The List 7398
To All
Good Saturday Morning December 27, 2025 . Today is clear and no rain again
until mid week.
Just back from breakfast with Mac and it is very nice out there even though
it is becoming partly cloudy.
Be sure to read the last entry from Barrett and the Vietnamese story of
Brown Bear's One v Many.
Have a great weekend.
.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/. Go
here to see the director's corner for all 94 H-Grams.
December. 27
1862-During the Civil War, the ironclad river gunboat Baron De Kalb returns
after a five-day Yazoo River mission, where the gunboat burns trapped
steamers, captures and destroys large quantities of enemy equipment while
also taking several prisoners. For "distinguished actions during this
mission," five men receive the Navy Medal of Honor.
1942-The minelayers, USS Keokuk (CM 8), USS Salem (CM 11), and USS Weehawken
(CM 12) begin mining approaches to Casablanca, French Morocco, which lasts
two days.
1943-USS Flying Fish (SS 229) sinks the Japanese fleet tanker Kyuei Maru in
the South China Sea west of Luzon Strait. Also on this date, USS Ray (SS
271) sinks the Japanese fleet tanker Kyoko Maru (ex-Dutch Semiramis) west of
the Celebes.
1944-Task Group 94.9, commanded by Rear Adm. Allan E. Smith, bombards
Japanese installations on Iwo Jima. USS Dunlap (DD 384), USS Fanning (DD
385), and USS Cummings (DD 365) sink Japanese fast transport T.7 and landing
ship T.132.
1990-Lt. Cmdr. Darlene Iskra, the first female commanding officer of a U.S.
Navy warship, reports for duty on board USS Opportune (ARS 41), then at
Naples, Italy, serving until 1993.
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Today in World History December 27
1512 The laws of Burgos give New World natives legal protection against
abuse and authorize Negro slavery.
1831 HMS Beagle, with Charles Darwin on board, departs from Plymouth. It
will eventually visit the Galapagos Islands where Darwin will form his
theories on evolution.
1862 Union General William Rosecrans' army begins moving slowly toward
Murfreesboro, Tennessee, from Nashville.
1913 Charles Moyer, president of the Miners Union, is shot in the back
and dragged through the streets of Chicago.
1915 In Ohio, iron and steel workers go on strike for an eight-hour day
and higher wages.
1932 Radio City Music Hall opens.
1933 Josef Stalin calls tensions with Japan a grave danger.
1939 A series of vicious earthquakes take 11,000 lives in Turkey.
1941 Japanese bombers attack Manila, despite its claim as an open city.
1944 General George S. Patton's Third Army, spearheaded by the 4th
Armored Division, relieves the surrounded city of Bastogne in Belgium.
1945 The International Monetary Fund and the Bank for Reconstruction and
Development are created.
1947 The new Italian constitution is promulgated in Rome.
1950 The United States and Spain resume relations for the first time
since the Spanish Civil War of the 1930s.
1956 Segregation on buses in Tallahassee, Florida, is outlawed.
1968 The United States agrees to sell F-4 Phantom jets to Israel.
1979 President Hafizullah Amin of Afghanistan is ousted and murdered in a
coup backed by the Soviet Union, beginning a war that will last more than 10
years.
1983 President Reagan takes all responsibility for the lack of security
in Beirut that allowed a terrorist on a suicide mission to kill 241 Marines.
1984 Four Polish officers are tried for the slaying of Reverend Jerzy
Popieluszko.
1985 Palestinian guerrillas kill 18 people at airports in Rome and
Vienna.
1996 Taliban forces retake strategic Bagram Airfield during Afghan civil
war.
2001 China receives permanent normal trade relations with the US.
2004 Radiation reaches Earth from the brightest extrasolar event ever
witnessed, an explosion of magnetar SGR 1806-20.
2007 Former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto assassinated.
2007 After Mwai Kibaki is declared the winner of Kenya's presidential
elections, rioting begins in Mombasa, precipitating an economic,
humanitarian and political crisis.
1968 Apollo 8 returns to Earth >
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Thanks to the Bear. We will always have the url for you to search items in
Rolling Thunder
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER .
. rollingthunderremembered.com .
Thanks to Micro
From Vietnam Air Losses site for ..December 27
27-Dec: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=3088
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From the Archives
As I said to Dr.Rich when I thanked him for these this morning
Dr Rich. These bring back so many memories of riding in the back seat of a
series of Chevys from 49 to 55 back and forth across the USA with no A/C and
an AM radio and two younger sisters. skip
Thanks to Boysie ...
Burma Shave Sign History
For those who never saw any of the Burma Shave signs, here is a quick lesson
in our history of the 1930's, 40's, and 50's. Before there were interstates
when everyone had to drive on 2 lane roads, Burma Shave signs were posted
all over the countryside in farmers' fields. They were small red signs with
white letters. Five signs, about 100 feet apart, each one containing 1 line
of a 4 line couplet and the obligatory 5th sign advertising Burma Shave, a
popular shaving cream.
A CAR,
A CURVE
HE KISSED THE MISS
AND MISSED THE CURVE.
Burma Shave
DON'T STICK YOUR ELBOW
OUT SO FAR
IT MAY GO HOME
IN ANOTHER CAR.
Burma Shave
TRAINS DON'T WANDER
ALL OVER THE MAP
'CAUSE NOBODY SITS
IN THE ENGINEER'S LAP.
Burma Shave
SHE KISSED THE HAIRBRUSH
BY MISTAKE
SHE THOUGHT IT WAS
HER HUSBAND JAKE.
Burma Shave
DON'T LOSE YOUR HEAD
TO GAIN A MINUTE
YOU NEED YOUR HEAD
YOUR BRAINS ARE IN IT.
Burma Shave
DROVE TOO LONG
DRIVER SNOOZING
WHAT HAPPENED NEXT
IS NOT AMUSING.
Burma Shave
BROTHER SPEEDER
LET'S REHEARSE
ALL TOGETHER
GOOD MORNING NURSE
Burma Shave
CAUTIOUS RIDER
TO HER RECKLESS DEAR
LET'S HAVE LESS BULL
AND A LITTLE MORE STEER.
Burma Shave
SPEED WAS HIGH
WEATHER WAS NOT
TIRES WERE THIN
X MARKS THE SPOT.
Burma Shave
THE MIDNIGHT RIDE
OF PAUL FOR BEER
LED TO A WARMER
HEMISPHERE.
Burma Shave
AROUND THE CURVE
LICKETY-SPLIT
BEAUTIFUL CAR
WASN'T IT?
Burma Shave
NO MATTER THE PRICE
NO MATTER HOW NEW
THE BEST SAFETY DEVICE
IN THE CAR IS YOU.
Burma Shave
AT INTERSECTIONS
LOOK EACH WAY
A HARP SOUNDS NICE
BUT IT'S HARD TO PLAY.
Burma Shave
BOTH HANDS ON THE WHEEL
EYES ON THE ROAD
THAT'S THE SKILLFUL
DRIVER'S CODE.
Burma Shave
THE ONE WHO DRIVES
WHEN HE'S BEEN DRINKING
DEPENDS ON YOU
TO DO HIS THINKING.
Burma Shave
CAR IN DITCH
DRIVER IN TREE
THE MOON WAS FULL
AND SO WAS HE.
Burma Shave
PASSING SCHOOL ZONE
TAKE IT SLOW
LET OUR LITTLE
SHAVERS GROW.
Burma Shave
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From: Toperczer
Sent: Saturday, April 10, 2021 11:28 AM
To: Barrett Tillman <btillman63@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: Fw: Farm Boy to Fighter Pilot
The North Vietnamese version:
Air Engagement on 14 December 1967
14 December 1967 was the first day of the seventh wave of American air
attacks on targets in the Hanoi area.
The Air Force Command Headquarters assessed the situation and concluded that
the Ameicans would again send large forces to attack targets in the Hanoi
area. It was decided to use a flight of MiG-17s from the 923rd Fighter
Regiment to disrupt the American bomber formation. A flight of four MiG-17s
was on combat alert duty on 14 December 1967, with pilots Luu Huy Chao, Le
Hai, Bui Van Suu, and Nguyen Dinh Phuc. At 1300 hours the flight went to
Combat Alert Condition 1. At 1311 hours the flight took off and headed
toward Nha Nam to attack a formation of enemy bombers approaching to attack
Kep Airfield. In the end, however, the enemy bombers turned down over
southern Hai Duong and then turned back up to attack Hanoi. The MiG-17
flight was ordered to turn back and land.
During the afternoon the U.S. Navy put together a large strike force made up
of F-8Es and A-4s from Squadrons VF-111 and VF-162 off the aircraft carrier
U.S.S. Oriskany to attack targets in the Red River Delta. Air Force
Headquarters ordered the flight of MiG-17s from the 923rd Fighter Regiment
(pilots Luu Huy Chao, Le hai, Bui Van Son, and Nguyen Dinh Phuc) to get
ready for battle. At 1555 hours the flight went to Combat Alert Condition
1. At 1614 hours the flight took off and flew off on a heading of 180
degrees while climbing to an altitude of 2,000 meters. The flight then made
a turn to the right and climbed to an altitude of 4,000 meters. At 1626
hours the No. 4 pilot spotted four F-4s (sic) at a range of 20 kilometers.
When the A-4s reported that there were MiGs in the area, the F-8E fighter
escorts swept forward to engage the MiG-17s. The MiG-17 flight split into
two sections and closed with their target, with one section fighting at an
altitude of 3,500-4,000 meters and the second fighting at an altitude of
1,500-2,000 meters.
Ten or more U.S. Navy F-8s fought the four MiG-17s in a swirling battle to
the death, with aircraft intermingled as they chased one another. When the
No. 2 F-8E got on the tail of a MiG-17 and was preparing to fire a missile,
he was warned that another MiG-17 was on his tail. The MiG-17 behind him
had another F-8E on its tail. The F-8E fired a missile, but it missed.
The air battle raged from an altitude of 5,000 meters all the way down to
low altitude. The MiGs would get on an opponents tail and be preparing to
attack but the F-8s were constantly making hard, sharp turns and the MiGs
were not able to cut inside the turns to get into position to fire their
guns. The U.S. Navy F-8Es were quite maneuverable, they were armed with
both missiles and 20mm guns, and they flew in extended, loose formation, so
when a MiG would engage in a turning dogfight with one F-8 other F-8s would
move away and wait for a favorable opportunity to push their throttles
forward and charge in to fire missiles. The two opposing sides engaged in a
swirling fight, with the F-8s repeatedly firing missiles and the MiGs taking
evasive maneuvers. The F-8s tried to draw the MiGs out toward the ocean,
but the MiG-17s kept circling and would not move far from their original
position. No. 2, Le Hai, flew his aircraft in three very tight circles but
was still unable to shake the F-8 behind him. No. 1 saw Le Hai's
predicament and dove down from above, firing a burst of his guns from a
head-on position with the enemy fighter. Only then did the F-8 finally turn
away to avoid the burst of fire.
Our second MiG-17 section, made up of No. 3, Suu, and No. 4, Phuc, was
engaged in a separate ferocious dogfight against three F-8Es. During a
battle lasting for seven minutes, all four MiG-17s fired their guns and No.
1, Luu Huy Chao, shot down one F-8E. At 1630 hours the command post ordered
the pilots to break off the engagement.
Flight leader Luu Huy Chao led his pilots up along the course of the Red
River at extremely low altitude over the river to return to base to land.
After the pilots broke off and were headed back to the airfield, No. 1, No.
2, and No. 4 turned back to counterattack when they discovered F-8s chasing
them. The F-8s dispersed and headed back out to sea. The flight leader
called each of his pilots to check on them and then the flight formed up to
fly back to the airfield. No. 4, Phuc, was trailing about six-seven
kilometers behind the rest of the flight. At that moment a formation of six
F-8s swept in from the direction of Hai Duong and No. 4 turned back to drive
them away. A missile struck the left side of the fuselage of Phuc's Mig-17.
The MiG crashed in Dang Quan Village, My Hao District, Hai Duong Province,
and the pilot was killed. The F-8E that shot down Nguyen Dinh Phuc's MiG
with an AIM-9D missile was flown by Lieutenant Richard E. Wyman of Squadron
VF-162.
In this battle the U.S. Navy had changed its tactics. Rather that striving
to dog-fight with the MiG-17s, they strove to fly away quickly to lure the
MiGs to follow them. When the MiGs refused to chase them, the American
aircraft waited for our flight of MiGs to form up together to return to the
airfield. They then split up into small sections and snuck up, taking
advantage of times when our MiG pilots dropped their guard to make surprise
attacks when the MiGs were low on fuel and when our pilots were tired.
Lieutenant R. E. Wyman's F-8 had first engaged in a dog-fight with a MiG-17,
then had flown back out over the ocean and waited until the MiG-17 flight
turned back to head home to land. Lt. Wyman then swept in and fired a
missile that hit Nguyen Dinh Phuc's MiG. During this battle all four MiG
pilots were forced to turn back to make counterattacks. No. 4 was killed
while he was making his second counterattack. This experience taught our
MiG pilots lessons in timing, formation, and support tactics when breaking
off engagements to return to base when our MiGs were heavily outnumbered.
The air engagement on 14 December 1967 was extremely ferocious. The pilots
from both sides demonstrated their skill, and the Vietnamese pilots fought
with great determination, displaying their excellent air combat skills. They
made the four F-8Es fight very hard and Luu Huy Chao was able to shoot down
one F-8E, resulting in a 1 to 1 exchange ratio in this battle.
This was one of the longest air battles in the history of the air war over
North Vietnam; it lasted for a total of ten minutes and 45 seconds.
Respectfully -
Commander Cobra
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Thanks to Ken ...and Dr.Rich
Tuesday Distractions
Some truisms too .
"The only mystery in life is why the kamikaze pilots wore helmets." - Al
McGuire
"The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits."
- Albert Einstein
"War is God's way of teaching Americans geography." - Ambrose Bierce
"It would be nice to spend billions on schools and roads, but right now that
money is desperately needed for political ads." - Andy Borowitz
"At every party there are two kinds of people - those who want to go home
and those who don't. The trouble is, they are usually married to each
other." - Ann Landers
"My opinions may have changed, but not the fact that I'm right." - Ashleigh
Brilliant
"Have you noticed that all the people in favor of birth control are already
born?" - Benny Hill
"The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is
that it has never tried to contact us." - Bill Watterson
"As a child my family's menu consisted of two choices: take it or leave it."
- Buddy Hackett
"My favorite machine at the gym is the vending machine." - Caroline Rhea
"All right everyone, line up alphabetically according to your height." -
Casey Stengel
"Never under any circumstances take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the
same night." - Dave Barry
"How many people here have telekinetic powers? Raise my hand." - Emo Philips
"If you live to be one hundred, you've got it made. Very few people die past
that age." - George Burns
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84 years ago American soldiers were involved in the largest and costliest
battle of WWII. In the miserable cold of a European Winter.
Battle of the Bulge
In December 1944, Adolph Hitler attempted to split the Allied armies in
northwest Europe by means of a surprise blitzkrieg thrust through the
Ardennes to Antwerp. Caught off-guard, American units fought desperate
battles to stem the German advance at St.-Vith, Elsenborn Ridge, Houffalize
and Bastogne. As the Germans drove deeper into the Ardennes in an attempt to
secure vital bridgeheads, the Allied line took on the appearance of a large
bulge, giving rise to the battle's name. Lieutenant General George S.
Patton's successful maneuvering of the Third Army to Bastogne proved vital
to the Allied defense, leading to the neutralization of the German
counteroffensive despite heavy casualties.
Its objective was to split the Allied armies by means of a surprise
blitzkrieg thrust through the Ardennes to Antwerp, marking a repeat of what
the Germans had done three times previously-in September 1870, August 1914,
and May 1940. Despite Germany's historical penchant for mounting
counteroffensives when things looked darkest, the Allies' leadership
miscalculated and left the Ardennes lightly defended by only two
inexperienced and two battered American divisions.
On December 16, three German armies (more than a quarter-million troops)
launched the deadliest and most desperate battle of the war in the west in
the poorly roaded, rugged, heavily forested Ardennes. The once-quiet region
became bedlam as American units were caught flat-footed and fought desperate
battles to stem the German advance at St.-Vith, Elsenborn Ridge, Houffalize
and, later, Bastogne, which was defended by the 101st Airborne Division. The
inexperienced U.S. 106th Division was nearly annihilated, but even in defeat
helped buy time for Brigadier General Bruce C. Clarke's brilliant defense of
St.-Vith. As the German armies drove deeper into the Ardennes in an attempt
to secure vital bridgeheads west of the River Meuse quickly, the line
defining the Allied front took on the appearance of a large protrusion or
bulge, the name by which the battle would forever be known.
A crucial German shortage of fuel and the gallantry of American troops
fighting in the frozen forests of the Ardennes proved fatal to Hitler's
ambition to snatch, if not victory, at least a draw with the Allies in the
west. Lieutenant General George S. Patton's remarkable feat of turning the
Third Army ninety degrees from Lorraine to relieve the besieged town of
Bastogne was the key to thwarting the German counteroffensive. The Battle of
the Bulge was the costliest action ever fought by the U.S. Army, which
suffered over 100,000 casualties.
The Reader's Companion to Military History. Edited by Robert Cowley and
Geoffrey Parker. Copyright C 1996 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing
Company. All rights reserved.
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A bit more indepth version
Battle of The Bulge
Facts, information and articles about Battle Of The Bulge, a battle of World
War II
Battle Of The Bulge Facts
Date
16 December 1944 - 16 January 1945
Location
The Ardennes, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany
Result
Allied Victory
Troop Strength
80,000 Allies initially; ultimately 600,000+
200,000 Germany initially; ultimately 500,000
Casualties
90,000 Allies
100,000 German
Battle Of The Bulge Articles
Explore articles from the History Net archives about Battle Of The Bulge
> See all Battle Of The Bulge Articles
Battle Of The Bulge summary: The Battle of the Bulge (December 16,
1944-January 16, 1945), also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the
largest battle fought on the Western Front in Europe during World War II; it
is also the largest battle ever fought by the United States Army. It was a
German offensive intended to drive a wedge between the American and British
armies in France and the Low Countries and recapture the port of Antwerp in
The Netherlands to deny the Allies use of the port facilities. The German
codename for the buildup to the offensive was Watch on the Rhine (Wacht am
Rhine). The actual offensive was codenamed Operation Autumn Mist
(Unternehmen Herbstnebel). It fell far short of its goals but managed to
create a bulge in the American lines 50 miles wide and 70 miles deep, which
gave the struggle its alliterative name. The phrase "battle of the bulge"
already existed in the American lexicon as a term for attempts to lose body
weight.
The initial German attack force consisted of more than 200,000 men, around
1,000 tanks and assault guns (including the new 70-ton Tiger II tanks) and
1,900 artillery pieces, supported by 2,000 aircraft, the latter including
some Messerschmitt Me 262 jets. In the opening phases of the battle, they
would be facing only some 80,000 men, less than 250 pieces of armor and
about 400 artillery guns. Many of the American troops were inexperienced;
the German force included battle-hardened veterans of the tough fighting on
the Eastern Front, but they, too, had green units filled with boys and with
men who normally would have been considered too old for military service.
During the course of the month-long battle, some 500,000 German, 600,000
American and 55,000 British troops became involved. The Germans lost some
100,000 men killed, wounded and missing, 700 tanks and 1,600 aircraft,
losses they could not replace. Allied losses-the majority of them incurred
during the first week-included 90,000 men, 300 tanks and 300 aircraft, but
they could make up these losses. In addition, an estimated 3,000 civilians
died, some during the fighting and others executed by German combat and
security forces. See "War Crimes in the Battle of the Bulge."
The Ardennes Offensive was a massive gamble on the part of German dictator
Adolf Hitler, one that he lost badly.
Background to the Battle of the Bulge
By the winter of 1944, Nazi Germany's situation was grim. Soviet forces were
coming ever closer to the Fatherland from the east, and in the west Allied
forces had crossed the German border. German Chancellor Adolf Hitler
intended to launch a surprise attack in the west that would divide and
demoralize the Western Allies and, perhaps, convince them to join Germany in
its war against the communists of the Soviet Union. In May 1940, he had
gambled on a surprise attack through the dense Ardennes Forest into Belgium
and France and had won a stunning victory. Now he planned for history to
repeat itself: once more German armor would advance through the concealing
woods of the Ardennes to strike his enemies by surprise.
The German army commander in the West, Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt,
thought the plan too ambitious. Other commanders also objected to taking
resources away from the Eastern Front for this operation, but Hitler
overruled them all.
Field Marshal Walther Model's Army Group B would be responsible for the
attack. His forces included Generaloberst Josef "Sepp" Dietrich's Sixth
Panzer Army, the largest and best equipped of the three striking armies,
which was to drive northward, quickly cross the Meuse River and capture
Amsterdam before the surprised Allies could regroup. Directly to the south
of this force General der Panzertruppen Hosso-Eccard von Manteufel's Fifth
Panzer Army would push west in support of Dietrich's attack. General der
Panzertruppen Erich Brandenburger's Seventh Army would protect the southern
flank. The build-up was given the defensive-sounding codename Watch on the
Rhine. Strict security measures included no radio communication to prevent
Allied radio intercepts.
On the opposite side, Supreme Allied Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower was
planning major operations in the northern and southern sectors of the front.
Accordingly, the center, where the German attack was to fall, was the
weakest part of the line. The American VIII Corps, under Major General Troy
Middleton, consisted of the 4th, 28th, and 106th infantry divisions, most of
the 9th Armored Division, and the two-squadron 14th Cavalry group. The 106th
Infantry and 9th Armored were green units, untested in combat. The 4th and
28th had suffered high numbers of casualties during operations in the
Hurtgen Forest and were receiving thousands of inexperienced replacements.
This small, largely untried force had been assigned an 80-mile-long front;
normally, a corps would be defending an area only about one-third that
length.
Elsenborn Ridge and St. Vith
The German attack achieved the desired surprise but often encountered
unexpectedly tough resistance. Their timetable did not allow for delays, but
time and again the Americans slowed the enemy advance.
The road network in the Ardennes was narrow and rough. A key road for Sixth
Panzer Army's advance ran parallel to a stretch of high ground called
Elsenborn Ridge. Along this ridge, ad-hoc groups of tanks, tank destroyers
and dug-in infantry stubbornly resisted. General Eisenhower, immediately
realizing his men were facing a major attack in the Ardennes rushed
artillery to support the ridge. The firepower from their guns left the
narrow roads choked with wrecked vehicles, in addition to those that broke
down on their own from mechanical failure. After 10 days of intense
fighting, Sixth Panzer Army abandoned its attempts to cross Elsenborn Ridge
and sought other routes.
Panzerjager IV of the 1st SS Division advancing. National Archives.
Many villages saw intense fighting. Because of the road situation, towns
where several roads converged were critically important; one such town south
of Elsenborn Ridge was St. Vith, Belgium. At St. Vith and nearby towns,
Fifth Panzer Army encountered stiff resistance; on the first day of the
German offensive Eisenhower had ordered the 7th Armored Division to St. Vith
to support 106th Infantry units. The narrow roads, ice, snow and mud
prevented the Germans from massing their superior armor. The St. Vith pocket
held until December 21 when, in danger of being encircled, the defenders
withdrew. Their determined stand had thrown another monkey wrench into the
German timetable. It bought time for the 82nd Airborne Division to set up
strong defensive positions west of the town that blunted the enemy's advance
and temporarily pushed the attackers back across the Ambleve River. During
the course of their engagements some units of the 82nd Airborne suffered
over 80% casualties-the 509th Battalion reportedly took over 90%
casualties-with most losses coming during the Allied counteroffensive that
began in January.
Bastogne
To the west and south of St. Vith another crossroads town became the focus
of intense fighting. When Eisenhower ordered the 7th Armored to St. Vith he
also ordered the 10th Armored Division to Bastogne. It joined the 9th
Armored, several artillery battalions, and infantrymen defending Bastogne
and the small towns around it. On the 18th, the 705 Tank Destroyer Battalion
arrived, and on the 19th the 101st Airborne. By the 20th the town was
encircled by the advancing enemy, and on the 22nd, four Germans arrived with
an ultimatum: surrender or heavy artillery will begin firing on the town.
Brigadier General Anthony McAuliffe sent them back to their commander with a
one-word reply: "Nuts." The artillery had already moved farther west,
however, so the barrage was not forthcoming, though the Luftwaffe bombed the
village by night.
On December 26, Bastogne's defenders received a belated Christmas present:
Lieutenant Charles P. Boggess with a few M4 Sherman tanks fought his way
into Bastogne from the south. They were the lead element of a relief force
from Lieutenant General George S. Patton's Third Army. When Patton struck
with three divisions the following day, the German ring around Bastogne was
broken.
End of the Battle of the Bulge
By this time, the Nazi offensive was running out of fuel, literally and
figuratively. The Germans had waited for bad winter weather to launch their
attack, to diminish the ability of Allied aircraft to support the ground
troops. The weather also slowed the German advance, however, and this, the
narrow roads and stubborn resistance wrecked their timetable. Improving
weather conditions allowed Allied planes to take to the skies again and
support the counterattacks that began pushing back the Germans. Despite a
Luftwaffe offensive in Holland and a second major ground offensive the
Germans launched in Alsace on January 1, the Third Reich could not regain
the initiative. The Battle of the Bulge is officially considered to have
ended January 16, exactly one month after it began, although fighting
continued for some time beyond that date. By early February, the front lines
had returned to their positions of December 16
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This Day in U S Military History
1846 - The rag-tag army of volunteers known as Doniphan's Thousand, led by
Colonel Alexander W. Doniphan, wins a major victory in the war with Mexico
with the occupation of El Paso. Born in Kentucky in 1808, Doniphan moved to
Missouri in 1830 to practice law. But the tall redheaded man was not
satisfied with fighting only courtroom battles, and he volunteered as a
brigadier general in the Missouri militia. When war between Mexico and the
U.S. erupted in 1846, the men of the 1st Missouri Mounted Volunteers elected
Doniphan their colonel, and marched south to join General Stephen Kearny's
army in New Mexico. Since they were not professional military men,
Doniphan's troops cared little for the traditional spit-and-polish of the
regular troops, and reportedly looked more like tramps than soldiers.
Likewise, Doniphan was a casual officer who led more by example than by
strict discipline. Nonetheless, Doniphan's Thousand proved to be a
surprisingly effective force in the war with Mexico. In December, Doniphan
led 500 of his men and a large wagon train of supplies south to join General
John E. Wool in his planned invasion of the Mexican state of Chihuahua.
Before he had a chance to meet up with Wool's larger force near the city of
Chihuahua, Doniphan encountered an army of 1,200 Mexican soldiers about 30
miles north of El Paso, Texas. Although his opponents had twice the number
of soldiers, Doniphan led his men to victory, and with the path to El Paso
now largely undefended was able to occupy the city two days later. When
nearing the Mexican border, Doniphan learned that General Wool's forces had
broken off their invasion of Chihuahua because the army's wheeled vehicles
had proved unworkable in the desert landscape. But rather than turn back,
Doniphan reassembled his army to its full force of about 1,000 men and was
allowed to proceed with the invasion unassisted. Once again grossly
outnumbered-the Mexican army was four times the size of Doniphan's-the
Missouri troops were still able to quickly break through the defensive lines
and occupy Chihuahua City. By mid-summer 1847, Doniphan's victorious army
reached the Gulf Coast, where they were picked up by ships and taken to New
Orleans for discharge. By then, the focus of the battle had shifted to
General Winfield Scott's campaign to take Mexico City. In September of that
year, Scott's troops ended the war by successfully occupying Mexico City,
and for the first time in U.S. history an American flag flew over a foreign
capital. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, signed early in 1848, gave the
U.S. the vast western territory stretching from Texas to the Pacific and
north to Oregon.
1943 - The threat of a paralyzing railroad strike loomed over the United
States during the 1943 holiday season. President Franklin Roosevelt stepped
in to serve as a negotiator, imploring the rail unions to give America a
"Christmas present" and settle the smoldering wage dispute. But, as
Christmas came and went, only two of the five railroad brotherhoods agreed
to let Roosevelt arbitrate the situation. So, on December 27, just three
days before the scheduled walk-out, the President shelved his nice-guy
rhetoric and seized the railroads. Lest the move look too aggressive,
Roosevelt assured that the railroads would only be temporarily placed under
the "supervision" of the War Department; he also pledged that the situation
would not alter daily rail operations. The gambit worked, as officials for
the recalcitrant brotherhoods made an eleventh-hour decision to avert the
strike. The action was taken under the wartime Labor Disputes Act. The
railroads were returned to private management on January 18, 1944.
1944 - Attacks by the British 30th Corps (part of US 1st Army) force the
German 2nd Panzer Division (an element of 5th Panzer Army) out of Celles.
The US 3rd Army expands the corridor to Bastogne.
1944 - The US 8th Air Force bombs Coblenz, Bonn and Kaiserslautern
(nominally railway targets). The RAF conducts nighttime raids on
Munchen-Gladbach and Bonn.
1945 - Foreign ministers from the former Allied nations of the United
States, the Soviet Union, and Great Britain agreed to divide Korea into two
separate occupation zones and to govern the nation for five years.
1950 - Lieutenant General Matthew B. Ridgway took command of U.N. ground
forces in Korea. Ridgway was a former commander of the 82nd Airborne
Division and XVIII Airborne Corps in Europe during World War II. Upon
assuming command, he moved immediately to the front to learn the situation
first hand. Concurrently with Ridgway's assumption of command, X Corps
passed from control of General Headquarters, Far East Command, to the Eighth
Army.
1950 - Captain Marcus L. Sullivan became the first Army aviator to pilot a
helicopter, a Bell H-13, in Korea.
1968 - Apollo 8, the first manned mission to the moon, returns safely to
Earth after an historic six-day journey. On December 21, Apollo 8 was
launched by a three-stage Saturn 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, with
astronauts Frank Borman, James Lovell, Jr., and William Anders aboard. On
Christmas Eve, the astronauts entered into orbit around the moon, the first
manned spacecraft ever to do so. During Apollo 8's 10 lunar orbits,
television images were sent back home and spectacular photos were taken of
the Earth and the moon from the spacecraft. In addition to being the first
human beings to view firsthand their home world in its entirety, the three
astronauts were also the first to see the dark side of the moon. On
Christmas morning, Apollo 8 left its lunar orbit and began its journey back
to Earth, landing safely in the Pacific Ocean on December 27. On July 20 of
the following year, Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, astronauts of
the Apollo 11 mission, became the first men to walk on the moon.
1969 - In the fiercest battle in six weeks, U.S. and North Vietnamese forces
clash near Loc Ninh, about 80 miles north of Saigon. Elements of the 1st
Infantry Division reported killing 72 of 250 North Vietnamese soldiers in a
daylong battle. Loc Ninh, a village of fewer than 10,000 people, was located
at the northern limit of national Route 13, only a few miles from the
Cambodian border. It was the site of several major battles between U.S. and
Communist forces. On April 5, 1972, as part of their Easter Offensive, North
Vietnamese forces overtook Loc Ninh during their attempt to capture the An
Loc provincial capital to the south.
2012 - Retired General Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr., commander of the combined
coalition forces during the Gulf War, dies from pneumonia complications at
age 78.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
MORTON, CHARLES W.
Rank and organization: Boatswain's Mate, U.S. Navy. Born: 1836, Ireland.
Accredited to: Maryland. G.O. No.: 11, 3 April 1863. Citation: Serving as
boatswain's mate on board the U.S.S. Benton during the Yazoo River
Expedition, 23 to 27 December 1863. Taking part in the hour_and_a_half
engagement with the enemy at Drumgould's Bluff, 27 December, Morton served
courageously throughout the battle against the hostile forces, who had the
dead range of the vessel and were punishing her with heavy fire, until the
Benton was ordered to withdraw.
ROBINSON, CHARLES
Rank and organization: Boatswain's Mate, U.S. Navy. Born: 1832 Scotland.
Accredited to: New York. G.O. No.: 11, 3 April 1863. Citation: Serving on
board the U.S.S. Baron de Kalb, Yazoo River Expedition, 23 to 27 December
1862. Proceeding under orders up the Yazoo River, the U.S.S. Baron de Kalb,
with the object of capturing or destroying the enemy's transports, came upon
the steamers John Walsh, R. J. Locklan, Golden Age, and the Scotland sunk on
a bar where they were ordered fired. Continuing up the river, she was fired
on by the enemy, but upon returning the fire, caused the rebels to retreat.
Returning down the Yazoo, she destroyed and captured large quantities of
enemy equipment and several prisoners. Serving bravely throughout this
action, Robinson, as boatswain's mate, "d1stinguished himself in the various
actions."
WILLIAMS, ROBERT
Rank and organization: Signal Quartermaster, U.S. Navy. Born: 1837, New
York, N.Y. Accredited to: New York. G.O. No.: 11, 3 April 1863. Citation:
Serving as quartermaster on board the U.S.S. Benton during the Yazoo River
Expedition, 23 to 27 December 1862. Taking part in the hour_and_a_half
engagement with the enemy at Drumgould's Bluff, 27 December, Williams served
courageously throughout that battle against hostile forces in which the
enemy had the dead range of the vessel and were punishing her with heavy
fire and, for various other action in which he took part during the Yazoo
River Expedition.
WHITELEY, ELI
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Company L, 15th
Infantry, 3d Infantry Division. Place and date: Sigolsheim, France, 27
December 1944. Entered service at: Georgetown, Tex. Birth: Florence, Tex.
G.O. No.: 79, 14 September 1945. Citation: While leading his platoon on 27
December 1944, in savage house-to-house fighting through the fortress town
of Sigolsheim, France, he attacked a building through a street swept by
withering mortar and automatic weapons fire. He was hit and severely wounded
in the arm and shoulder; but he charged into the house alone and killed its
2 defenders. Hurling smoke and fragmentation grenades before him, he reached
the next house and stormed inside, killing 2 and capturing 11 of the enemy.
He continued leading his platoon in the extremely dangerous task of clearing
hostile troops from strong points along the street until he reached a
building held by fanatical Nazi troops. Although suffering from wounds which
had rendered his left arm useless, he advanced on this strongly defended
house, and after blasting out a wall with bazooka fire, charged through a
hail of bullets. Wedging his submachinegun under his uninjured arm, he
rushed into the house through the hole torn by his rockets, killed 5 of the
enemy and forced the remaining 12 to surrender. As he emerged to continue
his fearless attack, he was again hit and critically wounded. In agony and
with 1 eye pierced by a shell fragment, he shouted for his men to follow him
to the next house. He was determined to stay in the fighting, and remained
at the head of his platoon until forcibly evacuated. By his disregard for
personal safety, his aggressiveness while suffering from severe wounds, his
determined leadership and superb courage, 1st Lt. Whiteley killed 9 Germans,
captured 23 more and spearheaded an attack which cracked the core of enemy
resistance in a vital area.
JENNINGS, DELBERT O.
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company C, 1st Battalion
(Airborne), 12th Cavalry, 1st Air Cavalry Division. Place and date: Kim Song
Valley, Republic of Vietnam, 27 December 1966. Entered service at: San
Francisco, Calif. Born: 23 July 1936, Silver City, N. Mex. Citation: For
conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond
the call of duty. Part of Company C was defending an artillery position when
attacked by a North Vietnamese Army regiment supported by mortar,
recoilless-rifle, and machine gun fire. At the outset, S/Sgt. Jennings
sprang to his bunker, astride the main attack route, and slowed the
on-coming enemy wave with highly effective machine gun fire. Despite a
tenacious defense in which he killed at least 12 of the enemy, his squad was
forced to the rear. After covering the withdrawal of the squad, he rejoined
his men, destroyed an enemy demolition crew about to blow up a nearby
howitzer, and killed 3 enemy soldiers at his initial bunker position.
Ordering his men back into a secondary position, he again covered their
withdrawal, killing 1 enemy with the butt of his weapon. Observing that some
of the defenders were unaware of an enemy force in their rear, he raced
through a fire-swept area to warn the men, turn their fire on the enemy, and
lead them into the secondary perimeter. Assisting in the defense of the new
position, he aided the air-landing of reinforcements by throwing white
phosphorous grenades on the landing zone despite dangerously silhouetting
himself with the light. After helping to repulse the final enemy assaults,
he led a group of volunteers well beyond friendly lines to an area where 8
seriously wounded men lay. Braving enemy sniper fire and ignoring the
presence of booby traps in the area, they recovered the 8 men who would have
probably perished without early medical treatment. S/Sgt. Jenning's
extraordinary heroism and inspirational leadership saved the lives of many
of his comrades and contributed greatly to the defeat of a superior enemy
force. His actions stand with the highest traditions of the military
profession and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S.
Army.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for December 27, FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT
ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE
INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
27 December
1925: Daniel Guggenheim set up a $2.5million fund to promote aeronautics and
speed the development of American aviation. (8: Dec 90)
1935: The 5th Group (Composite) dropped bombs to redirect the Mauna Loa lava
flow away from the waterworks at Hilo, Hawaii. (21) (24)
1942: Flying his P-38 Lightning against the Japanese in the Pacific, 2Lt
Richard I. Bong scored his first two aerial victories. He later became the
top ace in the war. With 40 kills. (21)
1951: KOREAN WAR. Far East Air Forces aircraft flew 900 sorties, the largest
number of the month, to damage or destroy locomotives, railcars, buildings,
vehicles, and gun positions. (28)
1952: KOREAN WAR. Through 31 December, the 581st Air Resupply and
Communications Wing flight of four H-19 helicopters at Seoul flew several
experimental agent insertion sorties into enemy territory for covert and
clandestine intelligence activities. (28)
1955: Douglas Aircraft Company received a contract for the Thor
intermediate-range ballistic missile's airframe. (6)
1962: The first six Lockheed SR-71 reconnaissance aircraft are ordered for
production. The SR-71 is the follow-on to the A-12 already under production.
1970: The 374th Tactical Airlift Wing flew the last C-130A mission in South
Vietnam. The mission recovered at Naha AB, Japan on 28 December.
Thereafter, the Military Assistance Command's (Vietnam) airlift structure no
longer included C-130As. (17)
1989: Operation JUST CAUSE. The Military Airlift Command began flying
humanitarian assistance missions to Panama. (8: Mar 90)
1992: Operation SOUTHERN WATCH. Two F-16 Fighting Falcons from the 363rd
Fighter Wing at Shaw AFB, N. C., intercepted two MiG-25s in the "no-fly"
zone in Southern Iraq. The 33rd Fighter Squadron Commander, Lt Col Gary
North, fired an AIM-120A missile and shot down a MiG-25. The event featured
several firsts: the first combat use of the AIM-120A, the first beyond
visual range kill, and the first USAF F-16 air-to-air victory. (16) (20)
2003: On 26 December, a 6.7 earthquake hit in Iran's southeastern Kerman
Province near the historic city of Bam. From 27 to 29 December, the Air
Mobility Command flew several humanitarian airlift missions to help the
earthquake victims. A single C-5 flew from Travis AFB, Calif., to Kuwait
City International Airport, where passengers and cargo transferred to C-130s
for an airlift to Kerman AB, Iran. Nine C-130 missions and two C-17 missions
eventually carried 338,000 pounds of cargo to Kerman. On 28 December, a
137th Airlift Wing (Oklahoma Air Guard) C-130H became the first USAF asset
to land in Iran in over 20 years. (22)
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
I was just about ready to send out the List when I saw this one
Thanks to Barrett
Tim Ballard was a 105 pilot, September 1966.
BT
________________________________________
From: Budd Davisson from Budd Davisson: Thinking Out Loud
<budddavisson@substack.com>
Sent: Saturday, December 27, 2025 8:41 AM
To: btillman63@hotmail.com <btillman63@hotmail.com>
Subject: Thinking Out Loud - A Powerful Message for us All to Remember this
Christmas season
Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more
Thinking Out Loud - A Powerful Message for us All to Remember this Christmas
season
Christmases in the Dungeons of North Vietnam by Ted Ballard, Christmas 1966
BUDD DAVISSON
Pull up a chair and a cup of coffee. Or two. This is by far the longest
Thinking Out Loud that I've ever run. It's twice as long. It was sent to me
by a friend and its length put me off. I didn't have the time. Or so I told
myself. I read the first couple of paragraphs and found I couldn't stop. I'm
certain this has been presented elsewhere, but I'd never seen it and this is
a story that has to be told, emotionally digested and remembered. This is
important so we don't forget what our men (and boys) went through as POWs in
Vietnam and how they survived by sheer strength of will.
This is Tim Ballard speaking:
On December 24th, 1966, I was living in a small twelve feet by twelve feet
cell. My roommate was Navy Ensign George McSwain. We had no contact with
other American POWs. For seven weeks George had been undergoing a torture
that was called"holding up the wall"-standing facing the wall with his arms
straight over his head. Periodically the guards would come in and beat him
up. The Vietnamese were torturing George in an attempt to get me to sign a
war crimes confession. I will not go into any details, but earlier they had
tortured me for the same thing and failed.
I had spent two months in a cast, from my left ankle to my chest, and was
now using crutches to hobble around the room.
As evening approached, a guard came and took George to be interviewed by
some Vietnamese officers. While he was gone I suddenly felt the urge to walk
without the crutches. I carried them with me but did not use them and made
it all the way around the room. I had given myself a Christmas present and
waited impatiently for George to come back so I could share it with him.
When George returned he had a few pieces of sugar candy and a cigarette for
each of us. This was a pleasant surprise since I never thought the
Vietnamese would recognize Christmas. George said the quiz room was full of
oranges and bananas and we would receive some later. We never did.
Later some Christmas music was played over the camp radio. A POW sang two or
three songs. I wondered who he was but never did find out. It was a sad
Christmas Eve for me. As we went to bed, George was silent and despondent.
We did not talk as we normally did. I could only imagine his thoughts. Mine
were of my family and Christmases past.
The gong did not clang as usual Christmas morning. However, a guard came by
and told George to get"on the wall." About three hours later he was taken to
quiz and the officer (whom we called Dum-dum) told him that the Camp
Commander had forgiven him of his"crimes" and he must obey the camp
regulations. We were both jubilant at this news.
George's long ordeal was over. In a way we felt it was a victory for us
since I did not have to write a confession or condemn the United States
government. Several times I came close to calling a halt to the torture and
writing the statement, but George was a tough man and he took it as he said
he could.
The Vietnamese gave us a good Christmas dinner-a piece of meat, lots of
rice, and, for the first time, cabbage soup.
Christmas 1967 The summer and fall of 1967 was a bad time for the POWs. Many
men were tortured for propaganda purposes, and harassment by the guards was
continuous.
There were about thirty men in our building, three to each room. My
cellmates were Captain Bob Sandvick and Captain Tom Pyle.
On Christmas Eve we were taken to view a tree the Vietnamese had decorated.
We were given some candy and extra cigarettes to take back to our rooms.
Later in the evening we heard a guard opening the hatches to each of the
cells. When he came to our cell he asked,"Protestant or Catholic?" We told
him we were Protestants and he gave us each a small bag which contained an
orange, several cookies. and small pieces of candy. This was our first"Gift
from the Priest." We found out later that the Catholics got a tangerine
instead of and orange. (Only the Lord knows why! ) One POW who was living by
himself told the guard he was neither Protestant nor Catholic. The guard
closed the hatch without giving him anything! Next Christmas he decided to
be a Protestant!
Some Christmas music was played over the camp radio. We also had to listen
to a tape recording by a Vietnamese Catholic Priest. He allowed that we
should pray to God for forgiveness of our crimes against the Vietnamese
people.
Bob, Tom, and I reminisced about our families and other Christmases.
It was a quiet evening for us. Our prayers were for those POWs who were
still suffering from wounds.
Christmas Day we had a good dinner of meat, vegetables, and rice.
In quantity it was about the size of an average American meal, but about six
times our normal ration.
The senior ranking officer of our building initiated a"Home for Christmas"
prayer. Each day at noon a signal was passed to all rooms. We would then
recite the Lord's Prayer.
Christmas, 1968 In the spring of 1968, I was moved to another camp. Living
conditions were somewhat improved. There were nine of us in a twenty-one by
twenty foot room. Even though harassment and treatment by the guards was
about the same, it was great to have more Americans to talk to. Peace
negotiations had begun in Paris, but by the time Christmas came around our
high hopes for an early settlement had vanished.
We had continued our daily"Home for Christmas" prayer. One day one of the
men said,"What will we do if we don't make it home for Christmas?" Someone
answered,"We will continue to pray for next Christmas." As the season grew
nearer the men began writing down the words for holiday songs. We used
toilet paper, pens made form strips of bamboo, and ink from a mixture of
cigarette ashes and water. Of course we kept these carefully hidden from the
Vietnamese.
One of the men received a package from home. He shared everything he had
with the rest of us. What a wonderful treat! Actual goodies from home!
Again we received a"gift from the Priest." I shall never forget that
Christmas Eve. A group of men quietly singing such carols as "Hark, the
Herald Angels Sing" and "Silent Night." Before retiring, Jim Hivner said,
"Everybody who believes in Santa Claus, hang a sock on your mosquito net.
Remember, those who believe will receive!" I did not hang up a sock because
I needed to wear them to try to keep warm. We each had two thin blankets but
I had to use one of mine as cushion for my bad hip.
In the quiet of the night, as I had done the two previous Christmas Eves, I
mentally shopped for, bought, and wrapped gifts for Ruth and Kevin.
How are they? Are they well? Please, God, let them live normal and happy
lives, and know that my thoughts are with them. May God bless and keep them,
as well as the other members of the great Ballard family.
When I awakened the next morning I found a Christmas card inside my net. The
other men had one in their stockings. Jim Hivner had made them without any
of us knowing about it!
Christmas, 1969 The first ten months of 1969 were the worst for the POWs. An
attempt to escape had failed and the Vietnamese had retaliated with extreme
brutality.
In late October, however, a marked improvement in our living conditions came
about. We did not know the reason, but the death of Ho Chi Minh may have had
something to do with it. I believe now that it was the outstanding support
of the American people and the pressure they put upon the North Vietnamese
government that brought about the changes.
In December we were allowed to write our first letters home. I had about 800
million things to say to Ruth and questions to ask, but of course this was
impossible in a six-line letter.
Several of us received packages from home, which we shared. In mine was a
set of thermal underwear for which I was most grateful. One of my cellmates,
Jim Sehorn, had given me one of his blankets. Finally, I could at least stay
warm during those long, sleepless, miserable nights.
We made Christmas cards for the men in the other buildings. These
were"air-mailed" by tying a rock to the paper and throwing them from our
courtyard to theirs.
For a Christmas tree, we decorated a small swiss-type broom with strips of
cloth and paper with various designs. Mike McGrath was quite a good artist
and enjoyed doing things with his hands. He used one of his black pajama
tops as a background and drew a tree on it. From paper and cloth he made
stars and other ornaments and attached them to the tree. Small packages with
each of our names were also attached. This was kept hidden during the day
but was hung on the wall in the evenings for our enjoyment.
We exchanged gifts that Christmas, both real and imaginary. I gave away gift
certificates and treated everyone to a dinner at the Fireside Inn in Las
Vegas. One man, who had lost most of his hair, was given a wooden comb. I
was given ear plugs and a nose clip so I would not be disturbed at night by
nearby neighbors!
Christmas Eve the guards came around and gave us the"gift from the priest,"
also cookies and cigarettes. We were in a good mood and talked and quietly
sang carols til fairly late.
Before retiring we each tied a stocking to our nets. I had saved some peanut
butter candy from my package Ruth had sent and planned to put some in each
man's stocking while they were asleep. I lay awake for about an hour and was
just about ready to get up when I heard a noise and looked up. A POW was
putting something in my stocking. He moved quickly from net to net and then
sneaked back under his own. Ten minutes later another man got up and did the
same thing. It took almost two hours for all eight of us to play Santa
Claus.
Early Christmas morning I was awakened by a loud shout from Jim Sehorn:
"Merry Christmas, everybody! Get up! . He did it! Santa Claus came! Get up!
Get up!" What a sight - Jim running from net to net pulling everybody out of
bed. Our stockings were full of candy, gifts, and greeting cards.
Later that day the guards came in and removed Mike's shirt with the
decorations on it. He was taken to Quiz and the officers told him they were
impressed with his art and were going to take it to the museum. Mike told
them,"No, you are not." He jerked it off the table and tore it up!
Christmas 1970 In November, 1970, there was an unsuccessful attempt by the
United States to rescue some POWs from a camp at Son Tay. Within the next
few days all of the POWs were moved to downtown Hanoi to a large complex of
jails named Hoalo Prison. We called it the Hanoi Hilton. Finally, after so
many years, we were all in the same camp, with 25 to 56 men per cell. We
became better organized militarily, academically, and religiously.
That Christmas season was a fairly good one for us. Many men had received
packages from home and were allowed to keep the items in their cells.
However, a few days before Christmas, the guards removed everything from the
cells except for what they had given us. In October I had received my first
letter from home, after more than four years as a prisoner. Included in the
letter was a picture of Ruth and Kevin. I prized that picture more than
anything in the world and I cannot describe my feelings when the guard took
it away.
We began again to scrounge materials for academic purposes, etc. We drew
names for gifts. Jim Sehorn gave me a wand and a pendulum to use with my
course in hypnotism. I gave him the use of my services for a whole week to
hold his legs while he did sit-ups and other exercises.
Christmas Eve the men put on an outstanding play. It was the POW version of
Charles Dickens '"Christmas Carol". Scrooge was played by Dave Ford with
Jerry Venanzi directing.
I thoroughly enjoyed the Christmas carols sung by a 15-man choir. The
singing was disrupted once when a Vietnamese attempted to take pictures
through the barred windows.
Again we received a"gift from the priest." That night was a sad one for me.
I was reminiscing over past Christmases when I had a strong feeling that my
Mother had died. (She passed away in August 1969, but I was not notified
until our release.) Christmas morning I was again awakened by Jim Sehorn -
with the same enthusiasm and excitement. About this time a most fascinating
event occurred - big Tom McNish (six feet, two inches tall) was running up
and down the long room with a large bag slung over his shoulder. Tom was
dressed in white long-handled underwear and continued his prancing until
everyone was up.
Then he set down his bag, opened it, and out jumped Santa Claus! Rod Knutson
had on a red suit, black"boots", stocking cap, and a white beard and
mustache! I never found out where or how they scrounged all that material.
Rod then proceeded to give out hilariously funny imaginary gifts to
everyone.
We had an exceptionally good meal Christmas Day, and everyone was becoming
optimistic about going home soon.
Christmas 1971 Our optimism suffered a setback in early 1971 due to the
torturing of many individuals and especially the senior ranking officers.
This was in retaliation for our attempts to conduct religious services and
to gain improvements in living conditions. The United States had resumed the
bombing of North Vietnam.
Ten of us had been removed to another large cell along with thirty four
other POWs, all considered to be"die-hards" or trouble makers by the
Vietnamese.
Christmas, 1971, was about the same as the year before. The choir sang
carols which I thoroughly enjoyed. Six of us non-singers put on a skit
imitating the choir.
Ed Davis sang a lovely song, one I had never heard before, having to do with
Mary and her unborn child, Jesus.
I'll never forget Gobel James and his beautiful rendition of"O Holy Night."
One man entertained us with his version of"How the Grinch Stole Christmas."
Tom McNish and Rod Knutson did their Santa Claus number again. Rod gave me
some silver oak leaves indicating my promotion to Lieutenant Colonel. Ruth
had written me that it was Autumn in Carolina and the silver oak leaves were
falling!
Dwight Sullivan presented me with a small poker table which he had made from
bread and sticks. It even had ash trays. I kept the table for almost a year
until the guards finally found it and took it away. I gave my friend Leroy
Stutz an imaginary book,"How to Play Winning Poker" and allowed him to"pin"
me at his discretion once per week for a whole month.
Christmas 1972 The bombing of North Vietnam continued into 1972, and many
targets near our camp were being attacked. In May over 200 of us were moved
to a camp within a few miles of China, in mountainous terrain. Our food and
living conditions greatly improved. We were permitted more time outside,
given canned meat and various types of vegetable soup to eat with the
ever-present rice. Periodically the Vietnamese would go to a nearby village
and kill a buffalo and cook it for us. We conducted weekly bridge and chess
tournaments.
I spent one week in solitary confinement due to a minor disagreement with
the Vietnamese officers. During this time my thoughts were mostly with my
wife and son. Kevin is now thirteen years old. Graduating from high school
soon. Hard to believe. I had missed so much of his growing up. One of these
days he will come to me and ask for an automobile.
Most of us were given letters and packages from home that Christmas.
There was a picture of Ruth and Kevin on a motorcycle. A black dog lay
nearby. I could imagine the companionship that the dog provided for Kevin. I
mentally composed a letter to"Blackie." I was both thankful for him and
envious of him. He knew more about my son than I did - his habits, stomping
grounds, and hiding places.
One of the men heard from the guards that the United States was bombing
targets in Hanoi with big bombers night and day. We were jubilant at this
news and felt that the attacks would continue until the Vietnamese agreed to
release all prisoners.
Christmas Eve, 1972, was a quiet one for us. The choir sang some carols and
that was about it. Our thoughts and prayers were about the future.
In January 1973, we were taken back to the"Hanoi Hilton" and were told that
the war was over and we would all be going home soon. What would it be like?
How have things changed after six and one-half years of isolation from the
real world?
I was among the group of prisoners that was released on March 4, 1973. I did
not look back at the camp. I said a prayer that went something like this:
"Dear God, We thank you for taking care of us for such a long time"!
We now ask that you give us the courage to face the future and to accept the
changes that have taken place.
Ted Ballard
If you're ever going to share a Thinking Out Loud this is the one.
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We have a new year coming up next week. I hope 2025 was a good one and you
shared Christmas with those you love. That's not always going to be the
case. When done reading this, take a few minutes and hug everyone you love.
Don't put it off.
See you next year. bd
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-- To All
Good Saturday Morning December 27, 2025 . Today is clear and no rain again
until mid week.
Just back from breakfast with Mac and it is very nice out there even though
it is becoming partly cloudy.
Be sure to read the last entry from Barrett and the Vietnamese story of
Brown Bear's One v Many.
Have a great weekend.
.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/. Go
here to see the director's corner for all 94 H-Grams.
December. 27
1862-During the Civil War, the ironclad river gunboat Baron De Kalb returns
after a five-day Yazoo River mission, where the gunboat burns trapped
steamers, captures and destroys large quantities of enemy equipment while
also taking several prisoners. For "distinguished actions during this
mission," five men receive the Navy Medal of Honor.
1942-The minelayers, USS Keokuk (CM 8), USS Salem (CM 11), and USS Weehawken
(CM 12) begin mining approaches to Casablanca, French Morocco, which lasts
two days.
1943-USS Flying Fish (SS 229) sinks the Japanese fleet tanker Kyuei Maru in
the South China Sea west of Luzon Strait. Also on this date, USS Ray (SS
271) sinks the Japanese fleet tanker Kyoko Maru (ex-Dutch Semiramis) west of
the Celebes.
1944-Task Group 94.9, commanded by Rear Adm. Allan E. Smith, bombards
Japanese installations on Iwo Jima. USS Dunlap (DD 384), USS Fanning (DD
385), and USS Cummings (DD 365) sink Japanese fast transport T.7 and landing
ship T.132.
1990-Lt. Cmdr. Darlene Iskra, the first female commanding officer of a U.S.
Navy warship, reports for duty on board USS Opportune (ARS 41), then at
Naples, Italy, serving until 1993.
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Today in World History December 27
1512 The laws of Burgos give New World natives legal protection against
abuse and authorize Negro slavery.
1831 HMS Beagle, with Charles Darwin on board, departs from Plymouth. It
will eventually visit the Galapagos Islands where Darwin will form his
theories on evolution.
1862 Union General William Rosecrans' army begins moving slowly toward
Murfreesboro, Tennessee, from Nashville.
1913 Charles Moyer, president of the Miners Union, is shot in the back
and dragged through the streets of Chicago.
1915 In Ohio, iron and steel workers go on strike for an eight-hour day
and higher wages.
1932 Radio City Music Hall opens.
1933 Josef Stalin calls tensions with Japan a grave danger.
1939 A series of vicious earthquakes take 11,000 lives in Turkey.
1941 Japanese bombers attack Manila, despite its claim as an open city.
1944 General George S. Patton's Third Army, spearheaded by the 4th
Armored Division, relieves the surrounded city of Bastogne in Belgium.
1945 The International Monetary Fund and the Bank for Reconstruction and
Development are created.
1947 The new Italian constitution is promulgated in Rome.
1950 The United States and Spain resume relations for the first time
since the Spanish Civil War of the 1930s.
1956 Segregation on buses in Tallahassee, Florida, is outlawed.
1968 The United States agrees to sell F-4 Phantom jets to Israel.
1979 President Hafizullah Amin of Afghanistan is ousted and murdered in a
coup backed by the Soviet Union, beginning a war that will last more than 10
years.
1983 President Reagan takes all responsibility for the lack of security
in Beirut that allowed a terrorist on a suicide mission to kill 241 Marines.
1984 Four Polish officers are tried for the slaying of Reverend Jerzy
Popieluszko.
1985 Palestinian guerrillas kill 18 people at airports in Rome and
Vienna.
1996 Taliban forces retake strategic Bagram Airfield during Afghan civil
war.
2001 China receives permanent normal trade relations with the US.
2004 Radiation reaches Earth from the brightest extrasolar event ever
witnessed, an explosion of magnetar SGR 1806-20.
2007 Former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto assassinated.
2007 After Mwai Kibaki is declared the winner of Kenya's presidential
elections, rioting begins in Mombasa, precipitating an economic,
humanitarian and political crisis.
1968 Apollo 8 returns to Earth >
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Thanks to the Bear. We will always have the url for you to search items in
Rolling Thunder
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER .
. rollingthunderremembered.com .
Thanks to Micro
From Vietnam Air Losses site for ..December 27
27-Dec: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=3088
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From the Archives
As I said to Dr.Rich when I thanked him for these this morning
Dr Rich. These bring back so many memories of riding in the back seat of a
series of Chevys from 49 to 55 back and forth across the USA with no A/C and
an AM radio and two younger sisters. skip
Thanks to Boysie ...
Burma Shave Sign History
For those who never saw any of the Burma Shave signs, here is a quick lesson
in our history of the 1930's, 40's, and 50's. Before there were interstates
when everyone had to drive on 2 lane roads, Burma Shave signs were posted
all over the countryside in farmers' fields. They were small red signs with
white letters. Five signs, about 100 feet apart, each one containing 1 line
of a 4 line couplet and the obligatory 5th sign advertising Burma Shave, a
popular shaving cream.
A CAR,
A CURVE
HE KISSED THE MISS
AND MISSED THE CURVE.
Burma Shave
DON'T STICK YOUR ELBOW
OUT SO FAR
IT MAY GO HOME
IN ANOTHER CAR.
Burma Shave
TRAINS DON'T WANDER
ALL OVER THE MAP
'CAUSE NOBODY SITS
IN THE ENGINEER'S LAP.
Burma Shave
SHE KISSED THE HAIRBRUSH
BY MISTAKE
SHE THOUGHT IT WAS
HER HUSBAND JAKE.
Burma Shave
DON'T LOSE YOUR HEAD
TO GAIN A MINUTE
YOU NEED YOUR HEAD
YOUR BRAINS ARE IN IT.
Burma Shave
DROVE TOO LONG
DRIVER SNOOZING
WHAT HAPPENED NEXT
IS NOT AMUSING.
Burma Shave
BROTHER SPEEDER
LET'S REHEARSE
ALL TOGETHER
GOOD MORNING NURSE
Burma Shave
CAUTIOUS RIDER
TO HER RECKLESS DEAR
LET'S HAVE LESS BULL
AND A LITTLE MORE STEER.
Burma Shave
SPEED WAS HIGH
WEATHER WAS NOT
TIRES WERE THIN
X MARKS THE SPOT.
Burma Shave
THE MIDNIGHT RIDE
OF PAUL FOR BEER
LED TO A WARMER
HEMISPHERE.
Burma Shave
AROUND THE CURVE
LICKETY-SPLIT
BEAUTIFUL CAR
WASN'T IT?
Burma Shave
NO MATTER THE PRICE
NO MATTER HOW NEW
THE BEST SAFETY DEVICE
IN THE CAR IS YOU.
Burma Shave
AT INTERSECTIONS
LOOK EACH WAY
A HARP SOUNDS NICE
BUT IT'S HARD TO PLAY.
Burma Shave
BOTH HANDS ON THE WHEEL
EYES ON THE ROAD
THAT'S THE SKILLFUL
DRIVER'S CODE.
Burma Shave
THE ONE WHO DRIVES
WHEN HE'S BEEN DRINKING
DEPENDS ON YOU
TO DO HIS THINKING.
Burma Shave
CAR IN DITCH
DRIVER IN TREE
THE MOON WAS FULL
AND SO WAS HE.
Burma Shave
PASSING SCHOOL ZONE
TAKE IT SLOW
LET OUR LITTLE
SHAVERS GROW.
Burma Shave
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From: Toperczer
Sent: Saturday, April 10, 2021 11:28 AM
To: Barrett Tillman <btillman63@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: Fw: Farm Boy to Fighter Pilot
The North Vietnamese version:
Air Engagement on 14 December 1967
14 December 1967 was the first day of the seventh wave of American air
attacks on targets in the Hanoi area.
The Air Force Command Headquarters assessed the situation and concluded that
the Ameicans would again send large forces to attack targets in the Hanoi
area. It was decided to use a flight of MiG-17s from the 923rd Fighter
Regiment to disrupt the American bomber formation. A flight of four MiG-17s
was on combat alert duty on 14 December 1967, with pilots Luu Huy Chao, Le
Hai, Bui Van Suu, and Nguyen Dinh Phuc. At 1300 hours the flight went to
Combat Alert Condition 1. At 1311 hours the flight took off and headed
toward Nha Nam to attack a formation of enemy bombers approaching to attack
Kep Airfield. In the end, however, the enemy bombers turned down over
southern Hai Duong and then turned back up to attack Hanoi. The MiG-17
flight was ordered to turn back and land.
During the afternoon the U.S. Navy put together a large strike force made up
of F-8Es and A-4s from Squadrons VF-111 and VF-162 off the aircraft carrier
U.S.S. Oriskany to attack targets in the Red River Delta. Air Force
Headquarters ordered the flight of MiG-17s from the 923rd Fighter Regiment
(pilots Luu Huy Chao, Le hai, Bui Van Son, and Nguyen Dinh Phuc) to get
ready for battle. At 1555 hours the flight went to Combat Alert Condition
1. At 1614 hours the flight took off and flew off on a heading of 180
degrees while climbing to an altitude of 2,000 meters. The flight then made
a turn to the right and climbed to an altitude of 4,000 meters. At 1626
hours the No. 4 pilot spotted four F-4s (sic) at a range of 20 kilometers.
When the A-4s reported that there were MiGs in the area, the F-8E fighter
escorts swept forward to engage the MiG-17s. The MiG-17 flight split into
two sections and closed with their target, with one section fighting at an
altitude of 3,500-4,000 meters and the second fighting at an altitude of
1,500-2,000 meters.
Ten or more U.S. Navy F-8s fought the four MiG-17s in a swirling battle to
the death, with aircraft intermingled as they chased one another. When the
No. 2 F-8E got on the tail of a MiG-17 and was preparing to fire a missile,
he was warned that another MiG-17 was on his tail. The MiG-17 behind him
had another F-8E on its tail. The F-8E fired a missile, but it missed.
The air battle raged from an altitude of 5,000 meters all the way down to
low altitude. The MiGs would get on an opponents tail and be preparing to
attack but the F-8s were constantly making hard, sharp turns and the MiGs
were not able to cut inside the turns to get into position to fire their
guns. The U.S. Navy F-8Es were quite maneuverable, they were armed with
both missiles and 20mm guns, and they flew in extended, loose formation, so
when a MiG would engage in a turning dogfight with one F-8 other F-8s would
move away and wait for a favorable opportunity to push their throttles
forward and charge in to fire missiles. The two opposing sides engaged in a
swirling fight, with the F-8s repeatedly firing missiles and the MiGs taking
evasive maneuvers. The F-8s tried to draw the MiGs out toward the ocean,
but the MiG-17s kept circling and would not move far from their original
position. No. 2, Le Hai, flew his aircraft in three very tight circles but
was still unable to shake the F-8 behind him. No. 1 saw Le Hai's
predicament and dove down from above, firing a burst of his guns from a
head-on position with the enemy fighter. Only then did the F-8 finally turn
away to avoid the burst of fire.
Our second MiG-17 section, made up of No. 3, Suu, and No. 4, Phuc, was
engaged in a separate ferocious dogfight against three F-8Es. During a
battle lasting for seven minutes, all four MiG-17s fired their guns and No.
1, Luu Huy Chao, shot down one F-8E. At 1630 hours the command post ordered
the pilots to break off the engagement.
Flight leader Luu Huy Chao led his pilots up along the course of the Red
River at extremely low altitude over the river to return to base to land.
After the pilots broke off and were headed back to the airfield, No. 1, No.
2, and No. 4 turned back to counterattack when they discovered F-8s chasing
them. The F-8s dispersed and headed back out to sea. The flight leader
called each of his pilots to check on them and then the flight formed up to
fly back to the airfield. No. 4, Phuc, was trailing about six-seven
kilometers behind the rest of the flight. At that moment a formation of six
F-8s swept in from the direction of Hai Duong and No. 4 turned back to drive
them away. A missile struck the left side of the fuselage of Phuc's Mig-17.
The MiG crashed in Dang Quan Village, My Hao District, Hai Duong Province,
and the pilot was killed. The F-8E that shot down Nguyen Dinh Phuc's MiG
with an AIM-9D missile was flown by Lieutenant Richard E. Wyman of Squadron
VF-162.
In this battle the U.S. Navy had changed its tactics. Rather that striving
to dog-fight with the MiG-17s, they strove to fly away quickly to lure the
MiGs to follow them. When the MiGs refused to chase them, the American
aircraft waited for our flight of MiGs to form up together to return to the
airfield. They then split up into small sections and snuck up, taking
advantage of times when our MiG pilots dropped their guard to make surprise
attacks when the MiGs were low on fuel and when our pilots were tired.
Lieutenant R. E. Wyman's F-8 had first engaged in a dog-fight with a MiG-17,
then had flown back out over the ocean and waited until the MiG-17 flight
turned back to head home to land. Lt. Wyman then swept in and fired a
missile that hit Nguyen Dinh Phuc's MiG. During this battle all four MiG
pilots were forced to turn back to make counterattacks. No. 4 was killed
while he was making his second counterattack. This experience taught our
MiG pilots lessons in timing, formation, and support tactics when breaking
off engagements to return to base when our MiGs were heavily outnumbered.
The air engagement on 14 December 1967 was extremely ferocious. The pilots
from both sides demonstrated their skill, and the Vietnamese pilots fought
with great determination, displaying their excellent air combat skills. They
made the four F-8Es fight very hard and Luu Huy Chao was able to shoot down
one F-8E, resulting in a 1 to 1 exchange ratio in this battle.
This was one of the longest air battles in the history of the air war over
North Vietnam; it lasted for a total of ten minutes and 45 seconds.
Respectfully -
Commander Cobra
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Thanks to Ken ...and Dr.Rich
Tuesday Distractions
Some truisms too .
"The only mystery in life is why the kamikaze pilots wore helmets." - Al
McGuire
"The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits."
- Albert Einstein
"War is God's way of teaching Americans geography." - Ambrose Bierce
"It would be nice to spend billions on schools and roads, but right now that
money is desperately needed for political ads." - Andy Borowitz
"At every party there are two kinds of people - those who want to go home
and those who don't. The trouble is, they are usually married to each
other." - Ann Landers
"My opinions may have changed, but not the fact that I'm right." - Ashleigh
Brilliant
"Have you noticed that all the people in favor of birth control are already
born?" - Benny Hill
"The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is
that it has never tried to contact us." - Bill Watterson
"As a child my family's menu consisted of two choices: take it or leave it."
- Buddy Hackett
"My favorite machine at the gym is the vending machine." - Caroline Rhea
"All right everyone, line up alphabetically according to your height." -
Casey Stengel
"Never under any circumstances take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the
same night." - Dave Barry
"How many people here have telekinetic powers? Raise my hand." - Emo Philips
"If you live to be one hundred, you've got it made. Very few people die past
that age." - George Burns
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84 years ago American soldiers were involved in the largest and costliest
battle of WWII. In the miserable cold of a European Winter.
Battle of the Bulge
In December 1944, Adolph Hitler attempted to split the Allied armies in
northwest Europe by means of a surprise blitzkrieg thrust through the
Ardennes to Antwerp. Caught off-guard, American units fought desperate
battles to stem the German advance at St.-Vith, Elsenborn Ridge, Houffalize
and Bastogne. As the Germans drove deeper into the Ardennes in an attempt to
secure vital bridgeheads, the Allied line took on the appearance of a large
bulge, giving rise to the battle's name. Lieutenant General George S.
Patton's successful maneuvering of the Third Army to Bastogne proved vital
to the Allied defense, leading to the neutralization of the German
counteroffensive despite heavy casualties.
Its objective was to split the Allied armies by means of a surprise
blitzkrieg thrust through the Ardennes to Antwerp, marking a repeat of what
the Germans had done three times previously-in September 1870, August 1914,
and May 1940. Despite Germany's historical penchant for mounting
counteroffensives when things looked darkest, the Allies' leadership
miscalculated and left the Ardennes lightly defended by only two
inexperienced and two battered American divisions.
On December 16, three German armies (more than a quarter-million troops)
launched the deadliest and most desperate battle of the war in the west in
the poorly roaded, rugged, heavily forested Ardennes. The once-quiet region
became bedlam as American units were caught flat-footed and fought desperate
battles to stem the German advance at St.-Vith, Elsenborn Ridge, Houffalize
and, later, Bastogne, which was defended by the 101st Airborne Division. The
inexperienced U.S. 106th Division was nearly annihilated, but even in defeat
helped buy time for Brigadier General Bruce C. Clarke's brilliant defense of
St.-Vith. As the German armies drove deeper into the Ardennes in an attempt
to secure vital bridgeheads west of the River Meuse quickly, the line
defining the Allied front took on the appearance of a large protrusion or
bulge, the name by which the battle would forever be known.
A crucial German shortage of fuel and the gallantry of American troops
fighting in the frozen forests of the Ardennes proved fatal to Hitler's
ambition to snatch, if not victory, at least a draw with the Allies in the
west. Lieutenant General George S. Patton's remarkable feat of turning the
Third Army ninety degrees from Lorraine to relieve the besieged town of
Bastogne was the key to thwarting the German counteroffensive. The Battle of
the Bulge was the costliest action ever fought by the U.S. Army, which
suffered over 100,000 casualties.
The Reader's Companion to Military History. Edited by Robert Cowley and
Geoffrey Parker. Copyright C 1996 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing
Company. All rights reserved.
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A bit more indepth version
Battle of The Bulge
Facts, information and articles about Battle Of The Bulge, a battle of World
War II
Battle Of The Bulge Facts
Date
16 December 1944 - 16 January 1945
Location
The Ardennes, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany
Result
Allied Victory
Troop Strength
80,000 Allies initially; ultimately 600,000+
200,000 Germany initially; ultimately 500,000
Casualties
90,000 Allies
100,000 German
Battle Of The Bulge Articles
Explore articles from the History Net archives about Battle Of The Bulge
> See all Battle Of The Bulge Articles
Battle Of The Bulge summary: The Battle of the Bulge (December 16,
1944-January 16, 1945), also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the
largest battle fought on the Western Front in Europe during World War II; it
is also the largest battle ever fought by the United States Army. It was a
German offensive intended to drive a wedge between the American and British
armies in France and the Low Countries and recapture the port of Antwerp in
The Netherlands to deny the Allies use of the port facilities. The German
codename for the buildup to the offensive was Watch on the Rhine (Wacht am
Rhine). The actual offensive was codenamed Operation Autumn Mist
(Unternehmen Herbstnebel). It fell far short of its goals but managed to
create a bulge in the American lines 50 miles wide and 70 miles deep, which
gave the struggle its alliterative name. The phrase "battle of the bulge"
already existed in the American lexicon as a term for attempts to lose body
weight.
The initial German attack force consisted of more than 200,000 men, around
1,000 tanks and assault guns (including the new 70-ton Tiger II tanks) and
1,900 artillery pieces, supported by 2,000 aircraft, the latter including
some Messerschmitt Me 262 jets. In the opening phases of the battle, they
would be facing only some 80,000 men, less than 250 pieces of armor and
about 400 artillery guns. Many of the American troops were inexperienced;
the German force included battle-hardened veterans of the tough fighting on
the Eastern Front, but they, too, had green units filled with boys and with
men who normally would have been considered too old for military service.
During the course of the month-long battle, some 500,000 German, 600,000
American and 55,000 British troops became involved. The Germans lost some
100,000 men killed, wounded and missing, 700 tanks and 1,600 aircraft,
losses they could not replace. Allied losses-the majority of them incurred
during the first week-included 90,000 men, 300 tanks and 300 aircraft, but
they could make up these losses. In addition, an estimated 3,000 civilians
died, some during the fighting and others executed by German combat and
security forces. See "War Crimes in the Battle of the Bulge."
The Ardennes Offensive was a massive gamble on the part of German dictator
Adolf Hitler, one that he lost badly.
Background to the Battle of the Bulge
By the winter of 1944, Nazi Germany's situation was grim. Soviet forces were
coming ever closer to the Fatherland from the east, and in the west Allied
forces had crossed the German border. German Chancellor Adolf Hitler
intended to launch a surprise attack in the west that would divide and
demoralize the Western Allies and, perhaps, convince them to join Germany in
its war against the communists of the Soviet Union. In May 1940, he had
gambled on a surprise attack through the dense Ardennes Forest into Belgium
and France and had won a stunning victory. Now he planned for history to
repeat itself: once more German armor would advance through the concealing
woods of the Ardennes to strike his enemies by surprise.
The German army commander in the West, Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt,
thought the plan too ambitious. Other commanders also objected to taking
resources away from the Eastern Front for this operation, but Hitler
overruled them all.
Field Marshal Walther Model's Army Group B would be responsible for the
attack. His forces included Generaloberst Josef "Sepp" Dietrich's Sixth
Panzer Army, the largest and best equipped of the three striking armies,
which was to drive northward, quickly cross the Meuse River and capture
Amsterdam before the surprised Allies could regroup. Directly to the south
of this force General der Panzertruppen Hosso-Eccard von Manteufel's Fifth
Panzer Army would push west in support of Dietrich's attack. General der
Panzertruppen Erich Brandenburger's Seventh Army would protect the southern
flank. The build-up was given the defensive-sounding codename Watch on the
Rhine. Strict security measures included no radio communication to prevent
Allied radio intercepts.
On the opposite side, Supreme Allied Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower was
planning major operations in the northern and southern sectors of the front.
Accordingly, the center, where the German attack was to fall, was the
weakest part of the line. The American VIII Corps, under Major General Troy
Middleton, consisted of the 4th, 28th, and 106th infantry divisions, most of
the 9th Armored Division, and the two-squadron 14th Cavalry group. The 106th
Infantry and 9th Armored were green units, untested in combat. The 4th and
28th had suffered high numbers of casualties during operations in the
Hurtgen Forest and were receiving thousands of inexperienced replacements.
This small, largely untried force had been assigned an 80-mile-long front;
normally, a corps would be defending an area only about one-third that
length.
Elsenborn Ridge and St. Vith
The German attack achieved the desired surprise but often encountered
unexpectedly tough resistance. Their timetable did not allow for delays, but
time and again the Americans slowed the enemy advance.
The road network in the Ardennes was narrow and rough. A key road for Sixth
Panzer Army's advance ran parallel to a stretch of high ground called
Elsenborn Ridge. Along this ridge, ad-hoc groups of tanks, tank destroyers
and dug-in infantry stubbornly resisted. General Eisenhower, immediately
realizing his men were facing a major attack in the Ardennes rushed
artillery to support the ridge. The firepower from their guns left the
narrow roads choked with wrecked vehicles, in addition to those that broke
down on their own from mechanical failure. After 10 days of intense
fighting, Sixth Panzer Army abandoned its attempts to cross Elsenborn Ridge
and sought other routes.
Panzerjager IV of the 1st SS Division advancing. National Archives.
Many villages saw intense fighting. Because of the road situation, towns
where several roads converged were critically important; one such town south
of Elsenborn Ridge was St. Vith, Belgium. At St. Vith and nearby towns,
Fifth Panzer Army encountered stiff resistance; on the first day of the
German offensive Eisenhower had ordered the 7th Armored Division to St. Vith
to support 106th Infantry units. The narrow roads, ice, snow and mud
prevented the Germans from massing their superior armor. The St. Vith pocket
held until December 21 when, in danger of being encircled, the defenders
withdrew. Their determined stand had thrown another monkey wrench into the
German timetable. It bought time for the 82nd Airborne Division to set up
strong defensive positions west of the town that blunted the enemy's advance
and temporarily pushed the attackers back across the Ambleve River. During
the course of their engagements some units of the 82nd Airborne suffered
over 80% casualties-the 509th Battalion reportedly took over 90%
casualties-with most losses coming during the Allied counteroffensive that
began in January.
Bastogne
To the west and south of St. Vith another crossroads town became the focus
of intense fighting. When Eisenhower ordered the 7th Armored to St. Vith he
also ordered the 10th Armored Division to Bastogne. It joined the 9th
Armored, several artillery battalions, and infantrymen defending Bastogne
and the small towns around it. On the 18th, the 705 Tank Destroyer Battalion
arrived, and on the 19th the 101st Airborne. By the 20th the town was
encircled by the advancing enemy, and on the 22nd, four Germans arrived with
an ultimatum: surrender or heavy artillery will begin firing on the town.
Brigadier General Anthony McAuliffe sent them back to their commander with a
one-word reply: "Nuts." The artillery had already moved farther west,
however, so the barrage was not forthcoming, though the Luftwaffe bombed the
village by night.
On December 26, Bastogne's defenders received a belated Christmas present:
Lieutenant Charles P. Boggess with a few M4 Sherman tanks fought his way
into Bastogne from the south. They were the lead element of a relief force
from Lieutenant General George S. Patton's Third Army. When Patton struck
with three divisions the following day, the German ring around Bastogne was
broken.
End of the Battle of the Bulge
By this time, the Nazi offensive was running out of fuel, literally and
figuratively. The Germans had waited for bad winter weather to launch their
attack, to diminish the ability of Allied aircraft to support the ground
troops. The weather also slowed the German advance, however, and this, the
narrow roads and stubborn resistance wrecked their timetable. Improving
weather conditions allowed Allied planes to take to the skies again and
support the counterattacks that began pushing back the Germans. Despite a
Luftwaffe offensive in Holland and a second major ground offensive the
Germans launched in Alsace on January 1, the Third Reich could not regain
the initiative. The Battle of the Bulge is officially considered to have
ended January 16, exactly one month after it began, although fighting
continued for some time beyond that date. By early February, the front lines
had returned to their positions of December 16
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This Day in U S Military History
1846 - The rag-tag army of volunteers known as Doniphan's Thousand, led by
Colonel Alexander W. Doniphan, wins a major victory in the war with Mexico
with the occupation of El Paso. Born in Kentucky in 1808, Doniphan moved to
Missouri in 1830 to practice law. But the tall redheaded man was not
satisfied with fighting only courtroom battles, and he volunteered as a
brigadier general in the Missouri militia. When war between Mexico and the
U.S. erupted in 1846, the men of the 1st Missouri Mounted Volunteers elected
Doniphan their colonel, and marched south to join General Stephen Kearny's
army in New Mexico. Since they were not professional military men,
Doniphan's troops cared little for the traditional spit-and-polish of the
regular troops, and reportedly looked more like tramps than soldiers.
Likewise, Doniphan was a casual officer who led more by example than by
strict discipline. Nonetheless, Doniphan's Thousand proved to be a
surprisingly effective force in the war with Mexico. In December, Doniphan
led 500 of his men and a large wagon train of supplies south to join General
John E. Wool in his planned invasion of the Mexican state of Chihuahua.
Before he had a chance to meet up with Wool's larger force near the city of
Chihuahua, Doniphan encountered an army of 1,200 Mexican soldiers about 30
miles north of El Paso, Texas. Although his opponents had twice the number
of soldiers, Doniphan led his men to victory, and with the path to El Paso
now largely undefended was able to occupy the city two days later. When
nearing the Mexican border, Doniphan learned that General Wool's forces had
broken off their invasion of Chihuahua because the army's wheeled vehicles
had proved unworkable in the desert landscape. But rather than turn back,
Doniphan reassembled his army to its full force of about 1,000 men and was
allowed to proceed with the invasion unassisted. Once again grossly
outnumbered-the Mexican army was four times the size of Doniphan's-the
Missouri troops were still able to quickly break through the defensive lines
and occupy Chihuahua City. By mid-summer 1847, Doniphan's victorious army
reached the Gulf Coast, where they were picked up by ships and taken to New
Orleans for discharge. By then, the focus of the battle had shifted to
General Winfield Scott's campaign to take Mexico City. In September of that
year, Scott's troops ended the war by successfully occupying Mexico City,
and for the first time in U.S. history an American flag flew over a foreign
capital. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, signed early in 1848, gave the
U.S. the vast western territory stretching from Texas to the Pacific and
north to Oregon.
1943 - The threat of a paralyzing railroad strike loomed over the United
States during the 1943 holiday season. President Franklin Roosevelt stepped
in to serve as a negotiator, imploring the rail unions to give America a
"Christmas present" and settle the smoldering wage dispute. But, as
Christmas came and went, only two of the five railroad brotherhoods agreed
to let Roosevelt arbitrate the situation. So, on December 27, just three
days before the scheduled walk-out, the President shelved his nice-guy
rhetoric and seized the railroads. Lest the move look too aggressive,
Roosevelt assured that the railroads would only be temporarily placed under
the "supervision" of the War Department; he also pledged that the situation
would not alter daily rail operations. The gambit worked, as officials for
the recalcitrant brotherhoods made an eleventh-hour decision to avert the
strike. The action was taken under the wartime Labor Disputes Act. The
railroads were returned to private management on January 18, 1944.
1944 - Attacks by the British 30th Corps (part of US 1st Army) force the
German 2nd Panzer Division (an element of 5th Panzer Army) out of Celles.
The US 3rd Army expands the corridor to Bastogne.
1944 - The US 8th Air Force bombs Coblenz, Bonn and Kaiserslautern
(nominally railway targets). The RAF conducts nighttime raids on
Munchen-Gladbach and Bonn.
1945 - Foreign ministers from the former Allied nations of the United
States, the Soviet Union, and Great Britain agreed to divide Korea into two
separate occupation zones and to govern the nation for five years.
1950 - Lieutenant General Matthew B. Ridgway took command of U.N. ground
forces in Korea. Ridgway was a former commander of the 82nd Airborne
Division and XVIII Airborne Corps in Europe during World War II. Upon
assuming command, he moved immediately to the front to learn the situation
first hand. Concurrently with Ridgway's assumption of command, X Corps
passed from control of General Headquarters, Far East Command, to the Eighth
Army.
1950 - Captain Marcus L. Sullivan became the first Army aviator to pilot a
helicopter, a Bell H-13, in Korea.
1968 - Apollo 8, the first manned mission to the moon, returns safely to
Earth after an historic six-day journey. On December 21, Apollo 8 was
launched by a three-stage Saturn 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, with
astronauts Frank Borman, James Lovell, Jr., and William Anders aboard. On
Christmas Eve, the astronauts entered into orbit around the moon, the first
manned spacecraft ever to do so. During Apollo 8's 10 lunar orbits,
television images were sent back home and spectacular photos were taken of
the Earth and the moon from the spacecraft. In addition to being the first
human beings to view firsthand their home world in its entirety, the three
astronauts were also the first to see the dark side of the moon. On
Christmas morning, Apollo 8 left its lunar orbit and began its journey back
to Earth, landing safely in the Pacific Ocean on December 27. On July 20 of
the following year, Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, astronauts of
the Apollo 11 mission, became the first men to walk on the moon.
1969 - In the fiercest battle in six weeks, U.S. and North Vietnamese forces
clash near Loc Ninh, about 80 miles north of Saigon. Elements of the 1st
Infantry Division reported killing 72 of 250 North Vietnamese soldiers in a
daylong battle. Loc Ninh, a village of fewer than 10,000 people, was located
at the northern limit of national Route 13, only a few miles from the
Cambodian border. It was the site of several major battles between U.S. and
Communist forces. On April 5, 1972, as part of their Easter Offensive, North
Vietnamese forces overtook Loc Ninh during their attempt to capture the An
Loc provincial capital to the south.
2012 - Retired General Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr., commander of the combined
coalition forces during the Gulf War, dies from pneumonia complications at
age 78.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
MORTON, CHARLES W.
Rank and organization: Boatswain's Mate, U.S. Navy. Born: 1836, Ireland.
Accredited to: Maryland. G.O. No.: 11, 3 April 1863. Citation: Serving as
boatswain's mate on board the U.S.S. Benton during the Yazoo River
Expedition, 23 to 27 December 1863. Taking part in the hour_and_a_half
engagement with the enemy at Drumgould's Bluff, 27 December, Morton served
courageously throughout the battle against the hostile forces, who had the
dead range of the vessel and were punishing her with heavy fire, until the
Benton was ordered to withdraw.
ROBINSON, CHARLES
Rank and organization: Boatswain's Mate, U.S. Navy. Born: 1832 Scotland.
Accredited to: New York. G.O. No.: 11, 3 April 1863. Citation: Serving on
board the U.S.S. Baron de Kalb, Yazoo River Expedition, 23 to 27 December
1862. Proceeding under orders up the Yazoo River, the U.S.S. Baron de Kalb,
with the object of capturing or destroying the enemy's transports, came upon
the steamers John Walsh, R. J. Locklan, Golden Age, and the Scotland sunk on
a bar where they were ordered fired. Continuing up the river, she was fired
on by the enemy, but upon returning the fire, caused the rebels to retreat.
Returning down the Yazoo, she destroyed and captured large quantities of
enemy equipment and several prisoners. Serving bravely throughout this
action, Robinson, as boatswain's mate, "d1stinguished himself in the various
actions."
WILLIAMS, ROBERT
Rank and organization: Signal Quartermaster, U.S. Navy. Born: 1837, New
York, N.Y. Accredited to: New York. G.O. No.: 11, 3 April 1863. Citation:
Serving as quartermaster on board the U.S.S. Benton during the Yazoo River
Expedition, 23 to 27 December 1862. Taking part in the hour_and_a_half
engagement with the enemy at Drumgould's Bluff, 27 December, Williams served
courageously throughout that battle against hostile forces in which the
enemy had the dead range of the vessel and were punishing her with heavy
fire and, for various other action in which he took part during the Yazoo
River Expedition.
WHITELEY, ELI
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Company L, 15th
Infantry, 3d Infantry Division. Place and date: Sigolsheim, France, 27
December 1944. Entered service at: Georgetown, Tex. Birth: Florence, Tex.
G.O. No.: 79, 14 September 1945. Citation: While leading his platoon on 27
December 1944, in savage house-to-house fighting through the fortress town
of Sigolsheim, France, he attacked a building through a street swept by
withering mortar and automatic weapons fire. He was hit and severely wounded
in the arm and shoulder; but he charged into the house alone and killed its
2 defenders. Hurling smoke and fragmentation grenades before him, he reached
the next house and stormed inside, killing 2 and capturing 11 of the enemy.
He continued leading his platoon in the extremely dangerous task of clearing
hostile troops from strong points along the street until he reached a
building held by fanatical Nazi troops. Although suffering from wounds which
had rendered his left arm useless, he advanced on this strongly defended
house, and after blasting out a wall with bazooka fire, charged through a
hail of bullets. Wedging his submachinegun under his uninjured arm, he
rushed into the house through the hole torn by his rockets, killed 5 of the
enemy and forced the remaining 12 to surrender. As he emerged to continue
his fearless attack, he was again hit and critically wounded. In agony and
with 1 eye pierced by a shell fragment, he shouted for his men to follow him
to the next house. He was determined to stay in the fighting, and remained
at the head of his platoon until forcibly evacuated. By his disregard for
personal safety, his aggressiveness while suffering from severe wounds, his
determined leadership and superb courage, 1st Lt. Whiteley killed 9 Germans,
captured 23 more and spearheaded an attack which cracked the core of enemy
resistance in a vital area.
JENNINGS, DELBERT O.
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company C, 1st Battalion
(Airborne), 12th Cavalry, 1st Air Cavalry Division. Place and date: Kim Song
Valley, Republic of Vietnam, 27 December 1966. Entered service at: San
Francisco, Calif. Born: 23 July 1936, Silver City, N. Mex. Citation: For
conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond
the call of duty. Part of Company C was defending an artillery position when
attacked by a North Vietnamese Army regiment supported by mortar,
recoilless-rifle, and machine gun fire. At the outset, S/Sgt. Jennings
sprang to his bunker, astride the main attack route, and slowed the
on-coming enemy wave with highly effective machine gun fire. Despite a
tenacious defense in which he killed at least 12 of the enemy, his squad was
forced to the rear. After covering the withdrawal of the squad, he rejoined
his men, destroyed an enemy demolition crew about to blow up a nearby
howitzer, and killed 3 enemy soldiers at his initial bunker position.
Ordering his men back into a secondary position, he again covered their
withdrawal, killing 1 enemy with the butt of his weapon. Observing that some
of the defenders were unaware of an enemy force in their rear, he raced
through a fire-swept area to warn the men, turn their fire on the enemy, and
lead them into the secondary perimeter. Assisting in the defense of the new
position, he aided the air-landing of reinforcements by throwing white
phosphorous grenades on the landing zone despite dangerously silhouetting
himself with the light. After helping to repulse the final enemy assaults,
he led a group of volunteers well beyond friendly lines to an area where 8
seriously wounded men lay. Braving enemy sniper fire and ignoring the
presence of booby traps in the area, they recovered the 8 men who would have
probably perished without early medical treatment. S/Sgt. Jenning's
extraordinary heroism and inspirational leadership saved the lives of many
of his comrades and contributed greatly to the defeat of a superior enemy
force. His actions stand with the highest traditions of the military
profession and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S.
Army.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for December 27, FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT
ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE
INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
27 December
1925: Daniel Guggenheim set up a $2.5million fund to promote aeronautics and
speed the development of American aviation. (8: Dec 90)
1935: The 5th Group (Composite) dropped bombs to redirect the Mauna Loa lava
flow away from the waterworks at Hilo, Hawaii. (21) (24)
1942: Flying his P-38 Lightning against the Japanese in the Pacific, 2Lt
Richard I. Bong scored his first two aerial victories. He later became the
top ace in the war. With 40 kills. (21)
1951: KOREAN WAR. Far East Air Forces aircraft flew 900 sorties, the largest
number of the month, to damage or destroy locomotives, railcars, buildings,
vehicles, and gun positions. (28)
1952: KOREAN WAR. Through 31 December, the 581st Air Resupply and
Communications Wing flight of four H-19 helicopters at Seoul flew several
experimental agent insertion sorties into enemy territory for covert and
clandestine intelligence activities. (28)
1955: Douglas Aircraft Company received a contract for the Thor
intermediate-range ballistic missile's airframe. (6)
1962: The first six Lockheed SR-71 reconnaissance aircraft are ordered for
production. The SR-71 is the follow-on to the A-12 already under production.
1970: The 374th Tactical Airlift Wing flew the last C-130A mission in South
Vietnam. The mission recovered at Naha AB, Japan on 28 December.
Thereafter, the Military Assistance Command's (Vietnam) airlift structure no
longer included C-130As. (17)
1989: Operation JUST CAUSE. The Military Airlift Command began flying
humanitarian assistance missions to Panama. (8: Mar 90)
1992: Operation SOUTHERN WATCH. Two F-16 Fighting Falcons from the 363rd
Fighter Wing at Shaw AFB, N. C., intercepted two MiG-25s in the "no-fly"
zone in Southern Iraq. The 33rd Fighter Squadron Commander, Lt Col Gary
North, fired an AIM-120A missile and shot down a MiG-25. The event featured
several firsts: the first combat use of the AIM-120A, the first beyond
visual range kill, and the first USAF F-16 air-to-air victory. (16) (20)
2003: On 26 December, a 6.7 earthquake hit in Iran's southeastern Kerman
Province near the historic city of Bam. From 27 to 29 December, the Air
Mobility Command flew several humanitarian airlift missions to help the
earthquake victims. A single C-5 flew from Travis AFB, Calif., to Kuwait
City International Airport, where passengers and cargo transferred to C-130s
for an airlift to Kerman AB, Iran. Nine C-130 missions and two C-17 missions
eventually carried 338,000 pounds of cargo to Kerman. On 28 December, a
137th Airlift Wing (Oklahoma Air Guard) C-130H became the first USAF asset
to land in Iran in over 20 years. (22)
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I was just about ready to send out the List when I saw this one
Thanks to Barrett
Tim Ballard was a 105 pilot, September 1966.
BT
________________________________________
From: Budd Davisson from Budd Davisson: Thinking Out Loud
<budddavisson@substack.com>
Sent: Saturday, December 27, 2025 8:41 AM
To: btillman63@hotmail.com <btillman63@hotmail.com>
Subject: Thinking Out Loud - A Powerful Message for us All to Remember this
Christmas season
Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more
Thinking Out Loud - A Powerful Message for us All to Remember this Christmas
season
Christmases in the Dungeons of North Vietnam by Ted Ballard, Christmas 1966
BUDD DAVISSON
Pull up a chair and a cup of coffee. Or two. This is by far the longest
Thinking Out Loud that I've ever run. It's twice as long. It was sent to me
by a friend and its length put me off. I didn't have the time. Or so I told
myself. I read the first couple of paragraphs and found I couldn't stop. I'm
certain this has been presented elsewhere, but I'd never seen it and this is
a story that has to be told, emotionally digested and remembered. This is
important so we don't forget what our men (and boys) went through as POWs in
Vietnam and how they survived by sheer strength of will.
This is Tim Ballard speaking:
On December 24th, 1966, I was living in a small twelve feet by twelve feet
cell. My roommate was Navy Ensign George McSwain. We had no contact with
other American POWs. For seven weeks George had been undergoing a torture
that was called"holding up the wall"-standing facing the wall with his arms
straight over his head. Periodically the guards would come in and beat him
up. The Vietnamese were torturing George in an attempt to get me to sign a
war crimes confession. I will not go into any details, but earlier they had
tortured me for the same thing and failed.
I had spent two months in a cast, from my left ankle to my chest, and was
now using crutches to hobble around the room.
As evening approached, a guard came and took George to be interviewed by
some Vietnamese officers. While he was gone I suddenly felt the urge to walk
without the crutches. I carried them with me but did not use them and made
it all the way around the room. I had given myself a Christmas present and
waited impatiently for George to come back so I could share it with him.
When George returned he had a few pieces of sugar candy and a cigarette for
each of us. This was a pleasant surprise since I never thought the
Vietnamese would recognize Christmas. George said the quiz room was full of
oranges and bananas and we would receive some later. We never did.
Later some Christmas music was played over the camp radio. A POW sang two or
three songs. I wondered who he was but never did find out. It was a sad
Christmas Eve for me. As we went to bed, George was silent and despondent.
We did not talk as we normally did. I could only imagine his thoughts. Mine
were of my family and Christmases past.
The gong did not clang as usual Christmas morning. However, a guard came by
and told George to get"on the wall." About three hours later he was taken to
quiz and the officer (whom we called Dum-dum) told him that the Camp
Commander had forgiven him of his"crimes" and he must obey the camp
regulations. We were both jubilant at this news.
George's long ordeal was over. In a way we felt it was a victory for us
since I did not have to write a confession or condemn the United States
government. Several times I came close to calling a halt to the torture and
writing the statement, but George was a tough man and he took it as he said
he could.
The Vietnamese gave us a good Christmas dinner-a piece of meat, lots of
rice, and, for the first time, cabbage soup.
Christmas 1967 The summer and fall of 1967 was a bad time for the POWs. Many
men were tortured for propaganda purposes, and harassment by the guards was
continuous.
There were about thirty men in our building, three to each room. My
cellmates were Captain Bob Sandvick and Captain Tom Pyle.
On Christmas Eve we were taken to view a tree the Vietnamese had decorated.
We were given some candy and extra cigarettes to take back to our rooms.
Later in the evening we heard a guard opening the hatches to each of the
cells. When he came to our cell he asked,"Protestant or Catholic?" We told
him we were Protestants and he gave us each a small bag which contained an
orange, several cookies. and small pieces of candy. This was our first"Gift
from the Priest." We found out later that the Catholics got a tangerine
instead of and orange. (Only the Lord knows why! ) One POW who was living by
himself told the guard he was neither Protestant nor Catholic. The guard
closed the hatch without giving him anything! Next Christmas he decided to
be a Protestant!
Some Christmas music was played over the camp radio. We also had to listen
to a tape recording by a Vietnamese Catholic Priest. He allowed that we
should pray to God for forgiveness of our crimes against the Vietnamese
people.
Bob, Tom, and I reminisced about our families and other Christmases.
It was a quiet evening for us. Our prayers were for those POWs who were
still suffering from wounds.
Christmas Day we had a good dinner of meat, vegetables, and rice.
In quantity it was about the size of an average American meal, but about six
times our normal ration.
The senior ranking officer of our building initiated a"Home for Christmas"
prayer. Each day at noon a signal was passed to all rooms. We would then
recite the Lord's Prayer.
Christmas, 1968 In the spring of 1968, I was moved to another camp. Living
conditions were somewhat improved. There were nine of us in a twenty-one by
twenty foot room. Even though harassment and treatment by the guards was
about the same, it was great to have more Americans to talk to. Peace
negotiations had begun in Paris, but by the time Christmas came around our
high hopes for an early settlement had vanished.
We had continued our daily"Home for Christmas" prayer. One day one of the
men said,"What will we do if we don't make it home for Christmas?" Someone
answered,"We will continue to pray for next Christmas." As the season grew
nearer the men began writing down the words for holiday songs. We used
toilet paper, pens made form strips of bamboo, and ink from a mixture of
cigarette ashes and water. Of course we kept these carefully hidden from the
Vietnamese.
One of the men received a package from home. He shared everything he had
with the rest of us. What a wonderful treat! Actual goodies from home!
Again we received a"gift from the Priest." I shall never forget that
Christmas Eve. A group of men quietly singing such carols as "Hark, the
Herald Angels Sing" and "Silent Night." Before retiring, Jim Hivner said,
"Everybody who believes in Santa Claus, hang a sock on your mosquito net.
Remember, those who believe will receive!" I did not hang up a sock because
I needed to wear them to try to keep warm. We each had two thin blankets but
I had to use one of mine as cushion for my bad hip.
In the quiet of the night, as I had done the two previous Christmas Eves, I
mentally shopped for, bought, and wrapped gifts for Ruth and Kevin.
How are they? Are they well? Please, God, let them live normal and happy
lives, and know that my thoughts are with them. May God bless and keep them,
as well as the other members of the great Ballard family.
When I awakened the next morning I found a Christmas card inside my net. The
other men had one in their stockings. Jim Hivner had made them without any
of us knowing about it!
Christmas, 1969 The first ten months of 1969 were the worst for the POWs. An
attempt to escape had failed and the Vietnamese had retaliated with extreme
brutality.
In late October, however, a marked improvement in our living conditions came
about. We did not know the reason, but the death of Ho Chi Minh may have had
something to do with it. I believe now that it was the outstanding support
of the American people and the pressure they put upon the North Vietnamese
government that brought about the changes.
In December we were allowed to write our first letters home. I had about 800
million things to say to Ruth and questions to ask, but of course this was
impossible in a six-line letter.
Several of us received packages from home, which we shared. In mine was a
set of thermal underwear for which I was most grateful. One of my cellmates,
Jim Sehorn, had given me one of his blankets. Finally, I could at least stay
warm during those long, sleepless, miserable nights.
We made Christmas cards for the men in the other buildings. These
were"air-mailed" by tying a rock to the paper and throwing them from our
courtyard to theirs.
For a Christmas tree, we decorated a small swiss-type broom with strips of
cloth and paper with various designs. Mike McGrath was quite a good artist
and enjoyed doing things with his hands. He used one of his black pajama
tops as a background and drew a tree on it. From paper and cloth he made
stars and other ornaments and attached them to the tree. Small packages with
each of our names were also attached. This was kept hidden during the day
but was hung on the wall in the evenings for our enjoyment.
We exchanged gifts that Christmas, both real and imaginary. I gave away gift
certificates and treated everyone to a dinner at the Fireside Inn in Las
Vegas. One man, who had lost most of his hair, was given a wooden comb. I
was given ear plugs and a nose clip so I would not be disturbed at night by
nearby neighbors!
Christmas Eve the guards came around and gave us the"gift from the priest,"
also cookies and cigarettes. We were in a good mood and talked and quietly
sang carols til fairly late.
Before retiring we each tied a stocking to our nets. I had saved some peanut
butter candy from my package Ruth had sent and planned to put some in each
man's stocking while they were asleep. I lay awake for about an hour and was
just about ready to get up when I heard a noise and looked up. A POW was
putting something in my stocking. He moved quickly from net to net and then
sneaked back under his own. Ten minutes later another man got up and did the
same thing. It took almost two hours for all eight of us to play Santa
Claus.
Early Christmas morning I was awakened by a loud shout from Jim Sehorn:
"Merry Christmas, everybody! Get up! . He did it! Santa Claus came! Get up!
Get up!" What a sight - Jim running from net to net pulling everybody out of
bed. Our stockings were full of candy, gifts, and greeting cards.
Later that day the guards came in and removed Mike's shirt with the
decorations on it. He was taken to Quiz and the officers told him they were
impressed with his art and were going to take it to the museum. Mike told
them,"No, you are not." He jerked it off the table and tore it up!
Christmas 1970 In November, 1970, there was an unsuccessful attempt by the
United States to rescue some POWs from a camp at Son Tay. Within the next
few days all of the POWs were moved to downtown Hanoi to a large complex of
jails named Hoalo Prison. We called it the Hanoi Hilton. Finally, after so
many years, we were all in the same camp, with 25 to 56 men per cell. We
became better organized militarily, academically, and religiously.
That Christmas season was a fairly good one for us. Many men had received
packages from home and were allowed to keep the items in their cells.
However, a few days before Christmas, the guards removed everything from the
cells except for what they had given us. In October I had received my first
letter from home, after more than four years as a prisoner. Included in the
letter was a picture of Ruth and Kevin. I prized that picture more than
anything in the world and I cannot describe my feelings when the guard took
it away.
We began again to scrounge materials for academic purposes, etc. We drew
names for gifts. Jim Sehorn gave me a wand and a pendulum to use with my
course in hypnotism. I gave him the use of my services for a whole week to
hold his legs while he did sit-ups and other exercises.
Christmas Eve the men put on an outstanding play. It was the POW version of
Charles Dickens '"Christmas Carol". Scrooge was played by Dave Ford with
Jerry Venanzi directing.
I thoroughly enjoyed the Christmas carols sung by a 15-man choir. The
singing was disrupted once when a Vietnamese attempted to take pictures
through the barred windows.
Again we received a"gift from the priest." That night was a sad one for me.
I was reminiscing over past Christmases when I had a strong feeling that my
Mother had died. (She passed away in August 1969, but I was not notified
until our release.) Christmas morning I was again awakened by Jim Sehorn -
with the same enthusiasm and excitement. About this time a most fascinating
event occurred - big Tom McNish (six feet, two inches tall) was running up
and down the long room with a large bag slung over his shoulder. Tom was
dressed in white long-handled underwear and continued his prancing until
everyone was up.
Then he set down his bag, opened it, and out jumped Santa Claus! Rod Knutson
had on a red suit, black"boots", stocking cap, and a white beard and
mustache! I never found out where or how they scrounged all that material.
Rod then proceeded to give out hilariously funny imaginary gifts to
everyone.
We had an exceptionally good meal Christmas Day, and everyone was becoming
optimistic about going home soon.
Christmas 1971 Our optimism suffered a setback in early 1971 due to the
torturing of many individuals and especially the senior ranking officers.
This was in retaliation for our attempts to conduct religious services and
to gain improvements in living conditions. The United States had resumed the
bombing of North Vietnam.
Ten of us had been removed to another large cell along with thirty four
other POWs, all considered to be"die-hards" or trouble makers by the
Vietnamese.
Christmas, 1971, was about the same as the year before. The choir sang
carols which I thoroughly enjoyed. Six of us non-singers put on a skit
imitating the choir.
Ed Davis sang a lovely song, one I had never heard before, having to do with
Mary and her unborn child, Jesus.
I'll never forget Gobel James and his beautiful rendition of"O Holy Night."
One man entertained us with his version of"How the Grinch Stole Christmas."
Tom McNish and Rod Knutson did their Santa Claus number again. Rod gave me
some silver oak leaves indicating my promotion to Lieutenant Colonel. Ruth
had written me that it was Autumn in Carolina and the silver oak leaves were
falling!
Dwight Sullivan presented me with a small poker table which he had made from
bread and sticks. It even had ash trays. I kept the table for almost a year
until the guards finally found it and took it away. I gave my friend Leroy
Stutz an imaginary book,"How to Play Winning Poker" and allowed him to"pin"
me at his discretion once per week for a whole month.
Christmas 1972 The bombing of North Vietnam continued into 1972, and many
targets near our camp were being attacked. In May over 200 of us were moved
to a camp within a few miles of China, in mountainous terrain. Our food and
living conditions greatly improved. We were permitted more time outside,
given canned meat and various types of vegetable soup to eat with the
ever-present rice. Periodically the Vietnamese would go to a nearby village
and kill a buffalo and cook it for us. We conducted weekly bridge and chess
tournaments.
I spent one week in solitary confinement due to a minor disagreement with
the Vietnamese officers. During this time my thoughts were mostly with my
wife and son. Kevin is now thirteen years old. Graduating from high school
soon. Hard to believe. I had missed so much of his growing up. One of these
days he will come to me and ask for an automobile.
Most of us were given letters and packages from home that Christmas.
There was a picture of Ruth and Kevin on a motorcycle. A black dog lay
nearby. I could imagine the companionship that the dog provided for Kevin. I
mentally composed a letter to"Blackie." I was both thankful for him and
envious of him. He knew more about my son than I did - his habits, stomping
grounds, and hiding places.
One of the men heard from the guards that the United States was bombing
targets in Hanoi with big bombers night and day. We were jubilant at this
news and felt that the attacks would continue until the Vietnamese agreed to
release all prisoners.
Christmas Eve, 1972, was a quiet one for us. The choir sang some carols and
that was about it. Our thoughts and prayers were about the future.
In January 1973, we were taken back to the"Hanoi Hilton" and were told that
the war was over and we would all be going home soon. What would it be like?
How have things changed after six and one-half years of isolation from the
real world?
I was among the group of prisoners that was released on March 4, 1973. I did
not look back at the camp. I said a prayer that went something like this:
"Dear God, We thank you for taking care of us for such a long time"!
We now ask that you give us the courage to face the future and to accept the
changes that have taken place.
Ted Ballard
If you're ever going to share a Thinking Out Loud this is the one.
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We have a new year coming up next week. I hope 2025 was a good one and you
shared Christmas with those you love. That's not always going to be the
case. When done reading this, take a few minutes and hug everyone you love.
Don't put it off.
See you next year. bd
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