To All,
Good Friday Morning May 3 .Overcast skies and drizzle this morning but we had a great Bubba Breakfast this morning. After almost 4 hours of mat work at clasess last night I was wiped out and I slept through the first alarm but wife and Mac got me going and we still made it on time. The weather guessers still say that it should be clearing and the sun coming out around 11 or so but I have my doubts.
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 May 3
1777 During the American Revolution, the Continental lugger Surprise, led by Capt. Gustavus Conyngham, captures the British mail packet Prince of Orange and the brig Joseph in the North Sea.
1942 USS Spearfish (SS 190) evacuates naval and military officers, including nurses, from Corregidor before surrendering island to Japan.
1949 The U.S. Navy executes its first firing of a high altitude Viking rocket at White Sands, N.M.
1975 USS Nimitz (CVN 68) is commissioned at Naval Station Norfolk, Va. Only America can make a machine like this, notes President Gerald R. Ford about the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. There is nothing like her in the world.
1980 USS Peleliu (LHA 5) is commissioned in Pascagoula, Miss. She is the final Tarawa-class amphibious assault ship built and the first to be named in honor of the battles fought in the Palau Islands.
2008 USS North Carolina (SSN 777) is commissioned at Port of Wilmington, N.C., before sailing for its homeport of Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Conn.
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Today in World History May 3
495 Pope Gelasius asserts that his authority is superior to Emperor Anastasius.
1568 French forces in Florida slaughter hundreds of Spanish.
1855 Macon B. Allen becomes the first African American to be admitted to the Bar in Massachusetts.
1859 France declares war on Austria.
1863 The Battle of Chancellorsville rages for a second day.
1865 President Abraham Lincoln's funeral train arrives in Springfield, Illinois.
1926 U.S. Marines land in Nicaragua.
1952 The first airplane lands at the geographic North Pole.
1968 After three days of battle, the U.S. Marines retake Dai Do complex in Vietnam, only to find the North Vietnamese have evacuated the area.
1971 James Earl Ray, Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassin, is caught in a jail break attempt.
1979 Margaret Thatcher becomes the first woman prime minister of Great Britain.
1982 A British submarine sinks Argentina's only cruiser during the Falkland Islands War.
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The battle of the Coral Sea
1942 – The first day of the first modern naval engagement in history, called the Battle of the Coral Sea, a Japanese invasion force succeeds in occupying Tulagi of the Solomon Islands in an expansion of Japan's defensive perimeter. The United States, having broken Japan's secret war code and forewarned of an impending invasion of Tulagi and Port Moresby, attempted to intercept the Japanese armada. Four days of battles between Japanese and American aircraft carriers resulted in 70 Japanese and 66 American warplanes destroyed. This confrontation, called the Battle of the Coral Sea, marked the first air-naval battle in history, as none of the carriers fired at each other, allowing the planes taking off from their decks to do the battling. Among the casualties was the American carrier Lexington; "the Blue Ghost" (so-called because it was not camouflaged like other carriers) suffered such extensive aerial damage that it had to be sunk by its own crew. Two hundred sixteen Lexington crewmen died as a result of the Japanese aerial bombardment. Although Japan would go on to occupy all of the Solomon Islands, its victory was a Pyrrhic one: The cost in experienced pilots and aircraft carriers was so great that Japan had to cancel its expedition to Port Moresby, Papua, as well as other South Pacific targets.
More to come later
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OPERATION COMMANDO HUNT Thanks to the Bear
Skip… For The List for the week beginning Monday, 29 April 2024 through Sunday, 5 May 2024… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION COMMANDO HUNT (1968-1972)
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 28 April 1969… JFK to Cronkite in September 1963: It is their war to win or lose. We can provide advisors but they must do the fighting. And then JFK, LBJ and Nixon sent more than 2-million Americans to fight an 11-year land war in Southeast Asia. 58,400 men and eight women didn't come home.
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. .
From Vietnam Air Losses site for "for 3 May .
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3: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=2862
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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Worth the Repeat
Thanks to Richard YaHoo
Subject: Budapest Air Show
The helicopter shots are unreal. The FAA would never allow an air show like this in the United States. Great views of a beautiful city
https://www.youtube.com/embed/0px9HFIVYjY?feature=player_embedded
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15 Amazing Facts About the Earth, Explained
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From the upright-walking Australopithecus afarensis to the Tik-Toking Zoomer, we all have one thing in common — we're from Earth, the third rock from the sun. All recorded (and unrecorded) history has taken place on Earth's surface, and our very bodies are molded to its particular blend of atmospheric gases, its constant gravitational pull, and its temperature-perfect distance from the sun. These 15 facts will make you appreciate the Earth more than ever, and maybe even make you feel a little bit of pride in being called an Earthling.
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The Earth Isn't a Perfect Sphere
If you had to make a model of the solar system in an elementary science class, your nine planets (or eight, depending on your age) were likely perfect foam spheres. While that's a pretty good approximation, it's not entirely accurate. The Earth is actually an irregularly shaped ellipsoid — its middle bulges due to the centrifugal force of its constant rotation. Scientists have determined that the Earth's sea level is actually about 13 miles farther from its center at the equator than at the poles. Plus, the Earth's shape is constantly changing.
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One Day on Earth Wasn't Always 24 Hours Long
When Homo sapiens began walking the Earth some 400,000 years ago, a day was basically 24 hours long — but that hasn't always been the case. Scientists from Kyoto University estimate that when the moon first formed a few billion years ago, it spun around the Earth at a much closer distance than it does today, which affected the Earth's own rotation. By their calculations, when life first appeared 3.6 billion years ago, an Earth day (one full rotation of the planet) was only 12 hours long. As the moon slowly distanced itself from Earth, the days grew longer, lasting 18 hours around the emergence of photosynthesis and 23 hours when multicellular life first took form. Research in 2021 discovered that the Earth is now spinning ever-so-slightly faster than it was 50 years ago, a major headache for physicists, astronomers, and computer programmers everywhere.
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Earth May Have Once Been a Giant Snowball
The Earth has experienced plenty of ice ages throughout its existence, with the most recent reaching its apex 20,000 years ago. But none of these world-changing cold snaps were quite like the Cryogenian Period, when some scientists believe the Earth froze over to the point where there was ice near the equator, a phenomenon known as "Snowball Earth." Studies have shown that during this period Earth experienced a runaway temperature effect as ice sheets reflected sunlight before it could warm the ground, which in turn created more ice … which in turn created more surface area to reflect incoming sunlight.
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100 Lightning Bolts Strike Earth Every Second on Average
The Earth's atmosphere is filled with electricity. Every second, 100 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes hit the Earth. Considering that most lightning only takes place in clouds and never hits the ground, that makes the Earth quite an electrifying place. Lightning happens because air in clouds acts as an insulator between positive and negative charges that exist within clouds and between clouds and the ground. When these opposite charges build up enough, the air can no longer insulate and breaks down — a phenomenon we experience as lightning. To add even more drama, lightning traveling at 200,000,000 mph superheats the surrounding air to 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit — that's nearly five times hotter than the surface of the sun — but only for a fraction of a second. This intense heat causes air to expand and vibrate, creating thunder. But while lightning is indeed common, only one out of every 5,000 Americans will be struck by it during their lifetime.
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The Earth's Surface Is "Recycled" Every 500 Million Years
Approximately every 27 days, humans replace their skin, and the Earth undergoes a similar process — it just takes 500 million years. As tectonic plates ram into each other, creating what's called subduction zones (the Ring of Fire volcanic chain, for example, is a series of subduction zones bordering the Pacific Plate), the plates dip below lighter continental plates. The subducted rock is heated into magma and becomes future lava plumes forming new land masses. Scientists used to believe that this process took nearly 2 billion years to complete, but new analysis of basaltic lava on Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii proves that Earth recycles its "skin" in about a quarter of that time, or every 500 million years.
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The Earth's Core Is as Hot as the Sun's Surface
The core of the Earth contains two parts. First is the inner core, essentially a dense ball of iron with a radius of 758 miles that's under incredible pressures of 3.6 million atmospheres — about 360 million times more pressure than on the Earth's surface. Although the temperature far exceeds the heat required to turn iron into molten goo, this intense pressure keeps the iron from melting. Second is the liquid outer core, which separates the inner core from the mantle. Using x-rays to determine the melting point of iron at various atmospheric pressures, scientists discovered that the boundary between the inner and outer cores is in the ballpark of 10,800 degrees Fahrenheit — a little hotter than the surface of the sun. Of course, comparing core to core, the sun scorches the competition at 27 million degrees Fahrenheit, making the Earth's core feel comparatively temperate.
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The Earth Is 10,000 Times Older Than Humans
Some 4.5 billion years ago, gravity attracted various space gases and dust to form the Earth, kickstarting the Hadean eon. This eon is fittingly named after Hades, the Greek god of the underworld, because of the hellish 600 million years of hard work required to form the Earth's crust. From there, it took another 300 million for microbial life to show up, another 3.2 billion years for life to take off thanks to the Cambrian explosion, and yet another 525 million years or so for a particular ape-like species to walk upright. A few million years after this ancient ancestor, the first modern humans began populating the planet some 400,000 years ago. All told, that makes Earth more than 10,000 times older than humans.
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The Remnants of an Ancient Planet Might Be Buried Inside the Earth
The Earth's birth some 4.6 billion years ago was a pretty raucous one. Scientists refer to Earth's first 600 million years as the "Hadean Eon," a reference to the fact that the planet was little more than a quagmire of molten rock at the time. During this stretch of years, the Earth was also constantly bombarded by planetesimals (small bodies of rock or ice) that existed in the sun's protoplanetary disk — a dense field of gas, dust, and rock that orbits newly formed stars. One of the biggest of these celestial bodies was a Mars-sized protoplanet named Theia, which scientists theorize smashed into Earth only 30 million to 100 million years after the solar system's formation. The resulting collision was so cataclysmic that the debris ejected into space formed Earth's moon (possibly in a matter of hours). In 2021, a geologic survey uncovered mysterious rocks at the base of the planet's mantle, suggesting that remnants of this ancient run-in might still be found within the Earth itself.
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The Driest Place on Earth Hasn't Seen Rain for 2 Million Years
Today, impressive deserts like the Sahara, Mojave, Atacama, and Gobi dot Earth's surface — but none compares to the McMurdo Dry Valleys. Named after Scottish polar explorer Archibald McMurdo, this impressively dry landscape is found in Antarctica, which is technically the largest desert in the world due to its immensely arid conditions and lack of liquid water. But even in this punishing environment, the McMurdo Dry Valleys stand alone, as they haven't seen a drop of rain in more than 2 million years. Yes, million.
This extreme dryness is because of a meteorological phenomenon known as katabatic winds, which pull heavy, moisture-filled air down and away from these particular valleys. This creates an incredibly dry landscape filled with mostly rocks and photosynthetic bacteria. Because of these parched conditions, scientists consider the McMurdo Dry Valleys the closest imitation of the Martian surface found on Earth.
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Certain Areas of Earth Experience Gravity Differently
From our perspective on Earth, gravity feels like an indelible constant. However, gravity is just a calculation between mass and distance, so once you leave the familiar cosmological confines of Earth, gravity can vary widely from planet to planet, star to star, or basically anything with significant amounts of mass. But you don't have to leave Earth to experience this for yourself. The Hudson Bay region in northeastern Canada experiences some of the weakest levels of gravity on Earth. This doesn't mean Canadians are moonwalking their way to the grocery store, but residents of the area do weigh one-tenth of an ounce less than they would if they lived elsewhere.
This gravitational anomaly actually has two causes. The first is what's known as mantle convection, when super-hot magma moves continuously under the Earth's crust in a circular motion, causing certain areas to sink slightly. One of these sinking regions, which are known as subduction zones, occurs directly beneath the Hudson Bay region, which makes up for more than half of the area's "missing gravity."
The other cause dates back to the last ice age. As massive, 2-mile-thick ice sheets retreated from what is now Hudson Bay, they left giant impressions of condensed rock in their wake (causing less mass). Scientists say gravity is slowly returning to normal levels in Hudson Bay as the rock rebounds at about half-an-inch per year, but residents still have 5,000 years or so to experience their gravity-induced weight loss.
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The Highest Point From the Earth's Center Isn't Everest
What is the world's tallest mountain? The answer is actually deviously complicated. Most people likely think it's Sagarmatha, otherwise known as Mount Everest, and in a way, they're not wrong. At 29,032 feet tall, the Himalayan giant is the highest point above global mean sea level. But then there's Hawaii's Mauna Kea, a mountain that stands some 33,500 feet but with more than half of its rocky stature hidden below the surface of the Pacific. And there is a third contender, and it's a mountain that few people could even point out on a map. Ecuador's Mount Chimborazo isn't anything special — in fact, it's only the 39th tallest peak in the Andes. But Chimborazo has a secret geographic advantage in the form of Earth's equatorial bulge. The Earth isn't a perfect sphere (see above) and because of its natural centrifugal bulge around its waistline, this relatively inconspicuous mountain is actually the highest terrestrial point from the center of the Earth — a full 2,072 meters (nearly 6,800 feet) higher than its Himalayan competition.
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Pangea Is Only the Latest of Many Past Supercontinents
Look at a world map today, and the continents appear like pieces belonging to an ancient puzzle long disassembled — and that's basically true. Starting some 200 million years ago, the supercontinent known as Pangea (surrounded by a global ocean called Panthalassa) began to break apart until this slow but steady dance concluded with the seven distinct continents we know today. However, Pangea is really only the latest supercontinent in Earth's history. In fact, the Earth's landmasses have been crashing into one another, separating, and crashing into one another again basically since the Earth's formation. Previous supercontinents include Gondwana and Laurasia, which actually collided to form Pangea in the first place, as well as Pannotia, Rodinia, and Nuna, to name only a few. Just as Pangea isn't the only supercontinent in Earth's history, it also won't be the last. In 200 million years, the Earth will form a new supercontinent, which scientists call Amasia (a portmanteau of America and Asia) as the Pacific Ocean continues to shrink about an inch every year, making the slow continental collision inevitable.
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Antarctica Used To Be as Warm as Italy
While Earth has certainly experienced some cold moments (see above), it's run a fever more than a couple of times. One of those hot spells came during the Cretaceous Period some 90 million years ago, which made the icy snowscape we know as Antarctica a temperate rainforest filled with dino fauna and hothouse flora. Much like today's anthropogenic climate change, Earth was so warm back in the dino days because of increased carbon dioxide levels, likely originating from massive outpourings of lava around the globe. During this time, sea surface temperatures in the tropics were nearly hot-tub hot at 95 degrees Fahrenheit, and Antarctica enjoyed a climate similar to that of modern Italy. Although Antarctica began cooling after hitting this high temperature mark, it still hosted life well into the Eocene Epoch (55 million to 34 million years ago) and even served as a land bridge for ancient marsupials to migrate from South America into modern-day Australia.
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The Earth Is Only One Out of Trillions of Planets in the Milky Way…
The Earth is an incredible place filled with millions of fascinating animals, amazing biomes, and awe-inspiring landscapes, but it's just one pale blue dot among a sea of planets spread across the Milky Way. By some estimates, our galaxy contains trillions of planets orbiting at least 100 billion stars (not to mention the estimated trillions of rogue planets that are wandering the galaxy without a host star). Despite this estimated abundance of planets, scientists have only confirmed the existence of little more than 5,000 or so exoplanets, a large portion of which are roughly the same size as Earth. The closest of these Earth-like candidates is Proxima Centauri B, which is located only 4 light-years away (or about 24 trillion miles). Although this planet is about 1.27 times as massive as our Earth, its orbital period is only 11 days and its surface is likely bathed in the UV radiation from its red dwarf star, making Earth's closest exoplanet neighbor a poor candidate for supporting life.
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Earth Is the Only Known Planet That Supports Life
Maybe the most amazing fact about Earth is that it's the only planet we know that supports life at all. A lot of things had to go right for this to be possible. For one, it's perfectly distanced from the sun in what scientists call "the Goldilocks zone," because it's not too hot but also not too cold (most life has a tough time living in temperature extremes). The Earth is also protected from solar radiation thanks to its magnetic field, and kept warm by an insulating blanket we call the atmosphere. And most importantly, it has the right building blocks for life — mainly water and carbon.
While this is Earth's most distinguishing feature among all the known planets, moons, and exoplanets, it might not always be an outlier. Scientists have classified some exoplanets as "superhabitable," meaning they have conditions greater than Earth's for supporting life. Even places like Enceladus, a moon of Saturn, or Europa, a moon of Jupiter, could possibly be hiding life somewhere on its surface or in its oceans. For now, Earth is the lone world teeming with life that we know of — and we couldn't ask for a better one.
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From the archives
. Thanks to Dick…Another look at it
Subject: FW: Real Flying !
Ed Chadwick who long ago was a member of CACC at the old clubhouse PDX. He's a naval aviator of my vintage. Roger Smith
The view from the cockpit! What a lesson in coordination!
Four Hands, Four feet, and six eyes - all working as one! WOW !!!
The old company, Bombardier Aerospace, makes these. They don't "motor around" to fill the tanks---they touch down at approach speed, open the fill scoops, add lots of power, and the tanks fill in seconds.
There's one scene in the film where you can see the two tank level gauges rapidly go up. The other neat thing is watching the magnitude of the flight control inputs, especially aileron, as they are maneuvering down low---sometimes the pilot is literally going stop to stop.
Real flying... Where do I sign up!!!
https://player.vimeo.com/video/48642618
Hoser would have loved this one
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Thanks to Captain Billy. What a great story of survival in the air. From one problem to another.
Rich,
KJAC June 6, circa 1978,
Our Frontier Convair 580 left Denver on a blustery June 6th with a full passenger load, and a crew of three. Our first stop was West Yellowstone, (WYS) Montana where we landed without incident.
The next leg to Jackson Hole (JAC) was scheduled as a 26-minute flight. First officer Jeff Benger was flying. At Flight Level one eight zero we encountered some unusual weather for this time of the year (JUNE). It was snowing heavily with strong winds and rime ice building. Of course none of this weather was in the forecast.
When we leveled off our compressor failed illuminating a red warning light. We disconnected the compressor, which resulted in losing our pressurization. Upon descent to our minimum enroute altitude (MEA) of 11,300 feet, we found ourselves smack-dab in a raging snowstorm. It was a wet snow and we were picking up moderate rime ice. It was then that we discovered the de-icing and anti-icing systems were not working on the left side. A mechanic on board the jump seat was of no help. Nothing he tried (resetting circuit breakers) worked to correct the problem. So, the ice build-up on the left side continued. By the time we landed, our mechanic's smiles had turned somber and his eyes were glazed over. He took the bus back to Denver vowing never to fly again! True!!
We checked the weather and JAC was the best option plus they had an instrument landing system (ILS). Frontier's propeller driven airplanes did not have autopilots. None! As many as 21 landings a day were scheduled at one point and all were hand flown.
We flew an easterly heading from WYS to JAC until past the northern tip of the Teton Range; where we picked up the JAC localizer and tracked it inbound to Runway 18. As we intercepted the ILS our fire-warning bell sounded, accompanied by a very bright red light in the #3 zone. There was no way to ascertain if a fire existed until later. So, we followed company procedures.
The number two engine was shut down and we checked to see that the prop feathered. This is hugely important in the 580 with four wide high-drag propeller blades. The fire bottle was discharged; hopefully, extinguishing the fire, if there really was one.
Hmmmm! Now we are single engine in a fully loaded airplane with a clean wing on the right side and ice build-up on the left. To acerbate the consternation for our passengers, the left prop kept tossing chunks of ice against the fuselage, which had to be disconcerting with the loud smacking sounds."
We declared an emergency with ATC, and I briefed the passengers. I called JAC station to let them know where we were and to get a weather update. Oh, oh! We were informed that the weather in JAC was coming down below minimums. A 300' ceiling!
There was two inches of slush on the runway and the wind was gusting off our left at 20-22 knots. Sally Douglas, our flight attendant called to say her cabin was ready and the passengers had been briefed. Sally remained calm, cool and professional.
Down the chute (ILS approach) we came knowing there was but one chance to make the runway. No way we could go-around. We had to land! I had by now assumed control with Jeff working through the checklist.
Our luck changed and we saw the runway as we crossed the approach end just 50′ above. The emergency truck operator said there was no evidence of fire, so they followed us to the gate. With several inches of slush prop reverse was not needed. However, steering in the muck on one engine, with a lot of wind, presented a bit of a challenge.
After the maintenance crew evaluated the problems we experienced, it was determined that the anti-ice valves were stuck and needed service as did the compressor which had run out of lubricating oil.
As for the fire bottles failure, a small pin, that was supposed to pop up and illuminate the supply light, was corroded just enough to prevent normal operation. Apparently, a fire warning system loop loosened putting it too close to the very hot turbine section creating a false fire warning !
If I had asked Sally, I would have known that the fire bottles did, in fact, discharge. The two shotgun shells to activate the bottles below deck located under her seat sounded like a cannon & scared the bejesus out of her when they fired! Then she went back to her normal calm and cool demeanor. Looking back, given the same set of circumstances, I would have done it that way again. …except I would have warned Sally!
Frontier, in its day, was a wonderful little airline. All of we employees were proud to have played a role in its success. Frontier had an excellent maintenance record with few incidents in their 40 year history with only one passenger fatality. Deregulation changed all that, and in 1986 the little airline that was too tough to die, ran out of steam and became a part of airline history.
So, Rich, the white stuff on your roof is no surprise to me…
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Sent from the apex of a Stearman loop 🙄
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. The Bomb That Changed the Course of the War
On 8 May 1942, 24 SBD Dauntless dive bombers from USS Yorktown (CV-5) commenced an attack on the Japanese fleet carrier IJN Shokaku in the Coral Sea. As each bomber nosed over in near-vertical dives from 18,000 feet on the wildly maneuvering Shokaku, their windscreens and bomb sights fogged over so badly during the descent that the U.S. pilots were blinded, forced to release their bombs "by memory." Although one bomb hit the Shokaku very near the bow and started a serious fire, one bomb after another missed. Finally one SBD, piloted by Lieutenant John Powers (U.S. Naval Academy '35), his wing on fire after being hit by canon fire from a Japanese Zero fighter, pressed his dive well below the standard minimum pull-up altitude. Power's bomb hit Shokaku nearly dead center and caused horrific and nearly fatal damage, starting massive fires and killing over 100 Japanese sailors. Unable to pull up in time, Powers flew through the frag pattern of his own bomb and crashed alongside the Shokaku. Although 15 dive bombers off the USS Lexington (CV-2) would later manage to hit the Shokaku with one more bomb, it was Power's bomb that knocked Shokaku out of action for the rest of the battle, leaving her unable to recover aircraft, and with damage so severe that she was unable to participate in the critical and decisive Battle of Midway one month later, where her presence could have easily turned that battle into a catastrophic defeat for the United States. By the sacrifice of his life and that of his radioman-gunner (Radioman Second Class Everett Clyde Hill), Powers quite likely prevented the loss of the Yorktown at the Battle of the Coral Sea and changed the outcome of two of the most important battles of World War II. For his valor, Powers was awarded the Medal of Honor, posthumously. Hill's parents received his $10,000 G.I. life insurance policy payout.
2. Carrier vs. Carrier (Us Versus Them)
American and Japanese carriers and carrier air groups had significant strengths and weaknesses relative to each other. Most histories "mirror image" Japanese doctrine and tactics with those of the United States, which frequently leads to an inaccurate understanding of the battle. There are two recent books that superbly describe Japanese carrier operations and are worth a read: Shattered Sword by Parshall and Tully, and Kaigun by Evans and Peattie. Both are over 500 pages long, so if you read my synopsis (derived from those books and many others) in attachment H-005-2 you will become a lot smarter about the relative capabilities of the United States and Japanese carriers and air groups at the Battles of the Coral Sea and Midway, in a much shorter period of time, and the battles might make more sense to you.
3. The Battle of the Coral Sea, 7–8 May 1942 The Battle of the Coral Sea was the first carrier versus carrier battle in history; opposing surface forces never sighted each other. The battle occurred because U.S. naval intelligence provided Admiral Nimitz with sufficient warning and understanding of Japanese intent and capability that he chose to commit the two carriers Lexington (CV-2) and Yorktown (CV-5) against a Japanese force expected to consist of 2–3 carriers (Shokaku, Zuikaku and the small carrier Shoho.) Nimitz committed the Enterprise (CV-6) and Hornet (CV-8) as well, but they were unable to reach the area in time, due the timing of the Doolittle Raid (see H-Gram 004). The battle was a tactical draw (some accounts argue a tactical U.S. loss) but a strategic victory for the United States. The Japanese force failed in its objective to capture Port Moresby, New Guinea, which would have threatened the northeast coast of Australia. Although the Japanese had previously suffered setbacks, this was the first time that proved permanent. In addition, the Japanese carrier Shokaku was severely damaged, and attrition to the air groups of both Shokaku and Zuikaku caused both carriers to miss the decisive battle of Midway a month later, which almost certainly changed the course of that battle, and of the war. The Japanese also lost the small carrier Shoho on 7 May to a gross over-kill of U.S. carrier torpedo and dive bombers, and was the first carrier lost by either side in the war. The cost to the United States was high. The carrier USS Lexington was sunk as a result of secondary explosions following torpedo and bomb hits, the Yorktown was damaged by a bomb (but not hit by torpedoes, which was the critical factor in her being repaired in time for Midway), and the oiler USS Neosho (AO-23) (which had survived being moored right in the middle of the attack on Battleship Row at Pearl Harbor) was sunk, along with the destroyer USS Sims (DD-409). At the end of the second day of battle, the air groups on both sides were severely depleted with extensive losses, with Lexington sinking and Shokaku out of action. Both commanders, Rear Admiral Frank "Jack" Fletcher and Vice Admiral Takeo Takagi, opted to withdraw, which resulted in years of criticism of both by other naval officers and armchair historians (Takagi was pilloried by Admiral Yamamoto; Fletcher merely criticized, mostly behind his back).
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As usual you can go to the NHHC web site at the beginning of each list and go to the Director's corner and read all 82 of the H-Grams. A fantastic compilation of work by Admiral Cox.
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Thanks to History Facts
Darth Vader was based on Japanese samurai.
. George Lucas drew a great deal of inspiration from Japanese culture when creating the Star Wars films, which is perhaps most apparent in the character of Darth Vader. The most feared man in a galaxy far, far away was based on the samurai, the skilled and disciplined warriors of Japan's feudal era (roughly the 12th century to 19th century). One look at the samurai's awe-inspiring black armor is enough to make the connection clear, though the similarities go beyond the surface. Lucas was greatly influenced by Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress, transposing several aspects of the 1958 samurai drama onto his 1977 space opera; everything from the Imperial crest to the fact that a princess leads a rebellion can be traced back to Kurosawa's film. "The one thing that really struck me about The Hidden Fortress," Lucas acknowledged in 2001, "was the fact that the story was told from the [perspective of] the two lowest characters. I decided that would be a nice way to tell the Star Wars story… which in the Star Wars case is the two droids."
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Over the years, many have speculated that Darth Vader was even based on a specific samurai warrior, the famed Date Masamune, a feudal warlord born in 1567 and known as the "One-Eyed Dragon." Masamune lost an eye, grew up in a time of political instability, and was disliked by his mother before becoming a ruthless leader who struck fear in the hearts of his enemies and underlings alike — all of which parallel the story of a certain Sith lord born Anakin Skywalker.
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This Day in U S Military History…….May 2This Day in U S Military History…….May 3
1855 – American adventurer William Walker departs from San Francisco with about 60 men to conquer Nicaragua. William Walker (May 8, 1824 – September 12, 1860) was an American lawyer, journalist and adventurer, who organized several private military expeditions into Latin America, with the intention of establishing English-speaking colonies under his personal control, an enterprise then known as "filibustering." Walker became president of the Republic of Nicaragua in 1856 and ruled until 1857, when he was defeated by a coalition of Central American armies. He was executed by the government of Honduras in 1860.
1942 – The first day of the first modern naval engagement in history, called the Battle of the Coral Sea, a Japanese invasion force succeeds in occupying Tulagi of the Solomon Islands in an expansion of Japan's defensive perimeter. The United States, having broken Japan's secret war code and forewarned of an impending invasion of Tulagi and Port Moresby, attempted to intercept the Japanese armada. Four days of battles between Japanese and American aircraft carriers resulted in 70 Japanese and 66 Americans warplanes destroyed. This confrontation, called the Battle of the Coral Sea, marked the first air-naval battle in history, as none of the carriers fired at each other, allowing the planes taking off from their decks to do the battling. Among the casualties was the American carrier Lexington; "the Blue Ghost" (so-called because it was not camouflaged like other carriers) suffered such extensive aerial damage that it had to be sunk by its own crew. Two hundred sixteen Lexington crewmen died as a result of the Japanese aerial bombardment. Although Japan would go on to occupy all of the Solomon Islands, its victory was a Pyrrhic one: The cost in experienced pilots and aircraft carriers was so great that Japan had to cancel its expedition to Port Moresby, Papua, as well as other South Pacific targets.
1944 – An acoustic torpedo fired by the U-371 hit and destroyed the stern of the Coast Guard-manned destroyer escort USS Menges while she was escorting a convoy in the Mediterranean, killing thirty-one of her crew. The Menges was later repaired and returned to service. She assisted in the sinking of the U-866 on 19 March 1945.
1945 – On Okinawa, Japanese forces launch a counteroffensive from positions in the south, during the night (May 3-4), but fail to break through the American lines. Japanese artillery batteries, that have remained silent until now to avoid American retaliation, support the assaults.
1946 – In Tokyo, Japan, the International Military Tribunals for the Far East begins hearing the case against 28 Japanese military and government officials accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity during World War II. On November 4, 1948, the trial ended with 25 of 28 Japanese defendants being found guilty. Of the three other defendants, two had died during the lengthy trial, and one was declared insane. On November 12, the war crimes tribunal passed death sentences on seven of the men, including General Hideki Tojo, who served as Japanese premier during the war, and others principles, such as Iwane Matsui, who organized the Rape of Nanking, and Heitaro Kimura, who brutalized Allied prisoners of war. Sixteen others were sentenced to life imprisonment, and two were sentenced to lesser terms in prison. On December 23, 1948, Tojo and the six others were executed in Tokyo. Unlike the Nuremberg trial of Nazi war criminals, where there were four chief prosecutors, to represent Great Britain, France, the United States, and the USSR, the Tokyo trial featured only one chief prosecutor–American Joseph B. Keenan, a former assistant to the U.S. attorney general. However, other nations, especially China, contributed to the proceedings, and Australian judge William Flood Webb presided. In addition to the central Tokyo trial, various tribunals sitting outside Japan judged some 5,000 Japanese guilty of war crimes, of whom more than 900 were executed. Some observers thought that Emperor Hirohito should have been tried for his tacit approval of Japanese policy during the war, but he was protected by U.S. authorities who saw him as a symbol of Japanese unity and conservatism, both favorable traits in the postwar U.S. view.
1952 – A ski-modified U.S. Air Force C-47 piloted by Lieutenant Colonel Joseph O. Fletcher of Oklahoma and Lieutenant Colonel William P. Benedict of California becomes the first aircraft to land on the North Pole. A moment later, Fletcher climbed out of the plane and walked to the exact geographic North Pole, probably the first person in history to do so. In the early 20th century, American explorers Robert Peary and Dr. Frederick Cook, both claiming to have separately reached the North Pole by land, publicly disputed each other's claims. In 1911, Congress formally recognized Peary's claim. In recent years, further studies of the conflicting claims suggest that neither expedition reached the exact North Pole, but that Peary came far closer, falling perhaps 30 miles short. In 1952, Lieutenant Colonel Fletcher was the first person to undisputedly stand on the North Pole. Standing alongside Fletcher on the top of the world was Dr. Albert P. Crary, a scientist who in 1961 traveled to the South Pole by motorized vehicle, becoming the first person in history to have stood on both poles.
1952 – Air Force Captain Robert T. Latshaw, Jr., 4th Fighter-Interceptor Wing, and Major Donald E. Adams, 51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing, became the 13th and 14th jet aces of the Korean War, shooting down five enemy aircraft each.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
BALLEN, FREDERICK
Rank and organization: Private, Company B, 47th Ohio Infantry. Place and date: At Vicksburg, Miss., 3 May 1863. Entered service at: Adrian, Mich. Born: 1842, Germany. Date of issue: 6 November 1908. Citation: Was one of a party that volunteered and attempted to run the enemy's batteries with a steam tug and 2 barges loaded with subsistence stores.
BRADLEY, THOMAS W.
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company H, 124th New York Infantry. Place and date: At Chancellorsville, Va., 3 May 1863. Entered service at: Walden, N.Y. Born: 6 April 1844, England. Date of issue: 10 June 1896. Citation: Volunteered in response to a call and alone, in the face of a heavy fire of musketry and canister, went and procured ammunition for the use of his comrades.
BUCKLYN, JOHN K.
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, Battery E, 1st Rhode Island Light Artillery. Place and date: At Chancellorsville, Va., 3 May 1863. Entered service at: Rhode Island. Born: 15 March 1834, Foster Creek, R.I. Date of issue: 13 July 1899. Citation: Though himself wounded, gallantly fought his section of the battery under a fierce fire from the enemy until his ammunition was all expended, many of the cannoneers and most of the horses killed or wounded, and the enemy within 25 yards of the guns, when, disabling one piece, he brought off the other in safety.
CHASE, JOHN F.
Rank and organization: Private, 5th Battery, Maine Light Artillery. Place and date: At Chancellorsville, Va., 3 May 1863. Entered service at: Augusta, Maine. Birth: Chelsea, Maine. Date of issue: 7 February 1888. Citation: Nearly all the officers and men of the battery having been killed or wounded, this soldier with a comrade continued to fire his gun after the guns had ceased. The piece was then dragged off by the two, the horses having been shot, and its capture by the enemy was prevented.
DAVIDSON, ANDREW
Rank and organization: Assistant Surgeon, 47th Ohio Infantry. Place and date: At Vicksburg, Miss., 3 May 1863. Entered service at: Cincinnati, Ohio. Birth: Middlebury, Vt. Date of issue: 17 October 1892. Citation: Voluntarily attempted to run the enemy's batteries.
FRICK, JACOB G.
Rank and organization: Colonel, 129th Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Fredericksburg, Va., 13 December 1862. At Chancellorsville, Va., 3 May 1863. Entered service at. Pottsville, Pa. Born: 23 January 1838, Northumberland, Pa. Date of issue: 7 June 1892. Citation: At Fredericksburg seized the colors and led the command through a terrible fire of cannon and musketry. In a hand-to-hand fight at Chancellorsville, recaptured the colors of his regiment.
GILMORE, JOHN C.
Rank and organization: Major, 16th New York Infantry. Place and date: At Salem Heights, Va., 3 May 1863. Entered service at: Potsdam, N.Y. Birth: Canada. Date of issue: 10 October 1892. Citation: Seized the colors of his regiment and gallantly rallied his men under a very severe fire.
GOODMAN, WILLIAM E.
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, Company D, 147th Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Chancellorsville, Va., 3 May 1863. Entered service at: Philadelphia, Pa. Born: 10 December 1838, Philadelphia, Pa. Date of issue: 11 January 1894. Citation: Rescued the colors of the 107th Ohio Volunteers from the enemy.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS
FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR May 3
THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
May 3
1930: Laura Ingalls completed 344 consecutive loops. Afterwards, she tried again and accomplished
980 loops. In another flight later in the year, she successfully completed 714 barrel rolls, giving
her a pair of records no one has cared to challenge. (2)
1943: Lt. Gen. Frank M. Andrews is killed when his aircraft crashes into the side of a mountain in Iceland. Andrews was the Commanding General, European Theater of Operations, U.S. Army and had been instrumental in educating Army senior staff officers in the use of American airpower. AFHF member, Kathy Wilson, is the author of the newest book on this important Airman—Marshall's Great Captain: Lt Gen Frank M. Andrews and Air Power in the World Wars.
1945: In the last 9th Bomb Division mission, 132 A-26s bombed Czechoslovakia's Stod ammunitions
plant. (4)
1949: The Navy fired its Martin Viking rocket at the White Sands Proving Ground. It reached an altitude of 51½ miles and a speed of 2,250 MPH. (24)
1950: North American Aviation's Mark X-1 inertial guidance system for the Navaho missile completed
its first flight test in a C-47. The X-1 was the first US inertial guidance system tested. (6)
1952: KOREAN WAR/ACES. In aerial combat, F-86 Sabre pilots destroyed five MiG-15s. Major
Donald E. Adams from the 16th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron destroyed two and Capt Robert T.
Latshaw, Jr., from the 335th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, downed another to become aces.
That gave the USAF 14 aces to date in the Korean War. (28)An Air Force C-47 Skytrain, equipped with ski and wheels made the world's first successful
North Pole landing. (16) (24)
1960: General Curtis E. LeMay, VCSAF, announced the approval of a single tanker force, SAC
managed and KC-135 equipped, to support training and combat for full implementation by the
end of Fiscal Year 1963. (18)
1961: An AFSC crew launched the first ICBM, a Titan, from an underground silo at Vandenberg
AFB. (1) (12)
1966: The first operational service of Minuteman II began when 50 missiles were delivered to SAC's
Wing VI at Grand Forks AFB.At Edwards AFB, an HC-130H completed the first live ground-to-air recovery with a singleharnesscapture of Capt Gerald T. Lyvere and a double harness capture of Col Allison Brooks
and A3C Ronald L. Doll. (3)
1968: The first ANG unit called to active duty, the 120 TFS from Buckley ANGB, Colorado, arrived
in South Vietnam. It started flying combat operations on 5 May. (16) (21)
1973: The National Aeronautic Association (NAA) presented the 1972 Mackay Trophy. To become the USAF's Vietnam War leading ace, Capt. Charles B. DeBellevue, flying as a weapon systems officer in a 555 TFS F-4, shoots down his fifth and sixth enemy plane. He became the first non-pilot ace in the USAF. For this feat, DeBellevue shares the 1972 Mackay Trophy with Captains Richard S. "Steve" Ritchie and Jeffrey S. Feinstein
1990: An all-Air Force crew flew Northrop's B-2A for the first time. Lt Cols Tom LeBeau and John
Small flew the Stealth Bomber on a 7-hour, 20-minute test flight above Edwards AFB. (8: Jul
90)
1992: Through 4 May, C-141 Starlifters and C-130 Hercules transports evacuated 350 people, including
some Americans, from Sierra Leone after a military coup. (16) (26)
1994: The Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center at Davis-Monthan AFB received the last
B-52G for storage. That transfer left only B-52H models in the active USAF inventory. (16)
2001: The Northrop X-4 Bantam tailless transonic research plane, originally tested by NACA in 1950-
1953, returned to the AFFTC from the USAF Academy for permanent display. (3)
2006: AFFTC completed the first-ever wet runway taxi testing of an unmanned vehicle, the Global
Hawk. The tests at Edwards AFB validated the Global Hawk's anti-skid braking system and gathered
braking performance data on wet runways. (3)
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