Monthly Archives: May 2025

Sailing to surrender, again

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Surrender of German High Seas Fleet, as seen from USS New York, 21 November 1918. Oil on canvas by Bernard F. Gribble, 1920. NH 58842-KN

It happened 80 years ago today.

Much like the internment of the bulk of the Imperial German Navy’s High Seas Fleet under Kaiserliche Marine Konteradmiral Ludwig von Reuter in November 1918 at Scapa Flow, on 13 May 1945, Kriegsmarine Konteradmiral Erich Alfred Breuning sailed across the English Channel on E-boats S204 and S205 of 4. Schnellbootflottila (4. SFltl) out of Den Helder to surrender all German troops in Holland to the Allies.

This occurred at HMS Beehive, the Royal Navy shore establishment (“stone frigate”) at Felixstowe, with the two E-boats escorted in by a flotilla of 10 RN MTBs.

They were the first crewed German surface warships to surrender to the RN post VE-Day.

S204 and S205, both carrying the black panther logo of the 4. SFltl. IWM A 28561

IWM A 28562

IWM A 28563

S. 205, with her “Lang” wheelhouse. IWM A 28564

Note the empty mine racks and stern coat of arms on S205. IWM A 28565

German E-Boats surrender at HMS Beehive, Felixstowe, May 13, 1945. Kriegsmarine Admiral Erich Alfred Breuning saluting RN Commander D H E McCowen, DSO, DSC, RNVR, Commanding Officer of the Base HMS Beehive. IWM – Russell, J E (Lt) Photographer © IWM A 28560

The German crews soon passed into captivity.

The British Fairmile B type Rescue Motor Launch 547 with the crews of one of the German E-boats on board after their surrender. HMS Beehive 13 May 1945. Note the Vickers QF 2-pounder 40mm/39cal Mk VIII mount. IWM (A 28562)

Ironically, Breuning, a young volunteer Leutnant zur See, had been a watch officer on the cruiser SMS Koln at Scapa Flow and had spent six months as a British POW after the fleet scuttled in June 1919. He would once again be a “guest” of the Crown in 1945, only being repatriated in 1948. He would retire to the Canary Islands and pass in Las Palmas in 1998.

As for the British officer to whom Breuning surrendered for the final time, CDR Donald Henry Ewan “Richie” McCowen DSO, DSC, RNVR, was a noted yacht racer and Cambridge rower who competed in the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles. Joining the “small boys” of the coastal forces during the war, he earned his decorations as skipper of the 53rd Motor Torpedo Boat Flotilla fighting E-boats in 1944, making it poetic that he received Breuning’s surrender in the days after peace broke out. Post-war, he returned to his life on the sea, and passed in Bermuda in 1998– within days of the German admiral.

British Army to stand up Gurkha Artillery

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The Staff Captain, Captain Tom Mountain inspects every detail during the inspection of The Queen's Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment.

The Staff Captain, Captain Tom Mountain, inspects every detail during the inspection of The Queen’s Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment, 2019, MoD photo.

Currently, around 4,000 Nepalese Gurkhas serve in six dedicated units across a range of roles in the British Army, a time-honored and unbroken tradition that dates back to 1814.

Those units include the Queen’s Gurkha Signals, the two-battalion (and three separate companies attached to the Ranger Regiment) Royal Gurkha Rifles, the Queen’s Gurkha Engineers, the 10th Queen’s Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment, the Gurkha Allied Rapid Reaction Corps Support Battalion, and the British Gurkhas Nepal (BGN).

Stemming from the PM’s promise to raise defense spending to 2.5% of GDP, the MOD announced the new King’s Gurkha Artillery (KGA), the first new British Gurkha unit in 14 years.

The 400-member unit will start filling slots in November, and recruits will likely be easy to find. Approximately 10,000 to 20,000 Nepali men eagerly compete for a position in the British Army’s Brigade of Gurkhas every year. Only a few hundred, typically between 200 and 320, are selected to begin training. That’s usually 30 or so candidates for every slot. They have an extremely low wash-out rate.

As noted by MOD:

As part of the new offer for Gurkha soldiers, and in recognition of the demands of modern warfare, personnel who join the KGA will be trained on advanced equipment, including the Archer and Light Gun artillery systems. In the future they will also train on the remote-controlled Howitzer 155 artillery system.

The Gurkha Museum points out that the cheerful little warriors from Nepal have long had arty units, and of course, the RGR has integral “foot artillery” in the form of L16A2 81mm mortars and NLAW, et. al.

The final Panzer Brigade

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It happened 80 years ago this week:

Panzer IIIs of the intact “Panzer-Brigade Norwegen” surrendered around 14 May 1945 to the British of Force 134 at Trandum Leir. The rest of the German Army and Waffen SS’s panzer units had already either been wiped out or surrendered to the Allies by the time in Norway had been diverted for front-line service.

“On the left, the nearest of the two officers in the berets is the lieutenant colonel of the British army, O.J. O’Connor, who accepted the surrender of the Germans.” (Note: I can’t find any details on a British Army officer with that name)

Panzer III Ausf. N of Panzer-Brigade Norwegen with single-piece hatch, smoke grenade dischargers, Vorpanzer & full Schürzen. The type was already rarely seen in the West in 1945, long before the British landed in Norway.

Despite its grand name, a cover designation, the unit was only about the size of a reinforced tank battalion, and the total strength corresponded only to that of a circa 1942 motorized grenadier brigade. The unit had been formed in July 1944 from Panzer-Abteilung Norwegen, which in turn had morphed from I./Panzer-Regiment 9 in 1943, a unit left behind by the Rhineland-Westphalia 25th Panzer Division when it had deployed to the Eastern Front to be badly mauled at Kursk. Its commander was Oberstleutnant Prinz Maximilian Wilhelm Gustav Herman of Waldeck and Pyrmont, followed by Oberst Georg Maetschke, the latter of whom had entered the trenches in 1914 as a Gefreiter.

Consisting of 61 Panzer IIIs (25 Ausf. H models with 5 cm KwK 39 L/60s and 36 Ausf. N variants with 7,5 cm KwK 37 L/24) along with 10 StuG IIIs (a mix of Ausführung F/8 and the Ausführung Gs), Panzer-Brigade Norwegen never fired a shot in anger.

All was not roses, however. A total of 194 bodies were found in mass graves in the woods of Trandum, including 173 Norwegians, six British, and fifteen Soviet citizens. They had been executed between 1942-44. 

Many of the brigade’s PzKw IIIs and StuG IIIs were employed by the Norwegian Army into the 1950s, renamed Stridsvogn KW-III and Stormkanon KW-III respectively. The Panzers didn’t even have to go anywhere, as Trandum became the Norwegian Army’s Tank School.

Royal Norwegian Army Panzer III/Stridsvogn KW-III of the former Panzer-Brigade Norwegen in June 1950. The Norwegians replaced them with American-supplied M24 Chaffees after 1954.

The 75 mm-armed variants were later dug in as static defense points at Fort Bjørnåsen in 1953, lingering into the 1980s.

A number have been freed from their concrete escarpments and are in assorted states of preservation. 

While bloodless in terms of combat, post-VE Day air accidents resulted in the loss of 40 British and Australian troops in the liberation of Norway as part of Operation Doomsday. 

USMCR Tankers get the Green Weenie, again

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Back in 2020, the Marine Commandant elected to dispose of the Corps’ four tank battalions, three active and one reserve, some dating back to 1941. That meant divesting the service of all of its heavy tracks (M1 Abrams and recovery vehicles). While most of the active duty tankers switched their MOS to other specialties, often to motor T or LAV units, those in the reserve were painted into more of a corner, with MCR units few and far between.

This led to at least 39 reservists switching branches, moving from the MCR to the Idaho National Guard’s 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team, which also has armories in Montana, Nevada, and Oregon.

The Marine Corps Reserve’s Company C, 4th Tank Battalion, deactivates at Idaho National Guard Base Gowen Field, Aug. 14, 2020. More than three dozen of the former Marines enlisted in the Idaho Army National Guard on Sept. 13, 2020. THOMAS ALVAREZ/U.S. ARMY

The 116th, one of just five armored brigade combat teams in the Guard and one of just 16 in the Army as a whole, has often taken its armor abroad, fighting in Iraq twice (OIF III, New Dawn), then sent battalions to Southwest Asia from 2021 to 2023 and trained recently in both Poland and Morocco.

Abrams Tanks from A Company, 2-116th Combined Arms Battalion, 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team, Idaho Army National Guard, conduct exercises on the Orchard Combat Training Center in the final exercise before deploying in support of Operation Spartan Shield. Photo by Thomas Alvarez/IANG

An M1A2 Abrams Main Battle Tank crew assigned to the Army National Guard’s 3-116th Combined Arms Battalion, 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team, conducts live-fire operations June 10, 2023, in the Tan Tan Training Area as part of African Lion 2023. Eighteen nations and approximately 8,000 personnel are participating in African Lion 2023, U.S. Africa Command’s largest annual combined, joint exercise is occurring in Ghana, Morocco, and Tunisia from May 13 to June 18, 2023. (U.S. Army photo by Capt. Jeffrey Brenchley)

Well, fast forward a bit, and the 116th, which has been an armored regiment since 1949, is losing its armor. Trading them in for (not kidding here) GM pickup trucks.

From the Army: 

The U.S. Army announced today that the Idaho Army National Guard’s 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team is among the first of the U.S. Army’s armored BCTs selected to transform to a Mobile Brigade Combat Team as part of the Army Transformation Initiative.

ATI is a strategic modernization effort by the U.S. Army designed to strengthen the military’s capabilities in response to emerging global threats by adapting fighting formations and integrating new technologies to prepare units and Soldiers to fight on the modern battlefield.

The transition will see the unit exchange its Abrams tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles for Infantry Squad Vehicles as the Army becomes more mobile and lethal to focus on future threats.

The Idaho Army National Guard’s 116th is among three other armored BCTs across the National Guard selected to convert. The 30th ABCT (North Carolina) and the 278th ABCT (Tennessee) will also undergo this transformation into a lighter, more agile fighting force.

For reference, the M1301 Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV) is a slightly upgraded Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 light pickup truck, with zero armor.

The Green Weenie sometimes strikes twice.

The 5,000-pound GM Defense Infantry Squad Vehicle was uniquely engineered to fulfill military requirements and designed to provide rapid ground mobility. The expeditionary ISV is light enough to be sling loaded from a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter and compact enough to fit inside a CH-47 Chinook helicopter for air transportability.

CZ Salutes WWII Free Czech RAF Squadrons

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CZ is marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II with a salute to the often unsung “Free Czechs” who served with the Allies with a special Spitfire-themed CZ 75.

Occupied by Germany on the eve of the conflict, just months before the shooting started, thousands of Czechs escaped to continue the fight against a common enemy.

Some 2,500 Czechs served in the British RAF during WWII, filling three fighter squadrons (No. 310, 312, and 313), one bomber squadron (No. 311), and one night fighter squadron (No. 68) as well as flying alongside British pilots in other squadrons. They also played a vital role in No. 138 Special Squadron, an outfit that dropped agents and supplies into occupied Europe– including Czechoslovakia.

A Czech Spitfire pilot of No. 313 Squadron
A Czech Spitfire pilot of No. 313 Squadron in conversation with his rigger and fitter at Hornchurch, 8 April 1942. (Photo: Imperial War Museum)

 

These men, exiles far from home, chalked up over 28,000 fighter sorties (at least 16 Czech “aces” flew with the RAF), dropped 2.6 million pounds of bombs on enemy targets, and made a difference from the Battle of Britain to the beaches of Normandy and beyond. Nearly 500 were killed in action.

The CZ 75 RAF special edition
The CZ 75 RAF special edition emulates the famed Supermarine Spitfire fighter aircraft, which was flown by many of the Czech fighter pilots serving with the British during the war. (All photos unless noted: CZ)
The CZ 75 RAF special edition
The CZ 75 RAF includes lightening cuts in the slide that recall the exhaust stacks of the Spitfire’s Rolls-Royce Merlin engine, as well as a finish that includes “riveted” body panels. 
The CZ 75 RAF special edition
The grips include a set of Czech aviator’s wings. 

 

The CZ 75 RAF special edition
The serial number sequencing starts with one of the Czech RAF squadrons, in this case, No. 310 Fighter Squadron. Note the British “bullseye” roundel. 
The CZ 75 RAF special edition
And it is repeated on the front of the slide. 
The CZ 75 RAF special edition
The magazine base has a stylized RAF. 
The CZ 75 RAF special edition
The RAF’s Latin motto, going back to 1918, “Per Ardua ad Astra,” which translates to “Through Adversity to the Stars,” is carried. 
The CZ 75 RAF special edition
Note the Czech roundel, which is still carried on the country’s military aircraft.
The CZ 75 RAF special edition
The CZ 75 RAF is a thing of beauty. 
The CZ 75 RAF special edition
Besides the pistol itself, its unique case recalls the avionics panel on the Spitfire, while its key is in the shape of the aircraft. Also included are an embroidered squadron badge patch and a hand-painted and signed Spitfire illustration by the well-known Czech painter and illustrator Jaroslav Velc.

 

Price? Availability? Just 56 CZ 75 RAF models will be created and will be offered…soon.

On a side note, as CZ now owns Colt, it would be neat to think that, at some point in the future, there may be a similar line of 1911s that salute famed American military units. Send those emails, folks!

Echoes of Anschluss in the Lowlands

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The Federal State of Austria was swallowed up without a shot by the German Reich in March 1938, with the Wehrmacht’s 8th Army marching over the border in the so-called Blumenkrieg (“Flower War”). Of course, the way was paved via a multi-year subversion campaign and the efforts of the original Quisling, Austrian Chancellor Arthur Seyss-Inquart.

However, just a year prior, it would have been much less of a walkover, as the Austrian Army (Bundesheer) had a decent plan (Kriegsfall DR) in place to resist the Germans at every turn. This unraveled when its boss, Feldmarschalleutnant Alfred Johann Theophil Jansa von Tannenau, was ushered out in February 1938, and the Bundesheer was ordered to remain in their barracks.

The Austrians had a decent little force under Jansa, who painstakingly rearmed it from the ashes of the old Hapsburg military machine. In 1938, it included some 60,000 regulars, 67,000 Reservisten (reservists), and 100,000 men of the Frontmiliz (front militia).

The below shows it on maneuvers in 1937, including CV-33 and CV-35 tankettes running around and an assemblage of some of the Bundesheer’s 900 pieces of artillery, including the excellent 4,7 cm M.35 Infanteriekanone von Böhler, seen firing at the 36-second mark.

Fast forward to Holland, May 1940

Heer Böhler’s 47mm L/35.8 was one of the best anti-tank guns in the world when it was adopted in 1935, far outclassing the smaller caliber guns used around the globe at the time.

With its road wheels and carriage, it weighed just under 700 pounds, so it was fairly mobile and could be moved by just about any motor vehicle or even a mule or halflinger if needed.

A Böhler 4.7 cm anti-tank gun coupled to a wheeled/tracked tractor built by the Austrian Steyr factories. 1936 NIMH 2155_007335

Capable of penetrating 43mm of armor at 500 yards (the German Panzer I Ausf. A had 13mm of front plate, and the Panzers II and III had 30mm), it was deadly, especially to the tanks of its day.

The Germans liked it so much in 1938 that they adopted it themselves, as the 4.7 cm Pak 35 (ö), and later gave hundreds of them as military aid to Finland and Romania.

Camouflaged Romanian 47 mm Böhler anti-tank gun on the Eastern Front, circa 1941-43

Tested by several countries in the late 1930s, it was adopted by Italy (as the Cannone anticarro e d’accompagnamento 47/32), Latvia (M35B), Switzerland (PstK 35), and the Netherlands (as the pantser afweergeschut Böhler 4,7 cm), while evaluation guns had been sent to China and Estonia before 1938.

It is seen below in Dutch use, where the PAG Bohler’s lightweight and low silhouette, when emplaced, made it ideal for defending points against incoming panzers (or Japanese tanks, as they were also deployed to the Dutch East Indies).

Een Böhler 4,7 cm pantserafweerkanon, aangehaakt achter een personenauto. Over het sluitstuk is een beschermhoes geplaatst. NIMH 2155_007334

Een drietal militairen bedient een Böhler pantserafweerkanon 4,7 cm, een vierde militair neemt waar met een verrekijker. Het kanon is in opstelling, de wielen zijn van de affuit verwijderd. NIMH 2155_007329

Mobilisatie 1939-1940. De bediening van een Böhler 4,7 cm antitankkanon in een gecamoufleerde verdedigende opstelling tijdens een oefening, waarbij een aanval van pantserwagens tegen een munitieopslagpunt wordt uitgevoerd. NIMH 2155_007333

Oefeningen met pantser afweergeschut (PAG) Böhler 4,7 cm. 1939-1940 in the Dutch East Indies. NIMH 2155_022701

Engelse Vickers-Carden-Lloyd Utility Tractor, gepantserde rupstrekker (Trekker 71, D 9947), met een Oostenrijks 47 mm Böhler anti-tankkanon. NIMH 2155_022655

As such, the Bohler proved a nasty surprise to German armored columns of the 9. Panzerdivision in May 1940, some 85 years ago this week, which reportedly lost about 25 tanks (about a third of its tracks) to these guns in the Rotterdam and Dordrecht area during the sweep through the Low Countries in May 1940.

They proved particularly effective on the Barendrecht bridge near Dordrecht, where three PzKpfw IIIs were destroyed, all reportedly ventilated by the same PAG Bohler of the 3e Grensbataljon.

Further, the Soviets used captured Bohlers against the Germans on the Eastern Front while the Brits pressed Italian Bohlers they captured in North Africa against Rommel.

Jansa was no doubt tickled.

Army on the Logistics of an Island Campaign

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“Effective sustainment operations in an island chain campaign demand innovative planning, meticulous coordination, and adaptability to overcome unique logistical challenges. The concept of echeloned sustainment, while rooted in traditional overland operations, must be reimagined to address the complexities of distance, strategic transportation limitations, and environmental factors inherent to island warfare.

Sustainment planners must prioritize the design of a robust and agile task force, balancing competing priorities such as fuel, transportation, and mission-critical equipment.”

More here. 

CMP just reset their 1911 program for the better

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While CMP may be circling the drain when it comes to M1903s and M1 Garands, it looks like they have 1911s stacked deep, having recently finished out their Round 4 lottery fulfillment.

Related: I got mine and it turned out to be a RIA National Match (see above photo)!

Moving forward, the good news is that you don’t have to go through the drawn-out (it took me 16 months to get my Round 4 gun) process and can just jump right into the process. Further, you can now get four guns rather than two, and they plan on having three events where you can go and pick out your gun from a lot of 400 that they brought!

The presser:

With the completion of Round 4, the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) is excited to announce we have begun the processing of new orders for our surplus U.S. Army 1911 Pistol Program!

Through a partnership with the Army, the CMP offers these genuine, military-issued and field-tested M1911A1 pistols to consumers. A true piece of American history, these are the perfect addition for competitors and enthusiasts alike to enhance their firearm collection.

CMP staff members have already received over 4,000 new orders and will continue accepting more, utilizing an updated ordering process.

Who can order during the new round?

Anyone – even if you have just received a 1911 from Round 4, all those who fill out an application will be eligible to purchase during this upcoming round. We’re also excited to share that the Department of the Army has increased the lifetime limit from two to four pistols per person. Orders will be processed in the order they are received.

What’s new?

The CMP has introduced a new eStore payment method for 1911 pistols to better serve our customers.

Why the change?

The change addresses the difficulty we face reaching customers during the day while they are at work and the challenge customers experience trying to reconnect with our sales team once we’ve moved on to assist others. This new method allows customers to complete their purchases at their own convenience, anytime, without the constraints of business hours. Additionally, it significantly speeds up the overall purchasing process, ensuring a smoother and more efficient experience for everyone.

How does it work?

  • When the CMP 1911 sales team reviews a customer’s order packet, they will identify and note any discrepancies.
  • An email from 1911orderstatus@thecmp.org will then be sent to the customer detailing the specific information required to complete the packet. This process puts control back into the hands of the customer, allowing them to quickly address any issues and return the corrected order packet without unnecessary delays.
  • Once all required documentation and attributes have been satisfied, the customer will receive another email containing a secure link and a unique code. This will grant them access to the CMP eStore, where they can conveniently purchase their pistol by selecting the desired grade and quantity.
  • The entire transaction is conducted through a safe and secure purchasing process, offering customers the flexibility of 24/7 access to complete their orders at their own convenience.

NEW STOREFRONT FOR IN-PERSON 1911 SALES!

Entry to each 1911 sales day will be available to individuals that have purchased tickets (open to those registered for either Talladega D-Day or the National Matches, respectively), with a maximum of 20 customers per 50-minute time slot. The sale will feature approximately 400 pistols – organized and displayed by grade (Service, Field, and Rack) as well as by specialty categories that include select items normally reserved for auction.

Along with online ordering, individuals may now purchase CMP’s 1911 Pistols at one of three in-person sales events at our CMP Store locations! These one-day events will be held during the upcoming Talladega D-Day event at Talladega Marksmanship Park in Alabama and during the National Matches at Camp Perry in Ohio.

Dates include:

  • Friday, June 6 – Anniston, Alabama (CMP South Store)
  • Tuesday, July 15 – Camp Perry, Ohio (CMP North Store)
  • Saturday, August 2 – Camp Perry, Ohio (CMP North Store)

Ticket sales for our upcoming in-person events will go live within the next week. Be sure to check your email for an announcement with exact dates and registration details. Not on our Sales email list? Click here to sign up and stay informed!

Upcoming CMP Auction Highlight: 1911s

Keep an eye out for a select few 1911s that will be featured on the CMP Auction site in the coming weeks. A few “specialty categories” will be highlighted for our Auction page. Visit https://thecmp.org/cmp_sales/guns-on-auction/ for more details and to view current auction items.

See more on the CMP’s 1911 Program, including how to purchase, on the CMP website at https://thecmp.org/sales-and-service/1911-information/. Specific questions may also be sent via email to cmp1911@thecmp.org.

Navy Ramjet progress, via Firebee

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The Ryan Model 124, today best known as the BQM-34A Firebee, has been around since the 1950s and has been the most common American jet-powered gunnery target for the past 75 years or so. In short, it has been shot at by just about every weapon in the NATO arsenal.

The humble Firebee has also been used offensively from time to time, used in Vietnam as “SAM sniffer” and in photo recon and psyops roles, and in the 2003 invasion of Iraq to lay chaff corridors for SEAD strikes while the BGM-34 offshoot was tested to drop Shrike and Maverick missiles in remote strike missions.

So it should come as no surprise that a BQM-34 was used this week by the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division to air-launch a Solid Fuel Integral Rocket Ramjet (SFIRR) for the first time.

A BQM-34 unmanned aerial vehicle launches from Point Mugu during a test of the Navy’s Solid Fuel Integral Rocket Ramjet (SFIRR) demonstrator, developed by Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division. The test marked the first air launch of SFIRR from an unmanned platform. (U.S. Navy photo)

A BQM-34 unmanned aerial vehicle launches from Point Mugu during a test of the Navy’s Solid Fuel Integral Rocket Ramjet (SFIRR) demonstrator, developed by Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division. The test marked the first air launch of SFIRR from an unmanned platform. (U.S. Navy photo)

A BQM-34 unmanned aerial target, which is remotely piloted during flight, releases a test missile over the Point Mugu Sea Range. The test advanced a missile design aimed at improving range and targeting for future Navy missions. (U.S. Navy photo)

As detailed by NAWCWD:

The test also integrated the use of a fire control system on a BQM-34 unmanned target vehicle for live firing, demonstrating advancements in high-speed, long-range weapon capabilities. Launching the missile from an unmanned vehicle can allow warfighters to safely engage targets from greater distances.

As the Lead Prototype Integrator, NAWCWD combined advanced propulsion, avionics, and fire control technologies into the technology demonstrator in just 12 months. Rapidly transitioning technologies from research to operational use is critical for maintaining a warfighting advantage.

“This successful integration validates key aspects of our design and moves us closer to delivering an advanced propulsion system that will provide warfighters with greater range and speed,” said Abbey Horning, product director of NAWCWD’s Advanced Concepts, Prototyping and Experimentation office.

CMP Now Scraping the Drill Rifle Bucket

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As a teen back in the early 1990s, I spent hours every week caring for and maintaining the 40 WWII vintage M1903 drill rifles we had in the armory of my NJROTC unit. They had a steel rod welded in the barrel and the magazine cut-off welded up, making it so that you couldn’t work the bolt. When we had to fire blank salute volleys, say, for Veterans Day, we used still-functional M1903s borrowed from a local VFW.

Other units I saw at regional competitions had M1 Garand drill rifles that similarly had the barrel and receiver gouge torched and bolt welded to receiver.

Years ago, such drill rifles were replaced by fully fake replicas, and the welded-up war vets were put in storage. Over the years, they have floated out via CMP and other outlets. I bought one for $150 at the Anniston location back in 2017 and still have it. Heck, the wood was worth that alone.

I thought about recovering it to make a working rifle but figured it would not be salvageable or worth the effort.

Well, CMP is apparently running so low on M1 and M1903s that they are now doing just that, but at least seem to have done the homework when it comes to making them safe.

The CMP, in conjunction with leading industry experts, completed a comprehensive engineering program to determine whether weld-repaired drill-rifle receivers for the M1 Garand and Model 1903-A3 can return to live-fire use while meeting—and potentially exceeding—the same safety and durability standards as original receivers. Heritage Arms performed the weld removal, machining, and assembly of the test rifles, while Prospector Training LLC executed the proof-firing and destructive metallography and supplied quality-engineering support. Additionally, each rifle produced will undergo testing (further described below) before they will be deemed available for sale.

The reasoning behind it makes sense:

For collectors, these efforts keep authentic U.S. receivers in circulation rather than consigning them to scrap. For competitors and recreational shooters, they sustain rifle availability without altering grades, prices, or warranty terms. Most importantly, the initiative advances CMP’s Congressionally mandated mission: expanding marksmanship opportunities, promoting firearms training and safety—especially among youth—and preserving America’s military heritage. Through technical rigor and historical stewardship, the Drill Rifle Initiative exemplifies how that mission is executed for shooters across the nation.

 

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