WW2 Allied Firearms in German Service

[@MrSloika]

Not all the guns used were capture weapons, some were actually purchased before the war. BTW, Goering was very fond of his American made Smith & Wesson revolver and was carrying that gun when he surrendered to the Americans. Goering's revolver is on display at the military museum at West Point, New York.

[@tz8785]

Others were produced in occupied territories like the Norwegian version of the M1911.

[@SotonSam]

Who sold the Nazis weapons knowing they will be used against them in the next year lol

[@MrQ454]

@@tz8785 more important was the Belgian factory for these variants of the Colt/FN Grand Browning

[@G-Mastah-Fash]

@@tz8785 The Kongsberg Colt.

[@jed-henrywitkowski6470]

Goering, was quite the charechter. A fruit, and eccentric among other things. Despite, his hatred of non-Germans, a study of him could prove interesting.

[@royboy9361]

If you’re into war history, this channel is gold.

[@Killacam1319A]

I agree

[@backupaccount8731]

Its platinum

[@pekkakoski6595]

Top notch stuff here.

[@cascadianrangers728]

Platinum

[@lostpony4885]

Carbon steel.

[@SzczepanZZ]

2:08 - Mr Felton, I do believe that this is a polish made licensed copy of the BAR, the Wz. 28. It has an enlarged front grip and the magazine well cover is visible (it pivots outwards and rests in the front grip cutout). I may be wrong, but I have worked with those guns on a couple of occasions (in museums mostly).

[@minuteman4199]

Keen observation!!

[@SzczepanZZ]

@@minuteman4199 Thanks! Those Polish Wz. 28's are very distinctive thanks to those 'improvements', like the dust covers (for both ejection port and magazine well) and that characteristic front grip.

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

I watched a D-Day documentary about 20 years ago where a German veteran of the Normandy Campaign said he had a Polish made version of the Browning M1917 in 8mm in his beachfront bunker.

[@SzczepanZZ]

@@wayneantoniazzi2706 Yup that checks out, they were factory made in 8mm Mauser.

[@robl956]

Isn’t it a FN-D though? As it has a pistol grip

[@Goldenspiderducck]

“And if I were to make a video about all of them, it would take until next Christmas.” I think I speak for all fans of this channel when I say….I’m down for that!

[@dustylover100]

I could take classes with him and never get bored.

[@rudithedog7534]

If that video was made I would be sitting here till Christmas watching it, thanks very much for your hard work Doc.

[@EnkaMexi]

I remember in 2013, they found a hidden Stash of allied Weapons and some Panzerfausts here in the woods (Saxony, Germany) and officals from the Kampfmittelbeseitigungsdienst Sachsen recovered the weapons+ammuniton. they were burried near a place that was used as Flak outpost, but is now a little hill on a forest edge. I am sure it was put there by the local Volkssturm but never used.

[@eddietat95]

"Kampfmittelbeseitungsdienst Sachsen". Man, that's long.

[@Tjalve70]

@@eddietat95 It's not that hard to figure out. Kampfmittelbeseitungsdienst -> Kampf mittel beseitung (s) dienst -> Combat medium (as in "equipment") elimination service.

[@JFDA5458]

Might they have been a stash for "stay behind units" such as the Werewolves who were being prepared to carry out sabotage against the allies after the war had ended?

[@Wollemand]

@@EnkaMexi Don’t you ever Google the current collectors value of those arms you found.. I promise you, that you will cry 😀 And you might even experience sleeping problems for a long time..

[@dpt6849]

Too bad the people can't use it against government dictatorships

[@j-dub618]

Happy Memorial Day to all our great hero veterans deceased, living, and not yet born.

[@HamburgerTime209]

“Not yet born?” Jesus that’s fucking bleak bro.

[@merkabah2]

Damm my McDonalds came 10 mind goo early

[@dublinboy]

Not yet born? I,ve had enough of these british wars in iraq and afghanistan killing young chrildren thanks

[@PhilosophersLegacy83]

Yeah the bankers and corporations salute you.

[@javaidzaidi]

Here is hoping the U.S. does nog get involved in senseless wars.

[@LaughingCrowcorp]

The fact there was a German soldier using a Thompson Sub Machine gun on the eastern front is mind boggling to me

[@m.j.mahoney8905]

The Thompson was sent as part of an American lend-lease program to the Soviet Union and saw some use amongst tank crews. I should imagine the example shown was captured in situ.

[@living2ndchildhood347]

Each Sherman tank sent to Russia had a Thompson included inside the tank. Stuarts may have been equipped with a Thompson as well, or an M2 (automatic M1 carbine)

[@donjones4719]

@@living2ndchildhood347 Did the tank have a few cases of .45 ammo also? The Russians were glad to get everything they could but keeping ammo in the logistical pipeline must have been a real pain.

[@markusk1015]

@@living2ndchildhood347 I thought the M2 carbine was developed after World War Two. I’ve seen pictures some Americans and ARVN with it in Vietnam

[@chuckhaggard1584]

@@markusk1015 true, the M2 didn't come along till later

[@nicholaspatton5590]

Fun fact: If you have a M1 garand chambered in .308, the enbloc clips can fit into the German “luftwaffe bandoliers.” The bandoliers are comfortable, but you must make sure to wear a shirt with a collar, otherwise the cloth digs into your neck. I am not sure if wearing the load bearing suspenders would improve the fit, as I do not have any.

[@johnathanblackwell9960]

Who chambered M1 Garands in .308?

[@unhippy1]

@@johnathanblackwell9960 A number of country's rebarreled or chamber sleeved garand's in the 50's and onwards

[@johnathanblackwell9960]

@@unhippy1 Huh, never really though about that, it'd make a cheap conversion to a battle rifle especially if you add a box mag, which basically makes it a semi-auto only M 14.

[@pieterwillembotha6719]

@@johnathanblackwell9960 He must mean if you have an M1 Garand in .308, which technically, the 30-06 happens to be.

[@jerryware5749]

@@johnathanblackwell9960 The US Navy chambered some of their M-1s to .308 (7.62 NATO). The converted ones had 7.62 stamped across the receiver.

[@TommygunNG]

Fun fact: Sergeant Schultz in "Hogan's Heroes" generally carried a Krag-Jorgensen, not a Mauser. In-universe explanation would probably be that it was captured from Denmark or Norway.

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

Shultzie's Krag-Jorgensen really jumps out at you if you know what you're looking at!

[@kidpagronprimsank05]

If I heard right, Krag is cheaper in NOR and DEN than in US

[@TommygunNG]

@@kidpagronprimsank05 I'm sure there's a reference there I'm missing.

[@christopherwang4392]

@Wolfman JOLLY JOKER!

[@johnh.tuomala4379]

Schultz's Krag was never loaded, no doubt because he knew that if he shot a prisoner it might be used as an excuse to send him to the Eastern front.

[@MyLateralThawts]

I remember my grandfather telling me that he was issued an Italian sub machine gun, in retrospect the Beratta MAB 38, after his torpedo boats (also Italian) were scuttled off the coast of Yugoslavia and he bacame an Ortskommandant in charge of a mixed company of sailors, soldiers and Luftwaffe personnel, until he withdrew back to Austria and eventually Germany. At the surrender he had my father, then ten years old, take the sub machine gun to one of the weapons collection points the British set up near Bremerhaven. Now I’m left wondering what the British did with the weapons they collected from Germany at the end of the war?

[@Swarm509]

Probably melted a lot of them down, but something like that Beratta could of been re-issued to post war German troops.

[@markthompson8656]

I think many were simply thrown in the Ocean.

[@MrQ454]

@@Swarm509 It is Beretta all the time!

[@stephenarling1667]

@@markthompson8656 Even stocks of British piston engines, e.g. the Napier Sabre aircraft engines, were reportedly dumped in the ocean. Why?

[@mpetersen6]

@@stephenarling1667 Obsolete. Not unneeded. The Sabre only had one aircraft it powered iirc.

[@wazkangz955]

The Doc should partner with Forgotten Weapons, C&Rsenal etc on episodes like this. These types of topics are incredibly interesting.

[@vsarge8762]

Dr Felton in a collab with Ian McCollum from Forgotten Weapons would break the internet from the epicness, also watching Dr Mark firing some historical pieces in the Range along with Ian. I think my life would be finally realized after that.

[@douglasherron7534]

@@vsarge8762 Gun Jesus does make great videos! 😄

[@aslamnurfikri7640]

Also with The Chieftain when covering tanks

[@joshklaver47]

And Jonathan Ferguson.

[@shneurkanar3871]

I must point out, from all the gargantuan amount of annoying KZbinrs who self promote, clickbait people, Mark doesn’t do anything of the sort. He is one of the few that causes KZbin to have a good side to it. Non political, just pure facts. Real pleasure to watch his videos.

[@tieroneactual2228]

Also his pronunciation of the German words is very good, something that is not normally found on different YT videos. That itself ads to the quality of his videos!

[@douglasherron7534]

Agreed. His books are good too!

[@AbdulRahman-bi1nu]

Non political right

[@frankdrevinpolicesquad2930]

Mark loves to slight the Americans every chance he gets

[@Whatisthisstupidfinghandle]

1:11 capturing Skoda was a key reason for the German invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1938. It was the 2nd largest armament’s manufacturer in Europe. Krupp was 1st. So this gave them significant additional capacity and capability

[@Whatisthisstupidfinghandle]

This seems to be a well liked post so I will add. The other key reason was Czechoslovakia had 20+ modern well equipped divisions and Germany was afraid they would come in on the allied side in case of war. So they took them off the table. The false pretence of protecting German speaking people is the exact same playbook Russia is using in Ukraine today. As they say history does not repeat, but it does rhyme

[@yorkiephil7744]

@@Whatisthisstupidfinghandle 👏👏👏👏

[@roverM30ds]

Vickers?......

[@vincentas1]

@@Whatisthisstupidfinghandle not false pretext, you must've missed everything in between 2014 and 2022

[@alexbowman7582]

The British cynically sent Czechoslovakian commandos in to assassinate Heydrich knowing the repercussions on the population would turn the Czechoslovakians against the Germans which it did.

[@smeggerssmeghead3100]

Dr. Felton hits the internet yet again with great historical content.

[@Au60schild]

Mostly very good info but he made the common mistake of mispronouncing John Garand's last name. According to his immediate family members, their last name was properly pronounced as GEHR-rand (as in gearand) and not in the common GA-rand. Just a small but important historical footnote.

[@test-201]

@@Au60schild like st pattys day and st patricks day

[@ChokeberryTea]

A fun fact related to the Volkssturm: One of the most numerous and commonly issued bolt action rifles were from the Italian Carcano series. There so many of those rifles in German possession that there were serious attempts at rechambering them all in 8mm Mauser, so as they could be ammo compatible with other German made small arms.

[@Swat_Dennis]

There's a book about how the Germans catalogued all those rifles. There were so many versions that EVEN THEY couldn't figure all of them out

[@idoobbberz_tv6676]

Carcano M9 6.5?

[@gunnargundersen3787]

@@idoobbberz_tv6676 If you believe Ian McCollum from forgotten weapons he argues that the Manlicher Cacarno was a very good weapon.

[@PhilipKerry]

@@gunnargundersen3787 How can't you believe " Gun Jesus " ????

[@cascadianrangers728]

Well, it was good enough for Lee Harvey Oswald

[@chaosXP3RT]

I can only imagine how much of a nightmare German logistics were with so many captured weapons. German industry simply could not keep up with the Soviet Union or the Allies. And I imagine the Allied bombing of German factories only exasperated the problem.

[@EnkaMexi]

Thats the Problem with fighting a War on 2 Fronts.. its mad.

[@SecNotSureSir]

@@EnkaMexi yeah, Germany should have just starved Britain into submission.

[@petergray7576]

Germany's biggest logistical headache was motor transport. The Wehrmacht entered the war without a standard truck/lorry, and had no production capacity to produce them if they had one. As a result they reused as many captured military trucks as possible, and confiscated large numbers of civilian cars, trucks and busses from occupied nations. These included BEF equipment abandoned at Dunkirk, Soviet GAZ-AA trucks. (Ford Model AAs made under license), and many Italian vehicles. It was quite challenging to procure spare parts for all of them.

[@jimtaylor294]

@@SecNotSureSir Nope. They had niether enough Submarines (indeed they had less than the UK at war's start), and Germany's Oil supplies were extremely finite, whilst the UK had an embarrassingly large supply and reserve. Going into Russia was chiefly Germany's gambit to solve their oil problem, for Romania's oil alone wasn't even halfway to being enough.

[@jimtaylor294]

@@petergray7576 Yup, plus an Oil and Rubber shortage. The latter problem predated the war, and was made worse by Germany's Civil Service believing they could micro-manage the supply of Tyres (spoiler, they failed completely).

[@justdoingitjim7095]

I wish I'd never traded off my Belgian made, Browning Hi-Power. Those guns are worth a lot now. I traded it for a Honda Goldwing motorcycle that I hardly ever used because it kept breaking down. The Browning however never jammed or malfunctioned a single time while I had it!

[@Gruntilda-Winkybunion]

oh no

[@chickennugget3362]

A goldwing is more of a boat than a motorcycle :)

[@minuteman4199]

I was still using a Canadian (Inglis) made Browning Hi Power when I was in the army, not all that long ago (or doesn't seem like it anyway, i understand they're still using them).

[@Farweasel]

@@chickennugget3362 Usually incredibly reliable 'though, maybe bar the swinging arm mounts. Someone scammed JDI Jim (Or he seriously abused it)

[@fishgazoo5851]

Russian M91s were in the $300.oo price range some 11 years ago, now go for $1000.oo to $1300.oo.

[@chronicmilitarycollector9232]

I've seen many candid photos of German soldiers with SVT40 rifles. I own one myself and can't help but wonder if it was brought back by a GI after capturing it from the Germans since there are no import marks. Soviet soldiers also liked Germans weapons too. Both thought the opposites' weapons were more reliable apparently.

[@Dr.Cassandra]

I’ve a tt33 made in 1940 that never was refurbed after ww2 no Import marks. I’ve always wondered if it was a ww2/Korean war being back.

[@chriscarbaugh3936]

I once owned an SVT-40. Neat rifle, but it did not shoot worth a damn!!

[@chronicmilitarycollector9232]

@@chriscarbaugh3936 I had to restore mine, many missing or damaged parts. Lots of elbow grease. Now works great. What was malfunctioning on yours, I might be able to help.

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

I think the Germans with the SVT-40's in the video got the only ones that worked! I met a Red Army veteran back in the 80's who called the SVT-40 a piece of crap! The first chance he got he picked up a Moisin-Nagant. He swore by it and said it never failed him.

[@Snarkbar]

A K98 beats a Mosin, and an SVT-40 beats a K98.

[@geordiedog1749]

My grandfather was in the Desert War and he told me that the Berreta SMGs were the most valuable ‘finds’ on the field for the Desert Rats and were either kept and used or sold/bartered for large sums.

[@kirbyculp3449]

About twenty years ago kits for the Beretta were available for sale in the Shotgun News. You could build your own semi-auto version from the kit if you could buy/build the receiver seperately. I should have bought one back then.

[@philiprufus4427]

Met a man since passed ,who was a script writer with Scottish Television,when it was a Scottish TV station. During the Second World War he was with the Eighth Army and fought to the wars end in Italy. At some point in his war, he got hold of a German MP 40. Tom apparently carried this machine pistol to the wars end. He said it was a first class weapon.

[@G-Mastah-Fash]

The M38 has basically no recoil and can hose down people very effectively. I can imagine the brits preffered them over their terrible STENs.

[@geordiedog1749]

@@G-Mastah-Fash Nothing wrong with Stens, sir. You will apologise or I will demand satisfaction.

[@carsonm7292]

@@geordiedog1749 The Sten was a stopgap weapon that became standard because it was cheap. It was lightweight, easy to make, and functional (mostly; early models had feed problems), but the ergonomics of it both to use and carry were poor to say the least. The M38 was definitely a superior weapon overall, especially from the perspective of the soldier who actually uses the thing.

[@pekkakoski6595]

Almost an allied firearm in German use was Colt 1911 made in Norway. Germans took them to use after taking Norway. I have held one made in Norway in my hand, it had German property stamps on it too. A local collector has one. (Oulu, Finland) edit: 1911 was the only gun consuming .45ACP in German army :)

[@bogusmogus9551]

Didn't the Thompson M3 grease gun use the .45acp too?

[@pekkakoski6595]

@@bogusmogus9551 Eww. Thompson did, so did the Grease gun. Thompson and the Grease Gun are not the same :)

[@DOMINIK99013]

@@pekkakoski6595 Both of that weapons where used in large numbers than Colt, Dutch, French and British Thomspon fought Yougoslavia and Greec, in East Front used by crew of armored trains.

[@ofoten7054]

Norway had a 1911 version in 9x19 parabellum with 15 round mag which was very popular with the Germans.

[@brittakriep2938]

No! The .45 ACP was in ,Kennblätter für fremdes Gerät' ( desccripton sheets for foreign equipment) called 11,5 mm Colt :-))

[@lesliepaulkovacs6442]

On a Historical Side Note, the Germans weren't the only ones interested in Allied weapons. In the NRA Museum, there is a prototype M1 Garand that holds 10 rounds that came from Japan. Instead of using 8 round En Block clips, they modified the Ammo Well so as to take 2 Five round stripper clips, giving it a 10 round capacity. And there was no "Ping" sound when the En Block was ejected. It never reached the Production stage, however. Thanks again for your Work.

[@micanopykracker902]

Very interesting ...thats the 2nd knock off of the M1G that ive discovered...thank you

[@muhammadnursyahmi9440]

Ah yes, the Type 4 rifle

[@muhammadnursyahmi9440]

Also, Imperial Japan Army did experimented with semi-automatic rifle concept in the 1920s by testing Pedersen rifle. I'm not sure why they didn't see the potential in them.

[@shitboxoffroad]

There is also one on display in the secrets of WW2 exhibit at the Ronald Reagan library in CA.

[@imnotyourfriendbuddy1883]

IRA had some Garands after WWII, possibly still have them.

[@keithlegge6848]

The German army of ww2 was probably the poorest of all the armies. Their transport was mainly horse drawn and they relied quite a lot on captured vehicles. The Russian T34 tank was extensively upgraded and was even issued to elite SS panzer divisions such as 2nd SS Das Reich. Rommel used a captured British command vehicle in North Africa.

[@keithlegge6848]

@Therapist with a space I disagree. In 1941 60-70 percent was not mechanized, they relied largely on horses for cross country and railways. They may have had abundant armor and half tracks etc for battle use but they were poor in trucks, an episode of war factories shown on Yesterday Freeview Channel 27 proves this. Rommel relied heavily on captured British trucks. Also when the Afrika Korps retreated from El Alamein they stole the Italians trucks hence their mass surrender. The British were more mechanized.

[@keithlegge6848]

@Therapist with a space I still do not agree. I don't know where you get the idea that the US "outfitted" the British army. For its size the UK had a superb and prolific arms industry. during WW2. It also shipped armaments to the USSR. The army had plenty of trucks,artillery and tanks. It sustained itself during the North African campaign. The USA supplied the Sherman tank which only became really effective against German armor when it was fitted with a British gun, jeeps and M 3 half tracks the buffalo and DUCK. At its very best the USA supplemented rather than outfitted.

[@kickingmustang]

Looking forward to next Xmas video about all captured allied weapons being used by Germans.

[@michaelwhisman7623]

I had a friend, in the Hitler Youth. He was issued a French Lebel but eventually captured an M1 Grand.

[@shutup2751]

it's amazing all these years on how we've only scraped the surface of what there is to learn about WW2

[@MWcrazyhorse]

Yeah wait till you find out about our secret moon base!!!

[@projektkobra2247]

I have often commented that you can never learn all there is to know about WW2.

[@scockery]

We'll have to relearn what we did know after WW3 destroys everything.

[@jeffreyb8770]

Dr. Felton is giving away too much info too fast. It kills the mystique.

[@Jrplatt]

I heard a story once that of all the American weapons that were captured during the Battle of the Bulge it was the M1 carbine that was the most prized

[@dudleylitz7369]

In Hogan's Heroes: Sargent Schultz carries a Norwegian Krag Jorgensen!

[@alessandromsk3195]

Another perfect video showing obscured and often forgotten topics. Not only the quality and accuracy is unparalleled but also what makes it much better is the subject which many history buffs or occasional history enthusiasts can't even think would be true. Dr. Felton's videos quality is not getting better video by video. They already have exceeded perfection and every video is just sliding through it!

[@marcogazaneo]

PLEASE! Make one documentary about the camouflage uniforms of ww2! it was a game changer in warfare and there aren't any good documentaries about it, and I know that you would nail it!! :D

[@nedrain9044]

The BAR captioned "captured US" at 2.11 is a Polish version. The pistol grip is the clue. Thanks for another interesting video!

[@TommygunNG]

Good eyes.

[@TommygunNG]

@@adamjg4 But the Polish Army did.

[@Rustebadge]

Correct sir. The pistol grip is of American design though. Too many in service and production to change engineering and manufacturing for a new pistol grip. Mine works fine as issued.

[@RoCK3rAD]

Exactly never trust a Brit about guns

[@Jermster_91]

Austrian Josef “Sepp” Allerberger started his career in the Wehrmacht as a Machine Gunner but after a few weeks on the front began to realize that machine gunners were prime targets to be killed. When he got injured and was sent to the rear to repair broken guns and whatnot, he began practicing with a Soviet Mosin-Nagant rifle that he became quite good at it. He became a marksman for his unit and began to rack up quite a number of kills with it. He used the Mosin-Nagant until he was sent to Sniper School.

[@wolfhram3996]

I've read his memoirs, a really interesting and good book to read for any armchair historian.

[@k3D4rsi554maq]

It's called "Sniper on the Eastern Front".

[@k3D4rsi554maq]

You should be able to find it in the web.

[@k3D4rsi554maq]

One pist of eleven.

[@k3D4rsi554maq]

Two pists of eight.

[@johnkidd1226]

At the end of the war, my father drove Canadian trucks loaded with guns, mobile kitchens, hospital supplies, etc. to Yugoslavia. I believe they also got a lot of Sherman tanks and artillery pieces as well. On the way back they picked up bicycles abandoned by retreating Germans and brought them back to Holland and Belgium.

[@k3D4rsi554maq]

Another post.

[@zooweemama911]

If you enjoy Dr Felton’s videos, consider reading his books. Any history lover can appreciate the time and effort put into his books (as well as his videos) and I’ve learned a great deal from his books. You won’t be disappointed. Thanks for your continued hard work and dedication Dr Felton, it doesn’t go unnoticed!

[@julijansidneypicej4701]

Can confirm. Read "Guarding Hitler" and even though there are probably 15 videos with same content, there is a narrative and lots of details or anecdotes that would make videos too long. Marks work is in my view the best manifestation of "doing things that feed your soul". If im not mistaken, lad goes into an archive. Reads some logs and id's the submarine, commander and what happened, faster than i make my bed.

[@Kai-g6b]

Also good to know is that in 1940 German Soldiers captured men from the dutch resistance who had been in contact with Britain. They convinced the British to supply them as they thought they would supply the dutch resistance. The British did this until 1943. In Germany this is known as „the England-Game“

[@cashstore1]

I remember my dad telling me how he would take the weapons off dead Germans and shoot them for fun. He said it was illegal to bring them home, but told me a lot of his fellow soldiers did it any way. He did keep a bayonet that he took off a dead German and it sits near my computer. One thing I do have to say about the bayonet is that it is very well made.

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

That's the first I've heard of that. Certainly fully-automatic weapons were illegal to bring home, but I've never heard of any problems with captured conventional firearms. Rumor mills being what they are I'm sure your father heard what he considered the "straight scoop" and acted accordingly.

[@joshuajoaquin5099]

i recall there are stories that sometimes they stripped it and ship it back to home

[@MassiveChoad-vr5gy]

@@wayneantoniazzi2706 probably depends on country

[@littlejimmy8744]

My grandfather took a m1911 of a dead American officer. He had it from 1944 up until 1945 finding ammo off dead and captured Americans. Sadly he throw away the pistol a few days before the official surrender. He and his comrades really like the m1911.

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

@@MassiveChoad-vr5gy Quite true. I automatically assumed "cash storeone" was American. Maybe he is? No way of knowing for certain unless he tells us.

[@Tarzander]

Once again, Mark Felton comes through with the best warfare history available.

[@julijansidneypicej4701]

If anyone invents time machine i want intro theme for my polyphonic Nokia

[@BanjoLuke1]

Allied forces (unofficially) used Axis equipment. My late father went from Falaise all the way to Germany with a German side arm in his holster and using a German motorcycle combination with 2-wheel drive (a diff between the rear and sidecar wheels). It also had pipes from the exhaust routing hot gases up to the hands for winter riding. A new CO in early 1945 ordered that all enemy equipment be abandoned, as the men might get the impression it was superior. My father chuckled when telling me and said "It bloody well was".

[@johnryder1713]

A good weapon fortunately saved from Axis plunder was the Polish Mors sub machine gun as only 40 or so were issued to the Polish army but the entire process of manufacture was luckily got out of the country along with the design team before the fall of the country

[@ManWithNoName1980]

True but it was underdeveloped and quite outdated fun compared to rkm wz 28 or VIS.

[@johnryder1713]

@@ManWithNoName1980 Well maybe but the Maroczek auto rifle was as good and even better of a weapon to even a Garand, but was never used at all in combat but once by its inventor to down a Stuka, before never seeing further use

[@ThatsMrPencilneck2U]

I love one story told by a B-17 crewman when captured. The German officer eyes got big as he examined the muzzle of the US M1911, and he immediately looked back to the muzzle of his 7.62mm P-08. Apparently, this officer was a citizen soldier. A proper professional would have carried a 9mm and have known all about the American cowboy caliber weapon.

[@antibrotha]

Thank you for all your entertainment and educating us Mark ❤️

[@donaldfeger91]

That was really interesting,my dad was WW2 vet and we talked about this subject for hours many times! Thank You for sharing!

[@johnryder1713]

While good foreign pistols like the Polish Radom was used commonly by the Axis some other quite good firearms were actually ignored, like the French MAS pistol, which actually went on to provide a basis for the SIG 210 and other excellent pistols, while some weapons were disguised and luckily kept from the occupying forces, such as the French Auto rifle that went on to become the MAS 44/49/56 simply as the state arsenal workers made it look like the weapons they were producing were only ordinary bolt action weapons like the MAS 1936 just as reliable if outdated designs, like the Norwegian Krag rifles were kept out of Axis hands by the dogged determination of the local resistance fighters blowing up the factory on a practically ceaseless basis!

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

The French MAS pistol was a good design but fired an oddball cartridge. Most likely it wasn't an easy conversion to the standard 9mm cartridge the Germans used. Why the French didn't design it for the almost universal (by that time) 9mm is anyone's guess.

[@johnryder1713]

@@wayneantoniazzi2706 I guess the French used some unique Cartridges at the time, but according the Ian over on Forgotten weapons theres a new version of the 7.65 Longue on the way

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

@@johnryder1713 I can't imagine why, but I'm sure there are reasons.

[@johnryder1713]

@@wayneantoniazzi2706 Don't worry, our Francophile gun Jesus has many in the latest vid!

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

@@johnryder1713 Thanks, I'll check it out! (Nothing's on the tube tonight worth a damn anyway!)

[@edwardloomis887]

Every weapon sounds different. The downside of carrying another nation's weapons is soldiers learn to tell the difference, and sometimes you make important decisions based on the threat level a sound represents. When I was in Somalia 1992-1993, I knew the difference between the sound of an M-16A2 and similar 5.56 mm weapons that U.S. and many allied forces used and the 7.62 mm AK-47s Somali militias hid from task force units and would pull out to use, usually after sundown. In my case, if the sound of an AK-47 woke me up, I would stay awake long enough to determine if it was getting closer or moving away. If the latter, try to get back to sleep

[@wessexdruid7598]

The British Army have ranges (developed for N.Ireland) for training troops to identify between different weapon sounds when fired at them. They were installed inside a Napoleonic Martello tower at Hyde, with a bullet trap next to the sangar the troops are housed in.

[@edwardloomis887]

@@wessexdruid7598, I had a infantry company commander in pre-fall-of-the-Wall West Berlin who came from U.S. Army Special Forces and made it possible for us to fire AK-47s: weapons, ammunition and a range. It was valuable in many ways: learning the sound and learning how to fire a weapon we might need at some point. Not valuable? Watching the company commander trying to shoot my red filtered flashlight marking one of the range limits.

[@wessexdruid7598]

@@edwardloomis887 My point was the troops are on the end of the incoming rounds, not shooting the weapons. 🙂

[@edwardloomis887]

@@wessexdruid7598, please don't take my feedback as kneejerk or negative. Essentially, I am agreeing that what you outlined makes sense and I had a boss who was equally enlightened. FYI, when you are on a firing range, you not only hear the weapon you are firing, but all of the others that are firing, so while I was not being shot at at that moment, I could hear sounds that proved valuable during a deployment to Mogadishu.

[@historicmilitaria1944]

I have an example of an Italian m38 beretta smg which was picked up by a luftwaffe fallschirmjager in italy and was lost by same during operation stosser in the ardennes campaign,I used to have a waffen ss marked czech zb37 hmg and a german acceptance marked french mab semi auto pistol,currently on the road in the uk is a pre war humber snipe Utility which was delivered new to the royal artillery in 1939,went to france with them,was abandoned by them at dunkirk in 1940,salvaged and rebuilt by the germans and issued to a luftwaffe repair unit who took it to the russian front,in 1944 they came with the car to normandy,abandoned it while retreating at falaise.the vehicle ended up in a captured vehicle field,was salvaged by the british,brought back to the uk and subsequently auctioned off in 1945 onto the civillian market.

[@user-ck3bo8wd4p]

Always thought it was cool seeing Germans use the PPSH. Such a unique weapon. Actually got the chance to see an actual one! My platoon had to be bait and pull security for some green berets for two operations. They let us stay in their compound and they had tons of soviet era weapons just lying around. Got to hold an actual PPSH!

[@detroitandclevelandfan5503]

Thank you for your service. What year was it made?

[@trooperdgb9722]

Got to shoot one...and a PPS 43..in Warsaw last year.. BUT..the one I shot that I then wanted to take home was the Steyr/Solothurn MP34! Pre war (obviously) All milled and machined, wooden stock.... just brilliant..

[@anthonylee6322]

Just a observation. Never shoot at a tire like shown with the Thompson SMG. The 45 cal bullet will ricochet back at you.

[@fritztheblitz1061]

The Germans in the Second Worldwar used a lot of capturned handguns. A friend of May collect german rmy weapons inkl. so called Beutewaffen. He have some nice pices...

[@Minboelf]

Imagine in the battle of berlin and get shot by a Dreyse Needle gun

[@ray7419]

The term “Use what you got” certainly applied to The Reich in the final years of the war. Great video and thank you Dr Felton. 👍

[@MTG776]

Thumbs up for the Eddie head...

[@sellsjeeps]

That German with the Tommy Gun on the Eastern front was pretty wild. I wonder how they got .45 acp?

[@wes11bravo]

One of the Russian battlefield archeology KZbin channels dug a site where they found a folding stock US M1A1 Carbine plus ammo. I'm guessing a Wehrmacht unit captured it in Italy then got sent to the Eastern Front.

[@1988thefreeman]

Norway used 45. and was under German occupation for some time. Probably from there.

[@rags417]

The PPSh-41 used a 7.62x25 cartridge which is less than two thirds the weight and 60% the muzzle energy of the 9mm Parabellum round. This meant that despite its massive ammo capacity, great rate of fire and good recoil characteristics it did a lot less damage and had much shorter range. Still, if I was fighting street to street in an urban environment I would sure as hell rather a PPSh-41 than an MP-40 !

[@StalinTheMan0fSteel]

That's why the Germans used so many of them, it was especially robust for close combat and ammo for it was everywhere.

[@advanced2431]

The Japanese also captured many allied small arms and equipment. The Japanese reverse engineered the M1 Garand and made their own rifle called the Type 4. They also captured and reverse engineered the 40mm Bofors gun from the British which they named the Type 5 40mm Anti-Air gun. The majority of grenades used by the defending Japanese forces during the island hoping campaign were actually Chinese grenades made and captured in Northeast China.

[@itsconnorstime]

There’s not much documentation of the Japanese using captured weapons, but going by photographs it’s seems they did on a local basis.

[@nicholasfitzsimmons7311]

I think that the image of the captured BAR M1918 is actually a polish wz28. Of which the Germans captured in 1939 and used 8mm mauser, meaning it was far easier to source ammunition than 30.06. (Correct me if I'm wrong)

[@kuriboh635]

I've always wanted to know about this. It's very interesting to see what militaries do with captured weapons

[@timothyhouse1622]

Germany was an extreme example. They just didn't have the production capacity to keep up with their expansion. It was a perfect window into the absolute ideocracy of Nazi economics. Being far right wing reactionaries, the Nazi higher-ups could only see short -term gains and not the big picture. Relying on so many captured weapons utterly destroyed the German's logistic system and did far more damage than any Allied bombing ever did. All those different trucks, tanks, and guns require separate parallel logistic streams, which created a nightmare. For example, one German Panzer division in Barbarossa had over a DOZEN different models of trucks from different manufacturers. These were the trucks meant to SUPPLY the division, so when they broke down and had no parts it made the entire resupply impossible. The division's logistic train required its OWN logistic train. It may seem frugal but in practice was an utter disaster, so no other nation did it like the Germans did. Sure, there were instances of some soldiers using captured weapons but it was usually temporary and not institutional.

[@carsonm7292]

@@timothyhouse1622 Hit the nail on the head. Trophy weapons and ad-hoc usage aside, the Western Allies either destroyed captured German weapons or sent them back for study. They did this because they had the industrial power to supply their troops with their own weapons, and the Americans in particular were keenly aware of the vital importance of logistics because they had to stretch their supply chain across two oceans. That's why a lot of American equipment had a reputation for reliability and ease of maintenance in the field-because Ordinance held anything proposed for service to an extremely high standard before considering loading it onto a supply ship. They knew that if something broke, they didn't have the luxury of just sending it back to the factory; the crews in the field would have to make do, so they saw to it things broke as little as possible. Of course there are exceptions like the infamous Mk. 18 torpedo, but generally speaking this was the pattern, and it was by design specifically to avoid the kind of logistical bane the Germans made for themselves.

[@kuriboh635]

@@timothyhouse1622 yes I know this is a rare outlier. I was just saying it's interesting what countries do with captured weapons. Like how turkey converted enfields into the mauser standard at one point. Or even just knowing there where soviet stores of German equipment in stock till the 50s and 60s. Just fascinating to see where they ended up at.

[@ThePTBRULES]

@@timothyhouse1622 The Nazis were completely left-wing besides believing in traditional family values....

[@joshuajoaquin5099]

@@carsonm7292 in certain situations they also use German weapons, i recall the Paratroopers were often using captured MG42 until they ran out even the Soviets do that and use it with great effect. Also there is a US division that captured a lot of German tanks and use them as well along with trucks and German vehicles. They were often dub as American panzer division. Also i heard a German officer in his staff car line up in the convoy as he thought they are his men only to realize that they are the Americans

[@methodeetrigueur1164]

The Wehrmacht used a lot of foreign weapons. Only as handguns : - Norwegian 1911 in .45 ACP ; - Polish Radom VIS 35 in 9mm parabellum ; - French MAB D in .32 ACP, SACM 35 A and MAS 35 S in 7.65mm long, and Saint-Étienne 1892 revolver in 8mm ; - Czech CZ 27 in .32 ACP ; - Hungarian Frommer Stop and FEG Femaru in .32 ACP ; - Russian Nagant 1895 revolver in 7.62 Nagant…

[@Rustythemouse]

Even Spanish made Astra pistols.

[@methodeetrigueur1164]

Right : - Astra 300 in .32 ACP ; - Astra 400 in 9mm largo ; - Astra 600 in 9mm parabellum.

[@methodeetrigueur1164]

I didn’t know for the Bodeo M1889 revolver but I know the Germans liked the Beretta M34 in .380 ACP and the M35 in .32 ACP.

[@schizoidboy]

One of the newest exhibits at West Point Museum is a Browning 9mm in the WWII section of the American Wars exhibit. It was captured from a German sniper who wounded an officer and the pistol was given to that officer by his men as a trophy. The ironic thing about this video is that Germany was renown for their weapons especially their small arms and especially today militaries and police forces seek them out; however, the fact they made regular use of Allied weapons hints they had logistical problems providing their own troops with weapons.

[@CoCoTobys]

Hello Mark. You could make a video about the first battle of ww2. The battle of westerplatte

[@Chilly_Billy]

An interesting point regarding Germany's post-war use of the U.S. M1 Carbine. As Dr. Felton noted, many were sent to Bavaria. Since Germans were so used to open notch rear sights, quite a number of Carbines lost their superior aperture rear sights for sights akin to the 98k Mauser bolt-action rifle. Carbines so modified command a bit of a premium among American Carbine collectors.

[@AudieHolland]

Comparison with a very different war, the Vietnam War. American special forces on occasion used captured AK-47s during infiltration operations (SEALS) because the weapons were reliable and once forced to use them (SEALS were specialized in infiltration and intelligence gathering, they were not sent in as super human Rambo mini armies), the sound of the AK would confuse the North Vietnamese. In contrast, Vietcong and North Vietnamese Army never used/captured M-16s...

[@shneurkanar3871]

First time I realised Skoda the car make, produced weapons. So interesting. Thanks mark for your work.

[@ComissarYarrick]

Well, Dewoo, Korean car company, also makes weapons for it's country army. I imagine skill set (mechanical engeeineering with moving metal parts ) is somewhat similar in both car and gun makeing.

[@minuteman4199]

I think Skoda was making weapons before cars were invented.

[@tz8785]

@@minuteman4199 Skoda Auto was originally Laurin & Klement, Skoda bought them in 1925.

[@stephenarling1667]

Skoda made the electric trams now in use by Portland, Oregon's rapid transit system.

[@G-Mastah-Fash]

The really boring car maker no less. I don't think Skoda has made an interesting car in my lifetime.

[@ericthehun1]

The BAR in the photo is actually a Belgian or Polish FND, a derivative of the 1918 BAR. Quick change barrel, and pistol grip that are noticeably different.

[@tonihokkan9808]

Back in 1943 my grandpa was in a signal batallion in the Hungarian Royal Army at the Eastern Front. There were a German officer who visited their unit's commander who proudly displayed his american made automatic pistol. Grandpa said that sould be a .45 cal Colt 1911 or something like that. By the way Gemans always tried to bartel my grandpa's FÉG 37M automatic pistol. As he remembered many Germans used the Nagant sidearms which was grabbed from the Soviets. He told me, the movies showing all German officers with German made classic WW2 era pistols was not common back then, exactly in the Eastern Front. The story about the German officer who owns US made pistol was the only time when he saw a gun like that in his military lifetime.

[@bashirmuhammad8181]

I love the range demonstration. Many of these weapons showed up in MPLA,and UNITA hands during the Angolan Civil War,while some like the British Lee Enfield were used by Federal Forces during the Nigerian Civil War.Later,the iconic rifle was extensively used by the Nigerian Police for enforcement work.Thanks Doc.

[@jamesamann9745]

I have read that the M1 carbine was much prized by German troops.

[@marcusfiero3724]

The SVT-40 is generally seen as being unreliable, and inaccurate. However, this can be attributed to three primary factors: poor training of Soviet Troops making them unaware of the need to adjust the gas system to the ammo, inconsistent Soviet ammo quality, and loose fitting of stocks to the rifle. The result was an unreliable rifle, and accuracy varied greatly from rifle to rifle. The Germans understood the gas system, and printed manuals for the SVT-40s operation. This, combined with the fact that Wehrmacht troops were often better trained than their Soviet counterparts, led to very good results for the SVT-40 while in service with the Wehrmacht.

[@brianb2837]

It amazing how many firearms were used by the Germans that they captured and vice versa that were picked up by soldiers who decided that there enemies weapons were of use or better than what they had. Thanks Mark for another interesting video!

[@jerryjeromehawkins1712]

True Brian. I've seen plenty of photos of Americans and Soviets with Mp40s... the StG44 also seemed to be a favorite amongst the Soviets. 👍🏾🇺🇸⚓️

[@jmi5969]

Same happened on the other side of the front line. But these battle trophies lasted for as long as there was original ammo. One it's gone, there was no resupply. Like Mark said, some weapons were re-chambered - but only few.

[@chriscarbaugh3936]

@@jerryjeromehawkins1712 news to me! Most GIs would not carry an MP40 due to its distinctive sound when fired, as there was a great possibility of another American firing at you. STGs were rare enough that I have not seen their use by allied forces. Some of this is first hand as my grandfather found through France.

[@MrPh30]

Soviets liked the Stg so much they took the design team boss Hugo Schmeisser with them to do some inventions and move the concept forward.

[@minuteman4199]

I suspect that Germans probably liked to use soviet weapons when their supply system started to break down and they either used them or kept them handy for when they ran out of their own ammo.

[@johnryder1713]

Volksstrum were regularly armed with French MAS 1936 rifles that the Germans considered outdated in 1940, and yet it was used to the end of the war, straight up to Dien Bien Phu, and the Sniper version was used up to 1987, and as a hunting rifle to this very day!

[@phillipallen3259]

I think it would probably be confusing if you're used to being shot at by K-98s and suddenly someone shoots at you with an M-1. I wonder how many allies were killed by thinking thinking they were being fired on by their own troops so stepped out to stop fractricide only to find Germans

[@renes9966]

In the heat of battle, you’re not going to tell the difference between two rifle shots of a similar calibre, but I can definitely imagine something like this happening with German soldiers using a captured Bren like we saw in the photo. Its lower rate of fire sounded so different to the MG42s the allies were used to hearing. I remember reading also that Americans would never use captured AKs in Vietnam for similar reasons, After a few GIs learned the hard way!

[@DenianWriter]

Unlike in video games most guns sound the same IRL, especially when there are tons of them going off at once. A semi auto is indistinguishable from a bolt action in a similar caliber, you do not hear the bolt if you are being shot at. You can’t really judge based on the rate of fire either, very rarely would there only be one person shooting. (Plus the Germans had several weapons which were either capable of or were exclusively semi auto.)

[@Matt-cl4mp]

Imagine being a german getting your hands on an m1 Garand and then escaping death because of its semi auto glory only to find yourself bitten by Garand Thumb.

[@drwayne88]

Mr. Felton’s delivery, smooth and professional makes his offerings a pleasant learning experience.

[@averagenow4k245]

2:08 wouldnt't that be a captured Polish BAR? Wzór or Wz. 28 was outfitted with a wooden, slightly bigger than normal hand guard, it also had a pistol grip

[@owllymannstein7113]

Since this is a youtube gun video I am legally required to point out small errors to show how knowledgeable I am. The BAR at 2:11 isn't American, since it has a pistol grip. It's probably Belgian, though there were other European countries that used the same configuration.

[@michaelbeams9553]

Might be the Polish variant .👍

[@coleman4840]

@@michaelbeams9553 It is. Or if it’s not that, consider looking at the colt monitor On forgotten weapons

[@davids8449]

My father was on the Russian front Russia would drive their troops on at gun point as a result hundreds and hundreds of Russian tanks were destroyed and piles of machine guns left. My father picked one up and fired it in the air gave it a clean ( true story)

[@waltie1able]

Those of us who are fortunate to reside in the State of Montana in the US see many Garands, Mausers, and Springfields and sometime M-1 carbines at rifle ranges in this free state. Many of us who live in Montana never, ever visit the East Coast of the US anymore.

[@josesierraromero8316]

One more time enjoying your Superb work and tryng to decipher your elegant British accent..🧐keep the good work Sir!

[@HamanKarn567]

I always remember footage of a German soldier with a hi power in the hedgerows and I saw one in Italy with a M1 Carbine. I always thought that was interesting. The ppsh also and even in movies like Stalingrad and Cross of Iron.

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

The Germans loved the M-1 carbine, they had nothing like it.

[@BattleAxe1345]

You're talking to my plant

[@HamanKarn567]

Gregory Stevensh

[@BattleAxe1345]

@@HamanKarn567 Coho, waow. If this is you say yes, just say "Hi Fred" and I know this isn't a recording.

[@HamanKarn567]

The FBI really needs to be called in on this.

[@azureprophet]

1:25 Did anyone besides me notice that Browning Hi-Power pointing at a very vulnerable location with the hammer cocked? Yikes.

[@TheEvilmooseofdoom]

Maybe like the 1911 it's supposed to be.

[@shawnr771]

Thank you for the lesson. Dr Felton mentions the Battle of the Bulge. I think it was in Rick Atkinson's book Guns at Last Light. He mentions a farm house in the area that was used as a supply dump for all the captured weaponry. When the Germans advanced the excess of captured weapons was piled here. When the Allies beat them back over the next month or so the Allies used the same place to put captured German weapons. The farmer said I could tell which weapons the enemies respected or liked from their opponents because those wete the ones being picked up.

[@johnryder1713]

While good foreign pistols like the Polish Radom was used commonly by the Axis some other quite good firearms were actually ignored, like the French MAS pistol, which actually went on to provide a basis for the SIG 210 and other excellent pistols, while some weapons were disguised and luckily kept from the occupying forces, such as the French Auto rifle that went on to become the MAS 44/49/56 simply as the state arsenal workers made it look like the weapons they were producing were only ordinary bolt action weapons like the MAS 1936 just as reliable if outdated designs, like the Norwegian Krag rifles were kept out of Axis hands by the dogged determination of the local resistance fighters blowing up the factory on a practically ceaseless basis!

[@brittakriep2938]

For logistic reason , german forces, prefered pistols in 9mm Parabellum/ Luger or 7,65 Browning/ .32 ACP, even such ones in 6,35 Browning / .25 ACP had been used for armed personal, being not realy soldiers. This common cartridges had been produced by german companies. In much smaller numbers, german / austrian companies also produced 7,63 Mauser, 9mm Steyr and 9 mm kurz /. 380 ACP. But ,exotic' cartridges, produced or used only in one country, had been not so liked by german authorities.

[@johnryder1713]

@@brittakriep2938 I know but I wonder could 7.65 Longue be converted to 32 ACP and after all the design was a pretty similar system, while designed in isolation from each other, to a Tokarev TT33 and as I say did form a basis for other more modern handguns

[@brittakriep2938]

@@johnryder1713 : I can' t give you an answer to your question. My knowledge of english language is limited, and for german gun law reason i am only one of the socalled ,Armchair experts'. For an answer to your question, i would ask Ian from ,Forgotten Weapons ' channel, or Othias from ,Q&A arsenal' channel.

[@johnryder1713]

@@brittakriep2938 Sie haben mir die Worte direkt aus dem Mund genommen, und auch als Antwort auf Ihre Frage verwendet die Achse immer noch Gewehre in Off-the-Wall-Kalibern, wie das italienische 7,35 mm und das französische 7,5 mm

[@brittakriep2938]

@@johnryder1713 : In der Not frisst der Teufel Fliegen. Man hat in der Endphase schlicht alles verwertet, was schoss und kein Vorderlader , Armbrust oder Bogen war.

[@mnguy98]

If I remember accurately, the Sten was also explicitly designed to use captured MP-40 magazines, such that British troops could resupply off of German soldiers should Britain ever be invaded. I'm sure more than one German trooper examining a captured Sten tried loading his MP-40 mag into it and going "holy s#!+ it actually works"

[@skepticalbadger]

It was not. The mag will fit but won't function reliably. If they'd wanted compatibility they'd have copied the magazine.

[@christowndotcom]

T 34 tanks were used by Germans as well. it's on most war movies

[@clementnoel6663]

Hello Mr felton, as you were speaking of foreign firearms in the hands of soldiers during a conflict it reminded me of an excellent book about the Franco-Algerian colonial war (Les appelé en Algérie, Erwan Bergot). In this book, it is sometime question of germans WW2 era firemarms and artillery connons given to the FLN (National Liberation Front). It might or may not be enough to constitue a full video, but I think it is worth the time to check. Anyway I highly appreciate your content ! (please forgive me my english mistakes !)

[@ChristianThePagan]

Define 'excellent'. The MP-40 had interchangeable magazines and interchangeable parts. The PPSh-41 was a weapon with hand fitted parts and drum magazines serial numbered to the gun which could not be easily exchanged between weapons and that jammed if you loaded them to full capacity. On top of that the PPSh emptied the handful of mags it was issued with very rapidly due to the great rate of fire and it took a long time to reload the drums. There is a reason the Soviets eventually switched the PPSh to stick mags. I'd pick the MP-40 every time.

[@_Peremalfait]

Interesting that the one American small arm the Germans seemed to have liked over other was the M1 carbine.

[@toddwebb7521]

The US was perplexed by this as US soldiers preferred the M1 Garand over the M1 carbine, but apparently the explanation was that non infantry troops who typically had carbines would pretty much shit their pants and surrender the first time a MG 42 opened up in their direction and surrender with a full ammo load out. Infantry troops who typically had Garands would pretty much fight till dead or out of ammo. So pretty much M1 carbine ammo was easier for them to get. Insert M1 carbine never been fired and only dropped once joke here.

[@cabbyhubby]

My uncle carried a M1 carbine .... I had one, but would hate to got to war with that rifle .... Ill take the Garand anyday.

[@G-Mastah-Fash]

@@toddwebb7521 In Korea officers had to rip M1 carbines out of Riflemens hands because they kept losing combat engagements with Chinese and Korean forces that outranged them. Those rear guard guys probably had the right idea giving up.

[@richardstephens5570]

The M1 carbine was Audie Murphy's weapon of choice because of it's lighter weight. Accurate and an effective range of 300 yards, it was originally designed to replace the pistols of support troops. Many found their way into the hands of front line soldiers.

[@dquod6.096]

@@cabbyhubbyYeah I’ll happily take the M1 carbine because the American troops commonly complained about weight issues with the rifles they were issued. Lots of veterans preferred the M1 carbine because it was lighter.

[@MartinMartinm]

When you don't have rich uncle Sam supporting you, then you had to make use of what you could.

[@lajoyalobos2009]

In Yugoslavia they had the Mauser M24 which was also chambered in 8mm just like the German 98k. I bet logistics concerning ammunition for both sides were very simple.

[@americanmilitiaman88]

I got to shoot a PPSH. Unfortunately its difficult for an American citizen to get a full auto weapon unless they have alot of money and jump through legal hoops to get one. But i was fun to shoot for as fast it fired i was able to fully control it on target

[@RT-mm8rq]

In a few war movies you often see the Allied characters adamantly saying they want a Luger pistol as a souvenir. I can assume their German counterparts had the same idea about certain Allied weapons. I'm pretty sure the Japanese used whatever Allied weapons and equipment they found useful to.

[@Farweasel]

And who would have turned down the chance to grab a Japanese - I nearly said 'Geisha' instead of Katana (even if they did cut down the Tang)? Actually on further thought .............

[@secretariat1703]

Proudly got one from a Canadian soldier fighting in Germany in 1945.The eagle with nazi cross engraved on it.The SS committed suicide with his Browning HP.

[@kalleklp7291]

The Sten gun was not as bad as many make them seem. Sure they are not precision weapons but cheap, reliable, and easy to build. They were thrown out en masse to the different resistance groups all over Europe. For example, Several groups in the Danish resistance movement manufactured Sten guns for their own use. BOPA produced around 200 in a bicycle repair shop on Gammel Køge landevej (Old Køge road), south of Copenhagen. Holger Danske produced about 150 workshops in Copenhagen, while employees of the construction company Monberg & Thorsen built approximately 200-300 in what is now the municipality of Gladsaxe (a suburb of Copenhagen) for use by Holger Danske and others. The resistance groups 'Frit Danmark' and 'Ringen' also built significant numbers of Stens. Some sheet metal, a pipe, and simple hand tools would be what it takes to throw such a gun together.

[@TheEvilmooseofdoom]

Some of them were.. :)

[@donjones4719]

If anyone quibbles that the WW2 Thompson submachine gun was the M1 model, not the 1928: Mark is correctly identifying them. The early British & Canadian purchases were 1928s, these would have been captured at Dieppe and perhaps Dunkirk. The weapons shown in the video, including the demo firing, are 1928s. However, for a tiny counter-quibble, any Thompsons captured in the Italian campaign by the Germans would have been M1s. The last pic of an Eastern Front Thompson is apparently a 1928A; afaik the option of horizontal or vertical grip was available. It has a compensator and although the bolt handle can't clearly be seen it appears to be on the top. Have seen in a couple of places that Lend Lease tanks sent to the USSR had a Thompson in each one. One informal comment ID's them as 1928s. So... perhaps an oddball supply of them in a US arsenal was sent as Lend Lease because the Army had standardized on the M1 by then.

[@Wollemand]

I once saw some German recordings about the the Dieppe Raid, where you can clearly see a German soldier with a BAR.. Did a bit of Googling and a found out that a number of them was delivered to the polish prewar army and that they were chambered in the German caliber 8*57 Mauser.. So it was actually an easy thing for the Germans to put them into good use..

[@dam00k]

I’ve shot a lot of those, Nagants, M1 Garand and M1 carbine, Thompson and some not mentioned and they were fun but I always, always wanted to own a silenced sten with 10 mags.

[@renes9966]

Does anyone have any more info on the “Eastern Front Thompson” at 5:31? The German soldier is leaning against a Churchill tank, which was only deployed by the Soviets at Kursk in ‘43. The M1 Thompson was only approved by the US army in April ‘42, so it’s a very short window for this Thompson to be in the hands of a German soldier at Kursk. I’ve not heard of M1 Thompsons being issued under lend-lease either, so it’s unlikely to be a Soviet capture. Very puzzling. I also appreciated the photo of the No4 (T) Enfield in German hands - I’ve never seen it before.

[@G-Mastah-Fash]

It was lend lease for the soviets. They didn't like it and only used it for tankers. The NKVD even bought a couple of 1921 Thompsons long before the war.

[@donjones4719]

@@G-Mastah-Fash I've seen this also, along with a non-confirmed comment that American tanks were shipped with a Thompson inside.

[@colinwilliams877]

In the story of PQ17, the author talks of model 28 Thompsons being loaded aboard M3 tanks.

[@donjones4719]

@@colinwilliams877 Was the convoy loaded in the UK or US? I can believe the Brits were ready to get rid of their 1928s, they had no use for them at this point. Or possibly the US had a load of 1928s from before the M1 production ramped up and wanted to get rid of them as non-standard. Any Thompson would be non-standard in the USSR, of course, so it didn't matter. After a second look at the Eastern Front pic I think it is a 1928. Hard to see a bolt handle, but it's more likely on the top. Been stumbling around the 'net a bit and apparently the 1928A was available with vertical or horizontal grip, and of course it has the compensator.

[@colinwilliams877]

@@donjones4719 Loaded in Eastern US if I remember the story correctly. Think one thompson was standard equipment on the M3 tanks, and that was 1941-42 era if I remember the story right.

[@robertphillips6296]

Aircraft captured by both sides were pressed into service as well.

[@Luxnutz1]

I wish Mark will do a story about how the December 1939 IRA raid on Irish Army Magazine Fort taking all of the Weapons especially the Thompson 45 and how they ended up in British Army possession that led to the weapons being captured by the Germans

[@jvleasure]

Very cool. A 12th Armored man in my collection captured a "Belgian pistol" that I have to assume was a Hi-Power. Sadly I don't have it, just his uniform. His historical distinction is being one of the 6 men that were the first to cross the bridge over the Danube at Dillingen. As far as I know, only Napoleon had ever crossed the Danube in war... and he did so by bribing a prince on the other side. The 12th Armored just moved fast and took it.

[@criscase6632]

Thank you to all the veterans out there

[@danmang923]

Damn soo cool to see Germans using an American 50. Cal