WW2 Japanese Baby Nambu Pistol with Veteran Bring-back Paperwork | Walk-in Wednesday

This week, Tom has a Japanese Baby Nambu. This particular gun is in better-than-average condition and it comes with the original soft-shell leather holster. But what makes this gun especially interesting, is that it came with capture paperwork - a tag that was filled out when the gun was handed over. Tom uses forensic logic to determine who the soldier was. We know that is was captured in Luzon, Philippines. Tom also talks about the attack on the Philippines that happened right after Pearl Harbor.
Video on overview of the Baby Nambu:
• WW2 Japanese Baby Namb...

[@manfredrichthofen2494]

One subscriber here from the Far East! Zero dislikes!! Now, that's something. I am a militaria and weapons buff and have always wondered about the history of the war weapons l have laid my hands on..if only these pieces could talk. The closest I could come up with is thru a psychic medium friend to satisfy my curiosity.. which is just not acceptable for proper documentation. Your channel sir is what l have been waiting for...am now 71- years of age.. Thank you Mr.Tom!

[@thomaswhiteman4261]

WOW. That is high praise indeed. ! Thanks for your encouragement. We will keep them coming.

[@frenchfan3368]

Well done Tom! I really enjoy how you mix talking about the history of the firearm and the general history of what was happening at the time it would have been used during that war. Your approach is unique and quite appreciated! Keep up the good work!

[@davidabell9358]

Another great video.Very educational. Please keep them coming. Love your stuff.

[@jacktheaviator4938]

They are such elegant little pistols, there was clearly alot of thought put into the aesthetics during design work.

[@WardenWolf]

The Arisaka Type 99 my grandfather got on Okinawa was mailed back as a DEWAT of sorts, so not papered. They made him remove the bolt back and striker before shipping it back. Fortunately, in 2003, I was able to source the missing parts and restore it to operation.

[@WardenWolf]

@heldgop He just didn't think to, or they kept the parts. He got to shoot it before he passed, though. It's a Series 21 Kokura.

[@jacktheaviator4938]

There were famous pieces of great wealth being captured from the greatest houses in Western Europe. In the Pacific theater there wouldn't be the same opportunities. So the fact that they were much more lenient in the Pacific makes sense. The items being captured were likely to be war trophies, not items looted illegally. That's the original purpose of the capture and war trophy paperwork, so there was a paper trail if someone comes along and says "that soldier stole____from my family, he didn't capture it from the German Army"

[@sarjim4381]

I suspect part of the reason why fewer bring homes had any documentation in the Pacific was there were so many dead soldiers compared to the ETO. It was much easy to lift war booty from dead bodies than try to get them from captured war stockpiles.

[@thomaswhiteman4261]

Unfortunately, that makes sense. I mean the unfortunate fact that there were far more dead bodies in the Pacific. Bonsai charges into machine gun positions happened in many of the Island battles.

[@jtgall1]

@@thomaswhiteman4261 Frontline troops left this stuff alone. My dad saw combat in as a Marine Raider. He said you took the chance of stepping on a mine or such, so you didn’t bother with it. In one story he told, he was able to retrieve his buddies wallet after he was killed by a sniper crossing an airfield to bring back to his buds family . What’s more important at the time. Back at their camp on Guadalcanal he had a Jap skull hung over the entrance of his tent. There were plenty of rotting corpses on the island and the deaths head was the Raiders patch. We do have photos of this. When they left camp to board ship for the Okinawa invasion, he said he left the skull along with a Garand, M1 carbine, BAR and a Thompson all broken down in his sea bag on Guadalcanal. Unfortunately, he was wounded on Okinawa, evacuated and returned home on a hospital ship. By the time the contents of his sea bag were returned to him a couple years later, he said you could fit it in a cigar box. So, as in the videos you’ve made about the PPs and PPKs, these pistols were more than likely grabbed by the troops that mopped up or dug graves. Thanks for making these videos! They are very informative with just the right amount of content. I have bought several pistols from you guys over the last few years. After watching the PP and PPK videos, I decided to buy a couple of the high polish ones from the thirties. I usually deal with Chris and will pay you the balance on these in a week or two. Also, tell Chris I finally got my FFL 03 and I’m waiting on my CA COE. California laws are like getting a root canal and colonoscopy at the same time!

[@reubenpowell4395]

Greetings.. I enjoy watching your videos. An interesting event inmy childhood was awakened in me while watching your video on The Baby Nambu pistol. My father was employed by Caltex Oil Company in Sumatra, Indonesia in 1953. My mother, sister and I joined him in 1954. We lived in an oil company camp, Rumbai. Most of the American men were combat veterans of WWII.Our neighbor, Bob Armstrong and his family became fast friends. One on our annual leave we visited their home in New Jersey. Bob Armstrong had returned from the war with a big Nambu pistol. What was so ionteresting was the holster was tightly woven bambu covered in raw rubber.Have you eveer seen anything like this? I live in Texas and would like to hear from anyone with the same interests. Reuben Powell

[@RayW808]

I wouldn't be shocked if the American who wrote that tag screwed up and the guys name is Nobu Otsuka (pronounced No Boo)

[@manfredrichthofen2494]

@Ray W.. That makes more sense considering that fits a proper Japanese name..

[@thomaswhiteman4261]

Would be nice if someone in Japan could tract down a family member.

[@secretsquirrel4101]

Considered entertaining com-block offerings? Recently purchased from ya'all, trusting your thorough, yet humble pursuit for accuracy. 199 views..good! Your still all mine!!!

[@c32amgftw]

12:23 is Mongol army, soviet DT machine gun. Not Japanese. Awesome video though!

[@mongolike513]

Good work, good selection of mostly apt photos and lots of them, plus a map or two. Do more like this and don’t worry about minor errors which you are sure to make, idiot commenters will set you right and wrong after all we are all experts on the net.

[@craigkaschan4822]

Nice little pistol.

[@МихаилПоляков-к8д]

Thumb up, but few wrong photos. "Japans" with VZ-58 and RPDs. "Japans" in Red Army uniform with Soviet DP-27.

[@bigdave6447]

See German guns get gloves ,anybody else doesn't!

[@ralikdiver]

One problem with identifying the owner could be the habit of many captured Japanese to give false names. As it was shameful to be taken alive and they knew their capture would be reported, they wished to hide their "shame". And spare their families the embarrassment of having raised such a person.

[@mikeblair2594]

Try reversing the name. In Japanese the surname is first and the name you are called by is second.

[@johnbarron4027]

PW could stand for "personal weapon".

[@JohnnyBoy-tw9mh]

Of course the Japanese war with Great Britain, The Netherlands and USA started on December 7 1941.

[@evandotterer4365]

12:22 I’m not 100% sure those are Japanese troops. They look like Russian soldiers since he’s using a D-28 lmg.

[@evandotterer4365]

Alex Vives they also could be Russian soldiers of Mongolian heritage as well

[@makachigta5930]

Holster 1940

[@thomaswhiteman4261]

hey. Thanks for the help

[@makachigta5930]

Anytime guys. Fan from Florida

[@spartanRS1]

Which girls are cheaper? Thailand or Philippines?

[@spartanRS1]

@domagoj šutalo, uopšte nisu jeftine. Redovno ih koristim.

[@spartanRS1]

@domagoj šutalo, pozdrav iz Zemuna. Niti volim niti ne volim japanske stvari. Čista radoznalost. Sigurno se nećeš složiti samnom ali meni je naj "made in YUG".

[@beaglebb7324]

南部やん