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One of the biggest exercises in recent times, offensive formations of the <keyword id="6354416" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="indian-army" source="Orion">Indian Army</keyword> are preparing to participate in a military exercise in Western India this month, an official statement said on Thursday. The exercise is planned to validate newly converted mechanised formations also known as <keyword id="15242742" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Reorganised-Plains-Infantry-Division" source="Orion">Reorganised Plains Infantry Division</keyword>, test efficacy of latest induction and upgrades in weapons and equipment, and also test the enhanced force ratios accrued post rebalancing of forces on the entire Western Front. Validation of tactical concepts of these formations, especially on canal-based operations and fighting manoeuvre through built-up areas apart from many other latest operational concepts designed to launch a swift punitive blow to the adversary as part of the proactive strategy will be the key features of the exercise, said the Defence Wing in a statement. The exercise will put into practice the synergy between all arms and services including attack helicopters in a semi-desert terrain. It is expected to be one of the biggest exercises in recent times. The exercise will be witnessed by the GOC-in-C Western Command and other key officials from the army headquarters. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/if-you-have-an-iphone-you-may-not-be-able-to-use-5g-before-december/articleshow/94802699.cms">If you have an iPhone, you may not be able to use 5G before December</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/ola-all-set-to-launch-its-cheapest-new-electric-scooter-on-october-22/articleshow/94776685.cms">Ola may launch an electric scooter priced under ₹80,000 on October 22</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/reliance-jio-and-airtel-5g-prices-may-be-affordable-for-now-but-expected-to-increase-after-wider-rollout/articleshow/94636173.cms">Reliance Jio and Airtel 5G prices may be affordable for now but expected to increase after wider rollout</a>

Indian Army to conduct one of its biggest exercises this month

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Maj. Michael P. Brabner, Test Officer, Maneuver Test Directorate, U.S. Operational Test CommandTest Snipers engage targets in depth at ranges varying from 300 to 1,000 meters from a standing supported position during the Compact, Semi-Automatic Sniper Rifle (CSASS) operational test at Fort Carson, Colorado.</div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>US Army snipers recently tested a new lightweight sniper rifle built to offer more accurate fire at greater distances.</li><li>The snipers field tested the new M110A1 Compact, Semi-Automatic Sniper System (CSASS), an upgraded version of the M110 SASS currently used by Army snipers.</li><li>To test the new rifle, the snipers put thousands of rounds downrange and battled it out in force-on-force exercises.</li></ul>US Army sharpshooters recently field tested a new, more accurate sniper rifle out west, where these top marksman fired thousands of rounds and even when waged simulated warfare in force-on-force training.Eight Army Ivy Division snipers assigned to the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team tested out the new M110A1 Compact, Semi-Automatic Sniper System (CSASS), an upgraded version of the current M110 Semi-Automatic Sniper System (SASS), at Fort Carson in Colorado, the Army <a href="https://www.army.mil/article/217922/army_snipers_field_test_a_more_accurate_ergonomic_rifle">revealed</a> in a statement.Comparatively, the new CSASS offers advantageous features like increased accuracy and reduced weight, among other improvements."The CSASS is smaller, lighter, and more ergonomic, as the majority of the changes were requested by the Soldiers themselves," Victor Yarosh, an individual involved in the weapon's development, <a href="https://www.army.mil/article/206463/army_to_field_squad_designated_marksman_rifle_in_september">explained</a> last summer. "The rifle is easier to shoot and has less recoil, all while shooting the same round as the M110," which fires a 7.62 mm round."The CSASS has increased accuracy, which equates to higher hit percentages at longer ranges."Read More: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/top-us-army-sharpshooters-reveal-how-to-shoot-like-a-sniper-2019-2">Shoot like a sniper - top Army marksmen reveal how they take out targets from far away</a>The recent testing involved having the "snipers employ the system in the manner and the environment they would in combat," according to Maj. Mindy Brown, a US Army Operational Test Command CSASS test officer. Snipers put a total of 8,000 rounds downrange before battling it out in force-on-force exercises, and they did it all in freezing, single-digit temperatures.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Maj. Michael P. Brabner, Test Officer, Maneuver Test Directorate, U.S. Operational Test CommandA test Sniper engages targets identified by his spotter while wearing a Ghillie suit during the Compact, Semi-Automatic Sniper Rifle (CSASS) operational test at Fort Carson, Colo.</div></div></div>The snipers described the exercises as "the best Sniper training they'd received since attending Sniper School at Fort Benning, GA." During the force-on-force drills, Army sniper teams went head to head in natural and urban environments, competing to see who could "infiltrate, detect, and engage whom first," the service <a href="https://www.army.mil/article/217922/army_snipers_field_test_a_more_accurate_ergonomic_rifle">said</a> in a statement.Read More: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-armys-top-sharpshooters-reveal-how-they-hunt-enemy-snipers-2019-2">US Army sharpshooters reveal how they hunt enemy snipers in a deadly 'game of cat and mouse'</a>These types of drills are an "extremely fantastic way for us as Snipers to hone our field craft," Sgt. 1st Class Cecil Sherwood, one of the snipers involved in the testing said.Read More: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/no-one-hides-like-a-sniper-heres-how-these-elite-marksmen-disappear-2019-2">America's deadliest sharpshooters reveal how they disappear in plain sight</a>The CSASS has not been fielded yet, but last year, Congress <a href="https://www.congress.gov/115/bills/hr5515/BILLS-115hr5515enr.pdf">approved</a> the Army's planned $46.2 million purchase of several thousand CSASS rifles.The Army began fielding the Squad Designated Marksman Rifle (SDM-R), distributing the weapon - a derivative of the CSASS - to a few select units for limited user testing last fall. The rifle "provides infantry, scout, and engineer squads the capability to engage with accurate rifle fire at longer ranges," the Army <a href="https://www.army.mil/article/215259/futures_command_tops_2018_modernization_stories">said</a>. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/north-korea-kim-jong-un-scariest-dictators-2016-1">Here's how North Korea's Kim Jong Un became one of the world's scariest dictators</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

Army snipers went head-to-head in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains, putting their new rifle to the test

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="US Army" title_caption="Brig. Gen. Anthony McAuliffe and his staff gathered inside Bastogne's Heintz Barracks for Christmas dinner Dec. 25th, 1944. This military barracks served as the Division Main Command Post during the siege of Bastogne, Belgium during WWII." class="zoomin" href="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/52b72b96ecad048064b010b1-960/gen-mcauliffe-christmas-dinner-wwii.jpg"></a><a href="http://www.army.mil/article/92856/">US Army</a>Brig. Gen. Anthony McAuliffe and his staff gathered inside Bastogne's Heintz Barracks for Christmas dinner Dec. 25th, 1944. This military barracks served as the Division Main Command Post during the siege of Bastogne, Belgium during WWII.</div></div></div>On December 22, 1944, at about 11:30 in the morning, a group of four German soldiers, waving two white flags, approached the American lines using the Arlon Road from the direction of Remoifosse, south of Bastogne. The group consisted of two officers and two enlisted men. The senior officer was a Major Wagner of the 47th Panzer Corps. The junior officer, Lt. Hellmuth Henke of the Panzer Lehr Operations Section, was carrying a briefcase under his arm. The two enlisted men had been selected from the 901st Panzer Grenadier Regiment. The Americans defending in that location were members of F Company of the 327th Glider Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. The Germans walked past a bazooka team in a foxhole in front of the Kessler farm and stopped in front of the foxhole of PFC Leo Palma, a B.A.R. gunner. Palma described the officers as wearing long overcoats and shiny black boots. Lieutenant Henke, who spoke English said, "I want to see the commanding officer of this section." Palma was at a loss for words, but Staff Sergeant Carl E. Dickinson who had been manning a position nearby walked out to the road and called the group over to him. The Germans explained that they had a written message to be presented to the American Commander in Bastogne. Henke said they would consent to being blindfolded and taken to the American Commanding Officer. In fact, they had brought blindfolds with them. Henke blindfolded Wagner and Dickinson blindfolded Henke. As the blindfolds were being applied, Dickinson was joined by PFC Ernest Premetz, a German-speaking medic of his platoon who offered to serve as an interpreter. However no interpreter was needed. Dickinson and Premetz left the two German enlisted men there and took the two German officers to the Kessler farmhouse. Tech. Sgt. Oswald Y. Butler, Acting Platoon Leader of the 1st Platoon, and Lt. Leslie E. Smith, Platoon Leader of the Weapons Platoon, told them to take the blindfolded officers to the F Company Command Post. They took the two German officers on a roundabout route to the Command Post of F Company, 327th GIR, which was a large foxhole located in a wooded area about a quarter mile away. Shortly after arriving at the command post, they were joined by Capt. James F. Adams, the F Company Commander, who had been at a forward observation post when he was notified of the arrival of the Germans. When Adams arrived, 1st Sgt. Constantine A. Pappas informed him that the German major had already presented a written message. The F Company Executive Officer, Lt. William J. Herzke, was on the phone, reading the message to their Battalion Command Post in Marvie. The 2nd Battalion Command Post then notified the 327th Regimental Headquarters in Bastogne. Col. Bud Harper, the 327th Regimental Commander, was not there; he was out inspecting his unit's positions. The senior officer present was the Regimental Operations Officer, Major Alvin Jones. Maj. Jones notified the Division Headquarters in Bastogne and asked for instructions. He was told to retrieve the message and bring it to the Division Headquarters. He drove to the F Company Command Post and was given the message. The two blindfolded officers were kept in the woods adjacent to the foxhole Command Post. Upon receiving Maj. Jones' phone call at Division Headquarters, the Acting Chief of Staff, Lt. Col. Ned Moore entered Brig. Gen. Anthony C. McAuliffe's sleeping quarters adjacent to the communications center. Moore wakened McAulliffe and told him, "The Germans have sent some people forward to take our surrender." Moore recalled that Brig. Gen. McAuliffe, still half asleep, said "Nuts!" and started to climb out of his sleeping bag. Moore then went back out into the Communications Center where he briefed the rest of the Division staff of the on-going situation, including telling them of McAulliffe's remark of "Nuts!" When Maj. Jones arrived with the message, the staff looked at it before taking it in to McAulliffe. The German surrender demand was typewritten on two sheets. One was in English, the other in German. They had been typed on an English typewriter as indicated by the fact that the diacritical marks required on the German copy had been entered by hand. This is the English version of the message: "December 22nd 1944 To the U.S.A. Commander of the encircled town of Bastogne. The fortune of war is changing. This time the U.S.A. forces in and near Bastogne have been encircled by strong German armored units. More German armored units have crossed the river Our the near Ortheuville, have taken Marche and reached St. Hubert by passing through Hompre-Sibret-Tillet. Libramont is in German hands. There is only one possibility to save the encircled U.S.A troops from total annihilation: that is the honorable surrender of the encircled town. In order to think it over a term of two hours will be granted beginning with the presentation of this note. If this proposal should be rejected one German Artillery Corps and six heavy A. A. Battalions are ready to annihilate the U.S.A. troops in and near Bastogne. The order for firing will be given immediately after this two hours' term. All the serious civilian losses caused by this artillery fire would not correspond with the wellknown American humanity. The German Commander." <div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_left click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="US Army" title_caption="The note from the Germans" class="zoomin" href="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/52b72bd1ecad04d668b010a7-960/original-1-6.jpg"></a><a href="http://www.army.mil/article/92856/">US Army</a>The note from the Germans</div></div></div>The Division Operations Officer, Lt. Col. Harry Kinnard recalled that McAulliffe initially asked, "They want to surrender?" Moore told him, "No sir, they want us to surrender." McAulliffe arose and erupted in anger, which shocked those looking on. He took the paper, looked at it, said "Us surrender, aw nuts!" and dropped it on the floor. Maj. Jones was dismissed. McAulliffe then left the Headquarters to go congratulate a unit on the Western perimeter that had successfully taken out a German road block earlier that morning. When Jones left the Headquarters, he went back to the F Company Command Post and spoke with the two German officers. When he returned to his Regimental Headquarters, he phoned the division headquarters. Upon returning to the division headquarters, McAulliffe was informed that Jones had phoned to say that the two German officers were still waiting at the F Company Command Post. Since they brought a formal demand they felt they were entitled to a formal reply and they were to return to the German lines two hours after delivering their message. McAulliffe asked that Col. Harper be summoned to the Division Headquarters. Harper, who was still inspecting his units' positions, was contacted by radio. When Harper arrived at the Headquarters, he was asked to wait outside of the closed door to McAulliffe's quarters. Inside, in the presence of his staff, McAulliffe wondered aloud, "Well, I don't know what to tell them." At that point, Kinnard said, "What you said initially would be hard to beat." McAulliffe asked "What do you mean?" Kinnard, said, "Sir, you said nuts." All members of the staff enthusiastically agreed, so McAulliffe wrote it down on a message pad and said, "Have it typed up." The reply was typed up, centered on a full sheet of paper. It read: "December 22, 1944 To the German Commander, N U T S ! The American Commander" McAulliffe dismissed the staff and asked that Harper come in. McAulliffe initially toyed with him by having him stand in front of Higgins and himself. McAulliffe showed him the surrender demand and asked if he had already seen it. Harper said no. McAulliffe asked him to read it and suggest how it should be answered. Harper was surprised by the request and quickly tried to draft a reply in his head. At that moment, a clerk-typist entered the room and handed McAulliffe a sheet of paper. He looked at it and then showed Harper the typed "NUTS" reply, asking him if he thought that was a proper reply. Harper read it and started laughing. McAulliffe asked Harper to personally deliver the reply to the Germans, cautioning him not to go into the German lines. Harper took the reply and drove to the F Company Command Post. Harper told Henke that he had the American Commander's reply. Henke asked if it was written or verbal. Harper answered it was written and he put it in the hand of the blindfolded German Major. Henke asked about the contents of the reply because if it was affirmative, they were authorized to negotiate further. Harper said, "The reply consists of a single word, NUTS!" Henke, not understanding, asked, "Is that reply negative or affirmative?" Harper said, "The reply is decidedly not affirmative", adding, "If you continue this foolish attack, your losses will be tremendous." Henke translated for the Major. The Major nodded. The two blindfolded German officers were then driven, again by a roundabout route, back to their entry point at the Kessler farm. At the farm, the group was rejoined by PFC Premetz. The blindfolds were removed and the Germans opened and looked at the reply. They asked, "What does this mean?" They obviously didn't understand the American slang. Harper and Premetz discussed how to explain it. Harper suggested, "Tell them to take a flying s**t!" Premetz thought about it, then straightened up, faced the Germans and said, "Du kannst zum Teufel gehen." He told Harper it meant "You can go to Hell." Then Harper said, "If you continue to attack, we will kill every goddamn German that tries to break into this city." Henke replied, "We will kill many Americans. This is war." Harper then said, "On your way Bud, and good luck to you." After Henke translated, the major acknowledged. They saluted and the Germans started to walk away. Harper angrily called out to them, "If you don't know what I am talking about, simply go back to your commanding officer and tell him to just plain, 'Go to Hell'." After Henke translated, the major got angry and stormed off. As he passed Palma's position, he threw his blindfold and Palma caught it. Palma wrote that he didn't realize the historical importance of that blindfold. He later used it to clean his B.A.R. and threw it away! The German party returned to their lines. Capt. Adams recorded the time as 1400 hours. While watching the Germans leaving, Harper began to regret losing his temper, fearing that his attitude may increase the intensity of the attack on his positions. Fortunately, the threatened artillery barrage never happened. Instead, the German Luftwaffe was added to the attack, bombing the town at night. According to a narrative written by Hellmuth Henke, when the German officers returned to their vehicle, while they were putting their pistol belts back on, Maj. Wagner removed his pistol from his trouser pocket and placed it in its holster, stating that he wasn't going to get caught without protection. The two German officers then drove to the 901st Panzer Grenadier Regimental headquarters in Lutrebois. After reporting in, they left to go to the Panzer Lehr Division headquarters located about a mile further south. Just before reaching the Panzer Lehr Headquarters, they saw the car of General von Manteuffel parked by a thicket of trees. Maj. Wagner stopped and reported to the General. They then proceeded to the Panzer Lehr headquarters. General von Luettwitz, the Corps Commander, happened to be there. They presented the "NUTS" reply. Upon hearing the negative reply, General Bayerlein, said it was time to start striking out with the heavy artillery located behind the hill. He was interrupted by General von Luettwitz who stated that the heavy artillery was no longer located there, it had been moved to forward positions past Bastogne. Bayerlein then started to explain how he would attack Bastogne without the heavy artillery, but was again interrupted by von Luettwitz. Von Luettwitz reminded Bayerlein that Bastogne was not his objective and ordered the Panzer Lehr Division to proceed around Bastogne to Rochefort and leave Bastogne to the 26th Volksgrenadier Division. Editors Note: 
This story retraces the events of December 22nd, 1944 at Bastogne, Belgium; the day we received German surrender ultimatum and issued the subsequent "Nuts!" reply. Its author, Kenneth J. McAuliffe, Jr., is the nephew of Brig. Gen. Anthony 'Tony' McAuliffe who commanded the Division during the <keyword id="6354810" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Defense">defense</keyword> of Bastogne. This has been verified to be 100% accurate.

The Full Story Of The US Army General Who Replied Only 'Nuts!' When Asked To Surrender During WWII

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Indian Army to conduct one of its biggest exercises this month

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Army snipers went head-to-head in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains, putting their new rifle to the test

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The Full Story Of The US Army General Who Replied Only 'Nuts!' When Asked To Surrender During WWII

Kenneth J. McAuliffe, Jr., Ar…

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