Category Archives: Military History

Tank Track Ground Pressure Examples

Posted on 10-June-2016 by mathscinotes

I have been reading some military history on tank operations during the WW2 and the subject of the ground pressure exerted by the tank's tracks has figured prominently in the discussions on the Eastern Front. The T34/85 was mentioned as a particularly mobile tank because of its low ground pressure. Since I am working diligently on improving my web scraping skills, I decided to generate a short table of the ground pressures of some famous tanks. Continue reading →

Posted in Military History | 12 Comments

Book Review: Against The Tide

Posted on 17-January-2016 by mathscinotes

I have been working my way through a number of management books lately. The best of the lot, Against the Tide, was written by Admiral Dave Oliver about the management principles of Hyman G. Rickover (Figure 1). Years ago, I worked for a retired sub captain named Ernie Fischer. He had a number of interesting stories about serving on a nuclear submarine and about Hyman G. Rickover, the man responsible for creating the modern nuclear navy. Continue reading →

Posted in Management, Military History | Comments Off on Book Review: Against The Tide

Old West Cavalry Distributions of Age and Countries of Origin

Posted on 14-January-2016 by mathscinotes

When I was a boy, my father often told me stories of his grandfather, Louis Bauer, who was a member of the US Cavalry on the American Frontier. In fact, my father left my brother Tim the watch, spurs, and shaving cup that Louis used when he served in the cavalry. I used to wear the spurs for fun as a kid. Continue reading →

Posted in History Through Spreadsheets, Military History | Comments Off on Old West Cavalry Distributions of Age and Countries of Origin

WW2 Reticles

Posted on 5-November-2015 by mathscinotes

I have watched a lot of old WW2 combat footage, and I have noticed that many of the machine guns and fighter planes had similar reticles. A reticle is a fine-grid of lines used in conjunction with an eyepiece to assist in taking measurements or with accurately pointing an instrument. Figure 1 shows a reticle similar to what I have seen in numerous combat scenes. Continue reading →

Posted in Ballistics, Military History | Comments Off on WW2 Reticles

Mass-Energy Conversion Example

Posted on 20-September-2015 by mathscinotes

Since 2015 is the 70th anniversary of the end of World War 2 (WW2), C-SPAN has been running a number of oral history interviews with people who worked on the Manhattan Project. I have found these interviews very interesting. You can find them on YouTube and watch them for yourself. Continue reading →

Posted in General Science, History of Science and Technology, Military History | Comments Off on Mass-Energy Conversion Example

Computing a Ship's Course from Four Bearings

Posted on 13-April-2015 by mathscinotes

I have made no secret of my love for all things nautical – even my game playing has a nautical theme. When I have spare time, I like to play Silent Hunter 3 or 4. While these are older versions of the Silent Hunter franchise, I still enjoy playing them very much. What brings me back to Silent Hunter is how easily I can vary the level of realism to suite my gaming needs. Continue reading →

Posted in Military History, Navigation | 5 Comments

Submarine Fuel Math

Posted on 26-November-2014 by mathscinotes

Introduction I just read an interesting article about an arctic environmental problem being presented by a Soviet-era nuclear submarine that had been scuttled back in 1982 (Figure 1). Apparently, scientists are now concerned that the submarine's reactor could leak dangerous … Continue reading →

Posted in General Science, Military History, Naval History | 3 Comments

Presidential and Civil War Trivia

Posted on 22-February-2014 by mathscinotes

Quote of the Day Pay no attention to what the critics say; There has never been a statue erected to a critic. — Jean Sibelius I like to watch CSPAN's history coverage. During a recent program, I heard an historian … Continue reading →

Posted in Military History | Comments Off on Presidential and Civil War Trivia

Excellent Video on Breaking the Japanese JN-25 Code During WW2

Posted on 19-January-2014 by mathscinotes

Those of you World War 2 history buffs may find this video lecture on the breaking of the Japanese naval codes. I have read a number of books on the topic, but I did not know that so much work … Continue reading →

Posted in History of Science and Technology, Military History | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

World War 2 Submarine Hull Thickness Math

Posted on 12-December-2013 by mathscinotes

Quote of the Day How are the children? — Masai warrior greeting, intended to ensure that the warriors always keep their number one priority in mind. I was reading a blog post on Gizmodo that did a bit of math … Continue reading →

Posted in Military History, Naval History | 2 Comments