#25th Brigade

[stairnaheireann]

#OTD in 1916 – Battle of the Somme Ends.

This dreadful battle claimed more Irish lives in combat than any other battle in history. On the first day of battle, 1 July 1916, the 36th Ulster Division suffered an estimated 5,500 casualties almost all of whom were drawn from the north of Ireland. Nearly 2,000 Irish soldiers were killed in the first few hours of fighting following a morning mist that poet Siegfried Sassoon referenced as “of…

[komsomolka]

The GDR’s record on internationalism was exemplary and it took the idea of solidarity with other, struggling nations seriously. Undoubtedly the internationalism demonstrated by German communists before the Second World War, in solidarity with the Soviet Union and particularly the role they played in Spain during the 1930s, also had some influence on its foreign policy. A number of ex-International Brigaders had leading positions in party and state.

Many of the struggles of colonial and former colonial countries for liberation and national independence received vital material and ideological support. The GDR sent doctors and other medical staff to the front line in Vietnam, Mozambique, Angola and other countries. It provided logistical support and training for SWAPO, the movement for independence in Namibia, as well as to the ANC in South Africa, printing Sechaba, its official newsletter for many years. Numerous foreign students from countries struggling to free themselves from the legacy of colonialism were given free training and education in the GDR itself. Refuge was also offered to those fleeing oppressive regimes; many Chileans in enforced exile from Pinochet’s fascist regime found asylum there, including its current president, Michelle Bachelet. [...]

Between 1964 and 1988, there were 60 friendship brigades made up of around 1,000 young people working in 26 countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America. In Algeria a brigade built houses for the homeless, in Mali they trained agricultural workers, in Nicaragua they built a training school for mechanics and, in 1980, a hospital financed in large part by donations made by GDR citizens. By September 1985, the Karl Marx Hospital, as it was named, had treated 10,000 patients, among them 3,000 children, and another 10,000 were supplied with medicines. The hospital is still working today, but now under the more innocuous name of ‘German-Nicaraguan Hospital’. In 2005 it celebrated its 25th anniversary. [...] A number of GDR schools were named after leading freedom fighters including a Nelson Mandela school in Ilmenau which was immediately renamed in 1989 because Mandela was then still deemed to be a terrorist by the West German government.

Stasi State or Socialist Paradise? The German Democratic Republic and What Became of It by Bruni de la Motte & John Green with Seumas Milne (Contributor), 2015.

[captain-price-unofficially]

A mechanized assault consisting of two M2A2 Bradley BMPs and one M1A1 Abrams tank of the 47th mechanized brigade in the Kursk region. From October 25th 2024.

[scavengedluxury]

Soldiers peel potatoes in the barracks of the MN 11th Tank Division (later MH 25th György Klapka Rifle Brigade), Tata, 1984. From the Budapest municipal photography company archive.

[mesetacadre]

Occasionally the International Brigades captures me and it's all I think about for the entire day. The Volunteers of Liberty, the living embodiment of proletarian internationalism, the laborers and peasants who marched through streets that have now forgotten them, under the tide of a 40 year dictatorship and the shameful policy by the succeeding democracy to place them in the same box as the interventionist fascist states of Europe. Those who purposefully bombed Madrid when the theaters closed to kill as many civilians as possible, flying down the main avenues with machine guns firing upon mothers and their own children, who were in line for rations, described by Alfred Kantorowicz; "This is fascism!", in a chronicle. Those are placed, by liberal historiography, at the same level as the brigadiers who weathered the terror bombings in the center's bars, some, like John Cornford, purposefully not running away, to infuse confidence into the people of Madrid.

As of today, there is only 1 monument to the Brigades in the city of Madrid, erected the 25th of October, 2011, 75 years after the foundation of the International Brigades. It is located in a small esplanade in front of the UCM's Faculty of Medicine; when the front in this area crystallized, where the monument stands today, it was no man's land. In 2013, Madrid's Supreme Tribunal ruled that the monument "violated the local urban laws" and that it should be removed, though thankfully nothing has come of it yet. To this day there are some who refuse to acknowledge the historical service given by the Brigades to Madrid, Spain, and the entire world. The Brigades sang the Internationale while marching down Gran Vía; 3 years later, the only song that rang through Madrid was that of the infant fascist dictatorship.

The Telefónica skyscraper that served international correspondents, Republican artillery, and Soviet aviators when they wanted to survey the front, housed within its walls before the war a USAmerican multinational: International Telephone and Telegraph Company (now ITT Inc.), and it held lucrative contracts with fascist Germany. In the fall of 1936, one of its owners, Sosthenes Behn, was in Madrid, and he could have watched the front from his office. Instead, he chose to leave Madrid the 7th of November. The skyscraper today still pierces Madrid's sky, although overshadowed by more modern skyscrapers. However, in those short years, it was the only time that skyscraper pointed towards the heavens, through the smoke of artillery and terror bombings. As the shining example of internationalism and democracy entered Madrid, some fascist lackeys left. Others remained, as part of the Fifth Column, perhaps the very same Fifth Column that, in 1939, left the gates of Madrid wide open for the fascist columns. No brigadiers remain alive, only their descendants, fading memories, and incomplete archives. It makes up a very unique sense of loss and confidence for me.

[67-romeo]

Throwback Thursday with U.S. Army AH-64D Apaches operating in the arctic environment from Alaska by the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade.

📸 U.S. Army photo by Eve Baker, Fort Wainwright Public Affairs Office⁠

⁠

#ah64 #ah64d #ah64apache #apachehelicopter #attackhelicopter #combathelicopter #heli #helicopter #helicopters #boeing #militaryaviation #military #armyaviation #aviation #avgeek #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #airplane #instaaviation #instapilot #helicopterpilot #instagramaviation #aviationpictures #aviationdaily #helicoptersofinstagram #usarmy #usarmyaviation #25cab #attack #attackaviation

[dontforgetukraine]

25th National Guard Brigade

Sources: Defense of Ukraine, @/ng_ukraine

[goth-metal-and-burtonfreak]

Berezina Retreat

Between 26-29 November, Napoleon's Grande Armee crossed the Berezina river at Borisov. The losses for Napoleon were great, more than 22,000 French forces would not make it to the other side of the river. Of these casualties, five of them were family members of mine (tragically enough four out of five were brothers as well). Despite the heavy losses, the crossing is seen as a logistic victory as Napoleon with the remnants of his army managed to escape and return to France.

As Napoleon's army reached Bobr, 50km away from Borisov, Napoleon was informed that the bridge at Borisov had been destroyed and the French garrison captured. At the same time a French cavalry brigade discovered a spot where they might be able to cross the river 13km north of Borisov. So on 25th November, the construction of bridges were started by mainly Dutch engineers. The water was close to freezing, only 40 of the 400 Dutch engineers survived the construction of the bridges.

To draw the Russian's attention away from the bridges being built, a diversion was undertaken by Oudinot's corps which led the Russians to believe that the French would either attempt to attack at Borisov and repair the bridge or cross the river south of the place. This resulted in the bulk of the Russian army moving southwards which enabled Napoleon to cross the army.

During the night of 26-27 November, the crossing began but the Russian forces also became aware of the French attempt and tried to return northwards, they were however stopped by Oudinot's battalions. By midday of the 27th, Napoleon and his imperial guard had crossed the river, Marshal Davout's and Prince Eugene's corps also managed to cross the river before the day's end. Meanwhile Marshal Victor's IX corps was given the order to defend against the approaching Russians in order to buy more time for the others to cross. Unfortunately the Dutch regiments were part of Oudinot's forces and most of them sadly died defending the Berezina crossing.

On 28th November, the Russian forces attacked Napoleon's army on both sides of the river. The crossing turned into a completely chaotic stampede as thousands of people, soldiers and stragglers rushed for the bridges. Some of the men tried to swim across the river which was a futile attempt since the water was so cold. There was a mad rush to cross the river since the stragglers knew that the temporary bridges would be destroyed, which happened at 08:00 in the morning on the 29th. tens of thousands of stragglers, both civilian and soldiers, did not manage to cross the river and were now at the mercy of the Russians.

As the bridges were set on fire, the Russians were no longer able to pursue the French army. The French retreat was therefore almost complete, with the Russians no longer on their tail and friendly territory nearby, the remnants of the army had escaped. The casualties were heavy, between 20-30,000 French soldiers died, the IXth corpse was hit particulary heavy as they lost half of their strength trying to protect the bridgehead. Besides the 20-30,000 military casualties, an additional 30,000 noncombatants died as well as result of the crossing and capture by the Russians. 40,000 French soldiers managed to cross the river, with Napoleon's imperial guard still being relatively intact.

Harking back on these relatives of mine, four out of five who died during the Berezina crossing were brothers, but there were other relatives of mine who participated in the Russia campaign, nine to be precies, of the 14 family members who served under Napoleon. Only two out of these nine relatives survived the Russia campaign, which is why those two are my 3rd great grandfathers and the other six are my 3rd great grand uncles as they all died young without partners or children. Here are the names of my relatives who died during the Berezina crossing:

Christiaan Daniels Nijhuis (third great grand uncle), served with the 125é regiment.

Hendrik Reeder (third great grand uncle), served with the 125é regiment.

Christiaan Daniels Nijhuis (third great grand uncle), served with the 125é regiment.

Johannes Reeder (third great grand uncle), Served with the 125é regiment.

Jean Mélard (fourth great grand uncle), served with the 48é regiment.

Here are the names of my other four relatives who participated in the 1812 Russia campaign:

Christiaan Reeder (third great grandfather), served with the 125é regiment and survived.

Jan Bakhuizen (fourth great grandfather), served with the Imperial guard as a red lancer, he survived though never returned to the army so was marked as missing in action.

Willem van Rijn (fourth great grand uncle), served with the 14é regiment cuirassiers, died during the Russia campaign possibly during the Berezina crossing on 28th November during Doumerc's charge.

Martinus van der Spek (first cousin 6 times removed), served with the 33é lights regiment but did not survive the campaign.

Images include: pictures of the crossing, a red lancer defending his family while crossing, Dutch engineers building the bridge in ice cold water, remains found at the Berezina during ww1 by German soldiers and a document of one of my five relatives who died at Berezina.

[herprivateswe]

L/20247. Cpl. Maurice Martin Collins.  A Battery, 167th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery.  No.9 Camp, Bulford, Salisbury. 25th August. 1915.

[beardedmrbean]

Russian bomber pilots hit a grain ship in the Black Sea by mistake as they “targeted it in haste” and wanted to fly away quickly to avoid Ukrainian air defences, say British defence chiefs.

The Ministry of Defence in London believes that the merchant vessel Aya may only have escaped catastrophic damage because of a “detonation failure” in the “aging munition” fired at it.

In its latest intelligence update, the MoD said: “On 11 September 2024, the merchant vessel Aya was struck by a missile in the Black Sea as it transited south from the Ukrainian port of Odesa having been loaded with more than 26 thousand tons of grain bound for Egypt.

“It is almost certain that the missile was an AS-4 KITCHEN anti-ship missile launched by a Tu-22M3 BACKFIRE Russian bomber that was operating in the area at the time. It is a realistic possibility that a detonation failure avoided catastrophic damage.”

Russian and Ukrainian forces have fought a series of battles along the Black Sea coastline, and out at sea, including over Snake Island, which was captured by Vladimir Putin’s forces before being seized back, and the sinking of the flagship Moskva warship.

The Russian navy was forced to retreat from the Black Sea after the port of Sevastopol in Crimea was targeted.

But the British military chiefs do not believe that the grain vessel was hit on purpose and instead that it was “likely struck due to poor targeting procedures from Russian pilots using an aging munition”.

They added: “Following the loss of a BACKFIRE in April this year, Russia has almost certainly been more wary with their strike operations in the Black Sea.

“It is a realistic possibility this incident occurred due to pilots incorrectly identifying Aya as their target in haste, wanting to depart the area immediately after launch for fear of being targeted by a Ukrainian surface to air missile.

“The KITCHEN missile has consistently underperformed in the Ukraine conflict. Launching a supersonic cruise missile on an incorrect heading against a likely erroneous target in international waters demonstrates extremely poor and irresponsible aviation practice.”

Britain, the US, Ukraine and its allies have been fighting an information war, alongside the battlefield conflict, against Russia so their briefings need to be treated with caution.

However, they are far more believable than the propaganda issued by the Kremlin.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's armed forces commander General Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Thursday he had ordered defences to be strengthened in the eastern Donetsk region, a day after Kyiv forces announced they had withdrawn from the town of Vuhledar.

Russian troops are steadily inching forward in different sectors in eastern Ukraine despite Kyiv's surprise incursion into Russia's western Kursk region in August that it was hoped would slow the advances.

Syrskyi said on social media he was working on "one of the hottest front sectors" with the 25th Sicheslav Airborne Brigade.

He gave no details on the exact location but the brigade operates in the Pokrovsk front, an area of intensified Russian assaults.

"While working in the brigade, I made a number of decisions aimed at strengthening stability and effectiveness of our defence," Syrskyi said.

Russian forces launched a major drone attack overnight on 15 Ukrainian regions, causing damage to commercial and residential buildings, local authorities said on Thursday, though there were no immediate reports of any casualties.

The Ukrainian air force said it had shot down 78 out of 105 Russian drones during the assault, with 23 more likely impacted by active electronic jamming.

Authorities in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv said the air force had downed around 15 drones over the city and its surroundings during an air alert that lasted more than five hours.

A Russian drone targeted a truck delivering gas in Ukraine's northern Chernihiv region on Thursday, killing two adults and a child, police said.

Ukrainian drones attacked the "Borisoglebsk" military airfield and warehouses for fuel and guided bombs in Russia's Voronezh region overnight, according to a Ukrainian security source.

The security source said Ukraine's SBU security service was continuing actions to reduce the ability of Russian troops to use fighter jets with guided bombs to strike Ukrainian cities, and that attacks on Russian airfields would continue.

The drones attacked warehouses, parking lots for Russian Sukhoi Su-35 and Su-34 jets and aviation fuel storage facilities at the Borisoglebsk airfield, the source said.

"From there, the enemy actively bombards Ukrainian territories with guided bombs," he said.

Pictures on the attack and a short video clip showing fires could not be independently verified and the extent of the damage was not immediately clear.

Alexander Gusev, the governor of Russia's Voronezh region, said Russian air defence had shot down 10 drones over the region. He did not report any damage.

[darkmaga-returns]

The Last American Vagabond

Dec 01, 2024

Joining me today is independent investigative journalist, Vanessa Beeley, here to break down the situation in Syria, wherein a renewed effort appears to be underway to destabilize and possibly further occupy the country. Vanessa and Ryan discuss the recent events in Syria (and Georgia), currently being described by many online as an "invasion" or a "coup", and Vanessa (reporting from Syria) reveals that the truth on the ground is quite a bit different, as tends to be the case in today's hyper-propagandized world.

Source Links:

(100) Vanessa Beeley | Substack(21) Vanessa Beeley (@VanessaBeeley) / XNew TabSyrian rebels enter Aleppo for first time in eight years during shock offensive | CNNMilitant groups launch large-scale offensive against Syrian army(42) Vanessa Beeley on X: "Information on #Aleppo from 25th Brigade soldier now in New Aleppo. 1. Videos were made by terrorist sleeper cells already in #Aleppo 2. The 25th Brigade under General Saleh Al Abdullah are reassuring Syrians in Aleppo that the few terrorists who managed to enter will be https://t.co/LR9qj0qZcc" / X(54) Vanessa Beeley on X: "A doctor affiliated with the terrorists posted a video from the University Hospital in Aleppo City begging for help after the hospital was overwhelmed with dead and wounded HTS terrorists. #Aleppo #Syria https://t.co/gBPwjVpsqr" / X(45) Vanessa Beeley on X: "Central Damascus. No "coup". Calm and peaceful. #Syria will never fall https://t.co/takewXzlG3" / XNew Tab(54) Vanessa Beeley on X: "This image of a dead Jolani is AI generated. There is still no confirmation of his death in a bombing of a central command HQ for the terrorists. From last night ⬇️ Special sources in Idlib: - A central command headquarters of the terrorist organisation "Jabhat al-Nusra" in https://t.co/eNGUmeYSiP" / XNew Tab(50) Patrick Henningsen on X: "Lord help us - the notorious “White Helmets” agitprop theatre group is back in business. Looks like their production budget has been cut, not as many extras as usual on this scene…" / XFalse Flag Fail: How Syrian Civilians Derailed White Helmet 'Chemical' Stunt in Eastern Ghouta - 21st Century WireYou searched for white helmets - The Last American VagabondNew Tab(29) Rania Khalek on X: "Here are some supporters of the Syrian opposition in conversation with the Israeli Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee. One of them is heaping praise on him. This is the man who tweets our displacement orders before bombing our homes in Gaza and Lebanon. Painful to watch. https://t.co/EB5BHGvfTv" / XSyria's Rukban Now Little More Than a US-Controlled Concentration Camp - and the Pentagon Won't Let Refugees Leavegreater israel - Brave SearchFalse Flags: A Secret History of Al Qaeda - Watch Along and Q&A

[1991-ukraina-instagram-updates]

checked quotev, so mass update:

Update of the past week

•Today Russia launched mass attacks across Ukraine killing at least 41 and injuring over 170 (many still under rubble), children and animals died as well; Russia targeted Ukraine's largest children's hospital and a maternity hospital

•Ukrainian forces withdraw from eastern Chasiv Yar neighborhood 

•Russia’s and China’s relations at ‘best in history’; Xi indicated his support for Russia in it’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine 

•97% of Russian missiles, drones, and bombs hit civilian infrastructure (with only 3% hitting military targets)

•120,000 Russian occupiers killed in Ukraine -Meduza, Mediazona

•34% of Russians believe a nuclear strike against Ukraine would be justified 

•14 Ukrainian brigades lack supplies as aid arrives slowly

•Yesterday 33 were killed as a result of Russia’s attack on Ukraine’s largest children’s hospital, maternity hospital, and other civilian structures. 32,000 people (2,200 children) sought refuge in metro stations in Kyiv

Day 867

•45 killed (including children), over 200 injured (including children) in Russian attacks against Ukraine (figures include yesterday’s attacks as well)

•US obtained intelligence on possible Russian-linked sabotage plots in Europe 

•Ukraine will be represented at the Olympics by the smallest number of athletes ever 140) as sports facilities and training is interrupted by Russian missiles and air raids

•Ukrainian forces attacked Russian airbase, oil depot, and Russia’s energy facility overnight

Day 868

•8 killed, 24 injured in Russian attacks against Ukraine 

•Ukrainians raised nearly $7M in 1 day to restore Kyiv children’s hospital after Russia destroyed it 

•During US elections, Russia aims to undermine support for Ukraine

•Ukraine can use British Storm Shadow missiles to hit targets in Russia for defense purposes 

•Russia lacks the troops and ammunition for a major offensive in Ukraine - NATO official

Day 869

•5 killed, 14 injured in Russian attacks against Ukraine 

•Thousands of Ukrainians living in Poland have voluntarily joined a Ukrainian Legion being trained in Poland

•Ukrainian forces halted Russian advance to Borova village, Kharkiv oblast; 

•Indian state refiners discuss long-term oil import deal with Russia 

•US and Germany stopped Russian plot to assassinate CEO of weapons manufacturer

personal update from her:

Just to let everyone know, I’ll be in Ukraine until the 25th of July, (bringing over humanitarian aid, visiting friends, etc) that will cause the times I post to be significantly earlier and likely shorter (as it’s earlier in the day, not all updates for the day will be in yet). There are only a few hours of electricity a day but I will do my best to keep posting if able.  Please continue supporting Ukraine through staying informed, reposting, donating if able (u24.gov.ua/), and your prayers are very much appreciated. Stay healthy, stay safe, and God bless everyone

-Ukraina

Day 870

•7 killed, 46 injured (children) in Russian attacks against Ukraine 

•Russian pilot (shocked by Russia’s attack on Kyiv children’s hospital) leaked confidential data on Russian aviation division to Ukraine

•Russia plans to block YouTube this fall -Russian media

•Chinese and Belarusian militaries conduct joint drills near NATO and Ukraine borders

•GPS jamming in Finland likely part of Russian hybrid campaign -ISW

•UN demands Russia withdraw from occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant

Day 871

•12 killed (chief emergency worker), 34 injured in Russian attacks against Ukraine 

•In the past 6 months at least 10,014 Russian soldiers have been killed fighting in Ukraine 

•Russian kamikaze attack drone flies deep into Belarus, whereabouts unknown 

•National Bank sets new historic low for Ukrainian hryvnia exchange rate ($1 = 41.04hrn)

•Ukrainian drones strike Russian oil depot overnight

Day 872

•15 killed, 75 injured in Russian attacks against Ukraine 

•China and Russia begin joint military drills 

•Russia falsely accusing Ukraine of involvement in attempted assassination of Donald Trump

•Russia often fails to evacuate injured soldiers, uses them and POWs in human wave attacks

Russian forces are sending injured soldiers back to the front and using Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) as shields in "human wave" attacks. -The Telegraph Human wave assaults are frontal attacks launched by infantry units without armored vehicles or other defensive shields. Russia has deployed such attacks in its full-scale war against Ukraine, notably in the battle to capture Avdiivka in Donetsk Oblast -The Kyiv Independent

[workersolidarity]

🇵🇸⚔️🇮🇱 🚨

AL-QASSAM BRIGADES RELEASE GRAPHIC SUMMARIZING THE RESULTS OF OPERATIONS ON DEC. 25TH

The Mujahideen of the al-Qassam Brigades released an infographic tallying the losses of Israeli Occupation Forces in operations in Gaza on Dec. 25th, 2023.

#source

@WorkerSolidarityNews

[captain-price-unofficially]

Former member of the Canadian Armed Forces, now a gunner of a Leopard 1A5 belonging to the AFU's 25th Separate Airborne Brigade "Sicheslav"

[casbooks]

Books of 2023

Book 74 of 2023

Title: Elite Bastards Authors: Edward L Dvorak ISBN: 9781526789655

Tags: B-52 Stratofortress, FAC, M24 Duster, O-1 Bird Dog, US USA 101st Airborne Division - Screaming Eagles, US USA 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment - Blackhorse, US USA 173rd Airborne Brigade - 4th Bn, US USA 173rd Airborne Brigade - 4th Bn - D Co, US USA 173rd Airborne Brigade - 4th Bn - D Co - 1st Plt, US USA 173rd Airborne Brigade - 4th Bn - D Co - 1st Plt - 1st Sqd, US USA 173rd Airborne Brigade - Sky Soldiers, US USA 17th Cavalry Regiment, US USA 17th Cavalry Regiment - 3/17, US USA 17th Cavalry Regiment - 3/17 - D Troop, US USA 17th Cavalry Regiment - E Troop, US USA 199th Light Infantry Brigade - Redcatchers, US USA 25th ID - Tropic Lightning, US USA 51st Infantry Regiment, US USA 51st Infantry Regiment - F Co (LRP), US USA 51st Infantry Regiment - F Co (LRP) - Team 1/2, US USA 51st Infantry Regiment - F Co (LRP) - Team 1/3, US USA 51st Infantry Regiment - F Co (LRP) - Team 1/5, US USA 51st Infantry Regiment - F Co (LRP) - Team 1/6, US USA 51st Infantry Regiment - F Co (LRP) - Team 1/7, US USA 74th Reconnaissance Airplane Co (RAC), US USA 74th Reconnaissance Airplane Co (RAC) - Aloft, US USA ANG Army National Guard, US USA ANG IN 151st Infantry Regiment, US USA ANG IN 151st Infantry Regiment - D Co (LRP), US USA Combat Trackers - K9, US USA Fort Benning GA, US USA Fort Leonard Wood MO, US USA LRRP Team (Vietnam War), US USA United States Army, US USA USSF 5th SFG, US USA USSF Green Berets, US USA USSF Sgt Maj Mcguire, US USA USSF Special Forces, US USN SEALS, US USN United States Navy, USA AeroScouts, VNM 1968 Tet Offensive (1968) (Vietnam War), VNM Battle of Dak To (1967) (Vietnam War), VNM Bien Hoa, VNM Bien Hoa Air Base (Vietnam War), VNM Bien Hoa Army Base (Vietnam War), VNM Cam Ranh Bay, VNM Camp Lindsey-Lattin (Vietnam War), VNM Central Highlands, VNM Cu Chi, VNM Dak To, VNM Dong Nai River, VNM DRV NVA North Vietnamese Army, VNM DRV VC Viet Cong, VNM Hill 875, VNM II Corps (Vietnam War), VNM III Corps (Vietnam War), VNM Iron Triangle (Vietnam War), VNM LBJ Long Binh Jail - USARVIS US Army Vietnam Installation Stockade (Vietnam War), VNM LBJ Long Binh Jail (Vietnam War), VNM Long Binh Post - Ammunition Depot (Vietnam War), VNM Long Binh Post (Vietnam War), VNM Nha Trang - 5th SFG Recondo School (Vietnam War), VNM Operation Arc Light (1965-1973) (Vietnam War), VNM RVN ARVN Army of the Republic of Vietnam, VNM RVN Chieu Hoi Program/Force 66 - Luc Luong 66 (Vietnam War), VNM Song Be, VNM Tuy Hoa, VNM US MACVSOG (1964-1972) (Vietnam War), VNM US MACVSOG Hatchet Force Teams (Vietnam War), VNM US MACVSOG Road Runner Teams (Vietnam War), VNM US USA 24th Evacuation Hospital - Long Binh (Vietnam War), VNM US USA 6th Convalescent Hospital - Cam Ranh Bay, VNM US USA Cam Ranh Bay - Replacement Depot, VNM US USA II Field Force (1966-1971) (Vietnam War), VNM US USSF 5th SFOB Special Forces Operation Base - Nha Trang, VNM US USSF Mobile Strike Force - MIKE Force (Vietnam War), VNM Vietnam, VNM Vietnam War (1955-1975), VNM Vung Tau, VNM War Zone C (Vietnam War), VNM War Zone D (Vietnam War)

Rating: ★★★ Subject: Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.Specops.LRRPs

Description: This is the quintessential first-person combat memoir of a special forces soldier at war. Edward Dvorak joined the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Vietnam in the summer of 1967. He then joined Company F, 51st Infantry, Long Range Patrol, Airborne. For Dvorak and his buddies of Company F, LRP, their real training started with the MACV (Military Assistant Command Vietnam) Recondo School at the 5th Special Forces Compound in Nha Trang, South Vietnam. That training culminated with an actual Combat LRP mission. If you lived through the patrol, you graduated. Dvorak would remain with Company F for 19 months going on dozens of combat patrols deep behind enemy lines.

[mariacallous]

New types of drone are striking deep inside Russia, but scaling up is hard

EARLY IN THE morning of August 25th, a group of drone developers headed to a launch point in southern Ukraine for one of the most daring aerial missions over Russian-controlled territory to date: an attack on a military base deep in Crimea. It was described as a test launch, with many of the prototypes in the drone swarm experimental. But some of them did the job.

There were explosions inside the base and several dead, with wounded soldiers seen streaming into the local hospital, according to local sources. That capped a miserable week for the Kremlin, already struggling to explain more than a dozen drones striking the heart of Moscow, repeated shutdowns of major airports and unexplained explosions at arms factories, airfields, fuel depots and railways.

A source close to the developers of Morok (“dark spirit”), one of the prototype drones used in the Crimean operation, says Ukraine’s new aerial strike capacity is the result of “seeds sown many months ago”. Morok’s development had been a “miraculous” journey: after one risky test launch a few kilometres from the Russian border, its developers escaped incoming Russian rockets by minutes. Now they aim to step up serial production.

Fast and capable of carrying a heavy payload over several hundred kilometres, Morok is among the more promising fixed-wing kamikaze designs being considered by Ukraine. It has come this far largely without government funding, relying on hard work and a few friendly benefactors. But like other developers, Morok’s team now faces a difficult task getting the resources to scale up.

Ukraine’s drone programme is driven by necessity. Russia, a missile superpower, began the war with a clear superiority in long-range strike capacity. It later began buying cheap, effective Shahed kamikaze drones from Iran. Ukraine, on the other hand, has not been allowed to use Western-donated weapons in Russia itself, and so has been looking for other ways to hit back.

Part of the answer has been developing new missiles, or repurposing old ones: the vintage S-200 surface-to-air missile is now used in surface-to-surface mode. The modernised S-200s have been responsible for some of the recent attacks in Russian-controlled areas. Meanwhile, a network of volunteers and government groups has been racing to develop better domestically made drones.

The drone campaign is being stepped up now for a number of reasons. The headline-making strikes on Moscow are intended to have a psychological impact, bringing ordinary Russians closer to the reality of war. But Ukrainian military insiders say most of their operations directly support the three-month-old counter-offensive.

Much of this is too prosaic to make news. Drones target “fuel depots, logistics, ammunition dumps and delivery routes”, says Detective, the pseudonym of a drone co-ordinator in Ukraine’s military intelligence. “We respond to appeals from our brigades. They tell us they know where Russian arms are being stored, but have no way of hitting them, and they plead with us to help.” Detective says much of his recent work has been focused on airfields near Ukraine’s borders. This “might” have included a recent strike that hit a Tu-22M strategic bomber based near Novgorod, he adds with a wink.

Russia’s extensive air-defence and electronic-warfare capacity means that any Ukrainian attack requires meticulous planning. Ukraine has developed algorithms that appear to work. Operators launch in the early morning (when defenders’ concentration might be lapsing) and use an order of attack designed to keep air defences busy. They gather intelligence (often from Western partners) about radars, electronic warfare and air-defence assets. Russia cannot lock down the entirety of its vast territory. “If you can scuttle past 60km of jamming stations on the border, you are in the Russian hinterlands and it’s game on,” says the Morok source. About 35-40% of drones make it through to the general vicinity of the target. Feedback about a strike’s success is compiled from satellites, tracking devices, social-media reports and local agents.

Unusually, Ukraine’s drone programme has no single command or procurement structure. Several state organisations, including all the intelligence agencies, have their own drone programmes. Freelance developers are also in the mix. These components are organised in cells that do not communicate with each other. This helps security and competition, but can make optimisation and mass production difficult. The central government, especially the Ministry of Digital Transformation, has tried to streamline financing and remove red tape. But bureaucracy, corruption and vested interests in the Ukrainian arms industry continue to act as a drag on development. Some of the operations targeting Moscow appear to be PR projects designed to bring a prototype to the attention of procurement bosses, rather than having military value.

Finance is not the only barrier to scaling up. Cheap components and electronics are hard to find. So are aviation specialists. Russia is doing better on this front: though slow to get going, it has now geared up mass production. With unlimited budgets, Russian state enterprises have prioritised the war’s most effective weapons. These include versatile Kh-101 cruise missiles; wings to convert free-fall bombs into glide bombs; Lancet strike drones, capable of taking out Ukrainian armour and air defence; and Iranian Shaheds, which are now reportedly being produced in a new factory in Tatarstan. A senior Ukrainian intelligence source said Russia was likely to be stockpiling ahead of a renewed campaign on energy infrastructure this coming winter.

On the frontlines, Russia has erased Ukraine’s initial three-to-one advantage in tactical drones. The two sides are now at parity, a source close to Ukraine’s commander-in-chief says. New electronic-warfare jamming boxes, fitted on tanks and other high-value assets, are meanwhile reducing the ability of Ukraine’s first-person-view drones to guide payloads into the most vulnerable sections of a target.

A source in Ukraine’s general staff suggests any technological advantage his country once enjoyed was necessarily temporary. Both sides are learning from the other, he says, and reverse engineering is getting quicker: “We had the experience of defending against Russian drones, and we got better quickly. They will too.” Ukraine will need to think of new asymmetric ways to use drones, including using artificial intelligence to improve accuracy. The government has dedicated a new budget line of 40bn hryvnia ($1.1bn) for drones, a huge sum for Ukraine.

Detective says he regularly receives calls from the frontlines, thanking him for his latest successful strike. “They tell how they have enjoyed two or three days without Russian bombs,” he says. “Calls like that make the difficulties of the job worth it.”