WWII machine gun found in Lithuanian mail

(CBS/AP) - Achtung! Customs officials in Lithuania got a shocking reminder of the country's war-torn past when they found a working World War II machine gun in the mail.

Officials said Tuesday that the German-made MG-42 machine gun, complete with ammunition, was found at Vilnius International Airport after scanning a suspicious 44-pound package posted in Lithuania and bound for Germany.

Customs spokeswoman Asta Mikeleviciute says it was the first time that customs authorities had ever uncovered such a parcel and an investigation has been launched.

The MG-42 entered service in 1942 and was used by all branches of the German military.

More than 65 years later, Lithuania and other East European countries, which saw some of the heaviest fighting in the European theater, continue to uncover large amounts of weaponry and unexploded ordnance.