Jake Holman Jr.'s Article – September 2010 Archive (5)

On Wings & Tracks II: HS-294

It's said that in war, the victor writes the history. However, when World War II closed and the Allies won a decisive victory, it was German technology that earned hallowed place in the minds of many. From the Vengeance weapons to small arms, the Germans undoubtedly honed the cutting edge in many ways. And in part, due to pre-war advances and research, the Germans created a series of guided weapons that capture technophiles imagination.

From the X-4 and Fritz-X to the X-7,… Continue

Added by Jake Holman Jr. on September 29, 2010 at 2:00pm — No Comments

On Wings & Tracks: Stand Off Weapons of World War II

Mark Twain saw power in weapons guided from afar. He also saw money to be made in the devices conjured up by his friend, brilliant Serbian-American inventor Nikola Tesla.

You see, in the late 19th century Tesla created the first remotely operated vehicle in his teleautomaton, a small radio controlled boat. Tesla believed armies of the free world would line up to buy. They didn't.

However, the seed of practicality was planted and it would be 30 plus years before the… Continue

Added by Jake Holman Jr. on September 22, 2010 at 2:00pm — 2 Comments

Airborne Tank

During World War I, allies were equipped with a sturdy and successful light artillery piece, the 75mm M1897 as it was known in the U.S. That field piece would serve as the basis for tube artillery that would be

fitted on variousWorld War II machines, from the Sherman tank to the M3

Half-track.

Yet when designers started looking for a way to go after shipping, from the air,…

Continue

Added by Jake Holman Jr. on September 15, 2010 at 2:00pm — 1 Comment

Smith & Wessons Unknown Wartime Carbine

It was 1939 and the British were preparing for a fight. The German war-machine awoke like a barbed wire snake, ready to strangle the island nation and dominate all of Europe. War Office officials needed a simple, mass produced weapon that would fit in the hands of every able bodied man in Great Britain.

So in early in 1939 the British goverment contacted American firearms manufacturer Smith & Wesson to design a pistol-caliber carbine… Continue

Added by Jake Holman Jr. on September 8, 2010 at 2:00pm — 1 Comment

Repurposed for Battle: Charlton Rifle

Improvised weapons can run the gamut from ingeniously effective to one trigger pull away from destruction. Nations in the midst of war will also sometimes reissue obsolete firearms in hopes they will stave off impending doom. Others will find a way of modifying older weapons to meet modern requirements. As the United States fielded the semi-automatic Garand during World War II, New Zeleander Philip Charlton imagined a way how the tiny island nation… Continue

Added by Jake Holman Jr. on September 1, 2010 at 2:00pm — 3 Comments