Veterans...Get the hell in here now!
- Thread starter 6ohMax
- Start date
I'm from the Government, I'm here to help.Had to reverify that I am still married to the same person I have been for 39 years to the VA so they wouldn't retroactively take away a shitload of money from my disability payments.
BarnBuster
Virtually Unknown Member
The veteran spy plane too valuable to replace
Satellites – and drones – were intended to replace it. But the 65-year-old Lockheed U-2 is still at the top of its game, flying missions miles above our everyday world.
www.bbc.com
smokinrav
Well-Known Member
Very cool, little known story, about the defense of Wake Island against vastly superior Japanese forces just after Pearl Harbor. RIP brothers and sisters.
www.businessinsider.com
Hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, US Marines took on the Japanese in what became the Alamo of the Pacific
The destruction of the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor meant Wake Island was on its own as Japan advanced across the Pacific.
www.businessinsider.com
BarnBuster
Virtually Unknown Member
Today in Military History:
On December 16, 1944, the Germans launch the last major offensive of the war, Operation Autumn Mist, also known as the Ardennes Offensive and the Battle of the Bulge, an attempt to push the Allied front line west from northern France to northwestern Belgium. The Battle of the Bulge, so-called because the Germans created a “bulge” around the area of the Ardennes forest in pushing through the American defensive line, was the largest fought on the Western front.
The Germans threw 250,000 soldiers into the initial assault, 14 German infantry divisions guarded by five panzer divisions-against a mere 80,000 Americans. Their assault came in early morning at the weakest part of the Allied line, an 80-mile poorly protected stretch of hilly, woody forest (the Allies simply believed the Ardennes too difficult to traverse, and therefore an unlikely location for a German offensive). Between the vulnerability of the thin, isolated American units and the thick fog that prevented Allied air cover from discovering German movement, the Germans were able to push the Americans into retreat.
One particularly effective German trick was the use of English-speaking German commandos who infiltrated American lines and, using captured U.S. uniforms, trucks, and jeeps, impersonated U.S. military and sabotaged communications. The ploy caused widespread chaos and suspicion among the American troops as to the identity of fellow soldiers–even after the ruse was discovered. Even General Omar Bradley himself had to prove his identity three times–by answering questions about football and Betty Grable–before being allowed to pass a sentry point.
The battle raged for three weeks, resulting in a massive loss of American and civilian life.
www.nationalww2museum.org
www.historynet.com
Historian Stephen Ambrose estimated that by war’s end, “Of the 600,000 GIs involved, almost 20,000 were killed, another 20,000 were captured, and 40,000 were wounded.” The United States also suffered its second-largest surrender of troops of the war: More than 7,500 members of the 106th Infantry Division capitulated at one time at Schnee Eifel. The devastating ferocity of the conflict also made desertion an issue for the American troops; General Eisenhower was forced to make an example of Private Eddie Slovik, the first American executed for desertion since the Civil War.
The war would not end until better weather enabled American aircraft to bomb and strafe German positions.
warfarehistorynetwork.com
On December 16, 1944, the Germans launch the last major offensive of the war, Operation Autumn Mist, also known as the Ardennes Offensive and the Battle of the Bulge, an attempt to push the Allied front line west from northern France to northwestern Belgium. The Battle of the Bulge, so-called because the Germans created a “bulge” around the area of the Ardennes forest in pushing through the American defensive line, was the largest fought on the Western front.
The Germans threw 250,000 soldiers into the initial assault, 14 German infantry divisions guarded by five panzer divisions-against a mere 80,000 Americans. Their assault came in early morning at the weakest part of the Allied line, an 80-mile poorly protected stretch of hilly, woody forest (the Allies simply believed the Ardennes too difficult to traverse, and therefore an unlikely location for a German offensive). Between the vulnerability of the thin, isolated American units and the thick fog that prevented Allied air cover from discovering German movement, the Germans were able to push the Americans into retreat.
One particularly effective German trick was the use of English-speaking German commandos who infiltrated American lines and, using captured U.S. uniforms, trucks, and jeeps, impersonated U.S. military and sabotaged communications. The ploy caused widespread chaos and suspicion among the American troops as to the identity of fellow soldiers–even after the ruse was discovered. Even General Omar Bradley himself had to prove his identity three times–by answering questions about football and Betty Grable–before being allowed to pass a sentry point.
The battle raged for three weeks, resulting in a massive loss of American and civilian life.
Nazi atrocities abounded, including the murder of 72 American soldiers by SS soldiers in the Ardennes town of Malmedy.
The Malmedy Massacre | The National WWII Museum | New Orleans
Hitler had from the beginning posited the war effort as presenting only two possible outcomes: total victory or absolute defeat.
How a Convicted Nazi War Criminal and 72 of His Men Walked Free
In the end, the man who had survived the Eastern and Western fronts and evaded the U.S. military justice system could not escape his past.
www.historynet.com
Historian Stephen Ambrose estimated that by war’s end, “Of the 600,000 GIs involved, almost 20,000 were killed, another 20,000 were captured, and 40,000 were wounded.” The United States also suffered its second-largest surrender of troops of the war: More than 7,500 members of the 106th Infantry Division capitulated at one time at Schnee Eifel. The devastating ferocity of the conflict also made desertion an issue for the American troops; General Eisenhower was forced to make an example of Private Eddie Slovik, the first American executed for desertion since the Civil War.
The war would not end until better weather enabled American aircraft to bomb and strafe German positions.
Adolf Hitler: On the Eve of the Battle of the Bulge
On the eve of the Battle of the Bulge, was Adolf Hitler a madman or a military genius?
warfarehistorynetwork.com
BarnBuster
Virtually Unknown Member
US battleships fired their guns for the last time 30 years ago. Here's how they dominated the seas for nearly a century.
Aircraft carriers are now the centerpiece of the Navy fleet, but for nearly a century, battleships sailed into combat around the world.
www.businessinsider.com
Singlemalt
Well-Known Member
I'd love to see the mounts of the 16 in guns, before and after. The torque of a full broadside had to be incredible. I read once that some guns on the opposite side had to be fired simultaneously to prevent the ship from rolling over after a broadside
US battleships fired their guns for the last time 30 years ago. Here's how they dominated the seas for nearly a century.
Aircraft carriers are now the centerpiece of the Navy fleet, but for nearly a century, battleships sailed into combat around the world.
BarnBuster
Virtually Unknown Member
FWIW, here's what I found.
Is it true or possible that if a battleship fires all of it 16 inch guns at the same time, it could flip the ship over?
Answer (1 of 16): No, sorry. An Iowa class Battle ship tips the scales at around 57,000 Tons ( over a hundred million pounds ) and 36 feet of her widest, most dense, and heaviest structure is located under water. She is a very stable platform. Rumors abound that a salvo from all her mighty 16 inc...
Do Battleships move sideways when they fire? - NavWeaps
If all of the barrels on the turret of a battleship fire, will the ship capsize or list due to the force?
Answer (1 of 10): Battleships were actually designed to fire all of their heavy guns to their available firing arcs at once. At long range, even with good fire control, it’s difficult to hit a moving target with an artillery shell. So, the concept was to fire a full salvo in a pattern to catch th...
smokinrav
Well-Known Member
Don't make us come over there and save your asses. Again.
cannabineer
Ursus marijanus
I seem to remember that the airframe limited the speed. The engines had more to give, but that would have overheated it. It’s supposed to be a bit faster (at max safe airspeed) than its larger and more famous sibling.
damn spellcheck knew better and put it’s
smokinrav
Well-Known Member
SR-71 ftw
cannabineer
Ursus marijanus
Only if you’re tasked with carrying Edwin Land’s lump of lead
raratt
Well-Known Member
The U-2 uses about 5 big lead ingots, Edit: (They call them pigs), and some steel plates mounted in the nose to compensate for the weight of an operational nose when doing training flights with a "dummy" nose.
Last edited:
BarnBuster
Virtually Unknown Member
Many VA Benefits Will Be Expanding in 2021 Thanks to a New Law
The new law will expand several popular programs.
Pence reveals U.S. Space Force troops will be called "guardians"
In response, James Gunn, the director of the "Guardians of the Galaxy" films, tweeted, "Can we sue this dork?"
www.cbsnews.com
raratt
Well-Known Member
I guess the Airmen will be Space Cadets...Pence reveals U.S. Space Force troops will be called "guardians"
In response, James Gunn, the director of the "Guardians of the Galaxy" films, tweeted, "Can we sue this dork?"
View attachment 4773515