Replies

"Pretty Shooting"

The combination of forward-firing 50s and skipping bombs was effective. As fast as planes could be modified, pilots were trained. One of the B-25 squadron commanders who became especially adept at attacking shipping at low altitudes was Maj. Ed Larner. He and his "commerce destroying" squadron had become expert at skipping bombs into ground targets at low altitudes and strafing the nose- and side-gun-firing .50 calibers. Kenney recalled, "I saw a couple of them practicing on the old wreck on the reef outside Port Moresby. They didn't miss. It was pretty shooting and pretty skip bombing."

General Kenney added that he had "a hunch" that the enemy's forces "were going to get the surprise of their lives."

The battle began on the afternoon of March 1, 1943, when a convoy of seven merchant vessels, six destroyers, and two cruisers was first sighted north of New Britain. Seven additional merchant vessels reportedly joined the convoy en route as the weather closed in.

On March 2, the vessels were again sighted heading from the Bismarck Sea toward the Vitiaz Strait. When a force of twenty-nine B-17s hit the convoy, a large merchant vessel was sunk, two others damaged, and a destroyer was set on fire. The Flying Fortresses were attacked by thirty Japanese fighters, three of which were shot down. Ten Allied bombers were riddled with holes, but all returned to their base at Port Moresby.

Later that day, the convoy consisted of six warships and ten merchant vessels. They were attacked by nine B-17 s that eliminated two merchantmen and damaged another. One intercepting fighter was shot down; again, all bombers returned safely.

Just before daybreak on March 3, reconnaissance airplanes spotted eight enemy warships escorting seven merchant vessels headed south through the Vitiaz Strait. General Kenney explained what happened next:

"At ten o'clock, the big brawl began about fifty miles southeast of Finschhafen, right where we had planned it. Eighteen heavy bombers and twenty medium bombers attacked from 7,000-foot altitude. As the last bombs were dropped, thirteen Australian Beaufighters swept in at deck height, strafing the whole length of the convoy, as Ed Lamer with twelve of my new B-25 commerce destroyers skip-bombed, followed by twelve A-20 light bombers, also down 'on the deck.' Sixteen P-38s provided top cover.

"Ed Larner's squadron dropped thirty-seven 500-pound bombs, scoring seventeen direct hits, and the A- 20s, which also skip-bombed, scored eleven direct hits out of the twenty 500-pounders they let go.

"Twenty minutes from the time the attack started, the battle was just about over. Every. . . merchant vessel was sunk, sinking, or so badly damaged that it was certain they would never reach land. One of the destroyers had been sunk and three others were in bad shape from direct skip-bombing hits."

During the battle, one B-17 was set on fire, but it continued on its bomb run. Just as the bombs were released, the airplane lost its wing and spiraled seaward out of control. Seven men bailed out successfully, and all were strafed by Japanese fighters as they swung in their parachutes. Three P-38 pilots, seeing what happened, dove on the enemy planes and blasted five of them out of the sky; however, all three P-38s were shot down. Of the thirty Japanese fighters in the engagement, twenty-two were definitely destroyed, two were probables, and four were damaged.

Larner and Henebry

That afternoon, what was left of the Japanese convoy came under attack by a force of sixteen B-17 bombers, five Australian Beaufighters, and ten B-25 "strafers" led by Major Lamer, with Maj. John P. "Jock" Henebry on his wing. Eleven P-38s flew top cover. When the attack was over, three enemy vessels were on fire and sinking fast. One destroyer was set on fire and another was left sinking. When reconnaissance airplanes came over the next morning, only one burned-out Japanese destroyer was visible and it was barely afloat. One of Major Larner's B-25s skipped a bomb into it and sent it to the bottom.

The Battle of the Bismarck Sea was over. The entire force of Japanese troops, supplies, and equipment had been destroyed; the encounter had cost the enemy an estimated 15,000 lives. US losses came to thirteen men killed and twelve wounded. Four aircraft were shot down and two crash-landed close to base.

The number of ships sunk varied in official reports; poor weather prevented reliable reconnaissance. However, when all the reports were in, the final count, according to the official Summary of Results, was "thirteen to fourteen M/V [merchant vessels] and seven DD [destroyers] sunk and one DD as a possible only. In addition to shipping losses, our fighters shot down twenty-seven fighters, and our bombers destroyed thirty-two planes."

"Jock" Henebry, who in time became a major general and then, after retirement, the National President of the Air Force Association from 1956 to 1957, summarized the three-day battle this way: "All ships of the convoy were sunk. All landbased Army Air Forces and a few Australian planes did the job. There were no Allied navy surface vessels involved-- a 'first' in history involving such a large enemy force. No troops or equipment reached their destination."

In his after-action report, Maj. Gen. Ennis C. Whitehead, then deputy commander of Fifth Air Force, reviewed the battle strategy and results: "Our plan of attack was to begin hitting the convoy as far out as weather and radius of our bombers permitted. In each attack, we used all air force units [that] had sufficient radius in one coordinated attack. Once the convoy was within the operating radius of our attack bombers, we used medium-level bombing to divert AA [antiaircraft artillery] and fighters and the attack bombers to make the 'kills.'

"The medium-level bombing was surprisingly effective. Strafing by our attack bombers and the RAAF Beaufighter squadron proved adequate in the neutralization of destroyer and light cruiser AA. The fighter cover over each coordinated attack effectively neutralized the enemy fighter force, permitting our bombers to make their runs without enemy fighter interference."

General Whitehead noted that the 50-caliber "gun is adequate for strafing such targets. The eight-gun B-25C-1 has, however, only half enough firepower. From fifteen to twenty [.50-caliber] guns firing forward would give a suitable covering fire for attack bomber operations against warships."

They Mean Business

As many as fourteen forward-firing .50-caliber guns were added to some later model B-25s, as well as eight five-inch rockets and a 75-mm cannon, which "Pappy" Gunn had perfected. In addition, the B-25H, the most lethal of all B-25s, also was able to carry a hefty 3,000 pounds of bombs. As General Kenney commented in the Air Force article, "The greatest commerce destroyer of the war had been born. We hurriedly remodeled every B-25 we could get our hands on and made the phrase 'air blockade' mean something."

General MacArthur sent his "gratitude and felicitations on the magnificent victory," which "cannot fail to go down in history as one of the most complete and annihilating combats of all time." General Kenney sent a congratulatory message to General Whitehead and added, "Airpower has written some important history in the past three days. Tell the whole gang that I am so proud of them I am about to blow a fuze."

Since the Bismarck Sea action had proved the concept was sound, all light- and medium-bomber pilots were trained in low-altitude bombing techniques. "Jock" Henebry's 3d Bomb Group became especially adept. Further proof came in an attack at Rabaul on November 2,1943, a date that ranks with the Bismarck Sea battle in the history of the war in the South Pacific.

While six P-38 squadrons flew top cover, Maj. Ben Fridge, with four squadrons of B-25s, machine-gunned and dropped phosphorous bombs on antiaircraft positions. Henebry led his five squadrons into Rabaul Harbor through the smoke of the phosphorous bombs at masthead height. "Of the thirty-eight vessels. . . and twenty merchant ships. . . in the harbor that day," Kenney reported, "thirty received direct hits in the toughest, hardest-fought engagement of the war. The list included one heavy cruiser, one destroyer tender, one submarine tender, three destroyers, two naval auxiliary craft, three minesweepers, sixteen merchant vessels, two tankers, and a tug."

Although from fifty to sixty enemy fighters were expected, 125 to 150 showed up and dove through the P-38s to get at the B-25s. Sixty-eight Japanese fighters were destroyed by the P-38s and B-25s, with twenty-three probables. In addition, Fridge's B-25s destroyed ten floatplanes sitting at anchor, as well as other aircraft on the Lakunai Airdrome. US losses were six B-25s, with three missing, and nine P-38s, with eight of them missing.

Kenney reported:

"In the space of twelve minutes, we had destroyed or damaged 114,000 tons of Japanese shipping, shot down or destroyed on the ground eighty-five. . . airplanes, and burned out half the town of Rabaul, with a loss of supplies to the enemy estimated at 300,000 tons."

"Jock" Henebry did not escape the enemy's wrath unscathed. He had to ditch his B-25 after it was riddled with bullet and shell holes and one engine was shot out. He and his crew were rescued later that day.

In writing about the Bismarck and Rabaul battles in his personal history of the war, General Kenney, declared, "Never in the long history of warfare had so much destruction been wrought upon the forces of a belligerent nation so swiftly and at such little cost to the victor."

General Kenney, a contemporary of Billy Mitchell's who agreed with the great crusader's airpower postulates, must have taken special pride in writing that statement. After the 1921 bombing tests off the Atlantic coast, Mitchell had declared, "No surface vessels can exist wherever air forces acting from land bases are able to attack them." General Kenney's low-flying B-25 mediums, appropriately named for Mitchell, proved beyond all doubt that he was right.

Both tactically and strategically, this was an outstanding operation. Besides the ships sunk, from 59 to 83 planes had been shot down and at least 9 others damaged. The Army Air Forces lost 1 B-17 and 3 P-38's in combat, and a B-25 and a Beaufighter through other causes. Total Army Air Forces personnel losses came to 13 while the Japanese lost approximately 12,700 officers and men. Entirely unassisted, the Fifth Air Force, besides disposing of large numbers of airmen and sailors, wiped out an entire division of troops. Thus the Fifth Air Force, operating in conjunction with our amphibious, naval and land forces in and around the Solomons and New Guinea, had seized the initiative in the Southwest Pacific. For the first time in that theater we were able to strike at times and places of our own choosing.

Today's classic warship, USS Bismarck Sea (CVE-95)

Casablanca class escort aircraft carrier
Displacement. 7020 t.
Lenght. 512'3"
Beam. 65'2"
Draft. 22'4"
Speed. 19.3 k.
Complement. 860
Armament. 1 5", 8 40mm, 12 20mm, 27 aircraft

USS Bismarck Sea was launched 17 April 1944 by Kaiser Co., Inc., Vancouver, Wash., under a Maritime Commission contract as Alikula Bay; sponsored by Mrs. M. C. Wallgren, wife of Senator Wallgren; renamed Bismarck Sea 16 May 1944; transferred to the Navy 20 May 1944; and commissioned the same day, Captain J. L. Pratt in command.

During July and August 1944 Bismarck Sea escorted convoys between San Diego, Calif., and the Marshall Islands. After repairs and additional training at San Diego, she steamed to Ulithi, Caroline Islands, to join the 7th Fleet. During 14-23 November 1944 she operated off Leyte in support of the operations and later took part in the Lingayen Gulf landings (9-18 January 1945). On 16 February she arrived off Iwo Jima to support the invasion. On 21 February 1945 despite damaging gunfire two Japanese suicide planes hit and started uncontrollable fires and set off ammunition. All efforts to save the ship were halted by the exploding ammunition and she sank in 90 minutes with the loss of 318 men.

Bismarck Sea received three battle stars for her World War II operations.

USS Bismarck Sea (CVE-95) exploding. Struck by two kamikazes within two minutes of each other, the ship became a fireball and sank. Photo taken from USS Saginaw Bay (CVE-82) February 21, 1945, off Iwo Jima.

On This Day In History

Birthdates which occurred on March 04:
1394 Prince Henry the Navigator sponsors Portuguese voyages of discovery
1492 Francesco de Layolle composer
1651 John Baron Somers (Whig), William III's chief minister (1696-1700)
1678 Antonio Vivaldi Venice, Baroque violin virtuoso/composer (4 Seasons)
1719 Aert Schouman Dutch bird/portrait painter
1742 Johann Heinrich Egli composer
1747 Casimir Pulaski Count/American Revolutionary War general
1754 Benjamin Waterhouse physician (smallpox vaccine pioneer)
1754 Dieudonne-Pascal Pieltain composer
1757 Ignaz Malzat composer
1765 Charles Dibdin England, composer/author (Sea Songs)/actor (baptized)
1773 Pierre-Louis Hus-Desforges composer
1782 Johann Wyss Swiss folklorist/writer (Swiss Family Robinson)
1789 Pavel P Gagarin Russian monarch
1798 John Joseph Abercrombie Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1877
1813 Wijnand J J Nuijen romantic/water colors painter (Wrecked)
1819 Charles Oberthur composer
1826 John Buford Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1863
1828 Elisha Franklin "Bull" Paxton Brigadier General (Confederate Army)
1834 Peter Nicolai von Wilm composer
1835 Giovanni Schiaparelli Italy, astronomer (discovered canals of Mars)
1838 Paul Lacome composer
1841 Kristian Mandrup Elster Norwegian author (And fremmed Fugl)
1844 Josip Jurcic Slovenian writer (10th Brother)
1862 Robert Emden Swiss geologist/astro-physicist (Emden-polytroop)
1875 Alberto Vaccari Italian Jesuit/old testament scholar/interpreter
1875 Enrique Larreta [E R Maza] Argentine diplomat (Gloria de Don Ramiro)
1875 Suze Groeneweg 1st Dutch female parliament member (SDAP, 1918-37)
1877 Alexander Fyodorovich Gedike composer
1877 Daniël G van Beuningen Dutch art collector
1879 Bernhard Kellermann writer
1885 Willem H Winkel Dutch physician/founder (Red Cross of Curaçao)
1888 Knute Rockne Norwegian/US football player/coach (Notre Dame)
1889 Pearl White [Victoria] US actress/stunt woman (Perils of Pauline)
1891 Dazzy Vance hall of fame pitcher (led National League in strike-outs 7-years)
1897 Francis "Lefty" O'Doul baseball player/organized Japanese baseball
19-- Anne Haney Memphis TN, actress (Evelyn-Lime Streets)
1900 Roberto Soundy El Salvador, trap shooter (Olympics-1968)
1901 Charles H Goren bridge master (26 US Titles)
1901 Jean-Joseph Rabéarivelo Madagaskisch poet (Enfants d'Orphée)
1903 Harold Berens comedian
1904 George Gamow nuclear physicist/cosmologist/writer (1, 2, 3...'infinity')
1905 Lili Kràus Budapest Hungary, pianist (Austrian Cross of Honor 1978)
1907 Edgar Barrier New York NY, actor (Cobra Woman, Macbeth, Rocky, Cornered)
1908 Boris N Poveloi [Kampov], Russian journalist/writer
1909 Harry B Helmsley New York NY, billionaire builder (Empire State Building)
1910 Tancredo Neves president of Civil rights activist
1912 Afro [Basaldella] Italian painter
1912 John Garfield New York NY, actor (Air Force, Destination Tokyo, Juarez)
1915 Carlos Surinach Barcelona Spain, composer (Monte Carlo)
1915 Eunice Catunda composer
1915 Petrus de Jong Dutch premier (KVP, 1967-71)
1916 Giorgio Bassani Italian writer (Botteghe Oscure)
1916 Hans Eysenck psychologist
1918 Margaret Osborne DuPont Joseph OR, tennis pro (US Open 1948-50)
1920 Marcella Grady Jennings rancher
1921 Halim El-Dabh composer
1921 Joan Greenwood London, actress/director (Amorous Mr Prawn)
1923 Patrick Moore England, astronomer/writer (A-Z of Astronomy)
1923 Piero J d'Inzeo France, equestrian show jumper (Olympics-gold-1952, 64)
1927 Robert Di Domenica composer
1927 Thayer David Medford MA, actor (Eiger Sanction, Rocky, Nero Wolfe, Savages)
1928 Alan Sillitoe Nottingham Nottinghamshire England, writer (Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner)
1928 Samuel Adler composer
1929 Bernard Haitink Amsterdam Netherlands, conductor (London Philharmonic Orchestra 1969-78)
1929 Josep Mestres-Quadreny composer
1931 Ernesto Rosenstand Arubian playwright (Kiko Ta Di Nos?)
1931 Gennady Rozhdestvensky composer
1931 Han Jansen Dutch painter
1932 Guido Baggiani composer
1932 Hessel Rienks economist/Dutch 2nd chamber member (PvdA)
1932 Miriam Makeba Johannesburg South Africa, singer (Grammy 1965)
1933 Ann Burton [Anna Rafalowicz], singer
1934 Barbara McNair Racine WI, singer/actress (Barbara McNair Show)
1934 Jane van Lawick-Goodall ethologist/chimp expert (1974 Walker Prize)
1934 John Duffey bluegrass musician
1934 Mario Davidovsky Buenos Aires Argentina, composer (Synchronisms)
1936 Aribert Reimann composer
1936 David Thompson British food magnate/multi-millionaire
1936 Eric Allandale rocker (Foundations)
1936 Jim Clark race car driver (Indianapolis 500)
1937 [Bernard Barney Jean] Wilen musician
1937 Graeme Dowling cricketer (New Zealand, 239 vs India 1968)
1937 Ron Carter jazz bassist (Ron Carter Meets Bach)
1937 Yuri Aleksandrovich Senkevich Russian cosmonaut
1939 James Aubrey Turner scientist
1939 Paula Prentiss [Ragusa] San Antonio TX, actress (Parallax View, He & She)
1940 Kas Garas Kaunas Lithuania, actor (Hamlyn-Strange Report)
1941 Adrian Lyne director (Fatal Attraction, 9½ Weeks, Jacob's Ladder)
1941 Ji-Tu Cumbuka Helena AL, actor (Roots, Man Called Sloane)
1941 John Aprea Englewood NJ, actor (Lucas-Another World, Godfather 2)
1941 John Hancock Hazen AR, actor (Black Marble, Traxx, Houston Knights)
1943 Zoltan Jeney composer
1944 Bobby Womack Cleveland OH, R&B singer/guitarist (Woman's Got to Have It)
1945 Dieter Meier Swiss singer/children book writer (Yello)
1945 Jaime Tirelli New York NY, actor (Orlando Lopez-Ball Four)
1946 Haile Gerima director (Ashes & Embers)
1946 Harvey Goldsmith impresario
1946 Michael Ashcroft English entrepreneur/multi-millionaire (Hawley-ADT)
1946 Ralph Kirshbaum Denton TX, cellist (RNCM Manchester International Festival)
1946 Robert Raymond rocker
1948 Billy Gibbons rock guitarist (ZZ Top-Cheap Sunglasses, Legs, Fandango)
1948 Chris Squire London, rock bassist (Yes-Fish Out of Water)
1948 Shakin' Stevens [Mike Barrett], Ely Wales, rocker (You Drive Me Crazy)
1950 Emilio Estefan Cuba, rocker (Miami Sound Machine-1 2 3)
1950 Judy Dickinson Akron OH, LPGA golfer (1985 Boston Five Classic)
1950 Kenny Dalglish soccer manager
1950 Rafael Canizares Poey Alacs Mountains Cuba, basketballer (Olympics-bronze-72)
1951 Chris Rea Middlesborough England, rock guitarist (Fool If You Think It Is Over, Heaven)
1951 Gwen Welles Chattanooga TN, actress (Desert Hearts, Sticky Fingers, Angel On My Shoulder)
1951 Kenny Dalglish British soccer star (100+ goals)
1952 Ronn Moss Los Angeles CA, actor (Ridge-Bold & Beautiful, Santa Barbara)
1953 Christopher H Smith (Representative-Republican-NJ, 1981- )
1953 Kay Lenz Los Angeles CA, actress (Moving Violations, Rich Man Poor Man)
1954 Catherine O'Hara Toronto Ontario, comedienne (Beetlejuice, SCTV)
1954 Irina Ratushinskaya USSR, poet (Grey is the color of hope)
1954 Peter Erling Jacobsen Portland OR, PGA golfer (1990 Bob Hope)
1955 Benny Alexander Secretary-General (South African Pan-Africanist Movement)
1958 Patricia Heaton Cleveland OH, actress (Debra-Everybody Loves Raymond)
1959 Kelly Lynch Golden Walley MN, actress (Warm Summer Rain, Cocktail)
1960 Reggie McElroy NFL tackle (Denver Broncos)
1960 Russell Todd Troy NY, actor (Dr Jamie Frame-Another World)
1961 David "Tinker" Juarez Los Angeles CA, cyclist (Olympics-19th-96)
1961 Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini boxer (killed a boxer in the ring)
1961 Roger Wessels Port Elizabeth South Africa, golfer (1994 Canadian Masters)
1961 Steven Weber Queens NY, actor (Brian Hackett-Wings)
1962 Brant Ian Woodward Hurstville New Zealand, trap shooter (Olympics-96)
1962 Greg Kragen NFL nose tackle (Green Bay Packers, Carolina Panthers)
1962 Steve Fletcher London England, actor (Brad-One Life to Live)
1963 Anne Minter Australia, tennis star
1963 Jason Newsted US heavy-metal bassist (Metallica-Kill 'em All)
1963 MDV [Michiel de Vos] Dutch pop bassist (Burma Shave-Stash)
1964 Emilia Eberle Romania, gymnast, scored a perfect 10 in 1980 Olympics
1964 Linda French Oak Park IL, badminton player (Olympics-96)
1964 Tom Lampkin Cincinnati OH, catcher (San Francisco Giants)
1965 Alexandra Harbold New York NY, sprint kayak (Olympics-96)
1965 Dana Brown Memphis TN, Miss Tennessee-America (1990-3rd)
1965 Stacy Edwards Glasgow MT, actress (Santa Barbara)
1966 Kevin Johnson NBA guard (Phoenix Suns)
1966 Mike Small Aurora IL, Canadian Tour golfer (1993 Emerald Coast)
1966 Patrick Hannan English pop drummer (Sundays-Can't Be Sure)
1967 Daryll Cullinan South African cricketer (batsman Warne's bunny)
1967 Juli Furtado New York NY, mountain cyclist (world champion-1991, 92)
1968 Brian Hunter Torrance CA, infielder (Seattle Mariners, Houston Astros)
1968 Dinky van Rensburg South Africa, tennis star
1968 Dionna Harris Wilmington DE, softball outfielder (Olympics-gold-96)
1968 Evan Dando rocker (Lemonheads)
1968 Patsy Kensit London, rocker/actress (Lethal Weapon 2, 21, Hanover St)
1969 Chastity Bono Los Angeles CA, daughter of Sonny & Cher
1969 Jeff Tinsley Shelbyville KY, outfielder (Boston Red Sox)
1969 Karrie Poppinga Manhattan Beach CA, volleyballer (Pismo Beach-4-95)
1969 Kenneth Benson CFL linebacker (Toronto Argonauts)
1970 Dave Stevens Fullerton CA, pitcher (Minnesota Twins)
1970 Marja Helena Paluila ice hockey defenseman (Finland, Olympics-98)
1970 Matt Gay WLAF safety (Rhein Fire)
1970 Tina Paternostro Williamsport PA, golfer (1995 JAL Big Apple-57th)
1971 Edwin van Holten soccer player (FC Volendam)
1972 Chris Borg Lexington SC, canoe (alternate-Olympics-96)
1972 Martin St Pierre Ripon Québec Canada, 20k walker (Olympics-96)
1972 Robert Smith NFL running back (Minnesota Vikings)
1972 Sherida Pawiroredjo Suriname Miss Indra Maju (1993)
1973 Phillip Daniels NFL defensive end (Seattle Seahawks)
1974 Jarrett Deuling Vernon, NHL left wing (New York Islanders)
1974 Karol Kucera Bratislava Slovakia, tennis star (1995-Rosmalen)
1974 Sherry Wigginton Austin TX, diver (Olympics-96)
1977 Anna Baitchik Miss Russia-Universe (1997)
1993 Bobbi Kristina Brown daughter of Whitney Houston & Bobby Brown

Deaths which occurred on March 04:
1172 Stephan III King of Hungary (1162-72), dies
1484 Kazimierz the Saint, Polish ruler/saint, dies at 25
1595 Robert Southwell English poet, hanged for becoming a Catholic priest
1615 Hans von Aachen German painter, dies
1617 Arcangelo Crivelli composer, dies at 70
1793 Isaac Ouwater Amsterdam painter/cartoonist, dies at 44
1794 Henri D count de Larochejacquelin Fr Royalist Army leader, dies at 21
1804 Karl Leopold Rollig composer, dies
1805 Jean-Baptiste Greuze French painter, dies at 79
1831 Georg Michael Telemann composer, dies at 82
1839 Ignace Antoine Ladurner pianist/composer, dies at 72
1851 Michael Henkel composer, dies at 70
1852 Nikolai Gogol writer, dies at 43
1864 Thomas Starr King Unitarian clergyman (Christianity & Humanity), dies
1866 Alexander Campbell Irish/US founder Disciples of Christ, dies at 77
1876 Alfred Holmes composer, dies at 38
1877 Hendrik E van Rijgersma Dutch Governor (St Maarten), dies at 42
1883 Alexander H Stephens Vice President Confederate States, dies at 71
1888 Amos Bronson Alcott US theory/poet (Table Talk), dies at 88
1903 Joseph H Shorthouse English writer (John Inglesant), dies at 68
1916 Franz Marc German painter/co-founder (Blaue Reiter), killed at 36
1918 Eugene D'Harcourt composer, dies at 58
1922 Bert Williams famous black, dies at 46, in New York NY
1925 Moritz Moszkowski Polish/German composer, dies at 70
1933 Willie Walker US jazz singer/guitarist (Dupree Blues), dies at 36
1936 Ruben Mattias Liljefors composer, dies at 64
1941 Edoardo Mascheroni composer, dies at 81
1942 Yuliya Lazarevna Veysberg composer, dies at 62
1943 Nikolaos "Sokrates" Politis Greek foreign minister, dies at 71
1943 Pieter C Boutens Dutch poet (Beatrijs), dies at 73
1948 Antonin Artaud French poet/actor (Napoleon), dies at 51
1948 Elsa Brändström [Angel of Siberia], Swedish philanthropist, dies at 59
1953 Sergei S Prokoviev Russian composer (Peter & the wolf), dies at 61
1954 Georg Gohler composer, dies at 79
1954 Noel Gay [Richard Moxon Armitage], composer, dies at 55
1958 Albert Kuyle [Lou Kuitenbrouwer], writer (Jesus' Carpet), dies at 54
1960 Leonard Warren US baritone, dies on stage at 48
1962 Cairine R Wilson 1st Canadian female senator (appointed), dies at 77
1963 William Carlos Williams US physician/poet, dies at 79
1966 Janis Medins composer, dies at 75
1968 Alexandre Cellier composer, dies at 84
1974 Adolph Gottlieb US painter, dies at 71
1981 Torin Thatcher actor (Houdini, Isranbul, Lady Godiva), dies
1983 Hergé [Georges Rémi], Belgian cartoonist (Rin-Tin-Tin), dies at 75
1984 Shalva Mikhaylovich Mshvelidze composer, dies at 79
1986 Henri Knap Dutch journalist/writer, dies at 75
1986 Richard Manuel rock vocalist/pianist (Band), commits suicide at 40
1991 Vance Colvig actor (UHF, Barfly, My Chauffeur), dies at 72
1992 Arthur Babbitt Disney animator (Mr Magoo, Goofy), dies at 84 of heart failure
1992 C Meijer Dutch editor in chief (Typhoon), dies
1992 Christian K Nelson inventor (Eskimo Pie), dies at 98
1992 Mary Osborne jazz guitarist, dies at 70 of liver cancer
1992 Nestor Almendros Spanish/US cameraman (Kramer vs Kramer), dies at 61
1993 Art Hodes Russian/US jazz/blues pianist/editor (Jazz Record), dies
1993 Richard Sale writer/director (Oscar, Torpedo Run), dies at 80
1994 Guus Verstraete Sr Dutch actor/director (2 Drops of Water), dies at 79
1994 John Candy actor (SCTV, Uncle Buck), dies from a heart attack at 43
1995 Eden Ahbez songwriter, dies at 86
1996 Barbara Lewis British obituarist, dies at 55
1996 Minnie Pearl country comedienne (Grand Ole Opry), dies at 84

On this day...
1152 Frederik I Barbarossa elected Roman-German king
1461 Battle at Towton: Duke Edward of York beats English queen Margaretha Edward IV recognized as king of England
1540 Protestant count Philip of Hessen marries 2nd wife
1570 King Philip II bans foreign Dutch students
1590 Mauritius of Nassau's ship reaches Breda
1611 George Abbot appointed archbishop of Canterbury
1621 Jacarta, Java renamed Batavia
1665 English King Charles II declares war on Netherlands
1675 John Flamsteed appointed 1st Astronomer Royal of England
1681 King Charles II grants William Penn royal charter for Pennsylvania
1699 Jews are expelled from Lubeck Germany
1741 English fleet under Admiral Ogle reaches Cartagena
1774 1st sighting of Orion nebula (William Herschel)
1789 1st Congress declares constitution in effect (9 senators, 13 representatives)
1791 1st Jewish member of US Congress, Israel Jacobs (Pennsylvania), takes office
1791 President Washington calls the US Senate into its 1st special session
1791 Vermont admitted as 14th state (1st addition to the 13 colonies)
1792 Oranges introduced to Hawaii
1793 French troops conquer Geertruidenberg Netherlands
1793 President Washington's 2nd inauguration, shortest speech (133 words)
1797 John Adams inaugurated as 2nd President of US
1798 Catholic women force to do penance for kindling sabbath fire for Jews
1801 1st President inaugurated in Washington DC (Thomas Jefferson)
1809 Madison becomes 1st President inaugurated in American-made clothes
1825 John Quincy Adams inaugrated as 6th President
1826 1st US RR chartered, Granite Railway in Quincy MA
1829 Andrew Jackson inaugurated as 7th President
1829 Unruly crowd mobs White House during President Jackson inaugural ball
1830 V Bellini's opera "I Capuleti e i Montecchi" premieres in Venice
1835 HMS Beagle moves into Bay of Concepción
1837 City of Chicago incorporates
1837 Martin Van Buren inaugrated as 8th President
1837 Weekly Advocate changes its name to the Colored American
1841 Dion Boucicault's "London Assurance" premieres in London
1841 Longest inauguration speech (8,443 words), William Henry Harrison
1845 James K Polk inaugrated as 11th President
1848 Sardinia-Piemonte gets new Constitution
1849 US had no President, Polk's term ends on a Sunday, Taylor couldn't be sworn-in, Senator David Atchison (pres pro tem) term ended March 3rd
1853 Pope Pius IX recovers Catholic hierarchy in Netherlands
1853 William Rufus de Vane King (D) sworn in as 13th US Vice President
1861 Confederate States adopt "Stars & Bars" flag
1861 Lincoln inaugurated as 16th President; 1st time US has 5 former Presidents living
1861 President Lincoln opens Government Printing Office
1863 Battle of Thompson's Station, Tennessee
1863 Territory of Idaho established
1865 Confederate congress approves final design of "official flag"
1865 President Lincoln inaugurated for his 2nd term as President
1869 Ulysses Grant inaugurated as 18th President
1873 New York Daily Graphic, 1st illustrated daily newspaper in US, published
1876 US Congress decides to impeach Minister of War Belknap
1877 Tsjaikovski's incomplete ballet "Zwanenmeer" premieres in Moscow
1880 New York Daily Graphic publishes 1st half-tone engraving, by S H Horgan
1881 California becomes 1st state to pass plant quarantine legislation
1881 Holmes & Watson begin "A Study in Scarlet", 1st case together
1881 James A Garfield inaugurated as 20th President
1881 South African President Kruger accepts ceasefire
1883 John Gordon Cashmans begins "Vicksburg Evening Post" in Mississippi
1885 Grover Cleveland inaugrated as 1st Democratic President since Civil War
1889 Benjamin Harrison inaugurated as 23rd President
1893 Francis Dhanis' army attacksthe Lualaba, occupies Nyangwe
1893 Grover Cleveland (D) inaugrated as 24th US President (2nd term)
1894 Great fire in Shanghai; over 1,000 buildings destroyed
1895 Gustav Mahler's 2nd Symphony, premieres in Berlin
1897 William McKinley inaugurated as 25th President of US
1901 1st advanced copy of inaugural speech (Jefferson-National Intelligencer)
1901 President William McKinley inaugurated for 2nd term as President
1901 Term of George H White, last of post-Reconstruction congressmen, ends
1902 American Automobile Association (AAA) founded in Chicago
1905 Gerhart Hauptmann's "Elga" premieres in Berlin
1908 Collingwood OH primary school catches fire; 180 die
1909 President Taft inaugrated as 27th President during 10" snowstorm
1909 US prohibits interstate transportation of game birds
1911 Victor Berger (Wisconsin) becomes 1st socialist congressman in US
1913 1st US law regulating the shooting of migratory birds passed
1913 Department of Commerce & Labor split into separate departments
1913 Gabriel Fauré's opera "Pénélope" premieres in Monte Carlo
1913 New York Yankees are 1st to train outside US (Bermuda)
1913 Woodrow Wilson inaugurated as 28th President
1917 Jeannette Rankin (Representative-Republican-MT) becomes 1st female member of Congress
1918 Terek Autonomous Republic established in RSFSR (until 1921)
1920 Last day of Julian civil calendar in Greece
1921 Hot Springs National Park created in Arkansas
1923 Lenin's last article in Pravda (about Red bureaucracy)
1924 "Happy Birthday To You" published by Claydon Sunny
1925 President Coolidge's inauguration broadcast live on 21 radio stations
1925 Swain's Island (near American Samoa) annexed by US
1926 De Geer government in Netherlands takes office
1928 "Bunion Run" race from Los Angeles CA to NYC begins; It is won by Andy Payne
1929 Charles Curtis (R-Kansas) becomes 1st native American Vice President
1929 Herbert Hoover inaugurated as 31st President
1930 Coolidge Dam in Arizona dedicated
1930 Mrs Charles [Emma] Fahning is 1st woman to bowl a santioned perfect [300] game
1931 Bradman bowled by Herman Griffith for a duck as W I win the Test
1931 West Indies beat Australia for the 1st time, by 30 runs at SCG
1933 Chancellor Dollfuss disdolves Austrian parliament
1933 FDR inaugrated as 32nd President, pledges to pull US out of Depression & says "We have nothing to fear but fear itself"
1933 Frances Perkins becomes Secretary of Labor, 1st US woman cabinet member
1933 Henderson, DeSylva & Brown's "Strike Me Pink" premieres in NYC
1933 Noordwijk soccer team forms
1934 Easter Cross on Mount Davidson (San Francisco) dedicated
1936 1st flight of airship Hindenburg, Germany
1941 18 Geuzen resistance fighters sentenced to death in The Hague
1941 NHL Chicago goalee Samuel LoPresti stops record 80 of 83 Boston shots
1941 Serbian Prince Paul visits Hitler
1943 Transport nr 50 departs with French Jews to Maidanek/Sobibor
1944 1st US bombing of Berlin
1944 Anti-Germany strikes in North Italy
1945 Finland declares war on Nazi-Germany
1947 WWJ (now WDIV) TV channel 4 in Detroit MI (NBC) begins broadcasting
1949 Andrei Vishinsky succeeds Molotov as Soviet Foreign minister
1949 Piet Van de Pol (Netherlands) becomes world champion billiard player
1949 Security Council of UN recommends membership for Israel
1952 Ronald Reagan marries Nancy Davis
1954 JE Wilkins, appointed 1st Black US sub-cabinet member
1955 1st radio facsimile transmission sent across the continent
1959 US Pioneer IV misses Moon & becomes 2nd (US 1st) artificial planet
1960 French freighter "La Coubre" explodes in Havana Cuba, killing 100
1960 Lucille Ball files divorce from Desi Arnaz
1961 Paul-Henri Spaak resigns as Secretary-General of NATO
1962 AEC announces 1st atomic power plant in Antarctica in operation
1964 Jimmy Hoffa convicted of jury tampering
1965 David Attenbrough became the new controller of BBC2
1966 Canadian Pacific airliner explodes on landing in Tokyo, 64 die
1966 John Lennon says "We (Beatles) are more popular than Jesus"
1966 North Sea Gas was 1st pumped ashore by BP
1967 World Ice Dance Championship in Vienna won by Diane Towler & Bernard Ford (Great Britain)
1967 World Ice Pairs Figure Skating Championship in Vienna won by Ljudmila Belousova & Oleg Protopopov (USSR)
1967 World Ladies Figure Skating Championship in Vienna won by Peggy Fleming (USA)
1967 World Men's Figure Skating Championship in Vienna won by Emmerich Danzer (Austria)
1968 Joe Frazier TKOs Buster Mathis in 11 for heavyweight boxing title
1968 Martin Luther King Jr announces plans for Poor People's Campaign
1968 Orbiting Geophysical Observatory 5 launched
1970 French submarine "Eurydice" explodes
1970 Jacksonville is 1st college basketball team to average 100+ points per game
1970 New York Rangers set then NHL record of 126 games without being shut-out
1971 "City Command" kidnaps 4 US military men at Ankara, Turkey
1972 Erhard Keller (Germany) skates world record 1000 meter (1:18.5)
1972 Last train run between Penrith to Keswick UK
1972 Libya & USSR signs cooperation treaty
1973 15th Grammy Awards: The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, America
1974 David Hares' "Knuckle" premieres in London
1974 Harold Wilson replaces resigning Ed Heath as British premier
1976 John Pezzin bowls 33 consecutive strikes in Toledo OH
1976 San Francisco Giants are bought for $8 million by Bob Lurie & Bud Herseth
1977 1st CRAY 1 supercomputer shipped, to Los Alamos Laboratories, New Mexico
1977 Colin Croft takes 8-29 against Pakistan at Port-of-Spain
1977 Earthquake in Romania, kills 1,541
1978 Chicago Daily News, founded in 1875, publishes last issue
1979 "Grand Tour" closes at Palace Theater NYC after 61 performances
1979 200th episode of "All in the Family"
1979 Sally Little wins LPGA Bent Tree Golf Classic
1979 US Voyager I photo reveals Jupiter's rings
1980 40th hat trick in Islander history-Mike Bossy
1980 Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF wins parliamentary election in Zimbabwe
1982 2nd double hat trick in Islander history-Mike Bossy & Denis Potvin
1982 NASA launches Intelsat V
1984 Nancy Lopez wins Uniden LPGA Golf Invitational
1984 Pee Wee Reese & Rick Ferrell elected to Baseball's Hall of Fame
1985 STS 51-E vehicle rolls back to Vandenberg AFB; mission cancelled
1985 Virtual ban on leaded gas ordered by EPA
1985 War veterans returned to the "Bridge over the River Kwai"
1986 Border completes twin Test tons (140 & 114) vs New Zealand
1989 Actress Phoebe Cates marries actor Kevin Kline
1989 Eastern Airlines machinists strike
1989 Javier Sotomayor high jumps indoor world record (2.43 meter)
1990 20th Easter Seal Telethon
1990 Beth Daniel wins LPGA Women's Kemper Golf Open
1990 US 65th manned space mission STS 36 (Atlantis 6) returns from space
1991 Bank of Credit & Commerce International divests itself of 1st American Bank
1991 Iraq releases 6 US, 3 British & 1 Italian POW
1993 "Goodbye Girl" opens at Marquis Theater NYC for 188 performances
1993 Katharine Hepburn enters the hospital suffering from exhaustion
1994 4 Arab terrorist founded guilty of bombing the World Trade Center
1994 Space shuttle STS-62 (Columbia 16), launches into orbit
1995 1st NYC Mayor Trophy's High school track meet in 19 years
1995 Blind teenage boy receives a 'Bionic Eye' at a Washington Hospital
1995 George Foreman loses WBA boxing title, refusing to fight Tony Tucker
1995 Michael Johnson runs world record 400 meter indoor (44.63 seconds)
1995 Replacement New York Yankees beat New York Mets 2-1
1997 Brazil Senate allows women to wear slacks
1997 Comet Hale-Bopp directly above the Sun (1.04 AU)
1997 President Clinton bans federally funded human cloning research
1997 Zeya Start-1 launched (Russia)

Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

Pennsylvania : Charter Day (1681)
Thailand : Magka Puja
US : Constitution Day (1789)
Vermont : Admission Day (1791)

Religious Observances
Roman Catholic : Commemoration of St Lucius I, pope, martyr
Roman Catholic : Memorial of St Casimir, king of Poland, confessor (optional)

Religious History
1738 Moravian missionary Peter Bohler, 26, advised future English founder of Methodism John Wesley, 34: 'Preach faith until you have it; and then, because you have it, you will preach faith.'
1804 The British and Foreign Bible Society (BFBS) was founded at a large interdenominational meeting in London. Its purpose was "to promote the circulation of the Holy Scriptures, without note or comment, both at home and in foreign lands."
1850 Future statesman James A. Garfield, at age 18, was "buried with Christ in baptism." Thirty_one years, to the day! after his conversion, Garfield took the oath of office as 20th President of the United States.
1942 Birth of Gloria Gaither, wife of songwriter Bill Gaither, and female vocalist in the Bill Gaither Trio. Gloria is also coÂauthor of the contemporary Christian songs, "Because He Lives," "Something Beautiful" and "The King is Coming."
1966 London's "Evening Standard" newspaper published an interview with Beatle John Lennon in which he remarked: 'Christianity will... vanish and shrink... We're more popular than Jesus Christ right now.' The quote touched off a storm of international protest, resulting in burnings and boycotts of the Beatles' records.

Thought for the day :
"Better three hours too soon than a minute too late."

FALL IN to the FReeper Foxhole!

To be removed from this list, please send me a blank private reply with "REMOVE" in the subject line! Thanks! Jen

Welcome new FReepers! Here's a great daily thread in the VetsCoR Forum that I thought you might like.

If you do, just say so and I'll 'ping' you when it's time to "Fall In" to the FReeper Foxhole!

Come meet some of the FReepers who call the Foxhole their FR home. (No need to wipe your feet before you dive in.)

:-) Jen

Medal of Honor Recipients for the Bismark Sea

*McGlLL, TROY A.
Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Troop G, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. Place and date: Los Negros Islands, Admiralty Group, 4 March 1944. Entered service at: Ada, Okla. Birth: Knoxville, Tenn. G.O. No.: 74, 11 September 1944. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action with the enemy at Los Negros Island, Admiralty Group, on 4 March 1944. In the early morning hours Sgt. McGill, with a squad of 8 men, occupied a revetment which bore the brunt of a furious attack by approximately 200 drinkcrazed enemy troops. Although covered by crossfire from machineguns on the right and left flank he could receive no support from the remainder of our troops stationed at his rear. All members of the squad were killed or wounded except Sgt. McGill and another man, whom he ordered to return to the next revetment. Courageously resolved to hold his position at all cost, he fired his weapon until it ceased to function. Then, with the enemy only 5 yards away, he charged from his foxhole in the face of certain death and clubbed the enemy with his rifle in handtohand combat until he was killed. At dawn 105 enemy dead were found around his position. Sgt. McGill's intrepid stand was an inspiration to his comrades and a decisive factor in the defeat of a fanatical enemy.

GORDON, NATHAN GREEN

Rank and organization: Lieutenant, U.S. Navy, commander of Catalina patrol plane. Place and date: Bismarck Sea, 15 February 1944. Entered service at: Arkansas. Born: 4 September 1916, Morrilton, Ark. Citation: For extraordinary heroism above and beyond the call of duty as commander of a Catalina patrol plane in rescuing personnel of the U.S. Army 5th Air Force shot down in combat over Kavieng Harbor in the Bismarck Sea, 15 February 1944. On air alert in the vicinity of Vitu Islands, Lt. (then Lt. j.g.) Gordon unhesitatingly responded to a report of the crash and flew boldly into the harbor, defying close-range fire from enemy shore guns to make 3 separate landings in full view of the Japanese and pick up 9 men, several of them injured. With his cumbersome flying boat dangerously overloaded, he made a brilliant takeoff despite heavy swells and almost total absence of wind and set a course for base, only to receive the report of another group stranded in a rubber life raft 600 yards from the enemy shore. Promptly turning back, he again risked his life to set his plane down under direct fire of the heaviest defenses of Kavieng and take aboard 6 more survivors, coolly making his fourth dexterous takeoff with 15 rescued officers and men. By his exceptional daring, personal valor, and incomparable airmanship under most perilous conditions, Lt. Gordon prevented certain death or capture of our airmen by the Japanese.

Thanks for the interesting post, Sam.

My dad participated in the Battle of the Bismark Sea.

I still have one dog tag [with teeth marks] that he wore during that period. He had heard that it was best to stick one dog tag in your mouth for ID purposes since most crashes are fiery.

Got this in the mail tonight, good story. God bless 'em all and safe journey.

http://www.military.com/NewContent?file=Galloway_030303&ESRC=army.nl