1,200 PLANES OF U.S. FLEET ATTACK TOKYO AS SHIPS AND FLIERS BOMBARD IWO ISLE (2/16/45)

Microfilm-New York Times archives, Monterey Public Library | 2/16/45 | Warren Moscow, George E. Jones, Gladwin Hill, Clifton Daniel, Hanson W. Baldwin

[Homer_J_Simpson]

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Free Republic University, Department of History presents World War II Plus 70 Years: Seminar and Discussion Forum
First session: September 1, 2009. Last date to add: September 2, 2015.
Reading assignment: New York Times articles and the occasional radio broadcast delivered daily to students on the 70th anniversary of original publication date. (Previously posted articles can be found by searching on keyword “realtime” Or view Homer’s posting history .)
To add this class to or drop it from your schedule notify Admissions and Records (Attn: Homer_J_Simpson) by freepmail. Those on the Realtime +/- 70 Years ping list are automatically enrolled. Course description, prerequisites and tuition information is available at the bottom of Homer’s profile. Also visit our general discussion thread.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Selections from West Point Atlas for the Second World War
Luzon, P.I., 1941: Final Operations on Luzon, 3 February-20 July 1945
West-Central Germany and Belgium, 1945: The Rhineland Campaign – Operations, 8 February-5 March 1945
Eastern France and the Low Countries, 1944: Summary – The Rhineland Campaign, 8 February-21 March 1945
Poland, 1945: Russian Offensive to the Oder – Operations 12 January-30 March 1945
The Western Pacific: Allied Invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa (Operation Iceberg), 1945
China, 1941: Operation Ichigo, 1945 and Final Operations in the War
China-Burma, 1941: Third Burma Campaign – Slim’s Offensive, June 1944-March 1945

[Homer_J_Simpson]

The Nimitz Graybook

[Homer_J_Simpson]

John Toland, The Rising Sun: The Decline and Fall of the Japanese Empire, 1936-1945

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Continued from yesterday.

Stephen E. Ambrose, Band of Brothers

[Homer_J_Simpson]

First Great Blow (Moscow) – 2-3
Action by UNRRA, Not Words, Urged – 3
Our Guns in Range of Corregidor; Tokyo Reports U.S. Ships Off Bay (Jones) – 4
New Soviet Threat – 5
Berlin Evacuation is Barred by Nazis – 5
Rail City Blasted (Hill) – 6-7
Canadian Rhine Hold Wider; U.S. 3d and 7th Push Foe (Daniel) – 7-8
‘Ten Commandments’ for Germans on Furlough Stress Slavish Faith – 8
War News Summarized – 9
The Texts of the Day’s Communiques on the Fighting in Various War Zones – 11-13
Allies Take War to Foes (Baldwin) – 13

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://www.etherit.co.uk/month/1/16.htm

February 16th, 1945 (FRIDAY)

NORTH SEA: U-309 is sunk east of the Moray Firth, in position 58.09N, 02.23W, by depth charges from the Canadian frigate HMCS St. John. 47 dead (all hands lost). (Alex Gordon)

GERMANY: U-2538 commissioned.

NORWAY: U-681 sailed from Kristiansand on her first and final patrol.

BURMA: Jemadar Prakash Singh (b.1919), 13th Frontier Force Rifles, although shot in both legs and forced to crawl, fearlessly directed his men in repelling an attack before he was killed. (Victoria Cross)

JAPAN: US ships attack Tokyo and Yokohama. Admiral Mitscher’s aircraft sweep in to strike Nakajima’s Ota plant.

VOLCANO ISLANDS: Iwo Jima: USN surface warships and aircraft of Task Group 52.2 plus 42 Seventh Air Force Consolidated B-24 Liberators are scheduled to open the bombardment of Iwo Jima. However, the weather is poor and the B-24s are recalled and attacks by carrier-based Eastern Aircraft TBM Avengers are hindered. The naval support force of Admiral Blandy’s Task Force 52, meanwhile, has moved into position of Iwo Jima, and at 0800 hours, an hour behind schedule, the big guns on the battleships and cruisers open up. Mist has delayed the bombardment and low visibility and intermittent rain make it difficult for spotter planes to observe results. The escort carriers manage to put up 239 sorties during the day, but when 42 B-24s come up from the Marianas to hit at targets on Suribachi, Blandy cancels the mission because of unfavourable weather.

COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES: Corregidor Island, in Manila Bay, is attacked. One battalion, the 503rd PRCT, is air dropped and one battalion lands from the sea.

After a naval bombardment and an air strike, American paratroopers and a seaborne assault force have landed on the island fortress of Corregidor which dominates the entrance to Manila Bay. Corregidor is defended by some 5,200 Japanese sailors in superb condition and amply supplied with ammunition. The fort is the scene of the heroic last stand of the American and Filipino forces which were overwhelmed by the Japanese in 1942. The Japanese defenders, holed up in a mass of tunnels and caves, are putting up a fanatical resistance.

On 29 January an American force of 30,000 men landed uncontested north-west of Subic Bay in a move to seal off the Bataan peninsula. Two days later another force was landed south of Manila Bay at Nasugbu. The strategic Clark Field airbase fell to the Americans on 31 January and by 3 February the 1st Cavalry Division had reached the outskirts of Manila.

Six weeks after the landing at Lingayen, Manila is practically surrounded, but MacArthur’s expectation of a quick liberation of the “Pearl of the Orient” has not been realized. The Japanese army had organized evacuation of the city, but a force of 16,000 Japanese sailors is fighting on to the bitter end.

NEWFOUNDLAND: Corvette HMCS West York departed St John’s to join Convoy HX-338.

U.S.A.: Minesweeper USS Dunlin commissioned.

VENEZUALA: Caracas: Venezuala declares war on Germany and Japan.

[Tax-chick]

One page one ... “as Ships and Fliers Bombard Iwo Isle.”

I rarely have serious disagreements with the Times’s use of language, but this clause in the headline has a bad compound subject. It should be “seamen and fliers” or “ships and planes.”

[Tax-chick]

This Grammar-Nazi moment was sponsored by Kellogg’s. Start your day with a good breakfast!

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Ah, the old compound subject trap. I hate it when that happens. I see the logic, though. Did the crews bombard Iwo Isle or the vehicles? We must be consistent. I will identify the offending editor and give him a sound thrashing as an example to the others.

[Tax-chick]

Threaten to cut their semicolon rations!

[Tax-chick]

The makeup ad featuring the women Marines (on page 10) is funny.

[Stosh]

Page 8: Sabu (the Indian kid in “The Thief of Baghdad”, “Jungle Book” and a bunch of other similar flics) signs on as a bomber ball-turret gunner!

I’d heard of a bunch of Hollywood-types who served with distinction (what a contrast to today), but I had no idea Sabu had even become an American citizen, let alone served in a combat role, especially one as hazardous as that.

Sabu on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabu_Dastagir

[Tax-chick]

He was incredibly graceful and had great screen presence.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

I hope Montezuma Red is a lipstick and not some other . . . you know, facial makeup thing.

[Tax-chick]

The ladies in the picture probably have deep red lipstick on. It might be a matching nail color, too.

[EternalVigilance]

Threaten to cut their semicolon rations!

People adapt.

Break out that endless supply of ellipses!

[Tax-chick]

Ellipses are a poor substitute for proper punctuation ... but war is hell, as the saying goes ...

[bert]

I love ..... they are part of my postings. The old worn out attempt by english teachers to rule the world will no longer be tolerated

Rule of 65......

After reaching the age of 65, punctuation and spelling conventions need not be strictly followed

[Tax-chick]

We fought a World War against barbarism ... and now this. Chaos.