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15th (Scottish) Infantry Division

The 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army that served during the Second World War. It was raised on 2 September 1939, the day before war was declared, as part of the Territorial Army (TA) and served in the United Kingdom and later North-West Europe from June 1944 to May 1945.

Background
During the 1930s, tensions increased between Germany and the United Kingdom and its allies. In late 1937 and throughout 1938, German demands for the annexation of the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia led to an international crisis. To avoid war, the British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain met with German Chancellor Adolf Hitler in September and brokered the Munich Agreement. The agreement averted a war and allowed Germany to annexe the Sudetenland. Although Chamberlain had intended the agreement to lead to further peaceful resolution of issues, relations between both countries soon deteriorated. On 15 March 1939, Germany breached the terms of the agreement by invading and occupying the remnants of the Czech state.

On 29 March, British Secretary of State for War Leslie Hore-Belisha announced plans to increase the part-time Territorial Army (TA) from 130,000 to 340,000 men and double the number of TA divisions. The plan was for existing TA divisions, referred to as the first-line, to recruit over their establishments (aided by an increase in pay for Territorials, the removal of restrictions on promotion which had hindered recruiting, construction of better-quality barracks and an increase in supper rations) and then form a new division, known as the second-line, from cadres around which the divisions could be expanded. This process was dubbed "duplicating". The 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division was to be a second-line unit, a duplicate of the first-line 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division. In April, limited conscription was introduced. This resulted in 34,500 twenty-year-old militiamen being conscripted into the regular army, initially to be trained for six months before deployment to the forming second-line units. It was envisioned that the duplicating process and recruiting the required numbers of men would take no more than six months. Some TA divisions had made little progress by the time the Second World War began in September; others were able to complete this work within a matter of weeks.

Formation

The embryo of the 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division was formed on 26 August 1939, administered by the 52nd Division, and became an independent formation on 2 September 1939. It took control of the 44th, the 45th and the 46th Infantry Brigades. Due to the lack of official guidance, the newly formed formations were at liberty to choose numbers, styles, and titles. The division adopted the number, title, and divisional insignia of their First World War counterpart, the 15th (Scottish) Division. The brigades did likewise. The divisional insignia, the letter 'O' (being the 15th letter of the alphabet), differed slightly from the original, by not including a triangle inside the circle.

On formation, the 44th (Lowland) Infantry Brigade consisted of the 8th Battalion, Royal Scots; the 6th Battalion, King's Own Scottish Borderers; and the 7th Battalion, King's Own Scottish Borderers. The 45th (Lowland) Infantry Brigade comprised the 6th Battalion, Royal Scots Fusiliers; and the 9th and the 10th Battalions, Cameronians (Scottish Rifles). The 46th (Highland) Infantry Brigade had the 10th and the 11th Battalions, Highland Light Infantry; and the 2nd Battalion, Glasgow Highlanders. The division was initially assigned to Scottish Command, and Major-General Roland Le Fanu became the general officer commanding. Le Fanu's prior experience included staff appointments, and he had fought in the 1937 Waziristan campaign. While primarily made up of Scots, recruits were posted to the division from across the United Kingdom, particularly England.

Home defence
The war deployment plan for the TA envisioned that its divisions would be deployed overseas, as equipment became available, to reinforce the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) that had already been dispatched to Europe. The TA would join regular army divisions in waves as its divisions completed their training, the final divisions deploying one year after the war began. However, during the opening months of the war, the division lacked the required equipment and personnel. September saw the division drained of manpower. Soldiers, aged 19, were reassigned to other formations; the Ministry of Labour allocated other men to essential industries; and medical standards weeded out those considered unfit. The division was initially scattered across southern Scotland without access to training facilities. On 30 September, after the requisition of civilian transport, the division moved to the Scottish Borders, south of Edinburgh, to start training.

In October 1939, the Commander-in-Chief, Home Forces, General Walter Kirke, was tasked with drawing up a plan, codenamed Julius Caesar, to defend the United Kingdom from a potential German invasion. The division's role in this was largely to defend the Edinburgh and Forth areas. It was not until December that the division moved to undertake this role, with the 44th Brigade positioned astride the Firth of Forth. The rest of the division was based around Glasgow, on either side of the Firth of Clyde. On paper, an infantry division was to have seventy-two modern 25-pounder field guns. By November, the divisional artillery comprised just eight First World War-vintage 4.5 in howitzers. By January, this had increased to sixteen 4.5 in howitzers, in addition to eight First World War-era 18-pounder field guns.

In April 1940, the division marched back to the Borders, and used the move as a training exercise. Elements of the division were then used to provide logistical support for units en route to fight in the Norwegian Campaign. On 9 April, following the start of the campaign, the second-line infantry divisions were requested to each form an independent infantry company of 289 volunteers, who would be deployed to Norway. The 15th Division formed No. 10 Independent Company, but it was not deployed. When the campaign ended in failure, the division was ordered to move south into England to make room for the returning troops. This move promoted Kirke to complain that the division was being moved against his wishes, despite the defensive role assigned to it for southern Scotland. The move took the division to Wiltshire, with the intent to intensively prepare for its deployment to France. Following the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, the English east coast was seen as the area most under threat from German invasion. The division then moved to Essex to defend the coast from Harwich, in the north, to Southend-on-Sea, in the south. To prevent a German invasion, including potential tank attacks, the divisional artillery now comprised twelve 4.5 in howitzers, six 18-pounder field guns, and four Ordnance QF 2-pounder anti-tank guns (compared to an establishment of 48). This was roughly on par with the other eight divisions that had been assigned to defend the coast, although the 15th was one of only two that included anti-tank guns. Additional equipment included 47 Boys anti-tank rifles (against an establishment of 361), 63 Universal Carriers (establishment of 140), and 590 Bren light machine guns (establishment of 644). The division co-operated with the forming Local Defence Volunteers, laid landmines, and erected anti-invasion obstacles within its operating area.

On 9 July, George VI inspected elements of the division at Colchester. The next month, on 2 August, Lieutenant-General Alan Brooke, now Commander-in-Chief, Home Forces, visited the division. Brooke recorded in his diary "Do not think much of [Le Fanu], and doubtful whether he is good enough." Regarding the division's rank and file, he wrote they were "good but [require] a great deal more training." On 23 August, Le Fanu was replaced by Major-General Robert Cotton Money. On 31 October, George VI visited the divisional headquarters, and provided authorization for the lion rampant, from Royal Arms of Scotland, to be added within the 'O' of the divisional insignia. The division remained on the coast, and trained through to the end of the year.

On 30 January 1941, Major-General Oliver Leese took command of the division. Later in the month, the division moved northeast to Suffolk, in East Anglia. The division maintained a coastal defence role, with the 44th Brigade based at Lowestoft, the 45th Brigade situated between Dunwich and Aldeburgh, and the 46th Brigade between Orford and Felixstowe. This left a gap between the 44th and the 45th Brigades, which was filled by the 37th Independent Infantry Brigade. This brigade reported directly to XI Corps, and was not part of the division. On 17 June 1941, Major-General Philip Christison replaced Leese. By September, the division's artillery regiments had all been outfitted with a full complement of 25-pounder field guns.

Divisional changes
Due to the large number of men allocated to the infantry, in 1941, the British Army instituted reforms to build-up other arms and formations. As a result, several divisions were to be disbanded or reduced. This included the 15th (Scottish), which was placed on the lower establishment in November 1941. This meant that the division was detailed for home defence, compared to a higher establishment division that were intended to be deployed overseas for combat. The division was stripped of artillery and engineer units, and used as a source of reinforcements for oversea units. After being downgraded, the division moved north to Northumberland. It took up position at Newcastle and along the coast north of the city, as well as continued training. On 14 May 1942, Major-General Charles Bullen-Smith took command.

On 5 January 1943, the 45th Brigade was removed from the division and replaced by the 6th Guards Tank Brigade. This brought the division inline with the 'mixed division' concept. Lieutenant-General Giffard Le Quesne Martel, head of the Royal Armoured Corps, described this as "the absorption of the armoured forces into the rest of the army", which required a division to decrease from three to two infantry brigades, and have a tank brigade, equipped with infantry tanks, assigned in place of the lost infantry. On 28 March 1943, the division was raised to the higher establishment, officially as a 'mixed division'. It was intended to bring the division up to strength, an establishment of 16,119 men and 205 tanks, by June. Accordingly, additional units were transferred to the division. Training now had an emphasis on combined arms warfare. The division was assigned to the VIII Corps, on 20 June 1943. The following month, on 14 July, the division was brought back up to a strength of three infantry brigades, while still retaining the tank brigade, when the 227th (Highland) Infantry Brigade joined. On 27 August 1943, Major-General Gordon MacMillan arrived from commanding a brigade in combat in North Africa, to take command of the division.

On 5 September, the 'mixed division' concept was abandoned as it was considered to have not been successful, and the 6th Guards Tank Brigade left on 9 September. The division then moved to Yorkshire, and was based around Bradford, Harrogate, and Leeds. The remainder of the 1943 and the opening of 1944 was used to conduct extensive training and divisional exercises, as the division had been assigned to partake in Operation Overlord, the invasion of German-occupied France. In February 1944, General Bernard Montgomery, commander of the 21st Army Group, the main Allied formation in Operation Overlord, visited the division and addressed the men. In the following weeks, the division was visited by George VI, Queen Elizabeth, their daughter Elizabeth, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and the VIII Corps commander Lieutenant-General Richard O'Connor. In April, the division moved to Sussex, and was concentrated in camps in the Brighton area. The division's advanced parties departed for London on 8 June, and moved to France on 13 June. On 11 June, the division proper started to move to marshalling areas in London and Southampton, and were transported to France piecemeal with the last unit not arriving until 24 June.

Operation Epsom

The Norman city of Caen was the primary British objective during the Normandy landings, and was seen as key for future operations. However, the city did not fall on 6 June, and was not taken in follow-up fighting. The recently assembled VIII Corps was assigned to a renewed effort to capture the city. Operation Epsom intended for the corps to attack to the west of Caen, cross the Odon and Orne rivers, capture an area of high ground near Bretteville-sur-Laize and thereby encircle the city. The operation was the 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division's baptism of fire, and it was assigned a key role in the opening phases: to clear several villages that stood between them and the Odon, and to capture bridges to allow the 11th Armoured Division to cross the river and race for Bretteville-sur-Laize. Afterwards, the 15th Division would clear the Odon river valley.

Phase I of the attack was conducted by the 44th and the 46th Brigades, supported by Churchill tanks from the 31st Tank Brigade and specialist tanks from the 79th Armoured Division. Both brigades attacked at 07:30 behind a rolling barrage. German mortar fire responded immediately. Despite delays caused by minefields and German holdouts in the forward area, the brigades captured most of their objectives before noon: La Gaule, Le Haut, and Cheux. An effort by the 46th Brigade to advance 2000 yd to the southeast of Cheux, to capture a hill, was partially successful. They seized the northern slope, but the Germans retained the southern. Elements of the 44th Brigade were engaged in an all day struggle to capture and hold St Mauvieu, which they did after fending off several counterattacks. Both brigades suffered mounting losses. The historian Carlo D'Este highlighted the 46th Brigade's 2nd Battalion, Glasgow Highlanders, who suffered around 200 casualties including 12 officers. This represented 24 per cent of the battalion's officers and "nearly 25% of the entire rifle battalion."

Phase II of the attack started late, around 18:00, as the 227th Brigade was delayed by traffic congestion at Cheux. As it moved south, the brigade was engaged by German tanks and made little progress. However, one company broke through the German lines and reached Colleville. On the morning of 27 June, the 46th Brigade secured the northern slope of the hill that had been previously denied to them. Afterwards, both the 44th and the 46th Brigades were relieved by the 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division. Part of the 227th Brigade made little progress pushing south beyond Cheux, due to mortar fire and German tanks, although they repulsed one attack and destroyed four tanks. The rest of the brigade cleared Colleville, captured Tourville-sur-Odon, destroyed additional German tanks, and by the afternoon had seized the bridge across the Odon at Tourmauville. This allowed the 11th Armoured Division to cross and proceed with the operation.

Fighting continued the next day, with most of the division involved. Additional bridges and villages were secured along the Odon valley. This included Gavrus, which was taken by the 2nd Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and who were then left isolated. The Germans also began a counterattack on the north side of the Odon into the division's western flank. The back and forth fighting, which spread to both sides of the Odon, continued through 29 June and resulted in the division fending off the attacks and was able to secure additional territory. The historian Lloyd Clark placed the division's defensive success on "careful positioning", taking advantage of terrain, as well as "excellent leadership and tactical prowess at the small unit level." Due to heavy casualties suffered by the 2nd Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, they withdrew and the division ceded control of Gavrus on 30 June. During the course of the day, additional counterattacks on the division were repulsed. The 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division then relieved the 15th, although the 44th Brigade remained engaged through July 1. They repulsed further German counterattacks, and were relieved by the Welsh division on 2 July.

Hugh Martin, the author of the divisional history, described Epsom as the "fiercest fighting that the Division was to know in the whole war", which captured 10 sqmi of territory, and resulted in "one-quarter" of all casualties suffered by the division through the entire campaign. The division suffered 288 men killed, 1,638 wounded, and 794 men missing. D'Este commented that the number of riflemen in a division was around 4,600, and the losses suffered by the division represented "in excess of 50%" of the division's infantry.

Normandy, July
The next divisional action was limited to artillery support, with the artillery supporting a Canadian effort to capture the Carpiquet airfield during Operation Windsor on 4 July. By 7 July, the division had been reinforced to make up most of its Epsom losses. The 44th and the 46th Brigades were then assigned to support the 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division during Operation Jupiter. The 44th Brigade occupied positions along the Odon river, previously held by the 227th Brigade during Operation Epsom. This freed up the 43rd Division, for their attack on the dominant high ground south of the river. The 44th Brigade supported this effort by engaging in mutual mortar bombardments with the Germans on the heights. The 46th Brigade, supported by elements of the 7th Royal Tank Regiment, cleared the area between the Odon and Orne near Eterville. They also supported the 43rd Division by taking control of several hamlets that the latter had captured, and fended off several counterattacks. By 10 July, both brigades had been relieved.

On 12 July, the division was assigned to XII Corps, and three days later attacked towards Bougy, Evrecy, and Maizet, as part of Operation Greenline; a diversionary attack in support of Operation Goodwood. German resistance and counterattacks, heavy fighting, flanking fire, and a direct hit on one of the brigade's tactical headquarters caused delays and communication breakdowns. In the end, the division captured Bougy, fell short of taking Evrecy, and failed to advance on Maizet. However, the fighting had attracted German armour reserves away from the Goodwood battle area, and thus achieved the operation's objective.

Breakout from Normandy
On 23 July, the division relocated to Caumont and relieved the 5th US Infantry Division. This was part of a strategic realignment of the Normandy beachhead, as the British Second Army shifted three divisions west to allow the American First Army to launch a breakout offensive. In support, the British Army launched Operation Bluecoat that aimed to secure the American flank and reach the town of Vire. The division was faced by the recently arrived 326th Infantry Division, who took over well-prepared defenses that were behind a minefield. For Bluecoat, the division reverted to the command of VIII Corps and was supported by mine-clearing tanks, Churchill tanks, and Churchill Crocodiles. On 30 July, the division attacked through the Normandy bocage, with the goal of reaching Hill 309 by the end of the day. The infantry were soon subjected to heavy artillery fire, while terrain and mines resulted in the infantry and tanks separating. The division's first objective was Sept-Vents and a nearby wood. It was intended to be captured by 09:55, but it took six-hours to achieve this due to mines, traffic jams, heavy fighting, and the methodical clearing of the village. In the meantime, the supporting tanks pressed forward alone and captured Hill 309 in the mid-afternoon, around the same time Sept-Vents was cleared. They then held the hill until relieved by the advancing Scottish infantry, around 22:00.

The following day, the division consolidated their captured positions, while two armoured divisions continued the corps' attack. On 1 August, the division fended off numerous counterattacks that were launched upon its positions, primarily by the 21st Panzer Division, over a 12-hour period. Over the following days, while most of the division retained their defensive position, elements were used to clear territory captured or bypassed by the advancing armour. During this period, MacMillan was wounded by shell fire and was replaced by the 46th Brigade commander, Colin Muir Barber, who was made a major-general. On 6 August, the leading elements of the division reached Estry and the nearby Hill 208, and fought a back and forth battle for both locations over the following days. On 13 August, the division was transferred to near Caen, and ended its participation in the Normandy fighting.

The Allied advance culminated in the defeat of the German military in Normandy at the Falaise Pocket. Afterwards, the Second Army advanced towards the Seine, in pursuit of the retreating German forces, with XII Corps spearheaded by the 15th Division. Late on 26 August, the division crossed the river largely unopposed. Additional crossings, meeting light resistance, were made under the cover of darkness the next morning. The bridgehead was then consolidated.

Belgium and the Netherlands

On 2 September, one battalion moved east from the Seine and was followed by the rest of the division the next day. Four days later, the bulk of the division arrived at Courtrai, Belgium, and immediately shelled retreating German forces. Over the following days, the division cleared the area between the Scheldt and the Lys rivers, and took several hundred prisoners. The Glasgow Highlanders (46th Brigade) were dispatched to reinforce the effort to take Ghent. They fought an opposed crossing of the Ghent–Terneuzen Canal on 9 September, and spent the following two days engaged in close fighting in and around the northern section of the city as they cleared it building by building, and took several hundred more prisoners.

The division then moved into the bridgehead that had been established over the Albert Canal, at Gheel. From this foothold, on 14 September, the division launched several assaults to cross the Meuse-Escaut Canal (referred to as the 'Junction Canal' in the divisional history). They were only able to secure one bridgehead, at Aart, and battled to hold it over the next six days. The bridgehead, around 400 yd in depth, was heavily contested by the Germans and caused the division 700 casualties. This action was credited with diverting German resources away from Joe's Bridge, where XXX Corps began their assault from at the start of Operation Market Garden. On 20 September, the 7th Armoured Division relieved the 15th Division, which (minus the 227th Brigade) moved east to Lommel, and took up position in a bridgehead that had been secured by the 53rd Division.

Operation Market Garden intended to land the First Allied Airborne Army behind German lines to seize six bridges and other key areas, to facilitate an advance by XXX Corps through the Netherlands and across the Rhine and into Germany. XII Corp was assigned to protect the left flank of XXX Corps' advance. Consequently, the 15th Division crossed the Wilhelmina Canal (Wilhelminakanaal), unopposed on 21 September, and advanced towards the village of Best, on the northwest outskirts of Eindhoven. 'D' Company of the 7th Seaforth Highlanders (46th Brigade) entered the village the next day and believed it to be unoccupied. However, their arrival had surprised the German garrison, and after the loss of 33 men, 'D' Company withdrew. The 46th Brigade and the divisional reconnaissance regiment the launched further attacks, which turned into a five-day battle for control of the village. It saw methodical house to house fighting, and repeated assaults to clear German forces out of the train station and cement factory on the south side of the village. Meanwhile, the 44th Brigade was initially held in reserve, to be used to clear the road that XXX Corps had advanced along, if needed. But on 24 September, it was released from this duty. It and the 227th Brigade (which had now rejoined the division) attacked northwards, and cleared the area up to the river Dommel and captured several hamlets. Martin recounted that a medical officer from the 44th Brigade strayed into German lines while searching for wounded soldiers, during this period. After giving his word not to provide intelligence to the division, he was released to continue his search for the wounded. Operation Haggis followed, which was the relief of the division by the 51st (Highland) Infantry Division and was finalized on 3 October. Afterwards, the division was then given a three-week break at Helmond, east of Eindhoven. This time was used to rest, reinforce, train, and a 'Battle School' was formed.

The division was then assigned to VIII Corps, which was tasked with defeating three German divisions that were based west of the Meuse along the eastern flank of the corridor captured during Operation Market Garden. Prior to the 15th (Scottish) being committed to this, Montgomery assigned the division back to XII Corps that been tasked with attacking west from the corridor. This operation, codenamed Operation Pheasant, was designed to support the ongoing effort to clear the Scheldt estuary. The division's task was to capture the town of Tilburg. On 20 October, the division moved back to Best, and started their advance three days later. German forces had largely abandoned the area in front of the division, so the initial move was unopposed. On 26 October, a brief action was fought to capture the town of Oisterwijk. The next day, the division (now supported by the 4th Armoured Brigade and the Dutch Princess Irene Brigade) advanced into the Tilburg, and seized key points throughout the city. Martin claimed that the division skirmished with Dutch Waffen SS units in Tilburg. The following day, the division conducted a clearing operation, and then declared the city liberated. On 30 October, the division entered Asten, south of Helmond, in response a German counterattack launched to the east of Eindhoven.

The division then fought at Meijel, Blerwick, the Battle of Broekhuizen.

Germany

The division then entered Germany, and fought in Operation Veritable, crossed the Rhine, took part in Operation Plunder in late March 1945, part of the Western Allied invasion of Germany.

The particular distinction for the 15th Scottish was to be selected to lead the last set piece river crossing of the war, the assault across the River Elbe (Operation Enterprise) on 29 April 1945 spearheaded by the 1st Commando Brigade, after which they fought on to the Baltic occupying both Lübeck and Kiel. The 15th (Scottish) was the only division of the British Army during the Second World War to be involved in three of the six major European river assault crossings; the Seine, the Rhine and the Elbe.

On 10 April 1946, the 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division was finally disbanded. Its battle casualties– killed, wounded and missing – in nearly eleven months of fighting were 11,772 with over 1,500 men killed. According to D'Este, the "15th (Scottish) Division was considered to be the most effective and best led infantry division in 21st Army Group."

General officers commanding

The division had the following commanders:

title: 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division


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Liberal–Unionist

Liberal–Unionists were supporters of the Liberal Party of Canada who, as a result of the Conscription Crisis of 1917 rejected Sir Wilfrid Laurier's leadership and supported the coalition Unionist government of Sir Robert Borden.

Much of the Ontario Liberal Party declared themselves to be Liberal–Unionists, including provincial party leader Newton Rowell, who joined Borden's Cabinet, and a variety of Liberal MPs.

In the 1917 election, many Liberals ran as Liberal–Unionists or Unionists against the Laurier Liberals.

After the war, most Liberal–Unionists rejoined the Liberal Party despite efforts by Borden and Arthur Meighen to make the coalition permanent by renaming the Conservative party the National Liberal and Conservative Party. Several Liberal–Unionists ended up staying with the Conservatives including Hugh Guthrie and Robert Manion.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Liberal–Unionist


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Chief of Staff of the United States Army

The chief of staff of the Army (CSA) is a statutory position in the United States Army held by a general officer. As the highest-ranking officer assigned to serve in the Department of the Army, the chief is the principal military advisor and a deputy to the secretary of the Army. In a separate capacity, the CSA is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and, thereby, a military advisor to the National Security Council, the secretary of defense, and the president of the United States. The CSA is typically the highest-ranking officer on active duty in the U.S. Army unless the chairman or the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are Army officers.

The chief of staff of the Army is an administrative position based in the Pentagon. While the CSA does not have operational command authority over Army forces proper (which is within the purview of the Combatant Commanders who report to the Secretary of Defense), the CSA does exercise supervision of army units and organizations as the designee of the Secretary of the Army.

The current Chief of Staff of the Army is General Randy George, who was sworn in on 21 September 2023, having previously served as acting CSA from 4 August.

Appointment
The chief of staff of the Army is nominated for appointment by the president, for a four-year term of office, and must be confirmed by the Senate. The chief can be reappointed to serve one additional term, but only during times of war or national emergency declared by Congress. By statute, the chief is appointed as a four-star general.

The chief has an official residence, Quarters 1 at Joint Base Myer–Henderson Hall, Virginia.

Responsibilities
The senior leadership of the Department of the Army consists of two civilians—the secretary of the Army (head of the department and subordinate to the secretary of defense) and the under secretary of the Army—and two military officers—the chief of staff of the Army and the vice chief of staff of the Army.

The chief reports directly to the secretary of the Army for army matters and assists in the Secretary's external affairs functions, including presenting and enforcing army policies, plans, and projections. The chief also directs the inspector general of the Army to perform inspections and investigations as required. In addition, the chief presides over the Army Staff and represents Army capabilities, requirements, policy, plans, and programs in Joint forums. Under delegation of authority made by the secretary of the Army, the chief designates army personnel and army resources to the commanders of the unified combatant commands. The chief performs all other functions enumerated in under the authority, direction, and control of the Secretary of the Army, or delegates those duties and responsibilities to other officers in his administration in his name. Like the other service counterparts, the chief has no operational command authority over army forces, dating back to the passage of the Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1958. The chief is served by a number of Deputy Chiefs of Staff of the Army, such as G-1, Personnel. The chief's base pay is $21,147.30 per month and also received a Personal Money Allowance (Monthly Amount) of $333.33, a basic allowance for subsistence of $253.38, and a basic allowance for housing from $50.70 to $1,923.30.

History
Until 1903, the senior military officer in the army was the Commanding General of the United States Army, who reported to the Secretary of War. From 1864 to 1865, Major General Henry Halleck (who had previously been Commanding General) served as "Chief of Staff of the Army" under the Commanding General, Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant, thus serving in a different office and not as the senior officer in the army.

The first chief of staff moved his headquarters to Fort Myer in 1908.

List of chiefs of staff of the Army
The rank listed is the rank when serving in the office.


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Grammy Award for Best Polka Album

The Grammy Award for Best Polka Album was an award presented at the Grammy Awards to recording artists for quality polka albums. Honors in several categories are presented at the ceremony annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position".

Originally called the Grammy Award for Best Polka Recording, the award was first presented to Frankie Yankovic in 1986. Previously, polka recordings had been placed in the folk category. While neither Billboard nor the Recording Industry Association of America tracked polka sales at the time the award category was introduced, polka musicians viewed its inclusion as a sign of respect and increasing popularity. In 1987, a tie vote resulted in awards being presented to Jimmy Sturr and His Orchestra for the album I Remember Warsaw as well as to Eddie Blazonczyk's Versatones for the album Another Polka Celebration. In 1992, the name of the category was changed to Best Polka Album. Beginning in 2001, award recipients included the producers, engineers, and/or mixers associated with the nominated work in addition to the recording artists. The Academy retired the award category in 2009 to remain "relevant and responsive" to the music community.

Sturr holds the record for the most wins in this category, with a total of eighteen (including six as the leader of the group known as Jimmy Sturr and His Orchestra). Sturr also holds the record for the most consecutive Grammy wins. Walter Ostanek received the award three times consecutively, and the band Brave Combo was presented the award twice. American artists were presented with the award more than any other nationality, though it was presented to Ostanek and his band from Canada three times. Lenny Gomulka holds the record for the most nominations without a win, with twelve.

Recipients
undefined Each year is linked to the article about the Grammy Awards held that year.

Category retirement
In 2009, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences announced the retirement of the award category. President and CEO Neil Portnow stated that the Academy needed to do so in order to remain a "relevant and responsive" organization within a "dynamic music community". Polka musicians and fans were disappointed with the category elimination. Three-time award winner Walter Ostanek admitted he "[felt] sorry for the future artists" that would fail to be recognized by the Academy. Carl Finch of the group Brave Combo stated the following: "Having a polka category was the most important step to legitimacy that we could ever hope to achieve. To have that taken away, it's like it was all for nothing." Apart from ensuring that the "awards process remains representative of the current musical landscape", the Academy cited dwindling competition as one reason for the category retirement. Others speculated that Jimmy Sturr's eighteen wins led to the elimination. Due to the elimination of a polka-specific category, polka musicians are likely to submit recordings in the folk and world music categories.

In 2011, the Grammy Award organization announced a major overhaul of Grammy categories, lowering the number of awards from over 120 to just 78. Several regional American roots genres, such as Hawaiian music or Native American music, were combined in the new Best Regional Roots Music Album category, for which polka albums would also be eligible.

title: Grammy Award for Best Polka Album


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15th Division

In military terms, 15th Division or 15th Infantry Division may refer to:

Infantry divisions

 * 15th Infantry Division (Belgium)
 * 15th Infantry Division (France)
 * 15th Motorized Infantry Division (France)
 * 15th Division (German Empire), a unit of the Prussian/German Army, later 15th Infantry Division
 * 15th Landwehr Division (German Empire)
 * 15th Reserve Division (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army in World War I
 * 15th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht), formed on 1 October 1934 in Würzburg under the cover name Artillerieführer V
 * 15th Panzergrenadier Division (Wehrmacht)
 * 15th Infantry Division (Greece), (Greek: XV Μεραρχία Πεζικού (XV ΜΠ); XV Merarchía Pezikoú), an infantry division of the Hellenic Army
 * 15th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Latvian), an Infantry Division of the Waffen SS during World War II
 * 15th Division (Imperial Japanese Army), an infantry division in the Imperial Japanese Army
 * 15th Infantry Division (India), British Indian Army during World War I
 * 15th Infantry Division (Iraq)
 * 15th Infantry Division Bergamo (Italy)
 * 15th Division (North Korea), a military formation of the Korean People's Army during the 20th Century
 * 15th Infantry Division (Philippines)
 * 15th Infantry Division (Poland), a unit of the Polish Army in the interbellum period
 * 15th Infantry Division (Thailand)
 * 15th (Scottish) Division, an infantry division of the British Army that fought in the First World War
 * 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, an infantry division of the British Army that fought in the Second World War
 * 15th Infantry Division (United States)
 * 15th Rifle Division (Soviet Union), a military formation of the Red Army active during the Russian Civil War and World War II
 * 15th Special Forces Division, Syria

Cavalry divisions

 * 15th Cavalry Division (Russian Empire)
 * 15th Cavalry Division (United States), created in 1917 at Fort Sam Houston, Texas

Armored divisions

 * 15th Panzer Division (Wehrmacht)

Aviation divisions

 * 15th Fighter Aviation Division (People's Liberation Army Air Force)

Air defense divisions

 * 15th Air Defense Division (Yugoslavia)

title: 15th Division


text:
Baron Hardinge of Penshurst

Baron Hardinge of Penshurst, in the County of Kent, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1910 for the diplomat the Hon. Sir Charles Hardinge, Viceroy and Governor-General of India from 1910 to 1916. He was the second son of Charles Hardinge, 2nd Viscount Hardinge. His son, the second Baron, served as private secretary to both King Edward VIII and King George VI.

the title is held by the latter's grandson, the fourth Baron, who succeeded his father in 1997.

Barons Hardinge of Penshurst (1910)

 * Charles Hardinge, 1st Baron Hardinge of Penshurst (1858–1944)
 * Alexander Henry Louis Hardinge, 2nd Baron Hardinge of Penshurst (1894–1960)
 * George Edward Charles Hardinge, 3rd Baron Hardinge of Penshurst (1921–1997)
 * Julian Alexander Hardinge, 4th Baron Hardinge of Penshurst (b. 1945)

The heir presumptive is the present holder's brother, Hon. Hugh Francis Hardinge (b. 1948).

title: Baron Hardinge of Penshurst


text:
Beornwulf of Mercia

Beornwulf; Old English for "Bear Wolf"; (died 826) was the King of Mercia, a kingdom of Anglo-Saxon England, from 823 until his death in 826. His short reign saw the collapse of Mercia's supremacy over the other kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy.

Biography
Beornwulf became King of Mercia in 823 following the deposition of King Ceolwulf I. His family, as well as the majority of his background, are unknown. However, Beornwulf may be distantly related to a prior Mercian king, Beornred, as well as two subsequent rulers, Beorhtwulf and Burgred— all members of the so-called B-dynasty or group. Though this is only speculation, alliterative names were prevalent in Anglo-Saxon royal families, and the confirmed kin of these leaders also had names that began with B.

Prior to becoming king, Beornwulf is mentioned as having witnessed a charter of King Coenwulf in 812 and another of King Ceolwulf I in 823, but his position on each of these charters suggests that he was not of an exceptionally high rank.

In 825 Beornwulf marched against the West Saxons. Beornwulf's army met them at Ellandun (now Wroughton near Swindon in Wiltshire). Although the details are unknown, the battle ended in a disastrous defeat for the Mercians, and is seen by historians as the end of the so-called Mercian Supremacy. That same year, Ecgberht's son Æthelwulf invaded Kent and drove out its pro-Mercian king, Baldred.

In the wake of these events, Mercia's dominance in southern England rapidly unravelled. Essex and Sussex switched their loyalty to Ecgberht; and the East Anglians asked for Ecgberht's protection against the Mercians in the same year. Beornwulf was killed by the East Anglians in battle while attempting to put down a rebellion.

Beornwulf rebuilt the Abbey of St. Peter (later Gloucester Cathedral) and he presided over two synods at Clofesho (an unknown location believed to be near London with Archbishop Wulfred of Canterbury, in 824 and 825. A Kentish charter shows that Beornwulf still had authority in Kent on 27 March 826 – S1267, issued on that date, is said to be in the third year of Beornwulf's reign. Coins minted during Beornwulf's reign are very rare, with only around 25 known examples.

title: Beornwulf of Mercia


text:
User talk:Drcontr

Greetings :-). Finally someone who can take care of all those gaping holes in the economy section of this site. All of them, you hear me? ;-) DrZ

 * That's quite a challenge. Although the economics section is not as bad as the accounting section. Good to have another business/economics specialist on board. There are some links on my homepage that you might find useful.mydogategodshat 04:41, 29 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Germans
I've for long (a year, actually) been itched by the way Wikipedia-links are done with often sloppy distinctions between nationality, citizenship and ethnicity (with regard to persons) and also between nations and countries. This is particularly obvious in the case of people or entities that are denoted as German. A link to the Federal Republic of Germany is often outright unhistorical and wrong, but this has until now been the most usual.

Therefore I'm considering an article on Germans, which I've started at User:Ruhrjung/Germans. I would wish to avoid lots of edit wars. In particular, I would not wish to see the current disputes over German-Polish matters automatically extend also to this article, why I kindly ask you for comments now, in advance, in order to try to find wordings acceptable to as many as possible of concerned wikipedians.

I look forward to your comments at User talk:Ruhrjung/Germans. --Ruhrjung 23:38, 14 Apr 2004 (UTC)

Wikipedians/Germany is being replaced by a category
Hello! You were listed on the Wikipedians/Germany page as living in or being associated with Germany. As part of the User categorisation project, these lists are being replaced with user categories. If you would like to add yourself to the category that is replacing the page, or one of the Bundesland-based subcategories, please visit Category:Wikipedians in Germany for instructions. --Angr ( tɔk ) 14:51, 15 January 2006 (UTC)

title: User talk:Drcontr


text:
Wah Mee massacre

The Wah Mee massacre was a mass shooting that occurred during the night of February 18–19, 1983, in the Wah Mee gambling club at the Louisa Hotel in Seattle, Washington, United States. Fourteen people were bound, robbed and shot by three gunmen, 22-year-old Kwan Fai "Willie" Mak (Chinese: 麥群輝; pinyin: Mài Qúnhuī; jyutping: mak6 kwan4 fai1), 20-year old Keung Kin "Benjamin" Ng (Chinese: 伍強健; pinyin: Wǔ Qiángjiàn; jyutping: ng5 koeng4 gin6) and 25-year-old Wai Chiu "Tony" Ng (Chinese: 伍偉超; pinyin: Wǔ Wěichāo; jyutping: ng5 wai5 ciu1; no relation). Thirteen of the victims died, but 61-year-old Wai Yok Chin (Chinese: 陳蔚鈺), a former U.S. Navy sailor and Pai Gow dealer at the Wah Mee, survived to testify against the three in the separate high-profile trials held between 1983 and 1985.

Mak and Benjamin Ng were both given life imprisonment, after Mak's initial death sentence was overturned in 1988, while Tony Ng received a 30-year sentence, serving 28 years before he was released and deported to his native Hong Kong in 2014. It remains the deadliest mass murder in the history of Washington State.

Louisa Hotel and Wah Mee Club
The Louisa Hotel was built in 1909. Paul Woo purchased the building in 1963 for US$160000 1963. Both before and after that purchase, it functioned as a single room occupancy hotel (SRO) with street-level spaces for shops and restaurants until 1970, when tightened building codes led to the closure of the SRO portion.

Two nightclubs operated illegally in the basement space of the hotel by the 1920s. The one in the western half, entered from Maynard Alley South, was originally named Blue Heaven. At its height, patrons of many ethnic backgrounds visited to partake in gambling, dancing and other forms of entertainment. By the 1950s, the club had been renamed to Wah Mee, known for high-stakes gaming. The Wah Mee operated illegally, as contemporary local blue laws required clubs to close before midnight; it was raided by police in 1972. By the 1980s, the Wah Mee had gained a much seedier reputation as a dive bar.

Planning and motive
Regulars at the Wah Mee included many wealthy restaurant owners, several of whom were among the victims. Many of the victims were members of the Bing Kung Tong out of San Francisco. According to witnesses for the subsequent prosecution, Willie Mak had been planning the robbery for some time, discussing on multiple occasions his idea to rob a gambling club and kill the witnesses. He eventually enlisted the help of Benjamin Ng; both Ng and Mak were born in Guangdong Province, had previously attended Cleveland High School, were members of the Hop Sing Tong. and worked at the same restaurant in Blaine in 1981. Both were also suspects in prior crimes, including the killing of two Chinese women in Beacon Hill on July 16, 1982. Ng was also known to have shot and injured a teenager named Michael Chinn in 1981, after the victim had confronted Ng about him slashing the tires of his car.

Tony Ng (no relation to Benjamin Ng), who had also attended Cleveland High School with them, was brought into the group as a "last-minute recruit". According to Tony's testimony at his 1985 trial, he owed Mak $1,000 after gambling with Mak the night before the massacre. Mak offered to forgive the debt if he would participate in a shakedown at the Wah Mee. The day before the robbery, Tony borrowed $1,000 to repay Mak; instead of accepting the money, Mak drew a gun, shot a bullet at Ng's feet, and threatened to kill Ng and his girlfriend, then destroy the Ng family's restaurant, if Ng went to the police.

Security at the Wah Mee was based in part on a system of passing through two sets of locked doors, which had been used in similar Chinatown gambling dens for generations and had usually been quite effective. The security office at the front of the club had four rows of opaque glass blocks; one block facing the vestibule was transparent so the security guard on duty could identify patrons and staff. The outer set of doors could only be unlocked from the inside by the guard. Mak and his accomplices defeated the system only because they were known and trusted by the people at the club. During the initial investigation, police stated there were no signs of resistance from the victims; a spokesman said he "believe[d] they recognized [the killers]." Their presumed intent in killing all occupants was to leave no witnesses, since club patrons could have readily identified them — as the one survivor, dealer Wai Yok Chin, did.

Sequence
On the night of February 18, 1983, Chin arrived at approximately 11:50–11:55 PM for his regular shift as a pai gow dealer, which started at midnight. Shortly after his shift began, he saw either Mak or Benjamin (the identity varies depending on the source), both of whom he recognized as club patrons, enter with a man he did not know (later identified as Tony). Both Mak (or Benjamin) and Tony then drew their guns, ordering everyone to lie down on the club's lower level. At the time, there were ten other patrons and staff present besides the three gunmen. Approximately ten minutes later, either Benjamin or Mak entered the club; Mak stood on the club's upper level with a drawn gun, supervising Benjamin and Tony as they methodically hogtied each victim's hands and feet with rope, laying them on their stomachs before proceeding to rob the victims of their wallets and money.

While the robbery was in progress, four more patrons arrived; they too were bound and robbed. Chin convinced Tony, who was tying his bonds, to loosen the rope, as there was "no need to tie so tight, I'm an old man". Once everyone was tied up, Chin heard and was struck by gunfire in the neck and jaw, and lapsed into unconsciousness. Tony testified at trial that although he had a gun, he never used it and was forced to participate in the robbery under duress. According to Tony, Mak instructed him to take the money and leave after all the victims had been bound; he fled across the alley to the Hop Sing Club to wait for Mak and Benjamin. Tony further testified that he heard gunshots after he had already exited the Wah Mee. When Chin came to, he was able to loosen his ropes and staggered outside at 12:44 AM, where he was able to find help from three patrons who had been buzzing to gain entry to the club. After the police arrived, they found twelve dead; one more victim, Wah Mee manager John Loui, subsequently died of his injuries at the hospital, and Chin was the sole survivor.

According to the police, thirty-two shots were fired in total; twenty-six of those were fired from the same .22 caliber gun. Each victim had been shot in the head at least once.

Aftermath
Following the shooting, the doors to the Wah Mee were padlocked shut, and the contents were not disturbed after the police left. The club was never reopened, although the site was a popular stop for tour buses.

A spokesman for the Hop Sing Tong denied the massacre was an act of war against the Bing Kung Tong; Mak and Benjamin Ng were both members of the Hop Sing, and most of the victims were members of the Bing Kung. Chin, the sole survivor of the massacre, made a full recovery despite an early medical setback and possible assassination threats that forced prosecutors to depose him on videotape prior to the trials. He died in May 1993, aged 71.

The Louisa Hotel continued to host street-level businesses until a fire on Christmas Eve 2013 destroyed the top floor and interior of the building. The Woo family, who still owned the building, decided to demolish the fire-damaged portion (which included all of the former Wah Mee space) while retaining as much of the building as possible to preserve its contribution to the Chinatown Historic District. Demolition work was completed in April 2015. Reconstruction began February 12, 2018, with a blessing by Buddhist monks and a procession. The building reopened June 2019, with eighty-five rental apartments plus street-level retail and restaurant space.

Victims
All 13 victims, twelve men and one woman, were all of Cantonese-speaking Chinese origin. Four of the dead, 48-year-old John Loui, 54-year-old Hung Fat Gee (Chinese: 朱鴻發), 52-year-old Henning G. Chinn (Chinese: 陳亨寧) and 54-year-old Gim Lun Wong (Chinese: 黄锦伦), were employees at the Wah Mee (manager, cook/waiter and doormen respectively). The remaining eight were patrons, identified as 52-year-old restaurateur Moo Min Mar (Chinese: 馬禮佐), 47-year-old Jean Bick Chinn (Chinese: 陳碧珍; also Jean C. Mar), 60-year-old retired postal worker Jack Mar, 68-year-old Kokusai Theater projectionist Dewey Mar, 59-year-old line cook and former U.S. Army sergeant Wing Wong (Chinese: 王雄), 60-year-old fisherman and cook Lung Chin Wing (Chinese: 榮隆庆), 51-year-old car repair shop owner Chin Lee Law (Chinese: 羅千里), chef George Mar, and cook and legionnaire of Cathay Post 186 Chong L. Chin (Chinese: 陳中萊), both only described as being in their late 50's. Besides Moo Min Mar and Jean Chinn, who were husband and wife, none of the victims were related. With the exception of Henning Chinn, all victims were members of the Bing Kung Tong.

Arrests
Chin was able to identify both Mak and Benjamin for the police; the identity of the third gunman was unknown to him.

In the early morning of February 19, the Seattle police went to the home of Benjamin's brother, Stephen, who told them that Benjamin lived with his girlfriend in her parents' home. The police arrested Benjamin at the girlfriend's residence, where he had been sleeping. After obtaining a search warrant, the police returned later that afternoon to find $7,500 in cash, two loaded .38 caliber revolvers, an M-1 rifle and ammunition in the bedroom.

Mak called and turned himself in to police hours later. Shortly after his arrest, he confessed that he had "shot them all", a statement he later repudiated. Police recovered more guns and cash from Mak's home on February 19, but none of the guns matched those used in the murders. An unidentified third man, who accompanied Mak to the surrender, was questioned and released. Two men, including Mak's older brother, were accused of destroying evidence of the crime; Mak had borrowed a car from one of the men the night of the massacre.

Police identified Tony Ng as the third suspect and issued a federal warrant for his arrest on March 31, 1983. After speaking with his mother the morning after the massacre, Tony fled to Canada upon learning that thirteen people had been killed. The Bing Kung Tong offered a US$60000 1983 reward for information leading to his arrest and conviction. On June 15, 1984, Tony became the 387th person to be listed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. He was arrested October 4, 1984, in Calgary, Alberta, by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, acting on a tip made to Seattle police. At the time, Tony was working as an electronics assembly technician under the alias Jim Wong, living with a roommate who was unaware of his fugitive status; police suspected he had been partially supported by his family. His extradition to the U.S. was blocked by his Canadian lawyer until American authorities dropped the charges that could have resulted in the death penalty.

Trials and sentencing
On February 24, 1983, Mak and Benjamin were charged with thirteen counts of aggravated first-degree murder and one count of first degree assault. Benjamin was represented by Seattle defense lawyer John Henry Browne. Mak was represented by the associated counsel for the accused, lawyers Jim Robinson and Don Madsen. The State was represented by William Downing and Robert Lasnik. On March 22, Judge Frank D. Howard set a preliminary trial date for both Benjamin and Mak for April 20, but they were tried separately because the defense believed Mak would blame Ng. Tony was named the third suspect, charged in absentia on March 30, 1983, with thirteen counts of aggravated first-degree murder.

Benjamin Ng
On August 25, 1983, Benjamin was convicted on the thirteen counts of aggravated first-degree murder after two to three hours of deliberation and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on the next day. During the sentencing phase, Benjamin's mother testified on his behalf, stating the family had emigrated from Hong Kong in 1975; while still in Hong Kong, Benjamin had been beaten on the head repeatedly with a piece of wood, resulting in brain damage, as corroborated by medical experts.

Jury selection for the trial began on August 9. Initially, Ng's defense claimed he did not shoot anyone, as the weapons found in the bedroom of his girlfriend were a different caliber, but the prosecution asserted that .22 caliber shell casings recovered at the Wah Mee scene matched a gun that Ng once fired. During the trial, Ng's attorney conceded that he had participated in the robbery and was guilty of first-degree murder, but not aggravated first-degree murder; the distinction, had he been convicted of first-degree murder without aggravation, would have made him ineligible for the death penalty and would have raised the possibility of parole. The defense had contended that although Benjamin Ng had participated in planning the robbery, he did not plan to murder the victims to silence potential witnesses. The jury concluded that Ng had killed in furtherance of the robbery, justifying the aggravated murder enhancement.

Ng was sentenced to a 15th life sentence in December 1983, after testimony accusing him of the unrelated murder of Franklin E. Leach near Lake Washington on October 22, 1981, was introduced during Mak's trial.

Willie Mak
On October 6, 1983, Willie Mak was convicted of 13 counts of aggravated first degree murder and one count of first-degree assault and sentenced to death by hanging on October 22. On April 24, 1986, the Washington State Supreme Court upheld the verdict and death sentence.

Jury selection for the trial began on September 12. The defense were expected to blame an unnamed individual who wished to gain control over illegal gambling operations in Chinatown. At his trial, Mak claimed that he had only gone to the Wah Mee to rough up a patron as retaliation for the beating of a senior Hop Sing Tong official. Mak, a member of the Hop Sing along with Benjamin Ng, claimed he was directed to do so by Roy Chu, president of the Hop Sing, an allegation which Chu denied. According to Mak's testimony, Benjamin Ng and his companion were independently robbing the patrons and Mak left before any shooting occurred, but he heard "snapping sounds" as he left. In addition, Mak's lawyer argued that Benjamin Ng was the shooter at the Wah Mee by blaming Ng for the unsolved murder of Franklin Leach, aged 71, in 1981. According to Jim Robinson, Leach was shot when he jogged by Mak and Ng as they were dumping a stolen safe into Lake Washington. During the trial, prosecutors and police used hypnosis to change the testimony of a defense witness.

On February 17, 1987 the Washington State Supreme Court issued a stay of execution a month before Willie Mak's scheduled execution, but on May 2, 1988 the State Supreme Court let Mak's murder conviction stand. However, on November 10, 1988, Willie Mak's execution was delayed indefinitely by a federal judge. On January 8, 1991 U.S. District Judge William Dwyer overturned Willie Mak's death sentence, saying Mak's attorneys failed to present evidence on their client's background that could have saved his life. On July 16, 1992, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals refused to reinstate Mak's death sentence.

On November 9, 1994, a King County Superior Court judge denied Mak's bid for a new trial but allowed prosecutors to hold a new sentencing hearing. On February 15, 2002, a King County Superior Court judge scheduled a sentencing hearing for September 2002. On April 29, 2002, a King County Superior Court judge ruled that Mak will not face execution since the 1983 jury wasn't asked to determine how much of a role he had in the crime. Mak was resentenced to life without parole.

Tony Ng
Tony Ng was acquitted on April 19, 1985, of murder, but convicted of 13 counts of first-degree robbery and a single count of assault with a deadly weapon. Each robbery charge brought a minimum sentence of five years, some to be served consecutively. On July 3, 1985, Tony Ng was sentenced to 13 life terms, one for each count of first-degree robbery, which would mean a term of 35 years in total.

The jury selection for Tony Ng's trial was completed on April 4 after four days of proceedings. Tony Ng was represented at his trial by Mark Mestel and John Muenster. Defense attorneys questioned whether the 45-minute statement Ng gave to the RCMP upon his arrest in Calgary was admissible, as he had not been advised of his rights. Prior to the trial, prosecutors stated they would not seek the death penalty, as the earlier trials of Benjamin Ng and Mak showed that Tony Ng did not play a part in the planning of the crime. At his trial, the defense argued that Ng "had no reason in the world to [participate in the robbery]" and drew a contrast between the "homicidal maniacs" Mak and Benjamin Ng and his client, characterized as quiet, shy, and passive. The prosecution countered by asking why Mak and Benjamin Ng would "drag an unwilling witness into a crime that had as a central facet the elimination of all witnesses".

In 1997, federal magistrate John Weinberg concluded that Ng did not receive a fair trial in 1985 and recommended either his release or a new trial. No action was required unless a U.S. District Court judge acted on his recommendation.

On September 6, 2006, a parole board met to determine whether Tony Ng should receive parole on his 12th robbery term. If given parole, he would begin serving his 13th term, with the potential to be eligible for parole and freed in 2010. Both former King County Prosecuting Attorney Norm Maleng and former Seattle Police Chief Patrick Fitzsimons asked the parole board to deny parole on the 12th count. Relatives of the victims who came to the hearing expressed outrage that they were not made aware of previous parole hearings and that Tony Ng was so close to possible release because of it. Ng was denied parole in 2007, which meant he could not begin serving time on the final count.

In December 2009, the parole of Tony Ng again came before the state parole board; relatives of the victims again spoke before the board, urging against his release. On February 2010, a parole board unanimously decided "now is the time to parole Mr. [Tony] Ng to his final count." On October 24, 2013, Tony Ng was granted parole. Although the relatives of the victims continued to oppose the parole, he was released on October 25, 2013, from state prison directly to the Northwest detention center in Tacoma, into the custody of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for deportation proceedings. He was deported to Hong Kong on May 13, 2014.

title: Wah Mee massacre


text:
User talk:Paul Vogel/216.99.245.171

I deleted the huge amount of text that you posted on Talk:The Turner Diaries becuase 1-it was excessive largely and 2-it was copyrighted. Other than that, you can't just delete people's comments from Talk pages. RickK 01:55, 24 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Hello, the fair use laws allow one to post up to a chapter on any given topic from any copyrighted book, to make ones case. You and others have often POV deleted and edited and mis-directed articles, so you are one to talk about deletions.

title: User talk:Paul Vogel/216.99.245.171


text:
Talk:B-52 (hairstyle)

I cut "called a B52"- is there any reason to repeat this?

 * No, well spotted, it was my error. Mark Richards 02:05, 24 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Nose cone?
I always thought it was named B-52 because it resembles a billowing mushroom cloud from a nuclear bomb (delivered by a B-52). There is really nothing distinctive about the shape of the B-52's nose cone, nor does the hair style resemble it. -- Paul Richter 01:47, 9 Oct 2004 (UTC)

title: Talk:B-52 (hairstyle)


text:
List of British corps in the First World War

List of military corps — List of British corps in the First World War

This is a list of British army corps that existed during the First World War. Most of the corps operated on the Western Front.

Infantry

 * I Corps – original BEF
 * II Corps – original BEF
 * III Corps – formed in France 1914
 * IV Corps – formed in Belgium 1914, transferred to BEF
 * V Corps – formed in France 1915
 * VI Corps – formed in France 1915
 * VII Corps – formed in France 1915
 * VIII Corps – formed in Gallipoli 1915, moved to France
 * IX Corps – formed in Gallipoli 1915, moved to France
 * X Corps – formed in France 1915
 * XI Corps – formed in France 1915, moved to Italy 1917
 * XII Corps – formed in France 1915, moved to Salonika
 * XIII Corps – formed in France 1915
 * XIV Corps – formed in France 1916, moved to Italy 1917
 * XV Corps – formed in Egypt 1915, reformed in France 1916
 * XVI Corps – formed in Salonika 1916
 * XVII Corps – formed in France 1916
 * XVIII Corps – formed in France 1917
 * XIX Corps – formed in France 1917
 * XX Corps – formed in Palestine 1917
 * XXI Corps – formed in Palestine 1917
 * XXII Corps – formed in France 1917
 * XXIII Corps – formed in England 1918

Cavalry/Mounted

 * Cavalry Corps
 * Desert Mounted Corps - formed in Palestine


text:
Elinor Caplan

Elinor Caplan (born May 20, 1944) is a businesswoman and former politician in Ontario, Canada. She served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1985 to 1997, and was a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of Canada from 1997 to 2004. A Liberal, she served as a cabinet minister in the provincial government of David Peterson and the federal government of Jean Chrétien.

Background
She was born in Toronto to Samuel S. Hershorn, a textile manufacturer, and his wife Thelma (Goodman) Hershorn, both of whose families had come to Canada from Russian Poland. Caplan attended Oakwood Collegiate Institute in Toronto, and then Centennial College. She then worked in real estate heading Elinor Caplan and Associates from 1973 to 1978. Her husband, Wilfred, sought election to the provincial legislature in the 1977 election, but was defeated. Caplan is Jewish, and is a longtime member of Canadian Hadassah-WIZO, a women's Zionist organization.

Municipal
She ran for office in 1978, when she was elected to the North York municipal council as an alderman.

Provincial
She ran for the provincial legislature in the 1981 election, but lost to Progressive Conservative David Rotenberg in the constituency of Wilson Heights.

She was elected to the Ontario legislature in the 1985 election, defeating Progressive Conservative incumbent John Williams by over 4,000 votes in the North York riding of Oriole. The Liberal Party formed a minority government after this election, and Caplan was appointed as Chair of the Management Board of Cabinet on June 26, 1985. She resigned her portfolio on June 16, 1986, following accusations of a conflict of interest relating to her husband's business dealings; while protesting her innocence, she claimed she had lost the confidence of the house. Caplan was subsequently exonerated by a parliamentary commission.

Caplan won a landslide re-election victory in the provincial election of 1987, She was reappointed to Peterson's cabinet on September 29, 1987, as Minister of Health. She held this position until the Liberals were defeated by the Ontario New Democratic Party in the 1990 election. Caplan defeated NDP candidate Lennox Farrell by just over 2,000 votes in the 1990 campaign, and remained a prominent figure in the official opposition, serving as Deputy House Leader in 1994–95.

In the 1995 election, Caplan narrowly retained her seat against a challenge from Progressive Conservative Paul Sutherland. She served as Chief Opposition Whip from 1995 to 1996, and retired from the legislature on May 1, 1997. (She was succeeded as the MPP for Oriole by her son, David Caplan, who went on to serve as a cabinet minister in the government of Dalton McGuinty.) In 1996, she supported Joseph Cordiano for the leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party.

Federal politics
Caplan was elected to the federal House of Commons in the 1997 election, defeating her closest opponent by more than 14,000 votes in the riding of Thornhill. She served as parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Health in 1998–99, and was appointed to cabinet as Minister of Citizenship and Immigration on August 3, 1999.

In the 2000 federal election, Caplan faced an inexperienced opponent from the Canadian Alliance and was easily re-elected. After a cabinet shuffle on January 15, 2002, Caplan was appointed Minister of National Revenue. She was dropped from cabinet when Paul Martin replaced Chrétien as Prime Minister in December 2003. She did not seek re-election in the 2004 election.

After politics
In late 2004, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty appointed Caplan to lead a provincial inquiry into the state of home-care medical services.

title: Elinor Caplan


text:
Khamsa

Khamsa (Arabic, ) may refer to:

 * Hamsa, a popular amulet in the Middle East and North Africa, also romanized as khamsa
 * Al Khamsa, a bloodline for Arabian horses that traces back to five mares
 * Al Khamsa (organization), a nonprofit organization in the United States that supports the breeding of Al Khamsa bloodline horses
 * Khamseh, a tribal people of Iran
 * Khamsa (film), a 2008 film
 * Khamsa, a quintet of five long Persian poems, such as the Khamsa of Nizami Ganjavi.

title: Khamsa


text:
List of presidents of departmental councils (France)

In France, the President of the Departmental Council (French: Président du Conseil départemental) is the locally elected head of the departmental council, the assembly governing a department in France. The position is elected by the departmental councillors from among their number. If there is a tie, the councillor senior of age is elected.

As per Articles L1111-1 to L7331-3 of the General code of local and regional authorities, the responsibilities of the President of the Departmental Council include:
 * Chairing the departmental authorities
 * Preparing and implementing the council's decisions
 * Collection of tax revenues
 * Representing the department in legal cases

History
In 1833, a law was enacted that gave each canton (subdivision of a department) representation of a councillor (Conseiller général).

As a result of the decentralisation of government (Deferre law), the election criteria were redefined in 1982 and the President of the Departmental Council took over executive powers from the centrally-appointed prefect.

List of the presidents of the departmental councils
!# !! Département (or collectivity) !! President !! Party !! Since !Ref.
 * style="background:#0066cc"| 01
 * Ain
 * Jean Deguerry
 * The Republicans
 * 2017
 * style="background:#00ffff;"| 02
 * Aisne
 * Nicolas Fricoteaux
 * Union of Democrats and Independents
 * 2015
 * style="background:#00ffff;"| 03
 * Allier
 * Claude Riboulet
 * Union of Democrats and Independents
 * 2017
 * style="background:#0066cc;"| 04
 * Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
 * Éliane Barreille
 * The Republicans
 * 2021
 * style="background:#0066cc;"| 05
 * Hautes-Alpes
 * Jean-Marie Bernard
 * The Republicans
 * 2015
 * style="background:#0066cc;"|06
 * Alpes-Maritimes
 * Charles-Ange Ginésy
 * The Republicans
 * 2017
 * style="background:#0066cc;"| 07
 * Ardèche
 * Olivier Amrane
 * The Republicans
 * 2021
 * style="background:#0066cc;"|08
 * Ardennes
 * Noël Bourgeois
 * The Republicans
 * 2017
 * style="background:#ff8080;"| 09
 * Ariège
 * Christine Téqui
 * Socialist Party
 * 2021
 * style="background:#adc1fd;"|10
 * Aube
 * Philippe Pichery
 * Miscellaneous Right
 * 2017
 * style="background:#ff8080;"| 11
 * Aude
 * Hélène Sandragné
 * Socialist Party
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 * style="background:#0066cc;"|12
 * Aveyron
 * Arnaud Viala
 * The Republicans
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 * style="background:#0066cc;"| 13
 * Bouches-du-Rhône
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 * 2015
 * style="background:#00ffff;"|14
 * Calvados
 * Jean-Léonce Dupont
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 * style="background:#0066cc;"|15
 * Cantal
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 * style="background:#adc1fd;"| 16
 * Charente
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 * style="background:#adc1fd;"|17
 * Charente-Maritime
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 * style="background:#0066cc;"| 18
 * Cher
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 * style="background:#0066cc;"| 19
 * Corrèze
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 * 2015
 * style="background:#00ffff;"|21
 * Côte-d'Or
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 * style="background:#0066cc;"| 22
 * Côtes-d'Armor
 * Christian Coail
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 * 2015
 * style="background:#0066cc;"| 23
 * Creuse
 * Valérie Simonet
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 * 2015
 * style="background:#ff8080;"| 24
 * Dordogne
 * Germinal Peiro
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 * 2015
 * style="background:#adc1fd;"| 25
 * Doubs
 * Christine Bouquin
 * Miscellaneous Right
 * 2015
 * style="background:#0066cc;"| 26
 * Drôme
 * Marie-Pierre Mouton
 * The Republicans
 * 2017
 * style="background:";| 27
 * Eure
 * Sébastien Lecornu
 * Renaissance
 * 2021
 * style="background:#0066cc;"|28
 * Eure-et-Loir
 * Christophe Le Dorven
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 * 2021
 * style="background:#72A0C1;"| 29
 * Finistère
 * Maël de Calan
 * Union of the Centre and Right
 * 2021
 * style="background:#ff8080;"| 30
 * Gard
 * Françoise Laurent-Perrigot
 * Socialist Party
 * 2021
 * style="background:#ff8080;"| 31
 * Haute-Garonne
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 * 2015
 * style="background:#ff8080;"| 32
 * Gers
 * Philippe Dupouy
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 * 2022
 * style="background:#ff8080;"| 33
 * Gironde
 * Jean-Luc Gleyze
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 * 2015
 * style="background:#ff8080;"| 34
 * Hérault
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 * 2015
 * style="background:#ff8080;"| 35
 * Ille-et-Vilaine
 * Jean-Luc Chenut
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 * 2015
 * style="background:#0066cc;"|36
 * Indre
 * Marc Fleuret
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 * 2021
 * style="background:#72A0C1;"| 37
 * Indre-et-Loire
 * Jean-Gérard Paumier
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 * 2016
 * style="background:#0066cc;"| 38
 * Isère
 * Jean-Pierre Barbier
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 * 2015
 * style="background:#adc1fd;"| 39
 * Jura
 * Clément Pernot
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 * 2015
 * style="background:#ff8080;"| 40
 * Landes
 * Xavier Fortinon
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 * 2017
 * style="background:;"|41
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 * Philippe Gouet
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 * 2021
 * style="background:#0066cc;"|42
 * Loire
 * George Ziegler
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 * 2021
 * style="background:#0066cc;"|43
 * Haute-Loire
 * Marie-Agnès Petit
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 * 2014
 * style="background:#ff8080;"| 44
 * Loire-Atlantique
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 * 2021
 * style="background:#adc1fd;"|45
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 * 2017
 * style="background:#ffc0c0;"| 46
 * Lot
 * Serge Rigal
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 * 2014
 * style="background:#ff8080;"| 47
 * Lot-et-Garonne
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 * 2015
 * style="background:#ff8080;"|48
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 * 2015
 * style="background:#adc1fd;"|49
 * Maine-et-Loire
 * Florence Dabin
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 * 2021
 * style="background:#adc1fd;"|50
 * Manche
 * Jean Morin
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 * style="background:#adc1fd;"|51
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 * style="background:;"|52
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 * Nicolas Lacroix
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 * 1998
 * style="background:;"|53
 * Mayenne
 * Olivier Richefou
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 * 2014
 * style="background:#ff8080;"| 54
 * Meurthe-et-Moselle
 * Chaynesse Khirouni
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 * 2021
 * style="background:#adc1fd;"|55
 * Meuse
 * Jérôme Dumont
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 * 2021
 * style="background:#72a0c1;"|56
 * Morbihan
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 * style="background:#adc1fd;"| 57
 * Moselle
 * Patrick Weiten
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 * 2011
 * style="background:#ff8080;"| 58
 * Nièvre
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 * 2021
 * style="background:#ff8080;"| 59
 * Nord
 * Christian Poiret
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 * 2015
 * style="background:#0066cc;"| 60
 * Oise
 * Nadège Lefebvre
 * The Republicans
 * 2017
 * style="background:#0066cc;"|61
 * Orne
 * Christophe de Balorre
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 * 2017
 * style="background:#ff8080;"| 62
 * Pas-de-Calais
 * Jean-Claude Leroy
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 * 2015
 * style="background:#0066cc;"| 63
 * Puy-de-Dôme
 * Lionel Chauvin
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 * 2021
 * style="background:#ff9900;"| 64
 * Pyrénées-Atlantiques
 * Jean-Jacques Lasserre
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 * 2015
 * style="background:#ffd1dc;"|65
 * Hautes-Pyrénées
 * Michel Pélieu
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 * 2011
 * style="background:#ffc0c0;"| 66
 * Pyrénées-Orientales
 * Hermeline Malherbe-Laurent
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 * 2010
 * style="background:#0066cc;"| 69
 * Rhône
 * Christophe Guilloteau
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 * 2015
 * style="background:;"| 69M
 * Lyon
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 * 2020
 * style="background:#ff8080;"| 70
 * Haute-Saône
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 * style="background:;"| 71
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 * 2015
 * style="background:#0066cc;"|72
 * Sarthe
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 * 2015
 * style="background:#0066cc;"|73
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 * style="background:#0066cc;"|74
 * Haute-Savoie
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 * style="background:#ff8080;"| 75
 * Paris
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 * 2014
 * style="background:;"| 76
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 * style="background:#0066cc;"| 77
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 * style="background:;"|78
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 * style="background:#adc1fd;"| 79
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 * style="background:#adc1fd;"| 80
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 * style="background:#0066cc;"|83
 * Var
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 * style="background:#0066cc;"| 84
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 * style="background:#0066cc;"|85
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 * style="background:#adc1fd;"|86
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 * style="background:#ff8080;"| 87
 * Haute-Vienne
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 * style="background:#0066cc;"|88
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 * 2015
 * style="background:#0066cc;"| 89
 * Yonne
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 * style="background:#0066cc;"| 90
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 * style="background:#0066cc;"| 91
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 * style="background:#0066cc;"|92
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 * style="background:#ff8080;"| 93
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 * style="background:#0066cc;"| 94
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 * style="background:#0066cc;"| 95
 * Val-d’Oise
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 * style="background:;"|971
 * Guadeloupe
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 * style="background:;"|972
 * Martinique
 * Serge Letchimy
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 * style="background:;"|973
 * Guyane
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 * 2008
 * style="background:#ffc0c0;"|974
 * Réunion
 * Cyrille Melchior
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 * 2017
 * style="background:;"|975
 * Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon (overseas collectivity)
 * Bernard Briand
 * Archipelago Tomorrow
 * 2021
 * style="background:#0066cc;"|976
 * Mayotte
 * Ben Issa Ousseni
 * The Republicans
 * 2021
 * }
 * style="background:#0066cc;"|74
 * Haute-Savoie
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 * 2021
 * style="background:#ff8080;"| 75
 * Paris
 * Anne Hidalgo
 * Socialist Party
 * 2014
 * style="background:;"| 76
 * Seine-Maritime
 * Bertrand Bellanger
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 * 2021
 * style="background:#0066cc;"| 77
 * Seine-et-Marne
 * Jean-François Parigi
 * The Republicans
 * 2021
 * style="background:;"|78
 * Yvelines
 * Pierre Bédier
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 * 2014
 * style="background:#adc1fd;"| 79
 * Deux-Sèvres
 * Coralie Dénoues
 * Miscellaneous Right
 * 2021
 * style="background:#adc1fd;"| 80
 * Somme
 * Stéphane Haussoulier
 * Miscellaneous Right
 * 2020
 * style="background:#ff8080;"| 81
 * Tarn
 * Christophe Ramond
 * Socialist Party
 * 2015
 * style="background:#ff8080;"| 82
 * Tarn-et-Garonne
 * Michel Weill
 * Socialist Party
 * 2021
 * style="background:#0066cc;"|83
 * Var
 * Marc Giraud
 * The Republicans
 * 2015
 * style="background:#0066cc;"| 84
 * Vaucluse
 * Dominique Santoni
 * The Republicans
 * 2021
 * style="background:#0066cc;"|85
 * Vendée
 * Alain Leboeuf
 * The Republicans
 * 2021
 * style="background:#adc1fd;"|86
 * Vienne
 * Alain Pichon
 * Miscellaneous Right
 * 2021
 * style="background:#ff8080;"| 87
 * Haute-Vienne
 * Jean-Claude Leblois
 * Socialist Party
 * 2015
 * style="background:#0066cc;"|88
 * Vosges
 * François Vannson
 * The Republicans
 * 2015
 * style="background:#0066cc;"| 89
 * Yonne
 * Patrick Gendraud
 * The Republicans
 * 2017
 * style="background:#0066cc;"| 90
 * Territoire de Belfort
 * Florian Bouquet
 * The Republicans
 * 2015
 * style="background:#0066cc;"| 91
 * Essonne
 * François Durovray
 * The Republicans
 * 2015
 * style="background:#0066cc;"|92
 * Hauts-de-Seine
 * Georges Siffredi
 * The Republicans
 * 2021
 * style="background:#ff8080;"| 93
 * Seine-Saint-Denis
 * Stéphane Troussel
 * Socialist Party
 * 2012
 * style="background:#0066cc;"| 94
 * Val-de-Marne
 * Olivier Capitanio
 * The Republicans
 * 2021
 * style="background:#0066cc;"| 95
 * Val-d’Oise
 * Marie-Christine Cavecchi
 * The Republicans
 * 2017
 * style="background:;"|971
 * Guadeloupe
 * Guy Losbar
 * United Guadeloupe, Socialism and Realities
 * 2021
 * style="background:;"|972
 * Martinique
 * Serge Letchimy
 * Martinican Progressive Party
 * 2021
 * style="background:;"|973
 * Guyane
 * Alain Tien-Liong
 * Decolonization and Social Emancipation Movement
 * 2008
 * style="background:#ffc0c0;"|974
 * Réunion
 * Cyrille Melchior
 * Miscellaneous Left
 * 2017
 * style="background:;"|975
 * Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon (overseas collectivity)
 * Bernard Briand
 * Archipelago Tomorrow
 * 2021
 * style="background:#0066cc;"|976
 * Mayotte
 * Ben Issa Ousseni
 * The Republicans
 * 2021
 * }
 * style="background:#0066cc;"| 94
 * Val-de-Marne
 * Olivier Capitanio
 * The Republicans
 * 2021
 * style="background:#0066cc;"| 95
 * Val-d’Oise
 * Marie-Christine Cavecchi
 * The Republicans
 * 2017
 * style="background:;"|971
 * Guadeloupe
 * Guy Losbar
 * United Guadeloupe, Socialism and Realities
 * 2021
 * style="background:;"|972
 * Martinique
 * Serge Letchimy
 * Martinican Progressive Party
 * 2021
 * style="background:;"|973
 * Guyane
 * Alain Tien-Liong
 * Decolonization and Social Emancipation Movement
 * 2008
 * style="background:#ffc0c0;"|974
 * Réunion
 * Cyrille Melchior
 * Miscellaneous Left
 * 2017
 * style="background:;"|975
 * Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon (overseas collectivity)
 * Bernard Briand
 * Archipelago Tomorrow
 * 2021
 * style="background:#0066cc;"|976
 * Mayotte
 * Ben Issa Ousseni
 * The Republicans
 * 2021
 * }
 * style="background:;"|975
 * Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon (overseas collectivity)
 * Bernard Briand
 * Archipelago Tomorrow
 * 2021
 * style="background:#0066cc;"|976
 * Mayotte
 * Ben Issa Ousseni
 * The Republicans
 * 2021
 * }
 * Ben Issa Ousseni
 * The Republicans
 * 2021
 * }
 * }

Allowance
The president of a department council has a maximum allowance of €5441 per month, the vice-presidents has a maximum allowance of €128.83-725.44, members of the standing committee have maximum allowances of €672.65-927.13, and departmental advisors have maximum allowances of €1501-2,626 per month.


text:
Mortal Kombat Annihilation

Mortal Kombat Annihilation is a 1997 American martial arts fantasy film directed by John R. Leonetti in his directorial debut. Based on the Mortal Kombat video game franchise, it is the second installment in the Mortal Kombat film series and a sequel to the original 1995 film, on which Leonetti served as cinematographer. Largely adapted from the 1995 video game Mortal Kombat 3, Annihilation follows Liu Kang and his allies as they attempt to prevent the malevolent Shao Kahn from conquering Earthrealm. It stars Robin Shou as Liu Kang, Talisa Soto as Kitana, James Remar as Raiden, Sandra Hess as Sonya Blade, Lynn “Red” Williams as Jax and Brian Thompson as Shao Kahn. Only Shou and Soto reprised their roles, with the other characters from the previous film being recast.

Mortal Kombat Annihilation was theatrically released on November 21, 1997 by New Line Cinema. The film debuted at number one at the box office but dropped the next week due to overwhelming negative reviews, particularly for its story, characters and special effects. Annihilation was a box office bomb, grossing $51.3 million against a $30 million budget. A direct sequel was consequently canceled and a third film languished in development hell for nearly two decades until the series was rebooted in 2021.

Plot
The Outworld emperor Shao Kahn opens a portal to Earthrealm and has resurrected Queen Sindel, Princess Kitana's long-deceased mother, to facilitate his invasion. Thunder god Raiden and Earthrealm warriors Liu Kang, Sonya Blade, and Johnny Cage try to defend themselves, but Kahn kills Cage. The Earthrealm warriors retreat to seek allies.

Sonya Blade enlists the help of her Special Forces partner, Jax, while Kitana and Liu search for a Native American shaman named Nightwolf, who seemingly knows the key to defeating Kahn. Scorpion appears and kidnaps Kitana.

Raiden meets with the Elder Gods and asks them why Kahn was allowed to break the tournament rules and force his way into Earthrealm, and how he can be stopped. One says that reuniting Kitana with her mother, Sindel, is the key to breaking Kahn's hold on Earthrealm, but another Elder God insists that the defeat of Kahn himself is the solution. Raiden is then asked by the Elder Gods about his feelings and obligations towards the mortals, and what he would be willing to do to ensure their survival.

Liu finds Nightwolf, who teaches him about the power of the Animality, a form of shapeshifting which utilizes the caster's strengths and abilities. To achieve the mindset needed to acquire this power, Liu must pass three tests. The first is a trial of his self-esteem, courage, and focus. The second comes in the form of temptation, which manifests itself in the form of Jade, a mysterious warrior who attempts to seduce Liu and offers her assistance after he resists her advances. Liu accepts Jade's offer and takes her with him to the Elder Gods' temple, where he and his friends meet with Raiden. The third test is never revealed.

The Earthrealm warriors learn that Raiden has sacrificed his immortality to freely fight alongside them. Together, they infiltrate Outworld to rescue Kitana and reunite her with Sindel in hopes of restoring her soul and closing the Outworld portal to Earth. Liu rescues Kitana while the others incapacitate Sindel. However, Sindel remains under Kahn's control and escapes during an ambush. Jade reveals herself to be a double agent sent by Kahn to disrupt the heroes' plans. Kahn feeds Jade to a gargoyle for her failure. Raiden reveals that Shao Kahn is his brother and that the former Elder God Shinnok is their father. He realizes that Shinnok is supporting Kahn. Raiden and the Earthrealm warriors make their way to Kahn, Sindel, and his remaining generals. Shinnok demands that Raiden submit to him and restore their broken family, at the expense of his mortal friends. Raiden refuses and is killed by an energy blast from Shao Kahn.

Jax, Sonya, and Kitana emerge victorious over Kahn's generals (with Jax defeating Motaro, Kitana defeating her mother, and Sonya defeating Ermac). Liu struggles with Kahn. Liu's Animality proves effective, exposing a cut to Kahn that proves he is now mortal, as a consequence of his breaking the sacred rules. Shinnok attempts to intervene and kill Liu on Kahn's behalf, but two of the Elder Gods arrive, having uncovered Shinnok's treachery. They declare that the fate of Earth shall be decided in Mortal Kombat. Liu defeats Kahn, and Shinnok is banished to the Netherrealm. Earthrealm reverts to its former state. With Kahn's hold over Sindel broken, she reunites with Kitana. Raiden is revived by the Elder Gods, who bestow upon him his father's former position. Before departing to the immortal realm, he enjoins the Earthrealm warriors to be there for one another. The Earthrealm warriors return home.

Production
Mortal Kombat Annihilation is loosely based on the 1995 video game Mortal Kombat 3, while featuring the character roster of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. There were also plot elements from Mortal Kombat 4, but these scenes were cut from the final theatrical version. While the original attracted casual moviegoers as well as gamers, Annihilation catered exclusively to the games' fans. Producer Lawrence Kasanoff said he was trying to make the film "even more spectacular than the first movie, which earned a healthy $73 million in the U.S. Annihilation is three times more ambitious than Mortal Kombat. Our theme for the sequel is to shoot for more—more fights, more special effects, more Outworld, more everything."

Filming began in the first quarter of 1996. Part of the movie was filmed on location at Parys Mountain on the island of Anglesey, off the coast of Wales (incorrectly listed as being part of England in the closing credits). Other filming locations included London, Jordan, and Thailand. Though Annihilation attempted to continue in the style of the first movie, the cast of returning characters from the original was almost completely overhauled; only Robin Shou (Liu Kang) and Talisa Soto (Kitana) reprised their roles, while the only other actor to return was Keith Cooke (Reptile in the first film) as Sub-Zero. Stephen Painter and Neill Gorton provided some of the props for the film. J. J. Perry replaced Chris Casamassa as Scorpion, as Casamassa chose to do Batman & Robin instead.

The French release of the movie was known as Mortal Kombat: Destruction Finale (Final Destruction), while the Italian release was titled Mortal Kombat: Distruzione Totale (Total Destruction). The film's novelization by Jerome Preisler was published through Tor Books.

Thai actor and martial artist Tony Jaa was a stunt double for Robin Shou in the film.

Music
Mortal Kombat Annihilation is the soundtrack to the film. The Mortal Kombat theme was composed by Praga Khan and Oliver Adams. The soundtrack was released on October 28, 1997, by TVT Records.

Though this being not mentioned, "Megalomaniac" appears in its single edit (shortened to 4:19 while it lasts 6:07 in its complete version), and "Fire" appears in a slightly shortened version (cut to 3:14 while its single and album versions last 3:31).

Box office
Mortal Kombat Annihilation was released on November 21, 1997, and its opening weekend take was $16 million, enough for a number-one debut at the box office. It grossed $35 million domestically and made $51.3 million worldwide.

Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, of 53 reviews were positive, with an average rating of. The website's critics consensus states, "With its shallow characters, low budget special effects, and mindless fight scenes, Mortal Kombat - Annihilation offers minimal plot development and manages to underachieve the low bar set by its predecessor." On Metacritic it has a weighted average score of 11 out of 100, based on 12 critics, indicating an "overwhelming dislike." Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C+" on an A+ to F scale.

Jason Gibner of Allmovie wrote, "Whereas the first film was a guilty schlock pleasure, this sequel is an exercise in the art of genuinely beautiful trash cinema." Marjorie Baumgarten of the Austin Chronicle opined that it was "nothing more than a perpetual chain of elaborately choreographed fight sequences that ... are linked together by the most flimsy and laughable of plot elements." Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a "D−" rating, calling it "abysmal" and "incoherent." R.L. Shaffer of IGN wrote in 2011: "Mortal Kombat: Annihilation is a bad movie. No way around it. Over the years, however, it has evolved into a cult hit of sorts, playing as an unintentional comedy – a spoof of the early video game movies and their painfully obvious cash-in mentality."

In separate 2012 interviews, Mortal Kombat co-creators Ed Boon and John Tobias selected Annihilation as their personal worst moments in the history of their work on the franchise.

In an interview for Luke Owen’s book, Lights, Camera, Game Over, producer Lawrence Kasanoff revealed the film was released unfinished: "I'm telling you the effects in that movie are not the final effects. I never anticipated that someone would take the movie and go, 'it's good enough'. We weren't done. We never finished that movie. But the studio said, 'we don’t care'. We sacrificed quality for business."

Novelization
A novelization of the film was written by Jerome Preisler.

Canceled sequel
Shou's original contract was a three-picture deal, and Threshold Entertainment's production on a second sequel was initially scheduled to commence shortly after the release of Annihilation, but was shelved due to Annihilation's poor reception and disappointing box office performance. Attempts to produce a third film remained stuck in development hell, with numerous script rewrites, and storyline, cast and crew changes. A November 2001 poll on the official Mortal Kombat website hosted by Threshold asked fans which characters they believed would die in a third film.

The 2005 destruction of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina greatly affected one of the planned shooting locations. In June 2009, a bankruptcy court lawsuit saw producer Kasanoff suing Midway Games while mentioning that a third film was in the works. Warner Bros. (which became the parent company of New Line Cinema in 2008, after over a decade of both operating as separate divisions of Time Warner) ended up purchasing most of Midway's assets, including Mortal Kombat. Warner Bros. released the rebooted film Mortal Kombat in 2021.

title: Mortal Kombat Annihilation