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Military History/Questions Answered by Expert Claes-Gustaf Nordquist, M.D.

Subject	Date Asked
Bengal Light Infantry Item	2/7/2012
Q: I recently acquired this item and I am not really sure what it is. It reminds me of a belt buckle ... A: This is most probably a uniform item from a regiment in the army of British Imperial India. Or maybe ...
Military uniform identification	2/1/2012
Q: Just wondering if you might be able to identify the uniform in this photo? I'm not even sure when it ... A: You are most welcome! But try the Russian embassy in Camberra. They may be able to help more! Good ...
Military uniform identification	1/31/2012
Q: Just wondering if you might be able to identify the uniform in this photo? I'm not even sure when it ... A: She sounds like she was a hot dish in those times! I can not tell you though it looks like some ...
English Channel	1/14/2012
Q: Sir, I can't seem to find anyone yet who are British or French who knows the answere to this ... A: Well the shooting range of available artillery must have made it impossible before WW1 when no ...
English Channel	1/12/2012
Q: Sir, I can't seem to find anyone yet who are British or French who knows the answere to this ... A: Do you mean actually shooting it ALL the way over the Channel for the first time? The ONLY such ...
Military Uniform Question	1/5/2012
Q: I was told this might be my 2nd great grandfather in his old Danish military uniform. I'm trying to ... A: All uniforms of all countries of that era are very similar (as are those of today). I'm not an ...
Arrow Extractor	12/19/2011
Q: Doctor Nordquist, I am not sure how widely it was used in the US, but I have seen an arrow ... A: I do not know any exact date but if I have understood this concept correctly this tool was in use in ...
Swedish Military Records pre 1910	11/15/2011
Q: I am on a hunt for my great-grandfather whose name is unknown. My great-grandmother became pregnant ... A: You are most welcome! I have already sent you col. Bojerud's reply. So the name pattern followed the ...
Swedish Military Records pre 1910	11/14/2011
Q: I am on a hunt for my great-grandfather whose name is unknown. My great-grandmother became pregnant ... A: Göransdotter is a patronymic (like the Russian Nikita SERGEYVICH Khrustjov = Nikita Son of Sergey ...
Swedish Military Records pre 1910	11/14/2011
Q: I am on a hunt for my great-grandfather whose name is unknown. My great-grandmother became pregnant ... A: Well without a name it will anyway be VERY DIFFICULT, probably impossible. Does the photo show any ...
Breakdown	10/5/2011
Q: I am working on a paper dealing with an American officer who suffers a nervous breakdown in a POW ... A: Well, first of all I'm not a psychiatrist. And this should be answered by a psychiatrist who is also ...
Patton's fake army	9/24/2011
Q: Is there a documentary or movie that I can show my students about the fake army lead by General ... A: I think both Discovery Channel and History Channel have done documentaries on this. Maybe also ...
Picture Identification	8/2/2011
Q: I found this picture in a box of family pictures and am trying to identify it. Of the most possible ... A: Was your ancestor a member of the National Guard of the U.S. state in which he lived? With his ...
European Military History	7/17/2011
Q: Was there ever an instance in European history where a nation waited for two rival nations to slug ... A: Well the Soviet Union under Stalin probably expected Nazi Germany and the Western Allies to do ...
cannonballs	5/9/2011
Q: «I dug up a cannonball in the ground when I was visiting my relatives in Lodz, Poland. It weighs 6 ... A: Oh that is indeed hard to tell. Poland has been a battle field for centuries and some cannon balls ...
Military hospital on Leyte	4/24/2011
Q: I was an officer in the dental corps with the 8th Army on Leyte in January 1945, and I think I was ... A: I'm a Swede living in Sweden and I have no knowledge of that hospital. The only people who can help ...
ww2, wreck in water	4/8/2011
Q: Can you help me, about ww2 planes in North Jutland, shot down in water near ... A: Sorry, I have no information on that though it is probably either a British plane or a German plane. ...
Mandatory Military Service in Sweden	3/30/2011
Q: My grandfather had several brothers all born in Sweden that came to the USA. Their births range from ... A: The sevice length varied very much over time but was in general around one year up to a year and a ...
Miltary Salutes during World War II	2/24/2011
Q: Our community theatre company is doing a stage play version of the BBC sitcom "'Allo 'Allo" which is ... A: No no one else is hailed here. You can interpret "Sieg Heil" as a command to hail (Hitler - no one ...
world war 2	2/23/2011
Q: Could have hitler dragged the war on, if he made different desitions concerning stalingrad. And if ... A: Italy DID send some troops to Russia - but they turned out to not be of much help there. Italy was ...
please help identify	1/31/2011
Q: i just recieved a bayonet from my father who recieved it from a relative at 25+ years ago i have no ... A: Please send me some photos of it and its markings! You can copy them here. I'm not sure if I can ...
History of a Military Doctor	1/29/2011
Q: The question is a bit military history and a bit medical history. My great grandfather was a ... A: Well, Pentagon probably has a lot to do BUT there must be some military historians there too and ...
History of a Military Doctor	1/29/2011
Q: The question is a bit military history and a bit medical history. My great grandfather was a ... A: This was a TALL order. U.S. military history is not exactly my strong point (I'm a Swede living in ...
English medicine	1/5/2011
Q: what was english military medicine composed of in the 1190-1200 AD time period if any and how did ... A: Military medicine in those days was EXTREMELY primitive. Wounds were made sterile (though they did ...
military foot locker	9/9/2010
Q: I was recently given what I thought was just an old trunk. Honestly, I just thought it looked cool. ... A: Sorry, this is outside my area of expertise. I have no idea where it is from or how old it may be. ...
Huskarl	8/15/2010
Q: I have found a birth record for one of my ancestors born in 1772 that prefaces his father's name as ... A: OK. Arvika församling (= parish or congregation) is located in the western part of the province of ...
Huskarl	8/14/2010
Q: I have found a birth record for one of my ancestors born in 1772 that prefaces his father's name as ... A: Huskarlen means the Huskarl. Scandinavian languages (Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic and the ...
Swedish uniforms insignia	7/21/2010
Q: I trying to make a rank chart for the Swedish army from late Victorian to the introduction of the ... A: Sorry, to hear that. I have never noticed any such program there - but on the other hand I only use ...
Swedish uniforms insignia	7/20/2010
Q: I trying to make a rank chart for the Swedish army from late Victorian to the introduction of the ... A: If you can send me what you have so far (you can copy it here) I will ask a Swedish military ...
30 Cal. water cooled machine Gun	6/14/2010
Q: How was the water circulated through the jacket of the 30 cal. water cooled machine gun? David ... A: I do not know if any circulation was arranged in precisely THIS gun. I assume that it is an American ...
battle of antietam	5/6/2010
Q: did the souths strategy work at the battle of antietam A: As can be read on my bio pages here I'm not an expert of American history or American military ...
atoms	5/3/2010
Q: what is an atom and, are they dangerous or what A: This is NOT a question of military history but of physics and chemistry so in principle outside my ...
Can you ID	4/13/2010
Q: this Shell was found south of Kingstree SC. I have had it for some years but am suspicious that it ... A: Sorry, I'm not an expert of U S ordnance. However in order to be SURE it is not dangerous you SHOULD ...
World War 1 - Field telephone	4/8/2010
Q: I am trying to find out if a family rumour is true or not. I have heard that the field telephone was ... A: I have checked this with a friend of mine who is an eminent military historian (Lt. Col. S. Bojerud) ...
World War 2	1/4/2010
Q: My question is simple. How many Irish from the then Free State served in the British Forces- that is ... A: I do not know the exact figures, but they were many! I have never seen exact figures though. But ...
Uniform Identification	12/26/2009
Q: Attached is an image of my grandfather. Born in Sweden in 1874, came to USA in 1898, died in USA in ... A: You are quite right! As I have just written to you that is probably what it is and that is also ...
Uniform Identification	12/25/2009
Q: Attached is an image of my grandfather. Born in Sweden in 1874, came to USA in 1898, died in USA in ... A: Between 1874 and 1898 Sweden was not engaged in any war at all. The last major battle that the Royal ...
rate of fire	10/26/2009
Q: How long would it take a crew to go through the steps necessaar to fire a round from a Revolutionary ... A: Depends on several factors among them the size (including caliber) of the gun. The bigger the gun ...
Bleeding before transfussions	10/3/2009
Q: Mr Nordquist. I've got a question about how would folks before blood transfusions deal with someone ... A: First of all folk medicine is an uncertain area. There were NO working(!) treatments for severe ...
us vietnam....and ussr invasion to afghanistan	9/17/2009
Q: .. sir i have two simple question... 1)why us army invaded vietnam ? 2)why ussr invaded afghanistan ... A: 1.Because the USA was afraid that if Vietnam was lost the rest of South East Asia (Thailand etc.) ...
stamford berserker	9/16/2009
Q: by what i understand, the viking at stamford bridge was a berserkers, and berserkers were preists to ... A: The Vikings (except at the very end of the Viking period when many were Christians) were all pagan ...
gunshow wound to shoulder, 19th-century weapon	6/20/2009
Q: I recently read a 2007 answer you provided to someone who had asked about a man sustaining a GSW to ... A: I love both historical novels and science fiction (a few of my favorite authors are Robert A. ...
swedish mauser identifaction	5/21/2009
Q: i recently purchased a 6.5 X 5.5 Swedish mauser. i am a avid WW11 gun collector, my question is on ... A: The Mauser rifle of the year 1896 is almost legendary in the Royal Swedish Army. It was replaced by ...
Morning Report	4/23/2009
Q: Alan Cagle referred me to you about an injury described on a Morning Report. This describes my ... A: This was hard! I have great difficulties in reading the text. I can not even understand if it is an ...
World History	4/20/2009
Q: Napoleon said, "I am the signet [sign or stamp] which marks the page where the revolution has been ... A: I do this free of any charge - and in fact free of any financial reward whatsoever - and in my not ...
shotgun wound in 1834	4/4/2009
Q: I have a simple question - what might the victim have received as far as medical care, and how ... A: This was an abdominal wound which probably DID penetrate to the abdominal cavity (as intestines were ...
Military Draft	4/2/2009
Q: Did Sweden have the military draft during WW1? My grandfather did his Swedish military training fom ... A: Sweden did indeed have the draft at that time! My own father served from 1918 for 18 months in the ...
WW 2 physician - typhoid	3/21/2009
Q: I am looking for information on a Dr. Sunday,an American physician involved in typhoid research and ... A: I'm sorry! This is a person and a story I'm completely unfamiliar with. I had not even heard of the ...
empire	2/21/2009
Q: 1. Is Khmer empire more powerful than Aztec empire, Incan empire, and Mayan empire (lasted over ... A: Please Henry, I have told you over and over that empires too different in time are not really ...
picture	2/1/2009
Q: I have a photo, that I orig thought was from civil war, but someone said that it looks like its ... A: Yes this can easily be from the old Austrian-Hungarian Empire. He is also holding a beer tankard ...
Berlin - between 1947 and 1953	1/21/2009
Q: My grandfather visited Berlin in betwen 1947 and 1953. He wanted to visit with relatives in East ... A: I assume that he was a U.S. citizen. He probably did fly to West Berlin (Tempelhof?). I think those ...
history	1/20/2009
Q: 1. When decipherying, who should I trust? Here is lists of all empires throughout history I think: ... A: 1. You can generally trust serious academic books on the subject (but even there there may be some ...
British in ww1	1/19/2009
Q: i need help for an essay and i having trouble finding the right info. so aside from these questions ... A: What do you mean by treaties here? Treaties are often made before or after a war, not that often ...
Dutch Japanese Conflict	8/23/2008
Q: I was told that the Dutch lost their entire air combat force along with thousands of troops ... A: They did. However their air combat force was not particularly big. They had big naval losses too. ...
Bodrum	7/16/2008
Q: During WW1 Bodrum had a station for German submarines. UB-14, U-21, U-35 came to Bodrum several ... A: Since Germany and Turkey were allies during World War 1 I'm not surprised. I have checked Sir ...
Jewish Reaction Revisited	7/13/2008
Q: Where? When? First time I asked this question. Please point me to where you answered it. If ... A: Sure! Ok, no problem now! But I'll take the opportunity to send you a plea for help due to my own ...
Jewish Reaction Revisited	7/13/2008
Q: Where? When? First time I asked this question. Please point me to where you answered it. If ... A: There really must be some misunderstanding here, either from your side, or from mine, possibly even ...
MILITARY HISTORY	6/16/2008
Q: WHAT DOES KAMEHAMEHA MEAN, WHY DO THE JAPANESE USE IT IN ONE OF THERE FAMOUS ANIME SHOWS " DRAGON ... A: Kamehameha is NOT Japanese! If I remember correctly it is Hawaian and I believe the name of a local ...
Gunshot wounds	6/14/2008
Q: I see you seem to be the gun shot wound guy. I am writing a book, a romance book so my weaponology ... A: Though being an ex-military (Lt.Col. - retired) dr. I'm not a surgeon. But I'll try to answer as ...
WWI	5/15/2008
Q: My question that you answered before was a big help so i have one more. i read that German U-boats ... A: Oh yes there was. The best was a convoy system where civilian ships were moved together in convoys ...
Hollywood vs History	4/11/2008
Q: I'm interested in the Hollywood vs History angle. The film "300" won big at the box office so it ... A: Actually many! In most cases due to oversimplifications or plain misunderstandings. In the movie 300 ...
Portugal	3/26/2008
Q: I haven't made much progress on my novel in a while, unfortunately--I'm getting extremely bogged ... A: Well, I'm actually an army type, not navy and especially not sailing navy. I think the safest thing ...
Swedish military 1896	1/30/2008
Q: My grandfather emigrated from Sweden to the U.S. in 1899 (born in 1873). I have a copy of an item ... A: At that time you came of legal age at 21 (now 18). Conscription usually then - and now - starts at ...
Swedish military 1896	1/26/2008
Q: My grandfather emigrated from Sweden to the U.S. in 1899 (born in 1873). I have a copy of an item ... A: Interesting! What you have found is his military "registration book" for his military service ...
Brain fever	1/18/2008
Q: I'm writing a novel set in 1870's. One of my characters develops a "brain fever". I have done a ... A: Well first of all all infection illnesses that I have mentioned here are the results of INFECTIONS ...
Brain fever	1/17/2008
Q: I'm writing a novel set in 1870's. One of my characters develops a "brain fever". I have done a ... A: Well, this is quite a hard one! If you think of a bacterial meningitis or encephalitis your ...
History of Colors.....	12/20/2007
Q: This is probably a difficult question, but I have got to find and answer. Well, I am trying to ... A: Sorry, this is a - I suspect - a very American question. I'm a Swede, living in Sweden with ...
Grandfather's death	10/9/2007
Q: I'm trying to write about my grandfather, who was shot during a deer run in June 1916. He was shot ... A: unfortunately I have far too little information here to do any real evaluation. In 1916 very little ...
gunshot wound from and army colt 1861	10/4/2007
Q: I am writing a book which is set in the last months of the American Civil War. I saw your answer ... A: Well, in that case I suppose the legs would be best, but that may result in an amputation with maybe ...
Recovery from gunshot wound 1880	9/26/2007
Q: Hope you can help. I'm currently trying to establish the after effects of a gunshot wound to the ... A: From the Crimean war on minié bullets were common for rifles (both muzzle loaded and breach loaded) ...
Recovery from gunshot wound 1880	9/25/2007
Q: Hope you can help. I'm currently trying to establish the after effects of a gunshot wound to the ... A: If he developed fever he may be in deep trouble! Remember this is long before antibiotics. A metal ...
German military duty	6/6/2007
Q: Is is still true that Germans must enter into the military after high school? I understand there is ... A: Well, I just wanted to make clear that this was not my field. Good! Well Sweden has had a military ...
German military duty	6/5/2007
Q: Is is still true that Germans must enter into the military after high school? I understand there is ... A: I'm a Swede living in Sweden NOT a German. I understand, speak, read an write German (as well as ...
German military duty	6/4/2007
Q: Is is still true that Germans must enter into the military after high school? I understand there is ... A: As far as I know Germany still has a military conscription system (called Militaerdienst) but there ...
Use of military history	5/17/2007
Q: Sir, I am working on my doctorate of education, focusing on the use of relevant military history in ... A: Well, first of all you must understand that military history is a HOBBY of mine, nothing more & ...
Battle of Visby	5/8/2007
Q: Dr. Nordquist-I am a former infantry officer and I read a statement in Keegan's "The Face of Battle" ... A: Well, I have read Keegan's book too. And I have read some other sources on it too, but they were all ...
Ancient Roman Battle Event	12/7/2006
Q: I would appriciate it if you could tell me about the Battle of Corbione. All I know is that the ... A: Not much more I'm afraid! The Roman commander - most probably a consul - is said to have been Titus ...
military button French?	11/23/2006
Q: could help identify a button It has cross axes with a number 3 under them Found it in my mothers ... A: Sorry, I'm not much of an expert on uniform details, so I'm afraid I can not be of much help! ...
Help appreciated	11/1/2006
Q: I am doing a project on the Monroe Doctrine and its response or lack-therof in Europe. Can you ... A: The Latin American wars of liberation could proceed without the Spaniards getting any support from ...
what brought the fight?	10/20/2006
Q: -------------------------------------------so who won the fight? A: Well the USA got itself out of the fight at good terms after bombing North Vietnam to a large part ...
what brought the fight?	10/20/2006
Q: what was the cause of the war in vietnam? A: That is a LONG story! Vietnam (together with Laos & Caambodia) became a French posession during the ...
Finnish winter war	10/11/2006
Q: Even if Finlands conduct of the finnish winter war is considered to be intelligent,brave and heroic, ... A: Field Marshal Carl Gustav Mannerheim, Commander in Chief of the Finnish Defence Forces, wanted that ...
Americans serving with R.F.C.	9/18/2006
Q: I have a copy of Diary of an unknown Aviator. Published in 1926 by Grosset & Dunlap,with a foreward ... A: I can not answer this directly. But the United States' Armed Forces have a finding & identification ...
WWI military planes	9/11/2006
Q: My understanding is that on WWI fighter planes guns were mounted on the nose, if this is true, how ... A: That is mainly true! It was solved by the Dutch(-German) aircraft manufacturer Fokker and quickly ...
German Army	8/19/2006
Q: During WWII the German Army had certain army units made up of medically disqualified soldiers. I ... A: Not much unfortunately. Such units were a result of the reluctant attitude of the Wehrmacht ...
siege warfare terminology	7/21/2006
Q: My question relates to a translation of a historical text in french by the military strategist ... A: Well, first of all English is not my first language (which is Swedish), so I'm not sure I can indeed ...
Economic influence on America's Strategic War Decisions/Foreign Policies	5/7/2006
Q: You said you were an expert on WWII, so I thought you might have an answer to a question on a topic ... A: I'm not exactly an expert on WWII but I'm interested in it. It is difficult to draw a clear line ...
tanks	5/4/2006
Q: I was woundering when the first tank was invented? A: During the first World War (if you mean the modern tank, war chariots were used from the bronze age ...

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Claes-Gustaf Nordquist, M.D.

Top Expert on this page

Expertise

I`m a retired Swedish military physician-surgeon with a big interest in military history - mainly European and especially of the Nordic-Scandinavian area. This also includes the history of military medicine.

Experience

A very long and intense personal interest.

Education/Credentials
Doctor of Medicine. You can also find me here on AllExperts.com under these categories: I also answer questions in other categories: Oncology (General Cancer), General History, Brain Tumors, Breast Cancer, Colon Cancer

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