The FReeper Foxhole Revisits The Mayaguez Incident (May 12-16, 1975) - May 20th, 2005

http://www.usmm.org/mayaguez.html ^

[SAMWolf]

Morning E.G.C.

Supposed to be the end of the rain today and a nice weekend coming up. We'll see. :-)

[SAMWolf]

Morning alfa6.

[SAMWolf]

Morning Mayor.

Of all the masters the soul can choose, there are at last only two-God and money. All choices, however small, however the alternatives may be disguised, are but variants of this choice."

IMHO, power should be included, some people don't care about money, but about aquiring and exercising power. Although money may be the means to power, power is the master not the money.

[The Mayor]

Agreed!

[SAMWolf]

1941 Germany invades Crete

The Battle of Crete began on the morning of May 20 1941, during World War II, when Germany launched an airborne invasion under the code name Operation Merkur, or Operation Mercury. The operation was successful in terms of taking the island from the Allied forces holding it, but the victory was so costly that the Germans never again launched a major airborne mission.

Allied commanders were worried about the Germans using Crete as a "springboard" to further operations in the area, possibly a seaborne invasion of Egypt in support of the German/Italian forces operating from Libya. However these fears were soon put to rest when Operation Barbarossa opened, and it was clear the German operation was defensive in nature.

Losses among the German paratroops meant that the fallschirmjäger were never again used as airborne troops, which eliminated this weapon from use in Russia. Given the poor communications and airbase defenses in Russia at the time, this can be considered a very serious setback, as it is likely paratroop operations would have been highly effective.

The Germans admitted losses of 6,200 men: 3,714 dead and 2,494 wounded. Today however, there are around 4,500 German graves at Maleme alone. The Australian war graves commission in 1945 estimated that the Germans suffered around 17,000 losses.

The Allies lost 3,500 soldiers: 1,751 dead, with an equal number wounded, and an enormous number captured (12,254 Commonwealth and 5,255 Greeks). There were also 1,828 dead and 183 wounded among the Navy. A total sum of 3,579 dead and 1900 wounded.

An unknown but large number of civilians was killed in the crossfire and died fighting as partisans. Many Cretans were murdered by the Germans in reprisals, both during the battle and in the occupation that followed.

[SAMWolf]

Morning Feather.

Now there's something you don't see every day.

[Valin]

Cold Iron
Rudyard Kipling


Gold is for the mistress -- silver for the maid --
Copper for the craftsman cunning at his trade.
"Good!" cried the Baron, sitting in his hall,
"But iron, cold iron, is the master of them all."

So he made rebellion against the King, his liege,
Camped before his citadel and summoned it to siege.
"Nay," said the cannoneer on the castle wall,
"But iron, cold iron, shall be master of you all!"

Woe for the Baron and his knights so strong
When the cruel cannon-balls laid them all along.
He was taken prisoner, he was cast in thrall,
And iron, cold iron, was the master over all.

Yet his King spake kindly (ah how kind a lord!).
"What if I release thee now, and give thee back thy sword?"
"Nay!" said the Baron, "Mock not at my fall,
For iron, cold iron, is the master of men all."

"Tears are for the craven. Prayers are for the clown.
Halters for the silly neck that cannot keep a crown.
As my loss is grievous, so my hope is small,
For iron, cold iron, must be master of men all."

Yet his King made answer (few such Kings there be!).
"Here is bread and here is wine -- Now sit and sup with me.
Eat and drink in Mary's name, while I do recall
How iron, cold iron, can be master of men all!"

He took the wine and blessed it. He blessed and broke the bread.
With his own hands he served them, and presently he said:
"See! These hands they pierced with nails, outside my city wall,
Show iron, cold iron, to be master of men all!"

"Wounds are for the desperate, blows are for the strong,
Balm and oil for weary hearts all cut and bruised with wrong.
I forgive thy treason -- I redeem thy fall --
For iron, cold iron, must be master of men all!"

"Crowns are for the valiant, sceptres for the bold!
Thrones and powers for the mighty men who dare to take and hold!"
"Nay!" said the Baron, kneeling in his hall,
"But iron, cold iron, is the master of men all!"

[E.G.C.]

((HUGS))Good morning, folks.

We're getting the house ready for guests. My brother from Texas is coming down with his son. They're going to be doing some fishing here for the next couple of days.

Forecast high here mid 90's. It's already in the low 80's.

[Professional Engineer]

Good morning ladies. It's Friday!

[stand watie]

GM, snippy!

free dixie,sw

[Aeronaut]

Hi Sam.

[Professional Engineer]

1934 Alexei A Leonov cosmonaut (Voskhod 2, Apollo-Soyuz)

These five men compose the two prime crews of the joint U.S.-USSR Apollo Soyuz Test Project docking in Earth orbit mission scheduled for July 1975. They are Astronaut Thomas P. Stafford (standing on left), commander of the American crew; Cosmonaut Aleksey A. Leonov (standing on right), commander of the Soviet crew; Astronaut Donald K. Slayton (seated on left), docking module pilot of the American crew; Astronaut Vance D. Brand (seated in center), command module pilot of the American crew; and Cosmonaut Valeriy N. Kubasov (seated on right), engineer on the Soviet crew.

[Professional Engineer]

0325 1st Christian ecumenical council opens at Nicæa, Asia Minor

No good will come of it, I tell ya'.

[Professional Engineer]

1944 US Communist Party dissolves

I beg to differ.

Excuse me, I've gotta irradiate my computer now.

[Professional Engineer]

ROFLOL, that's good!

[Professional Engineer]

Hiya Sam

[Iris7]

I had no idea. I had seen the 6,200 casualties number, but three times that many! What is that, about half? Those 17,000 look to be graves, too - dead men.

Looks like the New Zealanders did OK.

[snippy_about_it]

Well said. Thanks Iris7.

[snippy_about_it]

I have spent twenty years sorrowfully regretting this.

You just had another calling. The Navy needed you elsewhere or it would have been so.

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning Aeronaut.