Subject: WWII-L Digest - 13 Jul 1994 to 14 Jul 1994

From: Automatic digest processor <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 15 Jul 1994 00:01:38 -0400

There are 18 messages totalling 1021 lines in this issue.

Topics of the day:

  1. [INF] USAAF 14-17 JUL 44
  2. INF: 50 Years Ago - 14-JUL-1944
  3. INF: USN Chronology 07-14-94
  4. MEDIA: PC at the Smithsonian cont'd (2)
  5. GEN: PRODUCING AND MARKETING LETTERS HOME
  6. Correction-Trans./Bomb
  7. B-29 in Greenland (4)
  8. Bomb Transport (3)
  9. USS INDIANAPOLIS / JEFFERSON CITY
 10. want: books
 11. JEFFERSON CITY cruiser sunk in WWII?  NO.
 12. USS INDIANAPOLIS / JEFFERSON CITY/ SAVO

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date:    Thu, 14 Jul 1994 07:25:00 EDT
From:    mc killop <[email-masked]>
Subject: [INF] USAAF 14-17 JUL 44

COMBAT CHRONOLOGY OF THE US ARMY AIR FORCES
14 - 17 JULY 1944
FTP SITES
  1. ftp.rutgers.edu in directory pub/wwii/usaf
  2. byrd.mu.wvnet.edu (129.71.32.152) in pub/history/military/airforce/
     wwii_chronology

AIRCRAFT MENTIONED IN THIS REPORT:
  A-20, Douglas Havoc
  B-17, Boeing Flying Fortress
  B-24, Consolidated Liberator
  B-25, North American Mitchell
  B-26, Martin Marauder
  C-47, Douglas Skytrain
  F-5, Lockheed Lightning
  P-38, Lockheed Lightning
  P-39, Bell Airacobra
  P-40, Curtiss
  P-47, Republic Thunderbolt
  P-51, North American Mustang
  P-61, Northrop Black Widow

FRIDAY, 14 JULY 1944

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA (CBI) THEATER OF OPERATIONS

  BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 49 P-40s pound enemy forces in the
Myitkyina vicinity; 38 P-51s and P-47s hit bridges at Mohnyin, Kadu, Henu,
and Mawlu, bomb supplies at Nyaungbintba, support ground forces near
Myitkyina, bomb a rice mill at Mohnyin, and hit several buildings at Hopin.
In India, the detachment of the 11th Combat Cargo Squadron, 3d Combat Cargo
Group (attached to 443d Troop Carrier Group), operating from Sookerating with
C-47s returns to base at Dinjan; and the 315th Troop Carrier Squadron, 443d
Troop Carrier Group, moves from Moran to Sookerating with C-47s, the squadron
also sends a detachment to operate from Ledo.

  CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, fighter-bombers and B-25s hit a
fighter strip N of Changsha, artillery positions at Leiyang, the town of
Sungpai, and road and river traffic from Hengyang to Yuhsien and from
Sienning to Tungshan; also attacked are various targets of opportunity around
the towns of Hengyang, Changsha, and Chaling; during the night fighter-
bombers blast Pailochi Airfield, destroying 20+ enemy aircraft; B-25s bomb
roads in the Tengchung area; and B-25s and P-40s pound railroad yards at
Siangsiang.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): With the conversion of the 55th
Fighter Group from P-38s to P-51s, the Eighth acquires a majority of P-51
groups to provide longer-range high-altitude escort for the heavy bombers.
Conversion to P-51s will continue until by the end of the year every group
except 1 will be equipped with them.
  Mission 472: In a morning mission 319 of 359 B-17s drop 3,700 containers of
supplies to French interior forces in S France; they claim 5-2-2 Luftwaffe
aircraft; 15 B-17s are damaged. Escort is provided by 465 P-47s and P-51s;
they claim 4-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft.
  Mission 473: During the evening 131 B-24s are dispatched to hit airfields
in France; 54 hit Montdidier Airfield and 39 hit Peronne Airfield; 9 B-24s
are damaged. 40 other B-24s fail to bomb because of failure of blind-bombing
equipment. Escort is provided by 79 P-38s and P-51s; 1 P-38 is damaged beyond
repair.
  94 of 100 P-38s fly fighter-bomber missions against rail targets E and SE
of Paris; they claim 2-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; 1 P-38 is lost (pilot is MIA).

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): In France, weather again curtails
operations; 62 B-26s and A-20s, using Oboe, bomb a railway embankment at
Bourth and rail bridge at Merey; fighters provide escort and fly armed
reconnaissance over widespread areas of NW France, attacking bridges, trains,
rail lines, and military transport targets; 85 enemy fighters give battle
near Brezolles and Alencon; 6 fighters are claimed by US fighters, against 5
missing from the IX Fighter Command; the IX Tactical Air Command strafes and
bombs defended positions ahead of the US First Army; and fighters cut rail
lines in the L'Aigle-Alencon area, bomb troop concentrations near Periers,
and marshalling yards at Chateaudun and Aube-sur-Rile.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): 430+ B-17s and B-24s attack 4
oil refineries at Budapest and Petfurdo, Hungary and the marshalling yard at
Mantua, Italy; P-51s and P-38s provide escort; P-51s fly an uneventful sweep
of the Budapest area; and P-38s strafe trains N of La Spezia and dive-bomb
Ghedi Airfield in Italy.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, medium bombers
concentrate on Po River Valley bridges; 600 feet (183 m) (2 center spans) of
the Taglio di Po road bridge and 1 span of the Piacenza rail bridge are
destroyed, and damaging hits are scored on the Corbola road and railroad
bridges; fighter-bombers again hit gun positions and lines of communication
in and N of the battle areas while light bombers attack supplies; HQ XII
Fighter Command moves from Algiers, Algeria to Caserta; HQ 3d
Photographic Group (Reconnaissance) and 23d Photographic Reconnaissance
Squadron move from Viterbo and Alghero, Sardinia respectively to Borgo,
Corsica with F-5s; and the detachment of the 12th Photographic Reconnaissance
Squadron, 3d Photographic Group (Reconnaissance) moves from Follonica to
Cecina with F-5s.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): P-47s again hit Tinian Island.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s continue to
blast Yap Island. Oil reservoirs and wells at Boela, Ceram Island are bombed
and strafed by A-20s and B-24s and B-25s attack barge facilities and gun
positions at Lautem, Timor Island. On the Vogelkop Peninsula of New Guinea,
P-61s hit airfields while B-25s bomb a barge terminal at Kokas; A-20s hit
Japanese forces at Sauri and bomb the airfield at But; fighter-bombers
support ground forces in the Aitape area along the Driniumor River and
Koronal Creek and blast troop concentrations near Afua; and HQ 475th Fighter
Group and 433d Fighter Squadron move from Hollandia to Biak Island with
P-38s.

SATURDAY, 15 JULY 1944

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA (CBI) THEATER OF OPERATIONS

  BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 38 P-40s continue support of
ground forces in the Myitkyina area; 60+ P-47s and P-51s attack bridges at
Manla, Henu, and Mawlu, sweep the Lashio, Katha, and Talawgyi areas, and hit
a motor pool at Kadu and targets of opportunity around Sangin and Mohnyin;
and 20 B-25s attack the Myitkyina area and hit bridges and a supply area at
Mawhun.

  CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 100+ B-25s, P-40s, and P-51s blast
the towns of Sinshih, Chuchou, Siangtan, Siangsiang, Sungpai, and Chaling,
concentrating on military and railroad installations and river shipping;
villages, troop concentrations, and river craft are attacked N and W of
Hengyang and from Chaling to Yuhsien; in the Salween area 26 P-40s support
Chinese forces and 12 B-25s bomb Mangshih and Lungling; and 12 B-25s and
P-40s bomb railroad yards at Hsuchang, causing considerable damage.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 474: 169 P-38s and P-47s
make fighter-bomber attacks on enemy transport SE of Paris; 2 P-38s and 1
P-47s are lost; 1 P-38 is damaged beyond repair and 10 P-38s and 2 P-47s
are damaged; 4 pilots are MIA.
  Mission 475: 6 of 6 B-17s drop leaflets in France during the night.
  27 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions to France during the night.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): In France, weather cancels most
operations but 4 B-26s (92 others abort) hit the L'Aigle rail bridge during
the afternoon; 3 fighter-bombers fly an uneventful sweep; fighters of the IX
Tactical Air Command fly area cover and bomb infantry, artillery, a
marshalling yard, railroad, and a bridge in the Saint-Lo, Argentan, and
Falaise areas.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): In Rumania, 600+ B-17s and
B-24s bomb 4 oil refineries in the Ploesti area and the Teleajenul pumping
station; and P-51s and P-38s fly 300+ escort sorties.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, the medium bomber
campaign against Po River Valley bridges (Operation MALLORY MAJOR) reaches a
successful conclusion (though the interdiction program against the bridges is
subsequently continued on an expanded scale) as most of the rail and road
bridges in the target area are destroyed or severely damaged by previous
attacks and raids which struck bridges at Bozzolo, Desenzano de Garda,
Cremona, Borgoforte, Ostiglia, Polesella, Sermide, Ferrara, Aulla,
Filattiera, Ficarolo, and Chiavari and the marshalling yard at Villafranca di
Verona; fighter-bombers attack road bridges N of the battleline and hit gun
positions, roads, motor transport, and other targets, while supporting ground
forces slowly advancing N along a line extending E from the coast below
Leghorn; the 12th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, 3d Photographic Group
(Reconnaissance), moves from Voltone to Follonica with F-5s (a detachment is
operating from Cecina); the 84th, 85th and 97th Bombardment Squadrons
(Light), 47th Bombardment Group (Light), move from Ombrone Airfield to
Poretta Airfield, Corsica with A-20s; and the 314th Fighter Squadron, 324th
Fighter Group, moves from Castro to Corsica with P-47s.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): P-47s bomb and strafe Tinian
Island and B-24s, staging through Eniwetok Atoll, hit Truk Atoll.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s blast Yap
Island, scoring numerous hits in the town area and on a radio station and
barracks area. In New Guinea, B-24s, penetrating a heavy weather front, bomb
the airfield on Efman Island while B-25s hit enemy forces along Korrido
Anchorage, and A-20s blast gun emplacements on an island off Manokwari;
B-25s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers again pound troop concentrations over a
wide area around Wewak; and the 431st Fighter Squadron, 475th Fighter Group,
moves from Hollandia to Biak Island with P-38s.

SUNDAY, 16 JULY 1944

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA (CBI) THEATER OF OPERATIONS

  BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 27 P-40s continue to hit forces in
the Myitkyina area; 20+ P-51s and P-47s attack railroad bridges at Namkwin,
Manla, and Hopin, and hit general targets of opportunity in the Hopin area;
12 B-25s bomb the town of Maingna and bridges at Mohnyin. In India, HQ 12th
Bombardment Group (Medium) moves from Pandaveswar to Fenny.

  CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 23 B-24s pound Changsha, causing
heavy damage; 40 P-51s and P-40s hit river shipping at Changsha, attack
targets of opportunity S of Hengyang, and bomb the building area at Ikiawan;
and the 449th Fighter Squadron, 51st Fighter Group, moves from Kweilin to
Chengkung with P-38s.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 476: 1,087 bombers and 712
fighters are dispatched to hit targets in Germany; 11 bombers and 3 fighters
are lost:
  1. Of 407 B-17s, 213 hit an aircraft engine plant at Munich, 54 hit
Augsburg, 52 hit Stuttgart and 50 hit 2 targets of opportunity; they claim
2-3-2 Luftwaffe aircraft; 10 B-17s are lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 112
damaged; 2 airmen are KIA, 7 WIA and 81 MIA. Escort is provided by 240 P-38s,
P-47s and P-51s; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot is MIA).
  2. Of 238 B-17s, 206 hit Stuttgart and 2 hit a target of opportunity; 1
B-17 is lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 45 damaged; 1 airman is WIA and 10
MIA. Escort is provided by 214 P-38s, P-47s and P-51s; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot
is MIA).
  3. 407 of 442 B-24s hit the marshalling yards at Saarbrucken; 2 B-24s are
damaged beyond repair and 45 damaged; 1 airman is KIA and 3 WIA.  Escort is
provided by 169 P-38s and P-47s; 1 P-38 is lost and 1 damaged beyond repair.
  Mission 477: 5 of 5 B-17s drop leaflets in France during the night.
  24 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions during the night.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): Major General Paul L Williams,
Commanding General IX Troop Carrier Command, arrives in Italy from the UK,
and activates the Provisional Troop Carrier Division which will take part in
the invasion of S France.
  In France, about 375 B-26s and A-20s, during morning and evening
operations, bomb strongpoints in the Saint-Lo area, bridges in the frontline
area, and bridges and a fuel dump SE of Rennes; and fighters escort the
bombers and fly armed reconnaissance over the frontlines in the Chateaudun-
Orleans-Tours areas. In England, a detachment of the 422d Night Fighter
Squadron, 71st Fighter Wing, based at Scorton, begins operating from Ford
with P-61s.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): In Austria, around 380 bombers
attack oil and aircraft targets in the Vienna area, bombing Munchendorf
Airfield, Winterhafen oil depot, Vienna marshalling yard, and Wiener Neudorf
engine factory; P-51s and P-38s fly 150+ sorties in escort while 132 other
P-51s sweep the Vienna area; 100+ fighters oppose the raids; 10 AAF aircraft
are lost and several others are missing; AAF claims of fighters shot down
total 30+.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, medium bombers hit
bridges in the Po River Valley at Peschiera del Garda, Mantua, Torre Beretti,
Piacenza, Casale Monferrato, and Bressana Bottarone; fighter-bombers hit
railroads and a bridge just N of the battleline as US Fifth Army forces take
territory SE of Leghorn and push to within sight of the Arno River Valley;
British Eighth Army elements take Arezzo and thrust through to the Arno River.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): P-47s continue to pound Tinian
Island.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s continue
bombing Yap Island and also hit Atamboea Airfield on Timor Island. In New
Guinea, other B-24s pound AA positions at Manokwari; fighter-bombers bomb
supply dumps N of Moemi and attack shipping in the Kokas-Babo area; bombers
and fighters again hit troop and supply concentrations in the Wewak sector;
troop carrier missions to forward bases, especially Biak Island, increase;
and the 82d Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 71st Tactical Reconnaissance
Group, moves from Owi, Schouten Islands to Biak Island with P-39s.

MONDAY, 17 JULY 1944

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA (CBI) THEATER OF OPERATIONS

  BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 60+ P-40s, P-47s, and P-51s
continue to hit forces in the Myitkyina area, pound Tagwin, and bomb a
marshalling yard at Mohnyin. The 81st Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 12th
Bombardment Group (Medium), moves from Madhaiganj Airfield to Fenny, India
with B-25s.

  CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 22 B-24s bomb Changsha; 7 B-25s and
21 P-40s pound railroad yards at Kaifeng; and 6 B-25s and 12 P-40s hit
Tengchung.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 478: In the morning 670
bombers and 472 fighters are dispatched to hit tactical targets in France; 1
bomber and 1 fighter are lost:
  1. Of 331 B-17s, 37 hit Joigny la Roche, 36 hit Jussy, 35 hit Auxerre, 35
hit Peronne, 33 hit Ham-sur-Somme, 32 hit Anizy-le-Chateau, 25 hit Frevent,
12 hit Tergnier and 11 hit Eu Bridges; 12 hit Doullens road junction, 12 hit
Hesdin fuel dump, 12 hit Frevent railroad and road junction, 11 hit Laon
marshalling yard and 15 hit targets of opportunity; 1 B-17 is lost, 1 damaged
beyond repair and 64 damaged; 3 airmen are WIA and 9 MIA.
  2. Of 339 B-24s, 58 hit Rilly la Montagne dump, 52 hit Belfort marshalling
yard; 36 hit Gien, 34 hit Coulanges, 34 hit Neuvy-sur-Loire, 32 hit Sully, 30
hit Nanteuil and 10 hit Le Soulons Bridges; 11 hit St Dizier Airfield and 5
hit targets of opportunity; 3 B-24s are damaged beyond repair and 54 damaged;
2 airmen are KIA and 7 WIA.
  Escort for the 2 groups above is 433 P-38s, P-47s and P-51s; 1 P-47 is lost
(pilot is MIA); elements of 4 fighter groups afterwards strafe ground
targets, claiming 23 locomotives, 18 trucks, and 55 train cars destroyed.
  Mission 479: During the evening 34 of 69 B-17s and 106 of 115 B-24s attack
12 V-weapon sites in the Pas de Calais area; 3 B-24s are damaged beyond
repair and 23 B-24s and 28 B-17s are damaged; 1 airman is KIA and 5 WIA.
Escort is provided by 209 of 227 P-51s; 1 is damaged beyond repair.
  Mission 480: 5 of 5 B-17s drop leaflets in France and the Netherlands
during the night.
  16 B-24s participate in CARPETBAGGER missions during the night.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): With operations limited by weather
in France, 69 B-26s hit fuel dumps at Rennes while 37 A-20s strike fuel dumps
at Bruz and a marshalling yard at Dol-de-Bretagne; fighters escort
transports, fly area cover, attack fuel dumps and landing field at Angers,
dive-bomb defenses at Coutances in support of the US First Army, attack
Nevers marshalling yard, and hit troop concentrations in support of the First
Army assault in the Saint-Lo area.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): In France, 162 B-24s attack a
marshalling yard and railroad bridges at Avignon and railroad bridges at
Arles and Tarascon; P-51s and P-38s provide escort.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, medium bombers
concentrate on Po River Valley bridges, hitting road and rail bridges and
viaducts at or near Alessandria, Ostiglia, Bogliasco, Borgoforte, Moline,
Imperia, Asti, Mollere, and Casale Monferrato; fighter-bombers continue to
hit targets N of the battle area, concentrating on bridges and rail lines,
while US Fifth Army elements take Luciana, and reach the Arno River Valley,
but make little progress toward Leghorn; British Eighth Army forces pursue
the enemy toward Florence.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): P-47s bomb and strafe Tinian
Island. 48 B-25s from Makin Island stage through Engebi Island, Eniwetok
Atoll to bomb Ponape Island; 47 of the B-25s (1 aborts) attack airfield
facilities, AA positions, and other targets throughout the atoll.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: Operations against
the Caroline Islands are restricted to snooper missions against Yap Island
and Woleai Atoll and Fuiloro, Timor Island is bombed by B-25s. In New Guinea,
B-24s bomb gun positions around Manokwari and airfield at Moemi; B-25s sink a
large lugger in Kaiboes Bay; A-20s, B-25s, and P-39s hit troop concentrations
and supplies between Aitape and Wewak at Abau, Parakaviu, Nyaparake, and E of
Tadji and bomb Boram airfield and Cape Moem.

SOURCES:
AIR FORCE COMBAT UNITS OF WORLD WAR II, Office of Air Force History,
  Headquarters USAF, 1961, ISBN 0-912799-02-1
COMBAT SQUADRONS OF THE AIR FORCE, WORLD WAR II, Office of Air Force
  History, Headquarters USAF 1982
THE ARMY AIR FORCES IN WORLD WAR II: COMBAT CHRONOLOGY, 1941-1945 by the
  Office of Air Force History, Headquarters USAF, 1973
THE MIGHTY EIGHTH WAR DIARY by Roger A. Freeman, ISBN 1-85409-071-2

Jack McKillop
USAF (Airways and Air Communications Service)
1955-59

-------------------------------------------------------------------
|  Jack McKillop         |  Those who have long enjoyed such      |
|  Bellcore              |  privileges as we enjoy forget in      |
|  Piscataway, NJ USA    |  time that men have died to win them.  |
|  [email-masked]  |                       FDR              |
-------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------

Date:    Thu, 14 Jul 1994 07:32:05 -0500
From:    John Davis <[email-masked]>
Subject: INF: 50 Years Ago - 14-JUL-1944

On 14-JUL-1944, the following occurred -

World War II - The Battlefronts
-------------------------------
Western Front - The US 30th Division captures Pont-Hebert after a bitter
     struggle. The 35th Division reaches the road between Pont-Hebert and St
     Lo.

Eastern Front - The 1st Ukraine Front initiates an offensive in Poland, in the
     region of Lvov. Further north, units of the 1st Belorussian Front capture
     Pinsk, east of Brest-Litovsk.

Italian Front - The US 34th Division continues advancing towards Leghorn, with
     the 442nd Regiment taking San Pieve di Luce and the 133rd approaching
     Usigliano. The 9th Division captures Chianni. Units of the French
     Expeditionary Corps capture Poggibonsi.

New Guinea - The Japanese counter-attack on the river Driniumor but are driven
     back.

India - The British XXXIII Corps completes the encirclement and elimination of
     the Japanese along the Uphrul-Imphal road. The IV Corps, who are
     advancing on Tiddim, manages to weaken the Japanese defences through a
     series of attacks by the 5th and 17th Indian Divisions.

Naval Dispatches
----------------
Japanese submarine I-6 sunk by destroyer escort WILLIAM C. MILLER (DE-259),
     Marianas Islands area.

The Homefront
-------------
Pearl Harbor Boards Named - The Army and Navy have named "boards of
     investigation" to inquire into negligence during the Japanese attack on
     Pearl Harbor. These boards are formed by order of Congress.

196,941 War Prisoners in US - The Army says that there are 196,941 Axis war
     prisoners in the United States. These include 146,101 Germans, 50,278
     Italians and 562 Japanese.

Hartford Releases Circus - A Hartford, Conn. Superior Court order gives
     Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus permission to leave
     Hartford after it deposits $1,005,000 in cash and insurance policies to
     cover $1,000,000 in damage claims filed by relatives of victims of the
     July 6 fire.

Joan Blondell Divorced - Actress Joan Blondell has won a divorce in Los
     Angeles from actor Dick Powell on grounds of cruelty.

=============================================================================

Sources: "2194 Days of War" by Cesare Salmaggi and Alfredo Pallavisimi, "The
World Almanac Book Of WW II" by Peter Young, "United States Naval Chronology,
World War II" by Naval Historical Division - United States Navy, "Facts On
File Yearbook 1944, Person's Index Of World Events" edited by R.L. Lapica.

----------
John Davis  [email-masked]
Cary, N.C.
----------

------------------------------

Date:    Thu, 14 Jul 1994 05:00:40 PST
From:    "Keller, Theron P." <[email-masked]>
Subject: INF: USN Chronology 07-14-94

UNITED STATES NAVY CHRONOLOGY
from:
//byrd.mu.wvnet.edu/pub/history/military/wwii/naval_chronology/chr4(4,5).txt

1944
07/14 Fri.  Japanese submarine sunk:
             I-6, by destroyer escort WILLIAM C. MILLER (DE-259), Mari-
              anas Islands area,
              15 d. 18'N., 144 d. 26'E.

Theron P. Keller
Logicon, Inc.
Dahlgren, VA  22448 USA
[email-masked]

------------------------------

Date:    Thu, 14 Jul 1994 08:19:31 -0400
From:    James E Irwin <[email-masked]>
Subject: MEDIA: PC at the Smithsonian cont'd

Forgive the length of this piece, but I thought that it was
worthwhile, considering the discussion this event has engendered
in recent weeks.

This editorial is by Arthur H. Sanfelici, the editor of Aviation
History magazine.  This appears in the September 1994 issue,
Volume 5, Number 1, page 6.

Any typos are mine.

Our national repository of things aeronautical is suffering from
a terminal case of PCitis.  The "politically correct" approach
manipulates perceptions so that no person or group can be
offended in any way that can be considered discriminatory.  PC
flourishes in the Washington DC milieu as a tool of the "spin
doctors."

Case in point.  A new exhibit is planned to debut next May in
the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum
(NASM) in Washington DC to commemorate the 50th anniversary of
the first dropping of the atomic bomb and the end of World War
II.  It will be called "The Crossroads: The End of World War II,
the Atomic Bomb, and the Origins of the Cold War."  With a focus
on the effects of the dropping of nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and
Nagasaki - and an emphasis on the resultant human suffering it
wrought - the major exhibit is stirring controversy well before
its relatively short eight-month run begins.

The NASM states that the intent of the new exhibit is to
"...provide a crucial public service by *reexamining* the atomic
bombings in the light of the *most thorough scholarship*"
(emphasis added by the author).  The NASM states that the museum
does not intend to join what it describes as a debate over
whether the bomb should have been used or not, but instead plans
to offer the visitor "a much more *nuanced picture*" (emphasis
added by the author) of the decision-making on both sides that
may lead visitors to "reconsider or deepen their understanding
of this controversial topic."

In an overzealous attempt to "be fair" to those who were being
bombed at the end of the war, the museum apparently forgets who
was being bombed at the beginning of it.  Just ask the thousand
US sailors who are still entombed in the battleship "Arizona,"
or those other US servicemen and women who died on the Bataan
Death March, on Corregidor and Wake Islands, and on the Burma
Road.  Or ask the quarter million Chinese who were overrun and
slaughtered in Nanking and elsewhere in the 1930s as Japan began
its predatory expansion.  Just step back into 1941 when an
entire nation was shocked into a war it did not start, and
"Remember Pearl Harbor."

Where does aviation appear in the upcoming aviation museum
display?  Two pieces - one complete aircraft, a Japanese
Yokosuka MXY7 Ohka kamikaze rocket-powered flying bomb hanging
over the entrance; and, at the rear of the exhibit, only the
nose section of one other airplane, the Boeing B-29
Superfortress that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, the
"Enola Gay."  These few aviation artifacts are included merely
as minor props for a nonaviation morality message.  The rest
consists of videos and artifacts that show the destructive
aftermath of an atomic bomb, intentionally shocking full-size
photos of blast- and radiation-mutilated victims, and charred
personal possessions.  A notice at the entrance will caution
parents that parts of the exhibit may not be suitable for
viewing by children.  All this in a museum Congress mandated to
"memorialize the national development of aviation and space
flight."  This exhibit surely won't.

A storm of protest against the tone of the new exhibit already
has begun.  John T. Correll, editor in chief of "Air Force"
magazine, the official publication of the 200,000-strong Air
Force Association membership, has published a two-part article
urging that the "Enola Gay" be displayed objectively, not as a
pawn in support of a social message.  And veterans groups have
sent a 9,000-name petition to the NASM asking that the "Enola
Gay" either be displayed "proudly and patriotically" or be given
to a museum that will do so.  So far, at least one congressman
has told the NASM to make substantive changes to the exhibit to
address these objectives - let's see what happens.

In her essay collection "Practicing History," Nobel
Prize-winning historian Barbara Tuchman cautions, "We must be
careful as always in the practice of history not to ascribe
meaning and motives as we see them through the lens of
intervening events."  We read that as "Don't put a spin on it,
just present it the way it was."  The "Enola Gay" deserves to be
exhibited in the context of the way it was, not as an instrument
of war but as an instrument of peace - and because of that, an
object of national pride.

And that would be PC - just Plain Correct.

A note at the end of the editorial states: "Smithsonian
Secretary Robert McC. Adams, who instituted political
correctness at the NASM and other museums, retires this month
and is being succeeded by the former chancellor of the
University of California, Ira Michael Heyman.  Let's hope
Secretary Heyman recognizes the validity behind the growing
opposition to the trend set by Mr. Adams and brings about a
return to the mandated direction of the NASM."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 James E. Irwin (Jim)                  Internet address:
 Defense Personnel Support Center        [email-masked]
 2800 S. 20th Street                   215-737-8760
 Philadelphia PA  19101-8419           Autovon 444-8760

                     "Never in the field of human conflict
                     was so much owed by so many to so few."
                               Winston S. Churchill
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------

Date:    Thu, 14 Jul 1994 14:20:03 +0200
From:    JOHN AUSLAND <[email-masked]>
Subject: GEN: PRODUCING AND MARKETING LETTERS HOME

>John,
>    A couple of months ago, I believe you mentioned the possibility of doing
>your book "Memoirs From Home" in an electronic format and then having it
>available to us on the Listserv?? Has anything come of that idea as of yet??
>Thanks,
>    Mike Oaks

I am hoping to complete soon arrangements for the electronic distribution of my
book LETTERS HOME: A WAR MEMOIR in the US - and elsewhere.  I will post a notice
when it is available.

My first printing of 500 copies is now exhausted.  (The last I knew there was
only one copy at Sidney Kramers in Washington, DC.  Telephone 1 800 423 2665.)
I have decided not to do a second printing, because it is too much work to
market it from here.  Hence the electronic version.

For other potential self-publishers, I might add that this has been an
interesting and rewarding challenge.  Production was the easiest part.
Marketing the most difficult.  I got a handy boost from a flattering review in
FRANCE Magazine, published by the French Embassy in Washington.  This not only
boosted the sales at Kramers but attracted considerable media attention.  This
led to excerpts in the L'EXPRESS (the French TIME) and an Associated Press
interview, which appeared in a number of US papers.

I also sold a number of copies through participation in this list and the WWII
forum on Compuserve.  This list also led to brief appearances on Mark Leff's
WHAT WAS HAPPENING 50 YEARS AGO TODAY on CNN between June 1 and 6.

The trouble is that it is not possible to translate much of this publicity into
sales unless you have your book in bookstores.  I made a run at this through the
PUBLISHERS MARKETING ASSOCIATION, without success.

The main advantage of self-publishing is that you can do what you want.  Those
of you who have seen the book will agree that it would have been difficult to
find a trade publisher who would use my format and layout.

Given the feedback I have got, which has been very encouraging, I suspect there
is a publisher somewhere out there would will want one day to republish the book
on paper.  I figure, however, that it will be easier for him or her to find me
than the other way around.

For anyone who would like oneday to see the original letters (I used only a part
of them in the book), I am gradually donating them to the US Army Military
History Institute at Carlisle Barracks.  I will today send those for the
Huertgen Forest and Battle of the Bulge.  I am also sending a number of articles
which I did for the International Herald Tribune, as spinoffs from the book.

  Regards, John Ausland/Oslo Norway

  PS  I will be hors de combat for about a week, enjoying the fjord country on
the west coast.  During this period I will be in a NOMAIL mode this list.  I
will reply to any EMAIL when I get back.

  PPS  From time to time, I repeat messages sent to this Internet World War II
list to selected correspondents via EMAIL.  It would be helpful to have
EMAIL messages from them, letting me know if they would like to continue
seeing these.

------------------------------

Date:    Thu, 14 Jul 1994 08:18:58 -0500
From:    "Danny G. Cox" <[email-masked]>
Subject: Correction-Trans./Bomb

I inadvertantly typed destroyer instead of CRUISER (Jefferson City).  I
had destroyers on my mind.  I had read that when the Jeff City was sunk,
she had been sent out without destroyer escort.

(Dan did not make that error! I confess - I did it!)

Norma L Cox

+==================================+
|   DAN COX                        |
|   REPUBLIC, MO                   |
|   [email-masked]   |
+==================================+

------------------------------

Date:    Thu, 14 Jul 1994 08:26:12 EST
From:    Aldo Hubert <[email-masked]>
Subject: B-29 in Greenland

Hello All,

Did anyone hear the article on NPR this morning about a B-29 crash in
Greenland somene is trying to rescue?  Apparently (and I emphsize that
word--I was only 1/2 awake to hear the story) a B-29 was flying recon
near the artic circle (spying on the ruskies, I think), became disoriented
due the the lattitude and ended-up in Greenland where it landed (I think
all the crew were rescued intact).  Someone is going to try & repair &
FLY the plane to the US (again apparently the ice well preserved the
plane) before the winter hits.  This person wants to build run-way & is
going to install new engines & make a few other repairs.

Anyone else hear this?

[email-masked]

Aldo M. Hubert
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Greensboro NC 27412

OBESA CANTAVIT

------------------------------

Date:    Thu, 14 Jul 1994 11:41:11 EST
From:    rick robinson <[email-masked]>
Subject: Bomb Transport

====================================================================
 Date:    Wed, 13 Jul 1994 18:38:05 -0700
 From:    Ed Kettler <[email-masked]>
 Subject: Re: Bomb Transportation

 The ship which carried the bomb for the Enola Gay was the USS
 Indianapolis which was sunk between Saipan and the Philipines with great
 loss of life by a Japanese sub.  Most of the casualties were due to
 drowning and exposure during the several days in the rafts before
 rescue.  There are several books on this sinking.  According to J.
 Rohwer's Chronology of the War at Sea 1939-1945, I-58 (Captain Hashimoto)
 sank Indianapolis on the night of 29-30 July 1945 with two hits from a
 spread of 6 torpedoes E of Luzon.  316 of 1199 rescued between 2 and 8 Aug.

 Ed Kettler                                       [email-masked]

 -------------------------------------------------------------------
 > How were the bombs transfered to the Enola Gay?
 > Were they transported on a destroyer? The Jefferson City?
 > If so, was the Jefferson City sunk by Japanese submarines shortly
 > afterwards?
 ---------------------------------------------------------------------
=====================================================================

 I recall the incident of the loss of the Indianapolis.  To continue
   this further, how was the components for the plutonium bomb
   (Fat Man) transported to Tinian?

===>>> Moral Superiority through Superior Firepower <<<===

Rick Robinson/KD4GNK (TSG/KyANG retired)
Tape Librarian, DOIM -- Fort Knox, Kentucky  40121-5000
[email-masked]/ [email-masked]

------------------------------

Date:    Thu, 14 Jul 1994 12:51:46 CDT
From:    "Robert J. Granvin" <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: B-29 in Greenland

> Hello All,
>
> Did anyone hear the article on NPR this morning about a B-29 crash in
> Greenland somene is trying to rescue?  Apparently (and I emphsize that
> word--I was only 1/2 awake to hear the story) a B-29 was flying recon
> near the artic circle (spying on the ruskies, I think), became disoriented
> due the the lattitude and ended-up in Greenland where it landed (I think
> all the crew were rescued intact).  Someone is going to try & repair &
> FLY the plane to the US (again apparently the ice well preserved the
> plane) before the winter hits.  This person wants to build run-way & is
> going to install new engines & make a few other repairs.
>
> Anyone else hear this?

If it's the same B-29, I've seen video of the recovery.

The aircraft landed wheels up.  The crew was rescued, but the aircraft
was abandoned.  I believe it went down in or around 1949.

The recovery team (including Air National Guard and Smithsonian)
went to recover the aircraft after an extensive survey.  The aircraft
actually landed in a shallow, mostly frozen, "lake."  (It's better to say
that there was some free standing water on the ground than to claim anything
else).

The aircraft was hoisted onto jacks and the main gear lowered.  To lower
the nose gear, the tail needed to be lowered.  This was done by chopper
hoisting buckets of local "ballast" (rocks and dirt :-) onto the tail
until the nose started to come up.  When it was up far enough, the nose
gear was dropped and the aircraft sat on its gear.

Apparently out of curiousity and even though the props were all bent from
the landing, the crew attempted to start the left outboard engine.  The
engines were free and smooth and the one engine made several valiant attempts
to start.  It couldn't stay running, however, which I don't think really
disappointed anyone.

This recovery effort was in 1993.

The plan is (was?) NOT to fly the aircraft out but to disassemble it and
fly/truck/ship it out.

I don't know where the aircraft is heading for.

--
Robert J. Granvin                                    Southern Minnesota Wing
[email-masked]                                       Confederate Air Force

------------------------------

Date:    Thu, 14 Jul 1994 14:30:24 -0400
From:    Dan Ford <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: MEDIA: PC at the Smithsonian cont'd

Jim, thanks for the post. *Aviation* is a nice magazine; it deserves wider
distribution. I'm going to DC just to see that flying bomb. I assume it's
the same model Americans called Baka (for Fool).

There is a Japanese cartoon book about the Baka. The one I remember best
is our kamakazi hero in the water, pushing his Baka with both hands while
doing a flutter kick, with a little black storm-cloud overhead to indicate
his state of mind, doing his damnedest to catch up with the U.S. fleet
which is steaming over the horizon.

            - Dan      <[email-masked]>

------------------------------

Date:    Thu, 14 Jul 1994 14:39:32 EDT
From:    Richard Kaplan <[email-masked]>
Subject: USS INDIANAPOLIS / JEFFERSON CITY

I think some of the confusion here stems from history based fiction.  The book
Time & Tide substitues a ship named the Jefferson City for the Indianapolis in
retelling the story of delivering the A-Bomb and the Indy-Maru's sinking.

The novel begins with the fictional Jeff City slinking to Portland, OR for
repairs after "running" at Savo Island.  Her captain is replaced, and he spends
the rest of the war reestablishing the ship's reputation, and avenging the
trashed reputation of the former captain, his best buddy from the Academy.

To my knowledge, if there was a cruiser USS Jefferson City, it wasn't at Savo
Island.  I'm reading the Naval Institute Press book about the battle, and there
are one or two ship's actions that were probably used for the ficticious Jeff
City.

                                        Richard Kaplan
                                        Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

------------------------------

Date:    Thu, 14 Jul 1994 13:45:14 CST
From:    "ROBERT ROY(Southern Illinois University)" <[email-masked]>
Subject: want: books

    I RECEIVED A CATALOG FROM TURNER PUBLISHING CO. IN PUDUCAH KY.
THEY PUT OUT LARGE FORMAT, UNIT HISTORY/YEARBOOK TYPE BOOKS OF VARY
FINE QUALITY.  THEY ARE VARY EXPENSIVE, AT ABOUT $50.00 A COPY. I
WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF ANYONE HAS USED COPIES THEY WOULD WANT TO SELL.
SOME OF THE TITLES I FOUND ARE:

    BATTLE OF THE BULGE
    TANK DESTROYER FORCES-WW II
    3RD BRIGADE,101ST AB-DESERT STORM/DESERT SHIELD
    11TH ARMORED CAV
    4TH INFANTRY DIVISION
    29TH INFANTRY DIVISION
    P-40 WARHAWK
    USS KIDD & FLETCHER CLASS DESTROYERS

 2. DOES ANYONE KNOW OF FTP FILES OR EMAIL TXT FILES OF BOOKSTORES/CATALOGS
    OF MILITARY HISTORY BOOKS. I HAVE FOUND EVERYTHING BUT MILITARY HISTORY !

------------------------------

Date:    Thu, 14 Jul 1994 14:49:00 -0500
From:    GEORGE BAUER <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: B-29 in Greenland

Your information about the B-29 is essentially correct as I remember it.

  =========================================================================
  | DR.  GEORGE R. BAUER             | INTERESTS:                         |
  |                                  | Computers in Business & Education. |
  | Recently returned from my second | Education:  Curriculum development.|
  |   extended stay in Prague.       |    International Education, TEFL.  |
  | Working on second book about     | Central Europe:  Post revolution   |
  |   Prague and new Czech Republic  |    economic, social, political     |
  |   and a book about the B-25      |    problems and opportunities.     |
  |   in WWII.                       | B-25 in WWII.                      |
  | E-Mail:                          | Free lance writing and editing.    |
  |   USA:  [email-masked]    | Stamp collecting.                  |
  =========================================================================

------------------------------

Date:    Thu, 14 Jul 1994 16:43:58 EST
From:    Aldo Hubert <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: B-29 in Greenland

                                            arctic
                                               \/
 B-29 was flying recon near the artic circle

I guess I've spent too much time down south.

[email-masked]

Aldo M. Hubert
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Greensboro NC 27412

OBESA CANTAVIT

------------------------------

Date:    Thu, 14 Jul 1994 17:15:34 -0500
From:    "Louis R. Coatney" <[email-masked]>
Subject: JEFFERSON CITY cruiser sunk in WWII?  NO.

Norma Cox,

     I know of no JC cruiser sunk in WWII.  Could it have
been a Liberty Ship (freighter)?

Lou Coatney

------------------------------

Date:    Thu, 14 Jul 1994 16:20:00 -0700
From:    Ed Kettler <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Bomb Transport

Again citing Rohwer "The cruiser has brought parts of the atomic bombs
from San Francisco to Tinian and is proceeding to Leyte."  Rohwer also
notes that the heavy cruiser was unescorted.

According to Norman Friedman in US Cruisers: an Illustrated Design
History, Indianaplois sank in 15 minutes because modified condition YOKE
was set, with the "watertight doors on the second deck open, and flooding
progressed rapidly aft."

Ed Kettler                                       [email-masked]

On Thu, 14 Jul 1994, rick robinson wrote:

> ====================================================================
>  Date:    Wed, 13 Jul 1994 18:38:05 -0700
>  From:    Ed Kettler <[email-masked]>
>  Subject: Re: Bomb Transportation
>
>  The ship which carried the bomb for the Enola Gay was the USS
>  Indianapolis which was sunk between Saipan and the Philipines with great
>  loss of life by a Japanese sub.  Most of the casualties were due to
>  drowning and exposure during the several days in the rafts before
>  rescue.  There are several books on this sinking.  According to J.
>  Rohwer's Chronology of the War at Sea 1939-1945, I-58 (Captain Hashimoto)
>  sank Indianapolis on the night of 29-30 July 1945 with two hits from a
>  spread of 6 torpedoes E of Luzon.  316 of 1199 rescued between 2 and 8 Aug.
>
>  Ed Kettler                                       [email-masked]
>
>  -------------------------------------------------------------------
>  > How were the bombs transfered to the Enola Gay?
>  > Were they transported on a destroyer? The Jefferson City?
>  > If so, was the Jefferson City sunk by Japanese submarines shortly
>  > afterwards?
>  ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> =====================================================================
>
>  I recall the incident of the loss of the Indianapolis.  To continue
>    this further, how was the components for the plutonium bomb
>    (Fat Man) transported to Tinian?
>
>
> ===>>> Moral Superiority through Superior Firepower <<<===
>
> Rick Robinson/KD4GNK (TSG/KyANG retired)
> Tape Librarian, DOIM -- Fort Knox, Kentucky  40121-5000
> [email-masked]/ [email-masked]
>

------------------------------

Date:    Thu, 14 Jul 1994 18:12:26 -0800
From:    John Riegsecker <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: USS INDIANAPOLIS / JEFFERSON CITY/ SAVO

>To my knowledge, if there was a cruiser USS Jefferson City, it wasn't at Savo
>Island.  I'm reading the Naval Institute Press book about the battle, and there
>are one or two ship's actions that were probably used for the ficticious Jeff
>City.
>
>                                        Richard Kaplan
>                                        Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

There was no cruiser USS Jefferson City at Savo.  I just finished reading
the Naval Institute Press book last night.  I would be interested in your
(or othter list member) thoughts on this action.  The grandfather (Robert
Hall Smith) of a good friend of mine commanded DD USS Henley which often
worked with the star-crossed Blue.  I've never figure out exactly what
happened to Henley that night but I've decided she must have been in the
trasport screen.  It is an interesting study of possible myths, and who
gets the blame when things go wrong.

John Riegsecker                                 (206) 756-3566
Dept of Math and Computer Science               [email-masked]
University of Puget Sound

------------------------------

Date:    Thu, 14 Jul 1994 22:22:16 -0500
From:    "Danny G. Cox" <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Bomb Transport

Good question Rick, about two years ago I saw a PBS documentary about
that but I can't remember.  The only thing about that show I do remember is
that after they got it assembled and tried to load it on the plane it was
too big to go under the belly and all the way back to the bomb bay
doors.  So they dug a trench, or pit, al-la the old grease pits in the
service stations, lowered the bomb into that, taxied the plane over it and
loaded from there.

+==================================+
|   DAN COX                        |
|   REPUBLIC, MO                   |
|   [email-masked]   |
+==================================+

On Thu, 14 Jul 1994, rick robinson wrote;
> =====================================================================
>
>  I recall the incident of the loss of the Indianapolis.  To continue
>    this further, how was the components for the plutonium bomb
>    (Fat Man) transported to Tinian?
>
>
> ===>>> Moral Superiority through Superior Firepower <<<===
>
> Rick Robinson/KD4GNK (TSG/KyANG retired)
> Tape Librarian, DOIM -- Fort Knox, Kentucky  40121-5000
> [email-masked]/ [email-masked]
>

------------------------------

End of WWII-L Digest - 13 Jul 1994 to 14 Jul 1994
*************************************************