the city I started my career in calling our office, they found a crate hidden in the attic after both Grandparents died. That crate held two unfired Japanese Type 99 machine guns and all the fixin’s.

Stay safe.

 

[PWC]

Vicksburg Battlefield in early 1960s was a beautifuly maintained monument to both sides that fought there.

Along the edges of the fields there were gullies eroded by rain and digging thru the Kudzu to the ground would often find un marred minie balls, or some that had hit something and got mashed. All were coated in white lead oxide. Sometimes sharks teeth would also wash out of the ground. The Vicksburg Battlefield is on a high bluff overlooking the Mississippi River; so how deep was the water to make "it" the bottom of an ocean where dead sharks lay?

 

[tark]

What happened to them? In storage, dispersed to othThey were all either sent to other army er collections, sold, stolen, scrapped?

They were sent to other museums or put into storage, at Anniston Army Depot. The Dept. of Defense owns the weapons and they will never be sold, or destroyed. They are safe and in good hands....just not OUR hands.

Damn it!

 

[mavracer]

I was looking into turning my broke stock generic 03A3 into a 03A4 and while researching the Gibbs reproduction scope and mount I ran across a story on Snipershide the guy had his FIL's 03A4 that he had in Vietnam in the early days and I guess it was pretty common to replace the M84 with whatever commercial scopes were available. His FIL had put a Weaver K4-60b on his and had a good story so when I remembered I had a functional K4 60b I copied his gun. Wish I could find a link to the story, here's a pic of his with the Luger he liberated from a VC officer.

Nice thing is the Weaver is a huge step up from the M84 repos for shooting.
Here's mine pictured with my Car and, M12 trench copy, Mossberg 44US and M1 Carbine

 

[Outlaw75]

My boss had an Arisaka. And he was a battleship sailor.

My father was on a Navy air crew and he had an Arisaka. Too bad I never got the story from him on how that happened.

He also walked out of the gate at Norfolk with his discharge papers in one hand and a Navy S&W Model 10 in his sea bag. But that's a long story....

 

[redneck2]

Growing up I had a neighbor that flew a dive bomber in the Pacific. I ended up with the Colt 1911that was his carry weapon. Few years ago I gave it to my best friend’s son. It’s in nearly new condition

 

[Speedo66]

My grandfather saw combat in France in WWI, as a very young kid I asked him what he did in the war, told me he fought with bears. I remember a small brass decorated artillery shell, polished, scalloped edges and engraving, used as a flower vase in my grandmother’s house, but I think that was it for souvenirs.

My father was Army infantry in WWII, in some very serious stuff, Hurtgen Forest, Roer River, Battle of the Bulge, etc. No talk about it, would not go shooting with me. My mother said he suffered from “battle fatigue” when he first came home. Fortunately, it did not last long.

I was in the Army reserves during the Viet Nam era, did basic training and AIT, plus four days active duty for, of all things, a postal strike in NYC. Thankfully, other than that, my unit was never called up. No souvenirs except for my field jacket, which was very popular civilian wear at that time.

 

[Jim Watson]

For real relics, I have seen posts on TFL about digs at dumps on disused bases in England. Brass and rusty tools and parts are highly thought of.

 

[12Bravo20]

While stationed in Baumholder Germany from Jan 92 to Dec 94 we would find all kinds of stuff. The base was riddled with tunnels that the Nazis built during WWII. We once found an old bunker and inside were a few Nazi daggers. We were not allowed to keep them since anything with swastikas is illegal to possess in Germany. And it was not uncommon to run across old bombs and artillery shells on a regular basis. Sometimes my unit (combat engineer battalion) would deal with that stuff or an EOD team would deal with it.

 

[Madcap_Magician]

Not my war or my relic, but I got this 1942 Colt 1911A1 and the Enger-Kress tanker holster from the daughter and son-in-law of the man who carried it, an Army captain named Eugene Kane who carried it in the Philippines in 1943.

 

[Mosin77]

My grandpa was a cook in WWII, European theater. He was not into guns and didn’t bring any home but he did bring knives, German officer caps (sadly the moths got to them) Nazi flags, etc.

My uncle was stationed in the Pacific and used to tell me stories about the mud in New Guinea. I guess at one point supplies were cut off and his unit subsisted on chocolate bars for an entire month. He never cared for chocolate after that. Don’t know if he brought anything home souvenir wise but I doubt it.

 

[stonebuster]

My father dropped out of his freshman year at college to enlist after Pearl Harbor. He island hopped through the South Pacific islands and Philippines in the army infantry. He didn't bring back any guns and he didn't ever say much about the war. He did bring back boar tusk bracelets the natives in New Guinea would make for the GIs carved like snakes with their girlfriends names on them. My dad gave me some things like this when I was just a kid too young to appreciate them and they're long gone now. Makes me sick to think about it. He brought back a Samurai sword he said he won in a poker game on a troop ship that I still have and his purple heart he said he got "by cutting his finger on a beer can." Later I found out during a shelling he was knocked unconscious covered with blood, covered up and carted away as dead in the heat of the battle ciaos and came to on the stretcher later. My F-I-L was parachuting into Europe at 17 yrs old for the extra $40/month he got for being a jumper(infantry). He brought back German Lugers, iron crosses, German SA dagger(I have) and bayonets most of which he traded at an armory for hunting equipment. It seems most of these vets didn't value their souvenirs much.

 

[stonebuster]

My grandpa was a cook in WWII, European theater. He was not into guns and didn’t bring any home but he did bring knives, German officer caps (sadly the moths got to them) Nazi flags, etc.

My uncle was stationed in the Pacific and used to tell me stories about the mud in New Guinea. I guess at one point supplies were cut off and his unit subsisted on chocolate bars for an entire month. He never cared for chocolate after that. Don’t know if he brought anything home souvenir wise but I doubt it.

Dad spent time in New Guinea too in the 172nd 43rd Div. and they fed them so much mutton my father would cuss up a storm every time mom made lamb.

 

[Armybrat]

Grandfather was a Lieutenant in the Marine Corps, and was stationed for the duration on Kodiak Island in Alaska waiting for a Japanese invasion that never materialized. He mustered out in 1945 and was able to keep his .45 service pistol. I saw and held the gun several times, but I never shot it and I have no idea where it may be (he passed away in August of 1990).

My Dad was stationed at Fort Richardson, Alaska prior to Pearl Harbor (my brother was born there), and participated in the Aleutian Campaign in 1943. He was CO of the 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry that landed at Massacre Bay on Attu that May.
A few weeks later he scrounged a Type 94 Nambu pistol & holster from a dead Japanese officer.
He took the last two pictures after the Attu fight was over.

 

[Riomouse911]

My Dad was stationed at Fort Richardson, Alaska prior to Pearl Harbor (my brother was born there), and participated in the Aleutian Campaign in 1943. He was CO of the 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry that landed at Massacre Bay on Attu that May.
A few weeks later he scrounged a Type 94 Nambu pistol & holster from a dead Japanese officer.
He took the last two pictures after the Attu fight was over.
View attachment 1160669 View attachment 1160670 View attachment 1160671

From what I have read, that was a brutal campaign. After Dutch Harbor was bombed and the islands were initially taken my Grandfather told me their commanders really expected Kodiak was to be up for invasion. The toughness of those who retook Attu and Kiska ended the threat. I always respected the fact that my Grandfather never added to his WW II story. He fully admitted that merely by the luck of the draw he was more of a spectator than an actual combatant, and he always held those who did go over the sides and into battle with very high esteem.

Men just like your Father really did fight to save the world a we know it. We all owe a huge debt to the memory of those who fell, those who fought and later passed, and the very, very few who still are with us today.

Stay safe.

 

[JWF III]

I had a professor in college who was a wealth of knowledge. He was a very kind and generous man who could seriously tell a story. County historian, owner and caretaker of multiple historic buildings and interesting items. He was the kind of guy made a big deal over things gifted to him, whether they were valuable or not, he didn’t care about the monetary side at all, he was a sucker for the story. He once read us a letter from a local resident who described in detail how the local girls would swoon over the union officers and were quite skilled at leaving them with a lot less money than they started off with. The letter gave very clear description of where the camp was usually located. So me and a couple buddies borrowed some metal detectors and went there right after the combines got out of the soybeans. We dug up a few minnieballs and a single French coin. We ran them through my ammo tumbler and then encased them in a clear polyurethane and presented him his gift with an interesting letter from a ticked off union sympathizing hooker that got duped by a heavy coin purse.

Sadly the gentleman is slowly but surely succumbing to age. He is still around, but he is not quite the man he once was. He still gets a glimmer in his eyes though when I see him and get him fired up about some of the local stuff. He’s a good friend of several family members, I need to take him an apple fritter.

You probably don’t need to be told, but cherish his friendship. Get as many stories as you can from him to pass on to later generations. If that is what it takes, I’d take him an apple fritter every couple weeks. Just for the stories.

Wyman

 

[Gladius]

My dad was a tanker in the 3rd Army (11th AD). He saw action at The Bulge and the invasion of Germany, ending up in Austria at the end of the war. He brought home several war trophy items, including a few guns. He brought home a pristine, still in the cosmoline 98K (by Gustloff Werke) that I still have. He also brought home a .22-caliber "target rifle" which he got rid of because, as he said, it "vented gas right in my face whenever I shot it". He also claimed to have brought home a rare Luftwaffe Drilling, but what became of it is a bit of a mystery (possibly stolen by a shady in-law? No one knows. I never saw it, so I have no idea). He also brought home a Luger, which he later sold upon becoming a deputy sheriff in order to afford a S&W .38 revolver (he didn't want to carry a "Nazi gun", and besides, it was very unreliable with American ammo, which, at the time, was notoriously underpowered). He figured he'd always get another one, as they were a dime a dozen at the time (sadly, this never happen). Apparently, while in Theater, he had several "trophy" handguns -- Walthers, Lugers, etc. He actually carried a CZ27 as a backup piece (he was rather impressed by the little pistol). Before he headed back to the US, a general order came out saying that any GI found trying to take more than one handgun home would be court martialed, so dad gave away most of his loot to other soldiers. He was quite upset when he made it all the way back home and his duffel bag was never checked.
Dad had plenty of other stories to tell of the guns he saw in theater. He mentioned finding a German army rifle which had been made in America -- he said it was an older pattern, but I was unable to confirm what it may have been. He also remembered watching as numerous rifles and machine guns were placed under the treads of tanks and destroyed. He told me about one sergeant in his unit who collected several German military rifles which he then cut to pieces, saving only the actions so he could take them home and rebuild them into hunting rifles. And, of course, dad was part of the unit that captured the Walther factory at Zella-Mehlis. He remembered seeing several GI's carrying gold-plated and engraved pistols -- sadly, he was a little too late, so he didn't get anything.
There were several things my dad could talk about, including a few times he saw combat. He was less forthcoming about the times he witnessed fellow GI's being wounded or killed. And there was only one thing he never spoke of -- Mauthausen. Dad's unit helped liberate the concentration camp there. After his death my mother told me a few things -- a very few things -- he told her about the place, including seeing bodies piled like cord wood and the pervasive stench...

 

[Carl N. Brown]

There were machneguns brought back in WWII with legal bring back papers.
A lot of families of veterans don't know that, and assume any found machinegun in a veteran's estate is contraband.
Even if the gun is not legal, it is best to have a saavy lawyer handle it even if it ends up surrendered as contraband.
And if the gun is legally papered, check the prices on legally papered machoneguns. It can end up a major asset to the estate.

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

Dad spent time in New Guinea too in the 172nd 43rd Div. and they fed them so much mutton my father would cuss up a storm every time mom made lamb.

Lamb was banned from our household for the same reason.
My Dad was in the Navy on LST's and an LSD,and my Father in Law was in the Army. Both were in the Pacific. When the wife and I were in the "dating" phase we both ordered lamb at a restaurant once and came to find out both of our Fathers hated lamb and wouldn't allow it in the house.

 

[LimaCharlie]

My ex-father-in-law was an Army armorer during WWII. My ex-wife told me about two military guys coming to their door in the late 1950s looking for an M1 Garand with a specific serial number. Her father got it out of a back closet and gave it to the men. They thanked him and left.

 

[DustyGmt]

I've read every post in this thread, awesome thread, awesome stories. It affirms something I've always known, American Soldiers of all branches, color and creed are super hardcore...

The guys who came home and said nothing of the war, I think I understand. My great grandfather never really said much of war, or much of anything really. He really didn't look like much sitting in his recliner with a crochet blanket over bottom half, but when we and all the cousins came for a visit, my great grandma would get right after us for making too much noise because he had been through it all in war, that much was obvious. It would put my grandpa on edge. After the alzheimers we couldn't go there anymore.

He loved to just be there observing all the men in the family playing poker while they ate my grams Chili con carne....... Only time I think I saw him smile...

 

[Armybrat]

There were machneguns brought back in WWII with legal bring back papers.
A lot of families of veterans don't know that, and assume any found machinegun in a veteran's estate is contraband.
Even if the gun is not legal, it is best to have a saavy lawyer handle it even if it ends up surrendered as contraband.
And if the gun is legally papered, check the prices on legally papered machoneguns. It can end up a major asset to the estate.

My Dad brought back from France in 1945 an FN copy of the BAR that looked just like this one. My granddad plugged the chamber with a thin piece of brass so it would be “legal”. Dad had a paper from the FBI that it was a DEWAT. I used to drag it out and play Army with it when we lived at Jefferson Barracks in St.Louis.
We donated it to the Military Museum at Camp Mabry in Austin almost 20 years ago, but they had never put it on display when we checked about 10 years ago. They said it was still in their vault along with a lot of other guns. I think it was in 7.9mm caliber.

 

[herrwalther]

While stationed in Baumholder Germany from Jan 92 to Dec 94 we would find all kinds of stuff. The base was riddled with tunnels that the Nazis built during WWII. We once found an old bunker and inside were a few Nazi daggers. We were not allowed to keep them since anything with swastikas is illegal to possess in Germany. And it was not uncommon to run across old bombs and artillery shells on a regular basis. Sometimes my unit (combat engineer battalion) would deal with that stuff or an EOD team would deal with it.

I work at a Veteran's nursing home and we have just a handful of WWII veterans left. One flew thirty bombing missions over Germany between February and April of 1945. A few months ago when he was still lucid, sadly the Alzheimer's has stripped him of conversational ability, he handed me a typed copy of all his mission notes. Several of the towns I visited as I base hopped my way through Europe were in his bombing runs in 1945. It just floored him that we have bases there now. He, like many other, don't mention any souvenirs. At least not to me.

 

[12Bravo20]

I work at a Veteran's nursing home and we have just a handful of WWII veterans left. One flew thirty bombing missions over Germany between February and April of 1945. A few months ago when he was still lucid, sadly the Alzheimer's has stripped him of conversational ability, he handed me a typed copy of all his mission notes. Several of the towns I visited as I base hopped my way through Europe were in his bombing runs in 1945. It just floored him that we have bases there now. He, like many other, don't mention any souvenirs. At least not to me.

Please make sure to save all those notes and share them. I do believe that there are organizations that will help make those notes public for everyone to see.

I can fully understand why my great uncles and my uncle never talked about stuff since I don't like to talk about my time in combat either. Most of us will open up to other vets but not to family and friends that never served. So when someone does share their stories it is important to try to record or save them.

 

[Old Dog]

My paternal grandfather, an immigrant from England, enlisted in the Royal Canadian Army in 1916; he fought with the 3rd Battalion (the Queen's Own Rifles -- the most distinguished unit -- of the CEF. Wounded twice, involved in some of the most intense action of the war.
.

Dad was a WWII era Sailor, recalled for Korea as well. Didn't bring back any firearms, alas.


Grandpa kept only one gun after he returned from the war. An octagonal barreled Stevens single shot .22 LR, passed on to Dad (much better condition than this stock photo, bluing was perfect).


I have a lot of great photos and memories of good stories, but sadly, no one in my family brought back an relics.