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Read The Third Wave by Alvin Toffler!
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Phillosoph

Tomahawk Fast Draw

           As regular readers may know, I am a big advocate of the kukri. I am also, however, a big fan of Horace Kephart’s writings so am interested in tomahawks too.
           Last year I acquired a copy of “The Fighting Kukri” by Dwight C. McLemore. There is nothing wrong with this work but I personally found his techniques “over-systemized”. I can understand the reasons for his approach and recognize the influences, but it was not to my personal taste. This may be because I have my own ideas about using a kukri, as readers of Attack, Avoid, Survive or Crash Combat will know.
           One technique I did note was a defensive/ ready posture that had the forearms in a sort of pyramid configuration. If an enemy has his own kukri or a similar weapon I’d not like to leave my forearms as such a tempting static target. If he has an inferior weapon then my arms are going to be moving and letting my kukri bite!
           Yesterday I got to look at a copy of “The Fighting Tomahawk” by the same author. I found this quite informative.
           One advantage a kukri or other knife has over a tomahawk is that it can more rapidly and more smoothly be brought into action. A knife is generally worn so that its handle can be grasped first. A tomahawk is generally worn so that the first part grasped is the head or the shaft just under it. How do you move your hand to the end of the handle in a combat situation?
           You can, of course, flick the tomahawk upwards and catch the end. Or you can let it slide down out of your hand and catch then end. There is a significant chance that you may fumble this and lose your tomahawk! McLemore’s solution to drawing and readying the tomahawk will be the subject of today’s blog. It has applications for other implements such as hammers or entrenching tools.
           I call this technique “Brace and Slide” or “Slip, Brace and Slide”.
  • Grasp the tomahawk just under the head and pull upward to clear it from your belt.
  • Brace the butt of the handle against your hipbone or another convenient body part.
  • Slide your hand down the handle and grip near the end.
 
           It is possible that an enemy will have rushed your before you have the tomahawk fully drawn and readied. I have often stated, you should defend or avoid an initial attack before attempting to draw a weapon. That said, a tomahawk or hammer gripped just beneath the head can still be used to augment your unarmed techniques.
           Tomahawks and similar small axes usually come with a protective cover. Typically such covers feature belt loops or some other means to attach the cover to your belt. When carried in this way smoothly and rapidly drawing a tomahawk to defend yourself becomes very difficult. A better option is to use the cover just as a cover and rig another means for carrying the tomahawk. A tomahawk or axe with a sheathed head still works pretty well as a club!
           Many photos of WW2 German soldiers show them with entrenching tools slipped through the front of their belts rather than in the belt-mounted carrier, which was worn on the left side. The intention was to make the entrenching tool more readily available as a weapon.
           If used only as a cover many tomahawk sheathes are probably over engineered and have a lot of unnecessary weight and bulk. The photo below shows a rather elegant alternate edge protector. Such a thing could be easily constructed from materials other than leather.
 
           Cops often carry their nightsticks by a simple belt ring. Workmen carry hammers slung from a cloth loop. These methods can be adapted to carry a tomahawk. A diagonal strap can be added to prevent the tomahawk being lost when climbing or crawling and this provides greater security than simply slipping it through a belt.
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Phillosoph

Boy Scout Axe

           I fully intend to write some more on the topic of tunics.
For today, however, a briefer post.
           I’ve really been enjoying the series “Westworld”. This has inspired me to resume playing “Red Dead Redeption”, which in turn has got me thinking about various topics including that of  tomahawks/ hatchets/ hand axes. There will probably be posts along these lines in the near future.
           For today I will just post this interesting example of an English boy scout axe. Length is apparently about 14". The head is backed with a point suitable for such tasks as digging latrines/ catholes.

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Phillosoph

Roman Tunica and Simple Clothing.

Recently I was re-reading an article a friend of mine wrote about military clothing being too hot. One of the contributing factors to this is that the design of military uniforms is often influenced by civilian conventions. It is usually a fairly conservative interpretation too so a design will often be based on conventions at least a generation old!
If we look back in history we see that for many centuries the outdoor wear of a soldier, hunter or farmer consisted of a tunic, cloak and (usually) some form of leggings. Sometime about the 18th century it close fitting jackets became more common. The cloak persisted a little longer but was eventually replaced in military circles by the greatcoat and then the parka. By the 20th century what the military was still calling a tunic was effectively a sort of close-fitting sports coat. As the use of body armour became more common soldiers were expected to wear their tunics/ combat jackets underneath it, and not surprisingly this was hot and uncomfortable. Recently there have been attempts to address this with “underarmour shirts”. Effectively these are sweatshirts with camouflaged sleeves. Most that I have seen appear to be fairly snug fitting. A better solution would be a smock that can be worn over the armour.
Many of us are not restricted by military dress regulations. If things go really pear-shaped we are going to value functionability over fashion or convention.
Following the train of thought I was once again looking at the clothing of Roman legionaries. Roman soldiers operated all the way from the border of Scotland to what is now Israel. The basic clothing they used apparently worked in all these climates did not change much over several centuries.
Cloaks have been discussed in several previous blogs so today I will look at the Roman tunic. I’ll retain the Latin term “tunica” to distinguish it from the Saxon/ Viking/ Medieval variant.

One of the things that strikes you about the tunica is how simple it was. A tunica is just a large rectangle of cloth, or a pair of rectangles sewn together. The cloth was usually woven on a vertical loom and then cut so the selvedge edges were the bottom or top and bottom, minimising the need to hem. If you are not much of a tailor, this is the garment for you!

Typically a tunica did not have sleeves, its width being sufficient that the shoulder edge drapes over and covers the upper arm. Short sleeves were made from simple rectangles of cloth. The Romans considered long sleeves to be a bit wimpy and Julius Caesar was mocked for preferring a long sleeved tunic. Colder climates and the influence of other cultures seem to have changed this attitude over time. Long sleeved tunics were cut from a single piece of cloth, with ample volume beneath the armpits. Sometimes they were woven as a cross-shaped piece of cloth. When the sleeves were made from separate pieces they probably were cut to create the same shape.

The other thing that is notable about the tunica is that it is big. Records show tunics were made from cloth 1.55m by 1.4m. (60 x 55”). Unbloused, a tunic would hang to the wearer’s knees. One military punishment was to take a legionary’s belt and make him wear the tunic in this fashion. The belt was considered a symbol of soldiering so prohibiting its wear was a humiliation. It may have been that this was seen as demasculinizing since the tunic would have resembled to longer tunics worn by Roman women. Making an offender dress in women’s clothing is another recorded punishment.
Worn correctly the tunic was belted and gathered up above the belt so it was mid-thigh length. Why was the tunic so long? Perhaps the intention was that it could also serve as a nightshirt. However, there are records of tunics being shortened with tucks at the waist. At least one Roman writer suggests that the tunic should simply be made shorter in the first place. This page for re-enactors suggests creating a tunica from two rectangles of 36-48” by 30-48”.
The fit of the tunica is interesting. In the Mediterranean countries it probably allowed air to freely circulate around the body. Even when wearing armour there would have been some circulation to the underarm region, without the need for modern contrivances such as zippers. Combined with a cloak the folds of the tunic probably trapped air and kept the wearer warm.
The large neck opening of the tunica seems to have been less liked by some Romans. There are illustrations and records of the tunica being knotted at the back of the neck to restrict the opening. One of the reasons for the large opening was that during tasks such as manual labour the tunic was sometimes worn with one shoulder bared. The wearing of a neck scarf was very common, particularly when armour was worn. The scarf would prevent the armour chaffing the neck. The scarf may also have served a function similar to the detachable collars of later centuries. Notably tunics worn by later and more northern cultures had less of a neck opening.
The tunica was not used in isolation, of course. Unless it was very hot an under-tunic of the same basic design would have been worn. This would have provided additional insulation and reduced the need to launder the outer garment.

The tunica was long enough that it did not need to be worn with leggings. The Romans considered trousers to be barbarian and effeminate. The practicalities of military life overrode this prejudice. Bracae were breeches that reached to just below the knee. Trajan’s column shows infantry legionaries bare legged but cavalry and officers wearing bracae. Long trousers or a form of gaiter  or puttee seem to have been adopted where conditions required.

Some form of lower underwear was used. If the legionary was wearing bracae or trousers the lower part of the undertunic might have been gathered around the loins, as was common with the undershirt in medieval times. There are records of some form of underpants, “subligariorum”. Short, linen bracae-type garments are known. Loincloths were also used. The example shown in the picture below was probably “outerwear” for athletes and gladiators, a soldier wearing something less bulky and simpler.

On the theme of simple to create clothing, I came across this illustration of a Japanese loincloth. Simply a rectangle of cloth 6-14” wide with a ribbon or tape sewn to one edge. The second illustration is a curious variant with a bib front and a loop to go over the neck.

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Phillosoph

Ninja Boating

Yesterday I was watching an interesting video on tools used by historic ninja. At the start, almost as a throwaway comment the speaker mentions that the box he keeps them in also happens to be a boat!
Rooted around a bit, and found a video of this ingenious device.

 

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Phillosoph

Survival Heliographs: When the Sun Is Behind You. Part Two

Following on from my post on heliographs one of my regular readers observed:
“Aiming a signalling mirror with the sun behind you could be tough but basically if you have the sun behind you and a plane in front, the problem (conceptually) is put the mirror flat between the two.”
He is correct. During my research I came across this informative illustration:

Using a signal mirror when the sun is behind

Note that the signaller is using his free hand to aim by directing the reflected spot of light on to it.
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Phillosoph

Survival Heliographs: When the Sun Is Behind You

A few weeks ago a friend showed me a military heliograph he had. If I recall correctly it was part glass, and like so much milspec equipment was surprisingly heavy.
In my emergency kit I have an item that serves the same purpose. It was made from a polished stainless steel door finger plate. Unbreakable and a fraction of the weight and price of the military item.
“You know how to use the sighting hole?” I asked.
I explained that as you aimed the device by looking through the hole it would cast a spot of sunlight onto your face.
The heliograph was mirrored on both sides so you could see the reflection of this spot of light in the near side.
You then adjusted the mirror till the spot of sunlight moved back to the aiming hole.
This gives you the optimum angle for directing sunlight in the aimed direction. 
Another technique is simply to hold your hand up between you and your intended target.
Some survival heliographs have a little stick you can aim at, but your finger or hand works fine.
Angle the mirror until the sunlight shines on your hand, then drop your hand out of the way.
This technique can be used with mirrors that lack an aiming hole or items that are only reflective on one side.
This is probably the more practical method when you are trying to signal a moving target like a search plane.
Aligning an aircraft, aiming stick, light spot and looking through a sighting hole all at the same time sounds like a major plate-spinning exercise!

Another method, taken from this page:
“A rifle barrel was fixed in alignment on the station with which it was desired to communicate, accurate alignment being obtained by sighting through the bore. A small disc of white paper was then fixed just in front of the muzzle, and an ordinary hand mirror was used to reflect the sun’s rays towards the receiving station. The successful transmission of messages depended on each flash being accurately directed towards the receiver, and this was ensured by the disc of white paper at the end of the muzzle of the rifle barrel ; for if rays of light from the flat hand mirror passed through the bore the annular shadow of the rifle barrel could be seen on the disc, and all other rays were therefore bound to travel in the same direction.”
One of the disadvantages of heliographs is that you cannot use them to signal in a direction where the sun is behind you. Or can you?
I did some research.
One of the interesting things about heliographs is that they only came into widespread use as a communication device in the 19th century.
There are some earlier accounts of signalling with light flashes from reflective objects but the true potential of this technique was not exploited.
This is interesting since there is no real technological barrier that would have prevented messaging heliographs being invented centuries earlier.
The Elizabethans, Tudors or Romans could easily have invented heliograph messaging. Some events in history might have been very different if such a rapid communication system had been available!

Let us look at the setup of the British Mance heliograph.
When the sun was before the signaller the signalling mirror was set up facing it.
The operator looked into the mirror and moved it until he could see the reflection of his intended message destination.  
He then erected a sight so that it was in line with the destination and its reflection in the mirror.
Alternately the operator stood behind the mirror and looked through the hole in its centre, adjusting the sight until it was in line with the target.
The mirror was then adjusted so that it cast its light on the sight.
The centre of the Mance mirror was unglazed so it created a dark “shadow spot”. Positioning this shadow spot on the sight gave better alignment.
If the sun was not in the same direction as the message destination, the signal mirror was still set up so that it faced the sun.
The sight was replaced with a second mirror, termed the “duplex” mirror. In some designs the duplex mirror might be on its own tripod, or might be a second single mirror heliograph.
The duplex mirror was set so that there was a reflection of the intended target. Alternately, the hole in the centre could be used to aim it at the target.
The signalling mirror was then adjusted so it cast its light onto the duplex. The Mance manual suggests gumming a piece of paper onto the duplex to facilitate correctly placing the shadow spot. Any non-reflective object could be placed before the duplex with the same effect.
By using a pair of reflectors, heliograph positions could exchange information in both directions, even if the sun was behind one.
Many survival manuals will tell you about signalling with heliographs. I have never seen one address what to do it the sun is behind you.
There are various ways you can use this technique.
“Mirror” in this context means anything that is reflective. A CD, a piece of foil, a mess tin, a polished knife blade, a piece of glass, a watch face, compass face or the screen or polished back of a phone. The reflector of your flashlight should not be overlooked!
If your vehicle has broken down, use your windscreen as a duplex reflector and a rear view mirror to direct the sunlight on to it. Most vehicles have two wing mirrors.
If you have a comrade, have him hold a reflective object.
Point your hand at his reflector and use your heliograph to cast sunlight onto it. Drop your hand out the way.
Your comrade uses the light cast on his own hand by his reflector to ensure it that it is aimed in the intended direction.
If you are on your own, improvise by mounting the duplex on any natural or self-constructed suitable object.
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Phillosoph

WMD: Weapon of Mosquito Destruction.

I have been known to grumble that mosquitoes are a creature I would not be too worried about if they appeared on the endangered species list. Mosquitoes and gnats are more than just a pest. They spread diseases such as dengue fever, filariasis, Japanese encephalitis, malaria, West Nile virus, and yellow fever.
Understandably I have high hopes that this invention becomes widespread.
The comment about power supply is rather daft. This technology could easily be combined with solar power. Mosquitoes are a problem in urban areas too. I recall the unpleasant sight of a whole ferry bulkhead covered in mosquitoes in Venice. Hopefully mosquito lasers will become a common item of street furniture in tropical towns and cities. They would be a welcome feature of hotel rooms and bedrooms. And if they could also be programmed to zap ugly buzzing house flies too, so much the better!

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Phillosoph

Chalk and Ziplocks

Recently I have been encouraging my girlfriend to put together a small medical kit for her use.
In a previous blog I mentioned that I came across a first aid pouch in the local 99p store.
I would have paid that for just the pouch, but it also came with a number of medical items. Not enough to constitute a full medical kit, but a useful start.
I looked on line for something similar for my lady and came across a pouch that claimed to hold 23 medical items. The contents include 15 plasters of three different sizes and even a small set of scissors.
Not a full medical kit, but a good starting point. I presented this to her with a handful of additional alcohol wipes and the suggestion that she add some painkillers.
At the same time, I presented her with a bundle of ziplock bags. Many of the contents of this pouch are loose and would be vulnerable to water. Hence, ziplock bags.
A stock of such bags is recommended since many items of your travelling or emergency kit will need their additional protection.
It is also a good idea to include some spare bags in your kit.
Suppose, for an example, that you need to change location and need to leave a message for anyone that might come looking for you. A piece of paper from your notebook will not last long in the rain and the ink will run. A spare bag will solve this problem.
Of course, wet ink is not a problem if your kit includes a pencil.
In similar vein I will pass on a tip that I encountered decades ago but that I do not often see repeated. This is to include some chalk in your kit.
Chalk can be used to leave messages, mark locations and indicate routes. Ideally have a piece of light chalk and also a darker colour for contrast when writing on lighter surfaces.
Keep your pieces of chalk in a ziplock bag, but wrap them individually in clingfilm or the different colours will contaminate each other.
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Phillosoph

Pipe Firing Ports.

Being a Friday, today's post will be a little more abstract.
A friend of mine recently showed me a book of photos from the First World War. One image in particular caught my interest. Unfortunately it is not practical to scan the image. Instead I have found another photo showing the same points of interest. From the uniforms it is from the same time period and may even be the same trench section. Here is the photo.
What I find interesting is how firing ports have been created by simply burying a pipe in the rampart. Further along you can see that a rectangular firing slot has been created using planks, probably from shipping boxes.
In most trenches troops fire over the parapet or cut crenels to fire through. Some trenches do use firing slots but constructed in a parapet of sandbags. The approach seen in this photo is much simpler. There are no sandbags to reveal the exact position of the trench. No heads have to be raised above the parapet. There are no crenels that are obvious targets for suppressive fire. The outer ends of the pipes and slots are probably hard to discern.
A pipe would only provide a narrow field of fire but this is not a problem if they are arranged for mutually supporting interlocking fields of fire. At Iwo Jima may of the highly effective Japanese positions were constructed with a narrow field of fire. The only way they could be engaged was to attack head on, which put you within the firearc of many other positions.
One wonders what sort of sight picture firing down a pipe provides. Certainly light glinting off the sights would not be a problem!
Modern troops still use earthworks and I wonder how few use techniques as simple but effective as those shown above? If you have a hide from which you hunt sharp-eyed game the buried pipe(s) idea might be worth considering.
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Phillosoph

Attack, Avoid, Survive: Now in Epub!

A few weeks back the updated and expanded “Global Edition” of “Attack, Avoid, Survive” was released. It is now 376 pages long but changes in formatting mean that it has about 50% more content than the original book, including new techniques and extra illustrations. It is a sturdy brick of a book now. Not only will it teach you self-defence but you can use it to beat a rapist to death and it may just stop small calibre bullets 🙂
I rather like the printed edition of my book but I am aware many potential readers only have limited space on their bookshelves.
Late last night the Global Edition became available in epub. I had experimented with creating an epub version when the original book was published. At the time there were just too many technical problems involved in the process and it seemed likely that there would never be an electronic version of the book.
Since then, conversion to epub has become a little more user friendly. I was expecting to take a large chunk of the summer converting the manuscript. As it turned out it took much less time. This is not to say that it was not without its problems and didn’t involve some fairly intense work. People wonder why ebooks cost what they do when they need no paper or printing. It is because of the many more added man-hours involved in their conversion. I discovered a book that looked perfect in one viewer would have false hyperlinks in random places when viewed in another. I hope I have corrected all these, but have no way of knowing how other viewers might treat it. If there are such problems my apologies to the reader. I did my best with the limited resources and budget that I had.
Some of you will know that “Crash Combat” is already available in epub format. An obvious question is whether there will be an epub version of “Survival Weapons: Optimizing You Arsenal”? The answer is that I cannot see that happening anytime soon. The shotgun chapter of the book contains a large number of useful reference tables which may be problematic to convert to epub. I have no immediate plans to make an epub version of the book anytime in the near future so if you are interested in this book go ahead and get the print copy.