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"Rain of Fire on Gaza" (military FReeper helped needed to catch Reuters in the act AGAIN)
Reuters photos on Fowxnews.com ^ | 1/5/09 | Reuters Fox News

Posted on 01/05/2009 4:20:30 AM PST by Blueflag

Israel Rains Fire on Gaza, Vows No Let-Up in Assault

(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events; Political Humor/Cartoons
KEYWORDS: identified; improperly; ordinance
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To: Blueflag
Actually I've never seen them in use, so I wouldn't know what they look like, but the precise altitude effect is clear from the pictures. All the shells are coming apart at the same height. Willy pete normally is used with an impact fuse.

there is also the issue of size of fragments to consider, these shells appear to have the same number of fragments as opposed to a spraying of thousands of tiny pieces like you would find from WP, typically a white cloud of particles. in all directions

21 posted on 01/05/2009 4:53:51 AM PST by usmcobra
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To: Blueflag

Aboard ship, we used star shells and flares to throw off IR seekers. Hamas probably has ground weapons that utilize infrared.


22 posted on 01/05/2009 4:59:35 AM PST by Thrownatbirth (.....Iraq Invasion fan since '91.)
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To: Blueflag

I think illumination shells...and maybe the other is a star cluster. I don’t think they are smoke rounds - you don’t use them at night. Certainly no WP. The Gaza hospitals would be full of civilian burn victims. I don’t KNOW what WP looks like, since we don’t use it anymore. In fact, I have never heard of a modern round specifically for fire bombing...but I’m thinking it would be a heavy shell set for groundburst....not delicately hang in the air and flicker.


23 posted on 01/05/2009 5:06:17 AM PST by lacrew (Yup, they're girded!)
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To: Thrownatbirth

I did a little googling and found references to 155 mm (and smaller) arty and mortar shells that disperse smoke canisters and also shells that disperse WP soaked felt pieces. The WP auto-ignites in the atmosphere.

The ordinance in these photos clearly contains a LOT of ‘smoke emitters’ per item.

Not sure what it is. But thanks for the help.


24 posted on 01/05/2009 5:06:36 AM PST by Blueflag (Res ipsa loquitur)
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To: Blueflag

Willy Pete (x2) and smoke.


25 posted on 01/05/2009 5:08:08 AM PST by rjsimmon (1-20-13)
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To: lacrew

I am with you. The ‘hang in the air and flicker’ has got me fooled.

And the use of WP in civilian areas would be a Reuters-ready moment.

Still baffled and ready to be educated.


26 posted on 01/05/2009 5:08:38 AM PST by Blueflag (Res ipsa loquitur)
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To: rjsimmon

Thanks Major. I’ll go with your answer since you are active USMC.

Thanks for serving, BTW.

My middle son goes for his officer interview and PFT on 6 January, with a Capt. Reddick at the Recruiting Station HQ in ATL.

Semper Fi!


27 posted on 01/05/2009 5:12:00 AM PST by Blueflag (Res ipsa loquitur)
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To: Blueflag

Could be anti-personal rounds designed to burst overhead and throw fragments down.


28 posted on 01/05/2009 5:12:16 AM PST by driftdiver (I could eat it raw, but why do that when I have a fire.)
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To: rjsimmon

I had to think about your 1-20-13 for a bit.

0bama’s last day in office

;-)


29 posted on 01/05/2009 5:13:34 AM PST by Blueflag (Res ipsa loquitur)
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To: Blueflag

Recommended Reading:

ISRAEL, THAT DEADLY PIECE OF DIRT (2001)

Author: Peter S. Ruckman, Ph.D.

Source: Pensacola Bible Institute Press, Pensacola, Florida
(You can Google that)


30 posted on 01/05/2009 5:14:09 AM PST by John Leland 1789
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To: driftdiver

Could be. But those are generally for an assembled force. And as I understand them, they produce black smoke.

And area-target antipersonnel munitions over a demonstrably civilian area would be very politically risky.

I am going with the Major’s view that these are white phosphorous-based smoke munitions. FAS.org and globalsecurity.org report that these munitions produce good smoke in 1/2 minute that can last for about 5 minutes. The canon cockers’ job is to fire enough rounds to shield actions for the ground commander’s desired time frame and map reference.


31 posted on 01/05/2009 5:17:08 AM PST by Blueflag (Res ipsa loquitur)
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To: Blueflag
That is one of many rounds sent in just before nightfall on the day of the start of the ground war. The rounds are intended to explode low and send out a cluster array to set up a very thick ground hugging smoke screen. It did exactly what it was designed to do.
32 posted on 01/05/2009 5:18:47 AM PST by Red_Devil 232 (VietVet - USMC All Ready On The Right? All Ready On The Left? All Ready On The Firing Line!)
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To: Blueflag

I am not sure what that round is but they were using air burst cluster rounds to clear landmines.


33 posted on 01/05/2009 5:36:17 AM PST by Red_Devil 232 (VietVet - USMC All Ready On The Right? All Ready On The Left? All Ready On The Firing Line!)
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To: Red_Devil 232

Thanks.

My dad’s brother was a Marine pilot in the Pacific in WWII. He flew B-17s for the Marines. My dad flew TBMs and then F4Us for the Navy. (my middle son intends to be a Marine Corps officer)

FWIW, I got two accurate answers on this munition — both from Marines ;-)


34 posted on 01/05/2009 5:40:37 AM PST by Blueflag (Res ipsa loquitur)
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To: Blueflag

.......He flew B-17s for the Marines.......

The Marines had no B 17’s


35 posted on 01/05/2009 5:42:20 AM PST by bert (K.E. N.P. +12 . Save America......... put out lots of wafarin (it's working))
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To: Blueflag

Somebody else already mentioned it here. The one that looks like a firework could be a HE shell that went off too early. The ‘rain of fire’ quote is on Drudge now, with photo.


36 posted on 01/05/2009 5:46:53 AM PST by lacrew (Yup, they're girded!)
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To: bert

OK. Just bear in mind that my Dad’s brother Jack died ferrying a B-17. My dad and his younger brother Jon were only 11 mos apart and had been like twins. I trust my dad to tell me the truth that his brother died flying a B-17 as a Marine pilot.

Granted they might not have been on a combat mission for the Marines, but that Marine crew died flying a B-17 for their country.

My dad still has his brother’s Marine ring which he had mailed home prior to flying to Hawaii. His plane never made it and no wreckage or bodies were ever recovered.


37 posted on 01/05/2009 6:00:34 AM PST by Blueflag (Res ipsa loquitur)
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To: Blueflag
Israeli artillery shells explode with a chemical agent designed to create smokescreen for ground forces


38 posted on 01/05/2009 6:01:17 AM PST by Red_Devil 232 (VietVet - USMC All Ready On The Right? All Ready On The Left? All Ready On The Firing Line!)
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To: usmcobra

Could you tell mewhere you got that picture? My dad was at Iwo, aboard ship, a sailor, myself and family are putting together a sort of book about his time in WW2, thanks.


39 posted on 01/05/2009 6:29:50 AM PST by squarebarb
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To: Blueflag; bert
The Navy had B-17's during WWII. I would not doubt they had a few Marine pilots flying them. Here is an account of one of the Navy's B-17 squadrons:

On 17 February 1942, ten B-17 Flying Fortresses of a US Navy Task Force in "Southern Bomber Command" arrived at Archerfield airfield in Brisbane. These ten B-17's were part of a group of twelve B-17's that had flown from Hawaii via Plaine de Gaiacs, New Caledonia. They had spent a number of weeks in Hawaii prior to this long flight. On the final leg from Plaine de Gaiacs, two of the B-17's flew directly to Townsville in north Queensland through a tropical storm. This Naval Task Force was made up of twelve B-17's from a variety of Squadrons under the command of Captain R. Carmichael. Six of the Navy's ten B-17's that flew into Archerfield on 17 February 1942, were ex members of the 88th Reconnaissance Squadron of the 7th Bomb Group. The 88th Reconnaissance squadron had earlier flown from California to Hawaii arriving during the Japanese air raid on 7 December 1941.

40 posted on 01/05/2009 6:49:55 AM PST by Red_Devil 232 (VietVet - USMC All Ready On The Right? All Ready On The Left? All Ready On The Firing Line!)
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