Military Classics Illustrated Vol.5

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UNBEATABLE
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The articles are first class, and speaking as a re-enactor, your layouts on
uniforms are unbeatable. Keep up the
good work! Two questions: when are
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are you going to become a monthly
publication?
-Rich]ones
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of Military Classics Illustrated and was
again not disappointed. Keep up the
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Is there a chance we can see anything about the U.S. Army Air Forces
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-Ed
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MILITARY CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED 5
MoviesMilitaire
By Dan Gagliasso
Those Great
Military Movie Guns
n March 14, 2002 the National
Firearms Museum in Fairfax,
Virginia near Washington,
D.C. opened an amazing yearlong exhibit Real Guns of Reel
Heroes featuring famous firearms from
famous motion pictures. While guns
featured in films about the Old West,
modern police and gangster stories are
well represented in this unique one-of-a
kind exhibit, military firearms from a
number of well-known martial films will
also be on display to the public. Besides
unique movie firearms, there are also
related film props, costumes, posters
and stills that will also be featured, giving visitors an overall tour of filmland
firearms history from the earliest days of
the cinema.
Amongst military firearms featured is
the reproduction Enfield musket that
Morgan Freeman issues to Denzel
Washington in the Civil

War epic Glory. Mel
Gibson's beautiful modern-made Kentucky
long rifle from the
Revolutionary War film
The Patriot will also be
on display, along with Gibson's tomahawk, shot bag and powder horn.
Other military film weapons featured
include Jude Law's Mosin-Nagant sniper
rifle from last year's Enemy at the Gates;
rubber prop guns from Saving Private
Ryan; Tom Berenger's .45 Colt and
Winchester 95' from the TNT miniseries
Rough Riders; several rifles used in John
Waynes The Alamo; as well as a .45 and
a prop Japanese machine gun from last
years Pearl Harbor. There is also a wooden duplicate of Gary Cooper's unique
swivel breech Jaeger flintlock rifle used
in the 1947 Cecil B. De Mille epic
Unconquered.
Many times the guns utilized in these
films weren't exactly the last word in
authentiCity for the time period the filmmakers were trying to depict. For quickness and safety of loading blanks instead
of loose powder it was a common
Hollywood practice to weld false hammers with flints and false frizzens and
pans onto Springfield trapdoor rifles to
simulate early military flintlocks.
In Civil War films single action .45
cartridge Colt revolvers were often
embellished with a false loading lever
under the barrel to approximate percussion revolvers of the 1860s. In some of
the early films depicting the British in
India you'll see trapdoor carbines with
an added forearm to the stock making it
look like a percussion British musketoon or carbine of the time. Accurate or
not, ask any collector of movie prop
militaria and he would still sell his first
born to own Stanley Baker's World War
I-vintage Mark VI Webley revolver from
Zulu or Gary Cooper's 1873 .45 single
action Colt from the Seminole War film
Distant Drums-which actually takes
place in 1840.
There are a number of great firearms
from military films that have aroused the
public's interest over the years. In 1932
Army Air Corp biplanes shot the giant,
rampaging prehistoric ape King Kong in
the now-classic film of the same name,
off of the Empire State Building with a
World War I Lewis gun obtained from
the famous Stembridge gun r mal company then based at Paramount tudios.
In the early 1960s an th r L wis Gun
saw much cinematic a ti n in th period
China film The Sand P,bble . Richard
Crenna, cast as the noon n n captain
of the gunboat San Pabl , uses that
Lewis Gun to great erf t during one of
the great action scen in th film. In the
same film star Steve M u n wields a
mean BAR that becam
r cognized
with his gritty ponr y< I r a 1920-era
China sailor that M u n and the BAR
were featured pr min ntly on the
movie's advertising p t r.
Certain military film fir'mms, though
generic issue weapon , r'
identified
with a particular hara t r r real-life
hero that the two are for r Illtenwined
in the public's imaginati n. Wh n Gary
Cooper played World ar [ hero
Sergeant Alvin York, th r al [9] 7 .3006 U.S. Enfield York us d wa r placed
Things are not always what they seem in films, as witnessed

by this 7mm Remington Rolling Block rifle that has been converted
to a "flintlock" for John Wayne's 1960 film, "The Alamo."
6
MILITARY CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED
Despite the fact that original Pattern 1853 Enfields weren't serial numbered, Morgan
Freeman issues this Italian P-53 copy to Denzel Washington by serial number, in
"Glory." This error is understandable as the presentation was a dramatic, important
scene in the movie.
in the film with a 1903 Springfield. But

that movie rifle, now in the hands of a
private collector, is still a highly valued
piece of Hollywood history. Tom Hanks'
Thompson .45 submachine gun from
SaVing Private Ryan certainly falls into
this category as well. Hanks' Thompson
came out of Bapte's prop house in Great
Britain who rents firearms to virtually all
film productions requiring weapons in
the United Kingdom.
Writer Director John Milius made sure
that in his 1975 classic The Wind and the
Lion the proper weapons where used.
When actor Steve Kanaly's Captain
Jerome leads a Marine rifle company
charge on the local double-dealing
Bashaw's palace, he is wielding a proper
but vintage 1901 .38 Colt revolver. Later
in that film, several marines carry model
1897 Winchester pump shotguns as
they blast away at duplicitous German
and French troops to rescue their recent
nemesis, Sean Connery's Rasuli.
Connery uses a German Mauser to great
effect himself in several major scenes in
the film.
Director George Steven's 1939 Gunga
Din featured some of the most authentic
British military weaponry ever featured
in a film. Where the production found
not one, but two perfect 1880s model
John Milius' splendid "Rough Riders" was pretty authentic when it came to the hardware, as exemplified by this Model 1895 Winchester, that was similar to one really
owned by Theodore Roosevelt.The uniform was worn by Tom Berenger as TR. The SAA
is a copy of Theodore Roosevelt's though he carried a Colt .38 up San Juan Hill.
British style Gatling guns with all of the

barrels not exposed but encased in the
proper brass jacket along with the round
Acdes ammunition drums is anyone's
guess-though the old Bannerman's
Military Goods on the Hudson River in
New York is a likely candidate. It's an
incredible scene in Gunga Din when both
of those Gatling guns, being transported
disassembled atop elephants, are then
properly dismounted, assembled and
eventually fired simultaneously. This is
even more interesting when one considers that the film was shot entirely in the
wilds of Lone Pine, California a mere 150
miles fro~ downtown Los Angeles and
some 7,000 miles from the real Indiaall of which meant that American extras
with no knowledge of period British military matters had to be trained to properly dismount, assemble and fire those
guns in an authentic fashion.
Neither one of those Gatling guns
seem to have ever been used in another

film. The exposed barrel models utilizing
long slender ammo magazines, often
mounted on tripods became the standard for use in the film industry in so
many western films like Rooster Cogburn
and The Outlaw Josie Wales. Another great
movie Gatling gun would have to be the
exposed barrel model 1880s American
gun complete on its wheeled field carriage with affixed ammunition and supply boxes used in Cecil B. De Mille's
Northwest Mounted Police made in 1940.
Of course perhaps the most unique
true-life small arm ever used in a military
film just might be Richard Widmark's
Jim Bowie 1790s Nock volley gun from
The Alamo that was discussed in our last
issue, The same type volley gun recently
resurfaced in the hands of a Napoleonic
British rifleman in the BBClPBS television series Sharps's Rifles. Of course, the
chance that a Nock seven-shooter would
Heritage Series
be used by either is rather remote, as the
Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars
originally intended it for use!
When Simon Ward played Winston
Churchill in Young Winston he used a
1896 Broomhandle Mauser automatic
pistol, just as the real Churchill had as he
rode down the Fuzzy Wuzzy's with the
21st Lancers at Omdurman. Though
American films are getting more authentic, the British are most often infinitely
better at military film accuracy then we
Yanks are. It's only on rare occasion that
in an English film version of historical
military events expediency dictates less
than authentic firearms, such as 1979's
Zulu Dawn where just about every British
infantryman is armed with a Martini carbine, instead of a rifle. This manages to
give a rather odd look to the battle scenes
where even a casual observer might know
that infantrymen would be carrying long
guns of the time period and not a shortened cavalry style carbine. (Okay, if you
look very, very closely during the climatic
battle scene of the 1964 classic Zulu you
will see a few extras working the actions
of more modern bolt-action Long-Lee
The recent film, "Enemy at the Gates" was a well-made
Enfields, but they are the extras that are
story about a possibly apocryphal duel between a Russian
furthest away from the camera. Everyone
and German sniper during the Battle of Stalingrad in the
else uses a proper Martini-Henry rifle.)
Second World War. The Russian, played by actor Jude Law,
carried a correct Model 91/30 Mosin-Nagant sniper rifle.
As one of the co-creators of the Real
Guns of Reel Heroes exhibit, alon~ with
Military Classics Illustrated editor Garry
] ames and the National Firearms 1 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Museum's Phil Schreier, I can tell you it
has been a fascinating journey All those M1 Garands you
researching, identifying and gathering saw going over the sides
up these firearms with Garry and Phil. of the LSTs in "Saving
To gaze upon these weapons is not only Private Ryan" were actually well-made rubber
to relive fascinating clips of film history,
copies, cast from origibut to also think back thoughtfully to nals. Rubber prop guns
the real military history that inspired have been used in films
such great cinematic story telling in the from the earliest days,
first place. If you're in the Washington replacing wooden dupliD.C. Metro area this year check out this cates that were more diffigreat exhibit. Until the next time, as cult to make and a bit
always with no apologies to Captain more frangible.
Brittles, "Lest we forget."
G
For information on the Real
Guns of Reel Heroes exhibit
contact the National Firearms
Museum, 11250 Waples Mills
Road, Fairfax, Virginia 22030;
(703) 267-1595;
www.nrahq.org
8
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Nelson's Napoleonic
Crocodile Swords
n August 3,1798, on the
British ship of the Line,
Vanguard, moored off Aboukir
Bay (the modern Abu Qir) in
Egypt, Admiral Horatio
Nelson wrote to King George III,
"Almighty god has blessed his Majesty's
Arms in the late Battle, by a great Victory
over the Fleet of the Enemy, who I
attacked at sunset on the 1st of August,
off the Mouth of the Nile." These words
were among the first to describe what
has become known to scholars as the

Battle of the Nile, one of the most decisive naval battles in history. But they
would also set in motion the creation of
a most unique group of swords that
commemorated the event.
For over 20 years, Napoleon
Bonaparte's dreams of a French Empire
over the European land mass remained
undaunted until he finally met England's
Lord Wellington at Waterloo in 1815.
However, his desire of controlling the
seas evaporated a lot sooner, thanks to

Britain's Viscount Horatio Nelson. Born
September 29, 1758, Nelson entered the
Navy at the age of 12, became a captain
at the age of 20 and a rear admiral and
knight of the Bath in 1797. His successes, however, were not without costs: he
previously lost the sight of his right eye
at Calvi in 1794 and would lose his right
arm during an unsuccessful attempt to
capture Santa Cruz de Tenerife onJuly
24,1797.
By June 1798, he was given his biggest
assignment to date-find and stop
Napoleon Bonaparte, derisively nicknamed "Boney" by the British, who was
sailing to Egypt with the intention of creating an empire in the East, as far as
India. Convinced that Napoleon would
head for Alexandria, N Ison arrived on
June 28 with 13 ships mounted with 74
cannons and one with 50. H was actually three days ahead of Napoleon.
Frustrated, Nelson sail cI on to Palestine
to continue the search. Napoleon, in the
meantime, landed in Marabout Bay on
the night ofjune 30 and with 5,000 men
easily took Alexandria the n xt day. With
25,000 soldiers he th n marched
through the desert to Cair and defeated
an equal number ofMam lukes, that
included 6,000 caval ry and 8,000
Bedouins at the Battle of th Pyramids,
19 days later, onJuly 2]. lIe arrived in
Cairo on July 24. By August 1, however,
Nelson returned and found the French
fleet at Aboukir Bay unci r th command
of Vice Admiral Francois Paul Brueys d'
Aigailliers. Brueys' force in luded three
80-gun frigates, nine 74-gun battleships,
and Napoleon's flagship, Orient, a 120gun, 2,000 ton fighting vess I, one of the
largest of the time. At 5:40 p.m., Nelson
signaled for the Battle of th Nile to begin
An original crocodile-hi/ted sword from
an officer in Nelson's Egyptian Club is
laying over a circa 17905 gold-trimmed
naval flag officer's bicome hat.
Pictured with them are original sewn
gold and silver bullion badges of the
Orders that Nelson was awarded in his
lifetime. From left to right are the
Sicilian Order of St. Ferdinand and of
Merit, the Turkish Order of the
Crescent, the Order of the Bath and
the Equestrian Order of St. Joachim of
Leningen. These embroidered replicas
were one of three sets made up at the
time for Nelson by the firm of Barret,
Corney and Corney of the Strand in
London. They were to be sewn on
Nelson's coat when at sea. The original
Orders in metal were heavy, being
enameled with precious jewels, and
were not meant for daily wear. Author's
collection
10 MILITARY CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED
by maneuvering his ships between the

coastline and the enemy's fleet, who had
their armed cannons pointed in the
opposite direction, towards the sea. Over
2,000 guns roared at the same time
through the height of the battle and at
9:45 p.m., the Orient blew up, creating
an explosion that was heard 22 kilometers away. By the time the fighting finally
ended at dawn, August 2, Nelson had
changed the course of world history in
England's favor, when he denied
Napoleon of his eastern empire by
destroying the French Navy. Only two
ships out of the entire French fleet
escaped to the open sea. The British lost
no ships and had only 218 casualties,
compared to the French, who had about
1,700, including Admiral Brueys, with
3,000 taken as prisoners. During the battle, Nelson was slightly wounded while
his ship, Vanguard, blasted away at the
center of the French line-a flap of skin
was torn from his forehead by debris,
falling over his good eye and temporarily
blinded him.
His countrymen and allies were not
blinded to his victory, however. George
III made him a Baron and presented him
and his entire crew with medals. The
City of London presented him and his
Captains with swords. The Sultan of
Turkey gave him an elaborate musket,
mounted in silver and ivory, an ornate
canteen, a gold hilted scimitar and a
cockade spray mounted with Brazilian
diamonds, the highest award in Turkey
for valor. It was called Chelengk, meaning "Plume ofTriumph." Nelson had it
mounted on his felt bicorne admiral's
hat. The Tsar of Russia gave him a portrait miniature of himself and a gold
box, encrusted with diamonds. But his
most unique and significant tribute
came from his brother officers.
Obviously influenced by James Gillray's
political cartoon of the event, which
showed Nelson wielding a club of
English oak as he subdued a plethora of
crocodiles painted in the French tricolor,
the captains of the fleet presented him
with "a magnificent sword, the hilt of
which most appropriately represented a
crocodile, very finely executed in gold."
At the same time these captains also
formed the Egyptian Club, which
included their junior officers as well,
and numbered possibly about 200. In
addition, to commemorate their participation in the event, many of them commissioned other swords for themselves
with crocodiles variously desporting
themselves on the hilt.
Unfortunately Nelson's actual sword,
although passed down through his family, was dismounted and had the hilt
An original crocodile-hilted sword from an officer in Nelson's Egyptian Club. Author's

collection
The inscription, "For My Country and King, " appears on the flat, narrow strip in the center of the diamond-shaped, double-edged blade. Author's collection
Detail of the gOld-gilt brass crocodile hilt. Whether by accident or design, since the
British were equating this reptile with Napoleon at the time, this crocodile appears
"rather serpentine," according to Liza Verity of the National Maritime Museum. Author's
collection
Detail of the leaf-shaped crossguard on the crocodile-hilted sword. Author's collection

11
BattleBlades
stolen in 1900. It survives today only in
pictures. However, the National
Maritime Museum in Greenwich,
England displays one that was possibly
patterned after Nelson's. It was made by
the firm, Rundell and Bridge. The 7inch-long crocodile hilt is gold-gilt brass
(whereas Nelson's was solid gold) and
has an oval plaque on the obverse side of
the crocodile's belly of a polychrome
enamel picture of the battle. The plaque
on the reverse side reads "Victory of the
Nile, 1st of August 1798." The blade is
31 inches long, 1'/4 inch wide.
Another sword with a 32 1j,-inch-Iong
blade, that was auctioned recently
through Butterfield and Butterfields
Auction Firm in San Francisco,
belonged to Captain Robert Cuthbert,
who took charge of the ship, Majestic,
when its captain, George B. Westcott,
was killed during the Battle of the Nile.
Included in the auction was a portrait of
Cuthbert in his naval uniform holding
this exact sword, which he ordered from
CIGARET'rE 5.
Oilpainting on canvas portrait ofCaptain

Robert Cuthbert in his Royal navy unifonn,
holding his crocodile-hi/ted sword. The
reverse ofthe portrait is inscribed, In.
Berridge Pinct.lOct 29, 1799/Portrait
of/Capt. Robt. Cuthbert/late of/The Majestic
in the Ever/Memorable/Action ofthe Nile...
Courtesy ofButterfield and Butterfield.
the firm of Prosser, Charing Cross,

London. Described as being gilt bronze,
the crocodiles tail on this hilt, which is 6
inches long, forms the quillon and has a
knucklebow sculpted in the form of
acanthus leaves.
Still another slightly different sword,
whether by accident of design, has a
crocodile on the 8 inch-long hilt looking
"rather serpentine," as described by Liza
Verity of the National Maritime
Museum. It has the acanthus leafed
knucklebow like the Cuthbert sword
and the leaf-shaped crossguard like the
one similar to Nelson's sword. It's blade
is also 31 inches long like the latter, but
is only lis-inch wide. All three swords
described have the inscription "For My
Country and King" engraved on a narrow flat center strip on its otherwise diamond shaped, double edged blade.
For Napoleon, in spite of the fact that
he was now being compared to a
crocodile by his enemies, he could console himself with the knowledge that the
civilian scholars he took with him on the
Viscount Horatio Nelson, This 1842 color

lithograph by Henry Graves & Co., publishers to Queen Victoria, was taken from
an original portrait. Following Nelson's
death, all his personal belongings were
sent to his mistress, Lady Emma
Hamilton. When she got into financial difficulties, she sold his items to Alderman
Joshua Smith, later the Lord Mayor of
London. By 1842, Huson Morris, Esquire,
had acquired the original portrait from
which this lithograph was made and the
set of Nelson's embroidered Orders pictured in this article. Author's collection.
The remaining Nelson relics, including the
coat he wore at the time of his death at
Trafalgar Bay with another set of his
embroidered Orders, were sold by Smith's
widow in 1844.
expedition truly op n d l:gypL up to the

then modern world. 1 h y funded the
Institute of Egypt, xploreciLhe initial
possibility of build ing Lh uez Canal
and discovered the R 'LLa LOne. The
triple inscriptions arv d niL, including Greek, finally pr vid d modern civilization with the translaLion to the
ancient Egyptian hier Iyphi s.
Nelson went on LO dd aL Lhe Danes at
Copenhagen in 180 I and was made a
viscount by his kin, BUL his most
famous victory wa aL Lhe BaLtle of
Trafalgar on Octob r 21, 1805, when
he defeated the combin cI French and
A picture of the
solid gold-hilted
sword presented
to him by his
While Nelson's flagship, the Vanguard, was

firing at the center of the French fleet during the Battle of the Nile, Nelson was
struck by debris on his forehead, causing a
flap of skin to fall over his good eye, temporarily blinding him. This illustration is
from Wills's 1905 Cigarette Cards, Nelson
Series, No. 28. Author's collection.
Captains after
the Battle of the
Nile. It was later
stolen in 1900.
Wills's 1905
Cigarette Cards,
Nelson Series,
No. 17. Author's
collection
This engraving of the Battle of the Nile shows Napoleon's flagship, the Orient, blowing
up in a spectacular explosion that was heard 22 kilometers away. Author's collection
The crocodile-hilted sword belonging to
Captain Robert Cuthbert is pictured with
a print of the Battle of the Nile and a
handwritten letter signed by Admiral
Nelson, directing Cuthbert to take command of the ship, Majestic, after the death
of Captain Westcott. Courtesy of
Butterfield and Butterfield.
Spanish Fleets at the expense of his

own life, Prior to the battle, he gave his
now famous flag signal, "England
expects that every man will do his
duty," The crocodile swords that survive today with their inscription on the
blade, "For My Country and King,"
remain a distinctive testament to the
life of one of England's greatest heroes
and his final patriotic battle cry.
The author would like to thank]ohn R.
Gangel ofLittle]ohn's Inc., Walter].
O'Connor, Keith Campbell of Martin B.
Retting's Guns, Ivan Hiller of British
Militaria, Liza Verity of the National
Maritime Museum and Bridget Clifford
of the Royal Armouries at HM Tower of
London for their assistance in the preparation of this column,
For further reading the following
books are recommended:
Swords For Sea Service, Volume 1, May
and Annis, 1970, HMSO, England.
Naval Swords, PG.w. Annis, 1970,
Stackpole Books.
Nelson: A Personal History, Christopher
Hibbert, 1994, Perseus Books,
Napoleon's Lost Fleet: Bonaparte,
Nelson and the Battle oj the Nile, Laura
Foreman and Ellen Blue Phillips, 1999,
Discovery Books,
Visit also the National Maritime
Museum in Greenwich, the Royal Navy
Museum in Portsmouth, the HM Tower
of London and the Nelson Museum in
Monmouth, England.
~
Crocodile-hilted sword displayed by the National Maritime Museum and believed to be
a close imitation of Nelson's sword, which was stolen in 1900. It has an oval plaque in
the center of the hilt, depicting a polychrome enamel picture of the Battle of the Nile.
The oval plaque on the opposite side reads, "Victory of the Nile, 1st ofAugust 1798."
Courtesy of the National Maritime Museum
James Gillray's 1798 colored engraving, "Extirpation of the Plagues of Egypt, " shows
Nelson wielding a club of English oak against crocodiles painted in the French tricolor.
It was possibly the inspiration for the Battle of the Nile Crocodile Swords. The exploding crocodile in the rear, represents Napoleon's flagship, the Orient, blowing up.
Author's collection
13
MIRACLE AT MIDWAY
Seven months after blitzing Pearl Harbor, the
Japanese commander, Admiral Yamamoto, prepared to finish his work. He targeted a smaller
United States force commanded by Chester
Nimitz. Given the superiority of the Japanese
fleet, Yamamoto had every reason to expect victory. However, we had in the meantime broken
the Japanese code and Nimitz learned of their
plans. The Japanese suffered a crippling defeat.
Based on original archival research as well as
exclusive interviews with survivors on both sides, author Gordon W.
Prange offers a terrific sequel to At Dawn We Slept. 469 pages, softcover.
ITEM:
AIRCRAFT OF WORLD
WAR II
AIH('RAFT
(IF \\ (11:1.1 1 \\ \1: II
Contains 300 of the most important and

influential military aircraft that fought
between 1939 and 1945: fighters,
bombers and ground-attack aircraft, in
the service of both Axis and Allied
nations. illustrated with superb side-view
color artwork. Each illustration is accompanied by technical specifications, development and service history. 320 pages,
softcover.
CURJ8CI1J\"''''
ITEM:
WAWW $10.95
WMMP $17.95
BRITISH & AMERICAN TANKS

OF WORLD WAR TWO
WBAT $19.95
AMERICAN
FLAG THROW
Show your patriotism
with this beautifully constructed throw. Made
with three layers of cotton. Measures 48" x 67".
ITEM:
AFfI $39.95
This 12" figure has over 20 points of

articulation and ~ ature the authentic
look of a British L wis Gunner. Each
figure includes: a helmet with cover,
Uniform Blouse wi 29th Division
insignia, Trousers, Ammo Boots \vith
Puttees, P'08 Shoulder Bmces and
waist belt, Webley No. VI Pistol, Pistol holster and ammo pouch, P '08
Haversack, Water Bottle, P'08 Bayonet frog, Enfield Bayonet, Entrenching
Tool wi Handle and Carry, Small Box Respirator and Bag, Lewis Mk I
Machine Gun and Rolled Rain Poncho. Due to small parts and sharp
points these items are not suitable for small children.
ITEM:
MBLG $34.95
ITEM:

articulation and features the authentic look
of a WWl French Rifleman. Each figure
includes: an Adrian helmet, Single breasted
great coat, Thnic Dickie, Breeches with
infantry stripe, Puttees, Boots, Leather Y
strap and waist belt, cartridge boxes,
haversacks, 2-liter canteen, bayonet frog
and scabbard, M-2 gas mask and bag,
large wire cutters, Iss6 Epee bayonet and
1907 Berthier Litle. Due to small parts and
sharp points these items are not suitable for small children.
ITEM: MFRI
NAVY TRADITIONAL
THROW
MATI $24.95

articulation and features the authentic look
of a 7th Battalion 'Black Watch' soldier.
Each figure includes: P08 Shoulder Braces,
P08 Left/right Cartridge Pouches, P08
Haversack, Water Bottle, P08 Frog Bayonet,
Enfield Bayonet, Entrenching Tool wi Handle
& Carry, Small box Respirator and Bag and
~
No.1 MKlll Enfield Rille. Due to small
Lparts and sharp points these items are not suitable for small children.
ITEM:
$34.95
GERMAN 6TH
STURMPIONEER
BATTALION
'STOSSTRUPPEN', 12TH
DIVISION
This 12" figure has over 20 points of articulation
and features the authentic look of a WWl
German Assault 'frooper. Each figure includes:
belt and buckle, MlSS7 Haversack (Bread
Bag), MI907 Water Bottle, MlSS7 Entrenching
tool, Bayonet and Scabbard, Assault Pack Rolled
Great Coat Wrapped around M1910 Mess TIn,
1917 Patterned Hand grenade Bags, Stick Grenade, Respirator (Gas Mask), Gas
can, MP18 Sub-Machine Gun wi Snail ~e. Due to small parts and sharp
points these items are not suitable for small children.
ITEM:
~~~~~~,......,
MSGT $29.95
BILLY THE KID
These attractive throws of the Armed Services come in a durable, three layer acrylic.
Each measures 46" x 56".
ARMY TRADITIONAL
THROW
SCOTTISH 6THnTH
BATTALION BLACK
WATCH, 51ST
(HIGHLAND) DIVISION
FRENCH RIFLEMAN,
151 ST REGIMENT D'
INFANTRIE
BRITISH LEWIS
GUNNER, 1ST
BATTALION
LANCASHIRE
FUSILIERS, 29TH
DIVISION
Filled with over 500 photographs, dra\vings and

diagrams, this illustrated history is the most
comprehensive source ever on the development
of Allied tanks, gun motor carriages and special
purpose vehicles in the Second World War. 224
pages, softcover.
ITEM:
ITEM:
This highly flexible 12-inch action figure features aetuallikeness and authentic period attire.
Billy the Kid accessories include: wanted poster,
1873 Winchester carbine, 1877 Colt lighting
pistol, hunting knife, gun belt and holster.
Makes a pedect gift for any fan of the Old West.
Recommended for ages 5 and up.
ITEM:
WSBK $29.95
This 12" figure has over 20 points of articulation and

features the authentic look of a US 2nd Wisconsin
Infantryman. Each figure includes: a Hardee hat \vith
Infantry Hom emblem, 1854 Austrian Lorenz rifle,
Socket bayonet and scabbard, Leather belt \vith US
plate, Cap pouch, US cartridge box and sling,
Haversack, Tm ClIp, Canteen, Brogans, Federal frock
coat, Trousers, Double bag knapsack, Gum Blanket
Roll and Canvas leggings. Due to small parts and
sharp points these items are not suitable for small children.
ITEM:
CSTW $34.95
IN THEIR OWN WORDS:

D-DAY
June 6, 1944 ... D-Day. It was the greatest
military assault ever staged. Code named
Operation Overlord, dle massive invasion of
Normandy by the Allies involved more than a
quarter of a million soldiers, sailors and airmen, 5,000 ships and 3,000 aircraft. In nearly five hours of compelling firsthand
accounts, veterans of the epic conflict speak
with unprecedented honesty, detail and emotion. Four audio CD set.
ITEM:
MMTI $24.95
ITEM:
MAFf $24.95
ITEM:
WDDY $19.95
IN THEIR OWN WORDS:

WAR IN THE PACIFIC
MN1T $24.95
AIR FORCE
TRADITIONAL THROW
MSBW $29.95
US 2ND WISCONSIN
INFANTRYMAN 'IRON
BRIGADE'
WYATT EARP
MARINE CORPS
TRADITIONAL THROW
--'
Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Midway ...

these ferocious battles are forever seared in
dle memories of the courageous men who
fought there. In dus unprecedented collection
of nearly five hours of firsthand accounts,
Pacific War veterans tell dleir compelling stories. Decomted veterans, including Medal of
Honor \vinners, bring startling life to "hell on
earth." Four audio CD set.
This highly flexible 12-inch action figure features actual likeness and authentic period
attire. Wyatt Earp accessories include: shackles, 1873 single-action Army colt pistol, 1873
Schofield revolver, double barreled shotgun,
gun belt and holster. Makes a pedect gift for
any fan of the Old West. Recommended for
ages 5 and up.
ITEM:
WSWE $29.95
ITEM:
WWfP
$19.95
"Authentics" were supposedly the guys

who had their impressions correct and
didn't look like "farbs", a euphemism for
a re-enactor with no clue. Today the
hobby is still laden with those who are
trying to do it "right" and those who still
don't have much of a clue as to what the
soldiers of 1861-1865 looked like.
Its not that hard to make a correct and
distinctive impression from what you
already have and a few things that you
can pick up along the way. Here are
some tips that may help you along the
way to a better looking portrayal.
UNIFORM
Tricking
Out Your
Civil War
Impression
uly of 1976 changed my life on
many levels. I had been a life
long Civil War buff ever since
my grandmother told me I was a
great grand nephew of General
P.G.T. Beauregard C.S.A. The movie The
Outlaw Josey Wales came out the month
before and CBS brought live 4th ofJuly
coverage of the re-enactment of the battle of Gettysburg into my living room.

Hearing Walter Cronkite give a play-byplay of the battle was unreal. It was my
first inkling that there was such a hobby
as re-enacting. Months later, as a freshman in high school, I was introduced to
an upperclassman who knew all about
re-enacting and gave me a Dixie
Gun Works catalog and a flyer
from McGee Industries. I was
completely overwhelmed that
such neat toys could be had by
calling a 800 number with a
credit card. Within months I
was a proud member of a local
Artillery Battery and having the
time of my life.
My first uniform was something of a joke. It was a converted military academy parade
jacket with tails. I looked somewhat like one of the little cadets
in the film The Horse Soldiers. It
was not long before I "upgraded" to something more
respectable and correct for the
impression I was trying to portray. Back then the gossip column in The Camp Chase Gazette
was all about "Authentics" vs.
everyone else in the hobby. The
The most distinctive part of your

impression is your uniform. It is what
most people see first and can make or
break your overall impression. There are
a lot of sutlers out there that are more
than willing to sell you something you
don't need ancIJor would look completely silly in. First rule about buying from
sutlers is, check with your unit leader.
Don't show up for a ballle completely
outfitted looking for a unit to join. It is
best to find a unit close to your home
that portrays the impression you want to
join and find out the kind of uniforming
standards they have.
If you buy your uniform "off the rack"
at a sutlers, there are a few things you can
do to make it look bell r. First thing is to
remove the button hole stitching and
replace it by hand. Look at any uniform
in any museum and you will note that the
button holes and top stitching is all done
by hand. Yes, I know that sewing
machines were inventecl before the war
and they saw great use, however the fact
remains, that the sewing machines of
those times had their limits and stitching
button holes was one of them. Its not
hard to do and you an finish the task
while watching TV one vening.
How do your buttons look? Bright
and brassy? A mid-war impression
would portray buttons that were probably mismatched, replaced and defiantly
not bright and brassy. Remove your buttons and soak them in some lacquer
thinner. Most buttons are coated in a
lacquer that prevents tarnishing and
keeps them shining. A quick bath in
thinner should remove most of the lacquer and put them well on their way to
affecting a convincing tarnish. You can
accelerate the tarnishing process buy
soaking them in a jar of. .. well how shall
Battle shirts were common uniforms during the opening year of the war
amongst many confederate units and they are easily enough made by hand if
you have a pattern and some patience to make your own stuff. This grouping of
men of the Southern Guard demonstrate musket drill a-Ia 1861 at the Harpers
Ferry National Park.
Photographic evidence is the best way to

select authentic impression details. Shell
jackets, frock coats, kepis, cups, pipes, shirts and shoes are all visible in these three
ambrotypes. Can you tell which photos are period (1861-1865) and which one was taken
in 1998?
we say it... re-cycled beer? Get the picture? Just don't leave the jar sit in the
house while you are doing this science
experiment, best leave this project in the
garage for a week or so.
Are you a Confederate soldier wearing
sky blue Yankee kersey trousers? Well
unless you are portraying a soldier from
Jacksons division during the Sharpsburg
Campaign, go sparingly with the Yankee
uniform parts. Confederates were surpriSingly well uniformed and very proud
of their appearance. The "tattered and
shoeless" myths have been mostly dispelled by historians in the last 30 years
or research. A few units were lacking in
proper clothing during short periods but
did not exhibit the generalized impression that they were all slovenly and in
tatters. Issue jackets and trousers were
the norm, not the exception, for
Confederate soldiers.
Is your impression that of a dismounted cavalry trooper? Please stop. Don't do
it. It's a hideous impression that makes
you, and the hobby, look silly. Get a
horse, and if you can't do that get a rifle
and learn The School of the Soldier.
Theodore Roosevelt lead the only charge
of dismounted cavalry (Cuba, 1898)
that I have ever read about so just stop
embarrassing yourself.
Most southern troopers wore homemade shirts, so your shirt should be
somewhat homespun and completely
hand-sewn. Yanks also wore homespun,
but sported u.S. issue white muslin
shirts as well. Try to make your impression more personal by wearing something a little distinctive.
If you want to invest in quality goods
and are looking for a near perfect

impression then consider the products
from Charlie Childs at Country Cloth.
Charlie was the first to make "jean" cloth
for the re-enactor in the early 1980's.
Jean is a material comprised of cotton
and wool, interwoven, producing what
they called jean cloth in the 1860s. It's a
near equivalent of modern day Levis.
Looking at the famous Confederate
"sleeve" that is on display at the
Antietam National Battlefield Park, you
can see an original sample of jean cloth
and Charlies inspiration for weaving his
own material. Today Charlie makes patterns and supplies the jean cloth for you
to make your own uniforms and shirts.
A close friend of Charlie's is Chris Daley
of CJ Daley Historical Reproductions,
Inc. Chris has in stock many items, all of
top quality and hand sewn, that will do
your impression wonders.
Hats are another impression breaking
or making item. Yankees have no problem here, although there are certainly
good and bad forage caps out there, it's
still pretty hard to mess up a kepi.
Confederates have a lot of room in their
impression for some distinct headgear. A
good slouch hat, or civilian hat, can really make you look the part. A hand -sewn
sweatband with a custom plaid liner and
a manufacturer's stamp works well too.
Even though no one can see your custom liner, you will know its there and
that thought alone will add just a little
spring to your step as you go along. If
you want to go further, set your iron to
"steam" and fill it with water, holding it
close but not touching the iron to the
hat. This will allow you to soak the brim
When on the march, a bed roll or soft

pack are essential to a proper portrayal of
an infantryman. Note that the canteen
and haversack are shortened to a point
just at the wearers elbow to keep these
items from swinging and bashing the soldier as he marches and advances at the
double quick.
17
Living
History
and crown with enough steam to reshape it, if you want to put that little
unique touch to it. If you have fallen
into the crowd that saw one photograph
in a book and decided to add a hanging
tassel to your hat, stop now. It really
looks ridiculous to wander about with a
pullcord from a sitting room drape
swinging around your eyes distracting
you and everyone who looks at (or like)
you. If you visit Gettysburg on a tour
soon, make sure you stop by Dirty Billys
Hat shop and look at the great collection
of hand made hats he has for sale. "None
better," as the old trade saying goes, and
Dirty Bill is as close to an original as you
are likely to find.
A distinctive kepi or slouch hat can make

or break your impression. This handmade kepi with its black band denotes a
style common to militia use early in the
war. Note the kepi and shell jacket are
made from identical jean cloth.
Confederate uniform suppliers often
issued uniforms in complete sets and it is
not unusual to find a soldier wearing the
same fabric in his hat, jacket and trousers.
EQUIPMENT
If you have the inclination and time,
re-cover your canteen with some scrap
jean cloth to give it a nice look. If you
can bend your drinking cup with your
fingers like a beer can, trade it in on a
serious and authentic piece of tinware.
If it's thick and strong like steel, then
you have a keeper that will last years of
hard campaigning. Just be careful when
you attach it to your haversack, it will
break your hip if you fall on it when
you "take a hit".
Nothing disturbs me more than seeing
a group of new guys, and many veterans,
marching around with their canteens
and haversacks low around their knees.
Shorten up your canteen sling so that it
rests comfortably under your arm where
your elbow touches your torso. Your
haversack should also be shortened up
somewhat to the point where the flap is
right under your belt. If you ever move
out at the qUick step, you will be grateful
that these items are not banging around
your knees and bouncing against you
while you run.
Belts can be another source of distinct equipment. The typical "US" and
"CS" brass ovals are common, for the
confederate re-enactor many other
styles are available. The square frame
brass buckle with a forked tongue is a
personal favorite as well as the British
snake buckle. If you like the snake
buckle, try an Enfield cartridge box as
well. Most English goods were imported in sets and the snake buckle and cartridge box were issued together in most
Small personal items such as pipes and tobacco pouches can add to your collection and
provide you with something to do during the "hurry up and wait" periods of most reenactments and/or living histories. A horse hair toothbrush with a bone handle, slipped
in-between the button holes, can be a useful and authentic touch.
SOURCE GUIDE
John G. Zimmerman
Dept. Mer, PO. Box 1351 (1195
Washington Street), Harpers Ferry, WV
25425; (04) 535-2558;
www.edsmart.com/jz
Kepis (front row) and slouch hats are one area of personal expression that separates
you from the vast sea of blue and/or gray. Numerous custom makers can outfit you with
a shape and style that matches your physical build and impression.
cases. Too, many state seal buckles

abound for both sides. If you opt for
one, just make sure it's appropriate for
your chosen unit.
ARMS
Well, the guns of the Civil War were
my first attraction to the hobby, and the
$79.95 Colt 1860 Army revolver that I
bought by mail form McGee Industries
still has an honored place in mygun
cabinet. Before you buy any firearm,
make sure it's appropriate for the
impression that you are dOing. An 1803
Harpers Ferry is alright for a First
Manassas impression but not for anything else. Pattern 1853 Enfields were
not imported until late 1861 and few
were available until mid 1862. The 1855
and 1861 are great for all periods of the
war but the 1863 did not make its debut
until mid-1863 so it's off-limits for those
Manassas and Sharpsburg impressions.
1842 Springfields and Austrian Lorenz
muskets are always distinct and fun to
re-enact with. If you have a musket or
rifled musket consider having it de-
CJ Daley Historical Reproductions

Dept. Mer, 105 West Green Street,
Middletown, MD 21769;
(01) 371-5792;
www.erols.com/chrisdaley/index.htm
farbed. De-farbing your musket consists

of removing the Italian proof marks and
other non-period stampings. John
Zimmerman of Harpers Ferry, WV
worked in the Harpers Ferry Armory for
years as a National Park Service interpreter and for a fee he will make your
Italian gun look period with original
proof marks. (See MCl # 2 for a story on
the various patterns of Enfields and
their marks.)
Country Cloth, Inc., do Charlie

Childs
Dept. MCI, 13797-C Georgetown
Street, N.E. Paris, OH 44669;
(30) 862-3307; cntyclth@bright.net
CONCLUSION
Do some research, and I don't mean
sit in front of the TV watching re-runs of
Rio Lobo to get your impression details
down pat. Pick up a book ... Okay, I
scared some of you didn't 17 The thought
of reading has you gun shy, huh? Well
not to worry, I want you to look at THE
PICTURES! That's right, study the pictures and look closely at the uniforming
and equipment that the men are wearing. Some of my favorites are Echos of
Glory: Arms & Equipment of the

Confederacy/Union (Time- Life 1996)
This three volume set has amazing full
Note the hand stitched, tape style

chevrons that this first sergeant sports.
They give a much better appearance than
the mass produced variety that most sutlers sell.
color photographs detailing every little

bit of equipment and uniforming that
soldiers on both sides carried and used
during the conflict. Confederate Faces by
William A. Albaugh III (2nd Ed.
Broadfoot, 1993) and the sequels More
Confederate Faces by Albaugh, Even More
Although Yankees do not get a lot of ink in

this look at impression building, many of
the same ideas still apply to a Union
impression. Though thought to be somewhat generic by confederate standards,
the "blue suit" can be made with better
materials and lining than the standard off
the rack styles offered by most sutlers.
Confederate Faces by William A. Turner

(2nd Ed. Old Soldier Books, 1993) and
Still More Confederate Faces by D. A.

Serrano (Metropolitan Co. 1992). These
four books offer invaluable photographic evidence of uniforms and equipment
of the confederate soldier. No better
information exists on how they looked
and the clothing they wore.
Dirty Billy's Hat Shop

Dept. Mer, 430A Baltimore Street,
. Gettysburg, PA 17325; (717) 3343200; Mail Orders: 7574 Middleburg
Road, Detour, MD 21757; (410) 7751865, www.dirtybillyshats.com
Navy Arms Company
Dept. Mer, 815 22nd, Street Union
City, NJ 07087; (201) 863-7100,
Fax: (201) 863-8770,
www.navyarms.com
Dixie Gun Works
Dept. Mer, Box 130 Union City, TN
38261; (731) 885-0700,
www.dixiegunworks.com
World War II 7 issues

Experience the epic battles of World
War II, take a close-up look at the
fighting men, leaders and weapons,
and discover little-known incidents
and unusual facts behind the greatest
conflict of all time.
Military History 6 issues

Military History puts you on the front
lines of every major conflict from
ancient times to modern day. Learn
about the strategie and tactics, the
weapons and combatants and why
they succeeded or fai led.
America's Civil War 6 issues
The strategies and tactics, battles and
men come to life in each issue of
America's Civil War. Riveting eyewitness accounts, historic photos, period
and modern artwork, maps, book
reviews, battlefield preservation news
and much more.
British Heritage 6 issues

The very best of Great Britain, its magnificent history, culture and spectacular
historic homes and sights, is delivered
to your door in each issue of British
Heritage magazine.
Vietnam 6 issues
The only magazine exclusively devoted
to the Vietnam conflict, Vietnam provides
in-depth and authoritative articles, eyewitness accounts and expert analysis of the
many complexities that made the war
unique, including the people, battles,
strategies and weaponry.
hen Adolph Hitler came to

power in Germany in
1933, he trashed the
Treaty of Versailles and
rebuilt the German Armed
Forces. His intent was to rearm them
with the latest weaponry, including a
new sidearm. Georg Luger's P08 had
served the German military well since
1908 but its intricately machined parts
made it expensive and time-consuming
to produce.
Among the pre-eminent handgun
designers of the country was Carl
Walther Waffenfabrik of Ulm. They had
manufactured a series of very successful
pistols during the first half of the 20th
Century, including the Polizei Pistol or
Model PP and the PPK (Polizei Pistol
Kriminal) in both .32 ACP and .380 (9
mm Kurz). One of their most successful
designs was the Model 4 in .32 ACP
which had been selected by the Imperial
German Army during World War I as a
substitute standard handgun.
W
*
American History 6 issues

From backroom political deals to
technological innovations, from legendary
Depression-era gangsters to front-line
courage in war, American History
magazine brings the American experience to life.
The P.38 Pistol
Civil War Times Illustrated 7 issues

From soldiers and sailors to loved ones
at home, from economic hardships to
political and social victories, Civil War
Times Illustrated provides a window in
time to America's most turbulent period.
Aviation History 6 issues

Fly along in each i ue of Aviation
History with the daring men and
women who pioneered and advanced
world aviation, setting new records and
soaring into the skies of war.
Wild West 6 issues

Ride off into the west with the true stories
of the people, places and events of the
Great American frontier. Rare historical
photos, colorful period and modern art,
book reviews, western lore, western
art, and much more in each issue.
DESIGNING
A NEW MILITARY PISTOL
MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of

Military History 4 issues
An award-winning, exquisitely illustrated
hardcover journal, MHQ presents
distinguished authors and historians who
take readers on a thought-provoking
journey through history-from the origins
of armed conflict to the present day.
www.TheHistoryNet.com
When the German Army called for

new pistol designs in 1934, Walther's
engineers took a fresh look at the problem and evolved a deSign called the
Militar Pistole. It used a solid steel block
to lock the breech and handle the pressures developed by the 9mm
Parabellum cartridge. It also had a double action trigger mechanism similar to
that developed for the Walther PP As
work continued, refinements were

added and the deSign was renamed
Armee Pistole when it was submitted to
the Army for testing in 1937. Walther
thought they had won the competition
and were stunned when the AP was
rejected because the hammer was totally enclosed within the slide. The Army
wanted a double action pistol, but one
that could also be fired Single action.
The Walther engineers quickly
returned the new design, now called the
Modell MP. This time the
Heerswaffenamt (Army Weapons Office)
accepted the pistol, asking only that the
round hammer thumbpiece be replaced
with a spur.
COMMERCIAL AND
FOREIGN MILITARY SALES
While the company waited for the
first Army contracts to materialize, they
decided to sell a commercial version
deSignated the Heeres Pistole (Army
Pistol). Walther marketing types forecast
brisk foreign and military sales but when it
went on sale in the
United States in 1939
and throughout
Europe, buyers were
almost nonexistent. A
major problem was the price of the pistol, $75, which in today's terms would
amount to about $900. At the end of the
Great Depression, few people could
afford to pay that much for a handgun,
espeCially when a new civilian Colt
Government Model cost half as much.
Across the Baltic Sea to the north,
Sweden, nervously eyeing Germany's
ever-increasing territorial ambitions,
began to rearm. On her shopping list was
a new pistol. During the rugged testing
procedure to select a new sidearm, the
High Power (HP) did extremely well,
especially in the cold weather and mud
tests. Some 1,075 Model HPs were
ordered and delivered before Hitler
ordered further deliveries of weapons
stopped. Sweden thus became the first
military force to adopt a modern, double
action, semi-automatic piStol.
The Swedish HP, a collecting rarity
today, had commercial markings:
Waffenfabrik Walther Zella-Mehlis
(Thur.)lWalther's Patent Cal 9 mlm. The
grips were black checkered plastiC. The
firing pin was square tipped (which
caused punctured primers and was later
replaced in the HP by a rounded tip firing
pin). The serial numbers ran from HI001
to H2885 and were stamped on the right
side of the frame. The pistol was called
"Automatisk repererpistol ml39" by the
Swedish military. When no more HPs
were forthcoming, the Browning HP was
ordered and when German occupation of
Belgium ended that order, Sweden adopted the Finnish Lahti L-35 which the
Swedes manufactured themselves!
Small orders for the HP were also
filled for Croatia when the Fascist
Ustasha assumed power in that
Yugoslavian province, and for
Switzerland. Some 10,000 "commercial" HPs were sold to other governments and to civilians by the time war
ended in 1945. These pistols were all
marked with the Walther Banner and
the serial numbers ran from 14,000 to
24,000. No letter prefix was used. An
interesting question is, who bought
these civilian HPs? A 1938 law made it
This close up shows the hexagonal bolt that

was placed crosswise in all P-4s and all P.38s
and P-1 s manufactured after the P-4's debut
in themid-1970s.
TheArmory
bers. Some ten thousand P38s are also

known to have been issued to German
police forces as well. These were marked
with civilian proof mark, an EagleIN, and
various police department acceptance
marks. Their serial numbers also did not
include a suffix pr prefix letter.
illegal for any German civilian to own a

military-type firearm. Because of the
war, few commercial pistol could be
sold abroad, particularly since Germany
occupied most of the countries who's
citizens would have been customers in
other circumstances.
THE POSTWAR
MILITARY P.38
THEGERMAN
MILITARY STEPS UP
Of the 1,150,000 Pistole 38s by the
war's end in 1945 (compared to
1,900,000 Government Model 1911Als
made in the U.S.), the greatest number
were obtained by the German military.
Even though Walther had set the retail
commercial price at $75, it only charged
the German government 5.60
Reichmarks (about the same in U.S. dollars at the time). Since the Walther could
be made almost entirely by machine and
reqUired little assembly and no hand fitting' it was half the price of the Luger
which cost 11.50 Reichmarks.
But the military did not settle on the
final design issues until mid-1939 and so
production of the military P38 did not
begin until later that year. Issue to the soldiers began in,l940. The final changes
included a firing pin with a rounded tip
and ribbed rather than checkered plastiC
grips made initially of Bakelite, a hard,
dense but somewhat brittle plastiC, and
later of resin-reinforced cellulose. The earliest production P38s were used by the
troops engaged in the attack on Belgium,
Holland and France in May 1940.
PRODUCTION CODES AND

SERIAL NUMBERS
The Walther P38 was manufactured
during World War II by the Walther
Company in Ulm, by Mauser-Werke at
Oberndorf-am-Neckar starting in
Shown here are two examples of the

Post-World War II P.38; top, a commercial P.38 with walnut grips purchased in Germany in 1962; below, the
P-4 with West Berlin police markings.
1941(while still bUilding Luger P08s)

and by Spreewerke GmbH, in Spandau,
starting in May, 1943.
Early Walther produced P38s carried
the Walther banner from 1939 to August
1940 when it was replaced by the code
number, "480." After September 1940,
the code number was replaced by the
code initials "ac". Sometime in late
1940, the two numeral year date was
added below the initials. The code
aSSigned to the Mauser factory was
"byf," changed to "SVW" in early 1945.
Spreewerke was aSSigned the code
"cyq." As allied bombing raids increased
in late 1943 and early 1944, production
facilities were also established at the
Spreewerke factory in Bohemia, a
province of Czechoslovakia.
Walther and Mauser stamped the year
of manufacture beneath their codes, but
Spreewerke did not. And the
Spreewerke code sometimes appeared as
"cvq" due to a damaged die. Parts, such
as barrels, etc., were manufactured by a
Typical wartime production P.38. This

was the first double-action auto to be
officially adopted as a service firearm.
host of other factories throughout

Germany and Occupied Belgium and
Czechoslovakia.
Serial numbering followed the standard German practice of numbering
from 1 to 10,000, then adding an alphabetic letter after the next series. This
allowed for a run of 270,000 units after
which the alphabetiC letter was stamped
in front of the serial number and it started all over again. Walther restarted their
serial numbers every year but Mauser
and Spreewerke did not.
As an example, the code "ac/42" and
the serial number "1721a" on the side of
a P38 would indicate the 17,210 P38
pistol produced in 1942 by the Walther
factory.
It will come as no surprise that as the
war dragged on, quality diminished.
Pre-War and very early war P38s were
finished with a fine blue and had carefully molded checkered Bakelite grips.
By the war's end, the bluing was
replaced by a thin phosphate finish and
the grips were made of resin and wood
chips or were stamped from sheet steel.
Everything possible was done to push
production up in the face of the Allied
production juggernaut, including the
use of forced and slave labor in the three
company's factories.
Among the units equipped with the
P38 during the War were the Luftwaffe's
Fallschrimjaeger, or parachute troops.
Because of their suspension harness,
German parachutists jumped armed
only with a pistol and knife. Rifles and
long arms were dropped separately in
weapons canisters. Officers, couriers,
armored and unarmored vehicle drivers,
military police, machine gunners and
other crew-served weapons, artillerymen
received issues of the P38 in large num-
When the French captured the

Mauser factory toward the end of the
war, they found huge stockpiles of spare
parts and a large number of P38s finished with a light gray or gray-green
Parkerizing and stamped steel grips. As
weapons were in short supply, the
French reopened the assembly lines and
produced a P38 which collectors now
call the "Gray Ghost" because of the
color of their finish. They can be identified by the French five-pointed star
proof mark and their German "SVW"
code marking. Many of these turned up
in the hands of the Viet Minh and Viet
Cong in IndoChina, stolen and captured
from French forces there.
P38s were also assembled from parts
in Czechoslovakia (identified by the
proof mark "E" and a rampant Lion) and
the German Democratic Republic (sunburst proof mark).
Walther resumed military production

of the P38 with deliveries of a "Pistole 1"
or P-l to the West German Army in
1957. The P-l was virtually identical to
the P38 except for a black anodized aluminum alloy frame which reduced the
pistol's weight by some five ounces. Steel
parts were Parkerized a dark gray. The
post-War P38/P-l had a round firing pin
as opposed to the wartime square firing
pin with a rounded nose. Walther also
produced a "P38" with an aluminum
frame and walnut grips for the commercial market, and a .22 rimfire and .30
Luger (7.65 x 25 mm) variation, all
sought-after collector's items. The
P38/P-l was also licensed produced by
Manurhin in France.
A number of countries adopted the
P38/P-l in the postwar years including,
Austria, Pakistan, Norway, Portugal, the
Republic of South Africa, Chile, Peru,
and even Canada. Most of these countries have long since replaced the old
warhorse with more modern pistols
such as the Glock 17, the various SigSauer models and the Beretta 92.
THE P-4
Walther developed a compact, lighter
weight pistol in the early 1970s for law
enforcement use. The Pistole 4, or P-4,
GERMANWWD
NAPOLEON BoNAPARTE'S DAGGER
88mm AntiAircraftJTank Cannon
Feared by Allied aviators, this famous WWII

anti-aircraft gun was designed for use
against air, ground and sea targets. Although usually
~...~~
fired from afixed position, it could also be
mounted on wheels. The
"88" was also l
adapted for
anti-tank
use and
became the most
feared weapon of the
German Army during WWII. This
1116-scale die-cast metal model
features an 11.5" barrel
which raises to 85 0 and
traverses 360 0 as
Order Now
did the origiLimited Quantities
nal, which
14" x 14" and Over 4 Ibs.
fired 15-20
rounds per minute. Our safe
non-firing model is ideal for
display in your home or office. The overall height with barrel elevated at 85 is 14". The dimensions with platform legs ex1ended is 14"
x 14". The weight is an impressive 4.4 Ibs.
22-425 (Replica German 88mm Cannon) onw$88PPD
o!!1lll
~;"1IlI~PI
looked very much like the P-l except for

its shorter barrel (4.5 vs. 4.9 inches). But
the slide was heavier and made from a
single piece of steel and a hexagonal
steel pin was placed crosswise through
the aluminum frame to strengthen it. A
decocker was substituted for a manual
safety Unfortunately, the pistol was only
adopted by the West Berlin police and
the Federal border police, the
Bundesgrenzschutz. All have since been
replaced and sold as surplus.
The P.38 was the first double action
pistol to be adopted by a major military
power. Its design pushed the state-of-the
art in the late 1930s and its effect is evident even today Beretta adopted the basic
locking system for their line of post-war
double action pistols beginning with the
Brigadier and continuing into and
through the Model 92 series. The double
action feature is now standard on nearly
all the world's military and police pistols.
The P38, both wartime and postwar,
continues as a very popular collector's
item in the United States. While the
price of a new P.38 rose to well over
$1,000 by the start of the 1990s, the
large quantities of inexpensive used
P38s, P-ls and P-4s imported over the
past forty years have helped to develop a
broad collecting base.
DEALER INQUIRIES
INVITED
"ISTORIC
KOMAN DAGGER
Napoleon's original dagger was manufactured by the

famous goldsmith Martin Biennais in 1809. Our
exquisite museum-quality reproduction has a 10"
polished metal decorator blade, engraved
with a floral design. The hilt and scabbard are finished with a gold patina, are richly engraved and
embossed with emperor
image, eagle and
Napoleonic symbol.
Overall length: 15.4,"
Weight: 1.2 Ibs.
Features finely
engraved metal handle and
scabbard with 10" metal decorator
blade. Engravings show
eagles, lion and wolf. Length:
16," Blade: 10."
Weight: 2 Ibs.
LutTWAI'FE OffiCER'S
DAGGER
22-4115/N
Only
$51 PPD
-.
r COLLECTOR'S
This beautiful dagger has a 10" polished metal decorator blade,

engraved/embossed metai pommel,
crossguard and scabbard. Plastic handie wrapped with simulated brass wire.
Length: 16.5," Weight: 1.2 Ibs.
ARMOURY. Dept. MH P.O. Box 59, Alexandria, VA 22313
Send _--=_-=-:-=---=--=--:=--_-=--=----=;-::~~~:_;;___;;;_;:_;;~__=_=~____;;_;_;;_--
Credit Card Orders Call: 1-800-544-3456 ext. 515

0 Check Enclosed 0 Please Send Free 48-Page, Full-Color Catalog
o Money Order
Name
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was deemed excessively complicated

and just a little dangerous. Plus, many
soldiers were throwing them without
properly tripping the striker and the
Germans were picking them up and lobbing them back. During the war, the
Mark I was replaced with the more common Mark II, which looked much like
its Second World War counterpart, with
the handle and cover in one simple,
sheet steel unit, but with a shorter handle. Mark I grenades are getting quite
scarce and are bringing upwards of $200
each, depending upon condition.
RAFHAT
By Garry James
Answers to your Militaria Questions

FRENCH SHAKO
Q: I recently purchased an interesting shako for a pretty good price-in
fact the price was so good, that I didn't really worry about exactly what it
was. My guess is that it may be
French. It is about 7 inches tall and
made out of a black leather-like material. The large brass plate in front features a crowned eagle over the cutout
number "45." The chinstrap is of
brass scales, held in place by two buttons with stars in them. The top of the
hat has a gold band and there is a double red and yellow pompom with a
brass "4." At the top ofthe helmet is a
red white and blue cockade, made out
of cloth. As well there is a green braid
front and back. Condition is very
good. It even has the internal laced
leather sweatband. What is it?
-Bill Martin
Pensacola, FL
Alarm rattles, such as this World

War I U.S. model, were used by
many armies as calls-to-arms or as
warning devices.
24
A: It looks pretty much like you have

a French shako, c. 1855-1860. The "45"
indicates the regiment, and the "4" the
company The eagle you describe, is similar to that used by Emperor Napoleon 1.
It was later adopted by his nephew,
Napoleon III. Sounds like a nice piece.
My only concern is the green cord you
describe. My guess is that it was added
later to embellish the piece for sale. Does
the cord look "period?"
ALARM RATTLE
Q:ln going over my grandfather's
World War I gear, I found a large
wooden device, that looks much like
the noisemakers one sees at
Halloween. It measures 10 inches
long by 4 inches wide, and appears to
be made out of oak. There is a large
wooden handle that activates a wooden gear. This in turn snaps against a
wooden insert to make the noise.
When I give it a turn,
the sound is quite
loud. On the side
is the stamping,
"W.W.S.1918."
Can you tell me
what this is? Does
it have any value?
-Mark
Moldenhauer
Biloxi, MS
A: You have a U.S.
World War I vintage alarm rattle. These
were used to alert troops to some sort of
danger or to prepare them for action.
During the Great War, alarm rattles were
most commonly used for gas attacks.
Actually the concept goes back a ways.
Alarm rattles were used by the Royal
Navy in the Napoleonic Wars and were
seen during the American Civil War.
This French infantry shako dates from

around 1855-1860. The eagle on the front
was adopted by Napoleon /II, who copied
much of his insignia from that of his more
illustrious uncle, Napoleon I.
Q: My family is from Britain, and

one of my uncles was in the Royal Air
Force during World War II. We do
have some bits and pieces of his uniform, including a hat. Like the uniform, the hat is of a blue-grey material. The peak is of material, as well,
and the front has a gold eagle over
some sort of leaves or fronds. There is
a black woolen band around the midpoint. At top is a crown that does not
look like the one currently used by
First World War vintage specimens are

fairly common. I would guess your piece
is worth in the neighborhood of $100 to
$125.
Queen Elizabeth. Inside the sweat

band is marked, "The 'Bates' Service
Cap/FINEST QUALITY" and
"BATES/ Hatter/21a Jermyn
Street'/St. James/LONDON." There
is also a leather chinstrap held on by
two black cloth-covered buttons.
Does this have any value?
-Phil Burton
Montreal, Canada
Supposedly the initials "S.R.D." stood

for "service rum diluted", but the
Tommies quipped that it really meant,
"seldom reaches destination." While
there are good numbers of these around,
they are still quite sought-after by World
War I enthusiasts.
G
A: An easy one. As you surmised,

you have a Royal Air Force officer's cap
of World War II vintage. The crown
you describe is the "king's crown"
which has a more sloping top than the
queen's crown. These are now getting
rather hard to come by and can bring
$150, or more, in good shape.
U.S. "PINEAPPLE" GRENADE

Q: I have an inert hand grenade. It
looks very much like the ones you see
in all the World War II movies-that
is, like a small pineapple. The body is
of cast iron with the number "7" and
the letter "F" in a small diamond. The
handle is different from most ones
that I have seen, as it is riveted to the
fuse unit separately, is of rather elaborate stamped metal and will swivel.
Some collectors have told me that it
may be experimental. Is it?
-Will Birken
Missoula, MY
A: Your grenade is not experimental,
but it is interesting, in that it is a U.S.
Mark I fragmentation style, of World
War I vintage. The waffle-like exterior
was designed to break apart upon detonation, and this worked fairly well,
depending upon the integrity of the
casting. The handle arrangement you
describe is somewhat different than the
later, more common type, in that it
remained affixed to the grenade fuse
when it was thrown. To operate the unit,
the pin was pulled and the handle
turned to release the striker. This setup
World War /I Royal Air Force officers' hats are getting a bit on the scarce side. They are
quite popular with collectors and can command pretty good prices.
BRIT "S.R.D." JUG

Q: I have an interesting earthenware jug, which a friend said might
be military-possibly American
from the Indian Wars period. It is
about 13 inches high. The base is
tan and unglazed, while the top portion is a darker glazed brown. The
letters "S.R.D." are printed on one
side of the top. On the bottom of the
jug, within an oval it reads, "MOIRA
CO LTD POTTERY." Is this Indian
Wars? What does "S.R.D." stand
for?
-Chuck Weems
Los Angeles, CA
The U.S. Mark I fragmentation grenade
was issued during World War I, but
because of an excessively complicated
mechanism, was replaced during that conflict with the more common Mark /I.
A: You have a British First World War

rum bottle. As you know, the British
Army and Navy were given a daily rum
ration, and the libation was carried to
the front in jugs such as this one.
During World War I, British troops were

issued their rum rations from bottles like
this one. "S.R.D." supposedly stood for
"service rum diluted. "
ITEM:
HOW THEY WON THE

WAR IN THE PACIFIC
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CIVIL
WAR USAGE
This meticulous study is a concentrated look at Naval

Admiral Chester W. Nimitz and his subordinate leaders - fighting men under stress - and the relationship
of fighting admirals to their top leaders and each
other. How They Won the War in the Pacific shows
Admiral Chester W. Nimitz as history will record him
- as the wise, calm tower of strength in adversity and
success, the prindpal architect ofvictory in the Padfic
during World War n. 554 pages, softcover.
What was a "ready finder"? An "amputee fork"? Who

was the "Grim Chieftain"? These and many more Civil
War words are defined in Webb Garrison's illustrated
compendium of the everyday language of soldiers
and dvilians. 274 pages, hardcover.
ITEM:
THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER

STORY: 1908-1945
WHWP $19.95
RETREAT TO VICTORY?:
Confederate Strategy
Reconsidered
Did the Confederate armies attack too often for
their own good during the Civil War? Was the
relentless, sometimes costly effol1 to preserve territory a blunder? These questions have dogged
historians since Appomattox. Author Robert G.
Tanner offers a fresh perspective on Confederate
strategy, arguing that deep retreats and battle
avoidance were not available to Southern leaders in their wartime planning. 162 pages, softcover.
ITEM: CRlV $15.95
SARATOGA
TUIlNINU POINT OF
AMEfUC\'S
HI~VOLlJTrONARYWAR
RICHARD M.
KETCHUM
Basing his accounts on diaries, letters and field documents of the participants, Richard Ketchum brings
one of the Revolutionary War's most significant battles to life. Saratoga shows how ordinary Americans
turned a lost cause into the victory that made an
independent America possible. 546 pages, softcover.
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CWUS $27.95
Aircraft carriers carne of age in the Second

World War, when they supplanted the great
traditional capital ships as the strategic core of
naval warfare. Author Guy Robbins traces
Roy,tl Navy, American and Japanese progress
in carrier development and strategy through
the interwar years, shOWing how naval powers
gradually shifted their thinking to favor the
carrier. Black and white photographs throughout. 288 pages, hardcover.
ITEM:
Ci1];;
THE CIVIL WAR ON THE

WEB: A Guide to the Very
Best Sites
Author David Evans has recreated a vivid,

captivating and meticulously detailed image
of the day-to-day life of the Union horse soldier. Based largely upon previously unpublished materials, Sherman's Horsemen provides the definitive account of this hitherto neglected aspect of the Civil
War. 648 pages, hardcover.
ITEM: CSHU $33.95
The grO\ving public interest in the Civil War has

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Sites, a rating of each site's content, aesthetics and
navigation, a list of over 300 additional
recommended sites, including URI.s and brief descriptions, and a free CDROM with hotlinks to all 400 sites in the book. 200 pages, softcover.
ITEM:
For the first three years of the war RAF Coastal

Command's battle against the Gennan U-boats had
been long and hard But with the Battle of the Atlantic
at crisis point for the Gennans, following developments
in anti-submarine radar and in Leigh Light-carrying aircraft, Admiral DOnitz was
suddenly forced to change his tactics drastically. 240 pages, hardcover.
ITEM:
ACOB $32.95
American Paratroorer's Memoir of DDay and the Fall 0 the Third Reich
David Kenyon Webster wrote Parachute Infantry a
short time after his stint as a paratrooper in World
War n, relying on his letters home and recollections
he penned right after his discharge, making his
memoir much closer to the war than most such
works. With its abundant dialogue, charged descriptions of places and events, and deft evocations of emotions, Webster's narrative resonates with the immediacy of a gripping novel. 262 pages, softcover.
ITEM:
WPIA $16.95
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Order online: TheHistoryNetShop.com

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For product or shipping inquiries -
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tel. 1-800-358-6327.
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ITEM:
MTWW $13.95
and the Korean War, JuneDecember 1950
Aquarter century after the fall of Saigon, controversy still

S\virls around the Vietnam War. Drawing extensively on
the unmatched archives of CBS News and the testimony
of the soldiers and correspondents, Vietnam: On the
Frontlines tells the story of the war as it happened, creating a personal and powerful portrait of the longest
running conflict America has ever been involved in. Four
video set. Vie,ving time approximately 200 minutes.
CSS SQUIB
TRUE WORLD WAR I STORIES

This collection contains sixty personal accounts
from the greatest war the world had ever known. It
is a fascinating record of eye,vitness accounts of
some of the bloodiest battles of the conflict,
including Loos, Mons, Ypres and the Somme, from
tlle opening moves to the day peace was signed.
425 pages, softcover.
THE DRAGON STRIKES: China
VIETNAM: On the Frontlines
CCWW $16.95
CWB6 $43.95
Airborne from Normandy to Bastogne

Written shortly after the war-but never before published- Robert Bowen's narrative is immediate, direct
and compelling. His account, one of the few by a
member of a glider regiment, is a brutal insight into
. the battlefields of World War n and a vivid recreation
of just what life was like in an elite unit. From tlle horror of D-Day and the despair of captivity, to personal
recollections of ordinary men in an extraordinary conflict, this memoir tells the
story of one man's total war. 256 pages, hardcover. ITEM: WFSE $29.95
CSS DAVID
On the night of April 9, 1864, Lt. Hunter Davidson, CSN and a crew of six
men in a small armored launch, the CSS Squib, successfully attacked the
265 foot, 47 gun USS Minnesota in Hampton Roads, Virginia. The small
53 pound, soar mounted torpedo struck the Minnesota amidships creating havoc and despair among the crew. While the Minnesota was not
severely damaged, the threat of small, fast boats with their deadly cargo of
torpedoes was firmly established. Limited edition print. 11" x 17".
ITEM:
FIGHTING WITH THE SCREAMING EAGLES: With the IOlst
The CSS David was the first vessel designed specifically from the keel up as
a torpedo boat, and the first in naval history to explode a torpedo against
the side of an enemy ship. On that night of October 5, 1863, the USS New
Ironsides was placed out of action for almost two years. limited edition
print. 11" x 17".
ITEM: CWB3 $43.95
PARACHUTE INFANTRY: An
Here is the story of the Second World War, as it happened, unfurled day by day, involving every combatant nation and in every theater of war. Recorded
accurately and impartially, here are all the major
engagements on land, sea and in the air: gains and
losses, triumphs and tragedies all concisely chrOnicled. An invaluable aid to detailed study of the war.
286 pages, softcover.
ITEM: WCWW $17.95
Union Cavalry Operations

in the Atlanta Campaign
Momentous Battles Fought by

RAF and American Aircraft
Against the U-Boats, Bay of
Biscay May-August 1943
MACS $34.95
CHRONOLOGY OF WORLD
WAR II
SHERMAN'S HORSEMEN:
CONFLICT OVER THE BAY:
VVOF $34.95
What brought the Chinese into the Korean War?

How could a primitive force, such as the People's
Uberation Army (PIA), stand up against America's
modern military might? Author and Korean War
veteran Patrick C. Roe was a young intelligence officer serving with the 3d
Battalion, 7th marines as they advanced toward the Chosin Reservoir. Learn
first hand about the events leading up to tlle massive Chinese offensive. 466
pages, hardcover.
ITEM: MTDS $29.95
CS 1ST TEXAS
INFANTRYMAN
CS 57Tll VIRGINIA INFANTRY
This 12" figure has over 20 points of articulation

and features the authentic look of a CS 1st Texas
Infantryman. Each figure includes: a Forage cap
with Texas plate, 1842 Musket, Socket bayonet
with scabbard, Leather belt with Texas plate, Cap
pouch, CS cartridge box and sling, Haversack,
Tin Cup, Texas issue frock coat, Trousers, brogans and Hard pack with blanket and canteen.
Due to small parts and sharp points these items
are not suitable for small children.
This 12-inch figure has over 20 points of

articulation and is an autllentic representation
of a CS 57th Virginia Infantryman. His historically accurate uniform includes slouch hat,
shell jacket, leather belt, buckle, bayonet
scabbard, cap pouch, Richmond cartridge box
'vith sling, canteen, haversack, cup, bedroll,
socket bayonet and 1861 Richmond Armory
rille. Makes a perfect gift for any Civil War
enthusiast! Recommended for ages 5 and up.
ITEM:
CBAC $29.95
Pancho Villa's Mexican revolutionary army

grew from a small band of vaqueros, townspeople, and rural peasants
to become one of the most formidable, victorious, and extremely
colorful fighting forces the world has ever seen!
By Phil Spangenberger
ateline:
Mexico,
November, 1910: To the
cry of Tierra y LibertadLand and Liberty-the
long oppressed people of
this Latin-American country rose up in
arms against more than three decades of
an unjust government. Inspired by a
new generation of political leaders who
cried out for democracy, peasant farmers
and ranchers, small business owners,
laborers and servants-the poor and the
middle class-all joined forces in a
nationwide revolt to return Mexico to
the Mexicans. No longer would they be
satisfied to be ruled by a handful of corrupt autocratic public officials, this new
breed of educated political men
wanted a government of the people,
but subject to the strict limits of the
law, where they could enjoy true participation in the political life of their
nation.
Under the 31-year rule of Mexico's
Presidente, Porfirio Diaz, the citizenry
was forced to live under a cruel political system where more than 95 percent of the native people were treated
as second class citizens-or worseas non citizens, with little or no political voice, while foreign investors,
land owners and the well-favored
rich class, were given every benefit
Left: One of the most recognizable

aspects of the Mexican revolutionary,
especially the Villista volunteers, is the
great number of ammunition belts
they wore. Here, General Francisco
"Pancho" Villa (front row, fourth from
left), and his lieutenants pose for the
photographer, under their crossed
bandoleros, extra waist belts and
ammunition pouches, carried for their
Mauser rifles, pistolas, and other
weaponry.
Diaz and his jefes politicos-local political bosses, could take from the working
class. Courts protected the rights of the
rich foreign patrons over Mexican
nationals, land was confiscated from the
peasants and turned over to the large
haCiendas-ranching corporations that
were run by extremely wealthy locals or
foreign backers. There was little or no
justice for a natural born Mexican-in
fact, in the eyes of the ruling class-to
be born in Mexico was tantamount to
being an inferior, shunned from high
position and put at a great disadvantage
in bettering one's life.
The wealth of the nation, owned by
about three percent of the population-
with much of that actually owned by

less than one percent-constantly
flowed out of the country, and what
international trade brought back into
Mexico, was turned around to flow
beyond its borders again, leaving scant
remnants for the poor and the working
class. This grossly uneven distribution of
the Mexican peoples' chance to live and
prosper resulted in the motto "Mexicomother of foreigners, stepmother of
Mexicans."
After being pressured into an election
in)une 1910, by his leading political
opponent Franciso 1. Madero, who had
organized a series of strikes throughout
the country, campaigned to return all
land taken from the Mexican people,
restore voting rights, and adopt a
one-term limit for the preSident.
Fearing defeat, Diaz had Madero
jailed on false charges. In a violent
and rigged election, Diaz was
"reelected" for the eighth time.
Released on bail, after the "voting,"
Madero fled Mexico and in October
declared himself President Pro-Temp
until a fair election could be held.
With much support from the populace, Madero called for an uprising on
November 20th, 1910, thus offiCially
From head to toe, The Villista caballero
represented the classic horseman
from South of the Border. Although
these hard riding, colorful centaurs of
Old Mexico wore a variety of attire,
when one thinks of Pancho Villa's revolucionarios, it was the vaquero's
dress that has captured our mind's
eye. Villista horsemen were Mexico's
cowboy soldiers, often armed with an
1894 Model Winchester and six-shooter, they usually wore the short vaquero
jacket, thigh-high leggings, and a large
sombrero.
THE
VILLISTAS
starting the Mexican Revolution.
FROM VAQUEROS TO
GUERILLA FIGHTERS
In the months before the opening of
the revolt, Madero had allied with a
number of localjefes, men who commanded the respect and alkgiance of the
local villagers. Chief among these was a
former mule skinner and cattle rustler
from the state of Chihuahua, named
Doroteo Arango, but with a price on his
head by the Rurales-the national
mounted police force who patrolled the
Mexican countryside-he took up the
name, Francisco Villa, but was better
known by his nickname Pancho. Having
pledged himself as a loyal Maderist,
upon the opening of La Revolucion, Villa
began his military career as an elected
captain of 28 men, serving in a rebel
force of about 100, under the command
of one of Madero's local party leaders,
Castulo Herrera. Because of Herrera's
inability to control his men and Villa's
natural leadership skills, combined with
his strategic talents, he gradually
assumed full command. Soon, with the
support of the people of northern
Mexico, who hated the abusive ranchers
and wealthy landlords who controlled
their lives, Villa's army quickly grew from
a small band of followers to one of the
largest, and most successful, guerilla
forces during the Mexican Revolution. It
was the Villistas who aided Madero's
forces in the capture of the border town
of Ciudad]uarez, helping to topple the
Diaz government. Throughout the
Revolution, Villa's army represented a
major force in the Mexican peoples fight.
These Villistas, as they rapidly became
known as, were at first made up of

vaqueros and pack drivers, but soon
Pancho Villas command grew to include
freedom fighters from all walks of lifecommon laborers, tradesmen, small
shop and business owners, students,
and professional men, as well as women
and even children. Besides native
Mexicanos, A number of American mercenaries also rode across the Rio Grande
River to join in the fight. With each battle, more and more volunteers left their
ranches, farms, and pueblos, to ride or
I
Virtually any type of fireatm and ammunition that could be obtained by Pancho Villa's
rebels was used. Here, a selection of military and sporting rifle, and revolver cartridges
includes (left to right): tmm Mauser, .30-30 Winchester, .38-55 Winchester & Ballard,
.45-70 Government (18705 vintage Benet primed, purchased as surplus), .45 Colt, .45
S&W Schofield, .44 Henry rimfire, .38-40, .38 Short Rimfire.
march to Villa's side, to aid in the struggle to return Mexico to its rightful people-the Mexicans!
WARRIORS IN SOMBREROS
AND SUIT COATS
Because this was an army of citizen
revolucionarios, there were no uniforms.
Volunteers joined Villa's force with whatever clothing they could furnish from
their own meager wardrobes. Many
from the farming and peasant class
fought in the white cotton garments as
adopted by the local peones. These generally consisted of loose fitting trousers
and shirts, huaraches (sandals)-also
known as sandalias, and for headwear,
wide-brimmed straw sombreros. If the
Villlista came from the working or "blue
collar" middle class, he may have served
his cause in the garments particular to
his occupation. If however, this freedom
fighter was a "white collar" office worker
or even a professional, then his everyday
business suit clothes of wool, linen, or
some other natural fiber, became his
field uniform-complete with vest and
perhaps a starched collar, and necktie!
One's outfit was often completed with a
fedora, the large Mexican sombrero, a
"liberated" campaign-style hat, or the
occasional cork pith helmet. If no civil-
ian clothing was available, captured military uniforms were also donned for the
cause-but with all remnants of the
"donor's" insignia removed!
Women and children-and there
were plenty of both campaigning with
Villa-wore traditional "everyday"
clothing from their respective backgrounds. Notably, rather than adopting
male garb, the women appear to have
almost universally worn full, anklelength skirts of the period with the popular full cut "mono-bosom" or "pigeonchest" type blouses, or perhaps the
loose fitting peasant tops. Also popular,
were the more tailored suit-type-parlor, or promenade (walking)-dresses
with their fitted jackets-complete with
the appropriate petticoats and other
"proper" undergarments of the eradepending on the lady's position in life,
personal wealth, and other factors governing her wardrobe. If the Senora was
an equestrian, she would either ride
sidesaddle, or adopt the then popular,
loose-legged, split riding skirt, for her
horseback campaigning. Interestingly
though, despite not shunning their normal feminine attire, female volunteers
wore virtually the same headgear as
their male counterparts.
Perhaps the only piece of "uniform,"
or identifying insignia that was ever

made available to these Villistas-and
this didn't exist until around September
of 1913, when Pancho Villa was
appointed a Brigadier General and
formed the famed "Division of the
North"-was a simple strip of grossgrain (pronounced grow-grain), silken
ribbon, measuring about 12'/2 inches
long, by 1 3/4 inches in width. This
"badge" bore the Mexican national tricolors of red, white, and green, running
along its entire length, along with the
legend "DIVISION DEL NORTE," and
"BRIGADA VILLA," printed in black.
Although not issued to everyone in
Villas' command, these ribbons can be
seen in occasional photographs of the
period, worn by many Villistas in a
number of ways. Some soldados (soldiers) wore a single ribbon pinned or
sewn to his or her clothing, such as sombreros, coat lapels or sleeves, shirts, and
vests, while others sported several of
these distinctive adornments. This sole
ribbon was sometimes all that distinguished a Villa volunteer as such, and
undoubtedly could be a lifesaver in certain instances.
Although Villa's brigade consisted of
several types of fighting units, including
infantry, artillery, and cavalry, it is the
Winchesters played a big part in the

Mexican Revolution of 1910. Here,
propped against an old adobe hacienda
wall are three of the most oft-used rifles
of the struggle. From left to right, they
are: a Model 1894 carbine in .30-30 caliber,
a .44-40 Model 1873 rifle, and an 1892
Model carbine in .44-40 chambering.
Courtesy Rick Hacker and author:
THE
VILLISTAS
horsemen-the cavalry and mounted
infantry-of Pancho Villa's guerilla
force that has come to symbolize these
revolucionarios firmly in our minds-eye.
These were the vaqueros, the pack
drivers, the working cowboys of Old
Mexico and the charros-gentlemen
ranchers, who made up the most colorful units of Villa's army.
From head to toe, the Villista caballero
(horseman) was the very image of the
adventurer-the romantico-the classic
horseman from South of the Border. It
was this irregular cavalry force that successfully eluded American Generaljohn
J. "Black Jack" Pershing's Punitive
Expedition, for almost a full year, hiding
in the shadowy mountains, while continually harassing the Americans, until
these Yanqui invaders withdrew from the
chase. Hard riding, colorful centaurs of Clockwise from top are a selection of the many types of revolvers used by Villa's guerilla
the south, these vaqueros were much fighters during La Revolucion. They are: a double-action Colt 1877 .41 "Thunderer,"
3
like their Americano brothers in the sad- 1878 Colt "Frontier" .44-40 double action, .44-40 Sisley Model Colt, 4 /4-inch Colt Single
dle, when it came to their dress-per- Action Anny "Frontier Six-Shooter" .44-40 revolver, 7'12-inch .45 Colt "Peacemaker,"
haps not in the same fashion-but cer- S&W Model1'h in 32 S&W caliber, Hopkins & Allen's "Forehand Model 1901" in .32 Short
tainly with as much flair and individual- centerfire, .38 centerfire Remington-Smoot New Line Model No.3 revolver, Colt 1860
Anny (metallic cartridge conversion) in .44 Colt centerfire with barrel cut to 6 inches,
ism that one could muster.
Smith & Wesson's Model 3 Russian in.44 S&W Russian chambering, Merwin, Hulbert &
Like his fellow revolucionarios, the Co. Anny model in .44 Merwin, Hulbert caliber, .44-40 Merwin, Hulbert & Co. Pocket
Villista horseman wore a variety of attire, Anny model, Colt's New Anny & Navy revolver in .38 Colt. Author's collection.
from the simple peasant wear, to busi
ness suits, and working or fancy vaquero
garb-or any combination of the aforementioned. A typical Villista soldado
could be found in working-type, military, or dressier business suit pants, or
perhaps the traditional Mexican vaquero
costume pantalones. These trousers, with
their fitted legs that flared at the bottoms
and the distinctive small flap running
down the outer length of each leg were
often adorned with embroidery, fancy
buttons, or other enhancements, and
more often than not, were constructed
of a heavy wool-usually showing a
striped pattern of some sort. In many
cases, these pantalones were constructed
with a fancily bordered, reinforced
leather saddle seat, which extended
from the seat bottom down the entire
length of the inner side of each leg. The
era in discussion here was one of several
changes in fashion, including the more
frequent use of belt loops. Trousers of
this period could be made in the older
fashion-sans belt loops-for the use of
galluses (suspenders), or with loops for a
dress belt. In either event, pants of that Most Villistas carried edged weapons of some sort. Set against the backdrop of a
time were high-waisted affairs, sporting Sinaloa-style mochilla (saddle covering) with serape and rawhide reata (lariat), is a
button front flies.
machete with scabbard, a trio of native-produced daggers, and a pair of Mexican offiTucked into his trousers, our Villista cers espada anchas (short broad swords). From the collections ofAI Frisch, Phil Martin,
would have worn almost any long- and author.
Ifamounted
Villista soldado
was ofpeasant
stock, and couldn't
afford boots, his
"captured"
espuelas (spurs)
might be worn over
leather, spat-type
ankle gannentsknown as sabre
botinas - which were laced over the horseman's crudely constructed huaraches - or
even worn with a pair of sandalias (sandals). These protective devices served to keep
the iron spurs from rubbing one's bare foot raw.
Two styles of native
Mexican spurs used
by Villista horsemen
were the (left)
graceful Sonoras,
which are the forerunners of the
American
"California" pattern,
and the shorter,
heavier, and stubbier, Chihuahua
type, more commonly called the
Charro heel spur.
Author's collection.
A seldom seen and interesting piece of

the Mexican vaquero's gear that was used
by some mounted Villistas was the cepillo-a small whiskbroom type of horse
grooming brush that was crafted from
cactus plant fibers. This handy tool could
be hung over the saddle horn by its braided cactus fiber loop.
THE
VILLISTAS
sleeved work or dress shirt of the day,
perhaps with or without the separately
attached collar, or of the variety that was
manufactured with a permanently
affixed roll collar. More often than not,
the garment would be buttoned to the
throat, and very likely the horseman

would wear a necktie. Over this shirt
would be worn a suit coat, perhaps a
standard woolen, corduroy, or linen
business-type variety, or of the belted
"Norfolk" style that was then universally
popular with hunters and other outdoorsmen. If the horseman had been a
working vaquero or chano, he would
have very likely sported the short, waistlength, bolero-style jacket, that was gen-
The Chihuahua seat is the basic saddle form in use by Mexican horsemen today, and
was extremely popular with Villas'troops. Consisting of a tree covered with a thin (goat
skin) rawhide covering of the "half-seat" design (only the rear halfof the actual seat
portion is covered with tanned leather), it boasted a large, dinner-plate horn, stirrup
leathers hung-in typical fashion - over the sidebars, with either open or leather
tapadero-covered, squared stirrups (as shown here). The Chihuahua's squared leather
skirts were often lined with thick felt. It was a comfortable, but not overly heavy saddle.
Because so many Villistas were vaqueros, they often carried reatas, like this maguey
cactus fiber lariat, coiled under the huge horn on the off (right) side of their caballo
(horse), along with other gear, like a canteen, blanket roll or serape, rifle and scabbard,
and small saddlebags, known as cantinas, for what few personal gear they may need.
Although not shown, a machete or espada ancha was often part of their regular equipment. Phil Martin collection
erally decorated with embroidery, flat

braid work embellishments, frogging
(ornamental looped braid or cord with
buttons or knots, used to fasten the garment front) or even silver or gilt bullion
trim-if the wearer could afford such
luxuries. These short coats were often
quite colorful, could be made plain or
fancy, and were also made of wool, corduroy, or any of several natural jacketing
materials-including suede leather.
Over the trousers, Mexican horsemen
wore a number of various types of
footwear, ranging from standard kneehigh riding boots, to the short Spanishstyle botitas-or short ankle-length boot.
One of the more favored styles with
vaqueros was the wearing of the anklehigh slip-on boots, or brogans of the
lace-up type, covered with thigh-length
leather or canvas leggings. With a heel
strap at the bottom and a row of buckles
attached along the outer side of these leggings, they offered a dashing appearance
and good protection against the chapparai-or brushy country. If a mounted soldado was of peasant stock, and couldn't
afford boots, crudely constructed
huaraches or sandalias were worn.
If espuelas (spurs) could be obtained
by these pobres-poor ones, they might
attach them to their sandals over a pair
of leather spat-type ankle garments,
known as sobre botinas, which served to
keep the iron spurs from rubbing one's
bare foot raw. Incidentally, the two most
common type of spurs then in use in
Old Mexico were the Sonora style-traditional, graceful-looking spurs, featuring longer, slender heel bands, with
long, slightly curved, goose-necked-type
shanks (much like the American cowboy's California-pattern spurs that had
descended from this older form), and
generally fitted with large rowels. The
other type-one that is more familiar to
many of today's equestrians-is the
shorter and bulkier Chihuahua-style
chano heel spurs, with short, thicker
and wider heel bands, a stubbier and
straighter shank, and equally large,
multi-pointed rowels.
Topping off the Villista horseman's
outfit was the famous Mexican sombrero
grande-or large hat. Of course, almost
any form of headgear, such as those
mentioned earlier in this text, were
worn, but by far, the classic sombrero
appears to have been the Villista horseman's favorite. Constructed of fur felts,
or straw, and ranging from hats made of
thin flimsy materials, to thick, sturdy
goods, these sombreros boasted huge
brims-some as wide as 7 inches or
more! Crowns were usually of the tall
(7-10 inches), tapered "sugarloaf' con-
figuration, or the low (5-6 inches) wider,

rounded top form. However, not all
sombreros were extremely wide
brimmed, a number of them were fashioned with brims of a more conservative
size, say about 4'/2 to 6 inches in width,
yet still featuring the sugarloaf crown.
Regardless of size or style, many of these
hats were festooned with ornamentation
in the form of bullion threaded corded
designs, appliqued motifs such as the
national eagle, snake, and cactus symbol, horseshoes, horse heads, stars, and
other shapes, and almost all of them
sported fancy hat bands of cord, braided
leather, or some such decoration.
CARTRIDGE BELTS,
AND EVEN MORE CARTRIDGE BELTS!
Of course, along with personal clothing, the Villista-regardless of how one
served-piled on as many cartridge
belts, bandoliers, assorted ammunition
pouches, and other military gear as was
humanly possible to carry on themselves
for their life in the field. Leather
cartucho-or "cartridge" belts were quite
common, especially the type we've come
to recognize as "Western" gunbelts, with
a full complement of cartridge loops.
The woven canvas "Mills" type ammo
belts, both military and civilian models
were also heavily used. Bandoleros, or
bandoliers, ranging from belts filled
with cartridges in a row of loops, to the
Mauser pouch-type were employed if
one were using a magazine-type rifle.
Some revolutionaries wore a single belt,
but more often than not, several belts
were worn. Belts were strapped around
one's waist, crisscrossed over the shoulders, hanging from saddles, and just
about anywhere extra ammunition
could be carried.
Pistol and revolver holsters were
either captured military specimens, or of
the popular patterns of the day-primarily-if not ironically-the most
common revolver holster (and even for
some early automatic pistols) was the
"Mexican Loop" style, as had been used
in the West since the mid-IS70s. While
many holsters were relatively plain,
bearing the simple rolled-border tooled
designs, full floral carved holsters were
not uncommon, and the Mexican-produced versions, sporting the metallic
bullion or maguey (cactus fiber) embroidered designs, known as pita, also found
much favor. Shoulder holsters were
another popular method of packing a
sidearm, by those who could obtain one.
Blankets and other personal baggage
were usually minimal, and extra clothing (if there were any) and other person-
al items were often rolled into a blanket,

and tied in the classic "horseshoe" roll,
over the shoulder, perhaps along with a
serape, or another blanket tossed loosely
over one's shoulder.
AN ARMY ON HORSEBACK!
Villa's brigade traveled largely on
horseback, by horse-drawn wagons, or
on foot-although a few early automo-
biles were employed. Regardless, it was

Villa's horsemen who were the shock
troops, his chief form of reconnaissance,
and from all indications, appear to have
been his personal favorite mode of travel
and waging war. Virtually any type of
silla de montura-the Mexican name for
a "saddle"-was put into service by the
Villistas, including captured military
models, American stock (cowboy) sadMILITARY CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED 35
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VILLISTAS
dIes, and sidesaddles for the mujeres
(women), but most of the Villistasespecially if they had been vaqueros
before the revolution-rode native-produced, Mexican saddles.
Again, two types that were prominent
with these horsemen were the relatively
lightweight Chihuahua saddle and the
equally light Sinaloa tree (saddle). Each
style bears the name of the region their
design hails from. The Chihuahua seat is
the basic saddle form in use by Mexican
charro horsemen today, with its thin
rawhide (goat-skin) covered tree (seat)
of the "half-seat" deSign (only the rear
half of the actual seat section is covered
with tanned leather), large, dinner-plate
or half-apple style of horn, exposed stirrups hung over the bars of the tree (saddle seat), open or leather tapadero-covered squared stirrups, and squared
leather skirts-often lined underneath
with thick felt.
The Sinaloa saddle, hailing form

much further south, differs from the
Chihuahua style in that it features a
much longer necked, and smaller, more
graceful horn that, from a side view,
resembles the neck and head of a swan.
Further the Sinaloa seat has a higher
cantle (seat backing). Every Sinaloa tree
this writer has seen, appears to be made
from a more durable thickness of
rawhide-probably of steer hide. It too
is of the half-seat deSign, and like the
Chihuahua, its stirrups are also loosely
hung over the sidebars of the tree.
Tapaderos on the Sinaloa are very large,
and cover primitive, hand-hewn stirrups
of mesquite wood. These saddles also
boast of large squared skirts-often simply backed with a thin canvas covering.
Under the saddle, the horse was fitted
with the traditional pad or folded blanket for the animal's comfort.
Interestingly, vaqueros from the remote
regions often used locally produced
horse pad/blankets made of woven cactus fibers. Although inexpensive and
primitive in construction, these cactus
fiber pads were renown for allowing air
to pass through their loose weave, thus
cooling the horse's back, while never
galling or sore the animal. Native equipment such as this proved quite effective
in the hard campaigning that Villa's
troops endured.
Since the mounted Villista's home was
in the saddle, like any other horseback
soldier, he carried everything he needed
with him. Rifle scabbards were used if

his longarm was not slung over his
shoulder. Small cantinas (saddlebags)
stored his few personal possessions, as
did his blanket roll, tied to the saddle
behind him. Canteens, water bags, or
gourds, along with his reata (lariat) of
braided rawhide, or woven maguey cactus fiber, along with extra ammo belts,
maybe an espada ancha-the short broad
sword he carried, or a machete-the
large, broad-bladed knife, popular to
this day with latina horsemen-were
packed as a regular part of the horsemans regular equipment. Perhaps even a
cepillo-a small whiskbroom type of
horse grooming brush, also made from
cactus fibers-would be hung over the
horn. Virtually anything the Villista
needed and could carry, was packed
along-at least while on the march. The
author has even viewed photographs of
Mexican mounted rebels, carrying huge
bundles of hay for their mounts to forage on during a forced march!
ARMS FOR LA REVOLUCIONI

When one considers the various
forces that were involved in the fighting
during the Mexican Revolution-The
various Mexican Federal commands of a
string of presidentes, Revolutionary
forces like Villa, Zapata, and others, as
well as the United States Army during
the Punitive Expedition of 1916-it is
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Villa's forces boasted of a goodly number

of women, and other than their dresses,
these feminine revolucionarias dressed
much like the men. They too armed themselves to the teeth, and carried as much
ammunition as possible, in cartridge belts
and ammo pouches. Courtesy of Lee Silva
Here, Villistas storm the city of Ciudad Juarez, with their 1898 Mausers. Because Villa's
supporters were recruited from all walks of life, from the peasant farmers to vaqueros,
city office workers, and professional people alike - and it was a revolutionary citizen
force-a variety of civilian clothing can be seen in original photographs such as this.
Courtesy of Lee Silva
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"Short" cartridges-designed for the
myriad of cheap pocket pistols of the
age-as good defensive or offensive
loadings, they were nonetheless put into
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Even children served the various forces

during the revolution. Used as runners,
sentries-and even on the battle lines,
these hijos (children) often faced the
same dangers and hardships as adult
revolutionists. This young girl packs a
Winchester lever action rifle, a pockettype revolver, and several belts of
ammunition.
service through necessity Of course, the

favored cartridges among the Villistas
were the big bore revolver loads like .3840, .44-40 and .45 Colt, along with the
high-powered military smokeless rifle
ammunition, such as .30-06 Springfield
and .30-40 Krag. Even sport/hunting
rifle rounds that might be scrounged
from local ranches or other sources
would see use, like the popular .38-55
Winchester, .25-20 WCF, and the .30-30
Winchester, as well as other then-popular chamberings. With the exception of
the .30-30 load, which the Villistas usually seemed to be able to get lots of,
obtaining quantities of other types of
sporting ammo could be difficult.
Nevertheless, if a small supply of a
round such as .45-70 (and there would
have been a great deal of surplus military black powder cartridges in existence in the U.S. at this time) could be
obtained, it would be put to use in any
of a number of so-chambered rifles, like
1886 Winchesters, surplus 1873
Springfield "trapdoors," and the like.
The firearms run the entire gamut of
existing small arms of the era. Generally
speaking, virtually any arm produced up
through the time of the revolt could have
been used, however those cartridge arms
of the past half-century were those that
were most employed-depending on
their availability to the combatants.
Besides captured surplus Mausers, as
mentioned earlier, the most popular
arms of the Villistas were such weapons
as the 1873, 1892, 1894, and 1895
lever-action Winchester rifles and carabinas (carbines) undoubtedly with a few
Marlins, and other lever guns of the day
thrown in. Interestingly, the Winchester
Model 94, in .30-30 caliber, reached
such popularity with the Villistas, that
one of the favored folk songs of the
Mexican Revolution is entitled "Carabina
Treinte-Treinte," meaning simply" .30-30
Carbine." Another breed of firearm that
was oft used in the Revolution, was the
Single-shot, Remington Rolling Block
style rifles and carbines (besides
Mausers, some Rurales forces relied on
Remington Rolling Block carbines, and
such "repatriated" arms would have been
used by the rebel forces).
Pistols, particularly revolvers, were in
great demand with the Mexican forces.
Apparently, the feeling among the
Villistas was "the more the better," since
handguns were especially well suited to
the hit and run tactics often employed by
these guerilla fighters. Once again, as in
the American Wild West, the 1873 Colt
Single Action Army revolver was the most
popular choice, especially those finished
with nickel plating, since it resisted rust
"
The American soldier of fortune in the center of this period image is Buck Connors, a
"gringo" who ventured to Old Mexico to film the revolution. He's surrounded by other
revolutionists in suit coats, sombreros, and of course, the ever-present bandoliers of
extra ammunition over the shoulders! The photo also reveals that Connors is wearing a
Mexican tri-color ribbon around his sugarloaf-style sombrero, showing support for the
embattled nation. Courtesy of Lee Silva
A number ofAmericano mercenary soldiers fought in the Mexican Revolution - for both
sides! These Yankee fighters, part of "Madero's Legion," are armed with a variety of
Winchester rifles, including 1873 models, and Colt's sixguns. Like their Mexican national
counterparts, they have no uniforms, and fight in civilian clothing. Courtesy of Lee Silva
better. In the days of corrosive ammunition, this was an important feature with
troops who practiced almost no maintenance of their arms. Colt's Bisley Model
SAA, also appears to have been a prime
favorite "South of the Rio Grande," and it
is believed that the Bisley was favored by
Pancho Villa himself. Other Americanmade sixguns such as Merwin, Hulberts,
SA and DA Smith & Wessons, 1875 and
1890 model Remingtons-even the little
Iver ]ohnsons, Harrington &
Richardsons, and other relatively impotent hideout revolvers were used in great
quantity. If a firearm was already in the
country, or could somehow be brought
in, chances are, it was used by one side or
another, in this the first massive social

revolution of the 20th century
As we've seen, the Villistas had no
uniforms, no government to equip and
pay them. All they had was their word of
honor, the courage to fight in what they
believed in, the clothes on their backs,
and the weapons and equipment they
gathered through any means possible.
Nonetheless, they grew from a handful
of vaqueros, working class townspeople,
and rural peasants, to become a
formidable and victorious fighting force
that lived off the land, eluded their enemies with regularity, and waged war to
the cries of "Viva Villai," and "Viva la
Revolucion!"
~
n the fiercely-contested
battlefield of the Little
Bighorn that terrible and
triumphant June Sunday
in 1876, one combatant
in particular was a ferocious enigma.
The Cheyenne Dog Soldier Society warrior Yellow Nose was a man of small
stature, almost diminutive. He was actually a Southern Ute captured as a boy
some 18 years earlier and raised as a
Cheyenne. But onJune 25, 1876 when
the massed warriors of the Lakota Sioux
and Cheyenne nations crushed Lt.
Colonel George Armstrong Custer and
five troops of his fabled 7th Cavalry,
Yellow Nose played a pivotal role in the
final frenzied events on Last Stand Hill.
The adopted Cheyenne bearcat of a
fighter charged his war pony in amongst
Custer's dwindling command who were
fighting desperately from behind a ring
of 40 dead horses. Dust-stained troopers
and officers fired almost point blank at
the small warrior without seeming
effect. Another Cheyenne at the battle
described the ferocious action.
..I .'
~he Plains Warritus
Who Defeated Custer

~
.
By Dan Gagliasso
"Riding up to the ve'ho'e soldier he
grabbed the flag out of the trooper's
hand. The trooper was bleeding badly,
and now, as Yellow Nose wrenched the
flag from him, he dropped from his
horse. Yellow Nose did not bother to
touch him. Instead, he charged ahead,
striking soldiers right and left with the
flag, counting coup on them. Touching
the soldier's horses, as well, claiming
them as his own."
The large forked red and blue guidon
emblazoned with white crossed sabers
that Yellow Nose had so bravely won
possession of was none other then
Custer's own personal flag that had proclaimed his presence on the battlefield
since the days of Hanover and
Appomattox during the Civil War.
Cheyenne "suicide boys" who had
vowed to die in battle soon charged following Yellow Nose and all of their number, including young warriors like Black
Bear, Cut Belly and Noisy Walking, were
killed in this final rush that others found
heart in and joined. The Cheyenne warrior Stands in the Timber described the
"suicide boys" as they" ... charged right
in at the place were the soldiers were
making their stand, and the others followed them as soon as they got the horses away. The suicide boys started the
hand to hand fighting and all of them
were mortally wounded or killed."
The Hunkpapa Sioux blotahunka, or
head war chief, Gall, a blood enemy of
"Death
Man~
That
Custer's chief Arikara scout Bloody
Knife, had just lost two of his wives and
three children to the carbine fire of
Arikara scouts during Major Reno's
aborted charge on the south end of the
village. For the rest of the day he had
fought with a very bad heart, "After that
I killed my enemies with the hatchet."
Many a bluecoat trooper fell to Gall's war
axe that day
Gall was right in the thick of the final
fighting on Last Stand Hill. He described
Custer's men as "... fighting good. The
men were loading and firing. But they
could not hit the warriors in the ;gully
and the ravine. The dust and smoke was
black as evening. Once in a while we
could see the soldiers through the dust,
and finally we charged through them
with our ponies. I never saw any men
fight harder. They were right down on
their knees firing and loading until the
last man fell."
The mounted warriors of the
Northern Great Plains were a unique
group of individualistic fighters who
have captured the public's imagination
for well over a century. One need not

denigrate Custer and his men to appreciate the incredible fighting skills and
war customs of these warriors. Though
he fought against them, it is well documented that Custer himself was a great
admirer of the Plains' tribes, so it is
somewhat ironic that he should have
died at their hands.
The warrior horse culture of the
Northern Plains Indians only existed for
perhaps 125 years. The western Teton or
Lakota Sioux and the Northern and
Southern Cheyenne first began capturing, stealing or trading for horses around
1730 and it took several generations for
them to adapt the horse fully for war
and hunting. By 1800 the Plains peoples
were finally full-blown nomadic horse
societies who battled each other constantly over hunting lands, revenge, and
horses. But with their newfound fourfooted beast of war and burden, they
were now able to range much farther
afield following the vast migrating buffalo herds that, without horses they had
once had to drive off of high cliffs in
uncontrollable pedestrian-induced
stampedes.
Many romanticized half-truths have
sprung up around these great warriors,
often characterizing them as happy,
benevolent "earth-people" living at one
with nature who only fought in nonlethal fashion to gain honors amongst
their tribe. The truth is much more complex and interesting. The men of the
Two Lakota warriors, the one on the left

from the Kit Fox society, fight over the
spoils on Last Stand HiII-a 7th Cavalry
officer's buckskin jacket. Courtesy
David Powell
Face paint and horse war paint study

of a Sioux warrior of the 18705. His
horse's bridal is decorated with the
beard from a bull buffalo. Courtesy
David Powell
'~,J
~~>
Cheyenne warrior Wooden Leg as he

appeared with a blanket wrapped around
him during the battle of the Greasy Grass,
June 25, 1876. Courtesy David Powell
Plains' tribes need to be recognized as

tough, unrelenting warriors who fought
out of necessity for survival with unrelenting force, offering no quarter and
expecting none.
The Black Hills of Dakota, the most
sacred area to the Lakota Sioux, had
actually been wrested brutally from the
control of the Cheyenne, Kiowa and
finally the Crows during the late 18th
and early 19th centuries. As these
nomadic tribes wandered, clashed and
formed new alliances the strongest of
them took control of broad areas from
the weakest, just as the "white eyes" now
sought to do to these last free roaming
bands of Lakota and Cheyenne.
Respected historian Elliot West
recently surmised, "From the 1820s to
the 1860s the central plains were probably the most viciously contested terrain
of North America. The endemic intertribal conflict took at least as heavy a
toll, and probably a much higher one, as
later battles with whites."
In 1843 American missionaries witnessed a large Lakota war party attack a
Pawnee village as they set fire to the
lodges and then shot down almost 70
Pawnee, mainly women and children,
fleeing the burning village. All the
Lakota in this attack were reported as
well armed with the then-latest firearms.
And the Pawnee certainly did similar to
the Lakota on occasion, except that the
western Sioux were a much larger and
more aggressive tribe. It was only since
the late 1850s that the Lakota and
Cheyenne had finally found a common
A Lakota warrior society member in a ermine-covered

split hom bonnet brandishes Custer's unique Royal
Irish Constabulary double action revolver and buckskin
jacket while another Lakota warrior appropriates
Custer's watch. Courtesy David Powell
enemy, the two tribes allying to oppose

the Americans who now pushed westward in increasing numbers.
The battle at the Little Bighorn was
actually fought on lands that only 20
years before had been controlled by the
Lakotas' long time enemies, the Crows.
When American encroachment in the
early I800s began to push the Lakota
further westward from their mid-western homelands, they in tum pushed the
Crow, then in eastern Montana and the
Dakotas, off of their loosely defined
hunting grounds.
The once powerful Crows eventually
allied themselves with the Americans.
Something the Lakota had done themselves in 1823, actually loaning 800
warriors to a joint U.S. Army and Lakota
expedition against Arikaras who had
attacked American fur trappers along
the Missouri River. By 1876 the Arikaras
were a people struggling for survival,
decimated by smallpox, now scouting
for Custer and the 7th Cavalry
The Lakota had actually escaped such
deadly epidemics growing in numbers
and strength compared to many of their
enemies, in part because in the 1830s
their recent American allies had insisted
upon inoculating them against the
smallpox that had ravaged so many
other tribes at the time. The changing

balance of power and shifting alliances
were the brutal realities of their world at
that time.
One year after the Little Bighorn fight
many formally hostile Lakota and
Cheyenne fought side-by-side as scouts
with American troopers, including the
7th Cavalry, who were now chasing
Chief Joseph's Nez Perce and hold-out
Sioux, as well. Five of Custer's Arikara
scouts at the Little Bighorn, including
White Cloud, Whole Buffalo, Caroo and
Ma-tok-sha, were actually Lakota Sioux
who had married Arikara women-the
custom with the plains' tribes being that
a warrior joined his wife's band or tribe.
These former Lakota stayed loyal to their
wives' people and only one left and
rejoined warring Lakota.
The Lakota Sioux were the largest of
the relatively small warrior societies on
the plains. At the time of the Little
Bighorn the Lakota numbered perhaps
16,000 tribesmen overall. Not a few of
these warriors were often registered at
the agencies taking U.S. government
food for the winter. Many of the men of
fighting age would often leave their families on the reservation and head west
during the warm weather of summer to
hunt and fight with the free-roaming
Face paint, knotted hair and a painted

pony of a Lakota warrior brandishing a
captured cavalry carbine at the time of
the battle of the Greasy Grass. Courtesy
David Powell
Black and white images all painted by Charlie

Russell Protege Joe De Yang
bands of the respected holdouts like

Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse. The
Lakota allies, the Northern and
Southern Cheyenne, were made up of a
mere 2,500 or so men, women and children at the time. It was a hard life, surviving out on the prairie, fighting the
Crow, Pawnee, Shoshones, Arikara and
eventually the white man. It bred tough,
shrewd fighters.
Huge gatherings, such as the one at
the Little Bighorn in that summer of
1876, were a short-lived anomaly
brought about by good buffalo hunting
that summer and the influence of the
great Lakota holy man Tatanka
Iyoyanka or "Sitting Bull." Still a camp
of thousands of men, women, children,
dogs and horses could not sustain itself
for long. The gigantic assemblage of
Plains' tribesmen the Little Bighorn was
literally only in existence for less then a
week. When Sitting BullIed many of
the combined Lakota bands into exile
over the next year in Canada,
Cheyenne warrior with wolf
skin head dress and Sharp's
carbine. Courtesy Harold B.
Lee Library, Brigham
Young University
Northwest Mounted Police officials

there eventually tallied almost 10,000
Sioux men, women and children. The
Mounties were known as fairly meticulous record keepers.
Warrior societies were an important
part of the overall structure of the Lakota
Sioux and Cheyenne way of war. In the
seven tribal groups of the Lakota Nation;
the Oglala, Hunkpapa, Blackfeet Sioux,
Sans Arc, Two Kettle, Minneconjou and
Brule, special societies of respected warriors were banded together with names
like the "Tall Ones," or Mitatani, in
Lakota, the Braveheart Society and the
Kit Fox Society. The Kit Fox members
were delegated to protect the old ones
and the weak. Soldier societies would
also trade off duties as tribal police or
Akicitas, doing their best to keep loose
order amongst their brethren.
After the great Oglala Sioux warrior
Crazy Horse, known as Taschunka
Witko, literally translated as "His Horse
Is Crazy," lost his infant daughter he
formed a warrior society composed of
men who had suffered similar family
losses. The Cheyenne warrior societies
included the famous and feared Dog
Men or Dog Soldiers, the Bowstrings or
Wolf Soldiers, the Crooked Lance
Society, Red Shield Society and others.
Then there were the Heyoka in
Lakota, or contrary warrior societies
made up of the bravest but most troubled warriors, men who out of personal
tragedy or a just plain excess of macho
bravado seen in a vision, would act in an
Typical Lakota Sioux warrior of 1870s with

rifle in beaded case. Painting by Charles
Russell protege Joe De Yong Courtesy
Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young
University
opposite manner doing everything contrary to the norm. Sometimes thought of

as buffoons, in battle these warriors were
often the toughest fighters in the tribe
bearing a burden for the unusual path of
life they had selected for themselves.
Unfortunately for the Cheyenne, the
Bowstrings and the Dog Soldiers soci-
Northern
Cheyenne warrior with rawhide
shield, lance, slung
bow and extra long
breech clout preferred by many
older Cheyenne
and younger
Lakota warriors.
Courtesy Harold B.
Lee Library,
Brigham Young
University
44
Lakota Sioux warrior society member with buffalo horn bonnet

carrying a half stock plains rifle. Courtesy Harold B. Lee
Library, Brigham Young University
eties in particular, were almost akin to

outlaw bikers or the ruthless gangbangers of today. A not-unusual situation when young men of any culture
fueled with an overabundance of testosterone and visions of military glory
begin to organize into groups.
In 1837 two incidents in the
Cheyenne world upset the balance of
the hot-headed young warriors versus
influential tribal elders forever. The
feared and famed Dog Soldiers murdered a fellow Cheyenne named Little
Creek in a drunken fight. Their leader,
Porcupine Bear, was a legendary warrior
who often encouraged his fellow Dog
Soldiers to defy Cheyenne customs. It
was an almost unheard of crime among
the Cheyenne and since murder was
punishable by banishment from the
tribe, the course of action was obvious.
But the tribe so feared Porcupine Bear
and his followers that they only barely
segregated the group who quickly gathered strength and many new followers
with their fearsome reputation.
The nearly unprecedented interCheyenne murder had also violated the
tribe's sacred arrows that would now
have to be purified before any horse
Lakota Sioux warrior society member in split horn ermine skin bonnet with a Sharp's carbine. Courtesy Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham
Young University
raids or other warrior ways could continue. The Bowstrings Society members
became sullen, and would not wait for
the ritual to finish before going of[ on a
horse raid against the Kiowa. To speed
the process up the Bowstrings proceeded to beat White Thunder, the most
respected shaman and Keeper of the
Sacred Arrows, near to death with their
riding quirts. The supreme Cheyenne
deity Maheo must have been watching
closely because the Bowstrings paid
dearly for their violations, for out of the
44 warriors who the went on the horse
raid, 42 were killed by Kiowa warriors.
This kind of hardened behavior
would often re-manifest itself in later
years, as in 1867 during a peace parlay
when Cheyenne Crooked Lance warrior society leader Roman Nose
planned to lance the revered hero of
Gettysburg, General Winfield Scott
Hancock in full view of 1,000 of his
troops. A sharp-eyed interpreter tipped
off Hancock, who had his staff brandish
their army revolvers openly, causing the
six-foot, seven-inch tall Roman Nose to
storm away, but only after he had
counted coup, taunting the steelynerved Hancock who had kept his
Northern Cheyenne warrior society member in buffalo horned head dress armed
with a Winchester 66. Courtesy Harold B.
Lee Library, Brigham Young University
composure throughout a potentially

explosive situation.
Roman Nose was later killed in 1868
leading 600 Cheyenne warriors against
50 besieged army scouts at Beecher's
Island on the Republican River. He died
a Cheyenne hero's death, riding to certain doom because he knew that the
taboo on his sacred war bonnet had
been violated and there was no time to
purify the protective talisman to insure
his safety in battle.
Eagle feathers were granted to warriors for feats of bravery and many of the
best warriors wore long eagle-feathered
bonnets into battle at the Little Bighorn.
Yet there were far less of these than one
would expect and even great warriors
like Crazy Horse often eschewed the
practice, preferring much simpler headgear relating to personal visions. At the
battle of the Rosebud famed Oglala leader Red Cloud's son, Jack Red Cloud had
lost his father's long trailed eagle war
bonnet, which he had no right to wear.
Crow army scouts surrounded him
counting coup and taunting the teenager, taking his fathers revered war bonnet
rather then killing him.
At the Little Bighorn, Crazy Horse
wore only a red-tailed hawk feather in
his hair and painted himself with his
Lakota Sioux warrior in ermine skin split

horn bonnet eagle tail with double bladed
war club and rawhide shield. Courtesy of
Jim Hatzell
own personal medicine paint of hail

stone spots. Wolf skins, fox pelts,
turkey feathers, magpie spike feathers
and owl feathers were also worn. War
paint represented deeds in battle, as
well. A black face meant an enemy
killed in battle and was often accompanied by a lone eagle feather.
Counting coup, or touching one's
enemy in the heat of battle with a quirt,
weapon or specially designed coup-stick
and riding off to live to tell the tale, has
been a bit overblown in its importance
in Plains warfare. The practice certainly
Dead trooper being scalped by a Lakota warrior as younger warriors off of the reservation ready for more battle. Courtesy of Jim Hatzell
Mounted Southern Cheyenne Dog Soldier

Society warrior carrying a Henry rifle
wearing a magpie spike feathered head
dress and fearsome face paint. Courtesy
of Jim Hatzell
had an important place within a system

of recognition and honors for leadership
within a tribe, but horses stolen on a
raid, scalps gathered, enemies slain or
even the capturing of weapons held just
as great importance.
Because of the long hair worn by the
Plains tribes, scalps in particular were an
important part of a tribal member's identity. A scalp was visual evidence of success in battle and also denoted the taking of an enemy's soul, since Plains' religious beliefs dictated that a scalped
enemy could not enter heaven. Whole
ceremonies and dances were dedicated
to the cult of the scalp, with shirts, horses and weapons often being decorated
with locks of an enemy's hair. Contrary
to modern politically correct revisionism, the white man did not introduce
scalping to the tribes. It was already an
established part of Plains intertribal warfare well before the time of Columbus,
though the Colonial British, French and
even later Mexican Governments and
occasional American soldiers and scouts
sometimes encouraged or took part in
the practice.
At the Little Bighorn the great
Cheyenne warrior Lame White Man was
mistaken for one of Custer's Arikara
scouts and killed and scalped by
Minneconjou Sioux warrior Little Crow.
Upon realizing his terrible mistake Little
Crow brought back the scalp to place
upon the Cheyenne warriors body.
In the fury of the battle and the dark
clouds of dust and gunpowder smoke,
A Crow tribal leader dressed very similar to a Lakota Sioux

Shirt Wearer or honored leader in eagle feathered bonnet
with coup stick and rawhide shield. Only the tiered Crow
necklace is of significant difference. Courtesy of Jim Hatzell
another Cheyenne called Black Bird and

a Sans Arc, Bear With Horns, were both
reportedly killed by another
Minneconjou, White Bull, Sitting Bull's
own nephew. But White Bull would still
prove to be one of the most ferocious
fighters against the wasichu, Lakota for
"Those who will not go away," soldiers
that day. A Lakota named Standing
Rabbit was also killed accidentally by an
Oglala, Kicking Bear.
The unfortunate Cheyenne Lame
White Man led one of the most decisive
attacks during the Custer fight; the
charge that overwhelmed parts of
Company "E" and Company "C" on
Custer's southern skirmish line. When
the Cheyenne warrior rose and rallied
his men with a war cry of "Come, we can
kill them all!" it was a Sioux bullet that
ended his life, not one from a 7th
Cavalry Springfield. In the frenzy of
individualistic fighting styles so identified by large-scale Plains Indian warfare
like the Little Bighorn and the Rosebud,
friendly fire was a not uncommon
occurrence.
Though considered among the
bravest of Lakotas, Crazy Horse was
often the most practical of fighters, as
well. The great warrior qualified as a
Another view of Crow tribal leader in eagle feathered bonnet and red
face paint. Courtesy of Jim Hatzell
Three Lakota warriors armed with various white men's guns, a Henry rifle, Remington
Rolling Block carbine and Sharp's carbine. Courtesy of Jim Hatzell
"Shirt Wearer" or honored leader until

he was caught up in an adulterous affair
that was an embarrassment to all the
Oglala. The offended husband seriously wounded Crazy Horse in the face
with a percussion pistol and the
respected warrior was officially
stripped of his leadership position for
causing the situation in the first place.
Still, in a time of war the great Oglala
warrior was highly respected and followed by many. Except for battle he
was k now n a s a qui e t man who
shunned the spotlight. But fellow
Oglala He Dog described how in the
fury of a hot fight Crazy Horse would,
.. always jump off his horse to fire. He
wanted to be sure he hit what he aimed
at." Crazy Horse knew the importance
of killing his enemy, as opposed to
Man~
That
counting ceremonial coup.
OnJune 25th an Arapaho near Last
Stand Hill described Crazy Horse as
"The bravest man I ever saw. He rode
close to the soldiers, yelling to his warriors. All of them were shooting at him,
but he was never hit." Other warriors
took heart and rushed to follow, though
many of them were killed or wounded.
Limber Bones, Braided Hair, Little Bird,
Medicine Bear, Old Man Coyote, Owns
Red Horses, Red Horn Buffalo, Scabby,
and Swift Cloud were just some of casualties during the final Last Stand Hill
phase of the Little Bighorn battle.
While no one source can accurately
account for the numbers of warriors
who fought at the Little Bighorn the best
estimates seem to be somewhere
between 2,500 and 3,500 warriors.
More then a few of these were young
men away from their families back at the
government-run Indian agencies, hoping to gain battle honors and live a free
warrior's life before the old ways died
forever. These young fighters had been
constantly joining the wandering free
Lakota and Cheyenne gatherings that
summer that had finally all come together for only those few days, there on the
banks the Greasy Grass, or Little
Bighorn River. Just eight days before
some 1,000 warriors had successfully
fought off General Crook's column at the
Battle of the Rosebud, 40 miles south of
this new, much larger village.
Many of the warriors at the Little
Bighorn carried percussion rifles of various types such as those made by
Hawken, Deringer, Leman, or British
made Northwest Trade guns. Others carried percussion revolvers that were also
still in use by large numbers of American
civilians at this time-loose powder and
ball being considered much easier to
procure on the far-flung frontier than
new metallic cartridges. Many of these
weapons, and even some modern cartridge firearms, had been given out as
annuities to the tribes by the U.S.
Government.
Through recent forensic archeological
examination of cartridges and balls
found on the Little Bighorn battlefield
(see accompanying article "Last Fired at
the Little Bighorn" by John P Langellier)
Mounted Lakota Sioux warrior in wolfskin head dress. Courtesy of Jim HatzeJl
Northern Cheyenne warrior rides down a ve'ho'e trooper to count coup. Courtesy of Jim
HatzeJl
the Lakota and Cheyenne firearms at the

battle have also been discovered to be
much more modern and numerous than
previously thought. Over 400 distinctive
firearms, exclusive of captured 7th
Cavalry Springfield carbines and Colt
revolvers have been identified as having been in Lakota and Cheyenne
hands during the battle. Over 200 of
these were modern lever-action
repeaters including .44 rimfire Henrys,
.44 rim fire Winchester 66s, .44-40
Winchester 73s and .56 Spencer carbines. Unfortunately, because of many

decades of unauthorized scavenging and
souvenir hunting that pilfered evidence
of other possible Indian firearms, a larger and more accurate accounting of
Lakota and Cheyenne weapons at the
Little Bighorn is Simply not pOSSible.
A few of these weapons came off of the
bodies of dead settlers and soldiers, but
according to firearms historian Wayne
Austerman many came from illicit
Lakota Sioux Kit Fox Warrior Society

member in a fox skin turban head dress
and white man's shirt and vest listens to
the sound of Custer's advancing troops.
Courtesy ofJim HatzeJl
Northern Plains traders and renegades

like Charley Rath,]ohn Richards, James
Bordeaux, Francis Boucher and Joe
Bissonette. A Crow chief on the Big
Horn River in 1874 told an Army officer
that, 'The Sioux must have good white
man friends on the Platte and Missouri.
They get guns and ammunition; they are
better armed then we are; they have
Winchester, Henry and Spencer rifles ... "
He then exhibited several captured
weapons as proof. What did the Lakota
and Cheyenne use to trade for the most
modern of rifles and carbines of the
timet Buffalo Robes.
The native trade of buffalo skins for
rifles was nothing new-it had been
going on since white traders had first
made inroads into the Northern Plains
in the 1830s. A warrior culture like that
on the plains naturally coveted any
modern fighting advantage over their
enemies, first the horse in the 1700s and
then modern firearms. By the time of the
Great Sioux War in 1876 the Lakota
Sioux and Cheyennes lot had been inextricably tied to the trade goods for several generations. And it wasn't just guns,
but knives, blankets, cooking pots,
beads, cloth and other necessities that
unknOwingly bound these tribes to the
encroaching white mans civilization and
sealed the fate of their own free-roaming
life style within a few years.
While trading prices varied, one buffalo robe might be traded for 25 cartridges, and eight buffalo robes could
Long trailed Lakota eagle feathered war

bonnet of a type revered by the Plains'
Tribes. Courtesy Chris Kortlander, Custer
Battlefield Museum
usually procure a fine Winchester rifle or

carbine. The summer of 1876 illegal
arms trader Francis Boucher is known to
have supplied over 40,000 cartridges to
the Lakota out of clandestine trading
areas on the White River in Nebraska
and Deer Creek in Wyoming.
In a fight over rugged broken hillsides, like the Little Bighorn, rapid-firing
modern rifles, like the fabled
Winchester, were a distinct advantage
over the Army-issue Springfield carbines. The Single-shot, longer-range U.S.
Army carbines had been selected to keep
modern European trained troops well at
bay until infantry and artillery could be
brought up to fight a set piece battle. In
a few wide-open areas the sustained carbine fire of some of Custer's cavalry
companies did hold warriors off for a
time, but there were just too many warriors and too few troopers.
Cheyenne warrior Brave Bear made
good use of his Winchester when he
shot an officer that was most likely the
stubborn and brave Irish soldier-of-fortune Captain Miles Keogh, commander
of Company 1.
"He was a brave man riding a sorrel
horse and covering the rear of his
retreating men. A Lakota scalp-shirt
wearer charged the officer, who turned
and shot the Lakota through the head
Older Lakota Sioux warrior in ermine covered split hom bonnet with Henry rifle.
Courtesy of Jim HatzeJl
A Cavalryman's Lament-One year later

on the stricken battlefield of the Uttle
Bighorn many of the hastily buried bodies
had been dug up by wolves, a stark
reminder of a battle lost. Courtesy of Jim
Hatzell
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with a pistol-the soldier chief's only

weapon. Then a Cheyenne warrior
charged the officer, who raised his pistol
and shot him through the breast, killing
him. Now the soldier chief had killed
two fighting men. I [Brave Bear], watching all of this drew careful aim. I fired,
and the soldier chief dropped from his
sorrel horse dead."
But bows and arrows were still a staple of Plains hunting and warfare, as
well. A good man with a bow could
down a I,SOO-pound buffalo bull with
one or two well-placed arrows, often
driving the barbed shaft straight in a animal's heart from a full gallop. At the
Little Bighorn the strategy was a little
different. The Cheyenne Wooden Leg
described the shower of arrows that the
Lakotas and Cheyenne sent cascading
down onto the troopers holed up
behind dead horses on Last Stand Hill.
"We were lying down in gullies and
behind sagebrush hillocks. The shooting at first was at a distance, but we
kept creeping in closer all around the
ridge. Bows and arrows were in use
much more than guns. From the hiding
places of the Indians arrows could be
shot in a high and long curve, to fall
upon the soldiers."
As the fighting progressed towards its
inevitable outcome, small knots of
troopers from several of Custer's
extended companies stood back-toback and sold their lives as dearly as
possible. While an occasional soldier
broke and ran in fear, or begged for
mercy from the warriors whose blood
now ran hot with the fury of battle,
they found no charity at the hands of
the Lakotas and Cheyenne.
In those final moments on Last Stand
Hill many a mounted warrior had his
horse shot out from under him. A
Hunkpapa named Little Bear charged
into the final fray with a courageous war
cry, "Take heart and remember the earth
is all that lasts forever!" His pony buckled underneath him and he was wounded in the leg, but he then rescued under
heavy fire by his good friend Elk Nation.
At the last, an almost maniacal White
Bull, who not only had mistakenly killed
two of his own allied warriors but also
counted seven coups, captured several
horses and wasichu weapons, charged in

among the last of troopers.
"Soldier aims at White Bull and does
not fire, when White Bull gets close, he
throws gun at White Bull and White Bull
wrestles with him. After so long, White
Bull gets on top and hits him on head.
Wrestling soldier tries to take White Bull's
gun from White Bull and soldier about
gets it. So, White Bull hits him in face
with whip, and soldier lets go. Then soldier comes back with fist and hits White
Bull on jaw and shoulder, then grabs his
hair tries to bite White Bull's nose. I yell
all the time to try to scare soldier. Then
White Bull hit him several times on the
head and pushed him over, and takes his
gun and cartridge belt and counts coup.
The soldier did not make no more noise
and White Bull was afraid he could not
get the best of the soldier... "
For many years it was believed that
the powerful soldier who fought hand to
hand with White Bull was none other

then Lt. Colonel George Custer himself.
But there is no actual proof that it was
Custer that White Bull battled with,
though other warriors did witness this
highly personalized combat, whoever
the hard fighting cavalryman was. Still it
is a story that has become part of the
Little Bighorn legend.
The aftermath of the battle around
Last Stand Hill soon became a bloody
and gruesome shopping spree for loot
that was entirely understandable. Not
only were there pistols, carbines and
knives of the white eye soldiers to claim,
but the horses, saddles, clothing, boots
and other personal items of Custers men
would also come in very handy in dayto-day village Iife.
An eastern Santee Sioux named Red
Top probably captured Custer's horse
Vic after the battle. Despite legend to the
contrary, Captain Keogh's mount
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Commanche was not the lone equine

survivor of Custers command. For obvious reasons horses had great value in
Plains culture for monetary status and as
war trophies. Many other 7th Cavalry
horses were taken from the stricken battlefield that day Several of these mounts
were eventually purchased by
Northwest Mounted Police constables in
Canada, where many of the Lakota took
refuge that fall.
A Cheyenne named Iron Shirt started to strip an officer's body of a fine
buckskin jacket, but then saw a large
bloody stain on it and threw it away A
Minneconjou named Standing Bear
appropriated another buckskin coat
off a dead officer. At least seven officers besides George Custer wore or
carried with them buckskin jackets
that fateful day.
Another Cheyenne, Little Horse, was
said to have stripped a similar jacket
from Captain Tom Custer's body. The
younger Custer was horribly mutilated
giving lie to the legend that the fierce
Hunkpapa warrior Rain in the Face had
cut out his heart and eaten part of it. But
a man's heart was indeed found in the
village several days later, and another
Lakota warrior told of being beat over
the head by a fellow Sioux with the dismembered leg of a trooper. Like scalping, this kind of ritualistic mutilation
was part of the Lakota warrior culture;
violate your enemy in life and he won't
be able to fight you in the afterlife.
EDITOR'S NOTE
The color art featured in this
article is by Montana historical
artist David Powell. David captures in complete authenticity of
detail and atmosphere the men
who fought for control of the
Northern Plains. He is a Montana
native just as at home in the saddle as he is sitting with a paint
brush in front of his easel. Those
interested in David's work can
contact The Bozeman Trail
Gallery, Dept. MCI, 190 Main
Street, Sheridan, Wyoming
82801; (307) 672-3928 or
www.bozemantrailgallery.com.
Photos in this article were
As evening started to settle on the

bloody battlefield at the Greasy Grass
the warriors and their squaws grew tired
of their looting and dispatching wounded bluecoats. Though according to
Hunkpapa warrior Little Knife and several others a few unfortunate wounded
7th Cavalrymen were dragged into the
camp that night and tortured. Indeed,
several troopers' unidentifiable and
decapitated bodies were found in the
deserted campsite by General Terry's
advancing column a few days later.
The Battle at Little Bighorn Signaled
the end of the Lakota and Cheyenne's
final large-scale resistance to white
shot by historical photographer

Jim Hatzell. An experienced
reenactor, Hatzell has photographed authentically-costumed reenactors of the historic
American West for numerous
pUblications and artists. His photographs stand as historical art
in-and-of themselves. Jim can
be contacted at his stUdio,
Fiddler's Green, Dept. MCI, 808
Fairview, Rapid City, SD 57701 ;
(605) 341-0620 or
jhatzell@rapidcity.com.
Many of the tribal members
pictured in the photographs are
members of the Lakota Heritage
Society. This non-profit group is
dedicated to preserving their
encroachment on the Northern Plains.

Their victory over Custer actually
brought about their own eventual capitulation to American control
The great battle on the Greasy Grass
was indeed a clash of cultures that was
tragically inevitable. There were heroes
on both sides, fools on both Sides, villains and cowards on both sides. But
most of the warriors and troopers at the
Little Bighorn were just common men
whose fighting skills had been molded
by their respective cultures. To try to
understand and appreciate the men who
defeated Custer is also to pay tribute to
men who died with Custer, as well.
history through pUblic presentations that further an understanding of their ancestor's unique
culture. For more information
contact: Dave Little, Lakota
Heritage Society, Dept. MCI, P.O.
1032, Pine Ridge, SD 57770;
(308) 862-2768.
Chris Kortlander and his staff
at the Custer Battlefield Museum
at 1-90, Exit 514 in historic
Garryowen, Montana also helped
in the preparation ofthis article.
The museum near the site where
the battle ofthe Little Bighorn
first commenced displays anumber of artifacts of the battle, as
well as dioramas, paintings and
photos all related to the Plains
DAVID POWELL
Indian Wars; (406) 638-1876 or
www.custermuseum.org.

n early times communicating orders in

the heat of battle depended on voice or
hand signals, and later on drums or
other musical instruments. But reaching
warriors beyond immediate hearing range
required other methods including bright surfaces that could be used to flash messages
over distances. For example, in 490 BC the
Persian invaders of Greece supposedly used
polished shields to signal their comrades.
Nearly two millennia later, the Union army
experimented with various devices such as
equipment that used flashing lights at night.
During that conflict Captain E.A. Denicke
also tested small hand mirrors, which
relayed code, while in 1865 First Lieutenant
J .W. Brown observed that Indians in the
Powder River country of Wyoming likewise
used flashes from the sun to give warning or
convey other basic information.
-f }J: lJ~0~ J\J
JVJ J
-JJ~J\P}J
This Amazing Early

Signal Device Could
Send Messages Over
20 MilesOn a Clear Day.
The first heliographs used in U.S. military

service were rather primitive. Large round
mirrors placed atop posts served as some
of the earliest devices, such as this one
used during the Apache campaigns of the
mid-1880s. Arizona Historical Society
By John P. Langellier
British use of the heliograph in India and other parts of the empire eventually
prompted the American military to consider this mode of communication. The mirrors of the first models were circular, as were a number of the British versions made
in the 20th century.
INSTRUOTIONS
II
,
THE HELIOGHAPH
,I
Not until nearly a decade later, however, did a more sophisticated means of
using solar reflections come into play.
Sir Henry Mance, a British official
assigned to the Persian Gulf
Department of the Indian government
receives credit for the invention of an
instrument called the heliograph (from
the Greek words for sun and to write).
On January 22,1877, Mance applied
for a United States patent for his equipment. Later that year the U.S. Army
Signal Corps obtained a pair of Mance's
devices and shipped them to Fort
Whipple outside of Washington, D.e.
where the Corps maintained its training
school. Despite success with the trial
equipment, the chief signal officer,
Albert Myer, pronounced the heliograph as an "auxiliary only to other safer
appliances." One of the reasons Myer
expressed reservations about the instrument was its dependence on proper
light conditions and of course it could
not be activated at night.
The early forms of the heliograph
were little more than circular mirrors set
on wooden supports. A key mechanism
moved the mirror up and down to cut
reflected sunlight thereby sending the
SIGNAL CORPS. UNITW STAn:' ARM\'.
The large size station mirror allowed for heliograph signaling when conditions were less
favorable, such as an overcast day. Ft. Davis National Historic Site
flash to a receiving station on a faraway

peak. This clumsy key action of the
Mance model constantly forced it out of
alignment. Additionally, it was heavy
and unwieldy in the field and lacked
interchangeable parts.
In response, on March 22,1881, First
Lieutenant Fe. Grugen, an artillery officer detailed to the Signal Corps, patented a "heliotrope" that attempted to overcome drawbacks of previous designs.
His mirrors were larger and were sepa-
rate from a louvered screen that cut the

light source thereby keeping the flash in
a fixed position in relation to the sun
and the receiving station. For the next
five years another signal officer, B. M.
Purseell made a series of modifications
to Grugen's pattern by strengthening
the moving parts and reducing the mirror size. Then, in 1886, the new chief
signal officer, A.W Greely, convened a
board of officers to design a more efficient device for army use. The group
(H-""T~"'(IJr.'''P''''''~P .. <I ..,J.I;..~.'''3_i''l'-l
Sig~al enlisted men at Ft. Myer, Virginia practicing with
a heliograph, circa 1905.
NatIonal Archives
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The square mirror was part of an improved U.S. Signal Corps heliograph as used by
this late 18805 signalman transmitting from Pikes Peak, Colorado. National Archives
Harrison Gardiner, Jr. (left), who served in the

Signal Corps during the Spanish American
War, demonstrates the use of the heliographs
decades later. U.S. Army Signal Corps
Museum
.......u.r.llr.'Kn_
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Turn of the centutJ; signal corpsmen display both semaphore flags and a heliograph,
both methods of VIsual communication being in vogue at that time. They have donned
sunglasses to protect them from the glare that was intensified by the mirrors.
Excerpts from the 1897 manual

Instructions for the Heliograph.
INSIRUllENTS.
191
I'
II
would include Lieutenant Grugen and

Captain Marion Maus. Their challenge
was to produce a compact, lightweight
but strong instrument that had a fixed
flash. The result was the so-called Maus
model that featured interchangeable
parts, a separate two-part screen, and
4'h-inch square mirrors. This same
basic design remained standard through
World War I, attesting to the success of
the board.
The operation of this style of heliograph was relatively simple. One tripod
supported the spring-activated louvered screen or two or more sections. A
second tripod held one or two square
mirrors. This field or service outfit
could be used in situations where
portability was desirable, while a larger
station version with an 8-inch square
mirror was available for main relay
points. Regardless of the size, each mirror had an unsilvered spot in the center
that permitted the reflected light to be
lined up squarely with the receiving
station. Light flashes as seen by
receivers were circular and varied in
size with the distance of between stations. As Greely noted, "the circular
illumination has a diameter which
increases sixteen and one-third yards
for every mile of distance from the mirror". This meant that a signal sent from
20 miles away theoretically would
The leather carrying cases and mirror box of a late 19th century U.S. Anny heliograph.
Like most precision instruments of the period, workmanship was excellent. Courtesy
Kurt Cox. Photograph by Glen Swanson
appear as a circle of light 326.6 yards in

diameter, but even then the circle
would be relatively small and not visible outside the line of Sight.
The intensity of the flash was of equal
importance. larger mirrors used for station heliographs were often necessary to
overcome haze or poor visibility
between far-off points. When stations
communicated with more than one
receiver, troops installed posts or stakes
along axes of sight towards these
receivers and instruments were placed
on the posts as needed.
One operator skilled in the flash code
Mirrors, sighting rod, screwdriver, attachment bar for tripod top, and screen of a late
19th century U.S. Army heliography. Courtesy Kurt Cox. Photograph by Glen Swanson
manned the screen key while other

operators took readings via field glasses,
telescopes, or unaided sight. General
Myer developed the early code itself, but
in the spring of 1886 the English form of
Morse Code was adopted as a replacement, which in turn gave way to
American Morse Code three years later.
The process came full circle during 1897
when Myer's code returned to official
use. Moreover a system of abbreviations
was developed specific to each station
similar to "call letters" as did shorthand
for common words, brief phrases, and
other predetermined message units. In
all cases the codes and transmissions
resembled the dot-dash principle
employed in telegraphy, but was
expressed as numerals, one being a short
flash, two being two short flashes and
three a continuous flash.
All these procedures were more than
academic because the heliograph
would be employed in the last major
campaign against the Chiracahua
Apaches by Brigadier General Nelson
Miles, then in command of operations
against Geronimo. Miles decided to
take advantage of the ample
Southwestern sunlight when he issued
an April 20, 1886 that read:
"The chief object of the troops will be
to capture or destroy any band of hostile
Apache Indians found in this section of
country .... To better facilitate this duty,
and afford as far as practicable protection to the scattered settlements, the territory is subdivided into districts of
observation as shown upon maps fur-
Early 20th century U.S. Army Signal Corps manuals, which included instructions for the
heliograph, a device that although outmoded continued in use by American forces
through World War I. George M. Langellier, Jr. Collection
nished by the Department engineer offi- lish a line of communication between

cer, and will place under commanding Forts Keogh and Custer. Early in the
officers to be hereafter designated. The next decade he continued his experiSignal detachments will be placed on the mentation with this form of communihighest peaks and prominent lookouts, cation directing Signaling from
to discover any movements of Indians Vancouver Barracks, Washington to
and transmit messages between the dif- Mount Hood, Oregon.
ferent camps."
Miles was not the only officer to conMiles' innovation of a multi-station sider the heliograph's potential. In 1881
heliograph network was the most exten- Maus sent messages from his post at Fort
sive attempt at utilizing the instrument Grant, Arizona Territory to his sweetunder combat conditions. His previous heart 20 miles away at her ranch. A
experience with the device during ser- more serious use occurred the following
vice in Montana in 1878-1879 had pro- year when an Apache outbreak in]uly
vided him with the background to initi- prompted the commander of Fort
ate such a scheme. During that time Apache to use the heliograph after his
Miles had arranged to borrow six heli- garrison came under siege. Subsequent
ographs from the Signal Corps to estab- raids by Apaches who had bolted the
reservation kept the heliograph crews at

their stations.
In the wake of this uprising, the
Department of Arizona's commander,
Colonel O.B. Wilcox, ordered troops at
Forts Bowie and Grant and those at
Camp Price to receive instructions in
the use of the instrument. Four years
later Miles would build on these varied
experiences when in June 1886 he sent
out a dozen signalmen throughout
Arizona with 34 heliographs, ten telescopes, and 30 marine binoculars. The
heliographs were a mixed lot, consisting 0 f the three types then available,
the Mance and Grugan models and a
third variant patented on June 17,
1877 by]. W Garner
Eventually some 14 stations would be
installed requiring 65 men, that in the
main were posted in today's Cochise
County. The network ultimately ran
from Steins Peak westward to Fort
Bowie, and on to Fort Huachucha to
Tubac and several ranches in southwestern Arizona.
In nearby New Mexico First
Lieutenant Edward Dravo set up 13 stations that spanned more than 300
miles. Dravo's lines of communication
included a main segment from Steins
Peak to Hillsboro, New Mexico, and
two branch lines, one to the Mogollon
Mountain to the north and another
toward the Mexican border In each case
a few stations were added or discontinued temporarily during May through
September when on the 20th Miles
ordered the abandonment of the project. By then more than 2,200 messages
had been delivered.
After discontinuing the system Miles
praised the heliograph's effectiveness
well beyond its actual usefulness. Such
laudatory remarks reflected official
interest in the heliograph's capabilities.
Consequently, although serious campaigning had ceased in the Southwest, a
number of officers were sent to reconnoiter various areas of Arizona and New
Mexico for future deployment of the
instrument. Training classes were held
for officers and men at various posts
and practice lines were established at
Forts Apache, Huachuca, Mohave, and
Union. By spring 1890 these preliminary efforts made it possible for the
departmental signal officer to order a
The Magazine of
Hands-on History
We don't put the past
behind us. We live it in
each issue of Military
Classics Illustrated.
Other history magazines
only tell you what
happened - we go
beyond by describing in
great detail the equipment used in battle
,.
~,
Setting up a heliograph by Signal Corps personnel in the full dress adopted in 1902.
Photographs by Glen Swanson
large-scale exercise. This trial would

take place along a course from Whipple
Barracks in Prescott, Arizona Territory
to Fort Stanton, New Mexico Territory
as well as branch lines to major posts
and camps along the way. To accomplish this experiment many additional
heliographs, mostly of the improved
Maus style, were obtained. Official message forms were adopted for the first
time to standardize recording procedures, while all stations received binoculars and telescopes. After General
Greely came to observe the operations
he pronounced the maneuver "the most
stories are accompanied

by compelling photography
. ' .'.
". .' ..
throughout time. All
comprehensive and best planned

scheme of the kind ever devised."
Although a number of shortcomings
surfaced in the process the result was
more than satisfactory. The heliograph
proved to be practical and efficient.
Unfortunately for the sun-talker, other
more modern means of communications had been explored alongside the
device and eventually would supercede
it. Still, these ingenious inventions
remained in the U.S. Army inventory
until the trench fighting of the First
World War brought an end to their
American military career
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6405 Flank Drive Harrisburg, PA 17112
The Monster German A7V TANK

Was One of the Most Formidable
Fighting Vehicles of WWI
n a previous issue of Military Classics

Illustrated (Vol. 1,#3) we delved into the history of the German Naval Airship Service
and the massive Zeppelins that roamed the
skies over western Europe during the "war to end
all wars". While the Zeppelins were the largest
man-made vehicles to take to the skies, Germany
also managed to put into play the largest vehicle on
the ground during the war as well. This behemoth
of the battlefield was the first effort on Germany's
part to develop an armored corps in the closing
year of the war.
By Philip Schreier
PHOTOS FROM THE AUTHOR'S COLLECTION
GREAT WAR
GIANT
The A7V was brought about as a result
of, and response to, the late successes
that the British tanks, particularly the
Mark lV's, had finally begun to enjoy on
the Western front in 1917 following the
Battle of Cambrai. The first reaction of
the Germans to the appearance of the
British "landships" or tanks, as they had
been euphemistically called, was to
develop a defensive weapon. This
weapon involved a much larger version
of the Mauser rifle firing a 13mm armor
piercing bullet that sliced right through
the thin armor of the British tanks.
Armor piercing ammunition for Maxims
machine guns and Gew 98 rifles soon
developed and was known as "K"
ammo. These slight defensive measures
did little to improve the German war
effort, and only provided a small measure of effectiveness against what would
become one of history's greatest offensive weapons, the tank. If the Imperial
German Army were going to win the
trench war, they too would need such a
combat effective offensive weapon.
With typical Prussian efficiency a
committee was formed to develop the
German "tank" in mid 1916. The
committee's name Allgemeines
Kriegsdepartment 7 Abteilung
Verkehrswesen was shortened to an
acronym, A7V, and the tank that they
developed assumed the same name. As
with all things designed by committee,
the A7V was handicapped from the start
and never really had a bright future.
Each of the Prussian military branches
had differing objectives and desires for
the development and use of the vehicle.
The deSign of the A7V began in late
1916. By the spring of 1917 the first
prototype was ready for testing near the
Damiler-Benz factory outside Berlin.
The worlds first successful and practical caterpillar/track patent was developed by the Holt Tractor Company of
the United States of America. The Holt
Company, before the war, had set up a
sizable factory in Austria and began producing and exporting Austrian-made
Holt tractors to farmers throughout
Europe. Once the Central Powers
became determined to produce their
own version of the tracked and armored
fighting vehicle, engineers, machinery
and parts were rushed to Berlin to aid in
the development of this revised version
A7Vs PRODUCED IN ORDER OF

CHASSIS NUMBER
Each A7V had an operational crew of 18 men

and was supplemented
with an additional six
men who were deployed
as shock troops.
Members of the Pioneer,
Signaling, Artillery,
Infantry and Cavalry
branches all worked
together as crewmen
creating an unrivaled
esprit de corps. Here the
crew of Wotan pose for a
photographer.
The first tank lost in the Villers-Bretonneux battle was the A7V Elfriede. Recovered by
the French, she was displayed in Paris for years after the war until she was broken up
Gretchen
Schnuck
Baden
Mephisto
Cyklop
Siegfried
Lotti
Hagen
Nixe II
Heiland
Elfriede
AdalberUKonig Wilhelm
Alter Fritz
Nixe
Herkules
Wotan
and 4 un-named tanks
for scrap.
The chassis of the A7V was a copy of the American Holt tractor which enjoyed wide
sales as a farm machine in Europe prior to World War I.
of an American farm vehicle.

Constructed with some American-made
and Austrian-made parts, the German
A7V Committee soon had a combat
effective chassis to work with and used it
as a foundation upon which the rest of
the tank was developed and designed.
Of the main ideas that were given
priority, the need for the tank to move
across battlefield terrain while remaining well protected was the main objective. The vehicle would also need
superior armament compared to the
British tanks. Its ability to span and
cross a trench was essential as was its
capability of holding enough men to
serve as shock troops in offensive and
defensive roles once the tank achieved
its objective.
A working model was developed and
a number of designs for the body of the
vehicle were considered, with each
being made from wood to simulate the
armor body that the tank would eventually have. General Friedrich, chairman
of the A7V committee, authorized two
tank styles, a "male" version (eqUipped

with a front mounted cannon) and a
"female" version (eqUipped with twin
Maxim 08 machine guns on the bow) to
be produced. In the spring of 1917 he
ordered 20 tanks to be constructed, thus
beginning the long and storied history of
the German Armored Corps.
The A7V was powered by two separate 100 horsepower Daimler-Benz
engines that could manage a fantastic
7.5 miles-per-hour, nearly three times as
fast as the much lighter British counterpart. The A7V held over 100 gallons of
fuel and had a range of nearly 21 miles.
The engines sat in the middle ofthe tank
chassis and each engine operated a separate set of tracks. Any problems with one
engine, like jamming the rudder on a
battleship, she would circle herself until
the other driver stopped his engine.
Given the location of the engines and
the inhuman noise they made in such a
confined place, communication
between drivers was difficult, if not at
times impossible.
Hagen and Schnuck are broken up by the salvage team on their way to the breakers
torches.
/
/
./
When the operational models rolled

off the factory lines in October 1917,
they were perhaps the largest independently mobile beasts on the planet since
the dinosaur. Weighing in at an amazing
33 tons, the A7V was 26 feet long, 13
feet high and 10 feet wide, and boasted a
crew of 18 men. In battle an additional
eight men could go as passengers to give
her a combat effective strength of 26.
./
This drawing by
Rainer Strasheim
shows the complete 360E field-oftire that the A7V
was capable of
covering at one
time. No other tank
design since has
offered such complete control ot its
environment.
The crew break down was thus: Captain

and Lieutenant as officers of the tank;
two drivers; two artillerists to man the
main gun; and 12 machine gunners to
work the six Maxim 08 machine guns.
The 20 completed tanks were divided
into three Abteilungs, or companies.
Each tank was manned by men from
each of the three branches of the
Army-the officers and drivers came
from the cavalry, the cannon crew from

the artillery and the Maxim gunners and
shock troops from the infantry. This
hodge-podge collection of soldiers was
quickly trained and learned to work
together with an esprit de corps that
rivaled any of the other units in the
German military at the time.
As a fighting monster, the A7V was
well armed. She could spray a field of
fire 360 degrees with 600 rounds per
minute of 8mm rifle ammunition coming from six maxim guns and deliver 12
rounds per minute from her forward
57mm Nordenfelt cannon with a reserve
of 180 rounds of mixed ammo. The
57mm Nordenfelt was a cannon of
English manufacture. Hundreds of
Nordenfelts were supplied to the
Belgians in the late 19th century for the
defense of Antwerp. Subsequently, when
Antwerp fell to the Germans, the cannons were captured and re-employed as
the main gun in the A7Vs complement.
The A7V was also fairly well armored.
The frontal armor was one inch thick
inch on the sides and _ inch on the t~p~
As a weapon of shock value she was also
eqUipped with an inventory of 08115
Maxims, Bergman submachine guns and
numerous small arms and grenades, as
well as enough explOSives to blow the
tank up if capture was thought to be
imminent.
The internal temperature of the tank
could reach well over a sweltering 100
degrees. Noise of the two Daimler-Benz
engines made communication impossible, so the commander used a series of
colored electric lights to instruct the
crew and drivers. The typical uniform
also added to the immense misery that
each crewman must have endured when
operating the tank. Fearing an internal
fire in case the fuel or ammunition was
detonated, each crewman was suited in
GREATWAR
GIANT
a uniform of quilted asbestos coveralls
and a chain link mask to protect the face
from "bullet spray". "Bullet spray" was
the term tankers gave to the flying splinters of steel that flew about the interior
of the tank when the outside of the vehicle was struck by non-penetrating
ammunition.
The greatest handicap of the A7V was
it's poor trench crossing ability. It was
capable of traversing widths of only 5
feet. The British MK IV's could easily
clear 13-foot widths. Another handicap
that the "committee" failed to consider
was the overall height of the tank. On
the road, at 13 feet tall, the tank cleared
most overhead bridges with about 2 feet
of clearance. However the only way to
transport the tank to the theater of operations was to place it on the flat bed car
of a train. This additional elevation
would not clear most overpasses and the
driver's and commander's cupola was
fashioned to lie flat during transport,
ready to be bolted in place once the train
reached its destination.
The production of the A7V was accelerated in late 1917 and 20 tanks were
produced with the expectation that they
would playa huge role in the planned
German spring offensive in early 1918.
On the 21st of March, four A7Vs, or one
Abteilung, were ready for service and
pOSitioned near St. Quentin as a part of
the opening act of Ludendorff's offensive, named Operation Michael. These
four tanks, moving forward with the aid
of an additional five captured British
tanks, launched the famed spring offensive of 1918. During the initial advance,
two of the A7Vs developed problems at
the start and were sidelined for the
remainder of the immediate operations.
The two tanks that remained saw
tremendous action and were successful
in completing their combat objectives,
overwhelming areas of fierce Allied
opposition. They were instrumental in
keeping the German infantry from
becoming bogged down during the
attack and aided in the new German
combat concept of storm troops, where
they attacked until concentrated resistance was encountered. Then upon they
would flank, isolate and bypass the
enemy strong points, eventually forcing
them to surrender or withdraw.
Following the battle the tanks were
II
A remarkable photo of an entire battle company, or Abteilung, of A7Vs. The A7Vs Wotan,
Hagen, Siegfried and Schnuck line up with their crew and officers. Each battle group
consisted of 4-6 tanks and more than 100 men.
The A 7V had armor plating over twice the thickness of its British counterparts giving
the crew a small amount of protection.
The cupola of Mephisto was blown open when German Artillerist's mistook her for the
disabled Elfriede and tried to prevent her from being of any use to the Allies. Their intent
had been to recover the Mephisto as she had no prior battle damage. The unfortunate
shelling made salvage by the Germans a moot issue. She was recovered by the
Australians and made quite a curiosity piece before she was shipped back to Australia.
returned to Charleroi, the staging and

maintenance HQ of the armored corps,
for repair and refitting. The four A7Vs
soon joined the other two battalions of
A7Vs ready for their next assignment
and a date with military history
Following the initial success of the
German tank corps at St. Quentin, the
three tank Abteilungs were sent to
Marcelcave to prepare for the next
attack. On the gray misty morning of
April 24th, all three Abteilungs of
German armor rumbled towards the
town ofVillers-Bretonneux, a medium
sized town, key to the approach to
Amiens and currently held by the British
infantry's Middlesex, Yorkshire and
London Regiments of the 58th Division.
Attacking from the east towards the
west, the German plan of attack sent one
group to the north side of the town, one
group to the center and one to the south
of the town. The first tank group to
strike the Allied lines was the northern
group consisting of 3 A7Vs. At 7:00
a.m., with visibility down to 35 yards
due to a pea soup-like fog, the first of
these tanks surprised the British defenders. A stiff resistance was put up at first
but the British were soon overwhelmed
by the unstoppable force of armor coupled with shock troops. A heated fight
developed in a brick works factory at the
southern edge of town. The tanks
advanced in support of the main body of
infantry, where extreme house-to-house
fighting raged for hours.
By 11:00 a.m., the tanks had done
their work, contributing significantly to
the capture of the town. Once the town
was secured, they withdrew to a position
of safety to avoid damage, as the British
began to shell the town in earnest. The
second group of six tanks advanced on
the section of line immediately south of
the town and enjoyed initial success as
the storm troops cleaned up the British
infantry after the tanks advanced and
overran their positions. As the tanks
advanced, they kept up a continuous
wall of machine gun and artillery fire,
which forced the British to keep their
heads down until the tanks were virtually atop the trench line. Those soldiers
that didn't run upon first Sight of the
German armor, were soon surrounded
and isolated from escape.
The first Tank vs. Tank Battle
The primary objectives of the first two
sections of German armor were accomplished rapidly and without loss due to
combat. Only one tank, Mephisto, was
lost, being at first stalled due to a fuel
blockage and later by falling into a shell
hole it could not drive out of. VillersBretonneux fell in just a few hours. A
The ANMephisto was captured by members of the Australian 26th Battalion in July of
1918 after spending three months stuck in the middle of no man's land outside VillersBretonneux. Her removal to Australia as a war trophy saved her from sharing the eventual fate of the other 19 A7Vs. Before the end of World War II all the other A7Vs had been
broken up for scrap iron. Mephisto remains as the sole surviving A7V of World War I.
During tests of the
A7V chassis in the
spring of 1917,
slight modifications were made in
the transmission
design of the original Holt tractor
that was used as a
prototype. Here
drivers are shown
facing in each
direction so they
would have a clear
view of forward or
reverse. The final
design had both
drivers facing forward.
A wooden shell
was fashioned
over the chassis of
the A7V to provide
a working prototype for the A7V
committee to evaluate. At one point
in its development,
the AN committee
was able to
demonstrate the
tank before Kaiser
Wilhelm /I and the
German General
Staff which had
planned to use the
tank as its secret
weapon in the
spring offensive of
1918.
GREAT WAR
GIANT
What you need to know
ut Military History
complete and stunning victory for the

Germans and their new weapons of war.
The four tanks of the third section got a
late start and moved through the fog
towards the road that lead south of Villers
Bretonneux to the small town of Cachy.
The lead tank, Elfriede, failed to observe a
large sand pit and not only fell in but also
rolled over on its side, completely capsizing. Its nearest companion, ixie, continued the advance and soon encountered
three British Mark IV tanks from Captain
Frank Mitchem; 1st Tank Co.
Mitchell's small company of two
female tanks, and his one male MK IV
tank, had suffered manpower losses
resulting from the initial German gas
barrage that began when the battle first
started. Undermanned, Mitchell began
an advance to support the defending
British infantry in the trenches running
The A7VAdalbert demonstrates before a crowd of curious onlookers. The one major
draw back to the A 7V was its limited ability to cross open trench spaces. British tanks
could cross nearly 15 feet of open space while the A7V could only manage 5 feet.
The road north from Cachy to Villers-Bretonneux. The German assault came from the
fields on the right and was met by British tanks approaching from the left. In these
fields the histories first tank vs. tank battle took place with mixed results for both sides.
Major James Robinson, the commander

of the Australian 26th Battalion that captured and removed the A7V Mephisto
from the Villers-Bretonneux battlefield on
July 22/23, 1918. The tank had become a
landmark for both sides in the three
months she laid in no man's land. A
drowsy German, whose job it was to take
warm rations to his front line comrades,
kept walking along the trench expecting
to see Mephisto. When she wasn't where
she had been the morning before he kept
walking and eventually ended up in the
Australian trench where he was captured
and his warm breakfast was enjoyed by
his captors.
The fields of VillersBretonneux were

the scene of the
world's first tank vs.
tank battle on April
24, 1918. This photo
is from the British
point of view facing
east where the
German tanks
emerged from the
fog in the morning
hours to scatter the
defenders of what
was known as the
Cachy Switch
trench.
The post war
GREAT WAR
Freikorps attempted to quell communist uprisings

following the
Kaisers abdication. Among the
tanks they commandeered was a
tank similar to the
20 A 7V's that had
been produced.
Armed with only
machine guns,
Heidi, was not a
true A 711, her
armor composition
was different but
she may have used
an A7V chassis
during her riot
control duties.
GIANT
north of Cachy The sole German tank on
the scene, Nixie, saw Mitchell's three
tanks emerge from the fog and began an
earnest fire upon them. Strafing the male
tank with machine gun fire, Mitchell and
crew were wounded by flying shards of
bullet splash and halted their tank to get
a stable aim on Nixie with their 6 pound
gun. Nixie meanwhile thought she had
disabled Mitchell's tank and turned her
attention to the two advancing female
tanks. Blowing huge holes in both of
them, Nixie quickly put them both out
of action. Mitchell's main gunner, almost
blind in one eye from the earlier gas
attack, now had a clear sight on Nixie
and fired rapidly into her front armor,
killing and wounding a number of her
crew. Fearing that Nixie might catch fire
and possibly blow up, her commander,
Lt. Blitz, ordered the crew to abandon
the tank, which they quickly did, taking
up defensive positions close by Mitchell:S
MK IV now came under severe artillery
fire and was struck by cannon fire, and as
it tried to clear a trench it became bogged
down in and lost a track, disabling it for
the remainder of the battle. Another A7V
of the 3rd group, Siegfried, happened
upon seven small British Whippet tanks
and with the help of German artillery
and combined infantry fire, rapidly put
four of them out of service and inflicted
enough damage on the other three to
force them from the field. About the
same time all this action was taking
place, the fourth A7V from this detachment, Schnuck appeared, and not having
enough support to continue it:S attack on
Cachy, withdrew. Lt. Blitz, now assured
that Nixie was not going to explode, remanned her with his crew and withdrew
her to a safe spot where the dead and
wounded could be removed and her
damaged engines could be repaired.
Siegfried also returned to the German
rear lines as she had been ordered to do
once the infantry had achieved their
objectives.
Viewing both accounts of the first
tank vs. tank battle it is hard to award a
clear-cut ribbon for victory. To be sure,
Captain Mitchell wrote up his account of
the battle and became a minor celebrity,
winning the Military Cross for his
exploits. His losses were three MK IV
tanks and four Whippet tanks, under
another command, for a total of 7
A dentin the
armor of Mephisto
shows the effect of
small arms fire on
the tanks. "Bullet
splash" was
caused when
dents such as
these created a
bulge on the interior, ripping shards
of steel and sending the splinters
flying through the
crew compartment.
Elfriede as a curiosity piece along with other trophies in Paris.
destroyed and or damaged British tanks.

The Germans lost only two tanks,
Mephisto and Elfriede, both having been
stopped by large holes in the terrain
rather than combat. With the exception
of Lt. Blitz's Nixie none of the other
German tank commanders actually
thought that they had effectively
engaged any British armor. The world's
first tank vs. tank encounter boils down
to a meeting of three formidable British

MK IV tanks against the lone German
A7V, Nixie. When the smoke cleared,
Nixie had stopped two of the British MK
IVs and, although damaged by Mitchell's
MK IV, managed to return to German
lines in working order. Mitchell failed to
destroy or capture Nixie and lost his
own tank later in the battle. Of the seven
Class A Medium Whippets that emerged
71
GREAT WAR
GIANT
following the duel, Siegfried quickly
knocked out four and sent the other
three damaged, smoking and running
for cover. All-in-all, the Germans accomplished their combat objective, the capture ofVillers-Bretonneux, and
destroyed seven British tanks without
loss of armor on their side.
The action at Villers-Bretonneux on The A7V Lotti got stuck in a ditch and was lost in June of 1918. The A7V's poor ditch
April 24, 1918 was the one brief shining and trench crossing ability caused more than a few to be abandoned during combat
moment for the German Armored Corps operations.
during the First World War. Once the
British "with their backs against the
wall" were able to stem the Operation
Michael offensive in late April, the offensive use of the German tanks was at a
virtual end. A few events along the
Marne and defensive operations late in
the war served to prove to the German
General Staff that the tank could be an
instrument of success on the battlefield.
When the war ended on November 11,
1918 only eight of the original 20 tanks
were still in service. Following the battle
at Villers-Bretonneux Elfriede was captured and removed to Paris to the Place
de la Concorde and placed on public
display. The tanks Hagen and Schnuck
were captured by the British and placed
on public display at Horse Guards
Parade in London. Nixie 11 was sent to
the Aberdeen Proving Grounds in
Maryland to be examined by the U.S.
Ordnance Department. C.E.W Bean, the
official Australian War Historian, personally saw to it that Mephisto, captured A curious Kiwi inspects the captured A7V Schnuck.
by the Australian 26th Battalion, was
sent to Australia and placed on display
at the Australian War Memorial.
Numerous tanks were sent to the Polish
Army as reparations following the
Armistice where they remained active
until the late 1920~. During World War
II, all the trophied tanks were broken up
for scrap iron (The American trophy,
Nixie II was sold for $11 a ton in 1941.)
Only Mephisto escaped the cutter~ torch
and is currently on exhibit at the
Queensland State Museum in Brisbane,
Australia, and the sole survivor of the
first German Tank Corps.
Following the war a special badge was
created for those qualifying crew members of the German Armored Corps.
Struck in silver, the oval shaped badge
shows an A7V with guns a-blazing crossing a battlefield and is mounted with a The British MK IV tank proved to have superior field maneuvering capabilities to the A 711,
skull & crossbones motif surrounded by but when it went one on one in combat with the Gennan tanks, it was a poor second.
GREAT WAR
GIANT
ILLUSTRATED ENCYCLOPEDIA
OF THE CIVIL WAR: The Soldiers,
palms and laurels on the side.

The A7V and its effect on the war
effort may be considered futile, the gains
of April 24th at Villers-Bretonneux were
lost within three days following the battle. Only 20 tanks were ever manufactured at a time when the British were
producing and shipping to the Western
Front nearly 60 tanks a week. However
the basis for a new type of warfare had
been explored with positive results.
When war clouds gathered over Europe
again some 21 years later, it would be
the German Armored Corps that led the
way and maintained the offensiv with
superior machines and tactics for the
~
first four years of World War 11.
Generals, Weapons and Battles

Captured here in period photographs, drawings and lilhographs
are unforgeu:tble images from Ihe bloodiest confljet in

American history. AuOlOr and noted CM1 War e.\'pert William C.
Davis guides your histolical journey from Fort Sumter to
Appomaltox lviOI insightful namUive. Contains more Ihan 440
full-color and black and white photographs, dralvings and lilhographs. Oversize fOlma!. 300 pages, hardcover.
ITEM:
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UNIFORMS OF THE CIVIL WAR:

An Illustrated Guide for Historians,
Collectors, and Reenactors
The uniforms of the Civil War soldiers were anything but
"uniform" -- neither in color nor any other facet. Uniforms
ofthe ClvillVar fully explores this fascinating branch of
military history, presenting an in-depth study of the many
and varied uniforms worn by Northern and Southern soldiers. Oversize format. 288 pages, hardcover.
ITEM:
FOR FURTHER READING:

Mephisto: A7V Sturmpanzerwagen #506.
By: Mark Whitmore. 1989 Queensland
Museum
German Tanks in World War I. By:
Wolfgang Schneider & Rainer Strashiem.
1990 Schiffer Publishing
The German A7V Tank and the Captured
British Mark IV Tanks of World War I. By
Maxwell Hundleby & Rainer Strasheim.
1990 Haynes PUblishing
euew $29.95
MEN AGAINST FIRE: The Problem
MEN
AGAINST
of Battle Command
FIRE
Author S.L.A. "Slam" Marshall was a veteran of World War I and a

combat historian during World War II. After extensively interviewing combat veterans of both the European and Pacific theaters in
World War II, he contended Ihat no more Ihan one in four soldiers actually fired their weapons while in contact with their
enemy. To remedy the gunfire imbalance, he proposed changes to
infantry training designed to ensure that American soldiers in
future wars brought more fire upon the enemy. His studies of the
Korean War demonstrated a ratio of fire
that had doubled since World War n. 224 pages, softcover.
ITEM:
VMAF $17.95
REBEL BENEATH THE WAVES
The A7V Cyklop returns from hard fighting following the debut of the new tanks
at St. Quentin on March 21st. Some of
the 18 members of the crew have chosen
to escape the noise and heat of the interior by riding on top of the tank. Internal
temperatures could reach in excess of
120 degrees.
The only way to

transport the A7V
to the theater of
operations was to
place them on flat
cars on a train and
move them to the
next battle area.
Unfortunately the
13 foot height of
the A 7Vprevented
it from clearing
most overhead
bridges and to
clear those passages the cupola
was dismantled
and re-assembled
at the point of
embarkation.
Crewman of the
A 7V Alter Fritz display their combat
uniforms consisting of asbestos
coveralls, a leather
helmetanda
medieval looking
face mask that
protected the eyes
and face from
"bullet splash"the flying fragments of steel that
flew about the
interior of the tank
when it was struck
by bullets and non
penetrating shells.
It was a technological wonder and a secret weapon that might have
saved the South during the Civil War. This video tells the entire story of
the Hunley: her design by a small group of ingenuous Confederates,
her successful attack and mysterious disappearance, and her discovery
at the bottom of Charleston Harbor by underwater archeologists. VHS.
Viewing time approximately 52 minutes.
ITEM:
eRBW $19.95
SAMURAI!
This is the gripping World War II saga of the rise and fall of the
Japanese naval air force as reflected in the experiences of one of
its top fighter aces, Saburo Sakai. Follow his career from fighter
pilot school through the thrilling early Japanese victories to his.
incredible 600-mile flight for life from Guadalcanal to his base 111
Rabaul, and learn the poignant story of how the wounded veteran
returned to the air during the final desperate months of the war.
Softcover, 382 pages.
ITEM: WSAM $14

For prodllrt or slnpplIIg il1qlllril's - clII:1I1 !.!)J~ct!bJQ!~JU:Qill. Il'i 1-1\00-.1\-6527.
The officers and drivers of Wotan examine the driver's cupola. The sides of the
cupola could be dismantled and broken
down to lay flat enabling the tank to clear
low overhead bridges when transported
by train.
74
The drivers and Captains cupola of

Mephisto. The stark interior shows the
effect of the heavy shelling she experienced as a result of friendly fire that was
intended to keep her from being of use if
she fell into enemy hands.
The A 7V Heiland with 14 members of her crew. Unlike her Allied counterparts, the
Germans named their tanks with masculine names, many from Norse mythology. The
uniforms depicted here show most of the crew wearing the Pattern 1915 tunic and soft
field mutze. The Officer in the center has won the Iron Cross 1st class and two of the
senior NCO's on the right display wound badges on their tunics.

GENERAL CUSTER
A LOST TRAIL AND THE GALL SAG

CHARLES
S
8Y
KUHLhtA N
1939
The .45-55 Springfield carbil]e, the workhouse of U.S.

, Army if!. the West in the
years after the American
Civil War.
MILlTA~Y CLASSICS ILLUSTRJ.\T~_._._._._. ~
,--~----
/"./
""-
..
LAST
FIRED
ATTBE
LITTLE
BIGHORN?
John Martin. A trumpeter detailed from
Company H on that morning to serve as
Custer's orderly, Martin at 25 years old
had arrived in the United States barely
three year earlier. The Roman-born
bugler, whose name had been Giovanni
Martini prior to coming to America, had
never lived through anything like the
drama that was unfolding around him.
/"
--~--_.
Although as a youth he apparently had

served as a drummer in the wars of
Italian unification, his previous experience was far different from the type of
fighting he was about to witness.
Martin had not participated in a clash
with Indians before then, as was the case
with most of his comrades. He also was
like many of the thousands of 19th century arrivals from the Old World, who
soon after landing in New York enlisted
in Uncle Sam's army. Sons of Eire,
German-speakers, Frenchmen, Britons,
and others from across the Atlantic had
signed on for food, shelter, clothing, and
meager pay, serving alongside a varied
lot of native-born enlisted men and officers from the cities, villages, and farms
across the country. Martin and his polyglot comrades faced an equally diverse
and decidedly formidable foe.
The transplanted Italian now was
about to ride into history. He received
his assignment from Cooke who
ordered, "Ride as fast as you can" to

Captain Fredrick Benteen "and tell him
to hurry. Martin responded, "Yes sir,"
then he received his final instructions
from the adjutant: "If you have time, and
there is no danger, come back; but otherwise stay with your company." With
that he headed toward the direction of
where Benteen and the pack train were
presumed to be.
He had ridden only a short distance
when he heard firing from behind.
Turning toward the sound, he could see
Indians in the distance waving buffalo
robes and firing their weapons. In turn,
Martin was visible to the enemy. Before
long they were shooting at him and
managed to strike his horse in the hip.
Fortunately, they missed Martin, who at
that point pushed on at a jog trot in
quest of Benteen. He finally found the
captain, but his wounded and jaded
horse could not move rapidly, so Martin
waved his hat to attract Benteen's atten-
Martin eventually transferred from Company H,

Seventh U.S. Cavalry into the artillery. He appears
here in the khaki uniform of a coast artilleryman of
the Spanish American War era at Columbia Barracks
in Cuba.
Sear let-out of Springfield carbine SSN 19573. This modification

was rather common, and used by frontier soldiers to reduce the
trigger pull, making it easier to discharge the weapon.
"US" stamp on the butt plate of the M1873 Springfield SSN

19573. This was common to all Springfield rifles and carbines of
the period.
Top: The breech and serial number of the .45-55 Springfield carbine and (bottom) the lock plate of the same weapon recently discovered
to match a spent cartridge fired during fighting between George A. Custer's battalion and the victorious Sioux and at the Little Bighorn.
78 MILlTA~Y.cLASSICS ILLUST~T?D-_. - . - - - - ~
.
--_._-
~I
/
./
Custer's last orderly, trumpeter John Martin, about the time of his retirement
from the U.S. Army in the early 20th century.
.'
The n.ame ~f "J. Martin" appea.rs on ~he stock of ~pringfieldSSN 19573. Why would the gun belonging to this trooper, who survived
the LIttle Blf!horn, have been fired WIth Custe!"s ill-fated battalion at Last Stand Hill? Could a fellow cavalryman have carried it into
the fateful flg~t because as a trumpeter Martm would have found a carbine an encumbrance? This is one of the many mysteries that
have made thIS engagement a matter of controversy for generations.
.--.' 1;-:J
-----_. .,. _-
~.
--.
------
_____XARY
ClASs'es
'~LUSTRA~E';
~._
LAST
FIRED
AT THE
LITTLE
BICHORN?
.,,~
(t t:"':2/
tion. In response his company commander galloped over to receive Cooke's

message as well as gain a brief report
from the trumpeter about Custer's situation. Martin told his superior that the
Indians appeared to be running away.
That response was woefully inaccurate
as would be learned days later, when the
stripped corpses of "Yellow Hair" and
more than 200 of his men were found
bleaching and bloated in the Montana
summer sun.
Martin, the last eyewitness from the
Seventh to see Custer alive and survive
to tell the story, had erred in judging
what happened that afternoon. Little
wonder that others who had not been
there during that final rendezvous with
destiny also painted various versions of
what transpired at the so-called "Last
Stand." In fact the dust had barely settled from the battle when debate over
the final actions of Custer and his vanquished battalion began to rage. Since
then the controversy has never ceased.
In fact, for more than 125 years, this
compelling story has drawn individuals
from many walks of life. One of the tens
of thousands of people who became
intrigued with the saga grew up on a
North Dakota wheat farm located only
40 miles from Custer's one-time headquarters at Ft. Lincoln. Glen Swanson
had heard about the Little Bighorn as a
child and vividly remembers his uncle's
barn, which held relics that had been
gathered locally from the days when
trooper and brave clashed for control of
the Plains.
Swanson's early life was little different
from that of the pioneers who settled
near the fort three-quarters of a century
earlier. His family's small wooden farmhouse had no electricity or indoor
plumbing. Almost all the food they ate
came from the crops and livestock raised
on the isolated homestead. Staying
warm in the bleak, freezing winters
required firewood to be chopped, stockpiled, and hauled inside, while the heat
of summer had to be endured without
80
-CLASSICS ILLUSTRAT?p--
MILlTA~Y
.'
~._~-'-,--_,--L::~:::::::::J.1
Top to Bottom: Sharps M1874 rifle, .45-55 Springfield SSN 19573, Spencer carbine SSN
30670, and .45-55 Springfield carbine SSN 1210. All of these guns have been proven to
have been at the Little Bighorn fight.
Newly tested .45-55 Springfield SSN 19573, a carbine that is a silent witness to
"Custer's Last Stand."
relief. Rural schooling was rudimentary.

Diversions were limited during those
rare moments of available free time in
between the many chores that had to be
completed simply to exist in this out of
the way corner of the world.
However, after he enlisted in the
North Dakota National Guard things
changed drastically for Swanson. The
farm lad eventually found himself heading from his former insular childhood to
what then seemed like a strange, faraway
place. In early 1958 he went to Ft.
Monmouth, New Jersey for training as a
Signal Corps photographer. When he
completed the course, he returned to
.--_. ____
'/
_._
/'
.:........:---''--
North Dakota, although his stay would

be brief. Having tasted another way of
life, he was hungry for more.
His next move was to the West Coast
where from 1963 through 1967 he
attended the California Art Center
School of Design. By now photography
went beyond periodic duty with the
guard. He immersed himself in the profession and after graduation he worked
with a large Chicago-based ad agency,
then launched his own business making
commercials.
His work required frequent travel. In
1975 an assignment brought him near
to the Little Bighorn Battlefield. His
.r--~., : ',' ~,_;'._ :.J

--'--- "',-\( - - - -
P(i .l.:,..-r
~,~~
?~ "t';bl'r;;,~
First Lieutenant W. W. Cooke, the Seventh

Cavalry's regimental adjutant, scrawled
this message that Trumpeter Martin carried to Captain Fredric Benteen. Years
later Benteen transcribed the message in
the upper corner of the document. U.S.
Army Military Academy
Detail of .45-70 M1873 Springfield Carbine SSN 1210, which has been ballistically tested
and found to match Field Specimen cartridge No. 150 excavated on Calhoun Hill. Note
that the repair on the stock's wrist is early telegraph wire.
;:p
interest in this engagement remained

from childhood so he made his way to
the site for the first time. for two days
he walked the grounds absorbing the
landscape and its h ritage. This pilgrimage rekindled his pa ion for the subject.
Before long he began to collect photographs, docum nts, and objects related to the ballle, in luding the acquisition of the folding ampaign hat Benteen
wore in the 1870s.
During the early 19 Os, while he was
gathering artifacts and ar hival materials, Swanson established a museumjust
a mile from Fort Lincoln, to tell the story
of the earlier inhabitants of the area. By
An M1874 military Sharps rifle SSN C54586, which has been tested and matches Field
1994 he helped found another museum, Specimen 1277, a casing also excavated at Calhoun Hill.
this time at the Reno Battlefield which
featured his impressive collec'Lion of
images, art, uniforms, accouterments,
Indian related objects, and weapons.
This last category represented some of
the most noteworthy items he had gathered. Among the firearms he had
obtained were four breechloaders that
had been used in the duel between
Custer and the warriors who defeated
him. The first of the extraordinary long
arms he acquired was a M1866
Winchester "Yellowboy" carbine .44
rimfire serial number C54586. Later he
added an M1874 Sharps .50-70 three
band military rifle, which had been
found on the battlefield in 1883. A
Spencer M1865 .52 rimfire carbine and
a Springfield M1873 .45-55 "trapdoor"
carbine followed.
But what made these wood and metal Spencer carbine SSN 30670 displays brass tacks often associatedwithNative
objects so special? After all, firearms of American modifications to firearms. This carbine was matched to Field Specimen No.
the era abound. The answer lies in an 1277 found on Last Stand Hill.
__\ .
.~.
,TARY CLASSI~S I~LUSTRAI\ED
~MILI'
~~~________
..I
- --
-,.~-~ -'--
._----~.
.:...
LAST
FIRED
AT THE
LITTLE
BIGHORN?
August 1983 range fire that scorched
nearly 700 acres of the Little Bighorn
Battlefield. After this accidental burn,
elements of the landscape that had been
obscured for decades were revealed.
This circumstance offered an intriguing
potential for archeological exploration.
By the following year the Nanonal Park
Service's Midwest ArcheologlCal Center
began a well-organized, significant field
excavation of the site that produced a
rich assortment of specimens, not the
least of which were more than 2,000
cartridge cases and bullets discovered
through the use of metal detectors.
These examples were carefully ploned to
depict their exact place of discovery.
Besides concise charting of locanons the
work revealed at least 44 firearm types
along with evidence of some 300 individual weapons that had been used at
the encounter. Furthermore various factors could be combined to provide a better understanding on how the fight may
have unfolded.
Beyond adding data for interpretation
of the battle, the ordnance offered
another benefit. Beginning in the early
twentieth century, law enforcement The breechblock of Springfield M1873 carbine SSN 19573, which demonstrates why the
agents started to rely upon ballistic tests weapon sometimes has been nicknamed a "trapdoor."
to solve crimes. Like fingerprmts,
weapons exhibit unique characteristics
that are revealed both on the casing and
the spent round. In the former instance
among other things the depth of the Iring pin impression, its size, the place
where the pin strikes, and drag marks all
are clues that permit the forensic expert
to determine if a cartridge matches a
particular weapon.
.
This scientific process IS slow and
deliberate. First the expended cartridge
or cartridges documented to a specific
weapon fired at the battlefield serve as the
standard against which another contemporary made cartridge case is compared.
The unfired case is placed in the weapon
. I
that is to be tested and the trigger pulled
so that the firing pin impression is made. Test cartridge case head fired from Spring carbine .SSN 19573 as comp~re? to Natlona
Servl'ce nJ::,'eld Specimen cartridge No. 707, whIch .
was
excavated
wlthm yards of the
Then the modern "evidence case', is Par"
,1\
,
t h
placed under a two-stage or overlapping monument at Last Stand HiI/. The two cases are a ~al"stlc m~ ~ . :.,f
82
MILlTA~YCLASSICSILLUSTR~T?p-"__ - ' - - -.-.
C~~I
/'
~-----...
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=-}/
"'._\(
-.- . - - - . -
~~~----
--~_.-._---,-
microscope for visual comparison with

the control cartridge taken from the little
Bighorn archeological study. All the various general and individual characteristics
then are compared. If the match in all the
required area achieves a high degree
(approximately 90 percent) sufficient
proof exists to determine that the shells
came from the same weapon. To date
only 15 rifles and carbines have passed
the stringent ballistic testing. The first one
subjected to this scrutiny was the Sharps
shipped from the firm's Hartford,
Connecticutfactory on April 23, 1875 for
resale by a New York dealer, then purchased more than a century later by
Swanson! Subsequently, three other of
Swanson's weapons also withstood the
rigorous examination with the same positive results.
After at one time or other owning four
of the 15 ballistically docu mented
firearms from the engagement, Swanson
decided to pursue study of the topic on
his own. In October 2001 he returned to
the little Bighorn Battlefield-his mission to make exact duplicate casts of the
cartridges unearthed in the wake of the
1983 fire. He began with the .45 Colt
revolver rounds, .45-55 cartridges, and
cases from Spencers with the intention
of returning the following year to complete the castings.
Armed with his test samples, he drove
home and began to practice on his
newly acqUired comparison microscope.
Using some of the recently prepared
duplicates from the battlefield collection, he began to visually compare evidence cases from other weapons he
owned along with a few examples he
borrowed from associates who had
firearms of the proper vintage and type
~. :~. ~.-",~/
:.;;:~~'
"$,
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.:..,_. ~
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'-,'
from the Little Bighorn. Placing the

appropriate pairs of cartridge casting
under the scope he made a cursory
inspection. If sufficient characteristics
seemed promising, he then took side by
side digital images of identical size, then
enlarged these to produce an overlay as
the final phase of study. The idea was
that if these oversized pictures had a
high degree of probability the pOSSible
matching specimens would be forwarded for detailed assessment by experts in
thefield.
Originally Swanson thought this
would be an interesting exercise, but
viewed the undertaking as just another
facet of his hobby much like reading
books on the subject of the little Bighorn
or other associated pursuits. That pastime
proved a bit more exciting when during
December 2001 he placed a .45-55
round from an M1873 he had found for
sale earlier in the year. One after another
the archeological castings were placed
side by side with the evidence case he had
just fired from the Springfield. The results
seemed La be the same as previous nonproductive efforts, but eventually as one
negative outcome followed the next, the
microscope revealed remarkable similarities that bore further consideration. After
careful visual observation, Swanson put
his photographic training to work.
Making twin digital images of the two
cases and overlaying them seemed to
confirm that he had discovered another
veteran of the little Bighorn.
Cautiously optimistic, he packed up
the two samples and sent them on to
Lincoln, Nebraska for independent
inspection by appropriate National Park
Services specialists at the Midwest
Archeological Center. The verdict came
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:-'andy [larnard. Di,';,\/IJ,'; llll,' (Ibl,/.'
Lus{ S{ulld. Tcrr,1IbuiC: :\:-'T PrL~~.
I L)l)tj.
John S du \ll'nl. ClISt,', Bdll!. (;/11;'
Fl. CL,llilb. co: The Old .\rll1\ Prc~~.
I L)77.
Richard :\ILln h):,. jr :\/(};("I",\\.
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\hl\\bra\ InL" ]l)t't'
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1"'rsj1c;'{i\,'s I'll lIlC Bdrr!t' "i lilt' Liu!,'

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back that the two cartridges matched. To

add to the mystique the case from the
battlefield was found almost in the shadow of the monument on Custer Hill. But
who fired the weapon? Was it one of
Custer's troopers, or did one of the warriors from the village capture the carbine
and tum it on the Seventh Cavalry?
Another intriguing aspect is the presence of what appears to be contemporary carvings on the stock. The markings
"J Martin" and "H" raise one more mystery. Did the trumpeter-turned-courier
lend his Springfield to a comrade or did
he lose it as he rode to evade his pursuers? If so, either of these scenarios
would account for the presence of this
army issue weapon at the last Stand
where it may have fired one of the last
rounds of the engagement. But as with
so many other aspects associated with
this fateful engagement the answer to
this provocative puzzle probably never
will be known.
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GENERAL CUSTER
A LOST TRAIL AND THE GALL SAGA

_.~._. __
BY
~ITARY CLASSI~S I~LUSTRAjED~
orld War II was one of the last conflicts

where pocket pistols were considered serious military sidearms. To be fair,
Germany's primary handguns were the
9mm ~38 and Luger, but there were also
scads of .32s and .380s (and even some .25s) being
carried. Walthers, Mausers, CZs and MABs all
could be seen dangling from officers' waistbelts.
Even the Allies were not immune to this trend, and
the U.S., for instance, issued Colt Pocket autos to
generals and specialized troops, and even fielded
some Colt Vest Pocket .25s. Italy carried the fashion one step further and adopted a .380 as its primary handgun. It was one of the best-designed pistols of the war, but it was still a .380, or as the
Italians called it, "9mm Corto."
What this .380 Italian service pistol lacked in

power, it more than made up for in reliability.
By Garry James
The Model 1934 Beretta (there was also
a Model 35 in 7.62mm) was a member of
a long line of top-notch autos (models
1915,1919,1923 and 1931) Like its
predecessors, it was a small blowba k,
well thought out and ergonomically
pleasing. Primary orders came from the
Italian Army, followed by Air Force pur-
chases. The gun became so popular it was

eventually declared standard issue,
though a number of older Italian handguns, such as the Bodeo revolvers and
Model 1910 Glisenti auto were also seen
in the hands of Mussolini's Fascist forces.
When Italy left the war, a number of
Model 34s and 35s were also carried by
German officers. In fact, the gun I am

using for this evaluation came in a
German WaJJenamt-stamped holster. The
American capture papers that accompanied it also listed a "German Officer's
Dagger," which, sadly, was not still with
the pistol and holster. But I'm getting
ahead of myself.
The Model 34 was simply a great gun.
Exhibiting typical Beretta quality (even
in late war versions), it was easy to operate, not difficult to take down and reliable in the extreme. Grips were black
plastiC emblazoned with the Pietro
Beretta (PB) monogram. Finish was a
combination of a blued frame and plumcolored slide. The safety, which also
served as a slide hold-open, was located
on the left side of the frame, where it
could easily be manipulated with the
thumb of the right hand.
I've heard some people complain that
rotating the lever 180 degrees to put the
gun on and off "safe" is a bit cumbersome, but I must admit I have never
found it so.
Like so many European pistols of the
period, the magazine had a heel release.
When the final round was expended the
slide remained open, and closed again
when the magazine was removed.
The gun featured an external hammer.
Sights involved a simple blade milled out
of the top of the forward portion of the
slide, and a notch rear that could be driftadjusted for windage. Capacity was seven
rounds in the magazine, plus one in the
chamber-so while puissance was somewhat lacking in the .380 round, at least
overall firepower was not.
Markings on the gun are interesting,
and just a little bit different. The left
side of the slide exhibits the Beretta
address, model and date of manufacture-in the Gregorian calendar in
Arabic numerals, and the Fascist calendar, which started in 1922, in Roman
numerals. Thus my test piece is dated
(/)
B
o
.r::
a.
..,>!"
'"
()
:2'
Q)
c
c
3'
The author's evaluation Model 1.934

was Army issue, as denoted by a "RE"
(Regia Esercito) stamp. It also has
date of manufacture on the slide In
Gregorian and Fascist numbers.
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The Model 1934's safety is a small lever

that must be rotated 180 degrees forward
before the pistol can be fired.
both "1940" and "XVIII." Military pistols

are also stamped either "RE" for Regia
Esercito (Royal Army), "RA" for Regia
Aeronautica (Royal Air Force) or "RM" for
Regia Marina (Royal Navy.)
Barrel length on the 1934 is 33k inches,
overall length is six inches and it weighs
some 24 ounces.
The M34 and M35 proved to be very
popular with returning GIs, and even
though thousands were brought back to
the States as war trophies, Beretta recognized that there was still a market for this
popular little pistol and continued making it for civilians until 1958.
Stripping the Beretta 34/35 is relatively simple. First remove the magazine
and ensure the gun is unloaded. Now
lock back the slide with the safety lever
and tap on the muzzle to free the barrel
from the frame. Remove the slide forward off the frame and pull out the
recoil spring and spring guide.

Reassemble in reverse order.
My evaluation 34 was in excellent condition, exhibiting little use and only
marginal blue wear. The bore was perfect
and the trigger a crisp 5% pounds. After
a little checking, wiping and oiling, it
was ready to take to the range. It might
be noted that in all probability, this was
the first time the gun had been fired
since the war.
Ammo chosen was Black Hills 95-grain
FM], as it pretty closely approximates the
Italian service load. The magazine was
charged with seven rounds, a cartridge
chambered and the trigger pulled.
Nothing. Another round was chambered.
Nothing again. I checked the primers, and
they had been barely dimpled. The mag
was removed, the slide pulled back and a
punch used to push on the rear of the firing pin. It was, to say the least, a tad on the
stiff side.
When pushed all the way forward, the
Like many other European (and some

American) autos ofthe period, the Model
1934 has a heel-mounted safety catch. This
is not as easy to manipulate as a frame button, but is very positive.
The magazine holds seven rounds. It has

open sides so one can easily determine how
many cartridges have been loaded. Some
experts feel this feature allows dirt and
debris in.
pin protruded far enough to discharge a

round, so it was determined that in all
probability some fugitive dried oil or
grease was inhibiting its proper forward
travel. After putting a few drops of light oil
in the rear of the pin and working it back
and forth a few times, the gun was reloaded and tried again. Success!
I ran through a couple of magazines
full of ammo just to make sure all was in
good order, and then tried for accuracy.
From a rest at 25 yards, it kept most of its
rounds in sub three-inch groups about
four inches above point of aim. Not too
bad for a pocket piece.
Recoil was not unpleasant, and it
proved to be a lot of fun to shoot. Targets
of opportunity at varying closer ranges
were handily picked off, exhibiting more
than adequate combat accuracy
While I admit the Beretta 34 would not
be my first choice for a service pistol, I'll
also admit it certainly has a presence and
considerable amount of jaunty elan-just
like the Italians who first used it.
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e only credit card that helps to

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From a rest, using Black Hills 95-grain FMJ

ammo, 25-yard groups ran in the three-inch
range.
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even re-enactors, armed and

outfitted as World War II
U.s. Marines, await their
cue to paddle their rubber
raft across a shallow pond at this
private ranch north of Los
Angeles. In the dark, with a blast
of special effects fog, and the jetski circling just out of camera
range making small waves, this
sandy bank is a convincing Pacific
island beachhead. The camera
crew is ready to roll when one of

the cast shouts "Hold it!" Tom
Jennings, the director, asks for
clarification. The re-enactor,
unbuckling his M1936 web belt,
explains, "I've got the holster
hanging on the wrong hip, Col.
Carlson wore it on the left, backwards." Jennings nods approval.
The adjustment takes only a
minute. The camera rolls, and the
mock assault continues.
How to Make
aHistory
Channel
Documentary
Getting that kind of subtle detail correct makes all the difference to our
viewers and to the veterans who lived
the stories that we tell. It is particularly
important for us here tonight since one
of the veterans of this story is visiting
the set. Usually, when confronted with
an historical inaccuracy in their feature
films or television dramas, Hollywood
filmmak.ers shrug their shoulders and
declare: "This isn't a documentary." We,
however, don't get off that easily.
"We owe it to the men who fought for
our country to tell their story as accurately as possible," concludes Jennings.
"Re-shooting a scene and working here
in the dark a little longer isn't that much
of a sacrifice considering what those
guys went through."
The twelve re-enactors and the
eleven-person production crew gathered in this thicket of bamboo and
brush are working on the forty-second
episode of The History Channel's hit
series, "Dangerous Missions." For seven
years, Digital Ranch, a television production company owned by Rob Kirk
and myself, has made documentaries
for The History Channel. "Dangerous
Missions" has brought to the screen
exciting stories of high risk occupations
ranging from Airborne Pathfinders in
World War II, to Vietnam Tunnel Rats,
to today's law enforcement bomb
squads. The episode that we are shooting now will chronicle the combat
record of the famed Marine Raiders.
Formed in February, 1942, the Marine
Corps' Raider Battalions were the first
American ground forces to take the
offensive to the Japanese and to stem the
tide which had threatened to engulf the
Pacific. They struck fear in the enemy
through their hard-hitting, surprise
strikes. The Raiders played a critical role
in the victory at Guadalcanal, a turning
point in the war. Their thrilling story
was a natural for this series.
The process of turning an idea into an
hour of television begins with writing a
Technical advisor and Raider veteran, Bill Lansford, shares a helpful tip with Harlan
Glenn, military coordinator and re-enactor.
The Japanese re-enactors capture the Marines with film and not bayonets.
well-researched proposal
that highlights the key
points of the story. We present the idea to the programming executives at the
network, and if they are
convinced that the story is
right for their audience, they
give us a thumbs up.
Getting over that hurdle
kicks off the next step: preproduction.
As executive producer at
Digital Ranch, my job is to
bring together the team that
will create the show. First it
is assigned to one of our coproducers. The co-producer
is tasked with coordinating
the myriad of elements
required for a show. "I start
by finding veterans and historians who might be interested in sharing their experiences and ideas on camera. I also start hunting for
still photos and archival film
footage to use in the show,"
Japanese re-enactor preps for his shot. The
explained Alan Duffin, the co- Japanese troops for this program were actually
producer for Marine Raiders. brought to the location from Japan.
"I collect this information and
I pass it on the producer/direcexperts. These interviews form the backtor."
"Next, we hire a producer/director. bone of the show. I am constantly
That person is responsible for putting amazed by how vividly these guys can
the various pieces together into a clever, recall things that happened to them
cohesive, entertaining and accurate pro- almost sixty years ago, and how willing
gram," said Rob Kirk, also an executive they are to share with us some very diffiproducer of the series. "The producer cult and troubling memories."
"While I'm out on the road with a
goes out into the field and conducts the
interviews with the veterans and the camera crew interviewing the veterans,"
"
~~
~,r,~
,j. .
;'~~
a super 8mm camera while the production crew

Marine emerging from the brush. The 8mm is used for backup and to
mamtam a record of the shoot.
A~thor 'Job Lihan! (far right) films with

vld~ota!,esa
Director Tom Jennings (I) watches the shot in the monitor. Sometimes several "takes"
are necessary before things are exactly as the director wants.
explained Jennings, "the co-producer is

back in the Digital Ranch office collecting the stock footage, the historical
images that will help me illustrate the
various stories that these guys are discussing on camera." According to coproducer Duffin, this is where the detective work begins. "I search the records of
the National Archives, the Library of
Congress, and a number of military
museum collections for the right shots
to convey the story. Sometimes we're
lucky and discover that combat cameramen shot film footage of that particular
activity, or at least something very close.
But, quite often, combat cameramen did
not shot action that matches the interviewee's story. Maybe that event took
place after dark, and the cameramen
couldn't get an exposure on their film, or
they just simply weren't there. That's
when it gets fun," added Duffin.
"The Raiders did a lot of their work at
night, in small teams, patrolling dense,
rain soaked jungle. Not very good conditions for exposing film back in those
days. So we knew from the start, that we
would need to shoot some pretty elaborate re-enactments," explained Rob Kirk.
"An accurate re-enactment needs
three key elements to succeed: convincing actors, historically authentic uniforms and gear, and the right weapons.
For this program we had to not only cast
and outfit Marine Raiders, but Japanese
Naval Landing Force and Japanese
Imperial Army as well," said Harlan
Glenn, Digital Ranch's military coordinator. Glenn, who has written articles
and books on military equipment, and
has his own business making and selling
reproduction uniforms, has a network of
re-enactors and militaria collectors at his
fingertips. "I hand pick guys that work
well together, and who have the proper
gear. They need to look the right age,
and they need to be in good shape. No
fat Marines on Guadalcanal," explained
Glenn. "Some of the guys bring extra
gear, or have some really rare pieces, and
so we pay them a little extra to help us
outfit and equip some of the other cast."
One of the cast, Jeff Warner, has
been collecting all types of militaria
for years. His expertise with Marine
Corps gear makes him a valuable asset
when it comes to deciding how the
Raiders would have dressed and what
they would have carried. "Many
Marines in early '42 were still armed
with the bolt- action '03 Springfield,
and a lot of the guys were issued the
M190S bayonets -the long ones with
cotton webbed M1910 scabbards. But
since we also intend to shoot scenes
from '44 , we have Garand rifles ready
How to Make
aHistory
Channel
Documentary
as well," said Warner.
"That's part of the beaUly f \VOl hng
with 'Harlan's Heroes.' This group {1f r enactors and collectors that Ihlll,lll has
gathered here already knows how t
wear the uniforms and h w lhl' 'qulpment is used. As a result, th '> 1001 at
ease with the gear and the Wl"IPOlls, and
that naturalness comes a ross 1111 l,llTlera," said]ennings.
"The men portraying tlH' J.lp.ln' e
Naval Landing Force and th Imp'lw]
Army came from]apan SPl' If I .IIly for
this show," said Glenn ... am 1010}lma
and his team invested a 101 Oillml' and
money to participate. IllS \"l'I> Illlp 11'tant to them thallheir fOI '1.IIh 'IS b
portrayed accural ly. 'l'dkss to say,
their uniforms ar imp" ,\hl' I h 'y'r'
either hand mad r 'ph{ .Is 01 t h ' 1(: a I
thing. Stuff you would Sl'l' III ,I mus
The dramatic "ambush of the Japanese patrol."
Actor Sam Motojima, armed with the Mauser "broomhandle" pistol, reacts to the
attacking Marines. While not primary issue, many Japanese officers carried C.96
Mausers that had been acquired through private purchase or in China.
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BY
ut
Cameraman Scott Farguharson shoots
videotape of Harlan Glenn on the "Long
Patrol." Generally, most of these documentaries are shot directly on tape.
An evocative detail of actor Lloyd Squires on "The Long Patrol. "

How to Make
aHistory
Channel
Documentary
urn. You can't get any more auth nli
than japanese guys wearing p ri
japanese gear. It's like stepping inl ,
time machine with these genll 111
on the set."
"That [act that they spoke v ry Jilll'
English wasn't a problem," said umn.
"Dan King, one o[ 'Harlan's HI',' IS
fluent in japanese, and he lran lal d th .
director's instructions [or Mr. MOLOpma
and the other japanese re-ena t rs." In
addition to his [requ nl work 01
Dangerous Missions, King erved as Ill'
japanese Military 0 rdinalor on til .
feature film "Windta\k I' ."
One sequence I' - I' at'd a Millin'
Raiderambushofajapan ' I ,lIm\
during the fight [or uad, I 'anal.
jennings explained, "W had th
Marine re-enactors take cover in til
bushes and wait [or the japan
to
walk into range. We didn't telllhe
japanese soldiers exactly where or
when the Marines would stage thei I'
mock ambush. As the Marines opened
fire on the passing japanese, their look
o[ surprise and their reaction to being
caught "0[[ guard" was genuine."
Care of the weapons fell to armorer
Paul Schoeman. A gunsmith for ten
years, Paul joins the ranks of the Digital
Ranch production team on a set whenever weapons are to be fired. "Harlan
asked me to be on hand and troubleshoot any problems that might
occur with any of the weapons. That
meant Garands, Springfields,
Thompsons, a Model 97 Winchester
shotgun, a BAR, .45 automatic pistols,
and .38 Victory Model revolvers used
by the Marines. And the 6.5mm and
7. 7mm Type 99 Arisaka rifles, and
9mm Nambu and Mauser
"Broomhandle" pistols of the japanese.
The Imperial Army had captured the
Broomhandles during their invasion of
China back in the 1930s, so its appropriate for this shoot. My favorite, however, was the .55 caliber Boys antitank
rifle used by the Raiders," explained
Marines about to hit the beach. The dramatic results of considerable pre-planning.
The Marines defending Edson's Ridge. Much care is taken to ensure proper handling of
firearms. Blanks, though they contain no projectiles, can still be dangerous.
th,i~ki~~
~6C'~t
h,i6tc-~~. .. ..
How to Make
aHistory
Channel
Documentary
Schoeman. "The Thompsons I h,1t \\ ('
have on the set are semi-auto, ,llllltlll
Boys has been re-barrelecllCl lO ,t!iber. But these modificali I1S.Il' 111\'1 I
ble to the viewer."
"My biggest challeng i k '('Pill Ih '
weapons clean. In some of Ihl' ('Ill.
the actors throw their w apoll Illlhl'
dirt. Its like a big sandb . ( UI h( I '. ,md
so I have to clean them afl 'I (,Il h I,d (' III
they'll jam. Sometimes it rcquII(' ,J Willplete take down to g tthClll \\ Oil Illg
again," said Schoeman." f ((lUI ('. \\ II h
firearms on a set, safet)' IS I h llulllh'l
one concern. W firc only hl,1I11- hut
blanks can still kill you B'f H' pilldu
I
Tom Jennings explains the action in the next shot. While the director has a clear idea of
what he wants the action to be, often suggestions are made by actors and technical
advisors.
tion gets rolling, I collect the cast and

crew and give a safety briefing. I pass out
ar protection, and keep my eye on how
the weapons are being handled."
tanding quietly behind the camera
and carefully watching all the action is
Bill Lansford. Landsford fought with the
2nd Raider Battalion. He was a rifleman
and participated in the fight for
Guadalcanal, taking part in the famous

"Long Patrol." Tom]ennings had interviewed Landsford for the program, and
invited him to watch the filming of the
reenactments. For the re-enactors, having the Marine veteran on the set is a
special treat. "It's a real honor," said
Lloyd Squires, the tall, dark haired reenactor portraying Colonel Carlson, the
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Director Tom Jennings describes the "raft sequence." Complicated setups require a lot ofplanning, coordination and forethought.
How to Make
aHistory
Channel
Documentary
2nd Raider Battalion Commander.
Landsford knew Carlson and takes a
minute to share a war story with the reenactors between takes. "He tells us
things-lots of small details-priceless
information that you would never find
in a book," said Squires.
"It's a thrill for me to see that someone
cares to tell our story, and cares enough
to try to tell it correctly," said Landsford.
"I'm impressed with how good these
guys look, and how hard they are willing to work to get it right. For example,
I mentioned to some of the fellas that
they didn't look dirty and sweaty
enough. On Guadalcanal, we were just
filthy. So, they immediately smeared
dirt all over themselves! The japanese
soldiers are so realistic too. I'll tell you,
it sent a shiver up my spine when I first
saw them here."
At midnight, jennings double checks
his tally of completed shots with co-producer Duffin making sure they filmed
everything they need to tell their story.
The two agree its "in the can," and
announce "that's a wrap." With a round
of handshakes and thank you's, the cast
and crew start packing away their gear.
For the next few weeks, jennings sits
with his script and an editor in the edit
bay stitching together the black and
white historical footage, the interviews,
and the re-enactment scenes. Before the
show is delivered to the network, we
invite Mr. Landsford for a screening to
check for any gaffs. After an hour
patiently assessing our effort, the former
Marine Raider turns to the collected production team, grins, and declares,
"Semper Fl." Coming from a Marine
Raider, we couldn't ask for a better seal
of approval.
An Emmy nominated producer, Rob
Lihani is co-owner of Digital Ranch, a Los
Angeles based production company. He is a
graduate of usc Film School, and aformer
Captain in the Air Force who lead the combat camera teams dUring the 1989 invasion
of Panama.
~
Cameraman Scott Farguharson goes in for a closeup.
Author Lihani (r) shoots some "behind the scenes" details of the Japanese soldiers.
Rob Lihani (r) meeting with a cast member. (Trying to convince him to work overtime, if
truth be told.)
his Marine Corii'scwi

created a work of art that certaiDIy
have pleased that Marine and all Om~1lI 1lImn
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Each of these commemoratives is precision hand-fitted and finished by one of the
world's finest gun makers. The stock of
hand-finished Ivorene (a mixture of space
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depicts the Eagle, Globe and Anchor; Tun
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which served as the Marine Corps' first duty
station, Semper Fidelis and the Corps' birth
date of November 10, 1775.
Deluxe Plexi2las Display Case and

Accessories fncluded
A custom wooden stand of military blue
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The total cost for each commemorative
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seas evaporated a lot sooner, thanks to

10 MILITARY CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED

by maneuvering his ships between the

An original crocodile-hilted sword from an officer in Nelson's Egyptian Club. Author's

Detail of the leaf-shaped crossguard on the crocodile-hilted sword. Author's collection

Oilpainting on canvas portrait ofCaptain

the firm of Prosser, Charing Cross,

Viscount Horatio Nelson, This 1842 color

expedition truly op n d l:gypL up to the

While Nelson's flagship, the Vanguard, was

Spanish Fleets at the expense of his

Crocodile-hilted sword displayed by the National Maritime Museum and believed to be

(IF \\ (11:1.1 1 \\ \1: II

Contains 300 of the most important and

BRITISH & AMERICAN TANKS

This 12" figure has over 20 points of

This 12" figure has over 20 points of

This 12" figure has over 20 points of

BILLY THE KID

Filled with over 500 photographs, dra\vings and

This 12" figure has over 20 points of articulation and

IN THEIR OWN WORDS:

IN THEIR OWN WORDS:

Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Midway ...

"Authentics" were supposedly the guys

coverage of the re-enactment of the battle of Gettysburg into my living room.

The most distinctive part of your

Photographic evidence is the best way to

and are looking for a near perfect

When on the march, a bed roll or soft

A distinctive kepi or slouch hat can make

cases. Too, many state seal buckles

CJ Daley Historical Reproductions

farbed. De-farbing your musket consists

Country Cloth, Inc., do Charlie

Glory: Arms & Equipment of the

Note the hand stitched, tape style

color photographs detailing every little

Although Yankees do not get a lot of ink in

Confederate Faces by William A. Turner