Vet 0369

And this is a prime example of “if we fail to learn from history, we are doomed to repeat it.” We learned a lesson from the WWI vengeance reparations, and not only didn’t impose massive reparations on Germany after WWII, as far as I know, but we implemented the “Marshal Plan” to help rebuild BOTH Germany and Japan. Seems to me that those policies had MUCH better results than “vengeance based reparations.” Vengeance is also what has continued the millennium long blood feuds that still exist in many countries.

This is exactly why I would argue against massive reparations against Russia for starting this. After WWI,even though U.S. President Wilson argued against them, the UK and France insisted on them to “punish” Germany and make sure they wouldn’t have a viable military again. Well, we all know how that worked out. “Vengeance is Mine say that the lord,” meaning we have no place exacting it.

It could be a simple matter of Russia realizing they have lost, and are redeploying their troops to the originally controlled areas of the Crimean peninsula, DNR, and LNR to be under the protective guns and missiles of Russia and the Russian Navy in preparation of a cease-fire agreement. I wouldn’t be surprised to see other fronts doing the same.

Historically, the Eastern Orthodox Church in Russia has been entwined with the Russian Rulers since at least Ivan the Terrible, right up to Rasputin. The controlled the masses, and the Church controlled their minds. That influence only waned when Communism put a blanket on religion. Wasn’t it Marx who said “Religion is the opiate of the masses?”

So, when/if they return home, they’re charged, tried, and if convicted, sentenced to 5(insert local currency here), or one hour community service. Case closed.

This is an addendum to my last reply. Source: “http/national archives.gov.uk” “Meanwhile the Light Brigade, commanded by Major General the Earl of Cardigan, was awaiting orders.the Brigade consisted of the 13th DRAGOONS, the 4th DRAGOONS. The 17th Lancers, 8th Hussars and 11th Hussars.” The all caps are mine. The Lancers and Hussars were considered Calvary , but the Dragoons were definitely mounted infantry.

I wasn’t implying that the “Light Brigade” wasn’t Light Infantry. I was observing that it wasn’t a “new” concept. As I stated, Dragoons weren’t Cavalry, they were mounted infantry who dismounted to fight. Even though they carried sabers, as the Cavalry did, they didn’t fight as Calvary, and weren’t used as one would use Cavalry, i.e. for recon, raids on supply lines, and to turn the flanks of the enemy. They rode to where they were needed to reinforce, dismount, and fought as a formation, on foot, with shorter muskets, or carbines.

And, even if they could produce them in numbers, how are they going to man them? Does anyone actually think they would go to front line units, with newly trained crews? No, they would have to pull experienced, battle-trained crews off the line to crew them. Otherwise, they’d lose them faster than a T-72 with a conscript crew as soon as they get into the combat zone.

Beer is proof that God loves us!

That wasn’t a new thing invented in the 19th century. The term for those soldiers in earlier conflicts, such as our own Revolution, were “Dragoons.” Although they looked like Cavalry, even had sabers, they were Mounted Infantry who dismounted to fight as Infantry.

Yeah, that was my second thought since there’s no sign of a fuel spill. I would have to assume that it had no fuel in it.

Probably trying to take that corner, where the yellow vehicle is, too fast. Look at the hole it’s main gun made! “Haz Mat team to fuel spill immediately!”

LOL, another SSGT in our platoon, an Army Vet of the Korean War, used to use his “John Wayne” to open part of the can of apricots and drink the syrup. Then one day, after he did that, he completely opened the can, and the apricots were black. I don’t remember him doing that again.

We never eat an entire rat at one time (never knew when we’d get our next one) so we stretched them out. If I remember, rats were designed to be very high calorie count, and MREs were too. I think I remember something like 2500 to 4500 per meal. I don’t think they were designed to be eaten all at once, even though many tended to be “Hobbits with Lembas.”

Yup, agree with this. Beans and franks, and spaghetti with meatballs were always a valuable trading commodities, especially if someone got stuck with Beef slices with potatoes (they weren’t bad if heated) and ham and Mo%=@f*&#rs (ham and Lima beans to those who don’t speak the dialect). Unfortunately, we rarely had heat tabs, and almost never ate stationary. Tabasco sauce was a must. when we came in to base after a week in the field in NATO Operation Teamwork in Northern Norway in 1976, we ate in a field mess. We had Reindeer ribs. I remember asking an Air Winger if he was going to eat the meat scraps that were left on his bones. When he said no, I ate them.

Basically a small “flying Claymore mine.”

Russian command probably Thoth there might be women and children in there praying, as is usually the case under these circumstances.

Russia is going to do what Russia has always done; Fire and Rubble. And, the majority of Russian people are going to do what the Russian people have always done, nothing! In 1917, the Intelligencia overthrew the Tsar. They were immediately deposed by the Bolsheviks, and mostly executed. That revolution did nothing more than exchange the Party Chairman for the Tsar. The rural farmers were still, and basically still are by mind set, Serfs. For them, for thousands of years, there has been no differences in rulers until Nicholas II removed the serfs from being “bonded to the land,” about 150 years ago. One doesn’t change a 1,000 year-old mind set in 100 years, especially when nothing has really changed for them.

As a side note, I believe the rifle in the Home Guard picture is an Enfield model 1917. It’s a .303 if British (most likely) or a 30-06 if U.S.

Well, I’m 72, and if I have an M-14 or Civilian M1A, basically the same 7.62 or .308 rifle, if I can see a man, I can hit him. We qualified with it at 200, 300, and 500 yards. The only gating factor is if I can see him.

Don’t forget that most of those 40ish year old men probably had military training as conscripts.

Yup. We trained to immediately get out of the “kill zone” by assaulting the fire base. You have to keep doing the drills until it becomes “muscle memory” since it goes against all psychology to run AT the firing ambush. Funny story of my last annual required combat training as a Regular in the Air Wing. We were doing ambushes, and I was a “point cutoff.” My job was to take out the point man when the main ambush opened up. I had a blank firing adapter on my M-14 and was laying on the ground in vegetation when the point man walked about 3 meters in front of me. The main ambush opened up, he turned to see what happened, I rolled to my knees and fired about three shots at the ground. He jumped about 3 or 4 feet into the air and turned ghost white, so I said “bang you’re effing dead.” I think he had to unblouse his trousers and let the feces drop out. I don’t think that poor LCpl thought it was as funny as I did though.

Honestly, expiration dates that are five years ago, don’t mean much. When I was going through infantry training in 1969, were eating C-rations that were packaged in 1945. The cigarettes (four in every accessory package) were Marlboros that were so old they didn’t have filters and were so dry they flashed to ash as soon as you lit them. Those “rats” taught us to check every can to make sure they weren’t bulged. We ate the good ones with “gusto.” But then again most Marines and soldiers will eat anything that doesn’t move quickly enough to get away. Sometimes we even cook it.

What a module called “Red Thunder; Fire and Rubble” by a company called “BattleFront?”

I can hear the Ukraine Company commander now as he points to the Russian line; “We need supplies of weapons, ammo, food, and medical stuff. It’s time to go and get them.”