On this date in 1944

[Bull Snipe]

Two RAF Squadrons drop 29 "tallboy" bombs on the German battleship Tirpitz in Tromso Fiord, Norway. The ship is hit at least twice by the 10,000 pound bombs. The damage is fatal and Tirpitz capsizes. At least 950 German sailors were lost with the ship.

[Art in Idaho]

Pardon the off topic, but also on this date my Uncle was killed on Leyte. He survived the landing on Oct. 19, the "D-Day of the Pacific," but was killed by a sniper on Nov 12. He was a squad leader and was point in a flanking maneuver.

Luchtel, SSgt. Gilbert R., U. S. Army, Co. K, 382nd Inf., 96th Div., K.I.A. Nov. 12, 1944, Leyte Island. RIP Gib. I have a pic of him in uniform holding me as a baby. I was born in July, 44.

[onedoug]

Prayer for SSG Luchtel.

[Art in Idaho]

Thank you onedoug. Everyone in the family says I am a clone of him, personality, etc.

[Bull Snipe]

A quote by General George Patton. “It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men that died. Rather, we should thank God that such men lived. America should always thank God that men such as your Uncle lived.

[Art in Idaho]

Thanks for the quote and comment Bull Snipe.

[jmacusa]

For the entire month of November 1944 a number of US Army divisions were getting slaughtered in The Hurtgen Forest. It’s a sad story of how pig headed American generals threw men’s lives away recklessly for no good reason.

[1FreeAmerican]

Watched a documentary last night on AHC about a British commando raid on the dock for the Tirpitz. This dock was the only one that was big enough for the massive ship and the commandos rammed an old destroyer into it, and about 70 commandos disembarked and blew up the pump house and the gate machinery. After I think 9 hours the destroyer which was loaded with a few thousand pounds of explosives blew the dock up and killed about 100 Germans onboard. This raid prevented the Tirpitz from being completely readied for Atlantic cruising and she spent the next 2 years wondering around the fiords till the RAF blew her to bits.

[davidb56]

Respect for your uncle....from Dave in Idaho (moyie Springs)

[american_ranger]

God bless you and him.

[M Kehoe]

Bttt.

5.56mm

[Art in Idaho]

Thanks Dave. Am in Priest Lake area.

[SunkenCiv]

I’m not convinced that Omar Bradley’s photo shouldn’t accompany the dictionary definition for The Peter Principle; but US forces had up to 5 to 1 advantage in the Hurtgen. The Germans were remarkably skilled and experienced, and they also had the terrain going for them, as they had had in Italy. At least Marshall and FDR finally said enough in Italy, after the important objectives (the airfields in southern Italy, which were in range of the bombers used to attack German assets in Romania and elsewhere) were met. The UK wanted to keep going, pretty much anything to avoid D-Day.

http://taskandpurpose.com/hurtgen-forest-americas-longest-costly-battle-world-war-ii/

http://www.historynet.com/the-hurtgen-forest-1944-the-worst-place-of-any.htm

[jmacusa]

There was no damn good reason to be stumbling around in The Hurtgen. 6th. Army Corps finally ceased operations there on Dec.14th., 1944. Two days later the Germans came barreling through The Ardennes.

[SunkenCiv]

There was one objective worth driving on, but the commanders didn't do it.

[jmacusa]

The objective, ostensibly was to capture three dams over the Ruhr River that were supplying hydro electric power to armament plants in the Ruhr Valley but 6th. Corps never reached those objectives. The Hurtgen Campaign was a disaster.

[SunkenCiv]

I think were in agreement, that the commanders bungled their assignment. Later, Bradley didnt think the German Antwerp Offensive amounted to much (and was honest about that in his A Soldiers Story memoir), but was given his fourth star just to make it possible to give Patton his fourth.