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The M-DN 11 is a German fragmentation hand grenade. The M-DN 11 is a barrel-shaped grenade made of plastic with 3800 steel balls embedded in the case which upon detonation fly out in a lethal shower. The M-DN 11 contains 42.5 grams of high explosive and is fitted with a four second delay fuse which incorporates sophisticated safety measures to prevent premature detonation.
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The M-DN 21 is a German fragmentation hand grenade. The M-DN 21 is a barrel-shaped grenade made of plastic with 2200 steel balls embedded in the case which upon detonation fly out in a lethal shower. The M-DN 21 contains 45 grams of high explosive and is fitted with a four second delay fuse which incorporates sophisticated safety measures to prevent premature detonation.
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The M-DN 31 is a German fragmentation hand grenade. The M-DN 31 is a barrel-shaped grenade made of plastic with 3000 steel balls embedded in the case which upon detonation fly out in a lethal shower. The M-DN 31 contains 35 grams of high explosive and is fitted with a four second delay fuse which incorporates sophisticated safety measures to prevent premature detonation.
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The M-DN 61 is a German fragmentation hand grenade. The M-DN 61 is a barrel-shaped grenade made of plastic with 4300 steel balls embedded in the case which upon detonation fly out in a lethal shower. The M-DN 61 contains 50 grams of high explosive and is fitted with a four second delay fuse which incorporates sophisticated safety measures to prevent premature detonation.
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The M26 Grenade is an American fragmentation grenade. The M26 Grenade consists of a barrel-shaped steel body containing a notched fragmentation coil and a high explosive providing a killing zone of 15 metres around the point of detonation. The M26 Grenade is fitted with a 3 to 7 second delay fuse.
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The M2A1-7 was an American portable flamethrower. The M2A1-7 was carried upon the operators back and had a range of between 20 and 50 metres depending upon whether liquid or thickened fuel was used and a capacity of 6 to 9 seconds firing duration.
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The M35 is a Belgian anti-personnel pressure sensitive blast mine made of plastic and containing 100 gramms of explosive charge.
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The M42 Grenade is a Hungarian stick-type offensive or blast hand grenade. The M42 Grenade comprises a steel can containing 134 grams of TNT atop a wooden stick, and is fitted with a 3.5 to 4.5 second delay fuse. The M42 Grenade may be joined end-to-end with other M42 Grenades to form a demolition charge.
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The Explosivos Alaveses M5 Hand Grenade is a Spanish dual-purpose defensive and offensive hand grenade. The M5 Hand Grenade contains 135 grams of high explosive, and can be converted to a fragmentation grenade by adding a metal sleeve to the standard offensive grenade. The M5 Hand Grenade is fitted with a delay fuse which can also be set to a percussion and delay action. The M5 Hand Grenade can also be fired from a rifle with a standard 22 mm calibre grenade launcher. The M5 Hand Grenade has a killing zone of five metres around the point of detonation and a maximum range when fired from a rifle of 260 metres.
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The M61 Grenade is an American fragmentation grenade. The M61 Grenade consists of a barrel-shaped steel body containing a fragmentation coil and a high explosive providing a killing zone of 15 metres around the point of detonation. The M61 Grenade is fitted with a 4 to 5 second delay fuse.
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The M67 Grenade is an American fragmentation grenade. The M67 Grenade consists of a spherical steel body containing high explosive which upon detonation causes the steel case to break into fragments providing a killing zone of 15 metres around the point of detonation. The M67 Grenade is fitted with a 4 to 5 second delay fuse.
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The M68 Grenade is an American fragmentation grenade. The M68 Grenade consists of a spherical steel body containing high explosive which upon detonation causes the steel case to break into fragments providing a killing zone of 15 metres around the point of detonation. The M68 Grenade is fitted with an impact fuse with a time delay backup secondary function, detonating after between 3 and 7 seconds.
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The M7 was the standard US Army issue bayonet for the M16 assault rifle. It comprised a 7 inch spear point blade of black-finished carbon steel.
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The M9 bayonet is an American bayonet designed as the standard bayonet for the M16A2 rifle, and has been adopted by the US Army, Marine Corps and also the Australian army. The M9 bayonet has a 7 1/8 inch, Bowie-style, clip point blade with a fuller on the right hand side and a serrated saw-back. The blade is made of forged steel and is also available in a black oxide finish. A hole is provided in the blade to enable it to attach to the sheaf to form wire cutters.
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The M9E1-7 is an American portable flamethrower. The M9E1-7 is carried upon the operators back and has a range of between 20 and 50 metres depending upon whether liquid or thickened fuel is used. The M9E1-7 replaced the earlier M2A1-7 flamethrower, being signifcantly lighter in weight.
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The macana is an ironwood club used by some South American Indian tribes.
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The mace was a type of club used as a combat weapon, chiefly by horsemen. The weapon consisted of a globular head with spikes or flanges fixed, attached to a short handle.
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The Machine Gun Corps was a British army regiment of the Great War formed in 1915 and disbanded after the war. The unit was a consolidation of infantry machine gun companies into a separate, specialist unit, reflecting the growing importance of the machine gun. The principal role of the unit was to provide massed machine guns which could lay down suppressive fire on areas during an attack so as to prohibit the enemy forming up or advancing across them. It was divided into infantry, cavalry, heavy and motor branches, the latter becoming the Tank Corps.
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Madam was the OGPU codename for Lucy Oldham, the wife of Ernest Oldham (Arno) who was seduced by her husband's Soviet controller, Dmitri Bystroletov.
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Madchen was the codename of the British KGB agent Guy Burgess.
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A magazine is a spring-loaded container for cartridges that may be an integral part of the gun's mechanism or may be detachable. Detachable magazines for the same gun may be offered by the gun's manufacturer or other manufacturers with various capacities. A gun with a five-shot detachable magazine, for instance, may be fitted with a magazine holding 10, 20, or 50 or more rounds. Box magazines are most commonly located under the receiver with the cartridges stacked vertically. Tube or tubular magazines run through the stock or under the barrel with the cartridges lying horizontally. Drum magazines hold their cartridges in a circular mode. A magazine can also mean a secure storage place for ammunition or explosives.
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The Maginot line was a French fortification system along the German frontier from Switzerland to Luxembourg built during 1929 to 1936 under the direction of the war minister, Andre Maginot. It consisted of semi-underground forts joined by underground passages, and was protected by anti-tank defences; lighter fortifications continued the line to the sea. In 1940 German forces pierced the Belgian frontier line and outflanked the Maginot Line.
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In fortifications the magistral line is the guiding line, or outline, by which the form of the work is determined. It is usually the crest line of the parapet in fieldworks, or the top line of the escarp in permanent fortifications.
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The Magnavox SRTS (Short Range Thermal Sight) is an American infra-red imaging system gun sight under development since the 1980s for the US Army. The unit can be fitted to among other weapons the M16 rifle.
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Magnum is a term indicating a relatively heavily loaded metallic cartridge or shotshell and, by extension, a gun safely constructed to fire it.
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Maks was a one-time codename for the KGB spy, Iosif Grigulevich.
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MALOS (Miniature Laser Optical Sight) is an Israeli weapon sight comprising a laser rangefinder, a sighting telescope and a ballistic computer in one unit which can be mounted on any type of weapon. After programming the computer with details of the weapon and ammunition being used, the operator aims and presses a button enabling the computer to make a calculation. A second aim is then made, this time the computer adjusts the sighting within the telescope for elevation and drift and the shot should hit the mark. In strong winds the operator needs to make manual corrections.
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The Mamluks (Mamelukes) were slave soldiers who constituted the army of the Ayyubid sultanate established in Egypt by Saladin in the 1170s.
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Mann was the codename of Teodor Maly, appointed head of the NKVD illegal London residency in 1936. He was originally posted to London in 1936 to run the Foreign Office cipher clerk Captain King, he later shared in the running of the Cambridge agents; Philby, Burgess and MacLean.
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Originally a mantelet was a short cloak formerly worn by knights. In fortifications a mantelet (mantlet) was a musket-proof shield made of rope, wood, or metal, which was sometimes used for the protection of sappers or riflemen while attacking a fortress, or of gunners at embrasures.
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The Maple Leaves was a nickname of the 100th Regiment of Foot from their Canadian origins.
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The Mareth Line was a German defensive line in North Africa during the Second World War running from the sea close to Mareth to the Matmata Hills, about 50 km away; it followed the Wadi Zigzau, a dried river bed which made an excellent defence against tanks. The German field marshal Rommel retired to this line in March 1943, and British frontal attacks failed to dislodge him. He was finally manoeuvred out of the position by a force of New Zealand troops accompanied by the British 1st Armoured Division which made a wide flanking movement around the Matmata Hills. A hastily organized blocking operation by the 21st Panzer Division managed to hold off the threat for long enough to allow Rommel and the rest of his forces to retire from the line into Tunisia.
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Marines are soldiers serving on board ship. They were first formed in 1664 with the object of forming a nursery to man the fleet. An order in council dated 16th October 1664 authorised 1200 soldiers to be raised and formed into one regiment. In 1684 the third regiment of the line was called the Marine Regiment, but the system of having soldiers exclusively for sea service was not carried into effect until 1698, when two marine regiments were formed. More regiments were embodied in subsequent years and became known as the jollies. The divisional system dates from 1755 when the Chatham, Portsmouth and Plymouth divisions were established. In 1802 they were formerly named the Royal Marine Forces. In 1805 a fourth division was raised, that of Woolwich. In 1862 the Royal Marine Artillery was established as a separate corps and in 1855 the Royal Marine Light Infantry were established. The Woolwich division was abolished in 1869.
In the USA, the United States Marine Corps was first established by Act of Congress on November the 10th ,1775, authorizing the enlistment of two battalions to be called the 'first and second battalions of marines'. The Marine Corps was re-established by Act of Congress on July the 11th, 1798. By this act the marines were at any time liable to do duty in the forts and garrisons of the United States and while enlisted they were exempt from arrest for debt or contract. There was no regimental organization, but the corps could be formed into companies as the President directed. The marines were at all times subject to the laws and regulations of the navy. By the Act of 1874, the commander-in-chief of marines was entitled to the rank and pay of a colonel.
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The Mark 48 ADCAP torpedo by Gould is carried on all US Navy submarines. The Mark 48 torpedoes combat both high performance surface ships and fast deep- diving submarines. The torpedo is capable of operating with or without wire guidance and also uses either or both active and passive homing. It is equipped with multiple re-attack modes which operate if the target ship is missed. The torpedo is launched by air turbine pump discharge and carries out programmed target search, acquisition and attack procedures.
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A martel-de-fer was a hammer and pick conjoined, used by horse soldiers in the Middle Ages to break and destroy armour. They were generally carried at the saddle-bow, and were pierced to receive a cord which could be twisted around the hand or wrist so that the weapon might not be dropped in battle.
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Originally martello towers were towers erected on the coasts of Sicily and Sardinia for protection against the pirates in the time of Charles V. The term became adopted in the 18th century for a fortification of masonry, generally circular, usually erected on the seacoast, with a gun on the summit mounted on a traversing platform, so as to be fired in any direction.
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Mascled-armour is armour formed of small lozenge-shaped plates of metal fastened on a leathern or quilted tunic. The Norman soldiers in the Bayeaux tapestry are represented as wearing mascled-armour.
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In fortifications a mask is a redoubt in a permanent fortification which protects the caponiere.
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The Cold Steel Master Tanto is an American fighting knife with a 6 inch, chisel tip, single-edged blade of San Mai III steel.
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The Matra Durandal is a French air-launched runway cratering bomb produced since 1977. The Durandal is fitted with a 100 kg warhead which is exploded by a timer delay after the bomb has penetrated the surface of the target runway, creating a crater some five metres wide and two metres deep.
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A matross was an artillery soldier, immediately below the rank of gunner, who assisted in loading, firing and cleaning the artillery guns. Matrosses were armed with rifles and marched along with the store wagons acting both as a guard and to provide assistance in case a wagon should break down.
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The Mecar 35 x 65 Grenade is a Belgian defensive fragmentation hand grenade designed to be thrown as far as possible by reducing the size and weight. The Mecar 35 x 65 Grenade is cylindrical in shape and contains 73 grams of explosive surrounded by a serrated metal case which upon detonation fragments into over 500 pieces providing a killing zone of between four and ten metres from the point of detonation. The Mecar 35 x 65 Grenade is fitted with a four second pyrotechnic delay fuse.
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The Mecar 60 mm Dual Purpose Anti-Personnel Grenade is a Belgian fragmentation hand grenade designed to be either thrown by hand or fired from a rifle. The Mecar 60 mm Dual Purpose Anti-Personnel Grenade is basically spherical in shape and contains 132 grams of explosive and upon detonation explodes into 500 fragments providing a killing zone of eight metres around the point of detonation. The Mecar 60 mm Dual Purpose Anti-Personnel Grenade is fitted with a four second delay fuse.
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The Medal of Honor is the USA's the highest award for valour. It was established by Congress, originally for the navy in 1861 and the army in 1862. Both designs are bronze stars with the goddess Minerva encircled in their centres. Members of the Marine Corps receive the navy version. The air- force version has Liberty in its centre.
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Melenite was an explosive invented by a French chemist, Turpin, and approved by the French War Minister in 1886.
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Melinite is a high explosive, formerly used in the French army as a bursting- charge for shells around 1900.
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In armour, a mentonniere is a steel gorget secured to the bascinet and to the cuirass. It was sometimes furnished with a small door to help breathing.
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A mercenary is a soldier hired by the army of another country or by a private army. Mercenary military service originated in the 14th century, when cash payment on a regular basis was the only means of guaranteeing soldiers' loyalty.
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In fortifications a merlon is one of the solid parts of a battlemented parapet; a battlement.
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MI1 is the designation of the British Director of Military Intelligence and the division of British military intelligence that deals with cryptography.
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MI10 is the division of British military intelligence responsible for weapons and technological analysis.
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MI11 is the field security police division of British military intelligence.
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MI19 is the division of British military intelligence responsible for debriefing prisoners of war.
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MI2 is the division of British military intelligence that deals with intelligence gathering in Scandinavia and Russia.
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MI3 is the division of British military intelligence that deals with intelligence gathering in Germany and Eastern Europe.
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MI4 was the division of British military intelligence responsible for aerial reconnaissance during the Second World War.
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MI5 is the British security Service. It was formerly known as Section 5 of Military Intelligence, and hence the name MI5. Its main job is to protect British secrets at home from foreign spies and to prevent domestic sabotage, subversion and the theft of state secrets.
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MI6 is the British Secret Intelligence Service (formerly section 6 of Military Intelligence). It is a civilian organisation with functions resembling those of the American CIA. It is charged with gathering information overseas and other strategic services.
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MI8 is the division of British military intelligence responsible for the interception and interpretation of communications.
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MI9 is the division of British military intelligence responsible for clandestine operations.
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The OpTex MICRADC (miniature radio colour camera) is a miniature TV transmitter designed to provide a link using the MPT1349 UK license exempt frequency band with an effective radiated power level not greater than 100mW. The MICRADC is aimed at investigative journalism or work of a covert nature. The radio camera provides a simple plug-in link requiring no operator intervention. The six volt dc power supply to the transmitter is via a SMC miniature connector and on the receiver a miniature two pin Lemo connector. Located next to this is a BNC socket for video input/output. The unit is supplied as standard with a short whip antenna which should achieve a link range of about 150 to 300 metres.
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The Middlesex Militia was a special reserve battalion of the Royal Fusiliers during the Great War.
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The Mills bomb (properly the Grenade, Hand, No. 36) was the standard British hand grenade used during the Great War and Second World War. It consisted of a notched cast-iron body filled with explosive and a central tube into which a detonator, fuse, and percussion cap were inserted. Above the cap was a striker pin, held against a spring by an external lever which was locked in place by a split pin. The user gripped the grenade so as to hold the lever depressed and withdrew the pin. As the grenade was thrown, the lever flew off and the spring drove the striker against the cap, igniting the fuse and detonating the grenade four seconds later. Invented by William Mills of Birmingham in 1915, the Mills bomb entered service as the No. 5 grenade, but was then modified so that it could have a steel rod screwed into its base and be fired as a rifle grenade; in this form it was called No. 23 grenade. Finally, it was altered again, having a 6.3 cm disc screwed to the base to allow it to be fired from a muzzle cup fitted to a rifle - the No. 36 grenade. It remained in British
service in this form until the 1960s. It weighed 1.5 lbs and could be thrown 30 yards. During the Spanish civil war, mills bombs proved effective against light tanks. The Mills bomb suffered from the problem of emitting fragments from the filler and base plug to a range of almost 200 metres which could prove dangerous to the thrower.
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A mine is an explosive charge on land or sea, or in the atmosphere, designed to be detonated by contact, vibration, magnetic influence, or a timing device.
Anti-personnel mines are defensive weapons traditionally designed to slow down enemy infantry and to defend against surprise attacks. They are also widely used to booby-trap structures and to unnerve an advancing enemy. Anti-personnel mines are either blast or frangmentation types. Blast mines are typically made from non-mettalic material and buried, making them hard to detect. Fragmentation mines usually contain a large quantity of metal making them easier to detect, but as they are usually equipped with a trip wire or operated remotely detection may be too late.
Pyrotechnic mines are mines which illuminate the enemy allowing supporting fire to be brought to bear, rather than seeking to kill or incapacitate the enemy directly.
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The Bofors Mine 42, derived from a Type 27 torpedo, is a submarine launched, self-deployed mine that travels unguided to a predetermined location to lay on the seabed.
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The Minute-men were members of a military force authorized by the Provincial Congress of Massachusetts in 1774. They were to hold themselves ready to take the field at a minute's notice.
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The Camillus Mk 3 Trench Knife is an American fighting knife based on the M4 bayonet. the blade is a parallel-sided spear point, 6.75 inches long of carbon steel with a black phosphate finish and bevel-ground with a false back edge.
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The Mk F4 Smoke Grenade is a French rifle launched smoke grenade which produces a smoke screen of about four metres height for maximum duration of 45 seconds depending upon wind strength. The Mk F4 Smoke Grenade has a maximum range of 400 metres.
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The MN-1 Grenade is a Spanish multi-purpose grenade designed for hand and rifle propelling, as either a blast or fragmentation grenade. The MN-1 Grenade contains a 155 gram TNT explosive charge, and can be made into a fragmentation grenade by the addition of a fragmentation coil around the body of the grenade. The MN-1 Grenade is fitted with a dual five second delay and percussion fuse.
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In fortifications a moat is a deep trench around the rampart of a castle or other fortified place, often filled with water.
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In fortifications a moineau is a small flat bastion, raised in the middle of an overlong curtain.
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Moliere was the original codename of the Scottish KGB agent John Cairncross.
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Monatgu's Regiment of Foot was an English infantry regiment raised in June 1643 by Edward Montagu under invitation of his cousin the 2nd Earl of Manchester. The regiment was quartered around Newport Pagnell with several other foot regiments, under the command of Lieutenant General Lawrence Crawford. This force, under Crawford, attacked Hillesden House on the 5th March. The house and the garrison surrendered after an engagement lasting only 15 minutes.
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The mordaxt was a form of European battleaxe combining an axe with a hammer. The axe blade had a straight edge, and on the opposite side of the handle was a rectangular-plate hammer. Often the weapon had a vertical spike as well. Mordaxt first appeared in Switzerland in the 15th century.
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A morion was a helmet made of iron, steel or brass, somewhat like a hat in shape, often with a crest or comb over the top, and without a beaver or visor. They were introduced into Britain from France or Spain around the beginning of the 16th century.
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A Morris tube is a small-bore rifle barrel that can be inserted in a large-bore rifle or shot-gun for shooting practice. It is named after its inventor, Richard Morris.
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The Mousquetaires were horse-soldiers under the old French regime, raised by Louis XIII in 1622 and considered a military school for the French nobility. It was disbanded in 1646 but restored in 1657 and a second company created in 1660 which formed the cardinal Mazarin's guard. They were finally abolished in 1775.
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A mulberry harbour was an artificial harbour built by the British during the Second World War to allow supplies to be off loaded in Normandy for the invading allied troops in 1944. Two mulberry harbours were constructed in two phases. First sixty block ships were sailed from Britain lined up bow to stern a the required location and scuttled to create a breakwater for the harbour. Next blocks of reinforced concrete were towed by tugs over and assembled into a harbour. After the concrete blocks (caissons) a floating wharf was anchored into position and floating pier heads positioned on the landside of the harbour. Finally, concrete and steel pontoons were connected to join the pier heads with the shore, forming a floating road. Mulberry A erected for the Americans off Omaha beach was destroyed by a storm halfway through construction, but Mulberry B erected for the British at Arromanches survived storms far more severe than it was designed for and allowed millions of tons of men and supplies to be off loaded during the summer and Autumn of 1944 before it was closed in November 1944. Mulberry B at Arromanches measured two miles wide and one mile deep and took fourteen days to construct.
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Mustard gas, dichloraethyl sulphide, is a blister gas discovered by Guthrie in 1861, and first employed in warfare in 1917 by the Germans during an attack on Ypres, during the Great War. It has a faint smell of mustard. It has a delayed action which makes it so dangerous, it not being detected until it has already caused its damage. It rapidly damages the eyes, lungs and exposed parts of the body. Blisters appear on exposed skin after a few hours. The stomach and intestines can be damaged by eating food contaminated with the gas. Exposure to the gas often results in death or blindness.
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The muzzle is the open end of the barrel of a gun from which the projectile exits.
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A muzzle brake is a mechanical device fitted to the muzzle of a gun which serves to deflect emergent propellant gases sideways from the bore of the gun after the ejection of the shot, thereby reducing the rearward momentum or recoil of the weapon.
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The muzzle loader was the earliest type of gun, now also popular as modern-made replicas, in which blackpowder and projectile(s) are separately loaded in through the muzzle. The term is often applied to cap-and-ball revolvers where the loading is done not actually through the muzzle but through the open ends of the cylinder's chambers.
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