Hunting in Africa?

[chris ballance]

I was looking through Jean-Louis Roba's book "The Luftwaffe in Africa, 1941-1943" and came across photo captions describing German hunting for game in the desert, either to makeup for limited rations or for survival after crashes. One photo shows a rifle along with a lot of other survival gear being loaded into Ju-87 and other shows members of JG 77 actually on a hunt. The caption of the Ju-87 photo also states the the weapons were to help fight off belligerent Bedouins. How common was hunting in North & East Africa in WW2? Was it just a German thing or did Regia Aeronautica, SAAF, and RAF hunters go after game?

 

[Snautzer01]

I was looking through Jean-Louis Roba's book "The Luftwaffe in Africa, 1941-1943" and came across photo captions describing German hunting for game in the desert, either to makeup for limited rations or for survival after crashes. One photo shows a rifle along with a lot of other survival gear being loaded into Ju-87 and other shows members of JG 77 actually on a hunt. The caption of the Ju-87 photo also states the the weapons were to help fight off belligerent Bedouins. How common was hunting in North & East Africa in WW2? Was it just a German thing or did Regia Aeronautica, SAAF, and RAF hunters go after game?

Germans hunted where ever. Not only for meat but just playing hunter in a hunters party. Politics perhaps. Also nazi doctrine. But also lower racks did get out to hunt. I have seen numerous pIctures on ebay of hunting. Indeed longer range missions/planes had hunting rifles on board. ( i.g. 3-ling shotgun) for survival. So game guns would have been available when on base

 

[SplitRz]

Germans hunted where ever. Not only for meat but just playing hunter in a hunters party. Politics perhaps. Also nazi doctrine. But also lower racks did get out to hunt. I have seen numerous pIctures on ebay of hunting. Indeed longer range missions/planes had hunting rifles on board. ( i.g. 3-ling shotgun) for survival. So game guns would have been available when on base

I have a friend in Belgium who found a genuine Luftwaffe issued 'Drilling' (excuse spelling) wrapped in wax paper on top of a beam in his grandfathers barn. His Grandpa had been 'busy' during WW2 with the Belgian resistance, so its possible it had been used for a more domestic form of hunting in occupied territory

Fascinating gun: M30 Luftwaffe drilling - Wikipedia

 

[chris ballance]

Three barrels and the same weight as a standard 12 gauge! Thats an interesting weapon! I wonder if Sauer would make one of these to order? You could go deer and bird hunting.

 

[wlewisiii]

They are beautiful and horribly expensive firearms.

Drillings & Combos — Steve Barnett Fine Guns | High-End Shotguns, Rifles, Pistols, and Revolvers For Sale

High-end Drillings and Combos for sale. Browning, Frankodia, Greifelt, JP Sauer, Krieghoff, Merkel, RM Jenkins, Rizzini, Valmet, Winchester.

stevebarnettfineguns.com

 

[chris ballance]

I imagined they would be costly, like all hybrids I'm assuming it's a difficult design to get right.

 

[Graeme]

Hunting in the Arctic...

 

[manta22]

I was looking through Jean-Louis Roba's book "The Luftwaffe in Africa, 1941-1943" and came across photo captions describing German hunting for game in the desert, either to makeup for limited rations or for survival after crashes. One photo shows a rifle along with a lot of other survival gear being loaded into Ju-87 and other shows members of JG 77 actually on a hunt. The caption of the Ju-87 photo also states the the weapons were to help fight off belligerent Bedouins. How common was hunting in North & East Africa in WW2? Was it just a German thing or did Regia Aeronautica, SAAF, and RAF hunters go after game?

Americans hunted as well- at least they did in Iran in 1943. My father, then- Major C.C. Albaugh was sent on a mission to the Middle East and Africa to find and report any problems with the US supply lines. I have attached the "Letter of Introduction" that he was given before he set sail on the "African Dawn" cargo ship in a convoy from Charleston, SC to the Middle East. He had a report about the beginnings of the American presence in Khorramshahr which you may find interesting. Whether it was written by Major Albaugh or 2nd Lt Abe M. Bloom CSO is unknown. Bloom's name is written on the paper in my father's handwriting. I have more detailed reports of his trip. He flew back to Cairo then to Nairobi, to the Belgian Congo and French West Africa, then returned to the US. He took a wind-up 8mm movie camera with him; someday I need to get those on-line.
Regards, Neil Albaugh Tucson, AZ

 

[chris ballance]

More on the Luftwaffe Drilling

 

[denoferth]

I sold firearms at Kittery Trading Post for 17 years where we saw these WWII drillings traded in not infrequently. Every one I saw was in 12 ga/9X72R.