Captured Weapons

Believe this or not... I dont think its true. I was reading where some of these were Confiscated from US Soldiers hiding these and trying to bring them back. The reason is I don't think so...Isn't it a Military or Federal Crime to bring back Firearms from any War. When we were about to be deployed they went over this with us in the early 80's...I don't know if it was told in WW2 or Korea or even Vietnam.

Here is a story of what happen to a Stash of Grenades some Soldiers hid on ship in WW2.

Souvenirs Bring Back Do's and Don't's

Well...for one thing the pic is taken over there. All mags are on for the most part and mag pouches are present...looks more like a capture/surrender thing. Troops HAVE been in crap for trying to bring stuff back though. Laws aren't the same as during RVN or WW2...or even when you went over. Lots has changed. All that has to happen is the military it's self can write laws preventing...as Canadian military did...

When German aircraft were shot down over the U.K. during WW2 an armed guard was normally put on the wreckage/crash site. This was, I believe, to preserve what was left of the aircraft, prevent souvenir hunters from removing parts and for any new equipment on board to be examined by experts. On one occasion, during WW2, a German aircraft was shot down near to where my father was living on the east coast of Essex. Still being a child at the time he went to look at the aircraft and started talking to the sentry. One thing led to another and eventually my father said to the sentry "Can I have a few bits of the plane" and the sentry replied "Lets see what we can find you". The sentry just picked up some small bits and pieces of wreckage from the outside of the fuselage; these were items that were harmless and of no special interest. The items included Aluminium that had partly been melted by fire, burnt parachute and cord.

I still have these items somewhere in my attic and when they surface again I will post a picture.

In the beginning of the second Gulf War, we had General Order #1 which prohibited possession of foreign/enemy weapons. Folks being deployed were verbally cautioned that all packages and mail going back to the US would be x-ray and/or searched. I even remember one Major who asked the question, "Can I send a AK (full auto) receiver home?" He was told NO. Guess what they arrested him for? Trying to send a AK receiver home. I also remember a company commander and his first shirt being arrested in their command TOC for attempting to smuggle weapons home through the US mail. I guess there are always a few who just do not get it.

Cheers

--fjruple

I believe in the US the practice stopped midway through the Vietnam war, probably when automatic Type 56 Rifles started to come home if I had to guess. Someone who was there would know better than me though. Captured Type 53s and Type 56 SKS come up every once in awhile, I know of a couple captured Russian Mosins including a sniper as well. I regret not getting a T53 a couple months ago, as they rarely come up, but had made some bad buys earlier on and couldn't afford the modest sum it went for. The concealable weapons part is the odd thing; did this include pistols or was there some other meaning there? Something unique to the Navy? After all there are plenty of captured P38s and the occasional Luger (like my grandfather had) to prove this either wasn't enforced it was ignored.

I still know of an M1 Thompson and two or three PPsH that made it back from Yugoslavia/former Yugoslavia between '98 and '06...so it still is chanced.

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Originally Posted by browningautorifle

I still know of an M1 Thompson and two or three PPsH that made it back from Yugoslavia/former Yugoslavia between '98 and '06...so it still is chanced.

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I know of a Makarov that made it back to Canada from the recent escapades in Afghanistan, however the owner later got spooked and had it crudely deactivated. I got to look it over after dewatting, the individual that brought it back was of the sort that "reasonably ought to have known better" anyway, but it was a legitimate Soviet built pistol and (formerly) in pretty good shape too.

I have to settle for the Canada compliant 106mm barrel version, but at least it's legal and I can shoot it occasionally without fear of legal consequences.

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Originally Posted by browningautorifle

I still know of an M1 Thompson and two or three PPsH that made it back from Yugoslavia/former Yugoslavia between '98 and '06...so it still is chanced.

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If you know the people in the right departments you can get nearly anything shipped back, even today. I wouldn't take the chance but I know of people who are quite willing to ship 'souvenirs' back home.

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Originally Posted by jjjxlr8

I wouldn't take the chance

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Agreed.

I was in Viet Nam in 69/70. We could ship anything foreign home except automatik weapons. As far as I know this continued thru the end of US involvement in VN.
Really made me unhappy as I had accumulated a chicom RPD & folding stock AK in the hope that they would change the rules by the time I came home. Didn't happen so I had to leave them behind - Dammit!!!
In the early VN war years it was possible to ship home M1 Carbines & Garands taken off the VC, but by about 68 this was no longer allowed.
Made me real unhappy as when I went over in Aug 69 I had intended to pickup both a Garand & Carbine, but when I got there I found out that it was no longer allowed. Soo, I had to content my self with 2 SKSs, a Browning Hi-Power and a ruskie Makerov. And for those who will say Wait, we could only bring back one (1) war trophy firearm, I say to you - you were in the wrong part of the military! The single war trophy firearm applied to All parts of the US military EXCEPT Army Special Forces - we were authorized to bring back three (3). Don't ask me why, but I took full advantage of it! Oh, and I just listed 4 firearms above, not 3. How??? Simple, when I went to Hawaii on R&R I took the Makerov/trophy papers and gave it to the wife to take back home (I had hid it in my AWOL bag and said nothing to anyone about having it - and no one ask!).
Both the SKSs were chicom, I later traded one of them for an NVA made one which also had trophy papers. They both hang on my living room wall.
In later years I have also picked up a couple of K98k Mausers - 1 with trophy papers, a chicom Tokerov pistol and a chicom AK 47 dewat. The pistol has trophy papers and the AK was registered during the 68 amnesty.
Here is the heard and my living room wall where the 2 SKSs ended up.
Sarge
Attachment 76782 Attachment 76784

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Originally Posted by Sarge

I went over in Aug 69 I had intended to pickup both a Garand & Carbine

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What had changed? I'm guessing that any US issue was returned to store and either reconstituted or scrapped? Could be issued to ARVN if serviceable, that would be where they came from anyway...

I would bet back in earlier Wars there were more Small Arms like Pistols and Grenades got home more rather than Assault Rifles. I read in Iraq and Afghanistan you and your duffle or Seabag were exrayed at least 3 times and once more coming into the States. When I read the descriptions on GB and other Auction sites I can't believe how many people says a "Bring Back" when selling there M1 Carbine. Maybe some people do believe it and that's okay its just me that I don't think it's true maybe it might be a fraction of the ones I do see.

Early in the VN War Garands & Carbines - M1 Not M2 - were legal war trophies. I have seen the paperwork on both at Ft Bragg before I went over.
Don't remember ever hearing why the change in policy around 1968/69.
Sarge

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...bie_DE-343.jpghttps://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...ie_DE343-1.jpg

Read Little Ship, Big War, the Saga of De-343, by Ed Stafford. At war's end the Abercrombie (De-343) was assigned to the initial invasion and occupation of Japan. Just before their destroyer division sailed East on Operation Magic Carpet orders repatriating them to the U.S., Stafford heard that the Army was sitting on piles and piles of Arisaka rifles and bayonets. He led a fatigue party to the depot in question and was able to hondle and appropriate through a friend in the 1st Cav. a rifle for every crew member in his division as well as a matching bayonet for half of the crews. Officers got the rifle, bayonet, and an officer's sword for each officer. In the end he signed a receipt for 2,300 rifles, 1,200 bayonets, and 20 swords, though a couple of men in his fatigue party had bulked up that number considerably by the expedient of throwing extras out the back window of the warehouse while the rest of the party carried goods out the front door. Getting the weapons back to the ships was greased with liberal grants of rifles to whomever's help they needed. The crew spent a good part of the trip home cleaning and polishing their new toys and filling out the paperwork to keep them. Though an arduous adventure for all involved, it sounds like a blast.

Bob