101st Airborne Division
107th Bengal Light Infantry
115th Field Artillery Brigade
12/250 Rapid
12th (East Suffolk) Regiment of Foot
13th Foot
1st Staffordshire
21st Royal North British Fusiliers
24th Regiment of Foot
25th Foot
2A20
2A26
2A28
2A42
2A46
2nd Dragoons
2nd Highland Battalion
2nd Royal North British Dragoons
31st Foot
35th Foot
35th Infantry Regiment
38th Foot
39th Foot
3rd Foot Guards
3rd Pattern Commando Knife
42nd Foot
53rd (Shropshire) Regiment
54th Foot
60th Royal Americans
64th (2nd Staffordshire) Foot
70th Foot
73rd Foot
78th Highlanders
7th (Royal Fusilier) Regiment
8-229th Aviation Regiment
80th Foot
90th Light Infantry
98th Foot
Abatis
Action
Acton
Admiral Graf Spee
Affondatore
AFV
Agent Orange
AGM-114
AGM-114A
AGM-65
AGM-65D
Airgun
Ajax
AK47
Akagi
Al-Hussayn
Almirante Brown
Altmark
Ammunition
AP
APC
APCS
APFSDS
Aquila
Arbalist
Ark Royal
Arleigh Burke
Armor
Armored Personnel Carrier
Armoured Landship
Armoured Train
Armstrong Gun
Arquebus
Arrow
Arsine
Artillery
AS-14
Asahi
ASDIC
Assegai
AT-3
AT-4
AT-5
AT-6
AT-8
ATGM
ATGMS
ATGW
Atomic Bomb
Automatic (firearm)
AV7
Avenger
AWACS
B 111
Baker Rifle
Ball (firearm)
BAR
Battle of Chickahominy
Battle of Cold Harbor
Battle of Coronel
Battle of Corunna
Battle of Crecy
Battle of Cunaxa
Battle of Dettingen
Battle of Dogger Bank
Battle of Dunbar
Battle of Dupplin Moor
Battle of El Teb
Battle of Elandsaagte
Battle of Ethandune
Battle of Eutaw Springs
Battle of Evesham
Battle of Falkirk
Battle of Falkland Islands
Battle of Ferozeshah
Battle of Fredericksburg
Battle of Friedland
Battle of Fuentes d'Onoro
Battle of Omdurman
Battle of Otterburn
Battle of Suvla Bay
Battle of Tannenberg
Battle of Trafalgar
Battle of Waterloo
Bayonet
Bazooka
BBC
The 101st Airborne Division (Screaming Eagles) is a US army division which was activated
on August 15th, 1942. The first commander was Major General William C. Lee. During World War II, the 101st Airborne Division led the way on D-Day in the night drop prior to the invasion.
The 107th Bengal Light Infantry was a British army unit raised in 1854. It went on to amalgamate with the 35th Foot to form the Royal Sussex Regiment.
The 115th Field Artillery Brigade is a US army unit which was first organized in 1888 in the Wyoming
National Guard as the 1st Regiment, to consist of Company A (Laramie Grays). organized 29 May 1888 at Laramie, and company B (Cheyenne Guards), organized 12 October 1888 at cheyenne.
In 1890 it was redesignated as the 1st Regiment Infantry. And after many more changes
it was redesignated as the Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 115th Field Brigade on the 1st September 1978
The 12/250 Rapid is a precharged air rifle made by Theoben. It has a 23 inch barrel in .25" calibre and takes a 12-round magazine. Power is adjustable from 33ft/lbs to 40ft/lbs.
see "Suffolk Regiment"
The 13th Foot was a British infantry regiment raised in 1685 to fight the Scottish Jacobites. They fought at Killiecrankie and at the battle of the Boyne.
see "38th Foot"
see "Royal Scots Fusiliers"
The 24th Regiment of Foot was a British army unit raised in Ireland in 1689. It's first action was under William III at the Battle of the Boyne. It made an incredible stand at Rorke's Drift in January 1879 against an overwhelming mass of Zulus. At some point in it's history the regiment changed it's name to the South Wales Borderers.
see "Kings Own Scottish Borderers"
The 2A20 is a Russian 115mm smooth-bore gun mounted on older T-62 MBT. It has a muzzle velocity of 1615 m/s and armour piercing capabilities of 326mm at 500m and 302mm at 1000m firing APFSDS ammunition.
The 2A26 is a Russian 125mm calibre smooth-bore gun mounted on T-64, T-72 and T-80 MBTs. It has a muzzle velocity of 1680m/s and armour piercing capabilities of 397mm at 500m and 363mm at 1000m firing HVAPFSDS ammunition.
The 2A28 is a Russian 73mm calibre smooth-bore closed-breech rocket launcher. It fires the PG-9 rocket at a muzzle velocity of 400m/s and is mounted on the BMP-1 IFV.
The 2A42 is a Russian 30mm calibre auto-cannon mounted on BMP-2 and ZSU-30-2. It is based upon the British Rarden gun and has dual loading for AP and HE ammunition allowing the gunner to switch rounds without unloading and reloading. The 2A42 has a muzzle velocity of 1000m/s and can pierce 50mm of armour at 500m.
The 2A46 is a newer version of the 2A26 with a redesigned mechanical loader.
see "Royal Scots Greys"
see "78th Highlanders"
see "Royal Scots Greys"
The 31st Foot was a British marine regiment raised in 1702. In 1782 it was renamed the Huntingdonshire Regiment and in 1825 formed part of the East Surrey Regiment.
The 35th Foot was a British army unit raised in 1701 at Belfast. It captured the standard of the Roussillon Grenadiers on the Plains of Abraham in Quebec. The regiment developed the names "Orange Lillies" and "Prince of Orange's Own" on account of wearing orange facings. The regiment later formed part of the Royal Sussex Regiment.
The 35th Infantry Regiment is a US army unit which was organized on the 13th July 1916 in Arizona of
men from the 11th, 18th and 22nd Infantry. These units dated back to The War Between the States.
The 38th Foot was a British army infantry unit raised in 1702. It received the title 1st Staffordshire in 1782 and went on to form part of the South Staffordshire Regiment.
The 39th Foot was a British army regiment raised in 1702, and the first regiment to serve in India, sailing in 1754. It was merged with the 54th Foot into the Dorset Regiment.
see "Scots Guards"
The 3rd Pattern Commando Knife (Fairbairn-Sykes) was a double edged fighting knife specified by the British MOD in 1943, and issued to Service Men. It had a 7 inch, double edged carbon-steel blade with a 2 inch oval guard, a ribbed zinc-alloy handle and a brass nut. The blade was finished in black.
The 42nd Foot was the first battalion of the Royal Highlanders.
see "Shropshire Light Infantry."
The 54th Foot was a British army regiment raised in 1755. It was later merged with the 39th Foot to form the Dorset Regiment.
see "Kings Royal Rifle Corps"
The 64th (2nd Staffordshire) Foot was a British army unit raised in 1756 to be the 2nd Battalion of the 11th Foot. It received the title "Prince of Wales's" on occasion of the Prince's visit to Malta in 1876.
The 70th Foot was a British army regiment raised in 1758. In 1825 it formed the 2nd Battalion of the East Surrey Regiment.
The 73rd Foot was the second battalion of the Royal Highlanders and was raised in 1780.
The 78th Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs) were formed in 1756 as the 2nd Highland Battalion and reformed in 1793 as the 78th Highlanders and joined with Fraser's Highlanders in 1881 to form the Seaforth Highlanders.
see "Royal Fusiliers"
The 8-229th Aviation Regiment (Flying Tigers) is a US army unit formed in 1941 under the command of Colonel Claire L. Chennault,
and formally known as the American Volunteer Group of the Chinese Air Force during World War II.
In 1942 when the U.S. declared war on Japan, they were absorbed into the 10th Air Force and became the nucleus of the China Air Task Force.
The 80th Foot was a British army infantry unit raised in 1793 which went on to form part of the South Staffordshire Regiment.
The 90th Light Infantry (Perthshire Volunteers) was a British army unit formed in 1794. It joined with the Cameronians in 1881 to form the Scottish Rifles.
The 98th Foot was a British infantry army unit raised in 1824 as the 2nd Battalion of the North Staffordshire Regiment.
An abatis is a barricade or obstacle comprised of felled trees arranged with the branches pointing outwards.
In weapon terms, action refers to the working mechanism of a firearm. Various types exist, including single-shots, multi-barrels, revolvers, slide- or pump-action, lever-action, bolt-action, semi-automatic and automatic.
An acton was a quilted or padded tunic worn under a coat of mail as a defence against bruising in combat. They were popular in the 15th century.
The Admiral Graf Spee was a German pocket battleship. She was launched in April 1933 and was scuttled off Montevideo, Uruguay after engaging three British cruisers in the Battle of the River Plate in December 1939. The Admiral Graf Spee was armed with six 11 inch and eight 6 inch guns and had a top speed of 28 knots.
The Affondatore was an Italian turret battleship. She was launched in November 1865 and retired from service with the Italian navy in 1907. She was armed with two 10 inch muzzle-loading rifled guns and had a top speed of 12 knots. The Affondatore was an iron-hulled schooner rigged vessel with two turrets each designed by the British navy's Captain Cowper Coles. She acted as the flagship of Admiral Persano's fleet at the Battle of Lissa in July 1866.
AFV is an abbreviation for armoured fighting vehicle.
Agent Orange was a selective weedkiller, notorious for its use in the 1960s during the
Vietnam War by American forces to eliminate ground cover which could protect enemy forces. It was subsequently discovered to contain highly poisonous dioxin.
Agent Orange, named for the distinctive orange stripe on its packaging, combines equal parts of 2,4-D (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid) and 2,4,5-T (2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid), both now banned in the USA.
The AGM-114 (hellfire) is an American laser-guided anti-tank missile. It can be carried by helicopters or ground forces. It has a flight speed of mach 1.7 and a range of 5 miles.
The AGM-114A is an anti-tank missile carried by American helicopters. It has a flight speed of 170 m/s and a maximum range of 7000 meters. It is unusual in being a laser guided missile. Also called the hellfire missile.
The AGM-65 is an air-to-ground missile used by the US army. It has a flight speed of 180 m/s and a maximum range of 16000 meters.
The AGM-65D (Maverick) is a 300mm air-to-ground missile used by the USAF. It is mounted on A-10A and other similar attack aircraft. It has a range of 16000m and an FLIR guidance system. It can penetrate 650mm of flat steel, 527mm of sloped steel armour and 257mm of composite armour.
An airgun is not a firearm but a gun that uses compressed air or carbon dioxide to propel a projectile.
The Ajax was a British light cruiser of the Second World War. She was armed with 8 6 inch guns, 8 4 inch anti-aircraft guns, 8 2 pounder anti-aircraft guns, 12 .5 inch guns and 8 21 inch torpedo tubes. She had a top speed of 32.5 knots. She carried a crew of 550.
The AK47 is a Soviet assault rifle. It is an automatic weapon with a cyclic rate of 600 rpm and a muzzle velocity of 717 m/s. It is sighted to 800m. The AK47 takes a 7.62mm round from a 30-round box.
The Akagi was a Japanese aircraft carrier. She was designed as a battle cruiser but the design was altered and she was built to despatch up to 60 aircraft. The Akagi was launched in 1925 and led the Japanese aircraft carrier assault on Pearl Harbour in 1941. She was sunk at the Battle of Midway in 1942 by American dive bombers.
The Al-Hussayn is an Iraqi army modified Scud missile capable of projecting a smaller payload of about 500 kg a distance of up to 650 km.
The Almirante Brown is an Argentinian Meko 360 Type destroyer. She was
built by Blohm and Voss in Hamburg and launched on the 28th of March
1981. 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.
The Altmark was a German POW ship of the Second World War. The prisoners-of-war were rescued by the British destroyer Cossack.
Ammunition generally refers to the assembled components of complete cartridges or rounds i.e., a case or shell holding a primer, a charge of propellant (gunpowder) and a projectile (bullets in the case of handguns and rifles, multiple pellets or single slugs in shotguns). Sometimes called "fixed ammunition" to differentiate from components inserted separately in muzzleloaders.
In terms of ammunition, AP is an abbreviation for armour piercing.
APC is an abbreviation for armoured personnel carrier.
see "APC"
APFSDS is an abbreviation for armour piercing, fin stabilised, discarding sabot.
Aquila is an American RPV.
see "Cross-bow"
The original Ark Royal was a British galleon of 800 tons built for Sir Walter Raleigh in 1587. She was the flagship of Lord Howard at the battle against the Spanish Armada in 1588. The name Ark Royal was later employed for a British aircraft carrier built in 1937 and sunk in 1941 by the German submarine U81.
Arleigh Burke is an American guided missile destroyer of 8400 tons and a top speed of over 30 knots.
Armor is body protection worn in battle. The invention of gunpowder led, by degrees, to the virtual abandonment of armor until World War I, when the helmet reappeared as a defense against shrapnel.
Modern armor, used by the army, police, security guards, and people at risk from assassination, uses nylon and fiberglass and is often worn beneath clothing.
An Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) is a wheeled or tracked military vehicle designed to transport up to ten people. Armoured to withstand small-arms fire and shell splinters, it is used on battlefields.
Armoured Landships were the official name, rather than the code name, for Tanks. The term never really caught on, and by the Second World War the code name of "Tank" was in general usage.
Armoured Trains were railway trains with the engine and carriages protected from musket fire by armour in the form of high parapets of iron or steel plate. Loopholes in the armour allowed carried soldiers to fire without undue exposure, and machine-guns were also carried on pivot mountings. Armoured Trains were used in France and Belgium during the early part of the Great War, especially at the siege of Antwerp, but were found to be vulnerable to artillery fire and this together with their inability to manoeuvre led to their discontinuation.
The Armstrong Gun is a type of cannon named after its inventor, William Armstrong. It is made of wrought-iron spirally-coiled bars. It has a rifled barrel. The projectile is covered in soft lead. As the projectile is propelled out of the cannon, the lead coating is compressed into the rifle grroves, causing it to spin. The Armstrong Gun was invented in the middle of the 19th century.
The arquebus was a hand-gun similar to a musket. It fired a two ounce ball, and was fired from a forked rest. A larger variant which took a heavier ball was used in fortresses.
An arrow is a missile projected by a bow.
Arsine, short for Arseniuretted hydrogen, is a blood irritant gas used during the Second World War. It has very little smell and causes violent vomiting and blood poisoning.
Artillery refers to missile type weapons.
The AS-14 is a Soviet air-to-ground anti-tank missile. It has a flight speed of 150-175 m/s and a maximum range of 20000 meters. It is carried by SU-25 and other aircraft.
The Asahi was a Japanese battleship built in 1898 and broken up in 1947. She had a top speed of 18 knots and was armed with four 12 inch and fourteen 6 inch guns. The Asahi saw extensive service in the 1904-1905 war with Russia and in 1921 was reclassified as a coast defence ship and in 1923 became a training ship.
ASDIC was an abbreviation used during the Second World War for Allied Submarine Detection Investigation Committee. It was a device used for detecting underwater ships. The American name was sonar.
The assegai is a spear used as a weapon by the Kaffres of South Africa. It is made of hard wood with an iron tip and is used for throwing and thrusting.
The AT-3 (Sagger) is a Russian 120mm ATGM. It has a flight speed of 120m/s and a range of 3000m. The original AT-3 was introduced during the 1960s and was joystick guided which required a high degree of gunner skill. During the 1970s it was redesigned to optical guidance, whereby the gunner just needs to keep the target in sight.
The AT-4 is an American lightweight multi-purpose weapon. It is a single shot anti-tank rocket with iron sights guidance and a range of about 300m. The AT-4 (Spigot) is a Russian 120mm ATGM introduced during the 1970s and supplied to infantry, BMP-1, BMP-2 and BRDM-3 units. It has a maximum range of 2000m and a flight speed of 185m/s.
The AT-5 (Spandrel) is a Russian 130mm ATGM. It is wire-guided and mounted on the BMP-2 and BRDM-3. It has a flight speed of 185m/s and a maximum range of 4000m. The AT-5 can penetrate 500mm of flat steel, 406mm of sloped steel and 198mm of composite armour.
The AT-6 (Spiral) is a Russian ATGM designed to be fired from helicopters, and is radio guided. It has a flight speed of 225m/s and can penetrate 600mm of flat steel, 487mm of sloped steel and 237mm of composite armour. The AT-6 has a maximum range of 5000m.
The AT-8 (Songster) is a Russian ATGM. It was designed to be fired from the 125mm smooth-bore gun. It uses radio for guidance from the gunner. The AT-8 has a flight speed of 250m/s and a range of 4000m. It can penetrate 550mm of flat steel and 446mm of sloped steel armour.
ATGM is an abbreviation for anti-tank guided missile.
see "atgm"
ATGW is an abbreviation for anti-tank guided weapon.
The Atomic bomb is a bomb deriving its explosive force from nuclear fission as a result of a neutron chain reaction. It was developed in the 1940s in the USA into a usable weapon.
Research began in Britian in 1940 and was transferred to the USA after its
entry into World War II the following year.
Known as the Manhattan Project, the work was carried out under the direction
of the American physicist Robert Oppenheimer at Los Alamos, New Mexico.
An automatic is a firearm designed to feed cartridges, fire them, eject their empty cases and repeat this cycle as long as the trigger is depressed and cartridges remain in the feed system. Examples: machine guns, submachine guns, selective-fire rifles, including true assault rifles.
The AV7 was the first German tank. It was first made in 1918 by Daimler, a total of 20 being made before the war ended. It had two 100hp Daimler petrol engines giving a top speed of 12kmph and a range of 35km. It was armed with a 57mm cannon and six 7.62mm machine guns. The armour plating was a maximum of 30mm thick and it was crewed by 18 men.
see "GAU-8/A"
AWACS is an acronym for Airborne Warning And Control System. It is a surveillance system that incorporates a long-range surveillance and detection radar mounted on a
Boeing E-3 sentry aircraft.It was used with great success in the 1991 Gulf War.
B 111 was a German Torpedo Boat Destroyer. It was 98m long, 9.35m wide and had a displacement of 1843 tons. It was powered by two sets of marine turbines providing 40700hp and a top speed of 37.4 knots and a range of 2620 nautical miles. B 111 was armed with four 105mm and six 500mm torpedo tubes and carried eight torpedoes. It was crewed by 4 officers and 110 men.
The Baker rifle was the first rifle accepted for English military use. It was a muzzle loader with a calibre of 0.625". It was produced from 1800 to 1838.
In weapon terminology, a ball was originally a spherical projectile, now generally a fully jacketed bullet of cylindrical profile with round or pointed nose. Most commonly used in military terminology.
The Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) was a .30 inch calibre gas operated automatic rifle designed by Browning and manufactured by Winchester, Colt and other companies from 1918 onwards. It had an effective range of 550m.
see "Battle of Cold Harbor"
The Battle of Cold Harbor was a battle during the American Civil War. It took place on June 3rd 1864 and involved the defeat of the Federal army of the Potomac under General Grant by the Confederate army of Virginia under General Lee. The battle is also known as The Battle of Chickahominy.
The Battle of Coronel was fought on November 1st, 1914 between British and German naval squadrons under Rear-Admiral Sir Christopher Cradock and Vice-Admiral von Spee respectively. The British were defeated, losing the Good Hope and the Monmouth. The remaining British ships escaped in the night.
The Battle of Corunna took place on January 16th 1809 during the Peninsular War. At the battle the British under Sir John Moore defeated the French at Soult. However, Sir John Moore was killed at the battle.
The Battle of Crecy took place in 1346, during the Hundred Years' War, when the English under Edward III routed a largely superior French army under Philip VI. The French losses amounted to over 31,000 including the King of Bohemia, 10 other princes and some 1200 knights. It was the first English battle in which the cannon was used, but victory was the result of the shooting of the English long-bow men.
The Battle of Cunaxa took place in 401 BC between Cyrus the Younger with Orientals and Greek mercenaries against the Persians under his brother Artaxerxes. Cyrus was killed but the Greeks refused to surrender and were allowed to march to the coast.
The Battle of Dettingen took place on June 27th 1743 during the War of the Austrian Succession. The British and Hanoverians under George II with the Austrians, defeated the French under Marshal Noailles. This was the last occassion when a British monarch led his troops to battle.
The Battle of Dogger Bank was a naval action of the Great War. It took place on January 24th 1915 off the Dogger Bank between British battle cruisers under Admiral Beatty and German battle cruisers.
The Battle of Dunbar took place on April 27th 1296 when Edward I of England was defeated by the Scots under John Baliol. A second Battle of Dunbar occured on September 3rd 1650 when the Parlimentarians under Cromwell routed the Scottish Royalists under David Leslie.
The Battle of Dupplin Moor took place on August 12th 1332 when Edward Baliol and the Scottish barons defeated a numerically superior force of King David of Scotland under the Earl of Mar.
The Battle of El Teb took place on February 4th 1884 during the Sudan Campaign. A force of Sudanese under Osman Digna practically annihilated an Egyptian column under Baker Pasha which was marching to relieve Sinkat.
The Battle of Elandsaagte took place on October 21st 1899 during the 2nd Boer War when the British under General French drove a strong force of Boers from their position, capturing the leader, General Koch.
The Battle of Ethandune took place in 878 when the West Saxons under King Alfred inflicted a crushing defeat on the Danes under Guthrum.
The Battle of Eutaw Springs took place on September 8th 1781 and was the last serious engagement of the American War of Independence. The British under General Stewart gained a victory over the Americans under Greene at Eutaw Springs, South Carolina.
The Battle of Evesham took place on August 4th 1265 during the Barons' War. The Royalists in largely superior numbers under Prince Edward defeated the Barons under Simon de Montfort, who was slain at Evesham, Worcestershire, thus ending the war.
The first Battle of Falkirk took place on July 22nd 1298 when a superior force of English under Edward I routed the Scots under Sir William Wallace. The second Battle of Falkirk occured on January 16th 1746 when the Highland rebels of "45" under the Young Pretender defeated the British under General Hawley.
The Battle of Falkland Islands was a naval battle of the Great War. It occured on December 8th 1914 between the English and German squadrons. The Germans were lured to the Falkland Islands by a bogus cable sent to Berlin by a British spy, and there were ambushed and almost completely wiped out, only the light cruiser Dresden escaping.
The Battle of Ferozeshah took place during the 1st Sikh War on December 22nd and 23rd 1845. The British and native troops under Lord Gough defeated 50,000 Sikhs.
The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought on December 13th, 1862 during the American Civil War. The Federals under General Burnside attacked the Confederates under General Lee, who were occupying a strong position on the hills; they were repulsed, but Lee was unable to follow up his advantage.
The Battle of Friedland was fought on June 14th 1807 during the Napoleonic Wars. The Russians and Prussians under Bennigsen were routed by the French under Napoleon I and Lannes.
The Battle of Fuentes d'Onoro was fought on May 3rd to 5th 1811 during the Peninsular War, and was one of the most hotly contested battles of the war. Massena on his way to relieve Almeida, attacked Wellington, but failed to capture the position and retired ingood order. Wellington's doubtful victory then secured the evacuation of Almeida.
The Battle of Omdurman was fought on September 2nd 1898 during the Sudan Campaign. 23,000 British and Egyptian troops under Kitchener defeated 50,000 Dervishes under the Khalifa with a great slaughter of the Dervishes.
The Battle of Otterburn was fought in August 1388 when a force of 2800 Scots under the Earls of Douglas, Dunbar and Moray routed a force of 8600 English under Henry Percy. The battle was fought at night by moonlight which prevented the English from employing their archers. The battle is also kniwn as Chevy Chase.
The Battle of Suvla Bay took place on August 8th 1915 during the Great War, when a landing was made by British troops on the Gallipoli Peninsular with the object of capturing the hills dominating the Dardanelles. The attack failed.
The Battle of Tannenberg took place from August 26th to August 30th 1914 during the Great War, between the Germans and Russians near the village of Tannenberg. The battle virtually destroyed the Russian Second Army and relieved the danger of invasion in East Prussia.
The Battle of Trafalgar took place on October 21st 1805, and was a victory for the British fleet under Nelson over the French and Spanish fleets under Villeneuve. The battle took place off Cape Trafalgar in south-west Spain. The British fleet consisted of 27 sail-of-the-line ships and the enemy fleet 33. The battle began around noon and ended about five. During the battle Nelson was shot and mortally wounded, but lived long enough to know the day was won. The victory destroyed the French and Spanish fleets and secured Britain from invasion.
The Battle of Waterloo took place during the Napoleonic Wars, on June 18th 1815 when the allied British, Belgian and Hanoverian forces under the Duke of Wellington, with some 50,000 Prussians under Blucher, utterly routed the French army under Napoleon.
A bayonet is a short sword attached to the muzzle of a firearm. The bayonet was placed inside the barrel of the muzzleloading muskets of the late 17th century. The sock or ring bayonet, invented 1700, allowed a weapon to be fired without interruption, leading to the demise of the pike.
Since the 1700s, bayonets have evolved into a variety of types. During World War I, the French used a long needle bayonet,the British a sword bayonet, while the Germans adopted a "pioneer" bayonet with the rear edge formed into a saw. As armies have become more mechanized, bayonets have tended to decrease in length.
Although many military leaders have advocated the use of the bayonet, in practice it has been rarely used.
The bazooka was an American infantry anti-tank missile used during the Second World War. It had a range of 90m.
BBC is an abbreviation for Bromo-benzyl-cyanide, a tear gas used during the second world war. It had a smell faintly of watercress. It caused pain in the eyes, a copious flow of tears, spasms of the eyelids and irritation of shaved skin.