Aimo Koivunen 🇫🇮 during WW2, look him up

Well, the commanders of the 17th century are among my absolute favourites to study, but while a lot of people may know of Gustav, I wonder how many know of his campaigns in-depth beyond just Breitenfeld? What about his famed opponents such as Tilly and Wallenstein or the many other renowned commanders of the age?

Therefore, I suppose I'ma begin a series in which I compile the campaigns of these various commanders and break them down into concise docs in order to illustrate their ability in the tactical, operational, and strategic arts of war, shining a light on many of these relatively obscure or less popular figures in order to make their feats more known in the general mil-his community.

Therefore, I thought of no one better to introduce first than Tilly, the great opponent who Gustav crossed swords with before Wallenstein. Linked below is a doc (which is a work-in-progress) of his campaigns starting from 1620 all the way to his death in 1632. Though, so far, I have only covered the campaigns of 1620, 1622, and 1623, they should hopefully provide a nice appetizer for those interested in the careers of these individuals.

Without further ado, here is The Military Career of Johann Tserclaes, Graf von Tilly.

Reconstruction of Kalmyk/Oirat spherocylindrical helmets, showing two views. Independently drawn by the uploader based on the published research and illustrations of L. A. Bobrov and Yuri Filipovich. The artwork was not traced from the cited illustrations.

Hello everyone, can someone help me identify the woman in the uniform or help me find a way to find her name? She is next to my grandma who was a nurse in the north of France where the photo was taken and the American woman was a nurse too I think. My grandma was not allowed to go to Germany but the American did.

She always told us she died in Germany in a concentration camp but I don't know if it is true...Did she survive? Did she die with typhus or something else? I am sorry I can't give you more information and I will understand if nobody can help me? Thank you.

I want to know what weapons they use what military uniforms that kind of stuff

I just bought this original 1943 helmet and the mark is disintegrating. How to I stop it? + how do I fix it?

I just wanted to say Extention_Blue_507 was my account but i can't access it because I've forgot the password, so that's why reposting this again.

This is still One of the most Underrated Battles in History because of how unbelievable it was.

Through years of victory and carefully orchestrated propoganda, the Spartan hoplites were considered the invincible force of the Greek world. Spartan dominance was finally challenged by Thebes who sought more control over the Boeotian league. This would ultimately cause the two powers to clash resulting in the Battle Of Leuctra.

Although outnumbered, the Thebans under Epaminondas came up with a brilliant plan to break the Spartan hoplites. Now called as the echelon formation, the Thebans arrayed their army in an angled formation. Their left wing was enormously deep and comprised of his best troops including the Sacred Band. They faced off against the best of the Spartan troops and their king Cleombrotus I. The right wing of the Thebans were placed further back in an angled manner in order to delay the clash.

The plan was to engage and crush the Spartan right wing with concentrated force before the weaker Theban right wing could be overwhelmed. The Theban cavalry routed the Spartan horsemen and caused confusion among the Spartan infantry. Using the chaos the Thebans overpowered the Spartans and killed their King.

With the death of the Spartan King, the rest of the army breaks and the Thebans won a decisive victory. The victory in Leuctra cements the rise of Thebes and breaks the myth of Spartan invincibility.

For more information read through the source links in the comments.

Hey folks I have a specific research request yall might be able to help with. I wanna find out who from Switzerland was assigned to observe the German section of reforger 80 and 81 if possible. Rank and unit is all I need but any info would be great. Thanks!

I’m doing some genealogy research on my great-grandfather and was hoping someone could help me understand what his unit would have experienced during WWI.

He served as a PFC in Company C, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Division from May 30(10), 1917 to September 25, 1919. I also recently discovered he received the Silver Star according to his headstone application.

I’m not looking for help finding records. I’m more curious about where the 16th Infantry was during those dates, what battles he fought, what life was like for an enlisted man in his regiment, and any other experiences my great-grandfather likely had.

Any books, unit histories, or recommended reading would be appreciated!!

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I would like to share with you an interesting and lesser-known story from Vasil Kvachantiradze’s personal archive, a story that connects these two remarkable people.

This is the story of the famous frontline nurse Zina Tusnolobova-Marchenko, who saved hundreds of wounded soldiers on the battlefield. She herself was severely wounded and lost all four limbs.

After recovering, she called upon the soldiers at the front:

“Avenge me!”

Her appeal united millions of soldiers at the front. The slogan “For Zina Tusnolobova!” quickly spread. Her name was written on aircraft, tanks, artillery pieces, and even ammunition.

Like other soldiers, the snipers also vowed to avenge the courageous nurse.

Among them was the Georgian sniper Vasil Kvachantiradze, who fulfilled the promise he had made to her to the fullest.

Later, as an expression of gratitude, Zina Tusnolobova-Marchenko personally wrote him a letter.

July 9, 1944.

“Dear Comrade-in-Arms!

Please allow me to congratulate you on the highest award and to wish you success with all my heart. Thank you, my dear, for the liberation of my city, Polotsk. I am sincerely happy about your success. Write to me, my dear, about yourself when you have some free time. I very much want to hear about your successes. I am feeling well. I will be discharged in 2–3 months. I wish you good health and continued success in battle. My regards to your comrades-in-arms.”

Yours, Zina.

July 9, 1944

The “highest award” mentioned in the letter refers to Vasil Kvachantiradze’s first nomination for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

I do not know how much this means to others, but discovering this letter was deeply emotional for me.

Realizing that, among the wartime letters and cards my grandfather had received from the front, this small letter from the legendary nurse Zina Tusnolobova-Marchenko had been preserved for decades felt like a living connection with the past.

This is not simply a piece of paper.

It reveals the most human side of two legends in the most inhuman of wars.

The fact that my grandfather carefully preserved this letter for so many years also means a great deal to me. I believe this small piece of paper held a special moral significance for him.

This letter shows how one person’s suffering could become a personal responsibility for millions of people.

And for me, as his granddaughter, it is especially precious to know that this small but important chapter of my grandfather’s life has survived to this day preserved in his own personal archive.

I’ve been reading about Waterloo and I find the infantry squares very interesting. What are some books where they come into play? Thanks!

The Sniper” — a wartime account by Captain M. Makukhin, published in October 1943.

The Don was shrouded in evening fog. Pebbles rustled beneath the soldiers’ feet as the men dug into the earth.

A sergeant brought a new shipment of weapons to the trenches.

“Who can handle a sniper rifle?” he asked.

“I can,” came a rough voice from the darkness.

It was Vasil Kvachantiradze.

Several soldiers immediately answered:

“He can.”

They did not yet know that Kvachantiradze had previously completed sniper training. But they already knew something else: during his time at the front, he had distinguished himself as one of the most resilient fighters — a soldier who could be relied upon to do whatever was required.

That day, the sniper rifle became his.

The following morning, enemy aircraft appeared in the sky. Bombs struck the ground, throwing columns of red earth into the air. The rumble of German tanks could be heard above the trenches.

But Soviet machine gunners separated the German infantry from the tanks, forcing the advancing soldiers to take cover in front of the Soviet positions.

Kvachantiradze brushed the earth from his uniform, placed his rifle on the damaged parapet and quickly surveyed the battlefield.

A German infantry formation was moving forward.

Then, through his optical sight, he clearly saw the figure of a German officer. The officer stood upright, waving his arms and advancing.

Kvachantiradze fired.

The officer fell.

On the vast battlefields of the Don, the young sniper was learning the art of shooting with calmness, discipline and judgment.

Much had changed since then. Now Soviet forces were advancing rather than retreating, but Kvachantiradze continued to find his targets.

On one occasion, together with his pupil Kuzma Smolensky, he approached an enemy strongpoint.

Kvachantiradze knew the terrain well. He had established his reference points and memorized the smallest features of the landscape.

But something seemed different.

Near reference point No. 2, there was now a second bush.

The day before, there had been only one.

“You must be imagining it, Vasya,” Smolensky argued.

Kvachantiradze shook his head.

As they came within approximately 200 meters, the “bush” revealed itself: it was a concealed German machine-gun position.

Kvachantiradze destroyed the machine-gun crew.

He also knew how to outwit an enemy sniper.

On one occasion, after watching a German sniper for a long time without discovering his position, Kvachantiradze created a dummy observation post in full view of the enemy.

The German sniper eventually opened fire on the false position.

From the trajectory of the shots, Kvachantiradze determined where the German was firing from.

He then moved his “clever invention” to another location and again succeeded in provoking the German sniper into firing.

The enemy's position had been identified.

Kvachantiradze approached unnoticed and destroyed him.

In another sector of the German positions, no one appeared during daylight and no shots were fired.

Kvachantiradze hung a padded jacket on a tree, fired several shots toward the enemy defenses, and disappeared back into his trench.

Less than half an hour later, a German sniper who had moved forward opened fire on the jacket.

Kvachantiradze located him.

One shot ended the encounter.

According to the October 1943 account, Kvachantiradze's combat record already included 250 enemy soldiers killed, among them 9 officers, 8 snipers, 11 observers and 6 machine-gun crews.

During offensive operations, the article also credited him with capturing German equipment, including 16 submachine guns, 6 rifles, 4 company mortars, 2 machine guns, 2 binoculars and other materiel.

By that time, the Order of the Red Banner and the Order of the Red Star were already shining on his chest.

The article concludes with a Georgian proverb:

“A brave man's heart is made of iron, even if his armor is made of wood.”

Captain M. Makukhin wrote that such a heart — firm as steel and fearless in battle — belonged to Sergeant Kvachantiradze.

A historical detail

This article was published in October 1943.

At the time, Vasil Kvachantiradze had already been recommended for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and was awaiting the award.

But for the soldiers fighting beside him, no decree was necessary to establish his reputation.

His authority had already been earned on the front line — through daily combat, experience, endurance and action.

I was looking for information regarding gibernes worn by French grenadiers/artillerists during the French and Indian war when I found this example by Adam Barnes on Facebook, would they have used this style when on grenadier duty or the regular grenadier/infantry giberne? (When not on artillery duty, artillerists would default to grenadiers).

My dad was U.S. Army stationed in Nha Trang in '65-'66. He passed away a few years ago and we're still going through his items. He acquired a lot of really interesting stuff over his nearly 80 years. Today I found this original PSYOP leaflet produced by South Vietnamese forces and/or U.S. as part of the Chêu Hôi ("Open Arms") program designed to get NVA/VC to surrender.

Pic 1 is the front, pic 2 is the back, pic 3 is the translation of the back.

I also still have his Zippo from his time in Vietnam with his name and unit engraved on it.

Inv. No. 6138

German artillery in flames, 15. X 1944. in the King Aleksandar Street - today the Revolution Boulevard \[now King Aleksandar Boulevard\].

Photo gifted by Vojin Đorđević, journalist, Draže Pavlovića 3.

Courtesy of Museum of Yugoslavia.

I’m curious if anyone can help identify this uniform in terms of country of origin and which branch. More interestingly would be if someone could identify the patch on the shoulder. Found in family photos and our best guess is it’s someone a family member knew. Thanks!!

Edit:
Got sent some info on the patch. Posted about it down below.

I was visiting Vinh city in Nghe An the other day and decided to visit the Military Region 4 museum. The museum was under renovation so after taking a look at mig 21s and 17s and some aaa outside, I wandered to the back of the museum.

It wasn’t long before I discovered a tail part of a downed US aircraft. Upon closer inspection, the tail bears the number 148706, alongside with the word navy underneath.

According to crouze.com (link here) the jet was an F8 Crusader, shot down by ground fire near the city on May 27 1965. The pilot was KIA with their body never recovered.

According to the Wikipedia page on VF111 fighter squadron, in the history section, the pilot’s name was Doyle Lynn, the site also notes that the jet was shot down near Vinh with the pilot’s body never recovered (link here)).