Browning (FN) Hi Power w/Papers and Other Items from Gusen Camps!
Greetings all,
I recently acquired this small, but amazing, collection from the son of a veteran. This collection contains a Browning (FN) Hi Power pistol with waffenamts and capture paper, a holster he made in theater for it, an M1905 bayonet that he turned into a fighting knife, a German vehicle ID flag, two photo albums, and a small coin container with a photo of him and his buddies.
The gentleman I got these from said his dad transported other troops to a concentration camp after it was liberated. When he was asked about the gun, he just said "It's just something I found at the camp." I wish I knew the story about how it came into his possession. One of the photo albums contains many pictures of dead bodies at a concentration camp. His son didn't know what camp his father took the pictures at. I spent hours comparing pictures of guard towers to the ones visible in one of the photos I have. I had no luck. Then I searched for mass graves in concentration camps and found one picture that is almost identical to another I have. It was the same scene, just taken from a different angle. The caption said it was taken at Gusen. I found many more pictures online that were similar to the ones in the album. Some are even of the same bodies. It's really sad to see what happened at this camp. Due to the graphic nature of these photos, I will not be posting them on here unless the admins say it's ok.
The soldier's name was Maurice E. Mailloux. He was with a T-5 with a truck company. They often transported troops and supplies to other soldiers in the field. His brother was also in the war but was killed in action. Below is a picture of him visiting his brother's grave in France.
Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this little collection!
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