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Now thats cool!Originally posted by Liddabit:
One of my in-laws trumps you all, he has a Panzer IV, Tiger and Sherman!
(Hes in Utah and works on that tank rebuilding reality show! Found this out while trying to research more about hubbinator's family history in WW2 just recently)
I might convert to their religion for a chance to drive them :P
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Here are the PICs I promised the other day.
These ought to start something.
I surrounded them with some other memorabilia related to their moment in history.
I present these items as historical pieces and in no way support the goals of any government that may have been represented by any of these items. To be sure, their were selfless acts of individual heroism and valor by people doing their duty as they saw it at that time and under the circumstances and conditions of the day and the lives they had led, so please see only the history and none of the malice.
The first is a DUO built in Czechoslovakia by the Nazi's after the owner refused to cooperate with them and they took over the plant. This one is in a Luftwaffe Issue holster.
Here is a close up of the DUO. there is a lot of information on the maker and the gun online for any that are interested.
Here is a close up of some of the stamps, medals and related. Celeon and some others may be able to provide some details about these things and I will be happy to see any of it.
Lets see if any can identify the ribboned cross!
These must have been s special series of stamps commemorating the armed forces. They were all perfect when I got them back in the eighties, but several years ago, high humidity got to them in storage and many stuck together. I damaged several trying to separate them, after which it occurred to me that a professional stamp collector could likely have separated them with no problem. Such is life I suppose.
I only got the original clip with this and I'm not certain if it came new furnished with a second clip or not. The Luger, P38, Nambu etc were issued with 2 clips, as you may soon notice ...... well one step at a time!
I've only had this piece for several months and I will be restoring the case/holster soon. Nothing dramatic, just a good cleaning, a wood block and some water to take out the wrinkles and then some dye and polish, a good buffing and so on. Essentially the same thing a soldier would do to avoid a scolding from his sergeant.
The armband is original and was gotten from a national show in Louisville, Kentucky way back in the late seventies. It was a "Veteran bring back" and someplace I have a letter from the Lt. that "procured" it as well as the story, which is interesting reading in itself.
Is there any one who might care to translate some tiny books that I have? They have color covers and are filled with black and white photos and text, some kind of propaganda booklets. I have been told that they were in cigarettes and other dry goods. They are small enough at about 1 3/8ths inch wide X 1 7/8ths inch long and maybe 1/8th inch thick. There are 18 pages, half with text and half are photos, so as the booklet is open there is text on the left and a photo on the right.
The pages aren't cut exactly square with the text and it's obvious that these weren't meant to last more than a few readings and then having been passed around several times and carried in pockets, fall apart.
The one's I have are in quite good condition and I would like to know what they say.
I'll have to scan them and post them or mail them off to some one that can give me a translation and the spirit of them as a transliteration often loses something of the meaning.
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OK, I can't wait!
Here is another piece that fits into the time period, but from the other side of the world.
This was mistakenly referred t as "the Japanese Luger", but except for it's sort of similar silhouette, and the fact that it is an automatic loading, gas operated hand gun, like the Colt, Tokarev, Glock, etc. there is nothing else at all the same as the Luger.
This one was built in February 1942, and is actually about as issued. Many thought that these guns, when captured, weren't complete, but the Japanese felt that eliminating some of the polishing and finishing in order to get the guns to the battlefield sooner was a good trade off.
On later models, they even stopped grooving the wood slabs that were the grips.
The knurled knob on the cocking piece shown here was only used for a short time (Jan & part of February, 42) at only one of the armories that built the guns, so this one is a rare bird.
Many of the parts or sub assemblies were made by small cottage industry, often a family working at home, and an individual interpretation of a design whether by accident or design often went into the regular production, as long as the parts were acceptable.
The holster is marked 1935 in Japanese date code. There is a Canadian woman with a very interesting website about the Nambu and it's variants for any that seek more information.
I am quite sure that for many of you, this will be your first knowledge that the gun even existed as well as a first look.
Enjoy!
The clip is numbered to the firearm, as was correct, but the spare clip has escaped capture and display!
Ammo is about US$2.00/round so it isn't an all day plinker. It's a low power round, low recoil, comfortable grip, easy shooter. This was never intended as a distance weapon.
Another eastern mindset weird-ness is the scoring that occurs from the routine engagement of the safety! I cannot think of another situation where the gun was designed in such a way that the routine operation of it would damage the finish. Maybe it was intended as a notice from it's designer General Nambu, that a good soldier never needs the safety! Enjoy!
Editing note: The enlarged trigger guard was intentional to facilitate the use of the pistol while wearing winter gloves. Actually, not a bad idea!
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That is too funny!Originally posted by Celeon999:
Al Sadr's fanclub also collects historical weapons it seems
So some backyard factory really bothers producing the 7.92 kurz for it ?
Now i know where Messervy got his Thompson from
A little trip south-east huh ?
Were those being made after Nazi Germany fell?
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Originally posted by Liddabit:
That is too funny!
Were those being made after Nazi Germany fell?
No. The two german states were armed by the Soviet Union and the USA later on.
From what i know, a few thousand were confiscated by the red army (Mr. Kalashnikov used its basic design minus the mechanism for his AK47 two years later) and most of them were given to the CSSR which then started producing the 7.92 Kurz for it in larger numbers.
The CSSR armed parts of its military like their parachuter battalions with it which used it until 1980.
Strange choice to give such a heavy weapon to parachuters
From Russia and the CSSR , they made their way to the Horn of Africa and several Middle Eastern countries, arming marxist revolutionists there.
The french found hundreds of them in Algeria.
I just found out that a german company produces a semi-automatic version of it for sport shooters under the name BD-44.
They also produce a copy of the Maschinenkarabiner 42 (BD42-H) and the Mp44 and Fg-42
Sport-Systeme Dittrich Website
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