To All
Good Monday Morning June 29, 2020
I hope that your weekend went well.
This Friday 3 July is the restart of the Bubba Breakfast in San Diego.
Regards,
Skip
Today in Naval History
June 29
1860
The steamer USS Mystic, commanded by William E. LeRoy, captures the slaver, Thomas Achorn at Kabenda, Africa and sends her to New York.
1862
During the Civil War, the steam sloop USS Susquehanna, commanded by Cmdr. R.B. Hitchcock, captures the blockade-running British steamer HMS Anna near Mobile, Ala.
1871
Capt. Charles F. Hall's arctic expedition sails from New York on USS Polaris. Aiming for the North Pole, USS Polaris reaches 82X 11 N, 61X W. latitude, then the furthest point north reached by a vessel.
1950
USS Juneau (CLAA 119) and USS De Haven (DD 727) fire the first naval shore bombardment of the Korean War in the vicinity of Samchock, Korea.
Thanks to CHINFO
Executive Summary:
• Multiple outlets reported on the second round of exercises within a week between two U.S. Navy carrier strike groups in the Philippine Sea .
• Numerous outlets continued coverage of intelligence reports indicating that Russia paid bounties to the Taliban to kill American troops in Afghanistan.
• The Wall Street Journal reports that Defense Secretary Mark Esper will present to the White House options to reduce the U.S. presence in Germany.
Today in History: June 29
1236 Ferdinand III of Castile and Leon take Cordoba in Spain.
1652 Massachusetts declares itself an independent commonwealth.
1767 The British parliament passes the Townshend Revenue Act, levying taxes on America.
1862 Union forces, falling back from Richmond, fight at the Battle of Savage's Station.
1880 France annexes Tahiti.
1888 Professor Frederick Treves performs the first appendectomy in England.
1903 The British government officially protests Belgian atrocities in the Congo.
1905 Russian troops intervene as riots erupt in ports all over the country, leaving many ships looted.
1917 The Ukraine proclaims independence from Russia.
1925 An earthquake ravages Santa Barbara, California.
1926 Fascists in Rome add an hour to the work day in an economic efficiency measure.
1932 Siam's army seizes Bangkok and announces an end to the absolute monarchy.
1938 Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado, and Olympic National Park, Washington, are founded.
1950 President Harry S. Truman authorizes a sea blockade of Korea.
1951 The United States invites the Soviet Union to the Korean peace talks on a ship in Wonsan Harbor.
1955 The Soviet Union sends tanks to Poznan, Poland, to put down anti-Communist demonstrations.
1966 The U.S. Air Force bombs fuel storage facilities near Hanoi, North Vietnam.
1967 Israel removes barricades, re-unifying Jerusalem.
1970 U.S. troops pull out of Cambodia.
1982 Israel invades Lebanon.
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Another great H-Gram from Admiral Cox and the Naval History and Heritage Command
H-Gram 050: 70th Anniversary of the Korean War—The Initial Naval Actions
25 June 2020
Defense of the Pusan Perimeter, 1950: PFC Harold R. Bates and PFC Richard N. Martin of the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade rest atop the third objective that U.S. Marines seized overlooking the Naktong River, South Korea, 19 August 1950. Photographed by Sgt. Frank C. Kerr, USMC (NH 96991).
This H-gram covers the first two month of naval action in the Korean War, which started on 25 June 1950. Sometimes referred to as the "Forgotten War," I plan to give it pretty thorough treatment because some of the amazing U.S. Navy action has indeed largely been forgotten.
Before dawn on Sunday morning, 25 June 1950, Communist North Korea launched a massive surprise attack across the border into South Korea, smashing through the inadequate South Korean defenses. Within three days, the North Korean People's Army (NKPA) had captured the South Korean capital of Seoul and kept on going south, with little to stop it, while also overrunning the airfields that might have been of use to the U.S. Air Force. The attack not only took the South Koreans by surprise, it caught the United States unprepared for war.
To the extent that the United States was planning for war in 1950, it was almost exclusively focused on a potential Soviet invasion of Europe, which was to be deterred or won (on the cheap, relatively) by U.S. Air Force intercontinental bombers armed with atomic bombs. The U.S. Navy had repeatedly lost the budget and service roles and missions battles of the late 1940s; the size, capability, and readiness of the Navy was a pale shadow of what it had been at the Japanese surrender only five years before.
As it turned out, the U.S. Army was in even worse shape than the Navy, and the first combat actions between the U.S. Army and the NKPA were humiliating defeats for the Americans, with several thousand U.S. soldiers killed and captured as they were steam-rollered by superior NKPA armored forces and sheer numbers. It was also apparent that the massive U.S. Air Force investment in long-range nuclear bombers was useless in a war in which the object was to stop North Korean aggression, without getting into a full-scale war with the Soviet Union—i.e., a "limited war." And, without airfields in Korea, the ability of Air Force tactical aircraft to affect the battle from bases in Japan was severely constrained.
The U.S. Navy presence in the Western Pacific in 1950 had been reduced to one aircraft carrier (Valley Forge, CV-45), two cruisers, and a handful of destroyers, which were severely short of ammunition and underway logistics support. Nevertheless, it was this naval force, augmented by a smaller British carrier (HMS Triumph) and other Allied ships under a (U.S.-led) United Nations command structure that played a key role in establishing command of the air and of the sea that prevented the U.S. Army from being thrown out of Korea. Without control of the vital sea lanes, there is little doubt that, by August 1950, the North Koreans would have been in possession of the entire Korean peninsula. It was U.S. Navy amphibious capability—as enfeebled as it was by budget cuts—that got a well-trained U.S. Marine brigade into Korea just in time to stiffen the defense of the Pusan Perimeter and prevent the last UN toehold in South Korea from being overrun.
The miniscule Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) acquitted itself well, particularly in a small battle with major strategic consequences, when the largest warship in the ROKN (a submarine chaser) sank a North Korean transport with 600 troops embarked that were attempting a surprise seizure of the port of Pusan on 26 June 1950.
The U.S. and Allied navies were in the action almost immediately, with two U.S. destroyers covering the evacuation of U.S. and friendly foreign nationals from Seoul on only the second day of the war. On 2 July 1950, light cruiser Juneau (CL-119) and two Allied ships sank three of four North Korean PT-boats and two of two motor gunboats in the Battle of Chumonchin Chan. This was the first and last surface engagement between the U.S. and North Korean navies, as it convinced the North Koreans to never try that again (at least until the Pueblo—AGER-2—incident in 1968).
On 3 July, Valley Forge and Triumph (both in Task Force 77) caught the North Koreans by surprise with a strike from the Yellow Sea right into their capital of Pyongyang. The action that resulted in the first air-to-air kill by a U.S. Navy jet fighter, when an F9F Panther flown by Lieutenant (j.g.) Leonard Plog downed a piston-engine North Korean Yak-9 fighter. This was also the combat debut of the Panther and the new AD-4 Skyraider attack aircraft. Although hampered by lack of underway ammunition resupply and refueling, the two carriers bounced back and forth between the Yellow Sea and the Sea of Japan, so the North Koreans could never be sure from which direction they would be hit.
U.S. Navy aircraft played a critical role in interdicting North Korean troop movements and supply lines, which became increasingly vulnerable the farther the NKPA advanced. This forced increased North Korean resupply via small coastal craft, which the ROKN (beefed up with several more sub-chasers) proved very adept at catching and destroying. On the other hand, close air support procedures between the .U.S. Navy, Air Force, and Army proved to be completely bolloxed up, in need of urgent fixing.
First Korean War carrier air strikes: A North Korean railroad train is attacked just south of Pyongyang by planes from the joint U.S.-British Task Force 77, 4 July 1950. The carriers involved were USS Valley Forge (CV-45) and HMS Triumph (80-G-417148).
Bombardment by Allied ships on the west coast (especially challenging given the extreme tidal conditions) and by (primarily) U.S. ships on the east coast made the North Koreans pay a heavy price for their advance. Naval gunfire on the east coast became even more effective when the heavy cruisers Helena (CA-75) and Toledo (CA-133), with their 8-inch guns, arrived within a month to augment Rochester (CA-124). U.S. surface ships ranged far to the north along the Korean coast shelling key North Korean ports. The destroyer Mansfield (DD-728) put a raiding party ashore in North Korea to blow a key tunnel on the railroad bringing supplies in from Vladivostok, Soviet Union. This was followed by submarine transport Perch (ASSP-313) putting a British commando party ashore in a similar operation. U.S. and UN warships played a key role in keeping the northern end of the Pusan Perimeter from collapsing.
The arrival of a second U.S. carrier (Philippine Sea, CV-47) enabled near-continuous carrier strikes on North Korean targets. The arrival of two escort carriers, Badoeng Strait (CVE-118) and Sicily (CVE-116), each with a Marine Corsair squadron embarked, provided critical air support that enabled the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade to repel North Korean breakthroughs of U.S. Army divisions attempting to hold the hard-pressed Pusan perimeter.
Compared to the massive casualties being suffered by the U.S. and ROK armies, the cost to the U.S. Navy in the first months of the war was relatively light, with only a handful of aircraft shot down (and even more lost to operational causes than the enemy). However, the first Navy Cross went posthumously to Commander Raymond Vogel, the commander of Air Group 11 (CVG-11), who was shot down while dropping a span on the Han River Bridge in Seoul on 19 August 1950.
Although Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps aircraft inflicted massive losses to North Korean troops, tanks, and supply lines, the North Koreans just kept attacking. At the end of August 1950, the issue was still very much in doubt as to whether the Pusan Perimeter would hold.
That the U.S. Navy accomplished anything at all was a testament to the leaders and sailors who hadn't forgotten how to win, despite shortfalls in just about everything. In 1949, the general consensus in the new unified Department of Defense was that the Navy was obsolete, and the Secretary of Defense cancelled the next-generation aircraft carrier (United States, CVA-58) and gave orders to reduce the number of operational fleet carriers from eight to four. An additional draconian budget cut in mid-1949, if implemented, would have meant putting every aircraft carrier into mothballs, along with the last battleship that wasn't already in reserve. Upon the outbreak of the Korean War, the Truman administration suddenly discovered that a navy really truly can come in handy, and can do things that strategic bombers and atomic weapons can't. So, in some respect, the U.S. Navy can thank Kim Il-sung (grandfather of today's "Dear Leader") for showing the rest of the Defense Department the error of their ways.
For more on the U.S. Navy's role in the first months of the Korean War, please see attachment H-050-1.
As always, you are welcome to forward H-grams in order to spread these stories of U.S. Navy valor and sacrifice. Back issues of H-grams enhanced with photos may be found here.
Published: Fri Jun 26 08:20:47 EDT 2020
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thanks to THE Bear -
Gentlemen.... this one is for Brown Bear....
A new Taylor tale is on the net....
ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED… When Naval Aviation Roared… Tales of the Brave and Bold… #13…
COMMEMORATING the 50th ANNIVERSARY OF THE VIETNAM WAR (1961-1973)... and honoring the intrepid Naval Aviators, Naval Flight Officers and aircrewmen who carried the war to the heartland of North Vietnam during the years of Operation Rolling Thunder (1965-1968)... GOOD MORNING. It is Monday, 29 June 2020 and Faithful Scribe has another...
ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED… When Naval Aviation Roared… Tales of the Brave and Bold… #13…
June 28, 2020
COMMEMORATING the 50th ANNIVERSARY OF THE VIETNAM WAR (1961-1973)… and honoring the intrepid Naval Aviators, Naval Flight Officers and aircrewmen who carried the war to the heartland of North Vietnam during the years of Operation Rolling Thunder (1965-1968)…
GOOD MORNING. It is Monday, 29 June 2020 and Faithful Scribe has another tale from "The Taylor Cache" of Rolling Thunder heroics. But first a remembrance of this week fifty years ago (29 June-5 July 1970) when this old tailhooker was an O-4 in his first weeks of a one-year unaccompanied tour riding the carriers at Yankee Station as the CTF-77 Assistant Strike Plans Officer. VADM FRED BARDSHAR was the boss and CAPTAIN BOOT HILL, CAPT JESSE EMERSON, and CDR JIM BUSEY were my mentors. I even got to fly the A-7s when we were in Cubi…
HEADLINES… Riverfront Sadium opened in Cincinnati with the Reds losing one to Atlanta… Bad week for flying: Hijackers held 40 passengers hostage but were captured by the police in Rio; 112 folks perished when a Danish airliner hit a mountain on an approach to Barcelona; and 109 were killed when an Air Canada DC-8 flight went down in an approach to Toronto International… Conservatives took over for the Labor Party in the British House of Commons… Casey Kasem's "American Top 40" made its debut… France detonated a 914 kiloton hydrogen bomb over its atmospheric test range in the Pacific…On the Fourth of July, 400,000 people gathered in front of the Washington Monument for "Honor America Day." Bob Hope was the host and Billy Graham was on the speaker's list…
ON THE BATTLEFIELD. In response to North Vietnam's cozy-up to the Soviet Union, China removed the last of the Chinese troops backing up the North Vietnamese antiaircraft battalions… Combat in South Vietnam was centered in the Ashau Valley area where Fire Support Base Ripcord became the focus of the fight. The conflict would continue until 23 July when the Americans and ARVN would pull back from the fight…
https://en.m.wikisource.org/wiki/After_action_report:_Firebase_Ripcord,_23_July_1970
IN PARIS. David Bruce took over as the lead American negotiator in the "peace talks"…
IN THE AIR WAR (29 June-5 July 1970). Five fixed wing aircraft were lost and four of the bravest of the brave were killed-in-action. An F-4E Tiger FAC crewed by CAPTAIN Mitchell Olen SADLER and 1LT Gordon Clark HILL perished on a weather recce and they remain missing 50 years later. They are memorialized with markers in Arlington and the search for their remains goes on… An OV-10A Nail FAC, CAPTAIN William Stephan SANDERS, was killed while controlling fighters west of the DMZ. The observer was successfully rescued after great difficulty that included the loss of Jolly Green 54 with five on board KIA. The rescue required the use of "gas." CAPTAIN SANDERS remains where he fell… The story of this rescue and the fate of the Jolly Green 54 crew is worth the read at:
http://taskforceomegainc.org/s355.html
The fourth fatality was LCOL Richard W. PENNINGTON. His F-4D was downed 12 miles west of the DMZ. Both he and his pilot, CAPT Raymond RIGEL, ejected, but LCOL PENNINGTON sustained fatal injuries falling down the face of a karst. His body was recovered by two parajumpers, as was CAPT RIGEL. Faithful Scribe was unable to identify LCOL PENNINGTON's final resting place. For additional information on Vietnam Air Losses: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com
WHEN NAVAL AVIATION ROARED… Tale #13 from "The Taylor Cache" on Mount Ogden… USS ORISKANY, 14 December 1967… This one is for BROWN BEAR, one the great ones…
Source: USS ORISKANY msg 190300Z Dec 67: Subject: Recommendation for Individual Award for…
A. LCDR RICHARD WILLIAM SCHAFFERT, USN/1310
B. FITRON ONE HUNDRED ELEVEN embarked in USS ORISKANY
C. Distinguished Flying Cross
"In a major air wing strike on Taun Tinh Ferry Crossing near Haiphong as fighter escort for an A4E/F8C Ironhand. Their mission was to suppress the surface-to-air missile site northeast of Nam Dinh, North Vietnam. As the section arrived in its target area, south of the strike group, Lieutenant Commander SCHAFFERT and his teammate had begun attacking electronic missile signals, when he observed two MiG 17s at twelve o'clock, five miles, converging on his flight. He immediately took the lead of the section as the two flights of aircraft met head-on. Lieutenant Commander SCHAFFERT executed a hard, nose-high to engage the enemy and, as he completed this maneuver, he glanced over his shoulder, checking for the A4E position, only to find two additional MiG 17s diving out of the sun on his tail. Lieutenant Commander SCHAFFERT made calls for assistance from other fighters in the strike group, and continued with the engagement at hand. He aggressively pressed his attack on the first section, rejecting for the moment those closing from his six o'clock. By this time, the second element of MiGs had closed on him and both fired their 37mm cannons as he followed the first group. The MiG pilots were observed to be extremely combat capable and after the first two turns, locked Lieutenant Commander SCHAFFERT in a rolling vertical scissors maneuver. At this point the pair of enemy fighters in trail fired 4 Atoll missiles, two from each aircraft. The air-to-air missiles, impaired by their target's high G maneuvers, faded far behind and offered no further threat. In the next turn, Lieutenant Commander SCHAFFERT fired his first Sidewinder at the wingman of the first section of MiG-17s. His weapon failed to guide as he continued to relay his position and altitude to the addeitional fighters now closing on the area, as he carried on this fearless battle against overwhelming odds. The second section of MiGs now bracketed Lieutenant Commander SCHAFFERT closely on both sides firing their cannons as they alternately passed his six o'clock position. His determined aggressiveness drove him to continue pressing his own attack, disregarding the ominous threat at his back, and he fired two additional Sidewinders at the wingman of the first section. The first Sidewinder again failed to guide; the second guided but missed its mark by a narrow margin. Still receiving heavy cannon fire, he pressed closer to the first element for a final offensive effort with his 20mm guns. At this point, and low on fuel and ordnance, and faced with increasing fire from astern, he concentrated on losing the second section of MiGs on his tail. The first element of MiGs, freed from Lieutenant Commander SCHAFFERT's attack, seized the opportunity to take the offensive and unleashed their four Atoll missiles. However, his superlative airmanship deterred optimum firing position for the MiGs and with their ordnance nearly expended they broke off the engagement taking vectors toward Hanoi. Additional F8 fighters were now on the scene and engaged the departing MiGs. One ws overtaken and subsequently destroyed. Had Lieutenant Commander SCHAFFERT demonstrated less aggressiveness during this prolonged aerial engagement he would have presented any one of the MiGs the optimum shot and very likely wold have become their victim. Only by his unexcelled fighting ability, undaunted determination to gain a kill, and masterful composure was he capable of holding the encounter to a draw and escape without damage under the most overwhelming odds." End quote from ORISKANY message….
BITS OF RIBBON. Red,white and blue for LCDR SCHAFFERT; the A-4E pilot, LTJG Charles Clayton NELSON, USNR, who earned one of the most unique DFCs of the war; and, LT Richard Ernest WYMAN, who arrived to bag one of the fleeing MiG 17s, good for a SILVER STAR…
The recommendation for a DFC for LCDR SCHAFFERT was approved by CINCPACFLT on 8 January 1968 and the DFC CITATION reads…
"For heroism and extraordinary achievement in aerial flight as a jet fighter pilot attached to and serving with Fighter Squadron ONE HUNDRED ELEVEN, embarked in USS ORISKANY (CVA-34) while participating in an aerial engagement near Thai Binh, North Vietnam on 14 December 1967. Lieutenant Commander SCHAFFERT distinguished himself by his conspicuous valor and undaunted determination while singlehandedly battling four MiG 17 enemy jet aircraft over hostile territory. Taken under attack while esccorting an A4E surface-to-air missile suppression aircraft, he aggressively assumed lead of the section and, against the overwhelming odds fearlessly engaged the enemy fighters. During the several minutes of battle which followed, Lieutenant Commandeer SCHAFFERT displayed unequaled skill in offensive and defensive air-to-air combat, maneuvering as the four highly maneuverable enemy aircraft concentrated their attack on the lone friendly fighter. The coordinated attack of the extrememly capable MiG pilots failed to equal the brilliant combat maneuvering of Lieutenant Commander SCHAFFERT and the eight guided missiles and heavy cannon fire unleashed by the enemy were unable to find their mark. In his own aggessive attack during the engagement, Lieutenant Commander SCHAFFERT deterred the enemy from continuing an assault on the main strike force or on his teammate and detained the enemy fighters until other friendly forces arrived in the area. With the initial engagement closing in a draw, the four enemy aircraft disengaged toward the protective defenses on Hanoi. Directed by Lieutnenant Commander SCHAFFERT and his A4E teammate, the friendly fighters engaged and, in the ensuning battle, destroyed one enemy aircraft. Lientenant Commander SCHAFFERT's courage, superlative airmanship and dogged determination in the face of overwhelming odds were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service." …oohrah, Brown Bear!
CINCPACFLT approved a Distinguished Flying Cross for LTJG Charles E. NELSON, USNR on 8 January 1968. The CITATION reads…
"For heroism and extraordinary achievement in aerial flight as a jet attack pilot attached to and serving with Attack Squadron ONE HUNDRED SIXTY-FOUR, embarked in USS ORISKANY (CVA-34), in the successful participation in a combat aerial engagement against enemy aircraft over North Vietnam on 14 December 1967. While initiating an attack on a surface-to-air missile site near the city of Ninh Binh, North Vietnam, Lieutenant (Junior Grade) NELSON's IRON HAND section was attacked by four MiG 17 fighters. Although his aircraft was heavily laden with ordnance, he nevertheless remained with the ensuing engagement assisting his F8C escort against overwhelming odds. As the enemy unsuccessfully expended their ordnance and disengaged, Lieutenant (Junior Grade) NELSON caught sight of one of the straggling MiGs. He immediately gave pursuit and forced the enemy into violent defensive maneuvers while he vectored fresh friendly fighter (s) in on his position. With amazing skill and determination while still burdened with ordnance, he maintained an offensive position over the extrememly maneuverable enemy until the fighters, under his precise direction, arrived on the scene and engaged the MiG. Throughout the long engagement that followed, Lieutenant (Junior Grade) NELSON maintained position over the fight helping coordinate the attack against the elusive enemy while calmly recording the aerial battle with his hand held 35 millimeter camera. Despite the increasingly deadly threat of hostile ground fire, as the battle moved up the hazardous Red River Valley toward Hanoi, Lieutenant (Junior Grade) NELSON remained on the scene until the engagement was terminated with the destruction of the enemy aircraft. Only then did he detach to deliver his remaining ordnance against a lucrative target and provide surface-to-air missile suppression cover for the retiring fighters under fire. His courage under fire, heroic action and extraordinary achievement were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service."…. oohrah…
LIEUTENANT Richard Ernest WYMAN nailed the MiG-17 and the SILVER STAR medal… The CITATION reads…
"For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against the enemy while serving as the pilot of an F8E jet aircraft attached to and serving with Fighter Squadron ONE HUNDRED SIXTY-TWO, embarked in USS ORISKANY (CVA-34) on 14 December 1967. Lieutenant WYMAN was the leader of a section of target combat air patrol employed to defend aircraft conducting a strike on the Tang Tinh Ferry Crossing 12 miles southwest of Haiphong, North Vietnam. When one section of support aircraft came under attack by four MiG 17 enemy fighters, Lieutenant WYMAN led his section of F8E fighter aircraft to the scene of combat at highest possible speed. Lieutenant WYMAN aggressively entered the fray, when enemy MiGs continued to counter with savage gun-firing attacks. Tenaciously pursuing his aggressive opponent, Lieutenant WYMAN led his section in classical combat spread offensive maneuvers which kept the enemy under constant attack by one of the teams of fighters. Managing his fuel judiciously and biding his time for a killing shot, Lieutenant WYMAN's section retained the offensive against the enemy pilot who was effectively flying his aircraft to the maximum of its performance capabilities. Through skill and knowledge of his own aircraft's capabilities, Lieutenant WYMAN fully countered every one of the enemy's numerous evasive maneuvers. Flying his airplane at an altitude even lower than the enemy's estimated 50-feet, Lieutenant WYMAN forced the enemy pilot to commit his first error of the fight. Lieutenant WYMAN, with split-second timing fired one missile at precisely the moment when the enemy was vulnerable to his air-to-air missile attack. The missile homed truly and tore off the left wing of the MiG 17 which crashed immediately. Lieutenant WYMAN's aggressive action in engaging the enemy's forces, and his superior, intrepid airmanship in the face of skilled and determined enemy opposition were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United states Naval Service."… oohrah…
FAITHFUL SCRIBE ENDNOTE. CAPTAIN Brown Bear SCHAFFERT is a prolific writer and between March and May, 2016 contributed a dozen articles and comments to the Rolling Thunder Remembered archives… readers of this series of tales might find Dr. Schaffert's collection articles/stories of interest… In addition, Brown Bear has written a memoir of sorts that he makes available on-line upon request. That too, is great storytelling… Email Brown Bear at: brownbearlead@gmail.com…
HAVE A RED, WHITE AND BLUE week of celebrating the birthday of our great nation, still the land of the free and home of the brave…
NEXT POST. Monday, 6 July 2020. Tale #14: USS HANCOCK and CVW-5 pound the Hai Duong RR/Hwy Bridge and Thanh Lien RR Siding on 19 June 1967…
Lest we forget… Bear
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for June 29 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
29 June
1909: With Orville Wright at the controls, the first Army airplane began trial flights at Fort Myer, Va. (12) (24)
1927: Through 1 July, Lt Cmdr Richard E. Byrd, Lt George O. Noville, Bert Acosta, and Bernt Balchen, set a record four-passenger flight in their airplane, the America. They flew from Roosevelt Field, N.Y., to Ver-Sur-Mer, France (about 125 miles from Paris), and covered the 3,477 miles in 46 hours 6 minutes. (9) (24)
1928: John H. Mears and Capt C. B. D. Collyer flew around the world from New York and back in 23 days 15 hours 21 minutes to establish an FAI record. (9)
1936: Maj Gen Frank M. Andrews, along with Maj John Whiteley and crew, set a world's distance record for amphibians in a Douglas YOA-5. Two Wright Cyclone 800 HP engines pulled the aircraft 1,429.7 miles from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Langley Field. (24)
1940: A program to build over 12,000 airplanes by 1 April 1942 approved as the "Army's first aviation objective for training, organization, and procurement. (12)
1950: KOREAN WAR. President Truman authorized General MacArthur to dispatch air forces against targets in North Korea. Later that day, the 3 BG launched 18 B-26s to attack Heijo Airfield near Pyongyang, North Korea. (21) KOREAN WAR. General MacArthur directed General Stratemeyer to concentrate air attacks on the Han River bridges and North Korean troops massing north of the river. B-26s attacked the bridges, and Fifth Air Force F-80s patrolled the Han River area. F-82s from the 86 FAWS, using jettisonable fuel tanks, attacked with napalm for the first time. The 35 FBS and 80 FBS shot down five North Korean airplanes that were attacking Suwon Airfield, while eight 19 BG B-29s attacked enemy-held Kimpo Airfield and the Seoul railroad station, reportedly killing a large number of enemy troops. As the B-29s turned toward Kadena AB, enemy aircraft attacked the formation, enabling B-29 gunners to shoot down an enemy airplane for the first time. (28) KOREAN WAR. General MacArthur authorized FEAF attacks against North Korean airfields. In the first USAF attack, eighteen 3 BG B-26s attacked Heijo airfield near Pyongyang, claiming up to 25 enemy aircraft destroyed on the ground. The 8 TRS began photographing North Korean airfields. Using RB-29 aircraft, the 31 SRS (Photographic) also started operations over Korea from Yokota. (28)
1955: The first Boeing B-52B Stratofortress (serial number 52-8711) entered operational service with SAC at Castle AFB and the 93 BMW. (1) (12)
1956: An Aerobee-Hi rocket, built by Aerojet General Corporation, attained an altitude of 163 miles in a launching from White Sands Proving Ground. (24)
1961: The US Navy's Transit IV-A navigational satellite, launched from Cape Canaveral on a Thor-Able-Star booster, became the first satellite equipped with a nuclear power generator. A radio-isotope-powered battery of the Snap series provided its power. Two other satellites, the Injun and Greb III, mounted "piggyback" on the Transit IV-A failed to separate and function. (24)
1962: The first Minuteman to be launched by an USAF crew was fired from an underground silo at Cape Canaveral to a target area some 2,300 miles away. (16) (24) In an offensive operation against the Viet Cong about 20 miles northwest of Saigon, 16 Mule Train C-123s and 10 Vietnamese AF C-47s dropped over 1,000 Vietnamese paratroopers. (17)
1965: Capt Joseph Engle qualified as a military astronaut by flying the X-15 No. 3 to 280,600 feet at
3,432 MPH (Mach 4.94). By exceeding 264,000 feet (50 miles), Engle became the third USAF and youngest astronaut. (3)
1972: MEDAL OF HONOR. Capt Steven L. Bennett, a forward air controller, and his observer found enemy troops attacking a friendly unit. He then strafed the enemy forces into retreating. After a surface-to-air missile hit and crippled his OV-10 Bronco and shredded his observer's parachute, Bennett ditched his OV-10 into the Gulf of Tonkin even though he knew the OV-10 was not likely to survive the ditching. He died, but his observer survived. For his heroic sacrifice, Bennett received the Medal of Honor posthumously. (21)
1982: Lockheed delivered the last C-141B to the USAF. The program cost $489.6 million, an impressive $193.3 million below the 1978 estimate. (18)
1984: The HH-60D completed its first air refueling from an HC-130 tanker. (3)
1985: The 60 BMS, 43 SW, at Andersen AFB became the second B-52G Stratofortress unit to be equipped with the Harpoon antiship missile. This event gave the weapon system full operating capability. (16) (26)
1993: Wright-Patterson AFB successfully tested the OC-135B Open Skies reconnaissance aircraft. The aircraft performed surveillance over signature nations to the Open Skies Treaty. (16) (26)
1998: At Edwards AFB, the DarkStar 2 high altitude UAV made its successful first flight, flying for 44 minutes and completing pre-programmed flight maneuvers at up to 5000 feet. (3)
2007: The 552nd Air Control Wing at Tinker AFB, Okla., celebrated the 30th anniversary of the E-3A Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System. The first E-3 Sentry arrived at Tinker on 23 March 1977, and since then it served in almost every U. S. military operation. The wing also honored the crewmembers lost in an accident on 22 September 1995, the only E-3 lost in the airframe's 30-year history. (AFNEWS, "Airmen Honor 30 Years of AWACS," 3 Jul 2007.)
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Daily News for 29 July thanks to Military Periscope
USA—Nimitz, Reagan Carriers Train Together In Philippine Sea U.S. Pacific Fleet | 06/29/2020 Two U.S. carrier strike groups are conducting joint operations in the Philippine Sea, reports the U.S. Pacific Fleet. On Sunday, the Nimitz and Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Groups began maneuvers in the Philippine Sea. The integrated exercises and operations are designed to strengthen all-domain combat capabilities, officials said. Navy aircraft carriers have conducted dual carrier strike group operations in the region for years, noted the command. Such operations typically occur when strike groups deployed to 7th Fleet from the West Coast of the U.S. join a forward-deployed carrier strike group based in Japan. The Nimitz and Theodore Roosevelt strike groups trained together earlier this month. "Dual carrier operations demonstrate our commitment to regional allies, our ability to rapidly mass combat power in the Indo-Pacific and our readiness to confront all those who challenge international norms that support regional stability," Rear Adm. George Wikoff, commander Carrier Strike Group 5, said in a statement cited by the Japan Times. Meanwhile, on Saturday, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) issued a statement criticizing nations attempting to subvert the 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). That statement was widely seen as a swipe at China's expansive operations in the South China Sea.
USA—Air Force Short Of Staffing Targets For UAV Crews Government Accountability Office | 06/29/2020 The Government Accountability Office has just released a report outlining the Air Force's shortfalls in maintaining its uncrewed aerial vehicle workforce. In addition to a shortage of pilots and sensor operators, the service lacks data on predicting crew retention rates and has failed to identify the number instructor positions needed to meet its personnel requirements, said the report published on June 25. The lack of instructor personnel in particular is the result of the Air Force basing its assumptions on an outdated training program. Additionally, the service has not fielded the number of trainers needed for those incorrect assumptions since 2016. Accordingly, the number of assigned UAV pilots and sensor operators has consistently been less than half of the required number and well below the authorized figure, said the GAO.
USA—King Stallion Chopper Wraps Up Initial Sea Trials U.S. Naval Air Systems Command | 06/29/2020 The newest heavy-lift helicopter for the U.S. Marine Corps has just completed its first sea trials, reports the Naval Air Systems Command. From June 8 to June 21, the CH-53K King Stallion operated from the amphibious ship USS Wasp to demonstrate its capabilities in a warship environment, reported USNI News on June 25. The testing involved launch and recovery; rotor start and shutdown; blade fold; and shipboard compatibility testing in various sea and wind conditions. More than 360 landings and takeoffs were completed during the trials. Other tests included towing the CH-53K around the Wasp's deck and hangar, performing maintenance at sea, evaluating chain/tie-down procedures and ensuring the helicopter could fit in all the required locations on the flight deck and in the hangar. Some minor issues emerged during the trials, but no large issues that could caused delays were discovered, according to Navy officials. If all goes well, the CH-53K is expected to begin initial operational test and evaluation work next year before its scheduled first deployment in 2023.
Denmark—Norwegian National Gets 7 Years For Espionage, Assassination Plot Wall Street Journal | 06/29/2020 A Danish court has sentenced a Norwegian national who was found guilty of espionage and plotting an assassination on behalf of Iran, reports the Wall Street Journal. On Friday, Mohammad Davoudzadeh Loloei, a Norwegian citizen of Iranian heritage, received seven years in jail, reported Reuters. At the end of the sentence he will be permanently expelled from Denmark. Loloei was convicted of spying for Iran's intelligence service and involvement in a plot to kill an Iranian Arab opposition figure living in Denmark. He was arrested in October 2018 after a major police operation. Loloei had observed and taken pictures of the home of an Iranian exile in Denmark along with the surrounding streets, the court said. The information was passed on to Iranian intelligence, in support of a plot to kill the dissident. Loloei denied the charges and immediately appealed the verdict. Danish authorities have also filed an arrest warrant with Interpol for Loloei's Iranian case officer.
Sweden—Military Completes Test-Firing Of New Ground-Based Air Defense System United Press International | 06/29/2020 The Swedish armed forces have successfully concluded verification testing of its new short-range ground-based air defense system, reports United Press International. The Robotsystem (RBS) 98, a ground-launched variant of the German IRIS-T short-range air-to-air missile, was successfully test-fired from trailer-mounted launcher pulled by a BvS10 all-terrain amphibious armored vehicle, the military said on June 22. The launcher can carry up to four missiles. The launch marked the conclusion of test-firing qualification, noted Army Recognition. Lt. Col. Thomas Wessman, deputy chief of the Swedish air defense regiment, described the test as successful and said the system would improve the ability of Swedish air defense units to engage modern threats. The RBS 98 missile is the no different than the air-launched version, he said.
Denmark—Norwegian National Gets 7 Years For Espionage, Assassination Plot Wall Street Journal | 06/29/2020 A Danish court has sentenced a Norwegian national who was found guilty of espionage and plotting an assassination on behalf of Iran, reports the Wall Street Journal. On Friday, Mohammad Davoudzadeh Loloei, a Norwegian citizen of Iranian heritage, received seven years in jail, reported Reuters. At the end of the sentence he will be permanently expelled from Denmark. Loloei was convicted of spying for Iran's intelligence service and involvement in a plot to kill an Iranian Arab opposition figure living in Denmark. He was arrested in October 2018 after a major police operation. Loloei had observed and taken pictures of the home of an Iranian exile in Denmark along with the surrounding streets, the court said. The information was passed on to Iranian intelligence, in support of a plot to kill the dissident. Loloei denied the charges and immediately appealed the verdict. Danish authorities have also filed an arrest warrant with Interpol for Loloei's Iranian case officer.
Sweden—Military Completes Test-Firing Of New Ground-Based Air Defense System United Press International | 06/29/2020 The Swedish armed forces have successfully concluded verification testing of its new short-range ground-based air defense system, reports United Press International. The Robotsystem (RBS) 98, a ground-launched variant of the German IRIS-T short-range air-to-air missile, was successfully test-fired from trailer-mounted launcher pulled by a BvS10 all-terrain amphibious armored vehicle, the military said on June 22. The launcher can carry up to four missiles. The launch marked the conclusion of test-firing qualification, noted Army Recognition. Lt. Col. Thomas Wessman, deputy chief of the Swedish air defense regiment, described the test as successful and said the system would improve the ability of Swedish air defense units to engage modern threats. The RBS 98 missile is the no different than the air-launched version, he said.
Russia—An-140 Reconnaissance Aircraft Begins Trials Defence-Blog | 06/29/2020 A new reconnaissance aircraft for the Russian air force is undergoing testing, reports Defence Blog. The modified An-140-100 cargo aircraft is undertaking ground and flight testing to validate the safety and reliability of the design and the performance of onboard equipment, the OJSC Experimental Machine-Building Plant said on June 25. The plane is equipped with a camera and sensor suite in the fuselage for aerial surveillance missions, the website said. The systems can provide high-resolution images of terrain. Following the initial trials, the modified An-140 will undergo special testing at the Chkalov flight-testing center, the company said. South
Korea—DAPA Approves Production For New SPAAG Yonhap | 06/29/2020 The South Korean military acquisition authority has awarded Hanwha Defense a contract for production of a new wheeled self-propelled anti-aircraft gun (SPAAG), reports the Yonhap news agency (Seoul). On Saturday, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced that it had finalized a US$200 million contract with Hanwha Defense for the 30-mm anti-aircraft gun wheeled vehicle system (AAGW), which is mounted on a K808 8 x 8 chassis. The AAGW is intended to replace the aging Vulcan air defense system (VADS) used by the army, air force and marines. Acquiring the AAGW will enhance the military's capability to defend against low-altitude threats. The cannon has a range of 3,280 yards (3,000 m) and requires a total of 18 personnel for company-level operations, officials said. The South Korean military is expected to begin operations with the system in 2021.
Australia—Labor Lawmaker Suspended From Party Amid Investigation Into China Ties Sydney Morning Herald | 06/29/2020 The Australian Labor Party has suspended one of its parliamentarians amid an extensive investigation of his ties with China, reports the Sydney Morning Herald. On Friday, the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) and federal police raided several properties linked to New South Wales MP Shaoquett Moselmane in search of evidence that he was being influenced by Beijing. He was formally suspended from the Labor Party following the raids. Moselmane has come under fire for opposing a bipartisan measure in the Australian Parliament to curb Chinese government influence in Australia and repeatedly praising Beijing. John Zhang, a high-ranking member of the Australia China Economics, Trade and Culture Association, which experts say is a leading organization linked to the Chinese Communist Party, joined Moselmane's parliamentary office in 2018 and is a person of interest in the investigation, reported the Guardian (U.K.). In April, Moselmane resigned as assistant president of the Legislative Council after repeatedly praising China's efforts to combat the novel coronavirus. He has also taken nine separate privately funded trips to China since entering Parliament in 2009. The costs of the trips were frequently covered by Chinese government officials or agencies.
India—5 Die In Fighting In Kashmir Zee News | 06/29/2020 At least five people were killed last week in separate incidents in India-administered Kashmir, reports Zee News (India). On Friday, militants opened fire on a paramilitary patrol in Bijbehara in the Anantnag district in southern Kashmir. The Central Reserve Police Force's 90 Battalion was opening a road near the Padshahi Bagh bridge when it was attacked, reported the Press Trust of India. A paramilitary and a young boy were injured in the firing and taken to the hospital where they succumbed to their wounds, officials said. The boy was in a car that accidentally drove into the middle of the gun battle, reported Agence France-Presse. Separately, three militants were killed on Friday at the end of a 15-hour gun battle with security forces near the village of Tral in the Pulwama district of Kashmir. Security forces launched a cordon-and-search operation on Thursday evening, setting off a gunfight with the militants, reported the Print (India).
Pakistan—BLA Militants Attack Karachi Stock Exchange Dawn | 06/29/2020 Terrorists have assaulted the Pakistan Stock Exchange in Karachi, reports the Dawn (Karachi). On Monday, four militants launched their attack, lobbing a grenade at the main gate of the Pakistan Stock Exchange, reported BBC News. The militants armed with AK-47s then tried to storm the building. Police and paramilitary Pakistan Rangers quickly responded, killing all four within 10 minutes. The attackers were dressed similarly to police officers, said the head of the stock exchange, as quoted by CNN. The terrorists failed to enter the building and trading continued without interruption, officials said. Two security guards and a police officer died in the assault. At least seven people, including three security personnel, were wounded. Security forces recovered advanced weaponry, hand grenades and explosive material from the scene. The Baluchistan Liberation Army, a separatist group in Pakistan's western Baluchistan region, claimed responsibility, reported the Daily Times (Pakistan).
Afghanistan—Russians Offered Bounties To Taliban To Kill Americans New York Times | 06/29/2020 Russian military intelligence offered bounties to Taliban fighters who killed American troops, reports the New York Times. The GRU, Russia's military intelligence agency, paid bounties to Taliban fighters who killed U.S. soldiers. U.S. intelligence and special operations personnel alerted their superiors to the suspected Russian plot as early as January, officials said. The incentives are believed to have resulted in an unspecified number of casualties, including at least one death, reported the Washington Post, citing U.S. intelligence sources. Interrogation of militants and criminals gave confidence to an intelligence community assessment that Russians had paid bounties in 2019, said unnamed officials. The scope and duration of the program is not clear. Ten U.S. troops died in fighting in Afghanistan in 2018, 16 in 2019 and two so far this year. Sources said that the White House was briefed on the program in March, shortly after the U.S. signed an agreement with the Taliban. President Trump has denied being briefed on the intelligence, reported Fox News. However, one official told the Times that the reports had been briefed to the highest levels in the White House.
Afghanistan—23 Civilians Killed In Rocket Attack On Market In Helmand Province TOLONews | 06/29/2020 At least 23 civilians have been killed in a rocket attack on a cattle market in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province, reports the Tolo News (Kabul). On Monday, four rockets struck during a festival at the market in the Sangin district, said the provincial governor's office. The attack was followed by a car bomb explosion in a nearby residential area that killed two Taliban fighters near a place where explosives and rockets were made in cooperation with "foreign terrorists," the governor's office said. Hundreds of residents from surrounding districts had come to trade livestock during the festival, reported Al Jazeera (Qatar). Twenty-three civilians were killed and 15 injured in the rocket attack. Officials blamed the Taliban.
Ethiopia—Government Agrees To Delay Filling Reservoir For Controversial Dam Agence France-Presse | 06/29/2020 Ethiopia has agreed to postpone filling a controversial mega dam that has raised concerns in Egypt and Sudan until a comprehensive agreement can be reached, reports Agence France-Presse. On Friday, Egyptian President Abdel Fatah el-Sisi announced that Ethiopia had agreed to delay filling the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), which was previously scheduled to begin in July. Sisi indicated that the agreement was legally binding and would be sent in a letter to the U.N. Security Council. Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok said that the parties had agreed to delay filling the reservoir until a final agreement could be reached. Ethiopian Water Minister Seleshi Bekele said that the deal could be finalized in two to three weeks, reported Al Jazeera (Qatar). The breakthrough followed an online summit chaired by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. Ethiopia says that the dam is vital for electrification and domestic development, while Egypt has expressed concern that the dam, built on the Blue Nile, would restrict Cairo's access to freshwater.
Sudan—International Donors Pledge US$1.5 Billion To Help With Financial Crisis Voice Of America News | 06/29/2020 Foreign donors have have promised around US$1.5 billion in aid to support the transitional government in Sudan, reports Voice of America News. Western and Arab countries made their pledges during a virtual conference organized by Germany. Donors include the U.S., European Union, Germany, France and the U.K. Saudi Arabia, which said it had provided US$500 million to Sudan over the last year, pledged US$10 million, and the United Arab Emirates promised US$50 million. The funding is intended to help Sudan deal with a financial crisis as it seeks to consolidate democracy following the overthrow of long-time dictator Omar Bashir last year. Sudan has struggled financially since South Sudan seceded with much of its oil resources in 2011.
Malawi—Opposition Candidate Wins Election Redo Voice Of America News | 06/29/2020 The opposition candidate has won in Malawi's re-running of its presidential election last week, reports the Voice of America News. Lazarus Chakwera, the leader of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), won 58.57 percent of the votes in the election held on June 23, the head of the Malawi Electoral Commission announced on June 27. The vote was mandated after Malawi's Constitutional Court negated the May 2019 election after widespread irregularities were found, reported the BBC News. This is the first time in sub-Saharan Africa that a flawed election result was overturned and the opposition subsequently won power. Chakwera defeated President Peter Mutharika, who was running for a second term. He won 2.6 million votes, while Mutharika picked up 1.7 million. The president said the voting was marred by irregularities, while independent election observers said it was fair, free and credible.
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