Posted on 04/24/2017 10:04:52 AM PDT by fugazi
1781: A 2,500-man force of British and Hessian troops, led by Gen. William Phillips, lands at City Point, Va., joining with (notorious traitor) Gen. Benedict Arnold’s “American Legion.” The next morning, the combined force marches towards Petersburg, defended by Virginia militiamen under the command of Prussian Maj. Gen. Friederich Wilhelm von Steuben. After putting up several hours of fierce resistance, the outnumbered Americans disengage and Petersburg falls to the British.
1862: Adm. David Farragut’s squadron of 43 Union vessels fight past Confederate batteries at Forts Jackson and St. Philip in the Mississippi River at New Orleans and destroy most of the Confederate fleet upriver. The Union captures the crucial port city the following day – one of the worst setbacks for the Confederacy during the Civil War.
1942: The first B-29 “Superfortress” bomber flies “over the hump” (the Himalayan Mountains), airlifting supplies and ammunition from India to nationalist Chinese forces, following the Japanese capture...
(Excerpt) Read more at victoryinstitute.net ...
The B-29 didn’t go into service until late ‘43 or early ‘44 and so couldn’t have flown the Hump in ‘42.
The B-29’s maiden flight did not occur until Sept. 21, 1942 at Boeing Filed, Seattle, WA.
C-47’s were used to fly over the Hump.
Hiroshi Miyamura is my aunt’s brother. I met him about 3-4 times but none since the 1980s.
The reason you may not have heard of him before is that he rarely mentioned his military service but was quite proud of his service station in Gallup.
Thanks for the catch! It takes a great deal of work to sort through the conflicting dates and details to write these posts. Always looking for volunteers at the Center for American Military History...
I set up the secure satellite call from Desert One to Washington DC to report the dire situation they were in.
The initial call was calm and measured.
Yep desert one was a disaster. Thank God the hostages were released eventually.
“The first B-29 flight to airfields in China (over the Himalayas, or “The Hump”) took place on 24 April 1944.”
Good catch! They had the right date, wrong year. April of 42 was a very different war than April of 44 for us!
“The first B-29 flight to airfields in China (over the Himalayas, or “The Hump”) took place on 24 April 1944.”
Good catch! They had the right date, wrong year. April of 42 was a very different war than April of 44 for us!
There is a great book called ‘1942’ written by Winston Groom about how that year was the pivotal year of WWII.
Can’t recommend it enough.
I’m impressed that the B-29:
1942: The first B-29 “Superfortress” bomber flies “over the hump” (the Himalayan Mountains), airlifting supplies and ammunition from India to nationalist Chinese forces, following the Japanese capture.
considering it didn’t enter service until 1943.
Role Strategic bomber
Manufacturer Boeing
First flight 21 September 1942[1]
Introduction 8 May 1944
Retired 21 June 1960
Status Retired (see Surviving aircraft)
Primary users United States Army Air Forces
United States Air Force
Royal Air Force
Produced 1943–1946[2]
Number built 3,970
Unit cost
US$639,188[3]
1944. I hate when fat-finger syndrome kicks in.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.