Ploesti.

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

Strategic bombing by the long-range four-engine bomber warplanes of the allied air forces thought to be a war winning measure. 

Especially in regard to bombing certain particular targets of great importance. The industrial war-making potential of a country would come to a halt if certain product curtailed. Oil refineries, ball-bearing factories, etc. Destruction of these facilities and the war over.

"Flying Through Hell to Bomb Hitler's Oil | 'Ploesti' the Documentary"

"This is the story of Operation Tidal Wave - the famous B-24 Liberator bombing raid on Ploesti, Romania on August 1st of 1943 to strike the oil refineries of the Nazi war machine. The became a horrific disaster by the United States air force"

Comments:

* The Germans knew [and it is not mentioned] that when the mass take off began a German stay behind unit observed and reported. Just the fact that so many planes in the air in once had to be a major tip off. Something big was afoot.

* Bomber with the lead navigator went into the sea for no known reason. Bomber with the # 2 navigator on board then went to low level to see if there were survivors and had to abort the mission, could not regain height in the hot air. Breaking formation unauthorized I might think a violation of regulations of even military law as it existed at the time.

* Lots of Medals of Honor [MoH] awarded. It is often suggested that the bad wars and bad missions often produce a lot of MoH. 

* That senior officer that made the bad turn, I hope he was severely chastised or just downright cashiered.

* Lots of problems with smoke and delayed action [DA bombs] going off and damaging or bringing down planes trying to fly through.

* 1/3 of the attacking force did not make it. Extraordinary. I want to fly airplanes. No getting my boots muddy.

* Production reduced by 40 % but only for weeks or a few months. Ploesti only their production 1/9 of the German total. So not even 5 % of production reduced and then only for several months at the most.

* How many of those planes that returned had to be scrapped?

* Well, the video is amazingly well done.

* For the gain the debit was way too great.

coolbert.

Novorossisvk.

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The sideshow continues. Naval warfare the Ukraine Conflict.

Ukrainian naval combat kamikaze drones in action again. Damage uncertain. That attacks did occur more definite.

Courtesy the tips from Freeper in all cases.

1. "Russian warship seen listing in Black Sea after Ukrainian sea drone attack on base"

From CNN.com ^ | August 4, 2023 | Tim Lister, Victoria Butenko and Olga Voitovych

"Ukraine said it had carried out a sea drone attack on a Russian naval base, as dramatic videos appeared to show a damaged Russian warship listing heavily in the Black Sea early Friday. Social media images showed the ship being towed near the Novorossiysk naval base, despite earlier claims by the Russian defense ministry that the attack had been repelled. A Ukrainian source told CNN that a sea drone with 450 kilograms [about 1,000 pounds] of TNT had attacked the ship and claimed there were about 100 Russian servicemen aboard."

"list: VERB TRANSITIVE, VERB INTRANSITIVE - 1.  to tilt to one side, as a ship"

2. "4 August.2023 Russia says thwarted Ukraine attacks on Black Sea naval base, Novorossisyk {Russian mainland}"

From South China morning post ^ | 4 August 2023.

"Russian vessels destroyed two sea drones approaching naval base in Novorossiysk What is special about the latest incident is that it took place at a Russian mainland [naval base] . . . The number of attacks in the sea has increased from both sides since Moscow exited a deal last month that had allowed Ukrainian grain exports via the shipping hub during the conflict between the two countries."

3. "Ukrainian sea drone attack at port of Novorossiysk damaged Russian naval vessel"

From Alarabiya News ^ | 8/4/2023 | story via Reuters.

"Ukraine damaged a Russian naval vessel during a sea drone attack at the Russian port of Novorossiysk that was conducted by the Security Service of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Navy on Friday, a Ukrainian intelligence source said. 'As a result of the attack, the Olenegorsky Gornyak received a serious breach and currently cannot conduct its combat missions'"

Several key points here:

* To describe the naval war the Black Sea as a sideshow is being too harsh? Especially within context of both sides in the Ukraine conflict have withdrawn from the Black Sea Grain Initiative [BSGI].

* Correct also that the attacks occurred the Russian naval base Novorossiysk and not Sebastopol the Crimea. Nowhere now is the Russian navy having privileged sanctuary. 

An attack of this sort consider to be a perfect example of naval asymmetric warfare. I can expect the anger of Vlad Putin to wax exceedingly hot. 

coolbert.

Lancet 3.

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As it was in November of last year so as it is even more so now in 2023. Lancet the unmanned combat drone [UCAV] wreaks havoc.

"RUSSIAN LANCET DRONES GO HUNTING ON KHERSON FRONT (VIDEOS)"

"Footage Shows How Lancet 3 is Successful Against Leopard 2A6"

From https://southfront.org | 11.11.2022.

"On November 11, several videos documenting recent Russian strikes on Ukrainian forces with Lancet loitering munitions were released by RIA Novosti and other Russian news sources." [2022]

"The strikes destroyed two U.S.-made M777 155 mm towed howitzers, a Soviet-made D-20 152 mm towed howitzer, a Soviet-made BAT-2 engineering vehicle and a light vehicle used by Ukrainian forces to transport ammunition."

See  the You Tube video all you need to know about the Russian Lancet-3 unmanned combat kamikaze drone. UCAV now in widespread use able to destroy all the most modern armor almost with impunity. All those high hopes of the Ukrainian counter-offensive now in vain and primarily due to Lancet-3?

coolbert.

Acoustics.

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Before there was radar there was the blind? Acousticians at war.

"How the blind defended Leningrad in World War II"

From https://www.rbth.com/ | HISTORY | FEB 21 2023 | BORIS EGOROV.

"Blind 'eavesdroppers' detected German bombers approaching the city long before they came into sight. They could identify the type and model of aircraft - and sometimes their approximate number - just from the sound of their engines."

[....]

"Along with radars, so-called sound detectors were the main method for detecting enemy aircraft. These cumbersome devices consisted of a system of tubes of various sizes that made it possible to hear the hum of approaching enemy aircraft at a great distance."

THE BLIND THEIR HEARING ESPECIALLY ACUTE MAKING EXCELLENT OPERATORS OF THE ACOUSTIC DETECTION SYSTEMS OF THE PERIOD PRE-RADAR. ABLE TO TELL DIRECTION, NUMBERS AND TYPES OF APPROACHING ENEMY WARPLANES!

See from an Internet web site images of the acoustic detectors as deployed in that era between WW1 and WW2. Apparatus in the modern context seemingly comical but at the time all they had to go with!

coolbert.

1L220UK.

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See previous blog entry the role of the counter-battery/counter-mortar radar as applicable to the Ukraine Conflict.

"Russian forces cripple Ukrainian army’s counter-battery radar in Kharkov Region"

From Russian media outlet TASS.

"MOSCOW, August 1. /TASS/. Russian forces wiped out a Zoopark-3 counter-battery radar station of the Ukrainian army in the Kharkov Region over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine"

"The Ukrainian Army's Ground Forces has received the 'domestically made' 1L220UK counter-battery radar, also known as Zoopark 3"

Some units of Zoopark now gone?

Read further from https://www.deagel.com/ the capability of Zoopark-1 formidable.

Able to track with accuracy the firing positions of enemy mortars, artillery, rockets, missiles. 

These radars of the counter-battery/counter-mortar type however by the virtue of emitting a strong signal their location can easily [?] be established. 

See previous blog entries [with additional embedded links] the topic the anti-radiation missile as a possible counter to the counter- battery/counter-mortar radar:

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2022/08/arm.html

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2022/08/arm-ii.html

coolbert.

Attributes.

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Neither tracked or towed. That latest and greatest Russian wheeled self-propelled artillery. Russian doctrine indeed changing!

"What are the differences between tracked self-propelled (SP) artillery and wheeled SP artillery? Which has more advantages"

"Both wheeled and tracked howitzers have their place in the battle space, each has strengths and weakness, but doctrine is going to determine which type of howitzer a nation will use."

Courtesy question and answer https://www.quora.com/.

That answer to the question and as copied more or less in entirety per: Fred Gibbs - Lives in Seattle, WA (2002–present):

"It comes down to three things: Traverse, mobility, reloading."

* Traverse- 

"Traverse is the possible firing arc left or right that a howitzer has, Most SP tracked howitzer have a 360-degree traverse capability a notable exception is the M110/107 and 2S7, most wheeled howitzer have a more limited traverse capability generally somewhere between 30 to 45 degrees left or right. For example, the Nora B-52 howitzer has firing traverse capability of 60 degrees total or 30 degrees left or right. The G-7 has a traverse capability of 180 degrees, 90 degrees left or right."

* Mobility- 

"Wheeled SP howitzers are designed for either hard pack or paved roads, they have limited cross country capability, while tracked howitzers are designed for cross country capability from the ground up. Wheeled howitzers have an advantage over SP howitzers in the strategic battle, being able to travel quickly distances that an SP howitzer is usually hauled on trailers for. Where the tracked SP howitzers shines is once you are in the tactical situation. The ability to move without regards to roads, creates both passive camouflage and a more difficult detection of movement."

* Reloads-

"SP howitzers [tracked?] tend to be easier to reload than the wheeled counterparts. In practice many SP howitzer doctrine is to use ammo off of ammo carriers instead of internal ammo, unless the ammo carrier is not there. While many wheeled howitzers because of the truck front, will fire off the rear firing arc."

Thank you Mr. Gibbs. Everything you always wanted to know that comparison tracked and wheeled self-propelled artillery the advantages and disadvantages of each.

coolbert.

AMEV.

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Combat medic the Ukraine Conflict. On-the-Job-Training [OJT].

 

"Online Exams, Frontline Service: A Ukrainian Medic's War"

Thanks to https://www.rferl.org | July 31, 2023 | story Oleksiy Prodayvoda/Will Tizard.

See the video:

"Ukrainian military medic Mykola Iliychuk took his final medical exams online because he was already serving on the front line of Russia's war on his country. Now, he's driving an armored ambulance and conducting triage among Ukrainian casualties."

"triage: noun - 1a.: the sorting of and allocation of treatment to patients and especially battle and disaster victims according to a system of priorities designed to maximize the number of survivors b. the sorting of patients (as in an emergency room) according to the urgency of their need for care"

Ambulance a modified M113 armored personnel carrier. A tracked vehicle giving decent off-road capability, able to ford streams and some rivers, providing a DEGREE of armored protection against enemy small-arms fire and metal splinters from artillery and mortar rounds. To what extent mine-resistant I am not sure. With slat-armor can protect against a shaped-charged anti-armor projectile.

"M113 AMEV Armored Medical Evacuation Vehicle – Improvements in medical capabilities include an on-board oxygen production unit, a medical suction system, improved litter configuration, and provisions for a medical mentoring system."

coolbert.