OK, Sheepherder here goes:
The Chaplin and his driver are in southern Germany in the last weeks of April 1945. Nobody is shooting at each other, both sides know the war is over. A truck, with troops, is pulled over to the side and they stop. A group of Germans were coming out of the woods to surrender. No shots fired.
The Chaplin related this story to his wife: "it was nothing to worry about, since it was happening all the time". He got out of the jeep to watch the situation. As the group came near, one of the Germans saw the "Cross" on his uniform and started to cry. The German was a senior NCO. He took the pistol out of the holster, dropped the magazine and threw it down into the ditch. He then cleared the weapon and handed it to the Chaplin.
He, while crying, related he thought he would never live to see the end of the war. He had seen and endured too much. The Chaplin related he completely broke down. The NCO stated he went to the eastern front in the summer of 1940. He was there until a few months before. He never believed he would ever have a full life.
The soldiers had them strip down and the NCO handed the holster to the Chaplin. He put the pistol and holster in the Jeep and continued on.
That's the story of the holster and the S/42, 1938, #213 that was in it.
Shake Rag
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