The FReeper Foxhole Revisits Heartbreak Ridge - Korea (Oct-1951) - Oct. 8th, 2004

US Army Military History ^

[snippy_about_it]

Lord,

Keep our Troops forever in Your care

Give them victory over the enemy...

Grant them a safe and swift return...

Bless those who mourn the lost.
.

FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer
for all those serving their country at this time.


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The FReeper Foxhole Revisits

Heartbreak Ridge - Hill 520

TERRAIN SKETCH

"Heartbreak Ridge" is a narrow, rocky, mountain mass running north and 3 south with HILLS 931, 894, and 851 dominating the MUNDUNG-NI and SATAE-RI Valleys. The south and east slopes were extremely steep. From these slopes the "Punchbowl" and HILL 1179 could be seen in the distance. Both prominent objectives had already fallen into our hands. Initially heavy vegetation covered the slopes of Heartbreak Ridge but air strikes and artillery destroyed all individual concealment.

In each valley bordering the ridge were two important roads and stream beds. The roads were secondary class routes, but a road capable of moving military equipment was built in a short time. Also, a twisting, boulder-strewn stream bed in each valley furnished an approach for tanks. Narrow gorges and deep defiles presented difficult engineering problems which were overcome during the engagement. Enemy bunkers guarded the key ridges of approach. Due to a moderate slope to the west and north, the enemy supplies were moved up in positions with a minimum amount of labor.



In the complex structure of enemy defensive positions protecting the seven-mile-long hill mass that became known as Heartbreak Ridge, Hill 520 was only a small, subsidiary position a hump at the western end of a spur from the Heartbreak ridgeline.

Fighting for Hill 520 came near the end of the month-old battle for Heartbreak Ridge. On 10 October 1951, United Nations troops, holding the main north-south ridgeline, had already secured the steep part of the spur ridge that slanted down toward Hill 520. That part of the 520 ridge still in enemy hands consisted of several humps, the last and highest of which was Hill 520 at the blunt tip of the ridge. Responsibility for seizing this hump had passed from Eighth Army to X Corps, to the 2d Infantry Division, and finally to its 23d Infantry Regiment and to Company G, whose battalion commander selected it to make the attack.

Fighting had been so severe on Heartbreak Ridge that at one time Company G numbered only twenty-three men. By 10 October, however, enough replacements had joined to build the strength of each of its platoons up to about twenty men. The commander of Company G had gone to Japan for the five-day rest and rehabilitation tour. Accordingly, Lt. Raymond W. Riddle, a combat-experienced executive officer, was in command for the attack. He decided to commit his 3d Platoon (under Cpl. David W. Lamb, acting platoon leader) to make the first move.



The other two rifle companies from the 2d Battalion were in positions to support the attack. Company F, located on the same ridge just behind Lieutenant Riddle's men, was prepared to pass through Company G and continue the attack, if necessary. Company E was to support the attack by firing from a parallel ridge five hundred yards to the south.

The flat top of Hill 520 was not more than two hundred yards beyond Company G's line of departure. On the ridgeline, about halfway between these two points, there was a small knoll. After considering an envelopment of the enemy position by sending Corporal Lamb's platoon into the Fluor Spar Valley a narrow strip of flat land between his position and Company E on the next ridge to the south, and so named because of fluor spar (the mineral fluorite) mines in the valley Riddle decided to make a direct assault along the ridgeline.

There were enemy minefields in the valley. He could see some enemy movement on the objective. Hoping to draw fire so he could estimate the enemy strength there, Lieutenant Riddle ordered everyone in the company including the mortarmen to fire on the objective for thirty seconds. The enemy, however, did not return the fire.

When this ruse failed, Lieutenant Riddle called for supporting fires from the artillery, heavy machine guns, and Company E's 57-mm recoilless rifles. At about 1300, after ten or fifteen minutes of preparation, he stopped the artillery and instructed Corporal Lamb to double-time his platoon to the intermediate knoll under cover of fire from the machine guns, the recoilless rifles, and the other riflemen in Company G. Once there, he was to set up a platoon base of fire and make the final assault on the objective.



Moving out quickly, Lamb's platoon reached the knoll without difficulty. The machine-gun crew set up its weapon and opened fire on the main objective. After deploying his platoon around the base of the knoll, Lamb reported back to Lieutenant Riddle: "No casualties yet, but receiving plenty of fire." In response to Lamb's request, Riddle instructed the support elements to intensify their fire, especially on the south side of the objective.

PFC Harry E. Schmidt, who was with Corporal Lamb's platoon, had a yellow panel wrapped around his waist. His mission was to stay with the lead assault elements so that the supporting elements would know where the platoon was. Although conspicuous himself, Schmidt made it easy for the rest of his company and for men of Company E to identify the most forward position of the attacking platoon.

While the rest of the platoon fired at bunkers on the east end of the hill, Corporal Lamb sent one squad around the left side of the objective. Brisk enemy fire drove the squad back to the platoon base, proving that both the preparatory and supporting fires had been ineffective against the enemy bunkers. Several men from the attacking squad were wounded, ands enemy fire, reaching back to the intermediate knob, had caused several other casualties there. Corporal Lamb radioed to Lieutenant Riddle for reinforcements.



Loading the 1st Platoon with ammunition, Riddle committed it to assist in the attack. Lt. Jay M Gano, a recent replacement, commanded the 1st Platoon. Since he was inexperienced in combat, he had instructed Pvt. Cliff R. High, who had been running the platoon, to continue to do so for the time being.

As the 1st Platoon crawled toward Lamb's position, two men were wounded not far beyond the line of departure. One of them, seriously wounded in the face and neck by a machine-gun bullet, became hysterical, and it was necessary for High to hold him down. Farther forward, Lieutenant Gano, with the lead elements of his platoon, had almost reached the intermediate knoll when he was killed on this, his first, attack. The platoon halted, pinned down by hostile fire.

Just at this time Corporal Lamb's machine gun ceased firing. "I'm out of ammo!" the gunner shouted.



Seven or eight enemy soldiers came out of their bunkers and suddenly appeared on the slope of Hill 520 descending toward Lamb's platoon. He reported that he was being counterattacked. Supporting machine-gun fire was too high to be effective. Lamb's riflemen opened fire, the ammunition bearers fired their carbines, and even the machine-gunner began firing his pistol. Part way down the slope the enemy soldiers stopped, then turned back.

A brush fire had started in the area between Lamb and the company's original position. The haze and smoke from the fire drifted north over High's immobilized platoon, making it impossible for Lieutenant Riddle to see the objective. Taking a chance, Riddle ordered his machine guns at the line of departure to fire on Hill 520. Lamb reported back that the machine-gun fire was "just right."

Under cover of the machine-gun fire and the smoke from the brush fire, High, having calmed the wounded man, sent him and another casualty to the rear and then worked his platoon forward, meeting eight or ten wounded men from Lamb's platoon who were making their way back to the company.

Corporal Lamb needed more machine-gun ammunition, and Lieutenant Riddle sent a squad from the 2d Platoon up-with eight boxes. In the meantime, Lamb and High planned their assault.

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FReeper Foxhole Armed Services Links

[snippy_about_it]

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Several enemy mortar shells now fell among High's platoon, wounding six more men. High sent them to the rear. He now had 11 men besides himself; Lamb had about 12. After the ammunition arrived, the two platoon leaders, leaving six men to man the machine gun and fire rifles from the intermediate knoll, called off their long-range supporting fire and then assaulted with the remaining men deployed in a skirmish line, firing as they moved forward.



Sixty yards of open ground lay between the jump-off point and enemy trenches on the slope of the objective. All went well until, half-way across, the enemy commenced firing automatic weapons. This fire was not effective, however, and did not stop the advance. When the skirmish line reached the base of the knoll, enemy soldiers stopped firing; and began throwing fragmentation and concussion grenades. These caused trouble. One of the grenades wounded Lamb. Cpl. Arne Severson, seeing the skirmish line falter, picked up his machine gun and walked forward, firing as he advanced. When he reached the base of the hill an enemy grenade exploded at his feet and broke both of his legs. But he set up his gun and continued to fire until the attack stalled. Two men dragged him back.

High moved the remaining members of both platoons back to a covered position and radioed Lieutenant Riddle to bring in the machinegun fire again and to send help, if possible. North Korean soldiers in bunkers on the objective began to taunt High and his men with phrases such as, "American, you die!"

Deciding to make a second attempt this time a close-in envelopment of the objective High called off the supporting fire again and led about a dozen of his men downhill toward the south, where they could move without being seen or fired upon by the enemy. They then climbed the hill, moving north to the top of Hill 520. When the men broke defilade, the enemy opened fire and began throwing grenades again. A concussion grenade knocked High down. The rest of his men, believing him dead, straggled back to the platoon base. Within a minute or two, however, High regained consciousness and returned to the platoon base where he reorganized the remaining men about twenty in all.



In the meantime, regimental headquarters had sent three flame-thrower operators to the 2d Battalion, two of them designated for Company G and one for Company F. Lieutenant Riddle sent all three men, their flame throwers strapped to their backs, forward to help High. One operator was wounded almost immediately upon leaving the line of departure; the other two reached High as he was preparing to make another assault. He sent one flame-thrower operator and two riflemen directly to the front.

Under cover of fire, the men crawled into positions from where they could place flame on the foremost (eastern) bunker on Hill 520. As soon as this bunker was destroyed, High led the rest of his platoon around to the left and formed a skirmish line facing another enemy bunker on the south side of the hill. In position, he signaled the flame thrower to open up. As soon as the flame thrower commenced operating, High was to signal for the assault. This time the flame thrower failed to work.

By then only two enemy bunkers were interfering with the attack. A machine gun was firing from each. High decided to make the assault without the flame thrower. He sent a BAR team to knock out one bunker while he, with a rifleman and the third flame-thrower operator, walked toward another. Firing as they walked, the men exposed themselves because High feared that if they tried to crawl they would be pinned down. Ten yards from the bunker, the second flame thrower failed to work. Standing exposed to enemy fire, the operator took it apart but was unable to repair it. Finally, High told him to get out of the way because he was too conspicuous.



High stationed one of his riflemen in front of the bunker. Unable to hit anyone in it, he nevertheless prevented the North Koreans from firing and thus neutralized the position. Just about that time an automatic weapon began firing from another bunker on the left, and High told Pvt. Joe Golinda to get it. Golinda approached it from one side, High from another, while a third man covered them. Golinda threw a grenade into the bunker, and the gun stopped firing.

With only a few men firing rifles and BARs for support, High and four or five other men made the final assault on the top of Hill 520. Private Schmidt, still wearing the yellow panel wrapped around his waist, stayed up with the foremost men as he had throughout the attack. The group moved on around the hill, firing into the apertures of three other bunkers. All were empty. Once they reached the top of the hill the men saw eight enemy soldiers running over the hill toward the northwest, and opened fire on them. On the north side of the hill High came upon a bunker that had been the enemy's command post. Eight enemy soldiers, still holding their weapons, were huddled in front of the bunker. When High's men fired into the group the North Koreans threw up their hands and surrendered themselves. A few minutes later, four enemy soldiers came out of another bunker that had been bypassed and surrendered. Some of the North Koreans were carrying United Nations safe-conduct passes in their hands. During this final assault, other enemy soldiers were bugging out off the hill.



The knoll was secure at 1600. Company G had incurred slightly over thirty casualties, most of which were due to minor grenade wounds. Several other casualties were sustained by the mortar men as a result of enemy counter-mortar fire.

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[snippy_about_it]

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The attack on Hill 520 began at 1300 and ended at 1600. Company G's advance two hundred yards from its line of departure to its objective required three hours and over thirty casualties. Could Hill 520 have been taken quicker and at a lower cost? The answer is: Yes, with one hundred per cent effective support.



There is no doubt that fire support was planned. Private Schmidt wore a yellow panel to indicate the position of the advance elements. Companies E and F were in positions to aid Company G. The artillery and mortars fired on call as requested. The assault platoons provided their own supporting fire.

But still: "The platoon halted, pinned down by hostile fire." "Supporting machine-gun fire was too high to be effective." "In the meantime regimental headquarters had sent three flame throwers to the 2d Battalion, two of them designated for Company G." "The flame thrower failed to work." "The second flame thrower failed to work."

An attack on a fortified position such as Hill s20 calls for very detailed planning. It is not enough to give machine guns a mission of firing on an objective in front of an assaulting force. A supporting machine gun should be assigned to neutralize a definite bunker embrasure. Inadequate fire-support planning and careless techniques in employment of weapons will not provide continuous fire superiority.



It was not enough to send flame-thrower operators from regiment after the attack had begun. Before Company G moved to the line of departure, the flame-thrower operators should have participated in drills and rehearsals. Forethought can, to a large extent, eliminate improvisation. Thorough training and diligent maintenance can minimize breakdowns.

It is interesting to note that immediately after Lieutenant Gano was killed his platoon halted "pinned down by hostile fire." Probably it was not a coincidence. Although Gano had told High to continue to run the platoon, to the members of the platoon Lieutenant Gano was an officer and their platoon leader. When he stopped, the platoon stopped. Soldiers in battle look first to their appointed commanders for leadership and direction.



Lieutenant Riddle, Corporal Lamb, Private High, and the men of Company G must be commended for their courage, their determination, and their aggressive action. They accomplished their mission after they built up fire superiority with their own weapons. But they probably would have had an easier assignment had the preparations been more detailed.

Today's Educational Sources and suggestions for further reading:

The FReeper Foxhole Remembers Heartbreak Ridge - Korea (Oct-1951) - April, 4th, 2003:
www.army.mil/cmh-pg/brochures
www.usachcs.army.mil
1-14th.com
www.terracom.net

[snippy_about_it]

The 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division and a French Battalion attached to the 23rd fought from bunker to bunker on Hill 851. Hill 851 was the last objective on Heartbreak Ridge still held by the enemy. In the bitter fighting, only a few enemy survive to be taken prisoner.

The end to the 33-day battle came on Oct. 13. French troops charged the crest of the hill at daybreak wiping out the last surviving North Koreans.

Winning Heartbreak Ridge and surrounding ridges and peaks resulted in 3,700 casualties in the 2nd ID. About half of the casualties were in the 23rd IR and the French Battalion.

The 2nd ID leadership estimates the enemy, mostly North Korean units, lost about 25,000 men.

The infantry received a tremendous amount of artillery and air support. In the artillery support, 62,000 rounds were fired by 76mm guns; 401,000 rounds by 105mm howitzers; 84,000 by 105mm and 13,000 by 8-inch howitzers. Crews of 60mm, 81mm and 4.2-inch mortars fired 119,000 rounds. In addition 57mm and 75mm recoilless rifle teams fired 18,000 rounds.

The U.S. Fifth Air Force tactical fighters flew 842 sorties in support and dropped 250 tons of bombs on the enemy on Heartbreak Ridge and the surrounding area.

[snippy_about_it]

Click on the banner to see personal stories and pics from Korea.

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[snippy_about_it]

"FALL IN" to the FReeper Foxhole!



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[SAMWolf]

Good Night Snippy. Ready for another hectic day tomorrow?

[snippy_about_it]

Good night Sam.

Ready for another hectic day tomorrow?

Do I have a choice? :-)

[SAMWolf]

Do I have a choice? :-)

Nope :-(

[A Jovial Cad]

Good morning, snippy.

[A Jovial Cad]

Good morning, SAM. Finally back home after a hectic vacation (which is why my posting has been so spotty lately); we had fun, but it's good to be back.

[Aeronaut]

Good morning Snippy.

[E.G.C.]

Good morning, Snippy and everyone at the Freeper Foxhole.

[alfa6]

Gunny Highway bump for Heartbreak Ridge on the Foxhole

Hi AJC, Yea the only thing bad about vacations are that you usually have to go back to work to get some rest, eh.

Hi manna :-)

Good morning SAM, I will almost be back to my regular shift rotation on the 19th. I will only work on nights for about a week, then be back to two weeks of days and two weeks of nights, oh joy, oh joy.

Good Morning Snippy

Regards

alfa6 ;>}

[The Mayor]

October 8, 2004

Come To Me

Read: John 6:30-40

I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger. —John 6:35

Bible In One Year: Isaiah 30-31; Philippians 4

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When Jesus lived on this earth, He invited people to come to Him, and He still does today (John 6:35). But what do He and His Father in heaven have that we need?

Salvation. Jesus is the only way to have forgiveness of sin and the promise of heaven. "Whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:15).

Purpose. We are to give all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength to following Jesus. "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me" (Mark 8:34).

Comfort. In trial or sorrow, the "God of all comfort . . . comforts us in all our tribulation" (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

Wisdom. We need wisdom beyond our own for making decisions. "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, . . . and it will be given to him" (James 1:5).

Strength. When we're weary, "the Lord will give strength to His people" (Psalm 29:11).

Abundant Life. The fullest life is found in a relationship with Jesus. "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10).

Jesus said, "The one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out" (John 6:37). Come! —Anne Cetas

Jesus is calling to those who are weary,
And He is calling the thirsty ones too;
If for the Bread of Life you now hunger,
Hear His sweet voice saying, "Come." —Hess

Jesus invites us to come to Him for life.

[GailA]

Good morning

[Professional Engineer]

Good morning ladies and gent. It's Friday!

Friday Foxhole FReeper Flag-o-gram.

Today's Foxhole flag is from Snippyaboutit and SAMWolf

From the cemetary at Sharpsburg

See your flag here! FReepmail me today.

[Grzegorz 246]

[Valin]

On This Day In History


Birthdates which occurred on October 08:
1690 Jaime de Casellas composer
1810 James Wilson Marshall, discoverer of gold in California.
1826 Matt Whitaker Ransom Brig General (Confederate Army), died in 1904
1869 J Frank Duryea inventor (1st auto built & operated in the US)
1872 John Cowper Powys British writer (Wood & Stone)
1873 Ejnar Hertzsprung Denmark, astronomer (Hertzsprung-Russell diagram)
1890 Eddie Rickenbacker aviator "Ace of Aces" (WW I)
1895 Juan Per¢n Argentine Pres (1946-55, 1973-74)
1895 King Zog I of Albania (1928-1939)
1897 Rouben Mamoulian movie director/author (Mark of Zorro, Applause)
1916 Spark Matsunaga (D-Ha-Sen)
1920 Frank Herbert sci-fi writer (Dune)
1920 Maxie Herber Germany, figure skater pairs (Olympic-gold-1936)
1920 Ron Randell Sydney Australia, actor (Loves of Carmen, I am a Camera)
1924 Arkady Vorobyev Middle heavyweight (Olympic-gold-1956, 60)
1930 James Olsen actor (Andromeda Strain, The Spell)
1930 Toru Takemitsu Tokyo Japan, composer (Ki No Kyoko)
1936 David Carradine Hollywood, actor (Kung-Fu, Boxcar Bertha, Young Guns)
1936 Rona Barrett NYC, gossip columnist (Tomorrow Show)
1938 Penny Pitou US, skier (Olympic-2 silvers-1960)
1939 Paul Hogan Australia, actor (Crocodile Dundee)
1941 Jesse Jackson (D) clergyman/presidential candidate
1943 Chevy Chase NYC, comedian/actor (SNL, Vacation, Fletch, Caddyshack)
1948 Sarah Purcell Richmond Ind, actress/TV hostess (Real People)
1949 Sigourney [Susan Alexandra] Weaver LA, actress (Alien, Working Girl)
1950 Robert "Kool" Bell rocker (Kool & the Gang-Joanna)
1951 Johnny Ramone LI, rock guitarist (Road to Ruin)
1953 Ricky Lee Phelps Paragould Ar, singer (Ky Headhunters-Davy Crockett)
1955 Bill Elliott auto racer (Daytona-1978)
1956 Scott Michael Pellaton barefoot water ski champ
1956 Stephanie Zimbalist NYC, actress (Remington Steele, Centennial)

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Deaths which occurred on October 08:
0705 Abd al-Malik, kalief of Damascus, dies
1656 Johan Georg I ruler of Saxon (1611-56, Peace of Prague), dies at 71
1793 John Hancock, US merchant/signer (Declaration of Independence), dies at 56
1862 James Streshley Jackson attorney/Union-brig-gen, dies in battle at 39
1862 William Rufus Terrill Union brig-general, dies in battle at 28
1864 Thomas Jonathan Coffin Amory US Union-brig-general, dies at about 34
1869 Franklin Pierce 14th president of US, dies in Concord, NH
1944 Wendell Lewis Willkie Republican politician, dies
1967 Clement R Attlee, premier of Great Britain (1945-51), dies at 84
1967 [Ernesto] Che Guevara [Serna] Arg/Cuban revolutionary, dies
1978 Karl Swenson actor (Lara-Little House on the Prairie), dies at 70
1982 Fernando Lamas actor/director, dies at 67 of cancer
1983 Joan Hackett actress, dies of cancer at 49
1985 Leon Klinghoffer hijackers of Achille Lauro, throw him off the boat
1992 Willy Brandt, chancellor of W Germany (1969-74), dies of cancer at 78

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Reported: MISSING in ACTION

1963 DENTON MANUEL R. KERRVILLE TX.
[ACFT CRASH AFT AIR COLLISION]
1963 RITCHEY LUTHER E. JR. MANSFIELD OH.
[ACFT CRASH AFT AIR COLLISION]
1963 WADSWORTH DEAN AMICK CLARENDON TX.
[ACFT BROKE UP CRASH EXPLODED, REMAINS IDENTIFIED O4/16/99]
1966 FELDHAUS JOHN ANTHONY LAWRENCEBURG TN.
1966 WOMACK SAMMIE N. FARMVILLE VA.
[02/23/67 RELEASED, ALIVE IN 98]
1967 GUERRA RAUL A. LOS ANGELES CA.
[CRASH SITE CONFIRMED NO RECOV POSS]
1967 PINEAU ROLAND R. BERKLEY MI.
[CRASH SITE CONFIRMED NO RECOV POSS]
1967 ROGGOW NORMAN L. AURELIA IA.
[CRASH SITE CONFIRMED NO RECOV POSS]
1967 WOLFE DONALD F. HARDIN MT.
[CRASH SITE CONFIRMED NO RECOV POSS]
1967 ZISSU ANDREW G. NEW YORK NY.
[CRASH SITE CONFIRMED NO RECOV POSS]
1969 ALTIZER ALBERT H. SQUIRE WV.
1969 WATKINS ROBERT J. JR. FORT MEADE MD.
1970 OTT WILLIAM A. LIVERMORE CA.
1970 SHAY DONALD E. JR. LINTHICUM HEIGHTS MD.

POW / MIA Data & Bios supplied by
the P.O.W. NETWORK. Skidmore, MO. USA.

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On this day...
0314 Battle at Cibalae: Constantine defeats Licinius
0451 Council of Chalcedon (4th ecumenical council) opens
0876 Battle at Andernach: Louis the Young beats Charles the Bare
1604 The supernova called "Kepler's nova" is 1st sighted
1690 Belgrade is retaken by the Turks
1806 British forces lay siege to French port of Boulogne using Congreve rockets, invented by Sir William Congreve
1775 Officers decide to bar slaves & free blacks from Continental Army
1818 2 English boxers are 1st to use padded gloves
1840 1st Hawaiian constitution proclaimed
1862 Otto von Bismarck becomes German republic chancellor
1862 Battle of Perryville, KY-Confederate invasion halted
1865 Earthquake in Santa Cruz Mountains
1871 The Great Chicago Fire begins in southwest Chicago, possibly in a barn owned by Patrick and Katherine O'Leary. Fanned by strong southwesterly winds, the flames raged for more than 24 hours, eventually leveling three and a half square miles and wiping out one-third of the city. Approximately 250 people were killed in the fire; & original Emancipation Proclamation
1886 Start of the Sherlock Holmes adventure "The Noble Bachelor" (BG)
1887 Phillies set club record 16th straight victory
1896 Dow Jones starts reporting an average of industrial stocks
1903 JM Synge's "In the Shadow of the Glen," premieres in Dublin
1919 Congress passed the Volstead Act named for Representative Andrew Volsted of Minnesota, it enforced the ban on the sale or consumption of alcoholic beverages.
1904 1st Vanderbilt Cup auto race (Hicksville, Long Island, NY)
1906 Karl Nessler demonstrates 1st 'permanent wave' for hair, in London
1912 1st Balkan War begins
1915 Phillies win their 1st & only World Series (World Series #12) game before 1980, beating Red Sox, 3-1, with an 8th inning 2 run rally
1918 Sgt Alvin York single-handedly kills 25, captures 132 Germans
1922 NY Giants beat Yankees, 4 games to 0, with a tie in 19th World Series
1933 Coit Tower dedicated in SF, a monument to firefighters
1934 Bruno Hauptmann is indicted for murder of Lindbergh's son
1935 Ozzie Nelson marries Harriet Hilliard (Ozzie & Harriet)
1939 Germany annexes Western Poland
1939 NY Yankees sweep Reds in 36th World Series, 4th straight WS win
1941 Concentration camp Birkenau begins being built
1942 Fight at Matanikau, Guadalcanal (John Hersey-Into the Valley)
1944 "Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet" debut on CBS radio
1945 Truman announced atomic bomb secret shared with Britain & Canada
1951 Ford C Frick replaces Happy Chandler as 3rd commissioner of baseball
1951 Warren C Giles becomes president of baseball's National League
1952 2 trains collide with a derailed commuter train, kills 112 (England)
1953 Birmingham Alabama, bars Jackie Robinson's Negro-White All-Stars from playing there - Robinson gives in & drops white players from his group
1955 Worlds most powerful aircraft carrier, Saratoga (US), launched
1956 Don Larsen, NY, pitches only perfect world series game, vs Brooklyn (World Series #53)
1957 Brooklyn Dodgers announce move to Los Angeles
1957 Turkish & Syrian border guards exchange fire
1959 LA Dodgers beat Chicago White Sox, 4 games to 2 in 56th World Series
1960 Bobby Richarson hits a world series grand slammer (World Series #57)
1962 Algeria admitted as 109th member of the UN
1962 N Korea reports 100% election turnout, 100% vote for Workers' Party
1963 Sultan of Zanzibar cedes his mainland possessions to Kenya
1964 Gilroy Roberts becomes 1st US chief engraver to retire (than die)
1964 Ringo Starr takes & passes his driving test
1966 Wyoming's Jerry DePoyster kicks 3 field goals over 50 yds (54, 54, 52)
1968 U.S. forces in Vietnam launch Operation Sealord, an attack on North Vietnamese supply lines and base areas
1970 Soviet author Alexander I Solzhenitsyn awarded Nobel Prize for Lit
1978 Ken Warby set the world water speed record at 319.627 mph
1978 Yanks win 3rd straight AL Championship, all against Kansas City
1980 British Leyland starts selling Mini Metro
1981 USAC appeals panel restores disputed Indy 500 victory to Al Unser
1981 Pres Reagan greeted predecessors Jimmy Carter, Gerald R Ford & Richard Nixon before sending them to Egypt for Anwar Sadat's funeral
1982 Polish government bans Solidarity (Solidarity bans Polish government)
1986 Mike Scott ties playoff record of 14 strikeouts, beats Mets 1-0
1988 Fire in Seattle's Space Needle causes evacuation, $2,000 damage
1990 Israeli police kill 17 Palestinian rioters
1990 US doctors Joseph E Murray & E Donnall Thomas win Nobel Prize
1991 A federal judge in Anchorage, Alaska, approved a $1 billion settlement against Exxon for the Valdez oil spill
1993 US Justice Department released its report on its handling of the 51-day siege at the Branch Davidian compound near Waco, Texas. It concluded the department and Attorney General Reno made no mistakes and that the cult bore the blame for the fire that destroyed the compound...killing at least 80 people.
1997 Three years after the death of longtime North Korean ruler Kim Il Sung, his son, Kim Jong Il, officially inherited his father's title of general secretary of the Communist Party.
2001 U.S. transport planes dropped 37,000 meals into areas of Afghanistan where it was feared mass starvation was imminent.
2001 Former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge was sworn in as director of the new Office of Homeland Security.
2002 President Bush invoked the Taft-Hartley Act to get West Coast longshoremen back to work.

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Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"
National Chimney Sweep Week (Day 4)
International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction
National Pickled Pepper Week (Day 6)
Country Music Month
National Sarcastics' Awareness Month (Noooo Really!)

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Religious Observances
Old Catholic : Feast of St Bridget, widow, patron of Sweden
Christian : Feast of St Keyne, virgin (6th century)
Feast of St. Thais (Greek Church).

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Religious History
0451 The Council of Chalcedon opened, near Constantinople. Dealing mainly with the Eutychian Christological heresy, the council created a confession of faith which has ever since been regarded as the highest word in Early Christian orthodoxy.
1901 The American branch of Overseas Missionary Fellowship was chartered. Founded as the China Inland Mission in 1865 by missionary pioneer J. Hudson Taylor, OMF adopted its present name at its centenniel celebration in 1965.
1917 New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary was chartered in New Orleans by P. I. Lipsey. The school opened for its first classes in September 1918.
1924 In New York City, the National Lutheran Conference banned the playing of jazz music in the local churches.
1986 The first North American Congress on the Holy Spirit and World Evangelization opened in New Orleans. It drew 7,000 leaders from 40 denominations, and stressed the part which the charismatic experience plays in evangelization.

Source: William D. Blake. ALMANAC OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1987.

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Thought for the day :
"The Universe is not only queerer than we imagine, it is queerer than we CAN imagine."

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Gender Dictionary...
DOOHICKEY:
A. Female...Any part under a car's hood.

B. Male...The strap fastener on a woman's bra.

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Lesser Known Breeds of Dogs - Cross Breeds...
Bloodhound + Labrador = Blabador, a dog that barks incessantly

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The Ultimate Scientific Dictionary...
Partition Function:
The function of a partition is to protect the lab supervisor from shrapnel produced in laboratory explosions.

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Things you would like to say at work, but won't...
Visualizing? I'm already visualizing the duct tape over your mouth.

[Professional Engineer]

Received via e-mail this morning:

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John Kerry visits a school classroom where they are in the middle of a discussion related to words and their meanings. The teacher asks Mr. Kerry if he would like to lead the discussion on the word "tragedy." The illustrious Senator asks the class for an example of a tragedy.

One little boy stands up and offers: "If my best friend, who lives on a farm, is playing in the field and a tractor runs him over and kills him,
that would be a 'tragedy.'"



"No," says Kerry, "that would be an accident."

A little girl raises her hand. "If a school bus carrying 50 children drove over a cliff, killing everyone inside, that would be a tragedy."

"I'm afraid not," explains Mr. Kerry. "That's what we would call a 'great loss.'"

The room goes silent. No other children volunteered. Kerry searches the room. "Isn't there someone here who can give me an example of a
'tragedy?'"

Finally, at the back of the room, a small boy raises his hand. In a quiet voice, he says: "If your campaign plane, carrying you Mr. Kerry, were struck by a 'friendly fire' missile and blown to smithereens, that would be a 'tragedy.'"

"Fantastic!" exclaims Kerry. "That's right. And can you tell me why that would be a 'tragedy?'"

"Well," says the boy, "because it certainly wouldn't be a 'great loss' and it probably wouldn't be an 'accident' either."

[Grzegorz 246]

4 Mi-24 will be sent to Iraq in next month.