Ultimate bring back

[30Mauser]

You're not going to believe this one. Visited a new customer of mine today, Norwich University. As my great-grandfather was an illustrious graduate of Norwich, I brought with me a digitized recording of him speaking (along with Ike, Harmon and I. D. White) to donate to their museum.

The museum's curators were happy to see me and gave me a tour of the objects on display that had been donated decades ago by my family... When I find out who donated this piece, we're going to have words...

This is the very Luger and holster surrendered by Generalleutnant Erich Brandenberger to my great-grandfather, MG Edward H. Brooks (then 6th Corps commander), on May 5th, 1945, during the surrender of the German 19th and 24th Armies in Innsbruck, Austria. Here's a film of the actual, formal surrender:

 

[JuergenG]

A family heirloom which would better have been kept in the family. Damn!

 

[PATRON]

That just sucks.

 

[40 caliber]

Well,
it will be in a good place for all to see and remember your great grandfather's achievements.
but Patron is right

that sux

 

[Boris]

totally sucks for you, but in some way hopefully more people can enjoy it. They should have "loaned" it from private collection for display so you could still fondle it. What a piece of history!

 

[Colt Delta Elite]

That does suck, but the bright side is he didn't sell it years ago and have it end up in a tool box somewhere. I would have done the loan from collection for display route.

 

[mac1911]

Cool....consider yourself lucky to have anything even if remotely attached to your history. My war time relatives where quick to discard anything that would remind them of the war.

 

[martin08]

Wonderful piece of history. Still a display of National and family pride, no matter where it resides.

 

[45collector]

Holy Crap. If that were me I'd be in tears I think. But like others said, at least it's being preserved by a museum and not lost forever to random collections behind closed doors. I have only a few small relics of my grandfather's time in the service. His mini bible, EGA cap pin, EGA-embossed metal soap box and that's it. All I know was that he was a Marine and saw action in the Pacific theater I would guess. Some day I have to try to track down his service record.

 

[30Mauser]

Thanks for all the sympathetic replies. It's a great museum and lovingly/respectfully displayed, so it's absolutely in the right place. Just wish I could have "visitation" rights to clean, oil, shoot, clean, oil and return that beauty! Maybe something could be negotiated...

Will be discussing with them the loan of other memorabilia we have from him... But they ain't getting the Broomhandle!

 

[45collector]

Will be discussing with them the loan of other memorabilia we have from him... But they ain't getting the Broomhandle!

Walk in there with the broomhandle, and ask if they'll take that in place of the P.08. Do it. Worst they can do is say no.

ETA: just an off-topic comment but this is why milsurp guns are so desirable to folks like us. If only my P.08, P.38, Colt 1903 made 102 years ago, M1 carbine etc... could talk. We all wish we could see where our milsurps have been. That gun there in the museum, you know exactly where it came from. That is pretty damn cool even if it will never actually be in your possession.

 

[dhuze]

Although not on the same plane as yours, my Uncle had a Luger he took off a dead soldier in Normandy. After he passed away it seemed to have disappeared. Knowing his children it went to a pawn shop or gun shop, loosing it's known history.

 

[45collector]

^ I hate stories like that. [sad2]

 

[30Mauser]

Walk in there with the broomhandle, and ask if they'll take that in place of the P.08. Do it. Worst they can do is say no.

ETA: just an off-topic comment but this is why milsurp guns are so desirable to folks like us. If only my P.08, P.38, Colt 1903 made 102 years ago, M1 carbine etc... could talk. We all wish we could see where our milsurps have been. That gun there in the museum, you know exactly where it came from. That is pretty damn cool even if it will never actually be in your possession.

Love it! Except the story of how the Broomhandle was captured, while compelling to me personally, isn't nearly as historically significant as the Luger's. Still, may be worth an attempt to establish a rotation schedule!

 

[MJ1]

My father and his older brother brought back a ton of stuff from Europe and the Pacific. When very young I recall trips up to NH to shoot them. I remember a mag fed like the BREN and a beltfed like the MG34. Scores of swords and bayonets. I once ask my uncle after my father passed what ever happened to the stuff and he just looked at the floor and said they were gone. Just before he passed in 1980 he gave me a K98 BYF Mauser.

Granny gave them to the local Armory in Lowell I think during the early 50's when the boys had moved away. I still remember the cursing over that. I remember she live on Lawrence St. in the early 70's and I found two German helmets under the house. I think there must be hundreds of stories similar to this but you have some documentation. Is there any chance you could get anything back?

Thanks for the share.

...MJ...

 

[Terrence]

Norwich has plenty of money. Send them a bill with interest. In all seriousness, I would be pissed that a cherished family heirloom with such a cool history left the family, but I would be pleased that it was proudly on display for many to see.

How long has this been on display?

 

[KBCraig]

Norwich is a fine school with a very strong appreciation for military history, so you can bet it will be well cared for there.

 

[Palladin]

wow

 

[Picton]

Just think: it could have ended up in some buyback program, swapped for a Wal-Mart gift card.

I do wonder, ehenever I look at guns in museums, whether any of the employees take them out for occasional joyrides, like the parking attendant in Ferris Bueller.

 

[MAGG]

no words can ease that pain of not having that in your safe.....i would disown said family...that is one cool piece of history

 

[30Mauser]

Norwich has plenty of money. Send them a bill with interest. In all seriousness, I would be pissed that a cherished family heirloom with such a cool history left the family, but I would be pleased that it was proudly on display for many to see.

How long has this been on display?

I'm going to ask them... but I do know that the museum didn't exist in 1985 when I was considering attending Norwich. It must have been in some basement locker back then!