Geography plays an important part in all of this. While the sea surface itself is without geography, naval forces are dependent on shore facilities for support. In the age of sail, this was mostly for supply and repair, while coaling stations defined naval geography during the early age of steam, giving the British a huge advantage over all opponents. The US, lacking such facilities, built bigger, longer-ranged ships. Today, we’ve created forward bases in Europe and Japan, to allow our ships to spend more time on station, and replenishment ships to allow ships to spend more time at sea.
Moreover, a huge fraction of global trade flows through a few key choke points. A century ago, Jackie Fisher described “Five keys [that] lock up the world! Singapore. The Cape. Alexandria [Suez]. Gibraltar. Dover.” Today, we’d have to add the Strait of Hormuz, but the basic truth remains the same. Control of trade through these critical areas gives immense power, and it is in the interest of a maritime power to have that control, or at least to have great influence over how it is used.
“bean”, “Basics of Naval Strategy”, Naval Gazing, 2018-01-22.
April 21, 2020
QotD: Admiral Jackie Fisher’s five keys to “lock up the world”
April 19, 2020
Yugoslavia Crushed – Battle for Greece Continues – WW2 – 086 – April 18, 1941
World War Two
Published 18 Apr 2020The Battles for Yugoslavia and Greece continue as the Soviet-Union and Japan sign a non-aggression pact.
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Or join The TimeGhost Army directly at: https://timeghost.tvFollow WW2 day by day on Instagram @World_war_two_realtime https://www.instagram.com/world_war_t…
Between 2 Wars: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list…
Source list: http://bit.ly/WW2sourcesWritten and Hosted by: Indy Neidell
Director: Astrid Deinhard
Producers: Astrid Deinhard and Spartacus Olsson
Executive Producers: Astrid Deinhard, Indy Neidell, Spartacus Olsson, Bodo Rittenauer
Creative Producer: Joram Appel
Post-Production Director: Wieke Kapteijns
Research by: NN
Edited by: Iryna Dulka
Sound design: Marek Kamiński
Map animations: Eastory (https://www.youtube.com/c/eastory)Colorizations by:
– Norman Stewart – https://oldtimesincolor.blogspot.com/
– Adrien Fillon – https://www.instagram.com/adrien.colo…
– Julius Jääskeläinen – https://www.facebook.com/JJcolorization/
– Carlos Ortega Pereira, https://www.instagram.com/blaucoloriz…Sources:
– Bundesarchiv, CC-BY-SA 3.0: Bild 101III-Weyer-024-05A/Weyer, Bild 146-1975-036-24/Gofferjé, Leander, Bild 101I-161-0317-26/Bauer, Bild 101I-158-0094-35/Kisselbach, Bild 102-17311
– Narodowe Archiwum Cyfrowe
– fractured arm icon by ProSymbols from the Noun Project
– Imperial War Museum: D 4311Archive by Screenocean/Reuters https://www.screenocean.com.
A TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.
French Foreign Legion | Stuff That I Find Interesting
Jabzy
Published 14 Oct 2017
April 17, 2020
Charles De Gaulle – The Flame of French Resistance? – WW2 Biography Special
World War Two
Published 16 Apr 2020Charles De Gaulle is a towering figure in history, and not just because of his height. Becoming increasingly political in the interwar years due to his unorthodox views on military strategy, The Fall of France will thrust him into the limelight.
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Between 2 Wars: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list…
Source list: http://bit.ly/WW2sourcesHosted by: Indy Neidell
Written by: Francis van Berkel
Director: Astrid Deinhard
Producers: Astrid Deinhard and Spartacus Olsson
Executive Producers: Astrid Deinhard, Indy Neidell, Spartacus Olsson, Bodo Rittenauer
Creative Producer: Joram Appel
Post-Production Director: Wieke Kapteijns
Research by: Catherine Burton
Edited by: Mikołaj Cackowski
Sound design: Marek Kamiński
Map animations: Eastory (https://www.youtube.com/c/eastory)Colorizations by:
Carlos Ortega Pereira, BlauColorizations, https://www.instagram.com/blaucoloriz…
Dememorabilia – https://www.instagram.com/dememorabilia/
Norman Stewart – https://oldtimesincolor.blogspot.com/
Adrien Fillon – https://www.instagram.com/adrien.colo…
Sources:
Outdoor family portrait, with lurkers (c.1920), courtesy pellethepoet https://flic.kr/p/ompxgf
IWM A 1464, E 2324, D 1966
Frederick Milthorp collectionSoundtracks from the Epidemic Sound:
Max Anson – “Ancient Saga”
Farell Wooten – “Blunt Object”
Johannes Bornlof – “Deviation in Time”
Reynard Seidel – “Deflection”
Johannes Bornlof – “The Inspector 4”
Phoenix Tail – “At the Front”Archive by Screenocean/Reuters https://www.screenocean.com.
A TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.
“Diary Of An Unknown Soldier” – Lost in the Great War – Sabaton History 063 [Official]
Sabaton History
Published 16 Apr 2020The bells rang on Armistice Day 1920 in the 11th hour, and two minutes of silence followed. One minute for the soldiers that had fought in the Great War and had come back. The second for those who did not. Those unfortunate souls that had been left behind. They had died like so many others, but had been denied a final resting place due to the violence of war. They had vanished, without a trace, without an identity. Those men where the Unknown Soldiers.
Support Sabaton History on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sabatonhistory
Listen to “Diary of an Unknown Soldier” on the album The Last Stand:
CD: http://bit.ly/TheLastStandStore
Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheLastStandSpotify
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Google Play: http://bit.ly/TheLastStandGooglePlayWatch the official lyric video of “Diary Of An Unknown Soldier” here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jhkz5…Check out the trailer for Sabaton’s new album The Great War right here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCZP1…
Listen to Sabaton on Spotify: http://smarturl.it/SabatonSpotify
Official Sabaton Merchandise Shop: http://bit.ly/SabatonOfficialShopHosted by: Indy Neidell
Written by: Markus Linke and Indy Neidell
Directed by: Astrid Deinhard and Wieke Kapteijns
Produced by: Pär Sundström, Astrid Deinhard and Spartacus Olsson
Creative Producer: Joram Appel
Executive Producers: Pär Sundström, Joakim Broden, Tomas Sunmo, Indy Neidell, Astrid Deinhard, and Spartacus Olsson
Post-Production Director: Wieke Kapteijns
Edited by: Iryna Dulka
Sound Editing by: Marek Kaminski
Maps by: Eastory – https://www.youtube.com/c/eastoryArchive by: Reuters/Screenocean https://www.screenocean.com
Music by Sabaton.Sources:
– National Library of Scotland
– National Library of France
– Imperial War Museum: Q 10378, Q 100373, Q 57227, Q 100624, Q 53727, Q 29155, ART 3991 a, Q 109517, Q 100928, Q 100699, Q 100913, Q 45814, Q 23706, Q 14963, Q 31518, Q 31494, RAF-T 3129, Q 31514, Q 909, Q 87441, Documents.5323, Q 100486, Q 48929A, Q 78614An OnLion Entertainment GmbH and Raging Beaver Publishing AB co-Production.
© Raging Beaver Publishing AB, 2019 – all rights reserved.
From the comments:
Sabaton History
2 days ago
Something different this time. Since we already have two episodes about the fighting in the Argonne, we thought this time we’d talk about the sacrifice and the legacy of the “Unknown Soldier”. Of those who fought and died but were not fortunate enough to have a last known resting place. We hope you still enjoy the episode!
Prototype Mauser 1917 Trench Carbine
Forgotten Weapons
Published 20 Dec 2019http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons
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In the latter stages of World War One, the German military was looking for new arms for its Sturmtruppen. Without a reliable self-loading rifle design to use, they instead focused on pistol-caliber arms. The first to be used was the existing P08 artillery Luger, fitted with a drum magazine. At the very end of the war, these were being replaced by Bergmann MP-18,I submachine guns. But there was another gun that was tested but not adopted — the 1917 trench carbine variation of Mauser’s C96 “Broomhandle” pistol. Only about 40 of these guns were made as prototypes and trials models, and they were not adopted for reasons that are not entirely clear (but cost is probably a significant element). Only a few examples survive, and they vary substantially in their details. In addition, they are substantially different from both standard C96 pistols and also the sporting carbines made before the war.
All the 1917 trench carbines used a magazine developed from the 1906/08 pistol; an excellent double-stack, double-feed type. Magazines of 10, 20, and 40-round capacity were made, although all known examples were only semiautomatic (the full-auto Schnellfeuer Mausers would not come until the early 1930s).
Contact:
Forgotten Weapons
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QotD: Rommel arrives in North Africa
Rommel had his orders, but he had ignored orders in the past and been decorated for it. With British forces stripped to fight an exceedingly ill-advised campaign in Greece, he carried out a quick personal reconnaissance in his trusty little Fieseler Storch airplane, then launched an offensive in concert with his Italian partners (Ariete armored division and the infantry divisions of X Corps, Bologna and Pavia). He penetrated British defenses at El Agheila on March 24th, then drove on to Mersa el Brega on March 31st, pausing only long enough to take (and ignore) a number of radio messages from Berlin and Rome warning him not to do anything rash. Finally, he smashed the British defenders at Agedabia (elements of the green 2nd Armoured Division, equipped partially with captured Italian M13/40 tanks), pinning them in front with the infantry of 5th Light Division while dispatching his Panzers on a ride around the open desert flank to the south, the first use of a tactic that would become his signature move.
These three tiny encounters, none of them exceeding regimental strength, were enough to unhinge the entire British defensive position in Cyrenaica. Rommel now expanded his “reconnaissance in force” into a general offensive, although the forces involved were still minuscule. One column headed up the coast road towards Benghazi, while two more sliced across the Cyrenaican bulge, scooping up a mountain of British supplies at Msus and Mechili. The British rear was in chaos. On April 6th, a German motorcycle patrol actually captured the British commander in Cyrenaica, General Philip Neame, as well as General Richard O’Connor, the victor of Beda Fomm. By April 11th, the Germans had surrounded the coastal fortress of Tobruk while smaller formations pressed on to the east, taking Bardia and reaching the Egyptian border at Sollum and Ft. Capuzzo.
This was top speed maneuver, and the distances were vast, with the Afrika Korps covering over 600 miles in less than two weeks. An amazing feat, to be sure, but may we not legitimately ask, Six-hundred miles to where? Rommel had lunged from central Libya to the Egyptian border in a great bound, but now he had an unconquered fortress sitting in his rear, a serious threat to his lines of communication and supply. Two hastily marshaled attempts to storm Tobruk went badly wrong. In the “Easter battle” (April 10th-14th) and the “battle of the Salient” (April 30th-May 4th), the defenders of the 9th Australian Division hung tough. Minefields channeled the German attacks, while direct fire from artillery, antitank guns, and supporting tanks shot up the assault forces quite badly and killed General Heinrich von Prittwitz, commander of 15th Panzer Division.
The very presence of an unconquered Tobruk rendered the drive across the desert pointless. Indeed, for all the fame it had brought Rommel in the world press, this first campaign won him few friends among command echelons in Berlin. General Halder was especially unimpressed. Rommel, he wrote, “storms around all day long with formations strewn all over the place.” The man had apparently “gone insane.” There was some justice to the complaint. A German division-plus had overrun territory — a vast wasteland, to be precise — but it hadn’t really won anything. There had been no battle of annihilation, no Kesselschlacht, nor could there have been. The Afrika Korps had come a long way, but now sat precariously on the edge of nowhere. Although Rommel and his command had shown a satisfying level of aggression, something the entire officer corps understood, most of them saw his drive to the Egyptian border as a misfire.
Robert Citino, “Drive to Nowhere: The Myth of the Afrika Korps, 1941-43″, The National WWII Museum, 2012. (Originally published in MHQ, Summer 2012).
April 16, 2020
The (temporary) return of “dazzle” paint schemes for the Royal Canadian Navy
Well, two RCN ships, if not the entire fleet … Joseph Trevithick reports for The Drive:
HMCS Regina in her dazzle camouflage paint taking part in Task Group Exercise 20-1 in April, 2020.
Canadian Forces photo via The Drive.
Air forces around the world will often give their aircraft specialized paint jobs to commemorate anniversaries and other notable occasions, but it’s far less common to see navies do the same thing with their ships. Recently, however, the Royal Canadian Navy’s Halifax class frigate HMCS Regina recently took part in a training exercise wearing an iconic blue, black, and gray paint job, commonly known as a “dazzle” scheme, a kind of warship camouflage that first appeared during World War I.
At the end of March 2020, Regina, and her unique paint job, had joined HMCS Calgary, another Halifax-class frigate, along with the Kingston-class coastal defense vessel HMCS Brandon and two Orca-class Patrol Craft Training (PCT) vessels, Cougar* and Wolf*, for Task Group Exercise 20-1 (TGEX 20-1) off the coast of Vancouver Island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean. The training continued into the first week of April. TGEX 20-1 was part of Calgary‘s Directed Sea Readiness Training (DSRT) in preparation for that particular ship’s upcoming deployment.
Regina had first emerged in the dazzle scheme in October 2019 ahead of the U.S. Navy-led Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise, a massive naval training event that takes place every two years and includes U.S. allies and partners from around the Pacific region. It reportedly took 272 gallons of paint and cost the Royal Canadian Navy $20,000 to give Regina the dazzle treatment.
The frigate will wear the camouflage pattern until the end of 2020. The Royal Canadian Navy also painted up the Kingston-class HMCS Moncton, which is homeported in Halifax on the other side of the country, in a similar scheme. The paint job on both ships is in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the end of the Battle of the Atlantic. This refers to the Allied fight to both enforce a naval blockade of Germany during World War II and secure critical maritime supply routes from North America to Europe. The battle officially ended with the surrender of the Nazi regime in May 1945.
HMCS Moncton in dazzle camouflage, 2020.
Canadian Forces photo via The Drive.
* Wikipedia points out that the Orca-class are not formally commissioned ships in the RCN and therefore do not carry the designation “Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship” (HMCS).
Prologue: The Dutch Colonial Whip | The Indonesian War Of Independence
TimeGhost History
Published 15 Apr 2020This is the prologue to our five-part Indonesian War of Independence Miniseries. It sets the stage of brutal colonial repression, a growing sense of Indonesian Nationalism and ultimately the desire to be free.
Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TimeGhostHistory
Hosted by: Indy Neidell
Written by:
Spartacus Olsson and Joram Appel
Directed by: Astrid Deinhard
Produced by: Astrid Deinhard and Spartacus Olsson
Executive Producers: Astrid Deinhard, Indy Neidell, Spartacus Olsson, Bodo Rittenauer
Creative Producer: Joram Appel
Post-Production Director: Wieke Kapteijns
Research by: Joram Appel and Isabel Wilson
Edited by: Wieke Kapteijns, Guido Becker
Sound design: Marek KamińskiColorizations by: Dememorabilia – https://www.instagram.com/dememorabilia/
Research Sources: https://bit.ly/IndoSources
Visual Sources:
Tropenmuseum, part of the National Museum of World Cultures
Wellcome ImagesIcons retrieved via The Nounproject: gold by Phạm Thanh Lộc, slaves by Salaidinovich, silver by Marie Van den Broeck, spice by ahmad, Opium Poppies by Matt Wasser.
Music:
“Disciples of Sun Tzu” – Christian Andersen
“Weapon of Choice” – Fabien Tell
“Guilty Shadows 4” – Andreas Jamsheree
“Road To Tibet 5” – Rannar Sillard
“Sailing for Gold” – Howard Harper-Barnes
“The Inspector 4” – Johannes Bornlöf
“The Dominion” – Bonnie Grace
“Heroes On Horses” – Gunnar Johnsén
“Not Safe Yet” – Gunnar JohnsenA TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.
From the comments:
TimeGhost History
2 days ago (edited)
This is the prologue to our new ‘Indonesian War of Independence’ mini-series. Now, we initially only wanted to do five episodes, but episode one became double as long as we imagined, so we decided to cut the historical context out and put it in a prologue. These series are mainly written by Joram and Isabel, two historians from the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Now, you might say that we are not in the best position to talk about European Imperialism because of that. However, as we’re both academically trained historians, we believe that we’re able to overcome any bias through the use of academic methods and peer-reviewed academic sources. If anyone is interested to take a look at our source-list, you can find it right here: https://bit.ly/IndoSourcesThese mini-series have been chosen out of a bigger selection by our TimeGhost Army. They fund almost our entire production – this would not exist without them. Become one of them to choose future series and to support the creation of content just like this! You can do that at patreon.com/timeghosthistory or https://timeghost.tv.
Cheers,
Joram
Was the Afrika Korps worth it?
Military History not Visualized
Published 20 Apr 2018Was it worth it to send the Afrika Korps at all? In this video we look at the Mediterranean Campaign in World War 2, which is usually overshadowed by the “Desert Warfare” between Rommel and Montgomery.
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» twitter – https://twitter.com/MilHiVisualizedMilitary History Vlogs is a support channel to Military History Visualized with a focus personal accounts, answering questions that arose on the main channel and showcasing events like visiting museums, using equipment or military hardware.
» SOURCES «
Ball, Simon: “The Mediterranean and North Africa, 1940-1944”, in: Cambridge History of the Second World War – Volume I, p. 358-388
Preston, Paul: “Spain: betting on a Nazi victory”; in: Cambridge History of the Second World War: Volume II: Politics & Ideology, p. 324-349
Das Deutsche Reich und der Zweite Weltkrieg, Band 3: Der Mittelmeerraum und Südosteuropa 1940-1941 (English Version below)
ENGLISH VERSION: Germany and the Second World War, Volume 3, The Mediterranean, South-east Europe, and North Africa, 1939-1941Das Deutsche Reich und der Zweite Weltkrieg – Band 6 – Der Globale Krieg
ENGLISH VERSION: Germany and the Second World War – Volume 6 – The Global WarDas Deutsche Reich und der Zweite Weltkrieg – Band 8
ENGLISH VERSION: Germany and the Second World War – Volume 8 – The Eastern Front 1943-1944: The War in the East and on the Neighbouring Fronts» CREDITS & SPECIAL THX «
Song: Ethan Meixsell – “Demilitarized Zone”#AfrikaKorps #AfricaCorps #WW2
April 14, 2020
Curator at Home | Tanks: 100 Years of Evolution | The Tank Museum
The Tank Museum
Published 12 Apr 2020Join The Tank Museum’s Curator, David Willey, at home, as he reviews the book: Tanks – 100 Years of Evolution by Richard Ogorkiewicz.
Support the work of The Tank Museum on Patreon: ► https://www.patreon.com/tankmuseum
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History Summarized: England
Overly Sarcastic Productions
Published 10 Apr 2020English history has a reputation for being nigh incomprehensible — what with all the kings, civil wars, succession crises, and slapfights with France. But with the right perspective (and a little royal-restraint), England can become quite a straightforward story. So let’s take a look at this slice of Britain, and see how it grew into the master of the Isles.
SOURCES & Further Reading: “History of England from the Tudors to the Stuarts”, lecture series for The Great Courses by Robert Bucholz, a great look at Renaissance and Early Imperial England.
“Ten Minute History of England and Britain” Parts 1-18, by History Matters, a lengthy chronicle of English history from the Roman conquest through the Union of the Crowns. Good watch if you have the time.
Foundation by Peter Ackroyd, the first book in a mammoth 6-volume History of England, which covers everything up to the death of Henry VII. If you really want to dig into English history, this is the book for you.This video was edited by Sophia Ricciardi AKA “Indigo”. https://www.sophiakricci.com/
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Chauchat Field Testing vs Mock MG08/15 Nest
Forgotten Weapons
Published 14 Dec 2019http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons
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Out at the range today with the Chauchat, testing accuracy against a simulated MG08/15 nest at 150 yards. I’ll try out semiauto and full auto (in short bursts), and see how they compare. For reference, the US Army recommended never using the Chauchat beyond 400 yards, as it was not sufficiently accurate to be effective at greater distance.
To see a set of original WW1 American Expeditionary Force Chauchat manuals, check here:
https://www.forgottenweapons.com/chau…
Contact:
Forgotten Weapons
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Tucson, AZ 85704
April 13, 2020
Curator’s Tank Museum Tour: Tank Story Hall – Inter-War | The Tank Museum
The Tank Museum
Published 11 Apr 2020Join Curator David Willey as he takes you on a tour of The Tank Museum’s Tank Story Hall, which houses over 30 key vehicles from Little Willie to Challenger 2. In this section he looks at the inter-war vehicles and gives you a potted history of the time period between the two World Wars.
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Tank 100 First World War Centenary Blog: ► http://tank100.com/
Increasing hazards to navigation in the East China Sea
It’s odd that all the increased collisions seem to involve Chinese vessels:
Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force ship JS Shimakaze (DDG-172), the second ship of the Hatakaze class, commissioned in 1988. She was slightly damaged in a collision with a Chinese fishing boat in the East China Sea on 30 March 2020.
Image via Wikimedia Commons.
Sci-fi genius Robert Heinlein warned readers never to attribute to villainy behavior that was adequately explained by stupidity. In other words, he believed malice should be the explanation of last resort for puzzling conduct on the part of people or groups of people; it shouldn’t be the default. Better to hunt for more benign explanations first. With apologies to Heinlein, I would amend his “razor,” or heuristic, slightly. It’s too narrow. There are other candidates than stupidity or purposeful villainy to account for misconduct. Factors like incompetence, bureaucratic inertia, and sheer accident form — and sometimes deform — human thought and action. They belong on the stupidity side of Heinlein’s ledger.
How about this: Never attribute to villainy behavior that can be adequately explained by human failings. That preserves the essence of Heinlein’s razor while widening its scope to fit reality.
Let’s use his revised heuristic to evaluate the Sino-Japanese collision. It’s certainly possible the mishap came about by accident. It took place at night, in crowded waters. If the U.S. Navy collisions of 2017 taught us nothing else, it’s that the crews of even frontline warships can suffer from a host of maladies, from overwork to shoddy personnel practices to doctrinal or training shortfalls. No amount of high technology — whether it’s Aegis radar or satellite navigation — can altogether forestall human error. It may be that the Japanese crew, the Chinese crew, or both blundered around in the dark and came to grief. By Heinlein’s lights that’s the generous and proper assumption until the facts become known. If they do.
Nevertheless, a silent corollary has to be appended to Heinlein’s razor: But don’t rule out villainy, either.
Especially when it comes to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). For decades Beijing has made militiamen embedded in the Chinese fishing fleet an arm of maritime strategy. The maritime militia is an irregular adjunct to regular naval forces, including the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLA Navy) and especially the musclebound China Coast Guard fielded over the past decade. Beijing touted the militia’s combat prowess as long ago as 1974, when Chinese naval forces wrested a tottering South Vietnam’s holdings in the Paracel Islands from it in a brief but bloody sea battle. Militia craft backed by the coast guard have been a fixture in the South China Sea ever since 2009, when Beijing declared “indisputable sovereignty” over the vast majority of that body of water — including seas allocated to its neighbors by treaty. The irregular force went into overdrive in 2012 during the standoff with the Philippine Navy and Coast Guard at Scarborough Shoal, deep within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. Fishing craft flood the zone in CCP-claimed waters and dare local coast guards or navies to repulse them. If the locals resist, the China Coast Guard backs up the militia. PLA regular forces provide a backstop should things go awry.
H/T to Blazing Cat Fur for the link.
