By John O'Bryan
Someday a prehistoric man picked up a rock and threw it at anything. And the historical past of guns all started. Comedy author and weapon nerd John O'Bryan relays the freaky highlights of man's centuries-old obsession with weaponry. He hilariously explains the mace, the morning celebrity, and the guy catcher, whereas conveying actual information regarding every one weapon: its background, makes use of, and badass strength. Flipping via history's highlights, readers will find out about Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan, and the "peaceful" Shaolin clergymen. This final compendium of notable guns can provide all of the unusually real info certain to galvanize anyone who's ever made a gun with their hands and acknowledged, "PEW-PEW-PEW!"
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Additional info for A History of Weapons: Crossbows, Caltrops, Catapults & Lots of Other Things that Can Seriously Mess You Up
Example text
They averaged 20 to 40 feet in length and 8 feet in width. Bunkers Where the water table' is too close to the surface to permit the erection of defense positions that are partially underground, the Japanese construct bunkers. Those built for the defense of Buna were especially formidable. A shallow trench, from 10 to 40 feet long, depending upon the size of the bunker to be built, was dug as a base. A framework of log columns and beams then was erected, and the walls subsequently were revetted with logs as much as 1% feet thick.
Modifications in their organization and equipment have accompanied the change in the nature of their function. Artillery equipment is being enlarged, in some cases by the inclusion of pedestal-mounted naval pieces. One Special Naval Landing Force was reinforced by the addition of another rifle company with four platoons. Three of these platoons each had 3 light machine guns and a grenade discharger in addition to the rifles. The fourth platoon was a heavy machine-gun platoon equipped with 8 of these weapons.
The sides were reinforced by sandbags and logs. --Gnport in Japanese log and sand pillbox on Betio. A log and gasoline-drum pillbox also was part of the defenses of Finschhafen. Seventeen feet long, the installation was 4%2 feet wide and 6 feet high. It was constructed of coconut logs and 4 4 -gallon drums filled with sand. The same defense system contained several defense installations built of logs and tin. The roof was built with two layers of logs, and the sides were formed of earth and sandbanked sheet tin.