Articles written by Christopher Eger
Showing 1-100 of 234 Articles
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English Bartitsu Martial Arts
In Edwardian England gentlemen practiced the revolutionary new manly martial arts form by EW Barton-Wright known as Bartitsu to protect them from hooliganism.
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The Kaiser's Protos Race Team
Driven by a General Staff Lieutenant on leave from the German Army, the huge Protos racing car was a disputed winner of the Great Race of 1908
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Lt Hans Koeppen and the 1908 Great Race
German General Staff officer Lt Koeppen took leave from Berlin to win the Great Race for his Kaiser, and himself.
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The SMS Konigsberg and Lettow-Vorbeck
The survivors of the SMS Koingsberg sinking in Africa in 1915 went on to fight for the rest of the war as jungle foot infantry
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Blockade and Sinking of SMS Konigsberg
The German cruiser SMS Konigsberg was the hard-to-kill fleet in being that occupied 20 Allied warships for 9 months in WWI before finally sinking her.
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The SMS Konigsberg 1914
Born an elegant ship in 1907 the German cruiser SMS Konigsberg found herself at large in the Indian Ocean and on African station at the beginning of WWI.
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Tony Stein USMC Hero of Iwo Jima 1945
Corporal Tony Stein of the 28th Marines used his improvised Stinger machine gun to earn a well deserved Congressional Medal of Honor on the beaches of Iwo Jima in 1945
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The FN FiveseveN Pistol
Designed to defeat Soviet body armor, the 5.7 came out too late for the Cold War but has found a use with Special Units around the world.
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Sgt Kimberly Munley Hero of the Ft Hood Shooting
Tiny but fearless Kimberly Munley, a civilian DOD police officer with the Ft Hood base police has been credited in ending Major Hasan's rampage.
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Baltic Air Policing by NATO
When the three Baltic States joined NATO in 2004, the next day member nations sent in air support to protect them.
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Baltic Air Defense After 1994
When the Soviets left in 1994, the three Baltic countries immediately began building an air defense organization.
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World's Greatest Living Spear Hunter
Starting at age 40, Gene Morris has taken more than 538 big game animals armed with nothing more than a spear since 1973.
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Ilse Koch She Wolf of the SS
Ilse Koch was possibly the worst and most notorious of all of the female SS Nazi's in the terrible Concentration Camps of World War Two.
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The Battleships of Chile
Chile, part of a three-way South American Naval Race just before world war one ordered a pair of Battleships from Britain that went on to lead a life on their own.
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The Battleships of Brazil
Brazil started a South American Naval Race between the three "ABC" countries when she ordered a class of new Dreadnoughts in 1906
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Overview of South American Battleships
Argentina and Chile entered a three-way Naval Arms Race with Brazil just before World War One that led to a half century of South American battleships.
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The Inglourious Basterds in Historical Reference
The commando unit in the movie Inglourious Basterds has some basis in fact with actual operations in World War Two.
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Jack Hinson's One Man War: A Civil War Sniper
A look at author Lt Col Tom C McKenney ( USMC retired) new book about unknown Confederate Sniper Jack Hinson's One Man War: A Civil War Sniper
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Wax Bullets in Modern Combat
Designed for low-cost training, these rounds have always been in the background of Police and Military use.
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Wooden Bullets Used in Peace and War
Designed for training and practice, these less-than lethal wooden bullets were often used in combat over the last 100 years
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The Ise Class Battleships 1916-1945
Born in the First World War and converted in peacetime, these durable and proud battleships found their end at the close of the Second World War.
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The WWII Hybrid Battleship Carriers of Japan
Meant to bridge the gap between carriers and surface ships, the old battleships Ise and Hyuga of the Japanese Navy underwent an odd conversion
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The Heavy Cruiser IJNS Mogami
The INJS Mogami was a modern and unique vessel in the Imperial Japanese Navy in WWII and became one of the world's only cruiser-carriers.
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The Japanese Mogami Class Cruisers
The Mogami class heavy cruisers of the Imperial Japanese Navy were a supporting actor in the great naval Battles in the Pacific in World War Two
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Adolph Hofrichter Officer Murderer
Oberleutanant Adolph Hofrichter, in an attempt to gain promotion, set out to murder ten officers ahead of him for an appointment to the General Staff Academy in 1909.
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Use of the SKS Today
A product of WWII, SKS rifle, withdrawn from Soviet front line use in the 1950s is still seen all over the world in military and police use.
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The Military History of the SKS
The SKS-45 rifle was seen in one form or another on virtually every Cold War battlefield in the latter part of the 20th Century.
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SKS Assault Rifle Variants
Designed in the Soviet Union the SKS rifle was produced in no less than 8 countries in several variants over the past sixty years.
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The Origin and Design of the SKS
Springing from an evolution of designs by Sergei Gavrilovich Simonov, the SKS became one of the first assault rifles.
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Union Submarines of the Civil War
From a slow start the US Navy experimented with several submarines in the Civil War.
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Confederate Submarines of the Civil War
The Confederate Navy designed and used a number of submarine craft to varying degrees of success in the Civil War.
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Submarines of the US Civil War
Both sides in the Civil War designed and built submarines of various kinds with mixed results.
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Albert Pierce and the Battle of Mobile Bay
Plucked from Mobile Bay during the 1864 battle, Alfred Pierce told how he and his secret sub attacked a Union warship
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The Accidental Army Documentary
The 1914-1920 Czech Legion is the focus of a new documentary entitled "The Accidental Army: The Amazing True Story of the Czechoslovak Legion" by the Czech Legion Project
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Last of the Surviving M-14 Battle Rifles
The standard US military rifle for only six years, the M14 refuses to go quietly into retirement after forty years. It is still seen all over the world today.
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Lyudmila Pavlichenko Sniper Super Star
Lyudmila Pavlichenko became a legend during the Sieges of Odessa & Sevastopol in 1941-42. Her story made her an international celebrity and furthered the war effort.
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Lyudmila Pavlichenko Female Sniper Queen
The young Ukrainian girl, taking a summer off from college, took up a sniper rifle and killed no less than 309 Nazi soldiers.
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The Bronze Soldier of Tallinn
Erected over the graves of Soviet war dead in 1947 Tallinn, the monument became a controversial symbol in post cold war Estonia
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Task Force Smith and the Bazooka
Under armed and overwhelmed the US Army soldiers of Task Force Smith turned to their M9A1 Bazookas to save the day at the Battle of Osan in 1950.
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The Georgian Pikes of the Civil War
Strong-willed Georgia Governor Joe Brown squandered thousands of scarce dollars on an order for 10,000 Pikes to defend his state during the US Civil War.
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Oldest Fighter Jets Still in Service
Since WWII more than 100 types of fighter aircraft have seen service. Most only flew for 10-20 years. However a handful have lasted longer
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New Sniper Rifles for the US Army and Marines
The US Army and Marine Corps (USMC) are currently replacing (augmenting?) their tried and true bolt action sniper weapons with new semi-auto designs.
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USMC Marine Squad Advanced Marksman
The US Marine Corps began in 2002 to develop a program for Designated Riflemen and Squad Advanced Marksmen, two superb shooters that werent quite snipers.
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US Army SDM Marksman Program
Long a practice of Warsaw Pact Soviet Battle doctrine, the US Army undertook development of a Squad Designated Marksmen program in the early 21st Century.
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Is a Designated Marksman a Sniper?
Since 2000, when the US borrowed Warsaw pact combat doctrine for squad level marksmen, the line between these men and snipers has blurred.
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Hollywood Heroes in World War Two
Most were not famous at the time, but history would remember these actors, directors and producers more for what they would accomplish later than for the War.
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Presidents in World War Two
Most were not famous at the time, but history would remember these presidents and sons of presidents more for what they would accomplish later than for the War.
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Famous Americans in World War Two
Most were not famous at the time, but history would remember these writers, prophets, boxers and musicians more for what they would accomplish later than for the war.
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The Mystery of the Russalka
At one time on the cutting edge of naval development, the unlucky Russalka disappeared in 1893 without a trace.
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The Tsars Battleship Russalka
Built on the same design of the USS Monitor, the Russalka guarded St Petersburg for 30 years
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Adelbert Waldron US Sniper Ace
In the first half of 1969, 36-year old Sgt Waldron of the US Army's 9th ID in Vietnam was credited with 109 confirmed kills, making him the highest scoring US sniper ever
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The US M-2 Backpack Flamethrower
Used by the US and her Allies for more than sixty years, the M-2 series of flamethrowers have been the mainstay weapon of this class.
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Iranian F-14 Tomcat History
Cut off from support, the 79 F-14 Tomcat fighters in the Iranian air force fought in the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war and continue to fly 30 years later.
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Mystery Ship Uncovered by Hurricane Ike
What could be a Civil War blockade runner recently found exposed on the beach near Gulf Shores Alabama after Hurricane Ike.
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The Polish WWII Cavalry in 1939
Engaged in the War less than a month, 11 brigades of the Polish cavalry made no less than 16 all out charges against the German invaders.
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Amedeo Guillet Cavalry Hero of WWII
Flamboyant Italian Lt. Amedeo Guillet, with his motley Gruppo Bande a Cavallo Amhara, became the ghost of the desert in Eritrea and northern Ethiopia during WWII
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The Most Famous Cavalry Charge of WWII
The Italian 3rd Dragoons Savoia Cavalry Regiment conducted one of the last charges by horse mounted soldiers in modern warfare.
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The Last Cavalry Charges
World War Two Saw the Final Hurrah of Horse Mounted Cavalry. Horsemen from the US, Britain, Poland and Italy made the last cavalry charges of the 20th Century.
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The Fa-330 Bachstelze U-boat Kite
The unique 180-pound Focke-Achgelis Fa-330 Bachstelze (Wagtail) was designed as an unpowered helicopter/kite to be towed behind German U-boats in World War II
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US Special Forces Legend Larry Thorne
Larry A Thorne had served three different flags in his twenty years in the combat arms trade. A hero in his native Finnland he is also remembered in the United States.
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Finnish War Hero Lauri Allan Törni
The young Lauri Allan Törni served as legendary commander of ski-borne, machinegun toting Jaeger troops in the Finnish Winter War as well as World War Two.
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Zhemchug Vs the Emden 1914
The cruisers Emden of the German Navy and Zhemchug of the Russian Navy were matched on paper but not in actuality.
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Russian Cruiser Zhemchug
New and fast, the Zhemchug was a bright star in the Russian Imperial Navy during the Russo-Japanese War in 1904-1905
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Soviet Space Based Nuke
The Soviet Union had a brilliant Space-based nuclear weapon, the Fractional Orbital Bombardment System, housed on a SS-18 R-36 Rocket it could strike anywhere.
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Serial Killer Who Escaped in War
The Great War was a means of escape for one of the most mysterious serial killers of the 20th Century. Hungarian murderer Bela Kiss came to light because of that war.
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Lothar von Arnauld Ace of U-Boats
The Submariner's Ace of Aces has to be Lothar von Arnauld de la Periere, the gentleman skipper of U-35 that sank almost 200 ships in World War One.
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WWII Cruiser HMS Exeter Found
The Royal Navy's Heavy cruiser HMS Exeter had a brief but legendary war service. In her 18-months of War she helped kill the Graf Spee and fought the Japanese.
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Spy Scholar Dr. Sylvanus Morley
The book wormy anthropologist Sylvanus Griswold Morley used his studies and his camera as a cover to become a very successful US spy during World War One and an inspirati
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Nazi SS Archeologist
Otto Rahn was a historian and archeologist whose work for the SS made him a possible inspiration for the villains of the Indian Jones series
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The Axis World War II Airlink
With secret submarine voyages taking months, the Axis looked into a rapid communication air link to keep in contact during World War Two.
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The German Dragon Pilot 1914
When World War One erupted 28 year old Leutnant zur See Gunther Plüschow, flying an already obsolete airplane, was the Kaisers entire air force in China.
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Yugoslav Submarines
The coastal navy of Yugoslavia and its successor Montenegro employed a number of submarine designs for more that seventy years. The remnants are now for sale.
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Russian Guns In Space
Soviet and now Russian cosmonauts have carried firearms in space for decades and continue to do so.
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US Survival Knives in Space
From the first Mercury missions to todays Space Shuttle flights US Astronauts have been armed with rugged edged weapons.
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US Aircraft Carrier Sunk 1964
The USS Card was mined by sappers of a Vietnamese underwater demolition team while docked in the heavily defended Saigon Harbor, then capitol of South Vietnam.
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US Horse Marines
The US Marine Corps used horses often over the course of their service. The golden age of these Horse Marines was 1909-1938.
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Royal Mounted Marines of the 1800s
The British Royal Navy used mounted marines in expeditionary warfare off and on in the 19th century.
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Lt Michael Murphy MOH
Lt Michael Murphy was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 2007 after being mortally wounded while leading his Seal unit in Afghanistan in 2005.
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Madsen Machinegun Variants
The Danish Madsen Light Machinegun was used in a dizzying 40+ variants by no less than 36 countries on five continents over the past three centuries.
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The Madsen Machinegun
Designed in 1896 in Denmark, the Madsen Light Machinegun has served dozens of countries in more than a hundred years of warfare from 1904 to the present day
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The Modern Luxembourg Army
Reformed at the end of World War Two, the Luxembourg Army grew to an amazing 10,000 men, fought in Korea, held the line in the Cold War and now serves with NATO overseas.
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Luxembourg in World War Two
Small Luxembourg, shamed by her performance under German occupation in World War One, vowed to fight in World War Two.
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Military History of Luxembourg
Obstensively neutral, the small grand duchy of Luxembourg was actually drawn into the Great War due to location.
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Record Setting Firing of Railgun
The US Navy has tested the worlds largest rail gun making history in the evolution of large gun technology.
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Contra Rebels Possible Rebirth
With new initiatives by Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega, many former Contra Rebels are talking of taking to the hills again.
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The Lancastria Sinking Tragedy
The Troopship Lancastria, carrying as many as 9,000 British Army soldiers of the defeated BEF was sunk while trying to escape France in 1940.
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Marshal Nicholas Charles Oudinot
Nicholas-Charles Oudinot enlisted as a private at age 16 and served France for the next 64 years, rising to become one of Napoleon's Marshals and surviving 24 wounds.
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V2 Rocket Lauched From Carrier
In 1947 the largest warship afloat, the USS Midway launched the most formidable weapon of the twentieth century, a ballistic missile, in its first naval test.
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The Zombie World War
Max Brooks new book, 'World War Z; An Oral History of the Zombie War" while fictional, is an adaptive interpretation based on actual military history.
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St Maurice of the Theban Legion
Saint Maurice, commander of the all-christian Theban Legion is remembered as the patron saint of the infantry.
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War and Literature at West Point
Professor Elizabeth Samet's book Soldier's Heart: Reading Literature through Peace and War at West Point.
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Dominican Republic Tanks in Battle
Two dozen well-used Swedish L60 tanks served the island republic for forty years and even fought US Marines in 1965.
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The Swedish Landsverk L60 Tank
Designed by rogue German engineers before WWII, less than 500 hardy little L60s were made. They served in a half-dozen countries and few survive today.
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St. Barbara Patron Saint of Arty
St Barbara is one of the most well known of the class of military saints of the Early Christian Church. She is venerated by artillerymen all over the world.
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Arctic Scheme F-16 For Alaska
The newly formed 18th Aggressor Squadron has gotten arctic schemed aircraft in the first time in the USAF's history for its 'bad-guy' F-16 fighters to be used in Red Flag
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USS Somers Mutiny 1842
The only known US Naval mutiny in documented history ended in 1842 with three mutineers having their necks prematurely lengthened.
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Interventionists in the Far East
Japanese troops, assisted by the British, French and Americans, occupied the Russian far east for several years during the Russian Civil War.
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Allied Interventionists in Russia
The Armies of Britain, France, the US, Greece, Japan, Serbia, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Italy, and Canada intervened in the Russian Civil War each for their own motive.
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The Czech Legion 1917-1920
Growing from a unit of volunteers that fought for the Tsar against the Hapsburg Empire, these 50,000 Czechs fought an amazing campaign for survival.
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Czech Volunteers in Russia WWI
The Czech Legion started from humble beginnings in 1914 and ended up as one of the last reliable units on the World War One Eastern Front.
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