Christmas Eve

Blog Post
Larry-Lambert

Christmas Eve and Morning 

The Battle of Trenton in 1776, which indeed could be described as the battle that saved American Independence. Here (above), the death of Colonel Rall, commanding the Hessian Brigade, defending the town, is depicted. Following this up with another victory at Princeton, the crumbling rebellion was given new hope, and General Washington’s bold move assured his place as one of the greatest Americans of all time. I would also point out that the Hessians were NOT drunk or hungover; that is an old, stupid fairy tale that, for some reason, never dies. According to historians, American Battlefield Trust, and UVA Engagement.

The Hessians were professional soldiers who were exhausted from constant patrols and attacks, and they were caught by surprise by Washington’s forces despite being on high alert. The myth may have originated from British officers after the defeat to denigrate the Hessians.

Many slept in their uniforms, weapons at the ready, to defend against an anticipated attack. Their poor performance was due to exhaustion from weeks of harassment by Continental Army patrols, not from drinking. Washington’s forces surprised the Hessians by crossing the Delaware River in a storm, which was a brilliant tactical move. The Hessians had received warnings of a possible attack, but did not expect it to happen in the middle of a winter storm. The myth likely began after the battle when a British report described Hessian Colonel Johann Rall as a drunkard, and the story grew from there. 

 

Bullet Points:

** Recalling the best Christmas EVER.

** A helping hand at Christmas – Kindness. Please pass it on.

** Christmas shopping at Walmart…Don’t do it at Mulberry, Florida.

** A primer on the E-3 Sentry. Fun video.

** (WSJ) Cubans are going hungry, suffering from spreading disease, and sleeping outdoors with no electricity to power fans through the sweltering nights. A quarter of the population has fled during the island’s most prolonged economic crisis. And it’s about to get worse. The U.S. is ratcheting up pressure on Havana’s key benefactor, Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro’s regime, which has kept the Communist-ruled nation afloat with cheap oil. Now Venezuelan oil exports are at risk thanks to a partial blockade targeting sanctioned tankers—the kind that carry about 70% of the country’s crude. If Venezuela’s oil shipments were to stop or sharply decline, the Cubans know it would be devastating. “It would be the collapse of the Cuban economy, no question about it,” said Jorge Piñón, a Cuban exile who tracks the island’s energy ties to Venezuela at the University of Texas at Austin.

** Sing Along! ¡Feliz Navidad!

** Another sing-along with the US Transportation Security Agency. More TSA news on what can and can’t be carried onto an airplane this holiday season.

** It’s a wonderful life – what might have been?

** Are you looking for a needy family to help this season? What about Hunter Biden? Hunter Biden says that he’s nearly $15 million in Debt and doesn’t know how he’s going to pay it off. Says the Bidens are broke. Hunter: “We have no generational wealth.” –or you can send your taxable contribution to the White Wolf Mine (gold preferred).

** I don’t know if it’s just the FBI, but I’ve seen the Lesbian Mafia at work.

** More Venezuelan Oil drama.

 

Identify the Armor

1

Not quite an M-4 – it has its own name and designation.

 

Identify the Ship

Should I have added another ship?

2

 

3

 

Identify the Aircraft

4

 

PARTING SHOT

 

Come back with your shield or on it.

 

End

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39 thoughts on “Christmas Eve”

  1. 1 M36??
    2 is the “Save” Portuguese Cacine-class patrol boat
    3 is NRP Vasco da Gama is a Portuguese frigate of the Vasco da Gama class
    4 is Beechcraft Model 26 / AT-10 Wichita a twin-engine trainer aircraft

      1. Which just means somebody stuck French-built AMX-13 light tank turret, which articulates up and down along the fold lines and was equipped with a long 75mm gun and an autoloader, on top of an M4.
        –
        Eh, it worked. More reliable chassis than the AMX-13 hull. Much more powerful gun than a 75mm or 76mm armed Sherman.

  2. Time zones mean it is already Christmas eve here with only 4 hours to the 25th.

    Best wishes to everyone.

    In the rare event of someone being in the area we are going with seafood for lunch and my home made fruit cake. There is just over a pint of dark rum and port in it.

  3. 1 – M4A1 FL-10
    2 – Portuguese Navy Cacine-class Save patrol boat
    3 – Portuguese Navy Vasco da Gama frigate
    4 – Beechcraft AT-10 Wichita

  4. Identify the Armor:
    1. M4A4 FL-10
    Identify the Ship:
    2. NRP Save
    3. NRP Vasco da Gama
    Identify the Aircraft:
    4. Beech 26 XAT-10A Wichita

    1. Thank you, LindaG. I hope that you have a wondrous Christmas, surrounded by those you love.

  6. Have a wonderful Christmas everyone as we once again celebrate the coming of our savior, may it be a time of peace and joy with family and friends…and a huge ‘Thank You!’ to our extraordinary host who continues to provide a place of interest to gather and comment. Merry Christmas!
    (Ps. Again, Blog fodder this morning.)

  7. Merry Christmas to all. Our kids, now adults, are here and busy cooking up lots of Christmas goodies. I think we’ll have enough to eat for the next month.

  8. Having grown up 15 minutes from Washington’s Crossing, an area steeped in Colonial history, I enjoyed your more accurate accounting…and EdB’s program with his guest recounting the lead up to that infamous moment in our history. We were taught the Hessians were exhausted and sleeping despite knowing Washington might be on the move but thought no one would do anything on that absolutely frigid night over a frozen Delaware River, one captured in the painting we all are familiar. I never recalled The Delaware freezing during my childhood except during that one cold 70’s Winter. Ed’s guest rightly pointed out those moments of obvious Providence, which were many, including The Crossing night.

    1. I thought it was interesting that the British expected a sneak attack, and when one of Washington’s units gave up position, were found to be a minimal force and the Colonel said “And there it is, nothing more!” or something like that and the rest is history.
      .
      Americans.
      We’ll cross a frozen river.
      In the dead of night.
      On Christmas Day.
      And slit your throats.
      To protect our freedom.
      .
      I formerly thought the attack was on Christmas Eve, but Bill Federer corrected me.:
      George Washington and the Continental Army crossed the icy Delaware River on the night of December 25, 1776, and marched to surprise the Hessian troops in Trenton, New Jersey, launching their successful attack early on December 26, 1776, a pivotal victory in the American Revolution.

      1. A really terrific program Ed…loved how Bill filled in important gaps. Most people believe The Crossing was Christmas Eve, because it sounds better for some treason, but having grown up there we knew it was on Christmas night…easy mistake to make based on how that historical event has always been presented around this time of year. But Christmas…tough enough, yet imagine moving 2400 troops across that spot, not real wide, about 300 yards…at night, trying to be quiet…while freezing…unsure what lay ahead on the other bank.
        Now…Valley Forge…that’s a whole other can of historical worms…especially the iconic ‘Kneeling Washington’ painting depicting (truthfully) a Quaker, Isaac Potts, witnessing Washington kneeling in prayer in the woods during the really harsh 1777-78 winter encampment. Go there (as a PA boy) and one gets the sense how rough it could have been.

        1. ‘treason’ hahah…’reason’. (new word-sub AI bot seems to add/change things in a blink right as you hit ‘post’).

  9. Battle of Trenton; H/T for the history of the Hessians. Still looking at a possible trip to the homeland, but the vibe there just doesn’t set well. Thinking of flying round trip to Warsaw and trope around there and make the tour of anscestral heritage in SE Germany optional.
    –
    The previous V.V. meme ad for democrat Ponga drivers caught my attention. Would like to apply, but my Spanish may not pass and my eyes are not the right color. The interest would be to go in under cover and be able to pirate the craft, sink the cargo, and perhaps the crew would accidently follow to contribute to the ecology of the sea floor. Given my German heritage, a mecenary assignment for the benefit of MAFA, “Amercians First” would be a very appealing avenue of reparation. Although I’ve only manned the helm of a commercial craft for merely minutes, would utility skills and leatherman experience be an asset for procuring one of those cigar boats as booty to convert to an actual Ed B fishing vessel?

    2. At the age of 13, I had the skills to do panga piloting. Wouldn’t be hard to brush up my skills. No need for fancy GPS as I know how to navigate by compass and Loran and charts, if Loran is still a thing. Except I have that wish to not meet Death riding on a Hellfire out in the middle of the ocean. Mayhaps if Congress issues letters of Marque and Reprisal… naw, I’ll leave it to the younger folk.

      1. You’d want to make it clear to all whose side you’re on.
        .
        The utility of the shrapnel sleeve for the AGM-114 (M variant) has received significant field testing lately.

  10. • ★ Merry ★* 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
    •。★ Christmas ★。* 。
    ° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
    ˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
    ˚ ˛ •˛• ˚｜ 田田 ｜門｜ ˚
    * Joy to all! ♫•*¨* Peace on Earth ♪♫•*¨*

  11. Hessians – as you say, they had a great reputation, I doubt the British
    slander. If the Brits were going to complain about results, they should
    have carried their own weight, instead of trying to rent it out.
    *
    Merry Christmas, everybody!
    – Kle.

  12. Early Christmas gift – US issues VISA travel ban on several leaders of the EU censorship movement. Popcorn time…

  17. #4 is a Beechcraft V-tailed Death Machine.

    I learned to fly in a Cessna 140 back in the 70’s. I went for a check out ride in a Beechcraft V-tail. It was a short ride. That plane scared the crap out of me. It was like flying on the edge of a razor blade. The Cessna would almost fly itself. In the Cessna I could be at 6k feet and do a quick push or pull on the stick and let it go. It would oscillate a bit and level out in a strait track. The Beechcraft would try to make a left turn dive towards the ground while in level flight.

  18. A 12 year old me would have loved a Candy and a Sugar Plum showing up for some Christmas Cheer. And a fully loaded handgun. A 20 year old would have loved the same thing. Now? Not so much on the Candy and SP train, but a good handgun, yeah, that would be nice, along with enough ammo to get good with it.

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