#Paris Fire Brigade

[empirearchives]

Paris Fire Brigade — The fire department of the city of Paris

The Paris Fire Brigade was created by Napoleon on 18 September 1811 after a devastating fire in Paris in 1810. The brigade remains the same firefighting service of Paris to this day.

Illustrations created by Aaron Martinet between 1807 and 1814. Top: Imperial Guard, Engineer Sapper. Bottom: Imperial Guard, Officer of Engineer Sappers. These were the military positions which were transitioned into the fire department.

The deadly fire at the Austrian embassy ball in July 1810, during the festivities for his marriage to Marie Louise, reminded the Emperor of the importance of a well-functioning fire service in the capital.

Despite the courage and dedication of the gardes pompes [firefighters of the old organization], who are sometimes falsely accused of numerous shortcomings, the firefighting service revealed its weaknesses: delays, insufficient and unreliable equipment, poorly trained personnel and incompetent managers. The staff present at the embassy on the day of the tragedy were cleared of all suspicion by an investigation led by the Count of Montalivet. On the other hand, the leaders of the old organization were dismissed, and the corps des gardes pompes was abolished.

After this catastrophe, the Emperor reorganized this public service by creating the first military corps of firefighters, made up of the engineers from the Imperial Guard who were dedicated to defending the imperial chateaux against fire.

At the behest of Emperor Napoleon I, the creation of the Paris fire department [bataillon de sapeurs pompiers de Paris] by imperial decree on 18 September 1811 was an original and innovative step, marking the transition from a civil and municipal organization to a military body. The choice of such an atypical status for a public service echoes the creation, eleven years earlier, of the Paris Police Prefecture, an equally singular legal administrative body.

From its creation, this military corps was placed under the authority of the Paris Police Prefecture, who was responsible for the security of the capital. After a long process, this military status and subordination to a prefect became the logical consequence of the spirit of the decree of 12 messidor year 8.

When the battalion was formed in 1811, the Paris fire department took on a new mission: fighting fires, the importance and development of which they were still unaware of.

Four companies were then created to respond to fires. Relying on a typically military functional triptych (extensive training of men, systematic technological research and implementation of efficient operational procedures), the battalion quickly made its new environment its own, and by the end of the second half of the 19th century, had become a model for the organization of public fire-fighting services and a national, even international reference.

Several fire chiefs succeeded one another until 1814. At that date, command was entrusted to battalion commander Plazanet. He provided the battalion with an instruction manual, made it compulsory for sappers to be stationed in barracks, and introduced gymnastics to train efficient and daring rescuers.

Source: Brigade de sapeurs-pompiers de Paris — Le Bataillon

Picture source: Napoleon's Army: 1807-1814 as Depicted in the Prints of Aaron Martinet, By Guy C. Dempsey, Jr., (Section: Support Troops)

[postcard-from-the-past]

Automobile Steam Pump of the Paris Fire Brigade

French vintage postcard, mailed in 1910

[pissed-french-citizen]

Today in Paris

https://twitter.com/ArthurM40330824/status/1638990585544560649?t=zLv1M4vfyEu3hVLoGlkcCQ&s=19

ID : twit from @ArthurM40330824 text: #France Firefighters on strike join the demonstration in Opéra's square in #Paris, where the crowd is chanting "Everybody love the firefighters". The firefighters forced riot police units to back down.

Video description: french firefighters are joining the protest in Paris raising a red smoke bomb and sounding the siren.

/END ID

FYI, The job of the fire brigade is not only to fight fires, but also to intervene in case of floods and to help people: their main activity is to help people in difficulty, in case of road accidents or injuries : they take care of them and drive them to hospital if needed.

The Paris fire brigade and the Marseille marine fire brigade are members of the French army.

[franki-lew-yo]

--Fifty actually good Free to Watch Animated Movies--

Most are on Tubi, of course, but I don't think you'll mind that. Get em while they're hot - please dm/pm with any potential triggercontent warnings that you think might be needed.

I especially recommend Mary & Max, Kubo and the Two Strings, Last Unicorn, The Wolf House, Ernest and Celestine, Rock & Rule, Hair High, and Nocturna.

They're all beautiful and absolutely worth your time while they're still on Tubi, Youtube, or just online at all.

Safe for Families 

The Legend of Hei (Chinese, English Dub) Action, Fantasy

Ernest and Celestine (English Dub) Comedy/Drama

All Dogs go to Heaven (English) Fantasy/Action/Musical

The Secret of NIMH (English) Adventure/Action/Drama

Nocturna (English Dub) Fantasy/Comedy

The Mouse and his Child (English) Drama/Adventure

The Magic Pony/The Humpbacked Horse (English Dub) Fantasy/Adventure

Ferngully: The Last Rainforest (English) Fantasy/Adventure/Musical

Here Comes Peter Cottontail (English) Comedy/Fantasy/Musical

Moon Man (English Dubs) Fantasy/Comedy

The Legend of Sirius/Sea Prince and the Fire Child (English) Fantasy/Romance/Drama

The Adventures of Unico and Unico and the Island of Magic (English Dubs) Fantasy/Adventure/Comedy

The Snow Queen (English Dub) Fantasy/Adventure

Long Way North (English Dub) Adventure/Historical

Eleanor’s Secret (English Dub) Fantasy/Adventure

The Last Unicorn (English) Fantasy/Drama/Adventure CW: Contains a harpy for one scene that your super religious mom might have a fit at but otherwise safe

Night on the Galactic Railroad (English Dub) Drama/Fantasy

Havoc in Heaven (Mandarin, subs available) Fantasy/Action/Adventure

Tito and the Birds (English Dub) Fantasy/Action/Horror

The Thief and the Cobbler (English) Adventure/Fantasy/Action CW: Ideologically sensitive despictions

The Adventures of Mark Twain (English) Adventure/Fantasy CW: May disturb some children, ideologically sensitive material

Raggedy Anne and Andy: A Musical Adventure (English) Adventure/Fantasy

On Happiness Road (Hokkien/Mandarin, English Sub) Drama/Comedy/Adventure CW: Systemic oppression

The Tale of the Fox (German, English Sub) Fantasy/Adventure

Ringing Bell (Japanese, English Sub) Drama/Adventure CW: May upset some children as it's an analogy for child soldiers

The Brave Little Toaster (English) Adventure/Drama CW: violence towards appliances

The Little Vampire (English Dub) Fantasy/Adventure

--Mature--

Have a Nice Day (Mandarin, English Sub) Action/Thriller/Crime CW: Violence, Domestic Abuse

The Painting (English Dub) Adventure/Comedy/Drama

Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade (English Dub) Drama/Thriller/Action CW: Police Brutality

A Cat in Paris (English Dub) Action/Comedy/Crime

Penguin Highway (English Dub) Speculative fiction/Drama

When the Wind Blows (English) Drama/Horror CW:Radiation poisoning, Elder Abuse

I Married a Strange Person (English) Comedy/Horror/Romance CW: Violence

Blood Tea and Red String (English) Horror/Arthouse CW: Violence, Sexual assault imagery

S He (non-verbal) Arthouse/Horror CW: sexism and misogynist ab*se (with shoes)

The Plague Dogs (English) Drama/Action CW: Animal abuse, animal death, violence

The Romantic (English) Fantasy/Horror CW: Domestic abuse

A Dog's Courage (English dub) Drama/Action/Adventure CW: Animal abuse

Robot Carnival (English Dub) Sci-Fi/Drama

Vampires in Havana (Spanish, English Sub) Comedy/Drama CW: Violence

Gandahar (French) Fantasy/Action/Adventure

Animal Farm (English) Drama/Thriller CW: Animal death, animal abuse

Technotise: Edit & I (Serbian, English Sub) Thriller/Fantasy

Dante’s Inferno: An Animated Epic (English) Horror/Fantasy CW: Religious/sexual/domestic abuse imagery, violence

Louis by the Shore (English dub) Drama/Psychological

Rock & Rule (English) Fantasy/Action/Musical

Ghost in the Shell (English Dub) Action/Thriller/Drama

Millenium Actress (English Dub) Fantasy/History/Action

Away (Latvian, no talking) Arthouse/Drama

[girlactionfigure]

Shavua Tov, a good week, a week of blessings and success and safety, and return of our hostages healthy and whole!

🔻ROCKETS from HEZBOLLAH - LEBANON, 3 rounds, at Kiryat Shmona, Avivim and surrounds, Idmit.

🔻SUICIDE DRONES from HEZBOLLAH - LEBANON, 3 rounds, at Amuka and surrounds, Avivim and surrounds, Dishon and surrounds.

🔻ROCKETS from HAMAS - GAZA, 1 round, at Nachal Oz.

▪️GAZA BATTLES.. Zeitoun, the IDF Brigade, using a drone, spotted a Hamas cell planning to fire anti-tank missiles. The troops quickly called in an airstrike. More Hamas operatives were killed in Zeitoun over the past day, during gun battles and by airstrikes. In Khan Yunis, Givati Brigade has been illing many Hamas operatives with sniper fire, and the Armored Brigade killing numerous more Hamas fighters with tank shelling and by calling in airstrikes.

The Palestinians report at least 5 different residential complexes that the IDF blew up this evening in Khan Yunis. Mainly in the west of Khan Yunis. Many large explosions from Gaza were felt throughout southern Israel over Shabbat day.

Air strikes in parts of Rafah and near the Egyptian border Shabbat afternoon and this evening.

▪️LEBANON.. almost too much activity summarize: heavy IDF airstrikes, artillery, and cross border gunfire and targeted strikes on Hezbollah leaders. As noted above, multiple rounds of rockets and suicide drones into Israel, as well as anti-tank missile fire at IDF outposts.

▪️HOSTAGE DEAL.. “The War Cabinet will hold a telephone consultation this evening on the background of progress in the Paris talks. Hamas dropped some of its demands, but the distance is still considerable.”

Hamas in a message to Israel ; "If you want peace in the month of Ramadan, you must comply with our demand for a ceasefire for a month until the end of Ramadan, and if you do not comply, we will respond with missiles and attacks.” (( And this is new in some way how? ))

According to Hamas (anonymous) sources, this is the outline of the hostage release deal: Six weeks of ceasefire, 35-40 abductees will be released, 200-300 (another report says 400) terrorists who are mass murderers will be released from prisons in Israel. (( As a ‘leak’ we have no confirmation this is true. ))

“The Israeli delegation returned to Israel early in the morning with cautious optimism regarding the possibility of moving towards an outline even before Ramadan.” (( The info above certainly does NOT warrant “cautious optimism - who is the source of the ‘optimism’, another anonymous source. ))

Conflicting reports say outline reached while simultaneously saying Hamas conditions not feasible.

🔸To share our content on Facebook, remove the lines on the end. Facebook is blocking our entries if they have our name or URL.

🔸LET MY BABIES & WOMEN GO! -> https://www.israelhayom.com/2023/10/31/these-are-the-captives-held-by-hamas/

[forsakendevil]

A depression playlist

Vampire Empire - Big Thief:

"Where you can't seem to hold me, can't seem to let me go. So I can't find surrender, and I can't keep control"

Gilded Lily - Cults:

"Haven't I given enough"

Washing Machine Heart - Mitski:

"I thought maybe we would kiss tonight Baby will you kiss me already and Toss your dirty shoes in my washing machine heart? Baby, bang it up inside"

Class of 2013 - Mitski:

"Mom, I'll be quiet It would be just to sleep at night"

Forsaken - Paris Paloma:

"And woe betide That one of my Selfish feet touched the ground"

half return - Adrianne Lenker:

"Standing in the yard, dressed like a kid The house is white and the lawn is dead"

Infections Of A Different Kind - AURORA:

"And I beg, I beg to be drained From the pain I've soaked myself in So I can stay okay And more than okay for a while"

Just Take My Wallet - Jack Stauber:

"Your mama's crying Your mama's crying for you Mama's lying Oh, what's she trying to do To you?"

Nothing's New- Rio Romeo:

"I wanna be touched Be loved I wanna heal Be hugged"

Harpy Hare - Yaelokre:

"You can't keep them all caged They will fight and run away Mother, tell me so I say"

Give Up - Low Roar:

"'Cause I've grown numb Dry as my tear ducts Have grown dumb And empty

But don't give up on me Give up on me Give up on me"

Yeti - Paris Paloma (feat. Old Sea Brigade):

"My tongue's forgotten how To shape your name the way it sounds We're nothing but myths now That neither of us believe in"

Welly Boots - The Amazing Devil:

""How could you leave me here?" you'll scream And louder, I'll scream back to you from that unknown And say, "I know you're strong enough, I know you're strong enough I know you're strong enough to do this on your-""

Pale White Horse - The Oh Hellos:

"Neither plague or famine tempered my courage, nor did raids make me cower But his translucent skin made me shiver deep within my bones"

Boreas - The Oh Hellos:

"Yeah, I'm one spoon away From setting the ends of my hair on fire If I'm kindling for a little while At least I'd feel of use"

Exhale Inhale - AURORA:

"My dear, come near Do you feel my hand? It is there"

[katblu42]

So, I'm watching the replay of the closing ceremony from the Paris Olympic games and at one point the (Australian) commentator mentions the performers in white who are using the giant rings (climbing on them, moving them hanging from them in amazing ways etc) come from backgrounds in parkour, street performance, circus, break dancing and . . . "the gymnasts of the fire brigade."

Now, I really need to know what that last term means, because a quick internet search has not produced any results for me.

I did think that was a perfect group for Virgil to join though!

[histoireettralala]

[...] In the countryside, church bells or local officials broadcast the news. The bells were normally used to warn of hailstorms or fires. When people in the Limousin heard them ring, they looked up, puzzled, into a clear blue sky; elsewhere the fire brigade turned out, searching in vain for flames and smokes.

In the tiny Alpine village of Granon (Hautes-Alpes) the harvest was in full swing:

When we heard the bells ringing, we wondered what was happening... It was the garde-champêtre who brought us the news. 'We're at war, we're at war!' he told anyone he bumped into... 'But who are we fighting ?' 'Why, the Germans of course !' Once the mobilization orders and itineraries arrived, the reality of the situation began to hit home. Every able-bodied man received his papers; parting, that's what the war meant to start with. It turned the village completely upside down. Some people made a joke of it all. You'll get a summer holiday out of it. We've never had one before ; make the most of it. But others were worriers, always looking on the black side. The war seemed like the end of the world for them and they wanted no part in it. Some lads went and hid in the forest. [But] in the end everyone went. In just one week the village had changed completely. There were no men left between the ages of twenty and thirty.

[...]

With men and horses gone, who would bring in the harvest, till the land, and sow the seed for next year's crop?

[...]

The war did not just strip the countryside of its young men. Horses too were needed in enormous numbers; in 1914 alone 750000 were requisitioned. Horses remained the backbone of farm life and giving them up was hard to bear. 'Farmers boasted to us of their qualities, of their docility, they told us how we should handle them,' recalled one officer. 'Then they went away quietly, heavy of heart, not daring to turn around.. Most of them were older men... [who had also] seen their sons leave for the war.'

[...]

After the initial excitement, Marc Bloch found life in Paris

quiet and rather sombre. There was much less traffic, and with no buses [and] few motor taxis the streets were almost silent. There was little sign of the sadness deep within each heart, just lots of women with red, swollen eyes. People chatted in the streets, in the shops, on the trams; there was a general feeling of togetherness, visible in words and gestures which were clumsy and naïve but touching nonetheless.... Few men were cheerful; [but all] were resolute which perhaps was more important.

Excerpt from They Shall Not Pass, The French Army on the Western Front 1914-1918, by Ian Sumner

[dailyanarchistposts]

Escaping the Trap

Due to the large number of actions that took place on May Day 2019, we won’t provide an exhaustive report of everything that happened the streets. We’ll focus on the major events that structured the day and some interesting initiatives and situations that we witnessed.

Anarcho-syndicalist unions gathered at Place des Fêtes the way they do every year to pay tribute to the anarchist origins of May Day. However, due to the context, the anarchist demonstration was not permitted to march towards République. Instead, it was supposed to end at Stalingrad—another location where it would be easy for police to kettle everyone if they wanted to. Around 11 am, as more and more people arrived at Place des Fêtes, police forces, including riot police units and officers in plain clothes, began patrolling the square and searching individuals carrying backpacks. The anarchist procession finally started around 11:30 am. It was hundreds strong.

The crowd marched rapidly through the streets of the Parisian popular district, followed closely by police trucks and riot police units on foot. At almost every intersection, firemen with extinguishers were waiting, as if our objective for the morning was to set everything on fire—which was especially unlikely in this working-class district. The general atmosphere of the march was strange; very few targets were attacked. No doubt part of the crowd was already focusing on what would be waiting ahead of us and how to outmaneuver it. Little by little, as the procession approached its final destination, groups of demonstrators left in order to join the starting point of the afternoon march on time.

In the end, what remained of the anarchist procession decided to continue its course through the streets of Paris in a spontaneous wildcat demonstration, before disbanding when police forces and members of the BAC (Brigade anti-criminalité, “Anti-criminality brigage”) showed up. During the morning, other wildcat initiatives took place outside the official demonstrations. Unfortunately, they didn’t last long, as police brutally dispersed them.

In the meantime, at Montparnasse, the situation was already charged. Since the morning, thousands of people—from trade union sympathizers and passersby to yellow vesters and radicals—had been gathering in the main boulevard. The government’s decision to cancel or change the course of some morning demonstrations had not pacified the situation—on the contrary. Around 1 pm, tired of remaining static while waiting for the official hour to arrive to start the demonstration—and despite a massive police presence in the area—some anarchists and other rebellious demonstrators took action.

Moving swiftly, some people attempted to constitute a bloc at the front of the procession to attack La Rotonde—the restaurant where Emmanuel Macron celebrated his presidential victory in 2017. For a full hour, intense street confrontations took place between demonstrators and police near the intersection of Boulevard du Montparnasse and Boulevard Raspail. Interesting to report, it was during this major phase of confrontations that Philippe Martinez, the leader of the CGT trade union, had to be exfiltrated momentarily from the demonstration—drawing boos and insults from several demonstrators—due to the explosion of a tear gas canister near his position. As if more proof were needed that making backroom deals with authorities doesn’t protect you from their weapons in the streets!

But what is more interesting here is how he reacted to this commonplace event. (We say commonplace because nowadays, what is more ordinary than breathing tear gas during a demonstration?) Yet once the situation calmed down a bit, Martinez took the occasion to denounce “an unprecedented and indiscriminate repression following the acts of violence of some,” before adding “the police has charged the CGT, a well-identified CGT, this is a serious matter.” Besides the voluntarily dramatic tone of his statement—remember that trade union leaders are here to play a specific role on the political stage—the CGT leader didn’t condemn police brutality per se, but only the fact that during confrontations, police forces attacked some CGT members. In other words, police violence is acceptable as long as it doesn’t target trade union sympathizers.

The situation created difficulties for demonstrators who wanted to join the main procession. Approaching the Boulevard du Montparnasse, all access was blocked by police lines. If you wanted to enter the perimeter, you had to submit to a complete search. Consequently, hundreds of people were wandering around the police checkpoints, going from one street to the next to see if there was a way to enter without being controlled. This confusing situation was the occasion to engage discussions with other demonstrators and to exchange important information. Some people, who succeeded in leaving the zone of confrontations, were already shocked by the level of police brutality, while a group of yellow vesters mentioned the fact that they saw with their own eyes part of the CGT procession retreating during the confrontations, leaving rioters and other demonstrators alone in front of police forces.

As planned, around 2:30 pm, the afternoon march finally started. As the impressive crowd was slowly walking towards its destination, some police checkpoints decided to release the pressure and let people enter the “secured perimeter” without submitting to a search. Police were still sporadically stopping and checking anyone they considered “suspicious,” as well. Once on the main boulevard, the compact crowd of protesters struggled to move forward, due to the numerous police cordons present on each side of the street in order to protect potential targets. However, waves of individuals were determined to get past the trade union procession in order to reach the cortège de tête.

Once we reached Port-Royal, the CGT—located at the front of the trade union procession—suddenly stopped. People continued to get around its security service in order to reach the tail of the cortège de tête. This situation was clearly no coincidence. We were right in the middle of the zone where the authorities had asked trade union leaders to disassociate themselves from the leading procession in order to facilitate their trap. We took this opportunity to ask one of the members of the CGT security team why they were suddenly stopping to create a gap between themselves and the cortège de tête. The answer was an embarrassed “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Once again, the CGT was blatantly assisting the authorities in closing their trap around the “dangerous individuals of the leading procession.”

Nevertheless, the cortège de tête continued its route towards Place d’Italie. Almost no signs of confrontation were visible on the Boulevard de Port-Royal. The presence of riot police units in the boulevard and at almost every single intersection was clearly dissuasive. However, the diverse crowd of thousands remained determined, chanting anti-police and anti-capitalist slogans as well as the now classic “Révolution!”

Once people turned and entered the Boulevard Saint-Marcel, the tension suddenly increased. Some of us knew exactly what was awaiting us. We were approaching the final destination of the demonstration, which meant that if authorities wanted to strike hard at the cortège de tête, they would do it very soon. Police forces were present in every single neighboring street. As the procession entered the Boulevard de l’Hôpital, the crowd began to tighten up. Police trucks and riot units were blocking the main boulevard towards the Austerlitz train station. Our only options were to retreat or to continue towards Place d’Italie. As the crowd slowly marched toward the square, we realized that the cortège de tête had been cut in two by police forces. Ahead of us, water cannon trucks and police lines blocked the boulevard.

Beyond them, near Place d’Italie, several hundred people who constituted the very head of the cortège de tête engaged in impressive street confrontations with police forces. They created numerous barricades, set things on fire, and attacked police with projectiles. The crowd even attacked the police station of the 13th district of Paris, which was heavily protected by anti-riot fences for the occasion. Extremely intense fights continued at the main square, where police beat, dispersed, and arrested protesters.

Down the Boulevard de l’Hôpital, a newly constituted bloc was trying to reach the front of the remaining procession in order to face the police lines. Without further delay, a heavy rain of tear gas canisters fell on the crowd. The mobile water cannon started pushing us down the boulevard. This frontal attack succeeded in creating panic among protesters. To escape the suffocating atmosphere created by the thick clouds of tear gas, some demonstrators tried to find a way out by entering buildings or climbing fences and walls. Progressively, the cortège de tête retreated until reaching the intersection between the Boulevard Saint-Marcel and the Boulevard de l’Hôpital.

There, as police were still blocking the side of the boulevard leading to the train station—the closest and safest exit—some demonstrators decided to use the last option they had by retracing their steps. Unfortunately for them, as the trade unions were slowly entering the Boulevard Saint-Marcel, police started shooting tear gas into the boulevard to keep the crowd inside the area they had designated to attack the cortège de tête. People were now definitely trapped on two different boulevards between a rain of tear gas and police lines. As a result, the confrontations inside the kettle intensified: anarchists and other rebellious protesters answered the thick clouds of tear gas and the explosions of flash-bang grenades with a rain of projectiles, smashing windows and setting makeshift barricades on fire.

As the situation became more and more explosive—and due to the insistence of some demonstrators—police finally agreed to release the pressure by letting some demonstrators exit the demonstration via the main police checkpoints located on the Boulevard de l’Hôpital. Hundreds seized the occasion to escape the trap. However, once outside the main police perimeter, many people were still determined to stay in the streets. Little by little, a large crowd began to gather behind police lines. Understanding that the situation could quickly escalate, police started to push the protesters back with a series of charges and volleys of tear gas canisters.

Behind the police checkpoint, the rest of the traditional May Day procession—trade unions included—was allowed to pursue its course towards Place d’Italie, as the authorities claimed to have regained control over the situation. As hundreds of determined people were walking down the Boulevard de l’Hôpital towards the train station and the Austerlitz bridge, a wildcat demonstration got underway. Following a quick sprint to escape the police line that tried to block our progress, the crowd crossed the bridge.

Once we reached the other side of the Seine river, people built several makeshift barricades to block traffic and set the trailer of a construction site on fire. For the first time since the morning, we felt that we had finally succeeded in outmaneuvering the trap set by the authorities. Unfortunately, this feeling didn’t last long, as the first brigades of police officers on motorcycles armed with LBD-40 launchers showed up soon after. Following several attempts to escape them, recognizing that the situation was becoming more and more dangerous, the raging crowd dispersed near Bastille.

Later that evening, hundreds of people answered the call to gather at the Place de la Contrescarpe in order to celebrate the one year anniversary of the “Benalla case.” This case started on May Day 2018, when Alexandre Benalla—then one of Macron’s security officers—received authorization from the executive to assist police forces on the ground. Dressed as a member of the BAC—in plain clothes with a helmet and the traditional orange police armband—he threatened and brutally arrested several individuals inside the Jardin des Plantes and at the Place de la Contrescarpe. Informed of these events, the government covered up the case and protected Benalla. In July 2018, after a long investigation, some journalists revealed the true identity of Benalla. Since then, the “Benalla case” continues to embarrass the current government, as more and more dark secrets and revelations surface.

[operation-priority]

Tankiste Operating Inside the Tank

This is an impression of a French tank crewman operating inside their tank. One may see this uniform on tankiste when in their vehicles during battle. The iconic leather 'Veste en Cuir' can be seen, similar to the coats worn by the Paris Fire Brigade. These coats were mainly issued to motorists and tank crews, however its fire-resistant qualities meant that flamethrower troops also wore them into battle. Many variants of this coat exist and the model shown here is a standard double-breasted version with a leather collar and left breast pocket. Other more common examples would feature a felt collar. The black coat was worn over the light blue tunic as its color masks the constant bombardment of vehicle oil and grease the tankiste would attract when operating inside their vehicle. Burn resistant gloves can be worn as well, mainly used to handle hot extracted shells from the tank's guns.

What is truly unique to the tankiste uniform of the Great War is the tank crew splatter mask, seen looped around the neck and worn. When bullets and other projectiles impacted the outside of the tank, the shock of these objects would sometimes cause the armor to spall on the inside. Flakes of armor would fly off inside the tank and depending on the impact strength and size of the spall, could cause irritation, wounds, or even death to the crew. By far the number one leading cause of injury in the tanks was head injuries. Because of this, the British would design a splatter mask that protected the wearer from medium to small sized armor spalling and burns. The masks consists of a steel faceplate perforated with horizontal slits with a nosepiece and chain mail covering the lower face. The faceplate is covered by brown leather on the outside and chamois leather on the inside. The mask is fastened to the face using four canvas ribbons.

The AS would obtain the masks through American officers who had trained with the British tankers and 1,840 masks would be first issued to crews of the Schneider CA and Saint-Chamond tanks in May 1918. The first three light tank companies’ part of 501e RAS named AS 301, AS 302, and AS 303 would also be entrusted to test the splatter mask in real battle conditions in late 1918. While the mask was effective in protecting the crew's face from spalling, many would opt to not wear it in order to maintain unobstructed visibility when inside the tank. This is an original example which I am incredibly happy to have as they are quite rare nowadays.

Another unique piece of kit for the tankiste was their Adrian helmets - or more specifically the modifications the tankiste would perform to them. As the Artillerie Spéciale was considered to be part of the regular artillery, the tankiste were issued standard Casque Adrian Modèle 1915 with the artillery badge of a flaming bomb over two crossed cannons. The front brim of the standard Adrian helmet did not allow the tankiste to get decent visibility through the 5 mm wide vision slits on the tank, so the tankiste would cut off the front brim to allow for closer viewing. Some modified helmets would have makeshift padding of either cloth or leather on the front of them. Others just folded over a few millimeters of the brim so the sharp edge of the cut was not exposed. The modifications would begin to be seen in late 1917 and was widespread among the crews by late 1918. It would spread naturally through the tankiste in the field and by the time that Generals had taken note of the unauthorized modifications, they would have already seen the combat improvements this modification would give the crews and allowed for it to be done. This helmet features the second model liner with six teeth and four corrugated aluminum spacers which reduce helmet wobble. The leather helmet liner was fixed onto the Adrian helmet through the use of two spikes on each side which puncture the scrap wool outer panel on the liner and are then folded over to secure the liner to the helmet.

Also pictured is a pair of civilian racing binoculars. It was up to the tank commander on whether they wanted to purchase a pair of binoculars for use in the tank. There were several options available at the time, both within military bazaars and within the civilian realm. Soldiers equipped with basic civilian binoculars was not an uncommon sight.

We also see the use of a flare pistol, specifically a Pistolet Géant pattern flare pistol designed by Manufrance before the war. As a tankiste within the Artillerie Spéciale, a flare pistol such as this would be used to signal supporting friendly artillery to lay down smoke shells to mask the tank's movement during attack. Each tank was, in theory, provided a flare pistol for this purpose. Smoke was important for masking the movement of the tanks during the attack because the tanks main threat apart from mines was accurate German artillery fire. There were several methods the AS would use to prevent German guns from being able to engage the tanks such as having an aircraft that would accompany the advance of the tanks. This aircraft was mainly tasked with directing counter-battery fire on enemy artillery. A further six fighter aircraft would be attached to protect this plane from responding enemy aircraft.

[empirearchives]

Napoleon’s reforms

As it is Napoleon’s death day (May 5th), I decided to make a collection of some of my posts with Napoleon’s reforms. This is not an exhaustive list of all of Napoleon’s reforms, just what I’ve been able to post about thus far, and I plan to dedicate many more posts to the subject.

Abolition of torture

British renunciation of the title “King of France”

Cadaster (land registry)

Canned food

Central Vaccine Committee & the Society for the Extinction of Smallpox

Child labor laws

Citizen cooks & the Society for the Encouragement of National Industy

Concordat of 1801

Constitution of 1799 (universal suffrage)

Education

Freedom of religion

Grand Sanhedrin

Imperial nobility

Legal impact (list of law codes)

Legal impact (part 2)

Metric system

Napoleonic Code in Bavaria

Paris Bourse

Paris Fire Brigade

Paris Health Council

Père Lachaise Cemetery

Prison reforms and changes

Reforms in Italy (undone during the Restoration)

Regulations limiting pollution

Restoration of universities

Rumford soup kitchens

Sewers and Sanitation

Smallpox vaccine

Society for the Encouragement of Fine Arts Brussels

Sorbonne university

Sugar beet industry & trade

Sugar (part 2)

Switzerland (Napoleon’s impact in the country)

Tax collection system

Treaty of Campo Formio

Unification of the Italian peninsula

Water policies

Women artists in Napoleonic France

Women writers in Napoleonic France

[nullnvoid911]

A Paris Fire Brigade (BSPP) corporal heads to a construction equipment fire at sunset during a banned yellow vest demonstration on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris, France.

Sandra Chenu Godefroy, November 24, 2018

[theadrogna]

Dream Movie Challenge

@singledarkshade set us a Dream Movie Challenge and gave me the following cast:

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - Babs Olusnamokun The Bear - Liza Colon-Zayas Slow Horses - Gary Oldman Umbrella Academy - Aidan Gallagher 911 - Angela Bassett Beyond Paradise - Zahra Ahmadi Wild Card - Martin Sheen Item - A Pack Of Cards (playing or tarot)

Synopsis:

Some people feel more than others, these are Affinates, people who have such an intense Affinity for something that they can read it better than anyone else, and even manipulate its forces. Governments around the world have kept this fact a secret. There are more of them every day and no one knows why. The Affinity Unit is set up to unpick the mystery and deal with the new crimes that are created by these remarkable people. When Arden discovers her Affinity for fire, she is pulled into the strange world of people for whom the usual rules do not apply, where she only has a young, brash American with an Affinity for water as her guide. Together they must discover who is killing Affinates and what the motive behind it is.

Gilgamesh (Gil) Fontenot (Aidan Gallagher) – As a baby Gil was rescued from the flooding caused by hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. His parents were never found. He is a recent recruit of the Affinity Unit and has worked for them for just over a year, straight out of his basic training with the FBI. He is a skilled investigator and a water Affinate. He lives on a house boat on the Thames, preferring to be close to the water at all times.

Arden Flammel (Zahra Ahmadi) – There’s a video of Arden being rescued from a burning multistorey building by firefighters. The fire made the news and killed her parents. She was only two at the time, and had nightmares for years afterwards. She raised by the firefighter who saved her, and followed in her father’s footsteps. She became a fire investigator with the London Fire Brigade.

Noële Travere (Angela Bassett) – A former Interpol Agent based in Paris, Noële is an experienced law enforcement officer who now heads up the Affinity Unit. She developed affinity late in life and no one is sure of her story. Her Affinity is for plants and her office is full of house plants on the verge of death that she lovingly brings back to life.

Harry Merchant (Gary Oldman) – An earthquake scientist who first identified the phenomenon of Affinity when he became one himself. He has an Affinity for stone, and was caught in a collapsing building, barely escaping with his life. Always impeccably dressed, he is occasionally called away to earthquake zones to identify points of stress and when the next quake might be. He says that he can now feel the rhythms of the earth. He is interested in trying to understand the mechanism behind Affinity and has all but abandoned his seismological research to work with Shirley on Affinity.

Shirley Ortiz (Liza Colon-Zayas) – Not an Affinate herself, but her son was one. He had a deep Affinity for machines, working as a Formula 1 engineer, and is currently missing. She is a pathologist and works with the Affinity Unit, helping them to research and solve mysteries. She also assists Harry with his research on the biological side.

Oluwatobi (Tobi) Iku (Babs Olusanmokun) – An assassin for hire, Tobi Iku was buried alive with his dead by his abusive father mother. He was eight years old at the time. When his aunt rescued him from the coffin, his first act was to kill his father. He is a rare Affinate who has an Affinity for death and can work out how to kill someone by simply starting a chain reaction of events.

Max McDowall (Martin Sheen) – An American billionaire who made his money in oil and is deeply suspicious of Affinity. He has firmly held beliefs that conspiracy theories are real and is the force behind the deaths and kidnappings.

Plot:

The story opens with a fire in St Martin’s church, London, that Arden is investigating. A single tarot card is affixed to the outside of the church door, Death. Whilst investigating, the body of a man is uncovered and instead of the police investigating, the case is taken over by Interpol agent, Gil Fontenot. Arden has little time for brash Gil, who seems to have a very strange way of investigating, tracing the lines of the water used to put out the fire and then the patterns of blood from the dead man, which should have been destroyed by the fire. However, he is struck by her fire investigation capabilities and recognises her as a fellow Affinate. He recruits her to the top secret Affinity Unit and helps her to recognise her power for what it is.

During their investigation they find that Tobi Iku is likely responsible for the body in the church – his calling card is the tarot card - and that he has been employed by someone very powerful. Gil has tangled with Tobi before and only barely lived to tell the tale. They race to protect the person identified as his next victim, but ultimately fail, leaving them disheartened and Arden wonders why she thought she could help.

Gil and Arden follow the clues to a warehouse in docklands where there is evidence that experiments are being conducted on Affinates. They are locked into a room within the warehouse and gassed into unconsciousness. They awake to find themselves on a ship at sea, the latest kidnap victims, and they are taken to a lab where blood is taken before they are thrown back in a brig. McDowall makes a brief appearance to see how his project is progressing, but Gil is somewhat distracted by the huge amount of water around him which messes with his Affinity and overwhelms him. Arden has to rescue them, which she does by destroying the boat’s engine using her Affinity for fire and pulling Gil out of his dazed state. The crew abandon ship, leaving Arden and Gil to die.

They call for help, and just have time to grab some important documents left behind. Gil uses his Affinity to ensure they stay afloat and they are picked up from the Atlantic by a military vessel sent by the Affinity Unit.

They analyse the data they have found, and realise that McDowall is trying to find a way to give non-Affinates their abilities, and ultimately combine all the Affinities into a single drug that he can sell to the highest bidder. Potentially this would build an army of super soldiers and destabilise the world. Harry creates a controversial drug that would remove Affinity and makes just two doses, for emergencies only. The Affinity Unit pull together all their resources for one final showdown with McDowall in Iceland, where he plans to demonstrate the capabilities of his Synthetic Affinates.

The Affinity Unity make use of all their contacts to destroy McDowall’s base and rescue Shirley’s son. The final showdown sees McDowall dosing himself up on fire Affinity and facing off against Arden, using a volcano as their weapons. Meanwhile Gil finally gets to finish his encounter with Tobi and this time gets the upper hand, using Harry’s anti-affinity drug to stop Tobi, who miscalculates and accidentally kills himself with set of circumstances meant to kill Gil.

The Affinates go home, knowing that the world is saved.

[beardedmrbean]

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/rouen-cathedrals-spire-is-fire-2024-07-11/

If I had a nickel for every time something in my general area makes international news this year alone...

(Previous one was the shooting at the Incarville highway toll. Always a pleasure when I'm around 😅)

If I had a nickle for every time my hometown made the global news for some kind of major scandal i'd have like 4 or 5, so ya I get ya

Reuters links don't embed for some reason

Rouen cathedral fire brought under control after initial echo of Notre-Dame

PARIS, July 11 (Reuters) - Firefighters brought a blaze on the spire of Rouen's historic cathedral in northern France under control on Thursday after it had sent a thick plume of smoke into the sky and reminded onlookers of the fire at Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris.

People in the streets below watched in horror as 40 fire engines rushed to the site and emergency workers set up a cordon around the cathedral, a jewel of French medieval Gothic architecture made famous by the paintings of impressionist Claude Monet in the 19th century.

The spire had been in renovation for years and was surrounded by scaffolding and a white cover when the fire began about 120 metres above ground level.

Eye-witness Patrick Waeselynck told BFM television he was sitting at the terrace of a nearby cafe when he heard people shouting "fire".

"I turn around and I see the cathedral spire, the tarpaulin which was protecting the restoration work, which was burning, big flames, black smoke," he said.

"The first thing we thought was what happened in Paris, it was a shock of course. But the police arrived, they set up a security perimeter, the firefighters arrived."

Workers involved in the renovation raised the alarm, said fire brigade chief Stephane Gouezec.

"The elements that were combusting when we arrived were plastic elements from the worksite," Gouezec told several TV channels just outside the building.

TV footage at 1105 GMT showed the plume of smoke had stopped billowing from the spire.

The fire brigade chef said 70 firefighters and about 40 fire engines were taking part in the operation. He said they would keep working until all hot spots were extinguished.

The local prefect, Jean-Benoit Albertini, said officials were assessing if any parts of the cathedral or its art works were at risk of water damage from the response to the fire.

"It's possible though not certain that we may have to remove certain items which could be at risk from projected water," said Albertini.

Rouen cathedral looked to have escaped the fate of Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris, where a devastating fire which also started during renovation works destroyed the roof, the spire and almost toppled the main bell towers.

Five years on, restoration of the Paris landmark continues and its reopening is scheduled for December. As of April this year the renovation had cost 550 million euros ($599 million).

Earlier this year a massive fire hit another historic European building, Copenhagen's Old Stock Exchange, toppling its spire. Large parts of the outer walls later collapsed.

Looks like this one could have been way worse than it was at least, major bummer though.

[skelegun]

I watched “Cross of Iron” (1977) directed by Sam Peckinpah last night. I highly recommend it to people who like historical films, and anti-war movies. Below will be some spoilers so if you don’t want those go watch the movie.

It’s set on the Eastern Front in 1943. The film starts with children singing in German while various black and white archive footage WWII plays. The protagonist is a German soldier named Steiner who is disillusioned with the war and with Germany. The central conflict is between him and his newly transferred in superior officer Stransky. Stransky is of Prussian aristocratic blood, and gave up a cushy posting in occupied Paris for the chance to win the Iron Cross. They instantly despise each other as their first interaction is Stransky ordering Steiner to execute a Soviet child soldier they took prisoner, which Steiner refuses to do. Steiner tells Stransky to do it himself if he wants to so badly, Stransky can’t bring himself to though.

Shortly after arriving, Stransky discovers that his adjutant Lt. Triebig is a gay, and in a relationship with a subordinate, and uses this as blackmail against him, threatening him and his boyfriend both with execution, telling them he will hang them together slowly. Soviets attack their position and in the chaos, Stransky cowers in his bunker, the child prisoner they took is gunned down in the crossfire, and Steiner is wounded.

Steiner wakes up in a hospital, and there is a really neat sequence where we experience his concussion through surreal editing. Steiner returns to the front and is given the rank of Sergeant. Stransky asks him to sign a document saying he witnessed Stransky lead the counterattack so that he may receive his Iron Cross. The document requires two officers to sign, and the blackmailed Triebig is the other.

When Steiner refuses to sign it he and Triebig are called before Colonel Brandt, Brandt basically confirms he knows that Stransky is a lying sack of shit, and if Steiner won’t sign the sign document he will launch an investigation would could lead to both Stransky and Triebig being punished. This causes Steiner to hesitate, and have a breakdown explaining to Brandt that he hates the war, he hates Germany, and he hates every officer even the more sympathetic ones like Brandt.

Shortly after this Soviets launch a massive offensive against the Germans, and Stransky receives the order to retreat. He orders Triebig to give the retreat order to Steiner’s platoon, but once Triebig starts to speak into the phone, Stransky cuts the phone line. Steiner and his men never receive the order and are soon engulfed in a massive Soviet attack. This sequence was spectacular, as real authentic WWII T-34 tanks were used. At one point in the battle Steiner and his men are forced to take shelter in a broken factory, which leads to an awesome scene where a T-34 drives right through the wall of the factory!

Steiner and his men are now trapped behind enemy lines. They desperately try to make it back to the German lines, at one pointing stumbling upon an unsuspecting all female Soviet brigade. Two of Steiner’s men try to take advantage of the captured Russian women and are killed. Steiner let’s the surviving women go but takes their uniforms. They use the ill-fitting uniforms to infiltrate the Soviet lines. He contacts the German command and informs them he survived and will be returning with some Russian POWs (his men in Russian uniforms). Stransky had assumed Steiner was dead, and without him to testify Brandt wouldn’t be able to prosecute him and Triebig. When Stransky learns though that Steiner survived and will be returning with a bunch of men in Soviet uniforms he suggests to Triebig that “accidents” happen in war and that he will trust Triebig to handle it.

As Steiner and his men approach the German lines disguised as surrending Soviet forces, Triebig orders a machine gunner to fire on them. The loader pleads with him not to, as they look like unarmed Soviet prisoners with their hands up being marched by a few German soldiers, but to no avail. Most of Steiner’s men are cut to ribbons. The Soviets begin bombarding the German position. Steiner reaches the German trench and Triebig tries to squirm out of responsibility, Steiner in a fit of rage guns him down. The Soviets start their massive assault at this time, and Colonel Brandt basically accepts his fate and prepares to go down in a blaze of glory.

Steiner finds Stransky, and tells him that Triebig failed. Stransky pretends to not know what he is talking about. Steiner threatens to kill him, but Stransky says that he is no coward. Steiner decides to show him “where the iron crosses grow” and hands him a gun. Stransky thinks about killing Steiner with the gun but decides against it and follows him into battle. Steiner starts to cackle like a madman as Stransky starts shooting at a Soviet child soldier before running out of ammo and desperately asking Steiner how to reload his gun. The film cuts to various black and white still images of war crimes as children sing and Steiner cackles.

It was a fantastic anti-war film. The action sequences were amazingly well shot, and the use of authentic WWII weaponry and vehicles were fantastic. Also I found the subplot about Triebig and his homosexuality interesting for a movie from 70s, yes he is an antagonist in the film but he is an unwilling one, who you see his gradual corruption at Stransky’s hands, it’s arguable that he didn’t cross any moral threshold until the end when he ordered the firing at the prisoners. Steiner even seemed sympathetic towards him to a certain point as evidenced by his reluctance to testify against Stransky when Brandt mentioned that it would also implicate Triebig.

My only real gripe with the movie is the ending, I felt it could have used more work. It just kind of ends abruptly. I read however that they had a much more spectacular ending planned but they ran out of both time and budget so they had to cobble something together last moment.

I highly recommend it. Apparently there is a sequel where Steiner returns, and this time is in France, and is plotting to kill Hitler or something, it’s by a different director and it got terrible reviews. It sounds really dumb and I probably won’t watch it, I kinda interpreted the ending of this one that Steiner accepted his fate and him and Stransky probably died off screen moments later. Having him survive and now be on the Western front seems like kinda of a cop out.

[severingt]

SoulPM Playlist 15 March

Schools Out – Alice Cooper

Louie Louie – The Kingsmen

Friday On My Mind – The Easybeats

Reaching For The Best – The Exciters

Fortunate Son – Creedence Clearwater Revival

Backstabbers – The O’Jays

Fire Brigade – The Move

How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You – Junior Walker and the All Stars

Friday I’m In Love – The Cure

Lady Marmalade – Labelle

Viva Malta – Freddie Portelli

My Old Piano – Diana Ross

Positively 4th Street – Bob Dylan

Ms Grace – the Tymes

A Good Year For The Roses – George Jones

Womans Got Soul – The Impressions

Cottage In The Country – Isla Grant

Baba O’Reilly – The Who

Three Little Birds – Bob Marley

Walk On By – Isaac Hayes

Wooly Bully – Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs’

Do You Love Me? – The Contours

Brand New Friend – Lloyd Cole and the Commotions

Night Owl – Bobby Paris

Sympathy For The Devil – The Rolling Stones

Move On Up – Curtis Mayfield

How Soon Is Now – The Smiths

Perfect Day – Various

War – Edwin Starr

Nut Rocker – Bee Bumble and the Stingers

If You Let Me Stay – Terrence Trent D’Arby

Rain – The Beatles

In My Place – Coldplay

If You’re Ready – The Staple Singers

Love Machine – The Miracles