We're the Military and Airpower Guys of Jonah Goldberg of National Review Online + a stray we found wandering around looking lost. All original material JHD, BHD, JR, WT, and KA 2003-2007 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2004/08/a_change_of_pace.html Sun, 03 Aug 2008 17:36:53 Z Movable Type 4.12 en Copyright 2008 http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification Too much politics, not enough ordnance. Here's a picture of the British No 9 Director (aiming circle in US milspeak) used with the Vickers machine gun. The Brits routinely massed the fires of Vickers machineguns, taking advantage of their reliability, and used them as artillery against unseen targets, to suppress and disrupt. As long as you can meet the ammo requirements and have a reliable gun that can just keep on firing (that's where the water-cooling comes in useful) you can be really annoying. Air-cooled guns have to back off on the rate of fire, or go through a lot... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2004/08/a_change_of_pace.html http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2004/08/a_change_of_pace.html Thu, 26 Aug 2004 08:35:11 -0600 I'm in Kansas... and have a kid-and-a-half in college (long story on the half-a-kid), so I won't be adding any vehicles soon. As for Rods stuff - both the 25pdr and the carrier. Rod has 4 25pdrs, two of which are traceable to Moresheads fellows in the desert. If you own a Dingo, Ferrert, and Humber, my penis shrivels in your presence. Put me in your will! http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2004/08/a_change_of_pace.html#comment-6236 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2004/08/a_change_of_pace.html#comment-6236 Fri, 27 Aug 2004 05:25:03 -0600 The OQF 25 Pounder or the Carrier? IF you get the 25 Pounder you need the Limber and FAT to go with it. There's a Quad Polsteen for sale over on Milweb.net. There's also a demilled 25 pounder and a demilled 17 pounder. Theres a CMP Cab13 15cwt for sale as well on milweb for $850 up in Montreal. Supposedly running so it sounds like a good deal as a basis for a restoration. Find yourself a FAT body and you're set, all you'll need is a limber and the kit for the gun. Plus 5 friends to help bring the gun into action. I'm partial to British armor myself. '42 Dingo '43 Humber '60 Ferret What part of the country are you in? Jack, in one battle in WWI(Somme I think), a MMG company of 10 Vickers MMGs fired just short of 1,000,000 rounds of .303 Brit (MkVIz?) in a sustained mission over 10 hours. One gun fired just over 10,000 rounds. Do the math, the 450-550 rpm average and the number of rounds fired speaks volumes to the crews that kept those guns serviced, de-coked, watered and fed .303 in cloth belts. The attack they were supporting worked too because the Huns couldn't assemble to counter attack the ground captured in time. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2004/08/a_change_of_pace.html#comment-6232 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2004/08/a_change_of_pace.html#comment-6232 Thu, 26 Aug 2004 23:19:13 -0600 Thanks for the post, John. I can't recall any of my history books mentioning how the British would mass machine guns and use them as artillery as you describe. Now I've learned two things today. The other thing was how to use comparatives in French. That may be more immediately useful to me in the short term, but it's not nearly as interesting as what you taught me. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2004/08/a_change_of_pace.html#comment-6229 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2004/08/a_change_of_pace.html#comment-6229 Thu, 26 Aug 2004 13:10:56 -0600 what I aspire to, someday.]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2004/08/a_change_of_pace.html#comment-6226 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2004/08/a_change_of_pace.html#comment-6226 Thu, 26 Aug 2004 12:22:44 -0600 Ahh, you need a Carrier or 15cwt truck to carry your vickers kit around there mate! http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2004/08/a_change_of_pace.html#comment-6223 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2004/08/a_change_of_pace.html#comment-6223 Thu, 26 Aug 2004 12:11:08 -0600 People did it in combat, too. Urine, too. Which works well, if you are near water. And not dehydrated. Just not quite as effective. Not to mention smelly. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2004/08/a_change_of_pace.html#comment-6220 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2004/08/a_change_of_pace.html#comment-6220 Thu, 26 Aug 2004 10:05:50 -0600 I've heard of people just pouring water on the barrel of a Ma Deuce, but this was at Knob Creek type fun shoots and not in combat. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2004/08/a_change_of_pace.html#comment-6217 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2004/08/a_change_of_pace.html#comment-6217 Thu, 26 Aug 2004 09:31:33 -0600