fire4effect
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Posts posted by fire4effect
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1 hour ago, Herkdrvr said:
Concur.
I'm suspect of the 550 German figure as Balkoski cites around ~2000 at Utah IIRC and Ambrose's book on D-Day placed the initial force around 7,500 or so.
Nevertheless, Normandy is not to be missed and I hope to return one day for a more in-depth guided tour.
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.
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On 7/12/2025 at 7:07 AM, SocialD said:
I don't really have an opinion on Tim Kennedy because I don't really follow him or know the story. I didn't even know who he was until recently. I'm just truly skeptical when stories suddenly come out of the woodwork about people like this. He's become a political figure, and when you do that, hate will follow as your opposition tries their level best to discredit you.
When it comes to military haters, the hate really flares up if your service is used to propel that gain, especially if it puts you in the spotlight. Then all the dick measurers come out to compare number, suck factor and duration of deployments, as if they charge the machine gun nests at Utah beach.
Of course many have no problem using their service to get them a high paying civilian job, often one where they continue to suck off the government tit while collecting a pension and VA...100% of course because their sleep apnea and plantar fasciitis flared up at year 19. You must do all this quietly without any fanfare.
I've never bought into the idea that the government gets to exploit you for all your worth, but you must not exploit your service to get ahead in the civilian world. Based on their actions, many who tout this don't really believe it either.
As far as claiming medals, ya that ain't cool. I truly despise our medal system as it's become more of a check box or a system to help propel the shiny pennies. The ribbon rack on my blues collecting dust in the closet is still the ribbon rack from when I was a SSgt.
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.
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10 minutes ago, brabus said:
The regular citizens should man the fuck up and start fighting back for real. But, their culture’s bedrock is subservience and cowardice. So, they will not; while that doesn’t justify the regime’s actions, it also shouldn’t make any rational westerner feel like the west has to go in and save them. They swon’t save themselves, not our problem.
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.
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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.
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15 hours ago, Boomer6 said:
What kind of ff'd up AI made this? "Globemaster the Third" lol
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.
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On 3/12/2024 at 12:01 PM, Guest nsplayr said:
I hear ya, and I'm as much of an Air Force partisan as anyone, but Army ADA branch and HIMARS capes are super useful in INDOPACOM.
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.
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40 minutes ago, raimius said:
When both Star Wars and Top Gun 2 called it. 😂
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.🫡
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34 minutes ago, uhhello said:
Would love to see the Israeli ground assault plan for Fordo. 2 weeks is a long time for Israel.
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.
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20 hours ago, ClearedHot said:
Within the last hour the IDF targeted Ali Khamenei's bunker in the mountains possibly eliminating all of the 30 senior leaders of the IRGC.
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On 6/17/2025 at 12:06 PM, Clark Griswold said:
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.
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21 hours ago, Clark Griswold said:
Concur but we have options if we are willing to / allowed to change force structure and fleet composition
The -47 sounds like it will have the range needed to be less dependent on the tanker, if we think the priority fight is the Indo-Pacific then we prioritize systems for that theater and divest some of the older shorter range platforms to get more of what we need.
Not immediately of course but soon.
Off hand, more B-21s, unfornicate the -46 and certify for unrestricted ops, get a long range UCAV (not a CCA). The F-15EX probably mixes well into this too for its reported range (790 NM). That’s a relevant combat range with a tanking south of the PI to ingress to the Taiwan Strait.
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.
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On 6/2/2025 at 4:50 PM, Prosuper said:
If I was an enemy commander I would try the same thing, except I would target every Tanker we have in Conus and make our bombers and fighters dependent landing for refuel.
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.
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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.
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23 hours ago, HeloDude said:
Saw someone post this on FB:
Democrats say "Who is going to pick the fruits and vegetables?" I say " Where are the farms in Chicago?"
City Hall
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2 hours ago, brabus said:
And NFA. I really hope those two bills make it to law…would be so amazing. And what’s really wrong nowadays is how I use the word amazing to describe actions that would simply undo unconstitutional shit. That’s how far we’ve fallen as a country - just getting back to normal/following the constitution is now seen as a feat of strength.
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.
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3 hours ago, brabus said:
It’s no different than being in direct combat - after a bit you don’t trust any of “them”, you’re senses are numbed to atrocious things, and you use dark humor as a means to cope. Doesn’t mean you’re a sociopath, I think it’s a fairly normal human response, and to expect cops to be different is just like the jackasses who expect “warrior monks” in the military.
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.
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28 minutes ago, HeloDude said:
The FAA cares about safety/compliance…if there’s an issue where the government wants/needs the CVR, my guess is they have every right to get it (ie after a mishap). Also, what we’re saying to ATC is also being recorded, and what we’re doing wrt flight parameters is also being recorded/transmitted. To have cameras/recording devices in the flight deck just for someone to see whenever they want, that would be seen as a barrier to effective CRM. Just my $.02
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.
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10 hours ago, HeloDude said:
Isn’t that more/less what a CVR is?
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.
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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.
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9 hours ago, Prosuper said:
Worked 7 fires last year doing mainly mitigation with Hot Shot and Hand crews as a contractor. We fight fires backwards, instead of spending money doing year-round mitigation and controlled burns we do them after the fact after a massive fire. My last go was in the Big Horns near Sheridan Wyoming, what stopped it was 10 inches of snow. Lost 40 pounds last summer and was in the best shape of my life. Staying in shape to pass my pack test, 45-pound pack, 3-mile walk, under 45 minutes. Thought about this year going back to aircraft mx on the fire bombers but love being on the fire line with the boys. Tried being retired but my neighbor talked me into this, money is good and its better than working at some box store.
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.
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Question for the experts. So this is all happening outside traditional fire season. Has that limited the assets/personnel available to respond?
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On 1/8/2025 at 9:40 PM, Majestik Møøse said:
Body cams have been a godsend. I remember there being a lot of debate over them back in the day.
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.
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On 1/2/2025 at 7:29 PM, McJay Pilot said:
Yeah, if he was from 10th SFG he would’ve known how to “make an earth shattering kaboom” vs the remake of the Volkswagen Polo commercial
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.
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2 hours ago, Magic24 said:
What does this comment have to do with the story of losing an engine in flight and the crew putting it down safely?
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.
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Reasons to despise cops
in Squadron Bar
Posted
Definitely Little Rock area.
ASP and Arkansas LE in general has some real gems and have for many years.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjEhKTnlMCOAxX04ckDHboYPR4QFnoECBoQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kark.com%2Fnews%2Fworking4you%2Farkansas-state-police-settle-pit-maneuver-lawsuit-which-injured-pregnant-woman%2F&usg=AOvVaw2WALwAbj99a9jKiqfbIYE4&opi=89978449
Arkansas trooper retires after PIT maneuver on wrong car | thv11.com
Most agencies don't want to fund air units because of the cost but if you ask me to avoid one multi-million-dollar lawsuit its paid for itself. Not to mention realizing you're never going to outrun an aircraft you have a substantial deterrent effect.