The AS Val is a silenced assault rifle of Soviet origin. It was developed in the 1980's to be used in urban combat and the reconnaissance role. The name AS stands for "Avtomat Special'nyj", which is Russian for "special automatic rifle". The nickname "Val" means "shaft" and refers to the prominent silencer. The AS Val stems from the VSS Vintorez silenced sniper rifle and has a 70% parts commonality.
The Heckler & Koch USP is a modern pistol of German origin. Development started in the early 1990's and many features of the Mk.23 SOCOM pistol are present in the USP.
The RSO is a World War 2 era prime mover of Nazi German origin. It was developed early 1942 as a prime mover for towed anti-tank guns and towed howitzers in the Eastern front. Here in the muddy season in 1941 both wheeled vehicles and horse drawn limbers of the German forces suffered significantly. A cheap, yet capable, towing vehicle suitable to difficult off-road conditions was required. With the help of Ferdinand Porsche the Austrian firm Steyr developed the tracked RSO. There also was a wheeled RSO by Skoda, which is described in a separate article. The name RSO stands for Raupenschlepper Ost, describing it as a "tracked towing vehicle for use in the east".
The 240mm Howitzer M1 is a World War 2 era howitzer of US origin. It was designed to replace the M1918, which was a pre-World War I era design of French origin. This weapon is nowadays best known by its nickname "Black Dragon". This weapon was intended for use against heavy fortifications, such as the Siegfried Line. In practice these howitzers were mostly used in the counter battery role and shelling regular defensive lines.
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