Weapons

Weapons and Human Evolution

Weapons are very important to human evolution. Recent DNA findings prove the point.

MTDNA - DNA that passes from mother to child, indicates that every human alive is descended from one woman who lived about 150,000 years ago in Africa. But the Y Chromosome, that passes from father to son, indicates that every human alive descended from one man who lived about 60,000 years ago in Africa.

Sounds kind of kinky. But if the research is correct, it points out the difference in breeding options of males versus females. One male can father numerous offspring with numerous females, provided that other males let him. Other males are of course not all that fond of that outcome, which leads to conflicts among males of most species. The biggest toughest male gets the most offspring.

This is true for most species, including humans.

Enter weapons. The clever, smarter guys conceived better weapons, and with these weapons knocked off the other guys, and go their women. Hence a convergent date of our ancestral GGG Grandfather of 60,000 years ago versus our GGGGGrandmother of 150,000 years ago.

In a normal state, human males are in more or less constant conflict with other males over hunting areas and females. When things are equal, it is difficult for one band of males to knock off another band.

But each time a new superior weapon was created that gave one band of humans an advantage over the others, male on male genocide was the likely outcome, while preserving and breeding with the attractive females.

This scenario would have played out over and over again each time a superior weapon was developed. The first men and/or hominids that figured out how to property use a club or throw stones effectively would have had a field day. Ditto the first guys who developed the spear, the first who developed stone hatchets, slings, spear throwers, bows and arrows, guns, etc.

And each group who invented the new weapon was probably a little more clever and smarter then the guys who did not create the invention. Over time, conflict with weapons made humans more intelligent.

I think the above is correct, but who knows? I was not there,

Badass!

This is coolbert:

Thanks to John M. here for the tip to this web site.

A web site with an interesting title.

"top-10-badass-ancient-weapons"

Weaponry, the most lethal and dangerous [?] from ancient and medieval times. The top ten.

The weapons, "badassed", as they say, listed, not in any specific order I would think, are:

10. Culverin.

9. Caltrop.

8. Boiling Oil.

7. Arbalest.

6. Hunga Munga.

5. Morning Star.

4. Dead bodies.

3. Trebuchet.

2. Greek fire.

1. Scythed chariot.

As usual, here are my comments:

Here is a photo of the arbalest from the "badass" site



AND another photo putting the proper size of the "device" in context. A crossbow type weapon that fired a SPEAR [javelin], not just a bolt [the arrow fired from a crossbow is normally called a BOLT.]



With regard to the crossbow, here is what Suvorov has to say:

"However amusing the reader may find this, the crossbow is in fact a terrible weapon which can put an arrow right through a man at a great distance and with great accuracy. Specialist believe that, at the time when the crossbow was competing with the musket, the musket came off best only because it made such a deafening noise that this had a greater effect on the enemy than the soft whistle of an arrow from a crossbow. But in speed of firing, accuracy, and reliability the crossbow was superior to the musket, smaller in size and weight, and killed people just as surely as the musket."

Oil boils at a temperature exceeding that of water. Is thicker and clings better too. Getting boiling oil underneath armor must have been just the most terrible experience. Exposed to the enemy, burning up with oil, tearing the armor off, writhing on the ground in agony, etc. A wound like that is particularly susceptible to infection. If you did not die from the burns, shock, etc., infection and death was a strong possibility.

Dead bodies, flung into a besieged city, can pose a problem for the attacker as well as the defender. Disease, spread by biological pathogens, can come back to strike down those outside the walls as well as those inside. The same with bacteriological warfare today. Unless you have an antidote to the pathogen and inoculate your own people, the illness can spread and kill YOUR OWN PEOPLE!!

I was especially intrigued by the hunga munga. I would have thought that a creation of Hollywood prop creators. NOT a weapon to be found in the real world. WAS used in Africa by warring tribes [prior to the advent of the AK-47]. Is both a THROWING weapon and a SLASHING weapon. I can imagine an entire form of martial art developing around the use of the hunga munga [Buffy did employ a hunga munga in her various duels with vampires. But that is fiction - - right!!]

And this stuff [ancient and medieval weaponry] is coming back into fashion too. ONLY yesterday the Chicago Tribune carries an on-the-scene report from a journalist traveling in Kenya. Lots of tribal warfare going on right now, as we speak. The writer tells of gangs of "youths" armed in the medieval manner, with spears, bows and arrows, and machetes' [called a panga in Africa].

I guess whatever works, works!?

coolbert.

Warriors!

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Here are some interesting photographs, courtesy of the weblog, "Jungle Trader"

Warriors from one hundred years ago. Armed in the traditional manner.

Carrying edged weapons which at the time was part of the standard manner of dress. All young men of the tribe found it obligatory to carry a sword and blade of some sort. Prepared to fight at a moments notice, and not just for show!

First we have the Dayak. From the warrior tribe of Borneo.



The caption accompanying this photo is not quite correct. Says that the Dayak no longer practice headhunting. Wrong!! They still do. During recent communal rioting on the island of Borneo, heads were taken, and taken evidently with relish.

Next we have the Bishara warrior. From what is now the Sudan.



Please note the dagger and the shield. That "knob in the center of the shield, more correctly called a "boss", allows the shield to be used as an offensive weapon, for striking and not merely parrying.

"boss - - 3. an ornamental protuberance of metal, ivory, etc.; stud."

[NOT just for ornamental purposes. Adds heft, solidity, strength!]

I so do love these old photos. A vanished part of human history that lasted for thousands of years, NOW GONE with rare exceptions!!

coolbert.

Grenades!

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Everyone is familiar with the conventional hand grenade.

Carried [four] as part of the basic fighting load by the common soldier.

Here, however, are some hand grenades that I classify in the curiosities and oddities category. Weapons having "dubious" value?

The "Sticky bomb".




British development from the early days of World War Two [WW2]. An anti-tank hand grenade that would "stick" to a tank, allowing the full force of the grenade's explosion to have the maximum effect.

"This was an early attempt at an anti-tank grenade. To get the explosive to detonate against the vehicle armour it relied upon an adhesive coating to hold the bomb in place, hence 'Sticky'."

But was very dangerous as well to the thrower.

"Inherently dangerous for the user"

"However, if the grenade stuck to something else, such as the thrower's clothing, then he was in mortal danger, with an armed or - worse - ignited grenade stuck to him."

The RKG-3 anti-tank grenade.



A Soviet/Russian anti-tank grenade possessing both a shaped-charge AND a parachute.

"When the pin is pulled and the grenade is thrown a four-panelled drogue parachute is deployed by a spring. This parachute stabilizes the grenade in flight and ensures that the grenade strikes the target at a 90 degree angle, maximising the effect of the shaped charge."

The RKG has been used in combat AND is being used by insurgents in Iraq, right now, as we speak.

"The RKG-3M was used extensively [presumably by the Egyptians and Syrians] during the 1973 Yom Kippur War."

"RKG-3 grenades have also been used by Iraqi insurgents against coalition forces."

"RKG-3 grenades have been intercepted en-route to Palestinian forces in Gaza."

The Gammon "bomb". Actually a hand grenade, but in British parlance, a "bomb". The British refer to hand grenades and mortar rounds both as "bombs".

"parlance - - noun - - a manner of speaking that is natural to native speakers of a language"



A somewhat unique grenade in that it had a variable size explosive charge AND an impact fuse. Detonates when striking the target [when used against armored vehicles].

"a replacement for the temperamental and highly dangerous 'sticky bomb' grenade."

"the Gammon bomb was flexible in the amount and type of munition that could be delivered to a target."

"Detonation of a gammon grenade was instantaneous on impact [when used against an armored vehicle] with the target i.e. there was no time delay."

And of course, the German "stick grenade" of WW2 fame [WW1 also].



I have always wondered about the usefulness of that handle? For what reason was it included? Was there some advantage to having a hand grenade at the end of a "stick"?

"The stick provided a lever, significantly improving the throwing distance. The Model 24 could be thrown approximately 30-40 yards, whereas the British Mills bomb [a conventional hand grenade] could only be thrown about 15 yards."

Well, there you have it! MORE THAN TWICE AS FAR!! Should have been obvious.

Keep in mind, that at the time the Gammon grenade, the "sticky bomb", and probably the RKG were first developed, the infantryman did NOT have a reliable means at his disposal to defeat enemy tanks. Anti-tank grenades were just one response to the changing battlefield of the era. Such grenades are of course now passe', supplanted by much more effective shape-charged weapons delivered by anti-tank guided missiles [ATGM].

coolbert.

Bofors.

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Bofors.

One of the most successful weapons systems of modern times just has to be the Bofors gun. Originally developed in the 1920’s STRICTLY as an anti-aircraft-artillery [AAA]. Fires a 40 mm round [comes both in the L/60 and L/70 versions].

Has been and even NOW is being used for AAA applications. BUT has also been employed in other roles, quite successfully too!! Ground to air [AAA], air to ground [close air support], and now as the main gun for combat fighting vehicles [CV90]!

Employed extensively by the U.S. Navy during WW2 in the AAA role. The famous “pom-pom” gun.




Look at that photo. One of the most famous photos of WW2? U.S. Navy AAA gun somewhere in the Pacific theatre. Maybe under attack by kamikaze? Crew chief yelling instructions over the dim. Pile of expended shells in front of the dual AAA guns. Loaders feeding clips of rounds into the guns, additional full clips being forwarded by handlers.

Also used by the U.S. Navy in Vietnam aboard riverine craft. Used in the direct fire mode at shore targets by Monitor class vessels. Clear the way for landing parties in an impressive manner.

"River bank troop landings were supported at close range by 'Monitors' –armoured landing craft that replaced the troop carrying area with weapon turrets and a rounded bow. The Monitors were armed with 40mm cannon and a wide range of smaller weapons such as machine guns and 20mm cannon."

Used currently by the U.S. Air Force aboard the AC-130 gunship. The air-ground attack role here! Being replaced by a more modern 30 mm “Bushmaster” gun. Variants of the AC-130 continue to use the L/60 in the meantime.

"L/60's are still used in the United States Air Force's AC-130 gunships in the air-to-ground role"

"The variant carried aboard the C-130 fires an armor-piercing shell called the APFSDS, short for Armor Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot. The AC-130 carries about 256 rounds of ammunition, and the L60 cannon can fire shots singly or at rates up to 120 rounds per minute."



Crew members of the AC-130 loading a clip of fresh rounds into the 40 mm cannon. Bang-bang, shoot-em’-up, YOUR DEAD!!



Here you see the deadly duo currently found on the AC-130. 40 mm cannon on the left, 105 mm howitzer on the right.

Improved, modern versions of the 40 mm round are available. Swedish 3P ammo. Programmable, pre-fragmented, proximity. The 40 mm L/60-L/70 continues to be the smallest round still available that can accommodate a proximity fuze.

"A proximity fuze (also called a VT fuze, for "variable time") is a fuze that is designed to detonate an explosive automatically when the distance to target becomes smaller than a predetermined value or when the target passes through a given plane."

"the 40mm shell . . . the latest versions have a '3P' round . . . As well as the normal proximity function"

"the fuze can operate in five other modes":

* "gated proximity (fuze only activated close to the target to avoid premature detonation)"

" gated proximity with impact priority (a slight delay in activation to provide the opportunity for a direct hit)"

* "time function (for air burst fire to provide a Shrapnel effect against surface targets)"

* "two impact functions with variable delay."

The much improved and advanced 40 mm round is also being used in the latest and greatest Swedish designed combat vehicle, the CV-90.



"In the Swedish Army Combat Vehicle 90 there is a cartridge fed, automatic version of the L/70 gun installed . . . New armour piercing and programmable ammunition have also been developed."

The CV-90 can be configured as a combat vehicle to support infantry, an armored tank-defeating vehicle, a mobile AAA, etc. All-purpose and deadly.

I have a distinct feeling that the Bofors 40 mm round originally developed solely as a round for AAA applications is going to be around for some time to come.

coolbert.

The Pain Ray!!

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"I Was a Pain Ray Guinea Pig"

"By Sharon Weinberger"

[Sharon Weinberger is a reporter that has written a number of articles on strange or esoteric projects and weapons the military is working on. Cold fusion, teleportation, etc.]

"But today, the military offered the second opportunity ever for reporters to be blasted by the Active Denial System, a millimeter wave beam weapon designed to heat up the very tippy top layer of skin."

[some sort of a device to bombard folks with radar-like radiation. As if you were put into a big micro-wave oven!!]

"In the briefings leading up to the test, Susan LeVine, of the Joint Nonlethal Weapons Directorate, told us that ADS felt like being burned by a hairdryer at the hairdresser (women will understand this one better than men)."

"Colonel Kirk Hymes, head of the Directorate, described it like the heat on your face when you open the oven to baste a Thanksgiving Turkey (I guess that's a guy thing, because women don't stick their heads in the oven when they baste a turkey)."

This article has a number of links that deal with the "Pain Ray". NON-LETHAL weaponry to be used primarily for crowd control or in a riot situation. An alternative to gas, clubs, dogs, etc. Make it hurt - - cause people to disperse, break up crowds of unruly folks without INJURING them!!

Keep in mind that those "non-lethal" weapons work good against normal healthy people. CAN INJURE permanently persons such as the infirm, elderly, young. NOT totally 100 % effective as envisioned. But, then, what is??

This thought also occurred to me while writing and editing this particular blog. Osama bin Laden or any other of your average-everyday-jihadis, reading about the "pain ray", will only have their hate and contempt for the American military made worse. The thought would be, "what sort of military wants to make weapons that do not kill people???!!!"

coolbert.

Bolo.

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Came across this one quite by accident.

The term, “to bolo” is a term quite often used in the U.S. Army. Is a perjorative term meaning the same as, “to fail”. “A bolo” is a person who is deemed, “a sorry individual”. NOT capable of getting with the program and passing tests, meeting even the lowest modicum of requirements.

The origins of this term are most surprising:

"In the US military, the slang term "to Bolo" a test, exam or evaluation [to fail!!] came from the Philippine/American guerrilla forces in World War II; those guerrillas who failed to demonstrate proficiency in marksmanship were issued bolos [knives] instead of firearms so as not to waste the scarce ammunition."




Filipino guerrillas fighting on the side of American forces during World War Two [WW2] DID USE bolo knives in combat! Japanese sailors who had managed to swim to ashore after their ships had been sunk during the Battle of the Surigao Strait, were met at the waterline by bolo-wielding Filipino fighters who proceeded to hack the unfortunates [Japanese sailors] to death!!

Incidentally, the encounter at the Surigao Strait was the LAST TIME battleships fought it out on the high seas with naval gunfire in the traditional style. Battleship against battleship, guns blazing, a spectacle NEVER AGAIN TO BE SEEN, the nature of warfare changing as it has.

coolbert.