Bill Slim.

This is coolbert:

Slim of the Arakan.

Thanks to the tip from Yaroslav.

"10 Leadership Lessons from One Of Britain’s Greatest Soldiers"

As extracted from the article by Crispin Burke those items as attributed to Bill Slim in bold.

"Here are 10 lessons you’ll learn from Slim’s memoirs, should you have the opportunity to read it"

1. "Ruthlessly enforce standards". "Nine times out of ten a unit that looks good is good."

2. "Beware of the Bad Idea Fairy."  [beware and avoid] "hucksters peddling silver-bullet snake oil". The instantaneous panacea that seldom works. Sort of like the get-rich-quick scheme. If it was so good everyone would be doing it.

3. "Nothing happens without logistics." "And logistics doesn’t happen without logisticians." Lieutenants think tactics, generals think logistics. Within context a MANAGER and not a FIGHTER needed?

4. "Every soldier is a rifleman." If not an actual infantryman at least to some degree able to handle a weapon and participate in combat to an extent that is basic, hardly beyond rudimentary but adequate.

5. "Planning is everything".  "NO plan ever survived contact with the enemy." "The plan is the base from which all change is made." Commanders at all levels must [have a] "flexibility of mind". Bill Slim considering a "commanders intent" to be quite important. Subordinates exercising initiative within the context of that "intent".

6. "Give up your best people for the good of the institution". Devoted readers to the blog for further elaboration please consult the Crispin Burke article.

7. "Establish a 'battle rhythm.'”  "[trust] subordinates who could handle anything short of a major crisis".

8. "Commanders are cat wranglers."  "lead on persuasion, argument, and the strength of your ideas."

9. "Keep it short and sweet" Prevent  "Information overload."

10. “Imitations are rarely masterpieces.” Just be yourself.

"HIT EM' AS FAST AS YOU CAN, AS HARD AS YOU CAN, WHERE IT HURTS THEM THE MOST, AND WHEN THEY AIN'T LOOKING!" As originally told to Slim by an aged British Army Sergeant Major.

Soldier! Get your hands outta your pockets and now! Then we will discuss strategy!

coolbert.

FB Kate.

This is coolbert:

FB = Firebase.

I recommend this Podcast highly without qualification or reservation. Thanks to the Pritzker Military Library and Museum.

The Battle for FB Kate. From the era of the Vietnam War.

"William Albracht, Abandoned in Hell: The Fight for Vietnam's Firebase Kate"

"An unforgettable account of searing combat, sacrifice, and the drive to survive, Abandoned in Hell is a powerful self-portrait of an unsung hero. Albracht's dramatic memoir of leadership, sacrifice, and brutal violence is a potent reminder of heroism during the Vietnam War—too often forgotten today."

A memoir, a podcast and also a documentary. Outstanding. NOT ONLY highly recommended but probably more so a MUST!

Comments:

* NOT abandoned as that word generally, commonly and ordinarily understood. Receiving support and very good support too.

* Combat actions of this type during the Vietnam War more common than you would like to believe and  resulted in a lot of  Medals of Honor [MoH] being awarded most deservedly so. Either you fought back in the hardest manner possible or you were going to die.

coolbert.

WW3 Syria.

This is coolbert:

From that latest edition of the DEBKAfile news letter. NO where have I seen this covered in the main stream media.

VDV! Aerial descent troops. Paratroopers Russian.

"Syria and allies push back at US-held border post"

20 May.

"The Syrian-pro-Iranian-Hizballah force in southern Syria renewed its advance on the Iraqi border on Saturday, May 20, two days after sustaining heavy casualties from a US air strike on its convoys"

AMERICAN MILITARY FORCES EVEN MORE ACTIVE THAN EVER IN THE SYRIAN CIVIL WAR. DIRECTLY ATTACKING THOSE MILITARY UNITS LOYAL TO THE DESPOT ASSAD!

In addition from the latest edition of the DEBKAfile newsletter:

 "Russian paratroops move to Syrian border triangle"

21 May.

"Military tensions on Syria’s borders with Iraq, Jordan and Syria jumped another notch Monday, May 21, on Day 2 of Donald Trump’s foreign trip, with the arrival of the first Russian ground troops in southern Syria for taking up position opposite US and coalition elite units"

". . . a Russian contingent of paratroops and special forces arrived at Suweida. It linked up with the Syrian army, Hizballah and other pro-Iranian allies already poised to take on the US, Jordanian, British and Norwegian elite units for control of the strategic 600km long Syrian-Iraqi border and its key crossings"

Elite units as described of the United States, Great Britain, Jordan and Norway opposite Syrian, Iranian, Hezbollah and Iranian proxy combatants. The Russians now too entering the fray with ground troops of the highest possible type!

NONE of this sounds good.

coolbert.

Purge.

This is coolbert:

As in the days of Stalin so too now in the days of Putin? I hope not!  

"PUTIN = STALIN-TYPE PURGES"

From MARCONI through Harry at Sharkhunters the original article seen at the Mail Online

"Putin sacks EVERY commander in his Baltic fleet in Stalin-style purge 'after top brass refusal to follow his orders to confront Western ships'"

* "Up to 50 officers in Russia's Baltic fleet have been sacked by Vladimir Putin"

* "Among those sacked were the head of the fleet and his chief of staff."

* "It came after the Baltic fleet reportedly refused to confront Western ships"

* "Sacking has been describe in Russian media as a 'Stalin-style purge'"

"sacked 3. Slang Dismissal from employment: finally got the sack after a year of ineptitude."

See also from the Alexander Boot blog an entry "Russian generals are dying to reveal a secret" the subject of which is Stalinist purges of Soviet military men of high rank and status. That pattern of "purging" continues to this day?

coolbert.

Ho 229.

This is coolbert:

From the Internet web site The National Interest and the article by Sebastien Roblin.

"How Hitler Planned to Turn the Tide of World War II: Stealth Fighters?"

. . . .

"The Ho 229 might have been a formidable adversary over the skies of World War II, but in truth the plane was far from ready for mass production by the war’s end. While it seems a stretch to claim that the Ho 229 was intended to be a stealth aircraft, there’s little doubt that it pioneered design features that continue to see use in low-observable aircraft today."

. . . .

"Flying wing designs were not an entirely new idea and had been used before in both gliders and powered aircraft. During World War II, Northrop developed its own high-performing XB-35 flying wing bomber for the U.S. military, though it failed to enter mass production. Despite the aerodynamic advantages, the lack of a tail tended to make fly wing aircraft prone to uncontrolled yaws and stalls."

There you have it in the nutshell. Flying wings inherently unstable under all circumstances. A pilot not able to fly and control. The Ho 229 and other flying wings of the era not suitable as a combat warplane or as a fly-able aircraft period for that matter!!

IT WAS NOT UNTIL THE ADVENT OF THE MINI-COMPUTER THAT A WARPLANE SUCH AS THE STEALTH AMERICAN B-2 BOMBER THAT THE  FLYING WING BECAME AN ACTUALITY. A NUMBER [EXACT NUMBER OF COMPUTERS NOT KNOWN] OF COMPUTERS ON BOARD CONSTANTLY MONITORING THE FLIGHT OF THE AIRCRAFT AND ABLE TO MAKE AUTOMATIC COMPENSATIONS!

That Ho 229 only one of several designs as proposed. See the Luft46 Internet web site with an index and description of the various prototypes that NEVER [?] took to the air.

coolbert.

FFE WW2.

This is coolbert:

From the outstanding Internet web site War is Boring

FFE = Free French Exterior.

"Foreign Soldiers Built the French Army"

BEFORE, DURING and AFTER the Second World War [WW2].

Especially those soldiers of the Free French Exterior [FFE]. Those combatants loyal to General de Gaulle.

"Not just the Légion Étrangère"

"France remained one of the world’s great powers, and received a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council for these contributions. However, while the French military played a significant role in the war, it’s commonly overlooked that a generous portion of de Gaulle’s troops during the war—as in well over half—weren’t French."

French as that word and term normally, ordinarily and generally understood.

French colonial troops comprising a goodly amount of the FFE [Free French Exterior] under the command of de Gaulle. As much as 50 % or even greater?

These men are Berbers of the High Atlas mountains of Morocco. French colonial troops during the Second World War. Instantly recognizable from a distance by their wearing of the djellaba and either the British style tin-pot helmet or the turban. Referred to as goum. Noted for their ability to move silently in mountainous terrain during hours of darkness and also experts at camouflage and concealment. Fond of taking ears as souvenirs to prove their military prowess at close-quarter-combat. Those are mouton sheep accompanying the troops as pack animals?

Goum hardly alone either. Black Senegalese troops of the French colonial army also having fought valiantly in both World Wars. Beyond the two World Wars North African and Senegalese troops of the French colonial army also having seen combat in Vietnam during the First Indo-China War!

coolbert.

Confederados.

This is coolbert:

Filibuster. A topic not discussed for some time now.

See my archive regarding filibuster as that word defined and understood within the military context.

"A filibuster or freebooter, in the context of foreign policy, is someone who engages in an (at least nominally) unauthorized military expedition into a foreign country or territory to foment or support a revolution."

From the Internet web site Mental Floss as extracted an article by Erik Sass.

This aspect of the American Civil War I was only vaguely familiar with. Those still loyal to the Confederacy emigrating to Brazil in search of a new and future life.

"The Confederacy's Plan to Conquer Latin America"

"Confederate leaders also had their eyes squarely on Brazil—a country of 3 million square miles and more than 8 million people. Prior to the outbreak of the war, Matthew Maury, one of the forces behind the U.S. Naval Academy, dispatched two Navy officers to the Amazon basin, ostensibly to map the river for shipping. Instead, they were secretly plotting domination and collecting data about separatist movements in the region. When the South lost the war, Maury refused to abandon his plans. He helped up to 20,000 ex-rebels flee to Brazil, where they established the Confederate colonies of New Texas and Americana. To this day, hundreds of descendants of the Confederados still gather outside Americana to celebrate their shared heritage of rocking chairs and sweet potato pie. In a strange way, a part of the Old South still survives—thousands of miles below the U.S. border."

See this You Tube video of those Brazilians in Americana as they are today. Doing quite well.

Read also that entire aspect of the expedition into the Amazon basin as authorized [?] by Matthew Maury. Eradication of slavery in the United States the purported goal? Maury in the aftermath of the American Civil War even as a secessionist it seems continuing a quasi-military career without much travail.

Need I say - - Brazil did not abolish slavery until 1888.

coolbert.

Shock Troop.

This is coolbert:

From the outstanding Internet web site War is Boring a reference to a movie the topic of which was the German Storm Troop of the Great War [WW1].

In German with subtitles in English, re-mastered and edited more or less in entirety. Forgotten for many decades but now available on You Tube and can be viewed for free as an example of historical cinematic excellence..

"‘Shock Troop 1917’ Is a Brutal War Film … From 1934"

"The movie was popular with German nationalists"

"Hans Zöberlein’s 1934 feature film Stoßtrupp 1917 — Shock Troop 1917, in English — depicts German storm troopers fighting on the Western Front during World War I, slogging from the Aisne to Champagne to Cambrai."

German storm troops. Lots of hand grenades. That man in the front is wearing a Red Cross armband and yet carrying a grenade! Storm troops often had to advance through an area which only a few minutes earlier had been subjected to an artillery barrage delivering poison gas on target!

"The film is deeply nationalistic — and was hugely popular in its time. Compared to contemporary films such as All Quiet on the Western Front and West Front, Shock Troop 1917 is less pacifist in tone"

"All Quiet on the Western Front" pacifist and anti-war. "Shock Troop" the opposite but not so excessively so. Combat as it was during that period and as presented and depicted quite realistic for the time!!

coolbert.

P-8 Black Sea.

This is coolbert:

I  had to read this several time before I properly understood.

Russian submarine as having left port and sailed from the Baltic to the Black Sea.

"What Was a US Spy Plane Searching for Along Russia's Borders on V-Day?"

"On Friday, Russia's Defense Ministry confirmed the Pentagon's report that Russia scrambled an Su-30 fighter on May 9 over the Black Sea to intercept a US Navy P-8A Poseidon, which was 'conducting routine operations in international airspace.'"

"The expert [Sudakov] noted that recent reports suggested that one of the submarines might now be on its ocean passage from the Baltic Sea where it has undergone its final testing. Hence the US aircraft might have been waiting for it to obtain its acoustic profile, which is individual for each particular submarine and which will help to locate it in the future."

TRACKING A RUSSIAN SUBMARINE DURING VOYAGE FROM THE BALTIC TO THE BLACK SEA! HARDLY "SPY" OR ESPIONAGE AS THOSE WORLD ORDINARILY, GENERALLY AND COMMONLY UNDERSTOOD!

American submarine probably closely shadowing the Russian all the way up to the Sea of Marmara and the Bosphorus. Poseidon in international airspace and perhaps even pursuant to NATO mission following from that point forward. ROUTINE!

coolbert.





 

John Georgelas.

This is coolbert:

"Rise, cut ties: spies disguised in white,
by the sword, for the Lord of Might
Defeat the cheat, trite fleet of fright,
by rod—by God!—by baud, by byte"

For those familiar with computers baud and byte are familiar terms!.

"The American Climbing the Ranks of ISIS"

I RECOMMEND THIS ATLANTIC ARTICLE WITHOUT QUALIFICATION OR RESERVATION! A MUST READ.

"John Georgelas was a military brat, a drug enthusiast, a precocious underachiever born in Texas. Now he is a prominent figure within the Islamic State. Here’s the story of his long and troubling journey."

The True Believer!! A devolution story? A nobody who became a somebody?

This man, an American now described as "a prominent figure" within the leadership of the Islamic State. JOHN GEORGELAS A CONVERT TO ISLAM A/K/A Yahya Abu Hassan A/K/A Yahya al-Bahrumi

An American of prominence in the ranks of the Islamic State. Having influence and perhaps even counted among those who rank at the very top of the ISIL power structure.

Key points as extracted:

* "Americans are known to have traveled to Syria as jihadists. Most are knuckleheads. Yahya, it seemed, was unique."

* "When John uttered the Muslim declaration of faith, the ashes of the World Trade Center were barely cool."

* "Yahya and Tania [his wife] lied to anyone who inquired about their activities. When Syrian government spies started asking neighbors about them, they moved on."

* "When a SWAT team came to their  house in Grapevine, Texas, early in the morning, Yahya and Tania were already awake for dawn prayers."

* "Yahya is the Islamic State’s leading producer of high-end English-language propaganda. Recently, clues have emerged that he may be much more."

JOHN FROM A FAMILY OF HIGH-ACHIEVERS BUT HIMSELF A LOW-ACHIEVER UNTIL THAT EXACT MOMENT JOHN BECAME A SALAFIST MUSLIM OF THE MOST EXTREME TYPE. NOW HE IS A MAJOR PLAYER IN A DANGEROUS GAME OF GEO-POLITICAL STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE. WHO WOULD EVER HAVE THOUGHT IT COULD BE!

John has a way with the words and the poetry too, doesn't he!

coolbert.

Linux USN.

This is coolbert:

"Don’t think anything could possibly go wrong when a British Trident submarine, fitted with American manufactured (and maintained) nuclear warheads – managed via American manufactured (and maintained) nuclear warheads – managed via American developed software infected with American hacking tools when the red button is pushed? Think again."

That newest American warship DDG 1000 Zumwalt class destroyer not relying on Microsoft product for the Information Technology solution!

NOT using proprietary software but an off-the-shelf and commercially available operating system, Linux Red Hat!

"The Navy’s newest warship is powered by Linux"

The U.S. Navy knows something the Royal Navy [RN] does not?

"The advantage of [using Linux] over operating systems such as Windows is that security flaws are caught before they become an issue for the public. Because Linux does not dominate the market like Windows, there are some disadvantages to using the operating system. ... One main issue with Linux is drivers."

Linux SUPERIOR as compared to Microsoft?

Advantages and disadvantages of Linux as compared to Microsoft disscussed here!

A sampling of Linux advantages to include but hardly limited to:

* "Easy to install applications."
* "Secure."
* "Easy to change options."
* "Community."
* "Free."

Again, the U.S. Navy knows something about software and malware embedded the Royal Navy [RN] does not know?

coolbert.

Dwindling.

This is coolbert:

From the Chicago Tribune as of this last Sunday:

"NEWS BRIEFING"

"Iraq's special forces shrink ISIS stronghold in western Mosul"

"BAGHDAD - - Iraq's special forces declared their aspect of the mission to reclaim Mosul completed Saturday. However heavy fighting still looms between other Iraqi forces and the Islamic State group, which clings to a dwindling portion of Iraq's second largest city."

Stalingrad in the desert continues and has done so for SEVEN FULL MONTHS NOW!

I think everyone knew Mosul was going to be hard but did anyone anticipate it was going to be this hard? Urban warfare everyone grants is difficult. Especially if YOUR ADVERSARY HAS HAD SEVERAL YEARS TO PREPARE!

See previous blog entries the topic of which was the battle for Mosul:

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2017/02/golden.html

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2017/02/five-bridges.html

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2017/03/bridges-mosul_6.html

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2017/04/old-city.html

coolbert.

Trident II.

This is coolbert:

Within context of the two previous blog entries consider this item as extracted from an article as seen at the outstanding Internet web site Strategy Page.

SLBM = submarine [sea] launched ballistic missiles.

"Strategic Weapons: SLBM Success Elusive"

"You don’t often hear about complex weapons that consistently perform flawlessly. They do exist. For example, test firings of production models of the U.S. Navy Trident II SLBM (Sea Launched Ballistic Missile) have never failed. There have been 143 of these missile launches, which involve an SSBN (ballistic missile carrying nuclear sub) firing one of their Trident IIs, with the nuclear warhead replaced by one of similar weight but containing sensors and communications equipment."

"The test results for the Trident while in development were equally impressive, with 87 percent successful (in 23 development tests) for the Trident I and 98 percent (49 tests) of the Trident II. The Trident I served from 1979-2005, while the Trident II entered service in 1990."

TRIDENT II UNTIL THIS RECENT FAILURE OF A MISSILE AS LAUNCHED FROM A BRITISH SUBMARINE 100 % SUCCESSFUL!

Soviet/Russian and Chinese SLBM in contrast to Trident far less reliable! Very questionable as can be reasonably inferred!!

Never a failure of a production model Trident II until now. So some investigation is warranted. Don't be so rash and throw the baby out with the bath water however,.

coolbert.

MS XP Trident.

This is coolbert:

"Don’t think anything could possibly go wrong when a British Trident submarine, fitted with American manufactured (and maintained) nuclear warheads – managed via American manufactured (and maintained) nuclear warheads – managed via American developed software infected with American hacking tools when the red button is pushed? Think again."

Once more to the subject of the recent British Royal Navy [RN] Trident missile malfunction. Routine test of ship, crew and missile as having gone awry to the consternation of many. British Members of Parliament [MP] up in arms over this issue as they say?

Thanks again also to Global Research and the original article as extracted from.

"MPs accuse Theresa May of covering up Trident malfunction"

[all spelling again in the British fashion]

The Guardian wrote that Theresa May was:

    “'under pressure to come clean in the House of Commons about the failure of a Trident missile test after MPs accused her of covering up the truth before a crucial parliamentary vote on renewing the nuclear deterrent.'”

"There was a catastrophic test-firing of the UK’s Trident II D5 ballistic missile in June last year off the coast of Florida. This was not some revolutionary new development still at the experimental stage."

. . . .

The Ministry of Defence said:

    “'The problem appears to have involved telemetry data, information gathered from various points and fed to the missile. There seem to have been a communication breakdown involving directional data.'“

"This is the same submarine class that was fitted with ‘Windows for Submarines’. In other words, the outdated software failed. Microsoft stopped supporting the MS XP system completely in 2014."

Warship and crew in harmony, but missile went erratic. Failure as is to be expected from time to time now a major difficulty for Prime Minister May. Elections soon in England and this will prove to be a hot-button item. Hopefully not!

coolbert.

OS Submarine.

This is coolbert:

Begins here some items of interest with regard to the Royal Navy [RN] submarine fleet computers of which are apparently susceptible [?] to the most recent world-wide hacking attack Ransomware.

Thanks to Global Research for the original article.

"British Nuclear Submarines, Microsoft and That Ransomware Attack"

[All spelling in the British fashion]

"In 2008, the UK’s nuclear submarines were fitted out with exactly the same systems that have just been involved in this cyber-attack."

"From a 2008 article – The Register: 'Royal Navy completes Windows for Submarines™ rollout'"

    “'The programme is called Submarine Command System Next Generation (SMCS NG), and uses varying numbers of standard multifunction consoles with two LCD screens, hooked up on an internal Ethernet network installed on each sub. Initial reports as the programme developed suggested that the OS in question would be Windows 2000, but those who have worked on it have since informed the Reg that in fact it is mostly based on XP.'”

"Windows were so chuffed at 'Windows for Submarines' they even advertised the fact to the entire world"

"chuffed - - adjective, British Informal. 1. delighted; pleased; satisfied."

Windows 2000 and Windows XP operating systems no longer maintained and for which security patches also no longer are made available?

Nothing can go wrong, go wrong, go wrong, go wrong, go wrong, go wrong!

coolbert.

Czar Brett I.

This is coolbert:

Czar Brett I. Never heard of this man before. Someone who in just the last several days has become a hot button item?

Thanks to the latest edition of the DEBKAfile newsletter:

"Turkey calls for ouster of Washington's ISIS war czar McGurk"

18 May.

"In the latest sign of a rift between US President Donald Trump and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu claimed Thursday that the US special envoy to the coalition against ISIS, Brett McGurk, should be removed from his post. The minister claimed in an interview that 'McGurk openly supports the (Kurdish) PKK (underground) and (Syrian Kurdish) YPG (militia)' so 'it would be beneficial' to oust him."

As to who this War Czar is:

1. "Brett H. McGurk - Wikipedia"

"Brett H. McGurk; Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant"

2. "McGurk, Brett"

"Brett McGurk serves as Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIS at the U.S. Department of State."

3. "Turkey says 'pro-Kurd' US envoy Brett McGurk should leave"

"Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu accuses US envoy Brett McGurk of supporting Kurdish militants."

4. "Brett McGurk, one indispensable anti-ISIS warrior - NY Daily News"

"For all the coverage of senators grilling cabinet nominees, the most crucial national security official in Washington, now and after Donald Trump is sworn into office, is someone most people have never heard of"

Mr. McGurk a man of Ambassadorial rank coordinating all efforts civil and military as directed against the Islamic State.

THE TURK MUCH TO THEIR DISCREDIT AT THE WORST POSSIBLE MOMENT INSISTING ON THE REMOVAL OF THIS MAN! NOT GOOD!

coolbert.

3D Tunnels.

This is coolbgert:

From the Israeli Internet web site Ynet a description of computerized 3D training for those IDF [Israeli Defense Forces] personnel preparing to engage in tunnel warfare.

"New virtual goggles assist IDF in tunnel combat"

"The 3D goggles now being used in the elite combat engineers Yahalom unit contain software enabling soldiers to familiarize themselves with details pertaining to construction and layout of Hamas terror tunnel network and to easily identify explosives to facilitate quicker disposal; ‘This is a great technological leap forward...They can learn without leaving the class.'"

From all appearances those tunnels very well engineered and built. Reminiscent of the type of structures the American military encountered in Vietnam. A tunnel that ogive [?] form self-supporting

See previous blog entries the topic of which was the tunnels of Gaza as dug by Hamas and the Israeli response to same:

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2014/07/tunnels-of-gaza-i.html

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2014/07/tunnels-of-gaza-ii.html

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2014/07/tunnels-of-gaza-iii.html

Hezbollah too having an extensive network of tunnels and caves as to be used in further conflict with the Israeli.

coolbert.

Tunnel Sinjar.

This is coolbert:

Also from Russian Sputnik News as described the underground lair of ISIL combatants discovered.

Tunnel complex underneath the newly liberated city of Sinjar. Elaborate and far-reaching. It can be expected where ever the forces of ISIL are to be found so will such complexes.

"Secret Underground ISIL Lair With US Weapons and Drugs Found in Iraq"

"Secret underground tunnels used by ISIL militants have been discovered under the Iraqi town of Sinjar. Kurdish forces made the discovery of the hideouts strewn with US made weaponry and drugs."

"The network of tunnels stretch for hundreds of meters, and are believed to have been dug by the forced labor of prisoners."

"Sinjar has only recently been liberated from ISIL control by Kurdish troops in the last two weeks."

Sinjar before ISIL occupation a city of 200,000 persons. NOW uninhabited and uninhabitable and probably will be so for some time to come!

Alcohol forbidden by Islam but drugs such as opiates not so. BZ also popular among the jihadi on a suicide mission!

P.S. My apology this blog entry inadvertently posted a second time. Devoted readers might want to also refer to a more recent blog post as is pertinent to ISIL tunnel warfare.

coolbert.

Year 1918.

This is coolbert:

Additionally thanks to the BBC "History" magazine and as extracted the article: "What was history's most dramatic year?".

Most dramatic in this instance also having a military dimension.

According to Jeremy Black that year was 1918!

"Years that mark the close of major wars generally reflect significant changes, but 1918 was particularly traumatic and the changes that occurred have had consequences right up the present day. The fall of the Austrian, German and Turkish empires, and the outbreak of civil war in Russia [with the dissolution of the Russian Empire too], created long-term instability in the Balkans and the Middle East. The Cold War really began in 1918 - - but as a hot war. it was the brutal revolution that set the pattern for many others."

Other English historians having their own perception of "history's most dramatic year" to include:

* 30 B.C. * 1492 * 1572 * 1956. Once more I elaborate no further.

coolbert.

Year 1260.

This is coolbert:

From the BBC "History" magazine and as extracted from the article "What was history's most dramatic year?".

Thanks to Nicholas Vincent, Professor of Medieval History at The University of East Anglia large portions copied almost in entirety without shame.

Dramatic in this instance within the context of the military dimension.

According to the Professor that year was: 1260!

Ain-Jalut. Mongol versus Mameluke. Jezreel Valley in what is now modern-day Israel.

"The battle of Ain-Jalut, fought in the Jezreel Valley north of Jerusalem on 3 September, 1260 marked a turning point in world history a great deal more significant than the little local difficulty of Hastings 200 years before." [William the Conqueror, the Norman Conquest of England, 1066.]

The Mongol having destroyed Baghdad and the Abbasid Caliphate [1258] their designs and intentions for further conquest moving westward toward the Mediterranean.

"Instead at Ain Jalut, the Mongols were defeated by the rulers of Cairo. Against this resurgent power of Egypt, the few outposts of Christian rule in the Middle east stood little chance of survival. Within 30 years, what remained of the Crusader states had been swept away."

"From Ain Jalut flowed other consequences. The Mongol empire declined into civil war, and was never again to pose a serious threat to European stability. The regions south and east of the Mediterranean developed as an Arabic-speaking Islamic enclave, in rivalry with the Christian regions to the north and west. Rome's former empire was permanently cut in two. Christian dreams of conquest now shifted to the Baltic and Atlantic worlds"

Other English historians having their own perception of "history's most dramatic year" to include:

* 30 B.C. * 1492 * 1572 * 1956. I elaborate no further.

coolbert.

Dreadnought 2017.

This is coolbert:

Yet one more alternative to the modern aircraft carrier [heavy-weight boxer with a glass jaw] is the modernized, refurbished and improved brought-out-of-mothballs battleship?

"glass jaw - - excessively fragile . . . is vulnerable to even a light blow."

Iowa class warships one more sailing on the high seas as in time of yore?

From a variety of sources and authors:

1. "Is It Time to Bring Back the Battleships?"

"What if America had a true successor to the classic battleship, designed to both deal out and absorb punishment?"

2. "Russia is bringing back the battleship, refurbishing Cold War warriors with ultra-fast new missiles".

"IN an age where aircraft are losing their edge to drones and missiles, Russia is spending big bucks on bringing back to life ships that were dinosaurs even before they were built."

 3. "The Rise and Fall of the Battleship (And Why They Won't Be Coming Back)".

"Those who cover the militarized aspects of the ocean eventually will encounter a group of people who want the U.S. Navy to get back into the battleship business"

4. "21st Century Battleships".

NOT NECESSARILY THE BATTLESHIP AS THAT WORD COMMONLY, ORDINARILY AND USUALLY UNDERSTOOD BUT BETTER WHAT IS DEEMED AS THE BIG SHIP!!

AND NOT MERELY FOR SHORE BOMBARDMENT IN SUPPORT OF AN AMPHIBIOUS LANDING BUT A WARSHIP FOR SEA CONTROL!

The modern aircraft carrier having a lot of vulnerability. Lots of firepower and striking potential but also being described as the "heavy-weight with a glass jaw!".

A MODERN BATTLESHIP ABLE TO SUSTAIN REPEATED HITS, KEEP GOING, ALL THE WHILE CONSIDERABLE OFFENSIVE POWER HARDLY DIMINISHED. A FIGHTER, THE HEAVY-WEIGHT BOXER WITHOUT THE "GLASS JAW".

Consider that the DDG destroyer of the Zumwalt class cost about $3 billion USD per copy. A brand-new and much larger vessel than the DDG with fighting capacity in the traditional manner but not an aircraft carrier would cost HOW MUCH?

coolbert.

Singapore II.

This is coolbert:

Consider this item within the context of the previous blog entry:

Thanks to the Internet web site diggerhistory.info and the article "The Fall of Fortress Singapore"

That historical narrative repeated over and over is that plans for the defense of Singapore in case of Japanese attack included coastal artillery that could only fire seaward and not at inland targets.

Here with the rest of the story and elaboration:

"Myths about Fortress Singapore"

Myth: "The guns could only face the ocean, they could not be fired towards Malaya."

Singapore island not so large. Depending how you measure about 29 miles [46 kilometers] by 16 mile [26 kilometers]. That profusion of coastal artillery as located at the bottom of this image did not have the range anyhow to engage targets to the north [top of the image]?

 "Not so. The naval guns installed could manage full traverse and fire towards Malaya. Unfortunately there was little use in so doing. They were NAVAL guns with ammunition for firing at ships at sea over very long distances i.e. flat trajectory. That is totally different from firing at a bunch of infantry soldiers on pushbikes. As anti-personnel weapons they were useless, regardless of which way they pointed."

 ". . . A further point which soon emerged was that most of the ammunition for these guns was of the armor piercing variety, quite unsuitable for the bombardment of ground forces."

Assumptions as made by the British military planners as regard to Singapore all wrong? Seems it was so! Plans predicated on correct assumptions as a consequence also totally wrong much to the disadvantage of the defenders! And we all know how the story ended!

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Singapore I.

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From the Strategy Page Internet web site this item of interest:

"Artillery: Singapore Can Afford The Needed Precision"

Artillery in the Soviet sense to include ALL mortars of 120 mm and larger!

"April 6, 2017: Singapore has ordered 2,000 APMI GPS guided 120mm mortar shells. These will cost $33,000 each. Singapore needs these GPS guided mortar rounds because most of Singapore is heavily built up and you need something like guided mortar rounds to minimize collateral damage to structures and civilians,"

LET ME REITERATE! EACH AND EVERY TIME YOU FIRE ONE OF THESE PRECISION MORTAR ROUNDS THAT IS $33,000 USD LITERALLY DOWN THE TUBE!!

An APMI [Accelerated Precision Mortar Initiative] round on the downward trajectory. GPS guided. The wonders of micro-electronics at work.

Mortar rounds [other nations refer to the projectile as fired by a mortar a "bomb"] as descending from a high trajectory having advantage in the highly urban terrain of Singapore.

The highly professional military planners of the Singapore city-state have given some careful thought to the subject of national defense and come up with the right solution as to indirect fire support? It seems so! Cost too is not such a major factor? Singapore relatively wealthy, even the envy of other developed countries!

"Singapore strives to obtain all the military advantages it can because it is one of the smallest nations in the world, being a tiny (633 square kilometers) island city state but also one the wealthiest. Defense spending is only about $12 billion a year for a population of 5.2 million. The armed forces consists of 71,000 active duty troops, of which 55 percent are conscripts. But on a per-capita basis, Singapore spends more on the military and has more people in uniform than the United States. The troops are highly trained, not easily replaced and the obvious solution is better weapons and equipment."

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Bulat.

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As active in the recent competition Strong Europe Tank Challenge 2017 a Ukrainian T-64BM.

A T-64? A T-64? A tank antiquated attempting to compete with the new boys?

"The T-64BM Bulat is a Ukrainian upgrade of the aging Soviet T-64B main battle tank [MBT]."

AGING AS IN THE FIRST PRODUCTION MODELS ROLLING OFF THE ASSEMBLY LINE IN 1964!!

Extensive modifications having been made to the original production models the result of which is a much improved and upgraded tank of some considerable lethality.

Upgrades and improvements to include:

* "In 2014 this MBT saw action during ongoing military conflict in Ukraine." Bulat is combat tested.

 * "Protection was improved by installation of add-on passive and explosive reactive armor."

* "Vehicle is fitted with NBC protection and automatic fire suppression systems."

* "This main battle tank is armed with a fully-stabilized 125-mm smooth-bore gun, fitted with automatic loader." A crew of three all that is needed."

* "The Bulat is compatible with the . . .  AT-11 Sniper anti-tank guided missiles." Sniper fired from the main gun of the tank for which NATO armor has no [?] comparable weapon.

* "Secondary armament consists of coaxial 7.62-mm machine gun and remotely operated 12.7-mm anti-aircraft machine gun." The latest Abrams apparently also has a remotely operated heavy-machine gun.

* "This main battle tank is fitted with new fire control system .

* "All sights and aiming devices were also upgraded."

* "The Bulat MBT has an upgraded power-pack."

See my previous blog entry the comments of the Soviet era defector and tank officer by training and experience Suvorov. That topic the deficiencies and weakness of the T-64 as it existed during that period of the Cold War.

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Mexico 1865.

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As extracted to a large extent in entirety and without shame from the outstanding Internet web site The Mad Monarchist we have:

"Foreign Influence in the Mexican Empire"

Particular emphasis in this instance to American involvement in what is variously described as "The second French intervention in Mexico/Maximilian Affair/Mexican Adventure/the War of the French Intervention/the Franco-Mexican War/the Second Franco-Mexican War" The Mexican republicans of Juarez versus the French imperialism of Napoleon III

American military involvement extensive and highly instrumental to the final victory of the Mexican republican forces.

From the Mad Monarchist:

"Most of the non-Mexican forces among the republicans of Benito Juarez were Americans, predominately former U.S. Army troops from north of the Mason-Dixon line who viewed the French Emperor Napoleon III as their enemy because of his perceived sympathy with the Confederacy of southern states. The establishment of a monarchy in Mexico was also seen by many in the northern states as a challenge to American republicanism and a threat to U.S. domination of North America. A large percentage of those Union troops who went to Mexico to fight for Juarez were African-Americans who tended to be even more sympathetic to Juarez than their other comrades in blue, seeing him, a Zapotec Indian, and his fight against the Austrian Maximilian as a struggle by a dark-skinned native against White, European domination"

"Although thousands of American veterans served with Juarez, the greatest support from the United States was not in men but in weapons, uniforms, equipment and the diplomatic pressure they brought to Paris to force Napoleon III to withdraw his support for Maximilian and his struggling empire . . .  It must have seemed a strange sight given the long history of antagonism between the United States and Mexico to see so many Mexican troops who could have been mistaken for U.S. Army regulars, wearing complete U.S. Army uniforms, carrying American rifles, complete with ammo boxes and belt buckles stamped 'US'”

. . . .

"About the only foreign country solidly on the side of the Mexican republicans was the United States but, of course, that was the one country that mattered the most for Mexico . . . This is important to remember since the conflict in Mexico is so often portrayed as 'Mexico versus the foreigners' . . . the ultimate victory of the republic of Benito Juarez is owed entirely to the United States. Mexican patriots would do well to give that some serious thought even today."

Counter-insurgency units of Emperor Maximilian and the French army using draconian and scorched-earth methods to fight the republicans and those allied with them.  See previous blog entries regarding this topic also thanks in each instance to Mad Monarchist:

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2016/10/red-devils.html

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2016/10/dupin.html

coolbert.

Challenge 2017.

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Austria # 1, Germany #2, USA #3.

From the Daily Mail and the article by Rebecca Taylor and a lot of good images thanks to the tip from Freeper.

"Gearing up for World War Three: NATO tanks put on massive show of strength in Germany while Putin's troops practice dropping their armor by parachute"

"NATO tanks have put on a show of their strength during a competing exercise in Germany, testing offensive and defensive operations to see who can prevail."

"Austria took first place in the Strong Europe Tank Challenge 2017 as six nations and partner nations battled it out in Grafenwoehr, beating France, Germany, Poland, Ukraine and the USA in the exercise."

Comments:

1. This used to be called the Canadian Army Trophy? NATO tank units in competition a yearly event.
2. Austria is a member of NATO? Since when?
3. Ukraine obviously not a member of NATO. A message is being sent to the Russian?
4. American units have done well but only on one time won this type of competition?
5. Hardly a "massive show of strength"  Three tanks per nation is a platoon sized unit.

See a You Tube video of a dated Canadian Army Trophy shoot as it used to be.

coolbert.

NNSA.

For official Use Only. [FOUO].

At least apparently it was in 1976!

From Gizmodo and the article by Matt Novak

"The Nuclear Security Administration Lost a Film Titled 'Skull Melting Demonstration'"

"Back in August [2016], I submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for a bunch of films held by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). We looked at one yesterday from 1976 about nuclear extortion, and we’ll explore the others in the coming weeks. But there was one that I requested that the NNSA can’t seem to find. The title? 'Skull Melting Demonstration'.”

AN EXACT DEFINITION OF WHAT ACTUALLY CONSTITUTES "SKULL MELTING" NOT GIVEN.

Also this:

"But you know what they did find, which was another film that I requestedsight unseen? Something titled 'Terrorists Scale Security Fences' fromeither 1984 or 1994. And it’s... everything the title promises, no more, no less."

MILITARY PERSONNEL WITH RELATIVE EASE SCALING A FENCE AS IS USED TO PROTECT A NUCLEAR FACILITY. ONLY AN EXERCISE BUT INDICATIVE OF WHAT COULD HAPPEN [AT LEAST CIRCA 1976]. THOSE ARE ISRAELI SOLDIERS?? A DEVOTED READER TO THE BLOG CAN IDENTIFY?

Viet Cong sappers of the Vietnam War era would have gone over that fence NAKED!

coolbert.

MUTT & SC.

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Human in the loop. So they say! I hope so!

To war with robot. Skynet stuff! MUTT!

From the article at Gizmodo thanks to Matt Novak

1. "This Machine Gun Robot Will Probably Lead the Uprising One Day"

An "uprising" as defined a force of military combat robots with a KILL potential becoming sentient, fearing a threat from their operators, becoming autonomous and going rogue, waging war against the human master. Skynet.

"This particular robot is called a multi-utility tactical transport (MUTT) and was demonstrated by the General Dynamics Land Systems and the US Navy during an event at Camp Pendleton late last month. And despite its adorable canine-inspired acronym, it’s a killer. Yes, that’s a machine gun on top."

Also thanks to Gizmodo and Matt Novak

2. "DARPA Tried to Build Skynet in the 1980s"

"From 1983 to 1993 DARPA spent over $1 billion on a program called the Strategic Computing Initiative. The agency's goal was to push the boundaries of computers, artificial intelligence, and robotics to build something that, in hindsight, looks strikingly similar to the dystopian future of the Terminator movies. They wanted to build Skynet."

BEFORE THE MOVIE TERMINATOR AND SKYNET THERE WAS SKYNET? THE CONCEPT ON PAPER AT THAT EXACT MOMENT NOT DO-ABLE! BUT THE IDEA WAS THERE!

coolbert.

Chordus Raqqa.

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Some will see this as putting the cart before the horse. NOT so!

Thanks to Freeper.

"Syrian Kurds set up body to govern Raqqa after IS defeat"

"Kurds in Syria’s Raqqa province set up a civilian assembly on Tuesday that will govern the region after the ousting of Islamic State (IS) from its capital city, local media reported. 'The city will be liberated soon and our assembly will be consolidated. Then, we will be able to deal with all the problems,' Mehmud Sewax Bersan, the administration’s newly-elected co-chair, said as quoted by the Firat news agency.The creation of the assembly was announced at a meeting in the town of Ayn Issa, north of Raqqa, the main stronghold of IS in Syria. It will consist of 14 committees."

The Syrian Kurd [in collaboration with Arab allies] with strong American backing making ready for the assault on the Islamic State capital city of Raqqa.

Planning it would seem proceeding quite well. Taking into account WHAT WILL TRANSPIRE IN THE AFTERMATH OF ISIL DEFEAT!

Prudent measures to prevent total chaos. A city more or less rendered uninhabitable by urban warfare resulting in a total dearth of essential services as is normally the case within the city setting..

Essential services to include sewage, fresh water, electricity, garbage pick-up, control and accommodations for refugees, etc. Governmental services and a return to normal in the most expeditious manner. possible. Ferreting out and exposing the inevitable ISIL stay-behind units also a must!

WITHIN THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT GENERAL MARSHAL HAVING HIS SUBORDINATES PREPARE THREE YEARS IN ADVANCE FOR THE EVENTUAL DEFEAT AND OCCUPATION OF NAZI GERMANY!

Nor is Assad or the Turk for that matter going to see the liberation of Raqqa by YPG units as a  favorable event. The Kurds setting up a de facto autonomously ruled territory counter to the wishes, desires and long-term goals of the various regional despots.

coolbert.

Multi-Domain.

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A war understood properly with regard to 1. Reasons for the war. 2. The actual fighting of the war, the mortal combat. 3. The aftermath of the war.

From an article by Dr. Gary K. Busch, for Lima Charlie News.

"Military Technology and the Multi-Domain Battle Plan"

"That will be the greatest challenge to the development of U.S. military interventions. Can we afford to win and who will do the necessary chores when we do?"

In the proverbial nutshell fighting the war, winning and then the aftermath as to what occurs. With emphasis here obviously in context of the current Middle Eastern situation but even as was prior to that the case in Vietnam. Chores as described to include but obviously not solely limited to:

   * "Support for weak, corrupt and unrepresentative governments"
   * "Supporting indigenous armed forces which do not have the support of the citizens"
   * "Building and staffing many bases across a vast and hostile territory"
   * "Delivering cash to an administration which steals most of the money"
   * "Paying for repairs to an infrastructure which is largely irreparable."
   * "Turning over control of many civil and military functions to private contractors"

NOBODY EVER SAID ANY OF THIS WAS GOING TO BE EASY DID THEY!

That American military man such as Mac Arthur acting in the role of a benevolent dictator [a military man entrusted with the power to make political decisions] with hindsight his performance superior.

coolbert.

SDF Raqqa.

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From the Chicago Tribune as of today:

"NEWS BRIEFING."

"Kurdish -led forces advance on ISIS -held Raqqa, activist say"

"BEIRUT - - Syrian Kurdish-led forces were closing in Saturday on the de-facto capital of the Islamic State group in Syria, seizing a cotton mill only a couple of miles north of Raqqa and clashing with the militant group on a number of fronts, activists and Kurdish media reported.

. . . .

"The offensive brings the SDF 2.5 miles [4 kilometers] from northeast of the city. Fighting was also reported 3.7 miles [6 kilometers] north of Raqqa and 8 miles [13 kilometers] to the north-east."

SDF a coalition of Kurdish and Arab combat units. With American air support an important factor.

Caliph Ibrahim beware!! The day of reckoning is at hand!

coolbert.

CAV-X.

This is coolbert:

With the previous blog entry in mind consider the latest and newest [apparently] naval special operations weapon with an anti-submarine capability [perhaps]. Thanks to the Russian Internet web site Sputnik and the article by Anton Denisov.

Apparently and perhaps. 

"Sleeping With the Fishes: Norway Devises Swimming 'Sub Killer' Bullets for NATO"

"A Norwegian company is hoping to woo NATO with a revolutionary new product: 'swimming' bullets that remain effective even after significant distances underwater. Additionally, the new super-weapon's creators purport that its capable of taking out a submarine"

Here with an image of the CAV-X round. Appears to be not a whole lot different than any other round as fired from a firearm but notice the tip! Creates the super-cavitation effect that reduces friction from the water to a remarkable degree!

"The Norwegian company DSG Technology has produced CAV-X super-cavitating bullets, which due to a specially turned tip and carefully calibrated balance and mass can be shot through water, in an air bubble. The bubble enveloping the bullet has a friction-less surface, which reduces the drag through the water and increases speed."

See the You Tube video a demonstration somewhat contrived of the CAV-X in action.

Naval special operations units can put this technology to good use. A single underwater combat swimmer [free-swimming frogman] under certain exact certain circumstances now has the capability to take-on an enemy submarine with his personal weapon? Maybe not sink but at least damage to the extent the vessel can be rendered inoperable?

coolbert.

MK 1/QSPR/SPP-1.

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NOT so much the weapon itself but the projectile as fired from the weapon!

1. "That’s Right the Navy had an Underwater Revolver"

"The M1 gun, also called the Mark 1 Mod 0 Underwater Defense Gun, is a firearm developed for underwater use by the United States military during the height of the Cold War with the Soviets. Like most other underwater guns, it was designed to fire a longer, streamlined projectile rather than a bullet."

Soviet naval special purpose units as you might correctly surmise also equipped with a similar underwater weapon.

2. SPP-1 underwater pistol (Russia).

"The SPP-1 (Spetsialnyj Podvodnyj Pistolet = Special Underwater Pistol) has been developed in late 1960s by the TSNIITOCHMASH organization on request from the Soviet Navy. The SPP-1 was intended for Soviet combat divers ('frogmen')."

Finally from that era of the Vietnam War an experimental firearm as to be used exclusively by American "tunnel rats". A firearm the flash, report and recoil mitigated, firing tungsten fléchettes with great lethality.

3. Quiet Special Purpose Revolver.

"Some Smith and Wesson Model 29s were rebuilt by the AAI Corporation to make the Quiet Special Purpose Revolvers (QSPR)."

"The cartridge is the real story behind this revolver. The captive piston round was capable of containing the blast noise, flash, and other energy normally done by the weapon. In essence, the round is the weapon and the revolver is simply the carrier."

ONLY about two dozen experimental models of the QSPR were made and to my knowledge never used in combat. Perhaps a devoted reader to the blog knows better?

coolbert.

MRF Europe.

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From the Russian Internet web site more alarmist headlines that don't do anyone any good at all.

More or less this is the same as the MRF Darwin. NOT a permanent base and stationing of troops as those words and terms generally, commonly and ordinarily understood.

Rotation of troops [U.S. Marines] for training purposes in conjunction with the military units of other NATO nations.

"US Marines Consider More Than Doubling Troops at Controversial Norway Base"

"The US Marine Force deployed in Norway may grow larger still. USMC leadership is currently considering a plan that would up the count of Marines in Norway from 300 to 650."

"In January [2017], some 285 Marines were deployed to a small Norwegian base as part of a new initiative, Marine Rotational Force-Europe. They were to participate in Joint Viking, a Norwegian-British-US training exercise to season NATO elite forces for both cold-weather fighting and defensive warfare in Norway."

Joint training {Joint Viking] involving American, Norwegian and British units. That latter Royal Marine Command and already possessing very good skills at winter and mountain warfare, all the time being amphibious to boot!

See previous blog entries the topic of which was MRF Darwin:

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2017/04/mrf-2017.html

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2015/03/mrf-darwin.html

Referred to as "defensive warfare" training probably more correctly called "combat operations".training.

coolbert.

Halder.

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In part from the book: "1001 THINGS EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT WORLD WAR II" by Frank E. Vandiver.

Comments of Franz Halder as to the personality and basic nature of Adolf Hitler. Halder the German Army Chief of Staff during those earliest years of the Second World War.

Regarding disputes and arguments between Hitler and his most senior military commanders:

"the product of a violent nature following its momentary impulses, which recognized no limits to possibility and which made its wish-dreams the father of its acts" - - Halder.

"There were daily quarrels all summer. The point upon which we had our final disagreement was the decision of an offensive on the Caucasus and Stalingrad - a mistake, and Hitler didn't want to see it. I told him the Russians would put in another million men in 1942 and get another million in 1943. Hitler told me that I was an idiot - that the Russians were practically dead already. When I told Hitler about Russian armament potentials, especially for tank materials, Hitler flew into a rage of fury and threatened me with his fists." - - Halder [1942?].

See these You Tube videos as taken from the Made-for-television mini-series "War and Remembrance", Hitler in confrontation with his commanders to include Halder:

1. "War and Remembrance (1988) - Hitler, Brauchitsch, Halder"

2. "War and Remembrance (1988) - Ad. Hitler - A. Von Roon - Fr. Halder - Al. Jodl - W. Keitel"

Manteuffel was on record as saying that Hitler did have a good understanding of military affairs and operations at the divisional level and lower. Discussing combat operations at those levels of command above division [corps/army/army group] that understanding of Hitler poor!

coolbert.

Gentoo.

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Who ever would have thought such a thing? Some articles the topic of which is battle-zones which have become wild-life refuges.

Animals able to exist and even thrive in an area of hostilities where humans dare not to tread!

1. "The Falklands penguins that would not explode"

"The minefields laid in the Falkland Islands were intended to kill or maim British soldiers, but over the last 35 years they have become de facto nature reserves for penguins"

Penguins able to wander through minefields, nest, raise their young unmolested by mankind. Such is the situation on the Falkland Islands. A legacy of the war between Argentina and England decades ago now. [just seems like yesterday!] The penguins evidently too light to set off a mine as intended to blow the leg or foot off a human.

Read further of the Demilitarized Zone in Korea [DMZ].For a period of over sixty years now more or less left to the natural state, reverting back to the original form as it was before the presence of man on the Korean Peninsula.

2. "The most dangerous nature reserve in the world"

"A long-legged white crane flits languidly through a paddy field as birdsong fills the air among the lush green hills. Welcome to possibly the most dangerous nature haven on the planet – the demilitarized zone separating South and North Korea."

3. "How wildlife is thriving in the Korean peninsula's demilitarized zone"

"The forces that lock humans out of the DMZ have allowed other species to thrive. Could a remnant of violent conflict become the symbol of a greener, more peaceful future?"

REPUTEDLY ONE OF THOSE ANIMALS ALIVE AND DOING WELL IN THE DMZ THE SIBERIAN TIGER. AMERICAN MILITARY PERSONNEL USING REMOTE SURVEILLANCE EQUIPMENT AND NIGHT-VISION-DEVICES HAVE SPOTTED THE PREDATOR AND CONFIRMED THE PRESENCE THEREOF!

The DMZ in Korea often referenced and cited as an example of what would occur to the planet if mankind became extinct for what ever reason.

Again, who would have thought.

coolbert.

Pirate Somalia.

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Captured, the most dangerous beast of them all!

As is pertinent to a recent blog entry understand the Chinese NOT to BE active in Djibouti in the near future but ALREADY ARE!

From the Voice of America and the article by Harun Maruf.

"Chinese Navy Hands Over Notorious Pirate Leader"

"The Chinese navy on Friday handed over a notorious pirate leader captured last month after a failed hijack attempt."

Pirates as understood by Admiralty and international law and characterized as hostis humani generis [common enemies of all mankind] beyond redemption.

SUBJECT TO UNIVERSAL JURISDICTION AND PROSECUTION. ANYONE WHO CAN GET THEIR HANDS ON THEM THEY ARE YOURS!

"Hostis humani generis (Latin for 'enemy of mankind') is a legal term of art that originates in admiralty law. Before the adoption of public international law, pirates and slavers were already held to be beyond legal protection and so could be dealt with by any nation, even one that had not been directly attacked."

I hope the local authorities on the scene [the Somali government what ever that is] are willing and able to deal out appropriate punishment to the miscreants. The normal and traditional penalty for piracy is HANGING that however I don't expect to occur!

coolbert.

Tsar Alex.

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As extracted from the outstanding Internet web site Mad Monarchist we have this item most germane to some previous blog entries.

That role of Imperial Russia during the American Civil War.

"Monarch Profile: Czar Alexander II of Russia"

"During the American Civil War, some feared that the biggest and bloodiest conflict in the western hemisphere might draw the Old World into conflict as well. With the British and French empires being seen as sympathetic to the southern Confederacy, Russia had little choice but to foster good relations with the United States. Expansion in Asia was also underway at this time and there, again, the British were the primary opposition to Russia. 1861-62 saw the Russian Imperial Navy wintering in New York so that, in the event of war with Britain and France, the Russian fleet would be free to prey upon their ships in the Atlantic rather than being stuck in the ice blocked ports of the Russian coast. San Francisco, California also received a visit from the Russian navy."

"The effort to foster better relations with the United States, it must be said, was not because of any political or ideological sympathy, despite what some historians have tried to portray as a friendship between President Lincoln and Czar Alexander II as two crusaders against slavery. At most, Russia wished to encourage the United States as a counter-weight against the British Empire, particularly at a time when Anglo-American relations were extremely poor due to the U.S. blockade of southern ports and the building of ships for the Confederate navy in England. It was also not as though the spread of the American Civil War to Europe was the only potential source of conflict."

IMPERIAL RUSSIAN DURING THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR FAVORABLY DISPOSED TOWARD THE UNION! RUSSIAN WARSHIPS MAKING COURTESY CALL TO AMERICAN PORTS NOT NECESSARILY THE RUSSIAN DOING SO OUT OF PURELY ALTRUISTIC REASONS.

GRAND STRATEGY OF A GEO-POLITICAL NATURE ON A GLOBAL SCALE!

See previous blog entries regarding the topic:

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2013/09/russians.html

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2013/09/admiral-lisovski.html

coolbert.