My Uncle's WW2 Japanese Rifle Bring Back

[bryang]

My Uncle Bill served aboard the USS Broadwater - an amphibious landing ship - in the Pacific during the Second World War.

 

 

As a kid, he used to let me play with the Japanese rifle he brought home.

 

 

When I was about 15 years old he gave me his uniforms and other items from the war. This included two Navy jumpers with insignia, as well as the cap and a dark blue neck kerchief. Each item has his name stenciled on them.

 

Uncle Bill gave me the rifle he brought home. He later found and gave me the document, signed by his Commanding Officer, authorizing him to bring the rifle home.

 

[tarbridge]

A group to be proud ...your uncle had a good eye...a paratrooper...with the trophy document.

[Timberwolf]

Very nice! Awesome family connection, with the paperwork to boot!

[empireguns]

Paratrooper type 2 what great find there plus papers! very nice.

[Gumshoe]

OMG. What a great rifle!

[bryang]

Among the items he gave me are a pair of small U.S. flags, each mounted to a wooden dowel. Also, a pretty mean looking machete he picked up in the Philippines.

 

 

I think that the coolest items are the U.S. issued currency for occupied Japan he kept. One currency note is actually an old Japanese one, which my Uncle mailed back to the U.S. - to my father - during his time in occupied Japan immediately after the war's end.

 

Uncle Bill inscribed on the corner of the note: "To Dickey -

From Tokyo

10/17/45"

 

(My father's name is Richard - "Dickey" when he was a kid)

 

 

 

Finally a letter my father wrote to Uncle Bill shortly after the war (my father was 9 years old at the time). My Uncle Bill kept this and passed it on to me when he gave me his other items.

 

The letter is dated 11'25/45 and reads:

 

"Hi Admiral!!

 

When are you comeing to visit me? By the way, how are you? If you see Tojo will you please put a tack {a big one} on his chair? If you do, you will be doing me a big favor!! Thank you for the Japanese money. I just wrote a letter to Granpa and Grandma. I haven't much to say, well goodby.

 

Love from Dickie

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"

 

 

 

 

[james127]

How cool! Thanks for sharing.

[trenchbuff]

Fantastic group and family treasures. Thanks for sharing it with us.

[USCapturephotos]

I loved seeing this and especially reading your uncle's notes. Thanks for sharing them with us.

Paul

[manayunkman]

That paratrooper rifle is beauty.

 

I used to live in Mechanicsburg, Pa. in the 80's and 90's near the largest US Navy supply unit in the US.

 

There were many US WW2 Navy vets in who worked there.

 

One day I met a WW2 CPO at the local VFW.

 

During the occupation in Japan, right after the war, he was in charge of getting rid of 500,000 Japanese rifles.

 

Every day they would take several truck loads of these rifles and dump them on the docks.

 

Then they handed them out to every US military personnel leaving for the US who wanted one.

 

He still had several at home (all ground MUM) as well as a nice collection of swords.

[tarbridge]

Among the items he gave me are a pair of small U.S. flags, each mounted to a wooden dowel. Also, a pretty mean looking machete he picked up in the Philippines.

 

 

I think that the coolest items are the U.S. issued currency for occupied Japan he kept. One currency note is actually an old Japanese one, which my Uncle mailed back to the U.S. - to my father - during his time in occupied Japan immediately after the war's end.

 

Uncle Bill inscribed on the corner of the note: "To Dickey -

From Tokyo

10/17/45"

 

(My father's name is Richard - "Dickey" when he was a kid)

 

 

 

Finally a letter my father wrote to Uncle Bill shortly after the war (my father was 9 years old at the time). My Uncle Bill kept this and passed it on to me when he gave me his other items.

 

The letter is dated 11'25/45 and reads:

 

"Hi Admiral!!

 

When are you comeing to visit me? By the way, how are you? If you see Tojo will you please put a tack {a big one} on his chair? If you do, you will be doing me a big favor!! Thank you for the Japanese money. I just wrote a letter to Granpa and Grandma. I haven't much to say, well goodby.

 

Love from Dickie

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"

 

 

 

 

The letter is priceless....

[stealthytyler]

Did servicemen have to fill out bring back forms for items such as belts, uniforms and other non-weapon items?

[Eric Queen]

Nice Type 2. How is the mum?

[BROBS]

Did servicemen have to fill out bring back forms for items such as belts, uniforms and other non-weapon items?

They were supposed to. I think some didn't and just stashed smaller items in their gear.

I have a bringback document for a set of Japanese binoculars from a WW2 7th Cav grouping.

 

-Brian

[TheMariner]

That is an excellent bring back and the provenance and family connection make it a priceless grouping! Thank you for sharing!

[BOLO]

does the paratrooper rifle still have the Chrysanthemum symbol or was it ground off?

[doyler]

Seeing the Date of Oct 45 on the rifle certificate Im thinking the mum will be ground or struck.

Great rifle.I have one just like it.The vet that had mine tried to take a wood rasp to the stock and thin it down like a commercial hunting rifle.

[bryang]

Nice Type 2. How is the mum?

 

Alas, the mum was ground off.

 

[Chris_B]

Never seen a Japanese paratroop rifle outside of a book before.

 

Mum or no, fantastic piece.

[katieony]

A really nice group...great to see it still in the family and appreciated!

Mike

[sundance]

Boy if you're going to bring a rifle home that was the one to grab. Thanks for showing it. My dad wrote in a letter home while on occupation duty in Japan with the 32nd division that part of his job was to sign capture documents. I'm always looking for one with his name on it.

[turmanator]

Slight change (kind of!) in subject. If you ever watch the original 1962 "The Manchurian Candidate" that is the same type of weapon the sniper used!