Good Sunday Morning May 9
I hope you all have a great Mother's Day today with your families
Regards,
Skip.
This day in Naval History May 9,
1860
While off the Isle of Pines (now named Isla de la Juventud) near the south coast of Cuba, the screw gunboat Wyandotte captures the slaver William, which carries 570 Africans.
1926
Lt. Cmdr. Richard E. Byrd and Chief Aviation Pilot Floyd Bennett report reaching the North Pole in their heavier-than-air-flight aircraft. Both receive the Medal of Honor for this event.
1942
USS Wasp (CV 7) launches 47 RAF Spitfires, British carrier Eagle accompanies Wasp and launches 17 additional Spitfires.
1945
German submarine U 249 surrenders to PB4Y-1 Liberator from (FAW 7) off the Scilly Islands, England, becoming the first to do so after hostilities ceased in Europe.
1992
USS Ashland (LSD 48) is commissioned in New Orleans, La. Following the ceremony, the dock landing ship sails for its homeport at Little Creek, Va.
2017
A South Korean fishing vessel collides with the port side, amid ship of USS Lake Champlain (CG 57) while the guided-missile cruiser is conducting routine operations in international waters. No one is injured in the incident.
Thanks to CHINFO
No CHINFO on the weekends
Today in History May 9
1502 | Christopher Columbus leaves Spain on his final trip to the New World. | |
1754 | The first newspaper cartoon in America appears. | |
1813 | U.S. troops under William Henry Harrison take Fort Meigs from British and Canadian troops. | |
1864 | Union General John Sedgwick is shot and killed by a Confederate sharpshooter during fighting at Spotsylvania. His last words are: "They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist--" | |
1859 | Threatened by the advancing French army, the Austrian army retreats across the River Sesia in Italy. | |
1915 | German and French forces fight the Battle of Artois. | |
1926 | Explorers Richard Byrd and Floyd Bennett make the first flight over the North Pole. | |
1936 | Fascist Italy captures the city of Addis Abba, Ethiopia and annexes the country. | |
1941 | The German submarine U-110 is captured at sea along with its Enigma machine by the Royal Navy. | |
1946 | King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy abdicates his throne and is replaced by Umberto I. | |
1962 | A laser beam is successfully bounced off the moon for the first time. | |
1974 | The House Judiciary Committee begins formal hearings on Nixon impeachment. |
|
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Thanks to Shadow…..this is how I remember it. The Clintons gave the Chinese the keys to solve their Multiple Rocket problems skip.
Rich,
Meant to mention this when you first posted… there has always been an element of the "Business Class" that is willing to betray their country in search for the almighty dollar… usually in concert with an equally corrupt politician. Wonder how Biden's, the Clinton's and so many others get rich on their Congressional salaries… once again, corruption. But I have to say that the Democrats are the ones who have elevated it to an art form.
Back when I was involved with some "special" projects… I came to know a lady in the State Department by the name of Rose Biancanello. Now why would a former Marine, working with a Federal Agency get to know anybody in the State Department? Simple… Rose had the final say over any transfer of military hardware, technology, aircraft and arms to foreign customers. She had the final slash on any transfer. If she said "NO"… it didn't go. Didn't matter if the Pentagon supported it… or some other Agency… she had veto power.
It was a hell of an important position. Lot of dreams and schemes could go down with Rose's disapproval. There were others in the chain that had veto power before things got to her, but Rose had the final say so. Anyway, after our first meeting I was very impressed with her… frankly, I felt she was the consummate professional. No bullshit, a straight shooter all the way. I guess the feeling was somewhat mutual as we would call each other over the following years just to stay in touch. When I first met her, it was during the second Reagan Administration… we continued to stay in contact through the Bush I Administration and on into the first Clinton years. Almost immediately, I could sense frustration in her voice and attitude shortly after the Clinton's took over the White House.
When Clinton ran for President, Bernard Schwartz, Chairman of Loral Corporation, was one of his biggest contributors… over $1.3 million personally. Loral had already been doing business in China doing Aerospace projects. The Chinese were having multiple problems with their large rockets in terms of quality control and guidance system issues. They reached out to Loral for help. Quality control wasn't really an issue as much as help with their guidance problems. Loral then approached the Government to approve their helping China improve their guidance systems in order to launch "commercial" satellites into the proper orbit. Now the Clinton Administration began pushing for approval and managed to get it all the way to Rose Biancanello's desk for a final chop. To everyone's amazement… she disapproved it! She point blank asserted, that the technology involved with placing a satellites into proper orbit, was the same technology used to launching guide ICBM's to a target. This was as much a military application as a commercial application… ergo, she would never approve such a transfer of sensitive technology to the Chinese. Now Rose was a career professional, not a political appointee. And was secure in her position, immune to political pressure. No matter how hard they tried to get her to change her mind, she stood fast.
The Clinton's and Loral could not move her… so what they did was to announce that they were changing the protocol for such transactions and placing "commercial" technology transfer over to the Department of Commerce, headed by Clinton's hand picked ally, Ron Brown. Overnight, Loral's petition was approved! They did an end run around Rose! Now she still had authority over strictly military issues… but anything the Clinton's deemed commercial, she was cut out of the loop. I talked to Rose right after this and she was really depressed… she openly said, the Clinton's were making end runs around State and were approving things, she used to put people in jail for.
The point of all this is to alert all, that this stuff is nothing new… and that virtually every Democratic Administration since Carter was corrupt. Follow the money! We are in a hell of a mess now; probably even more so than ever, because they not only control the House and Senate… but DOJ, CIA, FBI and the entitled swamp…. Not to mention the MSNM and High Tech. Hold onto your reins… we're fixing to rodeo and there's gonna be a whole lot of bucking going on.
Shadow
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Thanks to YP ...
Damn, it was fun!
YP
When I was a brand new FNG in my first fleet squadron, VA-86 (The best job in the world after having to satisfy an endless series of instructors to get there), we used to fly out of Oceana down to a target complex called "Stumpy Point" and drop lots and lots of bombs. Off shore a good way was an old freighter that we also used as a target. I very distinctly remember using 100' agl lay down delivery of Mk-76 25# practice bombs, and using the advertised mil setting only as a guide and punching the pickle when my hemmies told me. The bomb would hit the ship with a resounding slap of its spotting charge, and I'd have to pop over the superstructure, roll over and back down. Simulated short strafe after bomb delivery, of course.
Nobody was shooting at me, but I always think about this when I see the Argie Scoots in Bomb Alley.
YP
On May 8, 2021, at 9:44 PM, John Tillman wrote:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7T2whSE7ALQ&ab_channel=GrimReapers
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Thanks to Carl
https://deltavan1.wordpress.com/2016/03/04/when-men-were-men-and-707s-roamed-the-earth/
The good old days ... life will never be the same.
In the age of the 'water wagon' 707's...
That smoke is from the 1,700 pounds of water injection the J-57s and freighter JT-3's used for takeoff. (Go to the overrun and suck the gear up). Those were the good ole days! Pilots back then were men that didn't want to become women or girly men.
Pilots all knew who Jimmy Doolittle was. Pilots drank coffee, whiskey, smoked cigars and didn't wear digital watches. They carried their own suitcases and brain bags, like the real men they were. Pilots didn't bend over into the crash position multiple times each day in front of the passengers at security so that some Government agent could probe for tweezers or fingernail clippers, or too much toothpaste.
Pilots did not go through the terminal impersonating a caddy pulling a bunch of golf clubs, computers, guitars, and feed bags full of tofu and granola on a sissy-trailer. Wearing no hat and having granny glasses hanging on a pink string around their pencil necks, while talking to their personal trainer on the cell phone!!!
Being a Pan Am Captain was as good as being the King in a Mel Brooks movie. In my youth, all the Stewardesses (aka. Flight Attendants) were young, attractive, single women that were proud to be combatants in the sexual revolution. They didn't have to turn sideways, grease up and suck it in to get through the cockpit door. They would blush, and say thank you, when told that they looked good, instead of filing a sexual harassment claim.
The Junior Stewardesses usually shared a room and talked about men...with no thoughts of substitution. Passengers wore nice clothes and were polite; they could speak, read AND understand English. They didn't speak gibberish or listen to loud gangsta rap on their iPods. They bathed and didn't smell like a rotting pile of garbage in their jogging suit and flip-flops.
Children did not travel alone, commuting between trailer parks. There were no 'Biggest Losers' asking for a seatbelt extension or a Scotch and grapefruit juice cocktail with a twist.
If the Captain wanted to throw some offensive, ranting jerk off the airplane, it was done without any worries of a lawsuit or getting fired. Axial flow engines crackled with the sound of freedom and left an impressive black smoke trail like a locomotive burning soft coal. Jet fuel was cheap and once the throttles were pushed forward they were often left there. After all, it was the jet age and the idea was to go fast (run like a lizard on a hardwood floor).
Except while flying over the deep oceans, "economy cruise" was something in the performance book, but no one knew why or where it was. When the clacker went off no one got all tight and scared because Boeing built their machines out of iron.
Nothing was going to fall off and that barber pole sound had the same effect on real pilots then, as Viagra does now for these new age guys. There was very little plastic and no composites on the airplanes (or in the Stewardesses' pectoral regions). Airplanes and women had eye-pleasing symmetrical curves, not a bunch of ugly vortex generators, ventral fins, winglets, flow diverters, tattoos, rings in their nose, tongues and eyebrows.
Airlines were run by men like C.R. Smith, Juan Trippe and Bob Six who had built their companies virtually from scratch, knew most of their employees by name and were lifetime airline employees themselves, not pseudo financiers and bean counters who flit from one occupation to another for a few bucks, a better parachute or a fancier title while fervently believing that they are a class of beings unto themselves.
And so it was back in the 60's when I was a young airline pilot...and like my youth, it never will be again! Damn!
———————————
Flying is the second greatest thrill known to man. And what is first, you ask?
Landing, of course!
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED Thanks to the Bear
LOOKING BACK 55-YEARS to the Vietnam Air War—For The List for Sunday, 9 May 2021... Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-68)
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com : posted 9 May 2016 Looking back to April 1975 and the Fall of Vietnam: Dutch speaks...
http://www.rollingthunderremembered.com/day-of-sorrow-day-of-betrayal-vietnam-falls/
Vietnam Air Losses
Access Chris Hobson and Dave Lovelady's work at: https://www.VietnamAirLosses.com.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
This Day in U S Military History May 9
1941 – The German submarine U-110 was captured at sea by the Royal Navy, revealing considerable Enigma material. Enigma was the German machine used to encrypt messages during World War II.
1942 – USS Icarus, CG, sank the U-352 off Charleston and took 33 prisoners, the first German prisoners taken in combat by any US force in World War II.
1942 – 64 Spitfires are successfully delivered to Malta by naval forces including the USS Wasp and the HMS Eagle. This time, the planes are quickly refueled and rearmed and there is no destruction on the ground as with the previous delivery. The USS Wasp returns to service in the United States after this operation.
1945 – On Luzon, forces of the US 145th Infantry Regiment, an element of US 11th Corps, captures Mount Binicayan and patrols into the Guagua area. On Mindanao, the US 24th Division continues to defend its bridgehead over the Talomo river against Japanese counterattacks but fails to build a bridge. The US 31st Division breaks off its attacks in the Colgan woods to allow air and artillery strikes on the Japanese positions.
1945 – On Okinawa, the US 1st Marine Division captures Height 60 after eliminating Japanese positions on Nan Hill. The US 77th Division continues attacks on Japanese strong points north of Shuri. The Kochi Crest area has been secured by American forces.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
COUGHLIN, JOHN
Rank and organization: Lieutenant Colonel, 10th New Hampshire Infantry. Place and date: At Swifts Creek, Va., 9 May 1864. Entered service at: Manchester, N.H. Birth: Vermont. Date •S issue: 31 August 1893. Citation: During a sudden night attack upon Burnham's Brigade, resulting in much confusion, this officer, without waiting for orders, led his regiment forward and interposed a line of battle between the advancing enemy and Hunt's Battery, repulsing the attack and saving the guns.
FERRIER, DANIEL T.
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company K, 2d Indiana Cavalry. Place and date: At Varnells Station, Ga., 9 May 1864. Entered service at: Delphi, Ind. Birth:——. Date of issue: 30 March 1898. Citation: While his regiment was retreating, voluntarily gave up his horse to his brigade commander who had been unhorsed and was in danger of capture, thereby enabling him to rejoin and rally the disorganized troops. Sgt. Ferrier himself was captured and confined in Confederate prisons, from which he escaped and, after great hardship, rejoined the Union lines.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for May 9, 2021 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
9 May
1932: Capt Albert F. Hegenberger (Army Air Corps) made the first blind solo flight using instruments, with no check pilot, at Dayton. He later received the Collier Trophy. (11) (24)
1937: Henry T. Merrill and John S. Lambe flew a Lockheed Electra monoplane from New York to London in 20 hours 29 minutes 45 seconds to set a FAI record for the transatlantic flight. (9)
1944: Eighth Air Force B-17s and B-24s bombed French airfields to begin an offensive a month before the Normandy invasion that would prevent the German Air Force from recovering before D-Day. (4)
1949: The Republic XF-91 Thunderceptor, a jet-rocket interceptor, successfully completed its first flight at Muroc Field. (20) (24)
1951: KOREAN WAR. In one of the largest counter air efforts so far, Fifth Air Force and 1st Marine Air Wing fighter-bombers flew over 300 sorties against Sinuiju Airfield in extreme northwestern Korea. (28)
1961: The 379 BMW at Wurtsmith AFB, Mich., received SAC's first B-52H (number 60-001). (1)
1969: Exercise EXOTIC DANCER II. More than 150 AFRES aircraft from 25 units participated in this exercise in Puerto Rico. The exercise involved more than 349 missions, carrying 1,224 tons of cargo, and an airlift of 1,267 people. (16)
1978: McDonnell Douglas delivered the 5,000th F-4 Phantom built to the Air Force.
1979: Through 23 May, SAC's first B-52 contingency mission to an overseas forward operating base since Vietnam occurred, when three B-52s from Dyess AFB deployed to RAF Upper Heyford, UK, for Exercises Flintlock and Dawn Patrol. (1)
1983: A C-141 crew from the 18 MAS at McGuire AFB became the first all-female crew to fly a round-trip mission across the Atlantic. (20)
2001: The AFFTC at Edwards AFB completed qualification testing on the HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter's new satellite communications system, the AN/ARC-210. (3)
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Thanks to Dr Rich
Some great aviation stories from WW-II …
Boyington came to Pax River a couple of times when I was there to speak to the TPS students … each time, after he left, one of the instructors would come up and say "there's more to the story … take it all w. a grain of salt" …
Thanks to Shadow
Dear Folks,
Was having my Monday Morning "Bubba Breakfast" at Amelia Island this morning; when Mike Collins mentioned something he'd just read about a Navy Captain, Intel Officer, who happened to be on a Navy Submarine on a secret mission that was attacked and forced to surface by a Japanese Destroyer near the Philippines. As the ship's Captain ordered everyone to abandon ship and scuttle the boat… the Intel Captain looked up and said… "I can't, I know too much and if they break me, many will die" or words to that effect. He said he would stay and go down with the ship. As the Skipper closed the hatch on the tower… he looks down and sees the Captain, sitting down and staring at a picture of his wife and kids. I believe he was later awarded the Medal of Honor. He knew of the "Enigma" machine and that we'd broken the Japanese codes and were reading the German codes as well… this man had sacrificed his life to prevent his being tortured to the point of breaking. Incredible story.
The reason I bring this up is, as Naval Aviators… we... on occasion were exposed to incredible human beings, who triumphed over overwhelming odds and adversity… to accomplish and do things almost beyond belief. Their stories were both inspiring, motivating and sometimes even told in a humorous fashion… and sometimes so lugubrious and painful they... brought us to tears.
I have often told people that the greatest gift aviation has given to me… was not all the neat airplanes I got to fly along the way… but the extraordinary people that I was able to meet instead. They cover the spectrum. From fellow pilots…to mechanics, maintainers… genius and brilliant designers and engineers… artists, photographers, historians… all the way down to good ole boy shade tree doers.
I've always wanted to write a series of stories about men and women I've met along the way who shared their lives with me… who inspired me, who counseled me… who made my life fuller and more importantly educated me and brought perspective to life. There were so many… most of them I met through aviation. A lot of them are well known public figures… most of them are men and women most have never heard of. The proverbial... "Ordinary men and women who had done extraordinary things". I'd like to share a few with you over the next few weeks. Y'all don't have to read them… I'll headline each one with the word "People" stop when you see that and you can delete it and move on…. But if they move you and you have questions' I'll try my best to answer them.
Gonna start with a guy hardly anybody ever heard of. I met him when I was assigned to the A-4 training squadron at MCAS Yuma. His name was Fred Turnbull. Fred was our squadron Tech Rep for Douglas Aircraft… our personal A-4 expert. But oh Lord… he was so much more. He was a retired Navy Captain who retired as the Commander of the Navy's Aircraft Overhaul and Repair Facility at Alameda. He was also a WW II Fighter Pilot… flying the F6F Hellcat. I met him because I was almost always working in the Maintenance Department as my collateral duty, besides being a pilot. My office in VMA-102 was shared with Fred. For some reason, he took me under his wing and shared more knowledge with me than I could ever have imagined in a very short period of time. Within weeks, it was like a graduate course level of NAMTRADET classes. I could go on, but I'm gonna shift to one of those extraordinary events in Fred's life.
While Strafing a Japanese airfield on Formosa, Fred's Hellcat took a devastating hit from Japanese ground fire. As he struggled to make it offshore, his plane caught on fire and he was forced to bail out. He had made it past the beach, but prevailing winds blew his parachute back and he came down just a few yards from the water on the sand. He was immediately accosted by a Japanese Army foot patrol and they proceeded to use Fred's body for bayonet practice. He was stabbed deeply, multiple times. Finally, as Fred passed out, they left him for dead, right where he'd come down on the beach. Fred had no idea how long he lay there, slowly bleeding to death.
In my life… I have often used the phrase "Divine Intervention"… my simple way of acknowledging the "Big Guy" up above, as an explanation for some event that defies any other adequate or suitable description in my mind. Laying there… on his last breaths… Fred was about to experience one of those events that fit that description in my mind… He was happened upon by a second Japanese patrol.
Fred was barely lucid by this time and knew this group intended to finish what the first patrol had started… but then something strange happened. Instead of piercing his body again with bayonets… he was carefully lifted and the next memory he had was waking up in a Japanese Field Hospital. Hovering near his bed was a young Japanese Officer. He had been the patrol leader that had rescued him from certain death. As Fred became fully conscious, the young officer leaned over and told him in acceptable English… that he was a Christian… had studied in Nebraska and had ordered that he be treated for his wounds and would stay nearby to make sure he was treated well until he recovered. He kept his word and dropped by every day to check on Fred; even acted as an interpreter for the doctors treating Fred's wounds to facilitate his treatment.
As Fred approached full recovery… the young officer came by one day and informed Fred that he, along with other POW's were going to be placed aboard a ship and moved to mainland Japan. He wished Fred well and that was the last he saw of him. The next day, Fred was placed on a Japanese cargo ship along with over a hundred other prisoners from various nations. As they left the harbor and went into the open sea… it wasn't long before they started hearing a strange noise. If you've never been in a small boat as a Navy ship leaves a harbor with its'' active sonar on… you might not believe it, but you can both hear and feel the sonar waves as they pass through the water. What Fred and the others were hearing, was an American submarine "pinging" their ship in preparation to launch a torpedo! Knowledge of what was happening spread through the prisoners in seconds… they were in the hold of the ship and almost in a panic! Finally someone found a metal object of some type and leaned against the hull and started tapping morse code on the metal hull of the ship… "POWs on board… don't shoot"! He repeated it over and over. Now Fred said he doesn't know if the sub understood, but what he does know, was they were never fired on… while an escort ship was. Maybe the "Big Guy" was looking out for them?
When they arrived in Japan, they were interned in a POW camp. This was in the last years of the war… conditions were harsh and both the prisoners and guards were suffering from malnutrition. Only the Japanese Officers seemed to eat well. Beatings were common and often. Once a day they received a small bowl of soup with scraps of vegetables and some unknown meat in it and a slice of bread. Dysentery was rampant. The Japanese policy was… if you were not in line to eat… you didn't eat. Many of the prisoners were so weak, they could not walk. Some of the men would secrete small morsels in their cheeks like chipmunks and would go back to their quarters to give it to those too weak to walk. It got to be a critical situation and a camp meeting was held by the POW's to try to figure out what to do? By now, Fred was back in fairly good condition. The fields around the POW camp were mostly small "truck farms" with Vegetables and rice primarily. Now the notion that any American POW could successfully escape and evade in Japan was virtually impossible. After all, their white skin set them apart like a sore thumb. It would be suicidal. The POW's and the Japanese were well aware of it and Fred said security was somewhat lax because of it. At the camp meeting it was decided to let Fred and two others, attempt to escape at night… go out in the fields and pull vegetables and then sneak back in the camp. Each man knew if they were discovered, it would mean an instant execution. They did it anyway… one at a time… they would go out, pick what they could and return under the cover of darkness. Many lives were saved by their bold efforts.
Then it was discovered Fred had one other talent that caused him to be removed from the food gatherers. Fred was one of only three men whom I've known, that possessed what I call, a photographic memory. When this was discovered by the other POW's, the camp leaders decided Fred was to be fed the names of every POW in the camp… and those who had died. He was also told the conditions of their death and when. Every night, he had to recite all the names and facts… it became a nightly ritual.
I should note something here… when the war ended and the camp was liberated… Fred was not allowed to return to America with his fellow POW's… instead he was retained in order to testify at the War Crimes Trials, that were held in Japan after the war. He was a walking encyclopedia of what went on in his camp and others that fellow POW's were transferred from. He spent days and days, if not weeks, being interrogated by various intelligence officers. One such debriefing led to one of the more humorous events Fred was involved in. A day came when two new Officers came in and they were different than the others who'd questioned him daily. Fred said these two seemed to be uptight and not overtly friendly as all the other debriefers were. The reason was, they wanted to know who among the POW's had told the Japanese about the new Grumman F7F "Tigercat" Fighter to the Japanese? They had been investigating this disclosure and had nailed it down that the information was passed at Fred's camp… they had a traitor in their midst!
Fred was gobsmacked! He knew immediately what they were talking about… but he doubted they would ever believe his story… after all, the truth was indeed, stranger than fiction. Here's what had happened.
There came a time when Fred and the other Navy pilot POW's were called to interrogation by the Japanese Camp Commander. What he wanted to know was the facts and specs about Grumman's new carrier based fighter designated the F7F? The truth was, not a one of them had a clue that the airplane even existed? They had been deployed in the Pacific prior to being captured and had never heard of it… to a man, they all said they knew nothing about it. After the first round of interrogations, the Commander decided to beat the information out of them. The beatings were brutal… some almost died as a result. One night, after a particularly brutal beating, one of the prisoners said… "It was so bad… if I knew what it was, I would have told them". That statement led to a decision by Camp Leaders to come up with something to stop the beatings in order to save lives.
What they decided to do was to conjure up an airplane that was so preposterous… that while plausible to a layman… no way such a carrier based aircraft could exist. This is what they came up with to tell the Japanese in order to stop the beatings…
1.) It was a twin engine fighter (everybody knew the Navy didn't have any twin engine fighters).
2.) It had tricycle landing gear (nobody had ever heard of a carrier based plane that had tricycle landing gear)
3.) It would have two P&W 2800 engines.
4.) It would be huge… over 50 feet long and a similar wingspan. (How ridiculous)
5,) it would weigh over 20,000 pounds (Again, ridiculous)
6.) It was fast… over 400 knots (Are you kidding me)
They went on and on… but in the end… this fantasy... this preposterous… lie. Turned out to be a nearly concise description of what the F7F really was! A POW lie… was thought to be a major intelligence breach. Fred said they 'didn't' believe him at first and suspected he may have been the source? But when they contacted other camp leaders back in the states, they confirmed the story. Yes, sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.
BTW… I told Corkey Meyer the story years ago and we contacted Fred, who once again confirmed it. Corkey said it was one of the neatest stories he'd ever been told… and since Corkey was a top test pilot for Grumman in those days… he got a great laugh out of it. Who'd a thunk it?
As I got to know Fred better, we became friends and I eagerly looked forward to picking his brain. I'm a firm believer in learning from others… especially those who had so much more life experience than I had. One day, two of VMA-214's taxied by and I just casually mentioned that 214 was Boyington's old squadron. Fred looked at me and said… "Boyington… one of the world's true great assholes". I looked at him in surprise and before I could say anything, Fred said, "You Marines know the legend, I knew the miserable bastard that he really is. He was in our POW camp". Holy shit I thought; there's got to be a story behind that comment and I couldn't wait to hear it. I looked at Fred and said… "I'm all ears". Fred said, "Why don't you and Wendy come over for dinner Saturday night and I'll tell you all about it then". I nodded in agreement and looked forward to what Fred had to say. It wasn't pretty.
Boyington arrived after Fred had already been there a while… and from the start it was obvious that even the Japanese looked on him as some kind of celebrity POW. Boyiington had been shipped in from some other camp… while thin, he was not emaciated like Fred and the others in his camp. Boyington was aloof and not very talkative when he first arrived. Fred said that wasn't too un-normal… others had been quiet when they first arrived also. But almost immediately they were surprised when Boyington was assigned to work in the Japanese "Officer's Kitchen". No other POW had ever worked there. A nice elderly lady was the Chief cook and one thing became very apparent… while all the other POW's were starving to death… Greg Boyington was gaining weight!
Now this was at the time when Fred (before his memory was discovered) and others had actually risked their lives to escape at night and steal vegetables from nearby fields to try and keep those too weak to walk, alive. As it became obvious that Boyington was getting extra rations while working in the kitchen… the Camp seniors had a meeting to decide what to do about it. It was decided to confront Boyington and encourage him to try to steal some food for the very weak since he obviously had special access; some meat here, rice or vegetables there… anything to help the starving. When approached… Boyington flat out refused! Too risky… he had a good deal and wasn't going to do anything to screw it up. Over time, he was approached by many to please help… each time he refused. While Boyington was being hailed as a hero in the United States… he was being shunned by his fellow POW's, with utter contempt. There were other instances that made things even worse. By the time they were released Fred said Boyington probably had just one friend left in the whole camp and he was no jewel himself. Bird's of a feather.
I had no reason to doubt anything Fred said. And there came a time when something happened that erased any doubt I may have had. Harry Gann called down and invited Fred and I to go to the Reno Air Races with him. Since neither of us had been to one, we decided to meet Harry in Reno and attend the event. Fred and I drove up from Yuma and Harry drove up from Orange County. We all stayed at Bally's. Harry had acquired ramp passes for us and we set out early in order to take as many pictures as possible before the big crowd arrived. We'd been there a couple of hours… taken a bunch of pictures until the crowd swelled so much it was too difficult to get a good picture in the pits… so we decided to do a walk around. In less than five minutes, we came near the fence line separating the pits form the general public, when I saw Fred stop dead in his tracks… and he was looking right at one, Gregory (Pappy) Boyington! Holy chit! I grabbed Harry's elbow and he stopped too. Boyington was sitting at a table selling autographed copies of "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep". Fred only hesitated for a few seconds and then started for Boyington's table… Harry and I followed somewhat behind. Fred walked right up to Boyington… when Boyington saw him he had a surprised look on his face… it was obvious he recognized Fred. He quietly said, "Hello Fred… how have you been"? From where I was standing I could see Fred's neck turning red… he was almost shaking. He looked down and said (never forget this)… "You're here signing books and all these idiots think you're a hero. But I know the truth, you're one of the most despicable human beings I've even known"! Boyington never said a another word… he sheepishly slid back in his chair and turned and walked into the RV parked behind him. Fred then muttered something and turned and walked away also. Harry and I caught up to him and he turned and said, "I'm sorry guys, but I hate that son of a bitch more than anyone else in this world".
Later that night he told Harry and me other reasons he felt the way he did… and I think I finally understood the length, depth and breadth of his hatred. But that day wasn't the end of it.
Over a decade later… Harry Gann was retiring from McDonnell-Douglas. The Blue Angels were to honor Harry with a special presentation for his years of service to both McD and The Blue Angels as well. Harry invited Fred and myself as guests of honor to the presentation at "Trader's" after the Blues final show of the season in Pensacola. Fred was really there to represent the company… I was there as a friend. The presentation was actually anti-climatic and after it was over, we went back to our hotel. It had been a long day and we all went right away to our rooms for a well needed rest. I was just getting undressed when my hotel phone rang… it was Fred. "Meet me in the hotel bar ASAP… Harry is already on his way down". With that, he hung up!
I really didn't want to go… I was tired… and I knew Harry was tired as well. But if he was going, I'd get dressed and go down too. When I got there… Harry and Fred were sitting at the corner of the bar. I walked up and then Fred stood and announced… "My friends, I have called you here to make a toast… my life is complete, I outlived the son of a bitch"! He then points to the TV behind the bar that was silent… it was on CNN and the crawl that rolled across the screen said the following; "World War Two Marine Hero Gregory "Pappy" Boyington dies". It went on to say he was a Medal of Honor winner and leader of the famed Black Sheep Squadron. Fred then handed us each a glass and we toasted. Not much else was said about Boyington that night… we all retired to our rooms for the journey home the next day. It was the last time I saw Fred. We talked over the years… but never got to see each other again.
Fred Turnbull… Naval Aviator… Real American Hero… I was blessed to know him.
Shadow
There are a lot of items like this one that come up in discussions on Boyington. Aside from his conduct as a POW another is his amount of Kills. There are many who testify that they are inflated coming from the Flying Tigers.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Thanks to NHHC and Admiral Cox and his H-Grams
75th Anniversary of World War II
"Black May"—The Tide of the Battle of the Atlantic Turns
On 9 June 2018, at the age of 105, Reinhard Hardegan, the last-known surviving German U-boat commander passed away. Kapitän-Leutnant Hardegan commanded the first German U-boat to reach American waters after Pearl Harbor and commenced attacks on 15 January 1942, achieving significant success thanks to U.S. unpreparedness (and the lights of U.S. cities that silhouetted his targets) and resulting in what became known as the "Second Happy Time" for the U-boats and months of extremely heavy Allied shipping losses in the western Atlantic. (Of note, at the age of 100, Hardegan had a great quote in an interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "Now I sink putts. Not ships!"—Washington Post obituary, 19 June 2018.)
However, on 24 May 1943— in what the Germans referred to as Schwarzer Mai ("Black May")—Grossadmiral Karl Dönitz issued a general recall message as U-boat losses in the Atlantic reached unsustainable levels without inflicting sufficient losses on Allied shipping. "Black May" is generally considered the turning point in the Battle of the Atlantic, and it happened with surprising rapidity given the brutal see-saw convoy battles that characterized the first months on 1943 and saw very heavy losses on both sides. In May 1943, 43 U-boats were lost to all causes, equaling 25 percent of the operational force. Losses included Dönitz's son, aboard U-954, in an attack against convoy SC-130, in which five U-boats were lost without sinking any of the Allied ships. March 1943 had actually been the peak of the Atlantic convoy battles, with the Allies losing 120 ships and Germany losing 12 U-boats (15 in some sources). In May, the Allies lost 58 ships, while the German losses were three times greater than the worst month since the war began.
The Germans never really recovered after "Black May," although they were pursuing advanced technologies that had the potential to turn the tide back in their favor, but were unable to bring those on line in sufficient quantity before the war would end. There would still be hard-fought battles and losses on both sides in the Atlantic, but U.S. and Allied hunter-killer task groups would be on the offensive for the rest of the war. As important as the Battle of Midway was, a strong case can be made that the Battle of the Atlantic was even more important. Although not won in a single day as Midway was, had the Battle of the Atlantic, which stretched over the course of the entire war, been lost, Europe would likely be speaking German (or possibly Russian) and our world would be a very different place. For more about the turning of the tide in the Battle of the Atlantic, in particular the critical roles of intelligence, and advanced technologies, please see attachment H-019-4.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.