After World War I, an entire generation of battle-hardened veterans came home sporting military-issued ‘trench watches,’ or wristwatches as we know them today. Essential for keeping track of time and much more practical than pocket watches for troops in the trenches or flying aircraft, ‘trench watches’ became a “newly endowed emblem of masculinity, modernity, and First…
Tag: Military History
Cold War Files: America’s “Secret War” and The Most Bombed Country in History
Christine Boyle’s store, Queen Design Lao, offers rings, necklaces and pendants to shoppers along Luang Prabang’s quaint peninsula. Most of the trinkets resemble normal jewelry, but the miniature cluster bombs on some chains in the friendly Aussie’s shop are less subtle. Known as “peace jewelry,” the necklaces sport metal harvested from unexploded bombs, a reminder…
Cold War Files: The Confusing Times of the Six Day War
During the Six Day War pitting Israel against its Arab neighbors in 1967, Americans were thrust into the crisis — even though they weren’t directly involved in the fighting. After Israel pre-emptively attacked Egyptian forces on June 5, 1967, much of the Arab world came to Cairo’s aid. Recently-declassified messages describe American fliers handling their own chaotic…
Military History: 10 Misconceptions About Famous Historical Wars and Armies
Wars and the armies that fight them are one of the most fascinating subjects to the human race. Conquest has shaped and reshaped the globe many times, and great wars will continue to alter the future course of humanity. However, while humanity loves to study and learn about wars, many of the most accepted facts…
Military History: The Amazing Legacy of Military Aviation Legend Chuck Meyers
Chuck Myers Was a ‘Fighter Mafia’ Legend He helped pioneer nimble air-superiority fighters, the A-10 Warthog and played a pivotol role in bringing back the battleship Charles E. “Chuck” Myers, a valued and colorful member of the military reform movement and “Fighter Mafia” co-conspirator, died on May 9 at the age of 91. He devoted…
Obscure Weapons: The 1898 Schwarzlose Pistol
A Pistol So Far Ahead of it’s Time Most Customers Rejected It Schwarzlose is a name that most will associate with the M1907 medium machine gun that the Austro-Hungarian army used in World War I. But there’s another Schwarzlose gun. In 1898, Andreas Wilhelm Schwarzlose completed a truly advanced pistol design that was well ahead…
Military History: 71st Anniversary of The Darby Legacy
Col. Darby, the original commander of the Army Rangers, will never be forgotten thanks to this bronze statue unveiled in his hometown. This past weekend marked the 71st anniversary of the death of Col. William O. Darby, the original commander of the U.S. Army Rangers. On Saturday, April 30, Darby’s life was commemorated in Fort…
Military History: Dowsett’s War
DOWSETT’S WAR It is a story common to many Australian families – a history of military service that spans generations and decades. It is the story of the soldiers of the Dowsett family of the Bexley-Hurstville area of Sydney, New South Wales and their time serving with the First Australian Imperial Force (1st AIF) in…
Military Weapons From the Past: Japanese Type 100 Paratrooper
The Type 100 (sometimes called the Type 0) was one of the initial Japanese experiments in paratroop rifles. Manufactured from standard Nagoya Arsenal Type 99 rifles, the Type 100 used a set of interrupted lugs at the chamber to allow the rifle to be broken into two short sections. Only a few hundred of these…
Brush-Up On Your History: Eight Classic American Propaganda Campaigns
Many groups have historically used propaganda to generate support for various campaigns — America is no exception. Even as far back as the Revolutionary War, the U.S. government, military, and private groups have used varying forms of propaganda to drum up support for certain political causes. Some of these methods — including posters, comics, and…