Captured Ammo and equipment

Just remembered an amusing tale I once told on the BBC People's War site, not so much about captured ammo as captured Jerry rifles.

Just forgive me if I've told it before on this site

One of the perils of rapid advancing that was taking place at that time was that if you broke down, you were left to your own devices until the rear parties could catch up with you.

On one occasion, later in the day, we had some barbed wire entangled in our tracks that brought us down to a crawl, and we had to drop behind the main advance. Fortunately we were near a farmhouse, and so we decided to bed down for the night and wait until daylight would allow us to see what we were doing.

Before we could get to sleep we were disturbed by some Italians who had their hands full of rifles of various types.

Apparently they had been informed by some earlier troops that if they had arms on the premises they must hand them in to avoid being shot as German collaborators. Quite naturally they were very keen to hand them over to us, but by the same token we were loath to tell them to fill our small crowded turret with their antiquated firepower!

We solved the matter in a rather black comedy manner by allowing them to pass the guns up to us and then, in the dark, we threw them over the other side of the tank instead of into the turret. At first light we got rid of the offending barbed wire and got away sharp before the Italians discovered they had been spoofed.

 

The famous German battery at Point Du Hoc were captured French 155s. They were Canon de 155 GPFs. This piece was used by the Americans and also manufactured in the states under license. It was used on the M12 self propelled gun as well.

Canon de 155mm GPF - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

The famous German battery at Point Du Hoc were captured French 155s. They were Canon de 155 GPFs. This piece was used by the Americans and also manufactured in the states under license. It was used on the M12 self propelled gun as well.

Canon de 155mm GPF - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Which is an answer to the military trivia question - which weapons were used by both sides in Normandy?

There was so much 88mm ammunition captured in Tunisia that if I recall correctly there was a South African operated 88mm battery in Allied service.

 

Which is an answer to the military trivia question - which weapons were used by both sides in Normandy?

There was so much 88mm ammunition captured in Tunisia that if I recall correctly there was a South African operated 88mm battery in Allied service.

Actually, the Germans used a great many captured Allied weapons in the West Wall and the Normandy campaign. Most of these were French, but they also employed some Soviet, Czech, Polish, and ex-BEF guns as well.

And the 88mm battery was manned by New Zealanders, actually. I think the NZ official history refers to it.

 

There was so much 88mm ammunition captured in Tunisia that if I recall correctly there was a South African operated 88mm battery in Allied service.

During the western desert campaign, in June 1942,a battery of Sth African Transval Scots at Tobruk
were using captured German 88's to hold off the attacking enemy forces.
Rob

 

Training with German anti-tank guns was a standard part of training for UK anti-tank batteries.

 

Have we had this?
Not sure I've seen it - Soviet display of captured German Equipment - 1943. (would have made a good accompaniment to the footage of heaped up banners in Red Square, but that thread's more about flags.)

[YOUTUBE]B24_tjVPIb0[/YOUTUBE]

That is the best video of seen of those types ever! They have an example of just about everything. Imagine if they still had all that stuff. It would be the best collection in the world by far.

Could that really be from 1943? The home front looks pretty relaxed and secure, even if it is staged. Seems more like post war.

Anyone know that that object is at 5:50?

 

Bump after reading about the Panther (Cuckoo)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pinecone1/325992016/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panther_tank

 

The BESA machine gun made by BSA was chambered for German ammo. It was supplied from UK with ammo but only used by the armoured corps.
It was the Czechoslovakian ZB-53 air cooled belt fed machine gun made under licence using a 7.92mm Mauser round also used in the MG 34 MG 42 and Mauser Kar98k rifle.
They were made in several factories including BSA Reditch where my mother worked.
In Tunisia 1 inf div captured an ordnance depot and gave chase to the retreating Germans using captured weapons.
IWM have a pic of the Sherwood Foresters firing an MG 34.
Churchill tanks used the Besa and German paras in Greece and Crete are pictured using the Czech weapon.

 

Tanks traded sides pretty regularly on the eastern front. The Soviets had manuals for all of the German ones. They had maintenance procedures for Mark IIIs and IVs but Panthers and Tigers were to be used only until they broke down and then scrapped.

Some SU-76i examples went from German to Soviet and back to German

SU-76i

 

THE BRITISH ARMY IN TUNISIA 1943

Object description
Men of the 2nd Sherwood Foresters firing a captured German MG42 machine gun, 27 April 1943.

TD

 

Rommel's AEC Mammonth