User blog:Battlefan237/Horror of Mankind: Colonel Walter. E. Kurtz vs. General Jack. D. Ripper

Halloween might be over, marking an end for the festival of vampires, ghosts and demons. However, what continue to lurk around the surface of our planet, are the horrors and fears within mankind itself, with wars and schemes burning on every continent. Today we pick two of the most iconic examples of the horror of mankind from Kubrick's satirical take on Nuclear war and Coppola's modern tale apocalypse. Walter.E.Kurtz, a man broken by war; and Jack.D.Ripper, a man that started the worst war in an attempt to end all wars. Which one of these sons of cold war will claim victory in this battle of madness, fear and insanity ? Let's find out.

General Jack.D.Ripper
"I can no longer sit back and allow Communist infiltration, Communist indoctrination, Communist subversion and the international Communist conspiracy to sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids."

- General Jack.D.Ripper, explaining why he launched a nuclear war against the Russians

General Jack D. Ripper is a general in USAF and the commander of Burpelson Air Force Base in the movie Dr. Strangelove.

Due to the strong belief that Soviet infiltration had already polluted the water system in USA and caused his own health problem, Ripper put the base on condition red and ordered B-52 planes in US military bases around the world to attack their targets inside Soviet Union at one night. In order not to let the government foul his plan to eliminate the Russians, Ripper warned the soldiers in his base that the Russian invasion troops might disguise as US army. In this way, when the government sent troops to disarm the base, Ripper led the soldiers in his base to fight against government troops coming towards the base, resulting in great casualties on the government's side.

For those unfamiliar with the plots of Doctor Strangelove, check here. I personally regard this movie as the best film ever made.


 * -|Personal=
 * M1911
 * .45 ACP
 * 70 m effective range
 * 7-round standard detachable box magazine
 * 2.44 lb (1.105 kg) empty weight
 * 830 ft/s (253 m/s) muzzle velocity
 * Browning M1919A4
 * Kept in his golf bag
 * 14 kg in weight
 * 37.94 in (964 mm) in length
 * 7.62×51mm NATO
 * 400–600 round/min
 * 1,500 yd (1,400 m) (maximum effective range)
 * 250-round belt feed
 * -|Melee=
 * None Noticeable in the film so this category is served empty.However, given the fact that Ripper's men are all soldiers serving in an United State airbase, it's safe to assume that they carry some sort of combat knife. It's up to you to decide whether the assumption is acceptable or not.
 * -|SMG=
 * M3 "Grease Gun"
 * 30 round magazine
 * Fires .45 ACP rounds
 * Weighs about 8 pounds
 * 450 rounds per minute
 * M1A1 Thompson
 * 30-round box magazine
 * Fires .45 ACP rounds
 * Weights about 10 pounds
 * 600-725 rds/min


 * -|Rifle=
 * M1 Garand
 * 8-round en-bloc clip, internal magazine
 * Gas-operated, rotating bolt
 * 40–50 rounds/min ROF
 * Effective range 457 m
 * 7.62×51mm NATO
 * -|Carbine=
 * M1 Carbine
 * 270 m effective range
 * 15-round detachable box magazine
 * Semi-automatic
 * .30 Carbine
 * -|Troops=
 * The soldiers at the Burpelson Air Force Base
 * All received standard US military training in the 1950s and early 1960s
 * Some of them might be Korean War veterans, while the only actual battle fought by the majority of the soldiers were the resistance against other American troops coming to take over their base, which they believed to be USSR troops in disguise.
 * All in good physical health and stable mental condition.
 * Well-supplied by the base.
 * Brutal against outsiders because Ripper brainwashed them into taking any coming troops as Russian invaders.
 * Respect Ripper and willing to follow his orders.

Colonel Walter. E. Kurtz
"They train young men to drop fire on people. But their commanders won't allow them to write 'fuck' on their airplanes because it is obscene."

- Colonel Kurtz on war

Colonel Walter.E.Kurtz was a career officer in the United States Army; he was a third-generation West Point graduate who had risen through the ranks and was seen to be destined for a top post within the Pentagon.

In 1964, the Joint Chiefs of Staff sent Kurtz to Vietnam to compile a report on the failings of the current military policies.

Later Kurtz returned to Vietnam in 1966 with the Green Berets and was part of the hearts and minds campaign. On his next tour, Kurtz was assigned to Project GAMMA, in which he was to raise an army of Montagnards in and around the Vietnamese–Cambodian border to strike at the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army. Kurtz located his army, including their wives and children, at a remote abandoned Cambodian temple which Kurtz's team fortified. From their base, Kurtz led attacks on the local VC and the regular NVA in the region.

During this period, Kurtz employed barbaric methods not only to defeat his enemy but also to send fear, resulting in the deterioration of his mental health. Eventually, Kurtz would cut off his connection with the base and establish him as a demi-god. leading his troop in a cult-like fashion before meeting his doom in 1969 at the hands of Captain Williard.

Check here for the complete story of Apocalypse Now.
 * -|Personal=
 * Machete
 * Unspecified weight.
 * Approximately 35 cm in length
 * M1911
 * .45 ACP
 * 70 m effective range
 * 7-round standard detachable box magazine
 * 2.44 lb (1.105 kg) empty weight
 * 830 ft/s (253 m/s) muzzle velocity
 * -|Melee=
 * Kurtz's troops could be seen using various melee weapons throughout the film. Some of them use machetes, while some others arm themselves with crude,homemade spears. Farming implements such as kane knife and hoe are also in use.
 * -|SMG=


 * MAT-49
 * Fires 9×19mm Parabellum
 * 32-round detachable box magazine
 * 600 rpm
 * Weight 9.3 lbs.


 * Madsen M50
 * 9×19mm Parabellum
 * 32 round magazine
 * 550 rpm
 * Weight 3.15 kilograms (6.9 lb)
 * -|Rifle=
 * -|Carbine=


 * -|Troops=