Sturmtiger.

This is coolbert:

Here are some armored vehicles, tracked, hard to categorize.

Have the appearance - - somewhat - - of a tank, but possessing that unusual, stubby, little barrel.

1. Churchill AVRE (Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers).




A combat engineering vehicle [CEV] of the World War Two [WW2].

Designed for the specific purpose of providing protection and firepower for engineers attempting to destroy fortifications, concrete or other, impediments to tank or infantry advance.

"A Churchill III or IV equipped with the Petard, a 290 mm Spigot mortar, throwing the 40 lb (18 kg) "Flying dustbin" with its 28 pound high explosive warhead; a weapon designed for the quick levelling of fortifications"

Were able to take out with one shot an anti-tank wall, a concrete bunker, etc.

That stubby little barrel being a spigot mortar, NOT a gun!!

A weapons system having a distinct disadvantage! Dangerous in combat if you did not achieve a "kill" with the first shot!!

"the loader (the hull gunner) . . . had to stick his head and torso out of the Spigot Mortar armed AVRE to load the Mortar."

This particular photo shows a crew member of the AVRE straddling the stubby barrel with a "round" as fired from the spigot mortar in the right of the picture. NOT an easy item to service in combat!!

2. Sturmtiger . German assault gun from the WW2 era. Designed specifically to provide fire support for the infantry during urban combat. Fired a rocket of prodigious proportions [380 mm or 15 inch]!!




"Sturmtiger is the common name of a World War II German assault gun built on [a] Tiger I chassis and armed with a large naval rocket launcher [38 cm]. Its primary task was to provide heavy fire support for infantry units fighting in urban areas."

Ungainly looking armored combat vehicle based upon the same chassis as was used by the Tiger tank. That naval rocket being used in the direct fire mode during urban combat, ABLE TO TAKE DOWN AN ENTIRE LARGE-SIZE BUILDING WITH A SINGLE SHOT!!

Also cannot have been an easy weapons system to employ in combat. To load one "round" required an integral hoist assembly to be mounted on the vehicle, a crew of five men needed to load one round!! Again, cannot have been an easy item to use in combat. But all you needed was one round and that was that?

Just look at the size of that rocket!!

It could be suggested that the Sturmtiger was the ideal National Socialist [Nazi] weapons system? Allowed for TOTAL AND FINAL OBLITERATION of your opposition, remorseless, without finesse?

coolbert.

Old & New.

This is coolbert:

Here, thanks to the tip from the Jungle Trader blog site, is a photo showing the old and the new in action.

Impressive photograph of the U.S. Navy guided missile cruiser, the USS Chosin, during a fly-over by a naval version of the C-130.




But not just any C-130. A DC version. Drone-control.

Please note the Firebee drone hanging from a pylon of the cargo/control aircraft.




Obviously this is the prelude to some sort of live fire shoot for the Chosin. That DC aircraft will launch the drone will act as a "live" target. The Chosin will track, engage, fire a missile, intercept and destroy the Firebee. NOT a canned exercise, a real SHOOT!

Both that C-130 [DC in this case] and the Firebee are based upon original designs from over fifty years ago now. Venerable as they say.

"The Firebee series of targets drones and RPVs (Remotely Piloted Vehicles) is one of the most successful and versatile unmanned aircraft developed so far. The latest versions are still in wide-spread service more than 50 years after the first flight tests."

Both "aircraft", manned and unmanned having gone through various stages of "morph". Developed, re-designed, re-configured to better, more effective and robust versions.

Hard to tell from the photo WHICH EXACT version of the Firebee is mounted on the pylon. So many of them out there. Still going after fifty years and running now. A proven winner being used in conjunction with a proven winner [C-130]. Hard to beat that!!

coolbert.

Suitable!

This is coolbert:

The final decision, as is well known, to land the Allied Expeditionary Force at Normandy, June 6, 1944, D-Day, was based upon a wide range of criteria.

Criteria not only germane to the actual landing itself on 6 June [those conditions most favorable to the beach landings], but criteria that facilitated the further advance of allied units in the weeks and months in the aftermath of the successful landings.

Normandy was entirely suitable, more so than other areas of France, to the construction, from a geologic standpoint, of expedient forward airstrips. Allowing tactical combat aircraft able to operate in close proximity to the troops on the ground, providing close-air-support [CAS]! Normandy - - in this regard - - was ideally suited!

"The choice of the Normandy coast was also influenced by the geology of the terrain behind the beaches, which Royal Engineer Geologists indicated was particularly suitable for the speedy construction of temporary airfields."

Here with a listing of British [English alone] expedient forward based air strips as proposed and completed in Normandy, in those weeks after the initial landings:

"British Air Strips"

"Locations and full completion date"

B.1 — Asnelles — 10 June.
B.2 — Bazenville — 10 June.
B.3 — St. Croix-sur-Mer — 10 June.
B.4 — Beny-sur-Mer - 15 June.
B.5 — Le Fresne-Camilly — 15 June.
B.6 — Coulombs — 15 June.
B.7 — Rucqueville
B.8 — Sommervieu — 22 June.
B.9 — Lantheuil — 22 June.
B.10 — Plumetot — 10 June.
B.11 — Longues-sur-Mer — 21 June.
B.12 — Ellon — 18 July.
B.14 — Amblie — 7 July.
B.15 — Ryes — 5 July.
B.16 — Villons-les-Buissons — 7 August.
B.17 — Carpiquet — 8 August.
B.18 — Cristot — 25 July.
B.19 — Lingevres — 6 August.
B.21 — Ste-Honorine-de-Ducy — 8 August

"In all, ten of the planned total of fifteen airfields were operational by D+25 (1 July)."

A list much more extensive than I would have thought possible or even necessary.

And this for the British alone! American combat engineers also were more than busy in this regard also?

Allied planning for D-Day was meticulous and far-ranging, with a lot of foresight. Superbly done, nothing left to chance, at least according to the best that could be done. And usually this was the case.

coolbert.

Pythons.

This is coolbert:

From this prior blog entry, the question was asked:

"Am I over the top here, or is it:

Good training!!"

And the answer is provided by the Chicago Tribune, from today:

"Hunters unleashed on Florida python problem"

"TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - - State wildlife officials have created a special python hunting season to try to stop the spread the non-native snakes in the Everglades."

"anyone with a hunting license who pays a $26 permit fee can kill the reptiles from March 8 to April 17 on state-managed lands. The season is open for Burmese and Indian pythons. . . . etc."

There!! You see!! It is not over the top. NOT at all. Rather, right on the money.

You - - the devoted reader to the blog - - are way ahead of the game, as usual, hopefully much to your betterment, and my enjoyment!!

Ciao!!

coolbert.

LwFD.

This is coolbert:

"'neither fliers nor soldiers'"

Luftwaffen-Feld-Divisionen [LwFD].

From a comment to the blog:

"According to von Manstein its formation was 'sheer lunacy.'"

Here is what Manstein had in mind? NOT the "Hermann Goering division" but rather hastily formed and ill-trained German air force ground combat units, a response to the German man-power shortage, 1942.

"The Luftwaffe Field Divisions (German: Luftwaffen-Feld-Divisionen or LwFD) were German military formations which fought during World War II."

Fighting - - but as ground troops.

"The divisions were originally authorized in October 1942 . . . the divisions were raised from 200,000–250,000 Luftwaffe ground, support and other excess personnel. They . . . were substantially smaller than equivalent Heer divisions [German army] . . . restricted to defensive duties in quieter sectors"

. . . .

"Their reputation as combat troops was poor . . . suffering from a shortage of trained officers and NCOs, and from poor morale"

This is an area totally new to me. Thanks to the comment by Dan my interest has been stimulated in a way I thought not possible. German air force personnel, during the latter part of 1942, volunteers formed into ground combat units, infantry. Fighting almost exclusively on the Eastern Front, originally intended as security type units, anti-partisan fighters, etc. NOT to taken on in the role of frontal combat soldiers. So was the original intention!

Fighting as Luftwaffe ground combat units, uniquely and distinctly air force.

[Soviet units were able to easily distinguish these LwFD units and marked them as inferiors and weak-links!]

A much larger force than I ever thought existed. Twenty-two [22] divisions total raised during the war, twenty-one [21] committed, one in training.

[please do not think of these "divisions" as units of about 10,000 fully trained and equipped troops! Units of much smaller size, at best maybe only half the size of a normal German infantry division of World War Two!! Called a division but NOT that!]

Here with some excerpts from the book:

"Luftwaffe Field Divisions 1941-45" By Kevin Conley Ruffner.

"The Luftwaffe divisions were completely unprepared for the shock of combat in Russia or for the rigours of its climate."

"the original purpose of the divisions - - to briefly relieve worn-out Army units so as to allow them to recuperate and then return to combat - - had clearly not been carried out."

BRIEFLY RELIEVE - - BRIEFLY RELIEVE - - BRIEFLY RELIEVE!!

And with regard to Manstein:

"The newly-arrived 7 and 8.LwFD . . . were among the miscellaneous troops under Manstein's new command, Army Group Don . . . 8 LwFD was destined to make the first effort to relieve the Sixth Army at Stalingrad."

The first troops, the spear-head of the effort to relieve the trapped German Sixth Army, Stalingrad, were LwFD units. TOTALLY UNPREPARED AND ILL-EQUIPPED FOR THE MISSION!! "FRESH-FISH" THROWN INTO THE MEAT GRINDER FOR NO REAL GOOD PURPOSE.

Light infantry units ["Hermann Goering" was a combined arms unit at full strength] under-strength for the task at hand, called a division but often NO MORE than a brigade sized unit, placed in a position for which the LwFD was totally unprepared and ill-suited!!

Even the most highly motivated units cannot succeed under such circumstances.

LwFD WAS NOT, HOWEVER, "Hermann Goering"!!

LUNACY!!

coolbert.

Biathalon.

This is coolbert:

Am watching the Winter Olympics yesterday as I eat lunch at the local Chili's restaurant.

And how so very apropos, the event being covered is the ONE and ONLY event in the winter games that has a military dimension to it, the biathalon.

A strange sport, a combination of cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. As you might expect, a "sport" having a Nordic origin, originally called "military patrol"!

Contestants ski a cross-country course, stopping to shoot four times along the way, a timed race a penalty being exacted for MISSING A TARGET DURING THE SHOOTING PHASE OF THE COMPETITION!!

"biathlon usually refers specifically to the winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting."

"The sport has its origins in an exercise for Norwegian soldiers, as an alternative training for the military . . . in 1960 the sport was finally included in the Olympic Games"

You ski, you shoot, you ski, you shoot, you race, you win!

Competitors originally carried and fired a military caliber rifle, 7.62 mm NATO or equivalent. IN RECENT YEARS THE SPORT HAS BECOME "SISSIFIED", THE RIFLE OF CHOICE NOW BEING A SMALL BORE .22 CALIBER RATHER THAN A MORE PROPER BIG-BORE WEAPON! "SISSIFIED"!!

It can be argued, however [??] that the biathalon is THE MOST GRUELING EVENT OF THE WINTER OLYMPICS??!! Most grueling from the standpoint that:

"A study conducted at the 2002 Olympics found that biathlon is the No. 1 sweat-producing event at the Winter Games."

"male athletes produce 2.3 litres (five pounds) of sweat during the 20-km race"

A race, won in this particular case by a Russian. I CAN ALMOST BET YOU THAT THIS RUSSIAN YEVGENIY IS A SPETSNAZ TROOPER!! Keep an eye on that guy.

coolbert.

Exterminate!

This is cooolbert:

Good training!!

Watching the PBS program "Nature" on TV last night.

Very interesting program dealing with the Burmese python and the danger this constrictor snake now poses to the natural landscape of Florida. Snakes, escaped or released by owners, now at infestation proportions, threatening the natural wildlife of the area in a way that has never been seen!!

An environmental system threatened by a beast that fears no other animal. A predator, the Burmese python growing at an amazing rate to prodigious size. Even able to overcome, kill, and devour the top-of-the-food-chain, the alligator!!

The Everglades, a national park of about one thousand [1,000] square miles, in particular, in danger of losing a goodly portion of an indigenous wildlife to a rapacious killer, a problem for which there now seems to be no reasonable solution.

[this one naturalist has stated that the problem posed by invasive species will be a greater danger than global warming and climate change!]

The eradication of the Burmese python to the greatest degree possible offers an excellent training opportunity for U.S. military special operations [ops] units?

Special ops units to include:

* Special Forces. ["Green Berets"]
* Rangers.
* Marine Recon.
* Navy SEAL.
* ANGLICO.
* Air Force Para rescue. [PJ]

Four man teams of special operations troops, entering the Everglades on "live" training missions, using "punt-style" boats, the elimination of the Burmese python being the goal.

"A punt is a flat boat with a broad front, designed for use in small rivers or other shallow water . . . The punter pushes a pole against the river bed and this gives the punt a way to move."

Realistic, live training, not a canned exercise, special ops units, living rough in a rough environment, locating and eradicating the pythons, an element of danger being constantly present from a variety of sources [alligators, poisonous snakes, the pythons themselves!]!

YES, this form of special operations "training" mission would actually involve KILLING your "enemy", your quarry. THIS IS NOT A GAME!! Serious business testing all the skills the special operations troop is taught during training, including wilderness survival, stalking, etc., each individual team sustaining itself for an extended period by living off the land, air-drop resupply, and combinations thereof.

And helping to preserve the eco-system of a national park in the process.

You might even be able to make a profit from this enterprise? The skins of those pythons are highly sought after as a source of leather for various goods, shoes, purses, wallets, etc. Hate to think of it in that way, but the thought does cross my mind.

Am I over the top here, or is it:

Good training!!

coolbert.

Children.

This is coolbert:

Watching a public broadcast television program this evening dealing with the subject of child soldiers.

Very troubling and disturbing program.

Showing what occurs in the aftermath of child soldiers being returned to civilian life.

Child soldiers, teenagers, under the age of eighteen, often quite younger, not even of teen age, being conscripted, dragooned into military service. Dragooned by insurrectionists and forced to fight. CHILD SOLDIERS, QUITE OFTEN FORCED TO PARTICIPATE IN AND PERPETRATE ATROCITY!!

"dra·goon - - tr.v. dra·gooned, dra·goon·ing, dra·goons

1.To subjugate or persecute by the imposition of troops.

2.To compel by violent measures or threats; coerce."

In this particular instance, the use of child soldiers is most acute in Africa.

Vicious insurrectionist groups such as the RUF [Sierra Leone] and the The Lord's Resistance Army [Uganda] heavily "recruit" children, the bad guys in command of these groups notorious for their use of children in combat.

"The Lord's Resistance Army . . . is a sectarian Christian militant group based in northern Uganda."

"The group was formed in 1987 and is engaged in an armed rebellion against the Ugandan government in what is now one of Africa's longest-running conflicts."

Child soldiers, deserting, captured as prisoners on the battlefield, are quite often repatriated to their home villages, the idea being to reunite with family and resume a normal life. Programs have been established to assist in the rehabilitation process, the success rate of such programs being very poor.

ONLY ABOUT 12 % OF THOSE REPATRIATED CHILD SOLDIERS ARE REHABILITATED AND ARE EVER ABLE TO RESUME A NORMAL LIFE!!

Too much water over the dam already, as the adage would go.

The "dragooning" and use of child soldiers is a crime under international law, the "commanders" of the various insurrectionist groups having been already indicted in the international criminal court. FEW if ANY of these bad guys will ever see justice for their crimes? Merely SEEKING A NEGOTIATED SETTLEMENT WITH THESE INSURRECTIONISTS QUITE OFTEN MEANS FOREGOING PROSECUTION!!

coolbert.

Crash.

This is coolbert:

Regarding that Ethiopian airliner that was "downed" recently [one week ago yesterday] upon take off from the airfield in Beirut.

Thanks to the DEBKAfile:

"The bodies were found strapped to their seats with their heads and limbs blown off, typical effect of an explosion . . . the Lebanese health minster admitted inadvertently to an explosion in the cabin, French sources blame the dead pilot for human error"

Well, what is it? Human error? An explosion of unknown origins? What? An act of terrorism on the part of whom?

Forensics, from observing the phenomenon of "bodies were found strapped to their seats with their heads and limbs blown off" is of the opinion that the Ethiopian airliner was blown out of the sky by terrorists on take-off!! An onboard bomb is to blame!!??

But no conclusions until the investigation is complete, mum is the word for the mean time, etc.

So many [??] of these airliner "accidents" the causation of which is quite often speculative in nature, NO firm and definite conclusion ever being reached?

Anyhow, anytime, an airliner "crashes" while still in Lebanese airspace, I guess the first intuitive and instinctive reaction is for the authorities to raise their eyebrows and suspect more than just fatal crew error!

coolbert.

B-Dienst.

This is coolbert:

41879 26552 69323 10899 70954 52292 39857 35488 06945 84684 18132 57276 90180 35845 74016 82745 53046 19442 80978 58301 61945 58938

It should not be thought that the German radio intercept services, intelligence organizations, were totally unable to "read" the secret encrypted messages of the allied forces during the Second World War [WW2].

Here is info on the German navy radio intercept unit that had a very good measure of success working against allied and Soviet naval codes during WW2. Codes as distinct from cipher.

Beobachtungsdienst. B-Dienst for short.

"The B-Dienst (Beobachtungsdienst) was a German naval code breaking organisation. During World War II, B-Dienst solved British Naval Cypher No. 3, providing intelligence for the Battle of the Atlantic, until the British Admiralty introduced Naval Cypher No. 5 on 10 June 1943."

Prior to America’s entry into the war in 1941, Germany’s Naval B-Dienst (Beobachtungsdienst - Surveillance Service) was reading:

* "a number of American encoded communications systems"

And prior to that:

"B-Dienst (a part of OKM) [OberKommandoMarine] was very successful in compromising":

* "the 5-digit Royal Navy code"
* "The British 4-digit naval code"
* "A four-digit American-British naval communications system"

Also, during the war:

"OKM’s B-Dienst was able to compromise":

* "five French naval communications systems"
* "four Soviet systems"
* "three Danish systems by 1939"

And even beyond that:

* "B-Dienst also solved a number of merchant codes. [Mersig] [merchant signals]"

German U-Boat success during the early part of the Battle of the Atlantic was due in large measure to the ability of B-Dienst to "read" the British naval and merchant marine encoded messages and do so with relatively impunity, providing Doenitz with real-time action-able intelligence! Until the TYPEX cipher machine was widely adopted by the British navy, the movement of the Royal Navy were literally an "open book"! For all that meant!

Here with a "specimen message" from the British code book illustrating the process by which a message was encoded! This particular English code [as opposed to cipher] was non-machine of course, prepared by hand, and could be further enciphered for additional security using an additive sequence. [click on image to see a better view!]

It should be noted that the German prowess in reading code systems was based more upon anything else than LINGUISTIC PROFICIENCY! High level mathematical computational ability that is needed to read MACHINE CIPHERS is not a requirement when it comes to "breaking" and "reading" messages sent in CODE as opposed to CIPHER!

coolbert.

"Hermann Goering".

This is coolbert:

From the script of the movie "Patton, as spoken by George C. Scott:

[the American army had] "fought and defeated the Hermann Goering Division, best unit in the German army!"

This at the end of the Sicilian campaign, 1943.

Once again, we encounter the word "best". BEST!

That subjective judgement, normally based upon a perception and a whole host of criteria. What is BEST?

The Hermann Goering Division. NOT a normal German army unit. A ground combat element of the Luftwaffe, the German air force.

Created at the insistence and patronage of, under the auspices of no less person than Hermann Goering himself.

An air force unit that over a period of years "developed", re-structured, modified form, "morphed" into a very good and competent ground combat component! fought side-by-side with conventional German ground combat units and did very well!

Manifested itself in the years prior to and during World War Two [WW2] into a variety of forms, to include:

* Police battalion. [Nazi head-knockers]
* Elite FLAK battalion. [air defense/anti-aircraft-artillery]
* Parachute troops.
* Combined arms division. [parachute and Panzer [armor] unit]
* Multi-divisional parachute formation.

"Hermann Goering", distinguishing itself on multiple occasions on all fronts during WW2.

That FLAK battalion had the mission of providing personal air defense protection to the most senior command echelons of the Nazi party.

We also find an agreement between the script of "Patton" and the observations of the American military historian and researcher, Trevor Dupuy.

THE "HERMANN GOERING" WAS THE BEST GERMAN UNIT OF WW2!

This according to the Quantified Judgment Model [QJM] calculations of Dupuy. "Hermann Goering" received a QJM rating of 1.49. "Hermann Goering" was about 50 % more effective in combat than your average-everyday German army unit?

[recall too that it took during WW2 about 120 Americans or Englishmen to defeat 100 Germans. This at brigade unit size and larger. This was the general rule-of-thumb prevailing throughout WW2!]

As to why "Hermann Goering" was so good?

I would venture a guess that "Hermann Goering" was comprised of personnel that were highly-motivated troops, fanatics even, personally devoted to Hermann Goering and the Nazi cause and ideology. Desiring to make a mark and stand-out, even from other very good German army units!!

And succeeding to the extent that they did, surpassing common standards of performance on the battlefield, always giving a good account of themselves!

coolbert.

Math!

This is coolbert:

"How is mathematics in Göttingen now that it has been freed of the Jewish influence?" - - Rust.

"Mathematics in Göttingen? There is really none any more." - - Hilbert.

The above exchange and quote, David Hilbert, in conversation with the Nazi Minister of Education, Bernhard Rust. [1934]

David Hilbert, German mathematician and professor, one of the "most influential and universal mathematicians of the 19th and early 20th centuries."

The German university system, in the years prior to World War Two [WW2], being purged of those mathematicians of the highest quality, the ablest thinkers!

Mathematicians of the utmost quality and ability, being needed for the war effort [1939] and even BEFORE that, sound analytical and mathematical brains NOT being nurtured.

Germany lacking persons of the stature of an Arne Beurling [Sweden], Marian Rajewski [Poland], or Alan Turing [England].

Sound mathematical minds working in the field of cryptography.

Persons devising mathematical solutions to cryptographic problems of the most intricate and complex sort.

Germany, during WW2, lacking the brains and talent able to:

1. Devise cryptographic machines, those machines impervious to cryptanalytic attack based upon MATHEMATICAL CONCEPTS! Germany, able to design cipher machines to protect their own secret message traffic.

2. Devise general solutions, based upon mathematical concepts, that would allow German cryptanalysts to "read" the secret encrypted messages of the allied powers. Those messages enciphered by machines such as the SIGABA [USA] or the TYPEX [England]. Germany, able to READ the secret message traffic of their various enemies.

The German Enigma and the even more advanced Geheimschreiber as employed by the German during WW2 were insecure, both machines subjected to successful allied cryptanalytic attack, the GERMAN UNABLE TO READ THE SECRET MESSAGE TRAFFIC OF THE ALLIES!!

It is also reasonable to infer that the German also lacked the requisite persons, human calculators, those persons doing the various high-level mathematical calculations necessary for the development of atomic weaponry? A dedicated team of math prodigies needed to do the computational basics needed by those involved in German atomic bomb development and design [the Heisenberg team]!

Germany, during WW2, did have very good engineers, but lacked those persons say of the caliber of an Arne Beurling or even a Richard Feynman [Manhattan Project]!

No talented mathematicians - - no secure crypto and no atomic bomb!

coolbert.

Spinelli.

This is coolbert:

Here with more on "Captain Spinelli"!

"Khalil Nabbouh who became USMC Captain Spinelli"

"USMC Captain Spinelli, a woman entering into a sham marriage for immigration purposes, joining the USMC, attaining the RANK OF CAPTAIN!"!

A mole, a plant, a burrowing-agent, along with her sister-in-law, Nada Prouty, a Hezbollah spy [??]!

All the while an illegal alien, seemingly undetectable!

Thanks to the blog of FormerSpook from 2007!

"It Only Gets Worse"

"With her citizenship in hand, Samar Khalil Nabbou enlisted in the Marine Corps and eventually became a commissioned officer . . . After entering the Corps--and divorcing her sham husband--Nabbou married a fellow Marine, giving her yet another last name."

The sister-in-law of Nada Prouty, Samar, also engaging in a sham marriage with an American man to obtain U.S. citizenship, Samar then joining the Marine Corps, and BECOMING AN OFFICER! Her duties not clear, possibly an INTELLIGENCE OFFICER WITH ALL THAT MEANS FOR SECURITY!

"as a commissioned officer in the Marine Corps, Spinelli held a 'Secret' security clearance at a minimum. If she held a Top Secret/SCI security clearance, Spinelli had access to Intelink [secure military intelligence Internet web site!!]"

Please keep in mind that these two women, illegal aliens, Samar and Nada, "worked" in the restaurant of a man who was a known fund raiser for Hezbollah, a man who has subsequently fled the U.S.

"Spinelli might face [punishment] . . . Fraudulent Enlistment . . . a crime under Article 83 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). To become a Marine officer, Spinelli had to be a U.S. citizen, and she obtained her citizenship through fraud."

Well, in a time of war, a woman who is a possible enemy spy, the best they can "get her" on is fraudulent enlistment??!! How about that!!

Perhaps worst of all, not the FBI, CIA, or military investigators were ever able ONCE to detect or determine that these women, Nada and Samar, WERE ILLEGAL ALIENS!!

IT ONLY GETS WORSE!

coolbert.

U.S. Cavalry.

This is coolbert:

Upon completing a world tour [1870's], the English Field Marshal, Lord Wolseley concluded that the American army fighting the Indians of the Great Plains was the best army in the world.

Those U.S. Army soldiers, engaged in warfare on the Great Plains of North America, encountering and fighting the mounted light cavalry of the American Indian, were the BEST troops in the world. So said Lord Wolseley. Men-a-horse, the cavalry, not men-a-foot, the infantry. Nonetheless, U.S. Army soldiers.

BEST of course being a very subjective judgement. BEST as defined in what manner I cannot exactly say. Some reader to the blog can define with preciseness this conclusion of Wolseley?

Here are three battles indicative of the type of warfare as fought between the U.S. Army and the American Indian on the Great Plains:

1. Beecher Island.

"The Battle of Beecher Island (September 17–19, 1868), also known as the Battle of Arikaree Fork, was an armed conflict between elements of the United States Army and several of the Plains Indian tribes."

2. Adobe Walls One.

"The First Battle of Adobe Walls, was one of the largest ever battles between U.S. soldiers and Indians. The Kiowa and Comanche tribes and their allies drove from the battlefield a U.S. Expeditionary Force that was reacting to attacks on white settlers moving into the Southwest"

3. Adobe Walls Two.

"The Second Battle of Adobe Walls was fought on June 27, 1874 between Comanche forces and a group of twenty-eight U.S. bison hunters defending the settlement of Adobe Walls"

These three "encounters" I have chosen all occurring on what is best referred to as the southern Plains. That area generally speaking, to include all of Kansas, south through Oklahoma and Texas.

In each and everyone of the three "encounters", U.S. Army cavalry units fought outnumbered [at Adobe Walls One grotesquely so], not necessarily out-gunning the opposition, and generally speaking walking into an ambush, either hasty or carefully planned . Merely surviving and walking off the battlefield itself was a major accomplishment in all three cases, the consequences of defeat being too terrible to contemplate [death by slow torture, mutilation, etc!]!

U.S. Army cavalry units of the era were the "best" in that they had to work with little, had to be autonomous, to a large-degree self-sufficient, having to fight a skillful and dangerous foe on enemy ground, commanded by junior officers who had to exercise a lot of discretion and initiative, independent of re-supply and reinforcement!

Best!

coolbert.

LSD.

This is coolbert:

"a small amount . . . could disorient and turn psychotic an entire company of soldiers leaving them harmless and unable to fight."

Here from the Jeff Rense web site, some sensationalist headlines, current!

Jeff and his web site relish with great pleasure the conspiratorial type of material, and the more salacious and extreme the better.

"French Government Queries US re 50s Secret LSD Experiment"

It is alleged that French villagers, in the south of France, from 1951, were subjected to mass-experimentation, sprayed with an aerosol of LSD, causing hallucinations and psychosis on an unimaginable scale. A spraying conducted by entities of the U.S. government?

The French DGSE is NOW "asking" American authorities to clarify, if possible. From over almost sixty years ago now, the facts - - secret up unto this point - - will now be made public?

Recall from some time ago now the case of James R. Thornwell. American U.S. Army communications clerk. Thought to have been involved in espionage while serving in France during the Cold War. Missing cryptographic documents were the source of an investigation, the main subject of which was Thornwell. The man was put through the rigors of counter-intelligence interrogation, WHICH INCLUDED THE SURREPTITIOUS USE OF LSD!!

The case of the missing cryptographic documents was NEVER resolved!! In all likelihood, Thornwell was NOT guilty of anything, only a suspect that became an unfortunate as the result of over-zealous methods being employed.

LSD and other "chemicals" were investigated as "possibles" in the search for a truth serum that was reliable. A "chemical" that when administered during an interrogation, would cause the subject to "talk" and talk the truth. Each and every "chemical" investigated was found to be unreliable, not worthy of consideration as an antidote to the "interrogation problem"!

[the interrogation "problem" boils down to this - - how to get someone to talk when that subject does not want to talk - - and then how to know that what is being told is the truth and is not misinformation, deliberate or otherwise!]

coolbert.

Primitive II. [End]

This is coolbert:

"Primitive" again!

Another ancient society, described often as "primitive", also engaging in "warrior" warfare was that of the Hawaiian islands. War being an essential, integral and basic part of the culture.

[the Hawaiians did not have a system of writing or mathematics? WERE however, outstanding navigators, observers of all things celestial, practicing to a DEGREE the attributes of high culture, as that term "high" is generally, ordinarily, and commonly understood.]

"In ancient Hawaii warfare is a favorite game for kings and nobles. In fact the Hawaiian word for 'battlefield' is 'playground'."

Hawaii, the island paradise, NOT always such a paradise, brutal and harsh warfare being endemic, A DARWINIAN NATURAL SELECTION PROCESS BEING AT WORK, WARFARE BEING AN ESSENTIAL AND "VITAL" PART OF THE CULTURE!!

"the Hawaiian Islands were divided into kingdoms, each ruled by a chief who sought to extend their control over the others. The results were . . . with endemic warfare . . . For the chiefs of ancient Hawaii success on the battlefields meant more then just their success as a chief, it meant whether they would live or perish."

Hawaii also inhabited by a culture, "primitive" but still having a pretty-good degree of sophistication, stratified as was Mayan society, the islanders being divided into a caste system consisting again of:

* Ruler and nobility.
* Priests.
* Warriors.
* Peasants.
* Slaves.

The Kao warriors of Hawaii, formidable fighters, well-equipped and trained, devoted to a war god, the god Ku, for whom human sacrifice was offered, A war god, Ku, who demanded and was accorded on a regular basis the sacrifice of persons captured in battle!

Typical weapons as used by the Kao warriors include the:

* Ihe (short spear).
* Pololu (long spear/javelin).
* Pahoa (wooden dagger).
* Pahoa 'Oilua (double bladed weapon).
* Lei-o-mano (shark-tooth weapon).
* La-au-palau (long war club).
* Newa (short war club).
* Pohaku (stone hand club).
* Pikoi 'Ikoi (tripping weapon).
* Ma'a (sling).
* Ka'ane (strangulation cord).
* Ko'oko'o (cane).

The Kao warriors of Hawaii also practicing a high developed and very deadly martial arts form of amazing sophistication for a culture generally labeled as "primitive":

"Kao warriors practiced an ancient martial art called Lua, in it they trained to kill by breaking bones, using pressure points, and more."

"They shaved before battle and lathered their bodies with oil to prevent enemies from getting a grip on them"

Persons going into battle also nearly NAKED, wearing only a loincloth! Kao warriors also of impressive and formidable stature, huge, powerful, VERY DANGEROUS OPPONENTS!!

Comments:

* The Hawaiian culture did not possess metal. Still, were able to develop weaponry of formidable character and lethality.

* The Hawaiian culture DID NOT have beasts of burden to carry them into battle. NO horses, camels, elephants. Nor was there developed the combined-arms concept of battle as that concept is generally, ordinarily, and commonly understood.

Hawaiian society, ancient and venerable, living in what most folks consider to be idyllic paradise, engaged in "primitive" warfare with relish and a high degree of sophistication and development. A warrior society where constant combat and killing in battle were practiced with RELIGIOUS FEROCITY!

coolbert.

Primitive I.

This is coolbert:

Here with another movie review.

The movie being reviewed is "Apocalypto". Produced and directed by Mel Gibson.

I rate this movie as an unqualified OUTSTANDING! A MUST see.

An interesting story, well acted, action-packed, continuously moving, with a surprise and very plausible ending.

"Apocalypto is a 2006 film directed by Mel Gibson. Set in Yucatan, Mexico, during the declining period of the Mayan civilization, Apocalypto depicts the journey of a Mesoamerican tribesman who must escape human sacrifice and rescue his family after the capture and destruction of his village."


Deals with the Mayan and their high culture, as existed before the first contact with the Spanish. "Apocalypto" has an excellent depiction of warfare generally described as "primitive".

["high" culture ordinarily consists of an ability to write, do mathematics, observe, discern and predict the movements of the planets, moon and sun, organize on a grand scale! WRITE! ]

A culture, ancient, stratified, having a caste structure, consisting of:

* Rulers and nobility.
* Priests.
* A warrior elite.
* Peasants.
* Slaves.

A culture, again, labeled primitive, waging war primarily for the purpose of:

* Obtaining slaves and prisoners-of-war [POW].
* Settling of blood feuds [vendettas].
* Bride snatching.
* Cattle rustling. [in the Indo-European tradition.]

A culture waging war in large measure to obtain POW to be offered as human sacrifice to propitiate the god or gods. Blood-letting on a major scale in the AFTERMATH OF BATTLEFIELD CONFLICT!

The Mayan in particular made extensive use of human sacrifice, bloodletting to propitiate the main god, Kulkukan an essential aspect of Mayan life. A MAIN SOURCE OF HUMAN SACRIFICE BEING POW CAPTURED IN BATTLE!

The Mayan having a highly developed and most proficient caste of warriors. Dedicated warriors - - a basic and important part of the culture, trained to possess a high degree of skill, employing in battle a variety of weaponry. Weapons to include:

* Bow and arrow. [flint tipped arrows.]
* Spears. [flint tipped, the throwing of which was aided by the use of the atlatl]
* Sling.
* War club.
* Flint knife.
* macahuitl [a war club studded with pieces of flint].

Comments:

* Those flint and flint tipped weapons have an edge sharper than a surgeons scalpel. The head of a horse could be taken off with a single swing of the macahuitl.
* That sling "flung" not merely a "pebble" the size of a human kidney but a small boulder.
* The macahuitl refers to the Aztec name for the war club studded with flints. I am not sure if the Mayan called this weapon by the same name?
* The atlatl, the throwing "stick", allowed for a spear to be thrown a long distance with surprising force and accuracy.

We must understand that the Mayan did engage in "warrior" type of combat, melee'-type battles, close-quarters fighting, NOT using combined arms, defeating an opponent in single-combat being relished!! NO beasts of burden to carry the Mayan into battle either.

Mel Gibson, as with Clint Eastwood, is one of the all-time cinematic greats? Act, direct, produce, touches material no one else will go near, etc. This movie is indicative of such talent - - no flaw in "Apocalypto" being discernible to me!

coolbert.

Language - - Reprise.

This is coolbert:

Here from a prior blog entry:

"There is living within the borders of the U.S. an abundance of native Arabic speakers. I am speaking about the many tens of thousands of Sephardic Jews and Coptic Christian Egyptians that are residents of the U.S., citizens and otherwise. Persons in addition also familiar with the Middle Eastern culture and the mind set of the locals."

More on the subject of the U.S. military and other governmental agencies refusing to use native Arabic speakers [Farsi also] as translators WHO ARE NOT MUSLIM!!

"Translator scandals, infiltration, and intel recruiting insanity"

"A more comprehensive discussion of Islamic infiltration among U.S. translators in Iraq, in the FBI, CIA, and DHS, as well as local police departments and emergency operators and the refusal to use non-Muslim Arabic speakers"

"The Translator Scandal Ripens"

MORE bad eggs, "plants", "moles", such as Nada Prouty. Persons allegedly working for the U.S., but doing espionage [?] for Al Qaeda and other bad guys, foreign powers hostile to the United States.

To include:

* "Noureddine Malki, a Muslim and naturalized American citizen with five different aliases" [Noureddine Malki, sentenced to thirteen years in prison, for passing on national defense info to a foreign power during a time of war. Normally an offense warranting the death penalty, in this case the punishment being thirteen years!!]

* "Khalil Nabbouh who became USMC Captain Spinelli"

USMC Captain Spinelli, a woman entering into a sham marriage for immigration purposes, joining the USMC, attaining the RANK OF CAPTAIN!! All the while, a person who has been placed in a position of great trust, totally unwarranted, evading detection for a number of years.

Again, the translator problem has a solution that is not availed of? Tens of thousands [?] of native Arabic speakers, presumably trustworthy, but not even considered as "possibles". Persons to include:

* Iraqi Assyrian Christians.
* Lebanese Maronite Christians.
* Sephardic Jews.
* Egyptian Coptic Christians.
* American Israelis.

"Middle Eastern Christians, Jews and apostate Muslims were disappointed that their talents had gone unused because of political correctness and frankly outright intimidation by Muslim linguists in our security agencies"

Political considerations are at work here? A desire NOT to offend Muslims is the goal?

Well, read the whole article. Wait until well after dinner however. Does not go down well on a full stomach?

coolbert.

Trial.

This is coolbert:

"They must not be mobbed or lynched but tried regularly for murder and as many other crimes as the Attorney can approve; but the military authorities should see that these prisoners never escape alive, for they are the very impersonation of Murder, robbery, arson, and all the capital crimes of the Statute Book." - - W.T. Sherman.

The decision by the Obama administration to try suspected Al Qaeda terrorists in a civilian court as common criminals is based to some extent UPON PRECEDENT FROM THE DAYS OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN WARS?

There is nothing new under the sun! Infamous banditti, perpetrators of atrocity, tried in a civilian court rather than by military tribunal, finds a precedent from a case in 1871.

An incident that involved the personal attention of Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, William Tecumseh Sherman. Thanks here to the wiki:

The "Trial of Satanta and Big Tree".

"The Trial of Satanta and Big Tree occurred in July 1871 . . . This historic trial of Native American War Chiefs of the Kiowa Indians Satanta and Big Tree for the murder of seven teamsters during a raid . . . marked the first time the United States had tried Native American Chiefs in a state court. The trial attracted national, indeed, even international, attention."

"Sherman then hit on the ingenious idea of sending the Indian Chiefs to Jacksboro, Texas to be tried in state court for murder . . . This would deny them any vestige of rights as a prisoner of war, which they might keep in a military court martial, and send a message that acts by a war party would be regarded as common crimes rather than legitimate resistance by representatives of a Sovereign state"

THAT SOVEREIGN STATE BEING THE INDEPENDENT KIOWA AMERICAN INDIAN NATION!!

I have serious doubts that Eric Holder is even aware of this particular case. NOT even on the radar screen with regard to the proposed trial of captured Al Qaeda terrorists.

[Big Tree after his trial, conviction, and incarceration ended up "smelling like a rose"! Became a Baptist minister, a preacher and zealous convert to Christianity! Even in 1871 - - American justice was JUST!]

coolbert.

Crossing.

This is coolbert:

Here with two anecdotal accounts - - descriptions of a landscape, as seen by two soldiers, moving across an invisible but nonetheless discernible boundary, "virtual" but apparent to all observers. A crossing over from one cultural domain to another:

1. From M. de Fenzensac:

"When we crossed the frontier we were struck by the surprising contrast which the two countries presented, and by the rapid change in the ways of the inhabitants. Everything in Prussia bespeaks prosperity and civilization; the houses are well built, the fields cultivated. As soon as one enters Poland one encounters only the image of servitude and misery, brutish peasants, a detestable class of Jews, fields that are scarcely tilled, and for houses, miserable huts that are quite as filthy as their inhabitants."

2. From Yaroslav:

"what an extraordinary country Germany was, and how unlike his own. Steep roofs half the height of the houses were enough to make the view a foreign one, but even stranger were the villages of two-story brick houses, the stone byres, the the concrete wellheads, the electric lighting . . . the electrical installations on farms, the telephones in peasant houses, the cleanliness - - no smell of dung, no flies in spite of the heat. Nothing left half done, nothing spilled, nothing out of place - - and the peasants of Prussia certainly hadn't made everything so spick and span for the benefit of their Russian visitors! . . . "

In the case of the former [# 1], M. de Fenzensac, an officer in the Grande Armee of Napoleon, invading Russian, 1812, moving FROM WEST TO EAST. Moving from a nation of civilization [Prussia] into a nation [Russia] of semi-civilization!

In the case of the latter [# 2], Yaroslav, an enlisted man in the Russian 2nd Army, the year being 1914, the very beginning of the Great War [WW1], the movement across the invisible "boundary" in this case from EAST TO WEST, from the semi-civilized cultural domain of the Russian to the civilized of the Prussian!

[the account of Yaroslav is found in the book by Alexander Solzhenitsyn: "The Red Wheel". A work of fiction, the descriptions of Yaroslav still being authentic!]

The book [THE RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN, 1812] of Monsieur de Fenzensac is worth reading. A personal account of the campaign in Russia by one of the few survivors. A man who saw it all and was lucky to emerge alive [only 30,000 of the 530,000 troops in the Grand Armee came out of the disaster unscathed!!]! Very short, can be read in an entire evening, and coming with the highest recommendation!

"I read the tale at one sitting and anyone who takes it to hand will probably do the same. Nothing that I know in military literature quite compares with it and I marvel that it wasn't famous long ago." - - S.L.A. Marshall.

coolbert.

"Letters".

This is coolbert:

Here with a movie review.

The movie being reviewed is: "Letters from Iwo Jima".

I rate this movie as only good. Worth seeing, but in my judgement, only good. I had expected something better for some reason, but did not see what I had hoped for.

"Letters from Iwo Jima . . . is a 2006 war film, directed and co-produced by Clint Eastwood, and starring Ken Watanabe and Kazunari Ninomiya. The film portrays the Battle of Iwo Jima from the perspective of the Japanese soldiers and is a companion piece to Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers, which depicts the same battle from the American viewpoint."

This movie did win critical acclaim - - but I give it only a good rating? Well, this is just my opinion.

Comments:

* Japanese plans to defend an island bastion always included a combined arms concept. Combined arms consisting of NAVAL forces and an AIR ARM to complement the ground troops. After Guadalcanal, such combined arms never was able to materialize.

The boast of the Japanese commander, Tarawa - - Betio atoll, that a million men fighting for a hundred years could not assault and capture Betio was predicated upon such a combined arms concept. But, again, this sort of cooperation and joint effort never seemed to materialize.

* As was shown in the movie, once the battle began, Japanese communications [as at Betio too] suffered a severe breakdown. Plans, once disrupted, could not be altered or new commands given and received as means of communications were broken and beyond repair.

* The firing of a spigot mortar is seen. Two men alone are seen loading the mortar. In actuality, a much greater number of troops would be required, in addition to a hoist of some sort of apparatus for man-handling the mortar round? Those spigot mortars were good for only a minimum of shots and that was that?

* The tunnel complexes as seen in the movie do not correspond to reality? My impression is that the tunnels were designed by mining engineers and dug to some extent by professional miners imported from Japan. The various scenes with mist or steam coming from the interior of the earth is true. Iwo is a volcanic island, relatively young, still giving off noxious gases and vapors.

* The assumptions and plans of General Tadamichi Kuribayashi were correct? A beach landing could not stop the U.S. Marines and defenses at the waters edge were inappropriate? Inland defense was the only way to go? Such was the assessment of the GERMAN GENERAL STAFF AS WELL, having been queried as to the feasibility of beach defenses against allied amphibious landings.

* Revisionist historians have severely questioned the entire Iwo operation. The very reason for invading are questionable. An emergency landing strip for B-29 bomber aircraft is the major rationale for capturing Iwo. About 21,000 aviators made landings at Iwo, presumably aircrews that would have otherwise had to ditch in the ocean and run the risk of drowning. This is all in dispute, with hindsight of course.

* Marine General H.M. Smith has said that General Kuribayashi was the most redoubtable enemy commander the Marines faced during the war. Probably so.

* "Letters" in Japan is entitled "Red Sun, Black Sand". And in Japan was widely popular and also won acclaim, perhaps even more so than in the U.S.

* Clint Eastwood is undoubtedly one of the all-time greats in cinema. An actor [in a variety of genre'], producer, director, writes his own musical score, involves himself in material no one else will touch, and has been active in the movie making business for over five decades now! Hard to beat the man!

coolbert.

Pagans.

This is coolbert:

"It boils down to the key issue of respect - - respect for everyone's right to practice their faith as they choose."

From the Chicago Tribune just several days ago now:

"New pagan site vandalized at Air Force Academy"

More trouble at the USAF Air Force Academy.

Again, the problem stems from the perceived excessive religiosity of some cadets.

Excessive religiosity - - a manifestation of fundamentalist Christianity run amuck? Also again, as perceived by outsiders, an atmosphere has been created that is unfriendly to those not of the fundamentalist Christian persuasion.

Vandalism in this case, directed against: "a designated worship area for Wiccans".

"DENVER - - The Air Force Academy, stung several year ago by accusations of Christan bias, has built an outdoor worship area for pagans and other practitioners of Earth-based religions."

Just recently, however, this "outdoor worship area" was vandalized: "a large wooden cross placed there."

The Wiccan religion is sometimes called "white witchcraft". A paganism, a return to the ancient religious beliefs and practices of pre-Christian Europe, stressing "respect for Earth, nature and the seasons." And a healthy respect for the creative power of nature, meaning fertility and procreation.

Desecration of the pagan Wiccan site, a "collection of stones set in a circle" is a serious offense? NO different than if a Christian chapel had been desecrated in some manner. Intolerance for the faiths of others is rampant at the academy? The military leaders of the future have within their midst a group of over-zealous bigots?

Recall from several years ago the criticism of the number-one graduating cadet at the academy, the head of his class, for having included in an e-mail religious references. An incident that was "overblown" and distorted?

This desecration is a prank? Some morons thinking they are scoring points, but only in their imagination?

Personally, I have great respect and admiration for all those persons that make the cut and merit entry into the various military academies. Persons normally of high repute, with principles and moral fiber, future leaders with integrity.

And too, the number of Wiccan practitioners at the USAF Academy has to be small? A dozen perhaps at the most, if that? Maybe I am wrong. Nonetheless, whatever the number, respect for their faith is mandated and a given? I hope so.

coolbert.

Bomb?

This is coolbert:

This item from the Chicago Tribune yesterday:

"Militants launch floating bombs off Israel"

"Palestinians launch devices to avenge Hamas leader's death; no one hurt as 2 wash ashore"

Explosive devices, floating barrels containing about ten kilograms [22 pounds] of explosive, have been set afloat in the Mediterranean by Hamas.

Floating bombs, barrels riding the prevailing currents. Thrown into the ocean with the hope that the "devices" will come ashore on the beaches of Israel, detonating when disturbed by the curious, causing causalities. "WITH THE HOPE"!!

"JERUSALEM - - Palestinian militants said Tuesday they had launched a large number of floating explosives into the Mediterranean Sea to avenge the death of a top Hamas commander"

"We confirm that there are still many of these charges in the ocean, and they haven't exploded yet."

Barrels, packed chock full of explosive, floating with the currents, ending up on an Israeli beach, or even NOT coming ashore in some instances, aimlessly riding the waves to who-knows-where! Barrel bombs deadly to an extent, nonetheless!

This is a technique of desperation more than anything else? A sign that Hamas does not have the power to revenge and retaliate in a conventional manner for the death of a senior commander. An act of futility [the barrels] similar in effectiveness to the "bomb" balloons as released by the Japanese during World War Two [WW2]!

I am sure that the Israeli is NOT too impressed with this latest example of Hamas military prowess and high technology! Or rather, lack of high technology, should I say!

coolbert.

Task Group 96-3.

This is coolbert:

Here from the wiki entry for "Swede" Momsen:

"In November 1945, he [Momsen] directed a fleet of nearly 200 surplus Army and Navy ships, manned by Japanese crews, that evacuated the first of nearly six million Japanese from Manchuria, Formosa, and islands in the Pacific."

An episode of history I was totally unfamiliar with. The repatriation - - on a biblical scale - - of Japanese, from all over Asia, back to the home islands - - in the aftermath of World War Two [WW2]. 6 million persons, repatriated, using a fleet of surplus American vessels do so, manned by Japanese crews, AND COMMANDED BY AN AMERICAN ADMIRAL ["Swede" Momsen]!!!

This was: "US Naval Shipping Control Authority for Japanese Merchant Marine"

A/k/a Task Group 96-3.

"(He) [Momsen] performed exceptionally meritorious and distinguished service in Japan from November 1945 to October 1946. He directed the shipping of the Japanese Civilian Merchant Marine in repatriating nearly six million people. He provided for the proficient training of Japanese crews, and resourcefully integrated United States and Japanese shipping into an effective organization which insured the safe and expeditious return of millions of displaced persons to their homes..."

"100 Liberties, 100 LST's and 7 hospital ships be made available to SCAP for repatriation. The ships were to be converted in Japan to carry repatriates and were to be crewed by the Japanese."

This 6 million persons would have included all de-mobilized military personnel and civilians, Japanese citizens, nationals, ethnics, etc. Persons told to go, and going, for their own good.

An exodus, again, of biblical proportions, unheralded, done with a minimum of fuss! A benevolent American military government doing good for the erstwhile hated enemy!!

[recall too that on the other side of the world, 15 million German nationals, ethnics living in eastern European nations, were herded into boxcars and also repatriated to Germany proper. A movement of persons also on a biblical scale, done harshly and without any pity, resulting in the death of perhaps several million Germans! Such is war and the aftermath!!]

coolbert.

Arthur.

This is coolbert:

Here with the story of Arthur.

Arthur the elder brother of the famous American general, Douglas Mac Arthur.

And Arthur, the son of the famous American general Douglas Mac Arthur.

1. Arthur Mac Arthur III.

YES, the famous Douglas had an elder brother who was in his own right also an outstanding and distinguished military officer.

BUT - - not an army man.

A career naval officer, a graduate of the Naval Academy Annapolis. Seeing extensive combat duty during:

* Spanish-American War.
* Boxer Rebellion.
* Philippine Insurrection.
* First World War [WW1].

Arthur, the elder brother of Douglas, emerging from WW1 with a stellar record of service. Dying, however, a very premature and unfortunate death.

It is thought that if Arthur had not passed when he did, he had the potential to rise very high in the ranks beyond what he had already attained. Perhaps as high as did Admiral Leahy or King during the Second World War [WW2].

We SHALL NEVER KNOW!

2. Arthur Mac Arthur IV.

Here young Arthur IV visiting a zoo, age four.

The son of the famous Douglas. Born 1936. Escaping with his father from the Philippines, 1941.

The intentions of the father [Douglas] were for his son to attend West Point, become a career military officer, attain the rank of general and possibly win the Medal of Honor [MoH], as had his father and grandfather before him.

This was not to be. Arthur passed into obscurity, in a quite deliberate fashion.

Changed his name for reasons of anonymity, having a successful career as a concert pianist and writer. NOT as a military man.

Two generations of Mac Arthur serving at the highest levels of military command and accomplishment, and then - - a concert pianist.

Do WELL what you do best AND what you want to do? YES, I think so!!

coolbert.

Father & Son.

This is coolbert:

"Swede"

Here with more American military dynasties. Father and son both having distinguished military careers. Men devoted to serving their country, accomplishing what few are able to do, a legacy being established that continues from father to son! Esteemed and respected, historical figures of some repute!

A pattern in the U.S. military that seems to last only two generations and then no more? I am thinking of high ranking persons, flag officers and such.

1. The family Chaffee, father and son both named Adna.

* Adna Chaffee. The father. Rose from the rank of private to Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army!! A man with a almost continuous record of combat duty under a variety of circumstances.

"Adna Romanza Chaffee (April 14, 1842 – November 1, 1914) was a General in the United States Army. Chaffee took part in the American Civil War and Indian Wars, played a key role in the Spanish-American War, and was instrumental at crushing the Boxer Rebellion in China. He was the Army Chief of Staff from 1904 to 1906"

Again, a military man, hardly a slacker, with an amazing record of combat duty in a career that lasted over forty years. Consider the record of Chaffee:

American Civil War
*Peninsular Campaign
*Maryland Campaign
*Appomattox Campaign

Indian Wars
*Battle of Paint Creek
*Battle of Red River
*Battle of Big Dry Wash

Spanish-American War
*Cuban Campaign

Boxer Rebellion
*Battle of Peking

Philippine-American War
*Mindanao Campaign

* And the son of Chaffee, again, also named Adna. Distinguished himself first as a cavalry officer and then as a commander of embryonic tank formations. "Father of the Armored Force"!

"Adna Romanza Chaffee, Jr. (September 23, 1884–August 22, 1941), was a major general in the United States Army, called the 'father of the Armored Force' for his role in developing the U.S. Army's tank forces."

2. The naval family Momsen. Both named Charles Bowers, Sr. and Jr. naval officers, researchers and experimenters into deep-diving and rescue techniques, "going where no man has gone before"! And doing so with panache'! Both men during the Second World War seeing extensive combat action as submariners.

* Charles Bowers Momsen "Swede Momsen" (June 21, 1896 - May 25, 1967) . . . He was an American pioneer in submarine rescue and invented the underwater escape device called the Momsen Lung, for which he received the Distinguished Service Medal in 1929."

"He [Sr.] was in charge of the rescue of the 33 crewmen who survived the sinking of the Squalus in May, 1939 in 240 feet of water"

The diving bell, as pioneered by "Swede", working almost flawlessly in the unprecedented rescue of American sailors trapped on a sunken U.S. submarine. An amazing rescue that represented A FIRST!!

* And the son of "Swede", Charles B. Jr., also a man of the oceans deep waters. An explorer and commander of the Office of Naval Research [ONR] . While in command of the ONR, oversaw the development of deep-diving vehicles, the Aluminaut and the Alvin, vessels that played a KEY role in the recovery of a missing hydrogen bomb, lost in the waters off the coast of Spain. The Palomares incident.

Legacies of this type still continue? Famous high-ranking military man has a son who also aspires to a military career of honor and achievement? NOT for just anyone! ONLY the best, the brightest, the most determined can rise to the top. To those that are able to, grand honneur à vous!!

coolbert.