Great stories here guys !
My Dad was able to acquire a Luger temporarily . He served as a machine gunner (water cooled 30) in the 7th Inf. Rgt. of the 3rd Infantry Division 1944-45 . As he told the story ,(and he did not like to talk much of his experiances) , they were in action somewhere in the Colmar Pocket area of France . He said they had caught and engaged the Germans as they were pulling out of a small village . He and his MG crew went into some sort of gymnasium/auditorium type building and it was full of German backpacks all lined up Dress-Right-Dress . He said they didn't have much time but started going through some of the packs, he was hoping to find a set of German Binoculors. Instead he found a Luger and a sock full of bullets. As he was doing this he said they could see the Germans through the window outside running around and all hell was breaking loose so they had to get out PDQ !
After the action was over he said he tagged the pistol with his name and turned it in to the Company Cook who put the pistol in the Company Chest . This in tured may have saved his life since he was no longer in posession of the gun when on March 15 , 1945 in the German town of Uttweiller, and during a fierce counter attack by elements of the German 17th SS Division ,Dads battalion was virtually wiped out and he and the survivors were taken Prisoner Of War . So Thank God he didn't have that pistol on him when those SS guys captured him !
Fast forward to 1995 . For Dads birthday I bought 1916 DWM matching along with a box of ammo which I put in a woolen sock and presented it to him , Telling him " Here ya go Dad I found your Luger !" The smile on his face was priceless !
Dad passed in 1998 .
Thank you for letting me share with you this story of My Dad , Cpl. John Thomas Grear ,and His Luger.
Shawn
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