Corto Maltese and the 21st Century

I found a Wacom tablet in my Easter basket today, bringing me kicking and screaming into the 21st century. It's an understatement to say that working with a Wacom is vastly different than traditional media, and I have a lot to learn...The above images were created entirely on the computer. Couple of things didn't work out for me...but, there's always next time.

Book Review: Losing Small Wars by Frank Ledwidge

 
In 1990, I wrote a term paper for my high school AP US History class comparing the Malayan Emergency to the American experience in Vietnam. My optimistic thesis was that if the United States had only learned something from the British victory in Malaya, we could've won the war in Vietnam. (I probably cribbed the idea from an incomplete reading of Noel Barber's War of the Running Dogs). 

Little did I know that I was ahead of the curve, and that a succession of academics would make that same case into a cottage industry during our most recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. (I shoulda gone for that PhD...) At the tender young age of 17 I became a full-fledged believer in the British "way" of fighting guerilla warfare. So, naturally after the last 11 years, I was eager to read Losing Small Wars for an evaluation of the GWOT from the British point of view.

I got much more than I bargained for. Frank Ledwidge, a former British Army intelligence officer (with service in Iraq and Afghanistan) and currently a lawyer, lays out an impassioned critique of the British art of counterinsurgency in theory, history and practice. Page by page, he stripped away my illusions about the British military's adeptness at small wars, and deconstructed some cherished illusions I had about counterinsurgency in general. 

The quotes in the above illustration (from TE Lawrence and Maximillien Robespierre) sum up the bottom line of Ledwidge's book very succinctly.  Additionally, Ledwidge attributes the British Army's poor showing in the GWOT to a bloated corps of senior officers, short regimental tours in theater (making continuity of mission impossible), an inability to project influence beyond the wire, and a bad habit of backing the wrong indigenous actors in any given area of operations as the causes for their failure.

Ledwidge describes the British Army in Iraq and Afghanistan as being a "self-licking lollipop". Its only mission, protecting itself from problems of their own creation. (That would've made a more interesting illustration, actually.)


Agree with it or not, it's a stimulating book and a great addition for any COIN bookshelf. I look forward to reading Rob Dover's rebuttal against the book on Kings of War .

Whiskey is the Life of Man!: Chicago Martime Festival T-Shirt Design

Just did this design for a sea shanty group that'll be performing at the Chicago Maritime Festival on Feb. 25th.
I'll update the design once the type person adds the type...(the ditty that the Asian Carp is singing is "Whiskey Johnny").

Norwegian Ninja: A Review

(click to enlarge)

After I wrote the bulk of this review I found a piece with a similar structure, using an American political figure to illustrate the plot of “Norwegian Ninja”. That piece is here. I debated changing mine, but I believe my analogy is more apt, so I’m keeping it. Enjoy:

Ok. Speaking to my fellow Americans, imagine this for the plot of a movie:

It’s 1985.  Chief Warrant Officer John Anthony Walker, a sailor in a sensitive communications billet for SUBLANT (Submarine Force Atlantic) is being arrested for one of the worst acts of betrayal (if not the worst- and certainly the one with the largest possibility of mass destruction) in American history. For 17 years he has been giving away classified information to the Soviet Union for filthy lucre. Through Walker, the Soviets have gained so much knowledge about our submarine capabilities, they have been able to engineer a new class of boat- able to outfox ours -and as a result, redress the imbalance (skewed towards us) in nuclear warfare capability. They can now sneak around our underwater defenses and put missiles closer to our shores than ever before.

Following me? It’s a movie plot. Stay with me.

Ok. Here’s where the movie gets weird…John Anthony Walker turns out not to be a traitor- but a patriot. For years he has been leading a clandestine force of ninja held in readiness to engage in secret combat against those who would threaten the American way of life. In this case it is a shadow army of villainous men who would dubiously lead us into war to maintain global hegemony. (You caught the part about the secret Ninja force, right?) So, in this movie, why does our "hero" Walker end up in jail? Well…to tell you that would be a spoiler, but it’s a necessary part of the plan.

Got it? Sound like a good flick? Something you’d see?

Well. You can.  Sort of.

Just substitute John Anthony Walker (I spit on the ground at his name!) with real life former Norwegian Labour Party diplomat Arne Treholt and you have Thomas Cappelen Malling’s film “Norwegian Ninja”. Treholt was caught in an act of espionage with the Soviets that was severe enough to put him in prison for 20 years. (He was pardoned after 8).

Enraptured by a trailer I couldn’t understand, I eagerly awaited the film's arrival at my local art-house theater. If it showed up, I missed it. “It’ll be be on Netflix for sure.” I thought. No dice. Why, why, why!? I wondered. Who wouldn’t want to see a Norwegian action flick that bucks the Viking stereotype? The trailer gave me tantalizing glimpses of Ninja commandos clad in amazing knitwear, doing battle amongst picturesque Norwegian fjords...I had to see it.

So, eventually I caved and I bought it. (Who has the money for frivolous DVD purchases in this day and age?) Turns out if I had waited a little longer, I could’ve gotten it on Netflix. Oh well.

But, I think I have an answer as to why it didn’t immediately break big into the American film scene. There is a bit of…how can I say this? “Anti-American Sentiment” in the film. It’s subtle. You have to read between the lines but it’s there. (I’m kidding, it’s actually very obvious.) It was soon very clear that this was not a silly film about Ninjas and spies.  Malling’s Treholt is Noam Chomsky in tabi boots. (with throwing stars and a Mauser, riding a Maiale.)       

In the film, Arne Treholt’s Ninja Force is desperately trying to prevent a CIA-sponsored campaign of propaganda-by-deed/false-flag-terrorism (the alleged “Operation Stay Behind”) intended to draw the Scandinavian countries (Norway in particular) closer to the American bosom and further from their Soviet neighbors. Sound like a good Psy-Op?

Malling does a good job of integrating real terrorist events (and other suspicious looking calamities) into the plot of his film. Did the CIA blow up the Bologna train station and the Alexander L. Kielland drilling rig in 1980? I doubt it. It may have been the Cold War, with a lot of intelligence agencies doing nutso stuff out there in Europe, but I don’t think that the CIA would have gone to those lengths to turn the Norwegians (or Italians) away from the Soviets. Certainly, we wouldn’t have wanted Soviet sub bases in Norway. However I doubt that Norway was a strategic priority that would have necessitated measures of that severity.  (Can I see the CIA asking Norwegian citizens like Hans Otto Meyer, to cache weapons for a “stay-behind” guerilla force in case of actual Soviet occupation? Yes, I can. )

 The premise of the film raises an unpleasant specter for Americans. Do we secretly sponsor terrorism to achieve our national security aims? Was the scene where a "Stay Behind" pilot aims his plane at Oslo's two-towered City Hall Malling’s way of saying that 9-11 was an “inside job”? I have always rejected that theory and its inclusion in the film deeply soured it for me. It's easy to embrace conspiracy theories when you're predisposed to do so. I mean, by that same logic, one could connect the dots and work out a theory that Anders Behring Breivik conducted his massacre at the bidding of a secret cabal of left wing Norweigan politicians, in order to create an atmosphere of empathy that would be conducive to pushing legislation through for looser immigration laws. It makes total sense, right? (For the record, I don't really believe that.) Truth is in the eye of the beholder, I suppose.

I can understand where Malling is coming from though. Remember those submarines with nuclear missiles we were talking about at the beginning of the review? During the Cold War their patrol areas skirted Norway. Neighboring Finland was, for all intents and purposes, a dormant Soviet satellite. The potential threat of invasion to Norway was as real as anywhere in Europe.  I can understand why Arne Treholt (the Ninja version) would want to balance with the Soviets, instead of against them. In America, protected by two oceans, a Soviet invasion would have been impossible (despite Hollywood's attempt to convince us otherwise) and accorded us a certain degree of emotional insulation. The fear and paranoia in 1980's Norway must've been palpable.

What comes through in this film is a strong sense of Norwegian pride and independence. They can afford to have it- they aren’t dependent on anyone for oil and only 2% of their population is non-European, which allows them to emotionally disengage from the world to a certain degree. The standard of living for Norwegians is good, due to an equitable distribution of tax rates. They aren’t a member of the EU and apparently they are incredibly self-sufficient. This, primarily, is why the threat of being suborned by the CIA  is anathema to (Ninja) Treholt. After a long history of occupation (first the Danes, then the Swedes, zen ze Germans) it’s no wonder that (Ninja) Treholt puts his life on the line to "beat the shit out of those who [would] mess with the Norwegian way of life”.

So, aside from the conspiratorial insinuations, I enjoyed the film. Stylistically, I loved it. At first, coupled with soft lighting and faux-80’s aging, it had the feel of Megaforce (Deeds not Words!) meets the Royal Tennenbaums. Treholt’s top-secret Ninja commandos train on a peaceful island (Grassy Island in Oslo Fjord) protected by a Feng Shui force field. In lieu of the Megaforce’s flying motorcycles, they have maiali and amphibious cars. Each member of the team has a specialty- from sharpshooting to combat driving to pacifism. (And, believe it or not, the pacifist ninja plays a key role). King Olav V (The People's King) is also a character in the film. He is often seen relaxing at Grassy Island and conferring with Treholt.

In terms of “action”, there’s enough of it, though I wouldn't classify this an "action film". There's an intense “selection” scene, where two apprentice ninjas vie for full membership in the Ninjatroppen (which also makes you wonder what selection for Norwegian SF must be like- skip ahead to 3:01).  There are plenty of fight scenes, especially when Operation Saga Night really begins. But I don’t want to ruin too much. (If you rent the DVD, make sure you watch the extras for how they filmed the squirrel suit footage.)

Once I put aside my feelings about the anti-American tone of the film, I was able to enjoy it.  (It's always instructive to know how the world views us). It was exceedingly well done for a movie that probably had access to an infinitesimal fraction of a Hollywood budget. And, I'm always a sucker for labors of love that come to fruition. Despite my mixed feelings, Malling's Norwegian Ninja is a fantastic entry into the genre of Cold War films.

Sketchbook: British Sailors WWII

Sea Stories Redux

A Bootleg Maakie

Right click on image and hit "view image" for best results.

(WTF, Blogspot?)

And just remember folks, the real Maakies is here: Maakies.comhttp://www.maakies.com/

Jack Tar Magazine in Print: It Has Arrived

I only (virtually) met Kim Carver a couple of years ago, but at that time it seemed she had already been well into the effort of bringing her vision- a maritime culture magazine- into physically tangible existence. Well...now it's here and available at MagCloud. (Also available digitally.)

I don't think anything else I could say would do it justice. Head on over to Jack Tar's virtual home to read Kim's rationale for creating the magazine.

So again, congratulations Kim! Looking forward to a long run in print (not to mention, more calenders). -CITS

NSFWish: Captain's Daughter

Are you a fan of Tony Millionaire's "Maakies"? If so, I'm sure you're familiar with Captain's Daughter- who causes no end of agony for our friend Uncle Gabby...Anyways. Tony had a contest to see who could draw the sexiest Captain's Daughter, and I couldn't resist. All of you Tall Ship sailors, please don't abuse me for my portrayal of the rigging, carpentry details, etc. I had a hell of a time finding good images of a cannon on a quarterdeck. (If you've visited the HMS Victory lately and DO have good images of their quarterdeck...please send them to me.) Anyways, I give you...Captain's Daughter.

Author Beach: An Appraisal

(Captain Edward L. Beach Jr. Submarine commander, Author. Photo taken from Wikimedia Commons.)

While things are slow here at Cold is the Sea, I thought I would reprint a comment that was recently left in a post that's almost exactly 51 weeks old. The aforementioned post was my take on Captain Beach's novel "Cold is the Sea", which I appropriated for the title of this blog. The author of the following comment is a former Navy scientist, and I figured since he knows of what he speaks, it was worth reprinting in its very own post. There are SPOILERS within, so be warned. So here you go Topper, you have your very own guest book review on Cold is the Sea (the blog, not the novel). Thank you for your service!:

"It's almost a year since I made my first comment following your post about "Dust on the Sea." (DOTS) It took me a while to find a copy of "Cold is the sea," (CITS) and when I finished it I decided not to immediately come back to your site to give you my update, as you had invited me to do, but to wait until I reread "Run silent, run deep" (RSRD) again, to try and find some overall perspective. Here is what I now think:

(1) RSRD is a truly excellent novel. It draws on the authors extensive experience of undersea warfare, and his evidently deep technical expertise, which are then coupled with a remarkable narrative flair, to produce a deeply convincing and enjoyable story.

There is only one slightly critical comment I can find to say about RSRD, and I think I am really being unfair in even raising it. Beach, in his prefacing remarks to the novel, states that all the events portrayed are fictional, although technically feasible. He obviously based them on his own personal experiences, as well as those of other submarine commanders that he heard about, or was told about, during his period of service. He then, very cleverly, arranged and fictionalized them to construct his narrative. The main character, Richardson (clearly based on Beach himself), is the main protagonist in most of these events. However, there are so many of them that, as I approached the end of the story, I find my credibility being stretched a little to believe that one man could have accomplished so much. At the very end, when Richardson personally directs his sub, alone on the bridge, to ram the lifeboats in his fanatical quest to kill Bungo Pete, and then (a few pages later) jumps off the sub to save three airmen from drowning, and then (a few pages again) goes to Washington to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor, I really thought Beach might be succumbing to the temptation of self-glorification.

The reason I say this comment is "unfair" is that Beach, of course, was trying to create an exciting story for his readers, which he clearly succeeded in doing. The positive qualities of the story overwhelm such trifling quibbles.

(2) It is clear from the finale of RSRD that Beach did not originally intend to write a sequel. But such was its success, that his publisher probably offered him a lot of money to do so. He may have had the problem that he had used up most of his best material on RSRD, and therefore had to resort to more pure invention (which he wasn't quite so good at) in DOTS, which didn't quite ring true when compared to the authentic stuff related in the first story. It is perhaps for this reason that you found: "the book took on the turn of a Boy's Own adventure and just became so unbelievable I couldn't really get into it." I still feel more forgiving though, probably because I am enthralled by the technical navy stuff (I'm a retired navy scientist).

(3) CITS is clearly a work of pure fiction, as far as the naval action goes. Beach, however, again uses his ability to weave in his own personal experiences, together with his expertise, in a very engaging way. I found the interactions with Brighting (i.e., Rickover) absolutely compelling, and very believable. While I never met anyone as exalted as Rickover during my career, I did deal with several people of that personality type. The navy bureaucracy has (or, at least, had) many prickly martinets, both in and out of uniform. They could be difficult to work with, but they got the job done!

I also read the articles on both Beach and Rickover on Wikipedia which, if you haven't already seen them, are worth a visit. The interaction between the two of them is covered in the Beach article. I didn't realize that, at the time of his retirement, Rickover was the longest serving US Navy officer ever (63 years). Nobody was able to retire him! Finally, it took a gentle nudge from President Reagan (who Rickover probably liked and trusted) to get him to go. He sure left a great legacy for the United States."

SWAG: Arctic Convoy T-Shirt

Those of you who know me well, know that I have a t-shirt problem. I love t-shirts. I have mounds of t-shirts from all over the world. From shit-hole punk rock bars in NYC to the US Embassy in Saudi . However, a quick survey of my closet reveals that the "maritime pile" is the largest, so you can imagine my delight when I espied this "Arctic Convoy" t-shirt (below) from Philosophy Football. Their range offers t-shirts celebrating everything from  Mario Vargas Llosa, to William Blake's Jerusalem.

Considering that I had an Uncle who was a Merchant Marine during WWII, the shirt below has an extra special place in my heart. All of you real, former or armchair sailors, seafarers or seamen, check it out:

ARCTIC CONVOY 70th ANNIVERSARY T-SHIRT

When Hitler invaded the USSR on 22 June 1941 the response of Britain and its allies was almost immediate. Crucial supplies were provided via the Arctic convoys. The first of which, 'Dervish', left from Iceland on 21 August arriving in Archangel ten days later. This superb anniversary T-shirt depicts HMS Halcyon which provided part of the naval escort and lists all the Royal Navy and Merchant Navy ships plus solitary Dutch vessel which formed this first convoy. Available from www.philosophyfootball.com

Full Disclosure: I got a free t-shirt for writing this post. I'm actually wearing it right now. It's a VERY cool tee.

What's in a Name?: Seaman vs. Seafarer

Today in the Marine Cafe, Barista Uno tackles the semantics of the title "Seaman vs. Seafarer". Have an opinion? Head on over there and add your voice to the conversation. 

Burma

I took this photo by the Rangoon River in Rangoon, Burma in 2000. This was an event where citizens of Rangoon were forced to attend a ceremony marking the arrival of "Southeast Asia's Biggest Buddha", a Buddha so big and heavy that the Junta didn't have the equipment to hoist it up the hill where it was to stand. Note that the soldier is carrying an M1 Carbine, which the Burmese received in abundance in a US aid package probably in the 1950's.

From the Vaults: The Siege at Kham Duc

Hello poor neglected blog.

Been digging through a mountain of stuff in my Man Cave/Landfill and found these two pages from an unfinished story I started doing in 1997. It was about a Vietnam War battle whose origin sprung from the Tet Offensive. I think in '97 I was actually in touch with a participant of the battle and was working from something he'd written. Yet another project that overwhelmed me in its magnitude and remained unfinished. Oh, what could've been.

For more information on the Battle of Kham Duc and the super-ballsy relief operation check out these links:
The Battle of Kham Duc (Wikipedia)
Rescue at Kham Duc (MilitaryPhotos.Net)
Kham Duc (Sgt. Mac's Bar)
Mort's Rescue at Kham Duc (Flying in Crosswinds)

On Twitter: @coldisthesea

School is winding down, so soon I'll be back in the swing of things with this ever evolving blog.
I've just had my first taste of Twitter "crack" and I'm loving it.
If you want to follow me, I'm @coldisthesea .

Oh yeah. Regarding recent events in the international security environment:

Still lots of work to do, but the sentiment symbolized above goes out to all the people who put in an excruciating amount of hard work to make it happen (I'm mostly referring to the people in the IC who put the pieces together). I'm not a meathead-Republican-frat-boy who was out whooping it up when the news came in (I vote Democrat), but I am someone who lived in NYC for 9 1/2 years leading up to September 11th, 2001. That was a heavy day. And given my travels over the last 10 years, I can guarantee that no one felt it as much as people who lived, worked, commuted, loved and flourished in the immediate area. The events of Monday provided me with a modicum of closure. But like I said...I'm very cognizant there are lots of problems out there yet to deal with.

Anyways. To everyone from the IC to JSOC and anyone else involved, "BZ".

Seaman Molloy: Angst

 

Click "Seaman Molloy" tag for previous pages.

Riding the Shaft: Preliminary Sketch

This is a rough quick preliminary sketch for my next undertaking (suggested by a former sailor, machinist and fine art devotee, CB)... Machinist Mates "Riding the (propeller) Shaft"...Don't get caught...don't get hurt... Anyone in blogland ever do this for real?

Plug: US Navy Tailor Made Dress Blues, Liberty Cuffs and Sailor Folk Art

One of the most popular images on this site is my illustration of a pair of US Navy Liberty Cuffs which I couldn't have done without the information from Navy Collector, a site by Dan Smith SCPO, USNR(Ret). Dan recently messaged me with information about his new book "US Navy Tailor Made Dress Blues, Liberty Cuffs and Sailor Folk Art", so I thought I'd give him a plug. Thanks for your site Dan! I'm looking forward to the book. Order information is at the bottom of the image posted above.

EDIT 04/21/11: While there is a lot of fascinating stuff in this book- plenty of photos and history- and while it is obviously a labor of love- I think I should note that this is not a "traditional coffee table book". It is not bound like a hardcover (or softcover) book. (It has a spiral binding). Given that I've provided the plug above, I think I should provide (relatively) full disclosure here. If there are any publishers, graphic designers or book packagers out there looking for a potentially remunerative project, I think this book is it. I encourage you to get in touch with Dan Smith and help him out on the design and presentation angle.

A Breton Fisherman

Seaman Molloy, Pg. 4

Seaman Molloy, P. 3

Our Bed is a Boat: If only he was that quiet.

Seaman Molloy: Page 2

Salty Walt and the Rattlin' Ratlines.

Months ago, Salty Walt approached me and asked if I'd like to do some art for his sea chantey band...Not having done any band flyers since my East Village days where I (unconsciously) channeled Raymond Pettibon at the behest of Sweet Diesel's bassist, I struggled with how to portray Salty Walt and the boys... In the end, with the aid of Herbert Asbury's true-crime book "The Barbary Coast", I decided to portray them doing what 19th century sailors did best...and that's have a good debauch while ashore... Walt, Ratlines, I hope you guys have a good sense of humor...

Seaman Molloy