In the mid-1930s, Adolph Hitler cast his eye towards France and dreamed of revenge for the outcome of World War One. Standing in his way was the French Maginot Line, a collection of massive concrete strongpoints, casemates, armored turrets, and observation posts. Among the barbed wire, mine field...
Norway's Home Guard has added some serious reach to its toolkit. Their school recently completed the first instructor course and several initial user courses on the new 12.7mm MØR, the Barrett M107A1, now rolling out across the Heimevernet. Instructor cadres qualified first, then turn...
Virginia is defending its new gun restrictions by portraying AR-15s as “weapons of war.” From colonial muskets to surplus M1 Carbines, American history tells a very different story.
There are reasons why the full-size 1911 pistol is often described as “iconic,” and the gun’s long and successful history on battlefields, in the streets and at pistol championships isn’t the only reason. It’s slim for its power level, an important dimension for both comfort a...
The classic American service rifle, the M14 in 7.62x51mm NATO, was the replacement for the M1 Garand, adding (among other things) a 20-round detachable box magazine and select-fire including fully automatic. It was the primary service rifle for the U.S. until Vietnam where it was replac...
It’s one of the most memorable monikers for a fighting force around, and its legend stems from a brutal battle fought more than a century ago. The term was reportedly adapted from the German Teufel Hunden, and applied to American Marines following the Battle of Belleau Wood during World Wa...
The idealized concept immediately took root and blossomed: the Royal Air Force saved Britain from invasion in 1940. The conventional wisdom holds that Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s legendary “few” handed Nazi Germany its first defeat in World War II and paved the road to eventual victo...
The USS Saratoga (CV-3) was one of just three United States Navy aircraft carriers—along with USS Ranger (CV-4) and USS Enterprise (CV-6)—to survive the entirety of the Second World War. Although outdated by 1943, as the newer and more capable Essex-cla...
Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! Here we have a Ross Model 1912 Cadet straight-pull bolt action rifle in .22 caliber, manufactured 1912-1917. The Ross Rifle Company of Quebec produced these as training rifles based on their controversial military rifle design. Sir Charles Ross designed th...
Editor’s Note: Especially adapted for The Armory Life from The Matchless Enfield .303 No. 4 Mk I (T) Sniper and Britain’s Elite Scout/Snipers Who Dominated WWII Battlefields Book No. 2 Mk II revised and expanded by Jeff John. Available at Amazon.com. I’ve long believed the En...