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Ode to a gun


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My P38

By

Paul Mazan

 

AC44 is stamped on the slide

Manufactured by Walther but not with pride

Made by slaves from conquered lands

Issued to men with blood on their hands.

 

Sent to war to enslave and kill

As if the gun had a soul and a will

What has it seen what has it done

How many were wounded or slain with this gun?

 

Patton’s army invaded the land

The gun and its owner made a stand

Croutched in a hole in his native soil

With machine-gun and loader after much toil.

 

With loader on watch the sergeant slept without fear

Until he awoke with my fathers gun in his ear

He gave up his pistol and Hitler Youth knife

And marched into captivity to save his own life.

 

The loader covered his eyes and wept

He was on watch but exhausted, he slept

Don’t be upset my father said

Had you been awake you both would be dead.

 

Not so, said the loader, had I been awake

We would have cut you down for the Fatherland’s sake

Father just laughed, you worked so hard when night held sway

You fell asleep not knowing your gun pointed the wrong way.

 

I’ve carried it long as my duty gun

Never fired in anger but often in fun

It’s stood ready to defend innocent life

A nobler profession than serving Hitler’s strife.

 

Today I’ve retired, the gun and I rest

No longer required to serve with the best

Still we stand ready should duty call

To defend freedom or family we’ll give our all.

 

Guns last longer than the lives of men

Their steel much stronger than human skin

My father’s deed left this gun to me

I’ll pass it on to my son when life’s done with me.

 

Conceived in hate and built in shame

A defender of freedom it became

In the hands of my father and then in mine

Next in my son’s, and down our line.

 

Steel doesn’t know good from bad

It served the German it served my dad

May it ever be for targets and games

But if tyranny arises its function remains.

 

Bugs

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My P38

By

Paul Mazan

 

AC44 is stamped on the slide

Manufactured by Walther but not with pride

Made by slaves from conquered lands

Issued to men with blood on their hands.

 

Sent to war to enslave and kill

As if the gun had a soul and a will

What has it seen what has it done

How many were wounded or slain with this gun?

 

Patton’s army invaded the land

The gun and its owner made a stand

Croutched in a hole in his native soil

With machine-gun and loader after much toil.

 

With loader on watch the sergeant slept without fear

Until he awoke with my fathers gun in his ear

He gave up his pistol and Hitler Youth knife

And marched into captivity to save his own life.

 

The loader covered his eyes and wept

He was on watch but exhausted, he slept

Don’t be upset my father said

Had you been awake you both would be dead.

 

Not so, said the loader, had I been awake

We would have cut you down for the Fatherland’s sake

Father just laughed, you worked so hard when night held sway

You fell asleep not knowing your gun pointed the wrong way.

 

I’ve carried it long as my duty gun

Never fired in anger but often in fun

It’s stood ready to defend innocent life

A nobler profession than serving Hitler’s strife.

 

Today I’ve retired, the gun and I rest

No longer required to serve with the best

Still we stand ready should duty call

To defend freedom or family we’ll give our all.

 

Guns last longer than the lives of men

Their steel much stronger than human skin

My father’s deed left this gun to me

I’ll pass it on to my son when life’s done with me.

 

Conceived in hate and built in shame

A defender of freedom it became

In the hands of my father and then in mine

Next in my son’s, and down our line.

 

Steel doesn’t know good from bad

It served the German it served my dad

May it ever be for targets and games

But if tyranny arises its function remains.

 

Bugs

=====================================================

What a great poem! It makes me appreciate the AC 44 Walther that my step-mom's brother Dick brought back from Italy at the end of WWII even more. When Dick moved to Florida in 1980, he gave it to Dad, who passed it along to me last year. It came with the original soft brown leather holster, an extra magazine, and 48 rounds of 1943 dated ammo in 16 rounds boxes (one box can charge two 8 round magazines). In the bottom of the spare mag well in the holster, I found a tightly wadded up piece of the German newspaper Die Grune Post, dated 2 April 1944, that appears to be a piece of a classified ad section. The pistol is a great shooter that hits dead-on-the-money at 25 yards and just a tad low at 50. Every time I take it out of the safe, I can't help wondering where it has been and what it has done. Guns like ours are history you can hold in your hand.

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Very cool, Bugs. Wish some of my "old vets" has the history & provenance your P38 does.

 

Seamus

 

P.S. Seen your brother William lately?

 

Ain't seen Billy in a while. Heard he was out New Mexico way. My daughter and her Husband are out there now and report no sign of him around Roswell.

Bugs

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