Today in 1943 was the first raid on the Ploesti oil fields. . . 117 B-24s left bases in North Africa and when it was over only 33 returned in condition to fly again. . . out of 1720 crewmen 540 were lost.
This was a complex low level bombing mission for heavy bombers and although it did knock out the refinery it was quickly fixed and working again. It was also the target of a number of additional raids up to the end of the war which kept it from getting back to full capacity.
Showing posts with label history. Show all posts
Showing posts with label history. Show all posts
Friday, August 1, 2008
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
63 years ago the world changed
It was a one time change and it was forever. . . . Trinity opened up a whole new world to us for good or bad. . . . but it did allow us to end WWII with fewer losses on our side and theirs no matter what the hippies think. They lost far less folks with those two bombs than they did in the firebombing that we were doing to those nice wood cities. . .
Thursday, July 3, 2008
This Day in History
Folks, on this day in 1863 they fought the last day of the Battle of Gettysburg. Probably considered the turning point of the war by most folks. . .
Depending on who you talk to they report anywhere from 46,000 to 51000 casualties by the end of the THREE DAYS. . . part of this high number is that both sides were American.
This was the day of the battle for Cemetery Ridge and Pickett's Charge. Pickett's charge alone cost the Confederate Army of Virgina over 7000 men killed or wounded in about an hours time . . . Looking at those numbers it makes what we have accomplished in Iraq look much better doesn't it?
You can find more on it here
Depending on who you talk to they report anywhere from 46,000 to 51000 casualties by the end of the THREE DAYS. . . part of this high number is that both sides were American.
This was the day of the battle for Cemetery Ridge and Pickett's Charge. Pickett's charge alone cost the Confederate Army of Virgina over 7000 men killed or wounded in about an hours time . . . Looking at those numbers it makes what we have accomplished in Iraq look much better doesn't it?
You can find more on it here
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
This day in History
From the History Channel -
On this day in 1942, the Battle of Midway--one of the most decisive U.S. victories against Japan during World War II--begins. During the four-day sea-and-air battle, the outnumbered U.S. Pacific Fleet succeeded in destroying four Japanese aircraft carriers while losing only one of its own, the Yorktown, to the previously invincible Japanese navy.
This shows you what a strong America can do should we ever get back to that point. From being kicked in the teeth on Dec 7th to turning the war around in just about six months against the mighty Japanese . . . . Some day we will get rid of the liberal/hippy mindset and get back to being a great nation. . .
On this day in 1942, the Battle of Midway--one of the most decisive U.S. victories against Japan during World War II--begins. During the four-day sea-and-air battle, the outnumbered U.S. Pacific Fleet succeeded in destroying four Japanese aircraft carriers while losing only one of its own, the Yorktown, to the previously invincible Japanese navy.
This shows you what a strong America can do should we ever get back to that point. From being kicked in the teeth on Dec 7th to turning the war around in just about six months against the mighty Japanese . . . . Some day we will get rid of the liberal/hippy mindset and get back to being a great nation. . .
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
15 years ago today take 2
From the History Channel. . . . tell me this was not the start of the whole war
1993 : World Trade Center bombed
At 12:18 p.m., a terrorist bomb explodes in a parking garage of the
World Trade Center in New York City, leaving a crater 60 feet wide and
causing the collapse of several steel-reinforced concrete floors in
the vicinity of the blast. Although the terrorist bomb failed to
critically damage the main structure of the skyscrapers, six people
were killed and more than 1,000 were injured. The World Trade Center
itself suffered more than $500 million in damage. After the attack,
authorities evacuated 50,000 people from the buildings, hundreds of
whom were suffering from smoke inhalation. The evacuation lasted the
whole afternoon.
City authorities and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
undertook a massive manhunt for suspects, and within days several
radical Islamic fundamentalists were arrested. In March 1994, Mohammed
Salameh, Ahmad Ajaj, Nidal Ayyad, and Mahmoud Abouhalima were
convicted by a federal jury for their role in the bombing, and each
was sentenced to life in prison. Salameh, a Palestinian, was arrested
when he went to retrieve the $400 deposit he had left for the Ryder
rental van used in the attack. Ajaj and Ayyad, who both played a role
in the construction of the bomb, were arrested soon after. Abouhalima,
who helped buy and mix the explosives, fled to Saudi Arabia but was
caught in Egypt two weeks later.
The mastermind of the attack--Ramzi Ahmed Yousef--remained at large
until February 1995, when he was arrested in Pakistan. He had
previously been in the Philippines, and in a computer he left there
were found terrorist plans that included a plot to kill Pope John Paul
II and a plan to bomb 15 American airliners in 48 hours. On the flight
back to the United States, Yousef reportedly admitted to a Secret
Service agent that he had directed the Trade Center attack from the
beginning and even claimed to have set the fuse that exploded the
1,200-pound bomb. His only regret, the agent quoted Yousef saying, was
that the 110-story tower did not collapse into its twin as planned--a
catastrophe that would have caused thousands of deaths.
Eyad Ismoil, who drove the Ryder van into the parking garage below the
World Trade Center, was captured in Jordan that year and taken back to
New York. All the men implicated had ties to Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman,
a radical Egyptian religious leader who operated out of Jersey City,
New Jersey, located just across the Hudson River from Manhattan. In
1995, Rahman and 10 followers were convicted of conspiring to blow up
the United Nations headquarters and other New York landmarks.
Prosecutors argued that the World Trade Center attack was part of that
conspiracy, though little clear evidence of this charge was presented.
In November 1997, Yousef and Ismoil were convicted in a courtroom only
a few blocks away from the twin towers and subsequently sentenced to
life in prison without the possibility of parole. Only one other man
believed to be directly involved in the attack, Iraqi Abdul Rahman
Yasin, remains at large.
After the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, U.S.
investigators began to suspect that Yousef had ties to Saudi exile
Osama bin Laden, the head of the anti-U.S. al Qaeda terrorist network.
Whether bin Laden was in fact involved in the 1993 twin tower attacks
has not been determined, but on September 11, 2001, two groups of al
Qaeda terrorists finished the job begun by Yousef, crashing two
hijacked airliners into the north and south tower of the World Trade
Center. The structural steel of the skyscrapers could not withstand
the tremendous heat generated by the burning jet fuel, and both
collapsed within two hours of being struck. Close to 3,000 people died
in the World Trade Center and its vicinity, including a staggering 343
firefighters and 23 policemen who were struggling to complete the
evacuation and save the office workers trapped on higher floors. Only
six people in the World Trade Center towers at the time of their
collapse survived. Almost 10,000 other people were treated for
injuries, many severe.
1993 : World Trade Center bombed
At 12:18 p.m., a terrorist bomb explodes in a parking garage of the
World Trade Center in New York City, leaving a crater 60 feet wide and
causing the collapse of several steel-reinforced concrete floors in
the vicinity of the blast. Although the terrorist bomb failed to
critically damage the main structure of the skyscrapers, six people
were killed and more than 1,000 were injured. The World Trade Center
itself suffered more than $500 million in damage. After the attack,
authorities evacuated 50,000 people from the buildings, hundreds of
whom were suffering from smoke inhalation. The evacuation lasted the
whole afternoon.
City authorities and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
undertook a massive manhunt for suspects, and within days several
radical Islamic fundamentalists were arrested. In March 1994, Mohammed
Salameh, Ahmad Ajaj, Nidal Ayyad, and Mahmoud Abouhalima were
convicted by a federal jury for their role in the bombing, and each
was sentenced to life in prison. Salameh, a Palestinian, was arrested
when he went to retrieve the $400 deposit he had left for the Ryder
rental van used in the attack. Ajaj and Ayyad, who both played a role
in the construction of the bomb, were arrested soon after. Abouhalima,
who helped buy and mix the explosives, fled to Saudi Arabia but was
caught in Egypt two weeks later.
The mastermind of the attack--Ramzi Ahmed Yousef--remained at large
until February 1995, when he was arrested in Pakistan. He had
previously been in the Philippines, and in a computer he left there
were found terrorist plans that included a plot to kill Pope John Paul
II and a plan to bomb 15 American airliners in 48 hours. On the flight
back to the United States, Yousef reportedly admitted to a Secret
Service agent that he had directed the Trade Center attack from the
beginning and even claimed to have set the fuse that exploded the
1,200-pound bomb. His only regret, the agent quoted Yousef saying, was
that the 110-story tower did not collapse into its twin as planned--a
catastrophe that would have caused thousands of deaths.
Eyad Ismoil, who drove the Ryder van into the parking garage below the
World Trade Center, was captured in Jordan that year and taken back to
New York. All the men implicated had ties to Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman,
a radical Egyptian religious leader who operated out of Jersey City,
New Jersey, located just across the Hudson River from Manhattan. In
1995, Rahman and 10 followers were convicted of conspiring to blow up
the United Nations headquarters and other New York landmarks.
Prosecutors argued that the World Trade Center attack was part of that
conspiracy, though little clear evidence of this charge was presented.
In November 1997, Yousef and Ismoil were convicted in a courtroom only
a few blocks away from the twin towers and subsequently sentenced to
life in prison without the possibility of parole. Only one other man
believed to be directly involved in the attack, Iraqi Abdul Rahman
Yasin, remains at large.
After the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, U.S.
investigators began to suspect that Yousef had ties to Saudi exile
Osama bin Laden, the head of the anti-U.S. al Qaeda terrorist network.
Whether bin Laden was in fact involved in the 1993 twin tower attacks
has not been determined, but on September 11, 2001, two groups of al
Qaeda terrorists finished the job begun by Yousef, crashing two
hijacked airliners into the north and south tower of the World Trade
Center. The structural steel of the skyscrapers could not withstand
the tremendous heat generated by the burning jet fuel, and both
collapsed within two hours of being struck. Close to 3,000 people died
in the World Trade Center and its vicinity, including a staggering 343
firefighters and 23 policemen who were struggling to complete the
evacuation and save the office workers trapped on higher floors. Only
six people in the World Trade Center towers at the time of their
collapse survived. Almost 10,000 other people were treated for
injuries, many severe.
Friday, December 7, 2007
Remember Them
66 years ago today we were attacked at Pearl Harbor. . .
66 years ago tomorrow came this speech:
December 8th, 1941......
Mr. Vice President, Mr. Speaker, members of the Senate and the House of Representatives: yesterday, December 7th, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy - the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.
The United States was at peace with that nation, and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its Government and its Emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific. Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in the American island of Oahu, the Japanese Ambassador to the United States and his colleague delivered to our Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message. And while this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or of armed attack.
It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time the Japanese Government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.
The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian Islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. I regret to tell you that very many American lives have been lost. In addition American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu.
Yesterday the Japanese Government also launched an attack against Malaya.
Last night Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong.
Last night Japanese forces attacked Guam.
Last night Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands.
Last night the Japanese attacked Wake Island.
And this morning the Japanese attacked Midway Atoll.
Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday and today speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our nation.
As Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy, I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense.
But always will our whole nation remember the character of the onslaught against us. No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.
I believe that I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost but will make it very certain that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us.
Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory and our interests are in grave danger.
With confidence in our armed forces - with the unbounding determination of our people - we will gain the inevitable triumph - so help us God.
I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7th, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire.
Copied from U.S. Concealed Carry
Weekly Newsletter
66 years ago tomorrow came this speech:
December 8th, 1941......
Mr. Vice President, Mr. Speaker, members of the Senate and the House of Representatives: yesterday, December 7th, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy - the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.
The United States was at peace with that nation, and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its Government and its Emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific. Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in the American island of Oahu, the Japanese Ambassador to the United States and his colleague delivered to our Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message. And while this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or of armed attack.
It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time the Japanese Government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.
The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian Islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. I regret to tell you that very many American lives have been lost. In addition American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu.
Yesterday the Japanese Government also launched an attack against Malaya.
Last night Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong.
Last night Japanese forces attacked Guam.
Last night Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands.
Last night the Japanese attacked Wake Island.
And this morning the Japanese attacked Midway Atoll.
Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday and today speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our nation.
As Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy, I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense.
But always will our whole nation remember the character of the onslaught against us. No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.
I believe that I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost but will make it very certain that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us.
Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory and our interests are in grave danger.
With confidence in our armed forces - with the unbounding determination of our people - we will gain the inevitable triumph - so help us God.
I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7th, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire.
Copied from U.S. Concealed Carry
Weekly Newsletter
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