Subject: WWII-L Digest - 23 Sep 1994 to 24 Sep 1994

From: Automatic digest processor <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 25 Sep 1994 00:00:30 -0400

There are 17 messages totalling 519 lines in this issue.

Topics of the day:

  1. WEAP: USS Langley (C...
  2. INF: USN Chronology 09-23-94
  3. INF: USN Chronology 09-24-94
  4. INF: 50 Years Ago - 25-SEP-1944
  5. M-1 Garand cartridge
  6. TRV: Admiral Yamamoto's Father? (2)
  7. Battleship Yamato (2)
  8. aricraft arms (2)
  9. MEDIA: Radio Memory (2)
 10. Conf:Warsaw Uprising
 11. 865th Avia. Eng. Battalion
 12. MEDIA: RADIO MEMOR
 13. [INF] USAAF 25 SEP 44

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Date:    Sat, 24 Sep 1994 00:28:21 EDT
From:    Jim Bowman <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: WEAP: USS Langley (C...

I cannot cite any sources, but was once told that the Langley did service
during the war transporting aircraft to various ports, no takeoffs, no
landings.

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Date:    Sat, 24 Sep 1994 01:22:19 EDT
From:    SKIP WILDER <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: INF: USN Chronology 09-23-94

How strongly was the US Army landing at Ulithi opposed by the Japanese?

 ------------------------------------------------------------
|    Skip Wilder               |                           |
|    [email-masked]       |"The road to hell is paved |
|    FAX (703)528-2103         | with good intentions."    |
|    McLean, Virginia, U.S.A.  |                           |
------------------------------------------------------------

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Date:    Sat, 24 Sep 1994 04:11:04 PDT
From:    "Keller, Theron P." <[email-masked]>
Subject: INF: USN Chronology 09-24-94

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

1944
09/24 Sun. Aircraft from 12 carriers (Vice Adm. M. A. Mitscher)
           attack aircraft, ground installations, and shipping
           in the Visayas, P. I.
            United States naval vessel sunk:
             Motor minesweeper YMS-19, by mine, Palau Islands
              area, Caroline Islands,
              06 d. 53'N., 134 d. 10'E.
            Japanese naval vessels sunk by carrier-based
             aircraft, Visayas area raid, Philippine Islands:
             Torpedo boat HAYABUSA,
              13 d. 00'N., 122 d. 00'E.
             Seaplane tender AKITSUSHIMA,
              11 d. 59'N., 120 d. 02'E.
             Minelayer YAEYAMA,
              12 d. 15'N., 121 d. 00'E.
             Submarine chaser NO. 32,
              12 d. 15'N., 121 d. 00'E.
            German submarines sunk:
             U-565 and U-596, by Army aircraft, Salamis, Greece.

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

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Date:    Sat, 24 Sep 1994 04:52:34 -0700
From:    John Davis <[email-masked]>
Subject: INF: 50 Years Ago - 25-SEP-1944

On 25-SEP-1944, the following occurred -

World War II - The Battlefronts
-------------------------------
Western Front - The Canadian 3rd Division attacks Calais where the German
garrison still holds out. Operation Market Garden ends in failure. It is
decided to evacuate as many as possible of the surviving British 1st Airborne
paratroopers across the Rhine in small boats. During the night 2,400 of the
10,000 landed get away. About 1,100 have been killed and 6,400 take prisoner.

Eastern Front - The Russians capture the Baltic port of Haapsalu in Estonia.

Peleliu - The 7th Marines and 321st Infantry attack on the left flank in an
attempt to dislodge the Japanese from the northwest part of the island. The
5th Marines also attack on the right flank.

Angaur - Finding that their raids and shelling have been ineffective in the
Lake Salome area, the 322nd Infantry begin to build a road so that they can
get to the Japanese from the northeast.

The Homefront
-------------
Roosevelt's Record Called "Desperately Bad" - In a speech in Oklahoma City,
Gov. Thomas E. Dewey accuses President Roosevelt of "frivolous, mudslinging
tactics ... ridicule, demagogy and wisecracks" to cover "a desperately bad
record" for which America has had to pay a very high price. To back up charges
that the United States was militarily unprepared before Pearl Harbor he quotes
public statements of Gen. George C. Marshall, Gen. H.H. Arnold and Sen. Harry
S. Truman and says Truman attributed the failure at Pearl Harbor to a "lack of
courageous, unified leadership and centralized direction at the top."

Alleged Spy Arrested - FBI agents in New York have arrested Laurent Brackx, a
native of the Netherlands, on charges of acting as a spy for Italy to obtain
US radar secrets.

Harvard To Admit Women - The Harvard University Medical School has announced
that women will be accepted as students beginning in the Fall of 1945.

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

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

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

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Date:    Sat, 24 Sep 1994 08:48:13 PDT
From:    Sidney Allinson <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: M-1 Garand cartridge

As I recall, the M-1 Garand rifle was designed by a Canadian.

--

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Date:    Sat, 24 Sep 1994 12:08:05 EDT
From:    Cassady Craft <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: TRV: Admiral Yamamoto's Father?

Larry, I'm sure you could find Yammamoto's father's name in Gordon Prange's
_At Dawn We Slept_.

Cassady Craft
Department of Political Science
University of Georgia
e-mail [email-masked]
or
[email-masked]

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Date:    Sat, 24 Sep 1994 09:18:16 -0700
From:    Jaimie Crafton <[email-masked]>
Subject: Battleship Yamato

I'm a new reader of the "list" and have really enjoyed the reading!
Anyway, the Japanese battleship Yamato, the largest ever, has always
intrigued me.  Has it ever, or has there ever been an effort to, find the Yamato?
Seems such a ship would be quite a find to explore.

Thanks

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Date:    Sat, 24 Sep 1994 09:34:03 -0700
From:    Ed Kettler <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: TRV: Admiral Yamamoto's Father?

According to Hiroyuki Agawa's The Reluctant Admiral, Isoroku was born in
1884 in Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture, sixth son of Takano Sadayoshi, a
former samurai.

Ed Kettler                                       [email-masked]

On Fri, 23 Sep 1994, Larry & Kim Jewell wrote:

> Can anyone tell me if Admiral Yamamoto Isoruku's fathers "given" name was
> Gon'nohyoei (or if this is a relative of Ole' 57's?)
>
> Non urgent question, I've run across the name in a book of Japanese
> Imperialism (Myers's and Peattie's book) and was wondering if this was
> the father of the Japanese genius.
>
> Larry J
>
> [email-masked]; Co-Moderator: BYRD.MU.WVNET.EDU (Historical docs)
> "Sunday's horoscope is note worthy because of its strange, sudden and wholly
> unpredictable and inexplicable occurrences, affecting all phases of life."
> Your Horoscope" L.A. Evening Herald Express, Sat, 12/06/41
>

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Date:    Sat, 24 Sep 1994 09:40:59 -0700
From:    Ed Kettler <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Battleship Yamato

On page 77 of Dulin and Garzke's Axis and Neutral Battleships of World
War II, the picture caption states that the bathyscape Pisces II explored
the wreck of the Yamato on 2 Aug 1985.  The wreck is in 340 meters of
water.  The magazine explosion tore the ship in two:  the forward 170
meter section is 80 meters from the remains of the stern section.

Ed Kettler                                       [email-masked]

On Sat, 24 Sep 1994, Jaimie Crafton wrote:

> I'm a new reader of the "list" and have really enjoyed the reading!
> Anyway, the Japanese battleship Yamato, the largest ever, has always
> intrigued me.  Has it ever, or has there ever been an effort to, find the Yamato
> ?
> Seems such a ship would be quite a find to explore.
>
> Thanks
>

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Date:    Sat, 24 Sep 1994 11:20:13 -0500
From:    Drew Halevy <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: aricraft arms

Drew Halevy
Department of History
University of Arkansas
[email-masked]

The biggest conventional cannon in a WWII aircraft was probably the 102mm
weapon that the Italians fitted in the Piaggio P.108A, a four-engined
bomber.

what was the recoil like? and what were the desired targets of such a
weapon. I think that some of the AC135 Gunships of Vietnam era (escuse me
for going outside the time line) carried a 75mm that fired sideways out
of the fusalage.-Drew

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Date:    Sat, 24 Sep 1994 12:31:25 PDT
From:    Jim Brady <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: MEDIA: Radio Memory

---------------Original Message---------------

  I was first aggravated by the media
landing in Somalia.  What a circus!  But then I later realized that anybody
who wanted to know knew where the landings were going to be.  Desert Storm
and Grenadawere different types of operations and carried certain
restrictions
for the media blood suckers.
I am sure that Bilhary wanted the Haitian folks especially the Militarytypes
to understand the potential violence of the force being sent to back up the
verbal posturing of the past weeks by the White House and State.

The camera crews and reporters are a pain to the soldiersbut the MILITARY
sure could use some good ink and video.

Cheers!

H. A. Kurt Luginbyhl

----------End of Original Message----------
Kurt,

      I think you'll find very few cases of correspondents held in low regard
by soldiers in the field. Ernie Pyle reported exactly what happend on the
roads and in battle, and because of the risks he took, readers at home who
were thirsting for some idea of what their family members were going through,
 got to know what the soldier's life, battle, the whole war, was like. The
grunts appreciated their story getting told, not reading B.S. handed out at
HQ. BTW, this particular blood-sucker died in action (sniper fire, if I
remember right).

    The only hostile journalist/soldier encounter I remember is a soldier in
Viet Nam confronting AP photographer Sean Flynn (Errol's son). The soldier,
who pointed out that he *had* to go into a hot zone, was angry at the
presence of Flynn, someone who *didn't* have to. Flynn (who is MIA) pointed
out that he really did have to go. It was the same with Michael Herr (who
wrote *Dispatches*) and all of the ones who went to cover the front. In rare
cases did they carry weapons -- usually just a camera or notebook. They don't
get any purple hearts, either. *You*, sitting states-side, might resent their
presence, but except for some truly exceptional dunderheads, most journalists
are welcomed and appreciated on the battlefield.

   As for whose ass the press is a pain in, I'd say you got it backwards: the
military brass has the task/problem of image control. Thus, from lessons of
Viet Nam, came the clamp-down on press mobility in Desert Storm. So what you
got at home in 1991, recall, was the official Pentagon video clip replays and
Q & A with the generals. DS vets -- soldiers and press -- will tell you no
unsupervised interviews were allowed. If that satisfies you, fine. I mean no
flame, but that set-up is exactly what the Axis powers employed.

   That's really the philosophical choice: if you believe it is best to have
complete faith in the military and political leadership, then you'd want to
keep the press out. If you think operations should be scruitinized or want to
see independently what conditions/attitudes/warfare is like, then you need
journalists. Or, if it makes you feel better to denounce them as you consume
their work, blood-suckers.

-- Jim Brady

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Date:    Sat, 24 Sep 1994 13:59:20 -0500
From:    Jon Stevens <[email-masked]>
Subject: Conf:Warsaw Uprising

On September 26 at the University of Illinois at Chicago:

The Warsaw Uprising 1944: A Memorial Conference

I will be attending this conference for my Polish history class and
thought some might be interested.  A number of interesting speakers will
be there like the president of the Polish Home Veterans Association, the
director of the Polish Service of Radio Free Europe, Col. Edward Burnham
(ret.) who participated in the airdrop of supplies to the Home Army,
George Polanin who was a cadet officer of the Home Army unit "Sosna", and
a few others.

Anyone in the Chicago area that might be interested email me and I will
give more info on location.

Jon Stevens -- email [email-masked]

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Date:    Sat, 24 Sep 1994 16:11:18 -0400
From:    Christopher Morton <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: aricraft arms

>
> Drew Halevy
> Department of History
> University of Arkansas
> [email-masked]
>
> The biggest conventional cannon in a WWII aircraft was probably the 102mm
> weapon that the Italians fitted in the Piaggio P.108A, a four-engined
> bomber.
>
> what was the recoil like? and what were the desired targets of such a
> weapon. I think that some of the AC135 Gunships of Vietnam era (escuse me
> for going outside the time line) carried a 75mm that fired sideways out
> of the fusalage.-Drew

Current AC130 gunships carry a side firing M102 105mm howitzer.  This is
analogous to the 75mm gun initially carried by cannon firing B25s, in  that
both are "light" howitzers used by leg and airborne infantry.

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Date:    Sat, 24 Sep 1994 18:25:47 -0500
From:    Bill Smith <[email-masked]>
Subject: 865th Avia. Eng. Battalion

I'm on a fishing expedition today for some information on my father's unit:

865th Aviation Engineers

They were in the Pacific theater and to date I've never found a unit
history.  National Archives has precious little on this unit.  Any help?

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Date:    Sat, 24 Sep 1994 18:27:07 PDT
From:    Sidney Allinson <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: MEDIA: Radio Memory

This discussion reminds me how bizarre I thought it was during the Gulf War,
to have people like Peter Arnette reporting "live" from Baghdad -- the
enemy capital -- during American air-raids.
It struck me at the time, how strange it would have seemed for, say,
EDward R. Morrow to have been making radio broadcasts from Berlin in
WW2 during an air-raid by the USAAF.
        Strange shift in outlook today.

--

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Date:    Sat, 24 Sep 1994 21:48:55 -0400
From:    Ben Frank <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: MEDIA: RADIO MEMOR

Just to keep the record straight, Ernie Pyle was killed on Ie Shima when the
jeep he was in was hit by enemy fire. He wasn't hurt at that point but he stuck
his head over or around the jeep and was killed by machine gun fire. Ben Frank

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

Date:    Sat, 24 Sep 1994 23:27:00 EDT
From:    mc killop <[email-masked]>
Subject: [INF] USAAF 25 SEP 44

COMBAT CHRONOLOGY OF THE US ARMY AIR FORCES
MONDAY, 25 SEPTEMBER 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
  Beaufighter, Bristol
  P-38, Lockheed Lightning
  P-40, Curtiss
  P-47, Republic Thunderbolt
  P-51, North American Mustang

NOTE: A number in parenthesis after a target name indicates the number of
bombers attacking.

AMERICAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS

  ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): 2 B-25s fly a negative shipping sweep.

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA (CBI) THEATER OF OPERATIONS

  BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 13 P-47s attack the towns of
Haungton, Myintha, and Mawlu. B-24s again haul fuel to China, 15 landing at
Kunming, 3 at Liuchow, and 1 at Yungning and the Tenth AF flies 220+ other
transport sorties to various CBI terminals.

  CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 12 B-25s blast the barracks area at
Mangshih; 12 bomb Kweiyang, and 6 hit the town area and railroad yards at
Hengyang; 11 B-24s pound Nanking; about 120 P-51s and P-40s on armed
reconnaissance over the vast expanses of China S of the Yangtze River attack
a large variety of targets of opportunity at numerous locations including
troops, buildings, and communications targets in the Paoching area and
between Siangtan and Fulinpu.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 647: 1,306 bombers and 622
fighters are dispatched to attack marshalling yards in W Germany and the
synthetic oil plant at Ludwigshafen bombed by PFF; 5 bombers and 3 fighters
are lost:
  1. 534 B-17s are dispatched to hit the Ludwigshafen/Opau oil plant and the
marshalling yard at Ludwigshafen (400); 46 others hit targets of opportunity;
3 B-17s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 86 damaged; 9 airmen are WIA.
Escort is provided by 200 of 216 P-51s without loss.
  2. 444 B-17s are dispatched to hit the Frankfurt industrial area (410); 2
others hit targets of opportunity; 2 B-17s are lost and 41 damaged; 18 airmen
are MIA. Escort is provided by 210 P-38s and P-51s; 2 fighters are lost
(pilots MIA) and 1 damaged.
  3. 257 of 328 B-24s hit the Koblenz/Mosel and Koblenz/Rhein marshalling
yards; 14 B-24s are damaged. Escort is provided by 157 P-38s, P-47s and
P-51s; they claim 0-0-2 aircraft on the ground; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA)
and 2 damaged.
  176 B-24s on a TRUCKIN' mission fly fuel to France; 1 B-24 is lost.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): No bomber missions are flown. IX
Tactical Air Command flies cover for US First Army units in W Germany, dive-
bombs rail lines, and flies armed reconnaissance over the Trier-Koblenz-
Aachen, Germany area. IX Air Defense Command flies night patrols from Paris E
to Luxembourg and the German border. In France, HQ 99th Combat Bombardment
Wing (Medium) moves from Great Dunmow, England to Beaumont; the 378th Fighter
Squadron, 362d Fighter Group, moves from Rennes to Prosnes with P-47s; the
449th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 322d Bombardment Group (Medium), moves
from Great Saling, England to Beauvais/Tille with B-26s; the 585th and 587th
Bombardment Squadrons (Medium), 394th Bombardment Group (Medium), move from
Tour-en-Bassin to Bricy with B-26s; the 668th Bombardment Squadron (Light),
416th Bombardment Group (Light), moves from Wethersfield, England to Melun
with A-20s.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): 51 B-24s, with P-51s and P-38s
providing target cover and close escort, bomb Piraeus, Skaramanga, and
Salamis harbors in Greece.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, medium bombers and A-20s
cancel operations due to bad weather; fighter-bombers hit barracks areas,
railroads, roads, and transportation in or near Bologna, Bozzolo, Parma,
Castelfranco Veneto, and Canneto sull'Oglio, and in the immediate battle
areas as the US Fifth Army meets strong opposition, especially in the
vicinity of Monte Bastione, and near Torre Poggioli, Monte Gamberaldi, and
Monte Castelnuovo; the 66th Fighter Squadron, 57th Fighter Group, moves from
Ombrone to Grosseto with P-47s. In France, the 415th Night Fighter Squadron,
64th Fighter Wing, moves from Le Vallon to Longvic with Beaufighters.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA)

  AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): Saipan Island-based B-24s strike Iwo Jima
and Marcus Islands. During the night of 25/26 Sep Kwajalein Atoll-based B-24s
stage through Eniwetok Atoll on a strike at shipping at Truk Island; failing
to locate the primary targets the B-24s bomb Tol, Eten, Param, and Moen
Islands while others hit Wake Island during the night of 25/26 Sep.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: On Celebes Island,
B-24s hit Kendari Airfield and B-25s bomb Langoan Airfield. A-20s fire
storage areas and hit personnel areas on the W shore of Kaoe Bay on Halmahera
Island. Namlea Airfield on Buru Island is again bombed by B-24s. P-38s pound
Kairatoe Airfield on Celebes Island and Boela Airfield on Ceram Island. In
New Guinea, B-25s and A-20s hit Sagan and Urarom Airfields while P-40s attack
Kaimana.

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              |
-------------------------------------------------------------------

25/0329Z SEP

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End of WWII-L Digest - 23 Sep 1994 to 24 Sep 1994
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