fire4effect

I never would have guessed 550. When he asked what I guessed I did a wild out of A$$ number of 3000 at Omaha. I think in hindsight he may have been referring to only those on duty in the actual strong points. I just looked and I found a list of 37 strong points for Omaha Beach so I could see 550 as not beyond the realm of possibility. I guess it would all depend on what area was defined for the duty area by Ambrose or anyone else. I think the weather had most in Normandy thinking not happening today. From the German perspective they picked a helluva time to minimum man. I'm sure Eisenhower knew the Germans were blissfully unaware thanks to the codebreakers at Bletchley Park and the fact if they suspected anything was afoot the airways would have been burning up with radio traffic. I did pose the hypothetical question to our guide of what would have happened had Hitler not invaded Russia and he saw no-way we could have breached the Atlantic Wall given how deep they could have stacked their forces. The Russian Front certainly sucked up a whole lot of resources to say the least. From a practical perspective it takes a bit to get to Normandy. We took a train from Paris to Bayeux where our guide met us early in the morning and he dropped us off at Carentan in the evening to catch the train back to Paris. As mentioned most tours shut down in winter so summer has its advantages. It was 28 degrees and the wind off the channel was brisk so if you go in the winter plan accordingly. Any questions message me and I'll do my best to answer. P.S. to Uhhello you are spot on about Pointe Du Hoc.

Tangentially related. On a trip to Europe in January I got to spend a day in Normandy. BTW a day alone is nowhere near long enough. Please put a visit on your bucket list. Standing on the beaches of Omaha and Utah to the Cemetary at Colleville-sur-Mer to the D-Day aid station in the 12th Century Church at Angoville-au-Plain that still has blood-stained pews 80 years later I felt like I hardly deserved to be in the presence of such greatness and sacrifice. Our guide (former British Military so he could discuss it from a military perspective) not surprisingly said not many tours come by in the cold winter months, but the silence afforded in his mind allowed a proper solemnity for the time and place. One fact he mentioned was that only 550 or so German troops were on duty at the time of the initial landings which dumfounded me because we all know the carnage inflicted on the American troops.

Copy all and valid point. I think hitting the regime leadership/IRGC at every turn keeps them looking over their shoulder. Right now, the regimes leadership feels free to focus on and terrorize their citizens. I can only imagine living in a country that can hang anyone at any time from a construction crane. Just for emphasis. NO American BOGs!! Been there done that. If Israel wants to do that (which you could argue they have by infiltration) that's their call.

I hope Trump/Israel hits them again and again. Calling it "Operation Service After the Sale" Once in a lifetime opportunity. Regime is over the top cracking down now and the regular citizens are certainly taking a hit.

Yep, not the best production but you get the idea. More of these systems on the PRC perimeter the more they deter the PRC from starting something in the first place IMHO. Add in AEW capable MQ-9s flying back and forth (among other assets) 24/7 in international airspace as a trip wire.

For the record I don't agree with most of the Army generated statements mentioned earlier. As I touched on in another thread these are what I see as the Army's biggest contribution to the Indo Pacific fight.

I have a mental picture of Maverick turning to Rooster asking what was "The second video ever played on MTV" right before weapons release. I heard Trivial Pursuit is popular way to pass the time on long missions.🫡

Atomic demolition munition - Wikipedia I wouldn't be surprised if Israel has something like this. Place this on the bottom floor set the timer and watch to make sure it goes off then call it a day. Leaving the underground facility Chernobyl irradiated for the next 1000 years would be a bonus IMHO. I'm sure Trump has no intention on waiting 2 weeks before he acts. He's just keeping it vague on a timeline.

I could see this as well as other variants like Sea Guardian etc taking over for most manned platforms for surveillance utilized by CBP DHS and USCG. Especially as AI improves. I was watching American Made the other day and I'm sure Barry Seals would have had a much tougher time against a 24/7 integrated network of these platforms. As brabus said it's the world we live in.

Looks like this thread continues on a couple parallel tracks. Agree with above. One game changer was the INF treaty going away allowing things like the Typhon Mid-Range Capability (combination of Tomahawks and SM-6s) for the Army. PRC tried intimidating the local countries including the Philippines in the South China Sea and the Philippines was only too happy to have the Typhon set up in their country. Putting as many of those mobile systems in that area should give the PRC some sleepless nights. Whether that results one day in a "Cuban Missile Crisis" of the Indo-Pacific is a whole other discussion.

Non stealthy Tanker Fleet. The Achilles Heel of a moder Air Force. In WW2 the lightning advance to Germany from Normandy stalled due largely the inability to keep the vehicles gassed up. Same reason the German Counter Offensive died in the Ardennes. No fuel to keep the Panzers moving. Even in Ukraine the original invasion stalled because of lack of fuel and the Javelin. If something is carrying a lot of fuel, it's inherently ready to turn into a fireball.

I'm little late to this thread and may have missed it in another discussion but I believe one of the released screenshots gave some clues to the source (potentially humint) of the targeting information. Now THAT is something that keeps me up at night and makes it hard to get others with information to come forward.

City Hall

I'd settle for getting SBRs and suppressors removed from the NFA. Full auto is better served when Uncle Sugar is buying the ammo anyway IMHO.

Another thing that struck me was how the local nationals trusted us in what was effectively a LE role more than they did their own government. We were often transparent to security details for foreign government officials in country because they saw no threat from us as a foreign occupying force but plenty of their own citizens as the real threat.

Very valid point. To that same point I knew a former police officer who left his department some time ago to go to the 135 world and he said one downside was if he came across a minor infraction like underage possession of alcohol or possession of a small amount of MJ he felt he almost had to write a citation versus say just confiscate or pour it out since everything was now on video.

Certainly, when utilized in the context of a mishap but given the sheer number of cameras in use monitoring everything we do I wouldn't be surprised that video evidence wouldn't be used to routinely check performance of individuals in any safety sensitive position. I mean the New York shooter showed just how much that city at least is being watched. I was honestly surprised at the nearly seamless level of surveillance. I don't doubt cameras monitor every step we take in most airports now outside the restrooms. Not saying I agree but it's the reality of the world we live in.

In the end I think insurance companies will be what drives a lot of change going forward. Want insurance in California? Here's what you're (state and individuals) gonna do. Insurance companies are the pseudo regulatory entities of our entire lives. I was laughing with a buddy the other day about how the FAA doesn't regulate aviation, insurance companies do. Florida building codes were substantially updated in the early 2000s for new construction to better resist hurricanes after a run of destructive storms.

Good way to earn your beer money. 🫡 Maybe just maybe California will decide that judiciously clearing some undergrowth is a good proactive measure instead of worrying about mice having a habitat. Has to be done smart to not create another issue with drainage/runoff. Unfortunate it takes a tragedy of this magnitude to affect change.

Question for the experts. So this is all happening outside traditional fire season. Has that limited the assets/personnel available to respond?

You know I'm surprised these haven't been mandated by someone in the FAA for airline pilots at some point. Imagine the fecal fullisade that would ensue if it ever came to pass.

VW commercial is an oldy but a goody. I sent it to several family members a few days ago and they agreed my warped sense of humor is very much intact. On a side note, it seems both individuals were dealing with divorces and to my engineering mind that looks to be "root cause" Some would say the number one cause of divorce is marriage. Just a thought.

Certainly, wasn't trying to stir anyone's pot just an observation on the handling of the airframe. Tail dragger types do raise the operational risk level.

Was taxiing at a midwestern airport a few days ago and watched one of these log at least 2 landings on one pass down the runway. In fairness there was a decent gusting x-wind but it appears the pilot had his hands full. I admit I probably would have too.