The FReeper Foxhole Remembers Fighting the Kamikazes (1944-1945) - May 23rd, 2003

http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/wwii/facts/kamikaze.txt ^ | CE1 Robert A. Germinsky, USNR

[SAMWolf]

Yeah. That tends to change attitudes.

[SAMWolf]

Great story Light Speed.

Thanks for sharing it. Sometimes it just all comes down to luck.

[snippy_about_it]

Hey there. I'm up. ha! For about 3 more minutes. I received some welcome email and never left the computer as I was busy replying.

Just wanted to say it's good to 'see' you.

Is anybody jealous of your screen saver? lol.

Now I really am going before I fall asleep at the wheel.

I'm going to ping you Monday to our Memorial Day thread. Stop in when you can. Goodnight!

[snippy_about_it]

I know you read the threads so you'll know why I am still up.

Your welcome for the dance, picked the dress out all by myself. lol.

Really, goodnight and I'll see you in the morning. :)

[ThankaGI]

The war is over. Now it's time to thank the troops. Visit http://www.thankagi.com and post your message to America's newest heroes.

[snippy_about_it]

re: post 145

Hmmm.

You know people at work actually come around to my Navy shrine, (lol) look at my pics and say 'it's over isn't it?' Arrgghh!

Don't we wish it was over. We'll certainly thank them all as they continue their sacrifices and welcome home the arriving and pray for those still fighting the war on terror. It's out there.

Now I'm going before I get myself into trouble. I promise.
Sweet dreams.

[SAMWolf]

LOL! Good night Snippy. (Again)

[SAMWolf]

Heck. I've run into people that act like they didin't even know a war was going on. Very frustrating.

[SAMWolf]

Thakns for the link. It's not over yet. Just one phase is done.

[Light Speed]

Its good to plug into the humor of that time...

"Radio th' ol' man we'll be late on account of a thousand-mile detour

[SAMWolf]

Mauldin was great wasn't he?

[PhilDragoo]

Incoming.

[SAMWolf]

Evening PhilDragoo.

Some good pics. That rocket looks like the ME-163 Komet. painted up to be Japanese.

[PhilDragoo]

Did you build the Revell model of this?

How strange that the landing carriage fell away.

One-way ticket.

[SAMWolf]

No. I did have the Me-262 and most of the Propjobs though, I prefered the Monogram kits.

More pilots dies trying to land than dies in combat. Seems the fuel mixture was highly unstable and a bumpy landing would set it off.

[SAMWolf]

Capable of nearly 600mph and climbing to 30,000ft in less than two minutes, this tiny rocket propelled Me163 Komet was typical of Germany’s ingenuity in it’s desperate attempts to stem the havoc being wreaked by the USAAF’s daylight bombers. With rocket science still in its infancy, these small aircraft were still in the experimental stage, and piloting what amounted to a flying bomb was in itself a perilous affair, let alone flying them into combat. Pictured is an Me163 Komet of JG400 as it streaks through a formation of B-17s.

[E.G.C.]

BTTT!!!!!!!

[MomwithHope]

Thanks for this thread! My dad was on the USS Nicholson DD442 and told us about the kamikaze planes. He was a gunners mate, and had a deafness in one ear to show for it. He also hated the food on board and would get soup bones, etc from the cooks and cook up his own ethnic style soups and stews, Soon he had crew members lining up for his cooking. God bless all vets!

[SAMWolf]

Thanks for sharing about your dad with us. I thank him for his service.

Nicholsan III (DD-442: dp. 1,630; 1. 348'; b. 35'4", d. 10'2", s. 37 k.;cpl. 276; a. 4 5", 1 dcp., 2 dct., 1 Y gun, 10 21" tt., cl. Gleaues)

The third Nicholsan III (DD-442) was laid down 1 November 1939 by Boston Naval Shipyard; launched 31 May 1940; sponsored by Mrs. S. A. Bathriek, a great-grandaughter of Samuel Nicholson; and commissioned 3 June 1941, Comdr. J. S. Keating in command.

After a shakedown cruise in the eastern Atlantic, Nicholson escorted convoys through the U-boat-infested, storm-tossed Nothern Atlantic first from Boston to Iceland and then to Scotland and England until fall 1942. In a brief training period off the Virginia coast, she prepared for the Casablanea invasion, but a turbine casualty prevented her participation in the initial landings. She arrived four days later, 12 November, to assist in the consolidation of the beachhead and to patrol. She took part in the Bizerte campaign and the initial assaults on Salerno, coming under heavy air attack from the Luftwaffe at both Bizerte and Salerno.

After five months in the Mediterranean, Nicholson returned to the United States for overhaul in preparation for Pacific deployment, for which she sailed from New York early in January 1944. When she reached New Guinea in February, she was assigned to escort LSTs in the Cape Gloucester campaign, already under way.

Throughout the long New Guinea campaign, a matter of sueeessive assaults on coastal points and nearby islands, Nicholson gave gunfire support to troops ashore. She had similar duty in the Admiralties; when, during the eonquestof Seeadler Harbor, she was assigned to draw fire from an enemy battery on Hanwei. Here she was hit by a 4" shell which struck in No. 2 ammunition handling room, killing 3 and wounding 4. She wiped out the enemy position.

In August 1944 Nicholson joined the 3d Fleet in the Marshalls. She screened fast carriers in raids on the Bonins, Formosa, and the Philippines, supporting the invasion of the Palaus and the neutralization of Yap. Returning to the Philippines, her group assisted the 7th Fleet during the invasion of Leyte and the decisive Battle for Leyte Gulf, from which Nicholson sailed for a Seattle overhaul.

Returning to the western Pacific in February 1945, Nicholson escorted ships passing between Guam and Ulithi, and arrived off Okinawa for its invasion late in March. Serving in the exposed radar picket line, Nicholson came through untouched by kamikazes, but rescued survivors from stricken destroyers Little and Morrison.

Rejoining the 3d Fleet for the final air operations against the Japanese home islands, Nicholson was off Honshu at the war's end. She entered Sagami Wan 29 August and Tokyo Bay 15 September. Returning to San Diego 6 November, she sailed for Panama and Charleston, S.C., arriving 23 November to join the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. She decommissioned 26 Februarv 1946, was assigned as a Naval Reserve Training ship in the 3d Naval District 30 November 1948 and recommissioned 17 July 1950. She decommissioned once more and transferred to the Italian Navy 15 January 1951. Through 1969 she serves Italy as Aviere.

Nicholson received 10 battle stars for World War II service.

[MomwithHope]

Thanks for posting this - I did find this ship's record the year after my dad died, 1996. I still miss him so much. He was a great patriot.