Great use of Dad's Army footage, especially the title animation towards the end. My grandfather was a sergeant in the LDV, then in the Home Guard. He'd been a regular NCO in the Great War. He and his comrades took their job very seriously.
The LDV were given a really unfortunate nickname with that abbreviation that wasn't justified. In the event of an invasion, people joked that they'd Look at the Germans, Duck and then Vanish.
Wow! I was going to write exactly the same thing. When I saw your comment, I thought it was mine and I had just forgotten I had been here in my aging brain! 😂 I have neither heard nor seen anything about this weapon.
Well as there were quite a few Home Guard members killed during training due to inept real Captain Mainwearing types. Who after a short time in the regular army thought they knew it all.
My dad was HG as a 15 year old prior to joining the Navy. The Smiths was delivered disassembled, and he recalled the Sergeant and Corporal put it together over tightened the foresight which protruded into the barrel. Result was first shot blew the end off the gun
It was quite a clever system.. the ammunition was a modified mortar round with a flat tin can somewhat like a floor polish tin fixed to the base as a propelling charge. The tin was filled with black powder and used a .455 revolver blank as a primer. On firing, the tin split with the rear portion acting like a cartridge case sealing the breech and the front half forming a seal on the barrel. There was a steel pressure plate at the front of the can which transferred the force to the bomb. Like the PIAT bomb, it was easily made using existing materials and tooling. I seem to recall that the Home Guard had to fund raise to get a Smith Gun, so they tended to be used by the more affluent units.
If the ammunition was a mortar round then i would like to know why not use mortars? In my mind a mortar is the best weapon for a unit like the Home Guard. Airborne and ambhibious forces hate those. Range is ofcource limited but what would the enemy shoot back with?
@@tommiturmiola3682 It was a direct fire weapon. There was supposed to be a shaped charge version of the round, but I'm not sure it was ever fielded. Direct fire weapons are much easier to use than high angle mortars.
Dad's Army is very accurate concerning the equipment for the respective period of the war the individual episodes are set in. You will notice that their ammunition pouches look different from those the regular soldiers wore. This is correct. The home guard was issued smaller ammunition pouches, but the problem for the film makers was that most of those got destroyed soon after the war ended and only a few were still available in the 1970s, when the series was shot. So the film crew ended up modifying binocular cases to look like the home guard ammunition pouches.
I too assumed they were firing potatoes... because potatoes WERE reasonably plentiful on "The ration"...Onions were most definitely NOT! (Most of the UK's onions pre war were imported from France) so that struck an odd note..... Just BTW..my favourite Home Guard story is that of the unit formed by US citizens living in London... The US Ambassador, Joseph Kennedy, was a well known Anglophobe..and from the fall of France he was continually telling all US citizens to get out because the UK was finished, Germany would soon occupy it, doom and gloom etc.... In response, a reasonable number of those men decided not only to ignore him...but to form that unit. Good stuff.
I don't know what I enjoyed more, learning about the Smith gun which I've never heard of OR seeing the "Dad's Army" crew again! "D-A" was shown here in the US on Public Television channels in the early 1980s and was very popular!
In wargamed implementations of Operation Sealion, the Home Guard had a significant impact on the outcome, delaying the progress of German forces toward objectives. 'Dad's Army' was never meant to ridicule the idea itself, but of course, in popular culture the effect has been to render it a bit of a joke.
Always love the range of clips you use for your videos, and happy to see you're familiar with Dad's Army (maybe worth a review for some of the younger folks not familiar?).
Would be really cool and perfect for this channel, great suggestion. I've seen some promo material for the show but haven't seen it. If* JJ likes it, i know it will be both fun and very interesting to learn about
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq It is, though it's a tad unfair on the Home Guard. I did some research, and the real HG were far more varied than Dad's Army. In terms of the experience and background of its members, it was probably one of the most diverse military organisations in history. Units from industrial areas, for example? They were often directly drawn from factory workforces, which gave them a distinctly trade union flavour. The Post Office and the Railways had their own separate battalions, because they had to protect lines of communication and transport. Units from coastal towns like Portsmouth and Harwich were often effectively naval militia, manning patrol boats and watching the coastline. They tended to be former sailors or marines, and often wore a naval battledress. In places like the Highlands and the West Country, the Home Guard almost resembled a feudal array, with tenants being led by their landlords. In Northern Ireland on the other hand, it was more like an auxiliary paramilitary for the police. Private schools and universities had their own Battalions too, with students as ORs and academics/teachers as officers - CS Lewis was one of them! There were even Home Guard units drawn from foreign exiles and emigres, including Jewish refugees who had served in the Imperial German Army, or the Austro-Hungarian Army. Units in ports included retired sailors from across the globe, while American businessmen in London formed their own motorised unit.
@@biggiouschinnus7489 As a child I had a 'surrogate grandad' who was an ex-WWI infantryman and exWWII Home Guard/farm worker. Ironically, the local HG 'officers' were mostly farmers who hadn't all served in the armed forces, but the NCOs certainly had. He taught me a lot of things I probably shouldn't have known about. Like how to set up an ambush for motorcycle troops (widely used by the Germans in 1940) and armoured cars. These traps involved sunken lanes with thick hedges, and beer bottles filled with petrol and other ingredients which were basically home-made napalm bombs. In the right circumstances, they probably could have taken out a 1940 German tank. He showed me a drawer in his shed that still had a box of .303 ammunition in it! He'd kept it back in case of future emergency. He and his comrades could certainly handle guns...he could hit a rabbit with a rifle at 100 yards or more. Any German unit that had tried to make it's way north from the Dorset coast would have had a rough time in the countryside.
Great video (as is the norm with you). My dad was part of the coastal guard on the east coast before the United States entered the war. He started in 1938 before shipping out to North Africa. I'd like to see a video on the US coastal guard (not coast guard).
I can remember talking to my grandfather, (he was in a reserved occupation in the war) about the days people were putting in during much of the conflict. You would have a long shift, at least 10/12 hours, then one of several jobs including fire watch, ambulance driver, guard at your place of work, special constable, home guard, fire fighter ect. If you had a busy night you often still had to do your job the next day because there was often no-one else to do it. If you were in a reserved occupation what you produced was needed for the war effort. Then you had to upkeep your vegetable garden, chickens ect and the usual family stuff. That's a long day.
People laugh about the Hone Guard, but later on in the war they were a serious fighting force. They were led mainly by WEI veterans, a large number of them were young healthy lads, 17 years old. For all the jokes made, they wouldve been a real pain in Geemanys side. They also trained in guerilla tactics. Pairedbwithbtheir knowledge ofnthe landscape, theyd have been effective fighters
Still a very cool concept, especially for the times. Modular and mobile. Such interesting equipment was built in that period. Analog and ever so creative solutions. Thanks for teaching me something new, again!
@@SlavicUnionGaming It might protect you from the rounds fired by a PzKpfw I which was only armed with twin 8mm MG-13s. And even though it was a light tank armed only with machineguns, the PzKpfw I was still a Panzer as was the slightly larger 20mm cannon armed PzKpfw II.
♪♪♪ Call out the navy, call out the ranks Call out the air force, call out the tanks. From the cliffs of Dover call up the Gauls And don’t forget the loyal territorials! But, who’s sticking in here? Who will defend every inch of England no matter what they send? Who’s standing firm in our own front yard? The soldiers of the old home guard. That’s who! The soldiers of the old home guard ♪♪♪
@@tamlandipper29 Up until the fall of Malaya and Burma, Britain didn’t have a shortage of rubber, it was only after that that the British and the Americans had to seriously consider their use of rubber. And even then, thanks to their access to alternative sources of supply, they were never in the desperate situation that the Germans were, they just had to be careful not to use rubber when a suitable substitute was available.
I saw something once: "...the kind of weapon created during really terrible wars." The statement was meant to be dramatic, but it also works as ludicrous.
The Smith Gun was considered for use by the Airborne Forces. Trials were conducted in 1943 where the Gun and Limber were parachuted from the bomb bay of a Wellington Mk III. Whilst the trials were mostly successful, there was some damage to the Wellington, its adoption by the Airborne Forces was mercifully not taken up.
Ive seen the comments numerous times but, I dont usually think, "oh man, this person uploaded" but, Im one of those people with this channel. I see a new upload and I have to click. Bravo sir
Now I want to watch that episode of Dad's Army! I wonder which episode it was? Lol. Thanks for the weapon video! Oh, I looked up Dad's Army with Smith Gun and found it, "We Know Our Onions". Off to it after this!
Well that piece of information went with a bang! I do remember info on this gun along with other emergency anti-tank weapons a long time ago on a document dedicated to Britain Defence. Brave chaps!
The Imperial War Museum in London has one of these. I'd never heard of them until I saw it. Much like the Sten, it shows a desperation and hard pressed creativity on the part of the UK.
When you have so little to fight with, anything better looks like a good option. People mock the home guard, but they were at least able to provide a measure of additional security for home defence when the army was threadbare. Could they tackle an armoured formation? Of course not, regular infantry were struggling to do that in 40-42, but they may help discourage infantry or recon probes. For that matter, the chance of much armour turning up before any final stages of Operation Seelöwe were.... let's say doubtful! Also, context matters. Many units of hastily armed and mustered Soviet workers were deployed as desperation measures to defend their town/city with a damn sight less equipment than this, and would probably have torn your arm off for half a dozen of these to give them some form of local support!
Fortunately the German Amphibious Equipment was equally bad - just not as funny. (They put giant fans on River Barges ....). So - an attempt at Sea Lion would have primarily had the result of drowning a lot of German Infantry. The Germans - as later the Allies - did recognize that they needed Air Superiority over the invasion beaches - they just didn't know that the Luftwaffe couldn't get it for them. The thing with the Battle of Britain - was that no one had ever done anything like that before. The Germans did try bombing the British during WWI - but - that was nothing like what they were trying to do in the Battle of Britain. So - no one knew that the Germans _Couldn't Do It_ . If you look at what the Allies had to do to invade Normandy - it gives you some indication of just how hopeless the Germans were in 1940. They were never even close to having what they needed - they and the British just didn't know that. .
Hello Johnny, nice video again. Could you please discuss the US army Ike jacket? I would love it if you included footage from "The Dirty Dozen - The Fatal Mission" from 1988.
The HG wouldn't have needed robust equipment as (if there were an invasion) it would have been used a few times, in a small area. Simplicity would have allowed max usage
Interesting video, I've never heard of this one. A bit of a poor relation to the Blacker Bombard? Love the Dad's Army footage. My dad was in the Home Guard later in the war, he was 14 in 1939 and as a farmer was in a 'protected occupation', meaning he wasn't drafted.
Honestly the concept is interesting. the base stands dual purpose as a wheel. A lot of the failings appear to be the rigidity of the wheel itself and the axel bearing when rolled onto the side. Both of those are engineering problems that can be fixed by making the wheels thicker and oversizing the bearings for the axel to handle the extra wear from being tipped over. However, this would have a severe limit on the size of the gun and would likely be better as a heavy machinegun than anti-tank gun. The wheels would allow a small team to roll this into position and the plate on the front could be thick enough to deflect small arms fire and shrapnel.
If I had been in the Home Guard and was given the choice of this or the Northover Projector I would take this one, any chance of a video about the Northover Projector?
Ну, у нас (в СССР, в Красной Армии) аналогом подобного орудия был "Ампуломёт" - не так что-бы удачное орудие, но гораздо более массовое, и применявшееся в бою. Особенно под Москвой (не очень удачно) и в Сталинграде (здесь достаточно эффективно при штурмах зданий). И провоевал до 1944 года точно, хотя выполнял к тому времени уже чисто вспомогательные задачи типа заброса на сторону противника агитационных снарядов с листовками. Гораздо более удачным образцом кустарного вооружения оказалась "ГК" - "Горная Катюша", созданная в 1942 году. Она устанавливалась на катерах, железнодорожных дрезинах береговой обороны, на машинах типа "Виллис" и ГАЗ-67, активно применялась партизанами в горной местности (отсюда и название) в виде вьючной установки. Применялась во время войны в Корее и аж до Вьетнама, где использовалась вьетконгом и иногда очень успешно "товарищами Ли-Си-Цинами" против вертолётов Южного Вьетнама и США. Well, we (in the USSR, in the Red Army) with an analogue of such an instrument was an “ampoule” - not so that a successful gun, but much more massive, and used in battle.Especially near Moscow (not very successful) and in Stalingrad (here it is quite effective in the assaults of buildings).And he stored until 1944 for sure, although by that time he had already performed purely auxiliary tasks such as casting to the side of the enemy of campaign shells with leaflets.A much more successful example of artisanal weapons was the "GК" - “Mountain Katyusha”, created in 1942. It was installed on boats, coastal railway valves, on vehicles of the “Willis” and GAZ-67 type, was actively used by partisans in the mountainous area (hence the name) in the form of a pack installation. It was used during the war in Korea and right up to Vietnam, where it was used by Viet Kong and sometimes very successfully "comrades of Li-Si-Cins" against helicopters of South Vietnam and the United States.
My great grandfather was in the artillery at dunkirk and was ordered to fire his guns into eachother to disable them before the Germans arrived. Luckily he escaped thankfully but many weren't so fortunate
They don't like it up em Mr Mainwaring, sir! IIRC Ace Models have a kit of the Smith gun in 1/72 Unfortunately I don't know of a cast of the Dad's Army in the same scale.
I am convinced Mad* Max 2 and 3 went in the wrong direction between true glory like Bob Semple, Panjandrum, and the Smith Gun actually existing during real scarcity.
Was unaware of the Smyth Gun till now. It looks odd now but those must have been harrowing times for the Brits, awaiting invasion after seeing the Nazis just role across Norway, the Low Countries and France.
DONT PANIC! The episode was called "That's Shallot," or "Mainwaring knows his onions"! Nicely peeled history lesson; layers of genuine wartime film sauteed with Dads Army clips leeked by a chive talker. It's enough to make you cry! Shall I go onionandon?
When amo shortages save the lives of those suposed to field operate the gun more than potential enemies could... Now I have a new and improved defenition of ' a failed weapon concept by it being selfdefeating'.
During the invasion scare, old 57mm 6pdr Hotchkiss cannons from WWI tanks were soektimes usedbas atatic AT guns. This gun was kich kess powerful than the WWII 6odr
That's good JJ and also may want to look into Nazi helicopters including this 1 the Focke-Achgelis Fa 223 Drache during WWII among others of that type said to be the first helicopters. Also could do parts on the MI-24 Hind attack copter, A-1 H Cobra, H-13 Sioux, and missiles like the SA-7 and Stingers, RPG-7, AK-47 and variants of that like RPK and AK-74 and DSHK. Also could do ones on worst weapons like the notorious Chauchat and Type 94 pistol among who knows what others DSHK is good and the M2 machine gun among who knows what others.
It was a highly advanced weapon system, considering that the home guard was originally equipped with improvised pikes, e.g. a plumbing pipe with a knife wired to one end. They were lucky that zhe Germans never landed
Great use of Dad's Army footage, especially the title animation towards the end. My grandfather was a sergeant in the LDV, then in the Home Guard. He'd been a regular NCO in the Great War. He and his comrades took their job very seriously.
Don't panic!
The LDV were given a really unfortunate nickname with that abbreviation that wasn't justified. In the event of an invasion, people joked that they'd Look at the Germans, Duck and then Vanish.
Wow your grandfather got around
@@jackhughes1741 My Dad told me it was "Look, Duck and Vanish", either way, typical Brit humor.
@@Flusterbomb They don't like it up them!
I know a lot about military weapons but THIS is something I have never seen! Many thanks for this enlightening video. Remarkable piece of machinery.
It’s a wonder that Dr. Mark Felton didn’t do this already!
Wow! I was going to write exactly the same thing. When I saw your comment, I thought it was mine and I had just forgotten I had been here in my aging brain! 😂 I have neither heard nor seen anything about this weapon.
Me too chief; been looking at WWII stuff since 1997 and never seen this before.
@@samiam619 that guy sucks
In Germany it is known ... well, at least by readers of the now long stopped "Waffen Revue". If I remember correctly. 😊
Training was limited, but this may have saved lives (paraphrased). Wow, sounds like some of the military training I endured.
Can confirm.
Well as there were quite a few Home Guard members killed during training due to inept real Captain Mainwearing types.
Who after a short time in the regular army thought they knew it all.
Excellent script. Johnny really knows his onions.
And his neeps!
Cool video! Never heard about this thing!
My dad was HG as a 15 year old prior to joining the Navy.
The Smiths was delivered disassembled, and he recalled the Sergeant and Corporal put it together over tightened the foresight which protruded into the barrel.
Result was first shot blew the end off the gun
So it there was a threaded hole all the way into the barrel?
It was quite a clever system.. the ammunition was a modified mortar round with a flat tin can somewhat like a floor polish tin fixed to the base as a propelling charge. The tin was filled with black powder and used a .455 revolver blank as a primer.
On firing, the tin split with the rear portion acting like a cartridge case sealing the breech and the front half forming a seal on the barrel. There was a steel pressure plate at the front of the can which transferred the force to the bomb. Like the PIAT bomb, it was easily made using existing materials and tooling.
I seem to recall that the Home Guard had to fund raise to get a Smith Gun, so they tended to be used by the more affluent units.
If the ammunition was a mortar round then i would like to know why not use mortars? In my mind a mortar is the best weapon for a unit like the Home Guard. Airborne and ambhibious forces hate those. Range is ofcource limited but what would the enemy shoot back with?
@@tommiturmiola3682 It was a direct fire weapon. There was supposed to be a shaped charge version of the round, but I'm not sure it was ever fielded. Direct fire weapons are much easier to use than high angle mortars.
i never knew it was a real gun on dads army
Dad's Army is very accurate concerning the equipment for the respective period of the war the individual episodes are set in. You will notice that their ammunition pouches look different from those the regular soldiers wore. This is correct. The home guard was issued smaller ammunition pouches, but the problem for the film makers was that most of those got destroyed soon after the war ended and only a few were still available in the 1970s, when the series was shot. So the film crew ended up modifying binocular cases to look like the home guard ammunition pouches.
Yes and there is supposedly according to an Ex-home guard member who told me back in the seventies two dumped in the Norfolk Broads.
I fisrt saw it in the Imperial War Museum 3 months ago! I was so surprised that I never knew such thing existed! Great video!
"Peel back some layers" very good! "Vandals! Ooligans! Look wot you've done to my onions!"
"You stupid boy..."
We know our onions
Every time I finish watching a new video and hear the pun of the day, a part of my soul leaves my body. Don't stop making these!
I too assumed they were firing potatoes... because potatoes WERE reasonably plentiful on "The ration"...Onions were most definitely NOT! (Most of the UK's onions pre war were imported from France) so that struck an odd note..... Just BTW..my favourite Home Guard story is that of the unit formed by US citizens living in London... The US Ambassador, Joseph Kennedy, was a well known Anglophobe..and from the fall of France he was continually telling all US citizens to get out because the UK was finished, Germany would soon occupy it, doom and gloom etc.... In response, a reasonable number of those men decided not only to ignore him...but to form that unit. Good stuff.
I don't know what I enjoyed more, learning about the Smith gun which I've never heard of OR seeing the "Dad's Army" crew again! "D-A" was shown here in the US on Public Television channels in the early 1980s and was very popular!
Even though I'm not an ENGLANDER, I love to watch
Dad's Army!
👌🇬🇧👌
If you get the jokes and laugh then your as good as an Englander😂
@@vernongoodey5096 TA', MATE!
👍
Considering that the army adopted Toilet plumbing as their smg this is not far off
Whenever I see footage of Dad's Army or 'Allo 'Allo, I can't help but smile throughout the video.
The Home Guard were previously known as the LDV, or "local defence volunteers", also known a little unkindly, as "look, duck and vanish!"
In wargamed implementations of Operation Sealion, the Home Guard had a significant impact on the outcome, delaying the progress of German forces toward objectives. 'Dad's Army' was never meant to ridicule the idea itself, but of course, in popular culture the effect has been to render it a bit of a joke.
Always love the range of clips you use for your videos, and happy to see you're familiar with Dad's Army (maybe worth a review for some of the younger folks not familiar?).
It's a brilliant series.
Would be really cool and perfect for this channel, great suggestion. I've seen some promo material for the show but haven't seen it. If* JJ likes it, i know it will be both fun and very interesting to learn about
@@JohnnyJohnsonEsq It is, though it's a tad unfair on the Home Guard. I did some research, and the real HG were far more varied than Dad's Army. In terms of the experience and background of its members, it was probably one of the most diverse military organisations in history.
Units from industrial areas, for example? They were often directly drawn from factory workforces, which gave them a distinctly trade union flavour. The Post Office and the Railways had their own separate battalions, because they had to protect lines of communication and transport.
Units from coastal towns like Portsmouth and Harwich were often effectively naval militia, manning patrol boats and watching the coastline. They tended to be former sailors or marines, and often wore a naval battledress.
In places like the Highlands and the West Country, the Home Guard almost resembled a feudal array, with tenants being led by their landlords. In Northern Ireland on the other hand, it was more like an auxiliary paramilitary for the police. Private schools and universities had their own Battalions too, with students as ORs and academics/teachers as officers - CS Lewis was one of them!
There were even Home Guard units drawn from foreign exiles and emigres, including Jewish refugees who had served in the Imperial German Army, or the Austro-Hungarian Army. Units in ports included retired sailors from across the globe, while American businessmen in London formed their own motorised unit.
@@biggiouschinnus7489 As a child I had a 'surrogate grandad' who was an ex-WWI infantryman and exWWII Home Guard/farm worker. Ironically, the local HG 'officers' were mostly farmers who hadn't all served in the armed forces, but the NCOs certainly had.
He taught me a lot of things I probably shouldn't have known about. Like how to set up an ambush for motorcycle troops (widely used by the Germans in 1940) and armoured cars. These traps involved sunken lanes with thick hedges, and beer bottles filled with petrol and other ingredients which were basically home-made napalm bombs. In the right circumstances, they probably could have taken out a 1940 German tank.
He showed me a drawer in his shed that still had a box of .303 ammunition in it! He'd kept it back in case of future emergency. He and his comrades could certainly handle guns...he could hit a rabbit with a rifle at 100 yards or more. Any German unit that had tried to make it's way north from the Dorset coast would have had a rough time in the countryside.
I saw the Smith Gun at the Imperial War Museum in London, and it was fascinating. What in interesting concept.
Thanks, getting a dose of dad's army early morning is quite the tonic!
Great video (as is the norm with you). My dad was part of the coastal guard on the east coast before the United States entered the war. He started in 1938 before shipping out to North Africa. I'd like to see a video on the US coastal guard (not coast guard).
I can remember talking to my grandfather, (he was in a reserved occupation in the war) about the days people were putting in during much of the conflict. You would have a long shift, at least 10/12 hours, then one of several jobs including fire watch, ambulance driver, guard at your place of work, special constable, home guard, fire fighter ect. If you had a busy night you often still had to do your job the next day because there was often no-one else to do it. If you were in a reserved occupation what you produced was needed for the war effort. Then you had to upkeep your vegetable garden, chickens ect and the usual family stuff. That's a long day.
Dad's army we know our onions episode
People laugh about the Hone Guard, but later on in the war they were a serious fighting force.
They were led mainly by WEI veterans, a large number of them were young healthy lads, 17 years old.
For all the jokes made, they wouldve been a real pain in Geemanys side.
They also trained in guerilla tactics. Pairedbwithbtheir knowledge ofnthe landscape, theyd have been effective fighters
The more Dad’s Army the better!
I'm sure an episode on the Panjandrum will be coming!
Greetings from Hungary!
I've seen one of the Smith guns in IWM London a couple of years back. I was surprised how small it is.
Still a very cool concept, especially for the times.
Modular and mobile.
Such interesting equipment was built in that period. Analog and ever so creative solutions.
Thanks for teaching me something new, again!
Instant pillboxes. Quite a novelty.
In any case, it was a far better idea than the Bob Semple Tank.
definitley not gonna save you from a German panzer round
@@SlavicUnionGaming Never said it would.
Not even normal at gun shield can take a panzer round or normal rifle rounds, those shield were for fragments
@@SlavicUnionGaming What infantry-portable piece of equipment would?
@@SlavicUnionGaming It might protect you from the rounds fired by a PzKpfw I which was only armed with twin 8mm MG-13s. And even though it was a light tank armed only with machineguns, the PzKpfw I was still a Panzer as was the slightly larger 20mm cannon armed PzKpfw II.
*Would've been the perfect companion weapon with the ... **_"potato masher grenade."_*
The locals then just need to ask the Huns to bring some sausages on the way in ….
♪♪♪ Call out the navy, call out the ranks
Call out the air force, call out the tanks.
From the cliffs of Dover call up the Gauls
And don’t forget the loyal territorials!
But, who’s sticking in here? Who will defend
every inch of England no matter what they send?
Who’s standing firm in our own front yard?
The soldiers of the old home guard. That’s who!
The soldiers of the old home guard ♪♪♪
And there was also a Northover Proyector that launched soda bottles, full of phosphorus, according to Ian V. Hogg, an artillery expert.
One vital feature not mentioned, was it used rubber bands for its recoil system.
Really? Seems odd given the demand for rubber and where it came from.
@@tamlandipper29 Up until the fall of Malaya and Burma, Britain didn’t have a shortage of rubber, it was only after that that the British and the Americans had to seriously consider their use of rubber. And even then, thanks to their access to alternative sources of supply, they were never in the desperate situation that the Germans were, they just had to be careful not to use rubber when a suitable substitute was available.
I saw something once: "...the kind of weapon created during really terrible wars."
The statement was meant to be dramatic, but it also works as ludicrous.
You think the Smith Gun was ludicrous, just wait until you see the Great Panjandrum. That was also featured in an episode of Dad's Army.
The Smith Gun was considered for use by the Airborne Forces. Trials were conducted in 1943 where the Gun and Limber were parachuted from the bomb bay of a Wellington Mk III. Whilst the trials were mostly successful, there was some damage to the Wellington, its adoption by the Airborne Forces was mercifully not taken up.
Still putting out ace content. Thanks JJ!
Ive seen the comments numerous times but, I dont usually think, "oh man, this person uploaded" but, Im one of those people with this channel. I see a new upload and I have to click. Bravo sir
Thanks man that truly means a lot. Feedback like this keeps me going!
@JohnnyJohnsonEsq as long as you're still going, we'll still be here ;^)
Wait... Those gun real? I thought it just a Smyth gun
Have a nice rest of your day too!
You just have to cover the Butchers Van, Infantry for the use of Mk1 now.
Fascinating video, love hearing about these obscure, lesser known weapons like this
Now we just need a video about the Wesson Gun.
That's a slippery slope...
Interesting weapon
This just makes me want a video about the British Home Guard now. I only recently discovered Dad's Army and I can't get enough of it!
Glad this channel has no intro music like mark felton. Great telling voice!
i gonestly thought this can a joke video about some movie gun lol, i'd never seen that thing sick vid
It’s always interesting to see what countries do when pushed to the brink. Another great video Johnny!
Now I want to watch that episode of Dad's Army! I wonder which episode it was? Lol. Thanks for the weapon video! Oh, I looked up Dad's Army with Smith Gun and found it, "We Know Our Onions". Off to it after this!
Well that piece of information went with a bang! I do remember info on this gun along with other emergency anti-tank weapons a long time ago on a document dedicated to Britain Defence. Brave chaps!
The Imperial War Museum in London has one of these. I'd never heard of them until I saw it. Much like the Sten, it shows a desperation and hard pressed creativity on the part of the UK.
Lance Corporal Jones was a Victorian era Soldier hero.
Lord Kitchener and the Sudan .. fought the Fuzzy Wuzzies etc. They actually got all his medals ribbons right too.
That got me inspired to think of a better version for our army here in Philippines but using mortar instead for a VERY QUICK artillery support
John Smith's gun was a P-38 in " The man in the High castle"
Amazing work JJ!
I've never heard of this one before!
"Po-ta-toes. Boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew!" -- Samwise.
Those are onions?
Thanks for paying respect to the Home Guard, Johnny. And Dad's Army may be the greatest BritCom ever!
Using the wheel for its rotation is genius
Great video again, Thanks!
Ian needs to get his hands on one of these
Excellent 'Dad's Army' clips sir ❤❤❤👍📽❤
They have one of these in the Army museum in Warminster.
Not Walmington- on - Sea?
@@neilturner6749 British Military Small Arms Museum.
When you have so little to fight with, anything better looks like a good option. People mock the home guard, but they were at least able to provide a measure of additional security for home defence when the army was threadbare.
Could they tackle an armoured formation? Of course not, regular infantry were struggling to do that in 40-42, but they may help discourage infantry or recon probes. For that matter, the chance of much armour turning up before any final stages of Operation Seelöwe were.... let's say doubtful!
Also, context matters. Many units of hastily armed and mustered Soviet workers were deployed as desperation measures to defend their town/city with a damn sight less equipment than this, and would probably have torn your arm off for half a dozen of these to give them some form of local support!
Thank you. I’d never heard of this before.
Fortunately the German Amphibious Equipment was equally bad - just not as funny. (They put giant fans on River Barges ....). So - an attempt at Sea Lion would have primarily had the result of drowning a lot of German Infantry.
The Germans - as later the Allies - did recognize that they needed Air Superiority over the invasion beaches - they just didn't know that the Luftwaffe couldn't get it for them.
The thing with the Battle of Britain - was that no one had ever done anything like that before. The Germans did try bombing the British during WWI - but - that was nothing like what they were trying to do in the Battle of Britain. So - no one knew that the Germans _Couldn't Do It_ .
If you look at what the Allies had to do to invade Normandy - it gives you some indication of just how hopeless the Germans were in 1940. They were never even close to having what they needed - they and the British just didn't know that.
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Hello Johnny, nice video again. Could you please discuss the US army Ike jacket? I would love it if you included footage from "The Dirty Dozen - The Fatal Mission" from 1988.
The HG wouldn't have needed robust equipment as (if there were an invasion) it would have been used a few times, in a small area. Simplicity would have allowed max usage
Don't think the boys would have been wasting all those nice onions during WW2 rationing 🧅
I thought those were ping pong balls, but i guess onions were just as deadly if gotten in the eyes LOL.
iNTERESTING, first time ever knowing about this weapon
Love it when I learn about something new on the 2nd world war. Thanks Johnny
Another good one! Dad's Army, what a classic bit of British comedy, but so many wasted potatoes that could have gone with a bit of fish and chips!
Onions 😂
Interesting video, I've never heard of this one. A bit of a poor relation to the Blacker Bombard? Love the Dad's Army footage. My dad was in the Home Guard later in the war, he was 14 in 1939 and as a farmer was in a 'protected occupation', meaning he wasn't drafted.
Extremely interesting. Thankyou.
The QF 13-pounder gun was another weapon used in the series.
Limited ammunition indeed saves lives :)
Sure beats a pointy stick, which also was a issued weapon to the home guard.
Honestly the concept is interesting. the base stands dual purpose as a wheel. A lot of the failings appear to be the rigidity of the wheel itself and the axel bearing when rolled onto the side. Both of those are engineering problems that can be fixed by making the wheels thicker and oversizing the bearings for the axel to handle the extra wear from being tipped over.
However, this would have a severe limit on the size of the gun and would likely be better as a heavy machinegun than anti-tank gun. The wheels would allow a small team to roll this into position and the plate on the front could be thick enough to deflect small arms fire and shrapnel.
It looks dangerous... to those operating it...
DON'T PANIC, DON'T PANIC!!
From what he mentions...it sounds like this was tragically the case in some instances!
Most interesting. Thanks!
Dad's Army wasn't entirely fictional; it was only partly fictional and always funny.
If I had been in the Home Guard and was given the choice of this or the Northover Projector I would take this one, any chance of a video about the Northover Projector?
Ну, у нас (в СССР, в Красной Армии) аналогом подобного орудия был "Ампуломёт" - не так что-бы удачное орудие, но гораздо более массовое, и применявшееся в бою. Особенно под Москвой (не очень удачно) и в Сталинграде (здесь достаточно эффективно при штурмах зданий). И провоевал до 1944 года точно, хотя выполнял к тому времени уже чисто вспомогательные задачи типа заброса на сторону противника агитационных снарядов с листовками. Гораздо более удачным образцом кустарного вооружения оказалась "ГК" - "Горная Катюша", созданная в 1942 году. Она устанавливалась на катерах, железнодорожных дрезинах береговой обороны, на машинах типа "Виллис" и ГАЗ-67, активно применялась партизанами в горной местности (отсюда и название) в виде вьючной установки. Применялась во время войны в Корее и аж до Вьетнама, где использовалась вьетконгом и иногда очень успешно "товарищами Ли-Си-Цинами" против вертолётов Южного Вьетнама и США.
Well, we (in the USSR, in the Red Army) with an analogue of such an instrument was an “ampoule” - not so that a successful gun, but much more massive, and used in battle.Especially near Moscow (not very successful) and in Stalingrad (here it is quite effective in the assaults of buildings).And he stored until 1944 for sure, although by that time he had already performed purely auxiliary tasks such as casting to the side of the enemy of campaign shells with leaflets.A much more successful example of artisanal weapons was the "GК" - “Mountain Katyusha”, created in 1942. It was installed on boats, coastal railway valves, on vehicles of the “Willis” and GAZ-67 type, was actively used by partisans in the mountainous area (hence the name) in the form of a pack installation. It was used during the war in Korea and right up to Vietnam, where it was used by Viet Kong and sometimes very successfully "comrades of Li-Si-Cins" against helicopters of South Vietnam and the United States.
My great grandfather was in the artillery at dunkirk and was ordered to fire his guns into eachother to disable them before the Germans arrived. Luckily he escaped thankfully but many weren't so fortunate
This story has so many layers to it.
Runs rings around all the other storylines .
No choppyness either. Makes me want to cry .
Ok , I'll leave now...
They don't like it up em Mr Mainwaring, sir!
IIRC Ace Models have a kit of the Smith gun in 1/72
Unfortunately I don't know of a cast of the Dad's Army in the same scale.
I am convinced Mad* Max 2 and 3 went in the wrong direction between true glory like Bob Semple, Panjandrum, and the Smith Gun actually existing during real scarcity.
holy crap the panjandrum is insane! lmao I love it
@peternystrom921 sadly I cannot write in any other languages besides English, is my/your device malfunctioning and translating?
@@nathanirick HAha sorry man :)
One of the few times I've never heard of the weapon featured.
Was unaware of the Smyth Gun till now. It looks odd now but those must have been harrowing times for the Brits, awaiting invasion after seeing the Nazis just role across Norway, the Low Countries and France.
home guards are so interesting to me because of the lack of resources but the determination to defend their country still
DONT PANIC! The episode was called "That's Shallot," or "Mainwaring knows his onions"! Nicely peeled history lesson; layers of genuine wartime film sauteed with Dads Army clips leeked by a chive talker. It's enough to make you cry! Shall I go onionandon?
Dang, if I had a payroll or staff you'd be on my team lol
There's an episode of dad's army that I've not seen!
Interesting
home guard bought mas recip[e for yorkshire pudding fatal at 100 paces
When amo shortages save the lives of those suposed to field operate the gun more than potential enemies could...
Now I have a new and improved defenition of ' a failed weapon concept by it being selfdefeating'.
Smith Gun missfiring: "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out."
Nice reference
During the invasion scare, old 57mm 6pdr Hotchkiss cannons from WWI tanks were soektimes usedbas atatic AT guns. This gun was kich kess powerful than the WWII 6odr
It says something about the quality of the weapon when the only time it was ever featured in any movies or shows was as a comedy.
The "Dad's Army" scenes were good, high-resolution, many RUclips sites offering the series are of poor quality.
That's good JJ and also may want to look into Nazi helicopters including this 1 the Focke-Achgelis Fa 223 Drache during WWII among others of that type said to be the first helicopters. Also could do parts on the MI-24 Hind attack copter, A-1 H Cobra, H-13 Sioux, and missiles like the SA-7 and Stingers, RPG-7, AK-47 and variants of that like RPK and AK-74 and DSHK. Also could do ones on worst weapons like the notorious Chauchat and Type 94 pistol among who knows what others DSHK is good and the M2 machine gun among who knows what others.
It was a highly advanced weapon system, considering that the home guard was originally equipped with improvised pikes, e.g. a plumbing pipe with a knife wired to one end. They were lucky that zhe Germans never landed
My mother would have been furious at the waste of all those onions during rationing.😁
You might also want to try a review of the Blacker Bombard another unusual ad-hoc British flash of genius.
A BIG PIAT! (Both were spigot mortars)
The creators name was smith😮