Valuable cache of WWII-era weapons found in Alabama creek
A state road crew spotted a collection of foreign military weapons while conducting a bridge inspection just north of Centreville in Alabama last week.
April 15, 2009 - A valuable collection of World War II-era weapons was found dumped in a rural creek last week in west central Alabama.
A state road crew spotted the collection of foreign military weapons while conducting a bridge inspection just north of Centreville and notified local sheriff’s deputies.
Bibb County Sheriff Keith Hannah sent a dive team to recover the firearms. Fished from the waters were nine World War II-era weapons from Japan, Italy and Germany, a 50mm mortar, a 20mm cannon, two belt-fed machine guns and a Thompson machine gun made after the war.
Due to the pristine condition of the vintage weapons authorities believe they had been there 24-hours or less.
David Hyche, an agent from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Birmingham told reporters that “Most of the stuff works, but there are a couple that are missing parts.”
Hyche said agents suspect the weapons were stolen, but no one has claimed them. Some of the weapons were rare and worth thousands of dollars, particularly the 20mm cannon.
He added that he had never encountered anything like it in his 21 years of work.
Sources:Birmingham News and Chattanooga Times Free Press
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