Archive for the ‘History’ Category
The V-42
Sunday, February 3rd, 2019US Army Histories – Special Forces In Vietnam
Friday, February 1st, 2019
Although written in 1973 by former 5th Group commander COL Francis J Kelly, this edition of this title in the US Army’s Vietnam Studies series was most recently published in 2004.
Download your copy at history.army.mil.
SCUBAPRO SUNDAY – WW2 Salvage Divers
Sunday, January 27th, 2019Not enough can be said for the men and women who fought in WW2. Right after the attack on Pearl Harbor, salvage divers started to rescue as many people as they could and raise as many ships as they could, so they could be put back into the fight.
19 ships were sunk or damaged on December 7, by the Japanese; the efforts of the greatest generation raised all but three (the Arizona, the Utah, and the Oklahoma).
Here are a couple of good articles about the salvage diver efforts.
warfarehistorynetwork.com/daily/wwii/the-pearl-harbor-salvage-effort-keeping-navy-fighting
SHOT Show 19 – Magpul Celebrates 20th Anniversary With Special Edition Magpul
Tuesday, January 22nd, 2019
Magpul is rolling out their history, displaying artifacts like the original injection mold for their first product, the Magpul. Designed as a durable solution to go on the bottom of rifle magazines, it facilitates its removal from a Pouch.
In honor of their 20th anniversary, they are handing out these gold versions, only available at SHOT Show.
Cody Firearms Museum Seeks Veterans to Be a Part of History at CFM Veteran VIP Experience
Saturday, January 19th, 2019Cody Firearms Museum to host US Veterans and record their histories as they make their way across America at the CFM Veteran VIP Experience in Cody, WY
CODY — January 17, 2019— Today, the Cody Firearms Museum (CFM) revealed a teaser for one of its new premier exhibits to be launched at its grand re-opening the weekend of July 5, 2019. Among the many exhibits to be unveiled this summer, the Military Area will incorporate first-hand accounts from U.S. veterans. The CFM seeks U.S. veterans to relay testimonials of their service and experiences at the CFM Veteran VIP Experience.
The CFM Veteran VIP Experience is an invitation to veterans and active military to be the very first to record personal accounts, offering museum-goers a glimpse into the complexity of their jobs and the magnitude of their bravery. “The CFM Veteran VIP Experience will capture a living history that we are proud to curate at our museum,” said Ashley Hlebinsky, Curator at the Cody Firearms Museum. “The testimonials from our veterans will provide insight for generations to come as well as create a community-centric model for our museum.”
The CFM Veteran VIP Experience will take place on July 5, the day before the CFM opens to the public. Participating veterans will have a first glance at the exhibit and are invited the following day to the public opening along with their families. “We want to offer our veterans a VIP experience while becoming the first to contribute to this recorded legacy,” continued Hlebinsky. “The interactive component is user-friendly and will be on display for our 200,000 annual visitors. We’re calling on vets and vet organizations to join us during our grand re-opening in July.”
The CFM is seeking veteran organizations to partner with them in promoting and/or sponsoring the special event. The CFM Veteran VIP Experience requires an RSVP to the event and is exclusive to veterans and active military personnel. Inquires may be directed to kie@solutionnaires.com.
Additionally, you can meet Ashley Hlebinsky – Curator at the CFM. Her level of knowledge is amazing. She will be at the CFM booth #2428 on Thursday, January 24th from 2pm – 3:30pm.
Meet JOE
Monday, January 14th, 2019Yesterday, I found out why the Parachute Regiment refers to its troops as “Joe.”
Meet JOE.
In 1942 the PARAs were formed from soldiers already in the Army. The volunteers on transfer had their documents stamped with the letters J.O.E, standing for ‘joined on enlistment’. New members of the Regiment today are still refered to in this way.
It helps to place everyone on the same footing, building a cohesive team and family. Joe is genderless, doesn’t have a sexuality, finacial history, race, religion or come from a certain background. Joe is equal.
The Digital Message Device Group
Monday, January 7th, 2019Not long after ET used a modified Speak & Spell to phone home, select units within the US Army were using the OA-8990/P Digital Message Device Group (aka KY-879/P) to communicate.
I used the DMDG from the late 80s up until the mid-90s while assigned to both 3rd ID LRS and in 3rd SFG(A) on a SOT-A.
Manufactured by Racal Communications, it was a burst transmission device. Messages were formatted and encrypted via one-time pad and then entered into the device via the keyboard. The dot matrix screen could be backlit but was used only with caution so as not to give away the user’s location at night. Although, the nylon cover could be configured to partially conceal the screen from three sides, the glow reflecting off of the user’s face was noticeable, especially if he was wearing glasses.
The DMDG sent a digital burst signal when used primarily in conjunction with HF radios. Initially these were the AN-PRC-74 and 70, but I only ever used the device with the AN/PRC-104A and 132. It could also used with SATCOM systems such as the AN/PSC-3, AN/LST-5 and AN/MST-20.
In the photo at the top, you can see the cables used to connect the DMDG to the radio as well as an external battery such as the Magnesium BA-4386 (also used in the AN/PRC-77) which only provided about four hours of power.
The combination of burst transmission and HF comms was intended to thwart threat radio direction finding efforts but the baud rate was so slow (266.6 baud), messages took a really long time to transmit. At that speed, you could only transmit 27 characters a second on HF. For SATCOM shots, you could speed it up to 1200 baud but satellite time wasn’t as prevalent during the 80s and 90s.
During an International (NATO) LRRP exercise in the late 80s, I learned that the Dutch 104th Reconnaissance Co used the MA-4450 Message Entry and Read-Out Device. The MEROD looked like the DMDG, but offered onboard encryption.
By the mid-90s we began to transition to the AN/PRC-137 Special Mission Radio System which was much smaller and lighter than earlier radios and used a palmtop Data Messaging Device to transmit messages via a radio which could be queried by a base station for message traffic. When used for Special Reconnaissance missions this allowed to communicator to leave the radio a safe distance from the element. This combined with much faster data transfer rates greatly lowered the risk of threat direction finding.
The DMDG is now a relic of the Cold War. Today, handheld cellular devices provide more capability than we could carry just two decades ago. Communicators use a variety of multi-band devices which offer onboard encryption as well as data transfer rates high enough to provide live video feeds using waveforms which boast low probability of detection and intercept.
What Do You Bet He’s A Lieutenant?
Saturday, January 5th, 2019
OSS Detachment 202 radio crew with hand-crank generator and hash pipe. China, 1944.
