Subject: WWII-L Digest - 24 Oct 1994 to 25 Oct 1994

From: Automatic digest processor <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 26 Oct 1994 00:01:42 -0400

There are 28 messages totalling 1243 lines in this issue.

Topics of the day:

  1. Some useful numbers for U.S. information sources.
  2. Media: Public TV (2)
  3. HYPO: The "Big" what-
  4. George Gay
  5. <No subject given>
  6. INF: 50 Years Ago - 26-OCT-1944
  7. ME163
  8. Waffen SS (2)
  9. INF: USN Chronology 10-25-94
 10. Untold Stories f/ABTF, Pt. 10
 11. [GEN/MEDIA] was "Dumb Luck" in the Phillipines (2)
 12. FLYING TIGERS (great bargain)
 13. Media: Public TV - "A Fighter Pilot's Story"
 14. Robert Lansing
 15. "White Coats Under Fire"/BRAVI SOLDATI
 16. WWII Chronology? (2)
 17. [WEAP] Battleships sunk by torpedos/gunfire
 18. GEN - Fiction
 19. New sources
 20. WEAP: CVE-107  USS Gilbert Islands
 21. Weekday Wings
 22. GEN: Gone West...
 23. [INF] USAAF 26 OCT 44
 24. WEAP: AMPHIBIAN TRACTO

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

Date:    Mon, 24 Oct 1994 23:02:09 EST
From:    Larry & Kim Jewell <[email-masked]>
Subject: Some useful numbers for U.S. information sources.

Center of Military History
Chief of Division, John Elsberg
(202)504-5432

Contemporary History Branch
Naval Historical Center
Dr. Edward J. Marolda, Head
Building 67
Washington Navy Yard
Washington, DC
20374-0571
(202)433-3940

History and Museums Division,
Marine Corps Historical Center
Building 58
Washington Navy Yard
Washington, DC
20374-0580
(202)433-3483

Naval Historical Center
Ships History Division
Naval Historical Center (SH)
Washington Navy Yard
901 M St. SE
Washington, DC
20374-5060
(202)433-3643

Military History Institute
Carlisle Barracks, Pa.
(717)245-3152

Navy Department Library
Building 44
Washington, DC
20374-0571

Pentagon Information number
(703)545-6700

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

Date:    Mon, 24 Oct 1994 21:36:27 -0700
From:    Terry Yeung <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Media: Public TV

> in November.  There are also other programs listed at various
> stations, such as "Fighter Pilot's Story" on WETA in the
> Washington, DC area.  Fighter Pilot's Story is a very good
> piece done by a 9th AF P-47 pilot, using archival photos and footage,
> plus images from the subject and his wife (then sweetheart).

        If anyone does have a chance to watch this on TV, I'd recommend it
highly.  It really gives the viewer an idea of what day to day life as a
fighter pilot was like in WW II.  I especially liked the story of how he
met (by coincidence) an infrantry captain that he saved by dive bombing
a German tank.

--
Terry Yeung                             \ Internet: [email-masked]
Anime Expo '95 Registration Supervisor   \ Expo: [email-masked]

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

Date:    Tue, 25 Oct 1994 05:08:00 UTC
From:    "Edward S. Miller" <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: HYPO: The "Big" what-

  Henry's nuke-the-Reich-in-1948 scenario is a dazzler.  One technical
question: Even if the US kept its atomic program secret, wouldn't
atmospheric testing of A-bombs have been detected by the Germans?  If so,
they would have developed their own bomb, as did the USSR in 1949.

  > ...and one of the Rainbow plans  specifically covered the "so-be-it,
  > alone" option.

Rainbows One and Four did envision the possibility of the western Allies
neutral or defeated and the US standing alone.  However they were strictly
plans for defending the Western Hemisphere.  One 1939-40  planning scenario
envisioned deployments to Brazil to ward off an invasion by the Axis from
bases in Portuguese/Spanish West Africa.  (Rainbows, Two, Three and Five
were plans for global warfare with allies.   The first two were Japan-first
strategies; the latter, the one actually adopted, was Germany-first.)

Ed Miller  [email-masked]

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

Date:    Tue, 25 Oct 1994 07:28:00 EDT
From:    mc killop <[email-masked]>
Subject: George Gay

I picked the following up from the rec.aviation.military USENET
group.

: The Marietta resident (George Gay) will be cremated and his
: ashes will be taken to Midway Island where he will be reunited with the
: other gallent men of Torpedo 8.
: --
: *** BOB SIGMAN ***
: Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332
: uucp:   ...!{decvax,hplabs,ncar,purdue,rutgers}!gatech!prism!ae241bs
: Internet: [email-masked]

--
        George will be sorely missed. His actions on June 4 will live forever
in the annuals of aviation history. To him and all the men Of Torpedo 8 good
luck and Godspeed from one historian who had the opportunity to talk to
Ensign Gay firsthand. Thank you and farewell.

-------------------------------------------------------------------
|  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   |
|  [email-masked]  |  them.                     FDR    |
-------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Date:    Tue, 25 Oct 1994 07:36:00 EDT
From:    mc killop <[email-masked]>
Subject: <No subject given>

Many of you in the US and Canada may have grown up watching TWELVE
O'CLOCK HIGH which was on the ABC TV Network from Sep 64 to Jan
67.  Gregory Peck played the role of Brigadier General Frank Savage
in the 1949 film of the same name; Robert Lansing played the role
in the TV series in the first two seasons (1964-65).

The Associated Press is reporting that Mr. Lansing died on Sunday,
October 23 in New York City of cancer.  He was 66.

Requiescat in pace.

-------------------------------------------------------------------
|  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   |
|  [email-masked]  |  them.                     FDR    |
-------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Date:    Tue, 25 Oct 1994 04:28:20 -0700
From:    John Davis <[email-masked]>
Subject: INF: 50 Years Ago - 26-OCT-1944

On 26-OCT-1944, the following occurred -

World War II - The Battlefronts
-------------------------------
Western Front - The Canadian 2nd Division continues to advance along the
isthmus of Beveland. The 52nd Division succeeds in establishing a beachhead
near Baarland. The 53rd Division advances beyond 'sHertogenbosch. In the US
7th Army sector, the 3rd Division continues the attack towards St Die, against
heavy German resistance.

Eastern Front - The 2nd and 4th Ukraine Fronts join up near Mukachevo, in
eastern Hungary.

Italian Front - The 10th Indian Division reinforces its bridgehead over the
river Ronco. The swollen river holds up the operations of the 4th Division on
its south bank. The heavy rains immobilize the Canadian I Corps.

Philippines - In the northern sector, the Americans advance slowly from the
north into Leyte Valley. Units of the US 7th Infantry Division overcome strong
Japanese resistance to reach the edge of Buri airfield.

Battle of Leyte Gulf - The battle of Leyte Gulf comes to an end. Air attacks
sink three more Japanese cruisers. Overall the battle of Leyte Gulf has been a
shattering defeat for the Japanese as well as a tremendous loss of
opportunity. The Japanese have lost three battleships, four aircraft carriers,
six heavy cruisers, four light cruisers and ten destroyers. The Americans have
lost the light aircraft carrier Princeton, the escort carriers St Lo and
Gambier Bay, the destroyers Hoel and Johnston and escort destroyers Eversole
and Samuel B. Roberts.

Peleliu - The Japanese resistance in the Mount Umurbrogoal shows no sign of
giving up.

Burma - The Chinese 22nd Division reaches the airfield 25 miles southeast of
Hopin.

The Homefront
-------------
No Combat For Sole Surviving Sons - The War and Navy Departments announce a
policy of removing from combat duty all men who may be the sole surviving sons
of parents who have lost two or more sones in the war.

Harriman Confirms Atrocities - W. Averell Harriman, US envoy to Russia,
tells a Washington press conference that "the character of the German
atrocities on the Eastern Front have not been and can not be exaggerated."
He adds that the ruthlessness and efficiency of the German program "is
utterly unbelievable."

Airplane Construction - The War Production Board has announced that so far in
the war the US has built 240,000 aircraft. Production of Superfortresses
remain behind schedule.

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

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.

Previous articles are archived at ftp.netcom.com in directory /pub/jbd and can
be accessed via the WWW by URL: ftp://ftp.netcom.com/pub/jbd/ww2.html. If you
have difficulty accessing the Netcom FTP server, please keep trying because it
stays very busy.

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

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

Date:    Tue, 25 Oct 1994 06:56:31 GMT-6
From:    "Robert T. Moore" <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: ME163

Hello, Drew!

Thanks for the post.

> WWII overall
> The Battle of Britian
> The Luftwaffe (sp?)
> The Pacific War
> Normandy
> The Russian Front
> Omar Bradley

    I will post a listing of each of your categories beginning
tomorrow.

    More later.

    Terry

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

Date:    Tue, 25 Oct 1994 07:02:12 GMT-6
From:    "Robert T. Moore" <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Waffen SS

Hello, Tony!

The Discovery Channel has aired this documentary at least two
other times, and possibly more previously.

> Last Sunday (10/23) the Discovery Channel presented a show on the Waffen SS.
> I was wondering if anyone saw it. I recorded it, and expected to hear comments
> about the show. Unfortunately, I have not had time to review it. Any reviews,
> gentleman.

    For a tv documentary, given the complexity and nature of the SS
as a Party organization, it is very good.

    My thoughts anyway.

    Terry

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

Date:    Tue, 25 Oct 1994 08:45:20 -0500
From:    Drew Halevy <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Waffen SS

In addition, there was a piece on 60 minutes about the Ukranian SS and
thier actions in the Ukranine, and the the fact that they are, today, the
most vocal members of the SS, even holding a memorial service with the
sanction on the local Bishop-Drew

Drew  Philip Halevy      |  Forward he cried, from the rear,
Graduate Student         |  and the front ranks died.
Department of History    |  General sat, and the lines on the map,
University of Arkansas   |  moved from side to side.
[email-masked]    |  Us and Them-Pink Floyd

On Mon, 24 Oct 1994, Tony Schuler wrote:

> Last Sunday (10/23) the Discovery Channel presented a show on the Waffen SS.
> I was wondering if anyone saw it. I recorded it, and expected to hear comments
> about the show. Unfortunately, I have not had time to review it. Any reviews,
> gentleman.
>
> Tony Schuler
> [email-masked]
>

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

Date:    Tue, 25 Oct 1994 09:34:41 PDT
From:    "Keller, Theron P." <[email-masked]>
Subject: INF: USN Chronology 10-25-94

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

1944
10/25 Wed. Battle for Leyte Gulf (13-16 October) continues.
           Japanese Southern Force enters Surigao Strait where
           it is engaged and virtually destroyed  by Rear Adm.
           J. B. Oldendorf's force of battleships, cruisers,
           destroyers, and motor torpedo boats (Battle of
           Surigao Strait). Meanwhile, the Japanese Center
           Force, including 4 battleships and 5 cruisers, having
           passed into the Philippine Sea during the night,
           attacks 6 escort carriers and screening vessels
           commanded by Rear Adm. C. A. F. Sprague (Battle off
           Samar). After inflicting severe damage on this light
           United States force, the enemy Center Force retires
           without molesting the landing operations in the Leyte
           Gulf area. At the same time, carrier aircraft from
           Third Fleet (Adm. W. F. Halsey) locate and strike the
           Japanese Northern Force. Four Japanese carriers and
           other vessels are sunk (Battle off Gape Engano).
           Submarine NAUTILUS (SS-168) lands men and supplies on
           east coast of Luzon, P. I.
           Untied States and Great Britain resume diplomatic
           relations with Italy.
            United States naval vessels sunk, Battle for Leyte
             Gulf:
             Escort carrier ST. LO (CVE-63), by suicide plane,
              11 d. 10'N., 126 d. 05'E.
             Escort carrier GAMBIER BAY (CVE-73), by naval
              gunfire,
              11 d. 31'N., 125 d. 12'E.
             Destroyer HOEL (DD-533), by naval gunfire,
              11 d. 46'N,, 126 d. 33'E.
             Destroyer JOHNSTON (DD-557), by naval gunfire,
              11 d. 40'N., 126 d. 20'E.
             Destroyer escort SAMUEL B. ROBERTS (DE-413), by
              naval gunfire,
              11 d. 40'N., 126 d. 20'E.
             PT-493, by coastal defense gun,
              10 d. 15'N., 125 d. 23'E.
            United States naval vessels damaged, Battle for
             Leyte Gulf:
             Escort carrier SANGAMON (CVE-26), by suicide plane,
              09 d. 45'N., 126 d. 42'E.
             Escort carrier SUWANEE (CVE-27), by suicide plane,
              09 d. 45'N., 126 d. 42'E.
             Escort carrier SANTEE (CVE-29) by suicide plane and
              submarine torpedo,
              09 d. 45'N., 126 d. 42'E.
             Escort carrier  WHITE PLAINS (CVE-66), by suicide
              planes and naval gunfire,
              11 d. 40'N., 126 d. 20'E.
             Escort carrier KALININ BAY (CVE-68), by suicide
              plane,
              11 d. 10'N., 126 d. 20'E.,
              and naval gunfire,
              11 d. 40'N., 126 d. 20'E.
             Escort carrier FANSHAW BAY (CVE-70), by naval
              gunfire,
              11 d. 40'N., 126 d. 20'E.
             Escort carrier KITKUN BAY (CVE-71), by suicide
              plane,
              11 d. 10'N., 126 d. 20'E.
             Destroyer HEERMAN (DD-523), by naval gunfire,
              11 d. 30'N., 126 d. 15'E.
             Destroyer escort RICHARD M. ROWELL (DE-403), by
              strafing,
              10 d. 05'N., 127 d. 10 E.
             Destroyer escort DENNIS (DE-405), by naval gunfire,
              11 d. 40'N., 126 d. 20'E.
            Japanese naval vessels sunk, Battle for Leyte Gulf:
             Carrier ZUIKAKU, by carrier-based aircraft,
              19 d. 20'N., 125 d. 51'E.
             Light carrier CHITOSE, by carrier-based aircraft
              and surface craft,
              19 d. 20'N., 126 20'E.
             Light carrier CHIYODA, by carrier-based aircraft,
              18 d. 37'N., 126 d. 45'E.
             Light carrier ZUIHO, by carrier-based aircraft,
              19 d. 20'N., 125 d. 51'E.
             Battleships FUSO and YAMASHIRO, by surface craft,
              10 d. 25'N., 125 d. 20'E.
             Heavy cruisers CHIKUMA, CHOKAI and SUZUYA, by
              carrier-based aircraft,
              11 d. 30'N., 126 d. 30'E,
             Heavy cruiser MOGAMI, by carrier-based aircraft and
              surface craft,
              09 d. 40'N., 124 d. 50'E.
             Light cruiser TAMA, by carrier-based aircraft and
              submarine JALLAO (SS-368),
              21 d. 23'N., 127 d. 19'E.
             Destroyers ASAGUMO, MICHISHIO and YAMAGUMO, by
              surface craft,
              10 d. 25'N., 125 d. 20'E.
             Destroyer AKIZUKI, by submarine HALIBUT (SS-232),
              20 d. 29'N., 126 d. 36'E.
             Destroyer HATSUZUKI, by surface craft,
              20 d. 24'N., 126 d. 20'E.

Information compiled by U.S. Navy Historians.  For more information,
contact the Naval Historical Center at (202) 433-3940.
Archived by: Larry Jewell <[email-masked]>
Posted by:
Theron P. Keller
Logicon, Inc.
Dahlgren, VA  22448 USA
[email-masked]

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

Date:    Tue, 25 Oct 1994 10:20:04 EDT
From:    Doug McCabe <[email-masked]>
Subject: Untold Stories f/ABTF, Pt. 10

                   Ohio University Electronic Communication

   Date:  19-Oct-1994 10:15am EST

     To:  Remote Addressee                     ( _MX%"[email-masked]" )

   From:  Doug McCabe                                Dept:  Library
          MCCABE                                   Tel No:  (614) 593-2715

Subject:  Untold Stories f/ABTF, Pt. 10

    [Ryan wanted to tell his battle stories not only from gathered
    documents, official histories, and published material but spiced
    through the experiences of all the nationalities involved.  Thus, he
    had contact with Americans, British, Dutch, German, and Polish
    survivors for the book _A Bridge Too Far_.  Here are some selected
    stories from the Germans, for the last time winners of a battle on the
    Western Front.]

         "I sometimes did things which I am ashamed to admit today.  When
    it was clear that we defeated the English the first thing we thought of
    was getting hold of their food supplies and cigarettes.  All of us
    wanted to get something, something which we might even be able to take
    home to our families.  Chocolate, cigarettes, etc.  I was so intent on
    getting a share of the loot that I refused to help an English soldier
    whose legs had been shot away.  He was propped on a wall and helpless
    to do anything.  I should have helped him but I just said to two
    English prisoners, 'He's one of your soldiers, you help him and take
    him away.'"
                                  - Pvt. Horst Weber, 10th SS Panzer Div.

         "We all opened fire on the falling Poles.  All the guns opened up,
    and our guns simply slaughtered them.  We would see swinging
    paratroopers go limp as they were hit.  The arms would fall forward,
    and the dead fell like flour sacks.  The meadow in front of us was a
    gory mess.  There was equipment everywhere and bodies.  These men were
    helpless, defenseless.  It was a terrible bloody massacre.  Some fell
    only 300 feet away from the guns.  They hadn't a chance."
                                            - Flakgunner Josef Pruman, RAD

         "Worrowski's Battalion lost all officers but one lieutenant and
    half his troops in the attack on Oosterbeek.  These insanely high
    losses are caused by Col. Schremm who was in charge there and prevented
    the use of the few heavy weapons in order not to endanger a few people.
    The idiot prefers to have hundreds of soldiers shot."
                                  - Col. Fullriede, R&T Parachute Brigade

         "I raised my head over the trench and got shot in the sheek.  Then
    I was hit by shrapnel in the shoulder.  In the dressing station there
    was an English paratrooper - a POW - still wearing his Red Beret.  The
    orderly said, 'You're going back to the rear.  Take this Britisher with
    you.'  Although I had abandoned everything in the trench, I still had
    the British pistol in my belt.  With the Britisher in front of me, I
    set out with the pistol at his back.  But on the way I became weaker
    from the loss of blood.  The Tommy picked me up in his arms and, half
    fainting, I kept my pistol at his chest all the way back.  We both
    laughed - it was so silly."
              - Pvt. Helmut Bang, 1st Independent Engineering Battalion

         "The worst sight was the Hartenstein.  It looked terribly bleak
    and desolate.  The ground around it was ploughed up.  This made a very
    strong impression on me.  There were so many things scattered around.
    Abandoned bits of equipment.  I went inside where things looked even
    worse.  In the cellar, in this low room, were still bodies.  The place
    stank of carbon and medicine.  The remains of medical supplies still
    lay there.  There was so much debris, broken glass, splintered beams,
    etc.
         I went out behind the Hartenstein to the tennis courts.  That was
    where the German prisoners had been kept.  There were not many, fewer
    than a hundred.  They had not been given spades by the British to dig
    trenches and had dug miserable holes with spoons, hands, whatever they
    could think of.  Some had been wounded and couple killed."
                                  - Lt. Col. Walter Harzer, 9th Panzer Div.

         "As we approached the center of Arnhem we could hear the sounds of
    fighting.  We were also being shot at now by snipers.  One man was shot
    in the head by a bullet which went right through his steel helmet.  A
    little while later another buddy of mine was shot at from the side.
    The bullet went by his temple under the helmet and travelled right
    around to the other side of the helmet where it finally stuck.  It
    travelled between the steel and the leather band inside the helmet.  We
    could not believe our eyes.  There he stood safe and sound.  We
    rejoiced like children."
                                  - Pvt. Horst Weber, 10th SS Panzer Div.

         "On the 19th we fought closer to the position.  Looking through my
    field glasses I saw a group of men in prison garb coming out of the
    prison.  It seemed incredible, but the men appeared to be going to
    work.  They marched off.  Shortly afterward a German 20 mm battery
    appeared and was set up.  That afternoon the prisoners returned
    apparently after working all day.  Suddenly the 20mm gun opened up and
    to my amazement I saw the prisoners collapse and lie wounded or dead
    like a bunch of worms."
                             - MSgt. Emil Petersen, Reich Work Service

         "At first we thought the Dutch had betrayed us and revealed our
    headquarters.  We were convinced that the attack was to capture Model.
    We were terribly unprepared.  But we were also shocked at the tactical
    error of the British 1st Airborne.  On Sunday evening Model and the HQ
    realized the objective of the attack.  On the basis of reports we knew
    that Model was not the objective and we saw the whole plan."
                                  - ObLt. Gustav Sedelhauser, Army Group B

         "I personally witnessed the fighting in Oosterbeek when I paid a
    visit to Kampfgruppe Spindler one morning.  I stayed the whole morning
    and at the end of the morning I was convinced that I had never seen
    such tough fighting in my whole career as a soldier.  Urquhart's
    division was the best division I have ever fought.  It had excellent
    NCO's.  As for Frost's battalion, I would say it was almost abnormal,
    it fought so hard - but also fair.  It was a hard fight and a very
    bolldy one."
                        - Lt. Gen. Wilhelm Bittrech, 2nd SS Panzer Div.

         "I had an experience I shall never forget.  I suddenly saw a head
    duck down a cellar.  It wore an English steel helmet with camouflage on
    it.  My immediate reaction was to toss a hand grenade through the
    cellar window.  Then I heard a voice yelling, 'No, no!' and the sound
    of moans.  I had pulled the pin on my grenade so I tossed it in the
    direction of another building which I knew to be occupied by the enemy.
    Then I went down into this cellar, alert for any trap, and entered
    saying, 'Hands up!'  The cellar was full of wounded English soldiers.
    They were all very frightened and excited so I said, 'It's okay, it's
    good.'  I took them prosiner and had them taken back of the lines to be
    tended.  I was very glad that I had not thrown that grenade in there.
    These wounded men were quite helpless and many had to be carried away."
                             - Pvt. Alfred Ringsdorf, 10th SS Panzer Div.

         "I heard a spine chilling cry from someone yelling 'Gliders!'  At
    this moment we were all looking toward the east.  The gliders were
    coming down behind us.  I turned around and to my amazement I saw just
    over the tree tops planes releasing gliders which then sighed and
    whistled down on the heath.  I felt sick to my stomach.  I unbuckled my
    belt and went behind the bushes.  I did a very human thing.  While
    crouching, relievingmyself I reflected on the situation."
              - Maj. Sepp Krafft, SS Panzer Grenadier Training Battalion

    Next, tragedy visits the Poles twice.

    Doug

Received:  25-Oct-1994 10:19am

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

Date:    Tue, 25 Oct 1994 10:18:59 EDT
From:    William Lippert <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Media: Public TV

On Mon, 24 Oct 1994 21:36:27 -0700 Terry Yeung said:
>> in November.  There are also other programs listed at various
>> stations, such as "Fighter Pilot's Story" on WETA in the
>> Washington, DC area.  Fighter Pilot's Story is a very good
>> piece done by a 9th AF P-47 pilot, using archival photos and footage,
>> plus images from the subject and his wife (then sweetheart).
>
>        If anyone does have a chance to watch this on TV, I'd recommend it
>highly.  It really gives the viewer an idea of what day to day life as a
>fighter pilot was like in WW II.  I especially liked the story of how he
>met (by coincidence) an infrantry captain that he saved by dive bombing
>a German tank.
>
>--
>Terry Yeung                             \ Internet: [email-masked]
>Anime Expo '95 Registration Supervisor   \ Expo: [email-masked]

I was able to see this on several channels - it was on the Disney Channel
during the D-Day commemorations.  I was impressed most by the attitude
and general tone that the pilot was able to set - that even though he
was an American fighter pilot (fighter pilots all seem kind of glamorous,
and being an American one was a little at an advantage because of numbers,
etc.) he still was able to vivdly portray that being in the war still
sucked.  Flying lost its glory soon after one friend after another went
down in flames; even strafing was not very pleasant, though a necessary
evil.  I give it two thumbs up.

William Lippert
The American University

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

Date:    Tue, 25 Oct 1994 12:47:59 -0400
From:    Mike Yaklich <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: [GEN/MEDIA] was "Dumb Luck" in the Phillipines

The fact that five torpedoes sank three Italian battleships at Taranto is not
all that far out of line with other nations' experiences during the war.
(LITTORIO hit by three torpedoes, DUILIO and CAVOUR by one each).  I think the
point is to be considered that these ships were surprised at their berths,
a la Pearl Harbor, where, for example, the CALIFORNIA (a better-protected ship
than DUILIO or CAVOUR, at least on paper) was sunk by two torpedoes (the
CALIFORNIA was particularly vulnerable because its watertight doors below deck
were opened for an inspection at the time of the attack).  The fact that the
British Taranto raid came at night, while the ships were berthed at their
theoretically secure home base, and furthermore that, given the Italian lack of
radar, there was little or no prior warning of the raid, would certainly have
had a negative impact on damage control efforts, especially from the simple
point of view of having sufficient numbers of the crew ready at their battle
stations.  The Italian Navy record on damage control seems to have been spotty.
VITTORIO VENETO, sister ship of the LITTORIO, was torpedoed at sea on two
different occasions (by a British sub 12/41, by British plane at Matapan 3/41)
and made port without difficulty.  After the Italian surrender LITTORIO, renamedITALIA, survived a hit by a German glider bomb and made it to Malta.  I believe
the state of readiness of the crews prior to the attack had a lot more to do
with it than the damage-control training/aptitude of the Italian sailors.

I might also note that the Japanese battleship FUSO was sunk (in battle, not
in a surprise attack) by two US destroyer torpedoes at Leyte Gulf (and the FUSO
was also better-protected than the older Italian battlewagons).  And of course
a single magnetic mine on each vessel (placed by Italians, natch) sank both the
QUEEN ELIZABETH and the VALIANT, despite the fact that the Italian frogmen had
been caught and the British should have been fully forewarned and hence ready to
demonstrate their damage control wizardry.  Need I also mention that these two
modernized WWI ships also had better protection than the above-mentioned
Italian BB's, or that the mines placed were approximately the same size as
torpedo warheads??  And while we're on the RN, it seems their battleships had
a nasty tendency to blow up...i.e., the HOOD, hit by an 8-inch salvo from
PRINZ EUGEN, with the loss of the crew, and the BARHAM, after taking three
torpedoes from U-331, losing over 860 men.

A final thought on this topic is that perhaps it was considered less vital to
save a ship from sinking if that ship was berthed in shallow water when hit.
Raising and repair were not that difficult.  All the above-mentioned ships
(except the CAVOUR, raised but never repaired) were back in service within six
months or considerably less (including the British BB's at Alexandria, also
most of the US BB's at Pearl-- although some of them took longer-- and the
French ships at Mers el Kebir, also sunk at their berths).  Just a thought,
I have nothing to back it up.  Sorry if I've rambled, I'm doing this at work
and keep getting interrupted (the nerve of these people interrupting this
important discussion to ask me to actually do my job!!)...anyway, as with
Greg and his Rumanians, I just had to step up to the plate per le onore di la
Regina Marina.

Mike Yaklich

PS:  Hey Greg, I'm almost done with "White Coats Under Fire"-- it reminds me
a lot, in the attitude of the Italian troops in the east, of a movie I saw
late at night a long time ago (and never again since), the original Italian
title was "Bravi Soldati" although I saw the English version with a different
title I don't recall.  Besides a lot of Italian actors it had Peter Falk as a
an Army doctor... really good portrayal of the Italian experience in the east.
If anybody out there has seen this and knows the American title, I'd love to
hear from you, this is one to scan the video stores for...

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

Date:    Tue, 25 Oct 1994 12:57:46 -0400
From:    Dan Ford <[email-masked]>
Subject: FLYING TIGERS (great bargain)

I've acquired some Military Book Club reprints of my history of
the Flying Tigers. $20 a copy! Send check, U.S. postal address,
and your notion of a good autograph to:

   Daniel Ford
   433 Bay Road
   Durham NH 03824

FLYING TIGERS: CLAIRE CHENNAULT AND THE AMERICAN VOLUNTEER GROUP
"War history as it should be written!" (The Hook). "A first-rate
history!" (Boston Globe). "Bullshit!" (R.T. Smith, AVG 3rd Squadron)

            - Dan      <[email-masked]>

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

Date:    Tue, 25 Oct 1994 10:26:29 -0700
From:    Jaimie Crafton <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Media: Public TV - "A Fighter Pilot's Story"

FYI...

WETA will be airing the show on November the 11th and 12th, it's a
two parter, at 10:00 - 11:30pm both nights.  This will be the only time
it's being re-aired.  There is no videos available and it is strongly
reccommended that you record it.  Oh, that's WETA public TV (channel 26) in the
Washington D.C. area.  I've seen it, and it's absolutely wonderful!

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

Date:    Tue, 25 Oct 1994 13:34:09 -0500
From:    Greg Kelley <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Robert Lansing

let's all hope he's joined the Piccadilly Lily, somewhere up there.....

                                          Glad To Be Of Service!

                                          Greg Kelley
                                          St. Paul Public Library
                                          [email-masked]

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

Date:    Tue, 25 Oct 1994 14:07:22 -0500
From:    Greg Kelley <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: "White Coats Under Fire"/BRAVI SOLDATI

Mike, and others interested in such bits of obscuritia....

try searching for your film under its American title, ATTACK AND RETREAT.

had nice use of T-34s.  Loved the Blackshirts storming a bridge defended
by a diehard Maxim crew.

                                          Glad To Be Of Service!

                                          Greg Kelley
                                          St. Paul Public Library
                                          [email-masked]

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

Date:    Tue, 25 Oct 1994 14:20:49 -0500
From:    Greg Kelley <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: WWII Chronology?

not to confuse the issue still further, but according to volume 7 of the
DICTIONARY OF AMERICAN NAVAL FIGHTING SHIPS, LST-695, built 1944 in
Jeffersonville, Indiana, was decommissioned at the end of the war and
sold to the George Pollack Company of Stockton, California on 22nd March 1946

maybe it was another LST-695?????

                                          Glad To Be Of Service!

                                          Greg Kelley
                                          St. Paul Public Library
                                          [email-masked]

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

Date:    Tue, 25 Oct 1994 14:50:00 CDT
From:    Robert Hohlt <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: [WEAP] Battleships sunk by torpedos/gunfire

Thanks Mike Yaklich,

>I think the point is to be considered that these ships were surprised
>at their berths, a la Pearl Harbor...

I hadn't included the PH attack before because the attack came before
any declaration of war, but your mention of the FUSO which blew up,
split in two, and sank in Surigao Strait reminded me that even ships
at battlestations can be sunk with a few (un)lucky hits.

I had no idea about the number of torpedo hits the battleships took
at Pearl Harbor.  I would have guessed that they were struck with
MANY torpedos.  At least those that were exposed to the harbor, and
not protected by another BB on the harbor side.

>...CALIFORNIA was particularly vulnerable because its watertight doors
>below deck were opened for an inspection at the time of the attack).
I have read that on the the Arizona none or not many of the hatches and
vents were closed either.

Does anyone know how much damage BB Nevada had when she made her
breakaway attempt?  Whatever damage control was being attempted on
Nevada must have worked (until the Japanese started concentrating
on her) OR the NEVADA had a quick reacting crew OR was just lucky.

Thanks again Mike,

Robert Hohlt, Jr.

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

Date:    Tue, 25 Oct 1994 16:01:24 -0400
From:    Barone <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: [GEN/MEDIA] was "Dumb Luck" in the Phillipines

        I would like to elaborate on Mike's excellent article on the
Italian battleships sunk at Taranto.  Two of the ships were laid down
before the start of World War I and people shouldn't be too surprised
that they didn't fare as well as their modern counterparts.

        The CONTE DI CAVOUR was laid down on August 10, 1910, launched on
August 10, 1911, and commissioned on April 1, 1915.  She was decommissioned
in 1928.  The decision to modernize the CAVOUR was made at the end of 1932.

        It should be noted that the CAVOUR had some design deficiencies
that modernization could not adequately address.  Her armor was light and
her guns were small.  Horizontal protection was increased from 40mm to
between 80mm and 100mm at vunerable areas and the maximum thickness of
the barbettes was increased.  CAVOUR originally had five turrets of
thirteen 12 inch guns.  The central turret was removed and the remaining
ten guns were boared out to 12.6 inch.  New secondary and AA guns were
added as well as a large bridge protected by 260 mm of armor.  The most
innovative feature was the addition of Pugliese deformation cylinders
to upgrade underwater protection.  Due to this feature, the fine lines
of the hull of CAVOUR (and GIULIO CESARE) was not encumbered by torpedo
buldges (as with the QUEEN ELIZABETH) which would have reduced speed.

        After her modernization, CAVOUR displaced 27,725 tons of water
and had a top speed of 28 knots.  Her range was 6,400 miles at 13 knots,
3,000 miles at 20 knots, and 1,700 miles at 27 knots which was considered
sufficient for the Mediterranean.  The range of her guns was 28,600 meters.
Her secondary guns proved to unimpressive and the turrets were cramped
while her AA guns were based on the 1910 Skoda which had a slow rate of
fire against fast aircraft.

        It was clear that her armor remained deficient but room for
further improvement was lacking.  Underwater protection also suffered.
Due to space limitations, dimensions of the Pugliese cylinders had to
be reduced which limited the system's effectiveness.

        The CAVOUR was recommisioned on June 6, 1937.

        In 1937, as the CAVOUR class ships were being recommissioned, it
was decided that the two units of the DUILIO class would undergo similar
reconstruction.

        The CAIO DUILIO was laid down on February 24, 1912, launched
on April 24, 1913, and commissioned on May 6, 1915.  She was decommisioned
in 1932.

        DUILIO and her sister ship, ANDREA DORIA, underwent modernization
similar to CAVOUR and CESARE.  A turret of three 12 inch guns was removed,
and the remaining ten guns were boared out to 12.6 inches.  Armor was
thickened where feasible and the Pugliese deformation cylinders were added.
When she was recommissioned on July 15, 1940, she displaced 28,680 tons and
had a top speed of 27 knots.  Her range was 4,500 miles at 13 knots, 3,000
miles at 20 knots, and 1,700 miles at 24 knots.
--
Joe Barone
[email-masked]
Moriarty: Trading uniforms with the Germans I can understand,
          but buying this Tiger is going too far!
Odd Ball: It's a beautiful machine.
Moriarty: It's a piece of junk! The fuel system leaks all over!
          It's a piece of JUNK!
Odd Ball: Always with the negative waves, Moriarty!
          Always with the negative waves!

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

Date:    Tue, 25 Oct 1994 16:43:32 CCS
From:    Jorge Merino <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: WWII Chronology?

> not to confuse the issue still further, but according to volume 7 of the
> DICTIONARY OF AMERICAN NAVAL FIGHTING SHIPS, LST-695, built 1944 in
> Jeffersonville, Indiana, was decommissioned at the end of the war and
> sold to the George Pollack Company of Stockton, California on 22nd March 1946
>
> maybe it was another LST-695?????

It could be the same. The chronology states that LST-695 was only "damaged"
by underwater explosion (not "sunk").

Jorge Merino

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

Date:    Tue, 25 Oct 1994 14:27:35 -0800
From:    John Riegsecker <[email-masked]>
Subject: GEN - Fiction

Perhaps this will be of interest to the list.  One of our librarians has
completed an annotated Bibliography of Juvenile Novels of WWII.  Published
by Greenwood Press, it is a listing of juvenile fiction with short
summaries of the story.  He earlier published similar books on adult
fiction of WWII and fiction of WWI.  Here is more complete information on
the three books:

 AUTHOR       Taylor, Desmond, 1930-
 TITLE        The novels of World War II : an annotated bibliography / Desmond
                Taylor, with the assistance of Philip E. Hager.
 PUB INFO     New York : Garland, 1993.
 PHYS DESC    2 v. (xiii, 889 p.) ; 23 cm.
 SUBJECTS     World War, 1939-1945 --Literature and the war --Bibliography.
              Fiction --20th century --Bibliography.
              War stories --Bibliography.
 ALT AUTHOR   Hager, Philip E.

 AUTHOR       Taylor, Desmond, 1930-
 TITLE        The juvenile novels of World War II : an annotated bibliography /
                Desmond Taylor.
 PUB INFO     Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press, 1994.
 PHYS DESC    x, 175 p. ; 25 cm.
 SUBJECTS     Children's stories --Bibliography.
              Young adult fiction --Bibliography.
              World war, 1939-1945 --Juvenile fiction --Bibliography.
 SERIES       Bibliographies and indexes in world literature, 0742-6801 ; no.
                44.

 AUTHOR       Hager, Philip E.
 TITLE        The novels of World War I : an annotated bibliography / Philip E.
                Hager, Desmond Taylor.
 PUB INFO     New York : Garland Pub., 1981.
 PHYS DESC    xvii, 513 p. ; 23 cm.
 SUBJECTS     World War, 1914-1918 --Fiction --Bibliography.
              World War, 1914-1918 --Juvenile fiction --Bibliography.
 ALT AUTHOR   Taylor, Desmond, 1930-
 SERIES       Garland reference library of the humanities ; vol. 232.
 NOTES        Includes indexes.

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

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

Date:    Tue, 25 Oct 1994 18:52:48 GMT
From:    Glen Segell <[email-masked]>
Subject: New sources

This is a message to:
military-history
defence-all
defence-technology
war-research-sources
history-sources

This message may be forwarded to other groups or individuals.

There are two new WWW servers which may be of interest

a) the UK government

http://www.open.gov.uk

b) Janes

http://www.btg.com/janes

================================================================
                                                  Glen Segell

                                    E-mail: [email-masked]
                         11 Rathbone Street London W1P 1AF U.K.
                      Tel: UK 0956 304012 out of UK +44 956 304012
===============================================================

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

Date:    Tue, 25 Oct 1994 19:21:47 EDT
From:    "Steve L. New" <[email-masked]>
Subject: WEAP: CVE-107  USS Gilbert Islands

GILBERT ISLANDS (CVE-107)

An island group containing 16 atolls in the western Pacific Ocean on the
equator, southeast of the Marshalls and northeast of the Solomons. On 20
November 1943 Marines made an amphibious assault on Makin and Tarawa
Islands, seizing the former without difficulty, but winning Tarawa only
after a 100-hour battle in which over 3,500 Americans were killed or
wounded.

dp. 10,900;
l. 557' 1";
b. 75';
dr. 32';
s. 19.1 k.;
cpl. 1,066;
a. 2 5";
cl. COMMENCEMENT BAY

GILBERT ISLAND (CVE-107) was launched 20 July 1944 the Todd-Pacific
Shipyards, Inc., Tacina, Wash.; sponsored by Mrs. Edwin D. McMorries;
and commissioned 5 February 1945, Captain L. R. Rice in command.

After shakedown training, GILBERT ISLANDS departed San Diego 12 April
1945 for exercises in Hawaiian waters. She sailed 2 May with an escort
carrier force that closed Okinawa 21 May. Her aircraft (24-31 May)
blasted and strafed concrete dugouts, troop concentrations, ammunition
and fuel dumps on Okinawa. In the following days She helped neutralize
outlying Japanese airfields and installations with repeated bomb and
rocket attacks. Five of her Marine pilots were killed in action. She
departed Okinawa 16 June to replenish at San Pedro Bay, thence to
Balikpapan, Borneo. She gave air cover to Australians storming that
shore 1 July and remained 4 days to attack all targets in sight. With
the Australians securely established, she returned to Leyte 6 July.

GILBERT ISLANDS departed San Pedro Bay 29 July to screen logistic ships
replenishing 3d Fleet striking forces along the coast of Japan. On that
station 15 August she joined a task group that included nearly all the
3d Fleet and heard Admiral Halsey's laconic direction: "Apparently the
war is over and you are ordered to cease firing; so, if you see any Jap
planes in the air, you will just have to shoot them down in a friendly
manner." After replenishment at Okinawa, she departed 14 October to
participate in a show of air strength during occupation of Formosa by
the Chinese 70th Army. She was then routed onward via Saipan and Pearl
Harbor to San Diego, arriving 4 December 1945. She remained in port
until 21 January 1946, then set course for Norfolk where she
decommissioned 21 May 1946 and was placed in reserve.

Towed to Philadelphia in November 1949, GILBERT ISLANDS  recommissioned
7 September 1951 and put in at Boston 25 November for overhaul. She
joined the Atlantic Fleet 1 August 1952, sailed 8 days later with a
cargo of jets for Yokohama, Japan, arriving 18 September, and returned
to her homeport of Quonset Point, R.I., 22 October. She sailed 5 January
1953 for the Caribbean to conduct training exercises off Cuba and
returned to New England waters to continue these duties through the
summer and fall of the year. Following a cruise to Halifax and overhaul
at Boston, the escort carrier stood out 5 January 1954 for a
Mediterranean cruise, returning to Quonset Point 12 March 1954 for
reserve training and other exercises. She became the first of her class
to have jets make touch-and-go landings on the flight deck while she had
no way on, a dangerous experiment successfully conducted 9 June 1954.

She left Rhode Island 25 June for Boston and decommissioned there 15
January 1955.

Reclassified AKV-39 7 May 1959, GILBERT ISLANDS remained in reserve
until her name was struck from the Navy List June 1961. She was
reclassified (AGMR-1) 1 June 1963 and renamed ANNAPOLIS 22 June 1963.
ANNAPOLIS recommissioned 7 March 1964, Captain John J. Rowan in command.
As the Navy's first major communication relay ship, ANNAPOLIS was busy
with acceptance trials for the rest of the year. In the fall she handled
communications during Operation "Teamwork" and "Steel Pike" before final
acceptance into the fleet 16 December.

After operations out of Norfolk during the first half of 1965, ANNAPOLIS
was assigned Long Beach as home port 28 June 1965. In September she was
sent to Viet Nam to assist communications between naval units fighting
Communist aggression. With the exception of periodic visits to Hong
Kong, Formosa, and the Philippines for upkeep and training, she
continued this important service into 1967 assuring a smooth, steady and
speed flow of information and orders so necessary to effective conduct
of the war.

GILBERT ISLANDS received three battle stars for World War II service.

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

Date:    Tue, 25 Oct 1994 19:35:47 EDT
From:    "Steve L. New" <[email-masked]>
Subject: Weekday Wings

    For those with cable television.

    This season, The Learning Channel (TLC) has been broadcasting a new
    series weekday evenings 6:00-7:00 EDT called Weekday Wings.

    Although not limited to WW-II aircraft, my experience has been that the
    predominance of the shows cover this topic.  Even the off topics are
    worth watching (the Northrop flying wing, from B-35 to B2, Russian
    helicopter development from WW-I to present, etc.).

    I bring this up just as a point of information (and because the film of
    these old classics in flight simply fascinates an old A/C modeler like
    myself.  Pull up a chair, mix up a styrene & tuluol cocktail, and get
    lost at 30,000 ft).

    Sorry about that last, just a flashback from my wasted youth as an
    employee in the Madison Heights Squadron Shop.  Why, I've still got my
    X-acto knife pocket protector.

    Steve New
    [email-masked]

    Just an armadillo on the shoulder of the information superhighway.

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

Date:    Tue, 25 Oct 1994 18:47:47 -0500
From:    "Robert J. Granvin" <[email-masked]>
Subject: GEN: Gone West...

With the passing of George Gay, we get reminded how fast these people
are passing from our midst...

The question just came up at the hangar who we've lost this year... Has
anyone kept a written or mental list of people who were significant and
have passed on during 1994?

--
Robert J. Granvin
Southern Minnesota Wing Confederate Air Force

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

Date:    Tue, 25 Oct 1994 21:26:00 EDT
From:    mc killop <[email-masked]>
Subject: [INF] USAAF 26 OCT 44

COMBAT CHRONOLOGY OF THE US ARMY AIR FORCES
THURSDAY, 26 OCTOBER 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
  C-47, Douglas Skytrain
  UC-78, Cessna Bobcat
  L-5, Stinson Sentinel
  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): Of 6 B-24s which abort a naval task force
cover mission after failing to find the ships, 2 bomb installations on
Onnekotan Island.

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATER

  CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, B-24s and B-25s attack
shipping off the E Luichow Peninsula; B-25s also hit river shipping from
Dosing to Takhing and a Yellow River bridge; fighters attack the town of
Menghsu, hit targets of opportunity around Menghsu and Kweiping, and make
an armed reconnaissance attack on Hongay, French Indochina; B-25s and
fighters bomb railroad yards at Hsuchang.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 689: 1,225 bombers and
674 fighters make PFF attacks on industrial and communications targets in W
Germany; 1 fighter is lost:
  1. 430 B-17s are dispatched to attack a storage depot at Bielefeld (155)
and aircraft repair plant and Ludwig marshalling yard at Munster (108);
targets of opportunity are Munster (87), Gutersloh (24) and other (1); 10
B-17s are damaged. Escort is provided by 204 of 215 P-51s; 1 P-51 is lost
 (pilot MIA).
  2. 432 B-17s are dispatched to hit the Hannover/Hanomag military vehicle
plant (155); targets of opportunity are Hannover (221), Bielefeld (36) and
other (1); 2 B-17s are damaged beyond repair and 14 damaged; 16 airmen are
KIA, and 1 WIA. Escort is provided by 235 P-47s and P-51s; 1 P-47 is damaged
beyond repair.
  3. 242 of 246 B-24s hit the aqueduct and Mittelland Canal at Minden; 5
B-24s are damaged. Escort is provided by 128 P-47s and P-51s; they claim
2-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft without loss.
  4. 117 B-24s are dispatched to hit the Welheim synthetic oil plant at
Bottrop (65); 33 others hit Munster; 37 B-24s are damaged; 1 airman is WIA.
Escort is provided by 59 of 66 P-51s without loss.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): No bomber operations as bad weather
prevails; fighters sweep areas of E France and W Germany from Metz, France
to Cologne, Germany, attacking rail and road traffic, rail bridges, and
marshalling yards. The 112th Liaison Squadron, Ninth Air Force (attached to
SHAEF), based at Buc, France with UC-78s and L-5s, send a flight to operate
from Namur, Belgium.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): Weather curtails operations; 7
B-17s bomb a marshalling yard at Innsbruck, Austria.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): Weather suspends all operations.
The 527th Fighter Squadron, 86th Fighter Group, moves from Grosseto to Pisa,
Italy with P-47s.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA)

  AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): 8 Saipan Island-based P-47s bomb and strafe
Pagan Island. 15 B-25s based in the Gilbert Islands, bomb the airfield area
on Nauru Island.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: In the Philippine
Islands, B-24s attack a naval force of 2 battleships, 5 aircraft carriers,
and 5 destroyers W of Panay Island; hits are claimed on a battleship and 2
carriers; on Mindanao Island, P-38s hit vehicles in the Davao area and B-25s
bomb Iligan. On Halmahera Island, P-40s attack targets of opportunity in the
Dodinga-Kaoe Bay area, Djailolo, supply area S of Galela, and guns S of Doro.
In New Guinea, A-20s and B-25s bomb Urarom; the 318th Troop Carrier Squadron
(Commando), 3d Air Commando Group, arrives at Nadzab with C-47s.

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

26/0121Z OCT

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

Date:    Tue, 25 Oct 1994 22:08:59 -0400
From:    Ben Frank <[email-masked]>
Subject: WEAP: AMPHIBIAN TRACTO

Tim, I don't have a copy of Fortitudine at home but I will check it out
tomorrow in the office and then call our Material Historian, Ken
Smith-Christmas to get all the scoop on the amtrac. I'll let you know tomorrow.
Ben Frank

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

End of WWII-L Digest - 24 Oct 1994 to 25 Oct 1994
*************************************************