Trin Tragula posted:

100 Years Ago: An Announcement

Hi folks, those of you who read my blog about the First World War, which started from effortposts I was making here a couple of years ago, probably noticed that regular updates stopped happening a while ago. There's a very simple reason for this: I don't have the time any more to keep churning out enough words every month (and it takes a lot of words) to keep it ticking over. I could do it if it were my job, but it's not, so. The Somme mud claims another casualty, but this one is at least wounded, not dead.

What I'm going to do instead is keep updating in skeleton form with the occasional longer thing when big/interesting things happen, and maybe some time down the road I'll have enough time to come back and finish the thing off properly. Thanks to everyone who read it and who bought the books.

Plan Z posted:

Can anyone do any pieces on utility/history of slingshots in ancient combat? It's something I've always been curious about, but whenever I remember to look it up, the stuff I find is unsatisfactory. Whatever era/military info you can share would be wonderful.

KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:

Do you mean slingshots or slings?

INinja132 posted:

Anyone know what the best sources are for the Boshin War by any chance? Was looking to do some research into it and don't really know where to start.

SeanBeansShako posted:

Same, since I am slowly building up my 19th century conflict books I'd also be down for good suggestions reguarding the conflict. Same with the Sino-Japanese War as well!

Plan Z posted:

Can anyone do any pieces on utility/history of slingshots in ancient combat? It's something I've always been curious about, but whenever I remember to look it up, the stuff I find is unsatisfactory. Whatever era/military info you can share would be wonderful.

Jamwad Hilder posted:

P-Mack posted:

While we're at it, if anyone is secretly a Donghak rebellion expert please speak up.

Ice Fist posted:

This is the best thing

TerminalSaint posted:

Sometimes sling bullets had dongs on them.

WoodrowSkillson posted:

Not much has changed

StashAugustine posted:

I can't find it right now but someone in GBS got 'Caro Package' scrawled on a Ukrainian artillery shell. War in the Internet age is weird and terrifying.

Fangz posted:

Would they be okay with you drawing a penis on a bomb though?

FastestGunAlive posted:

This definitely happened on my last deployment this past year. I didn't bother with any of it but a few buddies went up and wrote on the bombs a couple times and there were some dongs

FastestGunAlive posted:

This definitely happened on my last deployment this past year. I didn't bother with any of it but a few buddies went up and wrote on the bombs a couple times and there were some dongs

Nenonen posted:

I'm afraid the recipient won't be able to make out the chalked message after the shell bomb has been delivered to its target even if it was a dud

should engrave it on the surface instead

even better if you engrave the shell from the inside so that the splinters form in the shape of penises penes

chitoryu12 posted:

That was me. I still have the picture on my phone as a trophy of the time I kinda sorta participated in bombing Russians invading Ukraine.

Arquinsiel posted:

I thought the best one from that thread was "I hope this finds you in good health".

SeanBeansShako posted:

When you think about, warfare really is the mass mobilisation and long term support of many dongs in the field.

lenoon posted:

Things are rumbling in the Baker-verse - might have another postscript update coming along soon.

chitoryu12 posted:

That reminds me, I went to the Mighty 8th museum near Savannah about a month ago. Along with some really cool planes (centered around a B-17 in restoration), they have a ton of artifacts from the 8th Air Force's actions during World War II. Lots of bomber jackets with cool artwork, but there's also a whole section of artifacts just related to POWs and airmen who died in action.

One display has some packages of Wrigley's gum along with the envelope they were sent in. An airman's family sent him the gum as a care package from America, but he was shot down and killed over Germany.

The envelope was returned to their house with "Missing" written on it.

KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:

If u ain't Balearic u aint poo poo

wdarkk posted:

I drive by it sometimes on trips to my grandparents' place, but I never feel like I have time to look around.

chitoryu12 posted:

Slings were pretty loving badass. A strong thrower at close range could embed a bullet in someone's flesh or fracture a skull. P.H. Blyth's Effectiveness of Greek Armour Against Arrows in the Persian War gives a 24 gram sling bullet an average energy of 30-36 joules. This isn't much compared to a gun or a composite bow, but it's enough to dent bronze armor or kill. David was packing the ancient world's equivalent of a handgun against Goliath.

Plan Z posted:

I've seen people using them on Youtube in stuff, but it still never gave me the idea of the power, but this helps a bit more. I remember seeing a few battle stories where they were effective against cavalry since a loving-fast rock did have uses against a person precariously balanced on a moving animal that frightens relatively easily.

Celsus:De Medicina posted:

"There is a third kind of missile which at times has to be extracted such as a lead ball or a pebble, or such like, which has penetrated the skin and become fixed within unbroken. In all such cases the wound should be laid open freely, and the retained object pulled out by forceps the way it entered. But some difficulty is added in the case of any injury in which a missile has become fixed in bone, or in a joint between the ends of two bones. When in a bone, the missile is swayed until the place which grips the point yields, after which it is extracted by the hand, or by forceps; this is the method also used in extracting teeth. In this way the missile nearly always comes out, but if it resists, it can be dislodged by striking it with some instrument. The last resort when it cannot be pulled out, is to bore into the bone with a trepan close by the missile, and from that hole to cut away the bone in the shape of the letter V, so that the lines of the letter which diverge to either side face the missile; after that it is necessarily loosened and easily removed. If the missile has forced its way actually into a joint between the ends of two bones, the limbs above and below are encircled by bandages or straps, by means of which they are pulled in opposite directions, so that the sinews are put on the stretch; the space between the ends of the bone is widened by these extensions, so that the missile is without difficulty withdrawn. In doing this care must be taken, as mentioned elsewhere, to avoid injury to a sinew, vein or artery while the weapon is being extracted by the same method which was described above."