On a tank, the bustle is the rear part of the turret, opposite from the main gun (cannon). On all US tanks, there is a rack, or large basket framework, mounted to the rear of the bustle.

This is used for stowage for all the stuff which you need but which cannot fit within the armored envelope. This includes rations, duffel bags with crewman's extra clothing, galoshes (when a tanker dismounts, he puts these on before hitting the ground and takes them off before getting back inside; keeps the inside of the tank cleaner), extra weapon cleaning supplies, and so forth.

So, this portion of my website has essays which are pertinent, and are a result of my various areas of expertise; but which do not really fit within case histories or publications. Enjoy!

VooDoo Science

The Great Myths of Prosecution Ballistic Evidence Unfortunately, the misuse of firearms and ammunition technology is rampant. I believe that this misuse is deliberate and is a routine part of the average prosecutor’s tactics to gain a conviction. This misuse used to fall into 5 major subject areas. The current score is one down, four […]

Willing to Die or Willing to Kill

Much has already been written and said about the Parkland school shooting in Florida, and much more will come in the future. Part of this will center on the questions of armed guards and of arming some teachers. There is great validity to the slogan, “The only way to stop a bad guy with a […]

Miltiades Warned Us

Those Pesky Persians Are At It Again It is safe to say that, throughout written human history, the Persian Empire, and/or its precursors, have been continually attacking to their West. With a track record of more than 3,500 years, I think it is safe to say that whatever their malfunction is, it is in their […]

Unmatched Superiority 105mm Tank Gun

Through the 1970’s to the 1990’s, the automatic assumption, within the US Department of Defense, was that the M-60 family of tanks; and its 105mm tank gun, were obsolete and had to be replaced. For the purpose of this entry to the Bustle Rack, let us analyze the gun only. We can leave the design […]

Line Dancing in a Minefield

Line Dancing in a Minefield We used to call them land mines but they are now called IED’s, Improvised Explosive Devices. Yet they are still the same, an explosive charge planted in the ground to blow the feet and legs off infantry or to destroy vehicles. And we have condemned tens of thousands of soldiers […]

The Beaten Zone

The tactical concept of the Beaten Zone was formalized by the Germans prior to World War I. It was the method of employment of the M-1908 Maxim Water Cooled Machine Gun. This concept has been utilized by intelligent armies ever since. Every shotgun shooter knows what this concept is. A shotgun is designed to put […]

Piet – King of Direct Fire

There is a poem, Piet, by Rudyard Kipling which reads, in part: I’ve fought with him the whole day through At fifteen hundred yards Long afternoons of lying still And hearing as you lay The bullets swish from hill to hill Like scythes among the hay Piet being the Boer who fought the British Empire […]

Direct Fires: Las Vegas and Texas

We have seen two recent incidents wherein large numbers of innocent, and unarmed, civilians were slaughtered (Las Vegas on 1 October, 2017 and Sutherland Springs, TX on 5 November, 2017). There are lessons to be re-learned. One lesson is the absolute necessity to instantly, and violently, react. We saw endless video of the Las Vegas […]

A Fine Line

Life and Death in Las Vegas Sometimes there is a very fine line between life and death. Every man who has been in combat knows this. There are no atheists in foxholes. Only God draws that line and we mortals mostly do not know why God drew the line where He did. Let me bring […]