I spent some happy hours of my recent holiday scanning a nearby field ( just 75 metres from my holiday cottage ) with the 'Mk 1 eyeball' ; the field was recently ploughed and was full of metal.




The road is the Trun/Vimoutiers via Camembert road. German forces here were almost out of the pocket and were under direct fire from Polish and Canadian troops, plus aerial attack. Relics in the field included shell fragments, radio equipment and many twisted pieces of vehicles.

Plus something which looked like a tree root, it was so encrusted with soil. But it was obviously metal, so I took it back and washed it.

It looked interesting, and I showed it to Jagdpanther44 when we met. It was hollow, and contained a compressed spring.

Back home, and after much cleaning with a soft toothbrush, here it is ; -















It's made of stamped metal, the cap on the end is alloy ; I've looked through all my books and checking the exploded views in the invaluable 'Small Arms Of The World' by Smith - I reckon it's a stamped bolt carrier from a Gewehr 41.

What do you think ?

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

Nice photos!
Martin, you look a bit like the "crocodile hunter" in that photo, you could have a show of your own!!

"Martin Bull.....Relic Hunter!"

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...this army made up of ex-resistence men and named by the Prince Himself, became known as the STOOTTROEPEN(Stormtroopers).
Nulli Cedo = I'll give way to no one.

Scott

Further research in my books has nailed this down to being in fact a bolt-guide from a Gewehr 43 ( Kar. 43 ). The G.41 has a machined bolt-guide, the 43 had a die-stamped one ( which this relic certainly is ). The real give-away is the finned alloy cover, a very clear picture of which is in Smith's manual.

http://www.militaryzone.cz/Pics_Clanky/G43/Gewehr43.jpg


I'm really very pleased with this 'find'. A relatively unusual weapon for Normandy and overall I'd rate it as the 'star find' of my weeks' holiday in the Falaise Gap.....

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

I think you may be right, Martin.

http://www.looki.de/gfx/product/0/88...ba9c809a7e.jpg

Ok, it's not a photo of a real Gewehr, but the weapons in todays games are very accurately depicted.

Another very nice find...

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Regards
John

"It is always wise to look ahead, but difficult to look further than you can see" - Winston Churchill

Yup - I told you it was 'something' !

I'm very pleased as this is actually the first time I've found an identifiable relic of a soldiers' personal weapon on the battlefield ......

__________________
"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

nice pics
o how one can only wish he wos there to have some fun finding
some old ww2 stuff
thanks for leting us see your find
best krieg

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for thow . will be ours someday .we shall have it all
. . und mear

Found a very nice pic in an old copy of 'Surplus Firearms' magazine.



A definitive match.....



...and still cocked !

Definitely one of my best relic finds ever !

__________________
"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson