They say that when Arkady Averchenko brought a story to one of the editorial offices during the First World War military theme, the censor deleted the phrase from it: “The sky was blue.” It turns out that from these words, enemy spies could guess that the matter was happening in the south.
In England during the time of James I, in order to become a soldier, it was enough to drink a glass of beer at the expense of the king and take an advance from the recruiter - one shilling. Recruiters wandered around pubs on public account, treated them to beer, and at the bottom of the mug lay the aforementioned shilling. So after a while, any Briton who was treated to beer first looked at the light for a long time.
In Nebraska, you can buy an admiral's diploma for $25. Absolutely real and giving the right to command all warships, however, only within the state. Yes, in general, it’s not a pity - Nebraska is located in the very center of the USA and the nearest sea is two thousand kilometers away on all sides.
Colonel Ermolov, the future hero of the War of 1812, received the rank of general in a very interesting way - he spoke so impudently with his colleagues who were higher in rank than him that they asked for the rank of general for him - after all, listening to such nasty things from a general is not so offensive.
During Franco-Prussian War The French army already had machine guns. But despite obvious advantages No one used them because, for reasons of secrecy, the developers did not write instructions for machine gunners! Our Nicholas II really did not like automatic weapons: he believed that because of machine guns and machine guns the army could be left without ammunition.
One Siamese king, retreating, ordered that the enemy be fired from cannons not with cannonballs, but with silver coins. This completely disorganized the enemy and won the battle.
Do you know how the Greek spy Sinon convinced the Trojans to bring a horse into the city? He lied to them that the Greeks deliberately made the horse so big so that the Trojans, God forbid, would not bring it into the city. The Trojans, as you know, even dismantled the wall to spite the enemy.
During the War of 1812, a lot of Russian officers died for no reason: in the dark, the soldiers (from the common people) were guided by French speech, and - it just so happened - some Russian officers did not really know any language other than French .
In Switzerland, pigeon army mail was abolished only two years ago.
In Britain, only in 1947, the position of the person obliged to fire a cannon at the time of Napoleon’s invasion of England was abolished.
In November 1923, Germany decided to calculate the amount of military expenditures in the first world war. It turned out that the war cost the former empire... 15.4 pfennig - since, due to inflation, the Reichsmark had fallen in price by that time by exactly a trillion times!
The Danish king Nils, who reigned from 1104 to 1134, had the smallest army ever to exist in the world. It consisted of 7 people - his personal assistants. With this army, he ruled Denmark for 30 years, and during this time Denmark also included large parts of Sweden and Norway, as well as some parts of Northern Germany.
In England during the time of James I, in order to become a soldier, it was enough to drink a glass of beer at the expense of the king and take an advance from the recruiter - one shilling. Recruiters went to pubs, treated them to beer, and at the bottom of the mug lay the mentioned shilling. After some time, any Briton who was treated to beer first examined the mug for a long time under the light.
In 1896, a war broke out between Britain and Zanzibar that lasted exactly 38 minutes.
In 1249, a soldier from Bologna fled to Modena, seizing an old oak tub from which he watered his horse. The authorities of Bologna demanded that they hand over not a deserter, but a tub. Having received a refusal, Bologna began a war against Modena that lasted 22 years and was accompanied by significant destruction. And the tub still remains in Modena and is stored in one of the city’s towers.
During World War II, the Germans built a mock-up of an airfield in Holland in great secrecy. Airplanes, hangars, cars, air defense systems - everything was made of wood. But one day an English bomber arrived and dropped a single bomb on the false airfield, after which construction of the airfield stopped. The bomb was wooden.
During the Franco-Prussian War, the French army already had machine guns.
But, despite the obvious advantages, no one used them, because for reasons of secrecy, the developers did not write instructions for machine gunners!! By the way, Nicholas II did not like automatic weapons. He believed that because of machine guns and machine guns, the army could be left without ammunition.
In Switzerland, the pigeon army post was abolished only a few years ago, and in Britain only in 1947 the position of the person obliged to fire a cannon at the time of Napoleon's invasion of England was abolished.
According to the Hamburg Institute for Security Affairs, over the past half century the US Air Force has lost 92 aircraft during combat exercises and as a result of accidents. atomic bombs, which are located at the bottom of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
One of the American planes in Vietnam hit itself with a missile.
In Nebraska you can buy an admiral's diploma for $25.
Absolutely real, giving the right to command all warships. True, only within the state. For reference: Nebraska is located in the very center of the USA, and the nearest sea is two thousand kilometers away on all sides.
When the writer Arkady Averchenko brought a story on a military theme to one of the editorial offices during the First World War, the censor deleted the phrase from it: “THE SKY WAS BLUE.” It turns out that from these words, enemy spies could guess that the matter was happening in the south.
Our Colonel Ermolov, the future hero of the War of 1812, very interestingly received the rank of general. He spoke so impudently with his colleagues who were higher in rank than him that they begged for the rank of general for him. Still, listening to such nasty things from the general is not so offensive.
One Siamese king, retreating, ordered that the enemy be fired from cannons not with cannonballs, but with silver coins. This completely disorganized the enemy and won the battle.
By the way, do you know how the Greek spy Sinon convinced the Trojans to bring a horse into the city? He lied to them that the Greeks specially made the horse so big so that the Trojans, God forbid, would not bring it into the city. The Trojans, as you know, even dismantled the wall to spite the enemy.
During the War of 1812, a lot of Russian officers died for no reason. In the dark, soldiers from the common people relied on French speech, and some Russian officers did not really know any other language (except French), and spoke French purely and competently.
One of the most effective units in the Russian army 200 years ago was the camel cavalry, which our opponents really did not like. Firstly, camels are big, and secondly, they spit unpleasantly. It's a shame they had to be abolished.
As you know, war is considered a very expensive affair. So, in November 1923, Germany decided to calculate the amount of military expenditures in the First World War. It turned out that the war cost the former empire... 15.4 pfennig - since, due to inflation, the Reichsmark had fallen in price by that time by exactly a trillion times!
One of the worst embarrassments in the world military history.
At the very beginning of the Spanish-American War (1898), the USS Charleston was ordered to capture the Spanish island of Guam. Only two days were allotted for the operation, taking into account the travel - nothing at all.
When the Americans approached the island, expecting desperate resistance, they fired 13 salvos at the Santa Luz fortress and began to wait.
The Spaniards' response was highly unexpected. No cannon fire or choice curse words. Instead, they sent one small boat with an officer, who politely asked permission to board. The intrigued Americans gave permission.
Once on American territory, the Spaniard invited Charleston to Guam in the most refined terms. Then he thanked for the fireworks that the American guests had given... and very much apologized that they could not return the fireworks, because, as luck would have it, all the reserves of gunpowder on the island had been exhausted. But if the Americans would be so kind as to lend the islanders some gunpowder, they would be happy to greet the foreign ship properly.
It was one of the most terrible embarrassments in world military history. It turned out that Spain forgot to send a message to Guam that they were now at war. Therefore, on the island, by the way, they were not particularly worried about replenishing gunpowder supplies.
Artillery piece: Schwerer Gustav
Gustav is the biggest gun ever to see combat, fact.
The "Heavy Gustav," as the Germans called it, was 150 feet long and weighed 2.7 million pounds, or nearly 750 full-size sedans. If it's hard for you to imagine the scale of this monster, let's see what he shot:
It's not a toy tank in the shadow of this thing. The shells were 11 feet long and almost 3 feet wide. They weighed 14,000 pounds. (3.35 m high, 0.91 m wide, weight 6350 kg) Gustav could throw them almost 23 miles (approx. 37 km) It took half an hour just to charge it.
If you're wondering why the war didn't end as soon as these monsters were taken to the battlefield, then you need to understand how ridiculously impractical they were. It took 250 men to assemble it and get it ready to fire, then another 2,500 men to lay the rails for the damn thing, and thus get it to Russia, the only country on earth big enough to fight Heavy Gustav. In fact, the Germans tried to install an 800mm Gustav on a tank aptly named the Landkreuzer P. 1500 Monster. Fortunately, these designs never left the drawings of the man who apparently had a very small penis.
Almost 800,000 people. About 3000 tanks. More than 200 aircraft. Almost 10,000 guns and mortars.
This armada was to become one of the largest military formations in the history of mankind, concentrated for attack. What could have stopped them? What about the largest group assembled for defense? The Soviets understood the enemy's plan, and regrouped their forces in the following configuration:
About 2 million people. More than 5 thousand tanks. More than 5 thousand heavy guns and almost 3 thousand aircraft.
The Soviet defense line was over 240 kilometers long and about 150 kilometers deep. They dug about 5 thousand kilometers of trenches and laid a million mines. The denouement came in July 1943, when all the best collected by the Germans came face to face with all the best collected by the Soviets.
Who has won? Well, the Soviets were the first force to stop the blitzkrieg. But damn it wasn't easy. By that time, the Nazis decided that they had had enough, when over 6 thousand German and Soviet tanks. At least 5 thousand aircraft turned into a pile of twisted metal.
More than a million corpses littered the ground.
For comparison: this is more losses than America’s losses in all wars combined in its entire history. And remember, although big enough not to be forgotten, this battle was just one battle in a huge Eastern Front Second World War.
Keep in mind that about 80 percent of the losses were on the Soviet side. It didn't matter. While the Germans never recovered from the Kursk bloodbath, the Red Army needed only one draft to restore its troop numbers.
Big Bang: Messina Mines
The Messina Mines were nineteen huge mines detonated during World War II in the largest planned explosion in history until the time of atomic bombs came. Then there was only one sure-fire way to make a hole in the planet big enough to make a lake: take a bunch of state-sponsored explosives and a megalomaniac.
British Army General Herbert Plumer was such a maniac. At that time, he was trying to win the Battle of Messines, and realizing that there were some problems that could not be solved with a large enough explosion, he spent 18 months preparing the most powerful non-nuclear explosion in history.
The operation involved the use of 21 large mines; we are now talking about a total capacity of six hundred tons. All this disgrace was supposed to be located in the tunnels that they dug directly under the Germans.
When they finally pressed the big red button, the shaking of the earth was such that it killed 10,000 Germans, won the battle, and gave the planet 19 new holes.
But wait, did we say 19? What happened to the remaining two?
They didn't work. Then they were forgotten.
Two "forgotten" mines were carefully buried by the British Army in the Belgian countryside until, after being struck by lightning, one exploded on June 17, 1955, killing a cow. As for the second, it remains in an unknown place in today's Belgium, regarding the location of which British generals say, “We have no idea where it is.”
German helmets on Soviet soldiers
Probably many have seen on the Internet a funny photo of Red Army soldiers dashingly marching in German helmets.
According to the veteran of this division V.V. Voitsekhovich, in the first days after the Victory, the regiment leadership decided to hold a review.
And since there weren’t enough Soviet helmets for all of them, they were simply thrown away earlier, because they were almost never used at the front, so the regiment’s leadership ordered German helmets to be worn. The show took place in a forest in the vicinity of Linz, so the local population Soviet soldiers was never seen in “this form”, and after this inspection the German helmets were never used in the regiment again.
Artillerymen of the 144th Rifle Regiment of the 49th Guards Rifle Division.
In the foreground is the artillery commander of the 144th Infantry Regiment, Alexander Monakhov, and two platoon commanders.
Medics of the 144th Rifle Regiment of the 49th Guards Rifle Division.
Leftmost chief physician regiment Aserzon, in the center the political officer of the division Miralevich.
Review of the 144th Rifle Regiment of the 49th Guards Rifle Division.
The training company is led by its commander, a participant in the 1945 Victory Parade in Moscow, Vladimir Anfinogenov.
Command of the 144th Regiment of the 49th Guards Rifle Division.
The photo was taken in Austria in the first days after the Victory.
Officers of the 1st battalion of the 144th regiment of the 49th Guards Rifle Division.
Standing from left to right: Chekalov – battalion commander; deputy on drill; battalion chief of staff; battalion commander's orderly.
Company and platoon commanders are sitting.
The command staff of the artillery of the 144th regiment of the 49th Guards Rifle Division.
Standing from left to right: platoon commander of a howitzer battery; Monakhov – commander of a howitzer battery; Zhaglo is the chief of artillery of the regiment.
Battery and platoon commanders are sitting.
The Danish king Nils, who reigned from 1104 to 1134, had the smallest army ever to exist in the world. It consisted of 7 people - his personal assistants. With this army, he ruled Denmark for 30 years, and during this time Denmark also included large parts of Sweden and Norway, as well as some parts of Northern Germany.
In England during the time of James I, in order to become a soldier, it was enough to drink a glass of beer at the expense of the king and take an advance from the recruiter - one shilling. Recruiters went to pubs, treated them to beer, and at the bottom of the mug lay the mentioned shilling. After some time, any Briton who was treated to beer first examined the mug for a long time under the light.
In 1896, a war broke out between Britain and Zanzibar that lasted exactly 38 minutes.
In 1249, a soldier from Bologna fled to Modena, seizing an old oak tub from which he watered his horse. The authorities of Bologna demanded that they hand over not a deserter, but a tub. Having received a refusal, Bologna began a war against Modena that lasted 22 years and was accompanied by significant destruction. And the tub still remains in Modena and is stored in one of the city’s towers.
During World War II, the Germans built a mock-up of an airfield in Holland in great secrecy. Airplanes, hangars, cars, air defense systems - everything was made of wood. But one day an English bomber arrived and dropped a single bomb on the false airfield, after which construction of the airfield stopped. The bomb was wooden.
During the Franco-Prussian War, the French army already had machine guns.
But, despite the obvious advantages, no one used them, because for reasons of secrecy, the developers did not write instructions for machine gunners!! By the way, Nicholas II did not like automatic weapons. He believed that because of machine guns and machine guns, the army could be left without ammunition.
In Switzerland, the pigeon army post was abolished only a few years ago, and in Britain only in 1947 the position of the person obliged to fire a cannon at the time of Napoleon's invasion of England was abolished.
According to the Hamburg Institute for Security Affairs, over the past half century, the US Air Force has lost 92 atomic bombs, which are located at the bottom of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, during combat exercises and as a result of accidents.
One of the American planes in Vietnam hit itself with a missile.
In Nebraska you can buy an admiral's diploma for $25.
Absolutely real, giving the right to command all warships. True, only within the state. For reference: Nebraska is located in the very center of the USA, and the nearest sea is two thousand kilometers away on all sides.
When the writer Arkady Averchenko brought a story on a military theme to one of the editorial offices during the First World War, the censor deleted the phrase from it: “THE SKY WAS BLUE.” It turns out that from these words, enemy spies could guess that the matter was happening in the south.
Our Colonel Ermolov, the future hero of the War of 1812, very interestingly received the rank of general. He spoke so impudently with his colleagues who were higher in rank than him that they begged for the rank of general for him. Still, listening to such nasty things from the general is not so offensive.
One Siamese king, retreating, ordered that the enemy be fired from cannons not with cannonballs, but with silver coins. This completely disorganized the enemy and won the battle.
By the way, do you know how the Greek spy Sinon convinced the Trojans to bring a horse into the city? He lied to them that the Greeks specially made the horse so big so that the Trojans, God forbid, would not bring it into the city. The Trojans, as you know, even dismantled the wall to spite the enemy.
During the War of 1812, a lot of Russian officers died for no reason. In the dark, soldiers from the common people relied on French speech, and some Russian officers did not really know any other language (except French), and spoke French purely and competently.
One of the most effective units in the Russian army 200 years ago was the camel cavalry, which our opponents really did not like. Firstly, camels are big, and secondly, they spit unpleasantly. It's a shame they had to be abolished.
As you know, war is considered a very expensive affair. So, in November 1923, Germany decided to calculate the amount of military expenditures in the First World War. It turned out that the war cost the former empire... 15.4 pfennig - since, due to inflation, the Reichsmark had fallen in price by this time exactly a trillion times!
The army, like any organizational structure, especially a social structure, has its own characteristics and traditions. We will present the most interesting facts about the armies of different countries and times.
1. About buttons
One of the decrees of Peter I introduced a special style of soldiers' uniforms. According to this decree, buttons had to be sewn on the front side of the sleeves. The reason for the introduction of such a “luxurious” style was not at all the desire for ostentatious splendor, it was much more prosaic. Most of the soldiers were former peasants, with an ingrained habit of wiping their mouths with their sleeves after dinner. These buttons were supposed to help keep the cloth intact.
2. About the kilt and linen
In principle, a kilt can be worn as you like, with or without underwear. But soldiers, by tradition, are required to wear this uniform only on their naked bodies. In the past, army units even held inspections, at which an officer with a special mirror inspected the correct wearing of the “skirt” and, if underwear was found, immediately demanded to get rid of it.
3. About the color of the Nazi uniform
Everything turned out to be simple with color. In warehouses in Germany there were a lot of field uniforms for the army in the African colonies, which were lost by Germany after the First World War. It was this uniform that the National Socialist Party bought for its troops at the cheapest price.
4. Pentagon and toilets
As you know, racial segregation in the US Army continued until 1948. Naturally, there could be no talk of any mixed units in the army. That’s why, during the construction of the Pentagon, separate toilets were provided for whites and for everyone else. As a result, the building had twice the required number of toilets. By the way, it was planned to hang appropriate signs on them, but they were not hung by order of Roosevelt.
5.Weapons and religion
1857 turned out to be the most unfortunate year for the British colonial troops in India. This year, THE newest long-range rifles were delivered to equip the Indian Army. But animal fat was used to lubricate the Enfields, which was also used to impregnate cardboard cartridges.
And at the same time, the British did not take into account the interesting fact that for Hindus a cow is a sacred animal, and for Muslims touching a pig is a terrible sin.
Adherents of both religions formed the bulk of the army, and each group decided that this was a special insult to them. As a result, they all united and raised an uprising, which resulted in massive casualties among military and civilian Englishmen.
6. Victory and acrobatics
The battle of Zarabulak originally began in 1868. Approaching the rifle shot, the Bukhara soldiers dropped to their hands, and their comrades began to shake their legs... It turned out that in this way they were trying to attract luck to their side.
The source of the behavior was the battle that happened a month earlier in the Russia-Bukhara Emirate war. Then the Russians, under the command of General Golovachev, crossed the Zeravshan River. The infantry managed to overcome the obstacle with difficulty; they had to walk almost chest-deep in water, but this most unexpected maneuver made it possible to occupy the heights of Chapan-Ata in a swift bayonet attack.
We had to act so quickly that we didn’t even have time to pour the water out of our boots, so we had to literally shake it out. So the enemy considered these strange actions peculiar magical ritual calling for good luck.
7. Elite squads and homosexuals
In Greece, homosexuality was treated as commonplace; in Thebes they even formed an elite military detachment of 300 warriors, which was called the Sacred Band of Thebes. The most interesting thing is that the entire detachment was completely killed in the battle of Chaeronea in 338 BC. e., while no one retreated, according to Plutarch, preferring to die next to his beloved rather than dishonor himself by flight.
8. Army and lot
In the Roman army, one of the most serious punishments was decimation. At the same time, the entire unit was divided into dozens, and it is interesting that there were no exceptions based on age, experience or merit. Lots were cast among each ten, and the one who drew it was killed by the other nine colleagues.
9. Nazis and Muslims
Among the units of the Nazi army there were several completely exotic ones. For example, the Free India unit ('Freies Indien') consisted of Muslims from East India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. These “volunteers” were captured by German troops in North Africa. 
10. Military satellites and telephone
In Brazil, a popular business is the reconfiguration of civilian radio stations in the 144-148 MHz range to use satellites of the FLTSATCOM constellation. These satellites belong to the US Navy and are used by the Brazilians for free telephone calls.
11. Paratroopers and Indians
Watching American action films, you can hear a strange scream during paratroopers’ jumps. The history of this cry is as follows. In the 2nd half of the 19th century for the armies of the USA and Mexico big problem Represented by the Indian Geronimo with a small group of comrades, he is well remembered for his elusiveness and courage.
In 1939, a film was made about the elusive Indian, in one of the episodes of which the hero jumps into the river from a steep cliff with his name on his lips. After the film, the paratroopers also began shouting “Geronimo!” while jumping, so the tradition took root and exists today.
The autumn conscription makes us remember the army of many of our compatriots. As a rule, these thoughts are not very rosy. But it is worth recognizing that, despite all the unflattering and frightening reviews about the army, there are many interesting facts from its history and modernity.
Therefore, before dismissing this topic, it is worth finding out whose army is the most beautiful, who was the most unusual officer, why soldiers walk upside down and much more.
No matter how much our military personnel boasted about Russian army power, they failed to top the rating. While Russia, with its million soldiers, ranks second, they have remained in first place for several years. Their leadership is determined not by the number of soldiers, but by quantity and quality military equipment, as well as the volume of financing.
The design of military uniforms began to be discussed not at all in the 20th century, as is commonly believed. So Peter I himself, famous for his ability to find an unconventional solution to any problem, ordered buttons to be sewn on front side soldier's sleeves. This was explained not by a love of style, but by the fact that it became inconvenient for ordinary people, most of whom came from peasant families, to wipe their mouths with their sleeves. The expensive cloth from which uniforms were made was no longer soiled every day, and the uniform lasted longer.
We have recently abandoned the conscription of people with gay on military service. In Thebes they approached this differently. Ancient Greek rulers formed Sacred Bands, which were considered invincible. This was explained simply - men, in order not to disgrace themselves in the eyes of their lovers, fought furiously and preferred death to surrender.
About a year ago, restless British journalists from The Sun newspaper conducted a survey trying to determine which army was the sexiest. Of course, the choice was only between those countries in which women are drafted into service. 16 thousand participants unanimously decided that the most charming army belongs to Romania, and took an honorable third place in this list.
In the middle of the 19th century, soldiers of the Bukhara Emirate “spied” on Russian soldiers“secret ritual” that brings victory. During the assault on one height, the Russian infantry had to cross the river, and since everything happened very quickly, the soldiers did not have time to pour water out of their boots. Then each of them grabbed his comrade by the legs, turned him over and shook him. The height was captured, but the beginning of the next battle amazed everyone present. In front of the astonished Russians, the Bukharan soldiers carefully shook their upside-down fellow soldiers by the legs, apparently to attract good luck.
The cheerful Brazilians showed themselves not only as good dancers, but also as quite experienced pirates. One of them found out that if a regular walkie-talkie was modified, it would be possible to use military satellites of the US Navy for free calls. The cost of such a “rework” is no more than $50, but you can save hundreds of times more on communications.
Those who have had the opportunity to see how American paratroopers make jumps know that they do not do it silently. No, the brave guys don’t squeal and call for mom - the step from the plane is marked by the cry “Geronimo”. The surprising thing is that this is a very real character. That was the name of the Indian who for many years haunted the American and Mexican armies in the United States. And now, wanting to gain the tenacity and courage of this man, the paratroopers make their jumps, shouting the name of this brave man.
In the middle of the 20th century, shortly before Christmas, one store in Colorado Springs decided to organize promotion and placed an ad in the newspaper with Santa Claus' phone number. Either the writers of the ad were inattentive, or the newspaper made a mistake, but there was a typo in the text. Just one wrong number and hundreds of children are already calling the local air defense command center. To the credit of the military, they did not hang up or demand a refutation in the newspaper, but began to dictate to the children the coordinates of Santa, or rather, the place where he was now flying. This tradition continues to this day, and now throughout December children can find out where Santa is.
The famous dotted font for the blind was originally a military development during the Napoleonic era. It was intended to allow soldiers to exchange information without noise or lighting, but proved too difficult to learn. It was only many years later that Braille simplified the font and made it readable. By that time, the military no longer needed such technology, but it turned out to be very useful for visually impaired people.
The harsh troops of the USSR surprised with their unexpected decisions. For example, when, during an inspection of one of the missile forces' points, the commander was asked what he would do if a safe with a control panel did not open after three attempts, the military man replied that in this case he had a sledgehammer that could be used to knock down the lock. The inspectors were shocked, but appreciated the officer’s resourcefulness. Since then, the sledgehammer has been a mandatory tool at the Strategic Missile Forces control center.
Dogs still play a decisive role in the armies of some countries around the world. For example, in Denmark there is a special patrol that controls the coast. A dog sled is the only way of transportation there, so not only people, but also fluffy huskies are called up to serve in the Sirius detachment every year.
By the way, Pentagon employees have gone even further, using bees for the benefit of their homeland. These insects are attracted to detect certain explosives that neither humans nor dogs can smell.
Bolivia, which lost its part of the Pacific coast back in late XIX centuries, never came to terms with this loss. The country still officially has Navy, however, consisting of small boats patrolling lakes and rivers. Moreover, the Bolivian authorities have not calmed down, and the idea of conquering the coast from Peru arises in society with enviable consistency.
The term "sniper" is of British origin. In English, the small snipe bird is called snipe. The camouflage coloring of its plumage, small size and complex flight trajectories made the snipe an extremely difficult prey. Those who managed to shoot the treasured bird with an ordinary flintlock gun were called snipers.
An interesting way to combat theft was developed in Japanese army. To prevent theft of boots, they were divided into left and right pairs and stored separately in specially built warehouses. One of these warehouses with thousands of left boots still exists on the island of Kunashir.
Not only dogs received officer ranks during military operations. England's homing pigeon No. 888 received the rank of colonel for services to his homeland and participation in numerous important operations of the First World War. When the winged colonel died, he was buried with full honors.
Photo: thinkstockphotos.com, flickr.com
