Posted on 02/10/2004 12:00:11 AM PST by SAMWolf
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are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
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Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood and support. The FReeper Foxhole hopes to share with it's readers an open forum where we can learn about and discuss military history, military news and other topics of concern or interest to our readers be they Veteran's, Current Duty or anyone interested in what we have to offer. If the Foxhole makes someone appreciate, even a little, what others have sacrificed for us, then it has accomplished one of it's missions. We hope the Foxhole in some small way helps us to remember and honor those who came before us.
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M3, M10, M18, M36 and M56 In summer 1940, fast, hard-hitting German Panzer forces caused the quick collapse of France and demonstrated the offensive capabilities of the tank. This caused a sense of urgency, and stopping of tanks became one of the most serious problems facing the United States Army. In November 1941, the War Department ordered activation of a Tank Destroyer Center and Board at Fort Meade, MD. By the end of 1942, 80 Tank Destroyer Battalions were active and 64 more planned. Known as TD units, these forces were taught to fight tanks with lightly armored vehicles, with mounted cannon, with towed anti-tank guns and as dismounted tank hunting parties using anti tank grenades. Initially, a TD battalion was armed with half-tracks with 75 mm guns. Combat experience in North Africa, however, was unfavorable. The high silhouette of the halftrack led to the preference of towed guns that could be more easily hidden. As a result, many self propelled TD units in the US were then converted to towed gun units. Following requests from combat theater commanders, half the battalions were converted back to self propelled units. They were armed with the full track M-10 "Wolverine" Tank Destroyer carrying a three inch cannon. As enemy armor increased, tank destroyers also improved. The M-18 "Hellcat", carrying a higher velocity 76 mm gun, was developed, and later the M-36 "Jackson", mounting a 90 mm gun was used. Some versions of the M-36 consisted of the M-36 turret, mounted on the M-4 Sherman tank chassis, known as the M-36B1. Tank Destroyer units were fast, hard hitting units and were among the most heavily armed and mechanized units in the Army. A Tank Destroyer Gun company consisted of a command post, maintenance section and three gun platoons. The gun platoon was divided into two sections of two tank destroyers and a security section in an M-20 armored car. Tank Destroyers were extremely vulnerable due to their open topped turrets which provided no crew protection from snipers or air burst artillery. In addition, tank destroyers, unlike tanks, had no machine gun-mounted coaxial with the main gun for defense. Tank Destroyers, although resembling tanks, were very lightly armored and not suited for a tank vs. tank battle. The basic concept and design of the tank destroyer sacrificed armor for speed and agility. Tank Destroyer units were individual, specialized units attached to larger units for tank defense and had no direct commander. Many losses and casualties suffered by TD units were the result of commanders using tank destroyers as tanks. Nevertheless, Tank Destroyer units with their "Seek, Strike, Destroy" motto became powerful formations strong in firepower and mobility, and the TD men were renowned for their courage and tenacity. Initially, 222 TD units were mobilized in 1942. Since massed armor used in early 1940, was rarely used after 1943, the number was reduced. Due to personnel shortages, additional battalions were inactivated and re-designated self-propelled artillery, tank, and quartermaster, or used as infantry replacements. In 1944, only 78 tank destroyer battalions remained. In late 1945, it was determined that the best defense against a tank was another tank and the Tank Destroyer Force was disbanded. Tank Destroyer units were converted to tank or towed artillery units. Reloading 90mm ammunition in an M36 Tank Destroyer units hold a high place in military history. Although out-gunned, under-armored, and misused in many ways, they took a high toll of enemy tanks and many other combat vehicles on all fronts. After action reports from most tank destroyer units at the end of World War II indicated over 2,600 enemy tanks and other armored vehicles were destroyed by TD units. An impressive tally of enemy anti tank guns, armored cars and half tracks, pill boxes, machine guns and aircraft shot down by tank destroyer forces showed that in spite of their severe limitations, tank destroyer forces performed their primary mission well. With the advent of World War II, and as a result of the successes of the German Blitzkrieg, it was special units with tank-hunting and killing capabilities. Leaders decided early on that towed anti-tank guns would not get the job done. A more mobile force was needed. Originally anti-tank units, the name was soon changed to "tank destroyer." This gave the unit an aggressive nature and not a defensive one. Their role would often be a defensive one, however, lying in wait for approaching enemy tanks. The very first TD battalions were nothing more than modified halftracks, carrying 37mm anti-tank guns or old French 75mm guns. They were used first in the Tunisian campaign with varying degrees of success, but their lack of protective armor made them easy targets. Some were sent to the Pacific, where they enjoyed better results. By 1943, they were discontinued and for that year, the army went back to the idea of towed antitank guns, imitating the German practice. Then someone had the foresight to realize that Germany used this type of weapon out of necessity. The preference of the Wehrmacht was for self-propelled antitank weapons. The experience of the United States proved that the day of towed weapons such as these had indeed passed. They were totally unsuitable in a modern mobile environment. They served best in fixed defenses and were of little use in tank vs. tank battles, where they were needed the most. M18 in the ruins of Brest, france, 12 September 1944 So it was that in 1944, the TD battalions in Europe were being converted back to mobile tank destroyers, or SP guns. This time however, technology and innovation had produced some formidable weapons. One was the M-10 Wolverine tank destroyer. Built on a Sherman chassis, it had an open-topped turret (nearly all US tank destroyers had this feature. Its purpose was increased ability to see the enemy) and a top-notch 75mm or 76mm gun. Its success prompted the manufacture of the M-18 Hellcat, a much lighter tank, with a minimum of armor protection, but great speed and agility. It sported a powerful 76mm gun that was an equivalent of the 75mm gun on the Panther. M10 and M36 Then came the M-36, which would be the most powerful of all the tank destroyers. Utilizing the M-10 and M-18 as the basis, the M-36 had speed, armor and power. It also carried a 90mm gun, which with the introduction of the HVAP anti-tank round, could kill anything the Germans had, with the exception of frontal hits on a few of the later monsters. Strangely, perhaps due to the lack of German armor toward the end of the war, these tank destroyers were never used in mass for that for which they were created. In some instance, TD battalions were disbanded, their troops sent to other armored units, or converted to infantry status. Wild Bill Wilder
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Popular American writer of western fiction. L'Amour was the most significant writer of the genre since the 1950s. His publishing numbers surpassed Frederick Faust (Max Brand), while his popularity rivaled Zane Grey. Hailed on one book cover as the 'World's Greatest Writer', L'Amour sold over 225 million copies, making him the third top-seller in the world (according to Saturday Review). L'Amour's books have been translated into dozens of languages and made into 30 films.
"I am probably the last writer who will ever have known the people who lived the frontier life. In drifting about across the West, I have known five men and two women who knew Billy the Kid, two who rode in the Tonto Basin war in Arizona, and a variety of others who were outlaws, or frontier marshals like Jeff Milton, Bill Tilghman, and Chris Madse, or just pioneers." (from Education of a Wndering Man, 1989) Louis L'Amour was born in Jamestown, North Dakota, the last of his parents' seven children. The family name was originally LaMoore or Larmour, reflecting the French-Canadian background. His father had many occupations, including a salesman of farm machinery, a veterinarian, a chief police, and a teacher. L'Amour's mother was trained as a teacher, and she was also an amateur poet. The future author grew up hearing stories of pioneers and Native Americans. He began reading earlier than most - from his parent's bookshelf he found collections of Longfellow, Whittier, Lowell, and Emerson. All in the family had library cards.
From the ages of fifteen to nineteen L'Amour worked at a variety of jobs: he tried boxing, worked as a circus hand, a lumberjack, and a seaman, and traveled in the Far East, China, and Africa. In the ring, he won 51 of 59 fights as a professional boxer. He was even an elephant handler for a while. During the 1930s he became a successful boxer and traveled in Asia. After returning to the United States, he moved with his parents on a small farm near Choctaw, Oklahoma. L'Amour took some creative writing courses at the University of Oklahoma, and started his career as a book reviewer. Almost all of his early short stories were rejected. SMOKE FROM THIS ALTAR (1939) was L'Amour's first book, a collection of poems, in which he crystallized his wanderlust in 'Out of the ocean depths': "Out of the distance / that holds me enchanted, / Up from the green, / shifting violence below - / A voice from the twilight, / the bauty, the stillness, / A voice that comes calling / and calling to go. ..." The book was only for sale in Oklahoma bookstores. Although L'Amour's collection was not a commercial success, it received good reviews. "For he has the three things which it takes to make a writer: a love for words, industry, and something to say," wrote the Daily Oklahoma.
During World War II L'Amour served in a tank destroyer unit in France and Germany. In 1946 he settled in Los Angeles and wrote Western stories for pulp magazines - he was nearing 40 and could use his own experiences as material. First story he had sold in 1935. It was a gangster story, 'Anything for a Pal', published in True Gang Life. L'Amour's early tales were not of the West, but of the Far East or of the prize ring. But the West was where he had grown up and it was an easy step for him to write about the frontier. L'Amour's first novel, WESTWARD THE TIDE (1950) appeared in England. It was not published in the United States until Bantam Books acquired the rights many years later. In 1951 appeared L'Amour's first Western, HOPALONG CASSIDY AND THE RIDERS OF HIGH ROCK, under the pen name Tex Burns. Hopalong Cassidy character had been created by Clarence Mulfor, but soon L'Amour established his own name as a novelist.
I wouldn't be a bit surprised!
God Bless America
Amen.
How many times have we heard that story. :-(
The Modern Bentfeather's quill.
Audie decided to take action. Near his position was a burning tank destroyer. Audie climbed on top, and turned the machine gun on the approaching Germans. As Audie fired from the burning tank, the artillery began to land in earnest and the German advance faltered. For almost an hour, Audie continued to lay down fire on the Germans. When he ran out of ammunition, he dropped into the snow and discovered he had been wounded, his third, in the leg. Enemy soldiers lay dead just 10 yards from the tank destroyer. For this daring feat, Audie was recommended for and received the Medal of Honor. His citation reads:
Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Company B 1 5th Infantry, 3d Infantry Division.
Place and date: Near Holtzwihr France, 26 January 1945.
Entered service at: Dallas, Tex. Birth: Hunt County, near Kingston, Tex. G.O. No.. 65, 9 August 1945.
Citation
2d Lt. Murphy commanded Company B, which was attacked by 6 tanks and waves of infantry. 2d Lt. Murphy ordered his men to withdraw to prepared positions in a woods, while he remained forward at his command post and continued to give fire directions to the artillery by telephone. Behind him, to his right, 1 of our tank destroyers received a direct hit and began to burn. Its crew withdrew to the woods.
2d Lt. Murphy continued to direct artillery fire which killed large numbers of the advancing enemy infantry. With the enemy tanks abreast of his position, 2d Lt. Murphy climbed on the burning tank destroyer, which was in danger of blowing up at any moment, and employed its .50 caliber machine gun against the enemy. He was alone and exposed to German fire from 3 sides, but his deadly fire killed dozens of Germans and caused their infantry attack to waver. The enemy tanks, losing infantry support, began to fall back.
For an hour the Germans tried every available weapon to eliminate 2d Lt. Murphy, but he continued to hold his position and wiped out a squad which was trying to creep up unnoticed on his right flank. Germans reached as close as 10 yards, only to be mowed down by his fire. He received a leg wound, but ignored it and continued the single-handed fight until his ammunition was exhausted. He then made his way to his company, refused medical attention, and organized the company in a counterattack which forced the Germans to withdraw. His directing of artillery fire wiped out many of the enemy; he killed or wounded about 50.
2d Lt. Murphy's indomitable courage and his refusal to give an inch of ground saved his company from possible encirclement and destruction, and enabled it to hold the woods which had been the enemy's objective.
Hmmmmm, Seems like the Japanese like to start wars with sneak attacks on fleets at anchor.
There are some calls for metal detectors at intra-city sportng events and also more security by some parents.
Parts of this problem IMHO is the social expermination by the public school beureaucacy and also an unwillingness to allow more parental inputs into what is going on here. Until these things are corrected there are going to continue bo more problems such as this and people aren't going to be willing to attend anymore of these sporting events.
All of this leftist, "progressive" whatever social engineering nonsense just isn't working. You can't putting a cat in the same room with a dog.
Hopefully, this will work itself out in time.
Air Power |
The Hurricane was the first monoplane fighter produced by Hawker, and was available in substantial numbers at the beginning of World War II. Hurricanes played a decisive role in the Battle of Britain and went on to fly on more fronts than any other British fighter. Canadian Car and Foundry manufactured 1 451 Hurricanes between 1938 and 1943. With increasingly heavy armament, Hurricanes served to the end of the war. Hurricanes were used in Canada for training and coastal patrols.
Hurricanes equipped 26 RAF squadrons at the beginning of the Battle of Britain and shot down more enemy aircraft than all other defences combined. The RCAF received its first Hurricanes in August 1939, including those flown by Number 1 Squadron RCAF in the Battle of Britain. Later in the war, Sea Hurricanes were launched by catapult from ships at sea to defend convoys against air attack. A "tank buster" version with 40mm cannon was used in North Africa.
The Hurricane was designed to Air Ministry Specification F.36/34, the prototype making it's first flight on November 6th, 1935. Put into production in 1936, the first production Hurricane I flew in October, 1937.
Although it was no longer in production when the war ended the Hurricane was still in service as a first-line aircraft. It served on seventeen battle fronts - in the British Isles, France, Norway, North Africa, Sicily, Italy, The Middle East, The Far East, Russia, in the Battles of the Atlantic, the Mediterranean, and the Northern Convoys, to mention the most important - as a fighter, fighter-bomber, an R.P. fighter, a "tank buster", a catapault fighter, and a carrier fighter. In 1944-45, equipped with rocket projectiles (R.P.), the Hurricane was used with great effect against enemy shipping in the Adriatic, and as a fighter-bomber it served with distinction in Burma.
Well over 14,000 Hurricanes were built, the last one being delivered from the Hawker factory in September, 1944.
Hurricane Mk I
Rolls-Royce Merlin II or Merlin III engine. Armament consisted of eight .303-in Browning machine guns, four in each wing. Originally had fabric covered wings, two blade wood fixed-pitch airscrew and was without armour or self-sealing tanks. In 1939 the Mk. I was fitted with either the D.H. or Rotol constant-speed airscrew, ejector exhaust stacks, metal covered wings, armour, etc. In the Battle Of Britian the Hurricane Mk. I accounted for more enemy aircraft than any other type of aircraft and altogether in the first year of the war Hurricane squadrons accounted for more than 1,500 confirmed victories over the Luftwaffe, almost half the total of enemy aircraft destroyed by the RAF in that period. In 1940 the Mk. I was fitted with air cleaner and desert equipment for service in the Middle East.
Hurricane Mk. II
Rolls-Royce Merlin XX engine with two-speed supercharger. Except for slight alterations to the wings to cater for increased armament, a new engine mounting for the longer engine and strengthening of the fuselage and landing-gear to take care of the increased power and weight, no other structural changes were necessary.
Hurricane Mk. IV On 14 March 1943 a modified Mk II KX045 flew in the guise of the prototype IV. Powered by a Merlin 24 producing 1650hp the new version was externally very similar to the Mark II with the exception of the heavily armoured radiator bath, which now had an angular appearance. An additional 350lb of steel plate had been added to this version in response to increasingly accurate and lethal anti aircraft fire being experienced on all fronts. The Mk IV wing was designed from the outset to accept the 20mm cannon, 40mm anti tank guns, drop tanks, bombs and the 3-inch rocket projectile. The operational debut of the Mk IV took place on the 2 September 1943 when No 137 Sqn attacked lock gates in Holland. The escort was provided by Hawker Typhoons, which would gradually replace the Hurricane in the ground attack role. By mid 1944 the Hurricane Mk IV was withdrawn completely from the European theatre, but continued to give excellent service in the Far East where six squadrons were so equipped.
Specifications:
Manufacturer: Hawker
Primary Role: Fighter
Power plant: One Rolls-Royce (Packard) Merlin XX V-engine with 1,280 HP
First flight Prototype: 6.11.1936
Date deployed: October 1937
Number built: 12,870 (+ 1,451 in Canada)
Dimensions:
Wingspan: 40 ft 12.2 m
Length: 32 ft 3 in 9.8 m
Height: 13 ft 1 1/2 in 4 m
Weights: empty 4,982 lb 2,259 kg / max. 6,665 lb 3,023 kg
Performance:
Speed cruising: 206 mph / max. 348 mph
Initial: climb rate 2,707 ft/min
Ceiling: 34,000 ft
Range: 460 mi
Armaments:
Eight .303 machine guns (12 m.g. Hurricane IIb) or Four 40mm cannons;
up to 226 kg in bombs
All photos Copyright of British WWII Aircraft
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