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Day 4 of the Obama Adminstration. A tax cheat will run the Treasury department. There was a brief stir yesterday, as I thought perhaps I had achieved wisdom ala Argent's thoughts from yesterday's H&I:
So, still no unicorn. And I'm sure that the Argent Ploy is not in play, because even invisible unicorns have to eat, and that would show up around the round bale... -the Armorer
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Fun news this afternoon. Watch this space. -the Armorer
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Okay. Here's the fun news.
The anti-tank gun of Argghhh! (Lend-Lease version - i.e., it ain't really ours)
I say Lend-Lease because the gun is only spending a short time here before being trucked on down to Texas for further trans-shipment to Australia, its ultimate destination, for a buddy of mine who recently bought it. He's a *serious* collector of militaria.
This is a French Canon Leger de 25 antichar SA-L mle 1937 Mle 1937 25mm, made by the Puteaux arsenal in France. State-of-the-art when it's predecessor, the Mle 1934, was designed, by 1940 this gun was essentially worthless against any medium tank. This particular gun is interesting, however because it carries a "Tampella 1942" data plate - meaning it's actually a "Panssarintorjunta Kanon," or PstK M/37, refurbished by the Tampella factory in 1942 - i.e., a Finnish-owned and operated anti-tank gun. She's one of either the 40 delivered from France via Norway during the Winter War or the 67 later offered by the Germans for the Continuation War out of captured French stocks in December 1940.
Almost all of these guns saw service of some sort, but their performance against modern tanks was so poor they were withdrawn from service starting in late 1942 and were completely out of service sometime in 1943. This one is missing it's flash suppressor (and with no pistol grip, provision for a bayonet, nor a high-cap magazine may therefore fly under the Brady horizon...) and is a deactivated gun, with welded chamber. She's also spent a lot of time unloved in the weather. While she's been cleaned up and painted, her trails are frozen, her elevation gear is free-turning (not a good thing) and her training wheel (in this context, means the left-right movement) is frozen as well. Half of one spade has rotted away, and she's suffered some structural damage to her trails. But she's a tough old gun, and still maintains her looks, even if all the bits don't work like they should.
Heh. I can empathize. I can also tell you one man (or Armorer) can schlep it around. But the fat guy will be breathing hard by the time he's done.
Unique little gun, if only because of its history. And I got to check a block - getting some artillery between the flagpoles at Castle Argghhh!, even if only temporarily. The Oz flag is flying because that's this oldster's final destination. -the Armorer
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Day 4 of the Obama Adminstration. A tax cheat will run the Treasury department. There was a brief stir yesterday, as I thought perhaps I had achieved wisdom ala Argent's thoughts from yesterday's H&I:
And, indeed - there *was* a new equine in the pasture! I went rushing out to see if it was farting gold yet... only to find that Major had dropped off a new tobiano paint named Lacey to pasture with us for a while. Well, she doesn't fart gold, but she *is* a purty thang.With the finest from the best spin-doctors and the purest gold of your esteemed Financial Institutions was promised the fabled gold farting unicorn. The unicorn was not only to be exquisite, it was the hold the special power of being invisible to everyone who was too stupid.
So the Emperor ordered the unicorn and when delivered didst declare it most wonderful, the hope of all the Empire. The Emperor's many toadies and hangers on didst agree and proclaim joy that such rare beauty had been found. So set out the Emperor on a great parade, displaying to all this hope of the Empire.
“We shall see changes, you need only believe. All shall receive their unicorn and all shall have such glory, as I”, he said.
So, you see, the fabled gold farting unicorn has already been delivered...
So, still no unicorn. And I'm sure that the Argent Ploy is not in play, because even invisible unicorns have to eat, and that would show up around the round bale... -the Armorer
*************************************
Fun news this afternoon. Watch this space. -the Armorer
*************************************
Okay. Here's the fun news.
The anti-tank gun of Argghhh! (Lend-Lease version - i.e., it ain't really ours)
I say Lend-Lease because the gun is only spending a short time here before being trucked on down to Texas for further trans-shipment to Australia, its ultimate destination, for a buddy of mine who recently bought it. He's a *serious* collector of militaria.
This is a French Canon Leger de 25 antichar SA-L mle 1937 Mle 1937 25mm, made by the Puteaux arsenal in France. State-of-the-art when it's predecessor, the Mle 1934, was designed, by 1940 this gun was essentially worthless against any medium tank. This particular gun is interesting, however because it carries a "Tampella 1942" data plate - meaning it's actually a "Panssarintorjunta Kanon," or PstK M/37, refurbished by the Tampella factory in 1942 - i.e., a Finnish-owned and operated anti-tank gun. She's one of either the 40 delivered from France via Norway during the Winter War or the 67 later offered by the Germans for the Continuation War out of captured French stocks in December 1940.
Almost all of these guns saw service of some sort, but their performance against modern tanks was so poor they were withdrawn from service starting in late 1942 and were completely out of service sometime in 1943. This one is missing it's flash suppressor (and with no pistol grip, provision for a bayonet, nor a high-cap magazine may therefore fly under the Brady horizon...) and is a deactivated gun, with welded chamber. She's also spent a lot of time unloved in the weather. While she's been cleaned up and painted, her trails are frozen, her elevation gear is free-turning (not a good thing) and her training wheel (in this context, means the left-right movement) is frozen as well. Half of one spade has rotted away, and she's suffered some structural damage to her trails. But she's a tough old gun, and still maintains her looks, even if all the bits don't work like they should.
Heh. I can empathize. I can also tell you one man (or Armorer) can schlep it around. But the fat guy will be breathing hard by the time he's done.
Unique little gun, if only because of its history. And I got to check a block - getting some artillery between the flagpoles at Castle Argghhh!, even if only temporarily. The Oz flag is flying because that's this oldster's final destination. -the Armorer
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*A term of art from the artillery. Harassment and Interdiction Fires. Back in the day, when you could just kill people and break things without a note from a lawyer, they were pre-planned, but to the enemy, random, fires at known gathering points, road junctions, Main Supply Routes, assembly areas, etc - to keep the bad guy nervous that the world around him might start exploding at any minute. Not really relevant to today's operating environment, right? But, it *is. The UAVs we fly over Afghanistan and Pakistan looking for targets of opportunity are a form of H&I fires, if you really want to parse it finely. We just have better sensors and fire control now. Of course, now I have to call them UAS's, because someone got a Legion of Merit for the name change.Anyway, I call the post H&I Fires because it's random things posted by me and people I've given posting privileges to that particular topic. Another term of art that might be appropriate is Free Fire Zone.
Re: the Winter War - Have you read "A Frozen Hell" by William R. Trotter? Excellent book on how the Fins took the Soviets to school on winter fighting.
Well, if we were to get a gun for that place, I'd have to do a proper cement pad with drainage and supports, so her tires wouldn't dry rot.
SWWBO went out and looked at it, came back and said - "We look like an American Legion Post!"
Nup. No aviation units in Milltown.
Nice buncha vets, though...
Thanks for that, and I hope to see the rest of your friend's collection someday.
I have also found the Royal Artillery Museum to have a look at in London.