Arthur Fliegenheimer

That you have a personal connection to this operation is remarkable. The 1976 Israeli Entebbe raid Operation Thunderbolt and the Netherlands Marine object lesson that ended Moluccan hostility on Dutch citizens were seminal moments in the 70's. Here are some pics from this woefully under reported example of a successful tactical response even if the Dutch authorities delayed acting for 20 days after the first day of hijacking.

The Dutch Moluccans hijacked trains in Holland twice, 1975 & 1977. The Dutch Marines raided the train in the 1977 hijack. Here is the back story including the kidnapping of Dutch school children simultaneously with the 1977 train hijacking.

As real time reporting by TIME’S Peter Kronenberg: May 23 - June 11, 1977

The lot was passed as it didn't sell. The bidding stalled at $55 000 with 5 bids. McQueen's screen BAR carried a pre-sale estimate of $$80,000 - $150,000. It failed to meet the seller's undisclosed reserve price. Ok. No mention of a reserve in ad. The Barrett-Jackson auto auction allows sellers to have a fail safe secret reserve (of course known to Craig Jackson) that is frequently in no danger of being reached. Then when bidding stalls in the neighborhood of the reserve. the auctioneers appear to goad the seller to lift the secret reserve and that seems to be incentive for continued bidding as the prospect of buying the vehicle is no longer an exercise in futility.

Mike, Stembridge Gun Rental also supplied the Darren McGavin twin M50 Madsens for the 1970 ABC Movie of The Week "The Challenge." It sold on SUBGUNS in 2005. One Madsen was modified to eject from left side of receiver.

Change from "MACHINE" to "AUTOMATIC" was discussed here. The McQueen Marlin Rockwell is an early serial number. 25,000 block. Per Orion in this thread: "The earliest documented serial number for Marlin -Rockwell was serial # 40286." McQueen MR BAR beats that.

This is from RECOIL online magazine interview with C. Reed Knight, II. Perhaps SOT board members could provide the method used to get BATFE to add to the registry this particular Colt TSMG #11943 (currently on a Form 3) that was never registered prior to the 1968 Amnesty period. Knight makes a point in the interview about selecting pre-ban 1986 machine guns from the Colt storage room.

Too bad Knight doesn't show photos of the stripped (no internals, no frame, no barrel/ring sight, no Lyman Sight, no wood furniture, yet serial numbered, completely stamped wih Colt, AOC, and Patent information- blued receiver) as he found it in Colt's Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing . What does require some further explanation are the 12 patent dates on a Colt receiver under serial number 14,000. Every example of Colt Thompsons in this #11943 range have the usual 9 dates ending with December 28, 1920.

Even though RIA didn't include a pic of the frame # they did bury the # at the bottom of the description: "trigger housing is numbered "4959" on the stock rail, with knurled controls; per page 510 of Herigstad's listing, this number tracks to a 1921AC that was part of the first U.S.M.C. contract in 1926, which in turn would pass through China, Nicaragua, Paris Island, San Diego, and Quantico." I guess this 1990 find of stripped receiver #11943 inside a small room at Colt's Patent Firearms was a Colt employee's failed attempt to smuggle out a "lunch box special." It is odd AOC (who at the time had been granted a facility on the Colt premises) paid for 15,000 Colt 1921 TSMGs, yet tnever noticed or inquired about missing #11943. Or maybe they did which stymied the employee's plans to remove the receiver from it's hiding place.

Estimate $55K -$85K May 9, 2026 https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/4097/1302/colt-1921-thompson-class-iiinfa-cr-machine-gun GH Serial Numbers 1995: #11943 1921A (but auction shows Cutts Compensator) Knight Industries Vero Beach, Florida "Receiver cane from Colt Factory collection without lower frame and rear sight. Appears to be in new and unused condition."

Small Arms Review article on the Stenbriidge company that Hollywood relied on to supply them with weapons. In 1973 they were beginning to sell off their inventory. https://smallarmsreview.com/stembridgegunrentals/

It's a Marlin-Rockwell. http://auctions.morphyauctions.com/_n__fantastic_gary_cooper___steve_mcqueen_film_pro-lot667612.aspx

2023 thread on Colt Thompson in Cuba during filming of 1959 "Our Man in Havana."

Chester and Lester Longacre from Bethany Oklahoma.

Enterprising Gunbroker seller Atlas Collectible Firearms purchased this at RIA for $4200 in October 2025 https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/1049/1745/shostle-engraved-erfurt-artillery-luger-pistol-with-ivory-grips Then turned around on Gunbroker with penny starting bid for $22,500 in December 2025 to one of their frequent customers. https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1143989916