Golf DPRK.

This is coolbert:

"'It would take one or two years before the North completes the test for the vertical launch of missiles from the sea,' said a military source in Seoul, expressing security concerns as Pyongyang has also been working on miniaturizing nuclear warheads for its missiles." - - 38 North.

Germane to those previous blog entries seen here and here, the North Korean not possessing a submarine capable of firing vertical cold-launched ballistic missiles, surfaced or submerged, it matters not.

OR IS THIS SO? EVIDENTLY NOT!

At this exact moment the North Korean [DPRK] having in their inventory about forty [?] Romeo class submarines. NONE of which capable of firing the North Korean Polaris-2 intermediate-range ballistic missile.

"The Project 633 class (known in the West by its NATO reporting name as the Romeo class) is a class of Soviet diesel-electric submarine, built in the 1950s.

Romeo in a line of Soviet submarine development Zulu/Whiskey/Romeo. and based on the original German Type XXI technology from that era of the Second World War.

"By today's standards Romeo class submarines are considered obsolete, but they still have some value as training and surveillance vessels."

NORTH KOREA HOWEVER HAVING AT THEIR DISPOSAL SOVIET-ERA GOLF CLASS SUBMARINES SOLD AS SCRAP IN 1990. GOLF CLASS NOTED FOR AN ABILITY TO FIRE VERTICAL-LAUNCH BALLISTIC MISSILES IN SOME INSTANCES WHILE SUBMERGED AND USING COLD LAUNCH TECHNOLOGY!

"North Korea's Brand New Ballistic Sub Discontinued by Soviets in 1990"

"Looks like North Korea's engineers have been hard at work brushing up on their obsolete Soviet-era technology. Because after acquiring 10 [Golf class] discontinued Soviet subs , everyone's favorite little warmongering-dictatorship-that-could has finally rendered the outdated ballistic vessels seaworthy—and it only took them 21 years."

WITH SOME SEVERE MODIFICATIONS OF WHICH THE NORTH KOREAN IS QUITE CAPABLE THESE OLD-FASHIONED GOLF CLASS SUBS CAN BECOME AGAIN A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH.

Comrade Kim has it all figured out? North Korea under his command will be a regional military and possessing a global reach and using antiquated Soviet submarine technology to do so??

Perhaps the proletariat of North Korea go without electricity and are under-fed and under-nourished, but Comrade Kim will have his submarines and missiles. I fear it is so!!

coolbert.

Hezbollah Naval.

This is coolbert:

One from land and two by sea!

“'Hezbollah has a Sophisticated Naval Force' - Israel"

"According to an Israel report, the Lebanese movement Hezbollah has allegedly developed a sophisticated naval infrastructure that is said to be operating in shadows."

Hezbollah as recognized the BEST light infantry in the world! Also according to Israeli sources Hezbollah also now having a sophisticated and hidden naval capability.

A naval force and capability consisting of at least:

* Fast attack boats operating in a swarm mode of attack.

* Naval commando units.

*  Midget submarines??

Unconventional warriors [Hezbollah] employing unconventional means to conduct naval warfare. Courtesy the Iranian too I might imagine.

That combination of fast attack boats and naval commandos a threat the Israeli have never [?] had to content with. Means and methods crude but effective!

Read further regarding Hezbollah naval capability, the swarm attack by fast boats hard to stop in totality.

"Swarms attack, raids on the coast: secret naval force Hezbollah."

Naval commando units practitioners of asymmetric naval warfare in the extreme. As it was with the Italian Decima Mas so as it is now with Hezbollah!

coolbert.

Five Bridges.

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From Reuters and the article by Stephen Kalin. Thanks to the tip from Freeper.

"Iraqi forces aim to secure Mosul bridge, link up to east bank"

 "MOSUL, IRAQ - - U.S.-backed Iraqi forces pushed deeper into western Mosul on Sunday, aiming to capture a bridge across the Tigris which would link the city's government-held eastern bank with the ongoing offensive against remaining militants [ISIL] in the west."

"The bridge is the southernmost of five bridges spanning the Tigris. All were damaged in strikes by the U.S.-led air coalition, and later by Islamic State fighters trying to seal off the western bank still under their control."

Those five bridges in yellow across the Tigris. All five damaged to some degree. To what extent the bridges if and when captured by the forces of the Iraqi National Army able to accommodate military traffic unclear. The Iraqi national Army does not possess a pontoon bridging capability of some sort? Thanks to CNN and Google for the image.

One bridge too far. Forward movement of Iraqi and Kurd forces the capture of Mosul the objective again glacially slow. It almost sounds to me like this has become Stalingrad in the desert. When the fighting is over, all that will be left will be smoldering and bomb-cratered devastated city uninhabitable.

"Forward movement", "glacially slow" and relegated to battling over a few hundred meters at a time. Such is the nature of urban warfare. As it is now in Mosul.

coolbert.

ISIL = ISIS.

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What is in a name? Thanks to the tip from Freeper.

Is it ISIL or is it ISIS. That is the question?

"Pentagon Says OBAMA Was Wrong: It’s NOT ISIL, IT’S ISIS! (Video)"

"Pentagon Officially Designates The Proper Name To The Enemy"

"During a Friday briefing, Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, said that the Pentagon had officially switched the name of the Islamic terrorist group, ISIL, to ISIS according to Fox News."

"Changing the name from ISIL to ISIS was important for the Pentagon to do for a few different reasons. Under the Obama administration the preferred acronym was ISIL, which stands for Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant."

To me the entire issue is absurd! It is not even a question. Those acronym of ISIL and ISIS are interchangeable and always have been.

ISIL = Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.

ISIS = Islamic State in Iraq and al-Shams.

Al-Shams the Arabic term for what is referred to as the Levant. The Levant historically defined as that part of the eastern Mediterranean sea bordering on what are now the nations of Lebanon, Syria and Israel. That area of Syria fertile land WEST of the Aleppo, Homs, Hama, Damascus highway from ancient antiquity and not so much eastward..

Those Muslim military forces moving north from the Hejaz in that immediate period after the death of Mohammad their first target al-Shams. The Levant. The Salafist sees great symbolic importance to the incorporation of the Levant into that area as controlled by ISIL.

Move along folks, NOTHING more to see here folks. For all devoted readers to the blog that entity of the Islamic State will be continued to be designated as ISIL Political considerations from my perspective  considered to be irrelevant.

coolbert.

Cold.

This is coolbert:

Regarding that missile firing of an apparent North Korean cold-launch intermediate-range ballistic missile even the Israeli have sat up and taken notice.

From that latest edition of the DEBKAfile newsletter:

"US twin sea buildup against China, NKorea, Iran"

19 February.

"A week ago, on Feb. 12, North Korea launched a missile, using new 'cold eject' technology which makes it possible to fire a missile from a submarine. Military experts in Washington and Jerusalem estimate that once Pyongyang has perfected the system, it will be passed to Tehran, an eventuality covered in Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's White House talks with President Trump last week, our sources reveal."

The Iranian currently has Kilo class attack submarines but nothing that will allow for a cold launch of the North Korean Polaris-2 IRBM? The threat on paper is much over-blown?

coolbert.

Polaris-2.

This is coolbert:

"...North Korea is simply not capable of developing a completely organic, sophisticated, and complex sea- and land-mobile solid fuel missile [like the Polaris-2]..." - Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance (MDAA) . . . dated February 16.

Yet more as extracted from a recent Colonel Austin Bay article. Thanks to the Strategy Page Internet web site.

"On Point"

"Spy Novels and Whodunnit: North Korea's Criminal Reality Is Intolerable"

"On February 12, the day before Brother Nam's demise, Dictator Un put on another display. His regime launched a new missile, the Pukgukson-2 (Polaris-2). The technical specifics make this very bad news. Solid fuel propels the missile, which means it can be launched on short notice. A tracked transporter erector-launcher (TEL) fired the missile. This means the new missile is mobile. North Korea has few paved roads; a tracked TEL isn't road bound."

"Moreover, it was cold-launched -- expelled from the TEL before main booster ignition. That indicates a submarine can fire the Polaris-2."

Kim of Pyongyang now possessing a much more formidable capability to deliver nuclear weapons on target than hitherto was either available or expected.

NORTH KOREA DOES NOT POSSESS THE NECESSARY "MASSIVE FOUNDATIONAL ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH" BASE TO DEVELOP SUCH A MISSILE HAVING COLD-LAUNCH CAPABILITY? PERHAPS MMDA IS WRONG!

coolbert.

Android.

This is coolbert:

More on an item that has been the subject of a previous blog entry.

From the Russian Internet web site Sputnik and as reported that situation of Israeli troops having their personal smart phones hacked more acute than first realized?

"State-Sponsored Hackers Took Over Israeli Soldiers’ Android Phones"

THE CULPRIT HERE BEING A MALWARE OF AMAZING SOPHISTICATION!

A state actor at work here and not the smurfs?

"New research has revealed that state-sponsored hackers have been using malware to spy on soldiers in the Israeli Defense Force through their smart phones."

"Reports indicate that more than 100 Israeli servicemen were first affected by this attack this in July 2016, and that the most recent reported attacks happened just this month. The malware, called "ViperRAT," was specifically designed to target Android devices, with hackers gaining access to the phone’s location, video, audio and SMS functions."

"YeeCall Pro and SR Chat are legitimate programs, but were weaponized for the cyber attack. The virus spread through “Droppers” hiding in other apps common in Israel and available through the Google App Store, like Move To iOS and an Israeli love-song player"

"The depth of social engineering that went into the hack led Kaspersky to posit that Hamas was responsible, but Lookout has claimed that the group does not possess the sophisticated mobile capabilities to develop a program like ViperRat."

Click on image to see a larger view.

Also see and read this analysis from Lookout as to the threat as posed by ViperRAT!

coolbert.

Nichols USAF.

This is coolbert:

Mechanic - Sergeant - Captain - Colonel - Spymaster.

Donald Nichols. From the era of the Korean War. Never heard of this man  before. Thanks to the tip from the Jungle Trader Internet web site.

As excerpted from the book review:

"King of Spies: The Dark Reign and Bizarre Ruin of America's Spymaster in Korea" by Blaine Harden.

"In 1946, master sergeant Donald Nichols was repairing jeeps on the sleepy island of Guam when he caught the eye of recruiters from the army's Counter Intelligence Corps. After just three months' training, he was sent to Korea, then a backwater beneath the radar of MacArthur's Pacific Command. Though he lacked the pedigree of most U.S. spies — Nichols was a 7th grade dropout — he quickly metamorphosed from army mechanic to black ops phenomenon. He insinuated himself into the affections of America's chosen puppet in South Korea, President Syngman Rhee, and became a pivotal player in the Korean War, warning months in advance about the North Korean invasion, breaking enemy codes, and identifying most of the targets destroyed by  American bombs in North Korea."

BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER THE WAR [KOREA] THIS MAN STOOD TALL.

And from the wiki:

"Donald Nichols . . . was a United States Air Force officer who worked in military intelligence. He founded and commanded the U.S. Air Force's first active military intelligence unit, the 6004th Air Intelligence Service Squadron (6004th AISS), which he founded in 1950 during the Korean War. Although he began his military career in the motor pool, he eventually sparked the infiltration of espionage teams behind communist lines, as well as personally gathering the first data on the communist MiG-15 fighter. A trusted and reliable intelligence officer who had predicted the start date of the Korean War, he enjoyed 24-hour access to South Korean President Syngman Rhee"

This man was able to succeed where the Ivy League recruits to Central Intelligence were not able to? And WHY was that?

coolbert.

McMaster PhD.

This is coolbert:

From the outstanding Internet web site isegoria.net we have this article the topic of which is the new national security adviser to the President.

"Few people have thought more deeply about the nature of war than McMaster"

"There are few people in the world for whom Max Boot has more respect than Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster, the newly named national security adviser"

H.R. McMaster PhD. And a distinguished combat commander. The man is an intellectual and a man of action one and the same. Hard to find that combination. From a much prior era the Victorian Sir Richard Francis Burton instantly comes to mind.

I am impressed. Such persons are few and far in between. Secretary of Defense [SECDEF] James also such a person.

Read the whole thing and thank you isegoria.net.

coolbert.

Izumo.

This is coolbert:

More light aircraft-carrier stuff. Japan style!

ONE INDICATION OF AMERICAN DECLINE IN THE WORLD WILL BE FOR THE JAPANESE TO CONSTRUCT A BLUE-WATER [PELAGIC] NAVY!!

A pelagic [deep-water] navy with an offensive capability and this through the light carrier?

F-35B STOVL warplanes flying off a light carrier of the Izumo class?

Izumo as classified a helicopter-destroyer and as of this exact moment not having an organic fixed-wing combat warplanes!

A FEW SIMPLE MODIFICATIONS HOWEVER AND THE IZUMO READY TO GO?

"If the Izumo class were to operate fixed-wing aircraft [F-35B], they would be limited to those capable of STOVL (short take-off, vertical landing) operations . . . the ship's lack of a ski jump limiting the plane's range and payload, lack of specialized landing pads to withstand the F-35B's immense heat generated upon vertical thrusts, and small space to accommodate very many planes would make it a poor 'offensive' aircraft carrier"

Japanese Izumo class warship. Carries at this exact moment only rotary-wing warplanes, submarine-hunters. CAN with modifications also employ the F-35B in the STOVL mode? This is the question?

Regarding the F-35B and the STOVL capability of same:

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2017/01/f-35b-usmc.html

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2013/03/alternatives.html

The Izumo will make for a "poor" light carrier and then only with extensive [?] modifications nonetheless providing a hitherto missing element to the Japanese Self-Defense Forces naval capability.

coolbert.

Iodine-131.

This is coolbert:

Further as is germane to that prior blog entry.

Move along folks, nothing to see here!!

"No One Can Figure Out What's Behind a Mysterious Radiation Spike Across Europe"

"It appears to be linked to pharmaceuticals."

"Small amounts of nuclear radiation spread across Europe last month, and no one can figure out why."

"First detected over the Norway-Russia border in January, the radioactive Iodine-131 bloom was then found over several European countries, and while unsubstantiated rumors of nuclear testing by Russia have been cropping up, officials say it's most likely linked to an unreported pharmaceutical mishap."

Radioactive iodine is used during treatment for cancer. Some pharma factory gave off an unreported and unplanned release that is now causing a panic and hysteria?

Panic and hysteria not quite correct or is it? Concern but then consider that detection of  a similar sort preceded the announcement of the Chernobyl disaster.

coolbert.

Armée de l'air.

This is coolbert:

Without a doubt a growth business. Get in on the bottom floor now!!

"French Police Are Training Eagles to Fight ISIS Drones, Terrorist Attacks"

 "In its fight to prevent future terrorist attacks on its soil, France has found an unlikely ally: the royal eagle".

"The French Air Force is currently training birds of prey to take down remote-controlled objects following reports that ISIS recruits are weaponizing consumer markets drones to carry out attacks against enemy fighters."

AS IT WAS DURING THE TIME OF THE CRUSADES AND AS IT WAS AT THE NORMANDY BEACHES PRIOR TO 6 JUNE 1944 SO IT IS NOW!!

ETERNAL WARFARE!

See previous blog entries regarding this topic and French concerns as to the UAV threat:

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2015/02/journalists.html

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2015/02/drone-hysteria.html

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2015/03/seine-port.html

The old ways are often the best ways!! Raptors to the rescue! Have talons will travel.

 P.S.: "The eagles - named d'Artagnan, Athos, Porthos and Aramis". The musketeers. 

coolbert.

Light V.

This is coolbert:

Yet more the amphibious assault ship as a light aircraft carrier [CVL] equipped with a full complement of the F-35B Lightning.

1. Light carriers [such as the USS America] in the sea control mode of operation and mission having those twenty or so F-35B strike fighters but NOT having those additional and requisite type of warplane as necessary for modern naval warfare.

As a consequence CVL will require external support from a variety of sources to include:

EW = Electronic Warfare, AEW = Airborne Early Warning, ASW = Anti-submarine Warfare [fixed wing], tanker.

* KC-135 or KC-46 tanker.

* Air Force E-3 for AWACS [AEW].

* EC-130H Compass Call for EW.

F-35B having an embedded EW capability it being acknowledged.

[do not confuse AEW and EW]

* Poseidon [P-8] or Orion [P-3] for ASW.

[choppers have limited range in this respect, with fixed-wing ASW you can locate the enemy sub a long way out??]

* Osprey as on-call for the logistics role.

 2. Light carrier also as requiring accompaniment to include:

* "One or two Aegis guided missile cruisers"

* "A destroyer squadron . . . with two to three guided missile destroyers (DDG)"

* "Up to two attack submarines"

* "A combined ammunition, oiler and supply ship"

I have the assurance of an acknowledged authority in such matters that joint service operations of this sort are ALREADY being carried out. So much the better!

Nobody ever said this was going to be easy.

coolbert.

Light IV.

This is coolbert:

Once more discussion of the American "light" aircraft carrier [CVL]. Think in this particular case too the Amphibious Assault Ship of the USS America class with the mission solely of  "sea control" as that term defined. Air power in the strike and air superiority role.

1. That Chinese aircraft carrier much ballyhooed Liaoning the inventory of warplanes to include:

Aircraft carried - -

* "24 Shenyang J-15" [air superiority]
* "6 Changhe Z-18" [rotary wing]
* "4 Changhe Z-18J" [rotary wing]
* "2 Harbin Z-9" [rotary wing]

Total of 36 fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft. Twenty-four of which are comparable to the F-18 strike aircraft.

APPARENTLY NO ORGANIC TANKERS, AEW, EW, FIXED-WING ASW?

AEW = Airborne Early Warning. EW =  Electronic Warfare. ASW = Anti-submarine-warfare.

2. Compare that warplane inventory of the Liaoning with that of a current American super-carrier [CVN].

An American super-carrier at any given moment having a 50 % greater strike fighter capability AND organic warplanes of the support role. AEW, EW, ASW [ rotary], tanker. An American super-carrier a self-contained warship capable of totally independent action not requiring outside support.

3. An American super-carrier strike group also as understood by doctrine NOT consisting of a single warship. 

Always that super-carrier accompanied AND supported by a variety of other vessels to include:

* "One or two Aegis guided missile cruisers"

* "A destroyer squadron . . . with two to three guided missile destroyers (DDG)"

* "Up to two attack submarines"

* "A combined ammunition, oiler and supply ship"

LIGHT AMERICAN CARRIERS [CVL] OF THE USS AMERICA CLASS ALSO WILL REQUIRE A COMPARABLE CONTINGENT OF SUPPORTING WARSHIPS?  A NECESSITY? EVEN A LIGHT CARRIER WILL NOT BE OPERATIONAL AND DEPLOY IN A VACUUM!

Nor can we preclude the possibility of a light carrier as augmentation to a traditional carrier strike group as that term understood.

THIS ALL GETS VERY COMPLEX ALL VERY QUICKLY, DOESN'T IT?

coolbert.

Light III.

This is coolbert:

Continuing with that discussion of the American light carrier.

THE SUPER-CARRIER [CVN] AS THAT TERM UNDERSTOOD TOO VULNERABLE AND EXPENSIVE? "

"Does the US Navy have 10 or 19 Aircraft Carriers?"

Ten or nineteen. That is the question?

And the answer is? CVL?

"LHA(R) America Class Amphibious Assault Ship"

"Last week [April 2014] the U.S. Navy accepted USS America, first of the America-class amphibious assault ships, into service . . . When fully operational, America and Tripoli will operate as many as 20 F-35Bs, potentially playing a critical role in what the Navy projects as the future of air superiority."

An image of the USS America [LHA (R)] as might soon be. Carrying F-35 B Lightning, short take-off vertical landing.

THE AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT SHIP AS IN THE CURRENT INVENTORY DEPENDING ON MISSION AUGMENTING IN A MAJOR WAY THE SUPER-CARRIER. THOSE OTHER NINE AIRCRAFT CARRIERS IN REALITY U.S. MARINE ASSAULT SHIPS?

A Wasp-class amphibious assault ship that number and type of warplanes fixed and rotary aircraft  task tailored. Missions to include the "Standard Complement", "Assault", "Sea Control".

"Sea Control"

* 20 AV-8B Harrier II attack aircraft
* 6 SH-60F/HH-60H ASW helicopters

LHA (R) however NOT carrying [?] those embedded and organic warplanes essential to the mission and of the variety:

* EW [Electronic Warfare].
* AEW [Airborne Early Warning].
* Tanker.

Assuming also Osprey if and when carried capable of carrying out the aerial logistics mission.

The much talked about Chinese aircraft carrier [solely one at the present time] Liaoning able to carry about twenty-four combat warplanes of the strike mission variety. Liaoning also evidently NOT having organic EW, AEW and tanker warplanes?

YET more to follow.

coolbert.

Light II.

This is coolbert:

Continuing that topic for discussion the "light carrier" [CVL]. Thanks to the tip from Colonel Craig USMC.

"Does the US Navy have 10 or 19 Aircraft Carriers?"

"The U.S. Navy operates 19 ships that could be called aircraft carriers, but only considers 10 to be actual carriers."

ACTUAL CARRIERS AS THAT TERM UNDERSTOOD AN AIRCRAFT CARRIER OF THE NIMITZ SUPER-CARRIER CLASS [CVN]. ABLE TO HANDLE TAKE-OFF AND LANDING OF AN ENTIRE AIR WING,

An air wing as found on a super-carrier [CVN] understood to include a full panoply of warplanes, a fully organic warplane formation not requiring support during combat operations, autonomous and independent.

Warplanes as organic to a super-carrier to include those of the strike, EW, AEW, logistic and ASW variety. Some strike warplanes also as configured as tankers for aerial refueling.

EW = Electronic Warfare, AEW = Airborne Early Warning, ASW = Anti-Submarine-Warfare.

"panoply - - noun, plural panoplies. 1. a wide-ranging and impressive array or display"

About thirty-six F-18 of all varieties able to deliver ordnance on target or engage in aerial combat, air superiority warplanes.

Ten such super-carriers currently in the inventory of the U.S. Navy, combat assets formidable and all-encompassing, missions to include the proverbial soup to nuts.

To be continued!

coolbert.

Light I.

This is coolbert:

CVN = Super aircraft-carrier nuclear.

CVL = Light aircraft-carrier.

From Strategy Page and as excerpted from the Austin Bay archive of articles: "On Point".

"A Renaissance for Small Aircraft Carriers?" by Colonel Austin Bay.

"The U.S. Navy may be on the verge of a light aircraft carrier renaissance. New technology spurs the revival, both new smart weapons in the arsenals of potential military adversaries and new American weapons systems, the USMC F-35B strike fighter being the most pertinent example."

. . . .

"This is one reason building a few 21st century CVLs make sense. It's a way of hedging against the loss of a CVN by putting some eggs in a few more baskets . . . Two or three CVLs, each with two-dozen or so F-35Bs, dispersed through a CVN-led battle group would increase fleet survivability."

"Can the Navy build three or four CVLs for the price of one CVN? Maybe, maybe not. It's a question yet to be answered."

CVN a super-carrier and also nuclear! CVL that term retired but now to be resurrected? CVL also non-nuclear!

Three or four CVL for the price of one CVN? This too an instance of "quantity has a quality all it's own"?

Read further that history of the CVL from the era of the Second World War!

More to follow regarding this matter!

coolbert.

Cobra 55.

This is coolbert:

We have an item as reported from only today that appears to have the potentiality to be big!! Very BIG perhaps!!

1. "Radioactive Iodine over Europe first measured in Finnmark"

A trace of radioactive Iodine-131 of unknown origin was in January detected over large areas in Europe. Since the isotope has a half-life of only eight days, the detection is a proof of a rather recent release.

 THE BARENTS OBSERVER A NORWEGIAN MEDIA OUTLET!! THE VERY FAR NORTH!

2. "Tracking over the UK, US Air Force WC-135C Constant Phoenix Nuclear explosion ‘sniffer’ 62-3582 COBRA55"

"On Feb. 17, 2017, U.S. Air Force WC-135C Constant Phoenix Nuclear explosion 'sniffer,' serial number 62-3582, using radio callsign 'Cobra 55' deployed to RAF Mildenhall, UK".

A "sniffer" aircraft the purpose of which is to detect and capture nuclear fallout. From what source in this case exactly as of this moment is not known!!

coolbert.

USAAC/USAAF.

This is coolbert:

As extracted from an Internet web site some most pertinent and very troubling statistics regarding U.S. combat aviation during the Second World War [WW2].

"Horrific WWII Statistics".

"Absolutely amazing (American) World War 2 statistics and photos.  I have always known that aircrew had the highest fatality rate but the loss rate (and cost of war) detailed below is absolutely horrific"

"If you live for facts and statistics, this is just for you."..

1. "Almost 1,000  Army planes disappeared en route from the US to foreign locations.  But an  eye-watering 43,581 aircraft were lost overseas including 22,948 on combat missions (18,418 against the Western Axis) and 20,633 attributed to non-combat  causes overseas".

ALMOST AS MANY WARPLANES LOST TO "NON-COMBAT CAUSES" AS LOST TO ENEMY ACTION!!

2. "In WWII flying safety took a back seat to combat.  The AAF's [Army Air Force] worst accident rate was recorded by the A-36 Invader version of the P-51: a staggering 274 accidents  per 100,000 flying hours". 

"Next worst were the P-39 at 245, the  P-40 at 188, and the P-38 at 139.  All were Allison powered."

A-36 the ground attack version of the P-51.

AND WHAT WAS THERE ABOUT THE ALLISON ENGINE THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THE HIGH ACCIDENT RATE?

The distinguished German combat pilot of the era Steinhoff having rated the P-51 as the BEST fighter plane of the war!! The ground attack version not so good?

coolbert.

Gladio ISIL.

This is coolbert:

Gladio Islamic State style??

Additionally as extracted from the Patrick Cockburn article seen at the Ron Unz Internet web site.

"Mosul Set to be Completely 'Destroyed' in Battle to Free It from Isis"

MOSUL IF AND WHEN CAPTURED BY THE MILITARY OF THE IRAQI NATIONAL ARMY PACIFICATION OF THE CITY WILL REMAIN A PROBLEM FOR ANY TIME INTO THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE?

The villains of ISIL with a lot of forethought having evidently organized "stay-behind" units. This is the ISIL version of NATO Gladio?

"In a stay-behind operation, a country places secret operatives or organizations in its own territory, for use in the event that an enemy occupy that territory. If this occurs, the operatives would then form the basis of a resistance movement or act as spies from behind enemy lines."

"Mr Zebari [Hoshyar Zebari], who originally comes from Mosul, describes the present situation in the city as 'horrible' and 'a shambles', even in those parts of it that Iraqi government forces have captured, though not fully occupied and secured. 'There are Isis ‘sleeper cells’ with maybe 16 to 24 men in each district which come out of hiding and kill people who are cooperating with the government,' he [Hoshyar Zebari] says. 'They target restaurants which have reopened and serve soldiers.'”

For an organization originally described by President Obama as the junior varsity [JV] ISIL has a remarkable degree of sophistication. Gives regrettably so a lot of thought not only to the NOW but to the FUTURE!

See previous blog entries the topic of which was "stay-behind" units and the organization of same:

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2016/12/washtub.html

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2016/12/auxiliary-units.html

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2016/12/absalon.html

coolbert.

Hubbard.

This is coolbert:

"a 'much-decorated war hero who commanded a corvette and during hostilities was crippled and wounded.' According to Scientology publications, he served as a 'Commodore of Corvette squadrons' in 'all five theaters of World War II' and was awarded 'twenty-one medals and palms' for his service. He was 'severely wounded and was taken crippled and blinded' to a military hospital, where he 'worked his way back to fitness, strength and full perception in less than two years, using only what he knew and could determine about Man and his relationship to the universe'"

So it is alleged was the war record of L. Ron Hubbard. One of the most prolific authors in the English language, his service during World War Two [WW2] as thought by some to be excessively embellished!.

Thanks to the tip and the article as seen at isegoria.net.

Without question L. Ron Hubbard having seen military service during the Second World War [WW2]. This much is clear. As being a distinguished naval officer this much is not clear. Hubbard it is known DID command two naval vessels [a patrol boat and a sub chaser] during the conflict. Did not actually [?] see combat action during the war and twice was relieved of command. THE MENTAL STABILITY AND UNSUITABILITY OF HUBBARD IN A COMMAND ROLE QUESTIONED!

Patrol boat of the type as commanded during WW2 by L. Ron Hubbard.

Sub-chaser of the type as commanded by L. Ron Hubbard during WW2.

The religion of Scientology and the concept of dianetics intrinsically connected to the war record of L. Ron Hubbard? At lease some make the connection and in a manner unfavorable to L. Ron.

Commander, heal thyself?

coolbert.

Ashdown.

This is coolbert:

“It is unsustainable and unacceptable to have a policy of drowning refugees when we should be attacking the smugglers." . . . “There may also be a case for using special forces of interdiction to destroy the boats before they leave port.”

As was reported in a recent Internet article dated 2015:

"Lord Ashdown: destroy migrant smugglers' boats before they leave port"

"Former Lib Dem leader claims there is a case for using special forces to destroy migrant vessels before they leave port"

"Lord Ashdown has called for a fresh strategy to target networks of people smugglers in north Africa, including the possible use of armed force to destroy boats before they can ferry desperate migrants across the Mediterranean."

Lord Ashdown having seen military service in his younger years, as a Royal Marine!!

Greatly reduce the smuggling of human being across the Mediterranean with direct military action. Do not wait for the smuggler ships to leave port and then intercept them. Destroy the vessels while docked at port!!

As it was over three-hundred and fifty years ago so should it be now? That is the question? There is precedent!!

From a  BBC History magazine article:  "When Britons were slaves in Africa" by Professor Adam Nichols.

 "In 1665, a British naval force set fire to the corsair fleet in the harbor at Tunis and then attacked Algiers and liberated British captives there. In 1671, a British force burned the Algerian fleet anchored at Bougie, and in 1676 another destroyed the corsair fleet in the harbor at Tripoli."

HIT EM' WHERE THEY LIVE! SMUGGLING SHIPS OF THE MODERN DAY BARBARY PIRATES SENT TO THE BOTTOM WHILE DOCKED AND IN PORT. THAT WILL STOP THE HUMAN TRAFFICKING?

Anyone else got a better idea?

coolbert.

Golden.

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More on body count, the Islamic State, their fighting units, etc.

An items of interest as extracted from the Patrick Cockburn article as seen at the Ron Unz Internet web site.

"Mosul Set to be Completely 'Destroyed' in Battle to Free It from Isis"

 Four full months now the battle to liberate the Iraqi city of Mosul has continued. The combatants of the Islamic State much more resilient and resourceful than anyone had thought possible. Ruthless too. Their tactics seem to work. Those of the Iraqi army not so successful?.

SUCCESS AS REPORTED, BODY COUNT OF ISIL FIGHTERS MUCH EXAGGERATED?

"US reports say that some units of the Golden Division, which is a sort of highly trained army within the army [Iraqi], had suffered up to 50 per cent losses. He [Hoshyar Zebari] discounts official Iraqi claims that 16,000 Isis fighters had been killed, saying that the real figure was probably between 1,500 and 2,000 Isis dead out of a total of 6,000 in Mosul. He [Hoshyar Zebari] thought that they [ISIL] had brought in reinforcements and there were probably 4,000 Isis fighters left who would defend west Mosul, which is home to about 750,000 people"

AS WAS FEARED MOSUL HAS BECOME A CARVE-UP AND MUCH TO THE DISADVANTAGE OF THE IRAQI NATIONAL ARMY?

coolbert.

Competence.

This is coolbert:

Also from the latest edition of the DEBKAfile news letter. Once more the combatants of the Islamic State [ISIL] proving to be rough customers. Turkish regular forces having a hard go.

"Erdogan: Turkish forces reach center of ISIS-held Al-Bab"

12 February.  

"Military sources tracking the months' old Turkish offensive to capture the northern Syrian town of Al-Bab from ISIS occupation affirm that their troops have reached the town's outskirts - not yet the center, as President Tayyip Erdogan claimed Sunday. Ankara puts out periodic reports of battle successes against the Islamic State's last stronghold in the Aleppo region . . . Turkey's failure to overcome the jihadists in nearly three months of fighting raises questions about its army's professional competence - especially after the failed military coup eight months ago and subsequent purge of generals."

According to DEBKAfile the center of Al-Bab NOT having been reached. Turkish troops on the outskirts of the city but not to the center.

SO MANY TURKISH HIGH RANKING ARMY COMMANDERS ARRESTED OR DISMISSED RECENTLY THE COMMAND STRUCTURE OF THE TURKISH MILITARY NOW QUESTIONABLE?

And of this situation Mustafa Kemal would say?

coolbert.

Trump & Erdogan.

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From the latest edition of the DEBKAfile newsletter consider only as extracted the exchange between Trump and Erdogan.

ME = Middle East.

"Coming Trump-Putin-Erdogan deal rumbles thru ME"

11 February. 

". . . When Trump talked on the phone to Erdogan last Tuesday, Feb. 7, he [Trump] was told that America's extradition of Turkish opposition leader Fatullah Gulen was a sine qua non for any deal. Erdogan has accused Gulen, who lives in exile in America, of orchestrating the failed military coup against him [Erdogan] last July and the plot for his assassination. Gulen denies he had any hand in the coup. Erdogan made it clear to the US president that if he wants Turkey as a partner for fighting terror, Gulen's party, whose FETO party he insists is a terror organization, must be included in that heading. Trump promised to examine Turkey's Gulen dossier, which would have to stand up in a US court as sufficient grounds for extradition. Four days later, on Friday, Feb. 10, the new CIA Director Mike Pompeo arrived in Ankara on his first foreign trip, to discuss plans for cooperation in Syria. He was also handed the Gulen dossier."

"sine qua non - - 1. an indispensable condition, element, or factor; something essential"

NO TURKISH COOPERATION IN THE BATTLE AGAINST THE ISLAMIC STATE UNLESS GULEN IS EXTRADITED! AN ESSENTIAL ELEMENT AS TOLD BY ERDOGAN TO TRUMP!!

"Mr. Trump, if you want something that is good, because I want something too!!'

See previous blog entry the topic of which was the extradition of Gulen to Turkey:

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2016/07/gulen_22.html

coolbert.

Sixty-thousand.

This is coolbert:

Vietnam body count deja vu all over again?

As seen at Freeper the war against the Islamic State [ISIL] going well. Very well, the villains are nearly down and out for the count?

A ray of hope form Ray Thomas?

Let us hope so but for some strange reason I have my doubts.

"American troops have killed 60,000 ISIS militants in the past two years"

"The commander of the U.S. military special operations division has given a new - higher - death count for the war against the Islamic State. Speaking at a conference in Maryland on Tuesday, Army Gen. Raymond Thomas said that troops had killed approximately 60,000 ISIS militants in the past two years"

HEY, BACK IN 2014 AS I RECALL IT WAS STATED THE ISLAMIC STATE [ISIL] HAD ABOUT 30,000 ARMED COMBATANTS IN THE FIELD. GENERAL THOMAS IS SAYING WE HAVE WIPED OUT THE ENEMY FORCE 100 % AND DONE SO TWICE NOW??

American troops defined as airmen [?] dropping bombs on ISIL positions that number of enemy fighters killed and damage done [bomb damage assessment] always subject to speculation. I prefer to wait and see.

coolbert.

Trident II DS.

This is coolbert:

“Vengeance and her crew were successfully tested and certified.”

More on that recent Trident missile launch that went awry!

1. "US Trident failure claims contradict Michael Fallon"


2. "British nuke-capable missile flies in wrong direction—toward the United States—in failed test"


3. "NUCLEAR ERROR Trident fiasco as Brit sub ‘fired dummy missile at the United States’ in first nuke test for four years"

THAT THE TRIDENT MISSILE WAS SUCCESSFULLY FIRED MEANS THE CREW DID ITS PART CORRECTLY AND REMAINS CERTIFIED, AS IS ALSO THE VESSEL ITSELF. THAT THE MISSILE WENT ERRANT, OFF COURSE AND WAS DESTROYED IN MID-FLIGHT ONLY MEANS THE MISSILE ITSELF WAS BAD AND NOT THE SHIP OR CREW!!

Am I being pedantic or overly generous here? Devoted readers to the blog can decide for themselves!

"pedantic - - adjective - - 2. overly concerned with minute details or formalisms, especially in teaching"

Michael Fallon will say thank you!

coolbert.

Machete.

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From the tip as seen at Freeper and thanks to the English Daily Mail herewith the successor as proposed to the American ground attack warplane the A-10.

"The 'Machete' that could replace the A-10 Warthog: Radical lightweight metal foam attack plane with a PROPELLER"

   *  "Machete is a concept for a new light-weight attack plane for the US Air Force"
   *  "Designed with a metal foam instead of the traditional armor"
   *  "Will be single engine, single seat planes and offered in 2 variants"
   *  "Other models for air-to-air combat and advanced training could also be released"

A pusher with the propeller in the rear. At this exact moment only a concept and a drawing on a piece of paper? AND possibly will have an aerial combat capability too? A jet version also under consideration.

Perhaps where F-35 Lightning cannot the Machete can?

 coolbert

Dresden.

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Allied atrocity from the era of the Second World War? Regrettably NOW a yearly event as a focus for political protest. As seen at various media.

1. "Dresden Marks Allied Bombing Anniversary With Peace Chain" from the AP.

"Thousands of people have formed a human chain in Dresden in a message of 'peace and reconciliation' marking the anniversary of the deadly Allied firebombing of the eastern German city near the end of World War II."

2. "Protests as Dresden Marks Bombing Anniversary" from Deutsche Welle.

"Hundreds of neo-Nazis marched through the eastern city of Dresden at the weekend to mark the anniversary of the city’s bombing at the end of World War II."

3. "Dresden: Death from Above" from the article by Tomislav Sunic.

"... Dresden is not only a German city, or the symbol of a German destiny."

4. "The Blood of Dresden" from the article by Kurt Vonnegut. 

… "In February 1945, American bombers [most of the damage done by the British] reduced this treasure to crushed stone and embers; disembowelled her with high explosives and cremated her with incendiaries"

Regarding Dresden as a MILITARY TARGET: " It was . . . a key junction in Germany’s railway system, expediting the travel of supplies and soldiers to the Eastern Front."

THOSE RAILWAYS AND MARSHALING YARDS UP AND RUNNING WITHOUT INTERRUPTION TWO DAYS AFTER THE BOMBING!!

NOR SHOULD DRESDEN BECOME A FOCUS OF POLITICAL PROTEST AND CONFRONTATION! BUT IS HAS!

coolbert.

Unacceptable!

This is coolbert:

"The seat issue has plagued the Air Force since 2015, one of many of the F-35’s high-tech components that have presented challenges during operations testing. In late 2015, a study showed that pilots under 165 pounds faced an 'elevated' risk of neck injury due to the faulty seats while lighter pilots weighing fewer than 136 pounds encountered 'unacceptable' levels of risk."

More weal and woe for the F-35 as reported by the Russian media outlet Sputnik!

1. "US Air Force May Finally Have Solution for F-35 Pilot Weight Problem"

"Since 2015, the Air Force has prevented pilots weighing less than 165 pounds from flying F-35 jets after tests showed that the ejection seat posed the risk of severe or fatal neck injury. The US Air Force may change that rule in April if new seat and helmet models are deemed safe,"

That male pilot lanky or the female aviator petite in danger of being killed during an ejection!!

2. "F-35 Fail: $400k Helmets Leave Pilots 'Decapitated' During Sharp Take Off"

"The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, the most expensive weapons program in US military history, has another problem. Its super-sophisticated $400,000 helmets make the stealth fighter's pilots lose their heads… literally."

SHARP TAKE-OFF AS BEING HURLED DOWN THE DECK OF AN AIRCRAFT CARRIER! THIS IS STRICTLY A NAVAL AVIATION PROBLEM?

This is the specific high-technology VSI helmet as will be worn [and is being worn] by the pilots of the F-35? That visor inadvertently  flips up during a "sharp take-off".

The saga of the F-35 continues and will do so probably for the life span of the warplane. That is going to be for decades to come!!

coolbert.

TDS Soviet.

This is coolbert:

Novorossysk sunk, Pugliese TDS to blame?

My suspicions regarding this matter at least to an extent have proven correct!

That Soviet era warship Novorossysk having been sunk while docked, capsizing with an enormous loss of life having a defective design flaw that contributed to the disaster?

Novorossysk originally the Italian warship Giulio Cesare [Julius Caesar], a prize of war and as awarded to the Soviet in the aftermath of the Second World War.

Novorossysk equipped with the Pugliese Torpedo Defense System [TDS], an Italian innovation and modification as incorporated into a number of Italian warships prior to the Second World War.

"While at anchor in Sevastopol on the night of 28/29 October 1955, she most likely detonated a large German mine left over from World War II. The explosion blew a hole completely through the ship, making a 4-by-14-meter (13 by 46 ft) hole in the forecastle forward of 'A' turret. The flooding could not be controlled and she later capsized with the loss of 608 men,"

THAT PUGLIESE TORPEDO DEFENSE SYSTEM WEAKENING THE WARSHIP RATHER THAN STRENGTHENING. UNDERWATER DAMAGE AS MIGHT BE SUSTAINED FROM A TORPEDO OR MINE EXPLOSION MADE WORSE AND CONTRIBUTING TO THE LOSS OF THE SHIP?

Such was the case with Novorossysk?

"The existing underwater protection was replaced by the Pugliese torpedo defense system that consisted of a large cylinder surrounded by fuel oil or water that was intended to absorb the blast of a torpedo warhead. It lacked, however, enough depth to be fully effective against contemporary torpedoes. A major problem of the reconstruction was that the ship's increased draft meant that their waterline armor belt was almost completely submerged with any significant load."

Not one of the various "theories" regarding the sinking of the Novorossysk seem to suggest that the TDS was to blame or even exacerbated the situation. I have my doubts.

coolbert.

Pugliese.

This is coolbert:

"There may be some people who underestimate Italy as a country of great thinkers, but not the GRU. The GRU know that the Italians have very good brains, the brains of great inventors. Few people realize that before the Second World War Italy's technology was at an incredibly high level. The Italians were not especially brilliant in battle, and that obscured the extent of Italian achievement in military technology." - - Suvorov.

NOT IN ALL CASES THE ITALIAN SUCH GENIUS!

Thanks to the tip and idea from the War is Boring Internet web site. GRU = Soviet Military Intelligence.

Not all Italian military technology in that period prior to WW2 such a marked success. Consider the Pugliese Torpedo Defense System [TDS].

"Roma and its sisters (Littorio and Vittorio Veneto) were built with an experimental underwater protection system designed by Italian naval architect Umberto Pugliese. This system proved disastrous in practice; Roma’s sisters repeatedly suffered heavy damage from torpedo attacks". 

"The Pugliese design filled the volume of the TDS [Torpedo Defense System] with a large cylinder, which was in turn filled with closed tubes . . . Pugliese’s theory was that the torpedo would expend its energy crushing the cylinder.  In practice the design failed miserably.  Following the path of least resistance, the blast traveled around the cylinder and concentrated itself against the weakest point of the complex structure supporting the cylinder:  the concave holding bulkhead."

"This bulkhead acted much like a dam mistakenly built bowing downstream, rather than upstream against the current.  This concave surface was structurally the weakest possible arrangement for containing the force of an explosion, and to make matters worse, the workmanship proved tragically defective."

"Pugliese’s design also consumed tremendous volume, and foreshortened the depth of the armored belt, making the ships so fitted more vulnerable to shell hits below the waterline.  Once again, practical experience proved that not every innovation represented an improvement."

THE PUGLIESE SYSTEM OF TORPEDO DEFENSE EXACERBATING RATHER THAN AMELIORATING A DANGEROUS CONDITION. CAPITAL WARSHIPS EQUIPPED WITH THE PUGLIESE TDS THAT MUCH MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO DAMAGE FROM TORPEDO ATTACK OR UNDERWATER SHELL HITS!!

coolbert.

ALIS.

This is coolbert:

Again with regard to the F-35 Lightning warplane. ALIS!

Discussion of same all the rage it seems. And the election of Donald Trump has made it even more so.

Here thanks to Strategy Page an item I was not aware of. An integral aspect of the entire F-35 program a logistical system called ALIS.

"Warplanes: No Love For Old F-16s"

"ALIS (Autonomic Logistics Information System)"

AND AS NOT FAVORED BY SOME! NATIONS OF THE WORLD THEIR AIR FORCES  EXPECTING TO STANDARDIZE ON THE F-35 FINDING FAULT WITH THE SYSTEM!

"While testing the network security on ALIS actual and potential vulnerability to hackers was revealed as a major weakness. Fixing it is difficult because so many suppliers are involved and the demands of foreign users has made the task even more difficult."

"ALIS is more than just a convenient way to order spare parts and other F-35 maintenance supplies. It also contains analysis capabilities that predict the health of individual F-35s, based on what they have been doing. If an enemy can break into ALIS, they know what the F-35 fleet . . . has been doing and what is being planned"

ALIS not so necessarily NEW. Versions exist and have existed for commercial aircraft for some time. That Malaysian airliner lost recently and never found continued to send pings from the engines for hours after disappearing from radar screens. The engines still active and sending data via satellite to Boeing for maintenance evaluation.

coolbert.

New & Old.

This is coolbert:

More trials and tribulations for the Royal Navy [RN].

1. Cracked!!

"More than HALF of Royal Navy's attack submarines docked after CRACK found in reactor"

"A CRACKED nuclear reactor has led to more than half of the Royal Navy’s front line attack submarines being taken out of service."

THAT MOST COMPLICATED THING MADE BY MAN THE ASTUTE CLASS SUBMARINE ALREADY IN TROUBLE AND NOW THIS! VERY SERIOUS DAMAGE TO THOSE REACTORS. NOW WILL ALL HAVE TO BE REPLACED OR REPAIRS OF A EXTENSIVE, TIME-COSTLY AND EXPENSIVE NATURE, THOSE VESSELS OUT OF SERVICE FOR A LONG TIME!!

2. Gaping!

NOT ENOUGH OF THE LADS TO GO AROUND!

"Royal Navy tries to plug its staff sinkhole with urgent plea to retired and aging sailors"

"NAVY CHIEFS are being forced to appeal to hundreds of aging and retired sailors to plug a gaping recruitment hole for Britain’s new super carriers."

THOSE SUPER-CARRIERS QUEEN ELIZABETH AND PRINCE OF WALES COMING ON LINE BUT LACKING SUITABLE PERSONNEL TO MAN THE WARSHIPS. APPEAL TO RETIRED SAILOR BEING MADE, OLD MEN NOW THEIR SERVICES BADLY NEEDED!!

Devoted readers to the blog will forgive my continued use of capital letters. Sounds like I am shouting. That is what I am doing. Problems as with the RN in these two cases is the sort of thing that must keep the First Sea Lord up late at night.

coolbert.

General Nesrin.

This is coolbert:

Thanks to the tip from Freeper:

"YPJ General Commander: The Syrian revolution has found its path (YPJ is Women's Kurd Army)"

"YPJ General Commander Nesrin Abdullah made important analysis about how the Raqqa liberation operation differs from others, YPJ’s role in it, Turkey’s goals and aims in the region."

All understand perfectly well that the general is a woman!! YPJ is strictly a female fighting force? Perhaps women constitute a large percentage [what percentage exactly?] of the combatants? I don't know.

This is Grand Strategy stuff. What occurs AFTER THE DEFEAT OF THE ISLAMIC STATE. An appreciation as seen by the Kurdish senior leadership now leading their units into combat and moving toward the capture of Raqqa.

Devoted readers to the blog please read it all. A plan no matter if imperfect is better than no plan at all. The plan is the base from which all change is made. And General Nesrin I am impressed!!

coolbert.

Stalingrad WW2.

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"Back in Stalingrad, it wasn't long before the academy metaphor had achieved a certain grim literalness: soldiers on launches crossing the Volga into perhaps the closest thing to Hell yet seen on Earth were given a physical piece of paper with the lessons summarized on it. This was their training, these green officer cadets, these boys drafted from hardscrabble farms in Kazakhstan, these sailors transferred from their ships in Vladivostok. Crawl fast, shoot whenever possible, sneak up and club with a shovel when necessary. Not one step back. Now go."

Three minutes!! NOW GO!!

That academy as described being the "Stalingrad Academy of Street-fighting".

Lessons learned during the Battle of Stalingrad, WW2, and incorporated into Soviet tactics.

Lessons learned and LEARNED THE HARD WAY! Ad hoc methods of urban warfare on-the-job training so to speak.

From the "Everything2" Internet web site those lessons in the proverbial nutshell:

* "Use wreckage to your advantage"

* "Dig in close to enemy positions"

* "Keep moving"

* "Shoot first and constantly"

* "Forget conventional units"

Devoted readers of the blog need to read it all!

The Soviet also willing and able to expend prodigious numbers of troops in the effort to defeat the German. Almost heedless of losses, expenditures of manpower as WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ACCEPTABLE TO THE WESTERN ALLIES [ENGLAND AND USA].

coolbert.

Trident.

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“something went wrong”

Surely it did, didn't it!

"Britain’s entire fleet of attack subs ‘out of service’ – media"

As seen at Russian Times [RT] consider not the British attack subs being out of action but rather the misfire of the American Trident missile from a British submarine and what occurred.

"According to the newspaper, the Trident ballistic missile was set to be tested for the first time in four years by the HMS Vengeance, the fourth and final Vanguard-class nuclear-capable submarine of the Royal Navy, last June. The sub docked at Port Canaveral in Florida, the US base employed by the Royal Navy for final checks, before launching an unarmed Trident missile into the so-called 'Eastern firing range' off the west coast of Africa."

"No news reports followed the test, and no usual 'successful test flight' announcement was made at that time. A navy source told the newspaper that “something went wrong” after the Trident was fired from the submerged submarine. The missile might have veered off in the wrong direction toward the American mainland instead of heading across the Atlantic, the source claimed."

“'There was severe panic that this test launch was not successful. Senior figures in military and government were keen that the information was not made public,'”

AND WHERE EXACTLY DID THE MISSILE "VEER" OFF-COURSE TOO AND WHERE DID IT LAND??

coolbert.

F-35 Marines.

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As seen at Sputnik the F-35 Lightning once again the topic of discussion. Seems the F-35 is a topic for discussion almost endlessly now that Donald Trump has been sworn into office.

WE WANT A RETURN FOR OUR INVESTMENT AND WE WANT IT NOW!

"US Marine Corps Eager to Accelerate Growth of F-35 Fleet"

"A top aviation official wants the US government to buy 37 F-35Bs annually, an uptick from 20 aircraft per year."

"The service [Marine aviation] has endured 'a very anemic ramp' while incorporating F-35Bs into its aviation force, Lt. Gen. John Davis, deputy commander for aviation at the US Marine Corps, said Wednesday . . . Consequently, 'we’ve been holding onto the older airplanes longer,'”

OLDER MACHINES AS IN THE HARRIER JUMP-JET!!

"The air chief expressed optimism about achieving his aims, telling the reporter that, 'If asked by the American people,' Davis could put more F-35Bs into fighting condition 'very, very quickly.'”

"Very, very quickly" get them into the air and test the combat effectiveness of the warplane in real-world conditions. Whatever bugs as exist work them out as you go along.

AS FROM A LIGHT CARRIER IN THE SEA CONTROL MISSION!! BRING THOSE AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT SHIPS ON-LINE AND EQUIPPED WITH THE LATEST WARPLANE TECHNOLOGY AND DO IT IN A "RAMPED-UP" MODE! NOW!

coolbert.