The 1937 dated S/42 rig was given to me on June 2 2001 by the vet that brought it back.
The vet.
The rig was picked up in Dunkirk on May 10 1945 following the German surrender on May 7th 1945.
The vet was a pilot with the No. 665 “Air Observation Post’ Squadron RCAF.
which was manned principally by Royal Canadian Artillery (RCA) and Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) personnel.
The vet was an Artillery Captain that learned how to fly.
The Canadians fighting at Dunkirk - with their British AOP counterparts - appear to have been the last Canadian combatants up to the cease-fire at 1530 British double summer time on May 7th 1945.
The vet was the last to range his guns at Dunkirk, and was interrupted by the cease fire declaration on the HF.
All of this stuff is described in the interesting book below.
Excerpts from the vet’s diary.
May 7 1945—"What a day, what a day! Starting at 0700 hrs. We were shooting all day and really giving Dunkirk a going over. However, I was up doing a shoot at about 1530 when it was suddenly cancelled."
May 10—"Ray and I flew all over Dunkirk looking at the targets we had taken on.… When we came down we hopped in his jeep and dashed off to one of the places where they were disarming the Gerries and I managed to pick up two first-class Lugers and one old P38."
When Capt. Baily picked up his 1937 dated code S/42 P.08 on May 10th 1945 in Dunkirk, what were the chances that he ended up with a gun with two matching magazines and a 1937 dated holster.....and he was not really a gun guy.
Beautifull pistols. Lugers with 2 matching mags are hard to find. I got 1941 byf some time ago from our Estand. Generally second matching mag doubles the price.
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