Kerch–Eltigen.

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Yet one more instance of Soviet amphibious operation vicinity Crimea and Kerch during that period of the Great Patriotic War [WW2].

Kerch-Eltigen.

"The Kerch–Eltigen Operation was a World War II amphibious offensive made in November 1943 by the Red Army as a precursor to the Crimean Offensive (8 April-12 May 1944) with the object of defeating and forcing the withdrawal of the German forces from the Crimea"

 

Sea of Azov to the north, Black Sea to the south. For some sense of scale that approximate distance in miles from Taman Russian Federation to Kerch Ukraine in a straight line is 15 miles or 24.14 Kilometers

"In the face of strong German reinforcements, the Soviets contented themselves with reinforcing the Yenikale Beachhead . . . Although the Germans succeeded in initially defending the Crimea against the Soviet landings, the successful landing near Kerch placed the Soviets in a solid position from which to liberate the entire Crimea from Nazi occupation, an operation they successfully concluded in May 1944."

Soviet forces on this occasion more successful than had been the case in 1941. Albeit with difficulty one of the two beachheads ultimately expanded, German forces forced to withdraw. If anything, give the Soviet Red Army a lot of credit for persistence and tenacity.

And for those devoted readers to the blog that are graduates of the Command & General Staff school or the War College this question I raise.

Is this [Kerch] an amphibious operation as that term generally, commonly, and ordinarily understood?

When exactly [if so] does a river crossing end and an amphibious operation start?

Normandy, Sicily, Iwo Jima, Okinawa all from WW2 obviously amphibious operations.

The crossing of the Rhine, the Irrawaddy, Strait of Messina, the Scheldt Estuary or the Kerch Strait each also from that period of WW2 an amphibious operations as defined?

Someone knows the answer to this question?

coolbert.

Kerch!

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"And with one stupid slither of his greasy, stubby finger, the Great Strategist [Stalin] sent 120,000 of our young men, almost as many as all the Russian forces at Borodino, across the Strait of Kerch in December, 1941—senselessly, and exclusively for the sake of a sensational New Years communiqué—and he turned them all over to the Germans without a fight" - - From the GULAG Archipelago by Alexander Solzhenitsyn.

This one I only finding passing mention of from way back when. NOT an item the Soviet and Russian military historian when speaking of the Great Patriotic war [WW2] is keen to talk about.

The obliteration of the Soviet 51st and 44th armies, vicinity Crimea, Kerch.

"the Soviets made large landings at Kerch and Feodosia on the 26th and 29th [1941] respectably."

"The Soviet landings at Kerch and Feodosia were part of the much wider ‘Stalin offensive’ which was launched all across the eastern front."

An amphibious operation the mission of which was the overland relief of the besieged Soviet fortress of Sevastopol.

Soviet armies not pressing home the offensive, lackadaisical and sluggish, WITHIN A PERIOD OF TWO WEEKS THE ENTIRE SOVIET FORCE ELIMINATED BY GERMAN COUNTER-ATTACK!

"the Soviet 51st army was able to dig in and bring in more troops . . . But the Soviet commanders were indecisive and instead chose to dig in around the landing areas . . . [yet the German] attack on the Feodosia bridgehead went unexpectedly well over the 15th-18th of January and the Soviet grouping was crushed."

Catastrophic defeat taken by the Soviet and Russian commander with relative calm? Always more troops and equipment available. At least during WW2 for Stalin and Stavka this was the case. Kerch was no exception.

coolbert.

Ukraine III.

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CIVILIZATIONAL CLASH!

Thanks to Steve we have this graphic, showing the breakdown by ethnicity of nationalities in Ukraine.

A civilization clash both from the stand point of LANGUAGE and RELIGION!

 

Click on graphic to see a more distinct image.

Eastern part of Ukraine Russian speaking, the remaining preponderance of the nation much less so.

 

 

Again, also a religious difference between the two groups. Those Russian speakers aligning with the Russian Orthodox church, the remainder of the Ukraine more or less best be thought of as an Eastern Rite of the Roman Catholic church with fealty to Rome.

In addition, historically speaking, that western-most part of what now constitutes Ukraine prior to 1939 a part of Poland. ONLY incorporated into the old Soviet Union with the German invasion and the onset of World War Two, the dividing of Poland into German and Soviet spheres.

Ukraine as much of the old Soviet Union that proverbial "tangled web" of language, religion, historical injustice, etc.

And who can unweave the tangled web in a just, humane, and orderly manner?

Perhaps NO ONE!

coolbert.

Jabidah.

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"In 1963, the resource-rich [OIL] territory of Sabah, which had been under British control since the late nineteenth-century, formally became part of the Federation of Malaysia. The Philippines, however, protested this, claiming that Sabah had never been sold to foreign interests, and that it had only been leased (padjak) by the Sulu Sultanate and therefore remained the property of the Sultan and by extension the property of Republic of the Philippines."

Yet more instance from modern history that I was vaguely familiar with, BUT WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE ROYAL SULU ARMY AND THE RECENT INVASION OF SABAH, MOST INTERESTING.

The Jabidah massacre. That "catalyst" leading to the current Islamic insurrection in the southern Philippines. A guerrilla campaign that has been waged for over FORTY YEARS NOW and only recently has resolution of a sort been reached.

"The Jabidah massacre, also known as the Corregidor massacre, refers to an incident in which members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) are said to have massacred a number of Moro Muslim recruits who were escaping their covert training to reclaim Sabah. Sources differ regarding the details, with the number of victims ranging from 14 to 68, and some sources asserting that the massacre is a myth. The massacre happened on March 18, 1968. The Jabidah Massacre is widely regarded as having been the catalyst behind the modern Moro insurgencies in the Southern Philippines."

Filipino soldiers, Moro [Filipino Muslim] each and everyone of them, shot dead by their own army. A response to mutiny. The Moro contingent as organized, trained and instructed to wage guerrilla warfare in Sabah. Discontentment among the Moro troops leading to rebellion and eventual mass execution.

The consequences and response four decades of conflict those Islamic factions of BIFF, MILF, MNLF, and Abu Sayyaf having an amazing resiliency and endurance.

That government in Malaysia, ever watchful as I might well assume, they too have not forgotten the Jabidah massacre? The Royal Sulu Army is yet just one further manifestation of events that originally transpired decades ago? Could be.

coolbert.

Philippines!

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Thanks to Strategy Page we have the Philippine update:

"Philippines: America Says It Will Help Against China"

 "U.S. Navy officials have said that if China occupied disputed islands in South China Sea the United States would help, as it is obliged to do because of a mutual defense treaty with the Philippines. The U.S. refused to say exactly how it would help. The U.S. did point out that it is shifting naval forces from other parts of the world to the Pacific"

Understand that it is not a matter of "if" or "maybe" but MUST!

Must come to the aid of the Philippines if attacked.

Such is the nature of the long standing bi-lateral treaty between the Filipino and American government.

Treaties entered into by the United States become the LAW OF THE LAND AND MUST BE OBEYED.

You have given your word and now must honor and no second thoughts or quibbling. OBLIGATION!

That Filipino government also in the same league with India. Both having a long standing experience at fighting insurgencies from a variety of home grown Islamic and communist groups.

To include:

* BIFF.

* MILF.

* Abu Sayyaf.

* NPA.

Those three former the eternal Moro of the Sulu Sea five hundred years of opposition to those as perceived as the invader. That NPA the communist oriented and for forty years fighting a guerrilla war against the central government in Manila.

"Exactly how". See my previous blog entry on the Air-Sea battle as envisioned by American war planners!

"There will always be wars or rumors of war"! Matthew.

coolbert.

DASH.

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Here is one I had more or less forgotten about.

ONLY vaguely remember from a long time ago.

A very early version of the combat drone.

DASH! [Drone Anti-Submarine Helicopter]

EXPENDABLE! And seems to be for a period of time a more or less unqualified success.

QH-50 DASH.

"The Gyrodyne QH-50 DASH (Drone Anti-Submarine Helicopter) was a small, drone helicopter built by Gyrodyne Company of America for use as a long-range anti-submarine weapon on ships that would otherwise be too small to operate a full-sized helicopter."

 

DASH is a simple itty-bitty but effective machine, here with an image so that some sort of scale can be seen. Two torpedoes slung underneath. The other counter-rotating rotor however cannot be seen.

DASH carrying anti-submarine torpedoes out to extreme range AND also able to deliver an ATOMIC depth charge!!

DASH flown in all sorts of bad weather and rough seas way beyond the levels as mandated for safe manned helicopter operations. Again,  too, was EXPENDABLE!

One operator dedicated for take-off and landing and a second operator for in-flight maneuver and delivery of weaponry.

"DASH's control scheme had two controllers, one on the flight deck, and another in the combat information center. The flight-deck controller would handle take-off and landing. The controller in the Combat Information Center (CIC) would fly DASH to the target's location and release weapons using semi automated controls and radar."

Micro-miniaturized and computer controlled devices not available at the time yet DASH a more or less unqualified success? Impressive.

Relatively cheap and an expedient means of providing wide-spread long-range ASW for the ENTIRE fleet.

coolbert.

Banderovsky.

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I somehow had a feeling this was going to happen. Those Russians at the top of the ruling elite using the word "bandits" to describe those persons in Kiev that from the Russian perspective have orchestrated a COUP DE E'TAT!

"Kiev events is coup organized by open Nazis who follow Bandera tradition - expert"

"what happened in Kiev was a coup by people who are predominantly openly Nazis. They are obviously back to the tradition of Stepan Bandera, who was a Nazi collaborator in the 1940 helping the invasion of the Nazis. And these are people who openly use the slogans, logos which are very clearly Nazi."

"But then you also have this eruption of Nazi organizations . . . [and] in the post-war period Nazi collaborators were not prosecuted despite the fact that they had killed tens of thousands of Jews and Polish people and Ukrainian communists."

Persons in Kiev mounting "coup de e'tat" thought by many Russians to be followers of Stephan Bandera.

Banderovsky. Paramilitary organization that allied itself during World War Two [WW2] with the German. Ukrainian nationalist members of the OUN and devoted fighters to the anti-communist cause.

And during that initial period of the Cold War receiving aid and comfort from a variety of western intelligence organizations, again, from that perspective and long-term memory of the Russian illegal organizations that have a fascist nature to them.

"Stepan Andriyovych Bandera . . . a Ukrainian revolutionary politician and one of the leaders of Ukrainian national movement in Western Ukraine (Galicia), who headed the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) . . . the leader of the Ukrainian nationalist movement which fought for Ukrainian independence from Soviet and against all perceived enemies of a free Ukrainian state."

Bandera a man whose legacy is most mixed and controversial. More properly though of as an anti-communist and anti-Soviet fighter, a Ukrainian nationalist?

"Assessments of his [Bandera] work have ranged from totally apologetic to sharply negative. On 22 January 2010, the outgoing President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko awarded to Bandera the title of Hero of Ukraine (posthumously)."

Bandits?

coolbert.