Martyrs.

This is coolbert:

Consider within the context of the Algerian Civil war and this previous blog entry the murder and martyrdom of these religious workers takes on a special meaning?

From the Catholic News Service:

"Monks killed in Algeria to be recognized as martyrs"

"They were martyred, probably by Islamic extremists, in the early 1990s"

"A bishop, seven Trappist monks and 11 other religious men and women killed by extremists in Algeria in the 1990s will soon be recognized as martyrs"

THAT ALLEGATION THAT THE ALGERIAN COUNTER-INSURGENCY JUNTA USED FALSE-FLAG OPERATIONS ON A MASSIVE SCALE, EVEN TO THE EXTENT OF CREATING AND CONTROLLING THE INSURGENCY ITSELF!!

See from various sources how this matter has been presented to the general public:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/25/movies/25gods.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_the_monks_of_Tibhirine

http://lovingjustwise.com/martyrdom.htm

The truth is out there, but probably will never be know with 100 % absolute certainty.

coolbert.

Puyi.

This is coolbert:

Henry Puyi.

"'During the inspection of the airfield, Emperor Puyi was found. I'm sending him to you under escort.' . . . 'Please quickly send the commandant of the city of Mukden and replenish our ranks. There were very few paratroopers. Are we musketeers [streltsy/riflemen] or what?'"

The daughter of the famous Marshal of the Soviet Union Rodion Malinovsky having released important documents from the era of the Second World War, "papers" of archival and historical value. Thanks to the Russian media outlet Sputnik for the info.

"WWII Marshal's Papers Reveal Secret Soviet Mission to Capture Manchukuo Emperor"

"Natalya Malinovskaya, daughter of Soviet WWII-era Marshal Rodion Malinovsky, has carefully preserved her father's archive of battlefield reports, diaries, and secret papers, handing some of them over to the Russian Historical Society this week. Speaking to Natalya, a Rossiya Segodnya journalist discovered which papers she holds most valuable."

THE CAPTURE OF THE JAPANESE PUPPET EMPEROR HENRY PUYI DEEMED AS A SIGNIFICANT GOAL OF THE SOVIET FORCES DURING THE LAST DAYS OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR!

HENRY AS A YOUNG BOY THAT LAST EMPEROR OF CHINA! THOSE OF YOU THAT SEEN THE MOVIE "THE LAST EMPEROR" WILL REMEMBER THIS!

Henry in the aftermath of the Second World War and his release from Soviet captivity living out the rest of his life in relative ease and comfort, an arborist and landscaper.

coolbert.

NPR.

This is coolbert:

Escalation?

As seen at the Iranian PressTV.com and thanks to same.

NPR = Nuclear Posture Review (NPR). NRP USA!

“While Virginia-class submarines can use conventional deterrence to keep adversaries in check, a sub-launched cruise missile with a nuclear warhead would be incorporated into Virginia [class submarines] and give national command authority additional escalation control,” - - Rear Admiral John Tammen.

"US Navy to arm Virginia submarines with nuclear warheads"

"The United States Navy is set to add nuclear warheads to its Virginia-class attack submarines as part of new plans in the administration of US President Donald Trump."

At least since 2011 the decision had been made for the nuclear attack submarines of the U.S. Navy to no longer carry atomic weapons of any sort. Torpedoes, naval sea mines, missiles with nuclear warheads. Nuclear attack submarines as opposed to the Ohio class ballistic missile firing submersibles.

This policy is being reversed? Seems to be so! Think also this not meaning MORE atomic munitions. NEW is not necessarily MORE but can mean better! You can accomplish more with less using improved and more advanced technology.

coolbert.

Food.

This is coolbert:

“It is wrong when servicemen in military units claim that their favorite drink is Coca Cola and their favorite candy is Snickers"

You are what you eat!

Sugar, salt, fat.

The modern diet as consumed by so many persons in the developed world.

Even the Russian military man. And as perceived to their detriment.

A situation to be remedied? Thanks to the Russian media outlet Russian Times [RT].

"Not fit for service: Russian military set to boot Coca Cola and Snickers bars off bases"

"Russian soldiers are set to lose access to Coca Cola and Snickers bars at canteens and vending machines installed at bases, says a representative from a state contractor."

An unhealthy diet high in sugar, salt, fat not conducive to good health. The overall physical fitness and preparedness of the military man in particular impaired.

Obesity and even morbid obesity a serious health problem and now a world wide phenomenon. Consider also a phenomenon NOT confined to the United States.

Nothing wrong per se with Coca-Cola or Snickers. Over consumption bad and this is intuitive.

Brown whole-wheat bread si, Coca-Cola no!

coolbert.

Pockets.

This is coolbert:

The Atlantic Pockets and more.

Consider this article from the Internet web site The National Interest as a must read.

German military resistance in the aftermath of surrender in the Second World War.

"The Strange Story of How Nazi Germany Surrendered (and Then Kept Fighting)"

Those names of German commanders most significant here: Dege, Huffmeier, Fisius, Fahmbacher,

Those combat actions occurring vicinity Texel, Channel Islands, Lorient, Dunkirk, Arctic islands.

Bastions of resistance such as what were deemed "Atlantikfestungen" resistant to surrender even after the allied break-out from Normandy 1944.

GERMAN  TROOPS EVEN DEPARTING LORIENT 1945 WITH MASSED MARCHING FORMATIONS, FLAGS FLYING, RETAINING SMALL ARMS!!

German military contingents in Norway at the very end of the war numbering about four-hundred thousand! Surrender of this force done peacefully and without incident, no further combat.

coolbert.

Camel.

This is coolbert:

Came across this quite by accident. A variety of the Sidewinder infra-red guided air-to-air missile but nuclear armed.

"The Diamondback was a proposed nuclear-armed air-to-air missile studied by the United States Navy's Naval Ordnance Test Station during the 1950s. Intended as an enlarged, nuclear-armed version of the successful Sidewinder missile, Diamondback did not progress beyond the study stage."

. . . .

"Diamondback was intended to provide increased speed, range and accuracy over that achieved by Sidewinder. The missile's design called for it to be armed with either a powerful continuous-rod warhead or a low-yield nuclear warhead, the latter developed by China Lake's Special Weapons Division, and which would have a yield of less than 1 kiloton of TNT"

Oak Ridge I have heard of. Hanford I have heard of. Chicago Pile-1 and Chicago Pile-2 I have heard of. Los Alamos of course I have heard of. China Lake and the association to the Manhattan Project I had not heard of. Special weapons usually a designation reserved for atomic, biological and chemical weaponry.

My understanding the development of nuclear weaponry solely the responsibility of Los Alamos! China Lake and the Special Weapons Division too has a role not totally appreciated.

Special Weapons China Lake. During the Second World War this was Project Camel.

"Project Camel was the codename given to work performed by the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in support of the Manhattan Project during World War II. These activities included the development of detonators and other equipment, testing of bomb shapes dropped from Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers, and the Salt Wells Pilot Plant, where explosive components of nuclear weapons were manufactured."

See additionally Project Alberta. Also part and parcel of the Manhattan Project.

coolbert.

Al-Udeid.

This is coolbert:

"False and without merit". Baseless even?

So we are told.

This is even more confusing now. DEBKAfile saying the U.S. Air Force vacating the Al-Udeid air base. Sputnik says otherwise. Devoted readers to the blog must read and arrive at their own conclusion.

"US Military Shoots Down Reports About Exiting Turkey, Qatar Bases"

"US Central Command and US Air Force Central Command have denied reports that the US was in the process of liquidating its two largest air bases in the Middle East at Incirlik, Turkey, and Al-Udeid, Qatar."

It is confusing. And I did say so myself. That air base vicinity Al-Udeid essential to the coalition in opposition to the Islamic State. ISIL now gone to the extent it is and no longer a substantial threat to the area the mission of Al-Udeid now in abeyance?

The noted blogger who went by the nom de plume of Spengler [David P. Goldman] rating the DEBKAfile totally unreliable under the best of circumstances. At least with regard to this matter we shall see.

coolbert.

York MoH.

This is coolbert:

Sergeant Alvin York. Medal of Honor [MoH]. That most renowned and heroic American soldier of the Great War [WW1]. Perhaps even that most renowned and heroic American soldier ever? A man even worthy of comparison to an Achilles or a Horatius Cocles?

The legacy of Alvin York still strong one-hundred years later. Alvin the go-to man even in the aftermath of the war.

"Legacy of Tennessee's greatest war hero may be education"

That article by: Jake Lowary, The (Nashville) Tennessean via the AP"

"PALL MALL, Tenn. — Until he was old enough to buy and trade his own comic books, Gerald York  [Col. USA Ret.] thought his grandfather was just an ordinary man."

"Alvin C. York — Tennessee’s most famed war hero and among the most recognized Americans from World War I — was 'always jovial, always fun.'”

"Today, his name is known worldwide and is emblazoned across the state."

You need to read it all. Alvin hardly "an ordinary man" and the rest of the family even for generations. also hardly "ordinary".

The family of York stands tall!

coolbert.

Hits.

This is coolbert:

As is the case once per year!  

2017's Top Hits at MilitaryAnalysis.blogspot.com
 
Looking over the past year's statistics, my ten most-read articles of 2017 (ignoring articles from prior years) were:

10. "29 Commando."

9. "HMS Jersey."

8. "Baseball."

7. "Abu Bakr."

6. "Essential Truths."

5. "Weaponized."

4. "tDCS."

3. "John Dewar."

2. "Carabinieri Iraq."

1. "Blockrats."

Devoted readers to the blog if you already have not done so please peruse each entry at your leisure and increment the hit-counter for me. Thanks you.

coolbert.

Route 555.

This is coolbert:

The Flying Dutchman Mine? The Treasure of Sierra Madre?

 No, the long-lost gold of Route 555, Pennsylvania, USA.

Long-lost and by repute a shipment of gold stolen and hidden over one-hundred and fifty years ago now. A shipment of gold stolen during wartime and never recovered. Until now? The jury is still out.

The screenplay for the Clint Eastwood western cinematic epic "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" is based on this alleged incident? That article thanks to John Johnson.

"Legendary Lost Gold May Have Been Found"

"FBI agents and representatives of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources set up a base off Route 555 in Benezette Township, Elk County, Pa., at a site where treasure hunters say Civil War-era gold is buried."

"It's the stuff of legend: A wagon from the Union Army supposedly lost a huge cache of gold bars while en route from Wheeling, West Virginia, to the US Mint in Philadelphia in 1863."

. . . .

"That apparently changed last week as the excavation got underway. Various accounts say the Union wagon train was carrying 26 or 52 gold bars, which would be worth $27 million or $55 million, respectively, today."

Lone survivor. Ambush. Buried treasure. Time of war? The stuff of legend? We have heard it all before. The proof is in the pudding as they say?

See previous blog entries the topic of which was treasure of immense value as lost during a period of war, searched for but never found:

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

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2016/09/bernsteinzimmer.html

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2016/06/amber.html

coolbert.

U-31.

This is coolbert:

From STEINER LIED through Harry at Sharkhunters. An update, the German submarine force once again back in action. Or will be soon is the expectation.

"IN THE WATER AGAIN – U-31 [German submarine] which has been out of commission since 2014, is back in the water off Kristiansand and undergoing sea trials . . . U-35 might become operational sometime this summer as well . . .  Once the greatest submarine power in history, Germany now has only six submarines of which none are combat ready and only one is undergoing shakedown trials. U-31 at least is in the water and if all goes well, will be combat ready in a few months. If all goes well with U-35, she too will be combat ready late this year. Two combat ready submarines late this year of a total of six boats is quite a change."

See previous blog entries the topic of which was the operational status of the modern German submarine force:

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2017/12/u-boote.html

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2017/10/u-boats.html

coolbert.

Confusing.

This is coolbert:

From the latest edition of the DEBKAfile news letter this item which is confusing to me:

"The US liquidates its two main Mid East air bases at Incirlik and Al-Udeid"

23 February.

"Plans to speed up the transfer of the big US CENTCOM base in Qatar to Saudi Arabia were approved by President Donald Trump and the Saudi Crown Prince Muhamed bin Salman when they met at the White House on Tuesday, March 20. This is an earthshaking event for the Middle East, which far transcends US-Saudi relations,. . . despite repeated denials, the Trump administration is in the process of another momentous move, packing up its air force and quitting Incirlik in southern Turkey, the biggest air base in the region."

"The two moves are interconnected. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has become an avid supporter of the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who is locked in a feud with the Saudi rulers. Turkey recently established a large military base in the oil emirate. The Saudi Crown Prince and his ally, the UAE ruler Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan, are close friends and President Trump's leading allies in the Gulf region."

Quit Incirlik and remove all American atomic weapons from the area! That easy to understand.

Relinquish the Al-Udeid airbase and transfer to Saudi without the permission of Qatar and the ruling Emir I cannot understand. Qatar at loggerheads with the Saudi. Saudi presence on sovereign territory of the Qatari not welcome? What is this?

coolbert.

Helmets.

This is coolbert:

One picture worth a thousand words? Judge for yourself.

Again that image from a previous blog entry. Viet Cong [VC] patrol wearing the conventional insurgent uniform from that period. To include the pith-style helmet.

Here also an image of a mixed unit, U.S. Navy SEAL and friendly Vietnamese military personnel during the Second Indo-China war. Several American SEAL wearing the Viet-Cong pith style helmet! Especially during hours of darkness such disguise can be vital to special operations missions? Allows operators to close with the enemy in a relatively undetected and advantageous manner. 

Wearing those VC helmets constitutes "wearing the uniform of the enemy"? This is a violation of the Laws of Land Warfare? Or is merely a ruse or stratagem of war valid and legal? This I do not know!

coolbert.

WC-135.

This is coolbert:

More is needed! Much more! WC-135 aircraft.

"Pentagon Expects Need for More Nuke Sniffers After US-North Korea Summit"

From and thanks to the Russian Internet web site Sputnik.

"The head of US Pacific Command has informed lawmakers that more intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft will be needed to monitor the Korean Peninsula in the event that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump reach an accord" [to dismantle nuclear weapons and nuclear weapon delivery systems]

A RECENT WORLD-WIDE PHENOMENON, NUCLEAR PARTICLES RELEASED INTO THE ATMOSPHERE AND NORMALLY ASSOCIATED WITH ATOMIC WEAPONS TESTING OR DEVELOPMENT THE DETECTION OF WHICH IS THE MISSION OF THE WC-135.

Only one WC-135 currently active and operational? If indeed a treaty with Kim of DPRK ever promulgated, verification will be difficult? WC-135 that one only existing and equipped aircraft not able to meet demands

See previous blog entries the topic of which was the detection of radioactive particles in the atmosphere the WC-135 called to duty in such instances:

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2018/01/spike.html

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2017/11/ru-106.html

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2017/10/radioactive.html

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2017/03/sniffer.html

coolbert.

Acevado POW.

This is coolbert:

"You only live once. Let's keep trucking. If we don't do that, who's going to do it for us? We have to be happy. Why hate?"  — Anthony Acevedo.

From the most recent Chicago Tribune Sunday edition. Obituaries:

"Anthony Acevedo, 93, Army medic in World War II who was captured and sent to various German prison and labor camps while being mislabeled as Jewish and who after the war had to sign an affidavit pledging not to discuss what he witnessed - - meant to be a short-term security measure."

I KNEW THERE WAS A STORY HERE AND YES THERE IS!

"Acevedo and other survivors of Berga were instructed to sign a document that swore them to secrecy regarding their experiences at the Nazi camp. The U.S. Army maintains it was to protect escapees and the local populace who helped POWs,"

German civilians giving aid and comfort to American soldiers during World War Two? Have never seen this mentioned anywhere. Such persons perhaps organized into an Escape and Evasion [E and E] network in the aftermath of the war? I just do not know but speculate here.

"Acevedo himself was subject to abuses at the hands of the Gestapo, including being raped as part of his torture."

Rape as a weapon of war quite common. Man-on-man rape during wartime much less common but not unheard of. Degradation, humiliation, abuse of a sexual nature destroying the self-esteem of the POW. As was the case during the Great War, British officers subjected to man-on-man rape ordeal by their Turkish captors.

Truly I find ideas for blog entries at the most surprising sources!

coolbert.






  

Spring 1918.

This is coolbert:

Indeed. One-hundred years ago yesterday [21 March] so began Operation Michael. The German Spring Offensive of 1918. One million Germans troops their objective to knock the French and English out of the war or at the least create conditions favorable to the German during negotiations.

Thanks to You Tube see these outstanding videos dealing with the offensive, German tactics, the big-push-forward and frenzied operational concept that nearly succeeded. Also consider reasons for ultimate German failure of the Spring Offensive.

Sector taken! Blue Cross! Green Cross! Yellow Cross. Ground strafing aircraft.

Again, concentrate on reasons for: 1. German success. 2. Ultimate German failure. Go see it all. Good stuff!

coolbert.

Gough.

This is coolbert:

"it is the bitterest of military insults contain the accusation of crowd like conduct - - rabble, riff-raff, scum,. canaille, Pobel - - the deepest contempt soldiers can harbor is reserved for leaders whose armies, dissolve between their fingers - - Cadorna, Kerensky, Gough, Gamelin, Perceval. - - Sir John Keegan."

Gough General Sir Hubert Gough. His reputation from the Great War [WW1] very poor. But undeserved?

"General Sir Hubert de la Poer Gough . . . was a senior officer in the British Army in the First World War. A favourite of the British Commander-in-Chief, Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig, he experienced a meteoric rise through the ranks during the war and commanded the British Fifth Army from 1916 to 1918."

Thanks to the tip from Mann!

"Stabbed In The Front: Operation Michael, The Ultimate Pyrrhic Victory"

That destruction the British Fifth Army during the German Spring Offensive of 1918 [one-hundred years ago now] almost deciding the Great War on terms favorable to the German. Gough seen as the villain, an incompetent and ineffective leader.

Again, the reputation and legacy undeserved?

"The offensive continued for the next two weeks, but finally ground to a halt. Key to the British success was the coolness of General Gough of the British 5th Army that bore the brunt of the German attack, although Gough ended up being sacked as a scapegoat for the German advance, conservative historian Andrew Roberts pays tribute to him in his 2006 book, 'A History of the English Speaking Peoples since 1900'"

"The offensive saw a great wrong perpetrated on a distinguished British commander that was not righted for many years. Gough's Fifth Army had been spread thin on a 42-mile front lately taken over from the exhausted and demoralized French. The reason why the Germans did not break through to Paris, as by all the laws of strategy they ought to have done, was the heroism of the Fifth Army and its utter refusal to break. They fought a 38-mile rearguard action, contesting every village, field and, on occasion, yard...With no reserves and no strongly defended line to its rear, and with eighty German divisions against fifteen British, the Fifth Army fought the Somme offensive to a standstill on the Ancre, not retreating beyond Villers-Bretonneux."

Retreat in orderly manner good and not shameful. Retreat in a disorderly manner bad and shameful. The Fifth Army orderly and best as it could be? Gough rehabilitated? You the devoted reader to the blog decided for yourself.

coolbert.

BAR Korea.

This is coolbert:

Concerning the Browning Automatic Rifle [BAR] and as extracted from a previous blog entry:

"A typical BAR gunner of the Korean War carried the twelve-magazine belt and combat suspenders, with three or four extra magazines in pockets. Extra canteens, .45 pistol, grenades, and a flak vest added still more weight."

That weight alone of a BAR with sixteen loaded magazines as carried by one man about forty-three pounds [19.5 kilo grams]. That weight not including the remaining and normal accoutrements of the fighting load to include uniform with helmet and boots, web gear, and as mentioned auto-loading pistol, grenades, canteen or canteens full of water and at the latter stages of the Korean War a flak vest [8 pounds/3.5 kilo grams].

A monstrous load!

A BAR gunner accompanied in all [?] circumstances by an assistant gunner also carrying a full load of magazines [sixteen].

Also perhaps in addition to the assistant gunner an ammo bearer by some TO and E [Table of Organization and Equipment]? This is unclear.

A U.S. Marine infantry squad during the Korean War the basis of which was a four-man BAR fire team. Each team a gunner, assistant gunner and two riflemen for protection. Each squad with three BAR teams and a squad leader [thirteen men].

AS WAS OBSERVED THE TWO DIFFICULTIES WITH THE BAR WAS THE EXCESSIVE WEIGHT AND EXCESSIVE AMMUNITION CONSUMPTION.

Further observations and comments:

* American infantry units in WW2 and Korea weaponry as issued having an ammunition commonality. Garand rifle, the BAR and the M1919 machine gun as all firing the thirty-caliber round.

* BAR the BEST small arms weapon of the Korean War as carried by American troops? That BEST small arms weapon of the Korean War however being the Soviet Shpagin PPSh-41 sub-machine gun?

BEST as that word understood within context as a judgment based on a multitude of considerations and factors, subjective in all cases.

coolbert.

S88.

This is coolbert:

Before there was Astute there was Tireless?

HMS Tireless a hard-luck ship? One problem, two problem, a whole bunch of problem?

Faulty and poorly maintained oxygen candles not solely a matter of concern?

"HMS Tireless [S88] was one of seven Trafalgar Class submarines launched in 1984.

"In May 2000 the 130-strong crew found themselves at the centre of an intense political and environmental row when it was forced to spend 12 months in Gibraltar for repairs. The Spanish feared damage to its nuclear reactor cooling system could pose dangers to the locals."

"HMS Tireless [S88] was the third Trafalgar-class nuclear submarine of the Royal Navy . . . The vessel experienced a number of serious accidents during its operational life."

As was Tireless so is Astute? Astute found not to be able to achieve maximum speed as was designed. Then the vessel [Astute] ran aground. Then the mass shooting inside the warship [Astute] by a disgruntled or deranged sailor. Too many problems and as perceived suffering from hard luck?

TIRELESS NOW RETIRED, OUT OF COMMISSION!

American nuclear submarines do not think [or as for anyone else] totally perfect without flaw. One patrol may generate as many as forty work orders, condition Amber [not deadlined] in most cases.

In brief, consider the most complicated things made by mankind are complicated.

coolbert.

MOF.

This is coolbert:

"Image courtesy of  CSIRO."

Thanks to the input from WIZARD and Harry at Sharkhunters:

"AUSSIE CRYSTALS –   Carbon dioxide scrubbers: The Australian national science agency CSIRO is teaming up with engineering services company QinetiQ on a project that aims to provide better conditions for sailors through the use of advanced crystal technology called Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs). As submarines are an enclosed space, CO2 expelled by the crews’ breathing and other chemical processes builds up and can eventually become toxic."

"Scrubbers" as they are called for Australian diesel/electric boats. "Scrubbers" to absorb CO2 and prevent an potential dangerous build-up of carbon-dioxide in the submarine. Lessening the time spent near the surface snorkeling and replenishing oxygen supplies and purging noxious gases. Allow for a more healthy working environment.

Measures to maintain a suitable and "healthy working environment" in a submerged vessel often gone awry. Read here and here of such instances. Oxygen candles what they are called on occasion even more danger to the submarine than a foul atmosphere.

coolbert.

Tariff.

This is coolbert:

From the Chicago Tribune Sunday edition NATION AND WORLD. WTO = World Trade Organization.

"Trump tariffs may threaten WTO"

"Other nations may use security rule to skirt trade system" thanks to the article by Don Lee"

"WASHINGTON - - By justifying sweeping tariffs on imported metals in the name of national security President Donald Trump has lobbed what could be a grenade into the global trading order."

"The Trump administration justified the tariffs - - 25 percent on foreign steel and 10 percent on aluminum on the basis that imported metals presented a threat to the country's ability to domestically produce what is needed for the military, invoking a rarely used national security provision of 1962 U.S. trade law."

The famous economist Adam Smith stating that free trade beneficial, needing to be encouraged in all circumstances but save two! One of those two exceptions being national defense. A basic requirement of any nation/state being an ability to produce armaments without being reliant of foreign producers.

That production mine-resistant personnel carriers [MRAP] during the period of insurgency in Iraq stymied by  a total lack of American steel fabricators to produce the type of armor plate as needed. A situation a remedy found belatedly but not without controversy.

coolbert.

F-16 Turkey.

This is coolbert:

"defang/defanged) - - 2. To undermine the strength or power of; make ineffectual"

 "gut·ted - - 2. To extract essential or major parts of  4. To reduce or destroy the effectiveness of"

Thanks to the Internet web site National Interest and the article by Michael Peck. That tip courtesy Freeper:

TuAF =Turkish Air Force.

"How Turkey Destroyed Its Own Air Force"

"Fighter pilots aren't cheap. The U.S. Air Force estimates that training a new pilot to fly a plane like the F-35 costs $11 million. And that doesn't count the priceless experience of a veteran pilot who has been flying for years. That's why the U.S. Air Force is willing to offer half-million-dollar bonuses to retain experienced fighter pilots."

THAT ATTEMPT BY THE MILITARY TO OUST PRESIDENT ERDOGAN OF TURKEY HAVING FAILED, THE RANKS NOW BEING PURGED OF THOSE SUSPECT! INCLUDING VERY VALUABLE AND ALMOST IRREPLACEABLE F-16 PILOTS!

"Numerous senior and field-grade officers were purged. More than 300 F-16 pilots were dismissed. This defanged the Turkish military as a political threat . . . But it left a gaping question: who would be left to fly Turkey's jet fighters?"

"The air force [TuAF] had previously received 8 F-16s that were purchased directly from the United States, bringing the total number of F-16s received by the air force to 240. TAI [Turkish Aircraft Industry] is currently building 30 new F-16 Block 50+ aircraft for the TuAF."

TWO-HUNDRED SEVENTY TURKISH F-16 AIR SUPERIORITY FIGHTER PLANES NOW MORE OR LESS GROUNDED! THAT ENTIRE INVENTORY SAVE BUT A FEW [?] NOT HAVING PILOTS TO FLY THEM.

Who would have thought such a thing? Cooler heads will prevail in this matter? That remains to be seen!

coolbert.

Fortress.

This is coolbert:

"Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." - - Vegetius.

And indeed Sweden is and has been preparing for war. Thanks to DefenseNews and the article by Aaron Mehta.

Grand strategy at work here. A society preparing itself as best in can in totality for war. Not just military preparedness but also civilian as well!

"Fortress Sweden: Inside the plan to mobilize Swedish society against Russia"

"If you're a NATO member and you're attacked, other members will come to your aid. For nonmember Sweden, this doesn't apply, and so it has plans to mobilize the entire country if attacked by Russia."

ELABORATE AND ALL ENCOMPASSING PLANS FOR SWEDISH DEFENSE MILITARY AND CIVILIAN HAVING BEEN SET ASIDE FOR ALMOST THIRTY YEAR!

"Now, Sweden is looking to change that."

AS UNDERSTOOD IT IS ALL GOING TO TAKE SOME TIME.

Read it all and watch the embedded video!

See also previous blog entries the Swedish nation and their recent and hurried efforts to bolster military preparedness"

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2017/03/sweden-mp.html

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2017/03/draft-sweden.html

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2017/03/sverige.html

coolbert.

Gray.

This is coolbert:

From Strategy page and the article by Colonel [Ret.] Austin Bay "On Point".

"Is Russia's Nerve Gas Attack in Great Britain An Act of War?"

"The British government has directly accused Russia of using a very sophisticated chemical weapon ---a 'poison gas' in common idiom -- in a failed attempt to murder a former Russian defector and his daughter."

IS THIS AN ACT OF WAR?

YES AND NO DEPENDING ON HOW YOU DEFINE "WAR".

"Putin's Kremlin practises what some analysts call 'gray zone warfare.'"

"Waging a gray zone campaign requires maintaining 'plausible deniability' -- in order to escape retribution, be able to deny responsibility for the dirty and destructive operations."

"Propaganda, crime, covert influence operations, cyber intrusions and old-fashioned bribery are gray zone weapons." Add also sabotage and assassination!

Consider also that: "Novichok -A-230, an 'enhanced nerve agent dispersible as a liquid or powder. Reports claim it is eight times more toxic than VX liquid nerve agent."

ENHANCED TO SAY THE LEAST!!

As to this being an act of war consider this generally agreed upon definition: "The essence of war is a violent struggle between two hostile, independent, and irreconcilable wills, each trying to impose itself on the other."

WAR CONSISTS OF TWO HOSTILE PARTIES IN CONFLICT! NOT SO IN THIS CASE? ONLY ONE PARTY AT FAULT HERE!

coolbert.

BAR.

This is coolbert:

As devoted readers to the blog are well aware, I am always on the look-out for this type of stuff.

The Browning Automatic Rifle. The BEST [as used by American forces] small-arms weapon in the Korean War? 

"In his study of infantry weapons in Korea, historian S.L.A. Marshall interviewed hundreds of officers and men in after-action reports on the effectiveness of various U.S. small arms in the conflict. General Marshall's report noted that an overwhelming majority of respondents praised the BAR and the utility of automatic fire delivered by a lightweight, portable small arm in both day and night engagements. In his autobiography Colonel David Hackworth praised the BAR as 'the best weapon of the Korean War'"

"A typical BAR gunner of the Korean War carried the twelve-magazine belt and combat suspenders, with three or four extra magazines in pockets. Extra canteens, .45 pistol, grenades, and a flak vest added still more weight. As in World War II, many BAR gunners [in Korea] disposed of the heavy bipod . . .  but unlike the prior conflict the flash hider was always retained because of its utility in night fighting."

"The large amounts of ammunition expended by BAR teams in Korea placed additional demands on the assistant gunner to stay in close contact with the BAR at all times, particularly on patrols. While the BAR magazines themselves always seemed to be in short supply, Gen. Marshall reported that 'riflemen in the squad were markedly willing to carry extra ammunition for the BAR man'."

Found this image quite by accident. Viet Cong patrol during the Second Indo-China War. Lead man in the canoe carrying a BAR. A fully loaded BAR with bipod weighing slightly over twenty pounds. Consider that the average Vietnamese man smaller than the average size American woman. Apparently stature or size of the shooter be no impediment to effective use of the BAR!

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Modular.

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The modular weapon system. The Eugene Stoner 63 system. A concept worthy and valid that for whatever reason never took off as it should have.

"Eugene Stoner pioneered the modular weapon system through his all-in-one Stoner 63 automatic series . . . The Stoner 63 utilized a common receiver core to which various feeds, barrels, shoulder stocks, and other components were attached to configure the weapon's in-the-field service . . . the weapon could take on various profiles to suit the mission need."

That Stoner 63 system the total package. A variety of weapons to be configured from one basic and common receiver.

See also this video the Stone 63 survival carbine with assembly as shown. This is how the process of assembly and task tailoring for mission was done.

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Delicate.

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In the nutshell and as regarding the Stoner 63 modular weapons system:

1. Ideally suited for special operation type missions of one or two days at the most.

2. Too delicate for prolonged and general type of infantry military duty. Stoner required excessive maintenance and cleaning. Stoner a weapons system seen as too finicky and delicate. Perhaps even as seen as too advanced?

3. Fired the same ammo regardless of weapon. This commonality is an advantage?

Stoner a weapon as could be configured using a variety of barrels, stocks, feed mechanisms.

Configurations to include:

* An assault rifle.
* A heavy-barrel automatic rifle.
* A light "commando" machine gun.
* A medium machine gun.
* A carbine.
* A survival rifle.

Assault rifle as defined possessing a detachable high-capacity magazine, pistol grip stock, selective fire option, semi-automatic or automatic. Modern assault rifles [as would the Stoner] also firing that intermediate [medium] cartridge and round.

That heavy-barrel automatic rifle seen as a valid replacement for the Browning Automatic Rifle [BAR]. A squad level automatic weapon.

All configurations of Stoner firing a common round, again that intermediate cartridge and round. Commonality of ammunition seen as a big plus?

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Stoner 63.

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Only in the most vaguest manner was I familiar with this weapon. As was favored by the American special operations naval commando units during the Vietnam War.

"The Stoner Machinegun: A Navy Seal Remembers"

"The Stoner 63, is a 5.56×45mm NATO, Modular Weapon System, using a variety of modular components, it can be configured as a rifle, a carbine, a top-fed light machine gun and a belt-fed squad automatic weapon."

Devoted readers to the blog will want to watch the video in entirety! Well worth viewing. I recommend highly.

Several comments about this video. Participants not wearing eye protection. Nor is the ear protection adequate either. Need to wear the ear cups and not the little itty-bitty and inadequate ear plugs. Trigger control also poor from what I see. These shooters need some real coaching. 

The Stoner 63 had real potential [??] as a squad level automatic for all combat troops in Vietnam but was predominantly used by Navy SEAL units. Did give a lot of firepower and was more light weight than the M60 7.62 mm general-purpose machine gun. You could carry twice the amount of ammo for the same weight which is intuitively understood to be an advantage in the special operations type of mission.

More to follow!

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Tu-300.

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Before there was Korshun there was Reys and before there was Reys there was Yastreb!

Yet one more Russian very advanced and unstoppable weapon system for the American military to contend with? Thanks to Sputnik:

"Russian Military Developing Long-Range Supersonic Missile-Lobbing Drone"

"Designed to infiltrate far into an enemy's territory, the new system will carry both guided and unguided munitions."

"Development work is currently underway on a long-range unmanned system capable of carrying out unmanned low-altitude supersonic flights, and striking both stationary and mobile targets at operational-strategic depth"

Tu-123 drone. Yastreb. Reputedly only two prototypes ever built and only one ever flown. This is the drone so highly touted by the Soviet era defector Suvorov. Was supposed to have supersonic speed and long-range. Suvorov described this as a rocket-plane. More of a cruise missile with booster rockets for take-off.

Tu-143 Reys drone. Was operational, seen combat service and additionally recoverable.

Tu-300 Korshun. Based on an older design not fully developed but now resurrected. Unmanned, low-flying, supersonic, long-range, can deliver munitions. Merely an improved model of the Tu-143 Reys?

Yet one more view of Korshun. Thanks to the image from Pacman.

All of a sudden out of almost nowhere all sorts of super-advanced brand-new Russian weapons now in the Kremlin inventory. Is this the proverbial Potemkin Village or what? Back during the Soviet era such munitions would be classified the mere existence of which would be a closely guarded secret.

coolbert.

B & R.

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One by sea, six by land. Belt and Road China style.

As is germane to several prior blog entries, the Seychelles, the Maldives, String of Pearls, vicinity the Indian Ocean and environs.

"China Unlikely to Match India Strength in Indian Ocean in Near Future - Analysts"

"MOSCOW (Sputnik) Tommy Yang - Amid growing rivalry between Beijing and New Delhi in the Indian Ocean, China is not likely to overtake India in naval strength in the region in the next two-three decades, despite increasing presence of the Chinese navy and planned new Chinese naval bases, experts told Sputnik."

"China first revealed its plan to build its first overseas naval base in Djibouti in 2016. As a focal point of the Belt and Road Initiative, championed by Chinese President Xi Jinping to boost the nation’s global influence, Pakistan’s ports on the Indian Ocean are widely expected to host a new Chinese military base in the near future."

Belt and Road. That in blue the sea route guaranteed and guarded by String of Pearls strategy. India bypassed. Click on image to see a larger view. Thanks to the image by Lommes

Great Power politics and machinations in the ancient and venerable manner. By the year 2030 those economies of India and China slated to be the two largest in the world!

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T & W.

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Technology and War!

Here from the Internet web site of Martin van Creveld and extracted from same a three-part series well worth reading.

MvC = Martin van Creveld.

1. "On Technology and War (1)"

"As anyone who casts even an occasional and superficial view at the media knows, military-technological development, driven by hundreds of billions in R and D [research and development] funding, is proceeding at a furious pace. Not a day passes without the announcement of some new and revolutionary weapons and weapon systems that have recently transformed the entire face of war or are about to do so in the near future. The objective is always the same: namely, to obtain that elusive and often ill-defined thing, military-technological superiority."

2. "On Technology and War (2)"

"In last week’s post I [MvC] addressed the following question: In view of rapid military-technological development that affects every aspect of war, how to best use military-technological superiority in order to win? Today, while remaining in the same general field, I want to look at the relationship between technology and war from a different point of view. In view of the speed and comprehensiveness of change, are there any aspects of war that remain essentially the same?"

3. "On Technology and War (3)"

"Two weeks ago I [MvC] tried to answer the question, how to use military-technological superiority when one has attained it. A week ago, to point out the things that technology does not change and will not change and cannot change. Today’s post is the last in the mini-series. I want to use it in order to ask: How is a new military technology received, and what happens to it once it is received?"

I recommend the Martin van Creveld blog highly without reservation or qualification. Book mark or make a favorite and read from time to time.

coolbert.

Comet 1618.

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The Thirty Years War. All the signs, portents and omens were present. To include the Great Comet of 1618. Celestial phenomenon of an unusual nature a precursor to calamity the nature of which was often war!

As was described by the German author Hans Heberle.

"In the year of Our Lord 1618."

[ . . . ]

"The Great Comet and the Start of the War (1618 and 1619)"

"In 1618 a great comet appeared in the form of great and terrible rod, which was accorded us by and through God because of our sinful lives, which we have richly earned in the past and continue to earn daily. This comet was visible from autumn until the following spring. Its meaning and consequences should have been greeted with hot tears, as we experience and as we experienced between 1620 and 1630. Such events cannot be adequately described, as this little book richly reveals. [ . . . ]"

The Great Comet of 1618 and as visible to the unaided eye even during a full moon so it would seem. Awesome and fearsome both.

Very artistic rendition of the Great Comet of 1618. Was seen by all and taken as an omen of bad!

Locals comment to one another on the spectacle of the Great Comet. An apparition strange and frightening to a people still very superstitious by modern standards.

Let us forgive those who decades later in the aftermath of the Thirty Years War understood that the comet indeed was seen as an omen and apparition of evil and doom.

 coolbert.

United.

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Not only does it continue but it spreads? Forewarned is not always forearmed?

I fear it is so! Thanks to Russian Times [RT] for the article. Those of you easily offended by material of an adult and intense nature avert your eyes.

"More nude photos of female military personnel shared online, 1 year after Marines United scandal"

"More explicit pictures of female Armed Forces personnel have been shared online without their permission. The scandal comes just one year after the alarming trend among all branches of the military was first discovered."

"The scandal extended to all branches of the military and involved some 131,000 photos of women, some explicit and taken without their permission, spread across 168 social media sites via Google Drive."

IMAGES OF THEMSELVES BAD ENOUGH. NOT MENTIONED IS THAT RISQUE IMAGES WHEN DOWNLOADED MAY HAVE EMBEDDED MALWARE THAT ALLOW A HOSTILE FORCE TO USE YOUR SMART PHONE OR TABLET OR WHATEVER DEVICE AS A TOOL OF ESPIONAGE AND WITHOUT YOUR KNOWLEDGE MUCH LESS APPROVAL.

See previous blog entries with a similar subject matter, malware contained in racy images downloaded to the troops to their smart phones:

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2018/01/fitbit.html

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2017/08/dji-china.html

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Genghis.

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As copied in entirety from the book: "Storm From the East" by Robert Marshall.

GENGHIS KHAN HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND LEGACY! Chapter 3: "The Promise Fulfilled".

"By any standard Genghis Khan was a major figure in world history, and yet the true scale of his success has never been properly recognized in the West. Here his name has largely become synonymous with scenes of unbridled barbarism, the rape of civilization and the threat of pagan hordes. He has never enjoyed the status of great empire builders like Alexander, Tamerlane or Napoleon. Nevertheless, his accomplishments greatly outshine those more  familiar names, and not simply in terms of scale. For one thing the Mongol empire was far more enduring. When Alexander died his empire was divided up amongst his generals, who then descended into a series of petty quarrels which quickly led to the collapse of the fragments that remained. The Mongol empire did not lose its sense of purpose once the charismatic figure at its heart was gone, as was the case with the empires built by Tamerlane and Alexander. Genghis had ensured a secure succession and at the same time established the beginnings of a an administration that would grow with the empire. Like Napoleon he had been blessed with generals of great calibre - - men who were promoted through the ranks of a modern army where talent and ability were rewarded. In most armies of those days, nobles and princes of the blood automatically assumed military command regardless of their competence. Another quality that Genghis shared with the little Corsican [Napoleon] was his ability to provide his army with a seemingly endless string of victories, and with it incredible wealth, which was repaid with uncompromising loyalty. But unlike Napoleon, Genghis never abandoned his armies nor sacrificed them for this own vainglory. Nor did Genghis ever meet his Waterloo. His victories were won through brilliant strategy, organization, discipline and courage. There are simply no comparisons in military history with the breathtaking conquests undertaken during the last twenty-five years of this life. The whole Asia resounded with the name Genghis Khan - - though at an enormous cost."

NO FURTHER ELABORATION NEEDED! NOR SHOULD THERE BE!

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Broomsticks.

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Thanks to the tip from Harry and the article as seen in the British tabloid The Telegraph more indication of relative German military unpreparedness!

The Bundeswehr evidently having fallen on exceedingly hard times. And at the worst possible moment too!

"German army used broomsticks instead of guns during training"

"A German battalion assigned to Nato's rapid response force used broomstick handles instead of guns on a joint exercise due to chronic equipment shortages"

"Soldiers resorted to painting broomsticks black and attaching them to Boxer armoured vehicles to simulate gun barrels."

Here an image of a honest-to-God Boxer armored vehicle with organic 30 mm gun. Some Boxer as in the inventory but without turret or gun but voila add a broomstick and you have an analogous weapons system? German ground forces according to the Telegraph also reputed to using: "ordinary Mercedes vans as stand-ins for armoured personnel carriers during training because of equipment shortages"

Hardly is the practice of "dummy" or "fake armored" vehicles for training purposes confined to the modern Bundeswehr. Consider the following examples:

German "tank" from the era prior to World War Two. Strictly a training device and nothing more. Image as stolen from and thanks to Getty. A contraption to be sure what useful again for training purposes.

Here a number of German "tanks" in the period prior to World War Two. Valid as a training device of a crude but nonetheless valid variety.

American "tank" as was found during the war games in Louisiana just prior to American entry into the Second World War. Click to see a larger image with critical elements of the accompanying text underlined in red.

Say it ain't so Joe but we all know it is!!

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Sukhoi.

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Here with some from a variety of sources and thanks to the tip from Dee some LESS THAN sanguine appraisals of the Russian Su-57 warplane.

"san·guine - - adjective 1. optimistic or positive, especially in an apparently bad or difficult situation."

1. "Russia's new Su-57 'stealth' fighter already looks like a disappointment"


2. "China's and Russia's stealth fighters don't stand a chance against the F-35 and F-22"


3. "Why Russia's New Su-57 Stealth Fighter Might Be a Giant Waste of Time"


4. "India Might Finally Terminate Their Stealth Fighter Program With Russia"


LESS than sanguine each and every instance. The Chinese J-20 also not a multi-role combat aircraft [MRCA] able to perform a multiplicity of missions in addition to air superiority. J-20 the primary mission will be to engage American tanker aircraft with an air-to-air missile at long range. So it is speculated.

coolbert.

Zombie.

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Place this in the strange but true category. Or is it the paranormal?

From Sputnik and possibly only from Sputnik.

"Only One Country Ready to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse, According to Scientists"

You the devoted reader to the blog need to go and read it all!

"Brazilian mathematicians considering humanity's chances of surviving a zombie uprising have calculated that to have any sort of shot, civilians would need help from a fairly large standing army. Their estimates led them to a surprising conclusion."

NOT ONLY A LARGE STANDING ARMY BUT LARGE STANDING ARMY PER CAPITA.

Soldiers as opposed to persons who merely know how to use a firearm. Soldiers functioning as part of a team, according to a plan, and comporting themselves according to and accepting discipline.

Zombies of course a creation of fictional literature but as speculated about rabies with mutant virus thought to be a possible, illness of a fatal sort spreading from animals to humans. YES!

 The very same people who will say professional wrestling is rigged and phony, or that no such person as Tarzan ever existed will also say zombies are a product of a fevered and overwrought imagination. Until it is too late!

This is all nonsense. Isn't it? Isn't it?

coolbert.

5th Gen.

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Consider not so much here the recent deployment of Russian Su-57 warplanes to Syria but rather what exactly does constitute a 5th generation multi-role combat aircraft [MRCA].

Thanks to the article by the Saker and as seen at the Ron Unz Internet web site.

"Making Sense of the Russian 5th Generation Fighters in Syria"

"Introducing the Sukhoi-57 5th generation multi-role fighter"

FIFTH GENERATION COMBAT WARPLANES TO INCLUDE FEATURES SUCH AS:

* - "a low radar cross-section ('stealth')"

* - "the capability to fly at supersonic speeds without using afterburners"

* - "the ability to carry weapons inside a special weapons bay"

* - "an advanced 'situational awareness' capability"

There you  have it. Just in case someone asks: "what is fifth generation?" now you know.

STEALTH RELATED TO THE ABILITY TO "CARRY WEAPONS" IN A BOMB BAY "CLEAN".

Anyone disagree with this definition of 5th generation fighter warplane?

More on the Su-57 and the Syrian deployment to follow.

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Pluto.

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MORE RUSSIAN BOASTING!

The nuclear-powered cruise missile. A weapon system with more or less unlimited range and flight duration.

According to President Putin such a weapon now exists in the Russian military arsenal! A threat awesome so we are told.

OVER FIFTY YEARS AGO NOW THAT ATOMIC POWERED CRUISE MISSILE AS IN DEVELOPMENT WAS PLUTO!

Pluto! Circa early 1960's. Early American development of an atomic-powered cruise missile.

An aviation project that literally never got off the ground!

"Project Pluto was a United States government program to develop nuclear powered ramjet engines for use in cruise missiles."

Image courtesy of Leicht modifiziert. Merely the engine for the proposed American nuclear-powered cruise missile. Man on top shown for purposes of scale. Gigantic!

"The principle behind the nuclear ramjet was relatively simple: motion of the vehicle pushed air in through the front of the vehicle (ram effect), a nuclear reactor heated the air, and then the hot air expanded at high speed out through a nozzle at the back, providing thrust."

"The notion of using a nuclear reactor to heat the air was fundamentally new . . . The nuclear engine could, in principle, operate for months, so a Pluto cruise missile could be left airborne for a prolonged time before being directed to carry out its attack."

PLUTO EVEN AFTER DELIVERING CONVENTIONAL ORDNANCE ON A TARGET STILL A WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION [WMD]. PLUTO SENDING FOR A DEADLY CONTAMINATION OF RADIOACTIVE ELEMENTS SPREAD FAR AND WIDE WITH DISASTROUS CONSEQUENCES FOR ALL COMING IN CONTACT!

coolbert.

 

After.

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I recommend this You Tube video highly without reservation or qualification.

Devoted readers to the blog should consider this to be a MUST see!

"Life After People" an entire series of You Tube videos. speculative but informative and entertaining at the same time.

WHAT WOULD OCCUR IF ALL HUMANS FOR WHATEVER REASON WERE TO INSTANTANEOUSLY DISAPPEAR, NEVER AGAIN TO REAPPEAR!

Episode S01E08 having a military dimension. Consider: "Life After People Armed and Defenseless".

Artifacts of war how well will they withstand the elements over an extended period? Days, weeks, months, years, decades, centuries, millennium and even beyond that! Machines of war and structures seemingly so robust but is that so?

Indeed, even now in areas of the world such as the Demilitarized Zone [DMZ] in Korea or the Falkland Islands can we see a landscape returning to the natural state, and doing so in a surprisingly fast manner.

Rain, wind, bird droppings, rust can take a toll and fast. NO denying that.

coolbert.

Block 9.

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"We say at every opportunity we have that Syria, Iraq and other places in the geography in our hearts are no different from our own homeland. We are struggling so that a foreign flag will not be waved anywhere where adhan [Islamic call to prayer] is recited." - - Erdogan.

Where adhan is recited and where it has been recited!

The Turk moves south [Cyprus]? The Turk moves west [Greece]? Where else does the Turk move to? NATO versus NATO? From several sources including Breitbart the tip from Freeper:

1. "Turkey Threatens to Invade Greece and Seize Aegean Islands"

"Officials in Turkey’s ruling party threatened this week to invade Greece to take control of disputed islands in the Aegean Sea."

2. "Turkey Threatens to Sink Italian Oil Vessel Off Cyprus"

"The government of Cyprus has accused the Turkish military of threatening to sink an oil and natural gas exploration vessel doing exploratory work off the Cypriot coast."

Drilling in the Mediterranean well south of Cyprus in what is perhaps an EEZ [Economic-Exclusion-Zone]. Cyprus for decades divided between Turkish north and Greek south. Originally I had thought the drilling was perhaps occurring in the channel between Cyprus and the Anatolian mainland. but this is not so. Click on image to see an enlarged view.

3. "Report: Eni moving drillship to Morocco after Turkish navy 'threatens force' in Cyprus" 

"Turkish navy on Friday reportedly threatened to use force against Eni-operated Saipem 12000 drillship, after the rig’s captain tried to move the drillship to the Block 3 offshore Cyprus."

Some damn fool thing in the Mediterranean? As it is now and has been in the days of yore and always will be? Power politics the result is often war! I am afraid so.

coolbert.