ENIGMA 2000 Newsletter - Issue 33

March 2006
Articles, newsreports and Items of interest :enigma2000-owner@yahoogroups.com

HJH's E2K Watch

One of the great joys and benefits of the worldwide contacts one can build up with this fantastic device we call the internet is the fact that one can share information and find out about other people’s problems. (If one is not too keen on what one discovers, well, hey, there’s a switch right there on the box of gubbins. Press it, and they’re gone!(For you, the browser, at any rate!)

Popping out of your midnight scribe’s VDU tonight, is some news from the author’s Shark hunter colleagues in the US of A. Although primarily a maritime orientated group, they have the interests of their nation (America) at heart in whatever sphere or theatre of battle in which the Armed Forces of the USA are involved. Why should we be interested? Because our fighting services are involved in the self same theatre of operations is why. And guess what? Their problems are almost identical to ours!

Crap kit on issue, shortages of vital kit (Ever tried fighting in the 21st Century with no ammunition!) And, here’s another tune we have heard before, the weapons with which they are issued are sub standard and not up to the job. (Okay pardner, I’ll see your M16A1 and raise you this ‘ere SA80!)

In an interview with Shark hunters (Find them at www.sharkhunters.com) a US Army colonel said this. The M16, (which as astute E2K readers you all know is.223 calibre.) is simply not up to the job which it is being tasked with, namely, combat with a determined (some say fanatical) enemy, at, in many cases, more than the 200 yards or so which the so called experts who phased in this piece of kit was the range at which ALL future contacts (That’s newspeak for soldiers of opposite sides killing each other.) would take place. Our SLR went out the same window after listening to the same hype. The indigenous population of Iraq, many of whom the coalition are confronting, are marksmen of a very reasonable calibre. (NO, it’s NOT a pun!) And they have mainly fairly heavy calibre weapons with which to fight. (AK 47s and not a few Lee Enfield.303s. War time British issue, would you believe! Source: Technical Intelligence Site of Col. William Howard US Army (ret.))

The weapon which is being phased back into the US Army, is the old M-14 which the M16 was supposed to replace. With it’s 30/06 cartridge it is now the weapon of choice, some say necessity, in the desert war in Iraq. Worse is to come. From the same, of necessity, anonymous source. As we all know, the standard heavy support machine gun of the US Army is the.50 calibre machine gun. So much.50 calibre ammunition is being used, that the US Army is now using stockpiles dating back to World War 2!!! Make more, you, the astute reader, cry. But just one cotton picking minute there, pardner. There is now just ONE factory making the stuff. Based in Indiana, it is working to full capacity, and still not meeting the demands of the military. Ring any bells with our UK readers? Especially the old squaddies amongst us? [Curry Puffs HJH, you forgot the Curry Puffs]!

Nor does the similarity in woes and troubles end there. How often has our once great naval tradition been held up as an outstanding example of how to emasculate a navy at record speed? And the author is not referring to forcing the Navy to accept mixed gender crews! Have we a shipyard? This author knows not, but does not believe so.

Further, a forementioned author will wager his genitalia to an acre of swedes, (vegetables, NOT Vikings!!!) that in our readership is an old salt who can tell us!

Even the USA, the arsenal of the democracies that it once was, is now selling off it’s ship yards. Philadelphia Naval Yard, once one of the finest in the USA, now belongs to a Danish Group. Mare Island, another US Naval Base, is closed.

As the author’s contact, Harry Cooper, of Sharkhunters, says, “Its time to take off those blinkers and read the writing on the wall!” Don’t you find it frightening to discover the old principle of things crossing the Atlantic eventually working in reverse. This author sure does!!!

[Thanks HJH – wish they’d bring back the SLR, it’s on a par with the AK47].

It appears that we have transferred a purchasing habit to the US. Far from adopting their ‘apparent’ efficient methods we seem to have encouraged a system based not on the JIT purchase rationale [Just In Time] but on the British system of JTL – Just Too Late. A caustic person could say – well they can have that for all the second rate tv shows and films, crap music, crime etc etc etc they have sent; but like us such poor practice is affecting their military. The ultimate affect is that soldiers will die unnecessarily. I have read some war stirring stuff on refectors by Americans who have probably never been in any danger other than when they cross the road drunk. To those drawing room heroes I say, ‘go and read Sassoon’s ‘Suicide in the Trenches,’ it’s very dated but applicable.

PLondon received this email from one anon and we show it here, only the name of the sender is removed, to protect the innocent:

Yes mate, you’re right they are in the same boat as us. As you will doubtless recall from your days in the mob, the Septics were always the no 1 target for us scrounging squaddies. But one thing.If they are reissuing the M14, at least they are listening to the poor bastards on the ground. Can you see this blind clueless lot [HM Govt] saying, 'Ok chaps you can have your SLRs back. More chance of Ken Livingstone getting a personality transplant! (Hope you are not a fan of his!!).'

Korean Spy ship salvaged

Here are some of the photos of a North Korean spy ship that was sunk some time ago by the Japanese Coast Guard.


Photo #1	Photo #2

Photo #1 is the 20mm automatic guns carried aboard one of the speedboats carried aboard the mother ship whilst Photo #2 is the opening end of the ship.

[Tnx HJH and http://www.sharkhunters.com ]

OPERATION JALLAA