Feldunterarzt

Feldunterarzt (short: FUArzt or FUA; literal: field under physician) was a military rank in the German Wehrmacht until 1945. It was established additional to the Unterarzt July 25, 1940. Uniform and shoulder board were identical to the "Fahnenjunker-Oberfeldwebel" ("Oberfähnrich"), however without the double unterofficer galloons. The Gothic letter A between the two silver felwebel stars indicated the membership to the Military Medical Academy in Berlin. The "Feldunterarzt" was an officer aspirant (de: "Offizier-Anwärter", short OA or O.A.) in the Military Health Service.
According to the rank hierarchy, it was comparable to Sergeant First Class (de: "Oberfeldwebel") or Chief Petty Officer (de: "Oberbootsmann") NATO-Rangcode OR-7
He had passed the first (physician‘s or dentist‘s) medical state examination on the Military Medical Academy, and received practical training in the medical corps or in line medical service in a military unit in the Heer or Luftwaffe. Then he turned back to the Military Medical Academy, in order to be promoted to the Assistenzarzt, the lowest officer rank, comparable to second lieutenant (NATO OF-1b).
Wehrmacht.
Heer.
In line to the so-called Reichsbesoldungsordnung (en: Reich's salary order), appendixes to the Salary law of the German Empire (de: Besoldungsgesetz des Deutschen Reiches) of 1927 (changes 1937 – 1940), the comparative ranks were as follows: C 15
The corps colour of the Military Health System in German armed forces was traditional , and of the veterinarian service . This tradition was continued by the medical service corps in Heer and Luftwaffe of the Reichswehr and Wehrmacht. However, the "corps colour" of the Waffen-SS HSS was .
Address.
The manner of formal addressing of military surgeons/dentists with the rank "Feldunterarzt" was, „Herr Feldunterarzt“.


Armed Forces of National Liberation (Venezuela)

The Armed Forces of National Liberation (in Spanish: "Fuerzas Armadas de Liberación Nacional", FALN) was a Venezuelan guerrilla group formed by the Communist Party of Venezuela to foment revolution against the democratically elected governments of Rómulo Betancourt and Raul Leoni.
Background.
In 1958, Betancourt's Democratic Action ("Acción Democrática", AD) party largely sidelined the extreme left wing, notably the Communist Party of Venezuela ("Partido Comunista de Venezuela", PCV). The 1959 Cuban Revolution influenced PCV and student groups hoping to recreate Fidel Castro's regime in Venezuela. Many leftist students formed the Revolutionary Left Movement ("Movimiento de Izquierda Revolucionaria", MIR) in April 1960.
Betancourt's firm stance against Castro, especially Cuba's expulsion from the Organization of American States (OAS) led to bloody military uprisings in 1962, first at Carúpano on the Península of Paria, then at Puerto Cabello. After the unsuccessful revolts, Betancourt suspended civil liberties and arrested the MIR and PCV members of the forerunner to the National Assembly of Venezuela bicameral Congress ("Congreso") in 1962. This drove the leftists underground and founded the FALN on January 1, 1963.
The FALN were engaged in rural and urban guerrilla activities, including seized the Venezuelan cargo ship "Anzoátegui", kidnapping Real Madrid soccer star Alfredo DiStefano (both performed by Paul del Rio), sabotaging oil pipelines, kidnaping of American Colonel Michael Smolen, bombing a Sears Roebuck warehouse, and bombing the United States Embassy in Caracas. FALN failed to rally the rural poor and to disrupt the December 1963 elections.
The FALN fought through the Llanos of Venezuela and along the Colombian border near the city of San Cristóbal for many years. The president of Venezuela at the time, Raul Leoni, sent troops to fight against the guerrillas. General Rafael Sanchez Agüero eliminated the FALN in the state of Táchira in 1969. Alongside Colonel Arturo Julio Salazar.
Fabricio Ojeda.
A Venezuelan guerrilla commander who presided the National Liberation Front of Venezuela, Fabricio Ojeda, wrote a document "Why the liberation of Venezuela?" Fabricio Ojeda stated that FALN's purpose was to change the economic and social structure in Venezuela during the 1960s. Ojeda goes on to say that the revolutionary forefront forces created the National Liberation Front to be the main source of the struggle. The FLN was to come up with the revolutionary strategy and tactics.
Ojeda says that the National Liberation Front controls organized revolutionary activity with all forms of struggle. It has also created the Armed Forces of National Liberation (FALN) as a central tool which are its armed wing. This organization is ruled by the same principles and guidelines that support the FLN. The FLN and FALN are not made to replace the party regime or change some armed forces for others. Both organizations are known to be open to all patriots civilian and military.
Ojeda suggests that in order for a government of national liberation to carry out its program of dealing with the counterrevolutionary reaction, it needs powerful armed forces.
Terrorist Operations.
Between May and June 1963, it was announced that the FALN terrorists had decided to focus on attacking US interests due to the fact that they felt they were isolating themselves from the masses by attacking Venezuelan targets. Even though there have been several attacks on bridges, gas, oil lines, and on Venezuelan police and military personnel, most of the terrorist activities have been against American targets. Terrorists had turn to political targets, for instance, on September 13 there was an attempt to break up a meeting of Betancourt's Democratic Action (AD) party in Caracas which was held to observe the party's 22nd anniversary. In this attempt, they exploded home-made bombs in numerous parts of the city, puncture tires, burned cars and participated in hit-and-run shootings. All of these incidents were unsuccessful in disturbing the AD rally completely. FALN spokesmen have multiple times expressed their intention to kidnap the US Ambassador and possibly other US Embassy personnel.
In popular culture.
The 1975 film "Chronicle of a Latin American Subversive" (Spanish: "Crónica de un subversivo latinoamericano") by director Mauricio Walerstein, narrates the real life FALN kidnapping of American Colonel Michael Smolen (portrayed as "Colonel Robert Whitney" by actor Claudio Brook) in revenge for Nguyen Van Troi's death sentence.


Prime Minister of Bechuanaland


Knoxville Confederate order of battle

The following Confederate States Army units and commanders fought in the Knoxville Campaign and subsequent East Tennessee operations during the American Civil War from November 4 to December 31, 1863 under the command of Lt. Gen. James Longstreet. Engagements of this campaign include the Battle of Dandridge and the Battle of Bean's Station. Order of battle compiled from the army organization during the campaign. The Union order of battle is shown separately.
Longstreet's Command.
LTG James Longstreet
Cavalry Corps.
MG William T. Martin


Salvador J. Lara

Salvador J. Lara (July 11, 1920 – September 1, 1945) was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II and recipient of the Medal of Honor. He was of Mexican-American descent.
Background.
Members of Lara's family received the Medal of Honor flag from Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel in a March 19, 2014, ceremony when Lara was inducted into the Pentagon Hall of Heroes. They received the actual medal from President Barack Obama at the White House on March 18, 2014.
The award came through the Defense Authorization Act, which called for a review of Jewish and Hispanic veterans from World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War to ensure that no prejudice was shown to those deserving the Medal of Honor.
Lara was born in Riverside, California and died on September 1, 1945, shortly after World War II ended, while serving with the 602d Ordnance Armament Maintenance Battalion in Europe. He is buried at the Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial in Saint-Avold, Moselle, France.
Medal of Honor action.
According to Lara's U.S. Army biography:Then-Pfc. Salvador Lara was bestowed the Medal of Honor to recognize his valorous actions in Aprilia, Italy, May 27–28, 1944. During the fight, May 27, he aggressively led his rifle squad in neutralizing multiple enemy strong points and inflicting large numbers of casualties on the enemy. The next morning, as his company resumed the attack, Lara sustained a severe leg wound, but did not stop to receive first aid. Lara continued his exemplary performance until he captured his objective.
Awards and decorations.
Lara's awards include:


Risque (comics)

Risque (Gloria Dolores Muñoz) is a fictional character, a mutant appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Her first appearance was in "X-Force" #51 (Aug 1991).
Fictional character biography.
Early life.
Risque grew up in Florida to a Seminole mother and Cuban father. As established in a textual flashback in "X-Force" Vol 1 #66, she used to spend much of her time at the Wacky World Amusement park with her father. After her powers manifested at thirteen, she abandoned her suddenly embarrassing dad and spent time at the park flirting with older boys. She even acquired a job there, but was fired after a fortnight for smoking in costume behind the Astro-World Tilt-A-Whirl. She then got into some trouble, which the mysterious Sledge helps extricate her from in return for doing him a favor.
Rendezvous with Warpath.
Risque has to send a message to Warpath intimating that she has knowledge regarding the Camp Verde massacre. She meets Warpath in New York City, where she introduces herself to him from the shadows, plants a kiss on his lips, and leaves.
When Selene makes her move against the Externals, killing those who remain, Risque arrives and pulls the wounded Warpath out of Gideon's facility before Selene can drain his life. Risque takes James to Florida to recuperate and they fall for each other. Finally, James desires to get back to his friends, and the duo arrives just in time to defend X-Man from the genetic mastermind villain, Mister Sinister. An ancient expert in mutancy, Sinister found Risque "fascinating" as "a mutant unknown".
Risque and Warpath's new romance was met with displeasure from Warpath's previous love interest and current teammate, Siryn. Warpath previously felt romantic feelings for Siryn but as Risque thinks to herself; "Now she resents me for taking James away from her."
Warpath intends to remain at the X-Mansion, but the duo fights the Blob and Mimic in New York City. Risque finally fulfills her "mission" by slipping a sleeping pill into Jimmy's drink. She takes him to Sledge's junkyard in Detroit, Michigan. There, Sledge offers Warpath information concerning his tribe's murder in exchange for a favor of his own.
Fleeing X-Force.
 Risque fled town knowing Warpath's teammates in X-Force would be on her trail. Paying by cash for her living arrangements to keep her untraceable, the X-Men's mutant-detecting machine Cerebro eventually tracks her down in the apartments surrounding Wacky World, the amusement park she knew by heart. Seeing X-Force in her motel room, Risque flees to Wacky World itself. Once again underestimating the lengths X-Force would go for her capture, she is blindsided by the mutant Caliban. She escapes from Caliban on the monorail and hides with two willing young male collaborators, who enjoy the intrigue Risque brings. Caliban finally catches up with her in a maintenance tunnel but he collapses. This was due to numerous biological tampering done to him over the years. Risque initially desires to flee before calling for 9-1-1, but her conscience forces her to stay behind and tend to the injured mutant. Her reluctance to leave when she had the chance caused her to be captured by the remaining members of X-Force, who initially believe she has harmed Caliban.
By the time X-Force arrives, a two and a half hour ride in their "Pacrat", Warpath reveals that he was not held captive and was ready to leave, with Sledge's offer fresh on his mind. Risque tries to make amends with Warpath but to no avail; pleading her case concerning her debt to Sledge does not work. Unfortunately, her betrayal of Warpath's trust mars their relationship, as she had feared it would. As their relationship seemed to be finished, a joyful Siryn smirks in the distance.
Reunion with X-Force.
Months later, Risque ran into X-Force again while she was helping the Vanisher steal the Heart of Pele, a sacred Hawaiian gem. However, when she is attacked by one of the Lava Men, Warpath saves her and gets X-Force involved in the quest for the stone. They eventually return the stone to Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of the volcano. This prevents the Lava Men from using the Gem to activate ancient 'Deviant' machinery. Every volcano on Earth would have erupted if the Lava Men plan succeeded.
It turns out, though, that 'Risque' was in fact Pele herself and the real Risque, who had come to find the Heart, was still asleep on the beach. The team reunites with the real Gloria Muñoz and vacation on the island together.
Shortly after the incident in Hawaii, the psychic and physical connection between Danielle Moonstar and Arcadia spawns a new Demon Bear that rampaged through Sledge's warehouse. Risque is sent to help X-Force defeat the bear in San Francisco. Unfortunately, she is of very little help, and spends most of the time flirting with Warpath.
X-Corporation and "Death".
After the Xavier Institute became outed as a mutant organization, Risque was apparently contacted by Charles Xavier, who made her part of his X-Corporation monitoring mutant rights violations in Asia. Risque finds out about a company trafficking in mutant body parts. Unfortunately, she was ambushed by the U-Men, followers of John Sublime, founder of the Third Species movement. Risque did manage to compress one of her attackers into the size of a baseball, but could not fend them all off and was slain. Her death scene was never seen on-panel nor was a body ever shown, but her seeming demise was supported by her former X-Force ally and X-Corporation teammate Domino.
Possible Return.
Risque was among a list of possible candidates to join the superhero group the Lady Liberators. It is not known if this is the original Risque or a new hero re-using her moniker.
Necrosha.
Risque is among the dead mutants resurrected by the transmode virus that Selene sends to attack X-Force. She is one of the few mutants who regained control of her body and was able to warn Warpath to escape before succumbing to the virus and resuming her assault. Gloria's final fate is uncertain as it is unknown whether she was among the mutants teleported to Genosha by Blink to serve as sacrifices for the newly deified Selene or if she was among the mutants who managed to escape Utopia.
Powers and abilities.
Risque can create localized gravity fields to affect inorganic matter, placing a gravitronic charge within an object to compress it into a small, high-density mass and then maneuver that gravity charge to propel the object at high velocities. She could also use her powers to project concussive blasts. As part of her gravity-manipulation powers, she could also levitate the objects she was compressing.


High Seas Fleet Badge

The High Seas Fleet Badge (), also known as High Seas Fleet War Badge, was a World War II German military decoration awarded for service to the crews of the "Kriegsmarine" High Seas Fleet, mainly of the battleships and cruisers, but also those ships that supported them operationally for which there was no other award given. Although the award was instituted in April 1941, it could be awarded for actions that took place prior to this date. It was "primarily in recognition of the sea struggle" against the British fleet.
Description.
The medal had an outer gold laurel wreath of oak leaves with the German Eagle at the top, while clutching a swastika. In the center was a "forward sailing battleship" in grey. The badge was worn on the lower part of the left breast pocket of the naval service tunic, underneath the 1st class Iron Cross, if awarded.
Criteria for award.
To be eligible to receive the badge one must have 12 weeks service on a battleship or cruiser, with proof of distinction and good conduct. The number of weeks were reduced if one of these conditions were met:


George Peterson (Medal of Honor)

George Peterson (died March 30, 1945) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War II.
Biography.
Peterson joined the Army from his birthplace of Brooklyn, New York, and by March 30, 1945 was serving as a Staff Sergeant in Company K, 18th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division. During a battle on that day, near Eisern, Germany, Peterson was severely wounded but continued in the fight and single-handedly destroyed three German machinegun nests before receiving another, fatal, wound. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor seven months later, on October 17, 1945.
Medal of Honor.
Staff Sergeant Peterson's official Medal of Honor citation reads:
He was an acting platoon sergeant with Company K, near Eisern, Germany. When his company encountered an enemy battalion and came under heavy small-arms, machinegun, and mortar fire, the 2d Platoon was given the mission of flanking the enemy positions while the remaining units attacked frontally. S/Sgt. Peterson crept and crawled to a position in the lead and motioned for the 2d Platoon to follow. A mortar shell fell close by and severely wounded him in the legs, but, although bleeding and suffering intense pain, he refused to withdraw and continued forward. Two hostile machineguns went into action at close range. Braving this grazing fire, he crawled steadily toward the guns and worked his way alone to a shallow draw, where, despite the hail of bullets, he raised himself to his knees and threw a grenade into the nearest machinegun nest, silencing the weapon and killing or wounding all its crew. The second gun was immediately turned on him, but he calmly and deliberately threw a second grenade which rocked the position and killed all 4 Germans who occupied it. As he continued forward he was spotted by an enemy rifleman, who shot him in the arm. Undeterred, he crawled some 20 yards until a third machinegun opened fire on him. By almost superhuman effort, weak from loss of blood and suffering great pain, he again raised himself to his knees and fired a grenade from his rifle, killing 3 of the enemy guncrew and causing the remaining one to flee. With the first objective seized, he was being treated by the company aid man when he observed 1 of his outpost men seriously wounded by a mortar burst. He wrenched himself from the hands of the aid man and began to crawl forward to assist his comrade, whom he had almost reached when he was struck and fatally wounded by an enemy bullet. S/Sgt. Peterson, by his gallant, intrepid actions, unrelenting fighting spirit, and outstanding initiative, silenced 3 enemy machineguns against great odds and while suffering from severe wounds, enabling his company to advance with minimum casualties.


Combined Space Operations Center

The Combined Space Operations Center (CSpOC) is a U.S.–led multinational space operations center that provides command and control of space forces for United States Space Command's Combined Force Space Component Command. The CSpOC is located at Vandenberg Air Force Base.
Mission.
The mission of the Combined Space Operations Center is to "Execute operational command and control of space forces to achieve theater and global objectives."
Structure.
The Combined Space Operations Center is organized into six different elements:
History.
The Joint Space Operations Center (JSpOC) was initially established on 18 May 2005 to control all joint military space assets. It was organized under U.S. Strategic Command's Joint Force Space Component Commander. The core cadre of personnel from the Joint Space Operations Center was provided by the Air Force's (now Space Force's) 614th Air Operations Center, but other space personnel from the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps also were tasked to the JSpOC.
On 18 July 2018 it was redesignated as the Combined Space Operations Center, reorganizing to improve coordination between the United States and its allies, as well as between commercial and civil space organizations. The Combined Space Operations Center is a strategic defense partnership between the United States, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Other collaborating countries include France, Germany, and New Zealand.


Richard Etchberger

Richard Loy Etchberger (March 5, 1933 – March 11, 1968) was a senior non-commissioned officer in the United States Air Force who posthumously received the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions during the Battle of Lima Site 85 in the Vietnam War. The medal was formally presented to his three sons by President Barack Obama during a ceremony at the White House on September 21, 2010.
Military career.
A native of Hamburg, Pennsylvania, Etchberger graduated from Hamburg High School in 1951. He joined the Air Force on August 31 of that year, and was promoted to Chief Master Sergeant on April 1, 1967.
Battle of Lima Site 85.
During the North Vietnamese invasion of Laos and the Vietnam War, Etchberger was among a group of Airmen hand-picked for a classified mission: manning secret radar facilities in the Kingdom of Laos. According to the 1962 International Agreement on the Neutrality of Laos, the U.S. was to have no military facilities in that country. As such, the selectees would officially become civilians employed by Lockheed Aircraft. Etchberger was deployed to Lima Site 85, used to direct bombing missions against targets in Laos and North Vietnam. The code name for this top secret mission was "Heavy Green." The site was staffed by sixteen 'former' airmen, including Etchberger, two CIA agents, and one forward air controller. A large force of local guerrilla Laotian and Hmong fighters of the "U.S. Secret Army" also defended, and heavily engaged, the base prior to, and during, the battle.
Between November 1967 and March 1968, Lima Site 85 directed 27 percent of all air strike missions in the Kingdom of Laos and North Vietnam. When successful strikes were launched even through heavy cloud cover, the North Vietnamese realized that a radar facility must be nearby. Beginning in January 1968, North Vietnamese troops began closing in on Site 85. On January 13, the base was strafed by two An-2 Colt biplanes, killing several of the local guerrillas. The crew of a CIA Air America UH-1H helicopter responded to the attack, managing to shoot down one aircraft with an AK-47. Plans were made to abandon and destroy the base, but they were not implemented in time.
In the early morning hours of March 11, 1968, the site came under attack from North Vietnamese soldiers who had scaled the surrounding cliffs. By 3 a.m., Etchberger and seven others were the only surviving Americans out of the original 19. Etchberger tended to the wounded and fought off the advancing North Vietnamese troops until a rescue helicopter arrived. He then helped load the wounded onto slings to be lifted into the hovering aircraft before coming aboard himself. As the helicopter headed towards an air base in Thailand, an enemy soldier below fired his AK-47 into the underside of the aircraft, fatally wounding Etchberger.
Staff Sgt. John Daniel had been shot twice in the legs and was taking shelter amidst the bodies of other casualties when Etchberger recovered him and fitted him into the helicopter sling. Upon regaining consciousness and learning that Etchberger himself had been killed, Daniel voiced his disbelief: "Hell, he hasn't been injured, he hasn't been shot. How is he dead?" Decades later, when Etchberger was awarded the Medal of Honor, Daniel, in an interview with "Stars and Stripes", suggested: "It should have happened 42 years-plus ago, and he should have gotten a damn 55-gallon drum full of them if he wanted them."
Legacy.
Etchberger was recommended for the Medal of Honor shortly after his death, but the nomination was rejected. Numerous accounts blame President Lyndon B. Johnson, but the decision was made by Gen. John D. Ryan, the Air Force vice chief of staff, who was the USAF approving authority for top awards. The Lima Site mission was still classified at the time, and the U.S. was not supposed to have soldiers in Laos. Etchberger was instead awarded the second highest decoration, the Air Force Cross. The decoration was presented to his family during a secret ceremony at the Pentagon.
It was only after the Lima Site mission had been declassified fourteen years after Etchberger's death that his sons learned their father's true fate; they had previously been told that he died in a helicopter accident. In the early 2000s, veterans of the Air Force's 1st Combat Evaluation Group began requesting that Etchberger's Air Force Cross be upgraded to the Medal of Honor. The upgrade was approved by Secretary of the Air Force Michael B. Donley in 2008, and by the U.S. Congress in 2009, spearhead by the leadership of U.S. Congressman Tim Holden (D-PA) and the Lao Veterans of America in Washington, D.C.
Etchberger is buried in Saint John's Cemetery, Hamburg, Pennsylvania.
A portion of Interstate 78 in Berks County, Pennsylvania was named the CMSgt. Richard L. Etchberger Memorial Highway in his honor.
Medal of Honor.
The Medal of Honor was presented to Etchberger's sons by President Obama at a White House ceremony on September 21, 2010.
The text of Etchberger's Medal of Honor citation reads:
The President of the United States of America, authorized by act of Congress, March 3, 1863, has awarded, in the name of the Congress, the Medal of Honor to Chief Master Sgt. Richard L. Etchberger, United States Air Force, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life, above and beyond the call of duty.
Chief Master Sgt. Richard L. Etchberger distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism on March 11, 1968, in the country of Laos. While assigned as Ground Radar Superintendent, Detachment 1, 1043rd Radar Evaluation Squadron. On that day, Chief Etchberger and his team of technicians were manning a top-secret defensive position at Lima Site 85 when the base was overrun by an enemy ground force. Receiving sustained and withering heavy artillery attacks directly upon his unit's position, Chief Etchberger's entire crew lay dead or severely wounded. Despite having received little or no combat training, Chief Etchberger single-handedly held off the enemy with an M-16, while simultaneously directing air strikes into the area and calling for air rescue.
Because of his fierce defense and heroic and selfless actions, he was able to deny the enemy access to his position and save the lives of his remaining crew. With the arrival of the rescue aircraft, Chief Etchberger without hesitation repeatedly and deliberately risked his own life, exposing himself to heavy enemy fire, in order to place three surviving wounded comrades into rescue slings hanging from the hovering helicopter waiting to airlift them to safety. With his remaining crew safely aboard, Chief Etchberger finally climbed into the evacuation sling himself, only to be fatally wounded by enemy ground fire as he was being raised into the aircraft.
Chief Etchberger's bravery and determination in the face of persistent enemy fire and overwhelming odds are in keeping with the highest standards of performance and traditions of military service. Chief Etchberger's gallantry, self-sacrifice, and profound concern for his fellow men, at risk of his life, above and beyond the call of duty, reflect the highest credit on himself and the United States Air Force.


Panzer Lehr Division

The Panzer-Lehr-Division (in the meaning of: Armoured training division) was an elite German armoured division during World War II. It was formed in 1943 onwards from training and demonstration troops ("Lehr" = "teach") stationed in Germany, to provide additional armored strength for the anticipated Allied invasion of western Europe. On 4 April 1944, the division was officially designated as the 130th Panzer Division, however it is usually referred to as the Lehr Division. It was the only Wehrmacht Panzer division to be fully equipped with tanks and with halftracks to transport its mechanized infantry. On several occasions it fought almost to destruction, in particular during Operation Cobra, and by the end of the war in Europe bore little resemblance to the unit that had originally been activated.
History.
Formation.
Panzer Lehr began forming on 30 December 1943 and moved to the Nancy–Verdun area in January 1944 to complete the process. It was formed from several elite training and demonstration units. Most of the division's original cadre was drawn from Panzertruppenschule I and Panzertruppenschule II, the Panzerwaffe's major training units. These training and demonstration units were some of the most experienced and highly trained troops in the Panzerwaffe, with almost all having seen combat in the East, North Africa, Sicily or Italy and many having received decorations for bravery. As a result of this, Panzer Lehr was considered an elite unit from the time of its formation.
In early 1944, Panzer Lehr division was to be prepared for training to take place in Southern France. Orders received on 6 March 1944 made it clear that the unit was to first be transported to the Vienna area. On 19 March 1944, Panzer Lehr division took part in the German occupation of Hungary codenamed Operation Margarethe, as well to continue its training. The division absorbed the 901st "Panzergrenadier-Lehr-Regiment" while there. The division left Hungary on 1 May, and returned to France on 15 May 1944 to await the Allied invasion as a part of the OKW's armored reserve, along with the I SS Panzer Corps and the 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division Gotz von Berlichingen. These units could be released only with Adolf Hitler's personal authorization.
Panzer Lehr's panzer regiment had a battalion each of Panther and Panzer IV available. Moreover, all the battalions in both "panzergrenadier" regiments were transported by tracked, armored vehicles, such as the Sd.Kfz. 251 halftrack. This is in contrast to ordinary Wehrmacht panzer divisions, where only the first battalion in the first panzergrenadier regiment was equipped with halftracks, with the remaining battalions equipped with trucks. The division's engineer and reconnaissance formations were also equipped with armored vehicles, the armored reconnaissance battalion having a company of the new Sd.Kfz 234/2 "Puma" armored cars. The division's panzer regiment also had the "316. Funklenk-Panzerkompanie" (abbreviated "1./s.Pz. Kp. 'Funklenk' 316") ("316th Remote Control Panzer company") attached while in Normandy; this company was originally equipped with ten Tiger I tanks, and was allocated the first five of the new Tiger II tanks that are not used in Normandy since it broke down en route and been replaced by 9 Sturmgeschütz self-propelled guns, which fought at Tilly and St. Lo until destroyed, at which point the 316th Company was disbanded. The division's panzer regiment had a total complement of 208 operating tanks and assault guns (10 Panzer III, 9 StuG III, 97 Panzer IV, 86 Panthers and 6 Tigers) as of 6 June 1944 plus nine tanks and assault guns under repair (1 Panzer III, 1 StuG III, 2 Panzer IV, 3 Panthers and 2 Tigers). It also had 31 Jagdpanzer IV in its Panzerjäger battalion. Another unique feature of this formation was that its panzergrenadiers were, for a large part, dressed in the double-breasted "Sturmgeschütz" jacket, instead of the standard field blouse worn by other German Army ("Heer") units.
Normandy.
The Caen battles.
When the Western Allies launched the amphibious invasion of Normandy on 6 June 1944, Panzer Lehr, as a part of the strategic armored reserve (Panzer Group West), was held back from the fighting during the crucial first days. It was soon released, reached the front, and was committed to battle against the British and Canadians on June 8. It was placed in the front line adjacent to the 12th SS "Hitlerjugend" Division, where it defended Caen and fought several British offensives to a standstill.
On 13 June 1944, an attack by the 22nd Armoured brigade group of the British 7th Armoured Division outflanked Panzer Lehr's defences around Tilly-sur-Seulles and cut through the German lines, taking the village of Villers-Bocage and threatening Panzer Lehr's rear. Elements of Panzer Lehr, the 2nd Panzer Division, and the 101st SS Heavy Panzer Battalion were committed to defeating the British penetration. The ensuing Battle of Villers-Bocage saw the British withdraw to their start lines after two days of inconclusive fighting. By 17 June, Panzer Lehr had been forced to withdraw.
Like all German armoured units engaged in Normandy, Panzer Lehr suffered heavy losses in its transport from Allied air attacks. By the end of June, the division's armoured component was severely depleted. Despite this, it continued to hold against the British and Commonwealth forces, engaging in heavy fighting near the town of Tilly-sur-Seulles.
By the end of June, the Panzer Lehr Division had suffered 2,972 casualties and reported the loss of 51 tanks and assault guns, 82 halftracks and 294 other vehicles.
The Saint-Lô battles.
On 1 July 1944, Panzer Lehr had only 36 operational Panzer IV tanks (additional 29 in short term repair and 10 in long term repair); 32 operational Panther tanks (additional 26 in short term repair and 8 in long term repair) and 28 operational Jagdpanzer and Sturmgeschutz (9 more in short term repair and 1 in long term repair). On 7 July, the division was ordered to pull out of Tilly-sur-Seules and head west to provide support to the divisions resisting the American advance near Saint-Lô. The area around Saint-Lô consists of small fields with high ancient hedgerows and sunken lanes, known as "bocage". The bocage made it extremely difficult for armor to maneuver and provided superb defensive positions to the infantry on both sides of the battle.
On 10 July, Panzer-Lehr launched a counterattack against elements of the American 9th and 30th infantry divisions around the village of Le Dézert. American M10 tank destroyers knocked out 30 of the Panzer Lehr's tanks and forced the remaining tanks to withdraw over the Vire Canal to relative safety.
Over the next two weeks, the division fought a defensive battle of attrition. On 19 July, Saint-Lô fell to the Americans. Six days later, the Americans launched Operation Cobra, their breakout from the Normandy lodgment. By that time, the division had only 2,200 combat troops remaining and 12 Panzer IV and 16 Panthers fit for action and 30 tanks in various states of repair behind the lines. The operation was preceded by a massive aerial bombardment by over 1,500 allied bombers. Panzer Lehr was directly in the path of attack and the division suffered about 1,000 casualties during this bombardment. The division also lost at least 14 assault guns and 10 tanks. Despite strong initial resistance, by 27 July the German defenses has been penetrated. On the same day, Bayerlein reported that Panzer Lehr was "finally annihilated."
On 1 August, the Panzer Lehr had 33 tanks and assault guns operational and a further 44 in workshops. and so on August 17 after a fighting withdrawal, it was ordered back to Alençon for rest and refitting. The division was subsequently called back to Germany for rest and refitting. During August, the division suffered 1,468 casualties.
Within seven months of its formation, the division was reduced to a combat-ineffective unit with only 20 remaining tanks. At one point, in September, it consisted only of a panzer grenadier battalion of company strength, an engineer company, six 105mm howitzers, five tanks, a reconnaissance platoon, and an Alarmbataillon (emergency alert battalion) of about 200 men recruited from stragglers and soldiers on furlough in Trier. After spending a month refitting in the Saar, the division was moved to Paderborn, receiving 72 tanks, 21 assault guns and replacements, to compensate for the losses suffered in Normandy.
The Ardennes.
Operation Wacht am Rhein.
In early November 1944, Panzer Lehr was transferred to Hasso von Manteuffel's Fifth Panzer Army, part of Field Marshal Walter Model's Army Group B in preparation for the planned winter offensive, Operation Wacht am Rhein, commonly known as the Battle of the Bulge. On 21 November, the partially refitted Panzer Lehr was ordered out of its assembly area to counterattack the American forces driving towards the Saverne Gap. At that time, it has a strength of 34 Panzer IV and 38 Panther tanks. The counterattack stalled, and Panzer Lehr was called back out of the line, much reduced in strength.
The time spent refitting Panzer Lehr and several other units which had been committed prematurely meant that the operation had to be delayed. During the run up to the offensive, Panzer Lehr was kept in reserve, along with the "Führer Begleit" Brigade. On 15 December, the day before the offensive began, Panzer Lehr was still severely understrength, with only one of its two tank battalions ready for action, the other restored to its parent unit, the 3rd Panzer Division. Both of its panzergrenadier regiments were at 80 percent of its authorized strength. It had only 57 tanks (30 Panthers and 27 Panzer IV) and 20 Jagdpanzer IV/70's by the time the attack jumped off. In compensation, it was reinforced by two tank destroyer battalions and an assault gun brigade. The division's armored reconnaissance battalion was its only organic unit up to strength.
"Wacht am Rhein" opened on 16 December 1944, and Panzer Lehr moved out from the start positions in the center of the German line. The 26th Volksgrenadier Division was to clear the way for the division, but they soon became bogged down and the "Panzer Lehr" found itself moving forward at a crawl. The situation worsened over the next two days, with the 901st Panzergrenadier Regiment being halted by the Americans along the road to Wiltz, and the 902nd encountering heavy resistance in the town of Hosingen.
Bastogne.
On 18 December, the assault got back underway. The 26th Volksgrenadier Division had secured the bridge over the Clerf River, opening the way to the road and rail-hub of Bastogne. Panzer Lehr's armored reconnaissance battalion raced ahead, attacking towards Wiltz before rejoining the division on the route to Bastogne. The horse-drawn 26th Volksgrenadier had gotten itself mixed up in Panzer Lehr's column, greatly slowing the advance.
On the 19th, the division's panzer regiment ran into a roadblock near Neffe, held by troops of Combat Team Cherry of the U.S. 10th Armored Division. After initial success, Panzer Lehr's follow up attack resulted in heavy casualties. Combat Team Cherry pulled out, and the way to Bastogne was open again. However, the majority of the division's armor had been sent north to Mageret to support 26th Volksgrenadier. After the taking of Mageret, a local informed Bayerlein, the division's commander, that a column of about 50 American tanks and infantry was seen moving to Longvilly. Bayerlein ordered his troops to halt and set up a roadblock, giving him a chance to regroup and reorganize his troops. By the time that Panzer Lehr moved out again and reached the town of Bastogne, the US 101st Airborne Division (Screaming Eagles) had already secured it. Panzer Lehr was then divided, with half the division left to help 26th Volksgrenadier Division capture Bastogne, while the rest of the division, including most of its armor, were to continue on to the Meuse.
Over the next few days, the "Kampfgruppe" helping 26th Volksgrenadier, made up mostly of the 901st Panzergrenadier Regiment, wore itself out in successive attacks on the town of Bastogne. As the remainder of the division sped east, it enjoyed some minor successes, including the capture of a large American convoy, but it was brought to a halt by fierce resistance near St. Hubert, and was soon drawn into heavy fighting south of Bastogne. On the 21st, Manteuffel pulled Panzer Lehr out of the fight for Bastogne and grouped it with the 2nd Panzer Division and 116th Panzer Division "Windhund" for an assault on Dinant and the Meuse.
Assault on Dinant.
After a day spent on reorganising the attack, Panzer Lehr finally got underway. It fought its way through St. Hubert and the road to Dinant and the Meuse again seemed open. On the approach to Rochefort, the next town on the road to Dinant, Bayerlein, who was leading his division's vanguard in person, shouted to his men -
The assaulting unit, the 902nd Panzergrenadier Regiment, was met by a wall of fire. Nor was the advance to become any easier thereafter. On 23 December, the division fought all day to reduce the town of Rochefort, suffering heavy casualties. The Americans finally withdrew – their only casualties 25 men killed and 15 men wounded, after holding off an elite panzer division for an entire day.
Bayerlein later compared the defence of Rochefort to that of Bastogne. Panzer Lehr made two rescue attempts to save 2nd Panzer and succeeded in retaking Humain, but unable to go any further. After another failed rescue effort by 9th Panzer, Panzer Lehr was ordered to fall back. Of the 2nd Panzer "Kampfgruppe", only Major Cochenhausen and 600 or so of his men managed to escape on foot, abandoning almost all of the division's armor to the advancing Allies. The Meuse would not be reached; "Wacht Am Rhein" had failed.
Relief of Bastogne.
The remnants of Manteuffel's strike force were pulled back for one final attempt to take Bastogne. Panzer Lehr began to move into its new positions, after US 4th Armored Division, the spearhead of George Patton's US Third Army, began its attack to relieve Bastogne and a corridor to the surrounded 101st Airborne was created. Panzer Lehr was then involved in the unsuccessful operations to close the corridor, and finally the exhausted division was pulled out of the battle. Panzer Lehr had once again been virtually annihilated.
The Netherlands to Ruhr Pocket.
After the failure of the Ardennes offensive, Panzer Lehr was refitted once again, though not to anywhere near the lavish standard of its earlier incarnations. Many of the veterans were dead, and the Panzer Lehr of early 1945 bore little resemblance to that of June 1944.
The division was moved north, into the Rhineland, where it was engaged fighting Bernard Montgomery's Anglo-Canadian 21st Army Group again during Operation Veritable, serving under the First Parachute Army. The Panzer Lehr saw very heavy fighting, and again sustained heavy losses. By 15 March, Panzer Lehr had only 6 Panzer IVs, 29 Panthers and 14 Jagdpanzer IVs available. When the U.S. 9th Armored Division captured the Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen, Panzer Lehr was sent to crush the bridgehead. The attack was unsuccessful. The Allies' ground and air superiority inflicted heavy casualties on the division. By then, it was reduced to just 300 men and 15 tanks. Engaged in a fighting retreat across northwestern Germany, the division was trapped in the Ruhr Pocket and the remnants of the once powerful division were taken prisoner by the US 99th Infantry Division on 15 April.


Port Hudson Union order of battle

The following is the organization of the Union forces engaged at the Siege of Port Hudson, during the American Civil War in 1863. The Confederate order of battle is listed separately.
Union forces.
Army of the Gulf.
XIX Corps.
MG Nathaniel P. Banks
West Gulf Blockading Squadron.
Rear Admiral David G. Farragut


Darbytown Road Union order of battle

The following Union Army units and commanders fought in the Battle of Darbytown Road (October 13, 1864) during the Petersburg campaign of the American Civil War. Order of battle is compiled from the official tabulation of casualties and includes only units which sustained casualties.
Army of the James.
X Corps.
MG Alfred H. Terry


Luftwaffe war crimes


Chancellorsville Confederate order of battle

The following Confederate States Army units and commanders fought in Virginia's Battle of Chancellorsville, which lasted from April 30 to May 6, 1863, during the American Civil War. The Union order of battle is listed separately. Order of battle has been compiled from the army organization during the campaign, the casualty returns and the reports.
Army of Northern Virginia.
Gen Robert E. Lee
First Corps.
Gen Robert E. Lee
Chief of Artillery: Col James B. Walton
Second Corps.
LTG Thomas J. Jackson (mw)

MG Ambrose P. Hill (w)

BG Robert E. Rodes

MG J. E. B. Stuart
Chief of Artillery: Col Stapleton Crutchfield (w), Col E. Porter Alexander, Col J. Thompson Brown


Wehrmachtstreifendienst

Wehrmachtstreifendienst consisted of two elements which were part of the Feldgendarmerie assigned to security duty in railway stations throughout Germany and German occupied territories during World War II. Their purpose was to maintain order and discipline in stations, ensuring swift movement of troops and hardware, advise and direct soldiers moving through these stations, and to check travel papers, looking for deserters as well as escaped prisoners of war. They were a crucial part of the German military in a period where trains were the fastest way of transporting men and military hardware, and when train stations were a major target of Allied attacks.
The "Bahnhofswache" were responsible for patrolling all large rail stations, depots and interchanges. Their duties included checking Kennkarte, identification and leave passes of soldiers, checking for deserters, screening civilian passengers, and helping the stations to run efficiently. The "Zugwache" were similar in most ways to the Bahnhofswache however they acted as police on-board the trains and were usually present only in the major train stations. They had the more dangerous duties of guarding trains traveling through enemy territory and dealing with acts of sabotage by Partisans or Resistance. They were also assigned to guard High Command Staff using the train system.
The Bahnhofswache wore no distinguishing corps badge or colour other than their normal military police however an armband or more commonly a gorget were worn with 'Bahnhofswache' imprinted on them and two numbers, one indicating the military district and the other indicating the unit number. Zugwache troops wore a similar gorget but with the monogram WB (Wach Bataillon) and 'Zugwache' imprinted on it.


Wolfpack Wolf

Wolf was a wolfpack of German U-boats that operated from 13 July to 1 August 1942, attacking Convoy ON 113 in the Battle of the Atlantic during World War II. They sank two ships sunk totalling and damaged another ().
U-Boats & Commanders.
The wolfpack comprised eleven U-boats, namely
Ships hit by this wolfpack.
British Merit.
The 8,093-ton British tanker "British Merit" was hit at 03:52 hours on 25 July, by a torpedo (one of two) fired by . One man was killed by the explosion and another seriously injured. Two lifeboats with 32 men aboard were launched, and were picked up by , while the Master and 21 men remained aboard. The tug "HMS Frisky (W11)" took her into St. Johns, arriving on 2 August.
Broompark.
"U-552" struck again at 04:09 hours on 25 July, hitting the 5,136-ton British merchant ship "Broompark". The ship was taken in tow by the tug , but sank on 28 July about SW of St. Johns. The master and three men were lost, while 38 men and 7 gunners were picked up by HMCS "Brandon".
Empire Rainbow.
At 07.57 hours on 26 July the 6,942-ton British merchant ship "Empire Rainbow" was hit and damaged by a torpedo fired by about E of Cape Race. Later, at 08.11, the ship was hit again, this time by a torpedo fired by , which sank her. The entire crew; Master, 38 men and 8 gunners were picked up by and .


John I. Pray

John Irving Pray Jr., Brig Gen, USAF (Ret) is the Chief Executive Officer and President of Operation Homefront. He was appointed to the position on May 18, 2015. Prior to joining Operation Homefront, he was the Executive Vice President and Chief of Staff for the USO.
Career.
Pray served in the United States Air Force for 27 years. While in the USAF, he served in a number of key staff and command positions that included: the Director of the White House Situation Room; Commander of the 89th Airlift Wing at Andrews AFB, MD; Commander of the 436th Airlift Wing at Dover AFB, MD; the Deputy Executive Secretary of the National Security Council; Commander of the 305th Operations Group at McGuire AFB, NJ; Commander of the 8th Airlift Squadron at McChord AFB, WA and Executive Officer to the Commander, United States Special Operations Command at MacDill AFB, FL. Pray is a Command Pilot with over 6,000 flying hours in numerous mobility and special operations aircraft. He retired from the Air Force in 2007.
After retiring from the United States Air Force (USAF), Pray served as the Executive Secretary of the National Security Council until January 2009 and then as Executive Vice President for the Systems Proposal and Engineering Company until joining the USO in July 2009.
While at the USO from July 2009 to April 2015, Pray led a broad range of initiatives in operations, marketing, communications, information technology, entertainment and strategy.
Education.
John Pray holds a Bachelor's of Science degree from the U.S. Air Force Academy and master's degrees from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the School of Advanced Airpower Studies and the Air War College. He has also completed senior executive programs at the Columbia University Graduate School of Business, Harvard Business School and Wharton.


Toxotai

Toxotai (; singular: , ) were Ancient Greek and Byzantine archers.
During the ancient period they were armed with a short Greek bow and a short sword. They carried a little pelte (or pelta) () shield. Cretan archers used nearly the same type of equipment except that they used a long bow.
"Hippotoxotai" (ἱπποτοξόται) were mounted archers and rode ahead of the .
The name "Toxotes" was used to describe the mythic Sagittarius, a legendary creature thought to be a centaur.


Copperhead (Marvel Comics)

Copperhead is the name of three different fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first Copperhead was Lawrence Chesney, who made his debut in "Daredevil" #124 (Aug 1975) and was created by writers Len Wein and Marv Wolfman, and artist Gene Colan. The second Copperhead, Arthur Reynolds, was a coworker of Chesney and stole his costume after Chesney was killed. Reynolds first appeared in "Human Fly #8" (Apr 1978) by writer Bill Mantlo and artist Frank Robbins. The third person to use the name Copperhead is totally unrelated to the first two characters, Davis Lawfers, who took the name from the snake of the same name. Lawfers first appeared in "Captain America" #337 (1988) created by writers Mark Gruenwald and Ralph Macchio and artist Tom Morgan.
Chesney's mental illness caused him to think he was Copperhead, a pulp fiction hero he grew up reading. Chesney would leave copper pennies on the eyes of his murder victims. When he began to target the writer and publisher of the original Copperhead stories he was stopped by Daredevil. During the fight Chesney was struck by lightning and killed. Reynolds worked with Chesney as a museum guard and later discovered Chesney's secret identity. Using the costume he planned to rob the museum where he worked as a guard, but was stopped by White Tiger and the Human Fly.
The third Copperhead, was originally a henchman of Viper, given a suit with built in powers based on the Copperhead. Teamed up with Fer-de-lance, Black Racer, and Puff Adder they formed the Serpent Squad, a ploy to get them accepted into the Serpent Society. The group is accepted by Sidewinder and the Serpent Society, enabling them to help push Sidewider out of power, allowing Viper to take control of the group. When Viper is deposed later on Copperhead leaves the Serpent Society. He later returned to the Serpent Society and became part of Serpent Solutions when the group was reorganized in 2015.
Publication history.
The Lawrence Chesney version of Copperhead first appeared in "Daredevil" #124-125 (August–September 1975), and was created by Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, and Gene Colan. The character subsequently appears in "Human Fly" #9 (May 1978), "Daredevil" #1/2 (1998), and "Daredevil/Spider-Man" #1-4 (January–April 2001). Copperhead received an entry in the "All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z" #3 (2006).
The second Copperhead appeared in "Human Fly" #8-9 (Apr-May 1978), and was created by Bill Mantlo and Frank Robbins.
The third Copperhead appeared in "Captain America" #337 (1988), and was created by Mark Gruenwald, Ralph Macchio and Tom Morgan
Fictional character biography.
Lawrence Chesney.
Lawrence Chesney grew up hearing the tales of a pulp fiction hero named Copperhead from his father, who was the model for the covers of the Copperhead pulps and came to believe he himself "was" Copperhead. Chesney, warped by his father's madness, assumes the Copperhead guise, and leaves his calling card of copper pennies on the eyes of his victims. His murders of the writer and the publisher of the Copperhead pulps brings him the attention of Daredevil. As he fights Daredevil, Copperhead is struck by lightning and killed by electrocution.
After death, Copperhead becomes the agent of a demon. He is sent back to Earth to retrieve Spider-Man’s soul, but fails after battling Spider-Man and Daredevil.
Arthur Reynolds.
Arthur Reynolds discovered that his former co-worker at the museum, Lawrence Chesney, had been Copperhead, and had been killed. Reynolds broke into Chesney's apartment and stole a spare Copperhead costume, assuming the identity. His plan to rob the museum were defeated by White Tiger and the Human Fly.
Davis Lawfers.
Davis Lawfers was born in Rochester, New York. He was a civil servant before becoming an agent of the Viper and a professional criminal. Copperhead was the leader of the fourth Serpent Squad, consisting also of Fer-de-lance, Black Racer, and Puff Adder. The quartet robbed a Las Vegas casino and battled Captain America, Falcon, Nomad, and D-Man in order to attract the attention of Sidewinder, then the leader of the Serpent Society. The Serpent Squad was freed from jail by the Sidewinder, and were inducted into the Serpent Society. In truth, they were sent by the Viper so she could infiltrate the organization and take over as its new leader. After the coup was staged, Copperhead was assigned by the Viper, along with the Cobra and Boomslang to put a mutagenic agent into the water supply of Washington D.C. During that mission, he and Cobra had personality conflicts and did not get along, and battled Captain America and Diamondback. After the Viper's plot was foiled, the Society re-organized with Cobra as the new leader. Copperhead did not stay long and quietly disappeared from the ranks of the Society.
During the "Secret Invasion" storyline, Lawfers rejoined the Society. The Society held a number of civilians hostage in a compound in the American Midwest claiming they were protecting themselves from the Skrulls. However, they were easily defeated by Nova and his new Nova Corps.
As part of the "All-New, All-Different Marvel" event, Copperhead appears as a member of Viper's Serpent Society under its new name of Serpent Solutions. He assisted Black Racer and Cottonmouth into attacking Captain America and Diamondback where Captain America learned too late that Diamondback is in league with the Serpent Solutions where she knocks him out and they bring him to Serpent Solutions' headquarters. They were later defeated by Captain America and his friends.
Powers and abilities.
Copperhead has no superhuman powers. He has moderate experience in hand-to-hand combat and street fighting techniques, but mainly relies on his weaponry.
He wears finger-shooters on his gauntlets which project electrical discharges ("poison-blasts"); a spring-loaded, telescoping, rapid-retracting, wrist-mounted, titanium steel alloy grappling hook ("shooting fang"), with cable line; exploding magnesium flare-bombs stored in his snake-head helmet compartment ("copper-bursts"); micro-suction cups in gloves and boots, enabling adhesion to walls and ceilings. His equipment was designed by technicians hired by the Viper. His gauntlets need to be recharged regularly using the spare poison-blast cartridges in his belt.
For protection, Copperhead wears a copper suit of scale mail, which functions as light body armor made of micro-mesh chain-mail covered with reinforced synthetic chain-mail tunic.


Palatine Guard

The Palatine Guard () was a military unit of the Vatican. It was formed in 1850 by Pope Pius IX, who ordered that the two militia units of the Papal States be amalgamated. The corps was formed as an infantry unit, and took part in watch-keeping in Rome. The only occasion on which it saw active service was during the token resistance on 20 September 1870 to the occupation of Rome by Italian government troops.
History.
After 1870 and the unification of Italy, the corps was confined to Vatican City where they performed ceremonial functions as a guard of honor. The Palatine Guard were usually seen either when the Pope was in Saint Peter's Square, or when a head of state or other important visitors were received by the Pope. Members of the corps were part-time volunteers, who were not paid for their service, though they received an allowance for replacement or repair of their uniforms. The unit lacked modern weapons and the guardsmen received little training beyond drill in marching and presenting arms. The corps was also the only one in the service of the Vatican to have a full military band.
The Second World War was a high point in the history of the Palatine Guard. In September 1943, when German troops occupied Rome in response to Italy's conclusion of an armistice with the Allies, the Guard was given the responsibility of protecting Vatican City, various Vatican properties in Rome, and the Pope's summer villa at Castel Gandolfo. The guardsmen (mainly Roman shop keepers and office clerks) whose service had previously been limited to standing in ranks and presenting arms at ceremonial occasions, now found themselves patrolling the walls, gardens and courtyards of Vatican City and standing guard at the entrances to papal buildings around the Eternal City. On more than one occasion this service resulted in violent confrontations with Italian Fascist police units working with the German authorities to arrest political refugees who were hiding in buildings protected by the Vatican. At the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939 the Palatine Guard mustered some 500 men, but the German occupation required the recruitment of additional personnel. By the liberation of Rome in June 1944 the corps had grown to 2,000 men, but at the end of the war the majority of these men left the Pope's service and the unit returned to its pre-war force level.
Uniform.
Throughout most of its history the Palatine Guard wore a nineteenth-century uniform comprising a shako or kepi, dark blue tunic and light blue trousers. During World War II armed members of the Guard undertook patrols and guard duty in a practical field uniform consisting of grey overalls and red beret.
Disbandment.
The corps, along with the Papal Gendarmerie and the Noble Guard, was abolished on 14 September 1970 by Pope Paul VI as part of the reforms of the Church following the Second Vatican Council. Before it stood down it was transformed into the Papal Honor Guard ("Guardia d'Onore del Papa"). Former guardsmen were invited to join a new group called the (), whose statutes were approved by the Pope on 24 April 1971. This civilian association supports charitable, educational, and religious programs in Rome.


Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe

The Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe (Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe) was a "Luftwaffe" award established on 27 February 1940 by "Reichsmarschall" Hermann Göring, the "Reich" Minister of Aviation and Commander-in-Chief of the "Luftwaffe". It was officially known as the "Ehrenpokal "für Besondere Leistung im Luftkrieg"", or Honor Goblet "For Special Achievement in the Air War". The award was given only to flying personnel (pilots and aircrew). Recipients' named were published in the periodical "Ehrenliste der Deutschen Luftwaffe" (Honor List of the German Air Force). German archives indicate that approximately 58,000 were given "on paper", but only 13–15,000 goblets were actually awarded according to the records. The first airman to receive the goblet was Johann Schalk on 21 August 1940.
The award was made to aircrew who had already been awarded the Iron Cross First Class but whose performance was not considered to merit the German Cross or Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. It was replaced by the "Luftwaffe" Honour Roll Clasp in January 1944.
The actual goblet was produced in two materials, fine silver (German: Feinsilber) or also in German Silver (German: Alpaka) or Nickel silver. The size is about 200 mm tall x 100 mm in diameter. The goblet was produced in two pieces which were fitted together into one unit. The obverse depicts two eagles in mortal combat. while the reverse bears an Iron Cross in high relief. Oak leaves and acorns adorn the stem. The legend "Für Besondere Leistung im Luftkrieg" are formed into the base.
World War I predecessors.
Although Göring considered the "Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe" to be his "personal creation", it was not an original idea. It was based on a World War I aviation award, the "Ehrenbecher für den Sieger im Luftkampfe", or Honor Goblet for the Victor in Air Combat. This award was generally given upon one's first victory in aerial combat (although the actual award bestowal might come some time after the victory). It has been reported (although the late aviation historian Neal O'Connor, was unable to confirm it before his death), that the requirement for aerial victories may have increased later in the war, since air combat became more common. The total number of awards presented is unknown, but it was fewer than its World War II successor.
Among notable recipients of the "Ehrenbecher für den Sieger im Luftkampfe" were:
The Imperial German Navy had its own aviation forces in World War I, and created its own non-portable award for victory in aerial combat. This was the "Ehrenpreis für Vernichtung eines feindlichen Flugzeugs", or Honor Prize for the Destruction of an Enemy Aircraft. This was not a goblet, but a trophy of two eagles engaged in a mid-air fight.
There was also another, even more rare, Imperial German award, the "Ehrenbecher für erfolgreiche Angriffe aus der Luft", or Honor Goblet for Successful Attacks from the Air. This was apparently only bestowed a very few times to members of bomber or Zeppelin crews for successful attacks.


Hanover Court House order of battle

The following Union Army and Confederate Army units and commanders fought in the Battle of Hanover Court House of the American Civil War.
Confederate.
BG Lawrence O'Bryan Branch
Union.
V Corps.
BG Fitz John Porter


Michael H. Watson

Michael Harrison Watson (born November 7, 1956) is a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.
Education and career.
Watson was born in Akron, Ohio. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Ohio State University in 1983 and his Juris Doctor from Capital University Law School in 1987. He was a member of the United States Air Force from 1975 to 1978 and was in the Ohio Air National Guard from 1978 to 1984. Watson was a bailiff/law clerk of the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas from 1983 to 1988. He was in private practice in Ohio from 1988 to 1991 and was chief legal counsel of the Ohio Department of Commerce from 1991 to 1992. He was a deputy chief legal counsel in the Office of the Governor of Ohio from 1992 to 1994 and was chief legal counsel from 1994 to 1995. Watson was a judge to the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas from 1996 to 2003. He was a judge to the Tenth District Ohio Court of Appeal from 2003 to 2004.
Federal judicial service.
President George W. Bush nominated Watson to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio on April 6, 2004, to the seat vacated by James L. Graham. Confirmed by the Senate on September 7, 2004, he received commission three days later.


List of German naval ports during World War II

The following is a list of German naval ports during World War II. Ports operated by the Kriegsmarine were divided into two classes - major and minor. For most major ports, a port commander ("Hafenkommandanten") was the senior most officer in charge of the port. Ports in the same geographical area were grouped together under administrative units known as "Hafenkommandanten im Bereich". Vessels assigned within German ports were organized into harbor defense flotillas.
Smaller ports were overseen by "Port captains" ("Hafenkapitäne"); however, in some larger ports this title was also used for the port commander. Both major and minor port commanders reported to a naval area commander ("Der Kommandant im Abschnitt"), who in turn administratively reported to a Navy district commander. For operational military defense, ports were also assigned to one of several sea defense zones.
Major German Ports.
For major ports within Germany, a position of "Naval Superintendent" ("Marineintendantur") served as the port commander and answered directly to the commanders of the Navy regions. Naval superintendent positions established during World War II included Bremen, Wilhelmshaven, Kiel, and Hamburg. The superintendent at Kiel also possessed a deputy port captain.
Naval superintendents were allocated a staff of various department heads to oversee activities in the various German ports. These include a building superintendent ("Marine-Baudirektion"), naval arsenal ("Kriegsmarinearsenal"), personnel office ("Kriegsmarinedienststelle"), and communications unit ("Marinenachrichtenabteilung"). The larger German ports also typically maintained a naval brig ("Prisenhof").
North and Baltic Seas.
Kriegsmarine ports in the North and Baltic Seas were organized into the following two geographical areas.
Hafenkommandanten im Bereich der Nordsee
"Port commanders"
"Port captains"
Hafenkommandanten im Bereich der Ostsee
"Port commanders"
"Port captains"
Hafenkommandanten im Bereich des Marinebefehlshabers Dänemark
"Port commanders"
"Port captains"
Norway.
German ports in occupied Norway were among the more numerous of sea ports outside of Germany's given Norway's direct access to the North Sea.
Hafenkommandanten im Bereich des Kommandierenden Admirals Norwegen
"Port commanders"
"Port captains"
France and the Low Countries.
German ports in the occupied Netherlands and France are listed below.
Hafenkommandanten im Bereich des Marinebefehlshabers der Niederlande
"Port commanders"
"Port captains"
Hafenkommandanten im Bereich des Kommandierenden Admirals Frankreich bzw.
"Port commanders"
"Port captains"
Channel Islands.
The following German ports on the Channel Islands were the only occupied British ports that the Kriegsmarine controlled during the course of the Second World War.
Belgium ports.
The following Belgium ports were overseen by the port authorities in occupied France
Black and Aegean seas.
German ports in the Black Sea and the Aegean were organized into two geographical areas
Hafenkommandanten im Bereich des Admirals Schwarzes Meer
"Port commanders"
"Port captains"
Hafenkommandanten im Bereich des Admirals Ägäis
"Port commanders"
"Port captains"
Baltic sea ports.
The Baltic sea ports of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia were under the command of the "Hafenkommandanten im Bereich des Admirals Ostland". Two more major harbors, under port commanders, were at Riga and Reval. Smaller harbors, under port captains, were as follows.
Mediterranean Sea.
German ports in the Mediterranean Sea were overseen by a single command encompassing all Italian, Albanian, and Dalmatian harbors. The Italian naval area was the only one of the three regions to maintain smaller harbors at the port captain level.
Hafenkommandanten im Bereich Italien, Dalmatien und Albanien
Hafenkapitäne im Bereich Italien


The Rocks, Inc.

The Rocks Incorporated (Rocks, Inc.), was founded on October 9, 1974 by sixty-five United States Army officers in Washington, D.C. Headquartered in Forestville, Maryland and with over 1,100 members, it is the largest professional military officers’ organization with a majority African-American membership.
The Rocks, Inc. is a non-profit organization composed primarily of African American active, reserve, retired and former commissioned officers and warrant officers of the U.S. Armed Forces, and widows and widowers of deceased members. The organization hosts professional development sessions and social events to improve the officer corps.
The Chairperson of the Board is Brigadier General Earl Simms, United States Army (Retired) Brigadier General Adams-Ender is author of the book "My Rise to the Stars".
History.
The Rocks, Inc. began in the mid-1960s as an informal meeting of Army officers assigned to the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The group initially met to help each other "survive" at Fort Leavenworth, and many members continued to meet after being reassigned to the Pentagon and elsewhere in the greater Washington, D.C., area.
In the years that followed, the group grew. On October 9, 1974, along with Colonel Robert B. Burke, General Roscoe Cartwright led an initiative to formally organize the growing network. They dubbed themselves the "No Name Club" until they agreed on a formal name. On December 1, the "No Name Club" assembled to ratify an official name when they were informed that General Cartwright and his wife, Gloria, died in a plane crash near Dulles Airport.
The "No Name Club" soon voted to name itself The Rocks, Inc. and established the Roscoe C. Cartwright Scholarship Fund in their namesake’s honor.
Today, The Rocks, Inc. has 23 active chapters across the Army (including one in Iraq).
Membership.
Membership is open to the following: active duty, retired, and former officers and warrant Officers of the U.S. Armed Forces and its reserve and National Guard components including U.S. Coast Guard officers and warrant officers who were assigned duties with the Department of Defense.
National Programs.
R.C. Cartwright Scholarship Fund Rocks, Inc. administers and is the executor of the R.C. Cartwright Scholarship Fund. Annually, the fund recognizes college Reserve Officers Training Corps cadets academic achievement and require financial assistance to continue their educational endeavors. The cadets must be nominated by their professor of military science.
Leadership Outreach The Leadership Outreach Program is designed to assist students in successfully transitioning from college to the active military. Teams of 3-5 officers visit over 20 historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) annually. The teams are typically led by a general officer or colonel. The outreach team presents seminars to ROTC cadets on Army socialization, evaluation systems and financial management for newly commissioned officers.
Rocks 5-miler Annually, the Washington, D.C. Chapter of the Rocks, Inc. host a 5-miler race a Burke Lake Park in Virginia. Proceeds are for the R.C. Cartwright Scholarship Fund.


Oliver F. Berry

Oliver Fuller Berry (March 8, 1908 - September 13, 1991) was a Chief Petty Officer in the United States Coast Guard who was chosen to be the namesake for the twenty-fourth cutter of the Sentinel class. He was one of the first Coast Guard aircraft technicians trained to work on helicopters.
Early life.
Berry was born in Marion, South Carolina, and graduated from The Citadel in 1928; originally an Officer in the United States Army Reserves he gave up his commission to enlist in the Coast Guard.
Coast Guard service.
Berry became a highly skilled mechanic working on early Coast Guard aircraft both land based and seaplanes, he was also one of the world's first experts on the maintenance of helicopters and served as Lead Instructor at the first military helicopter training unit, the Rotary Wing Development Unit which was established at Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina in 1946; he also helped develop the rescue hoist.
That same year Berry played a role in a helicopter rescue out of a US base in Gander, Newfoundland that earned him a commendation. Helicopters were new to search and rescue and one was urgently required to search for survivors of a commercial airliner crash in Newfoundland; Berry was able to quickly disassemble one of the primitive helicopters of the time so its parts could be flown to Gander in a cargo plane and then quickly reassemble it in time to find and rescue several survivors. He was awarded the Silver Medal of the Order of Leopold II by Prince Charles, the Royal Regent of Belgium, for his contribution to the rescue of eighteen Belgian citizens.
Legacy.
The Coast Guard established an annual award named after Berry, issued to an outstanding aircraft technician who best followed Berry's tradition.
In 2015 the Coast Guard announced that one of the new Sentinel class cutters would be named after Berry. All the ships in that class are named after enlisted personnel who distinguished themselves through a heroic act. Bollinger shipyards completed the USCGC "Oliver F. Berry" (WPC 1124), and delivered her to the Coast Guard, in Key West, for her sea trials, on June 27, 2017. Commissioning took place at the vessels homeport of Honolulu, Hawaii on October 31, 2017.


Order of battle for the American airborne landings in Normandy

The Order of battle for the American airborne landings in Normandy is a list of the units immediately available for combat on the Cotentin Peninsula between June 6, 1944, and June 15, 1944, during the American airborne landings in Normandy during World War II.
American forces.
Allied chain of command
Supreme Allied Commander:   Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower
21st Army Group:   Gen. Sir Bernard Montgomery
U.S. First Army:   Lt. Gen. Omar Bradley
U.S. VII Corps:   Maj. Gen. J. Lawton Collins
IX Troop Carrier Command.
Maj. Gen. Paul L. Williams   (Grantham, Lincs)
50th Troop Carrier Wing.
Brig. Gen. Julian M. Chappell at RAF Exeter
52nd Troop Carrier Wing.
Brig. Gen. Harold L. Clark at RAF Cottesmore
53rd Troop Carrier Wing.
Brig. Gen. Maurice M. Beach at RAF Greenham Common
German forces.
German chain of command
Supreme Command West:   Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt
Army Group B:   Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel
Seventh Army:   Generaloberst Friedrich Dollman (died 28 June)
LXXXIV Corps:   General der Artillerie Erich Marcks (KIA 12 June)


Fredericksburg Confederate order of battle

The following Confederate States Army units and commanders fought in the Battle of Fredericksburg of the American Civil War. Order of battle compiled from the army organization during the campaign. The Union order of battle is listed separately.
Army of Northern Virginia.
Gen Robert E. Lee, Commanding
First Corps.
LTG James Longstreet
Second Corps.
LTG Thomas J. Jackson
Reserve Artillery.
BG William N. Pendleton


Piedmont Confederate order of battle

The following Confederate Army units and commanders fought in the Battle of Piedmont of the American Civil War. The Union order of battle is listed separately.
Confederate States Army of the Valley District.
Department of Southwest Virginia and East Tennessee.
BG William E. Jones (k)


Order of battle at the Battle of Tory Island

The Battle of Tory Island (also known as the Battle of Donegal, Battle of Lough Swilly and Warren's Action) was a naval action fought on 12 October 1798 off the north coast of Ireland. The battle contested an attempted French invasion of Donegal in support of the Irish Rebellion of 1798, with a French squadron under Jean-Baptiste-François Bompart facing a hastily assembled Royal Navy blockade squadron under Sir John Borlase Warren. Bompart's force had been dispatched from Brest the month before with orders to reinforce a French army under Jean Humbert which had landed two months earlier.
Unbeknown to Bompart's force, Humbert's army and the rebellion as a whole had been defeated by the British Army a week before Bompart departed France. Bompart's squadron too was woefully understrength consisting of only a single ship of the line and eight frigates carrying 3,000 men. This small force faced a large proportion of the British Channel Fleet, which was prepared for a second invasion attempt after Humbert's army had landed unopposed in August. As a result, Bompart's force was spotted just a few hours after he left Brest and he was then chased into the Atlantic Ocean by several British frigates which followed him for a week until he was able to lose them in heavy weather. This weather persisted throughout the campaign, causing significant damage to both sides in a series of storms.
The delay caused by the pursuit of Bompart by the frigates under George Countess allowed the British to dispatch a more substantial squadron under Warren to the Donegal coast. Thus when Bompart arrived in the lee of Tory Island, he soon found himself threatened on all sides by a superior British force. Despite the damage his ships had suffered in the heavy weather conditions, Bompart attempted to escape but was swiftly run down and defeated in battle, his flagship and four frigates being captured and towed into Lough Swilly. Among the prisoners seized on board the flagship was Theobald Wolfe Tone, leader of the United Irishmen, whose capture and subsequent death signified the end of the rebellion. Over the next week, the scattered French survivors desperately attempted to reach the safety of French harbours in the face of dozens of British warships cruising along their homeward route. Only three made it, three others being hunted down and captured, one just a few miles from the entrance to Brest. The French never again attempted an invasion of Ireland.


Strateia

Strateia () is a term used in the Byzantine Empire, which according to the "Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium" "signified enrollment into state (civil or military) or ecclesiastical service and the attendant obligations".
The term is the direct analogue of the Latin term "militia", which applied to all categories of state officials already under the late Roman Empire.
The most common usage of the term in middle Byzantine times was in the military sphere: the holder of a "strateia", or "stratiotes" (στρατιώτης), was obliged either to provide military service himself, or to provide money for the upkeep of a soldier, either as an individual or as a group/community ("syndotai", "co-givers").
By the 10th century, the "strateia" had evolved from being a personal, hereditary duty of the "stratiotes" and his family, to a duty attached to the military lands ("stratiotika ktemata") that were then allocated to the individual "stratiotai". The "stratiotika ktemata" probably originated in the military crisis of the 7th century, when the state was forced to offer land in lieu of cash payment in exchange for the "strateia", but they are not actually attested until the 10th century. By that time, various categories of "strateiai" existed, based on the income of the lands attached to them: alongside "strateiai" for the upkeep of sailors, infantrymen and cavalrymen, these included "strateiai" for the upkeep of "demosios dromos" (public post) and of a heavy cavalryman (cataphract), the latter a new service instituted under Nikephoros II Phokas in the 960s. The "strateiai" of sailors fell in two categories: the sailors of the maritime themes, who had to equip and fight themselves and saw more action, received lands worth four pounds of gold, while the sailors of the smaller regional fleets, as well as the central Imperial Fleet in Constantinople held property of two pounds of gold (the Imperial Fleet received cash salaries in addition).
In Byzantine law, the "stratiotai" were distinguished from the general agricultural population ("georgoi"); the "stratiotai" were even prohibited from engaging in commerce or agriculture themselves, and exempted from all the other fiscal obligations save the "aerikon" and "kanon" taxes. They also received pay ("roga") and state-sponsored supplies ("opsonion") for taking part in military expeditions and performing labour in public works. Successive 10th-century emperors also took care to maintain the system by placing restrictions on the sale of the "stratiotika ktemata": Constantine VII set minimum inalienable values of four pounds of gold for cavalrymen and two pounds for sailors, which Nikephoros II Phokas raised it to 12 pounds to ensure that the cataphract "strateiai" would be maintained. Abandoned properties were automatically restored to the original owner without compensation, having a retroactive force of 40 years, and rights of pre-emption ("protimesis") on any available military land was granted to relatives or members of the same community as the original holder's. The exact nature of the "stratiotai" during the heyday of the theme system in the 7th–11th centuries has been the subject of debate, with views ranging from their identification as "soldier-farmers" by George Ostrogorsky to the view of Paul Lemerle that 10th-century "stratiotai" did not actually campaign themselves, but provided only material support. Evidence from contemporary documents seems to support the former view, however.
By the 11th century, the "strateia" had become a purely fiscal obligation, and lo longer entailed any requirement for rendering personal military service. Consequently, instead of native Byzantine soldiers, mercenaries were increasingly hired by the proceeds from the "strateia", a process accelerated after the late 11th century with the loss of the recruiting grounds of Asia Minor to the Seljuk Turks. Like all other fiscal exactions, exemptions from it could be secured. Even after the fiscalization of the "strateia", the term "stratiotes" remained in usage as a fiscal term for a class of landowners until at least the 14th century.
The "strateia" is not to be confused with "pronoia", a similar but distinct term employed from the 12th century on. The "strateioumenoi" farmed their own land, while "pronoiarioi" merely received the proceeds from their grants to maintain themselves.


Military ranks of Central African Republic

The Military ranks of Central African Republic are the military insignia used by the Central African Armed Forces. Being a former colony of France, Central African Republic shares a rank structure similar to that of France. Being a Landlocked country, the Central African Republic does not have a navy.
Enlisted.
The rank insignia for enlisted personnel for the army and air force respectively.


Joshua Sparling

 Joshua Sparling (born 1981) is a Corporal in the U.S. Army from Port Huron, Michigan, who was wounded in the War in Iraq. Since December 2005, Joshua has received significant publicity for being the victim of multiple incidents of aggression, attributed to his status as a veteran of the War in Iraq.
Injury.
Joshua Sparling was injured in Iraq by an IED on November 20, 2005, and returned to the U.S. on November 24, 2005 where he underwent multiple surgeries to treat his wounds, including severe injuries to his right leg. According to a letter written by Joshua's Father, on the day he arrived at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., Sparling received a letter from the Red Cross that turned out to be anonymous hate mail expressing the wish that the soldier reading the card would die.
Spitting incident.
On 27 January 2007, at an antiwar protest at Washington DC, a protester wearing an Airborne jacket spit near him, according to the New York Times. Sparling spat back, according to the NY Times report, an allegation that Sparling denied during a Hannity and Colmes interview on the Fox News.
Supportive Publicity.
Joshua's experiences have been featured by numerous media outlets and weblogs supportive of the Iraq War effort. Media coverage of the death wish triggered an outpouring of over 20,000 cards and gifts to wounded soldiers at Walter Reed. Joshua was championed by Fox News commentator Sean Hannity who gave him gifts of several movies and an iPod. He has also appeared and spoken at Oliver North's "Freedom Alliance" concerts. Additionally, Joshua and his parents were invited to and attended the 2006 State of the Union Address as guests of J. Dennis Hastert.


Diamondback (Rachel Leighton)

Diamondback (Rachel Leighton) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Originally depicted as a supervillain who was part of the Serpent Society, she was first introduced in "Captain America" #310 (October 1985) and became a series regular for years afterwards.
Rachel Leighton made her debut as part of the Serpent Society and soon came into conflict with Captain America as the group carried out an assassination. Later on Leighton started to develop feelings for Captain America, drawing her away from the Society to the side of the good guys. After Captain America helped foil a takeover by Viper, the two began to date. Because of her involvement with a super hero the Serpent Society voted to execute her, but her life was spared by her friends within the Serpent Society. Leighton, along with Black Mamba and Asp, she formed BAD Girls, Inc. a trio of adventurers who would on occasion aid Captain America. During the "Civil War" storyline BAD Girls, Inc. sided with Captain America's Anti-Registration group. She later became an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., before briefly returning to her criminal roots as part of Serpent Solutions.
Publication history.
Rachel Leighton first appeared in "Captain America" #310 (October 1985), and was created by Mark Gruenwald and Paul Neary.
Fictional character biography.
Rachel Leighton was born in Austin, Texas. She was once a part-time sales clerk at a boutique, but later became a mercenary. In "Captain America" vol. 1 #319, she reveals to Captain America that she has a brother and that when she was younger was introduced by him to the super-criminal known as the Trapster. In exchange for weaponry that the Trapster provides her with, Leighton suggests that in return she prostitutes herself to the criminal. One of the members of the original Serpent Society, Diamondback was a seductively sly woman with expertise in hand-to-hand combat, being trained by Anaconda at Taskmaster's academy. Her gimmick was that she threw acid-laced or poison-tipped diamonds at her enemies. After her first confrontation with Captain America while on assignment to find MODOK, she was instantly smitten. Diamondback was assigned to take Captain America into custody from the Porcupine, but was reluctant to attack, concentrating her efforts on Porcupine instead. She later attempted to form a partnership with Captain America to locate the Scourge of the Underworld.
Viper staged a coup of the Serpent Society, causing several of her underlings to infiltrate as new members and setting Viper up to take over by force. Diamondback and their current leader Sidewinder escaped, recruiting Captain America's allies to rescue the Serpents who were still loyal to Sidewinder. After a fierce battle, in which Viper was defeated, Sidewinder abandoned the Serpent Society. Diamondback stayed on for a while under the new leader, Cobra.
Rachel was later revealed to have resigned from the Serpent Society, and somehow temporarily switched bodies with the X-Man Dazzler. This led, in part, to a confrontation between the Serpent Society and the X-Men. Diamondback later alerted Captain America to the Bloodstone Hunt. She aided Captain America in combat with Batroc, Machete, Zaran, and Baron Helmut Zemo. She also encountered Crossbones for the first time. Diamondback later accompanied Captain America to the Red Skull's Skullhouse.
Diamondback and Captain America eventually went on their first date, aided by Rachel's friends in the Serpent Society, Asp, Black Mamba, and Anaconda. She then battled the Black Widow, and acquired a new costume. Diamondback was eventually put on trial by the Serpent Society for her consorting with the enemy (most of the Society assuming, incorrectly, that Diamondback had betrayed their secrets to Captain America) and found guilty for her actions, and almost executed. She escaped with Captain America and Paladin's help, and later hired Paladin to help get revenge on the Serpent Society. Along with her best friends Black Mamba and Asp, she formed "BAD Girls, Inc." After a failed kidnapping attempt from Anaconda, Diamondback was taken aboard Superia's ship, and joined her Femizons under duress. While aboard Superia's ship, she was attacked by the Femizon Snapdragon, of whom Diamondback developed a phobia. After being rescued and then being used as a test subject by the Red Skull to see if the blood packets that Crossbones brought was really Captain America's blood, the super-soldier serum enhanced Diamondback tracked down and confronted Snapdragon, who died in the fight.
Later, there was a glitch discovered in the super-soldier serum that Cap was suffering from and Diamondback went to Superia in hopes for a cure. Using her as a test subject, there was a 50/50 chance that the cure would either work or kill Diamondback. As an added stipulation, if the test was successful, Diamondback had to serve Superia as the second Snapdragon. The experiment was a success, but she later got out of this deal when Superia was killed.
BAD Girls disbanded after that. Some time later, Diamondback was infected with "mind-control nanoprobes" by Baron Zemo. Diamondback suffered extensive neurological damage from the experience and spent an extended period of time recovering in S.H.I.E.L.D. care.
BAD Girls, Inc. reappeared in "Cable & Deadpool", with the original lineup intact.
Rachel's brother Danny is also known as Cutthroat. It was Danny and another of her brothers, Ricky, who originally fell in with a gang led by a man known as "Bing." Yearning to be included, she approached Bing alone. Upon claiming she would do anything to join the gang, Rachel was beaten and possibly raped by Bing, who years later became Crossbones, kidnapped her, starved her and abused her until she agreed, with ulterior motive, to steal packages of Captain America's blood from Avengers Mansion. Bing/Crossbones murdered Danny/Cutthroat, who was attempting to replace him as aid to the Red Skull, and also killed Rachel's third brother, Willy, when, despite being crippled in the military, he sought revenge by rifle for the brutality inflicted on his sister soon after she was originally mistreated.
Diamondback later turned up along with Asp and Black Mamba during the "Civil War" as a member of the Secret Avengers. She took part in the final battle of the "war", but did not accept the offer of amnesty that came with Captain America's surrender. Later Diamondback and the other BAD Girls were captured by the Mighty Avengers in a New York City street mall.
Diamondback appears in Camp Hammond, as an official recruit for the Initiative, along with Ant-Man, Crusader, Melee, Geldoff, Dragon Lord, Geiger, and Red Nine. All of them were defeated by K.I.A., a rogue clone of Michael Van Patrick. She later joined other members of the Inititative in battling the Skrulls in New York during the "Secret Invasion" storyline.
When Norman Osborn assumes control of the Initiative during the "Dark Reign" storyline, Diamondback agrees to work for him. Diamondback is revealed as a member of the Initiative's new team for the state of Delaware, the Women Warriors. After the Constrictor saves her life from a crashing plane, the two begin a sexual relationship. However, Constrictor discovers that she is secretly working for Gauntlet's "Avengers Resistance". Constrictor decides not to say anything but worries about what would happen if she were found out. Both Diamondback and Constrictor are part of the invasion of Asgard. Diamondback tries to contact the Resistance but cannot get through. She debates whether or not to help Thor when Osborn and several others gang up on him. When Maria Hill comes to Thor's defense by firing a rocket launcher at Osborn's men, Diamondback adds to the explosion by dropping some explosive diamonds. Constrictor saves her and the two argue about her reckless behavior. They witness Sentry killing Ares and Diamondback sees Steve Rogers entering the battlefield. As the Avengers begin to turn the tide in the battle, Diamondback tries to get Steve Rogers's attention and make sure he knows she and Constrictor are on his side. Constrictor misinterprets her actions and think she's abandoning him. She turns to find him but at the same time Sentry attacks Asgard's foundations on Osborn's orders. As Rachel and Constrictor reach out to each other, Asgard falls to the ground. Rachel is dug out by Steve Rogers. Constrictor sees this and thinking Rachel does not love him, flees the scene with Taskmaster. After Osborn's defeat, Rachel attends a party at Avengers Tower where Rogers asks her to coordinate the remaining Fifty State teams. She tells him she will consider it.
Later, Rachel is shown working as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. and sporting a new costume.
As part of the 2015-2017 All-New, All-Different Marvel branding, Captain America learns of Viper's plans with the Serpent Society, who are now operating under the new name of Serpent Solutions. He visits the retired mercenary Diamondback for information on the group. Their meeting is interrupted by Cottonmouth, Black Racer, and Copperhead. During the ensuing battle, Black Racer stabs Diamondback in the gut. After Captain America defeats the three villains, he rushed to Diamondback's aid. Diamondback immediately betrays Captain America, revealing herself to be a member of the Serpent Society once again, and Captain America is taken prisoner and brought to the Serpent Society's lair. This leads to a confrontation between the Society and Captain America, Joaquin Torres, Misty Knight, and Demolition Man, during which Diamondback turns against Viper and helps the heroes defeat the Society.
Diamondback is next seen working with her close friends Domino and Outlaw as mercenaries.
Related Diamondbacks.
Debbie Bertrand.
A third Diamondback appeared in the "Secret War" storyline. This Diamondback was Deborah "Debbie" Bertrand. Debbie attended the University of North Carolina on an athletics scholarship, becoming an All-American Olympic athlete and gymnast. For undisclosed reasons, apparently quitting this career to try her hand as a mercenary, she purchased equipment from the Tinkerer, which he had designed for Diamondback (Rachel Leighton). Perhaps hoping to use Leighton's reputation to boost her own fledgling career, Bertrand adopted the same code name, despite Leighton still being active in that identity. Nick Fury thought to himself that when Rachel found out, she would "kick the impostor's butt". Bertrand teamed with Scorcher to attack Daredevil in his apartment. They didn't count on Spider-Man being there and had to retreat. She took part in the battle at Mount Sinai Hospital and was apprehended after the heroes won the day.
Rachel Leighton LMD.
A fourth Diamondback, apparently the real Rachel Leighton, resurfaced as a S.H.I.E.L.D. operative, trying to rekindle her romance with Captain America, while in fact she was working undercover for the Red Skull. Truly loving Steve Rogers, but still willing to follow the plot, she was confronted and killed by the Red Skull himself, only to "resurrect" herself with a biomechanical form able to take over pieces of technology, like the empowering armor worn by the Nazi villain. Nick Fury then explained that the "new" Rachel was an advanced Life Model Decoy, in fact so advanced as to believe itself to be human, and kept her in storage while working at a way to restore her proper programming. Before "she" could be restored, the Iron Maniac wiped out all her memories, and reshaped her body in a new neurokinetical armor for himself.
Hobgoblin's Diamondback.
While regaining his franchises, Roderick Kingsley sold one of Diamondback's old costumes to an unnamed criminal in order to become his version of Diamondback.
Powers and abilities.
Rachel Leighton is an athletic woman with no superhuman powers. She has skill in gymnastics, and at pitching small ballistic objects with great accuracy, and at piloting small aircraft. She also has knowledge of general street-fighting techniques, and some jujitsu. Leighton wears a costume of synthetic stretch fabric backed by Kevlar weave, with two biceps-belts and two thigh-belts for carrying throwing diamonds, concealed pockets in the boot tops, boot-heels, glove tops, and brassiere for other throwing diamonds, and throwing diamond earrings. Her personal weaponry consists of throwing diamonds, which are actually hollow zirconium octahedrons (though not made of diamond, they are shaped like diamonds) containing various substances; spent uranium, plastic explosives, nitric acid, tear gas, smoke, curare-derived narcotics, etc. Her equipment was originally designed and manufactured by the Trapster, but her later design and manufacture was by the Tinkerer.
Other versions.
The Ultimate Marvel version of Rachael Leighton appears as a teenage street punk by the name of Diamondback. She is a member of the Serpent Skulls gang and an enemy of Spider-Man and the All-New Ultimates.


3rd Panzer Brigade (Bundeswehr)

The 3rd (Weser-Leine) Armoured Brigade () was a brigade in the German Army that was disbanded in 1994. It was headquartered in Nienburg in north Germany. The Brigade's centre of gravity was in eastern Lower Saxony. Its last brigade commander was Colonel Friedrich-Johann von Krusenstiern.
Commanders.
Brigade commanders with rank on taking over: