Category: Military

Passing Thought

Military

I saw this pic, and my first thought was:  why does the U.S. military use this silly “slope arms” position?

For those who’ve never had to march with a rifle, here’s my gripe:  that trigger guard is going to keep digging into your collarbone, and after a while that is going to be owie.

Far easier, in my experience, to hold the rifle side-on, with the trigger guard on the “outside” (away from) the neck.

The grip on the rifle is more secure (the left wrist is horizontal rather than vertical, as above), similar to the way one would do curls with weights in the gym:  the biceps work better that way, ask any lifter.

More importantly, the “sideways” slope arms accommodates a longer magazine because it lies on its side along the upper body instead of once again digging into the body.

I welcome comments from those who know more about U.S. military drill than I do.

And Rommel Weeps

Military, Mocking Furriners, The Gun Thing

…even from the grave, after reading this report:

The German army’s accuracy has again been mired in controversy as it was revealed in a classified report the testing for their latest rifle was lowered.

The G95A1 rifle failed to pass trials with military-standard ammunition so the Bundeswehr – the German army – lowered the standards of the test, the report to stated.

The manufacturers of the rifle — Heckler and Koch — were allowed to test it with civilian ammunition and at room temperature rather than in extreme heat and cold.

Their 180,000-strong army is due to be receiving new weapons next year after it was reported that they only had enough ammunition to fight for two days.

On the bright side:  they can’t invade Poland again.  On the gloomy side… well, there’s Russia still on the Ostfront, also again.

One wonders how badly the Bundeswehr would fare by reaching into the back of the old gun closet for:

…and:

Of course, they’d have no ammo for anything other than the MP40 and P38, but hey, lookee here from our friends at PPU:

 

Bet they’d get a fat quantity discount, even though the Serbs might be a little reluctant to sell to them, for fairly obvious reasons.

Oh wait, what’s that you say, Lassie?  After the Great Unpleasantness of the early 1940s, the Germans had to destroy all their old guns?

Never mind.

Yes, I too got a semi just from looking at the StG44, FG42 and MP40.  Why do you ask?

Gettin’ Serious

Military

A leading indicator that some serious work will be needing done is heralded by stuff like this:

The U.S. Army on Monday released a recruitment ad that critics argue is a sure sign the military is gearing up for war.

There are no signs of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the 30-second spot, which features white males jumping out of a plane. 

Yup:  when it comes time to make war in earnest, ain’t nothin’ like a bunch of White men to get the job done.

And for those People Of Color who won’t respond to the ads because “there ain’t no Black men in the picture”:  by all means, stay the fuck away and let the professionals do the work.

When there’s hard work to be done, there’s no time for “feelings” or “representation”.  As the Army seems to have realized.

A Good Start

Good Stuff, Military

Looks like the Izzies have got the bit between their teeth:

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) destroyed the Islamic University of Gaza — dropping bombs on what the Israeli military said was a training hub for engineers who helped carry out terrorist attacks.

The Israel Defense Force (IDF) confirmed the bombing, saying the university served as “an important center of political and military power” for Hamas and a “training institution for the development and production of weapons,” The Times of Israel reported.

Sorta like the West Point of Muslim Terrorism, huh?  One can only hope that there were lots of casualties among both staff and students.

Keep it up, guys.

Dot-Mil Idiocy

Bad News, Military, The Gun Thing

I know, the title is somewhat redundant, but this beats them all (sent by Reader Tony M., thankee — I think):

After 123 years, the immortal Colt-Browning 1911 pistol has finally left U.S. military service.

The immortal 1911 really has no historical equal. It has been the longest-serving sidearm in U.S. military history. Almost every company in the business of manufacturing handguns today makes some variation of the 1911.

And yet, it’s no longer good enough for our troops?  To continue:

While nothing lasts forever, and while it’s easy to see the logistical advantage in a sidearm that uses the NATO-standard 9x19mm cartridge, it’s a sad day for gun aficionados, especially those of us with a fondness for John Browning’s 1911.

For those of little historical learning, I should point out that the reason that the U.S. Army adopted the Colt 1911 .45 ACP in the first place was that their .38 cartridges (similar to the 9x19mm) just weren’t killing savages efficiently.  But of course, people who make “logistical” choices are seldom the same ones who actually have to shoot people dead.

Never mind:  let our troops use three rounds of 9mm Europellet fired from their German-designed peashooters to do the same job as the .45 Automatic Colt Pistol bullet can do with one.

I’ll just continue to carry my 1911 and be glad of it.

Bah.