Military formation size designation, typically of 3-6 battalions
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David DeBatto is host of the ‘No Delusion Zone' podcast @NoDelusionZone is a retired U.S. Army Counterintelligence Special Agent, a geopolitical analyst, writer, and podcaster. David is an Iraq war veteran who served as Team Leader of a Tactical Human Intelligence Team (THT) in operations within Iraq and is also a former police officer. David is considered too conservative for the progressive left and too independent minded for the radical right and seeks to challenge political dogma and the naked self-interest of politicians. ----------LINKS: @NoDelusionZone https://www.protectingtherepublic.com/podcasthttps://x.com/ddebattohttps://www.kyivpost.com/authors/743----------This is super important. There are so many Battalions in Ukraine, fighting to defend our freedoms, but lack basics such as vehicles. These are destroyed on a regular basis, and lack of transport is costs lives, and Ukrainian territory. Once again Silicon Curtain has teamed up with Car4Ukraine and a group of wonderful creators to provide much-needed assistance: https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtainAutumn Harvest: Silicon Curtain (Goal€22,000)We'll be supporting troops in Pokrovsk, Kharkiv, and other regions where the trucks are needed the most. 93rd Brigade "Kholodnyi Yar", Black Raven Unmanned Systems Battalionhttps://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtain----------SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtainhttps://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasOur events of the first half of the year in Lviv, Kyiv and Odesa were a huge success. Now we need to maintain this momentum, and change the tide towards a Ukrainian victory. The Silicon Curtain Roadshow is an ambitious campaign to run a minimum of 12 events in 2025, and potentially many more. Any support you can provide for the fundraising campaign would be gratefully appreciated. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Save Ukrainehttps://www.saveukraineua.org/Superhumans - Hospital for war traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukrainehttps://unbroken.org.ua/Come Back Alivehttps://savelife.in.ua/en/Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchenhttps://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraineUNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyyhttps://u24.gov.ua/Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundationhttps://prytulafoundation.orgNGO “Herojam Slava”https://heroiamslava.org/kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemyślhttps://kharpp.com/NOR DOG Animal Rescuehttps://www.nor-dog.org/home/----------
Welcome back to Room 1 on 1 from the Homebhoy. After a grim week for Celtic fans, we welcome Mac and Martin from the Green Brigade on, to tell us what has happened from their side in the past few weeks. Enjoy!
Unleashed: The Political News Hour with Nate Cain – Unleashed! dives into rising anti-Israel sentiment inside the GOP, exposes a bold wildfire solution using America's wild horses, and confronts China's stealth push into U.S. farmland. Nate Cain brings sharp insight, urgent warnings, and unapologetic truth as threats abroad and at home collide, demanding vigilance and real action now...
Inspiré de faits réels, " Dossier 137 " nous ramène en 2018, à Paris, au moment des manifestations des gilets jaunes. Léa Drucker incarne Stéphanie, enquêtrice à lʹIGPN qui prend en charge le cas dʹun jeune homme grièvement blessé à la tête par un tir de balle de défense. Interrogeant des membres de la Brigade de recherche et dʹintervention, elle découvre que déterminer qui est responsable du tir, dans quelles circonstances, et pour quelle raison, sʹavère bien plus difficile quʹattendu. Après " La nuit du 12 ", le cinéaste Dominik Moll signe ce nouveau film présenté en compétition au dernier festival de Cannes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfjLcFPNBFE
AFN Mum Over Kidnapped Brigadier General Dead After-ISWAP-Ambushed Brigadehttps://osazuwaakonedo.news/afn-mum-over-kidnapped-brigadier-general-dead-after-iswap-ambushed-brigade/#Breaking News #AFN #army #Atiku #Borno #BrigadierGeneral #Nigerian #Tinubu #UBA #Wajiroko ©November 18th, 2025 ®November 18, 2025 10:00 amArmed Forces of Nigeria, AFN under the command and control of the President and Commander-In-Chief, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has kept mum since early morning night on Monday when Amag News Agency, the International media outlet of the Islamic State West Africa Province, Iswap started sending and disseminating a photograph of Brigadier General Musa Uba in Iswap captivity, indicating untrue, the Brigadier General the Nigerian Army authority had earlier claimed on Saturday to be safe and led his troops back to base; a statement the army issued to challenge media reports that the Brigadier General was captured and held captive by the Iswap terrorists after the terrorists ambushed the 25 Task Force Brigade of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, killing several soldiers and civilian JTF members in Wajiroko village near Sambisa Forest in Borno State on Friday around 5pm, this, HumAngle news media that was among the earliest news providers that reported the Iswap deadly attacks on Nigeria soldiers on Saturday, after being challenged with a denial press release issued by the Nigerian Army authority that the Brigadier General was not kidnapped, claiming, the Brigadier General led his men to fought through the ambush of the terrorists, forcing the terrorists to flew in disarray, HumAngle on Monday early morning published a news report and insisted that the Brigadier General was in Iswap captivity, according to HumAngle, It was already in possession of a photograph showing the Brigadier General in Iswap captivity, but, due to Its editorial policy, It would not publish the image, soon, the image of the kidnapped Brigadier General became available to some media through Amag News Agency publication that claimed that the Brigadier General was executed shortly after being interrogated by the Iswap terrorists, the Amag only presented a photo evidence of the Brigadier General being captured, but, any material evidence, if the Brigadier General has been killed was not provided, following the apparent unfortunate development in the Nigeria army community, former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar on Monday in a statement personally signed called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to admit incompetence and the President should either asked for help or tendered a letter of resignation immediately. #OsazuwaAkonedoBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/osazuwaakonedo--4980924/support.Kindly support us for more productivity and efficiency in news delivery.Visit our donation page: DonateYou can also use our Mobile app for more news in different formats: CLICK TO DOWNDLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY STORE
Edo Politics; Ex Governor Obaseki Aide Albert Obaze Attacked-In UKhttps://osazuwaakonedo.news/edo-politics-ex-governor-obaseki-aide-albert-obaze-attacked-in-uk/#Breaking News #edo #Manchester #MOWAA #Obaseki #Obaze #UK ©November 17th, 2025 ®November 17, 2025 7:11 am Politics of obvious and apparent personal vendetta among some youths in Edo State which has been on-going for years most especially since the immediate former Governor of the State, Godwin Obaseki left office on November 12, 2024 took a new twist on Sunday night in the city of Manchester in the United Kingdom, as a yet to be properly identified man walked into an event hall where the former Governor, Godwin Obaseki and his wife, Betty were scheduled to meet Edo people, and attacked-one of their main political and media supporters, Albert Obaze, who probably had been in the bad books of some Edo youths sequel to his ways of always defending the ex governor Obaseki and exchanging words with those against the ex governor. #OsazuwaAkonedoNigerian Army Confirms 4 Dead As Terrorists Ambush Brigade In Wajirokohttps://osazuwaakonedo.news/nigerian-army-confirms-4-dead-as-terrorists-ambush-brigade-in-wajiroko/#Nigerian Army #Borno #Wajiroko ©November 16th, 2025 ®November 16, 2025 3:01 am Nigerian Army authority has confirmed the killing of four persons with the inclusion of two soldiers and two civilian JTF when members of the Islamic State West Africa Province, Iswap terrorists on Friday evening ambushed a brigade of Nigeria army, personally led by the Brigade Commander, Brigadier General M Uba around Wajiroko community in Azir Multe area of Damboa local government area of Borno State, which, according to HumAngle news media, the Iswap terrorists opened fired on a convoy of several military and civilian joint taskforce vehicles, causing the Brigade of the Armed Forces of Nigeria an apparent full destabilization, leading to the Brigadier General missing in action for several hours but started responding to WhatsApp messages few moments later, but, the Nigerian Army authority insisted that the Brigadier General and the commander of the 25 Task Force Brigade personally led the Nigerian Army Troops back to base, after an apparent failed attempt to rescue communities that are probably still under terrorists control in the areas close to Sambisa Forest. #OsazuwaAkonedoZelenskyy Orders PM To Involve Police In Mass Audits Of Ukrainian Companieshttps://osazuwaakonedo.news/zelenskyy-orders-pm-to-involve-police-in-mass-audits-of-ukrainian-companies/#World News #Denmark #Finland #Svyrydenko #Ukraine #Zelenskyy ©November 15th, 2025 ®November 15, 2025 7:52 am President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has ordered the new Prime Minister of Ukraine, Yuliia Svyrydenko to involve law enforcement agencies including the anti-corruption police in the mass audits of Ukraine state-owned companies, Zelenskyy who gave the order this week while in one-on-one meeting with the Female Prime Minister, said, the law enforcement agencies of Ukraine must take immediate action based on the outcome or results of the audits being initiated by Yuliia Svyrydenko, the current Prime Minister of Ukraine who assumed office on July 17, 2025, after being confirmed by the Verkhovna Rada, meaning, Ukraine's parliament, following President Volodymyr Zelenskyy nomination of Svyrydenko as part of a major government reshuffle, replacing the previous Prime Minister, Denys Shmyhal, who became the new Minister of Defense and Svyrydenko previously served as the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Development and Trade, the new position made her the second woman in Ukraine's history to hold the position of Prime Minister, meanwhile, during the week, Zelenskyy also announced that the Nordic countries; Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway – along with other Baltic friendly countries of Ukraine, have decided to commit an additional $500 million to the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List, PURL initiative, a NATO-led initiative to expedite the supply of critically needed US manufactured weapons to the country, which, Zelenskyy said will be of a substantial help. #OsazuwaAkonedoBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/osazuwaakonedo--4980924/support.Kindly support us for more productivity and efficiency in news delivery.Visit our donation page: DonateYou can also use our Mobile app for more news in different formats: CLICK TO DOWNDLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY STORE
Edo Politics; Ex Governor Obaseki Aide Albert Obaze Attacked-In UKhttps://osazuwaakonedo.news/edo-politics-ex-governor-obaseki-aide-albert-obaze-attacked-in-uk/#Breaking News #edo #Manchester #MOWAA #Obaseki #Obaze #UK ©November 17th, 2025 ®November 17, 2025 7:11 am Politics of obvious and apparent personal vendetta among some youths in Edo State which has been on-going for years most especially since the immediate former Governor of the State, Godwin Obaseki left office on November 12, 2024 took a new twist on Sunday night in the city of Manchester in the United Kingdom, as a yet to be properly identified man walked into an event hall where the former Governor, Godwin Obaseki and his wife, Betty were scheduled to meet Edo people, and attacked-one of their main political and media supporters, Albert Obaze, who probably had been in the bad books of some Edo youths sequel to his ways of always defending the ex governor Obaseki and exchanging words with those against the ex governor. #OsazuwaAkonedoNigerian Army Confirms 4 Dead As Terrorists Ambush Brigade In Wajirokohttps://osazuwaakonedo.news/nigerian-army-confirms-4-dead-as-terrorists-ambush-brigade-in-wajiroko/#Nigerian Army #Borno #Wajiroko ©November 16th, 2025 ®November 16, 2025 3:01 am Nigerian Army authority has confirmed the killing of four persons with the inclusion of two soldiers and two civilian JTF when members of the Islamic State West Africa Province, Iswap terrorists on Friday evening ambushed a brigade of Nigeria army, personally led by the Brigade Commander, Brigadier General M Uba around Wajiroko community in Azir Multe area of Damboa local government area of Borno State, which, according to HumAngle news media, the Iswap terrorists opened fired on a convoy of several military and civilian joint taskforce vehicles, causing the Brigade of the Armed Forces of Nigeria an apparent full destabilization, leading to the Brigadier General missing in action for several hours but started responding to WhatsApp messages few moments later, but, the Nigerian Army authority insisted that the Brigadier General and the commander of the 25 Task Force Brigade personally led the Nigerian Army Troops back to base, after an apparent failed attempt to rescue communities that are probably still under terrorists control in the areas close to Sambisa Forest. #OsazuwaAkonedoZelenskyy Orders PM To Involve Police In Mass Audits Of Ukrainian Companieshttps://osazuwaakonedo.news/zelenskyy-orders-pm-to-involve-police-in-mass-audits-of-ukrainian-companies/#World News #Denmark #Finland #Svyrydenko #Ukraine #Zelenskyy ©November 15th, 2025 ®November 15, 2025 7:52 am President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has ordered the new Prime Minister of Ukraine, Yuliia Svyrydenko to involve law enforcement agencies including the anti-corruption police in the mass audits of Ukraine state-owned companies, Zelenskyy who gave the order this week while in one-on-one meeting with the Female Prime Minister, said, the law enforcement agencies of Ukraine must take immediate action based on the outcome or results of the audits being initiated by Yuliia Svyrydenko, the current Prime Minister of Ukraine who assumed office on July 17, 2025, after being confirmed by the Verkhovna Rada, meaning, Ukraine's parliament, following President Volodymyr Zelenskyy nomination of Svyrydenko as part of a major government reshuffle, replacing the previous Prime Minister, Denys Shmyhal, who became the new Minister of Defense and Svyrydenko previously served as the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Development and Trade, the new position made her the second woman in Ukraine's history to hold the position of Prime Minister, meanwhile, during the week, Zelenskyy also announced that the Nordic countries; Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway – along with other Baltic friendly countries of Ukraine, have decided to commit an additional $500 million to the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List, PURL initiative, a NATO-led initiative to expedite the supply of critically needed US manufactured weapons to the country, which, Zelenskyy said will be of a substantial help. #OsazuwaAkonedoBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/osazuwaakonedo--4980924/support.Kindly support us for more productivity and efficiency in news delivery.Visit our donation page: DonateYou can also use our Mobile app for more news in different formats: CLICK TO DOWNDLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY STORE
Philippe Martinez, né le 1 avril 1961, a occupé le poste de secrétaire général de la CGT entre 2015 et 2023. Ses parents, tous deux d'origine espagnole - le père né en France et ayant grandi à La Plaine St Denis dans le quartier connu sous le nom de "petite Espagne", la mère arrivée jeune femme de Santander, en Cantabrie - ont ont histoire syndicale et politique forte, à la CGT et au Parti communiste. Le père, engagé dans les Brigades internationales en 1936, ouvrier métalluirgiste, était délégué syndical de son entreprise - un équipementier automobile -, la mère a adhéré au PCF en arrivant en France. Chez les Martinez, la famille est vaste : six tantes en France, six oncles en Espagne, et un village d'Ardèche tout proche de celui où Jean Ferrat avait élu domicile, où la famille se retrouve régulièrement, où les discussions politiques vont bon train, entre célébration de la résistance, détestation du franquisme et débats animés sur l'URSS - un bouillon de culture pour le jeune Philippe. De cette jeunesse entre "la langue de Cervantès" et celle de Molière, des ces conversations passionnément écoutées, il lui est resté des convictions politiques mais aussi antiracistes qui ont contribué à faire l'homme qu'il est. Musiques additionnelles : - Pasiegas - "contre vents et marées" (disponible sur You Tube) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r85Vt2tak3c - Jean Ferrat, Ma France Cinq filles et un garçon : Manuel, le père de Philippe Martinez Philippe Martinez vu par Ernest Pignon-Ernest et la bande annonce du film Les Femmes du 6e, de Philippe Le Guay : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykg0DfSkwmc
Nigerian Army Confirms 4 Dead As Terrorists Ambush Brigade In Wajirokohttps://osazuwaakonedo.news/nigerian-army-confirms-4-dead-as-terrorists-ambush-brigade-in-wajiroko/#Nigerian Army #Borno #Wajiroko ©November 16th, 2025 ®November 16, 2025 3:01 am Nigerian Army authority has confirmed the killing of four persons with the inclusion of two soldiers and two civilian JTF when members of the Islamic State West Africa Province, Iswap terrorists on Friday evening ambushed a brigade of Nigeria army, personally led by the Brigade Commander, Brigadier General M Uba around Wajiroko community in Azir Multe area of Damboa local government area of Borno State, which, according to HumAngle news media, the Iswap terrorists opened fired on a convoy of several military and civilian joint taskforce vehicles, causing the Brigade of the Armed Forces of Nigeria an apparent full destabilization, leading to the Brigadier General missing in action for several hours but started responding to WhatsApp messages few moments later, but, the Nigerian Army authority insisted that the Brigadier General and the commander of the 25 Task Force Brigade personally led the Nigerian Army Troops back to base, after an apparent failed attempt to rescue communities that are probably still under terrorists control in the areas close to Sambisa Forest. #OsazuwaAkonedoBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/osazuwaakonedo--4980924/support.Kindly support us for more productivity and efficiency in news delivery.Visit our donation page: DonateYou can also use our Mobile app for more news in different formats: CLICK TO DOWNDLOAD ON GOOGLE PLAY STORE
Send us a textBeyond the Blue and Gray is a sub-series about the unique units of the Civil War. We look at their uniforms, traditions, cultures, and war record. Today, Civil War historian of the Veterans Memorial Museum Foundation in Germantown, Ohio, Justin Mays discusses the 12th Ohio Infantry Regiment and the Kanawha Division.More from Justin here: https://www.facebook.com/12ovimenofohioMusic is graciously provided by Craig Duncan.Our website: https://www.untoldcivilwar.com/Our Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMMWxSupport the show:One time donation of any amount here: https://www.paypal.me/supportuntoldCWMonthly payment through Patreon and unlock unique perks!https://www.patreon.com/user?u=51151470&fan_landing=truThis show is made possible by the support of our sponsors:The Badge MakerProudly carrying affordable, USA made products for reenactors, living history interpreters, and lovers of history.Civil War TrailsThe world's largest 'Open Air Museum' offering over 1,350 sites across six states. Paddle to Frederick Douglass's birthplace, follow the Gettysburg Campaign turn-by-turn in your car, or hike to mountain tops where long forgotten earthworks and artillery positions await you.Military Images MagazineAmerica's only magazine dedicated solely to the study of portrait photographs of Civil War soldiers.The Excelsior BrigadeDealers in FINE CIVIL WAR MEMORABILIA.The goal of the "Brigade" is to offer high quality, original items while ensuring the best in service and customer satisfaction.HistoryFixCome enjoy history! Explore stories from the Middle Ages to the early 21st century. Enjoy historical video content always ad free and get a 7-day free trial as you explore our site.1863 DesignsAre you looking for Civil War themed graphic design, logo design, historical art and or hand drawn art? Look no further than 1863 Designs. Use the code, “UNTOLD” for 15% off your purchase! Iron Horse Military AntiquesIron Horse Military Antiques is an Illinois-based buyer and seller of nineteenth-century documents, letters, images, and militaria, specializing in the American Civil War.Support the show
durée : 00:02:23 - Lucien Marmouget, le vétérinaire des Brigades du Pire répond en direct aux questions des auditeurs d'ICI Roquepouy Vous aimez ce podcast ? Pour écouter tous les autres épisodes sans limite, rendez-vous sur Radio France.
After a Telegraph bombshell, both the BBC Director-General and Head of BBC News are OUT as the corporation is exposed for its "FAR LEFT ideological capture".Our co-pilots take a look at the shocking truth behind the billion-dollar lawsuit threat from President Donald Trump after a Panorama team edited his speech on January 6th 2021. Allison details the biased coverage of Israel and Gaza as well as gender issues, where "smug and arrogant" staffers tried to censor news and silence "normal women".As Chancellor Rachel Reeves' Budget looms ever closer, Liam details the incoming fiscal madness as it now seems Labour will break its manifesto pledge and raise income tax.Joining your co-pilots on the rocket this week is Jake Wallis Simons, award-winning journalist, foreign correspondent, and author of Israel Phobia and his latest, Never again: How the West Betrayed the Jews and itself. Jake joins us to detail the BBC's "damning" coverage of Israel and Gaza and why the Panorama scandal is just a smoke screen for their other mistakes.Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditorRead Allison ‘The Epping hotel ruling proves it is now the British people vs the state':https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/11/12/epping-hotel-ruling-british-people-vs-the-state/ | Read Allison: ‘I think it is inevitable a man I grant asylum to will rape or murder a young girl'https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/11/05/migrants-asylum-sex-offence-allegations-whistleblower/ |Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘Labour's housing plans are not enough to rescue Reeves': https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/11/09/labours-housing-plans-are-not-enough-to-rescue-reeves/ | Read Liam's Post - https://www.facebook.com/liam.halligan.7/posts/pfbid0kaMDikPeWDVsV6P8pDuf1rAQeGRY5rUetohXkdNZ7cLXSh3sNXJDYB3Mq88xsNJKl |Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Read Liam's Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ |Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here:https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk |For 30 days' free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode of the EMS One-Stop podcast, host Rob Lawrence welcomes Dr. Hezedean Smith, who spotlights the human and operational toll of Hurricane Melissa on Jamaica and the wider Caribbean. Dr. Smith draws from first-hand perspective from the ground, detailing catastrophic damage to homes, utilities, roads and communications — which compounded the workload and emotional burden for Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) firefighters and EMS providers. Dr. Smith highlighted the Brigade's Amazon Wish List effort, which aims to route essential personal items and operational supplies directly to affected JFB members and stations to sustain continuity of operations and support responders' families. After the break, Dr. Smith switched hats as the newly elected President of NEMSMA to outline the association's renewed momentum: New association management support Expanded member services and credentials The inaugural NEMSMA Leadership Conference The NEMSMA Leadership Conference will take place in Washington, D.C., March 23-24, 2026, intentionally adjacent to EMS on the Hill to create a leadership-plus-advocacy “two-fer.” Highlights include keynote Gen. Robert Neller (Ret.), plus a deep bench of EMS leaders and educators. Memorable quotes from Dr. Hezedean Smith “Many homes destroyed, utility systems interrupted, critical infrastructure in terms of communities having the ability to communicate, leaving thousands displaced, even fire stations having operational challenges as it relates to communication and interoperability ... ” “I stayed in the local fire station. I wanted to be there with the men and women on the ground, to make sure that I had that communication, that constant contact with them.” “My focus will be on the firefighters and ensuring that we get enough supplies to go directly to the firefighters.” “We want to tear down silos. We want to redefine leadership and ensure that we continue to collaborate across this globe.” Additional resources: Jamaica Fire Brigade – Amazon Wish List National EMS Management Association (NEMSMA) NEMSMA Leadership Conference: Washington, D.C., March 23-24, 2026 EMS on the Hill, March 25-26, 2026, Arlington, Virginia International Journal of Paramedicine EMS One-Stop: General Robert Neller on ethical leadership and adaptability Episode timeline: 00:46 – Quick industry/policy update 01:27 – Set-up: Hurricane Melissa overview; impact stats and current situation 02:12 – Welcome Dr. Hezedean Smith 02:26 – Dr. Smith's backstory: Jamaica roots, USAF medic, Orlando FD, two fire chief roles, GES Consulting, Caribbean EMS focus 04:20 – First reactions to Melissa: scale of damage; compounded human toll 05:58 – Deployment cadence: aligning with JFB command, CDEMA, national EOC; travel hurdles; rapid integration on arrival 08:28 – Why existing relationships matter; staying in-station with crews; supporting leaders and frontline needs 11:13 – Call to action: Amazon wish list for responders' personal and operational needs; distribution via JFB logistics 13:20 – Specific needs (PPE, boots, clothing, hygiene, basic medical supplies) and the ongoing recovery realities 17:46 – NEMSMA — new president, renewed energy, new AMC, who NEMSMA serves 20:14 – Board/leadership shout-outs; programs (FTEP, ACPE), member services, momentum 22:49 – Conference preview (Mar 23–24, 2026, D.C.): theme — disruptive leadership; Gen. Robert Neller keynote; speaker lineup; proximity to EMS on the Hill 26:29 – IJOP collaboration and research-to-podcast pipeline; communications and sponsorship improvements 28:29 – Closing thanks; unified call to support JFB and engage with NEMSMA initiatives Rate and review the EMS One-Stop podcast Enjoying the show? Please take a moment to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. Contact the EMS One-Stop team at editor@EMS1.com to share ideas, suggestions and feedback. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify and RSS feed.
David DeBatto is host of the ‘No Delusion Zone' podcast @NoDelusionZone is a retired U.S. Army Counterintelligence Special Agent, a geopolitical analyst, writer, and podcaster. David is an Iraq war veteran who served as Team Leader of a Tactical Human Intelligence Team (THT) in operations within Iraq and is also a former police officer. David is considered too conservative for the progressive left and too independent minded for the radical right and seeks to challenge political dogma and the naked self-interest of politicians.----------LINKS: @NoDelusionZone https://www.protectingtherepublic.com/podcasthttps://x.com/ddebattohttps://www.kyivpost.com/authors/743----------This is super important. There are so many Battalions in Ukraine, fighting to defend our freedoms, but lack basics such as vehicles. These are destroyed on a regular basis, and lack of transport is costs lives, and Ukrainian territory. Once again Silicon Curtain has teamed up with Car4Ukraine and a group of wonderful creators to provide much-needed assistance: https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtainAutumn Harvest: Silicon Curtain (Goal€22,000)We'll be supporting troops in Pokrovsk, Kharkiv, and other regions where the trucks are needed the most. 93rd Brigade "Kholodnyi Yar", Black Raven Unmanned Systems Battalionhttps://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtain----------SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtainhttps://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasOur events of the first half of the year in Lviv, Kyiv and Odesa were a huge success. Now we need to maintain this momentum, and change the tide towards a Ukrainian victory. The Silicon Curtain Roadshow is an ambitious campaign to run a minimum of 12 events in 2025, and potentially many more. Any support you can provide for the fundraising campaign would be gratefully appreciated. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Save Ukrainehttps://www.saveukraineua.org/Superhumans - Hospital for war traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukrainehttps://unbroken.org.ua/Come Back Alivehttps://savelife.in.ua/en/Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchenhttps://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraineUNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyyhttps://u24.gov.ua/Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundationhttps://prytulafoundation.orgNGO “Herojam Slava”https://heroiamslava.org/kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemyslhttps://kharpp.com/NOR DOG Animal Rescuehttps://www.nor-dog.org/home/----------
Just stay home? On the heels of Mercury retrograde (November 9-29), worldly Jupiter shifts into reverse for four months this Tuesday, November 11. With Mercury backing up through Sagittarius, the sign of travel and Jupiter in domestic Cancer, confusion reigns. The AstroTwins explain how to navigate this week's planetary paradoxes through the lens of the zeitgeist. SHOW NOTES:- The 2026 Horoscope book and planners are here! Get yours!- Book a Reading with The AstroTwins
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Une chronique de Laurent Lafourcade
Matt is back with a quick message to the Brigade at the top of the show and then Winners and Losers from the trade deadline and an NFL Wk 10 preview
David DeBatto is host of the ‘No Delusion Zone' podcast @NoDelusionZone is a retired U.S. Army Counterintelligence Special Agent, a geopolitical analyst, writer, and podcaster. David is an Iraq war veteran who served as Team Leader of a Tactical Human Intelligence Team (THT) in operations within Iraq and is also a former police officer. David is considered too conservative for the progressive left and too independent minded for the radical right and seeks to challenge political dogma and the naked self-interest of politicians. ----------LINKS: @NoDelusionZone https://www.protectingtherepublic.com/podcasthttps://x.com/ddebattohttps://www.kyivpost.com/authors/743----------This is super important. There are so many Battalions in Ukraine, fighting to defend our freedoms, but lack basics such as vehicles. These are destroyed on a regular basis, and lack of transport is costs lives, and Ukrainian territory. Once again Silicon Curtain has teamed up with Car4Ukraine and a group of wonderful creators to provide much-needed assistance: https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtainAutumn Harvest: Silicon Curtain (Goal€22,000)We'll be supporting troops in Pokrovsk, Kharkiv, and other regions where the trucks are needed the most. 93rd Brigade "Kholodnyi Yar", Black Raven Unmanned Systems Battalionhttps://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtain----------SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtainhttps://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasOur events of the first half of the year in Lviv, Kyiv and Odesa were a huge success. Now we need to maintain this momentum, and change the tide towards a Ukrainian victory. The Silicon Curtain Roadshow is an ambitious campaign to run a minimum of 12 events in 2025, and potentially many more. Any support you can provide for the fundraising campaign would be gratefully appreciated. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Save Ukrainehttps://www.saveukraineua.org/Superhumans - Hospital for war traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukrainehttps://unbroken.org.ua/Come Back Alivehttps://savelife.in.ua/en/Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchenhttps://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraineUNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyyhttps://u24.gov.ua/Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundationhttps://prytulafoundation.orgNGO “Herojam Slava”https://heroiamslava.org/kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemyślhttps://kharpp.com/NOR DOG Animal Rescuehttps://www.nor-dog.org/home/----------
Phil Ittner is a veteran broadcast journalist now working independently in Ukraine. Currently he's based in Kyiv and produces a weekly interview podcast "On the Edge". Disillusioned with how mainstream media was covering the historic war in Ukraine, Phil decided he had to step in and bring a professional and credible perspective to reporting from Ukraine. ----------LINKS: @PhilipIttner https://x.com/IttnerPhiliphttps://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-ittner-4180271a/https://philipittner.com/about/https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/45-the-big-interview-philip-ittner-on-the-realities/id1617276298?i=1000610636024----------This is super important. There are so many Battalions in Ukraine, fighting to defend our freedoms, but lack basics such as vehicles. These are destroyed on a regular basis, and lack of transport is costs lives, and Ukrainian territory. Once again Silicon Curtain has teamed up with Car4Ukraine and a group of wonderful creators to provide much-needed assistance: https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtainAutumn Harvest: Silicon Curtain (Goal€22,000)We'll be supporting troops in Pokrovsk, Kharkiv, and other regions where the trucks are needed the most. 93rd Brigade "Kholodnyi Yar", Black Raven Unmanned Systems Battalionhttps://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtain----------SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtainhttps://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasOur events of the first half of the year in Lviv, Kyiv and Odesa were a huge success. Now we need to maintain this momentum, and change the tide towards a Ukrainian victory. The Silicon Curtain Roadshow is an ambitious campaign to run a minimum of 12 events in 2025, and potentially many more. Any support you can provide for the fundraising campaign would be gratefully appreciated. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Save Ukrainehttps://www.saveukraineua.org/Superhumans - Hospital for war traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukrainehttps://unbroken.org.ua/Come Back Alivehttps://savelife.in.ua/en/Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchenhttps://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraineUNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyyhttps://u24.gov.ua/Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundationhttps://prytulafoundation.orgNGO “Herojam Slava”https://heroiamslava.org/kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemyślhttps://kharpp.com/NOR DOG Animal Rescuehttps://www.nor-dog.org/home/----------
Canadian Media Airs Interview with Neo-Nazi-Associated Ukrainian Fighter Guest: Lev Golinkin Lev Golinkin discusses the scandal involving the Canadian Broadcasting Company, which interviewed a man associated with a neo-Nazi-led Ukrainian brigade who bore swastika tattoos. CBC subsequently blurred the symbols in the published footage. This incident reflects Canada's historical difficulty in addressing its harboring of former Nazi criminals, following the earlier scandal of Waffen SS member Ivan Hunka receiving an ovation in Parliament. Golinkin notes that while Nazi elements exist within Ukrainian forces, Russia exploits this fact for propaganda purposes to delegitimize Ukraine's struggle.
Canadian Media Airs Interview with Neo-Nazi-Associated Ukrainian Fighter Guest: Lev Golinkin Lev Golinkin discusses the scandal involving the Canadian Broadcasting Company, which interviewed a man associated with a neo-Nazi-led Ukrainian brigade who bore swastika tattoos. CBC subsequently blurred the symbols in the published footage. This incident reflects Canada's historical difficulty in addressing its harboring of former Nazi criminals, following the earlier scandal of Waffen SS member Ivan Hunka receiving an ovation in Parliament. Golinkin notes that while Nazi elements exist within Ukrainian forces, Russia exploits this fact for propaganda purposes to delegitimize Ukraine's struggle.
Hello Bregad-A-Teers...Can't believe it's been a long time since we posted one of these for this musical series, but we have a few in the near future....so let's start with # 4.On this show we have music from: Tom Petty / Nora Jones / Butch Walker and YES and a few more...Intro: Jin-Go-Lo Ba-Santana1. Disorder In The House-Warren Zevon2. Can You Imagine-YES3. Somebody Out The Blue-Elton John4. Happy Birthday-Leah Androne5. All That You Can Carry-Tom Petty6. Bring On The Rain-Judee Messina7. Come In-Holly Miranda8. Just Don't-Raphael Sandig9. Happy Again-The Wild Feathers10. Pray-Take That11. It Is Time-World Party12. Fathers Day-Butch Walker13. Sunrise-Nora Jones14. Starting Gun-T. Hardy Morris15. I've Loved Enough-Deana CarterOutro: Jin-Go-Lo-Ba-Santana
Ilya Ponomarev is a Russian-Ukrainian politician who was a member of the Russian State Duma from 2007 to 2016. After the 2022 Russian invasion, Ponomarev joined Ukraine's Territorial Defence Forces, and categorically denounced the invasion. While a member of the Russian State Duma, he was the only deputy not to vote in favour of the Russian gay propaganda law and to vote against Russia's annexation of Crimea in March 2014. He is now in exile in Ukraine and is a spokesman with insurgent Russian forces (National Republican Army) fighting on the side of Ukraine. ----------LINKS:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilya_Ponomarev https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002113qhttps://www.fpri.org/contributor/ilya-ponomarev/BOOKS:Does Putin Have to Die? The Story of How Russia Becomes a Democracy after Losing to Ukraine (Hardcover – 19 Jan. 2023)ARTICLES: https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2024/01/19/ilya-ponomaryov-we-have-to-capture-the-kremlin-there-is-no-other-way-a83772 ----------David DeBatto is host of the ‘No Delusion Zone' podcast @NoDelusionZone is a retired U.S. Army Counterintelligence Special Agent, a geopolitical analyst, writer, and podcaster. David is an Iraq war veteran who served as Team Leader of a Tactical Human Intelligence Team (THT) in operations within Iraq and is also a former police officer. David is considered too conservative for the progressive left and too independent minded for the radical right and seeks to challenge political dogma and the naked self-interest of politicians. ----------LINKS:@NoDelusionZone https://www.protectingtherepublic.com/podcasthttps://x.com/ddebattohttps://www.kyivpost.com/authors/743----------This is super important. There are so many Battalions in Ukraine, fighting to defend our freedoms, but lack basics such as vehicles. These are destroyed on a regular basis, and lack of transport is costs lives, and Ukrainian territory. Once again Silicon Curtain has teamed up with Car4Ukraine and a group of wonderful creators to provide much-needed assistance: https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtainAutumn Harvest: Silicon Curtain (Goal€22,000)We'll be supporting troops in Pokrovsk, Kharkiv, and other regions where the trucks are needed the most. 93rd Brigade "Kholodnyi Yar", Black Raven Unmanned Systems Battalionhttps://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtain----------SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtainhttps://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasOur events of the first half of the year in Lviv, Kyiv and Odesa were a huge success. Now we need to maintain this momentum, and change the tide towards a Ukrainian victory. The Silicon Curtain Roadshow is an ambitious campaign to run a minimum of 12 events in 2025, and potentially many more. Any support you can provide for the fundraising campaign would be gratefully appreciated. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Save Ukrainehttps://www.saveukraineua.org/Superhumans - Hospital for war traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukrainehttps://unbroken.org.ua/Come Back Alivehttps://savelife.in.ua/en/Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchenhttps://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraineUNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyyhttps://u24.gov.ua/Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundationhttps://prytulafoundation.orgNGO “Herojam Slava”https://heroiamslava.org/kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemyślhttps://kharpp.com/NOR DOG Animal Rescuehttps://www.nor-dog.org/home/----------
Gabrielius Landsbergis is a Lithuanian politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania from December 2020 until November 2024. He is also a former Member of the European Parliament (2014–2016), where he served on the Committee on International Trade and the Subcommittee on Security and Defence. As Minister of Foreign Affairs, Landsbergis was a vocal advocate for European integration, NATO solidarity, and democratic values. His tenure was characterized by Lithuania's firm support for Ukraine during the ongoing Russian invasion, as well as efforts to counter Russian influence in the region.----------LINKS:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabrielius_Landsbergishttps://x.com/GLandsbergishttps://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/124759/GABRIELIUS_LANDSBERGIS/history/8https://cepa.org/author/gabrielus-landsbergis/https://www.coe.int/en/web/portal/-/cm-president-landsbergis-collective-effort-needed-to-ensure-sustainable-peace-and-respect-for-human-rightshttps://www.politico.eu/article/lithuania-gabrielius-landsbergis-resign-election-parliament-defeat/----------David DeBatto is host of the ‘No Delusion Zone' podcast @NoDelusionZone is a retired U.S. Army Counterintelligence Special Agent, a geopolitical analyst, writer, and podcaster. David is an Iraq war veteran who served as Team Leader of a Tactical Human Intelligence Team (THT) in operations within Iraq and is also a former police officer. David is considered too conservative for the progressive left and too independent minded for the radical right and seeks to challenge political dogma and the naked self-interest of politicians. ----------LINKS: @NoDelusionZone https://www.protectingtherepublic.com/podcasthttps://x.com/ddebattohttps://www.kyivpost.com/authors/743----------This is super important. There are so many Battalions in Ukraine, fighting to defend our freedoms, but lack basics such as vehicles. These are destroyed on a regular basis, and lack of transport is costs lives, and Ukrainian territory. Once again Silicon Curtain has teamed up with Car4Ukraine and a group of wonderful creators to provide much-needed assistance: https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtainAutumn Harvest: Silicon Curtain (Goal€22,000)We'll be supporting troops in Pokrovsk, Kharkiv, and other regions where the trucks are needed the most. 93rd Brigade "Kholodnyi Yar", Black Raven Unmanned Systems Battalionhttps://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtain----------SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtainhttps://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasOur events of the first half of the year in Lviv, Kyiv and Odesa were a huge success. Now we need to maintain this momentum, and change the tide towards a Ukrainian victory. The Silicon Curtain Roadshow is an ambitious campaign to run a minimum of 12 events in 2025, and potentially many more. Any support you can provide for the fundraising campaign would be gratefully appreciated. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Save Ukrainehttps://www.saveukraineua.org/Superhumans - Hospital for war traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukrainehttps://unbroken.org.ua/Come Back Alivehttps://savelife.in.ua/en/Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchenhttps://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraineUNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyyhttps://u24.gov.ua/Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundationhttps://prytulafoundation.orgNGO “Herojam Slava”https://heroiamslava.org/kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemyślhttps://kharpp.com/----------
Nous sommes le 26 avril 1937, à Bruxelles. Ce jour-là, vingt et une jeunes femmes juives prennent, clandestinement, le train en direction de l'Espagne républicaine, alors en pleine guerre civile. Leur motivation principale est la lutte active contre le fascisme. Arrivées à Barcelone quelques jours plus tard, certaines d'entre elles sont photographiées sur la place de Catalunya devant l'Hôtel Colón, alors quartier général du Parti communiste. Le projet est de se rendre à Onteniente, une petite ville entre Valence et Alicante, où elles travailleront comme aides-soignantes à l'hôpital militaire "El Belga". Ces "mamás belgas" comme on les nommera, vont se dévouer aux victimes de la guerre, mais aussi militer pour leur idéal d'un monde plus juste. Après la dissolution des Brigades internationales et la coupure du territoire républicain en deux par les nationalistes, les volontaires décideront de rester et de travailler jusqu'à la fin de la guerre. Mais face à l'effondrement définitif de la République en janvier 1939, les aides-soignantes seront contraintes de fuir. De retour en Belgique, elles n'auront qu'un bref répit avant l'invasion allemande en mai 1940, et plusieurs d'entre elles rejoindront la résistance contre l'occupant nazi. Elles seront treize qui seront envoyées dans les camps d'extermination nazis. Qui étaient ces femmes courageuses ? Revenons sur leur lutte oubliée : la lutte des « Mamas belgas »… Avec nous : Sven Tuytens, journaliste, correspondant en Espagne pour la VRT. « Las mamas belgas – La lutte ignorée de jeunes femmes contre Franco et Hitler » ; éd. Territoires de la Mémoire. Merci pour votre écoute Un Jour dans l'Histoire, c'est également en direct tous les jours de la semaine de 13h15 à 14h30 sur www.rtbf.be/lapremiere Retrouvez tous les épisodes d'Un Jour dans l'Histoire sur notre plateforme Auvio.be :https://auvio.rtbf.be/emission/5936 Intéressés par l'histoire ? Vous pourriez également aimer nos autres podcasts : L'Histoire Continue: https://audmns.com/kSbpELwL'heure H : https://audmns.com/YagLLiKEt sa version à écouter en famille : La Mini Heure H https://audmns.com/YagLLiKAinsi que nos séries historiques :Chili, le Pays de mes Histoires : https://audmns.com/XHbnevhD-Day : https://audmns.com/JWRdPYIJoséphine Baker : https://audmns.com/wCfhoEwLa folle histoire de l'aviation : https://audmns.com/xAWjyWCLes Jeux Olympiques, l'étonnant miroir de notre Histoire : https://audmns.com/ZEIihzZMarguerite, la Voix d'une Résistante : https://audmns.com/zFDehnENapoléon, le crépuscule de l'Aigle : https://audmns.com/DcdnIUnUn Jour dans le Sport : https://audmns.com/xXlkHMHSous le sable des Pyramides : https://audmns.com/rXfVppvN'oubliez pas de vous y abonner pour ne rien manquer.Et si vous avez apprécié ce podcast, n'hésitez pas à nous donner des étoiles ou des commentaires, cela nous aide à le faire connaître plus largement. Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.
Big Red vs Bandido. Timeless vs LaBobs. Brigade vs Posse. Slop vs STE
What happened this weekend? Did America stand up to the monarchy, or did they turn out for anarchy? Andrew Malcolm and I reach way back to the Crimean War for a couple of reasons today, as well as the Battle of Rorke's Drift (IYKYK), and more. We dissect the Protection Racket Media's coverage of the No Kings rallies, and scoff at the idea that this has any significance other than a check box on the way to a Democrat retreat on the Schumer Shutdown.
Canadian journalist Nora Loreto reads the latest headlines for Monday, October 20, 2025.TRNN has partnered with Loreto to syndicate and share her daily news digest with our audience. Tune in every morning to the TRNN podcast feed to hear the latest important news stories from Canada and worldwide.Find more headlines from Nora at Sandy & Nora Talk Politics podcast feed.Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Follow us on:Bluesky: @therealnews.comFacebook: The Real News NetworkTwitter: @TheRealNewsYouTube: @therealnewsInstagram: @therealnewsnetworkBecome a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today!
This is super important. There are so many Battalions in Ukraine, fighting to defend our freedoms, but lack basics such as vehicles. These are destroyed on a regular basis, and lack of transport is costs lives, and Ukrainian territory. https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtainOnce again Silicon Curtain has teamed up with Car4Ukraine and a group of wonderful creators to provide much-needed assistance: https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtainAutumn Harvest: Silicon Curtain (Goal€22,000)We'll be supporting troops in Pokrovsk, Kharkiv, and other regions where the trucks are needed the most. General campaign progress:We are sourcing all vehicles around 2010-2012 or newer, mainly Toyota Hilux or Mitsubishi L200, with low mileage and fully serviced. These are some of the greatest and the most reliable pickups possible to be on the frontline in Ukraine. Who will receive the vehicles?93rd Brigade "Kholodnyi Yar", Black Raven Unmanned Systems Battalionhttps://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtainAUTUMN HARVEST TRUCKS 2025. Part of our 2025 patch collection. Everyone who contributes €100 (~$115) or more will be able to receive it.Everyone who contributes €100 (~$115) or more will be able to receive a limited collection pin.For €2,500 we will place your custom sticker on one side of a truck. The average cost of an armored pickup we deploy to the front-line is €11,000. If you contribute with that amount all the custom branding options will be yours. Plus you'll receive a personalized reporting about the truck, where it ends up as well as some surprise gifts from us.https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtainAbout Car for Ukraine - As of Summer 2025 they have provided: - 715 Vehicles Delivered to the front-line, mainly armored pickups- 2,000,000+ Kilometers Covered Across Europe- €6,000,000+ worth of vehicles delivered to the front-line Thank you for your support. Together to our shared victory! https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtain----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Save Ukrainehttps://www.saveukraineua.org/Superhumans - Hospital for war traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukrainehttps://unbroken.org.ua/Come Back Alivehttps://savelife.in.ua/en/Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchenhttps://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraineUNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyyhttps://u24.gov.ua/Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundationhttps://prytulafoundation.orgNGO “Herojam Slava”https://heroiamslava.org/kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemyślhttps://kharpp.com/NOR DOG Animal Rescuehttps://www.nor-dog.org/home/----------
Edition No256 ||| Day 1,342 ||| 17-10-2025 - This is your Silicon Bites Daily Geopolitics Brief, with a rundown of news stories on 17th October 2025. We cover Ukraine, Russia, China and the global struggle against autocracy. Welcome to Groundhog Day. We seem to be stuck in a loop, of threat, reversal, appeasement and then the whole cycle repeats. It creates the illusion that positions have changed, that there is momentum, and then momentum lost. But if you step back, we can see that this is political theatre, and everything remains the same. Nothing changes. Russia has diluted none of its ludicrous maximalist objectives. Ukraine fights on, because that is the only option open to them, fight or disappear. Europe delays full support for Ukraine, waiting on the US to normalise its foreign policy, and the whole absurd dance goes round in circles over, and over. We lead with Trump's phone call with Putin — more proof we're trapped in a vicious cycle of manipulation, delay and regression. Then how Zelenskyy's Washington visit has been undercut before it gets going. And on the battlefield, Russia's botched push near Pokrovsk once again reveals the fragility of its strategy, one might even say the delusion of its invasion.----------This is super important. There are so many Battalions in Ukraine, fighting to defend our freedoms, but lack basics such as vehicles. These are destroyed on a regular basis, and lack of transport is costs lives, and Ukrainian territory. Once again Silicon Curtain has teamed up with Car4Ukraine and a group of wonderful creators to provide much-needed assistance: https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtainAutumn Harvest: Silicon Curtain (Goal€22,000)We'll be supporting troops in Pokrovsk, Kharkiv, and other regions where the trucks are needed the most. 93rd Brigade "Kholodnyi Yar", Black Raven Unmanned Systems Battalionhttps://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtain----------SOURCES: “Russia Strikes Ukraine's Gas Sites as Zelenskyy Flies to US” — The Guardian, Oct 16, 2025 “Trump says he will meet Putin again after ‘productive' talks” — Reuters, Oct 16, 2025 “Trump to speak with Putin Thursday” — Politico Oct 16, 2025 “Trump, Putin to meet in Budapest for new Ukraine peace push” — Kyiv Independent“‘Putin got scared' — Trump needs to be wary” — Kyiv Independent“Putin lectured Trump on Kyivan Rus during Alaska summit” — Kyiv IndependentFrontline report on Pokrovsk ammonia cloud failure — Euromaidan Press“Huge casualties blunt Russia's armored assault at Pokrovsk” — DailyKos “Putin's Pokrovsk push is making Russia run out of Russians” — Euromaidan Press “Massing attack under Pokrovsk meets defense” — NV (The New Voice of Ukraine)“Ukraine's defenders struggle to stem Russia's air assault” — The Guardian, Oct 17, 2025“Ukraine war briefing: Moscow voices ‘extreme concern' at Trump threat to send Tomahawk missiles” — The Guardian, Oct 13, 2025----------SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtainhttps://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasOur events of the first half of the year in Lviv, Kyiv and Odesa were a huge success. Now we need to maintain this momentum, and change the tide towards a Ukrainian victory. The Silicon Curtain Roadshow is an ambitious campaign to run a minimum of 12 events in 2025, and potentially many more. Any support you can provide for the fundraising campaign would be gratefully appreciated. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------
David DeBatto is host of the ‘No Delusion Zone' podcast is a retired U.S. Army Counterintelligence Special Agent, a geopolitical analyst, writer, and podcaster. David is an Iraq war veteran who served as Team Leader of a Tactical Human Intelligence Team (THT) in operations within Iraq and is also a former police officer. David is considered too conservative for the progressive left and too independent minded for the radical right and seeks to challenge political dogma and the naked self-interest of politicians. ----------LINKS:https://www.protectingtherepublic.com/podcasthttps://x.com/ddebattohttps://www.kyivpost.com/authors/743----------This is super important. There are so many Battalions in Ukraine, fighting to defend our freedoms, but lack basics such as vehicles. These are destroyed on a regular basis, and lack of transport is costs lives, and Ukrainian territory. Once again Silicon Curtain has teamed up with Car4Ukraine and a group of wonderful creators to provide much-needed assistance: https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtainAutumn Harvest: Silicon Curtain (Goal€22,000)We'll be supporting troops in Pokrovsk, Kharkiv, and other regions where the trucks are needed the most. 93rd Brigade "Kholodnyi Yar", Black Raven Unmanned Systems Battalionhttps://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtain----------SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtainhttps://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasOur events of the first half of the year in Lviv, Kyiv and Odesa were a huge success. Now we need to maintain this momentum, and change the tide towards a Ukrainian victory. The Silicon Curtain Roadshow is an ambitious campaign to run a minimum of 12 events in 2025, and potentially many more. Any support you can provide for the fundraising campaign would be gratefully appreciated. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Save Ukrainehttps://www.saveukraineua.org/Superhumans - Hospital for war traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukrainehttps://unbroken.org.ua/Come Back Alivehttps://savelife.in.ua/en/Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchenhttps://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraineUNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyyhttps://u24.gov.ua/Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundationhttps://prytulafoundation.orgNGO “Herojam Slava”https://heroiamslava.org/kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemyślhttps://kharpp.com/NOR DOG Animal Rescuehttps://www.nor-dog.org/home/----------
Edition No255 ||| Day 1,341 ||| 16-10-2025 - This is your Silicon Bites Daily Geopolitics Brief, with a rundown of news stories on 16th October 2025. We cover Ukraine, Russia, China and the global struggle against autocracy. Tonight's rundown of the authoritarian front: Russia pounds Ukraine's grid again; Kyiv's drones torch refineries and substations deep inside Russia; London hammers the “shadow fleet” with a new, harsh packet of sanctions; Washington and Brussels tighten the screws; India and Japan feel U.S. pressure on Russian energy; and inside Russia, repression expands while Moscow hunts more foreign manpower for the trenches. London takes a hard swing at Russia: sanctions on Rosneft, Lukoil, and the “shadow fleet”.The UK just unveiled one of its most sweeping packages yet: new sanctions listings hitting Rosneft, Lukoil, cornerstones of Russia's war revenues, and dozens of tankers used to skirt the price cap. Reuters: Britain targeted “its two largest oil firms… as well as 44 tankers in the ‘shadow fleet'.” (Oct 15) (Reuters)----------This is super important. There are so many Battalions in Ukraine, fighting to defend our freedoms, but lack basics such as vehicles. These are destroyed on a regular basis, and lack of transport is costs lives, and Ukrainian territory. Once again Silicon Curtain has teamed up with Car4Ukraine and a group of wonderful creators to provide much-needed assistance: https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtainAutumn Harvest: Silicon Curtain (Goal€22,000)We'll be supporting troops in Pokrovsk, Kharkiv, and other regions where the trucks are needed the most. 93rd Brigade "Kholodnyi Yar", Black Raven Unmanned Systems Battalionhttps://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtain----------SOURCES: Reuters — “Russia's seaborne fuel exports sank 17% in September after drone attacks” (Oct. 13, 2025)Reuters — “Storms, drone attacks and record oil exports pile pressure on Novorossiisk” (Oct. 15, 2025)Reuters — “Russian finance ministry proposes raising VAT to 22% to help finance war” (Sep. 24, 2025)The Moscow Times — “More Taxes for More War: Unpacking Russia's 2026 Budget” (Oct. 7, 2025)Reuters — “Russia set to raise corporate profit tax” (May 23, 2024)Reuters — “Gazprom swings to net loss … 2024 (RAS)” (Mar. 17, 2025)TASS — “Share of loss-making entities in Russia was 31.6% in Q1 2025” (June 4, 2025)Financial Times — “Russia's coal miners buckle under sanctions, weak prices and war” (Oct. 13, 2025)Reuters — “Russia's Mechel halts some coal operations as industry faces crisis” (Aug. 28, 2025)Reuters — “Rostselmash: demand collapses as key rate hits 30%” (May 16, 2025). ([Reuters][13])Interfax — “Sales of Russian agricultural machinery fall 32.1% in H1 2025” (Aug. 4, 2025)Liga/Pravda summaries of *Vedomosti* interview — “Rostselmash to cut output ~30% in 2025” (Oct. 6, 2025)Jamestown Foundation — “Kremlin's war economy driving recession in regions” (Sep. 26, 2025)The Moscow Times — “Belgorod to end housing payments for some displaced residents” (Jun. 27, 2025)Meduza — “Belgorod won't repair homes of residents who left Russia until after the war” (Jun. 30, 2025)SIPRI — Preparing for a Fourth Year of War: Military Spending in Russia's Budget for 2025 (Mar. 11, 2025)----------SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtainhttps://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasOur events of the first half of the year in Lviv, Kyiv and Odesa were a huge success. Now we need to maintain this momentum, and change the tide towards a Ukrainian victory. The Silicon Curtain Roadshow is an ambitious campaign to run a minimum of 12 events in 2025, and potentially many more. Any support you can provide for the fundraising campaign would be gratefully appreciated. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------
The Cynic Weekly – The original 90 Minute Cynic Podcast.Gall is joined by Stuart as they sit down and discuss the current state of play at Celtic.We start by discussing the manager position and what sort of coach could potentially replace Brendan Rodgers. We then cover all news including the potential signing of Bobby Clark.We look over the statements from the Green Brigade and Bhoys regarding their boycott of the League Cup semi final. We finish by looking ahead to the game against Dundee on Sunday.---------------------------
Start Artist Song Time Album Year 0:00:33 Ghost Brigade Into The Black Light 5:23 Isolation Songs 2009 0:07:32 Ghost Circus Cycles 5:30 Cycles 2006 0:13:03 Ghost Machinery Dreamworld 5:30 Haunting Remains 2004 0:18:33 Ghost of a God Let's Talk About 4:13 Ghost of a God 1998 0:24:10 Ghost of The Machine Mountain 7:48 Scissorgames 2022 […]
Today's poem is both metrical marvel and moving memorial. Happy reading. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dailypoempod.substack.com/subscribe
Edition No254 ||| Day 1,339 ||| 15-10-2025 - This is your Silicon Bites Daily Geopolitics Brief, with a rundown of news stories on 15th October 2025. We cover Ukraine, Russia, China and the global struggle against autocracy. We start with a moment of extraordinary weakness, a comment that could act as a red rag to a bull, as far as Putin is concerned, because he is provoked to aggression by weakness, not by strength and push back. Mark Rutte claims that shooting down Russian jets breaching allied airspace would be a sign of weakness. Cue a storm of criticism from Ukrainians and Eastern Europeans who actually live under the flight paths of Russia drones and missiles. We also examine Russia's latest winter strikes on Ukraine's grid; Kyiv hits back deep inside Russia; Poland warns Europe to prepare for “deep” Russian attacks; and NATO scrambles for fresh air defences as aid dips. ----------This is super important. There are so many Battalions in Ukraine, fighting to defend our freedoms, but lack basics such as vehicles. These are destroyed on a regular basis, and lack of transport is costs lives, and Ukrainian territory. Once again Silicon Curtain has teamed up with Car4Ukraine and a group of wonderful creators to provide much-needed assistance: https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtainAutumn Harvest: Silicon Curtain (Goal€22,000)We'll be supporting troops in Pokrovsk, Kharkiv, and other regions where the trucks are needed the most. 93rd Brigade "Kholodnyi Yar", Black Raven Unmanned Systems Battalionhttps://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtain----------SOURCES: Kyiv Independent: “‘Missiles, one after another' — Kyiv blackouts as Russia strikes Ukraine's energy infrastructure once again”* (Oct 10, 2025)Reuters: “Power being restored after Russian attack…” (Oct 10, 2025)Kyiv Independent: “Putin waited for bad weather…” (Oct 11, 2025)The Guardian: “Ukraine war briefing: Latest refinery strike shows ‘no safe places in Russia's deep rear'” (Oct 11, 2025)Reuters: “Senior Ukrainian officials head to Washington…”The Guardian: “Ukraine war briefing: Moscow voices ‘extreme concern' at Trump threat to send Tomahawks…” (Oct 13, 2025)The Moscow Times: “Russian Stocks Suffer Sharpest Single-Day Drop in 3 Years” (Oct 8, 2025)Kyiv Post / ISW: “Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, Oct 11–12, 2025” (posted Oct 12–13)Meduza: “‘The Kremlin has resources'…” (Oct 10, 2025); “‘For the Defense Ministry, people are garbage'…” (Oct 8, 2025)The Insider: “Spanish prosecutor closes investigation into Maxam…” (Oct 2, 2025)----------SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtainhttps://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasOur events of the first half of the year in Lviv, Kyiv and Odesa were a huge success. Now we need to maintain this momentum, and change the tide towards a Ukrainian victory. The Silicon Curtain Roadshow is an ambitious campaign to run a minimum of 12 events in 2025, and potentially many more. Any support you can provide for the fundraising campaign would be gratefully appreciated. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------
Retrouvez la boutique LEGEND ➡️: https://shop.legend-group.fr/Merci à Pierre Folacci d'être venu nous voir chez LEGEND ! Ancien chef adjoint de la brigade de répression du banditisme, il est venu partager avec nous les moments forts de sa carrière, marquée par des enquêtes intenses et des arrestations marquantes. C'est notamment lui qui a arrêté Patrick Guillemin, ancien braqueur que nous avions également reçu. Depuis, contre toute attente, les deux hommes se sont liés d'amitié.Retrouvez le livre de Pierre Folacci : “Condé, un corse à la PJ” juste ici ➡️ https://amzn.to/42BIHLTRetrouvez également notre interview avec Patrick Guillemin ➡️ https://youtu.be/ylL42pyg4Xg?si=hRqI9HQNjGZxn114 Merci à la Société SLKON pour le prêt des caméras cachées lors de notre l'happening ➡️ https://www.slkon.fr/fr/Pour toutes demandes de partenariats : legend@influxcrew.comRetrouvez-nous sur tous les réseaux LEGEND !Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/legendmediafrInstagram : https://www.instagram.com/legendmedia/TikTok : https://www.tiktok.com/@legendTwitter : https://twitter.com/legendmediafrSnapchat : https://t.snapchat.com/CgEvsbWV Hébergé par Acast. Visitez acast.com/privacy pour plus d'informations.
Edition No253 ||| Day 1,339 ||| 14-10-2025 - This is your Silicon Bites Daily Geopolitics Brief, with a rundown of news stories on 14th October 2025. We cover Ukraine, Russia, China and the global struggle against autocracy. Russia's winter playbook returns — mass strikes on Ukraine's grid — while Ukraine pushes the war deep into Russia's energy heartland. Moscow's markets wobble, the World Bank trims growth, and Europe braces for hybrid hits on its energy lifelines. Let's go.1) Ukraine suffers another mass energy strike, blackouts in Kyiv.Russia hit Ukraine's energy system again at scale late Oct 9–10, plunging districts of Kyiv and multiple regions into darkness and disrupting water. Initial counts ran to hundreds of thousands without power before emergency crews restored much of the grid. The Kyiv Independent's on-the-ground brief captured the rhythm of the night — “missiles, one after another” — and the immediate aftermath across the city. (The Kyiv Independent)President Zelenskyy later said Moscow had waited for bad weather — cloud cover and wind — to weaken air defences. He also linked the timing to global distraction with Gaza and other stories. (The Kyiv Independent)Why it matters: The winter energy war is back. Expect recurring volleys designed to sap civilian morale, drain air-defence stocks, and force expensive repairs. What it won't do, is force Kyiv residents to abandon their city, or the struggle against Russian domination. ----------This is super important. There are so many Battalions in Ukraine, fighting to defend our freedoms, but lack basics such as vehicles. These are destroyed on a regular basis, and lack of transport is costs lives, and Ukrainian territory. Once again Silicon Curtain has teamed up with Car4Ukraine and a group of wonderful creators to provide much-needed assistance: https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtainAutumn Harvest: Silicon Curtain (Goal€22,000)We'll be supporting troops in Pokrovsk, Kharkiv, and other regions where the trucks are needed the most. 93rd Brigade "Kholodnyi Yar", Black Raven Unmanned Systems Battalionhttps://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtain----------SOURCES: Kyiv Independent: “‘Missiles, one after another' — Kyiv blackouts as Russia strikes Ukraine's energy infrastructure once again”* (Oct 10, 2025)Reuters: “Power being restored after Russian attack…” (Oct 10, 2025)Kyiv Independent: “Putin waited for bad weather…” (Oct 11, 2025)The Guardian: “Ukraine war briefing: Latest refinery strike shows ‘no safe places in Russia's deep rear'” (Oct 11, 2025)Reuters: “Senior Ukrainian officials head to Washington…”The Guardian: “Ukraine war briefing: Moscow voices ‘extreme concern' at Trump threat to send Tomahawks…” (Oct 13, 2025)The Moscow Times: “Russian Stocks Suffer Sharpest Single-Day Drop in 3 Years” (Oct 8, 2025)Kyiv Post / ISW: “Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, Oct 11–12, 2025” (posted Oct 12–13)Meduza: “‘The Kremlin has resources'…” (Oct 10, 2025); “‘For the Defense Ministry, people are garbage'…” (Oct 8, 2025)The Insider: “Spanish prosecutor closes investigation into Maxam…” (Oct 2, 2025)----------SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtainhttps://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasOur events of the first half of the year in Lviv, Kyiv and Odesa were a huge success. Now we need to maintain this momentum, and change the tide towards a Ukrainian victory. The Silicon Curtain Roadshow is an ambitious campaign to run a minimum of 12 events in 2025, and potentially many more. Any support you can provide for the fundraising campaign would be gratefully appreciated. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------
Episode 796 of the Pennsylvania Rock Show brings the firepower of Iron Brigade, a high-octane metal band whose sound channels the raw energy of power metal, thrash, and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM). Known for their commanding stage presence, intricate storytelling, and relentless energy, Iron Brigade is not just a band—they're a... The post Iron Brigade PARS796 first appeared on Build the Scene.
Jeffrey Hartman is the Founder & CEO of Ukrainian Action, a volunteer-run non-profit dedicated to supporting the survival of Ukrainian citizens and development of Ukraine. Twenty years after serving as a US Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine, he responded to the full scale invasion by leaving his day job trading commodities to focus on building a non-profit organization to address Ukraine's emergency response needs and future recovery opportunities.----------LINKS:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffrey-hartman-ua339a21/https://www.ukrainianaction.com/----------This is super important. There are so many Battalions in Ukraine, fighting to defend our freedoms, but lack basics such as vehicles. These are destroyed on a regular basis, and lack of transport is costs lives, and Ukrainian territory. https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtainOnce again Silicon Curtain has teamed up with Car4Ukraine and a group of wonderful creators to provide much-needed assistance: https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtainAutumn Harvest: Silicon Curtain (Goal€22,000)We'll be supporting troops in Pokrovsk, Kharkiv, and other regions where the trucks are needed the most. General campaign progress:We are sourcing all vehicles around 2010-2012 or newer, mainly Toyota Hilux or Mitsubishi L200, with low mileage and fully serviced. These are some of the greatest and the most reliable pickups possible to be on the frontline in Ukraine. Who will receive the vehicles?93rd Brigade "Kholodnyi Yar", Black Raven Unmanned Systems Battalionhttps://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtainAUTUMN HARVEST TRUCKS 2025. Part of our 2025 patch collection. Everyone who contributes €100 (~$115) or more will be able to receive it.Everyone who contributes €100 (~$115) or more will be able to receive a limited collection pin.For €2,500 we will place your custom sticker on one side of a truck. The average cost of an armored pickup we deploy to the front-line is €11,000. If you contribute with that amount all the custom branding options will be yours. Plus you'll receive a personalized reporting about the truck, where it ends up as well as some surprise gifts from us.https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtainAbout Car for Ukraine - As of Summer 2025 they have provided: - 715 Vehicles Delivered to the front-line, mainly armored pickups- 2,000,000+ Kilometers Covered Across Europe- €6,000,000+ worth of vehicles delivered to the front-line Thank you for your support. Together to our shared victory! https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtain----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Save Ukrainehttps://www.saveukraineua.org/Superhumans - Hospital for war traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukrainehttps://unbroken.org.ua/Come Back Alivehttps://savelife.in.ua/en/Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchenhttps://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraineUNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyyhttps://u24.gov.ua/Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundationhttps://prytulafoundation.orgNGO “Herojam Slava”https://heroiamslava.org/kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemyślhttps://kharpp.com/NOR DOG Animal Rescuehttps://www.nor-dog.org/home/----------
Live-stream with Yuri Rashkin, Konstantin Samoilov and company. ----------This is super important. There are so many Battalions in Ukraine, fighting to defend our freedoms, but lack basics such as vehicles. These are destroyed on a regular basis, and lack of transport is costs lives, and Ukrainian territory. https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtainOnce again Silicon Curtain has teamed up with Car4Ukraine and a group of wonderful creators to provide much-needed assistance: https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtainAutumn Harvest: Silicon Curtain (Goal€22,000)We'll be supporting troops in Pokrovsk, Kharkiv, and other regions where the trucks are needed the most. General campaign progress:We are sourcing all vehicles around 2010-2012 or newer, mainly Toyota Hilux or Mitsubishi L200, with low mileage and fully serviced. These are some of the greatest and the most reliable pickups possible to be on the frontline in Ukraine. Who will receive the vehicles?93rd Brigade "Kholodnyi Yar", Black Raven Unmanned Systems Battalionhttps://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtainAUTUMN HARVEST TRUCKS 2025. Part of our 2025 patch collection. Everyone who contributes €100 (~$115) or more will be able to receive it.Everyone who contributes €100 (~$115) or more will be able to receive a limited collection pin.For €2,500 we will place your custom sticker on one side of a truck. The average cost of an armored pickup we deploy to the front-line is €11,000. If you contribute with that amount all the custom branding options will be yours. Plus you'll receive a personalized reporting about the truck, where it ends up as well as some surprise gifts from us.https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtainAbout Car for Ukraine - As of Summer 2025 they have provided: - 715 Vehicles Delivered to the front-line, mainly armored pickups- 2,000,000+ Kilometers Covered Across Europe- €6,000,000+ worth of vehicles delivered to the front-line Thank you for your support. Together to our shared victory! https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtain----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Save Ukrainehttps://www.saveukraineua.org/Superhumans - Hospital for war traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukrainehttps://unbroken.org.ua/Come Back Alivehttps://savelife.in.ua/en/Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchenhttps://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraineUNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyyhttps://u24.gov.ua/Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundationhttps://prytulafoundation.orgNGO “Herojam Slava”https://heroiamslava.org/kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemyślhttps://kharpp.com/NOR DOG Animal Rescuehttps://www.nor-dog.org/home/----------
Steven Lacey is an Award-winning insight specialist. Winner of the Market Research Society (MRS) best Cultural Insight award 2022, the MRS best Creative Development research award 2022 , MRS best International Research 2021 award and MRS Bravery award 2016.Resilience & Reconstruction is a an agile research agency, delivering policy insights, consultancy and partnerships that drive resilience, data strategies and collaboration. It delivers integrated, evidence-based solutions to empower communities and institutions for adversity. By combining advanced research, hands-on training, strategic consultancy, and innovative technologies, it delivers proactive risk management, rapid recovery, and long-term resilience. Its collaborative, multidisciplinary approach ensures tailored, actionable strategies for enduring organisational strength, social progress, and societal cohesion. ----------LINKS: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-lacey-43b0495/https://www.linkedin.com/company/resilience-reconstruction/posts/?feedView=allhttps://outsidersinsight.com/about-us/https://www.aqr.org.uk/a/20220419-villainising----------This is super important. There are so many Battalions in Ukraine, fighting to defend our freedoms, but lack basics such as vehicles. These are destroyed on a regular basis, and lack of transport is costs lives, and Ukrainian territory. Once again Silicon Curtain has teamed up with Car4Ukraine and a group of wonderful creators to provide much-needed assistance: https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtainAutumn Harvest: Silicon Curtain (Goal€22,000)We'll be supporting troops in Pokrovsk, Kharkiv, and other regions where the trucks are needed the most. 93rd Brigade "Kholodnyi Yar", Black Raven Unmanned Systems Battalionhttps://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtain----------SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtainhttps://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasOur events of the first half of the year in Lviv, Kyiv and Odesa were a huge success. Now we need to maintain this momentum, and change the tide towards a Ukrainian victory. The Silicon Curtain Roadshow is an ambitious campaign to run a minimum of 12 events in 2025, and potentially many more. Any support you can provide for the fundraising campaign would be gratefully appreciated. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------
Edition No252 | 10-10-2025 - For those not following British politics, and in fact for those that only get their news via the mainstream media the following story may com as a shock. We have our own problem with Kremlin assets, propaganda mouthpieces and useful idiots. Yes, support for Ukraine is higher than in most other countries of the world. But we also have unprincipled scumbags that are prepared to take the Kremlin's tainted pieces of silver in return for their souls. A shadow has been cast over Nigel Farage's Reform party, as Nathan Gill pleads guilty to essentially being a – Russian asset, and traitor to his country. On 26 September, former Welsh Brexit Party MEP and Reform UK official Nathan Gill pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to accepting payments for making pro-Russian statements in the European Parliament. The eight counts of bribery relate to both television and appearances in public forums. He faces sentencing in November. These charges quite likely come with a custodial sentence. This is not a fringe political scandal, but the silence of the mainstream, mostly right-wing tabloid, media, owned by a handful of billionaires is deafening. Plus, BBC coverage is minimal, in a shocking display of institutional sycophancy to the most extreme forces in British politics. ----------This is super important. There are so many Battalions in Ukraine, fighting to defend our freedoms, but lack basics such as vehicles. These are destroyed on a regular basis, and lack of transport is costs lives, and Ukrainian territory. Once again Silicon Curtain has teamed up with Car4Ukraine and a group of wonderful creators to provide much-needed assistance: https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtainAutumn Harvest: Silicon Curtain (Goal€22,000)We'll be supporting troops in Pokrovsk, Kharkiv, and other regions where the trucks are needed the most. 93rd Brigade "Kholodnyi Yar", Black Raven Unmanned Systems Battalionhttps://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtain----------SOURCES: https://bylinetimes.com/2025/10/04/thick-as-thieves-nathan-gill-and-nigel-farages-putin-problem/----------SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtainhttps://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasOur events of the first half of the year in Lviv, Kyiv and Odesa were a huge success. Now we need to maintain this momentum, and change the tide towards a Ukrainian victory. The Silicon Curtain Roadshow is an ambitious campaign to run a minimum of 12 events in 2025, and potentially many more. Any support you can provide for the fundraising campaign would be gratefully appreciated. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------
David DeBatto is host of the ‘No Delusion Zone' podcast @NoDelusionZone is a retired U.S. Army Counterintelligence Special Agent, a geopolitical analyst, writer, and podcaster. David is an Iraq war veteran who served as Team Leader of a Tactical Human Intelligence Team (THT) in operations within Iraq and is also a former police officer. David is considered too conservative for the progressive left and too independent minded for the radical right and seeks to challenge political dogma and the naked self-interest of politicians. ----------LINKS: @NoDelusionZone https://www.protectingtherepublic.com/podcasthttps://x.com/ddebattohttps://www.kyivpost.com/authors/743----------This is super important. There are so many Battalions in Ukraine, fighting to defend our freedoms, but lack basics such as vehicles. These are destroyed on a regular basis, and lack of transport is costs lives, and Ukrainian territory. Once again Silicon Curtain has teamed up with Car4Ukraine and a group of wonderful creators to provide much-needed assistance: https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtainAutumn Harvest: Silicon Curtain (Goal€22,000)We'll be supporting troops in Pokrovsk, Kharkiv, and other regions where the trucks are needed the most. 93rd Brigade "Kholodnyi Yar", Black Raven Unmanned Systems Battalionhttps://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtain----------SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtainhttps://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasOur events of the first half of the year in Lviv, Kyiv and Odesa were a huge success. Now we need to maintain this momentum, and change the tide towards a Ukrainian victory. The Silicon Curtain Roadshow is an ambitious campaign to run a minimum of 12 events in 2025, and potentially many more. Any support you can provide for the fundraising campaign would be gratefully appreciated. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Save Ukrainehttps://www.saveukraineua.org/Superhumans - Hospital for war traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukrainehttps://unbroken.org.ua/Come Back Alivehttps://savelife.in.ua/en/Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchenhttps://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraineUNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyyhttps://u24.gov.ua/Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundationhttps://prytulafoundation.orgNGO “Herojam Slava”https://heroiamslava.org/kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemyślhttps://kharpp.com/NOR DOG Animal Rescuehttps://www.nor-dog.org/home/----------
Edition No251 | 07-10-2025 - “Happy Birthday, Mr. Putin — Ukraine's Gift to the Dictator, Long-Range Strikes.” A birthday present for Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian style — deep-strike drone operations timed to his birthday. We'll unpack the symbolism of this move, the military mechanics behind it, and what it suggests about escalation, deterrence, Kremlin overreach and Ukrainian strength.The Kyiv Post headline is vivid: “On Putin's birthday, Ukraine launched a 209-drone strike deep into Russia” (Kyiv Post). This birthday present had teeth and quite a bite. * Overnight, Ukraine launched 209 drones targeting deep Russian territory. (Kyiv Post)* The strike allegedly reached Tyumen, over 2,000 km from the border. The target: an oil refinery (the Antipinsky facility) in Tyumen.* Moscow claimed it intercepted 184 drones overnight; others say those numbers may be inflated. (Russian MoD claims)* Local Telegram channels in Tyumen reported explosions, fire trucks, emergency response. ----------This is super important. There are so many Battalions in Ukraine, fighting to defend our freedoms, but lack basics such as vehicles. These are destroyed on a regular basis, and lack of transport is costs lives, and Ukrainian territory. Once again Silicon Curtain has teamed up with Car4Ukraine and a group of wonderful creators to provide much-needed assistance: https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtainAutumn Harvest: Silicon Curtain (Goal€22,000)We'll be supporting troops in Pokrovsk, Kharkiv, and other regions where the trucks are needed the most. 93rd Brigade "Kholodnyi Yar", Black Raven Unmanned Systems Battalionhttps://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtain----------SOURCES: Kyiv Post, “Drones Hit 2,000 km Inside Russia as Ukraine Unleashes 209-Drone Barrage on Putin's Birthday”Kyiv Independent, “Ukrainian drones reportedly target Russian oil facility over 2000 km away”Military.com, “Ukraine Claims Drone Strikes on Russian Ammo Plant, Oil Terminal and Weapons Depot”SpotMedia, translation of Kyiv Post / social media commentaryOperation Spiderweb (Wikipedia) — the June 2025 deep drone strike campaignThe Moscow Times, “Russia's Sochi Resort Grapples With Ukrainian Drones”Reuters, “Russia says it awaits clarity on possible US supply of Tomahawks to Ukraine”----------SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtainhttps://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasOur events of the first half of the year in Lviv, Kyiv and Odesa were a huge success. Now we need to maintain this momentum, and change the tide towards a Ukrainian victory. The Silicon Curtain Roadshow is an ambitious campaign to run a minimum of 12 events in 2025, and potentially many more. Any support you can provide for the fundraising campaign would be gratefully appreciated. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------
Jukes came to prominence for journalism because of his involvement in and commentary on the News International phone-hacking scandal and the Leveson Inquiry. He live-tweeted the long hacking trial (half a million words over 130+ days) from the Old Bailey. He writes regularly for outlets such as The Independent, New Statesman, Prospect, Newsweek, The Daily Beast, and more, on media, politics, corruption and transparency. He is also the co-founder and Executive Editor of Byline Times. Through that and related projects, he emphasizes investigative journalism, exposing power, corruption, and media malpractice.----------LINKS:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Jukeshttps://x.com/peterjukes?lang=enhttp://www.peterjukes.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-jukes-525b0013/https://bylinetimes.com/author/peterjukes/----------BOOKS: A Shout in the Street (1990) — a literary/essay work on modern cities. (Wikipedia)The Fall of the House of Murdoch (2012) — a crowd-funded critique of media power. (Simon & Schuster UK)Beyond Contempt: The Inside Story of the Phone Hacking Trial — reporting on the hacking trial.(Audible.com)----------This is super important. There are so many Battalions in Ukraine, fighting to defend our freedoms, but lack basics such as vehicles. These are destroyed on a regular basis, and lack of transport is costs lives, and Ukrainian territory. Once again Silicon Curtain has teamed up with Car4Ukraine and a group of wonderful creators to provide much-needed assistance: https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtainAutumn Harvest: Silicon Curtain (Goal€22,000)We'll be supporting troops in Pokrovsk, Kharkiv, and other regions where the trucks are needed the most. 93rd Brigade "Kholodnyi Yar", Black Raven Unmanned Systems Battalionhttps://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtain----------Partner on this video: KYIV OF MINE Watch the trailer now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arJUcE1rxY0'Kyiv of Mine' is a documentary series about Ukraine's beautiful capital, Kyiv. The film production began in 2018, and much has changed since then. It is now 2025, and this story is far from over.https://www.youtube.com/@UCz6UbVKfqutH-N7WXnC5Ykg https://www.kyivofmine.com/#theprojectKyiv of Mine is fast paced, beautifully filmed, humorous, fun, insightful, heartbreaking, moving, hopeful. The very antithesis in fact of a doom-laden and worthy wartime documentary. This is a work that is extraordinarily uplifting. My friend Operator Starsky says the film is “Made with so much love. The film series will make you laugh and cry.” ----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Save Ukrainehttps://www.saveukraineua.org/Superhumans - Hospital for war traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukrainehttps://unbroken.org.ua/Come Back Alivehttps://savelife.in.ua/en/Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchenhttps://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraineUNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyyhttps://u24.gov.ua/Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundationhttps://prytulafoundation.orgNGO “Herojam Slava”https://heroiamslava.org/kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemyślhttps://kharpp.com/NOR DOG Animal Rescuehttps://www.nor-dog.org/home/----------
Last time we spoke about the continuation of the war after Nanjing's fall. The fall of Nanjing in December 1937 marked a pivotal juncture in the Second Sino-Japanese War, ushering in a brutal phase of attrition that shaped both strategy and diplomacy in early 1938. As Japanese forces sought to restructure China's political order, their strategy extended beyond battlefield victories to the establishment of puppet arrangements and coercive diplomacy. Soviet aid provided critical support, while German and broader Axis diplomacy wavered, shaping a nuanced backdrop for China's options. In response, Chinese command decisions focused on defending crucial rail corridors and urban strongholds, with Wuhan emerging as a strategic hub and the Jinpu and Longhai railways becoming lifelines of resistance. The defense around Xuzhou and the Huai River system illustrated Chinese determination to prolong resistance despite daunting odds. By early 1938, the war appeared as a drawn-out struggle, with China conserving core bases even as Japan pressed toward central China. #170 The Battle of Taierzhuang 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. Following their victory at Nanjing, the Japanese North China Area Army sought to push southward and link up with the Japanese Eleventh Army between Beijing and Nanjing. The two formations were intended to advance along the northern and southern ends of the JinPu railway, meet at Xuzhou, and then coordinate a pincer movement into Chinese strongholds in the Central Yangtze region, capturing Jiujiang first and then Wuhan. Recognizing Xuzhou's strategic importance, Chinese leadership made its defense a top priority. Xuzhou stood at the midpoint of the JinPu line and at the intersection with the Longhai Line, China's main east–west corridor from Lanzhou to Lianyungang. If seized, Japanese control of these routes would grant mobility for north–south movement across central China. At the end of January, Chiang Kai-shek convened a military conference in Wuchang and declared the defense of Xuzhou the highest strategic objective. Chinese preparations expanded from an initial core of 80,000 troops to about 300,000, deployed along the JinPu and Longhai lines to draw in and overstretch Japanese offensives. A frightening reality loomed by late March 1938: the Japanese were nearing victory on the Xuzhou front. The North China Area Army, led by Generals Itagaki Seishirô, Nishio Toshizô, and Isogai Rensuke, aimed to link up with the Central China Expeditionary Force under General Hata Shunroku for a coordinated drive into central China. Li Zongren and his senior colleagues, including Generals Bai Chongxi and Tang Enbo, resolved to meet the Japanese at the traditional stone-walled city of Taierzhuang. Taierzhuang was not large, but it held strategic significance. It sat along the Grand Canal, China's major north–south waterway, and on a rail line that connected the Jinpu and Longhai lines, thus bypassing Xuzhou. Chiang Kai-shek himself visited Xuzhou on March 24. While Xuzhou remained in Chinese hands, the Japanese forces to the north and south were still separated. Losing Xuzhou would close the pincer. By late March, Chinese troops seemed to be gaining ground at Taierzhuang, but the Japanese began reinforcing, pulling soldiers from General Isogai Rensuke's column. The defending commanders grew uncertain about their ability to hold the position, yet Chiang Kai-shek made his stance clear in an April 1, 1938 telegram: “the enemy at Taierzhuang must be destroyed.” Chiang Kai-shek dispatched his Vice Chief of Staff, Bai Chongxi, to Xuzhou in January 1938. Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi were old comrades from the New Guangxi Clique, and their collaboration dated back to the Northern Expedition, including the Battle of Longtan. Li also received the 21st Group Army from the 3rd War Area. This Guangxi unit, commanded by Liao Lei, comprised the 7th and 47th Armies. Around the same time, Sun Zhen's 22nd Group Army, another Sichuan clique unit, arrived in the Shanxi-Henan region, but was rebuffed by both Yan Xishan, then commander of the 2nd War Area and Shanxi's chairman and Cheng Qian, commander of the 1st War Area and Henan's chairman. Yan and Cheng harbored strong reservations about Sichuan units due to discipline issues, notably their rampant opium consumption. Under Sun Zhen's leadership, the 22nd Group Army deployed four of its six divisions to aid the Northern China effort. Organized under the 41st and 45th Armies, the contingent began a foot march toward Taiyuan on September 1, covering more than 50 days and approximately 1,400 kilometers. Upon reaching Shanxi, they faced a harsh, icy winter and had no winter uniforms or even a single map of the province. They nevertheless engaged the Japanese for ten days at Yangquan, suffering heavy casualties. Strapped for supplies, they broke into a Shanxi clique supply depot, which enraged Yan Xishan and led to their expulsion from the province. The 22nd withdrew westward into the 1st War Area, only to have its request for resupply rejected by Cheng Qian. Meanwhile to the south Colonel Rippei Ogisu led Japanese 13th Division to push westward from Nanjing in two columns during early February: the northern column targeted Mingguang, while the southern column aimed for Chuxian. Both routes were checked by Wei Yunsong's 31st Army, which had been assigned to defend the southern stretch of the Jinpu railway under Li Zongren. Despite facing a clearly inferior force, the Japanese could not gain ground after more than a month of sustained attacks. In response, Japan deployed armored and artillery reinforcements from Nanjing. The Chinese withdrew to the southwestern outskirts of Dingyuan to avoid a direct clash with their reinforced adversaries. By this point, Yu Xuezhong's 51st Army had taken up a defensive position on the northern banks of the Huai River, establishing a line between Bengbu and Huaiyuan. The Japanese then captured Mingguang, Dingyuan, and Bengbu in succession and pressed toward Huaiyuan. However, their supply lines were intercepted by the Chinese 31st Corps, which conducted flanking attacks from the southwest. The situation worsened when the Chinese 7th Army, commanded by Liao Lei, arrived at Hefei to reinforce the 31st Army. Facing three Chinese corps simultaneously, the Japanese were effectively boxed south of the Huai River and, despite air superiority and a superior overall firepower, could not advance further. As a result, the Chinese thwarted the Japanese plan to move the 13th Division north along the Jinpu railway and link up with the Isogai 10th Division to execute a pincer against Xuzhou. Meanwhile in the north, after amphibious landings at Qingdao, the Japanese 5th Division, commanded by Seishiro Itagaki, advanced southwest along the Taiwei Highway, spearheaded by its 21st Infantry Brigade. They faced Pang Bingxun's 3rd Group Army. Although labeled a Group Army, Pang's force actually comprised only the 40th Army, which itself consisted of the 39th Division from the Northwestern Army, commanded by Ma-Fawu. The 39th Division's five regiments delayed the Japanese advance toward Linyi for over a month. The Japanese captured Ju County on 22 February and moved toward Linyi by 2 March. The 59th Army, commanded by Zhang Zizhong, led its troops on a forced march day and night toward Linyi. Seizing the opportunity, the 59th Army did not rest after reaching Yishui. In the early morning of the 14th, Zhang Zizhong ordered the entire army to covertly cross the Yishui River and attack the right flank of the Japanese “Iron Army” 5th Division. They broke through enemy defenses at Tingzitou, Dataiping, Shenjia Taiping, Xujia Taiping, and Shalingzi. Initially caught off guard, the enemy sustained heavy losses, and over a night more than a thousand Japanese soldiers were annihilated. The 59th Army fought fiercely, engaging in brutal hand-to-hand combat. By 4:00 a.m. on the 17th, the 59th Army had secured all of the Japanese main positions. That same day, Pang Bingxun seized the moment to lead his troops in a fierce flank attack, effectively supporting the 59th Army's frontal assault. On the 18th, Zhang and Pang's forces attacked the Japanese from the east, south, and west. After three days and nights of bloody fighting, they finally defeated the 3rd Battalion of the 11th Regiment, which had crossed the river, and annihilated most of it. The 59th Army completed its counterattack but suffered over 6,000 casualties, with more than 2,000 Japanese killed or wounded. News of the Linyi victory prompted commendations from Chiang Kai-shek and Li Zongren. General Li Zongren, commander of the 5th War Zone, judged that the Japanese were temporarily unable to mount a large-scale offensive and that Linyi could be held for the time being. On March 20, he ordered the 59th Army westward to block the Japanese Seya Detachment. On March 21, the Japanese Sakamoto Detachment, after a brief reorganization and learning of the Linyi detachment, launched another offensive. The 3rd Corps, understrength and without reinforcements, was compelled to retreat steadily before the Japanese. General Pang Bingxun, commander of the 3rd Corps, urgently telegraphed Chiang Kai-shek, requesting reinforcements. Chiang Kai-shek received the telegram and, at approximately 9:00 AM on the 23rd, ordered the 59th Army to return to Linyi to join with the 3rd Corps in repelling the Sakamoto Detachment. Fierce fighting ensued with heavy Chinese losses, and the situation in Linyi again grew precarious. At a critical moment, the 333rd Brigade of the 111th Division and the Cavalry Regiment of the 13th Army were rushed to reinforce Linyi. Facing attacks from two directions, the Japanese withdrew, losing almost two battalions in the process. This engagement shattered the myth of Japanese invincibility and embarrassed commander Seishirō Itagaki, even startling IJA headquarters. Although the 5th Division later regrouped and attempted another push, it had lost the element of surprise. The defeat at Linyi at the hands of comparatively poorly equipped Chinese regional units set the stage for the eventual battle at Tai'erzhuang. Of the three Japanese divisions advancing into the Chinese 5th War Area, the 10th Division, commanded by Rensuke Isogai, achieved the greatest initial success. Departing from Hebei, it crossed the Yellow River and moved south along the Jinpu railway. With KMT General Han Fuju ordering his forces to desert their posts, the Japanese captured Zhoucun and reached Jinan with little resistance. They then pushed south along two columns from Tai'an. The eastern column captured Mengyin before driving west to seize Sishui; the western column moved southwest along the Jinpu railway, capturing Yanzhou, Zouxian, and Jining, before turning northwest to take Wenshang. Chiang Kai-shek subsequently ordered Li Zongren to employ “offensive defense”, seizing the initiative to strike rather than merely defend. Li deployed Sun Zhen's 22nd Group Army to attack Zouxian from the south, while Pang Bingxun's 40th Division advanced north along the 22nd's left flank to strike Mengyin and Sishui. Sun Tongxuan's 3rd Group Army also advanced from the south, delivering a two-pronged assault on the Japanese at Jining. Fierce fighting from 12 to 25 February, particularly by the 12th Corps, helped mitigate the reputational damage previously inflicted on Shandong units by Han Fuju. In response to Chinese counterattacks, the Japanese revised their strategy: they canceled their original plan to push directly westward from Nanjing toward Wuhan, freeing more troops for the push toward Xuzhou. On March 15, the Japanese 10th Division struck the Chinese 122nd Division, focusing the action around Tengxian and Lincheng. Chinese reinforcements from the 85th Corps arrived the following day but were driven back on March 17. With air support, tanks, and heavy artillery, the Japanese breached the Chinese lines on March 18. The remaining Chinese forces, bolstered by the 52nd Corps, withdrew to the town of Yixian. The Japanese attacked Yixian and overran an entire Chinese regiment in a brutal 24-hour engagement. By March 19, the Japanese began advancing on the walled town of Taierzhuang. To counter the Japanese advance, the Chinese 2nd Army Group under General Sun Lianzhong was deployed to Taierzhuang. The 31st Division, commanded by General Chi Fengcheng, reached Taierzhuang on March 22 and was ordered to delay the Japanese advance until the remainder of the Army Group could arrive. On March 23, the 31st Division sallied from Taierzhuang toward Yixian, where they were engaged by two Japanese battalions reinforced with three tanks and four armored cars. The Chinese troops occupied a series of hills and managed to defend against a Japanese regiment (~3,000 men) for the rest of the day. On March 24, a Japanese force of about 5,000 attacked the 31st Division. Another Japanese unit pressed the Chinese from Yixian, forcing them to withdraw back into Taierzhuang itself. The Japanese then assaulted the town, with a 300-strong contingent breaching the northeast gate at 20:00. They were subsequently driven back toward the Chenghuang temple, which the Chinese set on fire, annihilating the Japanese force. The next day, the Japanese renewed the assault through the breached gate and secured the eastern portion of the district, while also breaking through the northwest corner from the outside and capturing the Wenchang Pavilion. On March 25, a morning Japanese onslaught was repelled. The Japanese then shelled Chinese positions with artillery and air strikes. In the afternoon, the Chinese deployed an armored train toward Yixian, which ambushed a column of Japanese soldiers near a hamlet, killing or wounding several dozen before retreating back to Taierzhuang. By nightfall, three thousand Chinese troops launched a night assault, pushing the Japanese lines northeast to dawn. The following three days subjected the Chinese defenders to sustained aerial and artillery bombardment. The Chinese managed to repulse several successive Japanese assaults but sustained thousands of casualties in the process. On March 28, Chinese artillery support arrived, including two 155 mm and ten 75 mm pieces. On the night of March 29, the Japanese finally breached the wall. Setting out from the district's southern outskirts, a Chinese assault squad stormed the Wenchang Pavilion from the south and east, killing nearly the entire Japanese garrison aside from four taken as prisoners of war. The Chinese then retook the northwest corner of the district. Even by the brutal standards already established in the war, the fighting at Taierzhuang was fierce, with combatants facing one another at close quarters. Sheng Cheng's notes preserve the battlefield memories of Chi Fengcheng, one of the campaign's standout officers “We had a battle for the little lanes [of the town], and unprecedentedly, not just streets and lanes, but even courtyards and houses. Neither side was willing to budge. Sometimes we'd capture a house, and dig a hole in the wall to approach the enemy. Sometimes the enemy would be digging a hole in the same wall at the same time. Sometimes we faced each other with hand grenades — or we might even bite each other. Or when we could hear that the enemy was in the house, then we'd climb the roof and drop bombs inside — and kill them all.” The battle raged for a week. On April 1, General Chi requested volunteers for a near-suicide mission to seize a building: among fifty-seven selected, only ten survived. A single soldier claimed to have fired on a Japanese bomber and succeeded in bringing it down; he and his comrades then set the aircraft ablaze before another plane could arrive to rescue the pilot. One participant described the brutal conditions of the battle “"The battle continued day and night. The flames lit up the sky. Often all that separated our forces was a single wall. The soldiers would beat holes in the masonry to snipe at each other. We would be fighting for days over a single building, causing dozens of fatalities." The conditions were so brutal that Chinese officers imposed severe measures to maintain discipline. Junior officers were repeatedly forbidden to retreat and were often ordered to personally replace casualties within their ranks. Li Zongren even warned Tang Enbo that failure to fulfill his duties would lead him to be “treated as Han Fuju had been.” In Taierzhuang's cramped streets, Japan's artillery and air superiority offered little advantage; whenever either service was employed amid the dense melee, casualties were roughly even on both sides. The fighting devolved into close-quarters combat carried out primarily by infantry, with rifles, pistols, hand grenades, bayonets, and knives forming the core of each side's arsenal. The battle unfolded largely hand-to-hand, frequently in darkness. The stone buildings of Taierzhuang provided substantial cover from fire and shrapnel. It was precisely under these close-quarters conditions that Chinese soldiers could stand as equals, if not superior, to their Japanese opponents, mirroring, in some respects, the experiences seen in Luodian, Shanghai, the year before. On March 31, General Sun Lianzhong arrived to assume command of the 2nd Army Group. A Japanese assault later that day was repulsed, but a Chinese counterattack also stalled. At 04:00 on April 1, the Japanese attacked the Chinese lines with support from 11 tanks. The Chinese defenders, armed with German-made 37mm Pak-36 antitank guns, destroyed eight of the armored vehicles at point-blank range. Similar incidents recurred throughout the battle, with numerous Japanese tanks knocked out by Chinese artillery and by suicide squads. In one engagement, Chinese suicide bombers annihilated four Japanese tanks with bundles of grenades. On April 2 and 3, Chi urged the Chinese defenders around Taierzhuang's north station to assess the evolving situation. The troops reported distress, crying and sneezing, caused by tear gas deployed by the Japanese against Chinese positions at Taierzhuang's north station, but the defenders remained unmoved. They then launched a massive armored assault outside the city walls, with 30 tanks and 60 armored cars, yet managed only to drive the Chinese 27th Division back to the Grand Canal. The fighting continued to rage on April 4 and 5. By then, the Japanese had captured roughly two-thirds of Taierzhuang, though the Chinese still held the South Gate. It was through this entry point that the Chinese command managed to keep their troops supplied. The Chinese also thwarted Japanese efforts to replenish their dwindling stocks of arms and ammunition. In consequence, the Japanese attackers were worn down progressively. Although the Japanese possessed superior firepower, including cannon and heavy artillery, the cramped conditions within Taierzhuang nullified this advantage for the moment. The Chinese command succeeded in keeping their own supplies flowing, a recurring weakness in other engagements and also prevented the Japanese from replenishing their dwindling stock of arms and bullets. Gradually, the Japanese maneuvered into a state of attrition. The deadlock of the battle was broken by events unfolding outside Taierzhuang, where fresh Chinese divisions had encircled the Japanese forces in Taierzhuang from the flanks and rear. After consulting their German advisors earlier, the commanders of the 5th War Area prepared a double envelopment of the exposed Japanese forces in Taierzhuang. Between March and April 1938, the Nationalist Air Force deployed squadrons from the 3rd and 4th Pursuit Groups, fighter-attack aircraft, in long-distance air interdiction and close-air support of the Taierzhuang operations. Approximately 30 aircraft, mostly Soviet-made, were deployed in bombing raids against Japanese positions. On 26 March, Tang Enbo's 20th Army, equipped with artillery units, attacked Japanese forces at Yixian, inflicting heavy casualties and routing the survivors. Tang then swung south to strike the Japanese flank northeast of Taierzhuang. Simultaneously, the Chinese 55th Corps, comprised of two divisions, executed a surprise crossing of the Grand Canal and cut the railway line near Lincheng. As a result, Tang isolated the Japanese attackers from their rear and severed their supply lines. On 1 April, the Japanese 5th Division sent a brigade to relieve the encircled 10th Division. Tang countered by blocking the brigade's advance and then attacking from the rear, driving them south into the encirclement. On 3 April, the Chinese 2nd Group Army launched a counter-offensive, with the 30th and 110th Divisions pushing northward into Beiluo and Nigou, respectively. By 6 April, the Chinese 85th and 52nd Armies linked up at Taodun, just west of Lanling. The combined force then advanced north-westward, capturing Ganlugou. Two more Chinese divisions arrived a few days later. By April 5, Taierzhuang's Japanese units were fully surrounded, with seven Chinese divisions to the north and four to the south closing in. The Japanese divisions inside Taierzhuang had exhausted their supplies, running critically low on ammunition, fuel, and food, while many troops endured fatigue and dehydration after more than a week of brutal fighting. Sensing imminent victory, the Chinese forces surged with renewed fury and attacked the encircled Japanese, executing wounded soldiers where they lay with rifle and pistol shots. Chinese troops also deployed Soviet tanks against the defenders. Japanese artillery could not reply effectively due to a shortage of shells, and their tanks were immobilized by a lack of fuel. Attempts to drop supplies by air failed, with most packages falling into Chinese hands. Over time, Japanese infantry were progressively reduced to firing only their machine guns and mortars, then their rifles and machine guns, and ultimately resorted to bayonet charges. With the success of the Chinese counter-attacks, the Japanese line finally collapsed on April 7. The 10th and 5th Divisions, drained of personnel and ammunition, were forced to retreat. By this point, around 2,000 Japanese soldiers managed to break out of Taierzhuang, leaving thousands of their comrades dead behind. Some of the escapees reportedly committed hara-kiri. Chinese casualties were roughly comparable, marking a significant improvement over the heavier losses suffered in Shanghai and Nanjing. The Japanese had lost the battle for numerous reasons. Japanese efforts were hampered by the "offensive-defensive" operations carried out by various Chinese regional units, effectively preventing the three Japanese divisions from ever linking up with each other. Despite repeated use of heavy artillery, air strikes, and gas, the Japanese could not expel the Chinese 2nd Group Army from Taierzhuang and its surrounding areas, even as the defenders risked total annihilation. The Japanese also failed to block the Chinese 20th Group Army's maneuver around their rear positions, which severed retreat routes and enabled a Chinese counter-encirclement. After Han Fuju's insubordination and subsequent execution, the Chinese high command tightened discipline at the top, transmitting a stringent order flow down to the ranks. This atmosphere of strict discipline inspired even junior soldiers to risk their lives in executing orders. A “dare-to-die corps” was effectively employed against Japanese units. They used swords and wore suicide vests fashioned from grenades. Due to a lack of anti-armor weaponry, suicide bombing was also employed against the Japanese. Chinese troops, as part of the “dare-to-die” corps, strapped explosives such as grenade packs or dynamite to their bodies and charged at Japanese tanks to blow them up. The Chinese later asserted that about 20,000 Japanese had perished, though the actual toll was likely closer to 8,000. The Japanese also sustained heavy material losses. Because of fuel shortages and their rapid retreat, many tanks, trucks, and artillery pieces were abandoned on the battlefield and subsequently captured by Chinese forces. Frank Dorn recorded losses of 40 tanks, over 70 armored cars, and 100 trucks of various sizes. In addition to vehicles, the Japanese lost dozens of artillery pieces and thousands of machine guns and rifles. Many of these weapons were collected by the Chinese for future use. The Chinese side also endured severe casualties, possibly up to 30,000, with Taierzhuang itself nearly razed. Yet for once, the Chinese achieved a decisive victory, sparking an outburst of joy across unoccupied China. Du Zhongyuan wrote of “the glorious killing of the enemy,” and even Katharine Hand, though isolated in Japanese-controlled Shandong, heard the news. The victory delivered a much-needed morale boost to both the army and the broader population. Sheng Cheng recorded evening conversations with soldiers from General Chi Fengcheng's division, who shared light-hearted banter with their senior officer. At one moment, the men recalled Chi as having given them “the secret of war. when you get food, eat it; when you can sleep, take it.” Such familiar, brisk maxims carried extra resonance now that the Nationalist forces had demonstrated their willingness and ability to stand their ground rather than retreat. The victors may have celebrated a glorious victory, but they did not forget that their enemies were human. Chi recalled a scene he encountered: he had picked up a Japanese officer's helmet, its left side scorched by gunpowder, with a trace of blood, the mark of a fatal wound taken from behind. Elsewhere in Taierzhuang, relics of the fallen were found: images of the Buddha, wooden fish, and flags bearing slogans. A makeshift crematorium in the north station had been interrupted mid-process: “Not all the bones had been completely burned.” After the battle, Li Zongren asked Sheng if he had found souvenirs on the battlefield. Sheng replied that he had discovered love letters on the corpses of Japanese soldiers, as well as a photograph of a girl, perhaps a hometown sweetheart labeled “19 years old, February 1938.” These details stood in stark contrast to news coverage that depicted the Japanese solely as demons, devils, and “dwarf bandits.” The foreign community noted the new, optimistic turn of events and the way it seemed to revive the resistance effort. US ambassador Nelson Johnson wrote to Secretary of State Cordell Hull from Wuhan just days after Taierzhuang, passing on reports from American military observers: one had spent time in Shanxi and been impressed by Communist success in mobilizing guerrilla fighters against the Japanese; another had spent three days observing the fighting at Taierzhuang and confirmed that “Chinese troops in the field there won a well-deserved victory over Japanese troops, administering the first defeat that Japanese troops have suffered in the field in modern times.” This reinforced Johnson's view that Japan would need to apply far more force than it had anticipated to pacify China. He noted that the mood in unoccupied China had likewise shifted. “Conditions here at Hankow have changed from an atmosphere of pessimism to one of dogged optimism. The Government is more united under Chiang and there is a feeling that the future is not entirely hopeless due to the recent failure of Japanese arms at Hsuchow [Xuzhou] . . . I find no evidence for a desire for a peace by compromise among Chinese, and doubt whether the Government could persuade its army or its people to accept such a peace. The spirit of resistance is slowly spreading among the people who are awakening to a feeling that this is their war. Japanese air raids in the interior and atrocities by Japanese soldiers upon civilian populations are responsible for this stiffening of the people.”. The British had long been wary of Chiang Kai-shek, but Sir Archibald Clark Kerr, the British ambassador in China, wrote to the new British foreign secretary, Lord Halifax, on April 29, 1938, shortly after the Taierzhuang victory, and offered grudging credit to China's leader “[Chiang] has now become the symbol of Chinese unity, which he himself has so far failed to achieve, but which the Japanese are well on the way to achieving for him . . . The days when Chinese people did not care who governed them seem to have gone . . . my visit to Central China from out of the gloom and depression of Shanghai has left me stimulated and more than disposed to believe that provided the financial end can be kept up Chinese resistance may be so prolonged and effective that in the end the Japanese effort may be frustrated . . . Chiang Kai-shek is obstinate and difficult to deal with . . . Nonetheless [the Nationalists] are making in their muddlIn the exhilaration of a rare victory”. Chiang pressured Tang and Li to build on their success, increasing the area's troop strength to about 450,000. Yet the Chinese Army remained plagued by deeper structural issues. The parochialism that had repeatedly hampered Chiang's forces over the past six months resurfaced. Although the various generals had agreed to unite in a broader war of resistance, each prioritized the safety of his own troops, wary of any move by Chiang to centralize power. For example, Li Zongren refrained from utilizing his top Guangxi forces at Taierzhuang, attempting to shift the bulk of the fighting onto Tang Enbo's units. The generals were aware of the fates of two colleagues: Han Fuju of Shandong was executed for his refusal to fight, while Zhang Xueliang of Manchuria had allowed Chiang to reduce the size of his northeastern army and ended up under house arrest. They were justified in distrusting Chiang. He truly believed, after all, that provincial armies should come under a national military command led by himself. From a national-unity standpoint, Chiang's aim was not unreasonable. But it bred suspicion among other military leaders that participation in the anti-Japanese war would erode their own power. The fragmented command structure also hindered logistics, making ammunition and food supplies to the front unreliable and easy to cut off a good job of things in extremely difficult circumstances. 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 Chinese victory at the battle of Tairzhuang was a much needed morale boost after the long string of defeats to Japan. As incredible as it was however, it would amount to merely a bloody nose for the Imperial Japanese Army. Now Japan would unleash even more devastation to secure Xuzhou and ultimately march upon Wuhan.
Last time we spoke about the Nanjing Massacre. Japanese forces breached Nanjing as Chinese defenders retreated under heavy bombardment, and the city fell on December 13. In the following weeks, civilians and disarmed soldiers endured systematic slaughter, mass executions, rapes, looting, and arson, with casualties mounting rapidly. Among the most brutal episodes were hundreds of executions near the Safety Zone, mass shootings along the Yangtze River, and killings at improvised sites and “killing fields.” The massacre involved tens of thousands of prisoners, with estimates up to 300,000 victims. Women and children were subjected to widespread rape, mutilation, and terror intended to crush morale and resistance. Although the Safety Zone saved many lives, it could not shield all refugees from harm, and looting and arson devastated large parts of the city. Foreign witnesses, missionaries, and diary entries documented the extensive brutality and the apparent premeditated nature of many acts, noting the collapse of discipline among troops and orders that shaped the violence. #169 Nanjing has Fallen, the War is not Over 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. Directly after the fall of Nanjing, rumors circulated among the city's foreigners that Tang Shengzhi had been executed for his inability to hold the city against the Japanese onslaught. In fact, unlike many of his subordinates who fought in the defense, he survived. On December 12, he slipped through Yijiang Gate, where bullets from the 36th Division had claimed numerous victims, and sailed across the Yangtze to safety. Chiang Kai-shek protected him from bearing direct consequences for Nanjing's collapse. Tang was not unscathed, however. After the conquest of Nanjing, a dejected Tang met General Li Zongren at Xuzhou Railway Station. In a brief 20-minute conversation, Tang lamented, “Sir, Nanjing's fall has been unexpectedly rapid. How can I face the world?” Li, who had previously taunted Tang for over-eagerness, offered sympathy. “Don't be discouraged. Victory or defeat comes every day for the soldier. Our war of resistance is a long-term proposition. The loss of one city is not decisive.” By December 1937, the outlook for Chiang Kai-shek's regime remained bleak. Despite his public pledges, he had failed to defend the capital. Its sturdy walls, which had withstood earlier sieges, were breached in less than 100 hours. Foreign observers remained pessimistic about the prospects of continuing the fight against Japan. The New York Times wrote “The capture of Nanking was the most overwhelming defeat suffered by the Chinese and one of the most tragic military debacles in modern warfare. In defending Nanking, the Chinese allowed themselves to be surrounded and then slaughtered… The graveyard of tens of thousands of Chinese soldiers may also be the graveyard of all Chinese hopes of resisting conquest by Japan.” Foreign diplomats doubted Chiang's ability to sustain the war, shrinking the question to whether he would stubbornly continue a losing fight or seek peace. US Ambassador Nelson Johnson wrote in a letter to Admiral Yarnell, then commander of the US Asicatic Fleet “There is little left now for the Chinese to do except to carry on a desultory warfare in the country, or to negotiate for the best terms they can get”. The Japanese, too, acted as if Chiang Kai-shek had already lost the war. They assumed the generalissimo was a spent force in Chinese politics as well, and that a gentle push would suffice to topple his regime like a house of cards. On December 14, Prime Minister Konoe announced that Chiang's losses of Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and now Nanjing, had created a new situation. “The National Government has become but a shadow of its former self. If a new Chinese regime emerged to replace Chiang's government, Japan would deal with it, provided it is a regime headed in the right direction.” Konoe spoke the same day as a Liaison Conference in Tokyo, where civilian and military leaders debated how to treat China now that it had been thoroughly beaten on the battlefield. Japanese demands had grown significantly: beyond recognizing Manchukuo, Japan pressed for the creation of pro-Japanese regimes in Inner Mongolia and the north China area. The same day, a puppet government was established in Japanese-occupied Beijing. While these demands aimed to end China as a unitary state, Japanese policy was moving toward the same goal. The transmissions of these demands via German diplomatic channels caused shock and consternation in Chinese government circles, and the Chinese engaged in what many regarded as stalling tactics. Even at this late stage, there was division among Japan's top decision makers. Tada, deputy chief of the Army General Staff, feared a protracted war in China and urged keeping negotiations alive. He faced strong opposition from the cabinet, including the foreign minister and the ministers of the army and navy, and ultimately he relented. Tada stated “In this state of emergency, it is necessary to avoid any political upheaval that might arise from a struggle between the Cabinet and the Army General Staff.” Although he disagreed, he no longer challenged the uncompromising stance toward China. On January 16, 1938, Japan publicly stated that it would “cease henceforth to deal with” Chiang Kai-shek. This was a line that could not be uncrossed. War was the only option. Germany, the mediator between China and Japan, also considered Chiang a losing bet. In late January 1938, von Dirksen, the German ambassador in Tokyo, urged a fundamental shift in German diplomacy and advocated abandoning China in favor of Japan. He warned that this was a matter of urgency, since Japan harbored grudges against Germany for its half-hearted peace efforts. In a report, von Dirksen wrote that Japan, “in her deep ill humor, will confront us with unpleasant decisions at an inopportune moment.” Von Dirksen's view carried the day in Berlin. Nazi Germany and Hirohito's Japan were on a trajectory that, within three years, would forge the Axis and place Berlin and Tokyo in the same camp in a conflict that would eventually span the globe. Rabe, who returned to Germany in 1938, found that his account of Japanese atrocities in Nanjing largely fell on deaf ears. He was even visited by the Gestapo, which apparently pressed him to keep quiet about what he had seen. Ambassador von Dirksen also argued in his January 1938 report that China should be abandoned because of its increasingly friendly ties with the Soviet Union. There was some merit to this claim. Soviet aid to China was substantial: by the end of 1937, 450 Soviet aviators were serving in China. Without them, Japan likely would have enjoyed air superiority. Chiang Kai-shek, it seemed, did not fully understand the Russians' motives. They were supplying aircraft and pilots to keep China in the war while keeping themselves out. After Nanjing's fall, Chiang nevertheless reached out to Joseph Stalin, inviting direct Soviet participation in the war. Stalin politely declined, noting that if the Soviet Union joined the conflict, “the world would say the Soviet Union was an aggressor, and sympathy for Japan around the world would immediately increase.” In a rare moment of candor a few months later, the Soviet deputy commissar for foreign affairs spoke with the French ambassador, describing the situation in China as “splendid.” He expected China to continue fighting for several more years, after which Japan would be too weakened to undertake major operations against the Soviet Union. It was clear that China was being used. Whatever the motive, China was receiving vital help from Stalin's Russia while the rest of the world stood on the sidelines, reluctant to upset Japan. Until Operation Barbarossa, when the Soviet Union was forced to the brink by the German Army and could no longer sustain extensive overseas aid, it supplied China with 904 planes, 1,516 trucks, 1,140 artillery pieces, 9,720 machine guns, 50,000 rifles, 31,600 bombs, and more. Despite all of this, all in all, China's position proved less disastrous than many observers had feared. Chinese officials later argued that the battle of Nanjing was not the unmitigated fiasco it appeared to be. Tang Shengzhi had this to say in his memoirs“I think the main purpose of defending Nanjing was to buy time, to allow troops that had just been pulled out of battle to rest and regroup. It wasn't simply because it was the capital or the site of Sun Yat-sen's mausoleum.” Tan Daoping, an officer in Nanjing, described the battle “as a moderate success because it drew the Japanese in land”. This of course was a strategy anticipated by interwar military thinker Jiang Baili. It also allowed dozens of Chinese divisions to escape Shanghai, since the Japanese forces that could have pursued them were tied down with the task of taking Nanjing. Tan Daoping wrote after the war “They erred in believing they could wage a quick war and decide victory immediately. Instead, their dream was shattered; parts of their forces were worn out, and they were hindered from achieving a swift end”. Even so, it was a steep price was paid in Chinese lives. As in Shanghai, the commanders in Nanjing thought they could fight on the basis of sheer willpower. Chinese officer Qin Guo Qi wrote in his memoirs “In modern war, you can't just rely on the spirit of the troops. You can't merely rely on physical courage and stamina. The battle of Nanjing explains that better than anything”. As for the Brigade commander of the 87th division, Chen Yiding, who emerged from Nanjing with only a few hundred survivors, was enraged. “During the five days of the battle for Nanjing, my superiors didn't see me even once. They didn't do their duty. They also did not explain the overall deployments in the Nanjing area. What's worse, they didn't give us any order to retreat. And afterwards I didn't hear of any commander being disciplined for failing to do his job.” Now back in November of 1937, Chiang Kai-shek had moved his command to the great trinity of Wuhan. For the Nationalists, Wuhan was a symbolically potent stronghold: three municipalities in one, Hankou, Wuchang, and Hanyang. They had all grown prosperous as gateways between coastal China and the interior. But the autumn disasters of 1937 thrust Wuhan into new prominence, and, a decade after it had ceased to be the temporary capital, it again became the seat of military command and resistance. Leading Nationalist politicians had been seen in the city in the months before the war, fueling suspicions that Wuhan would play a major role in any imminent conflict. By the end of the year, the generals and their staffs, along with most of the foreign embassies, had moved upriver. Yet as 1937 slipped into 1938, the Japanese advance seemed practically unstoppable. From the destruction of Shanghai, to the massacre in Nanjing, to the growing vulnerability of Wuhan, the NRA government appeared powerless against the onslaught. Now the Japanese government faced several options: expanding the scope of the war to force China into submission, which would risk further depletion of Japan's military and economic resources; establishing an alternative regime in China as a bridge for reconciliation, thereby bypassing the Nationalist government for negotiations; and engaging in indirect or direct peace negotiations with the Nationalist Government, despite the failure of previous attempts, while still seeking new opportunities for negotiation. However, the Nanjing massacre did not compel the Chinese government and its people to submit. On January 2, Chiang Kai-shek wrote in his diary, “The conditions proposed by Japan are equivalent to the conquest and extinction of our country. Rather than submitting and perishing, it is better to perish in defeat,” choosing to refuse negotiations and continue resistance. In January 1938 there was a new escalation of hostilities. Up to that point, Japan had not officially declared war, even during the Shanghai campaign and the Nanjing massacre. However on January 11, an Imperial Conference was held in Tokyo in the presence of Emperor Hirohito. Prime Minister Konoe outlined a “Fundamental Policy to deal with the China Incident.”The Imperial Conference was attended by Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe, Army Chief of Staff Prince Kan'in, Navy Minister Admiral Fushimi, and others to reassess its policy toward China. Citing the Nationalist Government's delay and lack of sincerity, the Japanese leadership decided to terminate Trautmann's mediation. At the conference, Japan articulated a dual strategy: if the Nationalist Government did not seek peace, Japan would no longer regard it as a viable negotiating partner, instead supporting emerging regimes, seeking to resolve issues through incidents, and aiming either to eliminate or incorporate the existing central government; if the Nationalist Government sought reconciliation, it would be required to cease resistance, cooperate with Japan against communism, and pursue economic cooperation, including officially recognizing Manchukuo and allowing Japanese troops in Inner Mongolia, North China, Central China, and co-governance of Shanghai. The Konoe cabinet relayed this proposal to the German ambassador in Japan on December 22, 1937: It called for: diplomatic recognition of Manchukuo; autonomy for Inner Mongolia; cessation of all anti-Japanese and anti-Manchukuo policies; cooperation between Japan, Manchukuo, and China against communism; war reparations; demilitarized zones in North China and Inner Mongolia; and a trade agreement among Japan, Manchukuo, and China. Its terms were too severe, including reparations payable to Japan and new political arrangements that would formalize the separation of north China under Japanese control. Chiang's government would have seventy-two hours to accept; if they refused, Tokyo would no longer recognize the Nationalist government and would seek to destroy it. On January 13, 1938, the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Chonghui informed Germany that China needed a fuller understanding of the additional conditions for peace talks to make a decision. The January 15 deadline for accepting Japan's terms elapsed without Chinese acceptance. Six days after the deadline for a Chinese government reply, an Imperial Conference “Gozen Kaigi” was convened in Tokyo to consider how to handle Trautmann's mediation. The navy, seeing the war as essentially an army matter, offered no strong position; the army pressed for ending the war through diplomatic means, arguing that they faced a far more formidable Far Eastern Soviet threat at the northern Manchukuo border and wished to avoid protracted attrition warfare. Foreign Minister Kōki Hirota, however, strongly disagreed with the army, insisting there was no viable path to Trautmann's mediation given the vast gap between Chinese and Japanese positions. A second conference followed on January 15, 1938, attended by the empire's principal cabinet members and military leaders, but without the emperor's presence. The debate grew heated over whether to continue Trautmann's mediation. Hayao Tada, Deputy Chief of Army General Staff, argued for continuation, while Konoe, Hirota, Navy Minister Mitsumasa Yonai, and War Minister Hajime Sugiyama opposed him. Ultimately, Tada acceded to the position of Konoe and Hirota. On the same day, Konoe conveyed the cabinet's conclusion, termination of Trautmann's mediation, to the emperor. The Japanese government then issued a statement on January 16 declaring that it would no longer treat the Nationalist Government as a bargaining partner, signaling the establishment of a new Chinese regime that would cooperate with Japan and a realignment of bilateral relations. This became known as the first Konoe statement, through which Tokyo formally ended Trautmann's mediation attempt. The Chinese government was still weighing its response when, at noon on January 16, Konoe publicly declared, “Hereafter, the Imperial Government will not deal with the National Government.” In Japanese, this became the infamous aite ni sezu (“absolutely no dealing”). Over the following days, the Japanese government made it clear that this was a formal breach of relations, “stronger even than a declaration of war,” in the words of Foreign Minister Hirota Kōki. The Chinese ambassador to Japan, who had been in Tokyo for six months since hostilities began, was finally recalled. At the end of January, Chiang summoned a military conference and declared that the top strategic priority would be to defend the east-central Chinese city of Xuzhou, about 500 kilometers north of Wuhan. This decision, like the mobilization near Lugouqiao, was heavily influenced by the railway: Xuzhou sat at the midpoint of the Tianjin–Pukou Jinpu line, and its seizure would grant the Japanese mastery over north–south travel in central China. The Jinpu line also crossed the Longhai line, China's main cross-country artery from Lanzhou to the port of Lianyungang, north of Shanghai. The Japanese military command marked the Jinpu line as a target in spring 1938. Control over Xuzhou and the rail lines threading through it were thus seen as vital to the defense of Wuhan, which lay to the city's south. Chiang's defense strategy fit into a larger plan evolving since the 1920s, when the military thinker Jiang Baili had first proposed a long war against Japan; Jiang's foresight earned him a position as an adviser to Chiang in 1938. Jiang had previously run the Baoding military academy, a predecessor of the Whampoa academy, which had trained many of China's finest young officers in the early republic 1912–1922. Now, many of the generals who had trained under Jiang gathered in Wuhan and would play crucial roles in defending the city: Chen Cheng, Bai Chongxi, Tang Shengzhi, and Xue Yue. They remained loyal to Chiang but sought to avoid his tendency to micromanage every aspect of strategy. Nobody could say with certainty whether Wuhan would endure the Japanese onslaught, and outsiders' predictions were gloomy. As Wuhan's inhabitants tasted their unexpected new freedoms, the Japanese pressed on with their conquest of central China. After taking Nanjing, the IJA 13th Division crossed the Yangtze River to the north and advanced to the Outang and Mingguang lines on the east bank of the Chihe River in Anhui Province, while the 2nd Army of the North China Front crossed the Yellow River to the south between Qingcheng and Jiyang in Shandong, occupied Jinan, and pressed toward Jining, Mengyin, and Qingdao. To open the Jinpu Railway and connect the northern and southern battlefields, the Japanese headquarters mobilized eight divisions, three brigades, and two detachments , totaling about 240,000 men. They were commanded by General Hata Shunroku, commander of the Central China Expeditionary Army, and Terauchi Hisaichi, commander of the North China Front Army. Their plan was a north–south advance: first seize Xuzhou, a strategic city in east China; then take Zhengzhou in the west along the Longhai Railway connecting Lanzhou and Lianyungang; and finally push toward Wuhan in the south along the Pinghan Railway connecting Beijing and Hankou. At the beginning of 1938, Japan's domestic mobilization and military reorganization had not yet been completed, and there was a shortage of troops to expand the front. At the Emperor's Imperial Conference on February 16, 1938, the General Staff Headquarters argued against launching operations before the summer of 1938, preferring to consolidate the front in 1938 and undertake a large-scale battle in 1939. Although the Northern China Expeditionary Force and the Central China Expeditionary Force proposed a plan to open the Jinpu Line to connect the northern and southern battlefields, the proposal was not approved by the domestic General Staff Headquarters. The Chinese army, commanded by Li Zongren, commander-in-chief of the Fifth War Zone, mobilized about 64 divisions and three brigades, totaling roughly 600,000 men. The main force was positioned north of Xuzhou to resist the southern Japanese advance, with a portion deployed along the southern Jinpu Railway to block the southern push and secure Xuzhou. Early in the campaign, Chiang Kai-shek redeployed the heavy artillery brigade originally promised to Han Fuju to Tang Enbo's forces. To preserve his strength, Shandong Provincial Governor Han Fuju abandoned the longstanding Yellow River defenses in Shandong, allowing the Japanese to capture the Shandong capital of Jinan in early March 1938. This defection opened the Jinpu Railway to attack. The Japanese 10th Division, under Rensuke Isogai, seized Tai'an, Jining, and Dawenkou, ultimately placing northern Shandong under Japanese control. The aim was to crush the Chinese between the two halves of a pincer movement. At Yixian and Huaiyuan, north of Xuzhou, both sides fought to the death: the Chinese could not drive back the Japanese, but the Japanese could not scatter the defenders either. At Linyi, about 50 kilometers northeast of Xuzhou, Zhang Zizhong, who had previously disgraced himself by abandoning an earlier battlefield—became a national hero for his determined efforts to stop the Japanese troops led by Itagaki Seishirō, the conqueror of Manchuria. The Japanese hoped that they could pour in as many as 400,000 troops to destroy the Chinese forces holding eastern and central China. Chiang Kai-shek was determined that this should not happen, recognizing that the fall of Xuzhou would place Wuhan in extreme danger. On April 1, 1938, he addressed Nationalist Party delegates, linking the defense of Wuhan to the fate of the party itself. He noted that although the Japanese had invaded seven provinces, they had only captured provincial capitals and main transport routes, while villages and towns off those routes remained unconquered. The Japanese, he argued, might muster more than half a million soldiers, but after eight or nine months of hard fighting they had become bogged down. Chiang asserted that as long as Guangzhou (Canton) remained in Chinese hands, it would be of little significance if the Japanese invaded Wuhan, since Guangzhou would keep China's sea links open and Guangdong, Sun Yat-sen's homeland, would serve as a revolutionary base area. If the “woren” Japanese “dwarfs” attacked Wuhan and Guangzhou, it would cost them dearly and threaten their control over the occupied zones. He reiterated his plan: “the base area for our war will not be in the zones east of the Beiping–Wuhan or Wuhan–Guangdong railway lines, but to their west.” For this reason he authorized withdrawing Chinese troops behind the railway lines. Chiang's speech mixed defiance with an explanation of why regrouping was necessary; it was a bold public posture in the face of a developing military disaster, yet it reflected the impossible balance he faced between signaling resolve and avoiding overcommitment of a city that might still fall. Holding Xuzhou as the first priority required Chiang Kai-shek to place a great deal of trust in one of his rivals: the southwestern general Li Zongren. The relationship between Chiang and Li would become one of the most ambivalent in wartime China. Li hailed from Guangxi, a province in southwestern China long regarded by the eastern heartland as half civilized. Its people had rarely felt fully part of the empire ruled from Beijing or even Nanjing, and early in the republic there was a strong push for regional autonomy. Li was part of a cohort of young officers trained in regional academies who sought to bring Guangxi under national control; he joined the Nationalist Party in 1923, the year Sun Yat-sen announced his alliance with the Soviets. Li was not a Baoding Academy graduate but had trained at Yunnan's equivalent institution, which shared similar views on military professionalism. He enthusiastically took part in the Northern Expedition (1926–1928) and played a crucial role in the National Revolutionary Army's ascent to control over much of north China. Yet after the Nanjing government took power, Li grew wary of Chiang's bid to centralize authority in his own person. In 1930 Li's so‑called “Guangxi clique” participated in the Central Plains War, the failed effort by militarist leaders to topple Chiang; although the plot failed, Li retreated to his southwest base, ready to challenge Chiang again. The occupation of Manchuria in 1931 reinforced Li's belief that a Japanese threat posed a greater danger than Chiang's centralization. The tension between the two men was evident from the outset of the war. On October 10, 1937, Chiang appointed Li commander of the Fifth War Zone; Li agreed on the condition that Chiang refrain from issuing shouling—personal commands—to Li's subordinates. Chiang complied, a sign of the value he placed on Li's leadership and the caution with which he treated Li and his Guangxi ally Bai Chongxi. As Chiang sought any possible victory amid retreat and destruction, he needed Li to deliver results. As part of the public-relations front, journalists were given access to commanders on the Xuzhou front. Li and his circle sought to shape their image as capable leaders to visiting reporters, with Du Zhongyuan among the most active observers. Du praised the “formidable southwestern general, Li Zongren,” calling him “elegant and refined” and “vastly magnanimous.” In language echoing the era's soldiers' public presentation, Du suggested that Li's forces operated under strict, even disciplined, orders “The most important point in the people's war is that . . . troops do not harass the people of the country. If the people are the water, the soldiers are the fish, and if you have fish with no water, inevitably they're going to choke; worse still is to use our water to nurture the enemy's fish — that really is incomparably stupid”. Within the southern front, on January 26, 1938, the Japanese 13th Division attacked Fengyang and Bengbu in Anhui Province, while Li Pinxian, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the 5th War Zone, directed operations south of Xuzhou. The defending 31st Corps of the 11th Group Army, after resisting on the west bank of the Chi River, retreated to the west of Dingyuan and Fengyang. By February 3, the Japanese had captured Linhuai Pass and Bengbu. From the 9th to the 10th, the main force of the 13th Division forced a crossing of the Huai River at Bengbu and Linhuai Pass respectively, and began an offensive against the north bank. The 51st Corps, reorganized from the Central Plains Northeast Army and led by Commander Yu Xuezhong, engaged in fierce combat with the Japanese. Positions on both sides of the Huai shifted repeatedly, producing a riverine bloodbath through intense hand-to-hand fighting. After ten days of engagement, the Fifth War Zone, under Zhang Zizhong, commander of the 59th Army, rushed to the Guzhen area to reinforce the 51st Army, and the two forces stubbornly resisted the Japanese on the north bank of the Huai River. Meanwhile, on the south bank, the 48th Army of the 21st Group Army held the Luqiao area, while the 7th Army, in coordination with the 31st Army, executed a flanking attack on the flanks and rear of the Japanese forces in Dingyuan, compelling the main body of the 13th Division to redeploy to the north bank for support. Seizing the initiative, the 59th and 51st Armies launched a counteroffensive, reclaiming all positions north of the Huai River by early March. The 31st Army then moved from the south bank to the north, and the two sides faced across the river. Subsequently, the 51st and 59th Armies were ordered to reinforce the northern front, while the 31st Army continued to hold the Huai River to ensure that all Chinese forces covering the Battle of Xuzhou were safely withdrawn. Within the northern front, in late February, the Japanese Second Army began its southward push along multiple routes. The eastern axis saw the 5th Division moving south from Weixian present-day Weifang, in Shandong, capturing Yishui, Juxian, and Rizhao before pressing directly toward Linyi, as units of the Nationalist Third Corps' 40th Army and others mounted strenuous resistance. The 59th Army was ordered to reinforce and arrived on March 12 at the west bank of the Yi River in the northern suburbs of Linyi, joining the 40th Army in a counterattack that, after five days and nights of ferocious fighting, inflicted heavy losses on the Japanese and forced them to retreat toward Juxian. On the western route, the Seya Detachment (roughly a brigade) of the Japanese 10th Division crossed the Grand Canal from Jining and attacked Jiaxiang, meeting stiff resistance from the Third Army and being thwarted, while continuing to advance south along the Jinpu Railway. The Isogai Division, advancing on the northern route without awaiting help from the southeast and east, moved southward from Liangxiadian, south of Zouxian, on March 14, with the plan to strike Tengxian, present-day Tengzhou on March 15 and push south toward Xuzhou. The defending 22nd Army and the 41st Corps fought bravely and suffered heavy casualties in a hard battle that lasted until March 17, during which Wang Mingzhang, commander of the 122nd Division defending Teng County, was killed in action. Meanwhile, a separate Japanese thrust under Itagaki Seishirō landed on the Jiaodong Peninsula and occupied Qingdao, advancing along the Jiaoji Line to strike Linyi, a key military town in southern Shandong. Pang Bingxun's 40th Army engaged the invaders in fierce combat, and later, elements of Zhang Zizhong's 333rd Brigade of the 111th Division, reinforced by the 57th Army, joined Pang Bingxun's forces to launch a double-sided pincer that temporarily repelled the Japanese attack on Linyi. By late March 1938 a frightening reality loomed: the Japanese were close to prevailing on the Xuzhou front. The North China Area Army, commanded by Itagaki Seishirō, Nishio Toshizō, and Isogai Rensuke, was poised to link up with the Central China Expeditionary Force under Hata Shunroku in a united drive toward central China. Li Zongren, together with his senior lieutenants Bai Chongxi and Tang Enbo, decided to confront the invaders at Taierzhuang, the traditional stone-walled city that would become a focal point of their defense. 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. Nanjing falls after one of humanities worst atrocities. Chiang Kai-Shek's war command has been pushed to Wuhan, but the Japanese are not stopping their advance. Trautmann's mediation is over and now Japan has its sights on Xuzhou and its critical railway junctions. Japan does not realize it yet, but she is now entering a long war of attrition.
John is a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council and Co-founder of Spycraft Entertainment a production firm providing content to the entertainment industry. Spycraft Entertainment connects the worlds of Hollywood and intelligence. John is also a foreign policy and intelligence expert and social media influencer. His articles have been published in the New York Times, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, Politico, Foreign Affairs, Newsweek, Slate, Lawfare, and Just Security, among others. He regularly appears on the PBS NewsHour, CNN, NPR, MSNBC, BBC and speaks to corporate, academic and governmental groups.John retired in 2014 after a 28-year career in the Central Intelligence Agency's National Clandestine Service. At the time of his retirement, he was a member of the CIA's Senior Intelligence Service, the leadership team that guides CIA activities globally. John served multiple overseas tours as Chief of Station and Deputy Chief of Station in Europe, Russia, Asia, and in high-threat environments. He has significant experience working with foreign and domestic partners to solve national security challenges. John also served as a lead instructor in the CIA's clandestine training school and was a regular lecturer at the CIA's leadership development program. He is the recipient of the Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal.----------This is super important. There are so many Battalions in Ukraine, fighting to defend our freedoms, but lack basics such as vehicles. These are destroyed on a regular basis, and lack of transport is costs lives, and Ukrainian territory. Once again Silicon Curtain has teamed up with Car4Ukraine and a group of wonderful creators to provide much-needed assistance: https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtainAutumn Harvest: Silicon Curtain (Goal€22,000)We'll be supporting troops in Pokrovsk, Kharkiv, and other regions where the trucks are needed the most. 93rd Brigade "Kholodnyi Yar", Black Raven Unmanned Systems Battalionhttps://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtain----------Partner on this video: KYIV OF MINE Watch the trailer now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arJUcE1rxY0'Kyiv of Mine' is a documentary series about Ukraine's beautiful capital, Kyiv. The film production began in 2018, and much has changed since then. It is now 2025, and this story is far from over.https://www.youtube.com/@UCz6UbVKfqutH-N7WXnC5Ykg https://www.kyivofmine.com/#theprojectKyiv of Mine is fast paced, beautifully filmed, humorous, fun, insightful, heartbreaking, moving, hopeful. The very antithesis in fact of a doom-laden and worthy wartime documentary. This is a work that is extraordinarily uplifting. My friend Operator Starsky says the film is “Made with so much love. The film series will make you laugh and cry.” ----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtainhttps://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Save Ukrainehttps://www.saveukraineua.org/Superhumans - Hospital for war traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukrainehttps://unbroken.org.ua/Come Back Alivehttps://savelife.in.ua/en/Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchenhttps://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraineUNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyyhttps://u24.gov.ua/Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundationhttps://prytulafoundation.orgNGO “Herojam Slava”https://heroiamslava.org/kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemyślhttps://kharpp.com/NOR DOG Animal Rescuehttps://www.nor-dog.org/home/----------