About
About Me
I am something of a vagabond. A security consultant by trade, a writer by desire, a history buff by birth and a keeper of useless knowledge by design. The biggest thing about me is that I keep my head down, take notes and try not to get caught in the crossfire.
Christopher Eger is a first-generation American of Russian-German descent and has been a student of military history and hoplologist for more than 30 years.
He is a member of the Company of Military Historians, the US Naval Institute, US Navy League, the International Naval Research Organization, The Fiction Writers Platform, and a Mississippi State Guardsman. He is a security consultant to the federal government and author of more than 8,000 published articles, essays, and papers. He is a firearm and impact weapons trainer as well a less than lethal weapons instructor. He formerly worked as a corporate trainer for a Fortune 100 company, the department head of a county law enforcement office, and for one of the top ten defense contractors in the country. He a staff writer and naval consultant to Eye Spy Intelligence Magazine, and assignment manager for Guns.com. Christopher has been published in the magazines England Expects, Sea Classics, and Mississippi Sportsman, the newsletters Combat Forums and Strike First-Strike Fast and has appeared on Pacific Radio News on the subject of military history. He worked with a German documentary film crew covering U-Boats sunk in American water and a number of his works have also been republished in a variety of outlets.
He is currently working on a comprehensive English language book on the Russian Civil War as well as taking a stab at fiction while working towards his MA.
In all, he has written or contributed to over a dozen books. A full list of his books appears on his Amazon page.
Chris believes that journalist and military historian Sir Max Hastings said it best when he stated ” A generation ago, people who wrote so-called military history were …chiefly in the business of describing which division went this way and that division went that way—the minutiae of campaigns-Today by contrast, people like me…are above all in the business of describing human experience. Which seems to us overwhelmingly the most important contribution we have to make about this instance of events.”
laststandonzombieisland 
For a first book, yours is one of the better ones in the genre, Chris. It does not overplay the blood and guts typical of other zombie yarns. I was just wondering if you plan a sequel; most zombie books never detail what happens when the zombies rot away and civilization starts returning to normal; that would be refreshing!
I am almost done with the book and I love it…Great stuff, I need more like zombies need flesh..
8 Jul 13
Christopher — Doing research in advance of the planned MAT-49 live-fire photo shoot later this month, I found your excellent piece The MAT-49: The best gun France ever made?
Loved the historical background you provided and even more so the archive pix.
Any chance of arranging to “borrow” the portrait of Pierre Monteil?
Assuming, of course you can grant permission to use it…
If not, I’d appreciate a contact to arrange that.
Most cordially, Robert Bruce
Military Affairs Editor http://www.smallarmsreview.com
804-769-7897 ( Virginia)
RBRUCEPIX@aol.com
Interesting to see your blog banner head picture is the guns at fort Scratchly. These guns actually fired in anger during ww2. They were lobbing shells at a Japanese sub which had taken a few potshots at the BHP Steel works, they missed by miles and hit the streets behind Fort Scratchly. As a kid, these guns were in King Edward park, Newcastle’s public park over looking Newcastle beach.
The guns are now a tourist attraction and are fired on special occasions. The fort Scratchly museum have applied for permission to fire them at midday.
There is plenty of information on the web about the guns at Fort Scratchly.
Hello Christopher,
On your page re USS Alarm you showed an internal photo, and said it was the 15 inch gun with shell.
I think the photo shows the inside of the bows of the experimental torpedo boat USS Intrepid of 1874.
The Alarm’s 15 inch Dahlgren was mounted on the deck behind the bow hatch.
Like the later HMS Polyphemus the Intrepid had a torpedo tube mounted low down inside the ram. The pointed object waiting to be loaded is an early Whitehead torpedo.
I am compiling an encyclopedia for my UK editor on the TORPEDO, and it would be good to have a copy of the photo to include in my book, if you are agreeable.
Kind regards
Roger Cook
Website & Blog: rogerbranfillcook.eu
Email: roger.cook801@yahoo.fr
Chris… best couple of zombie island free zones- Dauphin Island (right outside of Mobile, AL… Key West, FL… and Kodiak, AK. You’re the man. Just learn that the FN FiveseveN is key to survival. Much Love. JB
CE
My grandfather was on the USS Colorado (ACR-7) in 1905. Am trying to find ANY literature, books, journals, that explain and detail it’s ports of call, missions, dates, etc.
Also wondering best wat to find his military records from same era. Thanx.
Marc
Thank you for sharing the pictures of my SP 101, and thank you for the complements. I’m very honored to be mentioned in such a well written article
No, sir, thank you for your work. It’s truly a beautiful piece
Christopher- surely you’ve seen this, but if not, worth a look! https://imgur.com/gallery/dVSnP
Thanks!
Hola. Lamento no escribir en inglés. Soy Manuel García (Barcelona), autor de varios de las acuarelas de buque de la Armada Española. Gracias por su publicación. Si desean otros cuadros del mismo tema, con agrado se los enviaré. Indiquen una direccion de email.
Ahora estoy trabajando en el cuadro nº 25.
Un saludo desde Barcelona.
Manuel! ¡Qué bueno oirte! Please email me at egerwriter@gmail.com. Gracias
Manuel García García-Barcelona. Si desean otras acuarelas de buques de la Armada, indiquenme una direrccion de email.
Gracias por publicar mis trabajos.
Un saludo.
Manuel
Hello Chris,
I am compiling a book for the 50th anniversary of my 1966 graduation from the Royal Australian Naval College and would like to use some of the images on the zombie island website, and now seek your permission to do so (assuming of course that you hold the copyright to them).
I am willing to show you the drafts to date so you can see what I am doing.
Best regards,
Keith Gascoine
Nice blog/site, lots of info, and a good personal taste you have!
Cette photographie est protégée par un copyright, merci d’en signer l’origine par la mention : © Photo Marius BAR – Toulon (France) site internet : http://www.mariusbarnumerique.fr voir rubrique Boutique -> Navires/Warships https://laststandonzombieisland.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/94706a2ad7cc77263746a7ce45e15e37.jpg
Thanks, I will delete the image
Hi Chris,
Quick question for you,by chance do you happen to know when the last organized White Russian Unit saw action? Ive found one from 1947 in Northwest China ,trail goes cold after that…
Btw how’s your Russian Civil War book coming along?
Thanks
Eric
Please continue this most excellent effort. It is ALWAYS the highlight of my day. It was nice top see the 499th BS as your topic yesterday. If you get bored, I have put photos of many of that squadrons’ a/c here: http://bathead.com/noseart5.html
Again -thank you so much for your efforts.
I would like to contact Christopher Eger to ask him about the German artist Baumgartner, who he writes about. I am an art dealer.
Many thanks,
Anthony Crichton-Stuart
Agnews, London
Just wanted to say “thank you” – I find myself looking forward to “Warship Wednesday” every week and generally enjoying your blog overall. Cheers,
Jeff
Thanks for stopping by!
I have a modle 55 swamp gun saw you were looking I’d like to send photos can’t find your email contact me jacobshearer100@gmail.com
Hi not sure if you know the person in the pic
https://laststandonzombieisland.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/sadf-bren.jpg
But there seems to be no credit to original owner of pic who is in the photo, who is someone I know
Okay. Can you fill me in on the details of the image so I can list proper attribution. Thanks!
I am interested in a photograph you posted in a January 17, 2016 article about Juan Peron’s escape to Paraguay. It shows Peron on a gunboat as he flees Argentina after being ousted in 1955. I’d like to license the image for use in a television documentary. Any chance you can give me some information about its owner?
Thanks very much!
Stevie Ballardballardstevie@yahoo.com
i was with B battery 6/27 artillery from March 1970 to April 1971. just wondering where you got the picture.
Hello, I am wondering where you got the photo for the article?https://laststandonzombieisland.com/2014/07/08/the-sai-ludus-glock-everything-included-but-the-beard/ . I work for the owner of that weapon as the caretaker of his collection. Thanks
I’ve got it listed in a June 2014 presser as Salient Arms International Ludus G17 (Photo by Adam Lawson/SAI) for when they released the gun. I don’t think it is on their website anymore (that was seven years ago). The description was “The SAI Ludus series will come configured from Oxnard with a Glock 17/19 exclusive slide with full-wrap front serrations coated in LUDUS gray, and Salient Flat-Faced trigger. Sighting options include a recessed RMR Cut/Sight and DLC coated box-flute/matched-fit barrel are further options.” This was a semi-custom mod for SAI, they did it on customer supplied G17 or G19 for $2,099 or $2,699 if they (SAI) provided the gun.
It was for an article on University of Guns, a site I wrote for then that went out of biz in 2017. Here is an archive of that old article. https://web.archive.org/web/20170814162515/https://universityofguns.com/the-sai-ludus-glock-everything-included-but-the-beard/
’ve got it listed in a June 2014 presser as Salient Arms International Ludus G17 (Photo by Adam Lawson/SAI) for when they released the gun. I don’t think it is on their website anymore (that was seven years ago). The description was “The SAI Ludus series will come configured from Oxnard with a Glock 17/19 exclusive slide with full-wrap front serrations coated in LUDUS gray, and Salient Flat-Faced trigger. Sighting options include a recessed RMR Cut/Sight and DLC coated box-flute/matched-fit barrel are further options.” This was a semi-custom mod for SAI, they did it on customer supplied G17 or G19 for $2,099 or $2,699 if they (SAI) provided the gun.
It was for an article on University of Guns, a site I wrote for then that went out of biz in 2017. Here is an archive of that old article. https://web.archive.org/web/20170814162515/https://universityofguns.com/the-sai-ludus-glock-everything-included-but-the-beard/
I am the photo researcher for the U.S. Naval Institute and we’d love to use the painting at the link below from your blog post in 2016.
https://laststandonzombieisland.com/2016/01/17/combat-gallery-sunday-the-martial-art-of-y-mizuno/destroyer-take-under-attack-by-a-b-25-mitchell-bomber-during-the-battle-of-ormoc-bay/
Destroyer Take under attack by a B-25 Mitchell bomber during the Battle of Ormoc Bay by Y. Mizuno.
I am trying to find contact info for the artist or the artist’s management. Could you help? We need permission to print and use online, plus a high resolution copy of the painting.
That is What I get for not checking your Blog on a more regular basis!!! I missed your Seabee Birthday article.
This is the Best History I have seen on the ‘Bees in a long time. There are a couple of Battalions that have as long and as a distinguished history as any unit in the U.S. Military. NMCB 133 is one of them. My home Battalion, NMCB 22 (The Lone Star Battalion), was commissioned in 1944, served in the Aleutians during WWII, was recommissioned as a reserve unit in 1961, and called up for Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. It almost made Desert Storm but the War was over before they deployed from Port Hueneme.
BTW, the Esprit De Corps of the Seabees rivals the Marines. We have our own flag and our own song.
Hoorah!! (We may be Navy but we usually work with/for the Marines).
I ran across a photo of the USCGC Mellon on your site and would like to use it with your permission for a piece on going to sea that I am writing for a travel site. Your picture is the only one I can find that shows Mellon in the configuration it had when I sailed with her n the late 1960s.
Thanks.
The photo of Queen Elizabeth firing a rifle alongside a sailor appears to show her shooting a converted Lee Enfield No1Mk1. The rear sight and lack of charger-loader bridge gives it away as being an early Lee Enfield rifle. The lack of magazine indicates it was fired single shot and if this was taken during or shortly after the war, it probably had been converted to .22LR. Otherwise it would have been too valuable and upgraded and pressed into service. You can shoot those 22’s without hearing pro.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-64955537
shows once again that plus ca change, rien ne change (at least not much) – towards the end of the article we see a Maxim PM M1910 in use… and yes, the Пулемёт Максима образца 1910 года dates back to 1910. As a kid in the 1960s I had a set of Airfix 1:72 Russian WWII infantry with one of these…https://www.lulu-berlu.com/airfix-172-s17-ww2-russian-infantry-type1-box-loose-a40316-en.html
but at that time the set was one Dutch guilder fifty cents rather than all those euros (and even that was quite a lot)
I believe my reply got deleted:
Sir,
You need not have, nor was it my intent to, unpublished the article, unless of course that is what you wanted. My suggestion: editing would have sufficed.
Regarding the offending term: that was then, this is now. Wasn’t the unofficial slogan of the Roman Legions: adapt or die. I mean like real unofficial, but its not like they invented anything new.
I do enjoy your site, for what its worth.
all best
John Mundie
Dear friends,
Could you please contact me about publication of this photo? Could you please help me to know whom belongs the photo?
Please, contact me ishkaraeva@gmail.com
Thank you very much in advance
Daria
As the caption says, it is a NARA photo. https://catalog.archives.gov/id/205573961
thank you!