tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post8578484737193934903..comments2024-03-28T22:08:48.577-07:00Comments on Chant du Départ: BuddiesOldAFSargehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-34103495116118341522018-05-24T19:18:57.980-07:002018-05-24T19:18:57.980-07:00Good comment, don't worry about the lateness V...Good comment, don't worry about the lateness Victor, you brought your A-Game!OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-45641175219455190522018-05-24T18:14:03.311-07:002018-05-24T18:14:03.311-07:00This is late but what the heck! :)
The excellent ...This is late but what the heck! :)<br /><br />The excellent fire support provided by the USN at Roi-Namur was provided by units under Rear Admiral Richard "Close-In" Conolly. He believed that strong fortifications can only be neutralized by a direct hit which can only be achieved from the shortest range possible. Because of this belief Conolly brought in his battle-wagons as close as 2,000 yards from Roi Namur. Literally point-blank range. Marines really loved "Close-In" Conolly! :)<br /><br />- VictorAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-74792018551697531822018-05-23T15:49:36.664-07:002018-05-23T15:49:36.664-07:00Don't sweat the typos, I always think faster t...Don't sweat the typos, I always think faster than I can type. Of course, I type really, really slow.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-41967979468831999922018-05-23T15:48:36.180-07:002018-05-23T15:48:36.180-07:00Damn, yeah, torpedoes are "delicate" thi...Damn, yeah, torpedoes are "delicate" things.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-23913911651633501952018-05-23T13:36:14.259-07:002018-05-23T13:36:14.259-07:00'All that WAS left...'
Stupid me typing s...'All that WAS left...'<br /><br />Stupid me typing slower than my thoughts are flowing. Sometimes trouble occurs.Beansnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-40665347005352723442018-05-23T13:34:06.591-07:002018-05-23T13:34:06.591-07:00Greatest single incident of casualties amongst the...Greatest single incident of casualties amongst the Marines that day.<br /><br />Never ever ever toss a satchel charge into a fully loaded Japanese torpedo warhead magazine. Or anyone else's fully loaded torpedo warhead magazine. Mr. Fully Loaded Torpedo Warhead Magazine is not your friend, is no friend of your direct fellows, and is not very nice to the guys in the boats in the lagoon half a mile away...<br /><br />To tell you how big it was, the Japanese used coral for their concrete, which increased the structural strength of the concrete by a very significant amount (see aforementioned comment about 14" AP battleship rounds punching holes in bunkers.) and all that was chunks splattered all over the place. Chunks unfortunately including some Marines. <br /><br />I think that qualified as a 'bad day.'Beansnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-4559386692301522792018-05-23T13:32:45.517-07:002018-05-23T13:32:45.517-07:00Roger that!Roger that!OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-24283421668009102822018-05-23T13:09:09.936-07:002018-05-23T13:09:09.936-07:00"Said folks exist all over the country by the..."Said folks exist all over the country by the way, not just in the middle." You're right about that, and those greatest generation folks could be written about every single day here at The Chant, Pvt Rush and PFC Woodman are not alone in their great-American-ness.Tunahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04930237104692982421noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-73998475683216347992018-05-23T05:09:59.690-07:002018-05-23T05:09:59.690-07:00That must have made quite a loud boom.That must have made quite a loud boom.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-1049945436098625842018-05-22T20:09:21.815-07:002018-05-22T20:09:21.815-07:00Even though the Marines were well prepared for Tar...Even though the Marines were well prepared for Tarawa, afterwards they significantly increased their materials needs. The change between Tarawa and Roi-Namur materially was quite significant. It was not my intent to make it sound like the Army did it all. They (the Army) thought they knew everything until Makin/Betio, and the after action basically told them to go get Marine help. They listened and worked out with the Marines what worked and what didn't and what changes both forces needed to change (MORE AMTRACKS!!!!!) Future Army forces spent much time training on various Hawaiian islands with Marine instructors and graders.<br /><br />The emphasis on much better fire support (to the extent of getting remarkably close to the perimeter reefs) and the need to take outlying islands for use as fire bases for the upcoming attack on the primary target were both driven by the Marines, and the Army was very glad to follow their lead.<br /><br />The after-action report on Roi-Namur was quite favorable regarding the excellent fire support given by all Navy ships (having seen some of the bunkers with 14" entrance holes, very amazing fire control. Sucks to be the ones inside the bunker, though.) The only real negative about R-N was pointing out that one should not target or use a satchel charge on a torpedo storehouse (the image of a huge mushroom cloud over the island is a spectacular example of what conventional things can do: https://www.worldwarphotos.info/gallery/usa/pacific/kwajalein/23rd-marines-on-roi-watch-giant-explosion-on-namur/<br /><br />Central Pacific Theater was a very different war than any other theater.Beansnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-24921727542988756792018-05-22T18:08:42.921-07:002018-05-22T18:08:42.921-07:00God Bless the Corps.God Bless the Corps.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-6292181659048412152018-05-22T17:26:35.824-07:002018-05-22T17:26:35.824-07:00During Operation Galvanic, Tarawa was taken by the...During Operation Galvanic, Tarawa was taken by the US 2nd Marine Division. Makin was the objective assigned to the US Army. The Army wasn't really prepared for the Makin operation as evidenced by how long it took them to capture Makin from 300 plus or so Japanese soldiers. On the other hand, 2nd Marine Division was well trained, equipped and motivated though they weren't properly supported by the USN. If they weren't well trained, equipped and motivated they wouldn't have been able to capture heavily fortified Tarawa.<br /><br />From his book Coral and Brass, Maj. Gen. Howlin' Mad Smith tells us that Tarawa should have been left to wither on the vine like Truk and other Japanese held islands. It was an unnecessary bloody victory. It was also an objective foisted upon the USMC by the higher-ups in the USN and in Washington.<br /><br />The modern form of amphibious warfare that we take for granted today originated from the USMC and they were the ones who trained the first amphibious capable US Army units.<br /><br />Coral and Brass is a good read!<br /><br />- VictorAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-91037443991756252592018-05-22T13:12:00.876-07:002018-05-22T13:12:00.876-07:00The Engineers had a tough job, building bridges un...The Engineers had a tough job, building bridges under fire.<br /><br />I salute his memory.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-61648808620658706022018-05-22T13:10:53.617-07:002018-05-22T13:10:53.617-07:00It's good that you remember him Barry.
It'...It's good that you remember him Barry.<br /><br />It's important.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-39148390351287345092018-05-22T13:04:22.080-07:002018-05-22T13:04:22.080-07:00John Lewis was killed in action around Namur, Belg...John Lewis was killed in action around Namur, Belgium. On the 6th of September, the 23rd was involved in constructing a 525 foot treadway bridge across the Meuse River, acting as infantry in the bridgehead on the enemy side of the Meuse, and construction of a 110 foot treadway bridge across the Sambre Canal at Namur. It is lost to history where he was killed....<br /><br />-BarryAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-11881553008218747882018-05-22T12:55:01.405-07:002018-05-22T12:55:01.405-07:00Chinquapin Cemetery in East Texas. Many relative b...Chinquapin Cemetery in East Texas. Many relative buried there since the 1800's. One gravestone in particular of a local boy from when the county only had a population of 12,000 or so. His family and mine have intermarried over the decades so he is a distant relation...<br /><br />In Memory Of<br />CPL. John D. Lewis<br />Co "C", 23rd Armored Engineers<br />Killed In Belgium, Sept. 6, 1944<br />In The Service Of Our Country<br />Donated By His "Buddies" <br /><br />I make it a point to visit whenever I'm in that area....<br /><br />-Barry<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-43997219937529282052018-05-22T12:26:02.644-07:002018-05-22T12:26:02.644-07:00Good point Beans. Forlorn Hope describes it well.Good point Beans. Forlorn Hope describes it well.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-41143041177003332562018-05-22T12:24:11.699-07:002018-05-22T12:24:11.699-07:00No prob!No prob!OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-77204928328894849582018-05-22T11:37:45.169-07:002018-05-22T11:37:45.169-07:00I can't even imagine how it felt for those men...I can't even imagine how it felt for those men. Knowing, after December 7th, that they were abandoned, on the farthest end of an ill-supplied supply line, knowing the Juggernaut was coming for them. (And Dugout Doug doing a very credible version of Baghdad Bob, or was Bob doing a credible version of Doug, hmmm, checking the Timeline, oh, wait, looks like Doug was imitating Neville Chamberlain...) And finding out your superior superior in-theater wasn't the superior choice that should have been made.<br /><br />To survive the Death March, knowing that what you were going to was going to be equally bad, or worse. Soul crushing. Especially once it became known that the Pacific was playing 2nd Fiddle to the European threats. The early Pacific, the forgotten war. Where we bled ill-equipped and ill-prepared men, fed them into a wood-chipper. (It was really the reality of Tarawa (Bloody Tarawa) that, quite frankly, shocked the leaders and forced them to finally re-evaluate the materials requirements for invasion and sustained combat. (Official US Army history shows a radical uptick in daily supplies required for island-hopping styles of fighting. 'Units' of fire went up by almost double or triple depending on weapon, more spare weapons in sealed containers, many much more first aid supplies, down to spare footgear and uniforms (coral islands eat clothing), all saw huge increases and priorities for immediate landing after the troops, even to landing under fire (so spares of spares were ordered and prepped and landed.)<br /><br /><br />These men were truly in a 'Forlorn Hope.'Beansnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-12912919454392558202018-05-22T09:51:05.934-07:002018-05-22T09:51:05.934-07:00Good point. Thanks for the assist. I also meant to...Good point. Thanks for the assist. I also meant to remark that is was most gratifying to see that dog-eared copy an know that many others cared enough to remember.RHT447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-13629282421483036662018-05-22T09:26:56.862-07:002018-05-22T09:26:56.862-07:00Same here Skip. Awe.Same here Skip. Awe.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-25051071888392957782018-05-22T09:26:33.017-07:002018-05-22T09:26:33.017-07:00You're welcome Paul. I felt their story needed...You're welcome Paul. I felt their story needed a wider audience.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-79015580917973101432018-05-22T09:25:45.626-07:002018-05-22T09:25:45.626-07:00This site has the story. (PDFs can be dangerous!)
...This <a href="http://www.eat-drink-and-carry-a-gps.com/living-in-budapest/every-day-adventuresyup-its/a-bracelet-in-the-sand/index.html" rel="nofollow"><b>site</b></a> has the story. (PDFs can be dangerous!)<br /><br />Thanks for sharing this RHT447.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-14604786803361698912018-05-22T09:21:43.502-07:002018-05-22T09:21:43.502-07:00Thank you for making known to me these two fine Am...Thank you for making known to me these two fine Americans.<br /><br />Thanks for the post.<br />Paul L. QuandtAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-14130650679464472018-05-22T09:20:48.213-07:002018-05-22T09:20:48.213-07:00This reminded me of two other individuals: My fat...This reminded me of two other individuals: My father, who was in the USAAF in India and was killed being transported to China; and my uncle, who enlisted in the Navy Reserves in 1939, was activated in 1940, was at the invasion in North Africa, and then, later, at Okinawa.<br />Yes, they were similar to us.<br />They just had more intense experiences.<br />I still hold them in awe today.(not necessarily your) Uncle Skiphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02705753220273516841noreply@blogger.com