Subject: WWII-L Digest - 18 Feb 1995 to 19 Feb 1995

From: Automatic digest processor <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 20 Feb 1995 00:00:39 -0500

There are 25 messages totalling 1218 lines in this issue.

Topics of the day:

  1. INF: USN Chronology 02-19-95
  2. WASHINGTON, D.C.
  3. MEDIA:MARINES TO I
  4. Call to Arms (2)
  5. Washington, D.C.
  6. INF: 50 Years Ago - 20-FEB-1945
  7. Shooting pilots in parachutes- again!
  8. NON-WWII: Order of Battle
  9. New WWII PC'ism (5)
 10. Holocaust and Germans
 11. INF: 50 YA Request for pictures
 12. Whitmann vs Pool
 13. [INF] USAAF 18 FEB 45
 14. DIVISION ROSTERS/YEARBOOKS?
 15. CAMP BOWIE, TX
 16. [INF] USAAF 19 FEB 45
 17. [INF] USAAF 20 FEB 45
 18. Washington, DC
 19. Ben Frank
 20. GEN: Berchtesgaden/Obersalzberg facilities

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

Date:    Sun, 19 Feb 1995 00:00:20 PST
From:    "Keller, Theron P." <[email-masked]>
Subject: INF: USN Chronology 02-19-95

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

1945
02/19 Mon. Marines land on Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, supported by
           intensive naval gunfire and air attack. The operation is
           under the overall command of Adm. R. A. Spruance,
           Commander Fifth Fleet. Vice Adm. R. K. Turner is the Joint
           Expeditionary Force Commander and Lt. Gen. H. M. Smith,
           USMC, commands the Expeditionary Troops. Naval gunfire and
           air bombing continue to support the troops ashore during
           this difficult campaign.
           Army troops covered by Marine aircraft are landed at Allen
           on the northwest coast of Samar and on Capul Island, P.
           I., to insure control of San Bernardino Strait. (See 20
           February 1945.)
            United States naval vessels damaged, Iwo Jima area:
             Heavy cruiser CHESTER (CA-27), by collision with
              amphibious force flagship ESTES (AGC-12),
              24 d. 13'N., 141 d. 25'E.
             Destroyer BRADFORD (DD-545), by collision,
              24 d. 46'N., 141 d. 20'E.
             Destroyer JOHN W. Weeks (DD-701), by coastal defense
             gun,
              25 d. 32'N., 141 d. 01'E.
             Destroyer escort FINNEGAN (DE-307), by collision,
              22 d. 46'N., 141 d. 19'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:    Sun, 19 Feb 1995 00:09:50 -0500
From:    Ben Frank <[email-masked]>
Subject: WASHINGTON, D.C.

John, at the Washington Navy Yard are the Marine Corps Historical Center, which
holds the Marine Corps Museum, and the Navy Museum. Also at permanent anchor is
the USS Barry, and at the waterfront is a very interesting number of naval
guns, including the WWI naval railway gun used in France. The Marine Corps
Historical Center is open from 1000 to 1600, Mon to Sat, 1200 to 1700 on
Sunday. I don't know the hours for the Navy Museum. I hope to meet you if you
visit the Navy Yard. By the way, by posting the Iwo Jima items, you have
obviated the need of me doing a Marine Corps chronology. Regards, Ben Frank

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

Date:    Sun, 19 Feb 1995 00:09:53 -0500
From:    Ben Frank <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: MEDIA:MARINES TO I

As a matter of fact, before the Japanese began constructing/digging their
defenses, Iwo was fairly lush and did have a number of productive farm plots.
Like many other WWII battle sites in the Pacific, Iwo tended to become
overgrown and that is why the 60-man Marine working party is there. Vets who
returned to Peleliu and Saipan found many of the former battle places
overgrown. Ben Frank

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

Date:    Sun, 19 Feb 1995 00:20:18 -0600
From:    Dick Kimberly <[email-masked]>
Subject: Call to Arms

During the battle of the Huertgen Forest we were treated to Rob Rush and
his report.  Also John Ausland told of the 4th Div at this period.

During the Battle of the Bulge, arguably the biggest battle of them all,
I detected a large collective yawn from the members of this list.  The
Battle of the Bulge Assn had a large meeting in St. Louis with the
Secretary of Defense, the Chair of the JCS, and other significant
souls.  About 2000 veterans, all with a story to tell.  From this
list:  nothing.

I posted some stuff looking for "North Shoulder" input, thoughts,
objections, and the like.  A cold wind blew over the list.

My order of battle stuff didn't even get a reply, except from Rob Rush.
I hesitate to even mention the camp at Buchenwald, north of Weimer, that
was liberated in April.  I find this material very interesting, but can't
get anything from this list.

I am really not a boring person, at least not according to my wife.

Tomorrow is the 50th anniversary of Iwo Jima.  Remember the flag at
Suribachi, knee mortars, hot sands, and all that stuff?  Where are the
Rob Rushes and the John Auslands of the Pacific War?

Oh! fellow list members, flame me, bite me, question my ancestry, but get
to it.

Dick

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

Date:    Sat, 18 Feb 1995 20:33:09 -1000
From:    Jim Adams <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Washington, D.C.

John Davis:,  last month I was in DC and had a great time at the
Washington Navy Yard - visiting the Navy Museum, the USMC Museum, Barry,
etc. (see Ben Frank's Post).  Well worth it.  Also, the American Musuem
of History (part of the Smithsonian) had some good exhibits on WWII.

****************************************************************************
Jim Adams                       [email-masked]
Cultural Resource Manager
USS Arizona Memorial, NPS       (808) 422-2771  extension 130
1 Arizona Memorial Place
Honolulu, Hawaii 96818
****************************************************************************

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

Date:    Sun, 19 Feb 1995 01:52:51 -0600
From:    "Robert J. Granvin" <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Call to Arms

In message <[email-masked]> Dick Kimberly writes:
> During the battle of the Huertgen Forest we were treated to Rob Rush and
> his report.  Also John Ausland told of the 4th Div at this period.
>
> During the Battle of the Bulge, arguably the biggest battle of them all,
> I detected a large collective yawn from the members of this list.  The
> Battle of the Bulge Assn had a large meeting in St. Louis with the
> Secretary of Defense, the Chair of the JCS, and other significant
> souls.  About 2000 veterans, all with a story to tell.  From this
> list:  nothing.
>
> I posted some stuff looking for "North Shoulder" input, thoughts,
> objections, and the like.  A cold wind blew over the list.
>
> My order of battle stuff didn't even get a reply, except from Rob Rush.
> I hesitate to even mention the camp at Buchenwald, north of Weimer, that
> was liberated in April.  I find this material very interesting, but can't
> get anything from this list.
>
> I am really not a boring person, at least not according to my wife.
>
> Tomorrow is the 50th anniversary of Iwo Jima.  Remember the flag at
> Suribachi, knee mortars, hot sands, and all that stuff?  Where are the
> Rob Rushes and the John Auslands of the Pacific War?
>
> Oh! fellow list members, flame me, bite me, question my ancestry, but get
> to it.

This list has spent a lot of time talking about many topics, including Iwo
Jima and the Bulge in the past, and will do so again.  Many of its list
members are actively involved in local commemorations and educational projects
to bring awareness to these events.

Even if the list seems "silent" at the date of a particular event, that does
not in the least indicate lack of attention to it.  The advantage of a
discussion list is that it can discuss topics that are timeless.  We are not
constrained to a calendar.

There are many people with many skills and stories.  For example, many people
don't realize that the classic image of the flag raising on Iwo is actually
the SECOND flag raising.  Of the first and second team, only one person still
lives.  In fact, he lives within several minutes of me, we have duplicated his
photos of that flag raising, many of which have never been seen and aided in
his getting the story out to the world.  He was just featured on the local
evening news the other day and has left this weekend to return to Iwo for
the first time in 50 years.

At our show this August, we will have the world's only flying B-29 on our ramp
on August 6, 1995 -- a date many will realize as significant.  That display
will also present a number of photos that most people have never seen of the
Enola Gay's flight -- taken from an unauthorized camera onboard one of the
escort craft and basically kept quiet for many years.

My own father served in the Norwegian underground for many years and was
personally commended by the King of Norway -- in these topics, I've found
that the mailing list does a good job of putting me in contact with
individuals that can aid in my search for more information -- at that
particular _moment_, the discussion might be limited due to any number of
reasons, but at another time might be a detailed and long running topic of
conversation -- but it may not coincide with any specific event date.

The discussion list is more likely to deal with topics that are attuned to
a calendar anniversary event, but not always.  The discussion of Enola Gay,
as an example, is still technically early, yet discussions of North Africa
are quite late.

As for the specific anniversaries, the best thing we can all do is work
externally to make sure that the events do not pass unnoticed.  Discussing
topic just for discussion sake is good, especially when people want or need
to know ... but the accomplishments made outside the scope of the list are
its true legacy.

There are symposiums and reunions happening all over the place.  The 57th Bomb
Wing's next reunion is coming up in August, but not likely to get a lot of
air time.  Last April, the last Doolittle Raider's Reunion specifically
dedicated to the memory of Jimmy Doolittle was held in California -- a lot of
time spent on it came from first hand accounts of our B-25 flying to attend
the conference, yet the discussions were fairly limited.  The 50th anniversary
reunion of the survivors of the U.S.S. Indianapolis is coming up in Indy
this summer -- that may or may not get a fair amount of discussion -- more
than it already has, that is... The Tuskegee Airmen haven't received nearly
enough disucssion as to their challenges and accomplishments.  There are many
examples of significant events that haven't received a lot of discussion, but
probably will.

Many people prefer to listen and learn and only contribute when they know
they have something of value to contribute.

Yawn?  Alas, nay... Remember that silence is often the sound of an audience
whose attention you have captured... not a disinterested one.

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

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

Date:    Sun, 19 Feb 1995 08:26:51 EST
From:    John Davis <[email-masked]>
Subject: INF: 50 Years Ago - 20-FEB-1945

On 20-FEB-1945, the following occurred -

World War II - The Battlefronts
-------------------------------
Western Front - In the Canadian 1st Army sector, the Germans continue to
resist strongly in the south part of Goch. In the U.S. 3rd Army sector, the
VIII Corps is facing resistance in Lichtenborn where the 90th Division is
receiving heavy and intense fire as the Germans attempt to protect their
withdrawal. The 6th Armoured Division renews its offensive by overruning
the West Wall fortifications. In the 7th Army sector, the 70th Division
continues street fighting in Forbach and also takes Alsting, Zinzing and
Hesseling.

Italian Front - The 10th Mountain Division after gaining the crest of M.
Belvedere and M. Gorgolesco during the early morning hours, drives toward
the saddle of the ridge leading to M. Torraccia.

Philippines - The XIV Corps continues preparations for the assault on
Intramuros in Manila. In the I Corps area, elements of the 25th Division
gain control of Japanese positions northwest of Lumboy. In the XI Corps
area, the 1st Infantry renews its westward drive on Bataan Peninsula and
reach the west coast of Bagac. In the 8th Army sector, the Americal
Division sends land and amphibious patrols from Allen, on Samar, along the
northwest coast of Macarite Island and cross the channel to estabilish a
beachhead on Biri Island.

Iwo Jima - The V Amphibious Corps enlarges the beachhead against heavy
resistance. The 4th Marine Division ovverruns Airfield I. The 5th Marine
Division, after repelling a pre-dawn counterattack, continues to drive
north and south. Some of elements of the division work south toward Mt.
Suribachi, from which the Japanese are pouring a heavy volume of fire,
systematically reducing numerous emplacements in its path. The maximum
gain, 1,000 yards, is made in the center of the corps. Casualties continue
to he high.

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

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                           | [email-masked]
Cary, North Carolina                 | http://www.webcom.com/~jbd/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Date:    Sun, 19 Feb 1995 12:22:03 -0500
From:    chris garcia <[email-masked]>
Subject: Shooting pilots in parachutes- again!

A while back we had a disscussion about the strafing of pilots in
parachutes as the war became progressively nastier.  I was rereading the
interview with Gunther  Rall, and there is an interesting comment on this
and human nature.  Around the end of the war he got into a dogfight with
Hub Zempke's Wolfpack of thunderbolts.  His plane was shot up and he
jumped.  As he came down, a thunderbolt pilot made a pass at him and shot
off his left thumb as he came down.  The photo shows him with his mother,
and his hand bandaged in a sling.  No left thumb at all.  Later on he
went to the United States for pilot training in F-104's as part of the
new Luftwaffe ("BundesLuftwaffe") and in america he became very close
personal friends with Hub Zempke.  No hard feelings.  He even became
friends with the P-47 pilot who blew off his thumb, Joeseph Powers.
People can surprise you.

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

Date:    Sun, 19 Feb 1995 11:15:09 -0700
From:    Jim O'Neil <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: NON-WWII: Order of Battle

>A Quick question on a non-WWII related subject:  I understand that in the
>modern U.S. Army, regiments are a thing of the past -- Brigades are used
>now instead.  Is this correct?  Where would one find information about the
>current U.S. force structure?
>

Chuck,
The ROAD Division did away with all Regiments and put Bns in Bdes, with the
assumption that they could be shuffled freely as needed. In the late 70's
and and early 80's this became suspect [again] and suties found that all
this shuffling hurt combat efficiency quite a bit. Another unexpected
finding was that the soldiers became attached to certain "units" [the
regimental names were kept though the regiments were gone]. For instance I
served in the 1st Bn [not squadron] 8th Cav (Armor) - a tank Bn in the 1st
Cav Div, and in the 2nd Bn 8th Cav (Armor) also of 1st Cav. I was somewhat
put out by not being sent to the 3rd Sqdn 8th Cav ( Divisional Cavalry Sqdn
for the 8th ID) when I was sent to Europe. Many soldiers feel this
"loyalty". The Army has re-introduced the Regimental system in name to take
advantage of this, though it is a very hap-hazard arrangement which gets
more lip service than respect. Computer personel systems don't really care
- a person who's abilities matcth a need in the system, goes. The regiments
each get a "Colonel" , some "worthy"  Individual who has rendered *Great
service which deserves to be recognized in some special way* , ie Good ol'
Boy. Most soldiers wear a regimental affiliation today, but they seldom are
assigned in a way which allows the sense of belonging to grow meanfully.
Hope this hasn't confused you mre than you were already.
        To the gentleman from "Tutti-Frutti"* in Illinois - the other old
saying in the Cav is:" Horse shit is a Tradition in the Cav!"
* The 2nd ACR's motto is "Toujours Pret" (always ready), for those of us
who had to keep bailing them out, it was tutti-frutti.... for those who are
not privey to all of the Military's ideosyncracies.

Jim O'Neil  From the interrogation of a German General at the end of WW II:

               "The reason the American Army does so well in War, is that War
                is Chaos, and the American Army practices it on a daily basis"

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

Date:    Sun, 19 Feb 1995 13:29:51 -0500
From:    Matthew Savoie <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: New WWII PC'ism

Nechama Cox wrote:
>
> >>Now I am not going to say that the German people on the whole are evil or
> >>bad people, but there was an overwhelming majority of people in Germany who
> >>supported Hitler.
> >
> >An "overwhelming majority"?  In what sense?  Electoral?  The Nazis never won
> >a majority of the vote, you do realize.  Upon what other data do you base
> >your claim?
>
> While I realize that they never had a landslide election or anything, there
> was a lot of wide spread support, and if definate proof is needed, look at
> the number of people who said after Kristalnacht, "no this is wrong."  The
> things that happened during WWII to the Jews could not have happened if the
> German people on the whole did not support Hitler and the Nazi Party.
>
Nechama,
        I disagree.  The things that did occur, could have occurred even
without widespread support among the German people.  The oppressive police
state scared, I believe, the vast majority of Germans into a silent
complicity.  Some of the Germans who may have guessed at what was happening,
may not have wanted to believe that it was happening.  Fianally, even if
many Germans did not agree with and wanted to stop what was hap[pening, how
could they have?  The Nazis controlled the police, military, etc. and the
German population that may have tried to prevent what was happening had their
privately owned firearms confiscated by the government because they were
considered subversives.  Therefore, even without widespread support, it
would have been difficult, at best, to prevent the Holocaust from within.

--
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Matthew M. Savoie           |    "Not to know what happened before you were |
Western New England College |    born is to remain always a child."         |
1215 Wilbraham Road         |         - Cicero                              |
Box 1830                    |                                               |
Springfield, MA 01119       |    [email-masked]                           |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Date:    Sun, 19 Feb 1995 12:38:04 -0600
From:    Michael Davis <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: New WWII PC'ism

I agree with Mr. Savoie. Civilian populations are not always in tune with
what is going on, or feel powerless to stop it. (What about our
systematic removal of Native Americans, both intentional and
unintentional through disease, warfare, etc.) I also am disturbed by an
apparent lack of concern about the "others" involved on the holocaust,
i.e. the poles, slavs, gypsies, etc. Weren't thousands of them
systematically rounded up also? What about the Cambodians in more recent
times, or the "ethnic cleansing" going on in Bosnia, or Africa. I believe
more credibility would be given to   the horrors that occurred if people
and groups came out and denounced all campaigns of terror.

On Sun, 19 Feb 1995, Matthew Savoie wrote:

> Nechama Cox wrote:
> >
> > >>Now I am not going to say that the German people on the whole are evil or
> > >>bad people, but there was an overwhelming majority of people in Germany who
> > >>supported Hitler.
> > >
> > >An "overwhelming majority"?  In what sense?  Electoral?  The Nazis never won
> > >a majority of the vote, you do realize.  Upon what other data do you base
> > >your claim?
> >
> > While I realize that they never had a landslide election or anything, there
> > was a lot of wide spread support, and if definate proof is needed, look at
> > the number of people who said after Kristalnacht, "no this is wrong."  The
> > things that happened during WWII to the Jews could not have happened if the
> > German people on the whole did not support Hitler and the Nazi Party.
> >
> Nechama,
>         I disagree.  The things that did occur, could have occurred even
> without widespread support among the German people.  The oppressive police
> state scared, I believe, the vast majority of Germans into a silent
> complicity.  Some of the Germans who may have guessed at what was happening,
> may not have wanted to believe that it was happening.  Fianally, even if
> many Germans did not agree with and wanted to stop what was hap[pening, how
> could they have?  The Nazis controlled the police, military, etc. and the
> German population that may have tried to prevent what was happening had their
> privately owned firearms confiscated by the government because they were
> considered subversives.  Therefore, even without widespread support, it
> would have been difficult, at best, to prevent the Holocaust from within.
>
> --
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Matthew M. Savoie           |    "Not to know what happened before you were |
> Western New England College |    born is to remain always a child."         |
> 1215 Wilbraham Road         |         - Cicero                              |
> Box 1830                    |                                               |
> Springfield, MA 01119       |    [email-masked]                           |
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>

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

Date:    Sun, 19 Feb 1995 13:39:31 -0500
From:    Matthew Savoie <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Holocaust and Germans

        I don't know when or where Jim was in Germany, but having been stationed in
Heidelberg, Germany for 3 and 1/2 years (1987-1990), I can safely say that,
for the most part, I never experienced anything like that, with the
exception of some leftist students from the Universtat Heidelberg.
Generally, I was treated well and kindly received by my German neighbors
(lived in an apartment on the economy) and still remain in contact with many
of them to this day.
        Yes, I have heard some horror stories about Americans having run ins
with the new generation of skinheads, but these incidents are few and far
between.
        And as Jim Benn wrote, it is illegal to display a swastika in
Germany (to the point that Nazi party items found in antique shops have
little stickers over the swaztika).  It is also illegal to give the Nazi
party salute (outstretched arm).
Matt

Jim Benn wrote:
>
> I just returned from a trip through southern Germany this Fall, and saw
> not a single swastika.  I believe it is against German law to display
> them.  I did see many monuments to the German dead of WWII, with the
> traditional Iron Cross, but none of them were political.
> Jim Benn.
>
> On Thu, 16 Feb 1995, Jim O'Neil wrote:
>
> > There are many little towns in Southern Germany where the Swastika is still
> > quite prominent and Americans were very cooly recieved. I had a jeep break
> > down in one on a very cold winter night, when the GIs asked for help, they
> > were pointed to a pay phone down the street and denied acccess to the
> > public room of the Gasthaus. When we arrived to fix the jeep we were asked
> > to tow it and fix it elsewhere... of course I did manage to road march my
> > tank company through the town a day or two later - didn't do anything bad,
> > just made sure I went right thru the middle and not around... a minor map
> > reading problem was my answer when the inevitable complaint came.
> >         I have heard of worse.
> >
> > Jim O'Neil  From the interrogation of a German General at the end of WW II:
> >
> >                "The reason the American Army does so well in War, is that War
> >                 is Chaos, and the American Army practices it on a daily basis"
> >
>

--
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Matthew M. Savoie           |    "Not to know what happened before you were |
Western New England College |    born is to remain always a child."         |
1215 Wilbraham Road         |         - Cicero                              |
Box 1830                    |                                               |
Springfield, MA 01119       |    [email-masked]                           |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Date:    Sun, 19 Feb 1995 13:49:11 -0500
From:    John Davis <[email-masked]>
Subject: INF: 50 YA Request for pictures

I'd like to start something new in my 50 YA archives. Joe kind of got this
started by uploading some pictures of his father to my site. I've setup a
special page for photos and I'd like to have some photos out there of men who
served in the military during the war (on all sides). Kind of a photo album
if you will. We seem to have all kinds of pictures of ships, tanks, etc., but
I'd like to have some pictures of the participants themselves (and I don't
mean General Patton, etc.). If you have any real interesting pictures of
either yourself if you are a veteran or of your father, etc. I would love to
put them on the photo page. If you have any in jpeg or gif format (jpeg is
actually better as the file size is smaller) you can upload them via
anonymous FTP to host ftp.webcom.com and put them in directory
/pub/jbd/incoming. If you do this please drop me a message telling me that
you've put something there because I don't check it often. Also, if you would
like to write a little information file telling who the photo is a picture of
and what he did during the war, do so and I'll put it out there with the
picture. I don't know how much interest there is in doing this, if there is
alot, I may have to swap pictures in and out so as to not exceed my disk
space quota.

John

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
John Davis                           | [email-masked]
Cary, North Carolina                 | http://www.webcom.com/~jbd/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Date:    Sun, 19 Feb 1995 19:05:29 +0000
From:    Nechama Cox <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: New WWII PC'ism

Mathew --

>        I disagree.  The things that did occur, could have occurred even
>without widespread support among the German people.  The oppressive police
>state scared, I believe, the vast majority of Germans into a silent
>complicity.

Maybe, if they just did not do anything, but the popularity of the Hitler's
Youth and other groups should not be ignored.

In addition, I have heard from many people that their neighbors and friends
started to take up the "line" of the time.  I am not faulting these people
with not standing up, since the danger of being pro-Jewish was real.  But
they often took it upon themselves to repeat the anti-semetic lines of the
Nazi party.

In any case, I find the defense of the German people to be slightly
divorced from reality.  There were Nazi supporters, and while not all
Germans were, many supported the Nazi party in some form.  And they Nazi
Party was made of the German people.  They were not a foreign group.

Nechama Cox
[email-masked]

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

Date:    Sun, 19 Feb 1995 14:17:13 -0500
From:    "Matthew R. Burchette" <[email-masked]>
Subject: Whitmann vs Pool

People,
On Feb. 16th Terry wrote:
>Wittmann was the most successful tank
>ace of WWII. Johannes Boelter would be a close second.
I have to disagree. There is an American tank ace that has been overlooked in
the worst way. Staff segeant Lafayette G. Pool commanded a 76mm Sherman and
while doing so was able to destroy...get this...258 enemy vehicles between 27
June, 1944 and 15 Septenber, 1944! Pool was in command of an M4A1 VVSS
Sherman, had the same crew through his tour, had three different tanks (all
named In The Mood), but Pool survived the war. While with the 3AD south of
Aachen, Pool had his Sherman blown out from under him by two rounds from a
Panther (his favorite prey). His crew survived but Pool was blown from the
turret and taken back to the states. Do the math people Pool was in the line
only 80 days...Whitmann was in the line as a tank commander in excess of 25
MONTHS. Not to bellitle what Whitmann did but my vote has to got to Lafayette
G. Pool as tank commander overachiever of the war.
Matthew

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

Date:    Sun, 19 Feb 1995 14:24:58 -0500
From:    Carlos R Rivera <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: New WWII PC'ism

Again, I punch in from lurker world with a couple of centavos of commentary.
While the Cox remarks seem to carry some valid assertions, it seems that by
oversight, they ignore that even in a "truly" democratic society, moral wrongs
and human rights violations can occur with alarming frequency.  For instance,
though the Cox comments do not absolve the Germans from their supposed "view"
of contemporary events, one cannot forget that in the world's greatest
democratic state-Japanese American citizens were subject to a varied number of
non-democratic practices, while Black Americans were similarly subject to a
number of "racial superiority" arguments in the midst of combatting Nazi
ideology.  I recall that great numbers of American citizens did not risk their
lives to prevent such activity.  Though there was no secret police equal to the
Gestapo, one wonders if Americans in WWII chose to pretend, in large numbers,
that what was going on was for the best.  Of course there are today, apologists
and revisionists, both in Germany and the United States, but one wonders if
today one can find a large reservoir of Americans who risked life, liberty,
property, and wealth to protect Japanese and Black Americans from the duly
elected government, for I sense that numbers of folks today are condemning the
Germans for their lack of equal "sacrifice" in WWII.  Oh, well, back to my
lurker mode.
Carlos R. Rivera
Ohio State University

 Mathew --
>
> >        I disagree.  The things that did occur, could have occurred even
> >without widespread support among the German people.  The oppressive police
> >state scared, I believe, the vast majority of Germans into a silent
> >complicity.
>
> Maybe, if they just did not do anything, but the popularity of the Hitler's
> Youth and other groups should not be ignored.
>
> In addition, I have heard from many people that their neighbors and friends
> started to take up the "line" of the time.  I am not faulting these people
> with not standing up, since the danger of being pro-Jewish was real.  But
> they often took it upon themselves to repeat the anti-semetic lines of the
> Nazi party.
>
> In any case, I find the defense of the German people to be slightly
> divorced from reality.  There were Nazi supporters, and while not all
> Germans were, many supported the Nazi party in some form.  And they Nazi
> Party was made of the German people.  They were not a foreign group.
>
> Nechama Cox
> [email-masked]
>

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

Date:    Sun, 19 Feb 1995 19:41:21 +0000
From:    Nechama Cox <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: New WWII PC'ism

Carlos,

>they ignore that even in a "truly" democratic society, moral wrongs
>and human rights violations can occur with alarming frequency.  For instance,
>though the Cox comments do not absolve the Germans from their supposed "view"
>of contemporary events, one cannot forget that in the world's greatest
>democratic state-Japanese American citizens were subject to a varied number of
>non-democratic practices, while Black Americans were similarly subject to a
>number of "racial superiority" arguments in the midst of combatting Nazi
>ideology.  ... for I sense that numbers of folks today are condemning the
>Germans for their lack of equal "sacrifice" in WWII.

I am not debating whether or not democracies can do bad things, or if
Americans should have stood up against the actions taken by the US
Government.  This is entirely off the subject.

My problem is that people do not seem to want to put the blame on the
German people, but instead the "Nazis" are blamed.  I am not talking about
blaming today's young Germans, but rather blaming those Germans who took
part in the SS, or any other part of Hitler's movement (including the Youth
Movement).  These people were not foreigners who came and did "evil things"
in Germany.  This was a movement made of Germans.  Whether or not they were
the majority is immaterial. The point is that the people who enabled
Hitler's policies were for the most part -- German.  The Nazis did not do
it, Germans did it.

My only point is that in a race to avoid making all Germans guilty, people
seem to argue that none are. If the supporters were 33%, 55% or 95% does
not matter.  The people who enabled the policies were German. So why can't
people just accept that?

Nechama Cox
[email-masked]

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

Date:    Sun, 19 Feb 1995 21:12:00 EST
From:    mc killop <[email-masked]>
Subject: [INF] USAAF 18 FEB 45

COMBAT CHRONOLOGY OF THE US ARMY AIR FORCES
SUNDAY, 18 FEBRUARY 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
  B-26, Martin Marauder
  B-29, Boeing Superfortress
  P-38, Lockheed Lightning
  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): 7 B-24s fly cover sorties for a naval force
during its approach to Kurabu Cape, Paramushiru Island.

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATER

  CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 25 fighter-bombers attack
the Sinyang railroad yards and airfield and targets of opportunity along the
Pinghan railroad, at Chiuchiang, in the Nanking area, E of Lohochai, and SE
of Hsuchang; 4 B-24s over the S China Sea claim damage on 2 vessels; the
374th, 375th and 425th Bombardment Squadrons (Heavy), 308th Bombardment Group
(Heavy), move from Chengkung and Kunming to Kwanghan with B-24s.

  INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 12 B-25s demolish bridges
at Namsang and Ke-hsi Mansam; 30+ fighter-bombers support ground forces in
the Mongmit-Myitson-Nabu area; 100+ fighter-bombers pound troop
concentrations, supplies, vehicles, and other targets immediately in advance
of the southward moving battleline. Transports fly 602 sorties to the forward
areas.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): In Germany, 60+ B-26s bomb the
Dottesfeld rail bridge, a target of opportunity at Daun, and 5 other targets
of opportunity as the 9th Bombardment Division starts a campaign to isolate
the Ruhr; the XIX Tactical Air Command escorts the B-26s and flies weather
reconnaissance and armed reconnaissance; the IX and XXIX Tactical Air
Commands are grounded because of weather.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): During the night of 17/18 Feb,
24 B-24s drop supplies in N Italy; during the day 160 B-17s bomb a benzol
plant, main marshalling yard and station at Linz, Austria; 20 P-38s provide
escort; almost 290 B-24s, with fighter escorts, are recalled because of
weather from missions dispatched against targets in Austria; weather also
causes the recall of 52 P-51s on a strafing mission. A few P-38s complete
reconnaissance missions but most are recalled as weather worsens. In Italy,
the detachments of the 71st and 94th Fighter Squadrons, 1st Fighter Group,
operating from Vincenzo Airfield with P-38s, return to base at Salsola
Airfield.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy during the night of 17/18
Feb, A-20s bomb targets in the Po Valley, including the towns of Nogara,
Castelfranco Veneto, Modena, Cremona, Bovolone, and Isola della Scala,
bridges at Cittadella and Villafranca in Lunigiana, and airfields at Ghedi
and Villafranca in Lunigiana; all B-25 missions abort due to weather except
an attack on the Ala rail bridge; fighters and fighter-bombers fly less than
100 sorties, hitting ammunition dumps and railroad bridges and lines, mainly
in the Po Valley.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA)

  AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): 36 Guam Island-based B-24s dispatched against
Iwo Jima Island are recalled because of complete cloud cover over the target.
3 others on armed reconnaissance bomb Marcus Island. During the night of
18/19 Feb, 9 B-24s from Guam individually strike Chichi Jima Island.

  HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Mission 36: 36 Mariana Islands-based B-29s
bomb 2 airfields on Moen Island in Truk Atoll without loss. HQ 39th and 330th
Bombardment Groups (Very Heavy) and the 457th, 458th and 459th Bombardment
Squadrons (Very Heavy) arrive at North Field, Guam Island from the US with
B-29s (first mission is 12 Apr).

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: On Formosa, B-24s
bomb Takao, Okayama, and Toshien Airfields and P-38s provide support while
B-25s and fighters pound communications targets and targets of opportunity
throughout Formosa. B-25s and fighters continue to fly numerous missions in
support of the ground forces on Luzon Island. B-24s bomb Labuan Airfield in
Borneo.

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

20/0211Z FEB

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

Date:    Sun, 19 Feb 1995 20:15:31 CST
From:    Derek L Decross <[email-masked]>
Subject: DIVISION ROSTERS/YEARBOOKS?

I AM LOOKING FOR MY GRANDFATHER WHO I BELIEVE WAS IN A MEDICAL UNIT OF
ONE OF THE FOLLOWING DIVISIONS:

2ND INFANTRY
2ND ARMORED
45TH INFANTRY (OK NG)

3RD ARMORED
4TH ARMORED
13TH ARMORED

18TH FIELD ARTILLERY

IF ANYONE KNOWS WHERE I COULD LOCATE A ROSTER LIST OR YEARBOOK FROM THE
END OF THE WAR, PLEASE LET ME KNOW.

THANKS,

DEREK

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                         Derek L. Decross
------------------------------------------------------------------------
6408 Wildwood Circle S.                       [email-masked]
Apt. 924                                       [email-masked]
Fort Worth, TX  76132
------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Date:    Sun, 19 Feb 1995 20:18:03 CST
From:    Derek L Decross <[email-masked]>
Subject: CAMP BOWIE, TX

DOES ANYONE HAVE A LIST OF DIVISIONS OR SMALLER UNITS THAT TRAINED AT
CAMP BOWIE DURING WWII.  I AM SPECIFICALLY LOOKING FROM 1942-1944.

THANKS,

DEREK

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                         Derek L. Decross
------------------------------------------------------------------------
6408 Wildwood Circle S.                       [email-masked]
Apt. 924                                       [email-masked]
Fort Worth, TX  76132
------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Date:    Sun, 19 Feb 1995 21:26:00 EST
From:    mc killop <[email-masked]>
Subject: [INF] USAAF 19 FEB 45

COMBAT CHRONOLOGY OF THE US ARMY AIR FORCES
MONDAY, 19 FEBRUARY 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
  B-26, Martin Marauder
  B-29, Boeing Superfortress
  C-47, Douglas Skytrain
  UC-64, Noorduyn Norseman
  F4U, Vought Corsair
  L-4, Piper Cub (Grasshopper)
  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): In the Kurile Islands, 6 B-24s fly photo
reconnaissance over Shimushu Island and bomb Kurabu Cape Airfield on
Paramushiru Island; 6 Japanese fighters intercept; the B-24s claim 4 damaged.
4 B-25s weather-abort a mission to hit targets along the Hayakegawa River.

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATER

  CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 14 P-51s and P-40s blast
rail and river traffic at Chiuchiang, Hsuchang, Lung Hai, and Tsinpu.

  HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Mission 37: In the Mayalan States, 49 of 59
B-29s bomb the Central Railroad Repair Shops at Kuala Lumpur, some bombing
from only 1,000 feet (305 m); 4 other B-29s hit alternate targets, the Alor
Star Airfield, and the marshalling yard at Martaban, Burma; they claim 1-0-7
Japanese aircraft; no B-29s are lost.

  INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 24 B-25s and 31 P-47s fly
close support strikes in the Mongmit-Myitson area; 70+ fighter-bombers hit
troop concentrations, supplies, and villages behind the battleline in C
Burma. Heavy transport operations continue. The 165th Liaison Squadron
(Commando), 1st Air Commando Group, moves from Shwebo, Burma to Asansol,
India with UC-64s and L-5s.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  AIRBORNE OPERATIONS (IX Troop Carrier Command): The 76th and 78th Troop
Carrier Squadrons, 435th Troop Carrier Group, move from Welford Park, England
to Bretigny, France with C-47s.

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 835: 1,135 bombers and 560
fighters are dispatched to hit oil, industrial and rail targets in Germany;
they claim 3-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; 1 B-24 and 7 P-51s are lost:
  1. 196 B-17s are sent to hit the marshalling yard at Osnabruck (155); 24
hit the secondary target, the marshalling yard at Munster; 10 hit Haselunne,
a target of opportunity; Micro-H and H2X are used; 1 B-17 is damaged beyond
repair and 21 damaged; 1 airman is WIA. Escorting are 38 of 42 P-51s.
  2. 291 B-24s are dispatched to hit military vehicle plants at Meschede (97)
and Jungenthal (86) and the marshalling yard at Siegen (94) using Gee-H; 1
B-24 is lost and 8 damaged; 9 airmen are MIA. 122 P-47s and P-51s escort.
  3. 422 B-17s are sent to hit benzol plants at Bochum (99) and Gelsenkirchen
(36), oil refineries at Dortmund (74) and Alm (37) using Micro H and H2X; 162
hit the secondary target, the Munster marshalling yard (162) visually; 1 B-17
is damaged beyond repair and 59 damaged; 1 airman is KIA. 91 of 96 P-51s
escort; 1 is lost (pilot MIA).
  4. 131 of 144 B-17s hit the marshalling yard at Rheine with Micro H without
loss. 48 P-51s escort.
  5. 68 of 82 B-17s hit the rail bridge at Wesel using Micro H; 25 B-17s are
damaged. 32 of 37 P-51s escort.
  6. 163 of 179 P-51s fly a fighter sweep against rail and road targets in
the Hannover-Magdeburg-Brunswick area claiming 2-0-0 aircraft in the air and
1-0-0 on the ground; 5 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA).
  7. 27 of 28 P-51s fly a scouting misson; 1 is lost (pilot MIA).

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): In Germany, B-26s, A-26s, and A-20s,
strike the Mechernich prime mover depot, rail bridges at Pracht,
Niederscheld, and Neuwied-Irlich, the Wiesbaden ordnance depot, and 4 targets
of opportunity; fighters escort the bombers, attack railroads and bridges,
fly armed reconnaissance and alerts, and cooperate with the VIII, XII, and XX
Corps E of the Our River, between the Westwall and the Prum River, and in the
Saar-Mosel triangle. The 167th Liaison Squadron, Ninth Air Force (attached to
the Sixth Army Group), is activated at Vittel, France with L-4s and L-5s.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): During the night of 18/19 Feb,
11 B-24s drop supplies in N Italy. In Austria during the day almost 500 B-24s
and B-17s, escorted by about 220 P-51s and P-38s, bomb 2 marshalling yards
and the S station area in Vienna, marshalling yards at Klagenfurt, Graz, and
Bruck an der Mur; marshalling yards at Maribor, Yugoslavia; shipyards in
Fiume, Italy; and the Pula, Yugoslavia harbor and military installations. In
Austria, 51 P-51s strafe rail and river traffic and airfields between Linz
and Vienna and in the Graz area; other P-51s and P-38s fly escort and
reconnaissance missions.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): Brigadier General Edward M Morris
takes command of the XII Air Force Services Command (until 1 Jan 44
designated the III Air Service Area Command). In Italy, bad weather grounds
the medium bombers; fighter-bombers, some bombing by radar-control because of
heavy clouds, attack-communications and dumps in the W Po Valley and NE
Italy, and claim several rail line cuts in the Brenner area.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA)

  AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): 44 B-24s from Saipan Island are sent against
Iwo Jima Island; 14 pound defense positions and bivouac and storage areas
little more than an hour before elements of the US 4th and 5th Marine
Divisions make an amphibious landing on the SE coast at 0900 hours; the other
30 B-24s abort because of cloud cover, mechanical trouble, or arrival over
target too late to make a bomb run. 26 B-24s from Angaur Island bomb Likanan
Airfield on Mindanao Island. During the night of 19/20 Feb, 8 Saipan-based
B-24s fly individual heckler strikes over Chichi Jima Island.

  HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): Mission 37: 150 B-29s are dispatched to hit
the Musashino aircraft plant in Tokyo hoping to draw air reinforcements away
from the Iwo Jima invasion; thick clouds completely cover the primary target
so 119 bomb the port and urban area of Tokyo; 12 others hit targets of last
resort and targets of opportunity; they claim 39-16-37 Japanese aircraft; 6
B-29s are lost.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: Major General Paul
B Wurtsmith becomes Commanding General Thirteenth AF. In Formosa, B-24s bomb
Koshun, Heito, and Takao Airfields and B-25s and fighters on sweeps attack a
large number of targets of opportunity including trains, parked aircraft,
buildings, and coastal vessels. In the C Philippine Islands, US Marine Corps
(USMC) F4Us under the tactical command of the Thirteenth AF fly napalm
strikes against airfields and other targets. On Luzon Island, fighters,
B-25s, and A-20s continue to support ground forces at San Augustin,
Carranglen, Balete Pass, and Bataan Peninsula and bomb Japanese-held sectors
on Corregidor Island. B-24s bomb Miri Airfield on Borneo.

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

20/0225Z FEB

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

Date:    Sun, 19 Feb 1995 21:34:00 EST
From:    mc killop <[email-masked]>
Subject: [INF] USAAF 20 FEB 45

COMBAT CHRONOLOGY OF THE US ARMY AIR FORCES
TUESDAY, 20 FEBRUARY 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
  UC-64, Noorduyn Norseman
  L-5, Stinson Sentinel
  Mosquito, deHavilland
  P-38, Lockheed Lightning
  P-47, Republic Thunderbolt
  P-51, North American Mustang
  P-61, Northrop Black Widow

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 China, 34 P-51s pound locomotives,
railroad cars, and other targets of opportunity at Tsingtao and Puchi; about
30 other fighter-bombers on armed reconnaissance hit targets of opportunity
(mainly rail and river traffic) at scattered locations including Changsha,
Lohochai, Tsingtao, Chukiatsi, N of Lingling, and between Siangsiang and
Siangtan.

  INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 44 P-47s fly close support
strikes in the Mongmit battle sector; 8 support ground forces in the Namhsan
area; 13 P-38s severely damage a bridge at Mong Long; nearly 100 P-47s and
P-38s pound troop concentrations, supply and ammunition dumps, and general
targets of opportunity behind enemy lines. Large-scale transport operations
continue. The 164th Liaison Squadron (Commando), 1st Air Commando Group,
moves from Assansol, India to Shwebo with UC-64s and L-5s.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  AIRBORNE OPERATIONS (IX Troop Carrier Command): HQ 53d Troop Carrier Wing
moves from Greenham Common, England to Voisenon, France.

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): 3 missions are flown.
  Mission 836: 1,264 bombers and 726 fighters are dispatched to hit the main
station and marshalling yard at Nurnberg, Germany; the target is bombed
visually and using H2X radar; they claim 49-1-21 Luftwaffe aircraft; 5 B-17s
and 7 fighters are lost:
  1. 360 B-24s dispatched abandon the mission over Belgium due to weather
conditions; one B-24 hits Steig, a target of opportunity; 1 B-24 is damaged
beyond repair; 3 airmen are KIA and 2 WIA. Escorting are 123 of 141 P-51s;
they claim 2-0-0 aircraft; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA).
  2. 831 of 904 B-17s hit the primary target; targets of opportunity are
Schiltach (16) and other (12); 5 B-17s are lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and
241 damaged; 9 airmen are KIA, 10 WIA and 47 MIA. The escort is 315 of 337
P-51s; they claim 8-0-2 aircraft on the ground; 5 P-51s are lost (pilots
MIA).
  3. 194 P-47s and P-51s strafe rail and road targets in the Nurnberg and
Straubing areas; they claim 12-0-1 aircraft in the air and 35-1-20 on the
ground; 7 fighters are lost (pilots MIA).
  4. 28 of 29 P-51s fly a scouting mission without loss.
  5. 10 P-51s escort photo reconnaissance aircraft over Germany.
  Mission 837: 10 of 11 B-24s drop leaflets in the Netherlands and Germany
during the night without loss.
  Mission 838: During the night of 20/21 Feb, 30 B-24s attack the Neustadt
marshalling yard without loss and 6 of 7 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): The IX Engineer Command is relieved
of its assignment to the Ninth AF and assigned to US Strategic Air Forces in
Europe (USSTAF). (After V-E the command will revert to control of the Ninth.)
Weather grounds the 9th Bombardment Division; in Germany, fighters fly armed
reconnaissance E and W of the Rhine River, attack a bridge and defended area,
and support the US VIII, XII, and XX Corps in the Lichtenborn area, W of the
Prum River, and in the Saar-Mosel triangle.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): 520+ B-17s, with fighter
escort, and B-24s bomb the Lobau, Vienna and Schwechat, Austria oil
refineries and Floridsdorf marshalling yard at Vienna, steel works at
Kapfenberg, Austria, harbor at Pula, Yugoslavia, and shipyards at Trieste and
Fiume, Italy.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): The 27th and 86th Fighter Groups
and an air service group are transferred from the Twelfth AF to the First
Tactical Air Force (Provisional) in France; HQ 86th Fighter Group moves from
Pisa, Italy to Tantonville, France. In Italy, A-20s on night intruder
missions during the night of 19/20 Feb, bomb targets of opportunity at over
30 points in the C Po Valley, several rail diversions, and marshalling yards
at Villafranca in Lunigiana, Roncanova, Bovolone, Cerea, Legnago, Cittadella,
Casa di David, Isola della Scala, Castelfranco Veneto, and Nogara; fighter-
bombers devote their main effort to support the US Fifth Army offensive in
the Monte Torraccia area; medium bombers bomb bridges at Montebello,
Chiusaforte, Salzano, and Calcinato; the detachment of the 416th Night
Fighter Squadron, 62d Fighter Wing, operating from Etain, France with
Mosquitos, returns to base at Pisa.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA)

  AAFPOA (Seventh Air Force): 2 Guam Island-based B-24s on an armed
reconnaissance flight bomb Marcus Island in the N Pacific. During the night
of 20/21 Feb, 7 B-24s flying individual raids, bomb the town of Okimura and
airfield on Haha Jima Island. The air echelon of the 549th Night Fighter
Squadron begins operating from Saipan Island with P-61s (ground echelon is
enroute from Hawaii to Iwo Jima).

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s bomb runways
and warehouse at Jesselton Airfield in Borneo. Buildings at Puerto Princesa
on Palawan Island and underground installation on Corregidor Island in Manila
Bay are pounded. B-25s and fighters over Formosa thoroughly blast the town of
Choshu, and also hit railroad yards, vehicles, railway rolling stock, and
buildings. HQ 380th Bombardment Group (Heavy) moves from Darwin, Australia to
San Jose, Mindoro Island. The 23d Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 5th
Bombardment Group (Heavy), moves from Morotai Island to Samar Island,
Philippine Islands.

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

20/0233Z FEB

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Date:    Sun, 19 Feb 1995 21:53:00 EST
From:    mc killop <[email-masked]>
Subject: Washington, DC

John,

If you are into airplanes you may want to stop at the Smithsonian's
Garber Restoration Facitility in Suitland, Maryland just over the border
for SE Washington.

Jack McKillop

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Date:    Sun, 19 Feb 1995 21:57:00 EST
From:    mc killop <[email-masked]>
Subject: Ben Frank

The American Broadcasting Company's network news for tonight (Sunday, 19
Feb) featured a piece on the Iwo Jima invasion.  One of the people
interviewed was our own Ben Frank!  We saw John Ausland on CNN during the
Normandy commeration, now Ben Frank for Iwo Jima.  Who is next?

Jack McKillop

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Date:    Mon, 20 Feb 1995 10:35:46 +0700
From:    "Peter E. Beal" <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: GEN: Berchtesgaden/Obersalzberg facilities

Thanks, Doug, for the interim report.  I am just a bit concerned that it
will become a focus for neo-Nazi activities.

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End of WWII-L Digest - 18 Feb 1995 to 19 Feb 1995
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