Military Classics Illustrated vol.4

World War II forever altered global history. Courage was redefined by the Americans called onto defend freedom, and defy the enemy's unconscious brutality inflicted upon decent citizens of theworld.

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)III..Irl~'llY(~I..AS~

Thanks for the ideas. We'll get workingon them. -Ed

KEEP 'EM COMING1 have read three Military Classics

issues. 1have found them to be exactlywhat 1 have been looking for If youkeep printing them, I'll keep buyingthem I

Thanks for a great magazine.-LeRoy SingletonJI:

via e-mail l!iI

-Philip Garciavia-email

films. 1hope you have coverage on themaking of "Windtalkers" and A&E's"Lost Battalion" soon.

It's great that you did topics onminority warriors such as the BuffaloSoldiers. I hope you do one on the forgotten warriors the Philippine Scouts1930's who fought along sideAmerican troops in Bataan andCorregidor. It's a subject which a vastmajority of military enthusiasts areignorant about.

You've got a great magazine.Hopefully it will be bigger in size soonjust like the European military and aviation magazines.

-Roy LongChambersburg, PA

TARAWA TO OKINAWAPQ Box 1702 Burbank, California 91507·1702

~lsit the no website at:

p..:V./www.kingncountry.com/ufoot.htm

CONTENT SUGGESTIONS1just got the third issue and was

highly surprised that you did an articleof the Legion Etrangere. I have most ofthe equipment and complete uniformof the "Beau Geste" era style. Will youdo an article about the making of "TheLight Horsemen" film and it's uniformssoon and the highly accurate "Band ofBrothers" series? It's great that you aredoing articles on the making of war

introducing our Herringbone Twillility Coats, Trousers and Caps.~ee USMC HBT sample and price sheet,

aen a self addressed stamped envelope to:

ries of them serving in operation DesertStorm with me. 1 was shopping in theAmerican PX tent, recognized theiruniform and tried to use some highschool French to just be friendly. I wasjust ignored and I thought, boy whatan S.O.B.lln the movie "Legionnaire" Inoticed, as a retired Army veteran, thatno one used their bayonet. I mean theyhad run out of ammo, but no one evenpulled out the "cold steel." I guess VanDamme was going to kick his way thruthe Arab mobs! I'd really like to seesomething on Canadian troops ofWWl, my grandfather was in the 25thNova Scotia Infantry Regiment in1917-1918.

SHERMAN ENGINEYour article on the Sherman tank is

the best consolidation of informationon the tank 1 have ever seen. The onlything that was left out was that theFord 8 cylinder engine was a RollsRoyce Merlin with the middle fourcylinders cut out. Ford had kept theplans from when England had askedthem to make engines for them, andisolationist Henry Ford refused.Interestingly, the English used a gasoline version of the American WWlLiberty aircraft engine in their tanks,and the Russians made a diesel versionof the Liberty for their 134.

-Dave Grantvia e-mail

You are correct that a traditionalBowie should have a clip point, thoughthe term has been stretched a bit toinclude other large knives with differently styled blades. -Ed

FLAMIN' SHERMANI recently picked up a copy of your

magazine, specifically to read aboutthe MA Sherman tank. The article wasvery well written, with one exception.The author [ailed to mention a highlyeffective modification used during thewar Rather than firing shells, theShermans in my father's battalion weremodified as flame throwers. Thesewere used in the Pacific, most notablyduring the battle for Okinawa.

-Rick Goldbergvia e-mail

your fine article on Bowies. I have oneminor point with which to disagree,however. I have always understood aBowie to be a large, heavy, fixed bladeknife with a prominent guard and a clippoint. Indeed, all of the knives shownin your article have clip points exceptfor the one at the bottom of page 11.This knife is more in the form which Iwould classify as a dirk or dagger. HaveI been mistaken in my understandingthat one of the distinguishing marks ofa Bowie is a clip pOint?

Thanks for the good work.-Ross AsherHOLLston, TX

LEGION ETRANGEREJust read your magazine cover to

cover. I loved every bit of it. As a CivilWar re-enactor for 14 years, the freshinfo about other historic periods reallysparked my interest. Civil War stuff isabout to burn out a bunch of us reenactors. Your article about the FrenchLegion Etrangere brought back memo-

111 I1ths before filming began so that itlooked like it belonged in his hands.As for the silk patch comment, Ibelieve that's from the book, so thatdramatic extension of the truth and therange, may belong to Cooper.

The valley used in the massacrescene was specially planted with theproper plants and they were allowed togrow to the correct height for the timeof year that is depicted in the scene.

So there are my few additions. Ihope they are of some interest. Thanksagain for the good work. Ilook forward to the next issue.

-Christopher B. SeivardlCG Cinematographer

Hershey, PA

SURPLUS FIREARM FANI really like your new publication

and intend to pick up every new issueand become a subscriber once offered.I am a real fan of the Surplus Firearmsseries and have every issue tuckedaway. I would like to get the first issueo[ Military Classics Illustrated and hopethat you could direct me on how to doso. Until then keep up the good work.

-R/ Mick TaylorLTUSN

Unfortunately the first issue is out ofplint and currently not available. -Ed

WHAT'S A BOWIE?I have just found your issue with the

article on Bowie Knives in your BattleBlades section. First, allow me to thankyou for your excellent magazine. I hopeI see it more often, and that you eventually offer subscriptions. Being a collector and user of knives, I enjoyed

MILITARY FILM LORThanks [or a great magazin . I par

ticularly enjoyed th di u i n [warfilms, both in your c lumn and in Mr.Gagliassos "Movies Militair "pi cc.

Working in the film indu try, I oftensee the similarities b tw n film-making and military action. Ih r are guerrilla filmmakers, small unit actions,and large scale operati ns. There areunits and uniforms, pr tocol, and SOPI think when you mix a film companywith the subject of th military, thosesimilarities mesh ev n further.

I'd like to add som notes on thefilms mentioned in the issue. "FortApache" was photographed withblack and white infrared film. Thistechnique allowed the big sky overMonument Valley to be that beautifuldark shade instead of white. However,so that the uniforms and flags wouldreflect the correct amount o[ lR light,they were made in colors that arenon-standard to say the least.Apparently lots of pinks and brownsand yellows.

During the shooting of "She Wore AYellow Ribbon," Ford and hisCinematographer Winton C. Hoch,quarreled over the safety of keepingthe company out in the middle of thevalley during a thunderstorm. Fordwon. They stayed, and the footage issome of the most amazing in the film.Hoch won an Academy Award for theCinematography, but he and Fordnever spoke again.

I took a class with Dante SpinottiASC, AIC who often shoots for MichaelMann, and photographed "Mohichans".Mann is obsessed with accuracy anddetail. He made Daniel Day Lewiscarry his Pennsylvania Long Rifle for

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4 MILITARY CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED MILITARY CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED 5

Mario Nascimbene's music for The Vikings(1959), sounded pretty Norse for an Italian composer. It isevocative, haunting and perfectly fits the mood of the picture. Intermezzo.

cutlasses. Two Viking films, 1958's The Vikings starringKirk Douglas and The Long Ships also boast wonderfulscores that capture the far northern barbarians sea-goingadventures in a lusty fashion.

My own favorite sea-going score is Michelle Legrand'sbeautiful underwater and submarine theme [rom Howard

Film composer jerry Goldsmith has written the scores fordozens of great films. One of his best would have to be his1970 score the Oscar winning Patton. Goldsmith capturesthe spirit of George Patton in all of his contradictions sowell, that a musical image of a 3rd Century Roman commander caught up in a 20th Century general's body addswonderfully to George C. Scott's magnificent portrayal.

Goldsmith also did a great score evoking legendaryheroics and military bravado for The Wind and the Lion in1976. His music for this john Milius adventure filmalternately brings out the best of Sean Connery's Barbarypirate derring-do and Brian Keith's TheodoreRooseveltian imperialistic bluster.

In his eighties, Elmer Bo"stein is still one of the filmcommunity's top and most prolific composers. His scorefor The Great Escape (1963) features an appropriatelywhimsical military-type theme that suddenly turns suspenseful, tragic and heroic at all the right times.Berstein may be best known for perhaps the most rec"ognizable movie theme of all time, the main thememusic for the classic western The Magnificent Seven. Hisscore for Cecil B. De Mille's 1958 remake of TheBuccaneer is a one of those grand examples of a scorethat's better than the actual film.

Seagoing military films particularly lend themselves to great movie music. Music in pirate moviesin particular, like the Erich Wolfgang Korngold scorefor the Errol Flynn starring classic Captain Blood capture all the gusto and open-seas spirit of adventurenecessary in a story about salty dogs and sparring

There is absolutely no question that John William'sscore for 1941 (1979) is a lot offun...and perhaps one of

his best efforts. Varese Sarabande.

While a good deal of the music from The Horse Soldiers (1959)was traditional ("Bonnie Blue Flag," "Lorena," "When JohnnyComes Marching Home" some was written especially for the filmby David Buttolph, including the rousing, "I Left My Love." Delphi.

Max Steiner's music for the 1936 Charge of the LightBrigade, still stands as one of the most rousing actionscores ever written. Marco Polo.

breed of musical cat altogether.Creating a mood or rhythm thatmakes a scene in a great military filmcome alive is that final element thatcompletes the war film experience.

The music doesn't have to always behuge orchestrated themes that soundof brass and drums overflowing, sometimes contemporary or even recognizable classic pieces of music can set thetone and work the scene in a trulyeffective way. In the trailer for the newmilitary drama Blackhawk Down BobDylan's "Knocking on Heaven's Door"is used to great effect before you see anAmerican copter downed by aSomalian RPG rocket. Of course theuse of "Ride of the Valkyries" in the AirCavalry attack sequence in ApocalypseNow is one of the most unique uses ofmusic in a war film ever conceived.But it's usually the more traditionalmilitary type themes that seem to grabmilitary history buffs by their ears.

What follows is not al ist, just some observations of the bestmusic from military films that sometimes isn't even fromthe top films.

Surely one of the best soundtra ks [or a military historical film would have to be composer Max Steiner's incredible score for The Charge oj the Light Brigade (1936.) Steinerseemed to specialize in military and historical epics, alsowriting the music [or the lassic Custer film They DiedWith Their Boots On, and many other great WarnerBrothers' films of the 1930s and 40s. His music throughthe final ten-minute charg s quen e builds with wonderful traditional-style them s so p rrectly that it can rouse

an audience to cheers. By the tim the British standardbearer is shot from his h rse and holds the tattered banner up to be scooped out or his dying grip, the musicswells with such martial pride that it is one of the highlights of the film.

The imagery o[ a cavalry charge seems to loan itself particularly well to gr at film composing. Sam Peckinpah'sflawed epic Major Dundee (1963) features a great score ByDaniele Amfitheatror, that beautifully emphasizes theFrench lancers depicted in that film with a combination ofgutsy energy and traditional sounds that greatly adds tothe often brutal battle scenes.

David Buttolph's soundtrack for john Ford's TheHorse Soldiers is one of the best Civil War scores evercomposed. The use of traditional American themesincluding the Johnny Reb favorite "Bonnie Blue Flag"matches in perfectly with the film's made up Unioncavalry song "I Left My Love." That original song wascomposed by Stanjones, a former Park Service Rangerwho also wrote the hit "Ghost Riders in the Sky" andpenned several original period sounding Indian Warsongs [or Ford's Rio Grande.

james Horner's melancholy, but heroic themes forthe ageless story of the all black 54th MassachusettsInfantry Glory made their the film's fatal charge onFort Wagner exultant and mournful at the same time.

MoviesMilitolre

Those Wonderlul WarFilm Soundtracks

Music and the military just seem to go togetherhand-in-hand. From the days of ram's horns tokettledrums, trumpets and bugles, armieshave risen, passed in review, fought battles andfinally bedded down to some sort of musical

accompaniment. But military movie music is a different

6 MILITARY CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED MILITARY CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED 7

MARINES IN KOREAD Story Of 1st Marine Division In Korea, 55 min.

SPECIALTY TITLES FOR MARINESD Steel Knight: 1st Marine Div. Live Fire 1998 At 29 Palms, 90 min.D Band's All Here: Historical Salute To USMC Field Bands, 90 min.D Embassy Marines 1960s: On Guard Around World, 30 min.D Marines Land In Lebanon: 1958, 30 min.D M·14: This Is My Rifle (On The Range At P.I.), 30 min.D Rifle Platoon 1950s & Rifle Squad 1960s, 60 min.D Old Corps: Marines Training In The 1930s, 60 min.D M·16 Rifle: Care And Operation! Battlefield, 20 min.D Cuban Missile Crisis & Marines At GITMO, 70 min.

Uncut & UncensoredFollowing Footage Was Taken Of Marines By Combat Camera.

There Is No Narration.D China Marines: 6th Marine Division in China during September/ October 1945.landing at Chinwaogtao, Marines marching through the streets ofTsingtao, fonnalsurrender of the Japanese (MajGen. Eiji Nagano) to Gen. Lemuel Shephenl at theTsingtao racetrack, 40 min.D Scenes From Operation Starlite 1965, Chu !ai, Beach landing, Marines On Patrol,Tanks, Amtracs, Helicopters, 20 min.D Scenes From 1st Mar. Div., Vietnam pre·redeployment, Hill 510, IZ Baldy, FSBRyder & IZ Ross, Feb. 1971, 12 min.D Scenes From Op.lndependence, Hili 10, near Dai Loc, My Dong Village HappyValley, (very graphic) Feb. 1967, 12 min.D Scenes From Op. Baxter Gardens, 1st Marine Division, near Hue City (very graphic)Apri11968 & Scenes From Op. Mameluke Throst, near An Hoa, May 1968, 20 min.

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MARINES IN WORLD WAR ..D The Camp Pendleton Story WWII: 3rd, 4th, 5th Div., 70 min.D The Marines Who Defended Midway, 60 min.D Navajo Code Talkers OfWorld War II, 30 min.D Marine Corsair Pilot WWII (Silent & Narrated), 40 min.D Marines Ship To Shore & How To Abandon Ship, 45 min.D Tarawa: Official USMC Battle Report, 50 min.D Guadalcanal: Official USMC Battle Report, 50 min.D New Britain: Official USMC Battle Report, 40 min.D Guam: Official USMC Battle Report, 70 min.D Tinian: Official USMC Battle Report, 50 min.D Saipan: Official USMC Battle Report, 85 min.D Peleliu: Official USMC Battle Report, 85 min.D Iwo Jima: Official USMC Battle Report, 50 min.D Marines/Okinawa: Official USMC Battle Report, 60 min.D 6th Mar. Div./ Okinawa: Official USMC Battle Report, 60 min.D Marines On Bougainville, Unedited Silent Footage, 40 min.D Marines At Naha, Okinawa, Unedited Silent Footage, 35 min.D USMC Combat Conditioning: Judo & Unarmed, 30 min.D USMC Combat Conditioning: Bayonet/Swimming, 50 min.D USMC Combat Conditioning: Knife/ Club Fighting, 20 min.

MARINES IN VIETNAMD Sand & Steel: Airbase at Chu Lai, 15 min.D Marines 1965 & Operation Piranha, 45 min.D Marines 1967 & Operation County Fair, 45 min.D Marines 1968 & On Target, 45 min.D Day In Vietnam: Overview I-Corps Ops, 50 min.D Chieu Hoi Program &The Viet Cong, 40 min.D Op. Dewey Canyon & Legacy Program, 45 min.D Ugly Angels (Choppers) & Wings Of AMarine, 40 min.D Siege At Khe Sanh & Contact, 45 min.D VMCJ Photo Recon, Full Blade &Jungle War, 60 min.D Hospital Ship USS Repose & Corpsman, 45 min.D Marine Engineers & Seabees in Vietnam, 40 min.

N B II' Marine Corps Videoso U •You Won't Find Anywhere ElseOUR LATEST MARINE CORPS TITLES

oKwajalein USMC Battle Report WWII: Qunpaign to take Roi and Namur islands by the 4th Marine Division, 70 min.oGlamour Gal: Marine Artillery Unit!!wo Jimall: Pack Howitzer: 1st film is adocumentary; 2nd is atraining film, 45 min.

o 1st Marine Division On GuadalcanaI: Behind-the-Scenes!Day-to-Day Activities of Div.; No narration, 40 min.oWith The Marines In Korea II: Chasin Reservoir: 1st Film Gives Overview of War; 2nd Focuses on Chooin Res., 50 min.oNotes OnJungie Warfare WWII: Training on Hand-to-Hand Combat, Knife-fighting and Tricks Used byJapanese, 40 min.oCamp Pendleton Part n.Korean War Era: TraininYCombat!Sgt. Reckless/lnterviews/ Gens. Krulak &Halfman, 60 min.

oEdinburgh Tattoo 1958: Marine Corps Partiopation in the International Festival of Music in Scotland, 20 min.oMarines 1966: Helicopter Sqd. 365 In Caribbean, 26th Marines Embark/Vietnam, 4th Marines, Ops. Hastings &Prairie, 30 min.oMarines II: Helicopten,lShips OfThe Sky: 2fIlms dealing with early uses ofhelicopters by Marines in Korea & 1951Xi, 40 min.

oHAWK Missile Battery: Story of Marine missile specialists of the 1mwho staffone of the Corps' new weapons systems, 25 min.oThe John Glenn Story: From his childhood days to his lriumph as an astronau~ this is one Marine's story, 30 min.

oUSMC Aviation 19505: Follow Marines into basic &advanced aviation training at Quantico, Pensacola and Corpus Christi, 30 min.oMOO San Diego 1950s: Covers the entire boot camp experience. Includes great footage of Rifle Range Qunp Matthews, 30 min.

oSeagoing Leathernecks: Produced in 19605, details training (Sea School) and shipboard duties of Marine detachments, 30 min.oMarine Observation: fixed wing &helicopters. 2fIlms, "Tactical &Gunnery Observation" &"Eagle Eye Bravo," 30 min.

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D'AU'ECOMPOSED AND CONDfIcJED .,l1li IE AMF'THEATROF

While Major Dundee was something ofa mixed bagcinematically, Daniele Amfitheatrof's music was pretty

darned good. The "Major Dundee March" is particularlyinteresting. Tsunami.

Who can forget the prideful swell of the James Horner'ssoundtrack as Gibson's William Wallace exhorts the Scots tofight at his side in the pivotal and bloody battle of SterlingBridge in 1297. (Okay, I know in the film there is no mention of the bridge.)

The Rogers Rangers epic Northwest Passage (see my articlein this issue) is another great score that works so incrediblywell with the action on screen. Herbert Stoharts use of traditional British military themes like "The British Grenadiers"and the beautiful and stirring, "Over the Hills and Far Away"were perfect matches for this top notch story of the Frenchand Indian War. By the by, the Napoleonic War British mini-series of a few years ago, Sharp's Rifles used "Over the Hillsand Far Away" as its closing theme, as well.

The Man Who Would Be King, The Longest Day, NorthwestMounted Police, Gunga Din, The Alamo, 1941, Captain fromCastile, take your piCk. There are plenty of great war filmmusic scores for you to enjoy. And more and more CDreleases are tapping into this market by repressing or evenfreshly recording new version of many of the classic olderscores that were previously no longer available.

So pop that CD into the stereo, lay back and rediscoverthe magic of great military films music. Until the nexttime, "Lest we forget." G

Hughes' favorite movie Ice Station Zebra. Listening to Jarre'squietly proud music just brings to mind the powerful graceof that nuclear sub in the film gliding under the Polar ice cap.

John Barry not only gave filmgoers the epic sweep andsound of the 1860s American Plains in Dances With Wolves,but 25 years earlier he wrote the great and awe inspiringmusic for Zulu. Barry's score makes wise and liberal use ofboth traditional Zulu sounds and the 24th Regiment ofFoot, South Wales Borderers' actual regimental song, "Menof Harlech."

Mel Gibson's Braveheart in 1995 certainly featured one ofthe most memorable of more recent war film scores.

8 MILITARY CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED

George Wostenholm & Son, to alsoproduce them. However, only thosemade by Wilkinson have the "F-SFighting Knife" logo acid-etched onthe blade.

With approximately, 56,048 of theSecond Pattern produced byWilkinson alone, the Ministry ofSupply eventually authorized 154,000of the newly modified Third Patternstyle, which became official onFebruary 6,1943. This new knife wasparkerized entirely black, includingthe handle and guard, which due to

war-time conditions was made of a castalloy, instead of brass. Also, the checkered handle gave way to one with concentric rings.

After the British Government adopted the Second Pattern, their cutlerycontractors, including Wilkinsonbegan making these knives for privatesale in their commonwealth, as well asfor the exiled Dutch and NorwegianGovernments. Examining the surviving knives reveal that variations on thehandle treatments and guards havebeen observed within the three basicpatterns. By 1942, Captain Fairbairnwas transferred to the U.S. Governmentfor training their instructors in thecloak and dagger knife fighting techniques. This resulted in the newlyformed Office of Strategic Services("OSS, "the forerunner of the CIA),who adopted a close copy of theFairbairn-Sykes Knife on July 1,1942for their personnel. On August 24,1943 the delivery was completed on all10,000 of these knives made by

Landers, Frary and Clark of NewBritain, Connecticut. The blade, however, was more slender and the handlewas made out of steel, not brass.Another version, made by the CamillusCutlery Company, was the MarineRaiders Stiletto, believed to have beenused by the 4th Raider Battalion. It hada checkered zinc handle and the initials, USMC, in a fancy scroll designetched on the center of the blade.Camillus manufactured 14,370 ofthem. Still another version was madeby the Case Cutlery Company for theSpecial Services Force. It was known asthe V-42, for the year it was authorizedand had a handle made out of ovalleather washers with a pointed steelpommel cap.

MILITARY CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED 11

Only the early Fairbairn-Sykes knivesmade by Wilkinson have the etched "F-S"

;:3:=;-:::", in the ricasso. They also featured theearly checkered handle. RobertBuerlein.

the words, F-S Fighting Knife, etchedon one side and the Wilkinson logo onthe other. The scabbard was darkbrown leather with a nickel-platedreinforced brass chape on the tip toprevent the stiletto style blade frompuncturing through.

Within a couple months, on April29, 1941, some alterations were authorized to expedite production. Knownas the Second Pattern, it replaced therecurved crossguard with a straightone and eliminated the flat ricasso ofthe blade, allowing the blade's grindlines to continue up to the guard. Inaddition, the handle checkering wasless pronounced. With the adoption ofthe Second Pattern, the War Officeauthorized other cutlery firms,prinCipally in Sheffield, includingJ. (john) Clarke & Son and

Indian Ishapore "I" stamp can be seen on this F-S crossguard. The "ENGLAND"marking was added when the knives were imported into the United States for civilian sale after being declared surplus. Chuck Fowler collection.

Crossguard ofknife made by William Rogers ofSheffield. Maker's -E:~mark is obscured by British proof. Chuck Fowler collection.

sides of its 7-inch-long blade and easyto-grip slender handle, it was 12 inches overall. However, it should be notedthat the dimensions varied somewhat,since the blades were hand drawn andground. Within a few months, 1,250 ofthese daggers were in the hands of theCommandos.

There were three basic patterns produced during the War. The first pattern had a brass checkered handle thatwas nickel-plated and three differentcrossguards. Initially, the recurvedcrossguard was 3 inches wide (type 1),but this was quickly shortened to 2inches wide (type 2) Eventually, therecurved crossguard became slightlymore shallow (type 3) with the handlecheckering less precise. On one side ofthe blade's flat area, referred to as thericasso, just below the crossguard, had

A British Commando gets ready for araid. He is carrying one of the early pattern F-S knives. Imperial War Museum.

"Enterprises must be prepared withspecially-trained troops of the hunterclass, who can develop a reign of terrordown the enemy coasts. I look to theJoint Chiefs of Staff to propose measures for vigorous enterprise and aceaseless orfensive against the wholeGerman-occupied coastline, leaving atrail of German corpses behind."

With Churchill's call for his newspecially trained "Commando" troopscame the new kind of knife that wouldfacilitate their "reign of terror"-thesleek double-edged sanguinary stilettodeveloped by Captains William EwartFairbairn and Eric Anthony Sykes.Prior to World War II , they learned theart of killing quickly and silently whileserving in the Shanghai InternationalPolice. The pair returned to England in1939 where they became close combatinstructors for the Army Training newCommando units for guerrilla warfarenow also came under their auspices.Feeling that they could improve on thetwo knuckle-duster pattern knives, theBC41 and the Middle East Knife, thatwere currently being used, Fairbairnand Sykes approached the War Officein November, 1940 with their newdesign for killing. The long establishedfirm of Wilkinson Sword Limited produced the prototypes to be tested. ByJanuary 1941, the Fairbairn-SykesKnife, correctly referred to as the "F-SFighting Knife," was officiallyapproved and ordered into production. With a razor-sharp edge on both

during the 1899-1902 South AfricanWar, Churchill knew only too wellhow the hit-and-run tactics of theirBoer adversaries, using small groups ofmen to ride on horseback in what theycalled "commando," dragged out a warthat should have been easily won byEngland a year earlier.

Now, 38 years later, during hiscountry's darkest hour, Churchill'swords to the War Cabinet Secretariat,General Ismay, read in part,

The Fairbairn-Sykes Commando Knife

With the British Army'sExpeditionary Forcetrapped against thebeaches of Dunkirk, theircountry's Prime Minister,

Sir Winston Churchill, on June 4, 1940wrote the words that unleashed a newkind of warrior to mangle the cogs ofthe Nazi German war machines thathad just rolled over all of NorthernEurope-The British Commando.

Having served in his country's army

The F-S Fighting knife was popular with many services, including the British airborne troops. Chuck Fowler collection.


I,Y.~'S1\4~J'

"t..'t::";;=..~..

$34.95

GERMAN 6THSTURMPIONEERBATTALION'STOSSTRUPPEN',12TH DIVISION

This 12" figure has over 20 points ofarticulation mld features the authentic lookof a WWI French Riflemml. Each figureincludes: ml Adriml helmet, Single breastedgreat coat, Tunic Dickie, Breeches withinfmltry stripe, Puttees, Boots, Leather Ystrap mld waist belt, cartridge boxes,haversacks, 2-titer emteen, bayonet frogmld scabbard, M-2 gas mask and bag, Largewire cutters, 1886 Epee bayonet and 1907Berthier rifle. Due to small parts mld sharppoints these items are not suitable for small children.

ITEM: MFRI

FRENCH JUFLEMAN,151 ST REGIMENT D'INFANTRIE

BRITISH LEWISGUNNER, 1STBATTALIONLANCASHIREFUSILIERS, 29THDIVISION

Tltis 12" figure has over 20 points ofarticulation and features the autllenticlook of a WW1 German Assault Trooper.Each figure includes: belt and buckle,M1887 Haversack (Bread Bag), M1907Water Bottle, M1887 Entrenching tool,

~ Bayonet mld Scabbard, Assault PackHolled Great Coat Wrapped around

M1910 Mess Tin, 1917 Patterned Hmld grenade Bags, Stick Grenade,Hespirator (Gas Mask), Gas C~lJ1, MPI8 Sub-Machine Gun wi SnailMagazine. Due to small parts mld sharp points these items are notsuitable for small children. ITEM: MSGT $29.95

This 12" figure has over 20 points ofarticulation mld features theauthentic look of a British LewisGunner. Each figure includes: ahelmet with cover, Uniform Blousewi 29th Division insignia, Trousers,Ammo Boots with Puttees, P'08Shoulder Braces mHlwaist belt, Webley No. VI Pistol, Pistol holsterand ammo pouch, P '08 Haversack, Water Bottle, P'08 Bayonet frog,Enfield Bayonet, Entrenching Tool wi Handle and Carry, Small BoxRespirator mld Bag, Lewis Mk I Machine Gun and Holled RainPoncho. Due to small parts and sharp points these items are notsuitable for small children. ITEM: MBLG $34.95

US 2ND 'BERDAN'SHARPSHOOTER

CS IST TEXAS INFANTRYMANTItis 12" figure has over 20 points of mticulation mldfeatures the authentic look of a CS 1st TexasInfmlltymm1. flach figure includes: a Forage cap withTexas plate, 1842 Musket, Socket bayonet with scabbard, Leather belt with Texas plate, Cap pouch, CS cartridge box mld sling, Haversack, Tm Cup, Texas issuefrock coat, Trousers, brogmJs mld Hard pack with blmlket mld emteen. Due to small parts mld sharp pointsthese items are not suitable for small children.

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Order online: TheHistoryNetShop.comFor product or shipping inquiries -email:~; tei. 1-800-3'58-6327.

This 12" figure has over 20 points of articulationmld feanlres the authentic look of a US 2nd'Berdml' Sharpshooter. Each figure includes:Forage cap mld M1858 Frock Coat. Other issuedgear includes a leather belt, Federal-Issue U.S.buckle, M1855 Bayonet Scabbard, 11855 CapPouch, MI855 Cartridge Box with Sting, M1855Cmlleen, Patter 1851 Haversack, Federal-Issuecup, Prussian pattern knapsack with BlanketHoll, M1859 Sharps Socket Bayonet and SharpsM1859 Rifle. Due to small parts and sharp

points these items are not suitable for small children.ITEM: CBAC $29.95 r==~~~~~"-'---1.

TItis 12" figure has over 20 points of mticulationmld features tlle autllentic look of a US 2ndWisconsin Infmlttymml. Each figure includes: aHardee hat with Infmllry Hom emblem, 1854Austriml Lorenz tille, Socket bayonet mldscabbard, Leather belt with US plate, Cap pouch,US cartridge box mld sling, Haversack, Tm Clip,Cmlteen, Brogmls, Federal frock coat, Trousers,Double bag knapsack, Gum Blmlket HoU mldCanvas leggings. Due to small pm1S mld sh~u1J points tllese items are notsuitable for small children. ITEM: CSTW $34.95

US 2ND WISCONSININFANTRYMAN 'IRONBRIGADE'

SCOTTISH 6THnTHBATTALION BLACKWATCH 51ST(HIGHLAND) DIVISIONTIJis 12" figure has over 20 points ofatticulation mld features the autllentic lookof a 7tll Battation 'Black Watch' soldiet:Each figure includes: P08 Shoulder Braces,P08 Left!tight CaJ.1ridge Pouches, P08Haversack, Water Bottle, P08 Frog Bayonet,Enfield Bayone~ Entrenching Tool wi $Hmldle &Carry, Small box Hespirator mldBag mld '0. 1MKl11 Enfield IDfle. Due to small pm1S mld shmlJ point~

these items are not suitable for small children.ITEM: MSBW $29.95

•

Typical checkered grip pattern Commando knife. The handle has been nickel-plated.Chuck Fowler collection.

"Blackened" version of the checkered grip. As the finish is somewhat worn, thebrass can be seen underneath. Chuck Fowler.

"Beaded and Ribbed" guard of the F-S Fig~ting knife. While it is believed these wereprivately purchased variants, some have been found with British War Departmentmarks. Chuck Fowler collection.

"NATO" markedknife dated 1977. It is presumed that these knives were made privatelyto be soldcommercially and were never issued to NATO forces. GanyJames collection.

Battle BladesAmusingly, many American military

aficionados inverted the names of thetwo former Shanghai policemen andrefer to the F-S Fighting Knife as the"Sykes-Fairbairn Commando Dagger."Among the many fighting groups thatused these knives besides the BritishCommandos, included the BritishParatroopers, the British RoyalMarines, the British Special Air Service,the Australian Special Air Service, theBritish Special Boat Section, the FreeFrench and French Commandos, theCanadian Paratroopers, the PolishParatroopers, the U.S. First RangerBattalion, the U.S Army SpecialForces, the Dutch Commandos, theBurma Army, The Indian Army, theIndian Parachute Division and theNATO Special Forces.

The continued popularity and historical significance of this style stilettocan be attested to the fact that companies are still making it today. There areonly minor variations on the knife thatthe British Commandos wieldedduring England's darkest hour towhich Winston Churchill predictedonJune 18, 1940, would be one daybe described as "their finest hour."

The author would like to thankFred Bratmon, Robert Buerlein, ChuckFowler, John R. Gangel, Ivan Hillerand Jim Phillips for their assistance.

For further reading, the followingbooks are recommended.

Get Tough! How to Win in Hand-toHand Fighting, as Taught to the BritishCommandos and u.s. Armed Forces,Major William E. Fairbairn, 1942, Outof Print, available through RutgersBook Center, Highland Park, NJ08904, Phone: (732) 545-4344.

Fighting Knives: An Illustrated Guideto Fighting Knives and Military SurvivalWeapons of the World, Frederick J.Stephens, 1980, Arms and ArmourPress, London, England.

Allied Military Fighting Knives and theMen Who Made Them Famous, RobertBuerlein, 1984, The AmericanHistorical Foundation, Richmond, VA.

ass Weapons, Dr. John W Brunner,1994, Phillips Publications, PO Box168, Williamstown, NJ 08094-0168.

British Commonwealth MilitaryKnives, Ron Flook, 1999, Howell Press,Charlottesville, VA 22903.

Commando Dagger: The CompleteHistory of the Fairbairn-Sykes FightingKnife, Leroy Thompson with forewardby Col. Rex Applegate. ~


Crewman Peter Tuttle on the forward 8inch twin turret guns. The original gunswere removed and the current guns arehollow cast replicas.


The ship's company on the forward 8-inch gun turret. Uniform for the day is "workingwhites" one of the most comfortable living history impressions available.

Murmansk expedition. In 1921 her tive crew member is literally trained inlast noteworthy cruise made world various aspects of navy life before theyheadlines as she bore the remains of are passed to serve before the public.the Unknown American Soldier from Among the various disciplines are:the Great War home to the Washington 0 5-inch gun drillNavy Yard for interment at Arlington 06 Pounder gun drillCemetery. o "Single stick" (cutlass) drill

She served as a training vessel at var- 0 French foil fencingious times for the U.S. Naval Academy o Small arms drilland today her mission is still training 0 Signaling (both Myer andand education. Owned and operated International Code of Signals)by the Independence Seaport Museum o Navigationat Penn's Landing in Philadelphia she 0 Engine Room operations discussionhas been host for various living history o Chanty singingcrews since the mid-1980's. InJanuary 0 Knot-tying and rope workof 1996 the present living history cre\v Most crew members are crosswas established by the museum todemonstrate and interpret life aboardthe historic artifact. Today's prospec-

Olympia's crew during a few moments of relaxation. Crew members hand makeeach of the hammocks, and the musical instruments are original to the late 1890's.

had left the office early that afternoondue to a bout of insomnia, one thatbegan the night the Maine blew up.The cable bore the signature authorityof the Assistant Secretary of the Navy,Theodore Roosevelt. In an instant theUnited States was 'mobilizing' for warunder the authority of an absent cabinet member. Long was warned by onewag that if he ever left Theodore alonein the office again, it was likely that hewould declare war all on his own. TheOlympia became the object of international attention once news of the cablebecame public and Dewey was theman on the spot, the tip of the sword.The U.S. declared war on April 25 andDewey immediately set off to containthe Spanish fleet, known to be inManila Bay, Philippine Islands.

The first taste of blood for the U.S.came on May 1 when the U.S. AsiaticSquadron, led by the FlagshipOlympia, steamed into Manila Bayand, after a sharp engagement following the famous command "You mayfire when ready Gridley," sunk theSpanish Fleet in quick order, establishing an American presence there thatwould last nearly 100 years. Deweybecame a national hero, was promotedto the highest rank in the history of theNavy and the Olympia was treated tothe equivalent of a ticker tape paradein every port she visited during herreturn voyage home in 1899.

She later served the first part of the20th Century in the Carribean,Atlantic and Mediterranean. In 1916she was named flagship of the AtlanticFleet and participated in the GreatWar, eventually participating in the

Though the Olympia's keel was laid in1891 and she entered into service in1895, the original ship's bell bears thedate 1893, a reference to the date ofherlaunching.

1Jlan in the age of the old steam navy.From cooking, 5-inch gun drill, swordpractice and signaling, the crew makeslife for both the visitor, and the crewmen themselves, as close as anyonemight come to experiencing things asthey once were.

The USS Olympia is the oldest steelhulled naval vessel in the UnitedStates. Her keel was laid by the UnionIron works of San Francisco, Californiain 1891 and she was commissionedinto service in 1895. She was servingin the Asiatic Squadron when warclouds developed between the UnitedStates and Spain inJanuary of 1898.Commodore George Dewey joined theships company that month and madeher his flag ship as commander of thesquadron.

On16 February, 1898, Dewey,aboard the Olympia, learned of thedestruction of the USS Maine inHavana harbor on the evening before.In the afternoon of February 25th hereceived the following cable from theNavy Department in Washington D.C.

Dewey, Hong Kong: ORDER THESQUADRON,. TO HONG KONG.KEEP FULL OF COAL. IN THEEVENT OF DECLARATION OF WARSPAIN, YOUR DUTY WILL BE TO SEETHAT THE SPANISH SQUADRONDOES NOT LEAVE THE ASIATICCOAST, AND THEN OFFENSIVEOPERATIONS IN PHILIPPINEISLANDS. KEEP OLYMPIA UNTILFURTHER ORDERS.

The cable was not signed by theSecretary ofthe Navy John D. Long, he

~

served aboard her during her 30 yearsof active service.

On a number of weekends duringthe calendar year, the Olympia springsto life with the aid of a living historycrew who demonstrate life as it wasaboard the ship in 1898. Comprised ofnearly 30 crewmen, and officiallyknown as the liVing History Crew ofthe USFS (US Flag Ship) Olympia, thecrew strives to display numerousaspects of how it was to live as a crew-

,.

By Philip Schreier

Permissionto comeaboard?

LivingHistor


The Olympia today sits at Philadelphia's Penn's Landing in a slip on the DelawareRiver, just opposite from the newly berthed USS New Jersey.

living History on the USS Olympia'.At the intersection ofPhiladelphia's South Streetand the Delaware River sits inneglected glory, one ofAmerica's national treasures,

Admiral Deweys flagship from the 1898Battle of Manila Bay, the USS Olympia.The protected cruiser settled at her present berth in 1957 alongside the USSBecuna, a submarine from the WorldWar II period. Today she stands as amemorial to the officers and men who

years and a professionalmuseum curatorial staff continues to work daily to savethe historical artifacts thatcomprise this 344-foot, S,800ton ship. The adjacent museum now houses the importantcollection of original photographs and uniforms thatwere once left to fade in natural sunlight prior to the museums acquisition of the vessel.Today, many improvementshave begun to help reversedecades of neglect and theeffects of time and weather onthis old battle wagon.

It is a most rewarding experience to walk a starboardwatch late at night, listening tothe clang of halyards againstthe masts, the sounds of therocking channel buoys and thesoft murmur of passing rivertraffic as you ascend the ironstairs to the bridge. There, onthe bridge flooring you can

find a pair of well worn brassplates in the shape of Dewey'sshoes, marking the spot where

he gave the command to the shipsCaptain, Charles V Gridley, to "Firewhen ready .." that May morning whenthe curtain was about to close on thefinal act of the Old World Empire andopen anew on the American Century

Visit the USFS Olympia atPhiladelphia's Penn's Landing or on theweb at http://www.spanamwar.com/olympia.htm. ~

The author striking a pose on one of theworking 5-inch port side guns. Gun drillincludes blank firing of the gun as wellas a cleaning drill.


is not required to participate in today'sliving history programs. While onemajor attraction to a living historyevent for me is the camaraderie that acamp fire offers, it has been replacedby the smoking lamp and a gatheringround the ships capstan to sing seachanties and bull sessions.

The Olympia has undergone majorrestoration efforts in the last eight

The bridge of the ship contains the wheel house and charttable. Visitors here see how ships navigation was run as wellas communication displays.

Crew members Bill Munday, Peter Tuttle, Philip Schreier and "Pops" McSherry showoff their dress blue and dress white uniforms on the Olympia's starboard gangway.

ship'S council composed ofelected crewmen and overseen by the staff of the seaport museum. The crewadheres to a strict authenticity policy and most uniforms are handmade byapproved providers chosen for their understanding of the crews requirements. As a participant innumerous living historyand re-enactment units,the Olympia crew is perhaps one of the cheapestimpressions I have everoutfitted. All that is needed is a set of 'workingwhites' for daily events.The guns and equipmentare all original fixtures, thebiggest expense is the period shoes provided by alocal Amish cobbler.

Patrick McSherry is oneof the founders of what isnow the crew. He and hisfather "Pops" were formerCivil War re-enactors whobecame bored with therepetitive nature of the civil war hobbyand formed a brass band to add a newdimension to their historical pursuits.Soon after approaching the museumstaff they were invited to form theships band in 1996 and eventuallybroadened their interests to includenaval life aboard ship to the extensiveprograms offered today. While talentwith a period instrument is desired, it

The fluorescent lights and the large clock in the background are the only signs thatthis isn't a period photograph taken in the ship's engine room.

trained in all the disciplines but thosethat have special talents or backgroundin any area are often asked to concentrate on the areas of their expertise.The entire crew fills in on some of themajor areas like gun drill where originalS-inch and 6 pound guns are actually fired with blank rounds. (Theships guns are fired from the seawardor port side so as not to disturb the residents of Philadelphia's nearby hotelsand condos. The port side offers a clearview of the newly berthed USS NewJersey in Camden, NJ).

Navy life aboard the Olympia is aspecial aspect of the living history program. Crew members actually sleep inthe hammock bays or in the JuniorOfficers cabins in the stern of the ship.The ship lacks all the comforts ofhome such as lavatories, runningwater, heat or air conditioning. I wasquite surprised to learn on my firstcrew visit that the Olympia was originally outfitted with electric lights andan ice making machine, which wouldhave certainly been the first time manyoriginal crew members ever encountered such modern luxuries. Onenight in a hammock will certainly giveyou an appreciation for a soft mattressand the chiropractor.

The present crew is directed by the

Rob Kinney in the uniform of one of theship's company of U.S. Marines.Photographed in the junior officers cabins, this berth is small but comfortable.


••

.comNetSho

• •

The ---istor

Your guide to the best selection in books, videos, collectibles and more! In conjunction with theeditors of the PRIMEDIA History Group, we are pleased to bring you a wide array of familiar andunusual history items. Please take a few moments to browse our collection and decide how youwant to make history a part of your day.

t~i~ki~~~6c-"'t

~tc-t-~.

The M1903 MARK I rifle modified to usethe "U.S. Pistol, Cal..30, Model of 1918"also known to collectors as the"Pedersen Device. " Photo courtesy ofRemington Arms and Arms Historian,Roy Marcot.

magazine cutoff. He then took a longstick-like object from the rifle case andsnapped it onto the right side of the rifleso that it protruded at a 45 degree angle.Without pause, he shouldered the rifleand fired forty rounds as fast as he couldpull the nigger; snatched up a new magazine and emptied it as well.

Turning to the surprised Ordnanceofficers, he offered the rifle for inspection, pointing out that he had replacedthe bolt with a blow-back device thatfired a smaller, lighter cartridge fromthe fony round protruding magazine.

"Imagine, gentlemen," he is certainto have said, "the effect of eighty shotsfired at an enemy in less than a minuteby an entire of company of soldiers, ora regiment or even a division!"

Pedersen had developed a Simpleblowback device that looked like the topof a semi-automatic piStol. It locked intothe bolt race and accepted cartridges fedto it from the fony round magazine. Astandard Model 1903 rifle only requiredfive relatively simple modifications touse the device: 1) an oblong port had tobe cut in the left side of the receiver to

worked closely with the RemingtonArms Company. On this crisp autumnday, Mr. Pedersen took what appeared tobe a standard Springfield Model 1903rifle from a case and pressed a clip of cartridges into the magazine. After firing allfive shots at the distant target, heremoved the rifle's bolt and from a metalpouch clipped to his belt pulled a blocklike object which he pushed into thebolt race and locked in position with the

THE PEDERSEN DEVICEThe U.S. Army's Secret World War I Weapon

An unnamed employee of the Remington Arms Companydemonstrating the Pedersen device.


On October 8, 1917, eightmonths after the United Statesentered the "Great War," acivilian trudged to the firingline at the Congress Heights

Rifle Range at Washington D.C. Withhim were three high-ranking OrdnanceDepartment officers including GeneralCrozier, Chief of Ordnance.

The civilian was].D. Pedersen, anindependent small arms deSigner who

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Editor's Note: Photographs were furnished by Arms Historian Roy Marcotand are original Remington ArmsCompany photos taken during World WarI. They were first published inJoe Poyer'snew book, "The Model 1903 SpringfieldRifle and its Variations, "from which thiscolumn is excerpted and which is available from North Cape Publications, Dept.MCI, P.O. Box 1027mc, Tustin CA 92781or by calling 1-800-745-9714,for $22.95plus $3.25 postage. CA residents add7. 75% sales tax. G

rounds of ammunition at the Germandefenders as they trudged across nomans land have been sufficient to bringthe long-sought break through?

Probably not. The American plannersdid not seem to have taken into accountthe effect the additional thirteen poundsof weight on already overburdenedtroops, or the artillery bombardment onthe attackers, the hampering effects ofgas shells nor the muddy wastelandbetween the trenches. The Pedersendevice and its .30 caliber cartridge hadonly one third to one half the averagedistance in range between trench lines. Ifthe attackers started out with .30-Model1906 bolt in their rifles they would haveto stop at some point and insert thedevice, thereby losing momentum. Andas later testing proved, men under theintense pressure of an offensive and theall-too real possibility of death wouldhave lost sufficient of their rifle bolts andjammed enough of the Pedersen deviceswith mud and grit when they droppedthem to reduce their effectiveness.

When World War 1ended, 65,000Pedersen devices had been manufactured and they were placed in storagealong with the 101,775 or so M1903Mark I rifles built for them. Theyremained in storage under strict secrecy until March 23,1931 when theywere offered to the Marine Corps andNavy who rejected them as having nopractical use. In April of that year, theywere melted down for scrap steel andthe Mark I rifles returned to inventory.The few dozen of the devices-orless-that survived are today eagerlysought by collectors.

An interesting foot note: despite therigorous security measures to protectthe existence of the Pedersen deviceduring and after World War I, ArmyIntelligence discovered a completeM1903 Mark I rifle with Pedersendevice in the reference collection of theRheinisch Westfallian Sprengstoff,A.G. in Nurnberg, Germany in thesummer of 1945. It had been in thecollection since 1920!

Ammunition pouch holding five magazines, magazine and .30-ModeI1918ammunition, Pedersen device and metalscabbard with cartridge belt attachment.

defensive stalemates. They envisionedseveral divisions of American troopsclimbing out of their trenches and walking across no man's land firing theirPedersen device-equipped rifles fromthe hip to lay down such a storm of leadthat the enemy deep would be forceddeep into their trenches and unable tofire back. And because each soldierwould carry 400 rounds of ammunition, they would have plenty left todefend themselves once they had captured a portion of the enemys trenches.Then, because the killing machine gunswould have been silenced from thestart, successive waves would reinforcethem to push through the enemy linesfor the long-sought breakthrough.

When the Pedersen deviceequipped rifles were used in a defensive posture, each soldier would have400 rounds of ammunition to fire atthe attacking enemy, thus supplementing their heavy machine guns with "alight machine gun in the hands ofevery soldier."

Production for delivery to the AEFin time for the 1919 spring offensivebegan in early 1918. But in October ofthat same year, the great breakthroughcame as Allied forces smashed throughthe German lines and raced to theRhine. A demoralized government inBerlin called for an armistice a monthlater and the last shot of World War Iwas fired on November 11,1918.

It is interesting to speculate aboutwhat might have happened if theOctober breakthrough had notoccurred and if the Pedersen deviceshad arrived as planned. Would thespectacle of three divisions worth ofAmerican troops climbing out of theirtrenches and pumping millions of

,+--,.,.. o'~ ,. ,

/.

the Western Front. During the fightingseason of 1917 alone (early spring tomid autumn) nearly 500,000 soldierson both sides had lost their lives infutile attacks on ea h other's trencheswhich stretched in nearly unbrokenlines from the Swiss-French to theBelgian-Dutch borders.

Major attacks on opposing trenchline made in multidivisional strengthwere known as "offensives." Afterweeks of intense anitlery bombardment the offensive usually jumped offshortly after dawn as the artillery bombardment ceased abruptly. Whistlesblew and the first wave of troops on aone, two, three or more division frontclambered "over the top" burdenedwith packs, equipment and armsweighing up to seventy pounds andslogged across the shell-cratered,barbed wire encrusted mud betweenthe opposing trenches

Within minutes, the defender'sartillery whistled in, targeting theexpanse of no mans land and theattacker's trenches. With the highexplosive came gas shells. The attackers, fought for every breath throughtheir gas masks as they sloggedthrough the mud and mire while thedefending infantry poured machinegun and rifle fire into attackers.

If the attacking soldiers managed tocut through the tangles of barbed wireand get into the enemy trenches, theywere usually so exhausted and low onammunition that they could not withstand the automatic counterattack. Inthe three previous years, not one offensive had been successful.

General Pershing and the OrdnanceDepartment saw in the Pedersen devicethe solution to both the offensive and

yards, that was thought to be morethan sufficient to kill an enemy soldier.

Pedersens invention in combinationwith this puny cartridge was destinedto stand the entire OrdnanceDepartment on their collective ear during the next eighteen months. It wasquickly classified "Secret" andPedersen was sent immediately toFrance via fast destroyer to demonstrate it for Generaljohn Pershing. Byearly 1918, the General, who commanded the American ExpeditionaryForce, was sufficiently convinced of itsutility that he requested devices, modified rifles, spare parts and ammunitionsufficient to equip 100,000 troops forthe start of the 1919 offensive.

The excitement can be understoodwith a brief history of the Great War on

This photograph ofan original Remington Arms engineering drawing shows the 40round magazine and its method ofattachment.

allow the empty cases to be ejected, 2)the stock line had to be lowered belowthe port, 3) the sear had to be modifiedwith the addition of a lever that releasedthe devices firing pin, 4) a shallow slotwas cut into the back top of the triggerto allow the sear lever to make contactand 5) the magazine cutoff spindle hadto be modified with a groove to hold thedevice in place. Those M1903Springfield rifles so altered were designated "United States Magazine Rifle,Caliber .30, Model of 1903 Mark I"-anattempt to disguise its true nature.

A cartridge fed into the device fromthe forty round magazine protrudingfrom the right side of the receiver andthe firing pin was cocked when theslide was drawn back and released.When the rifle's trigger was pulled, thetrigger moved the lever on the modified sear and released the devices firingpin to strike the cartridge's primer.When the cartridge recoiled to the rear,it struck the slide, forcing it back in itstrack against a recoil spring. The .30caliber bullet went the other way downthe rifle's barrel.

The cartridge was a pistol roundwith a .30 caliber 80 grain gildingmetal jacketed bullet over 3.5 grains ofpowder which produced a muzzlevelocity of 1,300 feet per second fromthe rifle barrel. The service bullet in the.30-M1906 cartridge would penetrate60 inches of pine (a measure of performance then in use) while the .30M1918 bullet would only penetrate 8inches. But at ranges of up to 350

An original Remington Arms Company engineering drawingshows the interaction of the M1903 modified searandthe firing pin release lever in the Pedersen Device.


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AVIATOR'S CAPQ: I recently inherited a trunk full

A: You are partially right. These weresent to the troops by the Queen duringthe Boer War, but as Her Majesty was avehement anti-smoker, the contentswas chocolate. A newspaper piece ofthe period pretty well tells the wholestory. "With her customary kindnessand forethought, Her Majesty causedto be dispatched to the troops in SouthAfrica shortly before the close of theold year, a very large number of elegantly deSigned blue, red and gold tinboxes containing chocolate in cakes, atonce a most sustaining and appetizingform of food. Every soldier at the fronthad a box specially aSSigned to him; innearly every case they were duly delivered, and in all they were immenselyappreciated. Often they were senthome by the recipient untouched, thatthey might be treasured heirlooms."Lots of soldiers must have sent theirboxes home, as even after 100 years,they still turn up very frequentlysometimes with the chocolate stillinside. A Queen Victoria chocolate boxin good shape is worth in the $75 to$125 range-considerably more ifitstill has its contents. The "VRI" standsfor Victoria Regina Imperatrix (VictoriaQueen Empress.)

The Model 1915 Adrian helmet was usedby a number of nations, though it ismost closely associated with theFrench. This version has a MedicalCorps insignia on the front.

-Frank MobleyDecatur; AL

grenade with the letters "RF"(Republique Francaise). It was usedprimarily by the infantry. One alsoencounters more unusual insigniassuch as yours, which is Medical Corp.Value on your helmet, in good shape isaround $200. A standard infantryexample is worth somewhat less.

BOER WARCHOCOLATE TIN

Q: I have a lithographed tin boxthat has been in my family for years.It is 61/4 inches long and 3 1/4 incheswide. In the center of a red background is an embossed portrait ofQueen Victoria. There is a crown,the letters "VRI" and "SOUTHAFRICA 1900." I was told that itwas a tobacco tin that was sent tothe troops during the Boer War. AmI correct?

Answers to your Militaria Questions

By Garry James

A: You have a nice example of theubiquitous Model 1915 French AdrianHelmet. It first came into use in WorldWar I, but was used by France andother nations for many years thereafter.During the Great War the Adrian wasemployed by the Russians, Belgians,Rumanians, Americans and Serbians.There is even a photo of WinstonChurchill wearing one in the trenches.The national or branch of serviceinsignias could be applied separately.The most common is the standard

During the Boer War Queen Victoria sent these tins full of chocolate to the Britishtroops. Many were sent back home as souvenirs, so they are notparticularly rare.


FRENCH ADRIAN HELMETQ: I have an old military helmet

that I would like to know moreabout. It is blue-gray, has a leatherliner and a separate attached crest ontop. The emblem on the front depictsa snake within a wreath and the letters "RF." What do I have? How oldis it? Does it have any value?

-Will BlankenshipRochester; NY

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Aluminumbinoculars

go back toaround the time

of the AmericanCivil War. These arescarcer than brassfield glasses, butstill don't bring a lotofmoney. The regimental markingsadd interests andsome value.

interesting. They appear to be madeof aluminum and have brownleather grips. Dual sunshades can bepulled out over the lenses. There isno maker's name, but the slidingbarrels of the eyepieces are engraved"H.C.B." "Scots Guards." I'm assuming they were used by some Britishofficer, but have no idea how oldthey are. Any idea?

-Ralph SpauldingNew York, NY

A: From the pictures, it looks likeyour field glasses probably date from thelatter part of the 19th century for binoculars, though this older style was evenused as late as World War 1. Aluminumas a material dates back to the AmericanCivil War. It was more expensive thanbrass or steel, and the lightness wasmuch appreciated by those who carriedthem. The engraving certainly addsinterest and value, though older binocssuch as these are still not really tooexpensive. Iii

U.s.NAVY CUTLASSI have an interesting sword. It is

all black, has a black plastiC grip andthree branch sheet metal guard. Theblade is curved with a clip point andmeasures 25 inches long. I wouldguess from its appearance that it issome sort of Navy cutlass.

-Arlen HodgesMemphiS, TN

about $50 to $75.

BRITBINOCSA: Myoid binoculars are pretty

A: Your description pretty wellmatches that of aU .5. Model 1917Naval Cutlass. It was the follow-on tothe earlier Model 1860 cutlass and waspatterned after a Dutch blade of similarconfiguration but with wooden insteadof Bakelite grips. These cutlassesremained in service for some time, andwere even seen on some vessels duringWorld War II.

as 1907, and perhaps that is where thegreat influx started. In any event,while they are decorative, they havelittle value, despite their age. A Grasbayonet in great shape is worth only

The U.S. Model 1917 Naval Cutlass wasmodeled after an earlier Dutch design.These remained in service for a numberofyears.

This overseascap was made inFrance andprivatelypurchased by anAmerican officer.The insignia isthat of the AirCorps and thepiping that ofthe SignalCorps.

French Model 1875 Gras bayonetsare very common, though the riflesare fairly scarce.

A: You have a bayonet for theFrench Model 1874 Gras rifle. It isamazing to me how many of thesethings turn up. I have no idea whythere are so many Gras bayonetsaround and so few Gras rifles. I doknow that the famed early militarysurplus house of Francis Bannermanand Sons was offering for sale as early

wooden grip with brass trim andblack metal scabbard. On the top ofthe blade it is marked, "Mre dArmesTulle Modi 1880." Is this rare?

-Mark WarrenPhiladelphia, PA

GRAS BAYONETMy Father gave me an old bayonet

that has been in his garage for years.It has a long, slender pointed blade,


of material from my great uncle.While most of it is just family paperwork, there was a military capinside, as well. It is dark brown, hasorange and white piping on theedges and a lieutenant's insignia onone side of the front and a set ofwings with a propeller on the other.It has gold striped lining with thename "BEVIERE/ll Rue Nationale,Tours" in gold beneath the leathersweatband. What do I have?

-Susan QuarnessSt Louis Park, MN

A: It sounds very much like youhave an American aviator's overseascap from World War 1. It is interestingthat it was made in France, and has theorange and white colors of the U.S.Signal Corps. The Army Air Corps waspart of the Signal Corps at one time.Sounds like a pretty rare and desirablebird to me. Most World War I aviationgear brings a premium nowadays.

ITEM: WOBV $29.95

ITEM: WPGC $14.95

THE LAST YEAR OF THELUFTWAFFETltis is the classic story of a once all-conqueringforce struggling to stave off an inevitable and totaldefeat. Tbe Last Year oftbe Lujtwaffi is acomprehensive exmrunation of Hitler's air force, afrank and illuminating look at a crucial year of aerialcombat and a fresh analysis of the odds stackedagainst Gennany's daring pilots. 192 pages, softcover.

ITEM: WLYL $16.95

THE OFFICIAL VIRGINIACIVIL WAR BATTLEFIELDGUIDE

~~

IN THEIR OWN WORDS:D-DAY

Of tile 384 Civil War baUlefields dted as clitiatlto presel"eby tile congressionally appointed Civil Wm' Sites Advisol)'Commission, J23 moe located in Virgillia. 'nlis guideprovides in-deptll descliptions of 13 major aunpaigns and127 ill(tividual lr.utIes.lncludes 128 historiatl :U1d modemphotogrdphs, 142 battlefield maps :U1d deL1iled dliving

(Urections to each site. No otller guidebook on tllC mm-keltoday liv:tls it for histOliati

detail :U1d accuracy. 514 [y<iges, softcover. ITEM: CVBG $29.95

IN THEIR OWN WORDS:RACE ACROSS EUROPE

111'0 Jima, GuadalaUlal, Tarawa, Midway ... theseferocious battles are forever sem"C<1 in tllC memories of the courageous men who fouglll tllere.In this unprecedented collection of nearly fivehours of firsth:U1d accounts, Pacific War veteranstell tlleir compelling stories. Decorated veterans,including Medal of Honor winners, bling startling hfe to "hell on card!." Four audio m set.

ITEM: WWfP $19.95

LITTLE BIGHORN: TheUntold StoryThe product of more than 20 years of researcll, tllis studydraws on some of the most impressive source material inlaginable, including restored footage of tile first-ever reconstruction of the battle, filmed in 1908 lvitll many of Ule AmericanIndians who took part in the re-a! fight. 'I1lfough t1lese authoritLtive accounts, a remark.1bly cohesive new view of tile legendary battle emerges. Video, approximately 100 minutes.

ITEM: HTLB $19.95

June 6, 1944 ... D-Day. It was the greatest militaJ)' assault ever staged. Code nmned OperationOverlord, the massive invasion of Normandy bythe Allies involved more than a qUaJ1er of a million soldiers, sailors mId :urmen, 5,000 ships:U1d 3,000 aircraft. In nearly fivc hours of compelling firsth:lIId accounts, vetenms of the epicconllict speak with unprecedented honesty,detail mId emotion. Four audio CD set.

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IN THEIR OWN WORDS:WAR IN THE PACIFIC

D-Day was only tile begimJing. TIle Allied :lSSaU1t onJune 6, 194413LUldled a bloody offensive tlmt wouldnot end until Hitler's Reich lay in ruins. '[be bat~e

fields are forever etched in tile menlories of tile menwho were there. hI almost five hours of riveting firsthand accounts, veterans of these conflicts tell tlleirrenl3fkable stories. TIleir voices lnUlsport tile hstener to the War in Etrrope. Four audio m set.

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BILLY THE KID

This highly flexible 12-inch action figure featuresactual likeness mId authentic peliod attire. WyattEarp accessories include: shackles, 1873 singleaction Army colt pistol, 1873 Schofield revolver,double barreled shotgun, gun belt and holster.Makes a perfect gift for any fan of the Old West.Rccommended for ages 5 and up.

ITEM: WSWE $29.95

THE BISHOP'S BOYS: A Lifeof Wilbur and Orville WrightBrilhant, self-trained engineers, tile Wright brotllershad a unique blend of native talent, chmllcter and family experience tlmt perfectly suited tlwm to the L15k ofinvention. Using a wealth of Wright fanlily correspondence and diaries, autilOr Tom Crouch tells a tale \viUIin a tale, skillfully weaving tile story of the invention oftile airplane into tile drama of a unique and unforgettLble fanlily. Learn how and why the Wright brotherswere able to succeed where so many beller-trained,

bener-financed rivals had failed. Softcover, 606 pages.

ITEM: HTBB $19.95

CIVIL WAR COMBATSubtitled America's Bloodiest Battles, this four-videoset focuses on Slliloh, Antietam, Gettysburg and ColdHarbor-battles outstan(hng for their terrible humanCOSI. Includes commenl:u)' by historians, firsthandaccounts and reenactment footage. Viewing timeapproximately 200 minutes.

ITEM: CWCO $39.95

LONG MAY SHE WAVE: AGRAPHIC HISTORY OF THEAMERICAN FLAG

WYATT EARP

In 1777 the Continental Congress resolvcd that"the flag of tile United States be tIlirteen stripes,a1tcrnate red and wllite; that tile Union be thirteenstars, white in a blue field representing a newconstellation." The flag has been subjected tocountless grapltic interpretations over its 224-year

llistory, each version owing more to the personality of the maker than toestablished formal conventions. Featuring more than fivc hundred objects, thisbeautiful coffee table edition depicts a stunning visual histOl)' of America's mosttreasured symbol. Format: II X" x 14 )4". Hardcover, 224 pages.

ITEM: AHLM $54.00

Tllis highly flexible 12-inch action figure fealuresactual hkeness and autlwntic period attire. Billy tileKid accessories include: wmlled poster, 1873Winchestcr carbinc, 1877 Colt lightning pistol,hunting knife, gun belt and holster. Makes a perfect gift for any fan of tile Old West. Recommended

for ages 5 and up. ITEM: WSBK $29.95

THEALfe of~burand

OrviUe~1

BISHOPSBOYS "TomCroudl

AIAMO THE ALAMO",.' Remember tile Abuno! The most famous battle Cl)' in

American history echocd across the Texas countryside in1836. Take a ttip back in time to the bloody showdownbetween Mexican dictator SanL1 Anna's 4,000-man armyand 189 brave AmeliaUl volunteers led by Davy Crockett,Wilhanl Barret Travis and Jim Bolvie. '[\vo video set.Approximately 100 minutes.

BOOTS AND SADDLES: Or,Life in Dakota withGeneral Custer

THE LIFE OF BUFFALO BILl:Or, The life and Adventuresof William F. Cody as Told ByHimselfCody was born in 1846, during the period of the greatWestward migrations, and lived right in the IruddJe of it all.Pioneers, horse thieves, eattle rustlers, Indians, soldiers,scouts and hunters - Cody knew them all. He led wagonlr'dins, drove stagecoaches, rode for the pony express and was a scout for tile Union during tile Civil War. Some of his tales may be till, but for sheer excitement and the romanceof tile Wtld West, this book has it all. 344 pages, softcover. $ 6

ITEM: WLBB 1 .95

The Wild West from a wife's perspective! Eli7.abeth("Libby") Custer describes her life on the Plains WitllGeorge Armstrong Custer until his disastrous defeat atthe Little Bighorn. She nursed frostbitten soldiers,camped among the Sioux and saw the captnre of Rainin-the-Face. All the while she maintained a home - nomean feat in a land of pUnishing blizzards, scorchingsunmlers and few amenities. She gives us quite a dif-ferent picture of the Custer we are used to today. 292 pages, softcover.

ITEM: WBAS $15.95

ITEM: WASA $29.95

WYATT EARP: The LifeBehind the LegendThis is a major contribution to the histOl)' of theAmerican West. It provides the first complete andaccurate look at Wyatt Earp's colorful career, andplaces into context the important role that he and hisbrothers played in the Arizona territOlY Author CaseyTefertiller providcs readers the facts about WyattEarp as tile sources-many of thcm newly uncovered-rcvealthem, allowing the readers to make up

tllCir own minds. 403 pages, softcover.

ITEM: WWWE $18.95

THE COMPLETECHURCHILLThis is the definitive story of tile legentlary statesman. Written and narrated by his official biographer, Martin Gilbert, Tbe Complete Cburcbilt is brilbant storytelling lvith never before seen footage ofthis revered world statesman. Four video boxedset. Viewing time approximately 200 minutes.

ITEM: BCCV $36.95

THE MOSCOW OPTION: AnAlternative Second World WarThis provocative alternate history looks at theSecond World War from a new angle - what mighthave happened had the Germans taken Moscow in1941. Author David Downing convincingly blendsactual history lvith the stimulating world of alternate events. Tbe Moscow Option is a chillingreminder that history might easily have been verydifferent. 224 pages, hardcover.

AN AlTERNATIVE seCOND WOfUD WAAOAYIO DOWNING

ITEM: WfMO $24.95

ANGELS AT DAWN: The LosBanos RaidThis fascinating book tells the story of one of themost successful and least known American militaryactions in ltistory: the rescue of more than 2,000American and other Allied civihans from a Japaneseinternment camp in the Pltilippine islands. Well written and full of detail, Angels at Dawn is a gloriouspage in th.is country's history. 276 pages, softcover.

ITEM: WAAD $15.95

OMAHA BEACH: A FlawedVictoryThe Allied victory at Omaha Beach was a costlyone. American forces were forced to improviseunder enemy fire, and although they were ultimately victorious, they suffered devastating casualties.Using primary sources, Author Adrian Le\vis tracesthe development of the doctrine behind the planfor the invasion of Norm:mdy to explain why thebattles for the beaches were fought the way theywere. 400 pages, hardcover.

PATTON'S GHOST CORPS:Cracking the Siegfried LineIn December 1944, General George Patton turned theThird Army north, taking two of his army's threecorps and all of his armor to strike the massive Naziattack through the Ardennes. The single corps leftbehind was XX Corps, the "Ghost Corps." Not only didthey have to defend what had been tile entire ThirdAnny front, they received orders to attack and breaktluough the Siegfried Line. 244 pages, softcover.

THE "

IMOSCOWOPTION

Order online: TheHistoryNetShop.comFor product or shipping inquiries -email:~; tel. 1-800-358-6327.

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A SHORT HISTORY OF THECIVIL WAR AT SEA

GETTYSBURGBATTLEFIELDGAMEThis popular and competitivegame for two to six players isalso a tour of tile battlefield,a tesl of Civil War knowledge,lild a basic introduction to'the Gettysburg battle.

ITEM: CGBG $24.95

FRANK AND JESSE JAMESAuthor Ted P. Yeatman follows Jesse and FrankJames from the Civil War through their 16year career as outlaws, and includes the livesof those who outlived Jesse. Read about theirfamous bank robberies, the firebombing ofthe James farm and the recent exhumationand forensic examination of the purportedremains ofJesse James. 480 pages, hardcover.

ITEM: WFll $26.95

Author Spencer C. Thcker, eminent naval and militaryhistoJian, provides a concise and lively overview ofthe "blue water" Civil War, or fighting on the seas andattacks directed from the sea. This volume coverssignificant naval battles, such as the first clash ofironclads at Hanlpton Roads, the Union capture ofNew Orleans, fierce action in the Charleston BarbOl;mId the Battle of Mobile Bay. 188 pages, softcover.

ITEM: CSHS $15.95

RYOMA: Life of aRenaissance Samurai

ITEM: VfFS $21.95

THE DRAGON STRIKES:China and the Korean War,June-December 1950What brougllt the Chinese into tile Korean War? Howcould a primitive force, such as the People's UberationAmlY (PLA), stand up against Amel;ca's modemmili~'lry might? Anthor mId Koreml War vetel"JlI PallickC. Roe was a young intelligence officer serving \vith the3d Battalion, 7t11 marines as tlley advanced towm'd the

Chosin lleservoir. Lemll first hmld about tile eventsleading up to the massive Chinese offensive. 466pages, hardcover.

ITEM: MTDS $29.95

CS 5T" VIRGINIA INFANTRY

TAKING FIRE: The TrueStory of a DecoratedChopper PilotColonel Ron Alexander is one of the most higWydecorated chopper pilots to come out of tileVietnanl War. This action-driven account will takeyou into the heart of war as never before, followingColonel Aiexander as he learns the ropes, then goingabove and beyond the call of duty. This is a barnburner of a memoir that spares no details. 310pages, hardcover.

This 12-inch figure has over 20 points of articulation mul is an authentic representation of a CS57th Virginia Infantryman. His historically accurate mtiform includes slouch hat, shell jacket,leather belt, buckle, bayonet scabbard, cappouch, Richmond cartridge box wilh sling, canteen, haversack, cup, bedroll, socket bayonetand 1861 Richmond ArmolY rifle. Makes a perfect gift for any Civil War enthusiast!Recommended for ages 5 and up.

(il ITEM: CBAC $29.95

PEARL HARBORGo beyond the wartime headlines for a reve-Jling,in-depth exploration of World War II's most notorious first strike as experienced by both thejapanese att.'1ckers and U.S. forces on the ground.With gripping combat footage, deeply moving personal accounts and licWy detailed historicalanaly.sis, it's an unprecedented journey back intime to relive tltis histOly-changing day of infmny.Three-video set. Approximately 150 ntinutes.

ITEM: WPHV $29.95

'hYITEM: CWB3 $54.00

CSS DAVID

AMERICAN GENERALSHIP: Character isEverything - The Art ofCommand

This unique collection of recipes, mlecdotes mIdvintage photographs traces tile history andunique conllibutions of tile American militarywives from the Revolutionary War era until today.The portrait is of remarkable women who makehomes for tlteir families in difficult situationsduring trying times. 336 pages, hardcover.

Some of the world's most renowned military historians imagine "what if." David McCullough envisionsGeorge Washington's untimely end had he notescaped Long Island on August 29, 1776; james M.McPherson theorizes that General Robert E. Leecould have won the war in 1862 if a copy of hisSpecial Order No. 191 hadn't been lost to GeneralGeorge McClellan; and Stephen Ambrose describeswhat might have happened had the D-Day invasionfailed. 395 pages, hardcover.

ITEM: MWIB $24.95

AT FREEDOM'S TABLE:MORE THAN 200 YEARS OFRECEIPTS &REMEMBRANCES

This definitive work contains over 500,000words of text and performance data. Includesmore dIan 750 photographs sourced fromRussian archives, many never before published, as well as 568 accurate and detaileddrawings. 526 pages, softcover.

ITEM: AERA $43.95

WHAT IF?

How does the United States ensure successful leadership in the future? Author Edgm' E Puryear, jr., hasinterviewed and researched more tllml I00 four-s~'1r

generals, postwm' members of the joint Chiefs ofStaff, as well as admirals mId generals below tilefour-s~'1f rmlk to address tile question. AtllOught-

provoking look at tile ru1 of commmld! 432 pages, hardcover.

ITEM: MAGB $34.95

The CSS David was the first vessel designed specifically from the keelup as a torpedo boat, and the first in nav,tl history to explode a torpedo against the side of ml enemy ship. On that night of October 5, 1863,the USS New Ironsides was placed out of action for ahnost two years.Umited edition print. 11" x 17". Includes certificate of authenticitysigned by tile artist, joseph Hinds.

ITEM: AFfM $19.95

THE OSPREY ENCYCLOPEDIA OFRUSSIAN AIRCRAFT

Tmr\OIIOIIDIH!

(1\ II. II \H IS,\(il',What was a "ready finder"? An "anlputee fork"? Whowas the "Grim Chieftain"? These mId mmlY moreCivil Wm' words are defined in Webb Garrison'sillustrated compendium of the everyday Imlguage ofsoldiers mId civilians. 274 pages, hardcover.

ITEM: CWUS $27.95

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CIVILWAR USAGE

THE CIVIL WAR INDEPTH, VOLUME IIAuthor Bob Zeller adds to Ilis fabulous firstvolume lvith another remarkable additionto the GUlnon of Civil Wm' literature.Volume II features 170 images, many neverbefore published. Especially significant are

CIV·I~:::~:..~~~:~:~~:~PH~ the 24 vivid color images. Includes a·~.:::.';;m;;;::,=':'=-"':- stereoscopic viewer. 120 pages, hardcover.

ITEM: CWD2 $24.95

THE AIRCRAFTCARRIER STORY: 19081945

Aircraft carriers Glille of age in the SecondWorld War, when tlley supplanted the greattraditional capital ships as the strategic coreof naval warfare. Author Guy Robbins tracesRoyal Navy, American and japanese progressin carrier development and strategy throughthe interwar years, showing how naval powers

gradually shifted their thinking to favor the carrier. Black and whitephotographs throughout. 288 pages, hardcover.

ITEM: MACS $34.95

CHRONOLOGY OF WORLDWAR IIHere is the StOlY of the Second World War, as it happened, unfurled day by day, involving every combatant nation and in every theater of war. Recordedaccurately and impartially, here are all the majorengagements on Imld, sea and in the air: gains andlosses, triumphs and tragedies all concisely chronicled. An invaluable aid to detailed study of the war.286 pages, softcover.

ITEM: WCWW $17.95

AIRCRAFT OF WORLDWAR IIContains 300 of the most important andinfluential military aircraft that foughtbetween 1939 and 1945: fighters, bombersand ground-attack aircraft, in the service ofboth Axis mId Allied nations. illustrated withsuperb side-view color artwork. Each illustration is accompanied by technical specifications, development and service history.320 pages, softcover.

ITEM: WAWW $10.95

Romulus HW,borougb

PICKETT'S CHARGE - TheLast Attack atGettysburgPickett's Charge is probably the best-known military engagement of the Civil War, lvidely regardedas the defining moment of the battle ofGettysburg and celebrated as the high-waleI'mark of the Confederacy. Author Earl J. Hessnotes that the epic stature of the engagement hasgrown at the expense of reality. Be sweeps awaythe accumulated mytlls about Pickett's Charge to provide the definitive histolY ofthe engagement. 512 pages, hardcover. ITEM: CPCG $29.95

11le founder of japan's first modem cOlporation was aswaggeJing swordsmml who packed a Smitll mIdWesson, ml outlaw who led a band of slalwm1 SruBUrai

to overthrow tile shogun, and tile most colorful figurein japmlese history. His nanle was Ryoma, which is thetitle of the first literalY biography of this tmlyRenaiSS<Ulce man to appear in tile English language.614 pages, hm'dcovel:

ITEM: MRRS $34.95

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By Dan King and Harlan Glenn


Type 99 "Arisaka" Infantry Rifle

(

n the year 1942 it was not certain that the Allies would win over their foe inthe East-the unbeaten]apanese. The Pacific war was touch and go with victories and losses for both sides. All was held in the balance as the bloody battles for the Solomon Islands proved. It was not until late 1943 that America

was certain that the]apanese could be beaten and that the war could be broughteventually to a close.Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) infantryman, rank ofSuperior Private of the 29th Regiment 2nd Division on theCanal. Note camouflage body net (gisomo), combat cap (ryakubo) with neck flaps (botare), helmet (tetsubo) with net (tetsubo yo gisomo) and cover(tetsubo ooi). Written on the cotton cloth sewn onto the leather sling was the soldier's name & unit. He is armed with an ArisakaType 99 7.7mm rifle (Kyukyu shiki) with fixed Type 30 (1897) bayonet (juken). The Type 99 "Arisaka" was adopted by the Japanesemilitary in 1939, with approx 2,500,000 of them being produced by government and private arsenals in Japan, Korea and

Manchuria until 1945. Japanese rifles are often referred to as "Arisaka" due to the fact that the head of the 1905 commissionto produce a modern firearm for Japan was famed artillery Colonel, Nariaki Arisaka. The correct designation for this

weapon is the Type 99 Infantry Rifle (Kyukyu Shiki Hohei Shoju) although many collectors refer to them aseither an "Arisaka" or Type 99. Regardless of its nomenclature, the weapon was sturdy and well-built with

beautiful "urushi" varnished stock and surprisinglylustrous bluing on earlier warproduction rifles.The T-99 had a muzzle velocity of2,390 fps and amaximum range of3,700 yards. Some interestingaspects of the 8.31b T-99 rifle are a chromed borewhich reduced rust and rifling wear, a flip-down wiremonopod for added support when firing at longrange (often discarded in the Pacific), the flip-upanti-aircraft sites with wings, the dust cover, a bakelite muzzle cover, and a safety that involved turning aknurled knob with the palm of the hand. The safetywas designed for soldiers wearing cold-weathermittens facing Russian & Chinese troops. When theweapon was initially developed, Japan saw herselffighting not in the tropical Pacific but against hernorthern neighbors. The IJA soldier was not"issued" a weapon, it was "loaned" to him from theEmperor, for it bears the monarch's mum (kiku nogomonsho). One interesting example is the difference in which the Japanese and U.S. Marines weretrained to handle their rifles when going to ground.The U.S. Marine would use the butt ofhis '03Springfield or M1 Garand to break his fall.Japanese soldiers went to ground with their palms,elbows and knees first keeping the rifle off theground, securely nestled on their leg taking care tokeep it out of the dirt - for this was an item belonging to the Emperor to be treated with respect.The Japanese soldier and his bayonet were a

fierce combination. He was trained for night fighting, with his closestally; the bayonet. They affectionately referred to their bayonets as"Gobo ken" (a Burdock root) due to the physical similarity and the factthat in Japanese "Gobo" means to overwhelm one's opponent.To the Japanese soldier, the Bayonet was not a last resort weapon (asin the West) but one ofchoice whenever possible. The Japanese soldiers not only underwent straw-dummy bayonet training, but in Chinamany were forced to bayonet live "bandits" to anesthetize the naturalhuman tendency to preserve life. The result of this "training" blanchedhesitation from the soldiers' hearts enabling them to unflinchinglyadminister deadly stabs at close range. The authors have spoken firsthand with Japanese veterans who have attested to the psychologicaleffect of "breaking in" a new soldier using this cruel, yet effectivemethod. The IJA preferred the night attack when possible. "We wereinstructed to close with the enemy, hold him tight and bloody him withourbayonets" states IJA veteran Corporal Akira Goto.Japan had seen her enemies flee before waves of the Emperor's finest,bearing flashing bayonets during foreign wars from 1894-1942. Theyear 1942 saw the end of running before the bayonet. It was in theSolomons the IJA encountered a new enemy not intimidated by coldsteel-the U.S. Marines.


The Pacific war was one of outrightsavagery where no quarter was givennor taken. The taking of prisoners forthe years of 1942 to 1945 was at timesunheard-at times it simply was notan option. The japanese had beenschooled with a vision of supremacy,and that to surrender and or to acceptdefeat would bring dishonor and disgrace. As for the Americans, the Pacificwar was personal-they had beenattacked and those who were takenprisoner were killed, butchered orbeaten. One would rather fight to thedeath than suffer the fate of those menwho were lost in the first six months ofthe war when japan ran rampant andshe seemed unstoppable.

The fighting that took place in theSolomons from 1942 to 1943 was thetrue lynch pin of the Pacific war. Ifjapan lost, her empire would begin tocrumble so she had to hold it at allcosts. America, on the other hand,had revenge in its eyes and as thehatred grew so did its ability to fight,and her military became a force to bereckoned with.

japan's forces were hardened veterans who had been blooded from yearsof combat in China. Those early yearsserved as a training ground for the brutal battles which were about to beginbetween japan and the Allied Armies.For the most part, the Americans werefresh-faced volunteers eager to provethemselves yet still wet behind the ears.Their ranks were bolstered with thoseveterans that had also served in Chinaand in Panama. It was these veteranswho kept the young ones in hand andhelped to hold the line at such places asBloody Ridge in the defense ofHenderson Field on Guadalcanal. Ifone thing could be said for theAmericans, it is that they were qUicklearners and were able to adapt to therigors of jungle fighting. Many historybuffs seem to have forgotten the battlesof the Solomons for better documentedaffairs as Tarawa and Iwo jima. Yet hadit not been for the foot slogging effortsof those in the swamps and jungles ofthe Solomon's the war would havesurely taken a different turn-and a farbloodier one at that. i1jtiI


Above: IJA soldier stalking U.S. Marines in theSolomons. His "fast pack" (sento bukuro) containedonly items essential for instant action orpatrolling.Note the canteen (type "A" "KO") the breadbag (zatsuno) and his homefront comfort bag (imon bukuro)hanging from his belt. The Japanese soldier carried inhis breadbag not bread but rice, universally held in awhite cotton sock tied at the end. The soldier's typicalrations consisted of rice, canned meats and fish, vegetables, pickled radish andpickled plums, shoyusauce, powdered miso for soup, salt, sugar and tea.On Guadalcanal, poor planning, logistical issues, terrain and weather, prohibited much of what the soldierneeded from ever reaching him giving birth to thenickname "Starvation Island" that continues to thisday. Ironically, in the initial phase of the campaign,large stores of captured Japanese supplies fell intothe hands ofgrateful U.S. Marines who felt they hadbeen abandoned by the U.S. fleet. U.S. veterans havecommented to the authors that Japanese cannedrations were better tasting than their own, possiblydue to the Japanese use ofMSG in canned goods asearly as WWI.

Right: This IJA soldier wears his body net (khaki variation-many were tri-colored purple, yellow & green),fast pack, canteen strap, breadbag strap and gasmask strap with quick-release button.

Below: Leather ammo pouches (zengo) contained 30 rounds, wrapped in paperwedges of 15 rounds each separated into three stripper clips of five rounds each.Note the way the pouches open outward to allow the wearer to access them whencrawling and crouching and to avoid spilling the contents. The soldier wore twopouches in the front, and a larger ammo pouch in the back (kogo) that contained 60rounds. Note the metal painted button on the tunic.

Left: IJA Captain (Tai-i) patrolling with Type 98 Shin gunto sword in hand with company grade officer's blue and brown sword tassel. He is wearing his private purchaseuniform and equipment with ofa Type 14 Nambu semi-automatic, Bmm pistol(named after designer Colonel Kijiro Nambu) with holster and lanyard, a canteen(suito), breadbag (zatsuno) and a mapcase (zuno). He has on two belts, the leatherone is his sword belt (rytakutotai) and the green cloth belt (dojime) is his equipmentsecuring belt, used to keep his gear close to prevent it from flopping when running.The officer is also sporting his combat cap with bullion star and neck flap. The chinstrap button on the officer's cap is has a cherry blossom design, while the enlistedcap's chinstrap buttons are plain brass. This captain wears a tropical rank buttonpatch attached to his left breast pocket.The enlisted man behind him is wearing the tropical tunic with darker colored collaron which are sewn his corporal rank collar tabs. He has placed leaves in his helmetnet. The short sleeves on both of these soldiers' combat uniforms are particularlysuitable to the tropical climate of the Pacific theater.

IJA enlisted combat cap with raretheater sewn-in camouflage stitching. The Japanese used leather, rubberized cloth and ersatz tree bark forchinstraps on enlisted caps.Chinstraps were brown, green andblack. Combat caps came withstitched and non-stitched bills. Thekhaki "mustard color" of this cap

denotes this soldier is a veteran from the China Theater. Later in the war the IJAwent from a mustard colored wool cap to green which was more suitable for tropicalconditions. The gauze inner lining is visible through the stitched vent holes. Thisliner carries the quartermaster mark which includes a date stamp and location ofmanufacture. The cap has a leather sweatband. The spade-shaped metal pin is usedto attach the neck flap to the factory-installed cotton string loops on the cap.


IJA soldier in his nighttime element. Note theemployment of foliage in his helmet net and bodynet. The use ofwhite cotton gloves (gunte-literalIy "military glove") was common, especially withcrew-served weapons, machine guns, mortars,etc. This "China hand" soldierhas his gloves on toprovide a bettergrip with his sweat-drenchedhands. Many American and British vets will attestto the IJA proficiency at night operations, andtheir uncanny ability to perform recon andprobesduring late hours. This soldierhas his signed flag(yosegaki) tied to his rifle as a type of "friend orfoe" identification device held over from the earlier campaigns in China, and as a protection amuletin battle.Japanese soldiers received signed flags whenthey went off to war from different sources. Fromfamily members, co-workers, neighbors, and orfellow students orany group pfpeople they had anassociation. Flags were also presented after special campaigns.The "meatball" flag symbolized the Emperor inbatt/e.


Gas mask bag. The string in the "x" pattern on the bag is normally tiedaround the body to keep it close-in tight when running. Also seen is the steelhelmet with coverand net. The leather rear ammo pouch holds 60 roundsand an oiler on the right side. There are two thumb-sized holes on the bottom of the pouch which aid in removing the ammunition packets. This soldier has put his signed flag (yosegakij in the left side ofhis rear ammo pouchfor safe keeping. The helmet net is a variation pattern. The Japanese soldiers were issued helmet nets as well as those made their own from bodynets, vehicle nets macrame and wire, and even communication wire.

The method of tying the chinstrap on the Model 30 steel helmet. This technique was a holdover from the earlier Samurai period and had not changedin hundreds ofyears! It explains why the chinstraps on Japanese helmetsseem to be "too long" for westerners who are unfamiliar with the complicated yet efficient method ofsecuring the helmet. The ends of the wovenchinstraps are usually sewn into a point being 18-22 inches long on eachside depending on manufacturer. The helmet did not have a separate linerbut consisted ofan integral leather three-pad liner held in place by twosplit-pin rivet pins on the side, and a metal star which doubled as the thirdsplit-pin rivet in front. The leather liners each contained a cotton filled padused as padding as well as a compress in the event ofa combat wound.

Side view of the leggings and boots.Also seen is the soldier's "comfort bag"~mon bukuro) which he received fromthe homefront filled with letters ofencouragement, hard candies, cannedtreats, yam, and usually origami cranesfor good luck. Civilians bought and filledthese bags out of their patriotic duty andshipped them to soldiers abroad.

Business end of the Type 99 7.7mm rifle with attached T-30 bayonet. This soldierhas lost his cleaning rod, which was held in theend of the stock. The Japanese used a "flashless" powder that made it difficult for Marines to locate the direction from whichsniper fire came, making it a deadly mission to locate hidden bunkers and sniperpositions. The rifle gave offa high pitchedcracking sound making it distinguishable from the Marines '03 Springfield and M1 Garand rifles. Many a U.S. veteran recalls thereport ofa Type 99 rifle.


Japanese woolleggings, orputtees, in use by theIJA from WWI upuntil the end ofWWII. The leggingswerewrapped frombottom to top, andcriss-crossed inthis fashion tokeep them tight.The IJA soldier

was able to tie his leggings in 30 seconds or less. The boots were cowhide withleather soles, hobnails and horseshoe heel. Mounted and armored troops were alsoissued leather boots with red rubber hardened soles to prevent slipping on metallicsurfaces.

The IJA canteen with the owner's name"Kaneko" written on a piece ofcottonsewn onto the carrier. This canteen isthe type "A" (ko) pattern with the leathercork strap and with buckles going fromside to side.


Above: Close-up of this "superior private's"early type felt "pillow" collar insignia. Eachstar is hand-stitched onto the red backing.Later in the war the insignia changed to amore cost effective flat bevo design. This soldier is wearing an undershirt which also has acollar. This soldier has also hand-stitchedadditional camo into his uniform.

Above: This soldier is wearing hiscombat cap with neck flaps underhis helmet. The combat cap wasalso worn backwards under thehelmet as a personal preference.

Close-up of the "comfort bag"(imon bukuro). The bag has bothnational and military Japaneseflags printed on the top. The saying, "Bu Un Cho Kyu," written inkanji, translates to "Long Life,Victory in Battle". The elongatedbox on the left of the bag is forthe name and address of the onedonating the bag.

A wounded Japanese soldier awaits medical attention while he balances his weaponbetween his legs to keep it offof the ground. The Japanese rifles carried the Imperial16petal Mum on the receiver and were treated with the utmost respect. The soldierwas informed that while "he" was expendable and could be replaced for the cost ofamailing a draft card which was "2 rin", his weapons was a valuable and expensivepiece ofmachinery that belonged to the Emperor and carried his holy seal. Today,Japanese rifles that have the Imperial Mum on the receiver are much sought afterbycollectors, as the rifles that were surrendered to the Allies at the end of the war hadthe mum ground offordefaced with an "X" ground through the center.

Japanese NCO (sergeantmajor) of the 7th Division,28th Regiment advancingcautiously through theundergrowth atGuadalcanal with Type 14Nambu 8mm pistol in hand.Note the gauze wrappingfor improved grip on hisbrass handled (brownpainted) NCO sword. Hehas tucked his sword intohis 2'!,-inch leather swordbelt instead ofusing thetypical retaining positionwith the leather strap.Officers also oftenwrapped their ancestralswords to protect thecloth handle. He is carrying his breadbag on hisright hip and is wearinghis rank insignia fastenedwith a safetypin on hisleft breast pocket. Histropical-weight uniform ismuch more comfortablefor the Pacific than thesummer service cottonuniform. Note the cottonlanyard that is attachedto the rear of the pistolwhich was used especially in nighttime fighting to enable quickretrieval if the pistol wasdropped.

Japanese soldier in the standard "guard" position with the rifle resting comfortably on the right front ammo pouch. The weapon can be held for hours in thismanner.

A close-up of the equipment this soldier is carrying: Canteen, breadbag,rear pouch with black oiler, ComfortBag, grenade pouch and body net. Thecanteens painted brown are aluminumwith cork and aluminum cap.


Close-up of the canteen and rear ammopouch with metal oiler. The oiler had anintegral metal swab attached to theinside of the cap. This oiler is blackpainted metal, but they were also madein black bakelite.

Detail of the various equipmentstraps worn across the chest. Here can be seen the canteenstrap, breadbag, fast pack, helmet ties and gasmask. The whitepatch of cotton on the soldier's left is his name and unit. Thisold "China hand" has taken the time to sew stitching into histunic to allow the addition of more camouflage.Lining is visible through the hand-stitched vent holes. The interiorliner carries the quartermaster which contains the 1939 datestamp and location ofmanufacture as Tokyo.The cap has a leathersweatband. Of importance is the spadeshaped metal pin used toattach the neck flap tofactory installed cottonsting loops on the caps.

A very rare piece ofJapanese gear indeed!The cloth carryingpouch for the Type 97cast iron fragmentationgrenade. The grenadehad a four-to-five second fuse and 6.2 gramsof TNT which was activated bypulling the pinattached to a piece ofcotton cord or twine,and then striking thegrenade cap on a hard surfacesuch as the helmet, a rifle stock. The brass metal tab on the frontleather ammo pouch was changed to steel later in the war asbrass was needed for ammunition. The white string hanging nextto the grenade is the string for the Comfort-bag.


Above: An infantry Colonel advancing with both handsfull, ready for action. He is carrying in his left hand hisType 14 Nambu pistol, and in his right is his symbol ofrank, his ancestral samurai sword with the red and browncloth tassel dangling from the end. His scabbard hasbeen carefully fitted with a leather protective sheath andis stuck into his 3-inch-wide cloth sword belt for combataction. He is wearing private purchase dark green ridingbreeches with riding boots that retain the spur supportblock behind each heel. Japanese officers were issued ahorse, and even though the officers in the Pacific nolonger rode horses (compared to the China front) officers'boots were still produced with this spur support. The riding boots were produced predominately in black, but alsoin dark and red-brown.

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2~L e8 SOll._2~Part.

SCHOOL OF THE TROOPER DISMOlT1\TEIl

.l'Iak,

S''Pport~.

indicated by one of the new trooperscontending, "Many were enlistedunder the express declaration thatthey were to rank with the cadetsat the Military Academy, andthat they should not be subject to the more severerestrictions of Army discipline. Many were told,when they were entreated to enlist, that theywould have nothing todo but ride on horseback over the country, to explore theWestern prairies andforests, occupations...."

Others succumbedto the belief that theywere, "to explore farand wide the Westernterritory, and bear thearms of the Union intothe country of many

The regiment's lieutenantcolonel, Stephen WattsKearny was an officer in theU.S. infantry before being transferred to the dragoons as secondin command. As a RegularArmy manhis ideas about the regiment's disciplineand training differed from Dodge's viewson these subjects. National Archives.

Left Mou.linet.

4~L"880n ._l~~ Part.

Plat&24-

By John P. LangellierPHOTOGRAPHY BY LYNNE McCREADY

rized the raising of 600 mountedrangers ...."

Frontier-wise, these hardy horsemencut colorful figures. Washington Irving,destined to become a noted Americannovelist of this era, turned from his fiction to describe these men. Irvingnoted that the rangers adopted thehunting dress of the day and "were aheterogeneous crew; some in frockcoats made of green blankets; others inleather hunting shirts, but the mostpart in marvelously ill-cut garmentsmuch the worse for wear, and evidentlyput on for rugged service." In general

Irving thought, "they looked not unlikebandits, returning from their plunder."

What the Rangers lacked in spit andpolish, they made up for by theirhorsemanship. The army realized thatthe experiment proved the worth ofwell-mounted troopers. All thatseemed absent was traditional discipline. Consequently, the Rangers gaveway to a more permanent organization. On March 2, 1833 legislationprovided for establishment of theUnited States Regiment of Dragoons.

From the outset, a certain elitist airprevailed amongst the horse soldier as

When the United States Congress authorized the Regiment ofDragoons no manual existed for the American horse soldier. Thatrequirement ultimately was addressed and appropriate illustrations provided to ensure that the troopers understood their trade.The dismounted trooper is shown in a dress uniform, while the later mounted engraving depicts a trooper wearing shelljacketand forage cap. Library of Congress.

SCHOOL OF THE TROOPER DlS~lOUNTE·D.

By the late 1820s, furs, land, mineral wealth, and other opportunities made the Indian territories west of the Mississippi River anincreasingly inviting realm. In response to pressures for expansion, the United States government attempted to move theNative Americans out of the path of empire. Federal officials saw

to it that some groups were relocated through means of force or by negotiated treaties. To insure compliance, and to strike out against those who wouldnot accept the dictates of the "Great White Father's" efforts at resettlement,military force seemed necessary. Not only would the frontier military establishment keep the Indians in check but, just as importantly, they were toprotect the Indian's treaty-reserved areas from white encroachment.

While conventional infantrymen had served in a similar capacity in thegarrisons elsewhere, vast distances on the Great Plains, coupled with the factthat many tribal groups of the region possessed horses, reqUired a moremobile type of soldier. Consequently, onJune 15, 1832, "Congress autho-

.(~(Ji«t.i

Illustrations by E. Forbes in the regimental history of the Second U.S. Dragoons depicted the evolution of the horse soldier's uniformduring the 1830s through the early 184Os. The volume also captured the short-lived experiment to arm some of the men with lances.

American Horse Soldiers on the Frontier,1832-1845

Oh! The dragoon bold! he scorns all care,As he goes the rounds with his uncropped hair;He spends no thought on the evil starThat sent him away to the border war.

His form in the saddle he lightly throws,And on the moonlight scout he goes,As merrily trolls some old-time songAs over the trail he bounds along.

Oh! Blithe is the life that a soldier leadsWhen a lawless freedom marks his deed;And gay his path o'er the wildwood sod,Where a white man's foot hath never trod.

-Popular Period Ballad

Because the Hall's hammer was actuallyfitted inside the breechblock, it was necessary to offset the rear and front sightsin order to aim properly. Chuck Fowlercollection.

Actually, many of the top-rankingofficers represented the best leadershipthen available. Nevertheless, some ofthese men saw their assignment as ameans of furthering personal ambitions.Consequently, Dodge, a man describedby one of his subordinates as, "thick set,somewhat grey, a thorough backwoodsman, very fond of talking of his ownexplOits ... ," found some problem inholding together his command. Notexactly tactful, nor unassuming, thecolonel increased friction among hisofficers. Impervious to his own role incausing dissension, he blamed othersfor the unrest. Indeed, his diary whichbespoke of his own lack of advancededucation: "1 find more treachery anddeception practiced in the Army than 1


plague the infantrymen. Far from beingexempt, the dragoon endured the sametiring routine as the frontier "doughboy" and more. This factor causedmany men to express their discontent.

Again, Private Hildreth, ventured hisopinions. He thought that the dragoonsstill might have endured their lot if theirofficers treated them more decently.Unfortunately, according to Hildrethsome of the "brass" were ill-educated,brutal, and alcoholic individuals,causing a few of the rank and file tobelieve the government broke its sideof the enlistment contract by commissioning such men. Their responsecame through desertion, a problemthat constantly gnawed at the U.S.Army during the Victorian era.

Early cartridge boxes contained a compartment not only for cartridges, but forpercussion caps. The small area on theright would have originally been linedwith lamb's wool to protect the caps.Chuck Fowler collection.

It was found that caps could be more conveniently carried in special belt-mountedboxes like the ones shown here. These are a very early pattern that first appeared inthe 184Os. Chuck Fowler collection.

we made of it would be entirely out ofthe question.. "

The men soon grew tired of theparade field. After all, they joined onthe premise of adventure. Then, too,instead of enjoying any of the privilegesand comforts promised them, theyfound not only the onerous tasks of thefoot soldier as part of their lot, but alsothey took on the extra responsibilities,"that peculiarly belong to theDragoon." Thus, they performed drill,fatigues, guard, and military functionsin addition to building their own quarters, stables, and other structures, andraising some of their own food. Allthese tasks came after each troopertended his mount and horse equipment, bothersome duty, which did not

exceeded the concerns of the averageinfantry officer. He reasoned that thiswas so because "with cavalry ... theamount of duty, instruction, andresponSibility, may safely be considered doubled in comparison of theextraordinary fact, that cavalry tacticswere unknown in the army; and withthat, whole theory and practical detailwere to be studiously acquired-in amanner invented-by officers beforethey could teach others."

Even basic dismounted drill taxedpatience because few of the men boastedprior military service. Private JamesHildreth underscored this fact when hewrote: "Sergeant Roberts ... was the onlyone in the troop that knew how to puthis left foot foremost and to attempt to

describe the ludicrous piece of work

The Hall breech-loading carbine was the earliest U.S. martial arm to use the percussion ignition system. It went through a series of incarnations during its career.From top, Model 1833, Model 1836, Model 1840, Model 1842, Model 1843. All weresmoothbore. The M33 was .64 caliber and the others, .52. Chuck Fowlercollection.

organizing the regiment.Kearny, a thoroughgoing professional,

antiCipated rapidly filling the ranksfollowed by a lengthy period of intensive training at Jefferson Barracks,Missouri, the original site designated asheadquarters for the unit. The WarDepartment instructed him to moldthe men into a formidable fightingforce of tightly diSCiplined troopers.

Turning this dream into a realityproved another matter. Indeed, manyof the men were not familiar with eventhe basics of horsemanship. LieutenantPhillip St. George Cooke, one of theregiment's young officers, summarizedthe sense of frustration, which soon setin when he contended that the leadershad to produce "order out of chaos."He concluded the task ahead far

Indian tribes." Allegedly, "it was aprospect that did not fail to excite theenterprising and roving disposition ofmany fine men whose imaginationswere inflamed ... with the thoughts ofscouring the far prairies on fine horses,amid buffalo and strange Indians."

With this, recruiting officers expectedto handpick their men. In fact, CaptainEdwin V Sumner supposedly provedsuccessful in signing up his share ofadventuresome individuals whom anewspaper described as, "the finestlooking raw recruits we ever saw; allNew Yorkers, selected by CaptainSumner himself from the northernand western counties of the state within the age of 25 years, and as nearly aspossible, 5 feet 8 inches in height, allpossessing a good English educationand men of strictly correct habits."

While the report seemed morewishful thinking than fact, officersattempted to follow the directive toenlist native-born men between twentyfive and thirty-five, "whose size, figure,and early pursuits may best qualifythem for mounted soldiers."Moreover, the rank and file, "were tobe sought from all parts of the countryso that there would be no sectionaltone" to the new regiment. Even atan early stage, concern over regionaldifferences proved a concern.

Nevertheless, politics of the periodplayed a key part in the formation of thedragoons. First of all, the appointmentof officers for the regiment providedcongressmen with a certain amount ofpatronage, although this fact provedminor when compared to other matters.More consideration seems to have beengiven to mixing regular Army officersand one-time Ranger officers. In theory,the fonner group would teach theirquasi-civilian brothers-in-arms aboutmilitary procedures and discipline,while the latter individuals could sharetheir knowledge about the West andthe Indians who peopled it.

For a leader of this composite outfit,President Andrew Jackson personallyselected the colonel, fellow Indianfighter and hero of the Western press,Henry Dodge. A veteran of theBlackhawk War, Dodge had headedthe Rangers, remaining with that unituntil it was disbanded. His second-incommand, Stephen Watts Kearny, acareer infantry officer, assumed theresponsibility for recruiting and


I, .

They lived in large barracks of oakshingles that "afforded poor protectionfrom the cold." Likewise, "the roofswere leaky, but buffalo robes kept thewater from the saddles, knapsacks,and clothing, assuring to preserve adry sleeping place for the night. Attimes rain came down the widechimneys, perhaps besprinkling therusty pork and flour, or drippinginto the camp-kettles and dilutingthe bean soup." Inadequate quarterswere not the only nuisances.

As often proved the case in a frontiergarrison, time weighed heavy. Whennot performing drills or other martialactivities, the troops entertained themselves with impromptu dances, wherethey joined the infantrymen from FortGibson and members of the Osage,Creeks, and Seminoles who campedaround the post. One of the sergeants,a towering six feet six inches of horsesoldier, usually served as the master ofceremonies. Some of the Tennesseansbrought out fiddles and, occasionally,even a banjo or clarinet accompaniedthe musicians. Sometimes one of thebuglers added his talents since the government authorized no band for thedragoons unlike their counterparts inthe other combat arms.

When not dancing, the men mightjust listen to music or sing some oftheir favorites such as "The Hunters ofKentucky" or "0 Tis my Delight in aStorm Season of the Year". Additionally,observing various aspects of the localIndian life, such as horse races, dances,wrestling, foot races, and ball gamespassed idle time. The young artist,George Catlin, who spent the winterwith the dragoons, particularly becamean avid spectator at the latter event.

When a tallow candle could bespared, the literate men could takeadvantage of the regimental librarywhich contained such titles asRobinson Crusoe or the Life of GeneralMarion, the famed Revolutionary Warcavalry leader. Others probably playedcards, until nine in the evening whentattoo sounded and the men retired forthe night.

With the approach of spring, the pacequickened. First of all, General HenryLeavenworth arrived and, on April 30,1834, the Regiment of United StatesDragoons, along with the SeventhUnited States Infantry, held a review.Shortly thereafter, Captain CliftonWharton took 60 men to escort a groupof traders to Santa Fe, thereby relievingthe infantrymen their fonner task.

With the loss of Wharton's contingent, reinforcements, in the form of


\.-

___J~----'--"--""--'----

The early mounted pattern white buffleather waistbelt was fitted with a ratherflimsy sheet brass buckle which had theiron belthooks soldered onto the reverse.It was replaced in 1839. Chuck Fowlercollection.

Both the Model 1833andModel 1836Hall had sliding integral bayonets, a feature thatwould be seen on some U.S. martialanns as late as 1903. Chuck Fowler collection.

The 1839 Pattern dragoon saber belt was a sturdy buff leather affair that wouldremain in service through the Mexican War and beyond. It had a cross strap (missingon this example) to help support the weight of the edged weapon. Also shown are awhite buff saber knot and carbine sling. Chuck Fowler collection.

---- ---- -----------_--=:, .

The butt of theModel 1833 Hallwas fitted with aspecial tool compartment whichheld a ramrodworm and vent pickturnscrew combo.The '33 was theearliest percussionweapon to beadopted by the U.S.military. ChuckFowler collection.

The lead-filled brass ovaldragoon enlistedplate isset up the reverse from theinfantry model and bucklesfrom left to right. ChuckFowler collection.

The Model 1833 dragoonhelmet (reproductionshown) was an interestingamalgam ofFrench andBritish styles. Garry Jamescollection.

What it lacked in appearance, the Model1833 leather forage cap more than madeup for in practicality. As well as having afront visor it had a drop-down neck flapand could be folded up when not in use.Chuck Fowler collection.

--"

The dragoons were first issued with the Model 1833 saber (top) a rather delicateblade copied after a British pattern. In 1840 they were given a heavier weapon basedon a French model, that was nicknamed by the troopers, "Old Wristbreaker. " For atime, they remained in service together. Chuck Fowler collection.

ever expected to find with a Body ofMen who Call themselves Gentlemen [.]My situation is unpleasant [Jefferson]Davis who I appointed as my adjutantwas among the first to take a standagainst me[.] Major [Richard] Masonand Davis are now two of my mostinveterate enemiesL]"

The regiment faced outside challenges, however, which required the fullcooperation of every member. Ordersarrived from the War Department sending Dodge's ill prepared and understrength command of five companies toFort Gibson, near present-day Tulsa,Oklahoma. Lieutenant Cookeexpressed the sentiments of some of hiscomrades when he quipped, "at theappearance of winter, in November,before any clothing or the proper armshad been received; before two companies received their horses; just at thatseason when all civilized, and, I believe,barbarous nations, even in the state ofwar, suspend hostilities and go intowinter quarters, these five companiesreceived an order to march out of theirs;to take to the field!" Cooke commented,"... the corps having been raised for thedefense of the frontier, would be disbanded if it remained inactive so far inthe interior at]efferson Barracks."

Whether this accusation found substance in fact or not, the partially constituted regiment set out on its firstmarch. Riding forth on November 20,1833, the men made their way towardFort Gibson. Upon their arrival in midDecember, they received a warm welcome. This cordial reception soon gaveway to the daily problems of setting upcamp. For one thing, February broughtbitter weather that destroyed the localforage. The horses suffered. Moremounts had to be procured, along withfodder from the Arkansas Territory.Next, a steamboat carrying theirclothing ran aground. Dodge decrieda lack of ammunition, which madetarget practice next to impOSSible. Hecould not abide by this fact since hefelt it "a matter of the first importanceto Make Men ... Good marksmen,[therefore,] on relieVing the Guards Ihave directed the Men to fire at a targetfifty paces [away]." Much to his chagrin, the Colonel found, "the greaterpan of them Know Nothing about theuse of Arms[.]"

Other matters proved irritating, asthe group waited for warmer weather.


! .

accomplishment, Kearny broke campand set out again. As fate would haveit, he intercepted a party of Siouxreturning from a foray into Sac-Foxcountry Holding a conference at once,he secured a promise from the 15braves that they would refrain fromsuch raids against their ancient foes.

Then, Kearny reined south. Aftersearching for a location to found a newmilitary post at the mouth of RaccoonFork of the Des Moines, he proceededto the Sac-Fox settlements west of his

own garrison. There, heattempted to impress thisgroup of Native Americanswith the advantages ofpeace with the Sioux. Afterhis council, Kearny wrotethe adjutant general of theUS. Army that he couldover-awe the tribes from theMissouri north to theMinnesota with only onehundred and fifty dragoons. Fortunately, henever had to test his boast,a claim that would berepeated with disastrousresults later in the centuryby other military officers.

While Kearny conductedbusiness with Sioux andthe Sac-Fox, ColonelDodge tackled a longerand more hazardousmarch with his three companies of 120 troopers, baggagewagons, and a pair of threepounder swivel guns. Hisorders directed him to visitthe tribes of the UpperPlatte River, then circleback through the ArkansasRiver Valley. A train of packanimals carried sixty days'rations, while extra flourwas loaded into two ox-drawn wagons. By 10 Junethe dragoons halted nearthe mouth of the PlatteRiver for a meeting with theOtos. Seven days later,Dodge held discussions

with the Omahas at the same location.From there he continued up the

Platte. By June 23, Dodge met thePawnees at Grand Island, Nebraska.Some two weeks later, at a spot sometwenty miles upstream from the forksof the Platte, the soldiers treated withthe Arickara. Pushing forward, theforce came into view of the Rockiesbefore cutting south and startingtoward the Arkansas. Between August6 and 1a the dragoons rested at Bent's

o

good will effort with the Sioux. Soggyground slowed the column but, amonth later on July 7, Kearny's blueclad cavaliers reached the Wabash'sSioux village on the Mississippi Rivernear present-day Winona, Minnesota.Several days later, tribesmen appearedand began discussions. They eventuallyagreed to restrain their warriors fromraiding the neighbOling Sac-Fox country,an impressive promise since these weretheir hereditary enemies. With this

ensued. The talks bore fruit since thegovernment agents succeeded in making one of the few agreements withthese two bands that came out of thepre-Civil War era. Despite the fact thatsimilar terms with the Kiowas werenot achieved, the dangerousSouthwestern Plains tribesremained relatively peaceful for therest of the year.

To the north, Kearny's troops alsocarried out a peacemaking mission. OnJune 7, 1835 he led 150 dragoons on a

During the period covered by this article, dragoons carried thesesingle-shotpistols. From top: Model 1819, Model 1836, Model 1842.All have swivel ramrods to facilitate loading on horseback. As canbe discerned from the photos, the Model 1842 was simplya percussion variant of the 36, with brass furniture. Chuck Fowler collection.

only limited objectives. On the otherhand, the operation underscored several important lessons about campaigning. For instance, the dragoons becameaware that big, farm-fed horsesrequired corn to maintain their vigor.Conversely, Catlin's mustangs and thearmy mules, which traced their ancestry back to the Santa Fe trade, in manyinstances, grew fat on the Plains' grasses. Moreover, the dragoons found theircumbersome supply wagons slowedprogress on the march. Learning fromtheir mistakes, the regi-ment managed to survivedetractors. Congress didnot cut appropriations forthe troopers who, in 1835,took up station in threesquadrons on the cuttingedge of the frontier of thatperiod.

Colonel Dodge established his headquarterswith four companiesalong the Missouri Riverat Fort Leavenworth,while Kearny, with threecompanies, reported toFort Des Moines, a newinstallation on the westbank of the MississippiRiver near the mouth ofthe Des Moines River inIowa. Major Mason ledthe remaining three companies from Fort Gibsonand rode about eightymiles up the ArkansasRiver to begin construction of yet another newcantonment, CampJones.

Dodge soon found thathe could hold only partialcontrol over his command.This proved especially truebecause Dodge's andKearnys forces were in onemilitary district whileMason's contingent fellinto the jurisdiction of yetanother department. Aftera miserable winter in poorly constructed huts, Mason's menreceived orders to head for Comancheand Kiowa country in order to strengthen the friendly relations with thesetribes, which had been started duringthe first expedition. OnJune I, MajorMason set up Camp Holmes on thefringe of Comanche country for a treatysite. Toward the end of August 1835 aweek long conference with three treatycommissioners and delegations fromthe Wichita and Comanche nations


a base camp was established where 109of the command remained behind tolook after 86 of their comrades whofell victim to the soaring mercury anda "distressing bilious fever." The horsesalso suffered. Many died. So did someof the men, including GeneralLeavenworth. Other losses camethrough desertion. Dodge summarizedthe whole expedition in a letter. Hecontended, "perhaps there never hasbeen in America a campaign that operated More Severely on Man andHorses. The excessive Heat of the Sunexceeded anything I ever experienced[.J I marched from Fort Gibson with500 Men and When I reached thePawnee Pict Village I had not morethan 190 Men fitfor duty."

After this disastrous foray, the survivors returned to Fort Gibson, in lateAugust. Nonetheless, they accomplishedtheir task of showing the flag and, atleast for the moment, attainedpromises of peace with the powerfulplains Indians they met. In so doing,their first effort seemed a success.

The newspapers of the era thoughtotherWise, however, and pronouncedthe experiment a failure. The MissouriRepublican maintained, "after a full andfair trial of a year-after the expenditure of an immense sum of moneyafter the loss of an hundred men, andsome of the most promising officers inthe service-it must be evident, thatthis regiment ... , ought to be disbanded or merged into the equally effectiveranks of the infantry." The New YorkEvening Star echoed these sentimentswith the conclusion, "considering thelittle that could have been antiCipated,and less that has been achieved, theexpense of so many valuable lives andso large an amount of property, hasbeen but of small avail."

In truth, the first expedition achieved

Hall carbine cartridges contained powder and ball, or in some cases,buck-and-ball. The distinctive red and white string identifies it as a Hallround. Chuck Fowler collection.

the week has raised from 103 to 107 inthe thermometer."

Despite the soaring mercury, everything seemed in readiness. OnJune la,1834, General Leavenworth reviewedthe assembled companies, each ofwhich followed what became a common practice for mounted forces in theUnited States since they rode mountsof "one color entirely." Catlin underscored this point noting, "there is acompany of bays, a company of blacks,one of whites, one of sorrels, one ofgreys, one of cream color. ... Thisregiment goes out under the command of Colonel Dodge, and fromhis well-tested qualifications andfrom the beautiful equipment at hiscommand, there can be little doubtthat they will do credit to themselvesand an honor to their country, so faras honors can be gained and laurelscan be plucked from their wild stemsin a savage country." This last sournote, in some ways, better capturedthe expedi tion's future fate than theglowing accounts about Dodge andthe fine outfitting of his party

To begin with, Leavenworth decidedto accompany 'the troops on their firstleg of the trek. He and approximatelyfive hundred mounted men rode westto impress the Pawnees and Comanchewith the power of the United States. Byso doing, officials believed these NativeAmericans would make treaties, whichwould insure peace on the frontier.

The cavalcade soon found survivalmore important than their mission.july's heat caused forty-five men and

three officers to experienceserious illness. As dayspassed, more joined theirnumber on the sick list.Some 180 miles out fromFort Gibson, the situationdeteriorated to the extent that

Dragoons carried their pistols in a brace ofholsters located on the pommel of the saddle. ChuckFowler collection.


five additional companies, started outfrom Jefferson Barracks. The 453mile trip went smoothly for the horsesoldiers. One enlisted man ofCompany "I" kept a journal in whichhe logged their daily progress. AtSpringfield, Missouri, he passed judgment on the local civilian population,pronouncing the inhabitants as, "idleand lazy depending upon their negroesfor support which is the custom in allslave states." Perhaps more than sectionalbias colored the observer's opinionbecause he noted further, "all men inthe country sell Whiskey and otherthings to us soldiers at a most exorbitant price-for instance, 25 cents apint for Whiskey, 12 1/2 cents a quartfor milk." It seems that martial fundsoften seemed more welcome than thetroops themselves.

Soon the troops would not have toworry about their dealings with otherwhites. Instead, far from settlements,preparations for a summer campaignbegan In anticipation, the camp camealive. One man described the atmosphere: "throughout the day, a constantscene of bustle and noise, the blacksmith shops are kept in continualoperation, tailors and saddlers findconstant employment, and in fact noone has time to idle ... standing duringthe whole of the day exposed to theheat of the broiling sun, which during

IIII

!

James Clyman was a mountain manturned dragoon. In 1833, when Clymanreceived his commission as a secondlieutenant, he purchased this flashyuniform, which was regulation full dressexcept for the yellow silk sash that wassupposed to be orange in color. State ofCalifornia Parks and RecreationDepartment.

With his usual enthusiasm, PhilipKearny reported to France accompaniedby fellow junior officers, Henry Turnerand William Eustis. Arriving after avoyage from New York on October 1,1839, the trio found the Americanambassador and former secretary ofwar, Lewis Cass, interested in theirduties. They even managed to dinewith the king before reporting to theFrench cavalry school. When theycompleted their study, Turner andEustis returned home but Kearnyremained abroad so that he could sailto Africa where he participated in aforay with the French before returningto the United States.

Kearny was reunited with Turnerand Eustis at Carlisle Barracks,Pennsylvania, the newly establisheddragoon school of instruction. There,the men employed their training fromSaumur, along with Kearny's experiences in North Africa, to complete thefirst manual for the American horsesoldier. By 1841, their colonel declaredthat beginning on March 23 the system, which finally had been approvedby the Army, would be followed to theletter. Kearny made it clear, "neitherorder of augmentation ... nor detail of


The 1833-pattern dragoon enlisteddress uniform resembled the fineryworn by their officers as this sergeant'soutfit topped with a white horsetailplume indicates. Details of the outfitcontain both British and French elements. Smithsonian Institution.

Sumner as preSident of a board to comeup with a standard system for the carbine. Kearny ultimately gained approvalfor three other officers to visit France asobservers at the Royal Cavalry School inSaumur to study French cavalry tactics.One of these favored young subalternswas his nephew, Philip Kearny. Morethan nepotism was involved here. Theyounger Kearny joined the military overhis father's objection but, when hisgrandfather died and willed him morethan a million dollars, the heir enjoyedindependence enough to ignore hiselder's wishes. Philip Kearny's wealthproved an asset in that the men gainedbenefits if they served in his companynot regularly available to other troopers.For example, ifhe saw "a well turnedout soldier with clean equipment anduniform" he would, according to PrivateTom Elderkin of Kearny's company,"praise the man and give him a fewbucks as a reward." The same privatenoted that anytime new types of saddlesor equipment became available Kearnywould buy it "out of his own pocket forus .... " Little wonder then that the rankand file thought he was, "a hunky-doryshoulder strap," which was barrack'sslang for a popular officer.

with the butt of his rifle. As I ran forthe river several rifles were dischargedat me; a ball struck my leg, whichthrew me down, when the Indiansbrought me back to the store."

The Seminoles displayed compassionfor the formerly enslaved AfricanAmerican who had lived among themat one time. The remaining captivesdid not fare as well. Eventually, a captured dragoon sergeant, a white civiliancarpenter, and another black "were putto death in a most cruel manner." Afterholding their prisoners for four days,the Seminoles "tied them to a pinetree, and inserted in their flesh sliversof light wood, setting them on fire, andat the same time placing torches attheir feet. In this way it was five or sixhours before they died." Another 11dragoons fell during the original battlewhile two more sustained wounds.Harney and the remaining men managed to avoid this end and, in fact,returned with a small party of dragoonsand artillery men in December of 1840to take vengeance. According to anearly history of the incident, Harney'sforce "committed dreadful havoc" onthe enemy "so that his name became aterror to them far and wide." FromDecember 7 to 10, Harney's detachment pursued the foe from one islandto another in a forerunner of a searchand destroy mission. They capturedmany women and children and hungseveral of the men responsible for theattack on the trading store.

While their brothers-in-arms wagedwar against the Seminoles, the FirstDragoons (as the regiment was knownafter 1836) continued to make routinepatrols on the frontier, although of amuch-reduced scale to the first expeditions undertaken by that unit. Otherchanges took place in the mid-1830s,including Henry Dodge's resignation toaccept an appointment as the territorialgovernor of Wisconsin. Kearny tookover and immediately set about theknotty task of shaking down theregiment after a fairly easy-goingperiod under Dodge.

For one thing, the newly mintedcolonel noted that no manual existed forthe use of the dragoon's breech loadingHall carbine. Early in the unit's historyhe wrote to Dodge requesting that something be done to fill this void but to noavail. In Kearny's estimation Dodge,"never did, nor could drill a company orsquadron of cavalry," and as a consequence displayed little interest in suchmatters. With only one copy of the latestFrench mounted manual available in theregiment, Kearny appOinted Captain

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Frontiersman and former major of theBattalion ofMounted Rangers, HenryDodge, was the first colonel of the U.S.Dragoons when the regiment was formedin 1833. He preferred buckskins to the regulation uniform as indicated by GeorgeCatlin's painting from 1834. MissouriHistorical Society Art Collection.

In the field, including the Florida swamps,a white cotton uniform provided some reliefagainst the summer heat, but the leathercap still served as headgear, offering littleprotection from the sun.

\my that would be paid for in lives ata later time.

The government also seemed toerror in that same year when it created the second regiment of dragoons, which immediately went offto duty in the Everglades, anunlikely terrain for the deployment of mounted troops. In fact,the new unit ended up being dismounted as they fought a bloodyanti-guerrilla action in theswamps of Florida.

For the next seven years, theSecond Dragoons spent most oftheir efforts in a semi-tropical environment, ill suited to their employment. Nevertheless, they harassedand pursued tiny bands ofSeminoles, as small as a familygroup or an individual enemy, without really coming to grips with theirfoes as a whole. One of the officerssummed up the frustration he andhis comrades experienced in theunfamiliar, unconventional type ofwarfare. He recorded: "The peculiarservice devolving upon the officer inthe scouts through the country wasquite as debilitating as the effects ofthe climate upon the constitution.His duties were divested of allattributes of a soldier. ... His command of 30 or 40 men resembledmore a vandatti than a body of soldiers, in the service of their country." With these words, an earlyVictorian soldier described theproblems of jungle fighting thatwould be echoed in years to come.

For more than a half decade, theSecond Dragoons attained a reputation for their "dash," but at the costof the lives of seven officers andsome 212 enlisted men, most of whosuccumbed to disease rather thanfrom encounters with the illusiveSeminoles and their black allies. Onenotable exception occurred inJuly of1839, when the regiment's second incommand, Lieutenant ColonelWilliam S. Harney, barely escapedwith his life after a night attack upona trading post where he and nineteenof his troops encamped.

According to a black interpreterwho accompanied the party, at thebreak of day onJuly 23, "I heard theyell of Indians and the discharge ofrifles; and as I ran out I found theywere all around us." One of thewhite traders received a wound"but continued to talk some minutes, when an Indian, placing a rifleclose to him, fired. Still he talked,when the Indian beat his brains out

Fort, while Dodge heard from theOsages who sent a promise to keeppeace with their enemies, theCheyennes and the Arapahoes. FromBent's Fort, the men faced east andreturned home to Fort Leavenworthacross Kansas.

By their summer campaigns of 1835,Colonel Dodge and his subordinatesdemonstrated that the expedition ofthe previous year did not display thereal potential of these horse soldiers.They had shown that they could makesuccessful incursions into distantIndian Territory and made valuablemaps of the routes they took. Indeed,Dodges 1,600 miles cost only one man,a soldier who died of "inflammation ofthe bowels." This record stood in sharpcontrast to the previous year. Also,there had been no clash with thetribes. In fact, the Indians seemedimpressed that the United States Armycould at last find them in their vasthomelands. The idea that a mobile,well-equipped foe could strike themeven on the limitless prairies made apowerful impression on the potentiallyhostile warriors of the West. It seemedexpedient, for the moment at least, forboth sides to keep the peace.

Despite these achievements, the outcryover the costs of the dragoon expeditionsonce again rang out among settlers,taxpayers, and in the halls of Congress.The Saint Louis Missouri Republicancontinued to criticize the expeditions.The paper lambasted the Indianremoval policy then in force on thegrounds that relocating eastern tribesjust west of the Missouri settlementscreated a possible smoldering powderkeg, which could ignite in a bloodyIndian war. Even LieutenantColonel Kearny came to share inthese sentiments.

Similarly, Colonel Dodge and severalhigh-ranking military officials supported the idea that a continuous line ofsmall forts would provide the best typeof protection for the frontier settlements, at a reduced cost. Local politicians, aware of the economic benefitsfor their constituents living near theproposed installations, pushed forcongressional approval. By January 31,1836, a static frontier defense policywent into effect. This practice restricted the movements of the dragoons inthe West for the next half dozen yearsbut may well have proved false econo-


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Spoon lever (Model 1843)

to be dispose of them in other ways.Morale sank but the secretary of warhelped relieve the situation in hisreport. He noted that the governmentsaved an insignificant sum by dismounting the regiment. He calledattention to the extended frontierwhich was too vast an area for the FirstDragoons to police alone, therefore, herecommended that the regiment of riflemen be remounted, and with petitionsfrom the legislatures of Missouri andLouisiana to support this proposal,Congress retracted its earlier decision.In March of 1843, officers and menalike rej oiced when they heard thattheir beloved horses were to bereturned. A holiday spirit prevailedand a gill of whiskey went to each man.After a variety of amateur theatricalperformances to celebrate the eventprobably in the wake of several toastsofjohn Barleycorn-the officers ofFort Jesup decided to fire a salute tothe occasion. They moved in a body tothe parade ground where the retreatand reveille gun stood. With no horsesavailable as yet, two of the officersmounted the loaded piece to ride itwhen it was fired. In the scuffle todetermine who would gain this honor,one of the gentlemen ended up on topof the vent hole. When the gun wentoff, he went up several feet in the air,then came down with his uniformafire. Fortunately, some of his com-

proposed that two-thirds of the newregiment be taken from civilian applicants or from the ranks. While theproposal went down in defeat, theSecond Dragoons would find theirorganization's very life threatened. TheHouse of Representatives called for theelimination of the unit in 1842. A compromise ultimately halted this movewhen the Senate proposed the idea thatthe Second Dragoons be converted toa rifle regiment. By taking away thehorses and substituting rifles forcarbines, the size of the army wouldremain the same but costs would belower without the additionalexpense of mounts.

General Order Number 22 of March13,1843 reqUired the Second to turnover its horses to the First Dragoons or


execution" would be tolerated andthat the commanders would notdepart from this "bible" to even "theslightest degree."

Not to be outdone, the SecondDragoons, who finally transferredfrom Florida to stations in Louisianaand Arkansas in 1842, began a "strenuous schedule of training" underCaptain William]. Hardee. Thisfuture Confederate lieutenant generaljust had returned from a tour ofEurope himself, where he too had theopportunity to look at what the OldWorld had to offer. Now, as the regiment's executive officer, he oversawthe tactical exercises and mounteddrill of the unit. He even managed toarm the four companies located atFort Jesup, Louisiana with lances, andfor a short while these men were theonly regular army troops to carry thisweapon. The remainder of the companies continued to practice with thesaber, Single-shot pistol, and carbine.

Just as Hardee began to makeprogress in his training efforts, Congressbegan a retrenchment typical of all postwar periods. With the cessation of majorhostilities against the Seminoles,reductions were ordered inWashington. Actually, the debate aboutthe Second Dragoons could be tracedback nearly six years when theJacksonians used the legislation, whichproposed the outfit's creation as aspringboard to attack the United StatesMilitary Academy. These politicianswanted to do away with West Point,claiming its graduates did not learn tofight Indians there, a major reason forthe existence of the army in the mindsof many a frontiersman. Despairingthat they could not close the Academy,the representative from Kentucky

The National Park Service has restored the parade ground at Ft. Scott much as itappeared in its heyday when the hooves ofhorses and the clatter ofsabers carriedby bold dragoons echoed on parade.

rades rolled him in the grass andextinguished the flames before theycould cause real harm.

FollOwing the lead of their superiors,some of the soldiers partook of spiritstoo. One intoxicated ranker blurtedout, "hereafter, we'll do e-ev'ithin'mounted! We'll eat (hic), drink (hic),and sleep in the (hic) saddle; we'll livemounted and (hic) we'll d-die mounted."

During the brief period when theSecond converted to a rifle regiment,Kearny's men gained a number ofmounts, which put the First Dragoonsat full strength. This fact helpedKearny carry out the directive toestablish a temporary outpost at themouth of the Raccoon Fork of the DesMoines River in order to keep peacewith the Sac-Fox in the few yearsremaining before their relocationacross the Missouri.

Not all the tribes liVing in Iowa of1843 proved as easy to deal with, however. The Winnebagos crossed theMississippi to the former Illinois andWisconsin homeland to hunt. Thisactivity drew Captain Sumner's command from Fort Atkinson, Kansas, outto track and return the foragingIndians so that he could induce themto return to their new reserve.

Further west, another dragoon officer,Philip St. George Cooke, who during theCivil War was destined to oppose hisfuture son-in-law, j.E.B. Stuart, led twodetachments to protect traders andtravelers on the Santa Fe Trail. SomeTexans had threatened to disrupt theroute and confiscate the caravans ofMexican merchants. A band led byJacob Snively attempted to make goodthis boast, but Cooke's contingentmanaged to disarm the would-beraiders and sent some off to Texas andothers toward Missouri. After seeingthe traders safely across the ArkansasRiver at the Cimarron CroSSing, hemarched back to Fort Leavenworth.Fearing further outbreaks by theTexans along the road, Cooke took tothe saddle in August to escort 140wagons belonging to Mexican businessmen. Beyond the Arkansas Riverthey met a Mexican patrol, which wentthe remainder of the way to Santa Fe.

These amicable relations would notlast long because the press of ManifestDestiny soon brought Mexico and theUnited States to the edge of war. Beforethe conflict actually commenced, the


dragoons concluded some of theirlast forays to the frontier, undertakenin part due to the growing push ofpioneers to the Pacific Northwest.

Thus Kearny led one of the lastmajor expeditions of this type, leavingFort Leavenworth on May 18, 1845with five companies of his FirstDragoons. FollOwing the Oregon Trail,they reached Fort Laramie, which wasstill a fur trade post, on June 14, wherethey met local Sioux. They exchangedgifts and demonstrated their martialskills to impress the warriors with theimportance of remaining peacefultoward the whites. A portion of thecommand then crossed the continental divide at South Pass, turnedaround toward Fort Laramie, and rodesouth along the front of the RockyMountains. Kearny's troops moved onto Bent's Fort, and from there followedthe Santa Fe Trail back toLeavenworth. When the expeditionleft this place, months earlier, PhilipSt. George Cooke exclaimed, "it was abeautiful sight!-the squadrons weregliding, two abreast, along gentlecurves, over the fresh green grasswhich was brilliant in the slant rays ofthe sun." The scene was enhanced bythe horses with their "gallant bearing;-bearing fifty blacks led; fifty graysfollowed; then fifty bays; next fiftychestnuts-and fifty more blacksclosed the procession: the arms glittered; the horses' shoes shone twinkling on the fast moving feet." Now,after ninety-nine days in the field andwith the conclusion of 2,200 miles inthe saddle, Kearny's men came backon August 24,1845.

"And what news" did they hearwhen they reached "the States?" Aftermeeting Apaches, Kiowas, and othertribes and gaining invaluable experiences on the Plains, which would"break down anything but a cast ironhorse" the column received a newchallenge. Cooke and his comradesfound the newly elected PresidentJames K. Polk was considering "a warwith Mexico so inevitable, that ourdistant march at this time has beencriticized in camp...." Despite internalquestioning, the lessons learned onthis last excursion to the West "madeit pOSSible" in the words of one notedhistorian "for the United States to

patrol the prairies and plains and thusmake effective American authority"on the frontier. It now appeared thatthe bold dragoons once again wereriding high in the saddle as a new erawas dawning in response to the pow-erful cry of "manifest destiny." G

'

By Paul W. Miraldi and Owen ThorntonMILITARY CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED 55

- -

The Camouflage Uniforms and Gear of the U.S. Army SpecialForces in South East Asia in 1961-1966 was an Odd Mix of HomeGrown Military Styles and Civilian and Foreign Patterns.54 MILITARY CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED

Left: These two early advisors both wearexamples of the John Wayne dense("JWD'? camo pattern which is printedon heavyweight cotton material. Theadvisor on the left sports the classicthree-pocket shirt with seven-pockettrousers, which feature a zipper fly. Thesuit is said to have reached its "fullmaturity, " meaning that as far as colors,the black has turned to purple. This isdue to the inferior vegetable dyes usedin all Asian countries. Soaking the garment in vinegar could counteract this.Headgear is another example ofa private purchase Vietnamese-made "cowboy hat" in the tadpole "sparse" pattern,which is an early choice for hats. The hatfeatures two screened eyelets on eachside. On one side is a metal snap. Insidethe hat is lined in red, a color originallyused by the German Afrika Corps, afterresearch showed that it kept the wearer's head cooler. The hat also features avinyl sweatband.The .advisoron the right wears anotherset ofJWS, an early pattern that cameinto service around 1962. This is a variant cut; the shirt features the coveredbuttons on the pocket flaps andextremely wide button loops. Trousershave the five-pocket style, lacking theslash pockets. All pockets on thetrousers feature the large bellows. Thisis one of the more popularpatterns andis very sought after by collectors.Headgear is a typical French style campaign hat in the ever-popularparachutesilk material. This pattern WWIIparachute silk was also done in two distinctive styles. The pattern worn here inthe hat and around the neck is in the"smooth" pattern.

This advisor carrying a BrowningAutomatic Rifle, wears the JohnWayne dense (JWD) pattern shirtand pants. Shirt worn is a very rare tailor-made four pocket shirt styled exactlylike a U.S. Jungle fatigue shirt, completewith exposed buttons, but lacking thetwo take up tabs on the waist. This pattern shirt was neveran original garmentcut, which makes it very desirable andrare. The John Wayne dense is the mostcommon and is even copied by a company called Tigerstripe Products.Matching boonie hat is in the same JWDpattern and is typically lined with blackmaterial and features the white tag withthe size letter in red. This hat features ared "M" for Medium. It also incorporatestwo metal grommets for air circulation.

Backside ofadvisorgives a goodlook at his 1st model CIDG rucksack,

first produced in a heavy greenishgrey duck material. These weredirect copies of the NVA rucksacks,and were capable ofcarrying quite

a bit ofgear. This also provides an excellent view ofthe advisor's 1st model twoquart canteen and carrier,which was modeled after anexperimental WWII canteen

and cover.

Special Forces advisorwearing the 2nd modelVietnamese-producedwindproofpattern camouflage. The shirt features two large breastpockets, each securedwith a single covered

button, gas flap,buttoned cuffs,and air vents under

the arm. When theSouth Vietnamese formed their ownAirborne Brigade, they continued to outfit their airborne soldiers in this patternusing bolts of original British surplus airborne material. Once these wereexhausted, the Vietnamese quartermasters began printing their variation of thispattern in 1962. These sets are very rareand sought-afterby collectors. Worn onthe advisor's pistol belt is a small hunting knife which featured a natural staghandle and a 6-inch blade. These typesofknives were common among mostearly advisors.

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Early American Special Forces serving temporary duty ("TDY") in Vietnamarrived wearing the same heavy ODcotton uniforms of the conventionalarmy serving both stateside and inEurope. These uniforms were ill-suitedfor Vietnam's tropical climate andlacked the camouflage properties ofthe country's thick jungles. The U.S.Army had "officially" done away withcamouflage at the ending of WWll,and felt that the OD green uniformfilled the need of camo utilities. By theend of 1948, the Research andDevelopment Laboratory had developed a pattern known as ERDL, butwould leave the idea of camouflageduniforms shelved until 1962 when further studies would be carried out at Ft.Benning, Georgia.

At this time, the only camouflagebeing produced by the U.S. was themapleleaf "Mitchell" pattern whichwas offered in shelter halves and helmet covers and the older WWIl styleduckhunter helmet covers.

Many soldiers had locally producedsets of camouflage uniforms made outof these Mitchell shelter halves, whileserving with the 1st Special ForcesGroup Airborne ("SFGA") on Okinawain the late '50s and early '60s. Othersprivately purchased sets of commercialcamouflage from popular sportinggood outlets like Sears and Roebuck.The U.S. Army had regulations concerning the wearing of "unauthorized"uniforms, such as foreign camouflageor hunting camo purchased privatelyfrom the states. These regulations wereusually disregarded in exchange for thecomfort and protection the camouflageuniforms provided. As well, theenforcers of these regulations were farfrom the dangerous areas that theSpeCial Forces inhabited. Later in thewar, Military Assistance CommandVietnam ("MACV") began to realizeafter the loss of many men that the jobof 'advising' was extremely difficultand dangerous. Service with many ofthese units began increasing Viet Cong("VC') reprisal as early as 1963. Manyat MACV headquarters realized that theAmerican SpeCial Forces advisors werebeing targeted by the Viet Cong, andbounties were being put on their heads.

By 1965, MACV ordered thatAmericans serving in the advisory roleto begin wearing parts or all of the uniforms of their "host" unit; this includedheadgear, badges and camouflage

clothing. Many AmericanSpeCial Forces, already awareof the fact that wearing a greenberet and non-camouflagedclothing could draw unwantedgunfire from the enemy, begandonning these uniforms andheadgear well before thepaperpushers in Saigon'sMACV HQ deemed it necessary.

Besides protection, the wearing of the Vietnamese uniforms, were shows of supportand helped with unit cohesion.On the camouflage uniform,many SF personnel sported theeqUivalent rank of theirVietnamese counterpart; manytimes this was worn centeredon the front of the uniform aswell as on either pocket flap.Most of the time, but notalways, these camouflage uniforms were worn void of anypatches, although members ofthe elite "Mike Force" worenumerous pocket and sleeveinsignia during operations.Period photos show some SFpersonnel wearing a pin ofU.S. airborne wings as well asCIBs and a pair of clothparachute wings and SouthVietnamese para wings onboth the duckhunter andtigerstripe uniforms. Many ofthe South Vietnamese woretheir unit insignia; the LLDB"jumping tiger" on the leftsleeve of their tigerstripe andduckhunter uniforms. Thestrikers wore patches on theircamouflage and adopted somebrightly colored scarves.Besides the typical tigerstripeand duckhunter uniforms provided by the Vietnamese quartermasters, other camouflagefound its way into Vietnamsuch as the French "Lizard"pattern, British airborne SASpattern and Belgian camouflage smocks, which were usually worn by members whileserving with the 10th SFGA inGermany at Bad Toltz.

MITCHELL PATTERNThe Mitchell pattern or

"Maplelear' was printed with aleaf pattern usually on thickheavy canvas. The pattern wasfirst introduced as a camouflage shelter half during thelast months of the Korean

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War, around 1953, and was used byboth the Army and Marine Corps. Thepattern was printed on two sides; agreen side was intended for spring andsummer and featured a four-color configuration with large maple leaves. Theopposite side was roller-printed with abrown dominant pattern, intended foruse during the fall and winter. Thebrown side had a four color disruptedpattern, sometimes referred to as theNational Police pattern, since theNational Police used it as their uniform. Uniforms made from these shelter halves are usually identical to theOG 107 uniforms, although trousershave been seen that are very similar tothe herringbone twill "HBr trousers ofWWII having two large hip cargopockets. Even though the material wasquite heavy and therefore warm, it featured a camouflage pattern and hadthe added benefit of being water repellent fabric.

TIGERSTRIPEThe French, during their occupa

tion, first introduced these camouflaged uniforms to Vietnam after thesurrender of the japanese. Many of theParas wore the French pattern calledVeste deSaunt mle 1947/53, or the"lizard" pattern. Vietnamese copies ofthis was first produced in 1959, andissued to the then-new SouthVietnamese Marine Corps. Soon after,the demand for these garments outgrew the small Vietnamese quartermaster system and "off shore" sourcessuch as japan, Taiwan, Korea andHong Kong began prodUCing tigerstripe clothing for the growing ClDGprogram. By 1962 several patternswere introduced and today are verysought after by collectors.

In 1963, the basic issue for a ClDGstriker was two sets of tigerstripefatigues, a matching flop hat or"boonie hat," one pair of the Bataboots, a pistol belt, one canteen, anindigenous rucksack, and a weapon.U.S. advisors were usually able toobtain two sets of tigerstripe or duckhunter if available in larger size.

COMMERCIALEarly advisors had no access to cam

ouflage clothing that was lightweightand functional. At this time, many werestill wearing the heavy and uncomfortable OG 107 cotton fatigues. Early CIAand civilian operatives working in


Vietnam in the mid '50s had procuredsets from U.S. commercial sportinggoods outlets. The style was a directcopy of the popular WWII MarineCorps pattern used throughout thePacific Island-hopping campaign. Thecamouflage features large "spots." It isbusier than its Vietnamese predecessor,with the "spots" interacting with eachother. The "duckhunter" pattern isprinted on lightweight cotton materialand sometimes on heavyweight cottonduck material, with the backgroundbeing tan. The spots vary in color, ranging from dark brown to lime green, andan Indian red. These "duckhunter"camouflage fatigues were popular withthe early advisors since they offered apractical camouflage uniform, werecomfortable, lightweight, breathable,and had the added room of large cargopockets on the trousers. The "duckhunter" shirt featured two "patch"pockets located on the breast, althoughthe common variation featured the twolower pockets. There was also a threepocket variation which had the typicaltwo lower pockets with an additionalthird smaller open pocket on the leftbreast. Photos show some U.S. SpecialForces advisors officers wearing theirU.S. rank and Branch of Service("BOS") on their collars. The author hasnever seen an example of any SpecialForces member wearing the SSI on theduckhunter uniform. Early fatigues featured pockets that were usually securedwith a Single blackened "Burst ofGlory" metal tack button, or largeWWII style plastiC button, normallyOD green or brown.

MDAPThe ClDG "strikers" were organized

into local defense forces and were considered civilian employees of the U.S.government. They were recruited, fed,housed, trained, paid, and outfitted byU.S. Special Forces, not the Army tothe Republic of Vietman "ARVN." Ofthese uniforms, the Mutual DefenseAssistance Program "MDAP" patternduckhunter was the first camouflage tobe distributed to the ClDG "Strikers".The MDAP pattern duckhunter camouflage was printed in two known patterns and two different weights ofmaterial, and in three known variations or cuts ofjacket and trousers.

During Operation SWitchback, theprogram outgrew CIA control andorders were put in to have these camouflage uniforms produced by "offshore" countries such as japan, Koreaand Hong Kong. Although two different patterns have emerged, both share

Black Bata boots bought and paid forby the American Special Forces, andproduced in Canada. This is the rarerblack version. The OD green oneswere more common.

Typical French-made campaign hat in a"duckhunter" pattern, popular with both thestrikers and American Special Forces. The Ekcombat knife is a good example ofprivate purchasecutlery. This style ofknife was employed from WWII throughout the Vietnam War.It could be purchased from the John Ek Knife company ofMiami, Florida.

MDAP pattern duckhunter cowboy hat. Note the two screened eyelets. Identicalones in tigerstripe were popularand are very desirable today by collectors.

American Special Forces advisor wearing a set of the Vietnamese copy of theBritish windproof. This is an example ofthe second model of the pattern, beingprinted on lightweight poplin material.The advisor wears the second model jungle boots and a Green Beret with the 5thgroup beret flash. The advisor wears a.38 cal pistol on his hip in a locally-madebrown leather holster. Circa 1965-66.


Early Special Forces advisor wearing theFrench ''Veste deSaunt mle" 1947/53 or"lizard" pattern smock. These Frenchthrowbacks to the First Indochina Warwere easily available on the surplusmarket and popular among manySpecial Forces advisors. The advisorwears the standard first model OG 107pants with his camouflage smock, alongwith the unpopular brimmedjungle hat.Web gear consists ofan OG 107 M1936pistol belt, M1942 pattern first aidpouch, a lensatic compass pouchsecured to his single universal pouchand a single M1910 aluminum canteenin the Korean War era cover which stillfeatured the M1910 hook system. TwoMK II pineapple grenades are suspended to his M1956 H-harness. Worn on hisright hip is his Colt M1911A1.45 cal pistol, secured in a very crude Vietnamesemade holster. On his left hip is a BoyScout's Western knife that featured a 6inch blade and leather sheath.Canadian-made black Bata boots areworn in lieu of the black leather boots.Weapon is a Stevens 12-gauge shotgun.

U.S. produced green beret with anadded camouflage liner. This setup wascommon among some members of theSpecial Forces.

This Green Beret wears an example ofthe Sears commercial duckhunter camopattem shirt and trousers. These camouflage fatigues were popular since theywere lightweight and fast drying andoffered the added advantage ofcamouflage over the heavy U.S. produced cotton fatigues. Headgear worn by this advisor is a tan cowboy hat, which was produced in a variety ofpatterns and colors.Web gear is a variety of WWII era surplusitems such as his M1916 brown leatherholster, khaki first aidpouch and twin cellammunition pouch, X-harness and hisPAL Bowie-style fighting knife. Worn overhis shoulderis a pouch designed to holdthe long stick magazines ofhisThompson or M3 submachine gun.

Special Forces advisor wearing thegreen beret with the flash that wasadopted in 1963, it represents the 1st,5th and 7th SFGAs and the colors ofSouth Vietnam. The advisor wears theSpecial Forces DI pin, depicting him asan enlisted man.

MODELSThe first model was done in the clas

sic heavyweight material and featuredthe "Burst of Glory" buttons whichwere believed to have been blackened.It's believed that since none were mintcondition, that the blackened finishhad flaked off. The shirt featured twobreast pockets, each secured with aSingle metal button, with an additionalbuttoned sleeve pocket. Another identification characteristic is a vertical "W"weave stitch in the collar and buttoncuffs. These have been seen in photosas early as 1961-62. The matchingtrousers featured two rear pockets eachwith a single metal button closure andtwo cargo pockets and a Single lowercigarette pocket.

The second model of the MDAP"Duckhunter" was the same pattern asthe 1st model, but with plastic buttonsreplaCing the metal tack buttons. Theshirt featured two breast pockets; eachsecured with a single plastic button.The pocket features a bellow on the leftside. The left sleeve cigarette or first aidpocket was eliminated. Matchingtrousers featured two rear pockets,each secured with a single button, andtwo large cargo pockets, both with thebellow facing toward the rear, and aSingle plastic button. The second generatlon also featured the small first aidpocket/Cigarette pocket. On the left legJust below the cargo pocket, plasticbuttons replaced the metal ones. Thesewere cut similar to the standard tigerstnpe pants.

The third model featured a differentpattern where each of the spots wereintermixed and touching each other.Patterns before had always been separated. The shirt now incorporated twobutton closures on each of the twobreast pockets. Trousers did away withthe two slash pockets and featured tworear pockets, each with a button closure and two cargo pockets and a single left-sided first aid-dreSSing "cigarette


the same geometric shapes. The patternIS always seen printed on a tan background. Unlike the sporting goods outlet pattern the shapes rarely touch eachother. These almost always features"clusters" of spots. Another distinguishable characteristic is the white size tagfound inside both trousers and shirts.Even when torn, the frayed white tagcan usually be seen, determining aMDAP made garment.

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pocket." The waist also incorporated abutton take-up tab on each side.

The final, and fourth model, featured the same pattern as the first twobut was printed on lightweight cottonpoplin material. The shirt had twobreast patch pockets, much like thoseon the American OG 107 lacking thebellows. The shirt also had the buttoncuffs as the first three cuts, but lacksthe vertical "W" weave or stitch in thecollar. Trousers used incorporate twobutton take-up tabs on either hip, tworear pockets, two cargo pockets, butlack the two slash pockets usuallyfound on American garments.

BRITISH WINDPROOF"SAS", VIETNAMESEAIRBORNE PATTERN"BULLETPROOFS"

The windproof pattern was a directcopy of the British SAS pattern of lateWWII, first introduced in the form of apullover smock. This pattern also sawuse in Korea between 1950-53, andwas later issued to French Paratroopersserving during the first Indo-Chinawar. When the South Vietnameseformed their own Airborne Brigade,they continued to outfit their airbornesoldiers in this pattern using bolts oforiginal British surplus airborne material. Once these were exhausted, theVietnamese Quartermasters beganprinting their own variation of this pattern around 1962. The pattern is printed in two distinct variations on twodifferent weights of material, and inthree distinctive cuts like manyVietnamese uniforms.

The first model of this Windproofpattern was complete, and very colorful, containing four very rich colors;plum, lime green, pinkish grey, and apine green. This was roller-printed ona pink background, which was a silkymid-weight cotton material.

It featured two chest pockets, eachwith a covered button, button cuffs,shoulder loops, reinforced shouldersand elbows and a large gas flap, muchlike the American OG 107 cotton uniforms of the '50s. Underneath thearmpits were small air vents for the aidin cooling. The uniform was puttogether with all-green cotton threadand features a high quality Asian button. Matching trousers featured fourpockets; two front slash pockets, andtwo rear pockets, each with a coveredbutton, and a four-button fly and belt


berets were worn was when visitingbigshots arrived at camp, or when soldiers were around other u.S. militarypersonnel in the rear, such a NhaTrang, at the H.Q. or for photo opportunities. The bush hat or flop hat wasworn on operation because it provided protection for the neck and facefrom the fierce heat.

"Duckhunter" matching hats werealso made in the same MDAP materialand came in cowboy style, CIDG stylepatrol cap, and in the manner of theM1945 field cap. Many SouthVietnamese LLDBs wore duckhunterberets as well. Other hats could bemade in matching material at any ofthe many tailor shops that sprung upnear any of the camps.

"Tigerstripe" matching hats came inthree known issued styles, with shortbrims and one that featured two snaps,these are all referred to as the CIDG'sboonie hats. Others were produced inboth the cowboy and FrenchCampaign style, as well as berets andpatrol caps. III

smock had two large "bellow" breastpockets secured with three snap fasteners. There is a large pocket behindthe right pocket, secured with a zipper.A small patch pocket on the face of theright pocket had tape pencil loopssewn in. The two lower pockets,mounted on a slant with the buttoninward, had snap fasteners similar tothe top pockets and two drainageholes. The smock also had two ventilation holes in the armpit and buttoncuffs. It wasn't uncommon to see U.S.advisors wearing these French colonialleftovers early in the war. These jacketswere freely available on the militarysurplus market until the mid 1960swhen supplies began to dry up.

ABOUT THE AUTHORSPaul W Miraldi has been colleCting uniforms from Vietnam for almost 20 years,

with emphasis on Special Forces related items. He has written articles for MilitaryIllustrated dealing with Special Forces, Rangers, Special Operations, junk ForceAdvisors and ARVN Ranger advisors,and has helped in numerous History Channelprojects dealing with Special Forces, snipers, and tunnel rats. He assisted WesternCostume with Brad Pitt's uniform in the recent release "Spy Games," and is the president of the Vietnam War Historical Society, a non-profit organization dedicated to thepreservation ofpersonal and unit histories from the Vietnam WaJ:

Miraldi has written two books for Schiffer Publishing dealing with the completeuniforms and equipment ofboth US. Army Infantry, LRRPs and Rangers as well asUS. Military Advisors. His next book will deal solely with Rangers and LRRPs. Twomore books are planned dealing with Special Forces.

Owen Thornton hails originally from Ireland, and has spent much of his adult lifedealing with Vintage clothes and uniforms. He has one of the largest tigerstripe collections as well as other patterns from Vietnam, and currently is a military clothingappraiserfor VintageTrends.com.

HEADGEARContrary to popular belief, the

Green Beret wasn't worn very often.Most of the time no headgear wasseen, or a Vietnamese-made jungleflop hat was worn. The berets werehot and provided no protection fromthe tropical sun. The only time the

Anotherexample of the commerciallyproduced "duckhunter" camouflage popularwithmany advisors. The shirt is printed on lightweight cotton and features two breastpockets andplastic buttons. Headgear is a locally-made piece common with special Forcesadvisors, in the parachute material. Around his neck is a smallpiece ofpara silk. Notethe dark green T-shirt. The advisorsports an unauthorizedgoatee andmustache.

FRENCH "LIZARD"PATTERN

The camouflage smock. was thethird model French camo known asthe "lizard" pattern, and featured hardbrush strokes and a feathering off pattern of red-brown and light green on atan khaki background. Thejump


loops. Extra material was on the kneesfor added strength.

By 1964, the pattern evolved intothe second variation which featured asimpler print with the shapes beingmore defined and with a slightly different color scheme, but the same overallpattern. The second generation wasprinted on lightweight cotton poplinmaterial. It contained the same styleelements as the previous version.

The third variation, based on theoriginal, is in the same color schemeand material as the second generationand was printed on cotton poplin. Itwas cut identically to the first model"exposed button" u.s. Jungle fatigues.The shirt featured four pockets, allwith exposed buttons, shoulder loops,but lack the side take-up tabs.Matching trousers are cut the same,featuring two rear pockets, eachsecured with a single button, twolower cargo pockets, both with twoexposed light green hand sanded buttons, and a survival pocket in the leftcargo pocket. On the knees and crotchextra material is added like itsAmerican counterpart. This variationis believed to have continued throughthe end of the war although in decreasing numbers. Like many Vietnamesegarments, extra pen pockets wereadded by some. As well, the Advisorsto the Vietnamese Airborne and theVietnamese Paras added two extra zippered pockets behind the two-slantedchest pockets, very similar to theFrench lizard para smocks.

The authors have seen very few photos of an American Special Forcesmember wearing this pattern, althoughit was very popular. Once again, clothpatches as well as metal insignia, are upfor debate. Photos show u.S. Advisorsassigned to Team 162 and workingwith the Vietnamese Airborne wearingthese camouflage uniforms with allinsignia sewn on as well as other uniforms with all patches including nameand "u.S. ARMY" direct embroideredon these uniforms as well as combatpatch, rank and Branch of Service.

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The Victrola "VI" was a popularphonograph thatwas manufactured in great numbers for overadecade. During WWI, armies on both sides of thefront used these American machines to bringmusic to the troops. They were relatively inexpensive ($25-$32.50 by war's end), and easily transportable. Victor records of the time were availablefor 75 cents each, with thousands of titles listedin the catalogue. The large numbers ofsurvivorsof this Victrola (and its slightly smaller sibling, theVictrola "IV'? is testimony to its practicality, bothat the front and in thousands ofhomes.

World War I was theFirst Conflict to SeeWidespread use ofthe Phonograph.What did theSoldiers Reallylisten To?

here is a timehonored relationshipbetween war

fare and musical orrhythmic expression.From the trumpet blastsof ancient armies, toVietnam anthems suchas "The Ballad of theGreen Berets," musichas played a significantrole in the lives of soldiers (and nations).Trumpets, bugles anddrums throughout history have "telegraphed"battlefield commands tothe troops. By the eighteenth century, massedarmies in linear formations were maneuveredby a bewildering varietyof drumbeats-and itwas every soldier'sresponsibility to recognize and respond tothese signals.

By Timothy C. Fabrizioand George F. Paul

fAKE ME BACK TO OEAR OLO BLIGHTY (1)

Jack Dunn, SOlI 01 .\ ltUll, O\'t! in France lo·da~.

Iie,ep" fil, doinj:l: his bil, up t!I his eyes in clay:Losch nj~hl. alltr a fiJolhl, 10 pass the time .::tlong,

•. ~~~~'.: g~.t.•~. lillIe ~r.:~.o~~~~.e••t~I.~~.~~.~)~~. ~I~~~ ~.o.~g.

In the trenches beneath a gloomy sky,British soldiers set theirweapons aside toenjoy a tune from a portable "reflex"phonograph. Courtesy ofPhilippe Le Ray.

7 (;t,n:rt lQ11 fQfl) • fl6Pif-,1 w fJ ~,I.," pr;!<)AG()~'/l-R~: ..\~A.'!Tl,·5. , .';\ rflflJ)jtal ill' 1'{O{dlH'atinll JHHU' ..oid.lt .. :\\"'11:,' k ... dl' I.:. I l~r"a ...otl'n' ...Cllli IltLdl, ... ..11· ... n':':lt-.I"- d( (. h,\, ... ~ 1 H

(.)(. 1>1"0..... (.' i1'. df' Y'luHcdt' : Hlai", 11, ... !lflllllllt'-. .": ;tjlpfl'l1l1l4llt l"~}d,·tUj·JH la .1.·..·1 "I,'. t ,·t II! ',n', 11111, I ,·n' ...jt

411 '\. t.! 1,'" luit:u,\ tl(Ju.· ... la 1IIU"iIIIW. C.'nillu" !HIItIHI''', ell" '< 1Ilh'lti 1!J1hl"1I1t'Bt t1"" IlI"'tJ ~ltnl"h 1 ...

"I' ,;" •••• ~~_ I\rl"ud c::t. ,noll" ;\.Int~..

A group of five blind soldiers in Nantes, France with their instructor (standing, left).Among the skills taught to these disfigured men was music, and according to thecaption, some of them rapidly excelled at their instruments. A part of the music roomis a Pathephone "No.4." Courtesy ofPhilippe Le Ray.


In a scene dated October 12, 1917, Germans enjoying bottled beer gatheredaround a European talking machine.

In the spring of 1918, this contented group of Germans quaffed beer andplayed aFrench Pathe phonograph.

~'.."l't'

The first Song orthe land sung bythe daughterof the Presidentof the United States.

During World War I, Columbia sold a discrecording ofPresident WoodrowWilson's daughter, Margaret, whose royalty was donated to the American RedCross. It's a pity that altruism and talentare not always balanced. A 22"x 28"dealerposter.

~."

These German officers and an NCO enjoy wine and other domestic amenities in aquiet sector. The presence of trees and the immaculate fortification suggest anartillery battery or other rear area. As is often seen, the Germans made extensiveuse of older, external horn phonographs. Quite a few of these machines survive.

turies, the value of music for troops The first "recreational" militarywas proved again. Every major conflict music became available on records inof the past 200 years has spawned its the 1890s. Yet, for armies fighting inown songs, easily recognizable to the Cuba during the Spanish-Americanpublic at large. Some, like the melan- War, in China during the Boxercholy "Lili Marlene," first popular with Rebellion, or during the PhilippineGerman troops in the Second World Insurrection, recorded music could beWar, became worldwide hits. heard only from the delicate and often

Martial music had a positive influence on the soldiers' morale. Fifes,flutes and pipes were found to have anuplifting effect on the troops' fightingspirit. For example, Scots wouldrelentlessly wade through blisteringfusillades with bagpipes wailing-aphenomenon so impressive that theBritish army adopted the instrument,with legendary results. Naturally,courage under fire was not the Simpleproduct of stirring musical accompaniment. However, the ameliorativeeffects of these instruments in battlewere indisputable.

In the nineteenth and twentieth cen-


Christmas 1916 in a German underground bunker. These men are listeningto a French Pathephone Model "A. " The anemic-looking Christmas tree onthe table did little to assuage the stress of two years ofwar evident on the facesof these soldiers. Courtesy ofPhilippe Le Ray.

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A doughboy playing a Pathe disc phonograph. Why pose with a talkingmachine? Perhaps to show the folksback in the States that he had all thecomforts ofhome.

l~[ G~[AT[H SIORY [Vm TOLD( WHEN TilE BLUES ARE C1IANGFO TO GOI.O I


Jt; IiR IYlLf(4ll{."For the blue stars in the window tell astory of their own,Of the soldiers for 'Old Glory' for our liberty and home,If the word comes 'they have fallen,'Then the blues are changed to gold,And it's then we kneel in prayer, for theheroes 'over there,'For that's the greatest story ever told."

What attracted these American soldiers the most? The tempting pile ofdoughnuts?The closeness ofa pretty girl? Or the photographer's camera? Temporarily, theVictrola "VI" was ignored. When all those "sinkers" were gone, they'd play it.Courtesy of Todd Emery.

These British soldiers are recuperating to the sound ofa continental phonograph.CourtesyofPhmppeLeRa~

time, soldiers could hear a variety ofprofessionally rendered music duringinevitable periods of boredom.

The talking machines used by soldiers of the First World War variedsomewhat according to the uniform.The earlier style phonographs, withexternal amplifying horns, remainedpopular in Europe considerably aftermore "modern" models, with internally housed horns, became predominantin the United States during the teens.For this reason, images of French,Belgian, German and Austrian soldierslistening to recorded music oftendepict the older type machines witheye-catching horns.

The British were fond of reflex-style"suitcase" portable machines. These

-FIRST AlD- FRENCHf,r A.MERICAN

SOLDIERSwith

VICTOR RECORDS

"United by Misfortune" reads the caption of this Great War postcard depictingtwo horribly wounded French Sailors.One can only hope that the Pathe"reflex" phonograph on the cartbetween them offered some solace.Courtesy Garry James.

"-The Victor company issued a shortcourse of emergency French forAmerican soldiers. Included wereinstructional 785 and phrase book.Courtesy ofAlan H. Mueller.

apparatus. Most phonographs werespring-driven, requiring the user to"crank it up" before playing. Althoughcylinder records were still being manufactured, the ubiquitous 78 disc recordhad gained precedence. More importantly, phonographs and records hadbecome less expensive and moreportable. This last point was a validconsideration in an environment ofmud and flying shrapnel. For the first

unpredictable phonographs of theperiod. There is scant documentationof phonographs and records beingused by fighting men at the turn of thetwentieth century. Not until the FirstWorld War, did recorded music beginto playa major role in bringing distraction to the troops.

By the outset of WWI in August1914, the talking machine had evolvedinto a durable and easily operated

The YMCA provided these doughboys with a Victrola for their entertainment.

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An enterprising Victor dealer added this patriotic jacket to a regular Victor monthlyrecord supplement. Courtesy ofAlan H. Mueller.

}

The soldiers aboard "Transport Mercury" enjoyed books, cards, a banjolin, and ofcourse, the Victrola. Courtesy ofDennis Peterson.

l

Even after more than a year ofAmericaninvolvement in the war, this Victoradvertisement that appeared in July1918 stressed that, "Any time is dancingtime, " with only one bit ofkhaki evidentamong the dancers (fifth from right).

Early in the war, this hopeful Frenchcouple in German-occupied Alsace conjured up images of triumphant Gallictroops marching to their rescue, whilethe Pathephone played patriotic airs. Inreality, the drama of the province'seventual return to French control wasfar less breathtaking. French forceswere stalled for years far to the west.CourtesyofPhmppeLeRa~

already noted, the portability ofphonographs of the period did allowthem to be carried among the worst ofthe fighting, however far more appropriate venues were first aid stations,hospitals, artillery batteries, supplydepots and rear areas where men rest-

It should be noted that, despitesome advertisements and staged photographs, trenches and bunkers weregenerally no place for phonographsand records. The constant mud, dustand dampness surely rendered themuseless in a short time. As we have

In what appears to be a hospital ward, soldiers in non-combat dress relax with aphonograph. Courtesy ofDennis Peterson.

employed a sound-reflecting metal"dish" in the lid to amplify volume.However, the undisputed giant of thewartime phonograph industry was theVictor Talking Machine Company,located in Camden, New Jersey (andits British and European affiliates).Although Victor did not introduce a"suitcase" style portable until 1921 ,the company's smaller table-topVictrolas were common behind thefront lines of all the armies during theGreat War.

impressions of the Second World Warto the same degree.

The home front was a different matter. Records such as "Keep the HomeFires Burning," "Pack Up YourTroubles in Your Old Kit Bag," "TheRose of No Man's Land," and variousmedleys of historical "War Songs" soldin large numbers, as did sheet music.The Great War was the first major conflict in which this phenomenonoccurred. Record companies offeredcatalogues dedicated to "PatrioticMusic" for consumption by worriedfamilies and pining sweethearts allover the globe.

General William T. Sherman's oftenquoted (and misquoted) commemaryon war stated, in part, "Boys, it is hell."The truth of that sentiment has beenrepeatedly brought home to successivegenerations. Nearly 40 years elapsedbetween the invemion of the phonograph (Thomas Edis n's "favorite"invention) in 1877, an I the point atwhich the machines were stout andreliable enough to go to war. Onceenlisted, the phonograph made significant contributions toward mitigatingShermans vision of combat. War is stillhell, but [or most of the twemieth century, the phonograph helped to assuagethe spirits of fighting men and women,as well as their loved ones at home. ~

"We're All Going Calling on theKaiser." War-related records wereundoubtedly available to soldiers onactive duty, but young men, then asnow, were interested in the latest popular tunes: music that reminded themof happier times and places. Pop history has predictably persisted in depicting doughboys forever caroling "OverThere": a silly romantic notion thatthankfully has not afflicted modern

ed. Of all the front-line positions, thoseof the Germans, generally built alonghigher ground, with deeper fortifications, afforded an atmosphere moreconducive to playing records.

A common misconception (promoted by some advertising of the time)suggests that soldiers in France wereparticularly fond of listening to recordsof patriotic and marching songs suchas "It's a Long Way to Tipperary," and

Uncle Sam kicks the Kaiser in...perpetuity. This topical toy surmounted the turntableofa talking machine, and the mechanism created amusing effects.

76 MILITARY CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED . MILITARY CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED 77III:

The legendary studio headshouted across the desk atthe well-known director."The American Revolution!Nobody cares about the

American Revolution! My god, youwant your actors to wear those sillygoddamn powdered wigs!" So hardnosed studio boss Harry Cohn supposedly shouted at director Frank Capraof It's a WonderJul LiJe fame whenCapra had the temerity to suggest amajor film on George Washington atValley Forge.

Lucky for military history buffs thatsome film industry types like directorsjohn Ford, King Vidor and MichaelMann persevered and managed to produce such classics of early Americanfilm adventure as Drums Along theMohawk, Unconquered, Northwest

Passage and Last oj the Mohicans.Thanks to these talented filmmakersaudiences can still thrill to the celluloid explOits of Rogers Rangerstrekking northward to attack theAbenakis, Ottawa war chief Pontiac'sconfederacy of Woodland warriors laying siege Fort Pitt, and colonialAmerican infantry charging to the rescue of a besieged frontier stockade.

But in the early days of films it wasn'tso hard to get stories of the French andIndian War, the American Revolutionand the War of 1812 on screen.Numerous producers and directorscranked out dozens of short silentfilms with titles like With WashingtonUnder the British Flag, The Spirit oj 76,Betsy Ross and Washington at ValleyForge all celebrating America's 18thcentury military heritage.

It was D.W Griffith's 1924 epic ofthe American Revolution, America, thatreally brought the redcoats and colonials to the forefront of the country'smovie screens. Designed as a companion film to Griffith's hugely successful,and controversial Civil War extravaganza Birth oj a Nation, the film combined various stories of the Revolutionfrom Bunker Hill to the eastern Indiancampaigns of the Mohawk Valley into atapestry tribute to the founding of theUnited States. It was full of derring-doand rescuing American maidens in distress, though it's "penny dreadful"depiction of the English managed toget the film banned in Great Britain.Acting legend Lionel Barrymore playedthe lead British baddy in similaroverblown evil fashion to jason Isaac'sfictionalized Banastre Tarleton charac-

ter in last year's The Patriot.Griffith's America made the 1920s

studios take note and soon severalother big budget Early American warrilms were hitting movie screens.Paramount's Old Ironsides in 1926graced theaters with the tale of the1804 U.S. Naval and U.S Marineattacks under Stephen Decatur againstthe Barbary Pirates in Algeria. Thehandsomely mounted production wasdirected on a lavish scale by jamesCruze, who several years before haddirected the epic western The CoveredWagon, and starred tough guy WallaceBeery and Charles Farrell.

MGM decided the country's EarlyAmerican frontier military was goodcannon fodder for the box-office bymaking several nicely done mini-epicsstarring silent cowboy star Tim McCoy.

The first one, Winners oj the Wilderness,(1927) was a well-done story ofBraddock's Massacre on theMonongahella at the beginning of theFrench and Indian War in 1755. Evenmore interesting was The Frontiersmanwith a story built around the brutalCreek Indian War in 1814 whereAndrew jackson smashed hostile factions of the Creek Indian nation at thedecisive battle of Horseshoe Bend.

Few films before or since have dealtwith this fascinating story of the complex Creek nation which was made upof more then its share of slave owningplantation owner Creeks living an opulent southern lifestyle. Both of theseMGM films, directed by WS. Van Dykefeatured extensive battle scenes thoughthe film's running times were usuallyaround one hour. And of course

McCoy's lead character was always aheroic frontier gentleman type battlingto save the frontier from bloodshed.

There were also several early filmversions of james Fenimore Cooper'sclassic story of the French and IndianWar, The Last oj the Mohicans.Including a better than average 1920version directed by Maurice Tournierand a 1936 effort starring future gentlemanly cowboy star Randolph Scottas the buckskin-bedecked Hawkeye.

One would think that super director/producer Cecil B. De Mille wouldhave jumped at portraying America'sfight for independence. But it was theWar of 1812; often referred to as the"Second War of Independence" thatactually caught De Mille's attentionwith The Buccaneer in 1938. Thoughthe story line featured jean Lafitte and

Rnngets, Toties, Mohnwks nnd Lobstetbncks

There is little question that MGM's Northwest Passage (1939), based on the novel by Kenneth Roberts, was one of the grittiestFrench and Indian War films ever. Directed by master King Vidor (who also was responsible for, among others, the classic warfilm The Big Parade), it was produced on a lavish scale. Author's collection.


many of them captured and torturedby the pursuing enemy. Yet Rogers'raid on St. Francis destroyed the abilityof the Abenakis to carry out any further depredations. All of this made itinto the film version, which was nowbeing directed by King Vidor.

It is a stunning film of stark contrasts, beautiful photography andexciting action scenes that suggestedthe kind of gut-wrenching brutalitythat even few films today dare toexhibit. One Ranger, overtaken by sav-

MILITARY CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED

Though their outfits were not particularly authentic, the attitudes of the actors portraying Rogers Rangers more than made up for it. Spencer Tracy was an excellentRobert Rogers, though at one time Wallace Beery had been considered for the role.Author's collection.

down on hapless New England settlements for almost 100 years, raping,scalping, looting and torturing as sortof a mercenary raider force for theFrench out of Canada. Rogers and hisseasoned men, some of them youngBritish officers studying forest warfare,took the war up to the Abenakis with asecret and daring raid hundreds ofmiles behind enemy lines. Out ofRogers force of several hundred men,less then half made it back to the safetyof the British fort at Crown Point,

For a film made in the late 1930sDrums Along the Mohawk is decadesahead of so many others in its realisticdepiction of early American frontierlife. Edna Mae Oliver's portrayal of agutsy widow, Mrs. McKlennan whoproudly proclaims "A woman doesn'thave any politics. I'll shoot the daylights off any redcoat, Indian, Tory orAmerican who thinks he can comearound here trying to tell me my business!" won her an Academy Awardnomination. just one more great pieceof this now deservedly classic film.

Other highlights include WardBond's rough and tumble portrait of aseasoned colonial frontier ranger andRoger Imhof as the real life GeneralHerkimer. Much of the story lineincorporates actual Revolutionary Warevents in upstate New York including avivid description and the aftermath fthe Battle at Orinsky

The year 1939 gave theat I' audiences more grea t fi lms fr mHollywood than any other y ar b f ror since. Gone With the Wind, ungaDin, Stagecoach and MI~ mith oe toWashington, among many oth I' , wereall released that golden y ar. Th v rynext year another classic of the artyAmerican (Well, British olonial anyway) military was released, th sl e tacular Rogers Rangers epic, Northwe tPassage.

Kenneth Robert's best-selling novelof Rogers Rangers, the first Americanguerrilla fighters who gave inspirationto the modern SAS and Special Forces,had been serialized in the SaturdayEvening Post. By the time the film eventually hit theaters Robert's book hadbeen a best seller for three years goingthrough 45 editions both here andabroad. MGM jumped at the chance toturn the French and Indian War epicinto a film.

In an unusual move, director WS.Van Dyke from those old Tim McCoyfrontier films, was hired to shoot agreat deal of second unit battle andexpedition footage on location inNorthern Idaho before any footage wasshot with the principal actors. Thoughoriginally Wallace Beery had been considered for the part, Spencer Tracy wascast as the iconoclastic and flawedMajor Robert Rogers who had createdand led the famed forest fighting forcewith eventually Robert Young andWalter Brennan co-starring as a coupleof last minute Ranger recruits.

Most of the story line fairly accurately follows the Ranger raid on theAbenaki Indian village of St. Francis in1759. The Abenakis had swooped

on the early American frontier in anamazingly human fashion. A magnificent and authentic looking hodgepodge of a colonial fort was constructed from designs by art director RichardDay along with numerous periodhouses including a roadside tavern.But it was the original and authenticcharacters that screenwriter LamarTrotti recreated from Edmonds' bookthat really bring this film to life.

The battle scenes in Drums Along theMohawk are nothing short of brutallyrealistic. Director Ford didn't pull hispunches as you see Mohawk warriorsand Tories break into the besiegedstockade savagely grabbing women andchildren as militiamen fight back withequal ferocity, choking, clawing andclubbing. And then finally theContinental regulars come to the rescuebursting into the burning stockade.

Milber was nominated for an AcademyAward for his efforts.

By the next year the French andIndian war and the Revolution hadregenerated film makers' interest and anumber of films featuring the early erawere soon in movie theaters-severalof which Were the best the genre wouldever offer up to audiences. john Ford'sDrums Along the Mohawk was basedupon Walter D. Edmonds' best sellingnovel of life on the Mohawk Valleyfrontier during the American

. Revolution. Told through the eyes of ayoung colonial couple played byHenry Fonda and Claudette Colbert,the film would also be the first majorTechnicolor film covering theAmerican Revolutionary War period.

With the Cedar City, Utah area doubling for early upstate New York, Fordand his crew set about duplicating life

his Baratarian pirates, Andy jackson'sdirty-shirt troops' spirited defense ofNew Orleans was the action centerpiece of the film.

Like all De Mille films the sets, costumes and action were executed in arichly detailed manner that evoked the1812 era quite well, though privateerLafitte, played with appropriate gustohere by Frederic March, is overly credited with the success of the Americandefenses at Chalmmette battlefield thatblustery january morn.

Part of the fun of watching any DeMille historical film is looking at all ofthe period detail that makes the eracome to life. Though you will have toforgive the mitered Prussian-style capsthat many of the British troops wear inthe climactic battle. The battle sceneswere so well done for the time that TheBuccaneer's cinematographer Victor

RQngers, Tories, MohQwks Qnd LobsterbQcks


In one of Unconquered's most dramatic scenes, the 42nd Highlanders come to Ft.Pitt's rescue with wagonloads of dead soldiers. Rather fanciful, but pretty dramatic.Author's collection.

Uprising that chronicled a 1767 armedrebellion incident between Americancolonists and British troops nine yearsbefore the Revolution. The Howards ofVirginia with Cary Grant, told a storyof the effects of America's war for independence on one Virginia tidewaterfamily. Suave Englishman Grant wasmiscast as a rough-and-tumble earlyAmerican type.

The next major early American military film would tackle the fresh material of Pontiac's Rebellion in Cecil B. DeMille's beautifully conceivedUnconquered, released to theaters in1947. De Mille's take on history is noteveryone's cup of cinematic tea, but forsheer duplication of a time period thatmakes an era and place come to life DeMille was unsurpassed.

Unconquered tells the story of aVirginia Militia officer, circa 1763,

heroically played by Gary Cooper,who unsuccessfully tries to

stop th massive uprisingof almost all the wood

land tribes west of....... 4 the Allegheny

mountainsagainst the British. in the real uprising,over a dozen English forts were actuallywiped out or burned to the ground overa three- month period eluring the summer of 1763. British garrisons and hundreds of settlers w re slaughtered underthe supposed protection of a white flag.While British commanders counteredwith the first use of biological warfare,spreading small pox infe ted blanketsamong the rebelling tribes.

Only the two largest garrisons atFort Detroit and Fort Pitt managed tosurvive the onslaught of allied warriorsand found themselves under siege foralmost three months. War partiesranged as far as the outskirts ofBaltimore, Maryland that terrible andbloody summer.

Against this dramatic backdrop DeMille set his art director, costume people and prop department about duplicating this colorful colonial time period. The British uniforming and frontier costumes are impeccably recreatedincluding uniform details and earlyfloral beadwork styles never beforeseen in a film. Weapons included abeautiful antique Jaeger swivel-breechrifle that is totally true to the time period. How many other films utilized1700s grenades? In Unconquered youcan see colonists lighting the fuses ofthese early explOSive devises and hurling them at Pontiac's warriors withdevastating results. All true to the timeand place.

fifties independent TV series calledNorthwest Passage that suffered fromthe same kind oflow budget mentality.

As discussed in last issue's "MoviesMilitaire" column, the uniforms maybe highly inaccurate but on all otheraccounts Northwest Passage is a tourde-force of historical military filmmaking. If you haven't seen it go rent ityou won't be disappOinted.

The same late 1930s early 1940stime period gave film goers a few otherpleasant, if not top-notch earlyAmerican military adventures including a John Wayne vehicle Allegheny

Costume sketch for Gal}' Cooper'sbuckskin outfit in Unconquered.WeaponI}', sets and equipment wereconsiderably more authentic than thoseseen in many early films portraying thisera. Author's collection.

music swells and Young's character,Harvard drop-out Langdon Towne,painfully struggles to try to follow theretreating Rangers, Tracy's MajorRogers gives him a little salute andwinks, ''I'll see you at sundown,Harvard." And of course he does.

Only one other film has tried totackle Rogers Rangers as film material,a rather tepid 1953 GeorgeMontgomery "B" movie called Fort Ti,for Fort Ticonderoga. It was shot in 3Dand used ample amounts of stockshots from the earlier and far superiorfilm. There was also a short-lived late

For sheer exuberance, it's hard to fault Cecil B. DeMille's Unconquered (1947). StarringGal}' Cooper and Paulette Goddard, it tells the tale ofBritish regulars and Colonialmilitia vs. woodland Indians in the Allegheny mountains c. 1763. Author's collection.

age revenge eventually goes mad andduring their starvation retreat lives offan Abenaki head until he is confrontedand commits suicide. In one of the bestscenes in the whole film Rogers leadshis men in a human chain across a roiling river of rapids. In another greatscene his men haul their whaleboatsover a mountain range to evade Frenchships on Lake Champlain.

In still another powerful piece of thefilm Rogers exhorts a seriously wounded Robert Young to stand and marchbecause the Rangers can't spare anymen to help the wounded. As the


Rangers, Tories, Mohawks and Lobsterbacks

While not 100 percent, the British uniforms in 1992's The Last of theMohicans, like this one worn by StevenWaddington as Major Heyward, wereconsiderably more sophisticated thanmany of those seen a few decadesbefore. Author's collection.

tal realities of frontier warfare and hisMagua, played by Wes Studi is a hardened warrior driven to savage revenge.From the Huron and British costumesto how the actors handle theirweapons, The Last of the Mohicans is aperiod military film you can watchover and over again.

20005 Patriot, on the other hand, is aflawed film about the AmericanRevolution that should have beenmuch better. It was produced on ahuge scale with wonderful actorsincluding Mel Gibson, Tom Wilkersonas Lord General Cornwallis and ChrisCooper as a Light Horse Harry Leeclone. There are even some quite goodindividual scenes, but the film suffersfrom the kind of Hollywood excessesthat seem to the think over-the-topaction and politically correct motivations are what audiences crave.

America's new found patriotism hasgenerated renewed interest in thecountry's eXCiting early military history. As I write this film projects onEthan Allen and his Green MountainBoys and the 1804 US. raids on Tripoliare now in the planning stages.Hopefully the filmmakers involved willlook back at the best of America's earlyhistorical themed classics for inspiration. We can always use a few moreexciting movies about colonials, lobsterbacks, Tories and Mohawks. ~

MILITARY CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED

not, and neither did audiences.Frenetic scenes of colonial Boston lookmore like events of the FrenchRevolution than the American War ofIndependence

It would take the man who broughtMiami Vice to television screens toregenerate original film blood intoearly American subject matter thirtysome years later. Michael Mann's 1992remake of The Last of the Mohicans iseverything a period film epic shouldbe, visually involving, energeticallyexciting without sacrificing a sense oftrue-to-life history.

While the story still follows the samebasic framework of past film interpretations, this version is clearly the best.With beautiful period detail, actorswho look, act and talk their roles inperiod style and the huge numbers ofextras needed to stage the famous massacre of the British garrison at FortWilliam Henry. Daniel Day Lewisshines as Nathaniel, the updated version of Hawkeye whose name somehow sounds much more authentic.

The magnificent fort set was built toscale in the forest of North Carolinaand the extras playing British andFrench troops were expertly trained byformer Marine Corps Captain DaleDye. There is just a visceral movementto so much of this film that it seems towrap you up in it's exotic mid-18thcentury world and not let you go untilthe period ride is completely over.

Mann didn't shy away from the bru-

2,000 British troops were killed orwounded that day including the commanding General Pakenham, and several other general officers.

One year later a British productioncompany released an interesting versionof George Bernard Shaw's play TheDevil's DiSCiple staring Burt Lancaster,Kirk Douglas and Sir Lawrence Olivier.Set against the backdrop of BritishGeneral "Gentleman johnny" Burgoynescampaigns during the AmericanRevolution, the film was an interestingand unusual comedy/drama version ofthose events. As in most British historical films the uniforming and weaponswere quite well researched (though theBrown Bess muskets were of the later"India Pattern) and the film features awonderful technique to cover transitionswith stop motion animated paper soldiers moving about on a map of thecolonial countryside. Its a forgotten mmof our early military heritage thatdeserves another look. Olivier steals themm as Burgoyne-but then hes given allof Shaws best lines.

There were a few other occasionalmms of the earlier military time periodthat didn't seem to hit with audiencesor the critics including an earnest, butstodgyJohn Paul Jones starring RobertStack and a French/Italian productionof Lafayette in 1961 starring amongstothers Orson Wells, jack Hawkins andVittorio de Sica. The less said about1985's dismal Revolution the better. AlPacino as a colonial fur trapper? I think

The Buccaneer (1958), directed by actorAnthony Quinn, was a remake ofhis fatherin-law Cecil B. DeMille's earlier film of the same name. Starring Yul Brynner as JeanLafitte and Charlton Heston as Andrew Jackson, it was a rousing ifsomewhat flawedfilm. The Battle ofNew Orleans was a tad on the cheesy side. Author's collection.

film an Academy Award nominationfor Best Special Effects. De Mille's FortPitt really does look like the brick andmortar bastion that had gained it thereputation as perhaps the mostformidable British fortress west of theAlleghenies.

For the next ten years Hollywoodcranked out occasional low budgetRevolutionary War or French andIndian War films like Mohawk, Whenthe Redskins Rode and The Scarlet Coatthat are best forgotten. Walt Disney didfeature the Creek War as part of hisDavy Crockett television show thatwas quite well done. But Disney's onehour episode only centered on theIndian fighting aspects of that part ofthe War of 1812. Finally in 1958 DeMille returned to early American military themes prodUCing a remake of his1938 The Buccaneer, directed by histhen son-in-law, actor Anthony Quinn,who had had a bit part in the original.

It was great to see all of that 1812 eraperiod costuming and lush settings ingloriOUS Technicolor, and this new version of The Buccaneer boasts a magnificent performance by Charlton Hestonas the best-ever Andrew jackson tobluster across a movie screen. From anentertainment standpoint the finalBritish attack is the only down side ofthe film-mainly because of the ratherbland action of the attack sequence,after a pretty suspenseful set up of theactual dramatic events of the final battle at New Orleans.

For some reason De Mille's usuallyimpeccable period detail was discarded and the British Highlanders and arocket battery of the Royal Artillery arethe only enemy troops represented outof numerous British Infantry units whotook part in that disastrous assault thatjanuary morning. The highlanders intheir kilts look more like they did a fewmonths later at Waterloo then theyappeared at New Orleans where theywore trews, instead of kilts.

Despite the fact that the battle wasfought days after the armistice wassigned in Belgium, New Orleans wasstill an important victory. jackson's6,000-odd militia, free blacks,Choctaw Indians, frontiersmen,marines, pirates and regulars defeateda then-modern British Army of over11,000 veteran troops who had justhelped whip Napoleon in Europe. Formany years it was the worst defeat theBritish army ever suffered at the handsof a like-trained modern enemy. Over

Bouquet. De Mille does have the 42ndbluffing it's way into Fort Pitt withwagonloads of dead Highlandersimpersonating live soldiers-dramatic,but inaccurate.

The story line is pretty standard butit is as a visual feast of a recreated earlymilitary time period that Unconquered'sbest filmic qualities shine through.Much of the siege of Fort Pitt wasduplicated on massive sound stagesand through the then ingenious use ofspecial effects shots that earned the

When De Mille's film opened critic'sassailed him for having the famousBlack Watch, the 42nd Highlanders,come to Fon Pitts rescue, how preposterous they assumed. The same criticsshould have checked their historybooks though. Indeed, the 42ndHighlanders did come to Fort Pitts rescue after defeating Pontiac's warriorsdecisively at the Battle of Bushy Runusing strategy straight out ofHannibal's ancient tactics resurrectedby their Swiss mercenary Colonel


The battle scenes in Last of the Mohicans were graphic and exciting. The film wasmade on a lavish scale. Author's collection.

'1'here is no doubt thatwheeled armored vehiclestake a back seat to tanksin terms of reputation asbattle winning machines.

This is ironical in light of the fact thatwheeled AFV were in operation beforethe tank made its battlefield debut during the First World War. British armyRolls Royce armored cars were used tosupport Colonel T. E. Lawrence(Lawrence of Arabia) in his Arab revoltcampaign in the Middle East, forinstance.

Armored cars lack the firepower andarmor of tanks. In addition, being atracked vehicle, tanks have a muchbetter cross-country performance thanarmored-wheeled vehicles. I well


remember an exercise that I took partin in my South African army days thatdrove this point home. As part of aneconomy measure we used armoredcars in these war games. At the time Iwas the Recce Troop sergeant commanding a World War II BritishDaimler scout car.

Halfway through the war games alloperations ground to a halt when allthe vehicles became bogged down inmud, because an unexpected flashflood turned the arid Karoo terrain in avirtual quagmire. In the end we had totow all the cars out with a few of ourM-4A1 76mm Sherman tanks.

Nevertheless, wheeled armoredvehicles do have some advantages.They are less expensive to manufac-

ture and more economical to operate.They have a good road performancewhich means that they can travel tothe battlefield without the need oflarge, heavy transport vehicles. Inaddition wheeled AFVs can get towhere they are needed far more rapidly than tanks.

In passing it is worth noting that theSouth African army actually usedmulti-wheeled armored vehicles withgreat success in their war in Angoladuring the 1970s and 1980s. The largesix wheel "Ratel" was heavily armedwith a 90mm cannon and one successfully engaged Cuban/Angolan SovietT54 tanks, although in the end SouthAfrica did have to commit a regimentof "Oliphant" (upgraded Centurions)

tanks to resolve the situation.In World War II and most other

major conflicts armored cars and scoutcars have been used for reconnaissancework and other support duties. TheWhite M3A1 was one of the firstAmerican scout cars and although itwas really outdated by the time TheU.S. entered World War II, it continued to serve in a variety of rolesthroughout the hostilities, not justwith the American forces, but by mostthe other Allied armies.

DEVELOPMENTThe U.S. adopted a fairly casual

approach to armored car development.A retired Colonel Davidson producedthe first American armored car at his

The precursorof the M3A1, the T7,was introduced by White in 1934.Some 76 T7s were issued to the 1stand 13th Mechanized Cavalry at Ft.

Knox, Kentucky. It had a 75horsepower engine and

weighed some 7,700pounds.


own expense. In 1915 he purchasedseveral Cadillac touring cars to whichhe added an armored body. It is ofinterest to note that, as late as 1935,the Rock Island arsenal made a similarvehicle using a 4 x 2 Studebaker chassis. The vehicle much resembled theDavidson cars.

Various car manufacturers had alsoproduced armored car prototypesprior to this.

The White Company produced theirfirst AFY, known as the T7, in 1934. Itwas actually made by the IndianaTruck Company, a White subsidiary.Compared to these other vehicles theT7 was a rugged, small, squat andsquare-shaped car that was a lot morepromising.

The T7 was eventually to becomethe M3A1 scout car. Some 76 T7s wereissued to the 1st and 13th MechanizedCavalry battalions at Fort Knox. TheT7 became designated the "M2."Further developments and improvements resulted in the M2 and eventually the M3 and M3Al.

While the Indiana Truck companywas involved in the initial development of the M3 the White Companyeventually took over the manufactureof all subsequent vehicles, hence thename "White" scout car.

ANATOMY OF THE M31WHITE SCOUT CAR

The M3A1's basic construction consisted of a chassis and an armor platedbody. Its power plant was a six cylinderin line JXD Hercules engine rated at110 hp. The transmission was a fourspeed crash (non-synchronized) gearbox. This power train it had gave agood road speed of 55 to 60 miles perhour. It was unusual for a four- wheeldrive vehicle had no ability to convertthe drive to two wheels for road use.

The vehicle had a square box-likeappearance. It had a fairly conventionallayout with the engine located in thefront. The driving compartment had aglass windshield and an armor platevisor that could be dropped down overit in combat. The passenger compartment was at the rear and separate fromthe driver. Entry to the same was fromthe rear. Both the driver and passengercompartments were open at the top,although a canvas cover was providedfor inclement weather conditions. Itwas fitted with It.-inch cold rolled steelarmor plate that was heat tempered to


General George S. Patton often used an M3A 1 as his personal vehicle. Here heinspects French scout cars in Metz. U.S. Army Photo.

The White Scout Car could seat eight men. Often a radio would be placed betweenthe front passenger and center seats.

Usual armament for the M3A 1 was one.50 Browning M3 and a pair ofBrowning 1917 or 1919 30s. The guns were mounted onspecial "trolley" mounts and could easily be moved along a rail that ran around the inside of the passenger compartment.Tripods were carried on the rear armor so the guns could be deployed externally.


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A canvas top could be erected over the opencompartment to protect the soldiers from theelements, though it did restrict visibility.

Like othermilitary vehicles, the M3A 1 could, and usually did, carry one or two Jerrycans in special mounts. A collapsible canvas bucket was often strapped to the outside.

M3A 1brass data plate located on the right side of the dashboard. It included mostof the vehicle's specs as well as its serial numbers.


Scout cars, halftracks, jeeps and motorcycles on maneuvers. Despite theresemblance between the scout car andthe halftrack, very few parts were interchangeable. NationalArchives.

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Special "combat rims" were added to the wheels to help protect the tires, one ofthe scout car's most vulnerable areas.

Front armored louvers could be closed to protect the radiator in combat. The largesteel roller on the front of the vehicle was designed to help extricate the M3A 1 fromditches, but it really didn't work all that well.

Because of its size, the M3A 1could carry quite a bit of equipment, as seen in thissection from the vehicle manual.

THE M3Al IN SERVICEThe White scout car was tested by

the army and accepted for service latein 1939. An order was placed for theconstruction of some 799 vehicles designated as the M3Al. These were completed ahead of schedule and issued tothe cavalry in 1940. A small number ofnon-standard models were sold to theDutch Government before that country fell to the Nazi forces at the beginning of the War.

When The U.S. went to war some10,000 cars were issued to the Armyand Marines with some also going tothe Air Corps. The first cars issued tothe cavalry took part in the great U.S,war games of 1940. The cars servedwith U.S. forces in theatres of WorldWar II. It was extensively used in thePacific where there was not a greatneed for heavier armor.

The car performed as a "maid-of-allwork" being used in a variety of rolesthat included reconnaissance, a vehiclefor forward observers of the artilleryand Air force, a personnel carrier and acommand vehicle. In the latter role theM3A1 was used by some notable personalities including General GeorgePatton who used it in North Africa. It issaid that General Omar Bradley likedthe vehicle and used one extensively.


give a face hardened surface.The armor provided protection

against light small arms fire and shrapnel but not heavier weapons such ascannon, the .50 caliber machine or thehollow charge anti-tank weapons thatwere introduced towards the end ofthe war.

The first versions were eqUippedwith a roller mounted on the frontbumper. This was deSigned to facilitatenegotiating obstacles. Field experiencewould later prove that this device wasineffectual.

While the vehicle was not equippedwith a turret it was armed with a variety of weapons when in service. Theseincluded machine guns on a numberof mounts as well as mortars. Of thelatter, one was designed to be firedfrom the passenger compartment ofthe vehicle, while the other was firedfrom the ground. One of the last vehicles constructed was an experimentalmodel fitted with a 37mm cannon.

In all, some 20,000 M3A1s weremade by the time production ceasedaround late 1943 or early 1944.

I

..~ (~() IJ'I' (~l'll

Powerplant of the M3A1 was usually asix-cylinder gasoline Hercules that produced 110 horsepower, though Herculesand Buda diesels were also seen.

The White Scout Carsaw considerable servicewith U.S. allies, as witnessed by these M3A1sbeing used by Soviet troops on the Eastern Front.

Armoredplate could be lowered over thefront windshield and raised on the sidesof the doors should it become necessary.

The rest were issued to various alliedforces including the USSR whoreceiv d a ubstamial number.

Oth r re ipients were the FreeFren h and the British. The latter usedit a a ut car, armored personnelcarri r and a command car. One commander is reported to have attemptedto \cad his regiment through the.erman panzers to link up with the

paratroopers trapped in Arnhem.The Free French used M3Als exten

sively in their drive through France torelieve Paris and made extensive use ofit after the war in their colonial conflicts. The Israelis also used the vehiclein their various conflicts with the Arabs.

The vehicle's main detractions wereits poor off-road performances. Thislead to the development of the Halftrack. In fact White made one of thefirst experimental models using astretched M3Al to which was added atracked assembly at the rear.

The White M3Al may not have theglamour or appeal of more famousvehicles like the Sherman tank, but itproved to be a rugged, reliable vehiclethat performed well during the war andall that was asked of it. Unfortunately,not many Whites have survived. Thereare only a few examples in museumsand private collections. G

~

,

~ ~(~()I]'t' (~l'll

COMBAT IN SCOUT CARS

Although during my military service I did not have any actual experience with the White M3A1,Isaw service with the Reece troop ofmy armored regiment. As already mentioned, we used the British

Daimler scout car that had anumber of similarities to the M3A1.The Daimler was alightly armored 4X4 vehicle that, like the White,

had a55410 mph road speed and had an open top and no gun turret.Its main differences were a rear mounted engine and only had thecapacity for a two man crew. Firepower consisted of the crew's personal weapons-that could be a pistOl, asubmachine gun and possibly a few 36 fragmentation grenades. There was provision for thecommander or passenger to man a .303Bren light machine gun.

The Reece Troop's role was to act as the eyes of the regiment byadvancing in front to report on the enemy's location and strength.Other intelligence included the nature of the terrain and the locationof obstacles, both natural and man-made, such as rivers, tank trapsand destroyed bridges.

My responsibilities as troop sergeant included assisting the C.Oof the troop (in my case, the adjutant who was acaptain) as well ascommanding my own vehicle. In this respect I manned the Brengun, operated the radio and reported on information about theenemy and the terrain.

As the vehicle commander, I was assisted by a trooper who wasmy driver. His duties, in addition to driving the vehicle, was maintaining and servicing it. Survival in combat and efficient intelligencegathering depended on us both operating closely as ateam. The goalwas to locate the enemy without being detected.

Agood driver had complete control of his vehicle at all times. He


needed to have agood eye and appreciation of what terrain the vehicle could safely negotiate, especially when travelling over rough, broken ground. With experience he would learn how to select a paththat made the best use of available cover to avoid being seen by theenemy forces. In this respect the commander would also keep an eyeopen, ready to warn the driver of hidden hazards in the vehicle's path.

The commander's main task was to look for the presence of theenemy. The enemy would of course be well hidden making maximum use of natural cover and camouflage.

To detect awell camouflaged enemy this required the commander and the driver, for that matter, to have a good battlefield appreciation. You needed to know what and where to look for likely enemypositions. To do this you need to put yourself in an enemy commander's position and think where you would place guns and tanks.

Agood appreciation of map reading was needed to navigate andpinpoint locations when reporting back to the regiment. The latteralso required complete knowledge of radio operation and the use ofcoding and decoding transmissions.

Finally, both crews needed to be familiar with each other's dutiesin case of either member becoming acasualty. I once had to take theduties of my driver after he injured his hand when negotiating somevery rugged ground. Both of us were fully competent with the armsand weapons at our disposal.

An operation would usually begin with a complete briefing thenight before the start of the operation. We would be assigned ourareas of responsibilities, including the stop and start lines. Thelatter was essential if the operation was to include an artillerybarrage or an air attack. Intelligence about the strength of theenemy and weapon positions, obtained from other sources, would

also be given to us, as well as unit call signs and any other pertinent information.

Operations generally were either an attack of an enemy positionor an advance. Advances usually occurred after asuccessful attackhad been concluded. Ironically attacks were less hazardous thanadvances. This was because an attack would involve considerablepreplanning and intelligence gathering. In addition, it would usuallybe preceded by an artillery or air strike that would keep the enemyoccupied under cover. We thus had abetter chance of moving abouton the battlefield undetected.

The barrage might also cause some enemy movement or removecover and camouflage, giving us a better chance of seeingenemy positions. Admittedly, we were always in danger ofbeing subjected to friendly fire if we went over the stop linesin the danger area of the barrage.

You had to be pretty dumb to do this because the exploding shells in the bombardment area would be pretty obvious.Ashort round (a shell falling short of its intended target) wasmuch more likely. Generally our armor plate would protectus from the shrapnel unless we were unlucky and SUbjectedto adirect hit.

The main attack would usually begin at the conclusion ofthe barrage or air strike. We would then take up defensive positionbehind cover and observe the battle continuing to observe andreport any potential targets.

At the conclusion of the attack, if succeSSful, we would move forward to recconoiter the terrain ahead of the advance. This was literally moving into dangerous uncharted territory.

A fast moving advance was best because there was a good

chance of catching the enemy by surprise-seeing him before wewere detected. If the enemy had prepared back-up positions (as theSoviets did in the battle of Kursk in 1943) we could be in troublerunning into aminefield. Apart from knocking out our vehicle it couldhave fatal results, especially if the explosion overturned the car,trapping us in the open-topped cab.

Other dangers were running into hidden artillery and tanks, as adirect hit from either would destroy us. With no protection aboveour heads, we were very vulnerable to artillery air bursts and mortar rounds. Infantry in concealed positions could throw grenadesinto the cab.

AuthorArnoldperformedsome ofhis Service in SouthAfrica in a Daimler ScoutCar, similar to this Mark III.Armament generally consisted ofpersonal sidearms,a .303 Bren light machinegun, and whatever elsecould be dragged on boardthe two-man vehicle.

If we came under fire and did not sustain a direct hit, our bestreaction was to get out as fast as we could relying on the speed,agility and small size of our scout car to get us out of trouble.

At the end of the day we would move into leaguer with our regiment to service the vehicle and prepare the next day's operation.The Reece troop lived an exciting and often nerve wracking life thatkept them continually on their toes.


.The Sniderbreechloaderwas a practical conver.sion of the olderP-53 EnfieldmUzzle-/~der.While·it remained as standard issue in British service foronly. a few years, it was retained by Volunteersand in the colonies for a considerable time.

The' lessons of the American Civil Wartwere not loston the Select Committee's thinking, and while it was

. acknowledged that most of the Federal andConfederate infantry still carried muzzle-loaders,theoutstanding effectiveness of the rimfire Spencer washard to ignore.

A number of British and American guns were. accepted for tests, including the.design of

. Jacob Snider, a New York wine merchant. Exhaustive trialswerq:arried out.Some. arms werethought to be too

I

Kealizing that the self- -contained tartridge

. was the wave of thefuture, as early as

1864 British ordnance officialsbegan investigating the practicality of a universal issue

. breechloader. To be sure, the.. War Department had experi- .mented with some Sharps:Greene, Starr, Westley Richardsand other rear-charged rifles andcarbines on a limited basis, butthey generally used exterriallyprimed paper ammunition.

By Garry James· ...

Thissing'le-shot "Stopgap"breechload.er remained inuse for over haIf .a century

vate a large extractor which pulled thecase free of the chamber. The arm wasnow Simply tipped on its side and theempty dumped

Firing was accomplished by Simplycocking the hammer, aiming the armand pulling the trigger. Ejection waseffected by opening the block andpulling it to the rear to acti-

Two British regulars pose with their newSniders. Despite the gun's reliability, it was destined to be officially replaced by the MartiniHenry after a scant five years service.

japanned iron base and fired a 4 0grain hollow-based Minie-slyl bull-lat some 1,250 feet-per-sec nd.

The prOjectiles thems Ive were aninteresting amalgamalion f Fr n hand British designs in lhallh yemployed the annular gr a egrooves of the form r, bUl r lai n Ithe boxwood or lay', pandingplug of the lall r. Th' e r undswent through nin variali n ( r"Marks"), generally involving moreor less minor lweaking.

Too, Snid r' rigll1almodifi ali nproved lO b om 'what fragil , a ilentailed healin the rear l f the b.rr Ired hot, thus laking lh lemp'r Ul fthe metal. Never h n f Y. nkknow-how, the invenl I' cam upwith a breech "shoe"-a separal ' unilthat could be screwed OnLO lh r ar fthe barrel.

The arm itself went through lh I'

Marks. With the first two, the sideswinging breechblock had no lalch,merely a thumb piece. The block washeld into position by a simple springloaded pin which fit into a dimple onthe rear of the shoe face.

Despite many thousand arms beingmade in this manner, authorities feltthe setup was somewhat inadequateand modified the block by adding avery positive latch that had to bedepressed before the breechblockcould be opened, and the retainingstud was conSiderably beefed-upGenerally Mark 1 and Mark 11 gunswere conversions of older pieces, whileMark Ills were commonly, but notalways, completely newly made.

To load a Snider, all the soldier hadto do was put the hammer on halfcock, rotate the breechblock Sideways,insert a cartridge and close the action.

Loading a Snider is very simple. One first opens the breech, swings the block sideways and inserts a cartridge (1). To extract around, open the action and pull back on the block (2). The spent case is then dumped out (3).

Sniders fired a .577-caliber self-contained cartridge. Original earlycases (center) weremade ofa paper-covered coiled brass bodywith separate japannedbase. Currently drawnbrass ammo (left) isavailable for shooters.

@

The Snider wasoffered in a number of configurations

including (from top) the standard Long Rifle,Short Rifle and Carbine. Of the three types, Carbines

seem to be the most prevalent type in the United States.

a Ide r lea thertopped snapcaps could beused with theSnider.

The chosenround was in .577caliber, eliminating ~the need to changeor sleeve the originalbarrel. The firstrounds were made ofpapier-mache, thoughthese proved unsatisfactory, and eventuallywhite paper-coveredcoiled brass rounds, developed by Colonel Boxer ofthe Royal Artillery wereaccepted. These black powder cartridges had a separate

complicated, while others were patently unsafe or used cartridges too delicale for the rigors of military usage.

Shooting tests proved the Snider system to be the fastest and most reliable.Some 20 rounds could be fired in just2 minutes, 35 seconds, with its closestrival, the Greene coming in at 3 minutes 18 seconds. The P-53 Enfieldmuzzle-loader's time was a dismal 7minutes 20 seconds. The breechloaderwas definitely here to stay.

After the smoke cleared, in 1866Snider's design emerged preeminent.Basically it involved cutting 2112 inches off the breech of a standard .577Pattern 1853 Enfield rifle-musket. Thebreech was then expanded to receive acartridge, and a hinged breechblockaffixed to the right side of the barrelopening.

A "plunger" (firing pin), which wasstruck by a modified Enfield hammer,was secured through the length of theblock at an oblique angle by a screwretainer. As the retainer resembled thenipple of a percussion musket, the

TbeBritisbSnider

94 MILITARY CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED MILITARY CLASSICS ILLUSTRATE!) 95

the lack of deformation of the Sniderbullet that one might experiencewhen ramming a Minie down thelength of the barrel-especially whenthe gun is fouled.

For history, mechanics or shooting,the Snider is a good bet for the modernenthusiast, and while they may be a bithard to come by right now, they arecertainly worth the effort. I have sold,traded and otherwise disposed ofmany arms over the years, but nevermy Sniders. My guess is that this decision will probably have to be left up tomy heirs. ~

MILITARY CLASSICS ILLUSTRATE£:) 97

v

/

Accuracy with the Snider Long Rifle is not too bad aswitnessed by this 1oo-yard seven-inch group. Theauthor has found that the Snider is marginally moreaccurate than the muzzle-loading P-53 Enfield, onwhich it was based. After a few shots, bullets startedkeyholing due to fouling.

Now, fortunately for usSnider lovers, The OldWestern Scrounger (Dept.RS, 12924 Highway A-12,Montague, CA 96064) isoffering some pretty decentblack powder, Berdanprimed, drawn brass caseloads, topped with the 476grain Lyman 575213 Minie.

Sniders function verywell, simplicity and robustness being the keys Whilethe sharp edge of theextractor on U.S. Issue ........Allin "trapdoor" system had ~

the nasty habit of slicingthrough the rim of the copper .45-70 cartridge, effectively putting the rifle out

fa tion, the same was nottru of the Snider. Its wideextractor encompasses alarge arc of the cartridge rim, cuttingway down on this problem. True, onehas to take time to dump out the case,but after a while the operationbecomes second nature and the guncan be fired and loaded very rapidly.

While it would seem logical that, asthe guns use virtually the same barrels,accuracy between the P-53 muzzleloader and Snider breechloader shouldbe similar. Interestingly enough, I havefound the Snider seems to have a bit ofan edge on its progenitor either in theMark II or Mark III incarnations. Myguess is that this can be put down to

scarcely so many hUlldr 'ds r turned.Three hundred and 'Iglll)' rpseswere countedth next tl1011l1l1g."

The Snider rapidl} b' am a verypopular arm, but it \ as Il 'v 'I' il1l nded as much m I' lhall.1 stopgap. forno sooner was it adopll'd than fficials began xp nm 'Illlllg wllh therarms, culminaling" Ilh thl' .\dopti nof the fam d.S77 '" 0 1,\llll1l II nryin 1871.

Still the Snider nlll1111'd lo S" 1'-

vice right till the nd f lh' 19th 'eI1lU

ry with native and olonlallroop .Canada maintained it for quill' a whiland even issued shortened rif!' lO ilcadet corps as late as 1905.

Unfortunately, Jacob nid I' tli 'tisoon after the adoption of his arm andthe owners of the patents were for edto go through an awkward perio I ofnegotiation in order to receive thmonies due then from the Crown.

The Snider has always been one ofmy personal favorites among the19th century single-shots and I haveput many, many rounds throughthem over the years. For a time, acommercial Snider was very difficultto come by, the most available (albeitstill scarce and pricey) loads beingsome put together by Kynoch a number of years ago. For a time I handloaded my .577 Snider brass, butwhen the Northridge earthquake virtually liquefied my loading equipment, I gave up the endeavor andhung my Sniders on the wall.

,./

Snider Long Rifles are pleasant to shoot and quite reliable, though theCarbines are a bit more punishing because of their smaller size.

Campaign of 1868, where according tothe editors of British Battles on Landand Sea, London, 1876, "As the wildfoe came rushing with yells and warcries down the ravine, they were

received by a terrible fire fromthe Sniders of the 4th(Regiment of Foot), whilesome of the Punjabees contrived to take them on theflank; and Colonel Penn getting his steel guns on a commanding ridge, or spur ofrock, scattered death anddestruction among them onevery hand. From theextreme rapidity of discharge of the Snider, thefiring at this time in different parts of the field was asheavy and continuous asthat of a general actionbetween two large armies.Of more than 5,000 of(Abyssinian Emperor)Theodore's bravest mencomprising the sortie,

FlO. 6.-SNIDER BREECD.LOADER (BREECH OrEI<).

FlO 5.-SNIDER BREECH·LOADER (BREECU CLOSED AXD FULL COCK).

ring at all.The Snider acquitted itself well on

the battlefield and at the target range,where it was a favorite of Volunteerunits. It was first used at the battle ofMagdala during the Abyssinian

t'IO. 4.-SKIDER BREECII·LOADEl~

(l..ONGITUDIXAL S~CT]ON).

This early engraving showsthe basic Snider setup, withthe attached breech'''shoe''and transverse firing pin. Notethat this is an early Mark Iversion without the thumbpiece latch.

l'UNCll. OR TilE LONDON c!iAJ\IV=

In this period cartoonfrom Britain's Punchmagazine, Mr. Punch

" '" - proudly hands John Bull'~~~,.v"'M"''M/~;\\,''-' a new Snider rifle to

S~POurt' nT n' 'O~TEST. R 10U sn-TJIJ\ Ill'$! replace his old Enfield

.L\>.L ll~ DlU-~l~ TBl5 15 Tllll GUN iO '.

l~::::::::::::::::::]~~~~L05AD~~~J>Il\.::1l:ULL:''::~===";:'=,,b===: rifle-musket. This was

TlI TJrE OLD yuZZLE- .... ou RUUoY YUSTN'T 511001' WI TIllT YONl'lY cAN 13Ul I ....-. the first general-

lW..~·,.·l''''''u. Y . issue breechloader in Crownservice.


oUl.

niders were made inseveral configurations,butthe most commonwere the three-band standard infantry Long Rifle,a shorter two-band"sergeant's model" ShortRille, an Artillery Carbineand Cavalry Carbine.While all four styles arenot uncommon in theUnited States, there seemto be more CavalryCarbines about than theothers. This is due to thefact that several decadesago Golden States Armsin Pasadena, California imported thousands of Snider carbines from Portugal.These guns can instantly be recognizedby a sling ring on the bottom of thestock to the rear of the triggerguard.British issue Cavalry Carbines hadeither a side-mounted ring bar or no

TbeBritisbSnider

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~ ~ ~~ ~

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Model of 1917r..J. £) ACE

SKU 170197

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Military Classics Illustrated vol.4

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