To All,
Good Saturday Morning October 12, 2024. I hope that you all have a great weekend. Thanks to Mike my hat was returned. My daughter drove all the way to Montana in one leg yesterday. She left early in the morning and got there last night. That is pretty good. The longest trip I made in my youth was from Beeville Texas to Fullerton California right after I received my Navy Wings. Never wanted to do theat again. The fun continues here with lots more to do. We did fill up another dump truck yesterday and things are looking better. I did get the first attack against the now falling leaves yesterday using the rake and the blower. Problem is the trash cans all are full so I am going to make a couple of big piles and get them into the cans when they are emptied on Wednesday.
Regards,
skip
Make it a good Day
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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/. Go here to see the director's corner for all 83 H-Grams
Today in Naval and Marine Corps History .
October 12
1800 American frigate Boston captures French frigate Le Berceau, one of the French ships that was plaguing the American coast during the Quasi-War with France. After a bloody engagement, Boston brings her prize back to the United States. Though condemned as a legitimate prize of war and sold to the United States government, Le Berceau is returned to France under the terms of the Treaty of Mortefontaine, concluded about two weeks before her capture.
1914 USS Jupiter (AC 3) is the first U.S. Navy ship to transit the Panama Canal. In March 1920, Jupiter is decommissioned. Following conversion, she is renamed USS Langley (CV 1). Upon commissioning in March 1922, Langley becomes the U.S. Navy's first aircraft carrier.
1940 USS Wasp (CV 7) launches 24 Army Curtiss P-40 Warhawks from the 8th Pursuit Group and North American P-47s from the 3rd Observation Squadron off the Virginia Capes, marking the first launches of Army aircraft from U.S. carrier.
1942 Scout dive bombers from VS-71 sink the Japanese destroyer Natsugumo off Savo Island. Also on this date, torpedo bombers from VT-8, Navy and Marine Corps SBDs from VS-3, VS-71, and VMSB-141 and F4F Wildcats from VMF-121, VMF-212, and VMF-224 damage Japanese destroyer Murakumo off New Georgia as she is helping survivors at the Battle of Cape Esperance. She is later scuttled by Japanese destroyer Shirayuki.
1965 Project SEALAB II concludes. During this project, teams of Navy divers and scientists spent 15 days each in SEALAB II moored 205 ft. below the surface near La Jolla, Calif.
1980 USS Guadalcanal (LPH 7) and other ships of Amphibious Forces, Sixth Fleet bring assistance to earthquake victims in Al Asnam, Algeria.
2000 USS Cole (DDG 67) is attacked by terrorists in a small boat laden with explosives during a brief refueling stop in the harbor of Aden, Yemen. The suicide terrorist attack kills 17 members of the ship's crew, wounds 39 others, and seriously damages the ship.
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This Day in World History
October 12
1492 Christopher Columbus and his crew land in the Bahamas.
1576 Rudolf II, the king of Hungary and Bohemia, succeeds his father, Maximillian II, as Holy Roman Emperor.
1609 The song "Three Blind Mice" is published in London, believed to be the earliest printed secular song.
1702 Admiral Sir George Rooke defeats the French fleet off Vigo.
1722 Shah Sultan Husayn surrenders the Persian capital of Isfahan to Afgan rebels after a seven month siege.
1809 Meriwether Lewis, of the Lewis and Clark expedition, dies under mysterious circumstances in Tennessee.
1899 The Anglo-Boer War begins.
1872 Apache leader Cochise signs a peace treaty with General Howard in Arizona Territory.
1915 Despite international protests, Edith Cavell, an English nurse in Belgium, is executed by Germans for aiding the escape of Allied prisoners.
1933 Alcatraz Island is made a federal maximum security prison.
1943 The U.S. Fifth Army begins an assault crossing of the Volturno River in Italy.
1949 Eugenie Anderson becomes the first woman U.S. ambassador.
1960 Inejiro Asanuma, leaders of the Japan Socialist Party, is assassinated during a live TV broadcast.
1964 1964 USSR launches Voskhod I, first spacecraft with multi-person crew; it is also the first mission in which the crew did not wear space suits.
1970 President Richard Nixon announces the pullout of 40,000 more American troops in Vietnam by Christmas.
1971 The House of Representatives passes the Equal Rights Amendment 354-23.
1984 The Provisional Irish Republican Army detonates at bomb at the Grand Hotel in Brighton, England, in an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher; 5 others are killed and 31 wounded.
1994 NASA loses contact with the Magellan probe spacecraft in the thick atmosphere of Venus.
1999 Chief of Army Staff Perez Musharraf seizes power in Pakistan through a bloodless military coup.
2000 Suicide bombers at Aden, Yemen, damage USS Cole; 17 crew members killed and over 35 wounded.
2002 Terrorist bombers kill over 200 and wound over 300 more at the Sari Club in Kuta, Bali.
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ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED Thanks to the Bear … Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
Thanks to the Bear
. From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com
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.
(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. .Micro is the one also that goes into the archives and finds these inputs and sends them to me for incorporation in the List. It is a lot of work and our thanks goes out to him for his effort.
From Vietnam Air Losses site for "for 12 October
12-Oct: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=3032
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
. 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
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.
. Good Mornin' — EYE CANDY con't…
In August 1942, the U.S. Navy commissioned USS Wolverine (IX-64) as its first in-land aircraft carrier. The Navy added USS Sable (IX-81) on May 8, 1943. Neither vessel ever left the Great Lakes. The Navy thought the Lake Michigan area, because it was so far inland, was an ideal training ground for its carrier pilots.1 Although limited training occurred in Virginia's Chesapeake Bay, the majority of carrier qualifications during World War II occurred from the decks of Sable and Wolverine.
My good friend, the late — great, Les Gray trained on the USS Sable in the F4F. He went on to become an ACE flying the F4U as well as the F6F. Les didn't quite make 102, but we celebrated his 102nd birthday anyway…. Hellofafella!
The Cleveland and Buffalo Transit Company launched Wolverine in 1913 under the name Seeandbee. At its launch it was the world's largest side-wheel passenger steamer on inland waterways. Seeandbee represented the best of Edwardian passenger vessels. Its opulence and comfort were second to none on the lakes. Sable, launched as Greater Buffalo in 1924, eclipsed Seeandbee in size, thereby replacing it as the world's largest side-wheel passenger steamer.
The U.S. Navy acquired both vessels shortly before World War II. The Navy converted them from passenger steamers into aircraft carriers for carrier operations training of Navy and Marine Corps pilots. Both vessels retained their coal driven, side-wheel, propulsion systems, making them the only side-wheel propelled carriers in the U.S. Navy. Although large, their 550' decks were smaller than the Navy's ocean going carriers and as such, provided excellent training platforms; if a pilot could make it on this deck, he could make it on any other deck in the Navy's fleet.
Wolverine launched its first aircraft on August 25, 1942 and served as a training platform until November 11, 1945 when both vessels were decommissioned. Sable qualified its first two pilots on May 29, 1943. Both carriers were scrapped sometime after World War II. On October 21, 1942, Ensign F. M. Cooper, piloting an F4F-3 Wildcat, spun into the water after takeoff from Wolverine. The plane sank with Cooper into 85' of water. Neither his body nor the plane was ever recovered. This was the first of many accidents to occur on board these ships.
As training vessels, mishaps, accidents, crashes, and losses from the decks were expected. Between 1942 and 1945, the years of the carriers' operations, there were 128 losses and over 200 accidents. Although the majority of losses resulted in only minor injuries, a total of eight pilots were killed. These numbers seem significant until it is considered that during that time over 120,000 successful landings took place, and an estimated 15,000 pilots qualified. The training program, in this light, was a huge success.
During the war, six of the crashed aircraft were recovered. These were mainly shallow water recoveries that did not require extensive time or specialized equipment. Many have postulated that damaged planes were pitched overboard as had been the case in wartime theatres like the Pacific. There is no evidence that any damaged planes were tossed overboard, but rather, there is sufficient evidence that reveals that damaged planes were returned to the dock or picked up while the ships were still on missions and returned for repair. Because the carriers were not isolated as they were in the Pacific theatre and had repair facilities available, damaged aircraft were saved whenever possible. Occasionally this meant retrieval from underwater.
The Navy used various aircraft for these training qualifications. Through ship's logs and Aircraft Accident Cards we know that of the aircraft listed as lost were 41 TBM/TBF Avengers, one F4U Corsair, 38 SBD Dauntless, four F6F Hellcats, 17 SNJ Texans, two SB2U Vindicators, 37 FM/F4F Wildcats and three experimental drones known as TDNs. Several of the aircraft used for training had prior military history. Some served in Pacific campaigns, others in North Africa. Very few were new planes. Taken individually, the aircraft lost in Lake Michigan have historical value for battle service. However, even though many never saw battle they are still valuable as representatives of their type, or for their rarity today. Taken as a whole, the entire assemblage is significant for their service in carrier qualifications training in Lake Michigan. This history is important to the Navy, to the states surrounding southern Lake Michigan and to the nation.
The aircraft assemblage in Lake Michigan represents the largest and best-preserved group of U.S. Navy sunken historic aircraft in the world. From a historical perspective, the assemblage provides a wealth of knowledge about the history of naval aviation. Individually they are physical pieces of our past linked to significant people and events. Vast amounts of information can be gleaned from and memorialized through these special objects. Artifacts lost in the cold, fresh waters of Lake Michigan usually exhibit excellent preservation characteristics. Many of the aircraft in this assemblage have been found in good condition, tires inflated, parachutes preserved, leather seats maintained, and engine crankcases full of oil. Often paint schemes are well preserved, allowing for easier identification.
To better manage this assemblage, the Naval Historical Center (now the Naval History and Heritage Command) conducted a limited side-scan sonar survey in May 2004, to relocate several examples in the assemblage. The survey targeted five examples based on several variables: the type of location information available, the site's proximity to the staging area, and the level of historic significance or threat level. The weeklong survey located many interesting targets for further study. Although not an aircraft wreck, of particular interest could be the remains of the World War I German submarine UC-97, sunk by the U.S. Navy in 1921 as a requirement of the Treaty of Versailles.
With such a large assemblage it would be ideal to use many different approaches to preservation, including in-situ wherever possible. The Naval History and Heritage Command works with the states that border southern Lake Michigan to find ways to make the most of this assemblage. Discussions continue on ways to manage the sites for the benefit of the American public, the Navy, and the local populace.
In June 1938, the U.S. Navy signed a contract with Vought for a prototype bearing the factory designation V-166B, the XF4U-1, BuNo 1443. The Corsair design team was led by Rex Beisel. After mock-up inspection in February 1939, construction of the XF4U-1 powered by an XR-2800-4 prototype of the Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp twin-row, 18-cylinder radial engine, rated at 1,805 hp went ahead quickly, as the first airframe ever designed from the start to have a Double Wasp engine fitted for flight. When the prototype was completed, it had the biggest and most powerful engine, largest propeller, and probably the largest wing on any naval fighter to date. The first flight of the XF4U-1 was made on 29 May 1940, with Lyman A. Bullard, Jr. at the controls. The maiden flight proceeded normally until a hurried landing was made when the elevator trim tabs failed because of flutter.
On 1 October 1940, the XF4U-1 became the first single-engined U.S. fighter to fly faster than 400 mph by flying at an average ground speed of 405 mph from Stratford to Hartford. The USAAC's twin engine Lockheed P-38 Lightning had flown over 400 mph in January–February 1939. The XF4U-1 also had an excellent rate of climb, although testing revealed some requirements would have to be rewritten. In full-power dive tests, speeds up to 550 mph were achieved, but not without damage to the control surfaces and access panels, and in one case, an engine failure.The spin recovery standards also had to be relaxed, as recovery from the required two-turn spin proved impossible without resorting to an antispin chute.The problems clearly meant delays in getting the design into production.
Reports coming back from the war in Europe indicated an armament of two .30 in synchronized engine cowling-mount machine guns, and two .50 in machine guns (one in each outer wing panel) was insufficient. The U.S. Navy's November 1940 production proposals specified heavier armament. The increased armament comprised three .50 caliber machine guns mounted in each wing panel. This improvement greatly increased the ability of the Corsair to shoot down enemy aircraft.
Formal U.S. Navy acceptance trials for the XF4U-1 began in February 1941. The Navy entered into a letter of intent on 3 March 1941, received Vought's production proposal on 2 April, and awarded Vought a contract for 584 F4U-1 fighters, which were given the name "Corsair" – inherited from the firm's late-1920s Vought O2U naval biplane scout, which first bore the name – on 30 June of the same year. The first production F4U-1 performed its initial flight a year later, on 24 June 1942. It was a remarkable achievement for Vought; compared to land-based counterparts, carrier aircraft are "overbuilt" and heavier, to withstand the extreme stress of deck landings.
Here's a link to a lengthy albeit comprehensive piece on the development and operation of the venerated Corsair:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vought_F4U_Corsair
Blue Skies & Tailwinds….
Https://CaptainBillyWalker.com
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Thanks to History Facts
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. The Heroic Stories of 6 Wartime Animals
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RIP WAR DOG, 1941
Humans and animals have fought side by side since prehistoric times. Dogs have long been our faithful companions in times of peace and conflict, while horses, camels, elephants, and other mounts helped win many of the most important battles in history. In modern times, particularly during World War I and World War II, animals played a vital role in active combat, transportation, and communication — not to mention the numerous animal mascots who helped keep morale high in the most testing of times. It's estimated that in World War I alone, more than 16 million animals served in these various ways. Here are a few such incredible wartime animals, including daring dogs, courageous carrier pigeons, and a mischievous brown bear.
Rags the Scotch-Irish Terrier
In 1918, while walking through the streets of Paris, Private James Donovan saw what he thought was a pile of rags — but when the rags moved, he realized it was a little Scotch-Irish terrier, abandoned in the gutter. Donovan adopted the dog, which followed him everywhere, and Rags, in turn, became the mascot of the U.S. 1st Infantry Division. But Rags was more than just a mascot. Donovan taught him to run messages that were affixed to his collar across the front lines, dodging shellfire as he went. Rags also led medics to wounded men, and — using his superior canine hearing — was able to alert his unit to incoming shellfire. He was also taught to salute with his right front paw. On October 9, 1918, Rags and Donovan were hit by German shellfire and gas shells. Rags sustained injuries to his right front paw, right ear, and right eye, and was mildly gassed, while Donovan was more seriously wounded. Both were treated, but only Rags survived. His unit and other soldiers who knew of Rags' heroics made sure the pup got safely back to U.S. soil, where he lived a celebrated life until his death at age 20.
Warrior the Stallion
When General Jack Seely left his home in 1914 to take command of the Canadian Cavalry Corps, his beloved thoroughbred stallion, Warrior, went with him to the Western Front. So began one of the most amazing animal stories of World War I. During the next four years, Warrior took part in some of the most ferocious and pivotal battles of the Great War. He saw action at the Battle of the Somme, Ypres, Cambrai, and Passchendaele, and in 1918 he led a cavalry charge against the Germans at Amiens, in a battle that proved crucial in bringing the terrible war to an end. Warrior never gave in, despite being buried in mud and rubble, trapped in burning stables, and charging through intensive barrages of machine-gun fire and mortar shells — it was no wonder he became known as "the horse the Germans couldn't kill." Having survived it all, Warrior and Seely returned home to the Isle of Wight, where the famous stallion lived a peaceful life until his death in 1941 at the age of 32.In 2014, a century after the start of the Great War, Warrior posthumously received the PDSA Dickin Medal (also known as "the animals' Victoria Cross"), the highest honor an animal can receive in Britain for acts of bravery while serving in a military conflict. Warrior is the only recipient to predate the medal's institution in 1943, and was chosen to receive the honor on behalf of all the brave animals that served in World War I.
Cher Ami the Pigeon
Being a military homing pigeon during World War I was incredibly dangerous. One such bird, Cher Ami, completed 12 successful missions — far more than normal. His final mission, on October 4, 1918, proved to be his most courageous. Cher Ami was stationed with the 77th Division, known as the "Lost Battalion," in the Argonne Forest. Behind enemy lines and cut off from Allied troops, the 77th found themselves under heavy bombardment. Their only hope for salvation lay in getting a message out using one of the homing pigeons they carried, but every pigeon they released was shot down by enemy fire — except for their last pigeon, Cher Ami. The pigeon took off and was quickly shot through the breast and leg and fell to the ground — but, despite his injuries, the brave Cher Ami got back up and took to the skies once again, eventually reaching his loft and delivering the message that dangled from his wounded leg. (The brave bird lost the leg, but survived his injuries.) Thanks to Cher Ami, help arrived for the battalion's 194 men, who made it back safely to American lines. For his heroic service, Cher Ami was awarded the French Croix de Guerre. And General John Pershing, commander of the American Expeditionary Force, paid tribute to Cher Ami, saying, "There isn't anything the United States can do too much for this bird."
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Judy the Pointer
Judy, a purebred pointer, began her service as a ship's mascot on board the gunboat HMS Gnat in 1936. It wasn't the most auspicious start, as her tendency to fall overboard often forced the ship to stop to retrieve her. But she soon proved useful thanks to her acute hearing, alerting the British sailors to the presence of river pirates and hostile Japanese aircraft. In 1942, she transferred to the HMS Grasshopper. When the gunboat was attacked by Japanese aircraft, the crew became stranded on an island in the South China Sea. The sailors were growing dangerously thirsty when they came across Judy standing next to a big hole she'd dug, full of fresh water. The crew was then captured — along with Judy — and taken to a prisoner-of-war camp in North Sumatra. Frank Williams, a young British sailor, shared his scant prison rations with Judy, keeping them both alive, while Judy helped out by distracting camp guards who were otherwise intent on beating the helpless captives. Judy survived many more adventures — including gunshot wounds and alligator bites — before the war ended. On her return to Britain, she was awarded the Dickin Medal for her service.
Wojtek the Bear
In 1942, Polish soldiers adopted a Syrian bear cub whose mother had likely been killed by hunters. They fed him honey, fruit, and marmalade, and gave him condensed milk from an empty vodka bottle. Soon the cub — whom they named Wojtek — began to grow. It wasn't long before the 22nd Artillery Supply Company of the 2nd Polish Corps found themselves with an unlikely mascot: a 600-pound brown bear. Wojtek enjoyed chasing the oranges that the soldiers used for grenade practice, and he learned how to break into the communal shower huts for a refreshing shower — resulting in some unwanted water shortages. Despite being something of a troublemaker, the bear was great for morale, especially during the Battle of Monte Cassino, where Wojtek was seen on the front lines carrying empty ammo crates and used shells. After the war, Wojtek spent his retirement at Edinburgh Zoo, where he received many visitors, including his former comrades from the Polish army.
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Rip the Terrier
In 1940, an air raid warden called Mr. E. King was searching through the devastation left in the aftermath of a heavy air raid on London. In the rubble, King spotted a crossbreed terrier, shivering, hungry, and alone. He took pity on the pup and fed it some scraps, and the two became inseparable. The dog, whom King called Rip, soon revealed an innate talent for sniffing out survivors trapped in the ruins of bombed buildings. Despite having no formal training, he became an indispensable search and rescue dog for the Air Raid Patrol. Rip and his human colleagues worked tirelessly throughout the London blitz, and it's estimated that Rip helped save the lives of more than 100 people. In 1945, he was awarded the Dickin Medal, which he wore on his collar for the rest of his life.
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More history thanks to Dutch
1492: According to the Old Style calendar, Christopher Columbus' expedition arrives in the present-day Bahamas.
1810: The German festival Oktoberfest was first held in Munich to celebrate the wedding of Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen.
1870: General Robert E. Lee dies in Lexington, Va., at age 63.
1973: President Richard Nixon nominates House Minority Leader Gerald R. Ford of Michigan to succeed Spiro T. Agnew as vice president.
1984: British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher escapes an attempt on her life when an Irish Republican Army bomb explodes at a hotel in Brighton, England, killing five people.
1984: Actor Jon-Erik Hexum is mortally wounded on the set of his TV show "Cover Up" when he jokingly shoots himself in the head with a prop pistol loaded with a blank cartridge; he would be declared dead six days later.
1997: Singer John Denver is killed in the crash of his privately built aircraft in Monterey Bay, Calif.
2001: NBC announces that an assistant to anchorman Tom Brokaw has contracted the skin form of anthrax after opening a "threatening" letter to her boss containing powder.
2002: Bombs blamed on al-Qaeda-linked militants destroy a nightclub on the Indonesian island of Bali, killing 202 people, including 88 Australians and seven Americans.
2007: Former Vice President Al Gore and the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change win the Nobel Peace Prize for sounding the alarm over global warming.
2014: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirms that a health care worker at the Texas hospital where Ebola victim Thomas Eric Duncan was treated before his death tested positive for the illness in the first known case of Ebola being contracted or transmitted in the U.S. (The worker, identified as nurse Nina Pham, would be treated and declared free of Ebola.)
2018: Pope Francis accepts the resignation of the archbishop of Washington, Cardinal Donald Wuerl after he becomes entangled in two major sexual abuse and cover-up scandals.
2018: American pastor Andrew Brunson flies out of Turkey after a Turkish court convicts him of terror links but frees him from house arrest; he'd already spent nearly two years in detention.
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This Day in Aviation History" brought to you by the Daedalians Airpower Blog Update. To subscribe to this weekly email, go to https://daedalians.org/airpower-blog/.
Oct. 11, 1968
Apollo 7, the first manned Apollo spacecraft, was launched aboard a Saturn IB rocket from Launch Complex 34, Cape Kennedy Air Force Station, Cape Kennedy, Florida. The flight crew were Capt. Walter M. "Wally" Schirra, United States Navy, the mission commander, on his third space flight; Maj. Donn F. Eisele, U.S. Air Force, the command module pilot, on his first space flight; and Maj. Walter Cunningham, U.S. Marine Corps, lunar module pilot, also on his first space flight. Retired Colonel Cunningham is a Daedalian Life Member; retired Captain Schirra was one until his death in 2007.
Oct. 12, 1976
The Sikorsky S-72 Rotor Systems Research Aircraft (RSRA) made its first flight at Stratford, Connecticut. The S-72 was a hybrid aircraft built for the United States Army and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Its purpose was to serve as a flight test vehicle for various helicopter rotor configurations. Learn more about the S-72 HERE.
Oct. 13, 1922
First Lt. Theodore Joseph Koenig, Air Service, United States Army, won the Liberty Engine Builders' Trophy Race, a race for observation-type aircraft powered by the Liberty 12 engine at the National Air Races at Selfridge Field, Michigan. Flying a Packard Lepère L USA C.II, Air Service serial number A.S. 40015, Koenig completed 10 laps of the triangular racecourse in 2:00:01.54, at an average speed of 128.8 miles per hour. In addition to a trophy, cash prizes were awarded to the competitors for first, second and third place finishes. First place received $1,200 (about $16,747 in 2017); second place, $600; third place, $200.
Oct. 14, 1938
The first flight of the Curtiss XP-40 Tomahawk was on this date.
Oct. 15, 1944
More than 1,000 Eighth Air Force heavy bombers attacked marshalling yards and a gas unit plant at Cologne, Germany; they were escorted by less than 12 fighter groups. Another two P-47 groups swooped in low to bomb and strafe targets in Hannover and Muenster-Kassel.
Oct. 16, 1943
Lockheed received a contract to produce the XP-80 Shooting Star, the first true American jet-propelled fighter.
Oct. 17, 1911
Searching for improved powerplants, Navy Capt. Washington I. Chambers of the Bureau of Navigation, in a letter to Glenn H. Curtiss, discussed heavy oil (or diesel) engines and turbine engines similar in principle to those that, some 30 years later, would make jet propulsion practical. Chambers wrote, "In my opinion, this turbine is the surest step of all, and the aeroplane manufacturer who gets in with it first is going to do wonders."
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for October 12, FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
12 October
1916: Tony Jannus died in Russia while demonstrating a Curtiss flying boat. (24)
1918: America's 185th Pursuit Squadron flew the first U. S. night air pursuit operations in France. (21)
1925: Lt Cyrus Bettis, Air Service, set a world speed record of 249 MPH in the National Air Races at Mitchel Field using a Curtiss R3C-1. He was the winner of the 1924 Mitchell Trophy Race and won the 1925 Mackay Trophy. He was also a winner of the Pulitzer Trophy in October 1925, flying a Curtiss R3C-1 racer. In winning the trophy, he set a new airspeed record for a closed-circuit race. The record was broken shortly after by Lieutenant Jimmy Doolittle who was flying the same aircraft with pontoons installed
1937: The Air Corps transferred its last airship to the Navy, which left one airship in the inventory as a motorized training balloon.
1939: Harry B. Chapman used an Aeronca seaplane to set a world distance record for light seaplanes by flying 1,164 miles from Jamaica Bay, N. Y., to New Orleans. (24)
1944: Lt. Charles "Chuck" Yeager scored five confirmed kills over Bremen, Germany, becoming the first "Ace" in one day. As group leader, Lt. Yeager was escorting B-24 bombers over Holland when his squadron spotted 22 Bf-109 aircraft. Lt. Yeager distracted one pilot who collided with another, sending both down in flames, continued to shoot down another at 600 yards, then rolled over behind his pursuer to take him out at less than 50 feet. The last pilot went into a steep dive as Lt. Yeager pursued the aircraft, but it could not recover and crashed.
1950: KOREAN WAR. Far East Air Forces Combat Cargo Command began to airlift ROK military supplies to Wonsan and 600 tons of bridge sections to Kimpo airfield. (28)
1952: KOREAN WAR. An SA-16 pilot, 3d Air Rescue Squadron, participated in two rescues within thirty minutes and over 100 miles apart. After directing a helicopter pickup of a downed F-86 Sabrejet pilot, the SA-16 pilot landed in the Haeju harbor and, while overhead fighters suppressed ground fire from the shore, picked up from a dinghy a 69th Fighter-Bomber Squadron pilot who had parachuted from his burning F-84. (28) KOREAN WAR. Through 14 October, the 315th Air Division conducted paratroop-drop exercises with the US Army's 187th Regimental Combat Team as part of the Kojo deception. Additionally, on 12-13 October 26 B-29s from all three medium bombardment units struck 9 separate troop concentrations on Haeju Peninsula. (28)
1954: At Wichita, Ks., the Cessna XT-37 flew for the first time. (20)
1963: Joseph A. Walker, NASA's senior X-15 pilot and holder of world altitude and speed records for research aircraft, received the Christopher Columbus International Prize for Communications.
1964: The XB-70A achieved supersonic flight for the first time above Edwards AFB. (3)
1967: The FAA certified the all-weather landing system for the C-141 Starlifter.
1973: Pilot Einar K. Enevoldson guided the first flight of a new remotely piloted research vehicle from a ground cockpit and TV screen. After the 3/8ths scale-model F-15 dropped from a B-52, he led it to a safe landing.
1977: The USAF's first class of five women navigators graduated. Three of the five women were assigned to MAC aircrews. (18)
1980: Two earthquakes struck El Asnam, Algeria, only hours apart on 10 October, killing at least 6,000 people and leaving about 200,000 homeless. From 12-26 October, 1 C-130, 2 C-5, and 14 C-141 missions airlifted some 400 tons of relief supplies to Algeria. The aircraft came from the 436, 437, and 438 MAWs, and the 435 TAW. (18) (26)
1997: The SECDEF deployed US military assets to support of fire-fighting efforts in Indonesia as part of a technical assistance package to the most seriously affected countries in that region. Military support included 60 crew and support personnel for three C-130 aircraft, two equipped with Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems, and one flying in support. The crew and aircraft came from the 153 AW, Wyoming ANG. PACAF directed the operation to drop 685,000 gallons of water and fire retardant in Java and Sumatra. The operation ended in December after 215 sorties and 316.5 flying hours. (21) (32)
1998: The 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, 403rd Wing (AFRC), at Keesler AFB received the USAF's first WC-130J Hercules aircraft. The WC-130J, outfitted as a special weather reconnaissance version of Lockheed-Martin's C-130J cargo plane, had a mission to fly into the eye of hurricanes to retrieve critical information about active storms. (AFNEWS Article 991900, 14 Oct 99)
2006: The 14 FTW at Columbus AFB received its first T-6 Texan. The two-seat, single-engine aircraft would replace the T-37 Tweet in the pilot primary training mission. (AFNEWS Article, "14th FTW Welcomes New Training Aircraft," 13 Oct 2006)
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Military Milestones from the Navy's Birthday to Black Thursday by W. Thomas Smith Jr.
This Week in American Military History:
Oct. 12, 1862: Confederate cavalry commander Gen. James Ewell Brown "J.E.B." Stuart completes his "second ride" around Union Gen. George B. McClellan's Army of the Potomac.
Oct. 13, 1775: Happy Birthday, U.S. Navy!
According to the Naval History and Heritage Command:
"…meeting in Philadelphia, the Continental Congress voted to fit out two sailing vessels, armed with ten carriage guns, as well as swivel guns, and manned by crews of eighty, and to send them out on a cruise of three months to intercept transports carrying munitions and stores to the British army in America.
"This was the original legislation out of which the Continental Navy grew and as such constitutes the birth certificate of the navy."
Oct. 14, 1943: In what will become known as "Black Thursday," U.S. Army Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses -- elements of the famed 8th Air Force -- attack the ball-bearing plants (critical to Germany's aviation industry) at the heavily defended Bavarian city of Schweinfurt. Though the raid is successful, scores of bombers -- and more than 600 airmen -- are lost.
According to Bruce Crawford writing for Aviation History magazine: "There is not much there to commemorate the carnage that took place overhead so many years ago, and that is too bad, because Schweinfurt should rank with Pickett's Charge, Bataan, Chosin and other battlefields as an epic of American heroism. As it is, we can only look at grainy wartime pictures of the bombers going down in flames, and try to imagine what it was like for the men trapped inside."
Oct. 16, 1859: Abolitionist John Brown and his raiders seize several buildings in Harper's Ferry, Virginia (see next week).
Oct. 17, 1777: After having been decisively defeated by Continental Army Gen. Horatio Gates at Second Saratoga (see Oct. 7), British Gen. John "Gentleman Johnny" Burgoyne surrenders his entire army, between 5,000 and 7,000 men
Oct. 17, 1922: Lt. Commander Virgil C. Griffin, piloting a Vought VE-7SF bi-winged fighter, makes the first-ever "official" takeoff from a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, USS Langley -- a coaling ship which had been converted into America's first aircraft carrier -- in York River, Va.
Though Griffin is indeed the first man to takeoff from a "carrier", he is not the first to takeoff from a warship. That distinction belongs to Eugene B. Ely who took-off from a platform affixed to a cruiser in 1910.
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Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
12 October
DOUGHERTY, MICHAEL
Rank and organization: Private, Company B, 13th Pennsylvania Cavalry. Place and date: At Jefferson, Va., 12 October 1863. Entered service at: Philadelphia, Pa. Born: 10 May 1844, Ireland. Date of issue: 23 January 1897. Citation: At the head of a detachment of his company dashed across an open field, exposed to a deadly fire from the enemy, and succeeded in dislodging them from an unoccupied house, which he and his comrades defended for several hours against repeated attacks, thus preventing the enemy from flanking the position of the Union forces.
*HERIOT, JAMES D.
Rank and organization: Corporal, U.S. Army, Company I, 118th Infantry, 30th Division. Place and date: At Vaux-Andigny, France, 12 October 1918. Entered service at: Providence, S.C. Birth: Providence, S.C. G.O. No.: 13, W.D., 1919. Citation: Cpl. Heriot, with 4 other soldiers, organized a combat group and attacked an enemy machine-gun nest which had been inflicting heavy casualties on his company. In the advance 2 of his men were killed, and because of the heavy fire from all sides the remaining 2 sought shelter. Unmindful of the hazard attached to his mission, Cpl. Heriot, with fixed bayonet, alone charged the machinegun, making his way through the fire for a distance of 30 yards and forcing the enemy to surrender. During this exploit he received several wounds in the arm, and later in the same day, while charging another nest, he was killed.
WOODFILL, SAMUEL
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Army, 60th Infantry, 5th Division. Place and date: At Cunel, France, 12 October 1918. Entered service at: Bryantsburg, Ind. Birth: Jefferson County, Ind. G.O. No.: 16, W.D., 1919. Citation: While he was leading his company against the enemy, his line came under heavy machinegun fire, which threatened to hold up the advance. Followed by 2 soldiers at 25 yards, this officer went out ahead of his first line toward a machinegun nest and worked his way around its flank, leaving the 2 soldiers in front. When he got within 10 yards of the gun it ceased firing, and 4 of the enemy appeared, 3 of whom were shot by 1st Lt. Woodfill. The fourth, an officer, rushed at 1st Lt. Woodfill, who attempted to club the officer with his rifle. After a hand-to-hand struggle, 1st Lt. Woodfill killed the officer with his pistol. His company thereupon continued to advance, until shortly afterwards another machinegun nest was encountered. Calling on his men to follow, 1st Lt. Woodfill rushed ahead of his line in the face of heavy fire from the nest, and when several of the enemy appeared above the nest he shot them, capturing 3 other members of the crew and silencing the gun. A few minutes later this officer for the third time demonstrated conspicuous daring by charging another machinegun position, killing 5 men in one machinegun pit with his rifle. He then drew his revolver and started to jump into the pit, when 2 other gunners only a few yards away turned their gun on him. Failing to kill them with his revolver, he grabbed a pick lying nearby and killed both of them. Inspired by the exceptional courage displayed by this officer, his men pressed on to their objective under severe shell and machinegun fire.
*PENDLETON, JACK J.
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company I, 120th Infantry, 30th Infantry Division. Place and date: Bardenberg, Germany, 12 October 1944. Entered service at: Yakima, Wash. Birth: Sentinel Butte, N. Dak. G.O. No.: 24, 6 April 1945. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty on 12 October 1944. When Company I was advancing on the town of Bardenberg, Germany, they reached a point approximately two-thirds of the distance through the town when they were pinned down by fire from a nest of enemy machineguns. This enemy strong point was protected by a lone machinegun strategically placed at an intersection and firing down a street which offered little or no cover or concealment for the advancing troops. The elimination of this protecting machinegun was imperative in order that the stronger position it protected could be neutralized. After repeated and unsuccessful attempts had been made to knock out this position, S/Sgt. Pendleton volunteered to lead his squad in an attempt to neutralize this strongpoint. S/Sgt. Pendleton started his squad slowly forward, crawling about 10 yards in front of his men in the advance toward the enemy gun. After advancing approximately 130 yards under the withering fire, S/Sgt. Pendleton was seriously wounded in the leg by a burst from the gun he was assaulting. Disregarding his grievous wound, he ordered his men to remain where they were, and with a supply of handgrenades he slowly and painfully worked his way forward alone. With no hope of surviving the veritable hail of machinegun fire which he deliberately drew onto himself, he succeeded in advancing to within 10 yards of the enemy position when he was instantly killed by a burst from the enemy gun. By deliberately diverting the attention of the enemy machine gunners upon himself, a second squad was able to advance, undetected, and with the help of S/Sgt. Pendleton's squad, neutralized the lone machinegun, while another platoon of his company advanced up the intersecting street and knocked out the machinegun nest which the first gun had been covering. S/Sgt. Pendleton's sacrifice enabled the entire company to continue the advance and complete their mission at a critical phase of the action.
*SCOTT, NORMAN
Rank and organization: Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy. Born: 10 August 1889, Indianapolis, Ind. Appointed from: Indiana. Citation: For extraordinary heroism and conspicuous intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty during action against enemy Japanese forces off Savo Island on the night of 11-12 October and again on the night of 12-13 November 1942. In the earlier action, intercepting a Japanese Task Force intent upon storming our island positions and landing reinforcements at Guadalcanal, Rear Adm. Scott, with courageous skill and superb coordination of the units under his command, destroyed 8 hostile vessels and put the others to flight. Again challenged, a month later, by the return of a stubborn and persistent foe, he led his force into a desperate battle against tremendous odds, directing close-range operations against the invading enemy until he himself was killed in the furious bombardment by their superior firepower. On each of these occasions his dauntless initiative, inspiring leadership and judicious foresight in a crisis of grave responsibility contributed decisively to the rout of a powerful invasion fleet and to the consequent frustration of a formidable Japanese offensive. He gallantly gave his life in the service of his country.
*COURSEN, SAMUEL S.
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Company C 5th Cavalry Regiment. Place and date: Near Kaesong, Korea, 12 October 1950. Entered service at: Madison, N.J. Born: 4 August 1926 Madison, N.J. G.O. No.: 57, 2 August 1951. Citation: 1st Lt. Coursen distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action. While Company C was attacking Hill 174 under heavy enemy small-arms fire, his platoon received enemy fire from close range. The platoon returned the fire and continued to advance. During this phase 1 his men moved into a well-camouflaged emplacement, which was thought to be unoccupied, and was wounded by the enemy who were hidden within the emplacement. Seeing the soldier in difficulty he rushed to the man's aid and, without regard for his personal safety, engaged the enemy in hand-to-hand combat in an effort to protect his wounded comrade until he himself was killed. When his body was recovered after the battle 7 enemy dead were found in the emplacement. As the result of 1st Lt. Coursen's violent struggle several of the enemies' heads had been crushed with his rifle. His aggressive and intrepid actions saved the life of the wounded man, eliminated the main position of the enemy roadblock, and greatly inspired the men in his command. 1st Lt. Coursen's extraordinary heroism and intrepidity reflect the highest credit on himself and are in keeping with the honored traditions of the military service.
WEST, ERNEST E.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company L, 14th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Sataeri, Korea, 12 October 1952. Entered service at: Wurtland Ky. Born: 2 September 1931, Russell, Ky. G.O. No.: 7, 29 January i954. Citation: Pfc. West distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. He voluntarily accompanied a contingent to locate and destroy a reported enemy outpost. Nearing the objective, the patrol was ambushed and suffered numerous casualties. Observing his wounded leader lying in an exposed position, Pfc. West ordered the troops to withdraw, then braved intense fire to reach and assist him. While attempting evacuation, he was attacked by 3 hostile soldiers employing grenades and small-arms fire. Quickly shifting his body to shelter the officer, he killed the assailants with his rifle, then carried the helpless man to safety. He was critically wounded and lost an eye in this action. but courageously returned through withering fire and bursting shells to assist the wounded. While evacuating 2 comrades, he closed with and killed 3 more of the foe. Pfc. West's indomitable spirit, consummate valor, and intrepid actions inspired all who observed him, reflect the highest credit on himself, and uphold the honored traditions of the military service.
*PERKINS, WILLIAM THOMAS, JR.
Rank and organization: Corporal, U.S. Marine Corps, Company C, 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division. Place and date: Quang Tri Province, Republic of Vietnam, 12 October 1967. Entered service at: San Francisco, Calif. Born: 10 August 1947, Rochester, N.Y. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a combat photographer attached to Company C. During Operation MEDINA, a major reconnaissance in force southwest of Quang Tri, Company C made heavy combat contact with a numerically superior North Vietnamese Army force estimated at from 2 to 3 companies. The focal point of the intense fighting was a helicopter landing zone which was also serving as the Command Post of Company C. In the course of a strong hostile attack, an enemy grenade landed in the immediate area occupied by Cpl. Perkins and 3 other marines. Realizing the inherent danger, he shouted the warning, "Incoming Grenade" to his fellow marines, and in a valiant act of heroism, hurled himself upon the grenade absorbing the impact of the explosion with his body, thereby saving the lives of his comrades at the cost of his life. Through his exceptional courage and inspiring valor in the face of certain death, Cpl. Perkins reflected great credit upon himself and the Marine Corps and upheld the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
ITALY
* * * By virtue of a joint resolution of Congress, approved 12 October 1921, the Medal of Honor, emblem of highest ideals and virtues, is bestowed in the name of the Congress of the United States upon the unknown, unidentified Italian soldier to be buried in the National Monument to Victor Emanuel 11, in Rome.
Whereas the Congress has authorized the bestowal of the Congressional Medal of Honor upon unknown, unidentified British and French soldiers buried in Westminster Abbey, London, England, and the Arc de Triomphe, Paris, France, respectively, who fought beside our soldiers in the recent war, and
Whereas, animated by the same spirit of friendship toward the soldiers of Italy who also fought as comrades of the American soldiers during the World War, we desire to add whatever we can to the imperishable glory won by their deeds and to participate in paying tribute to their unknown dead: Now, therefore. be it resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the President of the United States be, and he is hereby, authorized to bestow, with appropriate ceremonies, military and civil, the Congressional Medal of Honor upon the unknown, unidentified Italian soldier to be buried in the National Monument to Victor Emanuel 11, in Rome, Italy (A.G. 220.523) (War Department General Orders, No. 52, I Dec. 1922, Sec. II)
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