To All,
Good Wednesday Morning April 3, 2025. The day has dawned clear and blue again this morning. The weather guessers are still telling us that we will get clouds starting tomorrow and rain on Friday. I will try my anti rain dance to see if we can hold it off for a day. I hope you are all having a great week and that it continues. A little late with the List this morning. My wife and I spent all day and into the night yesterday at her brother's house trying to clean it up and get rid of as much stuff as we can. Much more of that to follow. His 99 Escalade with less than 29 K miles on it passed the test at the mechanic's with flying colors. We had every thing that had any fluid at all changed, replaced or calibrated so it is in great shape. The inside has no wear at all.
Regards,
Skip
HAGD
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This day in Naval and Marine Corps History (thanks to NHHC)
Here is a link to the NHHC website: https://www.history.navy.mil/
This day in Naval and Marine Corps History April 3
1797 Capt. Thomas Truxtun issues the first known American signal book using a numerary system entitled, Instructions, Signals, and Explanations, ordered for the United States Fleet.
1942 Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, is named Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas (CINCPOA) and also retains the title of Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Fleet (CINCPAC).
1943 USS Haddock (SS 231) sinks Japanese fleet tanker Arima Maru north of Palau, and USS Pickerel (SS 177) sinks Japanese submarine chaser Ch 1.
1944 USS Sanders (DE 40), tank landing ship (LST 127), and two infantry landing crafts occupy Mejit Island, Marshall Islands and defeat Japanese force.
1991 USS America (CV 66), along with USS Normandy (CG 60), and USS William V. Pratt (DDG 44) transit the Suez Canal en route to CONUS after providing support for Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield.
1992 The first five co-ed recruit companies from Recruit Training Command, Naval Training Center, Orlando, Fla., graduate. BRAC recommends closure the following year.
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This day in World History April 3
0628 In Persia, Kavadh sues for peace with the Byzantines.
1367 John of Gaunt and Edward the Black Prince win the Battle of Najera, in Spain.
1559 Philip II of Spain and Henry II of France sign the peace of Cateau-Cambresis, ending a long series of wars between the Hapsburg and Valois dynasties.
1860 The Pony Express connects St. Joseph, Missouri and Sacramento, California.
1862 Slavery is abolished in Washington, D.C.
1865 Union forces occupy the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia.
1882 The American outlaw Jesse James is shot in the back and killed by his cousin, Bob Ford.
1910 Alaska's Mount McKinley, the highest mountain in North America is climbed.
1920 F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda Sayre are married at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City.
1936 Bruno Hauptmann, killer of the Lindbergh baby, is executed.
1942 The Japanese begin their all-out assault on the U.S. and Filipino troops at Bataan.
1944 The U.S. Supreme Court rules that black citizens are eligible to vote in all elections, including primaries.
1948 President Harry Truman signs Marshall Plan. It will revive war-torn Europe.
1966 Three-thousand South Vietnamese Army troops lead a protest against the Ky regime in Saigon.
1972 Charlie Chaplin returns to the United States after a twenty-year absence.
1984 Coach John Thompson of Georgetown University becomes the first African-American coach to win an NCAA basketball tournament.
More on the Pony Express
1860 – The first Pony Express mail simultaneously leaves St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California, carried by Henry Wallace riding west and John Roff riding east. During the 1,800-mile journey, the riders changed horses dozens of times, and on April 13 the westbound packet arrived in Sacramento, beating the eastbound packet's arrival in St. Joseph by two days. Operating on a semiweekly basis for nearly two years, the route followed a pioneer trail across the present-day states of Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and Nevada to California, carrying mail as well as some small freight for the young Wells Fargo Company. The Pony Express Company, a private enterprise, charged $5 for every half-ounce of mail. Although short-lived and unprofitable, the mail service captivated the American imagination and helped win federal aid for a more economical overland mail service. The Pony Express also contributed to the economy of the towns on its route and served the mail-service needs of the American West in the days before the telegraph or an efficient transcontinental railroad. Pony Express mail service was discontinued in October 1861.
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OPERATION COMMANDO HUNT Thanks to the Bear
Skip… For The List for the week beginning Monday, 1 April 2024 and ending Sunday, 7 April 2024… Bear🇺��⚓️🐻
OPERATION COMMANDO HUNT (1968-1972)…
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post of 23 June 2019… Two great Song Books of the Vietnam War: Lydia Fish and Joseph Tuso…
Thanks to Micro
To remind folks that these are from the Vietnam Air Losses site that Micro put together. You click on the url below and can read what happened each day to the aircraft and its crew. ……Skip
From Vietnam Air Losses site for "Wednesday 3 April
https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=509
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 Service members Killed in the Vietnam War
(This site was sent by a friend . 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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Thanks to the Bear for passing
Thanks to admiral Cox at NHHC
Subject: Passing of LCDR Louis A. Conter, USN (Ret.) - Last Survivor of USS ARIZONA (BB-39)
Fellow Flag Officers,
And then there were none...
It is with deep regret I inform you that U.S. Navy hero and USS ARIZONA survivor Lieutenant Commander Louis A. "Lou" Conter, U.S. Navy (Retired) passed away on 1 April 2024 at age 102. He was the last living survivor of the battleship USS ARIZONA (BB-39) during the attack on Pearl Harbor, 7 December 1941. Lou enlisted in 1939 and was a QM3 during the attack. After Pearl Harbor, he went to flight school and as an enlisted pilot flew 200 combat missions in "Black Cat" Catalina Flying Boats. He earned a Distinguished Flying Cross for his role in rescuing over 200 Australian Coast Watchers on New Guinea. He survived being shot down twice, once by the Japanese and once by a US Army Airforce fighter. He served as an Air Intelligence Officer on USS BON HOMME RICHARD's 1951 Korean War deployment, flying the AD Skyraider in 29 combat missions over North Korea before the Navy banned Intel Officers flying over enemy territory. He also established the US Navy's first Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) course and was instrumental in the development Navy's formal SERE School Program. Vice Admiral James Stockdale credited Lou with saving his life in Vietnam. Additional detail follows (written on his 100th birthday).
Born on 13 September 1921, Louis A. Conter enlisted in the U.S. Navy in November 1939. Following boot camp in San Diego, he reported to his first ship, battleship USS ARIZONA (BB-39) at Long Beach, California as an apprentice seaman. In March 1940, ARIZONA and the rest of the Battle Fleet were ordered to remain at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii following a major fleet exercise. Lou was a striker for the Quartermaster rate and was promoted to Quarter Master Third Class (QM3.) He was selected for the enlisted pilot training program and on 1 November 1941 received orders to return to the U.S. aboard SS LURLINE for flight training at Naval Air Station Pensacola. However, because ARIZONA was scheduled to return to Long Beach in December for an anti-aircraft weapons upgrade, Captain Van Valkenburgh (Commanding Officer USS ARIZONA) directed him to remain aboard ARIZONA for the transit back to save the Navy money. Lou was the helmsman when ARIZONA entered Pearl Harbor on 5 December 1941 following fleet battle training.
On the morning of 7 December, Lou had just reported to the Quarterdeck for duty as Quartermaster of the Watch when the first Japanese planes rolled in. As Captain Van Valkenburgh passed the Quarterdeck, he directed one QM2 to follow him to the bridge and he directed Lou to remain behind and secure the Quarterdeck. This was the difference between living and dying. Lou was on his way to the bridge when the fourth bomb to hit ARIZONA resulted in a catastrophic powder magazine explosion, that killed or mortally wounded 1,177 men (1,102 were never recovered.) Of those crewmen aboard the ship at the time, only 96 survived the explosion, (about 239 other crewmen were ashore.) During the attack, Lou rescued men from the flames, assisted in fighting fires and in evacuating the wounded. After the attack, he was assigned duty as a diver to go into the sunken ship to retrieve dead bodies until it was deemed too dangerous to continue that work.
Lou reported to Pensacola in January 1942 and completed flight training in November 1942 as a PBY-5 Catalina flying boat patrol bomber pilot. He reported to Patrol Squadron ELEVEN (VP-11) one of the first "Black Cat" squadrons, trained for night operations with planes painted entirely black with no markings. Deploying from Hawaii to Port Moresby, New Guinea and Western Australia, Lou would rack up 2,000 hours and 200 combat missions, mostly along the northern coast of New Guinea. In September 1943, his plane was hit by Japanese ground fire which set off the flares, forcing the burning plane to crash land in the water. He and the crew survived a day in the water fighting off sharks, before reaching the shore and hiding in the jungle until they were rescued by Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) men on a PT-boat.
Lou would be awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (for valor) for a series of dangerous below-tree-top level flights along the Sepik River (the opening in the jungle canopy not much wider than the river) to covertly rescue Australian Coastwatchers who had been trapped by a surprise landing by a Japanese division. Five PBY crews would ultimately rescue 219 Australians without loss. In November 1943, he received a battlefield commission to ensign. In December 1943, while attempting to rescue the crew of a U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) B-25 bomber, Lou's plane was shot down by one of the USAAF P-40 fighters performing RESCAP duty. Lou's nose gunner was killed, but the rest of the crew survived, and the B-25 crew was rescued.
After returning to the States, Lou was trained in the new F7F Tigercat twin engine carrier night fighter. The Tigercat had difficulty during carrier landing trials and Lou was reassigned to command the first U.S. Navy radio-controlled target drone unit (TDD 1.)
Released from active duty after the end of the war, Lou remained in the U.S. Naval Reserve. During periodic activations, he received training as an Air Intelligence Officer (AIO.) Upon the outbreak of the Korean War, he was recalled to active duty and received flight training in the AD Skyraider single engine attack bomber. He deployed to Korea as the Air Group AIO aboard USS BON HOMME RICHARD (CV-31) in May 1951. During this deployment, BON HOMME RICHARD lost 12 aircraft and seven pilots. Lou flew 29 combat missions in the Skyraider over North Korea until the Navy banned Intelligence Officers from flying over enemy territory. He then flew coastal missions in support of guerilla insertion and intelligence collection missions.
After the Korean War, Lou became the first USN officer to attend the U.S. Army Special Operations School at Fort Bragg. He was promoted to lieutenant commander on 1 February 1954. In 1955, Lou established the Navy's first Survival Evasion Resistance and Escape (SERE) course at Camp McCall near Fort Bragg. He was then instrumental in establishing formal Navy SERE Schools at Brunswick, Maine and North Island, San Diego, which subsequently moved to Camp Pendleton.
In 1958, in response to Congressional complaints about how tough the SERE school was, the Bureau of Personnel (Naval Aviation) sent Commander James Stockdale to go through the course and report back. Only Lou was informed of who he was and why he was there, and Stockdale went through the course treated the same as everyone else. Stockdale reported back that the course was the most demanding and challenging training he'd ever had, but also the best, and well worth it. After being released from North Vietnamese captivity in 1973, Captain Stockdale informed Lou that, "Without that training, I would have never lived through my seven and a half years in a POW camp."
Lou attended the U.S. Naval War College in 1958-59. During the late 1950's and 1960's, although still in the Naval Reserve, he was frequently activated to participate in sensitive clandestine intelligence collection and direct action missions, which he steadfastly refuses to discuss due to classification to this day. In unclassified assignments, in 1962 he was assigned to a special task force that recommended the establishment of the Defense Intelligence Agency. In 1963 he was part of a five-man team sent to Vietnam to conduct a comprehensive assessment; during a meeting with President Kennedy, the group advised that an escalation of the war was not in the best interest of the U.S. After establishing another SERE School in Hawaii, he retired as a lieutenant commander in December 1967 after 28 years of service. He then had a successful career in real estate development.
Lou Conter is one of only two living survivors who were assigned to USS ARIZONA on 7 December 1941. In December 2019, he was the speaker at the interment of Lauren Bruner's ashes aboard the ARIZONA, the last survivor to return to his shipmates. Lou has attended the memorial service at Pearl Harbor almost every year since 1991. Unable to go in 2020 due to Covid, he hopes to attend the 80th anniversary commemoration this year. At the age of 99, he wrote a book with authors Annete C. Hull and Warren R. Hull, "The Lou Conter Story: From USS ARIZONA Survivor to Unsung American Hero." Lou has devoted many years to ensuring that the memory of 2,403 Americans killed and 1,178 wounded during the attack on Pearl Harbor are note forgotten, and that the U.S. never be caught so unprepared again.
Remember Pearl Harbor.
Very respectfully,
Sam
Samuel J. Cox (SES)
RADM, USN (Ret)
Director of Naval History
Curator for the Navy
Director Naval History and Heritage Command
202-433-2210 (work) 202-571-213-9382 (govt cell)
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Thanks to John who makes what the NHHC provides and what it does so well. A new feature that we will have in the List weekly. After getting his email below I had to admit that I receive my own comeback copy in my junk box on occasion.
Skip
I am still getting the List, it just ends up in my Junk folder most times so I have to remember to go looking for it (you must have angered the Navy IT Gods at some point). Now that I know you are good with H-Grams, another good resource is my team's weekly Navy History Matters. We load it on the website every Tuesday. Here is a link to the most recent version: https://www.history.navy.mil/news-and-events/news/2024/nhm-040224.html
Navy History Matters
In the latest edition of Navy History Matters (April 2, 2024), USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG-58) after it hit an Iranian mine in 1988, and the release of two new NHHC articles—obsolete ratings and the forgotten bases of Ireland—are covered. In addition, read about the Navy's role in the popularity of baseball, and the first time a jet aircraft was used as a bomber.
John DeLuca
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From the List archives
A bit of USMC background
Thanks to Shadow and Lon
Folks,
Got this from Lon Getlin this P.M. Lon and I went through the F-4 RAG together. What I didn't know until recently was he had a "Grunt Tour" in Vietnam like I had, before reporting to Flight Training… and ironically he didn't know I had a Grunt Tour either. I guess we both were so focused on our new world of flying, we didn't notice. Anyway… he was a cool dude and well liked. Lon and I both correspond with Lancer and a short time ago he told me about his brother who was killed up by the DMZ on Operation Prairie III. In another quirk of fate, I was on the same Operation with 1/4 while his brother was in 1/9. Prairie III was multi-battalion operation. And a really tough fight. We were near Gio Linh and 1/9 was west of us near Con Thien. Our first night in the field we took over 500 rounds of incoming artillery from NVA 152 Battery located just north of the DMZ, directly on the border. It was the longest night of my life. Found out what living on a bullseye was like… bad juju! All of our company's were in constant contact with the NVA for over a week. It was tough sledding, lost a lot of fine men on that operation, Lon's brother was one of them.
For those that don't know… the Grunt Marine Corps has a very special symbiotic relationship between our Officers and Enlisted men. Unlike in an aviation squadron, where unless you were assigned to the Maintenance Department as your collateral duty; you had very little interaction between Officers and Enlisted unless they worked for you. You might recognize a face here and there, but seldom knew their names or background. In the Grunts, it was a totally different experience… you ate together, you slept next to each other… hell you even pissed and shit near each other… and you shared the same miserable existence together. You knew everyone's name in your platoon or company. And in the end… we often bled together too.
By tradition… Marine Corps Officers defer to their troops when it comes to chow, mail call and liberty. The men go first, Officers last. Know you Navy guys will find that hard to believe… but thats the way it was in the Grunts. The interaction and relationships were closer and far more personal. The troops relied on the Officers for leadership and the Officers relied on the men to win the fight. And they both risked their lives for each other. Many an Officer owed his life to an Enlisted Marine and Vice Versa. Anyway… you form bonds within the ranks that we seldom did in aviation.
Since leaving the Corps, Lon has devoted much of his life to remembering those who served and retained an unabiding desire to do something for those who served in the lower ranks. He finally set up a Foundation to help those who served and the offspring of the same. Lon is personally successful… his whole motivation is altruistic… this is a real Foundation, engaged in honorable work. I would encourage any of you with the means… to contact Lon and make a donation if you can spare it. I know he would appreciate it… and put it to a good cause.
All the Best, Shadow
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A cute one from the archivers
Thanks to Craig ... and Dr.Rich
To Be 8 again!
SO True!!
A man was sitting on the edge of the bed, watching his wife, who was looking at herself in the mirror. Since her birthday was not far off he asked what she'd like to have for her birthday.
'I'd like to be eight again', she replied, still looking in the mirror ..
On the morning of her Birthday, he arose early, made her a nice big bowl of Coco Pops, and then took her to Adventure World theme park. What a day! He put her on every ride in the park; the Death Slide, the Wall of Fear, the Screaming Roller Coaster, everything there was.
Five hours later they staggered out of the theme park. Her head was reeling and her stomach felt upside down. He then took her to a McDonald's where he ordered her a Happy Meal with extra fries and a chocolate shake.
Then it was off to a movie, popcorn, a soda pop, and her favorite candy, M&M's. What a fabulous adventure!
Finally she wobbled home with her husband and collapsed into bed exhausted.
He leaned over his wife with a big smile and lovingly asked, 'Well Dear, what was it like being eight again?
Her eyes slowly opened and her expression suddenly changed.
'I meant my dress size, you idiot!!!!'
The moral of the story: Even when a man is listening, he is gonna get it wrong.
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This Day in U S Military History April 3
1942 – The Japanese infantry stage a major offensive against Allied troops in Bataan, the peninsula guarding Manila Bay of the Philippine Islands. The invasion of the Japanese 14th Army, which began in December 1941 and was led by General Masaharu Homma, had already forced General Douglas MacArthur's troops from Manila, the Philippine capital, into Bataan, in part because of poor strategizing on MacArthur's part. By March, after MacArthur had left for Australia on President Roosevelt's orders and been replaced by Major General Edward P. King Jr., the American Luzon Force and its Filipino allies were half-starved and suffering from malnutrition, malaria, beriberi, dysentery, and hookworm. Homma, helped by reinforcements and an increase in artillery and aircraft activity, took advantage of the U.S. and Filipinos' weakened condition. The Japanese attack signaled the beginning of the end and would result, six days later, in the surrender of the largest number of U.S. troops in U.S. military history.
1945 – On Okinawa, Marines of the III Amphibious Corps continued to make good progress all along their front, clearing Zampa Misaki and seizing the Katchin Peninsula, thus effectively cutting the island in two. By this date (D+2), III AC elements had reached objectives thought originally to require 11 days to take. In Kamikaze attacks by Japanese planes, one escort carrier and other ships are hit. American artillery spotter planes begin operating from Kadena airfield.
1946 – Lt. General Masaharu Homma, the Japanese commander responsible for the Bataan Death March, was executed outside Manila in the Philippines.
1972 – The United States prepares hundreds of B-52s and fighter-bombers for possible air strikes to blunt the recently launched North Vietnamese invasion. The aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk was sent from the Philippines to join the carriers already off the coast of Vietnam and provide additional air support. This attack was the opening move of the North Vietnamese Nguyen Hue Offensive (later called the "Easter Offensive"), a massive invasion by North Vietnamese forces designed to strike the blow that would win them the war. The attacking force included 14 infantry divisions and 26 separate regiments, with more than 120,000 troops and approximately 1,200 tanks and other armored vehicles. The main North Vietnamese objectives, in addition to Quang Tri in the north, were Kontum in the Central Highlands, and An Loc farther to the south. North Vietnam had a number of reasons for launching the offensive: impressing the communist world and its own people with its determination; capitalizing on U.S. antiwar sentiment and possibly hurting President Richard Nixon's chances for re-election; proving that "Vietnamization" was a failure; damaging the South Vietnamese forces and government stability; gaining as much territory as possible before a possible truce; and accelerating negotiations on their own terms. Initially, the South Vietnamese defenders were almost overwhelmed, particularly in the northernmost provinces, where they abandoned their positions in Quang Tri and fled south in the face of the enemy onslaught. At Kontum and An Loc, the South Vietnamese were more successful in defending against the attacks, but only after weeks of bitter fighting. Although the defenders suffered heavy casualties, they managed to hold their own with the aid of U.S. advisors and American airpower. Fighting continued all over South Vietnam into the summer months, but eventually the South Vietnamese forces prevailed against the invaders and retook Quang Tri in September. With the communist invasion blunted, President Nixon declared that the South Vietnamese victory proved the viability of his Vietnamization program, instituted in 1969 to increase the combat capability of the South Vietnamese armed forces.
1981 – The Osborne 1, the first successful portable computer, is unveiled at the West Coast Computer Faire in San Francisco.
1996 – Ronald H. Brown, the U.S. secretary of commerce, is killed along with 32 other Americans when their U.S. Air Force plane crashes into a mountain near Dubrovnik, Croatia. Brown was leading a delegation of business executives to the former Yugoslavia to explore business opportunities that might help rebuild the war-torn region. Brown, born in Washington, D.C., in 1941, grew up in New York City's Harlem neighborhood, where he worked as a welfare caseworker before joining the U.S. Army. After holding positions in the National Urban League, an advocacy group for the renewal of inner cities, he became a member of the U.S. Supreme Court bar and served as chief counsel for the Senate Judiciary Committee. In 1989, he was elected chairman of the Democratic Party National Committee, becoming the first African American to hold the top position in a major political party in the United States. As chairman, Brown played a pivotal role in securing the 1992 election of Bill Clinton, the first Democratic president in 12 years. In 1993, Clinton appointed Brown to be the first African American secretary of commerce, a position he held until his death in 1996.
2003 – In the 16th day of Operation Iraqi Freedom US Marines and infantry moved with surprising speed toward Baghdad. Central Command said there was "increasing evidence" that Saddam Hussein's regime had lost control of its fighting forces. US troop casualty totaled: 51 dead, 16 missing and 7 captured. A power blackout in Baghdad coincided with heavy artillery fire. US forces attacked Saddam Int'l. Airport.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
BLICKENSDERFER, MILTON
Rank and organization: Corporal, Company E, 126th Ohio Infantry. Place and date: At Petersburg, Va., 3 April 1865. Entered service at: ——. Birth: Lancaster, Pa. Date of issue: 10 May 1865. Citation: Capture of flag.
BRANT, WILLIAM
Rank and organization: Lieutenant, Company B, 1st New Jersey Veteran Battalion. Place and date: At Petersburg, Va., 3 April 1865. Entered service at:——. Birth: Elizabeth, N.J. Date of issue: 10 May 1865. Citation: Capture of battle flag of 46th North Carolina (C.S.A.).
BRIGGS, ELIJAH A.
Rank and organization: Corporal, Company B, 2d Connecticut Heavy Artillery. Place and date: At Petersburg, Va., 3 April 1865. Entered service at: Salisbury, Conn. Birth: Salisbury, Conn. Date of issue: 10 May 1865. Citation: Capture of battle flag.
*WETZEL, WALTER C.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, 13th Infantry, 8th Infantry Division. Place and date: Birken, Germany, 3 April 1945. Entered service at: Roseville, Mich. Birth: Huntington, W. Va. G.O. No.: 21, 26 February 1946. Citation: Pfc. Wetzel, an acting squad leader with the Antitank Company of the 13th Infantry, was guarding his platoon's command post in a house at Birken, Germany, during the early morning hours of 3 April 1945, when he detected strong enemy forces moving in to attack. He ran into the house, alerted the occupants and immediately began defending the post against heavy automatic weapons fire coming from the hostile troops. Under cover of darkness the Germans forced their way close to the building where they hurled grenades, 2 of which landed in the room where Pfc. Wetzel and the others had taken up firing positions. Shouting a warning to his fellow soldiers, Pfc. Wetzel threw himself on the grenades and, as they exploded, absorbed their entire blast, suffering wounds from which he died. The supreme gallantry of Pfc. Wetzel saved his comrades from death or serious injury and made it possible for them to continue the defense of the command post and break the power of a dangerous local counterthrust by the enemy. His unhesitating sacrifice of his life was in keeping with the U.S. Army's highest traditions of bravery and heroism.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for April 3, 2021 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
3 April
1939: President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Public Law 18, or the National Defense Act of 1940. In that act, Congress authorized the Air Corps to expand to 48,000 personnel and 6,000 airplanes with a $300 million budget. It also authorized the training of Black pilots. (21)
1944: The Mediterranean Allied Air Force dispatched 375 B-17s and B-24s on the first heavy air attack against Budapest, Hungary. (4) (24)
1951: KOREAN WAR. A service test YH-19 helicopter assigned to the 3d Air Rescue Squadron picked up a downed F-51 pilot southeast of Pyongyang, receiving small arms fire during the sortie. (28)
1952: KOREAN WAR/ACE. In aerial combat, Capt Robert H. Moore, 336th Fighter-Interceptor, destroyed his fifth MiG to become an ace. (28)
1965: The first nuclear power system to be tested in space, the SNAP 10A, was successfully launched into orbit aboard an Atlas-Agena spacecraft. PAUL DOUMER BRIDGE. The first attempt to destroy the highway/rail bridge over the Song Ma River, a key feature of the supply line to the south, occurred, but the bridge remained standing until the US declared a bombing halt in 1968. The bridge became a symbol of North Vietnamese resistance, and remained a challenge to US fighter crews until May 1972. (17)
1967: CURTAIN RAISER. Through 7 April, SAC held its first missile combat competition. The 351 SMW at Whiteman AFB won the Blanchard Trophy for the best missile unit. (1) (6)
1969: Alvin Marks flew a Cessna 210 around the world from Sacramento and back. He completed the 23,356-mile journey in 13 days 8 hours 41 minutes. (9)
1979: TYPHOON MELI: Through 5 April, 2 C-141 Starlifter aircraft flew 21 tons of relief supplies from Howard AFB and Andersen AFB to Nandi IAP, Fiji Islands, after the typhoon battered the islands. (16) (18)
1996: A 76 AS CT-43 transport crashed near Dubrovnik, Croatia, and killed 35 people, including Commerce Secretary Ronald Brown. Brown was on an economic development mission to the former Yugoslavia. (26) .
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An epic tale from the archives
Thanks to Barrel I lived on a couple of bases that had the B-36. They made a certain sound that was unmistakable with 6 turning and 4 burning and you did not even have to look up to know what it was. On open house days my buddies and I would always get there as soon as we could and head to the B-36. We would climb in and start cranking each other from the front to the back gunner station on the little track with what was like one of those things that mechanics have to roll under cars on their backs. It would not take to long before someone would come along kick us out. But what fun Then we would head to the fighters. F-102, F-86D, F-89 etc skip
B-36 Ride to Hell....
Ah, back when engines were engines...Except for the four jets.
Aircraft Commander 1st Lt. Oliver Hildebrandt, Pilot 1st Lt. Walter Ross, and Co-pilot Captain Wilbur Evans, and a crew of thirteen took off from Carswell AFB in B-36B, 44-92035 of the 26th Bomb Squadron of the 7th Bomb Wing at 5:05 A.M. on November 22,1950. The planned 30-hour training mission consisted of air-to-air gunnery, bombing, simulated radar bombing, and navigational training.
Immediately after take-off, the #4 alternator would not stay in parallel with the other three alternators, so it was taken off-line and de-excited three minutes into the flight. About one minute after the #4 alternator was shut down, flames 8 to 12 feet long erupted from around the air plug of the number-one engine. The left scanner reported the flames to the pilot. Six minutes after take-off, the flight engineer shut down the number-one engine, feathered its propeller, and expended one of its Methyl bromide fire extinguishing bottles.
The mission continued on the power of the remaining five engines. 44-92035 cruised to the gunnery range on Matagorda Island at an altitude of 5,000 feet. It arrived at 7:00 A.M. and the gunners began practicing. Radar Observer S/Sgt. Ray Earl manned the tail turret. The charger for the right gun burned out, so he expended just half of his ammunition. Then the APG-3 radar for the tail turret started acting up, so S/Sgt. Earl secured the set.
Aircraft Commander 1st Lt. Oliver Hildebrandt noted that the vibration from firing the 20 mm cannons increased significantly during the fourth gunnery pass. Immediately afterward, radar operator Captain James Yeingst notified Hildebrandt that the APQ-24 radar set blew up and was smoking. Vibration from the firing of the guns was causing shorting between the internal components of the radar. Then the liaison transmitter failed as well.
The cannons in the left forward upper turret and the left rear upper turret stopped firing. The gunners attempted to retract the gun turrets, but the failed turrets would not retract. Gunner S/Sgt. Fred Boyd entered the turret bay, but other problems began to take precedence over the stuck turrets. Boyd was called out of the bay before he could manually crank the turret down.
At 7:31 A.M. the number-three engine suffered an internal failure. The torque pressure fell to zero. The manifold pressure dropped to atmospheric pressure. The fuel flow dropped off, and the flight engineer could not stabilize the engine speed. The pilot shut down the number-three engine and feathered its propeller. The B-36B had only one operating engine on the left wing, so the pilot aborted the remainder of the training mission and set course for Kelly Air Force Base.
Flight engineer Captain Samuel Baker retarded the spark, set the mixture controls to "normal", and set the engine RPM's to 2,500 to increase the power from the remaining engines. Unknown to Captain Baker, the vibration from the guns had disabled the electrical systems controlling the spark settings and fuel mixture. He immediately discovered that the turbo control knobs no longer affected the manifold pressure.
The B-36B could not maintain its airspeed on the power of the four remaining engines. It descended about 1,000 feet and its airspeed bled off to 135 miles per hour. The pilot called for more power. The flight engineer attempted to increase engine speed to 2,650 RPM and enrich the fuel mixture, but got no response from the engines except for severe backfiring. The fuel mixture indicators for all of the engines indicated lean. The second flight engineer, M/Sgt. Edward Farcas, checked the electrical fuse panel. Although the fuses appeared to be intact, he replaced the master turbo fuse and all of the individual turbo fuses. He noticed that the turbo-amplifiers and mixture amplifiers were all cooler than normal. He climbed into the bomb bay to check the aircraft power panels and fuses, but could not find any problem there.
Kelly Air Force Base had a cloud overcast at just 300 feet and the visibility was restricted to two miles. The weather at Bergstrom Air Force Base not as bad, with scattered clouds at 1,000 feet, broken clouds at 2,000 feet and 10 miles visibility. Carswell Air Force Base was clear with 10 miles visibility, but it was 155 miles farther away than Bergstrom. Air traffic control cleared all airspace below 4,000 feet ahead of the crippled B-36B. Aircraft Commander Hildebrandt was flying on instruments in thick clouds.
The poor weather at Kelly Air Force Base convinced Hildebrandt to change course from Kelly to Carswell Air Force Base, passing by Bergstrom Air Force Base on the way in case the airplane could not make it to Carswell. Bombardier Captain Robert Nelson made two attempts to salvo the 1,500 pounds of practice bombs in the rear bomb bay, but the bomb bay doors would not open by automatic or manual control, or emergency procedure.
There was no way to dump fuel to reduce the weight of the B-36B. The flight engineers resorted to holding down the switches used to prime the fuel system in an attempt to increase fuel flow to the engines. M/Sgt. Edward Farcas held down the prime switches for the number-two and number-four engines while Captain Baker held down the prime switch for the number-five engine and operated the flight engineer's panel. The configuration of the switches did not allow them to prime the number-five engine and the number-six engine at the same time.
The high power demand coupled with the lean fuel mixture made the cylinder head temperatures of the engines climb to 295 degrees C. Flight engineer Baker jockeyed the throttles, decreasing the throttle setting of the engine with the highest cylinder head temperature until another engine grew even hotter. The high temperature caused the gasoline/air mixture in the cylinders to detonate before the pistons reached top dead center, diminishing power and damaging the engines.
Despite the critical situation with the engines, Aircraft Commander Hildebrandt decided to continue past Bergstrom Air Force Base to Carswell. Bergstrom was overcast and its runway was only 6,000 feet long. Carswell offered a much longer runway. By the time the B-36B reached Cleburne , the backfiring on all engines increased in violence. The number-2, number-5, and number-6 engines were running at 70% power and the number-4 engine was producing only 20% power. The airspeed had dropped off to 130 miles per hour.
Aircraft Commander Hildebrandt attempted to restart the number-one engine, the one that had spouted flames on take-off, but fuel was not getting to its induction system. He tried to restart the number-three engine, but could not unfeather the propeller on that engine. As the bomber passed to the west of Cleburne , the right scanner reported dense white smoke, oil, and metal particles coming from the number-five engine.
After a short while the number-five engine lost power, and Aircraft Commander Hildebrandt feathered the propeller on that engine while still twenty-one miles from Carswell Air Force Base. The B-36B could not stay airborne on the power of the three remaining failing engines. It was flying at just 125 miles per hour, seven miles per hour above the stall speed, losing both altitude and airspeed. Howard McCullough and W. Boeten were flying Civil Aeronautics Authority DC-3 N342 near Cleburne . They were notified by Meacham Tower to be on the lookout for 44-92035. They spotted it about five miles south of Cleburne . They observed that the number-one and number-three propellers were feathered and the number-five engine was on fire. They turned to follow the descending bomber. Aircraft Commander Hildebrandt ordered the crew to bail out of the stricken bomber.
Bombardier Captain Robert Nelson had bailed out of airplanes on two previous occasions. He had crash landed twice and ditched once. He was the first man to bail out from the forward crew compartment. He suffered contusions of his lower spine when he landed.
Radar Operator Captain James Yeingst responded to stress with laughter and jokes. He was a bit giddy before the bailout. He was the second man to exit from the forward crew compartment. His parachute streamed after he pulled the rip cord. He passed Captain Nelson going down. Captain Yeingst's parachute mushroomed open just before he hit the ground, but he suffered fatal injuries.
Co-pilot Captain Wilbur Evans was the third man to exit from the forward crew compartment. He had bailed out of airplanes twice before and crash landed several times during WW-II. This time he broke both bones in his lower right leg when he landed.
Navigator Captain Horace Stewart had previously tried to get off flying status because he felt that the B-36 was too dangerous. It is reported that during the hour before bailout, he was tense, nervous, and chain-smoking. He was the fourth man to bail out from the forward crew compartment. He pulled his rip cord right as he exited the forward escape hatch on the left side of the fuselage. His parachute opened and pulled him toward the number three propeller. His head hit the downward pointing blade of the propeller, killing him instantly.
Radio Operator Cpl. Paul Myers followed Captain Stewart out the escape hatch. Myers landed with minor injuries. Flight Engineer M/Sgt. Edward Farcas jumped head first through the exit hatch of the forward crew compartment right after Cpl. Myers. His parachute did not open when he pulled the rip cord. He pulled the parachute out of its pack with his hands and landed with only minor injuries.
Radar Mechanic Robert Gianerakis and Flight Engineer Captain Samuel Baker were the next to escape from the forward compartment. Both landed with only minor injuries. Radio Operator Sgt. Armando Villareal bailed out after Captain Baker. Villareal did not trust his parachute to open, so he pulled the rip cord while he was still in the forward crew compartment. He held his parachute in his arms as he jumped feet first through the escape hatch. Despite his unorthodox method of escape, he landed with only minor injuries.
Pilot 1st Lt. Walter Ross was the next to last to leave the forward compartment. He landed with only minor injuries. Gunner S/Sgt. Andrew Byrne and Radar Observer S/Sgt. Ray Earl were the first two crew members to bail out of the rear crew compartment. Both landed with only minor injuries. Gunner Cpl. Calvin Martin was the third man to exit the rear crew compartment. He was swinging under his parachute as he hit the ground. He broke his right ankle as he landed. He fell backward onto a rock, fracturing his third lumbar vertebra and compressing his tailbone. Gunner S/Sgt. Ronald Williams followed Cpl. Martin out the rear escape hatch. He landed with only minor injuries. Gunner S/Sgt. Fred Boyd was the last man to exit the rear crew compartment. He called to Aircraft Commander Hildebrandt over the intercom to let him know that everyone had escaped from the aft compartment. When he turned back to the exit hatch, it had fallen shut. He had to open the hatch again to make his escape. He broke the fibula of his left leg when he landed farther to the north than the other crew members.
After S/Sgt. Boyd reported that all other crew members had bailed out of the rear compartment, Aircraft Commander Hildebrandt set the autopilot and jumped clear when the bomber was less than 1,000 feet above the ground. He and nine other crew members escaped from the B-36B with only minor injuries. When McCullough and Boeten in DC-3, N342 saw the parachutes of the escaping crew members, they announced the bail-out on the emergency frequency of 121.25 megacycles.
Each report of Emergency Parachute Jump indicates that the incident occurred 20 miles south southeast of Carswell Air Force Base. The descent of the B-36B was witnessed by Mr. Buck Bell and his wife, who lived about 5 to 7 miles southwest of Crowley, Texas. Mr. Bell saw the crew members parachuting from the bomber, but did not see it hit the ground about one mile north of his house. Mr. James Bandy and his wife were on the road to Cleburne about 4 miles from their house on Route 1 near Joshua when they spotted the B-36B trailing smoke, flying in a nose-high attitude. They saw it hit the ground in a level attitude, raising a cloud of dust.
The B-36B descended straight ahead in a nose-high attitude for a mile after Aircraft Commander Hildebrandt bailed out. It stalled, pitched nose down, and impacted in a terraced field on Les Armstrong's Dairy, 14 miles south of Carswell Air Force Base, 2 miles west of the South leg FTW range, and six miles west of Crowley at 9:50 in the morning. The forward crew compartment separated and folded underneath the rest of the fuselage. The tail section broke off, and the rear crew compartment came away from the mid-fuselage as the wreckage slid 850 feet along the ground and twisted to the right.
The rear sections of the airplane remained largely intact. The elevation at the crash site was approximately 700 feet. Mr. W. Doggett witnessed the bail-out and crash from his home on Route 1 near Joshua. The B-36B impacted about 2-1/2 miles north of his house. He drove to the crash site in his pickup truck and helped the surviving crew members to regroup.
Four minutes after the crash, McCullough and Boeten in DC-3, N342 reported that two Navy aircraft were circling the wreckage. The wreckage smoldered for about eight minutes before a fire broke out in the number-six engine. The 15,000 gallons of remaining fuel consumed the forward fuselage and wings. The civilians and crew members were driven away from the crash site by exploding ammunition and the knowledge of the presence of 1,500 pounds of bombs aboard the airplane.
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