Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2022 i The Armourer

REGULAR Welcome The cover feature this month is the final battle for Berlin, where the British and American forces held off getting involved in costly street fighting. Stalin, of course, lied to the other western powers and made it his priority, regardless of how many Red Army soldiers had to die to capture it. Our story then starts on the River Oder and the Seelow Heights as the Red Army encircled the capital and cut off the German 9th Army in the forests outside Berlin. The fanatical, desperate and doomed defence is detailed as command and control over Wehrmacht formations disintegrated and Hitler issued orders that were no longer followed. It’s the apocalyptic end to the Third Reich. On a related theme, I’d like to draw your attention to The…

MEDAL Medal for Afghanistan evacuation Military personnel involved in the biggest evacuation in 70 years to get medal and clasp. It’s been announced by the Ministry of Defence that all service personnel from the Royal Navy, Army and RAF involved in the airlift that evacuated thousands of Afghans and British nationals from Afghanistan as the Taliban seized the country, are to receive a medal for their efforts. The medal will be the existing Operation Service Medal Afghanistan but it will come with a clasp titled ‘OPERATION PITTING’. Anyone who already has this medal will also have a clasp titled ‘AFGHANISTAN’ and will simply receive the new clasp to add to the medal’s ribbon. The OSM Afghanistan medal obverse shows the crowned effigy of Elizabeth II with the inscription ‘ELIZABETH II…

ORGANISATION FEATURE The ATS at war Willow Fitzgerald relates the story of how women served with the British Army during WWII During the late 1930s war with Germany became inevitable so preparations began for the expected air-raids and an expansion of the Army. The government proposed a new women’s corps so an advisory council, comprising Territorial Army (TA), First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY) and Women’s Legion (WL) members, was set up. On 9 September 1938, Army Order 199 announced the creation, by Royal Warrant, of the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS), providing a place for women in the Army’s ranks, just like the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps of WWI. WAAC (renamed Queen Mary’s Army Auxiliary Corps, or QMAAC, in 1918) members had proved invaluable then, releasing many men for frontline service,…

Regimental insignia 1751-1914 Ray Westlake looks at the badges of the Royal Scots, up to the dawn of WWI The British Army’s most senior infantry regiment of the line is the Royal Scots. Its existence dates from 26 January 1633 and the formation of a regiment from Scots troops then in the service of France. This was Sir John Hepburn’s Regiment which, in 1684, after being known by the names of its successive Colonels, took on the title of The Royal Regiment of Foot. Falling in line with the War Office directions of 1751, in which regiments were no longer to be known by the name of their Colonel and take on numbers, the Royal Regiment became known as The 1st or The Royal Regiment of Foot. Royal Scots was…

MEDAL FEATURE The Dunbar Medal of 1650 Peter Duckers investigates what could be classified as the very first British campaign medal When it comes to awarding medals for general service during a war, the British system can be traced back, not simply to Waterloo but to the late 16th century. Wearable medals were given for service against the Armada in 1588, for some of James I’s naval campaigns and, in rather greater variety, for the Civil Wars of 1642-1651. These early awards have one thing in common, apart from general rarity, and that is that they were only issued in small numbers to specific people or for specific acts. Those for the Armada, for example, were apparently given only to senior naval commanders (like Lord Howard and Francis Drake) and…

SIGNALS reviewsroundup Hitler’s Court Duncan Evans reviews the latest releases in the world of military history and collecting HEIKE B GÖRTEMAKER While the public persona of Adolf Hitler was one of a selfless leader, putting his own happiness to one side in order to lead the German nation out of the wilderness, the reality was, of course, somewhat different. He had close friends, an inner circle that celebrated, flattered and intrigued him, and one that enabled Hitler to keep everyone else at arm’s length. This then, is the guide to these close acquaintances, as the NSDAP rose to power, the war years and what happened to them afterwards. It’s very well balanced, discussing opposing theories on matters such as what really was the relationship with his niece, Geli Raubal, and…

The Complete Knight’s Cross Vol 2 KEVIN BRAZIER Subtitled, The Years of Stalemate 1942-1943, this is the second in the three book series that chronicles all the winners of the Knight’s Cross. The entries are listed chronologically, as they were awarded, but thankfully there’s an index that lists the winners alphabetically so researchers know where to look to find a particular person. The details are often little more than name, rank, place of award and place of death, but here and there are ones with more fleshed out stories which make for fascinating reading. The author addresses disputed awards including someone who never actually existed and another who was a PoW working for the Russians. Despite the confusing introduction where the author says this is the fourth book in the…

Immortal Valor ROBERT CHILD It’s ironic that America liked to position itself as the saviour of the free world in WWII, while at the same time was an inherently racist and divided society. This was reflected in the military where 432 soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor, none of them black. In 1993 a US Army study re-examined the wartime files and decided that seven black men were worthy of the honour which were awarded in 1997, though only Vernon Baker was still alive to get it. These are those seven stories, told in dramatic style. Osprey Publishing ISBN 978-1-4728-5285-4 292 pages Hardback £25…

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WEAPON FEATURE Silent but deadly Michael Heidler takes a look at the suppressed M3/M3A1 SMG The successful use of silenced Sten Mk II S for the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) aroused the US Ordnance Department‘s interest in a suppressor for SMGs. Founded in June 1942, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) wanted such a weapon for his own special operations and to support resistance groups in Europe and the Pacific theatre. The M3 seemed to be well suited for that purpose. Because standard .45 ACP rounds fired from short-barrelled sub-machine guns are inherently subsonic, it is one of the most powerful pistol calibres available for use in suppressed weapons. Suppressors reduce the audible report by slowing down and channelling the high-speed gas generated by the burning and expanding gunpowder…

Ancient Greeks at War SIMON ELLIOT If you’re looking for an all-in-one guide to the Classical World of Ancient Greece then this glossy, well-produced book might be the one. It runs history from the Minoans and the Sea People, through Philip and Alexander of Macedonia, to the rise of Rome. In between there’s potted histories of notable cities, peoples and personalities. Obviously while covering such a wide topic the author can only focus on the key elements and sometimes this does leave the detail out with only the Macedonians really benefitting from an in-depth examination. Still, with colour photos, maps, illustrations and glossy paper, it’s a stylish overview of the entire period. Casemate ISBN 978-1-6120-0998-8 292 pages Hardback £30…

Books and militaria reviews Vikings WB BARTLETT The Vikings weren’t just ferocious raiders, they also traded across Europe and engaged in nation building. What you have here is a whopping book, with very small print to pack it all in, that covers the rise and fall of the Vikings, focussing on their exploits in Britain in particular. The prose struggles at times, getting bogged down in academic discussion about sources and tall tales, but it’s full of detail and blood curdling stories. Amberley Books ISBN 978-1-3981-0908-7 434 pages Paperback £12.99…

Agent Provocateur for Hitler or Churchill? DAVID TREMAIN The war years made for a hotbed of intrigue that, for some, was irresistible, regardless of their actual reality. Here we have the case of Stella Lonsdale, a woman who mixed in English high society, yet despised the people she mixed with. She promised to work for the Abwehr, in order to escape Germany, and claimed to have worked for MI5 as well. In reality, she was married to a criminal and thrived on the intrigue of pretending to be a spy in wartime. It’s a fascinating story. Pen and Sword ISBN 978-1-5267-7962-5 290 pages Hardback £25…

NEXT MONTH: MAY 2022 ISSUE It’s naval action next month as we take to the seas off Denmark and Norway for the Battle of Jutland in WWI, the biggest naval battle in history. The British policy was to deny the Germans access to the Atlantic and enforce a blockade, the German High Seas Fleet on the other hand sought to lure a portion of the numerically superior RN Grand Fleet into a trap and destroy it. Both sides claimed victory by the end, but the reality was that although the British suffered higher casualties, the Germans were forced back to port and were unable to break the blockade. Now, if you enjoyed Ed Hallett’s series on the Cold War accoutrements of the NATO forces then get ready for the follow…

EVENTS Under the hammer Big four at Hermann Historica Duncan Evans reports on the latest militaria sold at auctions around the country The four auctions at European auctioneer Hermann Historica have just concluded, with all unsold items going into the post-auction sale. They were the Antiquities, Poster Collection of Engelhardt, Antique Arms & Armour; Fine Antique and Modern Firearms; Orders & Military Collectibles until 1918; and Orders & Military Collectibles from 1919 onwards. Some interesting items in the pre-1918 auction, so let’s start there with an Order of the Black Star. This was the gilded version, with a white and blue enamelled Maltese cross. In the centre was a black enamelled five-pointed star, with green enamelled laurel wreath. It sold for €200. If you wanted to have some fun identifying…

The battle for Berlin From the River Oder and the Seelow Heights to the desperate street fighting, Graham Caldwell describes the last days of the Third Reich It was the first day of spring, 21 March 1945 and the 310th air raid on Berlin had just finished. The RAF bombed by night and the buildings and homes into rubble. Civilian casualties had reached at least 52,000, compared to 43,000 for the whole of the Blitz in Britain. 10 days later, on the 1 April 1945, General Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander, cabled Stalin directly to announce his intention to halt his armies on the River Elbe and not advance any further east, a controversial decision taken on purely military grounds, notwithstanding that the US 9th Army was only 50 miles from…

PART 1/3 The dawn of war photography John Wade reveals the work of photographers from the Crimean War to World War I A lthough it is generally acknowledged that the first photograph was taken by Frenchman Joseph Nicéphore Niépce in 1826, his procedure, involving an eight-hour exposure, was totally impractical. The first viable method of photography came with the daguerreotype process in 1837, which recorded images on silver-plated copper. Exposure times, however, could be up to several minutes, which meant photographing action was out of question. Nevertheless, a now unknown American daguerreotype photographer captured images from the Mexican-American War. One of the earliest, taken in 1847, showed American troops riding into the Mexican city of Saltillo. Although the process that produced daguerreotypes was complicated and time-consuming, involving dangerous and toxic…

The Battle of Berlin MARTIN W BOWMAN Before the Red Army congregated on Berlin it was under attack from the air, almost continuously from 1943-1945, firstly by Bomber Command at night, and then, later on, by the USAAF by day. This is the story of that bombing campaign on Germany’s capital city, set in motion by Bomber Harris, who harboured a deep hatred for the Germans and was determined to win the war by destroying Berlin. The scene for this is set early on, but then it takes an even handed look at the following events by recounting the stories of bomber pilots, German defenders in the air and on the ground, plus the people on the receiving end. The dangers and horrendous cost of the campaign are laid bare…

Tanks in the Battle of German 1945 STEVEN J ZALOGA Even though this title, No. 302 in the New Vanguard series, is only 50 pages, it forms the first part of the story of tanks in the battle for Germany in 1945. The other half is from the eastern side with the Soviets closing in. Still, you get lots of tables, terse information, contemporary photos and some illustrations which are an indulgence considering how few pages there are. Osprey Publishing ISBN 978-1-4728-4811-6 50 pages Softcover £11.99…

Competition Book competition ENTER ONLINE TODAY! WORTH £90 WIN 3 copies of… The Battle of Berlin Bomber Harris thought he could bludgeon Germany into defeat through the air, resulting in ever bigger raids on German cities. This is the story of the pilots who flew despite the debilitating losses and the people of the ground, when the bombs hit. It’s not just the stories from the young men in the RAF though, as there are anecdotes from the German night fighters trying to shoot them down as well as the civilians on the receiving end Now, thanks to the generosity of military book publisher, Pen and Sword, we have three copies to give away. Simply answer the question below and go to the website to enter. WORTH £75 WIN 3 copies…