The FReeper Foxhole's TreadHead Tuesday - German Tank Destroyers - Apr. 27th, 2004

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[SAMWolf]

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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German Tank Destroyers

First Generation Tank Destroyers

The German Army entered the Russian campaign with out-gunned and under-armored vehicles, when compared with the Russian tank designs of the T-34 medium and KV I heavy tank. Even the 50mm anti-tank gun -the best anti-tank gun then used by German tanks and anti-tank troops- were no match for the Russian tanks. The Panther and Tiger represented the long-term answer to the problems of the Russian front, but a more immediate and effective short-term solution was necessary. Any weapon of less than 75mm was now inadequate, and although the PzKpfw IV and the StuG were armed with the 75mm L/24 gun, this gun fired high-explosive shells at low velocity which were unable to penetrate the armor of the new Russian tanks.


A Marder I on French Hotchkiss chassis

Obsolete tank chassis provided an ideal mounting for the first generation of tank destroyers, as could those of a number of captured French tanks. In this way, by mounting different versions of the German 75mm Pak 40 anti-tank guns and captured Russian 76.2mm anti-tank guns (re-chambered to take German 75mm ammunition) in fixed, open-topped superstructures, it proved possible to deliver quantities of simple but well-armed tank-destroyers very quickly, so restoring the technical balance on the Eastern Front. However, the crew had little protection in the fighting compartment, and due to the high silhouette it was even vulnerable to conventional artillery.


Infantry on a Pz.Jg. I in France, 1940

The majority of these vehicles were named Marder (Marten), a family of six Panzerjägern which were built between 1942 and 1945.The Marder I was based on the chassis of the French Lorraine-tractor, and carried a complete 75mm Pak/40 gun. Only 184 of these vehicles were built, as after a short period they were all quickly removed from the Russian front back to France since they did not perform as expected. Also other chassis from French vehicles were used to carry the Pak 40, like the Renault R35 and the Hotchkiss H39. 358 PzKpfw IBs were converted into Panzerjäger I self-propelled guns armed with the Czech 47mm Pak L/43.


A Panzerjäger I in Russia

The Marder II was based on the chassis of the PzKpfw II and was built in two versions; the first with a 75mm Pak 40 mounted on the front of the open-topped chassis, and a second with captured 76.2mm Russian guns, since the Germans had captured a large number of Russian guns in the initial stage of the war against Russia. The Russian gun was placed further backwards on the chassis. They were used in North Africa and on the Russian front in later 1941 for a short period.Completion of the German Pak 40/2 resulted in mass-production of the Marder II, but production stopped in February 1943 by order of Hitler who intended to concentrate efforts on the manufacture of the Wespe self-propelled howitzer. In total 730 of the first type (December 1941-June 1942) and about 150 of the Russian type were built.


Marder II with the face of the Kohlenklau (Coal Thief), a German music hall character
I had a model of this vehicle

Following production of the self-propelled artillery vehicle Bison, the chassis of the PzKpfw 38(t) was also used to mount a re-chambered 76.2mm Pak or a 75mm Pak 40/3. The Marder III was the best design of the Marder series, and included three versions. The first version (H) was armed with a 75mm Pak 40 which was placed on the front of the vehicle. This turned out to be instable, and after production of 418 vehicles a second version (M) included a more backwards fighting compartment. From this version 799 were produced before production ceased in May 1944. The third version (R) had a Russian 76.2mm gun placed in the centre of the chassis. Many of the Marder III vehicles served in North Africa with the Africa Korps.


Marder II D in Russia

To improve the mobility of the famous 88mm gun, chassis components of the PzKpfw IV Ausf. F were used for a heavy tank-destroyer known as the Sd.Kfz. 164 Hornisse, later called Nashorn (Rhino), as insect names were used for armored artillery only. The Nashorn entered service in 1943. Despite open-topped, light armor and difficult concealment, 473 of these powerful armed vehicles were built. Production was continued with the similar looking Hummel, also based on the pzKpfw IV chassis. In order to make room for the gun crew, the motor was placed in the front. These designs were however regarded as being of a stop-gap nature, and plans were made for a second generation of tank-destroyers.


White-washed Nashorn vehicles

[SAMWolf]

Second Generation Tank Destroyers

SdKfz 184 Ferdinand/Elefant



As a safeguard against the failure of the Henschel design for the Tiger I, Porsche had been ordered to produce his design. When the results of the trials at Rastenburg were announced, and the Henschel design was judged to be superior, 90 Porsche vehicles were already produced. It was decided to utilize the chassis as the basis of a self-propelled carriage for the 88mm L/71 gun, designated as Jagdpanzer SdKfz 184 Ferdinand (adopted in honor of the designer, Dr Ferdinand Porsche). It featured a huge, box-shaped superstructure with only slightly sloped sides, and was heavily armored but highly underpowered.


Heavy bolted extra armor on the front hull

As with Tiger tanks, the Ferdinand heavy tank destroyers were assigned to a separate regiment, comprising two battalions. Jagdpanzer Regiment 656 had PzJagAbt. 653, commanded by major Steinwachs, and PzJagAbt. 654, under major Noak. The vehicles were all dark yellow with heavy sprayed lines of olive green, and carried three digit numbers in white to denote the battery, section, and vehicle. The Ferdinands of PzJagAbt. 654 also displayed a white N on the front left mudguard, denoting their battalion commander.


Elefant with bow machine gun and zimmerit

During operation Citadel at Kursk, the Ferdinands were used as break-through tanks, a role for which they were completely unsuited. Several Panzergrenadierers were carried with each vehicle for protection against Russian tank-killer infantry, but they were fully exposed and often unable to fight effectively from moving vehicles. The Ferdinand did not originally have a hull machine gun for self-defence and easily fell prey to Soviet infantry.


Disabled Ferdinand

After its disastrous debut on the Eastern Front all surviving ones were modified to have a bow machine gun and a coat of zimmerit halfway up the superstructure. These improved vehicles were renamed Elefants and transferred to Italy. They had more success in the Italian campaign, being used in semi-static positions as true long range tank destroyers. However the chassis was very vulnerable to mines, as the loss of even one set of wheels rendered the Elefant immobile, and many damaged vehicles had to be abandoned. Vehicles in Italy were dark yellow with sprayed spots in red brown and olive green.

Jagdpanzer 38(t) Hetzer


The small Jagdpanzer 38(t) or Hetzer

One of the most successful mobile gun carriages was the tank destoyer variant based on the chassis of the Czech PzKpfw 38(t), known as the Hetzer (trouble-maker). The Hetzer was developed during 1943 using the original PzKpfw 38(t) chassis widened to accommodate the 75mm anti-tank gun 39 (L/48). Later versions carried the 75mm 42 L/70 gun, the same as carried by the Panther. It mounted a MG34 on the top which was operated from the inside for close defence, had the same armament as the Jagdpanzer IV and looked like a miniature of the Jagdpanther. Later models had a better shaped mantlet and later pattern road wheels.

The driver, located at the left front, suffered least but was badly placed if forced to leave the vehicle in a hurry. Behind him sat the gunner, with the loader bringing up the rear, on the left of a gun designed to be loaded from the right. The commander sat in isolation at the right rear. Though cramped and inconvenient, the vehicle was very popular with its crews, and the Hetzer produced good results. It's 150HP 6 cylinder Prague engine allowed a maximum speed of 40km/h on the road and of 14km/h on uneven ground.

A disabled Hetzer with ambush scheme, France 1944

A total of 1577 vehicles were built up to May 1945 (although production continued after the war by Skoda for the Czech and Swiss armies). They were used first on the Eastern front and later in the West, especially during the Ardennes offensive. The Hetzer was mainly used by anti-tank battalions (PanzerJägerAbteilung) of Infantry and Panzergrenadier Divisions.

During late 1944 a number of flame-throwing tanks were built using the Hetzer chassis and hull; these were designated as Flammenwerferpanzer 38(t). There was also an armored recovery version designated the Bergpanzer 38(t) Hetzer. Plans were also drawn up for a recoilless Panzerwurfkanone or light gun, and a projected 150mm s.I.G. mounting on the Hetzer.

SdKfz 162 Jagdpanzer IV


Early model with muzzle brake

The modified chassis of the PzKpfw IV Ausf. F was utilized for the Jagdpanzer IV, a fully enclosed tank destroyer vehicle built by Vomag of Plauen. The Jagdpanzer IV, nicknamed Guderian Ente (Guderian's Duck), was the first of the second-generation tank destroyers and replaced the Marders in the tank-destroyer battalions. It used the same motor and chassis as the PzKpfw IV, but with sloped plates to deflect shots and armed with a 75mm L/48 gun with limited traverse.


Late model with zimmerit anti-magnetic mine paste

The vehicle entered troop service towards the end of 1943 under the designation Jagdpanzer IV Ausf. F, and when the L/70 KwK 42 gun became available in 1944 it was renamed as SdKfz 162/1 Jagdpanzer IV/70.Late models of the Jagdpanzer IV had no port on the left hand side of the front plate and no muzzle brake. Also the number of return rollers was reduced from four to three. Other modifications included first two bogie wheels steel-tyred instead of rubber-tyred because of heavy gun weight. Around 1500 Jagdpanzer IV and 300 Jagdpanzer IV/70 were built.

SdKfz 186 Jagdtiger

Following the Heereswaffenamt policy of the time, a limited traverse tank destroyer version of the Tiger II was also produced. A needless outgrowth of the same idea as the Jagdpanther, this vehicle, the heaviest armored fighting vehicle to go into service, was designated Jagdpanzer VI, Panzerjäger Tiger Ausf. B or Jagdtiger. The Jagdtiger was first shown as a full scale iron model in October 1943 and a total of 150 vehicles was ordered, but due to shortages of components and disruption by bombing only 70 machines were built, 48 of them in 1944. Through very heavy, and limited by its requirements for good roads and bridges, the Jagdtiger was a very effective tank destroyer, able to knock out virtually any Allied tank at very long range.

The 128mm Pak 80 (L/55), the most powerful anti-tank gun to be used during the war, was mounted centrally in the front plate within a cast bell-shaped gun shield similar in design to that of the Tiger II. The heavy rounds were split for ease of handling by the loader, with the disadvantage that it made for a lower rate of fire than other tank-destroyers which employed fixed ammunition.



The front plate of the fixed turret was 250mm thick and sloped back at 15 degrees; it was made of one piece of solid cast steel. The sides of the hull were combined into one piece with the sides of the turret and like the Tiger II were 80mm thick and sloped at 25 degrees. Not all produced vehicles mounted the 128mm gun due to shortage, and some early Jagdtigers were armed with the 88mm Pak 43. One of the Jagdtigers was experimentally equipped with the torsion bar suspension designed by Dr Porsche, having eight axles each side as against nine in the Henschel design.



Like the Tiger II, Jagdtigers were allocated to schwere Panzerjäger Abteilungen. Jagdtiger Abteilung 512 was formed in the late fall of 1944 and was equipped with 20 Jagdtigers (instead of 48 ordered). There were two companies, each with 10 vehicles. Two Jagdtigers were in each HQ section, and four more were in each platoon. The two companies, named "(Otto) Carius" and "(Albert) Ernst", fought as separate units in Germany's last battles. The first action of sPzAbt 512 was against the new American bridgehead in Remagen, where the Allied forces had been able to cross the Rhine. The action failed, and during their retreat the Jagdtigers could destroy following Sherman tanks at a distance of two kilometers and more. After fighting in the Ruhr area, the battalions surrendered to American forces. The Jagdtigers of sPzAbt 512 were overall dark yellow, and no numbering system is known.

[SAMWolf]

Jagdpanther


A Jagdpanther in Mailly-le-Camp (1944)

The most important derivative of the Panther was the famous Jagdpanzer V Jagdpanther (Hunting Panther), one of the best known AFVs to appear in WW II. The Germans built several important items of self-propelled artillery equipment as assault gun or tank destroyer but invariably these were makeshift adaptations on obsolescent chassis. The need for a fast, up-to-date tank destroyer on a modern chassis was met by adapting the Panther. Previous attempts to produce a heavy tank destroyer had been unsuccesful. The 88mm Pak had been mounted on the Porsche Tiger chassis (to make the Ferdinand) and on the PzKpfw IV chassis as the Nashorn, but both of these improvisations proved unsatisfactory as the Ferdinand was too heavy and the Nashorn too small and underpowered. By 1943, however, there was an urgent need for tank destroyers in quantity so it was decided to utilize the best available chassis, that of the Panther.


The running gear was not changed from the Panther tank

The Panther chassis was used unaltered, but the front and upper side plates were extended upwards to make a well-sloped enclosed superstructure. The mantlet was fitted in the centre of the hull front with a limited traverse for the 88mm Pak 43/3 L/71 gun of 11o each side. First production Jagdpanthers had a one-piece barrel, but later a two-piece barrel was used to ease barrel changing. Instead of the welded mantelet the final production examples of the Jagdpanther were given a bolted collarpiece which covered the gun opening


A bolted collarpiece for covering the gun opening

On 17 december 1943 the first demonstration of the Jagdpanther took place. The production began in 1944; it was intended to built Jagdpanthers at a rate of 150 per month, but disrupted production facilities in the last year of the war made this target quite impossible to achieve. A total of 415 Jagdpanthers were built. They were used by several Heeres-Panzerjagerabteilungen up until the end of the war. The crew consisted of a commander, gunner, two loaders, wireless operator/machine-gunner and driver.


The large hatch at the rear served for working on the gun

Hitler considered the Jagdpanther as an excellent solution and called it an "armored casemate". He once again emphasized the significance of producing assault guns and tank destroyers, which at this juncture in the defence strategy he valued more highly than the related tank. He expressed the view that the Jagdpanther would eventually prove to be superior in many cases to the Tiger II (equipped with the same gun) and pointed to the lower manufacturing costs, the lower weight, the reduced susceptibility to shell damage and the greater mobility of the vehicle with the same engine thanks to its lower weight.


Interior of JagdPanther

Additional Sources:

www.panzer.punkt.pl
www.rtvmodeler.com
www.geocities.com/pentagon/2833/heer/tankdestroyer

[SAMWolf]

German Tank Destroyers

The Panzerjäger I was merely a 47mm anti-tank gun mounted on top of the chaassis of the PzKpfw IB. It was a product of necessity because the early German tanks did not carry more powerful guns to fight enemy tanks.


Marder III M with 75mm Pak 40/3 L/46

The Marder family was composed of six similarly equipped vehicles that were all stopgap measures to counter enemy tanks before more powerful Germans tanks were ready. They carried a powerful gun but provided minimal protection and thus were quite vulnerable.


Marder III H with frontal fighting compartment

The Sturmgeschütz III/IV family included a variety of tank destroyer/assault guns. Some served to support infantry while others were used to fight tanks. The vehicles were repeatedly upgraded and many were produced in different versions.


A camouflaged Marder III R with 76.2mm Pak 36

The Nashorn, like the Marders, was more of an improvised vehicle to fulfill battlefield needs rather than a carefully planned project. It had the good chassis of the PzKpfw IV and carried the powerful 88mm gun, but offered only nominal protection and thus was not very effective in combat.


Nashorn

The Elefant (Jagdpanzer Tiger) was a product of an accident. It used the chassis of the rejected Porsche design of the Tiger to avoid waste. It mounted the dreaded 88mm gun and had very thick armor at the cost of maneuverability. It served moderately successfully as a tank destroyer.


Elefant

The Jagdpanzer IV was the first real tank hunter designed specifically to kill tanks. Using the proven chassis of the PzKpfw IV, the Jagdpanzer IV presented a low profile and good protection with a powerful gun, and was very popular among crewmen.


Jagdpanzer IV

The Panzerjäger 38(t) Hetzer was the tank destroyer version of the reliable PzKpfw 38(t). Small and agile but also offering good protection and hard hitting power, the Hetzer served very well in its intended role.


Hetzer

The Jagdpanther was, like its tank cousin, arguably the best of its type. Using the chassis of the Panther, the Jagdpanther presented a clean structure with well-sloped armor. It combined agility with good protection and firepower but too few were built.


Jagdpanther

The Jagdtiger was the last in the line of the tank hunters. It used the chassis of the Tiger II but carried a formidable 128mm gun. It had good protection and excellent tank killing capability, but suffered from the same failings of the Elefant.

[SAMWolf]

Veterans for Constitution Restoration is a non-profit, non-partisan educational and grassroots activist organization. The primary area of concern to all VetsCoR members is that our national and local educational systems fall short in teaching students and all American citizens the history and underlying principles on which our Constitutional republic-based system of self-government was founded. VetsCoR members are also very concerned that the Federal government long ago over-stepped its limited authority as clearly specified in the United States Constitution, as well as the Founding Fathers' supporting letters, essays, and other public documents.

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Tribute to a Generation - The memorial will be dedicated on Saturday, May 29, 2004.

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Actively seeking volunteers to provide this valuable service to Veterans and their families.

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Iraq Homecoming Tips

~ Thanks to our Veterans still serving, at home and abroad. ~ Freepmail to Ragtime Cowgirl | 2/09/04 | FRiend in the USAF

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PDN members and fans. We hope you will consider this simple act of patriotism worth passing on or taking up as a project in your own back yard. In summary:

Who They Are: Operation: Stitches Of Love was started by the Mothers of two United States Marines stationed in Iraq.

What They Are Doing: We are gathering 12.5"x12.5" quilt squares from across the country and assembling the largest quilt ever produced. When completed we will take the quilt from state to state and gather even more squares.

Why They Are Doing This: We are building this quilt to rally support for the Coalition Forces in Iraq and to show the service members that they are not forgotten. We want the world to know Nothing will ever break the stitches that bind us together as a country.

Ideas to start a local project:

Obtain enough Red, White and Blue material (cloth) for a 12.5 x 12.5 quilt square.
If you have someone in your family that sews, make it a weekend project and invite neighbors to join you.

Consider this tribute as a project for your civic group, scouts, church or townhall group.

Locate an elementary school with an after school program in your neighborhood or locate an after school program in your neighborhood not attached to a school and ask if you could volunteer one or two afternoons and create some squares with the kids.

Invite some VFW posts to share your project in honor of their post.

Send us webmaster@patriotwatch.com for digital photos of in progress and finished project for various websites, OIFII.com and the media.

PDN is making this appeal in support of Operation: Stitches Of Love
Media Contact: Deborah Johns (916) 716-2749
Volunteers & Alternate Media: PDN (916) 448-1636

Your friends at PDN

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Received trhough our FRiends at PDN:

Hello everyone, my name is "Aunt Sassy", my nephew (my brothers only son) is "PFC Bryan Alvarez" with the USS Marines which just got off the USS Wasp and is currently in Afghanistan fighting for our country and lives along with over thousands of other troops.

I am actually working in my back room hand making YELLOW Ribbons to support our military troops. I plan on mailing numerous ribbons to my nephew Bryans' unit which is the MEU, 22nd (SOC) to show that they are still thought about and loved.

That is why my I would like your support in helping me establish a VIDEO 1-2 minute segments to a son/daughter/grand daughter; grand son/friend/neighbor/fellow worker or just want to show your support. What I need is for a local TV station, Satellite Station, Free Lance Videophotographer or a company that is willing to help see this project started from Northern CA. My thoughts are that if we start it here, that other communities, counties and States will follow in my footsteps to make such a wonderful, loving video. I think just a face, or a smile or just words can brighten their lives for as little or as long as their stay has to be.

PLEASE help me make this a SUCCESS,
Thank you in advance,
Bryan's "Aunt Sassy"

If you knows anyone who can help with this project, please FReep-Mail me so I can contact the people who are trying to put this together.

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The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul

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[snippy_about_it]

FALL IN to the FReeper Foxhole!



It's TreadHead Tuesday!


Good Morning Everyone

If you would like added to our ping list let us know.

[Aeronaut]

Good morning Snippy.

[snippy_about_it]

Wow, you're an early bird today. ;-)

Good morning.

[SAMWolf]

Good Morning Aeronaut. Moving into the jet age now?

[SAMWolf]

Good Morning Snippy. Nice find on the JagdTiger grapic. "-)

[snippy_about_it]

Thanks, Good night Sam.

[radu]

Good morning y'all!!

To all our military men and women, past and present, and to our allies who stand with us,
THANK YOU!

[Iris7]

Howdy, folks!

You beat me tonight, Aeronaut!

Running through the photos brought home how desperate that war was. Even for Americans. Real mean fighting. Whew.

[E.G.C.]

BTTT!!!!!!

[The Mayor]

God . . . has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. —1 Peter 1:3

The Christian's inheritance is guaranteed forever!

[GailA]

Good MORNING Y'all, hope today brings good things for our troops. We are going on vacation starting tomorrow.

[Valin]

On This Day In History


Birthdates which occurred on April 27:
1701 Charles Emanuel I King of Sardinia
1737 Edward Gibbon England, historian (Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire)
1759 Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin England, writer/feminist (Female Reader)
1791 Samuel Finley Breece Morse US painter/inventor (telegraph)
1822 [Hiram] Ulysses S[impson] Grant Point Pleasant OH, 18th US President (1869-77, Republican)
1835 John Murray Corse Pittsburgh PA, Brevet Major General (Union volunteers)
1840 Edward Whymper 1st to climb Matterhorn (1865)
1875 Lumsden Hare Ireland, actor (Oregon Trail, Desert Fox, Young Bess)
1891 Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev composer
1892 Louis Victor de Broglie physicist (studied electrons)
1896 Rogers Hornsby Winters TX, 2nd baseman (St Louis Cardinals)
1896 Wallace Hume Carothers inventor (nylon)
1900 Walter Lantz animator (Woody Woodpecker's creator)
1904 Arthur F Burns economist/chairman (Federal Reserve Board)
1911 Georges Dargaud French publisher (Asterix, Tintin)
1918 John Alfred Scali journalist/correspondant (ABC)
1922 Jack Klugman Philadelphia PA, actor (Oscar-Odd Couple, Quincy, Goodbye Columbus)
1922 Daphne Anderson London, actress (Beggar's Opera, Hobson's Choice)
1930 Roelof F "Pik" Botha South African minister of Foreign affairs
1931 Robert Donner New York NY, actor (Yancy-The Waltons, Exidor-Mork & Mindy)
1932 Anouk Aimee [Françoise Dreyfus] Paris France, actress (8½, La Dolce Vita)
1932 Casey Kasem Detroit MI, radio personality (American Top 40)
1932 Chuck Knox NFL coach (Rams, Bills, Seahawks)
1939 Judy Carne Northhampton England, comedienne (Laugh-in, Fair Exchange)
1942 Valeri Vladimirovich Polyakov Russian cosmonaut (Soyuz TM-6, TM-18)
1945 August Wilson US, playwright (Fences, Pulitzer 1987)
1947 Ann Peebles St Louis MO, soul singer (I Can't Stand the Rain)
1949 Yoshiaki Fujiwara wrestler (NJPW/PWF/UWF)

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Deaths which occurred on April 27:
1076 Willem bishop of Utrecht (1054-76), murderer of earl Floris I, dies
1124 Alexander I king of Scotland (1107-24), dies
1521 Ferdinand Magellan world traveler, killed by Filipino natives at 50
1605 Leo XI [Alessandro O de' Medici] Italian Pope (1605), dies at 69
1656 Jan J van Goyen Dutch landscape painter, dies at 60
1682 Theodorus III czar of Russia (1676-82), dies
1794 William Jones British Orientalist/jurist, dies at 47
1813 Zebulon M Pike US explorer (Pike's Peak), dies in battle at 34
1882 Ralph Waldo Emerson US poet (Representive Men), dies
1893 John Murray Corse US General (Union), dies on his 58th birthday
1902 Julius Sterling Morton who started Arbor Day, dies at 72
1957 Mario A Gianini creator of the maraschino cherry, dies
1959 Gordon Armstrong inventor of baby incubator, dies
1965 Edward R Murrow newscaster (Person to Person), dies at 57
1972 Phil King rock (Blue Oyster Cult), shot in head at 24 while gambling
1978 Mohammed Daud premier/President of Afghánistán, murdered
1994 Lynne Frederick Unger actress (Trail of Pink Panther), dies at 39
1996 William Egan Colby CIA Director, dies at 76

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Reported: MISSING in ACTION

1967 BENTON JAMES AUSTIN---DAISY TN.
1967 CASTRO REINALDO ANTONIO---PACIFIC GROVE CA.
1967 DALLAS RICHARD H.---MEMPHIS TN.
1967 DYER BLENN COLBY---STANDISH ME.
1967 OSBORNE SAMUEL WILLIAM JR---CHARLESTON SC.
1967 PENNINGTON RONALD KEITH---HAMBLETON WV.
1969 DIEHL BERNHARD---GERMANY
[RELEASED 1973 ALIVE AND WELL 98]
1969 SCHWINN MONICA---GERMANY
[RELEASED 1973, ALIVE AND WELL 98]
1970 HILL JOHN R.---WAYNESBORO PA.
1971 KRUPA FREDERICK---SCRANTON PA.
1972 MOLINARE ALBERT R.---SAN DIEGO CA.
[03/28/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE AND WELL 98]
1972 SOUDER JAMES B.---ELIZABETHTOWN TN.
[03/28/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE AND WELL 98]

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

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On this day...
4977 -BC- Johannes Kepler's date for creation of universe
1509 Pope Julius II excommunicates Italian state of Venice
1522 Battle at Bicacca Charles I & Pope Adrianus VI beat France
1526 Mogol King Babur beats sultan of Delhi
1565 1st Spanish settlement in Philippines, Cebu City, forms
1646 King Charles I flees Oxford
1650 Scottish General Montrose defeated
1746 Battle at Culloden Moor Duke of Cumberland beats "James VIII & III"
1773 British Parliament passes the Tea Act (eventually leads to Boston Tea Party on December 16)
1805 US Marines attack shores of Tripoli
1813 Americans under General Pike capture Toronto; Pike is killed
1838 Fire destroys half of Charleston
1857 Establishment of Jewish congregations in Lower Austria prohibited
1859 "Pomona" sinks in North Atlantic drowning all 400 aboard
1860 Thomas J Jackson is assigned to command Harpers Ferry
1861 President Abraham Lincoln suspends the writ of habeas corpus
1861 West Virginia secedes from Virginia after Virginia secedes from US
1863 Battle of Streight's raid Tuscumbia to Cedar Bluff AL
1865 1450 of 2000 paroled Union POWs on their way home are killed when river steamer "Sultana" explodes on the Mississippi River
1865 Cornell University (Ithaca NY) is chartered
1870 Heinrich Schliemann discovers Troy
1874 White League, Paramilitary white supremacist organization, forms
1877 President Rutherford Hayes removes Federal troops from Louisiana, Reconstruction ends
1881 Pogroms against Russian Jews start in Elisabethgrad
1897 Grant's Tomb (famed of song & legend) dedicated
1903 1st Highlander (Yankee) shut-out, Philadelphia A's win 6-0
1909 Sultan of Turkey Abdul Hamid II is overthrown
1918 Brooklyn Dodgers get 1st victory after worst major league start (0-9)
1920 Pogrom leader Petljoera declares Ukraine Independence
1931 100º F (38º C), Pahala HI (state record)
1933 Karl Jansky reports reception of cosmic radio signal in Washington DC
1937 US Social Security system makes its 1st benefit payment
1940 Himmler orders establishment of Auschwitz Concentration Camp
1942 Tornado destroys Pryor Oklahoma killing 100, injuring 300
1942 Belgium Jews are forced to wear stars
1943 Soviet Union breaks contact with Polish government exiled in London
1945 Italian partisans capture Mussolini prisoner
1946 1st radar installation aboard a commercial ship installed
1947 Babe Ruth Day celebrated at Yankee Stadium & through the US
1948 Arab legion attacks Gesher bridge on Jordan River
1951 Mohammed Mossadeq chosen premier of Persia
1953 Wrestler Classy Fred Blassie coins the term "Pencil neck geek"
1956 Heavyweight champion, Rocky Marciano, retires undefeated from boxing
1959 "Today" show goes abroad for the 1st time (Paris France) (Well of course)
1959 Liu Sjau-chi elected President of People's Rebublic of China
1960 1st atomic powered electric-drive submarine launched (Tullibee)
1960 South Korean President Syngman Rhee resigns
1961 NASA launches Explorer 11 into Earth orbit to study gamma rays
1961 NFL officially recognizes Hall of Fame in Canton OH
1962 US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Christmas Island
1963 Cuban premier Fidel Castro arrives in Moscow
1964 John Lennon's "In His Own Write" is published in the US
1965 RC Duncan patents "Pampers" disposable diaper
1966 Dmitri Shostakovitch completes his 2nd cello concert
1968 Jimmy Ellis beats Jerry Quarry for heavyweight boxing title
1972 Apollo 16 returns to Earth
1977 Bloody riots in Soweto South Africa
1978 Afghánistán revolution (National Day), pro-Russian military coup
1982 Trial of John W Hinckley Jr, attempted assassin of President Ronald Reagan, begins
1983 Nolan Ryan becomes strikeout king (3509), passing Walter Johnson
1987 US Justice Department bars Austrian Chancellor Kurt Waldheim from entering US, due to his aid of Nazi Germany during WWII

1989 Beijing students take over Tiananmen Square in China
1991 A group of 250 Kurds became the first refugees to move into a new U.S.-built camp in northern Iraq.
1993 Afghan Antonov AN-32 crashes at Tashqurgan, kills 76
1994 7th longest NHL game New Jersey Devils beat Buffalo Sabres (125 minutes 43 seconds)
1994 Minnesota Twins righty Scott Erickson no-hits Brewers 6-0
1994 President Richard Nixon buried in Nixon Library in California
2000 New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani disclosed that he had prostate cancer. He later bowed out of the U.S. Senate race against Hillary Rodham Clinton.

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Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

Austria : 2nd Republic Day (1945)
Sierra Leone-1961, Togo-1960 : Independence Day
Alabama, Florida, Mississippi : Confederate Memorial Day (1868) (Monday)
US-Utah : Arbor Day-plant a tree (1872) (Friday)
US : Natural Law Day
National Art Glass Month

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Religious Observances
Roman Catholic : Commemoration of St Peter Canisius, confessor/doctor/apostle of Germany
Roman Catholic : Commemoration of St Turibius of Mogrovejo, bishop/confessor
Roman Catholic : Saint Zita Feast Day

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Religious History
1537 Geneva's first Protestant catechism was published. Based on Calvin's "Institutes," it was compiled by John Calvin, 27, and/or by fellow French reformer, Guillaume Farel, 48.
1667 English poet John Milton, 58, sold the copyright to his religious epic "Paradise Lost" for ten English pounds (less than $30).
1775 Death of Moravian missionary Peter Bohler, 63. Commissioned by Count Zinzendorf in 1737, Bohler encountered the as-yet-unsaved John Wesley, no doubt imprinting within him the later Methodist characteristics of crisis conversion, joyful assurance of God's acceptance and a Christian lifestyle of self- surrendering faith.
1832 The American Baptist Home Mission Society was formed in New York City. During its first 15 years, $1.66 million in contributions were raised, 14,426 churches were organized and 1,116 missionaries were sent out.
1950 The modern state of Israel was officially recognized by the British government.

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

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Thought for the day :
"If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention."

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Martha Stewart's Way vs. The Real Woman's Way...
Martha's Way #8: Don't throw out all that leftover wine. Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces.
Real Woman's Way #8: Leftover wine???

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New State Slogans...
Alabama: Yes, We Have Electricity

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Male Language Patterns...
"Of course I like it, honey, you look beautiful." REALLY MEANS,
"Oh, man, what have you done to yourself?"

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Female Language Patterns...
"You know how bad my memory is." REALLY MEANS,
"Yes, I charged all that stuff, but do you think I'm stupid enough to tell you?

[Professional Engineer]

Good morning ladies. Flag o'gram.

Tattered D-Day Flag Comes To Bay State
Flag Will Be Returned To U.S. Navy In '04

POSTED: 3:58 p.m. EST November 11, 2003 UPDATED: 7:19 p.m. EST November 11, 2003

IPSWICH, Mass. -- In the town of Ipswich, a tattered flag that survived the D-Day invasion became the emotional center of the town's Veterans Day events.

Jack Harper Reports On Flag

NewsCenter 5's Jack Harper reported that the flag flew from one of the landing craft that carried U.S. troops to the beaches of Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944.

There may be a lot missing, but a lot remains of the flag that flew at Omaha Beach. At the end of seven days of fighting, to thank the British troops for their help in battle, an American officer gave the flag to the toughest British officer there, Douglas Edmonds, 18.

"He kept it in his home until he died and then his widow gave it to me. I thought, 'I have something significant here,' and with 9/11, I thought now's the time to return it," said retired Royal Air Force officer Michael Cole.

"It does mean something," said World War II veteran Jake Burridge. "It's our flag and now it's home."

"It's absolutely amazing that it survived. There are no words to explain what it has been through and what it should represent to everybody," said Vietnam veteran John Trocki.

Virginia Comeau's husband, Bob, was with the 101st Airborne division on D-Day. She said her husband spent the rest of his life wondering why he lived while so many friends died.

"The only thing he kept saying was why? He'd be sitting at his chair and I'd look over a see a tear running down his cheek and I'd say, 'Bob, are you back in the war?' and he'd say, 'Yes.' I'd let him have his time," said Comeau.

Bob Comeau died in 1991.

The Peace and Hope Trust now holds the flag, and next summer, it will be returned to the U.S. Navy.

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/2629434/detail.html

[Professional Engineer]

Hi Sam, PE Reports!

BBL

[Soaring Feather]

Thread Head Tuesday!
Good morning everyone.

[Soaring Feather]

Morning PE. A wonderfful story about our flag. Amazing.