The Greatest Story Ever Told....

Norme · 08-02-2011, 08:37 PM

Over the years we have heard lots of stories told to explain away that pesky, mis-matched sideplate. Here from John Walter's "The Luger Book" is my all time favorite:
"Years ago I purchased a Luger from an elderly man who had been a captain in the British Army in the First World War. He was in the trenches in France, and during an attack a German officer came within a yard of him. The German pointed his Luger at him and pulled the trigger.
The gun didn't fire and he had time to hit back with a shovel. He brought the gun home and for the next 48 years it stood....in his living room.
When I got it home , I discovered why it didn't fire. All the numbered parts matched except the sideplate. Someone had assembled that pistol and put back the wrong sideplate. This mistake saved that British officer's life...."
They just don't tell stories like that anymore. Regards, Norm

sheepherder · 08-02-2011, 09:47 PM

Obvious BS...What would a British officer be doing with a shovel???

Curly1 · 08-03-2011, 12:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by postino

Obvious BS...What would a British officer be doing with a shovel???

Why shoveling the BS of course.

sheepherder · 08-03-2011, 06:53 AM

There was a great British TV series about British explosive ordnance teams in England during WW II, called "Danger: UXB". They went to great pains to explain that enlisted men were not permitted to attempt to defuse unexploded bombs, only officers could do that. But the enlisted were required to dig the bombs out so the officers could work on them.

As the war (and the series) progressed, the British officers were sent straight from OCS to the UXB course, sidestepping their chosen specialty training...No sense training them to be quartermasters if they were sent to UXB and then blown up by an unexploded bomb...

Fascinating background material in the series...How the Germans improved the bombs so that they couldn't be defused quickly or easily...and time delay bombs...designed to blow up the UXB/first responder teams...

alanint · 08-03-2011, 07:23 AM

Ah, those Germans........always keeping busy.

Curly1 · 08-03-2011, 12:56 PM

UXB great series I watched it when it first came out on TV, and watched it again from Netflix this past winter.

Douglas Jr. · 08-04-2011, 09:22 AM

Norme,

I remember that one on Walter's book.
Great story indeed!

MikeP · 08-09-2011, 03:03 AM

Everybody who is a believer in the sideplate and trigger assembly need individual fitting theory can go stand in the corner.

When I was a senior in highschool I had managed to acquire 3 Lugers.
1910 DWM, 1917 Erfurt. and a very worn 41 BYF.

I mixed up all the parts once and reassembled the pistols randomly.
They did not perfectly interchange and would not function completely in a couple configurations.

I was shocked as I had assumed this was impossible for military equipment.

This was simplified a few years later by a 1st Sgt who informed me that I was not authorised to assume anything.

Friend of mine landed on Guam with the Marines.
He told me he jumped in a trench just as a son of the rising Sun dashed out of a bunker.
The Japanese raised up 1st and my friend has a vivid memory of the look on his face trying to palm off the safety after he discovered it was engaged.
Wierd things happen.

08-02-2011, 08:37 PM	#1
Norme Always A Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Colorado Posts: 2,417 Thanks: 226 Thanked 2,607 Times in 933 Posts	The Greatest Story Ever Told.... Over the years we have heard lots of stories told to explain away that pesky, mis-matched sideplate. Here from John Walter's "The Luger Book" is my all time favorite: "Years ago I purchased a Luger from an elderly man who had been a captain in the British Army in the First World War. He was in the trenches in France, and during an attack a German officer came within a yard of him. The German pointed his Luger at him and pulled the trigger. The gun didn't fire and he had time to hit back with a shovel. He brought the gun home and for the next 48 years it stood....in his living room. When I got it home , I discovered why it didn't fire. All the numbered parts matched except the sideplate. Someone had assembled that pistol and put back the wrong sideplate. This mistake saved that British officer's life...." They just don't tell stories like that anymore. Regards, Norm

08-02-2011, 09:47 PM	#2
sheepherder Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: ...on the 'ol Erie Canal... Posts: 8,195 Thanks: 1,411 Thanked 4,462 Times in 2,336 Posts	Obvious BS...What would a British officer be doing with a shovel??? __________________ I like my coffee the way I like my women... ...Cold and bitter...

08-03-2011, 06:53 AM	#4
sheepherder Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: ...on the 'ol Erie Canal... Posts: 8,195 Thanks: 1,411 Thanked 4,462 Times in 2,336 Posts	There was a great British TV series about British explosive ordnance teams in England during WW II, called "Danger: UXB". They went to great pains to explain that enlisted men were not permitted to attempt to defuse unexploded bombs, only officers could do that. But the enlisted were required to dig the bombs out so the officers could work on them. As the war (and the series) progressed, the British officers were sent straight from OCS to the UXB course, sidestepping their chosen specialty training...No sense training them to be quartermasters if they were sent to UXB and then blown up by an unexploded bomb... Fascinating background material in the series...How the Germans improved the bombs so that they couldn't be defused quickly or easily...and time delay bombs...designed to blow up the UXB/first responder teams... __________________ I like my coffee the way I like my women... ...Cold and bitter...

08-03-2011, 12:56 PM	#6
Curly1 User Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Upstate New York Posts: 1,244 Thanks: 125 Thanked 715 Times in 372 Posts	UXB great series I watched it when it first came out on TV, and watched it again from Netflix this past winter. __________________ Laugh hard and often. Gary

08-03-2011, 07:23 AM	#5
alanint User Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Marco Island, Florida Posts: 4,867 Thanks: 1,685 Thanked 1,917 Times in 1,193 Posts	Ah, those Germans........always keeping busy.

08-04-2011, 09:22 AM	#7
Douglas Jr. User Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: South America Posts: 948 Thanks: 598 Thanked 584 Times in 254 Posts	Norme, I remember that one on Walter's book. Great story indeed!

08-09-2011, 03:03 AM	#8
MikeP User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: ILL Posts: 686 Thanks: 36 Thanked 452 Times in 198 Posts	Everybody who is a believer in the sideplate and trigger assembly need individual fitting theory can go stand in the corner. When I was a senior in highschool I had managed to acquire 3 Lugers. 1910 DWM, 1917 Erfurt. and a very worn 41 BYF. I mixed up all the parts once and reassembled the pistols randomly. They did not perfectly interchange and would not function completely in a couple configurations. I was shocked as I had assumed this was impossible for military equipment. This was simplified a few years later by a 1st Sgt who informed me that I was not authorised to assume anything. Friend of mine landed on Guam with the Marines. He told me he jumped in a trench just as a son of the rising Sun dashed out of a bunker. The Japanese raised up 1st and my friend has a vivid memory of the look on his face trying to palm off the safety after he discovered it was engaged. Wierd things happen.