Читать книгу Standard Catalog of Military Firearms. The Collector's Price and Reference Guide онлайн

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I do not know if there was any official regulation about war souvenir firearms during WWI. In those days, firearms were not such controversial items. Look at the numbers of WWI-vintage Maxim machine guns that exist today. Imagine a soldier trying to figure a way to bring one of those home – yet some managed to do it. Even small cannon found their way here. In many cases it would have to be an officer or person involved in logistics to arrange transport of large, heavy items that would not fit in an individual soldier’s kit. Some machine guns or cannon were brought home as unit trophies by the regiment that captured it. These were later sold off by VFW posts after the memory of the capture died off along with the aging veterans.

During WWII there were some regulations in effect that required servicemen to have “capture papers” to possess enemy equipment, including firearms. These rules were enforced only by some, not all, commanders. I have spoken to many WWII veterans who shipped or carried home single guns or a foot locker full of stuff without any official permission or documentation. Others tell stories of officers “seizing” their trophy Luger or other prize, while leaving other less desirable items alone. One has to wonder where those seized items ended up? There was a form in use that was issued to servicemen who followed the official process. Any war souvenir firearm accompanied with an original capture paper is now a highly desirable item. In fact such a paper can add 25 – 50% to the price of the gun over what it would be without it. This paper proves a link to the past.