Armory Sponsor
Posted: 6/7/2008 6:07:36 PM EDT
|
Is it possible for an M1 Garand to be a bringback piece from WWII? My brother in law has a rifle that belonged to his grandfather. This rifle was passed to his dad who passed away a few years back. He took all his dads guns but is not a "Gun Guy" so he is giving me all of them!! I know one of them is an M1 garand that was his grandfathers. grandpa was in WWII. What are the chances? |
|
Sure it is possible. They came back in all kinds of ways with returning GIs, however I have never heard of one being allowed to keep his service rifle upon demob. The M1 was still a issue piece. I suspect this was a "spare" M1 that made it back with this guy after he turned in the one he was assigend and had to account for. For the most part it seems that accountability was not what it is today......no computers, mulitple demob sites, etc.. If nothing else, it is a good story. Like they say, "buy the rifle, not the story". If it is a "bring back" it will be a piece frozen in time and will have NO post war parts unless the old guy shot it and broke something later. |
|
It is highly unlikely that it is a bring back or even in original configuration. After tha war and upon the adopion of the M14, M1's were released to the public and returned to the US via many routes. Im not saying it is impossible but it's very unlikely. Buy the rifle not the story. I often wonder what a documented D-Day M1 in original condtition would be worth.. |
| My father has the paperwork that his dad received for bringing back two Jap's and his service rifle. The receipt for his service rifle says in lieu of pay. This is not the only one that I have seen. I became friends with another WWII vet that showed me the same receipt for his Garand and 1911. Might have been rare instances, but it did happen. Incase it matters, both were in the navy. My Grandpa was in the pacific, and my friend was a marine. |
You should scan one and post it up so we can see what one of these receipts look like...seems like a interesting piece of history. |
| My family has several "aquired" firearms from WW2/Korea/Vietnam. Carbines and 45s. As long as it was not your issue weapon it wasn't that hard. Things are not the same today. There were massive amounts of men coming back at once. No computers and metal detectors. No manpower to do searches. My great uncle wound up with a Luger and he wasn't even in Europe! Another relative aquired some "items" when a nearby post did an inventory in the 50s. Extra's were simply given away to those working the arms room- to avoid the extra paperwork. |
|
Sometimes, a vet will be talking to his kids or grandkids and tell thim "this is the rifle I carried during the war." What he usually means is, "this is the same model of rifle I carried during the war." However, younger, more literal ears hear "this is the EXACT rifle I carried in the war." I've heard of the "rifle in lieu of pay" thing before, but I think most of the stories of bring-backs started out as Grampa showing the kids a rifle he bought as an example of what he carried, and his words being misinterpreted. |
|
I was under the impression that GI's were allowed to buy their garands at the end of WWII. This would be something to ask of the Garand Collectors Asso. Those guys are a bunch of feaks when it comes to research (I mean that in a good way, I very much enjoy reading my news letters) |
Ditto......
Again, ditto..... Not nearly as common as most people seem to think. Best to all, Swampy Garands forever 2007 NRA Missouri State 600 yard Service Rifle Champion. Score 774-29X.... with an M1 |
|
A little more common than SOME people think. This one is the real deal. IBM 10-43. Luzon and back to the South side of Pittsburgh PA. Everything that IS stamped is stamped with the IBM ID letters. I'm 56. I don't have any stories from my Grandpap. This one was my Dads. Staff Sgt., 806th TD. This was my "show and tell" for a 7th grade project at St. Joan of Arc school. Field stripped the bugger on an army blanket right there on Sister Susans desk. I got an "A" for my project. Try that now a days.  AJ |
|
A pic of my dad in front. A lot of strange things ended up in the hands of GI's. Check out the knife on his belt. THAT, boys and girls is not a USGI fighting knife issued to the guys in an Armor outfit.  See if you can tell from the pic what kind of knife it is. I know it is kinda blurred but when you figure it out you are going to think "How in the hell did he get his hands on one of those?" AJ |
The knife in question is a Pal RH-36 hunting knife. It was one of many civilian hunting knives donated to the Army or bought by soldiers prior to the use of the M3. The Pal Cutlery Co. bought out Remington Cutlery in the early 40's but carried on its range of hunting knives. The initials "RH" on the blade are for "Remington Hunting". The handle; like the M3; was made of pressed leather discs. They came both with clean or parkerized blades. Many people think that it was a US Navy issue knife. It was Army issue or private purchase at a PX. They were very popular knives during WWII. Many GIs carried them.  I have one just like the above but it's in mint condition. |
t-money,  , Give the man a cigar. I figured that pommel would give it away.The sykes didn't have that "skull crusher" on it. The real question, and I don't have the answer is how in the hell did a Staff Sgt. in the TD's, who trained in the South and Texas, then shipped out for the Pacific, end up with a knife that was destined for an outfit the trained in the upper North West and went to Italy? I wish I could ask him. He past away in 1988 at the age of 68. I didn't know how rare they were until after he died. Actualy, I didn't know anything about it until after I sold it.  No internet for me back then and I couldn't find it in any books. The thing was probably worth around $2000.00 when I sold it in 1992. One just went on ebay for $8700.00. Mine was nicer than that. I think about it at least once a week. Makes me sick. Again, good eye t-money. AJ |
The 1st Special Service Force did make a brief trip to the Aleutian Islands in Alaska in 1943, but the Japanese were gone by them time they arrived. They returned home and then went on to Europe. Maybe the knife crossed paths with your father in one of the California ports. |
|
What made me sell it? In 1982 United States Steel told all of us to hit the road. I started my own window cleaning business in 1983. Good in the summer, BAD in the winter. Wife, kids, house, the bills add up. Ya do what ya gotta do. I needed the money.  If it was only a $5.00 knife I wouldn't have sold it. Why bother? I told you guys it was probably worth around $2000.00 back then. I didn't get the 2K but I didn't let it go for peanuts.I read about the Navy version. I think they even had a different model number for it. It did look almost like the V-42. A few slight changes. My Dads was the real thing. Anyway, this thread started out about a rifle. I did keep the carbine. Still have it as you can see in the pic. AJ |
found this down in side the stock after i got it home and pull down the rifle for a general cleaning and inspection. 1944 Barnett,Hensley he was drafted in 1943 born in 1925 live in Kentucky i think he past away recently and his family may have traded/sold the rifle off at a gunshop in Kentucky got it a few weeks back off Guns America gun auction site the shop never took the gun apart it had bee sitting for awhile as there was mold inside the stock and a lot of dust in the crevices. 
|
Understood. That had to be a real bummer, but like you said, you do what you have to do. |
I have one of those. I got it from my Grandpa but I think he picked it up along a highway in Kansas. He was a foreman for the highway department and found all kinds of stuff. I need the pin to fit in the pommel to hold it on the tang. Good knife, too! |
Armory Sponsor