Fisherman catches loaded Nazi submachine gun from 1940

By Ed Cullinane via SWNS

A man fishing in a countryside river was stunned after he 'caught' a loaded Nazi submachine gun that dates back to 1940.

The fisherman hauled out the German World War II weapon, which still had bullets inside.

The rusty MP-40 was the weapon of choice for the Nazi German Army, known as the Wehrmacht.

But this one was pulled out of the River Frome in Gloucestershire, England by an angler who called police.

Experts say it is possible that the weapon was ditched by a German spy, who were known to have brought weapons to Britain.

But those were usually pistols such as a German Luger Pistol found in Hull in 2010.

It may have been brought to Britain as contraband by a British soldier after the war or dumped by a collector.

The gun was recovered by Gloucestershire Police's Special Ops Unit who attended the scene after being called by the fisherman.

A spokesperson for the police later said: "We were called to help out a fisherman today who pulled something a bit different from the river: This German sub-machine gun is a piece of history, which could be as old as 1940.

“We wouldn’t advise eating this one. The weapon is going to be examined by our force armourer."