Hi everyone! just wanted to introduce myself to the community!
My name is Tim, and i am the grandson of Richard Hensel, a member of the 36th engineers (http://www.6thcorpscombatengineers.com/engforum/index.php?showtopic=3946&mode=linearplus). I was always intrigued by his stories of the war, including for anyone that had met him, his famous messerschmitt story that he told all!
One of his stories that he had told was how he became into possesion what became his deer hunting rifle. i was lucky enough to have been passed along this firearm, and seeing that he was really proud of it, i have been trying to track down some info on his travels so add to what i know of its history! According to what i remember of his stories, after they had liberated anzio, his engineering group was then put on the mission to chase after the redoubt. He ended up "liberating" (as he put it 
) this firearm from one of the castles that he and his fellow troops had come accross as they had chased after the reboubt in the alps. He had sent it home piece by piece, and often spoke of the "mannlicher" but i never put 2 and 2 together until coming into possesion of this. This firearm is a Mannlicher-Schoenauer M1900(and made in the 1900's), which at the time was a gun that would have only been owned by someone of money or power, supporting the story he had told.
So in addition to just learning more about general history of his group I was hoping to learn the possible path of his travels to try to determine which castle he may have found this firearm, so I might be able to complete the history of this firearm that he was so proud of.
Thanks to all (especially Marion) for this site and the info that people provide! it is always amazing as you learn more and more of what the veterens went through and did, how they came back and were still loving parents / grandparents!