The List 6030 TGB
Good Friday Morning March 11
I hope that you all have a great weekend.
I am having trouble sending some urls so I have to fix that and deleted the ones for today that did not work
Regards,
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This day in Naval and Marine Corps History
March 11
1778—During the American Revolution, the Continental frigate Boston captures the British ship Martha in the North Atlantic 1941—President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Lend-Lease Act, which permits delivery of war materials to Allied Powers on credit or lease.
1942—Lt. John Bulkeley, commander of Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 3, helps Gen. Douglas MacArthur and Rear Adm. Francis W. Rockwell, as well as their families and others, escape the Philippines in motor torpedo boats PT 32, PT 34, PT 35, and PT 41. For this action, along with other operations in the Philippines during the start of World War II, he receives the Medal of Honor.
1945—The U.S. Navy begins use of LCVPs (Landing Craft, Personal Vehicles) to ferry troops across the Rhine River at Bad Neuenahr, Germany.
1845—George Bancroft takes office as the 17th Secretary of the Navy. Although he serves in that position only 18 months, he establishes the Naval Academy at Annapolis and encourages the growth and importance of the Naval Observatory.
1965—Operation Market Time (Coastal Patrol Force) patrols begin off the South Vietnam coast. The objective is to interdict enemy efforts moving supplies to South Vietnam by sea.
This Day in World History March 11
0537 The Goths lay siege to Rome.
1649 The peace of Rueil is signed between the Frondeurs (rebels) and the French government.
1665 A new legal code is approved for the Dutch and English towns, guaranteeing religious observances unhindered.
1702 The Daily Courant, the first regular English newspaper is published.
1810The Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte is married by proxy to Archduchess Marie Louise.
1811 Ned Ludd leads a group of workers in a wild protest against mechanization.
1824 The U.S. War Department creates the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Seneca Indian Ely Parker becomes the first Indian to lead the Bureau.
1845 Seven hundred Maoris led by their chief, Hone-Heke, burn the small town of Kororareka in protest at the settlement of Maoriland by Europeans, in breach with the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi.
1861 A Confederate Convention is held in Montgomery, Ala., where the new constitution is adopted.
1863 Union troops under General Ulysess S. Grant give up their preparations to take Vicksburg after failing to pass Fort Pemberton, north of Vicksburg.
1865 Union General William Sherman and his forces occupy Fayetteville, N.C.
1888 A disastrous blizzard hits the northeastern United States. Some 400 people die, mainly from exposure.
1900 British Prime Minister Lord Salisbury rejects the peace overtures offered from Boer leader Paul Kruger.
1905 The Parisian subway is officially inaugurated.
1907 President Teddy Roosevelt induces California to revoke its anti-Japanese legislation.
1918 First cases reported in deadly Spanish flu pandemic
1930 President Howard Taft becomes the first U.S. president to be buried in the National Cemetery in Arlington, Va.
1935 The German Air Force becomes an official organ of the Reich.
1941 President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorizes the Lend-Lease Act which authorizes the act of giving war supplies to the Allies.
1942 General Douglas MacArthur leaves Bataan for Australia.
1965 The American navy begins inspecting Vietnamese junks in hopes of ending arms smuggling to the South.
1966 Three men are convicted of the murder of Malcolm X.
1969 Levi-Strauss starts to sell bell-bottomed jeans.
1973 An FBI agent is shot at Wounded Knee in South Dakota.
1985 Mikhail Gorbachev is named the new Soviet leader.
1990 Lithuania declares its independence from the Soviet Union.
2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster
On March 11, 2011, the largest earthquake ever recorded in Japan causes massive devastation, and the ensuing tsunami decimates the Tōhoku region of northeastern Honshu. On top of the already-horrific destruction and loss of life, the natural disaster also gives rise to a nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant... read more
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ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED Thanks to the Bear … Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post
… For The List for Friday, 11 March 2022… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 11 March 1967… Walleye makes Rolling Thunder debut …
http://www.rollingthunderremembered.com/rolling-thunder-remembered-11-march-1967-walleye-number-one/
This following work accounts for every fixed wing loss of the Vietnam War and you can use it to read more about the losses in The Bear's Daily account. Even better it allows you to add your updated information to the work to update for history…skip
Vietnam Air Losses
Access Chris Hobson and Dave Lovelady's work at: https://www.VietnamAirLosses.com.
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Thanks to Dr. Rich
Emirates steals the show!!
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Thanks to Dr. Rich
Big sky video ...
I was cold just watching this one
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This is not a "why did the chicken cross the road story?"
Thanks to Carl
Why Do Salmon Swim Upstream?
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Thanks to Chuck
Watched this a couple of times and can't figure it out. Neither could I …skip
Amazing slight of hand....Silver Surfer - YouTube
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Thanks top Brett
Geopolitical Futures:
Keeping the future in focus
Daily Memo: The Tank and I
Thoughts in and around politics.
By: George Friedman
March 11, 2022
In 1972, I was wandering aimlessly around a U.S. Army facility in Pennsylvania called Fort Indiantown Gap. Eventually, I passed two M-60 armored fighting vehicles – the Army's longhand for tanks. The sounds they made nearly tore my head off. An NCO, whose rank I couldn't make out, arrived to complete the job on my head. Had I been able to think, I would have pointed out I outranked him (a meaningless rank given to civilians and held in utter contempt by anyone who was actually a soldier).
It was a pivotal moment in my life. I heard the voice of God as the 105 reverberated between tanks. I learned that I had used up my quarter of His mercy, and I learned what Gen. George Patton knew – that the armored warrior now sat in a tank and ruled the battlefield.
Thus began my love of tanks. I have since traveled often to Aberdeen Proving Ground, which had a superb armor museum, including Soviet T-34s and 54s, German Panthers and a Cromwell French AMX. I taught myself about anti-tank weapons. Many years later, I returned to Fort Indiantown Gap with my not-yet wife. She brought a picnic. Two A-10s came in low and fast. A-10s were tank killers. They carried armor-piercing rounds, and they were built to kill. I told my future wife to watch one jink to the right and release a flare, designed to deflect infrared-guided missiles. I thought my knowledge would impress her, but alas I was offered mustard instead.
In the late 1970s, I went to the SHAPE Technical Center in The Hague, where advanced lunacy was funded by NATO. I was there to help design an early computerized wargame for the central front of NATO. What we had to model above all else was the tank. Tank formations were to be the Russian spearhead, we learned from their exercises. A-10s were to slow them down, but sadly, they were not, as it was put, survivable. So we had to model an armor-on-armor wargame. The idea was to move tanks forward into blocking positions. We discovered the obvious: Tanks need fuel, and the battle of the central gap was going to be won not by killing tanks but by hitting fuel dumps. This was not my discovery, but I learned to repeat the obvious as if it were my own.
The armor war would be won by intelligence – on the location of Soviet fuel storage facilities, for example – and by fighter planes able to deliver missiles and explosives to destroy them. I'm proud to say I discovered that if NATO did nothing, the Soviets would bog down near Hanover, Germany, due to road problems and limits on fuel deliveries. In this scenario, we did not need fighters, we did not need intelligence, we didn't even have to be there. The Soviets would screw themselves. I added this point: If the Soviets could attack, they would. That argument was dismissed by my superiors. In retrospect, the likelihood of anyone listening to a 25-year-old was, understandably, zero. Here was a man too stupid not to wander on an armored firing range. And they were right. But none of it diminished my love of tanks.
In 1973, my love was challenged, as loves always are. I had forgiven the A-10 for killing tanks because it was such a fine aircraft. But that year, Egypt crossed the Suez Canal armed with a Soviet weapon called the AT-3 Sagger (a NATO designation). It was a mobile, crew-operated, optically guided anti-tank missile. One guy mounted the weapon, one guy squatted at a sight and guided the missile almost unerringly to its target, with the ability to penetrate existing armor, or at least make the tank crew's ears bleed. It devastated the Israeli armor force, the pride of Israel. Armored forces now needed infantrymen to sweep an area for Sagger crews before the tank could move forward. And just like that, the tank went from the knight of the battlefield, the shield of the infantry, to a pathetic has-been.
It was an instructive moment in the history of warfare: The tank could be destroyed by some infantrymen hiding in the bushes. It could be saved only by our own infantry sweeping the bushes to get rid of them. It was a lesson that the advocates of armor had trouble believing. They kept trying to find armor that could not be penetrated. Their enemies kept finding new explosives to penetrate it. What the A-10 started, the AT-3 Saggar finished. Armor was heavy, guzzled staggering amounts of fuel, had to be loaded with incredibly heavy munitions, and had to constantly be modified at great expense – only for new kinds of anti-tank systems to follow in kind.
The British and Americans have sent Ukraine Javelin missile systems to fend off the Russian invasion. This nasty thing is a tank killer that when fired pops up, finds the thinnest part of the armor on top of the tank, and destroys it. Almost anyone can use it so long as they learn some basic tactics. When I see the sights of Russian T-72s stalled on the road to Kyiv, I am pretty sure a Javelin took out the first few tanks and last few. It's ironic that in Egypt the Soviets introduced the first infantry-delivered precision-guided anti-tank weapon, and the Russians chose to structure their invasion of Ukraine with three tank groups to fight infantry. For God's sake, they introduced the weapon to the battlefield. Did they forget?
For Russia, the only solution is to go find the infantry that is killing their tanks, and until then, not use tanks. That seems to be their choice, and strategically I can't blame them. President Vladimir Putin and I are about the same age. He was a KGB agent stationed in Germany. I was a sad loser on the other side of the divide. But both of us grew up getting ready for the war we knew was coming, and we both grew up hearing about Patton and Zhukov. Of course, we had heard of precision-guided munitions and infantry-mounted anti-tank missiles. We heard of top attack drones and satellite-based sighting. But in the end, I think he couldn't imagine a war in which the spearhead was something other than a tank. It is to the greatness of my country that no one would let me plan a war. It is the pity of Russia that Putin still thought of war as he had been taught to think of it, and apparently no one told him things had changed.
Then again, I understand how hard it is to outgrow the awe of seeing 50 tons of sheer power moving and shooting on two treads. In that sense, I envy Putin's power to order three battlegroups of T-72s to button up and move out. I guess we are both crazy, but I can't cause any damage with my fantasies. Putin can. He is fighting the war our generation always expected, hundreds of tanks rolling forward to engage. It's like using the cavalry to win World War I. Nostalgia can be dangerous.
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This Day in U S Military History
11 March
1916 – USS Nevada (BB-36) is commissioned as the first US Navy "super-dreadnought". USS Nevada (BB-36), the second United States Navy ship to be named after the 36th state, was the lead ship of the two Nevada-class battleships; her sister ship was Oklahoma. Launched in 1914, the Nevada was a leap forward in dreadnought technology; four of her new features would be included on almost every subsequent US battleship: triple gun turrets, oil in place of coal for fuel, geared steam turbines for greater range, and the "all or nothing" armor principle. These features made Nevada the first US Navy "super-dreadnought". Nevada served in both World Wars: during the last few months of World War I, Nevada was based in Bantry Bay, Ireland, to protect the supply convoys that were sailing to and from Great Britain. In World War II, she was one of the battleships trapped when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. She was the only battleship to get underway during the attack, making the ship "the only bright spot in an otherwise dismal and depressing morning" for the United States. Still, she was hit by one torpedo and at least six bombs while steaming away from Battleship Row, forcing her to be beached. Subsequently salvaged and modernized at Puget Sound Navy Yard, Nevada served as a convoy escort in the Atlantic and as a fire-support ship in four amphibious assaults: the Normandy Landings and the invasions of Southern France, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. At the end of World War II, the Navy decided that Nevada was too old to be retained, so they assigned her to be a target ship in the atomic experiments that were going to be conducted at Bikini Atoll in July 1946 (Operation Crossroads). After being hit by the blast from the first atomic bomb, Able, she was still afloat but heavily damaged and radioactive. She was decommissioned on 29 August 1946 and sunk during naval gunfire practice on 31 July 1948.
1958 – A B-47 bomber accidentally drops a nuclear weapon over Mars Bluff, South Carolina. The conventional explosive trigger detonates, leaving a crater 75 feet wide and 35 feet deep.
1967 – U.S. 1st Infantry Division troops engage in one of the heaviest battles of Operation Junction City. The fierce fighting resulted in 210 reported North Vietnamese casualties. Operation Junction City was an effort to smash the communist stronghold in Tay Ninh Province and surrounding areas along the Cambodian border northwest of Saigon. The purpose of the operation was to drive the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese troops away from populated areas and into the open, where superior American firepower could be more effectively used. Junction City was the largest operation of the war to date, involving more than 25,000 troops. The first day's operation was supported by 575 aircraft sorties, a record number for a single day in South Vietnam. The operation was marked by one of the largest airmobile assaults in history when 240 troop-carrying helicopters descended on the battlefield. In one of the few airborne operations of the war, 778 "Sky Soldiers" parachuted into the Junction City area of operations 28 miles north of Tay Ninh City. There were 2,728 enemy casualties by the end of the operation on March 17.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
KELLOGG, ALLAN JAY, JR.
Rank and organization: Gunnery Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps (then S/Sgt.), Company G, 2d Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division. place and date: Quang Nam province, Republic of Vietnam, 11 March 1970. Entered service at: Bridgeport, Conn. Born: 1 October 1943, Bethel, Conn. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a platoon sergeant with Company G, in connection with combat operations against the enemy on the night of 11 March 1970. Under the leadership of G/Sgt. Kellogg, a small unit from Company G was evacuating a fallen comrade when the unit came under a heavy volume of small arms and automatic weapons fire from a numerically superior enemy force occupying well-concealed emplacements in the surrounding jungle. During the ensuing fierce engagement, an enemy soldier managed to maneuver through the dense foliage to a position near the marines, and hurled a hand grenade into their midst which glanced off the chest of G/Sgt. Kellogg. Quick to act, he forced the grenade into the mud in which he was standing, threw himself over the lethal weapon and absorbed the full effects of its detonation with his body thereby preventing serious injury or possible death to several of his fellow marines. Although suffering multiple injuries to his chest and his right shoulder and arm, G/Sgt. Kellogg resolutely continued to direct the efforts of his men until all were able to maneuver to the relative safety of the company perimeter. By his heroic and decisive action in risking his life to save the lives of his comrades, G/Sgt. Kellogg reflected the highest credit upon himself and upheld the finest traditions of the Marine Corps and the U.S. Naval Service.
*ETCHBERGER, RICHARD L.
Rank: Chief Master Sergeant, Organization: U.S. Air Force, Company: Detachment 1, Division: 1043d Radar Evaluation Squadron, Born: 5 March 1933, Departed: Yes (03/11/1968), Entered Service At: Hamburg, Pennsylvania, G.O. Number: , Date of Issue: 09/21/2010, Accredited To: Pennsylvania, Place / Date: Phou Pha Thi, Laos, 11 March 1968. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Chief Etchberger and his team of technicians were manning a top secret defensive position at Lima Site 85 when the base was overrun by an enemy ground force. Receiving sustained and withering heavy artillery attacks directly upon his unit's position, Chief Etchberger's entire crew lay dead or severely wounded. Despite having received little or no combat training, Chief Etchberger single-handedly held off the enemy with an M-16, while simultaneously directing air strikes into the area and calling for air rescue. Because of his fierce defense and heroic and selfless actions, he was able to deny the enemy access to his position and save the lives of his remaining crew. With the arrival of the rescue aircraft, Chief Etchberger, without hesitation, repeatedly and deliberately risked his own life, exposing himself to heavy enemy fire in order to place three surviving wounded comrades into rescue slings hanging from the hovering helicopter waiting to airlift them to safety. With his remaining crew safely aboard, Chief Etchberger finally climbed into an evacuation sling himself, only to be fatally wounded by enemy ground fire as he was being raised into the aircraft. Chief Etchberger's bravery and determination in the face of persistent enemy fire and overwhelming odds are in keeping with the highest standards of performance and traditions of military service. Chief Etchberger's gallantry, self-sacrifice, and profound concern for his fellow men at risk of his life, above and beyond the call of duty, reflect the highest credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for March 11, 2021 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
11 March
1912: Lt Frank P. Lahm opened an Army Air School at Fort William McKinley, Philippines, with two volunteer students, Lt Moss L. Love and Cpl Vernon L. Burge, who later became the first enlisted pilot. (24)
1918: Lt Paul Baer, 103d Aero Squadron, received the first Distinguished Service Cross awarded to an Army Air Service member for attacking seven German pursuit planes. He destroyed one. (8) The Navy's General Board approved Capt Alfred A. Cunningham's plan to form the 1st Marine Aviation Force with a mission to bomb German submarine bases in Europe. (10)
1941: President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Lend-Lease Act to provide war materiel, including aircraft, to friendly nations. Under this act, the U.S. supplied over 43,000 aircraft to its allies in World War II. (21)
1945: Eighth Air Force dispatched 1,079 bombers to attack Essen, Germany. This raid posted the greatest weight of bombs, 4738 tons, on a single target to date. (24)
1952: KOREAN WAR. Fighter-bombers dropped 150 tons of bombs and approximately 33,000 gallons of napalm on a four square mile supply storage and troop training area near Sinmak, Korea. Fifth Air Force operations officers reported this to be the most intensive napalm attack on a single area in the war. Also, through 12 March 10 B-29s struck the Sinchang-ni choke point, 10 miles east of Sunchon, Korea, with 91 tons of high explosives, rendering the point unpassable. (28)
1957: A Boeing 707 set a transcontinental speed record for passenger flight with 42 passengers and 10 crewmen by flying 2,335 miles from Seattle to Washington DC in 3 hours 48 minutes. (24)
1959: The Sikorsky SH-3A Sea King first flew. (5) 1960: Cape Canaveral launched NASA's Pioneer V satellite on a Thor-Able rocket into a solar orbit between Earth and Venus. (24)
1964: The 500th Minuteman ICBM rolled off the assembly line at Air Force Plant No. 77 at Ogden, Utah. (5)
1967: US Navy fighters attacked North Vietnamese targets with television-guided Walleye glide bombs. This attack introduced electro-optical/television precision-guided weapons into the Vietnam War. (21)
1974: The YF-16 attained Mach 2 for the first time in test flights at Edwards AFB. (3)
1986: An Air Force Program Management Directive sought a night and under-the-weather surface attack capability for the F-15. (30)
1990: The Navy conducted its last Trident II missile test from the submerged USS Pennsylvania near Cape Canaveral. It was the first shot from the Pennsylvania and second demonstration and shakedown launch in the program. This test allowed the Navy to reach an initial operating capability with the missile on schedule in late March. (8: May 90)
1991: Operation ARC WIND. Returning from DESERT STORM, AFRES C-130 Hercules aircraft began flying reservists from ports of entry in the US to their home units. (16)
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World News for 11 March thanks to Military Periscope
USA—West Moves To Revoke 'Most Favored Nation' Trade Status With Russia Cable News Network | 03/11/2022 The U.S. and its allies are expected to downgrade trade ties with Russia in response to its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and attacks on civilians, reports CNN. On Friday, President Biden is scheduled to announce the revocation of Russia's most favored nation status, known as permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) in the U.S. The move requires action from Congress, which was expected to introduce legislation shortly after Biden's announcement. The House of Representatives has passed a bill banning the import of Russian oil, natural gas and coal, which in an earlier iteration included the suspension of PNTR with Belarus and Russia. That language was removed in response to concerns from the White House. The Senate is considering harsher action on Russia's trade status in its version of the bill, which is expected to be taken up as soon as next week. The reduced status would allow the U.S. to introduce new tariffs on a wide range of Russian goods, reported Reuters. The Group of 7 (G7) nations and European Union are expected to take similar actions to remove most favored nation status from Russia.
USA—Boost To SDA Funding Falls Short C4ISRNet | 03/11/2022 The compromise defense budget being discussed in Congress includes a smaller than anticipated boost to the Space Development Agency, reports C4ISRNet. The budget currently includes an additional $550 million for the SDA, about $200 million less than initially proposed by Senate appropriators. The Senate wanted to increase the agency's $636 million budget by $750 million to accelerate the development of the Tranche 1 Tracking Layer satellite constellation. It is not yet clear if the smaller boost will be sufficient to support the agency's plan to launch at least 28 Tracking Layer satellites.
USA—Brigade Training Rotation Held In Alaska For 1st Time Army Times | 03/11/2022 The Army is holding its first brigade-level combat training center (CTC) exercise in the Arctic region, reports the Army Times. On Wednesday, Army Alaska launched the first home station CTC rotation at the Donnelly Training Area, 120 miles (190 km) outside Fort Wainwright, Alaska. Previous major exercises in Alaska did not satisfy Army requirements for brigades to complete a CTC rotation before deploying, officials said. This forced units in Alaska and Hawaii to ship their equipment to the National Training Center, Calif., or the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) in Fort Polk, La., to complete training before deploying. This drill, assisted by the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center and observer coach/trainers from the JRTC, involves the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, taking on opposing forces from the 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division. Canadian paratroopers and helicopters from the 2nd Canadian Division and HIMARS multiple rocket launchers from the 17th Field Artillery Brigade in Washington state will also join, bringing the total number of participants to around 8,000. The 1st SBCT is deploying from Fort Wainwright to the Donnelly Training Area where it will make the transition to situational force-on-force training exercises. A combined arms live-fire event is also scheduled.
USA—Biden To Name Colombia Major Non-NATO Ally Voice Of America News | 03/11/2022 The U.S. has decided to grant Colombia the status of major non-NATO ally, reports the Voice of America News. On Thursday, Biden announced that he would name Colombia a major non-NATO ally following talks with Colombian President Ivan Duque at the White House. He said the move was recognition of the close and unique relationship between the countries. Colombia is a key partner in South America, particularly as a counterweight to Venezuela, which has committed numerous human-rights abuses under the President Nicolas Maduro and aligned itself with Russia, said analysts. Biden and Duque were also scheduled to discuss counterterrorism cooperation, regional immigration, climate change and energy transition ahead of the Summit of the Americas in June.
United Kingdom—Plans Made To Send Starstreak Air Defense Systems To Ukraine Times Of London | 03/11/2022 The U.K. is looking at sending advanced air defense systems to Ukraine, reports the Times of London. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace told Parliament on March 9 that the British government was considering sending Starstreak systems to Ukraine. He later confirmed that a decision had been made in principle to provide the weapon. Wallace acknowledged that Ukrainians would need to be trained on the system but said that the details of such training were sensitive. Ukrainian defense sources told the Times in February that they needed more portable air defense systems and had specifically asked for the Starstreak. Experts noted that while the Starstreak would be useful, it was difficult to employ and required significant training. The laser-guided missile is immune to countermeasures and will hit the target as long as the operator keeps the laser on the aircraft. Wallace also said that the U.K. would provide limited numbers of Javelin anti-tank missiles and additional nonlethal aid, including rations and medical supplies.
Poland—Aegis Ashore Facility Nearly Complete Defense News | 03/11/2022 The U.S. has nearly finished work on a new Aegis Ashore missile defense site in Poland, reports Defense News. Work on the facility in Redzikowo is externally complete, with final construction underway on the interior of the system, Missile Defense Agency head Vice Adm. Jon Hill said on Wednesday. Last year, Hill said that the SPY-1 radar arrays had been incorporated into the build process ahead of schedule. The equipment is now in place for the system, with the remaining work focused on connecting everything, running start tests and finishing interior spaces and automation in support of the full detect, control and engage mission, the admiral said. The Aegis Ashore system in Poland was originally planned to have been operational in 2018. The U.S. has attributed delays to a Polish contractor that has had problems with the design and engineering of auxiliary controls, heating, power and cooling elements.
Finland—Israeli Firms To Compete For High-Altitude Air Defense Project Finnish Ministry Of Defense | 03/11/2022 Finland has chosen two Israeli firms as finalists for its high-altitude air defense program, reports the Finnish Ministry of Defense. On March 5, the ministry said that it had shortlisted Israel Aerospace Industries and Rafael Advanced Systems for its requirement for a high-altitude ground-based air defense system. IAI is offering the Barak MX, while Rafael has proposed its David's Sling system, according to the Defense Post. The new systems are intended to improve Finland's high-altitude defenses and significantly extend the range of its ground-based air defenses. A final decision is expected in early 2023. IAI and Rafael beat out offerings from Diehl Defense in Germany, Kongsberg Defense in Norway and MBDA Systems in the U.K.
Ukraine—Russian Airstrikes Hit Airfields In West Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty | 03/11/2022 Russia has attacked a pair of airfields in western Ukraine, far from the front lines, in a move that could indicate a widening of its unprovoked war, reports Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. On Friday, the Russian Defense Ministry said that it had conducted "high-precision" strikes on airfields in the western cities of Lutsk and Ivano-Frankivsk, reported Ukrinform. Two Ukrainian soldiers were killed and six injured when four missiles fired from a bomber struck the Lutsk airfield. After two weeks, Russia's unprovoked invasion has bogged down amid fierce resistance and logistical issues, raising concerns that Moscow may seek to widen the fighting, according to some analysts.
Tajikistan—Talks Held With Kyrgyzstan After Deadly Border Clash Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty | 03/11/2022 Tajik and Kazakh authorities have held talks after border guards from both sides fought near a disputed part of their mutual border, reports Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. On Thursday, border guards from Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan exchanged fire along the border between the Tajik Sughd region and Kyrgyz Batken district. The Kyrgyz Border Guard Service claimed that Tajik border guards moved into a disputed area and demanded the Kyrgyz forces leave, triggering a brief gun battle. According to local civilians, one Tajik border guard was killed, and a Tajik civilian was injured during the fight. Later in the day, officials from the Batken district and Sughd region met to discuss the situation and agreed to investigate the incident separately. Over half of the 600-mile (970-km) border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan is not demarcated, triggering occasional violent disputes. A previous border incident in January resulted in the death of two Tajik citizens and injuries to dozens on both sides.
North Korea—Test Of Hwasong-17 ICBM In The Works, Say Analysts Agence France-Presse | 03/11/2022 Analysts believe that North Korea is gearing up to test-fire an intercontinental ballistic missile later this year, reports Agence France-Presse. On Thursday, the White House accused North Korea of using recent space launches as cover for testing technology for a new ICBM, reported the Washington Post. Pyongyang says that the recent rocket tests evaluated new reconnaissance satellite components. The U.S., however, says that the launches tested elements of the Hwasong-17 ICBM, possibly include the technology to carry and deliver multiple warheads. North Korea has not yet demonstrated such a multiple warhead capability, said experts. Pyongyang appears to have abandoned its self-observed moratorium on ICBM tests. A test-launch of the Hwasong-17 could coincide with the birthday of Kim Il Sung, the founder of North Korea, on April 15, according to South Korean analysts.
Japan—Russia May Be Identified As 'Security Challenge' In New Strategy Kyodo News Agency | 03/11/2022 Japan is considering labeling Russia as a "security challenge" in its upcoming national strategy review, reports the Kyodo news agency (Tokyo). On Wednesday, government officials said that Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine could lead to it being labeled as a security challenge during a national security strategy review this year. Russia is currently identified as a partner that Japan would work with to promote peace and stability. Tokyo has been seeking to work with Russia to resolve a territorial dispute over the Kuril Islands, known as the Northern Territories in Japan. Moscow would join China and North Korea as security challenges for Japan, said the officials. The strategy, which is being updated for the first time since 2013, must account for the need to bolster defenses in waters near China and Taiwan, deal with North Korean missile and nuclear threats and respond to Russian aggression, experts said.
China—Government Blames U.S. For Cyberattacks Reuters | 03/11/2022 China says the U.S. has stepped up cyberattacks on Chinese computers to use them to attack Russia and its partners, reports Reuters. Since February, China says it has witnessed continuous cyberattacks originating from U.S. IP addresses. These hacks are designed to take control of Chinese computers, which are then used to attack targets in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine, the National Computer Network Emergency Response Technical Team/Coordination Center of China told China's state-run Xinhua news agency on Friday. Some of the attacks appeared to originate from other Western IP addresses, including Germany and the Netherlands.
Saudi Arabia—Local Firms To Build THAAD Components Defense News | 03/11/2022 A Saudi Arabian defense firm is teaming with Lockheed Martin to build components for air defense systems, reports Defense News. The Saudi General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI) announced during this week's World Defense Show in Riyadh that it had approved a pair of projects for the local production of components for the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. The first project covers the local production of missile interceptor launchers and the second, missile canisters. The projects are part of a Saudi effort to bolster its domestic defense industry, with the goal of spending 50 percent of defense equipment and service funds domestically by 2030.
Syria—ISIS Announces New Chief New York Times | 03/11/2022 The Islamic State has named its new leader, reports the New York Times. On Thursday, the terrorist group publicly designated Abu Hasan Al Hashemi Al Qurashi as its new leader in an audio message distributed on its social media accounts, encouraging its followers to pledge loyalty to him. The message also confirmed the death of ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim Al Hashemi Al Qurashi, who blew himself up during a U.S. military operation in northwestern Syria last month. ISIS spokesman Abu Hamza Al Qurashi was also killed in the operation, the group said in the statement. New ISIS spokesman Abu Umar Al Muhajir said that the late Qurashi's last battle was the fight with Kurdish forces at the Ghuwayran prison in Al Hasakah province in northeastern Syria, reported Reuters. Iraqi security officials and a Western source told Reuters that the new ISIS leader is the brother of former ISIS chief Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi. His real name is Juma Awad Al Badri, the sources said on Friday. He is known to be from a close circle of hardened Iraqi jihadists who emerged following the U.S. invasion in 2003. Badri has long been the head of the group's Shura Council, a leadership group that guides strategy and chooses the successor when a leader is killed or captured, an Iraqi official said.
Israel—Lawmakers Postpone Plans To Reduce Mandatory Military Service Period Times of Israel | 03/11/2022 The Israeli Knesset has voted to delay plans to reduce the amount of time men are required to spend in military service, reports the Times of Israel. In 2015, Israel reduced the compulsory service period from 36 months to 32 months, with a further reduction to 30 months that was to enter effect in July 2020. Last week, Israel Defense Forces officials told the Knesset that the military had a shortfall of around 6,000 soldiers. On Thursday, lawmakers voted to postpone the reduction to 30 months to 2024, citing manpower challenges encountered since the service period was cut to 32 months. The decision is retroactively effective to personnel who were drafted after July 1, 2020. Those recruits were warned at the time that a change in the law could apply to them. The effort to shorten the mandatory service time for men was seen as a way to reduce defense spending and allow soldiers to study at college and enter the workforce at an earlier age to boost the economy. The mandatory service time for women remains unchanged at 24 months.
Rwanda—Qatar Supplies Pair Of Gazelle Helos Defence Web | 03/11/2022 The Rwandan military has received two used utility helicopters from Qatar, reports Defence Web (South Africa). Qatar handed over two SA 342 Gazelle helicopters during a three-day visit to Rwanda by Lt. Gen. Salem Bin Hamad Al Aqeel Al, the chief of staff of the Qatari armed forces, that began on March 1. The Qatari Defense Ministry subsequently released a video showing at least two Gazelles at Kigali Air Base. The helicopters were not seen clearly but had the engine dust filters used by Middle Eastern militaries and were painted in desert camouflage, reported Jane's. The Gazelles were delivered by a Qatari C-17 airlifter along with 2.5 tons of spare parts, reported military aviation website Avions Legendaires. The delivery did not include any weapons. Qatar and Rwanda have been strengthening defense ties, signing a memorandum of understanding to expand cooperation earlier this month.
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Remember DB Cooper?
Thanks to John H. ... AND Dr. Rich
…interesting … from a retired Delta pilot.
I undertook this little project some twenty years ago. I remembered it while digging through my files the other day. The investigation still has some interesting loose ends that should be pursued, but I am too old for that now. I would just like that if I pass on that somebody knows at least what I found. If you just stick through the initial part, you will see the eventual tie-in with Delta. I hope you find this an interesting read.
Bill Hoover
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Best to sit down with a nice drink while reading this. I welcome comments.
Well, here it is. I will state my case. As I said, I started this over fifteen years ago, and while I have a nice stack of files on this case, I have not gone into them in ages. That being said, I will be telling you some things as best that I remember them without digging up the files.
I fell from a ladder while trimming a tree a few years before my official age sixty retirement from Delta. That put me out on disability with a fractured spine and spinal fusion. When my age sixty rolled around in 2002, I officially retired. In retirement, I was on a website called PCN Death notices. This site sends out the passing of fellow Delta pilots. The site was run by a lady named, Carol Faulkner. She and her husband were living in Arizona and both were retired from Delta. I think that Carol was from Human Resources. She still runs the notification site.
Well, one day, Carol sent out a death notice of a Delta pilot, a Donald B. Carter. She said that she had little background information of his passing, and further, she said that she could find no records of a Donald B. Carter being a pilot for Delta. Records did not show up at ALPA either. I found that fascinating and could not imagine how a multi-billion dollar airline corporation could not have one of its pilots within its records. Carol did say that there was another Delta pilot, a Roy P. Sandness, who had the same birth date as this Donald B. Carter. She closed by asking if any of the pilots could supply any further information about either of these two individuals.
As I sat at my computer reading this, I noticed that Donald B. Carter had the same initials as DB Cooper. I was making no connection between the two people whatsoever, it was just something that came into my mind. I was trying to remember what entailed the DB Cooper event, and with nothing to do at that moment, I Googled DB Cooper hijacking and started to read. My reading included the police and FBI reports. As I went through those reports, I was shocked to see how many items of evidence, which a pilot would certainly have questioned, were totally overlooked by the FBI. I found it astounding.
I am going to mention here just a few of the items of evidence in the reports, and then you can make your own conclusions as we go further into this.
1 The hijacker checked into Portland Airport for a Northwest Airlines Boeing 727 flight to Seattle. He checked in under the name of Dan Cooper. Later at a press conference the FBI said that they were looking into a low life minor criminal in the Portland area with the name DB Cooper. The press ran with that and the name stuck until now. We will come back to the alias Dan Cooper later.
2 The man was middle age, had a tan, wore sunglasses, and wore a black tie with a white shirt. Several things stand out here. This hijacking took place in November in Portland. People in Portland do not have tans. People in Portland probably do not own sunglasses. This is not a Portland resident. This is somebody from the south. Who wears a coal black tie? An undertaker, a bus driver, an airline crew member. So, what does the FBI report say? Possibly he was a Mormon missionary.
3 Enroute to Seattle, he demanded $200,000 in cash and two parachutes. He had the plane circle until the parachutes and the cash had been gathered. He carried some kind of a wired device that he said was a bomb. As they circled, he pointed out McChord AFB and Takoma airports to the flight attendant. This guy was familiar with the area as viewed from the air. FBI report says possibly military.
4 The flight landed, all the passengers and all the flight attendants but one were allowed off the plane. The money was gathered along with the two parachutes. The hijacker asked that enough fuel be loaded to go to Mexico. He also wanted the pilots to take off with the aft stairs extended. Obviously, he had no intention to go to Mexico. When Northwest said that they would not allow the aft stairs to be down for takeoff, the hijacker responded that that was Ok, he would lower the stairs inflight. This guy knew his airplane. FBI report: maybe he was familiar with the 727 from Vietnam; maybe he was a disgruntled flight attendant. When the refueling was taking longer than usual, he commented on it. He knew his airplane and he knew how long a refueling should take.
But here is where his knowledge really stands out, he specified the route of flight, told the pilots what speed and what flap setting to use when enroute. He specified the altitude. This guy knows this particular plane well.
5 While on the ground in Seattle, the hijacker asked the cockpit to order "crew meals" to be brought to the aircraft. Notice, it is not a generic "food" or "sandwiches," but "crew meals" This is someone intimately familiar with airline jargon and "crew meals" availability.
6 After takeoff, the hijacker went to the back of the airplane, read the instructions for lowering the aft stairs, and lowered the stairs. I have more than a few thousand hours on the 727, and while I know where the handle is to lower the stairs, as a cockpit crewmember, I would have to read the instructions on the placard. A flight attendant most likely would not have to do that. While lowering the stairs, it became evident that the airstream was preventing the stairs from totally extending. He then called the cockpit on the cabin intercom, and told them to lower more flaps so he could lower the stairs. This guy knows his airplane. How easy would it be for someone not on the 727 to feel comfortable in making the required selections on the cabin intercom to connect to the cockpit?
In summary, I believe the evidence clearly indicates that this was not some ex-military guy who knew the 727 in Vietnam; this was not some random airline employee or some flight attendant. This was a fully qualified Boeing 727 pilot. And certainly, this was not a Mornom missionary.
Now, let's go back to that alias that he used to check in: Dan Cooper. The FBI did check that name out and they did come across the fact that a Dan Cooper was indeed a character in a European comic book. They should have followed that clue further. The character in the comic book, Dan Cooper, is a Canadian Air Force test pilot- remember that. This comic book was never published or sold in the United States. It was only sold in Europe and Canada. And, furthermore, this comic book was published in French. The FBI summary is that perhaps the hijacker was ex-US military and was familiar with the comic book while serving in Europe. This comic book was published by a well-known Belgian illustrator. Now, just for a moment, ask yourself, without help, how does a Belgian comic book illustrator come up with story-lines month after month about a Canadian Air Force Test Pilot? It stretches credibility that he did it on his own. Interestingly, the last issue before the hijacking involved Dan Cooper, Canadian Air Force Test Pilot, jumping out of a civilian airliner. Stick with me; this is all going to lead back to our Delta pilot.
Only one flight attendant remained on the plane the whole time. She was the last person to see the hijacker, and to see him when he jumped. Shortly after the hijacking, she entered a convent, and has never granted an interview or talked about this.
7 The hijacker jumped on a segment of the air route just north of Portland and near the Columbia River. The weather was IFR, but it would have been easy for him to define this point as the airway takes a very sharp bend at that point. If indeed he were a pilot, an old rusty Boy Scout compass would have indicated the point. He jumped at a point near the river called Tina Bar. The FBI summary said that this was a guy who had to have been totally comfortable in the wilderness. That is true. They also indicated that he was probably a "loner" as nobody reported a husband, son, friend, etc. missing after the hijacking. He had been gone for several days, and there seemed to be no family asking where he had been.
So much for the evidentiary material, let's get back to our Delta pilot.
I took the information that Carol Faulkner put out and did a search of Donald B. Carter, who did not appear on any Delta records, and this Roy P. Sandness, the guy with the same birthday. What I found was that indeed a Donald B. Carter had gone to court and affected a legal name change. Now, some people who are baptized Brunhilda or Torkel, may go to court to change a first name that they do not like, and after a divorce, an ex-wife may go back to her maiden name, but what motivates someone to go all the way from Donald B.Carter to Roy P. Sandness?
I tracked this Roy P. Sandness back to his place of death, it was either North or South Dakota, I can't remember. I read his obituary, and it said that he was being buried in Canada. I was actually able to go to the church website and see the tombstone. It reads: "Donald B. Carter/ Roy P. Sandness." They are one in the same. They are one and the same Delta pilot.
I then tried to trace this Donald B. Carter. He was raised north of Winnipeg on the edge of a huge National Forest. He had no father. He had a brother: Dan Carter. This Dan Carter was a test pilot for the Canadian Air Force and died in an airplane accident. Our Donald B. Carter was also a Canadian Air Force pilot. He hunted and fished, loved the outdoors, flew as a bush pilot. He would also have been familiar with the French comic book. He also would have been familiar with parachutes. He was a loner. He never married until after he retired from Delta.
This Donald B. Carter made his way across the U.S. border and went to work flying for Northeast Airlines in Boston. I have talked to a Northeast pilot who remembered him. He also had a girlfriend in Boston. She worked for Northeast. When we tried to interview her, she said that if it had anything to do with Donald B. Carter, she would not discuss it. Can you imagine that after all these years? Donald B. Carter eventually qualified as a captain on the Boeing 727 with Northeast. He subsequently went to Delta when Delta bought Northeast.
It appears that he was based in Atlanta, but there is also some information that he was also in Miami. Remember the guy with the tan and the sunglasses? Subsequent to the hijacking, he went to court and changed his name. He then went out on medical with Delta and later retired. FAA records show that, though he had no medical after leaving Delta, he bought a seaplane. Records also indicate that he had owned a seaplane in Canada years earlier, and at the time of the hijacking.
So, why and how did he do it. Except for the one package of money that has been found at Tina's Bar on the Columbia River, none of the money has ever turned up. The FBI had the serial numbers for each and every bill and all the banks were on alert. This was not done for the money. He was a wealthy airline pilot, no kids, no family; he did not need the money. He did this to prove to himself that it could be done. One of the loose ends in all this is the comic book illustrator in Belgium. I just wonder if Donald B. Carter was not feeding him story lines. After all, his dead brother had been a Canadian Air Force Test pilot, and the comic book character's name was used to check in for the hijacked flight. I believe that Donald B. Carter never got over the death of his brother, and I believe he was the source of the comic book lines for the Belgian illustrator.
Regardless of how much we are at attention for our cockpit duties in flight, we all daydream somewhat. I think that Donald B. Carter did a lot of this. I think he daydreamed of how someone could hijack a civilian airliner and jump out of it. He knew exactly how the stairs operated. He knew exactly the flap settings and speeds. He knew the route that he wanted and the jump point.
I found some relatives of Donald B. Carter/Roy P. Sandness and interviewed them over the phone. They were very cooperative. I was upfront with them and said that I was wondering if their now Roy P. Sandness could be DB Cooper. They said they would not doubt it. They also told me that Donald B. Carter had a cabin on a lake in Canada just over the U.S. border near Seattle. They said that the cabin was only accessible via seaplane. They said that nobody had been back to the cabin since Carter had died. And, there is the second loose end. A trip to that cabin may be in order. You just may find the parachute or even some money.
So, in summary, what do I think? I think that Donald B. Carter never got over the death of his brother. I think he was the source for the comic book story lines for the Belgian illustrator. I think he had spent a lot of time planning this hijacking. I think he was totally familiar with the Boeing 727. I think he probably flew from his cabin in Canada down to the Portland area and landed and tied up the airplane somewhere on the Columbia River. He then got on the hijacked flight and carried out exactly what he had imagined would be necessary to accomplish the feat. He did not do this for the money. This was something mental. He exceeded the boundary of what he had only been imagining and tried to put it into reality. He was totally comfortable in the wilderness. He was familiar with parachutes. He would have owned a black tie. He was based in Miami at the time and would have had a tan and owned sunglasses. He was a loner and nobody would have reported him missing or asked where he had been. I believe that after the jump, he made his way back to the seaplane on the Columbia River and flew back to his cabin on the Canadian Lake. I believe the single pack of money found near Tina Bar years later was something that he accidentally dropped.
When he first went to Delta, Delta was not flying to Portland, so he did not have to show up in that airport where someone might recognize him. However, later on, Delta did start service to Portland, and I think at this point it became a risk if he were to return to that airport and be recognized. It is at this point that he goes out on medical, changes his name, and disappears from Delta records.
That's it. I hope you enjoyed the read.
Bill Hoover
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