#engineers expeditionary forces

[djpain619]

WIP WEDNESDAY

Hey look buddy, He's an engineer. That means he solves Problems. Not problems like "what is beauty," Because that would fall under the pervue of your conundrums of philosophy...

He solves Practical Problems, Like "How do I stop some big mean Motherhubbord from giving me a structurally superfluous new behind?"

The answer, Use A Gun, and if that don't work, Use Moar Gun. And if that don't work then its time to Return to Tradition and break out Ol' Reliable, his ancestral Greataxe.

I think he looks right at home, ranked up with the rest of the Warband.

[jpitha]

Between the Black and Grey 64

First / Previous / Next

Fen tried to lean forward to get a better view of what Han'iel was doing, but she was still strapped tightly to the table. She tried to speak, but her mouth was still covered.

"Nothing you need to worry yourself about, Empress - or rather, former Empress" Han'iel said. Fen could hear him tapping on a pad just out of sight. In fact, here-" He loosened the cover over her mouth. "You can't hurt me now, so you may speak if you wish."

"Former Empress?"

"Yes, the beacons I linked out announced your abdication as well as an announcement of the K'laxi's independence, and a call to arms to resist the human empire's tyranny."

No. He's lying.

"Han'iel... what is your plan?"

He stuck his head around the table so that Fen could see him. His ears waggled a grin. "You'll learn in time, just like everyone else." He tapped on his pad some more as he walked back into Fen's view. "In fact, here, you can see the first part of our plan." He turned his pad so that Fen could see it. On the screen was a confused mess of light and streaks of energy, but as she stared, she realized what she was looking at. It was K'laxi ships attacking her expeditionary force.

"No," she whispered. "What are you doing?"

"I'm doing what my ancestors should have done centuries ago. We are taking back our agency."

"But K'laxi and Humans have always been allies!" Fen's voice was wavering. She knew that Ma-ren had planned things, and she wasn't able to learn them without alerting the Nanites, but... was it this?

This is what happens when you try to defy us, Fen. It never works out. Do you think you're the first to try and do something without us knowing? We always learn. It always fails.

"I don't even know what Han'iel is doing! I have no idea what he and Ma planned! I can't try and trick you if I don't know what's going on." Fen thought.

Fen's worries were interrupted by thuds and pings against the hull of her ship. In the distance sirens sounded, and she could hear pressure doors slamming shut.

"Han'iel what is going on? T̵͌͜e̶̓ͅl̶̟͌l̸̪͘ ̶͈̾m̸̱͝e̶̲̾.̴̣́"

The K'laxi's body stiffened when she used the Voice, and he turned to face her. "Empress, by now you should have been able to figure it out, but if you're still feeling the effects of the anesthetic, then I will indulge. You are no longer Empress. The K'laxi are attacking your ships, and have informed Venus that their rule extends no further than Sol once again. We have the Gren, the Sefigans, and the Xenni on our side.

A minor setback. Just order him to stand down, and give up.

"Don't think I don't know about those little nanotechnology weapons you have swimming in your blood and in the air. You may have kept quiet about them, but we were able to discern there presence and were able to isolate our lab from them." Han'iel nodded to himself. After our work on your antimatter weapons, we dedicated ourselves to reverse engineering them, actually. Would you like to see something interesting?" Han'iel took out a little phial from his coat pocket. Inside it was a black, oily liquid, and somehow absorbed light, but also shimmered as he tipped it back and forth. "These are nanomachines, but our own. We took the general template from yours and improved them."

What.

"Improved? What did you do?" Fen swallowed and she could feel sweat bead on her forehead. Was it her doing that, or was it the Nanites?

****

Gord was glued to the telescopes, watching the battle. It had started as a close match, but the K'laxi ships were going to win. As he watched, a second human expeditionary ship was destroyed. As the white fireball died away, he saw the K'laxi ships swarm the debris. What were they doing?

Chloe sat in the command chair while Gord stared. She ran a diagnostic on the ship for the third time. Everything was fine and in excellent working order. She checked the reactors, the matter printers, and the weapons. Finally she sighed. "Gord. We're going to have to either help or leave. Once the K'laxi run out of targets, they're going to scan the system and find us. I have a feeling they won't stop to as if we're actually human or not."

"Dammit." Gord's voice was quiet. "I - We can't leave Fen. She's falling victim to a coup. You know what happens to the old ruler." Gord made a gesture drawing his thumb across his neck.

"So you want to go in guns blazing and rescue her?" Chloe's eyes were wide and she half chuckled in disbelief. "Gord, I don't think we should pick sides so easily just yet."

Gord closed his pad and stood up. "No Chloe, you're right. I'll go in quietly, grab her and leave."

"How are you- no. No Gord!" Chloe stood up. "Those things are dangerous. They never work right. How many people died when we used them against Melody?"

Gord crossed his arms. "Chloe, it's the only way. You're right in that we shouldn't throw our lot in with humanity... yet, but I can't let Fen die out there alone. Will you help me?"

"Fuck me Gord." Chloe sat back in the command chair. As she did, she leaned her head all the way back against the headrest. There was a click, and when she leaned her head forward, ten hair thin wires were connected to the base of her neck. "I'm online, Gord." Chloe's voice came from the ship's speakers, though she still looked at him with a sour face. "I'll get some high resolution scans while you put the pack on.

Gord made it to the armory in less than a minute and pressed his palm against a wall opposite the weapon lockers. He felt the scan tickle and handshake with his subsystems, and the wall slid open, revealing a rack of AI weapons and armor. Gord picked up a massive battle rifle like the one he used to save Fen so long ago, and grabbed what looked like an old hiking frame. It was black and metallic, and fit on his back snugly. As he shrugged it on, lights on the side started to blink and an overlay of the pack flooded his vision. "I hate this thing." Gord said to nobody.

"I hate it too Gord. Tell me why you're using it again?" Chloe's voice was in his ear.

"You damn well know why. Do you have a navigation solution?"

"A millisec. Yes, I have one." Gord's overlay showed Fen's ship as an outline in his vision. As he turned, the ship stayed where it was in space. a section in the middle glowed yellow. "You may link when ready. Remember you have two shots on that pack - one there, one back."

"I know, I know. Don't forget I was there when they were first used." Gord grumbled as he reached behind himself and flipped some chunky toggles.

"Safe travels then." Chloe said, and there was a flash of white in the armory, and Gord was gone.

****

"We merely took the nanomachines that you had and made our own. Smarter. More powerful. Able to engage your nanomachines and defeat them. Each of the beacons we sent out into the Galaxy has a supply onboard as well as instructions on how to construct more. Since you weren't forthcoming with your own, we also let everyone know about your pet nanomachines. Ours will defeat yours."

He's bluffing again. We can sense nothing of the sort from his phial.

"You're bluffing," Fen said. "My Nanites can't detect anything from your phial."

"Oh, that's because they're not active. Hold on one moment." Han'iel put the phial back in his pocket and tapped on his tablet quickly. He then took out the phial. "There. Now can your pet nanomachines detect them?"

"Well?" Fen thought.

There was no reply.

Han'iel's laugh was the staccato barking cough of K'laxi laughter. "I can tell by your expression that they have been able to detect them, here." He popped the top on the phial and tipped it upside down. "Now they can become more aquainted."

As the phial was tipped over, the oily black liquid poured out, but before it would have splashed onto the floor it had disappeared into a black fog which quickly dissipated. Fen's eyes were locked on the fog, as it roiled and spread across the floor. She noticed that whenever the fog touched something, it began to... be eaten for lack of a better description. Walls, floors, things were slowly disappearing.

"Ah yes, they're hungry. Don't worry Fen, they know enough to not completely consume the ship. They are merely increasing their numbers to meet the threat of your Nanites. They will grow in number until they are sufficiently numerous to overwhelm your Nanites and destroy them." Han'iel looked around, and sat in a nearby chair. "My studies have led me to believe that the removal of your level if Nanite... infection is fatal. I am curious to see if that's true."

"Han'iel, what? What are you doing? I thought you and Ma-ren had a plan."

"Ma-ren? Your dead wife? I never knew her. I never met her."

Fen felt light headed. The room began to spin. This wasn't the plan? This wasn't what Ma had worked so hard to have happen? She began to hyperventilate. "No, that can't be true. You said that phrase to me. Ma-ren utemia lak'men. It triggered my memories."

"Ah, that. Yes, that was recommended by a colleague to tell you in order to distract you long enough to finish the beacon printing and complete the final preparations. I assume that someone else had been working on you for a long time. I am merely the trigger to the weapon that was built and armed over may years right under your nose. Fenchurch, Empress, you are dead. What you are experiencing now is merely a vehicle coasting to a stop."

Fen began to thrash in her bindings. She could feel something... odd happening. The Nanites weren't speaking to her, but they were doing something. It was like her skin was boiling, like her head was on fire.

As Han'iel watched, there was a flash of white light and a thunderclap on the command deck. The noise and shock were such that even his active noise cancelling couldn't absorb it all, and he was knocked back from the pressure. Dazed, he sat up from the floor and saw a man, human shaped, wearing a large black contraption on his back untie Fen. "Stop!" His voice was muzzy from the concussive blast. "Leave her, she's already dead. There will be no more Empress."

"That may be, friend," Gord said, "But I intend to make sure there is still Fen." he wrapped her into a huge bear hug, and the two of them linked away.

[dangerousthingobservation]

F-15C Eagles from the 44th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron - PICRYL - Public Domain Media Search Engine Public Domain Search

Download Image of F-15C Eagles from the 44th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron. Free for commercial use, no attribution required. F-15C Eagles from the 44th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron takeoff at Prince Sultan Air Base, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Aug. 25, 2020. The 44th EFS conduct flying sorties daily to deliver air dominance in the U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Cary Smith). Dated: 24.08.2020. Topics: deployed, centcom, uscentcom, saudi arabia, deterrence, afcent, f 15 eagle, usafcent, air force, united states air force, usaf, air dominance, deployed airmen, kingdom of saudi arabia, ksa, cary smith, staff sgt cary smith, prince sultan air base, psab, 378 aew, 378th air expeditionary wing, 378th aew, wintoday, prevailtomorrow, 44 efs provides deterrence support to region, dvids, ultra high resolution, high resolution, jet aircraft, military aircraft, us air force

[banks-lawson]

Banks Lawson of the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing of the U.S. Air Force. Stationed at Bagram Air Base. December 12, 2019.

“This one is good!” Banks called out as he smacked the side of the Black Hawk helicopter he just finished inspecting. “Number 3184 ready for liftoff whenever you’re ready, sir.” Turning, Banks saluted to his superior, Colonel Altman.

“Stand down, Lawson. I’ll take it from here.” The Colonel disappeared into an aircraft hangar to grab the group that would be taking 3184 to the nearby medical hospital.

The day before was hell on earth. The airbase was attacked by a suicide bomber that left 80 wounded and 1 killed. Black Hawk 3184 would be transporting the more critical patients to a safer place to recover.

Banks assisted wheeling gurneys onto the aircraft while doctors and nurses manned their medications and ventilators. It felt surreal. After being stationed there for years, this was the first time Banks witnessed true destruction. He’d been lucky until then; simply repairing and inspecting aircrafts on the day to day. Now, he was watching people with amputated limbs and bloody bandages load into a helicopter he inspected.

Banks and the rest of the airmen staying on the ground watched as the Black Hawk lifted into the clouds and disappeared, silently praying to themselves for safe travels and lives saved.

“Back to work!” Colonel Altman barked, making them all disperse to continue working on the endless amount of repairs that needed done from the previous day’s attacks.

An hour later, everyone’s radios started to pick up the same message. “Mayday, mayday!” Afraid of another bombing, Banks grabbed his radio and took cover beside the plane he’d been working on. “Is anyone there?” They asked. Banks heard a voice over the commotion answer the mayday. “Colonel Altman here. What are your coordinates? What’s happening?”

“It’s Black Hawk 3184.” The shaky voice spoke through the static. “All engines have failed. We’re going down.”

[walkingthroughthisworld]

The M26 Pershing is a heavy tank/medium tank formerly used by the United States Army. It was used in the last months of World War II during the Invasion of Germany and extensively during the Korean War. The tank was named after General of the Armies John J. Pershing, who led the American Expeditionary Force in Europe in World War I.

It was withdrawn in 1951 in favor of its improved derivative, the M46 Patton, which had a more powerful and reliable engine and advanced suspension. The lineage of the M26 continued with the M47 Patton, and was reflected in the new designs of the later M48 Patton and M60 Patton.

[usafphantom2]

B-52 bombers arrive in the Pacific to provide strategic deterrence

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 02/05/2024 - 19:39in Military

A B-52H Stratofortress, assigned to the 23º Expeditionary Bomber Squadron, taxis on the flight line at Andersen Air Base, Guam, on January 30, 2024. (Photo: U.S. Air Force / Airman 1st Class Alyssa Bankston)

Four B-52 Stratofortress bombers designated for the 5ª Bomber Wing of Minot Air Base, North Dakota, landed at Andersen Air Base, Guam, in late January, as part of a Bomber Task Force (BTF) to support strategic deterrent missions aimed at strengthening international order rules based on the Indo-Pacific region.

While deployed in Guam, B-52 operations and support personnel are assigned to the 23º Expeditionary Bomber Squadron. The 23º EBS will integrate alongside the Allies and partners to demonstrate the U.S. commitment to security and stability throughout the region.

Designed to show the U.S. ability to deter, deny and dominate, BTF missions aim to influence and deter the aggression of opponents or competitors.

While in Guam, the bombers will also support the largest multilateral exercise of the Pacific Air Forces, the Cope North. The exercise, scheduled from February 5 to 23, will be co-led by the Australian Royal Air Force (RAAF) and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF).

Cope North 24 kicks off with ?? ?? integration#CopeNorth24 enhances US relationships & interoperability w/Allies & partners by providing the opportunity to exchange info & improve shared tactics to better integrate multilateral defense capabilities. #CN24pic.twitter.com/99T0YKsspb

— PACAF (@PACAF) February 4, 2024

Reacting to the arrival of the aircraft, Captain Zachary "Smash" Holmes, arms officer of the 23º EBS, said it was great "finally to have some iron on the ground".

"It's great to finally receive our crews, so we're ready to leave and participate in the mission, as well as prepare our maintenance staff to support where necessary," Holmes said. "We are ready to go."

A B-52H Stratofortress, assigned to the 23º Expeditionary Bomber Squadron, taxis on the flight line at Andersen Air Base, Guam, on January 30, 2024. (Photo: U.S. Air Force / Airman 1st Class Alyssa Bankston)

Air crews and support personnel are looking for every opportunity to train alongside our allies and partners to build interoperability and strengthen our collective capacity to support a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Tags: Military AviationBoeing B-52H StratofortressBTFUSAF - United States Air Force / U.S. Air Force

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Fernando Valduga

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, he has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. He has works published in specialized aviation magazines in Brazil and abroad. He uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation.

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[krastbannert]

The Day of Days: Eighty Years After

It was a brisk summer night, almost like any other June night in England.

The terror of the Blitz was long over. Four years ago, the Battle of Britain long had been won. Two years ago in the Pacific the Americans had shocked the world with impossible victories at Midway and Guadalcanal.  A year ago, the last German forces had surrendered in North Africa, and the Communists of the Soviet Union had done the impossible and stopped the German war machine in its tracks at the gates of Stalingrad and Moscow before, finally, turning the tide at Kursk. A month early the British Army in India had stopped the Imperial Japanese Army in its tracks at Kohima Ridge, and for the first time in three years the Japanese were on the run. Just a day before, the American Fifth Army had liberated Rome, freeing the "Eternal City" from fascism after twenty years.

They were winning - just. The war was still going on, ever-present in their minds, but they could sleep soundly under a quiet, friendly sky.

But in the dark, in army camps and airfields and naval bases and offices across the southwest of England, the scene was very different. Men whispered to each other, prayers and jokes, trying to lighten the tension in the air, so thick they could cut it with a knife. John Ford - the famed Hollywood director turned Navy Field Photographic unit captain - supposedly told his wife he was going off for a little local skirmish. And in his private office, Dwight D. Eisenhower - Commander, Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force - typed the resignation he hoped he'd never have to give. If the unthinkable happened, if this gamble failed...they might never get another chance.

All at once, all across the southwest of England, just before midnight, the quiet was shattered by the roar of thousands upon thousands of piston engines, and thousands of men, some barely out of high school, clambered aboard planes and landing craft for a journey into the dark.

Eisenhower penned a short note, and ensured that a copy was given to every single one of the men under his command. It read, very simply:

"You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on other Fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world."

It was June 6th, 1944, and after three years of begging by Josef Stalin, and a year of intense planning, brutal training, unparalleled deception, and massive buildup, the time had come to do the impossible.

The Allies were going to break the Atlantic Wall, or die trying.

It was a herculean task. The Germans had spent four years preparing for just this day, filling every beach from Cherbourg to Amsterdam with every kind of mine imaginable, dotting Czech hedgehogs and wooden posts tipped with high explosives along the shallow coastlines, and building bunkers with encased machine guns and artillery, pre-sighting mortars and artillery, digging trenches and building tens of thousands of pillboxes, and digging enough anti-aircraft positions to turn night into day. In command was Erwin Rommel, the famed "Desert Fox", a veteran of the brutal World War I Italian front, and one of the best tank commanders in the world who had fought across France and North Africa. Under his command were almost half a million German troops, including battle hardened veterans of France, Africa, and Russia.

Standing against them, over a thousand planes and gliders carrying over 23,000 paratroopers from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. Behind them, thousands of fighters and bombers and almost seven thousand landing craft and ships carrying more than 160,000 men from thirteen nations.

The Day of Days began just after midnight.

At 00:48 on June 6th, 1944, the men of the 101st Airborne became the first of to make a terrifying jump into the dark.

It was the beginning of the single largest amphibious invasion ever attempted. Six hours after the paratroopers took the plunge, at 06:30 local time, the first men stumbled onto shore, and into the jaws of death.

Almost immediately, the entire plan fell apart. Fog, cloud cover, a lack of navigators, and brutal anti-aircraft fire forced many pilots to signal the paratroopers to drop outside their assigned zones, mixing units and men and causing absolute chaos on the ground. The weather in the channel was not much better: high seas swamped many of the landing craft and amphibious tanks, and strong currents pushed entire regiments out of their landing zones.

When the men finally made it to the beach, they faced a desperate run across the dreaded shingle: a nearly half-mile expanse of open sand and rock, with no protection at all from the waiting German defenders. Their fire support - the naval vessels waiting offshore, bristling with guns of all calibers - was of little help; the captains refused to close any farther than the extreme ranges for fear of counter fire. And the bad weather in the skies above prevented pilots from accurate close air support.

Over ten thousand men from both sides would have their lives ripped apart on beaches in just that first day.

On Omaha Beach alone, almost two thousand men were killed. Some didn't even get a chance to face the enemy - instead, they simply drowned, their heavy equipment weighing them down into the cold waters of the North Atlantic. The beaches themselves, its said, turned red with blood as men were killed by the dozen. At Gold, Juno, and Sword Beaches, the Canadians and British managed to make it off the beach, only to be forced into fortified towns, where they endured the brutality and chaos of house-to-house urban warfare. At Pointe du Hoc, between Omaha and Utah Beach, the U.S. 2nd Ranger Battalion were forced to scale a one hundred foot cliff under withering enemy fire, only to become totally cut off. When they were finally relieved after two days, only 65 of the original 200 men were left standing, and they were forced to use captured German weapons as theirs ran out of ammunition, resulting in some of their number being killed due to friendly fire.

The paratroopers faired even worse - of the more than 20,000 American paratroopers and aircrew who made the desperate flight across the Channel, it's estimated that more than twelve thousand were killed.

The carnage was unlike anything anyone in the Allied forces had seen before, unlike Operation Torch or El Alamein in North Africa, unlike the Miracle of Dunkirk or the Battle of Britain, unlike Guadalcanal and New Guinea, unlike Salerno, Anzio, and Sicily.

For this untold sacrifice, this bloody hell that almost two hundred thousand men endured, they had only managed to capture a few square miles, only two of five beaches were connected, and they had failed to capture a single major city or port. The Allies failed to achieve even one of their major objectives - save one.

After five years of war, the Allies had a foothold.

The mother of all Hail Mary's had worked.

By the end of D-Day, almost 160,000 men had crossed the Channel into Fortress Europe.

On D+6, the beaches were finally connected.

On D+7, the city of Carentan was freed by the 101st Airborne, the first major French town to be liberated.

By D+20, the port city of Cherbourg was taken, and the Cotentin Peninsula was free after four long years.

On D+50, the city of Caen was freed, and the objectives of D-Day had finally been completed. By this time, more than 1.5 million men from 15 nations had landed in Europe.

On D+70, the Allies landed on the beaches of Côte d'Azur, and in only four weeks broke the southern German front line, and liberated the entire south of France.

On D+76, the Falaise Pocket collapsed, and the Battle of Normandy was finally declared over in a resounding Allied victory.

Then, at long last, on D+80, General der Infanterie Dietrich von Cholitz, at 3:30 PM local time, surrended the city of Paris to General Phillipe Leclerc. After four years of occupation, the first Allied capital was free. The footage of that day has been called some of the most thrilling and ecstatic footage in history.

The march continued, and on D+89, the Welsh Guards marched into the Belgian capital of Brussels.

But the war was far from over - on D+193, the Wehrmacht launched Operation Nordwind; the Battle of the Bulge had begun. It would be Germany's last offensive, at the cost of hundreds of thousands of lives.

On D+274, the Allies crossed the Rhine, and liberated the Netherlands, and then finally entered Germany.

On D+303, the U.S. 4th Armored Division stumbled upon a scene of unimaginable cruelty: it was a camp named Ohrdruf, part of the Buchenwald complex, the first concentration camp to be liberated by the United States. Allied intelligence services had long suspected what was going on, that their were camps across Europe for Hitler's "undesirables", and the Allies had even signed a declaration making public and condemning the killing of Jews in Poland, but no one was prepared to see the true scale of the atrocities. Eisenhower demanded that every single piece of the camp be photographed, videotaped, and documented, that everyone possible be brought to see it to impress upon them the reality of what the Germans had done. Hollywood director George Stevens was given the task of making movies describing the horrors of the Holocaust, movies that were later shown to the world at the Nuremberg Trials. The movies were said to be the moment that changed the course of the Nuremberg Trials.

Then, on April 30th, 1945 - three-hundred and twenty eight days after the 'Longest Day' - Adolf Hitler, the man who had been the head of so much destruction, who had started the most destructive war in human history and presided over the worst genocide mankind has ever perpetrated, commits suicide in a bunker in Berlin.

Three days later, on May 2nd, 1945, the surrender of German Army Group C goes into effect, and the Gothic Line that had long since stymied the Allied advance in Italy finally collapses.

And on D+336, eleven months after landing on the beaches of France, Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel would sign the German Instrument of Surrender, and the German Wehrmacht laid down its arms.

The Reich that Adolf Hitler had once boasted would last for a thousand years had fallen after just twelve.

The War in Europe was over.

Eleven months after he wrote it, the promise Eisenhower made to his men - the destruction of the German Army, the end of Nazi tyranny in Europe - had finally come true.

It had been five and a half long, blood-soaked years since the war in Europe began, but at long last, Europe was free. It would takes years, even decades, to rebuild from the destruction, but finally, there was a tomorrow to live for.

Eighty years on, we still grapple with their sacrifice, and the choices they made afterwards in the world they built. But because of them, we were given a tomorrow to argue in - and a tomorrow to live for. All because thousands from across the world stepped onto a small, windswept beach, and seared the name of Normandy into history.

[marlonbrandto]

REINFORCEMENTS FOR AUN’SHAR

The response team lead by Commander Novastorm was intended to be the tip of the spear in the battle for Maynos. After his Orca dropship broke through the space marine fleet in orbit, however, he intercepted a distress signal coming from Tau forces already on the surface of the planet.

1. The Orcas’ security team has been reassigned to Strike Team Burning Ember, to replenish their ranks after most of the lighter armored members met their demise at the hand of the Necrons. Trained to clear and secure the drop zone, as well as defend within the confines of their dropship, they will be an invaluable addition to the Protectors infantry.

2. The Crimson Order crisis team is comprised of two iridium reinforced battlesuits, and four standard XV8 suits ,two of which are piloted by Shas’Vre rank veterans. The Order operates like a single organism, creating a strong phalanx with their shield generators around the Commander in one instant, then in the next scattering into two smaller teams led by the two Veterans, splitting the enemies’ attention as their Commander takes to the sky for a devastating aerial bombardment. Both of the veterans have equipped their suits with ritual blades, as they have each joined in a separate Ta’liserra, forming the sub-teams Crimson Dusk and Crimson Dawn, which, under the command of Commander Novastorm forms the Crimson Order.

3. Shas’O May’nar Bo’ran, AKA Commander Novastorm, piloting his custom XV-85 Coldstar Commander battlesuit. Despite the warnings of Earth Caste engineers, Bo’ran has removed almost all of the safeties and fine tuned the tolerances on his controls to react to the slightest twitch of his finger. Compared to other Coldstars, his current battlesuit moves three times faster, and can preform VTOL almost instantaneously, at the cost of the thrusters requiring constant maintenance to function. Bo’ran has encouraged the pilots under his command to perform similar modifications to their suits, breaking the limit of what the common XV8 crisis team can be capable of. Beyond the Coldstar thrusters and high-output burst cannon typically seen on a XV-85, Bo’rans’ suit is had been outfitted with an ejection system, shoulder mounted fusion blasters, a multi tracker targeting system, and the prototype Supernova Launcher, a modified grenade launcher that can hurl plasma grenades great distances, setting fire to organics and melting metals.

4. The Hammerhead gunship was intended to be used as a deterrent for enemies that would try to come close to the Orcas’ drop zone. Crewed by 3 skilled pilots, all work in tandem to fire pinpoint railgun slugs, decimating enemy armor from an incredible distance. The communication relay that was kept in its hull has been removed and left within the Orca, giving room for Aun’Shar and his infantry to board.

.5. The Orcas’ drone bays have been emptied for the greater good and support the expeditionary force. The presence of drones were sorely missed by the survivors of Aun’Shars’ honor guard, who were not requisitioned drones with the assumption that they would not ever be under heavy fire. With the last of the Orcas’ cargo unloaded, it will be at greater risk on its journey back to the fleet, but if the life of an ethereal hangs in the balance, such risk becomes almost necessary to ensure his safety.

________________________________________

As the Orca roars back into the atmosphere, Aun’Shar climbs into the Hammerhead. It’s a tight fit with the number of soldiers packed in, but not uncomfortable. Slowly the Hammerhead floats into the dark recess of the vault, closely followed by the escort of battlesuits and drones. Aun’Shar squeezes by his warriors to look out the viewport at the Maynos sun, wondering if this will be the last time he sees it as the blackness swallows his gunship.

[rabbitcruiser]

Maryhill Stonehenge, WA (No. 4)

On June 8, 1918 a total eclipse of the sun was predicted, with the best viewing point in the vicinity of Goldendale, Washington. Consequently, some of the best astronomers of the day were in Klickitat County. Professor Campbell, of Lick Observatory at the University of California, agreed to fix the position of the altar stone. Unlike the ancient Stonehenge, it is aligned to the astronomical horizon rather than the actual midsummer sunrise. This results in a three degree difference from the original structure. Combined with a five degree difference in latitude and the manner in which the surrounding hills obscure the actual horizon, Stonehenge Memorial is difficult to use as an astronomical calendar.

On July 4, 1918 the altar stone was dedicated with a plaque that reads:

To the memory of the soldiers and sailors of Klickitat County who gave their lives in defense of their country. This monument is erected in hope that others inspired by the example of their valor and their heroism may share in that love of liberty and burn with that fire of patriotism which death alone can quench.

Stonehenge Memorial was completed in 1929 and re-dedicated on Memorial Day of that year. The men honored at Stonehenge are James Henry Allyn, Charles Auer, Dewey V. Bromley, John W. Cheshier, William O. Clary, Evan Childs, James D. Duncan, Harry Gotfredson, Robert F. Graham, Louis Leidl, Carl A. Lester, Edward Lindblad, Henry O. Piendl and Robert F. Venable.

These men, all members of the American Expeditionary Force, represented the U.S. Army (Cavalry, Coast Artillery, Engineers and Infantry), U.S. Marines and the U.S. Navy.

When Samuel Hill died in 1931, his body was cremated and the ashes placed in a crypt just below the Stonehenge Memorial. The original crypt deteriorated in the next 25 years and was replaced in 1955 by a granite monument bearing his epitaph: “Samuel Hill: Amid nature’s great unrest, he sought rest.”

Source

[nullnvoid911]

Lance Cpl. Davonte Black and Cpl. Daniel Aboytegamez, combat engineers with India Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, practice clearing a route for amphibious assault vehicles during a platoon live-fire event at Pohakuloa Training Area in Hawaii.

Lance Cpl. Luke Kuennen / US Marine Expeditionary Force, August 24, 2017

[the-greatwar]

Reginald, known as Reggie, was the eldest son of William (Bill) Stenning and his wife Emily

Stenning nee Gander. He was born in late 1891 and baptised here on 01/11/1891. His father was a

gardener and the family lived at Treeps Cottage. He is listed at home on both the 1901 and 1911

censuses when he was a baker’s assistant.

Reggie’s papers have recently been digitised but form part of the ‘burnt documents’ severely

damaged in an incendiary attack on the repository during WW2. Reggie’s papers are missing large

sections. It is possible to work out that he joined the 1/1st Sussex (Fortress) Reserve of the Royal

Engineers as a sapper on 16/11/1914 and was numbered T224, the ‘T’ indicating this was a Territorial

unit. This unit was based in Newhaven and their role was local defence. As the dangers of invasion

receded six engineer units formed the 1/1st Sussex Army Troops Company, RE. With their specialist

knowledge they left England on board the Empress of India arriving at Le Havre on 20/03/1915

joining the British Expeditionary Force at Etaples. At some point Reginald was raised to Lance

Corporal and, although the date cannot be read, it is most likely to have been before he entered

France. The Company was employed building accommodation for the arriving troops and hospitals

and roads around Etaples. They were moved to Vimy Ridge in May of 1916. Here their role was to

extend the deep dugout and tunnel systems under the ridge. One of their innovations was to construct

a ropeway slung from the roof to carry the spoil out to the surface. This system was later adopted by

other units. They also built concrete machine gun positions, and if that were not enough, some of

them, reportedly, helped the local farmers with their harvest.

In late 1916 a reorganisation of troop numbering of the Territorial Forces was undertaken. Six figure

numbers were allocated and the Sussex Fortress men were given numbers starting at 545001 on 01/

02/1917. Reggie was renumbered 545119. Just two days before this Reggie was hit in the leg by a

shell splinter. He was taken to 45 Casualty Clearing Station based at ‘Edgehill’ near Dernancourt but

died the following day. He is buried in the Dernancourt Communal Cemetery Extension in grave IV.

H. 8. He is remembered on both local war memorials.

Grave B102 in the South Avenue Cemetery holds a member of the Stenning family. In 1920 an Act of

Remembrance laid flowers on the graves of all servicemen who had died. Reginald is mentioned in

the newspaper article and it is possible that flowers were laid here. There is no stone.

Reginald, bekend als Reggie, was de oudste zoon van William (Bill) Stenning en zijn vrouw Emily Stenning - Gander. Hij werd eind 1891 geboren en gedoopt op 01/11/1891. Zijn vader was een tuinman en het gezin woonde in Treeps Cottage. Hij staat vermeld op zowel de 1901 als de 1911 gehouden volkstellingen toen hij bakkersknecht was. Reggie's papieren zijn onlangs gedigitaliseerd, maar zijn ernstig beschadigd bij een brandbomaanval op de opslagplaats tijdens WO2. Van Reggie's papieren ontbreken groot gedeelten. Het is mogelijk om eruit op te maken dat hij zich aansloot bij de 1/1st Sussex (Fortress) Reserve van de Royal Genie als sappeur op 16/11/1914 en was genummerd T224, de 'T' gaf aan dat dit een Territorial eenheid was. Deze eenheid was gestationeerd in Newhaven en hun rol was vooral lokale verdediging. Toen de gevaren van een invasie afnamen werden zes genie-eenheden gevormd in de 1/1st Sussex Army Troops Company, RE. Ze verlieten Engeland aan boord van de Empress of India, waar ze op 20/03/1915 in Le Havre aankwamen en zich aansluiten bij de British Expeditionary Force in Etaples. Op een gegeven moment werd Reginald gepromoveerd tot Lance Korporaal en, hoewel de datum niet kan worden achterhaald, is het zeer waarschijnlijk dat het was voordat hij Frankrijk binnenkwam. De compagnie werd ingezet voor het bouwen van accommodatie voor de aankomende troepen en ziekenhuizen en wegen rond Etaples. Ze werden in mei 1916 verplaatst naar Vimy Ridge. Hier was het hun taak om diepe dug-outs en tunnelsystemen onder de heuveltoppen te graven. Een van hun innovaties was het bouwen van een kabelbaan die vanaf het dak wordt gebruikt om de specie naar de oppervlakte te brengen. Dit systeem werd later overgenomen door andere eenheden. Ze bouwden ook betonnen mitrailleurstellingen, en alsof dat nog niet genoeg was, naar verluidt hielpen ze de lokale boeren met hun oogst. Eind 1916 werd een reorganisatie van de troepennummering van de Territoriale Strijdkrachten ondernomen. Zes nummers werden toegewezen en de mannen van Sussex Fortress kregen nummers vanaf 545001 op 01/ 02/1917. Reggie werd omgenummerd tot 545119. Slechts twee dagen eerder werd Reggie in zijn been geraakt door een granaatsplinter. Hij werd naar 45 Casualty Clearing Station gebracht, gestationeerd in 'Edgehill' bij Dernancourt, maar overleed de volgende dag. Hij ligt begraven op de Dernancourt Communal Cemetery Extension in graf IV. H. 8. Hij wordt herdacht op beide lokale oorlogsmonumenten. In 1920 werd in het kader van de herdenking bloemen op de graven van alle gesneuvelde militairen gelegd. Reginald wordt genoemd in het krantenartikel, gewijd aan deze herdenking.

[lboogie1906]

Admiral Michelle Janine Howard (born April 30, 1960) is the first African American woman to command a Navy ship and the first woman of any race to attain the rank of admiral. Born in Riverside, California, she was one of four children of Air Force Master Sergeant Nick Howard and Philippa Howard. She entered the Naval Academy at Annapolis, where she graduated with a BS in Mathematics and was commissioned as an ensign in the Navy.

Her first sea duty was aboard the submarine tender USS Hunley for three years. She served on the aircraft carrier USS Lexington as a main engines officer. She earned the Secretary of the Navy/Navy League Captain Winifred Collins Award. She began service on the ammunition ship, the USS Mount Hood, as the chief engineer which resulted in her participation in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. She reported for duty as first lieutenant on the USS Flint. She became an executive officer on the docking ship USS Tortuga. She sailed to West Africa for a multi-nation training cruise.

She made history when she captained the dock landing ship USS Rushmore with a crew of more than 400 sailors, thus becoming the first African American woman to command a Navy ship. She led Amphibious Squadron Seven, deployed with Expeditionary Strike Group 5. She was promoted to Rear Admiral. She led Expeditionary Strike Group 2, deploying to CENTCOM theater where she commanded Task Force 151. She led Task Force 51, Expeditionary Forces. The event inspired the movie, Captain Phillips. She was the Maritime Task Force leader for BALTOPS.

President Obama lifted the ban on women serving in combat and pushed the effort to place more female soldiers in high-level defense positions. She was promoted to Vice Admiral and held the post of Deputy Commander of US Fleet Forces. She became a full Admiral, the first Navy woman ever to reach a four-star rank. She became the 38th Vice Chief of Naval Operations. She retired in December 2017.

Her recognitions are the NAACP Image Award, Women of Color STEM Career Achievement Award, and the USO Military Woman of the Year. She is married to retired Marine Captain Wayne Cowles. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #deltasigmatheta

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 7.18 (before 1950)

477 BC – Battle of the Cremera as part of the Roman–Etruscan Wars. Veii ambushes and defeats the Roman army. 387 BC – Roman-Gaulish Wars: Battle of the Allia: A Roman army is defeated by raiding Gauls, leading to the subsequent sacking of Rome. 362 – Roman–Persian Wars: Emperor Julian arrives at Antioch with a Roman expeditionary force (60,000 men) and stays there for nine months to launch a campaign against the Persian Empire. 452 – Sack of Aquileia: After an earlier defeat on the Catalaunian Plains, Attila lays siege to the metropolis of Aquileia and eventually destroys it. 645 – Chinese forces under general Li Shiji besiege the strategic fortress city of Anshi (Liaoning) during the Goguryeo–Tang War. 1195 – Battle of Alarcos: Almohad forces defeat the Castilian army of Alfonso VIII and force its retreat to Toledo. 1290 – King Edward I of England issues the Edict of Expulsion, banishing all Jews (numbering about 16,000) from England. 1334 – The bishop of Florence blesses the first foundation stone for the new campanile (bell tower) of the Florence Cathedral, designed by the artist Giotto di Bondone. 1389 – France and England agree to the Truce of Leulinghem, inaugurating a 13-year peace, the longest period of sustained peace during the Hundred Years' War. 1507 – In Brussels, Prince Charles I is crowned Duke of Burgundy and Count of Flanders, a year after inheriting the title. 1555 – The College of Arms is reincorporated by Royal charter signed by Queen Mary I of England and King Philip II of Spain. 1723 – Johann Sebastian Bach leads the first performance of his cantata Erforsche mich, Gott, und erfahre mein Herz, BWV 136, in Leipzig on the eighth Sunday after Trinity. 1806 – A gunpowder magazine explosion in Birgu, Malta, kills around 200 people. 1812 – The Treaties of Orebro end both the Anglo-Russian and Anglo-Swedish Wars. 1841 – Coronation of Emperor Pedro II of Brazil. 1857 – Louis Faidherbe, French governor of Senegal, arrives to relieve French forces at Kayes, effectively ending El Hajj Umar Tall's war against the French. 1862 – First ascent of Dent Blanche, one of the highest summits in the Alps. 1863 – American Civil War: Second Battle of Fort Wagner: One of the first formal African American military units, the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, supported by several white regiments, attempts an unsuccessful assault on Confederate-held Battery Wagner. 1870 – The First Vatican Council decrees the dogma of papal infallibility. 1872 – The Ballot Act 1872 in the United Kingdom introduced the requirement that parliamentary and local government elections be held by secret ballot. 1914 – The U.S. Congress forms the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps, giving official status to aircraft within the U.S. Army for the first time. 1925 – Adolf Hitler publishes Mein Kampf. 1942 – World War II: During the Beisfjord massacre in Norway, 15 Norwegian paramilitary guards help members of the SS to kill 288 political prisoners from Yugoslavia. 1942 – The Germans test fly the Messerschmitt Me 262 using its jet engines for the first time. 1944 – World War II: Hideki Tōjō resigns as Prime Minister of Japan because of numerous setbacks in the war effort.

[dangerousthingobservation]

picryl.com

F-15C Eagles from the 44th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron - PICRYL - Public Domain Media Search Engine Public Domain Search

Download Image of F-15C Eagles from the 44th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron. Free for commercial use, no attribution required. F-15C Eagles from the 44th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron takeoff at Prince Sultan Air Base, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Aug. 25, 2020. The 44th EFS conduct flying sorties daily to deliver air dominance in the U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Cary Smith). Dated: 24.08.2020. Topics: deployed, centcom, uscentcom, saudi arabia, deterrence, afcent, f 15 eagle, usafcent, air force, united states air force, usaf, air dominance, deployed airmen, kingdom of saudi arabia, ksa, cary smith, staff sgt cary smith, prince sultan air base, psab, 378 aew, 378th air expeditionary wing, 378th aew, wintoday, prevailtomorrow, 44 efs provides deterrence support to region, dvids, ultra high resolution, high resolution, jet aircraft, military aircraft, us air force

[elisabeth515]

PSA: The Sundowner

You probably have read of Charles Lightoller and the Sundowner in my recent Titanic officer post. Ever since Dunkirk, it has appeared in several occasions, including in the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012.

Now, the yacht is still here, as a museum ship in Ramsgate. Nevertheless, it has been in a bad state: a new engine has to be restored and the wooden walls are decaying… all in all, the yacht was in poor condition despite its connections to a Titanic Officer and a famous operation in WWII, and now it was at the hands of the shipbuilders for repair.

(See this video by Melissa for more info on Sundowner’s current condition)

The Sundowner is an important piece of history that connects us with an incredible story of survival, and I think it deserves to be preserved. Fortunately, my good friend Melissa on Tiktok has started a campaign on saving the getaway yacht: we need your help to raise funds to preserve it. If you want to help preserving a piece of history, go donate in the link below:

[airmanisr]

C1720, Caudron G.IV (1915), Musee de l'Air, Le Bourget, 05-06-2022 by Gordon Riley Via Flickr: The Caudron G4 was the first twin-engine combat aircraft commissioned in military aeronautics in November 1915. It took part in day and night bombing missions beyond the Rhine. The ace René Fonck , before switching to hunting, won several victories aboard his Caudron G4 on which he installed a fixed machine gun. Until 1916, the G4 was also used to escort other slower aircraft. Used until the end of the conflict, it is found in the Italian and English armies and within the American Expeditionary Corps . Robust and easy to fly, it is very appreciated by the Italian forces who use it above the mountains because of its climbing speed. In civilian life, it was used by airmen Poulet and Benoist who made the France-Burma connection (Paris-Ragoon) from October 14 to November 30, 1919 , i.e. 11,000 km, in 150 flight hours and 24 stages.