MILITARY PIC OF THE DAY

The MOD has signed a £15m contract to replenish the Army’s stock of supersonic Hellfire missiles used by Apache helicopters.Each Apache can carry up to 16 Hellfires which are mounted in sets of four beneath the helicopters stub-wing pylons. Each missile has its own guidance computer, steering control and propulsion system which helps to ensure precision targeting.The air-to-ground missile can accelerate at up to 425 meters per second – which means it takes fewer than 20 seconds to reach a target at its maximum range of five miles.  (Credit) British Army 

THE BEST OF THE BRITISH MILITARY

MILBABE

THE FINAL INSPECTION

The soldier stood and faced God, 

Which must always come to pass.

He hoped his shoes were shining,

Just as brightly as his brass.

'Step forward now, you soldier,

How shall I deal with you ?

Have you always turned the other cheek ?

To My Church have you been true?'

The soldier squared his shoulders and said,

'No, Lord, I guess I ain't.

Because those of us who carry guns,

Can't always be a saint.

I've had to work most Sundays,

And at times my talk was tough.

And sometimes I've been violent,

Because the world is awfully rough.

But, I never took a penny,

That wasn't mine to keep...

Though I worked a lot of overtime,

When the bills got just too steep.

And I never passed a cry for help,

Though at times I shook with fear.

And sometimes, God, forgive me,

I've wept unmanly tears.

I know I don't deserve a place,

Among the people here.

They never wanted me around,

Except to calm their fears.

If you've a place for me here, Lord,

It needn't be so grand.

I never expected or had too much,

But if you don't, I'll understand.

There was a silence all around the throne,

Where the saints had often trod.

As the soldier waited quietly,

For the judgment of his God.

'Step forward now, you soldier,

You've borne your burdens well.

Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,

You've done your time in Hell.

UK MoD challenges statistics on suicides among Falklands’ veterans

The bombing of the Sir Galahad caused the biggest loss of British forces in the conflict

The claim that more Falklands veterans have killed themselves since the war ended than died in action is not borne out by statistics, a study says. Some 255 UK personnel died in action, but a veterans group has said the suicide toll since 1982 exceeds that.However, the Ministry of Defence has found 95 deaths were recorded as suicides or open verdicts. The MoD said every suicide was a tragedy and urged veterans of any conflict needing support to seek help.
In 2002, The South Atlantic Medal Association, which represents veterans, said it was “almost certain” the number of suicides exceeded the conflict death toll. It placed the blame predominantly on a lack of care for those suffering post traumatic stress disorder.
But the MoD has now investigated the circumstances of 21,432 Falklands veterans three decades after the end of the conflict, and found that as of 31 December 2012, some 1,335 had died.That compares with an estimated 2,079 deaths that would have been expected among men of a similar age and background who did not serve in the forces, according to the MoD.  Read more  HERE 



Well I think I would rather believe SAMA (82) than a `GOVERNMENT` department.

REMEMBERING HEROES OF WW1

MILBABES

Supporting our troops digital art work

HT/ Spud Jock Milne HT/ Spud Jock Milne Supporting Our Troops Digital Art Work

MILITARY PIC OF THE DAY

  Eurofighter Typhoon at a low level.

  (Credit) Military Photography

WW2 PHOTOS HIDDEN FOR 71 YEARS

Macchi 202v

 

MILBABE

MILITARY PIC OF THE DAY (Into the jaws of death)

An LCVP (Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel) from the U.S. Coast Guard-manned USS Samuel Chase disembarks troops of Company E, 16th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division (the Big Red One) wading onto the Fox Green section of Omaha Beach on the morning of June 6, 1944. American soldiers encountered the newly formed German 352nd Division when landing. During the initial landing two-thirds of the Company E became casualties.   (Credit) MILITARY PHOTOGRAPHY

 

SAS 'suicide mission' to wipe out Exocets (Operation Mikado)

THE Special Air Service planned to mount a raid on Argentina by submarine in order to destroy the Argentine navy's stock of Exocet missiles, according to a new book on the Falklands conflict. Argentina was known to have bought five Exocet missiles from France before the outbreak of hostilities in April 1982. Two were used in the attack on the destroyer Sheffield, which alerted the British to the Exocet threat, and Task Force commanders were desperate to destroy the remainder. The submarine raid came about after the decision to scrap Operation Mikado, a plan to land a detachment of SAS in two RAF Hercules at the Argentine airfield at Rio Grande on Tierra del Fuego, where the Exocet-equipped unit was based. The aim was to destroy the missiles, the five Super Etendard aircraft that carried them, and to kill the pilots. According to Task Force, which reveals for the first time the full details of Operation Mikado, British commanders then devised a fresh plan using the Royal Navy submarine Onyx to infiltrate the SAS into Argentina. By that point the British had suffered another critical loss to the Exocet in the shape of the container ship Atlantic Conveyor and her cargo of heavy-lift helicopters.A successful attack on Hermes or Invincible, the two carriers at the centre of the Task Force, could have spelt the end of the operation to recover the islands. Under the plan, two dozen SAS troops were to be taken by Onyx to the coast of Tierra del Fuego, before rowing ashore in Gemini rubber boats. Read More HERE

HANDS UP

WW2 WAR IN THE PACIFIC

 Japanese plane is shot down during the Battle of Saipan in 1944.