This last weekend, Sweet Pea and I stopped by a yard sale that was just around the corner from our house........ In a box full of miscellaneous junk, I discovered a mini-treasure stash of some old Russian Mosin-Nagant rifle accessories! I ended up leaving with the whole handful for only a couple of dollars! I don't have a Mosin-Nagant rifle right now, but who knows............. now that I have the "stuff" to go with it, I may have to pick one up. They are currently selling for about $100 to $150 here in the US right now. Pretty darn cheap for a vintage WW2 era rifle!
***UPDATE, Aug. 5, 2012***
I have since purchased a 1943 Mosin Nagant M91/30 rifle and another complete set of accessories and a bayonet. You can use the links below to view the blog entries about these new items. I have quite a number of blog pages covering the Mosin Nagant and the accessories and bayonet during the month of August, 2012, so be sure to check them all out! You can also type "Mosin Nagant" into the Blogger search bar to get a full list of entries..... here are a few links to some of my other Mosin Nagant blog entries to get you started:
http://sharky-fourbees.blogspot.com/2012/08/1943-mosin-nagant-m9130-rifle-with.html
http://sharky-fourbees.blogspot.com/2012/08/1943-mosin-nagant-m9130-photo-album.html
http://sharky-fourbees.blogspot.com/2012/08/czechoslovakian-y-staps-mosin-nagant.html
http://sharky-fourbees.blogspot.com/2012/08/mosin-nagant-bayonet-scabbard-modern.html
Here's a shot of the whole grouping of accessories:
The tools are pretty basic rough steel. There is a bolt wrench-screwdriver combo tool, a cleaning jag and firing pin tool.
The ammo pouch is a post-WW2, Soviet model made from an imitation canvas and "rubber" leather-like material with leather reinforcements and straps. I can not make out any markings on the pouch.
The sling is made of a very heavy oiled canvas with leather straps to secure it to the rifle. There are several stamped markings on the inside of the canvas, but I do not know what they mean. I am sure that they indicate date and manufacture information though.
The oil can is a very early Soviet model, probably WW2 or earlier. It was packed in cosmoline grease and required a bit of cleaning prior to photographing. I believe that one side of the dual-can held cleaning fluid and the other side held oil. The can appears to be steel that has been coated with zinc.
Here is a link to web page that shows the wide range of styles and manufacturers of the various Mosin-Nagant accessories: http://7.62x54r.net/MosinID/MosinAcc.htm
Here are a couple of shots showing some details of the original Mosin-Nagant rifles. If you look at the photo of the actual rifle, you can see how the small leather straps are used to attach the sling:
To finish up this posting, let's take a look at some soldiers form various countries using the old Mosin-Nagant rifles:
I stopped by our local used building supply store the other day and spotted a very unique hard hat sitting on a back shelf............ it is now in my collection.
The hard hat is marked for use by the US Navy with the hat emblems showing that it was used by an officer from the rank of Captain through Commander. There is a sticker on the back of the helmet listing the phone number extensions for the various offices on board the ship and emergency numbers. The date stamp under the hat visor is Dec. 18, 1978. This hard hat was manufactured by "Hard Boiled" and is in near perfect condition.
These hard hats (in various colors), are used by ship's officers and crew while the ship is in the yard and while heavy work is being performed on board the ship. They are also worn on various shipboard inspections, etc.
Here are is an album of photos of this interesting bit of US Navy uniform equipment:
Here are a few modern photos of hard hats being worn by US Navy personnel:
Here are a few shots of the hard hats being worn by United States Coast Guard crews:
Yesterday we looked at a film from the perspective of the West side of "The Wall", so today we'll take a look at things from the other side. Today's posting is a documentary film in 4 parts, that reviews and showcases the military structure and tactics of the East German Nationale Volksarmee, or NVA.
This film is in German, but for those of you who do not speak the language, it is filled with great film footage of East German military gear, equipment, weapons, soldiers, uniforms, maneuvers,........... well, you get the idea! Great stuff!
If you are unfamiliar with the Nationale Volksarmee, you can jump over to this Wikipedia page that give a good history of this Army:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_People%27s_Army
And now without further delay, here is our feature film............. as usual, you can expand the film window to fill your screen. Each segment is about 10 minutes long:
For today's posting, I'll be presenting a mini-documentary movie that was produced in 1962, about the Berlin Wall. The wall may be gone, but it should never be forgotten....... the movie runs about 9 minutes. You can click on the movie window to expand it for "full screen" viewing.
Here is a great interactive website that I highly recommend. Great information, great graphics, interactive......... check it out and don't forget our featured film as well!
On Saturday, I took a little detour while running errands and stopped off at one of my favorite treasure hunting spots............. the Silverdale Goodwill Store. It was a very profitable stop. I picked up a set of the new US Navy digital uniforms! (At a thrift store price!). I came home with a shirt and two pairs of pants, all in excellent to perfect condition, and all in my size! I have been looking for a set of these ever since they first came out.
This new uniform is officially called the "Navy Working Uniform", or NWU. It was officially phased into service beginning in 2009. It is the new work uniform for all USN sailors. Up until 2012, sailors were only permitted to wear the NWU on board ship or on base. It was not allowed as a liberty (off base or ship) uniform until 2012. As of January 2012, the Navy now permits the NWU to be worn while commuting to and from work, but not anywhere else. Here is the Wikipedia page describing the uniforms:
wikipedia.org United_States_Navy_Working_Uniform
The US Navy adopted the same pattern as the USMC, and the style is nearly the same as the USMC as well. The new Navy digital camo is not meant to be used as actual tactical camouflage. The Navy says that the new pattern is intended to hide dirt and stains and paint while working. I think they just wanted to have some digital camo like the Army and Marines! The USN digital camo print even has tiny USN emblems hidden in it to show the fabric is official USN issued and has an embroidered USN emblem on the chest. The USMC has these same features. http://sharky-fourbees.blogspot.com/2012/01/us-marine-corps-marpat-cammo-shirt-mccu.html
*UPDATE 6/9/12* I have added a US Navy Digital NWU hat to my set up..... you can check out the blog page here. I have also posted a video from the US Navy that describes the uniforms and how to wear them: http://sharky-fourbees.blogspot.com/2012/06/us-navy-digital-camo-hat-navy-work.html
Here are some close-ups of these new uniforms:
Here are a few "action shots" of these uniforms in use:
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