truly badass

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B.A.R


Data for M1918A2



Caliber: 7.62x63mm (.30-06 M2)
Weight: 8.8 kg empty
Length: 1214 mm
Length of barrel: 610 mm
Feeding: detachable box magazine, 20 rounds
Rate of fire: 450 or 650 rounds/min, selectable




The Browning Automatic Rifle was designed by the famous American arms designer John Moses Browning late in the First World War, on the request from USExpeditionary corps in Europe. Initially it was just like that - the Automatic Rifle, a selective fire weapon, intended for use by infantry men to fire from the shoulder or from the hip when advancing onto the enemy positions, and to provide mobile firepower to every squad, since the standard machine guns were heavy and much less maneuverable. But the BAR M1918 was way too heavy for a shoulder fired weapon, being more that 2 times heavier than a bolt-action SpringfieldM1903 rifle and exactly 2 times heavier than a latter M1Garand semiautomatic rifle. On the other hand, it was too light to be controllable in full automatic mode, especially when firing such a powerful round from a shouldered unsupported position. Anyway, the M1918, made by theColt Firearms co. were issued to some US troops by the end of the war. After the war, the development of the BAR continued. In 1922, US Cavalry adopted the M1922light machine gun, which featured a folding bipod under the partially ribbed barrel, a removable monopod ("third leg") under the butt, and a M1917machine gun sights. The Colt company also produced a lightened semi-automatic version of the BAR, called a Colt model 75 "Monitor" rifle. This wasintended mostly for police use, but also found its way into the hands of outlaws, too.
During the 1930s, next version of the BAR, designated as M1918A1, was briefly manufactured. This gun featured skid-footed folding bipods, attached to the gasblock. The butt was fitted with hinged steel buttplate.



In 1939, the final American version of the BAR appeared, under the designation of M1918A2. This version, manufactured by Colt, Marlin-Rockwell, and Winchester,served in the Squad Automatic Weapon role with US troops during the 2nd World War and latter Korea War. Many of earlier M1918A1 guns were converted to the M1918A2 configuration, which featured skid-footed adjustable bipod under the flash hider,M1917 sights, smaller forend and metal heat shield between barrel and cylinder/spring, single shots replaced bytwo selectable full auto modes, with fast (~650 rpm) and slow (~450 rpm) ratesof fire. The bipod, however, was somewhat awkward, uncomfortable and heavy, somany M1918A2 were used with bipod removed.




Technical description.
The BAR M1918 is a gas operated, magazine fed, air cooled weapon. It used the gas piston, located under the barrel, and the bolt with tilting locking lug,that was raised to lock into the roof of the receiver. This lug was linked to the operating rod via the swinging link, much like in the earlier Berthiersystem. The BAR always fired from the open bolt to avoid cook-offs. The return spring was located around the gas piston under the barrel, so it was prone tooverheating and lost its temper during the prolonged fire sessions, resulting in jams and stoppages. This issue was somewhat cured in M1918A1 with introductionof the heat shield between the barrel and the spring, located inside the for end.
The receiver was a machined piece of steel, and the un was fed from the detachable 20 rounds box magazines. Barrel was fitted with flash hiders of different types, and, since the M1818A1, the wooden buttstock was also fitted with the hinged buttplate. The latter production models of M1918A2 were alsofitted with carrying handle.
The buttstocks and for ends were mostly made from wood, but on late production M1918A2's sometimes were also made from plastics.


The BAR was the core weapon of the Marine rifle squad. Marine Corps doctrine stressed that fire team leaders should keep direct control of their BAR men. The squad leader was charged with designating BAR positions on the defense, and organizing the other fighting positions around them. Marines respected the firepower of the BAR, and it earned a reputation as a reliable weapon that could not be broken. There was no sound that reassured Marines more than the steady hammer of the BAR firing in a tight spot.

Of course, the BAR had its drawbacks too. First, it was downright heavy–the weapon with its 12 loaded magazines weighed almost 40 pounds. That was a lot to carry for a kid who might only weigh 140 pounds himself.

There was no provision to change the barrel after rapid firing, so the BAR got really hot. After firing a few hundred rounds in a short period, the barrel would glow red, and the heat scorched the wooden fore end beneath the barrel. And it flat out burned through ammo. Marines learned to fire in 3 to 5 round bursts, but that was still only four trigger pulls for a magazine. It took much longer to load a BAR magazine than to fire it.
Among the many heroic Marines of World War II was Pfc Paul Witek, of Chicago, Ill. Pfc Witek was a BAR man in 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, 3rd Marine Division during the campaign for Guam. During the battle for Finegayan on 3 August 1944, his platoon was pinned down by heavy fire. Pfc Witek covered his fellow Marines by firing a full magazine from his BAR while standing erect.



While his platoon withdrew to reconsolidate, Pfc Witek remained to cover one of his wounded buddies waiting for evacuation. Hit by enemy machine gun fire again and pinned down, the platoon took cover and Pfc Witek unhesitatingly moved forward, throwing hand grenades and firing bursts from his BAR. He closed to within 5 to 10 yards of the enemy position, destroying the emplacement and killing eight Japanese soldiers. He was struck and killed by enemy rifle fire. For his heroic and sacrificial actions, Pfc Witek was awarded a posthumous Medal of Honor.
Even with its drawbacks, the BAR was one of the best squad automatic weapons in World War II. By war's end, there were 27 BARs in every Marine rifle company.


Captured communist photo shows VC crossing a river in 1966.
notice the m1 garand and b.a.r.

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STG 44




Caliber:7.92x33 mm (7.92mm Kurz)
Action: Gas operated, tilting bolt
Overalllength: 940 mm
Barrel length: 419 mm
Weigth: 5.22 kg
Rate of fire: 500 rounds per minute
Magazine capacity: 30 rounds

Hitler’s Germany was the leading country in the development of the assault rifle. Even the term "assault rifle", is no more than a translation of the German term Sturmgewehr,devised for propaganda reasons by no less than Hitler himself (or at least so the legend goes).
Germany began to develop intermediate cartridges during the mid-1930s. There were some developments in 7 mm and 7.75 mm calibre, but Heereswaffenamt (HWaA, ordepartment of armaments), decided to retain the existing rifle calibreof 7.92 mm, to save money on new machinery that would otherwise be required to produce bullets and barrels of a non-standard calibre. The new 7.92 mm "short infantry cartridge" (Infanterie patrone Kurz),developed by the Polte Werke in 1938, was officially designated the 7.92 mm PP Kurz. It had metric dimensions of 7.92 x 33, considerably shorter and less powerful than the standard 7.92 x 57 rifle / MG cartridge, and propelled a 8.1 g (125 grain) bullet to roughly 680 meters per second.
In 1939 HWaA issued a contract for the development of a "Maschinenkarabiner", or machine carbine (MKb forshort), chambered for the new Kurz cartridge, to the company C. G.Haenel Waffen und Fahrradfabrik. Initial development took place underthe designation of MKb.42 - Maschinenkarabiner, 1942. The new weapon was intended as a replacement for submachine guns, bolt action riflesand, partly, light machineguns for front troops and was intended to have an effective range of 600 meters or so.
The famous designer Hugo Schmeisser led the Haenel development team, whichproduced the first working prototypes of new weapon by 1942, known as MKb.42(H). After extensive combat tests of the MKb.42(H), HWaA asked Haenel for several significant improvements over theirinitial design. Most notable was the request to replace the submachine-gun like open-bolt firing system with more convenientclosed-bolt system, to improve single-shot accuracy. Schmeisserre designed the weapon accordingly, and by 1943 submitted the improvedversion to the HWaA. But by this time Hitler had ordered that only existing types should be developed and manufactured, and theMaschinenkarabiner was not on this list. To avoid this nuisance, theGermans decided simply to rename the MKb to the MP, or Machinen pistole(submachine gun), which was on the “approved” list. So, the new andimproved weapon received the designation MP-43, and went into limited production and field trials at the front. During the following year,the MP-43 experienced several minor modifications, leading to MP-43/1and MP-43/2 designations, but these differed only in details such asfront sight bases and grenade launcher interfaces.

In April1944 the designation of all MP-43s was changed to MP-44, with no actual changes made to the design. At this time there were plenty ofglowing reports from the German troops fighting with MP-43s and MP-44sat the Eastern front. Seeing these reports, Hitler finally approved themass production and issue of the new “wunderwaffe”, andin December 1944 officially christened it the Sturmgewehr, or Assault Rifle, 1944 (StG.44) This was a pure act of propaganda, but thename stuck not only to that gun, but also to the whole new class of automatic weapons designed to fire intermediate cartridges.
Thetotal number of MP-43s, MP-44s and StG.44s produced was about 450,000,and these guns proved very effective, but not without some flaws. Afterthe end of the war the direct development of the Stg.44 was stopped,but the East German police used some remaining guns. Another major post-war user of Stg.44 was Yugoslavia; their paratroopers used it under the designation "Automat, padobranski, 7.9 mm M44, nemacki" untilthe early 1980s, when the Kalashnikov-type M64 and M70 rifles finally replaced it. Yugoslavia also produced 7.92 x 33 Kurz ammunition untilthe late 1970s.

The StG.44 (like its earlierversions MP.43 and MP.44) is a gas operated, selective fire weapon. Thereceiver and trigger housing with pistol grip are made from steelstampings, with machined steel inserts. The trigger housing with pistolgrip is hinged to the receiver and folds down for disassembly. The gasdrive utilizes a long-stroke piston, and the bolt is tipped down tolock into the receiver. The gun is fired from a closed bolt. The MP-43and subsequent versions all were hammer-fired, while the MKb.42(H) was striker-fired. The safety lever is located at the left side of the pistol grip unit, and a separate cross-bolt type of fire mode selector allows for single-shot and full auto fire. The charging handle is attached to the gas piston rod, and the ejection port has a dust cover.The recoil spring is located inside the wooden butt. At the top of the butt there is container for a cleaning kit, closed by the spring-loaded steel cover. The Stg.44 was provided with open, leaf-type sights, and could be fitted with telescope sights or a specially developed active infrared sighting unit, called “Vampir” (vampire).

The muzzle of the Stg.44 was threaded to accept a cup-like grenade launcher; a special muzzle nut usually covered the threads. The Stg.44 also couldbe fitted with a special curved barrel attachment (“Krummlauf”), which allowed the gun to be fired “around the corner” or from inside a tank,without exposing the shooter to the enemy fire. Several types of these attachments were developed, but only one type, the 30-degree “KrummlaufVorsatz J”, was apparently manufactured in any significant numbers.This device had a special mirror sighting adapter and reduced the bullet velocity down to mere 300 meters per second due to the highfriction in the curved barrel extension. This apparently did not bother the German Army, since these curved barrel adapters were intended for short-range encounters only.


The MP44 was one of the first German weapons in which production was put before finish, no importance being attached to fine appearance or close tolerances except where they were vital. Indeed the original design (by Hugo Schmeisser) had to be considerably modified by the Merz Company of Frankfurt, who were specialists in metal pressing and stamping, to enable production to be done on simple presses. Nevertheless the design was exceptionally robust and reliable; one German report stated, 'Of all infantry weapons, the MP44 was the only one which always worked unobjectionably in Russia's dirt, cold and snow-dust, had no misfires and was resistant to stop­pages.'


In spite of this, a contract was issued in 1944 to develop an even better weapon, tentatively known as the Sturmgewehr 45. Numerous designs were put forward, the most successful being that by Mauserwerke. But the war ended before development was very far advanced; the design was later taken to Spain and fnrther developed into the CETME rifle, and then returned to Germany where, considerably improved, it is now produced as the Heckler & Koch Gewehr 3 and as well as being the standard rifle of the German Bundeswehr is widely used throughout the world.

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Night Witches


In 1942 the Soviet Union formed three regiments of women combat pilots who flew night combat missions of harassment bombing. They flew obsolete Polikarpov Po-2 biplanes, that were otherwise used as trainers, and which could only carry 2 bombs that weighted less than a ton altogether. They were so successful and deadly the Germans feared them, calling them "Nachthexen"—night witches. (Some sources state that they were nicknamed "Night Witches" because it was made up entirely of female pilots and they flew their missions in the wooden Po-2's at night.)

The Night Witches were the women of the 588th Night Bomber Regiment. All of the mechanics and bomb loaders of this regiment, as in the 586th IAP and the 587th Bomber Regiment, were also women.

The Soviet women bomber pilots earned in total 23 Hero of the Soviet Union medals and dozens of Orders of the Red Banner. Two women bomber pilots—Katya Ryabova and Nadya Popova—in one night raided the Germans 18 times. The Po-2 pilots flew more than 24,000 sorties and dropped 23,000 tons of bombs. Most of the women bomber pilots who survived the war in 1945 had racked up nearly 1,000 missions each. They had served so exemplarily throughout the whole war that they participated in the final onslauqht on Berlin.


Tactics used by the Night Witches
The 588th, like all night bomber regiments, usually practiced harassment bombing. This consisted of going to the encampments, rear area bases, supply depots, etc., where the enemy was trying to rest from a day of heavy fighting to another, and bombing them. The strategic importance of the targets was seldom high, but the psychological effect of terror and insecurity and constant restlessness in the Germans (and Rumanians, Italians, Finns...) was very effective.
Harassment night bombing was very difficult to do, considering the low performance of the Po-2 biplanes (their top speed was 94 mph/150 kph, less even than most World War I fighters!) and how vulnerable that made them to enemy night fighters. But the Night Witches learned their trade well. The Po-2 was very slow, but it was also very maneuverable. When a German Me-109 tried to intencept it, the Russian plane could turn violently and nimbly at much less than the 109's minimum speed (stall speed), requiring that the German make a wide circle to come in for another pass. Then he was again met with the same evasive tactic, time after time. Many pilots got to nearly earth-level, flying low enough to be hidden behind hedgerows! The German fighter could only try again and again until he got frustrated and just left the Po-2 alone. No wonder, German pilots were promised an Iron Cross for shooting down a Po-2.

Note: Actually, the stall speed of the E, F, and G models of the Me-109 (the ones used in the Soviet Union) was nearing 120 mph/192 kph, so the Messerschmitt could never equal the speed of the Po-2, because even the Russian biplane's top speed was lesser than the German fighter's stall speed. The other fighter (more commonly) used in the Eastern Front, the Focke-Wulf FW-190A, had also a high stall speed, so its predicament was the same.

The Witches would fly to a certain distance of the enemy encapments that were to be the target, and cut their engine. They would then glide silently, silently... When the Fascists started to hear the whistle of the wind against the Po-2's wing bracing wires, they realized in panic that it was too late. The Night Witches would sneak up on them and release their bombs, then restart their engines and fly away home.

The Po-2 would pass often undetected by the night fighters' radar, because of the mildly radar absorbing nature of the canvas surfaces, and the fact that mostly they flew near the ground. German planes equipped with infrared seekers would not see the little heat generated by the small, 110 horsepower engine.

Searchlights, however, were another story. The Germans at Stalingrad developed what the Russians called a "flak circus". They would bring out the flak guns that had been hidden during the day, and lay them in concentric circles around probable targets, and the same with the searchlights. Po-2s crossing the perimeter in pairs in the straight line flight path typical of untrained but determined Russian flyers were usually ripped to pieces by the Flak 37 guns. The 588th, however, developed another tactic. They flew in formations of three. Two would go in first, attract the attention of the searchlights, and when all of them pointed to them in the sky, separate suddenly in opposite directions and maneuver wildly to try to shake them off. The German searchlight operators would follow them, while the third bomber who was farther back snuck in through the darkened path made by her 2 comrades and hit the target unopposed. She would then get out, rejoin with the other two, and they would switch places until all three had delivered their payloads. It took nerves of steel to be a decoy and willingly attract enemy fire, but as Nadya Popova said: "It worked."

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Model: 15 cm Nebelwerfer 41

Caliber: 158 mm

Barrel length: 1.3 m

Conteiro: 30

Elevation: 44

Maximum range: 7055 m (explosive ordnance)

Rate of fire: Six shots in ten seconds, 90 seconds to reload the weapon.

Ammunition: Six grenades Wurfgranate 41 Spreng

Grenade: 31.8 kg (total weight), Propellant: 6.35 kg (black powder), 2.4 kg (explosive charge).

Initial velocity: 342 m / s



2. DESCRIPTION
The Nebelwerfer 41 (see figs. 1 and 2) is a six-barreled (nonrotating) tubular projector, with barrels 3 to 3 1/2 feet long and 160 mm in diameter. The projector is mounted on a rubber-tired artillery chassis with a split trail.



There is no rifling; the projectiles are guided by three rails, each about 1/3-inch high, which run down the inside of the barrels. This reduces the caliber to approximately 150 mm.
The barrels are open-breeched, and the propellant is slow-burning black powder (14 pounds set behind the nose cap). This propellant generates gas through 26 jets set at an angle. As a result, the projectiles rotate and travel at an ever-increasing speed, starting with the rocket blast. The burster, which is in the rear two-sevenths of the projectile, has its own time fuze. The range is said to be about 7,760 yards.
The barrels are fired electrically, from a distance. They are never fired simultaneously, since the blast from six rockets at once undoubtedly would capsize the weapon. The order of fire is fixed at 1–4–6–2–3–5.
The sighting and elevating mechanisms are located on the left-hand side of the barrels, immediately over the wheel, and are protected by a light-metal hinged box cover, which is raised when the weapon is to be used.
Each barrel has a metal hook at the breech to hold the projectile in place, and a sparking device to ignite the rocket charge. This sparker can be turned to one side to permit loading and then turned back so that the "spark jump" is directed to an electrical igniter placed in one of 24 rocket blast openings located on the projectile, about one-third of the way up from the base. About one-third of the length of the projectile extends below the breech of the weapon.



The projectile itself resembles a small torpedo—without propeller or tail fins. The base is flat, with slightly rounded edges. The rocket jets are located about one-third of the way up the projectile from the base, and encircle the casing. The jets are at an angle with the axis of the projectile so as to impart rotation in flight, in "turbine" fashion.
The propelling cl1arge is housed in the forward part of the rocket. A detonating fuze is located in the base of the projectile to detonate the high-explosive or smoke charge. In this way, on impact, the smoke or high explosive is set off above ground when the nose of the projectile penetrates the soil.



3. NOTE ON OPERATION


The following note on the operation of the Nebelwerfer 41 is reproduced from the German Army periodical Die Wehrmacht. It is believed to be substantially correct.
The Nebelwerfer 41, or Do-Gerät, is unlimbered and placed in position by its crew of four men. As soon as the protective coverings have been removed, the projector is ready to be aimed and loaded. The ammunition is attached to the right and to the left of the projector, within easy reach, and the shells are introduced two at a time, beginning with the lower barrels and continuing upward. Meanwhile, foxholes deep enough to conceal a man in standing position have been dug about 10 to 15 yards to the side and rear of the projector. The gunners remain in these foxholes while the weapon is being fired by electrical ignition. Within 10 seconds a battery can fire 36 projectiles. These make a droning pipe-organ sound as they leave the barrels, and, while in flight, leave a trail of smoke (see cover illustration). After a salvo has been fired, the crew quickly returns to its projectors and reloads them.



4. HOW THE GERMAN ARMY USES IT


The following statements have been made by a high-ranking German Army officer, and may be accepted as an authoritative expression of German ideas concerning the employment of this weapon.
Units of Nebeltruppen (smoke-laying troops) are organized as rocket-projector regiments (Werferregimenter), which are fully motorized and therefore extremely mobile. A rocket-projector regiment is divided into battalions and batteries, like those of the artillery. Since rocket-projector regiments are capable of playing a decisive part in battle, they may be concentrated at strategically important points along a front. ... The organization of a rocket-projector regiment is much like that of a motorized artillery regiment; organizationally, the motor vehicles and signal equipment of both are also much the same. Since the projector units usually are kept close behind the forward infantry line, their batteries may also be equipped with antitank guns. Because of the light construction of the projectors, a 3-ton prime mover is sufficient for traction purposes, and can also carry the gun crew and some of the ammunition. ...
The Nebelwerfer 41 can fire three different types of projectiles: high-explosive shells, incendiary projectiles, and smoke projectiles.
The high-explosive shells include those with supersensitive fuzes and those with delayed-action fuzes. The latter can penetrate reinforced cover. Because of their fragmentation and concussion effect, high-explosive shells are used primarily against personnel. It has been found that the concussion has not only been great enough to kill personnel, but occasionally has caused field fortifications and bunkers to collapse.
The incendiary projectiles are psychologically effective, and under favorable conditions can start field and forest fires.
The smoke projectiles are used to form smoke screens or smoke zones.
[This Die Wehrmacht article naturally does not discuss the possible use of gas-charged projectiles.]



Rocket-projector troops are employed as battalion and regimental units, in keeping with their task of destroying hostile forces by concentrated fire. One of the advantages of the Nebelwerfer 41 is that it can mass its projectiles on a very small target area. By means of a shrewd disposition of the batteries, a carefully planned communication system, and a large number of observation posts with advanced observers, the infantry can assure for itself maneuverability and a concentration of its fire power upon the most important points. Projectors are placed well toward the front—almost without exception, at points forward of the artillery—so that they will be able to eliminate hostile command posts, destroy hostile positions, and even repulse sudden attacks effectively. The firing positions of the projectors are always carefully built up so that the weapons can give strong support to the infantry.
In Russia, during the winter of 1942-43, many breakthrough attempts by hostile forces were repulsed by direct fire from rocket-projector batteries.

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Carlos Hathcock



On May 20th, 1959, at 17 years of age, Carlos N. Hathcock II fulfilled his childhood dream by enlisting in the United States Marine Corps. His ability as a marksman was soon recognized by the instructors on the rifle range at Camp Pendleton where he was undergoing recruit training. Later, while based in Hawaii as a member of Company E, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, Carlos won the Pacific Division rifle championship. Following his assignment in Hawaii, Hathcock was transferred to Marine Air Station, Cherry Point, North Carolina, where he quickly found himself shooting competitively again. This time he set the Marine Corps record on the "A" Course with a score of 248 points out of a possible 250, a record that stands today. The highlight of his competitive shooting career occurred in 1965 when Carlos out-shot over 3000 other servicemen competing to win the coveted Wimbledon Cup at Camp Perry.

This achievement led to his being sought out in Vietnam in 1966 to be part of a newly established sniper program. After his training was completed Carlos began his new assignment. Operating from Hill 55, a position 35 miles South-West of Da Nang, Hathcock and his fellow Marine snipers renewed a Marine tactic which had been born in the islands of the Pacific in World War II. Within a short period of time the effects of the Marine snipers could be felt around Hill 55. Carlos rapidly ran up a toll on the enemy that would eventually lead to a bounty being placed on his head by the NVA.


As a result of his skill Sergeant Hathcock was twice recruited for covert assignments. One of the them was to kill a Frenchman who was working for the North Vietnamese as an interrogator. This individual was torturing American airmen who had been shot down and captured. One round from Carlos' modified Winchester Model 70 ended the Frenchman's career. On another occasion Sergeant Hathcock accepted an assignment for which he was plainly told that his odds for survival were slim. A North Vietnamese general was the target, and the man died when a bullet fired by Carlos struck him from a range of 800 yards. Hathcock returned to Hill 55 unscathed. In one incredible incident an enemy sniper was killed after a prolonged game of "cat and mouse" between Carlos, with his spotter, and the NVA sniper. The fatal round, fired at 500 yards by Hathcock, passed directly through the NVA sniper's rifle scope, striking him in the eye.


Hathcock would eventually be credited with 93 enemy confirmed killed, including one Viet Cong shot dead by a round fired from a scope-mounted Browning M-2 .50 caliber machine gun at the unbelievable range of 2500 yards.


In 1969, during his second tour of duty in Vietnam, Carlos was badly burned while rescuing fellow Marines from a burning Amtrack. The other Marines and Carlos had been riding in the vehicle when it ran over an anti-tank mine. Despite the severity of his wounds it would ultimately be the ravages of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) that would bring Hathcock's extraordinary career to an end. In 1979 he was made to retire on 100% disability due to the advancing stages of the disease.

Gunnery Sergeant Hathcock has spent subsequent years instructing police tactical units in "counter-sniper" techniques. In 1990 a book entitled Marine Sniper, by Charles Henderson, was published, documenting the exploits of this one-of-a-kind Marine. Regretfully Carlos has yet to receive a penny of royalties from sales of the book, which has been produced both in hard cover and paper-back.

As this brief history is written he is confined to a wheel chair, struggling against the disease which he knows is terminal. Nonetheless he attempts to get to the police rifle range as often as possible. He still loves the crack of the rifles, the smell of gun powder as it drifts across the range, and the company of good men striving to be the best at what they do. The indomitable Carlos N. Hathcock II is indeed one of the "Few and Proud."


Carlos Hathcock (May 20, 1942 – February 23, 1999)

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Alvin Cullum York

Alvin Cullum York (1887-1964) ended the First World War as one of America's most famous soldiers, with fame and popular recognition assured following a remarkable act of courage and coolness in October 1918. Having grown up in poverty the young York honed his skills as a crack marksman, a useful talent for use in hunting food for himself and his family - and one put to high effect during the war.


Despite his remarkable reputation for bravery and the win-at-all-costs attitude displayed during his wartime service York was and remained a pacifist. Following a religious conversion in 1911 - he became lay deacon of a local pacifist sect - he declared himself a convinced pacifist.
Consequently with the U.S. entry into World War One York initially returned his draft papers before they were summarily resent to him by the draft board, at which stage he was drafted into 328th Regiment, 82nd Infantry. During training however he was convinced by his battalion commander, Gonzalo Edward Buxton - a fellow Bible student - that the Bible sanctioned active service.
Once in France the semi-literate York earned lifetime fame for his part in an attack in the Argonne Forest against German machine gun positions on 8 October 1918. York, an acting Corporal, led 17 men in action against a German stronghold, the aim being to secure the position and return with German prisoners.
Initially successful without coming under fire, the small expedition took a number of prisoners before the Germans launched a heavy counterattack. With 11 of York's men guarding the captured prisoners (and with the other six killed) York resolved to proceed alone and tackle the German gunners ranged against them.


Having shot some 17 gunners via sniping, York was charged by seven German soldiers who realised that he was operating on his own. He killed them all with his pistol. With the aid of a German Major captured earlier York brought in a total of 132 German prisoners, a remarkable feat.


He was well rewarded however, receiving lavish press coverage at home and the Congressional Medal of Honor, in addition to the French Croix de Guerre (and a fulsome citation from Supreme Allied Commander Ferdinand Foch).
Returning home to a New York City parade, York was awarded a gift of a farm by his home state, Tennessee. A film of his life was made in 1940, Sergeant York, starring Gary Cooper; York used the fee he was paid for the film to fund a Bible college.


He died in 1964.

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Francis Pegahmagabow



(March 9, 1891 – August 5, 1952)
378 Confirmed kills
300+ Captures

The most highly decorated Canadian Native in the First World War was Francis Pegahmagabow.An Ojibwa from the Parry Island Band in Ontario, he was awarded the Military Medal (MM) plus two bars for bravery in Belgium and France. Soldiers who had been awarded the MM and later performed similarly heroic acts could receive bars to it, denoting further awards. Pegahmagabow was one of 39 members of the CEF who received two bars to the MM.
Pegahmagabow enlisted with the 23rd Regiment (Northern Pioneers) in August 1914, almost immediately after war was declared. Previously, he had worked along the Great Lakes as a marine fireman for the Department of Marine and Fisheries. Within weeks of volunteering, he became one of the original members of the 1st Canadian Infantry Battalion, which, along with the rest of the 20,000-strong 1st Canadian Division, landed in France in February 1915.

Sniping was the specialty of the man his fellow soldiers called "Peggy." It has been written of him, "His iron nerves, patience and superb marksmanship helped make him an outstanding sniper." In addition, Pegahmagabow developed a reputation as a superior scout.



The 1st Battalion experienced heavy action almost as soon as it arrived on the battlefield. It fought at Ypres, where the enemy introduced a new deadly weapon, poison gas, and on the Somme, where Pegahmagabow was shot in the leg. He recovered and made it back in time to return with his unit to Belgium.

It was during his first year on the Western Front that he became one of the first Canadians to be awarded the MM. The commendation reads:
“For continuous service as a messenger from February 14th 1915 to February 1916. He carried messages with great bravery and success during the whole of the actions at Ypres, Festubert and Givenchy. In all his work he has consistently shown a disregard for danger and his faithfulness to duty is highly commendable.”

In November 1917, the 1st Battalion joined the assault near the village of Passchendaele. Here, roughly 20,000 Allied soldiers crawled from shell crater to shell crater, through water and mud. With two British divisions, the Canadian Corps attacked and took the village, holding it for five days, until reinforcements arrived. The Allies suffered 16,000 casualties at Passchendaele, and Corporal Pegahmagabow earned his first bar to the MM.
His citation reads:
At Passchendaele Nov. 6th/7th, 1917, this NCO [non-commissioned officer] did excellent work. Before and after the attack he kept in touch with the flanks, advising the units he had seen, this information proving the success of the attack and saving valuable time in consolidating. He also guided the relief to its proper place after it had become mixed up.
Pegahmagabow would earn his second bar to the MM during the final months of the First World War in the Battle of the Scarpe (part of the 2nd Battle of Arras). The commendation reads:
"During the operations of August 30th, 1918, at Orix Trench, near Upton Wood, when his company were almost out of ammunition and in danger of being surrounded, this NCO went over the top under heavy MG [machine gun] and rifle fire and brought back sufficient ammunition to enable the post to carry on and assist in repulsing heavy enemy counter-attacks."


In April 1919, Pegahmagabow was invalided to Canada, having served for nearly the entire war. Afterward, he joined the Algonquin Regiment in the non-permanent active militia and, following in the steps of his father and grandfather, became chief of the Parry Island Band and later a councillor. A member of Canada's Indian Hall of Fame,Pegahmagabow died on the reserve in 1952.



Francis Pegahmagabow rarely spoke of his military accomplishments. However, his son Duncan recalls being told that his father was responsible for capturing 300 enemy soldiers. "My mother [Eva] told me he used to go behind enemy lines, rub shoulders with the enemy forces and never get caught."Duncan also remembers that Pegahmagabow "felt very strongly about his country." Mostly, he sees his father as a peaceful man: "He was always saying how we have to live in harmony with all living things in this world."


Cpl. Francis Pegahmagabow of the Parry Island Band in Ontario was decorated three times for the marksmanship and scouting skills he displayed in Belgium and France. Known as 'Peggy' to other members of his battalion, he survived the war and later became chief of his band. This portrait of him by artist Irma Coucill was commissioned for the Indian Hall of Fame collection, housed in the museum of the Woodland Cultural Centre in Brantford, Ontario.


He had served in the military for almost the whole war, and had built up a reputation as a skilled marksman. Using the much maligned Ross rifle

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AH-1 cobra



The AH-1 Super Cobra is a two-place, twin-engine attack helicopter capable of land- or sea-based operations. It provides rotary-wing close air support (CAS), anti-armor/anti-helicopter, armed escort, armed and visual reconnaissance, and supporting arms coordination (SAC) during day/night and adverse weather conditions.



The Bell AH-1 Cobra helicopter has struck fear in the hearts of the enemy for more than 30 years. Armed helicopters came into widespread use in Vietnam in the early Sixties. Limitations of the modified armed utility helicopters used led to the specially configured attack helicopter. Instead, the AH-1F Cobra, with its proven firepower and maneuverability, went on to fight in every major US military operation since Vietnam. The Cobra continues its service with the US Marines, as well as eight other foreign nations



The Cobra traces its lineage from the UH-1 Huey and was originally developed for the US Army in the mid-sixties. The original Cobra retained the Huey's engine, transmission, and other major parts, but replaced the Huey's bulky fuselage with a thin profile fuselage with tandem seating. The Marine Corps later adopted a twin engine variant of the airframe to perform troop helicopter escort and provide autonomous tank killing capability. Through the years, the Cobra has gone through extensive modernization. Today's Marine Corps AH-1W Super Cobra boasts an advanced Night Targeting System (NTS) and a full suite of survivability equipment.



The primary missions of the Cobra are helicopter Close Air Support (CAS), escort of transport helicopters and ground convoys, armed reconnaissance, helicopter air-to-air attack, anti-shipping operations, and coordination and terminal control of fixed wing CAS, artillery, mortars, and naval gunfire.It is the only western attack helicopter with a proven air-to-air and anti-radar missile capability.


Power Plant: Two General Electric T700-GE-401 Turboshaft engines
Each engine delivers 1,690 horsepower.

Accommodations: Two seats, in tandem (pilot in rear, copilot/gunner in front)

Performance: Climb rate: 1,925 feet per minute
Maximum altitude: 14,750 feet
Maximum attainable speed: 170 knots (195 mph)
Maximum cruising speed: 152 knots (173 mph)

Countermeasures: AN/ALE-39 Chaff system and SUU-4/1 Flare dispensers

Armament: One M197 three barrel 20 mm gun (mounted under the nose with 750 round ammo container)
Underwing attachments for four TOW missiles, eight Hellfire missiles, or one AIM-9L Sidewinder missile
Can also be equipped with Zuni rocket launchers

Most older Cobra variants still in operation have been upgraded to the AH-1F standard. Also produced in Romania and Japan under license from Bell Textron in the U.S.
AH-1G: Initial production model in 1966
AH-1S: Upgraded 1960s produced aircraft in late 1980s to the standard TOW carry-ing version.
AH-1P: A set of AH-1S aircraft fitted with composite rotors, flat plate glass cockpits, and NVG capabilities.
AH-1E: A set of AH-1S aircraft upgraded with the Enhanced Cobra Armament System incorporating the universal turret, 20-mm gun, automatic compensation for off-axis gun firing, and weapon management system.
AH-1F: Current standard Cobra. Also referred to as the “Modernized Cobra”. Incorporated all past upgrades.

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75mm pack howitzer



The 75mm pack howitzer was a versatile artillery piece. It came in three versions, the most common one seen here, the M8 (Airborne).

The pre-war vintage M1 had a "box trail" and wooden wheels and was design to be pulled by a cavalry horse or the artillery crew over friendly ground. Or, it could be broken down to be packed onto six mules for moving in rough terrain, as in the Pacific and China-Burma-India theaters and mountainous Italy.The M8 (Airborne) was the M1 box trail design with rubber wheels for jeep transport.




It could be apportioned into seven "paracrates" and dropped from the skies with paratroopers, or come in on glider and transport planes. It weighed 1,339 pounds, had a range of 9,600 yards, and the crew of four could manage a prolonged rate of fire of three rounds per minute. They were phased out at the end of WWII, replaced by the 57mm and 75mm recoilless rifle

The 75mm pack howitzer was one of the most versatile artillery weapons of the Second World War. It served in almost every campaign that Marines fought in and was nicknamed "Little Dynamite," because of its size and ability to deliver a high volume of fire. Marine artillerymen employed this weapon under conditions that made use of heavier artillery pieces either impractical, or simply impossible.


Throughout the war, the pack howitzer battery was equipped with four guns. Crew drill in training helped crews to perfect their skills. The diagram at left, extracted from FM 6-78, shows the pack howitzer crew formed for action. The crew was called a section and was commanded by a sergeant, titled the section chief. He was responsible for all actions by his Marines, all commands executed, and safety.

The gunner, a corporal, depicted by the "G", set the sight, deflection and elevation. All other section members were non-rated Marines. The assistant gunner, depicted by the 1 in this diagram, opened and closed the breech and fired the piece. Number 2 acted as the loader. Number 3 operated the fuze setter and set fuzes. Number 4 held rounds for number 3 to set fuzes, passed rounds to the assistant gunner for loading, and assisted number 5 in preparing charges. Number 5 prepared ammunition and shifted the trails.

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a great example of the Christmas spirit

Christmas truce 1914 Dec. 24-25

Though there was no official truce, roughly 100,000 British and German troops were involved in unofficial cessations of fighting along the length of the Western Front.

The Germans began by placing candles on their trenches and on Christmas trees, then continued the celebration by singing Christmas carols. The British responded by singing carols of their own. The two sides continued by shouting Christmas greetings to each other. Soon thereafter, there were excursions across No Man's Land, where small gifts were exchanged, such as food, tobacco and alcohol, and souvenirs such as buttons and hats. The artillery in the region fell silent. The truce also allowed a breathing spell where recently killed soldiers could be brought back behind their lines by burial parties. Joint services were held. The fraternisation carried risks; some soldiers were shot by opposing forces. In many sectors, the truce lasted through Christmas night, but it continued until New Year's Day in others.
Bruce Bairnsfather, who served throughout the war, wrote: "I wouldn't have missed that unique and weird Christmas Day for anything."


Al's surplus and souvenirs would like to wish everyone a safe and merry Christmas