No4's Dropped to the French Resistance

[mrclark303]

Evening all and a very happy new year to you all. I was wondering if anyone has any research on the numbers of No4's dropped to the French resistance during the war.

I have a plan to acquire one in France before this coming years out, just getting the variations on my FAC at the moment.

Failing that it will be a resistance K98...

Looking forward to kicking this fascinating project off in the new year.

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[desperatedan]

Hi John,

No idea on numbers I'm afraid but your project sounds interesting - presumably you've already got a source identified for one.

My Maltby no.4 and K98 both have such a history. I know their provenance through family connections - they were part of a stash of resistance stuff that was discovered when clearing out following the death of an elderly family member. Whilst such discoveries are less common these days no doubt there's still stuff hidden away that will continue to emerge in the future. I'm sure I read somewhere about a bren that, following discovery during a house renovation, is now back where it spent the previous 60 plus years.

Keep us posted.

Kev.

[mrclark303]

Cheers Kev, I will do. Business has me heading down through Normandy and Brittany in the new year on a regular basis.

One of our Milsurps family has already been very generous with information and potential contacts and like yourself, I want to add a French resistance piece to my gun locker.

Either a K98 or No4 will do very nicely, as long as it has a resistance connection and a viable bore I am interested..

Any chance of a few pics of yours?

Cheers John

[desperatedan]

Cheers Kev, I will do. Business has me heading down through Normandy and Brittany in the new year on a regular basis.

One of our Milsurps family has already been very generous with information and potential contacts and like yourself, I want to add a French resistance piece to my gun locker.

Either a K98 or No4 will do very nicely, as long as it has a resistance connection and a viable bore I am interested..

Any chance of a few pics of yours?

Cheers John

Hi John, a few pics - excuse the quality but quickly taken with my phone when I had my gunsafe open earlier (hence no bolts fitted). The no.4 is pretty much as found, including the 1941 dated sling, just cleaned up. The battle sight is broken off and some pitting on the magazine but the rest is in remarkably good condition considering how long it was hidden away. Very good bore and a very accurate shooter.

The k98 is a 1937 J.P. Sauer und Sohn, Suhl manufacture. Apart from the repro sling added by me it's as originally found, one or two pits on some of the metalwork but shoots well enough, although my middle aged eyes prefer the aperture sights of the no.4 these days.
Attachment 79095Attachment 79096Attachment 79097Attachment 79098Attachment 79099Attachment 79102

[mrclark303]

Hi John, a few pics - excuse the quality but quickly taken with my phone when I had my gunsafe open earlier (hence no bolts fitted). The no.4 is pretty much as found, including the 1941 dated sling, just cleaned up. The battle sight is broken off and some pitting on the magazine but the rest is in remarkably good condition considering how long it was hidden away. Very good bore and a very accurate shooter.

The k98 is a 1937 J.P. Sauer und Sohn, Suhl manufacture. Apart from the repro sling added by me it's as originally found, one or two pits on some of the metalwork but shoots well enough, although my middle aged eyes prefer the aperture sights of the no.4 these days.
Attachment 79095Attachment 79096Attachment 79097Attachment 79098Attachment 79099Attachment 79102

Many thanks for sharing, I really appreciate you taking the time, lovely examples of historically significant rifles.

[Flying10uk]

I am very interested in the spike bayonets that may have been dropped with the No4 rifles to the French Resistance during WW2. Graham Priest does mention briefly that No4 rifles were provided to the French Resistance in his book, The Spirit Of The Pike and he seems to suggest that some spike bayonets may have also been provided with the rifles. I can't seem to find, in his book, any way of identifying a bayonet that has likely been supplied to the French resistance.

I seem to recall hearing or seeing somewhere that only/mainly No4 mk1* (Long-branch) rifles were supplied to the French Resistance, however, I somehow doubt this information because one would think that what ever was available would be supplied??? Does anyone have any further information on this point, please? Thanks.

[Peter Laidler]

Of all the things that the resistance were desperately in dire need of, I'm not happy that No4 bayonets were top of their list. That indicates man to man fighting - the very last means of mechanical defiance as we used to preach....... I wonder if anyone else has views about this aspect. Incidentally, those files that remain at the various Ministries dealing with arms shipments to the various European resistance movements are open to view at the old PRO. I know this in my dealings with the so called 'resistance' Brens in 7.92

[Flying10uk]

If No4 bayonets were supplied to the French Resistance I would be very interested to know of anyway in which such bayonets could be identified today such as by way of markings or lack of markings etc, for example.

[Roger Payne]

I must confess I know very little about this subject, but would be surprised if any special markings were applied (or markings omitted/deleted from) such bayonets. Is there any evidence of other weapons supplied being specifically marked - the rifles, & stens, for example?

Happy New Year to everyone.

[harry mac]

I doubt such weapons would have been marked. Deniability would have been an issue; although, marked or not, if a Frenchman was found in possession of any weapon, I don't think he would have lived very long.