Disaster at Quatre Bras

Die Braunschweiger bei Quatre Bras 1815¹
Richard Knötel (PD)

Maréchal Davout snapped his glass shut and gave a grunt of satisfaction. Though the casualties were higher than he expected, Prince Jérôme's division had driven the Anglo-Allied skirmishers from the Bossu Wood. In doing so the Prince had suffered a wound which the doctors told him could be mortal. He did not look forward to reporting that to the Emperor.

Gemioncourt Farm was in flames, the Dutch and Belgian dead were piled high in the pyres of that place, the bastards had fought hard for the farm and had inflicted serious casualties on Général de Division Comte Maximilien Sebastien Foy's division. The general himself had fallen at the head of the column which had driven enemy units out of the few buildings at the crossroads itself, but it was now in French hands.

The fighting had sputtered out after dark on Thursday night, Jérôme's men had pressed the fight long after dark, eventually driving the enemy from the wood.

Some British units had managed to reach the area north of the crossroads in the evening twilight. They had marched blithely in column nearly to the crossroads, they had managed to form a rough square just as Jacquinot's lancers hit them. Davout shook his head at the bravery of the Scotsmen, who had been cut to pieces and had fallen nearly to a man. There were very few prisoners.

Now it was simply a matter of getting the men back in their ranks and then finding out how the Emperor had faired over by Ligny. There had been a heavy cannonade in that direction late yesterday and again this morning, now all was silent. Davout wondered if d'Erlon's corps had had any impact on that fight.

Black Watch at the Battle of Quatre-Bras, 1815
William Barnes Wollen (PD)

"Jock, are ye still breathin' laddie?" The voice came out of the night as a hiss, just barely audible.

Sir John Campbell, commanding the 1st Battalion of the 92nd Regiment of Foot, the Gordon Highlanders, braced himself, he was afraid that his right leg was shattered, injured when his horse fell on him.

"Is that you, Bobbie?" The voice sounded like that of Sir Robert Macara, commanding the 1st Battalion of the 42nd Regiment of Foot, the Black Watch.

"Aye, lad, I'm still among the living, though many of my fine lads will sleep beneath Belgian sod this day. We're fearfully cut up."

The two men fell in together somewhere along the main road to Brussels, the French pursuit had stopped with the onset of full darkness. A burning wagon not far off the chaussée lit the scene. Behind Macara a stumbling line of injured Scots, English, and Germans straggled up the road. The shock of sudden combat written on their powder stained faces.

Campbell was sitting in a farm cart, drawn by three of his Gordons. Macara looked down at Campbell's leg.

"I'm told there's a surgeon set up just a bit from here, up in Genappe. German lad, but I'm told he's good. You should let him look at that leg."

"And have him lop it off while the Frenchies are storming up the road outside? I think I'll take my chances on the road, Bobbie."

"It's your life, Jock, I'd hate to see ye throw it away."

One of the Highlanders pulling the cart shushed the two officers, "Beggin' yer pardon, Sir, but we should be moving. It'll be light in a few hours, and Bonaparte is smelling the kill, he is, those bastards will be up early I'd wager."

Macara nodded grimly, "They say Davout is in command over there, man is a bulldog, once he's got his teeth in you, he ain't lettin' go."

"I thought Davout was in Paris?" Campbell asked, somewhat in shock at this news.

"Well, he ain't, he's just down that road."

The Duchess of Richmond's Ball
Robert Alexander Hillingford (PD)

The Duke of Wellington stared down at the map on the table, the Duchess of Richmond's ball was already in progress and had been interrupted by a series of dusty, sweat-stained messengers throughout the evening.

"Bonaparte has humbugged me, by God; he has gained twenty-four hours' march on me. Not only that he has moved far faster and far more decisively than I would have given him credit for."

"Your Grace?"

The Duke looked up, standing before him was a Dutch colonel, one of Perponcher's staff no doubt, "Yes, Colonel? Your report?"

"Davout is in command, coming up the road, he ..."

The Duke leaned in and quietly admonished the man, "Get a grip on yourself, Sir. People are watching."

The Dutch officer took a deep breath then spoke, "It has been confirmed that Marshal Davout is in command of Bonaparte's left wing. They started attacking us late on the 15th and hit us again before sunrise. Gemioncourt was set in flames by howitzer fire, the Bossu Wood was swarming with French voltigeurs,² we were driven out with no chance to rally. Bonaparte's heavy cavalry caught General Picton's division coming down the road, in column, just as the sun was coming up. They were cut to pieces. I fear that General Perponcher is missing, presumed dead. Bylandt has assumed command. He has ordered the Duke of Brunswick to hold at Genappe. Everyone else is to fall back on ..."

The man studied the map, then pointed, "Here, to Mont St Jean, this ridge just south of the village. I believe you're familiar with it?"

The Duke nodded, then turned at a commotion in the street, "What is that bloody noise?" he snapped.

His aide, Colonel Sir William Howe De Lancey, was looking out, he turned and said, "A unit of German cavalry³ Your Grace, they are withdrawing in haste, they seem to be shouting that the French are right behind them."

"Right then, all officers to return to your units, immediately. Assemble at Mont St Jean, my headquarters shall be at the inn in Waterloo. Make haste or we are doomed."

As the officers bustled out, the Duke asked the Dutch colonel a final question, "What of the Prussians? What of Field Marshal Blücher?"

The colonel shook his head, "Defeated, Your Grace. Last reports had them fleeing for Liege."

The Duke closed his eyes for a moment, "Damn it. Damn it to bloody hell!"

¹ "The Brunswickers at Quatre Bras" - Brunswick (Braunschweig auf Deutsch) is a town in central Germany. Back in the day it was known as the Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. It was ruled by a duke, one of whom fell in battle against the French in 1806. His son, the duke commanding troops in the Waterloo campaign also fell in battle against the French, in 1815.

² French light infantry.

³ The Duke of Cumberland's Hussars, a Hanoverian volunteer cavalry regiment, they did indeed flee in disgrace at Waterloo without having faced the enemy.

Lt. Col. James H. Howard MOH

 

 

Ok, this guy is one of my heroes. If you'll look at the picture below you should notice something interesting that'll explain why.  Obviously, he is a successful and skilled WWII fighter pilot.  I mean...12 Kills!  There are not a lot of fighter pilots with that many victories.

But...there are very few, if anyone else, WWII US fighter pilots who have shot down 6 enemy aircraft in the Pacific and 6 in Europe.  Yes, LTC Howard was an American Volunteer Group  (AVG) pilot. The AVG was also known as the "Flying Tigers".  The Flying Tigers were disbanded in July of 1942 and LTC Howard rejoined the Army Air Corps. Hence, the 6 Japanese flags on the side of his P-51.

 A couple of years later (January 1944), he's the commander of the 356th Fighter Squadron, a P-51 Squadron.  The mission for which he is awarded the Medal  of Honor is an escort mission with 50 P-51s assigned to protect 3 divisions of B-17s.  (I have no idea how many B-17's were in a division but I'd bet, at that time in the war, it was a lot!)

Luftwaffe fighters attack the bombers and the P-51 engage.  LTC Howard shoots down one German fighter, but loses sight of his group.  Climbing back to escort the bombers, he sees that they're being attacked by 30  plus German Fighters.  So...What does he do?

He attacks.  He shoots down 2, probably 2 more kills and damages 2 other enemy planes.  Not bad for a single aircraft.  He RTB's (returns to base) and on his post mission walk around his plane, only a single bullet hole was found.  Pretty good flying and fighting skills, I'd say.

 Citation to accompany the award of the Medal of Honor to Lt Col James Howard

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action with the enemy near Oschersleben, Germany, on 11 January 1944. On that day Col. Howard was the leader of a group of P-51 aircraft providing support for a heavy bomber formation on a long-range mission deep in enemy territory. As Col. Howard's group met the bombers in the target area the bomber force was attacked by numerous enemy fighters. Col. Howard, with his group, and at once engaged the enemy and himself destroyed a German ME. 110. As a result of this attack Col. Howard lost contact with his group, and at once returned to the level of
the bomber formation. He then saw that the bombers were being heavily attacked by enemy
airplanes and that no other friendly fighters were at hand. While Col. Howard could have waited to attempt to assemble his group before engaging the enemy, he chose instead to attack single-handed a formation of more than 30 German airplanes. With utter disregard for his own safety he immediately pressed home determined attacks for some 30 minutes, during which time he destroyed 3 enemy airplanes and probably destroyed and damaged others. Toward the end of this engagement 3 of his  guns went out of action and his fuel supply was becoming dangerously low. Despite these handicaps and the almost insuperable odds against him, Col. Howard continued his aggressive action in an attempt to protect the bombers from the numerous fighters. His skill, courage, and intrepidity on this occasion set an example of heroism which will be an inspiration to the U.S.Armed Forces.

 He retired in 1965 as a Brigadier General and passed away in 1995.  He is buried in Arlington. 

 

 

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_H._Howard 

http://354thpmfg.com/images/img/blog/thumb-4.jpg

https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/11-january-1944/ 

 

The Battle is Joined on the Right

Fighting outside Ferme d'en-Haut, Ligny during the Battle of Ligny
Richard Knötel (PD)

The sweat-soaked messenger saluted as he handed the scrap of paper he carried to Berthier. The Marshal took the paper, read it, then a slight smile spread over his face. The smile vanished when the Emperor came into the headquarters.

"I saw that smile Berthier, what devilment are you up to?"

Berthier looked straight at the Emperor, blushed slightly, then answered, "Sire, the corps of the Comte de Lobau¹ has executed the maneuver ordered for them and they are in a position to intercept Thielmann's Prussian corps moving off of our right flank."

It was Napoléon's turn to blush, he realized in that moment that he had completely forgotten about VI Corps. He had left them near Charleroi, intending to bring them up to join his right wing as soon as battle was joined with the Prussians. He decided to bluster his way through this, all of the staff were watching.

"Ah yes, uh, excellent, but who gave you the authority to issue orders to Mouton?"

At that moment there was a footstep behind the Emperor, who turned.

"I gave those orders, Sire. You gave me command of the right wing, I assumed that included the Comte de Lobau. He was not mentioned in the forces you consigned to Maréchal Davout, so I took the initiative, Sire." Maréchal Soult looked uncomfortable, he had experienced the Emperor's wrath in the past and fully expected it to be unleashed on him now.

The Emperor looked taken aback for a moment, then he recovered, "Soult, you were always a decent strategist. Now if only your tactical acumen was as good!"

With that Napoléon spun on his heel and left the headquarters. Soult looked expectantly at Berthier.

"By dint of marching most of the night, Lobau has cut the road from Namur to Sombreffe. I also have word that his engineers managed to get to the bridges in Namur before Thielmann was able to cross. They damaged the bridges badly, at last report the Prussian engineers were struggling to effect repairs. Thielmann won't arrive much before Friday evening. That is, if he can get by Lobau."

"How many men does Lobau have on the field? And how on earth did his engineers reach out that far to get to Namur?" Soult looked surprised.

"Second thing first, he mounted his engineers and the supplies they needed to damage the bridges. As to Lobau's strength, he barely has 9,000 men, 32 guns, and of course, we weren't able to provide him with any cavalry before the campaign. So he's light on the ground, very light." Berthier answered, consulting his notes.

"Thielmann's strength? Do we have any idea?" Soult now looked concerned, he had had no idea of the weakness of Lobau's VI Corps, he didn't have many more men than Prince Jérôme had in his single division!

Berthier paged through one of his notebooks, he found what he was looking for, then sucked his breath through his teeth. "Thielmann has roughly 25,000 men and 48 guns. Luckily, his corps is mostly militia, what the Prussians call 'Landwehr.'"

Soult grumped and said, "I know what they call their militia, that's a plus for us, but that is a lot of men. Let us pray that Lobau doesn't get swamped!"

Source

Georges Mouton, Comte de Lobau sat his horse uneasily, though his men were well positioned, they were outnumbered by early three to one. His three small divisions under Simmer, Jeanin, and Teste were deployed to block the road to Sombreffe and force the Prussians to deploy for battle. The hope was that that would give the Emperor time to crush the only two corps which Blücher could deploy this day. Bülow's corps, even though marching hard from the area of Liege, would be lucky to arrive by Saturday, the 17th of June.

Mouton's divisional guns were deployed to enfilade the Prussians when they deployed into line. His corps artillery, 12-pounders, anchored the center of his line. Should the enemy prefer to advance in column, those guns would plunge down the length of that formation. Both ends of his line were anchored by infantry in square, he had no cavalry to speak of, should the Prussians attempt a flanking movement, his corps might be in deep jeopardy. Fortunately both of those flanks were also anchored by the stout farm buildings common to the area.

"Mon Général! Voilà les Prussiens!"

The shout from one of his aides got his attention, coming around the bend in the road to the south was a column of Prussian infantry. The game was afoot!

Prince August leading his regiment (2nd Silesian Infantry Regt) at the Battle of Kulm, 1813
Carl Röchling (PD)

The Emperor watched as Vandamme's corps slammed into the Prussian lines before the village of St. Amand, cannon smoke was already obscuring much of the field and now the smoke from thousands of muskets further clouded his view of the troops fighting for their lives. Napoléon handed his glass to an aide, it was useless in this atmosphere.

"Soult! Any word from Mouton?"

Soult wondered why the Emperor always referred to the Comte de Lobau by his name, rather than his title, "Yes Sire, Thielmann attacked and the Count managed to hold his ground. The Prussians are apparently attacking with great valor, but very little finesse!"

Napoléon grinned, "I have always said Soult, my sheep is a lion!"²

Soult nodded, then it struck him, the Emperor seldom called men by their titles, always, it seemed, by their names. Perhaps it was because it was the Emperor who gave all of them their fancy titles. Titles which the Bourbons scoffed at and refused to acknowledge. Perhaps that is why so many of those men returned to Napoléon's service when he returned from Elba. Lord knows it wasn't because they loved war. Soult for one was heartily sick of the entire business.

The Duc de Dalmatia³ mounted his horse, he needed to have Ney bring up the men of the Young Guard.⁴ Vandamme's fight was slow going, as was Gérard's. IV Corps was having a tough time making headway against the Prussians to his front. A though struck him, he turned to one of his aides.

"Charles!"

"Sir?"

"A message to Maréchal Davout if you please. Have I Corps march on Marbais at once, d'Erlon can leave one division with the left wing. Also a message to Maréchal Ney, he is to advance the entirety of the Young Guard at once. They are to reinforce Général Gérard's attack on the Prussian left!"

The aide hesitated for a moment, "I shall also inform Maréchal Berthier of these orders, he will know the best way to get them to the right people."

Soult, angered at the young officer's impertinence, shook his head angrily, "Dispatch those orders now! Maréchal Berthier will be notified in due time!"

"What orders are those, Soult?"

The Marshal turned his horse, how did the Emperor always seem to show up at times like these?

"Orders to Ney to send the Young Guard forward to reinforce Gérard. Orders to Davout to dispatch d'Erlon's corps to hit the Prussian right."

Napoléon nodded then told the aide, "See Maréchal Berthier at once, have those orders dispatched in my name. I'm sure Maréchal Soult does not think my marshals answer to him."

Soult blanched, "Of course not, Sire, I simply wished to ..."

"Enough!" the Emperor looked at the aide, who hadn't moved.

Napoléon's look was enough to cause the young captain of hussars to gallop off to headquarters as if the devil himself was at his back.

¹ The title of Général de Division George Mouton, commanding the VI Corps of the Armée du Nord.

² "Mouton" is the French word for sheep.

³ Soult's title, given to him by Napoléon for his actions at Austerlitz. Napoléon insulting Soult's tactical ability is absurd. He had praised Soult for his tactics at Austerlitz in 1805.

⁴ The Imperial Guard had three components, the Old, the so-called Middle, and the Young Guard. The Old Guard were the most experienced regiments, whereas the Young Guard, as the name might imply, were less experienced.

Raymond L. Knight MOH

 As y’all start reading this, Mrs J and I are on our way to London, where we’ll meet up with Little J and family for our cruise through the Norwegian Fjords. I’ve been told internet is available, but who knows. And…I’ll be 9 hours ahead so don’t expect answers to your comments much after 1300 Texas time. They will resume around midnight Texas time, assuming internet availability, of course.

As Sarge is wont to say, chat among yourselves.

Now, On with the Post!

 

1st Lt Raymond Knight 

Source

 

Okay, I couldn't find an awful lot of data on this hero's story beyond what's contained in his Medal of Honor Citation.  But, I'm here to tell ya', strafing is a nerve racking attack.  I did it on pretty much every range mission I flew (dropping practice bombs on a bombing range). A couple of thousand hours in an F-4 and you go to the range a LOT!  

Strafing on Range missions mean you are VERY low to the ground and you close to about a thousand yards distance before pressing the trigger.  You are traveling at about 450 nautical MPH which is probably pretty close to the P-47 attack velocity.  You have 2-3 seconds to fire so no room for mistakes and the ground is VERY close.  And that's in peace time, nobody is firing back at you.  So, IMHO, this is a well deserved Medal of Honor.

On with this Hero's story.

Citation for the award of the Medal of Honor to Lt Raymond L. Knight.

He piloted a fighter-bomber aircraft in a series of low-level strafing missions, destroying 14 grounded enemy aircraft and leading attacks which wrecked 10 others during a critical period of the Allied drive in northern Italy. On the morning of 24 April, he volunteered to lead 2 other aircraft against the strongly defended enemy airdrome at Ghedi. Ordering his fellow pilots to remain aloft, he skimmed the ground through a deadly curtain of antiaircraft fire to reconnoiter the field, locating 8 German aircraft hidden beneath heavy camouflage. He rejoined his flight, briefed them by radio, and then led them with consummate skill through the hail of enemy fire in a low-level attack, destroying 5 aircraft, while his flight accounted for 2 others. Returning to his base, he volunteered to lead 3 other aircraft in reconnaissance of Bergamo airfield, an enemy base near Ghedi and one known to be equally well defended. Again ordering his flight to remain out of range of antiaircraft fire, 1st Lt. Knight flew through an exceptionally intense barrage, which heavily damaged his Thunderbolt, to observe the field at minimum altitude. He discovered a squadron of enemy aircraft under heavy camouflage and led his flight to the assault. Returning alone after this strafing, he made 10 deliberate passes against the field despite being hit by antiaircraft fire twice more, destroying 6 fully loaded enemy twin-engine aircraft and 2 fighters. His skillfully led attack enabled his flight to destroy 4 other twin-engine aircraft and a fighter plane. He then returned to his base in his seriously damaged plane. Early the next morning, when he again attacked Bergamo, he sighted an enemy plane on the runway. Again he led 3 other American pilots in a blistering low-level sweep through vicious antiaircraft fire that damaged his plane so severely that it was virtually nonflyable. Three of the few remaining enemy twin-engine aircraft at that base were destroyed. Realizing the critical need for aircraft in his unit, he declined to parachute to safety over friendly territory and unhesitatingly attempted to return his shattered plane to his home field. With great skill and strength, he flew homeward until caught by treacherous air conditions in the Appennines Mountains [sic], where he crashed and was killed. The gallant action of 1st Lt. Knight eliminated the German aircraft which were poised to wreak havoc on Allied forces pressing to establish the first firm bridgehead across the Po River; his fearless daring and voluntary self-sacrifice averted possible heavy casualties among ground forces and the resultant slowing on the German drive culminated in the collapse of enemy resistance in Italy.
 

Lt Knight with the Battle Damaged P-47 he flew the first day.

Source

I'm not sure, but this picture might have been taken after his first attack.  He returned the next day and died when he took a lot of AAA hits and his extremely damaged aircraft became unflyable and crashed.  He was the last Army Airman to be awarded the  MOH in WWII .  

 

Source

 

1st Lieutenant Raymond L. Knight (at right) and crew chief Sergeant Marvin Childers, with Republic P-47D-27-RE Thunderbolt 42-26785, marked 6D5. This is the fighter bomber that he flew on the final mission. It was extremely damaged and crashed killing the Lieutenant. The P-47 pictured was named “OH JOHNNIE” after his wife. (U.S. Air Force)

 

Rest in Peace, Warrior! 

 

 All Sources used for this post.  Some are just used for my better understanding of the event and not actually quoted in the post. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_L._Knight 

https://www.af.mil/Medal-of-Honor/Knight/ 

https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/24-april-1945/ 

https://valor.militarytimes.com/recipient/recipient-2631/   

https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/24-april-1945/ 

https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/knight-raymond-lee 

 

Greetings from Kaigan-mura!¹

海辺の小さな村から、ご挨拶申し上げます。²

No, The Chant has not been kidnapped by the Japanese but I couldn't resist putting the caption for the screen shot above in Japanese. I mean the game I've been playing (far too much to be somewhat honest) is set in 14th/15th Century Japan. As I mentioned yesterday, the game is Sengoku Dynasty. (Chase the link to read about it.) It is addictive, fun, and hard to stop playing once you've got the hang of it.

Sort of.

I stumbled across this game while wandering through the Steam store, the preview looked interesting. Especially as I am interested in that period of Japanese history. The name of the game translates to Warring States Dynasty (戦国王朝 Sengoku ōchō). The Sengoku period in Japanese history covers that time when warring lords (大名 daimyo) were fighting to impose control over all of Japan. It ended when the Tokugawa shogunate was established, some date it ending from three years earlier after the Battle of Sekigahara.

Anyhoo, the game doesn't really simulate any of that, the premise is that you (your character in the game who you can name) is shipwrecked along with another person (a female) on an uncharted coast. All you can do in the beginning is craft stone tools, cut down trees and break up rocks to build simple shelters. (You start by building a fire and a lean-to for the aforementioned lady.) You also have to gather food.

Well, as you progress from the Stone Age, to the Bronze Age, the Iron Age, and such, you gather other refugees from around the area. Learn new things, build a village, then a bigger village, etc., etc. You also can have raiders come in to steal your stuff. While you can turn that off, they are a pain the ass in the early stages of your village's development, it can be "fun" to fight those bastards off. If you don't they'll steal half of your stuff.

So yes, I've been playing it a lot lately. If you don't keep your villagers happy (housed, clothed, warm, and fed) then they leave. It takes a while to get the hang of providing the right resources and jobs (so they can make themselves happy) and at first I was bummed to have my villagers just up and leave, two or three at a time if you've got a village of thirty to forty souls.

After a while I just said, "Screw it, you want to leave, then leave." I was having fun going on quests, hunting, seeking out and destroying bad guys (which is fairly straightforward once you develop the capability of producing quality steel weapons), I provided the shelters, the tools, the fields, even the damned seed. Yup, I'm a typical 15th Century warlord.

After a bit of tinkering with the game, I discovered that all my villagers were knocking off work before noon! Seems I had to set their production levels to keep them busy producing the stuff they weren't getting because they weren't working but half a day.

So they don't leave as much as they used to ...

Anyhoo, that's what I'm up to. Being retired is way more fun than I expected!

So have a nice day, I have to go hunt down some pirates and wipe them out.

Oh, and it seems the villagers want a brewery now! I tell you, they're never happy!

Sayōnara!

¹ It's the name of my favorite village in the game, Kaigan-mura (海岸村) is Japanese for Coastal Village. I built it on a beach, the main residence is "The Beach House," a small mansion owned by my character, Mifune Toshirō (三船 敏郎). Yes, one of my favorite actors of all time. You know him as Toshiro Mifune.

² Greetings from a small village by the sea.

Background Briefing

(Click to embiggen, or chase the link)
Source

So JB sent me this excellent graphic (above) a couple of weeks ago, and as I'm feeling extraordinarily lazy on this Friday afternoon (as I write) I decided to use the graphic in order to provide you, dear readers, with a bit of background on the armies of Napoléon's time.

(You there, in the back, wake up, this material WILL BE on the final exam. JK)

Anyhoo, much as it is today, military units in Napoléon's time consisted of a number of building blocks, from the individual soldier all the way up to an entire army, everything is, ya know, organized. I mean it's what makes an army credible and efficient. Well, that and the training the soldiers receive and how well they are taken care of (food, clothing, housing, medical care, etc. Oh yes, and pay, how could I forget pay?).

The basic tactical unit for the infantry was the battalion, for the cavalry it was the squadron, and for the artillery it was the battery. Organizations and uniforms tended to change over time, sometimes at the sovereign's whim, but most often due to practical necessity.

For instance, as noted above, French infantry battalions consisted of nine companies of 100 to 120 men per company. That's the 1805 table of organization, by the time of the Waterloo campaign, the number of companies per battalion had been reduced to six. This is what happens when you lose a lot of officers and non-commissioned-officers in combat. The invasion of Russia crippled the Grande Armée¹, the disastrous campaigns of 1813 and 1814 didn't help matters. The French were on the defensive and were eventually pushed back inside the borders of France and the Emperor was forced to abdicate.

So the battalions of the Waterloo campaign were smaller than those of earlier campaigns. The number of men per company did remain more or less the same.

If you'd like a more exhaustive view of Napoléon and his army (now don't all rush at once) you can chase this link, but beware, I've spent many hours over there, going down one rathole after another.

Now what, you may ask, has caused me to dial things back a bit on this series? Well, here's one answer ...

My character in Sengoku Dynasty² standing on the porch of his beach house.

My character in Sengoku Dynasty standing on the beach in front of his house.

I mean y'all knew I played computer games, right? And not to belabor the point, I am, ya know, retired and now have time to indulge myself with such things.

I'll get back to my Napoleonic "What If" series on Tuesday, I've got to figure out how to have the French win one battle which was actually a draw, of sorts, (Quatre Bras) and to make the victory at Ligny even bigger than it was. Because Napoléon didn't destroy the Prussians at Ligny, they got away and lived to fight another day, at Waterloo itself.

So until then, keep your powder dry and your nose to the wind.

¹ The Grand Army, usually what the Emperor called his main army up until it was practically destroyed in 1812, in Russia.

² Great game, for those who partake in such things, it's available on Steam, a fine purveyor of computer games. I've spent a lot of time (and money) over there, didn't feel either was wasted. YMMV

A Life well lived - Col Bud Day MOH

 

 

 

This is a rerun, but it's also one of my favorite ones.  The only Medal of Honor recipient I've ever met in person.  I think you'll like this story as well as gain a large amount of respect for the Vietnam POW's.  I know I did.

 

So...There I was.*  Late Fall 1979, second year of the second worst president ever, going through F-4 training at Luke AFB outside Phoenix AZ.  I'm the Student Duty Officer, a position of almost supreme authority in an RTU squadron (RTU-Replacement Training Unit).  I, and I alone, am responsible for answering the telephone.  "XXX Fighter Squadron, Lt juvat speaking, how may I help you sir?"  

 

The first launch is in the process of successfully committing aviation.  Very few people are in the squadron building.  There is, of course, a Duty Officer present, somewhere, in case the hot line from the Supervisor of Flying calls.  (The SOF is in the Tower, to handle any emergencies that arise.  Lots of fun.  Nothing to do, but read the paper and ostensibly supervise the Tower Crew.  Never needed to do anything with them when I became a SOF.  Each crew was led by a senior NCO, at least a Tech Sgt, mostly a Master Sgt.  Professional's all.  Nope, the SOF was there for emergencies,  as in the first person hung should something bad happen.  Usually not the last, but definitely the first.  Anyhoo, back to the story.)

Where was I?  Oh...Duty Officer.  Yep, there's an IP or IWSO somewhere in the building that I can get to handle any questions I can't answer for the SOF, such as  "Who's flying front seat in Killer 02? "

"That would be 2Lt Shmuckatelly, Sir"

"Oh, Lord! Not Shmuckatelly!"

"Yes, Sir"

See...Supreme Authority.  I can bring combat seasoned Field Grade Fighter Pilots to tears.  I can also do that when I'm flying, but that's another story for another time.

Oh, and the Squadron Commander and/or the Ops Officer are present in their office.

I do NOT want to involve them.

Now, usually, there is a Duty NCO present also.  That person actually runs the Duty Desk. However, at this point, that person (rank anywhere between  Airman First Class E-3 and Staff Sergeant E-5) is off taking care of some other task, such as assisting with the next day's schedule.  Any bonehead 2Lt can answer a phone and scream for help if needed, right?

I'm settling in with a cup of coffee and a Dash 1 (light reading, it's the bible for Pilots AKA the Aircraft Flight Manual. How systems work.  Checklists, Emergency Procedures.)  I am within a couple of days of graduating and being officially a fighter pilot (which is different than Fighter Pilot, one's an AFSC (Air Force Specialty Code, lets the peronnel folks know what your qualifications are) the other's an attitude).

As I said, I'm sitting there by my lonesome when I hear the front door open.  I look up and there's an OLD man walking in.  White hair, glasses,  wearing an overcoat, but there's something about him, an air of authority, perhaps.  Something.

Now, while others may disagree, I'm not stupid.  I err on the side of caution.

Standing up, I say "Welcome to XXX Squadron, Sir, I'm Lt juvat, How may I help you?" 

"Hello, Lt, I'm here to see your Commander" he says as he walks up to the duty desk while taking off his overcoat (had to have been raining out as it's never actually cold in Phoenix).

As he gets to the desk, he sticks out his hand and as I'm reaching to shake it, I see his lapel pin.  Very small bar, painted light blue with five stars on it.

"I'm Col Bud Day"  

Now, This was before the internet and only a few years after Vietnam.  I knew who he was, that he'd been a POW and that bad things had happened to POWs.  But, it wasn't until a few years later, that I learned just how much of a hero he was.

Source

That's what I want to share with you.  Back when I first posted this story, Sarge was posting on the folks on the masthead and Col Day's Medal of Honor Citation was included.  Folks, that Citation doesn't even begin to describe how he earned that Medal.

I just finished re-re-reading (no misspelling there, this was at least my third time through) American Patriot by Robert Coram.  I highly recommend it.  If you do read it though, have a box of kleenex and a stiff drink handy .

An interesting story from the book was a flight he had in the F-84 in England.  He was recovering to base when the engine exploded and he was forced to eject.  The Air Force had just developed new parachutes specifically for jet fighters.  Previous versions, designed for prop airplanes, could not sustain ejection at jet speeds.  However, the bands that kept the parachute intact at high speed, did not allow the parachute to deploy at low speed and low altitude.  Col Day ejected at about 300' and the chute failed to open.  He miraculously survived the fall.  As he regained consciousness, the flight surgeon said "Obviously, God has something planned for you."    Which stuck with him and got him through a lot of the turmoils in his life.

When he was shot down in Vietnam, he was almost immediately captured.  However, he managed to escape and make it back to South Vietnam, evading capture for 3 weeks.  He managed to make it to within a couple of miles of a Marine base before stumbling into a VC patrol setting up for an ambush.  Surprising them, he attempted to run, but was shot and recaptured.

This was the event that  went "Above and Beyond".

Col Day's Citation:

On 26 August 1967, Colonel Day was forced to eject from his aircraft over North Vietnam when it was hit by ground fire. His right arm was broken in 3 places, and his left knee was badly sprained. He was immediately captured by hostile forces and taken to a prison camp where he was interrogated and severely tortured.

After causing the guards to relax their vigilance, Col. Day escaped into the jungle and began the trek toward South Vietnam. Despite injuries inflicted by fragments of a bomb or rocket, he continued southward surviving only on a few berries and uncooked frogs.

He successfully evaded enemy patrols and reached the Bến Hải River, where he encountered U.S. artillery barrages. With the aid of a bamboo log float, Col. Day swam across the river and entered the demilitarized zone. Due to delirium, he lost his sense of direction and wandered aimlessly for several days.

After several unsuccessful attempts to signal U.S. aircraft, he was ambushed and recaptured by the Viet Cong, sustaining gunshot wounds to his left hand and thigh. He was returned to the prison from which he had escaped and later was moved to Hanoi after giving his captors false information to questions put before him.

Physically, Col. Day was totally debilitated and unable to perform even the simplest task for himself. Despite his many injuries, he continued to offer maximum resistance.

His personal bravery in the face of deadly enemy pressure was significant in saving the lives of fellow aviators who were still flying against the enemy. Col. Day's conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Air Force and reflect great credit upon himself and the U.S. Armed Forces

Seems a little tame for a Medal of Honor citation.  But I'll explain why I think that was a little later.

In any case, he is carried to Hanoi where he's imprisoned in Hoa Loa, AKA the Hanoi Hilton, where he will spend the next 5 1/2 years under the kind, compassionate care of the North Vietnamese. (Satire intended.)

Reading this next part of the book is difficult.  "I don't know that I could have handled that..." ran through my mind many times.  His first "quiz" was part information gathering, but mostly punishment for having escaped and embarrassing the North Vietnamese and they nearly killed him during it.

Returned to his cell, he is nursed back to health kept alive, by a B-57 Pilot shot down at about the same time.  The B-57 pilot was also quizzed, but somehow is not as badly injured as Col Day.  The quizzing continues and Col Day over time loses feeling in his hands, cannot hear out of his right ear, has had his shoulders disjointed several times.  Through all of this the only information he has given them are false names of his fellow pilots, using the names of second rate movie actors and such.

His cellmate is not badly hurt and in fact is released in February of '68.  Col Day, while grateful to him for helping him survive, does not speak highly of him throughout the remainder of his book.

Things go downhill after the Tet Offensive and from June of '69 through October, Col Day goes through hell.  Probably literally.  He is "quizzed" every day.  These quizzes were even more brutal than usual.  Stripped, he was whipped with a fan belt.  The two North Vietnamese doing this would spring from the opposite side of the cell and run at him while swinging the fan belt, thereby maximizing the force on his body.  This would go on until he was unconscious.  They would allow him to regain consciousness, then begin again.  Sometimes two or three times a day.  For three months.  His wounds were so great that he still had welts and lesions 3 years later when the POWs came home.

For his successful protection of information that might have given "aid and comfort" to the enemy, Col Day would be  awarded the Air Force Cross. His citation:

The Air Force Cross is presented to George Everett Day, Colonel, United States Air Force, for extraordinary heroism in military operations against an opposing armed force as a Prisoner of War in North Vietnam from 16 July 1969 to 14 October 1969. During this period, Colonel Day was subjected to maximum punishment and torture by Vietnamese guards to obtain a detailed confession of escape plans, policies, and orders of the American senior ranking officer in the camp, and the communications methods used by the Americans interned in the camp. Colonel Day withstood this punishment and gave nothing of value to the Vietnamese, although he sustained many injuries and open wounds to his body. Through his extraordinary heroism and willpower, in the face of the enemy, Colonel Day reflected the highest credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.

Again, somewhat banal of a citation for the Air Force's second highest award for valor.

Anyhow, He attributes his survival to his mantra "Return with Honor" and the no chute ejection and the thought that God had a plan for him.  At this point, he believes that plan involves his leadership of the fellow POWs.  Which he does admirably until '73.

But, finally, LBJ is replaced.  Nixon has had enough of North Vietnamese BS and orders Linebacker 2.  I challenge anyone to read the book, get to the part where the bombs are going off all over and the POWs are singing the Star Spangled Banner, and remain dry eyed. I can't.

Shortly, thereafter, the POWs are repatriated based on date of shoot down.

Col Day reunited with his wife, Doris.  Yes really!

Col Day is in the third installment along with his former cellmate and friend John McCain.  While they disagreed on politics, they remained lifelong friends.

I thought it spoke well of the man, that while President Ford officially awarded Col Day the Medal of Honor, he later asked President Nixon to re-award it to him as a gesture of thanks that he had "bombed them out of prison".

Col Day manages to fool the flight surgeons into putting him back on flight status with 31 waivers and flies the F-4 as the Vice Wing Commander hoping to eventually take over the wing.  However, whilst in Korea during that war, he had landed his F-84 at an F-86 base and run afoul of the F-86 Squadron Commander, Maj Robert Dixon.

Dixon would go on to become a 4 Star and the Commander of Tactical Air Command and had stated "none of those neurotic POWs will ever become Wing Commanders in TAC" and that he was "tired of them riding the POW horse".    What a guy jerk!  I also believe there was probably a bit of influence attempted to interfere with Col Day's Medal of Honor award and citation.  (Full disclosure: My Dad also ran afoul of Dixon while assigned at Nellis, Dad's last station. No, I don't have any respect for that SOB Dixon.)

Col Day realizes that his USAF career is at an end and retires in 1977.  He becomes a lawyer in Florida and still has that feeling that "God has a plan for him".  He's quite successful, and after Billy Jeff is elected,  reads a magazine article saying retired military no longer receives free medical care.

When I saw the man, that morning in the squadron, chronologically he was 67,  he looked and walked like he was 80.  Suffice it to say, he had health issues.  He decides to sue the US government and wins.  This is a multi-billion dollar change in the budget,  Billie Jeff had already appropriated that money that had been moved out of health care and was well into spending it.  The Government appealed but Col Day won.

Col Day was not finished, and continued pushing and Tricare for Life was added.  Tricare for Life (as I am beginning to find out) pays for the difference between what medicare pays and the bill, less deductible etc.

Source

Clearly, God did have a plan for Col Day's life.  He executed that plan quite well.  He passed away in July of 2013 and was posthumously promoted to Brigadier General in March of '18.

Just to clarify. in 2013, Barry O was president. In 2018, Donald Trump was President. Just a coincidence I’m sure!

Source

I have a lot of respect for a lot of people I know or have read about.  Col Day is # 1 on the list.  I think you can see why that is.

 

Rest in Peace, Warrior!