Aberdeen Proving Grounds! (56k = KIA)
Posted: 2007-04-29 11:02pm
Here's a bunch of pics from my trip to the Aberdeen Proving Grounds Ordnance Museum. I got to speak with Dr. William Atwater, the guy on the History Channel, and he passed around weapons for us to "fondle" as he said. This guy is hilarious. If you ever get a chance to go, make sure you get to meet him. Ask him to show you any weapon and he'll tell you something interesting and humorous about its history.
It kind of sucks, not because I got to hold the weapons, but because he only allowed us to since I was with my WWII class. So if I ever went back on my own, it's doubtful if he'd let me hold the guns again. He had to leave about an hour before the museum closed, so I didn't get to explore the entire room's collection. I wanted to handle the BAR and Luger in particular...
Eh, whatever. I got my MG-42, and that's all that counts.
Unfortunately, I didn't get to take as many photos as I wanted to because I was too busy staring through the sights of an MP-5, AK-47, MP-40, M-14, M-3 Grease Gun, M-4 Carbine, Galil, XM-8, Dragunov...hmm...and maybe some others I forgot about. All in all, it was a pretty awesome experience.
Let the pictures do the rest of the talking:
Yes, it's him! Venerable military historian and curator, Dr. William Atwater, famous for his appearances on the Hitler, er, History Channel.
BAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA!!! My dreams come alive! Now if it were only loaded with ammunition...
...and I knew how to operate it...
...and that girl behind me wasn't aiming a Garand at my back...
I felt like a Stormtrooper riding a Death Star turbolift in that shot...
Another shot of an MG-42 with a drum magazine. Awesomeness...
"Feuer frei!"
"Jawohl, herr kommandant!"
*BLAM*
If the world will end in fire, let it be from...the ATOMIC CANNON!!!
Ah, there's nothing quite like standing and waving on...the ATOMIC CANNON!!!
Mah ride, bitches! Rollin' wit da Afrika Korps...
Panzer rollen in Afrika vor!
I think this was the best-looking crappy light tank America made.
I can just envision a squad of soldiers swarming out of the back hatch now...
Not shown here, Humphrey Bogart's in there taking a swig of whiskey with his crewmates. (Cookie for reference.)
Forgot what crappy light tank it is, but it's a nice camouflage paint job.
Ah, the Sherman; lighting up and killing its crewmembers since 1942.
Best tanka in Great Patriotic War, da? Now we drink vodka.
Oh noes! It's Tiananmen Square all over again! Says it ain't so! Think of the children!
WON'T SOMEONE THINK OF THE CHILDREN?!?!?!
Say what you will about your stupid Wolverine from X-Men; this one's infinitely cooler. And it's real. Nyah.
The XM1 Abrams...is it me or is there something about this that looks different from the Abrams we use now?
It kind of sucks, not because I got to hold the weapons, but because he only allowed us to since I was with my WWII class. So if I ever went back on my own, it's doubtful if he'd let me hold the guns again. He had to leave about an hour before the museum closed, so I didn't get to explore the entire room's collection. I wanted to handle the BAR and Luger in particular...
Eh, whatever. I got my MG-42, and that's all that counts.
Unfortunately, I didn't get to take as many photos as I wanted to because I was too busy staring through the sights of an MP-5, AK-47, MP-40, M-14, M-3 Grease Gun, M-4 Carbine, Galil, XM-8, Dragunov...hmm...and maybe some others I forgot about. All in all, it was a pretty awesome experience.
Let the pictures do the rest of the talking:
Yes, it's him! Venerable military historian and curator, Dr. William Atwater, famous for his appearances on the Hitler, er, History Channel.
BAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA!!! My dreams come alive! Now if it were only loaded with ammunition...
...and I knew how to operate it...
...and that girl behind me wasn't aiming a Garand at my back...
I felt like a Stormtrooper riding a Death Star turbolift in that shot...
Another shot of an MG-42 with a drum magazine. Awesomeness...
"Feuer frei!"
"Jawohl, herr kommandant!"
*BLAM*
If the world will end in fire, let it be from...the ATOMIC CANNON!!!
Ah, there's nothing quite like standing and waving on...the ATOMIC CANNON!!!
Mah ride, bitches! Rollin' wit da Afrika Korps...
Panzer rollen in Afrika vor!
I think this was the best-looking crappy light tank America made.
I can just envision a squad of soldiers swarming out of the back hatch now...
Not shown here, Humphrey Bogart's in there taking a swig of whiskey with his crewmates. (Cookie for reference.)
Forgot what crappy light tank it is, but it's a nice camouflage paint job.
Ah, the Sherman; lighting up and killing its crewmembers since 1942.
Best tanka in Great Patriotic War, da? Now we drink vodka.
Oh noes! It's Tiananmen Square all over again! Says it ain't so! Think of the children!
WON'T SOMEONE THINK OF THE CHILDREN?!?!?!
Say what you will about your stupid Wolverine from X-Men; this one's infinitely cooler. And it's real. Nyah.
The XM1 Abrams...is it me or is there something about this that looks different from the Abrams we use now?