To All
Good Tuesday Morning June 2023.
I hope that your week is off to a good start
Regards,
skip
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On This Day in Naval and Marine Corps History
June 20
1813 - Fifteen U.S. gunboats engage 3 British ships in Hampton Roads, VA
1815 - Trials of Fulton I, built by Robert Fulton, are completed in New York. This ship would become the Navy's first steam-driven warship.
1898 - U.S. forces occupied Guam, which became first colony of U.S. in the Pacific.
1913 While piloting the B-2 at 1,600 feet over the water near Annapolis, Md., Ensign William D. Billingsley is thrown from the plane and falls to his death. Billingsley is the first fatality of Naval Aviation.
1934 Commander in Chief, Asiatic Fleet, Rear Adm. Frank Upham reports to the Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. William H. Standley, that based on the analyses of Japanese radio traffic, "any attack by (Japan) would be made without previous declaration of war or intentional warning."
1941 USS O-9 (SS 70) sinks off Portsmouth, N.H., during a test dive. Salvage ships located her in more than 400 feet of water, but she had suffered crushing damage from the water pressure at that depth and all 33 men on board had been killed.
1943 - PBY patrol aircraft from (VP 84) sinks German submarine U 388 south-southwest of Iceland, in the first use of homing torpedo (FIDO) and damages U 420.
1944 - Battle of Philippine Sea ends with Japanese losing 2 aircraft carriers and hundreds of aircraft.
1945 The coordinated submarine attack group, commanded by Cmdr. Earl T. Hydeman, continues operations against Japanese shipping in the Sea of Japan. USS Tinosa (SS 283) sinks army cargo ship Taito Maru and freighter Kaisei Maru. Also on this date, USS Kraken (SS 370) sinks Japanese auxiliary sailing vessel No.58 Tachibana Maru in Sunda Strait, off Merak.
1976 USS Spiegel Grove (LSD 32) and LCU 1654 (a Landing Craft Utility vessel) evacuate 276 American and foreign national refugees from war-torn Beirut, Lebanon and transport them to Athens, Greece.
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Today in World History June 20
451 Roman and barbarian warriors halt Attila's army at the Catalaunian Plains in eastern France.
1397 The Union of Kalmar unites Denmark, Sweden, and Norway under one monarch.
1756 Nearly 150 British soldiers are imprisoned in the 'Black Hole' cell of Calcutta. Most die.
1793 Eli Whitney applies for a cotton gin patent.
1819 The paddle-wheel steamship Savannah arrives in Liverpool, England, after a voyage of 27 days and 11 hours--the first steamship to successfully cross the Atlantic.
1837 18-year-old Victoria is crowned Queen of England.
1863 President Abraham Lincoln admits West Virginia into the Union as the 35th state.
1898 On the way to the Philippines to fight the Spanish, the U.S. Navy seizes the island of Guam.
1901 Charlotte M. Manye of South Africa becomes the first native African to graduate from an American University.
1910 Mexican President Porfirio Diaz proclaims martial law and arrests hundreds.
1920 Race riots in Chicago, Illinois leave two dead and many wounded.
1923 France announces it will seize the Rhineland to assist Germany in paying her war debts.
1941 The U.S. Army Air Force is established, replacing the Army Air Corps.
1955 The AFL and CIO agree to combine names for a merged group.
1963 The United States and the Soviet Union agree to establish a hot line between Washington and Moscow.
1964 General William Westmoreland succeeds General Paul Harkins as head of the U.S. forces in Vietnam.
1967 Boxing champion Muhammad Ali is convicted of refusing induction into the American armed services.
1972 President Richard Nixon names General Creighton Abrams as Chief of Staff of the United States Army.
1999 NATO declares an official end to its bombing campaign of Yugoslavia.
1975 Jaws released »
I was on the USS Hancock at the time and we liked the phrase "We got to get a bigger boat" We thought so also.
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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 Tuesday, 20 June 2023… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 20 June 1968… An enhanced gauntlet of guns, MiGs and SAMs in the Panhandle…
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 Barrel
Unbelievable WW2 coincidence (or miracle)!
https://youtube.com/shorts/KY9xouaS_Y4?feature=share
A mother keeps her son safe in WWII by being very diligent in her work at home.
At several airfields, one by one C-47s began speeding down runways, and by 11:30 P.M., all of the 101st Airborne's 6,638 parachutists were winging toward Normandy where they would leap onto and behind German positions.
On board one craft carrying troopers of Lieutenant Colonel Robert G. Cole's battalion was Private Robert C. Hillman of Manchester, Connecticut. Hillman held his hand on his parachute.
A paratrooper's life hangs on his parachute. If it is faulty, he will plunge to death in a "streamer" ( a chute that fails to open). So all on board were painstakingly inspecting their lifesaving packs of silk. Hillman noticed that his pack had been inspected at the Pioneer Parachute Company, which was located in his hometown in Connecticut -- and he was a personal acquaintance of the inspector whose initials he recognized.
"I know my chute is okay," HIllman told Wright Brown, above the roar of the two engines. Brown was covering the airborne assault for the NBC radio network.
"How can you be so sure?" The correspondent queried.
"Because my mother works for the Pioneer Parachute Company as an inspector, and her initials are on my chute!"
Perhaps as many as a million parachutes, manufactured by scores of American firms, had been distributed to the armed forces all over the globe. By an astonishing circumstance, Private Hillman had been assigned a chute inspected by his own mother.
He survived WW2.
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Thanks to Jim
USS Midway Museum's 50th Anniversary of the End of the Vietnam War Ceremony - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hZATM5kEGI
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Thanks to Dr.Rich
Interesting Articles About the Future of EV Batteries
https://www.pcmag.com/news/toyota-touts-solid-state-evs-with-932-mile-range-10-minute-charging-by
https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/what-is-solid-state-battery-for-electric-vehicles
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Thanks to the Bear for passing this on
Subject: Across the Wing is published
Hello All,
Across the Wing-Stories of Navy Carrier Combat Squadrons in the Vietnam Theatre has been published. It is available from Amazon and other retailers in paperback (ISBN 979-8-9883383-0-7) and hardback w/dust jacket (ISBN 979-8-9883383-1-4). There is also a Kindle ebook (ISBN 979-8-9883383-3-8), however this format is only available on Amazon. Please note that Amazon and other retailers may list the book as "Temporarily out of stock". This is a quirk when new titles are listed. The book is in stock and available from the distributor.
If you would like a signed, personalized copy do not purchase from Amazon or other retailers. Send me an e-mail and I will reply with a link where you can safely and securely order the book directly from me. I will personalize and sign a copy before shipping it to you. Please note it may take me a few weeks to get your order turned around.
To those who contributed to the book I offer my most sincere gratitude. I could not have done this without your kind and invaluable assistance. If any of you are planning on attending Tailhook in August I look forward to seeing you there.
Sincerely,
Dan Heller
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From the List archives
Thanks to Craig
The Genius of Henry Ford.
This was BEFORE Pearl Harbor !!!
Ford's B-24 Bomber Plant at Willow Run, MI.
Henry Fordwas determined that he could mass produce bombers just as he had done with cars.
He built the Willow Run assembly plant and proved it. It was the world's largest building under one roof.
Even then FORD HAD A BETTER IDEA!
This film will absolutely blow you away - one B-24 every 55 minutes.
ADOLF HITLER HAD NO IDEA THE U.S. WAS CAPABLE OF THIS KIND OF THING.
http://www.youtube.com/embed/iKlt6rNciTo?rel=0.
7 min long, but if you like war history, and airplanes, you will enjoy the time spent watching this!
They built more B-24 than any other bomber in WWII
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From the Archives….Imagine receiving this from your son at Camp today
Thanks to Tom – the good old days?
Was cleaning out the attic and came across a letter from my boy scout days. Good times:
Dear Mom and Dad:
Our scoutmaster told us to write to our parents in case you saw the flood on TV and were worried. We are OK. Only one of our tents and two sleeping bags got washed away. Luckily, none of us got drowned because we were all up on the mountain looking for Chad when it happened.
Oh yes, please call Chad's mother and tell her he is OK. He can't write because of the cast. I got to ride in one of the search and rescue jeeps. It was neat. We never would have found him in the dark if it wasn't for the lightning. Scoutmaster Walt got mad at Chad for going on a hike alone without telling anyone. Chad said he did tell him, but it was during the fire so he probably didn't hear him. Did you know that if you put gas on a fire, the gas can will blow up? The wet wood didn't burn, but one of the tents did. Also some of our clothes. John is going to look weird until his hair grows back.
We will be home on Saturday if Scoutmaster Walt gets the car fixed. It wasn't his fault about the wreck. The brakes worked OK when we left.
Scoutmaster Walt said that a car that old you have to expect something to break down; that's probably why he can't get insurance. We think it's a neat car.
He doesn't care if we get it dirty, and if it's hot, sometimes he lets us ride on the fenders.
It gets pretty hot with 10 people in a car. He let us take turns riding in the trailer until the highway patrolman stopped and talked to us.
Scoutmaster Walt is a neat guy. Don't worry, he is a good driver. In fact, he is teaching Terry how to drive on the mountain roads where there isn't any traffic. All we ever see up here is logging trucks.
This morning, all of the guys were diving off the rocks and swimming out in the lake. Scoutmaster Walt wouldn't let me because I can't swim, and Chad was afraid he would sink because of his cast, so he let us take the canoe across the lake. It was great. You can still see some of the trees under the water from the flood.
Scoutmaster Walt isn't crabby like some scoutmasters.
He didn't even get mad about the life jackets. He has to spend a lot of the time working on the car so we are trying not to cause him any trouble. Guess what? We have all passed our first aid merit badges. When Dave dove in the lake and cut his arm, we got to see how a tourniquet works.
Wade and I threw up, but Scoutmaster Walt said it probably was just food poisoning from the leftover chicken. He said they got sick that way with food they ate in prison. I'm so glad he got out and became our scoutmaster. He said he sure figured out how to get things done better while he was doing his time. By the way, what is a pedophile?
I have to go now. We are going to town to mail our letters and buy bullets. Don't worry about anything. We are fine.
Love, Brandon
PS: How long has it been since I had a tetanus shot?
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Thanks to Interesting Facts
6 Mind-Blowing Facts About Albert Einstein
It's strange to imagine a scientist achieving the widespread recognition and adulation enjoyed by movie stars and elite athletes, but Albert Einstein's life was seemingly propelled by such contradictions. He was an undistinguished student (according to some accounts) who blew the doors off centuries of established Newtonian physics; a pacifist who encouraged the creation of the atomic bomb; and an inherently soft-spoken individual who became a reliable dispenser of timeless wisdom. Here are six quick-hitting facts about this legendary 20th-century luminary.
1 of 6
Einstein's Speech Was Slow to Develop in Childhood
Although he would eventually discover ways to communicate the far-reaching concepts percolating in his imagination, a young Einstein was slow to learn to talk properly. According to Walter Isaacson's Einstein: His Life and Universe, the future physicist didn't begin speaking until after turning 2 years old, and for several years after that would whisper words quietly to himself before saying them out loud. This behavior sparked concerns that he had an intellectual disability, with the family maid nicknaming him "der Depperte" — "the dopey one." Nowadays, a child who is slow to pick up language but otherwise exhibits sound analytical thinking is sometimes said to have Einstein's syndrome.
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Einstein Rose to Fame After a 1919 Eclipse Confirmed His Theory of General Relativity
Still largely unknown even after publishing a string of revolutionary papers in his "annus mirabilis" of 1905, Einstein was primed for another breakthrough after uncovering the equations to support his theory of general relativity in 1915. However, as Germany was entrenched in warfare with much of the rest of Europe, it took a standup act of international goodwill for English astronomers Arthur Eddington and Frank Watson Dyson to test out the German physicist's work. Their expeditions to examine the solar eclipse of May 29, 1919, confirmed Einstein's prediction that gravity would cause light to "bend" around the sun, and the public revelation of those findings a few months later marked the beginning of Einstein's ascension to the status of world-renowned genius.
3 of 6
Einstein Was an Enthusiastic Amateur Musician
When not immersed in mathematical minutiae, Einstein was known to unwind by playing the violin or piano. He reportedly traveled almost everywhere with his violin — although he owned several throughout his life, he nicknamed all of them "Lina" — and hosted regular Wednesday night chamber sessions during his years living in Princeton, New Jersey. So just how good was this master of the universe at his musical endeavors? He apparently struggled to stay in sync, but otherwise drew solid praise from acquaintances, who described his violin talents with comments ranging from "accurate but not sensuous" to "a good technique and an opulent tone."
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The Famous "Tongue Photo" Was Shot on His 72nd Birthday
Known for an irreverent personality to match his astonishing brainpower, Einstein showcased his cheeky nature following an evening spent celebrating his 72nd birthday at Princeton University on March 14, 1951. Reportedly tired of dealing with the press that swarmed the event, the professor climbed into a car with two colleagues, stuck out his tongue in response to a request for one more photo, and zoomed off into the night. UPI photographer Arthur Sasse timed the shot perfectly, and whatever irritation Einstein felt at the moment the photo was taken, he liked the outcome enough to order nine prints to use for personal greeting cards.
5 of 6
Einstein Declined an Offer to Become President of Israel
After publicly supporting the Zionist movement (even though his relationship with Zionism was complex), Einstein had the opportunity to become Israel's second president following the death of Chaim Weizmann in 1952. The pitch came late that year in a letter from Israeli ambassador Abba Eban, who promised the academic icon "freedom to pursue your great scientific work" but also stipulated that the move to Israel would be required. Einstein wrote back that he was "saddened and ashamed" he could not accept, citing his advancing age and an inability to "deal properly with people" as reasons for declining the honor.
6 of 6
The FBI Kept a Thick File on the Outspoken Physicist
Although he escaped Nazi persecution by fleeing to the United States in 1932, Einstein soon drew attention from government watchdogs of his adopted home country. FBI concern was initially moderate over his anti-war views and friendships with far-left figures such as actor, singer, and activist Paul Robeson, but bureau chief J. Edgar Hoover upped the ante after Einstein criticized the development of the hydrogen bomb during a TV appearance in 1950. The FBI tried — and failed — to obtain permission to wiretap Einstein's phone and have him deported, but nevertheless monitored his correspondence and investigated his personal and professional relationships. By the time of his death in 1955, Einstein's FBI file had swollen to a whopping 1,427 pages.
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Thanks to Brett
STRATFOR
THE WEEKLY RUNDOWN
RISKS AND OPPORTUNITIES THAT WILL SHAPE THE COMING WEEK
KEY DEVELOPMENTS WE'RE TRACKING
Blinken visits Beijing. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on June 18 will visit Beijing to meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, and potentially with President Xi Jinping. This would mark the rescheduling of a February 2023 trip that Blinken canceled after a furor erupted over a Chinese spy balloon,and would be the first visit to China by a Cabinet-level official in four years and represent real progress in U.S.-China efforts to resume high-level talks despite economic competition. Qin's recent comments to Blinken in a phone call June 14 — in which he blamed Washington for their fraught relationship — highlight the risk that these talks will be consumed by finger-pointing and light on dispute resolution. Even so, a Blinken visit could pave the way for an Xi-Biden visit, but the true marker of reduced tensions will be whether this latest round of talks can survive Washington's next round of economic restrictions on China.
We all know how this turned out
China's premier goes to Germany. Chinese Premier Li Qiang will visit Germany and France next week in his first trip abroad since taking office in March, China's Foreign Ministry confirmed June 15. Li will be in Berlin on June 20 leading a Chinese delegation for intergovernmental consultation with the German government, and in Paris on June 22-23 to attend the Summit for a New Global Financial Pact. The visits come as Beijing seeks to strengthen relations with key European countries in the face of increasing pressure from the United States on Europe to take a tougher stance on China. Germany has recently unveiled its first national security strategy in which it highlights the growing threat to global security posed by China (which remains Germany's top trading partner), while France is ratcheting up pressure on the European Union to impose anti-dumping and anti-subsidy tariffs on Chinese electric vehicle exports to Europe.
India's Modi visits Washington. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit his counterpart, U.S. President Joe Biden, for a state visit in Washington from June 21-24, the first such top-level visit by an Indian premier since 2009. He will also meet with a delegation of U.S. CEOs. Both sides anticipate reaching several defense and high-tech agreements amid unusually lavish ceremonies intended to represent the two countries' deepening ties and aligning geopolitical interests. The two will work toward pacts on artificial intelligence, semiconductor supply chains, telecommunications standards and maritime security, among other pressing issues, in line with the recently instituted Strategic Trade Dialogue aiming to align the countries' export controls. Strategic convergence is driving the two together as both aim to contain China in the Indo-Pacific region. The U.S.-India bilateral relationship is simultaneously constrained, however, by several issues, most notably New Delhi's continued friendly relations with Moscow.
Lula visits France and Italy. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will visit the heads of state of France and Italy in a June 20-23 diplomatic trip. Lula will likely continue to pressure the European leaders to contribute to the Amazon Fund, which is used for development and to fight rainforest deforestation. Lula will also likely seek to encourage the two governments to renew negotiations toward the finalization of an EU-Mercosur trade agreement, which both France and Italy fear could negatively impact their farmers.
The Turkish Central Bank probably hikes rates. The bank's Monetary Policy Committee will meet June 22 for its first regularly scheduled meeting since President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's new government was inaugurated June 3. With market-friendly technocrat Mehmet Simsek at the helm of the Finance Ministry, most observers anticipate that the bank will adopt a more rational interest rate strategy and could hike the policy rate up to 20% from its current 8.5%. The Central Bank cut its policy rate from 19% to 8.5% in 2021 due to Erdogan's insistence that high interest rates would curtail the economic growth he wanted to encourage. Erdogan is known for opposing high interest rates, but with Turkey facing high inflation and dwindling foreign currency reserves, the president is currently on board with a more orthodox approach — provided it leads to economic stabilization and foreign currency inflows.
MOST READ ANALYSIS FROM THE WEEK
The Ukraine War Accelerates Russia's Decline as a Global Arms Exporter
Russia's dominance as a global arms exporter will likely continue to fall as a result of the Ukraine war, weakening a key element of Moscow's foreign policy and creating opportunities for other states to bolster their arms industries. The need to backfill its own losses in Ukraine, doubts about its weapons' performance, and declining Indian sales have seen Russia's arms exports plummet over the years. And recent signs suggest this trend will only continue. On June 5, India and the United States finalized a landmark roadmap for defense industry cooperation in the coming years that will significantly boost India's incentive to ramp up its domestic arms production and, in turn, further reduce its reliance on Russian weapons. This follows a report published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) earlier this year that revealed Russia's share of global arms sales (in terms of actual deliveries of major arms as opposed to announced deals) dropped from 22% in 2013-17 to 16% in 2018-22 -- largely because India, the largest purchaser of Russian arms, imported 37% fewer weapons over the past five years. On June 5, Nikkei Asia also reported that Russia is buying back components (including tank optics) that it previously shipped to India and other key partners like Myanmar, instead of fulfilling new arms deliveries to those countries, as Moscow struggles to replace the equipment it has lost in Ukraine.
In China, Xi's Policy Woes Portend More Political Repression and Data Restrictions
Recent political developments suggest that Chinese President Xi Jinping's preferred policies are underperforming, and that Xi is wielding anti-corruption investigations and curbing information flows to manage this challenging environment -- a strategy that risks increasing policy uncertainty and creating an even more opaque operating environment for businesses in China. On June 7, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (China's anti-corruption watchdog and President Xi Jinping's primary tool for purging political rivals) published an article in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee's official newspaper, The People's Daily, pledging to strictly enforce discipline in the Party. The article also promised to ''resolutely prevent the wrong expectation of changing our direction'' (i.e. on policy), as well as fight against ''political cliques'' and ''political conspiracies'' to ''eliminate political hazards that endanger the party's unity.'' Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported on June 7 that the 20th Politburo (Beijing's top decision-making body) had failed to publish a readout for its monthly meeting in May, marking the third missed report in the eight months since this Politburo was formed in October 2022. The current pace of missed readouts is much faster than the previous (19th) Politburo, which missed a total of three readouts in its five-year tenure from 2017-
How the UAE's Hosting Will Shape This Year's U.N. Climate Summit
Recent controversies surrounding the United Arab Emirates' hosting of this year's U.N. climate conference will ultimately limit room for progress toward phasing out fossil fuels, even if COP28 negotiators make headway on climate finance and other issues that the Global South and the Emiratis are focused on. Emirati organizers for COP28 have recently been doing damage control in response to the backlash against having one of the world's largest oil producers host this year's U.N. climate summit, which starts in Dubai on Nov. 30. The controversy began in January, when the United Arab Emirates named Sultan al-Jaber, the chairman of the country's state-run Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), as the president-elect of the event. In May, while traveling across Europe to conjure up support for COP28, al-Jaber then drew further criticism after he stressed the need to phase out ''fossil fuel emissions'' instead of fossil fuels themselves -- a less ambitious stance than climate activists have called for. On June 8, during the ongoing Bonn Climate Change Conference, al-Jaber tried to walk back his comment by saying that phasing down fossil fuels was ''inevitable.'' But many Western activists and leaders remain opposed to his role in leading the U.N. climate conference, arguing that al-Jaber's company (and country) has a vested interest in ensuring the continued use of the fossil fuels contributing to the climate crisis.
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From the archives
And to think the guy who made this over two hundred years ago did it with hand tools alone…while drinking vast quantities of good German beer!
Amazing Antique Desk.
http://www.youtube.com/embed/MKikHxKeodA?rel=0
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This Day in U S Military History…….June 20
1913 – First fatal accident in Naval Aviation, ENS W. D. Billingsley killed at Annapolis, MD.
1934 – Commander in Chief, Asiatic Fleet Admiral Frank Upham reports to CNO that based on analyses of Japanese radio traffic, "any attack by (Japan) would be made without previous declaration of war or intentional warning."
1940 – President Roosevelt strengthens his Cabinet by bringing in two prominent Republicans. Henry Stimson becomes Secretary for War and Frank Knox becomes Secretary for the Navy. Stimson is strongly against America's isolationist tradition and will be a champion of Lend-Lease.
1941 – A German U-boat sights the American battleship Texas within the area that Germany has declared is the operational area for U-boats. However, after checking with the U-boat command, the Texas is not attacked.
1941 – U.S. Army Air Forces was established, replacing the Army Air Corps.
1943 – US General Krueger establishes 6th Army headquarters at Milne Bay. There is an unsuccessful Japanese attack on the 17th Australian Brigade in the Mubo area.
1943 – Race-related rioting erupted in Detroit; federal troops were sent in two days later to quell the violence that resulted in 34 deaths and 600 wounded.
1944 – Elements of the US 1st Army advance to about 5 miles of Cherbourg and begin to encounter heavier resistance.
1944 – Nazis began mass extermination of Jews at Auschwitz.
1944 – Hitler cheats death as a bomb planted in a briefcase goes off, but fails to kill him. High German officials had made up their minds that Hitler must die. He was leading Germany in a suicidal war on two fronts, and assassination was the only way to stop him. A coup d'etat would follow, and a new government in Berlin would save Germany from complete destruction at the hands of the Allies. That was the plan. This was the reality: Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, chief of the army reserve, had been given the task of planting a bomb during a conference that was to be held at Berchtesgaden (but was later moved to Hitler's headquarters at Rastenburg). Stauffenberg planted the explosive in a briefcase, which he placed under a table, then left quickly. Hitler was studying a map of the Eastern front as Colonel Heinz Brandt, trying to get a better look at the map, moved the briefcase out of place, farther away from where the Fuhrer was standing. At 12:42 p.m. the bomb went off. When the smoke cleared, Hitler was wounded, charred, and even suffered the temporary paralysis of one arm-but he was very much alive. (He was even well enough to keep an appointment with Benito Mussolini that very afternoon. He gave Il Duce a tour of the bomb site.) Four others present died from their wounds. As the bomb went off, Stauffenberg was making his way to Berlin to carry out Operation Valkyrie, the overthrow of the central government. In Berlin, he and co-conspirator General Olbricht arrested the commander of the reserve army, General Fromm, and began issuing orders for the commandeering of various government buildings. And then the news came through from Herman Goering-Hitler was alive. Fromm, released from custody under the assumption he would nevertheless join the effort to throw Hitler out of office, turned on the conspirators. Stauffenberg and Olbricht were shot that same day. Once Hitler figured out the extent of the conspiracy (it reached all the way to occupied French), he began the systematic liquidation of his enemies. More than 7,000 Germans would be arrested (including evangelical pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer), and up to 5,000 would wind up dead-either executed or as suicides. Hitler, Himmler, and Goering took an even firmer grip on Germany and its war machine. Hitler became convinced that fate had spared him-"I regard this as a confirmation of the task imposed upon me by Providence"-and that "nothing is going to happen to me…. [T]he great cause which I serve will be brought through its present perils and…everything can be brought to a good end."
1944 – The Japanese fleet withdraws to refuel, believing that their aircraft have landed safely on Guam. US Task Force 58 (Admiral Mitscher) launches an air strike on the Japanese fleet in the late afternoon. The 216 American aircraft encounter 35 defending fighters and sink the carrier Hiyo. Two other Japanese aircraft carriers are damaged as are a battleship and a cruiser. US loses amount to 20 planes shot down and 72 crashing while attempting to land on their carriers in the dark. During the night, the Japanese fleet withdraws and are not pursued.
1944 – Vice Admiral Marc Mitchner, commander of the U.S. Task Force 58, ordered all lights on his ships turned on to help guide his carrier-based pilots back from the Battle of the Philippine Sea.
1944 – On Biak, there is fighting among the Japanese-held caves in the west of the island. The airfields and villages at Borokoe and Sorido are overrun by American forces.
1944 – The US 5th Amphibious Corps continues operations on Saipan. The US 27th Division clears the south of the island while the US 2nd and 4th Marine Divisions advance northward.
1945 – On Okinawa, Japanese resistance along the center of the line, held by the US 24th Corps, continues to be strong. The US 32nd Infantry Regiment (US 7th Division) reaches Height 89, near Mabuni, where the Japanese headquarters have been identified. On the flanks, the American Marines on the right and the infantry on the left advance virtually unopposed, capturing over 1000 Japanese and reaching the southern coast of the island at several points. The scale of surrenders is unprecedented for the forces of the Imperial Army.
1945 – On Luzon, Filipino guerrillas advance up the Cagayan valley from Aparri and liberate the town of Tuguegarao. The American regimental task force enters Aparri while elements of the US 37th Division advances 2.5 miles north of Ilagan. Meanwhile, the US 8th Army headquarters announces that operations to recapture the islands of Panay, Negros, Cebu, Bohol and Palawan, as well as the western part of Mindanao, are completed.
1945 – US Task Group 12.4 (Admiral Jennings) with the carriers Lexington, Hancock and Cowpens conduct air raids on Japanese positions. The carriers are en route to join US Task Force 38.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
BENSON, JAMES
Rank and organization: Seaman, U.S. Navy. Born: 1845, Denmark. Enlisted at: Yokohama, Japan. G.O. No.: 180, 10 October 1872. Citation: On board the U.S.S. Ossipee, 20 June 1872. Risking his life, Benson leaped into the sea while the ship was going at a speed of 4 knots and endeavored to save John K. Smith, landsman, of the same vessel, from drowning.
APPLETON, EDWIN NELSON
Rank and organization: Corporal, U.S. Marine Corps. Born: 29 August 1876, Brooklyn, N.Y. Accredited to: New York. G.O. No.: 84, 22 March 1902. Citation: In action against the enemy at Tientsin, China, 20 June 1900. Crossing the river in a small boat while under heavy enemy fire, Appleton assisted in destroying buildings occupied by the enemy.
BURNES, JAMES
Rank and organization: Private, U.S. Marine Corps. Born: 14 January 1870, Worcester, Mass. Accredited to: California. G.O. No.: 84, 22 March 1902. Citation: In action against the enemy at Tientsin, China, 20 June 1900. Crossing the river in a small boat with 3 other men while under a heavy fire from the enemy, Burnes assisted in destroying buildings occupied by hostile forces.
DAHLGREN, JOHN OLOF
Rank and organization: Corporal, U.S. Marine Corps. Born: 14 September 1872, Kahliwar, Sweden. Accredited to: California. G.O. No.: 55, 19 July 1901. Citation: In the presence of the enemy during the battle of Peking, China, 20 June to 16 July 1900, Dahlgren distinguished himself by meritorious conduct.
*FISHER, HARRY
Rank and organization: Private, U.S. Marine Corps. Born: 20 October 1874, McKeesport, Pa. Accredited to: Pennsylvania. G.O. No.: 55, 19 July 1901. Citation: Served in the presence of the enemy at the battle of Peking, China, 20 June to 16 July 1900. Assisting in the erection of barricades during the action, Fisher was killed by the heavy fire of the enemy.
HEISCH, HENRY WILLIAM
Rank and organization: Private, U.S. Marine Corps. Born: 10 June 1872, Latendorf, Germany. Accredited to: California. G.O. No.: 84, 22 March 1902. Citation: In action against the enemy at Tientsin, China, 20 June 1900. Crossing the river in a small boat while under heavy fire, Heisch assisted in destroying buildings occupied by the enemy.
HUNT, MARTIN
Rank and organization: Private, U.S. Marine Corps. Born: 9 July 1873, County of Mayo, Ireland. Accredited to: Massachusetts. G.O. No.: 55, 19 July 1901. Citation: In the presence of the enemy during the battle of Peking, China, 20 June to 16 July 1900, Hunt distinguished himself by meritorious conduct.
McALLISTER, SAMUEL
Rank and organization: Ordinary Seaman, U.S. Navy. Born: 23 January 1869, Belfast, Ireland. Accredited to: California. G.O. No.: 84, 22 March 1902. Citation: In action against the enemy at Tientsin, China, 20 June 1900. Crossing the river in a small boat while under heavy enemy fire, McAllister assisted in destroying buildings occupied by the enemy.
WALKER, EDWARD ALEXANDER
Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps. Born: 2 October 1864, Huntley, Scotland. Accredited to: New York. G.O. No.: 55, 19 July 1901. Citation: In the presence of the enemy during the battle of Peking, China, 20 June to 16 July 1900. Throughout this period, Walker distinguished himself by meritorious conduct.
*O'BRIEN, WILLIAM J.
Rank and organization: Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army, 1st Battalion, 105th Infantry, 27th Infantry Division. Place and date: At Saipan, Marianas Islands, 20 June through 7 July 1944. Entered service at: Troy, N.Y. Birth: Troy, N.Y. G.O. No.: 35, 9 May 1945. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty at Saipan, Marianas Islands, from 20 June through 7 July 1944. When assault elements of his platoon were held up by intense enemy fire, Lt. Col. O'Brien ordered 3 tanks to precede the assault companies in an attempt to knock out the strongpoint. Due to direct enemy fire the tanks' turrets were closed, causing the tanks to lose direction and to fire into our own troops. Lt. Col. O'Brien, with complete disregard for his own safety, dashed into full view of the enemy and ran to the leader's tank, and pounded on the tank with his pistol butt to attract 2 of the tank's crew and, mounting the tank fully exposed to enemy fire, Lt. Col. O'Brien personally directed the assault until the enemy strongpoint had been liquidated. On 28 June 1944, while his platoon was attempting to take a bitterly defended high ridge in the vicinity of Donnay, Lt. Col. O'Brien arranged to capture the ridge by a double envelopment movement of 2 large combat battalions. He personally took control of the maneuver. Lt. Col. O'Brien crossed 1,200 yards of sniper-infested underbrush alone to arrive at a point where 1 of his platoons was being held up by the enemy. Leaving some men to contain the enemy he personally led 4 men into a narrow ravine behind, and killed or drove off all the Japanese manning that strongpoint. In this action he captured S machineguns and one 77-mm. fieldpiece. Lt. Col. O'Brien then organized the 2 platoons for night defense and against repeated counterattacks directed them. Meanwhile he managed to hold ground. On 7 July 1944 his battalion and another battalion were attacked by an overwhelming enemy force estimated at between 3,000 and 5,000 Japanese. With bloody hand-to-hand fighting in progress everywhere, their forward positions were finally overrun by the sheer weight of the enemy numbers. With many casualties and ammunition running low, Lt. Col. O'Brien refused to leave the front lines. Striding up and down the lines, he fired at the enemy with a pistol in each hand and his presence there bolstered the spirits of the men, encouraged them in their fight and sustained them in their heroic stand. Even after he was seriously wounded, Lt. Col. O'Brien refused to be evacuated and after his pistol ammunition was exhausted, he manned a .50 caliber machinegun, mounted on a jeep, and continued firing. When last seen alive he was standing upright firing into the Jap hordes that were then enveloping him. Some time later his body was found surrounded by enemy he had killed His valor was consistent with the highest traditions of the service.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for June 20
FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR June 20 THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
20 June
1911: Capt. Charles deForest Chandler (left) assumes command of the Aeronautical Division for the second time, replacing Capt. Arthur Cowan, the man who replaced him in 1910. (Roy Kirtland is on the right. The pair had just tested one of the first aerial machine guns in this Wright B Flyer.)
1913: Ensign William D. Billingsley became the first Naval aviator killed in a plane when he was thrown from a Navy Wright B2 seaplane and drowned. (20) (24)
1923: The Army's first all-metal airplane, the Gallaudet CO-1, Liberty 400, made its first flight. The Air Service engineering division designed the aircraft. (4) (24)
1930: The Army Air Corps dedicated Randolph Field in San Antonio as its West Point of the Air for primary and basic pilot training. (21)
1934: The Daniel Guggenheim Medal presented to William W. Boeing for his achievements in air transportation and aircraft manufacture. (24)
1944: The Battle of the Philippine Sea (The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot) takes place during these 48 hours. American carrier-based aircraft shoot down 370 Japanese carrier-based aircraft effectively neutralizing Japanese Naval airpower for the remainder of the war. (Contrails over Task Force 58
1945: Twentieth Air Force targets numerous Japanese cities with 480 B-29s. Mining operations continue throughout Japanese waters.
1951: The Air Force announced the first launching of its first B-61 Matador, a pilotless aircraft, at the Missile Test Center. (24) The first F-89 Scorpions were assigned to Hamilton AFB with the Western Air Defense Force. The X-5 completed its first flight at Edwards AFB.
1960: Operation BIG STAR. Through 27 June, SAC conducted four tests to check the feasibility of deploying Minuteman missiles on mobile railroad car launchers at Hill AFB. Four tests led to the activation of the 4062 SW [ICBM - Minuteman (Mobile)] at Hill later on 1 December. (1) (6)
1973: At Francis E. Warren AFB, SAC accepted the first Minuteman III missile flight. They belonged to the 90 SMW and the 400 SMS. (1)
1974: The DoD announced that the A-10 won a comparative fly-off with the A-7. (3)
1976: After entering Mars orbit on 19 June, the Viking I lander touched down on 20 June and began taking soil samples. (8) (21)
1980: GLOBAL SHIELD II. Through 29 June, SAC conducted this unannounced exercise at 44 bases. It involved over 100,000 people and 437 aircraft flying 1,035 sorties. (16)
1984: After a two-year operational test and evaluation program, the 384 AREFW at McConnell AFB received the first reengined KC-135R (Number 61-0293). (1) (26)
1999: Operation ALLIED FORCE. NATO officially ended the air war against Yugoslavia after Serb forces finished their withdrawal from Kosovo. (32)
2007: The Virginia ANG's 192 FW flew its last F-16 Fighting Falcon training mission. The wing would become the nation's first ANG unit to fly the F-22 Raptor, in associated operations with the 1st Fighter Wing at Langley. The 192d began moving from Richmond IAP to Langley in February 2006 to take on the F-22 mission. (All American Patriots.com, Virginia Air National Guard Wing Transitions at Langley, 20 June 2007)
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