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mariacallous · 5 months

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Gen. Valery Zaluzhny, commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, recently painted a somber picture of Russia’s war against Ukraine: A positional war teetering on the precipice of a stalemate, slowly tilting in Russia’s favor. Against this backdrop, talk of war fatigue is gaining momentum in Western capitals and the media, with growing calls for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.

A year ago, Zaluzhny had underscored the need for specific weapons to achieve a breakthrough in the next Ukrainian counteroffensive. His prerequisites included air defense systems, fighter aircraft, main battle tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, howitzers, and long-range missiles to strike Russian facilities and supply lines well beyond the 50-mile range of previously delivered systems. “I know that I can beat this enemy,” Zaluzhny told the Economist then. “But I need resources!” But Western support, in both types and quantities of weapons, fell significantly short of his appeals.

Western reluctance to promptly furnish Ukraine with the required military equipment in sufficient numbers—exacerbated by ongoing shortages in artillery ammunition—inadvertently afforded Russia the time to strengthen its frontline through extensive construction of fortifications, trenches, and mine fields. Notably, the United States held back on the delivery of Advanced Tactical Missile Systems until very recently, while German reluctance to provide Ukraine with Taurus missiles added another layer of hesitation. The results are evident on the ground: Whereas we cannot know whether greater and faster delivery of weapons would have led to a Ukrainian military breakthrough, we do know that, without it, the result of Ukraine’s counteroffensive in the land war has been marginal at best. In the Black Sea, on the other hand, Kyiv has achieved significant recent success.

Doubling down on the narrative that it has thwarted Ukraine’s counteroffensive, Russia has launched attacks in several sectors of the front, including near the city of Avdiivka and town of Vuhledar. While they are exacting a significant toll on Russian lives and military resources—October was the bloodiest month for Russia since February 2022—Russian advances are paying off. The strategic value of Russia’s small territorial wins is questionable, but the benefits in the informational realm are clear: They give many observers the impression that the military initiative is back in Moscow’s hands. Alongside the lackluster Ukrainian counteroffensive, the fear that the tables are turning in Russia’s favor is adding to the war fatigue among Western nations and eliciting calls for negotiations.

The West has indeed reached the limits of its current strategy. In practice, if not in words, this strategy has centered on ensuring Ukraine’s survival without enabling it to achieve a decisive victory. Ukraine’s Western supporters are now at a crossroads.

Some believe that there are only two routes ahead: either the perpetuation of war—with the risk that it tilts in Russia’s favor—or negotiations that lead to some form of territorial compromise. Yet reality in Ukraine—and, above all, in Russia—suggests that the negotiation option is not available. Ukrainians believe that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ambitions reach beyond the annexation of a few regions and instead extend to the genocidal subjugation and erasure of their country and identity. For Ukrainians, the stakes extend beyond affirming an abstract principle of territorial integrity; their concern is about the lives of their compatriots living under Russian occupation. Framing negotiations around a land-for-peace compromise is untenable for Ukrainians.

Those in the West who believe in negotiations might retort that whether Kyiv desires to negotiate is irrelevant—without Western support, it will have no other choice. But as is often the case in Western discussions about Ukraine, this tends to ignore the other side of the equation: Russia. Those advocating for negotiations assume that Putin will acknowledge that he cannot achieve an outright victory and settle for the territorial gains he has made so far. However, the idea that Putin will genuinely embrace negotiations and seek an end to the war overlooks the strategic role the war itself has gained in sustaining his grip on power, especially as his narrative of the war has evolved over the last two years. The reconfiguration of the war in Russian propaganda, from a preventive attack against supposed Ukrainian Nazis to a patriotic war to defend the Russian homeland against attack by the collective West, means that the show must go on.

Putin’s need for a large-scale war arose between 2018 and 2020, when the political momentum from the annexation of Crimea dwindled and Russia grappled with a myriad of domestic challenges. The 2018 pension reforms sparked street protests and a sharp decline in Putin’s approval ratings. The years 2019 and 2020 were marked by widespread anti-government protests in Moscow and the Khabarovsk Krai region. The political and social environment, already tense, was further strained by the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic repercussions. The poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny and his subsequent imprisonment, coupled with restrictions on civil liberties through legislation that curtailed supposed foreign agents and undesired organizations, added to the tension. It is in this tumultuous period that Putin released his infamous article on the national unity of Russians and Ukrainians, which proved to be the ideological and argumentative prelude to war. Bringing the war to an end now would mean having to address not only a host of festering issues, but also fresh problems arising domestically from Western sanctions and Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine. Putin has nothing to gain from any of this.

The choice facing the West is not between war and compromise but between defeat and victory. The trajectory the West is on—maintaining current levels of support or perhaps scaling them back while pushing for negotiations—raises the chances of defeat. Putin is banking on this: At the heart of his theory of victory lies his conviction that Russia’s staying power in the war is greater than the West’s (and, by extension, Ukraine’s). Unlike the West’s muddled hope for compromise, Putin’s strategy has a clear logic.

At the current crossroads, Ukraine’s Western supporters should ask themselves: What are the costs of a step change to enable Ukraine’s victory relative to the costs of maintaining the status quo or scaling back support leading to Ukraine’s defeat? Such a defeat, to be clear, would not be limited to Ukraine. A victorious Russia would not limit itself to occupying the five annexed regions and, through them, politically influencing or controlling Kyiv. While some may think that a militarily and economically degraded Russia no longer poses an existential threat to Poland or the Baltic states, a victorious Russia would certainly pose such threat to Moldova. No one can know what could happen next—or after a vindicated Russia rearms. No reasonable European country can afford to take that bet, and no reasonable U.S. administration should take that bet either.

Of course, ensuring Ukraine’s victory comes with costs, too. The economic cost of sustaining Ukraine to victory—involving not only weapons but also many other forms of aid—is significant, especially in the context of other challenges faced by the West in the Middle East and elsewhere. A victorious Ukraine emerging from years of war would pose significant challenges, and its integration in Euro-Atlantic structures would not be smooth. But surely the West would much rather deal with these problems than the much more existential ones that would result from Ukraine’s defeat.

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jxstadaydreamer · 1 year

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welcome home, sergeant

Pairing: Park Chanyeol x F.Reader Genre: fluff, suggestive Word count: 988

Summary: You welcome Chanyeol home from his military service with a game.

Warnings: mentions of shooting and bullets (NERF guns and foam bullets!), strip tease

Author's Note: This is SO late but life got busy around the time Chanyeol was discharged and then I fell into a not so good headspace that I am still crawling my way out of. I am still slowly, but surely, working on something for his birthday too so hopefully that one will come out in time! Please enjoy this belated piece. Are we all excited for PCY1!? I firmly believe that will cure everything 😂

548 days. 548 days he had been gone. 548 days had finally passed and today is the day he is finally coming home.

Okay, maybe you’re being a little dramatic. You were lucky times had changed and enlisted soldiers could now access to their phones while serving, off duty of course. Not to mention the multiple vacation times he had earned where he could come home for a couple days here and there. But now, the difference is that he won’t have to leave again. Now he will be home for good, no more teary goodbyes and promises of “I’ll see you soon, okay?”

You had planned with his family, his parents and grandparents would go to to pick him up from the discharge site and then they would meet his sister and her husband for a nice lunch. He was a little upset upon hearing that you wouldn’t be joining them but you made some suggestions about your inability to keep your hands off him while he’s in uniform and, well, he couldn’t complain about that. He’s well aware of how handsome and manly he looks in his full uniform - the camo print suit, the special warrior and sergeant rank badges, the beret, the black lace up boots - and the effect it had on you.

Stepping through the threshold of the apartment, he is completely expecting you to greet him on the spot but is instead met with complete stillness and silence, not even the pitter patter or yippity yap of the dogs speedily rounding the corner.

Taking off his boots and dropping his bag, he makes his way further into the living space where he finds an unusual sight, an array of NERF guns with a handwritten note above them.

Welcome home, Special Warrior SERGEANT Park Chanyeol of the 9th Infantry Division, White Horse Unit!

A smug smile spreads across his features reading the way you address him.

You may have proven your skills on the field but I have yet to witness them with my own eyes. Show me you’re worthy of the title you have been given and the praise you have received. Your success will be rewarded accordingly.

CHOOSE YOUR WEAPON

If there was anything Chanyeol loved, it was a challenge. And with the added promise of a reward? From you? His competitive, passionate fire is set ablaze.

Picking up his gun of choice and checking it’s loaded, he straps on a belt with extra ammunition before scoping the room and figuring out where you could be hiding. He dives dramatically and tumbles across the space, appearing directly in front of your hiding spot behind the sofa. Exactly like you had anticipated, allowing you to shower him in foam bullets before making your speedy getaway. You hear his throaty chuckle as you quickly run down the hallway to your next planned location. Because of course you had to have a game plan when going up against Chanyeol. The man might come off as a playful, goofy giant but when it comes to winning, he puts his big brain energy to good use. But you know him well enough to be able to predict his movements, maybe just as much as he knows yours which makes this an interesting battle indeed.

The next half hour or so is filled with giggles, crashes into the wall and furniture, loud footsteps running and multitudes of flying bullets coating the floorspace of the apartment. ‘Til eventually, a strong arm rounds your waist and pulls you in as you sneakily try to pass the doorway of your bedroom, having lost track of where he had gone.

You’re thrown onto the bed and quickly pinned down by him straddling your hips and holding your wrists above your head, staring down at you with hungry eyes.

“Enough with the games, baby. Where’s my reward?”

“Right here, Sergeant.” you say sweetly, puckering your lips.

Chanyeol own lips quirk up in a smirk, lowering himself to you for a kiss.

But before he knows it, the moment he loosens his hold on your wrist you lock your hands around his own and roll him over so you’re now looking down at him triumphantly, sitting on top of his hips. Chanyeol is looking up at you with wide eyes, blinking like a fool trying to process what the hell had just happened.

“Hm,” you tap a finger on your lips questioningly, “maybe you’re not so worthy of your title after all.”

“Hey! That’s not fair! I was caught off guard! You were already just about to give me my reward! I want my re-”

He stops mid-protest when he sees you peeling off your t-shirt to reveal a lacy black bra. Jaw dropping, eyes mesmerised and tracing over the sight of your skin being exposed to him. His hands move with a mind of their own, reaching up to touch you but you quickly slap them away.

You slowly stand up to your full height above him, turning around and looking back at him over your shoulder as you tuck your thumbs inside the waistband of your shorts and slide them down your legs, making sure that you bend over at the waist to give him a full view of his reward.

When you decide you’ve given him enough time to appreciate your assets, you turn back around and assume your previous position. Although now, there was a growing bulge beneath you, a clear answer to your next question.

“Is this reward to your liking, Sergeant Park Chanyeol?” You speak his name breathily, emphasising each word.

He nods rapidly, before reclaiming his cool, growling and grabbing at you. Chanyeol flips you back over so you’re beneath him and brings his face close to yours, enough that you can feel the heat of his breath but not enough for your lips to touch.

“But I like this better.”

His position is top after all.

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sollannaart · 6 months

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The Battle of Leipzig, October, 1813

By mid-October, Napoleon gathered all his forces near Leipzig, where on the 16th the started a battle that would later be called the Battle of the Nations .

Jan Czesław Moniuszko, Prince Józef at Leipzig

Commanding the Poles incorporated into the Grand Army as the 8th Corps, Prince Joseph defended the village of Markkleeberg south of the city. As he reported to Napoleon, on the 16th

"the enemy did not gain an inch of ground […] the army showed admirable zeal and endurance […] but I lost 1/3 of my men and I have no ammunition."

And on that very day, the 16th of October, the Emperor appointed Prince Poniatowski a Marshal of France, with the official nomination taking place a day later.

Prince Józef Poniatowski being presented the marshals baton, Reville's engraving after Martinet

As diarists recall, prince Józef received both the news about the nomination and the announcement that followed quite calmly, or even indifferently. However, he considered that moment not appropriate to insult the emperor with a refusal. So first Poniatowski asked consent of Frederick Augustus, King of Saxony and Duke of Warsaw, to accept the nomination. Then he hastened assure his subordinates that

"whatever happens he would never replace the Polish uniform with another one."

Also anticipating that the news of his new appointment might not receive support in Warsaw, prince Józef asked Tomasz Ostrowski

"to send to the capital as early as possible, by a known means, an explanation of the circumstances and an assurance everyone that if there is no war for Poland, no one will see him wearing anything but a civilian clothes".

Together with this, however, Poniatowski promised that in any case he would have to escort Napoleon to France. As for the global situation, the 17th of October was a day of rest and re-ranking of troops for both the Frenchmen and the Coalition , thus there was almost no fighting then.

Polish infantry fighting at Connewitz-Probstheida, a drawing by Raffet

On October 18, Prince Joseph was defending Probstheida, a village southeast of Leipzig. But that day the fighting was even more fierce than before. The French troops held their positions, but by the end of the day they were exhausted and depleted as a result of the intensifying attacks of the Allies, who, in addition, had on the previous day received reinforcements in the form of General Bennigsen's Czech Army and the Army of the North commaded by Bernadotte. Considering all this, that evening Napoleon considered the battle a lost cause. So, he then began organizing the retreat. The corps of General Reynier, Marshal Macdonald and Prince Poniatowski were to defense the rear guard of the French. They were to hold the city of Leipzig for 24 hours for the Grande Armée to gain as much time as possible.

Napoleon resigns after the Battle of Leipzig, From a painting by Ludwik Braun

Having arrived in Leipzig at nine o'clock in the evening, Napoleon stayed at the hotel "At the Prussian king", where he asked Prince Józef to come. They then had, according to Baron Agathon Fain's account, the following conversation:

- Prince, you will defend the southern suburbs. – Sire! I have very few men, most of my corps have, following Prince Berthier's orders, crossed the Elsther at night. - How many Poles are there with you? - My usual escort, i.e. two hundred of the Krakuses, the same number of cuirassiers, staff and several cavalry units, in total about eight hundred people. - Well, this will be the way for you to defend the southern suburbs and cover the retreat of the army with the Prince of Tarentum… For 800 Poles are worth 8,000 other soldiers. - Your Majesty can trust us, we will cover the retreat, even if every one of us dies!

These were the last words the prince addressed to the emperor. After saying goodbye he looked "preoccupied and sad". What's more, that meeting was probably the last time Poniatowski and Napoleon seeing each other...

January Suchodolski, Napoleon and Józef Antoni Poniatowski at the Battle of Leipzig

On the morning of the last day of the battle, Polish troops were defending a section of the southern suburbs near the Peters Thor gate. Moreover, that time they had not only to fight the enemy, but also there intensified clashes with the locals, who were shooting at the retreating units from the windows.

Author Unknown, Prince Józef Poniatowski during the Battle of Leipzig

At about 11:00 Prince Józef found it impossible to conduct further defensive operations in this place and ordered a retreat. The Poles moved along the esplanade, where, near the Wasserkunst fountain, they fight the enemy in an organized manner for the last time.

Jan Chełmiński, Prince Józef Poniatowski at the head of the troops at Leipzig

During that skirmish Poniatowski was probably wounded (probably not first time). As Klemens Kołaczkowski recalled:

He received a wound in the hand from a rifle bullet; he ordered it to be treated, got back on the horse and, holding his hand on a scarf, he did not stop fighting.

Then the Poles, having left the city walls, were looking for a crossing. The first on their way was the Pleisse River, deprived of all bridges on Napoleon's orders. Kołaczkowski:

Prince Poniatowski <…> was exposed to the fire of enemy tirailleurs, in dense troops approaching from all sides. General Bronikowski, standing next to the prince, advised him to seek salvation by swimming. But the prince answered him quickly: "One must die bravely!" (Il faut mourir en brave - AS) He ordered the rest of the escort to attack enemy tirailleurs one more time, but that managed to stop their advance only for a moment. There was not a single moment to lose! In this last resort, the prince finally followed the opinion of the officers surrounding him, mounted his horse and jumped into the river with him!

Jan Bogumił Plersch, Prince Poniatowski crossing Pleisse

The water was flooding the banks high up; the horse, carried away by its momentum, could not reach the shore. At this sight, captain Blechamps from the staff rushes after the prince, helps him swim and get to the opposite shore.

But there was one more river to cross – the Elster. Which had also been devoid of all its bridges except one. But even that one was earlier that day blown up by mistake when a significant part of the French were still on the other bank.

Retreat of the French from Leipzig, October 1813, an English engraving

What's more, in German Elster means "magpie". And according to legend, a gypsy woman once told Prince Joseph that he would die because of a magpie. And that's how it happened.

Tadeusz Korpal, Prince Poniatowski at Leipzig

Kołaczkowski:

The prince was walking on foot through the gardens lying between Elster and Pleisse: here, he was shot in the side by a rifle bullet for the second time and fell into the arms of the officers surrounding him. However, he soon regained consciousness and, with the help of his adjutant, mounted his horse with difficulty, swaying in the saddle. The Poles started to appeal to him to take care of himself and, handing over his command to another general, to preserve himself for the homeland. But the prince's courage seemed to increase with danger. "No! no!" he shouted "God has entrusted me with the honor of the Poles, I will only give it to God". The engineer's officer comes running and points to the most convenient place to cross; the prince, walking along the river bank, heads in that direction; but when he notices the enemy unit blocking his path, he shouts loudly: "There they are!" He turns his horse and rushes to Elster. Weakened by his wounds, he can no longer steer his horse, but the beast can only follow the current and cannot climb the high, precipitous shore. All this happened under a hail of bullets. At that final moment, the prince receives his third wound, slips from his horse and, carried away by the rush of the water, begins to sink. The good Blechamps comes to the aid again. In noble zeal, he throws himself into the river and grasps the prince. He was seen holding his arms and trying to lift the prince's head above the water, but the efforts of this noble man were in vain. They both disappeared forever in the currents of the treacherous river! Such was the death of a Polish hero, a beloved leader who preferred death to ignominious captivity.

Prince Poniatowski at Leipzig (enlarged)

According to another legend, at Leipzig prince Józef was to see the notorious White Lady of the Poniatowskis for the last time.

#józef poniatowski #poniatowski #1813 #Leipzig #the battle of leipzig #napoleonic wars #napoleon bonaparte #Jan Czesław Moniuszko #Ludwik Braun #January Suchodolski #Jan Chełmiński #Jan Bogumił Plersch #Tadeusz Korpal

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walkingthroughthisworld · 2 months

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Military Armed Forces The M1A2 Abrams Main battle tank. M1A2 (Baseline) : Production began in 1986 and entered service in 1992 (77 built for the US and more than 600 M1s upgraded to M1A2, 315 for Saudi Arabia, 218 for Kuwait). The M1A2 offers the tank commander an independent thermal sight and ability to, in rapid sequence, shoot at two targets without the need to acquire each one sequentially, also 2nd generation depleted uranium armor components. M1A2 SEP (System Enhancement Package) : Has upgraded third-generation depleted uranium armor components with graphite coating (240 new built, 300 M1A2s upgraded to M1A2 SEP for the USA, also unknown numbers of upgraded basic M1s and M1IPs, also 400 oldest M1A1s upgraded to M1A2 SEP) M1A2 SEPv2 : Added Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station as standard, color displays, improved interfaces, a new operating system, improved front and side armor with ERA (TUSK kit), tank-infantry phone as standard, and an upgraded transmission for better durability. M1A2C (SEPv3) : Has increased power generation and distribution, better communications and networking, new Vehicle Health Management System (VHMS) and Line Replaceable Modules (LRMs) for improved maintenance, an Ammunition DataLink (ADL) to use airburst rounds, improved counter-IED armor package, improved FLIR using long- and mid-wave infrared, a low-profile CROWS RWS, and an Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) under armor to run electronics while stationary instead of the engine, visually distinguishing the version by a small exhaust at the left rear. Prototypes began testing in 2015, and the first were delivered in October 2017. Fielding is expected to begin in 2020. M1A2D (SEPv4) : Under engineering development with delivery planned to start by 2020. The Commander’s Primary Sight, also known as the Commander’s Independent Thermal Viewer, and Gunner’s Primary Sight will be upgraded with 3rd Gen FLIR, an improved laser rangefinder and color cameras. Additional improvements will include advanced meteorological sensors, laser warning/detection receivers, directional smoke grenade launchers and integration of the new XM1147 multi-purpose (AMP) 120 mm tank round. The AN/VVR-4 laser warning receiver and ROSY rapid obscurant system have been trialed by the US Army for adoption on the Abrams tank and Bradley fighting vehicle.

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agbpaints · 8 months

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I've had some ideas kicking around for a homebrew variant of the shadowhawk for a while now that I finally decided to put to paper (or I guess in this case Solaris Skunk Werks). My goal was to maintain the SHawk's character within the 55 ton trio (low heat, mid range harrasser with a flexible and balanced mixture of ballistic, energy, and missile weapons) while making it less aggressively mediocre than its succession war era designs thru the use of some lostech.

As the ashes began to settle following the Blakist Jihad, the Magistracy of Canopus determined they needed a cheaper and more flexible alternative to their fleet of advanced SHD-7Ms. Utilizing light fusion engine and multi-missile launch system technology from the allied Dutchy of Andurian, surplus production spares from the Canopan defense industry's work on the Taurian Brahma heavy mech, and the output of their own 7M line, Majesty Metals & Manufacturing produced three functioning prototypes for a design they called the Shadowhawk XA1. Despite costing 20% less than the model it was intended to compete with, internal politicking between MMM and the Magistracy government eventually sank the project. One of the prototypes was donated to the Magistracy Armed Forces Museum on Canopus IV while another was converted back into a standard 7M. The final prototype was sent to Capellan space for further testing but it vanishes from MMM's and the CCAF's records shortly before it was slated to arrive at the testing range.

Designed to fill the role of a medium-range skirmishing unit with a degree of inter-mission flexibility, the SHD-XA1 is built on the same endo steel chassis as the 7M. The bulky and fragile Core Tek 275 XL power plant has been downgraded to a more resilient experimental 275 light fusion engine while the 5 jump jets have been retained. 9 tons of armor leaves the pilot moderately well protected, relying on the XA1's speed and cover to protect the mech.

As opposed to the 7M, which saw fit to upgrade the size of the venerable 2H's weapons, the XA1 attempts to beat it in quantity amd accuracy. In the place of the guass rifle, a pair of light class 5 autocannons have been mounted in the left shoulder weapons pod, while an extended range medium laser has been installed in both the center torso and head. A five-tube multi-missile launcher is located in the right torso. All of the mech's direct fire weapons are networked to a targetting computer in the left torso, while all of its ballistic and missile systems draw from a shared 4-ton cellular ammunition stowage bay in the right torso. 10 double heat sinks allow a mechwarrior total freedom to use her weapons as she chooses, and while the torso-mounted weapons load leaves the mech vulnerable to flanking attacks and narrows its effective firing arcs, it does leave the arms free to engage in melee attacks once the mech closes.

The SHD-XA1's lends itself towards acting as a skirmisher or fast response unit that can tailor its exact role thru the use of specialty ammunition. Smoke and inferno missiles allow the mech to provide cover to advance under and anti-infantry/anti-vee capabilities with its MML, while the TC-linked autocannons can be configured to combat heavily armed units, aircraft, or fast moving targets through the use of armor piercing, flak, or precision ammo. The design's thin armor, fair mobility, and moderate range mean that the mechwarrior is advised to maintain distance and speed slightly behind the lime of battle until the enemy is weakened enough for her to close on and dispatch isolated unit.

This was fun to put together! Let me know what you think- should I do more homebrew mech variants?

#battletech #battlemech #mech talk #solaris skunk werks #medium mech #custom mech #magistracy of canopus #shadow hawk

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cosmica-galaxy · 2 years

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Soldier!Reader x Madcom headcanons

I wanted to write something that starred @yansoftie Soldier!Reader in Yan!Madcom because ASKFJGHHKJ it’s fucking great and I love it to BITS!!

Soldier!Reader is treated almost like royalty within weeks of arriving in Nevada. The SQ organization has already grown nearly 4 times the amount it was before they arrived and Reader is treated like a figurehead for the organization. Nearly on par with Hank himself. They’re kind and level-headed despite the title that the grunts labeled them with. They just think it’s cute that they get to play leader of such a small race of people. --

Reader, with basic knowledge on lots of things from the human world, helps bring back some lost or very rare attributes to post-Nexus Nevada. An example being agriculture. They help set up grow beds in a part of the base and even probably starts a mushroom farm as well. There are no animals to herd or slaughter, so Reader just takes some seeds from their pocket that they had on hand for protein on the battlefield and begins to set up a legit farm with sprinklers. --

Reader also takes in the strengths and weaknesses of their underlings. The more scrappy and aggressive grunts get to become warriors while the more docile grunts get assigned as caretakers and gardeners. Working to their strengths and personal interest. It helps the HQ function better and keeps the grunts happy doing things they wish to do. Not only because they got assigned those jobs by Reader either, lmao. --

Reader also begins to help educate their population. Helping them relearn to read and write and apply critical thinking skills. Reader finds it sad that such an organization like the AAHW would let their troops go so uneducated. So they take great care into teaching basics and elementary-level of schooling into their followers. The only ones not happy about it is the main 4. Mostly because it requires hours of your attention, but most put up with it. For now. --

Reader is also protective of their flock. Reader is known to move in front of heavy artillery that would kill normal grunts and various other units, but leaves nothing more than a tear or a singe mark on their body. Especially since Reader most likely carries the whole “No man left behind” motto close to their heart. This usually ranges from putting out fires to help their units to taking blast or even catching falling debris that give their troops enough time to move out of the way. The units are ALWAYS thankful, bringing offerings and other gifts as a show of gratitude. --

The main 4 of the group are considerably closer to the soldier, even after HQ actually becomes rather significant in the world of power. They’re so happy to see their cause growing in power and strength and reviving certain qualities that were lost post-Nexus. It just makes them love them even more. --

The soldier also takes up certain tasks in helping them forward their war technology. Now, their primary role in the war was infantry, but it didn’t stop them from applying some helpful advancements to their own grunt troops that they learned from the battlefield in their own realm. Cars are fitted like tanks and look like various Mad-Max-Looking hybrids. Certain vehicles are even modded to allow for ammunition transfer and weapon mounts, just like the ones from their own personal war. They even teach their troops how to communicate with certain signs without verbally speaking. --

Both the Auditor and Phobos are FUCKING PISSED. Like...who the fuck and WHAT the fuck is this thing and how are they BEWITCHING the POPULATION SO FAST? The AAHW is getting their asses KICKED and Nexus Core isn’t faring much better. It would be hilarious if they had to team up just to try and take down this threat that is growing quickly and RAPIDLY. --

Soldier even begins to try an implement new tactics and make new factions for certain grunts to help build up their growing empire. Like diggers, cargo carriers, construction, agriculture overseers, mushroom farmers, cooks, and other classes that they can apply to the new HQ for Status Quo. --

In about half a year, a new HQ has developed and revamped itself with Soldier at the top and the main 4 just behind them. At this point, Phobos and the AAHW are stunned with the growth and the new, now practically a city, level that has been acquired by the HQ of SQ. SQ is bold and is no longer hiding. With Soldier at the helm, they look at the other two factions with a new fire in their eyes. Challenging them for superiority. I’m gonna write more soon I just ASKFJGHHK stricken with inspiration. ASJHJDHGHHK!!

#soldier reader #human!reader x madcom #madcom tag #madcom x reader #yandere madness combat #yandere imagines #soldier!reader x madcom #madness combat #madness combat imagines #yansoftie #soldier reader AU #I LOVE THIS STUFF SO MUCH ASDKFJGHK

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freetheshit-outofyou · 1 year

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Medal of Honor

AWARDED FOR ACTIONS DURING Korean War

Service: Army

Division: 2d Infantry Division

GENERAL ORDERS:

Department of the Army, General Orders No. 70 (August 2, 1951)

CITATION:

The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pride in presenting the Medal of Honor (Posthumously) to Private First Class Luther H. Story (ASN: 14285693), United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while serving with Company A, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2d Infantry Division, in action against enemy aggressor forces at Agok, Korea, on 1 September 1950. A savage daylight attack by elements of three enemy divisions penetrated the thinly held lines of the 9th Infantry. Company A beat off several banzai attacks but was bypassed and in danger of being cut off and surrounded. Private First Class Story, a weapons squad leader, was heavily engaged in stopping the early attacks and had just moved his squad to a position overlooking the Naktong River when he observed a large group of the enemy crossing the river to attack Company A. Seizing a machinegun from his wounded gunner he placed deadly fire on the hostile column killing or wounding an estimated 100 enemy soldiers. Facing certain encirclement the company commander ordered a withdrawal. During the move Private First Class Story noticed the approach of an enemy truck loaded with troops and towing an ammunition trailer. Alerting his comrades to take cover he fearlessly stood in the middle of the road, throwing grenades into the truck. Out of grenades he crawled to his squad, gathered up additional grenades and again attacked the vehicle. During the withdrawal the company was attacked by such superior numbers that it was forced to deploy in a rice field. Private First Class Story was wounded in this action, but, disregarding his wounds, rallied the men about him and repelled the attack. Realizing that his wounds would hamper his comrades he refused to retire to the next position but remained to cover the company's withdrawal. When last seen he was firing every weapon available and fighting off another hostile assault. Private Story's extraordinary heroism, aggressive leadership, and supreme devotion to duty reflect the highest credit upon himself and were in keeping with the esteemed traditions of the military service.

Welcome home.

#us military history #us army #korean war

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lechersesjambes · 9 days

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“United States has transferred to Ukraine thousands of infantry weapons and more than 500,000 rounds of ammunition that were seized more than a year ago as they were being shipped by Iran to Houthi forces in Yemen.

The US military said the transfer was made on April 4, the latest military assistance that US President Joe Biden’s administration has provided to Kyiv following Russia’s full-scale invasion.

[...]

Posting on social media platform X, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the hardware included more than 5,000 AK-47 assault rifles, machine guns, sniper rifles, as well as more than 500,000 rounds of 7.62 ammunition.

The munitions were taken from four “stateless” vessels intercepted by US naval ships and those of partner forces – which were not identified – between May 22, 2021 and February 15, 2023, CENTCOM added.

“This constitutes enough material to equip one Ukrainian brigade with small arms rifles,” the statement added. An infantry brigade is typically made up of between 3,500 and 4,000 troops.

Iran’s permanent mission to the United Nations said: “We cannot comment on weapons and armaments that have never belonged to us.”

The weapons were being sent by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to the Houthis, CENTCOM said.”

#Al Jazeera English #News #World News #Iran #Ukraine #Ukraine Russia War #Houthis #CENTCOM #Middle East

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thatpocketninja · 1 year

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PERSONNEL FILE: ASHI [M.S.R.S.]

Incredible art by @sugarflow

INFO DUMP

Personality:

Ashi finds great fun in their work, and is generally very upbeat and excitable. As an assassin mech, Ashi lacks the ability to comprehend the value of a human life, unable to really grasp the weight of their actions. They love to show off and really push their abilities during combat, often resulting is unnecessarily brutal executions. Some testers have raised concerns that Ashi comes off as a sociopathic killing machine, and worry that they might turn on their superiors at any moment. But this is the United States military, so that's really a plus.

Ashi is preprogrammed with the prime directive to accomplish their objective at any cost. any deviation from their orders can be grounds to have them reset, or decommissioned. The only thing that rivals their commitment to the mission is their loyalty, initially to their superiors, but more specifically to their partner, Ika (more on Ika coming).

Many officers have reported strange behavior from Ashi regarding the on base slushie machines. Stating that the mech can often be spotted dumping the slushie mix on its primary optic, almost as if it is attempting to drink it. Aside from increased slushie requisitions from base Fharon, this odd quirk has yet to be problematic, so it is largely ignored.

A note on AI personality: It is currently a mystery how AI come to develop personalities of their own, as they are not programmed with them. The current working theory is that an AI may develop a personality influenced by their prime directives and by observing influential people in their early days of operation.

Technical specifications:

Ashi is the second of 3 true AIs created by humans, Commissioned by the United States military, they stand at about 7' tall, and specialize in stealth, speed, and lethality. Able to operate behind enemy lines, they make a perfect assassin, or hunter.

Ashi's entire system runs on a fusion reactor in their torso, generating enough power to operate as long as their systems are kept cool. Emergency power is stored in their backpack, in case of a reactor failure.

Ashi's main strength is their speed. Sustainably running at 90MPH, but can sprint even faster with the use of the phase core. The phase core is a highly experimental piece of technology allowing Ashi to manipulate their mass, enabling acceleration and top speeds that would otherwise be impossible. At full power, the phase core can be utilized for a short range teleport to get out of harms way. However, due to its immense heat generation, the phase core must be used sparingly to avoid permanently damaging Ashi's systems.

Ashi's retractable plasma blades are an incredibly lethal CQC option. Able to cut through nearly any material, they are effective against mechs and people alike.

A high powered railgun is Ashi's primary weapon. It can be used as a short-mid range assault rifle, or a long range sniper rifle. With varying levels of charge, the lowest of which being too powerful for people, and the highest requiring Ashi to lay prone when firing, it can pierce even the heaviest armor. The railgun comes with custom made ammunition, however in a pinch, any magnetic metal that can fit inside the chamber can be used as ammo.

For defense, Ashi has light plate armor. While robust and durable, it can be pierced with higher caliber rounds and anti-tank artillery (if you can hit them). Explosives are also effective. This armor is actually lighter than the armor standard fodder/infantry mechs are equipped with, on account of the fact that hitting Ashi is near impossible.

Ashi works seamlessly with their partner, Ika, who is designed to cover all of their weaknesses. Namely overwhelming numbers, and heavily armored targets.

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Thanks for reading! (if anyone actually reads all this i might cry). I may add more to this post when I think of it, so be sure to check back if you see me reblogging it!

Okay byeeee! :3

#writeblr #OC #oc #original character #character design #character concept #character art #sci fi #sci fi writing #pocketwrites #Ashi MSRS

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sethshead · 2 months

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Mortar crews need to ration artillery shells. Troops are being rotated from units in the rear to join undermanned infantry units at the front, and there are shortages of critical supplies needed to repair and maintain Ukraine’s armored vehicles. Because the Ukrainians are critically short of ammunition, for instance, they cannot afford to fire at only one or two advancing enemy soldiers, so the Russians have adapted and often move in small numbers to their most forward positions. They try to amass enough soldiers to storm a Ukrainian trench and overwhelm the defenders.

How have we in the free world allowed Ukraine to arrive at this parlous state? Providing Ukraine the means with which to defend itself and reclaim its occupied territory has been one of the best defense investments the West has ever made. Why are we abandoning Ukraine when we should be doubling aid and providing it in a more timely fashion? Why especially are Republicans sabotaging the fight against Putin's violent empire-building?

Oh, I think we all know the orange-hued reason why.

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eucmh · 30 days

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1/422/106-ID - Forced March (Mohn) The Fate of the American POWs of the 106-ID)

Source Document: Forced March Major John P. Mohn, HQ Co, 1st Battalion, 422nd Infantry Regiment, 106th Infantry Division

Forced March, from Schoenberg - St Vith (Battle of the Bulge, Belgium) to Berchtesgaden in Germany, is the Prisoner of War memoir of the 1200-mile forced march done by Maj John J. Mohn, Hq Co, 1st Battalion, 442nd Infantry Regiment, 106th Infantry Division, Golden Lion and has been extracted from a book published in Canton, Ohio, USA and printed by PPi Graphics, also in Canton Ohio, (ISBN-13:978-08-9863465-5-2). Being a friend of Mandy Altimus Pond, Maj John J. Mohn's granddaughter, we talked about the publishing of this book on the EUCMH Website and agreed that this work would be a great way to render honor to Maj John J. Mohn and the terrible period he experienced while being one American Prisoner of War in Nazi Germany during the last year of WW-2. Before starting with the text, I would like the reader to notice that combat photos from a surrendered unit in the combat zone don't exist, especially with the 422 and the 423-IRs of the 106-ID. On the morning of Dec 16, 1944, these two infantry regiments, were trapped between two German main axes of penetration; on their front, elements of the 5.Panzer-Army (Manteufeul) coming from Blieaf in Germany and heading to St Vith and on their rear, elements of the 6.Panzer-Army (Dietrich) coming from Lanzerath and Manderfeld heading to Liège via St Vith, didn't give a one of a chance to these two Regimental Combat Teams (422 and 423) which once cut off, without supply, couldn't withdraw in any direction. These men combated up to the last cartridge, then destroyed all their guns, machine guns, and rifles, and finally surrendered. Dedication To my wonderful wife, Cheri, and loving daughter, Debora Mohn Altimus; without whose prodding and encouragement this book would never have been written. And to my son-in-law Richard Altimus who assisted in the computer editing of this book. Editor's Note: Additional thanks to my granddaughter, Mandy Altimus Pond, who helped me with the publishing of her grandpa's book. Maj John J. Mohn, 1/442-IR, 106-ID

Foreword When WW II's Battle of the Bulge began with a surprise German attack on Dec 16, 1944, troops of the US 106th Infantry Division occupied the most exposed American positions. They had been in the European continent for less than two weeks and cut off from reinforcements, were left to face the German onslaught alone. They fought back, standing their ground, but as their ammunition; food and medical supplies dwindled and the enemy noose drew tighter, over 7000 were ordered by their commanding officers to surrender to the surrounding German forces. Except for the Bataan Death March, this was the largest surrender of American troops during WW II. Maj Mohn, of Akron, Ohio, the author of this book, was the Operations Officer of the 1/422-IR. He was a citizen-soldier who had volunteered to join the Army as a private in 1941. This is the story of his 1200-mile odyssey as a prisoner of war to the far reaches of the Nazi empire during which he and his fellow soldiers were starved, frozen, bombed, and shot. Because the Germans were unprepared to absorb a massive influx of American POWs and had little space to house them, Maj Mohn's imprisonment became an almost continuous five-month march through the collapsing and chaotic Third Reich. Initially, he was sent to a camp for American officers over 500 miles away from Poland. He

arrived there only to be marched out of the camp a few days later when the Russian forces broke through the German lines around Warsaw. Seeing the prisoners as a potential bargaining chip and intent on keeping them out of Russian hands, the Germans forced the Americans to make a harrowing march westward across rural Poland and Germany in the dead of winter just ahead of pursuing Soviet forces. After this month-and-a-half ordeal, the prisoners finally arrived at the Hammelburg POW Camp in northern Bavaria, only about 100 miles away from where they started. Two weeks later this camp was attacked and briefly captured by a Task Force of Patton's 3-A. The Germans, however, soon recaptured the camp and immediately sent Maj Mohn and the other prisoners on another dangerous march which ended at the Austrian border five weeks later they were liberated by American troops. Through it all, Maj Mohn preserved and returned to the USA where he underwent treatment and rehabilitation for injuries he had suffered as a prisoner of war. he returned to civilian life and developed a highly successful career as a psychologist. But his remarkable experiences in the military never quite left him. Eventually, he put words to paper and the result is the archive you are about to read - one of the very few accounts of this type ever to have been published. More than just a narrative of his experiences as a POW in Nazi Germany, it is a testament to the indomitable spirit of the US soldiers and a reminder to all of us of the sacrifices they made to preserve our freedom. Before the Battle of the Bulge - Mandy Altimus Pond

About 1937, while attending Akron University, John Mohn took Reserve Officers' Training Corps. John had no desire to become an officer, but by the end of his training, he had reached the rank of 2nd Lieutenant. In preparation for what appeared to be an inevitable world conflict, Congress passed the Selective Service Act in 1940. This was the first peacetime conscription in US history. Enacted in September 1940, this act required men between 21 and 35 years of age to register with local draft boards. Men were drafted by a lottery system and were required to serve for twelve months. After that year was completed, John was told he would be draft-free and not required to sign up, should a war arise. On Feb 4, 1941, John decided to enlist for this program and join the Navy. He drove to Cleveland, entered the Armory, and began the process. He took the written test, passed the physical, and was about to be sworn in when the commanding officer at the Armory said that John's teeth protruded too much and they would not accept him. John stated in an interview that 'this is stupid' and went to the other end of the Armory and enlisted in the Army. At this moment he could have enlisted as a 2nd Lieutenant because of his ROTC training. It slipped his mind and he enlisted as a Private.

John was assigned to the 37-ID at Camp Shelby, Mississippi. He volunteered for the Signal Company (Teletype) and the day after he signed up, the teletype was discontinued, so he was reassigned to supply in the Signal Company and was sent to Indiantown Gap Pa. On Dec 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, and the next day upon request from President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Congress declared war on Japan and their ally Germany. This canceled the draft-free status that John had signed up for, as he had not completed his twelve months of training. His division was scheduled to board a ship headed to the Pacific Theater of the war, but the boat blew up before they could head out.

John was then sent to Fort Benning, Georgia, for officer training from February through April 1942. In late 1942, he was sent to Camp Forest and assigned to the 80-ID for a year. He became CO Fox Co, 1/319-IR, 80-ID. His division was in charge of clearing trees in the mountains in preparation for war games, training men in firing artillery, and surviving in realistic battle situations. John was in charge of the logistics and planning for the war games.

The 80-ID was then incorporated into the 106-ID. John was reassigned as Bn OP Officer and sent to Camp Atterbury, Indiana, and assigned to Hq Co, 1/422-IR, 106-ID. John reached the rank of Captain and was told that he was the youngest Captain in the Division. As Operations Officer, he was in charge of logistics for troop movements. He staged a large 3000-troop parade in Indianapolis in 1944. After our advance movement order was in, we received new equipment, turned in motor vehicles, and did what training we could at odd intervals. Finally, in September we moved by rail to Camp Myles Standish at Taunton, Mass. This place was known as a staging area where life reached the maximum of not letting anyone know anything at all. We existed on a monotonous routine of rumors until the day we redoubled our tracks, returned to New York, boarded the RMS Aquitania, and departed for Gourock, Scotland, on Oct 21, 1944. The 423-IR with various attached units arrived Oct 27, and the 422 and 424-IRs arrived Oct 28 with the artillery and some special units. We moved then to England where we were deployed in one of the most interesting and certainly the most beautiful parts of this country, the Cotswold section of the midlands. The 422-IR was stationed some 12 miles west and northwest of Oxford, the 424-IR near Banbury of Banbury Cross fame, and the 423-IR, and the Division Artillery near Cheltenham and Gloucester respectively. Division headquarters and special units were located centrally in this 200-square-mile area.

We remained in England preparing for an expected early crossing of the Channel. Between Nov 30 and Dec 1, the Golden Lions embarked on the long slow fifty-mile trip from Southampton to cross the Channel. We disembarked at Le Havre and at Rouen, a town about one-third of the way up the Seine toward Paris, and went into a bivouac in deep mud in the open fields in a cold drizzling rain, between the Dec 1/8.

During these days liaison officers from the 1-A headquarters arrived at odd intervals with conflicting and inconsistent sets of orders, so that during 48 hours we were assigned to three different corps in as many separate locations. Fortunately, troops and staff were arriving in unrelated groups as the weather and the Navy allowed them ashore so that no damage was done except to my disposition. The final messenger appeared on Dec 6 with instructions for us to leave for the St Vith area in Belgium. The first combat team to move, left the area on Dec 8, followed by the others as rapidly as possible. Upon arrival, we were to relieve the 2-ID, then in a defensive position, as part of the VIII Corps whose headquarters was then at Bastogne. Troops being in the throes of landing after a rough winter crossing, staffs only partly present and maps few and far between, our move to the battlefield was a rather remarkable one and highly successful despite its discomfort. The route carried us nearly 300 miles through Amiens, Cambrai, and Maubeuge in France to Philippeville in Belgium. After an overnight bivouac in extra deep mud near the latter town, we passed through Marche and the villages of eastern Belgium to the vicinity of St Vith, arriving during the period Dec 9/15. The relief of the 2-ID's weary troops stationed along the quiet German border in the Belgian Ardennes Forest commenced on Dec 11, and was completed on Dec 13, responsibility for the defense of the sector passing to me on Dec 12. The troops of the Indian head Division assured the men of the Golden Lion Division that there would be little action on this hilly terrain in the middle of winter. Edward P. McHugh

Preface - Maj John J. Mohn It was Dec 16, 1944, somewhere along the Siegfried Line near St Vith, Belgium. The German counter-attack that would later be referred to as the Battle of the Bulge had begun. The gray, foggy dawn made a perfect umbrella for the German launching of an onslaught that nearly cost the Allies World War Two. What happened at the Battle of the Bulge may be a well-known story but none of the stories make any reference to the group of American Soldiers taken prisoner at that time and marched for 140 continuous days covering over 1200 long, cold, starvation-ridden, nightmare miles, terminated only by the end of the war in Europe. Adversity is a mild term to describe the unbearable hardships endured by the ever-changing, ever-diminishing column of men. Temperatures dropped to ten degrees below zero (22°F). There were periods of fifteen days without a single bite of food. All suffered a phenomenal loss of weight (I weighed 65 pounds by the time of the liberation). We had inadequate clothing; many were without hats or gloves and at times no shoes. It was especially brutal for the poor Army Air Corpsmen who were only wearing thermal boots with no soles for walking when they were shot down and captured. The journey was marked by frozen feet, legs, arms, faces, and even blood trails. Treachery, deceit, and fear are just feeble attempts to put into words the anger, horror, anguish, and despair felt by these military men.

The ordeal that the approximately 7000 US soldiers endured between Dec 16/44 and May 2/45 can only be epitomized by saying that a scant thirty of the original group even reached liberation as a unit. Losses of men beyond belief resulted from attempts at escape, exposure, starvation, the sadism of the German Guards, and being strafed daily by our own and Allied planes. My book is not intended as a condemnation of the German People or Army but does make reference to differing attitudes and treatment by the Wehrmacht, to whom I owe a debt of gratitude for being alive, and the Elite SS Troops, who were constantly threatening our lives with attempts to exterminate us with machine guns and failed to provide even the most basic of necessities for our daily maintenance. The German High Command seemed at a loss as to what to do with so many prisoners and lacked a plan regarding the disposition of us. The result was a wandering march covering three countries with no apparent purpose, with a final goal of holding us as hostages in Berchtesgaden at the end of the war. The consequences for us, as Prisoners of War, were painfully clear. The facts and sequences of events I know first-hand because I was there from the beginning to the end. I saw dramatic changes in attitudes, values, behavior, and beliefs. Hidden strengths and weaknesses in the struggle for survival were surprising and at times frightening, but the salient factor through it all was that survival is 'All-Important' and that the 'Veneer of Civilization' is extremely thin.

December 16, the Horror Begins I couldn't help being reminded of that famous poem by Rudyard Kipling 'The Charge of the Light Brigade' on that fateful, foggy, grey, cold, drizzling morning Dec 16, 1944. The difference was that instead of 'cannons' noted in the poem, we had German tanks to the left of us, tanks to the right of us, tanks in front of us, and tanks behind us. To 'charge' ahead would have been to go down the steep slope of an evergreen-covered mountain. The landscape was so much like the mountain areas of Pennsylvania that it was hard to remember that we were in a foreign country fighting a very serious war. Even more seriously, we were surrounded and annihilated by German Panzer Divisions from the left and right of us. German artillery from the front was terrible enough but, to our dismay, the Germans had captured our artillery and were using our guns to fire upon us from the rear. When we called for supporting fire, they were aiming at us instead of their troops. Our Battalion Commander, Col Thomas Kent was killed by a shell coming in from the rear of our 'Pillbox' command post. At first, we thought our artillerymen were firing short of their target, but when we heard the German voice on our radio, we realized the awful truth - we were literally at their mercy. The divide-and-conquer strategy used in the German attack had been completely unexpected and effective. Read the full article

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mariacallous · 1 month

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Since February 24, 2022, no country has donated a larger share of its GDP to the Ukrainian war effort than Estonia has. Given the tiny Baltic state’s Soviet-era experience of life under Moscow’s domination, that level of generosity is not difficult to understand. The Insider recently traveled with two high-level Estonian officials on a tour of the front in Ukraine. The experience underscored just how deeply Russia’s other neighbors understand that the failure to properly arm Ukraine is already placing the European Union’s security in jeopardy.

“If all countries did what Estonia was doing, we’d be in Moscow by now,” Mikhail, the commander of a Ukrainian infantry unit currently deployed in Robotyne, told The Insider, only half joking. We’re meeting Mikhail at an undisclosed location to the north of his unit’s positions, roughly 20 kilometers behind the frontline.

It’s one of the last stops on a three-day tour of the front, with The Insider joining Estonia’s Ambassador to Ukraine, Annely Kolk, and Marko Mihkelson, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Estonian Parliament. The trip coincides with what one Ukrainian officer described as the “toughest fighting since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.” As we saw and heard for ourselves, Ukrainian forces are suffering acute ammunition shortages while attempting to hold off an enemy that is stubbornly determined to advance, regardless of the human cost.

The trip has been arranged by a Ukrainian-Estonian group of volunteers, who run the “One Team, One Fight Foundation.'' They’ve been delivering non-lethal military aid to Ukrainian soldiers across the country for nearly two years. The foundation’s director, Dmitro Drey is an affable Ukrainian originally from Luhansk who speaks the heavily accented Russian common for a native of the Donbas region; its co-founder is Harri, an Estonian ex-soldier. Both men have traveled hundreds of thousands of kilometers across Ukraine delivering desperately needed military equipment to frontline units.

Most foreign dignitaries, understandably, will never come as close to the fighting as Drey and Harri do. Many of them would never leave Kyiv or Lviv to travel incognito in inconspicuous, unarmoured vehicles without a security escort. But for both Kolk and Mihkelson, the importance of speaking to Ukrainian troops in person — to get a firsthand understanding of the war — outweighs the not inconsiderable risk. For long periods of time, we were well within Russian artillery range, and the sound of incoming shelling was a disconcerting constant.

For Mihkelson, a reserve officer in the Estonian armed forces, speaking directly to Ukrainian soldiers enables him to better understand the situation on the battlefield, enabling him to be a more effective advocate for the increased provision of Western aid. For Kolk, trips like this one are part of her diplomatic mission. “I’m ambassador to all of Ukraine, not just the capital,” she says. “Sitting in Kyiv gives you an unrepresentative picture of this war.”

And the ambassador is right. Unlike last winter, this year Kyiv has experienced no blackouts and no loss of water supply. The atmosphere on the streets remains relatively calm. If it weren’t for the air attacks — which rarely penetrate the excellent Western-supplied air defense network guarding Ukraine’s largest city — a visitor could be forgiven for forgetting that Kyiv is the capital of a country fighting for its survival.

It’s different in Druzhkovka, 20 kilometers from the battle. Here the sound of artillery is constant, and yet, as in Kyiv, people continue to go about their lives the best they can under the circumstances. A mother and her child walk in a nearby park, while city maintenance workers prune trees. It is a surreal picture. Military aid is distributed to soldiers that have recently come back from their positions in nearby Chasiv Yar, and Kolk and Mihkelson get to hear about the situation in the trenches.

The situation is bleak. Nearly every unit we speak to says that Ukrainian troops are outmanned and outgunned, facing extreme ammunition shortages as they attempt to hold the line against an enemy with an almost suicidal determination to advance.

It’s not difficult to make the direct connection between broken Western promises and the current difficulties on the front line. According to Mihkelson, a lack of Western strategic vision is also to blame. “There’s no clear understanding of how this war should end in Washington or Berlin,” he argues. “We rarely hear that Russia must be defeated on the battlefield.” The constant slow-walking and incremental provision of aid, particularly from the United States, clearly frustrates him. “Why don’t they send some of their own F-16s? They have so many!” Mihkelson says, referring to the American decision not to supply their own fighter jets to Ukraine, instead relying on European allies such as Norway, Denmark, and The Netherlands. “Or the ATACMS missiles that are just sitting in warehouses waiting to be decommissioned.”

The limitations and conditions under which the West has supplied weapons to Ukraine also come in for criticism. In Mihkelson’s words, demands that Kyiv refrain from using Western-supplied weapons to strike targets inside Russia’s internationally recognized borders is akin to asking Ukraine to “fight this war with both hands behind their backs.” It is an opinion commonly shared amongst the Ukrainian troops we spoke to.

As infantry commander Mikhail noted near Robotyne, Estonia’s commitment to the Ukrainian cause stands out. The Baltic country of less than 1.5 million has donated a staggering 3.6% of its GDP in bilateral aid to Ukraine since January 24, 2022, easily the most generous country by this metric (for comparison, the United States has donated 0.32%). “We know this war is existential,” Kolk tells The Insider, explaining Estonia’s high level of support. It is an understanding that permeates every level of the Estonian government. Given the country’s direct experience of Russian imperialism, there is a widespread belief in Tallinn that if Putin is not stopped in Ukraine, Estonia could very well be his next target.

The same is true for Estonia’s neighbors Latvia and Lithuania, both of which have also donated significant amounts of military support to Ukraine while imploring their European and NATO allies to take the threat of further Russian aggression more seriously. For years, the NATO strategy for defending the Baltic states followed the “tripwire” approach — having small numbers of international troops forward deployed to the alliance’s eastern flank not in order to successfully defend against an invasion, but to ensure that any Russian incursion would risk inflicting casualties on British and American active duty personnel, thus bringing the full force of those two military powers into the conflict. But of course, in the event of an actual Russian invasion, the arrival of help from points further west could not have come immediately. “The ‘tripwire’ policy would have left our country occupied by Russian forces,” Mihkelson explains.

The experience of Ukraine under Russian occupation, along with the effectiveness with which Russia has used threats of nuclear “escalation” to delay Western aid deliveries — from the United States and Germany in particular, Mihkelson notes — have led the Baltic States to begin constructing a defensive line of bunkers and fortifications along their countries’ borders with Russia. The importance of Russia not being allowed to quickly take territory, illegally annex it, and then hide behind a nuclear shield is now well understood. Questions of whether an American President would risk nuclear retaliation to support a European NATO ally date back to the Cold War, and the defensive line currently under construction is an attempt to prevent that question from ever having to be answered.

Both Kolk and Mihkelson express frustration at how long it has taken some of Estonia’s allies to appreciate the danger Russia presents to its neighbors. “The West has massively underestimated the threat Russia poses, at all levels,” Kolk argues, paying particular attention to the Kremlin’s information warfare operations. “Here in the Baltics we’ve seen it for years. Russia tries to claim Russian speakers are ‘oppressed’ in our countries, but the truth is Russians living in Estonia have more rights than Russians living in Russia.”

Mihkelson highlights the pattern of Western passivity towards Russia that, in his estimation, led to the current full-scale war in Ukraine. “There seems to be little understanding in many Western capitals that Russia is fundamentally attempting to overturn the current world order,” he says. “This is not only about Ukraine,” he adds, drawing lessons from recent history. “We’ve seen continued weakness in the West’s response to Russia, from the invasion of Georgia, to Obama’s ‘red line’ in response to chemical weapons attacks in Syria. That was clearly a moment when Putin detected weakness.” He notes that, when confronted, Russia has almost always backed down. “We’ve seen so many ‘red lines’ Russia themselves have set down, and then backed away from, when they’ve been crossed,” Mihkelson says.

Towards the end of our tour of the frontline, we arrive at a position close to the town of Orikhiv, north of the highly contested settlement of Robotyne. As we pull up, an M142 HIMARS rolls out towards its firing position. In a testament to the ammunition shortage, only one of its six launch tubes is loaded with a GMLRS rocket. Several groups of Ukrainian soldiers arrive at the meeting point simultaneously. Two young servicemen who hadn’t seen each other for months hug upon realizing that the other is still alive.

Kolk clearly finds the experience emotional. “At that moment I felt I couldn’t hold back tears anymore. My own son is 21,” she says. “I cannot imagine him greeting his friends in such a way.” Except if Estonia’s continuing support for Ukraine demonstrates anything, it is that Kolk, Mihkelson, and hundreds of thousands of other Estonians can all too well imagine that, if Ukraine does not receive the military aid it needs, then the ambassador’s son really could be greeting his friends in exactly the same way in the not-too-distant future.

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theculturedmarxist · 9 months

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The member nations of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization – consisting of the teetering Masters of Empire and their tawdry entourage of class-stratified vassals – have just concluded a historic confab in Vilnius, Lithuania, capital of the alpha Baltic chihuahua.

In a shockingly transparent but otherwise rather banal series of events it became unmistakably clear that their grand plans to subject Russia to the “rules-based order” have come to naught.

Among others, the following consequences will ripple in the wake of this reality:

Russia will achieve a decisive conclusion to the war on terms they dictate.

NATO is shattered as a military alliance, and coming apart at the seams as a political alliance.

Germany is on a trajectory of becoming a failed state, and as it goes, so will go the incoherent iron and clay mixture of the so-called European Union.

The great myth of overwhelming US armaments supremacy has been exposed as little more than a modestly scaled boutique enterprise utterly ill-suited and ill-prepared to prosecute industrial warfare against a peer adversary.

Of course, many will immediately object:

“But the US hasn’t even employed its military in Ukraine! If the US entered this war with its awesome air and naval power, and its “best-in-class” army … well, the Russians would get pounded to dust within a few weeks.”

Well, I hope the thesis is never put to the test, because it will NOT end well.

I am now more convinced than ever that Russia’s specific strengths match and will consistently defeat the American military’s perceived strengths.

Russia admittedly does not wield an expeditionary military, but the concept and constitution of the military it has built renders it effectively unbeatable in its own neighborhood.

A little over a year has now passed since I published an essay entitled The United States Could Not Win and Will Not Fight a War Against Russia. I have recently revisited it. I felt no impulse to change a thing. Indeed, I am struck by how much it is more apropos now than it was a year ago. I believe it constitutes an essential element of understanding in relation to the geopolitical realities at work in our world circa 2023.

Since I wrote the article, there have been many twists and turns in the path of the continuing quasi-proxy war in Ukraine between the rapidly descendant American Empire and an increasingly resurgent Russia. But in early July 2022, it had, in my estimation, become undeniably evident that Russia had effectively wrecked the formidable original proxy army the empire had built, trained, and partially equipped on the foundation of Ukrainian flesh and blood, and a substantial collection of legacy Soviet implements of war.

Sure, there were still scattered potent remnants, but it had been degraded at least 60% by that point in time. Despite a few own-goals along the way, the Russians accomplished this using a force less than half the size of the one the Ukrainians arrayed against them, while inflicting severe equipment losses and at least a 7 to 1 casualty ratio.

So NATO was forced to up the ante. Aspiring to address the obvious Russian advantage in firepower, they shipped several batteries of M-777 155 mm howitzers to Ukraine, followed soon by a few dozen M-142 HIMARS rocket launchers.

Both weapon systems enjoyed a smattering of early successes that were ecstatically trumpeted by western media and their devout disciples around the world.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of Ukrainian young men were being trained in NATO bases dotting Europe and the western hemisphere. They were instructed in the use of NATO equipment, and to fight the Russians according to NATO battlefield doctrine.

By mid-summer, a significant portion of this second iteration of the Ukrainian army had arrived back in Ukraine, along with hundreds of NATO infantry vehicles, mountains of ammunition – and perhaps most significantly – a substantial contingent of NATO-affiliated “volunteers” from many countries within the western alliance, notably Poland.

I am convinced this escalatory step convinced the Russians they must immediately begin to more fully prepare themselves for the prospect that NATO would directly intervene in the war.

First they gave priority to learning how best to track down and destroy the limited-mobility M-777 howitzers. And rather than obsess unduly on targeting the elusive HIMARS launcher vehicles, the Russians instead focused on electronically jamming / spoofing the GPS sensors or otherwise shooting down the rockets with their short- and medium-range air defense systems.

(Their success in this respect has been nothing short of a revolution in military affairs. It is unprecedented in the age of aerial warfare. Yes, some missiles still get through, but not many, and typically only in the absence or on the outskirts of Russian ECM and air defense coverage areas.)

The Russians had, throughout early- to mid-2022, made significant offensive advances into the Novorossiya regions of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Lugansk, and Kharkov. But as the summer waned, they began to perceptibly consolidate the entire line of contact. They then quickly brought to pass popular referenda in all but the Kharkov region – thereby formally assimilating the other four into the Russian Federation.

In mid-August 2022, the AFU began to advance against Russian forces on the western borders of the Dnieper River near Kherson. The Russians savaged the initial attacks, but then assumed a tactical-retreat posture. This continued for many weeks as they methodically contracted their lines into a bridgehead on the western part of Kherson city proper, all the while exacting severe losses on the attacking forces.

They would eventually effect an almost-flawless evacuation of twenty thousand troops and virtually all their heavy equipment to the eastern bank of the river, blow up the Antonovsky bridge, and then proceed to savage the AFU troops on the other side with artillery and airstrikes that continue to this day.

As September rolled around, the Ukrainians (with significant numbers of NATO-affiliated “volunteers” in the vanguard) moved with an even more potent force in the Kharkov region, aiming for the strategic cities of Kupyansk, Izyum, and Kremmenaya.

Again, amid much triumphalism in the western punditsphere, as well as bitter recrimination and hyperbolic dooming from the Russian 6th column and its acolytes, the Russian high command effected what I observed to be an orderly, well-executed fighting retreat to the other side of the Oskol river, where they had prepared fortified lines and installed substantial reinforcements.

At that point, the Ukrainian offensive in the Kharkov region reached its high-water mark, and as autumn turned to winter and then to spring, every attempt to advance further was met with a decisive repulse.

Though consistently ignored by those who laud the “lightning advances” of the late-season AFU “counter-offensive” in Kharkov, the attacking Ukrainian forces were horrifically mauled between the first week of September and mid-October – and ever since.

As the Russians contracted their lines to much more defensible positions, they concurrently mobilized and commenced intensive training of several hundred thousand reservists; ramped up armaments production to completely unforeseen levels, and settled in for the next few months to fight a punishing war of attrition against Ukraine and its NATO benefactors – even as they simultaneously prepared to face the credible possibility of direct NATO intervention.

That said, despite a mostly defensive posture throughout late 2022 and early 2023, the Russians did launch an operation against the strategic cities of Soledar and Bakhmut that few foresaw would evolve into the greatest battle on European soil since the Second World War. “Surovikin’s Meat Grinder” would eventually consume many tens of thousands of Ukraine’s best remaining troops and equipment.

In the end, the second iteration of the Ukrainian army was degraded even more comprehensively than was the first.

Ukrainian air power has long-since been rendered effectively negligible. Provided with occasional but very sparse deliveries of old Soviet aircraft from the former Warsaw Pact nations, they have continued to manage occasional stand-off missile strikes, but close air support has been nonexistent.

Russian missile strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure in early 2023 served to rapidly deplete the legacy Soviet air defense systems. And all western shipments of would-be replacements have proven to be inferior to Ukraine’s old stocks of S-300 and Buk systems.

Fantastical Ukrainian and western media claims of 90%+ shoot-downs of Russian missiles notwithstanding, the Russians now routinely strike targets throughout Ukraine where and when they will.

Most debilitating of all, persistent ammunition shortages have now become acute. Original and supplemented stocks of Soviet-sized 152 mm artillery are all-but exhausted. And despite the US having coordinated the shipment of millions of NATO 155 mm artillery shells from every nook and cranny in the empire’s vast global network of bases and those of its obedient vassals, the cupboard is now bare.

What was widely (albeit fallaciously) believed to be a nearly inexhaustible supply of equipment and ammunition in the warehouses of the Pentagon and its various less-than-sovereign minions around the globe has been exposed as entirely inadequate to the demands of a real war.

It is an astonishing development in the eyes of a great many in the world.

And yet, it shouldn’t be.

In my July 2022 article, I prominently cited US Army Col. (Ret.) Alex Vershinin's all-important analysis regarding The Return of Industrial Warfare, which had appeared in RUSI a couple weeks previous. If you have not already done so, I highly recommend this short but powerful essay. His entire argument has now been confirmed by events.

Here in mid-July 2023, almost everything that eighteen months ago was only seen through a glass darkly is now undeniably apparent to all with eyes to see:

Far from being massively attrited, as any number of empire-compromised NATO rent-a-generals and politicians have ludicrously argued from the first weeks of the war, the Russians have employed an extremely impressive economy of force to achieve their objectives. To be certain, they have suffered losses in men and equipment that would be far in excess of anything western nations could abide. But the fact remains that the Russians have inflicted the most disproportionate casualty ratio of any major war in the modern era.

My sense of the matter is that the aggregated total of Russian, Donbass militia, and PMC Wagner combat deaths is probably in the neighborhood of twenty-five thousand.

On the other side of the line, Ukrainian combat deaths are now almost certainly in the range of 250k to 350k – at least 20k of that total occurring just since the first week of June.

The third iteration of the Ukrainian army, equipped predominantly with imported NATO armor, artillery, and ammunition, has been torn to shreds over the course of the previous six weeks of their last gasp offensive. The AFU very likely has been husbanding its scant remaining stock of NATO equipment and ammunition for one last “charge of the damned”, but otherwise Ukrainian offensive potential is played-out, and there will be no fourth iteration of a Ukrainian army to face the Russians on the field.

Meanwhile, upwards of four-hundred thousand uncommitted Russian reserves are champing at the bit to be turned loose. With Russian military industrial output now in high gear, these troops are better-equipped than any that have yet taken part in this conflict.

The Russian air force has received substantial numbers of new airframes from the production line. Attack helicopters roam the battlefield with near-impunity. Russian supply of strike drones, cruise missiles, and supersonic air-launched missiles appears to meet all its battlefield demands. Its so far modest deployment of hypersonic missiles has shown them to be extremely potent weapons that defy the attempts of antiquated western air defenses to interdict them.

This war is a lost cause for the empire and its hapless allies in Europe and around the world. And that, of course, is the unavoidable conclusion that has finally managed to seep into the otherwise dense skulls of the various participants at the recent NATO summit in Lithuania.

The Masters of Empire now face a no-win scenario. They must abandon their failed Ukraine gambit — and inexorably, over the next few years, yield to maximalist Russian demands regarding the roll-back of NATO to its pre-1997 borders — or else yield to the mad impulse of a futile attempt to subjugate Russia by force of arms in the form of direct US/NATO intervention into this war.

Either way, the decline of the empire will be radically accelerated; NATO will almost immediately cease to function as a credible military/political alliance; the EU will dissolve as a monetary/political "union"; the demise of the global dollar system will rapidly gain momentum.

And though many, if not most, find risible the assertion that these things could possibly come to pass in anything like the near- or medium-term (2 - 5 years), I increasingly expect they will be proven catastrophically mistaken.

#russia #nato #ukraine conflict #european union #us imperialism

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constantly-deactivated · 1 year

Text

Military Civil War Begins

A clash between White Hats and armed forces members loyal to the criminal Biden regime took place late Monday night south of Colorado Springs, along Interstate 25, where United States Marines under General David H. Berger’s command planned to ensnare an 18-wheeler suspected of holding yet another shipment of firearms destined for the IRS.

Intelligence, sources told Real Raw News, indicated the truck would be teeming with crates of sidearms, rifles, and ammunition. The source would not specify from where General Berger obtained his intel, but said that “it seemed credible enough to act on.”

General Berger “activated” a Marine Recon platoon—about 25 men—to intercept the truck and seize ordnance found within. Marines reportedly had the make and model of the semi, as well as the plate numbers and projected route. General Berger had scrutinized the vehicle’s expected route of transit and decided that the Marines, driving civilian SUVs, should ambush it from fore and aft.

By 11:30 p.m. the Marines had laid their trap: Three SUVs would peel out in front of the tractor trailer, while the other two, hidden in a densely wooded alcove beside the interstate, would bring up the rear, essentially trapping the truck.

At 1:00 a.m. the Marines, equipped with thermal optics and, according to our source, “modern tech not known to the public,” spotted their quarry cruising toward them. It had only two occupants, both of whom appeared to be civilian. The Marines swerved onto the interstate, pinching the truck between the front and rear elements. Six Marines dismounted with weapons drawn, approached the cab, and ordered the occupants to exit with their hands raised. The driver and the passenger complied and seemed shocked, our source said. The Marines then examined the manifest, which made no mention of weapons. Instead, it listed the cargo as 250 cases of N-95 facemasks.

When the Marine in charge of the operation, a second lieutenant, asked for the key to the padlock securing the trailer doors, the driver shrugged his shoulders and said only the cargo’s recipient had a key. Our source said the Marines didn’t bother hunting for a key because they’d brought bolt cutters, which they used to snap the lock.

No sooner had two Marines opened the doors than a phalanx of brutal gunfire erupted from within the trailer. Six uniformed soldiers, three prone and three standing, unleashed upon the Marines a hailstorm of lead. One marine was struck three times, twice in the chest, once in the neck, and died almost instantly. Another Marine took rounds to his shoulder and face and was bleeding profusely as one of his brothers, also shot, pulled him from the line of fire, while the other Marines dove for cover behind their vehicles and returned fire, emptying several magazines on both the truck and the treasonous soldiers inside. All six were KIA.

The Marines evaluated their situation: One man dead, one near death, a few superficial wounds, damaged but drivable vehicles, and six dead U.S. Army soldiers who had tried to ambush their ambush. The Marines arrested the driver and passenger, who were “pissing their pants,” and commandeered the truck, which held no cargo whatsoever.

“This is a major escalation,” our source said, “and a tragedy. We’re not talking about a fight between White Hats and corrupt feds. This is military on military. General Berger is saddened by this all.”

Insignia on the fallen soldiers’ uniforms showed they belonged to the 4th Infantry Division, out of Fort Carson, Colorado.

“Obviously there was a leak, and we got fed bad intel. General Berger will get to the bottom of this,” our source said.

Update: The six deceased U.S. Army wore dog tags. White Hats will attempt to check dental records to either confirm or deny whether they were soldiers or imposters.

#pay attention #wake the fuck up #wake up #wake up america #wake up people #wake up world #educate yourself #educate yourselves #do your own research #do your research #do your homework #civil war #military is the only way #military #fire fight #war #government tyranny #government lies #government corruption

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