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OldAFSarge is (like me) fighting blogger burnout.  He's been posting for 16 years which is quite an accomplishment.  Unlike me, he's put his hand (quite successfully) at military history fiction which takes a whole lot more effort than the Dad Jokes and stuff I put up here.  Besides, OldAFSarge's co-blogger Tuna sends me half of the Dad Jokes anyway.

So I understand what he's going through.

But one thing he posted recently was a straight (non-fiction) account of the run up to the Battle of Waterloo, to set the scene for his fiction.  This tickled my memory: 

But every time [the French] ended the war, the British would dig deep and come up with more money to finance yet another coalition to fight Napoléon. They had the advantage of their island and the most powerful navy on the planet between them and the French.

As much as Napoléon wanted to be done with those pesky islanders, he couldn't get to them. The Royal Navy had smashed the combined French and Spanish fleets (huh, the Spanish, I thought the French were their enemies) at Trafalgar. Napoléon was a master of land combat, never did understand the sea. A big advantage the British had was that their navy was constantly at sea, blockading the French and cutting off their trade from the rest of the world. The French mostly sat in port, plotting to drive the Brits off but never getting quite there. Though, for the most part, French ships were better, it ain't the ship, it's the crew. And the Royal Navy had some excellent sailors.

People don't realize just how much better the Royal Navy was than anyone back in the day.  And yes, it wasn't the ship, it was the crew and especially the leadership.  Nelson's captains were justly famous for their independence and their aggression.

Heck, half a century earlier Admiral Byng had been shot, not for losing a battle, but rather for not winning it.   Voltaire immortalized this miscarriage of justice in Candide, famously writing "in this country, it is wise to kill an admiral from time to time to encourage the others." Dans ce pays-ci, il est bon de tuer de temps en temps un amiral pour encourager les autres.  The Royal Navy flag officers learned from that.

Nigel Calder wrote about just how amazing the Royal Navy's performance was in his fantastic book The English Channel. I cannot recommend this book more highly, and it's the book that I have re-read more than any other.  In it, Calder (who was quite an accomplished yachtsman) sailed his ketch all the way up the English channel on the French side, crossed over the Dover Straight, and then sailed it back down the English side.  Along the way he wrote about the geology, seascape, history, and current events (from 1986) all along the way.  The book is a complete delight.

He starts off in Brittany at the far Atlantic end of the French coast.  The great French port of Brest was there, but Calder points out that in the age of sail the port was a trap for the French fleet because the prevailing wind was from the west.  Because of the difficulty of a sailing ship sailing against the wind, the Royal Navy was able to blockade the French for years.  Calder describes just how amazing a feat of seamanship this was:

The Revolutionary and  Napoleonic wars spanned eighteen years, with only two short breaks.  During most of that time there were British warships off Brest.   To begin with they were only frigates, but later the British fleet remained at sea off Ushant winter and summer, in a patient demonstration of seamanship.  When the wind blew hard from the west, the British ships beat their way out into the Atlantic, or even ran for shelter in Tor Bay on the English coast, confident that the French could not leave harbour against the wind.  But whenever the weather was suitable for a breakout, the blockading fleet closed to within sight of the French shore.

...

In 1805 the conquest of England was Napoleon's first priority.  The main responsibility lay with the fleet at Brest, and its commander Honoré-Joseph-Antonin Ganteaume.  The duty of preventing the adventure belonged to William Cornwallis, who was in charge of the Channel Fleet blockading Brest.  Cornwallis was known as Blue Billy because of his determination to remain at sea.  If a gale forced his ships to run for shelter and replenishment in Tor Bay, the fleet was no sooner anchored than the flagship Hibernia would run up the blue signal flag denoting an imminent departure.

The preparations for the invasion were grandiose.  Shipyards from The Netherlands to western France built nearly 2000 barges to carry 100,000 troops, complete with their guns and horses.  The naval plan required all the fleets, from Brest, Rochefort in Biscay, Ferrol in Spain, and Toulon in the Mediterranean, to break out and rendezvous in the West Indies.  The idea was to draw the British fleets to the wrong side of the Atlantic and to mass the French and Spanish ships for a dash back to the undefended English Channel.

...

On July 22 an inconclusive battle took place in fog off northern Spain, between a British force under Robert Calder [no relation to the author Calder - Borepatch] and Villeneuve's stronger fleet.  Calder was court-martialed for capturing only two ships.  Villeneuve received exhortations from Napoléon to free the fleet from Brest and sweep all before him.

If you give us control for three days, nay, even for twenty four hours, your task will be done: all is ready, Europe awaits breathless on this great event.

Villeneuve chose instead to retreat to southern Spain, and the Brest fleet stayed put.  During these alarms, the British blockading force was reduced to fifteen ships of the line as compared with twenty five in Brest.  Ganteaume thought he could shoot his way out but he was forbidden to sail because a major naval battle was not what Napoleon had in mind.  While the British sacked Calder for failing to wipe out a superior force, the French would not let Ganteaume take his chance with a weaker one.  Different attitudes to sea power, evolved in hundreds of years of warfare in the English Channel, decided the outcome.

...

A week later the truth dawned on Napoleon that Villeneuve was timid and Ganteaume was never going to get out.  The Emperor ordered the Grand Army to march from the English Channel to the Danube where British diplomats had stirred up trouble for him.  The small craft of the invasion fleet were docked and the crews disbanded.  The attack on England had been called off.    The blockading fleet's task lacked the drama of a major sea battle like Camperdown where the British had crushed the Dutch eight years earlier, but it decided the final contest at sea between the British and the French.  The American naval historian Alfred Mahan [yes, that Alfred Mahan of "fleet in being" fame - Borepatch] wrote:

Never in the history of blockades has there been excelled, if even equaled, the close locking of Brest by Admiral Cornwallis, both winter and summer, between the outbreak of war and the battle of Trafalgar.  It excited not only the admiration but the wonder of contemporaries.

If you like OldAFSarge's military history fiction, you will like Calder's book.  It's part tourist guide, part history, part sailing log.  Like I said, I've re-read this book more than any other I own.  Highly, highly recommended.

And go leave OldADSarge some commenty love. 

 So I asked Google Earth:

By Dave Workman The Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday ruled that New Jersey’s ban on so-called “assault weapons” and “large-capacity magazines” is unconstitutional under the Second Amendment. Reuters is reporting that this is the first time a federal appeals court had ruled against the Garden State’s semi-auto rifle ban. It comes less […]

The post 3rd Circuit Blockbuster: New Jersey Rifle, Magazine Bans Unconstitutional appeared first on Liberty Park Press.

The post Testing 9×39 SP6 AP Ammo Against Body Armor first appeared on Forgotten Weapons.

First responders found a man and a woman, the only occupants of the vehicle involved in the crash. The man, Corey Beaddles, 32, was found to be suffering from an apparent gunshot wound, according to police. He was transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The woman was checked for injuries by medics on scene.

Police say they determined that just before the crash, Beaddles was driving recklessly while reportedly assaulting the woman. He was apparently shot during the incident, according to police, who haven’t revealed specifics.

Beaddles is charged with assault and battery, reckless driving, abduction and attempted malicious wounding.

Police say they found a gun at the scene and they are not seeking anyone else believed to be involved. They say there is no ongoing threat to the community.

More Here

Rochester police said a disturbance broke out inside Condado Bar and Grill around 1:30 a.m. The man was removed by security and left the area.

Police said the man then went to a parked vehicle, retrieved a handgun and returned to the bar while holding the weapon. As he approached the entrance, security confronted him and attempted to stop him from re-entering.

Multiple verbal commands were given, but police said the man ignored them, pointed the gun at a security officer and opened the entrance door. The security officer then fired multiple rounds from a legally possessed handgun, striking the man.

More Here

 Back in May, I got into a little fender-bender.  Got a ticket.  I called the Sheriff's office to see whart I owed them.

"Oh, no, PawPaw" says the lady on the phone.  "You have a mandatory court date."

I admit I was a bit baffled. No one injured, just a little bent sheet metal which the insurance covered, and I had to be in court.  So, this morning I showed up in court.  I waited about an hour for my name to be called, then went to the bar and told the judge what happened. She asked if insurance had covered it, and I said Yep.  she gave me a small fine, which I happily paid. Court costs are exorbitant, but I still got out of there for under $250.

The lady collecting the fines seemed a bit surprised that I wanted to pay it all at once.

I was a cop for 37 years.  The first 20, I spent a lot of time in the court room.   Today was the first time in maybe 15 years I had been inside a court room.  After the Oyer we said a pledge of Allegiance and Her Honor got down to business. The bailiff was a bit Foghorn Leghorn, but that is part of the job. All in all, it was not totally unpleasant.

Jacob e3mails to point out an interesting article discussing the various AP rounds that the Department of War uses. If you're interested in this sort of thing, you'll find this interesting.

The one thing that the article doesn't discuss is the type of "Armor Piercing" ammunition that normal citizens can get.  There's a brief discussion of this on this Reddit thread. (Yeah, yeah, I know - Reddit.  But the info seems reasonable)

He also has an interesting post up comparing .300 Blackout with 5.56 NATO. 

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In January, 2012, Glenn Villeneuve was attacked by a pack of 20 wolves. It was a very unusual event.

Villeneuvea detailed the event, including pictures of the extremely large pack. He gave an extensive interview to Joe Rogan. Villeneuve has been one of the stars of the reality show, Life Below Zero. The attack event is discussed starting at 13:30 on the video.  Villeneuve explains he never expected such an attack to happen. It was far outside many years of experience dealing with wolves. He does not know why the wolves came after him that day. They had never been aggressive toward him before.  The reason for the attack may have something to do with the extremely large wolf pack.

The discussion of the wolf event starts at 13:30 on the video. Glenn Villeneuve sees a pack of 20 wolves on a kill on the lake ice, 500 yards from his cabin. This is an extremely large pack of wolves for the area. It is very unusual. His cabin is far above the arctic circle. In January, it is twilight in the middle of the day.

At first, Villeneuve grabs a camera and walks to about 350 yards from the pack of wolves to take pictures.  It is not clear if he is armed on this first foray. His batteries go bad and he starts to go back to cabin to get fresh batteries.  Villeneuve looks back and the wolves are running at him. He is 30 yards from the cabin. He sprints to the cabin and gets inside. He looks out the window. The 20 wolves are milling around 50 yards from the cabin. In a short time, the wolves go back to the kill on the lake. Villeneuve goes back out to take more pictures. This time he has his rifle with him, but no spare ammunition.

Villeneuve goes out about 150 yards from the cabin. The wolves are about 350 yards away. Some of the wolves start moving toward him, but slowly, hesitantly. He slowly retreats. The wolves move a little closer. When he is about 100 yards from the cabin, they start galloping toward him. Again he sprints to the cabin. He drops the camera tripod. He has only 4-5 rounds in his rifle, and is unsure whether he could stop the attack.  Again the wolves are milling around 50 yards from the cabin when he is inside. Again the wolves go back to the kill on the ice.

Villeneuve thinks about the situation. He needs to teach the wolves he is not prey. He needs to teach them he is a dangerous predator to be avoided. He decides to see if he can lure the wolves closer to the cabin before he starts shooting. He makes sure he is ready. He checks his rifle, a .30-06, and grabs extra ammunition. He goes outside the cabin. To lure the wolves closer, he starts running back and forth from the cabin to the lake shore, about 50 yards. The wolves come running at him again. This time he sits down at the lake shore and takes aim.

He starts shooting when the wolves are 264 yards away, killing one wolf. He shoots two more as they keep coming. They are no longer all galloping toward him, but continue coming in spurts, some milling about. As the third wolf is hit, the wolf pack has had enough. The "prey" is far too dangerous; they run off. The tracks show some wolves came as close as 50 yards from Villeneuve before they all retreated.  The shooting probably took less than a minute. It took that long because Villeneuve had to reload with individual cartridges while the wolves were coming at him. His rifle only has a four round magazine. He does not say how many shots he fired, presumably somewhere between six and nine. One wolf's back had been broken, but it was still alive. Villeneuve ran back to the cabin to obtain his .22 rimfire to finish off the wolf which was wounded, becuase  it is important to minimize destruction of the fur. Wolf fur is valuable to construct parka hoods. He discovers the animal they had killed on the lake ice was a 1 1/2 year old bull moose.

Glenn Villeneuve is very careful to explain this is an extremely rare event. The circumstances remind me of the case of Crist Kolby, who was almost certainly killed by wolves in 1939, at his trap line on the Thorn River, on Prince of Wales Island in Alaska. When Kolby did not return as expected, an investigation was mounted. The evidence recovered indicated Kolby was on his trapline when he found the mainspring on his new Smith & Wesson .357 magnum revolver was broken. On the way back to his cabin, he was pursued and attacked by wolves. His remains were found near the shoreline of a lake, just short of trees he might have been able to climb. These sort of attacks are very rare, but consider what might have happened to Glen Villeneuve if he was miles from his cabin, and did not have a working firearm. No one knows why the wolves came after Villeneuve or Kolby. Perhaps it was because he retreated. Maybe the size of the pack is important. Perhaps this was what happened with Kolby. A single man, without firearms, can be brought down by a pack of wolves. A small team of men, even two or three, armed with spears and clubs, presents a far more difficult problem for a pack of wolves.

Wolves have learned over many millennia to respect and fear humans. Historically, as recounted in "The Gray Wolf Revealed" by Kaj Granlund & Will Graves, p.127, most wolf attacks on humans are on children, then on women, then on lone men. The vast majority (88%) of human victims of wolves were people under the age of 20. Above the age of 20, 86% of the victims were women.

A person with a working firearm, if they have rudimentary skill, will nearly always win in a fight against wolves.

©2026 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

Gun Watch   

A Sunday evening shooting at a Tuscaloosa gas station could be a case of self-defense, authorities said.

Tuscaloosa police responded at 6:41 p.m. to the shooting at Circle K at 6718 Highway 69 South,

Violent Crimes Unit Capt. Jack Kennedy said one person was found with critical injuries and taken to DCH Regional Medical Center.

More Here

This is cool:

After a secret trip across the English Channel, the Bayeux Tapestry is back on English soil for the first time since it was made 900 years ago. It has been loaned to the British Museum by France after a major conservation project to stabilize the fragile textile

...

The wool thread embroidery-on-linen tapestry created as a visual record of the William of Normandy’s invasion of England in 1066, was woven in the Canterbury area around 1077. It was commissioned by Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, William the Conqueror’s brother, so when it was complete, the tapestry moved to Normandy and has stayed there ever since.

...

It will be exhibited at the British Museum from September 10, 2026, until July 2027. Pre-sales of tickets are already through the roof, with 100,000 sold since tickets for the first four months of the exhibition went on sale July 1.

In exchange for the loan of one of the greatest historic artifacts in French and English history, museums in Normandy will be loaned of the British Museum’s most famous objects, including pieces from the Sutton Hoo Anglo-Saxon ship burial and the Lewis Chessmen.

The tapestry is so famous that people make memes using it.

If you're planning a trip to London in the next year, this should be on your list to see.  Or you can go see it in Bayeux  in Normandy and see the D-Day beaches.