To All,
Good Wednesday morning September 13, 2023
A bit of history and some tidbits today.
Apologies for the late one today. I had my favorite Foot doctor work on my ingrown toenail this morning. Not pleasant but he is the best. I always enjoy our conversations.
Regards
Skip
Today in Naval and Marine Corps History Thanks to NHHC
September. 13
1803 Commodore John Barry dies at Philadelphia, Pa., having served in numerous commands and over vessels in the Continental Navy during the American Revolution and in the newly formed U.S. Navy.
1814 During the War of 1812, the British bomb Fort McHenry at Baltimore Harbor for 25 hours. The sight of Fort McHenry's flag and the British withdrawing from Baltimore the next morning inspires Francis Scott Key to write the Star Spangled Banner.
1847 During the Mexican-American War, Chapultepec - the gateway to Mexico City - is successfully stormed by Marines. The next day they are assigned to duty as guards to the National Palace, called the Halls of Montezuma. This action inspires the first line of the Marine Hymn.
1906 Sailors and Marines from USS Denver (Cruiser #14) land in Havana at the request of the Cuban government to preserve order during a revolution.
1944 USS Warrington (DD 383) sinks off the Bahamas in a hurricane. After a prolonged search, numerous Navy vessels rescue only five officers and 68 men of the destroyer's 20 officers and 301 men.
1996 USS Cheyenne (SSN 773) is commissioned at Naval Station Norfolk. The 62nd and last of the Los Angeles-class attack submarines, USS Cheyenne is the third to be named after Wyoming's capital city.
2008 Hurricane Ike hits Galveston and Houston, Texas. At Galveston's Seawolf Park, a maritime museum, the museum ship USS Stewart (DE 238) and museum submarine USS Cavalla (SS 244), suffer damage as they are thrown out of the water onto land. Both vessels are restored to the prior locations and undergo renovations.
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Today in World History September 13
1515 King Francis of France defeats the Swiss army under Cardinal Matthaus Schiner at Marignano, northern Italy.
1549 Pope Paul III closes the first session of the Council of Bologna.
1564 On the verge of attacking Pedro Menendez's Spanish settlement at San Agostin, Florida, Jean Ribault's French fleet is scattered by a devastating storm.
1759 British troops defeat the French on the plains of Abraham, in Quebec.
1774 Anne Robert Turgot, the new controller of finances, urges the king of France to restore the free circulation of grain in the kingdom.
1782 The British fortress at Gibraltar comes under attack by French and Spanish forces.
1788 The Constitutional Convention authorizes the first federal election resolving that electors in all the states will be appointed on January 7, 1789.
1789 Guardsmen in Orleans, France, open fire on rioters trying to loot bakeries, killing 90.
1846 General Winfield Scott takes Chapultepec, removing the last obstacle to U.S. troops moving on Mexico City.
1862 Union troops in Frederick, Maryland, discover General Robert E. Lee's attack plans for the invasion of Maryland wrapped around a pack of cigars. They give the plans to General George B. McClellan who sends the Army of the Potomac to confront Lee but only after a delay of more than half a day.
1863 The Loudoun County Rangers route a company of Confederate cavalry at Catoctin Mountain in Virginia.
1905 U.S. warships head to Nicaragua on behalf of American William Albers, who was accused of evading tobacco taxes.
1918 U.S. and French forces take St. Mihiel, France in America's first action as a standing army.
1945 Iran demands the withdrawal of Allied forces.
1951 In Korea, U.S. Army troops begin their assault in Heartbreak Ridge. The month-long struggle will cost 3,700 casualties.
1961 An unmanned Mercury capsule is orbited and recovered by NASA in a test.
1976 The United States announces it will veto Vietnam's UN bid.
1988 Hurricane Gilbert becomes the strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere, based on barometric pressure. Hurricane Wilma will break that record in 2005.
1993 The Oslo Accords, granting limited Palestinian autonomy, are signed by Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO chairman Yasser Arafat at the White House.
2007 UN adopts non-binding Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
2008 Five synchronized bomb blasts occur in crowded locations of Delhi, India, killing at least 30 people and injuring more than 100; four other bombs are defused.
2008 Hurricane Ike makes landfall in Texas; it had already been the most costly storm in Cuba's history and becomes the third costliest in the US.
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ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED Thanks to the Bear … Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
Skip… For The List for Wednesday, 13 September 1968… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 13 September 1968 Spheres of Influence… the alternative to war…
Thanks to Micro
From Vietnam Air Losses site for Wednesday, September 13
September 13th: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=255
This following work accounts for every fixed wing loss of the Vietnam War and you can use it to read more about the losses in The Bear's Daily account. Even better it allows you to add your updated information to the work to update for history…skip Vietnam Air Losses Access Chris Hobson and Dave Lovelady's work at: https://www.VietnamAirLosses.com.
This is a list of all Helicopter Pilots Who Died in the Vietnam War . Listed by last name and has other info https://www.vhpa.org/KIA/KIAINDEX.HTM
MOAA - Wall of Faces Now Includes Photos of All Servicemembers Killed in the Vietnam War
(This site was sent by a friend last week and I forgot to forward. The site works, find anyone you knew in "search" feature. https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/ )
Wall of Faces Now Includes Photos of All Service members Killed in the Vietnam War
By: Kipp Hanley
AUGUST 15, 2022
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This one reminds me of how the flying Tigers stopped the last major Japanese army attack on China by trapping them in a gorge in the rain and just started making passes back and forth because they could not climb up the steep sides and they had them coming and going.
Thanks to Boris
Battle of the Bloody Ridge - Close Air Support
As the battle for Guadalcanal continued, USMC and AAF aircraft losses mounted. On 10 September, only eleven F4Fs, twenty-two SBD dive-bombers, and three P-400s were available for the next crucial CAS mission on 14 September during the defense of Bloody Ridge.
Bloody Ridge was only two thousand yards to the south of Henderson Field. Lieutenant Colonel Merritt A. Edson's 1st Raider Battalion had established a last line of defense against an expected Japanese attack out of the jungles to the south. What Edson's battalion did not know was that a Japanese brigade over 2,000 strong was preparing to attack on the night of 13 September. The Japanese attackers mounted two major assaults before midnight. Edson's Battalion bent but did not break, falling back a few yards at a time into successive positions along the ridge toward the airfield. If the Japanese could break the thin Marine line, the airfield would be theirs for the taking.
Before sunup on 14 September, an officer from the 1st Raider Battalion met with the commander of the 67th FS, Captain Thompson. Using a crude map, he described the precarious situation and requested a CAS mission at first light. Thompson agreed and had his flight of three P-400s at the end of the runway just before sunup. As dawn began to break, Thompson's flight departed.
Bloody Ridge was almost within the aircraft traffic pattern around the airfield and Thompson kept the Marine position in view as his aircraft lifted off the ground and began a slight turn to the south. Maintaining altitude just above the trees, Thompson led his flight below the level of Bloody Ridge and pointed at the suspected Japanese assembly area. When the area came into view, Thompson spotted large groups of Japanese soldiers massing for an attack and he immediately began to fire.
After two passes, Thompson's and another aircraft, piloted by Lieutenant B. W. Brown, were critically damaged by small arms fire and had to make emergency landings back at the airfield while the third P-400, piloted by Lieutenant B. E. Davis, continued to strafe until out of ammunition.
The Japanese attack was repulsed by the iron defense of the 1 st Raider Battalion, but Thompson's CAS mission had thrown the final weight that broke the Japanese assault. Later that afternoon, Vandegrift visited Thompson, Davis, and Brown saying, "You'll never read it in the papers, but that three P-400 mission of yours saved Guadalcanal."
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From Blood Stripes to Bloody Ridge
by W. Thomas Smith Jr.
This Week in American Military History:
Sept. 12, 1918: Battle of St. Mihiel (France) opens between Allied American-French forces (primarily U.S. Army and Marine forces under the overall command of U.S. Army Gen. John J. "Black Jack" Pershing) and Imperial German Army forces under Gen. Johannes Georg von der Marwitz.
In the afternoon, Lt. Col. (future four-star general) George S. Patton – destined to lead America's first tank attack against the enemy – and Brig.
Gen. (future five-star general) Douglas MacArthur will meet on the battlefield, and according to the U.S. Army Historical Foundation: "The lieutenant colonel [Patton] sported a Colt .45 pistol with an ivory grip and his engraved initials. A pipe was clenched in his teeth. The brigadier [MacArthur] wore a barracks cap and a muffler his mother knitted for him.
As they spoke to each other, a German artillery barrage opened up and began marching towards their position. Infantrymen scattered and dove for cover, but the two officers remained standing, coolly talking with each other."
U.S. Marine Gen. John A. Lejeune, will describe his personal experience of the battle: "In war, if a man is to keep his sanity, he must come to regard death as being just as normal as life and hold himself always in readiness, mentally and spiritually, to answer the call of the grim reaper whenever fate decrees that his hour has struck."
Sept. 12, 1942: Battle of Bloody Ridge opens on Guadalcanal (see next week).
Sept. 13, 1814: From the deck of a Royal Navy ship aboard which he has been detained, Washington, D.C. lawyer Francis Scott Key pens his now-famous poem, "The Star Spangled Banner," on an envelope as he witnesses the British night-bombardment of Fort McHenry, Baltimore during the War of 1812.
It will be more than a century before the U.S. Congress adopts "The Star Spangled Banner" as the official national anthem.
Sept. 13, 1847: U.S. Army and Marine forces (including lots of future Civil War generals like Robert E. Lee, James Longstreet, George Pickett, Pierre G.T. Beauregard, Thomas J. Jackson, Joseph E. Johnston, Ulysses S.
Grant, future Admiral Raphael Semmes, and I'm probably leaving out a few) participate in the storming of Chapultepec Castle during the Mexican War.
Chapultepec defends Mexico City, which will fall on the 14th.
For those of us fortunate enough since to claim the title, "Marine," the taking of Chapultepec and ultimately Mexico City will give us two things:
First: The first five words of our hymn: "From the halls of Montezuma, to the shores of Tripoli ..."
Second: The "blood" red stripe along the seams of our dress-blue uniform trousers (Marines don't wear pants).
The origin of the blood stripe is more tradition than absolute fact. But we Marines heartily claim it. According to tradition, the blood stripe represents the blood shed by Marines storming Chapultepec. And the reason only corporals and above are authorized to wear the stripe is because there was such a high percentage of NCOs and officers killed in the storming of the castle.
Sept. 13, 1942: Ninety-five years after defeating the Mexicans at Chapultepec, U.S. Marines beat back a series of wave attacks by Japanese soldiers on Guadalcanal that began on the night of Sept. 12 and will last until the morning of the 14th.
The fighting – since referred to as the Battle of Bloody Ridge (also Edson's Ridge or Raiders' Ridge) – is over which side will control the nearby airfield.
Japanese soldiers led by Samurai-sword wielding officers attack the ridge-defending leathernecks in suicidal waves screaming, "Banzai!" and "Marine, You Die!"
At one point during the fighting, the American line — under the command of Lt. Col. (future major general) Merritt "Red Mike" Edson — is nearly broken. But the Marines hold, and beat back the attacks with terrible losses to the enemy.
Edson will be awarded the Medal of Honor for his command of Bloody Ridge.
Maj. Kenneth Bailey, killed in the fighting, will also receive the Medal of Honor.
Sept. 14, 1966: Operation Attleboro begins as something of a "feet wet"
operation for a green American unit – the U.S. Army's 196th Light Infantry Brigade – but will evolve into a major combined-arms operation as U.S.
forces make contact with a battle-hardened Viet Cong division and a North Vietnamese Army regiment. The end result by November will be the discovery of one of the largest weapons and equipment caches of the Vietnam War to-date, and over 1,000 dead enemy soldiers.
Sept. 15, 1944: Two years after Bloody Ridge, U.S. Marines land on Peleliu.
Sept. 15, 1950: United Nations ground forces – primarily U.S. Marines – under the overall command of U.S. Army Gen. Douglas MacArthur, begin hitting the beaches at Inchon, Korea.
Sept. 16, 1776: Gen. George Washington chalks up his "first victory in the field" against British and Hessian forces under Gen. Alexander Leslie in the Battle of Harlem Heights, New York.
Sept. 17, 1862: The Battle of Antietam (Maryland) – the bloodiest single-day battle in American history – opens between Confederate Army forces under Gen. Robert E. Lee and Union Army forces under Maj. Gen.
George B. McClellan. After 12 hours of fighting, some 23,000 Americans are dead, wounded, or missing.
Though a strategic victory for the Union, the battle will prove tactically inconclusive for both sides.
Sept. 17, 1944: Operation Market Garden, an enormous Allied Airborne operation during World War II (in fact, the largest parachute operation in history), is launched to seize strategically vital bridges in German-occupied Holland.
After 10 days of fighting and many tactical successes, the operation will be deemed a strategic failure, and Allied forces will be ordered to withdraw.
(Cornelius Ryan's book, A Bridge Too Far, and the film adaptation of the same are based on Market Garden)
Sept. 18, 1947: Happy Birthday, U.S. Air Force! America's air and space warfare service (and the descendent service of the U.S. Army Air Forces), the U.S. Air Force becomes an independent and equal arm of the American military.
Sept. 19, 1777: Battle of Freeman's Farm — first engagement in the Battle of Saratoga (during the American Revolution) — opens between Continental forces under the command of Gen. Horatio Gates and British forces under Gen. John "Gentleman Johnny" Burgoyne. Brits carry the day, but suffer heavy losses. Continentals will ultimately win Saratoga.
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"Thanks to Jim
Just the information here is a big surprise to me. What a bit of history Book details Hell Above Earth The Incredible True Story of an American WWII Bomber Commander and the Copilot Ordered to Kill Him
Author: Stephen Frater
Reviews
About This Book
"After the twists and turns in Goering's many missions, Frater finishes with a stunning revelation . . . the author delivers an exciting read full of little-known facts about the war. A WWII...
Book Details
"After the twists and turns in Goering's many missions, Frater finishes with a stunning revelation . . . the author delivers an exciting read full of little-known facts about the war. A WWII thrill ride." - Kirkus Reviews
The U.S. air battle over Nazi Germany in WWII was hell above earth. For bomber crews, every day they flew was like D-Day, exacting a terrible physical and emotional toll. Twenty-year-old U.S. Captain Werner Goering, accepted this, even thrived on and welcomed the adrenaline rush. He was an exceptional pilot—and the nephew of Hermann Göring, leading member of the Nazi party and commander-in-chief of the Luftwaffe.
The FBI and the American military would not prevent Werner from serving his American homeland, but neither would they risk the propaganda coup that his desertion or capture would represent for Nazi Germany. J. Edgar Hoover issued a top-secret order that if Captain Goering's plane was downed for any reason over Nazi-occupied Europe, someone would be there in the cockpit to shoot Goering dead. FBI agents found a man capable of accomplishing the task in Jack Rencher, a tough, insular B-17 instructor who also happened to be one of the Army's best pistol shots. That Jack and Werner became unlikely friends is just one more twist in one of the most incredible untold tales of WWII.
Imprint Publisher
St. Martin's Griffin
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Thanks to Barrel
Turn Up The Volume
Last of The Few. Battle of Britain. Humble Hero
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From the Archives
Thanks to Fred
Remembering A 'Brave,' 'Lucky' Hero In The War Of 1812 by Jeff St. Clair WKSU - September 10, 2013 Two hundred years ago today, a young U.S. naval captain named Oliver Hazard Perry penned the words, "We have met the enemy and they are ours ..."
Perry's remarkable victory over the British changed the course of the War of 1812, and a full-scale re-enactment — the largest sailing re-enactment ever attempted in the U.S. — recently commemorated the anniversary of the win in the Battle of Lake Erie.
A Bit Of History
America had brashly declared war in 1812 to stop the British from kidnapping U.S. sailors to man the Royal Navy and to settle trade issues. A year later, the war against the world's leading superpower wasn't going well.
It was from Put-in-Bay on Lake Erie's South Bass Island that Perry sailed out to meet the British on Sept. 10, 1813.
Historian Walter Rybka — one of the planners of the re-enactment — says the 28-year-old Perry threw himself into battle. "Perry was, first off, phenomenally brave and determined, but he was damn lucky," Rybka says.
Somehow Perry survived two hours of hellacious fire that killed or maimed 75 percent of the crew on his ship, the Lawrence.
"His last gun had been knocked out of action on the starboard side, his rigging was cut to pieces, he could not maneuver, he could no longer fight. There was no point in maintaining an action because his men were just going to get slaughtered the rest of the way," Rybka says. "Right at the moment the wind fills in ..."
And that's when Perry hopped into his longboat and under heavy fire, rowed to the Niagara, a Great Lakes warship. Rybka says Perry brought along his battle flag, emblazoned with the words, "Don't Give Up The Ship."
"But the only way to do that was to give up the ship and go to the next one," Rybka says. "The real motto was, 'Don't Give Up.' "
A Turning Point
Fifteen tall ships sail out to the spot where the struggle took place 200 years ago. From the reconstructed Niagara, Capt. Wesley Heerssen hails the fleet.
"All tall ships in this battle re-enactment please stand by for roll call," Heerssen says.
And the battle begins.
Six ships make up the British line. The American fleet has nine. The Coast Guard has its hands full clearing a path for the tall ships amid a swarm of more than 2,000 speedboats and pleasure craft. The sea of boats has churned the lake, so in this version of the Battle of Lake Erie, Perry, portrayed by an actor sporting enormous sideburns, is motored from his ship onto the Niagara.
Then Heerssen hails the enemy fleet for the final maneuver of the re-enactment.
"To the British fleet we're going to pass two whistles, starboard to starboard passage," he says.
The Niagara cuts nimbly across the British line and fires its last set of broadsides. And as smoke fills the air, for a second, despite all the distractions, one of America's most famous sea battles vividly comes to life.
And suddenly, it's over.
The smoke clears, and it just another day on the lake, perfect conditions for sailing.
The battle was a turning point in the War of 1812. America had lost Detroit and much of the Northwest Territory. Rybka says if Perry had given up the ship, the Canadian border would have been much farther south.
"I think Michigan probably would have been lost to us and maybe Wisconsin as well," Rybka says.
Heerssen, as captain of the Niagara, has imagined this day for more than a decade. He says the re-enactment is a tribute to America's fighting spirit.
A buoy serves as a permanent marker in the peaceful waters of western Lake Erie. [Copyright 2013 WKSU-FM]
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This Day in U S Military History
1759 – During the Seven Years War, a worldwide conflict known as the French and Indian War in America, the British under General James Wolfe achieve a dramatic victory when they scale the cliffs over the city of Quebec, defeating the Marquis de Montcalm's French forces on the Plains of Abraham. Wolfe himself was fatally wounded during the battle, but his victory ensured British supremacy in Canada. Montcalm also suffered a mortal wound during the battle. In the early 1750s, French expansion into the Ohio River valley repeatedly brought France into armed conflict with the British colonies. In 1756–the first official year of fighting in the Seven Years War–the British suffered a series of defeats against the French and their broad network of Native American alliances. However, in 1757, British Prime Minister William Pitt (the older) recognized the potential of imperial expansion that would come out of victory against the French and borrowed heavily to fund an expanded war effort. Pitt financed Prussia's struggle against France and her allies in Europe and reimbursed the colonies for the raising of armies in North America. By 1760, the French had been expelled from Canada, and by 1763 all of France's allies in Europe had either made a separate peace with Prussia or had been defeated. In addition, Spanish attempts to aid France in the Americas had failed, and France also suffered defeats against British forces in India. The Seven Years War ended with the signing of the treaties of Hubertusburg and Paris in February 1763. In the Treaty of Paris, France lost all claims to Canada and gave Louisiana to Spain, while Britain received Spanish Florida, Upper Canada, and various French holdings overseas. The treaty ensured the colonial and maritime supremacy of Britain and strengthened the 13 American colonies by removing their European rivals to the north and the south. Fifteen years later, French bitterness over the loss of most of their colonial empire contributed to their intervention in the American Revolution on the side of the Patriots
1900 – Filipino resistance fighters defeat a small American column in the Battle of Pulang Lupa, during the Philippine–American War. The engagement was fought between the forces of Colonel Maximo Abad and Devereux Shields. Shields' defeat sent shock waves through the American high command. Aside from being one of the worst defeats suffered by the Americans during the war, it was especially significant given its proximity to the upcoming election between President William McKinley and his anti-imperialist opponent William Jennings Bryan, the outcome of which many believed would determine the ultimate course of the war. Consequently, the defeat triggered a sharp response. Arthur MacArthur, Jr. sent Brig. Gen. Luther Hare with "orders to treat the entire male population over fifteen as potential enemies and to arrest as many as possible and hold them hostages until Abad surrendered." Hare secured the release of Shields and his men. Maj. Frederick A. Smith continued the policy of destroying food and shelter in the interior of the island, and moving all civilians into the towns. Although Abad and most of his command continued to elude the American military, the civilian population was suffering for it, with many landowners and merchants joining the Federal Party, turning against Abad. These new tactics led to the surrender of Abad in April 1901.
1950 – Task Force 77 struck Wolmi-do with naval gunfire in preparation for the amphibious assault against Inchon. Lieutenant David H. Swenson was killed aboard the destroyer USS Swenson when the North Koreans hit the ship with a two-gun salvo. Ironically, the ship was named after his uncle, Captain Lyman K. Swenson, who was killed in the South Pacific during World War II.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
*HALLMAN, SHERWOOD H.
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, 175th Infantry, 29th Infantry Division. Place and date: Brest, Brittany, France, 13 September 1944. Entered service at: Spring City, Pa. Birth: Spring City, Pa. G.O. No.: 31, 17 April 1945. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. On 13 September 1944, in Brittany, France, the 2d Battalion in its attack on the fortified city of Brest was held up by a strongly defended enemy position which had prevented its advance despite repeated attacks extending over a 3-day period. Finally, Company F advanced to within several hundred yards of the enemy position but was again halted by intense fire. Realizing that the position must be neutralized without delay, S/Sgt. Hallman ordered his squad to cover his movements with fire while he advanced alone to a point from which he could make the assault. Without hesitating, S/Sgt. Hallman leaped over a hedgerow into a sunken road, the central point of the German defenses which was known to contain an enemy machinegun position and at least 30 enemy riflemen. Firing his carbine and hurling grenades, S/Sgt. Hallman, unassisted, killed or wounded 4 of the enemy, then ordered the remainder to surrender. Immediately, 12 of the enemy surrendered and the position was shortly secured by the remainder of his company. Seeing the surrender of this position, about 75 of the enemy in the vicinity surrendered, yielding a defensive organization which the battalion with heavy supporting fires had been unable to take. This single heroic act on the part of S/Sgt. Hallman resulted in the immediate advance of the entire battalion for a distance of 2,000 yards to a position from which Fort Keranroux was captured later the same day. S/Sgt. Hallman's fighting determination and intrepidity in battle exemplify the highest tradition of the U.S. Armed Forces.
KELLY, CHARLES E.
Rank and organization: Corporal, U.S. Army, Company L, 143d Infantry, 36th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Altavilla, Italy, 13 September 1943. Entered service at: Pittsburgh, Pa. Birth: Pittsburgh, Pa. G.O. No.: 13, 18 February 1944. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. On 13 September 1943, near Altavilla, Italy, Cpl. Kelly voluntarily joined a patrol which located and neutralized enemy machinegun positions. After this hazardous duty he volunteered to establish contact with a battalion of U.S. infantry which was believed to be located on Hill 315, a mile distant. He traveled over a route commanded by enemy observation and under sniper, mortar, and artillery fire; and later he returned with the correct information that the enemy occupied Hill 315 in organized positions. Immediately thereafter Cpl. Kelly, again a volunteer patrol member, assisted materially in the destruction of 2 enemy machinegun nests under conditions requiring great skill and courage. Having effectively fired his weapon until all the ammunition was exhausted, he secured permission to obtain more at an ammunition dump. Arriving at the dump, which was located near a storehouse on the extreme flank of his regiment's position, Cpl. Kelly found that the Germans were attacking ferociously at this point. He obtained his ammunition and was given the mission of protecting the rear of the storehouse. He held his position throughout the night. The following morning the enemy attack was resumed. Cpl. Kelly took a position at an open window of the storehouse. One machine gunner had been killed at this position and several other soldiers wounded. Cpl. Kelly delivered continuous aimed and effective fire upon the enemy with his automatic rifle until the weapon locked from overheating. Finding another automatic rifle, he again directed effective fire upon the enemy until this weapon also locked. At this critical point, with the enemy threatening to overrun the position, Cpl. Kelly picked up 60mm. mortar shells, pulled the safety pins, and used the shells as grenades, killing at least 5 of the enemy. When it became imperative that the house be evacuated, Cpl. Kelly, despite his sergeant's injunctions, volunteered to hold the position until the remainder of the detachment could withdraw. As the detachment moved out, Cpl. Kelly was observed deliberately loading and firing a rocket launcher from the window. He was successful in covering the withdrawal of the unit, and later in joining his own organization. Cpl. Kelly's fighting determination and intrepidity in battle exemplify the highest traditions of the U.S. Armed Forces.
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Thanks to Mike. This is a great article about the men and women who made aviation history as pilots and engineers who designed, built and flew the new designs to the edge of the envelope.
Flying Magazines 51 Flying Heroes and Heroines
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for September 13, FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
13 September
1916: The Signal Corps Aviation School at San Diego held its first aeronautics course for field officers. (24)
1917: The 1st Aero Squadron arrived in France. That arrival made it the first Army air unit to serve with the American Expeditionary Forces. (See 5 June 1917 for first Naval air unit) (21)
1923: Through 14 December, Lts John F. Whitely and H. D. Smith and crew flew a Martin MB-2, powered by two Liberty 400 engines, on an 8,000-mile round trip from Langley Field to San Diego in anticipation of a national airways. (9) (24)
1935: Howard Hughes flew his Hughes Special Airplane at Santa Ana, Calif., to a 352 MPH world speed record. (9) (24)
1943: The 52 TCW used more than 80 troop transports to drop 1,200 paratroopers from the 82d Airborne Division on Italy's Salerno Beach, with no losses of planes or men. This effort was one of the most successful allied airborne operations in the war. (21) (24)
1944: Eighth Air Force bombed Hungary's Diosgyoer Steel Works. (4)
1951: The USAF established its first pilotless bomber squadron at the Missile Test Center, Cocoa, Fla. (16) (26)
1960: The 4135 SW at Eglin AFB received the first production GAM-72A Quail missiles. (6)
1961: NASA used the worldwide Mercury tracking network for the first time to follow an unmanned Mercury vehicle in space. The results convinced NASA that man could be sent into space using an Atlas vehicle. A Mercury-Atlas booster lifted the vehicle into space. (16) (24) NASA studied atmospheric winds, temperature, and density by releasing sodium clouds at high altitudes from two four-stage Argo D-4 rockets launched from Wallops Island. (24)
1962: Lt Cmdrs Fred A. Franke flew an UF-1L Albatross amphibian to 27,380 feet with a 4,410- pound payload to set a new altitude record. Lt Cmdr Donald E. Moore flew the same aircraft to 29,460 feet with a 2,205-pound payload to set a second record. Both flights surpassed Soviet records set in 1940. (24)
1974: Capt Harold B. Adams (pilot) and Maj William C. Machorek (RSO) flew an SR-71 from London to Los Angeles in 3 hours 48 minutes at a new speed record of 1,435.59 MPH. (1)
1985: CELESTIAL EAGLE. Major Wilbert D. "Doug" Pearson, Jr., flying F-15A (Tail No. 77- 0084) fired the first the Vought ASM-135A air-launched anti-satellite (ASAT) missile at a live target over Edwards AFB. The missile hit the orbiting Solwing scientific satellite that was traveling at 17,500 MPH nearly 290 miles above Earth. The 6512th Test Squadron F-15A stationed at Edwards AFB took off from Vandenberg AFB and zoom-climbed up to 80,000 feet and then launched the ASAT. Both the first and second stages fired successfully, and the miniature kinetic kill vehicle separated and homed in on the satellite, destroying it upon impact. (16) (21)
1992: Operation IMPRESSIVE LIFT. Through 29 September, AMC aircraft moved UN troops from Pakistan to Somalia to begin a peacekeeping mission. In the 94 flights, the aircraft carried 974 passengers and 1,168 tons of equipment and supplies. The troops tried to distribute food fairly for Operation PROVIDE RELIEF. (16) (21)
2001: Operation NOBLE EAGLE. The Air Staff cleared all training and operational USAF units to resume normal flying operations. (3)
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Thanks to Brett….Catching up with what is going on in the world
Stratfor snippets - Armenia/Azerbaijan, Australia, Mali, Senegal, Ethiopia, Vietnam/U.S., Malaysia, India, U.S., Gabon, Poland/Ukraine/EU, U.S./Iran, EU/South America, Japan, Ukraine/U.S.
Armenia, Azerbaijan: Negotiations Allow Humanitarian Aid to Continue Amid Azerbaijan's Military Build-up
What Happened: Azerbaijani officials have stated that Baku had agreed to reopen the Lachin Corridor "as a goodwill gesture to ensure simultaneous opening" of an alternative delivery route to the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic through the town of Aghdam, Politico reported on Sept. 9. On Sept. 11, Baku later clarified the Lachin Corridor would not be opened immediately, while Karabakh Armenian authorities confirmed that the deal had been reached to open the Lachin Corridor, but access for aid organizations has reportedly not yet been restored.
Why It Matters: Azerbaijani officials have stated that the corridor would only be opened under the terms of a deal allowing indefinite access for Azerbaijani aid from Aghdam. The opening of the Aghdam Road, however, would constitute an Armenian concession because it would normalize increased Azerbaijani control over transport in and out of Nagorno-Karabakh compared to the previous status quo since the 2020 ceasefire. It could reduce the near-term probability of an escalation by convincing Baku that developments on the ground increase Azerbaijan's leverage in negotiations toward a peace agreement. However, Azerbaijan's recent military buildup along Armenia's borders will continue in preparation for further small-scale military actions amid the lack of a peace agreement, therefore increasing tensions in the region.
Background: Footage has circulated across Azerbaijani social media in recent days that appears to show increased movement of Azerbaijani troops around Nagorno-Karabakh and along the border with Armenia, including with symbols painted on the sides of vehicles. Military shipments from Israel and Turkey to Azerbaijan appear to have increased simultaneously.
Australia: Greens and Labor Reach Deal on Housing, Forestalling Snap Election
What Happened: Australia's ruling Labor Party struck a compromise with the Greens on a landmark housing bill, with Labor agreeing to add AU$1 billion in public and community housing to the AU$10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund, ABC News reported on Sept. 11. The compromise did not include a rent freeze, which is another of the Greens' demands, prompting the Greens' housing spokesperson to threaten that renters would make their displeasure heard at the voting booth.
Why It Matters: The housing compromise takes the prospect of a snap election off the table, but it also portends future Labor compromises, such as on energy policy. The Greens are likely to push Labor further toward the left on policies like emissions and export restrictions on the oil and gas sector. On top of extracting policy concessions out of Labor, the Greens aimed to preempt the Conservatives coming to power, as polls recently suggested they might in a snap election.
Background: Prime Minister and Labor head Anthony Albanese threatened in late July to call a "dual dissolution" (snap election) if the Senate struck down Labor's housing bill a second time.
Mali: Separatist Rebels Announce Resumption in Fighting Against Government
What Happened: The Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA), a coalition of formerly separatist Tuareg rebel groups that signed the 2015 Algiers peace deal, announced that it will launch "counter-offensive" operations against the Malian army in Mali's northern
Kidal region, Radio France Internationale reported on Sept. 11.
Why It Matters: Resumed fighting between the CMA and the Malian army risks sparking a resurgence in separatist violence in northern Mali. Such a resurgence would likely draw personnel and resources away from Mali's ongoing battle with jihadist groups like the Islamic State and Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), further destabilizing an already volatile region.
Background: Myriad armed groups are fighting for control over former U.N. peacekeeping bases that the United Nations will hand over to the Malian government in the coming months as the mission draws down by the end of 2023.
Senegal: Macky Sall to Back Amadou Ba in Presidential Elections
What Happened: Senegalese President Macky Sall announced that Prime Minister Amadou Ba will be the ruling Benno Bokk Yakaar (BBY) coalition's candidate in the February presidential election, Reuters reported on Sept. 9.
Why It Matters: If Senegal's ruling coalition unites behind Ba, it has a good chance of securing the presidency, as the opposition remains too fractured to pose a significant challenge to the ruling party's continued political dominance. However, BBY will still very likely face staunch resistance in opposition strongholds like Ziguinchor.
Background: The opposition Yewwi Askan Wi coalition broke up in August when it expelled Khalifa Sall and the Taxawu Senegal party for participation in the government's national dialogue launched in June. Meanwhile, opposition leader Ousmane Sonko is still hospitalized following his arrest and hunger strike, staged in protest to a court ruling prohibiting him from running for president.
Ethiopia: Government Says Fourth and Final GERD Reservoir Filling Complete
What Happened: The Ethiopian government announced that it had completed the fourth and final filling of the reservoir of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), Reuters reported on Sept. 10.
Why It Matters: The GERD's fourth filling completes phase one of the reservoir's progress with about 50 billion cubic meters (bcm) of water, or about 70% of the reservoir's capacity. The government plans to leave the remaining capacity dependent on the seasons, with the GERD reaching full capacity at the height of the rainy season and then returning to 70% of capacity in the drier months, meaning that the manual filling of the reservoir is complete. Upon completion, the GERD will create electrification, development and financial opportunities for Ethiopia, as it is expected to generate sufficient electricity to meet domestic demand and for export to neighboring Kenya and Djibouti.
Background: In August, Ethiopian officials reported that the dam's construction was 80% complete and the reservoir was filled to 22 bcm of its 74 bcm capacity. Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan concluded two days of negotiations on the filling of the GERD without significant progress in late August. The three countries appear to be sticking to their June goal of reaching an agreement on the operation of the dam within four months, as talks will continue in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, later in September.
Vietnam, U.S.: Upgraded Relations Bring Enhanced Business Ties
What Happened: The United States and Vietnam upgraded relations to a first-tier "comprehensive strategic partnership," Reuters reported on Sept. 10.
Why It Matters: The diplomatic upgrade comes with a suite of enhanced business ties designed to underpin Vietnam's developing semiconductor, artificial intelligence and quantum computing industries, energy transition, and defense sector. The development of Vietnam's domestic semiconductor industry will help Vietnam economically, and it will enable the United States to incorporate a new supply chain node that offers a degree of insulation from market shocks amid its technology competition with China. Going forward, business ties between the two countries will likely continue to grow.
Background: As part of the new strategic partnership, state-owned Vietnam Airlines will buy 50 737 Max jets from Boeing, and U.S. semiconductor firm Amkor Technology will open a $1.6 billion factory in Bac Ninh province in October. Additionally, Marvell Technology and Synopsys will invest in semiconductor design and incubation facilities in Ho Chi Minh City, and Microsoft will produce a "generative AI-based solution tailored for Vietnam and emerging markets." Lastly, Nvidia will collaborate with Vietnam's FPT, Viettel and Vingroup on AI technology.
Malaysia: Prime Minister Announces Rare Earths Export Ban
What Happened: Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the country will implement export bans on non-radioactive rare earths to ensure maximum returns, but he did not give a timeline for the bans, the New Straits Times reported on Sept. 11. The rare earths most affected will be lanthanide, monazite and xenotime, which are used in battery, magnetic, electronic and optical devices.
Why It Matters: Malaysia will likely continue to follow the protectionist route taken by Indonesia amid its resource nationalism push, which will hinder foreign partners' abilities to access local stocks of manufacturing inputs amid a rapid increase in global consumption that has pushed developed economies to seek access to deposits around the world. Malaysia sees the rare earths industry as a high-growth, high-value sector key to structural economic reforms that it expects to generate $2.05 billion of Malaysian gross domestic product and to create 7,000 new jobs by 2025.
Background: Indonesia implemented export restrictions on nickel in 2020 and bauxite in June 2023 amid growing regional resource nationalism. China also recently restricted the export of gallium and germanium, though for other reasons, namely to retaliate against U.S. technology restrictions. Malaysia's 2023 GDP is projected to reach $424.59 billion, according to Trading Economics.
India: G20 Summit Adopts New Delhi Declaration
What Happened: The Group of 20 adopted the New Delhi Declaration at its summit in New Delhi, India, on Sept. 9, Reuters reported the next day. Under the theme of "One Earth, One Family, One Future," the declaration highlights sustainable development goals, food security, financial inclusion, green development and reinvigorating multilateralism, among other concerns.
Why It Matters: The declaration reinforces India's prioritization of economic and environmental concerns over geopolitical and security issues, and it also helps establish India as a diplomatic leader on the global stage. Additionally, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's effective push for the African Union's permanent membership in the G20, as well as his representation of the Global South's ongoing concerns (like food security, climate change and the reform of multilateral development banks), further cements India as a leader of the Global South.
Background: G20 members initially struggled to agree on language referencing the Russia-Ukraine war, but India, Brazil, Indonesia and South Africa played leading roles in preventing fractures. Ultimately, the New Delhi Declaration softened the G20's language on the war from its position in 2022, when the group condemned Russia and demanded its withdrawal from Ukraine.
U.S.: California Lawmakers Approve Emissions Disclosure Act for Large Companies
What Happened: California lawmakers approved the Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act, which would require companies that operate in California and earn annual revenue of at least $1 billion to disclose greenhouse gas emissions annually, including Scope 3 emissions, AP reported on Sept. 11. California Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk still needs to approve the act.
Why It Matters: California's sweeping disclosure requirements are the broadest that the United States has proposed, as they would affect both private and publicly traded companies. Opponents of the act will raise legal challenges, but if the act survives, it will affect more than 5,000 companies directly and thousands more indirectly, as companies required to disclose Scope 3 emissions will increase pressure on their suppliers to report or estimate emissions.
Background: Companies would need to disclose Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions starting in 2026, but they would not need to report Scope 3 emissions until 2027. Critics of the act say it is too expensive and overly burdens companies.
Gabon: Junta Plans to Hold Elections in Two Years
What Happened: Gabon's military junta plans to hold elections in two years, according to newly appointed Prime Minister Raymond Ndong Sima, Bloomberg reported on Sept. 11.
Why It Matters: The international community (including the African Union, the Economic Community of Central African States and other blocs) will likely accept the junta's planned two-year transition timeline — at least tacitly. This acceptance will enable the international community to work toward elections with the junta, rather than continuing to attempt to punish the junta in order to deter other potential coup leaders. Even so, some members of the military will likely attempt to co-opt the transition to maintain political power.
Background: The military took power on Aug. 30. Since then, the junta has said that it will draft a new constitution, hold a referendum and introduce a new electoral code. The military appointed a new Cabinet on Sept. 9. Under the transitional charter, no member of the temporary government will be able to stand in the next election.
Poland, Ukraine, EU: Warsaw to Unilaterally Extend Ukrainian Grain Import Ban
What Happened: Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced that Poland will extend its ban on Ukrainian grain imports beyond the European Union's Sept. 15 deadline, regardless of what the European Commission decides, Politico reported on Sept. 12. Ukraine said it will file a complaint at the World Trade Organization.
Why It Matters: Poland's unilateral extension of the import ban will raise tensions between Warsaw and Brussels, as well as between Warsaw and Kyiv, and may force the European Union to boost transit and shipping capacity to move Ukrainian grains to other EU and non-EU markets. The move is also set to boost the popularity of Poland's government with Polish farmers, a key basin of votes for the ruling Law and Justice party, which will increase its chances of reelection on Oct. 15. Poland's decision may also force other EU member states bordering Ukraine to extend the restrictions unilaterally as well.
Background: The European Union implemented on May 2 a temporary ban on imports of wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower from Ukraine into Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria, where the majority of these products ended up being sold, lowering prices for local farmers. Under the ban, Ukrainian grain products cannot remain within the five countries for consumption or storage, but the goods can transit through them to reach other markets in and outside the European Union. The five countries recently asked Brussels to extend the ban until at least the end of 2023, particularly following the collapse of the Black Sea grain deal with Russia.
U.S., Iran: U.S. Waives Sanctions on Iranian Assets as Part of Prisoner Swap
What Happened: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken formally approved a sanctions waiver for $6 billion in Iranian assets currently held in South Korean banks, allowing them to be transferred to banks in Qatar for humanitarian purposes, Reuters reported on Sept. 12. As part of this deal, Iran and the United States will reportedly conduct a prisoner swap.
Why It Matters: The asset transfer will likely be politically controversial in the United States, especially in the Republican Party, which will reinforce U.S. political opposition to negotiations with Iran. Still, the transfer of the funds means both sides will likely follow through on the prisoner swap, which would ease U.S.-Iran tensions temporarily. However, both sides will continue to seek concessions in their backroom negotiations over the stalled nuclear deal.
Background: This is the first time the United States has formally acknowledged the prisoner swap deal, which negotiators reportedly struck in August. Iran's continued uranium enrichment has driven U.S. and Israeli concerns that Tehran is advancing toward a nuclear weapon. However, in early September, the International Atomic Energy Agency reported that Iran was slowing its pace of uranium enrichment to levels unseen since 2021.
EU, South America: Mercosur's Divisions Dampen Prospect of EU Trade Deal
What Happened: Diplomats and members of the European Parliament stated anonymously that splits between members of Mercosur, the South American customs union and trade bloc, are preventing the passage of the EU-Mercosur free trade agreement (FTA), Reuters reported on Sept. 11.
Why It Matters: The split signals that some Mercosur countries may not be willing to sign the FTA under the European Union's strict environmental stipulations. Additionally, powerful farming lobbies and nationalist sentiment over locally-produced agriculture in countries such as France, Ireland, Poland and (to a lesser extent) Italy will likely make some EU states reluctant to ratify an FTA, as doing so would trigger significant inflows of South American agricultural products that would anger their constituencies.
Background: After 20 years of negotiations, the European Union and Mercosur agreed in principle to an FTA in June 2019, though the details have yet to be finalized. Once the blocs agree to the FTA's final text, the 27 governments of the European Union, the four governments of Mercosur and the European Parliament must ratify it before the agreement enters into force.
Japan: Kishida Ups Defense Ties With Taiwan Amid Pressure From Political Opposition
What Happened: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida plans to replace Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada with Minoru Kihara, the current head of a Japan-Taiwan interparliamentary group, on Sept. 13, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported on Sept. 12. Meanwhile, Reuters scooped on Sept. 12 that Tokyo had for the first time appointed a serving official (not a retired official) as its de facto defense attache to Taiwan.
Why It Matters: Amid regional defense realities, as well as political pressure domestically and from Washington, Tokyo will continue to improve military-diplomatic ties with Taiwan, which will simultaneously increase potential deterrence against a Chinese invasion and pose a political trigger for China to escalate military exercises around Taiwan. It will also impede Japan-China ties, as evidenced by China's recent fish import ban, ostensibly in response to Japan's Fukushima wastewater release plan, but in reality a retaliation for Tokyo's growing defense ties with U.S. partners and diplomacy with Taiwan.
Background: Opposition parliamentary groups from Japan visited Taipei in July and August, increasing Kishida's urgency about strengthening his party's ties with Taiwan.
Ukraine, U.S.: In Reversal, Washington May Soon Approve Provision of ATACMS to Kyiv
What Happened: The U.S. Biden administration is close to approving the provision of Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) to Ukraine, Reuters reported on Sept. 11. The final decision to send the long-range ground-launched missiles, which have a range of up to 190 miles (306 kilometers), to Ukraine for the first time is expected "soon" and would come at the recommendation of the State and Defense Departments.
Why It Matters: The weapon would increase Ukraine's strike range beyond the 140 mile (225 kilometer) range of Storm Shadow missiles and double the 93 mile (150 kilometer) range of Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bombs Ukraine is set to receive. This increased range would enable Ukraine to hit new targets, such as logistical hubs and airfields in rear areas including Crimea. However, the United States is unlikely to supply ATACMS soon enough or in sufficient quantity to ensure the success of Ukraine's counteroffensive in 2023.
Background: Kyiv had been requesting ATACMS for months, but the United States has refused to supply them until now. The Biden administration said its view is evolving due to subsiding concerns that ATACMS would escalate the Russia-Ukraine war or be fired into Russia itself.
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