The FReeper Foxhole Remembers Lt. John Powers and Coral Sea (7-8 May,1942) - May, 8th, 2003

http://www.microworks.net/pacific/battles/coral_sea.htm ^

[SAMWolf]

I like, where can I get one?

[snippy_about_it]

Maybe here, where I 'borrowed' the graphic from. :)

http://www.foreverflying.com/

[Light Speed]

Aviation Art of the Pacific WW-2

Too close for comfort

Ordeal in Vitiaz Strait

Strike of the Aztec Eagles...Mexican P-47 Thunderbolt Pilot from Mexico's expeditionary force over Luzon 1945

[SAMWolf]

Thank you.

[SAMWolf]

There is some great Military art around.

Thanks Light Speed,.

[Diver Dave]

Great Threads you've been presenting. Thanks. Sometimes it takes a while to read through all of them because of outside interruptions, but they do get read, though not in one sitting. Keep up the good work.

[SAMWolf]

Thanks DD. I know most of them get pretty long. I appreciate you taking the time to read them.

[Michael121]

Edward O'Hare 28 years old

Flying a Wildcat his wingman's guns were jammed. He attacked alone in 4 minutes he downed 5 Jap bombers. Soon after a formation of Wildcats made it up to help him out. He was awarded the Medal Of Honor on April 21, 1942. Jumped 2 paygrades and got in the cockpit of the new F6-F Hellcat.

He was KIA near Wake island, On the night of November 26, 1943. The lights on his plane were seen diving towards the ocean, no wreckage was ever found.

[snippy_about_it]

Yowser. Did you see how much that cost?

[Soaring Feather]

Sooooo KEWL!! Love the graphic!!!

How about this snippy??

[skeeter]

He was KIA near Wake island, On the night of November 26, 1943. The lights on his plane were seen diving towards the ocean, no wreckage was ever found.

Thanks... I believe he was among those assigned to the Enterprise pioneering nighttime carrier operations when killed.

[Light Speed]

General Von Keitel surrenders to Marshall Zhukov near Berlin.

Stalin was in a hurry. The Americans had recently crossed the Rhine and the Soviet leader was concerned that they might capture Berlin before him. To speed up his campaign, he split the command of the Berlin operation between Marshall Zukhov in the centre and Marshall Konev in the south. Stalin thus effectively triggered a race between his two most senior commanders, as both of them were eager to be credited with the conquest of the German capital.

On the 15th of April, Soviet forces launched one of the most powerful artillery barrages in history. Over a million shells were fired against German positions west of the Oder. But when Zukhov's troops advanced from their bridgeheads, they found that the Germans had withdrawn to fortified positions on the Seelow heights further inland, having learned of the imminent Soviet attack from a captured Russian soldier.

Zukhov's attack clearly wasn't going according to plan. He decided to send in wave after wave against the German defences. "We started to fire at the masses," says one former German machine gunner. "They weren't human beings for us. It was a wall of attacking beasts who were trying to kill us. You yourself were no longer human." There was confusion all around. According to one Russian veteran, Soviet artillery was fired without proper guidance, killing scores of Red Army soldiers.

It took Zukhov three days to break the German resistance, far longer than planned. Huge numbers of Soviet tanks were lost because they were used as battering rams against the German positions. Over 30,000 Soviet soldiers died compared to the 10,000 soldiers lost by the Germans. In the end, the high Soviet casualty rate was largely a result of Stalin's hurry to reach Berlin.

[SAMWolf]

Yeah I think I'm gonna have to pass.

[SAMWolf]

Thanks Light Speed. Ever read "The Last 100 Days" by John Toland?

[SpookBrat]

Hi!

[GATOR NAVY]

I had never heard anywhere the Mexicans sent any forces to the Western Pacific. In fact, I don't think I even knew they were Allies. I thought they were neutrals.

[GATOR NAVY]

Hey SAM.

Coral Sea is still a big deal to the Aussies. They remember.

Midway could have turned out much different also if Zuikaku and Shokaku had been available.

[SAMWolf]

Hi Spooky!! Long time no see.

[SAMWolf]

Yep, their Air Groups were depleted at Coral Sea. Those two carriers could have cost the US it's victory at Midway. Midway may not even had happened had the Japanese been successful in their invasion or Port Moresby.

[Light Speed]

Hi Sam

Yes I have read "The Last 100 Days"...but could do with a re-read.

Having been studying Hitler intensly along with Shhhtalingrad!

Presently Reading Tolands Pulitzer winner on Hitler....enjoy Toland writting style..his way of bringing the reader to keep points in histories flow.

With Stalingrad..have also been backtracking on Nikita Krushchev and General Zhukov;
Both had a tension filled relationship with Stalin..and were afraid of Him.

During a meeting in the Kremilin during Sept of the Stalingrad defense..Zukhov and Vasilevsky are wispering in hushed tones concerning another solution while Stalin goes over a map.

Stalin blutrs out...."What other way out"!!;

Both men knew Stalin to shoot Generals in meetings infront of onlookers.

Nikita...he danced the knife edge too thru the war : )