Tomorrow is our annual Battle of the Bulge Match at a local gun club. I plan to use a Kar98k Mauser. Other folks show up with Springfields, Enfields and Russian rifles. We shoot at 100 yards and have a great time using the old classic military rifles of WWII. All the best...
Gil

Gidday Gil. Enjoy your match mate. It is a lot of fun...and nostalgia...to shoot the old military firearms.

Over here in Australia there is quite a following for military firearms and there are quite a few Military Rifle Clubs. In fact, I would have to say that most rifles clubs out here had a start as a military club many MANY years ago.

Cheers, Vince

I like military firearms as well. Thats why I already have one and am getting another one, making my collection 3 rifles, and 2 are military type firearms.

Dimitri

We are putting on a similar match in May 2008. We call it "The Fallen Heroes Memorial Shoot". We did it last year for the first time to honor those that have fallen in defense of freedom.

Gil,
One of these days I am going to shoot in one of your matches. Take care...
Joe

LOL, here I am thinking that the "Battle Of The Bulge" got something to do with my waistline !!
Obviously not.

The Battle of the Bulge was a battle faught by the American forces in Europe in World War 2. The Allies (mainly American and some British) numbered 83,000 men while the Germans numbered half a million. The American losses were approximately 19,000, the British lost approximately 200, and the Germans lost approximately 15,600 in the battle. It was one of the bloodiest battles in the war.

The Germans thought they could break up the lines in the Western Front by pushing into Belgium in late 1944 and cause the Allies to sign a peace treaty in their favor. The Battle resulted in a month and a half of fighting in the middle of winter, with some American forces being completely cut off from supply. The 101st and 10th Armored Divisions being the famous ones that were cut off in Bastogne from December 20th to 26th when Patton's Tank Divisions crushed the German Seige around the city.

Dimitri

Dimitri wrote:

The Battle of the Bulge was a battle faught by the American forces in Europe in World War 2.

Yeah, my cousin Pete was captured during the battle. At the time, he weighed 190 pounds (he's 6'3"). When he was repatriated near the end of the war, he weighed 98 pounds. He said the whole time he was in the stalag, he never saw meat, and was fed once a day on thin potato soup and a slice of bread.

Sorry to hear that Phil!

Dimitri