It has been about 62 years since WW 2 ended. Of the massive amount of equipment manufactured for that war how much of it is still being used on active military service somewhere in the world? I'm not talking about museum pieces but stuff still being used for some actual military purpose somewhere. Of most interest would be aircraft, ships, or major pieces of military equipment that are still in use. I think we as a group could likely come up with lots of small items that are still being used.

Too bad the Missouri was decommissioned or I would have listed that. It was not too long ago though. This is a good topic. Interesting to see what we come up with. Let me get clarification though, you are looking for things actually made and used during WWII not just designed during the war?

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American by birth, TEXAN by the grace of GOD!

The rules for this are: It was something a military that was fighting in WW 2 manufactured and used operationally during that war and that is still being used for some military purpose by some nation today. Now, that might include something that was used for combat support like a particular model of truck or such as well as actual combat systems although the later would be of more interest. After all, for some item to still be used as a combat system today would be quite a feat not just in longivity but by its obviously well designed utility.

I was excited when I saw this. Photo from Iraq.



Apparently a copy in the form of an MG3. Never heard of it. Is this cheating???

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American by birth, TEXAN by the grace of GOD!

This ship made it until the year 2000



The ship was built by Cammel Laird in Birkenhead, England during the Second World War for the Royal Navy. As a Colossus-class aircraft carrier, she was named HMS Venerable and saw service in the British Pacific Fleet. However Venerable only served 3 years in the Royal Navy before being sold to the Dutch as HNLMS Karel Doorman.

After a boiler room fire, the Dutch sold the carrier to Argentina. The Argentines already operated a carrier, the ARA Independencia, also a former Royal Navy ship. After Independencia was decommissioned in 1970, the Veinticinco de Mayo was the sole remaining carrier in the Argentine fleet and could carry up to 24 aircraft.

The air group started with F9F Panthers and F9F Cougars jets and later these were replaced with A-4Q Skyhawks supported by S-2 Tracker anti-submarine warfare aircraft and Sikorsky Sea King helicopters.

During the Falklands War,[1] the Veinticinco de Mayo was deployed in a task force north of the Falkland Islands, with the ARA General Belgrano to the south. The British had assigned HMS Spartan, a nuclear-powered submarine, to track down the Veinticinco de Mayo and sink her if necessary.

After hostilities broke out on May 1, 1982, the Argentine carrier attempted to launch a wave of A-4Q Skyhawks jets against the Royal Navy Task Force after her S-2 Trackers detected the British fleet.

However what would have been the first and only battle between aircraft carriers since World War II did not take place, as poor winds prevented the heavily loaded jets from being launched. After British nuclear-powered submarine HMS Conqueror sank the General Belgrano, the Veinticinco de Mayo returned to port for safety. Spartan never tracked down the carrier.

Her A-4Q Skyhawks flew the rest of the war from the naval airbase in Río Grande, Tierra del Fuego, and had some success against the Royal Navy, sinking HMS Ardent, although three Skyhawks were shot down by Sea Harriers.

In 1983, the Veinticinco de Mayo was modified to carry the new Dassault Super Étendard jets, but soon after problems in her engines largely confined her to port; she was deemed more or less unseaworthy.

The Argentine Navy could not procure the funds for a modernization, leading to decommissioning by 1997 and finally in 2000, she was towed to Alang, India for scrapping.

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American by birth, TEXAN by the grace of GOD!

The C-47 is still being used today, although the price of gas has lessened their use as frieghters they are still listed as operational on some central and south American countries.

Anouther is the Russian single engine transport that is a biplane. I can not think of the name of it now due to a senior moment.

Jeeps are still used in the Phillipines.

Ford 8N tractors are still in use but not a weapon unless you can dig one up with a machine gun attached to it

AT-6 trainers are still used in some central and south American countries, again the price of gas may kill them off soon.

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Work Harder ! Millions on welfare are depending on you.

I was looking up the Russian transport name and came up with some more stuff ! The Piper Cub, the Grumman Goose, the De Havilland Beaver, the Tiger Moth, in Alaska I think a few Canadian Car and Foundry Norseman still flying around. That is the plane Glen Miller was lost in. The Curtiss C-46 Commando may still be in use in South America.

The Russian aircraft I could not think of is the Antonov An-2.

There are a few Boeing Stearmans flying in private hands.

Anouther trainer is the Nord Noralpha that was based on the Me-108.

Hey TA, do I win the prize or what ?????

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Work Harder ! Millions on welfare are depending on you.

The Royal Thai Navy is still using as a patrol ship the ex- USS Hemminger, DE 746 as the Pin Klao hull number 413, an ex-Cannon class DE. The Hemminger was commissioned on 5/30/44 and saw action off Okinawa and remained in service with the US Navy off and on until 7/22/59 when she was decommissioned and transfered to the mothball fleet.
Another Thai vessel still in service is the Nakha, 751, ex-LSSL 102 that is soldiering on as a riverine patrol vessel operating out of Songkhla Naval Base. The National Association of LCS(L) 1-130 crews is trying to have her returned to the US as a museum ship. There is a possibility that this will happen in the near future.

I am looking at a number of other ex-USN ships, mostly auxiliaries that may still be in service as well. Taiwain has a number of FRAM Gearing destroyers still in service but none were commissioned before the end of WW 2 so they don't count.

Stuff in civilian hands (for example there are a couple of ex-USN PBM Mars flying boats for sale in Canada now that they are retired from firefighting duty) doesn't count.
Could'a, would'a, might'a, doesn't count either. Actual examples do. Find 'em and give a military user.

A number of armies still use the MG-42 in the form of the MG-3, reworked for the NATO 7.62 ammunition, and is produced under license in a number of countries. The Portuguese army is still using it made by Heckler & Koch.

We also still use the Walther P-38 as the military side arm (or throwing brick).

In the Colonial Wars 1961-1974 the air farce was using such stuff as the ubiquitous C-47, plus North American AT-6 (Texan trainers used in light COIN role), Douglas A-26, Lockheed PV2 Harpoons in light bomber role.

Get your Babelfish out and look at this:

Exército português
http://www.areamilitar.net/DIRECTORI...n=55&P=77&R=EX
http://www.areamilitar.net/DIRECTORI...spx?NN=47&P=77
http://www.areamilitar.net/DIRECTORI...spx?NN=61&P=77 (the M5A1 Stuart was in service until '84)

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This is one of my favourite subjects.

So I'll start with:
Colt 1911.
&
Browning .50cal M2 (nearly 100 years old now?)

I read that the MG3 (among others) were built on plans created by 'blueprinting' an original 42, as the engineering drawings had been lost. Sounds like a very dreary time with the calipers.

Cheers,
Adam.

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It's only the Internet.

Not to forget the Browning 9mm HP (still issued over here). There are loads of WW2 era firearms kicking around in the hands of terrorists throughout the world. The SKS (which is rumoured to have seen service in WW2, just) is still used for parades by various armies and IIRC the Bundeswher still use the K98 as a drill purpose weapon.

I guess the only other example I can think of is the BREN, whilst it is not in service itself armouries and store rooms throughout the UK are using BREN tool kits, storage boxes and so on for other pieces of kit.

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There's no honorable way to kill, no gentle way to destroy. There is nothing good in war. Except its ending.

The MG-3 is used by many countries, and I rate it as the most fun small arm in the Royal Norwegian Army to shoot.

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'We march. The enemy is retreating in transport. We follow on foot.' Lt.Neil McCallum 5/7 Gordons 19th November 1942

I doubt that, the MG-42 was manufactured in a number of facilities and at least one must have the drawings surviving. There's more to copying parts than laying the part on a pieace of paper and tracing a pencil around, there's a problem with correct dimensions, design tolerances, actual materials. Although the old Khiber Pass Pathans &c. did exactly that!

I understand the former Yugo army used the Stg44 until quite recently, and it has already appeared in Africa. I'll have to find out where I saw this.

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Just double checked it Za & it seems the MG42 Master Drawings did go 'missing' (It's suggested that this is why the Yugo '53' variant cropped up so quickly) so Rheinmetall had to recreate the drawings from an original gun while working on the MG 2&3, this from Roger Ford & Hogg, both of whom I'd basically trust on Gun History.
The nicest irony in the Ford book is that the Bundeswehr had to buy back 42's from countries that had captured them to re-equip themselves post-war.

Here's another old-timer still in service 1942- :

http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htproc/articles/20070515.aspx

Cheers,
Adam.

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It's only the Internet.

Strange about the MG-42, isn't it?

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It is very possible that the documents were burned when factories were being overrun, just a thought.

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There's no honorable way to kill, no gentle way to destroy. There is nothing good in war. Except its ending.

I'd say there im probably some Lee Enfields hanging out in terrorists or rebels in Middle east / Asia.

By the way, I watched a video on you tube where in Pakistan there is this one illegal gun trade where they still have Muskets, early rifles and all sorts of stuff.

Crazy what you'll find in the world

And its said they still your the M1903 for training purposes or such small things in the American Army.

Oh and this picture

Thought it is not modern which defeats the purpose of the picture, it is a picture of Serb paramilitaries during the Siege of Sarajevo.

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Time is only enemy you'll never get rid of.

The first version of the .50 caliber Browning machine gun was adopted in 1921. This was a water-cooled version. In the 1930s (I think), the M2 was adopted, and it is in use still.

The M1911A1 cal. .45 pistol is still used by the Marine Expeditionary Force.

JT