Forces

Future private space space in the works

Axiom Station — Axiom Space Axiom Station

My latest research project. A visualization and analysis of the USAAF European and North African Strategic Bombing Campaign in World War 2. Far from being strategic, the campaign followed the operational needs of the war

WW2 USAF STRATEGIC BOMBING CAMPAIGN IN EUROPE AND NORTH AFRICA All the WW2 8th and 9th USAAF Air Force bombing missions in Europe and North Africa mapped and analyzed.

Rob Kirchubel's three degrees of separation between him and Adolf Hi**er: In late 1980 or early 1981, while I was the the Intelligence staff officer (S-2), for 1st Bn, 33rd Armored Rgt, my battalion commander and I briefed the CINCCENT on our General Defensive Position (GDP) in the Fulda Gap. The CINCCENT (Commander-in-Chief, Allied Forces Central Europe) at the time was Bundeswehr General Ferdinand von Senger und Etterlin. His father had been WWII General of Panzer Troops Fridolin von Senger und Etterlin, a key defender of Sicily, and commander of the XIV Panzer Corps through most of the Italian Campaign. Fridolin had received the Swords to his Knights Cross from Hi**er at a ceremony in the spring of 1944.

On 22 May, Matthew Konkoly (standing right) presented live at the Society of Military History annual meeting in Norfolk, Virginia. His project for FORCES recreated the amphibious assault at Omaha Beach during the June 1944 Normandy battles. Konkoly outlined the details of his simulation process, from creating historical terrain, to modelling and researching the defensive works, to adding the belligerents and their movements. During the presentation Konkoly also shared a demonstration video of the simulation in action, and used it to compare and contrast the paths of two different American units during the course of the battle. In visually analyzing the terrain, defenses, and context, Konkoly showed how this new method of mapping and battle visualization can help researchers gain insights into critical moments in history. Under Dr. Sorin Matei’s continued supervision (standing left), he will expand the simulation in detail and scope.

On 21 May, Dr. Robert Kirchubel presented live at the Society of Military History annual meeting in Norfolk, Virginia. His paper, co-authored with Dr. Sorin Adam Matei, investigated German losses during Operation Barbarossa. After creating a comprehensive database of officer casualties from the operation, Kirchubel and Matei quantified and made inferences on this information. Enlightening graphs and data visualizations suggested that the German invasion of Soviet Russia might’ve been doomed from the earliest stages. Three key takeaways gleaned from Kirchubel and the FORCES team’s data-driven approach on the degradation of the German officer corps: confirms the battle of Smolensk early in the war (July 1941) as a key turning point on the Eastern Front; German mechanized units bore the brunt of the losses, and; after a few initial weeks of intense offensives, the Red Army forced the German attackers into a defensive stance. Drs. Kirchubel and Matei hope that in the near future, the entirety of Operation Barbarossa will be digitized using the FORCES’ OpMaps system.

The good times continue as we move on from VA to PA. Here Jon and Anna Poggie join us at Gettysburg with Civil War scholar and FORCES collaborator Carol Reardon for detailed study of Pickett's Charge.

Stop 2 for Sorin, Barry, Matt, Rob and two budding military historian/strategists: the Military Aviation Museum. Most planes here can and do fly, including this beautifully restored PBY Catalina, the plane that doomed Bismarck and performed yeomans' service in the Pacific.

FORCES' A Team in Norfolk for Society for Military History annual meeting. Spent the day before touring the area, including Virginia War Museum; seen here with WWI war changing French Renault FT17 tank.

How Xi Jinping’s China Is Wilhelmine Germany Come Again While China’s South China Sea strategy is more nuanced and sophisticated, it might fall into the same traps as the Kaiser’s.

North Korean Special Forces in Syria; A Look at Pyongyang’s Assistance to Damascus’ Counterinsurgency Operations North Korea has long maintained close ties to the Syrian Arab Republic, and Pyongyang is arguably Damascus’ oldest and most reliable defence partner today. Korean Personnel have fought alongside their Syrian counterparts in all the country’s major wars since the 1970s, including the Yom Kippur W...

The U.S. Marine Corps: The Next Submarine Hunters? The Marine Corps is also experimenting with ways in which it could hunt enemy submarines.