Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! Here we have a James D. West manufactured “Grease Gun” submachine gun, built post-WWII and registered during the 1968 amnesty. Homemade emulation of the GM Guide Lamp M3 and M3A1, alloy tube and sheet construction, with some original M3 compone...
The USS Saratoga (CV-3) was one of just three United States Navy aircraft carriers—along with USS Ranger (CV-4) and USS Enterprise (CV-6)—to survive the entirety of the Second World War. Although outdated by 1943, as the newer and more capable Essex-cla...
Editor’s Note: Today’s article is about Sgt. Darrell Powers, a World War II hero who served with the 101st Airborne Division. Nicknamed “Shifty”, Powers saw action in the American airborne landings in Normandy, Operation Market Garden and the Battle of the Bulge. Powers was more than “j...
Editor’s Note: Especially adapted for The Armory Life from The Matchless Enfield .303 No. 4 Mk I (T) Sniper and Britain’s Elite Scout/Snipers Who Dominated WWII Battlefields Book No. 2 Mk II revised and expanded by Jeff John. Available at Amazon.com. I’ve long believed the En...
Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! Here we have a 1940 Mauser Luger subsequently converted to “Baby Luger” configuration with 2-inch barrel. This represents a postwar conversion when surplus Lugers were modified for concealed carry. Baby Luger conversions became popular in the ...
I recently had the chance to test the Springfield Armory Mil-Spec pistol in .45 ACP, positioned in the manufacturer’s line as a very reasonably priced basic service pistol — yet one that still features a rugged forged frame and slide. Except for its taller sights, it shares the silhouette of ...
The USS Hornet (CV-12) stands as one of the most storied aircraft carriers in United States naval history, playing a decisive role in World War II as part of the Essex-class fleet. From its origins as a replacement for the lost USS Hornet (CV-8) to its participa...
Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! Here we have a 1940 Colt Official Police shipped to the government of Iceland on March 21, 1940 as part of an 80-revolver order through John Olafsson & Company in Reykjavik. The timing is significant – this was one year into WWII, one month befor...
Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! Here we have an Argentine Hafdasa Ballester-Molina semi-automatic pistol manufactured 1938-1953. This is Argentina’s licensed copy of the Colt 1911 design chambered in .45 ACP (marked as 11.25mm). Hafdasa (Hispano-Argentina Fábrica de Automóviles S...
At the National Museum of the United States Air Force, many visitors will see an unfamiliar aircraft at the entrance to the WWII gallery. The museum’s display of the gleaming silver fighter coded “86” on the fuselage, features a pilot boarding the plane in his pajamas, with an M1911 pistol ...