@historicalfirearms / www.historicalfirearms.info
The Royal Bermuda Regiment utilises one of the most unique SA80/L85A2 configurations around. Combining a Trijicon ACOG originally purchased under an urgent operational requirement for Afghanistan and HK’s redesigned handguard.
The UK has recently procured some 2,400 7.62x39mm AK-pattern rifles to aid training of Ukrainian troops in the UK. In the latest images released by the UK Ministry of Defence we can now confirm that these rifles include previously unseen Chinese Type 56-1s.
Check out the full accompanying blog here.
The UK has been providing training to Ukrainian personnel in the UK, in some of the videos and photos showing their training it appears that in addition to the AK pattern rifles provided by the UK the Ukrainians have been using the British SA80 / L85 bullpup rifle in some of their training.
Check out the video:
Check out the accompanying article here.
Ukrainian troops are in the UK training as part of an agreement with the British government. The UK has procured an interesting assortment of AK pattern rifles for the Ukrainian personnel to train with. In this video we look at what rifles are in use and some of the challenges of procuring them.
Cold War warriors in Ukraine. In this video we take a look at the Saxon armoured personnel carriers Ukraine purchased from Britain before the war. We look at their history and their use by the Ukrainian armed forces and examine some of the few photographs of them which have surfaced recently.
Check out the accompanying article in full at www.armourersbench.com.
The British Army's first dedicated infantry anti-tank weapon was a rifle grenade. Rifle grenades became extremely popular during the First World War and when the tank threat emerged a rifle grenade seemed like the ideal answer.
Watch the video below:
Check out the accompanying article for this video at www.armourersbench.com.
On Monday it was announced that the UK would send Ukraine several shipments of light anti-armour weapons. The weapons were taken from the British Army's stock of NLAW or Next Generation Anti-Tank Weapon. In this video we'll take a look at the situation that led to the shipments and at the weapon itself and how it works.
Check out the video below:
During the Cold War NATO was understandably interested in capable anti-armour weapons. One interesting weapon which entered service was the Off-Route Mine, sort of like a Claymore for armoured vehicles. In this video we'll examine how they worked, how they would be used and why they were removed from service!
Check out the video below:
The No.36 or Mills Bomb was one of the longest serving grenades, developed during the First World War, it was manufactured across the British Commonwealth during the Second World War and after.
In this video we'll use some brilliant newsreel footage from New Zealand to examine how the Mills Bomb (or No.36 Grenade) was manufactured during the war. We also take a look at the design and history of the No.36 which served for over 50 years.
Did you know that the Royal Bermuda Regiment used the Ruger Mini-14 as its service rifle for over 30 years? If not, this video will give you the low down!
Check out this week's Armourer's Bench video for more:
Read the accompanying article over on the TAB website here.
A couple of months ago I visited the UK’s National Army Museum in London. They currently have an exhibition exploring the history of the British Army in Germany since 1945. Titled 'Foe to Friend' it explored the British Army’s post-war experience in Germany first as an occupier and then as a NATO ally.
Check out the accompanying blog here.
Grab your SLR and LAW 80 and jump in the back of the FV432, the Soviet 3rd Shock Army is on the advance!
In this episode of the Fighting On Film podcast we dive into a pair of British Army training films Fighting In Woods (1982) and Soviet Encounter (1983) with Dr. Kenton White – an expert on the Cold War British Army. These well-made films show a potential (and somewhat optimistic) scenario of how the British Army would have fought the Warsaw Pact if the Cold War had ever gone hot!
The episode is also available on all other podcast platforms, you can find them here. Hope you enjoy it, it was a fascinating chat!
During the Cold War the British Army on the Rhine was deployed in West German. In anticipation of a conflict with the Soviet Union detailed recognition guides were written for British troops to identify and familiarise themselves with enemy weapons and equipment. A substantial series of these were written covering everything from small arms to artillery to vehicles and aircraft.
In this video and article we will examine ‘Recognition Handbook Foreign Weapons and Equipment (USSR) Group III Infantry Weapons’ originally published in August 1966. It covers pistols, carbines, rifles, light, medium and heavy machine guns, grenades and some infantry anti-tank weapons like the RPG-2.
Be sure to check out our accompanying article for this video at www.armourersbench.com
In this video we dive into another item from the TAB Reference Collection. An article taken from a 1955 edition of the Illustrated London News which looks at the British Army's newest anti-tank weapon - The B.A.T Gun!
The L2 B.A.T Gun was a recoilless rifle developed to replace the heavier 17pdr Anti-Tank guns then in service. The B.A.T and its successors remained in service throughout the Cold War.
Check out the accompanying blog for this video for more photos, here.
This week’s Armourer’s Bench video looks at another item from the TAB reference collection – an illustrated spare parts list for the L21A1. L21A1 is the British designation for the American Browning M2 .50 cal (12.7×99mm) machine gun. A past owner has written ‘Ranging’ on the cover, perhaps suggesting this booklet specifically covered the guns used by the UK’s Royal Armoured Corps in its Centurion and Chieftain tanks.
During the Second World War the British Home Guard were extensively issued American .30 calibre Browning M1917 machine guns. These water-cool medium machine guns contributed significant firepower to the Home Guard fighting units. They began to enter service in late 1940 and by November 1942 there were some 6,330 in service.
With so many guns in service there needed to be a way of describing, categorising and identifying the weapon’s parts so an identification list booklet was drawn up giving the American and British nomenclature for the gun’s individual parts.
Check out the video above and the full blog over at ArmourersBench.com
Earlier this year I had the pleasure of travelling to the Tank Museum to film some segments for the new documentary on the Rhineland Campaign – ‘Rhineland 45‘. We looked at various small arms used during the campaign ranging from Panzerfausts and Bazookas to MG-42s and M1A1 carbines.
Not all of the segments we filmed discussing the weapons could be included in the finished documentary, so I’m pleased to share a couple here. This one Brings Up The PIAT!
