The plaque that honors Col. John Frost near the Bridge at Arnhem

The movie A Bridge Too Far chronicled the plight of the British 1st Airbourne Division, supported by the Glider Pilot Regiment and Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade. While the movie does the story justice, the actual museum in nearby Ossterbeek is impressive, with artifacts from the engagement. Here is just a sampling of the museum’s collection, along with photos from the center of Arnhem. (Click images for a closer look)

The bridge today is far from too far to visit when in the Netherlands

A plaque at the city shows "then" and "now"

A M3 "Grease Gun" at the Airborne Museum Oosterbeek

An M1 Carbine - likely used by an American paratrooper during Operation Market Garden

German small arms of World War II

Uniforms of the German forces in Holland in 1944, along with various small arms - note the international rifles, including Mosin Nagent on the wall

German Panzerfauts and Panzerschreck

A German MG42 machine gun, and a German MG34 standing upright (left)

More German uniform displays

British Webley revolvers - which remained a common sidearm of NCOs and officers in World War II

Allied uniform displays

Examples of British uniforms and equipment used in Market Garden

(Click images for a larger view)

The French get a bad rap for being “losers,” and in fairness in the 20th century they not have fielded the best army. But France has a long military tradition, and this is showcased at the truly impressive Musée de l’Armée, Les Invalides in Paris, which also happens to be the final resting place of the Emperor Napoleon. Whether the French Army deserves its reputation, this museum should have a reputation all its own!

Napoleon's tomb is at the Musee de Armee

The museum's collection spans from the Middle Ages to the Modern Day

A pre-World War I uniform, which could have replaced the blue and red uniforms of the French Army

World War I machine guns

A variety of French pre-World War I headgear

French Colonial Uniforms from the First World War

A variety of Russian uniforms from the First World War

British uniforms - Grenadier Guard, Rifle Regiment and HIghlander

The museum even calls in some heavy artillery

A German FG-42 "Paratrooper" automatic rifle

Various German World War II small arms including a K98 (top), MP40 (center) and StG44 (bottom)

French Renault FT 17 tank

(Click images for a closer view)

A hidden gem of a museum is right outside the city of Phoenix. This is the Arizona Military Museum, which is housed in a raw adobe building was constructed in 1936 as a Depression-era public works project. It served as a National  Guard arsenal until World War II, when it was converted into a maintenance shop for German prisoners of war confined at a nearby POW camp. The Arizona Military Museum is operated by the Arizona National Guard Historical Society.

The museum chronicles the history of Arizona beginning with the Spanish colonization

19th century long guns used in the Mexican War and Indian Wars.

A "Potato digger" from the Spanish-American War

Weapons and other items from the Spanish-American War

Uniforms and equipment from the border conflict with Mexico as well as the First World War

A French Chachaut light machine gun from the First World War

A Maxim from the First World War

First World War small arms from the Allied and Central Powers

Allied small arms from World War II

German small arms from World War II - K98, G43, StG44 and MP40

Japanese World War II items

World War II Japanese light machineguns

American small arms of the Vietnam War

Communist forces small arms of the Vietnam War

Gun buyback programs are nothing new. There are those who feel that based on the type and condition of the weapons recovered they are simply a waste of time and more of a public relations event. And there are those people who feel that taking any gun off the “streets” (or out of someone’s attic) helps make our communities safer. Many guns collected in buyback programs are not in working order or the type used in crimes today. If you live in New Jersey and are familiar with the strict gun control laws in the state, then you also might have additional concerns regarding the ability of churches to legally “buy” guns from anonymous sellers. (For more information on the debate regarding the possible legality of the issue in New Jersey, visit Attorney Evan Nappan’s website.)

Based on the history of gun buyback programs, I am not convinced that they do anything to remove guns from the streets in a way that actually prevents crime. However, in discussing the buyback program with a few people, something was brought up that I hadn’t given much thought to before. As many of the firearms “sold” in gun buyback programs are described as not working and not the typical weapons used in crimes today, that means that some may be antiques that have been stored in the attic of someone who doesn’t want them or know how to dispose of them. This could lead to the potential destruction of guns that are part of our country’s history which would be melted down and lost.

Many of these guns were likely found in someone’s attic after an elderly relative died and the heirs were cleaning out the house. They may have belonged to someone who had fought in the military overseas and retained a “war trophy” as was common once upon a time. Or they may have been used by a grandfather who was a small town sheriff before they were born, or who had rifles that he used in competitions or hunting. Some of those guns could be well over 100 years old. I know of one family that found their father’s old rifle hidden under the floor boards beneath the staircase. They recalled that he always said he had an “insurance policy” just in case he ever saw a repeat of what happened in Nazi Germany.

Perhaps people do not realize the potential historical and familial value firearms can be as a link to the past. All artifacts tell stories and firearms are no different. Uncovering an artifact, for example, paintings and furniture from another time period, tells a story of what life was like for our ancestors and records the history of the growth of our nation.

After visiting the National Firearms Museum in Fairfax, Virginia I can attest to the fact that merely seeing the collections of historical firearms displayed brings a rich understanding and vivid picture of the history and culture of our nation at different time periods. Not only can firearms be works of art themselves, with fine detailing and craftsmanship, but firearms of different time periods can speak volumes about the industry, politics and entertainment of an era. Whether it’s a collection of 1911s used in the trenches during World War I or revolvers of the American West, they all reveal something about the people who carried them, used them and depended on them for sustenance, recreation and defense. And while every gun found is not going to be that gem, it is a shame to lose anything that might reveal a record of the evolution and technology in the firearms industry which is undeniably of historical significance – particularly for the cost of a fast food meal.

I do not have a history of firearms ownership in my family, at least not to my knowledge. However, we do have documents, newspaper articles, military medals and a sword brought back from Japan by my grandfather when he fought in World War II. Each of these items tells a little story of what life was like for my grandparents, and their neighbors and other relatives who lived in that time period. If you look at all the museums and monuments that record and catalogue the history of the human race it shows that we can’t successfully move forward without connections to what preceded us.
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Shari Spivack is an officer and board member of the most active Second Amendment Rights group in NJ – The New Jersey Second Amendment Society. She is a wife, a mother, a firearms instructor and a regular contributor on firearms related and 2A rights issues.

For collectors the M3 “Grease Gun” is like a Holy Grail, simply because there aren’t out there. But now our friends at International Military Antiques have created an excellent resin copy that is prefect for display.

On sale this weekend only!

New Made Item: The M3 submachine gun, also known as Grease Gun, was developed as a cheaper war-time alternative to famous Thompson M1 and M1928 submachine guns. The basic requirements were set by US Ordnance Corps in February, 1941. George Hyde and Frederick Sampson, working together at Inland Division of general Motors Corp developed a prototype, which was designated the T20. The T-20 was a very simple weapon, made mostly from steel stampings. In November 1942 T20 was tested against several other prototypes, and was found superior to all other contestants. Late in 1942 the T20 was recommended for adoption, which followed in 1943. Combat use of a newly adopted M3 submachine gun showed some problematic points in design, most notably in the failing cocking mechanism. The problems were solved by elimination of this unit in 1944 when a further simplified weapon received the designation M3A1, and served with US Armed forces through the later part of WW2, Korean and Vietnam wars. M3A1 was issued to US tank crews all the way up until 1980s.

M3 submachine gun was a full-automatic blowback-operated firearm that fired from an open bolt. The receiver was made from steel stampings. M3 featured spring-loaded ejection port cover (which also acted as safety, locking the bolt when it is closed) and crank-type bolt retracting (cocking) handle at the right side of the receiver.

Characteristics include:
Caliber: .45ACP
Weight: 3.7 kg
Length (stock closed/open): 570 / 745 mm
Barrel length: 203 mm
Rate of fire: ca. 450 rounds per minute
Magazine capacity: 30 rounds
Effective range: 50 meters

Our solid resin non-firing display gun is nothing short of stunning. It really does look like the real thing from just a few feet away. It was cast from a silicon mold of an original M3 in the IMA collection and therefore is not only an accurate 1:1 scale but has all the details of the real thing. It has been expertly air brushed to provide the cold glimmering look of steel and the warm richness of wood grips. For added authenticity we have used metal sling attachments (fully secure) to allow you to correctly use a M1 carbine sling, we added a metal wire frame that runs through most of the more delicate areas of the gun, and used a metal wire butt stock (just like an original M3) however, our buttstock is fixed. Not only does it look good but it feels good this gun weighs nearly as much as an original at 5.25 lbs (real ones were 8 lb)!

This is it, finally an affordable, safe, robust, quality display alternative to spending many thousands of dollars on a liability laden display gun.

U.S. WWII Grease Gun M3 Resin Submachine Display Gun at IMA-USA

A nice one today will set you back a couple thousand dollars, but now our friends at International Military Antiques have a new high quality replica that looks just like the real deal. While it won’t shoot, it will look very nice in the display cabinet!

New Made Item: IMA is proud to offer a high quality affordable full metal and wood replica of the famous German WWI Mauser C96 pistol. Many may also recognize this gun as the same that Han Solo (Harrison Ford) used in the Star Wars films.

The Mauser C96 (Construktion 96) is a semi-automatic pistol that was originally produced by German arms manufacturer Mauser from 1896 to 1937. Unlicensed copies of the gun were also manufactured in Spain and China in the first half of the 20th century. The main distinctive identifying characteristics of the C-96 are the integral box magazine in front of the trigger, the long barrel, the wooden shoulder stock which can double as a holster or carrying case, and a grip shaped like the handle of a broom. The grip’s distinctive appearance earned the gun the nickname “Broomhandle” in the English-speaking world, and in China the C96 was nicknamed the “box cannon” because of both its square-shaped internal magazine and the fact it could be holstered in its wooden box-like detachable stock.

The Mauser C96, with its shoulder stock, long barrel and high-velocity cartridge, had superior range and better penetration than most other standard pistols; the 7.63x25mm Mauser cartridge was the highest velocity commercially manufactured pistol cartridge in existence until the advent of the .357 Magnum cartridge in 1935.

German Mauser C96 Display Pistol at IMA-USA.com

Here is the part so often lost in the media:

“These are the pieces of history,” said Wayne McCombs, executive director of the museum (J.M. Davis Arms & Historical Museum). “These are just tools that people use. But the stories that go with them are just fascinating.”

Consider all the guns destroyed after buybacks. How much history is lost? How many stories untold?

With original guns rising in price, and harder to find a dummy gun is a good alternative to the real deal for a uniform display or just mounting on the wall. Either way, it is a nifty little gun and this display looks and feels the part.

New Made Item: This inert display completely non-firing replica is true to the 1941 original. The M1 carbine (formally the United States Carbine, Caliber .30, M1) is a lightweight, easy to use semi-automatic carbine that became a standard firearm for the U.S. military during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, and was produced in several variants. It was widely used by U.S. and foreign military, paramilitary and police forces.

Use in WWII: the M1 carbine with its reduced-power .30 cartridge was not originally intended to serve as a primary weapon for combat infantrymen, nor was it comparable to more powerful assault rifles developed late in the war. Nevertheless, the carbine was soon widely issued to infantry officers, American paratroopers, NCOs, ammunition bearers, forward artillery observers, and other frontline troops. Its reputation in front-line combat was mixed. The M1 carbine gained generally high praise for its small size, lightweight and firepower, especially by those troops who were unable to use a full-size rifle as their primary weapon.

In the Pacific theater, soldiers and guerrilla forces operating in heavy jungle with only occasional enemy contact also praised the carbine for its small size, lightweight and firepower. Other soldiers and marines engaged in frequent daily firefights (particularly those serving in the Philippines) found the weapon to have insufficient stopping power and penetration. Reports of the carbine’s failure to stop enemy soldiers, sometimes after multiple hits, appeared in individual after-action reports, postwar evaluations, and service histories of both the U.S. Army and the U.S. Marine Corps. Aware of these shortcomings, the U.S. Army, its Pacific Command Ordnance staff, and the Aberdeen small arms facility continued to work on shortened versions of the Garand throughout the war, though none was ever officially adopted.

While the .30 Carbine cartridge was less capable of penetrating small trees and light cover when compared to the .30-06 rifle cartridge, the M1 carbine itself was markedly superior to the .45 caliber Reising and Thompson submachine guns in both accuracy and penetration. Also, troops armed with M1 carbines could easily carry 2 to 3 times more ammunition than with other weapons. Lt. Col. John George, a small arms expert and intelligence officer serving in Burma with Merrill’s Marauders, reported that .30 carbine bullets would easily penetrate the front and back of steel helmets, and the body armor used by Japanese forces of the era.

IMA is proud to offer a full sized 1: 1 scale completely non-firing dummy M1 Carbine display rifle. This is the finest replica on the market today. It looks and feels are just like an original. Stock made from hard wood with sturdy metal (zinc) functional parts, the action functions (nothing can be chambered, clip is non-functional and hollow) and the cocked trigger gives a satisfying “snap”. Even comes complete with replica oil bottle sling anchor. This is a premier collector’s replica, perfect for historical display, reenactment, or a burglar’s decoy left just outside your gun safe! Pair it with a M1 Carry Case, butt pouch, sniper cheek pad or sling for added wartime authenticity; all of these accessories and many more are available separately.

U.S. M1 Carbine Display Gun at IMA-USA.com

New Made Item: All Steel construction with black plastic grips. 4? in barrel as issued to Germany Army officers in WW2. Action functions like the real thing and “clicks” when pulling the trigger, but it won?t shoot. P-08 Luger has a detachable magazine and the toggle moves and cocks. The striker and trigger work like the real thing. Another high quality WW2 display gun from IMA, its even the correct weight and comes complete with a detachable magazine. Ideal for Display or re-enactment at a very affordable price and it will look stunning in any of our hard or soft shell P-08 leather holsters!

German P-08 WW2 Luger New Made Display Pistol: Non-Firing from IMA-USA.com

Thieves made off with a rare World War II British Sten Gun with suppressor, as well as a early 1900’s artillery model German Luger pistol and a Red 9 broom handle Mauser C-96 pistol.

Best wishes to Mr. Hogan in seeing his collection returned.

[Via The Orlando Sentinel: Orlando gun collection stolen]