OT Luger on Guadacanal

[doncb]

I think Japanese officers were responsible for purchasing there own handguns. What ever they desired. don b in fl.

[Lancebear]

Hey Dick,

Think Japanese officers were allowed to purchase any sidearm they wanted to.

Have seen several bringbacks in books and on the Inet with Japanese and Chinese markings on the pistols and the holsters. A Mauser Broomhandle was a status symbol and not cheap. Think Mauser marked them "Made in China" to skirt importation laws.

Have seen Colt M1903's, Smith's and different model Mausers with Japanese markings and matching holsters with a label sewn on with the officer's name, rank and address. S & W supplied the Japanese Navy with 1500 New Model Number Threes in .44 Russian caliber between 1878 and 1912. Rare and expensive and probably all bringbacks. Go for between a grand and four grand. Many German pistols of various manufacture were carried by Japanese officers who could afford them.

Think most of the Dutch Lugers went down with their navy early in the war, part of the fact that they are expensive. Sure many officers carried many different models of the Luger, another prestige pistol.

Build a good firearms library and discover history. Good luck and thanks for an interesting, though not '03 question. Nobody here is gonna' bust your boys for an OT question unless it is really just plain crazy.

Death to tyrants,

Lancebear

[Griff Murphey]

A lot of G.I.'s received pistols in the mail from folks back home, civilians and helpful L.E. The same thing happened in Vietnam. I remember a JOE PINE (talk) show on how bad the M-16 and a couple of audience members had sent handguns to their boys in RVN.

I have a '30's commercial broomstick Mauser, with holster with Japanese kana characters sewn onto the strap, taken off a dead Japanese officer in the liberation of Corregidor by an airborne officer.

[Johnny Peppers]

From Jan Still's book on Weimar era Lugers:
"Many of the Dutch Lugers were surrendered to the Japanese who sometimes placed Japanese markings on them. At the war's end in 1945 many captured Dutch Lugers were surrendered by the Japanese to the Allies."

[Donzi]

[QUOTE=Lancebear;75796]Hey Dick,

"A Mauser Broomhandle was a status symbol and not cheap. Think Mauser marked them "Made in China" to skirt importation laws."




Lancebear- Mauser Broomhandles of all models were imported into China in large numbers in the 20s & 30s, along with several Spanish copies. I own a very nice Spanish Astra Mdl. 900 that came here from China about 10 or 15 years ago. There was no need for Mauser to put false markings on their pistols, as the Chinese (Nationalists, Communists, warlords, bandits, etc) loved them & were more than happy to allow them into the country. Also, the Chinese themselves made several different copies of the Broomhandle, including one in .45ACP caliber. HTH.
Donzi

[DRB]

Years ago when I was collecting Japanese a guy stopped at the gun show to show me a Nambu that had come from Guadalcanal brought back by his father in law I think it was. He told me he had a Luger that had come from there as well and it was with him. He pulled out a type 14 holster and in it was a Dutch Luger. Story was they came came off the same dead Japanese soldier the Nambu was in his hand the Luger in the holster. The Nambu was in tough shape and the Luger not much better but they both looked like battlefield pickups. He would not sell either just showing them off. He was surprised the holster was for the Nambu. I am sure that the Japanese used every captured pistol they got.

[Johnny Peppers]

There is a G Date Luger locally that was brought back from Vietnam early in the war. In all probability is was captured on the Eastern Front in WWII, and finally made it's way to Vietnam as aid to the North Vietnamese.

[Arisaka99]

I went to college with a Vietnam era Marine in the early 80s who was former Recon. He once saw a weapons cache in Laos (or cambodia... I "disremember") that included a case of civil-war dated 3-band enfields still in their English arsenal grease and packing. He described them as dusty/goopy but mint. Anything taken had to be humped out... he said he carried it for several clicks before dumping it. He was a fellow collector; no reason to doubt his word.

[Lancebear]

Donzi,

I was referring to something I read somewhere that the Broomhandles got to Japan in some backdoor manner, yea, the Chinese were very fond of Brooms and bought many from Mauser. Had a very nice Bolo I think had Chinese markings brushed off the backstrap. Tiny bit of one remained.

Lancebear

[Donzi]

Lancebear- I don't know about the Japanese market, but the Chinese were a windfall f/Mauser & several Spanish broomhandle-clone manufacturers during the turbulent 1920s & 30s. My 1930 Spanish Astra Mdl. 900, known to some as "the improved Mauser M1896" was originally made mainly f/the China trade and came back from there in the early 1990s, along w/many other German, Spanish & Chinese broomhandles, when the current Chinese government decided to sell them off. HTH.
Donzi