Kathianne
10-04-2011, 06:08 AM
Very good read:
http://ricochet.com/main-feed/Waiting-for-Princip
Waiting for Princip (http://ricochet.com/main-feed/Waiting-for-Princip) Michael S. Malone (http://ricochet.com/Profile/Michael-S.-Malone) · 12 hours ago
On the desk in front of me lies a small pistol.
http://ricochet.com/var/ezwebin_site/storage/images/media/images/gavrilo-princip/1173487-1-eng-US/Gavrilo-Princip_medium.jpg (http://ricochet.com/var/ezwebin_site/storage/images/media/images/gavrilo-princip/1173487-1-eng-US/Gavrilo-Princip_lightbox.jpg)
It belonged to my father, who carried it on counter-espionage missions in Germany, Austria, and Morocco in the early 1950s. And as I look at its muzzle, I wonder how many times it was pressed against the temple or ribs of a foreign agent . . .and how many times it delivered a bullet. There were things I asked my father about, and things I chose not to.
The pistol is a Browning Model 1910 semi-automatic. Its manufacturer’s logo – the Belgium gunmaker Fabrique Nationale – is embossed on the grips. One of John Moses Browning’s minor masterpieces, the Model 1910 is not only small, but hammerless; its sleekness made it very popular among European police officers for much of the 20th century. My father always said he carried it because it was almost invisible under his suit jacket.
Another Model 1910 is one of the most notorious weapons in history. That pistol was used in Sarajevo on June 28th, 1914 by the 19 year-old Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip to assassinate Austrian Arch-duke Franz Ferdinand and his wife – the event that triggered the First World War.
As it happens, I’ve been thinking about Princip lately – not the pathetic little man – but what he represents. When, amazed at his luck that the Imperial motorcade had stalled in front of him, Princip pulled out that pistol and started shooting, he unknowingly tripped a series of switches in palaces and ministries across Europe – and eventually around the globe – that would lead to a four year war that would pull down the royalty of Europe, murder millions of soldiers and citizens, and set the stage for an even greater slaughter a quarter-century later...
http://ricochet.com/main-feed/Waiting-for-Princip
Waiting for Princip (http://ricochet.com/main-feed/Waiting-for-Princip) Michael S. Malone (http://ricochet.com/Profile/Michael-S.-Malone) · 12 hours ago
On the desk in front of me lies a small pistol.
http://ricochet.com/var/ezwebin_site/storage/images/media/images/gavrilo-princip/1173487-1-eng-US/Gavrilo-Princip_medium.jpg (http://ricochet.com/var/ezwebin_site/storage/images/media/images/gavrilo-princip/1173487-1-eng-US/Gavrilo-Princip_lightbox.jpg)
It belonged to my father, who carried it on counter-espionage missions in Germany, Austria, and Morocco in the early 1950s. And as I look at its muzzle, I wonder how many times it was pressed against the temple or ribs of a foreign agent . . .and how many times it delivered a bullet. There were things I asked my father about, and things I chose not to.
The pistol is a Browning Model 1910 semi-automatic. Its manufacturer’s logo – the Belgium gunmaker Fabrique Nationale – is embossed on the grips. One of John Moses Browning’s minor masterpieces, the Model 1910 is not only small, but hammerless; its sleekness made it very popular among European police officers for much of the 20th century. My father always said he carried it because it was almost invisible under his suit jacket.
Another Model 1910 is one of the most notorious weapons in history. That pistol was used in Sarajevo on June 28th, 1914 by the 19 year-old Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip to assassinate Austrian Arch-duke Franz Ferdinand and his wife – the event that triggered the First World War.
As it happens, I’ve been thinking about Princip lately – not the pathetic little man – but what he represents. When, amazed at his luck that the Imperial motorcade had stalled in front of him, Princip pulled out that pistol and started shooting, he unknowingly tripped a series of switches in palaces and ministries across Europe – and eventually around the globe – that would lead to a four year war that would pull down the royalty of Europe, murder millions of soldiers and citizens, and set the stage for an even greater slaughter a quarter-century later...