Tracing the history of the Greek Sten gun | Our Collection

This video details the 30-year development of the M1 Garand, the standard US service rifle during World War II. It explores the reasons for the delay in adopting a semi-automatic rifle, the selection process, and its performance in combat. The narrative highlights the challenges of chambering a semi-automatic in the powerful .30-06 cartridge and the eventual adoption of the M1 Garand despite initial skepticism.

This video provides a historical overview of the Sten submachine gun, highlighting its rapid development after the Battle of Dunkirk. It details the Sten's simple, cost-effective design, mass production, and its widespread use by British forces and resistance fighters. The video also touches on its iconic side magazine, lightweight nature, and notorious jamming issues, while promoting an upcoming rental event at Dragonman's Military Museum.

This lecture explores how museums exhibit arms, weapons, and technologies from the World Wars, focusing on the challenges of contextualization, narrative, and visitor experience. Dr. Stefan Jagger discusses various exhibition strategies, from technical displays to symbolic representations, and analyzes how different museums approach complex themes like the V2 rocket, gas warfare, and the nuclear bomb. The talk highlights the tension between celebrating technological advancement and acknowledging the destructive human cost, emphasizing the concept of 'entangled memory' in contemporary museum practice.

This video explores the peculiar history and lore surrounding Charms candies, particularly their supposed 'cursed' status within the US Military. The speaker, identified as 'Deuce' and demonstrating an experienced authority, delves into the superstitions associated with specific candy flavors and their historical presence in military rations. The content also touches upon other 'cursed' military foods like dried apricots and the acquisition of the Charms Candy Company by Tootsie Pop.

This video from Forgotten Weapons, hosted by Ian McCollum, details the global journey of Lithuanian rifles after World War II. Due to Soviet and German occupations, these arms were scattered and ended up in various international conflicts and markets, including China, Vietnam, and Africa. The expert analysis highlights the complex geopolitical events that led to the widespread dispersal of these firearms.

This video from Forgotten Weapons details the extensive journey of a single Arisaka rifle, tracing its path from Meiji-era Japan through Britain, Russia, and Finland, before its eventual import into the United States. The expert presenter uses specific markings on the rifle, including the Imperial Chrysanthemum, to authenticate its historical movements and usage across multiple empires and conflicts. The narrative highlights the rifle's role in trade, particularly Finland's exchange of Arisakas for Mosin-Nagant parts, and its survival through significant historical events.

Ian McCollum and Jonathan Ferguson of the Royal Armouries present a challenge to find three unique firearms based on appearance, mechanical oddity, and historical impact. They showcase experimental and rare pieces like the Charlton Automatic Rifle, Sterling 7.62mm prototype, Schwarzlose Model 1898, Gabbett-Fairfax Mars pistol, an SA80 prototype, and a BSA Machine Carbine, highlighting their unusual mechanisms and limited adoption.

This entry details the Knight's Armament KS-1 (L403A1), the British Army's new Alternative Individual Weapon, adopted under Project Hunter. Expert Jonathan Ferguson from the Royal Armouries provides an in-depth look at its features, intended use for specialized units, and its role in supplementing existing platforms like the SA80.

This guide details the process of arming an 11th-century Norman knight, as explained by an institutional expert from the Royal Armouries. It covers the sequence of donning essential protective gear, including padded undergarments, a mail hauberk, a nasal helmet, and a kite shield, emphasizing weight distribution and historical construction techniques.

This guide details the installation and operation of the Harston's Patent Mark IV magazine, a rare modification designed to convert the single-shot Martini-Henry rifle into a repeater. Expert Jonathan Ferguson explains the mechanism, its inventor Captain Charles Gravelle Harston, and the historical context of its development. The guide covers fitting the magazine, the cycling process for feeding rounds, and the use of the cutoff device for single-shot operation, while also noting potential reliability issues and the high conversion cost.