Four-Square.

This is coolbert:

Herewith a slightly edited version of a blog entry from 2014.

Thanks to the Sheldon Adelson Internet news letter:

"Redeployment serves Israel well"  

Source Israel Hayom | article by Maj. Gen. (ret.) Yaakov Amidror | 2014.

Israel having a definite advantage over Hamas. Israeli troops able to better sustain a level and tempo of combat than the Hamas combatant. That Israeli troop however not immune to needing a period of rest and resupply. 

 "The conscripted army has shouldered most of the war effort, with the reserves serving in a supportive role. The younger troops will be the ones who go into Gaza in the event of a wide-scale ground invasion. Thus, to better prepare for such a contingency, it made sense to withdraw the troops and let them rest, resupply and recharge. Israeli troops would have to be at the top of their game if they were to endure a protracted campaign."

This reminds me of a g2mil web site article from way back when.

"The Calamity of Urban Warfare"

Combat arms units at the level of battalion, regiment, able to sustain a high level and tempo of combat efficiency by using what is best called the square of four-square deployment.

"Readers must familiarize themselves with these subtopics to understand the concepts discussed in this chapter. These articles are linked within this chapter, but it may be easier to read them in advance."

     

"In the Pacific, US Marine Corps assaults into island fortifications taught them to develop a rotational system.  The basic model is the infantry battalion square; two companies forward, two behind them, with the battalion headquarters and support elements in the middle.  Two rifle companies fight and advance for 48 hours, then the two rear companies move forward to relieve them in place, fatigued troops to the rear."

Four-Square allowing for combatants:

* Eat hot food.

* Go to the toilet.

* Sleep.

Two to three days of continuous combat a maximum beyond which efficiency of a unit declines steeply. Better the four-square system to maintain an edge over the adversary. Better for the troops, better for the mission!!

coolbert.

THEN & NOW.

This is coolbert:

"Please stay within the markers, as the area outside has not been cleared of Explosive Remnants of War."

"Storming the Point at Peleliu"

"The 1st Marine Division staged a bloody amphibious assault for a questionable prize."

Here with an extract from an article as originally written 2010.

From https://warfarehistorynetwork.com |  By Dick Camp 2010.

See the You Tube video, Peleliu, then and now.

The Point Today:

"The 600 inhabitants of Peleliu today live on the northwest side of the island, where a small dock for boats provides their only link to Koror, the administrative capital of the Republic of Palau. Fishing, subsistence farming, and tourism—scuba diving and battlefield tours—support the local economy."

"Most of the battlefield remains relatively unspoiled. Dense scrub growth conceals the point’s battlefield relics from the casual observer. However, if one looks closely, the coral is littered with vestiges of the fighting. Relics abound in the caves, bunkers, tunnels. Ordnance litters the ground, including unexploded mortar and artillery rounds—and even Japanese hand grenades. Exploring the sites is not for the faint of heart. Shell fragments, expended .30 caliber cartridges, remnants of fighting positions—and on the edge of the 30-foot spit of land, two half-concealed concrete bunkers, still housing the Japanese 47mm antitank guns that played such havoc with the landing."

"At low tide, the exposed steel treads steel treads of an amphibious tractor (amtrac) lie just 55 yards from the embrasure of the left flank bunker, mute testimony to the deadly effects of the Japanese gun. During the landing, some unknown Marine had dumped an ammunition crate, the wood long since rotted away, in the salt water. Mounds of .30 caliber rounds lie fused together in the coral, the brass shiny from being scoured with sand."

That experience of one American combatant Peleliu best expressed by Eugene Sledge. Air field now Peleliu named in honor of Eugene.

See prior blog entry as relevant: https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2024/07/sledge.html

coolbert.

H-HOUR.

This is coolbert:

"H-hour — 1. The specific hour on D-day at which a particular operation commences. 2. In amphibious operations, the time the first landing craft or amphibious vehicle of the waterborne wave lands or is scheduled to land on the beach, and in some cases, the commencement of countermine breaching" operations

An obligatory post! The Sixth of June, 1944. H-Hour. 

From the journal of Bernard Larsen's Journal a portion of the first paragraph as extracted.

"A FEW HOURS

AFTER H-HOUR"

"We were on ships that came in at the time we were to start our work. We were supposed to come in a few hours after H-Hour on D-day, at a certain signal by radio from shore. So on the morning of June 6, 1944 we were in the Channel with the shores of France dimly visible . . ."

See the link. Thanks to the tip from Bill!  https://tinyurl.com/4nzkdepy

Devoted readers to the blog strongly encouraged to read the entire journal, experience of one man for that one day. 

Understand full well for a time the situation at Omaha Beach in doubt. Nothing going according to plan. Troop losses excessive, goals not achieved. General Bradley had for a while had even contemplated to evacuate the landing force at Omaha. 

coolbert.

Meyer.

This is coolbert:

“No enemy bomber can reach the Ruhr. If one reaches the Ruhr, my name is not Goering. You may call me Meyer.”

Sorry old fellow. Not merely the Ruhr. Far east of the Ruhr too.

Within context of the Gazan War and the Israeli aerial bombardment thereof, consider the damage as done to German cities during WW2.

Herewith a partial listing chosen at random, those cities of Germany damaged > 50 % by the strategic allied bombing offensive WW2. 

Without regard to any sort of precedence or order:

Hamburg/ Berlin/Emden/Wilhelmshaven/ Hamm/Dusseldorf/Koln/ Ulm/Stuttgart/ Magdeburg/Osnabruck/ Kassel/ Magen/ Essen/ Wessel/ Mainz/Koblenz/Dresden/ Hanover/ Bremen/ Frankfurt 1 Main/ Frankfurt 2 Oder.

OH YA!

Gaza City alone that amount of devastation and destruction the generally accepted [?] figure of about 55 % after four months of more-or-less continuous onslaught the Israeli Air Force [IAF]!

As to call me Meyer:

"the phrase is/was a German idiom meaning 'virtually impossible' and best translated as 'you can call me a Dutchman' or 'you can call me a monkey's uncle'."

coolbert.

Iceland WW2.

This is coolbert:

Evidence of time travel the Second World War? In Iceland of all places!

 As was originally reported in 2016, the Icelandic media.

"Time traveller spotted among GIs in WWII Reykjavík?"

From https://icelandmag.is | BY STAFF | NOV 29 2016.

"A photograph depicting a scene from downtown Reykjavík in 1943, showing a crowd of locals and GI's [American military personnel] walking along the sidewalk in Austurstræti (which was a street back in the 40s but has since been turned into a square) has been making the rounds on Icelandic social media in the past few days. The photographs seems to show a man speaking into a cell phone, a sure sign, some believe that time-travellers have visited Iceland in the past."

It is suggested the more likely explanation is that the man was merely picking his ear! Sounds absurd doesn't it? I have been told by authority that time travel is theoretically possible into the FUTURE
 but not into the PAST!

coolbert.

Szczec.

This is coolbert.

Not necessarily the Treasure of Sierra Madre think more of the hidden treasure of Szczec forest Poland!

Gold coins, probably looted during WWII buried by German troops in a hiding spot the Szczec forest. 

Gold coins not of an excessive amount of value but a substantial find nonetheless!

 "Treasure hoard of American and Russian gold coins found in Polish forest"

From Heritage Daily ^ | November 8, 2023 | Markus Milligan | the tip from Freeper.

"The detectorists were conducting a survey to find relics from WW2, in particular, traces of the Battle of Szczec, fought between the Soviet Red Army and the Wehrmacht...According to a press announcement by PAP, Detectorists from the Szczecin Search Group Association have found 70 coins deposited in a heavily corroded metal can buried at a depth of approximately 15 to 20 cm’s [less than a foot]. The total discovery has been estimated to be worth 100,000 zloty, which is over $24,000 US dollars based on current conversion rates."

Most of the time these hunts for hidden treasure that have been buried as a result of military conflict come to a big nothing, a rumor only. 

Hidden valuables normally never found doesn’t mean that necessarily they don’t exist just that they are never found!

See previous blog entries as relevant some with additional embedded links:

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2023/09/safekeeping.html

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2021/09/artifacts.html

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2021/08/minkowskie.html

coolbert.

12/07/2023.

This is coolbert.

Is any of this possible? Plausibility is questionable?

That a single American Arleigh Burke class destroyer flight 3+ would be able to thwart the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor 7 December 1941.

See the YouTube Short video:

I think here assumptions being made most critical.  

Comments:

* That Arleigh Burke destroyer would have been moored at battleship row Ford Island Pearl Harbor.

*The 96 vertical launch system cells of the destroyer would be filled totally with Standard Missile  anti-aircraft weaponry.  

* The Helios directed energy weapon would have been effective against incoming Japanese aircraft. Of this I cannot be sure.

* The 5 inch 127 mm gun could have engaged high-flying level-bombers of the Japanese attack force using variable time fuses, but would’ve had only twenty rounds to do so.

* It is not mentioned in this YouTube Short the use of Close In Weapon System Phalanx 20 mm gun. 

* I would suspect that the 20 mm CIWS guns would be most effective against low-flying Japanese torpedo bombers as attacking Pearl Harbor.

* Worse than the physical damage of 1/3 of the Japanese attack force being destroyed before even commencing their attack would be the psychological damage. 100% damage from an unknown source of which there was no possible counter measure and everybody would’ve said this is useless. So many destroyed warplanes and more importantly the deaths of so many very experienced combat aviators would been too great for the gain to press home the attack.

* Nagumo, in command of the Japanese 1st Air Fleet would seriously have considered calling off the attack and departing the Hawaiian island chain in an expeditious manner as possible. That 1st Air Fleet had more important tasks in the future what were called Southern Operations by the Japanese. Attacks on the Philippines, Dutch East Indies, Malaya and further afield if possible.

So it is plausible indeed, at least from my perspective that a single American destroyer modern Arleigh Burke flight 3+ could have averted American disaster Pearl Harbor, 7 December 1941.

addendum: "For the attack on Pearl Harbor, this fleet had a strength of 103 level bombers, 128 dive bombers, 40 torpedo bombers, 88 fighter planes, plus 91 planes for a total of 441 planes."

coolbert.

F4U Corsair.

This is coolbert:

EFFECTIVE and VERSATILE! F4U Corsair fighter plane WW2. 

"The F4U Corsair performed exceptionally well with both the British Royal Navy and the United States Marine Corps and Navy during World War II. The Corsair was initially used by the US Navy and Marines in the Pacific theater, where its superior speed and firepower made it a formidable fighter aircraft. The British Royal Navy also operated the Corsair, primarily in the Pacific and Indian Ocean theaters. While the Corsair's service with the Royal Navy is less well-documented compared to its US counterparts, it made significant contributions to the air war in the Pacific. Overall, the Corsair earned a reputation as one of the most effective and versatile fighter aircraft of its era."  Poe - ChatGPT.

Once more a You Tube Short the military dimension:

See additionally an article describing that process by which the Royal Navy [British] modified the F4U to make the aircraft more suitable for carrier operations:

"'Here’s how the Royal Navy fixed the F4U shortcomings for which the US Navy deemed the Corsair unsuitable for aircraft carrier operations'".

The F4U continued to perform yeoman duty during the Korean War. Even able to shoot down a Soviet MiG-15 on one occasion!

coolbert.

Halevi.

This is coolbert:

"We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets" - W. S. Churchill.

That from the famous speech of Churchill 1940. See the whole text and additional good stuff of interest. 

This Israeli general officer Herzi Halevi must have been reading too much Churchill!

From https://www.breitbart.com | the article by JOEL B. POLLAK | 31 Oct 2023.

Here with the speech of the general to his troops prior to massive Israeli entry into Gaza:

"Stations of the Southern Command, attention:

We are going into the attack against Hamas and the terror organizations in the Gaza Strip.

Our objective is one: victory.

It does not make a difference how long the fight will be, how difficult. There is no result other than victory.

We will fight in professionally and powerfully, in the light of the values of the IDF in which we were trained, the first of which is commitment to the mission, and the pursuit of victory.

We will fight them in the alleys, we will fight them in the tunnels, we will fight them wherever it is necessary.

And we will strike the abominable enemy against which we stand.

My brother soldiers: the residents of Be’eri, Sderot, Nir Oz, Kfar Aza, and the towns of the western Negev, and with them all the nation of Israel — everyone is watching us at this time.

Like me, they are relying on you, and they believe in you.

You are the generation of victory.

Attention: embark on your missions, strike the enemy. Over and out"

I hate to be pedantic but "over and out" is incorrect! Either over OR out but not both!

"pedantic: adjective - Characterized by a narrow, often ostentatious concern for academic knowledge and formal rules."

coolbert.

BS-3.

This is coolbert:

Antique and antiquated Cold War weaponry once AGAIN makes an appearance the Ukraine Conflict.

See my prior blog entry the Soviet-era KS-19 anti-aircraft artillery gun.

"Ukrainian unit fires a 100 mm gun that took part in World War II"

From https://bulgarianmilitary.com |  article by Boyko Nikolov | Oct 21, 2023

"A photograph has surfaced in the public domain, providing evidence that a contingent of the [Ukrainian] military, presumably part of the airborne forces, possesses a 100-mm BS-3 cannon, which was in active production between 1944 and 1951."

"The image showcasing a pristine or relatively new 100 mm shell, held by a military personnel of the BS-3 unit, authenticates the possibility of utilizing this artillery in contemporary warfare against Russian armored vehicles. The photographs in question were disseminated to the public by OSINT analyst Aloha via his Twitter account."

BS-3 the PRIMARY mission an anti-tank gun to be used ordinarily as a direct-fire weapon BUT can also be employed as conventional tube artillery in the INDIRECT fire role.

Apparently BS-3 ammunition incompatible with the T-12 gun also has been spotted in action Ukraine.

The Ukrainian has numbers of these weapons mothballed and warehoused? And I believe IF used in a judicious manner can destroy Russian light armor. Russian beware.

coolbert.

Sled.

This is coolbert:

Go figure such a thing. Battle sleds. Carry troops into combat, protection guaranteed?

Sounds preposterous? Does appear to me to be so!

Go see the You Tube Short:

"The battle sled, invented by Brig. Gen. John W. O'Daniel (Truscott's successor as commander of the 3d Division), was half a torpedo shell, just large enough to hold one soldier lying down. Six were hooked together and attached to each side of a tank and the twelve sleds were pulled forward in the paths made by the tank's tracks, enabling an infantry squad to accompany a tank without being exposed to small arms fire and antipersonnel mines"

Does NOT seem to have a great success. An expedient thought to be worth a try at the time. Anzio at one point in the battle the situation dire, conventional methods not working, something had to be tried. Even if outrageous and "preposterous".

coolbert.

Similarities.

This is coolbert:

"The Japanese, despite their extensive preparation of the battlefield, were almost doomed to fail as soon as the Americans had encircled the city. Once isolated, as seen in other urban fights, the defenders lost the ability to resupply, and were consigned to either starving or being rooted out one by one by the advancing Americans. With a force of nearly twenty thousand men, the Japanese should have been able to mount a counterattack and break out from the encirclement of only thirty-five thousand Americans in three divisions, but the lack of coordinated Japanese counterattacks and overall static defensive strategy allowed the Americans to effectively trap the defenders and clear the city."

The Battle of Manila 1945 the most accurate representation of what will be seen if and when a massive Israeli ground force invades Gaza?

"FIGHTING FOR THE PEARL OF THE ORIENT: LESSONS FROM THE BATTLE OF MANILA"

From https://mwi.westpoint.edu | thanks to Benjamin Phocas | 08.01.23.

Devoted readers to the blog strongly encouraged to read the entire Benjamin Phocas article.

Gaza [2023] and Manila [1945] similar with regard to:

* Hamas and the Japanese both fanatical. Battlefield preparations more than ample and well thought out, according to a defensive plan.

* The presence of large number of civilians Gaza and Manila complicating any sort of military operation. A prolonged ground assault Gaza by the IDF will produce a lot of bad optics for the international media as detrimental to the Israeli cause. 

* Gaza and Manila you have the presence of hostages and internees their rescue a primary goal creating difficulties most profound. Israeli hostages of Hamas held Gaza and American POW and civilians held Manila captives of the Japanese!

HEY! DID ANYONE EVER SAY THIS WAS GOING TO BE EASY!

coolbert.

CASF.

This is coolbert:

Canadian Prime Minister W.L. Mackenzie King!

"When Canadian Troops Booed Their Prime Minister"

"boo: said to show disapproval or contempt"

As extracted from Epoch Times | the article by C.P. Champion | 10/12/2023.

"It doesn’t often happen that soldiers boo their political leaders. For one thing it is beyond disrespectful for military members to show contempt in public toward those to whom they are subordinate in a liberal democracy. Even if troops dislike a particular politician, or disdain politicians in general, it is a gross breach of discipline to show it publicly."

"But that is what happened to William Lyon Mackenzie King during the Second World War. It’s a dubious distinction."

Canadian army contingent [CASF] World War Two having the highest quality of personnel being left in the lurch and not happy. Stationed in England and ready-to-go into action with the German enemy but short of all necessary supplies, equipment and basic fundamental necessities as needed by a full-fledged and credible military force.

Mackenzie King receiving raspberries from the assemblage of Canadian troops as a result.

"raspberry: noun - broadly : an expression of disapproval or contempt"

Canadian troop when finally sent into combat 2 1/2 years after arrival in Great Britain that first encounter with the German catastrophic! Think the Dieppe Raid, Operation Jubilee. 5,000 Canadians participating, casualties greater > 50 % for no real gain!

See previous blog entries current Canadian military spending. As it was in the inter-war years as it is now:

 https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2023/07/listen.html

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2023/07/pledges.html

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2023/07/lack.html

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2023/04/woe-ii.html

coolbert.

Kvetch.

This is coolbert:

"kvetch: intransitive verb - To complain persistently and whiningly.:

The Frenchmen of the WW2 era no longer manly and virile? The Frenchmen effeminate and woman-like? Frenchmen emasculated.

"emasculate transitive verb To castrate. To deprive of strength or vigor; weaken"

French defeat, the Battle of France 1940. Debacle explained?

1. "The Humiliation of France"

"Mythmaking and the Paradox of Retribution; Ethnic Homogeneity, Migration and Society"

https://www.kvetch.au | MISHA SAUL | AUG 27, 2022.

"In this Kvetch I dive into the fall of France, WWII mythmaking, and the paradox of retribution, as well as ethnic homogeneity and its effects."

See with particular attention to # 1. Blitzkreig and Mythology the Misha Saul article.

"In May 1940 it took the Germans 6 weeks to defeat France and evict Britain from Europe. The Germans killed 120,000 French soldiers, captured 1.2 million prisoners of war, and all of France’s artillery, tanks and trucks and industry. It was the greatest victory of WWII."

See this too a much more nuanced perspective the topic:

2. "Why did France lose to Germany in 1940?"

"The speed with which France crumbled and capitulated in the face of the May 1940 German invasion is still shocking, 80 years on. How did this catastrophe happen?"

From https://www.france24.com |  the article by Stéphanie TROUILLARD | 16/05/2020.      

"After several months of 'phony war', the German army finally attacked France and the Low Countries on May 10, 1940. In less than a fortnight [two weeks], the Wehrmacht swept through the country from the north."

[....]

"How did this happen? And why so quickly? FRANCE 24 spoke to historian Michaël Bourlet, a former professor of history at the Saint-Cyr Coëtquidan military academy"

The distinguished American military historian and theoretician Trevor Dupuy of the opinion using his rough and and crude QJM criteria that the French and allied forces could have prevailed in 1940 if the French army had NOT deployed FOUR armies to defend the Maginot Line when only ONE was required.

Devoted readers to the blog also see this prior blog entry the Battle of France 1940.

coolbert.

D + 1.

This is coolbert:

An iconic image from the Normandy Invasion of France the Second World War, my perspective originally 100 % wrong and I admit so without reservation or qualification.

Famous [iconic] image of an American soldier Omaha beach Normandy having landed in a sorry state, totally sodden and soaked, having lost his helmet, weapon, battle kit, kneeling on the beach, looking inland with a dazed and bewildered look on his face. A man obviously hors de combat and acknowledged as being so. So has been my frame of reference.

But you have to know the rest of the story and thanks to "Coffee or Die" you can read it all and even more.

1. "BEHIND THE PHOTO: THE ‘HEROIC BEAUTY’ ON OMAHA BEACH"

From the Internet webzine of https://coffeeordie.com | October 15, 2022 | article by Matt Fratus.

"The morning after more than 130,000 Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy, US Army Signal Corps photographer Pfc. Walter Rosenblum captured one of the most iconic images of the invasion — a black-and-white photograph of 2nd Lt. Walter Sidlowski recovering from a harrowing rescue effort to save a group of soldiers from drowning."

See the You Tube the iconic photograph within context of that rescue effort:

"The craft was going down Remembering the D Day plus 1 rescue at Omaha Beach"

"Second Lieutenant Walter Sidlowski and photographer Walter Rosenblum recall a raft rescue at Omaha Beach on June 7, 1944, in this clip from 'Walter Rosenblum: In Search of Pitt Street,' courtesy of Daedalus Productions, Inc."

This also yet additionally the same incident:

2. "How a Pennsylvania man ended up in an iconic D-Day invasion photo"

From https://www.witf.org | Tim Lambert | JUNE 5, 2019.

"To the photographers who captured the moment, it was 'an act of heroism performed that we shall always remember.'”

This particular event the rescue in occurring D + 1 [7 June 1944]. Devoted readers to the blog and those merely perusing in a much more casual manner you now know the rest of the story and are so much the better for it too. Yours truly also.

coolbert.

Normandy #ww2.

This is coolbert:

More You Tube shorts. All the Battle of Normandy 1944. Yesterday and today. I must say I  enjoy this sort of stuff.

WN 65 Omaha Beach, Normandy. This was a H667 bunker which housed a 50 mm anti-tank gun.

   

Also I think that some person touring the Normandy region of France totally oblivious and uneducated in world history and especially events as pertain to the Second World War might very well ask the question: "Why are persons so interested in this part of France? Seems little of consequence has ever occurred here." Or am I wrong about that?

coolbert.

Animé.

This is coolbert:

From the outstanding Internet web site isegoria.net we have a very interesting item with the military dimension.

"The first Japanese feature-length animated film was made for the the Japanese Naval Ministry in 1944"

As posted https://www.isegoria.net | September 1st, 2023.

"The first Japanese feature-length animated film — the first animé — doesn’t get much attention these days, even though it’s beautifully made, in a Disney-inspired style, because the film, Momotaro: Sacred Sailors, or Momotaro’s Divine Sea Warriors, was made for the the Japanese Naval Ministry in 1944 and released in 1945, a few months before Japan surrendered "

Go see the entire video courtesy You Tube:

"[First Anime Movie] 1945 Momotaro's Divine Sea Warriors English Subtitles"

"First Animé  film ever produced, directed by Mitsuyo Seo, who was ordered to make a propaganda film during World War II by the Japanese Naval Ministry."

"Animé is a genre of hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, animé  refers specifically to animation produced in Japan."

Indeed! Read of the Japanese Special Naval Landing Forces from the era of the Second World War. A ranger/commando type special operations unit. Sailors with infantry training plus.

Outstanding animation! The Japanese hardly just clever imitators of Walt Disney productions. 

coolbert.

Plan 4.

This is coolbert:

Invasion USA WW2 the Axis powers.

"SIX WAYS TO INVADE U.S."

"Axis Powers can try it if they combine fleets to win sea superiority"

From http://www.bookmice.net | the article by Philip Wylie.

As Extracted from a Life magazine article dated Mar. 2, 1942.

"Plan 4 is the much-discussed invasion by way of Gibraltar-Dakar-Natal-Trinidad, which President Roosevelt's Good Neighbor policy as tried to defend against. It is based on combining the Jap, German, Italian and Vichy navies, freed by the capture of Gibraltar and Suez. They must fight the Allied fleets somewhere. Invasion pours up the Mississippi Valley."

Pentagon planners indeed immediately after American entry into the war apparently did see Plan 4 as a possible!

Plan 4 to include the combined fleets of Germany, Italy, Japan and Vichy France to force a crossing of the Atlantic, landing successfully with an invading force Brazil. This was thought to be a possible during the early stages of the war after American entry into the conflict. British fleet either "bottled up" in home waters or rendered impotent in some manner.

"bottle up: verb(tr, adverb) - to keep (an army or other force) contained or trapped"

The American 1st Cavalry Division kept as as strategic reserve stateside until 1943 such was the concern of American senior military officers that some sort of Axis invasion of either Western Mexico or along the coast of Brazil might actually transpire. Soldiers men-a-horse it thought be advantageous in such a situation.

The threat of Axis forces invading the Western Hemisphere was perceived to be real, definitely conceivable under the right set of circumstances.

See further my prior graphic blog entry, the invasion of USA by Imperial Japan.

coolbert.

Hump.

This is coolbert:

From the outstanding Internet web site "Bayou Renaissance Man" we have this item. 

"Weekend Wings #10: Flying The Hump"

From https://bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.com | March 9, 2008.

"Air transport today - whether civilian or military - is a complex, seamless web of people, machinery, locations and infrastructure. We take it for granted that we can ship anything anywhere in the world within a day or two, provided only that it can be broken down into loads that will fit onto an aircraft."

[....]

"World War II was the catalyst in developing our modern air infrastructure. During the war huge networks of intercontinental air travel were developed: new methods of freight handling and mass passenger transport were devised: and the experience gained by tens of thousands of service personnel formed the foundation for the incredible expansion of aviation after the war."

Devoted readers to the blog are invited to read the remainder of the article for themselves.

Comments:

* Flying "The Hump" rated as more dangerous than flying four-engine strategic bomber missions over Germany.

* The American Air Force ARRS [Air Rescue Service or Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service] origins as a response to the difficulties of aircraft and personnel losses "The Hump".

* The famous American personality Gene Autry volunteering for military service and performing in a dutiful manner while flying "The Hump". Autry at the time of his enlistment the highest-paid performer among the Hollywood crowd.

* Pilots sometimes flying two-way cargo missions. Returning to home base in India with human cargo of Chinese troops as slated for training by American military personnel onboard. I believe these were Chinese Nationalist soldiers that later comprised X Force and Y Force.

And now you know the rest of the story "The Hump" and are the better for it too.

coolbert.

Ploesti.

This is coolbert:

I recommend highly without reservation or qualification the You Tube video.

Strategic bombing by the long-range four-engine bomber warplanes of the allied air forces thought to be a war winning measure. 

Especially in regard to bombing certain particular targets of great importance. The industrial war-making potential of a country would come to a halt if certain product curtailed. Oil refineries, ball-bearing factories, etc. Destruction of these facilities and the war over.

"Flying Through Hell to Bomb Hitler's Oil | 'Ploesti' the Documentary"

"This is the story of Operation Tidal Wave - the famous B-24 Liberator bombing raid on Ploesti, Romania on August 1st of 1943 to strike the oil refineries of the Nazi war machine. The became a horrific disaster by the United States air force"

Comments:

* The Germans knew [and it is not mentioned] that when the mass take off began a German stay behind unit observed and reported. Just the fact that so many planes in the air in once had to be a major tip off. Something big was afoot.

* Bomber with the lead navigator went into the sea for no known reason. Bomber with the # 2 navigator on board then went to low level to see if there were survivors and had to abort the mission, could not regain height in the hot air. Breaking formation unauthorized I might think a violation of regulations of even military law as it existed at the time.

* Lots of Medals of Honor [MoH] awarded. It is often suggested that the bad wars and bad missions often produce a lot of MoH. 

* That senior officer that made the bad turn, I hope he was severely chastised or just downright cashiered.

* Lots of problems with smoke and delayed action [DA bombs] going off and damaging or bringing down planes trying to fly through.

* 1/3 of the attacking force did not make it. Extraordinary. I want to fly airplanes. No getting my boots muddy.

* Production reduced by 40 % but only for weeks or a few months. Ploesti only their production 1/9 of the German total. So not even 5 % of production reduced and then only for several months at the most.

* How many of those planes that returned had to be scrapped?

* Well, the video is amazingly well done.

* For the gain the debit was way too great.

coolbert.