Warbird Information Exchange

Does anyone have any pictures taken during the recovery of the P-38 Glacier Girl showing the 20 mm cannon and 60 round ammunition drum that were found on Glacier Girl during the recovery process in Greenland? I understand the cannon was fitted with the early 60 round drum rather than the later introduced 150 round tray type of ammunition box. Thanks.

Just curious, what kinds of legalities were behind the recovery and test firing of the weapons on the ice? Did the Greenland government have anything to say on this point?
Those are all viewed under the NFA, the 50 cals are Class III automatice weapons and the 20MMs are destructive devices. I assume the recovery team talked with the ATF before they brought all that back? How much work did they have to do to the weapons to be allowed to keep them (or parts of them)?

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Life member, 91st BG Memorial Association
Owner, 1944 Willys MB #366014
Former REMF (US Army, O3)

"Class III" implies they would have registered with the NFA, and I am sure they were not. They would be illegal machine guns in the USA, as they were. The right side plate on the M2's could be removed and cut to destroy them, as that is the controlled part. The rest of the parts are completely legal to own. I am not sure what the controlled part is on the 20mm.

I do not have a clue what the group did with the weapons, but would be interested to learn about it.

I'm actually familiar with all this, which why I spelled out what categories under the NFA they fall under (and there's no implication of registered, that's what they fall under according to the law by their existence). I was curious as to what legal actions they really went through to secure weapons they could never own in working order, from a foreign country, and shooting them in said country beforehand.

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Life member, 91st BG Memorial Association
Owner, 1944 Willys MB #366014
Former REMF (US Army, O3)

Lou Sapienza, CEO of North South Polar may be able to answer questions on the GG weapons. He was up there. Anyone can email him and ask. lou@nspolar.us

As of May 1986 no more imports and the registry was closed. I believe they has a second shirt amnesty registration before the law was enacted. As for the 50s they cannot be imported or registered as machine guns typically. I believe a citize. Could petitio. The ATF to allow into the registry, but assuming they did, it would be a post May dealer sample, and not be able to freely change hands.

The 20mm should be able to be registered as a DD destructive device. That registry is still open for now to my recollection.

Importing them would be another whole balliwick even as parts kits

I assume that is why 99.9% of the fully recovered P47 'Dottie Mae' was importd OK into CA and eight 'small' parts were left in Austria following the recovery. Whether they will ever be reunited, I do not know.

regards

MS

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'Coups De Foudre'
(511FS, 405FG watering hole), St Dizier, France 1944/45

Not with the side plate, and current NFA laws.

or at least not with the original side plates...

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Those who possess real knowledge are rare.

Those who can set that knowledge into motion in the physical world are rarer still.

The few who possess real knowledge and can set it into motion of their own hands are the rarest of all.

Mere conjecture, but in a pre 09/11 world, with a DC-3 at their disposal and ex-military pilots flying direct from the ice sheet, some closer scrutiny may be in order. There may also have been some omissions on the Customs declaration for the container. Remember, all mannner of illicit contraband enter this country every day in conex boxes. "Don't ask, don't tell."

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"There's nothing new under the sun. It's only new to you."

"Deserve's got nothing to do with it."

Sarco has registered side plates....
For $15,000
http://www.e-sarcoinc.com/7-20-14.pdf

If the plane belonged to a properly papered museum, then the guns could theoretically be retained in 100% original condition without having to be demilled. I can't attest to whether the Glacier Girl crew was able to do this or not. My guess is that you'd have a hard time making this happen unless the museum was large and well established as such, versus some guy with a couple of planes playing the tax angle. Generally, if some grandmother finds an MP-40 in her late husband's footlocker, the options are usually limited to turning the piece over to the local authorities for destruction (or whatever they decide to do with it), or donating it to a qualified museum.

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Rob Mears
'Surviving Corsairs' Historian
robcmears@yahoo.com
http://www.robmears.com

Or putting it back in the foot locker and leaving it there.

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"If that's a goddamn 'Jug' in front of me, you sure as hell better wiggle your wings." 80FS/8FG Cape Gloucester, December 1943. And the entire 41st Fighter Squadron rocked their wings.

ALWAYS LOOKING FOR P-38 PARTS