Vet bring-back story

[garandman]

One of the reasons I wanted a Carbine was that it was the first rifle I ever fired, at the age of 8 or 9 in my best friends back yard. Through the wonders of Facebook, I got in touch with him after not seeing him for 30 years or so and asked him about it. I'm always skeptical of stories about "vet bring-backs" but decide for yourself.

"Dad was in the Signal Corps attached to the Army Air Corps and spent all of his time overseas in the Philippines. His Carbine was made by GM Inland Division and I’ve fired it hundreds of times over the years. He got it sometime in 1944. It has no bayonet lug or flip rear sight has the high wood stock and push button safety."

No pics of it yet, but here's my first, an NPM. Also purchased a Winchester last year from CMP.

http://dervish.smugmug.com/photos/713974636_HW8HA-M.jpg

http://dervish.smugmug.com/photos/713974229_Fmdb4-M.jpg

[RoninPhoenix]

well there were definitely vet bringbacks, or dufflebag guns, or under other terminology.
I know of several of them, as I might know who owns them. One a november of 44 inland was in germany at the end of the war, and magically ended up here, complete 100%correct. Another two were "obtained" by a marine in his words in 1946. One problem, they weren't selling them then. Another one was in the pacific and had stenciled in the sling in black letters, without going out to check, U.S.S. oakland.
They are out there for sure. I had one vet who was a spotter pilot in the 3rd army get a sauer off the assembly line in sauer germany. He put it in his duffle bag, got shot down the next day. A year after the war the duffle bag showed up and the pistol was still there. Wouldn't let me buy it either

[Quadguy]

A Co worker asked me to look at a carbine he got when his father passed. The story is it came home in his fathers sea bag after WWII. It is a pristine all orig first block IBM. He has turned down two substantial offers from a Carbine collector for it. He doesn't want to get off of it as it belonged to his father.

[BrianQ]

I had one vet who was a spotter pilot in the 3rd army get a sauer off the assembly line in sauer germany.

During WWII the J.P. Sauer arms factory was located in Suhl, Germany.

[dave]

No flip sight? That means it has a adjustable sight. Hi-wood stock? Got it in the Phillipines? When were sight and stock improvments made and were these up-dates done in the field (Phillipines?) Some one here must know?????

[sdkrag]

I owned a M1911 WWI bringback. Bought it from the son. It came with a yard long of the battalion with the GI identified, Colt rigs visible, and a picture of the dad in Germany in 1919 (ocupation force) sitting on a mule. It wa a nice rig. Bringbacks are great when you can document them.

[kcw]

My buddy has an Inland which is absolutely 100% original. There has not been a single modified or updated part put on it. Even has the spring loaded trigger housing pins. ALL of ther parts the arsenal tech manual says needs replacing are still on it, everyone of them.
Now the bad news. Somebody nipped off the front sight guard wings and made "U"s out the flip sight aps. Was used a woodchuck and close-up deer rifle.
My buddy clearly recalls the rifle being in his fathers' gun cabinet in the mid 50's, but as a kid never thought anything of it. It's only been during the past 20 years that he questioned how a totally unmodified carbine could have made it into private hands. Unfortunately anyone that knows the answer is now long gone

[Jim K.]

There were certainly plenty of "bringbacks" of U.S. weapons, but unlike the many captured enemy souvenirs, it was illegal for GIs to bring back U.S. or Allied weapons. I have tracked down several of those stories of how "my dad/uncle/cousin brought back this Garand/carbine/pistol in WWII" and most turned out to be just stories. In once case, a man claimed his late father's M1 rifle had been given him by Gen. Patton as an award for courage at the Bulge, which is what his father told him. I didn't tell the guy that I was with his father when he went to the Railway Express office to pick up the rifle from DCM. Or that his father had never been out of the states. Great story, though.

Jim

[Embalmer]

1st carbine I owned was an all original early inlandthat I got personally from a retired army general who said it belonged to his driver in WWII. the only real flaw other than being bone dry from being on his wall for 60 somewhat years, was a little scrape/rash on the bottom side of the stock. perfect original finish, looked hardly fired ect. Wish I still had it :eusa_wall:

[Sunray]

"...Bringbacks are..." Stolen. The troopies, of any rank, were not allowed to keep their issue weapons from any war time or peace time service.

[da gimp]

got hard up for cash, sold it to his uncle, a licensed gunsmith/dealer who sold it legally, permit.

Some nice FEEBS, came & got the .45, and lectured the nephew hard , and let him slide. The kid had his fair share of combat decorations and they told him that after WWII or Korea, no one woulda complained, but not now & pass the word back to his buddies still overseas, that no US weapons could be brought back. He was very lucky to just get an A$$ chewing, a handshake & a big TY for his service.


Knew/heard of 1 MosinNagant bolt rifle that was legally brought back by an officer from Afghan., he gave it to the guy who started the Wounded Warrior Hunt program

da gimp


OFC, Mo. Chapter

[RoninPhoenix]

There were certainly plenty of "bringbacks" of U.S. weapons, but unlike the many captured enemy souvenirs, it was illegal for GIs to bring back U.S. or Allied weapons. I have tracked down several of those stories of how "my dad/uncle/cousin brought back this Garand/carbine/pistol in WWII" and most turned out to be just stories. In once case, a man claimed his late father's M1 rifle had been given him by Gen. Patton as an award for courage at the Bulge, which is what his father told him. I didn't tell the guy that I was with his father when he went to the Railway Express office to pick up the rifle from DCM. Or that his father had never been out of the states. Great story, though.

Jim
Through the years I have had a number of addictions, one of them started by a garand. Circa mid to late 50's, was out deer hunting as a kid with a family member, who handed me a garand stating that the win.94 wasn't quite enough. The garand was so heavy for me I had to lay it on a fence post to fire it, but i fell in love with it. Flash forward to the late 90's I asked a family member about that garand, as it belonged to his brother in law who by then was deceased. My family member stated he thought the other guy had "borrowed" it from the government as usually it was deep hidden, and not shown very much. As far as I know, the government was not selling garands in the mid 50's. Never did find out what happened to that rifle, would love to have bought it.

[John R.]

About ten years ago I was chatting with a Vet at the Seaforth Highlanders Armoury here in Vancouver,B.C.,.It was just after the Rememberance Day ceremonies(November 11th) and he was reminiscing about his days in Holland during WWII.Seems that he was sitting there cleaning a"nice P.38" that he had just'acquired' and along comes this US Army type "Officer in a Jeep".Said officer sees the P.38 and tells his driver to stop.Gets out and asks the Seaforth what he wants for the P.38.The Seaforth says that he doesn't want to sell it.US Army type says"how's about a TRADE then"?Seaforth spotting a rifle in a leather scabbard on the side of the jeep AND KNOWING FULL WELL THAT IN THE CANADIAN ARMY YOU DARE NOT LOSE A RIFLE OR ELSE says"well,I "MIGHT" just swap you for that there rifle in the case".So, the Jeep type guy goes over and hauls out the rifle(a M1) and comes back and says"here you go then".What could the Seaforth do ?He gave the guy the P.38 who then thanked him, climbed in the Jeep and drove off.

He started fiddling with the rifle WHICH WAS LOADED and was wondering WHAT to do with it when another Seaforth showed him how to take it apart.Garands fit REALLY well in a Canadian Army duffel bag IF you remove the action from the stock so that's what he did.

War ends and the Seaforth comes home to Vancouver WITH the Garand in the duffel bag and puts it in a closet in his mother's basement.Rifle STAYS there from 1945 to 2000 or so when I met him.He tells me about it and I get curious ESPECIALLY when he told me that it was still there.I asked if it would be a problem to get a peek at it and he said that he could use a ride home and it would be NO PROBLEM at all.

My wife was visiting her family in Hong Kong so time was not of the essence and I drove him home.He had just cooked a huge pot of beef stew with dumplings the night before and had left it to "age" so we had dinner and a few drinks and BSed a bit about absent comrades and his WAR vs my counter insurgency experiences.

After a bit he headed down to the basement and comes up with the Garand.
Quite a nice E.Mc.F cartouched stock,NO stacking swivel and it's a Springfield S/N 2750973.After sitting for 55 years upright there is about 4 to 5mm back and forth movement of the action in the stock due to compressed wood.What REALLY interested me were the SCUFF MARKS on the right hand side of the butt just like one would expect if one were climbing in and out of a Jeep with only the butt sticking out of the scabbard and I can certainly see WHY removing the stacking swivel would be a plan if you were keeping it in a scabbard too.

I asked IF he might be interested in selling the rifle and he asked what I figured that a fair price would be.At the time I could buy a"canned" Garand(Danish Navy issue, untouched since rebuild at Raritan in 1948) for $300 and told him that.I also said that as far as I was concerned HIS rifle was worth MORE like probably $500.He just laughed and said that his rifle was hardly as new and that he figured that $250 would be just fine.I noticed that he liked good Scotch Whisky so since the main branch of the BC Liquor Store on Cambie and 41st was still open I told him that I would head for the Cash Machine and be right back.Hit the ATM and the liquor store where I got a nice 40 ouncer of Laphroaig and went back to his place.Gave him the money and the bottle with which he was VERY happy.Made my goodbyes and came home to clean the rifle.

It came with the buttrap stuff like a M3 combo tool and nickel plated brass oiler thong kit.AND a really nice, totally intact ,Boyt 43 M1907 sling.I still have the rifle and from what I can see NOT ONE PART has been changed according to Duff's data sheets.Buttplate got a wee bit rusty due to a basement flood but steel wooled and LSA oil pretty much fixed that and I added a stacking swivel and screw that matched finishwise(about 90 pct).Bore has a few 'spots' not really pits that might shoot out, but I have never fired it.It IS my favourite Garand along with my Type 1 NM(with CMP papers)S/N 5945754 and my shooter 7.62 Navy barrelled M1.

The Old fellow thankfully is still alive and kicking as of last week when I bought him a few drinks and drove him home along with a few of his Seaforth comrades.One of them has a K98 and asked for my phone number so we shall see what happens.One of them was a sniper with the Seaforth's HQ Coy and he too asked for my phone number and all of them got one of my business cards.

So, as one can see Vet Bring Backs are still out there and are deserving of preservation.Mine stays with me and even my wife agrees with my rationale.

Cheers,

John R.