Good Sunday Morning August 15
I hope that your weekend is going well.
Regards
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This Day in Navy and Marine Corps History:
August 15
1895 The battleship USS Texas is commissioned. She is the first American steel-hulled battleship. USS Texas serves off Cuba during the Spanish-American War and takes part in the Battle of Santiago.
1908 The first Navy Post Offices are opened on board Navy ships following a June 27, 1908 General Order 74 establishing them.
1944 Operation Dragoon begins, which is the Allied invasion of Southern France. Western Naval Task Force, commanded by Vice Adm. Henry K. Hewitt, USN, lands the Allied force on the front between Toulon and Cannes.
1953 Adm. Arthur W. Radford becomes the first naval officer to be appointed as the Chairman, Joints Chief of Staff, serving two-terms until Aug. 15, 1957.
1987 USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) is christened and launched in San Diego as a Mercy-class hospital ship following conversion from a San Clemente-class supertanker. She is the third Navy ship named Comfort.
1998 USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) is commissioned at Pensacola, Fla.
This Day in History
1261 Constantinople falls to Michael VIII of Nicea and his army.
1385 John of Portugal defeats John of Castile at the Battle of Aljubarrota.
1598 Hugh O'Neill, the Earl of Tyrone, leads an Irish force to victory over the British at Battle of Yellow Ford.
1760 Frederick II defeats the Austrians at the Battle of Liegnitz.
1864 The Confederate raider Tallahassee captures six Federal ships off New England.
1872 The first ballot voting in England is conducted.
1914 The Panama Canal opens to traffic.
1935 American comedian and "cowboy philosopher" Will Rogers dies in an airplane accident, along with American aviation pioneer Wiley Post.
1942 The Japanese submarine I-25 departs Japan with a floatplane in its hold which will be assembled upon arriving off the West Coast of the United States, and used to bomb U.S. forests.
1944 American, British and French forces land on the southern coast of France, between Toulon and Cannes, in Operation Dragoon.
1945 Gasoline and fuel oil rationing ends in the United States.
1947Britain grants independence to India and Pakistan.
1950 Two U.S. divisions are badly mauled by the North Korean Army at the Battle of the Bowling Alley in South Korea, which rages on for five more days.
1969 Over 400,000 young people attend a weekend of rock music at Woodstock, New York.
1971 US President Richard Nixon announces a 90-day freeze on wages and prices in an attempt to halt rapid inflation.
1986 Ignoring objections from President Ronald Reagan's Administration, US Senate approves economic sanctions against South Africa to protest that country's apartheid policies.
1994 Infamous terrorist Carlos the Jackal captured in Khartoum, Sudan.
1994 US Social Security Administration, previously part of the Department of Health and Human Services, becomes an independent government agency.
2001 Astronomers announce the first solar system discovered outside our own; two planets had been found orbiting a star in the Big Dipper.
2007 An earthquake of 8.0 magnitude kills over 500 and injures more than 1,000 in Peru
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ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED Thanks to the Bear
LOOKING BACK 55-YEARS to the Vietnam Air War— … For The List for Friday, 6 August 2021… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post of 6 August 1966… A Philosophical Fighter Pilot (VADM Jim Stockdale) quoted…
https://www.rollingthunderremembered.com/rolling-thunder-remembered-6-august-1966-schism/
… For The List for Sunday, 15 August 2021… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
From the archives at rollingthunderremembered.com post for 15 August 1966… LBJ and Westy at the ranch… and Bear, a bit of brandy and Venus…
https://www.rollingthunderremembered.com/rolling-thunder-remembered-15-august-lbj-westy/
This following work accounts for every fixed wing loss of the Vietnam War and you can use it to read more about the losses in The Bear's Daily account. Even better it allows you to add your updated information to the work to update for history…skip
Vietnam Air Losses
Access Chris Hobson and Dave Lovelady's work at: https://www.VietnamAirLosses.com.
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A day-by-day digest of events regarding all services of the U.S. military.
This Day in U S Military History
1895 – Commissioning of U.S.S. Texas, the first American steel-hulled battleship. Texas served off Cuba during the Spanish-American War and took part in the naval battle of Santiago. Under the name of San Marcos, she was sunk in weapon effects tests in Chesapeake Bay in 1911. Her hulk continued in use as a gunnery target through World War II.
1914 – The American-built waterway across the Isthmus of Panama, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, is inaugurated with the passage of the U.S. vessel Ancon, a cargo and passenger ship. The rush of settlers to California and Oregon in the mid 19th century was the initial impetus of the U.S. desire to build an artificial waterway across Central America. In 1855, the United States completed a railroad across the Isthmus of Panama (then part of Colombia), prompting various parties to propose canal-building plans. Ultimately, Colombia awarded rights to build the canal to Ferdinand de Lesseps, the French entrepreneur who had completed the Suez Canal in 1869. Construction on a sea-level canal began in 1881, but inadequate planning, disease among the workers, and financial problems drove Lesseps' company into bankruptcy in 1889. Three years later, Philippe-Jean Bunau-Varilla, a former chief engineer of the canal works and a French citizen, acquired the assets of the defunct French company. By the turn of the century, sole possession of the isthmian canal became imperative to the United States, which had acquired an overseas empire at the end of the Spanish-American War and sought the ability to move warships and commerce quickly between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. In 1902, the U.S. Congress authorized purchase of the French canal company (pending a treaty with Colombia), and allocated funding for the canal's construction. In 1903, the Hay-Herrýn Treaty was signed with Columbia, granting the U.S. use of the territory in exchange for financial compensation. The U.S. Senate ratified the treaty, but the Colombian Senate, fearing a loss of sovereignty, refused. In response, President Theodore Roosevelt gave tacit approval to a Panamanian independence movement, which was engineered in large part by Philippe-Jean Bunau-Varilla and his canal company. On November 3, 1903, a faction of Panamanians issued a declaration of independence from Colombia. The U.S.-administered railroad removed its trains from the northern terminus of Coln, thus stranding Colombian troops sent to crush the rebellion. Other Colombian forces were discouraged from marching on Panama by the arrival of U.S. warship Nashville. On November 6, the United States recognized the Republic of Panama, and on November 18 the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty was signed with Panama, granting the U.S. exclusive and permanent possession of the Panama Canal Zone. In exchange, Panama received $10 million and an annuity of $250,000 beginning nine years later. The treaty was negotiated by U.S. Secretary of State John Hay and Bunau-Varilla, who had been given plenipotentiary powers to negotiate on behalf of Panama. Almost immediately, the treaty was condemned by many Panamanians as an infringement on their country's new national sovereignty. In 1906, American engineers decided on the construction of a lock canal, and the next three years were spent developing construction facilities and eradicating tropical diseases in the area. In 1909, construction proper began. In one of the largest construction projects of all time, U.S. engineers moved nearly 240 million cubic yards of earth and spent close to $400 million in constructing the 40-mile-long canal (or 51 miles long, if the deepened seabed on both ends of the canal is taken into account). On August 15, 1914, the Panama Canal was opened to traffic. Panama later pushed to revoke the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty, and in 1977 U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Panamanian dictator Omar Torrijos signed a treaty to turn over the canal to Panama by the end of the century. A peaceful transfer occurred at noon on December 31, 1999.
1944 – Allied forces launch a secondary invasion of France (Operation Dragoon, formerly Anvil) between Toulon and Cannes. Most of the initial assaults are carried out by forces of US 6th Corps (Truscott) as part of US 7th Army (Patch). Also included in the initial landings are French commandos. Three American division come ashore in the first wave at three beaches: Alpha Beach (US 3rd Division) on the left flank; Delta Beach (US 45th Division-OK, AZ, NM, COARNG); and, Camel Beach (US 36 Division-TXARNG) on the right flank. In addition to the main landing sites, there airborne landing at Le Muy by 5000 French troops inland from Delta Beach and a sea borne landing on Levante Island. Over 1500 aircraft are engaged in air support for the operation. Admiral Hewitt command the naval support, including 5 battleships, 7 escort carriers, 24 cruisers and 91 destroyers. There is almost no resistance to the lands. Allied forces suffer 183 casualties. Prime Minister Churchill is present during the initial landings, on board a destroyer offshore. The German forces in southern France consist of the 19th Army (Weise) with 7 infantry divisions and the 11th Panzer Division.
1945 – World War II gasoline rationing in America ended on this day. Rationing was just one of the special measures taken in the U.S. during wartime. Civilian auto production virtually ceased after the attack on Pearl Harbor, as the U.S. automotive industry turned to war production. Automotive firms made almost $29 billion worth of military materials between 1940 and 1945, including jeeps, trucks, machine guns, carbines, tanks, helmets, and aerial bombs. After the war, rationing ended and the auto industry boomed.
1945 – Celebrations mark the end of World War II — VJ Day. A two-day holiday is proclaimed for all federal employees. In New York, Mayor La Guardia pays tribute to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the deceased president, in a radio broadcast.
1945 – US Task Force 38 launches massive air strikes on the Tokyo area, encountering numerous Japanese fighters but the aircraft are recalled upon receipt of the surrender announcement. Meanwhile, Vice-Admiral Ugaki, commanding Kamikaze operations, leads a final
mission but the 7 dive-bombers are shot down off Tokyo before they can reach Okinawa.
1945 – The recorded message of Emperor Hirohito is broadcast to the Japanese people. Many cannot at first accept what has happened. The tight control of the government has prevented civilians from knowing the full extent of the weakness of Japan's position. This is VJ Day.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
CONNOR, JAMES P.
Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, 7th Infantry, 3d Infantry Division. Place and date: Cape Cavalaire, southern France, 15 August 1944. Entered service at: Wilmington, Del. Birth: Wilmington, Del. G.O. No.: 18, 15 March 1945. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. On 15 August 1944, Sgt. Connor, through sheer grit and determination, led his platoon in clearing an enemy vastly superior in numbers and firepower from strongly entrenched positions on Cape Cavalaire, removing a grave enemy threat to his division during the amphibious landing in southern France, and thereby insured safe and uninterrupted landings for the huge volume of men and materiel which followed. His battle patrol landed on "Red Beach" with the mission of destroying the strongly fortified enemy positions on Cape Cavalaire with utmost speed. From the peninsula the enemy had commanding observation and seriously menaced the vast landing operations taking place. Though knocked down and seriously wounded in the neck by a hanging mine which killed his platoon lieutenant, Sgt. Connor refused medical aid and with his driving spirit practically carried the platoon across several thousand yards of mine-saturated beach through intense fire from mortars, 20-mm. flak guns, machineguns, and snipers. En route to the Cape he personally shot and killed 2 snipers. The platoon sergeant was killed and Sgt. Connor became platoon leader. Receiving a second wound, which lacerated his shoulder and back, he again refused evacuation, expressing determination to carry on until physically unable to continue. He reassured and prodded the hesitating men of his decimated platoon forward through almost impregnable mortar concentrations. Again emphasizing the prevalent urgency of their mission, he impelled his men toward a group of buildings honeycombed with enemy snipers and machineguns. Here he received his third grave wound, this time in the leg, felling him in his tracks. Still resolved to carry on, he relinquished command only after his attempts proved that it was physically impossible to stand. Nevertheless, from his prone position, he gave the orders and directed his men in assaulting the enemy. Infused with Sgt. Connor's dogged determination, the platoon, though reduced to less than one-third of its original 36 men, outflanked and rushed the enemy with such furiousness that they killed 7, captured 40, seized 3 machineguns and considerable other materiel, and took all their assigned objectives, successfully completing their mission. By his repeated examples of tenaciousness and indomitable spirit Sgt Connor transmitted his heroism to his men until they became a fighting team which could not be stopped.
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From another Bill
Hello, folks,
As many of you know, the United States Naval Observatory (USNO) has been the "official" time and geographic site since 1846, and it is still very much in operation to provide the official Department of Defense (DoD) time of day based upon celestial observations and other criteria. The attached article from the United States Naval Institute explains some of the things done there.
These are not done in a vacuum. Other worldwide clocks come into the picture, perhaps the most famous of which is the Greenwich Observatory, United Kingdom. The United States Air Force (USAF) has several scattered around the world. So do other countries. Time values from various clocks are routinely compared and evaluated. Corrections, if needed, are sent to Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites and reflected in the ephemeris data each GPS satellite independently transmits to earth. This provides users (such as us) with precision time data, necessary for navigation and many other functions.
A link to a description of the USNO clocking suite is:
https://www.usno.navy.mil/USNO/time/master-clock/precise-time-and-the-usno-master-clock
Since this time, some university scientists have developed an even more accurate Ytterbium (Yb) Clock, of which USNO folks are very interested. We suspect that one or more Yb clocks will be added to the USNI inventory sometime in the future.
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August of 1942. Thanks to NHHC
75th Anniversary of World War II
1. Guadalcanal—Iron Bottom Sound
In the first U.S. offensive of World War II, about 5,000 Sailors lost their lives in the waters around the island of Guadalcanal between 7 August 1942 and February 1943, defending the U.S. Marines occupying the island from Japanese counterattack. The Marines paid dearly to hold the island as well: 1,152 Marines were killed on the island, along with an additional 446 Army troops who arrived later in the campaign. The Japanese surface navy did not get the memo that the tide of war had turned at the Battle of Midway (actually, literally, because the Japanese kept their losses at Midway a secret from almost everyone who didn't see it firsthand). Not realizing they were supposed to be losing, the Japanese navy repeatedly went on the attack, and for much of the campaign held the initiative. The result was seven brutal major naval battles and numerous lesser ones, including two carrier versus carrier battles on the scale of Coral Sea, and five ferocious and incredibly costly night surface actions.
The price for defending Guadalcanal paid by the U.S. Navy was two aircraft carriers (USS Wasp [CV-7] and USS Hornet [CV-8]), five heavy cruisers (plus an Australian heavy cruiser and 84 of her crew), two light cruisers, and 15 destroyers sunk, and numerous other ships of all types heavily damaged. The Japanese lost an approximately equal number of combatants (including two battleships and a light carrier) along with numerous transports with thousands of troops. So many ships were sunk in the sound between Guadalcanal and Tulagi that it became known as "Iron Bottom Sound." The U.S. Navy and Marines lost over 400 aircraft in the campaign, and the Japanese lost somewhat more (figures vary.) It was in the skies around Guadalcanal (not at Midway as commonly believed) that the cream of Japanese naval aviation was finally lost, particularly over the guns of vastly improved U.S. shipboard anti-aircraft fire.
The Japanese Navy fought with extreme tenacity, skill, and determination, and the naval battles around Guadalcanal were bookended with two of the worst defeats in U.S. naval history (Savo Island and Tassafaronga), eclipsed only by Pearl Harbor. The battles inbetween were all narrow wins or losses for either side, all with substantial casualties. In the first night battle of Guadalcanal (13 November 1942) a force of U.S. cruisers and destroyers sacrificed itself to prevent a second Japanese battleship bombardment of Guadalcanal (the first had killed 40 Marines and destroyed or damaged over half the 90 U.S. aircraft on the island) at a cost of over 1,400 Sailors, including two admirals, and all five Sullivan brothers. For much of the campaign, the Japanese navy owned the night, while U.S. aircraft from carriers and Henderson Field on Guadalcanal owned the day. Attempts by either side to challenge the other's strength usually resulted in heavy losses. Throughout the campaign, the Imperial Japanese Navy fought with great valor and gave as good as it got, frequently to the surprise of U.S. forces, which also invariably fought with great courage. But despite severe losses, in the end it was the U.S. Navy that remained on the field, while the Japanese withdrew. The difference was that the U.S. could replace the losses in ships and aircraft, but the Japanese could not.
2. The Battle of Savo Island, 9 August 1942
At dawn on 7 August 1942, the U.S. Navy landed Marines on Guadalcanal, Tulagi, and a couple smaller islands at the southern end of the Solomon Islands chain. Shortly after midnight on 8–9 August, the Japanese counter-attack came. An eight-ship (five heavy cruisers, two light cruisers, and a destroyer) Japanese force slipped undetected past two radar-equipped U.S. destroyers and attacked two groups of Allied heavy cruisers and destroyers guarding the western approaches to the U.S. invasion force, which was still hectically engaged in landing supplies to support the Marines ashore. When it was over, four allied heavy cruisers were sunk (USS Astoria [CA-34], USS Quincy [CA-39], USS Vincennes [CA-44), and HMAS Canberra [D-33], the heavy cruiser USS Chicago (CA-29) and a couple destroyers damaged, and 1,077 Allied Sailors killed in what CNO Admiral Ernest J. King would describe as the "blackest day of the war." Pearl Harbor was one thing, but to have suffered such a severe one-sided loss by a force whose very purpose was to guard against such an attack was a severe psychological blow.
At Savo Island, the Japanese fired over 1,800 rounds of 8- and 6-inch ammunition with some 230 hits, along with multiple devastating hits by Type 93 "Long Lance" torpedoes. The surprised Allied force got off 471 rounds with ten hits. Japanese casualties were minimal. The Japanese commander, Rear Admiral Gunichi Mikawa, did not know that only one heavy cruiser and two light cruisers were the only major ships between him and dozens of U.S. supply ships and troop transports. But, fearful of being attacked by U.S. carrier aircraft at dawn (and not knowing that the three U.S. carriers supporting the landing were already steaming away from the area), and having received wildly inflated reports about how many U.S. ships had been destroyed in three major Japanese air attacks over the previous two days, Mikawa opted to withdraw back to Japanese bases over 500 miles to the northwest. Mikawa's decision, roundly and somewhat unfairly criticized over the years, spared the vulnerable U.S. supply ships and troop transports. Nevertheless, with no air cover, and concerned over a follow-on night surface attack, the result was an ignominious withdrawal of U.S. Navy forces the next day from the immediate Guadalcanal area, effectively leaving the Marines ashore to fend for themselves, and leading to the oft-repeated statement that the U.S. Navy abandoned the Marines at Guadalcanal (although at that time the only Japanese remaining on the island were the remnants of construction units that had been building the airfield). The only bright spot of the entire action was that the old U.S. submarine S-44 torpedoed (using older Mark 10 torpedoes) one of Mikawa's cruisers, the Kako, as she was returning to port, the first Japanese major combatant sunk by a U.S. submarine in the war. For more on the disaster at Savo Island please see attachment H-009-1.
The attached photo (H-009-2) from NHHC's collection, taken by a Japanese cruiser at the Battle of Savo Island, shows the heavy cruiser USS Quincy (CA-39) burning and sinking while caught in the glare of Japanese searchlights. The valor of Quincy was noted by Rear Admiral Mikawa: Quincy had charged the Japanese cruiser line and nearly took out Mikawa and his staff with a hit to his flagship's chart room.
For those who may have missed it, I am also re-attaching H-008-3: "Torpedo Versus Torpedo" from my previous H-Gram, because the sections on Japanese and U.S. surface torpedoes and tactics explain a lot of what happened at Guadalcanal. In a future H-Grams, I plan to write on the U.S. development of radar, which also had significant impact on the campaign, although immaturity of radar technology, lack of U.S. commanders' understanding of the strengths and limitations of that technology, and tactics that had not kept pace with the technology frequently worked to the U.S. Navy's disadvantage.
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Thanks to Dr. Rich and Shadow
MARINE BAND
Shadow,
Sue and I were invited to the Marine Corps Barracks for a performance dedicated to our good friend, and neighbor, Richard Spencer, when he was SECNAV. Sue met the Commandant, and then was escorted to her seat by a Marine in full dress uniform ... made quite an impression! … Found out later that another friend's son, who was in OCS, was sitting w. a large group of OCS students at the same performance … quite a night!!
Here's the performance …
Got a lump in my throat that eve .. and again watching it again now …. What an incredible performance … Any who have not seen it need to go. They have public performances also, every week … I think on Friday ...
Such a shame Trump got involved in the Eddie Gallagher FUBAR … For those of you who have met Richard and Polly, they sold their homes in Jackson and D.C. and bought a small farm in the hills of VA .. and are doing great!!
Rich
CC'd to a few other USMC friends ...
On Aug 15, 2020, at 10:32 AM, Roy Stafford <rwstafford1@comcast.net> wrote:
From Lancer...
The Corps, in our beloved traditions... always did some things that not only reminded us; but let the rest of the world understanding too... we were different, unique!
This march was not only played by the "Presidents Own"... but by every band and/or Drum and Bugle Corps at every Marine Base and Air Station around the world... and it's playing was always followed by our sacred Hymn. Every Marine reading this will acknowledge the inspiration of the March and our Hymn... that literally would send chills up our spines... and sometimes, put tears in our eyes!
I will never forget the time I attended the Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena, with my date when I was a young Marine. As the band came down the street, it stopped right in front of us. They played the March... and at the end... the drums picked up the cadence and they went right into the Marine Corps Hymn! I couldn't help it... I had tears running down my face... and the sweet young thing next to me, just looked up at me and smiled and held me close. Special moment.
Loved how my troops reacted when I invited the Drum and Bugle Corps to give a short performance during morning muster... . Afterwards, they seemed to have a little more spirit in their step and We're more motivated.
Shadow
Begin forwarded message:
From: Michael Sullivan
Date: August 15, 2020 at 11:50:01 AM EDT
Subject: FW: MARINE BAND
Shipping over music from the President's Own! Stay motivated! SF, Lancer
https://biggeekdad.com/2015/03/semper-fidelis/
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Thanks to Dr. Rich
Great WWII story
Pleasant surprise!!!
Great stories beget other great stories, this from our own SZT QB Greg Jellinek.
Enjoy,
Mike - SZT QB Historian
Here's another great WWII story for you.
My Dad's kid brother went off to war at age 18 or 19. (My Pops could not as he was involved with some guy named Oppenheimer doing some thing called the Manhattan Project.)
Anyway Uncle Arthur got into flying and ended up commanding a B17 in the 8th Air Force, 457th Bomb Group, 748th Squadron. He was 22 years old and flying his 22nd or 23 mission over Europe when he was shot down.
The attached is the after action report.
<http://www.457thbombgroup.org/fate/jellinek.html>.
The airplane dropped out of formation and the crew was never seen or heard from again. They were initially listed as MIA and that status was changed to KIA a few months later. My Dad's family held a funeral for Uncle Arthur and that was that.
one day in Brooklyn when the doorbell rang. She opened the door and there stood her kid brother in a uniform that was a couple of sizes too big for him. Art lost 70 lbs. while in a Luft Stialog.
What he told me years later was that a lucky burst of flak took off a big chunk of the vertical stabilizer. It was all that Arthur and his copilot could do (remember those airplanes had cables and pulleys, no boost) to keep the aircraft level enough so the crew could get out. The two pilots then rode in in the B17.
The local farmers were not too happy about being carpet bombed and they put the entire crew up against a wall and were going to pitchfork them to death when up came the German army in a bunch of half tracks and rescued the crew from the peasants and threw them into a Luft Stialog where they sat out the rest of the war. The Germans never notified the Red Cross, so they were presumed KIA.
He was one of my heroes, but he smoked a couple of packs per day and that took him about 25 years later. Still a hero to me and the reason that I almost missed medical school when I got accepted to Air Force OCS in 1967! Just sayin'.
Greg
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Thanks to Billy ...
Wonder how well he'd float if he crashed w. all that gear on?
Latest flight testing
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for 15 August, 2021 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
15 August
1929: Lts Nicholas B. Mamer and Arthur Walker flew the Buhl Sesquiplane, "The Spokane Sun God," with a Wright Whirlwind engine, from Spokane, Wash., to the East Coast and back. They set a nonstop distance record of 7,200 miles by using 11 inflight air refuelings. (9) (24)
1935: Will Rogers and Wiley Post died when their aircraft, a hybrid Lockheed Orion-Explorer, crashed on takeoff near Point Barrow, Alaska. (9) (24)
1944: In the greatest one-day effort in the Mediterranean to date, Allied Air Forces flew 4,249 sorties and landed 9,000 airborne troops in Southern France. (24)
1945: VICTORY DAY--JAPAN. After the 6 and 9 August bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki with atomic bombs, the Japanese government announced its intention to surrender "unconditionally," subject to an Allied agreement to maintain the monarchy. Washington declared a cease-fire immediately. (17)
1951: At Muroc, Bill Bridgeman flew the Navy's Douglas D-558-2 Skyrocket to 79,494 feet to set a new altitude record. (9)
1952: KOREAN WAR. The 315th Air Division transported 300 medical evacuees, the highest daily total for the month. (28)
1958: A B-52 launched a GAM-72A Quail flight test vehicle on its first powered flight at Holloman AFB. (6) Congress created the FAA with broad responsibilities over airways, air traffic (including military) airports, and missile or rocket sites. This action permitted military participation in the agency, military deviations from air traffic regulations in an emergency, and appeals to the President on disagreements over military airport locations. (8)
1959: SAC activated the last Atlas D unit, the 566 SMS, at Offutt AFB. (6) 1961: NASA launched Explorer XII. This "windmill" satellite studied the Van Allen belts and energy particles. Its highly eccentric orbit permitted the study of phenomena at altitudes between 170 and 50,000 miles. (24)
1962: Capt Gene Kruse set a cross county speed record for commercial jets by flying a Boeing 707-720B from New York to Los Angeles (2,474 miles) in 4 hours 19 minutes 15 seconds, at 571.64 MPH.
1963: The last 15 Thor missiles were taken off alert in the UK to phaseout this program. (6)
1964: The President announced a program to develop a counterinsurgency (COIN) airplane to perform various missions in peace and war. The Navy, as the designated DoD development agency, selected North American Aviation as the contractor for construction of the prototype. This plane later received the designation of OV-10A and the name Bronco. In a sealed space station at General Electric's Valley Forge Space Technology Center, Valley Forge, Pa., Capts Albert H. Crews and Richard E. Lawyer began a 15-day space mission. (3)
1970: Through 24 August, two new HH-53 rescue helicopters made a 9,000-mile flight from Eglin AFB to Da Nang, S. Vietnam. The flight, which took nine days with seven intermediate stops, included a 1,700-mile nonstop transpacific flight between Shemya Island in the Aleutians and Misawa Air Base, Japan. Lockheed HC-130 tankers refueled the helicopters in this first transpacific helicopter flight. (18)
1975: The USAF studied ground mobile and silo basing for the M-X missile. (6)
1977: Two AFRES C-130B Hercules aircraft deployed to California, where they made 38 fireretardant drops on four major forest fires. (16) (26)
1981: Boeing Company in Wichita returned the first B-52G, modified to carry ALCMs, to Griffiss AFB and the 416 BMW. This modification included an offensive avionics system (OAS) to improve the B-52's navigation and weapons delivery. (1) (6)
1983: Through 15 September, MAC flew 12 C-141 missions loaded with 185 tons of cargo to Chad under a security assistance program. (2)
1988: Operation POST ROAD. Through 28 August, with support from 40 KC-135 and KC-10 refueling missions, C-5s airlifted a 500-man UN peacekeeping force from Trenton, Ontario, to Incirlik AB and Baghdad, Iraq. The peacekeeping force monitored the UN-negotiated cease-fire between Iran and Iraq. (18)
2002: The USAF and the Boeing Company signed a $9.8 billion multiyear contract to buy 60 more C-17 Globemaster IIIs with delivery through July 2008. (22)
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As you watch this one look at the videos available on the right. The first couple are worth the watch. The one about the cranked arrow wing on the F-16 is one that was interesting and I often wondered why they did not build it as it was better than the original or so they say.
Thanks to Richard
The sound tract is atrocious.
Subject: Fw: How An Apache SHOULD be flown!
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