Military History

Wreck of Civil War gunboat found under mud? By Russ Bynum - The Associated Press Posted : Friday Oct 26, 2007 7:30:32 EDT SAVANNAH, Ga. — Captured by Confederate sailors in a bloody midnight sneak attack in 1864, the gunboat Water Witch became one of the few Civil War ships to sail under the flags of both the Confederate and Union navies. Archaeologists say they found strong evidence Thursday they’ve located the Water Witch’s wreckage buried under more than 10 feet of mud in the Vernon River south of Savannah. Divers pushed a 20-foot metal rod through the river mud Thursday and tapped solid wood and metal underneath. It was the same location where an 1865…

1982: British sub sinks Argentine cruiser bbc.co.uk Argentina's only cruiser, the General Belgrano, has been sunk by a British nuclear submarine in the South Atlantic. It is the first serious attack on the Argentine navy by the British since the conflict over the disputed Falkland Islands began last month. The second largest ship in the Argentine navy was struck by two Tigerfish torpedoes from HMS Conqueror. It is thought there were about 1,000 men on board. British helicopters also sank a patrol boat and damaged another using Seaskua air-to-surface missiles. According to sources in Buenos Aires, at least five Argentine warships have been taking part…

Senator suggests deal for return of Pueblo By John Hoellwarth - Staff writer Posted : Thursday Apr 19, 2007 5:42:11 EDT A war trophy on display at the Naval Academy Museum in Annapolis, Md., may be the key to securing the return of a Navy ship captured by North Korea nearly 40 years ago, Senator Wayne Allard, R-Colo., wrote in a March 18 letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The technical research ship Pueblo is the only commissioned U.S. warship currently in foreign hands. It has been on display in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang since it was captured off the North Korean coast during an intelligence-gathering mission Jan. 23, 1968. North Kore…

Source: http://steeljawscribe.com/2007/10/03/naval...ailable-online/ it's always great when such document become available, cheers, Jan

Watched Hamburger Hill again this evening, and I thought the poem at the end was worth sharing/reminding... SAVE THEM A PLACE by Major Michael David O'Donnell If you are able, save them a place inside of you and save one backward glance when you are leaving Be not ashamed to say you loved them though you may or may not have always Take what they have left and what they have taught you with their dying and keep it with your own. And in that time when men decide and feel safe To call the war insane take one moment to embrace those gentle heroes you left behind. Major Michael David O'Donnell Written 1 January 1970 MIA 24 March 1970 …

IGNORANCE IS RISK THE BIG LESSON FROM DESERT STORM AIR BASE ATTACKS Christopher M. Centner MANY observers have declared that the air campaign was the decisive component of Operation Desert Storm and that air base attacks were a critical component of the campaign. These attacks helped achieve air superiority, destroy many of Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction, and lessen the long-term threat that Iraq poses to its neighbors. The video images from the campaign tend to give spectators the impression that air base attacks were flawlessly planned and executed. In reality, the anti-air base component of the air campaign highlighted a major--and dangerou…

hello pooners, by searching a file on the hard disk where i stock all my archives, i noticed two pdf enigmatically named "np4" and "np20". My natural curiosity helping, the files were opened before i even asked myself what could been those files. the titles soon appeared so much attractive that i decided to share them with you but after a search on Google i noticed that these files were not available online anymore so i uploaded them to allow you to enjoy what seems to be a very interesting for any alternate modern military history enthusiast here they are: Global War Game: The First Five Years Global War Game: Second Series, 1984-1988 Naval War…

Somewhat of interest after recent amphibious assault discussion. Global Security The Opposed Amphibious Assault Dilemma CSC 1992 SUBJECT AREA Warfighting EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Title: The Opposed Amphibious Assault Dilemma Author: Major D. L. Brush, United States Marine Corps Thesis: This last is the situation that existed during Desert Storm and is the crux of the problem how to successfully eliminate continuing deficiencies to ensure the Marine Corps retains the ability to conduct an opposed amphibious assault. Background: The Marine Corps is charged to maintain the nation's ability to project forces across a hostile beach. During Desert Storm the …

From Defence Talk Protecting North Americans for half a century: NORAD turns 50 Canadian Department of National Defence | Sep 14, 2007 Yesterday marked 50 years since Canada and the United States decided to form a new command responsible for protecting North America and its citizens. Our two nations made the decision to activate the North American Aerospace Defense (NORAD) command on September 12, 1958, while a more formal agreement was signed on May 12, 1958. Because the stand-up of NORAD has two dates attached to its formation, military personnel at NORAD Headquarters in Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado Springs, Colorado plan a year-long celebration between now…

Beginning on September 23, 2007 on Public Broadcasting. PBS - The War

If we did not know the truely tragic effects, this video would be considered entertaining, especially with the soundtrack. Apparently there is a 1 and 3 to go along with this 2. South Atlantic Adventure 2

Navy Honors Submarine Hero Baltimore Sun - August 29, 2007 By Bradley Olson, Sun Reporter The nicknames of Rear Adm. Eugene B. Fluckey -- "The Galloping Ghost of the China Coast" and "Lucky Fluckey" -- meant to bring a little levity to the exploits of one of the most decorated sailors in history. But as loved ones and shipmates approached an urn on display under the vast dome of the Naval Academy chapel yesterday to say a few words, many stopped in awe, bowing slightly as a last homage to the man who sank 29 Japanese ships as a submarine commander in the Pacific on his way to receiving the Medal of Honor and four Navy Crosses. About 250 people gathere…

WWII submarine found 65 years after sinking By Jeannette J. Lee - The Associated Press Posted : Friday Aug 24, 2007 8:30:09 EDT ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The mangled remains of a World War II submarine were found in the Bering Sea on Wednesday night, more than six decades after the Navy vessel disappeared with a crew of 70 off the Aleutian Island of Kiska. The discovery of the Grunion culminates a five-year search led by the sons of its commander, Mannert Abele, and may finally shine a light on the mysterious last moments of the doomed vessel. “Obviously, this is a very big thing,” the oldest son, Bruce Abele, said Thursday from his home in Newton, Mass. “I tol…

Airport named for WWII ace Pappy Boyington Posted : Thursday Aug 9, 2007 5:48:03 EDT COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho — After more than a year of debate, the local airport has been renamed to honor the late Gregory H. “Pappy” Boyington, one of the most decorated U.S. military pilots in World War II. Marines Corps veterans shouted “oo-rah” in joy and thanks after Kootenai County commissioners voted 2-0 to approve the name Coeur d’Alene Airport-Pappy Boyington Field. Area Marine Corps veterans pushed for the renaming, calling the Medal of Honor recipient a “hero’s hero” whose name on the north Idaho airport could draw more attention to history and military veterans. …

From Air Force Times Son of pilot Powers promoting Cold War history By Regina Lee - The Washington Times via AP Posted : Sunday Jul 15, 2007 17:39:55 EDT WASHINGTON — The 63-foot U-2 spy plane suspended from the ceiling of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum is a constant reminder to Francis Gary Powers Jr. of his educational mission. The son of a historic U-2 pilot shot down over Russia, Powers has worked for 11 years to keep the history of the era that spawned the reconnaissance plane alive. Pondering the relic, which was used to photograph Russian facilities and was one of several planes his father flew, he says its work was instrumental in en…

Coalition forces in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) were able to take down Saddam Hussein’s regime in less than three weeks, with comparatively few casualties. The speed and relative ease of that victory raise two important questions: - Why did the majority of Iraqi forces fail to offer significant resistance? - Why did the Iraqi leaders fail to adopt defensive measures that would have made the Coalition invasion more difficult and costly? A Rand Project Air Force (PAF) analysis of information derived from interviews with former senior Iraqi officials shows that the rapid collapse of the Iraqi resistance was due to a combination of factors: - Saddam mad…

From Marine Corps Times Last survivor of first Iwo flag raising dies By Chris Williams - The Associated Press Posted : Monday Jun 25, 2007 18:43:18 EDT EDINA, Minn. — Charles W. Lindberg, the last survivor of the six Marines who raised the first American flag over Iwo Jima during World War II, has died. He was 86. Lindberg died Sunday at Fairview Southdale hospital in the Minneapolis suburb of Edina, said John Pose, director of the Morris Nilsen Funderal Home in Richfield, which is handling Lindberg’s funeral. Lindberg spent decades explaining that it was his patrol, not the one captured in the famous photograph by Joe Rosenthal, that raised the first fl…

How Wonston ex-Navy chief urged Maggie to recapture Falklands Hampshire.net TWENTY-five years ago, Admiral of the Fleet, Sir Henry Leach, was First Sea Lord and head of the Royal Navy. He famously persuaded Margaret Thatcher the Falkland Islands could be re-taken from the Argentines. Sir Henry, now 83, lives in Wonston, near Sutton Scotney, and gathered with veterans and royalty in central London last Sunday to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the liberation of the South Atlantic islands 8,000 miles from Britain. He was given a place of honour on a red-carpeted dais with other top brass from the services in 1982, Lady Thatcher and Tony Blair, as the Pr…

From Air Force Times Triple ace who fought in two wars dies The Shreveport (La.) Times Posted : Tuesday Jun 19, 2007 4:41:10 EDT Robin Olds, one of the legends of the Air Force, died of congestive heart failure Thursday at the age of 84. A retired brigadier general, he died at his home in Steamboat Springs, Colo., according to a release from the Air Force. Olds achieved almost legendary status in the Vietnam War, developing a flamboyant leadership style, with a full, handlebar mustache and a panache that was an inspiration to younger pilots. Though a wing commander, he led by example, taking combat to the enemy. His F-4C Phantom fighter “Scat XXVII” — al…

From BBC News Egyptian pilot: We felt humiliated Israel wiped out much of the Egyptian Air Force on the morning of June 5, 1967, the first day of the war. Egyptian pilot Mustafa Hafez was stationed at one of the 11 Egyptian air bases that were targeted. He told military historian and BBC website reader, David Nicolle, what happened that day. "In the build-up to war, I was sent to a squadron based at Kabrit, flying MiG-17Fs and MiG-17PF night fighters. We didn't really think that there would be a war, and if there was one, I was confident that Egypt would win. I was then a Flight Lieutenant and I was 26. Our confidence was not based on anything spec…