Foreign Training
Mali soldiers undergoing training exercises and drills with the help of French, German and Luxomberg in Koulikoro May 7, 2013. (REUTERS/Emilie Regnier)
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In a man-to-man fight, the winner is he who has one more round in his magazine.
Erwin Rommel
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Kitty A Syrian rebel fighter trying to feed a stray cat during a moment of calm amidst the ongoing civil war against the Assad regime. (Photo: REUTERS)
Hiding hole… Libyan rebel fighters pointing to the hiding spot of former dictator Mommar Gaddafi. Although it is generally believed that the rebels executed Gaddafi, the autopsy report also mentioned that he had been stabbed in the anus several times with bayonets prior to the fatal gun shot wound to his head. Apparently there is cellphone video from one of the rebels that has the bayonet to anus stabbing.
War Libyan rebel fighters engaging government troops during their successful overthrow of the Gaddafi regime. Note the spent shell casings ejecting from both rifles.
Surplus An old, rather rusty Soviet PPS in some African nation. Note the other rather outdated submachine gun, a French MAT 49, in the background. War torn regions of the world are often an interesting mix of leftover surplus firearms from other wars.
Death from above… A Huey door gunner with the M60D, a variant of the M60 designed for vehicle mounts. Rather than a pistol grip and stock, the M60D uses a spade grip. The M60 family of firearms has more or less been replaced by the more reliable M240 series.
Watermelon Not sure what faction this guy is in but, aside from the refreshing summer fruit, note the two DShK heavy machine guns mounted onto the truck beds. Both have the heavy barrels with cooling fins; a few nations use updated models with lighter barrels with no cooling fins. If you look right behind the ammo belt in the photo you can spot the distinctive handguards of a Romanian PSL also laying in the truck bed.
MG3 A Norwegian solider aboard an Iveco LMV, an Italian made multi-role vehicle; kind of their version of the Humvee. The MG3 is a modern day descendant of the original German MG42. Chambered in 7.62x51mm to meet NATO standards, it is still being fielded by many nations for it’s simplicity and high rate of fire.
Merkel’s Tigers German army Bundeswehr CH53 helicopter with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on board lands in Mazar-i-Sharif under protection of Tiger helicopters, May 10, 2013. (REUTERS/Kay Nietfeld/Pool)
Quick Reaction Unit German Bundeswehr army soldier with the QRU monitors the area from an Afghan local police checkpoint in the village of Qeysar Kheyl during a mission near Baghlan, December 2012. (FABRIZIO BENSCH/REUTERS) Note the H&K G28 sniper rifle. The soldier in the background has a scoped G3 but with an MSG90 stock.
War A German soldier from the war in Afghanistan being laid to rest after receiving a final prayer; his comrades at his side. (Source: Heer / Klaus Schneider)
Armed Africa A South Sudan Liberation Army member with a well-worn H&K G3 rifle. Both the FAL and G3 are prominent firearms in war torn African nations. Aside from the military and rebel fighters, some African game wardens and anti-poaching teams use the larger 7.62x51mm main battle rifles. (Photo:Trevor Snapp)
Rock ‘n Lock A Syrian rebel loading a magazine into his rifle. Note the under-folding stock. Due to the cramped urban warfare, AK’s with folding stocks are often preferred for their compact size. This explains why many photos show rebel fighters with AK’s that have no stocks. (Photo: Joseph Eid/AFP/Getty Images)
Group Photo Supposedly members of the Free Syrian Army. Again the usual array of AK’s, a PKM and even some RPG-7 rockets. Worth noting is the cut-away magazine in the upper left hand corner. The one rebel fighter holding up what looks like a stick is actually a small fragmentation rocket; the OG-7M, which can be launched in an RPG-7. I guess it’s kind of ironic considering this time of year many students are taking their class graduation photos. Everyone going their separate ways, different colleges and maybe never see each other again. In this case, these young rebel fighters may go their separate ways, to different battles and maybe never see each other again. Who’s going to survive this summer?
