The List 5988 TGB
Good Saturday Morning January 29
I hope that you all have a great weekend.
Regards,
Skip
This day in Naval and Marine Corps History
January 29
1862—The storeship Supply captures schooner Stephen Hart loaded with a cargo of arms and munitions, south of Sarasota, FL, with cargo of arms and munitions.
1942—USS Quail (AM 15) bombards Japanese troop concentrations at Longoskawayan Point, Luzon.
1943—The Battle of Rennell Island begins when Japanese shore-based aircraft attack Task Force 18 cruisers and destroyers covering the movement of transports toward Guadalcanal. USS Chicago (CA 29) is damaged and sinks the next day.
1944—The battleship Missouri (BB 63) is christened. Built at the New York Navy Yard, her keel was laid on Jan. 6, 1941. After her christening and launching Jan. 29, she is completed rapidly, commissioning on June 11 of the same year, the last battleship to enter active service in the U.S. Navy.
1945—While loading a cargo of depth charges in Lunga Roads, off Guadalcanal, USS Serpens (AK 97) is destroyed by a massive explosion. All but two of the 198 Coast Guard crewmen, plus 57 Army stevedores are killed.
2017—Chief Special Warfare Operator William "Ryan" Owens, 36, of Peoria, Illinois, died Jan. 29 in the Arabian Peninsula of Yemen, of wounds sustained in a raid against al-Qaida.
1784: In a letter to his daughter dated Jan. 26, 1784, Benjamin Franklin expressed unhappiness with the choice of the eagle as the symbol of America. He said he preferred the turkey. This was a time when turkeys were smart birds that lived in the wild and not the stupid things bred for Thanksgiving dinner.
1962: Bishop Burke of the Buffalo Catholic dioceses declares Chubby Checker's "The Twist" is impure and bans it from all Catholic schools, parishes and youth events. It can't be danced, sung about or listened to in any Catholic school, parish or youth event. Later in the year, the Twist will be banned from community center dances in Tampa, Florida as well.
Editor's Note: we fellow Catholics must lighten up and enjoy life for a change.
1998: President Clinton denied having an affair with a former White House intern, saying "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky."
And today is:
National Peanut Brittle Day
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1788 Australia Day
This day in History
January 29
1813 Jane Austin publishes Pride and Prejudice.
1861 Kansas is admitted into the Union as the 34th state.
1865 William Quantrill and his Confederate raiders attack Danville, Kentucky.
1918 The Supreme Allied Council meets at Versailles.
1926 Violette Neatley Anderson becomes the first African-American woman admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court.
1929 The Seeing Eye, America's first school for training dogs to guide the blind, founded in Nashville, Tennessee.
1931 Winston Churchill resigns as Stanley Baldwin's aide.
1942 German and Italian troops take Benghazi in North Africa.
1944 The world's greatest warship, Missouri, is launched.
1950 Riots break out in Johannesburg, South Africa, over the policy of Apartheid.
1967 Thirty-seven civilians are killed by a U.S. helicopter attack in Vietnam.
1979 President Jimmy Carter commutes the sentence of Patty Hearst.
1984 President Ronald Reagan announces that he will run for a second term.
1984 The Soviets issue a formal complaint against alleged U.S. arms treaty violations.
1991 Iraqi forces attack into Saudi Arabian town of Kafji, but are turned back by Coalition forces.
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Thanks to Thomas W. Smith
This Week in American Military History:
Jan. 31, 1974: The first of three U.S. Army Ranger battalions since World War II is activated.
Yes, there were post-war Rangers and Ranger units of varying sizes, but the modern battalion-organization is launched in 1974 by Gen. Creighton Abrams, who proclaims: "The Ranger battalion is to be an elite, light and [the] most proficient infantry battalion in the world; a battalion that can do things with its hands and weapons better than anyone. The battalion will contain no hoodlums or brigands, and if the battalion is formed of such persons it will be disbanded. Wherever the battalion goes it will be apparent that it is the best."
Feb. 1, 1800: The frigate USS Constellation (the first of four so-named American warships) under the command of Capt. Thomas Truxtun defeats the French frigate La Vengeance under Capt. F.M. Pitot in a night battle lasting several hours. The engagement, fought during America's Quasi War with France, is -- according to Truxtun -- "as sharp an action as ever was fought between two frigates."
Feb. 1, 1862: Julia Ward Howe's poem "Battle Hymn of the Republic," which begins "Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord," is published in the Atlantic Monthly. It will become a Union Army ballad.
Today, the ballad is a martial hymn sung in American military chapels worldwide and by descendants of Union and Confederate soldiers alike.
Feb. 1, 1961: The Minuteman I intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) -- the first three-staged, solid-fueled ICBM -- is launched for the first time in a successful "all systems" test.
Minuteman I is the first missile in the still-operational Minuteman family. Minuteman IIIs are still deployed. The name "Minuteman" comes from the famous "minutemen" of America's colonial militia.
Feb. 1, 2003: The doomed Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-107) disintegrates upon reentering the earth's atmosphere, killing all seven crewmembers,
including:
• U.S. Air Force Col. Rick D. Husband, mission commander
• U.S. Navy Commander William C. McCool, pilot
• U.S. Navy Capt. David M. Brown, mission specialist
• U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Michael P. Anderson, payload specialist
• U.S. Navy Commander Laurel B. Clark, mission specialist
• Israeli Air Force Col. Ilan Ramon, payload specialist
• Civilian research scientist Kalpana Chawla, mission specialist
Feb. 2, 1848: The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo -- which begins, "In the name of Almighty God" -- is signed by representatives of the United States and Mexico, officially ending the Mexican-American War. According to the Library of Congress, the treaty "[extends] the boundaries of the United States by over 525,000 square miles. In addition to establishing the Rio Grande as the border between the two countries, the territory acquired by the U.S. included what will become the states of Texas, California, Nevada, Utah, most of New Mexico and Arizona, and parts of Colorado and Wyoming."
Feb. 2, 1901: Congress authorizes the establishment of the Army Nurse Corps under the Army Medical Department.
Feb. 3, 1801: Nearly one year to the day after Constellation's thrashing of La Vengeance, the U.S. Senate ratifies the Mortefontaine treaty, officially ending the Quasi War with France.
Feb. 3, 1961: Two days after the Minuteman I test-launch, the U.S. Air Force's Strategic Air Command (SAC) launches its EC-135 flying command post-- codenamed "Looking Glass" -- in order to maintain seamless and secure command-and-control of U.S. nuclear forces in the event ground-based command-and-control is wiped out in a nuclear attack. "Looking Glass" aircraft will be airborne 24/7 for the next three decades. According to the U.S. Strategic Command (which replaced SAC): "On July 24, 1990, Looking Glass ceased continuous airborne alert, but remained on ground or airborne alert 24 hours a day." Today, the U.S. Navy's E-6B Mercury is America's "Looking Glass."
Feb. 4, 1779: Continental Navy Capt. John Paul Jones takes command of the former French frigate, Duc de Duras, renaming her Bonhomme Richard (after Benjamin Franklin's pen name). It will be aboard the Richard -- badly damaged and sinking during the famous battle in the North Sea with the Royal Navy frigate HMS Serapis on Sept. 23 -- that Jones refuses a surrender demand, allegedly replying, "I have not yet begun to fight!" It has also been widely reported that when the Serapis' Captain Richard Pearson inquired as to whether or not Jones had lowered or struck his colors, Jones shouted back, "I may sink, but I'll be damned if I strike!" Incidentally, Bonhomme Richard (the first of five so-named Americanwarships) does sink: But not before Pearson himself surrenders (believed to be "the first time in naval history that colors are surrendered to a sinking ship"), and Jones transfers his flag to his newly captured prize, Serapis. Jones is destined to become "the Father of the American Navy," though -- in some circles -- it is argued that title belongs to Commodore John Barry.
Feb. 4, 1787: Shays' Rebellion -- a short-lived Massachusetts uprising led by former Continental Army Capt. Daniel Shays and spawned by crippling taxes and an economic depression in the wake of the American Revolution -- is quashed by Massachusetts militia.
Feb. 4, 1944: Kwajalein Atoll is secured by U.S. forces.
Feb. 4, 1945: The Big Three -- U.S. Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin -- meet at the Crimea Conference (best known as the Yalta Conference) to discuss among other points what was to become of soon-to-be conquered Germany and the nations the Nazis had previously defeated.
Feb. 5, 1918: U.S. Army Lt. Stephen W. Thompson, a member of the American 1st Aero Squadron, is invited by French aviators to fly in a French Breguet bomber as a gunner on one of their missions. It is on that mission that Thompson shoots down a German Albatross fighter over Saarbrucken, Germany; making him the first American in uniform to shoot down an enemy airplane. Today, the U.S. Air Force's 1st Reconnaissance Squadron traces its lineage back to the 1st Aero Squadron.
Feb. 6, 1899: Nearly 98 years to the day after ratifying the treaty ending the Quasi War with France, the U.S. Senate ratifies another war-ending treaty: this one ending the war with Spain.
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ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED Thanks to the Bear … Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post
… For The List for Saturday, 29 January 2022… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 29 January 1967… LTJG Brian Westin, USN, saves the life of his pilot, LCDR Bill Westerman, to earn the Navy Cross… and… the Rolling Thunder half-time scorecard…
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 Andy
Subject: F/A-18 Cockpit View
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Thanks to Willy D
Skip. . . Below is the Celebration of Life message from Steve Shoemaker's daughter Stephy.
Shoe's Memorial Service will also be held on the same day, Thurs, Feb 24th at the Miramar National Cemetery starting at 1130.
When you have a chance, please post to The List. Thank you.
Warmest regards to all.
Willy Driscoll
From: Stephanie Shoemaker Silber <shoe9339@gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, January 27, 2022 10:06 AM
To: Bill Driscoll <bill@willydriscoll.com>
Subject: Re: FW: Shoe
Hello again, we have confirmed the Celebration of Life for my dad to follow the service. The location will be my mom and dad's favorite restaurant, Tom Ham's Lighthouse. This is scheduled to start at 12:30 as the drive from the cemetery to the restaurant will take approximately 20-25 mins.
Thank you,
Stephy
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Thanks to Dave
Skip – This video may be of interest to a lot of us out here. We all grew up with that song. Now the 'Rest of the Story'………..
Dave Winter
A Nice bit of History
Frank Sinatra considered Kate Smith the best singer of her time and said that when he and a million other guys first heard her sing "God Bless America" on the radio, they all pretended to have dust in their eyes as they wiped away a tear or two.
Here are the facts; The link at the bottom will take you to a video showing the very first public singing of "God Bless America ". But before you watch it you should know the story behind the first public showing of the song.
The time was 1940. America was still in a terrible economic depression. Hitler was taking over Europe and Americans were afraid we'd have to go to war. It was a time of hardship and worry for most Americans.
This was the era just before TV when radio shows were HUGE and American families sat around their radios in the evenings, listening to their favorite entertainers and no entertainer of that era was bigger than Kate Smith.
Kate was also large; plus size as we now say and the popular phrase still used today is in deference to her; "It ain't over till the fat lady sings."
Kate Smith might not have made it big in the age of TV but with her voice coming over the radio, she was the biggest star of her time.
Kate was also patriotic. It hurt her to see Americans so depressed and afraid of what the next day would bring. She had hope for America and faith in her fellow Americans. She wanted to do something to cheer them up, so she went to the famous American songwriter Irving Berlin (who also wrote White Christmas) and asked him to write a song that would make Americans feel good again about their country. When she described what she was looking for, he said he had just the song for her. He went to his files and found a song that he had written but never published, 22 years before - in 1917.
He gave it to her and she worked on it with her studio orchestra. She and Irving Berlin were not sure how the song would be received by the public, but both agreed they would not take any profits from God Bless America. Any profits would go to the Boy Scouts of America. Over the years, the Boy Scouts have received millions of dollars in royalties from this song.
This video starts out with Kate Smith coming into the radio studio with the orchestra and an audience. She introduces the new song for the very first time and starts singing. After the first couple of verses, with her voice in the background, scenes are shown from the 1940 movie, You're In The Army Now. At the 4:20 mark of the video you see a young actor in the movie, sitting in an office, reading a paper; it's Ronald Reagan.
To this day, God Bless America stirs our patriotic feelings and pride in our country. Back in 1940, when Kate Smith went looking for a song to raise the spirits of her fellow Americans, I doubt whether she realized just how successful the results would be for her fellow Americans during those years of hardship and worry...and for many generations of Americans to follow.
Now that you know the story of the song, I hope you'll enjoy it.
Many people don't know there's a lead into the song since it usually starts with God Bless America ... So here's the entire song as originally sung.
Enjoy!
Kate Smith introduces God Bless America - YouTub
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This Day in U S Military History
28 January
January 29
This Day in U S Military History
1968 –In his annual budget message, President Lyndon B. Johnson asks for $26.3 billion to continue the war in Vietnam, and announces an increase in taxes. The war was becoming very expensive, both in terms of lives and national treasure. Johnson had been given a glowing report on progress in the war from Gen. William Westmoreland, senior U.S. commander in South Vietnam. Westmoreland stated in a speech before the National Press Club that, "We have reached an important point when the end begins to come into view. I am absolutely certain that, whereas in 1965 the enemy was winning, today he is certainly losing. The enemy's hopes are bankrupt." The day after Johnson's budget speech, the communists launched a massive attack across the length and breadth of South Vietnam. This action, the Tet Offensive, proved to be a critical turning point for the United States in Vietnam. In the end, the offensive resulted in a crushing military defeat for the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese, but the size and scope of the communist attacks caught the American and South Vietnamese allies by surprise. The heavy U.S. and South Vietnamese casualties incurred during the offensive, coupled with the disillusionment over the administration's earlier overly optimistic reports of progress in the war, accelerated the growing disenchantment with the president's conduct of the war. Johnson, frustrated with his inability to reach a solution in Vietnam, announced on March 31, 1968, that he would neither seek nor accept the nomination of his party for re-election.
1974 –The fighting continues in South Vietnam despite the cease-fire that was initiated on January 28, 1973, under the provisions of the Paris Peace Accords. This latest fighting was part of the ongoing battles that followed the brief lull of the cease-fire. The Peace Accords had left an estimated 145,000 North Vietnamese troops in South Vietnam when the cease-fire went into effect. Renewed fighting broke out after the cease-fire as both sides jockeyed for control of territory throughout South Vietnam. Each side held that military operations were justified by the other side's violations of the cease-fire, resulting in an almost endless chain of retaliations. During the period between the initiation of the cease-fire and the end of 1973, there were an average of 2,980 combat incidents per month in South Vietnam. Most of these were low-intensity harassing attacks designed to wear down the South Vietnamese forces, but the North Vietnamese intensified their efforts in the Central Highlands in September when they attacked government positions with tanks west of Pleiku. As a result of these post-cease-fire actions, approximately 25,000 South Vietnamese were killed in battle in 1973, while communist losses in South Vietnam were estimated at 45,000.
979 – Deng Xiaoping, deputy premier of China, meets President Jimmy Carter, and together they sign historic new accords that reverse decades of U.S. opposition to the People's Republic of China. Deng Xiaoping lived out a full and complete transformation of China. The son of a landowner, he joined the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 1920 and participated in Mao Zedong's Long March in 1934. In 1945, he was appointed to the Party Central Committee and, with the 1949 victory of the communists in the Chinese Civil War, became the regional party leader of southwestern China. Called to Beijing as deputy premier in 1952, he rose rapidly, became general secretary of the CCP in 1954, and a member of the ruling Political Bureau in 1955. A major policy maker, he advocated individualism and material incentives in China's attempt to modernize its economy, which often brought him into conflict with Mao and his orthodox communist beliefs. With the launch of the Cultural Revolution in 1966, Deng was attacked as a capitalist and removed from high party and government posts. He disappeared from public view and worked in a tractor factory, but in 1973 was reinstated by Premier Zhou Enlai, who again made him deputy premier. When Zhou fell ill in 1975, Deng became the effective leader of China. In January 1976, Zhou died, and in the subsequent power struggle Deng was purged by the "Gang of Four"–strict Maoists who had come to power in the Cultural Revolution. In September, however, Mao Zedong died, and Deng was rehabilitated after the Gang of Four fell from power. He resumed his post as deputy premier, often overshadowing Premier Hua Guofeng. Deng sought to open China to foreign investment and create closer ties with the West. In January 1979, he signed accords with President Jimmy Carter, and later that year the United States granted full diplomatic recognition to the People's Republic of China. In 1981, Deng strengthened his position by replacing Hua Guofeng with his protýgý, Hu Yaobang, and together the men instituted widespread economic reforms in China. The reforms were based on capitalist models, such as the decentralization of various industries, material incentives as the reward for economic success, and the creation of a skilled and well-educated financial elite. As chief adviser to a series of successors, he continued to be the main policy maker in China during the 1980s. Under Deng, China's economy rapidly grew, and citizens enjoyed expanded personal, economic, and cultural freedoms. Political freedoms were still greatly restricted, however, and China continued as an authoritative one-party state. In 1989, Deng hesitantly supported the government crackdown on the democratic demonstrations in Tiananmen Square. Later that year, he resigned his last party post but continued to be an influential adviser to the Chinese government until his death in 1997.
1991 – A few hours after darkness fell on Jan. 29, a column of several dozen Iraqi tanks approached the abandoned Saudi town of Khafji. With all turrets pointed to the rear in the international military sign of surrender, the small number of Saudi forces defending the town permitted the enemy force to draw close, in anticipation of their surrender. As the tanks approached, however, the Iraqis turned their turrets toward the defenders and opened fire. This surprise attack proved to be the spearhead of an invasion of Khafji and in a short time the Iraqis drove out the joint force defending the town, occupied it, and began the formation of a defensive posture in anticipation of a counterattack. This force was estimated at approximately 40 tanks and 500 ground troops. During this time, in addition to casualties inflicted on the retrating forces, two soldiers from a U.S. transportation battalion – one a female – were reported missing and believed captured and two six-man Marine recon teams were stranded behind enemy lines. These Marines took up covert positons on rooftops, and would continue to relay back vital information on Iraqi troop movements throughout the battle. At the time, however, the Marines were stranded, surrounded, and in imminent danger. Realizing the scope of the situation, the coalition next had to determine the intent of the Iraqi probes, contain the offensive forces, and regain control over Khafji. For the US led coalition ground forces, the Iraqi attack came at an awkward moment. The Army component was in the midst of its three-week redeployment from the coastal area to attack positions more than 200 miles west. Any disruption to the 24-hour-a-day caravan might upset the timetable for the upcoming attack. Containing the offensive and pushing the Iraqis out of Saudi territory was vital. As the battle began, theater commander Army Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf told reporters, "The mere fact that they launched these attacks indicates they still have a lot of fight left in them." JSTARS reports of Iraqi movement on the border and behind the lines flowed into the Tactical Air Control Center that night at about 10 p.m. local time. Brig. Gen. Buster Glosson received the first JSTARS reports and conferred with Horner. The JFACC ordered the single JSTARS aircraft flying that night to swing back to the KTO and concentrate its arc of coverage over the border area near Khafji. Later that night–at 2 a.m. on Jan. 30–the JSTARS sensors began to detect more movement as the 5th Mechanized entered Khafji and elements of the 3d Armored advancedthrough the adjacent Al Wafra forest. To the west, the Iraqi 1st Mechanized Division probed across the border. Unbeknownst to Saddam, Schwarzkopf had decided not to play into his hands by launching a ground counterattack. "Schwarzkopf told us he didn't want to put any other forces over there," recalled retired USAF Maj. Gen. Thomas R. Olsen, who at the time was serving as CENTAF deputy commander. Schwarzkopf instructed his commanders to use airpower as the key element, along with Marine, Saudi, and other coalition ground forces, to stop the attack. To increase the margin of safety, the Marines embarked on a phased redeployment in their sector to put a buffer of about 20 kilometers of territory between coalition forces and the Iraqis. As long as airpower could reach deep to stop the offensive, the coalition ground forces in the area would not have to be reinforced, and Schwarzkopf would not have to reposition the redeploying Army forces. At the Air Operations Center, the first task was to direct sorties already scheduled on the night's Air Tasking Order to strike moving Iraqi forces picked up by the JSTARS sweep. Air attacks were funneled into the KTO from different altitudes and directions using a grid of designated "kill boxes" as a control measure. Each box measured 30 kilometers by 30 kilometers and was subdivided into four quadrants. Planners pushed a four-ship flight through each kill box every seven to eight minutes in daytime and every 15 minutes at night. In the designated area of the box, a flight lead was free to attack any targets he could identify. Within the CINC's guidance to the air component, air interdiction operated independently. Hundreds of air attacks on Iraqi forces in Kuwait were already scheduled and under way. For example, more than 100 Air Force A-10 sorties were concentrated on the Republican Guards Tawakalna Division far to the northwest of Khafji. Many of the other sorties listed on the Air Tasking Order were already assigned to areas where the three divisions were gathered for the offensive. With airpower already flowing through the kill boxes, air controllers quickly diverted sorties to the Marine forward air controllers or sent them ahead to interdict the Iraqi forces attempting to reach coalition lines. Pilots found the Iraqi armored vehicles were easier to identify and target once they were on the move. Near Al Wafra, an A-10 pilot described the sight of a column of vehicles as "like something from A-10 school." A-6s joined in, using Rockeye air-to-ground weapons. A-10 pilot Capt. Rob Givens later recalled with some amazement: "I, myself–one captain in one airplane–was engaging up to a battalion size of armor on the ground" and "keeping these guys pinned for a little bit." AFSOC AC-130 gunships waiting on alert were scrambled after a hasty briefing. As lead elements of the 5th Mechanized with some support from the 3d Armored reached Khafji, one Air Force gunship caught the column and stopped many of them from entering the town. Anti-aircraft fire and occasional missile launches were reported by the aircrews. However, the rapid attacks to squelch the initiative of the maneuver force also hit the Iraqis before they could bring up and assemble most of their heavier air defense guns and shoulder-fired SAMs, an important edge for the coalition that contributed to increased aircraft survivability and effectiveness
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
FUNK, LEONARD A., JR.
Rank and organization: First Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company C, 508th Parachute Infantry, 82d Airborne Division. Place and date: Holzheim, Belgium, 29 January 1945. Entered service at: Wilkinsburg, Pa. Birth: Braddock Township, Pa. G.O. No.: 75, 5 September 1945. Citation: He distinguished himself by gallant, intrepid actions against the enemy. After advancing 15 miles in a driving snowstorm, the American force prepared to attack through waist-deep drifts. The company executive officer became a casualty, and 1st Sgt. Funk immediately assumed his duties, forming headquarters soldiers into a combat unit for an assault in the face of direct artillery shelling and harassing fire from the right flank. Under his skillful and courageous leadership, this miscellaneous group and the 3d Platoon attacked 15 houses, cleared them, and took 30 prisoners without suffering a casualty. The fierce drive of Company C quickly overran Holzheim, netting some 80 prisoners, who were placed under a 4-man guard, all that could be spared, while the rest of the understrength unit went about mopping up isolated points of resistance. An enemy patrol, by means of a ruse, succeeded in capturing the guards and freeing the prisoners, and had begun preparations to attack Company C from the rear when 1st Sgt. Funk walked around the building and into their midst. He was ordered to surrender by a German officer who pushed a machine pistol into his stomach. Although overwhelmingly outnumbered and facing almost certain death, 1st Sgt. Funk, pretending to comply with the order, began slowly to unsling his submachine gun from his shoulder and then, with lightning motion, brought the muzzle into line and riddled the German officer. He turned upon the other Germans, firing and shouting to the other Americans to seize the enemy's weapons. In the ensuing fight 21 Germans were killed, many wounded, and the remainder captured. 1st Sgt. Funk's bold action and heroic disregard for his own safety were directly responsible for the recapture of a vastly superior enemy force, which, if allowed to remain free, could have taken the widespread units of Company C by surprise and endangered the entire attack plan.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for January 29, 2021 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
29 January
1915: First 20 aviation mechanics were designated after passing specified exams. (5) 1926: Lt John A. Macready set a US altitude record of 38,704 feet in an XC05A with Liberty 400 HP engines at Dayton, Ohio. (24)
1935: At Miami, Fla., Harry Richman flew a Sikorsky S-39 to an 18,641.676-foot world altitude record of for amphibians. (24)
1944: WORLD WAR II. During the largest US air operation to date, Eighth Air Force dispatched 809 heavy bombers to drop 1,886 tons of bombs on Frankfurt and Ludwigshaven, Germany. (24)
1947: Operation HIGHJUMP. From 660 miles off Antarctica, the USS Philippine Sea launched six R4D transport planes to Little America in Antarctica. (24)
1958: The Department of Defense established the National Pacific Missile Range for guided and intercontinental ballistic missile testing at the Naval Air Missile Test Center, Point Mugu, Calif. (6)
1959: The Tactical Air Command received the first ski-modified C-130A. (5)
1962: The USAF launched the 47th and last Titan I from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on a 5,000-mile flight. Of the 47 shots, there were 34 successful, 9 partially successful, and 4 failed launches. (6) (26)
1964: First successful launch of a fully fueled, two-stage Saturn from Cape Canaveral, Fla., put a record 10 tons in orbit. (5)
1965: The C-141A's certification ended an unusual program in which industry, the Federal Aviation Administration, and USAF jointly developed, produced, and tested the aircraft. (5)
1973: Operation COUNTDOWN: Through 29 March, following the signing of the Vietnam peace pacts, Air Force and commercial aircraft airlifted 21,000 American and allied forces and 7,000 tons of equipment from South Vietnam. (16) (18)
1978: Operation SNOW BLOW I. Through 31 January, 27 C-141 and 12 C-130 sorties airlifted 500 personnel and 542 tons of equipment from Pope AFB, N. C., and Fort Campbell, Ky., to snowbound Toledo, Ohio. (18)
1979: The E-3A Sentry aircraft assumed a continental air defense mission. (16) (26)
1991: BATTLE OF KHAFJI. Iraqi forces crossed the Kuwaiti border into Saudi Arabia. The USAF suffered its greatest loss of the war, when the Iraqis shot down an AC-130H Spectre gunship, killing all 14 crewmembers on board. Tactical air strikes by coalition air forces, however, routed the invaders in three days. (21)
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