The name of what versatile product was coined by US soldiers as they couldn't pronounce its original name, 'Offiziersmesser'?
"Swiss Army knife The Swiss Army knife is a pocketknife or multi-tool manufactured by Victorinox (and up to 2005 also by Wenger SA). The term ""Swiss Army knife"" was coined by American soldiers after World War II due to the difficulty they had in pronouncing ""Offiziersmesser"", the German name (""lit."" “officer’s knife”). The Swiss Army knife generally has a main spearpoint blade, as well as various tools, such as screwdrivers, a can opener, and many others. These attachments are stowed inside the handle of the knife through a pivot point mechanism. The handle is usually in its stereotypical red color,"
"design, but was told that it might infringe existing patents, so he dropped all plans. In 1941 Burstyn was awarded the War Merit Cross, 1st and 2nd class, with Swords. At the end of World War II (April, 1945) he committed suicide because he feared Soviet captivity. Burstyn was christened ""Günther,"" but in later life chose to omit the umlaut and use the name ""Gunther"". Gunther Burstyn Gunther Adolf Burstyn (6 July 1879 in Bad Aussee, Steiermark - 15 April 1945 in Korneuburg, Lower Austria) was an inventor, technician, and officer of the Austro-Hungarian Army. In 1911, he produced and"
"and the invention of muzzle brakes to reduce recoil forces. Like the gun-howitzers of the 19th century, those of the 20th century replaced both guns and howitzers. Thus, the 25-pounder ""gun-howitzer"" of the British Army replaced both the 18-pounder field gun and the 4.5-inch howitzer. While this had the effect of simplifying such things as organization, training and the supply of ammunition, it created considerable confusion in the realm of nomenclature. In the US Army, however, the preferred term was ""howitzer"". Thus, as gun-howitzers replaced both guns and howitzers, words such as ""obusier"" (French) and ""Haubitze"" (German), which had originally"
"that armies continued to develop and issue new designs. On the Axis side, the ""Nahkampfmesser"" and designs developed from it were again widely issued to the ordinary soldier as general-purpose fighting and utility knives, while Allied armies generally restricted issue of trench knives to elite infantry units and infantry not otherwise equipped with the bayonet. With the exception of the German ""Nahkampfmesser"" or (close combat knife), most early trench knives were fabricated by hand by individual soldiers or ordnance blacksmiths for the purpose of silently eliminating sentries and other enemy personnel during trench raids. These early ""trench knives"" were often"
"sight mounts available. As the Swiss have a militia army where soldiers sometimes keep their service rifles for a lifetime and also compete with their service rifle many aftermarket sights were available: Waffenfabrik Bern made the ""S"" and ""K"" (Klammer) diopter sights, Wyss makes the ""W"" diopter and Furter, Haemmerli and Gruenig and Elmiger made now rare special windage and elevation fine-correctors, Sahli and many other made elevation fine correctors and these days a company by the name of Swiss Products in the United States makes a clamp-on diopter which was recently approved for use at official Swiss shooting matches."
"Luger and C96 Mauser failed, as accurate aimed fire in full automatic mode was impossible due to their light weight and high rate of fire of 1,200 rounds per minute. The Commission determined that a completely new kind of weapon was needed. Hugo Schmeisser, working for the ""Bergmann Waffenfabrik"" was part of a team composed of Theodor Bergmann and a few other technicians. They designed a new type of weapon to fulfill the requirements, which was designated the Maschinenpistole"" 18/I. It is not clear what the ""I"" designation is intended to indicate, although its successor, the MP28, was designated the"
"commonly a copper-nickel alloy known as ""German silver"". The term derringer () has become a genericized misspelling of the last name of Henry Deringer. Many copies of the original Philadelphia Deringer pistol were made by other gun makers worldwide, and the name was often misspelled; this misspelling soon became an alternative generic term for any pocket pistol, along with the generic phrase palm pistol, which Deringer's competitors invented and used in their advertising. With the advent of metallic cartridges, pistols produced in the modern form still commonly called ""derringers"". Daniel Moore patented a single shot metallic cartridge .38 Rimfire derringer"
"use in a military firearm, a modified Gewehr 98 referred to as a """"Wehrmannsgewehr"""" was designed. These were made primarily as single shots; some only had a wood block in the magazine space. These became the 1936 Olympic team rifles for the Germans. As the restrictions on production were increasingly ignored by the Germans in the 1930s, a new Mauser, the Mauser standard model, was developed from the rifle-length Karabiner 98b. It was nominally intended for export and civilian sales. While many standard model rifles were indeed exported, it was meant primarily for use by the revived German military. It"
"""Nahkampfmesser"" was extremely popular in German military service, and would be issued again in slightly revised form during World War II as the Kampfmesser 42. In the Pacific theater of World War II, U.S. Army and Marine Corps personnel frequently employed jungle and utility knives such as machetes, bush knives, hospital corps knives, and bolos as fighting knives. These knives were particularly favored by elite or specialist units such as the U.S. Army's Bushmaster regiment and Pioneer combat engineer detachment and the Marine Raider and Paramarine battalions of the U.S. Marine Corps. The success of these large knives in individual"
"1898 saw the Schwarzlose Model 1898, a semi-automatic pistol invented by Prussian firearm designer Andreas Wilhelm Schwarzlose. It was chambered for the 7.65×25mm Mauser,[1] but could also shoot the weaker Borchardt ammunition. The Schwarzlose design was most advanced and far ahead of its time, but not widely adopted with less than 1000 pieces being manufactured.[2][3] Small lots were sold to the Boers and used during the Boer War. Another lot was sold to members of the Russian Social-Democratic Party who were plotting insurrection, but were confiscated at the Russian border and issued to the Imperial Russian Frontier Guards.[3][4] In Belgium"
"was called in German. The military output of the artisans called ""passementiers"" (ornamental braid, lace, cord, or trimmings makers) is evident in catalogs of various military uniform and regalia makers of centuries past. The broader art form of ""passementerie"", with its divisions of Decor, Clergy and Nobility, Upholstery, Coaches and Livery, and Military, is covered in a few books on that subject, none of which are in English. Indian swords had the tassel attached through an eyelet at the end of the pommel. Chinese swords, both ""jian"" and ""dao"", often have lanyards or tassels attached. As with Western sword knots,"
"by makers Victorinox and Wenger. The actual version supplied to the Swiss army includes a knife blade, a reamer, a bottle-opener–screwdriver–wire stripper, and a can-opener–screwdriver. Besides Victorinox and Wenger, many other manufacturers now make similar knives. Other versions may include items like a nail file, tweezers, folding scissors, a tooth pick, a magnifying glass, screwdriver bits and others. There are also versions that have special tools for specific sports or outdoor activities like golf, horseback riding, hunting or fishing. Versions intended for cyclists may have a selection of allen (hex) keys, a selection of wrenches, screwdrivers, a spoke key, and"
"a letter to Victorinox, asking about getting a Master Craftsman knife after seeing the one his brother used in space. There are other stories as well of repairs conducted in space using a Swiss Army knife. The Swiss Army knife has been added to the collection of the New York Museum of Modern Art and Munich's State Museum of Applied Art for its design. The term ""Swiss Army"" currently is a registered trademark owned by Victorinox AG and its subsidiary, Wenger SA. MacGyver, a 1985 television series along with its 2016 reboot features Angus MacGyver, who frequently uses different Swiss"
"Agar gun The Agar gun (or Ager) was an early rapid fire machine gun developed during the US Civil War. The weapon was nicknamed the Coffee Mill Gun, and was also called the Union Repeating Gun. During the Civil War, inventors were encouraged to create new and better weapons. The Agar machine gun was one of about fifty or so hand-cranked machine guns developed for the war during this period. It was named after its inventor, Wilson Agar (sometimes spelled Wilson Ager). The gun was nicknamed the ""Coffee Mill Gun"" because the crank and the ammunition hopper on the top"
"Agar machine guns were sold for $500 each. Agar gun The Agar gun (or Ager) was an early rapid fire machine gun developed during the US Civil War. The weapon was nicknamed the Coffee Mill Gun, and was also called the Union Repeating Gun. During the Civil War, inventors were encouraged to create new and better weapons. The Agar machine gun was one of about fifty or so hand-cranked machine guns developed for the war during this period. It was named after its inventor, Wilson Agar (sometimes spelled Wilson Ager). The gun was nicknamed the ""Coffee Mill Gun"" because the"
"gun-howitzer was the French ""canon obusier"" of 19th century. The smooth-bore Canon obusier de 12 was a versatile weapon that quickly replaced both ordinary cannons and howitzers in French service, and became one of the basic types of artillery used by both sides of the American Civil War. Owing to their versality, gun-howitzers gained prominence in the period leading to World War II as a more flexible weapon than ordinary howitzers and were adopted by armies of both the Allies (for instance the Soviet ML-20 152 mm M1937 and British (88 mm) Ordnance QF 25-pounder) and the Axis (German 10.5"
"use and unofficially adopt the M1897 for their own use with modifications and named it ""trench mouser"" and mainly place them with stormtroopers. Although the Model 1897 was popular with American troops in World War I, the Germans soon began to protest its use in combat. ""On 19 September 1918, the German government under Ludendorff issued a diplomatic protest against the American use of shotguns, alleging that the shotgun was prohibited by the law of war."" A part of the German protest read that ""[i]t is especially forbidden to employ arms, projections, or materials calculated to cause unnecessary suffering"" as"
"arrangements used by the Boers with their German and French guns is unclear. The early goniometric devices suffered from the problem that the layer (gun aimer) had to move around to look through the sight. This was very unsatisfactory if the aiming point was not to the front, particularly on larger guns. The solution was a periscopic panoramic sight, with the eyepiece to the rear and the rotatable top of the sight above the height of the layer’s head. The German Goertz 1906 design was selected by both the British and the Russians. The British adopted the name ""Dial Sight"""
"production was 1,450,114. Schiessbecher The Schiessbecher (German spelling: Schießbecher - literally ""shooting cup"") grenade launcher or ""Gewehrgranatengerät"" (literally ""rifle grenade device"") was used by German forces in World War II. It was introduced as of 1942 and based on rifle grenade launcher models designed during World War I. The ""Schiessbecher"" was intended to replace all previous rifle grenade launcher models. The ""Schiessbecher"" rifle grenade launcher could be used against infantry, fortifications and light armored vehicles up to a range of . For these differing tasks several specialized grenades with accompanying special propelling cartridges were developed for the ""Schiessbecher"" rifle grenade"
"produced which was of different appearance and which made more use of die-cast components. Although 20,000 were made, the Austen never achieved the success of the competing Australian-designed Owen submachine gun, known as the ""Owen Gun"". After the Second World War the Belgian Army was mainly equipped with a mixture of British and American submachine guns. The army, wanting to replace them with a modern and preferably native design, tested various designs with the Vigneron M2 and licence-produced FN Uzi being selected. However, the Imperia was an improved Sten with a fire selector and retractable stock. A short-lived American invention"
"at that time the use of titanium helmets was uneconomical due to the high production costs, while plastics were not mature enough at the time to meet military demands; composite materials were also checked. Schuberth GmbH developed the M92 based on the PASGT helmet (Personal Armor System for Ground Troops) of the US Army, consisting of 29 layers of Kevlar aramid fiber. During the US invasion of Grenada, the American soldiers had surprised the public for the first time with their new plastic helmet, which in profile clearly borrowed from the German Stahlhelm M35 and received the nickname ""Fritz"" from"
"Minenwerfer Minenwerfer (""mine launcher"") is the German name for a class of short range mortars used extensively during the First World War by the Imperial German Army. The weapons were intended to be used by engineers to clear obstacles including bunkers and barbed wire, that longer range artillery would not be able to target accurately. The Germans studied the Siege of Port Arthur, where heavy artillery had been unable to destroy defensive structures like barbed wire and bunkers. The German Military ""Ingenieurkomitee"" (""Engineer committee"") began working with Rheinmetall to study the problem in 1907. The solution they developed was a"
"used pistol caliber ammunition and lacked both the range and accuracy the German Army was looking for. A new intermediate cartridge was needed and the 7.92×33mm Kurz was designed in response to this requirement. The specification called for a new weapon which was larger than a submachine gun, more accurate, longer ranged and more maneuverable than a full sized rifle. Contracts for weapons firing the 7.92×33mm Kurz round were issued to both Haenel and Walther, who were asked to submit prototype weapons under the name Machinenkarabiner 1942. The (H) and (W) in their titles referred to the first initial of"
"be maneuvered by a single soldier is the MP18.1, invented by Theodor Bergmann. It was introduced into service in 1918 by the German Army during World War I as the primary weapon of the Stosstruppen (assault groups specialized in trench combat). Submachine guns came to prominence during World War II, with millions manufactured. During the war, manufacturers moved away from finely crafted but expensive submachine guns such as the Thompson, in favor of cheaper models that were quicker to manufacture, such as the M3. The first successful assault rifle was introduced during World War II by the Germans, known as"
"engineered and subsequently copied, with minor modifications, by the Allies during the Second World War. The name of the jerrycan refers to its German origins, Jerry being wartime slang for Germans. The ""Wehrmacht-Einheitskanister"", as it was known in Germany, was first developed in 1937 by the Müller engineering firm in Schwelm to a design by their chief engineer Vinzenz Grünvogel. A similar design was used in 1936 during the Spanish Civil War, where they had a company logo for Ambi-Budd Presswerk GmbH. Among others, the Wehrmacht had specified that a soldier should be able to carry either two full containers"
"answer a request from the ""Heereswaffenamt"" (Army Weapons Office) for a new submachine gun, which was adopted as MP 38. The MP 38 was a simplification of the MP 36, and the MP 40 was a further simplification of the MP 38, with certain cost-saving alterations, most notably in the more extensive use of stamped steel rather than machined parts. The MP 40 was often called the ""Schmeisser"" by the Allies, after the weapon designer Hugo Schmeisser. Schmeisser had designed the MP 18, which was the first mass-produced submachine gun in the world, and carried some resemblance to the MP"
"during the war. Nebelwerfer The Nebelwerfer (smoke mortar) was a World War II German series of weapons. They were initially developed by and assigned to the Wehrmacht's ""smoke troops"" (""Nebeltruppen""). This weapon was given its name as a disinformation strategy designed to fool observers from the League of Nations, who were observing any possible infraction of the Treaty of Versailles, into thinking that it was merely a device for creating a smoke screen. They were primarily intended to deliver poison gas and smoke shells, although a high-explosive shell was developed for the ""Nebelwerfer"" from the beginning. Initially, two different mortars"
"Army Knives"". Wenger was acquired by Victorinox in 2005. Knives actually made for the army (as opposed to the generic ""Swiss Army"" trademark) are known as ""Soldatenmesser"" (""soldier knives""). These were produced in five generations, known by the date of their introduction as models 1890, 1908, 1951, 1961 and ""08"" (with minor variants within each generation). Model 1890 was originally produced by Wester & Co, Solingen, and produced by Elsenser in competition with the Solingen manufacturer. Models 1908 and 1951 were also produced by several companies in Germany and Switzerland. Model 1961 was produced exclusively by Victorinox and Wenger, and"
"parts was higher than Beretta's. The Navy SEALs, however, later chose to adopt the P226 as the P226 MK25 with special corrosion protection. For the U.S. military XM9 trials, the P226 was imported by Saco Defense. Interarms took over importing when the pistol was introduced for civilian sales. SIG Sauer eventually founded SIGARMS, Inc. (Now SIG Sauer) in the United States to handle importation of their products. In 2000, SIG Holding AG sold J.P. Sauer & Sohn GmbH to two German businessmen. The brand name SIG Sauer remained at J.P. Sauer & Sohn GmbH. The P226, like the other members"
"weight weapons were difficult to control in full automatic fire. Based upon this, the Commission determined that a completely new kind of weapon was needed. Hugo Schmeisser, working for the Bergmann Waffenfabrik, was part of a team that designed a new type of weapon to fulfill the requirements, which was designated the MP18 or Maschinenpistole 18/I. Theodor Bergmann's company still exists today as a plastics manufacturer. Theodor Bergmann Theodor Bergmann (May 21, 1850 in Sailauf – March 23, 1931 in Gaggenau) was a German businessman and industrialist best remembered for the various revolutionary firearms his companies released. Like many entrepreneurs"
"the parties on 18 October 2018, where Victorinox agreed to cede the registration in the US of the term ""Swiss military"" to Armasuisse (the authority representing the actual Swiss military), in return for an exclusive licence to market perfumes under the same name. There are various models of the Swiss Army Knife with different tool combinations. Though Victorinox doesn't provide custom knives, they have produced many variations to suit individual users. Main tools: Smaller tools: Scale tools: Three Victorinox SAK models featured a butane lighter: the Swissflame, Campflame, and Swisschamp XXLT, first introduced in 2002 and then discontinued in 2005."
"gun. Meanwhile, the Berliet Company produced a new design, a polygonal turret of riveted plate, which was simpler to produce than the early cast steel turret. It was given the name ""omnibus"", since it could easily be adapted to mount either the Hotchkiss machine gun or the Puteaux 37mm with its telescopic sight. This turret was fitted to production models in large numbers. In the 1930s, several nations produced —probably influenced by the experimental British Vickers A1E1 Independent of 1926. Those that saw combat during the early part of World War II performed poorly and the concept was soon dropped."
"be employed as a weapon in an emergency. The U.S. Army in 1940 tasked the ""Geo. Schrade Knife Co."" to produce a small single-edge switchblade for U.S. airborne troops, to be used similarly to the ""Fallschirmjäger-Messer"". The knife was not intended primarily as a fighting knife, but rather as a utility tool, to enable a paratrooper to rapidly cut himself out of his lines and harness in the event he could not escape them after landing. The company's submission was approved by the U.S. Army Materiel Command in December 1940 as the ""Knife, Pocket, M2"". The M2 had a 3.125-inch"