[IO] Infinite Ordnance July '08 Newsletter

[Infinite Realities]

Hello All!

 

We haven’t sent out a newsletter for a while, simply because no one was
signing up for mailing list. But, for archives’ sake, we thought it might be
a good idea to send one out at least monthly, with some highlights from the
most recent updates.

 

That said, here are some excerpts from our most recent updates.

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Fusil Modéle F1 (FR-F1) Sniper Rifle  - When it was introduced in the 1960s
the FR-F1 wasn't considered a radical or innovative design. In fact, it used
the same action as the MAS-36 infantry rifle. What made the FR-F1 different
was the care and excellence in machining and manufacturing, making it a very
accurate weapon. Unique features; such as an adjustable cheek piece, an
adjustable trigger which could be set to the preference of the shooter, and
the iron foresight which could be changed in favor of several designs, made
the rifle that much better for sniper use. Link:
http://www.infinite-realities.com/ordnance/frf1sniper

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Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf B "Tiger II" - The Pzkpfw VI Ausf B, aka Tiger II,
was the ultimate outcome of German heavy tank design during WWII. Other more
ambitious, and possibly better designs were on the table, and even
prototyped, but the Tiger II was the most powerful German tank of WWII.

The story of the Köenigstiger is an interesting tale. A story of competition
and finger-pointing which reveals some interesting facts about German war
production.

There were two major competitors for production of the original design,
which took its roots from a program started as early as 1937. This first
contract was awarded to Henschel and Sohn, a heavy equipment manufacturer
based out of Kassel, in east-central Germany. Two years later another
contract was awarded to Porsche K.G. based in Stuttgart-Zufferhausen.
Porsche's designs were seen as innovative, and tended to be favored by
politicians, while Henschel's were favored by the tank design office, Wa
Prüf 6. Link: http://www.infinite-realities.com/ordnance/tigerii

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Hawker Hurricane Mk Ia - The Hawker Hurricane was not as glamorous as its
brother the Spitfire. Yet its importance as a fighter cannot be ignored. It
went through several variations and filled multiple roles, and flew in Asia,
the Mediterranean, Africa and even Russia, under lend lease.

After the end of the First World War many nations let their air forces lag.
The Great War was touted as the war to end all wars because of its ferocity,
death toll and world wide reach. In reality peace was never really attained.

The Germans felt oppressed by the treaty imposed on them. The Allies war
payments that were put upon Germany almost bankrupted the country, and was
one of the sentiments that Hitler tapped into during his rise to power. His
rearmament plan was one of the boldest and most technological concepts the
world had ever seen. Germany's big ships, Panzers and new Luftwaffe were
staggering. The Bf-109 was a true modern fighter. Many British aircraft in
service were still Bi-planes and well below the Bf-109's performance.

England lacked scope and foresight, however they were lucky in that they did
design two outstanding fighters. The Supermarine Spitfire has stepped into
legend, the other was the less famous but no less important Hawker
Hurricane. Link: http://www.infinite-realities.com/ordnance/hurricanemk1a

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Fokker Eindecker EIII - The Fokker Eindecker EIII was the most produced of
the E series. 249 were built with some additional upgraded EIIs. The E
series were single seat monoplanes, a rare design in a day when Biplanes
were the standard.

The EIII was similar to the EII but had a redesigned wing and a larger gas
tank. Often armed with a single Spandau Machine Gun, this aircraft became
feared by Allied pilots and gave birth to the Fokker Scourge.

In our modern age of guided missiles which can destroy a target more than 50
miles away, it is at times surprising to remember that one of the biggest
problems that had to be overcome was how to get a machine gun mounted onto a
plane.

First powered flight was Dec 17th 1903. The Great War began in 1914. Flight
had only ten years to go from birth to war. For aircraft war meant
observation, it was advantageous to watch the enemy from the air.

There was virtually no air opposition in the early years of the war. No
dedicated fighters on either side existed and many were confused as to what
to do with planes in general. Most nations attached their planes to the
army, which was always sold on the idea of flying machines. Link:
http://www.infinite-realities.com/ordnance/EIII

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As always, we welcome your feedback, good or bad. Please be sure to visit
our forums (http://www.infinite-realities.com/ordnance/discuss) and tell us
what you think. You can even request specific articles for future
consideration.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Aaron Newlands
Jeff Alberts

Infinite Realities