# What Do Modern, Well-Equipped Armies Do When They Discover Enemy Weapons Caches **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 10, 2024, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-modern-well-equipped-armies-do-when-they-discover-enemy-weapons-caches/1010018 "2024-11-10T11:31:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Moonrise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonrise/32/14764_2.png) [@Moonrise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonrise)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-modern-well-equipped-armies-do-when-they-discover-enemy-weapons-caches/1010018/1 "2024-11-10T11:31:52Z")
Given the current state of the world, I regularly come across various reports of presumably well-equipped armies discovering weapons caches left behind by fleeing/dead enemies. What do they do with those weapons ? I can think of three possibilities. 1 - Add them to their own arsenal. That’s more “bang!” for them after all, but that raises the question of using weapons their soldiers are unfamiliar with, which may turn out to be counterproductive. 2 - Leave them there. Probably a non-starter since the tide could turn, allowing the enemy to recover them. 3 - Destroy them. This is probably the most expedient solution. Seems like a waste, though. This thread is _not_ about the morality of certain events taking place anywhere in the world at the moment, _nor_ is it about who’s to blame for any ongoing tragedy. Only factual answers, please. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-modern-well-equipped-armies-do-when-they-discover-enemy-weapons-caches/1010018/2 "2024-11-10T11:58:35Z")
I’d imagine there’s some specialist follow-up unit that assesses what’s been found, along the lines you mention, plus, perhaps, intelligence value, and if nothing else - scrap value. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-modern-well-equipped-armies-do-when-they-discover-enemy-weapons-caches/1010018/3 "2024-11-10T12:42:30Z")
If they can they take it and store it for later use, like for arming armies other than their own. It cost a lot of money to make arms, the more you take the less you have to produce, even if its not what you need right now. If its something they can not use, have plenty of already or poses a threat if they just leave it for later they destroy it. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-modern-well-equipped-armies-do-when-they-discover-enemy-weapons-caches/1010018/4 "2024-11-10T12:58:13Z")
We blow it up. If there is something new or unknown in the cache, we take it for intel analysts to look at. Unless it’s too big to carry, in which case we would document it as best as possible and then blow it up. Less modern, lesser equipped militaries often pilfer through the cache, adding the ammunition, weapons and equipment to their own supply like children at Christmas. Unless it’s a trap, in which case they blow their hand off turning on the new flashlight they just found. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-modern-well-equipped-armies-do-when-they-discover-enemy-weapons-caches/1010018/5 "2024-11-10T13:32:13Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > We blow it up. Or cut it up with blow torchs. We most likly already have an ample supply of AK-47s and other small arms. Ammo may or may not be useful, as quality can be suspect. Depends on your needs at the time. Other modern armies may not be so picky as we are, like the Ukrainian army may take what they can get. ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-modern-well-equipped-armies-do-when-they-discover-enemy-weapons-caches/1010018/6 "2024-11-10T18:56:28Z")
Blow them up, or run them over with armoured vehicles. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-modern-well-equipped-armies-do-when-they-discover-enemy-weapons-caches/1010018/7 "2024-11-10T21:13:59Z")
> [@Moonrise](#): > > 3 - Destroy them. This is probably the most expedient solution. Seems like a waste, though. Their ammo and weapons aren’t interchangeable with standard issue. And they may not know how to use some stuff safely. > [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > We blow it up. If there is something new or unknown in the cache, we take it for intel analysts to look at. Unless it’s too big to carry, in which case we would document it as best as possible and then blow it up. > Less modern, lesser equipped militaries often pilfer through the cache, adding the ammunition, weapons and equipment to their own supply like children at Christmas. Right. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-modern-well-equipped-armies-do-when-they-discover-enemy-weapons-caches/1010018/8 "2024-11-10T21:20:04Z")
This information is probably way outdated, but I recall reading somewhere that one problem with some Allied troops in WWII who picked up left-behind German guns and started using them was that their fellow Allied troops knew the sound of German gunfire and began to assume that the sound of German guns meant Germans were nearby and opened fire on them (in the dark, I think.) So yeah, there are other reasons why picking up enemy guns and using them isn’t a good idea. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-modern-well-equipped-armies-do-when-they-discover-enemy-weapons-caches/1010018/9 "2024-11-10T21:22:48Z")
I’m sure it also depends on your mission and what your rear lines look like. If you’ve got a secure hold on your current territory and good supply lines, sure, send it back home. Worst case, the rear echelon folks can use it for scrap. On the other hand, if you’re on a thunder run deep into enemy territory, and it’s not something you can use immediately, destroying it is pretty much your only option. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-modern-well-equipped-armies-do-when-they-discover-enemy-weapons-caches/1010018/10 "2024-11-10T21:27:31Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > So yeah, there are other reasons why picking up enemy guns and using them isn’t a good idea. Mind you, GIs did grab any number of Axis handguns as souvenirs. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2024, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-modern-well-equipped-armies-do-when-they-discover-enemy-weapons-caches/1010018/11 "2024-11-11T13:38:35Z")
Apparently other small arms as well. Auction houses have German rifles and submachine guns that were brought home by veterans. A 5cm mortar is upcoming at an auction house according to the Youtube channel “Forgotten Weapons”. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2024, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-modern-well-equipped-armies-do-when-they-discover-enemy-weapons-caches/1010018/12 "2024-11-11T14:08:07Z")
well, here’s one possibility: The Israeli army has captured tens of thousands of anti-tank missiles. They are considering forming a new anti-tank unit to use the weaponry. They “originally considered destroying it, but then decided to bring it to Israel and re-purpose it.” > **[IDF considering forming anti-tank unit from captured Hezbollah weaponry - report](https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-827405)** > > The IDF is considering forming a new anti-tank unit from the weapons captured from Hezbollah, according to an ---
**Author:** ![FrenchDunadan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frenchdunadan/32/5449_2.png) [@FrenchDunadan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FrenchDunadan)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2024, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-modern-well-equipped-armies-do-when-they-discover-enemy-weapons-caches/1010018/13 "2024-11-11T15:06:19Z")
Sometimes your army use the same weapons as the enemy’s (like in Ukr/Rus case) so you can pick weapons and ammo that your soldiers know how to use. Sometimes the weapons are better than yours and you can upgrade (as the Wehrmacht did with PPSH sub machine guns in WW2) Sometimes you can use tanks and other vehicles to augment your motorization. Sometimes you seize the weapons for future false flag operations. And as pointed before, sometimes the cache is booby trapped… ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2024, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-modern-well-equipped-armies-do-when-they-discover-enemy-weapons-caches/1010018/14 "2024-11-11T15:31:45Z")
A friend of mine rappelled down a cliff face and found a cave. At the back were a bunch of probably 40 year old grenade and ammunition boxes left over from the 1970s Rhodesian Bush War. He exited very, very quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-modern-well-equipped-armies-do-when-they-discover-enemy-weapons-caches/1010018/15 "2024-12-05T14:25:51Z")
The British went to war in the Falklands (if that still counts as modern…) against Argentinians who had a lot of the same equipment. [Apologies for a Quora link](https://www.quora.com/What-did-the-British-do-with-the-masses-of-captured-Argentine-weapons-at-the-end-of-the-Falklands-conflict), but it looks like a lot of the small arms were just dumped and other weapons systems used but not cost effectively. [Half of an Argentinian Chinook was eventually used to repair an RAF Chinook](https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/helicopter-was-cut-and-shut-mod-6761370.html) as late as 2003. ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2024, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-modern-well-equipped-armies-do-when-they-discover-enemy-weapons-caches/1010018/16 "2024-12-12T21:13:55Z")
One of the UH-1s they captured turned out, on closer inspection, to have been damaged in a heavy landing at some point in the past, and was grounded.