Posted on 01/19/2015 5:19:29 AM PST by Homer_J_Simpson
Arrangements should be made to leave a large number of static anti-aircraft guns which are not needed in their positions for care and maintenance. I do not like breaking up batteries planted with so much care. The personnel can be removed and a few caretakers kept. Otherwise I am sure we shall find that in a few months we have simply stripped the western and northern parts of the country of every form of defence, and should the situation change we should have to begin almost from the very beginning. It is the personnel that we want.
2. I must take exception to the expression “low-grade infantry brigades”. This should never be used again. If it is necessary to differentiate between them in any way by name they could be called “Reserve brigades”.
Winston S. Churchill, Triumph and Tragedy
* The “Good Landing” photo was a panoramic view of the Luzon beachhead. It was too wide to scan.
http://www.etherit.co.uk/month/0/19.htm
January 19th, 1945 (FRIDAY)
FRANCE: Versailles: Montgomery is furious as Eisenhower rejects his strategy for a push to the Rhine in favour of General Bradley’s.
GERMANY: U-2371 laid down.
U-4706 launched.
U.S.S.R.: Polar Fleet: DD “Deyatelnii” (ex-I 45 “Churchill”) - by U-boat, in Rinda bay area, at Kolsk Gulf. (Sergey Anisimov)(69)
Moscow: The fears of the Polish government in London came true today when President Bierut, the leader of the Soviet-sponsored Lublin Committee, issued a decree announcing the round-up of “irresponsible members” of the Home Army and followers of the London government. The decree urged all armed forces in the liberated areas to outlaw the “Home Army murderers who are provoking civil strife”. Of General Bor-Komorowski, the leader of the Warsaw uprising, it says: “His provocative rising and later surrender of arms considerably aided the Germans.” There seems little doubt now that the Lublin Committee intends to carry out a purge of all those who do not follow the communist line.
SOUTH AFRICA: ASW trawler HMS Northern Isles beached and lost near Durban
CHINA: Japanese troops take Chingyuan, on the Canton to Hankow railway.
BURMA: L/Naik Sher Shah (b.1917), 16th Punjab Regt., broke up two attacks by crawling among the Japanese and firing at close range. Wounded, he went in a third time, but was killed. (Victoria Cross)
MALAYA: Submarine HMS Penang damaged by Japanese aircraft near Penang. Sunk by Japanese surface forces later that day. No survivors.
U.S.A.: The federal government relinquishes control of the United States’ railways after settling a wage dispute.
General Castle is similar to General Savage on “12 O’Clock High”.
Concerning the p8 article about the death of Maj. McGuire, my understanding has been that he became careless and may not have realized until it was too late that he was up against a very good Japanese pilot.
About the p10 article on German’s trading in surrender passes. My understanding is that by this stage of the war... at least in the East, being found in possession of such leaflet carried a summary death sentence.
No the article is basically correct. McGuire preached and preached to new pilots in theater to never, never attempt a high speed turn with the drop tanks on.
While correct that the Japanese pilot was one of the best that the Japanese still had, McGuire in his haste to assit the wingman entered a high speed turn with the tanks on. At the low altitude they were at it proved fatal.
FWIW according to some witnesses McGuire had pulled the ship out of the stall and was attempting to regain altitude but regrettably was to low to make it work.
Regards
alfa6 ;>}
You're right - he had the same story as a pioneer of strategic bombing with the 8th Air Force.
Here is the full photo from which the detail in the Times was taken (thanks to Paul James at the World War II 70th Anniversary Group at Facebook).
There is an error in the story in the third to the last paragraph. The missions of 11 Jan 44 were not to Brunswick and Schweinfurt but Brunswick and Oschersleben. I remembered that because my uncle’s B-17 was shot down over Oschersleben on that date.
There’s mention of Ira in the Gen. Castle article....
What has happened to the verboseness of http://www.etherit.co.uk/month/0/19.htm?
Since he didn't need the extra fuel to reach friendly territory, I would think failing to drop tanks the moment a pilot realized combat was imminent suggests he believed himself good enough and/or in advantageous enough of a position that he could take the opponent and still have plenty of fuel remaining for more hunting. And that's how I always read the account, as a hunting trip.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_McGuire
McGuire according to the wiki entry had told the pilots in his group to keep their tanks so they could complete their mission.
McGuire’s altitude was roughly 300’ AGL when he went into the turn. No margin of error at that height. Plus from the wiki entry it seems that McGuire’s ambition may have gotten the better of him:-(
McGuire’s running mate and competitor Maj. Richard Bong will show up in the NY Times in about 7 months, regrettably.
Regards
alfa6 ;>}
Sounds like an accelerated stall at low altitude.
Something to that effect. Clearly pilot error. He was overconfident, cocky and hungry for glory. Thoughts of why should 4 P-38s need to drop tanks for one lousy Jap plane probably influenced his decisionmaking
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