Guns of our Fathers

[Thor]

Ed, what is the status of your compilation of Luger stories. I sent you the story of my Dad as an Infantryman in WWII called "Lucky's Lugers". By the way, my dad wrote a book about his experiences in the miltary, but he left out a lot of combat sequences (that he later shared with me). It is basically in manuscript (unpublished form) I look forward to reading all the other stories you find out about Ed.

[Edward Tinker]

I havenâ??t received any other stories in probably six months, and since I have been busy on other projects, haven't tried very hard in asking for stories. So far it is 72 pages (in Microsoft Publisher format) and I want to transfer it to adobe or some other medium that is easier to read across all spectrums of the computer world. {{ADMIN: I now have the capability to do so}}

So, anyone with stories about guns or items your Dad, Grandfather, Uncle, friend, or a pretty good confirmed story, send it to me along with any pictures, either digital or hard copy and I will include it into my booklet. In the file, I have each persons name at the top of the page that pertains to their story. Inside I have have stories about alll kinds of guns, (mostly Lugers, but also a German Rifle, an Iraqi HP brought back by a marine during the Gulf War (who sold it to the section author), a couple of 45 ACP stories, one from WW2, one from Viet Nam, and many other stories.

It is very interesting to read, (at least I think so, )

[Edward Tinker]

This is an ancient thread, but still relevent. I have 111 pages with about 45 assorted stories!


So, if anyone has any true stories they'd like added, send me pictures and the story to weimar_lugers@comcast.net

The story might be, dad traded for this luger with a carton of cigarettes in 1945!

Ed

[tudorbug]

I have a story for your consideration, Ed, but will have to find the time to write it up and send it to you. Will try to do so. It may or may not pass muster.

David

[K9-Handler]

[So, anyone with stories about guns or items your Dad, Grandfather, Uncle, friend, or a pretty good confirmed story, send it to me along with any pictures, either digital or hard copy and I will include it into my booklet. ]


Ed: Not sure how to send you a file, but I'll share a story here.

My dad, still around at 86, was an Army PFC bazookaman in the Black Forest late in the war. So late, in fact, that his tour was extended as an occupation troop whose unit was in charge of a railstation in Austria long after the war ended. He watched the best of Germany's remaining machine tools ride the rails back to the Soviet Union.

While the fighting was still going on, his unit was riding in the back of a 6X6, pursuing the retreating German troops. As the Germans fled, they threw off anything and everything to lighten their load. The stuff was littered on both sides of the roadway. As the truck crossed a bridge over a small stream, one of the other GIs yelled for the truck to stop. He spotted a Luger holster in the water of the stream. The truck stopped, but then the GI had cold feet. There had been lots of injuries from boobytrapped "trophies" that the German's had left behind to slow the advancing Americans. Picking up a trophy could mean your life. My dad said to the GI, "If you're not going to get it, I will!". When the GI didn't reply, dad jumped off of the truck and climbed down to the stream. With half the guys in the truck yelling for him to get it, and the other half yelling to leave it alone, there was quite a commotion. He grabbed a stick and flipped the holster over from a distance and nothing happened. He waded in, picked up the holster, drained the water out, and climbed back into the truck.
What was inside sits beside me on the desk as I write this, some 61 years later. It is a 1938 S/42 Luger. All the serial numbers match, including one of the two magazines! For the collectors out there, that number is 3047. The pistol apparently hadn't been in the water very long, as there is no evidence of rust.
This one obviously made it home. The P-38 that dad also "liberated" as he called it, got stolen out of his duffle bag on the boat ride back to the States.
My dad told me that he used to take the Luger down to the Naugatuck River in downtown Waterbury, CT, and shoot at rats! When I asked him how he could shoot inside the city limits like that, he just said, "Hell, we were war heros! We could do whatever we wanted to!"

As an aside, it was almost lost again as a war trophy. When I was a kid of about 8, we went away on our first family vacation, just for a weekend. When we got home, one of the glass panes in the back door had been broken, and the house had been ransacked. The thieves found a nickle-plated, pearl-handled, .32 revolver in my dad's dresser drawer and left with it. Had they dug deeper and lifted one scarf, they would have gotten the Luger that sat there also! I guess it was fate that I would eventually end up with it.

I can't imagine that I would ever part with this Luger.

When it came time, I went away to my generation's war. But by then we were denied the opportunity to come home with our trophies.

I'd love the opportunity to read other Luger stories.

-Dave Polmon My dad is Tony Polmon

[Edward Tinker]

Dave, wonderful story. Anyway to get pictures to include?

email is weimar_lugers@comcast.net

[Railsplitter]

My father was a Staff Sergeant in the 84th Infantry. He removed a 42 code 1940 Luger from a very much alive and very angry german officer (Captain, I believe) during the battle of the Ardennes. It now hangs on my wall along with the capture papers. I also have several of the letters he wrote while in the service. In a few he makes mention of his "Jerry pistol". From what my father wrote in his letters it seems the American and German troops had an understanding that went something lke this:

Hunt souvenirs all you like, but if we capture you and you have one in your possesion...you're a dead man.

In fact he mentions in one letter that surrendering german troops would throw up their hands and shout "No watch !! No pistol !!" I'm wondering if anyone has heard of this practice between opposing forces before?? Common practice maybe??

[Edward Tinker]

Originally posted by Railsplitter
...In fact he mentions in one letter that surrendering german troops would throw up their hands and shout "No watch !! No pistol !!" I'm wondering if anyone has heard of this practice between opposing forces before?? Common practice maybe??

I have heard this "rumour" numerous times, troops beleived it, so it must be true, and if the troops / soldiers beleived it, i am sure they carried out what they thought was "right" if they captured a foreign soldier...

Could I get pictures to add to the story and permission to use it?



Ed

[Railsplitter]

Ed, thanks for the reply. The following is from a letter my father wrote that got me to thinkin' something like that might have been going on. The letter is dated Saturday, April 28th, 1945 Germany:

"I've got a Jerry pocket watch now, but it's not so hot. I had plenty of loot in my pockets the night those Jerries almost caught us. Loot was flying every which way. Everybody was throwing away Jerry watches, rings, bracelets, pens, pencils, coins, guns - anything that was Jerry property. So you can see how hopeless the situation looked. The Lord was with us again, as usual. I kept my pistol, but I had it ready to heave when the time came".

It could very well be rumour, but it sounds like those guys were not taking any chances. As far as the story of the capture of his Luger, the abridged version goes something like this:

I'm not sure but I think he may have gotten ahold of it around the town of Gilenkirken (sp?). I think the 84th was involved in the liberation of that town. Anyway, he pulled it off a german officer who was surrendering. He told me that they had been warned not to stand directly in front of a prisoner when you removed their belt. " You were supposed to stand off to the side or reach around and grab it from behind" he said. Buckle guns maybe??. My father said two things stuck in his mind about the occasion. First was the look the german gave him when he grabbed his pistol belt. "If looks could kill..." he said. " He was a german officer. They were proud men, and he did not like the idea of some teenage punk taking his sidearm".

The second thing he remembered was the fact that standing right next to the surrendering officer was a girl dressed in a german army uniform. "Some german officers had women on the front lines...we used to call them foxhole warmers" he said.

The story goes on as to how he lost the holster and belt...and almost got a P38, but it gets long.

Ed, feel free to use the story. I will try to type up the long version and get it to you somehow before you print your book. As far as pictures go...I would need some help. I'm not the best at that sort of technical wizardry.

Mark

[Edward Tinker]

Mark, I know Geilenkirchen very well! I was stationed about 15 miles away from there and lived about 8 miles away on the dutch side. There is a book I have called, Battle of Geilenkirchen which I am not sure where it is, but is interesting.

ed

[Railsplitter]

Quite honestly it is the only town I remember my father mentioning by name. They must have had a tough time with it.

[Edward Tinker]

If I can figure out how I want this to be, i.e. paperback, size, etc., I will publish in the next 3 months...


Ed

[the gunman]

Ed sure looking foward to this book. Quite an endeavor to take on. what a great subject to do a book on.