The military in any historical period was endowed with courage and courage. Their gallant image made girls' hearts flutter. As a child, many boys wanted to become pilots, tankmen or cavalrymen. Old black-and-white photographs of the revolutionary and war years often show sailors with crossed machine-gun belts. Why they did it - there is no single explanation. There are several versions of this unusual wearing of military equipment.
Convenience comes first
Historians believe that for the first time the need to wear machine-gun belts on oneself, and not in a special box or bag, appeared during the First World War. Then the sailors faced a new enemy - airplanes and airships. Aircraft began to be used for shelling and “bombarding” vessels with flammable liquid. At that time, the warships of the Russian Empire could repel enemy attacks using the Maxim machine gun. They were installed in places where bullets could damage enemy airplanes and airships.
The highest combat points on board the ships were located where observers, distance-keepers, signallers carried their posts, as well as on Mars platforms and similar places. Raising a machine gun there is a completely solvable task. But supplying it with shells proved to be very difficult. It was not advisable to store ammunition at the sites next to the "Maxim". Sea water, dampness, air saturated with salt, quickly rendered the shells unusable. They were covered with rust spots. The machine-gun belt itself was damp and "chewed" by the machine gun. Delivered additional problems and pitching. Especially in a storm.
In addition, if the machine gun was located on the Mars platforms, then they climbed there along the ladders. While rolling, it is not very convenient to climb up, and even carry a heavy box of ammunition with you. So one savvy sailor came up with the idea of hanging himself with machine-gun belts. Who it was - history is still silent. But the tradition, inspired by combat realities and difficulties, took root. And not for one decade. Initially, the sailors tied themselves with machine-gun belts because of the convenience of their transportation to the "Maxim".
Tradition, fashion and convenience again
On photographs dating back to the Second World War, sailors were again captured with crossed machine-gun belts. It was possible to meet them not only on ships, but also among the ground forces. This is explained by the fact that during the breakdown of the ship or its unsuitability for combat operations, most of the crew were sent to the nearest unit.
There were problems with military equipment in the first months and years of the war. In addition, the form of the land and marines differed at least in the number of pockets. The sailors had fewer of them. But the standard ammunition that the fighters carried with them was the same. There was one more nuance - cartridges. The caliber of ammunition for the "Maxim" machine gun was the same as for the shells for the rifle (the same "mosinka"). The combination of these factors explains why sailors with crossed ribbons are captured in photographs of the war years.
Despite the fact that the standard equipment required the presence of pouches and spare cartridge bags, sailors, following the good old (and at the same time convenient) tradition, weighed themselves with machine-gun belts. The size of the cartridge "pocket" was perfect for a bullet for the Maxim machine gun, as well as for a rifle. So the machine-gun belt had another functional purpose - the personal bandolier of a sailor soldier. He was always at hand. The crossed belts with cartridges made it possible to evenly distribute the additional weight load. By the way, if suddenly the tape got wet and warped, then it was leveled using a special device.
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But back to the old photographs. Some of them depict sailors who do not take part in hostilities. But they are surrounded by machine-gun belts. Some historians believe that wearing them this way became a kind of addition to the sailor's uniform. Machine-gun belts gave the sailors not only a gallant appearance, but also a "combat" gloss. At the same time, they distinguished them against the background of other brave fighters.
In short, there are 3 versions that explain the crossed machine-gun belts on the sailors of the war years. So, this is the convenience of transporting ammunition to the location of the machine gun, the personal bandolier of a soldier-sailor and the desire to stand out against the background of soldiers of other military branches. Can you tell us why the sailors wore machine-gun belts not in special boxes or pouches, but on themselves?
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