To All,
Good Wednesday Morning May 10 2023.
A bit of aviation history and some tidbits along with some stories of some honorable men.
Regards,
Skip
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This day in Naval and Marine Corps History May 10
1775 American forces under Gen. Benedict Arnold and Ethan Allen cross Lake Champlain and capture the British fort at Ticonderoga, New York. The US Navy has honored this action by naming five ships after the battle.
1862 The Norfolk Navy Yard is burned before being evacuated by Confederate forces in a general withdrawal up the peninsula to defend Richmond. Also on this date, Pensacola is re-occupied by Union Army and Navy forces. Confederate forces destroyed the Navy Yard the day before.
1944 USS Cod (SS 224) attacks a large Japanese convoy and destroyer off the west coast of Luzon. USS Silversides (SS 236) attacks a Japanese convoy about 120 miles south-southwest of Guam.
1945 During the Okinawa Campaign, Pharmacists Mate Second Class William D. Halyburton aids a fallen Marine, shields his body, and is mortally wounded. He is posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. USS Halyburton (FFG-40) is named in his honor.
1952 During the Korean War, USS Maddox (DD 731) and USS Laffey (DD 724) fire on railroad targets at Wonson.
1960 USS Triton (SSRN 586), commanded by Capt. Edward L. Beach, completes a submerged circumnavigation of the world in 84 days following many of the routes taken by Magellan.
1993 USS Lake Erie (CG 70) is commissioned at Bath Iron Works in Maine. Two days later, the Ticonderoga-class cruiser sets sail for her homeport at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
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Today in History May 10
1285 Philip III of Spain is succeeded by Philip IV ("the Fair").
1503 Christopher Columbus discovers the Cayman Islands.
1676 Bacon's Rebellion begins in the New World.
1773 To keep the troubled East India Company afloat, Parliament passes the Tea Act, taxing all tea in the American colonies.
1774 Louis XVI succeeds his father Louis XV as King of France.
1775 American troops capture Fort Ticonderoga from the British.
1794 Elizabeth, the sister of King Louis XVI, is beheaded.
1796 Napoleon Bonaparte wins a brilliant victory against the Austrians at Lodi bridge in Italy.
1840 Mormon leader Joseph Smith moves his band of followers to Illinois to escape the hostilities they experienced in Missouri.
1857 The Bengal Army in India revolts against the British.
1863 General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson succumbs to illness and wounds received during the Battle of Chancellorsville.
1865 Union cavalry troops capture Confederate President Jefferson Davis near Irvinville, Georgia.
1869 The Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads meet in Promontory, Utah.
1859 French emperor Napoleon III leaves Paris to join his troops preparing to battle the Austrian army in Northern Italy.
1872 Victoria Woodhull becomes first the woman nominated for U.S. president.
1917 Allied ships get destroyer escorts to fend off German attacks in the Atlantic.
1924 J. Edgar Hoover is appointed head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
1928 WGY-TV in Schenectady, New York, begins regular television programming.
1933 Nazis begin burning books by "unGerman" writers such as Heinrich Mann and Erich Maria Remarque, author of All Quiet on the Western Front.
1940 German forces begin a blitzkrieg of the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, skirting France's "impenetrable" Maginot Line.
1940 Winston Churchill succeeds Neville Chamberlain as British Prime Minister.
1940 The Battle of France begins. It ends six weeks later as the British Expeditionary Forces are evacuated at Dunkirk
1941 England's House of Commons is destroyed during the worst of the London Blitz: 550 German bombers drop 100,000 incendiary bombs.
1960 The USS Nautilus completes the first circumnavigation of the globe underwater.
1994 Nelson Mandela is sworn in as South Africa's first black president.
1869 Transcontinental railroad completed
1972 LT Randy Cunningham and LTJG Willie Driscoll shot down three North
Vietnamese MiGs in one engagement to become the United States' first "aces"
of the Vietnam War.
What the write up missed about Cunningham's 3-MiG kills on that mission was (1) his squadron mate, Matt Connolly & Tom Blonski, shot 2-MiG's off his 6 o'clock; & 2) Cunningham got shot down, ejected, and got picked up and returned to the Connie. All 4 got Navy Cross'.
Best regards,
Hot Dog sends
Steve Shoemaker ( who sadly recently passed away) and Kieth Crenshaw also got one in that gaggle. Booger sends
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ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED Thanks to the Bear … Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post
Skip… For The List for Wednesday, 10 May 2023… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 10 May 1968 The Medal of Honor for LCOL Joe Jackson, USAF…
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 MICRO
An excellent aviation history lesson from WW II, appropriate for today.
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Thanks to Dutch. for forwarding
Thanks to Ken P
Aviation History this week -
Before listing more events under this week's Aviation History, I'd like to remember the May 10 passing of Evelyn Stone Bryan Johnson in 2012. Known as "Mama Bird", between her first solo flight on 8 November 1944 and her retirement from flying in the mid-1990s, she had logged 57,635.4 hours (about 6½ years) in the air, flying about 5,500,000 miles (8,856,683 km) and was the oldest flight instructor in the world. She trained more pilots and gave more FAA exams than any other pilot. Wow! Born in Corbin, KY, on November 4, 1909, "Mama Bird" died at 102 and would have been 110 later this year. http://www.silverwings.org/evelyn-bryan-johnson-mama-bird-flew-west-at-age-102/
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We followed this story in the List for a couple of years from the inception when there were just the start of drawings and a few beginning sculptures' to the final product. Since that time I was introduced to a 99 year old P-38 pilot Jim Kunkle and his wife Ruth through Admiral Denny Wisely who has accompanied him to Omaha Beach for the celebration of the D Day landings on Omaha beach . Jim plans to fly on his 100th birthday. We need to get him down for a Bubba Breakfast. Skip
To update Jim did fly on his 100th birthday
This was a group of P-38 pilots in WWII… a Great Story
Thanks to Old Bandit. We have had earlier versions of this before in the list and it is still inspiring
Where do we get such men?
Well worth the time.
From Moon, a good friend.
Before you <click> on the link below, know it's about 13 minutes long, an eternity in today's sound-bite world!!! I found it to be a very moving video honoring the 88,000 American airmen killed in WWII…it is truly a superbly done tribute to pilots who died in the war. The gentleman who did the sculpture was the "last man standing" in the group he flew with … he began the project at the age of 90 … where do we get such men!!!
mOOn out!!!
https://lestweforgetsculpture.org/
The reason that the American Navy does so well in wartime, is that war is chaos, and the Americans practice chaos on a daily basis." -- Grossadmiral Karl Donitz, Kriegsmarine
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Thanks to Carl
How a P-51 Mustang Works
Take an in-depth look inside a North American P-51D fighter plane from the World War II era.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjsrqMe0B3s
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One of my favorites from the archives
From: Glenn
This is a great read!
GW
Written by Brian Shul, a retired SR-71 Blackbird pilot from "Plane and Pilot Magazine."
As a former SR-71 and keynote speaker, the question I'm most often asked is: "How fast would that SR-71 fly?"
I can be assured of hearing that question several times at any event I attend.
It's an interesting question, given the aircraft's
proclivity for speed. But there really isn't a single number to give as the turbo ramjet would always give you a little more speed (if you wanted it to).
It was common to see 35 miles a minute. But we
typically flew a programmed Mach number.
But because we never wanted to harm the plane in any way, we never let it run out to any limits of temperature or speed.
Thus, each SR-71 pilot had his own personal high speed that he saw at some point during our missions.
I saw my highest speed over Libya when Khadafy fired two missiles my way: max power was in order.
Let's just say that the Blackbird truly loved speed ... and effortlessly took us to high Mach numbers we had not previously seen.
So it was with great surprise, when at the end of one
of my presentations, someone asked, "What was the SLOWEST you ever flew the Blackbird?"
This was a first. After giving it some thought, I was
reminded of a story that I had never shared before, and relayed the following:
I was flying the SR-71 out of RAF Mildenhall, England, with my back seater, Walt Watson. We were returning from a mission over Europe and the Iron Curtain when we received a radio transmission from
home base.
As we scooted across Denmark in three minutes, we
learned that a small RAF base in the English countryside had requested an SR-71 fly-by.
The commander of air cadets there was a former
Blackbird pilot thought it would be a motivating moment for the young lads to see the mighty SR-71 perform a low approach.
No problem, we were happy to do it.
After a quick aerial refueling over the North Sea, we
proceeded to find the small airfield. In the back seat, Walter had a myriad of sophisticated navigation equipment and he began to vector me toward the field.
Descending to subsonic, we found ourselves over a
densely wooded area in the slight haze.
Like most former WWII British airfields, the one we
were looking for had a small tower and little surrounding infrastructure. Walter told me we were close and that I should be able to see the field.
But as far as I could see in the haze, I saw nothing
but trees. We got a little lower, and I pulled the throttles back from our 325 knot cruise.
With the gear up ... anything under 275 knots (316 mph) was plain uncomfortable. Walt said we're practically over the field. Looking hard, I saw nothing that looked like an airfield.
I banked the jet and started a gentle circling
maneuver, hoping to pick up anything that looked like a field. Meanwhile on the ground, the commander had taken the cadets up on the control tower's cat walk to get a prime view.
It was a quiet, still day with no wind and partial gray
overcast. Walter continued to give me indications that the field should be below us, but in the overcast and haze, I couldn't see it.
But the longer we continued to circle and peer out, the slower we got. With our throttles way back, the awaiting cadets heard silence.
I must have had good instructors in my flying career,
as something told me I better "cross-check the gauges."
As I noticed the airspeed indicator s-l-i-d-e below 160
knots (180 mph), my heart stopped, as my adrenalin-filled left hand slammed both throttles FULL FORWARD, aka "balls to the wall!"
At this point we weren't really flying, but were
falling in a slight bank. At the moment both afterburners lit with a thunderous roar of flame, the aircraft fell into full view of the shocked observers on the catwalk on the tower.
Shattering the absolute silence of the morning, they
now had 107 feet of fire-breathing titanium in their faces as the plane leveled and accelerated in full-burner, on their side of the infield much closer than expected. It could only be described as some
sort of ultimate "knife-edge" aerobatic pass.
We proceeded back to Mildenhall without incident ...
not saying a word to each other for those next 14 minutes. After landing, our commander greeted us ... and we were both certain he was reaching for our wings.
Instead, he heartily shook our hands and said the
commander had told him it was the greatest SR-71 fly-by he had ever seen. Especially how we had surprised them with such a precise maneuver that could only be described as breathtaking.
Apparently, some of the cadet's hats were blown off.
The sight of the "plan view" of the plane in full afterburner dropping right in front of them was stunning and unbelievable.
Walt and I both understood the concept of
"breathtaking" very well that morning, and we sheepishly replied that the cadets seemed just excited to see our low approach.
As we retired to the equipment room to change from
space suits to flight suits, we just sat there ... and hadn't spoken a word since "the pass."
Finally, Walter looked at me and said, "I saw one
hundred fifty-six knots. What did you see?"
Trying to find my voice, I stammered, "One hundred fifty-two ..." (175 mph)
We sat in silence for a moment. Then Walt calmly said, "Don't ever do that to me again ..."
I never did, and not sure I could.
A year later, Walter and I were having lunch in the
Mildenhall Officer's Club, and overheard an officer talking to some cadets about an SR-71 fly-past that he'd seen.
Of course, by now the story included kids blown off the tower, and screaming as the heat of the jet singed their eyebrows.
As we stood there with lunch trays in our hands, the
officer noticed our HABU shoulder patch icon of a deadly snake, and asked us to verify to the cadets that such an event occurred.
Walt just shook his head and said, "It was probably
just a routine low approach ... they're pretty impressive in that airplane."
Impressive ... indeed.
Little did I realize that LOW SPEED experience would become one of the most requested stories. It's ironic, that people now became very interested in how slow the World's fastest jet aircraft can fly.
Thanks to Bill Fisher
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This Day in U S Military History…….May 10
1869 – In a remote corner of Utah, the presidents of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads meet and drive a ceremonial last spike into a rail line that connects their railroads and makes transcontinental railroad service possible for the first time in U.S. history. Although travelers would have to take a roundabout journey to cross the country on this railroad system, the driving of the golden spike at Promontory Point, Utah, forever closed a chapter of U.S. history. No longer would western-bound travelers need to take the long and dangerous journey by wagon train, and the west would surely lose some its wild charm with the new connection to the civilized east. As early as 1852, Congress considered the construction of a transcontinental railroad, but the question became enmeshed in the regional politics of the time. In 1866, starting in Omaha and Sacramento, the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads began working toward each other across a northern route, with land grants offered by the government as an incentive for their work. In their eagerness for land, the two lines built right past each other, and the final meeting place had to be renegotiated. On May 10, 1869, the two lines finally met at Promontory Point, Utah.
1945 – On Luzon, the advance of US 43rd Division, part of US 11th Corps, loses momentum. On Mindanao, part of the US 40th Division lands on the coast of Macalajar Bay, in the north of the island. The naval support group is commanded by Rear-Admiral Struble. The landing is successful. Filipino guerrillas provide additional support and the beachhead is rapidly consolidated and extended. Some elements advance some 5 miles to the southeast and link up with units of the US 31st Division. There is heavy fighting between the American and Japanese forces already present on the island. Units of the US 19th Division begin to eliminate a number of Japanese pockets of resistance around Davao.
1945 – The 22d Marines, 6th Marine Division, executed a pre-dawn attack south across the Asa River Estuary and seized a bridgehead from which to continue the attack toward Naha, the capital of Okinawa. The bridgehead is about 1 mile wide and 400 yards deep. During the night a Bailey bridge is built to allow tanks and artillery to cross the river. The US 1st Marine Division makes slight progress towards Shuri, facing heavy Japanese opposition. At sea, Japanese Kamikaze strikes hit 1 American destroyer and 1 mine layer.
1972 – President Richard Nixon's decision to mine North Vietnamese harbors is condemned by the Soviet Union, China, and their Eastern European allies, and receives only lukewarm support from Western Europe. The mining was meant to halt the massive North Vietnamese invasion of South Vietnam that had begun on March 30. In the continuing air war over North Vietnam, the United States lost at least three planes and the North Vietnamese 10, as 150 to 175 American planes struck targets over Hanoi, Haiphong, and along rail lines leading from China.
1972 – Air Force Capt. Charles B. DeBellevue of the 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron, flying with Capt. Richard S. Ritchie in a McDonnell Douglas F-4D, records his first aerial kill. Later, DeBellevue recorded four additional victories with pilot Ritchie–both men achieved the designation of ace (traditionally awarded for five enemy aircraft confirmed shot down in aerial combatt). In August, DeBellevue, flying with Captain John A. Madden, Jr., shot down two more MiGs, becoming the leading American ace of the Vietnam War.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
*HALYBURTON, WILLIAM DAVID, JR.
Rank and organization: Pharmacist's Mate Second Class, U.S. Naval Reserve. Born: 2 August 1924, Canton, N.C. Accredited to: North Carolina. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with a Marine Rifle Company in the 2d Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division, during action against enemy Japanese forces on Okinawa Shima in the Ryukyu Chain, 10 May 1945. Undaunted by the deadly accuracy of Japanese counterfire as his unit pushed the attack through a strategically important draw, Halyburton unhesitatingly dashed across the draw and up the hill into an open fire-swept field where the company advance squad was suddenly pinned down under a terrific concentration of mortar, machinegun and sniper fire with resultant severe casualties. Moving steadily forward despite the enemy's merciless barrage, he reached the wounded marine who lay farthest away and was rendering first aid when his patient was struck for the second time by a Japanese bullet. Instantly placing himself in the direct line of fire, he shielded the fallen fighter with his own body and staunchly continued his ministrations although constantly menaced by the slashing fury of shrapnel and bullets falling on all sides. Alert, determined and completely unselfish in his concern for the helpless marine, he persevered in his efforts until he himself sustained mortal wounds and collapsed, heroically sacrificing himself that his comrade might live. By his outstanding valor and unwavering devotion to duty in the face of tremendous odds, Halyburton sustained and enhanced the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life in the service of his country.
*SABO, JR., LESLIE H.
Rank: Specialist Fourth Class, Organization: U.S. Army, Company: Company B, 3d Battalion, Division: 506th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division, Born: February 23, 1948, Austria, Departed: Yes (05/10/1970), Entered Service At: Ellwood City, Pennsylvania, G.O. Number: , Date of Issue: 05/16/2012, Accredited To: Pennsylvania, Place / Date: May 10, 1970, Se San, Cambodia. Citation: Specialist Four Leslie H. Sabo Jr. distinguished himself by conspicuous acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty at the cost of his own life while serving as a rifleman in Company B, 3d Battalion, 506th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division in Se San, Cambodia, on May 10, 1970. On that day, Specialist Four Sabo and his platoon were conducting a reconnaissance patrol when they were ambushed from all sides by a large enemy force. Without hesitation, Specialist Four Sabo charged an enemy position, killing several enemy soldiers. Immediately thereafter, he assaulted an enemy flanking force, successfully drawing their fire away from friendly soldiers and ultimately forcing the enemy to retreat. In order to re-supply ammunition, he sprinted across an open field to a wounded comrade. As he began to reload, an enemy grenade landed nearby. Specialist Four Sabo picked it up, threw it, and shielded his comrade with his own body, thus absorbing the brunt of the blast and saving his comrade's life. Seriously wounded by the blast, Specialist Four Sabo nonetheless retained the initiative and then single-handedly charged an enemy bunker that had inflicted severe damage on the platoon, receiving several serious wounds from automatic weapons fire in the process. Now mortally injured, he crawled towards the enemy emplacement and, when in position, threw a grenade into the bunker. The resulting explosion silenced the enemy fire, but also ended Specialist Four Sabo's life. His indomitable courage and complete disregard for his own safety saved the lives of many of his platoon members. Specialist Four Sabo's extraordinary heroism and selflessness, above and beyond the call of duty, at the cost of his life, are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, Company B, 3d Battalion, 506th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division, and the United States Army.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS
FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR MAY 10
THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
May 10
10 May
1911 – First U.S. Army pilot casualty, 2nd Lt. George Edward Maurice Kelly (1878–1911), London-born, and a naturalized United States citizen in 1902, is killed when he banks his Curtiss Type IV (or Curtiss Model D), Army Signal Corps serial number 2, sharply to avoid plowing into an infantry encampment near the present site of Fort Sam Houston, Texas. The Aviation Camp (aka Remount Station) at Fort Sam Houston is renamed Camp Kelly, 11 June 1917, then Kelly Field on 30 July 1917, and finally Kelly AFB on 29 January 1948. Airframe rebuilt, finally grounded in February 1914, refurbished, and placed on display in the Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum, Washington, D.C. Due to this crash, the commanding officer of Fort Sam Houston bans further training flights at the base, the flying facilities being moved to College Park Airport, College Park, Maryland in June–July 1911. A replica of this airframe is preserved at the National Museum of the United States Air Force.
1913: FIRST AERIAL BOMBING. Didier Masson and Thomas Dean, flying for Mexican General Alvarado Obregon, conducted the first aerial bombing in an American war by bombing Mexican Federal gunboats in Guaymas Bay, Gulf of California. (21)
1913 – First flight of the Sikorsky Russky Vityaz, or Russian Knight, also called Le Grand, first four-engine aircraft in the world piloted by Igor Sikorsky, first man to fly a four engine powered aircraft.
1918 – Birth of George Welch (pilot), World War II flying ace, a Medal of Honor nominee, and an experimental aircraft pilot after the war. Welch is best known both for being one of over 17 United States Army Air Forces fighter pilots able to get airborne to engage Japanese forces in the attack on Pearl Harbor.
1919 — The recently formed Avro Transport Company in Manchester opens Britain's first scheduled air service. A fare of four guineas (£4.20) is being charged for the journey of 50 miles. The company is using four of Avro 504K aircraft, modified to carry two passengers.
1928 — Air Corps T. C. airship lands on deck of S.S. American Trader near Ambrose Light, New York, transfers cargo and takes off again.
1935 — Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd returns to the United States from Second Antarctic Expedition.
1941 – At 2305 hrs. Messerschmitt Bf 110D, Werknr 3868, 'VJ+OQ', appears over Eaglesham, Renfrewshire. Pilot bails out and when challenged by David McLean, Head Ploughman of a local farm, as to whether he is German, the man replies in good English; "Yes, I am Hauptmann Alfred Horn. I have an important message for the Duke of Hamilton". Horn is taken to McLean's cottage where McLean's wife makes a pot of tea, but the German requests only a glass of water. Horn has hurt his back and help is summoned. Local Home Guard soldiers arrive and Horn is taken to their headquarters at the Drill Hall, Busby, near Glasgow. Upon questioning by a visiting Royal Observer Corps officer, Major Graham Donald, Horn repeats his request to see the Duke. Donald recognises "Hauptmann Horn" to be none other than Rudolph Hess. The remains of Hess' Messerschmitt Bf 110 are now in the Imperial War Museum.
1942: The carrier USS Ranger, off the African Gold Coast, launched 60 US AAF P-40s to Accra. From there, they were flown in stages to the 10th Air Force in India. (24)
1945 – Sighting a Japanese Kawasaki Ki-45 (Allied reporting name "Nick" fighter flying high over Okinawa, U. S. Marine Corps First Lieutenant Robert R, Klingman in a Vought F4U Corsair gives chase for over 185 miles and intercepts the Ki-45 at 38,000 feet (12,000 m). Finding his guns frozen, he climbs well above the Corsair's service ceiling of 41,600 feet (12,700 m) and cuts off the Kawasaki Ki-45′s tail with his propeller in several passes, causing it to crash. He then belly lands safely at Kadena Air Base on Okinawa. He receives the Navy Cross for the action.
1944: CHENGTU PROJECT. Using primitive construction methods, 400,000 laborers completed this project to build five very heavy bomber bases and six fighter fields in China to support B-29 operations. The work started in January. (21) (24)
1946 – First successful launch of an American V-2 rocket at White Sands Proving Ground.
1953: KOREAN WAR. Flying through intense flak Col Victor E. Warford, 58 FBW Commander, led 8 F-84 ThunderJets to attack the hydroelectric generating facilities at Sui-ho near the Yalu River. Through 11 May, 39 B-29 Superfortresses raided the 375-acre Yangsi troop concentration area twelve miles southeast of Sinuiju City, achieving 63 percent destruction of one of the last large lucrative targets remaining in N. Korea. (28)
1955: The USAF issued a requirement for a surface-launched, turbojet subsonic decoy missile for the B-47 or B-52. It became the Goose missile. (6) General Electric's XJ79 turbojet engine made its first flight in the NB-45 test aircraft over Schenectady, N.Y. This engine later powered the Convair B-58, the Lockheed F-104, and the McDonnell Douglas F-4. (8: May 90)
1961: Maj Elmer E. Murphy flew a B-58 from Carswell AFB (43 BMW) on a 30-minute, 45-second flight at 1,302 MPH over a 669.4-mile closed-course. This gave the USAF permanent possession of the Bleriot Cup given by the Aero Club of France. (1) (24)
1962: After a 3-year testing program, a USAF BOMARC-A launched from Eglin AFB intercepted an F-104 Starfighter drone 150 miles away. (16) (24)
1964: At Rosemount, Minn, Tracy Barnes rode a Barnes 14A Balloon to an FAI altitude record of 38,650 feet for balloons in subclasses A-3 through A-9 (400 to 4000 cubic meters). (9)
1965: Lt Col James W. Wood became the first pilot to fly the variable, swept-wing F-111 at Edwards AFB. (3) Tactical control of aircraft in battle areas assigned to the Air Force by the JCS. (16) (26)
1972 — "LineBacker I" offensive of Vietnam War begins.
1972: The Fairchild-Republic A-10A prototype, an entry in the USAF's A-X competition to select a close-air-support fighter, completed its first flight at Edwards AFB. (3) LINEBACKER I: Through 11 May, 8 TFW F-4 Phantoms dropped precision-guided munitions on the Paul Doumer Bridge in Hanoi, North Vietnam, and closed the bridge to traffic. The attacks began a campaign against logistics and industrial targets in North Vietnam, including the mining of North Vietnames harbors. (17) (21) After several months of dropping bombs against the invading North Vietnamese, Navy fighter squadrons spent the day engaging MiGs in the heaviest aerial action of the war. VF96 from the USS Constellation (CVA64) destroyed six of eight MiGs. In their F-4J, Lt Randy Cunningham and his backseater, Lt (JG) Willie Driscoll, of VF96 downed three MiG-17s. When combined with their two earlier kills on 19 January and 8 May, they became the first American aces of the Vietnam War, the first all-missile aces, and the first U.S. aces since the Korean War. After their third kill, a SAM hit forced both men to eject from their F-4 south of Hanoi. The effort required to rescue the Navy's two newest aces was hectic and dangerous as the rescuers faced fire from two North Vietnamese PT boats and heavy fire from communist shore positions. (http://www.aerosphere.com/html/randy_cunningham.shtml)
1986 – The U. S. Navy selects the F/A-18 Hornet as the official airplane of the Blue Angels. It replaces the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk.
1995: A C-141 Starlifter from the 349th Air Mobility Wing (AMW) carried a ton of medical supplies to Zaire after an outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in Central Africa. A C-5 Galaxy delivered another ton of supplies to Kinshasa, Zaire, later in the month. (16)
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Thanks to Dr Rich
Some great aviation stories from WW-II …
Boyington came to Pax River a couple of times when I was there to speak to the TPS students … each time, after he left, one of the instructors would come up and say "there's more to the story … take it all w. a grain of salt" …
Thanks to Shadow
Dear Folks,
Was having my Monday Morning "Bubba Breakfast" at Amelia Island this morning; when Mike Collins mentioned something he'd just read about a Navy Captain, Intel Officer, who happened to be on a Navy Submarine on a secret mission that was attacked and forced to surface by a Japanese Destroyer near the Philippines. As the ship's Captain ordered everyone to abandon ship and scuttle the boat… the Intel Captain looked up and said… "I can't, I know too much and if they break me, many will die" or words to that effect. He said he would stay and go down with the ship. As the Skipper closed the hatch on the tower… he looks down and sees the Captain, sitting down and staring at a picture of his wife and kids. I believe he was later awarded the Medal of Honor. He knew of the "Enigma" machine and that we'd broken the Japanese codes and were reading the German codes as well… this man had sacrificed his life to prevent his being tortured to the point of breaking. Incredible story.
The reason I bring this up is, as Naval Aviators… we... on occasion were exposed to incredible human beings, who triumphed over overwhelming odds and adversity… to accomplish and do things almost beyond belief. Their stories were both inspiring, motivating and sometimes even told in a humorous fashion… and sometimes so lugubrious and painful they... brought us to tears.
I have often told people that the greatest gift aviation has given to me… was not all the neat airplanes I got to fly along the way… but the extraordinary people that I was able to meet instead. They cover the spectrum. From fellow pilots…to mechanics, maintainers… genius and brilliant designers and engineers… artists, photographers, historians… all the way down to good ole boy shade tree doers.
I've always wanted to write a series of stories about men and women I've met along the way who shared their lives with me… who inspired me, who counseled me… who made my life fuller and more importantly educated me and brought perspective to life. There were so many… most of them I met through aviation. A lot of them are well known public figures… most of them are men and women most have never heard of. The proverbial... "Ordinary men and women who had done extraordinary things". I'd like to share a few with you over the next few weeks. Y'all don't have to read them… I'll headline each one with the word "People" stop when you see that and you can delete it and move on…. But if they move you and you have questions' I'll try my best to answer them.
Gonna start with a guy hardly anybody ever heard of. I met him when I was assigned to the A-4 training squadron at MCAS Yuma. His name was Fred Turnbull. Fred was our squadron Tech Rep for Douglas Aircraft… our personal A-4 expert. But oh Lord… he was so much more. He was a retired Navy Captain who retired as the Commander of the Navy's Aircraft Overhaul and Repair Facility at Alameda. He was also a WW II Fighter Pilot… flying the F6F Hellcat. I met him because I was almost always working in the Maintenance Department as my collateral duty, besides being a pilot. My office in VMA-102 was shared with Fred. For some reason, he took me under his wing and shared more knowledge with me than I could ever have imagined in a very short period of time. Within weeks, it was like a graduate course level of NAMTRADET classes. I could go on, but I'm gonna shift to one of those extraordinary events in Fred's life.
While Strafing a Japanese airfield on Formosa, Fred's Hellcat took a devastating hit from Japanese ground fire. As he struggled to make it offshore, his plane caught on fire and he was forced to bail out. He had made it past the beach, but prevailing winds blew his parachute back and he came down just a few yards from the water on the sand. He was immediately accosted by a Japanese Army foot patrol and they proceeded to use Fred's body for bayonet practice. He was stabbed deeply, multiple times. Finally, as Fred passed out, they left him for dead, right where he'd come down on the beach. Fred had no idea how long he lay there, slowly bleeding to death.
In my life… I have often used the phrase "Divine Intervention"… my simple way of acknowledging the "Big Guy" up above, as an explanation for some event that defies any other adequate or suitable description in my mind. Laying there… on his last breaths… Fred was about to experience one of those events that fit that description in my mind… He was happened upon by a second Japanese patrol.
Fred was barely lucid by this time and knew this group intended to finish what the first patrol had started… but then something strange happened. Instead of piercing his body again with bayonets… he was carefully lifted and the next memory he had was waking up in a Japanese Field Hospital. Hovering near his bed was a young Japanese Officer. He had been the patrol leader that had rescued him from certain death. As Fred became fully conscious, the young officer leaned over and told him in acceptable English… that he was a Christian… had studied in Nebraska and had ordered that he be treated for his wounds and would stay nearby to make sure he was treated well until he recovered. He kept his word and dropped by every day to check on Fred; even acted as an interpreter for the doctors treating Fred's wounds to facilitate his treatment.
As Fred approached full recovery… the young officer came by one day and informed Fred that he, along with other POW's were going to be placed aboard a ship and moved to mainland Japan. He wished Fred well and that was the last he saw of him. The next day, Fred was placed on a Japanese cargo ship along with over a hundred other prisoners from various nations. As they left the harbor and went into the open sea… it wasn't long before they started hearing a strange noise. If you've never been in a small boat as a Navy ship leaves a harbor with its'' active sonar on… you might not believe it, but you can both hear and feel the sonar waves as they pass through the water. What Fred and the others were hearing, was an American submarine "pinging" their ship in preparation to launch a torpedo! Knowledge of what was happening spread through the prisoners in seconds… they were in the hold of the ship and almost in a panic! Finally someone found a metal object of some type and leaned against the hull and started tapping morse code on the metal hull of the ship… "POWs on board… don't shoot"! He repeated it over and over. Now Fred said he doesn't know if the sub understood, but what he does know, was they were never fired on… while an escort ship was. Maybe the "Big Guy" was looking out for them?
When they arrived in Japan, they were interned in a POW camp. This was in the last years of the war… conditions were harsh and both the prisoners and guards were suffering from malnutrition. Only the Japanese Officers seemed to eat well. Beatings were common and often. Once a day they received a small bowl of soup with scraps of vegetables and some unknown meat in it and a slice of bread. Dysentery was rampant. The Japanese policy was… if you were not in line to eat… you didn't eat. Many of the prisoners were so weak, they could not walk. Some of the men would secrete small morsels in their cheeks like chipmunks and would go back to their quarters to give it to those too weak to walk. It got to be a critical situation and a camp meeting was held by the POW's to try to figure out what to do? By now, Fred was back in fairly good condition. The fields around the POW camp were mostly small "truck farms" with Vegetables and rice primarily. Now the notion that any American POW could successfully escape and evade in Japan was virtually impossible. After all, their white skin set them apart like a sore thumb. It would be suicidal. The POW's and the Japanese were well aware of it and Fred said security was somewhat lax because of it. At the camp meeting it was decided to let Fred and two others, attempt to escape at night… go out in the fields and pull vegetables and then sneak back in the camp. Each man knew if they were discovered, it would mean an instant execution. They did it anyway… one at a time… they would go out, pick what they could and return under the cover of darkness. Many lives were saved by their bold efforts.
Then it was discovered Fred had one other talent that caused him to be removed from the food gatherers. Fred was one of only three men whom I've known, that possessed what I call, a photographic memory. When this was discovered by the other POW's, the camp leaders decided Fred was to be fed the names of every POW in the camp… and those who had died. He was also told the conditions of their death and when. Every night, he had to recite all the names and facts… it became a nightly ritual.
I should note something here… when the war ended and the camp was liberated… Fred was not allowed to return to America with his fellow POW's… instead he was retained in order to testify at the War Crimes Trials, that were held in Japan after the war. He was a walking encyclopedia of what went on in his camp and others that fellow POW's were transferred from. He spent days and days, if not weeks, being interrogated by various intelligence officers. One such debriefing led to one of the more humorous events Fred was involved in. A day came when two new Officers came in and they were different than the others who'd questioned him daily. Fred said these two seemed to be uptight and not overtly friendly as all the other debriefers were. The reason was, they wanted to know who among the POW's had told the Japanese about the new Grumman F7F "Tigercat" Fighter to the Japanese? They had been investigating this disclosure and had nailed it down that the information was passed at Fred's camp… they had a traitor in their midst!
Fred was gobsmacked! He knew immediately what they were talking about… but he doubted they would ever believe his story… after all, the truth was indeed, stranger than fiction. Here's what had happened.
There came a time when Fred and the other Navy pilot POW's were called to interrogation by the Japanese Camp Commander. What he wanted to know was the facts and specs about Grumman's new carrier based fighter designated the F7F? The truth was, not a one of them had a clue that the airplane even existed? They had been deployed in the Pacific prior to being captured and had never heard of it… to a man, they all said they knew nothing about it. After the first round of interrogations, the Commander decided to beat the information out of them. The beatings were brutal… some almost died as a result. One night, after a particularly brutal beating, one of the prisoners said… "It was so bad… if I knew what it was, I would have told them". That statement led to a decision by Camp Leaders to come up with something to stop the beatings in order to save lives.
What they decided to do was to conjure up an airplane that was so preposterous… that while plausible to a layman… no way such a carrier based aircraft could exist. This is what they came up with to tell the Japanese in order to stop the beatings…
1.) It was a twin engine fighter (everybody knew the Navy didn't have any twin engine fighters).
2.) It had tricycle landing gear (nobody had ever heard of a carrier based plane that had tricycle landing gear)
3.) It would have two P&W 2800 engines.
4.) It would be huge… over 50 feet long and a similar wingspan. (How ridiculous)
5,) it would weigh over 20,000 pounds (Again, ridiculous)
6.) It was fast… over 400 knots (Are you kidding me)
They went on and on… but in the end… this fantasy... this preposterous… lie. Turned out to be a nearly concise description of what the F7F really was! A POW lie… was thought to be a major intelligence breach. Fred said they 'didn't' believe him at first and suspected he may have been the source? But when they contacted other camp leaders back in the states, they confirmed the story. Yes, sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.
BTW… I told Corkey Meyer the story years ago and we contacted Fred, who once again confirmed it. Corkey said it was one of the neatest stories he'd ever been told… and since Corkey was a top test pilot for Grumman in those days… he got a great laugh out of it. Who'd a thunk it?
As I got to know Fred better, we became friends and I eagerly looked forward to picking his brain. I'm a firm believer in learning from others… especially those who had so much more life experience than I had. One day, two of VMA-214's taxied by and I just casually mentioned that 214 was Boyington's old squadron. Fred looked at me and said… "Boyington… one of the world's true great assholes". I looked at him in surprise and before I could say anything, Fred said, "You Marines know the legend, I knew the miserable bastard that he really is. He was in our POW camp". Holy shit I thought; there's got to be a story behind that comment and I couldn't wait to hear it. I looked at Fred and said… "I'm all ears". Fred said, "Why don't you and Wendy come over for dinner Saturday night and I'll tell you all about it then". I nodded in agreement and looked forward to what Fred had to say. It wasn't pretty.
Boyington arrived after Fred had already been there a while… and from the start it was obvious that even the Japanese looked on him as some kind of celebrity POW. Boyiington had been shipped in from some other camp… while thin, he was not emaciated like Fred and the others in his camp. Boyington was aloof and not very talkative when he first arrived. Fred said that wasn't too un-normal… others had been quiet when they first arrived also. But almost immediately they were surprised when Boyington was assigned to work in the Japanese "Officer's Kitchen". No other POW had ever worked there. A nice elderly lady was the Chief cook and one thing became very apparent… while all the other POW's were starving to death… Greg Boyington was gaining weight!
Now this was at the time when Fred (before his memory was discovered) and others had actually risked their lives to escape at night and steal vegetables from nearby fields to try and keep those too weak to walk, alive. As it became obvious that Boyington was getting extra rations while working in the kitchen… the Camp seniors had a meeting to decide what to do about it. It was decided to confront Boyington and encourage him to try to steal some food for the very weak since he obviously had special access; some meat here, rice or vegetables there… anything to help the starving. When approached… Boyington flat out refused! Too risky… he had a good deal and wasn't going to do anything to screw it up. Over time, he was approached by many to please help… each time he refused. While Boyington was being hailed as a hero in the United States… he was being shunned by his fellow POW's, with utter contempt. There were other instances that made things even worse. By the time they were released Fred said Boyington probably had just one friend left in the whole camp and he was no jewel himself. Bird's of a feather.
I had no reason to doubt anything Fred said. And there came a time when something happened that erased any doubt I may have had. Harry Gann called down and invited Fred and I to go to the Reno Air Races with him. Since neither of us had been to one, we decided to meet Harry in Reno and attend the event. Fred and I drove up from Yuma and Harry drove up from Orange County. We all stayed at Bally's. Harry had acquired ramp passes for us and we set out early in order to take as many pictures as possible before the big crowd arrived. We'd been there a couple of hours… taken a bunch of pictures until the crowd swelled so much it was too difficult to get a good picture in the pits… so we decided to do a walk around. In less than five minutes, we came near the fence line separating the pits form the general public, when I saw Fred stop dead in his tracks… and he was looking right at one, Gregory (Pappy) Boyington! Holy chit! I grabbed Harry's elbow and he stopped too. Boyington was sitting at a table selling autographed copies of "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep". Fred only hesitated for a few seconds and then started for Boyington's table… Harry and I followed somewhat behind. Fred walked right up to Boyington… when Boyington saw him he had a surprised look on his face… it was obvious he recognized Fred. He quietly said, "Hello Fred… how have you been"? From where I was standing I could see Fred's neck turning red… he was almost shaking. He looked down and said (never forget this)… "You're here signing books and all these idiots think you're a hero. But I know the truth, you're one of the most despicable human beings I've even known"! Boyington never said a another word… he sheepishly slid back in his chair and turned and walked into the RV parked behind him. Fred then muttered something and turned and walked away also. Harry and I caught up to him and he turned and said, "I'm sorry guys, but I hate that son of a bitch more than anyone else in this world".
Later that night he told Harry and me other reasons he felt the way he did… and I think I finally understood the length, depth and breadth of his hatred. But that day wasn't the end of it.
Over a decade later… Harry Gann was retiring from McDonnell-Douglas. The Blue Angels were to honor Harry with a special presentation for his years of service to both McD and The Blue Angels as well. Harry invited Fred and myself as guests of honor to the presentation at "Trader's" after the Blues final show of the season in Pensacola. Fred was really there to represent the company… I was there as a friend. The presentation was actually anti-climatic and after it was over, we went back to our hotel. It had been a long day and we all went right away to our rooms for a well needed rest. I was just getting undressed when my hotel phone rang… it was Fred. "Meet me in the hotel bar ASAP… Harry is already on his way down". With that, he hung up!
I really didn't want to go… I was tired… and I knew Harry was tired as well. But if he was going, I'd get dressed and go down too. When I got there… Harry and Fred were sitting at the corner of the bar. I walked up and then Fred stood and announced… "My friends, I have called you here to make a toast… my life is complete, I outlived the son of a bitch"! He then points to the TV behind the bar that was silent… it was on CNN and the crawl that rolled across the screen said the following; "World War Two Marine Hero Gregory "Pappy" Boyington dies". It went on to say he was a Medal of Honor winner and leader of the famed Black Sheep Squadron. Fred then handed us each a glass and we toasted. Not much else was said about Boyington that night… we all retired to our rooms for the journey home the next day. It was the last time I saw Fred. We talked over the years… but never got to see each other again.
Fred Turnbull… Naval Aviator… Real American Hero… I was blessed to know him.
Shadow
There are a lot of items like this one that come up in discussions on Boyington. Aside from his conduct as a POW another is his amount of Kills. There are many who testify that they are inflated coming from the Flying Tigers.
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