August 6 in military history: Extortion 17, Enola Gay, and Jesse Owens

Unto the Breach ^ | Aug. 6, 2018 | Chris Carter

[fugazi]

1763: With Ottawa chief Pontiac laying siege to Fort Pitt (modern-day Pittsburgh), a force marches to the frontier fort to break the siege, consisting of Pennsylvania rangers and Scottish soldiers of the 42d Royal Highlanders – the famed “Black Watch.” Allied natives ambush the relief force at a creek known as Bushy Run and a bloody two-day battle kicks off. Col. Henry Bouquet’s men emerge victorious, routing the Indians – although at high cost to the Scottish/American troops – and lifting the siege at Fort Pitt.

Today’s 111th Infantry Regiment traces its lineage to the Philadelphia “Associators” militia regiment (formed by Benjamin Franklin) that manned Fort Pitt. Each year at their “dining-in” banquet, an empty table setting is left in honor of the commander of the Black Watch. At least twice in the last 200-plus year tradition, the officer has been on hand to accept the honor.

1945: A lone B-29 bomber takes off from Tinian Island’s North Field and heads out for a six-hour flight to Japan. Once the Enola Gay is over its target of Hiroshima, Col. Paul Tibbetts releases the bomb and dives to speed away from the device’s powerful shock wave. 43 seconds later, the world’s first atomic bomb detonates, killing between 80,000 and 140,000 Japanese instantly, and severely wounding another 100,000.

Although the United States demonstrated they now possess the ability to utterly annihilate entire cities, the Japanese government vows to fight on. Another atomic bomb will have to fall before Japan is brought to its knees.

[fugazi]

Jesse Owens was not in the military, but the German long jumper that finished behind him on the podium during the 1936 Olympics in Berlin served in the Wehrmacht during World War II and died on Sicily. Lutz Long was actually friendly to Owens and gave him advice during the event.

[beergarden]

hmmm, I was just reading the first pages of Extortion 17 or the book BETRAYED on Amazon.

Effing’ obama, biden and Panetta, they knew about this. Something was definitely up when you pack 38 Spec Ops guy in one Chinook while accompanied by an EMPTY copter’.

[yarddog]

I never got the idea that we showed the Germans at the 36 Olympics.

Germany scored the most points.

I have a photograph of my Father’s battalion parading in the Berlin Olympic stadium in 1945. It appeared undamaged by the bombing.

[Theoria]

[doorgunner69]

Hot blond on the left, hope she made it through the war.

[the_individual2014]

Ahhh einen schone Frau.

[jdsteel]

I live 45 minutes from Fort Pitt and less than 10 minutes to the Bushy Run Battlefield. They do great re-enactments every year!