Rikunarita-ORG/Wikinium huggingface dataset:
# Bolt action

Springfield M1903. This rifle was often used by American soldiers mainly in World War I and World War II.
A **bolt action** gun has a breech (back part of the barrel) that is opened and closed by hand with a small handle. They can only be fired once before the breech must be opened for a new round to enter the chamber, where it can then be fired from. Many older sniper rifles, as well as many hunting rifles today, work in this way.

When the bolt is opened, the first cartridge in the gun is loaded. After firing the gun, opening the bolt takes out the empty cartridge, and closing the bolt puts in a new one. Bolt action rifles are usually the most accurate type of small arms, leading them to be used widely as marksman rifles. The rifle won't cycle a round without the shooter doing it manually, causing less movement of parts and gases while the round is being fired. This improves accuracy, but also increases recoil compared to automatic rifles of the same caliber.

Despite being significantly slower to fire than lever-action rifles, which were invented around the same time, militaries across the world chose to replace their muzzleloader muskets with bolt action guns rather than lever action ones, because bolt action rifles are loaded over the barrel. This allows easier loading by a shooter lying on the ground, without affecting aim. With lever action guns, on the other hand, the ground is in the way of loading downwards, and to load the gun would mean to throw off the shooter's aim since the gun must be turned sideways.

Famous bolt action rifles include the Springfield M1903, the G98, the Lee-Enfield, and the Mosin-Nagant.
# Bayonet

The US Marine Corps' OKC-3S Bayonet
An assault rifle as they are used by the Swiss army, with a bayonet
A **bayonet** (from French *baïonnette*) is a knife- or dagger-shaped weapon. It is designed to be attached to a rifle barrel or similar weapon. This will turn the gun into a spear. It is a close-combat or last-resort weapon.

## Bayonet charge

18th and 19th century military tactics included the use of a bayonet fixed on the infantryman's musket. These were used with massed troop formations. One of the more notable of these was the *bayonet charge*. This was an attack by a formation of infantrymen with fixed bayonets, usually over short distances. It was to overrun enemy strong points, capture artillery batteries, or break up enemy troop formations.

With the use of the bayonet, the pike was no longer used because infantry could now defend themselves from cavalry without sacrificing firepower per man. The Russian Army used the bayonet frequently during the Napoleonic wars. A Russian saying coined by Russian General Alexander Suvorov was "The bullet is foolish, the bayonet wise". Given Russia's often poorly trained armies and inaccurate smoothbore muskets, Russian officers preferred to use the bayonet charge instead of musket volley fire where possible.
# Submachine gun

The Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine gun: a favourite with law enforcement and the military.
An MP-40 submachine gun: about a million were made in WWII
A **submachine gun** is a type of gun that shoots many bullets, usually pistol bullets, when one holds down the trigger. A submachine gun is smaller than a machine gun and can easily be carried by one person. They are often used where people need to defend themselves in small areas, or people need to fire many bullets quickly. The first submachine guns were invented in the early 1900s. They are often used by the police and counter-terrorism units .

## History

In the early 20th century, experiments were made by converting pistols from semi to fully automatic firearms. Automatic weapons with gunstock and firing pistol rounds were developed around the same time during World War I, by Italy, Germany, and the United States. The first dedicated designs were developed in the latter stages of World War I both as improvements on earlier stocked pistols, and to offer an advantage in trench warfare.

They were popularized in the 1920s and '30s as weapon of choice of American gangsters and police, in the form of the famous Thompson submachine gun, commonly referred to as the "Tommy Gun". Submachine guns rose to prominence as a frontline close-quarters combat weapon and commando firearm during World War II. They are now widely used by police SWAT, military commando, paramilitary, and counter-terror team members for a variety of situations.

Submachine guns are highly effective in close quarters; their lower-powered pistol cartridges make them generally more controllable in fully-automatic fire compared to assault rifles, while their small size and light weight grant maneuverability. However, pistol bullets often are stopped by body armor or cover, and are short-ranged compared to intermediate and rifle cartridges.

### World War II developments

World War II developments were many and interesting. In Germany the development of machine carbines (*Maschinenkarabiner*) was notable. From 1939 onwards the German Army analyzed combat conditions and developed new tactics and equipment requirements. The existing 7.92x57mm rifle cartridge was more powerful and long ranged than needed. Most combat took place at ranges less than 400 m (440 yards). A less powerful round (bullet) could be used. This meant a soldier could carry more ammunition, the weapon could be shorter, lighter and with less recoil. The gun could be an automatic.

Achieving this took time. Work in 1941 and 1942 led at last to a reliable weapon, the StG 44 (Sturmgewehr 44) "assault rifle 44". This was then produced in large numbers (over 600,000). It came too late to effect the Second World War, but was later adapted as the Soviet AK 47.

## Other websites

* WW2-era Small Arms
* Submachine gun -Citizendium
# Artillery

Cannon at a fort, 19th century
**Artillery** is a word for the big guns used in an army, for example cannons and howitzers. Such guns are used to shoot targets far away. Artillery is often used to stop enemy troops using an area, to bombard trenches and buildings with enemies in it and to support friendly units. There are many different weapons that are called artillery. They may shoot shells or missiles. Newer systems can even drop mines over a big area, making the area uncrossable. Anti-aircraft warfare includes the use of artillery to fight planes and other aircraft.

Those who fire the artillery piece are called "gunners". In most cases someone else, called a "spotter" must see the enemy, because artillery often shoots farther than the gunners can see. The artillery crews do not have to see the enemy to damage them.

## Different types of artillery

|  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Field artillery
* Field guns
* Field gun (Self-propelled)
* Howitzers
* Howitzer (Self-propelled)
* Infantry gun
* Infantry gun (Self-propelled)
* Mountain artillery
* Muzzle-loading gun
* Siege artillery
 | Specialized guns
* Anti-aircraft guns
* Anti-tank guns
* Assault guns
* Autocannons
* Coastal artillery
* Nuclear artillery
* Recoilless rifles
* Self-propelled anti-aircraft guns
* Self-propelled anti-tank guns
 | Mortars
* Mortars
* Heavy mortars
* Infantry mortars
* Self-propelled mortars

Rockets
* Rocket artillery

Transport-built-in artillery
* Naval guns
* Railway guns
* Tank guns
 |

## Other websites

* Artillery Archived 2016-06-09 at the Wayback Machine - Citizendium

## More reading

* Iggulden, Hal; Iggulden, Conn (2007). "A Brief History of Artillery". *The Dangerous Book for Boys*. New York: HarperCollins. pp. 209–213. ISBN 978-0061243585.
# Semi-automatic rifle

US M1 Carbine semi-automatic rifle
A **semi-automatic rifle** is a type of rifle that fires a single bullet each time the trigger is pulled, without the need manually to operate a bolt, lever, pump or other firing or loading mechanism. Such a rifle can fire single rounds like this until the firearm's bullets in the cartridges is gone. On the other hand, a *fully* automatic weapon (a machine gun, for example) keeps firing until the trigger is released, and can fire hundreds of shots for every trigger press.
# M1 Garand

M1C Garand rifle
An eight-round en-bloc clip.
US Marines with M1 in 1943
The **M1 Garand** is a semi-automatic rifle that was mostly used by the US Army during World War II and the Korean War. It replaced the M1903 Springfield rifle in 1936, as the main US service rifle. It has an internal eight-bullet box magazine, which is loaded with clips of 8 bullets. When the last round is shot, the empty clip is ejected, making a "ping" sound. A common misconception (seen in video games such as Call of Duty) is that the clip can only be removed by shooting all the bullets, but the clip may be removed at any time (but it is hard to do). General George Patton described it as the greatest battle implement ever designed. It was replaced by the M14 battle rifle in the late 1950's.

## Users

* Afghanistan1950s
* Albania
* Algeria
* Andorra
* Angola
* Antigua and Barbuda
* Argentina
* Australia
* Austria
* Bahrain
* Bangladesh
* Barbados
* Belarus
* Belgium
* Belize
* Benin
* Bermuda
* Bolivia
* Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Botswana
* Brazil
* Brunei
* Burkina Faso
* Burundi
* Cambodia
* Canada
* Cape Verde
* Central African Republic
* Chad
* Chile
* Colombia
* Comoros
* Costa Rica
* Cuba
* Cyprus
* Democratic Republic of Congo
* Denmark
* Djibouti
* Dominican Republic
* East Timor
* Ecuador
* Egypt
* El Salvador
* Eritrea
* Ethiopia
* Fiji
* Finland
* France
* Gabon
* Georgia
* Germany
* Nazi Germany: Captured from U.S. Army in World War 2.
* Ghana
* Greece
* Grenada
* Guatemala
* Guinea
* Guinea-Bissau
* Guyana
* Haiti
* Honduras
* Hong Kong
* Hungary
* Iceland
* India
* Indonesia
* Iran
* Italy
* Ireland
* Israel
* Ivory Coast
* Jamaica
* Japan: Captured from U.S.Army during World War 2. See also: Type 4/5 Rifle
* Jordan
* Kazakhstan
* Kenya
* Kosovo
* Laos
* Liberia
* Libya
* Macedonia
* Madagascar
* Malaysia
* Maldives
* Mali
* Malta
* Mauritania
* Mauritius
* Mexico
* Micronesia
* Moldova
* Monaco
* Mongolia
* Morocco
* Mozambique
* Myanmar
* Namibia
* Nepal
* Netherlands
* New Zealand
* Nicaragua
* Nigeria
* North Korea: Captured from South Korean Army and U.S.Army during Korean War.
* Norway
* Oman
* Pakistan
* Panama
* Papua New Guinea
* Paraguay
* People's Republic of China
* Peru
* Philippines
* Poland
* Portugal
* Qatar
* Republic of China
* Republic of Congo
* Romania
* Rwanda
* Samoa
* San Marino
* Saudi Arabia
* Senegal
* Serbia
* Seychelles
* Sierra Leone
* Singapore
* Slovenia
* Somalia
* South Africa
* South Korea
* South Sudan
* South Vietnam
* Soviet Union
* Spain
* Sri Lanka
* Sudan
* Suriname
* Sweden
* Syria
* Tanzania
* Thailand
* Tonga
* Trinidad and Tobago
* Tunisia
* Turkey
* Uganda
* Ukraine
* United Arab Emirates
* United Kingdom
* United States
* Uruguay
* Vatican City
* Venezuela
* North Vietnam
* Yemen
* Zimbabwe

## Other websites

* WW2DB: M1 Garand
* M1 Garand - Encyc Archived 2008-12-01 at the Wayback Machine
# Barricade

A **barricade** is an improvised barrier that is used to direct traffic, block passage, defend a small area, etc. Barricades differ from fortifications, fences and walls in that they are temporary.
# Bunker

A **bunker** is a military building for fortification. They are usually built below ground. Blockhouses are like bunkers, but are built above ground. Bunkers were of big importance during World War I and World War II. Bunkers were built during the Cold War for important political people and for the general public because of the scare of a nuclear war.

## Types of bunkers

There are many different types of bunkers:

### Trench

A trench is long and narrow. It may be part of a big system of trenches. Soldiers often dig and use trenches. When most of the front-line soldiers use trenches, it is called trench warfare.

### Pillbox

A pillbox is a small building made of concrete that also has small windows that people can shoot guns out of. The name came from the fact that they look like the boxes that pills came in.
Pillboxes were used a lot during World War I when defence in depth was being used. Pillboxes are most often found camouflaged so that they are harder to spot. They can also be part of a trench system, where the pillbox is a firing step that has been built to take grenade blasts and smaller mortar fire. Pillboxes were also built to help protect strategic structures such as bridges or jetties.

### Industrial

Industrial bunkers are built like regular bunkers and they can be mining sites, food storage areas, dumps for materials, data storage, and sometimes places that people live in. They were built by nations during World War II to help protect the important industries from getting bombed. Many mines in France and Germany were made into bunkers by both the Germans and the French in both World War I and World War II.

### Bomb/fallout shelters

A bomb shelter or fallout shelter is a type of bunker, usually civilian bunker, used for protection against nuclear weapons and the toxic radiation "fallout" they leave behind. These shelters run the gammit from modified storm shelters to vast underground cities

## Famous bunkers

Famous bunkers include the World War II V-weapon buildings in Germany (e.g., Mittelwerk, La Coupole, and Éperlecques) and the Cold War buildings in the United States (Cheyenne Mountain, Site R, and The Greenbrier) and Canada (Diefenbunker).

### Examples of bunkers

* *Atlantic Wall*, coasts of Western Europe, built by Nazi Germany during WWII
* *Maginot Line*, eastern France, built by France, pre-WWII
* *Führerbunker*, built by Nazi Germany before and during WWII

## Other websites

* Europe WW2 bunkers in Europe Archived 2018-10-28 at the Wayback Machine (reference website about museums and sites of WW2 pillboxes, bunkers and other defensive structures with maps and photos)
* Great Britain "Coastal Defences North Norfolk". Archived from the original on 2010-01-10. (image collection of WW2 coastal defences)
* Great Britain Pillboxes UK (reference website about WW2 pillboxes and other defensive structures)
* Great Britain UK Heritage: Pillboxes Archived 2007-12-24 at the Wayback Machine (short article about "Miniature modern castles")
* Great Britain Subterranea Britannica: Cold War Archived 2008-05-17 at the Wayback Machine (information on Cold War-era underground structures in Britain)
# Machine gun

US Navy Boat Team crewman firing a heavy machine gun. Note defensive armor and ammo belt; spent cartridges dropping. Crewman in camouflaged outfit, radio equipment, camera on helmet, submachine gun over his shoulder
A U.S. Navy 7.62 mm GAU-17/A Minigun. It has an electric motor on top which does the loading, priming, and firing. Note the rapid cartridge case ejection
A **machine gun** is a weapon that can fire one bullet after another as long as the trigger is pulled and there are bullets ready to fire. This is called automatic fire. A more general name for this type of weapon is an **automatic weapon**. Machine guns fire bullets delivered from a long chain of cartridges called an ammunition ('ammo') *belt*, or use spring-loaded boxes called *magazines*. Machine guns are usually divided into heavy-duty machine guns, light machine guns, and sub-machine guns.

Heavy machine guns (HMG) are placed on the ground, supported on a tripod, or on a vehicle. The vehicle would have a support for the gun with a rotating base or turret. Heavy machine guns often need two men to operate it, one to assist with loading ammunition, and one to aim and fire. It always takes two or more men to carry one. Famous examples include the M2 Browning machine gun, the MG42, the M1919 Browning, the M134 minigun, the Type 92 heavy machine gun, and the Maxim gun.

Light machine guns (LMG) are usually carried and fired by one man. Despite the name, an LMG is almost always rested on a bipod or a tripod while firing since the gun is normally too heavy to fire while standing, although some LMGs such as the Bren LMG and the BAR are light enough to be fired without a bipod or tripod when a sling is worn around the user. Famous examples include the Bren, the BAR, the SAW M249, the M240, the RPD, the RPK, the PK, and the M-60.

Submachine guns (SMG) are lighter weapons which fire less powerful bullets (usually pistol bullets). They are much easier to conceal and carry than the heavier versions. Submachine guns have handles (stocks), and are carried by individual soldiers or police officers. Famous examples include the Uzi, the Heckler & Koch MP5, the Thompson (a.k.a. Tommy gun), the MAC-10, the PPSh, and the MP-40.

Assault rifles have automatic capabilities but they are not called machine guns. They are used mainly in semi-automatic fire, and also normally fire lighter bullets than machine guns.

Many heavy machine guns, such as the Browning M2 .50 caliber machine gun, are exact enough to hit distant targets. During the Vietnam War, Carlos Hathcock shot at 7382 ft (2250 m) using a .50 caliber heavy machine gun with a telescopic sight.

## Other websites

* Machine gun -Citizendium