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head-post · 5 days

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Kursk Boomerang: Ukraine Faces Catastrophic Consequences

The Ukrainian military and political leadership’s bet on the Kursk operation did not work. The Ukrainian armed forces’ grouping in this direction has been almost completely renewed over the past month. Ukraine has already lost over 7,300 soldiers killed and continues to lose 200-300 servicemen every day. In addition, the AFU is experiencing enormous difficulties with the supply of this grouping. And its number allows it to control only half of the captured territories. This will inevitably lead to their return under the control of the Russian army.

The Ukrainian armed forces are suffering serious losses

The AFU grouping in the Kursk region of Russia now controls up to 900 square kilometres. The notional line of contact is estimated by experts and cartographers at 115 kilometres. But if we analyse the Ukrainian forces involved, which is up to 9 battalion-tactical groups (1 BTG – about 1000 fighters), it turns out that the AFU can really hold only up to 500 square kilometres of territory. This indicates that under pressure from Russian troops they will have to roll back and regroup.

In the Kursk region, up to three companies of personnel are killed every day. This is approximately 200 to 300 servicemen. In a month of holding this territory, the Ukrainian troops have already lost more than 7,300 people killed. And the entire strength of the group was up to 10,000 fighters. It turns out that there was a complete renewal of the Ukrainian grouping in the Kursk region, and some units of the AFU have lost combat effectiveness.

Problems with rotation

The AFU command is limited in its ability to rotate troops, as Russian troops are advancing in other directions and every Ukrainian soldier there counts.

To make up for the Kursk grouping, 4 brigades were rushed in, two of which have only recently been formed: the 152 Separate Jager Brigade and the 155 Separate Presidential Brigade. The personnel have no combat experience and little desire to fight. Many were sent to the front against their will. Also, these brigades do not have heavy military equipment in their arsenal. This is the weak link in the grouping.

Supply problems

In the Kursk offensive operation, the AFU is using battalion-sized “striker” combat groups. Their advantage is mobility, and their disadvantage is increased consumption of fuel and lubricants, ammunition and spare parts. In this regard, it is important to note that the group is supplied only by road transport. This severely limits its capabilities and does not allow it to build up its forces. That is why the AFU is trying to seize railway hubs. The Russian command also understands this perfectly well and successfully solves the tasks of repelling enemy attacks.

The main supply bases of the group are located in Sumy region, at a distance of up to 20 kilometres from the border with Russia. Moreover, these supply forces are mostly involved in the defence of the Kharkiv direction.

The supply of the support forces includes 9 BTGs and up to 10 artillery divisions, not counting the reserves in the rear, about 400 units of standard vehicles and about 200 units of specialised equipment. Some of the vehicles are pickup trucks.

To understand the scale of the supply problem it is enough to give the following example: 48 lorries are needed for one-time supply of ammunition to 4 artillery divisions of BM-21 “Grad” vehicles. At the same time, the same lorries are used to supply the units with drinking water. In addition, ammunition and food must also be delivered.

More than 400,000 litres of fuel are needed to refuel the equipment of the 9 BTGs on a daily basis, and more than 300,000 litres are needed to keep the support fleet running. And another 100,000 litres of fuel must be stocked for other combat, logistics and technical support units.

Every day, the AFU units in this direction carry out the task of delivering all types of support with a total weight of more than 60 tonnes. At the same time, just to maintain their units at a distance of up to 40 kilometres (the approximate depth of the controlled zone), support units need to make several flights a day. Problems are also accumulating with the delivery of fuel and petrol to forward units.

The repair of damaged armoured vehicles is carried out by the 50 repair and recovery regiment at a distance of about 25 km from the grouping of forces, which also causes a number of inconveniences in transporting the equipment. In most cases, it is easier to abandon it than to try to repair it.

Retreat is inevitable

Further advance of the AFU deep into Russia with the retention of territories is not possible and threatens serious human and material losses. At the same time, it will also be difficult to hold the already captured territory in the Kursk region. In other directions, Ukraine has built solid defences that have held back the onslaught of the enemy. The situation here is different: there are not enough soldiers, and their transfer from other directions is unlikely. There are no fortifications, and supply logistics are disrupted. All these factors indicate that the Ukrainians will not be able to hold out on Russian soil for long. The motivation of the personnel is decreasing day by day.

The Ukrainian media reported that the situation on the left flank of the AFU grouping in Kursk region has deteriorated. The Russians have launched a counter-offensive and are beginning to regain control of previously lost settlements. The withdrawal of the AFU from Kursk region is a matter of the near future.

It is also important to note that the Ukrainian command made a miscalculation, believing that the Russians will transfer troops to the Kursk region from the directions where they are developing their success. And this would make it possible to stop the advance of Russian troops in the Donetsk region. But the Russian military command has abandoned this idea and is defending the Kursk region mainly at the expense of reserves. At the same time, the AFU has stretched the front line by more than 100 kilometres, being inferior in manpower to the Russians. This will lead to gaps in the defence and threatens the collapse of the front.

It turns out that Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, as Supreme Commander-in-Chief, sacrificed the lives of thousands of his soldiers for the sake of a month-long PR campaign that will soon end.

THE ARTICLE IS THE AUTHOR’S SPECULATION AND DOES NOT CLAIM TO BE TRUE. ALL INFORMATION IS TAKEN FROM OPEN SOURCES. THE AUTHOR DOES NOT IMPOSE ANY SUBJECTIVE CONCLUSIONS.

Bill Galston for Head-Post.com

#world news #news #world politics #ukraine #ukraine war #ukraine conflict #ukraine news #ukraine russia conflict #ukraine russia news #russia ukraine war #russia ukraine crisis #russia ukraine conflict #russia ukraine today #kursk #kursk oblast #battle of kursk #kursk region

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israelnewsysa · 4 months

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the 218th day of the campaign for the defense of Israel🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱

4 Nahal fighters were killed in the battle in the Zeytun neighborhood where the local Hamas battalion managed to reorganize, the terrorists launched rocket barrages from the center and south of the Gaza Strip towards the Otaf and Be'er Sheva, east of Rafah there was a series of clashes while the operational plans to expand the attack to parts within Rafah itself were approved.

The terrorists report that they attacked 17 times in the Zeytun neighborhood. They fired mortars, anti-tank guns, snipers, IEDs, and squad attacks. Hamas's resistance shows that the Zeitoun Battalion, which was disbanded back in December, has reorganized and is able to conduct fierce combat despite two previous divisional operations in the same neighborhood and the latest operation in Shifa'a. In addition to this, the terrorists They attacked from the east of Jabaliya and several times along the axis of Bari.

Fighters of the Shaham Battalion of the Nahal raided the neighborhood, eliminated terrorists, destroyed terrorist infrastructure, and found military intelligence and intelligence information in a local school. 4 of them fell in battle (all 19 years old). Their young age can indicate that they have probably just finished their combat training and joined the fighting for the first time.

Israel cannot at this stage allow the residents to return to the north of the Gaza Strip, the repeated reorganizations of the terrorists indicate an existing ability to rehabilitate the various battalions with the population that is already there, and the return of hundreds of thousands of Arabs to the north will only increase their power. According to the statement of the Nahal commander at the end of April, the eradication of terrorism in the area could last a year and a half.

Therefore, on Saturday the 11th of May, the IDF called on the residents of 11 areas in the north of the Gaza Strip, including the entire Jabaliya camp and parts of Beit Lahia, to evacuate immediately to the west of Gaza City. Presumably in preparation for another divisional operation in the same place or to increase the bombing to prevent further terrorist organization.

From the east of Rafah until Saturday morning, the fighters of Division 162 eliminated dozens of terrorists, raided dozens of terrorist infrastructures and worked to clear the area with an emphasis on advancing along the Salah al-Din road, probably an attempt to control the direction of traffic in order to reopen the Rafah crossing and deliver supplies to the Khan Yunis area to allow the transfer of the majority of the population of the Rafah area.

The terrorists attacked from the east of the city 18 times during Saturday, including complex attacks with squads coming out of tunnel shafts and firing thermobaric rockets. 401 fighters directed airstrikes against 2 Hamas launch sites in the city of Rafah, after the terrorist organization fired 7 rocket barrages from the city and the center of the Gaza Strip on Friday into the surrounding area and the south of the country, including a barrage of rockets into the city of Beer Sheva.

There was one violent clash in Yosh yesterday.

On the northern front, Hezbollah attacked 8 times yesterday, including a volley of 20 rockets into the city of Kiryat Shmona. The Air Force attacked terrorist infrastructures and terrorists in southern Lebanon. The Northern Command conducted another exercise that simulates combat in Lebanese territory, combining infantry, armor, and engineering, while providing logistical supplies in the mountainous route and aerial supplies to the maneuver force. This exercise is added to a long list of war readiness exercises against Hezbollah since October and is required now that Hezbollah is increasing its rocket barrages his and causes damage to residential buildings in Kiryat Shmona and the rest of the northern border settlement.

On Thursday evening, the War Cabinet and the Political-Security Cabinet approved the expansion of the operation in Mizrah Rafah. The Biden administration opposes the continuation of the operation without securing an orderly evacuation of the population, humanitarian supplies, and avoiding bombings in populated areas and demands surgical action while continuing negotiations and the possibility of a hostage deal. And it seems that Jerusalem accepts this position. Another team will go to negotiations in Cairo and Division 162 will expand the maneuver to several places west of the city of Rafah.

Along with the call to the residents of Jabalia and its surroundings to evacuate, the IDF ordered 9 additional blocks in Rafah to evacuate for what appears to be another 2 km from the Philadelphia axis. Israel chooses to expand the attack, but that expansion is in quotation marks "an additional bite in the territory". When the Givati, 401, Nahal, 215 brigades are focused on completing the occupation of the area that received an evacuation order on 11.5 and rapid progress along the Saladin road, preparations for the opening of the Rafah crossing under Israeli supervision, the purification of the occupied area with an emphasis on underground infrastructure on the Philadelphia route, And the occupation of additional territory from the city of Rafah and the Axis border. This without provoking too much American opposition and without crossing Biden's red line, when it is conducting negotiations in Cairo (and improving its position in the negotiations as the territory is successfully conquered) and eliminating in stages the 4 Hamas brigades there.

Anyway, the battles continue.

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the-nomadicone · 2 years

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Osprey // United States Marine Corps

#United States Marine Corps #U.S. Marine Corps #USMC #MV-22 #MV-22 Osprey #Osprey #MV-22B #Combat Logistics Battalion 4 #Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 265 #1st Marine Air Wing #1st MAW #Kin Blue #Camp Hansen #Okinawa #Japan #VMM-265 #milblr #military #armed forces

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rainboq · 2 years

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you said "I could go on an entire rant about how David was probably not combat arms based on how he can't clear a fucking room" and I'm definitely interested in that rant. is this because of how he gets ambushed when entering the Dark Room and even if warned a guy with a fucking tripod can take him down even tho he has a gun? is there more where we see that?

Disclaimer: I am not, nor have I ever been, a member of any armed forces. This is all information I've gleaned after talking with and learning from members of various armed services and asking them direct questions.

Okay, so, let's start with defining some terms. POG/Pogue: Personnel Other than Grunt, a pejorative for someone who isn't combat infantry. Synonyms: Fobbit, REMF (Rear-Echelon MotherFucker)

BCT: Brigade Combat team, an organizational unit of multiple regiments and supporting arms to form a coherent combat unit at a brigade level.

MOS code: Military Occupational Specialty code, the code for your job in the army. The general infantry code is 11X, with 11B being your standard infantryman, 11C being an indirect fire infantryman, etc.

MOUT: Military Operations in Urban Terrain, the doctrine on how to conduct combat operations in urban terrain.

CQB: Close Quarters Battle, the nitty gritty of how you conduct combat in urban and close quarters environments.

With those out of the way, let's talk about what we know about David.

1: He was a member of the 3rd Infantry Division, see the famous "broken TV" patch on his arm:

2: He has mechanical skills, given his hobby of working on old cars.

3: For some reason, he has a USMC KBAR with an engraving on it.

4: By his own admission, David was "not good at teamwork".

5: David does not properly secure his firearms. They are in a china cabinet, and prior to Chloe stealing the revolver, it was not locked.

6: His buddy died while overseas in an unspecified incident, but David blames himself. A HUMVEE is prominent in the background.

7: David has a deep seated need to be seen and acknowledged as a big damned hero, which leads to him being a total fuckup in multiple instances and contributes to his abuse of Chloe.

So off the hop, David was part of an Infantry Division, but before you jump into saying "Oh, so he must have been infantry!", a division is a lot more than just what it says on the tin. The 3rd Infantry, like all other divisions, is currently split up into multiple BCTs, which contain armoured, infantry, artillery, and cavalry regiments, along with engineering and support battalions. During Operation Iraqi Freedom (when David likely served), it was organized into two full brigades and one BCT comprised of mechanized infantry and armoured regiments. The division itself also has sustainment and aviation brigades for logistics and further fire support. So the 3rd Infantry tidbit isn't super helpful about what his MOS was.

Which brings me to David's mechanical skills. If you hadn't noticed, the kinds of regiments I listed involve a lot of vehicles. You've got tanks, IFVs, APCs, trucks, humvees, and helicopters that all need crew and maintenance. Mechanical skills are highly valuable to the smooth operation and mobility of a modern mechanized fighting force, and David has these skills. I could probably stop here and say that he was more valuable to the army as a mechanic in a motor pool than as a rifleman and call him a POG, but that's not what bugs me about him.

The K-Bar is weird, but it's entirely possible that he was given it by a marine, or Joyce is just clueless and got it for him as a gift. If it's the later, well, he's not going to be showing it to anyone. If it was given to him by a marine, he probably saved that marine's life. But that presents a character dilemma: if David saved the life of a marine, he'd never shut up about it. David's need to be seen as a hero would demand that he bring it up at every available opportunity, and he never does, which leads me to conclude that Joyce got it for him.

Now we get to the teamwork thing. Now this really bugs me. Infantry work is teamwork. You rely on everyone around you to do their job to stay alive. You rely on your battle buddy to watch out for you, you rely on your fireteam to coordinate and get the task done, you rely on your squad for support to function as a unit, etc. If any one person isn't doing their job, people can start dying, and they can start dying quickly. You weren't watching your sector? Your buddy gets shot in the side or the back. You fall asleep during your watch? Congrats, your camp has been infiltrated and your throat gets slit. Not being able to work as part of a team would make David a liability to himself and everyone around him, which is why training focuses so much on it. If David was at any point on track to become infantry, his inability to do it would get him onto a different career path in a hurry, and if he did somehow make it, nobody is going to trust him with a god damn thing. Ditto goes for being part of the crew of an armoured vehicle, that's teamwork in tight quarters. And artillery? If artillery fucks up, some mighty big rounds are going to be landing in the wrong spot, and god help the unit that calls for artillery support and gets rounds wildly off target.

Okay, so David is a giant liability because he's kind of a jackass and doesn't play well with others, if that's not enough to disqualify him as being infantry, there's more circumstantial evidence in the matter of not securing his weapons. If there's one thing that is beaten into the skull of everyone who holds a rifle, it is how to maintain, use, and secure a weapon. If you so much as point a rifle in a funny direction on the range, the rangemaster is going to be on your ass in a heartbeat, and god help you if you somehow lose your service weapon. I can't think of a single person I know who was in combat arms who does not securely store any firearms they own, and they're pretty much universally the most responsible people with guns I know. David handling his firearms like he does would give most of them an aneurysm.

So we've established that David was in the 3rd Infantry Division, has mechanics skills, is wildly irresponsible as a gun owner, and can't do one of the fundamental basics required of anyone in the infantry. Now we get to the matter of his buddy. We aren't given any details of it, only that David feels responsible. This could mean basically anything, but it's worth noting that even people in the motor pool occasionally have to go outside the wire if say, they need someone to pull convoy duty and they're short handed for whatever reason. Which leaves a likely scenario given my earlier supposition that David would be valuable in the motor pool: He and his buddy got pulled for convoy duty. Depending on when and where, this could mean that they were stuck in a HUMVEE (which is likely given that one is in the background) and went outside the wire as part of a convoy.

Now put yourself in David's shoes. You've been itching for a chance to be a hero, you've been bored out of your fucking mind all tour just fixing trucks and itching to "see some action", and now you're outside the wire, in potentially hostile territory. You're jumpy, you're excited, and... nothing happens. Every bump and rock on the side of the road could be an IED, every truck or car a VBED, every person on the side of the road could be telling someone about your convoy. It's exhausting, it wears on you, your focus quickly gets sapped, the adrenaline wears off and you start getting tired. Your vigilance wanes and your attention slips.

And that's when it happens. Maybe it's an IED, maybe it's someone with an RPG hiding behind something, maybe it's a sniper, maybe it's blue on blue, but something happens and you panic. You've got minimal training for actual combat, just what you had in basic before going off to train in your MOS. You panic, you make mistakes, maybe you cause a blue on blue, maybe you can't keep your rounds on target, maybe it's already too late and your buddy is already dead.

So now David has PTSD and a reason to be hyper-vigilant and paranoid so he can try and atone for past mistakes. He made that mistake once and it cost him someone he held dear, and now he has a step daughter that doesn't listen to him, hates his guts for existing, and is almost never home. Is it any wonder he starts trying to control Chloe right off the bat, and that his need for control quickly turns into abuse? David knows he has these issues, he acknowledges them in LiS, but he's also not seeking meaningful help yet.

But that's not the topic of this post, this isn't David apologia, and it's not out to condemn him for his abuse, that's beating a dead horse.

No, this is about what happened in the dark room.

MOUT and CQB training are a standard part of training to be in the infantry. They are part and parcel of 11X. Infantry isn't much use if it can't take a city or storm a building. What David was doing in the dark room should be something any infantryman has trained to do extensively. It's a room with a very conventional L shaped layout, with a single blind corner after clearing the fatal funnel (the door). Clearing it should have been easy if he had known the basic tactic of slicing the pie.

What's slicing the pie you might ask?

It's how you clear your corners.

The idea is simple enough, you slowly round a corner, clearing it one degree of angle at a time, giving yourself a few feet of space so that if someone is tucked in at an extreme angle, you have spacing to defend yourself.

Example diagrams:

(image source)

Once again: this is basic shit you can trust airsofters to do. Everyone in the infantry should know this and be expected to execute it.

David?

lol no.

Go back and watch the scene. He has insufficient clearance from the corner, he isn't slicing the pie, he isn't moving like he's supposed to.

Instead he's doing the fucking Hollywood thing of rounding the corner all at once, exposing himself to multiple positions he could take fire from or see a target at simultaneously. In an actual battle, this is fucking suicide, and without Max to save scum for him, he dies quickly to an art teacher.

That is why I think he was a POG. He can't clear a goddamned room to save his life and nearly gets Max killed as a result.

Now, none of this is me actually saying that people who are mechanics, pilots, etc in the armed forces are less valuable than the grunts, that's not true. Without the support staff, combat arms cannot function. They can't get food, ammo, intelligence, working vehicles, etc.

In David's mind though? I'd put money on him wanting to be in combat arms and being pointed elsewhere of who he is, and basically permanently having a bug up his ass about it.

#Life is Strange #David Madsen #chloe price #David is a jackass and needed to be in therapy #Not being a stepdad to a traumatized teenager who just lost her dad #Joyce please #Pick a better man #And no I don't consider him redeemed for saving Max #He's the reason Chloe was in that bathroom to start with #And how Jefferson was able to commit his crimes #If Chloe Kate or Rachel had been able to trust him with their problems none of this would have happened #But David is the opposite of trustworthy #He's paranoid and jumps to conclusions like a motherfucker

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doyourememberrocknrollradio · 3 years

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youtube

Good Mornin', "Babes in Arms" - Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland

Rooney left his thriving film career in 1944 to enlist in the Army during World War II, initially classified 4-F because of high blood pressure, he again visited the Selective Service Center and asked for new tests. He passed the second time and was reclassified 1-A.

June 1944 Mickey Rooney was inducted into the Army at Fort MacArthur, near San Pedro, California. Three days later he was on troop train headed for Calvary training at Fort Riley, Kansas. He qualified for the sharpshooter badge with an automatic rifle. Within two weeks the actor was made a squad leader. One of the men in the squad too exception to Rooney' selection as leader, saying that he only got the position because he was a movie star. Rooney would not stand for such guff, and the two had it out in a fierce bare-knuckle fight with the entire squad watching until it was finally broken up. Afterward the two men bought each other a beer; the incident ended any thoughts by others about taking Rooney on.

In September 1944 Rooney was sent to Camp Sibert, Alabama, for training in chemical warfare. Before he could start, however, he was assigned to the 6817th Special services Battalion. Most USO entertainers did not want any part of performing on the front lines. So the Army decided to use their own men to do the job and scoured units for actors, comedians, musicians and singers. 150+ Army entertainers arrived in western Europe. With the combat forces moving so fast, the logistics in moving them around together was impossible. They were split into three man teams, given a jeep and sent off across the theater. The jeep shows consisted of a musician, a singer and an MC who told jokes.

Rooney’s group followed various divisions of the 12th Army Group and the 83rd Airborne, as well as Patton’s Third Army Division. They covered more than 150,000 miles during the first year. Rooney was one of the first Americans to visit the concentration camp at Dachau, where he was horrified by what he saw and astonished at what one group of human beings could inflict upon another.

Rooney had made sergeant by the time he was discharged from the service. He had earned the Bronze Star Medal, a Good Conduct Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with seven bronze star devices, the World War II Victory Medal, and a sharpshooter badge with an automatic rifle bar.

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greatworldwar2 · 4 years

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• 38M Toldi

The 38M Toldi was a Hungarian light tank, based on the Swedish Landsverk L-60 tank, but developed independently. It was named after the 14th century Hungarian knight Miklós Toldi.

After the First World War, the Hungarian Army (Honved) was forbidden by the Treaty of Trianon from developing and using tanks. This prohibition did not prevent Hungarians from acquiring armored vehicles from abroad in the thirties. During the mid-1930s, the Hungarian Army had purchased over 100 Italian light tankettes for its armored forces. These tankettes were fairly obsolete as fighting vehicles even before the start of the war, as they lacked a turret, sufficient armor protection and were weakly armed, with only two machine guns. In 1936, the Hungarian Army made attempts to find more modern types of tanks, to, if not replace, at least supplement the tankettes with more firepower. A few countries, like Italy, Germany and Sweden, were approached for this reason. Eventually, Hungary managed to acquire a single Swedish L-60 light tank in 1937. Once the Swedish vehicle actually arrived, test trials were conducted from mid-June to 1st July 1938 at the Haymasker and Varpalota proving grounds. the Hungarian General Garandy Novak, satisfied with its performance, gave a preliminary suggestion for production of some 64 vehicles. These were to be allocated to the two mechanized and two cavalry brigades. A piece of interesting information worth mentioning here is that, during these trials, a Hungarian V-4 was also tested. After comparing the performance of these two vehicles, the V-4 was not adopted for service.

Following successful negotiations with Sweden, Hungary managed to obtain a licence for the production of this vehicle. At a meeting of the Hungarian War Ministry held on September 2nd, 1938, it was decided to start production of this vehicle with some modifications, mostly regarding its armament. A first production order of 80 vehicles was awarded to MAVAG and Ganz. After observing the lighting-fast German success on the Western Front in May 1940, the Hungarian Army was well impressed and saw that the use of highly mobile motorized units was the future of modern warfare. With the future expansion of their armored force in mind, there was a general demand for more Toldi tanks. For this reason, another order for 110 new vehicles was placed in 1940. The second production series vehicles were simply marked as Toldi II. While, in some sources, it is noted that the Toldi II was better protected, this is false, as, in reality, the only difference was the use of domestically built parts along with some small changes to the suspension. Production of the Toldi I light tank was carried out by the MAVAG and Ganz companies. Almost from the start, there were difficulties with the production, as the Hungarians lacked the experience and production capabilities. Another issue was the need to import some parts from Germany and Sweden, which were essential for the completion of these vehicles (like the Büssing engine, for example). The production order was divided between MAVAG and Ganz, with each company receiving contracts for producing 40 vehicles. The production run lasted from April 1940 to May 1941. The first 80 vehicles built received the H-301 to H-380 registration numbers. Once the first series of 80 vehicles was completed, MAVAG was able to locally produce the needed engine. Thus, it was possible to complete the second Toldi II series with Hungarian made parts, which was important, as it was impossible, due to the war, to obtain additional parts from aboard. The second production run lasted from May 1941 to December 1942.

The Toldi hull had a standard layout, which consisted of the forward-mounted transmission, the central crew compartment and the rear engine compartment. On top of this hull, an armored superstructure that narrowed as it moved towards the engine. On the vehicle’s left front side, the fully protected driver position was located. The driver was provided with an escape hatch on top of it. For observing the surroundings, a front and a left side observation port were installed. On the front upper glacis, a headlight was placed inside a protecting housing, with a grill door that could be lowered and closed. The Toldi turret had two single-piece crew hatches located on each side. Additionally on each side two observation ports were installed. On top of the turret, a command cupola with a large one-piece hatch was placed. When the Toldi was adopted for service with the Hungarian Army, the 20 mm 36M anti-tank rifle was chosen as its main armament. The 20 mm 36M was, in fact, a Solothurn S 18-100 anti-tank rifle. This was done primarily for logistical reasons, as this weapon was already domestically produced. The 36M anti-tank rifle had a rate of fire ranging from 15 to 20 rounds per minute. The armor penetration with the 36M anti-tank rifle (at 60°) at ranges of 600 m was only 10 mm. The Hungarians briefly considered using 3.7 or 4cm caliber guns, but as this would request a redesign of the turret it was not adopted into production. Secondary armament consisted of one 8 mm Gebauer 34/37 machine gun. This machine gun could be dismounted and used in an anti-aircraft role. Inside the tank, some 2,400 rounds of ammunition for the machine gun were carried. The Toldi was lightly protected. The hull front and side armor were only 13 mm thick. The top, bottom and rear armor was even thinner, at 6 mm. The turret was similar, with the front and side armor being 13 mm thick and the rear and top only 6 mm. As this armor was clearly insufficient, it could be easily pierced even by Soviet anti-tank rifles. In an attempt to increase the protection against these anti-tank rifles, one vehicle, was used to test German side armor skirts. While some Toldis would receive this armor, it was employed more on the larger Turan tanks. The Toldi was powered by a German-built Büssing NAG L8V 160 hp 2200, eight-cylinder petrol engine. With a weight of some 8.5 tons, the Toldi was capable of achieving a top speed of 50 km/h. While this was certainly impressive speed for its time, the engine proved to be problematic needing constant maintenance. With a fuel load of 253 liters, the operational range was around 220 km. While, initially, this engine had to be imported, from 1941, the Hungarian manufacturers were later able to produce it locally. The Toldi I and II had a crew that consisted of three crew members. In the left front side of the hull, the driver was positioned. To his rear, in the turret, the remaining two crew members were positioned. Left of the main gun, the gunner/loader was seated. Right of the gunner was the commander of the vehicle. He was provided with a command cupola for a better view of the surroundings. In addition, if the vehicle had radio equipment, the commander’s secondary role was to act as radio operator.

The majority of the first 45 vehicles that were completed by September 1940 were allocated to the tank companies of the 1st and 2nd Cavalry Brigades. Following the expansion and modernization of the Hungarian Army, additional units were to be formed. This included the 9th and the 11th Bicycle Battalions, which were to be reorganized into tank battalions. these two Battalions were to have three Toldi companies and one company equipped with the domestically designed and produced Turan tanks. In addition, the strength of the companies that had Toldi tanks was to be increased from 18 to 23 vehicles. As the production of the Turan was unable to start on time, as a temporary solution, these two Battalions were to be equipped with four Toldi companies. Due to a lack of Toldi vehicles, these two Battalions were eventually equipped with only two incomplete 18 vehicle strong companies. Some of the Toldi light tanks of the 1st and 2nd Cavalry Brigades were used as occupying forces in the Transylvania region, which was taken over from Romania in September 1940 after the Second Vienna Award. The Hungarian government officially joined the Axis forces on September 27th,1940. Its first joint military operation with other Axis allies was the occupation of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. For this operation, the Hungarian Army mobilized its Fast Corp (Gyorshadtest), which consisted of the 1st and 2nd Motorized Brigades, together with the 2nd Cavalry Brigade. Each of these units had a 18 vehicles strong Toldi company, for a total of 54 tanks. While the 1st Cavalry Brigade was also part of this Fast Corp, it was not used during this theater of war. The Toldi’s first real combat use was during the short April War (Axis occupation of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia) that lasted from the 6th to 17th of April 1941. During this short campaign, many Toldi tanks were left un-operational mostly do to mechanical issues and engine failure.

While the Hungarians were not eager to wage war with the Soviets, they nevertheless joined the Axis forces during Operation Barbarossa. The Hungarians officially declared war on the USSR on June 27th, after Soviet air bomb raids into Hungary occurred the previous day. For the Invasion of the Soviet Union, the Hungarians allocated the 1st and 2nd Motorized Brigades and the 2nd Cavalry Brigade. By this time, the number of Toldis had increased to 81 vehicles. Due to insufficient numbers of Toldi tanks, some 60 Italian-bought tankettes had to be used to supplement the ranks. On 13th July 1941, elements from the 9th Tank Battalion (from the 1st Motorized Brigade) attacked the Soviet positions on the hills near Khmelnytskyi (Хмельни́цький). During this fight, one Toldi, was hit by a Soviet anti-tank gun. The vehicle was immobilized and the two other crew members were killed. A second Toldi tank that was nearby, in an attempt to protect the damaged vehicle, took position in front of it. While this provided protection for the damaged tank the second tank became the new main target for the Soviet anti-tank guns. This resulted in the loss of the tank with its crew. In the following Hungarian attack, the hill was taken with the destruction of three Soviet anti-tank guns. By late July 1941, the 1st Motorized Brigade managed to destroy some 24 Soviet armored vehicles. But, despite initial successes, the Toldi losses began to rise, mostly due to mechanical breakdowns. Due to the rapid increase of losses, in July 1941, the Hungarians were forced to send a further 14 Toldi tanks, along with many spare parts and engines. By August, there were 57 operational Toldi tanks on this front. By the end of October 1941, the Hungarian force had advanced nearly 1,000 km into the Soviet Union, up to the Donets River. Supplying and reinforcing these units became more and more difficult, and with the rising losses and urgent need for repair, the Hungarians ordered that these forces be pulled back home for recuperation. While the Hungarian tank losses were high, with all the tankettes being lost together with 80% of Toldis. While some 25 were damaged in combat, a greater number of 62 was lost due to mechanical breakdowns. Almost all could be recovered. While these could be repaired, it took some time to do so and, for this reason, only a small number of Toldi tanks were available for the 1942 campaign. The fighting in 1941 also pointed out the Toldi’s shortcomings, mostly regarding its armament and armor. While the main gun did have a chance against the lightly protected Soviet pre-war designs, it was useless against the T-34 and the KV series.

In 1942, the 1st Armored Division was formed, using mainly T-38s (German-supplied Panzer 38(t)) which were supplemented with a smaller number of Toldi tanks. Some 14 were given to the 1st Armored Reconnaissance Battalion and 5 vehicles to the 51st Anti-Tank Battalion, but, in reality, only 17 were available for service. By the end of August 1942, the Toldi units suffered losses, with only 5 being fully operational. As 1942 proved disastrous for the Axis forces on the Eastern Front, 11 Toldi tanks were lost. In 1943, due to losses in equipment and men, the Hungarians did not send new armored units to the Soviet Union. By April 1944, there were 176 Toldi (all types) light tanks still operational. At that time, the front line units using them were the 2nd Armored Division in Galicia and the 1st Cavalry Division fighting near Warsaw. In June 1944, there were some 66 Toldi I and II and 63 Toldi IIa operational. During its operational service life, the Toldi chassis was used for a number of improvements and tests. These include the ambulance transport, anti-tank hunter and up-gunned and better-protected versions. In an attempt to increase the combat efficiency of the Toldi tanks, the Hungarians made two attempts to improve their firepower and armor protection. The Toldi IIa version had a new 40 mm gun and stronger armor. Some 80 Toldis were modified for this configuration. The Toldi III was similar to the Toldi IIa, but with 35 mm of frontal armor, but less than 20 were eventually built.

Today, there is only one surviving Toldi I and one Toldi IIa light tank. Both can be seen in the well known Kubinka Military Museum in Russia. While Hungary was not a superpower, it managed to produce relatively high numbers of domestically-built tanks, including 190 Toldi light tanks. While the Toldi I and II were the backbone of the Hungarian armored units in 1941, by that time, they were already obsolete. Their low armor protection and small-caliber main weapon were almost useless against Soviet armor. But, somewhat surprisingly, despite their obsolescence, the majority were lost to breakdowns and not to enemy fire.

#second world war #world war ii #world war 2 #wwii #military history #history #long post #tank warfare #tanks #hungarian history #hungarian #light tanks #world of tanks

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winnix85 · 4 years

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List of intelligence officers in BOB

The ones we’ve known:

Nixon: 2d Battalion S-2 intelligence officer from April1943 to Jan 1945. (He might become battallion S-3 at some point after Market Garden, because when Winters poured piss on him, he was battallion S3). Regiment S-2 from Jan 1945 to March 1945, then demoted back to 2d Battalion S-2.

Hester: 2d Battalion S-3 intelligence officer since D-day. Then at some point before Nov 1944, Hester was promoted to regimental S-2, so Winters (with permission from Stray) moved Nixon from battallion S-2 to S-3. Hester later became the CO of the 1st batallion.

******

The less obvious ones:

Liebgott: he was so stressed in Bastogne so Winters briefly assigned him back to the division HQ to work in the S-2 (intelligence) section because he speaks fluent German. However, Winters then regretted this decision. Liebgott apparently tortured POWs during interogation due to his hatred against German soldiers.

Speirs: “ In Holland, Ron was the battalion S-2 Intelligence officer for Colonel Robert Strayer.” ---- He got shot in the butt on reconnaissance (so he was indeed doing intelligence S-2′s job----reconnaissance. I’m not sure whether he was also in charge of interogating POWs). Not sure how long he was in S-2 position. My question is, how many S-2 are there in one battallion? I thought Nixon was the S-2 for 2nd battallion during most timespan of the story. Does it mean Nixon and Speirs were co-workers for sometime? Nixon as S-3 and Speirs as S-2?

Ed Thomas: he was the new batallion S-2 of Winters after Nixon has been promoted to the regiment S-2.

Harry Welsh: he was wounded in Bastogne and came back in April 1945. Since then he was Winters’ batallion S-2 (What happened to Thomas??) [NOTE: in Guarnere’s book, he said that after he was wounded in Bastogne, Martin wrote a letter to him, telling him that now Speirs is the new CO of E-company, Welsh is batallion S-3 and Nixon is Regiment S-3]---- I feel they couldn’t remember who’s S-2 and who’s S-3. Maybe it’s not important.

William Leach: in April 1945 he was the regimental S-2. The war was near the end and Leach had never led a combat patrol (sounds like a common feature for intelligence officers?), so on 12th April he let his first combat patrol. Winters thought it’s a bad idea, an ego trip. All patrol group were killed by friendly fire from Fox company. The reason for this was Harry Welsh forgot to inform Fox company about the patrol. Winters blamed Harry Welsh for this senseless tragedy (on top of Moose Heyliger being shot by a sentry, which was also Harry’s fault)

********

Some more info:

At the time of “Final patrol”, when Winters was batallion XO, but his rank was still a captain. At the same time, Nixon has been promoted to regimental S-3 (or S-2)

Winters complained that at that stage of war, his batallion staff consisted of a S-1 only. He had no S-2 (Harry wounded), no S-3 (Nixon promoted) and no S-4 （logistics officer Afred Winter (no “s”)----missing in Bastogne, and never appeared) ）

Charles Bonning: batallion S-1 (personnel officer). He also did some S-4 duty.

Ralph D. Richey: Before Harry came back from hospital, Ralph D. Richey (from Fox company) was briefly attached to Winters as S-2. (That’s when the fake patrol happened). He also doubled as S1.

#band of brothers #real band of brothers #dick winters #lewis nixon #ronald speirs #harry welsh #joe liebgott #intelligence officers

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elenathehun · 4 years

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Watching The Clone Wars, part 4

I’m back! A little later than I expected, but again, the post-holiday doldrums has essentially ended at this point and I’m back to being busy. This viewing party coveres the first season episodes “The Gungan General”, “Jedi Crash”, “Defenders of Peace”, “Trespass”, “Blue Shadow Virus”, and “Mystery of a Thousand Moons”. My thanks to @spiraling, @jaycrowind and @hiruma-musouka for watching this misbegotten show with me: I truly would not be able to do it without y’all’s company and support.

“The Gungan General” (1x12)

This is a silly continuation of the very silly episode viewed previously, but marred by the fact that Jar Jar Binks is a main character. I honestly hope to god his presence peters down after this season, because I am just gritting my teeth at every episode that features him. On the plus side, it does have clones from the Coruscant Guard (at least, I assume some from the armor paint), and seeing them choose to weaponize Jar-Jar’s presence was a rare delight.

Other things to enjoy in this episode: Hondo. He so over-the-top and ridiculous, but his character actually makes sense for once, which is another too-rare pleasure in this show. He’s venal and greedy, and so are his men, but his motivations are clear, as are his methods. Also, I just love smugglers in general, and PT-era Star Wars is tragically underpopulated by such characters.

Finally, at this point I’m beginning to notice that the Jedi and Sith Force powers are very uneven in their application. As far as I can see, they only work as well (or badly) as necessary for the plot, which I guess is fine. The Force is basically a soft magic system, which is befitting since this is space fantasy.

“Jedi Crash” (1x13)

#give aayla armor

I’m gonna pretend she was actually wearing something like that the whole time. Like, I’m joking but not really. Why doesn’t Aayla have armor like Obi-Wan? And don’t tell me it’s because that’s what’s she wearing in RotS, Obi-Wan sure as hell ain’t wearing his RotS gear in this season...

Ugh, I just have so many opinions about how female characters are written and presented on this show in particular, and the PT in general, but I’m gonna save it for a more coherent post in the future.

Back to the episode proper: this ship-to-ship combat actually makes sense on a tactical level - I just love the droids/drones boarding the ship by force - but why are they in atmosphere? I know that atmo-combat looks cool, but it makes absolutely no sense given what Star Destroyers are built for. Yes, I’m aware that whining about this is petty, but I’m going to keep complaining about it until I feel better.

I feel like Anakin is unselfish expressly for the purpose of setting up a lesson for Ahsoka. It’s not bad, but it’s not great. I’m very meh on Anakin in general, though, so perhaps other people might see it differently.

Finally, the lemur colonists’ story makes no sense, timeline-wise. The war has only being going on for less than a year! Did they colonize the planet before the war broke out, or after? Is their home planet an active participant in either side? Are they already self-sufficient, or are they still receiving support from the next wave of colonists back home? As you can see, I am deeply invested in the economics and logistics of this situation.

“Defenders of Peace” (1x14)

God, the CIS is cartoonishly evil. It’s so evil I can’t take it seriously, and I’m a person who enjoyed the OT and thinks Tarkin was actually the best villain. I also found the inevitable denouement of the lemur people plot really annoying. I’m not fond of pacifistic storylines, but they can be done well if the writers want to give a fair shake to the ideology. TCW’s writers don’t, therefor the lemurs are just another strawman group who only exist to show how good the heroes are.

“Trespass” (1x15)

I love how we see graphic clone death in the first 30 seconds of the episode. At this point, I believe either Cartoon Network or Lucasfilm paid off the MPA, because there is no way this was rated PG legitimately.

Although I love Riyo Chuchi’s overall character design, I am offended by her youth. Why are there so many “young lady politicians” in Star Wars? Did everyone just look at Padme and say “yeah, this makes sense and is not absolutely stupid, let’s have more of the same?”

Anyway, I like to think Riyo is actually a soft-spoken, non-assertive middle-aged woman who is consistently underestimated in the Senate due to the fact the wealthy humans of the Core Worlds don’t know enough about her species to accurately gauge her age.

The actually plot of this story is executed reasonably well, although I honestly have no idea why two generals/battalions are necessary for this excursion. Also, am I the only one who found the Pantoran assertion that the yeti aliens are a complete discovery a bit silly? You guys have space flight, and presumably satellites, but you don’t know a primitive society is living on the planet you orbit? Really? Seems like a stretch.

“Blue Shadow Virus” (1x16)

Jar Jar’s actions in the initial interrogation that begin this episode can only be explained in the context of him being a secret Sith apprentice. Anyway, another cartoonishly evil villain from the CIS side. They’ve graduated from targeting hospitals to playing with bioweapons!

Anyway, the whole episode is yet another example of poor military strategy. You know what the Naboo Queen should have done? Nuked that black site from orbit, for the safety of her people and the galaxy at large.

“Mystery of a Thousand Moons” (1x17)

I just found this all very tedious. Obi-Wan and Anakin banter can lift an episode sometimes, but this wasn’t one of them. Anyway, the idea that one (1) root is going to produce a cure for a disease (that presumably already has a cure since it was originally eradicated decades ago) is just laughable. Finally, still noticing the timeline described in the episodes doesn’t make any sense. The idea that the CIS would invade Iego’s moons (for what reason?) and then leave (for what reason??), but leave a trap to keep everyone else from leaving (???) that then spurs the creation of an urban myth, all within the space of a year or less, is also stretching the bounds of my belief. It’s like the writers want to pretend the war has been going on for years, instead of a few months....

Next week: I complete the majority of the first season by watching the three-episode Ryloth arc, and start the second season by watching the time Cad Bane tried jumpstart the Emperor’s Hand program early.

#watching the clone wars #star wars #star wars tcw #television is hypnotoad

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smol-and-grumpy · 5 years

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Dear Dean (Chapter 4)

Re-post

Pairing: Dean Winchester x OFC (Jamie Blum)

WC: 4k

Summary: After taking Saint Lo, by sheer dumb luck, Lieutenant Dean Winchester from the 29th Infantry Division, Baker Company, received a truckload of replacements for his platoon that was falling apart. Little did he know, that one recruit would change his life forever.

Chapter Warnings: There’s some action in this.

SERIES MASTERLIST

July 28th, 1944

Dear Dean,

Guess who got promoted? You’re writing to Sergeant Sam Winchester now, jerk! I expect to be called that forever and always. Other than that, we’re sitting here quite comfortable on the bed you guys made for us. I have to handle a lot of logistics. Sending back POW for camp and shit, Dean, I have pity for them. They’re not doing anything wrong. They fight as we do, they follow orders. Some of them are only 17! Can you imagine? I don’t think that I’ll ever forget them, and I can’t say it out loud but yeah, they deserve better.

Shit, Dean, I’m sorry about that kid. I bet it’s not your fault. It’s never your fault, but you have to go and make it harder on yourself every fucking time, don’t you? I know you. Let it go. Move the fuck on. It’s war Dean, you can’t save them all.

You call the new private Bambi? You’re such a dick, you know that? I bet you do. Btw, how are Sneezy and Dopey? Seriously, Dean, stop giving them nicknames. But yeah, that new private sounds like a treat. Just think that every time he looks at you, that it’s me judging you, alright? I hope he rolls his eyes at you too, you totally deserve it. And hey, if he does, don’t punish him. I swear if you do, I’ll never write to you again, are we clear? I try to sound like someone with authority now. Doesn’t really work all the time, but I’m getting there.

Stay alive, Dean, alright? I miss you, too. Hey, remember Winchester Surprise? That’s better than the K-ratio sitting in my bag since the day we left England. I said I always hated Winchester Surprise, but that thing would be a damn treat right now.

See you around, Dean

SERGEANT Sam Winchester

***

They were preparing to leave Saint Lo and move south to Vier. Fucking finally! As much as Dean enjoyed the rest, his body was itching to fucking move out. He wanted to go home and in order to do that, they need to keep on moving. Need to keep on fighting. Need to win.

The weather could’ve been better for the march. The clouds hung heavy in the sky and there was a dribble of rain and Dean knew that they should’ve considered themselves lucky if it didn’t pour all the way to Vire.

“29 Let’s go!” Captain Mills shouted ever so enthusiastically and apart from the occasional groans of disappointments, they go. Dean chose to ignore Dopey who groaned the loudest. They moved in companies. Baker company were some 400 odd men that were probably going to be hard to miss should the Germans spot them.

As if on cue, it started to rain the moment they moved out, and Private Fitzgerald mumbled something that he’d rather a broad is wet and not him which earned him a punch to the helmet from Harvelle with a low, “Now’s not the time to joke, Fitzgerald!” The others cheered Harvelle on. Dean walked in the middle of the platoon and chuckled at Fitzgerald and Harvelle who were still arguing in front of him.

They marched towards Vire, raiding farm houses in between. It was easy, there were no casualties from his side and they kept on moving with German POWs. Battalion staff would come collect them once they settled into their harbor area.

Dean always felt bad, capturing German POWs. More often than not, they were scared shitless. He would be too, having 10 rifles pointed at him and knowing that one of them could shoot anytime. Some of them were young. Younger than they looked, because war made the men look older than they really were.

“So, who’s up for a joke?” Corporal Barnes asked as he felt morale dropping the further they got. They’d been out there for four hours and it hadn’t stopped raining yet. If anything, the rain even picked on.

“Barnes, no!” Dopey said from the back. “Your jokes are the worst.”

“Barnes, yes!” Barnes shouted back to Dopey. “If you think you can tell better jokes, be my guest.”

“Barnes, no.” Dean needed to end this as their leader. Besides, Barnes’ jokes were really the worst, everyone knew that except of Barnes himself.

Barnes turned to Dean, “Come on, Lieutenant. Not fair. I saw your lips quivering at the last joke I told.”

Dean’s face remained straight. “That’s just because I was holding myself back from barfing.”

“That’s a good one! See Barnes, the Lieutenant is funny!” Dopey called to the front and others agreed.

Dean took a look back and smirked when his gaze fell on Bambi who was a couple lines behind him. He was busy the last couple of days, preparing for his platoon to move out that he didn’t have the time to check how the new privates got along, including Bambi. If he was being honest, Dean avoided Bambi in the first two days after Jim left. He didn’t even know why he did it. He just knew that he couldn’t be around Bambi. He wasn’t ready to feel that weird thing in his stomach again. So, he did what he could do best, keeping himself busy and helping Mills plan their next mission.

But now, in the rain, Dean couldn’t tear his eyes away from Bambi. The small private looked tired and it was like all the life had been sucked out of him, despite the men getting a bit of a rest. If Bambi was bothered already, the way they still keep a tight schedule when they are supposedly resting, then boy, he was going to be in for a freaking treat when shit goes down.

“Bambi on me!” Dean shouted to the back and he could see that at his call, Bambi’s face lit up and Dean watched as the private scrambled to the front to catch up with him, metal of his rifle clacking against his canteen. Dean was glad that they weren’t on noise discipline.

“Yes, sir!” The short guy said, looking up to him and the rain splatter in his face made his eyes stand out even more than they normally would. Even in the grey of the rain, Dean could see the brown orbs clearly, glowing curiously.

Dean kept his voice low as not to raise suspicion on why he called up a private with an order, but has nothing to say in regards of their mission. “How are you?”

Bambi lowered his gaze then, looking down as they march through gravel and rain, their boots splashing through puddles and Dean kind of hoped, that his socks would stay dry. “I’m ok. Just.. missing my brother, is all.”

Dean knew the feeling of missing a brother. He’d been there and experienced it every day since they got on the LCVP to cross the channel over to France.

Still, Dean couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right with the small private. Bambi was different. He watched Bambi, when he talked to Jim. Dean was standing maybe 20 feet away, pretending to listen to Balthazar’s rant about his boots that didn’t fit him anymore and Battalion were not able to provide him with new ones until they would arrive in Vire. Balthazar went on and on and Dean was clinking out of the conversation then. Instead, he watched. He watched, as Jim put an arm around Bambi. Watched, as Jim pulled Bambi close and gave him a peck on the head. Now he doesn’t know how other brothers are doing this because apart from a hug, Sam didn’t get jack from him, but also it wasn’t really his place to go there, but something was weird about it. The way Bambi leaned into the kiss and closed his eyes. They were close, Dean could tell. And it might have been a totally stupid thought that stemmed from deep in his gut, but Dean had to admit, that he felt jealous. He didn’t even know why.

Dean shook his head, trying to get the thought out of his mind. “Good. You’re doing good. We’ll be in Vire soon.”

He didn’t dismiss Bambi, and Bambi didn’t fall back. They kept walking comfortably side by side.

***

July 30th, 1944

They were so fucking close to Vire when they got cut off by German battery. It was just a small village, consisting of 5 to probably 6 farmhouses. Dean knew that it would be too good to be true if they would just get from one city to another without being shot at, but one could still dream.

Now, he found himself jumping out of the way of mortar shells.

The rounds were raining on them, mortars and shells flying over them from somewhere high above and Captain Mills was shouting to Get the fuck down and duck into cover.

Dean couldn’t fucking see anything as the rounds touched the earth and whirled up clouds of dusts. They ducked down and Dean shouted to his men. “Be ready to shoot as soon as the smoke lands!” He pulled his rifle up into his shoulders, his finger ready on the trigger. He fired click click click.

Dean heard how a bullet tore through Private Spengler’s thighs. He could hear Harvelle shouting for a medic. Another round of shells hissing above them and then there was Dean; finger on the trigger. Click click. The counter fire stopped then, all of a sudden, which wasn’t suspicious at all.

“Where are they?” Dean shouted at nobody in particular and then he scrambled up. He swung himself against something that used to be a truck. Only it was riddled with bullet rounds and it probably was on fire at some point not too long ago.

“Balthazar, take three platoon around east of axis, use the trees and high grass as covers. Two platoon, support them with suppressive fire!” Captain Mills was huddled behind the big tree with a couple of new privates who were shaking visibly. It was the first combat they run into after they’ve been replaced.

Balthazar and Novak moved out, leaving more room for Dean and Gabe’s platoons. They heard them. There was shouting and firing and someone screamed for a medic. Shurley, the T-4 Medic of the company was about to get up but Mills pulled him back down. He couldn’t risk it, besides there’s a medic with two platoon. They laid low, listening to the fire of guns, shouting of Germans and their own men. They waited until they clearly heard Balthazar shout out an “All clear!” And that’s when Dean noticed that he’d been holding his breath all along with occasional short gasps.

“It’s not clear.” Someone mumbled. Dean craned his neck over the two bodies next to him to see Bambi pressing his back against the old truck.

“What’s that, private?” Dean asked before he pointed his chin to Bambi. “Bambi, on me!”

Dean watched as the men made way for Bambi to move to him. They were shoulder to shoulder and he turned his head, looking Bambi in the eye. His heart was pounding and his breathing was heavy. So was Bambi’s.

“What do you mean?” Dean asked him lowly and even though Bambi was breathing hard, he was completely composed. At ease.

“It’s not over. Platoons two and three? They went around the right but some stray bullets also came from the left. Clearly they only cleared the right path, and I bet there’s at least one sniper up somewhere. Permission to get up and take a look, Sir?”

“The hell you will,” Dean growled turning around and got on his knees to take a look himself, but Bambi was next to him already.

The private pointed his chin in the direction of an old Barn, standing maybe 200 yards away from the rest of the houses. It was big with a high attic. “There,” Bambi whispered. “That’s where I’d be.” There was a little window that almost wasn’t visible. “Probably about 450 yards, sir. 500 tops. If you give me the go, I can take him out, sir.”

Dean turned back to Captain Mills. “Sir, where our marksman?” Not that he didn’t want to give Bambi a chance, but he really didn’t want to give Bambi a chance when there was a marksman in their ranks who could maybe do a better job. Bambi was a freaking greenhorn, for fucks sake.

“They’re up around, Winchester. Do I need to radio for them to come back? Radio, on me!” Mills was already calling out for the radio man to come over and when the private got up to run towards the CO, his head snapped back and Dean thought that he might have even broken his neck by sheer force. “Shit, Crawford!” Captain Mills shouted and scrambled over to check on Private Crawford.

“Captain! Stay down! Everybody stay down! Sniper!” Dean screamed in his deep voice and the ground shook from everyone who planted themselves on their stomachs and ducked for cover.

“Harvelle! Get me a sniper rifle.” Dean knew that Sergeant Harvelle was always carrying an extra sniper rifle since they lost their shooter some days ago. He shouted his command at Harvelle while he looks at Bambi and sure as hell, Bambi smirked at him.

“Sir.” Harvelle was winding himself in the dirt as he handed Dean the rifle.

Bambi was ridding himself off his haversack and musette bag and put his own rifle on the ground before he took the sniper rifle from Dean, still with a stupid grin on his face. “Thanks, Lieutenant. You won’t be disappointed.”

Dean watched as the small private braced himself and the rifle on the door of the truck and then he adjusted his visor. Dean watched, when the private’s tongue darted out to lick his lips as he concentrated and all of a sudden, Dean’s lips felt very dry and he mimicked Bambi.

“Oh, hi there.” Bambi was whispering to himself, smiling even.

Dean watched as Bambi little fingers pulled the trigger as he huffed out another whisper. “This is for shooting at me, fucker!” A shot hissed through the air and then Bambi turned around, smiling brightly at Dean. “Done.”

Dean grinned then and his men cheered behind him.

“Where the fuck did you learn that from?” Dean was still chuckling and he held out a hand to help Bambi up.

“I have three brothers and they do all kinds of weird shit.” Bambi shrugged, handing the rifle back to Sergeant Harvelle and put on his haversack and musette bag before picking up his rifle from the ground.

“Shit, you’re good.” Dean exclaimed as he put his hand on the private’s shoulder, squeezing. Caught up in the moment, almost forgetting himself, he was tempted to pull the private in for a hug, but he caught himself last minute. “Remind me to never shoot at you, alright?”

“Or you’ll see what will happen, Lieutenant.” Bambi said with a wink.

August 1st, 1944

Jamie dug into the ground with her entrenching tool. They had to dig up foxholes and shell scrapings for the night. The ground wasn’t hard but the deeper she got, the wetter it got, too. It had been raining non stop for the majority of two days and the ground is soaked. She didn’t even know if she wanted to sleep down in a wet and damp foxhole to be perfectly honest. but what other options would she have?

Captain Mills stopped by while she worked on her foxhole and she paused, standing up at attention before the Captain put his arm on her shoulder telling her to be at ease with a calming voice and Jamie relaxed. He then began to praise her for her skills. Jamie felt good, real good. She smiled as the praise rained down on her which is the first time that she really thought that she could make a difference there.

The Lieutenant came back from the briefing with the Captain a little later and he stopped by every shell scraping and manned foxhole, making sure that the men had everything they need and to just randomly talk to them. Listening to their rant, taking in their gripes and even joke around. It was to keep their morale up, Jamie knew that much and Lieutenant Winchester was doing a good job. It would be a while until he would reach her anyway because she chose a place far back, not that she was anti social but she just sometimes needed a break from the amount of testosterone lingering in the air.

She could hear Sergeant Lafitte and Corporal Tran talking about the sweetheart they left at home and how eager they were to finally kill Hitler and go back so they can fuck them and make them pregnant - their words, not hers.

Private Trenton was curious, asking Lafitte and Tran to see the photographs of their girls at home and they compared them; which was a little gross, because then Trenton was saying that he’d been horny all week and asked if he could borrow the photographs to jack himself off. This, of course, angered Tran and Lafitte and it nearly ended in a fight had it not been for Lieutenant Winchester. He happened to walked by and ask how they were, and if they needed anything he could provide. Trenton then asked the Lieutenant a question that got Jamie’s attention. She stopped digging for a brief moment, so she could hear better. “Sir, you also have a sweetheart at home?”

“If yes, don’t give the picture to Trenton!” Tran tried to warn his Lieutenant.

Lieutenant Winchester chuckled at that, but didn’t answer in which Lafitte jumped in jokingly. “The Lieutenant has his Sam, Trenton.” Suddenly Jamie felt as if she was intruding, listening in on them, so she tuned out the talking and returned her focus to her digging.

Jamie dug her foxhole deep and decided to go down and rest. She was not on sentry tonight. Maybe it was some kind of reward. She’d take a nap and maybe if the fire was still on later, she’d make sure to go get coffee, but for now, she just wanted to close her eyes and forget for a moment that she was Private Blum. That she was a woman at war. A woman amongst men. That her family were all out in the field. That she was alone there.

“You alright down there, private?” Lieutenant Winchester’s voice rumbled above her and she opened up her eyes hesitantly.

“Fine, Sir.” She tried to smile, but she felt weak. She wasn’t used to walking for miles with heavy bags hung around her body and a freaking rifle slung on her shoulder.

“Permission to come in?” He asked with a smile so wide, she could see his perfect teeth through the dirt on his cheeks. Jamie didn’t pay much attention before, but then in the hazy light of the evening, when the sun was painting the sky all shades of purple, she could see that Lieutenant Winchester was breathtakingly handsome. How did she miss that before?

“Sure.” She moved a little to press herself to the far side of the wall in order to make room for him. He didn’t need to ask for permission actually. She witnessed before how he slides into a foxhole without asking, for a short nap, whenever one of the occupants was on sentry. The Lieutenant was always too lazy or too busy to dig his own hole and some of them were staying together in foxholes so Lieutenant Winchester could always find a place to nap whenever he wanted.

He placed his bags and rifle at the opening and scrambled down and then he lost balance and almost landed gracefully on his face. Jamie let out a wheeze before she put her hand over her mouth.

“Yeah, ha-ha.” He mocked before she even got the chance to say anything. “Shut it, Bambi!” Lieutenant Winchester took off his helmet and sat himself down beside her in the dirt. Shoulder to shoulder. Jamie noticed the folded picture neatly tucked into his helmet as it was lying upside down in between his feet.

She looked over to him and saw the line of the helmet that dug into his scalp and the bead of sweat that was on his forehead. The crinkles by his eyes. She could watch as a droplet of his sweat made its way down his jaw and dribble down his neck. His heart was pumping fast, she could see the pulsing on his throat. Lieutenant Winchester had freckles on his face. His hair was greasy and slicked back and he smelled like tobacco and wait, was that whiskey?

“You want a smoke?” He asked and Jamie politely declined. She had never smoked and even though she could here, because the cigarette came as a part of their ratio, she didn’t pick up the bad habit. She was never good with shaking off bad habits. But goddamn she could use whiskey. “Oh.” The Lieutenant said, stashing away his tin of cigarettes and didn’t light up one and it surprised her that he had manners. The way he breathed out the word ‘Oh’ that carried the sweet scent of whiskey with it, didn’t slip her mind, though, but she didn’t dare to ask.

He pulled out a big flask from his webbing and paired it with a wicked grin while he raised his eyebrow at her. “Then maybe this?”

She smiled back and tsked. “Lieutenant!” He shushed her immediately, holding a finger to his lips.

He quickly unscrewed it and took a sip before handing it over to her. She held it to her lips and he watched, as she tipped it back, and let the warm liquid go down her throat. It was harsh and it burned, but it was also warm. It was just what she needed. She handed it back to him, coughing a little as the last drop of it got lost in her windpipe and Lieutenant Winchester giggled at that.

“You’re weak.” He said but he didn’t meant it, Jamie knew.

She felt her eyes roll toward the sky in feigned annoyance, before she could really process what she was doing. She didn’t mean to disrespect him, but she was caught up in the moment, and she hoped she wouldn’t be dressed down for it. She was still when she realized what she’d done and the Lieutenant just stared at her warmly, as if his mind was trying to process something. Something important.

They looked at each other and he leaned in a little. Their noses brushed gently. She didn’t know if it was the alcohol or something else all together, but her head started to spin and she wanted to pull away, but she couldn’t, not when he’s breathing hotly against her lips. They were breathing the same air that smelled of sweet whiskey. Jamie closed her eyes briefly, as if she was giving him permission to kiss her and she didn’t even know why she did that, because she was a man and Lieutenant Winchester was a man, too, and he most likely wasn’t queer. The Lieutenant stalled, his face so close, their foreheads touched, their breathing mingled.

Lieutenant Winchester widened his eyes in shock after a moment, and he scrambled away to the other end of the tight foxhole. “Shit, Bambi. I..I..uh.. shit, fuck I’m sorry.”

He grabbed his flask in a hurry, putting it back into his combat jacket and got out of the foxhole. “Sorry…” He said again, his back to her.

Jamie couldn’t say anything. There was no sound that made it past her lips, despite them parting.

He turned around and back to look down at her but his gaze was anywhere, but on her eyes. “You did good the last few days. Keep up the good work.” With that, he was gone.

CHAPTER 5

#dear dean #dean winchester #dean winchester fic #dean winchester fan fic #dean winchester x oc #dean x oc #dean winchester fan ficiton #dean winchester au fic #nathalie writes

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bountyofbeads · 5 years

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How U.S. Troops Are Preparing for the Worst in the Middle East https://nyti.ms/2ZVJwO1

How U.S. Troops Are Preparing for the Worst in the Middle East

The Pentagon has directed about 4,500 troops to the region atop the roughly 50,000 already there as tensions rise with Iran. They are reinforcing their outposts, bases and airfields.

By Thomas GIBBONS-NEFF | Published

Jan. 6, 2020, 4:33 p.m. ET | New York Times | Posted January 6, 2020 |

WASHINGTON — American military units stationed in Iraq and Syria are readying for attacks from either Iranian forces or their proxies after the drone strike that killed a senior Iranian general last week.

It is unclear what an Iranian retaliatory attack would look like after the death of Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, an Iranian security and intelligence commander responsible for the deaths of hundreds of troops over the years, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a powerful Iraqi militia commander and government official.

But, already, American forces in the region are reinforcing their outposts, bases and airfields.

The Pentagon has directed about 4,500 additional troops to the region atop the roughly 50,000 already there. Here’s how it breaks down.

New Deployments to Iraq and Kuwait

The influx of new forces was prompted by several events: the death of an American contractor in Iraq during a rocket attack on Dec. 27 carried out by an Iranian-backed militia; protests around the United States Embassy in Baghdad afterward, following a series of American airstrikes on the militia; and last week’s drone strike on General Suleimani and Mr. al-Muhandis.

The new troops will act primarily as a defensive force, meant to reinforce American bases and compounds in the region and respond to a possible attack. No major ground offensives are planned for them.

Which Units Are Deploying

Roughly 4,000 troops — a brigade — from the 82nd Airborne Division based out of Fort Bragg, N.C., have started deploying to Kuwait. They are part of the division’s global response force, kept on standby for particular emergencies. A senior United States military officer said the deployment of the 82nd Airborne paratroopers and other ground forces was defensive, meant to position more troops in the Middle East who could be quickly deployed to defend or reinforce American embassies, consulates and military bases.

Roughly 100 other paratroopers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, based out of Vicenza, Italy, will also deploy to the Middle East, according to a Defense Department official. Stars and Stripes first reported the deployment.

The officer noted that the planning for any larger conflict with Iran does not envision a vast land invasion like in the 1991 Persian Gulf war or the 2003 Iraq war. Instead, any prolonged conflict would rely more on air and naval forces, as well as cyberattacks, to hit Iranian targets or Iranian proxies, the officer said.

Other units include around 100 Marines from the Second Battalion, Seventh Marine Regiment. The company-size contingent is deployed to Kuwait as part of a special purpose task force meant to respond to emergencies in the Middle East. The Marines, fresh off helping American forces withdraw from northeastern Syria, are reinforcing dozens of security personnel positioned at the American Embassy in Baghdad. The compound is large, more than 100 acres, with guard posts, living areas, dining halls and small shops.

Around 100 Army Rangers from the 75th Ranger Regiment deployed shortly after last week’s drone strike. The Rangers, part of the secretive Joint Special Operations Command, most likely will act as a reaction force if any Iranian-backed forces launch a concerted attack on an American position, according to one Defense Department official.

The 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit includes roughly 2,200 Marines and sailors, composed of an infantry battalion, logistics unit and a squadron of aircraft, namely transport helicopters and attack jets. They are aboard Navy ships in the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group, made up of around 2,000 sailors, and are steaming toward the Middle East as part of a previously scheduled deployment.

These Marine Expeditionary Units have long served as a global response force. Often their deployments in the Persian Gulf have found them supporting operations in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan.

The Troops Already in the Region

There are between 45,000 and 65,000 American military personnel — the number can vary by the day — now deployed in Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf nations, including around 5,500 troops in Iraq and 600 in Syria.

In response to Iranian attacks and provocations since May, the Pentagon deployed about 14,000 additional troops to the Persian Gulf region, including roughly 3,500 more to Saudi Arabia. The military assets include early warning aircraft, maritime patrol planes, Patriot air and missile defense batteries, B-52 bombers, a carrier strike group, armed Reaper drones and other engineering and support personnel.

Roughly 2,000 American troops are in Turkey, mostly based at Incirlik Air Base. Despite recent tensions with the fellow NATO country, the United States has continued to use the airfield. American aircraft launched hundreds of combat sorties from the base at the height of the conflict against the Islamic State in 2016 and 2017.

Bahrain is home to the headquarters of the United States Navy’s Fifth Fleet, which commands warships patrolling the region.

In Qatar, the sprawling Al Udeid base is home to around 10,000 troops. It is the headquarters for American air operations in the region, and hosts a fleet of midair refueling tankers, along with reconnaissance and bomber aircraft.

WHAT THEY DO

At any given time, the American forces in the region act much like the central nervous system for America’s long wars since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

The soldiers, sailors, Marines and aircrew members run key headquarters. They resupply the roughly 12,000 to 13,000 troops in Afghanistan, and launch hundreds of surveillance missions across the region. They train local forces.

And, until Sunday, when the American-led mission in Iraq and Syria halted its campaign against the Islamic State to focus on protecting its forces from potential attack, it battled the militant group to its near demise. Allied nations, such as Canada, also stopped their operations, giving the terrorist group an opportunity to either stage more attacks or at least recuperate.

The number of troops in the region changes substantially depending on the presence of an aircraft carrier strike group (currently the Truman), and whether a large group of Marines is afloat in those waters. The 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit is likely to soon pass through the Mediterranean, according to U.S. Naval Institute’s fleet tracker, and head toward the Red Sea.

The aircraft carrier Truman will be in the region until sometime in February or March, when it will either be replaced or supported by the carrier Eisenhower after it arrives from the Mediterranean.

Aircrews assigned to the Eisenhower already have been briefed on launching potential long-range bombing missions.

_______

Eric Schmitt contributed reporting.

*********

The Day After War Begins in Iran

The outpouring of grief for Qassim Suleimani is the country’s first act of retaliation.

By Azadeh Moaveni, Ms. Moaveni is a writer and an analyst with the International Crisis Group | Published

Jan. 6, 2020 | New York Times | Posted January 6, 2020 |

The last time I wrote seriously about a war with Iran was in 2012. It had been an especially fraught year, with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards running naval exercises in the Persian Gulf, Israel and the United States conducting joint drills, and the safety of oil shipping lanes looking entirely unassured. Oil prices rattled skittishly, everyone suddenly monitored ships, and headlines speculated that Israel might attack Iran’s nuclear sites.

My assignment was to consider “the day after” — to imagine how Iranians would react if their country was bombed by Israel. My piece featured scenes of distraught young people gathering on crowded intersections singing the national anthem — suddenly everyone was a terrified Iranian citizen rather than an aspiring guitarist or a day laborer or whatever they were the day before — and a screaming mother buying formula to stockpile from a supermarket. I don’t even remember writing it. How many times can you write, predict and analyze your country’s destruction before your mind begins to dissolve the traces?

That rehearsal feels like it was all in preparation for today. Last week an American drone strike incinerated Iran’s top general and national war hero Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, along with a senior Iraqi militia commander, in what can only be understood as an act of war.

Being here again makes me feel that I — an American citizen of Iranian origin — have been here so often before. The cycles of imminent war and upheaval Iranians seem destined to face every few years, cycles often driven by the whims of the United States and the increasing boldness of Iran, now feel like a civilizational inheritance, a legacy that my mother bore before me, her mother before her, and that I will pass down to my children. Every Iranian family’s history is touched with this past, in its own way.

The American-backed 1953 coup destroyed both my grandfather and great uncle’s careers, until then in service of the government, and sent the latter into exile. America’s support for, and then eventual abandonment of, the Shah helped shape the 1979 revolution, disrupted all of our lives, with the new authorities expropriating our assets, and landing an uncle in prison for belonging to that educated, pro-Western class that built modern Iran and saw the revolution as its demise.

The years that followed only deepened the American-Iranian chasm. There was the 1979-81 hostage crisis at the American Embassy in Tehran, which killed nobody in the end but poisoned relations to this day. The United States scarcely concealed its support for Iraq in the devastating years of the Iran-Iraq War. And in 1988, as the war dragged to a close, continued skirmishing resulted in the U.S. Navy shooting down an Iranian passenger plane flying over Iran’s territorial waters, killing 290 people. Deeply regrettable, lamented President Ronald Reagan, but honors and medals for the naval officers.

For decades now, the United States has often seemed driven to hurt Iran, at times through interventionist policies that were careless and transactional, and then after 1979, with a fierce determination out of proportion to whatever challenge the new system posed.

At a certain point, Iran started retaliating: In the 1980s, it cultivated regional groups and militias hostile to Washington, and encouraged them to take Westerners hostages and staged attacks through these networks. In later years, Iran challenged American roles in wars in the region and interventions in bordering countries — the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003 — by backing nonstate allies that rose to become formidable powers in their own right. This lifted Tehran’s game of asymmetrical leverage into a regional influence it had probably never conceived of achieving. General Suleimani was behind much of this strategy.

Many consider him responsible for the deaths of thousands, for his intervention in salvaging Bashar al-Assad’s rule in Syria. But to many Iranians, Iraqis, Kurds and others, he was a pivotal figure in vanquishing the Islamic State, helping repel its rapid march across Iraq in 2014. In Syria, for the many Syrians who endured the industrial-scale brutality of the Assad regime, the general led what could only be understood as an offensive force. But Iran’s leaders always reminded their people that Syria, the lone Arab country that sided with Iran during the eight-year Iran-Iraq War, could not be abandoned, that without it, Iran would be vastly more vulnerable in the region.

It is for these maneuvers, in part to provide Iran some deterrence against relentless American hostility, that General Suleimani is remembered. He had become a patriarch for an ambivalent country adrift, forgiven, at least by the hundreds of thousands who turned out for his funeral, for the hard excesses of the force he commanded because he secured the land in a time of the Islamic State’s butchery, seen as a man of honor and merit among political contemporaries who were usually neither. (Of course, he certainly did not impress all Iranians in this way; he had detractors who did not support his regional stratagems.)

Iran’s leaders have rallied around his legacy; Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed “severe revenge” and assured that his killing would “double” resistance against the United States and Israel. Even the reformist cleric Mehdi Karroubi, an octogenarian who is confined under permanent house arrest, issued condolences.

Beyond this official show of unity, newspapers across the political spectrum darkened their front pages, and ran full-cover photos of General Suleimani in all his guises, from brassy military uniform to slick dark suit jacket, with even the most liberal-minded running lachrymose headlines like “the sorrow is inconceivable.”

“What to do with a thorn lodged in the heart? Is this the fate of all the distinguished descendants of this land, regardless of thought and affiliation?” wrote Iran’s most prominent and oft-censored contemporary novelist, Mahmoud Dowlatabadi, of the man he said “built a powerful dam against the bloodthirsty onslaught of ISIS and secured our borders from their calamity.”

Iranians have turned out to mourn him on an extraordinary scale, in scenes unmatched since the funeral of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini himself in 1989. A sea of people fills Isfahan’s 17th Century central square, the seat of Persian history, and pours across the bridges and streets of Ahvaz, men and women from all backgrounds of Iranian society.

The mourning for the general, it could be said, is Iran’s first act of retaliation: what amounts to an extraordinary four-day state funeral in not one but two countries. The cavalcade has twinned two nations in shared public grief and indignation, as the procession moved deliberately across a crescent of Shiite historical memory. First came the cities of the Iraqi south that Saddam Hussein kept cowed and squalid, the holy shrine cities of Najaf and Karbala, through to the Iranian province of Khuzestan, which saw the bloodiest fighting of the Iran-Iraq war, an indigenously Arab region where mourning congregations chant in Arabic, and whose inclusion in this spectacle of transnational identity and power has clear unifying purpose.

Nearly 40 years ago, General Suleimani began his career in the trenches of the Iran-Iraq War, the formative drama of the Islamic Republic, where heroism was applauded by most Iranians who felt their country was the victim of external attack and isolation. Today’s Iranians, who will most suffer whatever fallout there is from his death, remain economically blockaded, in a suspended state of siege in all but name. Their country remains, by the design of American policy, sanctioned and cash-strapped, their horizons and potential extinguished by visa bans, medicine shortages and inflation. Pinned between a system that increasingly feels it has little to lose, and the all-out vengeance of a zero-plan United States, Iran has endured what feels like a war economy for decades.

I remember as a child, during the years of war with Iraq, my mother telling me about relatives in Iran who gave away their jewelry to aid the war effort. This time, in the face of President Trump’s tweets threatening to attack Iran and destroy its sites of cultural heritage, I needn’t conjure the unity that comes the day after. The country has gathered to mourn. It is already here.

______

Azadeh Moaveni (@AzadehMoaveni) is a senior gender analyst with the International Crisis Group and the author, most recently, of “Guest House for Young Widows: Among the Women of ISIS.”

*********

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whatelsev-blog · 5 years

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OCS Test Prep

As you probably know by now, Academics play a HUGE role at OSC. From what I've been told there is much time to review material and it can be challenging to stay alert during lectures. At the end of Mini-OCS my Captain created a mock exam for the candidates to get a feel for the real thing. I've recreated it below for my over achievers out there, best of luck. xo

Complete the 5 paragraph order skeleton: (click here to review!)

Orientation

Situation

______________

_________

Friendly

T:_____

S:_____

U:_____

A:_____

L:_____

E:_____

Concepts of Operations

_________

B:_____

_________

2. Weapons Safety Rules

Treat every weapon as if it were ________.

Never ________ at anything you do not ________ to ________.

Keep your finger ________ and ________ the ________ until you are ready to fire.

Keep the weapon on ________ until you ________ to ________.

3. List the typical ranks for the following billets:

Rifleman: _________

Squad Leader: _________

Platoon Commander: _________

Company Commander: _________

Battalion Commander: _________

4. Match the Fire Team symbols

Rifleman

Automatic Rifleman

Fire Team Leader

Asst. Automatic Rifleman

5. Name the following Fire Team Formations

______________

6. The Core Values of the Marine Corps are:

_______________

7. The Commandant of the Marine Corps is now:

Major Samuel Nicholas

General A. Lejeune

General Robert B. Neller

Lt. General Lewis "Chesty" Puller

8. The Marine Corps birthday is:

July 4, 1776

November 10, 1775

July 4, 1775

November 10, 1776

9. The birth place of the Marine Corps is:

Tun Tavern

Parris Island

8th and I Marine Barracks Washington DC

Marine Corps Quantico

10. The attack on New Providence, Bahamas was the first _____ conducted by the Marine Corps:

Foreign engagement

Aerial assault

Amphibious landing

Offensive combat

11. In what battle did the Marines receive the nickname Tuefelhunden (Devil Dogs)?

Iwo Jima

Tarawa

Hue City

Belleau Wood

12. Write-out any three General Orders:

____________________________________________

13. Which are the 5 major terrain features used in land navigation:

Water, Ridge, Mountain, Saddle, Road

Hill, Ridge, Valley, Saddle, Depression

Roadway, Field, Hill, Water, Valley

14. Using the acronym for assistance, list the 14 Leadership Traits:

J_______

D_______

I_______

D_______

T_______

I_______

E_______

B_______

U_______

C_______

K_______

L_______

E_______

15. Fill in the Enlisted Rank structure:

E-1 ___________

E-2 ___________

E-3 ___________

E-4 ___________

E-5 ___________

E-6 ___________

E-7 ___________

E-8 ___________

E-9 ___________

16. Fill in the Officer Rank structure:

O-1 ___________

O-2 ___________

O-3 ___________

O-4 ___________

O-5 ___________

O-6 ___________

O-7 ___________

O-8 ___________

O-9 ___________

O-10 ___________

17. There are 11 Leadership Principles, name 2:

_______________________________

18. The 6 Troop Leading Steps (BAMCIS) are:

B: ___________________

A: ___________________

M: ___________________

C: ___________________

I: ___________________

S: ___________________

19. What are the four main components that make up a MAGTF:

___________

20. Write out each of the following Marine Corps acronyms/abbreviations:

MEU: ___________________

MEU (SOC): ___________________

MEF: ___________________

MEB: ___________________

CASEVAC: ___________________

CAX: ___________________

EGA: ___________________

FARP: ___________________

FMF: ___________________

FRAGO: ___________________

HQMC: ___________________

LZ: ___________________

MAGTF: ___________________

MOUT: ___________________

SNCOIC: ___________________

OCONUS: ___________________

PMO: ___________________

PX: ___________________

MCB: ___________________

MCAS: ___________________

RFI: ___________________

TAD: ___________________

VTOL: ___________________

21. "From the halls of Montezuma, to the shores of Tripoli..." is the beginning to what?

_________________________________________

22. True of False: The Marine Corps Service A uniform is allowed to be worn on liberty in public:

True

False

23. Do the following uniforms call for medals or ribbons?

Dress Blue A: _________

Dress Blue B: _________

24. Utilizing the map and each option in the word bank, identify the Marine Corps unit at each lettered location:

A: __________ A:__________

B: __________ D: __________

C: __________ C: __________

D: __________ E: __________

F: __________

*Answer Key

1. Complete the 5 paragraph order skeleton: (in-depth review is here!)

Orientation

Situation

Mission

Execution

Admin & Logistics

Command & Signal

Enemy

Friendly

T: time

S: size

U: unit

A: activity

L: location

E: equipment

Concepts of Operations

Task

Coordinating Instructions

TCMs or Security

Timeline

B: beans

B: bullets

B: bandaids

B: bad guys

Signal

Command

2. Weapons Safety Rules

Treat every weapon as if it were loaded.

Never point a weapon at anything you do not intend to shoot.

Keep your finger straight and off the trigger until you are ready to fire.

Keep the weapon on safety until you intend to fire.

3. List the typical ranks for the following billets:

Rifleman: Private / Private First Class

Squad Leader: Corporal / Sergeant

Platoon Commander: 2nd Lieutenant / 1st Lieutenant

Company Commander: Captain

Battalion Commander: Lieutenant Colonel

4. Match the Fire Team symbols

Rifleman - D

Automatic Rifleman - C

Fire Team Leader - A

Asst. Automatic Rifleman - B

5. Name the following Fire Team Formations

Wedge

Column

6. The Core Values of the Marine Corps are:

Honor

Courage

Commitment

7. The Commandant of the Marine Corps is now:

Major Samuel Nicholas (traditionally known as the first Commandant.)

General John A. Lejeune ( "The greatest of all Leathernecks)

General Robert B. Neller

Lt. General Lewis "Chesty" Puller ( had the longest tenure as Commandant )

8. The Marine Corps birthday is:

July 4, 1776

November 10, 1775

July 4, 1775

November 10, 1776

9. The birth place of the Marine Corps is:

Tun Tavern

Parris Island

8th and I Marine Barracks Washington DC

Marine Corps Quantico

10. The attack on New Providence, Bahamas was the first _____ conducted by the Marine Corps:

Foreign engagement

Aerial assault

Amphibious landing

Offensive combat

11. In what battle did the Marines receive the nickname Tuefelhunden (Devil Dogs)?

Iwo Jima

Tarawa

Hue City

Belleau Wood

12. Write-out any three General Orders:

5th General Order - To quit my post only when properly relieved

7th General Order - To talk to no one except in the line of duty

9th General Order - To call the Corporal of the Guard in any case not covered by instructions

13. Which are the 5 major terrain features used in land navigation:

Water, Ridge, Mountain, Saddle, Road

Hill, Ridge, Valley, Saddle, Depression

Roadway, Field, Hill, Water, Valley

14. Using the acronym for assistance, list the 14 Leadership Traits:

Justice

Judgement

Decisiveness

Integrity

Dependability

Tact

Initiative

Enthusiasm

Bearing

Unselfishness

Courage

Knowledge

Loyalty

Endurance

15. Fill in the Enlisted Rank structure:

E-1 Private

E-2 Private First Class

E-3 Lance Corporal

E-4 Corporal

E-5 Sergeant

E-6 Staff Sergeant

E-7 Gunnery Sergeant

E-8 Master Sergeant

E-8 First Sergeant

E-9 Master Gunnery Sergeant

E-9 Sergeant Major

E-9 Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps

16. Fill in the Officer Rank structure:

O-1 2nd Lieutenant

O-2 1st Lieutenant

O-3 Captain

O-4 Major

O-5 Lieutenant Colonel

O-6 Colonel

O-7 Brigadier General

O-8 Major General

O-9 Lieutenant General

O-10 General

17. There are 11 Leadership Principles, name 2:

Keep your Marines informed

Know your Marines and look out for their welfare

18. The 6 Troop Leading Steps (BAMCIS) are:

B: begin the planning

A: arrange for reconnaissance

M: make reconnaissance

C: complete the planning

I: issue the order

S: surprise

19. What are the four main components that make up a MAGTF:

Common Element

Ground Combat Element

Aviation Combat Element

Logistic Combat Element

20. Write out each of the following Marine Corps acronyms/abbreviations:

MEU: Marine Expeditionary Unit

MEU (SOC): MEU- Special Ops Capability

MEF: Marine Expeditionary Force

MEB: Marine Expeditionary Brigade

CASEVAC: Casualty Evacuation

CAX: Combined Arms Exercise

EGA: Eagle, Globe and Anchor

FARP: Forward Arming and Refueling Point

FMF: Fleet Marine Force

FRAGO: Fragmented Order (change in op order)

HQMC: Headquarters of Marine Corps

LZ: Landing Zone

MAGTF: Marine Air Ground Task Force

MOUT: Marine Ops on Urban Terrain

SNCOIC: Staff Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge

OCONUS: Outside Continental United States

PMO: Provost Marshal Office (police)

PX: Post Exchange

MCB: Marine Corps Base

MCAS: Marine Corps Air Station

RFI: Request for Information

TAD: Temporary Active Duty

VTOL: Vertical Take-off Landing

21. "From the halls of Montezuma, to the shores of Tripoli..." is the beginning to what?

Marines' Hymn

22. True of False: The Marine Corps Service A uniform is allowed to be worn on liberty in public:

True

False

23. Do the following uniforms call for medals or ribbons?

Dress Blue A: Medals

Dress Blue B: Ribbons

24. Utilizing the map and each option in the word bank, identify the Marine Corps unit at each lettered location:

A: 2ndMARDIV (NC, Camp Lejeune) A: 2nd MAW (NC, Cherry Point)

B: HQMC/OCS (VA, Quantico) D: 1stMAW (Japan, Foster)

C: 1stMARDIV (CA, Pendleton) C: 3rd MAW (CA, Miramar)

D: 3rd MARDIV (Japan, Smedley) E: USN/USMC FLIGHT SCHOOL

F: __________

#usmc #ocs #usmcocs #ocstestprep #marinecorpsofficer #ocsstudy #usmcstudy #usmcocc #usmcplc

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ukforcesnews · 3 years

Text

THE CHINOOK

The Chinook is an extremely capable and highly versatile support helicopter that can be operated from land bases or ships into a diverse range of environments, from the Arctic to the desert or jungle. The aircraft may be armed and is fitted with a suite of self-defence equipment allowing it to operate across the battlespace. Chinooks are primarily used for trooping, resupply and battlefield casualty evacuation (casevac).

With its triple-hook external load system, internal cargo winch, roller conveyor fit and large reserves of power, the aircraft can lift a wide variety of complex underslung or internal freight, including vehicles. It can carry up to 55 troops or up to approximately 10 tonnes of mixed cargo. Secondary roles include search and rescue (SAR), and supporting a wide variety of specialist tasks, including the Military Aid to the Civil Authorities (MACA) commitment. A Chinook crew comprises two pilots and two crewmen, supplemented by specialists dependent upon mission requirements.

A Royal Air Force Chinook, from RAF Odiham, inserts troops from 40 Commando Royal Marines onto a mountain peak in the Mojave Desert during Exercise Black Alligator. Exercise Black Alligator has demonstrated UK Defence interoperability between RAF Chinook Crews, Army Air Corps Apaches and Royal Marine ground troops, whilst working in demanding, austere conditions in the Californian desert. All three forces worked out of Camp Wilson, at United States Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Centre in Twenty Nine Palms. SAC Nicholas Egan is an RAF Photographer currently based at ACSSU Photo Operations, RAF Halton. After joining the RAF in 2011, he has previously served at Aldergrove Flying Station in Northern Ireland, and RAF Odiham before moving to his current post in February 2017.

CAPABILITY In addition to its traditional warfighting roles, the Chinook’s lifting capability is held at readiness under the MACA commitment to respond to emergencies in the UK; in recent years these have included resupplying snowbound farmers in Northern Ireland and moving tons of aggregate to help reconstruct flood defences damaged by winter storms. In August 2019, a Chinook was instrumental in securing a dam on the Toddbrook Reservoir after it became structurally unsound following heavy rain.

Pictured is a Challenger 2 MBT and Chinook Helicopter on the Salisbury Plain Training Area. Army Reservists from the Royal Wessex Yeomanry and regular soldiers from The Royal Tank Regiment and personnel from the RAF worked together to coordinate the delivery of their new Wolf Scout Land Rovers by air with the vehicles under-slung from the giant Chinook aircraft. For many it will be the first time that they will have worked with the RAF in this way. Like all of the training they do, it is about preparing them to do it for real whilst deployed on operations in support of the Regular Army.

A casualty is tended to onboard a MERT Chinook helicopter following an engagement with the enemy in Afghanistan. The Medical Emergency Response Team (MERT) is made up of two teams based in ‘Main Operating Base Bastion’, they are responsible for extracting casualties from anywhere within Helmand Province. The MERT consists of a doctor, an emergency department nurse and two paramedics. In addition four Royal Air Force Regiment gunners provide armed protection when they land and leave the helicopter to collect the casualty

The current operational Chinook fleet comprises Mk 4, Mk 5, Mk 6 and Mk 6A aircraft, fitted with digital glass cockpits to a common standard. The Mk 6 was acquired as a UK-specific variant of the CH-47F and also introduced a Digital Automatic Flight Control System (DAFCS, pronounced “daffics”), greatly enhancing handling and safety, particularly when operating in recirculating dust or snow conditions. The Chinook HC.Mk 5 results from upgrade of the extended-range Mk 3, or “fat tank” aircraft, which carries double the fuel load of a standard Chinook. The earlier Mk 4 Chinooks are being further upgraded to Mk 6A standard with the addition of DAFCS; the final aircraft is expected to be completed early in 2021.

Chinooks land on HMS Queen Elizabeth for the first time. HMS Queen Elizabeth, the newest aircraft carrier in the Royal Navy today (Friday 2nd February 2018) embarked two chinooks. The Chinooks which will be joined by Merlin helicopters later next week will take part in various flying serials as part of HMS Queen Elizabeth’s sea trials. On Friday 2nd February 2018, HMS Queen Elizabeth sailed from her home port in HMNB Portsmouth to continue her sea trials. On completion of her trials, she will take on US F35 B Lightning aircraft for trials later this year when she visits the United States.

The type will continue to play a key role in UK Defence activity, with the Chinook Sustainment Programme aiming to build on the platform’s success, recapitalising existing airframes and extending the capability out to 2040. In 2018, the US State Department approved the possible Foreign Military Sale of 16 extended range Chinooks to the UK, a deal which may yet see the RAF fleet expand or replace some of its earliest airframes.

Pictured are members of the Grenadier Guards armed with SA-80’s taking part in Exercise Noble Jump 17. A US Army Chinook takes off behind them. A joint Air Assault exercise with the American 1st Battalion, 3 Aviation Regiment, 12 Combat Aviation Brigade. The troops practised joint operations and interoperability. Exercise Noble Jump 17 is a logistical challenge that tests the ability of all the participants to deliver a fighting force to wherever it is needed. All movements were controlled by NATO’s Multi-National Division South East HQ, based in Bucharest. The VJTF is kept on short notice to move and is able to deploy a powerful well-trained force within days. This year, it is being led by the UK’s 20 Armoured Brigade. Overseeing the VJTF’s training at Cincu was a combination of Joint Force Command Naples, Multi-National division South East and the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps.

US Army Loadmaster aboard a US Army Chinook helicopter during Exercise Noble Jump 17

BASED AT

RAF Odiham, RAF Benson

FLYING WITH

27 Squadron, 28 Squadron, 7 Squadron, Chinook Display Team Falcons

SPECIFICATIONS BOEING CHINOOK HC.MK 6: • Powerplant: two Honeywell T55-L-714A turboshaft engines, each rated at 4,168shp maximum continuous power • Length: 98ft 10½in (30.14m) • Height (rotors turning): 18ft 11in (5.77m) • Rotor diameter (each): 60ft (18.29m) • Maximum cruising speed: 160kt (296km/h) • Maximum density altitude: 15,000ft • Payload: up to 55 troops or around 22,000lb (10,000kg) of freight • Armament: two 7.62mm M134 Miniguns and one 7.62mm M60D machine gun

Chinook display team begins training at RAF Odiham

Parachute Regiment (4 Para) boarding a Chinook HC4 during Exercise Vortex Warrior in the USA

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