Vet 0369
-
Posts
1,339 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
2
Posts posted by Vet 0369
-
-
45 minutes ago, NamEndedAllen said:
This entire “Tanks: Yes or No” debate here and in the public space has been enormously frustrating, not least because it usually clouds the larger question. It too often takes on just that kind of rigid un illuminating yes/no posture, even here. And too often, twisting what is said into an extreme positions. @The_Capt and Steve among others have been clear about what are more crucial needs for the AFU than tanks. OTOH, most people here have not insisted Western tanks will sweep into Moscow and crush Putin into messy blood pudding.
But whether here or in the noisy public debates and finger pointing, There is a better discussion hidden by it all. Why haven’t the political and military leadership at the very least in the USA clearly and forcefully laid out their vision for the Big Picture of re-arming the AFU over time? Instead of engaging in micro tennis match type back and forth volleys about specific weapons?
Explain to the public - and pointedly to Russia - that not only is the West committed to ensuring Ukraine’s territorial integrity, and that it will not permit Russia to succeed in its illegal invasions of sovereign nations. But that the West’s delivery of weapons is designed to create a new AFU equipped to withstand anything Russia can throw at it. That the vision that our tax dollars are funding is much much more than this month’s big shopping cart of weapons and munitions. Most people’s eyes glaze over as soon as they see those lengthy lists littered with arcane acronyms and obscure model numbers. Uunlike our forum members, they just see dollar signs. Billions and billions of them. Tell them there is a mighty PLAN! Tell them that it takes time to build a modernized military, that the Ukrainians are bravely defending their homeland with today’s tranche, but that this will be a long war against the worst evil since Hitler’s SS raped its way across Europe etc etc. Therefore we will be building up Ukraine progressively while it is in the fights for its very survival. Over time, and as training and planning takes place, tanks, planes and ships will be delivered. These will not be thrown thoughtlessly into the inferno and lost! They will roll out inexorably over time so as to be best employed in Ukraine’s, and arguably Europe’s survival and victory over this heinous attack that threatens all of us who stand for freedom.
Or something like that! Because the public doesn’t get inspired by long lists of acronyms. Show them and Russia the big picture, emphasize that there is the plan is unfolding. Stop batting back and forth for months on end about this tank or that!
Because if the explanations take longer than a 30 second sound bite, or it doesn’t fit the viewer’s political philosophy, then the majority of viewers/readers/listeners just go on to something more appealing to them. Up until the early 1970s, I’d venture to say that most males, at least in the U.S, had at least a smattering of military tactics, and the knowledge that if you provided your opponent with an idea of what you were going to do, that opponent would be much better able to “kick the crap” out of you. If I’m not mistaken, the U.S. military and politicians made a point of publicly stating that it wasn’t going to supply South Korea with heavy tanks because the Korean terrain wouldn’t support their use. In fact the real reason was that they were afraid Pak would invade the North.. The result was when the North invaded, they led the invasion with heavy T-34s that simply rolled over the U.S. light and medium tanks, and the 2.5 inch bazookas just bounced off the T-34s.
that is the main reason that you don’t declare your intentions no matter how many of the public and Media want to satisfy their curiosity.
-
5 hours ago, DesertFox said:
Yeah, I think so too. We have already seen their Bradleys on trains in Poland.
But there is some "other" activity going on in Germany:
I will always remember R. Lee Ermy’s term for the M1 Abrams “A can opener with an attitude!”
Rest in peace Gunny!
-
9 hours ago, Battlefront.com said:
I don't think this one has been posted yet. Another Pointer Of Doom video, this time with suicide drones:
Seems the Russians have either too little infantry in one spot or too much.
Steve
How does one say “Spread out, one grenade can get you all” In Russian?
-
15 hours ago, Huba said:
All right then, if that's settled, we can get back to arguing which tanks are to be sent and how many
So here are my guesses:
- Chally2 seems to be happening already, but a company is quite pointless. Either the numbers have to be increased so that a full battalion/ mech brigade can be equipped with it, or it will be used in some kinda of a ring exchange scheme with one of the smaller Leo2 operators.
- Leclerc and Ariete were not pledged at the moment, and seem quite unlikely. If FR and IT decide to jump on the tank bandwagon, the same principle as with Challenger applies.
- There seems to be around 100 Leo2 in the pool already, with perhaps at least 30 more available from DE. This should be enough for an armored brigade and then some, depending on how big the battalions are (31 or 44 vehicles). In the long term at least double that could probably be scrapped up when everyone starts fixing the available vehicles
- There's A LOT of Leo1 around too - if Greeks agree to participate, there can be a few hundred available. UA already have a lot of experience servicing the chassis/ drivetrain aspect of them, so that's a big plus.
- I guess Polish PT-91 are still on the table, perhaps in the second part of the year
- And this leaves the question of US participation. I don't buy the argument that M1 is not possible due to various technical reasons. It weighs the same as Leo2, the engine is harder to fix but reportedly more reliable, there are ways around that; fuel doesn't seem to be a problem, it's not like UA is having a shortage or there are 200km fuel runs to be made. We already heard the M1s are available for a swap exchange scheme and that is surely going to happen in my opinion.
As a Marine Grunt, about the only thing I know about armor is to stay the hell out of it’s way, but the Abrams question might simply be due to fear of the technology getting into the “wrong hands.” When I was a USMC F4 Phantom II mechanic in Japan in 1971 (I had two jobs in the USMC, Air Wing and Infantry) it was very safe duty because the U.S. Navy prohibited our F4-Js from being used in VietNam because they were too new and too technologically advanced. Perhaps it’s the same thought for the M1A1s or what ever they have. And yes, I have no idea about the configurations of the ones they “gave” to Iraq or Afghanistan. I’m pretty sure that we even “de-tech” platforms that we sell to our staunchest Alliies.
-
7 minutes ago, Butschi said:
Sorry, a bit unclear I guess.
There was this letter from Ted Cruz et al.:
"This letter is to advise, in legally effective form, that Fährhafen Sassnitz GmbH and Mukran Port, as well as their directors, officers, shareholders and employees, are at risk of severe legal and economic sanctions from the U.S. government in connection with these goods, services and maintenance activities [for vessels involved in Nord Stream 2]. These sanctions include potentially fatal measures that will cut off Fährhafen Sassnitz GmbH commercially and financially from the United States,"
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
Trump, for instance, threatened Germany to charge a pretty steep tax on German cars if Germany would not reduce its export surplus. How a government is supposed to do that in a free economy is beyond me.
Thank you for your clarification. First, the letter from Ted Cruz. Cruz is a Senator from Texas, and a blowhard also. He has absolutely no authority to threaten a foreign official or commercial entity with Sanctions or anything else unless possibly there are already sanctions in place by the U.S. Government.
Second, “steep taxes on German cars” is known as increasing the Tariffs on a product if it is determined that the target Country is”dumping” products at artificially low prices to get a larger share of the market. This is common practice in the world markets, and have nothing to do with the Nord2 question.
-
2 hours ago, Butschi said:
What is more important, the Trump administration had tried to blackmail Germany several times, Nord Stream 2 being one of the targets. Several Republican Governors had threatened the mayor of the small town where Nord Stream 2 would reach Germany. Incidentally the Governors' states would be the ones to profit from selling LNG to Germany.
Not defending Trump, I can’t stand the blowhard, but a State’s Governor is NOT part of a U.S. Federal Executive Branch Administration, e.g., Trump or Biden, so I don’t understand the relationship of the “blackmail” to the Trump Administration. A State can engage in contracts with Foreign Entities such as businesses and locals, but I’m not sure I understand how they can blackmail a foreign government entity such as a local Mayor, or whatever the official is called.
-
2 hours ago, Butschi said:
Although frowned upon it is quite common for politicians to get well payed jobs in companies after they leave politics and much too often it is those same companies that received favorable legislation and things like that.
Unfortunately, that seems to be “par for the course” for many Government functions. Here in the U.S., the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had to issue a ban on Managers, Directors, and Associate Administrators who have influence on the regulatory decision making, who leave the FAA from accepting a position in the industry that they regulated for a specific number of years. However, the “influencers found a way around it by setting up “Consulting” Firms and saying they were “Contractors.”
-
9 hours ago, Huba said:
Perhaps something will happen tomorrow already:
Well, I wouldn’t stand any closer to the bogged tank than the length of the cable they are using to pull it loose. If that cable snapped at almost any point except right at the bogged tank, they would have been cut in half by it.
-
15 minutes ago, akd said:
The ex-Marine M1A1s would be ideal. AFAIK, they already have German DM11 HE ammunition integrated.
Some of those former USMC Abrams might already be even closer to Ukraine than most folks know. The USMC was (is?) the Rapid Deployment Force charged with the defense of Northern Norway. As such, they had (have?), among other things, armor already prepositioned in storage caverns in Norway.
-
On 1/20/2023 at 2:47 PM, Beleg85 said:
. It's also quite possible some Ukrainian tankers are conducting exercises on PT-91, but these things are kept very much in silence here..
As they should be! An intelligence “unit” is very adapt at developing “intentions” from what to many seem to be the most innocuous statements and releases. In fact, I don’t have a doubt that there are “Professional Agents” on this thread reading every word to try to determine the intentions of Ukraine, the EU, and the U.S.
One of the most widely used catch phrases during WWII was “Loose lips sink ships” it is still appropriate today, and members of this Forum really need to keep it in mind when asking “how many …” and “Are Ukrainians getting X and being trained on Y.” No competent military member or public official should be contributing to Russia’s “intelligence” by providing them with that type of data.
Nough said by this old Platoon Sgt.
-
1 minute ago, Vet 0369 said:On 1/20/2023 at 8:23 AM, Sojourner said:
Curious. Pistorius was asked today about sending Leos if US sends Abrams, his response was that was for Scholz to decide, not his decision, and that he hadn't spoken to Scholz about it. Really? What have he and Scholz been talking about all week?
Sorry folks, don’t know what happened with my first reply.
I took a two-week course called “Negotiation Skills” one time when I worked when I worked for a major aircraft engine manufacturer. This tactic is known as the “Power of No Power.” It is very effective in a negotiation. “I can’t agree to that because I don’t have the authority.” I’ve actually used it very successfully a number of times.
-
On 1/20/2023 at 8:23 AM, Sojourner said:
Curious. Pistorius was asked today about sending Leos if US sends Abrams, his response was that was for Scholz to decide, not his decision, and that he hadn't spoken to Scholz about it. Really? What have he and Scholz been talking about all week?
-
9 hours ago, Splinty said:
The difficulty with Ukraine getting Abrams lies in the engine. Ukraine certainly can relatively easily incorporate armor with diesel engines fairly quickly. Learning to operate and support turbine engines is a whole different animal. Sending an Abrams back to Poland for repairs isn't really feasible for mobile warfare.
Admittedly, I know next to nothing regarding turbine engines in ground vehicles, so I’m a bit confused about this. I’ve had an FAA Airman Certificate for Mechanic, with Airframe and Powerplant Certifications for almost 50 years (46 to be exact), and I believe that turbine engines are much more reliable and easier to maintain than reciprocating engines. A recip can have hundreds of parts that are subject to wear and failure, while a turbine engine has relatively few parts that can wear/fail.
If a recip has issues, one tends to troubleshoot the issue(s) and fix them in place, while with a turbine engine, unless it’s an igniter or the electronic control unit (ECU) or the full-authority, digital electronic control unit (FADEC, an air carrier will simply replace the engine “package.” They don’t send the whole aircraft back to a repair facility. Why is that done with an MBT engine package? A tank engine is similar to a helicopter engine, and in many cases derived from an existing helicopter engine design. Here’s where my armor practices “ignorance” really shines through, why remove an entire MBT, and possibly an experienced crew, from the operational area when all you need are some preconfigured engine packages, a hoisting device, and a support vehicle from the Support Company? Is it because the Army has used manufacturer field reps for so long that it no longer has capable techs to change an engine?
Not trying to be caustic or trolling, but it’s been a looong time since I worked on F4-B/RF4, and F4-J fighters.
-
5 hours ago, Haiduk said:
No photo alas, but today Air Force Command officially claimed all 10 missiles, which hit Kyiv, Kyiv and Chernihiv oblasts were launched from S-400, deployed in Briansk oblast.
Who wants to bet that there will soon be a “careless smoking accident” in Brian’s Oblast?
-
23 minutes ago, Beleg85 said:
It's part of this new plague among part of Russian influencers of provoking people around the world to harm them; there are plenty of these folks in Baltics, occassionally in other places too. Probably they have some benefits from Russian propaganda departments. Not worth to get involved in these provocations- he shouldn't be allowed to even enter Europe in the first place.
There is a lot os speculations as of tomorrow's Putin announcement. Probably he can talk about "red lines" for new equipment, perhaps mobilization too.
A propos:
Well, to take a neutral stance in judgement, from the video, it appears that the conflict was initiated by the Pole when he heard the poster speaking Russian. So, it appears the Pole was looking for a confrontation. I honestly can’t say that in the same situation I wouldn’t have reacted differently to an unprovoked confrontation.
-
3 hours ago, The_Capt said:
Aw I kinda miss the pro-Russian crowd @dbsapp where are you?!
They all bolted pretty damn quick after 24 Feb as their entire Russian narratives fell apart. It would be interesting to hear their twisted view of things, but that would just descend into none sense pretty quick. Of course some of them could be pushing sunflowers by now for all we know.
It could also be a case of Russian internet restrictions/surveillance of which we aren’t aware. I believe there are more than a couple of forum members who have “shutdown and gone to ground” for fear of prosecutions. One that I remember stated that they had just been “interrogated” so they were going to ground. It must be pretty dangerous for someone in Russia, or one of the occupied, annexed, or “break-away” territories to post on an admittedly pro-Ukraine forum. We all have had any good and instructive conversations with those who don’t share our points of view. It’s always beneficial to know and understand the opposing points of view. As Sun Tzu said, “know your enemy!”
-
1 minute ago, JonS said:
I thought he was referring to Gibralter
But, but, but… wasn’t Portugal part of Spain? What about Etruria and Catalonia? Aren’t they all on the Iberian Peninsula?
🫣 Just trolling a bit using a bit of historical context!
-
1 hour ago, The_Capt said:
The damned talkies ruined everything!
-
1 hour ago, Haiduk said:
Also Sheikh Mansur battalion video. Work of sniper pair with a cover. They spotted a group of Russians - spotter tracks result of fire, sniper shots. Claimed they eliminate two Russians. After shots all quiclky change position.
Note for CM - it's hard to model such holes in walls, through which sniper can shoot stealthily , so maybe it's has a senese to make walls of damaged buildings "transparent" for snipers?
I watched a show about U.S. Military snipers a while back. The U.S. Sniper Training programs now include methods of how to create small holes, just larger than the bullet of the sniper rifle, in conjunction with another small hole for sighting through with the scope. I understand it can be very effective in a populated area to create a much more secure blind for the sniper team. It was quite fascinating.
-
20 hours ago, dan/california said:
A whole bunch of Swiss business interests and practices need to be subjected to vastly increased scrutiny.
Switzerland is “officially” neutral, and Ukraine is at war with Russia, so selling or giving any military systems to Ukraine would be violating their neutrality, unless they made the same offers to Russia. Qatar isn’t at war with anyone that I know of.
-
22 hours ago, Beleg85 said:
This movie simply lacked good acting and single identifiable character, like Ernest Brognine or Ian Holm in other adaptation. It's as bland as ca.90% of modern movies- visually stunning, but failing of showing internal human devastation that war causes that was so important in the book (all good "anti-war" books, in fact). And it hit the German movie theatres in worst possible time, frankly.
Still nothing come close to "Paths of Glory" and other good old pieces.
One of the biggest “effects” in the old films was using the Black and White film medium! They can do so much more showing of “mood” with the shading. Biggest reason I’m against “colorizing” the old classics.
-
9 hours ago, Battlefront.com said:
NICE! UAV deliveries is something we've not discussed at all in this massive thread. It is obviously something that we'll be seeing a lot more of in the years to come. It's not efficient for most forms of resupply, but when you need to get a spare part, radio, or something else specialized (OK, sugar too!) then these drones could be the #1 method for solving the problem.
The NATO forces are all experimenting with cargo carrying UGVs because they can do a lot more than UAVs, including acting as weapons platforms instead. However, I do know that there is interest in rotary based UAVs that can mimic a helicopter's capacity. But from what I can tell such a vehicle is getting attention only recently compared to UGVs.
Steve
They don’t have them yet, but I don’t think they are far off. A company in Vermont, U.S.A. contracted Austin Meyers, the creator of Laminar Research (LR), to design a fully electric dual-rotor aircraft to transport transplant organs from one hospital to another. It has to carry a pilot, a passenger, and the organ for transplant. Austin Meyers used the Plane Maker program of the LR flight simulator X-Plane to design and test the proof of concept and flight model for the copter. The company in Vermont built the prototype and performed actual flight testing. I understand the FAA might be flight testing it within the next few months. I’ve actually flown it a bit in X-Plane 12, and it’s pretty amazing.
-
9 hours ago, Taranis said:
Personally, I don't find it impressive at all (but still interesting). I don't see how they can set their sights properly while locked in a shelter. This would mean (which the video does not show) that the vegetation is removed during the adjustment and orientation and so are visible... And then, to carry out that, it is necessary to have a position already prepared, at the present time (UAV & Co), I do not see how the Ukrainians could not notice the preparation. At 2:49 watch how he pulls the trigger like crazy... If he does that for real, he'll shoot around the corners. I know it's training, but one of the lessons of this war is that you have to disperse the men and the means. There the guys learn to leave in column and to shoot in line... The necessary realistic conditions therefore leave something to be desired.
I totally agree! I saw no sign of aiming stakes, which while not absolutely needed for a “hastily” setup solution for direct firing, (I had 60mm M2 gunners who could just Jan the ball on the base into the ground, fire a round for range, and proceed to adjust fire for effect by “Kentucky wind age.” In fact my M60 machine gun squads usually had to protect their Asbestos gloves, used for changing barrels, from other mortar sections from stealing them. The gunner used the glove to protect his hand from the heat of the mortar tube.
-
1 hour ago, Beleg85 said:
I wander why, but while Switchblades clips are very rare and indeed no more than hand granades, Lancets seem like true bane of Ukrainian equipment in this war- they hunt for S300, howitzers, reportedly even a gunboat. Certainly nets can do the job well, but they are not always available. Also many videos show Lancets hitting howitzers from behind, they probably spot some weak points there. And this is despite the fact they are slow, not very accurate and need another guiding drone. They are clearly a problem.
As far as I know, not. But it has a cult status and is very popular among teenagers also here, and it somewhat shapes their vision of the war. They even have Anime made on that popularity of armour topics:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cu9EYHjohp0
(You never saw me posting this, if somebody ask. Yes, culture is irreversibly broken and we are heading toward our doom of progressing infantilisation...
)
LOL, yeah, big hit with the 13-year old crowd.
So here are my guesses:
)
How Hot is Ukraine Gonna Get?
in Combat Mission Black Sea
Posted
And, why do you assume they haven’t started some time ago? Again, that type of info isn’t something a military puts out for public information. Unless of course, you want to scare the crap out of Russia and cause them to do something hasty or not completely thought through.