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Mikhail Kalashnikovhas also stated he wished he never created his infamous AK.
Sentiments shared by Albert Einstein and Robert Oppenheimer on nuclear weapons.
Designers of weapons made of necessity are rarely proud of their effects.
Mikhail Kalashnikovhas also stated he wished he never created his infamous AK.
Sorry, I'd have to see the source on that comment. I think it's not representative of his entire meaning (in other words, taken "out of context"). From everything I've read, he only regretted the need for his invention - not the fact that he invented it. He was a patriot for his country - not unlike I would be for America. When fascism in the form of the ***** came rolling up to the gates of Moscow, he did all he could to stop them. Just like you or I would have done (and our parents or grandparents, did) if their blitzkrieg tactics had allowed the fascist threat to reach American soil.
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+1 on Old93junk's comment!
I saw those comments on a recorded interview with him that was part of a History Channel show. I'm not arguing the need, the effect, or his own patriotism. Just commenting on his general regret of the weapon as similar to other inventors mentioned.
I just did the Wikipedia search thing for his name - Kalashnikov -and there is a section of his quotes. I think overall, the selection of quotes in the Wikipedia article is fairly representative of his persona (from other biographies I've read). I particularly note the last quote.
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Now lets move on to an in-depth psychoanalysis of Carbine Williams!
(Anybody besides me, see Jimmy Stewart in that movie?)
If you're a fan of Winchester Firearms and/or the M1 carbine, you ought to see that movie (IMHO).
I just did the Wikipedia search thing for his name - Kalashnikov -and there is a section of his quotes. I think overall, the selection of quotes in the Wikipedia article is fairly representative of his persona (from other biographies I've read). I particularly note the last quote.
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Now lets move on to an in-depth psychoanalysis of Carbine Williams!
(Anybody besides me, see Jimmy Stewart in that movie?)
If you're a fan of Winchester Firearms and/or the M1 carbine, you ought to see that movie (IMHO).
Oh, yes..........The M1 Carbine.........A much better weapon in the island jungles of Pacific, than Europe. My grandfather threw his M1 carbine away in Italy, in 1944 at first opportunity to pick up a M1 Garand rifle. At the distances involved in Italy, a guy carrying a M1 carbine was a dead man against a Mauser K-98 or Gewehr-43 rifle, in urban combat it did not handle as well as the German MP-40 9MM sub-machine gun in tight quarters (everyone wanted a Thompson for that)
In the Pacific, it was a hell of a weapon though, served with honor through Korea, right up to the beginnings of Vietnam.
M1 Carbines are nice little shooters. My buddy recently picked up an Inland M1 Carbine for $250 (part of a 3 gun transaction), great deal!
While not exactly historical collection related, the M1 Carbine custom stocks from Planet of The Apes are rare finds and pretty well sought after. I'm surprised nobody started producing new ones yet.
To each his own.
You might be interested to know Gen. Mikhail Kalashnikov is a full fledged capitalist.........He owns and operates his own vodka manufacturing co. and was good friends with Eugene Stoner, designer of the AR/M-16, after the fall of the soviet union.
And.........
US Spec. Ops and CIA operatives in Afghanistan routinely use the AK to send taliban and terrorists to meet the 71 virgins.
I don't want to turn this into a political discussion so I'll hold comment on the CIA operatives that use the AK.
Still won't own one. I'm just too American I guess. As for other foreign weapons, yes, I do I own a couple. I have a HK 416 by Heckler & Koch and love it to death. Another Taliban killing weapon.
If we label a firearm as a "commie gun" and despise it for being used against our own, aren't we just propagating the anti-gun crowd cry of "guns kill people"? I'm pretty sure a single AK never has killed an American by it self; there was a commie, insurgent, shooter, etc.. who committed the act.
YOU WIN!!! Dang it first guy is the winner kinda deflated that.
Do you know if they are called drill sargents in the Navy? Just wondered in that my departed father was in that position during the Korean war. He was stationed in Mi. at the end of that war. Moved back to Tx after the tour. I think back then you could enter around 15 or so. Not sure, I just know he was real young and had to try and support his mother.
I didn't read all the pages in this thread, so I apologize if this is a duplicate, but in 1984 the Navy called them Company Commanders.
I thought the recruits just walked in and they issued them dunagrees and stuck them on a boat. Not to belittle the fine sailors in the Navy but the USN certainly has a very high number of "problem sailors". I once had a Navy engineer assigned to me (Army) and this kid could not operate a TA-1 field phone (or anything else for that matter).
I thought the recruits just walked in and they issued them dunagrees and stuck them on a boat. Not to belittle the fine sailors in the Navy but the USN certainly has a very high number of "problem sailors". I once had a Navy engineer assigned to me (Army) and this kid could not operate a TA-1 field phone (or anything else for that matter).
I did my full tour in the Navy and met all kinds of people. I also worked in Iraq a few years ago as a civilian UXO (Unexploded Ordnance) tech. I have had the opportunity to see every branch up close and work with them hand in hand, on land, in the air, and on water, both in peacetime and with bullets coming at us.
I can tell you this without a doubt, there is a certain element of the American population that will do whatever it takes to prove themselves to be idiots, and dressing them in blue, green, or camo does nothing at all to discourage their pursuit of idiocy. They are represented in every branch. Thankfully they are the minority.