Chechnya III.

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 Russians.

Conclusion.

Continuing with the serial, images and commentary as extracted from the EnglishRussia web site. The assault on downtown Grozny going very bad for the Russian. Two months required to secure the city from the Chechen separatists, it estimated that HALF THE RUSSIAN CASUALTIES WERE FROM FRIENDLY FIRE, SELF-INFLICTED LOSSES MOST GALLING!!

Russian troops finally victorious enjoy some bubbly! That building in the background having been severely damaged perhaps beyond repair. Has sustained damage repeatedly from some big bore direct fire weaponry and been burned inside totally it would seem. An ideal assault might have involved the landing of infantry on the roof from helicopter and had them work downward one floor at a time, top to bottom !!

Here from a different aspect is that same damaged multi-story building? That is a Chechen fighter in the shadows. For infantry to attempt an assault across that open area would have been suicidal unless backed up  by big bore weaponry in the direct fire mode. Urban warfare has the drawback that the more firepower used has a bad tendency to create ruins of a worse type making for additional hiding spots and cover for the defender. This structure used to be called the New Ministry and was the headquarters for Dudayev and his separatist movement?

Russian troops riding unbuttoned watching those upper floors of those buildings as they pass by. Beware the Chechen armed with a rocket propelled grenade firing DOWNWARD at the most vulnerable part of an armored vehicle [Russian]. Those troops appear to be armed with AK 74 with attached integral grenade launcher reminiscent of the American M203!  Please note the utter destruction stretching as far off as the eye can see!!

This Russian is firing either an AGS-17 or AGS-30 automatic grenade launcher and doing so in what appears to be indirect fire mode, almost if he has a mini mortar. Lots of rounds already fired and more on the way.

Such an odd assortment of uniforms a melange defying all military conventions. Those three with the black berets are Russian Marines referred to as the "Black Death"? Someone familiar with the flashes can help? 

 See these additional web sites for more images and photographs of Grozny and the First Chechen War: "GROZNY IN THE WAR AND AFTER IT" AND "VAKHABITS GOT THE POWER"

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 THE POWER

Chechnya II.

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Chechens! 

 Continuing with the serial, images of the First Chechen War extracted with comments and thanks again to the web site EnglishRussia in all cases.

The Chechen separatists greatly influenced by the Wahhabi form of Islam as espoused by the Saudi, highly motivated and determined fighters, willing able to stand their ground in the face of overwhelming force, engage in no-holds-barred no-quarter type of combat!!

 Entire battalions of Russian troops disappearing into Grozny and never seen again, the tactics of the Chechen four-man basic fighting unit most suited for city fighting. "The moral is to the physical as three is to one!!" - - Napoleon.

This Chechen in the center is carrying what sort of machine gun? I had originally thought a version of the PK [it might be a RP-46?] but no PK-style muzzle flash suppressor and no front sight? That appears to be a captured BTR-80 Russian armored car on the left, more Chechens wearing standard winter white uniform and web gear. That black stocking cap as worn seems to be ubiquitous? Intentional or otherwise can be considered to be a type of uniform entitling the Chechen to Geneva Conventions protection as soldiers?

That Chechen in the center definitely carrying a PKM machine gun. The basic Chechen four man combat team consisting of a machine gunner, sniper, and two riflemen/ammo bearers! Chechen fighters either able to break into armories and steal weaponry or capture on the battlefield!

The motley crew but well armed in the ancient and venerable tradition of the Chechen insurgent/guerrilla/partisan fighter. Keep in mind that the preponderance of Chechen men had at least some sort of military training, a conscript in the Soviet army prior to 1994. Dudayev the separatist leader himself a career military man, a Major General in the Soviet Air Force.

This particular photo is most interesting. Those Chechens [beards] are wearing standard web gear and helmets obviously looted. That man dressed in winter white camo is carrying a Soviet era PTRD .58 caliber [14.5 mm] anti-tank rifle that was obsolete even during the early days of World War Two! That PTRD firing an armor piercing round that perhaps could penetrate certain points of the BMP IFV?

The face of battle. This Chechen appears to be wielding an AK-74. Fires that lightweight bullet once thought be inferior to the conventional AK brand. That AK 7.62 X 39 round all the experts pronounced as superior better over longer range with more stopping power. The Soviets finally realizing and agreeing that a troop able to carry twice the amount of ammo for the same weight is an advantage on the modern battlefield? Whoever took this photo had some sort of artistic flair? Wanted to show depth and perspective and has done so. That building in the far rear appears in many images of the fighting as it raged in Grozny a structure the function and significance of which I am not sure.

Once more the basic Chechen fighting unit minus one man. Those two men on the right are wearing some sort of soft body armor as taken from dead Russians? I am not sure. That man on the right wearing the vest is equipped with spare RPG rounds it would seem.

The Chechen quite willing and able to die for his cause holding his own no matter what the odds and also having the wherewithal to take a lot of Russians with him. The Chechen NOT only possessing a religious inspiration but an intense personal animus toward the Russian one and all that goes back a long way.

To be continued!

 coolbert.

Chechnya I.

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Ruins! 

"Reinstating Constitutional Order" 

Here begins a serial, extracts of images with commentary, the Battle of Grozny, the First Chechen War, 1994. Thanks in all cases to the web site EnglishRussia.

Grozny a modern city of about a half-million persons [1994] large portions laid waste in a manner as not seen in a European model city in almost a fifty year period. Scenes as might have been witnessed in Stalingrad [1942 or Berlin [1945].

The Russian author Vyacheslav Mironov  describing the events as transpired in Grozny [1994]: "Assault on Grozny Downtown" the first chapter alone highly recommended without qualification!! These images best understood within the context of the situation as described by Mironov, "Assault" someday to be considered [if not already] a classic!

My original blog entry "Grozny" for some reason or combination of reasons having astronomically more views than any other blog entry, Military Analysis or Military Thoughts.

This modern looking building appears to be heavily damaged, so much so that demolition and rebuilding of a new structure is the apparent only cost effective option? A proper urban combat technique for assaulting this type of building would be to land troops on the roof via helicopter and have them assault DOWNWARD from the top floor to ground level, clearing each room and floor as they go. Those large open space surrounding the building make an infantry attack from ground level very difficult unless supporting fire from big-bore or rapid-fire cannon available!

Words alone cannot express! That woman presumably has salvaged some belongings from what used to be her residence? This is the type of thing as might have been witnessed at Hiroshima [1945]?

This does have the appearance of what the aftermath of a nuclear attack would look like! Thermobaric weaponry was used extensively by the Russian in Grozny?

This type of scene is reminiscent what one sees when slum clearance is done with a crane and wrecker ball smashing a building to bits. The proverbial sledgehammer was used to crack open the eggshell in Grozny?

Once more with perspective and depth the ruins of Grozny in the aftermath of battle extending far into the distance, not localized, damage seemingly total and ubiquitous, almost never ending, nothing left unscathed.

To be continued! 

 coolbert.

Lili Marleen.

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"Surely the favourite song of soldiers during World War II"

Indeed, "Lili Marleen became the unofficial anthem of the foot soldiers of both forces [allied and Axis] in the war." THE FAVORITE SONG AND UNOFFICIAL ANTHEM  OF ALL SOLDIERS REGARDLESS OF SIDE DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR!

"Original German lyrics from a poem The Song of a Young Sentry by World War I German soldier, Hans Leip . . . who wrote these verses before going to the Russian front in 1915, combining the name of his girlfriend, Lili (the daughter of a grocer), with that of a friend's girlfriend or by a wave given to Leip, while he was on sentry duty, by a young nurse named 'Marleen' as she disappeared into the evening fog."

"His poem was later published in a collection of his poetry in 1937." AND "The poems caught the attention of Norbert Schultze . . . who set this poem to music in 1938."

"General Feldmarschall Rommel liked the song and asked Radio Belgrade to incorporate the song into their [Radio Belgrade] broadcasts, which they did. The song soon became the signature of the broadcast and was played at 9:55 pm, just before sign-off."

From the official Lili Marleen web site you can hear and SAVE for free if you want all the various renditions of "Lili Marleen" in a whole bunch of languages, very well done. Some of the recordings albeit scratchy probably "ripped" as they say from old-time 78 RPM records.

"The Official Lili Marleen Page"

The girl under the lamp post it might be suggested in some quarters having a negative connotation?

Listen and enjoy!!

coolbert.

Depth Command!

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 More from the DEBKAfile on the Israeli air strike that Khartoum Sudan munitions factory destroyed:

  October 24, 2012 Briefs:

"The bombed Sudanese factory made Shehabs - - DEBKAfile Exclusive Report"

"24 Oct. The Yarmouk Complex near Khartoum, which was bombed Wednesday, Oct. 24, by four fighter-bombers, recently began manufacturing Iranian ballistic surface-to-surface Shehab missiles . . . If the Israeli air force was responsible it would have demonstrated the ability to cover 1,800-1,900 kilometers to reach the Sudanese arms factory, which is farther than the 1,600 kilometers to the Iranian underground enrichment site of Fordo, while refueling in flight."

This IS the Israeli "depth command" at work the air strike also SERVING AS A WARNING TO THE IRANIAN THAT GLOBAL REACH [?] IS NOT ONLY A POSSIBLE BUT IS A NOW!!

Missiles as reputedly [according to DEBKA] manufactured at the Khartoum facility of the Shahab family, the Shahab-3 for instance?

"The Shahab 3 is a medium range, liquid-propellant, road-mobile ballistic missile. The Shahab 3 represents Iran's first successful attempt to acquire medium range ballistic missile that give Iran the capability to threaten targets (like Israel) which lie beyond Iran's immediate borders."

Khartoum today, Fordo tomorrow?

coolbert.

Robert & Brent!

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Yet one more instance of American airmen comporting themselves with great courage.

The story of Robert Hymel and Brent Diefenbach.

Hymel tragically losing his life at the Pentagon on 9/11, almost miraculously so surviving the crash of his B-52 bomber during the Vietnam War. Rescued by another pilot risking his own life in a manner way beyond the call of duty

Robert Joseph Hymel - - Lieutenant Colonel, Unted States Air Force.

"Hymel was a B-52 co-pilot during the Vietnam War. In December 1972, his plane was hit by a missile over Hanoi. When the crew tried to land the plane, it pulled sharply to the left. On a second attempt, the B-52 'fell out of the sky,' Pat Hymel said. Hymel was pulled from the plane. He was just 20 feet away when it burst into flames. He suffered from collapsed lungs and a crushed arm. Last rites were administered . . . Three members of the five-man crew perished. Hymel was awarded the Purple Heart."

That fellow rescuing airman Brent Diefenbach only casually at the scene, his impulsive and quick reaction perhaps EVEN FOOLHARDY AND AGAINST ALL STANDING ORDERS AND OPERATING PROCEDURES UNDOUBTEDLY SAVING THE LIFE OF HYMEL!!

"Captain Brent Diefenbach, a B-52 pilot on the ground, watched as the plane pitched up and then fell to the ground, exploding in flames. 'Nobody survived that one -- that's what I thought,' said Diefenbach . . .. Diefenbach raced to the scene, running through tall elephant grass to the inferno, arriving before rescue crews. To his shock, he heard a faint call for help. It was Bob Hymel."

"'He was so stuck in there, it was just a mess,' Diefenbach said. 'Things were blowing up, and it was time to go.' Diefenbach managed to cut Hymel loose and drag him to safety. Four crew members died."

And now for the rest of the story and thanks for the tip from an acknowledged aviation expert. Brent risking his own life again perhaps in a foolhardy manner NONETHELESS SAVING THE LIFE OF ROBERT HYMEL, NOTHING ELSE IN THAT ABSOLUTE INSTANT SUFFICING.

"a pilot [Diefenbach] in a crew bus on base at U-Tapao Air Base Thailand] left that bus, jumped through the fence surrounding the base (definitely against orders!), allegedly went through a minefield (a good reason for obeying those standing orders about departing the base from anywhere but the controlled exits), and went through a lot of effort to rescue one pilot in a burning B-52 crashed just off base."

And now you know the rest of the story!

coolbert.

Khartoum.

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As reported in the Sheldon Adelson newspaper Israel HaYom only today:

"Sudan threatens Israel after Khartoum arms factory hit"

Those key points:

"Sudanese information minister: Four Israeli aircraft evaded our radars and hit Yarmouk Military Complex before dawn, setting off huge explosions and fire that killed two people • Sudanese opposition: Weapons factory belonged to Iran's Revolutionary Guard • Israel: No comment • U.S. Embassy in Khartoum reportedly closed just after the attack."

Israeli warplanes on a long-range mission far from home strike and destroy a munitions factory in Khartoum?

A factory as reported: "Weapons factory belonged to Iran's Revolutionary Guard". A factory either producing or acting as a transshipment point for Gaza bound armaments.

Israel and Sudan last at loggerheads in 2009. A munitions convoy at that time attacked and destroyed?

This is too an action of the recently activated "depth command". Israel NOW and perhaps for some time has a global reach and a capability not to be underestimated?

Incidentally Sheldon Adelson is the sixth richest man in the world and distributes his newspaper for FREE!

coolbert.

Airmen!

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American combat aviators during the Vietnam War saving the lives of their fellow airmen, remarkable piloting skills and daring indicative of a flying ability way beyond normal, valor and comportment of the highest possible measure.

1. Maj. Bernard R Fisher saving the life and limb of fellow Skyraider and airman Maj. Dafford W. "Jump" Myers. The Battle of A Shau.

"Uncommon Gallantry"

"He couldn't just leave the downed airman in the middle of the fierce battle for A Shau."

"Myers' aircraft had been hit over the camp and caught fire. Too low to bailout, Myers crash-landed his aircraft on the small airstrip at the Special Forces camp and ran to cover alongside the runway. Knowing that his wingman would be captured or killed before a rescue helicopter could arrive, Fisher landed his A-1E on the heavily damaged runway. As other Skyraiders provided cover, Myers jumped into Fisher's aircraft and they escaped amid heavy small arms fire."

"On Jan. 19, 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson presented Major Fisher the first Medal of Honor to be awarded to an Air Force officer during the Vietnam War".

2. Thanks to Gathering of Eagles "Bob" Pardo" flying an F-4 Phantom in the skies over North Vietnam coming to the rescue of a fellow aviator out of fuel and engine "flamed out", "Bob" able to "push" with his own aircraft the warplane of his compatriot to safety:

"On 10 March 1967, while flying over North Vietnam, the F-4s of Pardo and his wingman were hit by enemy fire. Out of fuel, the wingman's aircraft flamed out. With his badly damaged aircraft, Pardo decided to "push" the other plane to safety, wedging his wingman's tailhook in front of his windscreen. When Pardo's left engine caught fire, he shut it down and continued to "push" on one engine. Over Laos, all four crewmembers ejected and were safely recovered."

Men before machines. Machines replaceable the men NOT!!

Bernard Fisher awarded the Medal of Honor[MoH] for his heroics, "Bob" Pardo decorated with a Silver Star.

During the Vietnam War there was mild criticism of the manner with which the MoH was given out. Far TOO MANY MoH were being awarded it was suggested. And to this I say poppycock. A Shau was a battle merely one example of the type of desperate combat as often was the case during that war. A Special Forces camp in dire circumstances, attack by overwhelming numbers of the enemy, actions taken by the American and South Vietnamese defenders quite often producing a lot of heroics. Reactions in response to extreme circumstances often resulting in extreme courage and bravery. As was the case with Bernard Fisher.

coolbert.

Amerine & Rudel.

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From the Chicago Tribune of yesterday:

"FOCUS HONORING AMERICA'S HEROES"

As recounted in the article:

"One veteran's heroic quest"

An American Marine Corps pilot [Richard Averine] during the Second World War [WW2] shot down in mortal combat over the island of Guadalcanal parachuting to the ground, his ordeal of repatriation to safety described:

"Shot down over Guadalcanal in 1942, American Swam three miles to a Japanese-held shoreline. He spent the next six days, barefoot and unarmed, trying to reach an American airfield. Confront by a Japanese soldier, American killed him with a rock and took his weapon. he shot death three Japanese snipers who hunted him through the woods. He finally reached the airfield, battered and starving."

Surrender or capture was NOT AN OPTION! Would have probably meant cruel torture and possibly death by beheading!!

HEROICS for which Richard Averine was awarded the Silver Star, and most justly so, no doubt about that.

This feat of daring by Richard Averine having few equals? Recall the similar events, the shoot-down, pursuit and repatriation of the German combat aviator Hans Ulrich Rudel. A man with a price on his head, escaping his Soviet pursuers surrender or capture also NOT AN OPTION!

From the wiki entry for Hans Ulrich the autobiography of the man [Hans] suggests an evasion of Soviet pursuers on an almost Biblical scale, unequalled:

 "According to his [Hans] autobiography, on one occasion, after trying a landing to rescue two downed novice Stuka crewmen and then not being able to take off again due to the muddy conditions, he and his three companions, while being chased for 6 km by Soviet soldiers, made their way down a steep cliff by sliding down trees, then swam 600 meters across the icy Dniester river, during which his rear gunner . . . succumbed to the cold water and drowned. Several miles further towards the German lines, the three survivors were then captured by Soviets, but Rudel, knowing there was a bounty on his head, again made a run for it. Despite being barefoot and in soaking clothes, getting shot in his shoulder, and being hunted by several hundred pursuers with dog packs, he eventually managed to make his way back to his own lines." [having to cover several tens of kilometers to reach safety Rudel it should be noted an athlete of potential Olympic caliber.]

The military heroics and battlefield [in the air] achievements of Hans Ulrich so great that the German actually had to create a special medal and decoration just for him, nothing further would suffice!!

 Richard and Hans two peas from the same pod!!

 coolbert.

Hellfire!

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"Hellfire continues to evolve."

"Hella Lotta Hellfires"

Thanks to StrategyPage more info on the upgraded and improved Hellfire missile. That weapon of choice as mounted on American UAV, whatever the type.! Those drones now wreaking havoc with the villains in Afghan and in the safe-haven so-called areas of Pakistan and greatly feared.

Hellfire available originally only carrying the HEAT [high explosive anti-tank[ round and now capable of carrying a fragmentation or thermobaric warhead.

AND ALSO SIGNIFICANTLY GREATLY IMPROVED WITH REGARD TO ACCURACY!

"The missiles now have the ability to go after targets directly below or behind the aircraft firing it. This solves a particular problem with UAVs, because the vidcam on board can spot targets directly below or even behind the aircraft while the Hellfire was designed to only go after targets in front of it. This Hellfire mod accomplished all this with a multifunction guidance system. Guidance system upgrades have made the missile more accurate against moving targets."

That cost to fire one Hellfire in either battle or training just astronomical! $100,000 per shot! Compare that decades ago the firing of one round from a Chieftain main battle tank cost about $3,000. NO ONE ever said war or the military was CHEAP!

"The U.S. has ordered up to another 24,000 Hellfire II missiles, to be delivered over the next two years as needed. Some of these will go to foreign customers. AGM-114R Hellfire missiles cost nearly $100,000 each. These are the most frequently used American missile these days, with over 14,000 fired in training or (mostly) combat since 2001."

Hellfire has been, is now, and will be for some time in the future the missile that CAN DO!

coolbert.

ASTOR.

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You have to wonder about this one.

The ASTOR. Anti-submarine torpedo. From the period in recent military history when nuclear war was thought to be not only probable but also high likely.

American nuclear equipped torpedo THE DETONATION OF WHICH WOULD DESTROY BOTH THE FRIENDLY AND HOSTILE AT THE SAME TIME!!

"The Mark 45 anti-submarine torpedo, a.k.a. ASTOR, was a submarine-launched wire-guided nuclear torpedo designed by the United States Navy for use against high-speed, deep-diving, enemy submarines . . . The blast radius from the nuclear warhead was greater than the ASTOR's range, and it was assumed that firing the torpedo would cause the destruction of both the attacking and target submarines."

"When fitted with the W34 warhead, ASTOR was considered to have a kill probability of 2 (or 'Him and Me'), because the underwater blast radius was greater than the standard range of the torpedo."

Back when it was all the rage to devise and deploy to the field [under the ocean too] nuclear weapons, ASTOR was seen as an inevitable development?

Taken out of the inventory long ago [as have been many other nuclear weapons and warheads] BETTER and easier ways of dealing with the opposition having been found conventional in nature and FAR LESS LETHAL to the friendly.

coolbert.

Marines!

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Thanks to the New Duranty Times [New York Times] we have a story with slide show, those most aspiring young officers of the U.S. Marine Corps in qualification and schooling for the position of infantry officer, platoon leader.

That one "job" as described by Eisenhower as: "the most difficult job in the world!!" That so obviously  during a time of war!

A course NOW that will be open to women!

"A Grueling Course for Training Marine Officers Will Open Its Doors to Women"

"The 86-day course, which meets four times a year, is called the corps’ most grueling school by its instructors and is intended to screen and train potential infantry officers. Its students are volunteers selected from lieutenants who have completed Officer Candidates School and the six-month Basic Officer Course, which trains all Marine lieutenants to lead provisional infantry platoons and in leadership, tactics, fitness and weapons"

[slide show is quite good!]

Some clarification is needed here. These candidates are ALREADY officers. NOW are in "school" to become qualified as an infantry officer. NOT merely an officer by Marine standards but much more than that. Qualifications and standards not diminished from past time I might suppose.

Some of those candidates graduates too from the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis. Graduates able to seek commissions as Marine officers having acquired a degree of military experience and KNOWING FULL WELL what is in store for them as Marine infantry officer.

It takes a certain type of personality to put yourself through such a grueling ordeal as this "86-day course" must entail, expectations from your instructors are high and with good reason. That "most difficult job" requires the best of persons.

coolbert.

Okinawa.

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The American military man behaving badly!!

Once again it has happened. And it cannot be dismissed even in the slightest manner.

An Okinawan woman attacked, raped, robbed, left injured.

American servicemen accused and evidently one CONFESSING!!

"U.S. troops in Okinawa on curfew after arrests in rape case"

"Washington (CNN) -- U.S. troops in Okinawa will now be on curfew after the arrest of two U.S. sailors accused of raping a local woman, the commander of U.S. forces in Japan said Friday."

"The two men [the accused rapists], both 23, are alleged to have raped a Japanese woman early Tuesday, leaving her with a neck injury, police said. They were taken into custody later that day."

This sort of seemly event not existing in a vacuum. Hardly!! Only two months ago a similar attack taking place!!

"The alleged attack took place two months after a U.S. Marine was arrested, accused of assaulting and molesting a woman in Naha, the capital of Okinawa."

It matters not that an Okinawan is six times more likely to be assaulted and attacked by a fellow Japanese than from an American military man. Such attacks and "incidents" do no one any good and result only in bad!!

I can tell you also with almost metaphysical absolute certitude that these men [the alleged rapists] on temporary duty [TDY] thought they could take advantage of a situation, commit the evil deed and be gone before the hue and cry was raised, the villains making good their escape!!

I fear too that in this instance there IS A RACIAL DIMENSION ONLY EXACERBATING THE SITUATION WHICH CANNOT BE IGNORED!!

coolbert.

Eurocopter X3.

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Here is the alternative to the Osprey? NOT exactly so. NOT having that heavy lift capability AND ONLY in the experimental stage but a hybrid aircraft able to function much as either a conventional fixed OR rotary wing airplane!

The Eurocopter X3. 

"Record-setting X3 Helicopter Shows Off at Paris Air Show"

"Paris: It's a helicopter, but it's not ungainly. It's a helicopter, but it has two forward-facing propellers. It's a helicopter but it flies as fast as some planes."

"It is the X3, a very high-speed helicopter built by European defense giant EADS. It's already set one speed record, zooming at 279.6 miles per hour (232 knots or 450 km per hour)."

"The X3 . . . equipped with two turboshaft engines that power a five-blade main rotor system and two propellers which are installed on short-span fixed wings . . . offering the speed of a turboprop-powered aircraft and the full hover flight capabilities of a helicopter."

The hybrid. A rotary wing allowing for vertical take off and landing but able to move forward at high speed using those turbo engines.

The X3 NOT having a heavy lift capability as does the Osprey OR even yet contemplated in the military version. ONLY civilian applications envisioned for the X3 at this time.

Something not right here? As with the Osprey, those engine blades port and starboard a danger when the bird hovering and close to the ground, a pilot when in distress from tilt and side-to-side wobble over-compensating with possible disastrous consequences?

coolbert.

Osprey!

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The deployment of six Osprey [a company?] tilt-rotor aircraft has created a stir both in Japan and the United States.

"U.S. Sends Aircraft to Okinawa, Despite Fierce Opposition"

"TOKYO — The United States military sent the first batch of a sophisticated but accident-plagued new aircraft to an air base on Okinawa on Monday,"

"The first six of the MV-22 Osprey aircraft arrived at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, the Japanese Defense Ministry said. It said another six of the ungainly-looking aircraft were due to arrive this week at the base, in the center of the crowded city of Ginowan."

Osprey tilt-rotor transport aircraft being deployed to Okinawa. The Osprey not having a good reputation, being perceived as prone to accidents and catastrophic crash!

Osprey however having done a tour of duty in Iraq for one year, an entire battalion [18 birds] and emerging with honor, unscathed. I would imagine unscathed, as THE INTERNATIONAL AND AMERICAN MEDIA WOULD HAVE RAISED HOLY TERROR IF AND WHEN A CRASH HAD OCCURRED!!

Those concerns of the Okinawans NOT TOTALLY UNJUSTIFIED!! 

That Marine air base built originally in 1945 CONSTRUCTED ON THE RUBBLE OF DESTROYED VILLAGES AND SURROUNDED BY FARMLAND IS NOW AND HAS BEEN FOR SOME TIME  100 % TOTALLY SMACK-DAB IN THE CENTER OF WHAT IS NOW A RESIDENTIAL AREA!! GINOWAN CITY!!

"Futenma Airfield was constructed by the US military following the Battle of Okinawa in 1945. It was built partly on the ruins of the villages of Aragusuku, Ginowan, Kiyuna and Isa, and entirely over the village of Kamiyama and surrounding farmland."

Marine Air Station Futenma right in the center of Ginowan City. In 1945 all that residential area did NOT exist!

Fears of the Okinawan people and especially those residents of Ginowan City not unfounded, one of those Osprey to go down might very well kill a lot of folks and do a lot of damage.

For a period of DECADES this airfield has been a subject of controversy. And the Osprey hardly ameliorate the situation. Hope and pray, keep your fingers crossed, the attitude and atmosphere is already bad enough.

coolbert.

Bullfinch.

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Those Russian masters of the poetic elegy Derzhavin [1800] and Brodsky [1974] on the passing of Suvorov [1800] and Zhukov [1974].

Russian masters of the written word memorializing those Russian masters of the military art.

First from Derzhavin:

"The Bullfinch"  by Gavrila Romanovich Derzhavin - - May 1800

"Why do you strike up song military
Fife-like, o, bullfinch, my friend?
Who'll take the lead in our fight with Hell's forces?
Who will command us? What Hercules?
Where is Suvorov, strong, swift and fearless?
Now Northern thunder lies dead in the grave."

"Who will ride fiery, ahead of the legions,
Nag for a steed, and crusts for meal,
Temper his sword in the heat and in ice storms,
Sleep on straw pallets, labor 'til dawn,
Bring down the armies, the walls and the forts
With but a handful of stout Russian men?"

"Who will excel in unwavering courage,
Conquering fate with a prayer and with faith,
Evil with bayonets, envy with jests?
Capturing scepters, remaining a slave,
Who will keep striving for valor alone,
Live for our Tsars, while consuming himself?"

"Glorious heroes like this one are gone now
Bullfinch cease singing your songs military!
Music of war brings us no more enjoyment.
Sad laments everywhere sound from the lyres:
Heart of a lion and wings of an eagle
Now and forever gone-how will we fight?"

Second from Brodsky:

"ON THE DEATH OF ZHUKOV" - - Joseph Brodsky 1974.

"Columns of grandsons, stiff at attention;
gun carriage, coffin, riderless horse.
Wind brings no sound of their glorious Russian
trumpets, their weeping trumpets of war.
Splendid regalia deck out the corpse:
thundering Zhukov rolls toward death’s mansion."

"As a commander, making walls crumble,
he held a sword less sharp than his foe’s.
Brilliant maneuvers across Volga flatlands
found him, like Pompey, fallen and humbled–
like Belisarius banned and disgraced."

"How much dark blood, soldier’s blood did he spill then
on alien fields? Did he weep for his men?
As he lay dying, did he recall them–
swathed in white sheets at the end?"

"He gives no answer. What will he tell them,
meeting in hell? 'We were fighting to win.'”

"Zhukov’s right arm, which once was enlisted
in a just cause, will battle no more.
Sleep! Russian history holds, as is fitting,
space for the exploits of those who, though bold,
marching triumphant through foreign cities,
trembled in terror when they came home."

"Marshal! These words will be swallowed by Lethe,
utterly lost, like your rough soldier boots.
Still, take this tribute, though it is little,
to one who somehow–here I speak truth
plain and aloud–has saved our embattled
homeland. Drum, beat! And shriek out, bullfinch fife!"

Speaking of poetry and literature, anyone know of a translation available  in English from Balzac: "The Kalmyks in Paris"? Balzac having witnessed the arrival in Paris of those Russian military contingents of  Kalmyks [1814?] COMPLETE WITH CAMELS AS BEASTS OF BURDENS!!

coolbert.

FROG.

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The MOST?

After fifty years the classified personal records and paper of Robert Kennedy now de-classified. Those items regarding the Cuban missile crisis:

"50 years after Cuban missile crisis: closer than you thought to World War III"

"Fifty years after the Cuban missile crisis, many people find it hard to believe that the confrontation could have pushed the US and Soviet Union to nuclear war. Robert F. Kennedy’s newly released papers remind us why this was the most dangerous moment in recorded history."

"Had the United States launched an airstrike and invaded Cuba, the Soviet commander on the scene would almost certainly have responded with about 100 tactical nuclear weapons under his control – tactical nuclear weapons JFK did not even know were on the island."

Tactical nuclear weapons as would have been delivered by FROG rockets. [Free Rocket Over Ground]   The FROG AND nuclear warheads associated with same AN UNKNOWN TO AMERICAN INTELLIGENCE AND U.S. MILITARY PLANNERS?   Evidently this was so. 

 Also, an invasion of Cuba to be preceded by a biological attack on the ENTIRE ISLAND OF CUBA, AMERICAN AIRCRAFT SPRAYING A BIOLOGICAL WARFARE COCKTAIL OF GERMS NOT TO KILL BUT TO INCAPACITATE MUCH OF THE CUBAN POPULATION BEYOND THAT OF THE MILITARY!!

 ABOUT 70,000 PERSONS PERISHING OF THE NON-LETHAL GERMS [NON-LETHAL TO PERSONS HALE AND HEARTY], BACTERIA CAUSING ILLNESS AND DEATH IN THE ELDERLY AND THOSE INDIVIDUALS HAVING DIMINISHED [FROM WHATEVER REASON] IMMUNE SYSTEMS!!

AND what EXACTLY WAS THE INTENTION OF THE SOVIET during the Cuban missile crisis? For this I have never read an adequate well reasoned and rational explanation. That move of the most potent Soviet striking force [intermediate range ballistic missiles] equipped with nuclear weapons, 80 % of your capability within 90 miles of your foremost adversary AND moved 6,000 miles IN TOTAL SECRET,  seems to indicate WHAT?

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Swiss.

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"The Swiss make the best soldiers, most reliable, most dependable" - - Napoleon.

STABILO DUE.

The Swiss and their ways. Thanks to the Lew Rockwell web site we have this latest info courtesy of
 Robert Wenzel:

"What's Behind the Swiss Gearing Up for Major Unrest Through Out Europe?"

That Swiss military preparing for possible unrest the European Community and the Union "dissolving" presumably from economic pressures fostering a societal breakdown that will result in widespread chaos and a movement of people on a massive and uncontrollable scale, threatening the serenity, order and prosperity of the Swiss in their mountain fastness.

I had seen vague references to this sort of preparedness on other web sites, but this description is more complete and accurate.

A Greek monetary collapse followed by an Italian monetary collapse, followed by an Irish monetary collapes and the whole EU goes down the tubes in record time, every man [nation] for themselves.

"Do the Swiss know something the rest of us don’t?"

"Ueli Maurer, the Swiss defense minister, has been making coy statements about the European crisis getting ugly – as in really ugly, like needing armed troops to deal with it."

"the Swiss can call up over 200,000 trained troops"

The Swiss military having a small cadre of professional full-time soldiers well trained and prepared backed up by a very much larger contingent of reservists, also well trained and doing refresher training on a regular basis, all prepared and ready for all and any contingencies. DEFENSE of the Swiss homeland against outside aggression whatever form that aggression may assume.

"Swiss military exercises in September [2012], called STABILO DUE, were based on EU instability getting out of hand . . . they certainly don’t want EU problems spilling over into their peaceful little country. That the Swiss military is adding four new military police battalions to the army, to be spread around the country, indicates that the threat they have in mind is more disorder and chaos than actual invasion."

The Swiss living among and surrounded by their beloved mountains have the ability to stop and thwart invasion by roving and destructive bands and groups of pillagers and refugees seek asylum from chaos and instability. Able to control the egress in a manner few other nations can do, and have in addition the physical and mental wherewithal and DETERMINATION TO DO SO!

AND ARE NOT WAITING FOR EVENTS TO TRANSPIRE! ARE PREPARING AND READY - - NOW!!

coolbert.

Flame.

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"Most probably its development was inspired by the Sino-Soviet border conflict of the late 1960s, as well as initial experience with several US automatic grenade launchers, learned from Vietnamese troops who were often on the receiving end of these weapons."

It being the Soviet AGS-17 automatic grenade launcher. An AUTOMATIC WEAPON firing a 30 mm grenade.

Those "several US automatic grenade launchers" including the fire team M79 weapon, firing a 40 mm  round, there also being a hand-cranked version found on the Huey Cobra attack helicopter. That hand-cranked variety replaced by an automatic capable weapon subsequently.

The round as fired by the M79 deadly and gaining a lot of respect from the communist adversary in Vietnam. That grenade having a range far beyond the capacity of the hand-grown "pineapple" and not a whole lot less lethality that the mortar bomb as fired from a 60 mm mortar. 

"First widely used in Vietnam, the M79 turned to be a complete success. Reliable and quite accurate in the hands of a trained operators, it provided extremely mobile firepower to smallest of the infantry units [one operator per five man fire team]."

The AGS-17 an obvious [?] Soviet response to American innovative and imaginative weapons design?

"The AGS-17 Plamya (Russian: Flame) is a Soviet-designed automatic grenade launcher currently in production in the Russian Federation and in service worldwide."

"The AGS-17 is a heavy infantry support weapon designed to operate from a tripod or it can be mounted on an installation or vehicle. The AGS-17 fires 30 mm grenades in either direct or indirect fire to provide suppressive and lethal fire support against soft skinned or fortification targets."

"Development of the AGS-17 . . . has been started USSR during in 1967"

"First prototypes of new weapon entered trials in 1969, and mass production commenced in 1971"

Indeed, it can even be speculated that the Soviets saw a drastic need for such a weapon, fire support at the company level THOSE TROOPS ON THEM BORDER WITH CHINA IN PARTICULAR REQUIRING ORGANIC FIREPOWER CAPABLE OF DEALING WITH MASSED FORMATIONS OF ATTACKING CHINESE INFANTRY, OVERWHELMING IN NUMBERS?

This image shows a Soviet Border Guard troop [KGB] equipped with what seems to be a prototype of the AGS-17. Guarding the border between the Soviet Union and China, 1969, the Ussuri river, during those repeated clashes between Soviet troops and the Chinese adversary. At least by 1969 the AGS-17 already in the Soviet arsenal and deployed?

"It was thought that an automatic grenade launcher would be one of the most effective infantry support weapons against typical Chinese 'human wave' attacks.'"

Massed "human wave" attacks of the type used by the Chinese as encountered by the American forces in Korea having a counter and that being the automatic grenade launcher? Evidently the Soviet must have agreed with this appraisal?

coolbert.

Harris.

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An update on the man, Yongda Harris taken into custody at the Los Angeles airport [LAX] in his possession having an odd and troubling assortment of weaponry and gadgets.

Yongda not being cooperative is it reported, a naturalized American citizen en route to Boston!

"Fantasy Rape, Terror Tactic Writings Found in Luggage of Bulletproof Vest-Clad Man Arrested at LAX"

That complete list of contraband on the very person of Yongda and in  both the checked and carry-on baggage:

"U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers became immediately alarmed when they spotted the U.S. citizen of Chinese descent walking through LAX clad in a bulletproof vest (which turned out to be a Chinese-made knockoff), flame retardant pants and a trench coat. Upon secondary inspection, they discovered the following items in his checked and carry-on luggage: body bags, biohazard suits, a pyrotechnic smoke grenade, three leather-coated billy clubs, a collapsible baton, a full-face respirator, various knives, a hatchet, handcuffs, leg irons, oven mitts, cooking tongs and a device to repel dogs."

"KTLA reports that 'investigators found Japanese fantasy rape writings, pornography and a copy of the 'Poor Man's James Bond,' a popular text among dissidents and anarchists that has exhaustive information on the use of terror tactic.'" AND sex paraphernalia sometimes referred to as TOYS!

Yongda was NOT a serious threat and is the wannabee James Bond and nothing more than that? The Walter Mitty complex and a very overactive imagination so relax everyone!

Yongda had better start cooperating very quickly and do some good explaining! His situation is already very serious beyond what he probably ever contemplated.

coolbert.

Cornflower.

This is coolbert:

Here is the automatic mortar that the defector Suvorov speaks so highly of.

Vasilek. Cornflower.

"The 2B9 Vasilek (Cornflower) is an automatic 82 mm gun-mortar developed in the Soviet Union in the 1970s and subsequently fielded in the Soviet Army. Unlike conventional mortars, the 2B9 can fire in automatic mode using four-round clips, and rounds can be loaded from either the muzzle or the breech. Because of its wheeled carriage, the 2B9 resembles a light artillery piece more than a conventional mortar."

Automatic mode using the four-round clip breech loaded. AND uniquely so [?] this mortar "loaded from either the muzzle or the breech"

Comes in either a towed or self-propelled. ONLY the Soviet first and NOW the Russian has such an automatic mortar?

I am curious to knowalso if this a cast-iron smooth bore mortar firing a cast iron mortar bomb.

Cast iron mortars smooth-bore firing a cast iron mortar bomb favored by the Soviet and now [?] the Russian also!

You can build more of the cast-iron version mortar cheaper, quicker, more simpler. That cast-iron mortar bomb too splinters in such a fashion on detonation as to produce a more deadly and crippling wound, harder to treat.

The Soviet model allowing for the battlefield to be proliferated with a profusion of these mortars, firing a prodigious amount of rounds [mortar bombs what they are called almost every but in the U.S.] that amount of noise, blast and flying fragments terrifying if nothing else.

With regard to mortars the comments of the Soviet spetsnaz lieutenant that served with distinction in Afghan are most germane:

"Actually I didn’t see anything better then Soviet weapon but those [American] mortars. They were much lighter then ours, the mines [rounds] for them were packed without any grease, we didn’t need to wipe them dry, as we had to do ours"

The Soviet cast-iron mortar and the cast-iron mortar bombs needing a constant coating of grease like preservative to prevent rusting, rounds and the inside of the tube requiring a "wiping down" prior to firing.

Cast-iron yesterday and today, alloy tomorrow? I cannot say. A devoted reader to the blog knows the answer?

coolbert.

Trial Run?

This is coolbert:

From the Chicago Tribune today "World Briefing"

In entirety:

"Air traveler with knives, body bags charged in LA"

"A man who arrived in Los Angeles on a flight from Japan wearing a bulletproof vest and flame retardant pants has been charged with transporting dangerous materials, authorities said Tuesday."

"Yongda Huang Harris, who was arrested Friday, was transporting assorted weapons, bio hazard suits and body bags in his carry-on luggage, authorities say. The search also turned up billy clubs, a full-face respirator [gas mask], knives, a hatchet, handcuffs and leg irons, authorities said."

Yongda will have a lot of explaining to do? And this was all about? A dress rehearsal and recon mission to see what and what not can get through security?

That flight DEPARTING from an airport external to the American TSA system hijacked and then used to attack an American target within U.S. continental airspace?

This name of Yongda Harris does not have a correct "ring" to it either. Something very fishy here and smells. But what? The gadfly trying to demonstrate security does not work? OR other and more sinister motivations and machinations of an unseemly nature can be attributed?

coolbert.

Hyunmoo.

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The MoU [Memorandum of Understanding] has been modified. This was a minor item on the CNN cable news but caught my attention right away as you might have expected it would.

The American government and military giving the go-ahead to the South Koreans [Republic of Korea/ROK] for further enhanced ballistic missile capability.

That organic South Korean ballistic weaponry has existed for some time allowing for a deterrent/retaliatory counter minus atomic weaponry to the North Korean threat.

"South Korea says U.S. agrees to extend Seoul's ballistic missile range"

"Seoul, South Korea (CNN) -- South Korea announced Sunday that it reached a deal with the United States that allows Seoul to extend the range of its ballistic missiles, a move a senior security official says will deter military provocation from North Korea."

Longer range AND heavier payload!!

"The deal with Washington revised the range of Seoul's missiles from 300 kilometers (186 miles) to 800 kilometers (497 miles)"

"Under the amended pact, South Korea also can increase its current restricted payload of 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds), depending on the range of the missile"

This missile is of the Hyunmoo series. Appearances tell me this is a modified American Nike/Hercules that now functions NOT in the original surface-air mode [SAM] air defense capacity but NOW is a ballistic ground-ground weapon capable of some pretty precise accuracy and delivering on target a conventional payload of considerable destructive force.

Hyunmoo existing in a variety of missile types, ballistic and cruise both. Nike/Hercules when modified and carrying a high-explosive warhead with enhanced electronics capable and functional, adequate.

The ROK too also possessing I would have to think the scientific, engineering, technological, and manufacturing capacity to design in rapid order an indigenous ballistic missile design of formidable performance. ROK as well if the decision was made by Seoul ROK industry with ease [?] self-reliant and able to assemble a nuclear arsenal in quick order! This TOO is a possible?

North Korea and Kim NOT alone in being able to present to the world a WMD potentiality. ROK now in the top ten economies in the world with assured self-confidence able and willing to take measures they see as necessary and with American approval and perhaps encouragement!

coolbert.

1 versus 43.

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From a Russian web site devoted to tanks and Soviet armor from the Second World War [WW2] some descriptions of the "monster" Soviet KV tank in action.

The "monster" TOTALLY ALMOST WITHOUT EXCEPTION TO GERMAN ANTI-TANK WEAPONS OF THE PERIOD, A SHOCK TO THE GERMAN FOR WHICH NO AMELIORATION SEEMED TO BE POSSIBLE, FOR EACH AND EVERY COUNTER-MEASURES TRIED NOT ONE EVEN REMOTELY SUCCEEDING!!

Translations from Russian to English not quite 100 % accurate but good enough, the web site article more or less copied in entirety my feeble attempts as a wordsmith not doing justice!!

"The monster at the road."

1. "On 23-24 June 1941 a single KV-2 of 2nd tank division conducted an armored road block in southern Lithuania (near Rassaynjay town), holding up the German advance. The Germans found themselves in a [lot of] trouble when they lost whole supply truck column. Numerous attacks including a battery of 50mm anti-tank guns (which were destroyed at 500m distance), Flak 88 (the Soviets allowed to mount this gun at 700m distance and then killed it) and an engineer unit attack all failed to silence the Russian tank. Artillery fire of 105mm howitzers achieved a hit to the track and the KV was partially immobilised. This heavy tank at the only road and surrounding swamps made German troops supply (with ammo, fuel and food) and wounded soldiers evacuation impossible. The Germans were forced to use such trick: 50(!) tanks imitated an attack, so it became possible to set another 88mm flak, which managed to eliminate the tank after two days it held up the advance of the entire 6th Panzer Division."

"The Stukas were not used because a commander not allowed an operation 'against one tank'".

"By the Germans' accounts, the crew could have escaped easily several times before the final attack, but the heroes always chooses own fate..."

2. "On 18 August 1941, an alone KV-1 (the number 864, the commander was lt.Kolobanov) was dug in and camouflaged near Krasnogvardeysk town (Leningrad area). The tank had an order to defend the road from Kinigsep. Four more KVs were ordered to defense two other roads. All tanks got double ammoloads, 2/3 of rounds were armor piercing. An offensive of 8th German panzer division was expected. Kolobanaov's KV had great hidden position in the woods on the hill, the crossroad located down there between swamps."

"In the next day German motorcycle recon troops, the halftrack and one light track passed by road. Five minutes later the expected big tank column appeared and filled the road. The 1st Soviet round flamed the head tank, after two more shots the 2nd tank was flamed too. Then Kolobanov opened fire on column's tail and flamed the last tank: the Germans were locked. They even couldn't note Soviet tank and opened no-target-fire. Tried to run, some tanks were immobilized in the swamp. The chaos established on the road. Soviet tankers killed 22 German tanks during 30 minutes. Then the KV was spotted by the Germans and they opened aimed fire. In spite of impossibility of German tank guns to penetrate thick KV's armor, knocking rounds made terrible working conditions for Soviet crew. One of German rounds struck the turret ring and the KV was forced to leave its trench and maneuver by whole hull for aim a target. Then the Soviets noted two German towed guns appeared on the crossroad. The first shell disabled one gun, but another gun managed to do one shot and damaged KV's periscope (the loader Kiselkov replaced it nevertheless the enemy fire). Than that gun was destroyed too. Also ammo was almost out, and Kolobanov got congratulations via the radio and an order to go back. Already three another KVs were on the way to the battlefield."

"There were destroyed 43 German tanks, 19 guns, 11 halftracks. Kolobanov's tank got 135 hits, but no [not] one penetration. Kolobanov was awarded with the Order of Lenin, Usov (gunner) with the Order of the Red Banner."

These KV tanks in both cases pre-positioned and taking advantage of the terrain. The German road-bound, swamps blocking maneuver, GERMAN ANTI-TANK WEAPONS INCAPABLE OF DAMAGING THE KV, THE MASSIVE GUN OF THE KV IN CONTRAST ABLE TO RANGE FREE DESTROYING WITH IMPUNITY ALL AND ANY GERMAN THREAT!!

ONLY those troops of the most resolute and determined type, even when equipped with superior equipment are able to hold their ground and fight under such circumstances. In this case, the Soviet soldier was more than able and willing!

coolbert.

Angel.

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Thanks to YNet after almost forty years some details from the declassified portions of the report [Agranat Commission] as done in the aftermath Yom Kippur/Ramadan war of 1973.

Israeli intelligence "asleep at the wheel" as the saying goes, not able to predict and anticipate the attack by Egyptian and Syrian forces, caught almost totally by surprise to the astonishment of everyone. General Zeira the commander of Israeli military intelligence [AMAN] found to be the "goat" THAT ONE PERSON MOST TO BLAME FOR FAILURE [followed closely by Gavish, General Gonen].

"Declassified documents reveal failures of Yom Kippur War"

"New testimonies from Agranat Commission reveal miscommunication, intelligence that fell between the cracks and lack of clear protocols led to major failings in days leading to Yom Kippur War"

IT BEING ALLEGED THAT VERY EXPLICIT AND FACTUAL INFORMATION PROVIDED AS TO THE DATE AND TIME OF THE ATTACK BEING PROVIDED BY AN ISRAELI AGENT [ANGEL] AND YET IGNORED!!

Israel intelligence not so totally "napping" and "asleep" as is generally understood. Various specific indicators indicating that war was imminent and noted by Mossad and AMAN both, but seemingly [?] ignored or downplayed. Indicators to include:

* The delivery of SCUD missiles to Egypt. Two weeks before the start of the war.

* The movement of Soviet families out of Egypt and Syria both. In that week prior to the start of the war.

It not being mentioned that for a period of YEARS prior to 6 October 1973 the Israeli subjected to and the victim of an elaborate and very effective DECEPTION PLAN! Bits of information in a deliberate manner "force fed" to AMAN and Mossad both in an effort to deceive that deception proving to be quite successful!

This ANGEL, believed to be a Mossad agent of the highest level and repute, now known [?] to be the Egyptian billionaire and son-in-law of Gamel Abdul Nasser [Nasser deceased by 1973] Ashraf Marwan!! Marwan ONLY FIVE YEARS AGO POSSIBLY A VICTIM OF DEFENESTRATION, FLUNG TO HIS DEATH!!

The field of intelligence is a difficult business and should be recognized and acknowledged as so! Analysts constantly receiving a flow of data and information TO INCLUDE DELIBERATE MISINFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE ADVERSARY THE INTENT OF WHICH IS TO DECEIVE!!

coolbert.

Foxbat?

This is coolbert:

The last time something like this occurred was over forty years ago?

Reconnaissance aircraft [a UAV in this instance] able to penetrate Israeli airspace while on an intelligence gathering mission. The UAV in this case not escaping but downed after being successfully tracked and intercepted.

The last such similar occurrence I can remember reading about was from the early [?] 1970's. Soviet MiG-25 Foxbat warplane, the Soviet Air Force reconnaissance version making a single high-speed pass at high altitude over Israel, the aircraft subsequently written off as scrap, the engines so heavily damaged. So is the lore and apocrypha.

Thanks to YNet the details:

1. "Downed drone: Iran testing Israel's capabilities"

"Unmanned aircraft shot down by F-16 jets in south Israel was apparently launched from Lebanon by Hezbollah, or perhaps even by the Iranians themselves"

2. "IAF shoots down suspicious aircraft in northern Negev"

"Unmanned, unidentified aircraft infiltrates Israeli airspace Saturday morning; IAF fighter jets intercept aircraft shortly thereafter; IDF: Aircraft did not depart from Gaza or carry explosives"

Drones [UAV] as used by Hezbollah not that totally unknown but not common. This is way beyond the capability of a drone as launched by Hezbollah given the range, the distance and path traveled, the reconnaissance type of UAV perhaps even providing real time data indicative of higher level sophistication and technology not normally associated with Hezbollah. Iran??

coolbert.

Brar.

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Well, you know this item would catch my attention right away.

Retired Indian general office Brar survives assassination attempt. Thanks to DNA of India and the tip from the Chicago Tribune.

Brar commanding the Indian Army troops that stormed [1984] the Goldern Temple of Amritsar, that most sacred site for those of the Sikh faith. In some quarters Brar hated and despised, and NOW, almost thirty years after the unfortunate events an attempt on the life of Brar not succeeding.

"How General Kuldip Singh Brar fought off London assassins"

"An Indian general stabbed in a London street used his military training to fight off attackers who were intent on killing him, he said yesterday (Tuesday)"

"Lieutenant General Kuldip Singh Brar claimed he was the victim of was a 'pure assassination attempt by Sikhs in revenge for his role in the 1984 Golden Temple siege."

"The 78 year-old is hated among Sikhs for leading the Indian army assault at Amritsar to break the siege by Sikh militants which left almost 500 civilians dead." [Brar it should be noted is himself a Sikh]

Amritsar historically the scene of repeated Sikh tragedy. Multiple incidents of slaughter and massacre to include:

* The Jallianwala Bagh massacre. [1919]

Those of you having seen the move "Gandhi" will remember this quite well. British Indian troops firing indiscriminately into a large number of demonstrators [Sikhs predominantly], hundreds killed, many more thousands wounded!!

"The Jallianwala Bagh massacre (also known as the Amritsar massacre), took place in the Jallianwala Bagh public garden in the northern Indian city of Amritsar on 13 April 1919."

O'Dwyer  that most senior British official having approved and endorsed the "action" of the British Indian army ALSO BEING ASSASSINATED TWENTY-ONE YEARS LATER!!

"Sir Michael Francis O'Dwyer, GCIE, KCSI was Lieutenant Governor of the Punjab in India from 1912 until 1919. O'Dwyer endorsed General Reginald Dyer's action regarding the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and termed it a 'correct action'"

"O'Dwyer, aged 75, was shot dead . . . on 13 March 1940, by a Sikh revolutionary, Udham Singh, in retaliation for Amritsar."

THE ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION OF GENERAL BRAR HAVING OBVIOUS PRECEDENT!

Also from a much earlier period the Sikh people sorely persecuted, their sacred site the Golden Temple desecrated and destroyed on repeated occasions, the local Muslim rulers of India and Islamic foreign invaders having a particularly strong animus directed against the Sikh. This period known as the "Sikh Holocaust". The brutal actions of the Muslim ruler Mir Mannu and the Afghan invader Shah Durrani most extreme and worthy of comment:

"His [Mir Mannu] first act as governor was to storm the Sikh fort at Amritsar, where 500 Sikhs had taken shelter. Mir Mannu then stationed detachments of troops in all parts of Punjab with any Sikh inhabitants with orders to capture them [Sikh] and shave their [Sikh] heads and beards."

"From the capital [Lahore], Durrani returned to Amritsar and blew up the Harimandir Sahib [the Golden Temple] which since 1757 the Sikhs had rebuilt. As an act of intended sacrilege, the pool around it was filled with cow carcasses."

The Sikh an ethnic group, religion and people that have totally embraced the warrior ethos two of those five symbols of the Sikh faith being long uncut hair and beards.

Repressive and draconian measures where ever and when ever applied have a bad tendency to begat retaliation THE SIKH IN PARTICULAR THEIR MEMORY VERY LONG!!

coolbert.

Stalemate!

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"I knew it was bad but not that bad" - - A. Lebed.

I was vaguely aware of Peleliu during the Second World War [WW2], but only that vaguely so and not aware of the significance thereof. A footnote to history now [?], but should not be.

That operation to capture Peleliu codenamed STALEMATE! If only the planners KNEW!

The Battle of Peleliu, codenamed Operation Stalemate II, was fought between the United States and the Empire of Japan in the Pacific Theater of World War II, from September–November 1944 on the island of "Peleliu, present-day Palau."

Two aspects of the combat unexpected and most troubling:

1. Very high casualty rate.

"Japan's well-crafted fortifications and stiff resistance . . .  the battle lasted over two months . . . and [produced a] . . . high casualty rate, which was the highest for U.S. military personnel of any battle in the Pacific War"

Worse than Tarawa, worse than Saipan, worse than Iwo Jima, worse than Okinawa. WORSE!

2. Newly developed Japanese defensive strategies and  techniques for opposing American island landing amphibious operations.

"the Imperial Army [Japanese] assembled a research team to develop a new island defense strategy. They chose to abandon the old tactic of stopping the enemy at the beach. The new strategy would only disrupt the landings at the waters edge and depend on an indepth defense farther inland . . . The old tactic of the banzai charge was also discontinued as wasteful of men and ineffective. These two strategies would force the Americans into a war of attrition requiring more and more resources.

As with the German the Japanese also NOT ABLE to stop and American amphibious landing at the beach or the water's edge. Superior American naval gunfire in a supporting role meant swift and sure obliteration for the defender!!

An operation originally envisioned as taking ONLY four days necessitating TWO MONTHS of the most intense combat imaginable.

 "the most difficult fight that the U.S. military encountered in the entire Second World War [in any theatre?]."

This too being a feature of combat in the Pacific theatre. Japanese remnant units refusing to surrender even when faced with the most difficult of circumstances, continuing the fight EVEN YEARS AFTER FINAL MILITARY ACTION HAD ENDED!! NOT so terribly common but NOT so terribly unique either.

"A Japanese lieutenant with his 26 2nd Infantry soldiers and eight 45th Guard Force sailors held out in the caves in Peleliu until April 22, 1947 and surrendered after a Japanese admiral convinced them the war was over."

A similar strategy and tactics were used by the Japanese defenders of Okinawa and Iwo Jima ultimately to no avail but nonetheless very costly and disheartening to the American attacker. Among American military planners a considerable amount of recriminations must have existed in the aftermath of the battle but it was more the Japanese being good as compared to the American forces being bad?

coolbert.