How Many Battlefield Pick Ups Still in Europe?

I'd be very surprised if some of these peoples, like the ones who get invaded a lot, didn't have something left over stashed somewhere. Also, Stalin had a habit of stashing any war material he found, and I often wonder if there are some underground parking garages in the former Soviet Union, full of interesting vehicles...

During my time in Germany, I didn't go to anybody's home who didn't have guns, usually hidden away in their attic or basement. Didn't see any machine guns or anything, but did see quite a few WWII military pistols, from both sides of the war, 1911's, Luger's, FN's, etc., along with other handguns from the 50's and 60's, when I assume they were easier to legally obtain.

On one hand it was good to see there were still guns out there in private hands, even if the government didn't know they were there, but it was sad to see them hidden away, owned but not being able to be used and enjoyed......

I remember reading that right after the war civilians from the axis occupied nations were looting boxcarsfull of german weapons, I'm sure that there are quite a few of them still out there

Indeed.

After the war was over, one of my Dad's jobs was going door to door looking for weapons, as they were getting sniped at by a few Nazi holdouts. He said they looked the other way on handguns if the people didn't seem like a threat.

Error

During My gun show days I had the oppertunity to chat with a fellow from Checz. He told me about growing upin the aftermath Of WW-II they would dig into bunkers and come out with all kinds of good stuff--Potato mashers and Guns of all kinds -
Every day on there way to school they would kick at a piece of shiney metal in the road one day they dug it out It was a head off a potato masher -They pulled the pin tossed it in the mine -KA-Boom -!
he told me they trades guns ammo Anything they could find in the school yard.. I asked How many kids got hurt --Naa no one did he said -!
I loved listening to his stories -he was a big collector of WW-II stuff.
One story about the guy who lined his drive with these Big shiney discs-anti tank mines- I asked How could he be so stupid -He told me many of these people never travel more than 50 Km from home Very simple people-Little education -Oh yea the guy was fine as long as he pulled the wagon over the mines One day he drove the tractor in ----He told me there was nothing left of the farm house and barn -!!!
I wonder how many people in GB still have our guns we sent after the Dunkirk fiasco

Unfortunately, the British government destroyed most of the guns we sent over, even the shotguns and hunting rifles good hearted Americans donated to them in their time of need....

Bastards.....

There has to be a lot of valuale stuff left over from the wars stashed in attics throughout europe.

"How Many Battlefield Pick Ups Still in Europe?"

Given the age of those they'd work on, not many.

"Hey baby. I fought in the Great War. That one, too. Buy you a drink?"

The French Resistance was given hoards of weapons from Britain. It seems like some of this would still be hidden and or forgotten.

here in switzerland, in the "Jura" mountains (bordering France a not far from germany), you can find a lot of things.. from Stens to Thompsons, lots of M1 carbines etc.. of course, nobody open is mouth too wide about it, but you get to know when they are selling..

lately in austria they found thousands of guns and ammo hidden in a cave, placed theere on purpose, in case of the soviet would have occupy the country. this was a kind of pre-resistance.. and that place remained hidden and forgotten for more than 50 years--

I often wonder the same thing about guns here in Korea. I know that the EOD guys still get calls to check out old artillery shells.

Back when I was an MP in Korea ('77 - '78), I was issued a 1911 A1 made by Union Switch & Signal. Found out 10 years later how rare and valuable it was...

Most of the illegal firearms I hear about here in GB are imports and conversions, but rumour has it that a few people still have working antiques here and there.

Most of the guns handed in at the most recent gun amnesty (actual guns, this is, not toys) were old keepsakes from WW2 handed in by frightened widows etc.

Gotta wonder how many are still laying where they fell, in fields, hedgerows, ponds, rivers, lakes, canals, etc. How many were buried by shell explosions, and so on. Not just in Europe, but in all theaters, from all sides.

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...or 8.

Erik said:

"How Many Battlefield Pick Ups Still in Europe?"

Given the age of those they'd work on, not many.

"Hey baby. I fought in the Great War. That one, too. Buy you a drink?"

Click to expand...

wit of this "caliber" cannot be overlooked.

Camp Withycombe in Oregon has a unique military museum with a huge gun collection. Among the huns they have there is an M1917 Enfield rifle that was churned up in a French farmer's field sometime in the 1960's. Despite having been buried for some 50 years, it still fired and functioned.

If you were to go to some place like Stalingrad; you would be able to find a lot of such items still buried. After the war ended, it was illegal to dig in places or to try to calculate how many died there. I imagine there's other meat grinder battle zones that are like that.

My folks and I lived in Germany in the 70's. I'm an Army brat. I can remember one flea market we went to in France near the border was just packed with WWII items. I tried to talk my dad into buying the Thompson we saw on one of the tables. For some reason he didn't go for it It was only a couple hundered Francs.

I wonder where it went from there

Everybody in France has a grandpa or a great uncle who has a Sten sub-machine gun hidden somewhere..

I have my great granpa's G98 from WW1 (he had to fight on the Prussian's side, being an Alsacian).
As a teenager, my dad picked up a 1911 with a boxful of ammo in a garage sale.
He traded it for a cavalry sword which he later lost or something...

I imagine there's other meat grinder battle zones that are like that.

Click to expand...

Parts of the Hürtgen Forest in Germany are still closed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Hurtgen_Forest

Oneshooter
Livin in Texas

Here's "Battlefield Debris" from France and Belgium, WWI.

Digging for guns in Russia is called "Mining for Black". Found German guns are usually unrepairable, as their higher-precision machinery is usually totally fused by corrosion. Russian and Soviet guns, on the other hand, are often quite repairable and are prized as assassination weapons by the Russian Mafia.