Writer needs info

[Bob Lamoreaux]

Thank you for this excellent board! I am hoping that some of the members of this forum can provide some assistance in my search for information for a book that I am writing. The book is about the "private arms dealers" of the 1930s-'40s, with focus on A.J. Miranda, Jr. and his brother, I.J. Miranda, operating as Miranda Brothers, Inc. and American Armament Corp. On the European side, I've included Englishman John Ball (Soley Armament), Joseph Veltjens, and a couple of others. . .

I'm in need of photos of Hotchkiss machine guns (M1914 -- I'm not sure if this is the correct model designation) converted to 7.62 Russian by Van Karner Ordnance Corp. There was some reference to this in the Quiz Section by SVaska in July 2008. I believe that the info in that post may have been either incomplete or inaccurate. These guns had been sold as scrap by the U.S. War Department in the late 1920s/early 1930s. They were "deactivated" by cutting a hole in the bottom of the receiver and into the chamber of the barrel by a cutting torch, then sold for scrap at about sixty cents each.

Van Karner and others, including R.J. Sedgley, reparied these guns and offered them to foreign purchasing commissions for around $450. Other machine guns offered were Colt/Vickers M1915s, Marlins, and Vickers aircraft guns (including the 11-mm model). Finland apparently purchased a few of the Hotchkiss guns, but I cannot find any indication that they were shipped.

The guns that remained in the U.S. were seized by the U.S. government in November 1942 because of complaints from purchasing commissions regarding fraud (accepting money and not delivering guns) and shoddy workmanship by some of the gun rebuilders. The guns were then melted down for scrap.

Am also looking for general info on a Polish arms dealer operating from Paris (Czarnecki) and am trying to clear up the true destination of a shipment of 37-mm American Armament cannon that was supposed to be shipped to Latvia. I suspect that these guns were to be mounted in a Fokker aircraft and may have involved the Wolf brothers in the Netherlands who seem to have been associated with the Mirandas. Obviously, any info on the Wolf brothers would be welcome.

Many thanks for any info anyone can provide as there is a suggestion that Veltjens was closely connected with the Wolf brothers, John Ball, etc. I doubt this, but I might be wrong.

Bob Lamoreaux

[Kocur]

Am also looking for general info on a Polish arms dealer operating from Paris (Czarnecki) and am trying to clear up the true destination of a shipment of 37-mm American Armament cannon that was supposed to be shipped to Latvia. I suspect that these guns were to be mounted in a Fokker aircraft and may have involved the Wolf brothers in the Netherlands who seem to have been associated with the Mirandas. Obviously, any info on the Wolf brothers would be welcome.

According to memo by Polish military attache in Riga dated 25 January 1938 and sent to military intelligence central in Warsaw, true destination of 24 cannons of unspecified type plus 60.000 AP and 60.000 HE rounds ordered by Czarnecki and Adamowicz company registered in Poland was Spain.

[brucevickers2]

Hi Bob,

I'm hoping this message reaches you. I'm currently researching the Miranda brothers and some of their business partners. I've uncovered some State Department materials on their activities in Mexico in the 1940s you may be interested in. Do you have an email address I could reach you at?

[JTV]

Finland apparently purchased a few of the Hotchkiss guns, but I cannot find any indication that they were shipped.

Finnish sources do not mention any such deal. Only use that Finnish Army had for Hotchkiss-machinegun was with "female" (machinegun-equipped) version of FT-17 tanks acquired in year 1919. Finnish Army had 19 tanks of this version and 20 Hothckiss machineguns in inventory for them. This machinegun gained such a poor reputation in Finnish use that it would have been really weird for Finnish military to even consider acquiring more of them in late 1920's and even less in 1930's. In fact Finnish Army replaced them with locally manufactured air-cooled 7.62-mm Maxim machineguns in year 1937. These 20 machineguns were sold to Transbaltic in year 1938 and exported, once they were gone there was only two Hotchkiss machineguns remaining and they had been reserved for museum collections.

Jarkko

[Juha Tompuri]

I'm in need of photos of Hotchkiss machine guns (M1914 -- I'm not sure if this is the correct model designation) converted to 7.62 Russian by Van Karner Ordnance Corp. There was some reference to this in the Quiz Section by SVaska in July 2008. I believe that the info in that post may have been either incomplete or inaccurate. These guns had been sold as scrap by the U.S. War Department in the late 1920s/early 1930s. They were "deactivated" by cutting a hole in the bottom of the receiver and into the chamber of the barrel by a cutting torch, then sold for scrap at about sixty cents each.

Van Karner and others, including R.J. Sedgley, reparied these guns and offered them to foreign purchasing commissions for around $450. Other machine guns offered were Colt/Vickers M1915s, Marlins, and Vickers aircraft guns (including the 11-mm model). Finland apparently purchased a few of the Hotchkiss guns, but I cannot find any indication that they were shipped.

The guns that remained in the U.S. were seized by the U.S. government in November 1942 because of complaints from purchasing commissions regarding fraud (accepting money and not delivering guns) and shoddy workmanship by some of the gun rebuilders. The guns were then melted down for scrap.

Some photos that might be relevant here:





http://www.network54.com/Forum/330333/t ... um%2C+Java

Info from year 2008:

After the Winter War Finland had in USA 29 million 7.62 x 53 R rounds that were no more needed. One solution was to sell them to third nation. Negotiations were hold with China and (sic ! ) Netherlands.Seems that ammo were actually bought by Netherland Eastindies Army. 13 million rounds were bought if suitable heavymashineguns could be supplied with them. With help of USA defenceministerium and certain Van Karner Co there were 500 Hotchkiss m1914 mashineguns found from New York which were modified to use 7.62 x 53R ammo. Iver Johnson Co manufactured 2960 barrels for these mg´s and Taller & Cooper Co from New Jersey manufatured the special loading coumbs of 30 rounds. Modified M1914 Hotchkiss is easy to reconnise cause the barrell is 3 inches shorter than the original. Guns were delivered during autumn 1941 last shipment of guns and ammo left New York with boat on 5th december 1941 and they weree send to Dutch East India. Well and Finland had been in War as ally with Germany over 6 months and was supplieing amrs to Allied nation. Quite funny.
Does anyone have aby extra info what so ever of these guns?

http://www.network54.com/Forum/330333/t ... East+India

Info from year 2009:

French Hotchkiss M1914 rebarreled in the USA for the 7,62x53R cartridge so that the KNIL could use ammo that the Finns ordered during the Winter War but no longer needed?

Do I remember correctly that Finland negotiated with USA over a batch of Hotchkiss mg's modificated to eat 7.62x53R ammo.

These Hochkiss guns were sold as part of a deal which contained a lot of some tens of millions 7.62 x 53 R - rounds to Dutch East India, where they soldiered against Japan. Remarkable in this deal was that it was done betweem Axis and Allied nation.

http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... start=2295

Many thanks for any info anyone can provide as there is a suggestion that Veltjens was closely connected with the Wolf brothers, John Ball, etc. I doubt this, but I might be wrong.

Nick might be able to help you:
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... 0#p1476740

Regards, Juha

[Nick Veltjens]

I wrote the biographt of mt father, who is one on your list. You can get it from Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b?url ... &x=18&y=12
Regards
Nick