BUCKNER, OKINAWA COMMANDER, KILLED BY SHELL AS HIS MEN SMASH FOE’S LINE (6/19/45)

Microfilm-New York Times archives, Monterey Public Library | 6/19/45 | W.H. Lawrence, Warren Moscow, William S. White

[Homer_J_Simpson]

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

[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. Also visit our general discussion thread.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Selections from West Point Atlas for the Second World War
Southern Okinawa: Naha-Shuri-Yonabaru, 1945 – Tenth Army Operations, 10 May-30 June 1945
Okinawa, Ryukyus Islands, 1945: Japanese Thirty Second Army Defensive Dispositions, 1 April 1945
Luzon, P.I., 1941: Final Operations on Luzon, 3 February-20 July 1945
Southeast Asia, 1941: Final Allied Offensives in the Southwest Pacific Area 19 February-1 July 1945
China, 1941: Operation Ichigo, 1945 and Final Operations in the War

[Homer_J_Simpson]

The Nimitz Graybook

[Homer_J_Simpson]

My father will remain assigned to the hospital until his discharge in April 1946 but this is the last letter in my collection we will read on the date written. The next one is dated October 19 – HJS.

Return address:

Ward 19 Section 5
Madigan General Hospital
Ft. Lewis, Wash.

1

2

[Homer_J_Simpson]

General at Front (Lawrence) – 2
General Buckner a West Pointer – 3
Truman Names 72 Army Officers To Be One to Three-Star Generals – 3
Rout on Okinawa (Moscow) – 4
Services Are Conducted for Our Dead on Okinawa (photo) – 5
Chinese Win Wenchow Port; Go 12 Miles Nearer Liuchow – 6-7
Australian Land Again Near Brunei – 7
North Luzon Push Gains 4 to 8 Miles – 8
Latest B-29 Blow Proves Effective – 8
War News Summarized – 8
A Million Cheer (White) – 9-10
Text of Eisenhower’s Speech to Congress – 10-11
Showers Forecast for Greeting Here – 11-13
Where to Go to See and Cheer General Eisenhower Today (map) – 12
Nazis Sneak Back to Aachen Homes – 13
General Eisenhower Returns to Receive Plaudits of Citizens and Lawmakers in the Nation’s Capital (photos) – 14-15
Soviet Says 15 Poles Admit Plot for a War on Russia – 15
Haw Haw Appears on Treason Charge – 16
Soviet Governor of Berlin Killed – 16
Delinquent Girls to Have New Home – 17
In the New Grecian Mode (w/photo) – 17
Chinese Reds to Boycott Chungking Council; Say Kuomintang Bars Democratic Reforms – 17
Miniature Rooms Nostalgic in Tone – 17
The Texts of the Day’s Communiques on the War – 18

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://www.etherit.co.uk/month/5/19.htm

June 19th, 1945 (TUESDAY)

BELGIUM: King Leopold refuses to abdicate:

JAPAN: The USAAF’s XXI Bomber Command in the flies four missions, one mining and three incendiary missions against secondary cities, during the night of 19/20 June.

Mission 210: 136 B-29 Superfortresses hit the Toyohashi urban area destroying 1.7 square miles (4.40 square km).

Mission 211: 221 B-29s attack the Fukuoka urban area destroying 1.37 square miles (3.55 square km); two other B-29s attack alternate targets.

Mission 212: 123 B-29s attack the Shizuoka urban area destroying 2.25 square miles (5.83 square km); one other hits an alternate target; one B-29 is lost.

Mission 213: 28 B-29s mine Shimonoseki Strait and the waters at Niigata, Miyazu, and Maizuru.

The USN’s Patrol Bombing Squadron One Hundred Eighteen (VPB-118) flying PB4Y-2 Privateers lays mines north of Roka Do, Korea. After laying the mines, the aircraft strafe a ship in the area and all are damaged by AA fire.

PACIFIC OCEAN: U.S. submarines sink an auxiliary sailing vessel, a freighter and an army cargo ship and damage a freighter. U.S. aircraft sink a freighter while a merchant tanker is sunk by a mine.

In a coordinated shipping search, a USAAF Eleventh Air Force B-24 flies the theatre’s longest mission, a 2,700-mile (4,345 km) roundtrip lasting 15.5 hours and flying from the Aleutian Islands to Uruppu Island, Japan; turning north the B-24 bombs a small convoy 25 miles (40.2 km) southwest of Shimushu Bay, Shimushu Island, Kurile Islands.

CANADA: Corvettes HMCS Dawson, Wetaskiwin and Calgary paid off Sorel, Province of Quebec.
A/LCdr Eric Eversley Garratt Boak RCN awarded Distinguished Service Cross.

Tug HMCS Glendevon commissioned.

U.S.A.: San Francisco: Spain is banned from joining the United Nations as long as Franco is in power.

Millions of people in New York City turn out to cheer General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower, who is honoured with a parade.

Submarine USS Sabalo commissioned.

[Washi]

I was stationed at Ft. Buckner, Okinawa for a couple of years, and worked there as a contractor for almost a decade.

Beautiful island. Beautiful view from the base.

Thanks for posting this fascinating history.

[chajin]

Looking at the picture on page one of Truman giving the second oak leaf cluster to Ike, I wonder if either of them thought it was a meeting of two successive Presidents, seven years before the fact.

[alfa6]

Busy day ahead for me but a brief note on General Buckner’s death.

According to an account in the book Marine Tank Battles in the Pacific the Marines had captured on Guam a really nice set of tripod mounted binoculars. The kind that a shore post might use for long range spotting. The binoculars were made of brightly polished brass and had been presented to the CO of the regiment.

Buckner was at the front at the CP of the regiment and using the brightly polished binoculars which were glinting in the sun.

I will try to post the exact story later tonight or in the morning.

Linkee to the book FWIW...

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_3_12?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=marine+tank+battles+in+the+pacific&sprefix=Marine+tank+%2Caps%2C187

Regards

alfa6 ;>}

[Tainan]

A touching memento.

[colorado tanker]

I knew that Buckner died on Okinawa, but didn’t realize until following these threads just how darn late in the campaign it was. Resistance was collapsing. It was a darn shame anyone else had to die to finish them off.

[HandyDandy]

Amazing to think that Buckner was the son of a Confederate General.

[PeterPrinciple]

72 general promotions? The end of the war is in site. Why so many?

[PeterPrinciple]

I thought I read somewhere yesterday that Stilwell was called back by McCarther to head 10th Army. What happened?

[Homer_J_Simpson]

I thought I read somewhere yesterday that Stilwell was called back by McCarther to head 10th Army. What happened?

Stay tuned.

[PeterPrinciple]

Buckner had arrived with his standard bright three stars showing on his steel helmet and a nearby Marine outpost sent a signal to Buckner’s position stating that they could clearly see the general’s three stars on his helmet. Told of this, Buckner replaced his own helmet with an unmarked one. However, a small [7] flat trajectory[8] Japanese artillery projectile of unknown caliber (estimated 47mm[8]) struck a coral rock outcropping next to the general and fragments entered his chest.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Bolivar_Buckner,_Jr.

[PeterPrinciple]

His father was a pall bearer at Grants funeral.

http://civilwarhome.com/bucknerbio.htm

[PeterPrinciple]

General Buckner Gravesite:

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=6925151

[PeterPrinciple]

General Buckner’s Mint Julep recipe

http://rememberthedeadeyes.com/AGenBuckner/MintJulepsGenBuckner.pdf

[Hebrews 11:6]

I wonder if his troops, while mourning the loss of their commander, do not also take some satisfaction that he was exposed and not tied down to his HQ desk.