For John -- Vikings in Afghanistan

[stanc]

Nowegian troops: To Valhalla!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYy7a8Fhb1w

Danish infantry:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6dgLyHuoQc

If only they had their M4 carbines converted to 6.5 Grendel...

[LRRPF52]

I had the opportunity to compete against a Danish Sniper Team at FinnSniper 2010. They ended-up placing 3rd, which is only the second time a foreign team has placed within the top 3 slots in FinnSniper's history. They had just come from Helmand Province and had some interesting stories.

They said the Taliban roll-in with dust storms on their compounds, so they would go to 100% security looking through thermals on their .338 AI's whenever there was a dust storm.

They also said there were a lot of major problems with the HK416, including at least one kaboom, since the drive rod would become arrested from sand particles, preventing a full bolt lock. The preferred individual weapon was the M4 by the Nordic Battle groups, as far as personal weapons go, but the big guns do most of the work of course.

There is a lot to be said for the warrior ethos in the Scandinavian countries and Northern Germanic Tribes. Some of the Baltic States have a pretty brutal reputation as well, particularly the Luthuanians. They don't abide by your typical ROE, other than stack bodies to the sky.

If we would just form an International Joint Special Operations contingent command there, and send all the REMF's home, there would be no enemy left. Most US units have their hands tied by ROE and risk-aversive command climates, turning soldiers into FOBbits.

To all the coalition skull crushers out there, thank you for continuing the warrior spirit.

LRRPF52

[stanc]

Hey, this is rather off topic, but I've been watching History Channel's new dramatic series, Vikings. Am wondering if any of you with Scandinavian ancestry know if Vikings actually practiced human sacrifice, particularly to the degree shown in last night's episode?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQFQN3-Pm8E

[bwaites]

Hey, this is rather off topic, but I've been watching History Channel's new dramatic series, Vikings. Am wondering if any of you with Scandinavian ancestry know if Vikings actually practiced human sacrifice, particularly to the degree shown in last night's episode?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQFQN3-Pm8E

I'm only very distantly Nordic, but spent 5 years in Iceland, and had Viking studies as a class. Prior to Christianity, the Vikings had both ritual sacrifice for offerings, and retainer sacrifice, where children or slaves were sacrificed for funerals of chiefs or other leaders. They also had animal sacrifice.

How widespread and prolific the sacrifice was is debatable, but there have been plenty of "bog bodies" that were obviously strangled and thrown in bogs and even some eye witness accounts of later sacrifices. They had no problem slaughtering large groups in war, either, but I'm not sure that classifies as sacrifice.

[BluntForceTrauma]

Hey, Stan, funny you should mention that. My Norwegian relatives are in the States for a visit. We had dinner with them Sunday, and we were discussing Vikings (or, Wikings, as they pronounce it). My other half is Finnish, and that's where my last name comes from, and I'm also particularly proud of their sisu spirit against the Russians in the 1939-40 Winter War.

John

[KentuckyBuddha]

No...it is funny YOU should mention THAT as I was just watching Talvisota! True story.

[BluntForceTrauma]

Talvisota . . . Talvisota . . . is that the Winter War movie with special effects as realistic as "Saving Private Ryan?"

If so, I've got that in, believe it or not, VCR videocassette! But my copy is grainy and crappy. Is there a clear and sharp DVD version?

John

[montana]

In John Plaster's book SOG, they had a short history of Finnish soldier Lauri Torni, "Larry Thorne". His exploits rivaled Oberst Hans Ulrich Rudels. Any one of Finnish decent could be proud of him.

[KentuckyBuddha]

Hanka, You tube is your friend sir! : )

Simo Haya and his partner were pretty awesome as well.

[BluntForceTrauma]

Ah, yes, YouTube! Of course. Gawd knows how much time I've WASTED on YouTube. "Giant Snake Eats Man." "Redneck Jumps Over Car, Lands Face First," "World's Nastiest Blackhead." Might as well watch Talvisota on it!

John

[KentuckyBuddha]

Hook up the HDMI cable and watch it on the big screen and pack a lunch obviously! The actual War took less time than that movie takes to play. lolz

[Trooper]

Hey, this is rather off topic, but I've been watching History Channel's new dramatic series, Vikings. Am wondering if any of you with Scandinavian ancestry know if Vikings actually practiced human sacrifice, particularly to the degree shown in last night's episode?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQFQN3-Pm8E

Been watching the series from the start. Reminds me of a biker gang set in the 8th century. The Vikings beliefs, their lack of fear of death, the fact that they were just bigger than most people living back then, gave them a huge advantage.

Not only did the Vikings believe in human sacrifice, the Celts also practiced human sacrifice. As did most of the Goddess worshippers in the Mediterranean region. Look at how the northern tribes then Juda were punished for burning their children alive in worship of the Goddess (Baalot, Asherah/Isis, Ga'ia) http://history-world.org/canaanite_cultu...ligion.htm Even the Romans worshipped the Goddess.

Human sacrifice has been widespread in human history.

[BluntForceTrauma]

Mayans? Incans? Weren't they also rather bloody?

[stanc]

For some reason, this photo makes me want to join the Swedish army...

[stanc]

Which reminds me...has anybody converted an AK5C to 6.5 Grendel?

[Variable]

For some reason, this photo makes me want to join the Swedish army...

We're so totally there dude. I'll be by to pick you up in a minute!

[wheelguner]

John,
If you would like to own it, check out this link:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Winter-War-TAL...B002QP145C

From their discription:
The Winter War (TALVISOTA) : Uncut (70 min. longer than U.S release) 2-DISC, Special Outer BOX Slip-Case Edition, [IMPORTED For ALL-REGIONS, NTSC]

[KentuckyBuddha]

I believe that is also available on you tube.

[LRRPF52]

In John Plaster's book SOG, they had a short history of Finnish soldier Lauri Torni, "Larry Thorne". His exploits rivaled Oberst Hans Ulrich Rudels. Any one of Finnish decent could be proud of him.

Lauri Törni has quite the story if you start to research it. His participation in SOG by that point in his career was more as an officer working in operations, intelligence, and air. His direct combat experience dated back to the Winter War of 1939, then the Continuation War during WWII, where he led cross border commando raid missions into Russia as a Company Commander. He escaped multiple prisons, and made it to the US after the War, where he enlisted in the US Army. He got into 77th Special Forces Group at Bragg as enlisted SF (keep in mind the guy was a Mannerheim Cross awardee from WWII), then went to OCS, got a commission in Signal Corps, and went to Germany with 11th Airborne Division IIRC.

He had a "small altercation" with two German nationals in a historic bar, which was severely damaged in the process of hospitalizing the gentlemen who attacked him. Facing a Court Martial, he was saved by a Finnish Battalion Commander in 10th Special Forces Group from Bad Tölz. It was also discovered that the 2 guys he placed on breathing and feeding tubes were wanted by the West German Polizei, and the charges went away.

Within 10th Group, he served as a Detachment commander, ultimately pulling off a recovery mission in Iran that 3 other special operations and rescue units were unable to reach the crash site, involving a downed US reconnaissance bird that had been flying missions into the Soviet Union. Its sensitive components and bodies of the crew were a top priority for the US to recover, and Thorne's Team made it happen.

He went from there to 7th Group commanding A-734, and was the subject of a book written by Robin Moore called The Green Berets. A cover name was used in the book describing a Swedish descent SF officer named "Sven Kornie", in order to protect the identities of the men Moore was writing about. It was later made into a movie starring John Wayne and David Janssen, with the same title.

Thorne started a 2nd tour in Vietnam with 5th Group, then went over to SOG to work as an operations and intelligence officer. He was on a C2 bird overseeing the insertion of SOG's first recon teams into Laos when they hit cloudy weather, resulting in the crash of that aircraft and the death of the crew, including Thorne. His remains were recovered in 1999, and ID'd by 2003.

[Drift]

While Vikings in Afghanistan sounds counterintutive, is not so far fetched. As memory serves from 6th grade history class. The Vikings served as the Variangian Guard for 200 years so they got @ least as far a Turkey and maybe as far a Georgia in the east. Also they came
down the Volga and other waterways and were known as the "Rus" , hence the name "Russia".
I suspect the first great influx of Viking Blood into Afghanistan was in the mid 80's under the hammer and sickle.