Captured Weapons

[imntxs554]

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

Information

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[browningautorifle]

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...

[Flying10uk]

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.

[fjruple]

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

[cipherk98]

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.

[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.

[Sentryduty]

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.

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.

[jjjxlr8]

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.

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.

[browningautorifle]

I wouldn't take the chance

Agreed.

[Sarge]

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
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