Everything you want to know, don't want to know, and don't know you need to know about weapons. A complete guide to weapons history, facts, myths and trivia, Gordon Rottman offers a step by step guide through interesting weapon facts and statistics, including a section on ammunition, while breaking apart popular myths and misconceptions. Covering subjects from weapons designations to the longest serving military rifles, where rifles get their names from and everything in between, Osprey is proud to present The Big Book of Gun Trivia.

Offering a step by step guide through interesting gun facts and statistics, Gordon Rottman presents The Book of Gun Trivia. Covering a range of subjects, such as weapons designations, where rifles get their names from, the longest serving rifles and everything in between, this book brings together everything you ever needed to know about guns and ammunition and much more besides. Alongside the key facts and figures, Rottman also breaks apart popular myths and misconceptions about both weapons and ammunition, putting his years of military service to good use.

Discover the fascinating true stories of spies and secret agents throughout history in this ultimate collection of espionage trivia. Whether you’re a wannabe 007 or just a fan of subterfuge, the fun facts and legendary stories in this big book of spy trivia are sure to shock and fascinate. Discover how the most infamous spy organizations like the CIA and the MI6 came into existence, how they recruit citizens into their fold, and how they have shaped some of the world’s largest and most memorable historical events. You'll even learn real tactics that spies use on missions, from escaping zip ties to reading the body language of a stranger. This collection spans centuries and countries, including: • One of history's first and most iconic spy operations: the Trojan Horse in ancient Greece • America's first spy organization: George Washington's Culper Ring • Real-life KGB spies from the McCarthy Cold War era: American citizens Ethel and Julius Rosenberg • And much more! Perfect for any person who has been fascinated by the shadowy world of espionage, this fact-packed book quizzes readers on their spy knowledge, from pop culture icons to unsung heroes that history books have forgotten.

Explore the world of cryptozoology in this first-ever trivia book all about the folklore, study, and eye-witness testimonies of cryptids like the Jersey Devil, Yeti, and more! You’ve heard of Bigfoot (aka Sasquatch) and the Loch Ness Monster (aka Nessie). But these famous beasties are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the fantastic beasts, real and imagined, out there in the wild. These creatures are called cryptids: animals that some think exist but for which there is no concrete scientific evidence. In The Big Book of Cryptid Trivia, you’ll learn all about cryptozoologists and ufologists like Loren Coleman and John Keel, as well as about real-life sightings and interesting tales of famous and lesser-known cryptids all over the world, including: Tahoe Tessie Mokele-Mbembe Ahool of Java Georgia Bigfoot Piltdown Man Hogzilla Pope Lick Monster Loveland Frog And more! Whether you are a seasoned skeptic, a budding cryptozoologist, or something in between, this book is sure to include facts and oddities that intrigue, educate, and entertain. Perhaps you'll find out if you want to partake in a bit of cryptid tourism. Loch Ness, anyone?

Here in one big book is all the trivia and facts about Canada anyone needs to know. The Big Book is jam-packed with facts and stories. There are stories of important Canadian artifacts and history including what became of Canada’s World War II spy camp. All regions and provinces are covered, as well as important Canadian figures like John Molson, Elizabeth Arden and Russ Jackson. If that isn’t enough there will also be pieces explaining whatever happened to such Canadian icons as the last spike, the first skidoo and the first Tim Hortons donut shop. Some of the items are "classics." Others are little known facts. Approximately 25% of the material has never before appeared in print. This fascinating Big Book brings together for the first time in one package the most notable facts and trivia from the archives of the trivia guys’ collection.

A look at how combat, culture, and military tradition influenced soldiers’ language in Vietnam from the award-winning, USA Today–bestselling author. The slang, or unique vocabulary, of the soldiers and marines serving in Vietnam, was a mishmash of words and phrases whose origins reached back to the Korean War, World War II, and even earlier. Additionally, it was influenced by the United States’ rapidly changing protest culture, ideological and poetical doctrine, ethical and cultural conflicts, racialism, and drug culture. This “slanguage” was rendered even more complex by the Pidgin Vietnamese-English spoken by Americans and Vietnamese alike. But perhaps most importantly, it reflected the soldiers’ actual daily lives, played out in the jungles, swamps, and hills of Vietnam.

A soldier's “web gear” is as important to his ability to live and fight on the battlefield as are his clothing and weapons. In World War II the US Army issued equipment items that had originated in 1910, though modified and augmented in the 1920s and 1930s, and again during the war itself as a result of combat experience. This book describes and illustrates the great majority of the personal equipment provided for infantry riflemen, GIs armed with other weapons and their ammunition-bearers, officers, and medics. In addition to the web gear itself it covers canteens, mess kit, and first aid items; weapons-related and other specialist items; the long struggle to produce a practical backpack; bivouac and shelter gear, and the most commonly carried tools. The text also explains the basics of materials, colors, markings, nomenclature, and weights for the guidance of collectors. It is illustrated with wartime photos and color close-ups, and the wide-ranging color plates specially prepared for this book offer more than 130 images.

In an effort to provide the US infantryman with more firepower to cover the range gap between the hand grenade and the light mortar, the 40mm M79 grenade launcher – a shoulder-fired, single-shot weapon – entered service with US forces in 1961. Reliable, easy to use, and lethally effective, the M79 soon became an iconic symbol of the Vietnam War and had a profound influence on small-unit tactics. As the Vietnam conflict continued, it was joined on the front line by experimental models such as the magazine-fed T148E1, as well as two launchers intended to be fitted under the barrel of the new M16 assault rifle: Colt's XM148 and AAI Corporation's M203. The M203 remains in US Army service today, while the US Marine Corps now also fields the M32 multiple grenade launcher – like the M79, a standalone weapon. Featuring full-colour artwork, this is the story of the rugged and formidable grenade launchers that equipped the United States and its allies in Vietnam and beyond from the 1960s to the present day.

Over the eight years of the Vietnam War, US forces used three major types of equipment sets, with numerous modifications for particular circumstances. Different equipments were also used by Special Forces, the South Vietnamese, and other allied ground troops. Vietnam War US & Allied Combat Equipments offers a comprehensive examination of the gear that US and allied soldiers had strapped around their bodies, what they contained, and what those items were used for. Fully illustrated with photographs and artwork detailing how each piece of equipment was used and written by a Special Forces veteran of the conflict, this book will fascinate enthusiasts of military equipment and will be an ideal reference guide for re-enactors, modellers and collectors of Vietnam War memorabilia.

From the Author of Off Color: The Violent History of Detroit's Notorious Purple Gang It was the winter of 1919, and it was the height of a gang war the Motor City hadn't seen before. Detroit's Mafia family had split into two factions, both vying to not only avenge ancient wrongs but also gain control of the city's lucrative illegal alcohol trade at the dawn of Prohibition. In Vìnnitta, author Daniel Waugh offers an in-depth account of the formation of the Detroit Mafia and how they grew from a small band of Sicilian immigrants into one of the most powerful criminal sects. He shares how the mafia infiltrated the Detroit business community and established themselves in illegal rackets ranging from extortion, auto theft, bootlegging, burglary, and construction racketeering. The story is told through the eyes of not only the gangsters themselves, but also those of an undertaker forced to prepare many of his friends for burial after their murders.