Tonight, I'll See USS Indianapolis Survivor Edgar Harrell-- Part 1

From the April 9, 2014, Hi-liter.

n just a few hours, I will be at the Chain of Lakes Community Bible Church where USS Indianapolis survivor Edgar Harrell will be speaking at 7 PM.  The church is located at 43 W. Grasslake Road, Lake Villa.

"Former U.S. Marine Edgar Harrell, survivor, tells the tragic story of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis on July 30, 1945.  The sinking of the Heavy Cruiser Indianapolis was the largest casualty at sea in the history of the U.S. Navy.  It sank in about 12 minutes.

Eight hundred and eighty of the 1,197 aboard did not survive the sinking.  Only 317 survived the four-and-a-half days in the shark infested waters.

The Indianapolis had just made a record speed run from San Francisco to a B-29 base on the Island of Tinian, in the Marianas.  The cargo aboard was the components of the Atomic Bomb which was dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima.  Twenty-six days from the time the cargo was loaded aboard the Indianapolis, the war was over, the Japanese were aboard the Missouri.

Gre-Gen

The I-58 Sank the USS Indianapolis-- Part 4

At 2300 29 July 1945, 250 miles south of Palau, the I-58 was cruising southward when it spotted a large ship approaching from the east and not zig-zagging.   It turned out to be the American heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis and she was not escorted.

The I-58 fired off a spread of torpedoes at 2326 and observed three hits.  The I-58 dove and found the Indianapolis gone when it came back up to periscope depth.

On 9 August. the submarine attacked what  was thought to be a convoy of ten transports escorted by three destroyers.  Two Kaiten were launched, but the convoy turned out to be the hunter-killer Task Force 75.19 along with the escort carrier USS Salamana (CVE-96).  The Kaiten were attacked by the destroyer escort Johnnie Hutchins (DE-360) which sank both of them.

On 12 August, the I-58 launched an unsuccessful attack on the dock landing ship USS Oak Hill (LSD-7) and destroyer escort Thomas F. Nickel (DE-587).  On 18 August, it arrived back at Kure and Japan surrendered September 2nd.

On April 1, 1946, in "Operation Road's End," the I-58 was stripped of usable parts and towed bybthe subtender Nereus (AS-17) and scuttled off Goto Island, Japan.

Story of a Sub.  --GreGen

I-58 Sank the USS Indianapolis- Part 3

The I-58's first operatasoff Guam with four Kaiten and their crews. On Jan. 12, 1945, it launched all four Kaiten and is credited with sinking an escort carrier and a large fleet oiler. Then, it was on Operation Tan No. 2 where it acted as a radio relay ship for kamikaze attacks. One plane crashed into the carrier USS Randolph.

During Operation Ten-Ga it twice tried to break through the American anti-submarine defense at Okinawa, but failed.

 On July 28, 1945, the I-58 attacked the cargo ship Wild Hunter and launched two Kaiten. One was driven off by the Wild Hunter and the other rammed by escort ship ISS Lowry.

 Doing some research into I-58's operations, I found that a USS LCI (L)-600 was sunk Jan. 12, 1945 at Ulithi by a Kaiten Suicide Submarine/Human Torpedo which might be one of the two ships the I-58 might have sunk that day.

As far as the escort carrier, no U.S. carriers were sunk that day, but the USS Ommaney Bay was crippled by a kamikaze on January 4, 1945 and eventually sunk by the American destroyer escorting it.

I didn't find any record of a Wild Hunter being attacked on July 28, 1945. The Wikipedia account of the USS Lowry does not mention action on July 28, 1945.

So, it doesn't appear that the I-58 had much of a war record before July 30, 1945. ////

 --GreGen

The I-58 Sank the USS Indianapolis-- Part 2: Biggest Success Was Sinking the USS Indianapolis

The most success the I-58 had during the war was the sinking of the Indianapolis on July 30, 1945 while operating between the Marianas Islands and Philippines. It was surrendered at the end of the war and was scuttled by the U.S. Navy off Goto, Japan, 1 April 1946.

It was a B3-type cruise submarine and carried Kaiten manned torpedoes (I knew about kamikazes, but not the Kaiten manned torpedoes) and damaged two destroyers during its career.

Construction on it began 25 December 1943 and was ciompleted 7 September 1944. The sub was 356 feet long and had a 94-man crew.

--GreGen

I-58: The Japanese Submarine That Sank the USS Indianapolis-- Part 1

From Wikipedia.

The USS Indianapolis was sunk July 30, 1945, by the Japanese submarine I-58. I have been writing quite a bit about the Indianaplois this month, starting with the account of a survivor who died this month and on the 30th, I'll get to see and hear another of the few remaining survivors of the ship speak about it.

The I-59 was one of the few Japanese submarines to survive the war. I wonder if any of its crew are still alive?

Getting To See An Actual Survivor.  That Will Be Quite An Experience.  --GreGen

Japanese Submarine I-45 (Sank the Eversole and Sunk By the Whitehurst On the Same Day)

I wasn't able to find out too much about the I-45 as it did not have much of a career other than sinking the Eversole.

It was part of the Ocu-gata-class of submarines which were 108 feet long and could cruise on the surface at 23.3 knots and underwater at 8.

Commissioned Dec. 28, 1943, and listed as missing Oct. 27, 1944.

On April 5, 1944, it damaged the VC-66. On Oct. 27, 1944, listed as MIA east of Leyte. Oct. 28, 1944, sank the USS Eversole. On Oct. 28, 1944, listed as sunk.prob. by Whitehurst, East of Siargio.

--GreGen

USS Eversole (DE-404)

From Wikipedia.

The USS Whitehurst sank the submarine, I-45, that sank the Eversole on October 28, 1944.

The ship was commissioned 21 March 1944 and named for naval aviator John Thomas Eversole who was killed at the Battle of Midway. It arrived at Pearl Harbor in June 1944 and did anti-submarine patrol at Leyte Gulf. It escorted two damaged aircraft carriers and rescued downed pilots and took wounded off carriers.

On 29 October 1944 it had just made submarine contact when it was hit by two torpedoes and sank in 15 minutes with the loss of 80. Many of the dead came about because of the Eversole's armed depth charges going off as the ship sank. They had been set to go off at particular depths.

The USS Bull rescued 139, thanks in part to their use of flashlights at night. The Destroyer Escort Sailors Association has a list of the 80 who died.

--GreGen

USS Whitehurst (DE-634)-- Part 2: Sank a Sub and Hit By Kamikaze That Killed Norman Ellsworth.

On October 29, 1942, the Whitehurst received word that the destroyer escort USS Eversole (DE-404) had been torpedoed and sunk. The Whitehurst and USS Bull went to the scene and while the other ship rescued survivors, the Whitehurst searched for the submarine, making contact and sinking the I-45, believed to have been the submarine that had sunk the Eversole.

The Whitehurst next served off Okinawa during the invasion and on April 1, 1945, was struck by a kamikaze. Norman Ellsworth was among those killed.

The ship did not sink and returned to Pearl Harbor for repairs and later served in the Korean War. It was featured in the movie "The Enemy Below" where it was the USS Haynes.

In 1969, it was struck from the Navy List and eventually taken to sea and sunk as a target ship by the USS Trigger (SS-564) on 28 April 1971.

--GreGen

USS Whitehurst (DE-634): A Followup on Iowa's Norman Ellsworth-- Part 1

From Wikipedia.

On April 18th, I wrote about Norman Ellsworth who died aboard the destroyer escort Whitehurst off Okinawa during a kamihaze attack. Here is a followup on the ship.

The USS Whitehurst (DE-634) was a Buckley-class destroyer escort commissioned 19 November 1943 and named for Henry Purefoy Whitehurst, an ensign on the USS Astoria (CA-34) who was killed at the Battle of Savo Island off Guadalcanal in August 1942.

The ship arrived at Pearl Harbor 4 Feb 1944 and served convoy duty around the Pacific. It was off New Guinea and saw action at Wake Island and continued with escort duty.

Before the Philippines, it was assigned to the anti-submarine/aircraft screen TU77.7.1 to guard fleet oilers and on Oct. 27, 1944, drove off two Japanese planes.

--GreGen

USS Indianapolis Survivor to Speak in Lake Villa, Illinois

From the April 9, 2014, Hi-Liter "WWII survivor to speak at Chain of Lakes Community Bible Church." On Wednesday, April 30, the church will have a true American hero, Edgar Harrell, who survived the tragic sinking of the USS Indianapolis, considered to be the single worst naval disaster in U.S. Naval history. It was also the last American ship lost in the war. The event starts at 7 p.m. and is free. The Chain of Lakes Bible Church is located at 43 W. Grass Lake Road in Lake Villa, Illinois. I'm definitely planning on being there. Especially since I have been writing so much about the USS Indianapolis so much on the last couple weeks. The last two years, I have gone to the Indy 500 and spent a lot of non-racetrack time at the Speedway American Legion across from where the race is run and they have a large picture of the USS Indianapolis and its history up on one of the walls. I also see that Mr. Harrell has written a book about the USS Indianapolis tragedy so hopefully I'll be able to get a signed copy. A Real Hero. --GreGen

Recounting the History of Colfax Veteran Killed in Action-- Part 2

While at sea, he learned of the birth of his daughter whom he never met. //// Next station was the Philippines where the Whitehurst served as part of the anti-aircraft/submarine screen. They helped rescue the survivors of the USS Eversole which had been torpedoed. Then, it was off to Australia for five months. //// In April 1945, the Whitehurst was patrolling by the Kerama Islands southwest of Okinawa when it was attcked by four Aichi D3As, Japanese Navy dive bombers, now operating as kamikazes. The first one crashed into the bridge and the bomb it carried broke lose and blew up inside the ship. //// The USS Vigilence came and rescued 21, but Norman Ellsworth was not one of them. He died that April 12, 1945. His remains were transported back to Hawaii and buried at the Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu. //// --GreGen

Recounting the History of Colfax Veteran Killed in Action-- Part 1

From the March 7, 2014, Newton (Iowa) Daily News by Matthew Nosco. //// Norman Ellsworth graduated from Colfax High School in 1936 and enlisted in the Navy Feb. 15, 1937, and after training was assigned to the battleship USS Nevada for most of his 8-year naval career. //// He was not on the Nevada during the Pearl Harbor attack (60 killed) as he was attending a special training school in San Diego at the time. //// The Nevada was repaired for a year at Pearl Harbor and Puget Sound Navy Yard. It received better anti-aircraft guns and then deployed for the Battle of Attu, Alaska. //// Receiving furlough, he returned home and married Louise veronica Villasen. Reassigned to the destroyer escort USS Whitehurst which went on many refueling and escort missions. After that, it was sent to Indonesia where it patrolled and monitored traffic between the two main islands. //// --GreGen

Battle of Atlantic Off NC Coast, April 1942

Another four ships were sunk before April ended. And, there was an eight day lapse before the last one. Possibly because the U-boats had returned to base to resupply? //// April 20th-- CHENANGO, freighter, torpedoed and sunk by U-84, 31 killed. //// April 20th-- AGRA, freighter, torpedoed and sunk by U-654, 6 killed. //// April 21st-- BRIS, freighter, torpedoed and sunk by U-201, 5 killed. //// April 29th-- ASHKHABAD, tanker, torpedoed and sunk by U-402. //// That amounts to 27 Allied ships sunk during April 1942, just off the coast of North Carolina. //// The War At Our Front Door. --GreGen

USS Indianapolis Survivor: John Heller-- Part 2

The 61 survivors with John Heller quickly dwindled over their five-day ordeal, eventually ending up with just 18. During the day they would play games to pass the time and keep their sanity. At first, the various groups of survivors were fairly close together, but as they days passed, currents and wind spread them farther and farther apart. //// After their rescue, they were taken to a nearby island, but most had wounds and ailments too severe so they had to have a hospital ship transport them to Gueam where Heller spent three months in a hospital. At one time, he was down to just 98 pounds weight. //// After Guam, they were transported to San Francisco where they had a parade in their honor. //// Another of the Greatest Generation, Now Gone. --GreGen

Palindrone Week With the Dates.

All this week, the days, when shown in number form, read the same forward and backwars, actually since Friday. //// Friday was 4-11-14, Saturday 4-12-14, Sunday 4-13-14, Monday 4-14-14, Tuesday 4-15-14, Today 4-16-14, Thursday 4-17-14, Friday 2-18-14 and Saturday 4-19-14. //// I kind of doubt that happens too often. //// Enjoy it while it lasts. --RoadDog

USS Indainapolis Survivor John Heller-- Part 1

From the July 14, 2011, CandyNews.com "Survivor of USS Indianapolis speaks to fellow veterans" by Jennie Miller. //// (This article appeared before John Heller's death this past April 2, 2014.) //// John Williams, introducing John Heller, 83, said, "There are two things Navy men know. The first is Pearl Harbor. The second id the USS Indianapolis." //// When he was on the Indianapolis, John Heller was just 17 years, the youngest on board and fresh out of boot camp. That fateful July 30, 1945, he had just finished bridge watch at 8 PM. Just after midnight, the first torpedo "hit in the most vulnerable spot" between the aviation gasoline and ammunition for the big guns. That blast took twenty feet off the Indianapolis' hull. //// He and others worked to get a life raft free. They went over the side and one of the planes that was still up on the observation platform (probably catapult launch) started rolling over toward him and the others. //// More to Come. --GreGen

World War II Sit-In in Chicago

From the Feb. 23, 2014, Chicago Tribune "Birth of the sit-in" by Ron Grossman. //// Before the more famous Civil Rights sit-in in Greensboro, NC, eighteen years later, there was a sit-in by 28 blacks and whites at the Jack Spratt Coffee House on East 47th Street in May 1942. (I have seen other sources say it was 1943.) //// This place regularly refused service to blacks. That was kind of strange because the United States was busy fighting a war to save democracy overseas while blacks were denied basic rights by law in the South and custom in the North. Of course, bad treatment was the lot of blacks during the war both on the homefront and front lines. //// I wrote more about it in todays entry to the Cooter's History Thing Blog. //// Things I Didn't Know. --GreGen

USS Indianapolis Survivor John Heller Dies-- Part 2: The Savior Marine and Sharks

In a 2012 interview, John Heller remembered: "We had a Marine with us, thank God. And, if a guy went beserk and started drinking seawater or started swimming away, or tried to take one of us down with him, he'd have to hit him, and he'd take the jackets off him and make sort of a float ring out of it to give us more buoyancy in the water because our jackets were getting pretty water-soaked." //// He continued: "It was pretty hard to say what we did during the day. We'd watch the sharks go by. They'd miss me and get somebody else. But they had a big feast out there. They didn't need a little small guy like me." After rescue and recovery, Heller was sent to Washington, D.C., to testify at the court-martial of his captain, who later committed suicide. //// After the war, he was discharged and returned to Michigan. For 37 years he owned four gas stations in Birmingham and Troy. //// He was te last survivor of the Indianapolis living in Michigan. //// --GreGen

USS Indianapolis Survivor John Heller Dies-- Part 1

From the April 12, 2014, Detroit Free Press "Michigan vet who survived naval disaster honored as hero with kind heart" by Robert Allen. //// After writing the last several entries on John Heller and his experiences on the USS Indianapolis, I decided to see if there were any other articles about him. I was very sorry to se that he had died on April 2nd. //// John Thomas Heller, 86, died of natural causes April 2, 2014. A memorial service was held at Big Beaver United Methodist Church in Troy, Michigan. //// In 1945, he was just 17 and the youngest crewmember of te heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis which was sunk by a Japanese submarine on July 30, 1945, after delivering the components for the atom bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. //// The ship sank in just 12 minutes. Of its crew of 1,197, 910 went into the sea. By the time they were rescued five days later, after dehydration and sharks, just 317 were still alive. Since the ship had been on a top secret mission, it was not noticed to be missing except by accident. //// --GreGen

USS Indianapolis Reunion 2014

I just found out that the next reunion for the survivors of the USS Indianapolis is set for July 24-27th, 2014, in Indianapolis at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. This is something I'm considering visiting. //// Unfortunately, of the 41 survivors mentioned by John Heller back in 2012, there will be at least one less as I just found out today. //// More on that tomorrow. //// --GreGen

World War II Vet Recounts Sinking of USS Indianapolis-- Part 3

John Heller remembers: "I was sleeping on deck near the guns and the deck got so hot that I burned my feet. I grabbed a life vest and ended up in the water as the ship began to list. We watched as she drifted away, listing heavily to one side. Then she went straight up and then straight down." //// No one noticed that the Indianapolis had failed to arrive at her station in Leyte Gulf. Days later, Navy planes hunting for subs followed a ship's oil slick and found the survivors scattered over 200 square miles of araea. //// Of the 60 survivors who went into the water in Heller's group, only 18 were alive five days later. //// Today, only 41 are still alive (probably fewer now since the article is from February 2012). They meet in Indianapolis for a reunion every two years. A book was written about the ship, "USS Indianapolis (CA-35): Only 317 Survived." //// --GreGen

World War II Vet Recounts Sinking of USS Indianapolis-- Part 2

Along with the huge boxes (the bombs) another container, four-times larger than a cigar box was kept on the floor in the captain's cabin. It had the components for the atom bomb. The Indianapolis delivered the cargo at Tinian and returned to the Philipines. //// Shortly after midnight July 30, 1945, the ship was hit by two torpedoes and sank in less than 15 minutes. At least 300 of the crew went down with the ship. //// Some 880 went into the water. Five days later, that number was down to 317. //// Sadly, the Indianapolis had been on a top-secret mission delivering the atom bombs, so its disappearance was not known for quite a few days, accounting for the long time before the survivors were found. //// --GreGen

World War II Veteran Recounts Sinking of the USS Indianapolis-- Part 1

From the February 18, 2012, Detroit News by Tom Greenwood. //// John Heller, 84, of Clawson still remembers the tremendous explosion that woke him up. However, he can't remember how he survived his five days in the Pacific Ocean afterwards where he battled sharks, thirst and the delirium that killed so many of his shipmates. "I guess I was just lucky." //// He was just 17 when he convinced his mother to let him join the Navy in January 1945. He had an abbreviated training and was one of the 1,197 men assigned to the heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis in San Francisco. //// Before the ship left port, he remembers two garage-size boxes loaded into the ship and guarded by heavily-armed Marines. The Indianapolis was carrying components for the two atom bombs. //// --GreGen

Battle of Atlantic Off NC Coast: April 1942

German U-boats were sinking lots of Allied shipping off the U.S. Atlantic coast. These are just the ships sunk off the North Carolina coast. //// April 16th-- ALOCA GUIDE, shelled and sunk by U-123, 6 killed. //// April 16th-- DESERT LIGHT-- freighter, torpedoed and sunk by U-572, 1 killed. //// April 18th-- AXTELL J. BYLES-- tanker, torpedoed by U-136. //// April 19th-- EMPIRE DRYDEN-- freighter, torpedoed and sunk by U-572. //// April 19th-- STEEL MAKER-- freighter, torpedoed and sunk by U-654, 2 killed. //// April 19th-- HARPAGON-- freighter, torpedoed and sunk by U-109, 41 killed. //// And Most People in the U.S. Didn't Even Know How Dire Things Were Going Along the Atlantic Coast. --GreGen

Getting Arrested in Wilmington During World War II

From the March 12, 2014, Wilmington (NC) Star-News "Back Then." //// MARCH 4, 1944: Even at war, crime continued on the homefront in Wilmington, BC, which was bustling during the war, having its population double with the influx of workers at the shipyard and soldiers and families at nearby Camp Davis. //// During the month of February, Wilmington police reported 537 arrests. For assault with a deadly weapon, 21; assault with a deadly weapon on a female, 22; //// drunk, 133; drunk and disorderly, 25; disorderly conduct, 18; adultery, 12; ; larceny and receiving, 27; operating a car while intoxicated, 13; occupying the same bedroom for immoral purposes, 15; speeding, 21; and vagrancy, 28. //// Kind of ineteresting to see people being arrested for adultery or occupying a room for immoral purposes. And, they had DUIs back then as well. //// Wilmington At War. --GreGen

Battle of Atlantic Off NC Coast: April 1942

Ships sunk by U-boat action. //// April 10th-- TAMAULIPAS-- tanker, torpedoed and sunk by U-552, 2 killed. //// April 11th-- HARRY F. SINCLAIR-- tanker, torpedoed by U-203, ten killed. //// April 11th-- ULYSSES-- freighter, torpedoed and sunk by U-160. //// April 12th-- STANVAC MELBOURE-- tanker, torpedoed by U-203, 3 killed. //// April 14th-- EMPIRE THRUSH-- freigher, torpedoed and sunk by U-203. //// April 14th-- U-85, submarine, depth-charged, shelled and sunk by US Roper, 45 killed. ( Of interest, near the end of the war, in 1945, the U-879 sank the freighter Belfian Airman on April 14th with one death.) //// --GreGen

Rockford's Camp Grant Museum

From the April/Easter Market Street Press. //// I picked this newspaper up at the Woodstock (Il.) Library at the Civil War Round Table Meeting this past Tuesday where we heard about embalming. //// In it was an ad for the Command Post Restaurant at 1004 Samuelson Road in Rockford, Illinois. The restaurant also has the Camp Grant Museum featuring Rockford Local History during a Military Camp from 1917-1948. //// I have already written about it, just hit the Camp Grant label. //// The ad goes on to say that the nuseum features displays, postcards, pictures and memorabilia. //// Evidently, the museum is open when the restaurant is open Tuesday-Friday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday from 7 to 1 and Sunday 9 to 2. Special hours can be arranged for groups. //// There will be a Friends of Camp Grant meeting May 15th from 7-9 p.m. //// More info at 815-395-0678 or at www.CampGrantMuseum.org. //// It was one really big camp used in both world wars and, if I remember correctly, essentially where the Rockford Airport is located today. //// --GreGen

Herman Schleinhege: German War Ace Dies

Born 1916, died March 11, 2014. World War II Luftwaffe Ace credited with 97 aerial victories on the Eastern front against the Soviets. //// GreGen

Battle of Atlantic Off NC Coast-- April 1942: Another Big Day for the U-boats

On April 7th, the U-552 sank two ships and U-754 sank one off the North Carolina coast. Two days later, the 552, 160 and 203 added three more. At least six German U-boats (123, 754, 572, 552, 160 and 260) were operating. //// Ships sunk on April 9th: ATLAS, tanker, torpedoed and sunk by U-552, 2 killed. //// MALCHANCE, freighter, torpedoed and sunk by U-160. 1 killed. //// SAN DELFINO, tanker, torpedoed and sunk by U-203, 28 killed. //// Total ships sunk in the first nine days of April by U-boats: 11 ships. One each by the U-123, 203 and 572; two each by U-754 and 160 and four by the U-552. //// I sure don't think I would have liked to be on a torpedoed tanker, something about exploding cargo to have to worry about in addition to the torpedo. //// Big-Time War Off the Coast. --GreGen

The Battle of the Atlantic Off the North Carolina Coast, April 1942-- Part 2

April 6th: BIDWELL, tanker, torpedoed by U-160, 1 killed. //// April 7th: BRITISH SPLENDOUR, tanker, torpedoed and sunk by U-552, 12 killed. //// April 7th: LANCING, whaling factory/tanker, torpedoed and sunk by U-552, 1 killed. //// April 7th: KOLLSKEGG, tanker, torpedoed and sunk by U-754, 4 killed. ///// That is seven ships sunk in one day. Tomorrow I'll list the three ships sunk on April 9th, 1942, 72 years ago. //// --GreGen

The Battle of the Atlantic Off the North Carolina Coast April 1942-- Part 1

From the NC Wreck Diving site. //// Even though most Americans were unaware of it, German U-boats were waging an all-out war on maritime commerce off the entire U.S. Atlantic and Gulf coasts. These are just ships sunk off the coast of North Carolina. //// All dates are 1942: April 2nd: LIEBRE, tanker, shelledby U-123, 9 killed. //// April 3rd: OTHO, freighter, torpedoed and sunk by the U-754, 31 killed. //// April 4th: ENSIS, tanker, damaged by gunfire from U-572. //// April 4th: BYRON D. BEASSON, tanker, torpedoed and sunk by U-552, 10 killed. //// Many More to Come. --GreGen

Pearl Harbor Survivor Remembers-- Part 2

Then began the long and hard salvage effort. Five months later, John Reed was assigned to a destroyer/minesweeper and deployed to the island of Attu to sweep for mines. He later became a gunnery instructor. //// After that, he asked for reassignment to the aircraft carrier USS Essex and served off Okinawa. He says the ship had over 300 "kills" and the Essex received very little damage. He remembers one kamikaze flying into the ship, but the damage was so little that it only took two hours to repair. //// He was honorably discharged on Nov. 6, 1945, with the rank of Gunner's Mate 1st Class and returned to Oklahoma and has been back to Pearl harbor twice in 1987 and 1991. //// --GreGen

Pearl Harbor Survivor Remembers-- Part 1

From the feb. 20, 2012, Lincoln County (Oklahoma) Journal "Reed stationed at Pearl Harbor, remembers Japanese attack" by Kristen Watson. //// John Reed of Troy had just finished breakfast and was leaving when he heard a loud explosion. "I first looked toward the area of the harbor where the large gas tanks were located and then, something told me to look up. That is when I saw the Japanese bomber and I knew we were going to war. I locked my eyes on the pilot." //// He said that Pearl Harbor had been on high alert the previous two weeks which had just been lifted the day before the attack. "I remember rushing down to the armory with others to get rifles, shotguns and pistols to fire back." ////

Hitler Had Plans for a United Kingdom Headquarters

From the feb. 20, 2012, NOTV. //// Had Adolf Hitler's plans to invade England came to pass and been successful, he had plans to set up a headquarters in the English Midlands. Top-secret plans called for Apley Hall, near Norton, in the heart of Shropshire countryside in the Midlands to be it. //// Apley Hall was owned by Major A.W. Foster, a decorated hero of the Boer War and World War I who had lost a leg in battle. //// Geographically, it was in the center of England and with an air base nearby. The invasion was set for 1940, but was scrapped largely because of the efforts of the RAF during the Battle of Britain. //// --GreGen

70th Anniversary of Japanese Internment in 2012-- Part 2

At least the United States learned from this internment. Nothing like it happened to Muslims in America after 9-11. //// This 70th anniversary was marked in the San Francisco Bay area. with art exhibits, online photographs, displays and a "Day of remembrance" event. //// The art exhibit features art done by the internees at the Topaz War Relocation Center. The San Jose Morning News had 60 photos of the camps online, some of the photos by Dorothea Lange. San Francisco had a Day of Remembrance on February 19th. //// --GreGen

70th Anniversary of Japanese-American Internment in 2012-- Part 1

From the February 19, 2012, San Leandro Patch " Today Marks 70th Anniversary of Japanese Internment in World War II" by Dixie Jordan and Tom Abate. //// Today, this is seen largely as a miscarriage of justice. //// On February 19, 1942, two months after Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the evacuation of persons of Japanese descent from the West Coast. // More than 100,000 of them, many from the East Bay area, were held in ten remote camps far away from the coast. Some were held for as many as three years. Two-thirds of them were American citizens. //// More to Come. --GreGen

Fayetteville Man to Return to Belgium for Battle of Bulge Anniversary-- Part 5

In time, that parachute ended up in a box in the attic. Recently, Andrews heard about a group of World War II re-enactors who were planning to stage an anniversary drop over Bastogne as part of the 70th anniversary commemoration. //// "I pulled out the parachute," he said. "Of course, all the riggings were all fouled up, and I couldn't remember how to fix it. But I gave it to the riggers over at Fort Bragg and they fixed it." //// Andrews believes this may be the last of those origianl parachutes. "I plan to be there to see it. Maybe that's why I held onto it for so long, so we could both be back at Bastogne." //// Quite a Story Out of the Past. --GreGen

Fayetteville Man to Return to Belgium for Battle of Bulge Anniversary-- Part 4; Grabbing Parachutes

Some of the parachutes fell into German lines or were so close that they made it hot for anyone attempting retrieval. But, by Christmas Eve, all those parachutes were in American hands. //// The siege was lifted the day after Christmas and some soldiers like Andrews realized that the parachutes that had saved them also made excellent linings for sleeping rolls and as a result, Andrews was able to hang onto several of them. //// "I gave a blue one to the family we shared the house with," he said. "A year later I visited them. The mother had used the parachute to make blue silk dresses for her four little daughters." //// Another chute became his wife Margaret's wedding dress after the war. (A dress with a history.) After coming home, Andrews donated the yellow chute to the 101st Airborne museum and he kept the last one as he continued his military service around the world. //// --GreGen

Fayetteville Man to Return to Belgium for Battle of Bulge Anniversary- Part 3; Supplies By Parachute

Said Everett Andrews of the rescue attempt, "I always thought of this as the bravest and most disciplined act I've ever seen. The Germans knew they were coming and had set up a flak belt. All those planes had to fly through it, and a lot of them didn't make it. Others were streaming smoke and flames." //// "But they stayed level, knowing what it meant to us on the ground. If they hadn't, I don't know what we would have done." //// Through all that flak, more than 1,000 parachutes filled the sky, each in a different color depending on its cargo. "Ammunition was red, infantry was blue, signal corps was orange, like that," Andrews said. "That way if you could only grab a couple, you knew what to run to." --GreGen

Fayetteville Man to Return to Belgium for Battle of the Bulge Anniversary-- Part 2

His unit and the 101st Airborne were surrounded by German troops and underwent a prolonged siege in the cold of the winter.  Things were looking bleak as supplies, food and ammunition were running out while  storms and German resistance were preventing resupply.

His group of soldiers based themselves out of a farmhouse with a Belgian family and Everett Andrews remembers, though: "One of the few bright spots was that we had a portable generator.  The guys were able to hook the house up.  It was the only place around with electricity.  We listened to the BBC news at night.

They learned from the news that they were completely cut off and a thick layer of clouds which kept supplies and reinforcements from coming in.

On the morning of December 24, 1944, he witnessed one of the largest one-day parachute drops of the war as hundreds of C-47s roared overhead, just 1000 feet high and carrying much-needed supplies.

Bring On the Chutes!!  --GreGen