One of the more interesting items recovered from the crash site of Horsa DP349 was a single 9mm cartridge which looked as if it had exploded in the fire that occurred some time after the crash. The head-stamp was clearly visible, reading as * P * 1934. I approached the members of CartridgeCollectors.org for assistance and received the reply shown below.

To CartridgeCollectors.org

I've just returned from an expedition to Norway to recover the remains of one of the Airspeed Horsa assault gliders used in the attempt to destroy the German heavy water production and supplies at Vermork (Operation Freshman).

>> The gliders both crashed on 19/20th November 1942, and were carrying combat engineers armed with both Lee Enfield SMLE .303 rifles and 9mm Sten guns.  We recovered a great deal of wreckage, mostly small metal brackets and wood (the gliders being largely constructed from wood) but only found one item of ammunition.

>> I've attached pictures of the cartridge that we found, which I believe was 'cooked off' in the fire that consumed the wreckage some time after the crash.  By the time the fire occurred, German troops had already searched the wreckage and the dead and wounded had been removed.  There was no firefight when the Germans arrived, as the British airborne troops were in no shape to put up a realistic resistance.  The headstamp of the 9mm(?) round is difficult to read, but as far as I can make out, it is as follows:

>>    P

>> *     *

>> 1934

>> I initially assumed that this cartridge was a British item lost by one of the British airborne troops, however, looking at the cartridgecollectors website now I'm not so sure.  I'm fairly sure that the case is brass, although it's difficult to say if it is plated.  It is possible that this is a German cartridge, lost by one of the troops searching the wreckage after the crash.

>> I would be very interested in your comments regarding the origin of this cartridge.

Reply from CartridgeCollectors.org

>> The cartridge case you found is a product of Hirtenberger Patronen-, Zündhütchen-und Metallwarenfabrik A.-G.

>> Hirtenberg, Austria. This was probably a contract load for either Bolivia or Paraguay during the Chaco War (1932-1935). Only encountered with the 1934 date you found, it occurs in boxes marked “Dordrecht” indicating it was made, or perhaps loaded, at the Hirtenberger facility in Dordrecht, Holland. As can be seen below, the box label is in Spanish.

>> Now, how did a load for the Chico War get in your glider. There is significant evidence that the British government purchased a significant quantity of 9mm Parabellum ammunition from wherever they could find it. They also contracted Winchester to make quite a bit of this ammo. The fact is that British 9mm production was just ramping up in 1942 (the first year of full production) and the quality of the British made ammunition left a lot to be desired. The British did not have an adequate pistol powder for the 9mmP and used a chopped cordite in the Mark IZ loads produced in 1942 and much of 1943, when a better powder became available. I have seen boxes of German ammo, probably produced for the Spanish Civil War that were issued in Britain. For a raid like Operation Freshman, I suspect that the British troops were provided the best ammo available which was not the current British production.

Thanks to CartridgeCollectors.org and Lew in particular for this amazing reply.

http://www.cartridgecollectors.org/

Update received April 2009 from Britain at War Magazine

Britain At War

After our recent article in Britain At War magazine we have received many emails in relation to Operation Freshman. In particular, a lot of interest has been raised regarding our Op. Freshman artefacts as can be seen by this letter extract:

In Issue 23 in the article about Operation Freshman, you postulated that the Austrian 9mm Cartridge case found could have been issued to British troops.

I can confirm that was indeed so. In 1941 Britain purchased 20 million rounds of 9mm Parabellum ammunition from Bolivia and these were the rounds made by Hirtenberger. However, they were not made in Austria but at Hirtenberger's Dutch subsidiary at Dordrecht. The contract record is in the
National Archives and British military Pamphlet 11A, "S.A.A. Below 20 MM", dated April 1949 states ".ammunition of the following make was issued to the Service early in the late war:- Cartons marked:- "Cartuchos para pistole automatica 9mm.parabellum fabrica de cartuchos Dordrecht Hirtenburg."

Incidentally, the previous edition of the Pamphlet dated 1945 states that Italian 9mm ammunition headstamped GB was also issued. This ammunition was issued, but it was not Italian. It was originally made by an unknown manufacturer, probably German, and came in packets marked in Spanish similarly to the Hirtenberger but without the makers name. I suspect this also came from the Bolivian contract.