The Brigade Speciale Beveiligingsopdrachten emerged from necessity. In 1975, with Europe rattled by the Munich massacre and rising terrorism, Major General E.N. Spronk of the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee identified an operational gap: the specialized counter-terrorist units on the books were to...
Artificial intelligence (AI) isn’t good at rendering firearms, and that’s probably not a bad thing, for reasons that will soon be explored. It should also be noted that while AI rendered guns isn’t good yet, it is likely to improve. That might not be a good thing either. First, we need ...
By 1940, both England and Germany realized that the Kriegsmarine’s U-Boats were the key to the Battle of the Atlantic. Eliminating the German submarine threat was Britain’s top priority. Expanding the U-Boat fleet was Germany’s greatest hope to bring the British to their knees. In those dar...
Charred lodgepoles scratching a gunmetal sky reflected my mood. This morning the elk had won. No plan in mind, I climbed beyond where they’d scattered. Probing the slope’s crest from the sit with my binocular, I saw it. Among ranks of black boles with low-arcing limbs, a branch curved up...
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 Although outdated by 1943, as the newer and more capable Essex-cla...
At the National Museum of the United States Air Force, many visitors will see an unfamiliar aircraft at the entrance to the WWII gallery. The museum’s display of the gleaming silver fighter coded “86” on the fuselage, features a pilot boarding the plane in his pajamas, with an M1911 pistol ...
The air war during World War II saw the transition from the last of the biplane fighters to the beginning of the jet age. A myriad of aircraft were in action around the globe; some have become enduring icons while others faded into obscurity. The Brewster F2A Buffalo can legitimately claim member...
The Coalcracker 10x10 Dutchware Tarp delivers 100 square feet of lightweight, weather-resistant backcountry shelter in just 18 ounces. Crafted from premium Xenon Sil 1.1 fabric with versatile tie-out configurations, it's the ideal tarp for hammock camping, bushcraft, and ultralight adventures.
Even positive changes can be hard to accept. Long before the M1 Garand rifle was in widespread service in the US military, it had its share of detractors. A number of these objectors simply disagreed with the Army’s decision to adopt a semi-automatic rifle at all. They argued that the...
During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union raced to develop weapons that could tip the balance of power. Among the most audacious creations of this era was the M65 Atomic Cannon, an enormous artillery piece capable of firing a nuclear shell. Nicknamed “Atomic Annie,” this wea...