Even old soldiers are dangerous...

dwarven1

Lonely Mountain Arms
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http://www.vindy.com/content/local_regional/285275571786744.php

Man, 83, discusses shooting at home

Walter Swita has been carrying a gun since a previous attack.

By PATRICIA MEADE
VINDICATOR CRIME REPORTER

YOUNGSTOWN — Walter Swita used a German Luger 9 mm pistol he brought home from World War II to shoot an intruder he suspects robbed him a few weeks ago.

The intruder, Benjamin Brooks, 44, of East Philadelphia Avenue, died Sunday at St. Elizabeth Health Center. Swita shot him in the head and chest around 10:30 p.m. Friday.

Brooks, whose record included robbery and breaking and entering, lived around the corner from Swita.

"Watch out for the blood on the rug," Swita, 83, said as he welcomed a reporter into the living room of his South Avenue home Monday. "That's his blood. I hit my head on the TV stand when we fell."

The elderly man's 80-year-old two-story house is in the middle of a commercial district that features bars, eateries and other businesses. As a safety precaution, he's considering cutting back or removing a large bush that obscures his front porch.

"I think he's the one who attacked me about six weeks ago in the back yard," Swita said of Brooks. "He smashed me hard in the face and when I fell down he looked through my wallet and took $60."

Changed a few habits

Swita said he started carrying his German Luger after the attack, not sure whether the vintage pistol would even fire. He said he served in General George Patton's 3rd Army but didn't shoot at anyone. He repaired tanks and Jeeps.

After the first robbery, Swita, who lives alone, began parking across the street when he returned home, not in his rear yard driveway. He'd hide the pistol against his leg until he was safe inside.

Swita said that on Friday night, a man he'd seen hurrying up East Philadelphia grabbed him around the neck as he reached the porch and unlocked the door. The elderly man said he fired two shots at the intruder and they fell to the floor.

His account

Swita, "shaking like a leaf," said he sat down to call 911 to report the shooting. The call taker asked if the man who'd been shot was breathing. Swita said he told her he didn't care.

He assumed the intruder would die because of the shot to the head. He doesn't expect to be charged with any crime, reasoning that he just defended himself in his own home.

"Was I scared? You bet, both times, whoof!" Swita said, exhaling as he recalled the frightening encounters. "You don't know what they'll do to you. A witness said there were two [other] guys waiting on the sidewalk and they ran when they heard the shots."

Swita figures Brooks would have let the two men in to ransack the house.

Swita said he never married and retired in 1984 from the William Pollock Company as a lay-out man for steel ladles. He dotes on a sister who lives in Poland, takes her to play bingo every evening.

The night Brooks was shot, Swita was returning from his sister's.

A lot of people have told Swita that he should move but he says he's got 80 years of junk in the house and will likely stay. He wants his Luger back from the police, though, for protection.

"Plus, it's probably worth $1,500."

[email protected]

Three cheers for this guy!
 
Good for him. My only complaint is this

"Swita said he started carrying his German Luger after the attack, not sure whether the vintage pistol would even fire."

He didn't have a range or a sandpit or someplace just to make sure the gun works, and will not pose a threat to himself?

At least taking it to a gunsmith to be sure it won't blow up....

-Weer'd Beard
 
Trust me, old Lugers are built like tanks, few parts and very reliable.

My late Father liberated one from a German Major at the end of WWII and I now have it with the US Army capture papers. I used to reload light loads for it and take it to the range occasionally. This was back in the 1970s and other shooters would go nuts . . . they'd tell me that I'd damage it by shooting it. Hell, this gun went thru WWII and was used during the war (3 mags don't match S/N on gun). It's now a safe queen, but I'd have no qualms about loading it and firing it!

Only real issues with this story might be:

- Make sure it is clean, no junk/spiderwebs in the barrel. Just because the news story doesn't say anything, don't assume a former maintenance soldier wouldn't check the gun's operation prior to loading it!

- Practice is always good. However he did just fine, 2 shots, both hit their target. Much better than many in LE who qualify annually.

My only other comment about the story is . . . G_d Bless him! Too bad these old warriors are passing away at a high rate from old age.
 
Len,
Lugers are like girls, they got their own mind :D
With the standard springs one should hold on
to ammo in the 1,000 to 1,050 fps range at 125 grs
bullet weight to allow for reliable function - they love
to jam. Mags play a big role also.
BTW, having too many parts were the major
reason for the P.08 having been replaced by
the P38, with manufacturing of the P.08 stopped
in fall of 1942.
Anyway, I love them, I have one of my own.
Great fun shooting it and extremely accurate using
the shoulder stock (pity that this is illegal in the U.S.
with the exception of the LP08 Artillery model and
possibly the P04 Navy Luger).

Back to topic: That old Veteran did very well !
 
"That old Veteran did very well !" J.G.

Actually both old veterans did very well :)

When I was in high school, a buddy of mine bought a beautiful DWM Artillery Model...got it through the mail in those pre-GCA'68 days from the old Hunter's Lodge, and I think paid the princley sum of $65.00 (which was not chump change in those days)

Like the Colt SAA, the Luger is a natural pointer for most.

Regards,

Mark
 
The P38 isn't bad, either. I've shot crfriend's P38, and for a 60+ year old gun (I saw a Nazi proof mark on it), it shot pretty good. That's something I wouldn't mind picking up.
 
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