Posted on 06/21/2019 3:05:50 PM PDT by Teflonic
I've noticed some discussion over this in various places and figured a genius freeper might have the answer, or at least enjoy speculating.
Jim Carrey had a modified enchanced version in the 1994 move 'The Mask'.
Something Torchwood would have come up with.
I love that explanation!
Or as a corollary to your idea - perhaps a more modern photoshop job meant to generate forum chatter and clicks.
I am almost certain that is Leftenant Ronco F. Popeil displaying a military grade Pocket Fisherman.
It’s the STARTER PISTOL used to signal the beginning of World War I.
I like the theory of a British deception!
Actually that was a Browning owned by a guy named Gavrilo.
“Supposedly the Irish Royal Ulster Rifles regiment, WWI.”
Some 7,010 soldiers from the regiment were killed in action during the First World War.
Looks like the saw quite a few trenches, including the Battle of the Somme.
It might also be a grenade launcher, or a combo flare/grenade launcher.
The mounting bracket might allow you to set a rig ahead of time, for an accurate first shot on a certain position - like dropping one right into your old primary position, if you have to fall back to your secondary (knowing the enemy will have to take cover there from direct fire).
Those are also from WWI.
They are German Mark 14 Scheisskopfers.
Used at night to listen for helicopters.
A Bostich Model 1918 stapler.
Possibly a grenade launcher!!!
It’s a spray gun with a flashlight on top for applying graffiti at night.
A spotting gun for mortar/artillery crews to adjust their fire?
No, silly.
Biergießhorn. That's for drinking beer while you're laying down in the trenches. The glasses are to protect their eyes from people kicking dirt over the trench berm.
That would explain the front hook that would allow it to be lined up exactly with the barrel of the cannon.
Potato pistol.
Aiming or sighting mechanism for a cannon?
One guy in the linked article proposed that one of the two barrels might hold a propellant charge, and the knob on top might adjust how much of an opening was made, to control the range of the projectile.
It might affix on to an established bracket, to target a fixed reference point, from which observers could more accurately adjust the fire of their artillery/mortars.
Spotting gun/range finder?
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