This is coolbert:
A less than sanguine appraisal of the U.S. led offensive against the Islamic State? Damage as done during the last two years according to the latest edition of the DEBKAfile newsletter "overrated"?
"US military chiefs overrate damage to ISIS"
28 May.
The US has deployed about 7,500 US soldiers in Iraq and Syria, with an additional 2,000-3,000 fighters working for private security contractors. Washington has sent an additional 1,000 to 1,250 soldiers to Libya. US planes are taking off from Incirlilk base in South Turkey 350km from Raqqa, the ISIS Syrian capital, and 700km from Mosul in Iraq. But ISIS is in no danger of being degraded at this point.
Two years ago it was going to take three years to defeat the Islamic State. A year ago it was going to take three to five years to defeat the Islamic State. ONLY this year it is stated that 50,000 ground troops being needed to defeat the Islamic State. So what is it?
coolbert.
Saturday, June 4, 2016
Friday, June 3, 2016
Al Shams.
This is coolbert:
Further more from the latest edition of the DEBKAfile newsletter.
"Blasts near Russian military bases in Latakia province, 150 killed"
23 May.
"Over 150 people were killed in seven bombings on Monday in the Syrian coastal towns of Jableh and Tartus, The locations are close to two Russian military facilities: the Khmeimim airbase and the Tartus naval base. There were up to three explosions in the coastal town of Jableh near the local railway terminal. RIA Novosti and state TV also report a fourth explosion, at the emergency unit of a local hospital. The town appears to have been shelled as well with mortar fire."
Combat units of the Islamic State reaching al-Shams. Called by westerners the Levant. In the earliest Islamic time the Muslim armies moving northward out of the Hejaz [that area of the Arabian peninsula bordering the Red Sea] their primary target al-Shams. The eastern seacoast of the Mediterranean extending inland as far as the road connecting Aleppo, Homs, Hama and Damascus. That fertile land as described in the Bible "a land of milk and honey". Most desirable.
The significance of these attacks to the Salafist cannot be minimized.
coolbert.
Further more from the latest edition of the DEBKAfile newsletter.
"Blasts near Russian military bases in Latakia province, 150 killed"
23 May.
"Over 150 people were killed in seven bombings on Monday in the Syrian coastal towns of Jableh and Tartus, The locations are close to two Russian military facilities: the Khmeimim airbase and the Tartus naval base. There were up to three explosions in the coastal town of Jableh near the local railway terminal. RIA Novosti and state TV also report a fourth explosion, at the emergency unit of a local hospital. The town appears to have been shelled as well with mortar fire."
Combat units of the Islamic State reaching al-Shams. Called by westerners the Levant. In the earliest Islamic time the Muslim armies moving northward out of the Hejaz [that area of the Arabian peninsula bordering the Red Sea] their primary target al-Shams. The eastern seacoast of the Mediterranean extending inland as far as the road connecting Aleppo, Homs, Hama and Damascus. That fertile land as described in the Bible "a land of milk and honey". Most desirable.
The significance of these attacks to the Salafist cannot be minimized.
coolbert.
Mt. Kenya.
The strange case of the missing Italian POW's [prisoners of war ] from the era of the Second World War.
Three Italian POW incarcerated in a British camp during WW2 having FIRST escaped to engage in a MOUNTAINEERING expedition and SECOND then voluntarily returning to incarceration, a successful ascent of Mt. Kenya having been accomplished!!
"Detained at P.O.W. Camp 354 near Nanyuki, Kenya, Felice Benuzzi from Trieste, together with two fellow-prisoners Dr. Giovanni Balletto . . . and Vincenzo Barsotti . . . escaped in January 1943 and climbed Mt Kenya with improvised equipment and meagre rations, two of them reaching a point on the north face of the Petit Gendarme, at about 5000 meters, high up the NW ridge."
Felice Benuzzi alone having reached the summit of Mt. Kenya!!
"After an eventful 18-day period on the mountain (24 January – 10 February), and to the astonishment of the British camp commandant, the three adventurers broke back into Camp 354. As reward for their exploit, they each received 28 days in solitary confinement, commuted to 7 days by the camp commandant in acknowledgement of their 'sporting effort'".
IT DOESN'T GET A WHOLE MORE STRANGE, DOES IT?
The idea for this blog entry thanks to the exhibit at the Field Museum, Chicago, Illinois, USA!
coolbert.
Wednesday, June 1, 2016
Kassel.
This is coolbert:
Here with an absolute instance of Shock and Awe!
The Kassel Raid!
DESTRUCTION OF THE 445TH BOMB GROUP!
An episode from the era of the Second World War that the Army Air Corps and the current United States Air Force would probably rather forget about.
Thanks in large measure to the article by George Collar.
"The 445th Bomb Group was almost wiped out . . . during the infamous Kassel raid of September 27, 1944."
"It started out uneventfully enough, with 39 planes scheduled to take off . . . 35 planes [with four aborts] dropped their bombs"
The 445th during a mission part of a much larger formation their mission to bomb the industrial complex of Kassel Germany.
For reasons never entirely understood [often thought to be navigational error] the 445th having become separated from the "main group".
The rest they say is history!
That American B-24 formation of thirty-five bombers off-course massed formation sans fighter protection having dropped their bomb loads in a totally 100 % ineffectual manner set upon by another massed formation of Focke-Wulf-190 [Fw] German interceptor warplanes. Those Fw-190 themselves having Me-109 flying cover and protection.
Fw-190 in this instance best described as interceptors and not air superiority or air supremacy fighter aircraft.
Interceptors carrying extra ammunition and fuel with armor protection. Heavily armed, A portion of the massed Fw formation equipped according to convention, two heavy machine-guns[13 mm] and four 20 mm autocannon. Some Fw also being equipped with two 30 mm autocannon [2 X 13 mm + 2 X 20 mm + 2 X 30 mm].
Two or three hits alone from the 30 autocannon sufficing to bring down a B-24 Liberator.
A SINGLE PASS OF THAT MASSED Fw FORMATION PASSING AT HIGH SPEED THROUGH THE MASSED AND PONDEROUS B-24 FORMATION THE RESULT SHOCK AND AWE.
The entire event taking about six minutes, TWENTY-NINE OF THE AMERICAN BOMBERS SHOT-DOWN. American aircraft blasted from the skies by the German combat pilots ALMOST WITH IMPUNITY!
Twenty-five bombers immediately falling to the ground over Germany proper. Four more B-24 the crews abandoning their heavily damaged aircraft and bailing out while en route to England.
Furthermore, of those six B-24 able to return to England, only two able to return to home base, the remainder landing at diversionary air fields!
And of those two warplanes returning to home base, ONLY ONE ABLE TO FLY A MISSION ON THE SUBSEQUENT DAY, AND THAT WITH A REPLACEMENT AIRCREW!!
SHOCK AND AWE and even apparent to the ground crews. Ground crews not along for the ride but witnessing the results nonetheless!! The mess hall having prepared meals for four-hundred American aviators you can imagine the response when only about twenty personnel left to "enjoy" the after-mission meal.
HEY! Whoever said war was easy?
[P.S. The Army Air Corps called the Army Air Force after 1942]
coolbert.
"Keep in tight-Keep it together".
Here with an absolute instance of Shock and Awe!
The Kassel Raid!
DESTRUCTION OF THE 445TH BOMB GROUP!
An episode from the era of the Second World War that the Army Air Corps and the current United States Air Force would probably rather forget about.
Thanks in large measure to the article by George Collar.
"The 445th Bomb Group was almost wiped out . . . during the infamous Kassel raid of September 27, 1944."
"It started out uneventfully enough, with 39 planes scheduled to take off . . . 35 planes [with four aborts] dropped their bombs"
The 445th during a mission part of a much larger formation their mission to bomb the industrial complex of Kassel Germany.
For reasons never entirely understood [often thought to be navigational error] the 445th having become separated from the "main group".
The rest they say is history!
That American B-24 formation of thirty-five bombers off-course massed formation sans fighter protection having dropped their bomb loads in a totally 100 % ineffectual manner set upon by another massed formation of Focke-Wulf-190 [Fw] German interceptor warplanes. Those Fw-190 themselves having Me-109 flying cover and protection.
Fw-190 in this instance best described as interceptors and not air superiority or air supremacy fighter aircraft.
Interceptors carrying extra ammunition and fuel with armor protection. Heavily armed, A portion of the massed Fw formation equipped according to convention, two heavy machine-guns[13 mm] and four 20 mm autocannon. Some Fw also being equipped with two 30 mm autocannon [2 X 13 mm + 2 X 20 mm + 2 X 30 mm].
Two or three hits alone from the 30 autocannon sufficing to bring down a B-24 Liberator.
A SINGLE PASS OF THAT MASSED Fw FORMATION PASSING AT HIGH SPEED THROUGH THE MASSED AND PONDEROUS B-24 FORMATION THE RESULT SHOCK AND AWE.
The entire event taking about six minutes, TWENTY-NINE OF THE AMERICAN BOMBERS SHOT-DOWN. American aircraft blasted from the skies by the German combat pilots ALMOST WITH IMPUNITY!
Twenty-five bombers immediately falling to the ground over Germany proper. Four more B-24 the crews abandoning their heavily damaged aircraft and bailing out while en route to England.
Furthermore, of those six B-24 able to return to England, only two able to return to home base, the remainder landing at diversionary air fields!
And of those two warplanes returning to home base, ONLY ONE ABLE TO FLY A MISSION ON THE SUBSEQUENT DAY, AND THAT WITH A REPLACEMENT AIRCREW!!
SHOCK AND AWE and even apparent to the ground crews. Ground crews not along for the ride but witnessing the results nonetheless!! The mess hall having prepared meals for four-hundred American aviators you can imagine the response when only about twenty personnel left to "enjoy" the after-mission meal.
HEY! Whoever said war was easy?
[P.S. The Army Air Corps called the Army Air Force after 1942]
coolbert.
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Anti-War.
From the Lew Rockwell Internet web site we have this article:
"Memorializing the Horrors of War with 10 Must-See War Films"
By John W. Whitehead
Lew Rockwell his web site described as: "anti-war, anti-state, pro-market."
As to those war movies anti-war and "must-see" the listing without any sort [?] of precedence it would seem:
* "The Third Man (1949). Carol Reed’s The Third Man, which deals primarily with the after-effects of the ravages of war"
* "Paths of Glory (1957). This Stanley Kubrick film is an antiwar masterpiece. The setting is 1916 when two years of trench warfare have arrived at a stalemate."
* "The Manchurian Candidate (1962). John Frankenheimer’s classic focuses on the psychological effects of war and its transmutation into mind control and political assassination."
* "Dr. Strangelove, Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb (1964). One of the great films of all time, Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove burst onto the cinematic landscape and cast a cynical eye on the entire business of war."
* "The Deer Hunter (1978). Michael Cimino’s Academy Award-winning film is one of the most emotion-invoking films ever made."
* "Apocalypse Now (1979). I consider this Francis Ford Coppola’s best film. Based on Joseph Conrad’s novella, The Heart of Darkness"
* "Platoon (1986). This is not Oliver Stone’s best film, but it is one helluva war movie".
* "Full Metal Jacket (1987). Stanley Kubrick’s take on Vietnam is one of the most powerful and psychological dramas ever made."
* "Jacob’s Ladder (1990). Adrian Lyne’s thriller hits the psyche like a thunderbolt. A man (Tim Robbins) struggles with what he saw while serving in Vietnam."
* "Jarhead (2005). Sam Mendes’ film follows a Marine recruit (Jake Gyllenhaal) through Marine boot camp to service in Operation Desert Storm"
Add to that list "Das Boot" and "Casualties of War".
Devoted readers to the blog can suggest further?
coolbert.
Monday, May 30, 2016
SVP-24
This is coolbert:
As extracted from the isegoria.net Internet web site the Russian making claims of precision-guided bombing using iron "dumb" bombs. At least as accurate [?] if not more so than the American JDAM's or Paveway type munitions!
"Special Computing Subsystem 24"
"The Russian Air Force, now known as the Russian AirSpace Force, has been able to maintain a high tempo of operations in Syria, launching a high volume of precision munitions surprisingly cheaply"
"Instead of mounting a kit on an old bomb and lose the kit every time, the Russians mounted a JDAM-like kit, but on the airplane."
This called SVP-24.
"SVP stands for “special computing subsystem”. What this system does is that it constantly compares the position of the aircraft and the target (using the GLONASS satellite navigation system), it measures the environmental parameters (pressure, humidity, windspeed, speed, angle of attack, etc.). It can also receive additional information from datalinks from AWACs aircraft, ground stations, and other aircraft. The SVP-24 then computes an 'envelope' (speed, altitude, course) inside which the dumb bombs are automatically released exactly at the precise moment when their unguided flight will bring them right over the target (with a 3-5m accuracy)."
And from a comment to the isegoria.net entry:
"This digital remake of the Norden bombsight cannot be as precise as self-steering bombs, because the wind speed and direction change as the bomb falls through different air masses. But it’s good enough for the Russians, who don’t worry as much about collateral damage." - - Dave
This is the type of thing also during the Cold War that would have normally classified as TOP SECRET BY THE SOVIET? Now such is made apparent to the whole world?
coolbert.
As extracted from the isegoria.net Internet web site the Russian making claims of precision-guided bombing using iron "dumb" bombs. At least as accurate [?] if not more so than the American JDAM's or Paveway type munitions!
"Special Computing Subsystem 24"
"The Russian Air Force, now known as the Russian AirSpace Force, has been able to maintain a high tempo of operations in Syria, launching a high volume of precision munitions surprisingly cheaply"
"Instead of mounting a kit on an old bomb and lose the kit every time, the Russians mounted a JDAM-like kit, but on the airplane."
This called SVP-24.
"SVP stands for “special computing subsystem”. What this system does is that it constantly compares the position of the aircraft and the target (using the GLONASS satellite navigation system), it measures the environmental parameters (pressure, humidity, windspeed, speed, angle of attack, etc.). It can also receive additional information from datalinks from AWACs aircraft, ground stations, and other aircraft. The SVP-24 then computes an 'envelope' (speed, altitude, course) inside which the dumb bombs are automatically released exactly at the precise moment when their unguided flight will bring them right over the target (with a 3-5m accuracy)."
Such a Rube Goldberg like contraption as shown in this image is not for real and strictly for consumption of the general public? Personally as I am skeptical! This apparatus too has to have numerous data links that can be intercepted, jammed, spoofed?
And from a comment to the isegoria.net entry:
"This digital remake of the Norden bombsight cannot be as precise as self-steering bombs, because the wind speed and direction change as the bomb falls through different air masses. But it’s good enough for the Russians, who don’t worry as much about collateral damage." - - Dave
This is the type of thing also during the Cold War that would have normally classified as TOP SECRET BY THE SOVIET? Now such is made apparent to the whole world?
coolbert.
Indirect Fire.
This is coolbert:
As extracted from that prior blog entry:
* "'The M60 series has instrumentation that allows indirect fire as ad-hoc artillery if needed by virtue of having a M28A1/M28E1 azimuth indicator and M13A3 quadrant elevation on board.'
THIS WAS A POPULAR TECHNIQUE USED WIDELY DURING THE KOREAN WAR. TANKS DRIVING UP UNTO A PRE-CONSTRUCTED WEDGE-SHAPED FIRING RAMP ABLE TO ELEVATE THE MAIN GUN BEYOND HORIZONTAL AND EMPLOY FIRE [HE-FRAG?] IN AN INDIRECT MANNER RECEIVING TARGETING DATA AS WOULD ANY ARTILLERY PIECE!"
See this You Tube video [24 seconds] showing exactly this was done. That is a M-48 tank firing?
"Tanks as Artillery - Indirect Fire - Korean War"
The current M1 Abrams cannot be used in such a manner. And even if the intention was to do so the ammo as fired not effective. High-explosive-fragmentation [HE-Frag] as fired from a tank NOT in the inventory.
That M60 tank also having that internal telephone with an outside connection using a twisted pair of telephone wire [WD-1] allows the machine to be connection to a switchboard and the outside world that would include an artillery fire direction control WITHOUT using radio communications!
Too bad!!
coolbert.
As extracted from that prior blog entry:
* "'The M60 series has instrumentation that allows indirect fire as ad-hoc artillery if needed by virtue of having a M28A1/M28E1 azimuth indicator and M13A3 quadrant elevation on board.'
THIS WAS A POPULAR TECHNIQUE USED WIDELY DURING THE KOREAN WAR. TANKS DRIVING UP UNTO A PRE-CONSTRUCTED WEDGE-SHAPED FIRING RAMP ABLE TO ELEVATE THE MAIN GUN BEYOND HORIZONTAL AND EMPLOY FIRE [HE-FRAG?] IN AN INDIRECT MANNER RECEIVING TARGETING DATA AS WOULD ANY ARTILLERY PIECE!"
See this You Tube video [24 seconds] showing exactly this was done. That is a M-48 tank firing?
"Tanks as Artillery - Indirect Fire - Korean War"
The current M1 Abrams cannot be used in such a manner. And even if the intention was to do so the ammo as fired not effective. High-explosive-fragmentation [HE-Frag] as fired from a tank NOT in the inventory.
That M60 tank also having that internal telephone with an outside connection using a twisted pair of telephone wire [WD-1] allows the machine to be connection to a switchboard and the outside world that would include an artillery fire direction control WITHOUT using radio communications!
Too bad!!
coolbert.
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