Subject: WWII-L Digest - 6 Jan 1995 to 7 Jan 1995

From: Automatic digest processor <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 8 Jan 1995 00:02:18 -0500

There are 12 messages totalling 699 lines in this issue.

Topics of the day:

  1. IJN Carrier Bomber Trivia
  2. INF: USN Chronology 01-07-95
  3. [INF] USAAF 7 JAN 45
  4. [INF] 8 JAN 45
  5. [INF] USAAF 9 JAN 45
  6. INF: 50 Years Ago - 08-JAN-1945
  7. Russian Aircraft Museum
  8. Stalingrad etc. (was Re: Movie "Das Boot") (4)
  9. WEAP: IJN Carrier Bomber Trivia

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

Date:    Fri, 6 Jan 1995 22:29:38 -1000
From:    John DeVirgilio <[email-masked]>
Subject: IJN Carrier Bomber Trivia

Suisei Trivia:

As many as 22 armed Suisei dive bombers could be carried on the Japanese
hybrid battleship-carriers.  Each of two catapults on these hybrid-BB's
could launch one Suisei every two minutes.

The Special Attack (Kamikaze) version of the Suisei designated as the D4Y3
carried a No.80 800kg bomb partly enclosed (semi-recess) into the bomb bay.

-------

For the continued discussion and sharing... I vote the IJN "Grace"
bomber as the BEST single engined bomber design in the world.  Any thoughts
on this design, history, or trivia for this aircraft?

Aloha,

John DeVirgilio

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

Date:    Sat, 7 Jan 1995 04:00:21 PST
From:    "Keller, Theron P." <[email-masked]>
Subject: INF: USN Chronology 01-07-95

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

1945
01/07 Sun. Battleship, cruiser, and destroyer force (Vice Adm. J. B.
           Oldendorf) and aircraft from escort carrier group (Rear
           Adm. C. T. Durgin) open 2-day bombardment and bombing of
           beach area in Lingayen Gulf, Luzon, P. I.
            United States naval vessel sunk:
             High-speed minesweeper PALMER (DMS-5), by horizontal
              bomber, Luzon area, P. I.,
              16 d. 20'N., 120 d. 10'E.
            United States naval vessels damaged:
             Attack transport CALLAWAY (APA-35), by suicide plane,
              Luzon area, P. I.,
              17 d. 00'N., 120 d. 00'E.
             LST 912, by suicide plane, Luzon area, P. I.,
              16 d. 20'N., 120 d. 10'E.

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

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

Date:    Sat, 7 Jan 1995 08:53:00 EST
From:    mc killop <[email-masked]>
Subject: [INF] USAAF 7 JAN 45

COMBAT CHRONOLOGY OF THE US ARMY AIR FORCES
SUNDAY, 7 JANUARY 1945
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
  F-5, Lockheed Lightning
  Mosquito, deHavilland
  P-38, Lockheed Lightning
  P-47, Republic Thunderbolt
  P-51, North American Mustang

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

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATER

  CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): 5 B-24s bomb Ft Bayard, China and
attack shipping in Samah Bay on Hainan Island, claiming 1 vessel sunk.

  INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): Bad weather cancels all combat
missions. Transports complete 383 sorties to forward areas.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): 2 missions are flown.
  Mission 785: 1,073 bombers and 700 fighters attack communications
centers, rail targets, bridges and an oil storage depot in W Germany using
PFF methods; 3 bombers and 1 fighter are lost.
  1. 265 B-17s are dispatched but hit secondary targets, the marshalling
yard at Hamm (109), Paderborn (74) and Bielefeld (74); 2 hit a target of
opportunity; all attacks made using H2X radar; 5 B-17s are damaged.
Escorting are 197 of 204 P-51s; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA).
  2. 351 B-17s are dispatched to hit communications centers at Blankenheim
(39), Kall (39), Bitburg (110) and Euskirchen (75); 35 hit the Lutzel
Bridge at Cologne; all attacks made using Gee-H and H2X; 3 B-17s are damaged;
2 airmen are WIA. Escort is provided by 159 of 160 P-51s.
  3. 147 B-17s are dispatched to hit the bridge at Hohenzollern (14) and
the highway bridge at Rodenkirchen (22); 80 hit the secondary target, the
Kalk marshalling yard at Cologne; targets of opportunity are Limburg (11),
Koblenz (11) and other (1); all attacks are made using Micro H and H2X; 2
B-17s are lost and 10 damaged; 1 airman is KIA and 19 MIA. The escort is 91
of 95 P-51s.
  4. 304 B-24s are dispatched to hit the marshalling yards at Landau (54),
Zweibrucken (64) and Rastatt (99), the rail and communications center at
Achern (31) and the railway at Kaiserslautern (26); all attacks made using
Gee-H; targets of opportunity hit visually are Durrmenz (8) and Karlsuhe
(1); 1 B-24 is lost and 10 damaged; 1 airman is WIA and 9 MIA. Escorting
are 94 of 102 P-51s.
  5. 6 of 6 B-17s fly a screening mission.
  6. 88 P-47s and P-51s fly a fighter sweep without loss.
  7. 12 of 12 P-51s escort 2 F-5s and 2 Mosquitoes on photo reconnaissance
missions over Germany.
  8. 33 of 33 P-51s fly a scouting mission.
  Mission 786: 2 B-17s and 5 B-24s drop leaflets during the night in SE
Belgium and France.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): XXIX Tactical Air Command
(Provisional) fighters escort VIII Bomber Command bombers. All other commands
and the 9th Bombardment Division cancel operations as the weather is bad.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): Unfavorable weather again
curtails operations. 3 P-38s complete photo and weather reconnaissance
missions.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, weather grounds the
medium bombers and A-20s; XXII Tactical Air Command fighters and fighter-
bombers make 6 cuts on the Brenner rail line, damage the W end of the rail
bridge at Cittadella, and hit the marshalling yard S of Trento; most of the
XXII Tactical Air Command's effort is concentrated against land and water
communications in the La Spezia-Genoa area, including attacks on shipping at
Savona and San Remo harbors.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA)

  AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): 11 B-24s, flying out of Saipan Island, bomb an
airfield on Iwo Jima Island. During the night of 7/8 Jan, 10 more B-24s again
pound airfields, striking in single-bomber snooper missions over a 7-hour
period.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: In major strikes of
the day against targets on Luzon Island, Philippine Islands, large numbers of
B-25s and A-20s, supported by P-38s, hit the network of airstrips from Clark
Field to Angeles Airfield, B-24s bomb Nielson and Grace Park Airfields and
Nichols Field and B-25s and fighter-bombers pound bridges in the Plaridel and
Calumpit areas. B-24s raid Padada and Daliao Airfields on Mindanao Island.
B-25s and fighter-bombers hit Lembeh Strait and the Langoan areas on Celebes
Island. Other FEAF aircraft on small-scale armed reconnaissance missions
strike targets of opportunity throughout the Philippine Islands. The 17th
Reconnaissance Squadron (Bombardment), 71st Tactical Reconnaissance Group,
moves from Tacloban, Leyte Island to San Jose, Mindoro Island with B-25s.

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

07/1354Z JAN

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

Date:    Sat, 7 Jan 1995 09:04:00 EST
From:    mc killop <[email-masked]>
Subject: [INF] 8 JAN 45

COMBAT CHRONOLOGY OF THE US ARMY AIR FORCES
MONDAY, 8 JANUARY 1945
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
  A-26, Douglas Invader
  B-17, Boeing Flying Fortress
  B-24, Consolidated Liberator
  B-25, North American Mitchell
  C-47, Douglas Skytrain
  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.

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATER

  CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In Burma, 8 P-51s hit targets of
opportunity E of Muse and E of Wanling.

  INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 21 B-25s hit troops and
supply areas at Nampeng and Mong Long; 74 P-47s and P-38s attack troop
concentrations and supply areas at Tunhunghkam, Monguy, Hpa-hpun, and Man Om;
and 12 P-47s knock out a bypass bridge at Namhkai. Transports complete 470+
sorties to forward bases and frontline areas. The 317th Troop Carrier
Squadron (Commando), 2d Air Commando Group, based at Kalaikunda, India, sends
a detachment to operate from Dinjan, India with C-47s.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): 2 missions are flown.
  Mission 787: 736 bombers and 269 fighters are dispatched to make PFF
attacks on communications centers, rail targets and bridges in Germany; 2
bombers are lost.
  1. 151 B-17s are sent to hit the Wissembourg communications center (36) and
highway and rail bridge at Alzey (36); 65 hit a secondary target, the
marshalling yard at Speyer; 4 hit a target of opportunity; all attacks are
made using Gee-H and H2X; 2 B-17s are damaged beyond repair.
  2. 117 B-17s are dispatched to hit communications centers at Kyllburg
(37), Schweich (24) and Speicher (37); 12 hit a secondary target, the
marshalling yard at Koblenz; all attacks use Gee-H and H2X; 1 B-17 is lost, 1
damaged beyond repair and 24 damaged; 1 airman is KIA, 7 WIA and 9 MIA.
  3. 24 of 30 B-24s hit the Stadtkyll communications center and 2 hit a
target of opportunity using Gee-H without loss.
  4. 204 B-24s are sent to hit communications centers at Wittlich (14),
Oudler (29), Clerf (18), Burghreuland (31) and Dasburg (30); 2 others hit a
target of opportunity; all use Gee-H; 2 B-24s are damaged beyond repair; 1
airman is WIA.
  5. 225 B-17s are sent to hit communications centers at Waxweiller (33) and
Lunebach (29); 131 hit the secondary, the marshalling yard at Frankfurt; 1
hits a target of opportunity; attackers use Micro H and H2X; 1 B-17 is lost,
1 damaged beyond repair and 47 damaged.
  6. 219 of 229 P-51s fly a freelance escort mission of all the bombers above
without loss.
  7. 9 of 9 B-17s fly a screening mission.
  8. 29 of 32 P-51 fly a scouting mission.
  9. 8 of 8 P-51s escort 2 Mosquitoes on photo reconnaissance missions over
Germany.
  Mission 788: 1 B-17s and 2 of 4 B-24s drop leaflets over St Hubert,
Belgium.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): Weather prevents operations. The
153d Liaison Squadron, IX Tactical Air Command (attached to Twelfth Army
Group), moves from Tongres to Rutten, Belgium with L-5s.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): In Austria, 300+ B-17s and
B-24s bomb the main station yard and N main marshalling yard at Linz plus
marshalling yards at Graz, Villach, Klagenfurt, and Salzburg, escorted by
200+ P-38s and P-51s; 30+ other P-38s fly reconnaissance and reconnaissance
escort. HQ 1st Fighter Group moves from Salsola Airfield to Vincenzo
Airfield, Italy.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, XXII Tactical Air
Command A-20s fly 33 effective sorties in the Po Valley during the night of
7/8 Jan; bad weather sharply reduces daytime operations; of 3 medium bomber
missions dispatched, only 1 reaches the target (the Chivasso railway bridge)
where only 6 medium bombers bomb through the overcast; less than 20 XXII
Tactical Air Command fighters hit scattered targets in the Po Valley; HQ 51st
Troop Carrier Wing moves from Lido di Roma to Siena; and HQ 62d Troop Carrier
Group moves from Malignano Airfield to Tarquinia. The 437th Bombardment
Squadron (Medium), 319th Bombardment Group (Medium), begins a movement from
Serragia, Corsica to the US (the squadron will convert to A-26s and transfer
to the Pacific in Jul 45).

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA)

  AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): 26 Guam Island-based B-24s bomb airfields on
Iwo Jima Island, while, during the night of 8/9 Jan, 10 more B-24s subject
the island to individual snooper strikes over a 6-hour period.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: In the main strikes
during the day on Luzon Island, Philippine Islands, P-51s and P-40s strafe
airfields in the Lingayen Gulf area; A-20s pound railroad yards at
Cabanatuan, motor convoys between Cabanatuan and Bongalion and between
Bongabon and Mojon, Rosales and San Quintin rail installations, bridges at
Cuyapo, Paniqui, and near Santa Rosa; P-47s hit rail yards and a truck convoy
in the San Jose area; and B-24s and A-20s attack Nichols Field and Nielson,
Lipa, and Calingatan Airfields. B-25s with P-47 cover, bomb Fabrica Airfield
on Negros Island, while B-24s bomb Likanan Airfield and oil storage at Matina
on Mindanano Island. P-38s attack Manggar and Sepinggang Airfields in Borneo.
Numerous small-scale attacks over the Philippine Islands and Netherlands East
Indies continue.

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

07/1405Z JAN

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

Date:    Sat, 7 Jan 1995 09:14:00 EST
From:    mc killop <[email-masked]>
Subject: [INF] USAAF 9 JAN 45

TUESDAY, 9 JANUARY 1945

AMERICAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS

  ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): For the first time the Eleventh radar-bombs
with H2X equipment as 4 B-24s hit Suribachi Bay Airfield on Paramushiru
Island, Kurile Islands.

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATER

  CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): 6 B-25s hit railroad targets, road
bridge, and building area NE of Thanh Moi, French Indochina. 25 P-40s, P-38s,
and P-51s hit targets of opportunity S, SW, and NE of Wanling, Burma. 8 P-51s
bomb railroad repair shops at Sinsiang, China while 3 P-40s hit a road W of
Muse, Burma, causing a traffic block.

  EASTERN AIR COMMAND (EAC): Colonel Minton W Kaye assumes command of the
Photographic Reconnaissance Force, a component of the EAC.

  HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Mission 26: 46 B-29s from Chengtu, China are
dispatched to bomb the harbor at Kirun, Formosa; 39 hit the target and 6 bomb
targets of last resort along the China coast; this raid is the first of
several such operations against Formosa in conjunction with the US invasion
of Luzon Island, Philippine Islands

  INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 8 P-47s hit division HQ at
Ho-na while 4 others support ground forces in the Si-U sector; 90+ fighter-
bombers hit supply areas, tanks, AA positions, and troop concentrations at
Man Kat, Tonghsim, Kong-lin, Bawdwin, Mong Tat, and in the Hsenwi vicinity.
488 transport sorties are flown to forward areas.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): In Germany, 15 B-26s bomb the
Rinnthal rail bridge with the aim of isolating 3 enemy armored divisions in
the Landau area; XXIX Tactical Air Command (Provisional) fighters escort the
B-26s. Weather prevents other operations.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): Bad weather permits only
reconnaissance missions. In Italy, the 94th Fighter Squadron, 1st Fighter
Group, based at Salsola Airfield, sends a detachment to operate from Vincenzo
Airfield with P-38s.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, medium bombers attack
bridges at Palazzuolo sull'Oglio, Pontetidone, Romano di Lombardia, and an
assembly area at Crespellano; fighters and fighter-bombers in an excellent
day against communications in the W and C Po Valley and other points in N
Italy make numerous rail cuts, destroy or damage many vehicles and trains and
effectively hit ammunition and fuel dumps, guns, and strongpoints along the
US Fifth Army front in the N Apennines; the 4th and 8th Troop Carrier
Squadrons, 62d Troop Carrier Group, move from Malignano Airfield to Tarquinia
with C-47s; the 18th and 35th Troop Carrier Squadrons, 64th Troop Carrier
Group, move from Ciampino to Rosignano Airfield with C-47s. The 438th, 439th
and 440th Bombardment Squadrons (Medium), 319th Bombardment Group (Medium),
begin a movement from Serragio, Corsica to the US (they will convert to A-26s
and move to Okinawa in Jul 45).

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA)

  AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): 24 B-24s, based on Saipan Island, hit an
airfield on Iwo Jima Island which is struck again by 8 B-24s on individual
snooper missions during the night of 9/10 Jan.

  HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Mission 18: 72 Mariana Island-based B-29s are
dispatched against the Musashino aircraft plant near Tokyo; high winds break
up the formations so that only 18 B-29s can bomb the primary target; 34 hit
alternates and targets of opportunity; they claim 13-3-11 Japanese aircraft;
6 B-29s are lost.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: Amphibious forces
of the US Sixth Army begin landing on the shores of Lingayen Gulf, Luzon
Island, Philippine Islands at 0930 hours local; in N Luzon, B-24s bomb
Mabalacat while B-25s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers destroy several bridges and
numerous vehicles and trains throughout Luzon, and bomb several airfields;
B-24s also hit Nielson airfield and Nichols Field. FEAF aircraft make small-
scale attacks on barges, airfields, and targets of opportunity on Mindanao
Island, Halmahera Island, the Ceram Island area, N Borneo, and on Timor
Island.

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

07/1415Z JAN

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

Date:    Sat, 7 Jan 1995 11:07:58 -0800
From:    John Davis <[email-masked]>
Subject: INF: 50 Years Ago - 08-JAN-1945

On 08-JAN-1945, the following occurred -

World War II - The Battlefronts
-------------------------------
Western Front - In the U.S. 1st Army sector, the 84th Division pursues the
Germans to Marcourt and Cielle. The 2nd Armoured DIvision drives on Samree.
The 3rd Armoured Division captures Hebronval, Ottre, Joubieval and
Provedroux. The 82nd Airborne Division consolidates its position along the
line Grant Sart-Salmchateau-Trois Ponts and clears Comte. In the 3rd Army
sector, the Germans drive the 87th Division from Bonnerue. Some 17th
Airborne Division elements gain and then lose high ground north of Laval
and others are forced out of Flamierge. The 6th Armoured Division recovers
lost ground in the Neffe-Wardin sector. In the 7th Army sector, the Germans
enter Rimling. The 45th Division makes slight progress against the west
flank of the salient. The 79th Division withstands pressure near Aschbach
and moves reinforcements to the Soultz-Rittershoffen area. The Germans stop
efforts to reduce the Gambsheim bridgehead.

Philippines - The preinvasion aerial and naval bombardment of the Lingayen
Gulf area continues. Mine sweeping is completed.

The Homefront
-------------
U.S. Warned of Bombing - Adm. Jonas Ingram, new chief of the U.S. Atlantic
Fleet, says that the robot bombing of New York or Washington within 30 to
60 days in not only "possible but probable." He adds that "we're ready for
them." He says bombs might be launched from submarines, long-range planes
or surface ships.

Sam Snead Wins - Sam Snead has won the 19th annual Los Angeles Open golf
tournament with a 72-hole score of 283, one stroke better than Byron Nelson
and Harold McSpaden. Sneed gets $2,666.

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

Sources: "United States Army in World War II, Chronology 1941-1945" compiled
by Mary H. Williams, Office of the Chief of Military History, Department of
the Army, "2194 Days of War" by Cesare Salmaggi and Alfredo Pallavisimi,
"Facts On File Yearbook 1945, Person's Index Of World Events" edited by R.L.
Lapica.

Copyright 1995 by John B Davis, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Previous articles are archived at ftp.webcom.com in directory /pub/jbd/www
and can be accessed via the WWW by URL: http://www.webcom.com/~jbd/ww2.html.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
John Davis                Cary, North Carolina                 [email-masked]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Date:    Sat, 7 Jan 1995 15:21:17 -0500
From:    John Sloan <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Russian Aircraft Museum

About the Russian aviation museum at Monino.  I have a couple copies of the
Russian language guide book from the museum. If provides only a general
overview and has a few pictures in B&W. It is 76 pages long.
I also have a couple dozen color photos I took myself in 92. I have supplied
these to list members in the past for the reprint costs. There were several
others on the trip with me who took many more photos (USAF types who knew
what they were seeing) as this ground pounder did not. Also several took
video that might be available to the interested, but I naturally can't
promise.
We are planning several WWII and general military tours for summer 95 and inte
nd to include Monino as well as the armor museum at Kubinka and the uniform
museum also near Monino plus much more.
anyone interested in this let me know.
best wishes

john sloan

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

Date:    Sat, 7 Jan 1995 21:56:51 -0500
From:    David Rising <[email-masked]>
Subject: Stalingrad etc. (was Re: Movie "Das Boot")

On Fri, 6 Jan 1995, Sidney Allinson wrote:

> The same producer/director who brought us DAS BOOT recently released his
> epic, STALINGRAD.
>
> I watched it on a videotape last night. Marvellous show.

Hey Sidney, we finally agree on something! :-) Just kidding. Actually,
I'm thrilled to hear that Stalingrad is finally out on tape--if you
recall, I brought it up about a year ago when it was in the theatres, and
nobody had heard of it, but all seemed to want to see it. If you have the
video store info (i.e. big chain like Blockbuster carrying it?) or the
production info (i.e. who do I write to get a copy) I'd love to hear it.

Speaking of Stalingrad, while I was up in Toronto visiting my fiancee
over x-mas, I stopped in to the local military-antique store (with V-1
replica mounted on roof)_ to take a gander at what they had acquired
since I last had been there. Along with a panzerfaust and panzerschreck,
they had a pair of the overboots (seemingly unused) which were used on
the Eastern front. Wooden soles (with thin rubber tacked to the bottom)
and felt uppers. Still had the name of the schuh-fabrik in Berlin on the
label inside. Unfortunately I didn't have the $150 (albeit Canadian
dollars) to spend on them.

Also while I was in the store, I was browsing over a shelf of
armbands-insignia, when I over heard an older gentleman asking the owner
"how many pistols did Patton carry?" I started to edge closer to hear the
answer. The owner replied, "Two, I suppose." Then older gentleman then
began a story:
"Well," he said, "that's how he's always portrayed in the movies, but he
only wears one. When I was captured by the Germans during the war, I was
put in Stalig 7A [if I heard correctly] with a bunch of other Canadian
prisoners of war. As the American armies neared the camp, they evacuated
all of the other Canadians, but left me because... [sorry, missed that
bit].
When the Yanks liberated the camp, I found myself walking out about
this far [about two feet] from Patton. I wanted to touch his gun, but
since he had just slapped that soldier in Italy I figured he may punch me
thinking I was going to take it and shoot a guard or something. Anyway,
he was only wearing one gun.
Over the years, in all the movies I've seen, they had him wearing two
guns and I began to think that perhaps I was not remembering correctly.
Then, I saw the Norman Schwartzkopf special on tv where they were showing
clips of many different famous generals, and they showed Patton climbing
off a tank, wearing only one gun."

Well, that's about it for my x-mas war story. It is, of course,
paraphrased. Hope everyone had a good holiday, and I look forward to
another great year of WWII discussion. Cheers,
David Rising

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

Date:    Sat, 7 Jan 1995 22:33:40 EST
From:    "Carl Wernke - [email-masked]" <[email-masked]>
Subject: WEAP: IJN Carrier Bomber Trivia

 On Fri, 6 Jan 1995 22:29:38 -1000 John DeVirgilio wrote:
 >As many as 22 armed Suisei dive bombers could be carried on the Japanese
 >hybrid battleship-carriers. Each of the two catapults on these hybrid-BBs
 >could launch one Suisei every two minutes.

 These two battleship-carriers were the ISE and HYUGA. The ISE was completed
 on 15 December 1917, and sunk on 28 JUly 1945 by aircraft of US Task Force 38,
 five miles NW of Kure. HYUGA was completed on 30 April 1918 and sunk by
 US carrier aircraft of TF38 at Kure on 24 July 1945, two miles from where
 ISE was sunk.

 Yokosuka D4Y Suisei (Comet) was one of the most aesthetically pleasing
 single-engine bombers to serve with any of the fighting powers during the
 second World War, and it brought the design of this category of aircraft to
 an aerodynamic level comparable to that of the Havilland Mosquito in the
 twin-engined category. However, the Mosquito was of wooden construction,
 the Yokosuka Suisei was all-metal construction, but apart from their
 achievements both types had many points in common. Both were originally
 designed as bombers but were first operated in the reconnaissance role and
 each saw service in the night fighter role. In spite of its superb
 performance, however, the Suisei had a considerably shorter operational
 history than the Mosquito as the Japanese surrender ended its career.

 As the Kinsei engine was more reliable than the Atsuta, the Navy authorized
 Aichi to produce the aircraft as the Suisei Carrier Bomber Model 33 (D4Y3)
 and Model 33a (D4Y3a), this last variant being armed with a flexible 13mm
 Type 2 machine-gun.

 Designed in late 1944, the D4Y4 was a specialized suicide bomber. As no radio
 operator/gunner was required for kamikaze attacks, the D4Y4 was designed
 as a single-seat version of the Kinsei powered D4Y3 carrying a single 800 kg
 (1,764 lb) bomb semi-recessed beneath the fuselage. Fitted with three
 RATOG auxiliary rockets which could be used either to shorten take-off from
 small airstrips to boost the speed during the final dive, 296 of these
 aircraft were built in 1945 as the Suisei Special Attack Bomber Model 43.

 I agree John, the IJN "Grace" bomber was just about "the BEST single
 engined bomber design in the world." The B7A was to have been a multi-purpose,
 carrier_based attack plane. It also came too late and too few were produced
 to threaten the Allied offensive in the Pacific. "Grace" had a maximum
 speed of 337 m.p.h., had two forward-firing 20-mm. cannon, a flexible 13-mm.
 machine gun in the rear cockpit, and could carry 1764 pounds of bombs or a
 torpedo in an internal bomb bay. It was flown by a  two-man crew.

 The B7A Grace --- named RYUSEI ("Shooting Star") by the Japanese -- was a
 two-seat aircraft capable of level bombing, dive bombing, and torpedo
 attack. The first aircraft of this design flew in May 1942 and production
 models began reaching squadrons late in 1944. With a wing span of 47 feet,
 3 inches, this was the largest carrier-based aircraft produced by the
 Japanese (the A7M) had a span of 45 feet, 11 inches and was 36 feet long).
 One hundred seventeen Grace attack aircraft were built before the war ended.

 Source: _Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War_, 1979 and _Carrier Aviation
         and Its Influence on World Events_, 1969.

 I am looking forward to more information regarding IJN ships, aircraft,
 tactics, and operations.

 John, thanks again for the info on Long Lance; it was very interesting and
 informative.
               Shinnen omedetoo ===>  "Happy New Year"

 Carl Wernke

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

Date:    Sat, 7 Jan 1995 20:44:13 -0800
From:    Sidney Allinson <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Stalingrad etc. (was Re: Movie "Das Boot")

David...
        Sometimes, Patton wore one pistol.
        Sometimes, Patton wore two pistols.

Regards, Sidney.

PS: Maybe that depended how many of his own troops were around.  :-)

--

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

Date:    Sat, 7 Jan 1995 20:48:13 -0800
From:    Sidney Allinson <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Stalingrad etc. (was Re: Movie "Das Boot")

Next week, I'll go back to the video store and copy the name of the
video distributors for you.
I remember the intro screen showed "Distributed by Canadian Famous Players".
But, there'sno doubt a US distributor mentioned as well on the box.

See you...

--

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

Date:    Sat, 7 Jan 1995 20:51:15 -0800
From:    Sidney Allinson <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Stalingrad etc. (was Re: Movie "Das Boot")

David...
        That military/Nazi regalia store you mention...
        Intriguing. I do not remember such a store there "with a V-1 on
        the roof".  Must be new, as I have not been back to Toronto for two year        s. What is the name, street location of the store  ?

Sidney.

--

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End of WWII-L Digest - 6 Jan 1995 to 7 Jan 1995
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