Good Monday Morning 16 November
I hope that you all had a great weekend
Regards,
Skip
This Day in Naval History
November 16
1776 The first salute of an American flag (Grand Union Flag) by a foreign power is rendered by the Dutch at St. Eustatius, West Indies in reply to a salute by the Continental ship Andrew Doria.
1798 The warship Baltimore is halted by the British off Havana, intending to impress Baltimores crew who could not prove American citizenship. Fifty-five seamen are imprisoned though 50 are later freed.
1942 USS Woolsey (DD 437), USS Swanson (DD 443), and USS Quick (DD 490) sink the German submarine U-173 off Casablanca, French Morocco.
1963 President John F. Kennedy, on board USS Observation Island (EAG 154), witnesses the launch of Polaris A-2 missile by USS Andrew Jackson (SSBN 619).
1973 Skylab 4 is launched and recovery is performed by USS New Orleans (LPH 11).
Thanks to CHINFO
Executive Summary:
• Multiple outlets reported that Acting SecDef Chris Miller is pushing to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan.
• More than a dozen Indo-Pacific nations joined China to form the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership trade pact.
This Day in History November 16
1533 The explorer Francisco Pizarro enters Cuzco, Peru.
1626 The Pilgrim Fathers, who have settled in New Plymouth, buy out their London investors.
1777 The Articles of Confederation, instituting perpetual union of the United States of America, are adopted by Congress.
1805 Meriwether Lewis, William Clark and their party reach the mouth of the Columbia River, completing their trek to the Pacific.
1806 Explorer Zebulon Pike discovers the Colorado Peak that bears his name, despite the fact that he didn't climb it.
1864 Union Major General William T. Sherman's troops set fires that destroy much of Atlanta's industrial district prior to beginning Sherman's March to the Sea.
1881 The American Federation of Labor is founded.
1909 M. Metrot takes off in a Voisin biplane from Algiers, making the first manned flight in Africa.
1917 Kerensky flees and Bolsheviks take command in Moscow.
1920 Forty-one nations open the first League of Nations session in Geneva..
1922 It is announced that Dr. Alexis Carrel has discovered white corpuscles.
1930 General strikes and riots paralyze Madrid, Spain.
Eighteen lawsuits are brought against the Tennessee Valley Authority, calling for its dissolution.
1942 An American fleet defeats a Japanese naval force in a clash off Guadalcanal.
1946 The 17th Paris Air Show opens at the Grand Palais des Champs-Elysees. It is the first show of this kind since World War II.
1952 Newark Airport in New Jersey reopens after closing earlier in the year because of an increase in accidents.
1957 Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev asserts Soviet superiority in missiles, challenging the United States to a rocket-range shooting match.
1960 The first submarine with nuclear missiles, USS George Washington, takes to sea from Charleston, South Carolina.
1962 Cuba threatens to down U.S. planes on reconnaissance flights over its territory.
1963 Argentina voids all foreign oil contracts.
1965 In the second day of combat, regiments of the 1st Cavalry Division battle on Landing Zones X-Ray against North Vietnamese forces in the Ia Drang Valley.
1969 A quarter of a million anti-Vietnam War demonstrators march in Washington, D.C.
1976 A Syrian peace force takes control of Beirut, Lebanon.
1984 Baby Fae dies 20 days after receiving a baboon heart transplant in Loma Linda, California.
1985 Anglo-Irish Agreement signed by British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Irish Taoiseach Garret Fitzgerald.
1988 Palestinian National Council proclaims an independent State of Palestine.
1990 People's Republic of Bulgaria replaced by a new republican government.
2007 Cyclone Sidr strikes Bangladesh, killing an estimated 5,000 people.
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This Day in Aviation History" brought to you by the Daedalians Airpower Blog Update. To subscribe to this weekly email, go to https://daedalians.org/airpower-blog/.
Nov. 16, 1914
An administrative reorganization at Pensacola, Florida, shifted overall command of the flying school from the station ship to headquarters ashore, and the station was officially designated Naval Aeronautic Station, Pensacola.
Nov. 20, 1919
At the Navy's request, Coast Guard Lt. Elmer Stone reported to the Aircraft Division, Bureau of Construction and Repair at the Washington, D.C., Navy Yard, for assignment as a test pilot. Stone was Coast Guard Aviator #1, Naval Aviator #38, and Daedalian Founder Member #3473.
Nov. 21, 1783
The first free or untethered human flight took place when Jean Francois Pilatre de Rozier and François Laurent le Vieux d'Arlandes departed Château de la Muette, the home of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette near the Bois de Boulogne in the western outskirts of Paris, aboard a hot air balloon. They few as high as 500 feet and traveled 5 miles over Paris in a hot-air balloon which had been designed and built by the brothers Joseph-Michel Montgolfier and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier.
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thanks to Tim and Dutch
Some interesting historical stuff
From: tom@taphilo.com
Sent: Sunday, November 15, 2020 5:01 PM
To: dudleyolive@comcast.net
Subject: Milk Run October 2020 - Oregon Chapter 8th AFHS
"Oregon Chapter 8th Air Force Historical Society
History News for October 2020
History News à Readers, where's your story?
Oregon 8th AFHS Chapter News and how to share YOUR history with others through our 8th AFHS Chapter is on the last page.
This "Milk Run" is now only a little late In a few weeks another issue will come to your email and I will be caught up. Tom Philo your editor.
Front Row Seat For Ploesti
As a Bombardier on a Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bomber in WW II then Lt Dom D'Adamo had a great view out the front of the plane. Course the enemy also had a great view of him.
Assigned to the 389 BG(H) he had a thrilling view of the ground during the August 1, 1943 Ploesti mission.
"The chimneys were 212 feet tall. They wanted us to go in at 250 feet. So we wouldn't hit those."
He turned 100 in November.
A Series of True Stories That Occurred in War
Tales of individual and groups on the battlefield of US and British Personnel
The Ghost Ship During the Battle of the Bulge
A tale of a radio operator on a B-17 raid during the Battle of the Bulge.
Amazon link: 12 Minutes: The Untold Story of the Ghost Plane at The Battle of the Bulge
Flying a B-29 Into Japanese Fighters
You know the enemy is close when the engine of a Jap fighter passes under you and the rest of the plane goes over you.
His unit had an overall 50% causality rate.
Tail Section of a Possible F4F Washes Up in St Augustine Florida
After a severe storm a corroded tail section of a Navy plane, easily determined by the tailhook in the retracted position, was found on the beach. It is being stored for right now. All Navy planes, regardless of when discovered or condition, remain property of the US Navy.
"F4F Wildcats were used at Lee Field in Clay County, which opened in March 1941, according to the Florida WWII Heritage Trail guidebook."
An Easy Way To Remember You Daughter's Birthday
Dads can usually remember a life event like the birth of your first child. But if you are not there due to being away during WW II is not a memorable. This B-24 Co-Pilot found a way to make it very easy to remember.
https://www.startribune.com/wwii-co-pilot-98-bailed-out-over-berlin-as-he-became-a-dad/572625871/
Last Flight of an F-117 to Palm Springs
Palm Springs is not just a retirement place for people – aircraft go there too.
A Stealth Fighter F-117 will be retiring to the museum indefinitely. The jet arrived on September 22. Former F-117 pilot Ken Dwelle, participated in the arrival event. "I flew this very aircraft," said Dwelle.
https://kesq.com/news/2020/10/03/fighter-jet-retires-to-palm-springs-air-museum/
You Really only Solo Once
But you could count it as a solo each time you get checked out in a new aircraft. Charles David Mason will solo again – 75 years after his first solo flight.
A Victoria Cross of The Crimea War
Instituted on the urging of Prince Albert to Queen Victoria in 1856, it was retro-actively authorized for the Crimea War of 1854-1855. This one went up on the auction block October 5 and it was awarded to Seaman James Gorman of HMS Albion.
Deciphering Military Grave Markers
Like in all things government, there are rules and regulations on how things are done and it is no different for gravestones. The rules change over the years. The markers a veteran gets is all dependent upon the rules in force when they die.
Wreck of the Karlsruhe Found at the Bottom of the Baltic
Bombed and sunk by the Soviets as it steamed from Pillau back to Germany lines as it evacuated personnel from the closing Soviet armies.
Some speculate that the "Amber Room" which had been looted by NAZIs in 1941 was on board the steamer when it was sunk. 1083 were on board but only 113 were recused from the 35 degree water. It sank in under 3 minutes.
Future Fleet Carrier Doris Miller
This would be the 2nd ship named after the Seaman Miller who was on the USS West Virginia when it was attacked in Pearl Harbor. His actions on that day has been featured in a few Pearl Harbor movies. He was awarded the Navy Cross for his actions on that day. He was MIA on the USS Liscome Bay after it was sunk in 1943.
Col Charles Peery Gross
In charge of the Missouri National Guard unit during the Spanish American War, though the war was over before the unit was sent overseas, he started his career in the military at 14 ½ - during the US Civil War fighting for 3 ½ years in the Confederate States of America army.
"At the close of the war he surrendered at Little Rock and took the oath of allegiance to support the constitution of the United States, being at the time eighteen years of age."
[Editor's note: now most parents are afraid to let their children walk to the corner store let alone have the assault rifle of its day and fight in a war for 3 ½ years!]
Buried Side by Side – Brothers Killed in WW II Combat
The movie Saving Private Ryan is a dramatization of an actual event. However, there are other documented cases where brothers actually died on the same day while serving in different units and are buried next to each other in US Military Cemeteries. This book tells their story.
Amazon link: rothers in Arms: Remembering Brothers Buried Side by Side in American World War II Cemeteries
Italy's Attitude Toward Their WW I Captured Soldiers
More aligned with the attitudes of Japanese, and the Soviets view during WW II, they are to be forgotten and punished for being captured – even when it was not their fault for being captured.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_prisoners_of_war_in_the_First_World_War
Battle of Tippecanoe
William Henry Harrison commanded the US Forces while The Prophet, Tecumseh's Brother, commanded the Indians. It was a well fought and hard battle that was not expected to be fought. The Indians fought with the same military standards and ability as the Harrison Army. "the final casualty count was 68 killed and 122 wounded. The Indians, from what the whites could learn from the Indians who took part in the battle, had 45 killed and over 60 more wounded." Out of 950 and 700 respectively.
Scaring Flak Crews in WW II
"A Mitchell bomber crew, which had been bombing Italian rail communications carried a couple of bundles of leaflets and some wine bottles every time they went out to bomb. Questioned by a psychological warfare officer, who failed to find this particular plane on his schedule, one member of the crew replied: "This is psychological warfare, Mac. Before we hit the target we take a fake bomb run over the nearest flak crew and throw these bottles and the leaflets out. They whistle just like bombs and the flak crew takes cover. Then we go on and bomb as per schedule." "
Decoys to confuse the enemy was around then and still is used now. A 1945 study called Paper Bullets discusses Psychological Warfare.
The USS Barb Sails Again
The latest US Naval ship to carry this name is again a submarine. The 1942 Barb has the distention to having been the only sub to have blown up a train while on patrol.
Flying the Homeward Bound Pennant
Some naval traditions are obscure and you have no idea why they are there – unless you are in the Navy. This article explains the Homeward Bound Pennant and when it can be flown on a US Naval ship.
Detained AT Airport for Carrying a "Weapon" – His Medal Of Honor
Joseph Jacob Foss was a Marine Ace who fought during the Battle of Guadalcanal.
On Jan. 11, 2002, Foss was attempting to board an American West flight when he was detained by security for a suspected weapon on his person. The suspected weapon, his Medal of Honor, was passed around by security personnel who were confused about what it was. Foss, who had to explain that it was his Medal of Honor, later said of the situation, "I wasn't upset for me. I was upset for the Medal of Honor, that they just didn't know what it even was. It represents all of the guys who lost their lives — the guys who never came back. Everyone who put their lives on the line for their country. You're supposed to know what the Medal of Honor is."
https://www.austindailyherald.com/2020/10/50-states-50-heroes-ace-of-guadalcanal/
National Museum of the US Army Opening Day
It officially opens up to the public on November 11, 2020. The museum is located about 20 miles south of Washington, D.C., on a publicly accessible area of Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
It has a 38 ton Sherman tank Cobra King on display. It was in action with Patton's 3rd Army in Europe. It had been knocked out once by German AT fire in November of 1944. Old black-and-white photos show the Cobra King with "First In Bastogne" written in chalk on its side.
Battle of Crete in 1941
In the movie Guns of Navarino, there is the classic mix of characters in the movie – which actually mirrored the real-life characters in the real war on Crete in 1941.
"Peter Fleming, brother of author Ian, who had attached himself to General Adrian Carton de Wiart, a man "with only one eye, only one arm, and — rather more surprisingly — only one Victoria Cross".
"Few realise how easy and dangerous it is to mix sentiment with strategy."
Amazon link: The Guns Of Navarone (movie) The Guns of Navarone
(book)
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2020-10-17-the-art-of-war/
Australian War Collection 3D Museum
3D Treasures features three-dimensional digital scans of 25 objects from the National Collection, each with curated information about the object's history and story.
https://www.awm.gov.au/3dtreasures/
Short, Magazine Lee-Enfield (SMLE)
It came about over a period of 13 years from 1888 to 1901 when single round loading of the Lee-Metford model was replaced with the SMLE model with a stripper clip style of loading. This is a short history of the rifle.
Wedding Dress made from a WW II Parachute to Museum
Wedding Dresses are always special, but one made from pure silk that saved the life of the groom is something special. They are not often allowed to keep the parachute after use. But this time flak pierced the side of the aircraft but hit the the tightly packed parachute and stopped a piece from killing him. Rendered useless - he was allowed to take it home.
Firing the PAK-40 Today
Video of a live firing the German Made (in 1943) PAK-40 Anti-Tank gun in the USA at a firing range and its history.
https://www.warhistoryonline.com/guns/firing-the-powerful-german-pak-40-anti-tank_gun-m.html
The Blue Angles Foundation
A 60-minute patriotic program fundraiser to raise awareness, and money, to help save the lives of wounded veterans.
https://app.mobilecause.com/e/6_Zm2g?vid=e2elo
Blue Angles Association Web site: https://www.blueangelsassociation.org/
Sometimes Words are Note Needed
When soldiers came back from wars often they just forgot what they did and moved on externally. Internally they always remembered.
Hiding Your Ethnic Origins so you Can Fight
Discrimination comes in all forms and your last name can be one. This American hid his last name when he enlisted due to the standard practice of not allowing Mexican sounding names from serving in combat. He won the Medal of Honor.
Surviving Iwo Jima with a Flamethrower on your Back
A video where Hershel "Woody" Williams tells how he ought on Iwo and survived attacking Japanese bunkers on Iwo. He celebrated his 97th birthday on October 2, 2020.
https://biggeekdad.com/2014/08/iwo-jima-flame-thrower/
Fashion and War
Long wars, where all the people in the nation are affected and are involved often have unintended consequences. WW I was one where people were forced to adapt to new requirements of work and fashion had to adapt to cloth shortages and retooling. This book looks into how War's practical fashion needs caused social upheaval during and after the war in France.
Amazon link: French Fashion, Women, and the First World War
Finding Crash Sites in Germany
With over 16,000 US planes, the British lost twice that amount, shot down over Germany it is a full time job.
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This Day in U S Military History
1944 – Allied air strikes support offensives of US 9th and 1st Armies; about 10,000 tons of bombs are dropped by some 1200 US 8th Air Force planes and 1100 RAF bombers with the goal of obliterating the fortified towns of Duren, Julich and Heinsberg as well as the German defensive position west of Duren. The US 9th Army advances toward Geilenkirchen and Eschweiler with the objective of reaching the Roer River. To the right, the US 1st Army attacks toward Duren, east of Aachen.
1945 – Eighty-eight German scientists, holding Nazi secrets, arrived in the U.S. In a move that stirs up some controversy, the United States ships 88 German scientists to America to assist the nation in its production of rocket technology. Most of these men had served under the Nazi regime and critics in the United States questioned the morality of placing them in the service of America. Nevertheless, the U.S. government, desperate to acquire the scientific know-how that had produced the terrifying and destructive V-1 and V-2 rockets for Germany during WWII, and fearful that the Russians were also utilizing captured German scientists for the same end, welcomed the men with open arms. Realizing that the importation of scientists who had so recently worked for the Nazi regime so hated by Americans was a delicate public relations situation, the U.S. military cloaked the operation in secrecy. In announcing the plan, a military spokesman merely indicated that some German scientists who had worked on rocket development had "volunteered" to come to the United States and work for a "very moderate salary." The voluntary nature of the scheme was somewhat undercut by the admission that the scientists were in "protective custody." Upon their arrival in the United States on November 16, newsmen and photographers were not allowed to interview or photograph the newcomers. A few days later, a source in Sweden claimed that the scientists were members of the Nazi team at Peenemeunde where the V-weapons had been produced. The U.S. government continued to remain somewhat vague about the situation, stating only that "certain outstanding German scientists and technicians" were being imported in order to "take full advantage of these significant developments, which are deemed vital to our national security." The situation pointed out one of the many ironies connected with the Cold War. The United States and the Soviet Union, once allies against Germany and the Nazi regime during World War II, were now in a fierce contest to acquire the best and brightest scientists who had helped arm the German forces in order to construct weapons systems to threaten each other.
1950 – A dedication of the monument erected in Arlington National Cemetery on the gravesite of those who lost their lives on the night of 29 January 1945, when USS Serpens was destroyed off Lunga Beach, Guadalcanal. This was the largest single disaster suffered by the US Coast Guard in World War II.
1965 – In the last day of the fighting at Landing Zone X-Ray, regiments of the U.S. 1st Cavalry Division repulsed NVA forces in the Ia Drang Valley. Joe Galloway served at LZ X-ray. He later received the Bronze Star for his actions during the epic battle. Based on that and his subsequent actions in Vietnam, Galloway came to be regarded by the military leadership and the GIs alike as a journalist who was fair, objective, and who could be trusted to get the story right. He co-authored with Lt. Gen. Hal More "We Were Soldiers Once…And Young."
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
HORNER, FREEMAN V.
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company K, 119th Infantry, 30th Infantry Division. Place and date: Wurselen, Germany, 16 November 1944. Entered service at: Shamokin, Pa. Birth: Mount Carmel, Pa. G.O. No.: 95, 30 October 1945. Citation: S/Sgt. Horner and other members of his company were attacking Wurselen, Germany, against stubborn resistance on 16 November 1944, when machinegun fire from houses on the edge of the town pinned the attackers in flat, open terrain 100 yards from their objective. As they lay in the field, enemy artillery observers directed fire upon them, causing serious casualties. Realizing that the machineguns must be eliminated in order to permit the company to advance from its precarious position, S/Sgt. Horner voluntarily stood up with his submachine gun and rushed into the teeth of concentrated fire, burdened by a heavy load of ammunition and hand grenades. Just as he reached a position of seeming safety, he was fired on by a machinegun which had remained silent up until that time. He coolly wheeled in his fully exposed position while bullets barely missed him and killed 2 hostile gunners with a single, devastating burst. He turned to face the fire of the other 2 machineguns, and dodging fire as he ran, charged the 2 positions 50 yards away. Demoralized by their inability to hit the intrepid infantryman, the enemy abandoned their guns and took cover in the cellar of the house they occupied. S/Sgt. Horner burst into the building, hurled 2 grenades down the cellar stairs, and called for the Germans to surrender. Four men gave up to him. By his extraordinary courage, S/Sgt. Horner destroyed 3 enemy machinegun positions, killed or captured 7 enemy, and cleared the path for his company's successful assault on Wurselen.
LINDSEY, JAKE W.
Rank and organization: Technical Sergeant, U.S. Army, 16th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Hamich, Germany, 16 November 1944. Entered service at: Lucedale, Miss. Birth: Isney, Ala. G.O. No.: 43, 30 May 1945. Citation: For gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty on 16 November 1944, in Germany. T/Sgt. Lindsey assumed a position about 10 yards to the front of his platoon during an intense enemy infantry-tank counterattack, and by his unerringly accurate fire destroyed 2 enemy machinegun nests, forced the withdrawal of 2 tanks, and effectively halted enemy flanking patrols. Later, although painfully wounded, he engaged 8 Germans, who were reestablishing machinegun positions, in hand-to-hand combat, killing 3, capturing 3, and causing the other 2 to flee. By his gallantry, T/Sgt. Lindsey secured his unit's position, and reflected great credit upon himself and the U.S. Army.
*MILLER, ANDREW
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company G, 377th Infantry, 95th Infantry Division. Place and date: From Woippy, France, through Metz to Kerprich Hemmersdorf, Germany, 1629 November 1944. Entered service at: Two Rivers, Wis. Birth: Manitowoc, Wis. G.O. No.: 74, 1 September 1945. Citation: For performing a series of heroic deeds from 1629 November 1944, during his company's relentless drive from Woippy, France, through Metz to Kerprich Hemmersdorf, Germany. As he led a rifle squad on 16 November at Woippy, a crossfire from enemy machineguns pinned down his unit. Ordering his men to remain under cover, he went forward alone, entered a building housing 1 of the guns and forced S Germans to surrender at bayonet point. He then took the second gun single-handedly by hurling grenades into the enemy position, killing 2, wounding 3 more, and taking 2 additional prisoners. At the outskirts of Metz the next day, when his platoon, confused by heavy explosions and the withdrawal of friendly tanks, retired, he fearlessly remained behind armed with an automatic rifle and exchanged bursts with a German machinegun until he silenced the enemy weapon. His quick action in covering his comrades gave the platoon time to regroup and carry on the fight. On 19 November S/Sgt. Miller led an attack on large enemy barracks. Covered by his squad, he crawled to a barracks window, climbed in and captured 6 riflemen occupying the room. His men, and then the entire company, followed through the window, scoured the building, and took 75 prisoners. S/Sgt. Miller volunteered, with 3 comrades, to capture Gestapo officers who were preventing the surrender of German troops in another building. He ran a gauntlet of machinegun fire and was lifted through a window. Inside, he found himself covered by a machine pistol, but he persuaded the 4 Gestapo agents confronting him to surrender. Early the next morning, when strong hostile forces punished his company with heavy fire, S/Sgt. Miller assumed the task of destroying a well-placed machinegun. He was knocked down by a rifle grenade as he climbed an open stairway in a house, but pressed on with a bazooka to find an advantageous spot from which to launch his rocket. He discovered that he could fire only from the roof, a position where he would draw tremendous enemy fire. Facing the risk, he moved into the open, coolly took aim and scored a direct hit on the hostile emplacement, wreaking such havoc that the enemy troops became completely demoralized and began surrendering by the score. The following day, in Metz, he captured 12 more prisoners and silenced an enemy machinegun after volunteering for a hazardous mission in advance of his company's position. On 29 November, as Company G climbed a hill overlooking Kerprich Hemmersdorf, enemy fire pinned the unit to the ground. S/Sgt. Miller, on his own initiative, pressed ahead with his squad past the company's leading element to meet the surprise resistance. His men stood up and advanced deliberately, firing as they went. Inspired by S/Sgt. Miller's leadership, the platoon followed, and then another platoon arose and grimly closed with the Germans. The enemy action was smothered, but at the cost of S/Sgt. Miller's life. His tenacious devotion to the attack, his gallant choice to expose himself to enemy action rather than endanger his men, his limitless bravery, assured the success of Company G.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for November 16, 2020 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
16 November
1913: John Domenjoz, a Swiss aviator, looped his Bleriot over the Battery and Statue of Liberty in what was presumed to be the first loop. Lt Petr Nikolaevich Nesteov of the Imperial Russian Army claimed an earlier first loop in his 27 August 1913 flight over Kiev in a Nieuport Type IV. (8) (24)
1927: The Navy commissioned its second aircraft carrier, the USS Saratoga. The US destroyed it in a 1946 atomic bomb test. (20)
1944: In the largest air and ground cooperation to date, over 4,000 allied planes, with 750 fighter escorts, dropped over 10,000 tons of bombs in front of the 1st and 9th Armies to prepare for a ground attack. (4) (24)
1951: KOREAN WAR. Fifth Air Force fighter-bombers made over one-hundred rail cuts between Sinanju and Sukchon and between Kunu-ri and Sunchon. They also damaged bridges, knocked out gun positions, destroyed supply buildings, fired fuel dumps, and took a toll of enemy rail cars. (28)
1952: KOREAN WAR. USMC aircraft attached to Fifth Air Force attacked hydroelectric facilities at Kongosan. (28)
1956: The 98 AREFS at Lincoln AFB, Nebr., received the last production KC-97, a G-model (number 53-3816). (1) SECDEF Charles E. Wilson transferred the northern part of Camp Cooke, Calif., from the Army to the USAF to set up a training site for Thor, Atlas, and Titan missiles. (6)
1959: At the White Sands Missile Range, Capt Joseph W. Kittinger, Jr., set three unofficial records by taking an open-gondola balloon to 76,400 feet. From there, he parachuted back to earth. This jump included a 64,000-foot free fall, the longest to date, that lasted 2 minutes 58 seconds. (9)
1966: Maj William J. Knight set an unofficial X-15 speed record of 4,159 MPH at Edwards AFB. (3)
1973: FIRST SKYLAB MISSION: In Skylab 4, the astronauts set a 7-hour, 1-minute space walk record in a 2,017-hour mission. They returned on 8 February 1974 after 34,523,000 miles and 84 days 1 hour 15 minutes 32 seconds in space.
1982: The Space Shuttle Columbia ended its first operational mission (fifth overall) by landing at Edwards AFB. It was the first craft to take more than three people into space. (3)
1987: Operation BUSY TIGER. MAC participated in the initial test to check KC-135 capabilities for short-notice deployments. Aircraft, personnel, and equipment from Grissom AFB and Beale AFB were used in the test. (16) (18)
1988: Through 30 November, MAC aircraft flew 442 tons of insecticide and supplies to Dakar, Senegal, to battle a destructive influx of locusts. (26)
2004: In its final flight, NASA's B-52 #008 launch vehicle, the oldest plane in the USAF inventory, carried the X-43A mounted on a Pegasus booster into the air. The X-43A then broke its 4,780 MPH record of 27 March 2004. After separating from a Pegasus booster rocket at 110,000 feet, the scramjet engine accelerated the X-43 to 7,000 mph (Mach 9.8). With this flight, the Dryden Flight Research Center validated the operation of the supersonic-combustion ramjet, powered by liquid hydrogen and atmospheric oxygen. The Guinness Book of World Records added the X-43's flight as a new world speed record for jet powered aircraft. (3)
2006: The Air Force Special Operations Command received its first CV-22 Osprey at Hurlburt Field. United States Special Operations Command commander, Gen Doug Brown, flew the Osprey to the arrival ceremony at Hurlburt. (USAF Aimpoints, "Hurlburt Gets First Osprey," 17 Nov 2006) DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS. An F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot, Capt David Anderson from the 35th Fighter Squadron at Kunsan AB, Republic of Korea, received the award for his actions in Operation Iraqi Freedom. While assigned to the 524th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron at Balad Air Base in Iraq, Captain Anderson and Capt Nick Sweeney flew a routine combat mission to Kirkuk. During their 16 November mission, they engaged enemy forces in contact with a US platoon near Baghdad. A joint terminal attack controller on the ground tasked the fighters to search for a vehicle near the platoon's position. When an enemy attack pinned down the ground troops, the controller immediately directed the F-16 pilots to the location. After a third low pass, Captain Sweeney had to disengage to get fuel. As the enemy fire intensified, the controller then ordered a strafe pass with the F-16's 20mm cannon. As Anderson executed a fourth low pass of the target area he identified his target and opened fire. In three successive strafe passes, he fired all 510 rounds to silence the enemy position. His attack killed enemy fighters, including one insurgent who was setting up a 60 mm mortar. (AFNEWS, "Kunsan Pilot Receives Distinguished Flying Cross," 12 September 2007)
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World News for 16 November thanks to Military Periscope
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