Armchair General small spacer
Armchair General magazine masthead

September 2008 Mailbag

By Editorial Staff Letters |  Published: August 07, 2008 at 10:56 pm

As always, we received more letters than we had space to print in Armchair General magazine. Here are two more we’d like to share.

More Battlefield Photos from “Down Under”
Reader Ritchie Wallace of Cairn, Queensland, Australia sent us some “today” battlefield photographs from trips he’s taken over the past year (see “Where in the World is ACG?” in the July 2008 Mailbag). Here are three more he sent. Two, showing Wallace with amtracks, are from Peleliu; note the light-colored napalm canister in the foreground of the first picture. The third shot is from Saipan, where Chamorro boys hold a USMC flag while standing atop a submerged American M4 tank. The Marines suffered 3,000 KIA and another 10,000 WIA to capture this strategically located Pacific Island. Both islands were scenes of bloody assaults by U. S. Marines against determined Japanese defenders in 1944.

Subscribe Today

 
Through a Deadly Iraqi Minefield (Combat Decision Game #25, You Command, March 2008 Issue)

Dear Sir,

Enjoy reading Armchair General. I have a submission for the "Through a Deadly Iraqi Minefield" problem, (CDG #25), in your March 08 edition.

Before I submit my 200-word proposed solution, I wish to hopefully enhance your interesting and challenging problem with several clarifications/corrections.

a. The Marine Corps has combat engineer, tank and amphibious assault vehicle (AAV) battalions – and respective companies.

b. Assault Lanes through the minefields are breached, not cleared. Clearance (ideally removing all mines) is something done by follow-on forces – as required and as time permits. Clearance is a misnomer when discussing Hasty or Deliberate Breaching tactics, techniques and procedures.

c. Iraq subscribed to (then) Soviet Doctrine: minefields accompanied by wire & anti-tank ditches with soil escarpments (on the enemy side of the ditch) – an example of "complex obstacles."

d. Complex obstacles breaching requires Breaching, Assault & Support Forces comprised of combat engineers, tanks, AAVs and infantry and artillery.

e. Ditches are breached by:

– Combat Excavators: push dirt into the ditch & cut a lane thru the escarpment – (actually used during Operation Desert Storm (ODS)); or,
– Assault Bridges: (available for such breaches during ODS – but not used).

[continued on next page]


Page: 1 2


Armchair General Spacer

Tags: , , ,

3 Responses to “September 2008 Mailbag”


  1. 1

    [...] PLUS Ralph Peters’ article on jihadist defeats, from the Danube to Delhi to Plevna, the sequel to last issue’s jihadist victories article Test your own decision-making skills with our interactive features set in the Ukraine, Stalingrad and Iraq The best books and movies about the Eastern Front in World War II Mailbag [...]

  2. 2

    Maryland vehicle supplies directory…

    [...] Decentralized energysupplies are the way forward.   Post a comment Your comment   RSS Subscribe   Brian [...]…

  3. 3
    keah aldan says:

    i mean i know i’ve been away from there for 3 years and uhm i lived there for 10 years so it’s pretty hard



Leave a Reply

Related Articles

Armchair General Spacer Armchair General Spacer
ARMCHAIR GENERAL POLL 

Q: If the US and USSR went to war with each other after defeating Nazi Germany, how long would that war have lasted till a victory or negotiated settlement occurred?

View Results | See previous polls

STAY CONNECTED WITH US 
RSS Feed Daily Email Updates

What is Armchair General?

Armchair General is the INTERACTIVE history magazine where YOU COMMAND and decide the course of action!

Armchair General (ACG) and ACG online feature a unique, interactive editorial approach that invites the reader to decide the course of action in challenging historical scenarios, to step into the shoes of a battlefield commander. Leading historians and contributors lend integrity and credibility to this fresh presentation of historical and contemporary events.

Armchair General's Feedburner Link Get our RSS!
Weider History Group Newsletter Newsletter Signup

What We Write About
Our Other Magazines

Weider History Network:  Armchair General | HistoryNet | Achtung Panzer!
Historic Site Reviews | Today in History | Picture of the Day | Daily History Quiz | Military History Forums

Copyright © 2004-2011 Armchair General L.L.C., All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
Contact Us | Advertise With Us | Subscription Help