[Hillbilly]

The Germans did capture U.S. equipment during the battle of the bulge. I recently read a book "Seven roads to hell" by Donald R. Burgett where he recounts the 101st capturing a fully armed Sherman tank that had been captured and remarked by the Nazis a few days earlier. It stands to reason that there would have been U.S. small arms captured and used but the numbers I feel would have to be incredably small. I doubt also that a field soldier would take the time to property mark a rifle as a armory would after recieving a large scale capture so tracking the history would be difficult at best (IMHO).

 

[Hillbilly]

There are multiple accounts of shermans being captured by german troops and used against the US forces. I don't doubt that US rifles were captured and used as well, but that would not be as obvious to a foot soldier, as a captured tank coming your way. So it is less likely to be documented. I think the only way we will ever know, is to find photos like the one shown above.

BTW HillBilly Burgett's books are excellent reads. If you want a better overview of the battle of the bulge, read "The Battered Bastards of Bastogne" by George E Koskimaki. It is not an account by one person, but by many.

Always looking for a good read, thanks ThreeJs.

 

[Hillbilly]

On use of captured weapons by German soldiers - there is a book called something like "It Never Snows in September". It's another book on the war in Holland covered also by "A Bridge Too Far". In it a German paratrooper talks about how much they liked captured STEN SMG because the vertical mag allowed a lower profile when fireing from a laying position. Several pictures of German paratroopers carrying STENs in the Battle of the Bulge are available.

The Germans also made a copy of the Sten with a vertical mag like the mp40 instead of the horizontal as was carried by the Brits. The German copy was designated the M3008 and was a "last ditch" made for the Volkstrum.

 

[Hillbilly]

Interesting jap garand. Hydrid of garand and arisaka parts it appears..

Wonder why any german would want a sherman tank remarked to be nazi!?!?!? They could flame a sherman with pretty much everything they had....

The German supply lines were stretched thin they were willing to throw anything they could back at us. A Sherman with a full tank of fuel and a full magazine was probably to much to resist.

 

[Hillbilly]

One more note the Germans built a tougher tank but they couldn't do one thing, build as many as we could. We beat the Germans with our industrial might and the overwellming tenacity and bravery of our fighting men.