The story is a little thin...
I think a lot of returning soldiers built up stories like this to justify looting private German properties.
I know there has been little sympathy for the WW2 era Germans but I would prefer a gun that was purchased or bartered for by one of our military personnel. Swiping a gun from a lodge mantel doesn't sound much like obtaining a "war trophy" in the classic sense. A Mauser abandoned or surrendered, sure, but a sporting gun from a lodge? Pity...