Sommaire pour September 2022 de The Armourer

FOR SALE The French Resistance was a collection of small groups of armed men and women, who came from all economic levels and political leanings of French society and fought the Nazi occupation of France and the collaborationist Vichy regime during WWII. In addition to their guerrilla warfare activities, they were also publishers of underground newspapers, providers of first-hand intelligence information, and maintained the escape networks that helped Allied soldiers and airmen trapped behind enemy lines. The French Resistance played a significant role in helping the Allies' rapid advance through France following the invasion of Normandy on 6 June 1944. The Resistance also planned, coordinated, and carried out sabotage acts on the Nazi electrical power grid, transport facilities, and telecommunications networks. The Resistance’s work was politically and morally important to…

In the summer of 2021, I came into possession of a Defence Medal and photo album/scrapbook from a WWII nurse serving with the Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD). The album is a fine collection of ephemera in the form of postcards, photographs of various buildings and monuments along with rare leaflets and snapshots forming an attractively presented record of one nurse’s service in WWII. It is obvious that this was once a treasured keepsake containing many memories, but who was the nurse this album belonged to and where was she from? These are the questions any historian will ask when there is only the most basic information with which to go on. In the album the name ‘I. Gihon’ appeared on a piece of official paperwork and this was the logical…

The Korean War had started on 25 June 1950 when North Korea under Kim II-sung poured across the 38th parallel in their attempt to unify the peninsula under the auspices of communism. After having experienced rapid success that nearly toppled President Syngman Rhee and his South Korean government, the North Korean advance was stopped and then rolled back by the direct intervention of the Western powers led by the US and Commonwealth forces. The Western forces, under the banner of the United Nations, soon built upon their momentum which led them to push north, going as far as the Yalu River. The Chinese had warned the West that if UN forces crossed the Yalu River that they would be forced to intervene. Disregarding the intelligence and direct warning, the UN…

Regrettably, to offset the increases in costs of energy and raw materials the cover price of The Armourer has increased to £5.49; but you don’t have to pay that! SAVE UP TO 24% We’ve frozen our subscription pricesmeaning you can save even more than before when subscribing to The Armourer! Take out a digital subscription today www.pktmags.com/arm-sub22 Prefer paper? Have the magazine posted direct to your door each month. To find our latest subscription offers please visit militaria.ma/arm-subs22 or call 01778 392489…

Noonans under Orders The next Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria auction at Noonans is due to take place on 27 July, which is just in time if you bought the digital edition of The Armourer, as it goes on sale a week before the print version. In this case, 26 July. So, let’s take a look at what is up for grabs. One of the most interesting lots will undoubtedly be the Most Illustrious Order of St. Patrick, K.P., a superb and most attractive early 19th century Knight’s breast star by William Gray, London. It measures 88mm x 81mm, with silver, gold and enamels, c. 1815-20. The reverse is inscribed ‘Willm. Gray 13 New Bond Street’, t’, with gold retaining pin. The estimate is £4,000-£5,000. If you have deeper pockets…

Before the war the British possessed strategically important locations in the Mediterranean and were very concerned about the Italian naval buildup. Although at the time, the British Royal Navy was the strongest sea power afloat, it was spread out across the globe, and had no modern battleships. The number of Italian Regia Marina (Royal Navy) capital ships stationed in the Mediterranean theater outnumbered British vessels, but the British did have an aircraft carrier, whereas the Italians depended upon airbases surrounding the contested waters. Taranto, Italy was the home port of the First Squadron of the Regia Marina fleet. It consisted of six battleships (two of which of the modern Littorio class and their older ships had been extensively modified), seven heavy cruisers, seven light cruisers and 13 destroyers. Although the…

Subscribe today to this stunning quarterly publication. Covering all aspects of German military history including the Imperial German forces of the Great War, the Weimar period and the Nazi period. Iron Cross prides itself on the highest quality production with stunning content in the unique and groundbreaking features, often revealing untold stories and publishing photographs that have never been seen before. UK’s only German military magazine To see our latest subscription offers visit: militaria.ma/incr-bookazine 01778 392489 quoting INCR/BOOKAZINE…

MUSEUM Navy expands in Hartlepool Plans for the expansion of the National Museum of the Royal Navy Hartlepool (NMRN Hartlepool) have received a huge boost following the £3.4 million purchase of the neighbouring Vision Retail Park. The 58,000 square foot, three-acre site, with 250 car parking spaces, lies alongside NMRN Hartlepool, and its purchase by the museum unlocks much-needed space for an ambitious expansion which includes new galleries, conservation workshops, reception and retail space. Professor Dominic Tweddle, Director General of The National Museum of the Royal Navy said, “Following the acquisition of the retail park it will be considerably upgraded to meet modern museum standards and the former shopping centre converted into new themed galleries large enough to permanently house World War II rescue motor launch RML 497 which is…

SOFO or the Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum is located in the gardens and grounds of The Oxfordshire Museum and Library in the centre of the historic market town of Woodstock, which sits on the edge of the huge estate of the world-renowned Blenheim Palace. The fabulously ornate Palace alone deserves a visit, as this was gifted by Queen Anne to the Duke of Marlborough in 1705 by a grateful nation in respect of his famous victory of same name, over the Franco-Bavarian army in 1704. It is also the birthplace and childhood home of Winston Churchill. The former regiments of the 43rd and 52nd joined the 95th Rifles (later The Rifle Brigade) at Shorncliffe, Kent to create the famous Light Brigade in 1803 under the command of Sir John Moore.…

PART 5/6 Czechoslovakia had a proud history of martial prowess and as a new nation forged out of the embers of World War I, followed by the trauma of German occupation 20 years later, it is no surprise that the country would have one of the better equipped armies of the Soviet Bloc. The webbing used by Czechoslovakia was updated several times during the Cold War and as new weapons and materials were developed, newer personal equipment was pushed out to troops. Older items remained in service however, and so items from a number of different development stages were frequently worn together. The equipment we are looking at this month roughly dates from the 1970s, however some elements of it were introduced decades before and with minor updates the same…

Helmets are believed to be the earliest form of personal protective equipment appearing on the battlefield around 2300 BC. They were initially constructed from leather, progressed into brass, bronze, and steel, and after the passing of time, materials eventually evolved into the contemporary composite fibres such as Kevlar and Twaron. The composite products are superior to steel as they offer an improvement in the amount of weight, ballistics protection, and help guard against head injuries caused by concussive shock waves from nearby explosions. Modern combat helmets have been upgraded with adapters for mounting video cameras, night vision goggles (NVG), flashlights, and monocular night vision devices. M-1 This model was used by the US military during the WWII, Korea, and Vietnam Wars until 1985, when it was replaced with the upgraded…