Robert Popple asks, “How easy was it for soldiers to interchange weapons, and use those of their enemies during WW2?” @jamesholland1940 over to you. #ww2 #ww2headquarters #ww2history #jamesholland #militaryhistory #secondworldwar Al Murray 🇺🇦

@almurray For the Poles this was relatively straightforward, as a significant number had been conscripted into the German Army and then escaped/were captured and rejoined their countrymen in North Africa, Italy and NW Europe. A family friend of mine had served as an AT gunner on both sides

"Elmore Leonard meets Nabokov, Michael Crichton meets Vonnegut, Carl Hiaasen meets Joseph Heller. And it has what is probably the best gunfight in literary history."

@almurray IWM had film footage of the 59th (Staffordshire) handling captured German weapons.

@almurray I've always wondered...what time was it? When a bomber raid went from UK to Germany, did they do the whole thing in UK time? We're troops on the ground adjusting their watches every time they crossed time zones?

@almurray I believe the phrase is retasking

@almurray Somewhere along the line (perhaps Band of Brothers) There was a remark that came out about not wanting to be seen in carrying a German rifle because they might be mistaken for the enemy. Possible connection when Winters arrived on the ground in France on D-Day without a firearm

@almurray For small arms, reliable ammunition supply is key. The Beretta 38 was chambered in 9mm parabellum so ammo wasn’t an issue. Similarly, Germans rechambered a lot of captured PPSh41s to 9mm. Without a reliable ammo source, a captured weapon is only good for short term contingency

@almurray isn't it call taking the fight to the enemy..? Also based on the number of US bring backs, I'm amazed any guns where left in Germany... attend the SOS in the US it's incredible the volume of kit shipped back to the states

@almurray And for certain weapons, the sights need to be ‘zeroed’ to the user. If not, over long distances, you could miss the target completely 🤔