Why is Stealth So Important?

On Mon, 12 Jan 2004 16:59:37 -0600, "Gene Storey"
wrote:

"Kevin Brooks" wrote
"Gene Storey" wrote

Please provide some evidence that US military officers intended to lose the war

The war was lost, and officers are in charge of war.

You might want to review the relationship between the military and the
government established by the US Constitution.

It was lost in 1946 when we allowed the French to decolonize.

???? We? Who is we? And, why would the French need approval from
anyone other than the French people? And, if they "decolonized" in
1946, what was going on at Dien Bien Phu in 1954?

http://www.lexisnexis.com/academic/2...ietnamMACV.asp

What's the relevance of the link? It certainly doesn't offer any
support for US military officers intending to lose.

Basically, if you fly a B-52 down the same route as the previous three B-52, and do
it at the same altitude, and with the same waypoints, you and whoever drew-up the
operation are derelict.

You might refer to Marshall Michel's excellent work, "Eleven Days of
Christmas" for some insight into the relationship between SAC and the
rest of the US military. Pay close attention to the command
relationships. SAC was not under the operational control of MACV or
7th Air Force.

Then, you might also want to check the size of the target area, the
availability of offset or direct aim points for a weapons delivery,
and the need to avoid collateral damage in a target area. (I might
even offer you a first-person account by a POW who was moved to a cell
that was immediately across the street from the Hanoi Power Plant.)
Some times there are only so many ways you can approach a target. Why
come down Thud Ridge every day? It points at Hanoi, it doesn't have
much population and it provides radar screening from SAM sites. But,
that means you go the same way every day....Yep.

The fact that anyone survived is pure luck, and those that
died were very brave, but very wasted (much as going over the top in the great war
in the face of machine guns). The way to lose a war is to suffer casualties so great,
with such waste, the people back home won't want to go, and either burn their draft
cards, or joined the Reserves.

But, if we count casualties, then the 58,000 names on the Wall are
minor compared to the estimates of 2 to 3 million that the NVN and VC
lost in the war.

Whether we won or lost, suffered immense casualties or none at all,
the sniveling weak sisters who burned their draft cards would still
have been driven only by the desire to preserve their own worthless
hides.

And, you might also want to check out the number of Reserve and Guard
units that served in combat in SEA and how many casualties they
incurred.


Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
Smithsonian Institution Press
ISBN #1-58834-103-8

"Ed Rasimus" wrote

Why come down Thud Ridge every day? It points at Hanoi, it doesn't have
much population and it provides radar screening from SAM sites. But,
that means you go the same way every day....Yep.

Plinking. Total waste of time. Didn't achieve anything, and akin to Germans
bombing London. Big deal.

On Mon, 12 Jan 2004 19:01:05 -0600, "Gene Storey"
wrote:

"Ed Rasimus" wrote

Why come down Thud Ridge every day? It points at Hanoi, it doesn't have
much population and it provides radar screening from SAM sites. But,
that means you go the same way every day....Yep.

Plinking. Total waste of time. Didn't achieve anything, and akin to Germans
bombing London. Big deal.


Well, it was my time to waste and pretty damned exciting.

If you check some tonnages delivered by the tactical forces during
Rolling Thunder (that's without the truly incredible numbers added by
the B-52s in Linebacker II), you'll find that we stack up quite
comparably to the major Allied bombing campaigns of WW II.
Exponentially greater than the "plinking" of the V-1, V-2 and light
bombers of the WW II Luftwaffe.

In just two days, the 29th and 30th of June, 1966, for example we
destroyed 85% of the POL storage and handling facilities in the
country. During most of the period we kept nearly 300,000 workers
occupied along the NE and NW railroads repairing the bridges and
rights of way. In LB II, during eleven days we confirmed kills on 43
SAM sites. There are other examples, but it seems that you have a
pretty firmly established position on the matter.


Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
Smithsonian Institution Press
ISBN #1-58834-103-8

"Ed Rasimus" wrote

Well, it was my time to waste and pretty damned exciting.

Well, maybe you'll write a sequal: "When Thunder Stopped Rolling"

The part where the Vietnamese had to clean up the mess you left,
and are still trying to recover economically, while you drive your
Arab Oil SUV tank to the Chinese Wal-Mart.

On Tue, 13 Jan 2004 16:56:41 -0600, "Gene Storey"
wrote:

"Ed Rasimus" wrote

Well, it was my time to waste and pretty damned exciting.

Well, maybe you'll write a sequal: "When Thunder Stopped Rolling"

The part where the Vietnamese had to clean up the mess you left,
and are still trying to recover economically, while you drive your
Arab Oil SUV tank to the Chinese Wal-Mart.


I've got no regrets. The Vietnamese "mess" seems much more closely
related to Marxist economics and revolutionary rhetoric than anything
we did. The sequel right now is titled "Palace Cobra: Fascination With
a War", but that might change. It deals with going to the same targets
in the F-4 five years after the first tour, primarily because of the
efforts of those you seem to idolize who burned their draft cards and
stayed home.

Today in Vietnam, the economy is booming, tourism is rampant,
immigration is open (I encountered several Vietnamese students on
campus last semester who coincidentally were born in 1975, the year
the Saigon government fell.)

As for "Arab Oil SUV tank," I drive an Infiniti coupe and my wife
drives a Toyota. We get good gas mileage. I became disenamoured of
"Yank Tanks" during the years I lived in Europe. I don't shop at
Wal-Mart, but I often suggest my classes look at clothing labels in
their local Wal-Mart as a clear indication that American free
enterprise is succeeding in undermining the Marxist utopia in China.

You seem to be heavily into sloganeering, innuendo, stereotyping and
simplistic interpretation of events which you don't demonstrate a
clear understanding of.


Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
Smithsonian Institution Press
ISBN #1-58834-103-8

Ed Rasimus wrote:
"Gene Storey" wrote:

Well, maybe you'll write a sequal: "When Thunder Stopped Rolling"

The part where the Vietnamese had to clean up the mess you left,
and are still trying to recover economically, while you drive your
Arab Oil SUV tank to the Chinese Wal-Mart.

I've got no regrets. The Vietnamese "mess" seems much more closely
related to Marxist economics and revolutionary rhetoric than anything
we did.

Well said. And we didn't "lose" the war, per se. IIRC, we left the
South Vietnamese with the third largest air force in the world
(larger than the RAF, the post-war Luftwaffe, the Armée de l'air,
etc.) but the South Vietnamese simply didn't want to fight for
their_own_country!

The sequel right now is titled "Palace Cobra: Fascination With
a War", but that might change.

Howzabout "Air War in Shangri-la?"

It deals with going to the same targets in the F-4 five years after
the first tour, primarily because of the efforts of those you seem to
idolize who burned their draft cards and stayed home.

That, and the efforts of our politicians, of course.

Today in Vietnam, the economy is booming, tourism is rampant,
immigration is open (I encountered several Vietnamese students on
campus last semester who coincidentally were born in 1975, the year
the Saigon government fell.)

Exactly right. (Coca Cola is the beverage of choice in Vietnam these
days, no?)

As for "Arab Oil SUV tank," I drive an Infiniti coupe and my wife
drives a Toyota. We get good gas mileage. I became disenamoured of
"Yank Tanks" during the years I lived in Europe. I don't shop at
Wal-Mart, but I often suggest my classes look at clothing labels in
their local Wal-Mart as a clear indication that American free
enterprise is succeeding in undermining the Marxist utopia in China.

Speaking of which, I hold a valid Class "A" CDL (e.g: 80,000 lbs.
GVWR) w/tanker and hazmat endorsements. If these SUV's and "Yank
Tanks" get any bigger than they already are, my next "car" is gonna be
a nice Peterbilt or Freightliner with a 500 hp Cat diesel and Rockwell
Super-10 tranny (e.g: die you all you SUV pukes!

You seem to be heavily into sloganeering, innuendo, stereotyping and
simplistic interpretation of events which you don't demonstrate a
clear understanding of.

Sometimes Gene comes up with some amusing (and damn plausible)
stuff, but I've also detected quite a lot of bitterness and anger in
his posts that is somewhat disconcerting.

In any event, getting back to the topic of the importance of stealth,
I'm sure glad that they can't see my bird on radar since my
"stealthiness" enables me to operate it like both an airplane AND
an ultralight (e.g: the best of both worlds).

Is this a great country, or what! )

"Mike Marron" wrote

...the South Vietnamese simply didn't want to fight for
their_own_country!

South Vietnam was designed in Washington DC. It was a fake
country. The Vietnamese fought for their country and terminated
the American hegemony.

Sometimes Gene comes up with some amusing (and damn plausible)
stuff, but I've also detected quite a lot of bitterness and anger in
his posts that is somewhat disconcerting.

With only 30% of Americans turning out to vote, I am convinced that
we will be bankrupt by 2010, and all we will have is 1500 Nukes, no
oil, and Argentina's default will have been a carnival in comparison.

Unlike my grandfather, I don't plan to starve in a hobo camp, and have
enough ammunition to see me through the first two adjustments.

Mike, don't kid yourself that you can't be seen on AI radar. I have
picked up geese at 7 miles on my F86D X-band (10ghz)radar off Okinawa
way back in 1956. Our GCI radar picked them up coming inbound and
asked me to check out the track. I was quite surprised when I closed
in on the target and discovered it was a flock of 7 geese heading for
Japan about 30 miles east of the southern tip of Okinawa. You are
about 75% water and Xband resonates with the water molecules - so you
will show up as a radar target.
Walt BJ

ut the South Vietnamese simply didn't want to fight for
their_own_country!

and for their democratically elected,non corrupt government!.

"Gene Storey" wrote in message
news:MI_Mb.98$ce2.93@okepread03...
"Ed Rasimus" wrote

Well, it was my time to waste and pretty damned exciting.

Well, maybe you'll write a sequal: "When Thunder Stopped Rolling"

The part where the Vietnamese had to clean up the mess you left,
and are still trying to recover economically, while you drive your
Arab Oil SUV tank to the Chinese Wal-Mart.



If you want to be up to date you'd better make it the one
about the Vietnamese struggle to encourage US investment
in their country after 25 years of communism have impoverished it.

As the official Vietnamese Government website reported

Quote
in January 2004, a delegation from numerous leading companies of the US in
many fields as General Electric, Lockheed Martins, and American Global
Resources. will come to Vietnam looking for investment opportunities.
Finding market with greater interest as the above is active signal of
starting investment into Vietnam from the US, the experts predicted. With
journey of the US enterprises to Vietnam in January 2004, several investment
projects with billions dollars expected to be signed.

/Quote



That whirring sound in the background is Uncle Ho

spinning in his grave.



Keith