Some stupid moron torched Hitler's Eagle's Nest and it is apparently utterly destroyed. For 80 years it has been a popular tourist destination and served as a reminder of Hitler and his Nazi regime and had become a symbol of his defeat. Like, look you evil POS we've turned your mountain retreat into a cafe and is just another tourist spot.

My Uncle Pat was a C-47 pilot during WWII, he participated in the airborne drops on D-Day and Operation Market Garden, plus dozens of other less famous operations. And, he was among a select group of pilots chosen to fly General Eisenhauer and other VIPs around Europe during and after the war. In late 1945 he had the opportunity to visit the Eagle's Nest and posed for a photo near the plague on the wall, it read something to the effect "The People of Germany present this retreat to the fuerher..." My uncle had that photo framed and proudly displayed amongst his memorabilia. When we visited the Eagle's Nest I posed for a photo next to the plague, pointing to it just like my uncle had. If you saw the series Band of Brothers, Easy Company occupied the place in the last episode.

Hitler visited the Eagle's Nest 14 times, hosting Mussolini and other evil POS. Hitler was afraid of heights and very claustrophobic. He only stepped out on the balcony once and the elevator was lined with mirrors to reduce the fear of enclosed spaces. What a wimp, eh!

So now, some moron took it upon himself to destroy this "tribute to Nazism." He's been arrested and should be prosecuted beyond the fullest extent of the law. The Eagle's Nest is (was) not a tribute to Nazism but rather served as a tribute to the defeat of Hitler and his regime. It was located on a peak in the German Alps in Bavaria. Beautiful country.

I saw that. I am really tired of these people who take it upon themselves to destroy/erase history because what happened in the past was bad. Ok, maybe but that building or monument is a reminder that the "bad" was defeated and things have changed. It is a reminder, so people don't forget. If they forget it could happen again, but all they see is an afront to whatever their movement of the day is and should be destroyed.

(10-26-2026 10:11 AM)Austindog Wrote:  I saw that. I am really tired of these people who take it upon themselves to destroy/erase history because what happened in the past was bad. Ok, maybe but that building or monument is a reminder that the "bad" was defeated and things have changed. It is a reminder, so people don't forget. If they forget it could happen again, but all they see is an afront to whatever their movement of the day is and should be destroyed.

And, I just learned, the Eagle's Nest provided direct employment to 40+ locals and indirect employment to small businesses in the nearby town, Berchtesgaden, catering to the tourist trade, this includes local restaurants, hotels, gift shops, etc. Now all those folks' future hangs in limbo.

We spent most of a full day touring Berchtesgaden and it is a wonderful, historic, Bavarian town. They have a unique cemetery tradition, which is also a tourist attraction.

And, I agree with the condemnation of idiots like this arsonist. But, there is some hopeful news. It appears the structure itself might have survived enough that a lot of the original structure can be salvaged and the Eagle's Nest rebuilt. Structural engineers will be doing an in-depth analysis of it this week.

Return of tanks!

Both sides had withdrawn their tanks and other armored vehicles due to drones ruling the battlefield. But yesterday Ukraine took advantage of extremely heavy fog which has socked in a vast area in Donetsk and sent some armor into the fray. A company of the German-built Leopard tanks from the 155th Mechanized Brigade were joined by a platoon of Abrams tanks from the 45th Armored Brigade in an attack along the main highway connecting Pokrovsk and Dopropillia, said highway earning the nickname "the highway of death" given the heavy Russian casualties littering the road. As it happened the Russians had launched a motorcycle attack, numbering about 150 bikes, two Russians on each, and they ran headlong into the Ukrainian tanks on the highway. It was a slaughter. After crushing the Russian bikers, the Ukrainian tanks proceeded into the outskirts of Pokrovsk and destroyed a Russian infantry company as they were about to mount trucks. The Ukrainian tanks shelled some Russian positions, destroying an ammo dump and some equipment, and then withdrew before the Russians could mount a drone attack. Early reports state the Russians suffered 400+ KIA and the loss of 150 motorcycles, 6 trucks destroyed, more damaged, several artillery pieces destroyed, four IFVs destroyed, and the loss of the ammo dump. The Ukrainians had zero casualties, not even any wounded and none of the tanks were hit.

This was a bold strike and worked mostly because of the surprise factor. The Russians simply were not prepared, had no reason to expect an armored assault, and paid the price for it. The fog in the region remains very heavy so other attacks may occur, from both sides.

Egypt is committing some forces in support of Saudi Arabia and Yemen in the fight against the Houthis. The Houthis are trapped between converging forces closing in on them, but they are putting up stiff resistance. The Houthis occupy several towns and mountain villages and are using civilians as "human shields." Trump has stated last week he might send in US forces to fight the Houthis, but so far, the US has not committed any units in this fight. But, in addition to Egypt now the UAE is saying they are about to join the coalition fighting the Houthis, so it is probably good the US stays out of this fight. Let the Arab nations handle this one.

No reason to commit American lives unless the Arab nations can't finish the job. Now, if we can get some targets clear of civilians I wouldn't mind if we offered them some high-altitude bombing support etc.

Putin's "Afrika Corps" has been busy duping young African men to sell their lives to serve his cause. Recently, 2,600 African men, ages as low as 14, arrived in Russia to begin three weeks of "training" and then be sent to Ukraine to be slaughtered. The life expectancy of these Africans after entering Ukraine has averaged 3 days. This is not new as Putin has been duping Africans since 2022 to bolster his depleted ranks. But Putin is still losing as his losses greatly outnumber new recruits. Best estimates place Russian losses at 340,000 since January 1, 2026, 10 months, and recruitment less than 40,000 which is domestic plus foreign recruits. These Africans are promised big payments and coming from poverty-stricken Third World countries it looks promising. The problem is these recruits must serve a minimum of 6 months to even be eligible for payment, and thus far, none have lasted long enough, so their families get zilch from Russia.

These African saps are used as cannon fodder. They are ordered to attack Ukrainian positions, get mowed down by machineguns and artillery and drones, none survive and then the regular Russian units learn where the Ukrainians are located and fire on those positions with artillery and drones. There was an infamous video, shot by a Ukrainian recon drone, of 5 Africans entering a town carrying spears. Yes, spears! They were told they might find rifles left behind by either side, and if they did, use them instead of the spears. None of those 5 lived long enough to find better weapons. After recording the 5 Africans making their way through a bombed-out town Ukrainian drones dropped grenades on them, and that was that.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has benefitted greatly by its foreign volunteers, who are properly trained and armed and not uselessly sacrificed. Most notable of these volunteers are a company of former American army and marine vets and a company of "jungle fighters" from Columbia. Now unified in a brigade called "The Foreign Legion" professional soldiers from many countries, including Europeans, Australians, and Japanese among others, have formed an elite unit included in the elitist of the elites: The 1st Azov Corps. Many sources, military think tanks, have dubbed the 1st Azov Corps the finest fighting unit in the world. It is composed of Ukraine's best, infantry, armor, artillery, and drone operators and leaning on the addition of these highest quality foreign volunteers have molded a corps numbering close to 35,000 soldiers. They have NEVER lost a battle to the Russians, and they have taken on most of Russia's finest units.

Copycats! but, oops! Goofy Russians saw how successful the Ukrainians were using the cover of fog to send in heavy armor. Well, nope. The Ukrainians detected the movement of a column of Russian tanks and IFVs and hit 'em with drones and artillery. Early reports claim all 8 Russian tanks and all 6 IFVs, plus some other vehicles, have either been totally destroyed or damaged and abandoned by the Russian crews, most of whom fled away on foot. Another of the Ukrainian toys is a drone that is sent in, settles on the ground, and places sensors into the ground to detect vibrations, such as from tanks coming down a road. Ukraine had placed one of these on the "highway of death" and it detected the approach of heavy vehicles. The fog is still very heavy, limiting visibility, but the Ukrainians were able to dispatch some recon drones that got just enough video to confirm the approach of the Russian column. Having already zeroed in every yard of this road it was easy for Ukrainian artillery to strike with extreme accuracy, even though you could say they were firing blind. Ukrainian drones then swept in to finish off many of the vehicles and to also chase down and eliminate the fleeing Russian crews.

Also, there is a breaking story of Putin sending in children to fight this war. Some sources claim kids born as recently as 2012 (making them 14) have been conscripted and have been sent to training camps. If this proves to be true...wow.

Ukraine continues to be inventive...because they have to be...and innovative. Their new long-distance drone has been nicknamed "Thor's Hammer" and is the very latest in drone technology, cutting edge. It has both a prop, rear-driven, and a jet propulsion engine with a combat range of over 500 miles, carrying a 110-pound warhead, reaching speeds up to 300mph when the jet is engaged, and a cruising speed, prop, of 120mph. The Russians have designed and manufacture a jet-propelled Shahed drone which has been very effective. But, the Ukrainian "Hammer" uses AI in such a way that at any point during the mission the operator loses contact/control, which can happen due to electronic jamming, the "Hammer" will then act 100% independently, identify a viable target and deliver its warhead. It may not be the original intended target, but it will be something of value to Russia. The technology is getting scary good. Can you say "SkyNet" from the Terminator movies??

And, this tidbit. In a move totally in the opposite direction of technological advancement Ukraine has outfitted two civilian aircraft originally built to transport recreational skydivers, with Gatlin guns and now they go hunting Russian drones. The planes are twin-engine props, both built in the 1960's, and updated and fitted with electronic tracking and night vision capability. The Gatlin gun sits in the doorway where skydivers would depart. Introduced this past August they are credited with shooting down 400+ Russian drones thus far. These are the older, slower Shahed drones, not the jet engine ones which fly too fast for these planes to be effective. But, with these two planes now prowling the sky, and another being outfitted now, that frees up other Ukrainian defense measures to concentrate on the fast jet Shahed drones.

And finally, earlier this week, it is now confirmed, Russia suffered its single worse day for casualties, losing 2,445 KIA, 6,100 wounded, and another 600 taken prisoner. That adds up to total casualties (missing from the ranks) of 9,145 gone in a single day. September was Russia's worst month since the war began in Feb. 2022 with 50,000+ casualties. October may surpass that record number.

Meanwhile, in the Middle East, the Houthis are putting up a good fight. Suffering heavy losses of men and materials, but inflicting losses on the Saudi Arabian and Yemen troops. Egypt has deployed some units, combat engineers and commando troops to Yemen, but they have yet to be engaged in combat.

Speaking of tanks (and other armored vehicles)...

Russia is busy rebuilding its tank, APC, IFV, and mobile artillery fleet. In three locations, Russian factories are building new vehicles. The progress is slow, perhaps a mere 60 new tanks per year, and a similar estimate for the other armored vehicles. But it is happening and Russia is not (and has no intention, apparently), planning to send them to Ukraine. Instead, they seem likely for future armored brigades and new bases and camps being constructed along NATO borders, especially near Finland and Poland. Some pundits say this is a sign Putin/Russia is afraid of a pending war with NATO and NOT a sign Russia is planning an invasion of NATO countries.

The tanks are the T-90M, Russia's best tank. But it is still a much inferior tank to those built in western countries. The design is flawed and can be easily destroyed by drones and smaller weapons, like hand-held rocket launchers. On offense it is a formidable weapon, but it has a "glass jaw."

For all of history, since their invention in China in the 12th century, cannons, artillery, have dominated the battlefield. Napoleon, who was trained artillery officer and engineer, employed artillery to decimate his enemy. His last tactical victory two days before Waterloo occurred at Ligny Creek over the Prussians. There he utterly wiped out the Prussians, inflicting over 17,000 casualties in a few hours, with the use of massed guns. During the American "Civil War" artillery accounted for more battlefield casualties than the rifle did. World War I, World War II, etc. this trend continued and was true right up to the invention of the drone.

Early in this war, 2022 to about 2024 artillery was still the #1 weapon and why Putin resorted to buying inferior North Korean artillery shells to resupply, and Ukraine continually begged for more shells from her allies. Then the UAV, drones, appeared in greater numbers and then artillery batteries, large guns either mounted on a chassis (self-propelled artillery), or towed and needing a large truck, became easy targets to the cheap, highly mobile and sneaky drones. Ukraine still has a large supply of howitzers, withdrawn from the front, including the WWII era American-built M114 115mm howitzer. Yes, this 80-year-old howitzer still works and works extremely well. But its maximum effective range is only about 15km (9+ miles), so it has to be located too close to the front to be of use today.

So, Ukraine has modified the 155mm howitzer. They invented and now manufacture their own version of the howitzer, still 155mm as they have a sizeable stockpile of 155mm shells, but the gun itself, named the Bohdana, can fire rocket-assisted shells extending the range to over 45 miles! And with drones serving as scouts and "spotters" these guns are extremely accurate. Typically, the Ukrainians need fire between 5 and 7 such shells to hit their target. The drones give immediate feedback to the gunners who simply adjust their aim and "walk" the shells onto the target. A Ukrainian colonel who commands the elite 145th artillery brigade calls the Bohdana "a sniper cannon" using limited, and very precise, shots.

The Israelis have again confirmed the presence of Iranian nuke-bomb making equipment, including thousands of centrifuges, located deep inside of Pickaxe Mountain. Apparently, the Pentagon, and then the White House were skeptical to this claim. So, for the past 6+ months the US and our allies, especially the UK and Germany, have used every intelligence-gathering method to try to confirm, or deny, this claim. Well, there seems to be something to this report.

According to a British military think-tank, leaning on all available intelligence, it appears the Iranians have indeed been up to something inside of Pickaxe Mountain. Whether they actually have the means to produce a nuclear weapon now is not clear. But what is 100% clear, they are trying! According to some reports the Iranians have learned a lesson from Trump's 2025 B-2 bombing, noting our bunker-buster bombs have a 60m limit. It appears the Iranians have gone deeper down, beyond 100m, and have established new labs and manufacturing facilities, aided by Russia and China who supplied Iran with replacement equipment and uranium.

So, does this mean the new Iranian facilities are beyond our reach? Well, according to satellite images, there are four entrances, tunnels into the mountain and these can be easily destroyed. But then they can be easily dug out and reopened. Using this deterrent would require constant monitoring and subsequent attacks to close the entrances each time Iran reopened them. Another possible avenue of attack are four vents. We used said vents to attack and destroy Iranian facilities at Fordow. Our first bunker-buster bomb destroys the concrete cap, and the other bombs follow the vent tube down into the facility, kaboom! The Iranians have learned from this too and the new design is said to have several 90 degree turns. The US is developing a new bunker-buster, currently undergoing testing, that is said to be able to reach targets beyond 100m.

What is beyond any doubt spouted by democraps, like Obummer, that Iran only wants nuclear capability for peaceful reasons is total BS. They want nuke weapons.

In the summer of 2022 the Russians advanced up to the Akey River which runs north-south about midway in the Donetsk Oblast. There the Russians stalled as the bridges had been destroyed by the retreating Ukrainians at that time and ever since attempts to cross the river by boat or pontoon bridges by the Russians has been met with devastating artillery and drone attacks. The Akey River has acted as a barrier to both sides and only small commando type raids have been employed. Well, as of last night and early this morning that is no longer true.
Elements of the Ukrainian 3rd Corps, specifically the 77th Infantry Brigade and the 36th Mechanized Brigade, have crossed the Akey River in strength and are, at latest report, pushing east driving retreating Russian units before them. Because the river has served as a natural barrier to both sides the Russians have stripped their defenses on their side and sent those troops elsewhere on the front. Only a small contingent of troops was left by the Russians to guard the river. According to reports, the Ukrainians knew about the removal of Russian troops but are now surprised by how little they left there. Ukrainian combat engineers are building a heavier pontoon bridge that will allow heavier vehicles to cross, and another full brigade, not yet identified, will be sent across the river soon. The most optimistic of the Ukrainian pundits are saying this could lead to the liberation of about 400 square miles encompassing 20+ villages and towns.

And now, the Ukrainians, in the vanguard, have reached a line of defensive works on some hills and are digging in against an expectant Russian counterattack. This could be huge! The Russians have either been bogged down on the front or have been giving ground. Russia is credited with some recent gains south of the "Fortress City Belt" which are four Ukrainian cities heavily fortified and defended. But those Russian gains have been small, measured as about 1 square mile per day, for which they paid a high price in men and materials.

Putin is losing this war.

Ugh! it's not all good news. Guess one can say even a blind squirrel can find a nut once in a while.

Russians were probing a Ukrainian defensive line and stumbled on a weak spot, lightly defended. This happened south of the farming town of Huliaipole, which is southwest of Pokrosvk. Reports say two Russian columns have penetrated up to 15 miles using parallel roads through open farm country. Ukrainian forces are being rallied to counterattack. Now these Russians are stretched out for some 15 miles and their flanks are vulnerable. It is a race to see who can get reinforcements in there first. This is not the first time something like this happened. In fact, it's probably the 30th time or more along the whole 900-mile front. Usually, those advanced Russian units get cutoff and trapped. We'll see how this one plays out.

Late yesterday Ukraine has successfully crossed another river, this one the Siverskyi Donets River. The river, at this point, runs east-west, even though overall it has a north-south path. It's a winding, twisting river. Using the village of Uhern as their launch point, Ukrainian troops crossed the river in at least battalion strength, which for Ukraine usually means about 1,000 soldiers, at full strength. This appears to be preemptive strike as Russia has been stacking units in the area in an expected river crossing. In this area, south of the river is higher ground, so if Ukrainian troops can seize it and hold it this will thwart any attempt by the Orcs to launch an assault across this river. This is just another example of Ukraine outthinking their Russian counterparts.

The Ukrainians continue to be innovative and creative in the use of drones. They say, "Necessity is the mother of invention," well, Ukraine is indeed in need of invention.

Ukraine has built a tank-retriever, a drone, that can remotely hook up to a damaged tank, or other vehicle, and tow it back to safety. This drone was built on a bulldozer chassis. Recently Ukraine used it to retrieve an abandoned Russian T-72 tank. It had a damaged track but was otherwise in great shape. Now Ukraine will repair it, upgrade it, and place Ukrainian markings on it. This retrieval drone can take heavy damage and keep operating and does not risk lives.

There was an isolated, wounded Ukrainian soldier who had been left behind (they thought he was dead) when his unit pulled back. This fellow had a broken leg and was hiding in a trench. Russian soldiers are in the area. A Ukrainian recon drone while scouting the Russians spotted the wounded soldier who motioned to the drone. So, the ever-clever Ukrainians had to invent a way to save this soldier without risking others. Their solution? They took a large "mothership" drone, which is used to fly deep behind enemy lines carrying either bombs or other attack drones. They rigged a sling under it. Then they used a resupply drone to drop the wounded soldier some rigged-up straps and hooks with instructions. When ready the rescue "mothership" drone was sent to the soldier who hooked himself up as instructed. Bingo! it worked! This fellow weighs about 170 lbs or so and the "mothership" drone had no problem lifting him and carrying him back miles to awaiting Ukrainian medics. Remarkable.

Think of the civilian use of this drone and method. Consider lost/injured hikers who are lost out in the wilderness, or injured people stranded after a flood. Lots of rescues can occur without having to use a helicopter.

There are so many things in everyday life that have come from military design and innovation. Some they realize isn't practical at the time for field use, and others we get after they have already used it in the field and are moving on to the next thing.

Democrats have won control of both the Senate and the House tonight. Senate is likely going to be 54-46ish depending on Maine and Alaska. House is going to be far worse.

Places went blue tonight that haven't voted Blue in 100 years. The Texas GOP is losing basically every single Statewide race there is. Greg Abbott has already conceded. Paxton is down by 20 points. Senate Races in Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, and South Carolina all called for Democrats. Trump has effectively conceded defeat.

Closest I can recall to something like this was in 2006 when Bush was caught in an unpopular war. GOP has a major reckoning to do. Texas turning blue is a major problem if it sticks. There is zero path to a GOP White House without Texas. They have about 2 years to figure out what went wrong or they risk losing full control of government in 2028. I don't see this as a "Blue Wave" but an Anti-Trump Wave.

Well...yeah, I agree the largest part of the switch can be attributed to an anti-Trump movement. But, that alone would not have been enough to account for the size of the "blue wave." Additionally, there is the perception of the "unaffordability" of the economy, and some of the races were rooted mostly in local concerns. And yes, there was also voter fraud occurring and some close races were tipped to the dem via that fraud.

As for the anti-Trump factor, well, there has always been a strong anti-Trump sentiment even from some Republicans. But Trump/GOP were able to overcome that as recently as two years ago. Best way to sum it up is it was the "perfect storm" of varying factors that all manifested in this election cycle. Not the least of which is America is simply tired of "the Trump factor." And I don't mean just the dems and TDS sufferers, but even among his supporters who have beaten down by the relentless attacks on Trump and by extension, on them. America LOVES a winner...until that winner starts winning too much and we seek an underdog to root for and support.

Not much changes for the next two months except those Republicans who will be serving in the next Congress will start to distance themselves from Trump and his policies. Don't expect much to happen in the next 60 days. Congress will conveniently take long recesses for the holidays. Then come the new Congress in January the radical dems will immediately start investigations and seek prosecution of Trump, his family, and any other supporters like Elon Musk, etc. As for any policies, well this is the reason many Republicans fought to keep the Senate filibuster and the dems do not have a veto-proof majority in Congress.

(11-04-2026 07:13 AM)Tech80 Wrote:  Well...yeah, I agree the largest part of the switch can be attributed to an anti-Trump movement. But, that alone would not have been enough to account for the size of the "blue wave." Additionally, there is the perception of the "unaffordability" of the economy, and some of the races were rooted mostly in local concerns. And yes, there was also voter fraud occurring and some close races were tipped to the dem via that fraud.

As for the anti-Trump factor, well, there has always been a strong anti-Trump sentiment even from some Republicans. But Trump/GOP were able to overcome that as recently as two years ago. Best way to sum it up is it was the "perfect storm" of varying factors that all manifested in this election cycle. Not the least of which is America is simply tired of "the Trump factor." And I don't mean just the dems and TDS sufferers, but even among his supporters who have beaten down by the relentless attacks on Trump and by extension, on them. America LOVES a winner...until that winner starts winning too much and we seek an underdog to root for and support.

Not much changes for the next two months except those Republicans who will be serving in the next Congress will start to distance themselves from Trump and his policies. Don't expect much to happen in the next 60 days. Congress will conveniently take long recesses for the holidays. Then come the new Congress in January the radical dems will immediately start investigations and seek prosecution of Trump, his family, and any other supporters like Elon Musk, etc. As for any policies, well this is the reason many Republicans fought to keep the Senate filibuster and the dems do not have a veto-proof majority in Congress.

No, but they will have to work together on items that only require a majority vote in the senate. And if Mississippi Turns blue as it appears to be leaning, Just 5 GOP defections would be enough to dump the filibuster.

I know you are a big Trump fan, but he got way too complacent. Believing that his coalition would always support him, without understanding that young people are very fickle and rural conservatives are more anti establishment then anything, and this is an anti establishment election

Lame Duck won't do much, but Thomas Massie is hell bent on retribution, and his target appears to be Pete Hegseth. He may get impeached before house breaks for the holidays.