Main jeep of the US Army - "HUMMER"
Double life of Army off-roader! The American jeep"Hummer"! Nuclear mace of the Russian Navy! The newest Navy strategic missile "Bulava"! Super-Hornet of the American deck aviation. F-18 "Hornet" fighter. Lord of Fire! Commander of reactive mortars "Katyusha", Georg Gumenyuk. Not many examples of military equipment become trendy in civilian life. But it was achieved by the American general purpose and high passability vehicle "Hummer"! A simple Army work-horse, turned into prestigious mean of transportation.
There are not a lot of cars, which can be recognized by first sight. But if a car with specific chopped characteristics appears in any country with a generally low profile and with a huge road clearance, then any man will say right away "This is a Hummer!" Real merits and disadvantages of this hero of military conflicts and Hollywood action movies are fazed into background long time ago. Trend and television turned a Hummer in
to an absolute attribute of success and superiority.
The name "Hummer" itself was born relatively recently. But everything was starting in 1979. When the Military Department of the USA declared a competition for creation of light operational-tactical car for Army's needs. American military, based on experience of local wars, came to conclusion that the Army needs a radically new car. Scope Statement written by Pentagon was incredibly difficult. Amy wanted to get a vechicle which would combine a perfect passability, good payload, capacity and crew protection. The car should work with same confidence in any climatic zone. Other two must have features were a simplicity of use and possibility of multirole usage of the vehicle. Several companies took part in the competition, including AM General corporation a traditional manufactor of military vehicles. The corporation presented a "High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle" or "HUMVEE", as it was baptized by engineers, at driving trials, which started in july of 1980 in Nevada desert. This vehicle made an impression on Government Committee The car was easily overcoming almost perpendicular slopes. It wasn't afraid of water obstacles. It scolded itself through the obstructions of stones and logs. It had a good reserve of strength and vitality.
HUMVEE had to prove its right to existence in a hard competitive struggle. In Spring of 1982, 11 cars of AM General corporation, together with vehicles of other companies, were sent in units for 5 months. Cars had to pass the most cruel trials there. Drivers of new examples had a single task - to kill the vehicles! In those 5 months "HUMVEEs" driven summary almost one million kilometers. They were sent through sands and swamps. They were forced to climp mountains and forcing rivers to drive on snow. They were subjected to rapid temperature changes and chemical reactions. The car was complying with Pentagon standards. All-Wheel Drive, a power-plant protected by strong frame, a road clearance reaching almost half a meter. All these made a "HUMVEE" as a good off-roader.
This vehicle could drive with speed 50 km/h even with holes in wheels made by assault rifle's burst. In Spring of 1983, Pentagon signed a contract with AM Aeneral for purchase of 55000 "HUMVEEs". Army units receive a vehicle, which replaced immediately several vehicles in Army garages. HUMVEE was suitable not only for troops transportation, but for accomplishment of many different tasks. Essentially every car was like a LEGO constructor, which was allowing to assemble a medical vehicle, a mobile command center, a mobile missile system. Variety of weapons, with which HUMVEE could br equipped, was also impressive.
From machine-guns and auto-cannons till Anti-tank Missile Systems and Anti-Aircraft Missile Systems. The automatic gearbox was proven as a weak spot of Hummer, which was broking more often than anyyhing else. Because most of American soldiers in civil life were driving cars only with automatic transmission, manufactor denied use of more reliable manual gearbox. Experience of use of HUMVEE in real combat operations have shown that it was often overloaded while taking additional weapons and ammunitions. It shown also that a hard suspension and lack of springs in seats become a reason of increased traumatism, while driving on off-road terrain.
Soldiers also hit a low roof with their heads. The car literally broke into a civil life from TV screens! When the biggest Television Channels were transmitting advance of operation "Desert Storm". One of journalists sais a word "Hummer" on air which stick to the car forever. The war became the best advertisment. Individuals desiring to buy this car became so many, that it was decided to mass produce a civilian version of "Hummer".
In 1992, first "Hummers", intended for civilians, left production lines. In exterior they almost had no differences from their Army fellows. Differences were mainly in car's fillings. Electrical devices were not waterproof anymore. System changing tire pressure had disappeared. Body wasn't armored by light armor. And of course an Army radio was missing. The first "mechanical hammers" introduced into 9th Mechanized Division of US Army in January of 1985. The car doesn't miss any war since then, in which American Forces are participating.
Military case - The Baltic Submariners
Military case - The Baltic Submariners
During years of the World War II, submarines were fighting in all seas and oceans. the Baltic Sea wasn't an exception. Our submariners has especially tough luck there. Baltic waters entail a lethal danger all by themselves. Shallow depths a lot of sand bars and bottlenecks. In those years the sea was literally stuffed with naval mines and steel nets. But even in such conditions Baltic submariners were doing their combat job.
June 22, 1941. At 3:30 am Border Guards observation posts reported to NAVY's Narkom Admirol Kuznetsov about big groups of German planes approaching bases of the Baltic Fleet. The Fleet didn't suffer combat losses from aviation raids at that day. However, that didn't happen because of increased combat readliness, but because Germans were not bombing ships. Their bombers didn't drop bombs in water areas of our navy bases, but mines. Right after the frst bombing raid, 17 submarines of the Baltic Fleet went out for combat patrol. Victory score was poen by crews of Captain of the 3rd rank Petrov, who sank a German submarine and Captain-Lieutenant Ivantsov, who sent an enermy tanker to the bottom.
Effectiveness of Soviet submarines attacks was not high during the first months of the war. Reason were laying in lack of reconnaissance, not sufficient training of boats commanders and formations commanders, underestimation of the enermy. And one more factor was that despite of expectations, German ships under fear of attack of our submariners, started moving not in existing fairways, but in coastal zone with shallow waters. Kriegsmarine Command had reasons to be worry. Strategically important transportation routs of high quality iron ore from Sweden were under threat. Even single cases of sinking of German and Sweden transports were taken very painfully in Berlin.
In Autumn of 1941, all available forces in Baltic Sea were concentrated in Kronstadt and Leningrad. Since September the city was under siege. And in November, Navigation in Baltic Sea stopped. A hungry blockade winter. Works on bringing of the submarine fleet to combat conditions were not stopping even for a single day. There was a shortage of qualified workers, machinery, instruments. Despite that, 32 submarines were repaired and introduced into service till the spring of 1942. They formed a brigade under command of Vice-Admiral Tributs. Military Council of the Baltic Fleet was Planning combat operations for 1942 from June to October, poerating by three echelons with 8-10 submarines each. But German were also preparing to Summer campaign.
From the Autumn of 1941 they had started operation for blockade of the Soviet Navy in river mouth of Neva. Till the may of 1942 they managed to build 2 very strong antisubmarine lines. More than that routes in shallow waters toward exit of Gulf of Finland were under fire of German coastal artillery. According to calculations of Military-Naval Academy experts, probability of breakthrough through German antisubmarine lines was not more than 15-20% in 1942. But rhey just had to do it. In order to not get under fire of German coastal guns, routes from Leningrad and Kronstadt to island Vavensari had to be passed under cover of destroyers and mostly at nighs.
Then they were going underwater and then, by touch, crawling in depth, only 5m above the bottom, were going through mine fields, listening to gnashing of mine mooring cable on the skin of the boat. Not everyone was succeeding in getting out to operational space to shores of Germany and Sweden. Anyhow many of our submariners were braking through to open seas and sinking enermy ships in summer of 1942. Following fact speaks about the difficulty of breakthrough. Captain of the 2nd rank Osipov managed to pass through German minefields twice became one of the first Heroes of the Soviet Union in the Great Patriotic War. His boat became a Guards one. The boat returned to the base from her second patrol when Neva was already chained by ice. During Summer-Autumn of 1942 our submariners had sank or damaged up to 40 transports and auxillary ships of the enermy. Despite scarcity of metal, Germany was forced to build several huge antisubmarine nets and close every exit from Gulf of Finland twice. In summer of 1943 three submarines were lost because of those nets.
The boat of the Captain of 3rd rank Travkin returned with extensive damage. Captain-Lieutenant Kuzmin died in unequal fight. Submarines of Captains Bashenko and Osipov passed through, but missed in action. Action of our Balric Sea submariners was covered by curtain of the secrecy for a very long time. Only after many years victories of Captain Marinesko became widely known, who had sank one of the biggest sea-loner of the Hitlerite Germany. And the famous patrol of captain Travkin glorified in movie The Captain of lucky "Shchuka" (northern pike). We know very little about dozens of other heroes submariners even till today. Summed tonnage of ships, which were sank by Baltic submariners wasn't big. But their heroic actions can't be estimated with arithmetical numbers. The exit to operational space - breakthrough of antisubmarine defences - was a heroic act by itself. Our sailors were fighting while being pressed to the wall, but they didn't surrender and accomplished their combat duty to the end. The Baltic Sea didn't ever become an enclosed sea of the 3rd Reich.
During years of the World War II, submarines were fighting in all seas and oceans. the Baltic Sea wasn't an exception. Our submariners has especially tough luck there. Baltic waters entail a lethal danger all by themselves. Shallow depths a lot of sand bars and bottlenecks. In those years the sea was literally stuffed with naval mines and steel nets. But even in such conditions Baltic submariners were doing their combat job.
June 22, 1941. At 3:30 am Border Guards observation posts reported to NAVY's Narkom Admirol Kuznetsov about big groups of German planes approaching bases of the Baltic Fleet. The Fleet didn't suffer combat losses from aviation raids at that day. However, that didn't happen because of increased combat readliness, but because Germans were not bombing ships. Their bombers didn't drop bombs in water areas of our navy bases, but mines. Right after the frst bombing raid, 17 submarines of the Baltic Fleet went out for combat patrol. Victory score was poen by crews of Captain of the 3rd rank Petrov, who sank a German submarine and Captain-Lieutenant Ivantsov, who sent an enermy tanker to the bottom.
Effectiveness of Soviet submarines attacks was not high during the first months of the war. Reason were laying in lack of reconnaissance, not sufficient training of boats commanders and formations commanders, underestimation of the enermy. And one more factor was that despite of expectations, German ships under fear of attack of our submariners, started moving not in existing fairways, but in coastal zone with shallow waters. Kriegsmarine Command had reasons to be worry. Strategically important transportation routs of high quality iron ore from Sweden were under threat. Even single cases of sinking of German and Sweden transports were taken very painfully in Berlin.
In Autumn of 1941, all available forces in Baltic Sea were concentrated in Kronstadt and Leningrad. Since September the city was under siege. And in November, Navigation in Baltic Sea stopped. A hungry blockade winter. Works on bringing of the submarine fleet to combat conditions were not stopping even for a single day. There was a shortage of qualified workers, machinery, instruments. Despite that, 32 submarines were repaired and introduced into service till the spring of 1942. They formed a brigade under command of Vice-Admiral Tributs. Military Council of the Baltic Fleet was Planning combat operations for 1942 from June to October, poerating by three echelons with 8-10 submarines each. But German were also preparing to Summer campaign.
From the Autumn of 1941 they had started operation for blockade of the Soviet Navy in river mouth of Neva. Till the may of 1942 they managed to build 2 very strong antisubmarine lines. More than that routes in shallow waters toward exit of Gulf of Finland were under fire of German coastal artillery. According to calculations of Military-Naval Academy experts, probability of breakthrough through German antisubmarine lines was not more than 15-20% in 1942. But rhey just had to do it. In order to not get under fire of German coastal guns, routes from Leningrad and Kronstadt to island Vavensari had to be passed under cover of destroyers and mostly at nighs.
Then they were going underwater and then, by touch, crawling in depth, only 5m above the bottom, were going through mine fields, listening to gnashing of mine mooring cable on the skin of the boat. Not everyone was succeeding in getting out to operational space to shores of Germany and Sweden. Anyhow many of our submariners were braking through to open seas and sinking enermy ships in summer of 1942. Following fact speaks about the difficulty of breakthrough. Captain of the 2nd rank Osipov managed to pass through German minefields twice became one of the first Heroes of the Soviet Union in the Great Patriotic War. His boat became a Guards one. The boat returned to the base from her second patrol when Neva was already chained by ice. During Summer-Autumn of 1942 our submariners had sank or damaged up to 40 transports and auxillary ships of the enermy. Despite scarcity of metal, Germany was forced to build several huge antisubmarine nets and close every exit from Gulf of Finland twice. In summer of 1943 three submarines were lost because of those nets.
The boat of the Captain of 3rd rank Travkin returned with extensive damage. Captain-Lieutenant Kuzmin died in unequal fight. Submarines of Captains Bashenko and Osipov passed through, but missed in action. Action of our Balric Sea submariners was covered by curtain of the secrecy for a very long time. Only after many years victories of Captain Marinesko became widely known, who had sank one of the biggest sea-loner of the Hitlerite Germany. And the famous patrol of captain Travkin glorified in movie The Captain of lucky "Shchuka" (northern pike). We know very little about dozens of other heroes submariners even till today. Summed tonnage of ships, which were sank by Baltic submariners wasn't big. But their heroic actions can't be estimated with arithmetical numbers. The exit to operational space - breakthrough of antisubmarine defences - was a heroic act by itself. Our sailors were fighting while being pressed to the wall, but they didn't surrender and accomplished their combat duty to the end. The Baltic Sea didn't ever become an enclosed sea of the 3rd Reich.
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