During the battles near Lake Khasan, soldiers generously showered our tanks with ordinary bullets, hoping to penetrate them. The fact is that Japanese soldiers were assured that the tanks were made of plywood! As a result, our tanks returned from the battlefield shiny - to such an extent they were covered with a layer of lead from bullets that melted when they hit the armor. However, this did not cause any harm to the armor.
2. Our troops included the 28th Reserve Army, in which camels were the draft force for the guns. It was formed in Astrakhan during the battles near Stalingrad: a shortage of cars and horses forced it to be fished out in the surrounding area. wild camels and tame them. Most of the 350 animals died on the battlefield in various battles, and the survivors were gradually transferred to economic units and “demobilized” to zoos. One of the camels named Yashka reached Berlin with the soldiers.
3. Before the advent of modern radars, and even before the advent special devices sound detectors used to detect flying targets special people- listeners. Thus, while defending London in 1914-1915, the British used blind people as listeners. After all, as you know, blind people have much sharper hearing. Blind listeners, turning the special chair on which they sat (the chair is capable of rotating in both horizontal and vertical planes, and the angles of rotation can be measured using special dials), determined the direction to the plane (azimuth and elevation) with an accuracy of three degrees!
4. In April 1943, a body in the uniform of a major was discovered on the Spanish coast. Marine Corps. Handcuffed to his wrist was a briefcase containing secret documents about the Allied invasion plans for Greece. Since Spain was flooded German agents, the documents quickly reached , and he ordered preparations for the defense of Greece and Sardinia instead of Sicily, as Mussolini had called for. However, the Allies landed precisely in Sicily and without special effort took possession of the island. It turned out that precisely for this purpose this operation With code name The “minced meat” was carried out by British intelligence, wearing military uniform on the body of a homeless man who committed suicide, and transported him to Spain on a submarine.
5. During the Soviet-Chinese armed conflict on the China-East railway In 1929, a Soviet shell accidentally killed a prostitute in a Japanese brothel. The Japanese Consulate sued Soviet commander Blücher for 22,500 yen. This amount was calculated based on how many years this prostitute could live, how many clients she could serve during this time, and how much income she would bring to the Japanese budget. Blucher rejected the claim.
6. In 1931 in Chinese province An uprising of the Turkic-Muslim population broke out in Xinjiang. Russian emigrants were mobilized into government troops - both White Guards who had lived in Xinjiang since the Russian Civil War, and those who fled from famine and collectivization in the USSR. Two years later, the Governor-General of Sheng Shicai managed to reach an agreement with Soviet Union for help in suppressing the uprising. The 13th Alma-Ata Regiment of the OGPU was transferred to China, whose soldiers were dressed in White Guard uniforms. In addition, the USSR directly financed the already fighting units made up of Russian emigrants. Thus, the “reds” and “whites” participated in this conflict on the same side.
7. It was not until October 2010 that Germany completed the payment of World War I reparations imposed on it under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles.
8. There is a grave of Harry Potter in one of the cemeteries in Israel. He was a 17-year-old British Army private who died in 1939 in a clash with rebels. Recently, this grave has become the most visited in Israel and was included in the list of local attractions.
9.
If the city of Hiroshima was originally chosen by the Americans main goal the first atomic strike on Japan, then the city of Nagasaki, one might say, was unlucky. The target of the second bomb drop was the town of Kokura, but due to heavy clouds, the American pilot decided to act as a backup option and attack Nagasaki.
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IN this section you will be able to get acquainted with information about various types of military equipment. We will talk about the main trends in the development of world military equipment, as well as interesting facts about the legendary military equipment of the past.
Long gone are the days when soldiers warring parties came face to face on the battlefield and found out which of them was stronger in hand-to-hand combat. The twentieth century was an era of development of military technology: the first tanks appeared on the battlefields, and combat aircraft took to the skies.
The development of new types of weapons was rapid, almost every year samples of new military equipment appeared, and every decade designers came up with fundamentally new models of mechanisms for destroying their own kind. Today, the power of the armed forces of any state largely depends on the perfection and effectiveness of the military equipment it has.
Domestic military equipment has always been considered one of the best. IN Soviet time Enormous funds were allocated for the needs of the military-industrial complex, a huge reserve was created, which is why Russian military equipment today is not inferior to the best foreign analogues.
The strongest military power modern world is the USA. Developed military-industrial complex- This is one of the foundations of American power. In this section you can find materials about best examples US military equipment.
One of the main types of military equipment that appeared at the beginning of the last century and radically changed the way of warfare are tanks. These machines, at first bulky and clumsy, eventually became formidable weapon, becoming the main striking force in ground operations. Gradually, other types of armored vehicles were developed, and today there are already dozens of them.
We invite you to get acquainted with the latest Russian and foreign tanks and learn interesting facts about the legendary vehicles of the past.
Another revolution in military affairs that took place in the last century was the emergence of combat aviation. The first aircraft took part in combat operations during the First World War; aviation developed rapidly and soon became a significant force, largely determining the outcome of the military conflict. Today, the fate of any armed confrontation is largely determined by gaining air supremacy.
Almost immediately after the appearance of the first aircraft, means of combating them began to be developed. Today the troops air defense- This an important part armed forces of any country.
Types of military equipment that are used modern army, are very numerous and varied. It would take a long time to list them. These include artillery systems, multiple launch rocket systems, combat and transport helicopters, different kinds motor transport.
Almost constantly, information appears about the creation of new types of military equipment or modernizations of old vehicles, which significantly increase their efficiency and combat power. IN design bureaus types of military equipment are being developed based on new physical principles. It is very likely that in twenty years the armed forces will be radically different from modern armies.
Today, automatic systems of military equipment, which are controlled remotely or fully automatic, are especially actively developing. It is possible that drones will soon become the most common type of military equipment both in the air and on the ground.
When your grandfather gets in a certain mood and starts telling old war stories, it is sometimes impossible to predict what reaction they might provoke. Often these are tears and some absolutely amazing feeling of touching that you don’t expect from yourself...And although the war is mostly filled with special cruelty and a lot of not entirely pleasant turns and moments, there are also absolutely charming and touching stories, which are completely atypical for this troubled time.
The US Air Force bombed Berlin... with candy
Germany had a hard time for a while. In 1948, after the country was divided among the victors, Russia decided to cut off all transport routes to Berlin in the hope that deprivation of food would convince the democratic part of the city of all the delights of communism; a turning point that almost led to another war. The United States and other allied nations remembered that they had airplanes by launching Operation Small Provisions, also known as the Berlin Airlift, where military planes dropped sweet democracy in the form of food into the city for about a year.
Berlin received everything it needed, except for one important thing - sweets...
American pilot transport aviation from Utah, Gail Halvorsen, was so shocked by the sight of Berlin kids who were left without candy that he gave them a bag chewing gum, promising to return the next day with sweets they could eat. Halvorsen began dropping chocolates and handkerchiefs like little parachutes. So that children could recognize his plane, he shook his wings, for which he was nicknamed “Uncle Wiggly Wings,” “Uncle Wiggly Wings.” Everything was like in a children's book.
Of course, such “magic from a children's book” was not according to the regulations, and Helvorsen was ordered to stop performing amateur activities until his superiors realized how much Germany liked it. Air Force then several aircraft were deployed, whose only mission was to throw East Berlin tons of candy donated by the American Confectionery Association.
Even after the end of the air bridge in 1949, when the Soviets finally gave in, today's Berlin kids have not forgotten Uncle's swinging wings. Helvorsen is still known throughout Germany for the candy landing, and several schools were even named after him. This is how the legends about Santa began...
George Washington returned a British general's dog
If George Washington had a nemesis, it would probably be British General William Howe. During the American Revolutionary War, Howe's forces defeated Washington several times, forcing the future president to retreat from New York to New Jersey and then to Delaware.
In October 1777, Washington and Howe met again in Germantown, Pennsylvania. Both sides fought diligently, but Howe, who led British and Hessian troops, destroyed Washington's forces, killing 100 and capturing more than 400 prisoners, thereby winning the battle.
But, despite the losses, the Americans still managed to take a prisoner... a dog... To be more precise, General Howe's terrier escaped during the battle and ended up in the rebel camp. For two whole days Hau worried about what these barbarians could do to his pet.
But, two days later, the dog ran out of the forest with a note attached and straight to General Howe. The note said: " Best wishes To General Howe from General Washington. He is pleased to personally return the dog, which accidentally fell into his hands, and, judging by the inscription on the collar, belongs to General Howe.”
The fact is that Washington was a great dog lover, and although Howe killed hundreds of his men, he did not have the courage to take advantage of the situation. Washington even ceased fire to return the dog in a touching moment of love for to the best friend person. Then everyone continued to kill each other.
England saved a dog by recruiting it to serve in the navy
Just Nuisance, or Trouble, was a Great Dane who lived at a British naval base in South Africa during the Second World War. He received this nickname because of his habit of lying on narrow bridges between ships and piers, where it was not so easy to get around him.
The sailors loved him anyway and took him on local trains. Sometimes Trouble would lead them to the base when they were drunk, or intervene in a fight between them. The problem was that the local train workers didn't share the sailors' love for a big, noisy bag of fleas. The sailors usually tried to get him onto the train undetected, but apparently it would have been easier to sneak a torpedo there.
Despite the advice of passengers to simply pay for the dog, the train workers categorically demanded that the horse be removed. It got to the point where they threatened to put him down if they caught him again.
To solve this problem, the Royal Navy simply recruited him as a man. This meant that the train workers not only could not kill one of His Majesty’s sailors, but also gave him the right free travel as a member of the service. Trouble even “signed” the contract with his paw, the honey passed. inspection, and slept in the sailor's bed.
Later, during the Falklands War, he served as an admiral and was buried with full military honors.
US Navy opens ice cream fleet
In 1945, the U.S. Naval Forces in the South Pacific faced three big problems: a hot climate, faltering morale, and Japanese soldiers, trying to kill them every day. It was then that the minister naval forces USA James Forrestal found a solution to the first and second problems. That solution was free ice cream. Literally tons of free ice cream.
Forrestal was well aware of the importance of these calories. He once said: “In my opinion, ice cream is one of the most neglected factors in raising morale"(after pornographic magazines and alcohol). It was so important to the progress of the war that Forrestal somehow managed to convince the government to allocate $1 million for ice cream.
In developing the barge, the Navy practically created a floating ice cream parlor with huge refrigerated compartments on board, ready to go anywhere in the South Pacific. The soldiers ate all 40 liters produced every 7 seconds. It became so successful that there was soon a fleet of ice cream in the Pacific, like a fast food chain.
The cat received a medal for exterminating communist rats
Simon, a taxidermy cat, lived aboard the English warship Amethyst, a Royal Navy frigate, after the Second World War. Simon was adopted by a kind ship captain who allowed him to sleep on his cap when it was not on his head.
But then something terrible happened. On April 20, 1949, a ship was sailing along the Yangtze River in Asia when it suddenly found itself in the middle of the Chinese civil war. Communist shells penetrated the frame, killing 22 people, including the captain. The Amethyst ran aground with no way to retreat under communist fire. The survivors were trapped for more than three months.
On top of all this, the ship saw an infestation of rats when it landed on the shore. The little bastards very quickly spread throughout the ship, trying to eat all the supplies that were available. This was a really serious problem.
And then Simon came into play. Despite serious wounds after the shelling (his whole body was covered with burns and wounds from shrapnel), the death of his friend and the fact that new captain unceremoniously evicted him from the main cabin, Simon recovered and began tirelessly destroying all the rats on the ship.
Between exterminating rodents and company while the new captain was ill, Simon saved the ship's crew from starvation and won the favor of an unapproachable man.
The captain wrote that Simon "was at his best" and was a morale booster. On the captain's recommendation, Simon was awarded a medal Marie Deakin (sort of a Medal of Honor for animals) and became a celebrity.
Gunner learn to be an air siren
In 1942, Australia could practically feel the gaze of Japan across the entire Pacific Ocean. In February this year Japanese troops They began bombing the Australian city of Darwin.When the Japanese first bombed the city, Gunner, the dog of leading air force private Percy Leslie Westcott, was injured in one of the explosions, which had a very detrimental effect on the little dog. But no one even suspected that this explosion could give the animal superpower, just like in the comics.
One day, Gunner started freaking out for no apparent reason, trying to get Westcott to go into hiding with him. Being on duty, Westcott couldn't just drop everything and take a break before the Japanese showed up and started bombing again. A few days later the same thing happened. Gunner started going crazy for no reason, just like last time, and soon they appeared overhead again Japanese planes dropping bombs.
That's when Westcott understood everything. Gunner heard the approach of Japanese planes about 20 minutes before the instruments could detect them. This would be impressive if the dog didn't live in the middle of an air base. Gunner had exceptionally receptive hearing, which did not react at all to non-enemy planes scurrying back and forth. Or the scoundrel had some kind of psychic powers.
Convinced of the dog's abilities, Westcott told his superiors about them. Gunner proved his skill and Westcott was given a portable warning system to activate when the dog said so, saving many lives.
They say that when Arkady Averchenko brought a story to one of the editorial offices during the First World War military theme, the censor deleted the phrase from it: “The sky was blue.” It turns out that from these words, enemy spies could guess that the matter was happening in the south.
In England during the time of James I, in order to become a soldier, it was enough to drink a glass of beer at the expense of the king and take an advance from the recruiter - one shilling. Recruiters wandered around pubs on public account, treated them to beer, and at the bottom of the mug lay the aforementioned shilling. So after a while, any Briton who was treated to beer first looked at the light for a long time.
In Nebraska, you can buy an admiral's diploma for $25. Absolutely real and giving the right to command all warships, however, only within the state. Yes, in general, it’s not a pity - Nebraska is located in the very center of the USA and the nearest sea is two thousand kilometers away on all sides.
Colonel Ermolov, the future hero of the War of 1812, received the rank of general in a very interesting way - he spoke so impudently with his colleagues who were higher in rank than him that they asked for the rank of general for him - after all, listening to such nasty things from a general is not so offensive.
During Franco-Prussian War in French army there were already machine guns. But, despite the obvious advantages, no one used them, because for reasons of secrecy, the developers did not write instructions for machine gunners! Our Nicholas II really did not like automatic weapons: he believed that because of machine guns and machine guns the army could be left without ammunition.
One Siamese king, retreating, ordered that the enemy be fired from cannons not with cannonballs, but with silver coins. This completely disorganized the enemy and won the battle.
Do you know how the Greek spy Sinon convinced the Trojans to bring a horse into the city? He lied to them that the Greeks deliberately made the horse so big so that the Trojans, God forbid, would not bring it into the city. The Trojans, as you know, even dismantled the wall to spite the enemy.
During the War of 1812, a lot of Russian officers died for no reason: soldiers in the dark (from common people) focused on French speech, and - it just so happens - some Russian officers and they didn’t really know any language other than French.
In Switzerland, pigeon army mail was abolished only two years ago.
In Britain, only in 1947, the position of the person obliged to fire a cannon at the time of Napoleon’s invasion of England was abolished.
In November 1923, Germany decided to calculate the amount of military expenditures in the first world war. It turned out that the war had cost former empire... by 15.4 pfennig - since, due to inflation, the Reichsmark had fallen in price by this time exactly a trillion times!
1. About buttons
One of the decrees of Peter I introduced a special style of soldiers' uniforms. According to this decree, buttons had to be sewn on the front side of the sleeves. The reason for the introduction of such a “luxurious” style was not at all the desire for ostentatious splendor, it was much more prosaic. Most of the soldiers were former peasants, with an ingrained habit of wiping his mouth with his sleeve after lunch. These buttons were supposed to help keep the cloth intact.
2. About the kilt and linen
In principle, a kilt can be worn as you like, with or without underwear. But soldiers, by tradition, are required to wear this uniform only on their naked bodies. IN army units There were even inspections held before, at which an officer with a special mirror inspected the correct wearing of the “skirt” and, if underwear was found, immediately demanded to get rid of it.
3. About the color of the Nazi uniform
Everything turned out to be simple with color. There are a lot lying around in warehouses in Germany field uniform for the army in African colonies, which were lost by Germany after the First World War. It was this uniform that the National Socialist Party bought for its troops at the cheapest price.
4. Pentagon and toilets
As you know, racial segregation in the US Army continued until 1948. Naturally, there could be no talk of any mixed units in the army. That’s why, during the construction of the Pentagon, separate toilets were provided for whites and for everyone else. As a result, the building now has twice as many toilets. required quantity. By the way, it was planned to hang appropriate signs on them, but they were not hung by order of Roosevelt.
5.Weapons and religion
1857 turned out to be the most unfortunate year for the British colonial troops in India. This year, THE newest long-range rifles were delivered to equip the Indian Army. But animal fat was used to lubricate the Enfields, which was also used to impregnate cardboard cartridges. And at the same time the British did not take into account that interesting fact that for Hindus a cow is a sacred animal, and for Muslims it is a terrible sin to touch a pig.
Adherents of both religions formed the bulk of the army, and each group decided that this was a special insult to them. As a result, they all united and raised an uprising, which entailed mass casualties among military and civilian Englishmen.
6. Victory and acrobatics
The battle of Zarabulak originally began in 1868. Approaching the rifle shot, the Bukhara soldiers dropped to their hands, and their comrades began to shake their legs... It turned out that in this way they were trying to attract luck to their side.
The source of the behavior was the battle that happened a month earlier in the Russia war - Bukhara Emirate. Then the Russians, under the command of General Golovachev, crossed the Zeravshan River. The infantry managed to overcome the obstacle with difficulty; they had to walk almost chest-deep in water, but this most unexpected maneuver made it possible to occupy the heights of Chapan-Ata in a swift bayonet attack.
I had to act so quickly that I didn’t even have time to pour the water out of my boots, so I had to literally shake out. So the enemy considered these strange actions peculiar magical ritual calling for good luck.
7. Elite squads and homosexuals
In Greece, homosexuality was treated as commonplace; in Thebes they even formed an elite military detachment of 300 warriors, which was called the Sacred Band of Thebes. The most interesting thing is that the entire detachment was completely killed in the battle of Chaeronea in 338 BC. e., while no one retreated, according to Plutarch, preferring to die next to his beloved rather than dishonor himself by flight.
8. Army and lot
In the Roman army one of the most serious punishments there was decimation. At the same time, the entire unit was divided into dozens, and it is interesting that there were no exceptions based on age, experience or merit. Lots were cast among each ten, and the one who drew it was killed by the other nine colleagues.
9. Nazis and Muslims
Among the divisions Nazi army There were also a few completely exotic ones. For example, the Free India unit ('Freies Indien') consisted of Muslims from East India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. These "volunteers" were captured by German troops in North Africa. 
10. Military satellites and telephone
In Brazil, a popular business is the reconfiguration of civilian radio stations in the 144-148 MHz range to use satellites of the FLTSATCOM constellation. These satellites belong To the Navy USA, and Brazilians use them for free telephone calls.
Usually, to use satellite communications you only need $50, which will be used to purchase a modified conventional radio for truckers, and it will also be possible to make emergency phone repairs, for example, replacing the glass of a Samsung galaxy s3. The key to the success of this operation is the presence good craftsmen and prompt supplies of branded components. In this case, the refurbished phone will be in no way inferior to the new one.
11. Paratroopers and Indians
Watching American action films, you can hear a strange scream during paratroopers’ jumps. The history of this cry is as follows. In the 2nd half of the 19th century for the armies of the USA and Mexico big problem Represented by the Indian Geronimo with a small group of comrades, he is well remembered for his elusiveness and courage.
In 1939, a film was made about the elusive Indian, in one of the episodes of which the hero jumps into the river from a steep cliff with his name on his lips. After the film, the paratroopers also began shouting “Geronimo!” while jumping, so the tradition took root and exists today.
12. Bayonet and Geneva Conventions
In 1864, the First Geneva Convention was drawn up, one of the points of which was the ban on bayonet strikes in the stomach during hostilities. First of all, this concerned the Russian army, but as an alternative, interestingly, it was proposed to use bayonets in the chest.