Glimpses of the Past

[BanzaiCat]

Just some historic photos.

German cavalry soldiers, shooting practice, circa 1935:


A tradition of graffiting up airplanes that land on the wrong carrier:


A "Punt Gun," used for...duck hunting, of all things. Apparently this gem could kill 50 birds with one shot. Or sink a small battleship:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punt_gun

Many more here: http://dailysanctuary.com/t-rare-past/?utm_campaign=tb_RarePhotos&utm_medium=rare_photos&utm_source=tb_rare_photos&utm_term=DS&utm_content=cracked

[Martok]

Heh, those are...different.  I didn't know that putting graffiti on airplanes that land on the wrong carrier was a thing. 

[Uberhaus]

That horse doesn't look like a very "stable" shooting platform.

[BanzaiCat]

That horse doesn't look like a very "stable" shooting platform.

Yeah, I thought the same thing. Probably just staged...I thought the Mauser (which is what that looks like) had a hell of a kick to it.

[ArizonaTank]

That horse doesn't look like a very "stable" shooting platform.

like the US Army's experimental mule mounted cannon. 
http://www.maultier.info/Artikel/Experimental_saddle_gun.pdf

Turns out it was a bad idea...

[Staggerwing]

That horse doesn't look like a very "stable" shooting platform.

like the US Army's experimental mule mounted cannon. 
http://www.maultier.info/Artikel/Experimental_saddle_gun.pdf

Turns out it was a bad idea...

Mules with cannons? How could that ever go wrong?

[besilarius]

In a number of Hollywood films on the cavalry, you'll see a trooper (John Wayne and Ward Bond) riding two horses by standing on their backs.  This was called "Roman riding."
Back in the 30s, the US cavalry had a demonstration outfit at Fort Myers, Va., next to Arlington Cemetary.  There were either three or four troops and each specialised in a type of stunt riding.  One was the Roman riding, one did "Monkey" riding, in which the rider moves all over the horse, which is moving at a gallop.
Cannot recall what the other styles were.  Lucian Truscott IV had a book, The Twilight of the US Cavalry, which is full off odd minutiae about the cavalry.

[Shelldrake]

I cringe to think about the recoil that "Punt Gun" must have had!