Dale Dye: Why Marines Are Called “Devil Dogs”

It’s one of the most memorable monikers for a fighting force around, and its legend stems from a brutal battle fought more than a century ago. The term was reportedly adapted from the German Teufel Hunden, and applied to American Marines following the Battle of Belleau Wood during World Wa...

By Capt. Dale Dye, USMC (Ret)

Ayoob: The 1911 at War

I recently heard someone say that handguns have no place in military combat. History shows us otherwise. For the tanker, artilleryman, radio operator or medic whose hands are too busy at designated tasks to hold a rifle, the pistol makes enormous sense. Behind the lines when unpleasant surprises ...

By Massad Ayoob

Review: Springfield M1A Tanker

The Springfield Armory M1A Tanker represents the synergistic combination of a compact, full-power rifle with a timelessly attractive aesthetic. Pushing a full-sized 7.62x51mm/.308 Win. round in a chassis that lends itself to maneuverability and easy portage, the M1A Tanker also captures...

By Will Dabbs, MD

POTD: General Harding’s USMC 1911 – A General’s Sidearm

Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! Here we have a 1913-frame Colt Model 1911 in the USMC serial range, documented as owned by U.S. Army Major General Edwin Forrest Harding. He gifted it to a family friend named Robert James when James came home to Franklin, Ohio after the Korean War. Hardin...

By Sam.S

History of the Trapdoor Rifle

My passion has been collecting and acquiring representative United States Service rifles. That includes items like the 1898 Krag-Jorgensen, 1903 Springfield (and its variants), the M1 Garand and the M1 Carbine. However, one of my favorites in that collection is the Spring...

By Cory Ross

Shifty Powers: The Gun Guy from “Band of Brothers”

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...

By Massad Ayoob

POTD: Belgian Artillery Musketoon – Reconverted Flintlock

Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! Here we have a Belgian flintlock artillery musketoon manufactured in the early 1800s and reconverted to flintlock. The reconversion indicates this was originally converted to percussion during the 1840s-1850s, then later restored back to flintlock configur...

By Sam.S

What Was the Best Sniper Rifle of WWII?

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...

By Jeff John

M1 Abrams — Best Job I Ever Had

The M1 Abrams was conceived with a singular, unyielding purpose: the total destruction of enemy armored formations. Over the last four decades, it has become the absolute pinnacle of tank warfare made manifest. Its sheer battlefield dominance has not only won conflicts, but forced militaries acro...

By Mason Berryman

America’s Flaming Bayonet in World War I

In early 1918, as the American Expeditionary Force prepared to face battle-hardened German troops in France, the bayonet was a vital component of the Doughboys’ combat equipment. It is difficult for many people today to understand the importance the U.S. military placed on “cold steel” duri...

By Tom Laemlein
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