Category Archives: weapons

Tinnitus with a universal adapter

Some 85 years ago, during the epic eight-month siege of Sevastopol.

Wehrmacht soldiers of II/Artillerie-Regiment 814, 11th Army, Army Group Sud, cover their ears as a Czech-made Skoda 9.45-inch Howitzer Model 39 (24 cm Haubitze vz.39) fires at Red Army positions, probably during the siege of Perekop, on or about 24 September 1941.

The two-battalion/four-battery AR 814 was the only German unit to use the rare gun, of which only 16 were made for the Wehrmacht after two early tubes had been sent to the gun’s original customer, the Turkish Army, in early 1939.

Firing a 366-pound anti-concrete shell to 11 miles when all five bags were loaded behind them, these 35-ton beasts were only ever meant to be siege howitzers– making it likely the Turks planned to use them if needed against the Soviets in the Caucasus, as their other traditional enemy, the Greeks, had few such fortified positions worthy of such heavy ordnance.

The Germans used them at Sevastopol and at Leningrad.

A 24 cm Haubitze 39 of AR 814 in 1942 during the Siege of Leningrad.

They were withdrawn in 1944, and the guns were lost to history, although part of one may have been captured by the U.S. 79th Infantry Division in the Rhine in March 1945.

I/814 melted away near Königsberg in Wehrkreis I in early 1945, while II/814 was bagged by the Soviets as part of the 18th Army in Courland.

If anyone knows about the history of the two guns delivered to Turkey in 1939, please pass it on.

Fall 2026 issue of Armor Magazine is here

The 64-page Fall 2026 issue of Armor magazine (the Mounted Maneuver Journal) is available online for free (read or download).

The cover article, “Indispensable Iron” by COL Bryan Bonnema, MAJ Aram Hatfield, and CSM Greg Swayer, describes the importance of the ABCT and cautions against the temptation to substitute lighter formation or standoff fires for the capabilities that the ABCT provides.

Enjoy!

Last ‘Hog Flys Last Air Weapons School Training Flight

The end of an era, boys.

The A-10 Thunderbolt II SN 82-0665 completed its final training sortie with the 66th Weapons Squadron this week, flown by Lt. Col. Ridge Flick, the unit’s commander.

“The flight closed a chapter of providing graduate-level training in advanced close air support with the U.S. Air Weapons School,” as noted Nellis’s PAO.

U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Alex Padilla, a crew chief assigned to the 757th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, conducts postflight maintenance on an A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, August 18, 2026. Maintainers assigned to the 757th AMXS routinely inspect and service aircraft to ensure combat-ready airpower for the joint force. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Jennifer Nesbitt)

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Ridge Flick, 66th Weapons Squadron commander, conducts postflight procedures in an A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, August 18, 2026. The 66th WPS completed the final A-10 training flight for the U.S. Air Force Weapons School. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Jennifer Nesbitt)

A U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft taxis after its final training flight at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, Aug. 18, 2026. The 66th Weapons Squadron conducted the final training flight. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Jennifer Nesbitt)

Fitting that it was with 82-0665, the last ‘Hog built. According to Baugher’s sheets, 82-0665 (MSN 713) was delivered on 20 March 1984 to the 23rd FW, 74th TFS “Flying Tigers” at England AFB, Louisiana, and has had a full career.

An air-to-air right-side view of a 23rd Tactical Fighter Wing A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft banking toward Cain Lake, a landmark near the base where pilots practice their combat flying tactics. The aircraft is armed with AGM-65 Maverick missiles and an AN/ALQ-119 electronic countermeasures pod. The last production A-10A Thunderbolt II built (S/N 82-0665) was delivered to the TAC’s 74th Fighter Squadron at England AFB. (TSgt Bill Thompson)

Wearing a woodland camo paint livery and EL tail code, 82-665 was part of the TAC A-10 Demo Team and was named “Cool Cat the Last Tiger” to mark the last production A-10A.

She was sent to the Boneyard at AMARC in 2001, then returned to service and converted to A-10C standard before being sent to the 66th WPS.

The 66th, as recently as March, was conducting austere landing training on a dry lake bed outside of Las Vegas. You know, the kind of stuff the A-10 was designed for, and virtually no other combat jet in the world can pull off with style.

A U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft assigned to the 66th Weapons Squadron, U.S. Air Force Weapons School, performs an austere landing at Delamar Dry Lake near Alamo, Nevada, May 28, 2026. The 66th WPS provided close air support and forward air control during a Weapons School Integration mission. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Jennifer Nesbitt)

A U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft assigned to the 66th Weapons Squadron, U.S. Air Force Weapons School, deploys defensive flares during an evasive maneuver over the Nevada Test and Training Range, Nevada, May 28, 2026. The 66th WPS participated in a Weapons School Integration mission, challenging students to develop tactically relevant plans integrating multiple mission partners. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Jennifer Nesbitt)

The squadron is no stranger to change and flying icons.

Initially formed in 1940 as the 66th Pursuit Squadron, just seven months after Pearl Harbor, the outfit was flying its P-40 Warhawks as air cover for Monty’s British 8th Army’s drive across Egypt and Libya into Tunisia to kick the Afrika Korps off the continent.

Converted to the P-47 Thunderbolt, the 66th flew the big “Jug” all over Italy and Southern France for the rest of the war. They shifted airfields no less than 32 times during the war to keep up with the frontline.

Their mascot and emblem was cartoonist Al Walker’s cigar-chomping “Slug the Penguin.”

Cold War service saw the 66th fly F-51s, F-80s, F-94s, F-89s, F-105s, and later F-4s before transitioning to the A-10 in 1977. They have been based at Nellis since 1969 in support of the USAF Weapons School.

Nothing like that Northern Wedding

Some 40 years ago, in the darkest stretch of the Cold War, Exercise Northern Wedding ’86 was a massive, three-week NATO maritime and amphibious exercise conducted from late August to mid-September 1986, involving 150 ships, 35,000 troops, and 500 aircraft from 10 Western nations.

The NARA has hundreds of pics from the exercise, and they really show off the might of the Western fleets at the time, including at least three carriers (Nimitz, America, and Ark Royal), the newly recommissioned battlewagon Iowa, and ‘phibs a-plenty, including LHA’s with their original 5-inch guns intact, LSTs, and LPHs.

There were FFGs. Remember how nice it was to have those?

Heck, there were even hydrofoils, with the PHMs out of Key West seen in a rare overseas deployment.

A port bow view of the battleship USS Iowa (BB-61) underway during NATO Exercise Northern Wedding ’86, DN-ST-87-00986

A port bow view of the guided missile frigate USS Doyle (FFG-39) participating in an underway replenishment with the battleship USS Iowa (BB-61). The ships are participating in NATO exercise Northern Wedding 86, DN-ST-87-00322

Crew members aboard the battleship USS Iowa (BB-61) secure a Helicopter Light Anti-Submarine Squadron 32 (HSL-32) SH-2F Seasprite helicopter on the ship’s fantail during NATO exercise Northern Wedding 86. Of note, BuNo 161642 was a brand-new airframe, having just entered service in 1985. Rebuilt as a SH-2G by Kaman, she was stricken off charge in 2003 and is in the National Naval Aviation Museum’s collection today. DN-ST-87-00325

The No. 1 Mark 7 16-inch/50-cal. gun turret aboard the battleship USS Iowa (BB-61) is fired during a main battery firing exercise. The ship is participating in NATO exercise Northern Wedding 86, DN-ST-87-00324

An aerial port quarter view of the battleship USS Iowa (BB 61) firing her No. 3 Mark 7 16-inch/50-cal. guns during NATO exercise North Wedding 86. DN-ST-87-03747

Officers on the bridge of the battleship USS Iowa (BB-61) observe the ship’s Mark 28 5-inch/38-cal. guns during a firing exercise. The ship is participating in NATO exercise North Wedding 86. DN-ST-87-00321

A port view of the patrol combatant missile hydrofoil USS Hercules (PHM-2) underway alongside the battleship USS Iowa (BB-61) during NATO exercise Northern Wedding ’86, DN-ST-87-00316.

That’s a lot of Harpoons for a 133-foot PHM! Sadly, the 48-knot (not a misprint) USS Hercules (PHM-2) was retired after not quite 11 years of active service. DN-ST-87-00313.

A port quarter view of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68) underway off the coast of Norway during NATO Exercise Northern Wedding ’86. At the time, she shipped out with  CVW-8 (AJ tail code), including two F-14A Tomcat squadrons, two of A-7E Corsairs, one of A-6E Intruders, one of S-3A Vikings, plus Sea Kings, Prowlers, and Hawkeyes. DN-SC-87-02785

A starboard view of the amphibious assault ship USS Saipan (LHA 2) underway during NATO Exercise Northern Wedding ’86, note her bow 5-inch Mk45. DN-ST-87-01034

An aerial starboard beam view of the amphibious assault ship USS Nassau (LHA 4) being escorted by four CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters flying in formation over the ship. Note her bow 5-inch Mk45. The ship is participating in NATO Exercise Northern Wedding ’86, DN-SC-88-00894

A port bow view of the amphibious assault ship USS Inchon (LPH 12) underway during NATO Exercise Northern Wedding ’86. Note the little 19,000-ton helio carrier has at least seven CH-46 Sea Knights, four CH-53 Sea Stallions, and two UH-1Ns on her diminutive 592×104-foot flight deck. DN-ST-87-00975

A crew member mans an observation post aboard the tank landing ship USS Spartanburg County (LST 1192) above a Mark 32 3-inch/50-caliber twin gun mount during NATO Exercise Northern Wedding ’86, DN-ST-87-00947

A port quarter view of the British light aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal (R-09) underway during NATO exercise Northern Wedding ’86. Note the two Sea Harriers and at least five British Westland-built Sea Kings on her deck. DN-ST-87-00308

A port bow view of the British Type 42 (Sheffield) class destroyer HMS Liverpool (D 92) underway during NATO Exercise Northern Wedding ’86, DN-ST-87-01008

A bow view of the West German Type 101 (Hamburg) class destroyer FGS Schleswig-Holstein (D 182) underway during NATO Exercise Northern Wedding ’86. Schleswig-Holstein was an old girl even at the time, having been ordered in 1958 and just eight years away from disposal. DN-ST-87-00960.

A port bow view of the West German Type 101 (Hamburg) class FGS Hessen (D 184) underway during NATO Exercise Northern Wedding ’86. Note her French armament, including DCN 100 mm/L55 guns and MM38 Exocets. DN-ST-87-01016

When it comes to Marines, you have battleship MarDets pulling shot correction, and M60A1s hitting the beach with snorks, both long-extinct things.

Members of the Marine detachment from the battleship USS Iowa (BB-61) act as naval gunfire spotters during NATO Exercise Northern Wedding ’86. You have to love the M81 BDUs, M65 jackets, ALICE gear, M1 helmets with cat eyes, double canteens, and the ciggy, DN-SC-87-04734

Shells fired from the battleship USS Iowa (BB 61) land near the shoreline during live-fire gunnery practice for NATO Exercise Northern Wedding ’86. DN-ST-87-03458

A Marine M-60 main battle tank is driven ashore from Utility Landing Craft 1660 (LCU-1660) during the NATO Exercise Northern Wedding ’86. A folding snorkel is attached to the tank. DN-ST-85-00687

And you know, in a big NATO exercise conducted in Russia’s front yard, you had plenty of party crashers show up to observe, giving the Blue Team a good look at (and listen to) real-world Red Team assets.

You know the Leicas, Nikons, and Hasselblads were just clicking away.

A starboard bow view of the Soviet Sovremenny-class destroyer Bezuprechny observing NATO ships during Exercise Northern Wedding ’86, DN-SC-87-04745

An elevated port beam view of the Soviet Krivak I-class frigate Druzhny underway. The ship is observing NATO ships participating in Exercise Northern Wedding ’86, DN-SC-87-04469

A starboard bow view of the Soviet Krivak I-class frigate Zharky underway. The ship is following U.S. ships en route to exercise Northern Wedding ’86, DN-SN-87-04476

A Soviet Tu-20/Tu-95 Bear aircraft is escorted by a U.S. Navy F-14A Tomcat aircraft during NATO Exercise Northern Wedding ’86, DN-ST-87-01015

Good times.

A Rare Italian Storm Spotted

Spotted aboard the 6,200-ton Italian Thaon di Revel-class patrol frigate Giovanni Delle Bande Nere (P 434) at sea on her way back from RIMPAC: Beretta Mx4 Storm 9mm SMGs.

Beretta introduced the 12-inch-barreled, 1,000 rpm Mx4 in 2003 for consideration in military/LE contracts to fill the place in the company’s catalog left when the PM12 burp gun and its semi-auto PM12-S2 brother were curtailed.

Designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro (better known for his car designs including the Maserati MC12 and the DeLorean DMC-12), the Mx4/Cx4 was designed to use assorted grip-fed double-stack magazines with patterns including the Beretta 92, Beretta Cougar, and the Beretta Px4 Storm.

Beretta marketed the semi-auto Cx4 Storm tactical carbine with its 16-inch barrel for sporting purposes and as a patrol rifle in 9mm and .40S&W, and .45ACP in the U.S. and 9×21 overseas at the same time.

The Cx4 and Mx4 compared, seen at Beretta last year. Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com

Besides a good bit of movie, TV, and video game use (see Colonial Marines in Battlestar Galactica), the Cx4 never really garnered a lot of popularity, and the Mx4 got even less. Notably, and as witnessed above, the Italian Navy purchased a few hundred in 2013-14.

The Cx4 disappeared from Beretta USA’s website after April 2023, and neither it nor the Mx4 appears on Beretta Europe or Beretta Defense Technologies, replaced on the latter by the PMX.

The PMX is the new hotness for Beretta when it comes to SMGs these days.

Exquisite BHP (ish)

Check out these shots, courtesy of Nighthawk Custom Shop in Arkansas, of a Springfield Armory SA-35 in Smoked Nitride with some jaw-droppingly beautiful details.

Once Browning/FN stopped production on classic Hi-Powers in 2018, I was afraid that stuff like this wouldn’t be possible moving forward, as collectors would rather make their BHPs safe queens rather than send them into Nighthawk, Cylinder & Slide, or BH Customs for work like this.

I mean, the SA-35 is a decent U.S.-roll marked platform for $700-ish, and lends itself to easy customization and upgrades, so it’s a win-win for sure.

Of note, the final MSRP catalog prices for the last runs of Portugal-assembled BHPs before production ended in 2018 were $1,109 for the Hi-Power Mark III and $1,199 for the Hi-Power Standard, $1,500-$1,600 adjusted for inflation.

6 Pounds of Brushstroke Lightning

Mossberg broke the mold on short-barreled shotguns in late 2016 with the 590 Shockwave pump-action “firearms,” which use 14-inch barrels and bird’s head grips that aren’t SBSs and therefore don’t require federal NFA paperwork for transfers.

(Mossberg)

With its funky hard plastic (or walnut) Shockwave Raptor grip with a sort of clumsy recoil control, and the fact that you could opt for a more standard pistol-grip-only shotgun with a gently longer (16- or 18-inch) barrel that offered more control, some folks never warmed to the concept, and that’s fine. However, those who have reviewed Mossberg Shockwaves, with its proven stainless-steel 590 series action, have warmed to the concept with the proper techniques and loads.

Plus, the new 590 Bliksem brings a few new things to the table that the more basic 590 Shockwave did not, making it easier to shoot.

Observe the 590 Bliksem:

Mossberg 590 Bliksem
With a 14.375-inch steel barrel and AfterShock grip, the Mossberg 590 Bliksem has an overall length of 26.37 inches. (Photos: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
Mossberg 590 Bliksem
Weight, with its steel receiver and heavy-walled barrel, is 6.3 pounds. It has a 5+1 shell underbarrel magazine tube. 

With its AfterShock grip (which actually feels nice), oversized controls, and improved forward recoil strap, the Bliksem performs in the hand better than the Shockwave. Not only does it feel better and shoot better, but it is also flat-out more functional, ready to fill the bill around camp or cottage, veldt or villa.

So, who would the Bliksem appeal to?

First off, it is a great-looking gun that will turn heads, be it on the wall of the man cave or on the range.

For someone who may encounter tight corners and hallways or must move and shoot in a compressed space for high stakes, the Bliksem offers a serious option, especially with the right ammunition. For instance, think about Federal’s X2 9P 00, which helps avoid overpenetration while delivering softer recoil.

Add the included Esstac card and drop a sight atop the Pic rail (Holosun 507C shown), and you have something special, especially when you practise it. We were able to make easy hits on a 3/4 silhouette with reduced recoil buck to 15 yards, and slugs to 25. Loaded weight as shown, with optic, 5+1 in the pipe and 5 on the card, is right at 7 pounds. 

The Bliksem could easily excel in off-road situations such as in a camp environment, especially when venturing overnight in hog or bear country. It is something that can be kept in the truck or tent, stoked with heavy, deep-penetrating solid slugs (think Brenneke’s Black Magic, or Federal’s Tru-Ball Deep Penetrator, et. al.) as a “just in case.” Yes, you might set your tent on fire in the process. Just saying.

Full review in my column at Guns.com. 

Beachcombing in East Greenland

The Danes are currently hosting 400 soldiers from 11 NATO countries in a large ground force exercise in Greenland, and just wrapped up a rare joint exercise with SNMG1 and SNMCMG1 off Iceland for Operation Reassurance, along with Op Nanook Tuugaalik with the Canadian and U.S. naval forces, with the latter including the Freedom-variant littoral combat ship USS Wichita (LCS 13), surged to the far north from sunny 102-degree Mayport.

Dutch Korps Mariniers in Greenland, finding out just how cold RIB ops can be!

Some more Dutch Korps Mariniers, with a sinking feeling their camo might not be working

Finnish special forces are in Greenland having a blast…

Meanwhile, the current batch of Greenlandic territorials, the Arktisk Basisuddannelses, are probably not loving their training. Note the new Colt Canada C8s, though…

HMCS Robert Hampton Gray performs maneuvers with HDMS Thetis and CCGS George R. Pearkes during Operation Nanook-Tuugaalik on August 21, 2026. Photo: Corporal Paquette, Canadian Armed Forces Photo

ORP Mewa and HMCS Moncton conduct a mine-screening exercise alongside FS Auvergne while sailing astern of HMCS Ville De Québec during Operation Reassurance in the North Atlantic Ocean on 16 August 2026. Corporal Gregory Cole, Canadian Armed Forces Photo

With all of this naval and coast guard ship movement, it is of interest that a shore party of tourists from a passing cruise ship (!) came upon an old Soviet naval mine in Carlsberg Fjord (Kangerterajitta Itterterilaq), north of Ittoqqortoormiit in East Greenland.

Nope. Don’t like that on your beach walk…

For reference, the closest town to where the mine was found is Scoresbysund (Ittoqqortoormiit), a 300-person hamlet just 20 miles away as the crow flies, but is about 500 miles NW by air of Reykjavík and 900 miles from Nuuk, the capital of Greenland on the opposite side of the frozen subcontinent.

A det from the Royal Danish Navy UDT group (Søværnets Dykkertjeneste) helicoptered in and zapped said mine.

As to the mine’s origin, it likely floated at least 1,200 miles across the Barents and Greenland Sea from the Northern Norwegian coast (e.g., Kirkenes) or the Kola Peninsula and could very well have been laid during WWII.

First Team at Work on the Edge of the Storm

This week is the 105th anniversary of the establishment of the 1st U.S. Cavalry Division.

To celebrate, how about this great photo essay of American horse cavalry in the field, Fort Bliss, Texas, summer of 1939? The twilight of such an organization. Note the M1903s and M1917A1 “Kelly” helmets. All caught in time.

(Photographer in all cases: J.J. Gregor, Ft. Bliss, Texas. From prints furnished by Mr. Sullivan, Remount Branch, Quartermaster Corps. 7/18/39. Signal Corps Collection via NARA)

Machine gun detachment. Note the M1917 Bolo knives on their gun belts, used for clearing brush from fields of fire. 111-SC-113986

Hell for leather, baby! Could you imagine what that Kelly tin helmet with almost no padding felt like rattling on your head while galloping across that ground? 111-SC-113995

Another shot of the MG detachment. You can see the tripod mounts for their M1917 Brownings. 111-SC-113989

Another of the MG detachments with Bolos. 111-SC-113992

111-SC-113991

Machine gun detachment. Note their M1917 Bolos. 111-SC-113985

Of gas masks and 1911s. My favorite, and also perhaps the scariest. 111-SC-113987

Field artillery on parade. At the time, the division had the 82nd Field Artillery Battalion and the 99th Field Artillery Battalion, both with 75mm pack howitzers, later towed by jeeps. 111-SC-113998

On parade with dress uniforms, including pennants

At the time, Fort Bliss was one of the final holdouts for horse cavalry in the U.S. Army. It was home to the active duty 1st Cavalry Division (activated there on 13 September 1921) with four regiments (5th, 7th, 8th, and 12th U.S. Cavalry). The base would also soon be home to the Army National Guard’s 56th Cavalry Brigade’s 112th (Texas) Cavalry Regiment, which had been called to federal service on 10 November 1940 by President Roosevelt and mustered at Bliss.

Tasked with guarding the Mexican border, that mission largely evaporated after Mexico formally entered WWII on the side of the Allies in June 1942.

After giving up their steeds on 28 February 1943, largely transferring them to the 2nd Cavalry Division, the 1st Cav deployed to Australia and later fought the Japanese on foot, seeing combat for the first time on 29 February 1944 on Los Negros Island in the Admiralty chain— which was ironically a horseshoe-shaped island.

It was in the Philippines when the unit inherited about 25 captured Japanese Army horses, found still harnessed to 75mm guns, then duly recycled into U.S. service by men of the 8th Cavalry Regiment.

On 3 February 1945, the 1st Cav became the first U.S. unit to re-enter Manila, racing 100 miles as part of the legendary “Flying Column” of jeeps and trucks to liberate more than 3,500 internees at Santo Tomas University and secure key objectives across the city, coining the name “First Team.”

By the end of the war, they had suffered 4,055 battle casualties in 521 days of combat.

Entering Tokyo with the occupation forces, they put on a rodeo for Armistice Day, 1945, at the Meiji Shrine Stadium, complete with horses liberated from a racetrack and purportedly late of the Imperial Guard.

Running tomorrow’s rifle with yesterday’s optics

Military small arms acquisition programs are always funny. More so if there is a “package” of accessories and goodies that go with it.

The most persistent problem lately seems to have been jumping the gun on over-ambitious optics systems on combat rifles and carbines.

We’ve already talked about the “M7 Surrogate Fire Control Program” on the Army’s 250,000 Next Generation Squad Weapons in rifle (M7), carbine (XM8), and LMG (M250) variants, which have eschewed the apparently not-ready-for-primetime Vortex M1157 Fire Control System for commercial off-the-shelf optics and lasers from EoTech and B.E. Meyers.

Similarly, in Germany, the new HK G95 program— the Bundeswehr’s dirty mustard-toned (“ekelhaftgelb“) HK416A8 rifle– is supposed to use the Leonardo-supplied Elcan Specter DR 1-4x as the companion day optic of record.

This bad boy, seen in two different colorways and with and without caps:

However, very specific changes and tweaks to the version of the Specter wanted by the Bundeswehr mean that just about every one I have seen has been wearing a very chunky Hensoldt RSA-S reflex sight atop a ZO 4x30i fixed-power optic with an IR pointer module.

Thus:

And as seen with these troops of Panzerpionierbataillon 701 in a video posted last week:

If it seems kind of a throwback, that optics combo was adopted a decade ago for the circa 2016 IdZ-ES (Infanterist der Zukunft – Erweitertes System) future soldier program for use with the G36, the rifle the G95 is replacing.

Cue the rimshot. Everyone laughs.

Meanwhile, the EOTech OGL-C is now civilian-legal and non-restricted.

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