The Gallipoli Sniper Duel The “sniper exploits” that occurred on the Russian Front during the Second World War have become something of a legend, even breaking into popular culture. Yet, the famed duel involving Vasily Zaitsev likely never occurred — at least not in the way Hollywood would have you believe. However, a generation…
Category: World War I History
Know Your WW1 History: The East Africa Campaign and Colonel Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck
H/T WRSA The East Africa Campaign On the outbreak of war in 1914, Colonel Paul Von Lettow-Vorbeck was the commander of a small army in German East Africa (Tanzania, Burundi and Rwanda). He was determined to tie down as many Allied troops as he could in the region to prevent them from…
Know Your Military History: The Black Watch Regiment of the Royal Highlanders
Black Watch: Royal Highlanders The Black Watch regiment is a storied unit within the Scottish military, dating back to the early 18th century. The origin of the Black Watch is similarly steeped in history, with a long lineage of skilled marksmen dating back centuries. Following the Jacobite Rebellion, loyalists of the Highland clans of…
Know Your WW1 Weapon’s History: The Flammenwerfer
Flammenwefer — World War I German Flamethrowers It appears the first flamethrower of modern design was patented in Germany by Richard Fiedler in 1901. During the same year, the German army funded his continued work on flamethrower designs. Fiedler, a private citizen, designed several flamethrowers models and presented a working product to the German…
Know Your WW1 History: American Pravda, Lost Histories of the Great War
American Pravda: Lost Histories of the Great War “On reading this, I did a double-take and almost questioned my sanity. Surely, Hochschild must be aware that exactly at that point in time, the government of Germany had publicly proposed international peace talks without preconditions aimed at ending the war, suggesting that the massive, pointless…
Know Your WW1 History: Steering a Steam Roller – The German Invasion of France in 1914
Steering a Steamroller Bear in mind the German’s did this operation TWICE. Once in 1914 with infantry and again in 1940 with tanks and infantry (Blitzkrieg) which only took 46 days. What a difference 26 years makes.
Know Your Weapons: The American Enfield AKA the US Model 1917 Magazine Rifle
The American Enfield AKA the US Model 1917 Magazine Rifle You can’t go wrong with a Mauser Action in .30-06 Caliber!
Know Your Weapons: German Maschinenpistole 18
On This Day in History: The Chios Massacre
The Chios Massacre On the 11th April 1822 an army of some 40,000 Ottoman troops began landing on the Greek island of Chios, which is situated just 7 kilometers off the Turkish coastline of Anatolia, with express orders to kill all Christian infants under three years old, all males 12 years and older, and all…
Know Your Weapons: Mannlicher M1895 Rifle
AUSTRIA-HUNGARY’S M-95 Rifle “The M95 proved itself one of the finest battle rifles of the First World War. It weighed around a pound less than its equally lengthy peers and was slim and almost delicate by comparison. The soldiers who carried it appreciated its light weight but the Allied soldiers facing the M95 in…