80th TFS, "The Juvats"

 

Okay, Campers, I was wide awake in the middle of the night a couple of weeks ago (yes 0100 military time, 1AM for all the rest of you).  It's a Monday Morning.  I had a post up so not real worried about a subject to post (it's too late anyhow for this week).

Then I got a lightning bolt idea.  I haven't done a article on the History of the 80TFS aka THE "Juvats".   So... Hang on to your hats or, if necessary, your Toupee!*

 

Hmmm, maybe I should try one!  Source

 

OK, Humor's over, on with the show. 

What would eventually become the 80th Fighter Squadron was activated as the 80th Pursuit Squadron as part of the 8th Pursuit Group at Mitchel Field NY on 10 January, 1942, a little over a month after Pearl Harbor. 

Assigned at Port Moresby, they began flying combat missions in P-39's on 22 July 1942. Their first aerial kill took place on 26 August, 1942. Many more would follow over the next few years.

Source

In January 1943 they transitioned to the P-38 which they flew until the end of the war.  The extended range of the P-38 was an excellent aspect to fight in the vast distances in the Pacific.

 

Source

 

 During this period, there Squadron became known as the "Headhunters". Which stuck with them until recently.

The squadron was deactivated 26 Dec 1945 after 3 years of combat.  It was reactivated 20 Feb, 1947.  Hmmm! Not quite two years after deactivation, something special must have been in their future. That would be the first US jet fighter, the  P-80 .It started out P-80, then the Air Force decided this class of airplanes should be called "Fighters". Hence the F which is still the configuration code.)

While it seems obsolete to us, back in the day, this was the hottest fighter in the world, the P-80 Shooting Star Source

That was followed after a couple of years with the F-86.

 

F-86 Sabre Source 

  

Then again in the F-100.

Not in Juvat Color Scheme, couldn't find one. Source

 Then the F-105. While flying this aircraft, they were sent TDY** to Southeast Asia AKA Vietnam, where they flew 2,657 missions over North Vietnam.

 The Thud. Met a lot of guys in my Dad's Squadron that had flown or would fly this jet.  Not everyone  came back. Source

 

In the early 80's, the Juvats were assigned to Kunsan AB ROK.  They also were flying F-4D's.  About this time, I was assigned to this squadron.   It was a HOT jet and taught me a lot about being a fighter pilot, newer jets did a lot of the job for you.  This one didn't.

I've flown THIS Jet, with THIS tail number! Source

    

The WP stood for Wolf Pack, the Wing's nickname. I think I remember, after my return to the States, that the Juvat's got invited to Red Flag.  This picture must have been taken there.

Then, the Juvat's got a new jet.  No, not an Eagle.  If they had I'd have volunteered to return to the squadron in an instant.  But...They got....Half an airplane.

Source

 

1 Engine instead of 2, 2 heat seekers instead of 4. (Zero radar missiles until the AMRAAM came out.) 

Yep, half an airplane.  Unfortunately, Heads up Display displayed quite a bit of classified info on the video tapes or I'd put one in here. 

But that's the history of the 80th TFS.  The entire 8th TFW, (the Juvats and the Pantons (our nickname for the other squadron , the 35th TFS "Panthers" at Kunsan) was absorbed into the "Super Squadron" in Osan AB ROK. Three squadrons melded into one with ~80 airplanes in it.  In my day that was called a "Fighter Wing", but what do I know.

What I do know is the USAF lost an extremely fine and historic squadron.  More's the pity.

Peace out y'all!
 

*No, I don't have a toupee.  I have a solar panel on the top of my head that gets me through the day. 

**TDY- Temporary Duty. You're going to go out take care of a mission and return to your home base. 

In case you're interested I used these sources for squadron histories and pictures. There's a lot more squadron history in them than I mentioned.  Well worth your time.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/80th_Fighter_Squadron

https://80fsheadhunters.org/news/deactivation-of-the-80fs 

https://80fsheadhunters.org/ 

https://www.kunsan.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Article/412725/80th-fighter-squadron/ 

https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/80th_Fighter_Squadron  

https://www.usafunithistory.com/PDF/75-100/80%20FIGHTER%20SQ.pdf 

https://grokipedia.com/page/80th_Fighter_Squadron 

 

There but for the Grace of God ...

Kronprinz Friedrich Wilhelm an der Leiche des Generals Abel Douay, Weißenburg am 4. August 1870
Anton von Werner
Source

There are a number of superb paintings with the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 as their subject. (You can see some of them at the source above.)

While reading about the war I came across the story of Général de Division Charles Abel Douay, who at the age of 61 was recalled to active duty from his post as president of the French military academy at Saint-Cyr and given command of a division under Maréchal Patrice de Mac-Mahon.

At the Battle of Wissembourg, the first battle of the war, Douay's division, some 6,000 men, holding positions in and around the town of Wissembourg was attacked by elements of the German 3rd Army, which consisted of two Prussian and one Bavarian corps, (25,000 men) the III Corps of that army being commanded by the Prussian Crown Prince, Friedrich Wilhelm Nikolaus Karl, the son of the Prussian king (soon to be Kaiser) Wilhelm I. (Note, Wilhelm I had fought at Waterloo, 55 years earlier.)

The French fought bravely, their Chassepot rifles causing lots of German casualties, also their positions in and around the town gave them excellent positions from which to defend. However, the Germans, though their attacks were uncoordinated and somewhat sloppy, eventually used the weight of their superior numbers to drive the French from the town, street by street, in bitter house to house fighting.

The French cause was not helped by the death of Douay who was hit by shell fragments when a Prussian shell hit a nearby mitrailleuse¹ battery. The general's death not only demoralized his own troops but the French army in general. 

The painting depicts the Crown Prince of Prussia observing the body of his dead opponent sometime after the battle. A scene I found touching and immensely sad. Especially when you notice the presence of the small dog lying across the general's feet at the foot of his improvised bier.

It's worth noting that the artist, Anton von Werner was actually traveling with the staff of the III Corps during this battle. After action paintings are often glorified looks at otherwise horrific scenes. I wonder how accurate this painting is as to what the scene was actually like.

In truth, I don't care. It depicts well the sadness of loss, even as experienced by an opponent. The Crown Prince of Prussia succeeded his father, Wilhelm, as Kaiser (Friedrich III) for only a short while before dying from cancer, an illness he'd been diagnosed as having just before his father's death.

His son succeeded him, Wilhelm II. The man who fired Bismarck and plunged Germany into the First World War and all the horrors which followed. He doesn't bear sole blame but he does share that with other short-sighted European leaders.

Sounds familiar, doesn't it?

¹ A multi-barrel early machine gun. Effective but nearly as effective as the Gatling gun.

A Battle and A General You May Not Know ...

British and Austrian Infantry Advance on Blindheim Village¹
Source

The Battle of Blenheim (which you may or may not have heard of) was the greatest victory of a British general on the continent since Henry V defeated the French at Agincourt some 300 years earlier. It would be eclipsed by the Battle of Waterloo a little over a hundred years later. Which may be why you've never heard of it.

Sir John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, was a member of the family which gave the world Sir Winston Churchill as well as Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales. (Whose older brother Charles wrote an excellent account of the Battle of Blenheim which I'm nearly done reading.) He's the general you may or may not have heard of and the victor at Blenheim.

In order to rectify any gaps in your knowledge of European history which might exist, I give you the following, from a fellow on YouTube known as The History Chap². Sorry lads and lassies if I've given ye another way to waste time. But history is important. And sometimes it rhymes ...

So yes, I'll be spending some more time with The History Chap and I'm starting to hear from The Muse that the War of the Spanish Succession might be a great setting for a bit of historical fiction. It's a fascinating period in European history what with Louis XIV³ throwing his weight around.

By the way, the aforementioned war was fought because the King of Spain died without leaving an heir. So Louis XIV volunteered his grandson to take that throne. Other European countries, particularly Austria, objected. So, true to European custom (and truth be told, human custom), they fought a war over it, killing thousands to benefit the few.

The "noble" few.

Sigh, there's an old story there. Which is why we Americans threw off that particular yoke.

Do we ever learn?

Hard to say.

Editor's Note: As I write this, it's snowing, again. Yay, sarcastically, of course. It's pretty, but enough already!

¹ Blindheim is known as Blenheim in English.

² The fellow is a great storyteller, though his pronunciation of Bavaria drives me nuts. Then again, I know it as Bayern, not Bavaria, regardless of that latter name's pronunciation. 🙄

³ The Sun King, surely you've heard of him? (Sorry for calling you Shirley ...)

Culloden

An Incident in the Rebellion of 1745
David Morier
Source

Let it be known: Now I may have some of what follows wrong. The story of that time period being very complex to say the least. I mean whole books have been written about it. I'm simply giving you some background before presenting the video I mentioned yesterday.

In human history, the family is led by the father, the tribe by its chief, the nation by its king. Whenever humans have gathered, there seems to be the necessity to have someone in charge. That person is backed by violence, more usually the threat thereof.

The strongest get to be in charge and they will always gather to them those who wish to be near the seat of power. That's how armies began.

Europe in the early 18th Century was a web of kingdoms, principalities, bishoprics, dukedoms, and the like. France was a very big deal, the English were just starting to get their act together as a nation. Spain grew weaker by the decade, Austria stumbled along with its polyglot empire, Prussia was stirring (and would become a very large problem in the century to come), and all the little lands in between just wanted to keep their heads above water and their local rulers in power.

What about Russia, you might ask. Elizabeth, daughter of Peter the Great sat upon the throne. Peter had dragged the Russians into the modern era and they were a power to be feared in the east, but they were still far away in most European minds.

In the Scottish Highlands, the clan system ruled. Powerful chieftains ruled the land at the king's pleasure, Robert the Bruce had set it up that way. But in 1603 the nations of Scotland and England were joined under one king, James VI of Scotland. He ascended to the throne upon the death of Elizabeth I, becoming James I.

He was succeeded by Charles I (who if you remember died under the headsman's axe as England fell to Cromwell and his ilk). Long story short, Charles II was "restored" to the throne after Cromwell's death and his kid brother, James (James II in England, James VII in Scotland) succeeded him upon Charles II's death.

Now James had been much exposed to the Catholic church while in exile in France during Cromwell's time. He was a Catholic ruling over a Protestant nation. Things came to a head when he was overthrown by a group of Protestant nobles who invited William of Orange (a Dutchman) to take the throne with his wife Mary, daughter of Charles I of England.

Now James and his second wife (Mary of Modena, both the King and Queen were now Catholic) had had a son, James Francis Edward Stuart. James had also decided to ease up on the persecution of Catholics and non-Church of England Protestants within his realm.

The specter of that son restoring Catholic power in England did not sit well with the Church of England nor a number of powerful nobles in the realm. So James was "sent off" and William brought in. When William died he was succeeded by Anne, a daughter of James II and ... ad infinitum it seems.

Dear Lord but the lines of the English monarchy are confused and intertwined.

Anyhoo, Anne was succeeded by George I, who wasn't even English but a German! Who was succeeded by George II, his son.

Now James Francis Edward Stuart was kicking his heels in Italy as Dad was no longer king. Someone had the bright idea to bring him back to Scotland and from there overthrow the British monarchy and restore Catholicism to Great Britain! (And get that German off the throne as well!)

Which led to the Rising of '45 and the defeat of the Highlanders at Culloden in 1746. As I mentioned yesterday, I grew up believing a certain set of "facts" which were really a collection of facts, myths, and family stories. Believe me, the 1745 Rising was not taught in school. (As was a lot of history being glossed over or completely ignored in school!)

All that being said, here's the video, it's over an hour long, made in the '60s, made by the BBC, but for all that, it rings true to me, given all the other things I know. (Or at least think I know.) It also has the benefit, in my mind, of being very good and entertaining, though as always YMMV.

All that being said, I still say ...

Scotland Forever!

It's in the blood dontcha know?

Interesting New Time "Waster"

Screen capture from the video

I recently stumbled across a new channel on YouTube, Sector White. Their focus seems to be on Finnish participation in World War II and, I hope, Finland's own war with the Soviet Union. The video I've posted below isn't bad. Much better than a lot of the crappy AI I've seen elsewhere lately.

I guess if you really work at it, you can make some pretty amazing stuff with AI.

Either that or this channel has somehow managed to time travel back to Finland during WWII!

Enjoy!

Yes, I am still being lazy ...

Hey, I'm retired, and loving it!

Why Not Just Make a Copy?

MG-42 machine gun
Batey ha-Osef museum, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Source

It's a topic which might only interest me although no doubt others (perhaps even some of you readers out there) have thought of this as well. That topic is, as the photo might suggest, the MG 42 machine gun used by the German military in WWII. It was so effective, and freaked out our guys a lot, so why didn't we copy it?

As I found a good video of the whys and wherefores of why the United States didn't simply copy the MG 42, and as I have been extraordinarily lazy as of late, I decided to post the following video as to why we didn't copy it.

Before getting into all that, I have to say that the MG 42 was a very effective weapon. It formed the basis of the German infantry squad, three men operated and supported the weapon, a noncommissioned officer decided what to do with it, and the other six men in the squad protected it. (More complex than that but you get my drift, the gun was the heart of the German squad.)

Allied soldiers related how a German squad, even after taking a number of casualties, remained highly effective because of the MG 42. Lose the gun, and the squad loses most of its firepower.

The video covers most of the above and much more, including why we didn't just copy it. My sense of the matter is two-fold: the "not invented here" syndrome and bean counters. Why bean counters you might ask?

The beast could fire around 1200 rounds per minute, so it could go through a lot of ammo really quickly. And bullets, dontcha know, cost money.

The Spencer rifle in the Civil War met much the same opposition from the government. As it could fire around 14 to 20 rounds a minute, the Ordnance Department was worried that the soldiers would waste a lot of ammunition. (Source)

Anyhoo, I have had one experience with the MG 42 back during my reenacting days. I was detailed to hump ammunition for our squad's MG 42. As it was blank ammo, it wasn't quite as heavy as the real thing. But two cans of belted blanks and my rifle made for a rather unwieldy load. But I managed.

We got into position, loaded up, then waited in ambush for our victims.

When they emerged into the forest clearing, my gunner squeezed the trigger.

"Bang!"

A single round fired, the belt would not feed.

Huh?

Okay, when firing blank ammunition out of a semi-automatic¹ or automatic² weapon, you need what's called a blank adapter. As no bullet issues from the barrel there is less force to drive back the bolt of the weapon. Extracting the just fired round and loading the next. So the blank adapter "seals" the barrel of the weapon, causing enough pressure to blow the bolt back. (There is a mechanism to allow some of the gas to escape. This article has a fairly good explanation, and pictures, of what I'm on about.)

My gunner had forgotten to attach his blank adapter. So to fire the weapon he'd have to cock the bolt and pull the trigger each time. We were overrun rather quickly before we got off a second round.

Anyhoo, let's watch the video, shall we?

We made a copy during the war, which sucked, but eventually did kinda sorta copy the MG 42 after the war. The M60 of Vietnam fame was the result of that.

Cool, huh? (YMMV)

See you next time, ciao!

¹ Semi-automatic = Cock the weapon and pull the trigger, the weapon will reload itself after each round but you have to keep pulling the trigger, once per round.

² Automatic = Cock the weapon and pull the trigger and the weapon will continue to fire until you're out of ammunition. (Or the weapon jams. 😒)

Climb Mount Niitaka¹

The U.S. Navy battleship USS Maryland (BB-46) alongside the capsized USS Oklahoma (BB-37) at Pearl Harbor. The USS West Virginia (BB-48) is burning in the background.
U.S. Navy photo 80-G-19949

Eighty four years ago, on a peaceful December morning on the island of Oahu, the world changed forever. If you were alive at that time, you remember exactly where you were when the Japanese Empire attacked elements of the United States Armed Forces on a calm Sunday at and near Pearl Harbor.

As today is the 7th of December, and is also a Sunday, I could not, in good conscience, neglect to mention that day and that event.

Nearly all of the men and women who fought that day have passed on, what they went through that day, and in the four years that followed, should never be forgotten. That is our duty.

We must never forget.

Much of what follows is fictional, it is my tribute to those who fought, and those who died, at Pearl Harbor, on the 7th of December, 1941.

A date which will forever live in infamy.

Source

Jack looked up from his place in the formation just as the band struck up the National Anthem. Were those our birds from Enterprise, Lexington, or Saratoga coming in? Maybe it was the Army, sure were a lot of aircraft in the air for a Sunday. Paying no further attention, his eyes watched the Colors go up into the bright Hawaiian sun aboard USS Nevada.

Lieutenant, Junior Grade, Saito Hiroto was focused on staying in formation on his lead. He didn't want to give Lieutenant Commander Watanabe anything to complain about, which the aircraft commander loved to do. His Kankō² was a little heavy with its big Type 91 torpedo slung underneath and the morning air over the mountains was a bit unstable. But there, dead ahead, lay Pearl Harbor. No time to fret now, the attack would be pressed home.

At 0755 hours ...

At the Command Center on Ford Island, Comdr. Logan C. Ramsey looks out a window to see a low-flying plane. A reckless U.S. pilot, he thinks. Then he sees “something black fall out of that plane” and realizes it’s a bomb.

Ramsey runs to a radio room and orders the telegraph operators to send out an uncoded message to every ship and base: AIR RAID ON PEARL HARBOR X THIS IS NOT DRILL

The coordinated attack begins as dive-bombers strike the Army Air Forces’ Wheeler Field, north of Pearl Harbor, and Hickam Field, near Ford Island’s Battleship Row. The Japanese, wanting control of the air, hope to destroy American warplanes on the ground.

Most U.S. planes have been parked wingtip-to-wingtip in neat rows to make it easy to guard them against sabotage. Most are destroyed.

Boatswain's Mate 3rd Class Jack Nowicki staggered momentarily as he ran to his battle station. He was still marveling how quickly the Nevada's band got through the anthem, but the nearby bomb explosion refocused him on the task at hand. They needed to start fighting back.

LCDR Watanabe released the weapon, reminding himself to compliment Saito on his flying, he had never held the aircraft so steady in training. Perhaps the pilot's given name³ was more apt than he originally thought. As the big torpedo fell away, Watanabe could feel the aircraft lift slightly. Smoothly, LT(JG) Saito used the momentum as part of his pull up, easing the stick back to pull the big Nakajima B5N up and over the American battleship they'd dropped on.

Easily clearing the mast head of what he had misidentified as the Nevada (they had actually dropped on Nevada's sister ship, Oklahoma), Saito could hear the chatter of his gunner's (Petty Officer 3rd Class Nakano Kenji) machine gun opening up on targets of opportunity as they overflew their target.

For his part, PO3 Nakano actually saw their bird's torpedo strike the side of the American ship. He had just started to shout "Banzai" when the first .50 caliber rounds struck the aircraft.

BM3 Nowicki saw the tracer rounds from his .50 falling just aft of the Japanese torpedo bomber as it flew over the Oklahoma. Adjusting his fire he had the satisfaction of seeing his rounds intersecting the fuselage of the "Kate." As smoke started to pour from the target, Jack shifted his fire to another enemy aircraft.

LCDR Watanabe Jirou was killed instantly as Jack Nowicki adjusted his aim. The first two rounds went through the Japanese bombardier/navigator's equipment, the third went through him. He never knew what hit him.

PO3 Nakano knew something was wrong when the aircraft commander's blood sprayed back over him. There was a lot of blood. He felt the aircraft shudder then falter as more rounds struck further forward. Realizing that there was nothing he could do, he went back to his duty, firing his machine gun whenever a target presented itself.

LT(JG) Saito felt something tug at his leg as something struck the engine. Smoke started to pour back, making it difficult to see. He looked down to his left, wondering why the throttle was not responding. There was his hand, still on the throttle. He felt sick, his forearm was no longer attached to his body. Why did he feel so sleepy?

Femoral artery severed, Saito died within seconds of being hit. As he sagged forward in his seat, his right hand fell from the control stick, the big Nakajima went into a shallow dive, no one at the controls, the engine faltering. In the chaos of the attack, in the billowing smoke from the dying ships and the devastation on Ford Island, only one man was aware of what was going on inside aircraft number 318, from the carrier Akagi.

Model of the B5N's crew compartment.
Pilot's seat is to the left, the bombardier/navigator's position is in the middle, the gunner's seat is on the right.
Source

PO3 Nakano tried to look forward to see what was wrong with his pilot. There was too much smoke, he couldn't see LT (JG) Saito, he couldn't see LCDR Watanabe either. Neither responded to his shouting over the voice tube between the cockpits. Looking outside, he noticed that they were low, too low, and the aircraft seemed to be in a lazy uncoordinated turn to the left.

The aircraft's left wingtip touched the waters of the Middle Loch at a very shallow angle, but it was enough of an impact to tear off the left wingtip and turn the aircraft violently to the left. Pieces of the Nakajima spun over the water and splashed down as the main body of the fuselage, intact, slid beneath the waves. Carrying its dead crew with it to the bottom of the harbor.

BM3 Nowicki was exhausted, his uniform was filthy, more gray than white. He was taking a breather before the Chief came back to let them know what was next. His ship was aground, who knows if his berthing space was still intact, all he had at the moment were the clothes on his back. Sometime during the attack he'd lost his dixie cup somewhere, Lord knows where. But he was alive and as he looked around the harbor, he realized that there were a lot of guys who weren't.

Dixie Cup

Transcript of Joint Address to Congress Leading to a Declaration of War Against Japan (1941) 

Mr. Vice President, and Mr. Speaker, and Members of the Senate and House of Representatives: 

Yesterday, December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan. 

The United States was at peace with that Nation and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its Government and its Emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific. Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in the American Island of Oahu, the Japanese Ambassador to the United States and his colleague delivered to our Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message. And while this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or of armed attack. 

It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time the Japanese Government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace. 

The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian Islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. I regret to tell you that very many American lives have been lost. In addition American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu. 

Yesterday the Japanese Government also launched an attack against Malaya. 

Last night Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong. 

Last night Japanese forces attacked Guam. 

Last night Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands. 

Last night the Japanese attacked Wake Island. And this morning the Japanese attacked Midway Island. 

Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday and today speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our Nation. 

As Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense. 

But always will our whole Nation remember the character of the onslaught against us. 

No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory. I believe that I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost but will make it very certain that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us. 

Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory, and our interests are in grave danger. 

With confidence in our armed forces—with the unbounding determination of our people—we will gain the inevitable triumph- so help us God. 

I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire. Source

Total number of American military personnel killed: 2,335

• 2,008 Sailors,
• 109 Marines,
• 218 Soldiers, and
• 68 civilians were killed, making the total 2,403 people dead.

1,177 of the dead were from USS Arizona.

Total number of wounded: 1,143

• 710 Sailors,
• 69 Marines,
• 364 Soldiers, and
•  103 Civilians

The Japanese Navy lost 55 men.

The burning wreckage of the U.S. Navy battleship USS Arizona (BB-39) at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
U.S. Navy photo W-PH-24-8975

Never forget.

¹ "Climb Mount Niitaka" (Niitakayama nobore 新高山登れ) = The signal sent by the Japanese government to Admiral Nagumo indicating that the attack on Pearl harbor should proceed.

² Japanese nickname for the Nakajima B5N bomber. From the Japanese 九七式艦上攻撃機) (kyū-nana-shiki kanjō kōgeki-ki) or kankō for short
³ Hiroto - 大翔  - 大 (hiro) meaning "big, great" combined with 翔 (to) meaning "soar, glide.

Though this is a rerun from 2017, it remains one of my favorite posts. It has been slightly updated, especially to include the President's address to the Joint Session of Congress on 8 December 1941. The link to the original post is here.

History and Myth

Canadians at Ypres
William Barnes-Wollen
Source

I have always been interested in the First World War and may head down that road in a future fictional vignette. The war was complex yet has been over-simplified by many because of it's essentially leading directly to the Second World War, a far vaster conflict. Now that second war was due mainly to the efforts of one man, Adolf Hitler. Say what you will, but I believe that no Hitler would have meant no war in Europe. I could be wrong, but it's too late anyway. Japan was still a problem in Asia, regardless of Germany, just ask China.

Growing up I was taught history, sometimes by very good teachers, sometimes by the hugely incompetent, and far too often by teachers who were biding their time until retirement. Far too many people, and I blame boring academics for this, find history to be dull and dry. When it's written by someone whose job is teaching at a university, it often is dull and dry. They pass that on to their less talented students, who often end up teaching.

So expect more on The Great War in the months to come. For now, here's a really good video by the folks at History Hit, narrated by one of my favorites, Dan Snow. These folks make history anything but boring, please turn your attention to 10 Big Myths of World War One.

Enjoy.

Well done, History Hit!

It Might Be Time ...

Source

Those who study such things, or simply know how to pay attention, knew that this would come. L.A. that is. Like the spoiled brats they are, the Left goes apeshit when they don't get their way.

But like ABC said, it's just folks having fun watching cars burning.

Nero, call your office.

Those who know their history might agree that it's time to "give them a whiff."

Or perhaps a little more precision is required, Peter Grant might be on to something.

Sorry to be so bloody minded today, but this nonsense needs to end.

As for me, I'm glad I'm on vacation, many miles from the effing insanity.

Your mileage may vary.

Be careful out there ...

The Battle of Midway, 83 Years Ago

Torpedo Squadron SIX (VT-6) TBD-1 aircraft are prepared for launching on USS Enterprise (CV-6) at about 0730–0740, 4 June 1942. Eleven of the 14 TBDs launched from Enterprise are visible. Three more TBDs and ten F4F fighters must still be pushed into position before launching can begin. The TBD in the left front is Number 2 (Bureau No. 1512), flown by Ensign Severin L. Rombach and Aviation Radioman 2nd Class W. F. Glenn. Along with eight other VT-6 aircraft, this plane and its crew were lost attacking Japanese aircraft carriers somewhat more than two hours later. USS Pensacola (CA-24) is in the right distance and a destroyer is in plane guard position at left (80-G-41686).
Source

Midway is not a battle I post about every year, the last time was 2019, which is now six years ago. (In my mind 2019 wasn't that long ago, though in some ways it's now, to me, a very long time ago. Three more grandkids were born over that time!)

As I was looking through the archives this post popped out. I thought it was fitting to rerun this today.

Never forget those who gave that "last full measure of devotion."

I don't.

U.S. Navy Douglas SBD-3 "Dauntless" dive bombers from scouting squadron VS-8 from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-8) approaching the burning Japanese heavy cruiser Mikuma to make the third set of attacks on her, during the Battle of Midway, 6 June 1942. Mikuma had been hit earlier by strikes from Hornet and USS Enterprise (CV-6), leaving her dead in the water and fatally damaged. Note bombs hung beneath the SBDs.

Some of those who paid the cost of victory:

Torpedo 8
Standing (L-R): Owens, Ensign Fayle (transferred); Waldron, R.A. Moore, J.M. Moore, Evans, Teats, Cambell.
Kneeling (L-R): Ellison, Kenyon, Gray, sole survivor Gay, Woodson, Creamer, Miles.
(Source)

VT-8's first and best-known combat mission came during the Battle of Midway on 4 June 1942. Flying obsolete Douglas TBD Devastators, all of Lieutenant Commander John C. Waldron's fifteen planes were shot down during their unescorted torpedo attack on Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft carriers. The squadron failed to damage any Japanese carriers or destroy enemy aircraft.

Only one member of VT-8 who flew from Hornet on that day survived in the action, Ensign George Gay. Ensign Gay was rescued the day following the battle. Torpedo 8 was afterwards awarded the American Presidential Unit Citation. (Source)

USS Yorktown (CV-5) burning after the first attack by Japanese dive bombers during the Battle of Midway.

Major ship losses of the Imperial Japanese Navy -

Battle of Midway, June 1942. The burning Japanese heavy cruiser Mikuma, photographed from a U.S. Navy aircraft during the afternoon of 6 June 1942, after she had been bombed by planes from USS Enterprise (CV-6) and USS Hornet (CV-8). Note her third eight-inch gun turret, with roof blown off and barrels at different elevations, Japanese Sun insignia painted atop the forward turret and wrecked midships superstructure. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives.

Japanese heavy cruiser Mikuma sinking on 6 June 1942.

The burning Japanese aircraft carrier Hiryū, photographed by a Yokosuka B4Y aircraft from the carrier Hosho shortly after sunrise on 5 June 1942. Hiryū sank a few hours later. Note collapsed flight deck at right. Part of the forward elevator is standing upright just in front of the island, where it had been thrown by an explosion in the hangar.

Yorktown's VB-3, commanded by Max Leslie, went for Sōryū, scoring at least three hits and causing extensive damage. Some of Leslie's bombers did not have bombs as they were accidentally released when the pilots attempted to use electrical arming switches. Nevertheless, Leslie and others still dove, strafing carrier decks and providing cover for those who had bombs. Gasoline ignited, creating an "inferno", while stacked bombs and ammunition detonated. VT-3 targeted Hiryū, which was hemmed in by Sōryū, Kaga, and Akagi, but achieved no hits.
 (Text Source)

Death of Akagi.
(Source)

Within six minutes, Sōryū and Kaga were ablaze from stem to stern, as fires spread through the ships. Akagi, having been struck by only one bomb, took longer to burn, but the resulting fires quickly expanded and soon proved impossible to extinguish; she too was eventually consumed by flames and had to be abandoned. All three carriers remained temporarily afloat, as none had suffered damage below the waterline, other than the rudder damage to Akagi caused by the near miss close astern. Despite initial hopes that Akagi could be saved or at least towed back to Japan, all three carriers were eventually abandoned and scuttled. (Source)

Death of Kaga.
(Source)

The butcher's bill -

Japanese Losses:

• 4 fleet carriers sunk
• 1 heavy cruiser sunk
• 1 heavy cruiser damaged
• 248 aircraft destroyed
• 3,057 killed
• 37 captured

American Losses:

• 1 fleet carrier sunk
• 1 destroyer sunk
• ~150 aircraft destroyed
• 307 killed, including 3 killed as prisoners

Of the six Japanese carriers involved in the attack on Pearl Harbor - Akagi, Kaga, Sōryū, Hiryū, Shōkaku, and Zuikaku - only Shōkaku, and Zuikaku were left. They would join Akagi, Kaga, Sōryū, and Hiryū at the bottom of the sea before the war ended in August of 1945.

Japan had sowed the wind, the reaping of the whirlwind was just beginning...