Re: Interesting History Behind BF1 Weapon Skin Names?

Hi @HUN_gattaca_lg can you find anything about M95's skin "Osterschacht"? I found nothing about this thing. 

@MaxNotCheat 

Das ist eine gute Frage.

if i had to guess: Osterschlacht ("Easter Battle") in den Karpaten = Dritte Karpatenschlacht = the Third Carpathian Winter Offensive of Spring 1915

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpathian_Front
The Carpathian Front of World War I was a theater of conflict, part of the greater Eastern Front, centered on the Carpathian Mountains in which Austro-Hungary faced Russian forces. According to Prit Buttar, "The rugged peaks and passes of the Carpathians formed a natural barrier between Galicia (reference to the Gewehr M.95's Galicia skin), now in Russian hands, and the great plain of Hungary and the Danube valley. At the time, there were five main passes through the mountains, at Wyszkov, Verecke, Uzsok, Lupkov (reference to Battlefield 1's Łupków Pass map), and Dukla."

https://1914-medzilaborce-1918.sk/de/history/die-kampfe-in-der-slowakei
Am 20. März 1915 starteten russische Truppen eine neue Generaloffensive an der Karpatenfront. Das russische Kommando konzentrierte alle strategischen Reserven im Gebiet der heutigen Nordostslowakei und startete einen entscheidenden Angriff. Um die Wende März und April 1915 wurde die Nordostslowakei Schauplatz einer der wichtigsten Operationen des Ersten Weltkriegs. Diese Schlachten sind als "Osterschlacht in den Karpaten" in die europäische Militärgeschichte eingegangen und der russische Militärhistoriographie bezeichnet sie "Dritte Karpatenschlacht".

Showdown In The Dardanelles - Bulgaria Flirts With The Central Powers I THE GREAT WAR Week 36
What we're seeing here is the final stages of the Austro-Hungarian Empire's Third Winter Offensive in those mountains. The first two were complete debacles, and the third seemed to be going evern worse, if possible.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDsNPf3DMMA

Gewehr M.95 Skins:
Legendary: Die Kaiserin Elizabeth, The Edelweiss, Osterschlacht, The SM U-5
Distinguished: Galícia, Ruck-zu-ruck, SMS Novara, Von Banfield

Ruck-zu-ruck skin for Gewehr M.95 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mannlicher_M1895): The Mannlicher M1895 (German: Infanterie Repetier-Gewehr M.95, Hungarian: Gyalogsági Ismétlő Puska M95; "Infantry Repeating-Rifle M95") is a straight pull bolt-action rifle, designed by Ferdinand Ritter von Mannlicher that used a refined version of his revolutionary straight-pull action bolt, much like the Mannlicher M1890 carbine. It was nicknamed the Ruck-Zuck-[Gewehr] by Austrian troops (ruck-zuck spoken as "roock-tsoock", in common language meaning "back and forth [rifle]") and "Ta-Pum" by Italian troops who wrote a song (it) about it during World War I. Auf Grund der schnellen Nachladebewegung des Kammerstängels (zurück und vor), wurde der M95 (Gewehr/Karabiner) von den Soldaten in der k.u.k. Armee, „Ruck-zu(rü)ck-Gewehr“ genannt.

Galícia skin for Gewehr M.95 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galicia_(Eastern_Europe Galicia (Polish: Galicja, Ukrainian: Галичина) is a historical and geographic region spanning what is now southeastern Poland and western Ukraine. Known informally as Galicia, it became the largest, most populous, and northernmost province of the Austrian Empire. After 1867 it was part of the Austrian half of Austria-Hungary, until the dissolution of the monarchy at the end of World War I in 1918. During the First World War, Galicia saw heavy fighting between the forces of the Russian Empire and the Central Powers, on the Eastern Front of World War I. The Russian forces overran most of the region in 1914 after defeating the Austro-Hungarian army in a chaotic frontier battle in the opening months of the war. They were in turn pushed out in the spring and summer of 1915 by a combined German/Austro-Hungarian offensive.

SMS Novara skin for Gewehr M.95 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS_Novara_(1913): SMS Novara was a Novara-class scout cruiser of the Austro-Hungarian Navy which served during World War I. Novara was frequently used to raid enemy shipping and the Otranto Barrage, including a patrol in November 1915 where she destroyed a stranded French submarine. These operations culminated in the Battle of the Strait of Otranto (reference to Battle of Strait of Otranto skins) in May 1917, the largest naval battle of the Adriatic Campaign. Miklós Horthy (8 June 1868 – 9 February 1957), was a Hungarian admiral and statesman who served as the regent of the Kingdom of Hungary between the two World Wars and throughout most of World War II – from 1 March 1920 to 15 October 1944. In 1915, he earned a reputation for boldness while commanding the new light cruiser SMS Novara. He planned the 1917 attack on the Otranto Barrage, which resulted in the Battle of the Strait of Otranto, the largest naval engagement of the war in the Adriatic Sea.

Die Kaiserin Elizabeth skin for Gewehr M.95 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS_Kaiserin_Elisabeth): SMS Kaiserin Elisabeth was a Kaiser Franz Joseph I-class protected cruiser of the Austro-Hungarian Navy. Named in honor of the Empress Elisabeth, consort of Emperor Franz Josef, the cruiser was designed for overseas service and in fact was stationed in China at the outbreak of World War I in 1914. Upon the outbreak of the First World War, Kaiserin Elisabeth took part in the defense of the German colony of Tsingtao, which was besieged by the Japanese on 25 August 1914; Japan had declared war on Germany on 23 August and the presence of Kaiserin Elisabeth led to Japan declaring war on Austria-Hungary on 25 August. On 6 September 1914 the first air-sea battle in history took place when a Japanese Farman MF.11 aircraft (reference to the Model 8 Autoloading's Farman skin) launched by the seaplane carrier Wakamiya (reference to the Type 38 Arisaka's Wakamiya skin) unsuccessfully attacked Kaiserin Elisabeth with bombs.

The Edelweiss skin for Gewehr M.95 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leontopodium_nivale): Leontopodium nivale, commonly called edelweiss (German: Alpen-Edelweiß) is a mountain flower belonging to the daisy or sunflower family Asteraceae. The plant prefers rocky limestone places at about 1,800–3,000 metres (5,900–9,800 ft) altitude. The passion for edelweiss, which had previously been neglected, began in the middle of the 19th century. The focus is on an incident from 1856, when the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I (refrence to Frommer Stop Pistol's The Emperor skin) went on a mountain hike to the Pasterzen Glacier on the Großglockner with his wife Sisi (reference to Gewehr M.95's Die Kaiserin Elizabeth skin). The Alpen-Edelweiss was assigned as a badge by Emperor Franz Joseph to troops (three regiments of Kaiserschützen, reference to the M1914 Taschenpistol's Kaiserschützen skin) of the Austro-Hungarian Army intended for use in the mountains. It was worn on the collar of the uniform skirt. In addition to the "Edelweiss Corps" (k.u.k. XIV. Corps) of Archduke Joseph Ferdinand, an "Edelweiss Division" was formed in the course of the First World War. It essentially consisted of Kaiserjäger (reference to the M1914 Taschenpistol's Kaiserjäger skin) of the 3rd and 4th regiments, the Salzburg infantry regiment "Archduke Rainer" No. 59 and the Upper Austrian infantry regiment "Grand Duke of Hesse and the Rhine" No. 14. In 1915, World War I, the edelweiss was granted to the German alpine troops for their bravery.

Von Banfield skin for Gewehr M.95 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gottfried_Freiherr_von_Banfield): Gottfried Freiherr von Banfield (6 February 1890 – 23 September 1986) was the most successful Austro-Hungarian naval aeroplane pilot in the First World War. He was known as the 'Eagle of Trieste' and was the last person in history to wear the Military Order of Maria Theresa. He scored 9 aerial victories during the war, making him one of the only Flying aces who flew a flying boat to five or more victories.

The SM U-5 skin for Gewehr M.95 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SM_U-5_(Austria-Hungary)): SM U-5 or U-V was the lead boat of the U-5 class of submarines or U-boats built for and operated by the Austro-Hungarian Navy (German: Kaiserliche und Königliche Kriegsmarine, K.u.K. Kriegsmarine) before and during the First World War. The submarine scored most of her wartime successes during the first year of the war while under the command of Georg Ritter von Trapp. On the morning of 5 August, the Italian submarine Nereide was on the surface, moored under a cliff in the island's harbor. When U-5 surfaced just offshore, Nereide's commanding officer, Capitano di Corvetta Carlo del Greco, cast off the lines and maneuvered to get a shot at von Trapp's boat. Nereide launched a single torpedo at U-5 that missed, after which del Greco ordered his boat submerged. U-5 lined up a shot and launched a single torpedo at the slowly submerging target, striking her, and sending her to the bottom with all hands.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Eb1TujPr8o

Vetterli-Vitali M1870/87 skins:
Legendary: Crna Bend, Doberdò, The Scaroni
Distinguished: Guiseppe, Taurinorum

Guiseppe and Taurinorum skins for Vetterli-Vitali M1870/87 https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuseppe_Vitali_(generale): From 1887 until 1896, the Italian Army converted M1870s into a four-shot repeating rifle, based on the system designed by Italian artillery captain G. Vitali. Giuseppe Vitali (Bergamo, 1845 – Anzio, 1921) è stato un militare e inventore italiano. Promosso al grado di capitano nel 1878, prestò servizio alla Compagnia Operai, dal 1883 al 1890 alla Fabbrica d'Armi di Torino, anno in cui fu promosso maggiore. Fin dal 1883 aveva iniziato i suoi studi sulla ripetizione seguendo pertanto una strada nuova e più razionale da quella battuta dalla Germania e dalla Francia. L'americano Lee aveva in quegli anni ideato i serbatoi centrali mobili, l'allora capitano Giuseppe Vitali li perfezionò rendendoli fissi e realizzando il caricamento multiplo per mezzo di un caricatore contenente quattro cartucce che si caricavano tutte insieme in un tempo uguale a quello occorrente per caricarne una sola cartuccia. Per tali studi da lui effettuati, 1887 l'Italia trasformò ed adattò il fucile Vetterli Mod. 1870, realizzato appunto dallo svizzero Federico Vetterli, in fucile a ripetizione Modello 1870-87 sistema Vitali. Nel suo periodo di permanenza alla Regia Fabbrica d'Armi di Torino, trasformò il ciclo produttivo per adattarlo e rendere possibile l'incremento della trasformazione dei Vetterli.

The Scaroni skin for Vetterli-Vitali M1870/87 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silvio_Scaroni): Tenente Silvio Scaroni (12 May 1893 – 16 February 1977) was an Italian World War I fighter pilot credited with 26 victories. He was the second ranking Italian ace of the war. My sidenote: Count Francesco Baracca (reference to Baracca skin for Modello 1915 Pistol) was Italy's top fighter ace of World War I.

Doberdò skin for Vetterli-Vitali M1870/87 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Doberd%C3%B2): The Battle of Doberdò took place in August 1916, fought by the Kingdom of Italy and Austria-Hungary. The Austro-Hungarian army was primarily made up of regiments filled with Hungarians and Slovenians. The battle was a part of the Sixth Battle of the Isonzo, and occurred in a strategic area: the most western edge of the Karst Plateau. The Italians had already conquered the lowland area surrounding Monfalcone and Ronchi, and attempted to push over the Karst Plateau to seize control of the major road that linked the city of Trieste, with its important port, to Gorizia. After fierce combat, and sustaining heavy casualties, the Italian forces secured victory, forcing the Austro-Hungarian forces to retreat, and capturing Gorizia.

Crna Bend skin for Vetterli-Vitali M1870/87 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crna_River_(Vardar): The Crna River (Macedonian: Црна Река), traditionally known in English as the Cerna, is a river in North Macedonia. It is the right tributary of the Vardar River. Thus, the river makes a bend of almost 180 degrees east of Bitola. This bend was part of the Macedonian front in World War I. It was known to the allied forces as the Cerna Bend or Cerna Loop, and two major battles were fought here: the Battle of the Cerna Bend (14 October - 19 November 1916) and the Second Battle of the Crna Bend (5–9 May 1917).

Lebel Model 1886 skins:
Legendary: La Madelon, Le Grand Cheval, Le Poilu
Distinguished: Chemin des Dames, Poincaré

Le Grand Cheval skin for Lebel Model 1886 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Duchamp-Villon): Raymond Duchamp-Villon (5 November 1876 – 9 October 1918) was a French sculptor. In 1913 he took part in exhibitions at the Galerie André Groult in Paris, the Galerie S. V. U. Mánes in Prague, and in 1914 at Der Sturm Gallery (reference to the LMG 08/18's der Sturm skin) in Berlin. During World War I Raymond Duchamp-Villon served in the French army in a medical capacity, but still worked on his major cubist sculpture, The Large Horse. In late 1916, Raymond Duchamp-Villon contracted typhoid fever while stationed at the military quarters in Champagne. As a result, he was taken to the military hospital at Cannes where he died. The Large Horse (French: Le Grand cheval) is a 1914-31 bronze sculpture by French artist Raymond Duchamp-Villon, installed at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston's (MFAH) Lillie and Hugh Roy Cullen Sculpture Garden in Houston, Texas, in the United States.

Le Poilu skin for Lebel Model 1886 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poilu): Poilu is an informal term for a late 18th century–early 20th century French infantryman, meaning, literally, the hairy one. It is still widely used as a term of endearment for the French infantry of World War I. The word carries the sense of the infantryman's typically rustic, agricultural background, and derives from the bushy moustaches and other facial hair affected by many French soldiers after the outbreak of the war as a sign of masculinity. The last surviving poilu from World War I was Pierre Picault. However, French authorities recognised Lazare Ponticelli (reference to the Ribeyrolles 1918's Lazare skin) —who had served in the French Foreign Legion as an Italian citizen—as the last poilu, as he was the last veteran whose service met the strict official criteria.

Poincaré skin for Lebel Model 1886 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Poincar%C3%A9): Raymond Nicolas Landry Poincaré (20 August 1860 – 15 October 1934) was a French statesman who served as President of France from 1913 to 1920, and three times as Prime Minister of France.

Chemin des Dames skin for Lebel Model 1886 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemin_des_Dames): Three battles were fought along the Chemin des Dames east-to-west ridge located to the north of Paris during the First World War. All are named after the river which flows on the south side of the ridge. Their names are as follows:
-First Battle of the Aisne (1914) – Anglo-French counter-offensive following the First Battle of the Marne.
-Second Battle of the Aisne (1917) – main component of the Nivelle Offensive. (reference to Battlefield 1's Nivelle Nights map)
-Third Battle of the Aisne (1918) – third phase (Operation Blücher) of the German spring offensive.

La Madelon skin for Lebel Model 1886 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Madelon): La Madelon or Quand Madelon, also known in English as Madelon (I'll Be True to the Whole Regiment) is a French popular song of World War I. Although it is mostly known as La Madelon the proper title is Quand Madelon which are the beginning words of the refrain. The lyrics are by Louis Bousquet (1914) and the music by Camille Robert. The song tells a story about soldiers flirting with a lovely young waitress in a country tavern and may partly owe its long term popularity to the fact that the lyrics were clean at a time when soldiers' songs were mostly bawdy and rude.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vS2ML_0Ky0M

Ribeyrolles 1918 skins:
Legendary: Forain, L'Union Sacrée
Distinguished: Esprit de corps, Lazare

Lazare skin for Ribeyrolles 1918 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lazare_Ponticelli): Lazare Ponticelli (born Lazzaro Ponticelli; 24 December 1897, later mistranscribed as 7 December – 12 March 2008), Knight of Vittorio Veneto, was at 110, the last surviving officially recognized veteran of the First World War from France and the last poilu (reference to the Lebel Model 1886's Le Poilu skin) of its trenches to die. Born in Italy, he travelled on his own to France at the age of eight. Aged 16, he lied about his age in order to join the French Army at the start of the war in 1914, before being transferred against his will to the Italian Army the following year. Ponticelli was the oldest living man of Italian birth and the oldest man living in France at the time of his death. Every Armistice Day until 2007 he attended ceremonies honoring deceased veterans.

Esprit de corps skin for Ribeyrolles 1918 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morale): Morale also known as esprit de corps, is the capacity of a group's members to maintain belief in an institution or goal, particularly in the face of opposition or hardship. Morale is often referenced by authority figures as a generic value judgment of the willpower, obedience, and self-discipline of a group tasked with performing duties assigned by a superior. Morale is important in the military, because it improves unit cohesion. Esprit de corps is considered to be an important part of a fighting unit. During the proceedings of the Southborough Committee inquiry concerning shellshock (reference to the M1917 Enfield's Shellshock skin), testimony by Colonel J. F. C. Fuller (reference to SMLE MKIII's The Fuller skin) defined morale as "the acquired quality which in highly-trained troops counterbalances the influence of the instinct of self-preservation."

L'Union Sacrée skin for Ribeyrolles 1918 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_Union): The Sacred Union (French: Union Sacrée) was a political truce in France in which the left-wing agreed, during World War I, not to oppose the government or call any strikes. Made in the name of patriotism, it stood in opposition to the pledge made by the French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO) internationalism, and its former leader Jean Jaurès, not to enter any "bourgeois war." On 3 August 1914, Germany declared war on France. The next day, Prime Minister Rene Viviani read an address written by the President of the French Republic, Raymond Poincaré (reference to the Lebel Model 1886's Poincaré skin): « Dans la guerre qui s'engage, la France […] sera héroïquement défendue par tous ses fils, dont rien ne brisera devant l'ennemi l'union sacrée » ("In the coming war, France will be heroically defended by all its sons, whose sacred union will not break in the face of the enemy").

Forain skin for Ribeyrolles 1918 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Louis_Forain): Jean-Louis Forain (23 October 1852 – 11 July 1931) was a French Impressionist painter and printmaker, working in media including oils, watercolour, pastel, etching and lithograph. Compared to many of his Impressionist colleagues, he was more successful during his lifetime, but his reputation is now much less exalted. During the first World War, Forain's illustrations honored the patriotism of his contemporaries, and he enlisted in the Section de Camouflage under Lucien-Victor Guirand de Scévola.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wg1vu3Od8GQ&t=81s

Mosin-Nagant M91 skins:
Legendary: The Bochkareva, Cobadin, Monastir
Distinguished: Kokovtseva, Yurlova

Monastir skin for Mosin-Nagant M91 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitola): Bitola (Macedonian: Битола) is a city in the southwestern part of North Macedonia. Bitola, known during the Ottoman Empire as Manastır or Monastir, is one of the oldest cities in North Macedonia. During World War I Bitola was on the Salonica front. Bulgaria, a Central Power, took the city on 21 November 1915, while the Allied forces recaptured it in 1916. Bitola was divided into French, Russian, Italian and Serbian sections, under the command of French general Maurice Sarrail. Until Bulgaria's surrender in late autumn 1918, Bitola remained a front line city and was bombarded almost daily by air bombardment and artillery fire and was nearly destroyed.

Cobadin skin for Mosin-Nagant M91 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobadin): Cobadin is a commune in Constanța County, Northern Dobruja, Romania. Two battles were fought on the territory of the commune and in the surrounding area during World War I: the First Battle of Cobadin (September 17–19, 1916), and the Second Battle of Cobadin (October 19–25, 1916).

Kokovtseva skin for Mosin-Nagant M91 https://battlefield.fandom.com/wiki/Women_Rise_(Codex_Entry) In addition to military work, the percentage of women in the civilian labor force nearly doubled in some nations, but grew in all. And indeed, some even fought at the front. Flora Sandes, Milunka Savic, Helen Ruz, Olga Kokovtseva and of course - the Russian Women's Battalion of Death, led by Maria Bocharevka. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olga_Kokovtseva Margarita Romanovna Kokovtseva, generally named in English sources as Olga Kokovtseva was a female soldier in an Imperial Russian Army cavalry unit during World War I. Wounded in combat and decorated for bravery, she appears to have been involved with establishing a hospital for injured servicemen.

Yurlova skin for Mosin-Nagant M91 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marina_Yurlova): Marina Yurlova (Russian: Мари́на Максимилиа́новна Ю́рлова; 25 February 1900 - 1 April 1984) was a Russian child soldier and author. She fought in World War I and later in the Russian Civil War on the side of the anti-communist White movement. Wounded several times, she won the Russian Cross of Saint George for bravery three times. She eventually made her way to Vladivostok, then to Japan and finally to the USA, where she performed as a dancer. Yurlova published her autobiography in three parts: Cossack Girl (1934, republished in 2010), Russia Farewell (1936) and The Only Woman (1937).

The Bochkareva skin for Mosin-Nagant M91 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Bochkareva): Maria Leontievna Bochkareva (July 1889 – 16 May 1920; Russian: Мари́я Лео́нтьевна Бочкарёва, nicknamed Yashka) was a Russian soldier who fought in World War I and formed the 1st Russian Women's Battalion of Death. She was the first Russian woman to command a military unit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cndgoEd3fkk

Fedorov Avtomat skins:
Legendary: The Kerensky, Marasti, Oituz
Distinguished: Izmail, Mikhailovich

Izmail skin for Fedorov Avtomat (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fedorov_Avtomat): In 1916, the Weapons Committee of the Russian Army decided to order no less than 25,000 Fedorov automatic rifles. In the summer of 1916, a company from the 189th Izmail Regiment was equipped with eight Fedorov Avtomats. Trained in tactics with the new weapon, they concluded that the Fedorov worked best as a crew-served weapon: the gunner armed with the Fedorov, and an ammo bearer armed with an Arisaka rifle. As both weapons used the same ammo and same 5-round stripper clips, this allowed for the greatest flexibility. It also allowed for the ammo bearer to fire defensively, while the gunner reloaded. It was also recommended that the primary mode of fire be in semi-automatic, as the Fedorov would rapidly overheat in full-automatic. After completing their training, the company was deployed to the Romanian front in early 1917.

Marasti skin for Fedorov Avtomat (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_M%C4%83r%C4%83%C8%99ti): The Battle of Mărăști (Romanian: Bătălia de la Mărăști) was one of the main battles to take place on Romanian soil in World War I. It was fought between 22 July and 1 August 1917, and was an offensive operation of the Romanian and Russian armies intended to encircle and destroy the German 9th Army. According to General Alexandru Averescu, the commander of the Romanian Second Army at this major engagement, the Battle of Mărăști was the "first true victory in the history of the modern Romanian Army".

Oituz skin for Fedorov Avtomat (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Battle_of_Oituz): The Third Battle of Oituz was a confrontation between Romanian and, to a lesser extent, Russian forces on one side and German and Austro-Hungarian forces on the other, during the Romanian Campaign of World War I. The battle took place primarily in the Oituz valley on the border between Hungary and Romania, from 8 to 22 August 1917. The Austro-Hungarian First Army planned to attack Romanian positions along the Oituz valley, primarily using the Gerok Group, which had recently participated in the Battle of Mărăști (reference to the Fedorov Avtomat's Marasti skin).

The Kerensky skin for Fedorov Avtomat (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fedorov_Avtomat): It was supposed to report back valuable combat experience with the new weapon, but this did not happen because the company disintegrated during the Kerensky Offensive. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerensky_offensive The Kerensky offensive (Russian: Наступление Керенского), also commonly known as the July offensive (Russian: Июльское наступление) or Galician offensive, was the last Russian offensive in World War I. It took place in July 1917. It was decided by Alexander Kerensky, Minister of War in the Russian provisional government, and led by General Aleksei Brusilov (reference to the Autoloading 8's Brusilov skin). Such a decision was ill-timed, because, following the February Revolution, there were strong popular demands for peace, especially within the Russian Army, whose fighting capabilities were quickly deteriorating.

Mikhailovich skin Fedorov Avtomat (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fedorov_Avtomat): About 10 other Avtomats were given to the Russian naval aviation; Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia telegraphed back that his pilots found it more suitable than the Chauchat in light aircraft. In early 1917, the order for Fedorov rifles was limited to 5,000 weapons. However, only about 100 Fedorov Avtomats had been produced before the collapse of the Russian Empire in 1917, when production was halted. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Duke_Alexander_Mikhailovich_of_Russia Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia (Russian: Александр Михайлович Aleksandr Mikhailovich; 13 April 1866 – 26 February 1933) was a dynast of the Russian Empire, a naval officer, an author, explorer, the brother-in-law of Emperor Nicholas II and advisor to him. Alexander played a major role in the creation of Russian military aviation. He was the initiator of the officer's aviation school near Sevastopol in 1910 and later the chief of the Imperial Russian Air Service during the First World War. From December 1916 Alexander was the Field Inspector General of the Imperial Russian Air Service.

M1917 Enfield skins:
Legendary: Company K, The Unknown Soldier
Distinguished: Cenotaph, Hurley
Special: Hellfire Junction, Jabal Canyon, Mametz, Shellshock

Company K skin for M1917 Enfield (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_March): William March (September 18, 1893 – May 15, 1954) was an American writer of psychological fiction and a highly decorated U.S. Marine (reference to the M1903's Marine skin). The author of six novels and four short-story collections, March was praised by critics but never attained great popularity. In 1917, while working in a Manhattan law office, he volunteered for the U.S. Marine Corps and saw action in World War I, for which he was decorated with some of the highest honors—the French Croix de Guerre, the American Distinguished Service Cross, and the U.S. Navy Cross. After the war he again worked in a law office before embarking on a financially successful business career. While working in business he began writing, first short stories, then in 1933 a novel based on his war experiences, Company K.

Mametz skin for M1917 Enfield (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capture_of_Mametz): The Capture of Mametz took place on 1 July 1916, when the British Fourth Army attacked the German 2nd Army on the Western Front, during the first day of the Battle of the Somme. British and French attacks south of the Albert–Bapaume (reference to the MG15 n.A's Bapaume skin) road continued on 2 July and by 13 July had pushed up close to the German second position through Mametz Wood to the north of Mametz, ready for the Battle of Bazentin Ridge (reference to Madsen MG's The Bazentin Ridge skin) on 14 July, the 7th Division having been relieved by the 38th (Welsh) Division on 5 July.

Cenotaph skin for M1917 Enfield (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cenotaph): A cenotaph is an empty tomb or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been reinterred elsewhere. Although the vast majority of cenotaphs honour individuals, many noted cenotaphs are instead dedicated to the memories of groups of individuals, such as the lost soldiers of a country or of an empire. The cenotaph in Whitehall, London, designed in 1919 by Sir Edwin Lutyens, influenced the design of many other war memorials in Britain and in the British sectors of the Western Front, as well as those in other Commonwealth nations.

The Unknown Soldier skin for M1917 Enfield (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomb_of_the_Unknown_Soldier): A Tomb of the Unknown Soldier or Tomb of the Unknown Warrior is a monument dedicated to the services of an unknown soldier and to the common memories of all soldiers killed in war. Such tombs can be found in many nations and are usually high-profile national monuments. Throughout history, many soldiers have died in war with their remains being unidentified. Following World War I, a movement arose to commemorate these soldiers with a single tomb, containing the body of one such unidentified soldier. The Tombs of the Unknown Soldiers typically contain the remains of a soldier who is unidentified (or "known but to God" as the stone is sometimes inscribed). These remains are considered impossible to identify, and so serve as a symbol for all of a country's unknown dead wherever they fell in the war being remembered. The anonymity of the entombed soldier is the key symbolism of the monument; it could be the tomb of anyone who fell in service of the nation, and therefore serves as a monument symbolizing all of the sacrifices.

Hellfire Junction skin for M1917 Enfield (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellfire_Corner): Hellfire Corner was a junction in the Ypres Salient (reference to the M1907 Selfloading's Ypres skin) in the First World War. The main supplies for the British Army in this sector passed along the road from Ypres to Menin - the famous Menin Road. A section of the road was where the Sint-Jan-Zillebeke road and the Ypres-Roulers (Roeselare) railway (line 64) crossed the road. The German Army positions overlooked this spot and their guns were registered upon it so that movement through this junction was perilous, making it the most dangerous place in the sector. https://battlefield.fandom.com/wiki/Argonne_Forest#Hellfire_Junction_Bridge The Hellfire Junction Bridge is located in the center of the Argonne Forest map and is the center point for most engagements. A railway runs across the two-arch bridge, subsequently allowing the Armored Train to directly influence the capture of this flag.

Hurley skin for M1917 Enfield (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Hurley): James Francis "Frank" Hurley (15 October 1885 – 16 January 1962) was an Australian photographer and adventurer. He participated in a number of expeditions to Antarctica and served as an official photographer with Australian forces during both world wars. He was the official photographer for the Australasian Antarctic Expedition and the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914–16. Hurley’s most famous images, his view of Hellfire Corner (reference to the M1917 Enfield's Hellfire Junction skin) on the Menin Road, “the most dangerous place on the Western Front”, taken during the 3rd battle of Ypres in 1917.

Jabal Canyon skin for M1917 Enfield (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wadi_Rum): In the West, Wadi Rum may be best known for its connection with British officer T. E. Lawrence, who passed through several times during the Arab Revolt of 1917–18. In the 1980s one of the rock formations in Wadi Rum, originally known as "Jabal al-Mazmar" (The Mountain of (the) Plague), was named "The Seven Pillars of Wisdom," after Lawrence's book penned in the aftermath of the war, though the 'Seven Pillars' referred to in the book have no connection with Rum. Khaz'ali Canyon in Wadi Rum is the site of petroglyphs etched into the cave walls depicting humans and antelopes dating back to the Thamudic times. https://battlefield.fandom.com/wiki/Sinai_Desert#Jabal_Canyon The Ammunition Depot is located in a gorge within the rocky crags of the south-west side of the Sinai Desert map. Surrounded from all sides by steep cliff faces, there are limited entryways into the capture zone, such as to the west, east and north-east, however an arched rock formation to the south produces a natural ramp for infantry to reach the top of the cliffs, and thus cover the objective from above.

Shellshock skin for M1917 Enfield (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shell_shock): Shell shock is a term that originated during World War I to describe the type of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that many soldiers experienced during the war, before PTSD was officially recognized. It is a reaction to the intensity of the bombardment and fighting that produced a helplessness, which could manifest as panic, fear, flight, or an inability to reason, sleep, walk or talk.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvTRJZGWqF8

Russian 1895 Skins:
Legendary: The Medicine, The Teddy, The Vistula River
Distinguished: Grodno, Kopsodze, Pancho Villa, Rough Rider
Other: Desert Dweller

Desert Dweller skin for Russian 1895 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bedouin): The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu (Arabic: بَدْو) are nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia. The Bedouin originated in the Syrian Desert and Arabian Desert but spread across the rest of the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa after the spread of Islam. The English word bedouin comes from the Arabic badawī, which means "desert dweller", and is traditionally contrasted with ḥāḍir, the term for sedentary people. During the First World War, the Negev Bedouin initially fought with the Ottomans against the British. However, under the influence of British agent T. E. Lawrence, the Bedouins switched side and fought against the Ottomans. Hamad Pasha al-Sufi (died 1923), Sheikh of the Nijmat sub-tribe of the Tarabin, led a force of 1,500 men who joined the Ottoman raid on the Suez Canal.

Pancho Villa skin for Russian 1895 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winchester_Model_1895): The remaining 9,900 rifles were sold to M. Harley Company and most were shipped to Cuba in 1906. Some of these rifles found their way to Mexico, where they were favored by Pancho Villa’s troops during the Mexican Revolution. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancho_Villa Francisco "Pancho" Villa (born José Doroteo Arango Arámbula, 5 June 1878 – 20 July 1923) was a general in the Mexican Revolution. Angered at the U.S. aid to Carranza, Villa conducted a raid on the border town of Columbus (reference to the M1909 Benét-Mercié's Columbus skin), New Mexico to goad the U.S. into invading Mexico in 1916–17. Despite a major contingent of soldiers and superior military technology, the U.S. failed to capture Villa.

The Vistula River skin for Russian 1895 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Vistula_River): The Battle of the Vistula River (29 September – 31 October 1914), also known as the Battle of Warsaw, was a Russian victory against the German Empire and Austria-Hungary on the Eastern Front during the First World War.

Kopsodze skin for Russian 1895 (German Infantryman vs Russian Infantryman: 1914–15 by Robert Forczyk) 31 October 1914: The Battle of Kopsodze (now Kaupiškiai, Lithuania). 27th Infantry Division mounts a night attack against a regiment from I. Reservekorps, which has advanced across the border into Lithuania. However, the Germans are alert and repel the attack.

Grodno skin for Russian 1895 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grodno): Grodno (Russian: Гродно, Polish: Grodno; Lithuanian: Gardinas) or Hrodna (Belarusian: Гродна) is a city in western Belarus. The city is located on the Neman River, 300 kilometres (190 mi) from Minsk, about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from the border with Poland, and 30 kilometres (19 mi) from the border with Lithuania. After the outbreak of World War I, Grodno was occupied by Germany (3 September 1915) and ceded by Bolshevist Russia under the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in 1918. After the war the German government permitted a short-lived state to be set up there, the first one with a Belarusian name—the Belarusian People's Republic. This declared its independence from Russia in March 1918 in Minsk (known at that time as Mensk), but then the BNR's Rada (Council) had to leave Minsk and fled to Grodno. All this time the military authority in the city remained in German hands.

The Teddy and Rough Rider skins for Russian 1895 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Roosevelt): Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26th president of the United States from 1901 to 1909. With the beginning of the Spanish–American War in late April 1898, Roosevelt resigned from his post as Assistant Secretary of the Navy. Along with Army Colonel Leonard Wood, he formed the First U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment. Referred to by the press as the "Rough Riders", the regiment was one of many temporary units active only for the duration of the war. Under Roosevelt's leadership, the Rough Riders became famous for the charge up Kettle Hill on July 1, 1898, while supporting the regulars. In 2001, Roosevelt was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions; he had been nominated during the war, but Army officials, annoyed at his grabbing the headlines, blocked it. In March 1917, Congress gave Roosevelt the authority to raise a maximum of four divisions similar to the Rough Riders, and Major Frederick Russell Burnham was put in charge of both the general organization and recruitment. However, President Wilson announced to the press that he would not send Roosevelt and his volunteers to France, but instead would send an American Expeditionary Force under the command of General John J. Pershing (reference to the M1917 MG's Black Jack skin). Roosevelt's youngest son, Quentin, a pilot with the American forces in France, was killed when shot down behind German lines on July 14, 1918, at the age of 20.

The Medicine skin for Russian 1895 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winchester_Model_1895): Theodore Roosevelt took two M1895 rifles with him on his 1909 safari to East Africa, both in .405 Winchester. Additionally, Kermit Roosevelt accompanied his father on the trip and brought two more M1895 rifles; one was chambered in .405 Winchester, and the other in .30-03 Springfield. Theodore Roosevelt praised the .405 M1895 in his book African Game Trails, famously referring to this rifle as his "'medicine gun' for lions".

Howell Automatic Skins:
Legendary: The Dead Kings, Flora Sandes, The Sacred Twenty
Distinguished: Haverfield, Higbee
Special: Delville Wood, Endurance, Mocheni, Rostov

Flora Sandes skin for Howell Automatic (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flora_Sandes): Flora Sandes (22 January 1876 – 24 November 1956) was a British woman who served as a member of the Royal Serbian Army in World War I. She was the only British woman officially to serve as a soldier in that war. Initially a St. John Ambulance volunteer, she travelled to the Kingdom of Serbia, where she was welcomed and formally enrolled in the Serbian army. She was subsequently promoted to the rank of Sergeant major, and, after the war, to Captain. She was decorated with seven medals. With Evelina Haverfield (reference to the Howell Automatic's Haverfield skin) Sandes founded the Hon. Evelina Haverfield's and Sergt-Major Flora Sandes' Fund for Promoting Comforts for Serbian Soldiers and Prisoners.

Haverfield skin for Howell Automatic (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evelina_Haverfield): Evelina Haverfield (9 August 1867 – 21 March 1920) was a British suffragette and aid worker. In the early 20th century, she was involved in Emmeline Pankhurst's militant women's suffrage organisation the Women's Social and Political Union. During World War I she worked as a nurse in Serbia. After the war, she returned to Serbia with her companion Vera Holme to set up an orphanage in Bajina Bašta, a town in the west of the country.

The Sacred Twenty skin for Howell Automatic (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_Twenty): The Sacred Twenty were a group of nurses who were the first female members to ever formally serve in the United States Navy representing the Nurse Corps. Officially formed in 1908, the Sacred Twenty made broad contributions during wartime, not only including training of field nurses and disease treatment, but also providing education programs for nurses abroad and professional publications to the field of nursing.

Higbee skin for Howell Automatic (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenah_Higbee): Lenah H. Sutcliffe Higbee (May 18, 1874 – January 10, 1941) was a pioneering Canadian-born United States Navy military nurse, who served as Superintendent of the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps during World War I. She is best known for being the first female recipient of the Navy Cross. In October 1908, she joined the newly established U.S. Navy Nurse Corps as one of its first twenty members. These nurses, who came to be called "The Sacred Twenty" (reference to Howell Automatic's The Sacred Twenty skin), were the first women to formally serve as members of the Navy. In 1945, the USS Higbee became the first fighting ship to be named after a woman in the service.

Delville Wood skin for Howell Automatic (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Delville_Wood): The Battle of Delville Wood (15 July – 3 September 1916) was a series of engagements in the 1916 Battle of the Somme in the First World War, between the armies of the German Empire and the British Empire. Delville Wood (Bois d'Elville), was a thick tangle of trees, chiefly beech and hornbeam (the wood has been replanted with oak and birch by the South African government), with dense hazel thickets, intersected by grassy rides, to the east of Longueval. As part of a general offensive starting on 14 July, which became known as the Battle of Bazentin Ridge (reference to the Madsen MG's The Bazentin Ridge skin), General Douglas Haig, Commander of the British Expeditionary Force, intended to capture the German second position between Delville Wood and Bazentin le Petit. Most attacks were defeated by defensive firepower and the effects of inclement weather, which frequently turned the battlefield into a mud slough. Delville Wood is well preserved with the remains of trenches, a museum and a monument to the South African Brigade at the Delville Wood South African National Memorial.

Rostov skin for Howell Automatic (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rostov-on-Don): Rostov-on-Don (Russian: Росто́в-на-Дону́) is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the East European Plain on the Don River, 32 kilometers (20 mi) from the Sea of Azov, directly north of the North Caucasus. During World War I Rostov-on-Don was briefly occupied by the Germans and Austrians, during 1918. During the Russian Civil War, the Whites and the Reds contested Rostov-on-Don, then the most heavily industrialized city of South Russia. https://battlefield.fandom.com/wiki/%C5%81upk%C3%B3w_Pass#Rostov's_Hold A castle at the Russian end of the Łupków Pass map, atop the western slopes. In spite of its state of disrepair, the castle sits atop a stepped hill, commanding a significant view over the nearby inclines and the low ground near Narev Depot.

Mocheni skin for Howell Automatic (https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valle_dei_Mocheni): Durante la prima guerra mondiale la valle viene toccata dalle operazioni militari (lo scrittore Robert Musil vi combatté in qualità di tenente dell'esercito austroungarico, esperienza che ricorderà nei suoi diari e in alcune novelle e poesie). In particolare la novella dal titolo italiano Grigia è ambientata in quella che lo scrittore per primo definisce "valle incantata". https://www.cultura.trentino.it/eng/Further-reading/Robert-Musil-in-valle-dei-Mocheni Robert Musil (Klagenfurt, 1880 - Geneva, 1942), being second lieutenant and then lieutenant, in September 1914 was sent to the southern frontline, initially around Stelvio, then in Levico. The day before Italy went to war, on the 23rd of May 1915 he was posted to the sector of Palù dei Mocheni, where he stayed till August. The Valle dei Mocheni impressed Musil with all its peculiar features: the landscapes of the mountain peaks, the fields and woods, its inhabitants and their daily activities, their homes and languages, the mining history which has marked both places and legends. From the reworked version and examinations of his Diaries he wrote "Grigia", a short story set in Palù di Fersina and published in 1921. https://battlefield.fandom.com/wiki/Monte_Grappa#Mocheni_Turret Back uphill on the southwest side of the mountain (Monte Grappa map) is Mocheni Turret. As with San Rocco, the objective cannot be captured from below and features an expanded capture area that now includes the orphaned, curved trench lines on the southwest side of the summit.

The Dead Kings skin for Howell Automatic (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Ledwidge): Francis Edward Ledwidge (19 August 1887 – 31 July 1917) was a 20th-century Irish poet. From Slane, County Meath, and sometimes known as the "poet of the blackbirds", he was later also known as a First World War war poet. He befriended the established writer Lord Dunsany, who helped with publication of his works. He was killed in action at Ypres in 1917. The Dead Kings, a poem by Francis Ledwidge, read by Anthony Murphy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nG8HzEiBBGg

Endurance skin for Howell Automatic https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endurance_(1912_ship) Endurance was the three-masted barquentine in which Sir Ernest Shackleton and a crew of 27 men sailed for the Antarctic on the 1914–1917 Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. The ship, originally named Polaris, was built at Framnæs shipyard and launched in 1912 from Sandefjord in Norway. After her commissioners could no longer pay the shipyard, the ship was bought by Shackleton in January 1914 for the expedition, which would be her first voyage. A year later, she became trapped in pack ice and finally sank in the Weddell Sea off Antarctica on 21 November 1915. On 13 November, a new pressure wave swept through the pack ice. The forward topgallant mast and topmasts collapsed as the bow was finally crushed. These moments were recorded on film by expedition photographer Frank Hurley (reference to the M1917 Enfield's Hurley skin).

M1909 Benét-Mercié skins:
Legendary: The Daylight Gun, The Foch, La Grand Griffon
Distinguished: Columbus, Le Cateau, Pomeroy, Verdun

Columbus skin for M1909 Benét-Mercié (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotchkiss_M1909_Ben%C3%A9t%E2%80%93Merci%C3%A9_machine_gun): U.S. forces used the Benét–Mercié at the Battle of Columbus in 1916 (4 guns fired 20,000 rounds total in the engagement), in the subsequent Pancho Villa Expedition (reference to Russian 1895's Pancho Villa skin) in Mexico of 1916–17, and initially in France. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Columbus_(1916) The Battle of Columbus (Burning of Columbus or the Columbus Raid), March 9, 1916, began as a raid conducted by remnants of Pancho Villa's Division of the North on the small United States border town of Columbus, New Mexico, located 3 miles (4.8 km) north of the border with Mexico. The raid escalated into a full-scale battle between Villistas and the United States Army. Villa himself led the assault, only to be driven back into Mexico by elements of the 13th Cavalry Regiment stationed at the town. The Battle of Columbus resulted in the creation of the Punitive Expedition led by General John J. Pershing (reference to the M1917 MG's Black Jack skin) to track down and capture or kill Villa or disperse the attackers.

The Daylight Gun skin for M1909 Benét-Mercié (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotchkiss_M1909_Ben%C3%A9t%E2%80%93Merci%C3%A9_machine_gun): On the American guns, firing pins and extractors broke frequently. Some members of the U.S. press derisively called the M1909 the "daylight gun" because of the difficulty in replacing broken parts at night and jams caused when a loading strip was inserted upside down in darkness. Major Julian Hatcher was assigned to look into the issue after Columbus and found almost all the issues were due to inadequate training. U.S. troops during the Villa Expedition received additional training and the M1909 was considered an effective weapon.

Pomeroy skin for M1909 Benét-Mercié (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomeroy_bullet): The Pomeroy bullet was designed by New Zealander John Pomeroy (1873–1950) as an anti-zeppelin weapon. Pomeroy bullets were supposed to explode when encountering the minimal resistance of fabric envelopes containing hydrogen gas holding the zeppelin aloft. The explosion might produce a larger hole in the fabric than the small diameter bullet and the energy of the explosion might ignite the hydrogen in the presence of atmospheric oxygen outside of the envelope. After inconclusive comparative testing, aircraft machine gun magazines for anti-Zeppelin missions were loaded with a mix of Pomeroy bullets, Brock bullets (reference to Huot Automatic Rifle's Brock skin) containing potassium chlorate explosive and incendiary Buckingham bullets (reference to the SMLE MKIII's Buckingham Mark I skin) containing pyrophoric yellow phosphorus (reference to BAR M1918's Phosphorus skin). There was disagreement about which bullet type might have ignited the comparatively few Zeppelins destroyed by fighter aircraft.

Le Cateau skin for M1909 Benét-Mercié (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Le_Cateau): The Battle of Le Cateau was fought on the Western Front during the First World War on 26 August 1914. The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and the French Fifth Army had retreated after their defeats at the Battle of Charleroi (reference to the Selbstlader 1906's Charleroi skin) and the Battle of Mons (reference to Selbstlader 1906's The Hound of Mons skin). The British II Corps fought a delaying action at Le Cateau to slow the German pursuit. Most of the BEF was able to continue its retreat to Saint-Quentin.

Verdun skin for M1909 Benét-Mercié (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verdun): Verdun (official name before 1970 Verdun-sur-Meuse) is a large city in the Meuse department (reference to the M1897 Shotgun's Meuse skin) in Grand Est, northeastern France. Verdun was the site of a major battle (21 February – 18 December 1916), the longest-lasting of the First World War. One of the costliest battles in military history, Verdun exemplified the policy of a "war of attrition" pursued by both sides, which led to an enormous loss of life and very large casualty lists. Verdun was the strongest point in pre-war France, ringed by a string of powerful forts, including Douaumont (reference to the Sjögren Inertial's Douaumont skin) and Fort Vaux (reference to the Model 10-A's Vaux skin).

La Grand Griffon skin for M1909 Benét-Mercié (Dogs of All Nations by Walter Esplin Mason, 1915): A Grand Griffon Vendéen is a breed of hunting dog originating in France. It was the first of the Vendée griffons to be bred from the Greffier whose lineage dates back to the 16th Century. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Briquet_Griffon_Vend%C3%A9en A Briquet Griffon Vendéen is a breed of hunting dog originating in France. Prior to the first World War it was bred down in size by the Comte d’Elva from the Grand Griffon Vendéen. The Briquet Griffon Vendéen was almost extinct after World War II, but thanks to the effort of Hubert Dezamy, a French dog show judge, the breed was restored.

The Foch skin for M1909 Benét-Mercié skin (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_Foch): Ferdinand Foch (2 October 1851 – 20 March 1929) was a French general and military theorist who served as the Supreme Allied Commander during the First World War. An aggressive, even reckless commander at the First Marne, Flanders (reference to the Artillery Truck's Flanders skin) and Artois campaigns of 1914–1916, Foch became the Allied Commander-in-Chief in late March 1918 in the face of the all-out German spring offensive (reference to MP18's The Kaiserschlacht skin), which pushed the Allies back using fresh soldiers and new tactics that trenches could not withstand. He successfully coordinated the French, British and American efforts into a coherent whole, deftly handling his strategic reserves. He stopped the German offensive and launched a war-winning counterattack.

M1903 skins:
Legendary: The Devil Dog, The Eisenhower, The Hartney
Distinguished: Belleau Wood, Bois de Cunel, Camp Perry, Marine

Marine skin for M1903 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M1903_Springfield): In service, the Springfield was generally prized for its reliability and accuracy, though some problems remained. The precision rear aperture sight was located too far from the eye for efficient use, and the narrow, unprotected front sight was both difficult to see in poor light and easily damaged. The Marine Corps issued the Springfield with a sight hood to protect the front sight, along with a thicker front blade. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Marine_Corps During World War I, Marines served as a part of the American Expeditionary Force under General John J. Pershing (reference to the M1917 MG's Black Jack skin) when America entered into the war on 6 April 1917. The Marine Corps had a deep pool of officers and non-commissioned officers with battle experience and thus experienced a large expansion. The U.S. Marine Corps entered the war with 511 officers and 13,214 enlisted personnel and by 11 November 1918 had reached a strength of 2,400 officers and 70,000 enlisted.

Belleau Wood skin for M1903 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Belleau_Wood): The Battle of Belleau Wood (1–26 June 1918) occurred during the German spring offensive (reference to MP18's The Kaiserschlact skin) in World War I, near the Marne River in France. The battle was fought between the U.S. 2nd (under the command of Major General Omar Bundy) and 3rd Divisions (reference to Model 10-A's The Rock of the Marne skin) along with French and British forces against an assortment of German units including elements from the 237th, 10th, 197th, 87th, and 28th Divisions. The battle has become a key component in the lore of the United States Marine Corps (reference to the M1903's Marine skin).

The Devil Dog skin for M1903 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Belleau_Wood): Legend and lore has it that the Germans used the term Teufelshunde ('devil dogs') for the Marines (reference to the M1903's Marine skin). However, this has not been confirmed, as the term was not commonly known in contemporary German. The closest common German term would be Höllenhunde which means 'hellhound'. Regardless of the term's origin, ten years after the Battle of Belleau Wood, Lieutenant Colonel Ernst Otto, from the Historical Section of the German Army, wrote of the Marine Corps: "Their fiery advance and great tenacity were well recognized by their opponents.

Bois de Cunel skin for M1903 (http://www.worldwar1.com/dbc/cunel.htm): On October 4, 1918, the 2nd Battalion of the 30th Infantry [3rd Division] (reference to Model 10-A's The Rock of the Marne skin) was in reserve in the Bois de Cunel [5 miles north of Montfaucon (reference to the BAR M1918's Bois de Montfaucon skin) and 2 miles southeast of Romagne]. On the previous day, as an assault unit, it had reached the north edge of the wood and was therefore somewhat familiar with the terrain beyond. arly on the 10th the 1st Battalion of the 30th Infantry had attacked to the north, but after advancing a short distance had been pinned to the ground in front of a German trench located north of the Bois de Cunel. It was ordered to withdraw to the woods, reorganize and resume the attack at 7:30 p.m., assisted by a new artillery preparation. The withdrawal began shortly after dark, but in the process the battalion became so disorganized that it was unable to launch the attack at the designated hour.

Camp Perry skin for M1903 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Perry): Camp Perry is a National Guard training facility located on the shore of Lake Erie in northern Ohio near Port Clinton. In addition to its regular mission as a military training base, Camp Perry also boasts the second largest outdoor rifle range in the world after the NRA Whittington Center in Raton, NM. The firing is done in the direction of the open water of the lake, that lies just beyond an earthen berm and the targets. During World War I, Camp Perry served as a training center for Army officers and marksmanship instructors. Around 1918 an additional area immediately adjacent to the existing Camp Perry grounds was used to construct the Erie Army Depot for artillery ordnance storage. Camp Perry has been the host of the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) and the NRA-sponsored National Rifle Matches since 1907. The National Matches, considered America's "World Series of the Shooting Sports," attracts shooting sports competitors from all across the world to compete in matches of all multitudes.

The Hartney skin for M1903 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Evans_Hartney): Harold Evans Hartney (April 19, 1888 – October 5, 1945) was a Canadian-born World War I flying ace who served in the Royal Flying Corps and then in the United States Army Air Service, credited with seven confirmed and one unconfirmed aerial victories.

The Eisenhower skin for M1903 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwight_D._Eisenhower): Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. Eisenhower served initially in logistics and then the infantry at various camps in Texas and Georgia until 1918. His unit was later ordered to France, but, to his chagrin, he received orders for the new tank corps, where he was promoted to brevet lieutenant colonel in the National Army. He commanded a unit that trained tank crews at Camp Colt – his first command – at the site of "Pickett's Charge" on the Gettysburg Civil War battleground. Though Eisenhower and his tank crews never saw combat, he displayed excellent organizational skills as well as an ability to accurately assess junior officers' strengths and make optimal placements of personnel. His new expertise in tank warfare was strengthened by a close collaboration with George S. Patton (reference to the 1903 Hammerless's Patton skin), Sereno E. Brett, and other senior tank leaders. Their leading-edge ideas of speed-oriented offensive tank warfare were strongly discouraged by superiors, who considered the new approach too radical and preferred to continue using tanks in a strictly supportive role for the infantry. Eisenhower was even threatened with court-martial for continued publication of these proposed methods of tank deployment, and he relented.

MP 18 skins:
Legendary: Der Weimaraner, The Hutier, The Kaiserschlacht, The Selle, Siegfriedstellung
Distinguished: Breakthrough Muller, Canal du Nord, Hazebrouck, Ramscapelle

Ramscapelle skin for MP 18 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nieuwpoort,_Belgium): Nieuwpoort is a city and municipality located in Flanders (reference to the Artillery Truck's Flanders skin), one of the three regions of Belgium, in the province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the town of Nieuwpoort proper, as well as Ramskapelle and Sint-Joris. During the Battle of the Yser, part of the First Battle of Ypres (reference to the M1907 Selfloading's Ypres skin) in World War I, Hendrik Geeraert opened the sluice gates on the mouth of the river Yser twice to flood the lower lying land, thus halting the German advance. Two World War I monuments, the Nieuport Memorial and King Albert I Memorial, are in close proximity of the Ganzepoot.

The Kaiserschlacht skin for MP 18 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MP_18): The MP 18 served in the final stages of World War I in 1918, especially in the Kaiserschlacht offensive. More than 25,000 were produced, until the Treaty of Versailles banned German production of military submachine guns in 1920. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_spring_offensive The German spring offensive, or Kaiserschlacht ("Kaiser's Battle"), also known as the Ludendorff offensive (reference to the C96 Pistol's Ludendorff skin), was a series of German attacks along the Western Front during the First World War, beginning on 21 March 1918. Following American entry into the war in April 1917, the Germans decided that their only remaining chance of victory was to defeat the Allies before the United States could ship soldiers across the Atlantic and fully deploy its resources. The German Army had gained a temporary advantage in numbers as nearly 50 divisions had been freed by the Russian defeat and withdrawal from the war with the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. There were four German offensives, codenamed Michael, Georgette, Gneisenau (reference to the P08 Pistol's Count Gneisenau skin), and Blücher-Yorck.

Hazebrouck skin for MP 18 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hazebrouck): Hazebrouck is a commune in the Nord department, Hauts-de-France. It was a small market town in Flanders (reference to the Artillery Truck's Flanders skin) until it became an important railway junction in the 1860s. World War I, Fourth Battle of Ypres and Hazebrouck: An attack by the German army was proposed in October 1917 by the Army Group Commander Field Marshal Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria (reference to the Selbstlader M1916's Kronprinz skin) as a large-scale attack either carried by itself or as an attack to relieve pressure on the German Front. Rupprecht's Army Group held the German Front in Flanders and Picardy; his command covered the Belgian coast to Ypres (reference to the M1907 Selfloading's Ypres skin) and on to Armentières. The operation was given the codename of "George" and plans were submitted for an offensive attack between Ypres and Bethune. The breakthrough would be made in the British Front just south of the Belgian-French border in the Lys river area with the intention to get past the Allied Front there and advance to Hazebrouck.

The Hutier skin for MP 18 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oskar_von_Hutier): Oskar Emil von Hutier (27 August 1857 – 5 December 1934) was a German general during the First World War. He served in the German Army from 1875 to 1919, including war service. During the war, he commanded the army that took Riga, Russian Republic, in 1917. The following year he was transferred to the Western Front to participate in Operation Michael that year. He is frequently but mistakenly credited with having created the stormtrooper tactics of small, rapid forces, which he employed to great effect during the Michael offensive. These tactics had been developed by other officers on the Western Front before he was reassigned there.

Breakthrough Muller skin for MP 18 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georg_Bruchm%C3%BCller): Georg Bruchmüller (11 December 1863 – 26 January 1948) was a German artillery officer who greatly influenced the development of modern artillery tactics. He was nicknamed Durchbruchmüller, a combination of the German word Durchbruch (breakthrough) with his name. Bruchmüller commanded the artillery of the 8th Army (General Oskar von Hutier) (reference to MP 18's The Hutier skin) in the victory at Riga in September 1917. The 8th Army moved west soon thereafter and, in the first months of 1918, Bruchmüller's techniques were taught to gunners at a special school in Belgium before the German spring offensive of 1918 (reference to MP 18's The Kaiserschlacht skin). Infantry officers were also taught his methods and there were joint infantry-artillery exercises with live ammunition, with advances shielded by the creeping barrage. The first attack, Operation Michael, began with a barrage of 3.5 million shells in five hours, almost 200 shells a second.

Siegfriedstellung skin for MP 18 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindenburg_Line): The Hindenburg Line (German: Siegfriedstellung, Siegfried Position) was a German defensive position built during the winter of 1916–1917 on the Western Front during the First World War. The line ran from Arras (reference to the Lewis Gun's Arras skin) to Laffaux, near Soissons on the Aisne. The Hindenburg Line, built behind the Noyon Salient, was to replace the old front line as a precaution against a resumption of the Battle of the Somme in 1917. By wasting the intervening ground, the Germans could delay a spring offensive in 1917. A shortened front could be held with fewer troops and with tactical dispersal, reverse-slope positions, defence in depth and camouflage, German infantry could be conserved. The retirement to the Hindenburg Line (Alberich Bewegung/Operation Alberich/Alberich Manoeuvre) took place from February to March 1917. The Hindenburg Line was attacked several times in 1917, notably at St Quentin, Bullecourt (reference to the Revolver MK VI's Bloody Bullecourt skin), the Aisne and Cambrai and was broken in September 1918 during the Hundred Days Offensive.

Canal du Nord skin for MP 18 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Canal_du_Nord): The Battle of Canal du Nord was part of the Hundred Days Offensive of the First World War by the Allies against German positions on the Western Front. The battle took place in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France, along an incomplete portion of the Canal du Nord and on the outskirts of Cambrai between 27 September and 1 October 1918. To prevent the Germans from sending reinforcements against one attack, the assault along the Canal du Nord was part of a sequence of Allied attacks at along the Western Front. The attack began the day after the Meuse-Argonne Offensive commenced, a day before an offensive in Belgian Flanders and two days before the Battle of St. Quentin Canal.

The Selle skin for MP 18 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Selle): The Battle of the Selle (17–25 October 1918) was a battle between Allied forces and the German Army, fought during the Hundred Days Offensive of World War I. By 11 October, the Fourth Army had closed up on the retreating Germans near Le Cateau (reference to the M1909 Benet Mercie's Le Cateau skin), with the Germans taking up a new position, immediately to the east of the Selle River. General Henry Rawlinson was faced with three problems: crossing the river, the railway embankment on the far side and the ridge above the embankment. The decision was made to commence the assault at night, and as the river was not very wide at this point, planks would be used for the soldiers to cross in single file. Later, pontoons would be required for the artillery to cross the river. https://battlefield.fandom.com/wiki/Battle_of_the_Selle_(Codex_Entry) Battle of the Selle is a Codex Entry featured in Battlefield 1, introduced in the July 2017 update. It is unlocked by winning one game on Giant's Shadow.

Der Weimaraner skin for MP 18 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weimaraner): The Weimaraner is a large dog that was originally bred as a hunting dog in the early 19th century. Early Weimaraners were used by royalty for hunting large game such as boar, bear and deer. As the popularity of hunting large game began to decline, Weimaraners were used for hunting smaller animals like fowl, rabbits and foxes. The name comes from the Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Karl August, whose court, located in the city of Weimar (now in the state of Thuringia in modern-day Germany), enjoyed hunting. The Weimaraner was kept in the Weimar court in the 19th century and carried a good deal of Leithound ancestry. Two theories propose that they descended from the Chien-gris, or from the St. Hubert hound, whose descendant is the bloodhound (reference to Martini-Henry's The Bloodhound skin). The breed arrived to America in the late 1920s, and its popularity increased in the 1950s, largely because of celebrities like Grace Kelly, President Dwight D. Eisenhower (reference to the M1903's The Eisenhower skin), and * Clark.

SMLE MKIII skins:
Legendary: The Black Watch, The Corbett, The Fuller, The Pegahmagabow
Distinguished: Buckingham Mark I, Jericho, Lone Pine, The Silent One

Buckingham Mark I skin for SMLE MKIII (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.303_British): Tracer and armour-piercing cartridges were introduced during 1915, with explosive Pomeroy bullets (reference to the M1909 Benét-Mercié's Pomeroy skin) introduced as the Mark VII.Y in 1916. Several incendiaries were privately developed from 1914 to counter the Zeppelin threat but none were approved until the Brock design late in 1916 as BIK Mark VII.K Wing Commander Frank Brock RNVR (reference to the Huot Automatic Rifle's Brock skin), its inventor, was a member of the Brock fireworks-making family. Anti-zeppelin missions typically used machine guns loaded with a mixture of Brock bullets containing potassium chlorate, Pomeroy bullets containing dynamite, and Buckingham bullets containing pyrophoric yellow phosphorus (reference to the BAR M1918's Phosphorus skin).

The Black Watch skin for SMLE MKIII (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Watch): The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS) is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The regiment was created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881, when the 42nd (Royal Highland) Regiment of Foot (The Black Watch) was amalgamated with the 73rd (Perthshire) Regiment of Foot. It was known as The Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) from 1881 to 1931 and The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) from 1931 to 2006. The force was known in Gaelic as Am Freiceadan Dubh, "the dark" or "black watch". This epithet may have come from the uniform plaids of dark tartan with which the companies were provided. Other theories have been put forward; for instance, that the name referred to the "black hearts" of the pro-government militia who had sided with the "enemies of true Highland spirit", or that it came from their original duty in policing the Highlands, namely preventing "blackmail" (Highlanders demanding extortion payments to spare cattle herds). The Black Watch fielded 25 battalions and lost 8,390 officers and other ranks during the course of the First World War.

Lone Pine skin for SMLE MKIII (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Lone_Pine): The Battle of Lone Pine (also known as the Battle of Kanlı Sırt) was fought between Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) and Ottoman Empire forces during the Gallipoli Campaign of the First World War, between 6 and 10 August 1915. The battle was part of a diversionary attack to draw Ottoman attention away from the main assaults being conducted by British, Indian and New Zealand troops around Sari Bair (reference to the Martini-Henry's Sari Bair Ridge skin), Chunuk Bair and Hill 971, which became known as the August Offensive. Nevertheless, despite the Australian victory, the wider August Offensive of which the attack had been a part failed and a situation of stalemate developed around Lone Pine which lasted until the end of the campaign in December 1915 when Allied troops were evacuated from the peninsula.

Jericho skin for SMLE MKIII (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capture_of_Jericho): The Capture of Jericho occurred between 19 and 21 February 1918 to the east of Jerusalem beginning the Occupation of the Jordan Valley during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of the First World War. Fighting took place in an area bordered by the Bethlehem–Nablus road in the west, the Jordan River in the east, and north of a line from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea. Here a British Empire force attacked Ottoman positions, forcing them back to Jericho and eventually across the Jordan River. Winter rains put an end to campaigning after the advance from the Gaza–Beersheba line to the capture of Jerusalem in December 1917. This lull in the fighting offered the opportunity for the captured territories to be consolidated. Extensive developments were also required along the lines of communication to ensure that front-line troops were adequately supplied, approximately 150 miles (240 km) from their main bases at Moascar and Kantara (reference to the Revolver MK VI's Kantara skin) on the Suez Canal.

The Silent One skin for SMLE MKIII (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivor_Gurney): Ivor Bertie Gurney (28 August 1890 – 26 December 1937) was an English poet and composer, particularly of songs. He was born and raised in Gloucester. He suffered from bipolar disorder through much of his life and spent his last 15 years in psychiatric hospitals. Gurney's studies were interrupted by World War I, when he enlisted as a private soldier in the Gloucestershire Regiment in February 1915. At the front, he began writing poetry seriously, sending his efforts to his friend, the musicologist and critic Marion Scott, who worked with Gurney as his editor and business manager. He was in the midst of writing the poems for what would become his first book, Severn and Somme, when he was wounded in the shoulder in April 1917. He recovered and returned to battle, still working on his book and composing music, including the songs "In Flanders" and "By A Bierside". In the meantime, Gurney was gassed in September the same year and sent to the Edinburgh War Hospital, where he met and fell in love with a VAD nurse, Annie Nelson Drummond, but the relationship later broke down. Gurney slowly regained some of his emotional stability and in October 1918 was honourably discharged from the army. Gurney received an unconventional diagnosis of nervous breakdown from "deferred" shell shock (reference to the M1917 Enfield's Shellshock skin). The following poems provide an introduction to his work: "The Silent One" – An account of a moment of terror during a battle.

The Fuller skin for SMLE MKIII (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._F._C._Fuller): Major-General John Frederick Charles "Boney" Fuller (1 September 1878 – 10 February 1966) was a senior British Army officer, military historian, and strategist, known as an early theorist of modern armoured warfare, including categorising principles of warfare. With 45 books and many articles, he was a highly prolific author whose ideas reached army officers and the interested public. Fuller emphasised the potential of new weapons, especially tanks and aircraft, to stun a surprised enemy psychologically. During the First World War, Fuller was a staff officer with the Home Forces and with VII Corps in France, and from 1916 in the Headquarters of the Machine-Gun Corps' Heavy Branch which was later to become the Tank Corps. He helped plan the tank attack at the 20 November 1917 Battle of Cambrai and the tank operations for the Autumn offensives of 1918. His Plan 1919 for a fully mechanised offensive against the German army was never implemented.

The Corbett skin for SMLE MKIII (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Corbett): Edward James Corbett (25 July 1875 – 19 April 1955) was an Indian-born British hunter, tracker, naturalist, and author who hunted a number of man-eating tigers and leopards in the Indian subcontinent. He held the rank of colonel in the British Indian Army and was frequently called upon by the Government of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, now the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, to kill man-eating tigers and leopards that were preying on people in the nearby villages of the Kumaon-Garhwal Regions. He authored Man-Eaters of Kumaon, Jungle Lore, and other books recounting his hunts and experiences, which enjoyed critical acclaim and commercial success. He became an avid photographer and spoke out for the need to protect India's wildlife from extermination.

The Pegahmagabow skin for SMLE MKIII (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Pegahmagabow): Francis Pegahmagabow (March 9, 1891 – August 5, 1952) was an Ojibwe soldier, politician and activist in Canada. He was the most highly decorated Indigenous soldier in Canadian military history and the most effective sniper of the First World War. Three times awarded the Military Medal and seriously wounded, he was an expert marksman and scout, credited with killing 378 Germans and capturing 300 more. Later in life, he served as chief and a councillor for the Wasauksing First Nation, and as an activist and leader in several First Nations organizations.

Sjögren Inertial skins:

Legendary: Le Mort-Homme, Thord-Grey
Distinguished: Carl Axel, Douaumont

Carl Axel skin for Sjögren Inertial (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sj%C3%B6gren_shotgun): The Sjögren Inertia Shotgun is a 12 gauge semi-automatic shotgun that was designed by the Swedish inventor Carl Axel Theodor Sjögren, initially manufactured by AB Svenska Vapen- och Ammunitionsfabriken in Sweden and then by Håndvåbenværkstederne Kjøbenhavn in Denmark. It used an inertia system later revived by the Italian firm Benelli and today widely used in shotguns. https://battlefield.fandom.com/wiki/Sj%C3%B6gren_Inertial_Shotgun_(Codex_Entry) The Sjögren Inertia Shotgun is a 12 gauge semi-automatic shotgun designed by Swedish inventor Carl Axel Theodor Sjögren in 1900, making it one of the very first automatic shotguns ever - only just beaten by the American A5 desgined in 1899. Sjögren's shotgun used a novel inertia-based operating mechanism, an approach which was later revived by an Italian shotgun manufacturer and is widely used in semi-automatic shotguns today. Sjögren also designed a military rifle based on the same inertia mechanism, but it was never adopted and only ever manufactured in very few copies.

Le Mort-Homme skin for Sjögren Inertial (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Mort_Homme): The heights of Le Mort Homme or Dead Man's Hill (German: Toter Mann) lie within the French municipality of Cumières-le-Mort-Homme around 10 km (6 mi) north-west of the city of Verdun (reference to the M1909 Benét-Mercis's Verdun skin) in France. The hill became known during the Battle of Verdun during the First World War as the site of much fighting. The hill has two summits which are named after their height in metres: the northern crest is Côte 265 and the southern one is Côte 295. These names were not used at the time, setting aside that modern survey has measured their heights at 287 and 280 metres respectively. In late February 1916, following German attacks on the right bank of the River Meuse (reference to the M1897 Shotgun's Meuse skin) during the Battle of Verdun, the French had established artillery batteries on the hills on the left bank commanding the opposite, right-hand bank. Despite the cost, the Germans had identified in March that the key to taking Le Mort Homme was Côte 304 (reference to the Battle of Côte 304 skins), which dominated the approach to Le Mort Homme and was able to fire on the Germans attacking the hill.

Douaumont skin for Sjögren Inertial (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douaumont): Douaumont is a former commune in the Meuse (reference to the M1897 Shotgun's Meuse skin) department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. On 1 January 2019, it was merged into the new commune Douaumont-Vaux. The village was totally destroyed during World War I. Today the Douaumont Ossuary (reference to RSC SMG's The Ossuary skin), which contains the remains of more than 100,000 unknown soldiers of both French and German nationalities found on the battlefield, stands high above the landscape. The Douaumont Fort was built south-east of the village. At the very beginning of the Battle of Verdun (February 1916) and due to French unpreparedness, the fort was easily captured by a small German raiding party. Douaumont was later recaptured by the French Army in October 1916, after major casualties on both sides.

Thord-Grey skin for Sjögren Inertial (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivor_Thord-Gray): Ivor Thord-Gray (born Thord Ivar Hallström) (April 17, 1878 – August 18, 1964) was a Swedish-born adventurer, sailor, prison guard, soldier, government official, police officer, rubber plantation owner, ethnologist, linguist, investor, and author. He participated in thirteen wars spanning the continents of Africa, Asia, North America, and Europe. In 1897 he enlisted in the Cape Mounted Riflemen as a Private and fought in the Boer War in 1899–1902. Joined Mexican Revolution as Captain and Commander of Pancho Villa's artillery (reference to the Russian 1895's Pancho Villa skin) in 1913. Joined British Army 1914, and served in the First World War. His initial rank was of Major and he was the second in command of 15th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers. Lieutenant-Colonel in the Canadian Siberian Expeditionary Force, which was deployed as part of the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War in 1918. Transferred to Russian "White" Army February 1919 as Colonel.

Mondragón skins:
Legendary: Ah Tabai, The Bogohl, The Mexican
Distinguished: Löwenhardt, Magnesium, Mesopolonica, Riesenflugzeug

The Mexican skin for Mondragón https://battlefield.fandom.com/wiki/Mondrag%C3%B3n_(Codex_Entry) In 1908, the Mexican army was the first one in the world to officially adopt a semi-automatic rifle. The weapon was the Mondragón rifle, a gas-operated weapon patented the year before by a Mexican General. Since Mexico did not have the manufacturing capabilities to produce large batches of the Mondragón rifle, orders were instead issued to a Swiss manufacturer. However, because of political instability in Mexico at the time, only about 400 of the ordered rifles had been delivered to the Mexican army by 1910. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuel_Mondrag%C3%B3n Manuel Mondragón (1859–1922) was a Mexican military officer who played a prominent role in the Mexican Revolution. He graduated from the Mexican Military Academy as an artillery officer in 1880. He designed the world’s first gas-operated semi-automatic rifle, the M1908 rifle, and a 75mm howitzer.

Ah Tabai skin for Mondragón (https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ah_tabai): El Ah tabai, también llamado Ah-tabai o Itakay, es una criatura de la mitología maya, que tiene un poco de vigencia sobre todo en Cobá, Quintana Roo (México). La leyenda cuenta sobre la aparición de un hermoso hombre que se manifiesta por las noches, en la cual seduce a las mujeres para finalmente darles un destructivo final. A menudo representado con un elaborado tocado de maíz o una maceta con mazorcas de maíz en la mano, Yum Kaax fue posiblemente venerado tanto por agricultores como por cazadores. La primera conexión alude a cómo este dios maya también fue rezado como una deidad de la agricultura, tanto que muchos ofrecían sus primeras cosechas a la deidad del bosque. En cuanto al segundo, los cazadores tenían que ofrecer oraciones y rituales especiales para recibir el permiso y la guía de Yum Kaax para tener fortuna en la caza, especialmente cuando cazaban ciervos. https://www.worldhistory.org/article/415/the-mayan-pantheon-the-many-gods-of-the-maya/ The following list, then, is by no means comprehensive as far as defining every god the ancient Maya worshipped in every region, village, or city but attempts to be comprehensive in detailing as much as is presently known about the gods and hopes to do so concisely. Ah-Tabai: The god of the hunt and protector of animals.

Mesopolonica skin for Mondragón (https://www.daytranslations.com/blog/trench-talks-english/): Engaging in war is never a good thing, however, the trench talks that went on during the First World War had enriched the English vocabulary. Some of the common trench slang: -Mesopolonica. This term was a mix of Mesopotamia and Thessalonica, the word soldiers used when they did not know where they were sent, especially those that got stationed in the Middle East or the Balkans.

Riesenflugzeug skin for Mondragón (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riesenflugzeug): A Riesenflugzeug (plural Riesenflugzeuge, German for "giant aircraft"), sometimes colloquially referred to in English as an R-plane, was any member of a class of large World War I German bombers, possessing at least three aircraft engines, although usually four or more engines. These were large multi-engine aircraft capable of flying several hours with larger bomb loads than the smaller Grossflugzeug bombers such as the Gotha G.V. The Idflieg (Inspektion der Fliegertruppen (Inspection of the Air Force), the German Army department responsible for military aviation), assigned the letter R to this type of aircraft, which would then be followed by a period and a Roman numeral type number. Seaplanes were denoted by the addition of a lower case "s" after the "R" in the designation. The largest built, the Siemens-Schuckert R.VIII of 1918 had a wingspan of 48.0 m (157.5 ft).

The Bogohl skin for Mondragón (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kampfgeschwader): Kampfgeschwader are the German-language name for (air force) bomber units. In WW1, they were air squadrons, while in WW2, they were air wings. During World War I, Kampfgeschwader were specialized bomber units in the Luftstreitkräfte. Formally known as Kampfgeschwader der Obersten Heeresleitung, or Kagohl (reference to Selbstlader M1916's The Kagohl skin) for short, they were assets directly controlled by the Oberste Heeresleitung, the German Army's high command, rather than by army, corps, or division commanders. In 1917, the Kagohls were reorganized into Bombengeschwader der Obersten Heeresleitung (Bogohl) of three Bombenstaffeln ⭐, each of six heavy bombers and several additional light bombers.

Löwenhardt skin for Mondragón (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erich_Loewenhardt): Erich Loewenhardt (7 April 1897 – 10 August 1918) was a German soldier and military aviator who fought in the First World War and became a fighter ace credited with 54 confirmed aerial victories. Originally enlisting in an infantry regiment even though he was only 17, he fought in the Battle of Tannenberg (reference to the Madsen MG's Tannenberg skin), winning a battlefield commission on 2 October 1914. He would serve in the Carpathians and on the Italian Front before being medically discharged in mid-1915. Following a five month recuperation, Loewenhardt joined the Imperial German Air Service in 1916. After serving as an aerial observer and reconnaissance pilot, he underwent advanced training to become a fighter pilot with Jagdstaffel 10 in March 1917. Between 24 March 1917 and 10 August 1918, Loewenhardt shot down 45 enemy airplanes, as well as destroying nine observation balloons. Shortly after his final victory, he was killed in a collision with another German pilot.

Magnesium skin for Mondragón (https://www.sciencehistory.org/distillations/magnesium-from-the-sea-to-the-stars): Outside of the laboratory, magnesium was used almost exclusively for its illuminating properties, particularly as a flashbulb in photography. Although uses for the metal were initially limited, demand boomed with the outbreak of war. Magnesium found many uses in the trenches of Europe during World War I, particularly in the aptly named “star shells,” which were used to light up the battlefield at night. The element was also used in tracer bullets, flares, and incendiaries. Yet production outside of Germany remained small and sporadic until the British navy’s blockade of Germany forced American manufacturers into the business. Herbert H. Dow, founder of the Dow Chemical Company in Midland, Michigan, was quick to answer the call.

Flakfire's question to Indy Neidell? 

Gewehr 98 skins:
Legendary: Die Wilde Jagd, The Kaiser, Von Hausen
Distinguished: Jäger, Liège, Schwaben-Feste, von Schlieffen

Jäger skin for Gewehr 98 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%A4ger_(infantry) Jäger ("hunter") is a German military term referring to specific light infantry units. Jäger is usually translated into English as "rifleman" (in an infantry role) or "Rifles" (in regimental names). By the early twentieth century, Jäger units were part of the Imperial German, Austro-Hungarian, Swedish, Dutch and Norwegian armies. They corresponded to the rifles, light infantry, chasseurs à pied or bersaglieri (reference to the Cei-Rigotti's Bersaglieri skin) units of the British, French, Italian and other armies. While such units still enjoyed considerable prestige and high esprit de corps (reference to the Ribeyrolles 1918's Esprit de corps skin), their training, equipment and tactical roles had for the most part become aligned with those of the line infantry of their respective armies. Best known were the German Jäger units who were distinguished by their peace-time wear of dark green tunics and shakos (in contrast to the dark blue tunics and spiked helmets of most German infantry). During the early stages of World War I, the German Jäger maintained their traditional role as skirmishers and scouts, often in conjunction with cavalry units. With the advent of trench warfare, they were committed to an ordinary infantry role, integrated into divisions and lost their status as independent units. Cyclist Jäger served in the Balkan and Russian theatres of war, while Württemberg and Bavaria raised Ski-Jäger during the winter of 1914–15. Another specialist formation was the Jäger Storm Companies, serving as trench raiders during 1917–1918.

von Schlieffen skin for Gewehr 98 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_von_Schlieffen): Graf Alfred von Schlieffen, generally called Count Schlieffen (28 February 1833 – 4 January 1913) was a German field marshal and strategist who served as chief of the Imperial German General Staff from 1891 to 1906. His name lived on in the 1905–06 "Schlieffen Plan", then Aufmarsch I, a deployment plan and operational guide for a decisive initial offensive operation/campaign in a two-front war against the French Third Republic.

Liège skin for Gewehr 98 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li%C3%A8ge): Liège (Walloon: Lîdje; Dutch: Luik; German: Lüttich) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège. Liège's fortifications were redesigned by Henri Alexis Brialmont in the 1880s and a chain of twelve forts was constructed around the city to provide defence in depth. This presented a major obstacle to the Imperial German Army in 1914, whose Schlieffen Plan (reference to the Gewehr 98's von Schlieffen skin) relied on being able to quickly pass through the Meuse valley (reference to the M1897 Shotgun's Meuse skin) and the Ardennes en route to France. The German invasion of Belgium on 5 August 1914 soon reached Liège, which was defended by 30,000 troops under General Gérard Leman in the Battle of Liège. The forts initially held off General Alexander von Kluck's (reference to the SMG 08/18's Von Kluck skin) German First Army of about 100,000 men but were pulverised into submission by a five-day bombardment by heavy artillery, including thirty-two 21 cm mortars and two German 42 cm Big Bertha howitzers. Due to faulty planning of the protection of the underground defense tunnels beneath the main citadel, one direct artillery hit caused a huge explosion, which eventually led to the surrender of the Belgian forces. As part of Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg's (reference to Selbstlader M1916's The Chancellor skin) Septemberprogramm, Berlin planned to annexe Liege under the name Lüttich to the German Empire in any post-war peace agreement.

Von Hausen skin for Gewehr 98 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_von_Hausen): Max Clemens Lothar Freiherr von Hausen (December 17, 1846 – March 19, 1922) was a German army commander. He participated in the Austro-Prussian and Franco-German Wars and became Generaloberst of Saxon troops and War Minister in the Kingdom of Saxony. At the beginning of the First World War, he was the head of the Third Army which he led during the Battles of the Frontiers, Charleroi (reference to the Selbstlader 1906's Charleroi skin), and the Marne (reference to the Model 10-A's The Rock of the Marne skin). He was relieved of his command because of illness in September 1914.

Schwaben-Feste skin for Gewehr 98 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capture_of_Schwaben_Redoubt): The Capture of Schwaben Redoubt (Schwaben-Feste) was a tactical incident in the Battle of the Somme (reference to the Auto revolver's Somme skin), 1916 during the First World War. The redoubt was a German strong point 500–600 yd (460–550 m) long and 200 yd (180 m) wide, built in stages since 1915, near the village of Thiepval and overlooking the River Ancre (reference to the RSC SMG's Ancre skin). It formed part of the German defensive system in the Somme sector of the Western Front during the First World War and consisting of a mass of machine-gun emplacements, trenches and dug-outs. The redoubt was defended by the 26th Reserve Division, from Swabia in south-west Germany, which had arrived in the area during the First Battle of Albert in 1914. Troops of the 36th (Ulster) Division captured the redoubt on 1 July 1916, until forced out by German artillery-fire and counter-attacks after dark.

The Kaiser skin for Gewehr 98 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_II,_German_Emperor): Wilhelm II or William II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 1859 – 4 June 1941) was the last German emperor (German: Kaiser) and king of Prussia from 15 June 1888 until his abdication on 9 November 1918. Despite strengthening the German Empire's position as a great power by building a powerful navy, his tactless public statements and erratic foreign policy greatly antagonized the international community and are considered by many to be one of the underlying causes of World War I. When the German war effort collapsed after a series of crushing defeats on the Western Front in 1918, he was forced to abdicate, thereby marking the end of the German Empire and the House of Hohenzollern's (reference to the LMG 08/18's Hohenzollern skin) 300-year reign in Prussia (reference to Parabellum MG14/17's The Prussian skin) and 500-year reign in Brandenburg.

Die Wilde Jagd skin Gewehr 98 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Hunt): The Wild Hunt is a folklore motif occurring across various northern European cultures. Wild Hunts typically involve a chase led by a mythological figure escorted by a ghostly or supernatural group of hunters engaged in pursuit. The leader of the hunt is often a named figure associated with Odin (reference to the Selbstlader M1916's Odin skin) in Germanic legends, but may variously be a historical or legendary figure like Theodoric the Great, the Danish king Valdemar Atterdag (reference to Madsen MG's The Atterdag skin), the dragon slayer Sigurd (reference to the Heavy Tank's Siegfried skin), the Welsh psychopomp Gwyn ap Nudd, biblical figures such as Herod, Cain, Gabriel, or the Devil, or an unidentified lost soul or spirit either male or female. The hunters are generally the souls of the dead or ghostly dogs, sometimes fairies, valkyries, or elves. Based on the comparative study of the German folklore, the phenomenon is often referred to as Wilde Jagd (German: 'Wild Hunt/chase') or Wütendes Heer ('Raging Host/army'). The Wild Hunt is the subject of Transcendental Étude No. 8 in C minor, "Wilde Jagd" (Wild Hunt) by Franz Liszt, and appears in Karl Maria von Weber's 1821 opera Der Freischütz and in Arnold Schönberg's (reference to the Maschinenpistole M1912/P.16's Schoenberg skin) oratorio Gurre-Lieder of 1911. In act 1 of Richard Wagner's 1870 opera Die Walküre (reference to the Selbstlader 1906's Die Walkure skin), Siegmund relates that he has been pursued by “Das wütende Heer”, which is an indication to the audience that it is Wotan himself who has called up the storm which has driven him (Siegmund) to Hunding's dwelling.

Cei-Rigotti skins:
Legendary: The Duke of Aosta, The Kirkpatrick, La Bizzarrìa, The Piave
Distinguished: Amerigo, Bersaglieri, Capello, Monte Nero
Other: Fiamme Verdi

Amerigo skin for Cei-Rigotti (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cei-Rigotti): The Cei-Rigotti (also known as the Cei gas rifle) is an early automatic rifle created in the final years of the 19th century by Amerigo Cei-Rigotti, an officer in the Royal Italian Army. Although the rifle was never officially adopted by any military, it was tested extensively by the Italian Army during the lead-up to the First World War. The gun was supposedly presented by Cei-Rigotti to his superiors in a private demonstration in 1895. An Italian newspaper reported on this event in 1900. According to another source, a demonstration was actually held publicly in Rome on June 13, 1900, when 300 rounds were fired on full automatic before the gun got so hot it seized up. Yet another source mentions a demonstration in the same year at the Brescia Arsenal.

Bersaglieri skin for Cei-Rigotti (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bersaglieri): The Bersaglieri, singular Bersagliere, ("sharpshooter") are a troop of marksmen in the Italian Army's infantry corps. They were originally created by General Alessandro Ferrero La Marmora on 18 June 1836 to serve in the Royal Sardinian Army, which later became the Royal Italian Army. They can be recognized by their distinctive wide-brimmed hats decorated with black western capercaillie feathers, which is worn with the dress uniform. The feathers are also applied to their combat helmets. In World War I, some Bersaglieri served as bicycle troops, better to execute their mission of maneuver warfare. During World War I, the 12 existing Bersaglieri regiments were augmented by nine newly raised regiments and fought with distinction on the Italian Front. Of the 210,000 members of Bersaglieri regiments, 32,000 were killed and 50,000 wounded during the war. A contingent of Bersaglieri drawn from the autonomous battalions of the 1st Bersaglieri Regiment was sent to participate in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign in 1917, where they were attached to the Egyptian Expeditionary Force commanded by General Edmund Allenby.

Fiamme Verdi skin for Cei-Rigotti (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpini): The Alpini are the Italian Army's specialist mountain infantry. Part of the army's infantry corps, the speciality distinguished itself in combat during World War I and World War II. Established in 1872, the Alpini are the oldest active mountain infantry in the world. Their original mission was to protect Italy's border with France and Austria-Hungary. During World War I they fought a three-year campaign on the Alps against Austro-Hungarian Kaiserjäger (reference to the M1914 Taschenpistol' Kaiserjäger skin) and the German Alpenkorps in what has since become known as the "War in snow and ice". On June 7, 1883, the green flames (Italian: "fiamme verdi") collar patch was introduced, thus making the Alpini officially a specialty within the Italian infantry corps. The Alpini were also distinguished by the green cuffs on the dark blue tunics worn for full dress and barrack dress until 1915, and by green piping on their light blue/grey trousers. When grey-green service uniforms were trialled by the Alpini in 1906, before being adopted by the entire army in 1909, the distinctive green collar patches and typical headdress were retained.

Capello skin for Cei-Rigotti (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luigi_Capello): Luigi Capello (14 April 1859, in Intra – 25 June 1941, in Rome) was an Italian general, distinguished in both the Italo-Turkish War (1911–12) and World War I. During World War I he was the commander of several Army corps and led the Italian troops that captured Gorizia (Sixth Battle of the Isonzo, reference to the Automatico M1918's Isonzo skin). In June 1917, he reached the apex of his military career when he took command of the Second Army (Italy) and captured the Bainsizza Plateau (Eleventh Battle of the Isonzo). Later, he was removed from command after the Italian defeat at the Battle of Caporetto (reference to the Frommer Stop Pistol's Caporetto skin). He had failed to check the advance of the Imperial troops (which included for the first time, German troops sent from the Western Front) before being forced to cede his command for health reasons. Capello was blamed for the defeat, and he never returned to service.

The Duke of Aosta skin for Cei-Rigotti https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Emanuele_Filiberto,_Duke_of_Aosta_(1869%E2%80%931931) Prince Emanuele Filiberto Vittorio Eugenio Alberto Genova Giuseppe Maria di Savoia, 2nd Duke of Aosta (Spanish: Manuel Filiberto; 13 January 1869 – 4 July 1931) was an Italian general and member of the House of Savoy (reference to Automatico M1918's The Savioa skin), as the son of Amadeo I, and was also a cousin of Victor Emmanuel III of Italy. Filiberto was also commander of the Italian Third Army during World War I, which earned him the title of the "Undefeated Duke". After the war he became a Marshal of Italy.

Monte Nero skin for Cei-Rigotti (https://meaderingthroughtheprologue.com/high-atop-monte-nero-the-colonel-wept-magic-of-krn/): Over a hundred years after the tumult of the Great War, vestiges of the struggle remain in visible evidence around the 2245-meter-high mountain top of Krn – Monte Nero (Black Mountain) in Italian. Strands of barbed wire twirl about on the slopes adding to the drama of the incredible views from the Adriatic Sea to the Italian Dolomites and into the heart of the Slovene Julian Alps. Here on Krn and its surrounding ridges, mountain warfare on a harsh scale took place from mid-June 1915 through to the end of October 1917 when the Battle of Caporetto (reference to the Frommer Stop Pistol's Caporetto skin) moved the unmovable front far to the west for the Italian Front’s last acts. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krn Krn (2,244 metres or 7,362 feet) is a mountain of the southwestern Julian Alps in northwestern Slovenia. It is the highest mountain of the Krn Mountains. During the First World War, the Battles of the Isonzo (reference to the Automatico M1918's Isonzo skin) took place in the area. The 3rd Regiment of Alpini had taken Mount Krn's peak on 16 June 1915 in a daring raid where the elite Italian unit climbed the peak's cliffs "with their boots swaddled in sacks of straw to reduce noise," some of them barefoot, and others wearing only socks, and battled the Hungarian battalion of the 4th Honved Regiment.

The Piave skin for Cei-Rigotti https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piave_(river) The Piave (Latin: Plavis, German: Ploden) is a river in northern Italy. It begins in the Alps and flows southeast for 220 kilometres (140 mi) into the Adriatic Sea near the city of Venice. In 1918, during World War I, it was the scene of Battle of the Piave River (15–23 June 1918), the last major Austro-Hungarian attack on the Italian Front, which failed. The Battle of the Piave River was a decisive battle of World War I on the Italian Front. In Italy the river is thus called Fiume Sacro alla Patria (Sacred River of the Homeland) and is mentioned in the patriotic song "La leggenda del Piave". It was eventually followed by the Battle of Vittorio Veneto (reference to the Automatico M1918's Vittoria skin) later that year.

La Bizzarrìa skin for Cei-Rigotti (https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Bizzarr%C3%ACa): La Bizzarrìa è una villa che venne edificata intorno al 1860 su committenza di Vittorio Emanuele II. Il complesso fa parte del Parco naturale La Mandria. Il nome gli deriva dall'eclettismo fantasioso e portato all'estremo dell'architettura, adatto comunque per un piccolo villino per il ristoro durante le battute di caccia. La Bizzarrìa fu voluta dal re anche come luogo di residenza per sé, Rosa Vercellana (detta la Bela Rosin) e per i due figli Vittoria ed Emanuele. https://www.realportico.com/photoportico/la-bizzarria-hunting-lodge Northwest of Turin (reference to the Vetterli-Vitali M1870/87's Taurinorum skin) lies Castello della Mandria, a royal castle of the House of Savoy (reference to Automatico M1918's The Savioa skin). With its various residences and buildings spread throughout the extensive park, now designated as a nature reserve, the ensemble is one of the most outstanding sights of the region, along with the palace of Venaria Reale, and has therefore also been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997. The villa shown here, known regionally as La Bizzarrìa, is in fact one of two extravagant hunting lodges built in the eclectic style by King Victor Emmanuel II around 1861. La Bizzarrìa corresponds in its function to a typical belvedere, as was common in royal hunting grounds of the 19th century.

The Kirkpatrick skin for Cei-Rigotti (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Simpson_Kirkpatrick): John Kirkpatrick (6 July 1892 – 19 May 1915), commonly known as John Simpson, was a stretcher bearer with the 3rd Australian Field Ambulance during the Gallipoli campaign – the Allied attempt to capture Constantinople, capital of the Ottoman Empire, during the First World War. After the landing at Anzac Cove on 25 April 1915, Simpson used donkeys to provide first aid and carry wounded soldiers to the beach, from where they could be evacuated. He continued this work for three and a half weeks – often under fire – until he was killed by machine-gun fire during the third attack on Anzac Cove. Simpson and his donkey have become part of the Anzac legend.

Taschenpistole M1914 skins:
Legendary: Maubeuge, The Nickl
Distinguished: Kaiserjäger, Kaiserschutzen

The Nickl skin for Taschenpistole M1914 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauser_Model_1914): The Mauser Model 1914 is a semi-automatic pistol made by Mauser. A derivative of the .25 caliber Model 1910 designed by Josef Nickl, it uses 32 ACP ammunition. The first variant of the Model 1910 was the “Side Latch”, which featured a rotating side-latch just above the trigger which enabled the cover over the side of the lockwork to be removed for cleaning. The second variant was the “New Model” typically referred to as the “Model 1910/14” because it first appeared in 1914. https://www.forgottenweapons.com/nickl-prototype-m191622-pistol-at-james-d-julia/ Josef Nickl was one of the chief R&D designers at Mauser after the Federle brothers (reference to the M1917 Trench Carbine's Feederle skin), and one of his pet projects was a rotating barrel military pistol developed from the Steyr-Hahn M1912 pistol (reference to the Battlefield 1's The Repetierpistole M1912).

Kaiserschutzen skin for Taschenpistole M1914 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaisersch%C3%BCtzen): The k.k. Landesschützen (in English, "imperial-royal country [or provincial] rifleman") – from 16 January 1917 Kaiserschützen ("imperial rifleman") – were three regiments of Austro-Hungarian mountain infantry during the kaiserliche und königliche Monarchie (the "imperial and royal monarchy"). As a rule, only Tyrolean (reference to Maschinenpistole M1912/P.16's The Tyrolean skin) and Vorarlbergen men were enlisted in the Landesschützen. In 1906, they were reorganized on the pattern of the Italian Alpini as mountain troops. Despite being territorial forces, the Kaiserschützen were used in the First World War in many theatres and took heavy losses. Deployments 1914–1918. -Galicia (reference to the Gewehr M.95's Galicia skin): Lemberg, Gródek, Przemyśl, Pilica, Limanowa Lapanow, Gorlice Tarnów (reference to the Battle of Gorlice-Tarnów skins), Carpathia -Serbia -Tyrol (reference to the Hellriegel 1915's Tyrol skin), Carniola: Monte Cristallo, Monte Piano (reference to the Hellriegel 1915's Monte Piano skin), Falzarego, Tofana, Col di Lana (reference to the Repetierpistole M1912's Col di Lana skin), Marmolada (reference to the Bodeo 1889 Revolver's Marmolada skin), amongst others.

Kaiserjäger skin for Taschenpistole M1914 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaiserj%C3%A4ger): The Kaiserjäger (officially designated by the Imperial and Royal (k.u.k.) military administration as the Tiroler Jäger-Regimenter or "Tyrolean Rifle Regiments"), were formed in 1895 as four normal infantry regiments within the Common Army of Austria-Hungary. The regiments were disbanded in 1918 with the end of the k.u.k. monarchy. The word Jäger (meaning "hunter" or "huntsman", reference to the Gewehr 98's Jáger skin) is a characteristic term used for light infantry or light infantrymen in a German-speaking context. The Emperor himself was the Regimental Colonel (or Inhaber, reference to the Frommer Stop Pistol's Inhaber skin); his second-in-command (Zweitinhaber) and the commanding officers were personally appointed by him. During the First World War, the four regiments fought with heavy losses, first in Galicia (reference to the Gewehr M.95's Galicia skin) and the Carpathians against Russia, until they were deployed on the plateau of the Seven Communities Trient and at Isonzo (reference to the Automatico M1918's Isonzo skin) after the start of fighting on the Italian front. The Kaiserjäger were not mountain troops, but regular infantry. The Kaiserjäger were often confused with the Tyrolean Kaiserschützen (reference to the Taschenpistole M1914's Kaiserschutzen skin), who belonged to the k.k. Landwehr, and were part of the regular armed forces of Austria-Hungary. The confusion arose from the decree of April 1917, in which Emperor Charles I (reference to the Frommer Stop Pistol's Emperor skin) granted the title Kaiserschützen to the Tyrolean state rifles. (The state rifles, known as Landesschützen or Kaiserschützen, were mountain troops and wore a different uniform.)

Maubeuge skin for Taschenpistole M1914 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maubeuge): Maubeuge (historical Dutch: Mabuse or Dutch: Malbode; Picard: Maubeuche) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is situated on both banks of the Sambre (here canalized), 36 km (22 mi) east of Valenciennes and about 9 km (5.6 mi) from the Belgian border. As a fortress, Maubeuge has an old enceinte of bastion trace which serves as the center of an important entrenched camp of 18 miles perimeter. The fortress was constructed after the War of 1870 but has since been modernized and augmented. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Maubeuge The siege of Maubeuge took place from 24 August – 7 September 1914, at the Entrenched Camp of Maubeuge (le camp retranché de Maubeuge) the start of the First World War on the Western Front. The forts and infantry shelters (ouvrages) were wrecked by the German and Austrian super-heavy howitzers; German medium artillery proved unexpectedly effective. Parts of Maubeuge were set on fire, causing an exodus of civilians and deserters to the village of Hautmont to the south-west. From 1 to 7 September, the French were forced out into the open and infantry attacks from the east gradually overran the French defences on both sides of the Sambre, forcing the survivors back level with Maubeuge. Brigadier-General Joseph Fournier, the governor of Maubeuge, surrendered to General Hans von Zwehl on 7 September, effective at noon the next day.

I found another new, in-game reference for the MP18's Breakthrough Muller skin.
Operation Kaiserchlacht Narrator/Introduction:
German Soldier: (in German) I saw him yesterday, that Artillery Officer they are calling Durchbruchmüller. He's here to orchestrate the symphony of our 10,000 guns, firing three million shells in just five hours. Over the enemy lines all we can see are rolling clouds of flame and ash. It is like the end of the world. I almost pity poor Tommy in their trenches, trying to make sense of it all.

Selbstlader M1916 skins:
Legendary: Blutigen April, The Chancellor, The Kagohl, Odin
Distinguished: Bavarian, Kronprinz, Linnarz, Nachtflugzeug

Bavarian skin for Selbstlader M1916 (https://www.forgottenweapons.com/early-semiauto-rifles/mauser-selbstlader): The Selbstlader-Karabiner Mauser M 1916 was a further refinement of the 06/08 rifle, and its most notable features was a more ergonomic stock and an overall reduction in length. The 06/08 rifle had been tested as an aviation rifle, but its length was unwieldy. The German Air Corps adopted the rifle officially as the ‘Fliegerkarabine 15’ and the Ballon-und-Zeppelin-Truppe adopted the rifle officially as the ‘Selbstlader-Karabiner Mauser M 1916. Due to the expensive manufacturing costs and intricate high-tolerance machining, only 1000 of the Selbstlader-Karabiner Mauser M 1916 were produced. When the German military acquired sufficient numbers of the much cheaper Flieger-Selbstlader-Karabiner 15 Mondragon Rifle, the Mauser Fliegerkarabine 15 was largely withdrawn from the German Air Corps. The Flieger-Selbstlader-Karabiner 15 Mondragon was inherently less-accurate and more prone to stoppages according to its Bavarian Field Manual. It states that compared to the “previous introduced weapon,” being the Mauser Fliegerkarabine 15, accuracy of the newly-acquired weapons was abysmal: “The unified construction of this self-loading weapon results in greater variations in the targeting position than exist in previously introduced weapons. Only deviations of more than 20cm from the normal group are corrected.”

Blutigen April skin for Selbstlader M1916 (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blutiger_April): Blutiger April (englisch Bloody April) ist der Name, der im englischen Sprachraum einer etwa fünfwöchigen Periode während des Luftkriegs an der Westfront des Ersten Weltkriegs gegeben wurde, in der das Royal Flying Corps (RFC) bei der Unterstützung der Bodenstreitkräfte in der Schlacht bei Arras exorbitante Verluste gegen die deutschen Luftstreitkräfte erlitt. Die Verluste waren so groß, dass die Moral ganzer Staffeln zusammenbrach. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloody_April Bloody April was the (largely successful) British air support operation during the Battle of Arras (reference to the Lewis Gun's Arras skin) in April 1917, during which particularly heavy casualties were suffered by the Royal Flying Corps at the hands of the German Luftstreitkräfte. The tactical, technological, and training differences between the two sides ensured the British suffered a casualty rate nearly four times as great as their opponents. The losses were so disastrous that it threatened to undermine the morale of entire squadrons. The RFC contributed to the success, limited as it finally proved, of the British Army during the five-week series of battles.

The Kagohl skin for Selbstlader M1916 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kampfgeschwader): Kampfgeschwader are the German-language name for (air force) bomber units. In WW1, they were air squadrons, while in WW2, they were air wings. During World War I, Kampfgeschwader were specialized bomber units in the Luftstreitkräfte. Formally known as Kampfgeschwader der Obersten Heeresleitung, or Kagohl for short, they were assets directly controlled by the Oberste Heeresleitung, the German Army's high command, rather than by army, corps, or division commanders. Each Kagohl consisted of a headquarters element and six flights, or Kampfstaffeln, of bomber aircraft. Originally intended as strategic bombers, they were repurposed as tactical bombing units when it became apparent their aircraft did not have the range to reach strategic targets.

Nachtflugzeug skin for Selbstlader M1916 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idflieg_aircraft_designation_system): The Idflieg (Inspekteur der Flieger) designation system was used to classify German heavier-than-air military (as opposed to naval) aircraft from the early days of the Fliegertruppe/Luftstreitkräfte to the end of World War I. The system evolved during this period as new classes of aircraft came into use. The specific, official "name" of a Luftstreitkräfte aircraft type consisted of the name of the manufacturer, the designation allocated to its class or category, and finally a Roman numeral. List of Idflieg class letter prefixes. N: Two-seat single engined night (Nacht) bomber. Basically a "C" type aircraft with longer wing span to enable a heavier war-load. Designation introduced in 1918, superseding "CN" specification. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_bomber Strategic bombing and night bombing were new in World War I, and there was much experimentation at night with aircraft such as the Gotha G.IV, Gotha G.V, Handley Page Type O, and various giant airplanes such as the Riesenflugzeuge (reference to the Mondragon's Riesenflugzeug skin) and the Sikorsky Ilya Muromets. Navigation was difficult and precision was almost nonexistent but the psychological effect was strong. Night bombing worked as a terror weapon.

Linnarz skin for Selbstlader M1916 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeppelin_LZ_38): Zeppelin LZ 38 (designated LZ 38) was Zeppelin P Class airship of the German Imperial Army. It was the first to bomb London, United Kingdom. LZ 38 became the first airship to bomb London on 31 May 1915, dropping 1,400 kilograms (3,000 lb) of bombs on the eastern suburb of London, killing seven people. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_bombing_of_Britain,_1914%E2%80%931918 The Army received the first of these, LZ38 (Hauptmann Erich Linnarz) raided Ipswich on 29/30 April and Southend on 9/10 May. On the night of 30/31 May, Linnarz commanded LZ38 on the first London raid; LZ37 was also to be part of the raid but was damaged early on and returned to Namur. Flying from Evere LZ38 crossed the English coast near Margate at 9:42 p.m. before turning west over Southend. London police were warned of a raid around 11:00 p.m.; a few minutes later small incendiaries began to fall. These devices, weighing 25 lb (11 kg), were filled with thermite and the exterior was wrapped in tarred rope. About 120 bombs were dropped on a line from Stoke Newington south to Stepney and then north toward Leytonstone. Seven people were killed and 35 injured; 41 fires were started, burning out seven properties and the total damage was assessed at £ 537,900.

The Chancellor skin for Selbstlader M1916 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_chancellors_of_Germany): The chancellor of Germany is the political leader of Germany and the head of the federal government. The office holder is responsible for selecting all other members of the government and chairing cabinet meetings. The office was created in the North German Confederation in 1867, when Otto von Bismarck became the first chancellor. With the unification of Germany and establishment of the German Empire in 1871, the Confederation evolved into a German nation-state and its leader became known as the chancellor of Germany. Originally, the chancellor was only responsible to the emperor. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theobald_von_Bethmann_Hollweg Theobald Theodor Friedrich Alfred von Bethmann Hollweg (29 November 1856 – 1 January 1921) was a German politician who was Chancellor of the German Empire from 1909 to 1917. He oversaw the German entry into World War I and played a key role during its first three years. He was replaced as chancellor in July of 1917 due in large part to opposition to his moderate policies by leaders in the military. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georg_Michaelis Georg Michaelis (8 September 1857 – 24 July 1936) was the chancellor of the German Empire for a few months in 1917. He was the first (and the only one of the German Empire) chancellor not of noble birth to hold the office. With an economic background in business, Michaelis' main achievement was to encourage the ruling classes to open peace talks with Russia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georg_von_Hertling Georg Friedrich Karl Freiherr von Hertling, from 1914 Count von Hertling, (31 August 1843 – 4 January 1919) was a German politician of the Catholic Centre Party. He was foreign minister and minister president of Bavaria, then chancellor of the German Reich and minister president of Prussia from 1 November 1917 to 30 September 1918. Hertling's Catholicism played an important role in both his academic and political life. He belonged to the conservative wing of the Centre party and resisted moves towards making the government dependent on the will of parliament rather than on the emperor, a stance that helped bring down his government in the final months of World War I. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Maximilian_of_Baden Maximilian, Margrave of Baden (Maximilian Alexander Friedrich Wilhelm; 10 July 1867 – 6 November 1929), also known as Max von Baden, was a German prince, general, and politician. He was heir presumptive to the throne of the Grand Duchy of Baden, and in October and November 1918 briefly served as the last chancellor of the German Empire and minister-president of Prussia. He sued for peace on Germany's behalf at the end of World War I based on U.S. President Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points and took steps towards transforming the government into a parliamentary system.

Kronprinz skin for Selbstlader M1916 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm,_German_Crown_Prince): Wilhelm, German Crown Prince, Crown Prince of Prussia (Friedrich Wilhelm Victor August Ernst; 6 May 1882 – 20 July 1951) was the eldest child of the last Kaiser, the German Emperor, Wilhelm II (reference to the Gewehr 98's The Kaiser skin), and his consort Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein (reference to the Selbstlader 1906's The Kaiserin skin), and thus a great-grandson of Queen Victoria, and distant cousin to many British Royals, such as Queen Elizabeth ll. As Emperor Wilhelm's heir, he was the last Crown Prince of the German Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia, until the abolishment of the monarchy. Wilhelm became crown prince at the age of six in 1888, when his grandfather Frederick III died and his father became emperor. He was crown prince for 30 years until the fall of the empire on 9 November 1918. During World War I, he commanded the 5th Army from 1914 to 1916 and was commander of the Army Group German Crown Prince for the remainder of the war. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rupprecht,_Crown_Prince_of_Bavaria Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria, Duke of Bavaria, Franconia and in Swabia, Count Palatine by (the) Rhine (Rupprecht Maria Luitpold Ferdinand; English: Robert Maria Leopold Ferdinand; 18 May 1869 – 2 August 1955), was the last heir apparent to the Bavarian throne (reference to the Selbstlader M1916's The Bavarian skin). During the first half of the First World War he commanded the 6th Army on the Western Front. From August 1916, he commanded Army Group Rupprecht of Bavaria, which occupied the sector of the front opposite the British Expeditionary Force. Rupprecht and Crown Prince Wilhelm of Prussia each commanded an army on the western front (the Sixth Army and the Fifth Army, respectively) and were directly involved in the implementation of the Schlieffen Plan (reference to the Gewehr 98's von Schlieffen skin).

Odin skin for Selbstlader M1916 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odin): Odin (from Old Norse: Óðinn) is a widely revered god in Germanic paganism. Norse mythology, the source of most surviving information about him, associates him with wisdom, healing, death, royalty, the gallows, knowledge, war, battle, victory, sorcery, poetry, frenzy, and the runic alphabet, and depicts him as the husband of the goddess Frigg. Odin is also associated with the divine battlefield maidens, the valkyries (reference to the Selbstlader 1906's Die Walküre skin), and he oversees Valhalla, where he receives half of those who die in battle, the einherjar, sending the other half to the goddess Freyja's Fólkvangr. Odin consults the disembodied, herb-embalmed head of the wise Mímir, who foretells the doom of Ragnarök and urges Odin to lead the einherjar into battle before being consumed by the monstrous wolf Fenrir. In later folklore, Odin sometimes appears as a leader of the Wild Hunt (reference to the Gewehr 98's Die Wilde Jagd skin), a ghostly procession of the dead through the winter sky. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odin-class_coastal_defense_ship The Odin class was a pair of coastal defense ships built for the German Kaiserliche Marine in the late 19th century. The class comprised two ships: Odin, named after the Norse god Odin, and Ägir, named after the Norse god of the same name. The ships were very similar to the preceding Siegfried-class coastal defense ships, and are sometimes considered to be one class of ships. Like the preceding Siegfried-class ships, Odin and Ägir were obsolete by the time World War I had started. Regardless, they were still used in their primary role until 1915, at which point they were withdrawn from active service. The ships performed a variety of secondary duties until the end of the war.

RSC 1917 skins:
Legendary: Chanson de Craonne, De Scévola, Le Tigre
Distinguished: Grandmaison, Papa Joffre

Chanson de Craonne skin for RSC 1917 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Chanson_de_Craonne): La Chanson de Craonne (English: The Song of Craonne) is an anti-military song of World War I written in 1917. The song was written to the tune of Bonsoir M'Amour (Charles Sablon), sung by Emma Liebel. It is sometimes known by the first line of the chorus, Adieu la vie (Goodbye to life). This song was sung by the French soldiers who mutinied (in sixty eight of the one hundred and ten divisions of the French Army) after the costly and militarily disastrous offensive of General Robert Nivelle at the Chemin des Dames (reference to the Lebel Model 1886's Chemin des Dames skin), spring 1917. The song was prohibited in France until 1974. Even though an award of 1 million francs and the immediate honorable release from the army were offered for revealing the maker, the original author of the song remained unknown. The final version, "The Song of Craonne" was written in 1917 during the French Army's Mutinies. The village of Craonne on the plateau of Californie was the site of bloody fighting on 16 April 1917 during Nivelle's failed Offensives. It was these bloody offensives that pushed the French Army over the edge. The song's chorus is sung in Oh! What a Lovely War (1969). The song is sung by a soldier in A Very Long Engagement (2004).

De Scévola skin for RSC 1917 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucien-Victor_Guirand_de_Sc%C3%A9vola): Lucien-Victor Guirand de Scévola (14 November 1871 in Sète, France – 29 March 1950 in Paris) was a French painter. He is known for his pioneering leadership of the Camoufleurs (the French Camouflage Department) in World War I. De Scévola is considered one of the inventors of military camouflage during World War I, together with Eugène Corbin and the painter Louis Guingot. At the start of the war, in September 1914, De Scévola, serving as a second-class gunner, experimentally camouflaged a gun emplacement with a painted canvas screen. On 12 February 1915 General Joffre (reference to the RSC 1917's Papa Joffre skin) established the "Section de Camouflage" (English: Camouflage Department) at Amiens. By May 1915 the Section de Camouflage put up its first observation tree, an iron lookout post camouflaged with bark and other materials during the Battle of Artois. By the end of 1915, De Scévola became commander of the French Camouflage Corps, employing cubist artists such as André Mare, a specialist in camouflaging lookout posts. By 1917, De Scévola's team had grown to 3000, taking in artists including Jacques Villon, André Dunoyer de Segonzac, Charles Camoin, Louis Abel-Truchet and Charles Dufresne.

Grandmaison skin for RSC 1917 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Loyzeau_de_Grandmaison): Louis Loyzeau de Grandmaison (21 January 1861 - 18 February 1915) was a French military theorist who, in an atmosphere of revanchism, linked the humiliating defeat of the Franco-Prussian War to the French having ceased utilizing Napoleonic methods. De Grandmaison argued for rapid maneuvers by large formations engaging in swift attacks. The school of thought he subscribed to dominated French army thinking by 1914, but in a modified form which combined the contemporaneous philosophy of Élan vital. In the end, such theories proved inadequate against modern weapons and tactics. In the fighting of August 1914 de Grandmaison was wounded three times in 24 hours. The huge casualties and lack of gains during the early months of the First World War resulting from crude offensive à outrance attacks on Lorraine created a pessimistic climate of public opinion, while the deaths of so many of the army's best and most determined young officers had lasting deleterious effects. In January 1915 de Grandmaison's post-1911 meteoric ascent continued when he received promotion to General de Division (equivalent to the Anglophone rank of Major General), being given command of the Fifth Army Reserve group. He was killed in action the next month.

Papa Joffre skin for RSC 1917 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Joffre): Joseph Jacques Césaire Joffre (12 January 1852 – 3 January 1931) was a French general who served as Commander-in-Chief of French forces on the Western Front from the start of World War I until the end of 1916. He is best known for regrouping the retreating allied armies to defeat the Germans at the strategically decisive First Battle of the Marne in September 1914. His political position waned after unsuccessful offensives in 1915, the German attack on Verdun (reference to the M1909 Benét-Mercié's Verdun skin), in 1916, and the disappointing results of the Anglo-French offensive on the Somme (reference to the Auto Revolver's Somme skin) in 1916. At the end of 1916 he was promoted to Marshal of France, the first such elevation under the Third Republic, and moved to an advisory role, from which he quickly resigned. Later in the war he led an important mission to the United States.

Le Tigre skin for RSC 1917 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_Clemenceau): Georges Benjamin Clemenceau (28 September 1841 – 24 November 1929) was a French statesman who served as Prime Minister of France from 1906 to 1909 and again from 1917 until 1920. Clemenceau, a physician turned journalist, played a central role in the politics of the Third Republic, most notably successfully leading France through the end of the First World War. After about 1,400,000 French soldiers were killed between the German invasion and Armistice, he demanded a total victory over the German Empire. Clemenceau stood for reparations, a transfer of colonies, strict rules to prevent a rearming process, as well as the restitution of Alsace–Lorraine, which had been annexed to Germany in 1871. He achieved these goals through the Treaty of Versailles signed at the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920). Nicknamed Père la Victoire ("Father of Victory") or Le Tigre ("The Tiger"), he continued his harsh position against Germany in the 1920s, although not quite so much as President Raymond Poincaré (reference to the Lebel Model 1886's Poincaré skin) or former Supreme Allied Commander Ferdinand Foch (reference to M1909 Benét-Mercié's The Foch skin), who thought the treaty was too lenient on Germany, famously stating: "This is not peace. It is an armistice for twenty years."

Automatico M1918 skins:
Legendary: Il Bracco, The Mignatta, The Savoia
Distinguished: Isonzo, Monte Cismone, Papadopoli, Vittoria

The Savoia skin for Automatico M1918 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Savoy): The House of Savoy (Italian: Casa Savoia) was a royal dynasty that was established in 1003 in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, the family grew in power from ruling a small Alpine county north-west of Italy to absolute rule of the Kingdom of Sicily from 1713 to 1720, when they were handed the island of Sardinia, over which they would exercise direct rule from then onward. Through its junior branch of Savoy-Carignano, the House of Savoy led the Italian unification (reference to the Modello 1915 Pistol's Il Risorgimento skin) in 1860 and ruled the Kingdom of Italy until 1946; they also briefly ruled the Kingdom of Spain in the 19th century. The Savoyard kings of Italy were Victor Emmanuel II, Umberto I, Victor Emmanuel III, and Umberto II. The last monarch reigned for a few weeks before being deposed following the institutional referendum of 1946, after which the Italian Republic was proclaimed. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Emmanuel_III_of_Italy Victor Emmanuel III (11 November 1869 – 28 December 1947), born Vittorio Emanuele Ferdinando Maria Gennaro di Savoia, was King of Italy from 29 July 1900 until his abdication on 9 May 1946. A member of the House of Savoy, he also reigned as Emperor of Ethiopia (1936–1941) and King of the Albanians (1939–1943). During his reign of nearly 46 years, which began after the assassination of his father Umberto I, the Kingdom of Italy became involved in two world wars.

Isonzo skin for Automatico M1918 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/So%C4%8Da): The Soča (in Slovene) or Isonzo (in Italian; other names Friulian: Lusinç, German: Sontig, Latin: Aesontius or Isontius) is a 138-kilometre (86 mi) long river that flows through western Slovenia (96 kilometres or 60 miles) and northeastern Italy (43 kilometres or 27 miles). Prior to the First World War, the river ran parallel to the border between Kingdom of Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. During World War I, it was the scene of bitter fighting between the two countries, culminating in the Battle of Caporetto (reference to the Frommer Stop Pistol's Caporetto skin) in 1917. The valley was the stage of major military operations including the twelve battles of the Isonzo on the Italian front in World War I between May 1915 and November 1917, in which over half a million Austro-Hungarian and Italian soldiers lost their lives.

Monte Cismone skin for Automatico M1918 (https://www.firstworldwar.com/onthisday/1916_07_24.htm): On This Day - 24 July 1916. Source: Chronology of the War (1914-18). Western Front: Struggle for Pozieres continues (reference to the Madsen MG's Pozieres skin); British gain some important advantages. Persistent German counter-attacks at High Wood and Guillemont. Eastern Front: Russians repulse Germans from Uxkull to Riga. Southern Front: Italian advance on Asiago Plateau and Trentino border continues; after a night attack troops capture Monte Cismone.

Papadopoli skin for Automatico M1918 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Vittorio_Veneto): The Battle of Vittorio Veneto was fought from 24 October to 3 November 1918 (with an armistice taking effect 24 hours later) near Vittorio Veneto on the Italian Front during World War I. After having thoroughly defeated Austro-Hungarian troops during the defensive Battle of the Piave River (reference to Cei-Rigotti's The Piave skin), the Italian army launched a great counter-offensive: the Italian victory marked the end of the war on the Italian Front, secured the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and contributed to the end of the First World War just one week later. As night fell on 23 October, leading elements of Lord Cavan's Tenth Army were to force a crossing at a point where there were a number of islands. Cavan had decided to seize the largest of these – the Grave di Papadopoli – in preparation for the full-scale assault on the far bank. The plan was for two battalions from the 22nd Brigade of the British 7th Division to occupy the northern half of Papadopoli, while the Italian 11th Corps took the southern half. The British troops detailed for the night attack were the 2/1 Honourable Artillery Company (an infantry battalion despite the title) and the 1/ Royal Welch Fusiliers. These troops were helpless to negotiate such a torrent as the Piave and relied upon boats propelled by the 18th Pontieri under the command of Captain Odini of the Italian engineers. On the misty night of the 23rd, the Italians rowed the British forces across with a calm assurance and skill which amazed many of those who were more frightened of drowning than of fighting the Austrians. For the sake of silence, the HAC used only their bayonets until the alarm was raised, and soon seized their half of the island. The Italian assault on the south of Papadopoli was driven off by heavy machine-gun fire. Nevertheless, the Austrians surrendered the island by the end of the night. https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grave_di_Papadopoli Le Grave di Papadopoli sono un'isola lambita dal Piave e compresa nei comuni di Maserada, Cimadolmo e, in minima parte, Spresiano.

Vittoria skin for Automatico M1918 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arditi): Arditi (from the Italian verb ardire, lit. "to dare", and translates as "The Daring [Ones]") was the name adopted by a Royal Italian Army elite special force of World War I. They and the opposing German Stormtroopers were the first modern shock troops, and they have been defined as "the most feared corps by opposing armies". Their motto was O la vittoria, o tutti accoppati meaning "Either victory, or everyone dies". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bollettino_della_Vittoria  The Bollettino della Vittoria is the official document after the Armistice of Villa Giusti with which General Armando Diaz (reference to the Modello 1915 Pistol's Diaz skin), the supreme commander of the Royal Italian Army, announced, on November 4, 1918, the surrender of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the victory of the Kingdom of Italy in World War I. Its material author was, in reality, general Domenico Siciliani, head of the press office of the supreme command. Every year, Italian institutions celebrate the event with National Unity and Armed Forces Day on November 4.

The Mignatta skin for Automatico M1918 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_torpedo): Human torpedoes or manned torpedoes are a type of diver propulsion vehicle on which the diver rides, generally in a seated position behind a fairing. The concept of a small, manned submarine carrying a bomb was developed and patented by a British naval officer in 1909, but was never used during the First World War. The Italian Navy experimented with a primitive tiny sub (Mignatta) carrying two men and a limpet mine: this craft successfully sank Austro-Hungarian battleship SMS Viribus Unitis on 1 November 1918. 1 November 1918: Two men of the Regia Marina, Raffaele Paolucci and Raffaele Rossetti, in diving suits, rode a primitive manned torpedo (nicknamed Mignatta or "leech") into the Austro-Hungarian Navy base at Pola (Istria), where they sank the Austrian battleship Viribus Unitis and the freighter Wien using limpet mines. They had no breathing sets so they had to keep their heads above water, and thus were discovered and taken prisoner.

Il Bracco skin for Automatico M1918 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bracco_Italiano): The Bracco Italiano is an Italian breed of pointing dog. Other names: Italian Pointer, Italian Pointing Dog. The first dog registered by the Kennel Club Italiano, founded in 1882, was a Bracco Italiano. Early in 1949 a breed standard was approved by the Ente Nazionale della Cinofilia Italiana, and later the same year a breed society, the Società Amatori Bracco Italiano, was formed. The breed was fully accepted by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale in 1956. In the 41 years from 1970 to 2011, a total of 24,613 of the dogs were registered. From 2010 to 2018 there were approximately 700 new registrations per year in Italy, of which in every year the majority were of white-and-orange colouration.

Lewis Gun Skins:
Legendary: The Blood Tub, The Golden Retriever, The Rattlesnake, Reckless Rex, The Yells
Distinguished: Arras, Messines, Nash, P.B.31E

The Rattlesnake skin for Lewis Gun (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_gun): The Lewis gun was invented by U.S. Army colonel Isaac Newton Lewis in 1911, based on initial work by Samuel Maclean. Lewis left the United States in 1913 and went to Belgium, where he established the Armes Automatique Lewis company in Liège (reference to the Gewehr 98's Liège skin) to facilitate commercial production of the gun. Lewis had been working closely with British arms manufacturer the Birmingham Small Arms Company Limited (BSA) in an effort to overcome some of the production difficulties of the weapon. The Belgians bought a small number of Lewis guns in 1913, using the .303 British round and, in 1914, BSA purchased a licence to manufacture the Lewis machine gun in England, which resulted in Lewis receiving significant royalty payments and becoming very wealthy. Lewis and his factory moved to England before 1914, away from possible seizure in the event of a German invasion. During the first days of the war, the Belgian Army had put in service 20 prototypes (5 in 7.65×53mm and 15 in .303) for the defense of Namur. As their enemies used the mobility of the gun to ambush German raiding parties, the Germans nicknamed the Lewis "the Belgian Rattlesnake". https://battlefield.fandom.com/wiki/The_Lewis_Gun_(Codex_Entry) Unusually, the Lewis Gun also had an adjustable clock-type recoil spring which allowed the rate of fire of the weapon to be adjusted. It was called "the Belgian rattlesnake" by the Germans that came up against it in 1914, and already by 1916 about 50,000 Lewis Guns had been produced and the weapon was being extensively used at sea, in the air and in armored vehicles.

Reckless Rex skin for Lewis Gun (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reginald_Warneford): Reginald Alexander John Warneford (15 October 1891 – 17 June 1915), also known as Rex Warneford, was a British aviator and Royal Naval Air Service (reference to Farquhar-Hill's The RNAS skin) officer who received the Victoria Cross for air-bombing a Zeppelin during the First World War. It was the first victory of a heavier-than-air aircraft over a lighter-than-air dirigible. On 7 June 1915 at Ghent, Belgium, Warneford, flying a Morane-Saulnier Type L, attacked another German Army airship, LZ 37. He chased the airship from the coast near Ostend and, despite its defensive machine-gun fire, succeeded in dropping his six 20-pound (9 kg) Hale bombs on it, the last of which set the airship on fire. LZ 37 subsequently crashed in Sint-Amandsberg (51°3′43.2″N 3°44′54.7″E), Ghent. It crashed into a convent school, killing two nuns. The commander of LZ 37, Oberleutnant Otto van der Haegen, and seven members of the crew were killed. The explosion overturned Warneford's aircraft and stopped its engine. Having no alternative, Warneford had to land behind enemy lines, but after 35 minutes spent on repairs, he managed to restart the engine just as the Germans realised what was going on, and after yelling "Give my regards to the Kaiser!" (reference to Gewehr 98's The Kaiser skin), he was able to achieve lift off and returned to base. On 17 June 1915, Warneford received the award of Légion d'honneur from the French Army Commander in Chief, General Joffre (reference to the RSC 1917's Papa Joffre skin).

P.B.31E skin for Lewis Gun (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermarine_Nighthawk): The Supermarine P.B.31E Nighthawk was a British aircraft of the First World War and the first project of the Pemberton-Billing operation after it became Supermarine Aviation Works Ltd. It was an anti-Zeppelin night fighter operated by a crew of three to five and had a planned flight endurance of 9–18 hours. The prototype flew in February 1917 with Clifford Prodger at the controls. It proved to not meet the promised specification and no more were built. The Nighthawk had six-bay swept quadraplane wings and a biplane tailplane with twin fins and rudders. The fuselage filled the gap between the second and third wings; the cockpit, which carried up to the top wing "turret", was enclosed and heated. For armament, it had a trainable nose-mounted searchlight, a 1½-pounder (37 mm) Davis gun mounted above the top wing with 20 shells, and two .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis guns. Although touted as being able to reach 75 miles per hour (121 km/h), the P.B.31E prototype only managed 60 miles per hour (97 km/h) at 6,500 feet (2,000 m) and took an hour to climb to 10,000 feet (3,000 m), which was totally inadequate for intercepting Zeppelins. German airships, such as P, or R Class military Zeppelins were themselves capable of top speeds of around 60 miles per hour (97 km/h).

The Yells skin for Lewis Gun (https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/anzacs-entered-damascus-ahead-of-lawrence-of-arabia/news-story/86ad467101e936cd980877a60a2a0042): An influential emir of the holy city of Mecca, Sherif Hussein, also contacted the British to say he was planning a revolt. As Lawrence had a good knowledge of Arabic he was sent to negotiate. He joined the Arab rebel army of Hussein’s son Feisal and urged the British to provide arms, money and other support. The revolt was declared in June 1916, by which time Feisal and Lawrence were already conducting a guerrilla campaign. In 1917, when Lawrence acquired Lewis light machineguns for the revolt, Sgt Charles Reginald Yells, from South Australia, was sent to teach the Arab army how to use them. British Lance-Cpl Walter Herbert Brooke, of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, instructed the Arabs on the use of trench mortars. After training Feisal’s men, Brooke and Yells joined the Arab irregulars. Yells played a crucial part in an attack on the railway station at Mudowwara earning him a Distinguished Service Medal, on Lawrence’s recommendation. But many Australian soldiers blamed Lawrence for the Arab irregular’s lack of discipline.

Nash skin for Lewis Gun https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Nash_(artist) Paul Nash (11 May 1889 – 11 July 1946) was a British surrealist painter and war artist, as well as a photographer, writer and designer of applied art. Nash was among the most important landscape artists of the first half of the twentieth century. He played a key role in the development of Modernism in English art. The artworks he produced during World War I are among the most iconic images of the conflict. Nash began officer training in August 1916 and was sent to the Western Front in February 1917 as a second lieutenant in the Hampshire Regiment. He was based at St. Eloi (reference to the Ross MKIII's St. Eloi skin) on the Ypres Salient (reference to the M1907 Selfloading's Ypres skin) at a relatively quiet time and although the area did come under shelling, no major engagements took place while he was there. Whilst clearly aware of the destruction that had taken place there, he was delighted to see that, with spring arriving, the landscape was recovering from the damage inflicted on it. However, on the night of 25 May 1917, Nash fell into a trench, broke a rib and, by 1 June, had been invalided back to London. A few days later the majority of his former unit were killed in an assault on a position known as Hill 60. Nash considered himself lucky to be alive.

Arras skin for Lewis Gun (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arras): Arras (Picard: Aros; historical Dutch: Atrecht) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department, which forms part of the region of Hauts-de-France; before the reorganization of 2014 it was in Nord-Pas-de-Calais. The historic centre of the Artois region, with a Baroque town square, Arras is in northern France at the confluence of the rivers Scarpe and Crinchon. During most of the First World War, Arras was about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) away from the front line, and a series of battles took place around the city and nearby, including the Battle of Arras (1914), the Second Battle of Arras (1917) and the Second Battle of the Somme component of 1918's Hundred Days Offensive. On 31 August 1914, German light cavalry (Uhlans) arrived in Tilloy-lès-Mofflaines, and an army patrol made a foray into Arras. On 6 September 1914, 3,000 soldiers led by General Hans-Jürgen von Arnim barracked within the city and in the citadel. Shortly after, Louis Ernest de Maud'huy's soldiers partly repelled the German army troops, and trenches were dug in the Faubourgs d'Arras. On 7 October 1914 the city hall burned. On 21 October 1914 the belfry was destroyed, and so was Arras Cathedral on 6 July 1915. In 1917, a series of medieval tunnels beneath the city, linked and greatly expanded by the New Zealand Tunnelling Company, became a decisive factor in the British forces holding the city - particularly during that year's Battle of Arras. By the end of World War I (1918), the city was so heavily damaged that three-quarters had to be rebuilt. The reconstruction was extremely costly, yet it proved to be a success and allowed the city to expand.

Messines skin for Lewis Gun (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesen): Mesen (French: Messines, historically used in English) is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. Three battles were fought over the town during World War I (1914–1918): -Battle of Messines (1914), -Battle of Messines (1917) and Mines in the Battle of Messines, -Battle of the Lys (1918). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Messines_(1914) The Battle of Messines was fought in October 1914 between the armies of the German empire and British empire and France as part of the Race to the Sea, between the river Douve and the Comines–Ypres canal. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mines_in_the_Battle_of_Messines_(1917) The Mines in the Battle of Messines comprised a series of underground explosive charges which were fired during the First World War at the start of the Battle of Messines (7–14 June 1917) by the British Second Army (General Sir Herbert Plumer) near the village of Mesen (Messines in French, historically also used in English and German) in Belgian West Flanders. The mines, secretly planted and maintained by British tunnelling units beneath the forward position of the German 4th Army (General Friedrich Bertram Sixt von Armin), killed approximately 10,000 German soldiers and created 19 large craters. Their joint explosion ranks among the largest non-nuclear explosions of all time. The evening before the attack, General Sir Charles Harington, Chief of Staff of the Second Army, remarked to the press, "Gentlemen, I don’t know whether we are going to make history tomorrow, but at any rate we shall change geography".

The Blood Tub skin for Lewis Gun (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubert_Gough): General Sir Hubert de la Poer Gough (August 1870 – 18 March 1963) was a senior officer in the British Army in the First World War. A controversial figure, he was a favourite of the Commander-in-Chief of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the Western Front, Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig. He experienced a meteoric rise through the ranks during the war, ultimately rising to command the British Fifth Army from 1916 to 1918, including during the Battle of the Somme (reference to the Auto Revolver's Somme skin) in 1916, the Battle of Passchendaele in 1917, and during the German spring offensives (reference to MP18's The Kaiserschlacht skin) in 1918, in the aftermath of which he was relieved of his command. Building on his experiences on the Aisne in September 1914, Gough formed mixed brigades of infantry, cavalry, artillery and engineers during the German withdrawal to the Hindenburg Line (reference to the MP18's Siegfriedstellung skin) in mid March 1917. 2–9 April saw costly fighting on the outskirts of the Hindenburg Line. Over the protests of the ANZAC Commanders Gough launched an attack at (First) Bullecourt (10–11 April), described by Sheffield as "hasty, ill-prepared and ultimately disastrous" ... "the infantry plan was disrupted at a late stage by Gough's ill-fated employment of tanks". 4th Australian Brigade lost three-quarters of their men in action, 12th Australian Brigade half of each battalion engaged. Simkins writes that "(Haig) yet again indulged Gough's tendency to launch precipitate and ill-considered attacks", while Prior & Wilson describe the attack as "singularly barren". Bullecourt (reference to the Revolver MK VI's Bloody Bullecourt skin) became known as the "Blood Tub".

The Golden Retriever skin for Lewis Gun (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Retriever): The Golden Retriever is a Scottish breed of retriever dog of medium size. It is characterised by a gentle and affectionate nature and a striking golden coat. The breed was created by Sir Dudley Marjoribanks at his Scottish estate Guisachan in the late nineteenth century. He cross-bred Flat-coated Retrievers with Tweed Water Spaniels, with some further infusions of Red Setter, Labrador Retriever and Bloodhound (reference to the Martini-Henry's Bloodhound skin). The breed was recognised by the Kennel Club in 1913, and during the interwar period spread to many parts of the world. In the early days Golden Retrievers were called the 'Flat-coated Retriever, Golden', Initially the Golden Retriever was considered a colour variety of the former breed. In the years after the First World War its popularity increased markedly and in the 1920s and 1930s it spread through much of the Western world.