scrapbook 1 (ww2)

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Battling Bastards of Bataan

The plan for Bataan called for two defensive lines. The first extended across the peninsula from Mauban in the west to Mabatang in the east. Major Japanese attacks along the first defensive line began on 9 January with artillery, followed up with an assault by infantry and tank units. After eight days of sometimes intense combat, the Japanese forced a partial withdrawal, followed by evacuation of outflanked positions on the evening of 22 January. Over the next four days, the defenders fell back to a new defensive line that ran from Bagac on the western shore to just south of Orion on the eastern shore of the peninsula, a distance of 4,500 yards (2.5 miles), a smaller but much more defensible position.
The Japanese attempted to bypass the line by staging an amphibious landing along the rugged Bataan southern coast. Between 22 January and 2 February, in the "Battle of the Points", the Americans turned back successive Japanese attempts to gain a beachhead, but at the cost of heavy casualties that could not be replaced.
The Japanese renewed the offensive against the Orion-Bagac line on 26-27 January, but fierce defense stalled the attack all along the line. General Homma ordered a general withdrawal from the 14th Army's forward positions on 8 February. Since 6 January the Japanese had suffered 7,000 battle casualties, with another 10-12,000 men dying of disease. The unexpected tenacity of the American opposition forced Homma to call for reinforcements. For the Americans, the failure of the supposedly invincible Japanese to crack their defenses lifted morale despite the dismal strategic situation.
During March, as the Japanese received reinforcements, the defenders' health steadily eroded. Rations, already short, were now further reduced to a mere 1,000 calories. The Bataan jungle and the starvation diet fostered disease, with malaria common and no quinine supplies for relief. By the end of March, commander's estimates of troop combat efficiency dropped to 20-25 percent.
Recognizing the steady deterioration of the American position, President Roosevelt ordered MacArthur to move his headquarters to Australia, over MacArthur's objections. On 12 March, the commander, his family, and his USAFFE staff departed Corregidor on three PT boats, then transferred to B-17s at Del Monte airfield on Mindanao. Wainwright was left in command. MacArthur swore, "I shall return!" which he did in late 1944. [Thanks to Martin Beckner, whose father was in the crew of one of the PT boats, for help with details of MacArthur's departure.]
The end was not long in coming. Japanese attacks resumed on 3 April with a sustained aerial and artillery bombardment, followed by an attack on the left flank of the line. The exhausted, malnourished, and dispirited defenders soon gave ground, and the entire line began to crumble. In thirty-six hours the Japanese succeeded in breaching the American line, leaving the rest outflanked with no place to retreat. General King, I Corps commander, attempted to negotiate terms for all of the forces on Bataan on 9 April, but was unsuccessful, and defending units surrendered unconditionally to individual Japanese units. Wainwright had not been informed since King knew Wainwright's orders did not permit surrender.


Japanese flamethrower in action



Japanese tank moving forward on Bataan. Without anti-tank weapons, the PACR was helpless to stop an armored attack.

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MILLION-TO-ONE
Around midnight on June 5, 1944, Private C. Hillman, of Manchester, Connecticut, serving with the US 101st Airborne Division, was winging his way to Normandy in a C-47 transport plane. Just before the jump, Private Hillman carried out a final inspection of his parachute. He was surprised to see that the chute had been packed by the Pioneer Parachute Company of Connecticut where his mother worked part time as an inspector. He was further surprised when he saw on the inspection tag, the initials of his own mother!

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The oldest of the submarines to see combat action in the Pacific, this post World War I vintage boat was certainly not designed for the type of war in which they were engaged against Japan. Originally employed as a fleet "scout" for operations in the Atlantic, these "Pigboats" were reluctantly pressed into service during the early days of the war against Japan due to the U.S. Navy's severe shortage of fleet boats. Old, obsolete, underpowered with limited range and inadequately armed, they were often assigned to the least important patrol areas, however S-class submarines accounted for sinking 14 Japanese ships. Relegated to that of a training vessel in the latter stages of the war, twenty two of fifty one S Class submarines served their country valiantly and with heroic distinction against a tenacious enemy and tremendous odds.

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Basic Data - 5 inch/38 Cal MK 38 Gun Mount


Caliber: 5 inch (127 mm)
Length of barrel: 38 calibers
Elevation: -15 to +85 degrees
Traverse: 328.5 degrees
Projectile Weight: 55 lbs
Muzzle velocity: 2500 feet/second
Recoil: 15 inches

GUN SHIELD Thickness Data:
Gun Mount Assembly weight:
With MK-48 Shield: 95,700 Pounds
With MK-53 Shield: 105,600 Pounds



GUN SHIELD Thickness Data:
MK-41 = 1/4" Thick
MK-48 = 1/2" Thick
MK-53 = 1/8" Thick

TYPES OF AMMUNITION FIRED BY 5 inch/38 CAL. GUN BY SHELL DESCRIPTION

TYPE: ACC LOAD: Explosive D FUSE: Mechanical-Timed Shell Color: Olive drab with top Yellow band TYPE: HC LOAD: Composition D FUSE: Dummy Nose Plug (none) Red Tracer Shell Color: Olive drab with tip Yellow and red lower band TYPE: VT LOAD: Composition A FUSE: Self-Destruct Shell Color: Olive drab with tip Green and Grey/yellow lower band TYPE: BL & P LOAD: Inert FUSE: White Tracer (none) Shell Color: BLUE with white lower band TYPE: VT-Non Fragmentation LOAD: Inert FUSE: None, Yellow Color Burst unit Shell Color: BLUE with Green tip with Grey/Blue Bands TYPE: ILLUM LOAD: ILLUM FUSE: Mechanical-Timed Shell Color: Olive drab with White/Brown lower band

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page 62&63

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The Battle of Singapore Begins:

On February 3, Japanese artillery began hammering targets on Singapore and air attacks against the garrison intensified. British guns, including the city's heavy coastal guns, responded but in the latter case their armor-piercing rounds proved largely ineffective. On February 8, the first Japanese landings began on Singapore's northwest coast. Elements of the Japanese 5th and 18th Divisions came ashore at Sarimbun Beach and met fierce resistance from Australian troops. By midnight, they had overwhelmed the Australians and forced them to retreat.

Believing that future Japanese landings would come in the northeast, Percival elected not to reinforce the battered Australians. Widening the battle, Yamashita conducted landings in the southwest on February 9. Encountering the 44th Indian Brigade, the Japanese were able to drive them back. Retreating east, Bennett formed a defensive line just east of Tengah airfield at Belim. To the north, Brigadier Duncan Maxwell's 27th Australian Brigade inflicted heavy losses on Japanese forces as they attempted to land west of the causeway. Maintaining control of the situation, they held the enemy to a small beachhead.

The End Nears:

Unable to communicate with the Australian 22nd Brigade on his left and concerned about encirclement, Maxwell ordered his troops to fall back from their defensive positions on the coast. This withdrawal allowed the Japanese to begin landing armored units on the island. Pressing south, they outflanked Bennett's "Jurong Line" and pushed towards the city. Aware of the deteriorating situation, but knowing that the defenders outnumbered the attackers, Prime Minister Winston Churchill cabled General Archibald Wavell, Commander-in-Chief, India, that Singapore was to hold out at all costs and should not surrender.

This message was forwarded to Percival with orders that the latter should fight to the end. On February 11, Japanese forces captured the area around Bukit Timah as well as much of Percival's ammunition and fuel reserves. The area also gave Yamashita control of the bulk of the island's water supply. Though his campaign had been successful to date, the Japanese commander was desperately short of supplies and sought to bluff Percival into ending "this meaningless and desperate resistance." Refusing, Percival was able to stabilize his lines in southeast part of the island and repelled Japanese attacks on February 12.

The Surrender:

Slowly being pushed back on February 13, Percival was asked by his senior officers about surrendering. Rebuffing their request, he continued the fight. The next day, Japanese troops secured Alexandra Hospital and massacred around 200 patients and staff. Early on the morning of February 15, the Japanese succeeded in breaking through Percival's lines. This coupled with the exhaustion of the garrison's anti-aircraft ammunition led Percival to meet with his commanders at Fort Canning. During the meeting, Percival proposed two options: an immediate strike at Bukit Timah to regain the supplies and water or surrendering.

Informed by his senior officers that no counterattack was possible, Percival saw little choice other than surrender. Dispatching a messenger to Yamashita, Percival met with the Japanese commander at the Ford Motor Factory later that day to discuss terms. The formal surrender was completed shortly after 5:15 that evening.



Battle of Singapore, February 1942. Japanese victorious troops march through the city center.

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Convoys
Germany used the U-Boat (Undersea-boat) to great advantage early in World War I to isolate Great Britain from much of its food, oil, and raw materials. Several days before the outbreak of World War II, German U-Boats were already on the prowl against supply ships, and again Britain instituted convoys, which had been so successful in limiting losses 20 years earlier.
The downside to convoys were the delays involved: waiting to assemble; taking a common, but often longer route; reducing speed to match the slowest ship, and delays in unloading because of congestion. This cut cargo-carrying capacity by one-third.

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In the nearly 20 years following the end of the World War I, America's merchant fleet, including its cargo and passenger ships, was becoming obsolete and declining in numbers. A shipbuilding program began with the passage of the Merchant Marine Act of 1936. However, World War II provided the impetus to intensify those efforts eventually leading to a ship-building program that produced 5,500 vessels. Among them were 2,710 mass-produced ships known as Liberty ships. While reviewing blueprints of the Liberty ships at the White House, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who loved naval vessels and had an eye for design, mused aloud to Maritime Commission administrator Admiral Emory S. Land, "I think this ship will do us very well. She'll carry a good load. She isn't much to look at, though, is she? A real ugly duckling."² Thus, the Liberty ships received their second nickname, "the ugly ducklings."
When the United States entered World War II at the end of 1941, it had the beginnings of a great merchant fleet. But the lethal U-Boats, submarines of the German Navy, prowled the shipping lanes hunting American merchant ships. The Liberty ships proved to be too slow and too small to carry the tons of supplies the United States and her Allies would need to win the war. In 1943, the United States began a new ship-building program. These new ships would be faster, larger, and able to carry cargo long after the war was finished. These were the Victory ships.
The Liberty and Victory ships fulfilled President Roosevelt's prophetic words, serving the nation well in war and peace. Today, of the thousands of Liberty ships and Victory ships built during World War II, only a handful remains.


M3 Stuart
Design

With events in Europe in 1940, the Army realized the M2 was inadequate and the decision was made to modernize it. A new design with thicker armor was standardized on July 5, 1940.6,7 Production started in March 1941 at the American Car & Foundry.7 It was based on the M2A4, but had thicker armor that was homogeneous rolled and the idler wheel was placed on the ground to act as another road wheel to help distribute the weight
Initially the engine was the Continental but shortages caused it to be replaced by the Guiberson T-1020 diesel, and fitted into 500 M3s.8
Tracks could often last 1,000 miles, whereas other models required replacement at 500 miles.
During production the riveted turret was replaced by a welded one 7-sided one.6 Also in early 1942 an all welded hull was produced.
It had volute spring suspension with the rear idler on the ground. This reduced the ground pressure and gave support to the rear of the tank.
Layout

The engines were in the rear with the drive going to the front sprockets, which was controlled by differential steering.7 The rear idler was located on the ground which helped in supporting the rear of the M3.6
Crew

The driver was on the left and the hull gunner/assistant driver on the right.6,7 They could see out through windshields in their hatches.6
The gunner and commander/loader were in seats that were in the M3's turret basket.6
Engine

Internally the M3 carried 56 gallons of fuel.6 Some tanks had two 25 gallon external tanks added, and these were jettisonable once combat started.6

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page 64&65

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The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Lieutenant William Leverette Kabler, United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism and distinguished service in the line of his profession as Commanding Officer of the Minesweeper U.S.S. HERON (AM-10), during operations in Dutch East Indies on 31 December 1941. When the U.S. warship he commanded was attacked by 15 hostile planes of various types, Lieutenant Kabler fought his ship with such skill that the crew was able to destroy one plane, damage others and frustrate the attack. The conduct of Lieutenant Kabler throughout this action reflects great credit upon himself, and was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
General Orders: Bureau of Naval Personnel Information Bulletin No. 328 (July 1944)



page 65 (clipping 1)

As the Japanese attacked through the Peninsula, their troops were ordered to take no prisoners as they would slow up the Japanese advance. A pamphlet issued to all Japanese soldiers stated:

"When you encounter the enemy after landing, think of yourself as an avenger coming face to face at last with his father’s murderer. Here is a man whose death will lighten your heart."

For the British military command in Singapore, war was still fought by the ‘rule book’. Social life was important in Singapore and the Raffles Hotel and Singapore Club were important social centres frequented by officers. An air of complacency had built in regarding how strong Singapore was – especially if it was attacked by the Japanese. When the Japanese did land at Kota Bharu aerodrome, in Malaya, Singapore’s governor, Sir Shenton Thomas is alleged to have said "Well, I suppose you’ll (the army) shove the little men off."

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25 SOLDIERS DIE AS BOAT OVERTURNS.
CAUSE OF ACCIDENT NEAR NEW ORLEANS UNDER ARMY PROBE.
New Orleans, Dec. 18. (AP) -- At least 25 soldiers wearing life preservers died yesterday when their 60-foot, cruiser-type vessel overturned in Lake Pontchartrain in one of the worst marine disasters here since the turn of the century.
The cause of the accident was not disclosed and a board from the New Orleans port of embarkation was investigating. It was believed that most of the dead were trapped beneath the overturned boat or by a canopy overhead.
Capt. T. F. Reece, public relations officer at LaGarde General Hospital, said 65 soldiers and three civilians who operated the vessel were being treated for injuries suffered in the capsizing or in rescue operation. Four of the soldiers were said to be in serious condition.
The names of the soldier casualties were not announced.
The soldiers aboard the stricken vessel were members of companies A and B of the Second battalion, Transportation corps, Reception Center, Camp Harahan, Capt. Reece said.
The public relations officer said about 72 men were aboard when the boat capsized. They were en route to Camp Salmen, Slidell, La., along with about 250 other soldiers in six other boats for maneuvers when the accident occurred.
Lowell Sun Massachusetts 1943-12-18
--------------------------------------
25 SOLDIER DEATHS LAID TO HIGH WINDS.
New Orleans (UP) -- Sudden gusts of wind were blamed Saturday for the drowning of 25 soldiers in Lake Pontchartrain when a crowded naval motor launch capsized.
Nearly 100 men were riding in the boat, one of several vessels crossing the lake to Slidell, La., Friday in combat training maneuvers, when it overturned.
Public relations officers at Lagarde General Hospital, said 68 soldiers and sailors and three civilians were rescued but that several members of the crew were unaccounted for. Several of the rescued men were injured seriously in the accident.
Charleston Daily Mail West Virginia 1943-12-19

United States Army Transportation Corps

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page 68&69

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At 08.34 hours on 14 Jan, 1942, the unescorted Norness was hit in the stern by one of two stern torpedoes from u-123 about 60 miles from Montauk Point, Long Island and began listing to starboard. At 08.53 hours, a G7e was fired from a stern tube as coup de grâce, hit the tanker underneath the bridge and the ship began settling on even keel, allowing the survivors to abandon ship in the starboard lifeboat and row away from the ship. The port lifeboat had capsized during the launch due to the heavy list and threw the occupants into the cold sea, drowning two Norwegian crew members. At 09.29 hours, the vessel was hit by a third torpedo in the engine room, after a second coup de grâce had malfunctioned at 09.10 hours. Four minutes later the tanker sank by the stern in shallow waters, the bow remaining visible over the surface.
30 survivors were spotted in the afternoon by a blimp of the US Navy, which directed uss ellyson and uscgc argo to them, while nine men were picked up by the American fishing boat Malvina. All survivors were landed at Newport, Rhode Island.

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page 72&73

page 72


The depth charge is the original dedicated Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) weapon. It was an extraordinarily crude weapon - a can filled with explosives and a fuze that detonated at a preset depth based on hydrostatic pressure. This was adequate in WWI as submarines did not operate at great depths. Developed by the Royal Navy in 1916, the quantities used per kill in WWI gave no appreciation for what would be required in WWII.
The USN began to develop a depth charge of their own in early 1917, which was too weak to be successful. After the U.S. entry into WWI they adopted the Royal Navy depth charge fitted with their own hydrostatic fuze. The final U.S. WWI depth charge could detonate at up to 300ft depth and carried 300lbs of explosives. There was little development between the wars except for a 600lb variant.
At the start of WWII, depth charges were essentially the same weapon as from the end of WWI. Development concentrated on increasing the depth at which a submarine might be successfully attacked and improvements to the sinking speed of the depth charges.
The MK9 became the main improvement over the MK6. This was teardrop-shaped, capable of detonating at 1000ft and entered service in 1943. The early MK9s still did not yet sink sufficiently fast enough. Lead ballast and fins were added to speed sinking. These modifications were at the sacrifice of explosive power and it now carried only 200 lbs of TNT.
Depth charges were detonated by a spring-loaded firing pin released by a water pressure driven bellows system. The mechanism could be set to various depths based on the attacking vessel's estimate of the depth of the submarine. A late war variant included a magnetic detonator which automatically exploded the depth charge when it reached the proximity of a submarine.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPGLwAlxBdM
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As early as Jul 1941, the Russians knew the Germans were going to breach their defenses and threaten Moscow. On 3 Jul, Lenin's body was moved from Moscow to Tumen to prevent German capture or destruction. Little over two weeks later, on 22 Jul, 127 German bombers raided Moscow, even lightly damaging the Kremlin. As a response, Moscow residents were ordered to build mock houses on Kremlin's grounds and paint the distinct roof of the building in order to blend it in with the rest of the city. Streets were also barricaded in preparation of a German attack. Moscow was proud, however, aided by Joseph Stalin's propaganda machine. One such example was the 7 Nov parade in celebration of the anniversary of the October Revolution, where Russian soldiers marched straight through Red Square toward the battlefields to the west.
After a series of attacks and counterattacks from both sides, the German troops were beginning to show signs of fatigue. Replacements came slowly partly due to the unplanned action in the Balkans and Crete, while the brutal Russian winter loomed dangerously near. The Russians, on the other hand, saw relatively fresh reinforcements from the recently arrived Georgi Zhukov and his troops from the Far East; the inability of the Axis powers to negotiate for a joint-attack on Russian had a significant impact on the German ability to quickly bring down Russia, but Adolf Hitler was too egotistical to see.
After a few days of preparations in Moscow's suburbs, on 2 Oct 1941, Fedor von Bock led German troops to assault directly against Moscow. German advances were slower than they had hoped with a rainy fall season and later a cold early winter. As German vehicles become immobilized, the German army continued to advance, however the cold weather was affecting the morale and fighting ability of the troops to a high degree. On 15 Nov, another push for Moscow was launched, and within two weeks the Germans reached the 27km marker to Moscow, with some soldiers claiming the sighting of the towers of Kremlin.
The weather also significantly harmed the German ability to supply the Moscow contingent by rail, despite Minister Dorpmüller and the German Reich Railways dramatically expanding its operations during the campaign. The water tanks of the locomotives regularly froze under sub-zero conditions, pushing the number of broken-down locomotives at any given time to the hundreds. Additionally, the Russian railways were of a different gauge, forcing the German engineers to re-bed all the railways before the German locomotives could use them. In Dec 1941, with the transport situation so desperate that a special motor transport organization was formed to alleviate some of the pressure. Despite the superhuman results the Germans had achieved in the arena of logistics, it was just not enough. The German frontlines troops, including the air force, required the equivalent of 120 train loads of supplies daily for normal operations (ie. not counting supplies needed to mount major operations); only about 100 train loads worth of supplies were delivered on a regular day. To make matters even worse, Russian partisans regularly sabotaged railway tracks to slow things further.
Russians had been launching counteroffensives of various sizes since early Sep to slow the progress of the German army. The counteroffensives were largely planned under the leadership of Zhukov, a man who Stalin feared as a political threat but yet relied on so much to defend his capital. On 5 Dec, Zhukov saw the opportunity to launch a major counteroffensive, while at the same time he knew he could no longer take any chances; the German troops were too close to Moscow for his comfort. He called in his troops of Siberia and the Far East, who had been resting nearby for such a counteroffensive. T-34 tanks and Katyusha rocket launchers led the way for the fresh Russian soldiers, some of whom donned the white winter camouflage that became the subject of nightmares to the freezing retreating German troops. By 7 Jan 1942, the front lines were driven back anywhere between 100km to 250km. German forces would never again threaten Moscow directly for the rest of the war.


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The Stirling, designed prior to the Lancaster and Halifax, was an enormous aircraft, with four engines and a crew of seven. Throughout its service its design limitations (chiefly its wings being too short for the large size of the aircraft) resulted in poor performance and a high loss rate.

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page 74&75

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in 1944 the William cc Claiborne was shelled in the Philippines , damage was done with no loss of life
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Born in Manassa, Colorado on June 24, 1895, William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey rose to sports stardom in the 1920s. As a nomadic traveler from 1911 to 1916, Dempsey began boxing in the small mining towns of Colorado under the name "Kid Blackie." He emerged from numerous saloon floor-boxing matches to rein victorious in over 80 professional fights by the meager age of 24. Dempsey was perhaps best known for his thrilling knockout victories, many of which occurred in just seconds of the fight’s onset.

Dempsey proved his phenomenal ability in a battle of "David and Goliath" match of fists. His iron strength and killer left hooks allowed Dempsey to beat Jess Willard in 1919, leaving the giant bewildered and shattered. This victory awarded Dempsey both the heavyweight title and the nickname of the "Manassa Mauler, " the name that soon haunted potential opponents all around the country. Dempsey became a ring warrior through his tough defense of his title six times in just seven years. In most of his matches, there were no survivors.

A day of disbelief for Dempsey occurred on September 23, 1926 when he was defeated by Gene Tunney and lost his heavyweight title. Ironically, this match yielded the largest paid attendance in boxing history. Tunney and Dempsey went head to head and fist to fist again in 1927 in hopes that Dempsey would reclaim his title. Dempsey lost this rematch, which was coined "The Battle of the Long Count" because of a call by the referee that Dempsey did not return to a neutral corner after Tunney had fallen. Tunney won the match three rounds later.

Dempsey continued boxing in exhibitions after his defeat but retired from professional boxing in 1940 and went on to be a successful restaurant owner in New York. Dempsey retired with an astounding record of 60-7-8. Fifty of these wins were knockouts. He was a universally accepted sports star. With his bobbing and weaving stance, amazing speed, graceful agility, and pure power, Jack Dempsey will forever remain the perfect boxer and one of the greatest box office attractions of all time.

When the United States entered ww2, Dempsey had an opportunity to refute any remaining criticism of his war record of two decades earlier. Dempsey joined New York State National Guard and was given a commission as a first lieutenant. Dempsey resigned that commission to accept a commission as a lieutenant in the Coast Guard Reserve. Dempsey reported for active duty in June 1942 at Coast Guard Training Station, Manhattan Beach , Brooklyn, New York, where he was assigned as "Director of Physical Education." Dempsey also made many personal appearances at fights, camps, hospitals and War bond drives. Dempsey was promoted to lieutenant commander in December 1942 and commander in March 1944. In 1944 Dempsey was assigned to the transport USS Wakefield In 1945 Dempsey was on the attack transport USS Arthur Middleton for the invasion of Okinawa. Dempsey also spent time aboard the USS General William Mitchell where he spent time showing the crew sparring techniques. Dempsey was released from active duty in September 1945 and he was given an honorable discharge from the Coast Guard Reserve in 1952.

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Designed in 1937 as a high-altitude "pursuit aircraft" (interceptor), the XP-38 was heavier than a Bristol Blenheim Mk. I, which at that time was the standard British medium bomber. Equipped with under wing droppable fuel tanks, the Lockheed P-38 was used extensively as a long-range escort fighter aircraft and saw action in practically every major combat area of the world. The Pacific theatre of operations produced the two highest scoring aces in American history - Major Richard Bong and Major Thomas McGuire, Jr. Both men flew P-38 Lightnings in the Southwest Pacific and each received the Medal of Honor in recognition of his courage and accomplishments.
After WW2, a number of Lockheed P-38s were used for aerial photography in the private sector. Almost 10,000 P-38s were built. Today, only a few are remaining.
Type:
Long range fighter and fighter bomber
Powerplant:
Two Allison V-1710-27/29
Max speed:
414 mph (666 km/hr)
Ceiling:
44,000 ft (13 400 m)
Range:
475 miles (765 km) on internal fuel
Weight (empty):
12,600 lbs (5806 kg)
Max. T/O:
21,600 lbs (9798 kg)
Wingspan:
52' 0" (15.85m)
Length:
37' 10" (11.53 m)
Height:
9' 10" (3 m)
Armament:
One 20mm cannon, four .50 machine guns, 2,000 lb of bombs, rockets

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4th Armored Division

The 4th Armored Division, after training in England from January to July 1944, landed at Utah Beach 11 July and entered World War II combat 17 July.
The Division participated in Operation Cobra, the Normandy Breakout. They secured Coutances, Nantes and then turned east driving across France. September had them crossing the Moselle River and in the vicinity of Nancy. They maintained a defensive posture and line from Chambrey to Henamenil into October. They returned to the line in November near Viviers and crossed the Saar River on the 21st and 22nd.
After the Germans launched their Ardennes Offensive, the 4th AD raced northwest to Belgium. Units of the 4th AD were the first Allies to reach the 101st AB at Bastogne. Following the Battle of the Bulge , the Allies went on the offensive and the 4th moved east crossing the Moselle and then the Rhine in late March and on to the capture of Lauterbach. By 12 April the Division had crossed the Saale River and continued their advance into Czechoslovakia where World War II for the 4th Armored Division ended on 6 May 1945, Victory in Europe Day.

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Percival has gone down in history as the man who surrendered 136,000 men after Singapore surrendered in February 1942. After the war Percival wrote about his command in Malaya and Singapore but many reviewers gave unfavorable reviews to his book. Was this justified? Before taking up his appointment as GOC Malaya, Percival had noted that he could well have been taking up an outpost in Asia in which little of consequence happened and that it could stall his career prospects. Alternately his also knew that places such as Malaya and therefore Singapore had not had as much spent on their defenses as he would have liked. While serving under General Dobbie before the war, Percival had made an assessment of the defenses in Malaya and Singapore. He concluded that far more needed to be spent to modernise what was there especially in Southern Johore, just to the north of Singapore.Churchill called the surrender “the worst disaster in British history”. But it was Churchill who had ordered all the 350 tanks in Malaya to be moved to the Russian front as a show of faith between the USSR and Britain. Japan had 200 light tanks in the Battle for Malaya while the British had none. Likewise, the request for 566 aircraft to give aerial cover to ground troops was ignored by the War Cabinet who considered that 336 would be sufficient.

As the situation became more and more threatening in the Far East before war broke out in the region, Dobbie had requested more ground troops. In this he was successful but the decision to send more troops from India did not meet with Churchill’s approval. He wrote in January 1941:

“I do not remember to have given my approval to these very large diversions of force. On the contrary, if my minutes are collected they will be seen to have an opposite tendency. The political situation in the Far East does not seem to require, and the strength of our Air Force by no means warrants, the maintenance of such large forces in the Far East at this time.”

However, the 9th Indian Division was sent.

Percival, while GOC Malaya, was also refused permission to put ‘Operation Matador’ into being. This was a plan to capture Singpora in southern Thailand before Japanese forces got to it. Singapore was a port and had a major air base. It seemed obvious that if the Japanese were going to attack both Malaya and Thailand, they would take Singapore. ‘Operation Matador’ would take this option away from the Japanese or the fighting for it would reduce it to such a state that the Japanese could not use it operationally. However, the War Office would not sanction such a move as it was felt that the Japanese might view this as a provocative act, which could stimulate war.

One area where Percival could be criticized was his refusal to build defenses along the northern shore of Singapore. He had 6,000 engineers at his disposal and could have done so with some ease. However Percival did believe that “defenses are bad for morale”.

After the surrender Percival was held in Changi jail, which acted as a POW camp. In August 1942, he was sent to Manchuria via Taiwan. He stayed here until the end of the war. Percival stood behind General Douglas McArthur during the surrender ceremony on ‘USS Missouri’ and MacArthur gave him one of the pens used in the ceremony.

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January 14th, 1942
New York: Banner headlines in this evening's newspapers have sent tremors all around the island of Manhattan. The news of the torpedoing of the Panamanian tanker NORNESS just 100 miles from the piers where liners berth has brought home the realities of war to New Yorkers. The SS NORNESS falls victim to U-123, 73 miles south-southwest of Nanucket Island, Massachusetts.
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/HjXiT.jpg[/IMG]
U-123Type IXB Feldpost NumberM 08 800 Construction YardDeutsche Schiff- und Maschinenbau AG, (AG Weser) Bremen Yard Number955 Ordered15th Dec 1937 Keel laid15th Apr 1939 Launched2nd Mar 1940 Commissioned30th May 1940 BaubelehrungMarinelehrwerkstatt, Wilhelmshaven /
Baubelehrung U-Boote Nordsee, BremenTraining, Flotillas and Duties 05.40 - 08.442.U-Flottille, Wilhelmshaven & Lorient
Ausbildungsboot (under training)
Frontboot (operational)
Schulboot (training boat)
Commanders05.40 - 05.41KL Karl-Heinz Moehle

05.41 - 07.42KL Reinhard Hardegen

08.42 - 06.44OL Horst von Schroeter

today the ss norness is a diving site for recreational use
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The "Chiefs" Go to War

In spite of years of inefficient and often corrupt bureaucratic management of Indian affairs, Native Americans stood ready to fight the "white man's war." American Indians overcame past disappointment, resentment, and suspicion to respond to their nation's need in World War II. It was a grand show of loyalty on the part of Native Americans and many Indian recruits were affectionately called "chiefs." Native Americans responded to America's call for soldiers because they understood the need to defend one's own land, and they understood fundamental concepts of fighting for life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness.

Even the clannish Pueblo tribe, whose members exhibited a historical suspicion of the white world, contributed 213 men, 10 percent of their population of 2,205, to the armed forces. Wisconsin Chippewas at the Lac Oreilles Reservation contributed 100 men from a population of 1,700. Nearly all the able-bodied Chippewas at the Grand Portage Reservation enlisted. Blackfeet Indians enlisted in droves. Navajo Indians responded by sending 3,600 into military service; 300 lost their lives. Many volunteered from the Fort Peck Sioux-Assinibois Reservation in Montana, the descendants of the Indians that defeated Custer. The Iroquois took it as an insult to be called up under compulsion. They passed their own draft act and sent their young braves into National Guard units.

There were many disappointments as well-intentioned Indians were rejected for the draft. Years of poverty, illiteracy, ill- health, and general bureaucratic neglect had taken its toll. A Chippewa Indian was furious when rejected because he had no teeth. "I don't want to bite 'em," he said, "I just want to shoot 'em!" Another Indian, rejected for being too fat to run, said that he had not come to run, but to fight.

In the mid-1600's, a band of Chippewa separated from their fishing brethen and moved to the St. Croix River area in Wisconsin to become traders. By 1702, they occupied a village on Rice Lake in Minnesota. Both the French and English vied for their trade. Eventually, the English won out and built several trading posts.
By 1837, the St. Croix band had ceded their land to the US, while retaining the right to hunt, fish, and gather wild rice in the area. In 1854 the Band lost their political status and the ability to form a reservation. To survive, they attached themselves to other Chippewa bands.
It wasn't until 1934 that they were officially recognized as the "St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin" and were able to obtain a reservation in their ancestral homelands.

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On the 31st December 1941 Percival assumed command of the 85,000 troops on Singapore Island, these consistered of thirteen British battalions, six Australian, seventeen Indian and two Malay, giving him nearly a total strength three divisions. With another three machine gun battalions it looked impresive but the reality was that most of the troops were fresh to combat and the troops that retreated from Malaya had been badly cut up.
Siege Begins - Feb 1st - The siege began officially with the blowing up of the causeway at 0800 hours on 31st January 1942, the explosion could be heard on the south coast of Singapore.

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sinking of the Montebello oil tanker ship by a Japanese submarine off the coast of California, Dec. 23, 1941.



From "West Coast War Zone"

By Donald Young
About the time the Japanese submarine I-21 disappeared below the surface, the Union Oil Company's Montebello was pulling away from the company wharf some 20 miles away at Avila, on its way north with a cargo of oil and gasoline. An hour and a half later she found herself in a life-or-death race with a frustrated Japanese submarine commander with vengeance on his mind.
At 5:30 a.m. William Srez, on watch aboard Montebello, alerted Captain Olaf Eckstrom that they were being stalked by what looked like a sub. Five-and-a-half hours earlier, Eckstrom had been the ship's first mate. At midnight, her captain had abruptly resigned, giving the command to Eckstrom.
"I saw a dark outline on the water, close astern of us," said the new captain later. "Srez was right. It was the silhouette of a Jap (sic) submarine, a big fellow, possibly 300 feet long. I ordered the quartermaster at the wheel, John McIsaac, to zigzag. For 10 minutes we tried desperately to cheat the sub, but it was no use. She was too close.[and] let a torpedo go when we were broadside to her."
"The torpedo smashed us square amidships," said Srez, "and there was a big blast and the ship shuddered and trembled and we knew she was done for."
Fortunately for Montebello, the torpedo hit the only compartment not loaded with gasoline. "The men wouldn't have had a chance if any other hold was hit," said Eckstrom. But it did knock out the radio.
"The skipper was as cool as a snowdrift," remembered Srez. "He yelled an order to stand by the lifeboats and then an order to abandon ship, and there was something in the way he gave those orders that made us proud to be serving under him."
As the crew responded by lowering the lifeboats, the Japanese opened fire with their deck gun at nearly point-blank range. "The sub began shelling us," continued Captain Eckstrom. "There was from eight to 10 flashes. One hit the foremast, snapping it. Another whistled by my head so close I could have reached out and touched it. But there was no panic, no hysteria. We got all four lifeboats into the water. Splinters from one of the shells struck some of the boats, but by some kind of miracle, none of us was wounded."
Despite the torpedoing, Eckstrom was not sure Montebello was going to sink, and he ordered his lifeboats "to lie a short distance from the ship. But 45 minutes later, just as dawn was breaking, she went down."
As the 36 men in four lifeboats began rowing for shore, I-21 opened fire with machine guns on the helpless American sailors until poor visibility forced the Japanese to retire. Although no one was wounded, the boat carrying Eckstrom, Srez and four other crewmen was hit.
"Machine-gun bullets hit our boat," said Srez, "and she began leaking like a sieve. We began rowing shoreward, with some of us leaning on the oars for all we were worth and the others bailing."
Fighting fatigue, rough water and a leaking boat, it was not until noon—some six hours after the sinking—that the six men literally hit the beach below the town of Cambria. "We were caught in the surf," Srez recalled, "and the lifeboat capsized... Some of the boys were scratched up, and the captain nearly drowned."

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At 08.34 hours on 14 Jan, 1942, the unescorted Norness was hit in the stern by one of two stern torpedoes from u-123 about 60 miles from Montauk Point, Long Island and began listing to starboard. At 08.53 hours, a G7e was fired from a stern tube as coup de grâce, hit the tanker underneath the bridge and the ship began settling on even keel, allowing the survivors to abandon ship in the starboard lifeboat and row away from the ship. The port lifeboat had capsized during the launch due to the heavy list and threw the occupants into the cold sea, drowning two Norwegian crew members. At 09.29 hours, the vessel was hit by a third torpedo in the engine room, after a second coup de grâce had malfunctioned at 09.10 hours. Four minutes later the tanker sank by the stern in shallow waters, the bow remaining visible over the surface.
30 survivors were spotted in the afternoon by a blimp of the US Navy,

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Claire Lee Chennault
Lieutenant General, United States Army Air Corps

He led the Flying Tigers (an all-volunteer service) in China before the United States entered World War II. When America entered the war, he took command of all Allied Air Forces in the far east. He was born in Commerce, Texas, on September 6, 1890 and died in Washington, D.C. on July 27, 1958. He is buried in Section 2 of Arlington National Cemetery and his headstone is inscribed in both English and Chinese.

From a 1990 Press Report: From the cotton fields of Waterproof, Louisiana, came Claire Lee Chennault, a prophetic, controversial military genius who was de-activated twice because of his strident efforts to modernize air power.
Chennault was also a military hero who received at least 17 medals, including the Distinguished Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, and the Distinguished Flying Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster.
Claire Lee Chennault went from being a school teacher in a one-room school in Athens, Louisiana, on to become a general and leader of the famous Flying Tigers.
Ironically, Chennault had ups and downs in his career that matches those of Chennault Air Base in Lake Charles, which was named for him. Both the base and the general were often in political fights, and the base was also cast off by the military, in 1946 and in 1961. And just as the base is still contributing to Calcasieu Parish, Claire Chennault's innovative changes still contribute to the modern armed forces.
Two of General Chennault's sons live in Ferriday Robert and Claire "Pat'' Another son, Max, lives in Fayetteville, Georgia. Two daughters, Rosemay (Mrs. James Simrell) lives in West Monroe, and Peggy (Mrs. A. Robert Lee) lives in California. Three of Chennault's sons are deceased John, a retired Colonel in the Air Force; Charles, a retired Master Sergeant in the Air Force; and David, who served in the Navy in World War II.
There are also 36 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, many of whom live in Louisiana.
Anna Chen Chennault, Chennault's second wife, and their two daughters, Cynthia and Claire Anna, live in Washington, D.C.
Claire Lee Chennault was 10 years old when the Wright Brothers made their first powered flight in 1903. Raised in the little community of Gilbert, near Waterproof, Claire was the son of John and Jessie Lee Chennault. His mother died when he was young and he became a loner, spending much time by himself in the nearby woods.
In a book he wrote later, "Way of a Fighter,'' Chennault said, "My earliest recollections are of roaming the oak woods and moss-draped cypress swamps in northeast Louisiana. Life in these woods and on the bayous and lakes taught me self-confidence and reliance and forced me to make my own decisions.''
Claire Chennault attended LSU for three years, but transferred to Louisiana State Normal for his senior year so he would be eligible for a teaching job. That same year, he attended a high school graduation ceremony in Winnsboro, and there met a young lady named Nell Thompson. They courted for a year, and married on Christmas Eve, 1911.
When World War I began, Chennault enlisted, and for a very short time was stationed at Gerstner Army Camp, south of Lake Charles near Holmwood. Then he went to Kelly Field in San Antonio, Texas.
"The Signal Corps rejected me for flight training three times,'' Chennault wrote later. "But taking advantage of the general confusion around Kelly, I found a few genial instructors who were willing to explain the fundamentals of flying from the rear cockpit of a Jenny.
``I was also in charge of fueling and checking the training planes, so whenever there was no cadet handy, I hopped in and racked up another hour of flying time.''
In the spring of 1920, the war ended and Chennault was honorably discharged. But that fall, he put in a request for a commission in the newly organized Air Service and was accepted for their first fighter pilot course.
In 1923, Claire Chennault was sent to Hawaii, where he was commanding officer of the 19th Pursuit Squadron at Luke Field at Pearl Harbor. It was in Hawaii that his sixth and last son, Robert, was born. A few years later, a daughter, Rosemary, was born.
"I think my Hawaiian duty was my happiest time in the Air Corps,'' Chennault wrote later. During this time, he initiated many new plans and tactics for military aircraft. He felt that the fighter techniques being taught then were "medieval jousting in dogfights.''
Chennault had a brilliant mind, far ahead of the military strategists of his day. He often sounded like a voice crying in the wilderness as he begged the military hierarchy to modernize training tactics.
"Even yet in 1931,'' he wrote, ``a World War I ace was still teaching the fighter tactics of 1918, including the dawn patrol and dogfight tactics which were completely inadequate against the new bombers.''
Chennault also tried to introduce the use of parachute troops, but was ridiculed for the suggestion.
He also advocated more firepower for fighting planes. "In 1936, engineers ridiculed my suggestion that four 30-caliber guns could be synchronized to fire through a propeller,'' he recalled. "They said it was impossible. But the next year I saw a Russian plane with synchronized guns in action against the Japanese in China.''
But military leaders weren't listening to Chennault. They didn't believe fighters could shoot down bombers. One officer even recommended that fighters drop a ball-and-chain device from above in the hope of fouling a bomber's propellers.
By 1936, Chennault had become executive officer of a pursuit group at Barksdale in Shreveport. But his disagreements with military leaders escalated, and he was asked to take a "health'' retirement. He accepted the offer.
It was after his first retirement that the Chennault children remember spending the most time with their father. Robert, who now lives in the Chennault homeplace at Ferriday, recalls: "My father was stern and insisted that we be extra good students, but he also was very good to us and spent a lot of time with us.
"He was very competitive, hating to lose at anything. He took me fishing until I became a better fisherman than he, and then he wouldn't fish with me anymore.
"He was an avid gardener. He loved his vegetables and didn't like other people in his garden. He would pick all his produce himself and take it to the kitchen. Then it was up to someone else.
"But he did insist that I keep his asparagus bed weeded, and until this day, I dislike asparagus like President Bush and his broccoli.''
Max Chennault agrees. "He was a good father. He often took us golfing, fishing, hunting and swimming and taught us to play bridge.''
All six sons of Chennault were in service during World War II, and they all came home safely. Daughter Peggy (Mrs. Robert Lee) of California says, "My husband, Bob Lee, was chief of supply for Chennault's Air Line. We and our two children lived in Shanghai, Canton, Hong Kong, Tianan and Tokyo until the Korean War. It was exciting, sometimes scary, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.''
Rosemary (Mrs. James Simrell), who now lives in West Monroe, recalls: "We saw quite a bit of Dad after he came back from China and was living in Monroe. He loved his flower garden and had many unusual plants in it, many that he'd brought home from China.''
In the 1930s, the Chennaults moved to San Antonio, Texas, where he was director of flight operations. They lived near a family named Hixson, and a member of that family, Edley Hixson of Lake Charles, remembers the Chennaults well. Edley recalls, "Max and I were friends and went to school together. I knew the family and thought that General Chennault was stern and very military.''
Then came another chapter in Chennault's career. "At midnight on April 30, 1937,'' wrote Chennault later, "with my family settled on the shores of Lake St. John near Waterproof, I officially retired from the U.S. Army with the rank of Captain. On the morning of May 1, I was on my way to San Francisco, China bound.''
Chennault originally planned to remain in China for three months, but he spent the rest of his life there. His new civilian job was to oversee the entire Chinese Air Force, and he was often discouraged because China had such a critical shortage of airplanes and trained pilots.
One day, Chennault saw five landing crackups, and watched several fighter-pilots, supposedly ready for combat, spin-in and kill themselves in basic trainers.
It took Chennault a long time to convince Chinese pilots that their lives were more important than saving face. They simply refused to bail out of a crippled plane because returning without their planes would cause them to lose face.
From the beginning, Chennault liked and respected General and Madame Chiang Kai-shek. Since she was the Secretary General of the Chinese Air Force, she was his boss.
"I have worked with Madam Chiang through long years of bitter defeat,'' he wrote later, "and through victories that now seem even more bitter because their promise of peace has not been fulfilled. I believe she is one of the world's most accomplished, brilliant and determined women.''
After World War II began, Chennault was recalled to military service, then assigned to continue the work he was doing in China.
Chennault recruited volunteers to fight the Japanese in China. The Secretary of the Navy as well as the Secretary of the Army agreed to let their flyers resign from their branch of the service to fly with Chennault, and, without prejudice, to return to their prior jobs when the war was over.
The name "Flying Tigers'' came into being about this time. Chennault explained it this way: "Suddenly, we were swamped with newspaper clippings and we were being called the Flying Tigers. But the insignia we made famous was by no means original with us.
"Our pilots copied the shark-tooth design on the P-40s from a colored illustration in the India Illustrated Weekly. Even before that, the German Air Force painted it on some of its Messerschmitts. At any rate, we were somewhat surprised to find ourselves billed under that name.''
True to form, General Claire Chennault was outspoken about several other generals he felt were impeding the war effort in China. His comments sparked a furor, and in 1945, two months before the war ended, he was again retired from the military on another "health'' disability.
"We were flying home when news of the Japanese surrender reached me via our plane radio,'' he said.
Chennault did not remain in the states. Soon he was back in China, where he founded the Civil Air Transport (CAT) which operated under the Flying Tiger insignia. Its job was to carry relief supplies from Canton and Shanghai into the interior of China. They flew tons of seeds, medicine, food, farm equipment and banknotes into isolated areas.
By this time, Chennault and Nell had divorced, and he had married a young Chinese girl, Ann Chen, who was a reporter for the Central News Agency.
Ten years later, Chennault's bronchitis grew worse and a doctor discovered he had cancer. He went through an operation and doctors removed most of his lung.
Two months later, Chennault was back in China. But a year later, a spot was again found in his lung and the doctors sent him to America and New Orleans, where he was under the care of Dr. Alton Ochsner. During this time, he managed a reunion with all his children and grandchildren.
Shortly before his death, Chennault was asked to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee of the U.S. Congress.
When the committee member asked him who won the Korean War, he replied bluntly, "The communists.''
Asked about foreign aid, he said, "We send people to distribute that aid. . We send some of the dumbest, most ignorant people I have ever encountered. We have to change our whole method of giving aid. We have to get down and contact the people, make friends with them at all levels.''
Three months later, on July 27, 1958, General Claire Lee Chennault died. He was buried in the National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.
And a few months later, on Friday, Nov. 14, 1958, Lake Charles held a celebration during which the Lake Charles Air Force Base was named Chennault in honor of the late general.
Today, the base has become Chennault Airpark, filling a new role but still carrying General Claire Chennault's name.