I’m starting out with some sad news, reported by Mas Ayoob: R.I.P. Chuck Taylor. I must say that Taylor truly earned the moniker “Legendary”, in practical shooting circles.
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On May 12th, 1949, one of the first crises of the Cold War came to end when the Soviet Union lifted its 11-month blockade against West Berlin. A massive U.S.-British airlift had broken it.
At the end of World War II, Germany was divided into four sectors administered by the four major Allied powers: the USSR, the United States, Britain, and France. Berlin, the capital, was also divided into four parts, though it was located well within the USSR sector. The future of Germany was hotly contested among the allies. The United States, Britain, and France eventually united their sectors into one economic zone, which became the independent nation of West Germany. The Soviets withdrew from the council and formed East Germany. Likewise, Berlin was formed into two parts under separate rule.
When the Western powers introduced a new Deutsche Mark currency, in West Germany and West Berlin, the Soviets saw that as an attack on the East Germany currency and began a blockade of all rail, road, and water communications between Berlin and the West. Britain and the United States responded with the largest airlift in history. 278,288 relief missions in 14 months flew in 2,326,406 tons of supplies, 2/3 of which was coal to run the power plants. Flights were made around the clock. At the height of the airlift, in April 1949, planes were landing in the city every minute.
The Soviets made no effort to block the airlift and on May 12th, 1949 allowed the first American and British convoys to drive the 110 miles to Berlin to continue to supply West Berlin.
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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest
Today we present another entry for Round 88 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:
First Prize:
- A gift certificate from Quantum Harvest LLC (up to a $2,200 value) good for 12% off the purchase of any of their sun-tracking models, and 10% off the purchase price of any of their other models.
- A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,095 value),
- A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
- DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
- Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
- A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
- American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
Second Prize:
- A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime free training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
- A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
- A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
- Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
- An assortment of products along with a one hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).
Third Prize:
- Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
- A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
- Naturally Cozy is donating a “Prepper Pack” Menstrual Kit. This kit contains 18 pads and it comes vacuum sealed for long term storage or slips easily into a bugout bag. The value of this kit is $220.
- Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
- A transferable $100 purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!
Round 88 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.
Just read the book “FDR Goes to War”.
https://www.amazon.com/FDR-Goes-War-Executive-Restricted/dp/1439183201
An interesting claim in this book has to do with the final push into Europe. According to the Folsoms, military planners were not actually in favor of the Normandy invasion. They initially advocated a push from the south through Italy, not a push from the west through France. Churchill supposedly advocated the push through Italy as well.
Supposedly, Joseph Stalin vetoed this plan because it would likely result in the American’s and British getting to Germany and portions of Eastern Europe before the Soviets. The picture painted in the book is that FDR wanted to have Stalin’s baby he was so enamored with him and agreed to slow the advance from the south and shift to a push from the west.
The picture is that FDR handed East Germany, East Berlin and large pieces of Eastern Europe to Stalin.
I wonder how different the second half of the 20th Century would have looked had we invaded Europe from the south?
Whenever there’s a Democrat in charge of war, it doesn’t end well.
Johnson (took over after Lincoln was assaniated) – messed up Reconstruction of the South
Wilson – waited 18 months to enter the war WWI after the sinking of the Lusitania ship
Roosevelt in World War II, as stated above.
Pres. Eisenhower watching the Korean war so we will lose Half of Korea.
Pres. Johnson during Vietnam, losing that water.
Obama pulling troops out of Iraq immediately on a certain date.
The Germans had us stalemated at Casino, therefor Anzio and that disaster kept us from a timely capture of Rome and a winter campaign in the Alps? That would have made attacking Moscow in the winter look like a good idea(Italians,Swiss and Germans are prepared for fighting in the Alps, no one else). A third front had to be opened to divert Hitlers attention and resources and England was still starving without US shipping(going to Russia and Med. ports just survival rations without US troops). It was a time game,if Germany was able to “level” up to new weapons things could have been much different.
To learn how captured by communism FDR and his cabal were read Maj. Racey Jordans book, Jordans’ Diaries, documents subservient fdr to Stalin(tried to have Texas change its flag,open espionage,diversions of massive war materiel not needed but for rebuilding). Another communist democrat president.
Re: Chuck Taylor, I was a young policeman back in the 80’s and I considered his first book, “The Complete Book of Combat Handgunning” (1982), my most ‘prized’ tactical possession 😉
Updated by him in 1996 (with the ‘Weaver’, ‘Modified Weaver’, and ‘Isoceles’ “war of tacticians” still ongoing), it was still a pretty book…even by that time.
Rest In Peace to one of the last of the (now) old-school hands who brought technical examination of gunfighting tactics into the popular law enforcement AND civilian domains.