WWI Bring-backs?

[QuebecoisWolf]

It seems logical, but I've never heard of any.

Has anybody here ever heard of veterans bringing back weapons from their time in the Great War? We all have our favorite WWII bring-backs and mounds of US milsurp sold for peanuts in the late 1940s and 1950s, but did this also happen after the First World War? Or did it all stay in Government circulation? I have a couple of items in my collection that entered private hands in the interwar years, but it's just bits of Doughboy field gear "accidentally" taken home and a couple of low-level German medals. No weapons. It seems like all the WWI-era European guns that came to the US were leftovers that got captured in the Second Great War. Ditto for US WWI surplus - lean times in the interwar period meant that the US Army held on tightly to its inventory, especially after 1939, selling it off only after WWII ended.

Anyone have any WWI bring-back guns?

Just curious.

 

[Mark75H]

Probably melted down during the patriotic recycling program. That's why pre-WWII cars became scarce.

 

[MilsurpDan]

This is something i've always wondered myself so i'm glad you asked it. I could never be sure but I've always thought the K98az I bought that I posted on here a couple weeks ago has some WW1 bringback history to it because of the lack of post ww1 German property markings and import markings, but it could very well have ended up here some other way I suppose. I remember seeing a post on Gunboards a while back where somebody posted a duffle cut turkish mauser and an original 8x50 M95 Mannlicher that he said were ww1 bringbacks. I would also like to see some definitive proof of a documented ww1 bringback (if they even required it at that time)

 

[G O B]

Most went to England as "lend lease" during WWII. Private American citizens helped England arm themselves. To show their gratitude, England melted them down after the war.

 

[rj1974]

Ive got a 1910 DWM Luger . I assume it was brought back after WWII though since its in a 42 dated holster.

 

[303_enfield]

WWI vets brought an assload of stuff home. Problem you are facing is they (WWI Vets) are DEAD in the USA (two left in OZ). I knew about 60 growing up. Some of those old farts had a live Maximum machine gun. In the 80's I went to twenty funerals. When the family had the lootingannie sometimes they would find guns, grenades and other scary stuff. So they called the PD.

I have a Broom Handle that was a bring back. Plus, dog tags, books, uniforms and helmets.

The owners have long passed. To many now, that old truck is full of junk throw it out.
How soon we forget

 

[sandbanger]

WWI vets brought an assload of stuff home. Problem you are facing is they (WWI Vets) are DEAD in the USA (two left in OZ). I knew about 60 growing up. Some of those old farts had a live Maximum machine gun. In the 80's I went to twenty funerals. When the family had the lootingannie sometimes they would find guns, grenades and other scary stuff. So they called the PD.

I have a Broom Handle that was a bring back. Plus, dog tags, books, uniforms and helmets.

The owners have long passed. To many now, that old truck is full of juck throw it out.
How soon we forget

remember most stuff was sold off during the great depression. The times of the bonus army. sad time in history, and another way our gov't treats its vets.

 

[Wheelbrain]

From my understanding, my great-grandfather - who served in the New Jersey National Guard - purchased his M1903 Springfield. When I asked specifics as to his obtaining it, family members made reference to a program which permitted veterans to purchase their service firearms. If anyone knows what specific program this was or thinks it's BS, please enlighten me.

We previously assumed he had smuggled it back, but if I remember rightly, my Uncle uncovered documentation stating otherwise. Although he didn't serve in combat to the best of anyone's knowledge, I would presume that additional veterans had bring-backs, whether foreign or domestic. I'd provide photos of the rifle in question (1916-manufactured Springfield Armory M1903), but I'm unsure of its current whereabouts. The last I saw it - several years ago - it was in "used", albeit not abused condition.

 

[engineerbrian]

No guns. However, I do have some bayonets my great grandfather brought back

The pic is old so there are a few WW 2 bayonets mixed in, but the C&R guys that you are, I'm sure you can figure out whats what.

[/IMG]

*EDIT* my 900th post!

 

[Combloc]

Sure there were bringbacks. This pistol was made in 1914 and has the original finish. I guarantee you that none of these were still in use after WWI so it couldn't have been brought back after WWII. In fact, there is what I believe to be a capture date written inside the holster flap.

It's the lower one in the first picture obviously:

And the date in the holster (Nov. 8th 1918):

 

[Rickhead]

My dad gave me a 88' commision rifle his step-mom's first husband brought back from WWI. It was a little rusty so he sanded it down and had it reblued. Nyuck nyuck, nyuck

 

[KMK1862]

Just wondering here, but did the Germans destroy any of their arms after the Armistice? We know that they scuttled their fleet at Scapa Flow and some Luftstreitkrafte (air force) units crash landed their planes to prevent their use by the Allies. Also, I wonder if any small arms had to be given up as reparations. IIRC, quite a few Kar.98az's have a Polish background.

On the flip side, I have heard of some MG 08/15s done up as war trophys.

I know that some Gew.98's were "modernized" after WW1 and had their Lange Visiers (roller coaster sights) replaced with the K98k style tangent sight.

Final thought, were all P.08 Lugers going to the military or was there still commercial production going on?

 

[MilsurpDan]

Just wondering here, but did the Germans destroy any of their arms after the Armistice? We know that they scuttled their fleet at Scapa Flow and some Luftstreitkrafte (air force) units crash landed their planes to prevent their use by the Allies. Also, I wonder if any small arms had to be given up as reparations. IIRC, quite a few Kar.98az's have a Polish background.

On the flip side, I have heard of some MG 08/15s done up as war trophys.

I know that some Gew.98's were "modernized" after WW1 and had their Lange Visiers (roller coaster sights) replaced with the K98k style tangent sight.

Final thought, were all P.08 Lugers going to the military or was there still commercial production going on?

Yes, I believe that the Germans as well as the Austro-Hungarians had to destroy a large amount of their war material and give it up to other countries for reparations. Many people think that the reason that Gew88/14 rifles are so incredibly hard to find is that most were destroyed to limit the amount of arms the German army could have and the Germans destroyed them in order to keep more M98 mausers or other weapons.

Also Italian marked Austrian M95 rifles can be found from time to time that were either captured or given as reparations after the war. These M95s can be found marked "AOI" on the stock or somewhere else I believe. The Italians even made ammunition for them. Some ended up in Czechoslovakia as well, either as uncompleted parts or complete rifles and be found with BRNO marked receivers. The Czechs also recycled M98 mauser parts and some can be found on earlier made Czech M98/22 rifles. Yugoslavia ended up with M95s also and updated them with mauser like barrels and stocks and rechambered them to 7.92x57mm to standardize them with their M1924 mauser rifles. These rifles are called M95m or M95-24. And of course Poland as you mentioned ended up with many mauser rifles such as the K98az and the Gew98. Hope this helps

 

[QuebecoisWolf]

Just wondering here, but did the Germans destroy any of their arms after the Armistice? We know that they scuttled their fleet at Scapa Flow and some Luftstreitkrafte (air force) units crash landed their planes to prevent their use by the Allies. Also, I wonder if any small arms had to be given up as reparations. IIRC, quite a few Kar.98az's have a Polish background.

On the flip side, I have heard of some MG 08/15s done up as war trophys.

I know that some Gew.98's were "modernized" after WW1 and had their Lange Visiers (roller coaster sights) replaced with the K98k style tangent sight.

Final thought, were all P.08 Lugers going to the military or was there still commercial production going on?

A lot of German small arms were given away as war reparations. Eastern Europe was an absolute mess in the postwar period, with virtually every country fighting a civil war, fighting for survival against a foreign country, or in danger of becoming involved in a war. Like today, the Entente Powers had their favorite factions and countless numbers of Mausers and MG 08s ended up in Poland, Czechoslovakia, Serbia, and in the hands of assorted Pro-Entente Anti-Bolshevik forces in the USSR. Germany itself was going through a civil war and unknown thousands of guns were bureaucratically concealed by government leaders, taken home by veterans, sold on the black market by impoverished or unscrupulous soldiers and officers, or stolen from armories by the assorted militia groups.

During World War I itself, Germany also donated thousands of Gew 88s and 98s to their favorite factions ranging from the IRA to Anti-British African tribes as well as their official allies. Toss in the fact that Gew 88s also had to survive the entirety of combat in World War I and it's no surprise that these guns are oddly uncommon despite high production numbers.

 

[KMK1862]

I know this much, finding a good condition Gew.98 in WW1 configuration can be a chore.

 

[Rickhead]

I know this much, finding a good condition Gew.98 in WW1 configuration can be a chore.

I found one at the Pikesville show a few years ago, ok more than a few years ago. I passed by because it was priced at $200 so I figured it was one of the Turk imports. I went back and looked at it and it was all matching with correct sling and muzzle protector. I bought it and the only parts not matching were the handguard, an old replacement, and the cleaning rod which wasn't numbered. The bluing was turning brown but the receiver was still bright(ish). No import marks. It's a Mauser Oberndorf dated 1916 with a beech stock marked with a B by the take down disc.
The guy selling it said he had a G41 that he sold earlier for $700. He said it was too much trouble to clean after shooting it.

 

[KMK1862]

The guy selling it said he had a G41 that he sold earlier for $700. He said it was too much trouble to clean after shooting it.

Holy crap!

 

[mawkie]

When I was a pup in college a classmate tagged along w. me to the range with his own rifle. He pulled out a worn but original Remington P17 from his gear bag. Told me it was his grandfather's issue weapon in the Great War. Didn't see import marks or anything else to dispute his claim. Still had the original bluing, definitely not a WWII rebuild.

 

[Rickhead]

Holy crap!

Yep, that's what I thought. The bad part was I was going to get there early but held back "because I never find anything good". I even had enough cash at the time, and that was rare in itself.

 

[Darkemp]

When I was a pup in college a classmate tagged along w. me to the range with his own rifle. He pulled out a worn but original Remington P17 from his gear bag. Told me it was his grandfather's issue weapon in the Great War. Didn't see import marks or anything else to dispute his claim. Still had the original bluing, definitely not a WWII rebuild.

M1917's, much like 03's don't have import marks generally. A lot of people were getting some pretty original ones in the CMP buys last year, but alot are mix masters too which is ok. If it was a true WWI issue bring back it should all match with Remington parts.