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Τρίτη 31 Μαΐου 2016

Didn’t know how they worked, until now: Dazzle ships, to confuse the U-Boat range finders

 


Nature always knows best.
That dazzle did indeed work along these lines is suggested by the testimony of a U-boat captain:
It was not until she was within half a mile that I could make out she was one ship [not several] steering a course at right angles, crossing from starboard to port. The dark painted stripes on her after part made her stern appear her bow, and a broad cut of green paint amidships looks like a patch of water. The weather was bright and visibility good; this was the best camouflage I have ever seen
U-boats were equipped with two periscopes, one for searching out enemy ships, the other with a more powerful lens but narrower field of vision for use in combat. Though the use of periscopes allowed the U-boat to remain safely underwater while carrying out an attack, looking straight out at misty sea level, which was rarely level at all made accurate vision very difficult. Hitting anything with a torpedo this way is as much a testament to luck as it is to skill.
Wilkinson advocated "masses of strongly contrasted colour" to confuse the enemy about a ship's heading.
Wilkinson advocated “masses of strongly contrasted colour” to confuse the enemy about a ship’s heading.
Even so there were those among the allies who thought they knew how to shift the odds even further. Naval ships were already being painted gray to blend in between the ocean and sky as much as possible. But a ship at sea cannot really be camouflaged as colors change along with the light throughout the day and when silhouetted against a blank horizon it is impossible to hide. But since ships were almost always moving targets U-boat commanders had to aim their torpedos at where they thought the ship would be when it reached it, not at the point where the ship was seen. This involved careful calculation of distance, heading, and speed based on the coincidence principal, and this is where Norman Wilkinson thought they could be deceived.

Δευτέρα 30 Μαΐου 2016

The Philadelphia Experiment: The US Navy’s secret invisibility research program?

 


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What kind of technologies do the governments and militaries of the world possess? What highly classified project have the public been blissfully unaware of? Anti-gravity? Death rays? Cloaking devices? Telekinetics? Telekinesis? Alien contact?
Well, we’ll leave all those questions to the conspiracy theorists and sci-fi aficionados among us. But there is one, very interesting story that, despite the facts and testimonies presented against it, has a hold on people’s imagination It is the story of when the U.S. destroyer escort USS Eldridge supposedly disappeared: The Philadelphia Experiment.
Depending on who you ask, all of this is a deluded hoax or the U.S. Navy either found a way to bend light around an entire ship or managed to teleport it to Norfolk Virginia and back. The alleged incidents took place in the mid to late 1943 in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard.

Κυριακή 29 Μαΐου 2016

Για την επέτειο της Αλώσεως






Γιώργος Χατζής
«Ο Κωνσταντίνος παρά την συγκινητική ομιλία προς τους πολεμιστές του, γνωρίζει ότι η πτώση της Πόλεως είναι αναπόφευκτη. Σηκώνεται χαράματα, ανεβαίνει στα τείχη για να επιθεωρήσει το στρατό του και να αποχαιρετήσει για τελευταία φορά την Βασιλεύουσα που χάνεται. Βλέπει απέναντί του τα στίφη των αιμοδιψών απίστων και αντιλαμβάνεται με ευκολία τα επερχόμενα. Προσεύχεται για τελευταία φορά, ενώ εικόνες άγριων συγκρούσεων, σφαγών, φρίκης και ανείπωτου πόνου περνάνε μπροστά από τα μάτια του. Αναλογίζεται τη μοίρα της Ρωμιοσύνης μετά από εκείνη την ημέρα.
Σκοτάδι, μαυρίλα παντού, σκλαβοπάζαρα, μετατροπή εκκλησιών σε τζαμιά, εξισλαμισμοί, ξεριζωμοί χωριών ολόκληρων, μαρτύρια και δημιουργία μιας απέραντης στρατιάς Νεομαρτύρων και Αγίων. Θα χαθεί η Ρωμιοσύνη άραγε μετά από την Άλωση; Η λογική λέει ναι. Ο ίδιος δεν θέλει να το δεχθεί όμως. Ο Θεός είναι μεγάλος. Δεν μπορεί, δεν γίνεται το αίμα των Νεομαρτύρων να πάει χαμένο. Αυτό το αίμα, αναμεμιγμένο με το δικό του θα ποτίσει ολόκληρη την Ρωμιοσύνη για να αναγεννηθεί μέσα από τις στάχτες της.

Remembering Hiroo Onoda: Japanese Soldier who Fought WWII for 29 Years After It Ended!







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Hiroo Onoda was a Japanese soldier a brave and an amazing survivor. However, he was surviving and fighting for a war that has long since ended. He was fighting for his country, in what he believed was still World War II, because he did not know he was fighting for it 29 years too long. 

Σάββατο 28 Μαΐου 2016

The beautiful Spitfire – in COLOUR!!!



 


Supermarine Spitfire Mark Vs banking over Tunisia during a sortie to provide top cover for Allied bombers.The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Alliedcountries during and after the Second World War.
The Spitfire was built in many variants, using several wing configurations, and was produced in greater numbers than any other British aircraft. It was also the only British fighter to be in continuous production throughout the war.

Παρασκευή 27 Μαΐου 2016

USAAF pilot defected, flew his P-38 to Milan & joined the SS

 
 



Martin James Monti (October 24, 1921 – September 11, 2000) was a United States Army Air Force pilot who defected to the Axis powers in October 1944 and worked as a propaganda broadcaster and writer. After the end of World War II, he was tried and sentenced to a long prison term for desertion, then pardoned, then tried for treason and sentenced to another long term.
Born in St. Louis, Monti was one of seven children of prosperous parents. His father was an investment broker who had immigrated to the United States from the Italian Graubünden, the Italian-speaking region of Switzerland. His mother was from Germany. Four of his brothers served in the Navy during World War II.
During the 1930s, Monti was an anti-Communist and an enthusiastic admirer of Charles Coughlin, a Roman Catholic priest who made weekly radio broadcasts. Coughlin was known for his anti-Communism, his antisemitism and his admiration of the Fascist governments of Germany and Italy. His broadcasts attracted audiences of millions before being stopped in 1939 on the outbreak of World War II.

Πέμπτη 26 Μαΐου 2016

With His Navigator Ejected Halfway Out His Plane, This Is What This Pilot Did To Save Him


 
 


A-6
Being launched off the flight deck of an aircraft carrier is a normal routine, but adrenaline junkie pilots love the radical feel of about 4 G’s. On July 9, 1991, an A-6 Intruder modified to be a refueling aircraft was shot of the Abraham Lincoln in the Persian Gulf. Lieutenant Mark Baden was the pilot and had his friend and navigator (BN), Lieutenant Keith Gallagher beside him. It was Gallagher’s birthday, and he advised Baden when they returned it would be his 100th trap recovery on an aircraft carrier.
A midair collision had occurred a few days earlier, and Baden was slightly nervous. On top of all the other odd circumstances, he was actually assigned the plane with his name emblazoned on the side. (Unlike in the movies, the pilots don’t always fly the plane with their name.) He made all the normal checks and touched all the buttons and switches. Satisfied he was ready for anything, the aircraft was blasted off the end of the carrier to accomplish the mission: to refuel other aircraft in the sky.
The refueling version of the A-6 was a KA-6D and was modified by removing radar and bomb equipment to install an internal refueling gear. Some attack capability including a visual bombing ability was retained, but the overall design was to provide fuel in the air. This plane served the US Navy extensively from 1963 to 1997.

Τετάρτη 25 Μαΐου 2016

1984: The Autobahn Airfield – A10s, Hercules’ and Fighters Land On A Highway

 
 


In 1984, the NATO held an exercise on the German Highway, known as the Autobahn, to test one of the contingency plans in case the regular airbases were taken out by a Soviet attack.
A purposely build 2600 meter stretch of highway of the A-29 was tested as A-10 Thunderbolts, C-130 Hercules transports and F-15 and F-16 fighters landed on the makeshift runway. After landing, the planes were refueled from dispatched trucks and then took off from the highway.
C-130 Hercules aircraft on taxidrive on the autobahn A29 near city of Ahlhorn during NATO-exercise "Highway 84".
C-130 Hercules aircraft on taxidrive on the autobahn A29 near city of Ahlhorn during NATO-exercise “Highway 84”.

Τρίτη 24 Μαΐου 2016

Otto Carius, Famous German Panzer ace of WWII, dies at 92





One of the most respected and successful German tank aces, Otto Carius, who destroyed more than 150 tanks, died on 24th January 2015, at the age of 92. In recognition of his gallantry and unmatched battlefield leadership, he was awarded the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, known in Germany as “Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub”.
Born in 1922, he was refused admission to the army on two occasions, the reason cited as ‘Not fit for service: at present underweight’. However, his chance came when in 1940 Carius was accepted into the 104th Infantry Replacement Battalion.

Δευτέρα 23 Μαΐου 2016

Η πορνεία στα χρόνια της κρίσης. «Ταρίφα» ακόμα και με 5 ευρώ. Το προφίλ των πελατών

05/05/2015

Ο αριθμός των εκδιδόμενων γυναικών και ανδρών αυξάνονται τα τελευταία χρόνια, οι τιμές των «μισθώσεων» πέφτουν όπως και η συχνότητα «προσφυγής» των Ελλήνων «πελατών» στην πορνεία. Ο τζίρος από την πορνεία, από τα τέλη του 2012 έως σήμερα, κινείται στα 600-620 εκατ. ευρώ.
Ο αριθμός των εκπορνευόμενων ανέρχεται περίπου στους 18.500 σε ολόκληρη την Ελλάδα. 13.000-14.000 αλλοδαπές εκδιδόμενες είναι θύματα trafficking.

Κυριακή 22 Μαΐου 2016

Killing Heydrich, the Butcher of Prague




REINHARD HEYDRICH
It all began on September 30, 1938 when the Munich Agreement was signed. With this agreement, England and France gave the Nazi dictator, Adolf Hitler exactly what he wanted— the Sudetenland, the north western area of Czechoslovakia. There was not a single Czech representative present at the discussion. This was an act of the English Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlin and an effort to appease the violent Germans. Of the agreement, Winston Churchill stated:  “We chose between shame and war; now we have shame and war.” This planted the seeds for one of the most famous assassinations during the European Theater of Operations of WWII.

Σάββατο 21 Μαΐου 2016

Μήνυμα με σημασία Μόσχας σε Άγκυρα: Μην ξεχνάτε το τέλος της Οθωμανικής αυτοκρατορίας


Su-24-ROSIKOΡωσικό αεροσκάφος κρούσης Su-24. EPA/RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTRY / HANDOUT HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES
Του Γιώργου Πετράκη
Αυστηρό μήνυμα προς την Άγκυρα με προειδοποιήσεις για το «τέλος» που είχε η Οθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, έστειλε η Μόσχα καθώς οι σχέσεις των δυο χωρών παραμένουν παγωμένες και η ρωσική πλευρά δεν κρύβει την ανησυχία της από τις νέες προσπάθειες της Τουρκίας για στρατιωτική εμπλοκή της στην Βόρειο Συρία. Η εκπρόσωπος του ρωσικού υπουργείου Εξωτερικών κατηγόρησε την τουρκική ηγεσία για προσπάθεια επαναφοράς της Οθωμανικής Αυτοκρατορίας και για συμπεριφορά που δεν επιτρέπει την αποκατάσταση των σχέσεων με την Μόσχα. Η Μαρία Ζαχάροβα σε συνέντευξη της στην «Ισβέστια» εξέφρασε την εκτίμηση ότι σβήνει κάθε ελπίδα αλλαγής της τωρινής καταστροφικής πολιτικής που ακολουθεί η τουρκική κυβέρνηση στην διεθνή αρένα προσθέτοντας ότι η Άγκυρα αυτό που κάνει είναι να πυροδοτεί την κατάσταση. Η εκπρόσωπος του ρωσικού ΥΠΕΞ δήλωσε ότι η εντύπωση που αποκομίζει κάποιος είναι ότι καταβάλλεται προσπάθεια αναβίωσης της «παλαιάς ισχύος της Οθωμανικής Αυτοκρατορίας».

Παρασκευή 20 Μαΐου 2016

Η Κίνα μελετά την κατασκευή επαναχρησιμοποιούμενου επανδρωμένου διαστημοπλοίου



  ​Η Κίνα μελετά την επανάκτηση και επαναχρησιμοποίηση επανδρωμένων διαστημοπλοίων για τις μελλοντικές διαστημικές αποστολές, κυρίως για μείωση του κόστους των διαστημικών αποστολών. Η Κίνα ήδη αναπτύσσει διαστημικό πρόγραμμα επανδρωμένων πτήσεων και μόνιμης παρουσίας ανθρώπων στο Διάστημα και τα οχήματα μεταφοράς προσωπικού και προμηθειών είναι αναπόσπαστο μέρος. Οι ΗΠΑ σταμάτησαν το 2011 τις πτήσεις του δικού τους επαναχρησιμοποιούμενου διαστημικού λεωφορείου λόγω προβλημάτων ασφαλείας και υψηλού κόστους.
​Ο κινεζικός Διαστημικός Σταθμός αναμένεται να ολοκληρωθεί το 2022.

Πέμπτη 19 Μαΐου 2016

Είμαστε όλοι… Βέλγοι;


 Νέα γενετική ανάλυση εντόπισε μια φυλή από την οποία κατάγονται οι Ευρωπαίοι
Πριν από λίγες εβδομάδες παρουσιάστηκε μια μελέτη σύμφωνα με την οποία οι μισοί σύγχρονοι Δυτικοευρωπαίοι κατάγονται από έναν «βασιλιά» της Εποχής του Χαλκού, ο οποίος ζούσε πριν από περίπου 4.000 χρόνια και υπήρξε ο γενάρχης μιας δυναστείας ευγενών, οι οποίοι σταδιακά εξαπλώθηκαν σε όλη σχεδόν την Ευρώπη, δίνοντας τέλος στις λιγότερο ιεραρχικές κοινωνίες που είχαν προηγηθεί. Μια νέα γενετική ανάλυση υποδεικνύει μια φυλή που ζούσε πριν από 35 χιλιάδες έτη στις περιοχές του σημερινού Βελγίου από την οποία σύμφωνα με τους ερευνητές κατάγονται όλοι οι Ευρωπαίοι.Τα ευρήματα Ερευνητές του Πανεπιστημίου του Χάρβαρντ ανέλυσαν το γονιδίωμα δεκάδων ανθρώπων που ζούσαν πριν από 45 χιλιάδες ως και πριν επτά χιλιάδες έτη στην Ευρώπη. Εχει διαπιστωθεί ότι ο σύγχρονος άνθρωπος έφτασε στην ευρωπαϊκή ήπειρο πριν από περίπου 45 χιλιάδες έτη. Όμως δεν έχει φωτιστεί το πώς οι πληθυσμοί των σύγχρονων ανθρώπων κινήθηκαν στην ήπειρο και σε ποιες περιοχές εγκαταστάθηκαν πριν την κομβική για την μετέπειτα παρουσία και εξέλιξη των ανθρώπινων κοινωνιών εμφάνιση της γεωργίας.

Τετάρτη 18 Μαΐου 2016

Πατήρ, Υιός και… ναζιστικός οχετός!




ΝΙΚΟΣ ΜΠΟΓΙΟΠΟΥΛΟΣ
Επισήμανση 1η: Το ξεκαθαρίζουμε: Ούτε είμαστε ούτε παριστάνουμε τους θεοσεβούμενους. Είμαστε, όμως, ορκισμένοι εχθροί των θεομπαιχτών.
Επισήμανση 2η: Ζητάμε συγγνώμη από τον αναγνώστη. Η φτήνια, η σαπίλα, η προστυχιά που ακολουθεί προκαλεί εμετό. Αλλά είναι μια ακόμα αναγκαία δοκιμασία που πρέπει να υποστούμε ώστε να γνωστοποιηθεί όσο πιο πλατιά γίνεται το μέγεθος της μαυρίλας, του φαρισαϊσμού και της βρωμιάς αυτής της συμμορίας.

Τρίτη 17 Μαΐου 2016

Ο Χριστόδουλος και οι χρυσαυγίτες θαυμαστές του…






Στην ανέγερση αγάλματος για τον αρχιεπίσκοπο Χριστόδουλο δηλώνει με κάθε ευκαιρία ότι θα προχωρήσει ο υπόδικος βο(υ)λευτής και δεύτερος τη τάξει στην ιεραρχία της δολοφονικής συμμορίας της χρυσής αυγής, Ηλίας Κασιδιάρης, σε περίπτωση που εκλεγεί δήμαρχος στην Αθήνα.
Τελευταία φορά που το δήλωσε αυτό, ήταν σε συνέντευξή του στο πόρταλ του «Αγιορείτικου Βήματος».
Καταρχήν να τονίσουμε πως καθόλου δεν μας προξενεί εντύπωση ότι ο νοσταλγός της πιο φριχτής ιδεοληψίας του εικοστού αιώνα που οδήγησε στη θανάτωση δεκάδων εκατομμυρίων ανθρώπων, το στέλεχος της συμμορίας με τον αγκυλωτό σταυρό στον ώμο που εκπαιδεύει τάγματα εφόδου, φιγουράρει ως όψιμος θεοσεβούμενος της χριστιανορθοδοξίας.

Δευτέρα 16 Μαΐου 2016

The MiG 23 That Flew For 900km Without Pilot Then Crashed in A Farm Killing a Boy





 
Cold war is littered with near ‘nuclear apocalypse’ misses, technological and aviation advancement and a fair number of peculiar incidents. One such bizarre event occurred when it was least expected; right near the end of the cold war. July. 4 1989, Independence day for the Americans, was not especially exciting day for the 32nd TFS (Tactical Fighter Squadron) also known as ‘Wolfhounds’ then based in Soesterberg, Netherlands.
When two very competitive pilots J.D Martin and Bill Murphy were scrambled, they were not expecting that their independence day flights would be to intercept and possibly engage a very strange Soviet MiG.

Κυριακή 15 Μαΐου 2016

The Last Russian Battlefield of WWII – Remains of Russian and Japanese Soldiers Found on Shumshu Island


 
 


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After Pearl Harbor, the United States came face to face with the reality of the war and an enemy that almost everyone in the Government or the military underestimated and paid a heavy price. On the other side, Russia, though not fully prepared to take on the military might and readiness of Adolf Hitler, once attacked fought back very hard and eventually pushed back the Nazis from the gates of Moscow and defeated them in and around Berlin.

Σάββατο 14 Μαΐου 2016

Lend lease Sherman pulled from a Russian bog


 
 


Sherman tank Korsun 6 (1)
In February 1944 a lend-leased M4A2 Sherman tank was ambushed by German anti-tank  gun when it was on the ice of the swampy Gniloy Tikich river in Cherkasy Oblast of Ukraine. The tank was hit twice — in the tracks and in the turret. The turret was knocked off the hull, three crew members were killed instantly. The driver survived but the next day he was found and shot by SS troops.
This tank was found in 1998 and in November 2004 after a lot of effort it was dragged out from the swamp of the old riverbed on the bank by the team of enthusiasts supported by Ukrainian Army. In the gun barrel the found a  75 mm shell and they decided to unscrew the fuse and then hit the shell out with a sledge hammer!

Παρασκευή 13 Μαΐου 2016

How SS Commando Skorzeny Became an Assassin for Israel





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German scientist Heinz Krug vanished on September 11, 1962. Krug was at his office, and then he was gone without ever returning home.
The only other detail known to the Munich police was that Krug often went to Cairo. Like dozens of other Nazi rocket scientists, he had been hired by Egypt to help them develop advanced weapons.
The Israeli newspaper HaBoker (now defunct) claimed that the Egyptians had kidnapped Heinz to keep him from doing business with Israel. The “leak” was an attempt by the Israeli government to keep investigators from looking too closely at the case. Although the 49-year-old scientist wasn’t going to be found either way.

The Trial of Sextus Roscius

      
                                          





Rome, 80 B.C.
Prosecutor:
Eruchius
Defender:
Cicero
Representing:
the State
Representing:
Sextus Roscius the Younger
Charge: (1) Murder of Sextus Roscius the Elder
The Roman Republic fought and won the Punic Wars against its bitter rival, Carthage, queen city of the Mediterranean, in 146 B.C. But the Republic’s greatest moment sowed the seeds of its decline into social chaos. In its moment of glory, the Romans made a fatal mistake. They brought large numbers of war captives into Italy, and these were made to work on large commercial farms wealthy investors were setting up called latifundia. After a few decades, the markets were flooded with food, which lowered the price. This sounds good, but had the unintended consequence of putting a large number of Italian family farmers out of work because they couldn’t compete with the prices of the food grown on the commercial farms. If this sounds familiar, a similar thing is happening now to American family farmers. Cheap labor, based on an ideology of "free trade," affected them in the same way. What might a large number of destitute Italian farmers do after losing their livelihood and becoming homeless?
_______________________________________________________________________________
Social tensions between noble Patricians and common Plebeians intensified, and by 88 B.C., the wealthier Patricians had their own political party, the Optimates (best people party), and a military hero named Sulla who was its head. Sulla was Consul, the highest position in Rome. They also had the majority of the Senate. The poorer Plebeians also had a political party, the Populares (majority people party), with a leader in Gaius Marius. There were street battles like in 1920s Germany, when communists of the Red Front fought National Socialist SA storm troopers. It would be as if Republicans and Democrats in America each had a general as a leader, who directed social war against the other party! The Romans took politics pretty seriously. Then again, they also watched gladiator matches for fun. Do you think Americans will ever fight in the streets based on what political party they support?
_______________________________________________________________________________

Guess they fought a littl

Πέμπτη 12 Μαΐου 2016

2,300-year old temple of the 30th Egyptian Dynasty uncovered at Heliopolis, Cairo


2,300-Year_Ancient_Egyptian_Temple_Cairo_1Wall releif of Hapi - goddess of Nile.
Kheperkare Nakhtnebef, also known by his hellenized name Nectanebo (380-363 BC), was the founder of the last native Ancient Egyptian dynasty (30th Dynasty) before the realm was overrun by Alexander the Great (and then controlled by the Ptolemies). And now a joint Egyptian-German Archaeological Mission has been able to excavate parts of Nectanebo’s sanctuary, inside the confines of Heliopolis, presently in the suburb of Ayn Shams, on the north-eastern side of Cairo.

Τετάρτη 11 Μαΐου 2016

Brilliant animations showcase the historical timeline of the Acropolis and Parthenon



Animations_Timeline_Acropolis_Parthenon_Athens_1Painting by Leo von Klenze, 1846.
Acropolis (or Ἀκρόπολις in Ancient Greek) is one of the still extant ancient citadels that has survived from the ‘archaic’ times. Symbolizing the power of Athens with its literal height, the history of this tall rocky outcrop (of 490 ft) incredibly goes back to around 3500 BC, thus making it older than even the Great Pyramid. And while it started out as a strategic fortification of the surrounding settlement, the site of Acropolis was given both a political and religious makeover by the classical period (circa 5th century BC), with its impressive array of temples and monuments – including structures like the Parthenon, the Propylaia, the Erechtheion; all exemplifying features of ancient Greek architecture. Suffice it to say, with an extensive timeline of over 5,000 years, the ancient citadel of Acropolis makes for a pretty fascinating historical tour. And that is exactly what these animations achieve – with their brilliant depiction of the key events that affected the site and its range of Grecian monuments over the centuries and millenniums.

Τρίτη 10 Μαΐου 2016

Η Ανάσταση στην Αρχαία Ελλάδα. Ο Διόνυσος αναστήθηκε



1neb3aΜιχάλης Α. Τιβέριος είναι καθηγητής Κλασικής Αρχαιολογίας στο Αριστοτέλειο Πανεπιστήμιο Θεσσαλονίκης.
Ο Απρίλης είναι ο μήνας στη διάρκεια του οποίου έχουμε την πιο μεγάλη γιορτή των ορθοδόξων Χριστιανών, που είναι τα Πάθη και η Ανάσταση του Κυρίου. Ιδιαίτερα για τους Ελληνες η γιορτή αυτή αποκτά πρόσθετη σημασία, αφού αρκετές φορές η Ανάσταση του Θεανθρώπου συσχετίστηκε με την ανάσταση της ίδιας της φυλής, ενώ συγχρόνως τους θύμιζε και πανάρχαια θρησκευτικά και λατρευτικά δρώμενα που η αρχή τους χάνεται στο βάθος των αιώνων, σε χρόνους πολύ πριν από τον ερχομό του Σωτήρα.

Δευτέρα 9 Μαΐου 2016

Είναι ο Χριστός ο Θεός-Λόγος ή απλώς ένας κοινωνικός επαναστάτης;


jesusΚώστας Ν.Μπαραμπούτης

Ο λόγος του Ιωάννη, όπως μάλιστα εκφράζεται από τις πρώτες σειρές του Ευαγγελίου του, είναι απολύτως διαφωτιστικός για την κατανόηση του Θεού-Λόγου. Μεταφέρει λοιπόν ο Χριστός στους ανθρώπους με τη ζωή Του και τον λόγο Του ένα τρόπο υπάρξεως διαμετρικά αντίθετο από εκείνον που η ατελής φύση τους έχει καθιερώσει.  
Πρόκειται για τον τρόπο της αγάπης που υποδεικνύει τη συναλληλία μεταξύ των ανθρώπων, την οικοδόμηση μεταξύ τους σχέσεων εμπιστοσύνης και ανοχής, με τελική τους επιδίωξη να ζουν σε κοινωνίες διατεταγμένες εσωτερικά με όρους συνοχής, ελευθερίας και ευρηματικότητας, απαραίτητους για επιτυχείς απαντήσεις στις προκλήσεις της ζωής. Επίσης και οι σχέσεις που διαμορφώνουν οι κοινωνίες αναμεταξύ τους να διέπονται από τις ίδιες αρχές, αποκλειομένης της βίας με σκοπό ιδιοτελείς υλικές επιδιώξεις, που συνήθως περιβάλλονται τη λεοντή ψευδών και προβληματικών ιδεολογιών.

Κυριακή 8 Μαΐου 2016

This Week in Military History: Famous Military Deaths for the Week of May 1-7

 

 
Famous Military Deaths for the Week of May 1-7
Portrait of Leonardo da Vinci, date and artist unknown
Image courtesy of http://www.leonardodavinci.net/
(Unless otherwise indicated, all illustrations are courtesy of Wikipedia)

May 2, 1519 – Leonardo da Vinci, artist, engineer, inventor, "Renaissance Man"; age 67
Iron rusts from disuse; water loses its purity from stagnation... even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind. – Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo; most historians, scientists, and art historians will know of whom you speak when you say that one name. Leonardo da Vinci was the illegitimate son of a Florentine official and a peasant woman. He studied art, sculpture, painting, anatomy, mechanics, botany, and just about anything that struck his fancy.
After apprenticeship with Italian artist Verrocchio, Leonardo journeyed to Milan in 1482, on a mission for Florentine ruler Lorenzo de' Medici. He met the Milanese ruler Ludovico Sforza. After completing his assigned mission, he asked Sforza for a job.
In his letter to the future Duke of Milan (Sforza), Leonardo barely mentioned his considerable talents as an artist and instead touted his more marketable skills as a military engineer. Using his inventive mind, da Vinci sketched war machines such as a war chariot with scythe blades mounted on the sides, an armored tank propelled by two men cranking a shaft, and even an enormous crossbow that required a small army of men to operate. He would work for Sforza for the next 17 years.
Modern reconstruction of armored battle vehicle designed by da Vinci; On the grounds of the Chateau d'Amboise, France
Modern reconstruction of armored battle vehicle designed by da Vinci
On the grounds of the Chateau d'Amboise, France
Like many leaders of Renaissance humanism, da Vinci did not see a divide between science and art. He viewed the two as intertwined disciplines rather than separate ones. He believed studying science made him a better artist.
Da Vinci kept copious notebooks on many subjects, writing many in a secret code. Some of his most famous artworks included the "Mona Lisa," "The Last Supper," and the "Vitruvian Man." He died in the town of Amboise, France, supposedly in the arms of French monarch Francis I.
Josif Broz Tito (1893-1980), date of photo unknown; Photo courtesy of the Digital Library of Slovenia
Josif Broz Tito (1893-1980), date of photo unknown
Photo courtesy of the Digital Library of Slovenia
May 4, 1980 – Josif Broz Tito, soldier, statesman, Yugoslav dictator; age 87
Josif Broz was born in 1893, a subject of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He apprenticed to a locksmith, and later worked in various factories in Austria and Germany. During this time he was exposed to socialist writings.
Tito was drafted into the Austro-Hungarian army in 1913, to serve a compulsory two-year military commitment. He served first on the Serbian front, then his unit was sent to the Russian front, where he was captured and sent to a Russian POW camp in Siberia. He became involved in the Russian Revolutions, and was influenced by the tenets of Communism. He even fought with the Russian Red Guard during the chaos of the Revolutions.
Tito returned to his native Croatia in late 1920, with a young and pregnant Russian wife. He continued to work toward the supremacy of Communism/socialism in the newly created Kingdom of the Slavs, Croats, and Serbs (later to be renamed Yugoslavia). During this time he adopted the pseudonym of "Tito" which he used during his underground Communist work.
When Germany invaded Yugoslavia in 1941 – as a prelude to its invasion of Russia – Tito called on Yugoslavs to resist the Nazi occupation. He organized two brigades of Partisans to drive the Germans out of his native land. Tito was recognized as the leader of the resistance in Yugoslavia by F.D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin at the Tehran Conference in late 1944. He began receiving military aid from the Allies, and Russian troops were helpful in removing Nazis from Yugoslavia.
In November of 1945, a popular election recognized Tito's party as the rulers of Yugoslavia. He was appointed the prime minister and minister of foreign affairs. For the next 35 years, Tito was the leader of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
However, in the post-war period, Tito and Stalin were constantly at loggerheads over Yugoslavia's independent path of its socialist political and industrial programs. It got so bad that at one point Stalin sent some assassins to take out the Yugoslav leader. This prompted a rather frank letter from Tito to Stalin, which included this: "Stop sending people to kill me. We've already captured five of them, one of them with a bomb and another with a rifle...If you don't stop sending killers, I'll send one to Moscow, and I won't have to send a second."
Tito's stand against Soviet domination helped spur the development of the Non-Aligned Movement, which included such countries as India, Ghana, Egypt, and Indonesia. Tito also suppressed nationalistic feelings among the disparate ethnic groups which comprised Yugoslavia. He died in 1980, and within a decade Yugoslavia, without the iron hand of its President for Life, began dissolving.
Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., photo courtesy of U.S. Navy
Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., photo courtesy of U.S. Navy
May 7, 2000 – Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., actor, soldier; age 90
He was the son of one of early Hollywood's icons of the Silver Screen, born in New York City in December of 1909. Very early in his life he developed a taste for the arts as well and became a painter and sculptor. Not content to limiting himself to just one field, he became involved in business, in fields as varied as mining, hotel management, owning a chain of bowling alleys and a firm that manufactured popcorn.
He was given his first contract by Paramount Pictures at age 14, mainly on the basis of his father's swashbuckling work in movies (especially the original silent-era films, The Mark of Zorro [1920], Robin Hood [1922], and The Thief of Bagdad [1924]).
Fairbanks appeared in a number of small roles in films of the 1920s and 1930s, perfecting his acting ability and receiving encouragement from his father, Mary Pickford, and Charlie Chaplin. He appeared opposite such stars as Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, and Katherine Hepburn.
[Two of my favorite action films of the 1930s boasted Fairbanks in the cast: 1937's "Prisoner of Zenda," in which he plays the charming but thoroughly evil Rupert of Hentzau; and 1939's "Gunga Din," portraying Sergeant Tommy Ballantine. If readers are interested in information on "Gunga Din," read my BurnPit post from January of 2013: http://www.burnpit.us/gunga-din.]
Although celebrated as an actor, Fairbanks was commissioned a reserve officer in the U.S. Navy at the onset of the Second World War and assigned to Lord Louis Mountbatten's Commando staff in the United Kingdom. Having witnessed (and participated in) British training and cross-Channel harassment operations emphasizing the military art of deception, Lt. Fairbanks attained a depth of understanding and appreciation of military deception then unheard of in the United States Navy. As a result, Lt. Fairbanks help develop the "Beach Jumper" program.
The Beach Jumpers' mission would simulate amphibious landings with a very limited force. Operating dozens of miles from the actual landing beaches and utilizing their deception equipment, the Beach Jumpers would lure the enemy into believing that theirs was the principal landing. United States Navy Beach Jumpers saw their initial action in Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily in 1943. Later, they participated in Operation Dragoon, the invasion of southern France in August of 1944. For his work in the Beach Jumper program, Fairbanks received a number of awards.
When he returned from the war, he resumed his acting career. His most famous post-war film was 1947's Sinbad the Sailor. He made a number of TV and stage appearance in the 1950's and generally retired to a life of leisure. He made his final film Ghost Story in 1981.
He died of a heart attack in 2000, and was buried in the same tomb as his father (who also died of a heart attack in 1939). Fairbanks Jr. has three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: for motion pictures, TV, and radio.
 Siggurdsson's blog

Today in Military History: April 27, 1937:Death of Sergeant Major Daniel Daly, USMC, Recipient of 2 Medals of Honor

 
Death of Sergeant Major Daniel Daly, USMC, Recipient of 2 Medals of Honor
Sergeant Major Daniel Daly, USMC,
Displaying his two Medals of Honor and Navy Cross
Image courtesy of Dan Daly Collection at the Marine Corps Archives and Special Collections.
(Unless otherwise indicated, all illustrations are courtesy of Wikipedia)

Members of the military who receive the Medal of Honor are rare; but men who receive two MOHs are scarcer still (a total of 19, to be precise). Well, it's my honor to feature one of those men, Sergeant Major Daniel Daly, who died on this date in 1937.

Today in Military History: April 21, 1526:First Battle of Panipat: Babur's Moghuls defeat Delhi Sultanate

 
First Battle of Panipat: Babur's Moghuls defeat Delhi Sultanate
Delhi elephants recoiling from Moghul artillery fire
"Babur introduced field guns at Panipat"
Illustration from book, "Hutchinson's Story of the Nations"
(Unless otherwise indicated, all illustrations are courtesy of Wikipedia)

For today's lesson in military history, we travel to northern India and meet the military man who would defeat a numerically greater army, and establish a dynasty and political entity that survived until the early eighteenth century. This battle would destroy the ruling dynasty of Delhi and lay the foundation for the Moghul Empire.

Today in Military History: April 16, 1130:Battle of Inchbare: Royal Scots-Norman Army Defeats Rebel Clansmen

 

 
Battle of Inchbare: Royal Scots-Norman Army Defeats Rebel Clansmen
Battlefield of Inchbare, as it appears today
Photograph courtesy of http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1966405
(Unless otherwise indicated, all illustrations are courtesy of Wikipedia)

Longtime readers of my mini-history lessons will note that I have highlighted battles involving the Scots a number of times in the past. Today's narrative involves a fight between two groups of Scots – a rebellious group of northern Scots, and supporters of the Royal house, which had a little help from their Anglo-Norman neighbors.

The Mixed Legacy of Nuremberg

This year commemorates the 80th anniversary of the notorious Nuremberg Laws, the Nazi racist enactments that formed the legal basis for the Holocaust. Ironically, it also marks the 70th anniversary of the Nuremberg Trials, which provided the legal basis for prosecuting the Nazi war criminals who murdered millions of Jews and others following the enactment of the Nuremberg Laws.
There is little dispute about the evil of the Nuremberg Laws. As Justice Robert H. Jackson, who was America's chief prosecutor at the Nuremberg Trials, put it: "The most odious of all oppressions are those which mask as justice."
There is some dispute, however, about the Nuremberg trials themselves. Did they represent objective justice or, as Hermann Göring characterized it, merely "victor's justice?" Were the rules under which the Nazi leaders were tried and convicted ex post facto laws, enacted after the crimes were committed in an effort to secure legal justice for the most immoral of crimes? Did the prosecution and conviction of a relatively small number of Nazi leaders exculpate too many hands-on perpetrators? Do the principles that emerged from the Nuremberg Trials have continued relevance in today's world?

Μπόμπι Σαντς: Το «γελαστό παιδί» του IRA που έγινε μύθος… Eφυγε στις 5 Μαϊου του 1981…




Μπόμπι Σαντς: Το «γελαστό παιδί» του IRA που έγινε μύθος…
Στις 5 Μαϊου 1981 πέθανε ο ηρωϊκός απεργός πείνας Μπόμπι Σαντς
Μολονότι ήταν φυλακισμένος, εξελέγη βουλευτής με 30.942 ψήφους! Καταρρακώθηκε έτσι, πλήρως, ο ισχυρισμός της κυβέρνησης Θάτσερ ότι οι απεργοί πείνας ήταν «περιθωριακοί» που «κανένα δεν εκπροσωπούσαν».
του Διονύση Ελευθεράτου
Χαράματα Τρίτης, 5 Μαΐου 1981, ένα δραματικό ηχητικό κράμα ξυπνά τους κατοίκους των καθολικών συνοικιών του Μπέλφαστ. Θρήνοι γυναικών, φωνές οργής αντρών, ρυθμικά κτυπήματα μεταλλικών σκουπιδοτενεκέδων. Η είδηση διαδίδεται τάχιστα: Πέθανε – ώρα 1.17- ο ηλικίας 27 ετών κοσμαγάπητος βουλευτής του IRA Ρόμπερτ (Μπόμπι) Σαντς, μετά από 66 ημέρες απεργίας πείνας στις φυλακές Μέιζ, κοντά στο Μπέλφαστ.

Θωρηκτό Αβέρωφ Πάσχα 1941 – Μια αληθινή ιστορία ανδρείας από τη Σαλαμίνα στην Αλεξάνδρεια




Την περίοδο 1941-1944 η Ελλάδα τέθηκε υπό ξένη κατοχή. Είναι αναρίθμητες οι περιπτώσεις ανθρώπων οι οποίοι αντιμετώπισαν τα χρόνια αυτά όχι μοιρολατρικά αλλά με το ρίσκο που πάντοτε εμπεριέχει το πνεύμα της αντίστασης απέναντι σε κάθε κατακτητή. Πολλές είναι οι περιπτώσεις κληρικών και Αρχιερέων οι οποίοι με αυταπάρνηση στάθηκαν δίπλα στον λαό, αγνοώντας τον κίνδυνο ακόμα και για την ίδια τη ζωή τους. Μια τέτοια περίπτωση είναι και ο μετέπειτα Ιεράρχης και τότε Αρχιμανδρίτης Διονύσιος, που έγραψε με τη γενναία στάση του μια από τις πιο λαμπρές σελίδες στην ιστορία του Ελληνικού Ναυτικού. Ας δούμε τι έχει καταγραφεί από την ημέρα αυτή, που συνέπεσε με τη Μεγάλη Πέμπτη του 1941.

Monte Cassino – A Monument To German Bravery



German Paratroopers turn every ruin in Cassino into a fortress. Defending it with MG-42 machine guns, mortars and even tanks.




German Paratroopers turn every ruin in Cassino into a fortress. Defending it with MG-42 machine guns, mortars and even tanks.
On the 15th February, 1944, 1400 tons of high explosives were dropped by the Allied forces advancing upon Rome, on the Benedictine monastery of Monte Cassino.  The aerial bombardment marked the beginning of one of the most amazing episodes of World War II – the defense of Monte Cassino by a numerically and technologically inferior force against massive enemy firepower and manpower.

Σάββατο 7 Μαΐου 2016

1 Μάη 1944: Η σφαγή της Καισαριανής – 325 Έλληνες πατριώτες δολοφονούνται από γερμανούς και συνεργατες




With War in Afghanistan over (?), U.S. Army prepares to send Infantry Battalion to Helmand Province



With War in Afghanistan over, Army prepares to send Infantry Battalion to Helmand Province.
If the title of this post doesn’t make any sense to you whatsoever, you are in good company, because no one I’ve talked to understands it either.
Fox News:
Other publications are also talking about it.  Like the New York Times:

8 Leaders Whose Commands Got Their Own Men Slaughtered


 
 


Death is, sadly, an essential part of war. Unnecessary death is not, yet it remains a constant. Even the most capable commanders sometimes give orders that get their men needlessly killed, and when the incompetent take charge the slaughter can be boundless.

1. Frederick the Great

Prussian ruler Frederick the Great is rightly remembered as a daring, ambitious commander and a smart innovator. But he was also a leader who showed little regard for the lives of his men. Over the course of the Seven Years War, Prussia suffered 180,000 deaths in its armed forces, a staggering amount for any army in the 18th century, and especially for the smallest population participating in the war.