I was given this as a gift from someone who knew I'd take interest in it. Waterproof rubberized bandolier with rifle cartridges heat sealed in there.

The strap has a code "D.A.Q:507" punched into it. The cartridge caliber is unknown as I haven't opened it up yet. I'm waiting for an ID first for obvious reasons. I'm in Canada but I'm not sureif that's relevant.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=n_vQUL3E-_I&pp=ygUPa3Jlb3NhbiBlbmdsaXNo

So first of all the video title is not accurate, they are exploring an outpost bunker and it's doubtful Adolf Hitler ever was in there or anywhere near it.

Second, it's a bunch of young guys from Russia exploring this complex whose favorite subject in school was definitely not history. So aside from the occasional comments from their local guide, take anything they say with a grain of salt.

Also, I believe they use an AI translator for their English YouTube channel so be prepared for annoying voices and syntax errors.

That said, it's still a cool video. It gives an awesome glimpse into what the inside of these bunker complexes was like. I'd never seen one on the inside and they explore this huge place pretty thoroughly.

So I want to try and clear something up. During the Vietnam War the ARVN was regarded to be generally incompetent and inefficient at beating the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese army. But then in the 70s something happened. The ARVN started becoming more effective at defending themselves against the North Vietnamese, that is until the United States stopped providing financial aid, supplies, and air support to the South Vietnamese. And we all know what happened after that.

What I want to know is, when and how did the ARVN become an effective fighting force?

Hi everyone. I was hoping for some advice on how best to get some information on my grandfather, who was from Inverness and was in the Cameron Highlanders. All I know was he was a POW and escaped -made it back to Scotland in 1946 I think.

I just thought given it is Remembrance day coming up it would be good to learn a bit more, see some records (if any exist) but not sure where to start. I should also mention it would have to be on line as I don’t live in the UK

Thanks!

I saw a tactical map of the battle of suomossalmi, and that got me wondering- why did the Red Army march in such a long column, and what stopped the rest of the red army from reinforcing the 163rd division?

I was listening to the audiobook of Rick Atkinson’s The Guns at Last Light, and at one point it mentions that throughout his military career, Montgomery would always start offensive operations with the left side of his forces.

A couple months ago, I was listening to James McPherson’s Battle Cry of Freedom, which said something similar about (I believe) Stonewall Jackson during the American Civil War.

Was there any reasoning/classical doctrine behind always doing it the same way? Wouldn’t it put you at a significant disadvantage if someone else picked up on your tendencies? I’ve tried looking it up, but haven’t been able to find anything on it.

Has there ever been ""regression" in military gender equiliy, where nation at one point opened up service role to women, but then close them to men only again at a later point for whatever reason. I feel this must happened at some point in time, but am unsure. Some example, if any, would be great to know.

Bonus question: could any present day 'egalitarian' militaryes be likely to close some combat role to women in future?

I'm interested in learning about the Iraqi Air Force's aircraft camouflage patterns and airfield equipment used during the 1980s and the First Gulf War. Specifically, I'm curious about the types of camouflage applied to their jets (colors, patterns, any variations) and the ground support equipment like fuel trucks, tractors, trailers, and power units used on airfields at the time.

Just found an old family photo from the Franco pression war. Don’t know anything about this time period. Anything from weapon to uniform identification would be really helpful. I’m just curious thank you

Hi everyone. I was given this family photo but no one knows what this military uniform is. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

https://preview.redd.it/x5jzv77q94yd1.jpg?width=932&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=56ccd6fef73c25f86d358582a99c70476915b75b

Thank you!

My great x2 grandfather died in this war in 1880. I don't expect to find information on his particular circumstances, but I would like to know more in general what the conditions were like

Hi Military history buffs,
I'm unravelling a bit of a family mystery.
My great uncle, John Edwin (Jack) Agate, was a life long member of the Royal Navy. Joining up at age 15 in 1915, he briefly saw some service in the first world war, remaining in the service into the second.

Now as a little kid, I seem to remember some now deceased family telling me he piloted a landing ship for overlord.
Some twenty years later, I decided to look into it, and dug up his service records. I see no evidence of that, but what was fascinating was dicovering he was on the HMS Manchester as a temporary Chief Petty Officer.

For anyone not familiar with the Manchester, she was controversially scuttled on operation pedestal, with the ships crew either
A. transferring to the HMS pathfinder
B. washing up in French Algeria and being taken prisoner by the Vichy authorities (majority of the crew)
C. Floating around in lifeboats and being picked up by british ships

I recently read Richard Osborne's 'The Watery Grave: the Life and death of the HMS Manchester', drawn almost exclusively from the court martial documents. There was no mention of Jack Agate.

Looking at his records, he's posted to the Manchester in 41, and turns up in Lubeck in 45.

So my question to you historians- what happened in between?

Jack Agate Service Record

I bought a hat from an antique store in my hometown in Canada and the clerk told me he believed it was a interwar Austrian flat cap any Help identifying it would be greatly appreciated