Weapons and Warfare (P-Z)


P-12
The P-12 is a
semi-automatic pistol based upon the Browning m1911. It takes a 12-round .45" calibre magazine.

P-14
The P-14 is a
semi-automatic pistol based upon the Browning m1911. It takes a 14-round .45" calibre magazine.

P38
The Walther P38 is a 9
mm calibre recoil-operated semi-automatic pistol manufactured by Walther since 1938. It was adopted by the German army in 1938 and is still in use by the Chilean, Norwegian, Portugese and German armed forces. It takes an 8-round magazine.

P89
The p89 is a
Ruger semi-automatic pistol. It has a calibre of 9mm and takes a 15-round magazine.

Panther
see "
Panzer 5"

Panzer
The term "panzer" is a shortening of the full
German title "panzerkampfwagen", which translates to "armoured war wagon".

Panzer 1
The Panzer 1 was a
light two-man German tank which started production in 1933. Although it was never intended to see battle, it was in service until 1942. It had armour up to a thickness of 13mm and was armed with two machine guns.

Panzer 2
The Panzer 2 was a
German light-weight reconnaisance tank used during the second world war. It carried a three man crew and was armed with a 20mm gun.

Panzer 3
The Panzer 3 was a
German MBT of the second world war. It was initialy armed with a 37mm anti-tank gun, but this was upgraded to a 50mm gun after 1940. It was manned by a five man crew.

Panzer 35
see "
LT-35"

Panzer 38
see "
LT-38"

Panzer 4
The Panzer 4 was a
German assault and infantry support tank of the second world war. It was initialy armed with a low velocity, short-barrelled 75mm gun. Later versions carried longer guns. It was manned by a crew of five.

Panzer 5
The
Panzer 5 (Panther) was a German tank of the Second World War. It weighed 45.5 tonnes and had well-sloped armour between 40 and 45 mm thick around the sides and rear and increasing to 80 mm on the hull front and turret. It had a crew of five and was powered by a 700 bhp Maybach petrol engine which gave it a top speed of 46 kmph and a range of 160 km. It was armed with a high velocity 75 mm main gun.

Panzer 6
see "
Tiger 1"

Panzer 6B
The
Panzer 6B (Tiger II, King Tiger) was a German heavy tank developed during 1943 to combat the Russian IS-1, IS-2, and IS-3 tanks. It was manufactured by Henschel and was heavily armoured with 80 mm thick side armour and 100 mm thick armour on the hull front and 185 mm thick armour on the front of the turret. It weighed 68 tonnes and was powered by a 700 bhp engine giving a top speed of 38 kmph and a range of 120 km. It was armed with an 88 mm gun and carried a crew of five.

Panzerfaust
The panzerfaust was a
German anti-tank missile of the Second World War. It was infantry carried and had a range of 50m.

Paradox gun
A paradox gun was a weapon capable of being used both as a shot-gun and as a
rifle.

Parker
The Parker is an Argentinian Meko 140 Type
Frigate. She was
built by Afne in Rio Santiago and launched on the 31st of March
1984. She has a displacement of 1470 tons and is armed with four
Aerospatiale MM 40 Exocet missiles, one OTO Melara 3in gun, four
Breda 40mm guns, six 324mm ILAS 3 (2 triple) torpedo tubes
and Chaff rocket launchers. She is powered by
two Type 16PC2-5V400 SEMT-Pielstick 16-cyl dieselsproviding 20400bhp
and a top speed of 27 knots and a range of 6400 km. She carries a crew of
11 officers and 82 men.

Parma
The parma was a small round or oval flat shield used by the
Romans.

Patchett
see "
l2a3"

Paterson
The Paterson was an 8-shot revolving
rifle made by Colt. It was adopted by the American army in 1838.

Patriot
see "
mim-104"

Pattern 1913
The pattern 1913
rifle is a British rifle developed in 1913. It takes a .276" round from a 5-round box. It is bolt operated and has a
Muzzle velocity of 843 m/s. It is sighted to 1738m.

Pepper-Box
The Pepper-Box was a multiple barreled
pistol effective at close range. They typically had six barrels, and were muzzle loading and fired by percussion cap.

Pepperbox
The pepperbox was a multiple barreled percussion
pistol made between 1830 and 1860 throughout europe.

Perthshire Volunteers
see "
90th Light Infantry"

Phoenix
Phoenix is a British
RPV.

Phosgene
Phosgene is a
lung irritant gas used during the Second World War. It has a smell of musty hay. It is a very poisonous gas.

PIAT
The PIAT was a British infantry anti-tank missile used during the Second World War. It had a range of 100m.

Pilum
The pilum was a
Roman weapon similar to a pike or javelin. It was about 6 feet long and was usually thrown at the enemy.

Pistole 640
The Pistole 640 was the
Browning High Power Pistol manufactured in Liege for the German SS during the Second World War.

PK
The PK is a family of 7.62mm Kalashnikov
light and medium machine guns mounted as a secondary armament on many Russian AFVs. It has a muzzle velocity of 825m/s.

Platoon
Platoon is a military organization subordinate to a company. Platoons usually include 2 or 3 sections of vehicles and between 2 and 4 squads of infantry, totalling around 25 to 50 men.

PPD 34
The PPD 34 was a
Soviet sub-machine gun. It takes a 7.62mm round from a 71-round drum. It has a cyclic rate of 800rpm and a muzzle velocity of 489 m/s.

PPK
The Walther PPK is an automatic
pistol originaly designed for police detectives in 1931. It has a calibre of 7.65mm and takes a 7-round magazine. It has a blowback double action. Various alternative calibre versions are now made including .22 inch, 6.35mm and 9mm.

PPSH 41
The PPSH 41 was a
Soviet sub-machine gun developed during the second world war. It takes a 7.62mm round from a 71 drum/35-round box. It has a cyclic rate of 900rpm and a muzzle velocity of 489 m/s.

Pre-land pattern
The pre-land pattern was an early
musket of the brown bess family. It had a calibre of 0.75".

Primer
Primer is the ignition component of a cartridge, generally made up of a metallic
fulminate or (currently) lead styphnate.

Prince Albert's Light Infantry
The
13th Foot were renamed the 13th (Somersetshire) Prince Albert's Light Infantry Regiment in 1842. They fought in Gibraltar in 1704-1705 and were part of the original British Expeditionary Force of the Great War.

PzKpfw 35(t)
see "
LT-35"

PzKpfw 38(t)
see "
LT-38"

Q Ships
Q Ships were warships masquerading as unarmed merchant ships. They thus lured enemy submarines to their destruction. Q Ships were first used by the British during the First World War when they were commanded by Vice Admiral Gordon Campbell.

Quarrel
A quarrel was a bolt or
dart to be shot from a cross-bow, or thrown thrown a catapult. It had a square head and a pyramidal point.

Quarter staff
The Quarter staff was an old
English weapon formed of a stout pole about 6.5 feet long and generally loaded with iron at both ends. In use it was held by one hand in the centre, and the other hand between the centre and the end. In the attack the latter hand was shifted from one quarter of the staff to the other, giving the weapon a rapid circular motion.

Queen's Royal West Surrey Regiment
see "
Tangier Regiment"

R-35
The Renault R-35 was a
French light-support tank used during the second world war. It was armed with a 37mm main gun.

Rapier
A rapier is a
light slender sword for thrusting only. It usually has a cylindrical blade with a sharp point, but no edge.

Rapparee
A rapparee was a 17th century
Irish irregular soldier.

Reactive Armour
Reactive
Armour is a type of add-on armour which is comprised of boxes which explode outwards when hit by a warhead. It is most effective against HEAT ammunition.

Receiver (firearm)
The receiver is the housing for a
firearm's breech and firing mechanism.

Redeye
see "
fim-43a"

Redhawk
The
Ruger redhawk is a range of .44" magnum calibre revolvers. They have a 6-round cylinder and can be fitted with a telescopic sight.

Revolver
A revolver is a gun, usually a handgun, with a multi-chambered
cylinder that rotates to successively align each chamber with a single barrel and firing pin.

Rh-44
The rh-44 is a 7.5"
barrel redhawk.

Rh-445
The rh-445 is a 5.5"
barrel redhawk.

Rifle
A rifle is a
firearm with spiral, parallel grooves cut into the bore to impart spin in the projectile giving flight stability to the projectile.

Rifle Brigade
The
Rifle Brigade was a British infantry force raised in 1800 under the name of the Rifle Corps and comprising detatchments of officers and men selected from a number of line regiments formed into an experimental corps of riflemen. The Rifle Brigade fought at Waterloo amongst other battles and was also known as the "Green Jackets".

Rifle Corps
see "
Rifle Brigade"

Rimfire
Rimfire is a rimmed or flanged cartridge with the priming mixture located inside the rim of the case. The most famous example is the .22 rimfire.

Robinson
The Robinson is an Argentinian Meko 140 Type
Frigate. She was
built by Afne in Rio Santiago and launched on the 15th of February
1985. She has a displacement of 1470 tons and is armed with four
Aerospatiale MM 40 Exocet missiles, one OTO Melara 3in gun, four
Breda 40mm guns, six 324mm ILAS 3 (2 triple) torpedo tubes
and Chaff rocket launchers. She is powered by
two Type 16PC2-5V400 SEMT-Pielstick 16-cyl dieselsproviding 20400bhp
and a top speed of 27 knots and a range of 6400 km. She carries a crew of
11 officers and 82 men.

Rosales
The Rosales is an Argentinian Meko 140 Type
Frigate. She was
built by Afne in Rio Santiago and launched on the 4th of March
1983. She has a displacement of 1470 tons and is armed with four
Aerospatiale MM 40 Exocet missiles, one OTO Melara 3in gun, four
Breda 40mm guns, six 324mm ILAS 3 (2 triple) torpedo tubes
and Chaff rocket launchers. She is powered by
two Type 16PC2-5V400 SEMT-Pielstick 16-cyl dieselsproviding 20400bhp
and a top speed of 27 knots and a range of 6400 km. She carries a crew of
11 officers and 82 men.

Ross
The ross
rifle is a British rifle taking a .303" round from a 5-round box. Operation is straight pull. The muzzle velocity is 794 m/s and it is sighted to 1098m.

Ross-shire Buffs
see "
78th Highlanders"

Round Tower
A Round
Tower was a form of military defensive architecture dating in Britain from the 8th century. They were a round tower with walls sloping inwards from the base to the apex and with three or four one roomed stories, accessible only by a ladder which was pulled up during defence. Round towers were equipped with arrow slits for the defenders to shoot out of.

Royal Army Medical Corps
The
Royal Army Medical Corps was formed in 1898 by a royal warrant which abolished the former designation of the "Medical Staff Corps" and formed the new corps comprising all officers below the rank of surgeon-major-general and others formerly serving with the Medical Staff Corps. The ranks were changed in line with other British army corps.

Royal Ayr Militia
The
Royal Ayr Militia was a special reserve battalion of the Royal Scots Fusiliers during the early part of the 20th century.

Royal Dragoons
The
Royal Dragoons were a British army regiment raised in 1661 under the name of the "Royals" for the defence of Tangier. They were transferred to England and renamed the Royal Regiment of Dragoons in 1684 and were numbered the 1st (Royal) Dragoons in 1751. During the Great War they formed part of the 6th Cavalry Brigade, 3rd Cavalry Division.

Royal Dublin Fusiliers
The
Royal Dublin Fusiliers were a British army regiment fromed from the 102nd foot and 103rd foot, and disbanded on July 31st 1922 on the establishment of the Irish Free State.

Royal Engineers
The
Royal Engineers are a British army regiment. They had some kind of existence as far back as 1683 but were made part of the ordnance by an Order of Council in 1717. The regiment was reorganized in 1788 and renamed the Corps of Royal Engineers. The Royal Engineers are concerned with mining and building work, but are also called upon to fight as infantry.

Royal Field Artillery
see "
Royal Regiment of Artillery"

Royal Fusiliers
The
Royal Fusiliers are a British army regiment raised in 1685 by James II under the name of the City of London Regiment to supress the Monmouth rising. They were an ordnance corps with a special duty of protecting the guns of the royal army. In 1689 the regiment was renamed the 7th (Royal Fusilier) Regiment and in 1881 it was redesignated the Royal Fusiliers.

Royal Garrison Artillery
see "
Royal Regiment of Artillery"

Royal Highlanders
see "
The Watch"

Royal Horse Artillery
see "
Royal Regiment of Artillery"

Royal Irish Militia
The
Royal Irish Militia was a special reserve battalion of the Royal Fusiliers during the Great War.

Royal London Militia
The
Royal London Militia was a special reserve battalion of the Royal Fusiliers during the Great War.

Royal Oak
The
Royal Oak was a British battleship. She was armed with 8 15 inch guns, 12 6 inch guns, 8 4 inch anti-aircraft guns and 16 2 pounder anti-aircraft guns. She had a top speed of 21.5 knots. She carried a crew of 1146. She was sunk by U-47 whilst she was anchored at Scapa Flow on 13th October 1939.

Royal Regiment of Artillery
The
Royal Regiment of Artillery is a British artillery regiment was was formed after the Jacobite rebellion of 1715 to replace the old haphazard system of raising artillery trains for each campaign and disbanding them at its conclusion. By a royal warrant of May 29th 1899, the mounted and dismounted branches of the Royal Regiment of Artillery were separated into two corps: The Royal Horse Artillery and the Royal Field Artillery, and the Royal Garrison Artillery.

Royal Scots
The
Royal Scots, or Lothian Regiment, was a British army force designated in 1662 and which evolved from the Le Regiment d'Hebron. In recognition of its services in Tangier the regiment was named "The Royal Regiment".

Royal Scots Fusiliers
The
Royal Scots Fusiliers are a British army regiment first formed in Scotland in the 17th century by the Earl Of Mar, and originally known as the Earl Of Mar's Fusiliers. They were transfered to an English establishment in 1689 under the name of the 21st Royal North British Fusiliers and received the title of Royal Scots Fusiliers in 1877.

Royal Scots Greys
The
Royal Scots Greys (2nd Dragoons) are a British army regiment. They saw their first action in the campaings of William IV and were known under several names including the Grey Dragoons and Scots Regiment of White Horses. In 1681 they were made up to six troops and in 1866 were renamed the 2nd Royal North British Dragoons, and in 1877 the Royal Scots Greys. One of their most famous actions was their charge at the battle of Waterloo.

Royal Sussex Regiment
The
Royal Sussex Regiment is a British army unit. It was formed from the amalgamation of the 35th Foot and the 107th Bengal Light Infantry.

Royal Westminster Militia
The
Royal Westminster Militia was a special reserve battalion of the Royal Fusiliers during the Great War.

RPG-16
The RPG-16 is a
Soviet 58mm infantry anti-tank missile introduced in the 1970s to replace the rpg-7. It has a 58mm war head which is effective at ranges up to 800 meters.
It has a flight speed of 350 m/s but no guidance system.

RPG-7
The RPG-7 is a famous
Soviet 85mm infantry anti-tank missile. It has an 85mm war head which is effective at ranges up to 500 meters.
It has a flight speed of 300 m/s but no guidance system.

RPV
RPV (remotely piloted vehicle) are crewless mini-aircraft used for military surveillance and to select targets in
battle. RPVs barely show up on radar, enabling them to fly over a battlefield without being shot down, and they are equipped to transmit TV images to an operator on the ground.

Ruger
Ruger is an
American small arms manufacturer.

S-35
The Somua S-35 was a
French medium tank used during the second world war. It was armed with a 47mm gun, and had 55 mm frontal armour and a top speed of 37 kmph and a range of 230 km.

S100
The S100 was a
German sub-machine gun manufactured after the Great War. It takes a 9mm round from a 32-round box and has a cyclic rate of 500rpm. Its muzzle velocity is 417 m/s.

SA-N-3
The SA-N-3 (goblet) is a
Soviet surface-to-air missile developed in 1967. It has a range of 55km and a flight speed of mach 2.

SA-N-4
The SA-N-4 (gecko) is a
Soviet surface-to-air missile. It has a range of 15km and a flight speed of mach 2.

SA-N-5
The SA-N-5 (grail) is a light-weight
Soviet surface-to-air missile deployed in light amphibious craft and capable of being shoulder launched by infantry. It has a range of 10km and a flight speed of mach 1.

SA-N-6
The SA-N-6 (grumble) is a
Soviet surface-to-air missile. It has a range of 81km and a flight speed of mach 3.

Saam
see "
Saam class"

Saam class
The Saam class is an Iranian
frigate. It has a top speed of 39knots. It is armed with 9 seacat missiles and 5 sea killer missiles.

Sabot
Sabot is a lightweight carrier surrounding a heavier projectile of reduced
caliber, allowing a firearm to shoot ammunition for which it is not chambered. For example, a hunter could use his .30-30 deer rifle to shoot small game with .22 centerfire bullets.

Sabre
The sabre is a
sword designed for cutting and thrusting.

Sagger
see "
AT-3"

Salade
see "
Sallet"

Sallet
A sallet (salade) was a
light medieval helmet usually with a vision slit or movable visor.

SAM
SAM is an
abbreviation for surface-to-air-missile.

SAR-4800
The
Springfield SAR-4800 rifle is a .308" caliber, gas operated military rifle.

SAR-8
The
Springfield SAR-8 rifle is a .308" caliber, recoil operated semi-automatic sporting rifle.

Sarandi
The Sarandi is an Argentinian Meko 360 Type
destroyer. She
was built by Blohm and Voss in Hamburg and launched on the 31st of
August 1982. She has a displacement of 2900 tons and is armed with
eight Aerospatiale MM 40 Exocet missiles, one OTO Melara 5in gun,
eight Breda/Bofors 40mm guns, six 324mm ILAS 3 (2 triple) torpedo
tubes and two Breda 105mm SCLAR Chaff rocket launchers. She is powered
by two Rolls-Royce Olympus TM3B gas turbines providing 51600 shp and a
top speed of 30.5 knots and a range of 7200 km. She carries a crew of
26 officers and 174 men.

SAW
SAW is an
abbreviation for squad automatic weapon. It is a new type of weapon similar to an automatic rifle but with a greater range, but not as heavy as a general purpose machine-gun.

Schneider
The Schneider was a
French assault tank of the Great War. Like the St Chammond it was built on a Holt chassis and was armed with a 75mm gun in a side sponson and two machine guns. It had a 55bhp engine giving a top speed of 7.5kmph and a range of 48km. The Schneider was crewed by six men and first saw action in April 1917, when it suffered losses of 40% mainly due to its tendancy to catch fire.

Scimitar
A scimitar is a highly tempered
sword with a convex cutting edge.

Scots Fusilier Guards
see "
Scots Guards"

Scots Guards
The
Scots Guards are a British army regiment. Their origin is unclear, but may be due to a royal warrant of 1641 issued to the 8th earl of Argyll or may be that they were raised in 1660 under the command of the earl of Linlithgow. They were transferred at the Restoration to England as the 3rd Foot Guards, renamed the Scots Fusilier Guards in 1831 and the Scots Guards in 1877.

Scots Regiment of White Horses
see "
Royal Scots Greys"

Scottish Rifles
see "
Cameronian"

Screaming Eagles
see "
101st Airborne Division"

Scud
The Scud is a Soviet-produced surface-to-surface missile that can be armed with a nuclear, chemical, or conventional warhead.
The Scud-B has a range of 300
km.

Scutum
The scutum was a large
oblong Roman shield.

Sea dart
The sea dart is a British anti-ship and surface-to-air missile. It has a range of 17km and a flight speed of mach 3.

Sea killer
The sea killer is an Italian anti-ship missile. It has a range of 25km and uses beam-riding and
radar altimeter guidance systems. It flies close to the seas surface making it an effective weapon.

Sea sparrow
The sea sparrow is an
American surface-to-air missile. It has a range of 32km and a flight speed of mach 3.

Sea wolf
The sea wolf is a British surface-to-air missile. It has a range of 6km and a flight speed of mach 2. It is usually fired from a multi-barrel launcher, but on British type 23 frigates they are launched from a vls system.

Seacat
The seacat is a British anti-air missile. It has a range of 6km and is guided either optically or by
radar.

Seaforth Highlanders
The
Seaforth Highlanders (also known as the Ross-shire Buffs and The Duke of Albany's) was first raised in 1756 under the title of Fraser's Highlanders. It was disbanded in 1763 and reformed in 1778 by the Earl Of Seaforth. In 1881 it was joined with the 78th Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs) and renamed the Seaforth Highlanders.

Second Crusade
The Second
Crusade set out in 1100 to rescue Bohemund who had been captured during the First Crusade. By now the Crusades had become all out war between the Muslims and Christians and the Second Crusade was a disaster.

Selective-fire
Selective-fire is a
firearm's ability to be fired fully automatically, semi-automatically or, in some cases, in burst-fire mode at the option of the firer.

Semi-automatic
A semi-automatic
firearm is designed to fire a single cartridge, eject the empty case and reload the chamber each time the trigger is pulled.

Semtex
Semtex is an odourless
plastic explosive manufactured in Czechoslovakia that can only be ignited by a detonator.

Seventh Crusade
The Seventh
Crusade was directed against Egypt and led by Louis IX of France. The Crusaders captured Damietta but after the battle of Mansourah in 1250 Louis and his army were captured.

Sharps Carbine
The Sharps
Carbine was a .53 inch calibre breech loading carbine used by the Americans during the American Civil War. It had an effective range of 450m.

Sheridan
see "
m551"

Sherman
see "
M4 Sherman"

Sherman tank
The Sherman tank was an
American tank used during the second world war. There were numerous variations made. It was manned by a crew of five. It was well armed with a 75mm gun and and co-axial machine gun in the turret. A hull mounted machine gun and cupola mounted machine gun were also fitted. It could achieve a top speed of 26mph.

Shotgun
A shotgun is a shoulder gun with smooth-bored
barrel(s) primarily intended for firing multiple small, round projectiles, (shot, birdshot, pellets), larger shot (buck shot), single round balls (pumpkin balls) and cylindrical slugs. Some shotgun barrels have rifling to give better accuracy with slugs or greater pattern spread to birdshot.

Shropshire Light Infantry
The
Shropshire Light Infantry are a British army regiment. They were first raised in 1755 as the 53rd (Shropshire) Regiment. A 2nd Battalion, called the Bucks Volunteers was raised in 1793. The Shropshire Light Infantry were the first British light infantry corps.

Siege of Emessa
The Siege of Emessa took place in 272 when the Palmyrenians under Zenobia were completely defeated by the
Romans under Aurelian, who at once laid siege to Palmyra which he took in 273 after a stubborn defence.

Siege of Orleans
The Siege of
Orleans occured during the Hundred Years' War. The town of Orleans, held by a French garrison under Dunois, the Bastard of Orleans, was laid siege by the Earl of Salisbury on October 12th 1428. The siege dragged on until April 1429. On April 29th 1429 Joan of Arc entered the town and on May the 3rd the French assumed the offensive and on May the 7th the siege was lifted.

Siegfried Line
The Siegfried Line (called the Hindenberg Line by the British) was the main system of the
German defence on the Western front after the first battle of the Somme during the Great War. It was prepared during the winter of 1916-17 and stretched from Tilloy-lez-Mofflaines south-east of Arras, across the Sensee to Bullecourt and on to the Saint Gobain Forest south-west of La Fere. It was comprised of two or more lines of massive trenches spaced 100 meters apart and protected by thick barbed wire entanglements.

Sikorsky
Sikorsky is an
American helicopter manufacturer.

Silkworm
The silkworm is a Chinese anti-ship missile. Its range and speed are believed to be a range of 46km and a flight speed of mach 0.9, but these are unconfirmed.

Single-shot
Single-shot is a gun mechanism lacking a
magazine where separately carried ammunition must be manually placed in the gun's chamber for each firing.

Sixth Crusade
The Sixth
Crusade was one of the most successful of the Crusades, but took place against the wishes of the Pope - thereby not making it a true Crusade at all. It took place from 1228 until 1229 and was led by Frederick II. The successes of the Sixth Crusade came mainly from diplomacy, and achieved Jersualem and south Palestine. However, the diplomatic agreement broke down and Jerusalem was lost in 1244 at the battle of Gaza.

Skean Dhu
A Skean Dhu is a traditional Scottish sock knife. They generally have a blade about 9cm long.

SKS
The SKS is a
Soviet gas operated self-loading rifle. It takes a 7.62mm round from a 10-round box. It has a muzzle velocity of 735 m/s and is sighted to 1000m.

Slide-action
Slide-action is a gun mechanism activated by manual operation of a horizontally sliding handle almost always located under the
barrel. "Pump-action" and "trombone" are synonyms for "slide-action."

Sm-1
The sm-1 is an
American surface-to-air missile. It has a range of 33km and a flight speed of mach 2.

Sm-2
The sm-2 is an
American guided surface-to-air missile. It has a range of 59km and a flight speed of mach 2. It uses an interial guidance system and is equipped with an auto-pilot for effectiveness against evasive targets.

Smasher
see "
Carronade"

Smith & Wesson Model No. 1
The
Smith & Wesson Model No. 1 was the first revolver manufactured by Smith & Wesson. It was a .22 inch calibre, single-action, rimfire revolver with a 7-round cylinder.

Snub-nosed
Snub-nosed is a descriptive of (usually) a
revolver with an unusually short barrel.

Somerset Light Infantry
Somerset Light Infantry is an alternative name for Prince Albert's Light Infantry.

Songster
see "
AT-8"

Sopwith Camel
The Sopwith
Camel was a single seater fighter scout biplane. It first flew in December 1916 and saw action during the Great War.

South Staffordshire Regiment
The South Staffordshire Regiment was a British
army infantry regiment formed from the 38th Foot and the 80th Foot. It was renowned for its marching and shooting and first saw action in Guadeloupe in 1759.

South Wales Borderers
see "
24th Regiment of Foot"

Southampton
The Southampton was a British
cruiser of the Second World War. She was armed with 12 6 inch guns and anti-aircraft guns.

Spandrel
see "
AT-5"

Spencer
The Spencer was the first successful repeating
rifle. It was manufactured in 1862 by the Spencer repeating Rifle Company, in the USA. The Spencer was a lever-action, rolling block rifle with a 7-round tube magazine in the butt. It had an effective range of 275 m.

Spigot
Spigot is the nickname for the
Russian AT-4 ATGM.

Spiral
see "
AT-6"

Spiro
The Spiro is an Argentinian Meko 140 Type
Frigate. She was
built by Afne in Rio Santiago and launched on the 24th of June
1983. She has a displacement of 1470 tons and is armed with four
Aerospatiale MM 40 Exocet missiles, one OTO Melara 3in gun, four
Breda 40mm guns, six 324mm ILAS 3 (2 triple) torpedo tubes
and Chaff rocket launchers. She is powered by
two Type 16PC2-5V400 SEMT-Pielstick 16-cyl dieselsproviding 20400bhp
and a top speed of 27 knots and a range of 6400 km. She carries a crew of
11 officers and 82 men.

Springfield
The springfield is a US bolt operated
rifle in general issue from 1906 replacing the krag-jorgensen m1896. It takes a .30" round from a 5-round box. It has a muzzle velocity of 813 m/s and is sighted to 2469m.

Squad
A squad is a military organization of infantry subordinate to a
platoon. It contains between 6 and 14 men and is sometimes divided into two or more sections.

Squadron
A squadron is a subordinate division of a cavalry regiment corresponding to the company of an infantry battalion. In the navy, a squadron is part of a division or a group of ships detailed for special service. Since the advent of
Aircraft, the term has also been adopted by the Air Force.

SS-N-2a
The SS-N-2a (
styx) is a Soviet anti-ship missile. It has a range of 46km and a flight speed of mach 0.9. It carries a 1100lb warhead.

SS-N-2c
The SS-N-2c is a
Soviet anti-ship missile. It has a range of 80km and a flight speed ofr mach 0.9. The SS-N-2c is an updated version of the SS-N-2a, and includes sea skimming abilities for avoiding detection by radar.

St. Chamond
The
St. Chamond was a French mobile fortress, or tank, first made in 1916. It was powered by a Panhard 4-cylinder petrol engine which gave it a top speed of 8.5kmph and a range of 60km. It was armed with a 75mm gun, four 8mm machine guns. The St. Chamond carried a crew of 9 men and had a maximum armour thickness of 17mm.

Stadiametric
A stadiametric gunsight is one with mil markings placed on the sight to help the gunner estimate the range of a
target.

Sten
The sten was a British sub-machine gun which went through a number of changes and variations from its development in 1941. It takes a 9mm round from a 32-
Round
box and has a cyclic rate of 550rpm.

Stinger
see "
fim-92a"

Stuart tank
see "
M3 Stuart"

Styx
see "
SS-N-2a"

Submachine gun
A submachine gun is an automatic
firearm commonly firing pistol ammunition intended for close-range combat.

Suffolk Regiment
The
Suffolk Regiment was a British army infantry unit raised in east Suffolk in 1685 and named the 12th (East Suffolk) Regiment of Foot in 1782, whereupon it became known as the "Old Dozen". It won its badge of a castle and key for services rendered during the siege of Gibraltar during 1779 - 1783.

Suomi m1931
The Suomi m1931 is a Finnish sub-machine gun developed in 1931. It takes a 9mm round from a variety of magazines. Its cyclic rate is 900rpm and its
muzzle velocity 400 m/s.

Super Redhawk
The
Ruger Super Redhawk is a .44" magnum calibre revolver. It has either a 7.5" or 9.5" barrel. The cylinder takes 6-rounds.

Sweeps
see "
Kings Royal Rifle Corps"

Sword
A sword is an offensive weapon designed for cutting and thrusting. It consists of a long straight or curved blade with a handle or hilt and a cross-guard and usually a sharp point.

T-28
The T-28 was a
Russian tank designed along the land battleship concept. It had three independant turrets, a main one housing a 76.2mm gun and two subsidary turrets with machine guns. It had armour plate up to 80mm thick, a top road speed of 37kmph and a range of 220km and was crewed by six men. The T-28 was used during the war with Finland in 1940 and the initial stages of the German invasion of Russia in 1941.

T-34
The T-34 is a
Russian tank which was first produced in 1941. The first models weighed 26.7 tonnes, carried a five-man crew and were protected by sloping armour up to 60 mm thick, armed with a 76.2 mm gun capable of firing both AP and HE rounds. Early models had a 500 bhp engine which gave a top speed of 50 kmph and a range of 450 km. In 1943 the T-34/85 model was introduced with an 85 mm gun and the armour increased to 90 mm.

T-35
The T-35 was a
Russian tank designed around the land battleship concept. It had five independant turrets, a main one armed with a 76.2mm gun, two with 37mm guns and co-axial machine gun and the other two with a single machine gun. It carried a crew of eleven and had a top speed of 30kmph and a range of 153 km. It was fairly lightly armoured, with a maximum armour thickness of 30mm. Like the T-28, the T-35 saw action in Finland in 1940 and during the German invasion of 1941.

T2e1
The t2e1 is a British
rifle taking a .276" round from a 10-round box. The muzzle velocity is 762 m/s and it is sighted to 1098m. Operation is blowback.

Tangier Regiment
The
Tangier Regiment was a British army unit raised in 1661, later named the Queen's by Charles II in honour of his consort, Catherine of Braganza. In 1751 it became the 2nd (the Queen's Royal) Regiment Of Foot. It later became the Queen's Royal West Surrey Regiment.

Tank
Tank was the codename of the British armoured fighting vehicles which were envisaged as land warships.

Targe
A targe was a
light shield or buckler.

Tasset
A tasset was a piece of
armour which hung from the corslet to offer protection to the thighs.

Taurus PT99AF
The
Taurus PT99AF is a Brazilian made copy of the Bereta 92F. It is a 9mm parabellum calibre, semi-automatic pistol. It takes a 15-round magazine. The rear sight is adjustable and the front sight is a fixed blade.

Templars
The Templars were a military order founded in 1119 at the time of the Crusades by Hugues de Payen and Godfrey de Saint Adhemar, with seven other knights. They took vows of chastity, poverty and obedience and the undertaking to protect pilgrims to the holy places from attacks by the Saracens.

Teutonic Knights
The Order Of Teutonic Knights was an order similar to the
Templars and Knights of St. John but restricted to Germans. It was founded at Acre in 1190 originally to tend wounded crusaders, it soon took up aggressive warfare against the heathen. The order was supressed in Germany by Napoleon in 1809, but was still in existence in Austria in the 1920s caring for those wounded at war.

The Duke of Albany's
see "
Seaforth Highlanders"

The Forty-five
The Forty-five was the second Jacobite Rebellion. It took place in 1745 under Prince
Charles Edward Stuart, the Young Pretender. After marching as far south as Derby he was forced to retreat and was finally defeated by the Duke of Cumberland at Culloden on April 16th 1746.

The Franco-Austrian War
The Franco-Austrian
War was fought in 1859 between France and Austria over the question of Italian unity.

The Queen's
see "
Tangier Regiment"

The Royals
see "
Royal Dragoons"

The Watch
The Watch or
Highland Watch was a British army force raised in 1729 to keep peace in the Highlands during the times of the Jacobite intrigue. The regiment subsequently became renamed the Royal Highlanders and earned the nickname of the Black Watch from the black tartan they wear.

Theoben
Theoben are an
English manufacturer of air rifles.

Theoben Rapid 7
The
Theoben Rapid 7 is a .22" calibre bolt action repeater air-rifle running on compressed air. It takes a seven-shot rotary magazine.

Theoben Taunus
The
Theoben Taunus is a gas spring powered air-rifle. It is made in calibres of .177" .20" and .22", is 41 inches long and weighs around 8lbs.

Thermite
Thermite is a mixture of
aluminium and iron oxide or someother metal oxide which on combustion produces a very high temperature, around 3000 degrees celsius. It is used as a filling for incendiary bombs.

Third Crusade
The Third
Crusade was led by the Kings of England and France and the German Emperor. They agreed to meet outside Acre, which eventually fell in July 1191 after being besieged for two years. During the Third Crusade Cyprus was conquered by the English King and sold to Guy de Lusignan.

Thirty Years War
The Thirty Years
War occured from 1618 until 1648 and was due partly to politics and partly religion, and took place in Bohemia and Germany between France, Sweden, Austria and Spain against the Germans, Dutch and Italians. Generally the squabble was over German territory and the rights of the German Princes.

Thompson
The Thompson sub-machine gun is an
American weapon developed from the 1920s. It takes a .45" round from a 50-round drum or 20-round box. It has a cyclic rate of 800rpm and a muzzle velocity of 281 m/s.

Tiger 1
The Tiger 1 (
Panzer 6) was a German heavy breakthrough tank of the second world war. It was armed with an 88mm gun and heavy armour up to 110 mm thick. It had a top speed of 38 kmph provided by a 700 bhp Maybach petrol engine and a range of 100 km.

Tiger II
see "
Panzer 6B"

Tomahawk
The tomahawk is a type of hatchet used by North American indians.

Torpedo
A torpedo is a missile which swims through
water to its target. They are used against ships and are carried by submarines, helicopters, aircraft and ships.

Torpedo Boat
Torpedo Boats were an early predecessor to the
Torpedo Boat Destroyer used extensively during the early part of the Great War. They were fast fighting ships equipped with torpedoes and light guns. They were cheap to produce, and both the German and Allied navies possessed large numbers of them.

Torpedo Boat Destroyer
Torpedo Boat Destroyers were all-purpose fighting ships used during the Great War to defend ships from torpedo attacks, engaging enemy transport ships and submarines, and carrying out reconnaisance work. They developed into the modern Destroyer.

Torpedoes
see "
torpedo"

TOW
TOW is an
acronym for Tube-launched. Optically-tracked, Wire-guided. It refers to the American standard heavy anti-tank guided missile.

Tr-1
The tr-1 is an
American single-seat high-altitude tactical reconnaissance aircraft.

Train-band
A train-band was a company of citizen soldiers organised in
London and elsewhere during the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.

Treaty of Frankfort
The Treaty of
Frankfort marked the conclusion of the Franco-Prussian War, and was signed on May 10th 1871 by Bismark representing Germany and Thiers representing France after the surrender of Paris. It provided for the cession of Alsace and part of Lorraine and the payment ofan indemnity of 200 million pounds to Germany.

Trebuchet
The trebuchet was a Medieval military engine consisting of a pivoted lever with a sling at one end, and used for throwing heavy missiles.

Trident
A trident is a three headed spear, looking rather like an oversized
fork.
Trident is the nuclear missile deployed on certain American nuclear-powered submarines. Each missile has eight warheads (MIRVs). The Trident replaced the earlier Polaris and Poseidon missiles.

Trireme
A trireme was an ancient warship with 3 rows of oars propelled by 170 rowers. It was used by the
Greeks, and copied by the Romans.

Troop
Troop is a military designation for a cavalry organization equivalent to a
platoon.

Truncheon
A truncheon is a short thick staff, or a club. They are usually carried by Policemen.

Type 56
The type 56 is a Chinese copy of the
ak47. It is an automatic assault rifle taking a 7.62mm round from a 30-round box. The muzzle velocity is 717 m/s and it is sighted to 800m. The cyclic rate is 600 rpm.

Type 99
The type 99 is a Japanese bolt operated
rifle. It takes a 7.7Mm round from a 5-round box. It has a muzzle velocity of 715 m/s and is sighted to 2400m.

U-47
U-47 was a
German submarine used during the Second World War. She was armed with 4 21 inch torpedo tubes in the bow and 1 21 inch torpedo tube in the stern. She had a top speed of 17 knots on the surface, and 8 knots submerged. She ecarried a dcrew of 44.

U-Boat
U-Boats were
German armed submarines used during the Great War and Second World War primarily to attack unarmed naval targets, such as merchant shipping.

UB 49
UB 49 was a
German U-Boat of the Great War. It was 55.3 meters long, and 5.8 meters wide with a displacement of 516 tons on the surface. It was powered by two 6-cylinder MAN 4-stroke diesel engines giving a total power of 1100hp and a surface speed of 13.6 knots and underwater speed of 6 knots and a range of 9040 nautical miles on the surface. UB 49 was armed with 4 bow tubes and 1 stern tube and carried 10 torpedoes and a 88mm submarine gun. It was crewed by 3 officers and 31 men.

Uhlan
A uhlan was a
light cavalry soldier armed with lance, pistol and sabre. They were employed as skirmishers and scouts. Marshal Saxe had a corps of them in the French Army.

Upas
Upas is a virulent Malay poision used for tipping arrows.

Uzi
The Uzi is a modern
Israeli machine pistol. It takes a 9mm round from a 25/32/40-round box and has a cyclic rate of 600rpm. It has a muzzle velocity of 390 m/s.

Valentine
The Valentine was a British infantry
tank made by Vickers which first saw action in North Africa during the Second World War. It had 65 mm thick frontal armour and a slow top speed of 24 kmph and a range of 145 km. Eleven variant models were made, early ones being armed with the two-pounder gun and later models with the six-pounder gun or American 75 mm gun.

Valmet
The valmet is a Finnish automatic assault
rifle. It takes a 7.62mm round from a 30-round box. It has a muzzle velocity of 718 m/s and is sighted to 800m. It has a cyclic rate of 650 rpm.

Vickers 3.7 AA gun
The
Vickers 3.7 inch AA gun was a British anti-aircraft gun of the Second World War. It fired 8 rounds-per-minute to an effective ceiling of 40000 feet.

Vickers Medium Mk 2
The
Vickers Medium Mk 2 was Britain's main tank during the 1930's. It carried a crew of five and a 47 mm gun. It's armour was up to 12 mm thick and it had a top speed of 48 kmph and a range of 200 km.

Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is a British decoration conferred on officers and men of all ranks in the
army and navy for personal bravery. It was instituted in 1856 and consists of a bronze Maltese cross 1.5 inches in diamiter, with the royal crown surmounted by a lion in the centre, and beneath the inscription 'For Valour'.

Vindictive
The Vindictive was a British
light cruiser of 5720 tons launched in 1897 and capable of a speed of 20 knots. She conveyed men to the Mole at Zeebrugge during the attack on that harbour on April 23, 1918 during the Great War and was later filled with concrete and sunk in Ostend harbour on May 9th 1918.

Vtol
Vtol is an
abbreviation for vertical take off and landing. It is used with aircraft which can take-off and land with out a runway.

Vulcan
see "
M61A1"

VZ52
The VZ52 is a Czechoslovakian
rifle. It takes a 7.62mm round from a 10-round box. The muzzle velocity is 740 m/s and it is sighted to 900m. It is gas operated.

VZ61
The VZ61 is a modern Czechoslovakian machine
pistol. It takes a 7.62mm round from a 10/20-round box. It has a cyclic rate of 700rpm and a muzzle velocity of 294 m/s.

W145
The w145 is a stealth defense system
semi-automatic pistol manufactured by the wilson company of America.

Webley
Webley are a British firearms manufacturer. The .455 service
revolver was in use with the British army from 1887 to 1915.

Webley No. 1
The
Webley No. 1 was a .455 inch calibre revolver manufactured by Webley & Scott from 1894 onwards. It was made in single and double-action models both of which had a 6-round cylinder.

Webley-Bentley
The Webley-Bentley was an
English revolver of the 1850s.

West Suffolk Militia
The
West Suffolk Militia was a special reserve battalion of the Suffolk Regiment during the early part of the 20th century.

Wigtown Militia
The Wigtown Militia was a special
reserve battalion of the Royal Scots Fusiliers during the early part of the 20th century.

WP
WP is smoke
ammunition.

Xebec
A xebec was a small three-masted
Mediterranean warship.

Yataghan
The yataghan is a Turkish curved
sword.

Yeoman
The Yeoman of The Guard are bodyguards to the British
sovereign. They were first appointed by Henry VII, and now act chiefly as warders at the Tower Of London.

Yeomanry
The yeomanry were a volunteer cavalry force in the Britsih
army. They were originally formed in the 18th century for home defence and merged with the Territorial Force in 1907.

Zk383
The ZK383 is a Czechoslovakian sub-machine gun used during the second world war. It takes a 9mm round from a 30-round
box. It has a cyclic rate of 500 and 700rpm and is sighted to 800m with a muzzle velocity of 365 m/s.

ZU-23
The ZU-23 is a
Russian 23mm calibre auto-cannon mounted on Mi-24 Helicopters and Su-25 attack jets. It has a muzzle velocity of 970m/s and can pierce 30mm of armour at 500m. It was designed in the 1940s and has become the standard gun mounted in Russian jet aircraft.
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