Subject: WWII-L Digest - 24 Mar 1995 to 25 Mar 1995

From: Automatic digest processor <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 26 Mar 1995 00:01:33 -0500

There are 17 messages totalling 1171 lines in this issue.

Topics of the day:

  1. Opinions wanted!! (2)
  2. Feedback on Bill's articl...
  3. Airshows in NE USA
  4. Location of Pictures and Maps
  5. [INF] USAAF 25 MAR 45
  6. INF: 50 Years Ago - 25-MAR-1945
  7. [INF] USAAF 26 MAR 45
  8. [INF] USAAF 27 MAR 45
  9. wwii
 10. PT Boat info request and prospective member.
 11. INF: USN Chronology 03-25-95
 12. Japan's Atrocities (vs. Allied atrocities) (fwd)
 13. ADMIN:  Grammar and spelling on WWII-L (2)
 14. GEN USS Ward & Midget Sub
 15. Raid on Cabanatuan

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

Date:    Sat, 25 Mar 1995 01:05:37 -0500
From:    Jodi Berls <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Opinions wanted!!

In a message posted by Bill Huber, I read:

> > Zyclon B was a product on the market in Germany as an industrial
> > rat killer under a patent held by a German firm.
> you should mention the firm, I think that it was IG Farbin

I.G. Farben sold the patent to two other firms, which then manufactured the
pellets used in the death camps. The two other firms were Tesch/Stabenow and
Degesch. (From Raul Hilberg, *Commandant of Auschwitz*.)

Incidentally, not to get into a whole 'nother grammar thing :-), but since
you're planning to publish this paper, I thought I'd mention that everywhere
else I've seen it, including my own photographs of the tins in the Auschwitz
museum, the gas has been spelled Zyklon B, with a K.

Jodi Berls
[email-masked]

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

Date:    Sat, 25 Mar 1995 01:05:41 -0500
From:    Jodi Berls <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Feedback on Bill's articl...

David Rising wrote:

>The first experiments with gas
were conducted there on prisoners in a prison "dungeon" hallway.

As I recall from my visit there, it's a large cell down in a basement.
"Dungeon" is a real good word for it. Like the French word used to describe
some dungeons -- "oubliette," a place where people are forgotten.

>I know that the gas chamber that is at Auschwitz I today was constructed
after the war, but I can't remember if it was a reconstruction of one that
was blown, or if there never was one there.

The crematorium you can see at the Auschwitz Museum was adapted for use as an
air-raid shelter in mid-1944, and was found by Russian forces in that
condition when they reached the camp. That's why the Germans didn't feel they
had to blow it up. It was  reconstructed in its original form after the war.

Jodi Berls
[email-masked]

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

Date:    Sat, 25 Mar 1995 07:26:00 CST
From:    Larry Goldberg <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Opinions wanted!!

>Hi Everybody,
>
>Please allow me to probe the minds of my friends and  colleagues here
>on the list for a few moments and solicit comments as to the accuracy
>and content of the following article.  I plan to submit it to our base
>paper here at Kelly to accompany a display I plan to do in April.
>
>Thanks for your corrections and comments
>
>Cheers,  Bill Huber / [email-masked]
>
--- clip

Bill,

A good article and very readable overview of the area.

The only suggestion I have is that you might consider referencing some of
the points made by Joseph Cardinal Bernadin in his speech in Israel this
last week.  The Church's involvement (or lack thereof) is/was a significant
factor in this matter as well as anti-Semitism in general.

Thanks for sharing your article with the list.

Larry

            *  My mind is made up, don't confuse me with facts.  *

    Unfortunately (for you), these views represent those of my employer.
                Fortunately (for me), I am self employed.

       Larry Goldberg / [email-masked] / [email-masked]

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

Date:    Sat, 25 Mar 1995 09:09:00 EST
From:    mc killop <[email-masked]>
Subject: Airshows in NE USA

           AIRSHOWS IN THE NORTHEASTERN UNITED STATES, 1995
                       ISSUE 2, March 25, 1995

This is the latest list of airshows in the Northeastern U.S. that I have
been able to compose.  The list is sorted by state and any military aerobatic
team appearing is noted.  Also noted is any known telephone numbers; please
call the telephone number listed for further information. I will gladly
update this list with any additions, changes and/or deletions.  Just e-mail
me at [email-masked]

REASON FOR REISSUE:

 1. Add show at Ft. Meade, Maryland
 2. Add show at McGuire AFB, New Jersey
 3. Add two shows in Duchess County, New York (anyone confirm??)
 4. Add show at Niagara Falls, New York
 5. Add show at Plattsburgh, New York
 6. Correct date for White Lake, New York show
 7. Add show at Falls Creek, Pennsylvania
 8. Add two shows at Manassas, Virginia
 9. Add show at NAS Norfolk, Virginia
10. Add Jul 4 show at Norfolk, Virginia

CONNECTICUT
-----------
New Haven: Sep 9 and 10, New Haven Airfest (203) 481-3769

DELAWARE
--------
New Castle: Oct 14 and 15, Wilmington Air Show

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
--------------------
No Shows

MAINE
-----
NAS Brunswick: Jul 22 and 23, Great State of Maine Airshow (USAF
  Thunderbirds), (207) 921-2256

MARYLAND
--------
Anapolis (USNA): May 29, Commissioning Week Air Show (Blue Angels) (410)
  293-2738
Andrews AFB: May 19 to 21, DOD Open House (USAF Thunderbirds on 20 and 21)
  (301) 981-9692
College Park: Sep 16 and 17, College Park Air Fair, (301) 864-5844
Fort Meade: May 18, Armed Forces Week (Golden Knights)
Frederick: Aug 25 thru 27, Wings of Freedom Airshow (USAF Thunderbirds on
  26th and 27th) (716) 243-2255
Hagerstown: Sep 9 and 10, Great Hagerstown Airshow (301) 791-3333
NAS Patuxent River: May 27, Air Expo '95 (Blue Angels), (301) 826-1141

MASSACHUSETTS
-------------
Hanscom AFB: Jun 10 and 11, Open House (USAF Thunderbirds) (617) 377-9003
NAS South Weymouth: Jun 3 and 4, Open House (617) 786-2949
Otis ANGB: Aug 5 and 6, Cape Cod Airshow, (508) 457-1388

NEW HAMPSHIRE
-------------
No Shows

NEW JERSEY
----------
McGuire AFB: Sep 9 and 10, Open House (609) 724-2358
Pittstown: Aug 4 thru 6, The Magic of Alexandria Balloon Festival, (908)
  735-0870
Sussex: Aug 25 thru 27, Sussex Air Show (201) 875-7337

NEW YORK
--------
Batavia: Aug 18 thru 20, Wings of Eagles Air Show (716) 243-2242
Duchess County: May 12 to 14, Airshow
Duchess County: Sep 30 and Oct 1, Airshow
Elmira: Jul 15 and 16: NY State Int'l Air Show (607) 739-5621
Long Island: May 29, New York Air Show (516) 737-2190
Monticello: Jul 8, Monticello Airshow
Niagara Falls: Jun 24 and 25, Niagara Falls Air Show (Golden Knights) (716)
  236-2198
Plattsburgh: Jun 10 and 11, Plattsburgh Air Show (Golden Knight) (518)
  565-5923
Poughkeepsie: May 13 and 14, Mid Hudson Valley Balloon Festival
Schnectedy: Oct 9, Airshow
Scotia: Sep 9 and 10, Empire State Aeroscience Museum Flight, (518)
  399-0111
Wappinger Falls: May 12 and 13, The Great Hudson Valley Balloon Race, (914)
  462-2600
White Lake: Jul 8 thru 10, Sullivan Co. Air Show (USA Golden Knights) (914)
  794-2211

PENNSYLVANIA
------------
Avoca: Aug 12 and 13, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Int'l Air Show, (717) 655-3077
Beaver Falls: Aug 12 and 13, Beaver Co "Catch the Spirit" (412) 846-9922
Erie: Jul 15 and 16, Erie Int'l Airshow, (814) 833-7343
Falls Creek: Jul 22 and 23, Dubois-Jefferson Co "Aviation Days" (412)
  846-9922
Franklin: Jul 8 and 9, Wings Over Venango Air and Trade Show, (814)
  432-5333
Lock Haven: Aug 10 thru 13, 1995 Sentimental Journey to Cub Haven "WASPs
  Honored", (717) 748-8238
NAS Willow Grove: Jun 17 and 18, Sounds of Freedom (215) 443-6084
Philadelphia: Jun 23 thru 25, Welcome America Air Show (215) 230-8562
Quakertown: Jun 3 and 4, Quakertown Air Festival (215) 997-9519
Reading: Jun 3 and 4, WWII Commenorative Weekend-The Mid Atlantic Air
  Museum (610) 372-7333
Reading: Aug 19 and 20, Reading Aerofest (USN Blue Angels) (215) 372-4666
Williamport: Sep 16 and 17, Williamsport-Lycoming Co Air Show, (717)
  368-3233

RHODE ISLAND
------------
North Kingstown: Jun 10 and 11, RI ANG Air Show (USN Blue Angels) (401)
  886-1423

VERMONT
-------
No Shows

VIRGINIA
--------
Langley AFB: Oct 7, Open House (USAF Thunderbirds), (804) 764-2018
Manassas: May 23, DARE Show (Golden Knights)
Manassas: Sep 9 and 10, Manassas Air Show Classic (703) 250-4619
NAS Norfolk: April 29 and 30, International Azalea Festival (804) 445-6647
NAS Oceana: Sep 23 and 24, Oceana Air Show (USN Blue Angels), (804)
  433-3131
Norfolk: Jun 2 to 4, Harborfest (804) 627-5309
Norfolk: Jul 4, The Nationsbank Town Point Air Show over the Elizabeth
  River at Town Point Park (804) 441-2345

WEST VIRGINIA
-------------
Clarskburg: Sep 17, Airshow

-------------------------------------------------------------------
|  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:    Sat, 25 Mar 1995 08:11:00 CST
From:    Larry Goldberg <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Location of Pictures and Maps

>Looking for FTP sites and Directories where I can find WWII photos and maps.
> I'm looking to put together a report and I do not have a scanner.
>
---clip

Dennis,

You might want to take a look at the Patch School D-Day Page on the WWW.
It provides access to a wide selectionn of maps, documents, photos
(including materials from the National Archives), movies and sounds related
to D-Day and has pointers to other sites.

The URL (address) is:  http://192.253.114.31/D-Day/Table_of_Contents.html.
They also provide direct access top these graphic files through their ftp
site at:  ftp://192.253.114.3/pub/D-Day.

One of the things that I find interesting in their files is the information
from Stars and Stripes.

You might also take a look at E-Hawk (Electronic Headquarters for the
Acquisition of War Knowledge) which has pointers to all sorts of "stuff."
URL is: http://kuhttp.cc.ukans.edu/history/ehawk.

Last, check out The Association for History and Computing Home Page which
has extensive lists of resources available on the Web and pointers to them.
URL is:  http://grid.let.rug.nl/ahc/welcome.html.

Hope this helps.

Best,
Larry

            *  My mind is made up, don't confuse me with facts.  *

    Unfortunately (for you), these views represent those of my employer.
                Fortunately (for me), I am self employed.

       Larry Goldberg / [email-masked] / [email-masked]

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

Date:    Sat, 25 Mar 1995 09:25:00 EST
From:    mc killop <[email-masked]>
Subject: [INF] USAAF 25 MAR 45

COMBAT CHRONOLOGY OF THE US ARMY AIR FORCES
SUNDAY, 25 MARCH 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
  C-46, Curtiss Commando
  F-5, Lockheed Lightning
  P-38, Lockheed Lightning
  P-47, Republic Thunderbolt
  P-51, North American Mustang
  Spitfire, Vickers Supermarine

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, 20+ B-25s and 150+
fighters, operating individually and in flights of up to 8 aircraft,
continue attacks on numerous targets including river, road, and rail traffic,
airfields, troop concentrations, storage areas, horses, and gun positions
throughout S and E China; the detachment of the 22d Bombardment Squadron
(Medium), 341st Bombardment Group (Medium), operating from Peishiyi with
B-25s, returns to base at Yangkai.

  INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 26 P-47s support forces of
the Chinese 50th Division in the Hsipaw area; 44 fighter-bombers and 14 B-25s
attack troops and supplies and hit targets of opportunity along roads behind
the battleline in C Burma; 557 transport sorties are flown to forward areas.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): 2 missions are flown.
  Mission 913: 1,009 bombers and 341 fighters are dispatched to hit seven oil
plants and a tank factory in Germany; they claim 6-4-13 Luftwaffe aircraft; 4
B-24s and 1 P-51 are lost:
  1. 272 B-24s are sent to hti the Ehmen (59), Hitzacker (127) and Bucken
(57) oil depots; they claim 2-4-9 aircraft; 4 B-24s are lost, 2 damaged
beyond repair and 19 damaged; 16 airmen are KIA, 2 WIA and 39 MIA. Escorting
are 223 P-47s and P-51s; they claim 4-0-3 aircraft in the air.
  2. 737 B-17s are dispatched to hit oil plants but bad weather during the
assembly and the increasing possibility of adverse conditions causes the
mission to be cancelled; 3 B-17s are damaged beyond repair and 9 airmen are
KIA.
  3. 47 of 48 P-51s escort Ninth AF B-26s.
  4. 24 P-51s fly a fighter-bomber mission against the Schmalge ammunition
dump; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA).
  5. 11 P-51s fly a scouting mission claiming 0-0-1 aircraft in the air.
  6. 16 P-15s escort 8 F-5s and 3 Spitfires on photo reconnaissance missions
over Germany.
  Mission 914: 10 B-24s drop leaflets in Germany and the Netherlands during
the night.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): In Germany, the 9th Bombardment
Division hits 4 communications centers, 3 marshalling yards, and targets of
opportunity, including flak positions; fighters fly escort, armed
reconnaissance, and missions against several ground targets; fighters support
the US 79th Infantry Division as it pushes 2 miles (3.2 km) to the E of the
Rhine River (SE of Wesel), the III and VII Corps as they begin their breakout
assault toward Altenkirchen and in the Epgert and Willroth areas, and the XII
Corps as it establishes bridgeheads on the Main River in the Hanau and
Aschaffenburg areas.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): In Czechoslovakia, 650+ B-17s
and B-24s strike 2 airfields and a tank works at Prague (the patterns of the
bombs also hit 2 other nearby airfields) and an airfield at Cheb. Alternate
targets that are bombed include Wels, Austria and Udine Airfield, Italy.
P-38s and P-47s escort the bombers, and sweep and strafe the Nurnberg-
Eibelstadt-Wurzburg-Regensburg, Germany areas, and fly reconnaissance
operations.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy during the night of 24/25
Mar, A-20s and A-26s continue intruder missions, attacking Po River crossings
and railroad and motor transport targets; P-47s, during the day, raid
railroad bridges and lines, hitting targets at Lavis, Casarsa della Delizia,
San Michele all'Adige, Pavia, Santa Margherita d'Adige, and other points in
the Po Valley and NE Italy, and bomb fuel dumps N of the battle area; 6
medium bomber missions against bridges and fills in Italy and Austria are
ineffective because of bad weather.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA)

  AAFPOA
    Seventh Air Force: During the night of 25/26 Mar, 5 B-24s from Guam
Island hit Susaki Airfield on Chichi Jima Island. 23 B-24s from Angaur Island
bomb defenses on Cebu Island. The US Marines complete the reduction of the
final resistance pocket on Iwo Jima Island.
    VII Fighter Command: On Chichi Jima Island, 16 Iwo-based P-51s bomb and
strafe Susaki Airfield, and naval and radar installations; 16 more follow
with attacks on a radar station and personnel concentration on the island;

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: Cebu City on Cebu
Island is thoroughly pounded by nearly 70 B-24s. On Luzon Island, other B-24s
hit Legaspi, and B-25s and fighter-bombers fly numerous ground support
missions, especially between Montalban and Laguna de Bay. B-25s attack
Pandanan Island, Philippine Islands. The 6th Combat Cargo Squadron, 2d Combat
Cargo Group, moves from Biak, New Guinea to Dulag, Leyte Island with C-46s;
and the 339th Fighter Squadron, 347th Fighter Group, ceases operating from
Morotai Island with P-38s and returns to base at Puerto Princesa, Palawan
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              |
-------------------------------------------------------------------

25/1424Z MAR

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

Date:    Sat, 25 Mar 1995 09:29:30 EST
From:    John Davis <[email-masked]>
Subject: INF: 50 Years Ago - 25-MAR-1945

On 25-MAR-1945, the following occurred -

World War II - The Battlefronts
-------------------------------
Western Front - In the British 2nd Army sector, the British XII Corps
liberates Wesel. In the U.S. 1st Army sector, the VII and III Corps
continue attacking in the area between Cologne and Remagen. In the 3rd
Army sector, the VIII Corps attacks across the Rhine. The 87th Division
crosses the east bank of the Rhine between Braubach and Boppard. The 6th
Division crosses the Rhine opposite Oppenheim and heads toward Frankfurt.
Elements of the 4th Armoured Division reach Aschaffenburg and Hanau.

Eastern Front - The 3rd White Russian Front captures Heiligenbeil in East
Prussia. The 2nd White Russian Front overruns Oliva, a suburb of Danzig.
The Russian offensive from Hungary towards Austria broadens as troops of
the 2nd Ukraine Front start west to the right of the 3rd Ukraine Front and
captures Esztergom, Felsoegall and Tata.

Philippines - In the XIV Corps area, elements of the 1st Cavalry Division
push from Santo Tomas toward Tanauan.

Iwo Jima - The final pocket of resistance on Iwo Jima is eliminated by
elements of the 5th Marine Division.

Ryukyu Islands - Pre-invasion aerial and naval bombardment continues,
though mine-sweeping operations prevent naval surgace vessels from moving
up to whithin effective rank of Okinawa. Underwater demolition teams go
into action.

The Homefront
-------------
New Tire Priorities - The Office of Price Administration has announced a
new priority list for passenger car tires. Buyers are divided into four
groups, with emergency and critical war industry workers first.

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

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:    Sat, 25 Mar 1995 09:36:00 EST
From:    mc killop <[email-masked]>
Subject: [INF] USAAF 26 MAR 45

COMBAT CHRONOLOGY OF THE US ARMY AIR FORCES
MONDAY, 26 MARCH 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
  C-46, Curtiss Commando
  F-5, Lockheed Lightning
  L-5, Stinson Sentinel
  P-38, Lockheed Lightning
  P-47, Republic Thunderbolt
  P-51, North American Mustang
  Spitfire, Vickers Supermarine

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, 2 missions, each by 4
B-25s, attempt to bomb canneries on the Masugawa and the Hayakegawa Rivers;
fighters drive off the Masugawa mission and the other mision cannot find the
target due to weather. 4 B-24s bomb the Kataoka naval base on Shimushu Island.

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATER

  CHINA THEATER (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 15 B-25s and 80+ fighter-
bombers, operating individually or in small flights, continue to disrupt
mobility and supply lines throughout S and E China, hitting numerous targets
of opportunity chiefly trucks, tanks, supply areas, horses, troops, artillery
pieces; several of the fighter-bombers also considerably damage Puchou
Airfield.

  INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 28 P-47s and 10 B-25s
operating over and behind the C Burma battlelines attack artillery positions,
troop concentrations, road communications, and supply areas; 522 air supply
sorties are being completed throughout the. day.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): 2 missions are flown.
  Mission 915: 337 B-17s and 527 P-51s are dispatched to attack oil and tank
plants in Germany; targets are bombed visually despite poor weather; no
aircraft are lost:
  1. 185 B-17s are sent to hit the synthetic oil plant at Zeitz (12); 130
others hit the Vomag tank factory at Plauen (130), the secondary; targets of
opportunity are Meiningen (25) and Wurzburg (11); 1 B-17 is damaged beyond
repair and 25 damaged; 1 airman is KIA and 5 WIA. Escorting are 194 of 238
P-51s.
  2. 152 B-17s are sent to hit the Vomag tank factory at Plauen (139);
targets of opportunity are Oelsnitz (12) and Markt Erlbach (1); 3 B-17s are
damaged beyond repair and 1 damaged; 18 airmen are KIA. 98 of 121 P-51s
escort.
  3. 110 of 118 P-51s fly a freelance fighter mission for the bombers.
  4. 26 of 27 P-51s escort 12 F-5s and 1 Spitfire on photo reconnaissance
missions over Germany.
  5. 22 of 23 P-51s fly a scouting mission.
  HQ 7th Photographic Group (Reconnaissance) and the 22d Photographic
Reconnaissance Squadron move from Mount Farm to Chalgrove, England with F-5s.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): In Germany, around 300 A-20s, A-26s
and B-26s hit marshalling yards at Wurzburg, Gemunden, and Flieden, the town
of Ruckers, and 2 targets of opportunity; fighters escort the bombers, fly
armed reconnaissance, hit special targets and support various ground forces
along the front; fighter support is accorded the US 2d, 3d, 7th, and 9th
Armored Divisions in the Hachenburg, Montabaur, and Limburg areas, the XII
Corps along the Main River from Frankfurt/Main to Aschaffenburg, and Ninth
Army elements in the bridgehead area around Gahlen. Units moving from Belgium
to Germany: HQ IX Tactical Air Command from Verviers to Bruhl; HQ 48th
Fighter Group and the 492d, 493d and 494th Fighter Squadrons from St Trond to
Kelz with P-47s. The 72d Liaison Squadron, Ninth AF (attached to Sixth Army
Group), moves from Sarreguemines, France to Kaiserlautern, Germany with L-5s.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): 500+ B-17s and B-24s, escorted
by P-51s and P-38s attack marshalling yards at Wiener-Neustadt, Strasshof,
Bruck an der Leitha, and Neunkirchen, Austria, Bratislava, Czechoslovakia and
Szombathely, Hungary; 46 P-38s dive-bomb the bridge at Ybbs, Austria while 26
P-51s, covered by 13 others, strafe rail traffic in the Wiener-Neustadt,
Austria-Vienna-Budejovice, Czechoslovakia areas; other P-38s and P-51s fly
reconnaissance operations.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, weather grounds the
medium bombers and hampers operations in general; during the night of 26/27
Mar, 3 A-20s hit bridges at Cittadella and Verona; fighter-bombers, operating
on a reduced scale, hit communications targets in the W Po Valley, cutting a
road bridge and several railroads, and attacking several targets of
opportunity.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA)

  AAFPOA
    Seventh Air Force: During the night of 26/27 Mar, 3 B-24s from Guam
Island on individual snooper strikes hit Chichi Jima Island. 9 Guam Island-
based B-24s pound Marcus Island in the N Pacific. The enemy makes a final
attack on Iwo Jima in an early morning attempt to infiltrate a bivouac area.
The capture and occupation phase of Iwo ends at 0800 hours when Major General
James E Chaney becomes Island Commander.
    VII Fighter Command: On Chichi Jima Island, 21 P-51s from Iwo Jima Island
bomb and strafe Susaki Airfield while 16 bomb and strafe weather and radar
stations and the town of Kitamura. HQ 21st Fighter Group arrives at Central
Field, Iwo Jima from Hawaii; the 72d and 531st Fighter Squadrons, 21st
Fighter Group, move from Mokuleia Field, Hawaii to Iwo Jima with P-51s.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: On Luzon Island,
B-24s, B-25s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers bomb Legaspi and targets in the area
including a fuel dump at Camalig; fighter-bombers hit numerous targets in the
N at Solvec Cove, Baguio, Mankayan, Sante Fe, and other areas; in the SW,
A-20s and fighter-bombers support US ground forces, hitting Ternate, and
towns in Tayabas and Batangas Provinces. B-24s and A-20s in the C Philippine
Islands hit Cebu City and E coast targets on Cebu Island. B-24s hit Takao,
Formosa. The 6th Combat Cargo Squadron, 2d Combat Cargo Group, moves from
Biak Island to Dulag, Leyte Island with C-46s.

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

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

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

25/1434Z MAR

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

Date:    Sat, 25 Mar 1995 09:43:00 EST
From:    mc killop <[email-masked]>
Subject: [INF] USAAF 27 MAR 45

COMBAT CHRONOLOGY OF THE US ARMY AIR FORCES
TUESDAY, 27 MARCH 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-24, Consolidated Liberator
  B-25, North American Mitchell
  B-29, Boeing Superfortress
  F-5, Lockheed Lightning
  L-5, Stinson Sentinel
  Lancaster, Avro
  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): 25 B-25s hit towns, rail, road, and
river traffic, and targets of opportunity around Kweilin, Liuchow, Hengyang,
Hochih, Kaifeng, Anlu, Ishan, Kiyang, and the Siang Chiang Valley, China and
Nanyang, Burma. 44 fighter-bombers hit trucks, trains, sampans, power
facilities, and other targets around Nanyo, China and Hongay, Son Tay, Na
Cham, Cao Bang, Lang Son, Moc Chau, Muong Hang, and Bac Quang, French
Indochina. In China, 28 fighter-bombers knock out a bridge NE of Liuchow, hit
the town of Szeenhsien, and attack ammunition dumps and road and river
traffic around Hochih, Ishan, Liuchow, Pingnam, Liangfeng, and Kweilin.

  INDIA-BURMA THEATER (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 80+ fighter-bombers over
the battle areas and behind enemy lines in C Burma pound troops and supplies
at several locations including the Mong Kung, Man Namkat, Nam-yang, Tonglau,
Ho-na, Hkai-wun, Longwai, Monglawng, Laihka, and Namlan areas. Transports are
exceptionally active, flying 635 sorties to forward areas.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Operations during the day include:
  1. 110 of 115 P-47s and P-51s escort 262 RAF Lancasters attacking
Paderborn, Germany.
  2. 2 F-5s, escorted by 4 P-51s, fly a photo reconnaissance mission over
Brunswick and Paderborn.
  Mission 916: 9 of 10 B-24s drop leaflets in the Netherlands and Germany
during the night.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS
    First Tactical Air Force (Provisional): HQ XII Tactical Air Command moves
from France to Germany.
    Ninth Air Force: Weather cancels 9th Bombardment Division operations. In
Germany, IX Tactical Air Command fighters patrol the US First Army front; the
XIX Tactical Air Command hits marshalling yards, patrols the Third Army
front, flies area cover from Koblenz to Aschaffenburg to Worms, and supports
the VIII and XII Corps along the Rhine River in the Wiesbaden area and the
Main River in the Frankfurt/Main-Aschaffenburg area. The 14th Liaison
Squadron, XIX Tactical Air Command (attached to Twelfth Army Group), moves
from Luxembourg City, Luxembourg to Oberstein, Germany with L-5s.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): Bad weather limits operations
to 3 P-38 reconnaissance flights.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): Weather cancels all combat
operations. The 416th Night Fighter Squadron, 62d Fighter Wing, moves from
Pisa to Pontedera, Italy with Mosquitos.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA)

  AAFPOA
    Seventh Air Force: During the night of 27/28 Mar 5 B-24s, flying
individual strikes from Guam Island, hit Susaki Airfield on Chichi Jima
Island.
    VII Fighter Command: On Chichi Jima, 16 P-51s from Iwo Jima Island bomb
ammunition stores and the town of Kitamura.

  HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): 2 missions are flown:
  Mission 46: 151 of 165 Mariana Islands-based B-29s flying the first of many
raids in support of the impending Okinawa Island invasion, hit Tachiarai Army
Airfield and Oita Naval Airfield and the Omura aircraft factory on Kyushu
Island, Japan; 3 others hit alternate targets; they claim 1-2-4 Japanese
aircraft.
  Mission 47: 92 of 102 B-29s mine Shimonoseki Strait between Honshu and
Kyushu Islands during the night of 27/28 Mar; 2 others hit alternate targets;
they claim 1-0-0 Japanese aircraft; 3 B-29s are lost; this is first of many
mining operations by B-29s in Japanese waters.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: On Luzon Island,
B-24s, B-25s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers bomb Legaspi, the Balete area, the
Ipo-Siniloan sector, the Batangas area, and several other locations
throughout Luzon; fighters support the US amphibious landings on Caballo
Island in Manila Bay. In the C Philippine area B-24s bomb Negros Island
airfields while B-25s and P-38s hit the Cebu City area on Cebu Island. Other
B-25s bomb Kinsui, Formosa, and B-24s lightly attack Sandakan, 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              |
-------------------------------------------------------------------

25/1442Z MAR

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

Date:    Sat, 25 Mar 1995 10:15:35 -0500
From:    "metod m. milac" <[email-masked]>
Subject: wwii

My colleague, Randall I. Bond, <[email-masked]> asked me to post his
message to the List. Please respond to him directly. Thank you.

Return-Path: <[email-masked]>
>Date: Fri, 24 Mar 1995 14:18:24 -0500 (EST)
>From: "Randall I. Bond" <[email-masked]>
>X-Sender: [email-masked]
>To: [email-masked]
>Subject: wwii
>
>
>Thank you for the WWII posting on the Wurzburg palace and the American
>art historian--some of my professors at Harvard were monuments officers
>during WWII.
>
>Are you on the WWII listserv ? If so would you be willing to post the
>following for me:
>
>For a dissertation examining the 1940s musicals of Rodgers and Hammerstein
>I am looking for individuals who saw Oklahoma!, Carousel, Carmen Jones,
>or State Fair during or immediately after World War II. I am also looking
>for individuals who were stationed on any of the New Hebrides islands
>(the location of R & H's South Pacific) during the war:sailors, marines,
>seabees, nurses especially.
>
>Randall Bond/Fine Arts Librarian/ Syracuse University
>e-mail:  [email-masked]
>
>
>
Metod M. Milac
[email-masked]

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

Date:    Sat, 25 Mar 1995 10:15:00 EST
From:    mc killop <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: PT Boat info request and prospective member.

 >Hi Lou- I've read your posts on SOVHIST-L with great interest. You always have
 >something interesting and informative to say. I decided to write to you for
 >2 reasons: 1. how can I subscribe to the WWII-List?  and 2. I'm writing a
 >paper about the Herreshoff Mfg. Co. of Bristol, RI. They manufactured many of
 >America's Cup defenders late in the last century and on into the 1930's. During
 >WWII however, they went into war production, making PT boats and APC'c. It is
 >my understanding that ALL of the PT's went to Russia as part of Lend-Lease.
 >How might I find out what happened to them and how they were used once they
 >were turned over to the Soviets?
 >Ralph Fasano   [email-masked]

Ralph,

According to AT CLOSE QUARTERS, PT BOATS IN THE US NAVY by Capt
Robert J Bulkley, Jr, Naval History Division, 1962, Herreshoff of
Bristol, Rhode Island build 8 boats that went to the UK and 20 that
went to the Soviet Union.

BPT (British PT) 29-36 were 70 foot Vosprer boats that were transferred
to the UK under lend-lease Mar-Jun 43 and were redesiganted MTB
287-294 by the Brits.

PT 430 to 449, were also 70 foot Vosper boats, that were tranferred
to the USSR under lend-lease, Feb-Oct 44.

The Vosper 70 foot boat was the standard for the Brit Coastal
Forces during WWII but was never adopted the USN.  Those built in
the U.S. were given to the UK and USSR under lend-lease; the Brits
received 56 boats, the USSR got 128.

-------------------------------------------------------------------
|  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:    Sat, 25 Mar 1995 04:00:24 PST
From:    "Keller, Theron P." <[email-masked]>
Subject: INF: USN Chronology 03-25-95

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

1945
03/25 Sun. Battleships, cruisers, and destroyers (Rear Adm. M. L.
           Deyo) bombard Kerama Retto and southeast coast of Okinawa,
           Ryukyu Islands; bombardment of Okinawa area continues
           daily.
            United States naval vessels damaged, Okinawa area:
             Destroyer KIMBERLEY (DD-521), by suicide plane,
              26 d. 02'N., 126 d. 54'E.
             Destroyer escort SEDERSTROM (DE-31), by collision,
              25 d. 00'N., 130 d. 00'E.
             Light minelayer ROBERT H. SMITH (DM-23), by suicide
              plane,
              26 d. 00'N., 128 d. 00'E.
             High-speed transport GILMER (APD-11), by suicide plane,
              26 d. 00'N., 127 d. 20'E.
             High-speed transport KNUDSEN (APD-101), by horizontal
              bomber,
              26 d. 12'N., 127 d. 04'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, 25 Mar 1995 14:49:27 -0600
From:    "Louis R. Coatney" <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Japan's Atrocities (vs. Allied atrocities) (fwd)

'Thought WWII-L folks might find this interesting/useful:

>         The Batan Death March was a responce on the part of the Japanes the
> the cintinued fighting by american forces after their surrender.  When
> the Batan forces had surrended the Japanes believed that the surrender
> was of all american fighting forces in the islands.  When Corrigador
> continued fighting, the American POW lost all protection granted by the
> Geniva Convention of War.

 I see, David.  So because we went on fighting after Kasserine Pass
   Feb43), the Germans would have been justified in brutalizing our
   POWs, too?

 Do you have *anything* to substantiate that we misled the Japanese
   into thinking we were surrendering *everyone*?

 The Japanese were doing everything they could to try to force us
   into a fast surrender, but if they *did* lead *themselves* into
   hoping-believing we were surrendering everyone, the responsibility
   is THEIRS, not ours.

 Even if we HAD misled them deliberately, that still would have been no
   excuse whatsoever for a BataAn Death March for captured Americans and
   Filipinos prisoners.

 DID the Japanese sign the Geneva protocols for prisoners of war?  I
   don't think so.  Humane behavior was ALIEN to the Code of Bushido.
   The Japanese were little different, in value system, from the Apache.

 Your overexerted rationalization for this heinous Japanese atrocity is too
   typical of the self-accusing, evil-excusing intellectual perversions
   of the Politically Correct Generation.  And this is releasing Japanese
   Militarism of its primary guilt for the Asian-Pacific War and ALL the
   atrocities and tragedies which accompanied it.

 The historical/moral foundation of the
   peace the WWI and WWII generations sacrificed, fought, and suffered
   so much for, is being contemptuously discarded for the sake of
   expedient, Truth-forsaking novelties and/or appeasements ... and
   the inevitable consequence of that will be an even greater, more
   terminal horror.  (*Are* you prepared to accept the moral responsi-
   bility for that?)  Maybe Humanity *is* ineducable.

 Meanwhile, the WWII generation is dying off daily.

 > Please remember that at the time of the Rape [of Nanking], even the Japanes
 > admited that they "had lost control of their army."  They did admit
 > the atrocity happened.

 Whatever they "admitted" at the time (for the benefit of their gullible
   apologists in the West?), they *didn't* "lose control" of their
   army!  The atrocities were part of a calculated, PUBLIC program
   of terror to break the will of the Chinese people to resist.  See the
   BEJING WEEKLY article on the Rape of Nanking, David.  See the
   Japanese newsreel footage of the mass executions they made and widely
   disseminated at the time -- to intimidate other peoples/countries
   from coming to the aid of the Chinese, as well, perhaps?

 >                 David Lickiss
 >                 student of hiSTORY
 >                 [email-masked]

 David, I'm really not attacking you personally:  I am attacking your
   *thinking* personally/passionately.  Your viewpoint *is* important,
   even if only -- for *my* purposes -- to illustrate the fallacies
   building in our society.  Thank you for continuing to have the
   courage to post.

 Lou Coatney, [email-masked]

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

Date:    Sat, 25 Mar 1995 15:00:06 -0600
From:    "Louis R. Coatney" <[email-masked]>
Subject: ADMIN:  Grammar and spelling on WWII-L

Joe,

     While I understand and respect your hesitations about
members correcting each other's grammar and spelling on WWII-L,
I ask you to reconsider your prohibition of that for the
following reason(s):

     WWII-L's basic mission *is* educational, and "writing
(skills) across the curriculum" is an important and recent
emphasis throughout American education.  This is especially
true when such mistakes can confuse readers and cause additional
posting, etc.

     I realize many of our members are non-English-speaking --
even non-American-speaking  :-)  -- and allowances should be made
there.  Also, such corrections should be in a friendly vein.

     However, for *everyone's* benefit, noting mistakes of
grammar and spelling would seem to be justified on *any*
educational forum.  I know I certainly want to be informed of
such mistakes I make ... so I don't repeat them somewhere else
even more important.  I want to learn from other's mistakes, too.

     When we do have members posting in Spanish, Russian, etc.,
it will be a good thing ... and educational in its own right.

     I agree that there shouldn't be separate posts on the list
for such corrections, and that sometimes they might be better
made back-channel, but I ask you to reconsider your decision on
this.

Lou Coatney, [email-masked]

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

Date:    Sat, 25 Mar 1995 16:29:10 -0500
From:    "Roger D. Corrie" <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: ADMIN:  Grammar and spelling on WWII-L

Lou Coatney, [email-masked] wrote:
>Joe,
>
>     While I understand and respect your hesitations about
>members correcting each other's grammar and spelling on WWII-L,
>I ask you to reconsider your prohibition of that for the
>following reason(s):
>
>     WWII-L's basic mission *is* educational, and "writing
>(skills) across the curriculum" is an important and recent
>emphasis throughout American education.  This is especially
>true when such mistakes can confuse readers and cause additional
>posting, etc.

I am still new to this list and I see the educational tie in, however I also
see a lot om comradre and from the heart writing.

>     I realize many of our members are non-English-speaking --
>even non-American-speaking  :-)  -- and allowances should be made
>there.  Also, such corrections should be in a friendly vein.

The post I have seen look like they are comming from the Grammar Police and
not very friendly.  I would suggest that an individual who has to point out
a mistake do it directly to the individual and put in the subject Grammar Tip.
My 2 cents.

>     However, for *everyone's* benefit, noting mistakes of
>grammar and spelling would seem to be justified on *any*
>educational forum.  I know I certainly want to be informed of
>such mistakes I make ... so I don't repeat them somewhere else
>even more important.  I want to learn from other's mistakes, too.
>
>     When we do have members posting in Spanish, Russian, etc.,
>it will be a good thing ... and educational in its own right.
>
>     I agree that there shouldn't be separate posts on the list
>for such corrections, and that sometimes they might be better
>made back-channel, but I ask you to reconsider your decision on
>this.
>
>Lou Coatney, [email-masked]
>
CPORog (Roger D. Corrie)            CAG Devil 00 is down I need 5!!!
[email-masked]
http://www.infi.net:80/~cporog/     Is that 5 maintenance min. or 5 real min?
804-427-2200

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

Date:    Sat, 25 Mar 1995 18:28:28 -0500
From:    Jodi Berls <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: GEN USS Ward & Midget Sub

Danny G. Cox wrote:

>I once
learned that upon sinking the sub the skipper of the Ward sent the following
message to Operations at Pearl.  "Sighted sub, sank same." ... Maybe some of
you can either confirm or refute this.

This radio message is usually attributed to navy pilot Donald Francis Mason,
who dropped some bombs on a U-boat from his PBY on Jan. 28, 1942. Michael
Gannon in *Operation Drumbeat* says navy public relations staff prepared the
"Sighted sub, sank same" message for him as a morale-booster to impress the
folks on the home front, and in fact it appears Mason didn't sink anything.
What the hey, it's a good line, no matter where it came from.

Jodi Berls
[email-masked]

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

Date:    Sat, 25 Mar 1995 15:44:36 -0800
From:    James Wilson <[email-masked]>
Subject: Raid on Cabanatuan

(Suspected Duplicate)

INSTALLMENT ONE IN A SERIES

Raid on Cabanatuan
a scenario of the published book
"Raid on Cabanatuan"
by Forrest Bryant Johnson
(C) 1988 A Thousand Autumns Press
all rights reserved
REPRODUCED ELECTRONICALLY WITH PERMISSION
3/25/95

RAID ON CABANATUAN

        On January 9, 1945, the first assault waves of General Douglas
MacArthur's liberating army hit the main Philippine Island of Luzon,
thus beginning the final phase of the Allied Campaign against the
Imperial Army of Japan.

        The road back to Luzon was a long, bloody one, and through it
all a haunting question gnawed at the aging General. What had become of
the 90,000 U.S. and Filipino troops he was forced to leave on Bataan and
Corregidor in 1942?

        Stories reached MacArthur's headquarters by radio from
guerrillas fighting on Luzon. They were horrible reports of a prisoner
of war march of death up the Bataan Peninsula, of  thousands dying in
concentration camps. But, where were those prisoners now? How many
survived the thirty-two months of incarceration?

        Near the end of January, as the liberating forces sliced deep
across Luzon to strike at Manila, guerrillas reported to the 6th U.S.
Army Headquarters that the Japanese were still maintaining a prisoner of
war camp near Cabanatuan City. A secret commando raid was immediately
organized to rescue the POW's before they could be executed. Two elite
units were selected for the dangerous mission...The Alamo Scouts (A
little-known unit similar to our present day Green Berets) and the U.S.
Army Rangers.

        This is the factual story of how less than one hundred and
twenty-five American soldiers, assisted by Filipino guerrillas,
penetrated over twenty-five miles into enemy-held territory to save five
hundred of their comrades. For days, on foot behind enemy lines with
only small weapons, these determined men relied upon their training,
combat experience, ingenuity and the strategy of a young Filipino
guerrilla commander to avoid contact with the major enemy force until
they could launch their attack.  The success of their mission depended
on thoroughness of prior planning, reconnaissance and luck.

        A simple mistake or the betrayal of one native and the mission
could result in the slaughter of both the raiders and the POW's.

        The concern of the Rangers was not only the enemy garrison at
the POW camp. It was also the battalion of Japanese soldiers camped at
Cabu Bridge less than a mile away and the enemy force of division
strength at Cabanatuan City three miles away. Two road blocks of
Filipino guerrillas were to hold the Japanese from reinforcing the POW
camp garrison. The guerrillas were expendable. It was imperative that
they hold the enemy until all POW's were freed and safely
on the way to Allied lines.

        With the help of the guerrillas and civilians, the Rangers and
Scouts successfully liberated 516 POW's from Camp Cabanatuan the night
of January 30, 1945. In the action, the Rangers lost two men who were
killed. One was their beloved Battalion Surgeon. The guerrillas, under
the cool command of a brilliant Filipino Officer, suffered only a few
wounded as they held the Japanese at Cabu Bridge. During those same
hours of combat, over 1,275 Imperial Japanese soldiers were killed. The
Japanese also lost three tanks and three trucks, destroyed by Bazooka
fire. One POW died at the gate of the camp only moments from freedom,
and another POW was accidentally left in the camp. His story, and late
rescue, is almost amusing.

        The Raid on Cabanatuan was the first, and to date, the most
successful mission of its type in U.S. military history. General
MacArthur said of it, "No other incident of the campaign has given me
such personal satisfaction."

        Raid on Cabanatuan is the first to offer the complete story of
the raid in accurate detail. The following is a scenario of the story.

--- TO BE CONTINUED ---
(For info on obtaining a copy of the Book and/or scenario, E-Mail:
Jim Wilson :  [email-masked])

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

End of WWII-L Digest - 24 Mar 1995 to 25 Mar 1995
*************************************************