29 Comments
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Phil Osterli's avatar

Commandos Strike at Dawn! Or 1:30 AM local ("I always thought that they did it at dawn..."). Good stuff, thanks for sharing with everyone! P.S., tell SECDEF Pete 20% GOFO reduction is about 60% too small a number...the entire DOD leadership structure is filled with subversive statists still undermining this Administration and more importantly, the Constitution, daily! RLTW!

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J. Alex King's avatar

Again I ask the rhetorical question: "Where do we consistently find men like this?"

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billrla's avatar

J. Alex King: In skirts, naturally.

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billrla's avatar

Ahmed's Stack: Yes, that's the kind of virile man I had in mind. Proud to wear high heels.

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J. Alex King's avatar

This should be the ultimate reply

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Flight-ER-Doc's avatar

Can we any more?

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Bear's avatar

They are there but due to society they have to hide.

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Botasky's avatar

I remember building a Revell model of her c. 1973.

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billrla's avatar

Botasky: Ah, yes, the nostalgic smell of modeling glue and plastic parts. No wonder I get dizzy when I stand up.

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Les Taylor's avatar

check BP....stat!

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Botasky's avatar

Note that the model and paintings show her as a four-piper rather than the visually-modified (VISMOD) vessel of the Saint-Nazaire raid.

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Ming the Merciless's avatar

Airfix in my case.

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The Drill SGT's avatar

A ballsy attack whose success seems premised on good use of captured German codes

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Sicinnus's avatar

Jeeremy Clarkson covered it well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qZA4K7ZkLw

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Botasky's avatar

Jeremy Clarkson's father-in-law earned a Victoria Cross at Arnhem.

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Boat Guy's avatar

Beat me to it. Great work by Clarkson and company! A surprise to me given his somewhat frivolous nature

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Bill Befort's avatar

Practically the "best possible" historical treatment of the raid. Don't miss it. Here's another link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07Zd0Oy8JyQ

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Les Taylor's avatar

My father sailed to Nicaragua aboard USS King DD-242.

No radar and that crows-nest watch was chilly

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campbell's avatar

movie "Attack on the Iron Coast" is another take.

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M. Thompson's avatar

A splendid feat. They went out with knowing that success would require an extensive evasion, or capture. Sailing in under false colors, to then raise the White Ensign, is something in the greatest tradition of the Royal Navy.

Again, do not ask where they came from, be glad they lived.

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Jetcal1's avatar

Imagine going through everything and then keeping your mouth shut and trying to appear calm as you're brought to the wreck.......knowing there's timers.

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Bill Befort's avatar

Unpredictable timers, at that.

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Andy's avatar

There is value in having numerous small ships such that one can be used in such a way. It also lends to thinking hard about what we might really need to repeat such an act in the future. Many talk of disabling Chinese graving docks like it will be a piece of cake. I have my doubts.

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JohnC's avatar

Do we have the imagination to do this today?

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M. Thompson's avatar

If it gets done once, the bad guys now have the imagination to stop it again.

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Bear's avatar

Outstanding if costly Raid. He who dares wins!

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Captain Mongo's avatar

Those old 4 stackers were useful. Besides being sacrificed (another case was in operation Torch to capture the airfield) they became minesweepers, high speed transports and ASW conversions among other things. Obsolete but still useful.

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M. Thompson's avatar

And often lead by men who had were in for the duration. "The Caine Mutiny", among other things, is about the officers of those ships.

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