I found the footage in the US National Archives' digitised collection when doing some research. It was filmed in April 1918 by the US Army Signal Corps. Thanks again for all your support! Be sure to check out our accompanying article for this video for more information here - https://armourersben...

During the Second World War Britain's Special Operations Executive (SOE) developed a whole series of sabotage devices for use behind enemy lines. Using unique archival footage this series of short videos examines some of the weapons developed for use by SOE agents in occupied Europe. In this epis...

The mid-1860s found the Winchester Arms Company looking to improve the Henry Repeating Rifle. A series of design improvements by the company's chief engineer, Nelson King, led to one of Winchester's most important rifles - the Model 1866. In this video Matt examines a prototype 'musket' with an e...

During the Second World War Britain's Special Operations Executive (SOE) developed a whole series of sabotage devices for use behind enemy lines. Using unique archival footage this series of short videos examines some of the weapons developed for use by SOE agents in occupied Europe. In this epis...

During the Second World War Britain's Special Operations Executive (SOE) developed a whole series of sabotage devices for use behind enemy lines. Using unique archival footage this series of short videos examines some of the weapons developed for use by SOE agents in occupied Europe. In this epis...

The Madsen M50 is one of the quintessential early Cold War submachine guns. Cheap, simple and utilitarian. Be sure to check out our accompanying for this video here - https://armourersbench.com/2020/07/12/madsen-m50-live-fire/ If you enjoy our work please consider supporting us via Patreon, TAB i...

During the Second World War Britain's Special Operations Executive (SOE) developed a whole series of sabotage devices for use behind enemy lines. Using unique archival footage this series of short videos examines some of the weapons developed for use by SOE agents in occupied Europe. In this epis...

During the Second World War Britain's Special Operations Executive (SOE) developed a whole series of sabotage devices for use behind enemy lines. Using unique archival footage this series of short videos examines some of the weapons developed for use by SOE agents in occupied Europe. In this epis...

Vic takes a brief look at the Diemaco/Colt Canada M203A1 40mm grenade launcher. Be sure to check out our full video & the accompanying article on the M203A1 here - https://armourersbench.com/2020/06/07/diemaco-colt-canada-m203a1/ If you enjoy our work please consider supporting us via Patreon, TA...

The US entered the Great War with no tanks of their own - by the end of the war they had designed and built their first tank, collaborated on a leviathan heavy tank with Britain and built their own copy of the French FT. In this video we look at how the US Army hit the ground running and formed t...

In this episode we take a look at an extremely rare rifle. A M1903 Springfield chambered in British .303 and adapted to mimic the Lee-Enfield Rifle No.4. Developed in late 1940 to provide the British with desperately needed rifles the project was eventually abandoned and only a handful of prototy...

We begin our in-depth series on the Sten Gun by looking at the men behind the design and examining just how it got its unusual name. Does the 'EN' of Sten really stand for 'Enfield'? Perhaps not. Check out our accompanying article for this video here - http://armourersbench.com/2020/05/17/the-ste...

A British MkIV heavy tank ploughs through a series of wooden buildings during a 1917 demonstration. Check out the accompanying article for this video here - www.armourersbench.com Audio - El Capitan March - John Philip Sousa If you enjoy our work please consider supporting us via Patreon, TAB is ...

Vic takes a look at Steyr's little known submachine gun, the MPi 81. An Uzi-like SMG with a telescoped bolt. Be sure to check out our full video & the accompanying article on the MPi 81 here - http://armourersbench.com/2020/05/01/steyr-mpi-81 Check out our friend Miles' video on the MPi here - ht...

In April 1919, a lone US-built M1917 light tank climbed over 11,000 feet up a mountain in Colorado. Today, we look at the story of this impressive feat. Check out the accompanying article for this video here - http://armourersbench.com/2020/03/29/the-tank-that-climbed-a-mountain If you enjoy our ...

The MkVIII was a collaborative effort between the US, UK and France. With the UK providing the armour plate and guns while the US provided the engine and automotive parts. The tanks were to be assembled at a factory in France - all in time for the planned offensives of 1919. In this contemporary ...

In 1976, with criminal and terrorist activity on the rise the West German Federal Police launched a search for a new small, lightweight service pistol to replace their stocks of Walther P38/P1′s and various 7.65×17mm pistols. You can check out the accompanying article for this video here - http:/...

In 1946 the French military began the search for a new submachine gun. They were looking for a compact 9x19mm weapon and examined submissions from the French state-owned arsenals and private companies. Today, we're looking at Hotchkiss' entry - the 'Type Universel', a unique weapon with a folding...

The Hotchkiss Type Universel has a unique folding stock and telescoping barrel - here's how it works. Be sure to check out our full video & the accompanying article on the Hotchkiss here - http://armourersbench.com/2020/04/27/hotchkiss-type-universal If you enjoy our work please consider supporti...

The Walther P5 was developed in the mid-1970s as a response to the West German police’s search for new a 9x19mm service pistol to replace the older smaller calibre pistols then in service, like the Walther PP. The P5 saw police, military and commercial success. Check out our detailed accompanying...

The US Army entered the Great War with no tanks or experience in armoured warfare. When the American Expeditionary Force’s Tank Corps was formed in early 1918, they needed more tanks than France & Britain could provided and production of a licensed version of the Renault FT began in the US. The w...

The B53 thermonuclear bomb was developed to obliterate Soviet command and control bunkers buried deep underground. The B53 had a yield of 9 megatons and entered service in 1962, it served for fifty years until the last bombs were finally decommissioned in 2011. Back in January, Matt visited the A...

Matt recently visited Berlin and took the opportunity to visit the German-Russian Museum in Karlshorst, the site of Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender. The building and the hall have a fascinating history, once part of the Wehrmacht’s Pionierschule 1 and later the USSR's HQ in Eastern Germany...

In this video we compare two of the last roller-delayed production rifles: the Spanish CETME Modelo L and the Heckler & Koch G41. These rifles represent the last evolutions of two strands of the roller-delayed development tree - the Spanish and the German.

Check out our detailed accompanying bl...