To All,
Good Friday morning April 7 2023.
I hope that you all have a wonderful Easter weekend
We had a great Bubba Breakfast this morning
Regards,
Skip
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
This day in Naval and Marine Corps History
April 7
1776
The Continental brig Lexington, commanded by John Barry, captures the British tender Edward near the Virginia Capes after a fierce fight that takes nearly an hour.
1944
USS Saufley (DD 465) sinks the Japanese submarine I 2, west-northwest of New Hanover, while USS Champlin (DD 601) is damaged after intentionally ramming German submarine U-856 380 miles off Nova Scotia, Canada. Champlin then teams with USS Huse (DE 145) to sink U-856.
1944
USS Gustafson (DE 182) sinks the German submarine U 857 off Cape Cod, Mass.
1945
Fast Carrier Task Force 58 aircraft attack the Japanese First Diversion Attack Force, sinking Japanese battleship Yamato and light cruiser Yahagi west-southwest of Kagoshima, Japan, as well as sinking four Japanese destroyers and damaging four others in the East China Sea.
1990
The Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine USS Albany (SSN 573) is commissioned at Naval Station Norfolk.
1979
USS Ohio (SSBN 726), the first Trident submarine, launches at Groton, Conn. She is commissioned into the Navy in November that same year. Following a conversion to a guided-missile submarine in 2006, she is now SSGN-726.
1993
The Avenger-class mine countermeasure ship USS Warrior (MCM 10) is commissioned. The ship is currently based in Sasebo, Japan.
2017
On the orders of President Trump, USS Ross (DDG 71) and USS Porter (DDG 78) launch Tomahawk missiles into Syria April 7, in retaliation for the regime of Bashar Assad using nerve agents to attack his own people.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
This Day in World History April 7
1199 English King Richard I is killed by an arrow at the Siege of the Castle of Chalus in France.
1789 The First U.S. Congress begins regular sessions at Federal Hall in New York City.
1814 Granted sovereignty in the island of Elba and a pension from the French government, Napoleon Bonaparte abdicates at Fontainebleau. He is allowed to keep the title of emperor.
1830 Joseph Smith and five others organize the Church of Latter-Day Saints in Seneca, New York.
1862 Confederate forces attack General Ulysses S. Grant at Shiloh, Tennessee.
1865 At the Battle of Sailer's Creek, a third of Lee's army is cut off by Union troops pursuing him to Appomattox.
1896 The Modern Olympics begin in Athens with eight nations participating.
1903 French Army Nationalists are revealed to have forged documents to guarantee a conviction for Alfred Dreyfus.
1909 Americans Robert Peary and Matthew Henson become the first men to reach the North Pole.
1917 The United States declares war on Germany and enters World War I on Allied side.
1924 Four planes leave Seattle on the first successful flight around the world.
1938 The United States recognizes Nazi Germany's conquest of Austria.
1941 German forces invade Greece and Yugoslavia.
1965 President Lyndon B. Johnson authorizes the use of ground troops in combat operations.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED Thanks to the Bear
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
Skip… For The List for Friday, 7 April 2023… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 7 April 1968…
JFK: We are 6% of the world's population: we can't solve all the world's problems…
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.
This is a list of all Helicopter Pilots Who Died in the Vietnam War . Listed by last name and has other info https://www.vhpa.org/KIA/KIAINDEX.HTM
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
From the List Archives
AWSOM STORY
Thanks to Mike "Quick Draw"McGraw Here is a short article he wrote for the Military Aviation Museum on some of the experiences that his father, Joseph D "Pogo" McGraw related to him about the "Battle off Samar" in 1944. This was Taffy 3. A group of three destroyers. Four destroyer escorts and a couple of small Jeep carriers that saved the beaches at Leyte gulf from being destroyed by a large force of Japanese battleships, cruisers and destroyers.
A Grumman FM-2 "Wilder Wildcat" Ace's Story
The Battle Off Samar 25 October 1944
It is early morning aboard the USS Gambier Bay (CVE-73) and the VC-10 pilots not launched on the dawn combat air patrol (CAP) mission head to the wardroom for coffee and breakfast. Their routine operations schedule is about to become a desperate fight for survival as the fog of war envelopes them, literally from an early morning fog and mist in the form of an overwhelmingly powerful enemy surface formation appearing unexpectedly on the horizon.
Gambier Bay and VC-10, a composite squadron of FM-2 Wildcats (VF) and TBM-1C Avengers (VA) are supporting amphibious landing operations on the island of Leyte, Philippines. Rear Adm. Thomas L. Sprague's Task Group 77.4, consisting of 18 escort carriers organized in Task Units 77.4.1, 77.4.2, and 77.4.3, known by their voice radio call signs as Taffys 1, 2, and 3, respectively[i] are flying ground attack, close air support, CAP and anti-submarine patrol missions over the invasion fleet, beach head and advancing ground forces. Rear Adm. Clifton A. F. "Ziggy" Sprague's Taffy 3, including USS Gambier Bay, 5 sister CVEs, 3 DDs and 4 DDEs are stationed to the east of the island of Samar and closest to the opening of the San Bernardino strait into the Philippine Sea. A daring night transit of the strait by IJN forces under Vice Adm. Takeo Kurita will bring his 4 battleships, 6 heavy cruisers, 2 light cruisers and 11 destroyers (Center Force in the Sho-Go 1 Philippine defense plan[ii]) into violent contact with Taffy 3 at approximately 07:00 on October 25, 1944 beginning the "Battle off Samar".
On this day my father, then 20 years old Ens. Joseph D. "Pogo" McGraw was an FM-2 pilot in VC-10 who found himself embroiled in what will become perhaps the most surprising and lopsided naval victory in the Pacific. He will survive the war, fly F9F2 Panthers over Korea, test fly the XF4D Skyray, bomb forest fires with modified TBM Avengers and inspire me (his oldest son) to become a Navy fighter pilot. It wasn't until then that I got the story of this day as he lived it in his FM-2.
Ens. Joseph D "Pogo" McGraw. National Museum of Naval Aviation
Having flown the dawn CAP the previous day and scoring his second and third aerial victories downing 2 Kawasaki KI-48 twin engine bombers[iii], Pogo was one of those in the wardroom as general quarters sounded. "We ran to the ready room where the intel officer informed us that the enemy was in sight to the north west and man aircraft! Grabbing only my helmet I went to the flight deck finding an FM-2 on the fantail to man-up and was the last VF off the deck. The deck run takeoff was pretty dicey as I had to wait a long time for the deck to clear ahead of me and the ship was performing violent evasive maneuvers as I began my takeoff roll. High caliber munitions explosions were bracketing us and very close. Once airborne we found wingman of opportunity and attacked the enemy surface combatants[iv]." The standard tactic was to have the VF go in first to strafe and draw fire away from the VA who followed to deliver torpedoes. "I never thought I would be strafing a battleship in my little Wildcat, but there we were!"[v] Ens. McGraw made 11 low level strafing runs on a battleship, and 3 heavy cruisers in the face of intense anti-aircraft fire during his first flight[vi].
Huge geysers of water erupt around Gambier Bay as a Japanese cruiser, most likely Chikuma (barely discernable on the horizon on the right), fires at her, 25 October 1944. (U.S. Navy Photograph 80-G-287505, National Archives and Records Administration, Still Pictures Division, College Park, Md.)
Running low on fuel and out of ammunition Pogo went looking for his ship to recover and rearm. As he approached Taffy 3 he observed that Gambier Bay was mortally wounded and sinking, the other carriers were under attack and offered no chance of a landing. Diverting to overhead Tacloban field he realized that the field was in no condition to receive, rearm and refuel aircraft, there were several crashes on the field already and to stay in the fight he would have to find a Taffy 1 or 2 carrier for recovery[vii]. Flying to the last known position of Taffy 2 he found and recovered aboard the USS Manila Bay and reported to VC-80 ready for duty, he had 8 gallons of fuel remaining[viii].
Forty minutes later refueled and rearmed Pogo launched with VC-80 for more attacks making strafing runs against a battleship, a heavy cruiser and a destroyer[ix]. Recovering and rearming for the third time he launched again from Manila Bay as section leader on a CAP mission. After arriving on station and patrolling for 1.5 hours they were vectored toward a large boggy and encountered 18-20 Vals (Aichi D3A type 99 single engine bombers) escorted by 10-12 Zekes (A6M3 Zeros). During the ensuing engagement Ens. McGraw shot down one Val and one Zeke making him the first and only VC-10 Ace[x]. Recovering aboard Manila Bay after his third flight of the day and logging over 9 hours in combat he remained with VC-80 for the next 2 weeks flying missions (after arriving with only his flight suit and helmet) until USS Gambier Bay and VC-10 survivors were recalled. The gallant and determined actions of the Taffy ships and embarked aircraft through their relentless attacks "were instrumental in effecting the retirement of a hostile force threatening our Leyte invasion operations and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval service.[xi]"
In his later years Dad opened up about his experiences giving motivational presentations to wardrooms, ready rooms, and "dining out" functions. He was placed on the Top Gun travelling lecture circuit as "Zero Killer" and enjoyed having a continuing influence on Naval Aviation as a Fighter Ace. He would be the first to point out that in his opinion he didn't do anything that anybody else wouldn't have done and that the men who fought their DDs and DDEs so valiantly in the Battle off Samar and those who went down with their ships were the real heroes. I am honored to perhaps help him continue to influence Naval Aviation and those on the "tip of the spear" by telling his story. Thanks Dad and all who have and are serving.
Mike "QuickDraw" McGraw
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Thanks to Mike
Missile Defense, part two
Skip, article and video of SM-2 missile intercepting a supersonic target missile. Article also mentions some other Russian/Chinese offensive missiles. The offense/defense dance continues…
Mike
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Thanks to Brett
Geopolitical Futures:
Keeping the future in focus
Daily Memo: Russia's Plummeting Revenues
Moscow's budget deficit is growing fast.
April 7, 2023
More signs of trouble. Russia's federal budget revenue in the first quarter dropped by 21 percent (to 5.7 trillion rubles, or $69 billion) compared to a year ago. The decline was largely due to the flagging energy sector, where oil and gas revenues plummeted by 45 percent. Budget expenditures, however, increased by 34 percent to 8 trillion rubles. The Russian currency fell to its lowest level – 83 rubles on the dollar – on Friday, after climbing 18 percent since the beginning of the year. The ruble is under pressure from weak exports, low foreign currency supplies and foreign investors' withdrawals from Russian assets.
Korean Peninsula news. Japan extended its sanctions against North Korea for another two years. As part of the measure, Tokyo will not conduct any trade with Pyongyang, and any ship that has taken port in North Korea will not be allowed to dock in Japan. Canada, meanwhile, sent a CP-140 Aurora aircraft for a six-week mission to Japan to monitor for any signs of evasion of North Korean sanctions. Also, South Korea and the United States reached an agreement to hold regular defense talks, beginning April 11 in Washington, on the North Korean threat and other alliance-related issues.
Security coordination. Russia and Belarus are stepping up their joint security planning. The two countries are working on a "security concept" for their integration project called the Union State – which will include consideration of tensions on their external borders, sanctions and the "information war" launched against them. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko met on Thursday to discuss defense-related issues.
On the list. Armenia will participate in two U.S.-led military exercises hosted in Europe this year, according to the Armenian Defense Ministry, despite not being listed previously as an official participant by the Pentagon for unknown reasons. The first of the exercises will start April 22 and run for approximately two months.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Thanks to Brett
SNAPSHOTS
In Israel, Rocket Fire From Lebanon Risks Spurring a Major Escalation
Apr 7, 2023
Though Israel will in the near term aim for symbolic retaliation, rocket fire from Lebanon and Gaza, along with unrest across Israel and the West Bank, threaten to spark a major military escalation. On April 6, 34 rockets were fired from southern Lebanon into northern Israel, injuring two Israelis in the largest exchange of cross-border fire since the 2006 war between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. The rockets were fired in response to events within Israel, and come amid a confluence of Muslim and Jewish holidays that has exacerbated already high Israeli-Palestinian tensions in the region. On April 5, Israeli police for the second time this week cleared Palestinian protesters from the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, claiming they had brought fireworks and intended to barricade themselves inside the holy site. The clearing saw clashes break out between Palestinians and Israeli security forces, which prompted Hezbollah to warn that it would support Palestinians with ''all measures.'' But Hezbollah also reportedly denied involvement in the April 6 rocket launches, which it instead blamed on Palestinian factions based in Lebanon. The Israeli military has since also tied the attacks to forces in Lebanon backed by the Gaza-based militant group Hamas.
• The violence stemming from Israel's police operation at the Al-Aqsa Mosque has sparked international condemnation of Israel from Turkey, Bahrain and Jordan, while the United Arab Emirates called an emergency summit at the United Nations to discuss the clashes. Meanwhile, riots have broken out in Arab communities across Israel, as well as in the West Bank.
• The recent attacks and unrest coincide with the religious holidays of Passover (April 5-13), Ramadan (March 22-April 20) and Easter (April 9) — a traditionally tense time of year in Israel and especially Jerusalem, which often sees increased violence at the city's sites that are holy to all three religions (Judaism, Islam and Christianity, respectively). This year, a group of ultranationalist Israelis attempted to carry out an animal sacrifice at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in a symbolic provocation designed to strengthen Jewish claims on the site, which is also the third holiest site in Islam. They were halted by police but nevertheless sparked widespread Palestinian concerns that the far-right Israeli government might support such groups.
• In 2021, Palestinian factions also carried out rocket attacks on northern Israel from Lebanon, which briefly threatened to spark escalation between Israel and Lebanon until Hezbollah stepped in to control the groups.
Israel will likely aim to limit the level of retaliation against the rocket attacks from Lebanon. But it could still spark cross-border fighting in Gaza and/or Lebanon, while unrest in the West Bank, Jerusalem and across Israel will likely ebb and flow throughout the rest of the holidays. Given that the rocket attacks caused little damage and just two injuries (25 of the 34 rockets were intercepted by air defenses), Israel will likely seek only a symbolic retaliation in order to avoid triggering another major war with Hezbollah at a time when the West Bank and cities across Israel are already experiencing significant unrest. However, the perpetrators of the April 6 attacks may attempt further rocket launches in response to Israel's retaliation, potentially leading to a cycle of cross-border violence as Israel continues to strike back against such attacks. Such a cycle of violence is most likely to affect the immediate Israel-Lebanon border area. But it could expand if Israel starts attacking targets elsewhere in Lebanon that are associated with the Palestinian militant group Hamas, such as Palestinian refugee camps in the country, or if Israeli counterattacks cause significant Lebanese civilian casualties. Meanwhile, the underlying drivers of unrest in the West Bank, Jerusalem and Israeli Arab communities will continue to spark violence throughout the religious holiday period, which could ignite another round of escalation between Israel and regional militants.
• Both Israel and Hezbollah are reluctant to engage in a major war because of the high material and political costs for both sides. Israel's last war with Hezbollah in 2006 was largely inconclusive and significantly damaged Lebanon's infrastructure — damage that, if repeated, would be very difficult for Beirut to repair given Lebanon's ongoing economic crisis. Meanwhile, Israel's government is politically focused on expanding settlements in the West Bank and attempting to negotiate controversial judicial reforms, and prefers to maintain deterrence with Hezbollah rather than try to reshape the strategic balance between them.
• Grassroots violence across the West Bank and inside Israeli Arab communities has grown in the past year, driven by settlement expansion and Israeli far-right provocations. These drivers will not be addressed when this current cycle of violence de-escalates, meaning that the threat of further violence will persist, and with it, the possible risk of escalation.
However, a significant Israeli retaliation against Lebanon and/or Gaza cannot be ruled out, which could trigger a major military conflict — especially if it results in large numbers of civilian and military casualties. Reports from the Israeli Defense Forces and various media outlets indicate that new Hamas-backed forces in Lebanon, not Hezbollah, carried out the most recent strikes, while Israeli media reported that the Israeli government would strike targets inside Gaza as a result. In addition, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh is currently in Lebanon, where he is attempting to deepen the Palestinian militant group's ties with Hezbollah, which Israel could further interpret as justification to strike Gaza. As Israel does carry out significant strikes on Gaza and/or Lebanon, they might be designed to punish Hamas in order to re-establish deterrence between it and Israel. In such a scenario, the hawkish, far-right leaders of Israel's new government may calculate that an immediate, larger retaliation is preferable, knowing that the ongoing unrest in Jerusalem and the West Bank will continue to provide Hamas with opportunities to attack Israel in revenge for crackdowns on Palestinians. If Israel goes beyond a symbolic retaliation, it will likely spark a military escalation in either Gaza and/or Lebanon that could devolve into a weekslong conflict reminiscent of the May 2021 Gaza War. Such a conflict would increase the collateral safety risk to those visiting Israel and cause potential widespread travel disruptions. If Isreal's retaliation is focused on Gaza, the threat will be higher in cities in southern and central Israel, such as Ashkelon and Tel Aviv. If, on the other hand, Israel targets Lebanon, there would be an increased threat to cities in northern Israel like Haifa, where Lebanon-based militant groups may also attempt cross-border raids or bombing attacks. In this scenario, Palestinian assailants would also likely continue targeting soldiers and civilians in the West Bank and possibly Israeli cities via gunfire, knife stabbings and vehicular attacks. Indeed, such an incident may have occurred on March 16, when unidentified militants planted an improvised explosive device on a road in northern Israel, injuring one Israeli civilian.
• Israel typically responds to provocations from Gaza and Lebanon with targeted airstrikes and artillery fire that avoid significant civilian and military casualties to prevent a major war. However, Israel's new government includes more hawkish officials, like Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who are likely to push for a more expansive retaliation for political and strategic purposes.
• The 2021 Gaza War between Israel and Palestinian militants lasted 11 days, while another, shorter round of fighting in August 2022 lasted only three days. Israel's 2006 war against Hezbollah, by contrast, lasted around a month, as both sides carried out strikes on each other until they had either used up significant parts of their arsenals and/or exhausted their political capital to continue the conflict.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Thanks to Michael ... and Dr.Rich
Video Shows Test of Possible Mach 5 Engine for Air Force Hypersonic Plane
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Thanks to David and Dr.Rich
Just when you think you're pretty tough...
Five hurricanes and 240 days later: Australian woman rows 14,000km solo across the Pacific | Queensland | The Guardian
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
This Day in U S Military History…….April 7
1862 – Union forces led by Gen. Ulysses S. Grant defeated the Confederates at the battle of Shiloh in Tennessee. Gen. Ulysses Grant after the Battle of Shiloh said: "I saw an open field… so covered with dead that it would have been possible to walk across… in any direction, stepping on dead bodies without a foot touching the ground." More than 9,000 Americans died.
1945 – In the East China Sea, the Japanese battleship Yamato is sighted by planes from the American carrier groups which attack the battleship in two waves, involving 380 aircraft. The Yamato suffers 10 torpedo hits and 5 bomb hits before sinking. Some 2498 Japanese are killed on board the battleship. The planes, from US Task Force 58, also sink the Japanese cruiser Yahagi and 4 destroyers accompanying the battleship. A total of 10 planes are lost.
1945 – Japanese Kamikaze attacks damage the carrier USS Hancock and the battleship Maryland as well as other ships
1954 – At a news conference while describing the importance of defending Dienbienphu in Vietnam, President Eisenhower articulates the "Domino Theory" of confronting Communist aggression. "You have a row of dominoes set up and you knock over the first one and what will happen to the last one is the certainty that it will go over very quickly. So you have the beginning of a disintegration that will have the most profound influences.
1972 – The North Vietnamese offensive in Quangtri Province slows. Good weaher allows South Vietnamese pilots to bomb Communist troop concentrations. Communist troops take Locninh, a district capital in Binhlong Province. 15,000 ARVN troops are surrounded by NVA while retreating from Locninh to Anloc.
2003 – In the 19th day of Operation Iraqi Freedom US forces in tanks and armored vehicles stormed into the center of Baghdad, seizing Saddam Hussein's Sijood and Republican palaces. As many as 5 marines were killed. Many Iraqis died in constant suicidal attacks.
2003 – Capt. Harry Alexander Hornbuckle on the road to Baghdad led 80 US soldiers against 300 Iraqi and Syrian fighters. 200 enemy were killed with no US casualties.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
GALLOWAY, JOHN
Rank and organization: Commissary Sergeant, 8th Pennsylvania Cavalry. Place and date: At Farmville, Va., 7 April 1865. Entered service at: ——. Birth: Philadelphia, Pa. Date of issue: 30 October 1897. Citation: His regiment being surprised and nearly overwhelmed, he dashed forward under a heavy fire, reached the right of the regiment, where the danger was greatest, rallied the men and prevented a disaster that was imminent.
LUDGATE, WILLIAM
Rank and organization: Captain, Company G, 59th New York Veteran Infantry. Place and date: At Farmville, Va., 7 April 1865. Entered service at: New York, N.Y. Birth: England. Date of issue: 10 August 1889. Citation: Gallantry and promptness in rallying his men and advancing with a small detachment to save a bridge about to be fired by the enemy.
COVINGTON, JESSE WHITFIELD
Rank and organization: Ship's Cook Third Class, U.S. Navy. Place and date: At sea aboard the U.S.S. Stewart, 17 April 1918. Entered service at: California. Born: 16 September 1889, Haywood, Tenn. G.O. No.: 403, 1918. Citation: For extraordinary heroism following internal explosion of the Florence H. The sea in the vicinity of wreckage was covered by a mass of boxes of smokeless powder, which were repeatedly exploding. Jesse W. Covington, of the U.S.S. Stewart, plunged overboard to rescue a survivor who was surrounded by powder boxes and too exhausted to help himself, fully realizing that similar powder boxes in the vicinity were continually exploding and that he was thereby risking his life in saving the life of this man.
UPTON, FRANK MONROE
Rank and organization: Quartermaster, U.S. Navy. Born: 29 April 1896, Loveland, Colo. Accredited to: Colorado. G.O. No.: 403, 1918. Citation: For extraordinary heroism following internal explosion of the Florence H, on 17 April 1918. The sea in the vicinity of wreckage was covered by a mass of boxes of smokeless powder, which were repeatedly exploding. Frank M. Upton, of the U.S.S. Stewart, plunged overboard to rescue a survivor who was surrounded by powder boxes and too exhausted to help himself. Fully realizing the danger from continual explosion of similar powder boxes in the vicinity, he risked his life to save the life of this man.
COLALILLO, MIKE
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company C, 398th Infantry, 100th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Untergriesheim, Germany, 7 April 1945. Entered service at. Duluth, Minn. Birth: Hibbing, Minn. G.O. No.: 4, 9 January 1946. Citation: He was pinned down with other members of his company during an attack against strong enemy positions in the vicinity of Untergriesheim, Germany. Heavy artillery, mortar, and machinegun fire made any move hazardous when he stood up, shouted to the company to follow, and ran forward in the wake of a supporting tank, firing his machine pistol. Inspired by his example, his comrades advanced in the face of savage enemy fire. When his weapon was struck by shrapnel and rendered useless, he climbed to the deck of a friendly tank, manned an exposed machinegun on the turret of the vehicle, and, while bullets rattled about him, fired at an enemy emplacement with such devastating accuracy that he killed or wounded at least 10 hostile soldiers and destroyed their machinegun. Maintaining his extremely dangerous post as the tank forged ahead, he blasted 3 more positions, destroyed another machinegun emplacement and silenced all resistance in his area, killing at least 3 and wounding an undetermined number of riflemen as they fled. His machinegun eventually jammed; so he secured a submachinegun from the tank crew to continue his attack on foot. When our armored forces exhausted their ammunition and the order to withdraw was given, he remained behind to help a seriously wounded comrade over several hundred yards of open terrain rocked by an intense enemy artillery and mortar barrage. By his intrepidity and inspiring courage Pfc. Colallilo gave tremendous impetus to his company's attack, killed or wounded 25 of the enemy in bitter fighting, and assisted a wounded soldier in reaching the American lines at great risk of his own life.
*JAMES, WILLY F., Jr.
Citation: For extraordinary heroism in action on 7 April 1945 near Lippoldsberg, Germany. As lead scout during a maneuver to secure and expand a vital bridgehead, Private First Class James was the first to draw enemy fire. He was pinned down for over an hour, during which time he observed enemy positions in detail. Returning to his platoon, he assisted in working out a new plan of maneuver. He then led a squad in the assault, accurately designating targets as he advanced, until he was killed by enemy machine gun fire while going to the aid of his fatally wounded platoon leader. Private First Class James' fearless, self-assigned actions, coupled with his diligent devotion to duty exemplified the finest traditions of the Armed Forces.
OKUTSU, YUKIO
Technical Sergeant Yukio Okutsu distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action on 7 April 1945, on Mount Belvedere, Italy. While his platoon was halted by the crossfire of three machine guns, Technical Sergeant Okutsu boldly crawled to within 30 yards of the nearest enemy emplacement through heavy fire. He destroyed the position with two accurately placed hand grenades, killing three machine gunners. Crawling and dashing from cover to cover, he threw another grenade, silencing a second machine gun, wounding two enemy soldiers, and forcing two others to surrender. Seeing a third machine gun, which obstructed his platoon's advance, he moved forward through heavy small arms fire and was stunned momentarily by rifle fire, which glanced off his helmet. Recovering, he bravely charged several enemy riflemen with his submachine gun, forcing them to withdraw from their positions. Then, rushing the machine gun nest, he captured the weapon and its entire crew of four. By these single-handed actions he enabled his platoon to resume its assault on a vital objective. The courageous performance of Technical Sergeant Okutsu against formidable odds was an inspiration to all. Technical Sergeant Okutsu's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the United States Army.
SWETT, JAMES ELMS
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, Marine Fighter Squadron 221, with Marine Aircraft Group 12, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing. Place and date: Solomon Islands area, 7 April 1943. Entered service at: California. Born: 15 June 1920, Seattle, Wash. Other Navy award: Distinguished Flying Cross with 1 Gold Star. Citation: For extraordinary heroism and personal valor above and beyond the call of duty, as division leader of Marine Fighting Squadron 221 with Marine Aircraft Group 12, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, in action against enemy Japanese aerial forces in the Solomons Islands area, 7 April 1943. In a daring flight to intercept a wave of 150 Japanese planes, 1st Lt. Swett unhesitatingly hurled his 4-plane division into action against a formation of 15 enemy bombers and personally exploded 3 hostile planes in midair with accurate and deadly fire during his dive. Although separated from his division while clearing the heavy concentration of antiaircraft fire, he boldly attacked 6 enemy bombers, engaged the first 4 in turn and, unaided, shot down all in flames. Exhausting his ammunition as he closed the fifth Japanese bomber, he relentlessly drove his attack against terrific opposition which partially disabled his engine, shattered the windscreen and slashed his face. In spite of this, he brought his battered plane down with skillful precision in the water off Tulagi without further injury. The superb airmanship and tenacious fighting spirit which enabled 1st Lt. Swett to destroy 7 enemy bombers in a single flight were in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.
I watched this episode on TV and he made the statement that not many people know what they are worth but he did. He was picked up by friendly natives and taken to a larger island and traded for a 10 pound bag of rice. So he knows that he is worth a 10 pound bag of rice....skip
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for April 7, 2021 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
7 April
1916: Mexican mounted Rurales fired on Lt Herbert A. Dargue at Chihauhau City, Mexico, where he had landed with dispatches from the US Consul. Capt Benjamin D. Foulois, who had left the plane before the incident, was arrested when he objected. (21) (24)
1945: Twentieth Air Force made the first fighter-escorted B-29 mission against Japan. The taking of Iwo Jima, within fighter range of Japan, made this raid possible. (21)
1955: First production-model Lockheed C-130A Hercules (53-3129) flight occurred at the company's facility in Marietta. (8: Apr 90)
1958: Operation JET STREAM. Through 8 April, Brig Gen William E. Eubank, Jr., 93 BMW Commander at Castle AFB, flew a KC-135 on an 18-hour flight from Tokyo, Japan, to Lajes Field, Azores, to set two records. The marks included longest straight-line distance without refueling, 10,229.3 miles in 18 hours 48 minutes; and speed, 492.262 MPH from Tokyo to Washington DC in 13 hours 45 minutes 46.5 seconds. (1) (9)
1966: A US Army OH-6A helicopter made a 2,213-mile, nonstop, nonrefueled flight from Culver City, Calif., to Daytona Beach, Fla., in 15 hours 13 minutes. This flight broke a record set on 5 March 1965 by a US Navy Sikorsky SA-3A helicopter.
1967: AFSC's 6511th Parachute Test Group dropped 50,150 pounds from a C-130 to claim an unofficial world record. (3)
1972: Operation CONSTANT GUARD I. To 9 April, the US answered North Vietnam's Spring offensive. For this operation, MAC moved personnel and cargo from McConnell AFB, Kans., and Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C. to Thailand. Through 13 May, the USAF moved 12 squadrons and 200 aircraft to Southeast Asia to fight off the North Vietnamese. (2) (21)
1995: Operation PROVIDE HOPE. A C-141 left McGuire AFB for Donetsk, Ukraine, carrying 40 passengers and six pallets of equipment and medical supplies. The passengers from the US European Command later taught hospital personnel in Donetsk how to use the donated medical equipment. (18)
1999: The USAF and DARPA selected Boeing to build two unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAVs) for testing at the Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards AFB. (3)
2006: The Scaled Composites White Knight mothership dropped the X-37 at about 37,000 feet, and the UAV then flew to the Edwards AFB runway safely. Originally, the X-37 was a NASA flight demonstrator aircraft for the Future X orbital test and reentry research program in the 1990s. DARPA and Boeing revived it as an Approach and Landing Test Vehicle (ALTV). (3)
2007: Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. The 128th Expeditionary Airborne Command and Control Squadron, one of three operational E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attacks Radar System squadrons, recently reached a milestone of 23,000 flight-hours in support of this operation. The JSTARS deployment began on 16 January 2003 when the aircraft flew missions for Operation SOUTHERN WATCH and then Operation Iraqi Freedom. They were first deployed to Prince Sultan AB, Saudi Arabia, and Royal Air Force Akrotiri, Cyprus. In May 2003, the unit relocated to the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing. (AFNEWS, "Joint Stars Exceeds 23,000 Flight Hours, 7 Apr 2007.)
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "SkipsList" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to skipslist+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/skipslist/CACTjsm0D_XHPF6evy1tX2nE7VjZdeqz3e-3MMMJiAkwBkhdETw%40mail.gmail.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.