My Bring Back

[blitz67]

I hope this is allowed, it is not a spoil of war per se. I was stationed on a CG cutter is Guam in the 1980's. One of our port calls was the island of Yap. I heard there were some wrecked Japanese Zeros up at the old airport so I took a hike. I found around 12 Zeros that had mostly been destroyed by strafing, several were still in their earthen reventmants(sp?) One that was up on its nose and partially buried had this in it still 7.7 Machine Gun. The Captain of my ship would not let me bring it home, I stashed near the pier in some bushes. About 2 am I got up, jumped ship grabbed it and got back aboard with out being seen. I stashed it in the bilge water in the number 1 hold, it stayed there for two months until we returned to home port. I then mailed it home to my father. I just found these pictures today, he still has it. It is really rusted and mangled, but if you look there is a bullet strike on the barrel and two shells still in the ejection port, they appear to be jammed or possibly struck by another bullet.

[militbuff]

Great story and awesome bring back!

[USdog]

Wow that’s so cool!

[Cap Camouflage Pattern I]

What an awesome piece!

[easterneagle87]

Awesome! when ya just got to have it !

[blitz67]

Someone asked me if it is demilled, no not by a torch or saw, just forty years of salt air. The metal on the receiver end is like flakes of rusted metal held together with a spit and a promise and the internals are gone. I think if I dropped it, it would break in to several pieces. It had a piece of aircraft aluminum attached to it, but it was too big to hide in the bilge so I took it off and foolishly discarded it. I have a picture of the plane I got it from and several others on Yap, I'll dig them out tonight.

[USCapturephotos]

This is one of my favorite things I've seen posted here. Love your story too. Write that all down to go with the gun for history sake. I can't wait to see the photos of the wreck.

Paul

[doyler]

Brad

 

Great item and story.Thanks for posting.

 

Did any of the aircraft have the red sun on the wing or body ?...or had they been salvaged years prior?

 

[M24 Chaffee]

Very cool! Looking forward to photos of the plane.

 

 

Frank

[Spy vs Spy]

Great story and über cool bring back. Looking forward to the photos. Thanks for sharing.

 

Best

Martin

[TMCA05]

I am like everyone else...great story and great relic. Waiting to the the photos of the wrecks, I hope you can find them.

[katieony]

A really interesting relic and story!

[TheMariner]

Awesome story how did you get on and off with out being seen? You have to make sure the story is kept with that one! Great relic!

[huntssurplus]

WOW A great story to go with a great item! I would have to agree with USCapturephotos this is probably one of my favorite items on the forum. Thanks for sharing!

Hunt

[MAW]

My kinda guy! . Very resourceful.

[Garandomatic]

A buddy of my dad went awol in the PI,

i think, on new years. Got busted for being drunk and fighting, and hauled aboard. Slipped out of his quarters, back down the bow line or what ever the uss texas was tied up with, and back out for more. I think at captain's mast he was made to do a month shining the skipper's boat. He was a bosun's mate 1st class, and the captain liked him!

 

Awesome story how did you get on and off with out being seen? You have to make sure the story is kept with that one! Great relic!

 

[30Cal.M1]

I would have done the same thing!! Awesome!

[panzer 1]

WOW, great relic! Thanks for sharing it

 

Romain