13th Battalion of the Golani Brigade Holds Drill at Golan Heights
August 21, 2012
The 13th Battalion of the Golani Brigade during a drill held in the Golan Heights, northern Israel. The NAMER ("Tiger"), a new vehicle combining the artillery abilities of the Merkava tank and the APC's shielding capacities, was fully integrated in this drill for the first time, improving the battle tactics used by the IDF in the field.
Photo by Staff Sgt. (res.) Abir Sultan
IDF

The Gas Mask: Our X-Athletes are comprised of active, veteran and wounded military personnel. We don the gas mask to represent and honor the sacrifice of our nations heroes whom have paid for the freedom we share. We use the Avon Protection C50 gas mask as a symbol of overcoming insurmountable odds in the face of adversity. Our athletes prefer the anonymity of the gas mask which allows us to embody the leadership characteristics indigenous with our military heritage. Team X-T.R.E.M.E. is designed for the warriors, by the warriors and WE WILL NEVER FORGET."

Free Syrian Army fighters clash with Syrian army soldiers in the El Amreeyeh neighbourhood of Syria's northwest city of Aleppo August 28, 2012. REUTERS/Zain Karam

Free Syrian Army fighters take their positions at a check point in the old city of Aleppo in this August 27, 2012 file photo. Ruled successively by Hittites, Greeks, Romans and Ottomans, Aleppo's ancient city has survived violent change over thousands of years. But the modern weaponry of Syria's escalating civil war is proving too much. For a month, rebels armed with assault rifles and grenades have battled President Bashar al-Assad's army along Aleppo's cobbled streets. Troops have used tanks, helicopters and jets to shoot, blast and bomb their positions. Picture taken August 27, 2012. REUTERS/Youssef Boudlal/Files

A Free Syrian Army fighter fires an AK-47 rifle at Syrian Army soldiers during clashes in the El Amreeyeh neighbourhood of Syria's northwest city of Aleppo August 28, 2012. REUTERS/Youssef Boudlal

A Free Syrian Army fighter fires an AK-47 rifle at Syrian Army soldiers during clashes in the El Amreeyeh neighbourhood of Syria's northwest city of Aleppo August 28, 2012. REUTERS/Youssef Boudlal

Syrian Army fighters carry their weapons in the El Amreeyeh neighbourhood of Syria's northwest city of Aleppo August 28, 2012. REUTERS/Zain Karam

A Free Syrian Army fighter fires an AK-47 rifle at Syrian Army soldiers during clashes in the El Amreeyeh neighbourhood of Syria's northwest city of Aleppo August 28, 2012. REUTERS/Youssef Boudlal

A Free Syrian Army fighter fires an AK-47 rifle at Syrian Army soldiers during clashes in the El Amreeyeh neighbourhood of Syria's northwest city of Aleppo August 28, 2012. REUTERS/Youssef Boudlal

A Free Syrian Army fighter fires an AK-47 rifle at Syrian Army soldiers during clashes in the El Amreeyeh neighbourhood of Syria's northwest city of Aleppo August 28, 2012. REUTERS/Youssef Boudlal

A Free Syrian Army fighter fires an AK-47 rifle at Syrian Army soldiers during clashes in the El Amreeyeh neighbourhood of Syria's northwest city of Aleppo August 28, 2012. REUTERS/Youssef Boudlal

A Free Syrian Army fighter fires an AK-47 rifle at Syrian Army soldiers during clashes in the El Amreeyeh neighbourhood of Syria's northwest city of Aleppo August 28, 2012. REUTERS/Youssef Boudlal

A Free Syrian Army fighter takes up position with an AK-47 rifle during clashes in the El Amreeyeh neighbourhood of Syria's northwest city of Aleppo August 28, 2012. REUTERS/Youssef Boudlal

Free Syrian Army fighters prepare for clashes in the El Amreeyeh neighbourhood of Syria's northwest city of Aleppo August 28, 2012. REUTERS/Youssef Boudlal

A Free Syrian Army fighter walks in the streets of the El Amreeyeh neighbourhood of Syria's northwest city of Aleppo August 28, 2012. REUTERS/Youssef Boudlal

A Free Syrian Army fighter runs across a street dodging Syrian army bullets in El Amreeyeh neighbourhood of Syria's northwest city of Aleppo August 28, 2012. REUTERS/Youssef Boudlal

^ Nein, das kann man aus diesen Bildern nicht ableiten (mal abgesehen davon, was genau 'schlechter' bedeuten soll, schlechtere infanteristische Ausbildung? Schlechtere Taktiken? Schlechtere Strategie? Schlechtere Ausrüstung? Schlechtere Logistik? etc. pp.). Was hier deutlich wird, ist einfach das typische Problem einer konventionellen Streitmacht, einer aufständischen, bewaffneten Bewegung Herr zu werden -> asymmetrische Kriegsführung. Natürlich kommen im Falle der syrischen Streitkräfte eigene Unzulänglichkeiten erschwerend hinzu.

Anchorage Police Department Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team officers train on the High-Angle Sniper Range at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. The specialized training prepares officers for multiple scenarios where marksmanship and reconnaissance may be necessary. (U.S. Air Force photo by Justin Connaher)

U.S. Marines with the 2nd Platoon, CharlieCompany, 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) engage steel targets with fragmenting ammunition during a live fire exercise at a training compound owned by the Tier 1 Group in Crawfordsville, Ark., Aug. 9, 2012. The training was conducted as a part of the 26th MEU's predeployment training program. (DoD photo by Cpl. Christopher Q. Stone, U.S. Marine Corps/Released)

Marines and sailors with 2nd Platoon, Company C, 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit engage targets with their M4 Carbines during a live fire exercise aboard Tier 1 Group's (T1G) training compound in Crawfordsville, Ark., August 9, 2012. The training was conducted as a part of the 26th MEU's predeployment training program. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Christopher Q. Stone/Released)

Marines and sailors with 2nd Platoon, Company C, 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit check their targets for accuracy during a live fire exercise aboard Tier 1 Group's (T1G) training compound in Crawfordsville, Ark., August 9, 2012. The training was conducted as a part of the 26th MEU's predeployment training program. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Christopher Q. Stone/Released)

Marines and sailors with 2nd Platoon, Company C, 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit engage with their M4 Carbines during a live fire exercise aboard Tier 1 Group's (T1G) training compound in Crawfordsville, Ark., August 9, 2012. The training was conducted as a part of the 26th MEU's predeployment training program. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Christopher Q. Stone/Released).

Capt. Colgan Norman, 2nd Platoon, Company C, 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit commanding officer, fires his M4 Carbine during a live fire exercise aboard Tier 1 Group's (T1G) training compound in Crawfordsville, Ark., August 9, 2012. The training was conducted as a part of the 26th MEU's predeployment training program. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Christopher Q. Stone/Released)

Cpl. Benjamin Morrow, a 2nd Platoon, Company C, 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit reconnaissance Marine, looks right as he searches and assesses during a live fire exercise aboard Tier 1 Group's (T1G) training compound in Crawfordsville, Ark., August 9, 2012. The training was conducted as a part of the 26th MEU's predeployment training program. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Christopher Q. Stone/Released)

Marines and sailors with 2nd Platoon, Company C, 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit engage steel targets with fragmenting ammunition during a live fire exercise aboard Tier 1 Group's (T1G) training compound in Crawfordsville, Ark., August 9, 2012. The training was conducted as a part of the 26th MEU's predeployment training program. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Christopher Q. Stone/Released).

Marines and sailors with 2nd Platoon, Company C, 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit engage with their M4 carbines during a live fire exercise aboard Tier 1 Group's (T1G) training compound in Crawfordsville, Ark., August 9, 2012. The training was conducted as a part of the 26th MEU's predeployment training program. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Christopher Q. Stone/Released)

Allein schon wenn ich die "Schießkünste" dieser Aufständischen anschaue, frage ich mich, wie die überhaupt Boden gut machen können. Es führt unweigerlich zu der Schlussfolgerung, dass die reguläre syrische Armee noch schlechter sein muss, oder?

Life With Syria’s Rebels in a Cold and Cunning War

By C. J. CHIVERS
Published: August 20, 2012

TAL RIFAAT, Syria — Abdul Hakim Yasin, the commander of a Syrian antigovernment fighting group, lurched his pickup truck to a stop inside the captured residential compound he uses as his guerrilla base.
His fighters had been waiting for orders for a predawn attack on an army checkpoint at the entrance to Aleppo, Syria’s largest city. The men had been issued ammunition and had said their prayers. Their truck bomb was almost prepared.

Syrian rebels with a group called the Lions of Tawhid stood watch on top of the hill the city of Tal Rifaat is built around.
The group is under the command of Al Tawhid Brigade, a relatively new group in Aleppo Province that has unified several local rebel cells and fights under the banner of the Free Syrian Army, the loose coalition of armed rebels. Bryan Denton for The New York Times

The Lions of Tawhid include a real estate agent, several farmers and construction laborers and a nurse, as well as a cadre of army defectors. Bryan Denton for The New York Times

Abdul Hakim Yasin, right, the commander of the group, examined a mortar round and launching tube bought from an Iraqi arms dealer.
Mr. Yasin was a clean-shaven accountant before the war, living a quiet life with his wife and two young sons. Bryan Denton for The New York Times

From left, Ahmad Aanzi, Jamal Abu Houran and Deeb Maldaoun prepared meals for for their group at their base in a seized residential compound in Tal Rifaat.
Jamal Abu Houran, an army defector, manages the group’s armory, issuing and collecting weapons with a carefully kept ledger and the discipline of the army that trained him. Bryan Denton for The New York Times

Mr. Yasin spoke with a prisoner, Abu Hilal, a member of a government militia known as the shabiha, who had been captured in a neighboring town. Bryan Denton for The New York Times

Abu Hilal showed signs of extensive beatings — his left arm was swollen with bruises.
Mr. Yasin said Abu Hilal was a criminal let out of jail to provide muscle to the shabiha militias and that he had been convicted by a revolutionary court after he admitted to recently killing six people and raping a woman. Bryan Denton for The New York Times

Deeb Meldaoun, a trained nurse who serves as the fighters’ cook and medic, examined Abu Hilal’s injuries.
Mr. Yasin said he had asked for Abu Hilal to be released into his custody so that he might arrange a trade, perhaps a prisoner exchange or a ransom to be paid in weapons. Bryan Denton for The New York Times

Abu Hilal sat blindfolded in Mr. Yasin’s vehicle, waiting to be released in what the rebel fighters had told him would be a prisoner exchange.
He had been told he would be allowed to drive up to a government checkpoint outside Aleppo, and freedom, but the vehicle was rigged with explosives that the fighters intended to set off remotely. Bryan Denton for The New York Times

Rebels waited to launch their attack on the Aleppo checkpoint. But the truck bomb did not go off — the remote detonator did not work. Mr. Yasin suspected that the checkpoint was equipped with a jammer that had blocked the signal. Bryan Denton for The New York Times

After the failed bombing, the rebels drove to Aleppo, where they waited at the abandoned home of police captain.
Mr. Yasin looked through a wedding album the rebels found in the home; he did not approve of some of the dresses the women were wearing. Bryan Denton for The New York Times

One of the rebel fighters dressed in the police captain’s uniform, and his comrades jokingly staged a mock execution. Bryan Denton for The New York Times

A Tawhid fighter prayed before a night operation in Aleppo to destroy an army tank. As the rebels have grown in numbers and strength, they have coalesced into a force that mixes paramilitary discipline, civilian policing, Islamic law and the harsh demands of necessity with battlefield coldness and outright cunning. Bryan Denton for The New York Times

The rebels have informants and spies, and eavesdrop on the government’s military radios while trying to form a nascent government themselves in the territory under their control. Bryan Denton for The New York Times

Abdul Hakim Yasin is jubilant after being reunited with his father, Jamal Yasin, right, who was released from a prison in Aleppo and shuttled to a meeting point. The elder Mr. Yasin had been arrested a month ago. Bryan Denton for The New York Times

A convoy of Lions of Tawhid fighters drove though Aleppo, steering wide of the government checkpoint they had failed to take, and driving with the trucks spread out and at headlong speeds, to limit exposure from attack helicopters and jets. Bryan Denton for The New York Times

A rebel fighter jumped into the swimming pool at the group’s base in Tal Rifaat. Bryan Denton for The New York Times

Cpl. Nikola K. Kondovski lays in his final firing position during Exercise Forest Light 12-01 at the Hijudai Maneuver Area, Oita prefecture, Japan Aug. 21. Blending in with nature is vital to executing missions in every terrain. Forest Light is a semiannual bilateral training exercise with the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force designed to enhance military partnership, strengthen regional security agreements and improve individual and unit-level skills. Kondovski is a machine gunner with Scout Sniper Platoon, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force. Photo by U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Jose D. Lujano

Sgt. Justin D. Head, animal packing course chief instructor, excercises his mustang, Hondo, shortly after grazing. The animal packing course is the only one of its kind in the department of defense and teaches Marines and other military personnel how to effectively and efficiently work with beast of burden to transport munitions, supplies and wounded personnel to and from areas inaccessible to mechanized and air transportation. The course, offered at the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center, teaches an introduction to animal packing, an anatomy of pack animals, animal packing techniques, casualty evacuation techniques, animal first aid and bivouac considerations.
Photo by Sgt. Aaron Hostutler Date Taken:08.21.2012

U.S. Marines with Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment (1/1), Regimental Combat Team 6 patrol during a key leader engagement mission in Reg-E Khan Neshin, Helmand province, Afghanistan Aug. 3, 2012. Capt. Andrew Krebs, executive officer Charlie Company, 1/1 met with local Afghan village leaders to strengthen the relationship between the two parties and increase security presence in the area. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Travis A. D'Ambrogi)

Marines assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit approach the well deck of amphibious dock landing ship USS Tortuga (LSD 46) after conducting open ocean operations using Combat Rubber Raiding Crafts (CRRC)s. Tortuga is part of the only forward-deployed amphibious ready group.(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Chelsea Mandello)

U.S. Army Pfc. Michael McKinney, a combat infantryman with the 1st Platoon, Delaware Company, Team Apache, 1st Battalion, 501st Infantry Regiment, Task Force 4-25, climbs a hill during a patrol to search for weapons caches outside Saparah, Khost province, Afghanistan, Aug. 1, 2012. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Kimberly Trumbull/Released)

U.S. Army Spc. Timothy Rigg and U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jon Phillips, both assigned to 1st Platoon, Apache Company, Team Apache, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 501st Infantry Regiment, Task Force 4-25, patrols through Black Rock, Khowst province, Afghanistan, July 31, 2012. Team Apache conducted the patrol to investigate a previous attack to Combat Outpost Bak.

U.S. Army Spc. Jordan Duffy, a forward observer assigned to 1st Platoon, Apache Company, Team Apache, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 501st Infantry Regiment, Task Force 4-25, provides security from the top of a hill in Black Rock, Khowst province, Afghanistan, July 31, 2012. Team Apache conducted the patrol to investigate a previous attack to Combat Outpost Bak.

U.S. Army Pfc. Sean Serritelli, with Legion Company, 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, provides security during a combat operation outside Combat Outpost Charkh, Logar province, Afghanistan, Aug. 23, 2012. U.S. Army paratroopers provided support while Afghan National Army soldiers searched houses for weapons caches. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Alexandra Campo/Released)

Syrian Rebel Gun Locker, a Preview.
Once we clear the next At War post, we can buckle down and do a fuller look at the weapons in use by the Lions of Al-Tawhid, a 52-man anti-Assad fighting group engaged in the fight for Aleppo province.
There is much to say. One toss-up will be for which weapon was the most unusual we saw while traveling with these fighters. It might have been the rifle at top and bottom right, a Czech vz52 (complete with a small collection of dated cartridges), or the MP-43/44 we found hanging on the corridor wall of another commander’s home, shown bottom left. But there were other candidates, too.
The point here is not arms-spotting for the sake of arms-spotting. The collection of rebel arms says something of the conditions under which the antigovernment fighters have had to fight. It also turns on its head some of what you read, because much of what Western firearm enthusiasts and collectors hold dear meant little out where the war was being fought.
A case in point: the captured MP-43’s and MP-44’s. Those might be collectors’ dreams. The fighters found them all but useless for anything but trophies or for departure points for story-telling. Why? Because they had no ammunition for these WW2-era German arms. And a rifle without ammunition, as another commander near Aleppo said in a previous At War post, is a stick.

Sniper de la Katiba de Baba Al-Nasr, Vieille Ville d'Alep, Syrie, 24 Aout 2012. Voisin Olivier

Baba Al-Nasr, Vieille Ville d'Alep, Syrie, le samedi 25 Aout 2012, Le commandant Abou Mohammed est à la tête d'un groupe de rebelles, et à ses cotés combat aussi son fils de 19 ans Mohammed. Abou Mohammed, 50 ans, est un ancien officier sunnite de l'armée régulière pendant 17 ans. Après sa défection il y a quelques années, il fut un réfugier politique en Belgique, tout en cachant sa famille à Alep. Quand la contestation commence il décide alors de retourner en Syrie afin de combattre aux coté de la rébellion. Voisin Olivier

Commandos from 5th Commando Kandak and coalition Special Operations Forces soldiers watch as a UH-47 helicopter prepares to land following a clearing operation in Balu Chan, Baghlan Jadid district, Baghlan province, April 9. The commandos, partnered with coalition Special Operations Forces, conducted clearing operations in the district to disrupt insurgent safe havens and promote security in the area. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Robin Davis / Released)

Commandos from 5th Commando Kandak, partnered with coalition Special Operations Forces soldier checks cave for possible unexploded ordnance during a clearing operation in Balu Chan, Baghlan Jadid district, Baghlan province, April 9. The commandos, partnered with coalition Special Operations Forces, conducted clearing operations in the district to disrupt insurgent safe havens and promote security in the area. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Robin Davis / Released)

A Special Operations Forces soldier checks a cave for possible unexploded ordnance during a clearing operation in Balu Chan, Baghlan Jadid district, Baghlan province, April 9. The commandos, partnered with coalition Special Operations Forces, conducted clearing operations in the district to disrupt insurgent safe havens and promote security in the area. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Robin Davis / Released)

URUZGAN Afghanistan--A coalition Special Operations Forces (SOF) member looks out over Khas Uruzgan from the open door of a UH-60 "Blackhawk" Helicopter, Khas Urzgan district, August 29. (U.S. Navy photograph by Petty Officer Third Class James Ginther/Not Released)

URUZGAN Afghanistan--A coalition Special Operations Forces (SOF) member stands over-watch in the village of Dahane Sangu, Khas Uruzgan district, July 15. The SOF were providing security for a reintegration shura where 20 former Taliban fighters registered their weapons with Afghan officials and renounced their affiliation to the insurgency, which are reintegration requirements under Afghanistan's Peace and Reintegration Program. (U.S. Navy Photograph by Chief Mass Communications Specialist Bill Mesta/Not Released)

ZABUL Afghanistan--An Afghan child interacts with a coalition Special Operations Forces (SOF) member in the village of Bagh, Arghandab district, August 30. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class James Ginther/Not Released)

ZABUL Afghanistan--An Afghan child interacts with a coalition Special Operations Forces (SOF) member in the village of Bagh, Arghandab district, August 30. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class James Ginther/Not Released)

Operation Helmand Viper
Marines with Scout Sniper Platoon, Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, Regimental Combat Team 6 exit a compound in Agha Ahmad, Afghanistan, Aug. 27, 2012. The Marines with Scout Sniper Platoon and their attachments stood in an over watch position to provide surveillance and gather intelligence on the enemy as part during Operation Helmand Viper.
(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Ed Galo)

Free Syrian Army fighters sit in front of a huge Syrian opposition flag as they take a break in the city of Aleppo September 3, 2012. REUTERS/Youssef Boudlal

Sterling L2A3 SMG rechts, was führt der Herr in der Mitte?

Ungeladenes DP mit abgeschraubtem Mündungsfeuerunterdrücker und ohne Zweibein. Ziemlich nutzlose Konfiguration, aber man nimmt was man kriegt . . .

MfG

HANS