The Syrian Civil War is many things, not least an extremely complex conflict. In this series we examine the imagery used by various groups from across Syria’s political spectrum. In the first part of the series we examined the crests Opposition-affiliated groups and organisations. If you missed the first part of the series you can find it here. In this part we will examine groups affiliated with the Assad Regime and present a statistical overview of the small arms used in their military imagery. You can find the first part of this series here.
MENA
Small Arms Symbology of Syrian Opposition Forces (2011-2020)
The Syrian Civil War is an extremely complex conflict, not least in terms of its innumerable state and non-state actors, armed groups, popular militias and foreign contractors. Despite the obvious confusing chaos and dreadful complexity caused by a large number of participants it does offer a representative sample frame for academic research. For any researcher looking for a realistic subset of armed factions and political movements within the wider region, Syria provides an interesting case study. In this exclusive series, I examined Syrian armed groups from across the entire political spectrum who at one point or another during the war featured a firearm in their official crest. My goal is to present a statistical overview of the small arms used in this military imagery, and to share some interesting information I was able to deduct.
Britain’s WW2 PIAT Anti-Tank Weapon In Service With the Haganah In Palestine
The Projector, Infantry, Anti-Tank or PIAT was Britain’s primary infantry anti-tank weapon during the latter half of the Second World War. Firing a 2.5lbs bomb containing a shaped charge warhead capable of penetrating armour up to 4 inches thick. During the Second World War, it equipped British and Commonwealth troops as well as arming resistance and partisan fighters behind enemy lines in Nazi-occupied Europe. Based on a spigot mortar system of operation it was largely obsolete with the refinement of rocket launched and recoilless rifle systems. Despite increasing obsolescence, it continued to see use after the war. In this article, we will examine its use by the Israeli Haganah during the 1947–49 Arab-Israeli conflict.
Northern Iraq PKK-Weapon Caches of Operation ‘Claw Tiger’
On 17 June, 2020, the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) commenced Operation ‘Claw Tiger’ against the PKK in the so-called Haftanin region. Haftanin is an unofficial region North of Zakho, a city in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. This marks the fourth Turkish incursion into Iraq’s Kurdistan Region since May 2019. As
per usual, TAF personnel confiscated and captured numerous weapons from the PKK. This article will
investigate some of the more noteworthy weapons.
Load Bearing Equipment of the of the SDF’s Elite Yekîneyên Antî Teror Unit
In this article we will examine the load-bearing equipment of the Yekîneyên Antî Teror, the Syrian Democratic Force’s Counter-Terror group. In our previous article we looked at the ubiquitous pattern of load-bearing equipment widely issued to the SDF and YPG. You can find that article here.
Israel’s Attempt at a 9mm Revolver
This article will examine what is known about a prototype revolver developed by pre-state defense organizations and the industrial group Ta’as in collaboration. This project started in the 1940s as an effort to design and produce a sidearm using the ubiquitous 9×19mm Parabellum cartridge. The proliferation of Sten guns throughout the region meant a sidearm of the same caliber would simplify logistics significantly for the Jewish underground. 9mm Parabellum was also readily produced in pre-state Israel (prior to 1948 in a covert operation that included the Ayalon Institute) so it was a logical choice in caliber.
Podcast V26 – Part Two: The Six Day War-War of ’67: The Spine Breaker
In this article we continue our interview with Egyptian artist Galal Abdo Hashem, you can find part one of this series, here. When we reached the Six-Day War and the War of Attrition in our interview with Galal, we tried to get all the possible details we could from him. In the end, he told us that he will speak about the notable incidents as he has many stories that would take months to cover.
Podcast V26 – Part One: Galal Abdo Hashem – The Shrapnel Collector of Egypt
In our journey to uncover wartime stories from all sides during the Arab-Israeli Conflict we managed to meet Galal Abdo Hashem, an Egyptian living in his home city of Ismalia, a city that witnessed the horrors of war more than once during the 20th century. Galal Abdo Hashem is not a war veteran with military training, in fact, he never fired a single shot towards his enemies, but he decided to do something instead that gained him notoriety and his name written on Egypt’s Honor List. To this day he gives lectures, speaks with journalists and appears on TV shows to speak about his experience and journey during a time when Egypt was at war with Israel. This article is the story of one of Egypt’s civilians who, despite taking up arms to defend his homeland, decided there was another way to contribute to the war effort – art.
A Look Inside An Afghan Weapons Maintenance Facility
Masoud Andarabi, Afghanistan’s former acting NDS Chief and Deputy Director for Ops and current Acting Minister of Interior, has shared a short video of an Afghan Ministry of Defense weapons maintenance facility.
YPG and SDF Load Bearing Equipment in North Eastern Syria
In this article we will examine some of the load-bearing equipment and kit used by the YPG and SDF Forces during the ongoing Syrian conflict. First a little context, the YPG is an abbreviation of Yekîneyên Parastina Gel in Kurdish and translates to People’s Protection Units in English. This initially Kurdish only militia can trace its lineage to 2011 when we saw the YPG become an official entity with the establishment of the Kurdish Supreme Committee when the left-leaning Democratic Union Party and the center to right-leaning Kurdish National Council formed a pact.