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Ensign Expendable posted:A Nagant is a pistol, the Mosin is the rifle. The fuckery was probably the folding bayonet, carbine versions had their sights configured to account for the reflecting gases, so when fuckup conscripts inevitably lose theirs, they wouldn't be able to shoot straight anymore. Still, it's very much removable. I don't see why the ammunition would be restricted though. On the other hand, a friend lives up in Fermanagh and has an old de-activated M2 sitting in the garden as an ornament. It's been de-activated by having the firing pin removed by the authorities. So he machined a new one and it sits in a jar in the kitchen just because.
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Feb 27, 2015 07:26
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 Anyone know what this thing is/used to be?
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Feb 27, 2015 10:44
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Throatwarbler posted:Did the modern Russian army end up with many developments of the T72 instead of the gas turbine powered T80/T64 because the T80/64 production facilities ended up in Ukraine? I believe Hind engines were also constructed in Ukraine at one time, though someone may correct me.
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Feb 27, 2015 11:01
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Ensign Expendable posted:Basically that. Also the T-80 was expensive and the shiny new thing on the horizon (Black Eagle, then Armata) discouraged spending on old news. The T-80's gas turbine engine was expensive to operate in general and I think the Russians preferred to just upgrade the T-72 further because the capabilities were quite similar anyway.
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Feb 27, 2015 11:04
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JcDent posted:
It's the Bartini Ekranoplan I believe E: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartini_Beriev_VVA-14
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Feb 27, 2015 11:09
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cheerfullydrab posted:Are people selling Nambu pistols? Aren't they the ones more hazardous to the wielder than the enemy?
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Feb 27, 2015 13:28
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Ensign Expendable posted:Not that recently. Read the TFR milsurp thread, Mosins used to go for under a hundred bucks 10-20 years ago in the US, captured refurbished Kar98ks for $200, Nagants for $50. Those days are long gone. My Very Good 1954 Tula SKS was $89. Surplus/steel cased 7.62x39 was <.07¢/rnd. The late nineties were loving amazing.
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Feb 27, 2015 13:35
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JcDent posted:
An Ace Combat boss.
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Feb 27, 2015 14:48
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JcDent posted:
Star Citizen concept art.
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Feb 27, 2015 16:38
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Yes, it's like a lava lamp.
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100 Years Ago The weather's turning against the fleet in the Dardanelles once more. Even without that, they've just run into some rather annoying complications. Meanwhile, General Joffre is rather displeased with the lack of success in Champagne, and begins an extensive letter-writing campaign.
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Feb 27, 2015 17:52
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I've been reading a lot of Hornblower recently, and watching the show. How accurate is the entire concept of honor as presented in there? I understand the books were written in the 50s, but would it be realistic for, say, a Lieutenant to give his parole to a jailer and not try to escape from jail?
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Feb 27, 2015 19:02
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SquadronROE posted:I've been reading a lot of Hornblower recently, and watching the show. How accurate is the entire concept of honor as presented in there? I understand the books were written in the 50s, but would it be realistic for, say, a Lieutenant to give his parole to a jailer and not try to escape from jail? The second thing happened all the time. It doesn't take honour, either - if you're being reasonably housed, it may be better than fighting a dangerous war. To some extent the novels are an imposition of a more 19th century Victorian morality on to the past. Aubrey/Maturin novels are much more on the money.
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Feb 27, 2015 19:06
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Gibfender posted:It's the Bartini Ekranoplan I believe After reading about it, I think I would have deserted if they had assigned me to that. And I am a professional pilot who would give a left nut to fly a lot of the crazy military stuff. Flying this thing on ground effect for many hours would be a disaster waiting to happen.
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Feb 27, 2015 20:06
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Look up the caspian sea monster then get back to us.
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Feb 27, 2015 20:10
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Yeah, that is also a guaranteed death trap on a long enough timespan, but at least they don't expect it to get in and out of ground effect and into normal flight at altitude, all at high speeds. Too many components which any failure would make you disintegrate. Give me a V-22 Osprey any day!
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Feb 27, 2015 20:13
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Going back to Bomber chat, when I go back home over spring break, I might try to get a hold of my grandfathers journal from WWII where he was a navigator on a B-17 in North Africa/Italy and type up some of it. I found it interesting because you don't hear much about the bomber crews in southern Europe, its not super verbose though just like a little pocket journal, outlining his 49 combat missions his final 50th mission was a trip back to England on leave. I think he may have been involved in the leveling Monte Cassino too...
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Feb 27, 2015 20:35
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Yvonmukluk posted:Aren't they the ones more hazardous to the wielder than the enemy? There were technically two "Nambu pistols". The Type 14 is what most people think of, because that's the one in fiction. And then there's the Type 94....  This gun is ugly and badly proportioned and fires a weak round with even less force than the Type 14, but that's not the worst of it. That off-color lever on the side? That's the exposed sear for the trigger. Press it hard enough with the safety off and the gun fires.
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Feb 27, 2015 20:35
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Why in gods name is that part exposed?
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Feb 27, 2015 20:40
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SeanBeansShako posted:Why in gods name is that part exposed? I literally have no idea. There's no good reason for them to have an exposed sear. The only reason the Type 94 really exists is because soldiers (mostly tank crewmen) wanted something smaller than the Type 14, which is the size of an M1911 but much less powerful. All in all it was obsolete when it was created and only keeps getting bought today as a wartime curiosity.
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Feb 27, 2015 21:03
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chitoryu12 posted:I literally have no idea. There's no good reason for them to have an exposed sear. The only reason the Type 94 really exists is because soldiers (mostly tank crewmen) wanted something smaller than the Type 14, which is the size of an M1911 but much less powerful. All in all it was obsolete when it was created and only keeps getting bought today as a wartime curiosity. Well, in all fairness it's not so much an exposed sear as it is an exposed transfer bar that trips the sear. Transfer bars like that are pretty common in striker fired (rather than hammer-fired) pistols, and what you're seeing on the outside of the Nambu there is also present on the Luger. The only difference is that on the Luger the transfer bar is recessed into the frame more and has a few bits of pistol that make it less likely you're going to brush up against it, plus when the safety is on an extra blocking bar pops up to make double-sure that you don't give that transfer bar a whack. As for why it's raised and exposed the way it is? If I had to guess I'd think it was in a misguided attempt to make the gun as thin as possible precisely because the target users for it were working in cramped spaces. edit: here, have a picture. It's from some long defunct TFR guns, books, and booze thread. The photo sucks but it shows off those parts of the Luger I'm talking about. The red arrow is pointing to the transfer bar, the green arrow is pointing to that blocking bar that pops up when the safety is engaged.  As for the M2 vs. WW1 tanks thing - interestingly enough the M2 was actually developed initially as an anti-tank machine gun. The entire raison d'etre of the .50 BMG was to kill WW1 armor.
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Feb 27, 2015 21:31
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Ensign Expendable posted:tank stuff Really interesting post! Exactly what I was looking for.
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Feb 27, 2015 22:47
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SquadronROE posted:I've been reading a lot of Hornblower recently, and watching the show. How accurate is the entire concept of honor as presented in there? I understand the books were written in the 50s, but would it be realistic for, say, a Lieutenant to give his parole to a jailer and not try to escape from jail? Officers were gentlemen, and had more in common with the enemy officers than with the common sailors and soldiers of their own country, so it was a normal arrangement. Also, read Aubrey/Maturin instead, it's much better in every way. And if you're a audiobook fan, pick Patrick Tull's version, he's one of the best readers.
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Feb 27, 2015 22:54
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Hogge Wild posted:Officers were gentlemen, and had more in common with the enemy officers than with the common sailors and soldiers of their own country, so it was a normal arrangement. Also, read Aubrey/Maturin instead, it's much better in every way. And if you're a audiobook fan, pick Patrick Tull's version, he's one of the best readers. Except that the Aubrey novels need a dictionary when you read them. Hornblower is far more approachable. But I've already read the first Aubrey novel, I'm just giving my brain a bit of a break.
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Feb 27, 2015 23:22
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uPen posted:Not exactly military history but can anyone recommend a book on the post-war reconstruction of Europe in the 40-50s? Sure. Have three: Eichengreen, Barry J. Europe's Postwar Recovery. Cambridge University Press, 1995. Ellwood, David. Rebuilding Europe: Western Europe, America and Postwar Reconstruction, 1945-1955. Longman, 1992. Milward, Alan S. The Reconstruction of Western Europe, 1945-51. University of California Press, 1984.
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Feb 27, 2015 23:41
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I'm reading An Army at Dawn, and it mentions that as the Americans took Oran they "thwarted a French scheme to flood the port with fuel oil and set it ablaze."  What's the history of sabotaging your own harbor? It seems like something that would only come up pretty rarely, but throughout Operation Torch it seems like the French are really on top of it. An Allied invasion force lands out of nowhere, and local Vichy commanders waste no time in sinking ships in the harbor mouth, laying out booms, and generally being pretty effective at taking the harbors out of commission, despite conflicting orders and general confusion. To what extent would they have been trained for this? Is there someone in each of these port garrisons whose job it is to plan for their own destruction? How much of a threat do you need before someone's allowed to say "welp, gently caress it" and knock the harbor out of commission for a few months?
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Feb 28, 2015 01:38
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The Russians have almost a tradition of scuttling vessels in order to block their own harbours. I can't remember why, I'm not a Navy guy, but maybe it's worth sacrificing a few vessels that can be raised and repaired at a later date to save more valuable ones that are inside the harbour or keeping the enemy heavy guns out of range of your port town.
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Feb 28, 2015 03:34
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Ensign Expendable posted:The Russians have almost a tradition of scuttling vessels in order to block their own harbours. I can't remember why, I'm not a Navy guy, but maybe it's worth sacrificing a few vessels that can be raised and repaired at a later date to save more valuable ones that are inside the harbour or keeping the enemy heavy guns out of range of your port town. Bonus points if it's on some shithole tropical island and half his guys are going to die of yellow fever or malaria trying to fix the damage. Rent-A-Cop fucked around with this message at 05:02 on Feb 28, 2015 |
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Feb 28, 2015 05:00
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SquadronROE posted:Except that the Aubrey novels need a dictionary when you read them. Hornblower is far more approachable. Aubrey/Maturin is not as unapproachable as this would make it sound. Hornblower is basically Tom Brown's School Days for the navy. Aubrey/Maturin will tell you what it was like, albeit with artistic licence.
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Feb 28, 2015 06:03
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Cough Flashman cough. Err the Tom Browns School Days bit. Ignore.
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Feb 28, 2015 06:48
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SquadronROE posted:Except that the Aubrey novels need a dictionary when you read them. It's basically just 19th century technobabble.
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Feb 28, 2015 07:09
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Rent-A-Cop posted:I just sort of gloss over those parts with the knowledge that some nautical poo poo is goin' down the purpose of which is to kill Frenchmen. It really is, all you need is an understanding that cannons go boom and wind direction is important.
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Feb 28, 2015 07:15
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uPen posted:Not exactly military history but can anyone recommend a book on the post-war reconstruction of Europe in the 40-50s? It's been a while, but Postwar was a pretty good read.
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Feb 28, 2015 07:27
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I'm always fond of stories of Scottish-American pirates ending up serving the Russian empire. Or French Foreign Legionnaires ending up as Marshals of the Soviet Union. Or Korean-Japanese-Wermacht fighters ending up in Soviet penal battalions ('k, that one ended a bit differently, but there's a theme to keep up here). Do you have a favorite "chap ends up serving in a place that's pretty much on the other side of the world from his birthplace through an improbable chain of coincidences, cause... C'est la Guerre" story?
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Feb 28, 2015 09:56
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Xander77 posted:I'm always fond of stories of Scottish-American pirates ending up serving the Russian empire. Or French Foreign Legionnaires ending up as Marshals of the Soviet Union. Or Korean-Japanese-Wermacht fighters ending up in Soviet penal battalions ('k, that one ended a bit differently, but there's a theme to keep up here). It's called Imperialism, oh-ho-ho-ho. Seriously though, imagine being born in some dumpy town in Wales, running out of money, signing up for the army, getting wheeled around England before hopping on a boat for several months, stopping at ports that only get more foreign and exotic before finally landing in loving India and having to shoot a musket at a man riding an elephant that is also acting as a rocket platform. Then dying of malaria/dystentery/VD. And you wouldn't have seen any part of that journey beforehand. Slim Jim Pickens fucked around with this message at 10:49 on Feb 28, 2015 |
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Feb 28, 2015 10:45
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100 Years Ago The Italian government presents its terms to the Entente for joining the war. Well, I say "terms". They're more in the nature of an Amazon wish list. Seaplanes sent to attack Konigsberg in Tanzania are mostly falling to pieces; the men of the German ship try to raise a baby hippo. This situation has dragged on for some time, so the Admiralty is sending the ugliest man in the Royal Navy to sort it out. Xander77 posted:Do you have a favorite "chap ends up serving in a place that's pretty much on the other side of the world from his birthplace through an improbable chain of coincidences, cause... C'est la Guerre" story? Sergeant-Major Flora Sandes. Born in Nether Poppelton, Yorkshire; died a hero of the Serbian Army. But remember, folks, women are totally too delicate special flowers to serve in combat roles. Trin Tragula fucked around with this message at 10:56 on Feb 28, 2015 |
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Feb 28, 2015 10:50
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Trin Tragula posted:Sergeant-Major Flora Sandes. Born in Nether Poppelton, Yorkshire; died a hero of the Serbian Army. But remember, folks, women are totally too delicate special flowers to serve in combat roles.
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Feb 28, 2015 11:05
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Trin Tragula posted:100 Years Ago I'd watch a movie soley based on the hippo part.
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Feb 28, 2015 15:53
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SeanBeansShako posted:I'd watch a movie soley based on the hippo part. Boy do I have a military animal story for you. You see, there once was a bear in Eastern Europe...
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Feb 28, 2015 16:23
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Before the advent of firearms, was there a melee equivalent of soldiers not wanting to kill and just repeatedly reloading without firing or shooting over their enemey's head?
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Feb 28, 2015 16:42
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SlothfulCobra posted:Before the advent of firearms, was there a melee equivalent of soldiers not wanting to kill and just repeatedly reloading without firing or shooting over their enemey's head? Slashing vs stabbing with swords. The Romans specifically trained their soldiers to stab because it is more likely to actually kill the opponent vs just wounding him. They did the extra training since the natural inclination is to slash anyway, plus the human inclination to not want to kill other humans. Spear kinda avoid this issue since there is really only one way to use them if you are in a formation with other dudes.
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