Picture of the day

Forgot to update it with the caption.
'Big Sword' special forces unit of General Feng Yuxiang (b.1882-1948), known as the Christian General. He is armed well with a Mauser 'Broomhandle' automatic pistol and a traditional Chinese sword.
 
diopter said:
Forgot to update it with the caption.
'Big Sword' special forces unit of General Feng Yuxiang (b.1882-1948), known as the Christian General. He is armed well with a Mauser 'Broomhandle' automatic pistol and a traditional Chinese sword.
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Detachable mag? Schnellfeur? Might explain being festooned with many, many magazine pouches.
 
diopter said:
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'Big Sword' special forces unit of General Feng Yuxiang (b.1882-1948), known as the Christian General. He is armed well with a Mauser 'Broomhandle' automatic pistol and a traditional Chinese sword.
Click to expand...

Shoots left because sword is used right? Or a flopped negative?
 
Needs strong hand for sword, Can get away with weaker hand for pistol at close range. They were serious about their training in those days
 
Dark Alley Dan said:
Instead of deep sixing those Intruders, it's a shame they couldn't have sold them to Discovery Air Services. Then we'd have Canadian-registered A-6s to match the A4s they operate... :)

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Man, I love the A4. Brilliant wee device. Great proportions, great lines.

They sure came a long way during their military service. Here's the XA-4D1:

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The A-4 was called "the Tinker Toy bomber" and it did earn its keep. I watched the IAF running airstrikes against the PLO in S. Lebanon with A-4s once upon a time and it seemed pretty effective.

On the receiving end, I was attending a USMC exercise in Twentynine Palms 40 plus yrs ago where I got hosed down several times by A-4s running a mock CW attack using CS gas. No respirator, so I got pretty tired running up to the top of the hills to let the $hit collect on lower ground. CS turned out to be quite persistent in the sand where you would kick it up with your boots. Guys were saying,"here comes another CS attack lookit that Canadian Marine run".;)
 
Copy/Paste: http://www.caribbeanaircrew-ww2.com/index.php?s=T&paged=41

Flight Sergeant James Hyde of San Juan, Trinidad, a Spitfire pilot who arrived in Britain in 1942 to begin his training, here pictured in 1944 with his Squadron’s mascot, a dog called ‘Dingo’. He is wearing a life jacket, known universally as a Mae West, and is holding an oxygen mask and his flying gloves. Most air battles took place at altitudes in excess of 15,000 feet (c. 5000 metres) and oxygen and thermal protection were vital. [Source: www.movinghere.org.uk – Imperial War Museum (IWM) Reference CH11978]

6Gun
 
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Operation Cottage.

While reading a short history on the Aleutian Campaign, I read a disturbing claim in the book. It is stated in the book Ghosts in the Fog that within the first day of the operation, seven US soldiers and four Canadian soldiers were killed in friendly fire incidents. After having read the book I learned it was intended for a youth audience. Maybe they got that particular detail wrong however the operation is notorious for the significant casualties in the absence of the enemy.









https://www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/exhibitions/newspapers/operations/aleutian_e.shtml

The lord god it is true.
 
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purple said:
The A-4 was called "the Tinker Toy bomber" and it did earn its keep. I watched the IAF running airstrikes against the PLO in S. Lebanon with A-4s once upon a time and it seemed pretty effective.

On the receiving end, I was attending a USMC exercise in Twentynine Palms 40 plus yrs ago where I got hosed down several times by A-4s running a mock CW attack using CS gas. No respirator, so I got pretty tired running up to the top of the hills to let the $hit collect on lower ground. CS turned out to be quite persistent in the sand where you would kick it up with your boots. Guys were saying,"here comes another CS attack lookit that Canadian Marine run".;)
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Thats interesting I used to send some infantrymen down to Lejeune (to participate in amphibious training) and 29 Palms in the '80's ... usually as guests of 25th Marines. I never got there but everyone reported having a terrific time!
 
When I was a young man I hunted with a veteran who was on Kiska. He also mentioned being issued an M1 carbine. I wasn't curious enough (smart enough?) to put it all together. Only after he passed away did I see a picture of him taken at Helena Montana. 1st Special Service Force! I'm pretty sure he would have joined as a Hasty P (Hastings and Prince Edward Regt) soldier. I don't believe he served in Europe. I've known at least half a dozen WWII combat veterans including 2 Desert Rats, 1 Forceman and several Hasty P's. All were small quiet men. I often think about these war "heroes"- Not like the heroes we see in movies. We will remember them.
 
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Simeon Peter Pletnikoff. Member of Castner's Cutthroats. He had a personal stake in the War as Japan took his family hostage..

The 1st Special Service Force was part of the Canadian task force. Five thousand three hundred Canadians were there as part of the Allied invasion force. Those Cdns.not in the 1st SSF on that mission were conscripts who were earmarked for North American duty only.
 
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