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Mail Call

Knight's Armor; WWI Backpack; Landmine

Season 1, Episode 2, Aired Aug 11, 2002

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R. Lee Ermey answers questions about the armor that the knights of old wore, how landmines work, and what was in the World War 1 American soldier's backpack.

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R. Lee Ermey

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Ermey examines three features of warfare: medieval armor, a WWI soldier's backpack gear and the deadly landmine.

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By Lokar, Jul 10, 2006

This episode takes us back in time for two of its features, and in its third shows us a weapon that is still with us in the present.

The segment on the knight's armor explains the manufacture and usage of the sturdy metal suit, including the chainmail shirts that deflected swords and arrows while remaining mobile and light. A particular favorite of mine is the live demonstration--Ermey has two assistants don copies of the outfits and chunk at each other with fake swords. Although no injuries result, you can see how the material functions.

The WWI story is also illuminative. We see how soldiers of that conflict carried food in packets not too different from the way this is done today. The result was hardly a four-star feast, but it could go anywhere and gave them the needed energy.

Act three introduces us to the secret weapon of landmines. They began with somewhat different construction from today's models, but they still function as intended: hard to spot, easy to hide, brutal explosives that will hit the enemy in the very act of walking or driving where they need to go. Since they are set off solely by the target and at a distance, they keep safe the soldiers who planted them. Landmines are today the object of much controversy.

This episode builds the series trademark of simple but informative explanations. As the viewer's eyes and ears where many may not get to go, Ermey and crew add to our knowledge and respect for the fighting forces.moreless
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TRIVIA (1)
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- There are over 1,500 different kinds of mines in the world today.
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QUOTES (1)
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- R. Lee Ermey: Get that sandwich out of your pie hole and listen up, dirt bag! It's time for Mail Call!
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NOTES (1)
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- Many of the members of the Great War Historical Society also appear in Episode 14, as members of the 101st Airborne California Historical Group. One - Mike Phillips - is credited by name.
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