War and Conflict Journal

December 7, 2009, marks the 68^th anniversary of the surprise Japanese attack on the U.S. military bases in and around Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.  This attack launched America into World War Two and literally changed the course of history.  Without being attacked first, it is highly unlikely that the U.S. would have entered World War Two.  By attacking the United States, Japan thought it would cripple or destroy the U.S. Pacific fleet, thereby preventing American forces from stopping Japan’s Asian blitzkrieg.  In the days and weeks following the Pearl Harbor attack, Japanese forces attacked American, British, Canadian, Australian, New Zealander, and Dutch forces as Japan seized the Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaya, the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia), and New Guinea.  American islands at Wake and Guam were also attacked and occupied. 

Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941

Believing that America had suffered a crippling blow, Hitler and Mussolini also declared war on the United States, thereby bringing American power into the war against the Nazis and the Fascists.  As history now shows, America’s entry into World War Two ensured Allied victory, as the Nazis and Fascists were destroyed in Europe, and Japan fell under the power of two atomic bombs some four years after their ill-fated and ill-advised assault on Pearl Harbor.

For more information, go to: http://www.historyguy.com/battle_of_pearl_harbor.html

George Stanley McChrystal (b. August, 14, 1954)
General Stanley A. McChrystal is an American army general who was named the commander of allied forces in Afghanistan, and assumed command of those forces in May of 2009.
General McChrystal is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. McChyrstal is a Green Beret and an Army Ranger, as well as a veteran commander in Special Operations, also known as “Black Ops.”
McChrystal served in Afghanistan as chief of staff of the military operations in 2001 and 2002. He also commanded the 75th Ranger Regiment and served tours in Saudi Arabia during the Persian Gulf War in 1991.
Forces under General McChrystal’s command found and captured Saddam Hussein and with tracking and killing Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of al-Qaida in Mesopotamia (al-Qaida in Iraq).
General McChrystal replaced General David McKiernan…

http://www.historyguy.com/biofiles/mcchrystal_stanley_general.htm

The news out of the Pittsburgh G-20 Summit about the hitherto secret Iranian nuclear facility, coupled with Iranian missile tests near the Yom Kippur Jewish holiday raise the fears of a Western Powers/Israeli pre-emptive attack on Iran.

See http://www.historyguy.com/iranwar.htm for more information and links.

http://www.historyguy.com/iranwarsbookstore.htm

The Iran War Scenarios and Analysis page is now up and running.  This page will track current news, rumors, and analysis related to possible attacks on Iran by the United States and/or Israel.

http://www.historyguy.com/iranwar.htm

American Special Forces attacked vehicles in Somalia carrying members of al-Qaida’s Somalia and Kenya branch on September 14, 2009. The dead included Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, wanted for the 2002 car bombing of a beach resort in Kenya and an attempt to shoot down an Israeli airliner. He was a leader of the local al-Qaida branch. Nabhan was a 30-year old Kenyan who is suspected of being behind the 2002 attacks in Kenya ttargeting Israelis. Ten Kenyans and three Israelis died in the bombing of an Israeli-owned hotel in Mombasa. Ground-to-air missiles were fired at the Israeli airliner as it took off from the city’s airport but missed the jet. Nabhan is believed to be one of those who fired a missile. He later escaped in Somalia, which is a largly lawless nation with a strong al-Qaida presence.

Previous American attacks on al-Qaida in Somalia involved missile attacks which were relatively imprecise, and created casualties among Somali civilians. This attack was carried out by helicopters which fired on the vehicles. Witnesses reported that after the helicopter attack concluded, American troops rappelled to the ground, collected the dead and wounded, and flew off. One Somali official said that the attack produced five dead.

The last confirmed American troop presence in Somalia was in 1993, during the Battle of Mogadishu. When Ethiopia invaded Somali in 2005 and 2006, some reports indicated that small numbers of U.S. troops accompanied the Ethiopians, searching for al-Qaida leaders.

See http://www.historyguy.com/special_forces_attack_al-qaida_somalia.htm

In March of 2009, several incidents took place between

the military forces of the United States and the military

forces of the People’s Republic of China at sea. Below is a

listing of these naval and air incidents. 

In June, 2009, an Chinese submarine collided with a sonar

array towed by a U.S. destroyer near the Philippines 

 

June 12, 2009–A Chinese submarine hit an

underwater sonar array being towed by the destroyer USS

John McCain on June 11, 2009. The sonar array received

damage, but the Chinese submarine and the American

destroyer did not collide. This incident occurred near

Subic Bay, Philippines. 

March 8, 2009–Five Chinese vessels harassed

and obstructed the USNS Impeccable in the South China

Sea, 70 mile from the coast of the Chineses island of

Hainan. The Chinese ships surrounded the Impeccable and

two of the ships closed to within 50 feet of the American

ship. The Chinese ships included a Chinese navy

intelligence collection ship, a Bureau of Maritime

Fisheries patrol vessel, a State Oceanographic

Administration patrol vessel and two small

Chinese-flagged trawlers. 

Crewmen aboard the Impeccable used fire hoses to spray

one of the harassiing Chinese ships as a protective

measure. The Chinese crewmembers stripped to their

underwear and continued manning their posts, closing to

within 25 feet of the Americans. 

The Chinese also dropped pieces of wood into the water

directly in the Impeccable’s path, and two of the

ships halted directly in the U.S. vessel’s path,

forcing it to stop. 

Chinese sailors used poles, attempting to snag the

Impeccable’s towed acoustic array sonars. Impeccable

used bridge-to-bridge radio contact to inform the Chinese

ships that it was leaving the area and requested a safe

path to navigate. 

China accused the U.S. Navy of conducting illegal

surveying off southern Hainan island. 

 

March 7, 2009–A Chinese naval vessel

challenged the USNS Impeccable via bridge-to-bridge

radio, accusing the Impeccable of conducting illegal

operations and told the American ship to leave the area

or “suffer the consequences.” 

March 5, 2009–Chinese maritime aircraft

“buzzed” the USNS Impeccable 12 times. This

came after an incident earlier in the day. 

March 5, 2009 –A Chinese frigate crossed the

bow of the USNS Impeccable at a range of about 100

yards 

March 4, 2009–A Chinese patrol vessel shined a

high-intensity spotlight on the USNS Victorious, while it

was operating in the Yellow Sea some 125 miles from the

Chinese coast. 

 

 

.

 

 

Links:

 

 

Sub

collides with sonar array towed by U.S. Navy

ship–CNN, June 12, 2009

US

 

claims naval clash with China–FT.com, March 10,

2009 

Chinese

Vessels Shadow, Harass Unarmed U.S. Survey

Ship–American Forces Press Service, March 9,

2009 

 

 

Sources and