F-15 Lakenheath.

This is coolbert:

Thanks to Foxtrot Alpha and the trip from Freeper.

"UK Based F-15Es Flew A Secret Long-Range Mission Over Africa On Monday"

"A pair of RAF Lakenheath based USAF F-15E Strike Eagles that were bristling with live bombs and air-to-air missiles, along five KC-135R tankers, flew on a secretive and grueling 12 hour mission over the Southern Mediterranean on Monday, May 25th, Memorial Day."

American F-15 in the fighter-bomber role conduct a secret mission the exact details and success of which are unknown.

You need to read the whole article. Most informative.

That combination of civilian radio monitors, plane spotters and persons using a web site similar to Flightradar24.com radar images able to discern and follow the aircraft en route to Libya and return.

Technology, means and methods once only available to certain select group of military personnel now is in the possession of the average-everyday citizen and put to good use. In many cases at least with the Internet web sites that are pertinent, it is all FREE!!

Amazing and remarkable.

coolbert.

887EKM.

This is coolbert:

From MARCO POLO through Harry:

"India's Hindustan Shipyard Limited recently announced that one of the Indian Navy's diesel-electric submarines -- 'Sindhukirti' -- had completed a large-scale modernization work, and was now under sea trials. The work on the submarine had started in 2006. Therefore, it took nine years to be completed! The work was performed at the company's yard in Vishakhapatnam (south-eastern India), in which Russian engineers participated. On that submarine, 100-kilometer long electrical wires and 30-kilometer long compression piping were replaced. A new sonar system, called 'Ushus' was installed. Besides, hundreds of other new systems, both Indian and foreign, were installed. The shipyard says that it is far more difficult to modernize a submarine than to build one from the scratch."

. . . .

"These submarines are all Russian-built 'Project 887EKM (NATO's 'Kilo')' type."

It can be reasonably suggested that by the time the submarine has completed the modernization process to an extent is already out-of-date?

The modern nuclear powered submarine of the HMS Astute class the most complicated thing made by man. I might think also a diesel/electric Kilo class boat even if not brand-new not so very far behind in complexity.

coolbert.

VBIED.

This is coolbert:

Thanks to Colonel Austin Bay and the Strategy Page Internet web site we have more cogent explanation of what has recently transpired at Ramadi.

"Counter ISIL's Truck Bombs with Real Close Air Support"

You need to read the entire article!!

As excerpted:

"VBIED (VBID) is a military acronym for Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device. That translates in civilian as truck bombs, or conceivably, armored car bombs. Pack a vehicle with explosives and detonate it near a target . . . In the Middle East truck bombs are typically employed as kamikazes. Suicide drivers guide their trucks to targets. Kamikazes were smart weapons. So are VBIEDs."

"On May 14, ISIL used at least three VBIEDs in a near-simultaneous attack. The bombs detonated, leveling a city block. ISIL fighters followed the blasts with a ground assault."

"ISIL's Ramadi tactical plan used VBIEDs the way US commanders employ an artillery preparation or air strike."

The suicide bomber on foot wearing an explosive vest or in a vehicle equipped with a blockbuster bomb an integral part of all ISIL operations.

coolbert.

Shia & Sunni.

This is coolbert:

DEBKA V. Conclusion.

29 May:

"US puts onus for fighting ISIS on Iraqis"

“'The United States is not going to be responsible for securing the security situation inside of Iraq,' White House spokesman Josh Earnest announced Thursday. 'It is up to the Iraqis to fight and defeat the Islamic State,' he said. 'Our strategy is to support the Iraqi security forces……back them on the battlefield with coalition military air power as they take the fight to ISIL in their own country.'”

"Washington knows that the Iraqi government and army are no longer fully functional and so security will fall to the Shiite militias which are busier fighting amongst each other than fighting ISIS."

AND!

"No army in Mid East is challenging ISIS . . . "Not a single competent army capable of launching all-out war on ISIS in Syria or Iraq is to be found"

The response from a knowledgeable person experienced in the area [Middle East and Iraq]:

"Shia militias are being used by the Iraqi government to fight for Ramadi and other places in al Anbar Province, which is predominantly populated by Sunni sect members.  That virtually guarantees an all-out civil war, which we (US/Coalition) barely avoided by arming Sunni militias and giving them power in the Iraqi government) . . . A sectarian militia in another sect's area is likely to be involved in any number of human rights/war crimes violations. Even if not, their every action will be alleged to be so, just because they are the other group of infidels. It is worse than having a foreign invader around (such as was the US/Coalition forces), because at least the armies of the foreigners could create a reputation for even-handedness and discipline, compared to a fairly untrained force made upon the opposing sect--which comes with an announced, centuries-old vengeance agenda to impose."

An ancient and "centuries-old vengeance agenda" EXACERBATED IN THE EXTREME BY THE BRUTALITY AND VENALITY OF ISIL. THE MASS EXECUTIONS AND DESTRUCTION OF SHIA MOSQUES AND HOLY PLACES.

coolbert.

T4.

This is coolbert:

Consolidate and regroup!

DEBKA IV.

27 May

"Assad pulls air force out of Deir ez-Zour, the third Syrian air base surrendered to ISIS"

"Just a week after losing the big Palmyra air base to the Islamic State, Syrian military and air units Wednesday, May 27, began pulling out of another big air base at Deir ez-Zour - Bashar Assad's last military stronghold in eastern Syria."

"In the Islamic State's sights now, is the Syrian army's biggest air facility, T4 Airbase, which is located on the fast highway linking Homs with Damascus 140 km away and holds the backbone of the Syrian combat air fleet."

NO COMPETENT ARMY AND NO COMPETENT AIR FORCE. WHAT ELSE IS LEFT!

coolbert.

Najaf & Karbala.

This is coolbert:

NO ONE!

DEBKA III.

25 May.

"No army in Mid East is challenging ISIS. Iran regroups to defend S. Iraqi Shiites, Assad to save Damascus"

"Not a single competent army capable of launching all-out war on ISIS in Syria or Iraq is to be found between the Jordan and the Euphrates and Tigris to the east, or Ramadi and Riyadh to the south."

Furthermore:

"Iran is regrouping to save the Shiite towns and oil of S. Iraq - especially the shrine towns of Najef and Karbala, as well as the Basra oil fields; Assad and Hizballah, falling back to defend Syrian cities and block the Lebanese border with their depleted armies."

Najaf and Karbala holy and sacred to the Shia. Consolidating your position and regrouping to defend the base and that of which is most important is now crucial. Try to defend everything and you defend nothing! NONETHELESS the signs are dire!

coolbert.

5,000.

This is coolbert:

More from DEBKAfile. Those of us in the aftermath of Kobani and Tikrit that might have thought ISIL was at least contained were wrong? ISIL is ADVANCING!

DEBKA II.

24 May.

Think the UNTHINKABLE!!

1. "Former UK army chief: Send 5,000 ground troops to fight ISIS"

"Former head of the British army, Lord Dannatt, said Sunday that, since the coalition air force campaign had failed to stop ISIS's advance, it was time to 'think the previously unthinkable and send 5,000 ground troops to fight in Syria and Iraq."

SAS troops on the ground directing air strikes with great gusto and efficiency!! This at least!

2. "ISIS advances on Baghdad against little resistance"

"The Islamic State Saturday took the Iraq-Syrian town of Qusaybah on the Euphrates, rounding off its control of the border and the river and gaining an easy and rapid route for transferring troops between the two countries. The Islamists closed the distance to the big Iraqi base of Habbaniyah, overruning Khalidiya on the way."

"Claims in Baghdad that Iraqi forces are preparing to recapture Ramadi are unfounded. ISIS is facing resistance in just one sector: at the eastern exit of Khalidiya, pro-Iranian Shiite militias are attempting to bar its progress towards Habbaniyah, which would bring the Islamists to within 12 km from Baghdad."

3. "Yemeni Houthis reportedly down Saudi jet, destroy border crossing"

"The F-16 Saudi-led coalition jet was reportedly shot down in the Bani Harith district of Sanaa, the capital, as heavy artillery fire blew up part of the main border crossing between Yemen and Saudi Arabia Saturday night"

Houthi trans-national and have adherents not only in Yemen but across the border into Saudi too!

4. "ISIS columns heading from Syria toward Jordan, first targeting the border crossing"

"Columns of ISIS tanks and armored cars (made in the US and taken booty in Iraq) were heading Sunday, May 24, from Palmyra for the Jordanian border - a distance of 250km - with no Syrian troops there to block their advance . . ."

American military gear being used. As was captured at Mosul one year ago. That rugged and desolate desert terrain DURING THE HEAT OF SUMMER seems to pose no problem to ISIL. The moral is to the physical as three is to one.

The situation deteriorates.

coolbert.

MK 4.7 & Ababil-3.

This is coolbert:

So much to talk about. All thanks to DEBKAfile.

DEBKA I.

23 May.

"US and Hizballah coordinate spy drone flights over Qalamoun, share US combat intelligence"

"The US has joined the battle for Qalamoun. DEBKAfile discloses that a US special operations unit, stationed at the north Lebanese Hamat air base, is directing unarmed Aerosonde MK 4.7 intelligence-gathering flights over the Qalamoun Mt arena, 100 km to the west. Since Hizballah is operating Ababil-3 surveillance drones over the same battlefield, US-Hizballah coordination became necessary. The US military is working directly for the first time with an internationally-designated terrorist
organization."

NOT necessarily can be considered to be cooperation but rather coordination. By law the U.S. government forbidden for cooperation with a terrorist entity. But then at Kobani almost unlimited close air support was given to the PKK and YPG Kurdish fighters and they are also designated as a terrorist entity.

coolbert.

Ramadi & Palmyra.

This is coolbert:

From the intelNews.org web site the rather pessimistic article by Joseph Fitsanaki:

"Analysis: Having taken Ramadi and Palmyra, ISIS is now unstoppable"

"ISIS forces in Ramadi.The capture by Islamic State forces of the Iraqi city of Ramadi, on May 17, has given the organization a fortified urban base less than an hour’s drive from Baghdad. Its near-simultaneous takeover of the central Syrian city of Palmyra, points to the organization’s permanence and demonstrates its widening operational span, which now ranges from Western Libya to the Iranian border. Without an all-out war effort by outside forces, such as Iran, or the United States, it is difficult to see how the Islamic State could be stopped from permanently establishing itself as a major actor in the region, especially since no outside force appears willing to confront it directly."

* "Even if they do not see eye-to-eye with ISIS, Ramadi's Sunni inhabitants are bound to fight doggedly against the Iraqi army, because it is currently dominated by Shiites"

* "There are now almost no Sunnis left in Iraq's Armed forces. Most are unwilling to offer allegiance to a state dominated by Iran, which they see as not representing them, or indeed threatening their very existence."

Eventually without concerted effort the Islamic State will be considered a fait accompli? NO ONE willing or able to expend the effort to dislodge ISIL!

THIS IS NOT AN UNREASONABLE ASSUMPTION!

coolbert.

Stay-Behind.

This is coolbert:

Thanks to Freeper.

PRUDENT MEASURES HAVE BEEN TAKEN IN ADVANCE? I WOULD LIKE TO HOPE SO!

"Russia would be able to occupy Baltics in two days- Czech general"

"Russia would be able to occupy the Baltic countries in two days, a period during which NATO would not be capable of reacting adequately, Czech general Petr Pavel, who will take up the post of the NATO Military Committee head in June, said at a Prague conference on security affairs today. Pavel warned that NATO´s political representation is incapable of reacting to a changed situation fast enough."

And in the aftermath of such an invasion [Russians returning to the Baltic nations] a possible resistance network in the form of a Gladio has already been created? Stay-behinds!

Persons trained and organized AND having pre-positioned hidden stockpiles of weaponry able to form a guerrilla army.

NATO has thought of this in advance and has made proper precautionary moves? RESISTANCE WOULD NOT BE FUTILE!

coolbert.

Ash Carter.

This is coolbert;

I cannot remember a single instance of such a rebuke for an ally by an American Secretary of Defense. Seems to be well deserved too.

"SecDef Carter says Iraq's 'will to fight' at issue after Ramadi"

"WASHINGTON — The Islamic State group's takeover of the provincial capital Ramadi is stark evidence that Iraqi forces lack the 'will to fight,' Defense Secretary Ash Carter said in a TV interview that aired Sunday. The harsh assessment raised new questions about the Obama administration's strategy to defeat the extremist group that has seized a strategically important swath of the Middle East."

"Although Iraqi soldiers 'vastly outnumbered' their opposition in the capital of Anbar province, they quickly withdrew last Sunday without putting up much resistance from the city in Iraq's Sunni heartland"

By Pentagon estimates Iraqi forces in Ramadi numbering about 10,000 [that includes all military and police] and as opposed by about 900 fighters of the Islamic State.

That has been one full year now since the time of Mosul and yet the Iraqi national army still displaying the same lackluster performance if that. Very sad indeed!

coolbert.

Ack-Ack.

This is coolbert:

For several days this was a major topic on the Main Stream Media"

1. "North Koreans Not Shocked by 'Cruel' Executions"

"Details of the bizarre execution by anti-aircraft fire of a former senior North Korean military official have shocked neighboring South Korea, but have left North Koreans, who are used to such 'cruel' executions"

Such an execution as was recently: ":North Korea executed Defense Minister Hyon Yong Chol on May 13."

"shot at close range by an anti-aircraft gun in a public execution"

AAA! Anti-aircraft-artillery. DEATH by being shot into bits!

Kim of North Korea the despot having a wide variety of AAA to select from. To include but not limited to:

ZPU-4. Four-barrel 14.5 mm AAA gun. Fires a high-explosive-incendiary round [HE-I].

S-60 57 mm AAA gun.

Here is how it was done in the old days. This is Nineteenth Century Shiraz, Persia.

From Zero Hedge it is reported that the ZPU-4 is not only the weapon used, but this instance of execution by AAA is not unique.

2. "Execution By Anti-Aircraft Gun: The Photographic Evidence"

"Sometime on or about October 7th, 2014, some very unusual activity was noted on satellite imagery of the Kanggon small arms firing range. Instead of troops occupying the firing positions on the range there was a battery of six ZPU-4 anti-aircraft guns lined up between the firing positions and the range control/viewing gallery."

"It is neither safe nor practical to use such weapons on a small arms range, as the combined weight of fire from the six ZPU-4 (a total of 24 heavy machine guns) would quickly destroy the downrange backstop and necessitate reconstruction."

"Most unusual in the image, perhaps, is what appears to be some sort of targets located only 30 meters downrange of the ZPU-4s."

THE OVERWHELMING AND INCREASED USE OF EXECUTION ONE SIGN THAT AN AUTOCRATIC REGIME IS ON THE BRINK, TEETERING ON THE EDGE, NO LONGER ABLE TO CONTROL THE POPULATION OTHER THAN RESORT TO DRACONIAN METHODS OF THE HARSHEST NATURE!!

coolbert.

$302.

This is coolbert:

Me fights mit Sigel.

Thanks to the article by broeder10 and the URL as provided by Ralph and Dave.

A recruiting poster from the era of the American Civil War as seen at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum, Madison, WI., USA.

That translation from the German: "Bounty $402 for veterans honorably discharged, $302 for new recruits. 27 Dollars and one months pay in advance will get paid after examination. Payment and distribution of food starting on the day of entrance. Every German should join this Regiment."

That bonus [bounty] for a new recruit equal to:  "$302 in 1865 → $4,275.23 in 2015". A tidy sum but not princely or excessive.

German nationals and ethnic Germans, immigrants to the United States forming distinct Federal combat units during the American Civil War, commands and orders given and received in the German language.

German nationals and immigrants many of the best described as "Forty-eighters", refugees their political outlook predominantly socialist in nature, their perception of the American Civil War as indeed a struggle between the forces of traditionalism and that of modernity!!

coolbert.

Cicada.

This is coolbert:

Those persons not in favor of the combat UAV, the Predator, the Reaper and the Avenger will hardly like the Cicada.

"Swarms of Mini-Drones Prepping for Remote Battle"

"The Cicada drones are designed to glide to programmed GPS coordinates after being dropped from an aircraft."

"US military scientists have invented a miniature drone [micro air vehicle] that fits in the palm of a hand, ready to be dropped from the sky like a mobile phone with wings."

This is a Cicada? Apparently powered by solar cells with the ball point pen included in the image for scale.

"With no motor and only about 10 parts, the Cicada resembles a paper airplane with a circuit board. It is designed to glide to programmed GPS coordinates after being dropped from an aircraft, a balloon or a larger drone, researchers said."

The use of GPS for guidance now seen as ubiquitous in all weapons systems.

NO mention of combat lethality for the micro drones. At least NOT YET!!

coolbert.

AS3.

This is coolbert:

From MARCO POLO through Harry:

"It was announced on May 22 that the shipbuilding yard 'AS3' in Komsomolsk-na-Amure -- an industrial city on the shore of the great Amur River in the Russian Far East--launched a new corvette for the Pacific Fleet. The corvette is named 'Sovershenniy'. The Russians say that she is the first warship that a Far-Eastern yard is building for the Pacific Fleet in this century, and also that it is the first time in the past 23 years that this yard builds a ship for the Pacific Fleet."

This is a Steregushchiy class warship of which four others have previously been built. All others of the class: "are assigned to the Baltic Fleet."

Russia is and has been A PACIFIC POWER!

coolbert.

Deadlined.

This is coolbert:

In the ancient and venerable pattern of the insurrectionist or guerrilla fighter the forces of ISIL continue to capture and abundance of weapons from the Iraqi national army.

As reported by DEBKAfile.

"Iraqi troops abandoned scores of vehicles in flight from Ramadi"

19 May.

"A Pentagon spokesman, Col. Steve Warren, estimated that a half dozen tanks were abandoned, a similar number of artillery pieces, a larger number of armored personnel carriers and about 100 wheeled vehicles like Humvees in the Iraqi army's flight from Ramadi. He said some of the vehicles were in working condition; others were not because they had not been moved for months."

Those Iraqi national army troops having fled Ramadi leaving behind many vehicles, a number of which not in working order, DEADLINED! I might assume, probably correctly so, the Iraqi either not having spare parts, or sluggish to downright lazy in doing maintenance or needed and timely repair. The performance of the Iraqi national army downright poor, incompetent, even criminal.

coolbert.

Three Fronts.

This is coolbert:

If you thought after Kobani and Tikrit that possibly ISIL was on the way out, guess again.

Three mules for Sister Sara and three fronts for ISIL!

Yet more from DEBKAfile:

22 May.

"First US ground operation in Syria kills ISIS oil chief - as Islamists advance on three new fronts"

"America's first ground operation in the Syrian war targeted the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. On Saturday, May 16, Special Operations forces attacked an ISIS compound in the Deir a-Zour district of eastern Syria, and killed senior Islamist commander and oil and gas chief Abu Sayyaf, when he resisted capture . . . The war on ISIS was a key item on their agenda. Meanwhile, from Palmyra, the Islamists are targeting the Syrian army's biggest air base and one of its largest arms depots and have also invaded the northern districts of Homs in the same region."

PALMYRA NOW CAPTURED AND IN THE HANDS OF ISIL. THAT CITY OF ANTIQUITY WITH M,ANY ARTIFACTS NOW IN THE TARGET CROSS HAIRS OF ISIL. PALMYRA REPRESENTS JAHHALIYA [IGNORANCE BEFORE THE TIME OF THE PROPHET MOHAMMAD]!

coolbert.

Computer Science.

This is coolbert:

"Computer science is not our science!" - - Osama bin Laden.

At least until now!!

Also from DEBKAfile:

18 May

"ISIS preparing total cyber war on critical US systems"

"Cyber security experts report signs of intensified Islamic State activity on the illicit 'dark web' and an interest in methods of sabotaging systems of critical infrastructure, such as power stations, transport networks and government medical facilities. Some of the recent European, American and Australian recruits to ISIS have sophisticated computer backgrounds. 'Jihad John,' who was filmed beheading ISIS victims, has a degree in computer science"

Rendering a facility of whatever nature inoperable by computer "hacking" and intrusion just as effective as dropping a bomb on the target. Why send a warplane thousands of miles to destroy a target when the mission can be done so much more easily from the safety of your own home with a few keystrokes?

That "Dark Net" an analogous and parallel Internet existing within but separate from the World Wide Web and used by hackers, pornographers, criminals of all stripes and affiliations to include terrorists. Where Al Qaeda fails ISIL succeeds? Expect ISIL for some time now to have been active in the Dark Net!

coolbert.

Delta Force.

This is coolbert:

As reported by DEBKAfile the U.S. Delta Force raiders in Syria much more successful than reported.:

"US Special Ops raid killing five ISIS chiefs had to be coordinated with Syria and Russia"

17 May.

"The US Delta Special Operations raid that killed ISIS oil chief Abu Sayyaf Saturday, May 16, could not have taken place without prior US coordination with Damascus and Moscow . . . Washington's denial of such coordination did not preclude a prior notice to Moscow, which then passed it on to Damascus. The US, Russia and the Assad regime pulled together for the first time against the Islamic State for an operation that was more extensive than reported. Not just one but five top ISIS commanders were killed, as well as 28 operatives."

Notification of the Russian and through them the Syrian a requirement? ONLY done with the sufferance and approval of administrations and regimes not so favorably disposed to the United States. So it seems.

Well, you read it first and only at DEBKA!

coolbert.

Lost!

This is coolbert.

During that first half of the year 1968 four submarines having gone to the bottom due to unexplained circumstances. A fifth boat also possibly lost.

* Dakar. Israeli.

* Scorpion. American.

* Minerve. French.

* K-129. Soviet.

* K-27. Soviet.

From the book "Silent Steel" by Stephen Johnson:

"On January 25, the Israeli Navy submarine Dakar . . . was lost a day's sailing from Haifa."

"Just two days after the Dakar's loss, the French diesel-electric submarine Minerve sank off Toulon"

"The outbreak of submarine disaster had not yet run its course. Before the end of the year, the secretive Soviets would lose two submarines - - one on March 8 in the Pacific and another rumored lost in the Arctic Sea. The Scorpion would be lost on May 22."

At least four submarines sunk with all hands lost with a period of less than six months, that first half of 1968.

Unprecedented and most troubling and as might be expected controversial.

That rumored fifth submarine apparently run afoul but not necessarily gone to the bottom perhaps the Soviet K-27, major reactor problem with loss of life, the vessel never sailing for an additional combat mission.

Submarines in the modern era assigned missions of considerable length, able to operate at greater depths and higher speed for a prolonged period. EVEN A NUCLEAR POWERED BOAT ABLE TO SUBMERGE AND REMAIN SO FOR MONTHS ON END.

Consider that the current HMS Astute [nuclear powered English fast attack boat] is considered to be the MOST COMPLICATED THING EVE4R MADE BY MAN.

Taking into account the totality of the vessel, the ship itself, the weapons [missiles and torpedoes], the reactor, the electronics with associated computer controlled systems, etc. Complex.

American submarine commanders too even encouraged to take risks on some occasion that can be reasonably seen as FOOLHARDY WITH HINDSIGHT. Measured audacity it would be referred to. Nothing ventured nothing gained I guess was the outlook.

coolbert.

Accidents.

This is coolbert:

From the book "Silent Steel" by Stephen Johnson:

"Although the navy lost twenty-two submarines in noncombat mishaps between 1900 and 1968 - - an average of nearly one submarine every three years - - the loss of Scorpion marked a sharp break in that deadly cycle."

"Although accidents, fires, fatalities, and battery mishaps still occur, the U.S. Navy did not lose a single submarine between 1968 and 2004 [and since that time as well]. By any measure, this is a remarkable achievement in safety, although in was preceded by decades of tragedy and the destruction of two nuclear powered attack submarines with all hands within a five-year period."

American nuclear submarines [all submarines period during the era of the Cold War and beyond?] having to undergo periodic overhaul, refit, refueling.

That protocol for certifying a boat that has undergone "periodic overhaul, refit, refueling" ready for combat mission quite rigorous and extensive.

The vessel first certified as to seaworthiness. Merely able to sail, submerge, and do so with regard to tolerance and specifications.

Also needing to be certified as to combat readiness, the commander and crew able and ready to sail the ship into battle and sink enemy ships. A commander and crew able, fit proficient.

Only after the two stage certification process completed is a submarine allowed to depart on a combat mission or what might be deemed as routine patrol [some would suggest that no patrol is routine!]..

American submarines during that era of the Cold War carrying live torpedoes to include atomic munitions [modern attack boats do not carry atomic weaponry].

Certified does not necessarily mean the vessel during a voyage will not encounter problems of some sort.

During several missions prior to sinking the USS Scorpion for instance was reputed to have had:

* Excessive freon consumption [but not beyond acceptable levels].
* Excessive hydraulic fluid consumption [but not beyond acceptable levels].
* Excessive leakage at the seal where the propeller shaft meets the pressure hull [but not beyond acceptable levels].

As many AS SEVERAL DOZEN WORK ORDERS WILL BE GENERATED DURING A SINGLE SAILING OF A SUBMARINE! This is not considered to be unusual, NONE of those difficulties as encountered considered to be so serious as to endanger mission or the boat.

Don't even think any of this stuff is going to be easy. As previously mentioned, these submarines are among the most complicated if not THE most complicated things made by man.

NO ONE said this was ever going to be easy.

coolbert.

Idlib.

This is coolbert:

We have heard this one before. The time of reckoning is at hand for Assad. His forces on the defensive and taking serious loss! Etc.

"Tide of Syria civil war turns against Assad as rebels make sweeping gains"

"The posters of President Bashar al-Assad once hung proud in Syria’s capital. Supporters of the regime would confidently predict the defeat of the 'terrorists' - the accepted term for the rebel opposition."

"In the last few weeks, however, the insurgents have turned the tide of the civil war by winning a string of battlefield victories against Mr Assad’s forces."

"In the north, a newly unified rebel coalition called the 'Army of Conquest' managed to capture Idlib, a provincial capital, and much of the surrounding territory."

And who exactly are these rebels "unified". This "Army of Conquest" their political and religious orientation is not clear!

 coolbert.

Ramadi Al Anbar.

This is coolbert:

NO! NOT on the brink but gone.

"Iraq's Anbar in 'Total Collapse', on Brink of Falling to Islamic State"

"Islamic State militants overran one of the last remaining districts held by government forces in the Iraqi city of Ramadi on Sunday and besieged a key army base on the edge of the western provincial capital, security sources said."

"The militants seized most of Ramadi on Friday, planting their black flag on the local government headquarters in the center of the city, but a contingent of Iraqi special forces was holding out in the Malaab neighborhood."

"Those forces retreated on Sunday to an area east of the city after suffering heavy casualties"

* The Iraqi national army STILL not able to hold the line against concerted ISIL attack. This is one year later and the Iraqi national army has shown little if any improvement.

* The capture of Ramadi the reason for an emergency White House national security meeting. To "discuss" the matter.

* Shia militias reputedly moving into the area. Shia armed militia in an area traditionally and strongly Sunni bodes for no good.

coolbert.

Qalamoun & Ramadi.

This is coolbert:

Combat forces of ISIL and affiliates of Al Qaeda as active in Syria and Iraq continue their march. That Qalamoun region of Syria and Lebanon now critical. AND AS NOT REPORTED IN THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA!

As reported by DEBKAfile:

1. "Qalamoun battle fateful for Assad, Nasrallah, Soleimani"

9 May.

"The battle for Qalamoun has suddenly become a critical regional contest for the Iran-Syrian-Hizballah alliance at large and its three prime movers, Syrian President Bashar Assad, Hizballah leader Hassan Nastrallah, and Iran's Gen. Qassem Soleimani, head of the Al Qods Brigades."

2. "At least 250 Hizballah losses in Qalamoun battle. Nasrallah pushes for Lebanese army to enter Syrian war" 

13 May.

 "Amid Hizballah's rising war losses - estimated as at least 250 in the past week - its leader Hassan Nasrallah strongly urged the Lebanese chief of staff Gen. Jean Kahwagi to send his troops into battle over the strategic Qalamoun Mountain, alongside Hizballah and the Syrian army . . . For now, Qalamoun battle has no foreseeable resolution, while laying Lebanon open to jihadist spillover from Syria."


3. "Islamic State Crisis: Militants Seize Ramadi Stronghold"

"'Iraqi forces have lost men, morale and important ground, though they insist they will battle on'"

"Islamic State militants have seized the main government building in Ramadi, the capital of Iraq's largest province."

"As many as six suicide car bombs and mortars were used in the assault on the compound that houses the main police HQ and governor's office. At least 50 police officers are reported to have been taken prisoner at the site."

As to the importance of Qalamoun.

4. "Why Qalamoun matters for Hezbollah"

"The mountain range is key to securing supply routes into Syria and preventing armed groups from infiltrating Lebanon."

Qalamoun today, Ramadi tomorrow. ISIL continues their relentless march and demonstrating staying power  heedless of what has occurred at Kobani and Tikrit.

coolbert.

Choking Agents.

This is coolbert:

Smells like musty hay!!

And if you  have detected the smell it is probably too late for you!!

 This particular headline from Artuz Sheva 7 might be seen as being of concern?

"Obama: Chlorine Gas Not 'Historically' a Chemical Weapon"

The choking agent chlorine gas not a chemical weapon? Historically YES but not listed as such a possible? Chlorine old-fashioned but a chemical warfare agent nonetheless inhibiting the ability of a persons to breath and deadly without question.

"Pulmonary or Choking Agents"

"Pulmonary agents (also known as 'choking' agents) compose a class of chemical compounds that disrupt normal breathing. They encompass a wide array of gases, including chlorine, ammonia, phosgene, organohalides, and nitrogen oxides.1,2"

* "Chlorine: . . . Chlorine played a . . . significant role during WWI, with German forces employing chlorine gas against their adversaries during the Second Battle of Ypres in 1915."

* "Phosgene: . . . During WWI, phosgene emerged as a sophisticated alternative to chlorine gas."

* "Chloropicrin: . . . it is not as lethal as other choking agents, chloropicrin, which is also known as a riot control agent, induces severe vomiting and excessive tear formation in its victims."

That list of chemical agents as used during World War One [historical usage?] quite extensive indeed. NOT all lethal but all effective in some manner.

YOUR GAS MASK! DON'T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT!

coolbert.

Woodblock.

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As seen at the excellent Internet web site Scholars-Stage thanks to the tip from that other excellent Internet web site Isegoria.net.

Japanese traditional art form with the military context.

Ukiyo-e!

"When Modern War Met an Antique Art"  by T. Greer.

"We associate ukiyo-e prints with traditional Japanese landscapes or pastoral settings, episodes from Japanese myths or historical epics, and scenes of courtesan life in Edo. It can be a bit bewildering when we see the same art style and production methods used to produce more modern images. This should not be too much of a surprise, however: the most famous of the great Japanese woodblock artists died only a few decades before Commodore Perry brought his black boats to Edo bay. Much of their era would disappear in the miraculous changes of the Meiji revolution, but as the prints included here show quite clearly,  much of the old order lived on into the 20th century."

"These prints all depict episodes from the Sino-Japanese War of 1894 or the Russo-Japanese War that was waged a decade later."

As you can well imagine, this particular woodblock print is of obvious immediate interest to me.

A traditional woodblock print as done by and described as: "Yasuda Hampo, 'Picture of the Eighth Attack on Port Arthur. The Flagship of Russia Was Destroyed by the Torpedo of Our Navy

and Admiral Makaroff Drowned' (1905)". Click on image to see and enlarged view.

Called a torpedo but more correctly that Russian ship sunk by a moored naval sea mine.

This was the sinking of the Russian battleship Petropavlovsk. "Petropavlovsk . . . was the lead ship of the Petropavlovsk class of pre-dreadnought battleships built for the Imperial Russian Navy. Petropavlovsk . . . On 13 April 1904, the battleship was sunk after striking two mines near Port Arthur. 652 men and 27 officers died, including the Vice Admiral Stepan Makarov and renowned war artist Vasily Vereshchagin"

That device we moderns refer to as a torpedo a self-propelled underwater explosive device as fired by a submarine [not totally exclusively so] and running either on the surface or submerged!

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NOTAM.

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Warning message! 

Russian naval live fire military exercise Barents Sea as noted and reported by MARCONI through Harry:

"from one of our French based monitors. The original transmission mode was SITOR-B and frequency was 12579 kHz. Time of receiving was 0715Z today . . . It is probably part of a NOTAM which are, as you know, Notices to Sailors and Airmen and required by International Law in places affected by military exercises such as live firing and live electronic warfare which will disrupt communications and NAVSAT facilities"

 

080530 UTC MAY 15

NAVAREA XX 50/15

BARENTS SEA.

CHART RUS 11114.

1. MISSILE_AND A____YERY _IRING 0500 TO 1700 UTC_SA_

DAILY 12 TO 15 MAY NAVIGATION PROHIBI__D IN TERRITORIAL

WATERS DANGEROUS OUTSIDE IN AREA ___RDED_BY:

69-58.0N 033-38.5E, 69-58.0N 034-55.0E_

69-34.5N 034-55.0E, 69-34.5N 033-38.5E.

Steer clear one and all and you are on notice!!

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Tradition & Counter-Revolution.

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From the Ron Unz review and the article by Boyd D. Cathey we have an extract of interest.

"On Abraham Lincoln and the Inversion of American History"

The subject of Abraham Lincoln as a martyr, his death even seen as a sacrifice on the level of a JESUS has already been discussed.

Additionally on the international scale that perception of the American Civil War as part of a: "universal war between the forces of 19th liberalism and the forces of tradition and counter-revolution".
 
"It is interesting, I think, to focus the great Iliad of the Confederacy in the context of the brutal and vicious universal war between the forces of 19th liberalism and the forces of tradition and counter-revolution. The Confederacy, the old South, played a not unimportant role in that conflict, and, even if most Southerners did not recognize that context at the time, many European traditionalists, Legitimist royalists, and Catholics most certainly did."

"In my research over the years, specifically while I studied in Spain and Switzerland, and then taught in Argentina, I was struck by the fact that almost without exception, all 19 th century traditional conservatives, Legitimists, and Catholics not only favored the Confederacy in its crusade against the North, but they did so enthusiastically, to the point that thousands of European traditionalists found their way to cities like New Orleans to volunteer to fight for the Confederate cause. As many as 1,800 former soldiers of the old Bourbon Kingdom of Naples (Two Sicilies) arrived in Louisiana in early 1861 to offer their services to the South after their defeat by the arms of the liberal Kingdom of Piedmont-Savoy. Volunteers from the Carlist Catholic traditionalists in Spain came by way, mostly, of Mexico . . . French Legitimists (the 'ultra-royalists' who opposed the “democracy” of the Citizen-King Louis Philippe) also volunteered, mostly notably the Prince Camille Armand de Polignac, a hero of the Battle of Mansfield."

"The Italian Duchy of Modena, under its duke Francesco V . . . 'the most reactionary ruler in all of Europe', actually recognized the Confederacy. And Pope Pius IX offered de facto recognition to the Confederate cause, and his sympathies were quite open, as were the Confederate proclivities of the official publication of the Vatican, 'La Civilta Catolica.' The Crown of Thorns that Pius IX wove with his own hands for President Jefferson Davis while Davis was a post-war prisoner in Fortress Monroe remains in a museum in New Orleans, a memorable relic of papal sympathy for the Confederacy."

"And who can forget the favor given by and collaboration of the Habsburg emperor of Mexico, Maximilian? It was to his empire that many Confederate soldiers fled after Appomattox and Palmito Ranch"

"The traditionalist press in Europe openly believed that the Confederacy was part of a much greater conflict—a conflict, a universalized war, to halt the advance of the effects of the French Revolution, and to–if possible–reverse the worst aspects that resulted from the opening of that Pandora’s Box. And in particular, they visualized the Confederacy as a co-belligerent in the effort to stop the growth of 'democratism' and 'egalitarianism.'”

The various major European powers giving either de facto support and recognition to the Confederacy [even if very mild and tepid] WITH THE EXCEPTION OF IMPERIAL RUSSIA WE KNOW ABOUT!

Also those German immigrants to the United States most accurately referred to as "Forty-eighters'" most assuredly aligning themselves with the Union cause and the anti-slavery movement, organizing themselves into Federal fighting units, orders and commands strictly in the German language. German immigrants of high and low rank both obviously seeing the American Civil War as part and parcel of "universal war between the forces of 19th liberalism and the forces of tradition and counter-revolution". "Forty-eighters" some of them even in favor of the philosophies as espoused by Karl Marx!

coolbert.

V-E Day!

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From the latest Sunday edition of the Chicago Tribune and thanks to the article by Ron Grossman we have the banner headlines as announced the end of the war [The Second World War] in Europe.

Seventy years ago this last week the Tribune reporting the surrender of German forces to the victorious allies but not without sober reflection.

"CHICAGO FLASHBACK"

"V-E Day was cause for celebration - - and worry"

April 30:

"TRAMPLE SLAIN DUCE"

"Munich Falls; Patton Frees 27,000 Captives

May 3:

"HITLER SUICIDE - - REDS"

"Berlin Falls to Russians; 70,000 Captured"

May 8:

"V-E DAY - - TODAY!"

"BIG 3 PROCLAIM VICTORY AT 8 A.M; UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER SIGNED"

"Today the headlines read as we long visioned . . . but what is the strange something that is missing? What is this heaviness that still remains, where is the joy, the ecstasy we visioned?"

"It is that thru each mind there flickers . . . White crosses in those far off lonely islands, gleaming in the moonlight, row on row."

AND ONE YET ENEMY REMAINED! THE JAPANESE!

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Archaeology.

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Archaeological excavation dig sites in North America with a military dimension. As being excavated right now, as we speak!

1. "First Evidence Found of Storied Battle That Stopped Spain’s Eastward Expansion"

"Nearly 300 years ago, two great alliances collided on the Great Plains in a battle that  changed the course of American history. But until now, no physical evidence of the storied conflict had ever been found."

Forces of Imperial Spain and their proxies versus the forces of Imperial France and their proxies. Mortal combat the location in the very center of North America [now Nebraska USA] of which has never been determined with certainty. Until NOW!

"In the summer of 1720, where the Platte River meets the Loup in eastern Nebraska, Spanish soldiers, New Mexican settlers and their Pueblo and Apache allies clashed with warriors from the Pawnee and Oto nations of the Plains."

"In a daybreak raid, the Pawnee and the Oto — possibly with the support of French traders — routed the Spanish, killing their commander, Don Pedro de Villasur, along with 35 soldiers and 10 Pueblo scouts."

"The attack proved to be a turning point in the Spanish conquest, marking the end of the empire’s eastward encroachment across the continent."

"Villasur’s defeat was well-documented by survivors at the time, but perhaps nowhere was it more famously captured than in a pair of intricate tableaux painted on bison hides." Spaniards are on the left and French are on the right? That is a missionary padre, Spanish or French I am not sure, carrying a cross in the very center of the painting. Spaniards and Frenchmen both appear in the painting carrying long guns.

2. "Site of Deadliest Native American Massacre Identified in Idaho"

The Bear Creek Massacre!

"A peaceful patch of farmland in southeastern Idaho likely holds a grisly, bitter history — but the full story remains hidden, at least for now."

"Archaeologists surveying acreage along the Bear River, just north of the town of Preston, say there are 'compelling' signs that it’s the site of an event whose gruesomeness is matched only by its obscurity: the largest single massacre of Native Americans in U.S. history."

"The researchers say their investigations may ultimately bring to light the lost story of the Bear River Massacre, a daybreak raid carried out by U.S. soldiers on a winter village of the Northwest Band of Shoshone, killing as many as 250 men, women and children on a January morning in 1863." Click on image to see an enlarged view.

The worst massacre of American Indians in U.S. history but not the worst massacre of American Indians in history [since 1492]. Can you dig it?

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Schloss Itter.

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From the story as seen in Freeper and Daily Beast. And as has been the subject of a previous blog entry.

"World War II’s Strangest Battle: When Americans and Germans Fought Together"

"The most extraordinary things about Stephen Harding's The Last Battle, a truly incredible tale of World War II, are that it hasn’t been told before in English, and that it hasn’t already been made into a blockbuster Hollywood movie . . . on 5 May 1945—five days after Hitler’s suicide—three Sherman tanks from the 23rd Tank Battalion of the U.S. 12th Armored Division under the command of Capt. John C. ‘Jack’ Lee Jr., liberated an Austrian castle called Schloss Itter in the Tyrol, a special prison that housed various French VIPs, including the ex-prime ministers Paul Reynaud and Eduard Daladier and former commanders-in-chief Generals Maxime Weygand and Paul Gamelin, amongst several others."

AND GERMAN TROOPS OF THE WEHRMACHT ASSISTING THE LIBERATION!

HAS ALREADY BEEN MADE INTO A MOVIE OR A REASONABLE FACSIMILE THEREOF.

"CASTLE KEEP" WITH BURT LANCASTER."

* Daladier with Chamberlain having negotiated the Munich Agreement with Hitler.

* Gamelin it has been suggested during the Battle of France [1940] his action treasonous. Evidently this was not the case.

NOW YOU KNOW THE REST OF THE STORY [FACT CAN BE AND IS STRANGER THAN FICTION] AND YOU ARE SO MUCH THE BETTER FOR IT!

coolbert.

2ic.

This is coolbert:

Intelligence source Bedouin. Bedu!

From the book "Military Intelligence Blunders" by Colonel John Hughes-Wilson.

"The second in command [2ic] of the Saudi Arabian Military Intelligence Agency dressed up as a wandering Bedouin and early in the occupation wandered inside Kuwait for three days noting Iraqi units before returning, undetected, to his relieved superiors to give them an up-to-date and accurate report of the deployments, equipment and morale of the Iraqi army of occupation."

This sort of action by a high [very high] ranking member of an intelligence agency unheard of?

The mendicant [beggar], the gypsy-like individual, a homeless or footloose person or in the manner of the desert dweller the wandering Bedouin, shabbily dressed and rather inconspicuous but in reality an intelligence agent on a secret mission. An individual his whereabouts and actions if questioned also easily explained with plausibility.

The famous T.E. Lawrence [Lawrence of Arabia] also said to made a personal and very dangerous solo reconnaissance of Turkish occupied territory during the Great War [WW1]. Lawrence in mufti [disguise] and able to pass himself [even during according to the account of the man himself a strenuous and difficult interrogation] off as a light skinned and blued eye Circassian.

coolbert.

Enemy Mine.

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Within the context of a recent blog entry this extract from Strategy Page most apropos.

"Bouvet, Irresistible and Ocean having hit and been sunk by naval sea mines!!"

NOT so much that the sea mine is effective but that it is so cost-effective. 

"Murphy's Law: The Super Weapon Everyone Wants To Ignore"

"Naval mines achieved several striking successes during World War II. In the Pacific naval mines proved more destructive to the Japanese war effort than the atom bombs. During a 10 week period between April and August 1945, 12,000 mines were delivered to the Japanese coast by American bombers. These destroyed 1,250,000 tons of Japanese shipping (670 ships hit, 431 destroyed). That's 18 mines for each ship hit. The Americans had air superiority, so losses during these 1,500 missions amounted to only 15 planes, most of them accidents. Had these missions been flown against opposition, losses would have been between 30 and 60 aircraft, plus similar losses to their fighter escorts. Either way it was a stunning success for naval mines"

"A conventional submarine campaign was also waged against Japanese shipping using mines. Comparisons between subs using mines and torpedoes are interesting. A hundred submarines were involved in a campaign that ran for 45 months from December, 1941 to August, 1945. Some 4.8 million tons of enemy shipping was sunk with torpedoes. For every US submarine sailor lost using submarine launched torpedoes, 560 tons of enemy ships were sunk. During the mine campaign 3,500 tons were sunk for each U.S. fatality. On a cost basis the difference was equally stark. Counting the cost of lost mine laying aircraft (B- 29's at $500,000 each) or torpedo armed submarine ($5 million each), we find that each ton of sunk shipping cost six dollars when using mines and fifty-five dollars when using submarines. This data was classified as secret until the 1970s. It indicates that mines might have been more effective than torpedoes, even if the mines were delivered by submarine."

Those B-29 bomber dropping sea mines in that area of Japanese home waters attack on INTERNAL lines of communication! THIS WAS OPERATION STARVATION! Deny the Japanese the ability to move large quantities of grain within the confines of the home islands.IF THE WAR HAD CONTINUED MUCH LONGER ABOUT 10 MILLION JAPANESE IN GRAVE DANGER OF MALNUTRITION, HUNGER, SEVERELY DEBILITATED OR SUFFERING DEATH FROM A LACK OF FOOD!!

coolbert.

Rommel.

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From the book "Pegasus Bridge" by Ambrose this entry immediately is of interest to me:

"'Listen', Rommel said, 'one day you will remember what I am telling you.' 'The war is lost' . . . . . 'I will tell you,' Rommel answered. 'We lost Stalingrad, we will lose Africa, with the body of our best trained armored people. We can't fight without them. The only thing we can do is to ask for an armistice. We have to give up all this business about the Jews, we have to change our minds about the religions, and so on, and we must get an armistice now at this stage while we still have something to offer.'" - - Rommel in conversation with his subordinate Hans von Luck, March 1943.

A negotiated end to the Second World War [WW2]. A cease fire, an armistice, negotiations with terms leading to a settlement. This is what Rommel and I am sure certain other senior German military commanders at that stage of the war had in mind.

AND NOT ONLY ROMMEL AND HIS MILITARY COHORTS BUT THE NAZI RULING ELITE TOO!

Ribbentrop and Molotov having met [1943] a single [?] time on Nazi occupied Soviet territory to discuss the POSSIBILITY OF PEACE TALKS! Nothing ever came of the discussion but the thought at least had been entertained.

Those western allies [Great Britain and America] knowing through Ultra intelligence of the meeting but never raising the issue with Stalin!  Stalin acting on his own behind the scenes, EVEN IN VIOLATION OF HIS OWN ADMONITIONS - - NO PEACE TALKS WITH THE NAZI!

Surrender with terms. A settlement with terms. It was a possible? All this makes for interesting alternative histories.

coolbert.

Laissez Passer.

This is coolbert:

Free pass!

"A laissez-passer (from the French let pass)"

"Historically, laissez-passers were commonly issued during wartime and at other periods, literally acting as a pass to allow travel to specific areas, or out of war zones or countries for various officials, diplomatic agents, other representatives"

Once more from the Ambrose book "Pegasus Bridge":

"Wallwork [Glider pilot of glider # 1 at Pegasus Bridge] and the other pilots were given a special set of orders. These said that the bearer was not responsible to anyone, that he was to be returned to the U.K. by the most expeditious means, and that this order overruled all other orders. " - - Bernard Law Montgomery.

A laissez-passer!

Here from that same era of the Second World War [WW2] and actual example of an American laissez passer. Those men of an Alamo Scout team issued the pass, all and any measures and means as expeditiously granted to the team, extraordinary, accomplishment of the mission of the highest order under direction from the highest authority!!

This was called the Krueger card. A laissez passer issued to the leader of an Alamo Scout team assigned to and under the direct orders of the Sixth Army commander [Krueger].

Those glider pilots having flown and landed safely during the Pegasus bridge operation their further instruction NOT to engage in combat but repatriate to friendly line!

"After unloading their gliders, and after the Commandos had opened a road, the glider pilots were under orders to go down to the beaches and use their special orders from Montgomery to get themselves back to England. In the afternoon [7 June], the pilots had done as ordered"

AT THAT EXACT MOMENT THE COMBAT DANGER TO THOSE PILOTS I WOULD HAVE TO THINK MUCH GREATER THAN THE ACTUAL COMBAT LANDING ON 6 JUNE! EXTREME DANGER NOT ONLY FROM THE GERMAN BUT FROM FRIENDLY FIRE EVEN PERHAPS MORE SO!

I have approved this blog entry! Bernard Law Montgomery, Viscount! Read and obey!

coolbert.

Observation Balloon.

This is coolbert:

From the book "Pegasus Bridge" by Ambrose this entry of mild surprise to me:

"Von Luck [German Panzer commander at Normandy]was also having a bad time. Every two or three days, he would launch armored attacks. But every time his tanks moved, observers in balloons would spot him, radio to the big ships off shore and the planes overhead and 'Whomp,' down on his tanks would come naval gunfire and strafing Spitfires."

Observers from tethered balloons directing naval gunfire immediately in the aftermath of the Normandy Invasion [D-Day]. Apparently also GROUND BASED!

A legacy of the Great War [WW1], at least by 1944 an outmoded and antiquated technique I had long thought passe', no longer in use.

This article from Business Insider provides us with some insight?

"Here’s The Gloomy German Report On The 'Scientifically Conducted' D-Day Invasion"

"--The enemy had deployed very strong naval forces off the shores of the bridgehead. These can be used as quickly mobile, constantly available artillery, at points where they are necessary as defense against our attacks or as support for enemy attacks, During the day their fire is skillfully directed by observation balloons attached to the ships, by aircraft observers, and by advanced ground fire spotters. Because of the high rapid-fire capacity of naval guns they play an important part in the battle within their range. The movement of tanks by day, in open country, within the range of these naval guns is hardly possible." - - from the after action of von Rundstedt.

Barrage balloons YES! Used extensively during the Normandy operation. Balloons with observers tethered to a ship I am not sure about.

Question # 1: Naval gunfire at Normandy was directed by observers in balloons? Question # 2 Balloon with observer if indeed used ground based or "attached to ship"? Which is it?

coolbert.

Avtomat Kalashnikov.

This is coolbert:

From Patrick Cockburn and the Ron Unz Review we have this interesting item concerning Yemen.

"Yemen Crisis: This Exotic War Will Soon Become Europe's Problem"

"The main outcome of the Saudi air campaign will be terrorism and boatloads of desperate migrants"

"Yemen is short of many things, but weapons is not one of them. Yemenis own between 40 and 60 million guns, according to a report by UN experts published earlier this year. This should be enough for Yemen’s 26 million people, although the experts note that demand for grenades that used to cost $5, handguns ($150) and AK-47s ($150) has increased eightfold. Whatever else happens, the war in Yemen is not going to end because any of the participants are short of weaponry."

NOT ONLY the weaponry itself but an ABUNDANCE OF AMMO and at also a cheap cost.

The tribesmen don't even for the most part bother to aim when they shoot. They just place the AK on auto and fire off an entire magazine load [30 rounds] with a single burst.

Until relatively recently the cost of an AK on the international arms market was about $60 USD! But perhaps adjusted for inflation an AK is more expensive now but not so staggeringly so.

It is a world-wide phenomenon that various nationalities and ethnic groups only several generations beyond the bows-and-arrows stage of weapons development and having grievance can now equip themselves with the most advanced firearms, in the process the devastation wreaked most significant and terrible!!

AK, PKM, RPG! Beware each and all!

coolbert.

Blake & Cromwell.

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Sir! I demand redress and satisfaction Sir! Be forthcoming will all due haste Sir!

From the Iserogia.net web site and the archive of Andrew Bisset.

England and the other European powers during the period of the 17th Century using naval forces for power projection, the extraction of indemnity, capture of prize and booty an important factor during a time of war, conflict, and in the aftermath thereof. Instances and episodes to include but hardly limited to:

1. "General-at-Sea Blake".

"Robert Blake . . . was one of the most important military commanders of the Commonwealth of England and one of the most famous English admirals of the 17th century, whose successes have 'never been excelled, not even by Horatio Nelson'. Blake considered to be the "father" of the modern Royal Navy for all that means.

"Casting anchor before Leghorn, he [Blake] exacted from the Duke of Tuscany satisfaction for the losses which English commerce had sustained from him."

"He [Blake] then sailed to Algiers, and demanded, and obtained, reparation for the robberies committed upon the English by the pirates [Barbary Pirates] of that place, and the release of the captives of his nation."

. . . .

"He [Blake] sailed into the harbour within musket-shot of the castles, and tore them in pieces with his artillery; he then sent out his long boats, well manned, and burned every ship which lay there. . . . He [Blake] sent home, it is said, sixteen ships laden with the effects which he had received from several States, and no doubt in part with the English captives whom he had restored to liberty."

2. "Be sure and put up with no affronts".

“'Be sure and put up with no affronts,' was the maxim of Cromwell [Oliver]; and when an English merchant — a Quaker — proved to him that a ship of his had been unjustly confiscated by the French, Cromwell, having first given the Quaker a letter to Cardinal Mazarin, demanding redress within three days, but without effect, then seized and sold the two first French ships within his reach, indemnified the Quaker out of the proceeds, and paid over the surplus to the French ambassador."

THEY JUST DON'T DO IT THAT WAY ANYMORE, DO THEY?

coolbert.

Gallipoli II.

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Continuing and concluding with a critique of the Gallipoli Campaign from the Great War! As from the tip from the Isegoria.net Internet web site.

SO IT SEEMS THE GALLIPOLI CAMPAIGN THE CONCEPT NOT WITHOUT MERIT, WORTHY OF THE ATTEMPT AND TO AN EXTENT BASED ON A PRIOR COMBAT ACTION FROM OVER ONE HUNDRED YEARS PRIOR!

"The War Council thus rightly judged the fragility of Ottoman rule and the ability of military force to contribute to its fall, thus achieving the goal of supporting Russia. There was only one way to use that force, though, and that was to utilize the maritime power of the British to seize the Dardanelles and strike Constantinople."

"In 1807, Royal Navy Admiral Duckworth ran the very same straights, past some of the same forts, and was only stopped short of Constantinople herself by lack of wind. With the advent of steam powered ships, that old enemy would no longer be a factor and the Royal Navy thought that the time was ripe to one-up Duckworth’s exploit."

Those beach landings at Gallipoli also to an extent reminding me of Anzio and what occurred during the Second World War [WW2]. Strategic and tactical surprise having been achieved [to the astonishment of some it seems] and no real effort made to exploit advantage:

"Only two of the landings were being disputed and troops at the other locations had complete freedom of action to attack the Turks on their terms. The most difficult part of an amphibious assault — getting off the beach — was all but accomplished."

"But then the allies stopped. At S Beach, a British battalion was confronted by an overstretched Turkish platoon. But their orders were to get ashore and wait. And so they did. The British commander in charge of Y Beach, where there were no defenders at all, was told to wait for orders to push on. He received no communication of any kind from his higher headquarters for 29 full hours after landing."

THIS QUESTION I POSE TO DEVOTED READERS OF THE BLOG WHO ARE MILITARY GENERAL STAFF GRADUATES OR THOSE MERELY PERUSING THIS WEB SITE IN A CASUAL MANNER:

WHEN FORMULATING PLANS FOR COMBAT OFFENSIVE ACTION, IS PROVISION EVER MADE IN ADVANCE FOR CREATING AND MOVING FORWARD WITH AD HOC MOBILE UNITS TO EXPLOIT A TOTAL AND COMPLETE SURPRISE OF THE ENEMY?

coolbert.

Gallipoli I.

This is coolbert:

From the excellent Internet web site Isegoria.net we have this critique of Gallipoli that battle occurring one hundred years ago. Well worth reading in entirety.

"The Gallipoli Campaign may go down in history as one of the great military blunders, but it stemmed from a reasonable strategic aim to restore the line of communication with Russia via the Dardanelles to keep the Eastern Front active. Further, the original plan was rather different":

"There were three ways that the Allies could employ to gain control of the Dardanelles and the Bosphorous. One method was to send a fleet to force the Strait and then, presumably, bombard Constantinople itself from long range."

The naval bombardment of Constantinople requiring allied warships to first run a gauntlet of Turkish forts all the way while subjected to concerted and continuous fire.

Gunners [Turks] ashore by the rule of thumb "one shore-based gun equalled three naval guns of the same caliber". Allied warships "running the gauntlet" their casualties unacceptably heavy!!

"the Bouvet [French], the Irresistible [British], and the Ocean [British] were sunk. The Inflexible [British], the Suffren [French], and the Galois [French] were damaged enough that they were out of action. The Albion [English], the Agamemnon [English], the Lord Nelson [English] , and the Charlemagne [French] were heavily damaged"

Bouvet, Irresistible and Ocean having hit and been sunk by naval sea mines!! 

That combined [allied] naval task force for the most part consisting of antiquated and out-of-date warships nonetheless having significant firepower, that ability of those warships to hit the target questionable. THAT PARTICIPATION OF THE FRENCH AT GALLIPOLI MORE CONSIDERABLE THAN WHAT I HAD THOUGHT!

NAVAL TASK FORCE ALL THE WAY TO CONSTANTINOPLE UNSUCCESSFUL!

coolbert.

Avrocar.

This is coolbert:

From the public TV broadcast "Indians and Aliens" again the topic is the paranormal with the military dimension.

Those American Indians members of the Cree nation of Canada having on repeated occasions having seen what they described as UFO. Flying saucers if you wish. Indeed, flying saucers as having the shape of and resembling a "flying saucer".

"The number of encounters with unidentified flying objects (UFOs) in the vast, remote Cree territory of northern Quebec are growing. Indians and Aliens investigates these phenomena and explores credible witness accounts with scientists and other experts in an attempts to open up possible explanations. But there are eye-witness reports that defy rational thought."

It often being suggested that these Cree nation observers were seeing experimental military aircraft during test flights.

And specifically so during the time of the Cold War the Canadian Avrocar. A FLYING SAUCER!

"The Avro Canada VZ-9 Avrocar was a VTOL aircraft developed by Avro Aircraft Ltd. (Canada) as part of a secret U.S. military project carried out in the early years of the Cold War. The Avrocar intended to exploit the Coandă effect to provide lift and thrust from a single 'turborotor' blowing exhaust out the rim of the disk-shaped aircraft to provide anticipated VTOL-like performance. In the air, it would have resembled a flying saucer."

An Avrocar prototype. Persons surrounding the aircraft give you a sense of scale.

Avrocar two prototypes having made and FLOWN! ONLY however able to hover about two feet [66 centimeters] off the ground and UNSTABLE! The Avrocar project not a success and no further development warranted.

Avrocar during a test flight. That is about as high as the aircraft could rise. Two feet [66 centimeters]! And was unstable. More of a hovercraft than a combat warplane.

Those Cree also describing their UFO encounters as with MASSIVE flying objects NOT MAKING A SOUND!! Avrocar was NOT what the Cree were seeing.

coolbert.

Sardinia.

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From a previous blog entry:

"Admiral Warns: Potential for Islamist Raids on European Islands"

"Malta, Crete, Cyprus, Sardinia, Balearic, Corsica, Sicily, etc. Rich pickings for pirates, terrorists and jihadi emulating the razzia of olden times!! Pleasure vessels and cruise ships I might think also."

And as reported from the DEBKAfile Weekly:

"Italy busts large-scale Al Qaeda-inspired terrorist ring"

24 April.

"Italian police broke up an Al-Qaeda-inspired terror network, composed of Pakistani and Afghan nationals, and including former guards of Osama bin Laden. The network, based on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia since 2005, is accused of setting up anti-government attacks in Pakistan, targeting US forces in Afghanistan and plotting to assassinate Pope Benedict XVI in 2010 in the Vatican."

Seems those islands of the Mediterranean not only under jihadi threat but HAVE BEEN FOR SOME TIME NOW. 

coolbert.

Nordics.

This is coolbert:

From an article as posted on a Trotsky oriented Internet web site we have an update to the depth charging of an unidentified underwater object in Finnish territorial waters.

THOSE DEPTH CHARGES AS DROPPED BY THE FINNISH NAVY WARNING DEPTH CHARGES. NOT INTENDED TO BLOW THE UNIDENTIFIED INTRUDER OUT OF THE WATER AND SEND TO KINGDOM COME!

Also as described increased military cooperation noted among those nations of the Baltic region and beyond normally referred to as the "Nordic" nations:

"The Finnish navy’s actions are part of growing tensions in the Nordic and Baltic regions"

"Just two weeks before Tuesday’s events, Finnish Defence Minister Haglund was one of five government ministers from the Nordic states who signed a joint declaration to intensify defence cooperation between Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland. The move was unambiguously directed at Russia, identifying Moscow as the greatest security threat in Europe today."

Yes, a Trotsky oriented international communist worldwide revolutionary web site! I did say my blog is free-ranging and eclectic, didn't I!

coolbert.

Border Crossing.

This is coolbert:

From a previous blog entry:

"the incorporation of the suicide bomber an integral aspect of all ISIL operations."

And is as reported from the DEBKAfile Weekly:

"ISIS attacks kill 40 Iraqi soldiers, 4 Jordanian guardsmen"

25 April.

"Three ISIS suicide bombers Saturday rammed three bomb cars into the only border crossing between Iraq and Jordan, killing at least 40 Iraqi soldiers and 4 Jordanian border guards. The Islamic State named Belgian, French and Senegalese bombers who drove in from the western Iraqi province of Anbar."

"Belgian, French and Senegalese". The multi-national army of ISIL draws participants from all corners of the globe. ALSO "being born in a barn does not necessarily make one a horse". Persons carrying a passport from Belgium, France or Senegal but not always FROM and OF that place.

coolbert.

Depth Charge.

This is coolbert:

More submarine hysteria in the Baltic! This time PUSH HAS COME TO SHOVE! Thanks to Freeper for the tip.

"Finnish navy drops depth charges onto suspected submarine in its territorial waters"

"HELSINKI –  The Finnish military says it has dropped depth charges onto a suspected submarine in the sea outside Helsinki after twice detecting the presence of a foreign object in the area."

. . . .

"Parliamentary defense committee spokesman Jussi Niinisto said Tuesday that the military occasionally detects such activity but described the use of depth charges as unusual."

Unusual indeed! That normal protocol is to drop HAND GRENADES first and get the culprit to beat feet and leave the area in a more or less unmolested state. "We know you are there and now make haste and be gone and with all due speed"!

That depth charging designed to sink or bring to the surface a hostile and unidentified submarine for capture a much serious event as is intuitively obvious to even the most casual of observers.

The Finn takes their sovereignty most seriously!!

coolbert.