Afghanistan II in Ukraine

Nope.
Ukraine I

Start at 13:30...(unless you want to be triggered by domestic intel)

Bit of a difference this time around with the Ukies.
When Russia invaded Afghanistan, the Afghans didn't strike back very effectively.
Ukraine has.
Also....
We field-tested our FIM-92 'Stingers' with the Muj, but we're giving the Ukies much MUCH more .....er...direct support. (wink-wink!)

 

Oh, the horror.
I guess if the Dems are dull witted enough to think that Biden is sharp and capable, then they might also think that Trump will keep his word about honest-to-God killings.

 

At this point in time, politics aside, there's a substantial difference between polio and mid-to-late stage dementia and sundowning syndrome. A president who is only functional from 10am to 4 pm is not the answer.

 

Martin Niemoller was a successful U-boat commander in WWI.

Oberleutnant zur See Martin Niemöller - German and Austrian U-boats of World War One - Kaiserliche Marine - uboat.net

 

3 ships for 9,000 tonnes?
His country lost the war?
THEN they lost it again?

meh.
I'd say he was a middling sub skipper, but at least he brought his boat back and (presumptively) all of her crew.
He DID only have one war patrol as a sub skipper and the WW1 and those boats didn't have reloads the their tubes so I guess he did what he could.
I give him FULL and GENEROUS credit for being arrested and tried for “activities against the state” during the buildup for Dubbaya Dubbaya Too.
It's a harsh toke when your country unleashes the full might of its judicial branch against you 'eh?

 

One of the most successful WWI U-boat commanders was Otto Weddigen.

Kapitänleutnant Otto Weddigen - German and Austrian U-boats of World War One - Kaiserliche Marine - uboat.net

He used the ancient kerosene powered U9 and sunk three British Cruisers in one action early in the war.

The Live Bait Squadron - Live Bait Squadron

 

Concur!!!
But that's because the Brits were uncharacteristically STUPID after U9 torpedoed the first cruiser HMS Aboukir .
The second cruiser stopped to help out and ate two fish for her stupidity.
This caused U9 to lose depth control and broach in front of the third cruiser, Cressy - who failed to successfully shoot or ram her attacker.....AND her watertight doors were left open while she stopped fighting the U-boat to rescue the crews of the first two cruisers.

She too was sunk!

Fun Fact I: In 1954 the British government sold the salvage rights to all three ships to a German company and they were subsequently sold again to a Dutch salvage company which began salvaging the wrecks' metal in 2011 - the metal from the ships being free from background radiation from all the the atmospheric tests following the second world war.
One presumes that sentimentalities are DIFFERENT when it comes to SOME naval salvage efforts and 'war graves.'

Fun Fact II: The Sullivans. Five brothers lost on one ship, torpedoed (again) during the Naval Battle for Guadalcanal in 'Torpedo Junction' while limping away with a hole in her side.
Two other wounded cruisers that were with her 'skedaddled' after Juno blew up incurring no small amount of criticism, HOWEVER (comma!!) it was the right call under the circumstances.
The two surviving cruiser skippers were exonerated for leaving the scene BECUASE of the hard lessons learned in a former and in another ocean - when the Germans made a 'clean sweep.'

THAT in part is why EVERY US Submarine always has at least one broom aboard that doesn't get used to sweep floors.



USS Wahoo.
SS-238 soon to be SSN-806 owing to a BRIEF time when my beloved Navy was capably led after 2008.
Can't wait to see the patch....

 

Speaking of "The Big Lie....."

Biden (who was alive when that picture was taken!) wouldn't make for a pimple on FDR's backside.

The thing about debates?
Most undecided voters dip their toe in during the first 30 minutes.


Science and data.....

 

"salvaging the wrecks' metal in 2011 - the metal from the ships being free from background radiation from all the the atmospheric tests"

Sorry for following OT but this is an interesting topic
What is pre-war steel, and why are people stealing it?

With much focus on maritime recovery. But I wonder about old steel on land, as there must be a lot of that as well.

 

Evidently a few thousand feet of seawater will attenuate the effects of all of the nasties that have been released into the atmosphere since 1945.
'Low background steel' is a thing - but ship armour is worth gathering up even when you're not using it for delicate instrumentation.
Investigation of a Legend: The Graf Spee and the Ballester-Molina

 

Old terrestrial steel does not contain cobalt 60 either. But put it in a smelter mixed with new steel or ore, then it does.

 

I'm not technically qualified to judge the qualities of warship armour brought up from Davey Jones's locker versus the newly smelted stuff.

Suffice it to say that a lot of warships were lost in the Pacific during WW2.
Back in the day, they didn't use Kevlar for 'spalling armour' but rather they used the real stuff....except for 'tin cans' (Destroyers) so named because they were universally NOT 'up-armoured.'
Naval armour - Wikipedia

There seems to be some economic advantages of going through the time and effort of robbing "war gravesites" to bring up tonnes of "low background steel" because nations are hot on that case, and certain of the more noteworthy hulls have already been exploited.
Others have been located (a NON trivial exercise) and attempts have been made to keep their exact whereabouts under wraps.

As I pointed out earlier, NOT all war graves are created equal......

 

Human waves are the traditional way the Russians fight. Their govt. doesn't place all that much value on the little people, and the sheeple will keep their mouths shut if they know what's good for them.

It's just the way it is there...

 

Of course Ukraine was unified and was minding it’s own business when the neighbor decided to take its lands by force. I notice plenty of talk about President Biden and his delivery at the debate, but not much about the other one’s fabrications and living in a fantasy. Not much about military tribunals putting Cheney and others away, said after the debate with newly acquired thoughts of super power. President Biden still was factual and honest, even without war paint on and the poor delivery, at times. I don’t know why the loser of the debate is ignored so much. I know if anyone in his camp dare say one word against him, they pay a big price. It seems a con man actually does have a chance to start a dictatorship if people can’t see him for what he is.

 

Bob, I have to ask. Do you think Biden is in good health? Do you think he isn't suffering from dementia and sundowning syndrome? For what reasons do you think his own party is suddenly turning against him?