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        <title>Comments for H&amp;I Fires* 24 January 2009</title>
        <description>We&apos;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 2003-2010</description>
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            <title>H&amp;I Fires* 24 January 2009</title>
            <description><![CDATA[Open post for those with something to share, updated through the day. New, complete posts come in below this one. Note: If trackbacking, please acknowledge this post in your post. That's only polite. ********************************

Day 4 of the Obama Adminstration.&nbsp; A tax cheat will run the Treasury department.&nbsp; There was a brief stir yesterday, as I thought perhaps I&nbsp;had achieved wisdom ala Argent's thoughts from yesterday's H&amp;I:

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.

&ldquo;We shall see changes, you need only believe. All shall receive their unicorn and all shall have such glory, as I&rdquo;, he said.

So, you see, the fabled gold farting unicorn has already been delivered...
And, indeed - there *was* a new equine in the pasture!&nbsp; I&nbsp;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.&nbsp; Well, she doesn't fart gold, but she *is* a purty thang.

So, still no unicorn.&nbsp; 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...&nbsp; -the Armorer

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Fun news this afternoon.&nbsp; Watch this space.&nbsp; -the Armorer

*************************************

Okay.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; He's a *serious* collector of militaria.

This is a French&nbsp;Canon Leger de 25 antichar SA-L mle 1937&nbsp;Mle 1937 25mm, made by the Puteaux arsenal in France.&nbsp; State-of-the-art when it's predecessor, the Mle 1934, was designed, by 1940 this gun was essentially worthless against any medium tank.&nbsp; This particular gun is interesting, however because it carries a &quot;Tampella 1942&quot; data plate - meaning it's actually a &quot;Panssarintorjunta Kanon,&quot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;or PstK M/37, refurbished by the Tampella factory&nbsp;in 1942 - i.e., a Finnish-owned and operated anti-tank gun.&nbsp;She's one of either the 40 delivered from France via Norway&nbsp;during the Winter War or the&nbsp;67 later offered by the Germans for the Continuation War&nbsp;out of captured French stocks in December 1940.&nbsp; 

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.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; She's also spent a lot of time unloved in the weather.&nbsp; 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.&nbsp; Half of one spade has rotted away, and she's suffered some structural damage to her trails.&nbsp; But she's a tough old gun, and still maintains her looks, even if all the bits don't work like they should.&nbsp; 

Heh. I can empathize.&nbsp; I can also tell you one man (or Armorer) can schlep it around.&nbsp; But the fat guy will be breathing hard by the time he's done.

Unique little gun, if only because of its history.&nbsp; And I got to check a block - getting some artillery between the flagpoles at Castle Argghhh!, even if only temporarily.&nbsp; The Oz flag is flying because that's this oldster's final destination. -the Armorer

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            <link>http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/01/hi_fires_24_jan_2.html</link>
            <guid>http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/01/hi_fires_24_jan_2.html</guid>
            <pubDate>Sat, 24 Jan 2009 23:41:39 -0600</pubDate>
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            <title>Comment from SezaGeoff on 2009-01-26</title>
            <description>
                <![CDATA[Most appropriate that you are flying the Australian flag on Australia Day, John.<br />
Thanks for that, and I hope to see the rest of your friend's collection someday.&nbsp; <br />
I have also found the Royal Artillery Museum to have a look at in London.]]>
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            <link>http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/01/hi_fires_24_jan_2.html#comment-83443</link>
            <guid>http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/01/hi_fires_24_jan_2.html#comment-83443</guid>
            <pubDate>Mon, 26 Jan 2009 06:56:18 -0600</pubDate>
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            <title>Comment from BillT on 2009-01-25</title>
            <description>
                <![CDATA[Jersey is heavy on the ol' 75mm pack howitzer -- except for Milltown, <a href="http://www.fototime.com/EE5F9D2AD416444/orig.jpg" rel="nofollow"><strong>which has a rotorsicle</strong></a> appropriately (and accurately) painted.<br />
<br />
Nup. No aviation units in Milltown.<br />
<br />
Nice buncha vets, though...<br />]]>
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            <link>http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/01/hi_fires_24_jan_2.html#comment-83416</link>
            <guid>http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/01/hi_fires_24_jan_2.html#comment-83416</guid>
            <pubDate>Sun, 25 Jan 2009 09:57:53 -0600</pubDate>
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            <title>Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-01-25</title>
            <description>
                <![CDATA[Around here and in Oklahoma, they tend to have tanks or artillery.&nbsp; I suspect the regional variations are due to what kinds of units were in your area.&nbsp; In this part of the country it's heavy divisions&nbsp;and corps artillery.&nbsp; Anti-aircraft guns make sense in the coastal areas and around big cities, too.]]>
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            <link>http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/01/hi_fires_24_jan_2.html#comment-83414</link>
            <guid>http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/01/hi_fires_24_jan_2.html#comment-83414</guid>
            <pubDate>Sun, 25 Jan 2009 07:49:48 -0600</pubDate>
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            <title>Comment from Rod Thorsen on 2009-01-24</title>
            <description>
                <![CDATA[Hee Hee, even Carson City NV has a SkySweeper as a monument in a city park.<br />]]>
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            <link>http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/01/hi_fires_24_jan_2.html#comment-83409</link>
            <guid>http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/01/hi_fires_24_jan_2.html#comment-83409</guid>
            <pubDate>Sat, 24 Jan 2009 23:45:37 -0600</pubDate>
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            <title>Comment from Justthisguy on 2009-01-24</title>
            <description>
                Kewl.  I beg to differ with SWWBO, but you need a 75mm Skysweeper to look like an American Legion post.  It seems like they all have one. I wonder if you can still get tubes for the computers in the things...
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            <link>http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/01/hi_fires_24_jan_2.html#comment-83405</link>
            <guid>http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/01/hi_fires_24_jan_2.html#comment-83405</guid>
            <pubDate>Sat, 24 Jan 2009 21:29:41 -0600</pubDate>
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            <title>Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-01-24</title>
            <description>
                <![CDATA[No, though I have read &quot;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/review/product/0870131672/ref=pd_sim_b_cm_cr_acr_img_njs_5?%5Fencoding=UTF8&amp;showViewpoints=1" rel="nofollow">The White Death</a>&quot;&nbsp;by Allen Chew.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
SWWBO went out and looked at it, came back and said - &quot;We look like an American Legion Post!&quot;]]>
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            <link>http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/01/hi_fires_24_jan_2.html#comment-83398</link>
            <guid>http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/01/hi_fires_24_jan_2.html#comment-83398</guid>
            <pubDate>Sat, 24 Jan 2009 17:08:34 -0600</pubDate>
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            <title>Comment from Pogue on 2009-01-24</title>
            <description>
                <![CDATA[Sweet!&nbsp; You need to get one to keep, it looks good there.<br />
<br />
Re: the Winter War - Have you read &quot;A Frozen Hell&quot; by William R. Trotter?&nbsp; Excellent book on how the Fins took the Soviets to school on winter fighting.&nbsp; <br />]]>
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            <link>http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/01/hi_fires_24_jan_2.html#comment-83396</link>
            <guid>http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/01/hi_fires_24_jan_2.html#comment-83396</guid>
            <pubDate>Sat, 24 Jan 2009 16:38:50 -0600</pubDate>
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