Royal Armouries Acquisitions 2013

Abstract

The katar, as we know it today, has undergone very little change in form during many centuries. This can be seen by studying the old paintings, miniatures, hero stones and friezes on the old temples. It is well known, that Ibn Battuta, an Algerian travelling in India in the 14th century, described an attack with a katar, but so far, the roots and the age of the katar have not been researched further back. In this article, the author has traced it back to Orissa in the 10th century, showing a form very similar to how it looks today.     

The myth of the mangonel: torsion artillery in the Middle Ages

Abstract

Medieval siege artillery has been a subject of fascination since the antiquarians of the 19th century re-discovered the Middle Ages and then re-created it as an image of their own imagination, in the process generating many false ideas. Most of these myths have been corrected. But one that remains to this day is that the torsion-powered late Roman onager lived on for another millennium in the form of the mangonel.     

The royal sword-cutlers of 68 St James's Street and some notes on the London retail trade

Abstract

This paper presents new facts and information on the various sword-cutlers who occupied one of the most notable trading sites for swords and military accoutrements in the West End of London in the 18th and 19th centuries; and also discusses various aspects of the retail trade in the capital at a time when Britain was emerging as the world's foremost trading nation and colonial power.     

James Farmer and Samuel Galton,the Reality of Gun Making for the Board of Ordnance in the Mid-18th Century

Abstract

A brief introduction to gun making in Birmingham in the 18th century and the Farmer and Galton gun-making businesses and their military products is presented. The collections of Galton Papers held by Birmingham Archives and Heritage and University College London are used to focus on the Farmer and Galton experience in relation to key matters associated with military gun making: the feast and famine phenomena in the supply of arms for the many wars of the 18th century; and standards of inspection including the use of gauges and proof.     

Tailored to the Times: The Story of Casimir Zeglen’s Silk Bullet-Proof Vest

Abstract

The invention of silk bullet-proof fabric, a response to growing violence and anarchy, and intended to protect politicians and public figures, as well as police officers and soldiers, is discussed in the wider context of the world’s political situation at the turn of the 19th century. The complex question of the ownership of this innovation is addressed and the reasons for its commercial failure are discussed. The ballistic properties of silk bullet-proof fabric are evaluated and the impact of this invention on the future development of soft armours is considered.     

Gill — A Family of Sword Cutlers

Abstract

Amongst the armour in the collection of the British Museum is a kettle-hat (Object Number: P&;E 1856,0701·2243) that was found in London during the second quarter of the nineteenth century. In January 2010, the kettle-hat was conserved before its loan to the Royal Armouries Museum for display at the Tower of London. New findings that occurred during conservation led to the most in-depth technical examination and analysis of this relatively unknown helmet since its discovery.

This paper aims to interpret the British Museum’s kettle-hat from art historical perspectives in order to place it in a wider context. The development of the kettle-hat during the 14th and 15th centuries is described along with the subsequent derivatives of transitional or progressive forms of helmet. Through stylistic comparison and consideration of related evidence it is suggested that the British Museum kettle-hat dates to the late 14th century and is of western European, possibly English, workmanship. Furthermore, although the British Museum helmet has much in common with typical forms of kettle-hat, it also has features, such as a short tail-piece, that suggest it may be closely related to some early forms of sallet.     

The Freemasons' Sword of State Presented by Thomas, 8th Duke of Norfolk,to Mark His Year of Offi ce as 13th Grand Master of Grand Lodge, 1730, Signed 'Frater G. Moody,Fecit', now at Freemasons' Hall,London

Abstract

The Freemasons' Sword of State presented by Thomas, 8th Duke of Norfolk in 1730, a token made by the royal sword-cutler, freemason and swordbearer, George Moody, is described and illustrated. The sword's presentation is discussed, the gift is placed into its historical context, its iconography is assessed and the life of the manufacturer is examined. Two other relevant swords at Freemasons' Hall, London are also discussed.     

The effect of foreign state support to UNITA during the Angolan War (1975–1991)

ABSTRACT

State support for foreign rebel groups has become more salient, yet it remains unclear how this affects armed conflict. This paper therefore analyses the effect of foreign government assistance and does so in the typical case of the Angolan War (1975–1991). It argues that South African and United States support greatly helped the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) wage a large and sustained insurgency campaign but was ultimately insufficient to overthrow the People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) government because it enabled the incumbent government to obtain similar foreign assistance and because the level of aid awarded to UNITA fluctuated strongly, preventing it from engaging in meaningful long-term planning.     

The iron hat from Shaw House

Abstract

The small unpublished group of armour of the mid 17th century from Shaw House in Berkshire, scene of fighting in the 2nd battle of Newbury in 1644, is preserved in the West Berkshire Museum in Newbury. The group includes an exceedingly rare form of helmet of the period, one made in the form of a broad brimmed hat. The article discusses the small group of known examples, and illustrates the closest comparable iron hat from the Scott collection in Glasgow Museums and Art Galleries.     

电子时间引信解除保险距离试验研究

通过测量弹丸炮口速度和引信解除保险时间的方法得出电子时间引信远解距离。在介绍某型电子时间引信实现远距离解除保险的方法和机构工作过程的同时,对远解距离进行理论分析,并对试验引信改装的实现方法作了详细说明。在此基础上,进行了电子时间引信解除保险距离测试试验并对试验结果作了分析。     

The Sword Presented to Major William George Drummond Stewart,VC, in Recognition of his Services in the Crimean War and Indian Mutiny Campaign

Abstract

In August 1859, at the Birnam Hotel in Perthshire, Lord Panmure, sometime Principal Secretary of State for War in Palmerston’s Government, presented this fine silver-gilt mounted basket-hilted sword on behalf of the tenantry of the Drummond Stewart estates at Grandtully, Perthshire, to Major William George Drummond Stewart, VC, the only son of the laird, Sir William Drummond Stewart, 7th Baronet. The token was given not only to mark the officer’s safe return from the Crimean War (1854–56) and the Indian Mutiny Campaign (1857–58), in which he and his regiment, the 93rd Highlanders, had greatly distinguished themselves, but also in recognition of the pride and interest taken in Stewart’s personal ‘gallant discharge of duty’, which had earned him, at Lucknow, on 16 November 1857, the newly constituted Victoria Cross.     

Fighting on Their Own Terms: The Tactics of the Irish Republican Army 1919-1921

Abstract

The 1919-1921 Anglo-Irish War represents one of the earliest instances of a successful insurgent movement in the twentieth century. By combining a fluid organizational structure with effective hit-and-run tactics and accurate intelligence, the Irish Republican Army was able to defeat militarily the security forces of Great Britain. Combined with a successful propaganda campaign, these tactics allowed the IRA to drive the British to the negotiating table, where its representatives secured greater autonomy than Ireland had known in centuries. The outcome of the Anglo-Irish War demonstrates the success which a well-organized guerrilla campaign can achieve, and the tactics used by the IRA must therefore be understood by any serious student of small warfare.     

A Mathematical Approach to Limit Illegal Border-Crossings – with Application in Protecting Critical Infrastructure

The grand aim of all science is to cover the greatest number of empirical facts by logical deduction from the smallest number of hypotheses or axioms.

Albert Einstein

Current problem: Border Emergency

Solutions in response

US Congress's response: Set immigration policies, a series of immigration reform bills and proposals.

Government's response: Make an appropriation/budget for border issues: increase law enforcement personnel and needed resources, pay officers overtime, and build fences along the border.

Scientists' response: Describe this complex problem mathematically and provide scientific solutions.     

Reclaiming the Party’s Control of the Gun: Bringing Civilian Authority Back in China’s Civil-Military Relations

ABSTRACT

Since emerging as China’s top leader following the 18th Party Congress, Xi Jinping has moved swiftly to consolidate his formal authority as Central Military Commission chairman over the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. In redressing the civil-military imbalance wrought by Dengist economic reforms, the commander-in-chief has combined institutional mechanisms with the use of fear to impose authoritative civilian control over the military. This paper proposes that a combination of changes to the Chinese strategic environment has contributed to Xi’s utility of the anti-corruption campaign to purge the regime’s coercive forces of its previous underpinnings, and advances that the war on military malfeasance has given rise to a new set of dynamics in civil-military relations in post-Reform China.     

The People’s Liberation Army and China’s Smart Power Quandary in Southeast Asia

Abstract

China has a strong interest in pursuing a smart power strategy towards Southeast Asia and has worked laboriously to engage with regional countries economically, socially, and politically. But China has been only partially successful in achieving its goals in the region. This paper argues that China’s security policy towards Southeast Asia significantly contradicts many other objectives that Beijing wishes to accomplish. Given the deep-seated, narrowly-defined national interests of the Chinese military in the South China Sea disputes, it is likely that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) will continue to pose the main obstacle to the effective implementation of a Chinese smart strategy in Southeast Asia.     

基于灰色层次分析法的侦察装备效能评估

针对侦察系统性能参数的不确定性,本文把灰色理论与层次分析法相结合,运用灰色层次分析综合评估模型,对侦察系统的效能进行评估。用专家评估分析法确定侦察装备效能评价指标权重,用灰色评估理论建立侦察系统效能评估模型。以某常规侦察雷达为例,用建立的模型进行量化评估,充分利用决策者的判断信息,较为准确地反映实际情况,验证了评估模型的可靠性。该模型可为部队作战提供装备的效能数据,为发展新型装备提供依据。其方法和成果可供其它武器系统效能评估时借鉴参考。     

Coalitions & the Legitimisation of UK Security Policy

Abstract

David Moore analyses the role of the Treasury in detemining and controlling defence policy and expenditure, and the place of the MoD within this function.     

Surprise attack: The case of Sweden

A.J.A. Morris, The Scaremongers: The Advocacy of War and Rearmament, 1896–1914. London: Routledge &; Kegan Paul, 1984. Pp.xi + 495; £25.

Christopher Andrew and David Dilks (eds.), The Missing Dimension: Governments and Intelligence Communities in the Twentieth Century. London: Macmillan Press, 1984. Pp.vi + 300; £16.95.

Christopher Andrew, Secret Service: The Making of the British Intelligence Community. London: Heinemann, 1985. Pp.xviii + 616; £12.95.

Wesley K. Wark, The Ultimate Enemy: British Intelligence and Nazi Germany, 1933–1939. London: I.B. Tauris, 1985. Pp.304; £19.50.

Charles B. MacDonald, The Battle of the Bulge. London: Weidenfeld &; Nicolson, 1984. Pp.viii + 712; £12.95.

Royal United Services Institute and Brassey's Defence Yearbook, 1986. London: Brassey's Defence Publishers 1986. Pp.xxvii + 381; NP.

Richard Simpkin, Race to the Swift: Thoughts on Twenty‐First Century Warfare. London: Brassey's Defence Publishers, 1985. Pp.345. £25.

Seventh German‐American Roundtable on NATO: Political Constraints, Emerging Technologies, and Alliance Strategy. Cambridge, MA: Institute for Foreign Policy Analysis, 1985. Pp.vi + 36; $2.50.

Gene Sharp, Make Europe Unconquerable: The Potential of Civilian‐Based Deterrence and Defence. London: Taylor &; Francis, 1985. Pp.ix + 250. £19 (cloth); £9 (paperback).

Joseph J. Collins, The Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan: A Study in the Use of Force in Soviet Foreign Policy. Lexington, MA and Toronto: Lexington Books, 1986. Pp.xv + 195; £22.

Edward R. Girardet, Afghanistan: The Soviet War. London and Sydney: Croom Helm, 1985. Pp.259; £17.95.

William J. Durch (ed.), National Interest and the Military Use of Space. Cambridge, MA: Ballinger Publishing/Harper &; Row, 1984. Pp.xiv + 286; £26.50.

John Keegan (ed.), World Armies (Second Edition). London: Macmillan, 1984. Pp.xlvi + 687; £45.

John Simpson and Anthony G. McGrew (eds.), The International Nuclear Non‐Proliferation System. London: Macmillan, 1984. Pp.xii + 209; £25.

Russel Hardin et al. (eds.), Nuclear Deterrence: Ethics and Strategy. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1986. Pp.393; £21.25 (hardback); £9.25 (paperback).

Rear Admiral J.R. Hill, Maritime Strategy for Medium Powers. London: Croom Helm, 1986. Pp.247; £19.95.

Julian Lider, British Military Thought After World War II. London: Gower, 1985. Pp.x + 621; £25.     

Book reviews

John Horsfield, The Art of Leadership in War. The Royal Navy From the Age of Nelson to the End of World War II. Westport, Conn. and London: Greenwood Press, 1980. Pp. 240; £14.75.

John Joseph Timothy Sweet, Iron Arm: The Mechanization of Mussolini's Army, 1920–1940. Westport, Connecticut &; London: Greenwood Press. 1980. Pp. 207; £15.50.

Peter H. Merkl, The Making of a Stormtrooper. Princeton, N.J: Princeton U.P., 1980. Pp. 328; £8.60.

Greg Herken, The Winning Weapon: The Atomic Bomb in the Cold War 1945–1950. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1980. Pp. 425; $15.00.

Geoffrey Smith and Nelson W. Polsby, British Government and its Discontents. New York: Basic Books, and London: Harper and Row, 1981. Pp. 202; £7.95.

Seweryn Bialer (ed.), The Domestic Context of Soviet Foreign Policy. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press and London: Croom Helm, 1981. Pp. 441; £14.95.

Jerry F. Hough, Soviet Leadership in Transition. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution and Oxford, Basil Blackwell, 1981. Pp. 175; £12.00 (hb.) and £3.95 (pb.)

Edward F. Mickolus, Transnational Terrorism: A Chronology of Events 1968–1979. London: Aldwych Press, 1980. Pp. 967; £39.95.

Barry Rubin, The Great Powers in the Middle East, 1941–47; The Road to the Cold War, London: Frank Cass, 1980. Pp. 254; £14.50;

Daniel Heradstveit, The Arab‐Israeli Conflict; Psychological Obstacles to Peace. Oslo: Universittsforlaget, 1979. Pp. 234; £11.60;

Janice Gross Stein, and Raymond Tanter, Rational Decision‐making; Israel's Security Choices 1967. Columbus. Ohio; Ohio State University Press, 1980. Pp. 399; $35.