The Pritchard bayonet for the Webley revolver is one of the more photogenic and less truly practical weapons to come out of the Great War. Designed by one Captain Pritchard after he spent a year in France in 1915-1916 with the Royal Berkshire Regiment, the idea was to use the front 8 inches or so of a sword on a cast gunmetal hilt to create a bayonet mounted on a British service revolver. He first presented the idea to the Wilkinson Sword Company, but they were too busy making sabers and rifle bayonets, and suggested that having to sacrifice usable sword blades for production would make it quite the expensive endeavor.
Pritchard next took his idea to W.W. Greener, where he found a more receptive audience. Greener had a large supply of surplus French Gras bayonets, which were cheap and served as excellent donors for the Pritchard bayonets. Something like 200 were made in total — not formally adopted by the British but available for commercial sale to officers who might want them. While some may have seen service, no hard evidence has been found to prove any combat action with them.
Over the decades, a great many fake and reproduction Pritchard bayonets have been made — many times more than there are originals. As far as I can determine, this one is a legitimate original (although it may have a replacement locking lever). A few things to look for in authenticating a Pritchard are engraved patent and manufacturer marks (most reproductions have no manufacturer logo and a stamped patent number) and a quality casting. When you hold the blade and tap the handle with a hard object, it should ring bright and bell-like (which this one does).
Comments Off on WWI Pritchard Bayonet for the Webley Revolver
For TANKFEST 2019, The Tank Museum was extremely lucky to be able to display the Leopard PRTL courtesy of The Historic Collection of the Royal Netherlands Army, in cooperation with the National Military Museum of the Netherlands.
David Willey explores how the self-propelled anti-aircraft system, based on a Leopard 1 tank, works and operates, alongside some footage of the PRTL in action.
Don’t miss the special announcement of our new exciting collaboration at the end of this episode!
Register for free at World of Warships here: https://wo.ws/PearlHarbor and receive a special in-game package worth €25, including the ships USS St. Louis, Japanese Cruise Tenryū – and more bonuses.
In this episode:
There is a lull now on the Eastern Front, and Adolf Hitler uses the time to plan another drive on Moscow and points beyond, but he’ll be facing a larger Red Army, as reinforcements and recruits hope to nearly double its size in a matter of weeks. The British are counting down the days to their upcoming North African offensive, and the Japanese are sending out orders that will change the world dramatically in a single morning.
Written and Hosted by: Indy Neidell
Director: Astrid Deinhard
Producers: Astrid Deinhard and Spartacus Olsson
Executive Producers: Astrid Deinhard, Indy Neidell, Spartacus Olsson, Bodo Rittenauer
Creative Producer: Maria Kyhle
Post-Production Director: Wieke Kapteijns
Research by: Indy Neidell
Edited by: Miki Cackowski
Sound design: Marek Kamiński
Map animations: Eastory (https://www.youtube.com/c/eastory)
Sources:
Bundesarchiv
Arkiv i Nordland
Narodowe Archiwum Cyfrowe
IWM C 4748, E 6661, WPN 298, E 6724, MH 9292, E 3469E, E 7008, E 759C
Picture of Alfred Godwin-Austin, courtesy of Berserker276 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi…
from the Noun Project: company soldiers by Andrei Yushchenko, Bell by wahyakup
Soundtracks from the Epidemic Sound:
Reynard Seidel – “Deflection”
Johannes Bornlof – “Deviation In Time”
Rannar Sillard – “March Of The Brave 4”
Bonnie Grace – “The Dominion”
Johan Hynynen – “Dark Beginning”
Johannes Bornlof – “The Inspector 4”
Fabien Tell – “Last Point of Safe Return”
Hakan Eriksson – “Epic Adventure Theme 3”
A TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.
From the comments:
merdiolu81
22 hours ago (edited)
Meanwhile, on 30 October, Stalin had raised a casual question. “How are we going to do the military parade?” That was the great, traditional 7 November Red Square parade, the celebration of the 1917 “October” Revolution, which had taken place on 24-5 October, Old Style — 6-7 November, New Style. General Pavel Artem’ev, who had been commander of the Moscow Military District and had taken command of the Moscow defence zone as the critical phase began, on 12 October, said it could not happen. Yes, it would, said Stalin. If there was a German air raid, the dead and wounded should be removed quickly, he added. It would happen. The risk was considerable. The potential political response was devastatingly positive, and worth the risk. The “Boss” had his faults (aside being a brutal tyrant) , but this was the decision of a leader. The parade would take place, and the troops, guns and armoured vehicles would then proceed straight to the front. It was a stroke of genius. The military effect would be compounded by the media and political effect. As always, everything was kept secret until the last moment. The officers involved did not receive their final briefing until 02.00. Stalin liked surprises, as most dictators do.
On 7 November, at 08.00 hours, just after dawn, under a steely, overcast Russian sky, with rimy air on the brink of freezing and snow beginning to fall, the troops marched south-east down the “square”, towards St Basil’s Cathedral and the Moskva river, beyond. Red Square, which owes its name to the old Slavic word for “beautiful”, and not to communism at all, is not really a square, either. It is a wide cobbled boulevard, running past the north-east wall of the red-brick, triangular Renaissance fortress. St Basil’s Cathedral is the onion-domed fantasy built for Ivan the Terrible. He was so delighted with it that he had the architect’s eyes put out, so that he could not build for anybody else anything so whimsically fantastic and beautiful. Stalin admired Ivan. The Germans were coming from the north-north-west, so, once the troops, guns and armoured vehicles had passed Lenin’s Mausoleum and reached St Basil’s, they would turn smartly about and head in the opposite direction, up Gor’kiy Street, and then north-west, to face the Germans.
The stars of the show were the new T-34 and KV tanks. But one of the heavy KV tanks screeched to a halt and then turned the wrong way. Another followed. The tanks were all armed, ready for battle, and if anybody wanted to take out the Politburo standing on Lenin’s Mausoleum, that would have been an ideal opportunity. Given the paranoia which prevailed in Moscow at the time, overreaction might have been the order of the day. Artem’ev demanded to know what had happened. The first tank, it turned out, had suffered a mechanical problem, and its commander did not want to cause any embarrassment on the big parade, so he got out of the way. Following the standard operating procedures the newly trained crews had been taught, the second tank went to its aid. This was starting to look like a professional army. The boss classes gathered on the Mausoleum found it amusing, and no one was reprimanded. The big parade was an iconic image of the war, and a stroke of public-relations genius. And, that night, earlier than usual, the Russian winter snow really began to fall.
Absolute War, Soviet Russia in the Second World War – Chris Bellamy
Comments Off on The Red Army must double in size… and now! – WW2 – 115 – November 7, 1941
Our historical documentary series on the history of the Cold War continues with a video on the famous Cambridge Five and Donald Maclean in particular – a real Cold War-era spy story
Overly Sarcastic Productions
Published 6 Nove 2020
Wale, Wale, Wale(s), what have we here? I’ll tell you! A look at the oft-forgotten history of Britain’s secret third country Wales, where the population is about 50% bards just by sheer cultural osmosis.
SOURCES & Further Reading: A Concise History of Wales by Jenkins, A History of Wales by Davies
George Fosbery was the British officer (Major, at the time of this particular design) responsible for the quite famous Webley-Fosbery self-cocking revolver, as well as the Paradox system for shotgun slugs and many other lesser known firearms inventions. This rifle was his entry into British trials in the late 1860s for a cartridge firing rifle. Ultimately the Martini-Henry would be chosen, but nine different guns were put through testing including Fosbery’s.
One of the aspects that Fosbery’s design was particularly well suited for was the requirement that the gun be able to be loaded with a minimum amount of movement required that might interfere with men standing in close formation. Despite this, Fosbery only managed to come in 6th place in the trials, and only a small number of his guns were sold on the civilian market afterwards.
Hosted by: Indy Neidell
Written by: Francis van Berkel and James Newman
Director: Astrid Deinhard
Producers: Astrid Deinhard and Spartacus Olsson
Executive Producers: Astrid Deinhard, Indy Neidell, Spartacus Olsson, Bodo Rittenauer
Creative Producer: Maria Kyhle
Post-Production Director: Wieke Kapteijns
Research by: James Newman
Edited by: Miki Cackowski
Sound design: Marek Kamiński
Map animations: Eastory (https://www.youtube.com/c/eastory)
Sources:
Naval History & Heritage Command http://maps.bpl.org
FDR Presidential Library & Museum
Picture of MS St. Louis in Hamburg, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of Herbert and Vera Karliner
from the Noun Project: Skull by Muhamad Ulum, Handshake by priyanka, Pickaxe by Luke Anthony Firth, oil barrel by BomSymbols
Soundtracks from the Epidemic Sound:
Howard Harper-Barnes – “London”
Johannes Bornlof – “The Inspector 4”
Farell Wooten – “Blunt Object”
Philip Ayers – “Trapped in a Maze”
Johannes Bornlof – “Deviation In Time”
The Swedish nation was in turmoil, as news spoke of King Gustavus Adolphus’ death on the battlefield of Lützen in 1632. The Lion from the North was slain — but who would reign in his stead? Gustavus had fathered a young daughter, the 6-year old Christina. Torn between a grief-stricken Queen Mother and the overbearing duties to monarchy and country, Christina grew into an unhappy and troubled woman. Much was expected of her, as she was still the daughter of the legendary warrior-king. But was she able and willing to continue his legacy? Or would she rather forsake her throne in order to find her own future far away from Sweden?
Hosted by: Indy Neidell
Written by: Markus Linke and Indy Neidell
Directed by: Astrid Deinhard and Wieke Kapteijns
Produced by: Pär Sundström, Astrid Deinhard and Spartacus Olsson
Creative Producer: Maria Kyhle
Executive Producers: Pär Sundström, Joakim Brodén, Tomas Sunmo, Indy Neidell, Astrid Deinhard, and Spartacus Olsson
Community Manager: Maria Kyhle
Post-Production Director: Wieke Kapteijns
Editor: Karolina Dołęga
Sound Editor: Marek Kaminski
Archive: Reuters/Screenocean – https://www.screenocean.com
Sources:
– Nationalmuseum
– Statens Museum for Kunst
– Livrustkammaren
– Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum
– Swedish capture of Kauzenburg 1631 colorized by Dextwin
All music by: Sabaton
An OnLion Entertainment GmbH and Raging Beaver Publishing AB co-Production.
There is revolution and fear of revolution throughout the world in the winter of 1919. But cultural and technological revolutions are also bringing hope to many. A new age of Jazz and Cinema is about to reach America and Europe.
Hosted by: Indy Neidell
Written by: Indy Neidell, Francis van Berkel, and Spartacus Olsson.
Director: Astrid Deinhard
Producers: Astrid Deinhard and Spartacus Olsson
Executive Producers: Astrid Deinhard, Indy Neidell, Spartacus Olsson, Bodo Rittenauer
Creative Producer: Maria Kyhle
Post-Production Director: Wieke Kapteijns
Research by: Indy Neidell, Francis van Berkel, and Spartacus Olsson.
Archive Research: Daniel Weiss
Edited by: Daniel Weiss
Sound design: Marek Kamiński
From the Noun Project:
– Money by Gilberto
– lightbulb By Maxim Kulikov
Soundtracks from Epidemic Sound and ODJB:
– “One More for the Road” – Golden Age Radio
– “The Last Journey” – Line Neesgaard
– “Tiger_Rag” – ODJB
– “Not Safe Yet” – Gunnar Johnsen
– “Please Hear Me Out” – Philip Ayers
– “Dark Shadow” – Etienne Roussel
– “The Inspector 4” – Johannes Bornlöf
– “I Won’t Give You Up” – Almost Here
– “The Charleston” – Macy’s Voice
– “Defeated” – Wendel Scherer
A TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.
From the comments:
TimeGhost History
2 days ago (edited)
As in life, this series will always be a curious balance of light and dark. In the winter of 1919, one Parisian might have tickets to see the Original Dixieland Jass Band while their neighbour lies destitute after the war, and a well-to do man in Glasgow might be at the cinema while tanks rolls into his city to quell industrial unrest.
Troubled and fascinating times then and troubled fascinating times now here in 2020. All of us here at TimeGhost hope that all of you are healthy and staying safe. And hey, if you need some entertainment to pass the time, you can find plenty of Between 2 Wars episodes alongside WW2 In Real Time and BIO Specials!
Comments Off on America on the Brink of Revolution? | BETWEEN 2 WARS: ZEITGEIST! | E.02 – Winter 1919
This month’s Classic Trains featured fallen flag is the New York, Ontario and Western, which ran from Oswego on the south shore of Lake Ontario down into the New York City megalopolis. Sadly, the line is best remembered as the only Class 1 US railway to be completely abandoned. John R. Taibi outlines the history of the NYO&W from formation to abandonment in 1957:
Preserved NYO&W General Electric 44-ton switcher number 104 preserved at the Southeastern Railway Museum in Duluth, GA. Photo by Harvey Henkelmann via Wikimedia Commons.
The New York, Ontario & Western Railway struggled to find its place among the many transportation systems serving New York City, but in the end it was able only to secure a place in history as the first Class I railroad to be abandoned in entirety. Despite this unenviable status, “the O&W,” as it was known, did endear itself to the communities along its line. After all, it was the carrier that had brought boxcars full of prosperity to every community along the line during its 76-year life.
Begun on January 21, 1880, the O&W set a goal of improving the Oswego–New York corridor, as well as the branches to New Berlin, Delhi, and Ellenville, N.Y., it had inherited from the New York & Oswego Midland. The O&W developed a new entrance to Gotham from Middletown, N.Y., that ran to Cornwall on the Hudson River, thence to Weehawken, N.J., by rights on the New York, West Shore & Buffalo Railway (later New York Central).
[…]
As it improved its physical characteristics, the O&W also acquired modern motive power to haul its numerous coal, milk, passenger, and general freight trains. Where previously Camelback 4-4-0s, 2-6-0s, and 2-8-0s were as common as the road’s wooden coaches and country depots, a corps of end-cab locomotives helped usher in the new era. E-class Ten-Wheelers (1911), W-class Consolidations (1910-11), X-class 2-10-2 “Bull Mooses” (1915), and Y-class Mountains (1922 and ’29) provided the power for passenger trains to the Catskills, milk trains to Gotham, and coal trains to Oswego, Cornwall, and Weehawken. Still, many Camelbacks worked into the mid-1940s.
This familiar, widely circulated O&W map was created by cartographer Crawford C. Anderson. Classic Trains.
[…]
Dieselization was hoped to be a savior, and under [O&W bankruptcy trustee, Frederick E.] Lyford’s direction a handful of GE 44-ton switchers arrived in 1941. Nine two-unit EMD FTs came in 1945 and were put into fast merchandise service between Scranton and Maybrook, and Scranton and Norwich. Lyford’s successors in 1948 acquired additional F3 and NW2 diesels, enough to banish steam locomotives from service by that summer.
By that time, though, O&W’s accumulated losses amounted to $38 million. It was beyond the ability of trustees, the reorganization court, and diesel locomotives to extricate the carrier from financial ruin. Nevertheless, passenger trains from Weehawken to Walton (then only to Roscoe) kept running until mail contracts gave out in 1950; the service was suspended in September 1953. Although milk and coal trains were a memory, gray-yellow-and-orange diesel locomotives soldiered on, leading a dwindling number of ever-shorter freight trains.
By the mid-1950s, the reorganization court — which had been searching for a buyer for the road now truly earning another of its nicknames, the “Old & Weary” — was advocating total abandonment. Additionally, the U.S. government was suing for taxes and retirement payments that were in arrears, and New York state began planning on how best to use the O&W right of way for highway improvements.
Comments Off on Fallen Flag — the New York, Ontario and Western Railway
If Maria Von Trapp had driven a Range Rover, she’d have climbed every mountain, forded every stream and driven to every Austrian folk festival with the entire Von Trapp family singers in the back. Her and the Captain would have been able to roll up to the fanciest Salzburg dinner party in their finest glad rags after a day yodeling sweet nothings to each other on top of a mountain.
The Range Rover is the ultimate go-anywhere luxury SUV. It was born out of Rover’s desire to sell more cars in the USA, and its design was a complete accident. So how did a company known for saloon cars and agricultural off-roaders invent a car that created a brand-new market segment?
Much credit for this video has to go to aronline.co.uk for their excellent articles.
Hitler and German High Command had expected the invasion of the Soviet Union to be an easy victory and for the Red Army to quickly collapse. Yet here we are, with millions of Soviet soldiers captured, wounded or killed and the Red Army still holding fast.
Hosted by: Indy Neidell
Written by: Francis van Berkel, Ian Irungu, Shaun Harrison, Dennis Stepanov
Director: Astrid Deinhard
Producers: Astrid Deinhard and Spartacus Olsson
Executive Producers: Astrid Deinhard, Indy Neidell, Spartacus Olsson, Bodo Rittenauer
Creative Producer: Maria Kyhle
Post-Production Director: Wieke Kapteijns
Research by: Francis van Berkel, Ian Irungu, Shaun Harrison, Dennis Stepanov
Edited by: Karolina Dołęga
Sound design: Marek Kamiński
We step back in time to join the Romans as they head to the polls! In this episode on ancient elections we look at the offices, the voters, and the process of the mid-Republic.
Bibliography:
— Yakobson, Alexander. “Secret Ballot and Its Effects in the Late Roman Republic.” Hermes, Vol. 123, No. 4 (1995) pp. 426-442.
— “Traditional Political Culture and the People’s Role in the Roman Republic.” Historia: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte, Bd. 59, H. 3 (2010) pp. 282-302.
— Elections and Electioneering in Rome: A Study in the Political System of the Late Republic. Franz Steiner Verlag Stuttgart, 1999.
— Lintott, Andrew. The Constitution of the Roman Republic. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002.
— Phillips, Daryll. “Voter Turnout in Consular Elections”, Ancient History Bulletin 18 (2004), 48–60.
— Morstein-Marx, Robert. Mass Oratory and Political Power in the Late Roman Republic. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2004.
— Taylor, Lily Ross. Jerszy Linderski, ed. The Voting Districts of the Roman Republic. University of Michigan Press, 2013.
— Roman voting assemblies from the Hannibalic War to the dictatorship of Caesar. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1990.
— “The Centuriate Assembly Before and After the Reform.” The American Journal of Philology, Vol. 78, No. 4 (1957), pp. 337-354.
Hall, Ursula. “Voting Procedure in Roman Assemblies.” Historia: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte, Bd. 13, H3 (1964), pp. 267-306.
— “‘Species Libertatis‘ Voting Procedure in the Late Roman Republic.” Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies, Supplement No. 71 (1998), pp. 15-30.
