Bringbacks

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Allied Captured German Weapons

As a collector of WWII weapons, I became interested in learning about their origins. I wanted to know more about how these weapons made their way to the United States and into the hands of collectors like myself. I soon realized that the most sought after weapons were the ones considered “bringbacks”. These are the weapons that were brought back as souvenirs by the veterans themselves. They are highly desirable as they were not imported or refurbished. Quite often, the provenance of these weapons can be positively confirmed and validated which is very important to collectors.

I began searching for photos and footage related to captured and surrendered weapons that could possibly be considered potential sources of these “bringbacks”. Although veterans brought back weapons from various countries of origin, the most prevalent photos and footage seem to be related to German weapons.The following collection is the result of this effort.

See Bringing Back Memories: GIs, Souvenir Hunting, and Looting in Germany, 1945 for more information.

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Potential Bringback

Asst. Gunner John Deriggi with a Czech VZ24 & Asst. Driver Homer Davis in front of their M-26 Pershing tank in Cologne, Germany as part of the 32nd Medium Tank Battalion, Third Armored Division, Spearhead.

Source: Battle of Cologne Photos.

Potential Bringbacks

Members of the 101st Airborne. l-r: Forrest Guth, Floyd Talbert, John Eubanks, unknown, Francis Mellet on D Day. With a captured German helmet and rifle (VZ24?).

Potential Bringback

Canadian with a German Mauser rifle examining a captured German 7.92-mm MG 08, Nieuport, Belgium. (Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3250984).

Note the absence of a bolt.

Potential Bringbacks

Two soldiers pose with an assortment of captured German guns, including an StG44, a G41, two K98s, and a P.38.

Potential Bringback

Private First Class Alvin Glascock with an StG-44 (MP-43/1).

Potential Bringback

British paratroopers search German POWs brought onboard a warship on the day of the Normandy landings, June 6, 1944. Note the para on the left; he has “confiscated” a German rifle and carries a Short Magazine Lee-Enfield Mk I (Model 1903). Note how the Nazi eagle (Hoheitsabzeichen) has been ripped from above the left (his right) pocket of the POW on the right. Looks like someone got another souvenir. 😉

Potential Bringbacks

Members of the 11th Armored Division pose with a plethora of German material. Two types of panzerfaust, grenades, a rare grenade launcher, helmets, hats, mausers, machine gun belts, pistols, and even an MP44 in the bottom right hand corner.

Source: https://portraitsofwar.wordpress.com/tag/captured-german-wwii-picture-mp44riflehelmetgunpistolbazookarocket-launcher