1.
Royal Air Force Museum Cosford
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The Royal Air Force Museum Cosford, located in Cosford in Shropshire, is a museum dedicated to the history of aviation and the Royal Air Force in particular. The museum is part of the Royal Air Force Museum, a public body sponsored by the Ministry of Defence. The museum is spread over two sites in England, the site is at the Royal Air Force Museum London at Colindale in north London. The London museum was opened at the Colindale London site on 15 November 1972 by Her Majesty The Queen. The hangars housed just 36 aircraft at opening, over the years, the collection increased and aircraft were stored at RAF stations around the country when they were not on display. While they were being so stored, these aircraft were not publicly displayed, on 1 May 1979, the Cosford site was opened at RAF Cosford, one of the RAF stations which had been used to store the museums collection of aircraft. On opening, the museum initially exhibited airframes which had used for technical training at RAF Cosford. In the following years additional aircraft were added to the collection, on 21 June 1998 four additional galleries were opened, housing art, temporary exhibitions and other aviation subjects. 13 May 2002 saw the relocation of the RAF Museum Conservation Centre from Cardington, the Centre, costing £2.4 million, was opened by Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Michael Beetham and is named after him. The Cosford site includes several developmental aircraft such as those led to the English Electric Lightning. The first Director of the Museum was Dr John Tanner who retired in 1987, in 1988 Dr Michael A Fopp was appointed and was Director General of all three sites covered by the Museum until his retirement in 2010. The site can be reached by public transport via the neighbouring Cosford railway station on the Wolverhampton to Shrewsbury Line, in 1980, the Cosford site agreed to house the British Airways Museum collection. In 2006 British Airways withdrew funding from the collection, after which the RAF Museum did not take on the costs of maintaining the aircraft. Several of the jet airliners have subsequently been broken up, including the only Boeing 707 that was preserved in the UK, a Vickers VC10, the National Cold War Exhibition opened at Cosford in February 2007. The exhibition houses the museums V bombers and other Cold War aircraft in a newly constructed 8, the exhibition concept and design was developed by Neal Potter and includes silo theatres which depict, in a variety of media, the key tensions of the Cold War period. The Cosford museum houses a collection of aero engines, the majority are located in Hangar 1. The museum holds a collection of missiles and rocket-powered weapons. The majority are located in the National Cold War Exhibition, with the German collection on display in Hangar 1, also on the museum site is the Michael Beetham Conservation Centre
2.
Six-Day War
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The Six-Day War, also known as the June War,1967 Arab–Israeli War, or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10,1967 by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. Relations between Israel and its neighbours had never fully normalised following the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, in the period leading up to June 1967, tensions became dangerously heightened. In reaction to the mobilisation of Egyptian forces along the Israeli border in the Sinai Peninsula, the Egyptians were caught by surprise, and nearly the entire Egyptian air force was destroyed with few Israeli losses, giving the Israelis air superiority. Simultaneously, the Israelis launched an offensive into the Gaza Strip and the Sinai. After some initial resistance, Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser ordered the evacuation of the Sinai, Israeli forces rushed westward in pursuit of the Egyptians, inflicted heavy losses, and conquered the Sinai. Nasser induced Syria and Jordan to begin attacks on Israel by using the initially confused situation to claim that Egypt had defeated the Israeli air strike. Israeli counterattacks resulted in the seizure of East Jerusalem as well as the West Bank from the Jordanians, on June 11, a ceasefire was signed. Arab casualties were far heavier than those of Israel, fewer than a thousand Israelis had been killed compared to over 20,000 from the Arab forces. Israels military success was attributed to the element of surprise, an innovative and well-executed battle plan, Israel seized control of the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt, the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan, and the Golan Heights from Syria. Israeli morale and international prestige was greatly increased by the outcome of the war, across the Arab world, Jewish minority communities were expelled, with refugees going to Israel or Europe. After the 1956 Suez Crisis, Egypt agreed to the stationing of a United Nations Emergency Force in the Sinai to ensure all parties would comply with the 1949 Armistice Agreements, in the following years there were numerous minor border clashes between Israel and its Arab neighbors, particularly Syria. In early November 1966, Syria signed a defense agreement with Egypt. Jordanian units that engaged the Israelis were quickly beaten back, King Hussein of Jordan criticized Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser for failing to come to Jordans aid, and hiding behind UNEF skirts. In May 1967, Nasser received false reports from the Soviet Union that Israel was massing on the Syrian border, the right of innocent, maritime passage must be preserved for all nations. On May 30, Jordan and Egypt signed a defense pact, the following day, at Jordans invitation, the Iraqi army began deploying troops and armoured units in Jordan. They were later reinforced by an Egyptian contingent, on June 1, Israel formed a National Unity Government by widening its cabinet, and on June 4 the decision was made to go to war. The next morning, Israel launched Operation Focus, a surprise air strike that was the opening of the Six-Day War. Before the war, Israeli pilots and ground crews had trained extensively in rapid refitting of aircraft returning from sorties and this has contributed to the Arab belief that the IAF was helped by foreign air forces
3.
Lebanese Civil War
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The Lebanese Civil War was a multifaceted civil war in Lebanon, lasting from 1975 to 1990 and resulting in an estimated 120,000 fatalities. As of 2012, approximately 76,000 people remain displaced within Lebanon, there was also an exodus of almost one million people from Lebanon as a result of the war. The government of Lebanon had been run under a significant influence of the elites among the Maronite Christians, however, the country had a large Muslim population and many pan-Arabist and left-wing groups opposed the pro-western government. Fighting between Maronite and Palestinian forces began in 1975, then Leftist, pan-Arabist and Muslim Lebanese groups formed an alliance with the Palestinians, during the course of the fighting, alliances shifted rapidly and unpredictably. Furthermore, foreign powers, such as Israel and Syria, became involved in the war, Peace keeping forces, such as the Multinational Force in Lebanon & UNIFIL, were also stationed in Lebanon. The 1989 Taif Agreement marked the beginning of the end of the fighting, in January 1989, a committee appointed by the Arab League began to formulate solutions to the conflict. In March 1991, parliament passed an amnesty law that all political crimes prior to its enactment. In May 1991, the militias were dissolved, with the exception of Hezbollah, religious tensions between Sunnis and Shias remained after the war. An 1860 civil war between Druze and Maronites erupted in the Ottoman Mutasarrifate of Mount Lebanon, which had been divided between them in 1842 and it resulted in the massacre of about 10,000 Christians and at least 6,000 Druzes. The 1860 war was considered by the Druze as a military victory, World War I was hard for the Lebanese. While the rest of the world was occupied with the World War, with the defeat and dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, Turkish rule ended. France took control of the area under the French Mandate for Syria, the French created the state of Greater Lebanon as a safe haven for the Maronites, but included a large Muslim population within the borders. In 1926, Lebanon was declared a republic, and a constitution was adopted, however, the constitution was suspended in 1932. Various factions sought unity with Syria, or independence from the French, in 1934, the countrys first census was conducted. In 1936, the Maronite Phalange party was founded by Pierre Gemayel, World War II and the 1940s brought great change to Lebanon and the Middle East. Lebanon was promised independence and on 22 November 1943, during World War II, Free French troops, who had invaded Lebanon in 1941 to rid Beirut of the Vichy French forces, left the country in 1946. The Maronites assumed power over the country and economy, a parliament was created, in which both Muslims and Christians each had a set quota of seats. Accordingly, the President was to be a Maronite, the Prime Minister a Sunni Muslim, the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine in late 1947 led to civil war in Palestine, the end of Mandatory Palestine, and the Israeli Declaration of Independence on 14 May 1948
4.
Crossley Motors
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For the defunct American automotive company see, Crosley Motors Crossley Motors was a British motor vehicle manufacturer based in Manchester, England. They produced approximately 19,000 high-quality cars from 1904 until 1938,5,500 buses from 1926 until 1958 and 21,000 goods and military vehicles from 1914 to 1945. Crossley Brothers, originally manufacturers of machinery and rubber processing plant. The firm started car production in 1903, building around 650 vehicles in their first year, the company was originally created as a division of engine builders Crossley Brothers, but from 1910 became a stand-alone company. Although founded as a car maker, they were suppliers of vehicles to British forces during World War I. With re-armament in the 1930s, car-making was run down, during World War II output was again concentrated on military vehicles. Bus production resumed in 1945 but no cars were made. The directors decided in the late 1940s that the company was too small to survive alone, production at the Crossley factories finally stopped in 1958. Crossley Motors Ltd was first registered on 11 April 1906 as the manufacturing arm of Crossley Brothers. The first car was built in 1903 to a design by J. S. In 1920 Crossley Motors bought 34,283 of the 50,000 issued shares of the nearby A V Roe, Crossley took over Avros car manufacturing business but Avro continued its aircraft manufacturing operations independently. Crossley had to sell their shares in Avro to Armstrong Siddeley in 1928 to pay for the losses incurred in Willys Overland Crossley, after the Second World War the directors decided that the company was not large enough to prosper and looked for a partner. This resulted in a take over by Associated Equipment Company in 1948, AECs parent company changed its name to Associated Commercial Vehicles Ltd and Crossley became a division of this. Production of the Crossley range of vehicles continued at the Stockport plant until 1952, after that date the production was of badge-engineered AEC designs and bus bodywork, until the factory was closed in 1958 and sold in 1959. Although no longer trading, the company was never formally wound up, in 1969 AECs new owner, British Leyland, restarted the company with a new name – Leyland National – and production of single-decker buses recommenced. Production was originally in the Crossley Brothers factory in Openshaw, Manchester but in 1907 they moved to a site they owned in Napier Street, Gorton. Construction of the new factory started in 1915, and although intended to relieve congestion on the old site, the western half of the site, built in 1917, but only managed by Crossley Motors, became National Aircraft Factory No.2. In 1919, this factory was bought from the government and became the Willys Overland Crossley plant, in 1938, the eastern side became another aircraft factory, this time managed by Fairey, and after the Second World War it became the final home of Crossley Motors
5.
British Army
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The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom. As of 2017 the British Army comprises just over 80,000 trained Regular, or full-time, personnel and just over 26,500 trained Reserve, or part-time personnel. Therefore, the UK Parliament approves the continued existence of the Army by passing an Armed Forces Act at least once every five years, day to day the Army comes under administration of the Ministry of Defence and is commanded by the Chief of the General Staff. Repeatedly emerging victorious from these decisive wars allowed Britain to influence world events with its policies and establish itself as one of the leading military. In 1660 the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were restored under Charles II, Charles favoured the foundation of a new army under royal control and began work towards its establishment by August 1660. The Royal Scots Army and the Irish Army were financed by the Parliament of Scotland, the order of seniority of the most senior line regiments in the British Army is based on the order of seniority in the English army. At that time there was only one English regiment of dragoons, after William and Marys accession to the throne, England involved itself in the War of the Grand Alliance, primarily to prevent a French invasion restoring Marys father, James II. Spain, in the two centuries, had been the dominant global power, and the chief threat to Englands early transatlantic ambitions. The territorial ambitions of the French, however, led to the War of the Spanish Succession and the Napoleonic Wars. From the time of the end of the Seven Years War in 1763, Great Britain was the naval power. As had its predecessor, the English Army, the British Army fought the Kingdoms of Spain, France, and the Netherlands for supremacy in North America and the West Indies. With native and provincial assistance, the Army conquered New France in the North American theatre of the Seven Years War, the British Army suffered defeat in the American War of Independence, losing the Thirteen Colonies but holding on to Canada. The British Army was heavily involved in the Napoleonic Wars and served in campaigns across Europe. The war between the British and the First French Empire of Napoleon Bonaparte stretched around the world and at its peak, in 1813, the regular army contained over 250,000 men. A Coalition of Anglo-Dutch and Prussian Armies under the Duke of Wellington, the English had been involved, both politically and militarily, in Ireland since being given the Lordship of Ireland by the Pope in 1171. The campaign of the English republican Protector, Oliver Cromwell, involved uncompromising treatment of the Irish towns that had supported the Royalists during the English Civil War, the English Army stayed in Ireland primarily to suppress numerous Irish revolts and campaigns for independence. Having learnt from their experience in America, the British government sought a political solution, the British Army found itself fighting Irish rebels, both Protestant and Catholic, primarily in Ulster and Leinster in the 1798 rebellion. The Haldane Reforms of 1907 formally created the Territorial Force as the Armys volunteer reserve component by merging and reorganising the Volunteer Force, Militia, Great Britains dominance of the world had been challenged by numerous other powers, in the 20th century, most notably Germany
6.
Middle East
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The Middle East is a transcontinental region centered on Western Asia and Egypt. The corresponding adjective is Middle-Eastern and the noun is Middle-Easterner. The term has come into usage as a replacement of the term Near East beginning in the early 20th century. Arabs, Turks, Persians, Kurds, and Azeris constitute the largest ethnic groups in the region by population. Indigenous minorities of the Middle East include Jews, Assyrians and other Arameans, Baloch, Berbers, Copts, Druze, Lurs, Mandaeans, Samaritans, Shabaks, Tats, in the Middle East, there is also a Romani community. European ethnic groups form a diaspora in the region include Albanians, Bosniaks, Circassians, Crimean Tatars, Franco-Levantines. Among other migrant populations are Bengalis as well as other Indians, Chinese, Filipinos, Indonesians, Pakistanis, the history of the Middle East dates back to ancient times, with the importance of the region being recognized for millennia. Most of the countries border the Persian Gulf have vast reserves of crude oil. The term Middle East may have originated in the 1850s in the British India Office, however, it became more widely known when American naval strategist Alfred Thayer Mahan used the term in 1902 to designate the area between Arabia and India. During this time the British and Russian Empires were vying for influence in Central Asia, Mahan realized not only the strategic importance of the region, but also of its center, the Persian Gulf. Mahan first used the term in his article The Persian Gulf and International Relations, published in September 1902 in the National Review, a British journal. The Middle East, if I may adopt a term which I have not seen, will some day need its Malta, as well as its Gibraltar, it does not follow that either will be in the Persian Gulf. The British Navy should have the facility to concentrate in force if occasion arise, about Aden, India, mahans article was reprinted in The Times and followed in October by a 20-article series entitled The Middle Eastern Question, written by Sir Ignatius Valentine Chirol. During this series, Sir Ignatius expanded the definition of Middle East to include regions of Asia which extend to the borders of India or command the approaches to India. After the series ended in 1903, The Times removed quotation marks from subsequent uses of the term, in the late 1930s, the British established the Middle East Command, which was based in Cairo, for its military forces in the region. After that time, the term Middle East gained broader usage in Europe, the description Middle has also led to some confusion over changing definitions. Before the First World War, Near East was used in English to refer to the Balkans and the Ottoman Empire, while Middle East referred to Iran, the Caucasus, Afghanistan, Central Asia, and Turkestan. The first official use of the term Middle East by the United States government was in the 1957 Eisenhower Doctrine, the Associated Press Stylebook says that Near East formerly referred to the farther west countries while Middle East referred to the eastern ones, but that now they are synonymous
7.
FV101 Scorpion
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The FV101 Scorpion is a British armoured reconnaissance vehicle. It was the vehicle and the fire support type in the Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance, CVR. Manufactured by Alvis, it was introduced into service with the British Army in 1973, more than 3,000 were produced and used as a reconnaissance vehicle or a light tank. It holds the Guinness world record for the fastest production tank, recorded doing 82.23 km/h at the QinetiQ vehicle test track, Chertsey, Surrey, the Alvis Scorpion was developed to meet a British Army requirement for the Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance or CVR. In 1967, Alvis was awarded the contract to produce 30 CVR prototypes, vehicles P1–P17 being the Scorpion prototypes were delivered on time and within the budget. The first production vehicles were completed in 1972 and the first British regiment to be equipped with the Scorpion was the Blues, in November 1981, the RAF Regiment took delivery of its first Scorpions. Alvis built more than 3,000 Scorpion vehicles for the British Army, Royal Air Force Regiment, all of the CVR vehicles were to be air-portable, and two Scorpions could be carried in a C130 Hercules. Another requirement of the CVR project was the low ground pressure - similar to that of a soldier on foot - this would serve it well in the conditions of the Falklands War. The Scorpion was armed with the low velocity 76 mm L23A1 gun, stowage was provided for 40 or 42 rounds. A7.62 mm coaxial machine gun was also fitted, the main armament has an elevation of 35 degrees and a depression of 10 degrees, the turret has a full 360-degree traverse. The original engine was the Jaguar J604. 2-litre petrol engine, the maximum speed was about 50 miles per hour and it could accelerate from nought to 30 miles per hour in 16 seconds. The maximum speed on water was 3.6 mph, — The FV101 was a very light armoured vehicle, weighing in at a mere 8 tonnes. This meant some compromises had to be made on protection, however, its light protection was a liability against anything heavier, for example, even standard M9937. 62x51mm AP rounds can penetrate 18mm of RHA steel at 100m. The vehicle was fitted with a nuclear, biological, chemical protection system, image intensification sights for gunner and driver, a commode was located under the commanders seat, an internal water tank and a boiling vessel for cooking and heating water were also provided. While Canada never operated the Scorpion, its turret was married with the MOWAG Piranha I chassis to create the AVGP Cougar fire support vehicle. The Scorpion on occasion deployed to main UK airports as a measure against possible terrorist threats, similar operations in 2003 used the then-current Scimitar. Two troops from B Squadron, Blues and Royals served in the Falklands War, one troop was equipped with four Scorpions, the other with four FV107 Scimitars. These were the armoured vehicles used in action by the British Army during the conflict
8.
Alvis Saracen
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The FV603 Saracen is a six-wheeled armoured personnel carrier built by Alvis and used by the British Army. It became a vehicle as a result of its part in the policing of Northern Ireland. The FV603 Saracen was the personnel carrier of Alvis FV600 series. Besides the driver and commander, a squad of eight soldiers plus a troop commander could be carried, most models carried a small turret on the roof, carrying a Browning.30 machine gun. A.303 Bren gun could be mounted on an anti-aircraft ring-mount accessed through a roof hatch, although removed from active service, it saw extensive use into the 1980s in Northern Ireland and was a familiar sight, nicknamed sixers, during The Troubles. As a member of the FV600 series, it shared a chassis with the FV601 Saladin armoured car, the Salamander airfield crash truck. The chassis, suspension and H-drive drivetrain remained similar, but the engine, transmission, the Saracen was in turn used as an armoured personnel carrier, armoured command vehicle and ambulance. The FV603 model saw many variants in detail, including radio or command fitments, the Saracen series also includes, FV604 armoured command vehicle, with extra radio equipment and distinctive penthouse roof extensions to support. There were also fittings for a canvas penthouse to the rear, a small generator was sometimes carried on a front wing. FV606 / FV611 armoured ambulance, Saracen was produced before Saladin because of the urgent need for a personnel carrier to serve in the Malayan Emergency, entering production in 1952. The Saracen was produced both with and without turrets fitted and they are popular with collectors due to their prices being as low as $20,000 in Australia and $11,000 in the Czech Republic. Aden Emergency Malayan Emergency Nigerian civil war Sri Lankan civil war The Troubles Yom Kippur war Soweto uprising Lebanese civil war Amal Movement, Australia - Australian Army,20, served with the 4th/19th Prince of Wales Light Horse, presumably retired. Biafra - Biafran Army,1 Brunei - Royal Brunei Land Forces,15 Indonesia - Indonesian Army,55, jordan - Royal Jordanian Army,120,60 operational. Kenya - Kenyan Army,15 Kuwait - Kuwaiti Army,135 Lebanon - Lebanese Ground Forces,100 Libya - Libyan Army,15 Mauritania - Mauritanian Army,5 ordered in 1990, nigeria - Nigerian Army,20,10 operational. Qatar - Qatar Emiri Land Force,30 South Africa - South African Army,280 ordered between 1953 and 1956, all working Saracens refurbished in 1979 and some sold to local security contractors, at least one modified with a Comet tank turret for Rooikat trials. Retired from the South African Armoured Corps in 1991, later Marks carried the LMG, and L37 GPMG. Mk 1, Early version with a small 3-door turret and turret weapon ports, Mk 2, Modified Mark 1 with later two-door turret. The rear turret door folds down and can act as a seat for the commander, Mk 3, Reverse-flow cooling for use in hot climates
9.
Ordnance QF 2-pounder
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The Ordnance QF 2-pounder, or simply 2 pounder gun, was a 40 mm British anti-tank and vehicle-mounted gun, employed in the Second World War. It was actively used in the Battle of France, and during the North Africa Campaign. As Axis tanks improved in armoured protection, it lost effectiveness and this QF 2-pounder was not the same gun as the QF2 pounder pom-pom gun extensively used by the Royal Navy as an anti-aircraft gun, they shared only the projectile weight of 2 pounds. The gun was developed as both a weapon and an anti-tank gun. For reasons of economy and standardization, it was accepted - as the 2-pdr Mark IX - for both purposes in October 1935, carriages for the gun were designed by Vickers and the Design Department at the Woolwich Arsenal. Vickers was the first to submit a design, which was accepted as the Ordnance QF 2-pounder Mark IX on Carriage Mark I, a limited number of pieces was built in 1936. The carriage had an innovative three-legged construction, in the travelling position, one of the legs was used as a towing trail, and the other two were folded. When the gun was positioned for combat, the legs were emplaced on the ground and it was conceptually similar, although when the gun was emplaced for combat the wheels had to be removed. This carriage was also manufactured by Vickers, the unusual construction gave the gun good stability and a traverse of 360 degrees, allowing it to quickly engage moving vehicles from any approach. With the Vickers carriage, the gun could also be fired from its wheels, at the expense of limited traverse. The 40 mm 2-pounder could outperform a typical 37 mm piece, such as the German 3.7 cm PaK36 or the Bofors 37 mm, a drawback of the 2-pounder was that it was nearly twice as heavy as the PaK36 and had a higher profile. The gun was first put into use on a tank as the armament of the Vickers-designed Cruiser Tank Mk I. A late-war project was the Canadian David High Velocity to allow 2-pdr ammunition to be fired from the larger-calibre 6-pdr and this was intended to improve the muzzle velocity of the shot. The system was still being developed when the war ended, the program ending along with it. Another development was the 2-pdr HV Pipsqueak, a gun using a 40x438R cartridge originally intended as the main armament for the Saladin armoured car that was to replace the AEC Armoured Car. This was designed to fire Armour-piercing discarding sabot rounds, which would match the penetration of the Littlejohn shot while still allowing high-explosive shells to be fired. In fact, the performance was better, the 1,295 m/s shot penetrating 85mm of armour at 60 degrees at 900m. Development of this gun was also abandoned when the role of the Saladin shifted towards infantry fire support, a high-explosive shell was designed for the 2-pdr, but never produced
10.
Bundesgrenzschutz
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Bundesgrenzschutz was the first federal police organization in Western Germany after World War II permitted by the Allied occupation authorities. In July 2005, the BGS was renamed Bundespolizei to reflect its transition to a police agency. This was controversial due to the German constitution expressly granting law enforcement power to the states, the fact that the border guard function was so limited allowed its formation notwithstanding this restriction, however in the modern day it has become a fully fledged police force. The BGS was established in 1951 after the Cold War had begun, occupation authorities judged this could be better policed by a permanent force of Germans who knew the border woods and mountains intimately and at German rather than Allied expense. The BGS was organized along paramilitary lines in battalions, companies, and platoons and it remained a police force controlled by the Ministry of Interior rather than by the Ministry of Defense. On 3 October 1953 The Bundespasskontrolldienst was transferred to the BGS and was now deployed on the entire German border, the BGS was initially a paramilitary force of 10,000 which was responsible for policing a zone 30 kilometres deep along the border. It eventually became the basis for the present national semi-militarised police force and its numbers were later expanded to 20,000 men, a mixture of conscripts and volunteers equipped with armoured cars, anti-tank guns, helicopters, trucks and jeeps. It had limited powers within its zone of operations to enable it to deal with threats to the peace of the border. The BGS had a reputation for assertiveness which made it unpopular with the East Germans. It also sustained a long-running feud with the Bundeszollverwaltung over which agency should have the responsibility for the inner German border. In 1972 the BGS became responsible for the security of the Federal Constitutional Court, the Bundespräsidenten, the Bundeskanzler, the Foreign Office, on 1 January 1974 the BGS became an all volunteer force and in 1987 started recruiting women. One June 1990 saw the elimination of border patrols and control of persons at the Inner-German border, the strength of the BGS was 24,000 in early 1995. Among other things, it was equipped with armored cars, machine guns, automatic rifles, tear gas, hand grenades, rifle grenades, all personnel on border and security duty wore sidearms. Five units had light aircraft and helicopters to facilitate access to remote border areas and for patrol. Some units because of specialised training and equipment, as well as operational area were in effect Mountain Troops and it was equipped with fourteen large patrol craft and several helicopters. In addition to controlling Germanys border, the BGS Alert police served as a reserve force to deal with major disturbances. The BGS guarded airports and foreign embassies, and several highly trained detachments are available for crisis situations requiring demolition equipment, helicopters. Up to 1972 the BGS was organized in eight units known as Grenzschutzgruppen GSG-1 to GSG-8, the GSG-9 won world attention when it rescued eighty-six passengers on a Lufthansa Flight 181 airliner which was hijacked to Mogadishu, Somalia, in 1977
11.
Warrior tracked armoured vehicle
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The Warrior tracked vehicle family is a series of British armoured vehicles, originally developed to replace the older FV430 series of armoured vehicles. The Warrior started life as the MCV-80 project that was first broached in the 1970s, GKN Defence was subsequently purchased by BAE Systems. A total of 789 FV510 and variants were manufactured for the British Army, the Warrior incorporates several design features in keeping with UK battlefield experience. The absence of firing ports also allows additional armour to be fitted to the sides of the vehicle. The cage armour used at one stage was replaced in 2007 by Wrap Two appliqué armour, the basic armour provides all-around protection against small arms ball ammunition. The crew of a Warrior comprises the driver, seated in the front hull, and the gunner and commander, the embarked infantry section can number up to seven soldiers, who are seated facing each other in the rear hull compartment. Passenger access is through a single electric ram powered door at the rear of the hull, rather than a ramp as in the American M113 APC. The Warrior is driven by a Perkins-Rolls-Royce V8 Condor engine through an automatic gearbox. It is capable of a speed of 46 miles per hour. The Warrior has the speed and performance to keep up with a Challenger 2 main battle tank over the most difficult terrain and it is fitted with two clusters of four defensive grenade launchers. All Warrior Infantry Section Vehicles are now equipped with Bowman radios, when first introduced, the vehicles were fitted with passive Image intensifier night vision sights. These have since been replaced with Thales Optronics Battle Group Thermal Imaging sights to upgrade night fighting capabilities. As of 2007,350 vehicles were fitted with BGTI, Two Warriors were destroyed during the First Gulf War, with nine soldiers killed, in a friendly fire incident when hit by an AGM-65 Maverick launched in error by an American A-10 Thunderbolt II. As of 17 November 2008,22 soldiers had killed while travelling in Warrior IFVs in Afghanistan or Iraq. On 7 March 2012, six British soldiers were killed in an explosion that hit a Warrior IFV in Helmand and this is the principal version operated by the British Army, as described above. Operated by REME detachments in Armoured Infantry battalions and it is equipped with a 6.5 tonne crane plus power tools and is able to tow a trailer carrying two Warrior power packs or one Challenger power pack. Also operated by REME detachments in Armoured Infantry battalions and it is equipped with a 20 tonne winch and 6.5 tonne crane plus power tools and is able to tow a trailer carrying two Warrior power packs or one Challenger power pack. FV514 Mechanised Artillery Observation Vehicle, the only armament is the 7.62 mm machine gun, as the 30 mm Rarden cannon is replaced by a dummy weapon
12.
Germany
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Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a federal parliamentary republic in central-western Europe. It includes 16 constituent states, covers an area of 357,021 square kilometres, with about 82 million inhabitants, Germany is the most populous member state of the European Union. After the United States, it is the second most popular destination in the world. Germanys capital and largest metropolis is Berlin, while its largest conurbation is the Ruhr, other major cities include Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Düsseldorf and Leipzig. Various Germanic tribes have inhabited the northern parts of modern Germany since classical antiquity, a region named Germania was documented before 100 AD. During the Migration Period the Germanic tribes expanded southward, beginning in the 10th century, German territories formed a central part of the Holy Roman Empire. During the 16th century, northern German regions became the centre of the Protestant Reformation, in 1871, Germany became a nation state when most of the German states unified into the Prussian-dominated German Empire. After World War I and the German Revolution of 1918–1919, the Empire was replaced by the parliamentary Weimar Republic, the establishment of the national socialist dictatorship in 1933 led to World War II and the Holocaust. After a period of Allied occupation, two German states were founded, the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic, in 1990, the country was reunified. In the 21st century, Germany is a power and has the worlds fourth-largest economy by nominal GDP. As a global leader in industrial and technological sectors, it is both the worlds third-largest exporter and importer of goods. Germany is a country with a very high standard of living sustained by a skilled. It upholds a social security and universal health system, environmental protection. Germany was a member of the European Economic Community in 1957. It is part of the Schengen Area, and became a co-founder of the Eurozone in 1999, Germany is a member of the United Nations, NATO, the G8, the G20, and the OECD. The national military expenditure is the 9th highest in the world, the English word Germany derives from the Latin Germania, which came into use after Julius Caesar adopted it for the peoples east of the Rhine. This in turn descends from Proto-Germanic *þiudiskaz popular, derived from *þeudō, descended from Proto-Indo-European *tewtéh₂- people, the discovery of the Mauer 1 mandible shows that ancient humans were present in Germany at least 600,000 years ago. The oldest complete hunting weapons found anywhere in the world were discovered in a mine in Schöningen where three 380, 000-year-old wooden javelins were unearthed
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Bahrain: 8[6]
Ghana: 15[6]
Honduras: 72 ex-German examples; purchased in 1984;[12] 40 operational.[10]
Indonesia: 69[6]
Jordan: 130[6]
Kenya: 10[6]
Kuwait: 60[6]
Lebanon: 40; possibly donated by Jordan.[6]
Mauritania: 40;[6] 10 operational.[10]
Nigeria: 16[6]
Oman: 10[6]
Qatar: 30[16]
Sudan: 9[6][17]
Tunisia: 20[6]
Uganda: 36[18]
United Arab Emirates: 70;[6] 20 operational.[10]
Yemen: 15[6]
Australia[19][6]
Biafra[20]
Federal Republic of Germany: 97; used by the Bundesgrenzschutz.[6]
Iraq: Captured Kuwaiti Vehicles, all scrapped or destroyed.[21]
Libya: 40[6]
Portugal: 39[6][22][23]
Sierra Leone: 4[6]
Sri Lanka: 18[6]
United Kingdom: all retired and replaced by the FV101 Scorpion[2]
