Fathers Bring Back

[lrb1200]

My Father served in the Pacific WWII, brought back numerous war souvenirs. Two of such are Arisaka's a 99 and a 38, both in wonderful condition, they hung on a wall in my
Fathers 'Reloading Room' for decades untouched. They came into my possession twenty years ago and simply went into a safe.

I was sitting across a bar from an old friend of mine last year at his place, naturally talking guns and history. He chimes up, and says ya know I've got an old British 303 Enfield,
have I ever showed it to you? I said maybe, but I don't remember, I've been doing this with him for forty years. So, he drags it out. I'm looking it over, how long ya had this? He says
I don't know, 20 years maybe, got it from my dad. I say, ever shot it? He says no.

A light bulb goes on, I give him the back story on the Arisaka's. I tell him, ya know what we're gonna do? We are going to drag these two old war horses out and shoot them.
Well, over the winter a lot of cleaning, go- no go gauges, acquiring ammo, etc. We were both ready, and off to the range yesterday.

I chose the T38 to get range ready. I bit the bullet and bought the Norma 6.5 Jap ammo.

What a great time we had shooting these two old pieces of history.

 

[Old_Cop]

My friend Wayne and myself used to meet on VJ day and shoot a type 99 and a Garand for several years. Victory over Japan day (August 15) is still a holiday in Rhode Island and those of us in state and municipal government had the day off.

 

[Bakebfr480]

Very nice............valuable in their condition! And, the "mum" hasn't been ground off the receiver!

 

[mauser9]

Nice story. I recall the day back around 1972 when my friend and I visited our favorite LGS and he bought a Type 99 for $25. Still had the mum intact I recall. Grabbed a box of 7.7 Norma and off we went to the woods. Pretty exciting to touch off a few rounds from that war horse. Sure liked those old war horse prices compared to today! Milsurp prices especially 98k sure have surged today!

 

[turnerriver]

Great post. Here are
2 father bring-backs from two World Wars. My wife’s grandfather brought back one from France after WW I & my father brought back the other from occupied Japan after WW II. We’ve shot them both.
Regards,
turnerriver

 

[phonejack]

When I was growing up in the 50's and 60's I would often look at a Japanese officers sword, in the scabbard, hanging on a wall in my grandparents house. It was a WW2 bring back from my uncle. The uncle passed away in the 80's. Several years ago I was talking to his widow and she told me the story of how he acquired the sword. He was a P-51 pilot with the 118th TAC in China when the war ended. Several days later, he and another pilot were in their tent when they were attacked by a Japanese officer and another soldier. Both were killed inside the tent. Since my uncle killed the officer he got to keep the sword.

 

[Targets Guy]

My brothers family has the Arisaka and the samurai sword. I have a bayonet (younger brother syndrome).

 

[Muss Muggins]

I've got a complete Arisaka 99 that my mother's uncle brought back from the Pacific. Has the dust cover, monopod, original winged sight, and an intact chrysanthemum on the receiver, along with the linen gun sock with the owner's name and address, in Japanese. The tale was that Uncle Kenny took it off a dock guard. I've always suspect the dock guard sold it to him. Walked all over the Wannenmacher Show this spring and found a bayonet from the same arsenal as the rifle in similar fantastic condition. I've never fired it, but I've got three boxes of ammunition when I want to . . .

My brother got the samurai sword, Nambu pistol, and Japanese battle flag that our grandfather brought back. My father attempted to return the sword in the 80's, and was successful in locating the family through some contacts he had both from the Navy and from when he attended the FBI National Academy in the 70's. The family did not want the sword back, and wished my father well . . .

 

[mauser9]

Great post. Here are
2 father bring-backs from two World Wars. My wife’s grandfather brought back one from France after WW I & my father brought back the other from occupied Japan after WW II. We’ve shot them both.
Regards,
turnerriver

Very nice indeed and worth big bucks these days. Thanks for showing.

 

[LVSteve]

The OP's T38 is a super example. I have one with a 'mum but somebody saw fit to strip the urushi finish.

I admire the Arisaka designers for improving the Mauser design by simplifying the bolt and adding gas escape holes.

 

[lrb1200]

Good eye LVSteve, it's untouched and was unfired since
surrender. Pristine piece

 

[ACORN]

Just wondering, how did a GI bring back a captured firearm? Did permission need to be gotten or was a blind eye given?

 

[Absalom]

Just wondering, how did a GI bring back a captured firearm? Did permission need to be gotten or was a blind eye given?

One rule was that the higher the rank, the blinder the eye and the less any paperwork

While someone else may be able to actually quote the regulations, I've come across lots of stories from occupied Germany after the war.

Not just the surrendering Wehrmacht turned over large amounts of small arms, but the civilian population had to surrender their plentiful private guns, under penalty of death, so most did. Don't believe any of that horse poop about gun control in Nazi Germany; there basically was none (unless you were Jewish). In my family, only one Mannlicher-Schoenauer 6.5x54mm Stutzen (full stock carbine) went into the ground in 1945 and was exhumed in the 1950s when it was safe again

Those weapons collection points became self-service gun supply stations. Higher US officers showed up with jeeps and drivers and carted off Lugers and Walthers by the box-load as well as nice shotguns, drillings, and engraved hunting rifles to their heart's content. Nobody seems to have cared much. I'm sure some of the stories gained in the re-telling, but I've heard too many from too many unconnected sources; this really happened.

Most of the pistols "taken off dead SS officers" likely came from there too. How hard it was to "smuggle" them into the US in your dufflebag probably depended on individual circumstances; only a small percentage of bringbacks on the collector market are accompanied by papers, but those might have been thrown out.

 

[bgrafsr]

Just wondering, how did a GI bring back a captured firearm? Did permission need to be gotten or was a blind eye given?

Sometimes permission was given along with "capture Papers".

Some GI's hid weapons in their duffel bags (saw cut Mausers for an example). My buddy had a friend in VietNam who was wounded and sent stateside. All his belongings were packed up, including his M16, and sent to his home. Imagine his surprise when he opened his duffel bag.
My Uncle had several Lugers stuffed in his duffel bag when he came home, and before the ship came into Port, an announcement was made that if anyone had confiscated weapons, they were to be dumped over the side or turned in, as all baggage would be searched. He dumped the guns, and when the ship got into Port, everyone left the ship with not one bag being searched.
He was rather torqued about that.

 

[jimmyj]

Father Bring Back

I was just a lad after WWII was over, but I remember the rural area where my Mom and I lived (dad had not returned home yet) the returning soldiers, sailors, and marines brought back swords, knifes, daggers, hand grenades, pistols, rifles, SMGs, and even a crew served MG ! I think that in some areas sea bags, duffel bags, and foot lockers contained other items besides clothing. The small mining town where I started my LEO career in 1962, the story was told of one returning GI that brought back a duffel bag full of Lugers and other pistols plus a large Nazi flag and a MP-38 that he gave to the PD.

Just wondering, how did a GI bring back a captured firearm? Did permission need to be gotten or was a blind eye given?

 

[Absalom]

Coincidentally, I just went over to the Walther forum and found this example of someone doing it the right way, which had just been posted.

I borrowed a photo showing a bringback authorization form for the Walther PP pictured.

 

[Buford57]

lrb1200
My wife's deer rifle (when she hunted) was a 6.5 Arisaka, heavily sporterized. I should take it to Buffalo Rock the next time I get out that way.

 

[Double-O-Dave]

I bit the bullet and bought the Norma 6.5 Jap ammo.

Wow, good thing you weren't shooting a BM-59 Nigerian - huh?


Regards,

Dave

 

[BE Mike]

That "sporterized" Lee Enfield brought back some memories. My mother bought one for me. The mail carrier delivered it. IIRC, the cost was $18.00. I brought back a Russian SKS from Vietnam. I had to have it cleared by G-2. I applied for a RVN firearms export license and then breezed through all the airports, carrying it in a soft case with all the paperwork. It was a different world then.

 

[foxy320]

My dad was on B-29's out of Saipan. said he brought back a sword, pearl handle jap handgun, his fight jacket & other misc things he picked up. had them all in his duffle bag. at the train station in California waiting to go home he turned his back & everything was stolen.

 

[mauser9]

My dad was on B-29's out of Saipan. said he brought back a sword, pearl handle jap handgun, his fight jacket & other misc things he picked up. had them all in his duffle bag. at the train station in California waiting to go home he turned his back & everything was stolen.

Now that really stinks!! I imagine that sword alone could have been worth heavy bucks. Hope the thief fell on it.