No4's Dropped to the French Resistance

[read6737]

It all depends on who find the arms,
Brits renovating tend to hand it in, but if they can get money they sell it on the black. house clearances well could go any where,
on a death probably stays in he family, or sold to a dealer.
The last thing I saw was a very nice MK2 sten with 3 mags, it went of back into a dark hole for 500 euros, Another sten in bad shape, mags amo and a granade got handed in, they were alowed to keep the sten only a strange one that.
Lots of small hand guns 25 acp, 32 acp, probably WW1 bring backs. Saw a very nice Luger made up of a very nicely marked WW1 bottom and well marked WW2 upper, 1,200 euros about 9 years ago, There is alot of WW1 syuff about as well, plenty of G98s turn up. I picked up a beautiful 98 bayonet all matching that was handed in. There are Yougoslav bring backs floting about as well, not forgetting the arms from all the conflicts that France was involved in over the years.
And remember when the Germans arrived in WW2 the Gendarmes took everything with hthen into hiding. My local detachment from Bellac went into the hills around Gueret and fourgt running battles day by day, There is a small museam in the Gendarmerie in Gueret, have seen it but access is restricted. Lots of drops also in this area.
Bourganeuf a town North east of Limoges has a telephone exchange, it was where all the areas resistance calls were roohed through as a member of the resistance worked there.

[Gil Boyd]

So have we any reliable information on the original question which was whether NO4 rifles, were requested on drops, or was it simply Brens and Stens preferred by the resistance?

[muffett.2008]

So far this has been a very interesting read

[desperatedan]

.303 would have been dropped in quantity I am sure.

Amongst the other "stuff" found with the two rifles was old buckets of ammo - mk2z 9mm, lots of loose .303 rounds and some in cloth bandoliers. After proper disposal of much of the unusable stuff, most of the .303 although in poor external shape, went bang as intended. All early war dated corrosive ammo of course so lots cleaning with hot boiling water required afterwards! The best condition bandolier of 50 rounds in strippers has been kept for posterity.

[read6737]

I think that on one hant they got what they were given,
but I can see that certain arms were requested,
the sten would be in high demand as it was 9mmm.
I do know No4 Ts were sent,
Alot will have depended on if thet could get re supply grops in the future,
if they could libarate arms and amo from the Germans,
what their needs were at any moment or mission.
During the ocupation years it was to sabotage not sustained fighting, so blow things up .
Towards the end fighting for the liberation then sustaind fighting and amunition and arms were then needed.
or they would be throwing stones,
So I would think the No4s were dropped mainly towards the end of the war to ensure a supply of arms for all
those who wished to then fight.

[Peter Laidler]

We definately know that No4T's were sent to Europe because I saw/had one with an old original label tied to it which was translated by the Slavic/Cyrillic language faculty here to read words to the effect ' do not separate from original rifle' or words to that effect. So there is probably a scopeless No4T loose somewhere in Slavicstan or Cyrillicstan........

[Gil Boyd]

Read6737,

Thats how I have always understood it from the SOE survivors I know. Explosives and ancillaries first and personal protection secondary that could be broken down and hidden more easily than a rifle, were the order of the day

[read6737]

I posted these 2 pics a while ago, the sten found under a wodden floor wrapped in a oil rag.
Found north of Limoges,
An armour inn Limoges that I know, Warren also knows him,
was given a sack with I think 5 stens in side, he was just not sure what to do with them,

[30Three]

I know there were drops to the south of Chartres; some Brens and No4's and .303 ammo obviously. This was probably around D-Day. The ammo clips I have from one of these drops is 1944 date on the head stamps.
The local resistance were apparently using Molean forest to hide in; it was bombarded by the Germans at some point and there are a few bomb craters still visible, although obviously grown over somewhat.
The Jerries pilots also shot up the water towers when retreating across the Beauce area; to prevent the allied forces getting a good supply. Our village water tower shows the scares of possibly 20mm canon shell's and machine gun in the concrete. It was repaired from the inside so the damage is still visible.

[read6737]

Some videos to watch.

Résistance en Limousin – Webdoc France 3