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Mark · 04-05-2001, 06:00 PM

A friend (now deceased) who I used to work with and was a WW2 vet, told me they were allowed to bring home one pistol if declared and issued capture papers. He had captured 2 pistols, a 1937 S/42 with holster, tool and 2 (unmatched) mags and a real late PPK. He declared the Luger and brought it home with him and hired a buddy to declare the PPK which he retreived once they hit the US shore. He captured the Luger somewhere in Belgium, under a mattress in a hotel, which the Germans had just fled from. He was in an artillery unit in the 4rd Armored Division, Patton's Third Army. I don't remember the story on the PPK. He also had a fine German Drilling which he kept behind the seat of the truck he drove in Europe, but someone found it and broke the stock on it so he threw it away. More likely the stock broke from banging around in the truck, but he was convinced someone did that.

He did give me a story where a captured P-38 played a part. Right near the wars end, his unit had come upon a Concentration Camp, location unknown but I believe in the southeast part of Germany in or near Chechoslovakia, and got to see the horror close up and it no doubt strongly affected the members of his unit. Shortly thereafter his unit came upon an SS soldier who surrendered or was captured by them. The emotions were running quite high and while the SS man had his hands up a number of American troops began firing at the ground at the German's feet. Naturally, he took off running whereupon the whole unit in attendance opened up on him. While laying dead on the ground, a soldier walked up to the SS man, drew a P-38, and administered a coup de gras in his head, exploding it like a watermelon (his words).

This vet also told me he had collected a huge bag of German ammo during his travels. He said they were told they could not bring ammo home so he had to dispose of it. He said he found an outhouse, and after staring into the hole for a looooooooooong time, he finally dropped the cherished bag down into the **** where it disappeared.

04-05-2001, 06:00 PM	#12
Mark Banned Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 48 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Mailing war trophies home...#2 A friend (now deceased) who I used to work with and was a WW2 vet, told me they were allowed to bring home one pistol if declared and issued capture papers. He had captured 2 pistols, a 1937 S/42 with holster, tool and 2 (unmatched) mags and a real late PPK. He declared the Luger and brought it home with him and hired a buddy to declare the PPK which he retreived once they hit the US shore. He captured the Luger somewhere in Belgium, under a mattress in a hotel, which the Germans had just fled from. He was in an artillery unit in the 4rd Armored Division, Patton's Third Army. I don't remember the story on the PPK. He also had a fine German Drilling which he kept behind the seat of the truck he drove in Europe, but someone found it and broke the stock on it so he threw it away. More likely the stock broke from banging around in the truck, but he was convinced someone did that. He did give me a story where a captured P-38 played a part. Right near the wars end, his unit had come upon a Concentration Camp, location unknown but I believe in the southeast part of Germany in or near Chechoslovakia, and got to see the horror close up and it no doubt strongly affected the members of his unit. Shortly thereafter his unit came upon an SS soldier who surrendered or was captured by them. The emotions were running quite high and while the SS man had his hands up a number of American troops began firing at the ground at the German's feet. Naturally, he took off running whereupon the whole unit in attendance opened up on him. While laying dead on the ground, a soldier walked up to the SS man, drew a P-38, and administered a coup de gras in his head, exploding it like a watermelon (his words). This vet also told me he had collected a huge bag of German ammo during his travels. He said they were told they could not bring ammo home so he had to dispose of it. He said he found an outhouse, and after staring into the hole for a looooooooooong time, he finally dropped the cherished bag down into the **** where it disappeared.