Good Wednesday Morning November 3
A bit of history and some tidbits. Well maybe a lot.
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Today in Naval and Marine Corps History
1853
The frigate Constitution, as the flagship of the African Squadron under the command of Commodore Isaac Mayo, captures American slaver the schooner H. N. Gambrill, 60 miles south of Congo River. This capture is Constitution's last prize.
1865
Following the Civil War, Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles orders all naval vessels to resume rendering honors when entering British ports and exchange official courtesies with English men of war.
1931
The dirigible USS Akron (ZRS 4) makes a 10-hour flight out of NAS Lakehurst, N.J. carrying 207 people and establishes a new record for the number of passengers carried into the air by a single craft.
1943
PB4Y's sink the Japanese stores ship Minato Mau 19 miles off Ocean Island.
1943
The battleship USS Oklahoma (BB 37) is refloated following months of laborious effort after being sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor Dec. 7, 1941. Too old and badly damaged to be worth returning to service, Oklahoma is formally decommissioned in September 1944.
1944
USS Gurnard (SS 254) attacks a Japanese convoy and sinks the Japanese freighter Taimei Maru west of the Labaun, Borneo while USS Pintado (SS 387) attacks a small detachment of Japanese warships and sinks the destroyer Akikaze west of the Lingayen Gulf.
1961
After Hurricane Hattie, helicopters from USS Antietam (CV 36) begin relief operations at British Honduras providing medical personnel, medical supplies, general supplies, and water.
2006
NAS Keflavik, Iceland, is disestablished, marking the conclusion of 45 years of Navy control.
Thanks to CHINFO
Executive Summary:
•National and trade press outlets reported on the nomination of Adm. Christopher Grady as Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
•Multiple outlets continued coverage of USS Porter and USS Mounty Whitney's Black Sea operations.
•USNI News reported on USS Hershel 'Woody' Williams' AFRICOM deployment.
Today in History: November 3
1493 Christopher Columbus arrives at the Caribbee Isles (Dominica) during his second expedition.
1507 Leonardo da Vinci is commissioned to paint Lisa Gherardini ("Mona Lisa").
1529 The first Parliament for five years opens in England and the Commons put forward bills against abuses amongst the clergy and in the church courts.
1794 Thomas Paine is released from a Parisian jail with help from the American ambassador James Monroe. He was arrested for having offended the Robespierre faction.
1813 Troops destroy the Indian village of Tallushatchee in the Mississippi Valley.
1868 Ulysses S. Grant elected the 18th president of the United States.
1883 A poorly trained Egyptian army, led by British General William Hicks, marches toward El Obeid in the Sudan—straight into a Mahdist ambush and massacre.
1883 The U.S. Supreme Court declares American Indians to be "dependent aliens."
1892 First automatic telephone exchange goes into operation in La Porte, Indiana.
1896 William McKinley is elected 25th president of the United States.
1903 Walker Evans, photographer best known for his Great Depression photos for the Farmers Security Administration (FSA).
1912 The first all-metal plane flies near Issy, France, piloted by Ponche and Prinard.
1918 The German fleet at Kiel mutinies. This is the first act leading to Germany's capitulation in World War I.
1920 Oodgeroo Noonuccal [Kath Walker], Australian Aboriginal poet.
1921 Milk drivers on strike dump thousands of gallons of milk onto New York City's streets to protest the drink's varying prices on the market.
1935 Left-wing groups in France form the Socialist and Republican Union.
1956 Gary Ross, film director, screenwriter (The Hunger Games, Seabiscuit).
1957 The Soviet Union launches Sputnik II with the dog Laika, the first animal in space, aboard.
1964 Robert F. Kennedy, brother of the slain president John F. Kennedy, is elected as a senator from New York.
1964 For the first time, residents of Washington, D.C., are allowed to vote in the U.S. presidential election.
1964 Lyndon B. Johnson is elected the 36th president of the United States.
1967 The Battle of Dak To begins in Vietnam's Central Highlands; actually a series of engagements, the battle would continue through Nov. 22.
1969 U.S. President Richard Nixon, speaking on TV and radio, asks the "silent majority" of the American people to support his policies and the continuing war effort in Vietnam.
1973 NASA launches Mariner 10, the first probe to reach Mercury.
1979 Ku Klux Klansmen and neo-Nazis kill five and wound seven members of the Communist Workers Party during a "Death to the Klan" rally in Greensboro, NC; the incident becomes known as the Greensboro Massacre.
1986 The Lebanese magazine Ash-Shiraa reports the U.S. has secretly been selling weapons to Iran in order to secure the release of seven American hostages being held by pro-Iranian groups in Lebanon, in what later became known as the Iran-Contra Affair.
1992 Arkansas Governor Bill (William Jefferson) Clinton is elected 42nd president of the United States.
1997 U.S. imposes economic sanctions against Sudan in response to human rights abuses and support of Islamic extremist groups.
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Some humor from Micro from last year but still great
A chuckle or two to get us through today.
Having plans sounds like a good idea until you have to put on clothes and leave the house.
It's weird being the same age as old people.
Life is like a helicopter. I don't know how to operate a helicopter.
Chocolate is God's way of telling us he likes us a little bit chubby.
It's probably my age that tricks people into thinking I'm an adult.
Marriage Counselor: "Your wife says you never buy her flowers. Is that true?"
Him: "To be honest, I never knew she sold flowers."
My wife asked me to take her to one of those restaurants where they make the food right in front of you. So I took her to Subway and that's how the fight started.
During the middle ages they celebrated the end of the plague with wine and orgies. Does anyone know if there is anything planned when this one ends?
I don't think the therapist is supposed to say "Wow," that many times in your first session but here we are…
I see people about my age mountain climbing; I feel good getting my leg through my underwear without losing my balance.
We can all agree that in 2015 not a single person got the answer correct to, "Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?"
So if a cow doesn't produce milk, is it a milk dud or an udder failure?
If you can't think of a word say "I forgot the English word for it." That way people will think you're bilingual instead of an idiot.
I'm at a place in my life where errands are starting to count as going out.
Cronacoaster Noun: The ups and downs of a pandemic. One day you're loving your bubble, doing work outs, baking banana bread and going for long walks and the next you're crying, drinking gin for breakfast and missing people you don't even like.
I'm at that age where my mind still thinks I'm 29, my humor suggests I'm 12, while my body mostly keeps asking if I'm sure I'm not dead yet.
Don't be worried about your smartphone or TV spying on you. Your vacuum cleaner has been collecting dirt on you for years.
I'm getting tired of being part of a major historical event.
I don't always go the extra mile, but when I do it's because I missed my exit.
How many of us have looked around our family reunion and thought, "Well aren't we just two clowns short of a circus?"
At what point can we just start using 2020 as profanity? As in: "That's a load of 2020." or "What in the2020." or "abso-2020-lutely."
You don't realize how old you are until you sit on the floor and then try to get back up.
We all get heavier as we get older, because there's a lot more information in our heads. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
This is the day dogs have been waiting for. They realize their owners can't leave the house and they get them 24/7. Dogs are rejoicing everywhere. Cats are contemplating suicide.
If you are trying to impress me with your vehicle it better be a food truck.
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Thanks to Shadow
The Awakening
Around eight o'clock last night, I got a call from my oldest daughter's father in law… he was in a panic. "Do you see what they're doing in Virginia… the largest Democratic district is not reporting their vote like the rest of the state… they're holding back to see how many votes they need to win, THEY'RE GONNA TRY AND STEAL IT AGAIN"! As it turned out, the Republicans had either managed to get in the vote counting areas to the degree where they couldn't cheat (no mail in ballots without signatures this time)… or the numbers were just too great to overcome. Regardless… the results are a big wake up call for every political hack in the country. Especially for Democrats and wishy-washy REPUBLICANS.
Youngkin's win is remarkable… in that Virginia was rapidly becoming the California of the Southeast… Dems were winning right and left. McAuliffe was the prototypical Democratic Party hack… not only a career politician, but a Party hit man for the Clinton's, Obama and Biden and party financier/fund raiser to boot. In reality, he was the Party's Machine... perfect candidate.
I checked in with CNN and MSNBC a couple of times… just to see how they were reacting. Couldn't help but notice… the same facial expressions I saw from the talking heads when Trump beat Hillary… were once again on display with Younkin's win! And I was amazed… that the other earth shaker was being mostly ignored… I was personally more surprised the election in New Jersey was a close as it was… a literal dead heat! Now those of us living in the south heard very little about this race… and the MSM didn't mention it much; in fact never even hinted it would be close. They and the rest of us just assumed that being between New York and Maryland… not a snowball's chance in hell a Republican was gonna win this time, especially after Biden's landslide victory just a year ago. Now it's still too close to call… and knowing the way it works… the left might figure out a way to steal it anyway. But I take some satisfaction knowing it's as close as it is.
I found it interesting how the Left Wing media was reacting last night… wasn't surprised really, but it was interesting. The real hard core blamed it on McAuliffe for running a poor campaign… the pandemic, then Critical Race Theory hysteria and racist backlash. They almost totally ignored the elephant in the room... and that was the abject failure of the Biden Administration on virtually everything that mattered… across the board! I am compelled to make an analogy to our friends down south of the border that fell for the "Siren's Song" of socialism… either through revolution or the ballot box. First came the euphoria of winning… followed by the misery of reality. Instead of the "Worker's Paradise" that was promised or some form of upward mobility for all… the reality was the lowering of the masses to the lowest common denominator… only the revolutionary party hierarchy maintained their standard of living. Everybody else's station in life went down.
In a way… we are lucky that Biden and the Democrats in the House and Senate started acting like victorious revolutionaries, that they envisioned themselves as being. And took step after step to force their vision of America on the rest of us… from draconian mandates, killing drilling on public lands and cutting off the oil pipeline… overnight, we went from energy independence to dependent on foreign oil once again; the price at the pump for fuel immediately went skyrocketing up, along with everything that depended on it! Then the opening of our borders to flood our country with illegals and potential future Democratic Party voters. They literally are attempting to change the makeup our our nation with illegals. Inflation naturally followed. Then came the Kabul debacle… and the incessant screams of racism… gender identity… and mandating inclusion before competence. People saw the parade of incompetents and freaks that got Presidential appointments in the government. Now the MSM covered for the Biden Family corruption and criminal enterprise… but the double standard of prosecution that would befall normal criminals, compared to criminal acts committed by the Biden family and other Democrat crooks became too self evident to the average Joe six pack. In just 7 eventful months… we as a nation went from prosperity to the brink of bankruptcy. Every sector of our nation was bombarded with one crisis after another. And every time folks hoped for some measure of common sense… they just double downed and attacked anyone who disagreed... with a revolutionary vigor. We were stupid or racist or an existential threat to democracy! The Democratic Party became a haven for every harebrained scheme they could come up with… propagated by any lie, hyperbole and fraud they could conjure up to support it. Until finally, with these elections in Virginia and New Jersey are harbingers of what is really going on in the country at large… the proletariat is saying… "Yo Basta"! Enough already! Stop this insanity!
Now you would think a normal person would wake up and see "This thing ain't working"… but I'm gonna warn everyone… don't expect this to happen. In fact I think they will double down again and try to force through all the schemes they have while they still have a working majority in Congress… and if that fails through Executive Branch edicts. Folks, it ain't over yet! As my dear Friend "Black" Lucas would say… "If it ain't buckin'… it ain't rodeo"… folks, there's still a lot of rodeo and bucking' in our future... until we rid ourselves of these charlatans. It ain't over until it's over… never forget that!
Shadow
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ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED Thanks to the Bear … For The List for Wednesday, 3 November 2021… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 3 November 1966… The Withdrawal Option… an alternative to Attrition Warfare…
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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Thanks to Billy and Dr. Rich
Large R/C models fly!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8k1W1UakvU
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Thanks to Barrel
American Thinker
November 1, 2021
Unbelievable. That's really the only way to describe the never-ending onslaught of bad news and incredible occurrences that are exploding in our daily lives. Just when you think it couldn't get any worse, that they can't be serious, that it seems as if the "Biden" administration's sole goal is to make each person's life as wretchedly painful as possible, BAM! — another incredible misery warhead detonates on our reality.
So far, in only nine months, the Biden war machine has inflicted almost incomprehensible damage on the American people:
Rising Inflation
With their excessive government spending and totally over-the-top COVID unemployment assistance (to the point that far too many people are completely disincentivized from going back to work), inflation has roared back with a vengeance not seen in decades. The economy is reeling, household budgets are upside-down, and everyone's purchasing power is melting away before our eyes. The government stutters and yammers about it being "transitory," but everyone can see that's simply not true.
High Energy Prices
After pipeline cancelations and the widespread rescinding of oil exploration leases, the administration has accomplished its mission: it's sent the world's oil market the unmistakable, intentional message that America is no longer interested in being a top-tier oil producer. Predictably, the price of crude oil has risen from the $40s/bbl to the mid-$80s/bbl. Gasoline and heating oil are more expensive now than we ever thought they'd be again.
Vaccine Mandates
These are not "vaccines." A real vaccine prevents disease and prevents the transmission of that disease. These do neither. (To their credit, if you "read between the lines" and paid close attention in the beginning, the drug-makers never said they were traditional vaccines — only that they would mitigate the symptoms to some degree and reduce the severity of the infection.) These are really nothing more than therapeutics, with bad side effects. Safer, more effective, and cheaper therapeutics already exist, like ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine. But the government's politically motivated refusal to encourage or even allow any mention or use of these proven therapeutics is further evidence that the entire COVID debacle has been hijacked by Progressives to rig elections and wrest control of the country. They need to perpetuate the public's fear of the COVID crisis to maintain their control of the voting process and they are doing everything they can toward that end.
Betraying the Average American
Progressives have proposed new taxes on unrealized capital gains and Roth IRAs. This is a betrayal of the American people, pure and simple. Millions of people have invested and planned their family's finances in good faith based on the rules that were in effect at the time of the original investment. Now Progressives want to change the rules after the game has started? This is beyond belief.
American Hostages Ignored
This administration abandoned hundreds of Americans in Afghanistan by evacuating our military before all the civilians were out. How is that even remotely possible? What genius approved that plan? Just because the liberal media (network news, the N.Y. Times, the Washington Post, CNN/MSNBC, et al.) don't continually trumpet, "The president has abandoned American hostages to the Taliban!" the way they would if it were President Trump, that doesn't mean it's not true. It's just further proof of how corrupt the liberal media are and how totally gullible and ignorant the average Progressive voter is.
Space here is limited, but there are seemingly countless other areas in which this administration is wrecking the country with its utter incompetence and blind loyalty to its political philosophy: the supply-chain disaster, the destructive wokeness that is undermining our military's ability to do its job, the imminent firing of thousands of health care workers, fire and police personnel, ambulance drivers, and air control operators for their hesitation about being vaccinated. In every way imaginable, the country seems to be falling apart because of one misguided Progressive policy after another.
Note that none of the foregoing is a mere hypothetical "stylistic" objection to the way the administration is handling things. On the contrary, everything that's been detailed above is real, tangible, and substantive. Progressives hated President Trump's so-called mean tweets or the way they said he personally disrespected other world leaders in one-on-one meetings. Confront a Progressive with actual facts, such as President Trump giving us the lowest Black/Hispanic/female unemployment in fifty years — a direct result of his administration's business-friendly initiatives leading to confident expansion and aggressive hiring — or the fact that his energy policies led to our becoming energy-independent while still preserving our environmental integrity or the reality of illegal immigration coming under control for the first time in generations, and the typical Progressive response was, "Yeah, fine, but he made fun of a disabled reporter! Impeach him!" The objections to President Trump were 99% style-based, emotion over substance. Under President Trump, people's daily quality of life improved greatly, business was terrific, gas and heating prices were low, NATO was finally anteing up, but Progressives didn't like his gruff demeanor and too long red ties. How intellectual.
We should be so lucky now. This administration is doing real harm to a frighteningly wide swath of people every day, with every new policy and proclamation.
Now there's a new one that could be the most unbelievable thing ever: Progressives want to give $450K to every illegal alien for the "psychological trauma" all of them suffered from being separated at the border during the Trump years. Can they be serious? The talk is that this will come about by executive order, bypassing Congress, where even some Democrats would likely reject this insanity. If this happens, it exponentially increases the incentive to come here illegally. It'll explode the national debt beyond all bounds of manageability. It will crush the taxpayer and threaten the foundation of our economic system, from every angle. Yet it's being talked about seriously. Whether it actually comes to pass or not is not the point.
The point is that to the new Progressive way of thinking and governing, no entitlement is too much; no amount of government vote-buying bribery is beyond the pale. There is not even the slightest recognition by Progressives about the economic danger of uncontrolled deficit spending. If this $450K/immigrant ploy doesn't pan out, rest assured that there will be another, even more astonishing hare-brained scheme to follow, quicker than you can imagine.
Sadly, as long as Progressives run the government, that is true.
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This Day in U S Military History
1783 – Washington ordered the Continental Army disbanded from its cantonment at New Windsor, NY, where it had remained since defeating Cornwallis in 1781. In a farewell message printed in the Philadelphia papers he thanked the officers and men for their assistance and reminded them that "the singular interpositions of Providence in our feeble condition were such, as could scarcely escape the attention of the most unobserving; while the unparalleled perseverance of the Armies of the United States, through almost every possible suffering and discouragement for the space of eight long years, was little short of a standing miracle." A small residual force remained at West Point and some frontier outposts until Congress created the United States Army by their resolution of June 3, 1784.
1917 – Germans drew first blood from the American Expeditionary Force in the French sector on a Saturday morning. The 1st Division had nearly completed its training with the French, and final training exercises were to take place as one infantry and one artillery battalion from each American regiment went into line with a French regiment for a ten-day period. A raid by a German patrol hit the American sector at Artois on the first morning of their tour and killed three Americans and captured sixteen. After daylight, Capt. George Marshall visited the unit and determined that it had shown a good account of itself. On Monday General Pershing ordered an inspection team to visit the unit and make a report. The team included the chief of the Army schools, a lieutenant colonel from the Operations Section, and Colonel Fiske, then deputy training officer of the AEF.
1941 – The Combined Japanese Fleet receive Top-Secret Order No. 1: In 34 days time, Pearl Harbor is to be bombed, along with Mayala, the Dutch East Indies, and the Philippines. Relations between the United States and Japan had been deteriorating quickly since Japan's occupation of Indochina in 1940 and the implicit menacing of the Philippines (an American protectorate), with the occupation of the Cam Ranh naval base only eight miles from Manila. American retaliation included the seizing of all Japanese assets in the States and the closing of the Panama Canal to Japanese shipping. In September 1941, Roosevelt issued a statement, drafted by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, that threatened war between the United States and Japan should the Japanese encroach any further on territory in Southeast Asia or the South Pacific. The Japanese military had long dominated Japanese foreign affairs; although official negotiations between the U.S. secretary of state and his Japanese counterpart to ease tensions were ongoing, Hideki Tojo, the minister of war who would soon be prime minister, had no intention of withdrawing from captured territories. He also construed the American "threat" of war as an ultimatum and prepared to deliver the first blow in a Japanese-American confrontation: the bombing of Pearl Harbor. And so Tokyo delivered the order to all pertinent Fleet commanders, that not only the United States-and its protectorate the Philippines–but British and Dutch colonies in the Pacific were to be attacked. War was going to be declared on the West.
1942 – On Guadalcanal, the expected Japanese landing at Koli Point occurs with a force of 1500 landing to the east of the point. The American forces engage, but soon must pull back. The Americans then halt their advances to the west, to supply reinforcements against the landings.
1979 – 63 Americans were taken hostage at the US Embassy in Teheran, Iran. The overthrow of Muhammad Reza Shah Pahlevi of Iran by an Islamic revolutionary government earlier in the year had led to a steady deterioration in Iran-U.S. relations. In response to the exiled shah's admission (Sept., 1979) to the United States for medical treatment, a crowd of about 500 seized the embassy. Of the approximately 90 people inside the embassy, 52 remained in captivity until the end of the crisis. President Carter applied economic pressure by halting oil imports from Iran and freezing Iranian assets in the United States. At the same time, he began several diplomatic initiatives to free the hostages, all of which proved fruitless. On Apr. 24, 1980, the United States attempted a rescue mission that failed. After three of eight helicopters were damaged in a sandstorm, the operation was aborted; eight persons were killed during the evacuation. Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, who had opposed the action, resigned after the mission's failure. In 1980, the death of the shah in Egypt and the invasion of Iran by Iraq made the Iranians more receptive to resolving the hostage crisis. In the United States, failure to resolve the crisis contributed to Ronald Reagan's defeat of Carter in the presidential election. After the election, with the assistance of Algerian intermediaries, successful negotiations began. On Jan. 20, 1981, the day of President Reagan's inauguration, the United States released almost $8 billion in Iranian assets and the hostages were freed after 444 days in Iranian detention; the agreement gave Iran immunity from lawsuits arising from the incident. In 2000 former hostages and their survivors sued Iran under the 1996 Antiterrorism Act, which permits U.S. citizens to sue foreign governments in cases of state-sponsored terrorism. The following year they won the lawsuit by default when Iran did not offer a defense. The U.S. State Dept. sought dismissal of the suit, arguing it would hinder its ability to negotiate international agreements, and a federal judge dismissed the plaintiffs' suit for damages in 2002, ruling that the agreement that resulted in their release barred awarding any damages.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
*CHILES, MARCELLUS H.
Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Army, 356th Infantry, 89th Division. Place and date: Near Le Champy Bas, France, 3 November 1918. Entered service at: Denver, Colo. Birth: Eureka Springs, Ark. G.O. No.: 20, W.D., 1919. Citation: When his battalion, of which he had just taken command, was halted by machinegun fire from the front and left flank, he picked up the rifle of a dead soldier and, calling on his men to follow led the advance across a stream, waist deep, in the face of the machinegun fire. Upon reaching the opposite bank this gallant officer was seriously wounded in the abdomen by a sniper, but before permitting himself to be evacuated he made complete arrangements for turning over his command to the next senior officer, and under the inspiration of his fearless leadership his battalion reached its objective. Capt. Chiles died shortly after reaching the hospital.
*MOWER, CHARLES E.
Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company A, 34th Infantry, 24th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Capoocan, Leyte. Philippine Islands, 3 November 1944. Entered service at: Chippewa Falls, Wis. Birth: Chippewa Falls, Wis. G.O. No.: 17, 11 February 1946. Citation: He was an assistant squad leader in an attack against strongly defended enemy positions on both sides of a stream running through a wooded gulch. As the squad advanced through concentrated fire, the leader was killed and Sgt. Mower assumed command. In order to bring direct fire upon the enemy, he had started to lead his men across the stream, which by this time was churned by machinegun and rifle fire, but he was severely wounded before reaching the opposite bank. After signaling his unit to halt, he realized his own exposed position was the most advantageous point from which to direct the attack, and stood fast. Half submerged, gravely wounded, but refusing to seek shelter or accept aid of any kind, he continued to shout and signal to his squad as he directed it in the destruction of 2 enemy machineguns and numerous riflemen. Discovering that the intrepid man in the stream was largely responsible for the successful action being taken against them, the remaining Japanese concentrated the full force of their firepower upon him, and he was killed while still urging his men on. Sgt. Mower's gallant initiative and heroic determination aided materially in the successful completion of his squad's mission. His magnificent leadership was an inspiration to those with whom he served.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for November 3, 2020 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
3 November
1908: The Aeronautical Society held its first aerial exhibition and tournament at its airfield at Morris Park Race Track, Bronx, NY.
1909: Lt George S. Sweet (USN) flew as a passenger with Lt Frank P. Lahm in the Army's first Wright plane. He thus became the first Navy officer to fly in an airplane. (20) (24)
1921: A Curtiss-Navy CR-1 racer, powered by a 400-HP Curtiss C-12 engine, on loan to the builder and piloted by Bert Acosta, won the Pulitzer Race at Omaha, Nebr., with a world record speed of 176.7 MPH. (24)
1931: The Navy dirigible Akron carried 207 people aloft to set a new record for the largest number of individuals taken up by a single aircraft. (24)
1943: Eighth Air Force sent 500 bombers on a daylight raid that devastated Wilhelmshafen Harbor in Germany. (4)
1951: KOREAN WAR. Enemy ground fire damaged a 3 ARS SA-16 engaged in a failed rescue attempt; however, the aircrew, in spite of 6 to 8 foot seas, successfully landed in Korea Bay, off the west coast of North Korea, and rescued another downed pilot. (28)
1959: The Air Force successfully transported an ICBM by air for the first time by flying an Atlas D on a C-133B from San Diego to Francis E. Warren AFB. (6)
1960: Explorer VIII, an ionospheric measuring satellite, launched from Cape Canaveral into a 20-50 year orbit by a four-stage Juno II rocket combination. (24) 1961: Through 14 November, a C-124 Globemaster carried communications personnel and equipment to Belize following Hurricane Hattie to restore operations at Stanley Field, the airport of Belize's capital city. C-124s also flew in fuel for helicopter rescue operations. (18) 1963: Four airmen at the Brooks AFB School of Aerospace Medicine began the longest known experiment of exposing humans to 100 percent oxygen. The test lasted for 30 days at a simulated 27,500-foot altitude. 1965: A B-52 successfully fired an air-to-surface Hound Dog missile over Green River, Utah, to White Sands Missile Range. Maj Robert A. Rushworth flew a modified X-15A-2 rocket research plane on its first flight. North American Aviation placed two large external fuel tanks on it for Mach 8 flights. (3)
1966: An USAF Titan IIIC, launched from Cape Kennedy, carried MOL components and four satellites into orbit. The missile lifted the Gemini capsule from the January 1965 unmanned Gemini II mission into a ballistic reentry trajectory, while the Titan's third stage place a Titan II propellant tank and three satellites into a 160-mile orbit. (16)
1969: The USAF asked airframe and engine manufacturers to submit proposals on the full scale engineering development of an Advanced Manned Strategic Aircraft, or B-1. (1) (12)
1987: The Navy attacked four land targets with a BGM-109 Tomahawk SLCM launched from a submerged sub near southern California's coast. The SLCM dropped 24 packages with BLU-97 combined effects munitions on aircraft in a revetment, a missile site, and a defense site. This was the first test using live BLU-97 munitions and the sixth to qualify the Tomahawk as a submunitions dispenser. Northrop's Tacit Rainbow, a loitering antiradar missile, completed its first flight test.
1989: McDonnell-Douglas delivered the last of 470 F-15C/Ds (no. 86-0166) to the Air Force. Col Rick Parsons, 33 TFW Commander, flew the aircraft from St Louis to its new home at Eglin AFB, Fla. (8: Jan 90) Two Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey prototypes flew their first formation flight. (8: Jan 90) The Air Force conducted the eighth test launch of Tacit Rainbow, the loitering antiradiation missile. A B-52 launched the missile from a low altitude; after which, it climbed to altitude, made a diving attack, and hit in the target area at the Naval Weapons Center Test Range near China Lake. (8: Feb 90)
1995: The DoD announced the purchase of 80 more C-17 Globemaster III aircraft, giving the USAF 120 in its inventory. (16)
1999: The 169 FW (South Carolina Air National Guard) qualified most of its pilots to use the High Speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM) Targeting System to hunt and disable enemy surface-toair missile sites. That made the 169th the only ANG fighter unit able to perform the Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) mission with HARMs. (32)
2007: TROPICAL STORM NOEL. The U.S. Southern Command had a C-130 Hercules deliver 27 crates of potable water to San Isidro AB, Dominican Republic, for victims of this storm. The Puerto Rico Air National Guard relief sortie originated from the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station at Borinquen, Puerto Rico. Two guard UH-60 Blackhawks also deployed to San Isidro to conduct search and rescue missions in the area. By 12 November, American and British aircrews had delivered more than 241,000 pounds of provisions to the Dominican Republic in this combined, joint, and international relief effort. (AFNEWS, "U.S. Southern Command Delivers Supplies to Victims of Noel," 6 Nov 2007.)
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World News for 3 November thanks to Military Periscope
USA—Admiral Tapped As Next Vice Chair Of JCS Defense News | 11/03/2021 The White House has announced its nominee as the next vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reports Defense News. Adm. Christopher Grady, the head of Navy Fleet Forces, has been nominated to replace Air Force Gen. John Hyten, who is scheduled to retire on Nov. 20. The White House has informed Congress of the planned nomination, reported Politico (Washington, D.C.). Hyten's pending retirement has raised concern that a replacement might not be confirmed in time. A gap could affect the ongoing Nuclear Posture Review and efforts to speed up the acquisition of new equipment. Grady has headed Fleet Forces Command for the last three years. He was scheduled to be succeeded by Vice Adm. Daryl Caudle, the former head of Submarine Force Atlantic, in mid-October, but that was pushed back. Caudle left his post at Submarine Force Atlantic on Sept. 10 and has been waiting to assume his new post since.
USA—Probe Determines Connecticut Sub Struck Undersea Mount USNI News | 11/03/2021 A Navy investigation has concluded that one of its attack submarines struck an uncharted sea mount in the South China Sea last month, reports USNI News. The investigation into the Oct. 2 incident concluded last week, with the results passed on to Vice Adm. Karl Thomas, commander U.S. 7th Fleet, for review. Thomas will also determine whether any "accountability actions" are necessary following the undersea collision. USS Connecticut grounded on the uncharted mount, damaging its forward ballast tanks and forcing it to sail to Guam on the surface for repairs. Some experts have speculated that she also suffered extensive damage to her bow sonar dome, noted the War Zone website.
United Nations—New Working Group Established On Military Space Activities Breaking Defense | 11/03/2021 The U.N. First Committee has approved the establishment of a new working group that will focus on developing norms for military activities in space, reports Breaking Defense. On Monday, the committee approved the establishment of the Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG). The measure was proposed by the U.K. with support from the U.S. and other Western countries. The U.N. General Assembly must still approve the move during its December session, but this is not expected to be an issue. The OEWG will develop voluntary rules to constrain certain military actions identified as threatening. It also has the authority to consider legally binding, including treaty-based, measures around such activity. The inclusion of such authorities in its mandate is unusual. Such measures have been the subject of contentious disputes between the U.S., China and Russia in the past.
Turkey—Joint Naval Drills Underway In Eastern Mediterranean Anadolu News Agency | 11/03/2021 Turkey has kicked off a multinational naval exercise in the Eastern Mediterranean, reports the Anadolu Agency (Ankara). The drills began on Monday and are scheduled to run until Nov. 12. The training includes simulations to prepare public and civil bodies for disaster response efforts and evaluate the preparedness of the Turkish navy, an army official said during a briefing aboard the amphibious ship Bayraktar. From Nov. 3 to Nov. 6, the exercise is focused on basic naval operations, submarine operational readiness training, air defense warfare, electronic warfare, maritime control operations, submarine rescue training and live-fire training, said an official cited by the Daily Sabah (Istanbul). The Turkish navy is contributing 26 ships along with maritime patrol aircraft, helicopters and naval special operations teams. The Turkish air force, army and coast guard are also participating, providing F-16 fighters, airborne early warning and control aircraft, transport aircraft, gendarmerie search-and-rescue teams, coast guard vessels and search-and-rescue helicopters. A total of 36 ships from 10 countries and around 5,000 personnel are taking part.
Russia—Charges Added In Case Of Journalist Accused Of Treason Reuters | 11/03/2021 Russian prosecutors have charged a former journalist with espionage, reports Reuters. On Tuesday, a lawyer for Ivan Safronov said that his client had been charged with passing information on Russian military operations in Syria to a political analyst, who allegedly then passed it to German intelligence. Safronov received US$248 in return, according to prosecutors. The former journalist, who later worked as an aide to the head of the Russian space agency, was already facing treason charges, noted Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Prosecutors allege that Safronov passed information on Russian arms sales in the Middle East to Czech intelligence in 2017. He was arrested in July 2020. Critics say his prosecution is part of a wider attempt to intimidate journalists.
China—Satellite Photos Show Progress In Silo Construction Federation of American Scientists | 11/03/2021 Satellite imagery indicates that China has made "significant progress" on new missile sites, reports the Federation of American Scientists. Commercial satellite photos from Planet Labs and Maxar Technologies show the construction of the silos near Yumen, Hami and Ordos, in the Gansu, Eastern Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia regions, respectively. Progress was also noted at a People's Liberation Army Rocket Force's (PLARF's) training site near Jilantai. Work at that site began in 2019. China uses several types of shelters to protect construction from the elements and hide the work from satellites. FAS identified at least 40 such shelters. China is believed to be building around 300 new silos, including 120 at Yumen. The latest imagery appears to confirm that the work is related to the PLARF's missile program, the study says. Most of the silos are years away from being operational, according to researchers.
Japan—1st KC-46 Tanker Touches Down Boeing | 11/03/2021 Japan has become the first international customer to receive a KC-46 Pegasus aerial refueling aircraft, reports Boeing, the manufacturer. On Oct. 31, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) took ownership of its first of four KC-46 tankers, reported Breaking Defense. The aircraft departed a Boeing facility in Seattle, Wash., on Oct. 28, reported Defense News. It arrived at the Miho Air Base in Japan the following day. The first tanker was ordered in December 2017, with contract options for the second exercised in December 2018 and the third and fourth in October 2020. Japan received State Dept. approval to acquire four KC-46s through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program in September 2016. The Pegasus tankers will be assigned to a new squadron at Miho Air Base, where Japan's existing KC-767 and KC-130H refueling aircraft are stationed.
Philippines—Chinese Militia Vessels Return To Whitsun Reef Philippine Daily Inquirer | 11/03/2021 Dozens of Chinese militia vessels have been spotted near a reef in the Philippine exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea, reports the Philippine Daily Inquirer. On Monday and over the preceding days, dozens of Chinese ships were observed near the Whitsun Reef, also known as the Julian Felipe Reef, reported Radio Free Asia, citing commercial satellite photos from Planet Labs. The reef is part of the Union Banks, also known as the Pagkakaisa Banks, in the South China Sea. Whitsun Reef is within the Philippine exclusive economic zone (EEZ), although China and Vietnam have also claimed sovereignty over it. The number of Chinese vessels in the area has increased since August, when around 40 ships were observed, growing to more than 150 in mid-October, according to the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. Chinese ships continue to linger in the region despite Philippine patrols and international condemnation, experts said.
Afghanistan—Taliban Bans Transactions In Foreign Currency Washington Post | 11/03/2021 The Taliban has prohibited the use of foreign currency in Afghanistan, reports the Washington Post. On Tuesday, the militant group announced that "all citizens, shopkeepers, traders, businessmen and the general public" should only use the Afghani and not foreign currencies for transactions. A Taliban spokesman said that violators would face unspecified legal action. The Afghan economy has struggled since the Taliban takeover and the subsequent withdrawal of international financial support. Foreign currency often holds value better in such circumstances, said analysts. U.S. dollars are also frequently used for trade along the borders with neighbors such as Pakistan, noted the BBC News.
Israel—Surface-To-Surface Missiles Used In Syria Strikes To Avoid Embarrassing Russia Times of Israel | 11/03/2021 Syrian state media says that Israel has launched missiles at targets near Damascus, reports the Times of Israel. Early Wednesday morning, Israel fired surface-to-surface missiles at unspecified sites in the Zakia region, causing material damage, reported the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency. There were no immediate reports of casualties. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (U.K.) said that the strikes targeted army positions and arms depots used by Iran-backed groups. Another strike on Saturday also employed surface-to-surface missiles. The use of surface-to-surface missiles instead of airstrikes has been linked to a recent meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Israel reportedly agreed to rely less on airstrikes to avoid embarrassing Russia, which supplied much of the Syrian air defense system. Israeli aircraft have repeatedly defeated the Russian systems.
Tunisia—Contract Let For Caravan ISR Aircraft Defence Web | 11/03/2021 A U.S. firm has been awarded a contract to deliver a pair of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft to Tunisia, reports Defence Web (South Africa). On Sept. 30, ATI Engineering Services, Johnstown, Pa., received a US$9.69 million contract to supply two aircraft, support equipment and spare parts for the Tunisia ISR program. Work under the contract is scheduled to conclude by Nov. 30, 2022. In 2019, the State Dept. first notified Congress of plans to supply two Cessna 208 Caravan ISR aircraft to Tunisia. The unarmed aircraft would help support Tunisian border security operations, officials said at the time.
Sudan—Talks Held On Potential Power-Sharing Deal Bloomberg News | 11/03/2021 The Sudanese military and political leaders have been discussing a potential deal for a new government under increasing pressure from the international community, reports Bloomberg News. On Tuesday, Gen. Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, former rebel groups and ousted Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok held talks in the capital, Khartoum. Sources familiar with the negotiations reported progress but said that several issues remain outstanding. Former Sudanese military chief Imad Adawi predicted that there would be a deal soon after discussing the talks with senior military officers. One proposal called for giving Hamdok greater powers but with a new Cabinet more palatable to the military, reported Al Jazeera (Qatar). The formation of a new sovereignty council was also being discussed. Hamdok denied reports that he had agreed to lead a new government in partnership with the military, reported Reuters. The prime minister previously said that he would not negotiate with the junta until it relinquished power and released detainees rounded up following the Oct. 25 coup.
Ethiopia—State Of Emergency Declared As TPLF Gains Ground Financial Times | 11/03/2021 The Ethiopian government has declared a state of emergency in response to escalating fighting against rebels in the northern Tigray region, reports the Financial Times (U.K.). The emergency measures are intended to protect citizens from violence committed by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which just seized control of several towns in the Amhara region, according to state media on Tuesday. Two days earlier, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed called on citizens to take up arms to defend against the TPLF advance. At least four of Ethiopia's 10 regions have also called for a general mobilization, reported the Guardian (U.K.). A TPLF spokesman told Reuters that government forces had been pushed out of Tigray.
Burkina Faso—Militants Kill 10 Near Border With Niger Radio France Internationale | 11/03/2021 Jihadists have killed nearly a dozen civilians in an attack near a village market in northern Burkina Faso near the border with Niger, reports Radio France Internationale. On Monday, the terrorists set up a checkpoint on the road between the villages of Dambam and Markoye, intercepting people traveling to a local market on foot, by bicycle and by car, said a local official. Ten people were killed, many of whom were reportedly executed, and four were kidnapped, said a military official. The terrorists also lit vehicles on fire, said an official cited by Agence France-Presse. Violence has been growing in recent weeks in the region where the borders of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger meet, officials said.
Mali—Army Rescues 3 Chinese Nationals Abducted By Militants Global Times | 11/03/2021 Malian security forces have freed three Chinese nationals who were captured by jihadists earlier this year, reports China's state-run Global Times. The individuals were working for a construction company when they were kidnapped by unknown gunmen on July 17 about 34 miles (55 km) outside the town of Kwala in southwestern Mali. On Monday, Malian security forces rescued the abductees, reported Reuters. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said that Beijing would strengthen risk warning and consular protection in Mali.
Central African Republic—10 Peacekeepers Wounded In Attack By Security Forces Agence France-Presse | 11/03/2021 Ten peacekeepers have been wounded in an attack by Central African Republic security forces in Bangui, reports Agence France-Presse. On Monday, members of the presidential guard opened fire on a group of Egyptian peacekeepers who were unarmed and traveling in a bus that was clearly marked "U.N.," according to a statement from MINUSCA, the U.N. peacekeeping mission in the C.A.R. MINUSCA described the attack as deliberate and unprovoked. As the bus fled the scene of the attack, it struck and killed a civilian woman, reported the U.N. News. MINUSCA has repeatedly accused the government of violating a status of forces agreement, reported Reuters. C.A.R. officials denied that MINUSCA account and said it would issue a statement clarifying the details. MINUSCA's mandate is scheduled to conclude on Nov. 15.
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