Category Archives: US Army

Pedersen gun pr0n- The WWI superweapon that (almost) won the war

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Here we see a beautiful Springfield Armory 1903 MK I .30-06 SPRG caliber rifle with an uber rare and original Pedersen device.

Springfield Armory 1903 MK I .30-06 SPRG (R18854) caliber rifle. Springfield 1903 with Pedersen device
Mr. Pedersen’s device was a very simple top loading, blowback-operated pistol without a grip. Its barrel was the exact size, shape, and length of the standard .30-06 M1906 cartridge case. All the soldier had to do was pull out the regular turnbolt of his Springfield and any .30-06 ammo, insert the Pedersen Device, attach the device’s 40-round magazine, and let her rip. The device used the host rifle’s trigger group, sights, barrel, and stock. The device would cycle new rounds, and eject spent cases through a small port cut in the side of the rifle.

Other modifications to the rifle were to the sear, magazine cut off, and trigger to allow the regular bolt or the Pedersen device to be used interchangeably. In tests a trained infantryman could rip off two full magazines in less than a minute—a 500% increase in the Springfield’s rate of fire.

Springfield Armory 1903 MK I .30-06 SPRG (R18854) caliber rifle. Springfield 1903 with Pedersen device overallTo accommodate the device’s short action (it had to fit completely in the space occupied by the Springfield’s original bolt), it fired a short .30 caliber pistol sized round. This 7.62x20mm round, a cross between .32 ACP and the WWII-era .30 Carbine loads, held a 80-grain bullet over 3.5 grains of bull’s-eye powder which gave a blistering 1300fps out of a rifle barrel. This allowed the Pedersen device rounds, although pipsqueak in size, to still be lethal and accurate enough to reach out to 300 yards.

Springfield Armory 1903 MK I .30-06 SPRG (R18854) caliber rifle. Springfield 1903 with Pedersen device 1919 RIA marked bolt pouchOverall, the device added 1.75 pounds to the weight of the standard Springfield rifle, but, best of all, all the all the infantryman in the field had to do to convert back over to .30.06 was pull out the device and insert the regular bolt and ammo. Two guns with the weight of one!

Of course, WWI ended before the Pedersen could be fielded in great numbers, and the lean peacetime Army brass decided it wasn’t worth keeping so most ended up smashed or burned in the 1920s, hence their great rarity today.

All images via Collectors Firearms, where the above gun is available for just $39,999

Nothing stays buried forever, even secret Atomic bases

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We’ve talked before about Camp Century, an underground Atomic powered city built just 800 miles south of the North Pole, 100 miles north of Thule AB in Greenland in 1959.

1_2

Powered by a PM-2A nuclear reactor, Camp Century was the first of the US Army’s portable reactors to actually produce power. Except for downtime for routine maintenance and repairs, the reactor operated for thirty-three months.

By 1966 the camp was abandoned and in a follow-up visit in 1969, it was found wrecked by shifting polar ice.  Today its thought to be just so much steel girders and piping hidden under icefloes.

Now it seems the hazardous waste though buried inside the frozen tomb of the abandoned base could emerge by the end of the century, according to a new, peer-reviewed study published last week in Geophysical Research Letters, a journal of the American Geophysical Union.

The melting seems likely to bring modern-day environmental and political headache.

“While Camp Century and four other contemporaneous ice sheet bases were legally established under a Danish-U.S. treaty, the potential remobilization of their abandoned wastes, previously regarded as sequestered, represents an entirely new pathway of political dispute resulting from climate change.”

Cranking up the ol’ Meat Chopper

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marine m45

Marines pulling airbase defense somewhere in the Pacific in WWII. Note the F4Us on the flight line. The lawnmower style gas engine of the M45 turret is visible behind the gunner’s back.

Known as “The Meat Chopper” from its use against infantry, the M45 Maxson Quad turret was designed as an anti-aircraft gun, envisioned in the above image.

The electrically-powered mount moved at about 60-degrees per second and could elevate to near-vertical and depress slightly less than the horizon for use against ground targets in enfilade. Two 6-volt batteries recharged by a small Briggs and Stratton gas engine coupled to a generator fed the electric motor on the mount.

M45 Mount

To this mount, the design added a central gunner’s seat of luxurious canvas, a large spiderweb-type graduated sight, and four Browning M2 heavy machine guns arranged in a pair on each side, which provided .50 cal suppression in surround sound.

Fully equipped with 800 rounds of ammunition (200 in each “Tombstone”), an armor shield for the gunner, oil and fuel for the engine and all accessories, the mount topped 2,400-pounds. This size fit in the rear of a large truck, half-track, or could be towed alone on a small M20-style trailer and their firepower made them very popular with the Joes and Marines in the field.

Note wheels cranked out when stationay

Note wheels cranked out when stationary

That comfy gunner's chair

That comfy gunner’s chair. Note the engine.

Note the electronic solenoid for the M2s. Without electrical power via battery or engine, the Maxson was a lawn ornament

Note the electronic solenoids for the portside M2s. Without electrical power via battery or engine, the Maxson was a lawn ornament

IJM Restorations in the UK has been working on a vintage Maxson for several weeks and in the above images and below video shows it in working condition, able to elevate and traverse with the assistance of a small gasoline-powered engine.

LOC does the Great War

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Joseph Pennell (1857–1926). Submarines in Dry Dock, 1917. Transfer lithographic drawing. Bequest of the Estate of Joseph Pennell. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress (005.00.00) LC-DIG-ppmsca-40029

Joseph Pennell (1857–1926). Submarines in Dry Dock, 1917. Transfer lithographic drawing. Bequest of the Estate of Joseph Pennell. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress (005.00.00) LC-DIG-ppmsca-40029

The Library of Congress—which holds the largest multi-format collection of materials on the American experience in World War I—will present a major exhibition in 2017 to commemorate the centennial of The Great War.

The United States’ involvement in the “war to end all wars” began on April 6, 1917, when the U.S. Congress formally declared war on the German Empire, and concluded Nov. 11, 1918, with the armistice agreement.  The exhibition will examine the upheaval of world war, as Americans experienced it—domestically and overseas.  In the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building, the exhibition will open in early April 2017 and close in January 2019.  Initially, it will feature 200 items, but during its 18-month run, numerous other artifacts will be rotated into the display.

Now through April 2017, the Library of Congress is featuring twice-monthly blogs about World War I, written by Library curators who highlight stories and collection materials they think are most revealing about the war.  The blogs can be viewed at http://www.loc.gov/blogs/.

WW-Hist-clipping-Nov-11-1918-NY-Evening-Jouranl

An exhibition showing how American artists galvanized public interest in World War I is currently on display at the Library of Congress.  “World War I: American Artists View the Great War” is on view through May 6, 2017 in the Graphic Arts Galleries on the ground floor of the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. S.E., Washington, D.C.  The exhibition is free and open to the public Monday through Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.  An online version can be viewed here.

Was it Wrong to Drop the Atom Bomb on Japan?

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Today, on the 71st anniversary of the first atomic attack, that of the bombing of the city of Hiroshima, Japan, some argue that Truman was wrong to order that the Army Air Force undertake to have Little Boy tumble out of the bomb bay of the Enola Gay.

Most of the nation’s five star admirals and generals later went on record against the use of the A-bomb. Here is what the two top admirals in the Pacific had to say on its use:

Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet stated in a public address given at the Washington Monument on October 5, 1945:

The Japanese had, in fact, already sued for peace before the atomic age was announced to the world with the destruction of Hiroshima and before the Russian entry into the war.  . . . [Nimitz also stated: “The atomic bomb played no decisive part, from a purely military standpoint, in the defeat of Japan. . . .”]

In a private 1946 letter to Walter Michels of the Association of Philadelphia Scientists, Nimitz observed that “the decision to employ the atomic bomb on Japanese cities was made on a level higher than that of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.”

Admiral William F. Halsey, Jr., Commander U.S. Third Fleet, stated publicly in 1946:

The first atomic bomb was an unnecessary experiment. . . . It was a mistake to ever drop it. . . . [the scientists] had this toy and they wanted to try it out, so they dropped it. . . . It killed a lot of Japs, but the Japs had put out a lot of peace feelers through Russia long before.

Professor of History at Notre Dame, Father Wilson Miscamble weighs in on the subject with the opinion that dropping the bomb shortened the war and saved countless lives — both American and Japanese.

Gotta love a Flying Skull redhead

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Here we see a Consolidated B-24D Liberator heavy bomber, specifically #42-72843 “Strawberry Bitch” at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio.

strawberry bitch B-24 that goes by that name at the Dayton, Ohio Air Force museum

DAYTON, Ohio -- Consolidated B-24D Liberator at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo)

DAYTON, Ohio — Consolidated B-24D Liberator at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo)

She was flown to the museum in May 1959 and they have an extensive gallery of photos of her here.

Strawberry Bitch is one of just eight surviving B-24Ds known to exist– and several of those are in wrecked condition overseas.

Established in the Middle East 31 October 1942, the 512th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), U.S. Army Air Force, was initially equipped with obsolete B-17C/D Flying Fortresses transferred from Tenth Air Force. These were replaced with Liberators in early 1943 and they became part of the Ninth Air Force.

Operating from bases in British Palestine, Egypt, Libya and Tunisia, the Flying Skulls attacked shipping in the Mediterranean and harbor installations in Libya, Tunisia, Sicily, and Italy to cut enemy supply lines to North Africa. Struck airdromes, marshalling yards, and other objectives in Sicily and Italy after the fall of Tunisia in May 1943.

Reassigned to Fifteenth Air Force in late 1943, and moved to southern Italy to bomb factories, oil refineries, oil storage facilities, airdromes, bridges, harbors, and other objectives.

Between Sept 1943 and June 1944, Strawberry Bitch flew 56 combat missions that are detailed here.

As for the “Flying Skulls,” they hung up their bomb sights in 1965 with the retirement of the B-47 Stratojet (after switching to them from B-29s) and were inactivated for three decades then came out of retirement in 1994 as the 512th Special Operations Squadron  then the 512th Rescue Squadron (512 RQS). Now part of the 58th Special Operations Wing based at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, they operate HH-60G Pave Hawks on CSAR missions for bug eaters.512th Flying Skulls

Dust-up

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U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Donald Holbert

U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Donald Holbert

Soldiers, assigned to 1st Armored Division, Task Force Al Taqaddum, fire an M109A6 Paladin howitzer during a fire mission at Al Taqaddum Air Base, Iraq, June 27, 2016. The strikes were conducted in support of Operation Inherent Resolve and aimed at eliminating the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

The Alpha 6 (Paladin) variant is mega sweet as far as 155mm SP guns go and only about a sixth of all M109s operational in the world got the upgrade which includes the longer 39-caliber 155 mm M284 cannon (which gives a max range of over 30,000m with RAP rounds) in a more advanced M182A1 mount, an increased 39 shell internal mag, beefier engine and an integrated fire direction center which moves well beyond the 1960s tech the gun originally carried, allowing it to be fed data in real time from brigade level and pop off a round in seconds after moving if doing “shoot-and-scoot” artillery fire, which is the only way to ensure survival on the modern combined armed battlefield.

Then of course there are hyper velocity projectiles (HVP) in the testing phase for Paladin that could hit Mach 3 and enable larger caliber guns to launch HVPs at air and missile threats over medium ranges (10–30 nautical miles) turning the howitzer into a very capable surface to air defense weapon if needed.

Clean your M4 (or AR) the Army way

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Fort Benning’s Army Marksmanship Unit has put out a short training film on Disassembly and Maintenance of the M-4, and it isn’t half bad.

The AMU has been producing “Shooter’s Corner” clips for the past several month and most have focused on weapon’s manipulation and nomenclature of the M4 and M9.

In this latest production, SSG Michael Howard with the AMU’s master firearms shop, walks you through basic field stripping, cleaning and PM.

Sure, sure, we know this is all stuff you already can do upside down and blindfolded, and you have a piston gun anyway (or a Kalash) but it’s still interesting to see how the AMU guys do things.

And in the end, it’s always something you can pass on.

The time a P-51 shot down a perfectly good C47 on purpose

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Lt. Louis Curdes, in Bad Angel p-51 note the kills

Lt. Louis Curdes, USAAF in his P-51D “Bad Angel.” The markings are from the 3rd Air Commando Group, 4th Fighter Squadron, from Laoag Airfield, Luzon, Philippines, 1945. Proudly displayed on the fuselage of “Bad Angel” were the markings of the pilot’s kills: seven Nazis; one Italian; one Japanese…and one U.S.

The US plane was not a mistake, or friendly fire, he intentionally took it down.

Dafuq?

Yup.

Curdes arrived in the ETO with 82nd Fighter Group, 95th Fighter Squadron in April 1943 and was assigned a P-38 Lightning. Ten days later he shot down three German Messerschmidt Bf-109s. A few weeks later, he downed two more German Bf -109’s– making him an ace in a month. Over the next three months, Curdes shot down an Italian Macchi C.202 Folgore fighter and two more Messerschmidts before his luck ran out, being splashed by a German fighter on August 27, 1943 over Salerno, Italy.

Escaping, he made it back to Allied lines and after training on P-51s, was sent to the Pacific where he dusted a Mitsubishi reconnaissance plane near Formosa.

Then came the American.

It was an unarmed C47 cargo plane that was attempting to land at Batan air field which had recently been taken over by the Japanese, it would have been certain death or worse for the 12 passengers and crew. Not being able to raise the plane by radio and attempts at waving the C47 off ignored, the C47 still continued with it’s landing plan. At that point Lt. Curdes choose to shoot the C47’s engines out and force them to do a water landing where they were picked up by a Navy ship in the area.

It’s an odd story for sure, but left Curdes as the only American WWII pilot to down at least one of each major enemy’s planes– and one of his own.

Just chillin with my .50 (and my M50)

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U.S. Army Soldiers with 1st Brigade, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division conducting defensive operations during Swift Response 16 training exercise at the Hohenfels Training Area, a part of the Joint Multinational Readiness Center, in Hohenfels, Germany, Jun. 20, 2016.

(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Nathaniel Nichols/Released)

(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Nathaniel Nichols/Released)

Note there seems to be a good old fashioned CBRN drill going on, hence the paratrooper with his tripod mounted M2HB-QCB Browning heavy machine gun in 12.7mm (.50BMG) and his new-fangled M50 joint service general purpose mask, which replaced the older M40 a few years back.

The beercan-sized cage on the muzzle of ma deuce, held by a three-legged bracket is the blank firing adaptor. The adaptor reduces the muzzle size, slowing the escaping gasses and thus causing a recoil “kick” large enough to cycle the weapon. So if you ever see a M2 so equipped, the picture was taken during an exercise.

(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Nathaniel Nichols/Released)

(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Nathaniel Nichols/Released)

And, as this short-sleeved paratrooper above shows, Germany does get hot in June. Of course we can’t fault him for not being in a chem suit, but good luck getting a cheek-weld on that M4 (note yellow BFA) while wearing a mask. Still, it’s nice to see mono-pod grips being used more. They are hella useful.

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