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MDWFP waterfowl biologists Houston Havens and Darren Hardesty joined the Mississippi Outdoors Podcast during the final weeks of the 2025-26 season to explain what was driving conditions across the Delta. It was a dry year, and these two break down exactly what that meant for bird movement, habitat availability, and hunting pressure on public lands.The conversation covers aerial waterfowl surveys, the freeze-thaw cycle, GPS research on mallards, the 50th anniversary of Mississippi's state duck stamp, and how the flyway connects Mississippi hunters to breeding habitat in Canada. If you hunted this season and wondered why things played out the way they did, this episode has your answers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last time we spoke about General Zhukov's arrival to the Nomohan incident. The Kwantung Army's inexperienced 23rd Division, under General Komatsubara, suffered heavy losses in failed offensives, including Colonel Yamagata's assault and the annihilation of Lieutenant Colonel Azuma's detachment, resulting in around 500 Japanese casualties. Tensions within the Japanese command intensified as Kwantung defied Tokyo's restraint, issuing aggressive orders like 1488 and launching a June 27 air raid on Soviet bases, destroying dozens of aircraft and securing temporary air superiority. This provoked Moscow's fury and rebukes from Emperor Hirohito. On June 1, Georgy Zhukov, a rising Red Army tactician and tank expert, was summoned from Minsk. Arriving June 5, he assessed the 57th Corps as inadequate, relieved Commander Feklenko, and took charge of the redesignated 1st Army Group. Reinforcements included mechanized brigades, tanks, and aircraft. Japanese intelligence misread Soviet supply convoys as retreats, underestimating Zhukov's 12,500 troops against their 15,000. By July, both sides poised for a massive clash, fueled by miscalculations and gekokujo defiance.   #190 Zhukov Unleashes Tanks at Nomohan Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. At 4:00 a.m. on July 1, 15,000 heavily laden Japanese troops began marching to their final assembly and jump-off points. The sun rose at 4:00 a.m. and set at 9:00 p.m. that day, but the Japanese advance went undetected by Soviet/MPR commanders, partly because the June 27 air raid had temporarily cleared Soviet reconnaissance from the skies. On the night of July 1, Komatsubara launched the first phase. The 23rd Division, with the Yasuoka Detachment, converged on Fui Heights, east of the Halha River, about eleven miles north of its confluence with the Holsten. The term "heights" is misleading here; a Japanese infantry colonel described Fui as a "raised pancake" roughly one to one-and-a-half miles across, about thirty to forty feet higher than the surrounding terrain. For reasons not fully explained, the small Soviet force stationed on the heights was withdrawn during the day on July 1, and that night Fui Heights was occupied by Komatsubara's forces almost unopposed. This caused little stir at Zhukov's headquarters. Komatsubara bided his time on July 2.   On the night of July 2–3, the Japanese achieved a brilliant tactical success. A battalion of the 71st Infantry Regiment silently crossed the Halha River on a moonless night and landed unopposed on the west bank opposite Fui Heights. Recent rains had swollen the river to 100–150 yards wide and six feet deep, making crossing difficult for men, horses, or vehicles. Combat engineers swiftly laid a pontoon bridge, completing it by 6:30 a.m. on July 3. The main body of Komatsubara's 71st and 72nd Infantry Regiments (23rd Division) and the 26th Regiment (7th Division) began a slow, arduous crossing. The pontoon bridge, less than eight feet wide, was a bottleneck, allowing only one truck at a time. The attackers could not cross with armored vehicles, but they did bring across their regimental artillery, 18 x 37-mm antitank guns, 12 x 75-mm mountain guns, 8 x 75-mm field guns, and 4 x 120-mm howitzers, disassembled, packed on pack animals, and reassembled on the west bank. The crossing took the entire day, and the Japanese were fortunate to go without interception. The Halha crossing was commanded personally by General Komatsubara and was supported by a small Kwantung Army contingent, including General Yano (deputy chief of staff), Colonel Hattori, and Major Tsuji from the Operations Section. Despite the big air raid having alerted Zhukov, the initial Japanese moves from July 1–3 achieved complete tactical surprise, aided by Tsuji's bold plan. The first indication of the major offensive came when General Yasuoka's tanks attacked predawn on July 3. Yasuoka suspected Soviet troops south of him attempting to retreat across the Halha to the west bank, and he ordered his tanks to attack immediately, with infantry not yet in position. The night's low clouds, no moon, and low visibility—along with a passing thunderstorm lighting the sky—made the scene dramatic. Seventy Japanese tanks roared forward, supported by infantry and artillery, and the Soviet 149th Infantry Regiment found itself overwhelmed. Zhukov, hearing of Yasuoka's assault but unaware that Komatsubara had crossed the Halha, ordered his armor to move northeast to Bain Tsagan to confront the initiative. There, Soviet armor clashed with Japanese forces in a chaotic, largely uncoordinated engagement. The Soviet counterattacks, supported by heavy artillery, halted much of the Japanese momentum, and by late afternoon Japanese infantry had to dig in west of the Halha. The crossing had been accomplished without Soviet reconnaissance detecting it in time, but Zhukov's counterattacks, the limits of Japanese armored mobility across the pontoon, and the heat and exhaustion of the troops constrained the Japanese effort. By the afternoon of July 3, Zhukov's forces were pressing hard, and the Japanese momentum began to stall. Yasuoka's tanks, supported by a lack of infantry and the fatigue and losses suffered by the infantry, could not close the gap to link with Komatsubara's forces. The Type 89 tanks, designed for infantry support, were ill-suited to penetrating Soviet armor, especially when faced with BT-5/BT-7 tanks and strong anti-tank guns. The Type 95 light tanks were faster but lightly armored, and suffered heavily from Soviet fire and air attacks. Infantry on the western bank struggled to catch up with tanks, shot through by Soviet artillery and armor, while the 64th Regiment could not keep pace with the tanks due to the infantry's lack of motorized transport. By late afternoon, Yasuoka's advance stalled far short of the river junction and the Soviet bridge. The infantry dug in to withstand Soviet bombardment, and the Japanese tank regiments withdrew to their jump-off points by nightfall. The Japanese suffered heavy losses in tanks, though some were recovered and repaired; by July 9, KwAHQ decided to withdraw its two tank regiments from the theater. Armor would play no further role in the Nomonhan conflict. The Soviets, by contrast, sustained heavier tank losses but began to replenish with new models. The July offensive, for Kwantung Army, proved a failure. Part of the failure stemmed from a difficult blend of terrain and logistics. Unusually heavy rains in late June had transformed the dirt roads between Hailar and Nomonhan into a mud-filled quagmire. Japanese truck transport, already limited, was so hampered by these conditions that combat effectiveness suffered significantly. Colonel Yamagata's 64th Infantry Regiment, proceeding on foot, could not keep pace with or support General Yasuoka's tanks on July 3–4. Komatsubara's infantry on the west bank of the Halha ran short of ammunition, food, and water. As in the May 28 battle, the main cause of the Kwantung Army's July offensive failure was wholly inadequate military intelligence. Once again, the enemy's strength had been seriously underestimated. Moreover, a troubling realization was dawning at KwAHQ and in the field: the intelligence error was not merely quantitative but qualitative. The Soviets were not only more numerous but also far more potent than anticipated. The attacking Japanese forces initially held a slight numerical edge and enjoyed tactical surprise, but the Red Army fought tenaciously, and the weight of Soviet firepower proved decisive. Japan, hampered by a relative lack of raw materials and industrial capacity, could not match the great powers in the quantitative production of military materiel. Consequently, Japanese military leaders traditionally emphasized the spiritual superiority of Japan's armed forces in doctrine and training, often underestimating the importance of material factors, including firepower. This was especially true of the army that had carried the tactic of the massed bayonet charge into World War II. This "spiritual" combat doctrine arose from necessity; admitting material superiority would have implied defeat. Japan's earlier victories in the Sino-Japanese War, Russo-Japanese War, the Manchurian incident, and the China War, along with legendary medieval victories over the Mongol hordes, seemed to confirm the transcendent importance of fighting spirit. Only within such a doctrine could the Imperial Japanese Army muster inner strength and confidence to face formidable enemies. This was especially evident against Soviet Russia, whose vast geography, population, and resources loomed large. Yet what of its spirit? The Japanese military dismissed Bolshevism as a base, materialist philosophy utterly lacking spiritual power. Consequently, the Red Army was presumed to have low morale and weak fighting effectiveness. Stalin's purges only reinforced this belief. Kwantung Army's recent experiences at Nomonhan undermined this outlook. Among ordinary soldiers and officers alike, from the 23rd Division Staff to KwAHQ—grim questions formed: Had Soviet materiel and firepower proven superior to Japanese fighting spirit? If not, did the enemy possess a fighting spirit comparable to their own? To some in Kwantung Army, these questions were grotesque and almost unthinkable. To others, the implications were too painful to face. Perhaps May and July's combat results were an aberration caused by the 23rd Division's inexperience. Nevertheless, a belief took hold at KwAHQ that this situation required radical rectification. Zhukov's 1st Army Headquarters, evaluating recent events, was not immune to self-criticism and concern for the future. The enemy's success in transporting nearly 10,000 men across the Halha without detection—despite heightened Soviet alert after the June 27 air raid—revealed a level of carelessness and lack of foresight at Zhukov's level. Zhukov, however, did not fully capitalize on Komatsubara's precarious position on July 4–5. Conversely, Zhukov and his troops reacted calmly in the crisis's early hours. Although surprised and outnumbered, Zhukov immediately recognized that "our trump cards were the armored detachments, and we decided to use them immediately." He acted decisively, and the rapid deployment of armor proved pivotal. Some criticized the uncoordinated and clumsy Soviet assault on Komatsubara's infantry on July 3, but the Japanese were only a few hours' march from the river junction and the Soviet bridge. By hurling tanks at Komatsubara's advance with insufficient infantry support, Mikhail Yakovlev (11th Tank Brigade) and A. L. Lesovoi (7th Mechanized Brigade) incurred heavy losses. Nonetheless, they halted the Japanese southward advance, forcing Komatsubara onto the defensive, from which he never regained momentum. Zhukov did not flinch from heavy casualties to achieve his objectives. He later told General Dwight D. Eisenhower that if the enemy faced a minefield, their infantry attacked as if it did not exist, treating personnel mine losses as equal to those that would have occurred if the Germans defended the area with strong troops rather than minefields. Zhukov admitted losing 120 tanks and armored cars that day—a high price, but necessary to avert defeat. Years later, Zhukov defended his Nomonhan tactics, arguing he knew his armor would suffer heavy losses, but that was the only way to prevent the Japanese from seizing the bridge at the river confluence. Had Komatsubara's forces advanced unchecked for another two or three hours, they might have fought through to the Soviet bridge and linked with the Yasuoka detachment, endangering Zhukov's forces. Zhukov credited Yakovlev, Lesovoi, and their men with stabilizing the crisis through timely and self-sacrificing counterattacks. The armored car battalion of the 8th MPR Cavalry Division also distinguished itself in this action. Zhukov and his tankmen learned valuable lessons in those two days of brutal combat. A key takeaway was the successful use of large tank formations as an independent primary attack force, contrary to then-orthodox doctrine, which saw armor mainly as infantry support and favored integrating armor into every infantry regiment rather than maintaining large, autonomous armored units. The German blitzkrieg demonstrations in Poland and Western Europe soon followed, but, until then, few major armies had absorbed the tank-warfare theories championed by Basil Liddell-Hart and Charles de Gaulle. The Soviet high command's leading proponent of large-scale tank warfare had been Marshal Mikhail Tukhachevsky. His execution in 1937 erased those ideas, and the Red Army subsequently disbanded armored divisions and dispersed tanks among infantry, misapplying battlefield lessons from the Spanish Civil War. Yet Zhukov was learning a different lesson on a different battlefield. The open terrain of eastern Mongolia favored tanks, and Zhukov was a rapid learner. The Russians also learned mundane, but crucial, lessons: Japanese infantry bravely clambering onto their vehicles taught Soviet tank crews to lock hatch lids from the inside. The BT-5 and BT-7 tanks were easily set aflame by primitive hand-thrown firebombs, and rear deck ventilation grills and exhaust manifolds were vulnerable and required shielding. Broadly, the battle suggested to future Red Army commander Zhukov that tank and motorized troops, coordinated with air power and mobile artillery, could decisively conduct rapid operations. Zhukov was not the first to envision combining mobile firepower with air and artillery, but he had rare opportunities to apply this formula in crucial tests. The July offensive confirmed to the Soviets that the Nomonhan incident was far from a border skirmish; it signaled intent for further aggression. Moscow's leadership, informed by Richard Sorge's Tokyo network, perceived Japan's renewed effort to draw Germany into an anti-Soviet alliance as a dangerous possibility. Stalin and Vyacheslav Molotov began indicating to Joachim von Ribbentrop and Adolf Hitler that Berlin's stance on the Soviet–Japanese conflict would influence Soviet-German rapprochement considerations. Meanwhile, Moscow decided to reinforce Zhukov. Tens of thousands of troops and machines were ordered to Mongolia, with imports from European Russia. Foreign diplomats traveling the Trans-Siberian Railway reported eastbound trains jammed with personnel and matériel. The buildup faced a major bottleneck at Borzya, the easternmost railhead in the MPR, about 400 miles from the Halha. To prevent a logistics choke, a massive truck transport operation was needed. Thousands of trucks, half-tracks, gun-towing tractors, and other vehicles were organized into a continuous eight-hundred-mile, five-day shuttle run. The Trans-Baikal Military District, under General Shtern, supervised the effort. East of the Halha, many Japanese officers still refused to accept a failure verdict for the July offensive. General Komatsubara did not return to Hailar, instead establishing a temporary divisional HQ at Kanchuerhmiao, where his staff grappled with overcoming Soviet firepower. They concluded that night combat—long a staple of Japanese infantry tactics—could offset Soviet advantages. On July 7 at 9:30 p.m., a thirty-minute Japanese artillery barrage preceded a nighttime assault by elements of the 64th and 72nd Regiments. The Soviet 149th Infantry Regiment and supporting Mongolian cavalry were surprised and forced to fall back toward the Halha before counterattacking. Reinforcements arrived on both sides, and in brutal close-quarters combat the Japanese gained a partial local advantage, but were eventually pushed back; Major I. M. Remizov of the 149th Regiment was killed and later posthumously named a Hero of the Soviet Union. Since late May, Soviet engineers had built at least seven bridges across the Halha and Holsten Rivers to support operations. By July 7–8, Japanese demolition teams destroyed two Soviet bridges. Komatsubara believed that destroying bridges could disrupt Soviet operations east of the Halha and help secure the border. Night attacks continued from July 8 to July 12 against the Soviet perimeter, with Japanese assaults constricting Zhukov's bridgehead while Soviet artillery and counterattacks relentlessly pressed. Casualties mounted on both sides. The Japanese suffered heavy losses but gained some positions; Soviet artillery, supported by motorized infantry and armor, gradually pushed back the attackers. The biggest problem for Japan remained Soviet artillery superiority and the lack of a commensurate counter-battery capability. Japanese infantry had to withdraw to higher ground at night to avoid daytime exposure to artillery and tanks. On the nights of July 11–12, Yamagata's 64th Regiment and elements of Colonel Sakai Mikio's 72nd Regiment attempted a major assault on the Soviet bridgehead. Despite taking heavy casualties, the Japanese managed to push defenders back to the river on occasion, but Soviet counterattacks, supported by tiresome artillery and armor, prevented a decisive breakthrough. Brigade Commander Yakovlev of the 11th Armored, who led several counterattacks, was killed and later honored as a Hero of the Soviet Union; his gun stands today as a monument at the battlefield. The July 11–12 action marked the high-water mark of the Kwantung Army's attempt to expel Soviet/MPR forces east of the Halha. Komatsubara eventually suspended the costly night attacks; by that night, the 64th Regiment had suffered roughly 80–90 killed and about three times that number wounded. The decision proved controversial, with some arguing that he had not realized how close his forces had come to seizing the bridge. Others argued that broader strategic considerations justified the pause. Throughout the Nomonhan fighting, Soviet artillery superiority, both quantitative and qualitative, became painfully evident. The Soviet guns exacted heavy tolls and repeatedly forced Japanese infantry to withdraw from exposed positions. The Japanese artillery, in contrast, could not match the Red Army's scale. By July 25, Kwantung Army ended its artillery attack, a humiliating setback. Tokyo and Hsinking recognized the futility of achieving a decisive military victory at Nomonhan and shifted toward seeking a diplomatic settlement, even if concessions to the Soviet Union and the MPR were necessary. Kwantung Army, however, opposed negotiations, fearing it would echo the "Changkufeng debacle" and be read by enemies as weakness. Tsuji lamented that Kwantung Army's insistence on framing the second phase as a tie—despite heavy Soviet losses, revealed a reluctance to concede any territory. Differences in outlook and policy between AGS and Kwantung Army—and the central army's inability to impose its will on Manchukuo's field forces—became clear. The military establishment buzzed with stories of gekokujo (the superiority of the superior) within Kwantung Army and its relations with the General Staff. To enforce compliance, AGS ordered General Isogai to Tokyo for briefings, and KwAHQ's leadership occasionally distanced itself from AGS. On July 20, Isogai arrived at General Staff Headquarters and was presented with "Essentials for Settlement of the Nomonhan Incident," a formal document outlining a step-by-step plan for Kwantung Army to maintain its defensive position east of the Halha while diplomatic negotiations proceeded. If negotiations failed, Kwantung Army would withdraw to the boundary claimed by the Soviet Union by winter. Isogai, the most restrained member of the Kwantung Army circle, argued against accepting the Essentials, insisting on preserving Kwantung Army's honor and rejecting a unilateral east-bank withdrawal. A tense exchange followed, but General Nakajima ended the dispute by noting that international boundaries cannot be determined by the army alone. Isogai pledged to report the General Staff's views to his commander and take the Essentials back to KwAHQ for study. Technically, the General Staff's Essentials were not orders; in practice, however, they were treated as such. Kwantung Army tended to view them as suggestions and retained discretion in implementation. AGS hoped the Essentials would mollify Kwantung Army's wounded pride. The August 4 decision to create a 6 Army within Kwantung Army, led by General Ogisu Rippei, further complicated the command structure. Komatsubara's 23rd Division and nearby units were attached to the 6 Army, which also took responsibility for defending west-central Manchukuo, including the Nomonhan area. The 6 Army existed largely on paper, essentially a small headquarters to insulate KwAHQ from battlefield realities. AGS sought a more accountable layer of command between KwAHQ and the combat zone, but General Ueda and KwAHQ resented the move and offered little cooperation. In the final weeks before the last battles, General Ogisu and his small staff had limited influence on Nomonhan. Meanwhile, the European crisis over German demands on Poland intensified, moving into a configuration highly favorable to the Soviet Union. By the first week of August, it became evident in the Kremlin that both Anglo-French powers and the Germans were vying to secure an alliance with Moscow. Stalin knew now that he would likely have a free hand in the coming war in the West. At the same time, Richard Sorge, the Soviet master spy in Tokyo, correctly reported that Japan's top political and military leaders sought to prevent the escalation of the Nomonhan incident into an all-out war. These developments gave the cautious Soviet dictator the confidence to commit the Red Army to large-scale combat operations in eastern Mongolia. In early August, Stalin ordered preparations for a major offensive to clear the Nomonhan area of the "Japanese samurai who had violated the territory of the friendly Outer Mongolian people." The buildup of Zhukov's 1st Army Group accelerated still further. Its July strength was augmented by the 57th and 82nd Infantry Divisions, the 6th Tank Brigade, the 212th Airborne Brigade, numerous smaller infantry, armor, and artillery units, and two Mongolian cavalry divisions. Soviet air power in the area was also greatly strengthened. When this buildup was completed by mid-August, Zhukov commanded an infantry force equivalent to four divisions, supported by two cavalry divisions, 216 artillery pieces, 498 armored vehicles, and 581 aircraft. To bring in the supplies necessary for this force to launch an offensive, General Shtern's Trans-Baikal Military District Headquarters amassed a fleet of more than 4,200 vehicles, which trucked in about 55,000 tons of materiel from the distant railway depot at Borzya. The Japanese intelligence network in Outer Mongolia was weak, a problem that went unremedied throughout the Nomonhan incident. This deficiency, coupled with the curtailment of Kwantung Army's transborder air operations, helps explain why the Japanese remained ignorant of the scope of Zhukov's buildup. They were aware that some reinforcements were flowing eastward across the Trans-Siberian Railway toward the MPR but had no idea of the volume. Then, at the end of July, Kwantung Army Intelligence intercepted part of a Soviet telegraph transmission indicating that preparations were under way for some offensive operation in the middle of August. This caused a stir at KwAHQ. Generals Ueda and Yano suspected that the enemy planned to strike across the Halha River. Ueda's initial reaction was to reinforce the 23rd Division at Nomonhan with the rest of the highly regarded 7th Division. However, the 7th Division was Kwantung Army's sole strategic reserve, and the Operations Section was reluctant to commit it to extreme western Manchukuo, fearing mobilization of Soviet forces in the Maritime Province and a possible attack in the east near Changkufeng. The Kwantung Army commander again ignored his own better judgment and accepted the Operations Section's recommendation. The main strength of the 7th Division remained at its base near Tsitsihar, but another infantry regiment, the 28th, was dispatched to the Nomonhan area, as was an infantry battalion from the Mukden Garrison. Earlier, in mid-July, Kwantung Army had sent Komatsubara 1,160 individual replacements to make up for casualties from earlier fighting. All these reinforcements combined, however, did little more than replace losses: as of July 25, 1,400 killed (including 200 officers) and 3,000 wounded. Kwantung Army directed Komatsubara to dig in, construct fortifications, and adopt a defensive posture. Colonel Numazaki, who commanded the 23rd Division's Engineer Regiment, was unhappy with the defensive line he was ordered to fortify and urged a slight pullback to more easily defensible terrain. Komatsubara, however, refused to retreat from ground his men had bled to take. He and his line officers still nourished hope of a revenge offensive. As a result, the Japanese defensive positions proved to be as weak as Numazaki feared. As Zhukov's 1st Army Group prepared to strike, the effective Japanese strength at Nomonhan was less than 1.5 divisions. Major Tsuji and his colleagues in the Operations Section had little confidence in Kwantung Army's own Intelligence Section, which is part of the reason why Tsuji frequently conducted his own reconnaissance missions. Up to this time it was gospel in the Japanese army that the maximum range for large-scale infantry operations was 125–175 miles from a railway; anything beyond 200 miles from a railway was considered logistically impossible. Since Kwantung Army had only 800 trucks available in all of Manchukuo in 1939, the massive Soviet logistical effort involving more than 4,200 trucks was almost unimaginable to the Japanese. Consequently, the Operations Staff believed it had made the correct defensive deployments if a Soviet attack were to occur, which it doubted. If the enemy did strike at Nomonhan, it was believed that it could not marshal enough strength in that remote region to threaten the reinforced 23rd Division. Furthermore, the 7th Division, based at Tsitsihar on a major rail line, could be transported to any trouble spot on the eastern or western frontier in a few days. KwAHQ advised Komatsubara to maintain a defensive posture and prepare to meet a possible enemy attack around August 14 or 15. At this time, Kwantung Army also maintained a secret organization codenamed Unit 731, officially the Epidemic Prevention and Water Purification Department of the Kwantung Army. Unit 731 specialized in biological and chemical warfare, with main facilities and laboratories in Harbin, including a notorious prison-laboratory complex. During the early August lull at Nomonhan, a detachment from Unit 731 infected the Halha River with bacteria of an acute cholera-like strain. There are no reports in Soviet or Japanese accounts that this attempted biological warfare had any effect. In the war's final days, Unit 731 was disbanded, Harbin facilities demolished, and most personnel fled to Japan—but not before they gassed the surviving 150 human subjects and burned their corpses. The unit's commander, Lieutenant General Ishii Shiro, kept his men secret and threatened retaliation against informers. Ishii and his senior colleagues escaped prosecution at the Tokyo War Crimes Trials by trading the results of their experiments to U.S. authorities in exchange for immunity. The Japanese 6th Army exerted some half-hearted effort to construct defensive fortifications, but scarcity of building materials, wood had to be trucked in from far away—helped explain the lack of enthusiasm. More importantly, Japanese doctrine despised static defense and favored offense, so Kwantung Army waited to see how events would unfold. West of the Halha, Zhukov accelerated preparations. Due to tight perimeter security, few Japanese deserters, and a near-absence of civilian presence, Soviet intelligence found it hard to glean depth on Japanese defensive positions. Combat intelligence could only reveal the frontline disposition and closest mortar and artillery emplacements. Aerial reconnaissance showed photographs, but Japanese camouflage and mock-ups limited their usefulness. The new commander of the 149th Mechanized Infantry Regiment personally directed infiltration and intelligence gathering, penetrating Japanese lines on several nights and returning crucial data: Komatsubara's northern and southern flanks were held by Manchukuoan cavalry, and mobile reserves were lacking. With this information, Zhukov crafted a plan of attack. The main Japanese strength was concentrated a few miles east of the Halha, on both banks of the Holsten River. Their infantry lacked mobility and armor, and their flanks were weak. Zhukov decided to split the 1st Army Group into three strike forces: the central force would deliver a frontal assault to pin the main Japanese strength, while the northern and southern forces, carrying the bulk of the armor, would turn the Japanese flanks and drive the enemy into a pocket to be destroyed by the three-pronged effort. The plan depended on tactical surprise and overwhelming force at the points of attack. The offensive was to begin in the latter part of August, pending final approval from Moscow. To ensure tactical surprise, Zhukov and his staff devised an elaborate program of concealment and deception, disinformation. Units and materiel arriving at Tamsag Bulak toward the Halha were moved only at night with lights out. Noting that the Japanese were tapping telephone lines and intercepting radio messages, 1st Army Headquarters sent a series of false messages in an easily decipherable code about defensive preparations and autumn-winter campaigning. Thousands of leaflets titled "What the Infantryman Should Know about Defense" were distributed among troops. About two weeks before the attack, the Soviets brought in sound equipment to simulate tank and aircraft engines and heavy construction noises, staging long, loud performances nightly. At first, the Japanese mistook the sounds for large-scale enemy activity and fired toward the sounds. After a few nights, they realized it was only sound effects, and tried to ignore the "serenade." On the eve of the attack, the actual concentration and staging sounds went largely unnoticed by the Japanese. On August 7–8, Zhukov conducted minor attacks to expand the Halha bridgehead to a depth of two to three miles. These attacks, contained relatively easily by Komatsubara's troops, reinforced Kwantung Army's false sense of confidence. The Japanese military attaché in Moscow misread Soviet press coverage. In early August, the attaché advised that unlike the Changkufeng incident a year earlier, Soviet press was largely ignoring the conflict, implying low morale and a favorable prognosis for the Red Army. Kwantung Army leaders seized on this as confirmation to refrain from any display of restraint or doubt, misplaced confidence. There were, however, portents of danger. Three weeks before the Soviet attack, Colonel Isomura Takesuki, head of Kwantung Army's Intelligence Section, warned of the vulnerability of the 23rd Division's flanks. Tsuji and colleagues dismissed this, and General Kasahara Yukio of AGS also went unheeded. The "desk jockey" General Staff officers commanded little respect at KwAHQ. Around August 10, General Hata Yuzaburo, Komatsubara's successor as chief of the Special Services Agency at Harbin, warned that enemy strength in the Mongolian salient was very great and seriously underestimated at KwAHQ. Yet no decisive action followed before Zhukov's attack. Kwantung Army's inaction and unpreparedness prior to the Soviet offensive appear to reflect faulty intelligence compounded by hubris. But a more nuanced explanation suggests a fatalistic wishful thinking rooted in the Japanese military culture—the belief that their spiritual strength would prevail, leading them to assume enemy strength was not as great as reported, or that victory was inevitable regardless of resources. Meanwhile, in the rational West, the Nazi war machine faced the Polish frontier as Adolf Hitler pressed Stalin for a nonaggression pact. The German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact would neutralize the threat of a two-front war for Germany and clear the way for Hitler's invasion of Poland. If the pact was a green light, it signaled in both directions: it would also neutralize the German threat to Russia and clear the way for Zhukov's offensive at Nomonhan. On August 18–19, Hitler pressed Stalin to receive Ribbentrop in Moscow to seal the pact. Thus, reassured in the West, Stalin dared to act boldly against Japan. Zhukov supervised final preparations for his attack. Zhukov held back forward deployments until the last minute. By August 18, he had only four infantry regiments, a machine gun brigade, and Mongolian cavalry east of the Halha. Operational security was extremely tight: a week before the attack, Soviet radio traffic in the area virtually ceased. Only Zhukov and a few key officers worked on the plan, aided by a single typist. Line officers and service chiefs received information on a need-to-know basis. The date for the attack was shared with unit commanders one to four days in advance, depending on seniority. Noncommissioned officers and ordinary soldiers learned of the offensive one day in advance and received specific orders three hours before the attack.   Heavy rain grounded Japanese aerial reconnaissance from August 17 to midday on the 19th, but on August 19 Captain Oizumi Seisho in a Japanese scout plane observed the massing of Soviet forces near the west bank of the Halha. Enemy armor and troops were advancing toward the river in dispersed formations, with no new bridges but pontoon stocks spotted near the river. Oizumi sent a warning to a frontline unit and rushed back to report. The air group dispatched additional recon planes and discovered that the Japanese garrison on Fui Heights, near the northern end of Komatsubara's line, was being encircled by Soviet armor and mechanized infantry—observed by alarmed Japanese officers on and near the heights. These late discoveries on August 19 were not reported to KwAHQ and had no effect on the 6th Army and the 23rd Division's alertness on the eve of the storm. As is common in militaries, a fatal gap persisted between those gathering intelligence and those in a position to act on it. On the night of August 19–20, under cover of darkness, the bulk of the Soviet 1st Army Group crossed the Halha into the expanded Soviet enclave on the east bank.  I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. By August, European diplomacy left Moscow confident in a foothold against Germany and Britain, while Sorge's intelligence indicated Japan aimed to avoid a full-blown war. Stalin ordered a major offensive to clear Nomonhan, fueling Zhukov's buildup in eastern Mongolia. Kwantung Army, hampered by limited logistics, weak intelligence, and defensive posture, faced mounting pressure. 

On this week's Crewcast, we discuss the DICE Summit, the new Suda51 joint Romeo is a Dead Man, more thoughts on Mewgenics, and indie open world platformer Demon Tides - plus Aerial_Knight joins us to discuss his latest game Dropshot! Romeo is a Dead Man: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3050900/ROMEO_IS_A_DEAD_MAN/ Mewgenics: https://store.steampowered.com/app/686060/Mewgenics/ Demon Tides: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2585890/Demon_Tides/ Big Hops Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vtee39McAtY BrebeMan: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3349980/BrebeMan/ Check out Dropshot on Steam, Epic Games Store, PlayStation, Xbox, and Google Play: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3465190/Aerial_Knights_DropShot/ https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.Aerial_KnightGames.Aerial_KnightsDropshot iTunes Page: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/noclip/id1385062988 RSS Feed: http://noclippodcast.libsyn.com/rss Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5XYk92ubrXpvPVk1lin4VB?si=JRAcPnlvQ0-YJWU9XiW9pg Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/noclippodcast Watch our docs: https://youtube.com/noclipvideo Crewcast channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/noclippodcast Follow our games coverage escapades: https://www.youtube.com/@Noclip2 Learn About Noclip: https://www.noclip.video Become a Patron and get early access to new episodes: https://www.patreon.com/noclip Chapters: 0:00:00 - Intro 0:21:29 - Romeo is a Dead Man 0:38:04 - Mewgenics 1:00:49 - Demon Tides 1:11:25 - BrebeMan 1:15:55 - Lord of the Rings Online Classes 1:24:37 - Danny's Time at the DICE Summit 1:38:06 - Noclip Updates 1:39:24 - Aerial_Knights DropShot Interview

Der Zuger Noe Roth triumphiert an den Olympischen Spielen in Milano Cortina. Der 25-jährige zeigte den «Back-Double-Full-Double-Full-Full» – zwei Rückwärtssalti mit je zwei Schrauben, gefolgt von einem Salto mit einer Schraube – und landete den Sprung souverän. Weiter in der Sendung: · Weniger Geld für Belegärzte im Spital Schwyz · 17-jähriger Ruswiler schloss sich der Waffen-SS an · Diebstahl einer Louis Vitton-Tasche in Cham ZG

The following article of the Infrastructure industry is: “Cablebús: Leading the World in Urban Aerial Mobility” by Konstantinos Panagiotou, CEO, Doppelmayr Mexico (AA2004)

Joyce talks about the Brooklyn Navy Yard terminates it's lease with drone manufacture, Easy Aerial due to it's contract with Israel to provide drones that have been transformed into weapons. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Missed the show? Catch up with the full show podcast with Adam Hawse. Alisa Camplin - Australian Winter Olympic Team Chef de Mission celebrates Australia's historic performance at the Winter Olympics and discusses Danielle Scott’s emotional silver medal win in the Aerials. Paul Gallen - Cronulla Premiership Winner/Member of The Continuous Call Team joins the show to help launch the 2026 NRL Season and share his expectations for the year ahead. Chris Lawrence - Wests Tigers Legend provides a 2026 season preview for the Tigers and discusses the inaugural Wests Ashfield Cross Code Charity Event taking place this weekend. Shane McInnes - Nine Radio Winter Olympics Correspondent provides a final wrap and a look ahead to the closing ceremonies as Australia reflects on its most successful Winter Games in history. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Missed the show? Catch up with the full show podcast with Adam Hawse. Alisa Camplin - Australian Winter Olympic Team Chef de Mission celebrates Australia's historic performance at the Winter Olympics and discusses Danielle Scott’s emotional silver medal win in the Aerials. Paul Gallen - Cronulla Premiership Winner/Member of The Continuous Call Team joins the show to help launch the 2026 NRL Season and share his expectations for the year ahead. Chris Lawrence - Wests Tigers Legend provides a 2026 season preview for the Tigers and discusses the inaugural Wests Ashfield Cross Code Charity Event taking place this weekend. Shane McInnes - Nine Radio Winter Olympics Correspondent provides a final wrap and a look ahead to the closing ceremonies as Australia reflects on its most successful Winter Games in history. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Danielle Scott has won World Cups and medalled at World Championships but was missing one thing - an Olympic medal. In her fourth Winter Games she finally stood on an Olympic podium, adding a sixth medal to an already record-breaking Australian tally. We speak to her former teammate and coach about how hard Danielle has worked and what this might mean for her. Plus there's a new sport at these Games and it's chaotic. Featured: David Morris, Olympic silver medallist. Simon Smale, ABC SPORT. Subscribe to the ABC Sport Newsletter

In this episode, we're talking Counter Uncrewed Aerial Systems or C-UAS. What are they, how does it work and who makes up the team behind it all? InsideAIR's Flt Lt Chris Sully spoke with Sqn Ldr Dan Quayle, the Officer Commanding of Training & Standards at RAF Leeming to find out about their work in the UK and, recently in Belgium and Denmark.

(Feb 16, 2026)

(Feb 16, 2026) The freestyle aerials ski jumping competition kicks off tomorrow in Italy. Many of the athletes were training in Lake Placid last month. We hear what it's like to jump and flip and turn 50 feet in the air. Also: The controversial Tesla factory in Buffalo, the key part of the "Buffalo Billion" economic development project, is finally meeting its job requirements.

Laura Smyth joins Harry for more prolonged low level disruption. This week, we're joined by the Natural History Museum's Proffesor Chris Stringer to learn all about Neanderthals. Laura's tour dates - https://laurasmyth.com/pages/tour-dates "Laura Smyth" by Wikipedia contributors, used under CC BY-SA 4.0. Derived from the Wikipedia article on CMAT. / This work is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is your #BVLOS strategy still "cellular-only"? You might be missing the 70% #ROI shift according to Alastair MacLeod. In the #drone and #AAM industry, "hope" is not a communication strategy. At #AerialCities2025, Thilo Uebbert, Manager of Project and Programme Management at Murzilli Consulting sat down with Ground Control CEO Alastair MacLeod who highlighted one main thing for fleet operators: #Satellite #data costs have plummeted by 70-80% over the last decade, turning #SATCOM from a "luxury backup" into a "primary mission-enabler." According to him, as we look toward 2026, the scaling of #drone delivery and industrial inspection hinges on one thing, surety of #communication. Key discussion points in our exclusive, C-level # interview: Why "RadioShack" terminals are killing your #payload, and why purpose-built PCBA integration is the only way to #scale. Why 5G-Satellite convergence is still 5 years away, and what you should be engineering for today. How the merger of Ground Control and CLS is creating a unified ecosystem for global #UAV tracking and #C2. Are you interested in being at the forefront of drone technology? Sponsor our exclusive, invite-only event Aerial Cities, where industry leaders, government officials, and key players discuss the integration of drones into urban landscapes. Find more information about our sponsorship opportunities on our website: https://aerialcities.dronetalks.online/

‘We don't chase what we would like to do; we chase the combination of what the technology allows and what the regulation enables today." — Glen Lynch, CEO of #Volatus Aerospace. At our annual, invitation-only, C-level event, Aerial Cities 2025 in Dublin, the conversation moved past "#drone hype" into the hard reality of sovereign defense and unit economics. In an exclusive interview with Marta Shavgulidze of ‪@murzilliconsulting‬, Glen Lynch revealed how Volatus is transforming into a cornerstone of #Canada's industrial base. Highlights from the interview: With 75% of every Canadian #defense dollar currently leaving the country, Volatus is "repatriating" spend through its new 200,000 sq. ft. Hub. Mission Volatus has cracked the code on labor costs. By moving from a 2:1 pilot-to-drone ratio to 1:5, they are delivering a staggering 70% reduction in field personnel costs. While Canada is the primary focus, Volatus targeted Africa, SE Asia and USA as critical markets With $10.6M+ quarterly revenue and a $9M #NATO contract on the horizon for Q1 2026, Volatus is proving that "practical visionaries" win the race. Listen the full interview for the definitive 24-month roadmap of Volatus Aerospace. Are you interested in being at the forefront of drone technology? Sponsor our exclusive, invite-only event Aerial Cities, where industry leaders, government officials, and key players discuss the integration of drones into urban landscapes: https://aerialcities.dronetalks.online/

200+ stakeholders consulted, €20M invested, 2,100 municipalities engaged: Europe's #regulators are modernising #airspace one project at a time. At Aerial Cities 2024, leaders from across Europe shared how project-based governance is cutting through complexity and enabling real-world drone and advanced air mobility (#AAM) operations. From Zurich's €4M #Uspace corridor launch to Berlin's certified medical #drone deliveries to Fuerteventura's €20M #stratoport investment, panellists shared concrete examples of how coordinated governance is driving real progress; even in complex environments. Key insights from the panel discussion: ➡️ Cross-sector pilot projects are becoming the new governance framework. Projects, not policies, are driving #integration. ➡️ Communication gaps are still slowing deployment. Regulators and technology leaders must learn to “speak the same language” to #scale. ➡️ Progress is tangible. Europe's regulators are shifting from gatekeepers to enablers and embedding lessons from sandboxes into long-term #frameworks. Moderated by Lorenzo Murzilli (Co-founder & CEO, Murzilli Consulting), this panel featured expert insights from Paul Kennedy (Head of Aviation Infrastructure, Irish Aviation Authority), Marielies Becker (Senior Manager for Innovation Aerospace, Berlin Partner für Wirtschaft und Technologie GmbH), Larissa Haas (UAS Policy Coordinator, Strategy and Innovation Unit, Federal Office of Civil Aviation Switzerland FOCA), Colin Chesterton (Challenge Lead, UK Civil Aviation Authority), and Sergio David Díaz Martínez (Aerospace Engineer, Parque Tecnológico Fuerteventura).

In 1849, the Austrian Navy launched a 6.5-kilometre #BVLOS drone strike using unmanned hot air balloons. It failed; not for lack of ambition, but due to a lack of data and control systems. 175 years later, those same gaps persist. "The biggest business opportunity in drone delivery is data," said Thomas Neubauer, Co-Founder and CEO of Dimetor, at Aerial Cities 2024. In this panel from our C-level, invitation-only event, leaders from across Europe shared how #BVLOS drone operations are technically ready, but still struggling to scale due to fragmented infrastructure, lack of trusted data, and unclear business models. From AI-powered #regulatory platforms to real-time telecom-based risk assessments, the ecosystem is evolving. And yet, success will depend on shared #standards, digital transformation, and cross-sector collaboration. Key insights from the panel discussion: ➡️️ Real-time #infrastructure is now a prerequisite for safe BVLOS #drone operations ➡️ #Regulation is becoming an enabler, not a blocker, when guided by digital tools ➡️ Business models must catch up with #technology to justify scale investments Moderated by Dr. Christoph Selig, Co-Founder and Chief Customer Officer at Unisphere GmbH, the conversation brought together Thomas Neubauer, Co-Founder and CEO of Dimetor; Andrew Carter, Co-Founder and CEO of ResilienX; Thomas Jimenez, Market Director for UAS/AAM at Kongsberg Geospatial; and Giovanni Di Antonio, FRAeS, Director of Technological Innovation at ENAC - Ente Nazionale per l'Aviazione Civile, Italy's Civil Aviation Authority. Listen the full session recap to see how #Europe is turning digital infrastructure, regulatory innovation, and cross-industry collaboration into the foundation for BVLOS at #scale.

“Assuming that if you have one business, you deploy your infrastructure, and if I have another one in the same city, I deploy mine, that is untenable. Scaling fast requires shared infrastructure.” At Aerial Cities 2025 in Dublin, Thomas Jimenez (VP of UAS at uAvionix) spoke with Richard Boden (Acting COO at Murzilli Consulting) about the reality of commercializing the #drone industry. The consensus? We need a "one connected picture" to move past experimental waivers. Key takeaways from the #interview: The shift toward Part 108 and the #ADSP (Automated Data Service Provider) framework is the only viable path to #scalable BVLOS drone #oparations. High-integrity data shouldn't be a solo investment. By partnering with utilities and #airports to host FlightStation sensors, uAvionix provides a "Data Stack" that lets operators focus on missions, not #hardware deployment. The same tech currently powering the FAA's Surface Awareness Initiative (SAI) is being repurposed to give #UAS operators low-latency, aviation-grade situational awareness. Scaling the airspace isn't about flying more drones; it's about the infrastructure that connects them.Listen the full interview to see how uAvionix is building the certifiable future of #AAM.

Full Second Hour of Baskin and Phelps on February 13, 2026

Kyra Dossa joins the show to talk about competing in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.

Emma Weiß ist Profi-Skifahrerin - aber nicht in der alpinen Abfahrt oder mit Langlauf-Skiern, sondern "Freestyle": ein Spektakel bei Olympia. Die Sportlerin aus Albstadt ist erst fast eine Woche nach dem Start der Olympischen Spiele nach Norditalien angereist. Emma Weiß' Spezialität sind die "Aerials", also Saltos und Drehungen in der Luft. Damit ist sie als einzige deutsche Teilnehmerin am Start, wenn am Fastnachtsdienstag in Livigno die Qualifikation beginnt. Im Gespräch mit SWR Aktuell-Moderator Stefan Eich hat sie erklärt, wie spektakulär diese Sportart sein kann.

A (relatively) in-depth analysis of Director's Cut by the English singer-songwriter Kate Bush.Released in 2011, the album consists of new versions of songs from the earlier albums The Sensual World (1989) and The Red Shoes (1993). All tracks have new lead vocals, drums, and instrumentation and are remixed and restructured. Some song were transposed to a lower key to accommodate Bush's lowering voice. Three of the songs, including 'This Woman's Work', have been completely re-recorded, often with lyrics changed in places. Bush described the album as a new project rather than a collection of remixes.It was Bush's first album release since 2005's Aerial and the first on her own record label, Fish People. Bush wrote all of the songs and lyrics with the exception of lines borrowed from James Joyce. The album has received mostly positive critical reviews.I do hope you enjoy this episode.Mathew Woodallhttps://www.facebook.com/share/1F15mx4ea3/https://buymeacoffee.com/lownoiseWhy buy me a coffee?Low Noise is proudly ad-free. If you would like to to say thank you for any of the content you have enjoyed (and help support the continuation of creating more), the above link provides a way to make a small donation of your choice (I also function on coffee!).Feel free to leave a note with your donation to let me know what you enjoy about the podcast or any topics you would like me to discuss in the future.

Sonic Mysteries and Aerial Enigmas - Steve Stockton welcomes Geryl and Jane from Midwest Night Watchers and Chi-Ro Sounds YouTube channels for a discussion of sonic mysteries, aerial enigmas, and more. Channel links: https://www.youtube.com/@MidwestNightWatchersand https://www.youtube.com/@Chi-RhoSoundsBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/missing-persons-mysteries--5624803/support.

Jackie in Kelvedon and Susan in Selsey's nail biting Ten To The Top.

Send us a textPeaches runs a solo Daily Drop Ops Brief and moves fast through recruiting wins, force readiness, and why some headlines deserve side-eye. From the Army smashing recruiting goals and Fort Stewart gunnery training to debates over the Trump-class battleship, carrier flight ops, and Marines earning lifesaving awards off duty, this episode balances news with blunt commentary. Peaches also dives into Air Force leadership travel, the YFQ-48 Alpha designation, Coast Guard infrastructure investments, sanctions enforcement in the Caribbean, and NATO concerns about Russia targeting Starlink with orbital shrapnel. The takeaway stays consistent: communications win wars, space debris kills everyone, and context matters more than vibes.⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00 Ones Ready intro and sponsor plug 01:10 Modern Athlete Strength Systems AFSOC program 03:00 Operator Training Summit 2026 (University of Alabama) 04:45 Why OTS is training, not selection 06:00 Army exceeds FY25 recruiting goals 07:10 Aerial gunnery training at Fort Stewart 07:55 Seize the Marne obstacle course 08:40 Trump-class battleship announcement reaction 10:10 Navy & Coast Guard vertical hoist training 11:00 USS George H.W. Bush flight ops 11:40 Marines receive lifesaving awards 12:40 Shout-out to Major Josh Stevens 14:00 Mortar training at Camp Fuji 15:20 Quantico Marine Band odd timing 16:00 Air Force leadership visits CENTCOM 17:00 YFQ-48 Alpha designation explained 18:00 USAFE & AFAfrica leadership visits 18:40 Coast Guard Buffalo investment 19:10 Station Pascagoula returns to ops 19:40 National Guard support reporting gripe 20:30 Sanctioned tanker seizure in Caribbean 21:10 NATO concerns over Russian anti-sat weapons 22:30 Why space shrapnel is catastrophic 24:00 Final thoughts and wrap-up

For review:1. US President Donald Trump threatened Wednesday that time was running out for Iran, and that the next potential US attack on the Islamic Republic — if Tehran doesn't make a nuclear deal — would be far worse than the June 2025 strikes. 2. The United States announced on Tuesday that it was conducting an aerial military exercise in the Middle East amid ongoing tensions with Iran.3. Iranian officials issued stark warnings Wednesday against any US strike on the country, with a top adviser to Iran's supreme leader threatening that Tehran would attack Israel in any such event with an “unprecedented” retaliation, including “at the heart of Tel Aviv.”4. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeated his assertion that Israel will not allow Gaza's reconstruction before terror groups in the Strip disarm, and said Israel would maintain security control over Gaza and the West Bank, in a wide-ranging press conference on Tuesday evening.5.  Israel is preparing for talks with the Trump administration on a new 10-year security deal. In 2016, the US and Israeli governments signed a memorandum of understanding for the 10 years through September 2028.6. Territorial issues over Donetsk are the remaining item that still require a bridging of views at US-mediated talks to end Russia's war in Ukraine, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday, describing the issue as "a very difficult one."7. Sweden has had very early discussions with France and the United Kingdom about possible nuclear weapons cooperation, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has revealed. No concrete proposals or timelines for any cooperation were outlined, and Kristersson emphasized that talks remain preliminary in early stages. 

Join Nik as he sits down with aerial survey pilot Joe Foster to demystify the world of aerial surveying and explain why this under-the-radar flying job can be an hours booster for aspiring ATP pilots. Joe walks through a typical day in the life of an aerial survey pilot, from in-depth mission planning to precise execution with only 20 feet of horizontal and vertical tolerance. Along the way, Nik and Joe explore how aerial survey flying delivers meaningful, real-world experience, making it an often-overlooked but highly effective resume booster for pilots trying to land that big airline job.  CONNECT WITH US Are you ready to take your preparation to the next level? Don't wait until it's too late. Use the promo code "R4P2025" and save 10% on all our services. Check us out at www.spitfireelite.com! If you want to recommend someone to guest on the show, email Nik at podcast@spitfireelite.com, and if you need a professional pilot resume, go to www.spitfireelite.com/podcast/ for FREE templates! SPONSOR Are you a pilot just coming out of the military and looking for the perfect second home for your family? Look no further! Reach out to Marty and his team by visiting www.tridenthomeloans.com to get the best VA loans available anywhere in the US. Be ready for takeoff anytime with 3D-stretch, stain-repellent, and wrinkle-free aviation uniforms by Flight Uniforms. Just go to www.flightuniform.com and type the code SPITFIREPOD20 to get a special 20% discount on your first order.  #Aviation #AviationCareers #aviationcrew #AviationJobs #AviationLeadership #AviationEducation #AviationOpportunities #AviationPodcast #AirlinePilot #AirlineJobs #AirlineInterviewPrep #flying #flyingtips #PilotDevelopment #PilotFinance #pilotcareer #pilottips #pilotcareertips #PilotExperience #pilotcaptain #PilotTraining #PilotSuccess #pilotpodcast #PilotPreparation #Pilotrecruitment #flightschool #aviationschool #pilotcareer #pilotlife #pilot

Time is currency. And freestyle Olympic skier Quinn Dehlinger cashed in on an opportunity he earned last June. That's when Quinn got a call from his coach that he'd made the 2026 U.S. Winter Olympic Team. Quinn narrowly missed out on qualifying for the 2022 Olympics. Qualifying eight months before the Olympics in Italy was a game changer. "Going into the competitions this year, if I got sick or had a minor injury it lifted a little of the weight off the shoulders," says Quinn. Aerial skiing is a freestyle discipline. Athletes are often compared to acrobats on skis. The team trains year-round at its home base in Park City at the Utah Olympic Park where skiers spend all summer perfecting tricks in a pool. But Quinn grew up in Cincinnati which has become a pipeline for aerial skiers. Four skiers on the Olympic team have ties to the Cincinnati area and they credit the smaller hill for high reps they did on rails and jumps. On this Dying to Ask: The greatest advantage of making the Olympic team so early. How did Cincinnati become a pipeline for Olympic aerial skiers? Why fear is a good thing when you you're an acrobat on skis And what it's like to pursue an Olympic dream when your girlfriend is also an Olympian

Welcome to your weekly UAS News Update. We have three stories for you this week the FAA is adding two new UAS test sites, NOAA is officially using drones for daily weather forecasting operations and SiFly and Taranis are teaming up to scale up aerial crop intelligence. Let's get to it.First up, the FAA has announced it's adding two new UAS Test Sites, which is a huge deal because it's the first time they've expanded the program in almost ten years. The new sites are in partnership with the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and the Indiana Economic Development Corporation. This brings the total number of federal test ranges up to nine, joining the existing sites in Alaska, North Dakota, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Texas, and Virginia. If you aren't familiar, the whole point of these test sites is to create a space for real-world testing to collect the data needed to safely integrate drones into our national airspace.According to the FAA, this is all about advancing Beyond Visual Line of Sight, or BVLOS, operations, as well as things like cargo delivery and managing multiple drone operations at once. The Choctaw Nation site will focus on practical applications like delivery services, infrastructure inspection, and emergency response missions across tribal lands. Meanwhile, the Indiana site will concentrate more on industrial and commercial uses, like cargo logistics, energy infrastructure, and agricultural monitoring. This expansion allows the FAA to gather the data they need to finally build the safety cases and regulations for these advanced operations. Next up, weather drones are officially moving from testing into operational use for US weather forecasting. For decades, forecasters have had a major blind spot in the lower atmosphere, which is where a lot of disruptive weather forms. Now, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, is partnering with a company called Meteomatics to fill that data gap.Meteomatics' autonomous "Meteodrones" will be flying vertical profiles through the atmosphere to measure temperature, humidity, and wind. This data will be fed directly into the National Weather Service's daily forecasting operations. This is a big step up from a research program that started back in 2024 in North Dakota. Now, it's not just research; it's part of the daily toolkit for forecasters. An initial pilot program is already running in Oklahoma through April of 2026, with drones being managed from a remote "Meteobase." Better data at these critical altitudes means more accurate forecasts and more timely warnings.And in our final story this week, two companies are partnering to tackle one of the biggest challenges in agricultural drone use: scale. SiFly, a U.S.-based manufacturer of long-endurance VTOL drones, and Taranis, a leader in AI-powered crop intelligence, have launched a joint Field Validation Program. The goal is to prove out a new operational model for collecting crop data over massive areas. The star of the show here is SiFly's Q12 drone, with a three hour flight time. This improves the efficiency of data collection and makes the data itself more consistent. The flight time introduces a problem though, data management, which is where the Taranis comes in, processing the data in real time. The program will run during the 2026 growing season to validate how this combination of long-endurance flight and AI analysis can make aerial intelligence more scalable and affordable for farmers and agronomists.That's it for this week, we'll see you on Monday for Post Flight, our show where we share our opinions that aren't always suitable for YouTube and for the live! https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sifly-and-taranis-launch-field-validation-program-to-accelerate-aerial-crop-intelligence-at-scale-302666560.htmlhttps://dronelife.com/2026/01/14/faa-adds-two-new-uas-test-sites-to-advance-drone-integration/https://dronedj.com/2026/01/16/meteomatics-meteodrones-noaa-weather-drone/

Charles Lamoureux is a researcher and experiencer focused on the growing global phenomenon of mysterious aerial orbs, questioning whether they are extraterrestrial craft, interdimensional intelligence, advanced surveillance technology, or something entirely unknown. In Are They Extraterrestrial Orbs or What?!?, Lamoureux examines photographic and video evidence, eyewitness accounts, and recurring patterns of orb behavior—such as sudden acceleration, intelligent movement, and interaction with observers. His work challenges conventional UFO classifications and invites audiences to rethink the nature of non-human intelligence, consciousness, and humanity's place within a far more complex universe.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-x-zone-radio-tv-show--1078348/support.Please note that all XZBN radio and/or television shows are Copyright © REL-MAR McConnell Meda Company, Niagara, Ontario, Canada – www.rel-mar.com. For more Episodes of this show and all shows produced, broadcasted and syndicated from REL-MAR McConell Media Company and The 'X' Zone Broadcast Network and the 'X' Zone TV Channell, visit www.xzbn.net. For programming, distribution, and syndication inquiries, email programming@xzbn.net.We are proud to announce the we have launched TWATNews.com, launched in August 2025.TWATNews.com is an independent online news platform dedicated to uncovering the truth about Donald Trump and his ongoing influence in politics, business, and society. Unlike mainstream outlets that often sanitize, soften, or ignore stories that challenge Trump and his allies, TWATNews digs deeper to deliver hard-hitting articles, investigative features, and sharp commentary that mainstream media won't touch.These are stories and articles that you will not read anywhere else.Our mission is simple: to expose corruption, lies, and authoritarian tendencies while giving voice to the perspectives and evidence that are often marginalized or buried by corporate-controlled media

Last time we spoke about the climax of the battle of Lake Khasan. In August, the Lake Khasan region became a tense theater of combat as Soviet and Japanese forces clashed around Changkufeng and Hill 52. The Soviets pushed a multi-front offensive, bolstered by artillery, tanks, and air power, yet the Japanese defenders held firm, aided by engineers, machine guns, and heavy guns. By the ninth and tenth, a stubborn Japanese resilience kept Hill 52 and Changkufeng in Japanese hands, though the price was steep and the field was littered with the costs of battle. Diplomatically, both sides aimed to confine the fighting and avoid a larger war. Negotiations trudged on, culminating in a tentative cease-fire draft for August eleventh: a halt to hostilities, positions to be held as of midnight on the tenth, and the creation of a border-demarcation commission. Moscow pressed for a neutral umpire; Tokyo resisted, accepting a Japanese participant but rejecting a neutral referee. The cease-fire was imperfect, with miscommunications and differing interpretations persisting.    #185 Operation Hainan Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. After what seemed like a lifetime over in the northern border between the USSR and Japan, today we are returning to the Second Sino-Japanese War. Now I thought it might be a bit jarring to dive into it, so let me do a brief summary of where we are at, in the year of 1939. As the calendar turned to 1939, the Second Sino-Japanese War, which had erupted in July 1937 with the Marco Polo Bridge Incident and escalated into full-scale conflict, had evolved into a protracted quagmire for the Empire of Japan. What began as a swift campaign to subjugate the Republic of China under Chiang Kai-shek had, by the close of 1938, transformed into a war of attrition. Japanese forces, under the command of generals like Shunroku Hata and Yasuji Okamura, had achieved stunning territorial gains: the fall of Shanghai in November 1937 after a brutal three-month battle that cost over 200,000 Chinese lives; the infamous capture of Nanjing in December 1937, marked by the Nanjing Massacre where an estimated 300,000 civilians and disarmed soldiers were killed in a six-week orgy of violence; and the sequential occupations of Xuzhou in May 1938, Wuhan in October 1938, and Guangzhou that same month.  These victories secured Japan's control over China's eastern seaboard, major riverine arteries like the Yangtze, and key industrial centers, effectively stripping the Nationalists of much of their economic base. Yet, despite these advances, China refused to capitulate. Chiang's government had retreated inland to the mountainous stronghold of Chongqing in Sichuan province, where it regrouped amid the fog-laden gorges, drawing on the vast human reserves of China's interior and the resilient spirit of its people. By late 1938, Japanese casualties had mounted to approximately 50,000 killed and 200,000 wounded annually, straining the Imperial Japanese Army's resources and exposing the vulnerabilities of overextended supply lines deep into hostile territory. In Tokyo, the corridors of the Imperial General Headquarters and the Army Ministry buzzed with urgent deliberations during the winter of 1938-1939. The initial doctrine of "quick victory" through decisive battles, epitomized by the massive offensives of 1937 and 1938, had proven illusory. Japan's military planners, influenced by the Kwantung Army's experiences in Manchuria and the ongoing stalemate, recognized that China's sheer size, with its 4 million square miles and over 400 million inhabitants, rendered total conquest unfeasible without unacceptable costs. Intelligence reports highlighted the persistence of Chinese guerrilla warfare, particularly in the north where Communist forces under Mao Zedong's Eighth Route Army conducted hit-and-run operations from bases in Shanxi and Shaanxi, sabotaging railways and ambushing convoys. The Japanese response included brutal pacification campaigns, such as the early iterations of what would later formalize as the "Three Alls Policy" (kill all, burn all, loot all), aimed at devastating rural economies and isolating resistance pockets. But these measures only fueled further defiance. By early 1939, a strategic pivot was formalized: away from direct annihilation of Chinese armies toward a policy of economic strangulation. This "blockade and interdiction" approach sought to sever China's lifelines to external aid, choking off the flow of weapons, fuel, and materiel that sustained the Nationalist war effort. As one Japanese staff officer noted in internal memos, the goal was to "starve the dragon in its lair," acknowledging the limits of Japanese manpower, total forces in China numbered around 1 million by 1939, against China's inexhaustible reserves. Central to this new strategy were the three primary overland supply corridors that had emerged as China's backdoors to the world, compensating for the Japanese naval blockade that had sealed off most coastal ports since late 1937. The first and most iconic was the Burma Road, a 717-mile engineering marvel hastily constructed between 1937 and 1938 by over 200,000 Chinese and Burmese laborers under the direction of engineers like Chih-Ping Chen. Stretching from the railhead at Lashio in British Burma (modern Myanmar) through treacherous mountain passes and dense jungles to Kunming in Yunnan province, the road navigated elevations up to 7,000 feet with hundreds of hairpin turns and precarious bridges. By early 1939, it was operational, albeit plagued by monsoonal mudslides, banditry, and mechanical breakdowns of the imported trucks, many Ford and Chevrolet models supplied via British Rangoon. Despite these challenges, it funneled an increasing volume of aid: in 1939 alone, estimates suggest up to 10,000 tons per month of munitions, gasoline, and aircraft parts from Allied sources, including early Lend-Lease precursors from the United States. The road's completion in 1938 had been a direct response to the loss of southern ports, and its vulnerability to aerial interdiction made it a prime target in Japanese planning documents. The second lifeline was the Indochina route, centered on the French-built Yunnan-Vietnam Railway (also known as the Hanoi-Kunming Railway), a 465-mile narrow-gauge line completed in 1910 that linked the port of Haiphong in French Indochina to Kunming via Hanoi and Lao Cai. This colonial artery, supplemented by parallel roads and river transport along the Red River, became China's most efficient supply conduit in 1938-1939, exploiting France's uneasy neutrality. French authorities, under Governor-General Pierre Pasquier and later Georges Catroux, turned a blind eye to transshipments, allowing an average of 15,000 to 20,000 tons monthly in early 1939, far surpassing the Burma Road's initial capacity. Cargoes included Soviet arms rerouted via Vladivostok and American oil, with French complicity driven by anti-Japanese sentiment and profitable tolls. However, Japanese reconnaissance flights from bases in Guangdong noted the vulnerability of bridges and rail yards, leading to initial bombing raids by mid-1939. Diplomatic pressure mounted, with Tokyo issuing protests to Paris, foreshadowing the 1940 closure under Vichy France after the fall of France in Europe. The route's proximity to the South China Sea made it a focal point for Japanese naval strategists, who viewed it as a "leak in the blockade." The third corridor, often overlooked but critical, was the Northwest Highway through Soviet Central Asia and Xinjiang province. This overland network, upgraded between 1937 and 1941 with Soviet assistance, connected the Turkestan-Siberian Railway at Almaty (then Alma-Ata) to Lanzhou in Gansu via Urumqi, utilizing a mix of trucks, camel caravans, and rudimentary roads across the Gobi Desert and Tian Shan mountains. Under the Sino-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact of August 1937 and subsequent aid agreements, Moscow supplied China with over 900 aircraft, 82 tanks, 1,300 artillery pieces, and vast quantities of ammunition and fuel between 1937 and 1941—much of it traversing this route. In 1938-1939, volumes peaked, with Soviet pilots and advisors even establishing air bases in Lanzhou. The highway's construction involved tens of thousands of Chinese laborers, facing harsh winters and logistical hurdles, but it delivered up to 2,000 tons monthly, including entire fighter squadrons like the Polikarpov I-16. Japanese intelligence, aware of this "Red lifeline," planned disruptions but were constrained by the ongoing Nomonhan Incident on the Manchurian-Soviet border in 1939, which diverted resources and highlighted the risks of provoking Moscow. These routes collectively sustained China's resistance, prompting Japan's high command to prioritize their severance. In March 1939, the South China Area Army was established under General Rikichi Andō (later succeeded by Field Marshal Hisaichi Terauchi), headquartered in Guangzhou, with explicit orders to disrupt southern communications. Aerial campaigns intensified, with Mitsubishi G3M "Nell" bombers from Wuhan and Guangzhou targeting Kunming's airfields and the Red River bridges, while diplomatic maneuvers pressured colonial powers: Britain faced demands during the June 1939 Tientsin Crisis to close the Burma Road, and France received ultimatums that culminated in the 1940 occupation of northern Indochina. Yet, direct assaults on Yunnan or Guangxi were deemed too arduous due to rugged terrain and disease risks. Instead, planners eyed peripheral objectives to encircle these arteries. This strategic calculus set the stage for the invasion of Hainan Island, a 13,000-square-mile landmass off Guangdong's southern coast, rich in iron and copper but strategically priceless for its position astride the Indochina route and proximity to Hong Kong. By February 1939, Japanese admirals like Nobutake Kondō of the 5th Fleet advocated seizure to establish air and naval bases, plugging blockade gaps and enabling raids on Haiphong and Kunming, a prelude to broader southern expansion that would echo into the Pacific War. Now after the fall campaign around Canton in autumn 1938, the Japanese 21st Army found itself embedded in a relentless effort to sever the enemy's lifelines. Its primary objective shifted from mere battlefield engagements to tightening the choke points of enemy supply, especially along the Canton–Hankou railway. Recognizing that war materiel continued to flow into the enemy's hands, the Imperial General Headquarters ordered the 21st Army to strike at every other supply route, one by one, until the arteries of logistics were stifled. The 21st Army undertook a series of decisive occupations to disrupt transport and provisioning from multiple directions. To sustain these difficult campaigns, Imperial General Headquarters reinforced the south China command, enabling greater operational depth and endurance. The 21st Army benefited from a series of reinforcements during 1939, which allowed a reorganization of assignments and missions: In late January, the Iida Detachment was reorganized into the Formosa Mixed Brigade and took part in the invasion of Hainan Island.  Hainan, just 15 miles across the Qiongzhou Strait from the mainland, represented a critical "loophole": it lay astride the Gulf of Tonkin, enabling smuggling of arms and materiel from Haiphong to Kunming, and offered potential airfields for bombing raids deep into Yunnan. Japanese interest in Hainan dated to the 1920s, driven by the Taiwan Governor-General's Office, which eyed the island's tropical resources (rubber, iron, copper) and naval potential at ports like Sanya (Samah). Prewar surveys by Japanese firms, such as those documented in Ide Kiwata's Minami Shina no Sangyō to Keizai (1939), highlighted mineral wealth and strategic harbors. The fall of Guangzhou in October 1938 provided the perfect launchpad, but direct invasion was delayed until early 1939 amid debates between the IJA (favoring mainland advances) and IJN (prioritizing naval encirclement). The operation would also heavily align with broader "southward advance" (Nanshin-ron) doctrine foreshadowing invasions of French Indochina (1940) and the Pacific War. On the Chinese side, Hainan was lightly defended as part of Guangdong's "peace preservation" under General Yu Hanmou. Two security regiments, six guard battalions, and a self-defense corps, totaling around 7,000–10,000 poorly equipped troops guarded the island, supplemented by roughly 300 Communist guerrillas under Feng Baiju, who operated independently in the interior. The indigenous Li (Hlai) people in the mountainous south, alienated by Nationalist taxes, provided uneven support but later allied with Communists. The Imperial General Headquarters ordered the 21st Army, in cooperation with the Navy, to occupy and hold strategic points on the island near Haikou-Shih. The 21st Army commander assigned the Formosa Mixed Brigade to carry out this mission. Planning began in late 1938 under the IJN's Fifth Fleet, with IJA support from the 21st Army. The objective: secure northern and southern landing sites to bisect the island, establish air/naval bases, and exploit resources. Vice Admiral Nobutake Kondō, commanding the fleet, emphasized surprise and air superiority. The invasion began under the cover of darkness on February 9, 1939, when Kondō's convoy entered Tsinghai Bay on the northern shore of Hainan and anchored at midnight. Japanese troops swiftly disembarked, encountering minimal initial resistance from the surprised Chinese defenders, and secured a beachhead in the northern zone. At 0300 hours on 10 February, the Formosa Mixed Brigade, operating in close cooperation with naval units, executed a surprise landing at the northeastern point of Tengmai Bay in north Hainan. By 04:30, the right flank reached the main road leading to Fengyingshih, while the left flank reached a position two kilometers south of Tienwei. By 07:00, the right flank unit had overcome light enemy resistance near Yehli and occupied Chiungshan. At that moment there were approximately 1,000 elements of the enemy's 5th Infantry Brigade (militia) at Chiungshan; about half of these troops were destroyed, and the remainder fled into the hills south of Tengmai in a state of disarray. Around 08:30 that same day, the left flank unit advanced to the vicinity of Shuchang and seized Hsiuying Heights. By 12:00, it occupied Haikou, the island's northern port city and administrative center, beginning around noon. Army and navy forces coordinated to mop up remaining pockets of resistance in the northern areas, overwhelming the scattered Chinese security units through superior firepower and organization. No large-scale battles are recorded in primary accounts; instead, the engagements were characterized by rapid advances and localized skirmishes, as the Chinese forces, lacking heavy artillery or air support, could not mount a sustained defense. By the end of the day, Japanese control over the north was consolidating, with Haikou falling under their occupation.Also on 10 February, the Brigade pushed forward to seize Cingang. Wenchang would be taken on the 22nd, followed by Chinglan Port on the 23rd. On February 11, the operation expanded southward when land combat units amphibiously assaulted Samah (now Sanya) at the island's southern tip. This landing allowed them to quickly seize key positions, including the port of Yulin (Yulinkang) and the town of Yai-Hsien (Yaxian, now part of Sanya). With these southern footholds secured, Japanese forces fanned out to subjugate the rest of the island, capturing inland areas and infrastructure with little organized opposition. Meanwhile, the landing party of the South China Navy Expeditionary Force, which had joined with the Army to secure Haikou, began landing on the island's southern shore at dawn on 14 February. They operated under the protection of naval and air units. By the same morning, the landing force had advanced to Sa-Riya and, by 12:00 hours, had captured Yulin Port. Chinese casualties were significant in the brief fighting; from January to May 1939, reports indicate the 11th security regiment alone suffered 8 officers and 162 soldiers killed, 3 officers and 16 wounded, and 5 officers and 68 missing, though figures for other units are unclear. Japanese losses were not publicly detailed but appear to have been light.  When crisis pressed upon them, Nationalist forces withdrew from coastal Haikou, shepherding the last civilians toward the sheltering embrace of the Wuzhi mountain range that bands the central spine of Hainan. From that high ground they sought to endure the storm, praying that the rugged hills might shield their families from the reach of war. Yet the Li country's mountains did not deliver a sanctuary free of conflict. Later in August of 1943, an uprising erupted among the Li,Wang Guoxing, a figure of local authority and stubborn resolve. His rebellion was swiftly crushed; in reprisal, the Nationalists executed a seizure of vengeance that extended far beyond the moment of defeat, claiming seven thousand members of Wang Guoxing's kin in his village. The episode was grim testimony to the brutal calculus of war, where retaliation and fear indelibly etched the landscape of family histories. Against this backdrop, the Communists under Feng Baiju and the native Li communities forged a vigorous guerrilla war against the occupiers. The struggle was not confined to partisan skirmishes alone; it unfolded as a broader contest of survival and resistance. The Japanese response was relentless and punitive, and it fell upon Li communities in western Hainan with particular ferocity, Sanya and Danzhou bore the brunt of violence, as did the many foreign laborers conscripted into service by the occupying power. The toll of these reprisals was stark: among hundreds of thousands of slave laborers pressed into service, tens of thousands perished. Of the 100,000 laborers drawn from Hong Kong, only about 20,000 survived the war's trials, a haunting reminder of the human cost embedded in the occupation. Strategically, the island of Hainan took on a new if coercive purpose. Portions of the island were designated as a naval administrative district, with the Hainan Guard District Headquarters established at Samah, signaling its role as a forward air base and as an operational flank for broader anti-Chiang Kai-shek efforts. In parallel, the island's rich iron and copper resources were exploited to sustain the war economy of the occupiers. The control of certain areas on Hainan provided a base of operations for incursions into Guangdong and French Indochina, while the airbases that dotted the island enabled long-range air raids that threaded routes from French Indochina and Burma into the heart of China. The island thus assumed a grim dual character: a frontier fortress for the occupiers and a ground for the prolonged suffering of its inhabitants. Hainan then served as a launchpad for later incursions into Guangdong and Indochina. Meanwhile after Wuhan's collapse, the Nationalist government's frontline strength remained formidable, even as attrition gnawed at its edges. By the winter of 1938–1939, the front line had swelled to 261 divisions of infantry and cavalry, complemented by 50 independent brigades. Yet the political and military fissures within the Kuomintang suggested fragility beneath the apparent depth of manpower. The most conspicuous rupture came with Wang Jingwei's defection, the vice president and chairman of the National Political Council, who fled to Hanoi on December 18, 1938, leading a procession of more than ten other KMT officials, including Chen Gongbo, Zhou Fohai, Chu Minqi, and Zeng Zhongming. In the harsh arithmetic of war, defections could not erase the country's common resolve to resist Japanese aggression, and the anti-Japanese national united front still served as a powerful instrument, rallying the Chinese populace to "face the national crisis together." Amid this political drama, Japan's strategy moved into a phase that sought to convert battlefield endurance into political consolidation. As early as January 11, 1938, Tokyo had convened an Imperial Conference and issued a framework for handling the China Incident that would shape the theater for years. The "Outline of Army Operations Guidance" and "Continental Order No. 241" designated the occupied territories as strategic assets to be held with minimal expansion beyond essential needs. The instruction mapped an operational zone that compressed action to a corridor between Anqing, Xinyang, Yuezhou, and Nanchang, while the broader line of occupation east of a line tracing West Sunit, Baotou, and the major river basins would be treated as pacified space. This was a doctrine of attrition, patience, and selective pressure—enough to hold ground, deny resources to the Chinese, and await a more opportune political rupture. Yet even as Japan sought political attrition, the war's tactical center of gravity drifted toward consolidation around Wuhan and the pathways that fed the Yangtze. In October 1938, after reducing Wuhan to a fortressed crescent of contested ground, the Japanese General Headquarters acknowledged the imperative to adapt to a protracted war. The new calculus prioritized political strategy alongside military operations: "We should attach importance to the offensive of political strategy, cultivate and strengthen the new regime, and make the National Government decline, which will be effective." If the National Government trembled under coercive pressure, it risked collapse, and if not immediately, then gradually through a staged series of operations. In practice, this meant reinforcing a centralized center while allowing peripheral fronts to be leveraged against Chongqing's grip on the war's moral economy. In the immediate post-Wuhan period, Japan divided its responsibilities and aimed at a standoff that would enable future offensives. The 11th Army Group, stationed in the Wuhan theater, became the spearhead of field attacks on China's interior, occupying a strategic triangle that included Hunan, Jiangxi, and Guangxi, and protecting the rear of southwest China's line of defense. The central objective was not merely to seize territory, but to deny Chinese forces the capacity to maneuver along the critical rail and river corridors that fed the Nanjing–Jiujiang line and the Zhejiang–Jiangxi Railway. Central to this plan was Wuhan's security and the ability to constrain Jiujiang's access to the Yangtze, preserving a corridor for air power and logistics. The pre-war arrangement in early 1939 was a tableau of layered defenses and multiple war zones, designed to anticipate and blunt Japanese maneuver. By February 1939, the Ninth War Zone under Xue Yue stood in a tense standoff with the Japanese 11th Army along the Jiangxi and Hubei front south of the Yangtze. The Ninth War Zone's order of battle, Luo Zhuoying's 19th Army Group defending the northern Nanchang front, Wang Lingji's 30th Army Group near Wuning, Fan Songfu's 8th and 73rd Armies along Henglu, Tang Enbo's 31st Army Group guarding southern Hubei and northern Hunan, and Lu Han's 1st Army Group in reserve near Changsha and Liuyang, was a carefully calibrated attempt to absorb, delay, and disrupt any Xiushui major Japanese thrust toward Nanchang, a city whose strategic significance stretched beyond its own bounds. In the spring of 1939, Nanchang was the one city in southern China that Tokyo could not leave in Chinese hands. It was not simply another provincial capital; it was the beating heart of whatever remained of China's war effort south of the Yangtze, and the Japanese knew it. High above the Gan River, on the flat plains west of Poyang Lake, lay three of the finest airfields China had ever built: Qingyunpu, Daxiaochang, and Xiangtang. Constructed only a few years earlier with Soviet engineers and American loans, they were long, hard-surfaced, and ringed with hangars and fuel dumps. Here the Chinese Air Force had pulled back after the fall of Wuhan, and here the red-starred fighters and bombers of the Soviet volunteer groups still flew. From Nanchang's runways a determined pilot could reach Japanese-held Wuhan in twenty minutes, Guangzhou in less than an hour, and even strike the docks at Hong Kong if he pushed his range. Every week Japanese reconnaissance planes returned with photographs of fresh craters patched, new aircraft parked wing-to-wing, and Soviet pilots sunning themselves beside their I-16s. As long as those fields remained Chinese, Japan could never claim the sky. The city was more than airfields. It sat exactly where the Zhejiang–Jiangxi Railway met the line running north to Jiujiang and the Yangtze, a knot that tied together three provinces. Barges crowded Poyang Lake's western shore, unloading crates of Soviet ammunition and aviation fuel that had come up the river from the Indochina railway. Warehouses along the tracks bulged with shells and rice. To the Japanese staff officers plotting in Wuhan and Guangzhou, Nanchang looked less like a city and more like a loaded spring: if Chiang Kai-shek ever found the strength for a counteroffensive to retake the middle Yangtze, this would be the place from which it would leap. And so, in the cold March of 1939, the Imperial General Headquarters marked Nanchang in red on every map and gave General Okamura the order he had been waiting for: take it, whatever the cost. Capturing the city would do three things at once. It would blind the Chinese Air Force in the south by seizing or destroying the only bases from which it could still seriously operate. It would tear a hole in the last east–west rail line still feeding Free China. And it would shove the Nationalist armies another two hundred kilometers farther into the interior, buying Japan precious time to digest its earlier conquests and tighten the blockade. Above all, Nanchang was the final piece in a great aerial ring Japan was closing around southern China. Hainan had fallen in February, giving the navy its southern airfields. Wuhan and Guangzhou already belonged to the army. Once Nanchang was taken, Japanese aircraft would sit on a continuous arc of bases from the tropical beaches of the South China Sea to the banks of the Yangtze, and nothing (neither the Burma Road convoys nor the French railway from Hanoi) would move without their permission. Chiang Kai-shek's decision to strike first in the Nanchang region in March 1939 reflected both urgency and a desire to seize initiative before Japanese modernization of the battlefield could fully consolidate. On March 8, Chiang directed Xue Yue to prepare a preemptive attack intended to seize the offensive by March 15, focusing the Ninth War Zone's efforts on preventing a river-crossing assault and pinning Japanese forces in place. The plan called for a sequence of coordinated actions: the 19th Army Group to hold the northern front of Nanchang; the Hunan-Hubei-Jiangxi Border Advance Army (the 8th and 73rd Armies) to strike the enemy's left flank from Wuning toward De'an and Ruichang; the 30th and 27th Army Groups to consolidate near Wuning; and the 1st Army Group to push toward Xiushui and Sandu, opening routes for subsequent operations. Yet even as Xue Yue pressed for action, the weather of logistics and training reminded observers that no victory could be taken for granted. By March 9–10, Xue Yue warned Chiang that troops were not adequately trained, supplies were scarce, and preparations were insufficient, requesting a postponement to March 24. Chiang's reply was resolute: the attack must commence no later than the 24th, for the aim was preemption and the desire to tether the enemy's forces before they could consolidate. When the moment of decision arrived, the Chinese army began to tense, and the Japanese, no strangers to rapid shifts in tempo—moved to exploit any hesitation or fog of mobilization. The Ninth War Zone's response crystallized into a defensive posture as the Japanese pressed forward, marking a transition from preemption to standoff as both sides tested the limits of resilience. The Japanese plan for what would become known as Operation Ren, aimed at severing the Zhejiang–Jiangxi Railway, breaking the enemy's line of communication, and isolating Nanchang, reflected a calculated synthesis of air power, armored mobility, and canalized ground offensives. On February 6, 1939, the Central China Expeditionary Army issued a set of precise directives: capture Nanchang to cut the Zhejiang–Jiangxi Railway and disrupt the southern reach of Anhui and Zhejiang provinces; seize Nanchang along the Nanchang–Xunyi axis to split enemy lines and "crush" Chinese resistance south of that zone; secure rear lines immediately after the city's fall; coordinate with naval air support to threaten Chinese logistics and airfields beyond the rear lines. The plan anticipated contingencies by pre-positioning heavy artillery and tanks in formations that could strike with speed and depth, a tactical evolution from previous frontal assaults. Okamura Yasuji, commander of the 11th Army, undertook a comprehensive program of reconnaissance, refining the assault plan with a renewed emphasis on speed and surprise. Aerial reconnaissance underlined the terrain, fortifications, and the disposition of Chinese forces, informing the selection of the Xiushui River crossing and the route of the main axis of attack. Okamura's decision to reorganize artillery and armor into concentrated tank groups, flanked by air support and advanced by long-range maneuver, marked a departure from the earlier method of distributing heavy weapons along the infantry front. Sumita Laishiro commanded the 6th Field Heavy Artillery Brigade, with more than 300 artillery pieces, while Hirokichi Ishii directed a force of 135 tanks and armored vehicles. This blended arms approach promised a breakthrough that would outpace the Chinese defenders and open routes for the main force. By mid-February 1939, Japanese preparations had taken on a high tempo. The 101st and 106th Divisions, along with attached artillery, assembled south of De'an, while tank contingents gathered north of De'an. The 6th Division began moving toward Ruoxi and Wuning, the Inoue Detachment took aim at the waterways of Poyang Lake, and the 16th and 9th Divisions conducted feints on the Han River's left bank. The orchestration of these movements—feints, riverine actions, and armored flanking, was designed to reduce the Chinese capacity to concentrate forces around Nanchang and to force the defenders into a less secure posture along the Nanchang–Jiujiang axis. Japan's southward strategy reframed the war: no longer a sprint to reduce Chinese forces in open fields, but a patient siege of lifelines, railways, and airbases. Hainan's seizure, the control of Nanchang's airfields, and the disruption of the Zhejiang–Jiangxi Railway exemplified a shift from large-scale battles to coercive pressure that sought to cripple Nationalist mobilization and erode Chongqing's capacity to sustain resistance. For China, the spring of 1939 underscored resilience amid mounting attrition. Chiang Kai-shek's insistence on offensive means to seize the initiative demonstrated strategic audacity, even as shortages and uneven training slowed tempo. The Ninth War Zone's defense, bolstered by makeshift airpower from Soviet and Allied lendings, kept open critical corridors and delayed Japan's consolidation. The war's human cost—massive casualties, forced labor, and the Li uprising on Hainan—illuminates the brutality that fueled both sides' resolve. In retrospect, the period around Canton, Wuhan, and Nanchang crystallizes a grim truth: the Sino-Japanese war was less a single crescendo of battles than a protracted contest of endurance, logistics, and political stamina. The early 1940s would widen these fault lines, but the groundwork laid in 1939, competition over supply routes, air control, and strategic rail nodes, would shape the war's pace and, ultimately, its outcome. The conflict's memory lies not only in the clashes' flash but in the stubborn persistence of a nation fighting to outlast a formidable adversary. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. The Japanese invasion of Hainan and proceeding operations to stop logistical leaks into Nationalist China, showcased the complexity and scale of the growing Second Sino-Japanese War. It would not merely be a war of territorial conquest, Japan would have to strangle the colossus using every means necessary.  

James Abbott presents The Outsider's Guide to UFOs as an accessible, clear-eyed exploration of one of humanity's most enduring mysteries. Written for curious newcomers and seasoned enthusiasts alike, Abbott cuts through decades of speculation, secrecy, and sensationalism to examine UFO phenomena with balance, historical context, and critical thinking. Rather than demanding belief or disbelief, he invites readers to stand outside entrenched camps and look at the evidence—government reports, eyewitness accounts, cultural influences, and scientific questions—with fresh eyes. Abbott's approach empowers readers to form their own informed conclusions while appreciating why the UFO question continues to challenge science, governments, and our understanding of humanity's place in the universe.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-x-zone-radio-tv-show--1078348/support.Please note that all XZBN radio and/or television shows are Copyright © REL-MAR McConnell Meda Company, Niagara, Ontario, Canada – www.rel-mar.com. For more Episodes of this show and all shows produced, broadcasted and syndicated from REL-MAR McConell Media Company and The 'X' Zone Broadcast Network and the 'X' Zone TV Channell, visit www.xzbn.net. For programming, distribution, and syndication inquiries, email programming@xzbn.net.We are proud to announce the we have launched TWATNews.com, launched in August 2025.TWATNews.com is an independent online news platform dedicated to uncovering the truth about Donald Trump and his ongoing influence in politics, business, and society. Unlike mainstream outlets that often sanitize, soften, or ignore stories that challenge Trump and his allies, TWATNews digs deeper to deliver hard-hitting articles, investigative features, and sharp commentary that mainstream media won't touch.These are stories and articles that you will not read anywhere else.Our mission is simple: to expose corruption, lies, and authoritarian tendencies while giving voice to the perspectives and evidence that are often marginalized or buried by corporate-controlled media

At the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, Chris Lillis made history, winning gold in the debut of the Mixed Team Aerials event in Freestyle Skiing. It was the USA's first Aerials medal in 12 years and a defining moment in a family legacy that's been building for over a decade. In this epic chat, Chris takes us through his journey in the high-flying world of Aerials — from his beginnings in upstate New York to training down under for his second Olympics. He reflects on his hunger for more success at Milano Cortina 2026, including the individual medal he believes was within reach in 2022. We also dive into how Team USA became the powerhouse of Mixed Team Aerials, which two former guests Chris shares close ties with, and which famous athlete he proudly calls a friend. It's an inspiring and unmissable conversation with one of Freestyle Skiing's biggest stars.

What's changing in acro and what actually matters most right now? In this episode, Mandy Yip joins Loren and the Acrobatic Arts podcast community to share what she's seeing across studios worldwide as we head into 2026. Mandy talks foundations, safe progressions, shifting student and parent expectations, and why clear curriculum is no longer optional. From time-strapped teachers to dancers craving clarity and autonomy, this conversation cuts straight to what works and what needs to change. If you teach acro and want safer training, stronger technique, and more confident dancers, this episode is a must-listen. Listen now and start 2026 with clarity. Mandy Yip, Acrobatic Arts Founder With over 350,000 dancers participating in Acrobatic Arts classes every week, Mandy Yip manages the delivery of training programs and the Acrobatic Arts syllabus in over 65hundred dance studios around the world. She also created the most comprehensive and researched Acrobatic Arts Curriculum, as well as innovative apps such as the AcroDance Resource Center. Mandy is a highly sought-after industry expert, known for her engaging workshops and clinics across North America, Europe, and Australia. A full transcript of the podcast is available here: https://www.acrobaticarts.com/blog/ep-126-what-acro-training-really-needs-in-2026-with-mandy-yip If you'd like more amazing content more tips and ideas check out our Acrobatic Arts Channel on YouTube. Subscribe Now! Connect with Acrobatic Arts on your favourite social media platform: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acrobaticarts/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Acroarts Twitter: https://twitter.com/acrobatic_arts/ Learn more and register for our programs at AcrobaticArts.com Acrobatic Arts: https://www.acrobaticarts.com

(Jan 13, 2026) Thousands of fans watched the top aerial skiers in Lake Placid over the last two days; the Trump Administration is restructuring the U.S. Army, and changes could affect the mission and actions of soldiers at Fort Drum, near Watertown; and astronomer Aileen O'Donoghue guides us through what to look for in this month's night sky.

(Jan 13, 2026) Gov. Hochul is keeping affordability central to her agenda as she heads into an election year. A summary of the plans she laid out in her State of the State speech today. Also: An American who grew up in Lake Placid won a freestyle aerials World Cup on her home turf. The sights and sounds from last weekend's jumping competitions.

Today's headlines include: U.S. President Donald Trump has announced a new tariff for countries which trade with Iran, but it’s not yet clear if the levy will impact Australia. Homes have been inundated and communities isolated as the remnants of former Tropical Cyclone Koji are felt across the Queensland outback. 50 years since the suspicious disappearance of an eight-year-old girl from her bedroom, Victoria Police have offered an unprecedented $1 million reward. And today’s good news: Aerial skier Danielle Scott has secured Australia’s sixth World Cup medal in five days, and her second medal in as many days at the event. Reporting with AAP. Hosts: Emma Gillespie and Zara SeidlerProducer: Rosa Bowden Want to support The Daily Aus? That's so kind! The best way to do that is to click ‘follow’ on Spotify or Apple and to leave us a five-star review. We would be so grateful. The Daily Aus is a media company focused on delivering accessible and digestible news to young people. We are completely independent. Want more from TDA?Subscribe to The Daily Aus newsletterSubscribe to The Daily Aus’ YouTube Channel Have feedback for us?We’re always looking for new ways to improve what we do. If you’ve got feedback, we’re all ears. Tell us here.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Unexplained Aerial Phenomena - Sonic Mysteries - UFOs - and MORE. Geryl and Jane from Midwest Night Watchers and Chi-Ro Sounds YouTube channels join us for a discussion of sonic mysteries, aerial enigmas, and more. Channel links: https://www.youtube.com/@MidwestNightWatchersand https://www.youtube.com/@Chi-RhoSoundsBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/missing-persons-mysteries--5624803/support.

Hey guys, Neil Crawford here. In this episode, I show you how to find specific drills in Anytime Soccer Training when a coach gives your player targeted feedback. A parent asked about aerial control drills, so I walk through creating a custom training session and pinning the right videos from our 5,000+ video library.Remember: technology plus human is better than either alone. You can modify any drill to fit your needs while still getting the timer, tracking, and professional demonstration.Ready to get started? Check out these free resources:

Midwest Night Watchers - Aerial Enigmas, Sonic Mysteries, and MOREBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/missing-persons-mysteries--5624803/support.

Aerial photographs, weather observation and even food delivery are a few of the uses for drones. What about getting emergency medical equipment to rural areas where it’s needed, quickly? There’s now a public-private partnership aiming to use drones to do just that in central Pennsylvania. The U-S Department of Justice says it won’t require names of minors who received gender-affirming care at hospitals operated by UPMC. Patients' identities are embedded into their medical files. The holiday travel season is expected to set records. AAA estimates more than 122 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home between December 20th and January 1st. Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday is now serving in a leadership role among Eastern U-S attorneys general. More than 14-million dollars in grant funding is being awarded to community projects across Pennsylvania, by the state's Department of Community and Economic Development. The projects support communities in four areas: flood mitigation, recreational trails, improvements to sewage facilities and watersheds. More than 4.4 million dollars is being awarded to about 30 community projects in Dauphin County. If you're already a member of WITF's Sustaining Circle, you know how convenient it is to support programs like the Morning Agenda. By increasing your monthly gift, you can help WITF close the budget gap left by the loss of federal funding. Visit us online at witf.org/increase or become a new Sustaining Circle member at www.witf.org/givenow. Thank you.Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

#WomenInTheArts #ArtistJourney #Aerialist #ViolinVirtuoso #ClassicalMeetsCircusIn this episode of the Circuspreneur Podcast, host Shenea Stiletto sits down with the phenomenal Janice Martin — aerial acrobatic violinist and a groundbreaking force in the performing arts.From NBC's America's Got Talent to the White House, Carnegie Hall, U.S Army, beyond, Janice has redefined what's possible on stage — fusing classical music mastery with breathtaking aerial performance.We dive into her incredible journey:

Kurt Colgrove and Justin Ballard are the owners and operators fo Paragon Aerial solution based out of Alabama. In this episode, Jordan interviews them about their use of drones to survey properties for deer and land management purposes, putting a whole new twist on capability in being able to understand what the deer herd is like on any particular property. We must say, this is one of the most innovative and constructive uses of drones that we have seen to date! They also discuss a specific property survey they conducted with a property with Jordan the very day the interview was recorded. Y'all have to Check this out! 

JINGLE BELL OPS  - 12.15.2025 - #900 BestPodcastintheMetaverse.com Canary Cry News Talk #900 - 12.15.2025 - Recorded Live to 1s and 0s Deconstructing World Events from a Biblical Worldview Declaring Jesus as Lord amidst the Fifth Generation War! CageRattlerCoffee.com SD/TC email Ike for discount https://CanaryCry.Support   Send address and shirt size updates to canarycrysupplydrop@gmail.com   Join the Canary Cry Roundtable This Episode was Produced By:   Sir Aaron B, Knower-of-the-Times, Poiema of the One True God   Executive Producers Sir Jamey Not the Lanister*** Amber J*** iAnon*** LX Protocol BARON of the Berrean Protocol***   Producers of TREASURE (CanaryCry.Support) Katy P, Michael B, Cage Rattler Coffee   Producers of TIME Timestampers: Jade Bouncerson, Morgan E Clankoniphius Links: JAM   Candace to meet Erika today   BBB Rob Reiner and wife murdered by son (Fox/X) → Rob Reiner movies → Rob Reiner on Epstein list → Trump Truth social on Reiner  → Reiner's wife took the iconic photo of Trump's book cover   GUN CONTROL/ZIONIST Clip: Schumer introduction to Australia shooting…but first (X) Australian bystander disarms suspected shooter in Australia Hanukkah attack (Fox) CLIP: Australian Prime Minister say they have and will take "the security agencies' advice" CLIP: Prime Minister turns to gun laws → Clip: Side view of guy tackling shooter* → Clip: weird angle of the shooter* CLIP: BB Netenyahu responds  Mossad Warned Australia of Threats to Jews Before Bondi shooting (Australia Times) → Mossad officially joins investigation into Australia massacre (X) → India on high alert for terror attacks on Jews → Israel says Iran is number 1 suspect of Bondi massacre (BRICS/X) → Alleged survivor of Bondi massacre was also "survivor" of Oct 7 (JPost) → Photos surface of him getting blood make up, is it real? (X)    FBI CLIP: Brown President "doesn't know" what was going on in the class A Brown University student survived being shot in HS. Then came the active shooter alerts (AP) Brown University shooting: authorities say they released sole person of interest (Guardian) CLIP: reporters GRILL about Brown Surveillance   FBI claims it stopped NYE bomb plot in LA (X) Clip: Ariel footage of plotters going to desert to test explosives (X)  Clip: Aerial footage at press conference - filming tv screen    UFO Clip: Prof. Avi Leob tells Newsmax, Maven stopped sending data from 3I/Atlas (X)  PolyMarket bet Trump very very likely to declassify UFO files before 2026    EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS TALENT/TIME END

In this episode, we welcome Ty Evans. Ty is a professional filmmaker with experiences shooting, producing and directing a variety of content. His career stems from cutting-edge skateboarding videos in the 1990's on through next-level aerial filmmaking today. In our chat, he shares his origin story, how he learned his craft, evolved his skill-sets, and embraced new technologies. Ty also offers practical insights for students and emerging creatives on working towards your dreams.“The Making Of” is presented by AJA:ICYMI: AJA's biggest product releases in 2025From multi-channel HD and 4K/UltraHD IP video solutions, to Mini-Converters for bridging between resolutions, connectivity types, protocols, and codecs, a Mini-Converter frame, and a high-capacity 12G-SDI router, AJA announced several new products in 2025 that address emerging workflow needs across broadcast, production, post, and proAV.Get the full rundown hereVFX Supervisor Dennis Berardi on The Making of “Frankenstein”: Shoot. Store. Secure. Smile.The OWC Guardian is a bus‑powered, portable NVMe SSD featuring 256‑bit AES OPAL hardware encryption and a color touch‑screen for intuitive, secure access. With up to 1,000 MB/s real‑world transfer speeds, platform‑agnostic operation (Mac, PC, iPad Pro), and a rugged anodized aluminum enclosure, it's built to protect audit‑sensitive media and projects anytime, anywhere.Learn more hereZEISS Holiday Special:Save 25% on ZEISS Nano PrimesThere's a whole world of exceptional moments to be captured out there. Make sure you are prepared and save big during the ZEISS Holiday event! Save up to $6,400 off the list price on select ZEISS Nano Prime lenses.Check out the Nano Primes hereMeet Stream Deck Studio:Meet Stream Deck Studio, the ultimate control surface designed for professional broadcast and live production environments. Built on the iconic Elgato hardware and powered by Bitfocus software, it offers a hyper-customizable experience that simplifies even the most complex workflows. With compatibility across hundreds of devices from the industry's top vendors, Stream Deck Studio gives you complete command over your production setup, making it easier than ever to create seamless, high-quality broadcasts. Call Videoguys at 800-323-2325 to learn more and take your production control to the next level today!Explore herePodcast Rewind:Dec. 2025 - Ep. 108…Consider advertising in “The Making Of” to reach 250K film, TV, broadcast and video industry professionals each week. For more info, please email mvalinsky@me.com Get full access to The Making Of at themakingof.substack.com/subscribe

And we're back with the exciting tales of Speed Gibson of the International Secret Police! This week: An Aerial Dog Fight! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we sit down with Cody Retlich, founder of Midwest Aerial Productions, to explore how drone cinematography is reshaping the way we experience golf. Cody shares the origin of his company, the craft behind capturing courses from the sky, and the stories that unfold when you see the game from a whole new perspective. Whether you love golf, creativity, or tech, this is a look at the sport like you've never seen it before.https://www.midwestaerialproduction.com/BestBall Links:https://BestBall.comhttps://linktr.ee/BestBallhttps://bestball.substack.com - Subscribe to Par 3 Thursdays!Friends of BestBall:B. Draddy - https://www.bdraddy.com - Enter "BESTBALL20" for 20% off your orderZero Restriction - https://www.zerorestriction.com - Enter "BESTBALL20" for 20% off your orderFairway & Greene - https://www.fairwayandgreene.com - Enter "BESTBALL20" for 20% off your orderArccos Golf - https://bit.ly/4gXNDQi - Get 15% off your orderThe Stack System - https://www.thestacksystem.com/discount/BestBall - Get 10% off your orderWestern Birch - https://westernbirch.com - Enter "BESTBALL" in the shipping cart for a free gift with your order. Interested in becoming a sponsor of The Hole Story Podcast? Email info@bestball.com.

Throwbacks are where I re-release old episodes from the archives. So don't worry if you have heard it already, as 'New episodes' will continue to come out on Sundays. To get some of the old episodes heard.~~~We are joined by three guests on this episode. We first meet Iain in the United Kingdom to share his UFO experience from 1996 while night fishing with a friend. Then we hop over the pond to Thomas in Connecticut, and hear about his encounter back in the early 1980s, when Thomas and three others were harassed by numerous earthly crafts. Then, finally, we are joined by Brian in California to hear about his UFO encounter in Dubai while working as a contractor for the United States Air Force in 2015.More information on this episode on the podcast website:https://ufochroniclespodcast.com/ep-174-objects-in-the-sky/Want to share your encounter on the show?Email: UFOChronicles@gmail.comOr Fill out Guest Form:https://forms.gle/uGQ8PTVRkcjy4nxS7Podcast Merchandise:https://www.teepublic.com/user/ufo-chronicles-podcastHelp Support UFO CHRONICLES by becoming a Patron:https://patreon.com/UFOChroniclespodcastX: https://twitter.com/UFOchronpodcastThank you for listening!Please leave a review if you enjoy the show.Like share and subscribe it really helps me when people share the show on social media, it means we can reach more people and more witnesses and without your amazing support, it wouldn't be possible.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/ufo-chronicles-podcast--3395068/support.

4. Hitler's Aerial Campaign and the November Defeat. Tim Ryback discusses how ahead of the November 6th election, Hitler campaigned intensively using an airplane—a strategy known as Hitler Über Deutschland—to circumvent media bans and reach "heartland Germany" multiple times a day. His campaign targeted Alfred Hugenberg, a consequential media magnate who controlled 4,600 newspapers and had the power to "make or break Hitler." Hitler's successful rhetoric, while sometimes relying on "empty language," worked because Germans were economically desperate, suffering post-1929, and feared the Bolshevik threat. Despite these efforts, the election resulted in a "stunning defeat" on November 6th, as Hitler lost 2 million votes and was considered politically "washed up." 1933