Re: [OT] Update JohnA

Nit Picking but the 101st is Airmobile, not Airborne, since shortly
after
WW2 (IIRC.)

Difference?  

Airborne jump out of perfectly goods planes, secures zone for Airmobile
or Mechanized linkup and, if it has to move tactically	walks (or
commanders "temporary supplemental tactical transportation.").

Airmobile gets in chopper, rappels down, fights, gets back into
choppers,
repeats process.  Not quite so fragile as Airborne but much less
strategically mobile (You need a safe base - or at least secured for an
interval - to land the Cargo planes with the men, choppers, and other
equipment.)  Tactically more mobile, strategically significantly less
mobile, not as fragile *  but still "infantry" in nature.  TOWs on
not-tanks (Choppers or other non-tank AFV - see below) is better than
notational mobile TOWs but not as good as a M-1 or even a M-60.  Dragons
and LAWS (and their replacements) are a sign that things are "not going
well" if they are being used a lot to knock out an armor attack.

*  (Although Choppers, even today's models,  are NOT tanks!  As in
Zumbro's story about a fight in Vietnam where  a Cobra dropped into the
line while one of the Tanks was temporarily knocked out.  After a bit he
bailed out saying (paraphrased) that this too dangerous when compared
even to a hot LZ)
For a while the 101st has the Not-Tank Sheridan IIRC, at least on paper.

That was a candidate for most misunderstood and misused AFV  ever (it
was
designed a "recon" AFV (think egg armed with hammer - and not a
particularly good hammer at that.)

Gracias,
Glenn
R.I.P.	Triphibious@juno.com and Dwarf_warrior@juno.com

6 mm miniatures rule!  Well, anyway in my mind they do!

On Wed, 14 May 2003 16:36:44 -0400 Ryan M Gill <rmgill@mindspring.com>
writes:
>At 4:07 PM -0400 5/14/03, Flak Magnet wrote:
>>No disagreement there.  Market Garden definitely drove that point 
>home.
>
>Market Garden shows an example of 2 mauled and hardly combat worthy 
>Armored Divisions beating the snot out of a single full strength 
>infantry division in urban warfare. The Airborne unit gave a splendid 
>accounting of themselves, but their situation was tenuous from the 
>start. Airborne units can be very fragile things. To think of them as 
>just as combat capable as a Mechanized Ground force ignores many key 
>points in their usage and especially their disadvantages.
>
>Issues with past US Army war game rules (real stuff in the military) 
>where the Airborne units when para dropped were 'protected' from 
>artillery bombardment in the first 12-24 hours also drove it home. 
>Airborne units can't be dropped with any significant opposition in 
>the vicinity of the drop zone. If they are, their ability to 
>consolidate their forces and gather their combat power is severely 
>degraded. Especially if the red forces have artillery. An determined 
>bombardment of the drop zone or assembly areas would severely kneecap 
>the airborne types.
>
>Now, in a light conflict where the opposition can't find it's own 
>arse in the dark let alone a drop zone in their backyard, Para's are 
>great. Even so, they can get in over their heads quickly due to their 
>low horsepower to weight ratio when it comes to beating feet or 
>pushing through an blocking force. HMMWVs and Mk19 GLs just don't cut 
>it in all the combat situations.
>
>>I was using a less "Gulf War:  Take Two"-centric view of the issue.  
>If the
>>101st Airborne isn't to be respected, then the history of 101st means 
>diddly
>>squat then?  The patch is a symbol of the unit and a tie to it's 
>past.
>
>It's certainly not be be spat upon. But it doesn't make it more valid 
>than say a patch from the 4th ID.
>
>>Bah, any type or arms, armor included, can lose to any other if the 
>conditions
>>are right.  Combined arms win wars.
>
>Granted, but the light infantry types are more vulnerable than most 
>to counter attack's by the other combat arms.
>
>
>>Not sure what you mean by "ticket puncher"...
>
>TICKET PUNCHER: A career military officer
>      whose primary concern is personal advancement.
>      A common practice was to temporarily leave
>      a rear area job and spend a few weeks in the
>      field with the troops for the sole purpose of
>      gaining decorations and awards such as the
>      such as the coveted CIB (Combat Infantry Badge)
>-- 
>--
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