The 23rd Air Force is not a typical elite unit, but its operations are critical to the success of other U.S. special forces. In March 1983 all Special Operations Forces (SOF) of the U.S. Air Force were centralized under a single command, then the 1st Special Operations Wing (1st SOW) and the Office of Recovery and Rescue Aerospace (ARRS) remained under the control of newly created 23 th Air Force, headquartered at Scott Base in Illinois. The 1st SOW consists of five squadrons equipped with modified versions of helicopter and aircraft C-130 Hercules.

The composition and organization of this unit are highly confidential, but some of their equipment are known: AC-130H aircraft (Hercules fighting or “Gunboat Flying”) developed for use in Vietnam armed with six-barreled Gatling guns and howitzers up to 105 mm ; aircraft MC-130H (Combat Talon) with advanced avionics and improved performance to make low-flying, rescue operations and covert infiltration; Helicopters MH-53J “Pave Low” with armor protection, tanks and autoselantes probe for refueling, helicopter MH-60G “Pave Hawk” equipped with radar, FLIR, rescue winch, armor protection and machine guns.

Combat team of the 1st SOW in amphibious training. Created in 1946, the ARRS also makes use of helicopters and C-130, a combination that proved effective. Consisting of about 3,500 men and about two hundred aircraft, their missions ranging from combat-SAR until recognition of climatic conditions. Thanks to its efficient 966 lives were saved in the Korean War and Vietnam War in 2759. It also provides support for NASA missions to recover manned spacecraft or rockets. The team responsible for the weather, locates and enters hurricanes and typhoons with their WC-130H aircraft that requires great courage and skill. The ARRS provides escorts in shifts of Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) from its underground silos scattered throughout the U.S..

Its specialized versions of Hercules are: HC-130H with greater reach and folding device in the nose for the recovery of men and material in the soil, using the technique skyhook, and JHC-130H with extra equipment for the recovery of space capsules in the air. Both components of the 1st SOW as the ARRS use uniform standards of the USAF, distinguishable only by special badges on the shoulder pads. Some members are thoroughly trained paratroopers. Units of the 1st SOW participated in Operation Eagle Claw and the intervention in Grenada in 1983.

WWII
Division: Normandy, France – 1944

The 12th SS Panzer Division or Hitlerjugend Division (Hitler Youth) was a mechanized division of the Waffen SS unit known as “breaking” the enemy lines. Its main feature was to be formed primarily by soldiers born in 1926, former members of Hitler Youth, while the officers were generally veterans of the Eastern Front. Aware that the Division should be ready for combat as quickly as possible, their commander Gen. Fritz Witt ignored some orders and regulations, focusing on training in realistic combat scenarios and live fire exercises. The result is that the morale of the men of the Hitler was exceptionally high and their relationship with the officers and sergeants was quite informal, but based on mutual respect and loyalty.

In March 1944, with about 20,500 men, Hitlerjugend was deemed ready for active service and was ordered to move to the region of Caen in Normandy, where he would be part of the 1st SS Panzer Corps. The Division was equipped with 81 Panther tanks, 104 tanks Panzer IV, Jagdpanzer IV fighter tanks, armored anti-aircraft Wirbelwind, Wespe and Hummel self-propelled guns and several smaller vehicles for troop transport, reconnaissance and command.

On June 6, when the Allies launched Operation Overlord (D Day), landing on the beaches of Normandy, the 12th German SS unit was the closest to the enemy. In moving toward the beach called “Sword” and “Juno” was severely attacked by Allied bombers that caused delays in the movement of armored enough to take them the element of surprise. With three mechanized infantry battalions and two companies of tanks, General Kurt Meyer had orders to stop the advancement of Canadian troops in that sector, preparing them to an ambush south of Franqueville. With his men maintaining excellent tactical discipline and showing great courage to attack the 12th SS took Canadians disorganized, forcing them to retreat with the battalion Authie Meyer in pursuit. The Hitlerjugend took the towns of Authie and Franqueville, and captured about 150 soldiers of the regiment of Highlanders in Nova Scotia and the crews of the 27th Tank Regiment. Despite the ferocity of the counter-attacks of the 12th SS in the whole battle front on his own responsibility, the Division failed to fail to push the Allies back to the beach.

Fighting in a narrow defensive perimeter on the outskirts of Caen, the remains of the 12th SS was suffering like the rest of the German Army, with a shortage of ammunition, supplies and fuel. Even with all the difficulties the members of this valiant unit would continue fighting in the Normandy region in September 1944 until losing in the period between about 12,000 men killed, wounded or missing. After a brief rest and replenishment, the Division Hitlerjugend still would fight the U.S. Army at the Battle of the Bulge and the Army would face Reds near Budapest, Hungary. In 1944 the camouflage uniforms were already widely used by German Army units, though most with the status of elite troops. This Division of the Hitler soldier is wearing a jacket and pants with Italian camouflage pattern, with the helmet also covered with fabric in the same pattern. In the final period of the war was common to see German units using uniforms supplied by the Italians, since its crippled industrial capacity could no longer meet the demand of its military. He carries a machine gun MG 42, 7.92 mm, which was famous for its reliability, robustness, ease of handling, but mainly for their ability to produce and maintain an impressive volume of fire.

Since its inception in the 60s, a Heckler & Koch MP-5 has been considered a weapon sophisticated enough to meet the most stringent requirements of best elite military units such as the British SAS for example. Using the same principle of operation of the G41 and G3 rifles, characterized by good quality of handling and for having parts that are interchangeable with those of a large number of assault weapons heavier. The MP-5 has three ways of shooting: semi-automatic and automatic bursts of three shots, all controlled by the engine near the trigger, which also acts as a safety lock. These weapons are a major attraction in developing countries, not only for its reliability and maintainability, but also for its ease of manufacture. The breech box, built from sheet metal stamping, is fixed to the splined polygonal pipe with a bolt welded to it and swivel attached to the barrel. The trigger guard, the butt and the front are made of high impact plastic. H&K uses of metal stampings and sub-welded parts. The MP-5 has an impressive list of accessories, including device to fill the boot, a conversion kit for .22 caliber, a device to practice target shooting, a grenade launcher and several optical devices. Can be configured as MP-5 A2 with fixed butt or MP-5 A3 featuring retractable butt.

The MP-5K was introduced in 1976 and designed for special operations: the barrel is shorter, a vertical grip is added in front and no grip, just slide the lid of the box. The MP-5SD is a weapon with a silencer and identical to the MP-5 A2/A3, with respect to the operation principle and system of breech. The MP-5SD1 version comes with the box cover slide, the SD2 and SD3 has butt sets have a retractable butt. Ideal for special forces, the MP-5SD used in close combat produces low noise level, which added to the flame decreased in the mouth make it difficult locating the perpetrators of the shooting, may still be attached a laser sight, which greatly increases the their effectiveness. It is used by several police officers and elite troops around the world and manufactured under license in Greece, Pakistan and Mexico.

Origin: Germany
Length: 0.68 m
Weight: 3.1 kg (loaded)
Caliber: 9 mm
Rate of fire: 800 shots/minute
Initial velocity: 400 m/s
Charger: Type box of 10, 15 or 30 rounds