Author Archives: laststandonzombieisland

The forgotten Hagaru-ri airlift

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Official period caption: “Astonished Marines of the 5th and 7th Regiments, who hurled back a surprise onslaught by three Chinese communist divisions, hear that they are to withdraw! Ca. December 1950.”

Photo by Sgt. Frank C. Kerr. (Marine Corps). NARA FILE #: 127-N-A4852

After four days of violent combat in late November 1950 against the PRC’s fresh 59th, 79th, and 89th divisions, the 5th and 7th Marines began a fighting withdrawal to Hagaru-ri, the division’s forward operating base, some 14 miles south, with an ultimate evacuation by sea at Hungnam, another very cold and hard 78 miles away.

Joined in Hagaru-ri by the Army’s badly mauled 31st Regimental Combat Team, one of the first large American aeromedical evacuations then took place with wounded removed by USAF and Marine C-47s and C-54s, as well as by Stinson OY-1 liaison aircraft, and Sikorsky HO3S-1 helicopters of Marine Observation Squadron (VMO) 6.

By the end of 5 December, the last full day of the Hagaru-ri airlift before the troops bugged out for Hungnam, an eye-popping 4,369 wounded Marines and Soldiers had been evacuated by the Combat Cargo Command in six days.

Corpsman offering canteen of water to wounded men aboard a Marine air evacuation transport departing an emergency air strip at Hagaru-ri to the rear area evacuation. USMC Photo No. A-130289, 127-GR-51-A130289, National Archives Identifier 74241240

Casualties are being put aboard evacuation planes at Hagaru-ri. From here, and later at Koto-ri, to the South, an estimated 4,800 wounded men were snatched from death and flown back to safety and hospitalization. USMC Photo by T/Sgt, Royce V. Jobe, No. A-130281. 127-GR-51-A130281. National Archives Identifier 74241237

The battered 1st Marine Division reached the port of Hungnam on 11 December, and evacuation by 193 assembled Task Force 90 ships commenced through Christmas Eve, by which time some 100,000 UN troops and another 98,000 Nork refugees had been taken off by sealift.

CVN-68 final call to Battleship Row

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Sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68) render honors as the ship passes the USS Arizona Memorial while arriving at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, 29 November 2025. The Nimitz made the scheduled port visit while operating in the U.S. 3rd Fleet area of operations during an eight-month deployment as the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 11.

Credit: Navy Seaman Matthew C. Wolf. VIRIN: 251129-N-AW546-1141P

U.S. Navy sailors man the rails on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) while pulling into Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Nov. 29, 2025. Nimitz is underway in the U.S. 3rd Fleet area of operations on a scheduled deployment, demonstrating the U.S. Navy’s unwavering commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jaron Wills)

The photo is appropriate as ADM Chester Nimitz, the supercarrier’s namesake, was dispatched to Pearl Harbor to assume command of the Pacific Fleet just nine days after Arizona went down, and would assume command of the seriously damaged and demoralized force in a ceremony aboard the submarine USS Grayling (SS-209) on 31 December 1941, as no battlewagons were availible since all eight dreadnoughts in the Harbor were sunk or severely damaged.

The carrier was christened on 13 May 1972 by Catherine Nimitz Lay, the daughter of the late admiral.

This is likely CVN-68’s final trip past Battleship Row, as she is scheduled to begin deactivation in early 2026, capping a 51-year career.

Her first port call at Pearl was back during RIMPAC 1988– as OPFOR against the USS Missouri Battleship Battle Group, no less– and she has been back at least 11 times since then.

And, of course, she will live on as Pearl Harbor’s strongest yet unsuccessful defender, ala 1980s The Final Countdown.

The Navy granted access to Nimtz during production of the movie, so when you see those stunning shots of the “Big 6-8 haze gray and underway,” it is not stock footage.

Shootin’s Good in the Schoutens!

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On the road today to Georgia at a firearms industry event to see some new guns from a company whose name rhymes with “Wok.”

Thus, I offer you the reader this abridged Warship Wednesday, with a promise to “return to regular scheduled programming next week.

Original caption: Like Johnny in the song, these G.I. Joes ‘got a Zero today’ — in fact, they shot down three zeros in one day with their anti-aircraft gun on the beach of Biak in the Schouten Islands. Ashore from a Coast Guard-manned assault transport, the gunners jubilantly posted the score-three down and more to go.”

US National Archives Identifier 205584181, Local ID 26-G-2487, US Coast Guard photo # 2487.

Closer inspection of the board claims, “Mitsubishi downed May 31st, 1944.” The LST doors in the background read “26.”

Note the caption on the scoreboard says it is “subject to changes daily,” for the USCG 40mm Bofors crew in the Pacific in WWII. They aren’t bluffing, as the board seems crafted from a riveted section of a downed aircraft.

One of 76 sea-going LSTs manned by Coast Guard crews during WWII, USS LST-26’s first skipper was LT. Eugene Kiernan, USCGR.

Her DANFS listing reads:

LST-26 was laid down on 16 November 1942 at Pittsburgh, Pa., by the Dravo Corp.; launched on 31 March 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Mathilda B. Coulter; and commissioned on 7 June 1943.

During World War II, LST-26 served in the Asiatic-Pacific theater and took part in the following operations:

Bismarck Archipelago operation:

(a) Cape Gloucester, New Britain-December 1943 and January 1944

Hollandia operation-April and May 1944, Western New Guinea operations:

(a) Toem-Wakde-Sarmi area operation-May 1944

(b) Biak Island operation-May and June 1944

(c) Noemfoor Island operation-July 1944

(d) Cape Sansapor operation-July and August 1944

(e) Morotai landings-September 1944

Leyte landings-October and November 1944

Consolidation of the southern Philippines:

(a) Mindanao Island landings-March 1945

She saw service in China from 3 to 10 October 1945.

Following the war, LST-26 performed occupation duty in the Far East until early November 1945. She returned to the United States and was decommissioned on 1 April 1946. She was struck from the Navy list on 8 May 1946 and was sold to Arctic Circle Exploration, Seattle, Wash., on 17 June 1946 to be converted for merchant service.

LST-26 earned five battle stars for World War II service.

You can almost see Santa’s house from here

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How about these images of a Royal Danish Air Force Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules of Flyvestation Aalborg-based Eskadrille 721 (“Zap”) conducting a resupply mission at the Joint Artisk Kommando Station Nord outpost in Greenland, home to the famed Sirius Dog Sled Patrol (Slædepatruljen Sirius). It is dark there from 15 October to 28 February, and in November the mean daily high temperature is -20°F.

The 6,200-foot landing strip at Station Nord was built in the 1950s in a joint Danish-U.S. effort, and the base has been wholly Danish since 1975. It is kept open for approximately 300 days a year and is maintained with two large snow blowers and two snow plows.

Station Nord is approximately 2,360 air miles from Copenhagen but only 574 miles from the geographic North Pole.

Station Nord when the sun is up. 

By comparison, the furthest northern U.S. airstrip, Arctic Village Airport, Alaska, is about 1,200 miles from the Pole, and the “most northern airport in the world,” Longyearbyen in the Norwegian Svalbard chain, is 800 miles. The U.S. maintains Pituffik Space Base (formerly Thule Air Base), Greenland, which is located approximately 950 miles from the North Pole. Only Canadian Forces Station Alert on Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, which is about 490 miles south of the Pole, is closer to the roof of the world.

Denmark has been a C-130 user since 1973 and has used them operationally in Bosnia and Afghanistan, replacing its trio of older C-130H birds with four long-fuselage C-130Js by 2007, the first Scandinavian country to bring the Super Hercules into service.

The PCC in your Waistband

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The new Flux Defense P365 Ultra-Light Chassis System is engineered to be a standalone component, utilizing existing P365 firearms, slides, barrels, and magazines.

It uses a longer-barreled P365 (P365XL, TACOPS, and P365 FUSE) and 17- or 21-round magazines to give the user a holsterable and arguably concealable option that is 3 inches shorter and significantly lighter than an MP5K.

Plus, it only costs $499, a price that, when coupled with extra mags and a compatible longslide P365, puts you in the game for about $1,200.

Key Performance Features and Specifications Include:

  • Patented Speedload System: Facilitates faster reloads than traditional pistols or other PDWs, ensuring operators maintain an advantage.
  • Enhanced Capacity: Supports up to 50 rounds on the gun with optional magazine extensions, providing extended engagement capability.
  • Superior Control: A built-in shroud ensures a secure C-clamp grip and promotes flatter shooting, significantly improving accuracy and follow-up shots.
  • Lightweight, Durable Construction: Crafted from military-grade glass-filled nylon and S7 steel, featuring a Type 3 hard anodized shroud for exceptional resilience without added bulk.
  • Optimal Velocity Option: Features an optional 6-inch barrel to increase velocity, surpassing the performance of an MP5K.
  • Included 2.0 Adjustable Holster: Ships with the new 2.0 holster, designed for ultimate flexibility. It can be hard-mounted in the vehicle for quick access or carried with you, supporting both inside (IWB) and outside the waistband (OWB) configurations.
  • Compact & Extendable Design:
    • Collapsed: 9.75″ L x 4″ W x 1.375″ H
    • Extended: 18.5″ L x 4″ W x 1.25″ H
  • Ergonomic Length of Pull: 13.5″ for comfortable and stable handling.

I could see these being useful for personal protection details, high-value couriers, long-distance truckers, individuals who spend a lot of time in their vehicles in remote areas, and, well, anyone who wants to be the most well-armed person in the produce section.

From small beginnings…

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Some 250 years ago this week, on 3 December 1775, the 30-gunned three-masted Continental ship Alfred was commissioned in Philadelphia, marking the first time the Grand Union Flag–  a combination of the British Flag and 13 stripes representing the thirteen Colonies– was raised over an American naval vessel.

Continental Ship Alfred (1775-1778) Painting in oils by W. Nowland Van Powell, depicting Lieutenant John Paul Jones raising the Grand Union flag as Alfred was placed in commission at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 3 December 1775. Commanded by Captain Dudley Saltonstall, Alfred was the flagship of Commodore Esek Hopkins’ Continental Navy flotilla during the remainder of 1775 and the first four months of 1776. Courtesy of the U.S. Navy Art Collection, Washington, D.C. Donation of the Memphis Council, U.S. Navy League, 1776. U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph. Catalog #: NH 85212-KN

The ship, originally named Black Prince, was built at Philadelphia in 1774 and acquired by the Continental Congress in November 1775. Renamed Alfred, she had the newly minted Continental Navy LT John Paul Jones, a Scot, hoist the Grand Union Flag during the commissioning ceremony.

A Grand Union Flag, circa 1775-1776, displayed in 1926. USN 900248

The ship was outfitted with numerous small guns: 20 9-pounder smooth-bore cannon and 10 6-pounder smooth-bore cannon, and served admirably and against all odds until 9 March 1778, when, under the command of Elisha Hinsman near Barbados, she encountered the faster British warships Ariadne and Ceres and was captured, then ignobly pressed into service with the Crown.

By that time, John Paul Jones had moved on to his own command and was noted as writing, “I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not sail fast, for I intend to go in harm’s way.”

The Cold Desperate Fire of the Sapper Steel Battalion

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It is unusual for American units to burn their colors every year, but there is one, the 2nd Engineer Battalion.

During the Battle of Kunu-ri in the Korean War, in late November 1950, with an tsunami of Chinese “volunteers” close to overrunning the 8th Army’s 2nd Infantry Division, the division’s attached 2nd Engineer Battalion’s commander, Lt. Col. Alarich “Al” Zacherle, elected to set his unit’s own colors ablaze rather than let them be captured by the enemy and used as a trophy.

It was clear to Zacherle that his unit, left to perform a rear guard action as the division left the mountain pass, would likely be mauled if not eliminated in toto.

Founded in 1861 and first seeing combat at Antietam, then fighting in the Great War and WWII with the 2nd Division, the unit had 25 hard-earned battle streamers, at least three French Croix de Guerre, and a Presidential Unit Citation by 1950.

“The colors, box and all, were drenched with gasoline,” Zacherle wrote in a 1996 letter to the battalion’s association. “A last look at the colors with the unbelievable number of battle streamers were imprinted on our minds. Setting the fire produced a bright blaze that denied the enemy of a trophy they surely would have greatly prized.”

When the 2nd Battalion regrouped after the withdrawal, just 266 of its 787 Soldiers were present for roll call. While 331 of those “missing” had been captured, only 117 of those men survived the conflict.

Zacherle was a prisoner of war from 30 November 1950 to September 1953 at Pyeongtaek, but, repatriated post-ceasefire, lived to a ripe old age of 94, passing in Florida in 2005. He reportedly weighed but 80 pounds when released.

For at least the past 30 years, the unit, now as the Fort Bliss-based 1st Armored Division’s 2d Brigade Engineer Battalion (2BEB), has held a burning ceremony with each Soldier present reading off the name of a fallen/missing circa 1950 member of the battalion as the roll is called.

It concludes with Taps and a night shoot.

 

Final LCS delivered as Frigate Program tanks

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Littoral Combat Ship 31, the future USS Cleveland, was delivered to the Navy on 26 November from Fincantieri Marinette Marine in Wisconsin, closing out the line.

While all 19 of the more successful Indianapolis-class variants have been delivered and commissioned (albeit with two early hulls laid up), and are increasingly being used in a minesweeper role, the 16 Freedom-class variants, of which Cleveland is the final hull, have been much less successful, and five of her sisters have already been retired.

Cleveland launched in April 2023 and has spent the past 31 months fitting out. By comparison, the last Indy, USS Pierre (LCS-38), only needed 14 months between christening (18 May 2024) and delivery (11 July 2025). Pierre’s entire construction period, from keel laying to commissioning, spanned 29 months.

Following commissioning in Cleveland, Ohio, in early 2026, LCS 31 will be homeported in Mayport, Florida, with her 10 active sisters.

When commissioned, LCS-31 will be the fourth U.S. Navy vessel named for the Ohio city after two cruisers (C-19/CL-21 and CL-55), which served in WWI and WWII, respectively, and LPD-7, a Cold War era amphibious transport dock commissioned in 1967 and disposed of in a 2024 SINKEX.

Fincantieri, meanwhile, is continuing to work on the first (and last) two hopelessly behind Constellation class frigates, while the other four on contract will be canceled.

The Navy has agreed to take the blame for the program’s mismanagement, even going so far as to indemnify Fincantieri while the shipyard “is expected to receive new orders to deliver classes of vessels in segments that best serve the immediate interests of the nation and the renaissance of U.S. shipbuilding, such as amphibious, icebreaking, and other special missions.”

Wow.

Buy ROK FFGs?

Perhaps we should just order some frigates off the shelf from Korea, where the third Chungnam-class (FFX) Batch-III frigate, the future ROKS Jeonnam (FFG-831), was launched at SK Ocean Plant in Goseong, Gyeongnam, on 25 November.

Small, 3,600-ton (4,300 full load) ships that run 423 feet oal, they run a CODAG setup that allows a 30 knot speed and 8,000nm range at 16 knots– ideal for convoy and patrol work. They run a phased-array four-sided AESA radar/IRST mast, carry a 5″/62 MK45 gun, have a VLS (64 K-SAAM, 8 land attack) system, all the ASW goodies (hull-mounted active sonar, towed passive, VLA, 324mm tubes), a hangar for an embarked helicopter, and a CIWS.

Why can’t we have nice things?

Jeonnam’s sister, the ROKS Gyeoungbuk (FFG-829), gives a better view of the class. If we could just whistle up 40 of these. Bulk contract. Single source. Roll it!

The old New York Reload

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Revolvers are slow to reload compared to autos, especially when talking about snubbies. Drawing a second loaded revolver is much faster than reloading, and experienced gunfighters such as those on the old NYPD Stakeout Units of the 1970s often carried a pair of revolvers. Hence the “New York Reload.”

Galco recently debuted a Masterbilt Dual Defense Rig for those cosplayers looking for leather to pull off a NYR.

With the Masterbilt Dual Defense Rig, Galco has resurrected three popular features for shoulder carry of revolvers: open front design, diagonal gun orientation, and two-gun carry.

The open front feature offers the smoothest draw, since no retention straps or other devices need to be overcome. Yet, the holsters retain the revolvers perfectly by the use of adjustable tension units.

The positioning of the holsters’ swivel keepers hearkens back to Galco’s original Jackass designs.

The butt-down/muzzle-up diagonal configuration is universally acknowledged as the best combination of draw speed and concealability.

I mean, it’s a $500 piece of leather, but Arizona-based Galco probably does leather better than anyone, as we found out on a factory tour a couple of years back. 

Cel Shaded Cerakote Celebration: Beretta APX A1 Full Size Tactical

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“You can’t ever be too rich, too good-looking, or too well-armed,” as the man says, and a Florida FFL Cerakote shop delivers on that mantra.

Fort Lauderdale-based A Really Bad Design is Alex Manzotti’s studio. A custom artist who cut his teeth using automotive paint on motorcycles and helmets more than 28 years ago, he first encountered Cerakote when a client insisted on using the coating on a bicycle. Four years ago, Manzotti and the shop became Cerakote certified, specialized in artistic applications, and today, as a 07 FFL/ 02 SOT, works exclusively with Cerakote, using it on firearms – and everything else.

A quick look at the shop’s social media shows they have done hundreds of firearms since then in any number of styles.

A Really Bad Design Cerakote Berettas
Check out these brushed steel Berettas with color accents. (Photos: A Really Bad Design)
A Really Bad Design Cerakote Berettas
And these shotguns are done in camo and blue splash. (Photos: A Really Bad Design)

Cel shading

One of the most complicated Cerakoting techniques is mimicking cel shading or “toon art.” Cel shading dates back to the 1980s and is typically applied to flat animation to create the illusion of depth, effectively turning 2D into a perception of 3D. Moving into more modern eras, rotoscoping and Sobel filtering have taken traditional cel shading to a sharper edge, as seen in popular game franchises such as “Borderlands.”

Taking that 2D to 3D style and emulating it on a real object, such as a bike helmet or a firearm, takes skill and genuine artistic capability.

Manzotti has both.

Check out these five Beretta APX A1s he did earlier this summer as a project for the iconic gunmaker:

A Really Bad Design Cerakote Berettas
(Photos: A Really Bad Design)

For Cerakote nerds, the colors used in the project included Periwinkle, Carbon Black, Yellow Jacket, Prison Pink, Slate, Aztec Teal, Burnt Orange, Black Cherry, Robin’s Egg Blue, and Green Mamba.

The result is two APX A1 Full Size Tacticals (Yellow and Gray), and three standard APX A1 full-size models (Cherry, Toxic Green, and Miami Daze).

Beretta sent us the Gray Tactical for a closer look, and it’s impressive. We specifically asked for the Gray as it would give us a better look at the technique, and with cel shading, it is all about the time-consuming technique.

“The work is entirely manual and has many steps,” Manzotti told Guns.com, speaking to how cel shading is harder to pull off when compared to some other effects.

Cerakoted Beretta APX A1 Full Size Tactical
(Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
Cerakoted Beretta APX A1 Full Size Tactical
(Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
Cerakoted Beretta APX A1 Full Size Tactical
(Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
Cerakoted Beretta APX A1 Full Size Tactical
APX Tactical models are optics-ready and have really decent suppressor-height sights. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
Cerakoted Beretta APX A1 Full Size Tactical
Note the threaded barrel and accessory rail, as well as the attention to shading detail applied by ARBD. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
Cerakoted Beretta APX A1 Full Size Tactical
(Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
Cerakoted Beretta APX A1 Full Size Tactical
(Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
Cerakoted Beretta APX A1 Full Size Tactical
(Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
Cerakoted Beretta APX A1 Full Size Tactical
(Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
Cerakoted Beretta APX A1 Full Size Tactical
(Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

As with everything, natural lighting makes colors look different.

Cerakoted Beretta APX A1 Full Size Tactical
Outfitted with a SilencerCo 36M and a Surefire X300T, in their natural matte black/graphite. 
Cerakoted Beretta APX A1 Full Size Tactical
You can’t have an APX Tactical and not make it…tactical. 
And yes, it still shoots, as you would expect for a Beretta. Those extendo mags really help with reloads. 

We’d like to thank Alex Manzotti and the whole gang at A Really Bad Design for their help with this piece, as well as everyone over at Beretta who helped make it possible.

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