WWII: Allies capture Walther factory

[shooter521]

Sent to me by a friend. Great read!

My friend's comment: They’ve got their mitts on at least 5 each. Oh yeah, I’m sure they only took one! I’d have buried a case. Can you imagine what 20 sequentially numbered P38s in the original wooden crate would be worth today???

 

[curraheeguns]

I have a buddy who has a 3/4 of the way finished German K43 rifle that was "liberated" right off the rack of a factory assembly line. It is very cool that it was never finished.

 

[Bluedragon]

I was reading a full story to this on the Walther forum a few days ago.
It seems really interesting to say the least. At the last Muncie gun show I saw a WW2 era Walther PP in 32acp that was "in the white" with mis matched serial numbers on the slide and frame, that the owner claimed had been assembled at the factory by a GI to bring home as a trophy.

Now that I think about it I kinda wish I had bought it. >_<

 

[duke]

very cool! that would be a story to tell

 

[Kagnew]

Many of the design staff were given free passage to Argentina, where they started manufacturing PPKs which they labeled "Bersa Thunder .380s".

 

[trnsplntfrmohio]

my grandpappy has a pistol he claims comes from a german soilder that had no use for it.

my great uncle had a pistol he claims came from an american soilder who had no use for it.

the previous 2 people mentioned are in no way related besides the marriage of my mother and father.

 

[chezuki]

Girlfriend's dad has one that his father "liberated" from its previous German owned.

 

[mike8170]

I know its wrong to say, but I guess those were the days. The only thing I ever "liberated" from an enemy combatant was the Soviets/Russians didn't want, or worse, a Chinese knock off!

 

[Amishman44]

My wife's grandfather (turned 90 in August) was on Normandy Beach on D-Day in June of 1944. He came ashore around 11:00am and most of the fighting was done by then except up on the cliffs. He was assigned 'clean-up duty' on the beach for 3 days. He won't talk about it except to say that several of his compatriots committed suicide during or shortly after that duty.

He, later, picked up an 'almost new' P-38 off of a dead SS Officer in a town they passed through. After the war, while still in Europe, he accidently 'lost' the gun in a drunkin' poker game and wishes he hadn't. While there's somethings he won't talk about, he has said that losing that P-38 was the one (1) regret he had from being over there. According to him, it was the 'sweetest shooting pistol'! Oh, he did meet his wife over there...she was a nurse who cared for him after he was wounded and they're both still living on their farm just NE of Bluffton, IN to this day! I have some great photos of him (and her) holding our kids...kinda neat!!!

 

[SmileDocHill]

My father in-law had the full German uniform, rifle, and pistol (make and model I would be guessing) that his brother "procured" and used to get to France undetected and then back to the allies when he was shot down (fighter pilot) during WW2.