History, Politics And Current Affairs

Added Finnish Navy.

Added Swedish Navy.

Added Italian Navy.

Added French Navy.

Jotun wrote: ↑Sun Jun 01, 2025 7:32 pm

James1978 wrote: ↑Sun Jun 01, 2025 7:20 pm

jemhouston wrote: ↑Sat May 31, 2025 7:51 pm I thought Magnum was a Captain?

If Wiki is to be believed, he was a Lieutenant Commander, then became a Commander in he final episode.

IIRC, Bernard made him a captain.

I went digging to check. He's mentioned as a Captain in Ch.203.

jemhouston wrote: ↑Sat May 31, 2025 7:51 pm I thought Magnum was a Captain?

If Wiki is to be believed, he was a Lieutenant Commander, then became a Commander in he final episode.

I hear what you're saying, Simon, but I don't read it that way. Or at least I think there is enough vagueness there that it's not a slam dunk. I read it that ASIO identified a suspected KGB sleeper cell. Now unless I'm mistaken, even in wartime, ASIO is probably better equipped to track down foreign...

The Divisional Security Battalion was to provide internal security for the division made up of recalled reservist of any MOS. So I guess Begleitbatterie does the same for the Divisional Artillery? I think there was some overlap, but the Begleitbatterie troops sounded like active duty troops. Diggin...

Multi part question re. the FRG Army. 1) In @, just what did the old Security Battalions assigned to the Corps Artillery Commands, and in general really, do? And how did they differ from Military Police? 2) I ask #1 above, because I recently learned about the Begleitbatterie (Escort Battery) within ...

Good chapter!

Refresh my memory, please. The Soviet defector is the one from the airliner that diverted to Diego Garcia?

Nice to see the Belgians get a win.

Keep up the good work!

I am beginning to wonder if the concept of using T-8N as refulling aircraft was a mistake. It was an idea I came up with about 20 years ago now ( :o ). One of the issues of operating them on an Invincible class CVSA is that they can't be taken below decks, as they were too large for the deck lifts....

Interesting fact file. Very thorough.

Chapter 138 states X9 Sea Harriers in the air group.
Bringing X2 T.8Ns aboard seems to imply sending X2 FA.2s ashore.
I just don't know if the spot factors would allow X8 FA.2s and X2 T.8Ns in addition to the helicopters.

IRL I believe Canada only stocked equipment for an additional Armd Sqn, 2xMech Coys and an Arty Bty. If anything else was to be stocked I don’t believe it would have been done until the early 90’s. Canada didn’t have enough Leo 1’s for two full Armd Regts, if the 200 to 250 tanks they were looking ...

I did some digging into Sea Harrier FA.2 attrition numbers from @.
Through @ March 2005, thirteen FA.2 were lost.

Question. Did Canada stock a POMCUS equivalent for 1st and/or 5th Brigades in Europe, or did those brigades have to ship all their heavy equipment by sea from Canada to Europe? And if they did stock a POMCUS equivalent, how well was it stocked - i.e. about how many battalion sets?

Question that's been stewing in my mind the last few days. It may go somewhere. Once NATO declared a mobilization, they had eight days to get ready before the shooting started. How long would it take to wrangle merchant ships and start getting them where they needed to be? Specifically RO-ROs? I'm t...

BEHOLD! British Combat and Support Aircraft BAE Harrier T.8N. * Nine two-seat Harrier T.4s were upgraded to the same standard as the FA.2, albeit lacking the radar, though they had the requisite cockpit instrumentation, and could provide synthetic radar data. To act as a force-multiplier the T.8Ns w...

I'd expect more new-builds of the FRS.2/FA/2, simply because of a longer Cold War. Maybe a joint wing of FA.2 and GR.9s, even. But how many more is the question. * The RN has three Invincible class ships. * Each carries up to 22 aircraft. * In @, typical post-Falklands air group was three AEW Sea K...

So somebody want to know over at the other place, what the Queen Elizabeth's planned airwing is going to be while operating Sea Harriers and Harrier GR9s prior to the JSF coming into service ? I'll say here what I said there. I suppose that depends on how many Sea Harriers and GR9s survive the war....