The annual Spring Gun & Militaria Show in Kassel, Germany is, I am told, dwarfed by the annual Fall Show in November, but if you happen to be in the area in mid-April, there is more than enough there to make it worth the trip.

German weapons laws are quite different from what we have here in the U.S. Whereas in the U.S. we consider the receiver to be legally the firearm, in Germany the parts which are legally controlled are the barrel and the bolt (die lauf und die verschluss). This means that Germans who are of 18 years of age or older may legally own without registration any deactivated military surplus firearm which would be an NFA registered item in America. The barrel and the bolt must be de-milled. The barrel is usually drilled through with 6 or more holes of bore diameter, and the bolt chopped at a 45 degree angle so that it may not support a cartridge. Weapons which have been more recently deactivated must not be able to be disassembled, but there are many older examples that can be field stripped completely.

Imagine a Russian PPSh 41 for under $250 at the low end, or a Czech Vz 26 for about the same, with nice MP40’s and Stg44s in the neighborhood of 1,800-2,000 Euros. German military weapons are understandably very popular in Germany compared to those of other nations, much the same as everyone wants an M4 in the U.S. In between those ends of the price range, you might find a Bundeswehr surplus G3 for around Euro 300, or one of the “Russian” M1928A1 Thompsons in excellent/new condition for about Euro 500, and an Uzi about the same. MG42’s (usually Yugoslav marked M53s) run about Euro 500, and AK47s or AK74s are all over at Euro 180 to 250, depending on what country and condition.

Recent changes to the German weapons laws allow the ownership of any submachine gun and any water-cooled belt-fed manufactured prior to September 1945, although the owner needs a collectors license and may not take these guns to a range to shoot them. Air cooled belt-feds of any date of manufacture and any other full auto weapons are still not allowed except for dealers, these still being considered weapons of war according to the new categorizations. Silencers (schalldampfer) are legal to own if they are for air rifles or for other guns if one has a dealer’s license.

In another interesting twist, weapons which were manufactured as selective fire are legal to own if they have been made incapable of firing full auto. Thus, it is not uncommon to see a Russian Stetchkin machine pistol here and there, and when I was the guest of retired Krieghoff gun maker Andreas Fink at his club near Gunzburg, I was surprised to find that many of the club members owned converted semiautomatic Stg 44s of vintage manufacture rather than the modern production semiautomatic guns built by Sport System Dittrich in Germany. SSD is also making semi MP38s as well as both 1st and 2nd model FG42s, all of which were on display at the show.

Other guns which are legally forbidden from import into the U.S. by the 1994 Clinton Crime Control Bill are available to German and other EU citizens. The most interesting example of which was the Franchi SPAS 15, a 12 gauge selective auto loading/pump shotgun fed by box magazines of 6 or 8 round capacity and cost about Euro 800.

Many of the vendors at the Kassel show travel the “Waffen und Militaria” show circuit much the same as is done in the U.S., and so such a show anywhere they are held in Germany can be an interesting experience for an American.

The Germans have a habit of combining two or more (often many more) existing words to make a new word when they feel it necessary to describe something. A fairly recent addition to the German lexicon is “Ostalgie,” which combines “Ost” (East) and “Nostalgie” (Nostalgia) to describe the feeling of nostalgia for day-to-day life in the former DDR/East Germany. It tends to excuse, as it must, the totalitarian nature of the regime.

That having been said, the biggest “Ostalgie Fest” in Germany has to be the annual 3 day gathering of The International East Bloc Vehicle Association, which takes place on a former Soviet Naval Aviation base near Putnitz. It is deserted except for the Technology Association of Putnitz Museum which hosts the event and has its collection housed in two of the old aircraft hangers on the site. The base is huge, with dozens of now overgrown concrete aircraft bunkers positioned around the various runways, decaying barracks buildings, and what used to be a memorial to various Hero’s of the Soviet Union. This author, having been stationed in West Berlin and West Germany during the Cold War, it was really quite an experience just to be there.

Over 10,000 people, including whole families, show up to camp out for the weekend and remember “the good old days.” Many more attend the event but don’t camp out. With them they bring hundreds of vehicles (a somewhat bewildering variety actually) from a ZSU-23/4 tracked anti-aircraft unit, BMPs, trucks, and GAZ jeeps to fire engines, Volkspolizei cars and dozens of sidecar equipped Russian copies of the WWII era German Army BMW motorcycle, now all privately owned. (One can wonder if the irony was appreciated…) There was a daily organized parade of these vehicles around the site, with much “cruising” of the area by individual owners on an ongoing basis. One older gentleman dressed up as a General was constantly being driven around in a small staff car with speakers blaring Communist propaganda songs while he stood at attention in front of the passenger seat, holding a salute as if reviewing the troops. It was amusing the first day; by the third day not so much.

Rides were available to the public in BMP Armored Fighting Vehicles as well as an Antonov biplane and two-seat primary trainer aircraft. Food is available on site as well, as the town of Putnitz is actually a short drive away.

Various participants of the “fest” take the occasion to dress up in East German or Russian uniforms, although great license is taken with authenticity. Nicolas Von Nollendorf, an authority on uniforms/decorations of all nations and a Berlin militaria dealer/film consultant with whom I attended the event was on more than one occasion seen with an amused expression on his face. He pointed out one individual that had insignia elements of infantry, armor and the air force, with a mix of officer and enlisted, all combined into what he was wearing. Being in the spirit of the event was pretty much the primary consideration.

There was however, one retired officer of the DDR Grenztruppen (Border Guards) who was present in full uniform, complete with his dagger by his side, who was undoubtedly what he claimed to have been. He stated proudly that he had retired after almost 30 years of service. I was introduced by Nico as having served in the U.S. Army’s Berlin Brigade. There was definitely a feeling of former adversaries meeting in good spirits, and I couldn’t bring myself to spoil the moment by telling him that I had helped 14 people escape from the DDR as a member of what the STASI (Ministry for State Security/Secret Police) referred to as a “Kriminalmenschenhandelbande” (criminal people moving organization).

These people are “Ossie’s” (Easterner’s) and proud of it. That’s really what this event is about; trying to relive the old days, to remember the way of life and preserve their memories, and in that sense it is “living history.” One customer browsing through the selection of items for sale at our table heard me speaking English and asked Nico, “Who’s that guy?” Nico replied that I had served in Berlin, to which the customer replied stiffly, “Not on OUR side.”

I was struck by the realization that this half of Germany had never been “de-Nazified” in the sense that the people had gone from one totalitarian society directly into another with no frame of reference for anything else until less than 20 years ago. There is a difference between knowing this, as everyone familiar with the history does, and actually feeling it. That’s what attending this gathering allowed me to experience. It’s a unique event, and if you have the opportunity to be anywhere near the Rostock/Putnitz area in the first week of July, I recommend it highly. Come for the vehicles and militaria and stay for the window into a bygone culture and meet people who lived it.

International East Bloc Vehicle Association
http://reutershagen.de/ostblock/

Technical Association Putnitz
www.technikverein-puetnitz.de/

The War Remnants Museum in Saigon/HoChiMinh City is the best of the four museums there that would be of interest to weapons enthusiasts who visit Vietnam. Among the displays of such equipment is a suppressed M3A1 Greasegun with original Bell Labs 2-stage suppressor on it, an Uzi and a couple of Madsen M50’s (both of which were used as they were theoretically non-attributable to the U.S.) and all the basic variations of the M16/AR-15 family in use at the time, including a GM Hydramatic marked gun and an XM16E1 marked rifle with an XM148 40mm launcher attached to it.

Also on display was a selection of other 40mm launchers including a pair of M79s and a MK 20 Mod 0, which is an early 40mm belt-fed launcher that fires the same 40mmx 46SR round as the M79/M203 launchers rather than the much higher pressure 40mm round utilized by the MK19 series.

The one item that was most surprising to find was a very rare 40mm launcher known as the China Lake Pump. Very few of these basically hand-made weapons were made at China Lake Naval Station in California during the war for use by the U.S. Navy’s SEAL teams deployed in Vietnam. Most published sources say 20 to 30 were made though reliable sources indicate the actual number is closer to 50; still, a small number making them exceptionally rare with only a few known to exist today. It is reported that only three others are in various museums in addition to the one in Saigon/HoChiMinh City.

The China Lake Pump on display at the War Remnants Museum is serial number 013 as stamped on the tang of the weapon. This author was fortunate enough to be allowed by the museum’s authorities to personally examine it, to the extent of partial disassembly, and to take numerous photos of it outside its display case. This was not easy to arrange, and I am indebted to my interpreter Phanthanh, Mr. Khu of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, and the Director of the Museum and his staff for arranging this unique opportunity.

Their collection is truly impressive. There are numerous other items of interest on display there, including but not limited to a Douglas AE-1 Skyraider still equipped with it’s 20mm cannons and under wing mounting points, the obligatory UH-1 “Huey” helicopter with door mounted Minigun, and numerous armored vehicles. A pair of 20mm Oerlikons on a naval mount are not deactivated, merely displayed there with the bolts locked to the rear.

Up north in Hanoi, there are also various museums with displays relating to the conflict. There is a museum/display area close to the center of town near Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum where numerous items of U.S. military equipment are on display, including a White half track with mounted .50 and .30 BMGs, a Quad .50 mount, and a Huey with door mounted Minigun in much better condition than the one in Saigon/HoChiMinh City.

The museum’s interior has displays relating to how the PAVN (People’s Army of Vietnam) used and defended the Ho Chi Minh (referred to by them as the Trung Song Mountain) trail complex, including an SA-7 shoulder fired anti-aircraft missile, a Czech Skorpion SMG listed as having been used by their undercover operators in the south, and a pile of U.S. aviator gear and flight helmets with “Dymo label maker” style name tapes still attached.

The museums and displays in Vietnam are very interesting and informative presenting the artifacts as viewed from the “other” side of the conflict. It is well worth the time to visit if in country. Vietnam is developing and changing quickly and is quite an experience to see the old and new side by side.