Clik here to view.
Recognizing the WWII Rangers, Merchant Mariners
U.S. Army Rangers show off the ladders they used to storm the cliffs at Pointe du Hoc, which they assaulted in support of Omaha Beach landings on D-Day M1 Garand BAR 80-G-45716 Between June 1942 and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day: Irish Blue Berets
Ireland as we know it declared itself a republic in 1948 after more than two decades as the Irish Free State– with much of that still as a British Dominion. The country joined the UN in 1955 and since...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Final WWII Royal Navy destroyer skipper joins the big fleet
John Errol Manners was the youngest son of RADM Sir Errol Manners, KBE, so it was natural that young John at age 17 became a midshipman in the Royal Navy in 1932. After all, his two brothers had...
View ArticleClik here to view.
75 Years Ago Today: The Rolling W Across the Rhine
On this day in 1945, the below image caught Soldiers of the U.S. 89th Infantry Division rolling across the Rhine at Oberwesel, Germany, 26 March 1945, carried by landing craft. Note the above...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Bond Guns Go Missing
London’s Metropolitan Police have issued a call for the public to be on the lookout for five guns recently stolen that have been used in a number of 007 films. In a statement, the Met reported that...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Hand Salute, CPT Crozier
The (Acting) SECNAV Thomas B. Modly has booted the skipper of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, Captain Brett E. Crozier (USNA 1994), from his post over the leaked letter the carrier’s commander penned in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
He was also one heck of a curler
One of the most iconic photos of a World War II sniper is this one: All photos, Library and Archives Canada The man shown above is Sgt. Harold A. Marshall of the Calgary Highlanders‘ Scout and Sniper...
View ArticleClik here to view.
So long, Whitey
Ohio-born Rear Adm. Edward L. “Whitey” Feightner earned his private pilot license in 1940 just before his 21st birthday and moved to join the Army Air Corps but was told the wait would be upwards of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Farewell, CSM Adkins
Alabama-born Special Forces Command Sgt. Maj. Bennie G. Adkins, MoH, was a man among green-faced men when in 1966 he was part of an A-team at Camp A Shau and the fit hit the proverbial shan. As noted...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Lawman Hogleg
I came across this bad boy in our warehouse at Guns.com. An early 4-inch Smith & Wesson Model 629 (no dash) .44 Mag from around 1981-82, back when the company billed the gun as the “Stainless...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Gun Nerd’s Reading List
With some of us having a bit of extra time on our hands these days, I put together a list of commonly-available books on firearms and the like that can help fill your bookcase. More details in my...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Happy Facial Hair Friday
If you are like me, you may be looking a bit between a caveman and Ted Kaczynski these days, and with that in mind: Tonkin Gulf Beard Contest Winner, EN James I. Hart, USN, has his beard measured by a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Tiger’s Everyday Carry Pocket Gun
Here we see a .32 ACP Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless self-loading pistol carried by General (later Field Marshal) Sir Gerald Templer, KG, GCB, CB, GCMG, KBE, DSO. The S/N (377681) dates to 1921...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A flag unstained, 80 years ago today
L’armée française – 1.er volume by Édouard Detaille vol 1 title page showing the old Napoleanic Army meeting the 1880s modern French infantry Credit line: (c) Royal Academy of Arts The French Army’s...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Bonjour!
Original caption: “A six-pounder gun crew in action against the enemy in the Lingevres area [Normandy]. Our troops are pushing forward in this sector against strong enemy resistance. 7th Green...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Loading up, 76 years ago today
Note Gorenc’s strapped down M1 Thompson SMG and fighting knife on his boot. Notably, he chose not to use a Griswold jump bag for his Tommy Gun, preferring to have it available immediately when landing...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Keeping ’em clean
Here we see an image, taken 8 February 1945 in the woods near Echternach, Luxembourg, showing very muddy Soldiers of 3rd Battalion, 417th Regiment, 75th Infantry Division (“Bulge Busters”), cleaning...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Happy Father’s Day, Gentlemen
“His seven sons hoist father Clarence F. Patten, F1c, USN, into the air, onboard USS NEVADA (BB-36), following his enlistment into the Navy, 9 September 1941. Present are (left-right): Myrne, Ray,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Fighting Fitz and Big John are back
Last week, the guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) sailed out of Ingalls after a three-year saga of being put back together following the collision with container ship MV ACX Crystal on 17...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Well-Holstered Hussars
The below image shows Maj. A. D’Arcy Marks and Capt. A. Brandon Conron of the Canadian 6th Armoured Regiment (1st Hussars) (6 CAR), posed in front of an M4A2 Sherman medium tank near Colomby-sur-Thaon,...
View Article