Re: Interesting History Behind BF1 Weapon Skin Names?
Bodeo 1889 skins
Legendary: Point Blank, The Valiant
Distinguished: Marmolada, Swashbuckler
Marmolada skin for Bodeo 1889 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marmolada): Marmolada (Ladin: Marmolèda; German: Marmolata) is a mountain in northeastern Italy and the highest mountain of the Dolomites (a section of the Alps). It lies between the borders of Trentino and Veneto. The Marmolada is an ultra-prominent peak (Ultra), known as the "Queen of the Dolomites". Towards the south it breaks suddenly into sheer cliffs, forming a rock face several kilometres long. On the north side there is a comparatively flat glacier, the only large glacier in the Dolomites (the Marmolada Glacier, Ghiacciaio della Marmolada). Until the end of World War I the border between Austria-Hungary and Italy ran over Marmolada, so it formed part of the front line during that conflict. Austro-Hungarian soldiers were quartered in deep tunnels bored into the northern face's glacier, and Italian soldiers were quartered on the south face's rocky precipices. It was also the site of fierce mine warfare on the Italian Front. As glaciers retreat, soldiers' remains and belongings are occasionally discovered. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marmolada_Glacier The Marmolada Glacier (Italian: Ghiacciaio della Marmolada) is located on the mountain Marmolada in the province of Trentino, Italy. Marmolada Glacier is the only one in the Dolomites section of the Alps. During World War I, the front line between Austrian and Italian forces ran over Marmolada, and Austrian soldiers built quarters in glacier tunnels, forming an "ice city" of considerable size. A World War I museum, Museo della Grande Guerra in Marmolada, is located in the valley below the glacier.
Point Blank skin for Bodeo 1889 (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/point-blank): point-blank: From French point blanc (“white point”), originally referring to the white spot to be aimed at on a target (see blank's "bull's eye"). 1 (forensics) Very close; not touching but not more than a few metres (yards). 2. (ballistics) The distance between a firearm and a target where a projectile in flight is expected to strike the centre of the target without adjusting the elevation of the firearm. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Point-blank_range Point-blank range is any distance over which a certain firearm can hit a target without the need to compensate for bullet drop, and can be adjusted over a wide range of distances by sighting in the firearm. If the bullet leaves the barrel parallel to the sight, the bullet, like any object in flight, is pulled downwards by gravity, so for distant targets, the shooter must point the firearm above the target to compensate. But if the target is close enough, bullet drop will be negligible so the shooter can aim the gun straight at the target. If the sights are set so that the barrel has a small upward tilt, the bullet starts by rising and later drops. This results in a weapon that hits too low for very close targets, too high for intermediate targets, too low for very far targets, and point blank at two distances in between. In popular usage, point-blank range has come to mean extremely close range with a firearm, yet not close enough to be a contact shot. https://slll.cass.anu.edu.au/centres/andc/annotated-glossary/p Glossary of Slang and Peculiar Terms in Use in the A.I.F. by Amanda Laugesen. Point Blank: The white wine commonly used in France. The term is used on the Rifle Range as the name of a poisonous white paste that is applied to the foresight of the rifle to aid sighting. Its adaption as a name for ‘Vin Blanc’ was brought about partly by the similarity in the spelling of the second word and also partly because of the harsh effect it frequently had on Australians who drank of it too freely.
The Valiant skin for Bodeo 1889 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O_Valiant_Hearts): "O Valiant Hearts" is a hymn remembering the fallen of the First World War. It often features prominently in annual Remembrance Day services in the United Kingdom and the British Commonwealth. Words were taken from a poem by Sir John Stanhope Arkwright (1872–1954), published in The Supreme Sacrifice, and other Poems in Time of War (1919). It was set to music by the Rev. Dr. Charles Harris (1865-1936) who was Vicar of Colwall, Herefordshire between 1909-1929. It is to his tune, referred to as Harris or sometimes The Supreme Sacrifice that the hymn is now almost always sung. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Valiant_(1914) HMS Valiant was one of five Queen Elizabeth-class battleships built for the Royal Navy during the early 1910s. She participated in the Battle of Jutland (reference to the Battle of Jutland skins) during the First World War as part of the Grand Fleet. Other than that battle, and the inconclusive Action of 19 August, her service during the war generally consisted of routine patrols and training in the North Sea. She saw further action during the Second World War in the Mediterranean and Far East.
Swashbuckler skin for Bodeo 1889: triple question mark ??? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swashbuckler A swashbuckler is a genre of European adventure literature that focuses on a heroic protagonist stock character who is skilled in swordsmanship, acrobatics, guile and possesses chivalrous ideals (reference to the Revolver MK VI's Chivalry skin). A "swashbuckler" protagonist is heroic, daring, and idealistic: he rescues damsels in distress, protects the downtrodden, and uses duels to defend his honor or that of a lady or to avenge a comrade. There is a long list of swashbucklers who combine courage, skill, resourcefulness, and a distinctive sense of honor and justice, as for example Cyrano de Bergerac, The Three Musketeers, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Robin Hood, and Zorro. "Swashbuckler" is a compound of "swash" (archaic: to swagger with a drawn sword) and "buckler" (a small shield gripped in the fist) dating from the 16th century. https://militaryhistorynow.com/2020/09/18/frank-arthur-brock-meet-the-swashbuckling-british-inventor-who-ended-the-german-zeppelin-menace/ Frank Arthur Brock (reference to the Huot Automatic Rifle's Brock skin) – Meet the Swashbuckling British Inventor Who Ended the German Zeppelin Menace. “Had Ian Fleming conjured up James Bond 35 years earlier, he might have used Frank Arthur Brock as the template for secret agent 007.” Since his pre-war spying mission, he’d been working on ideas and by 1916, his prototype incendiary round was ready. On the night of Saturday, 2 Sept., Lieutenant William Leefe Robinson took off in a Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 biplane on an anti-Zeppelin patrol. His aircraft’s machine guns were loaded with a mixture of Frank’s bullets and other experimental rounds: Pomeroys (reference to the M1909 Benét-Mercié's Pomeroy skin) and Buckinghams (reference to the SMLE MKIII's Buckingham Mark I skin). Frank Brock’s exploits ended on 23 April, 1918 — St. George’s Day — as he took part in a daring raid on Zeebrugge (reference to the Battlefield 1's Zeebrugge map) in Belgium. The operation was mounted to knock out a German U-boat base. The raid itself was made possible by yet another of Frank’s inventions: a new and surprisingly dense smoke screen to be used by Royal Navy warships, crucially, the first naval smoke screen that did not give away its position by flame. Thanks to Brock’s artificial fog, which was also used by the Royal Navy in WW II, the German garrison guarding Zeebrugge was taken by surprise as a flotilla of blockships and armed vessels appeared at the harbour entrance. Frank himself could have stayed on board one of the ships in comparative safety as a shore party of sailors and Royal Marines stormed the German defences, but that wasn’t his style. Armed with two pistols, a cutlass and several hand grenades, Frank shouted ‘Come on, you boys,’ and leapt ashore into a blizzard of German bullets and shells. He was seen hurling a bomb into an observation post before single-handedly attacking and scattering a gun crew. A German Marine later described a British officer “who seemed to be entirely devoid of fear.” “He rushed straight at the first gun,” the eyewitness recalled, “and with his fists he struck out at the gunners, knocking down four of them and putting the rest to flight.” Brock was last seen in a furious swordfight with a German sailor. In the morning, both men were found a few feet apart, killed by each other’s last thrusts. It was probably the last time a British officer fought and died in a swordfight.