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We should talk for a moment about small arms that might have been. Hitler’s generals were appalled when he made his moves on France and the Low Countries. The Nazis made the invasion of Poland look easy. But, as it turned out, Operation Fall Weiss  placed tremendous stress on the German’s military machine. In the High Command’s opinion, Germany wasn’t …

The Aleutians Islands Champaign was characterized by gawd-awful weather, including sheets of rain that turned airfields into ponds, rolling fog that obscured targets and landing strips, and frostbite due to inadequate boots. The tundra defied digging in. Obviously, this was just about the last place anyone would want to fly an aircraft. The fighting went on for just over a …

The Ruger Mini-14 has to be one of the worst combat rifles ever made. I should know… I have made this mistake seven times since 1981. Let me say up front that I have a soft spot for the Mini-14. No doubt there will be an eighth Mini-14 in my collection. Ruger now offers a product improved Mini-14 rifle that …

The D-day invasion came by sea and air. I find that the most stirring of stories involve the first glider landings at Pegasus Bridge which had to be captured intact if the British hoped to get off of their landing beaches and establish a bridgehead that could repel an expected German counterattack. The first soldiers to see action that night …

Hitler is said to have coined the phrase “Sturmgewehr” or “assault rifle” after hearing glowing reports about the weapon from his panzer commanders on the Russian Front. This is somewhat apocryphal. A little back story is needed here. The “submachinegun” designated MK42B was very similar to the MP-43. It was said to be inaccurate and Hitler rejected it on two …