Russia has already lost territory in Ukraine they’ve held for years, and are about to (according to Wagner) abandon the front lines including Bakhmut on Wednesday because they have no ammo.
The Ukrainian counter assault hasn’t even started.
Crimea has been under attack, and Russia itself. The war has created the homeland danger it was supposed to be eliminating, but also destroyed Russia’s ability to defend itself! Lol.
It has also decimated an entire generation of Russian men and their economy, neither of which are likely to rebound.

Russia may not only lose all of Ukraine and Crimea, but also some of Russia proper. They will definitely lose international standing and a huge portion of gdp.

They have lost the war already….badly…and have absolutely zero chance of winning on the battlefield now that Ukraine has next gen weapons and training….they couldn’t win against non military citizens with bolt action rifles, how will they beat a well trained hardened military with M1 Abrams tanks, long range advanced mobile howitzers, anti tank/air missiles, 10000 well trained drone pilots, advanced air defenses, and the backing of NATO and the West?

I would absolutely support a >100 mile deep DMZ in Russia under Ukrainian and NATO control, and severe limitations on the Russian military limiting it to only defensive weapons and a minimal army. They will be lucky to get a deal that good if things continue.

Thanks…I like to think what I cook up is entertaining, even when the menu doesn’t appeal.

Not kill kill kill, but definitely a lack of sympathy if it happened to some. I have no sympathy or tolerance for nazis and fascists, and I don’t see a thing wrong with that. Their atrocities at the time were unfathomable, and the youngsters could be more zealous and hateful than the adults.
I also learned about WW2 at an early age, preschool or kindergarten, I had an uncle who fought on a mobile howitzer in almost every major battle in Europe after D day, and helped liberate one of the smaller concentration camps, I can’t recall which one off hand. I heard first hand about man’s inhumanity towards man in details too graphic for children.
It’s just my worthless opinion though, it’s not like I pass judgment at The Hague or hunt down aged nazi youths. Who cares if I don’t sympathize with one group of young soldiers’ plight from almost 80 years ago? War is hell for all involved, there’s just not enough empathy for everyone.
I think the Nazis earned my disdain, if I don’t give it to them they might try to earn it again!

Yep, I’m on the West coast, in the one spot not baking like an oven, Humboldt, Ca. coast. We’re having low 70’s but overcast. I could use some more sun and warmth.

Who was the nazi?
What are my choices? In what context?
With no criteria, there are so many to choose from… I think I’ll take Mengele for the block.

Nerf Howitzer?

It doesn't work like that. What you end up with is something akin to Australia's gun laws, which 'technically' still allow certain people to own guns, realistically most won't or can't

Category A: Rimfire rifles (not semi-automatic), circuit loaded firearms. shotguns (not pump-action or semi-automatic), air rifles including semi automatic, and paintball gun. A "Genuine Reason" must be provided for a Category A firearm. [AKA, you have to prove you have a reason to own these weapons. Newsflash, the majority of police will automatically deny you. Oh yeah, for a PAINTBALL gun as well.]

Category B: Centrefire rifles including bolt action, pump action, circuit loaded, and lever action (not semi-automatic), muzzleloading firearms made after 1 January 1901. [Same as Cat A, must have a 'genuine reason' to own one, be registered, have a fee, ton of other limitations, so basically hard to own]

Category C: Pump-action or self-loading shotguns having a magazine capacity of 5 or fewer rounds and semi automatic rimfire rifles. [Only Primary producers, farm workers, firearm dealers, firearm safety officers, collectors and clay target shooters can own functional Category C firearms.]

Category D: Self-loading centrefire rifles, pump-action or self-loading shotguns have a magazine capacity of more than 5 rounds. [Functional Category D firearms are restricted to government agencies, occupational shooters and primary producers in some states. Collectors may own deactivated Category D firearms.]

Category H: Handguns including air pistols and deactivated handguns. [This class is available to target shooters and certain security guards whose job requires possession of a firearm. To be eligible for a Category H firearm, a target shooter must serve a probationary period of 6 months using club handguns, after which they may apply for a permit. A minimum number of matches yearly to retain each category of handgun and be a paid-up member of an approved pistol club. Target shooters are limited to handguns of .38 or 9mm calibre or less and magazines may hold a maximum of 10 rounds. Participants in certain "approved" pistol competitions may acquire handguns up to .45", currently Single Action Shooting and Metallic Silhouette. IPSC shooting is approved for 9mm/.38/.357 sig, handguns that meet the IPSC rules, larger calibres such as .45 were approved for IPSC handgun shooting contests in Australia in 2014. Barrels must be at least 100mm (3.94") long for revolvers, and 120mm (4.72") for semi-automatic pistols unless the pistols are clearly ISSF target pistols; magazines are restricted to 10 rounds.]

Category R/E: Restricted weapons, such as machine guns, rocket launchers, full automatic self loading rifles, flame-throwers, anti-tank guns, howitzers and other artillery weapons [Obviously this class is right out...]

You can own some muzzleloading weapons without restrictions, although percussion cap pistols are restricted. In addition to these minor rules, all guns must be secured in a safe or other similar location, all must be fully registered so that the government knows the location of every single weapon/owner, and you can't sell them to another person, only to a dealer or the law to be destroyed.

After a few years of de-fanging and getting the citizens used to not having weapons, the Australian government and law enforcement routinely quietly hold gun buybacks to persuade more people to give up their weapons. They also do amnesty turn ins now and then.

So, that is the AMAZING suite of laws Australia put in place to stop mass shootings. Forgive me if, when combined, those type of laws would basically neuter the 2nd amendment. We've already neutered the 1st with 'hate speech' and the ability to sue over getting your feelings hurt. The 4th has been steadily under attack, because GOOD citizens shouldn't mind if the government rummages through everything you own or do. We haven't messed with the 5th amendment too much, so we could look at that next, maybe allow torture of everyone for confessions.

I'm getting tired of listing points, so let me just say this. I am incredibly sorry that people died, they shouldn't have and it is an utter shame. However, we are already fighting on a daily basis to keep a facsimile of the rights that were fought for when we built this country. Watering them down further only helps our government tighten the bonds of enslavement upon us. I can't agree with that.

I think you'd really enjoy the "Ringworld" stuff by Larry Niven, especially the Man-Kzin wars series.

There's a strong emphasis on what you are describing whereby space weaponry by it's very nature is so accurate and long ranged that what we might think of as conventional warfare is not really an option anymore.

e.g. a typical beam weapon could just invisibly cook the enemy crew alive in their own ship from the other side of a solar system.

To the point that the human race had pretty much given up on the idea of warfare entirely before they encounter the Kzinti.


I might argue that with Drones, Lasers, Tesla howitzers and god knows what else we on the verge of inventing we might well hit a similar wall in real life.

i.e. We get so good at doing war that we spoil it for ourselves and make even tactical level conflict pointless. (much like nuclear weapons did at the strategic level)

One can but hope....

I know what you mean. Still, cultural differences are weird. They probably think your soldiers look uninspired and dim-witted or something.

Thinking about it reminds me of an old Andy Rooney column where he proposed having Olympics-style competitions for the military instead of actual wars. It'd be awful interesting to see a bunch of countries putting their crack squads through things like the 105mm howitzer unlimbering, or the 1000m steeplechase for tanks.

I dunno about any need for a sarcasm tag here -- I think if I was on death row and I could choose the method of my own execution, "death by large quantity of explosives" sounds pretty good.

Guillotine and hanging might be lowest on my list. Electric chair not much better. Lethal injection a bit higher. I think if I could make my own suggestions, I'd ask for cannon / howitzer aimed at my head. Barring that, I guess I'd order "the Cobain" -- shotgun to the brain. Basically, I figure that the more thorough and quick, the better.

The Howitzer Taking a Shit sound of movies like Dirty Harry is pretty silly. I guess the "crack" sound all handguns make, some just louder than others, isn't very sexy.

Tags for this video have been changed from 'usa, howitzer, shockwave, mushroom cloud, big, gun' to 'usa, howitzer, shockwave, mushroom cloud, big gun, nuke, nulclear bomb, wmd' - edited by lucky760

Look like em yeah, slightly misleading title though as they're not tanks. APC leading em and rest are howitzers on tracks.

>> ^zor:

The moon's a great place to build all kinds of evil shit. You wait, it will be more popular than drones or satellites one day. Picture a uranium powered robot howitzer with nearly unlimited ammo that can assassinate people on earth at will and defend itself for 190 years. It makes its own ammo from the moon dust and uses steam instead of gunpowder. Indestructible, with unbreakable command encryption.


You don't even need that. All you have to do from the moon to cause massive devastation to the earth is throw rocks. The moon is essentially uphill of a very large gravity well, all you need to do is give a rock a little push and BLAMO. Anything can be used for evil, from words to bombs it is seldom the thing that is the problem, usually it is the person/people.

The moon's a great place to build all kinds of evil shit. You wait, it will be more popular than drones or satellites one day. Picture a uranium powered robot howitzer with nearly unlimited ammo that can assassinate people on earth at will and defend itself for 190 years. It makes its own ammo from the moon dust and uses steam instead of gunpowder. Indestructible, with unbreakable command encryption.

Technically speaking, a cannon is a type of artillery as are mortars and howitzers. Artillery can also the division of an army that operates these weapons.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artillery


>> ^conan:

i'm by far no weapons expert but isn't that just a cannon? what qualifies this as artillery?

That's not a tank. It's a self-propelled gun sporting what looks like a 155mm howitzer. It's painted white to show it's being used in the service of the United Nations.

Hmmm Matching boots, belt, wallet, luggage, car seats, couch.... All from one gator. Now where did I put that Howitzer.....