[Radix]

USO Canteen FReeper Style Military Support Links

Armed Forces Careers

Army	Navy	Air Force	Marines	Coast Guard

The Fisher House program is a unique private-public partnership that supports America's military in their time of need by providing homes close to a loved one during the hospitalization for an unexpected illness, disease, or injury. There are currently 31 houses located on the grounds of every major military medical center and several VA medical centers. These houses will play a critical role in caring for casualties from Operation Iraqi Freedom. Donations will be used to help meet the cost of lodging for a family whose loved one was injured in Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom. There is a limit to the number of families who can stay in a Fisher House and program is committed to help provide lodging for families who must find commercial lodging, because the Fisher House is full.

Access the Wounded Heroes Guestbook to write a message of encouragement for a hero wounded in the line of duty.   Messages in the Wounded Heroes Guestbook are viewed by wounded soldiers, their loved ones, and the general public.

VetsCoR is pleased to present: a CD message of support from America to our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen deployed in the Middle East, and other places around the globe, in the ongoing war on terrorism.

If you have a family member deployed, and would like to send them a copy of the CD, please click here. (VetsCoR will mail a copy of the CD FREE to any APO/FPO or military address.) If you want a copy of the CD and you are not a member of the Armed Forces, you may order a copy for $5.00 each. Click the VetsCor Logo for more information.

Share your thoughts, good wishes and messages with American troops deployed around the globe. In turn, we hope those in service will be able to view them on this site, and perhaps respond themselves. ADD A SERVICEPERSON: Please help make this tribute more complete by creating a page for your own friends and family who are currently deployed around the globe.

Support the Military Relief Societies!
Please support the the Military Relief Societies that help families whose loved
ones were injured or killed in battle. Click any one of the following:

Click here for info on
USO Canteen FReeper Style Business Cards

[Radix]

[FlyVet]

Mmmmm...pancakes bump. Scrambles, bacon, sausage, coffee, OJ. Sounds good.

[Fawnn]

I love the new burkasRus group photo!!! ;)

[Radix]

 

 

Good morning, Canteen Crew! Good morning, EVERYBODY!

GOOD

MORNING

TROOPS!!

 

Pancake Bob

  

Radix

[SouthernHawk]

Good Morning Radix! Now, I know how Kathy feels when she gets up and finds a large number
of posts already on the thread. Good morning to our military and good morning to the whole Canteen crew.

Warm up exercise for today won’t be necessary (everybody’s already up and at it early this morning).
I thought we'd have a "Weather joke" for those either who have had too much rain or too little of it . . . . .

A film crew was on location deep in the desert. One day an old Indian went up to the director and said,
"Tommorrow, rain." The next day it rained. A week later, the Indian went up to the director and said,
"Tomorrow, storm." The next day there was a hailstorm. "This Indian is incredible," said the director.
He told his secretary to hire the Indian to predict the weather. However, after several successful predictions,
the old Indian didn't show up for two weeks. Finally the director sent for him "I have to shoot a big scene
tomorrow," said the director, "and I'm depending on you. What will the weather be like?"
The Indian shrugged his shoulders.

"Don't know," he said. "Radio broke."

[minor49er]

Since when do I own a burka store? And what's a franchise?

[tomkow6]

SALUTE!

 

 

[tomkow6]

Good morning, MR. RADIX! Good morning, Canteen Crew! Good morning, EVERYBODY!

GOOD

MORNING

TROOPS!!

Me & Ma

[tomkow6]

 

Chicagoland Weather

 

Currently
67°

Cloudy

	Hi: 82

	Lo: 63

5 Day Forecast

THU

FRI

SAT

SUN

MON

Partly Cloudy

High:	79
Low:	63

Partly Cloudy

High:	78
Low:	60

Partly Cloudy

High:	79
Low:	60

Partly Cloudy

High:	81
Low:	63

Isolated Thunderstorms

High:	81
Low:	62

 

[tomkow6]

Today's FEEBLE attempt at humor:

 With so much turmoil in the world, God decided to pay a visit to earth to check things out. He strolled into a bar and approached the first man he saw.

"If you believe in me enough to give me $50," he said, "I will grant you eternal life." "Sorry, I'm an atheist," the fellow replied, "and have never believed in God."

God walked up to another man and made the same offer.  "Well, I'm an agnostic and not really sure if I believe in you or not," the guy said, "but here's 50 bucks, just in case."

As the Lord turned away, a third man ran up to him. "I'm Pat Robertson and don't really care if you're God or not," he said excitedly. "But teach me the trick you did with the agnostic and I'll give you $100."

[tomkow6]

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

Click on the pic and I'll guide you
to the start of today's
Pancakes on Wednesday thread






Please Thank someone in the military for ensuring our Freedom.
Take a moment and Thank a Service Man or Woman.
Just Click on the graphic to SEND an e-mail.

[tomkow6]

50!

FEEL THE LOVE!!!!!

[aomagrat]

Wednesday's weird warship, USS Guam (CB-2)

Alaska class battlecruiser
Displacement. 27,000
Length. 806'6"
Beam. 91'1"
Draft. 27' 1"
Speed. 31 k.
Complement. 2,251
Armament. 9 12", 12 5", 56 40mm, 34 20mm, 4 aircraft

On May 31 1916 the age of the battlecruiser came to an inglorious end when three British battlecruisers were sunk during the Battle of Jutland. Or so we thought. 25 years after that battle, on February 02, 1942, the keel was laid on the world's last battlecruiser, USS Guam. Officially called a "large cruiser" by the US Navy, the USS Guam was designed to operate independently against enemy cruiser forces. However, just like her ancestors at Jutland, she often found herself in the battle line with the battleships. And like her ancestors, she was lightly armored, compared to the battleships, and any enemy battleship could have sent her to the bottom. By the time she entered service, the war at sea was winding down and she never got a chance to do the job for which she was designed. Instead of chasing enemy cruisers, she spent the war in the battle line, defending the fleet against air attacks and bombarding enemy positions ashore. This is the story of the last battlecruiser to be built.

The USS GUAM (CB-2) was launched 12 November 1943 by the New York Shipbuilding Corp., Camden, N.J.; sponsored by Mrs. George Johnson McMillan, wife of Captain McMillan, former governor of Guam; and commissioned 17 September 1944, Captain Leland P. Lovette in command.

After shakedown off Trinidad GUAM departed Philadelphia 17 January 1945 and joined the Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor 8 February via the Canal Zone. Shortly thereafter GUAM was visited by Secretary of the Navy Forrestal. Clearing Pearl Harbor 3 March GUAM sailed into Ulithi 13 March where she joined forces with her sister ship ALASKA and other fleet units to form another of Admiral Marc Mitscher's famed task groups.

Sortie was made from Ulithi next day and Admiral A. W. Radford's Task Force 58, one of the most powerful task forces in naval history, proceeded to vicinity of Kyushu and Shikoku, arriving the morning of 18 March. In her group sailed some of the most gallant ships ever to go into harm's way: carriers YORKTOWN, INTREPID, INDEPENDENCE, and LANGLEY; battleships MISSOURI and WISCONSIN; cruisers ALASKA, ST. LOUIS, SAN DIEGO, FLINT; and 15 destroyers in the screen. GUAM's battle debut soon came. The fight began with five kamikaze attacks on the carriers. GUAM's guns were directed at the raiders. During this first battle, the carriers ENTERPRISE and INTREPID, both in GUAM's force, were damaged but continued to operate. ENTERPRISE took a bomb hit near her island structure; a suicide plane crashed INTREPID's flight deck aft and glanced off and plunged into the sea. Continued air attacks during the afternoon resulted in the destruction of four enemy planes by GUAM's group, one of which she splashed. The next afternoon GUAM was despatched to escort damaged FRANKLIN from the combat area. This lasted until 22 March.

After replenishing GUAM rejoined Task Group 58.4 and departed for combat area in vicinity of Okinawa Gunto, Japan. On the night of 27 to 28 March 1945 Admiral F. S. Low's Cruiser Division 16 in GUAM conducted bombardment of the airfield on Minami Daito. Then until 11 May GUAM supported carrier operations off the Nansei Shoto.

After repairs and replenishments at Ulithi GUAM again departed for the waters east of Okinawa, as a unit of Admiral Halsey's 3d Fleet, Task Group 38.4. Here she continued to support the carriers launching fighter sweeps over the Kyushu airfields. On 9 June GUAM, ALASKA, and five destroyers conducted a 90-minute bombardment of Okino Daito. Course was then set for Leyte Gulf, arriving San Pedro Bay 13 June after almost 3 months of continuous operations in support of the Okinawa campaign.

GUAM now got a new assignment as flagship of Cruiser Task Force 95, composed of large cruisers GUAM and ALASKA, four light cruisers, and nine destroyers. This force steamed into the East China and Yellow Seas between 16 July and 7 August 1945 on a shipping raid. Direct results were few, but the fact that a surface sweep of Japan's home waters could be made without harm proved that overwhelming dominance and mobility of American sea power. GUAM's group retired to Okinawa 7 August.

A few days later GUAM became the flagship of Rear Admiral Low's North China Force and circled the Yellow Sea parading American naval might before the major ports of Tsingtao, Port Arthur, and Darien. She then steamed into Jinsen, Korea, 8 September 1945 to guarantee occupation of that liberated country. GUAM departed Jinsen 14 November and reached San Francisco 3 December landing a contingent of Army troops for discharge. Clearing San Francisco 5 December 1945, GUAM arrived Bayonne, N.J., 17 December. She remained there and decommissioned 17 February 1947. GUAM berthed with the New York Group, Atlantic Reserve Fleet until 1 June 1960 when her name was struck from the Navy List. She was sold for scrapping 24 May 1961 to the Boston Metals Co., Baltimore, Md.

GUAM received two battle stars for World War II service.

While USS Guam was the last battlecruiser to be built, she was not the last battlecruiser to survive. That honor goes to the Turkish battlecruiser Yavuz (ex German SMS Goeben), who was not scrapped until 1976.

Big Guns in action!

[darkwing104]

Good morning Canteen FReepers and thanks for the coffee.

[Valin]

On This Day In History


Birthdates which occurred on August 06:
1651 Francois Fenelon France, writer (Playing for Time)
1697 Charles VII Holy Roman emperor (1742-45)
1809 Alfred Lord Tennyson poet laureate of England
1861 Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt 2nd wife of Theodore Roosevelt
1868 Paul Claudel France, diplomat/poet (L'Otage-1909)
1881 Sir Alexander Fleming cashed in on penicillin (Nobel 1954)
1883 Scott Nearing US sociologist/pacifist/author (The Good Life)
1893 Guthrie McClintic Seattle Wash, Broadway producer/dir (Winterset)
1906 Ken Strong NFL, AFL halfback (Staten Island, NY Yanks, NY Giants)
1908 Helen Jacobs US tennis champ (1932-35)
1910 Charles Crichton director (Battle of Sexes)
1911 Lucille Ball Jamestown NY, comedienne/actress (I Love Lucy, Mame)
1916 Michael Burke sports executive (NY Yankees, NY Knicks)
1917 Robert Mitchum Bridgeport Ct, actor (Winds of War, North & South)
1921 Ella Raines Sinoqualmie Falls Wash, actress (Janice Dean RN)
1922 Sir Freddie Laker entrepreneur (Laker airlines)
1923 Jack Parnell London England, orch leader (Englebert Humperdick Show)
1923 Jackie Kelk Brooklyn NY, actor (Homer-Aldrich Family)
1923 William B Williams Babylon NY, DJ (WNEW, Sammy & Company)
1925 Barbara Bates Denver Colo, actress (Kathy-It's a Great Life)
1927 Andy Warhol pop artist (or 08081930)
1927 William David Ford (Rep-D-Mich)
1928 Janice Lee York Romary US, fencer (Olympics-1952-68)
1929 Anneliese Kuppers German FR, equestrian dressage (Oly-silver-1956)
1930 Abbey Lincoln actress/singer (Nothing But a Man)
1934 John Storey Bonington UK, mountain climber (Annapurna I in 1970)
1938 Peter Bonerz Portsmouth NH, actor (Jerry-Bob Newhart Show, 9 to 5)
1940 Louise Sorel LA Calif, actress (BS I Love You, Crimes of Passion)
1943 Michael Anderson Jr London, actor (Clayt-The Monroes)
1943 Ray Buktenica Greenwich Village NYC, actor (Rhoda, House Calls)
1944 Swoosie Kurtz actress (Vice Versa, World According to Garp)
1945 Ken Norton heavyweight boxer (or 0809)
1947 Sally Eaton Ill, actress
1950 Dorian Harewood Dayton Ohio, actor (Earl-Glitter, Trauma Center)
1950 Nathan Purdee actor (Nathan-Young & Restless)
1950 Winston E Scott Miami Fla, USN Commander/astronaut
1951 Catherine Hicks Scottsdale Az, actress (Star Trek IV, Child's Play)
1952 Carl C Perkins (Rep-D-Ky)
1952 Wojiech Fortuna Poland, ski jumper (Olympic-gold-1972)
1956 Stephanie Kramer LA Calif, actress (Claudia-We Got it Made, Hunter)
1956 Vinnie Vincent heavy metal rocker (Solo-Ashes to Ashes)
1959 Joyce Sims rocker (All & All)
1963 Kimberley Conrad Hefner Moulton Al, playmate of year (Jan, 1988)
1964 Moosie Drier Chic Ill, actor (Laugh-in)
1965 David Robinson NBA center (San Antonio Spurs)
1976 Soleil Moon Frye actress (Punky Brewster)

---

Deaths which occurred on August 06:
0258 Sixtus II, bishop of Rome (257-58), beheaded
1221 St. Dominic, Italian religious order founder (Dominicans)
1623 Anne Hathaway, wife of William Shakespeare, dies
1914 Ellen Wilson Pres Wilson's wife, dies at 54
1964 Sir Cedric Hardwicke actor (Capt Hook-Peter Pan), dies at 71
1965 Nancy Carroll actress (Alice-Aldrich Family), dies at 60
1978 Pope Paul VI dies of heart attack at summer residence at 80
1979 Kurt Kaszner actor (Cmdr Fitzhugh-Land of the Giants), dies at 65
1986 William J Schroeder (world's longest-survivor with permanent artificial heart, dies after 620 days with Jarvik VII man-made pump)
1991 Harry Reasoner newscaster (60 Minutes), dies at 68
2001 General Duong Van "Big" Minh

---

Reported: MISSING in ACTION
1964 CUTRER FRED C. JR. OSYKA MS.
[AC CRASH EXPLODE]
1964 KASTER LEONARD L. HOLYOKE MA.
[AC CRASH EXPLODE]
1967 KEMMERER DONALD R. QUAKERTOWN PA.
1967 PAGE ALBERT L. DERRY NH.
1972 PENN MICHAEL G. JR. FORT WORTH TX
[03/29/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE AND WELL 98]


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

---

On this day...
258 St Sixtus II ends his reign as Catholic Pope
523 St Hormisdas ends his reign as Catholic Pope
768 [Constantine] ends his reign as Catholic Pope
1181 Supernova observed by Chinese & Japanese astronomers
1497 John Cabot returns to England after his first successful journey to the Labrador coast.
1787 Constitutional Convention in Phila begans debate
1806 Holy Roman Empire ends; it was neither holy, Roman, nor an empire
1815 US flotilla ends piracy by Algiers, Tunis & Tripoli
1825 Bolivia gains independence from Peru (National Day)
1854 Congress passes Confiscation Act
1862 CSA ironclad "Arkansas" is badly damaged in Union attack
1863 The CSS Alabama captures the USS Sea Bride near the Cape of Good Hope.
1864 Rebels evacuate Ft Powell, Mobile Bayd
1870 White conservatives suppresed black vote & captured Tenn legislature
1888 Martha Turner is murdered by an unknown assailant, believed to be Jack the Ripper, in London, England
1890 1st use of electric chair in US, John Hart, in NY for murder
1890 Cy Young pitches & wins 1st game
1908 St Louis Card John Lush's 2nd no-hitter, beats Dodgers, 2-0 in 6 inn
1914 Austria-Hungary declares war against Russia
1914 Serbia declares war against Germany
1919 1st air flight over a major body of water in Australia (Harry Butler)
1921 Clason Point, Bronx to College Point, Queens muni ferry system begins
1926 NY's Gertrude Ederle becomes 1st woman to swim the English Channel
1926 Warner Bros premiers Vitaphone sound-on-disc movie system (NY), Don Juan with John Barrymore shown
1934 US troops leave Haiti, which had been occupied since 1915
1937 Indians overturn Yankees' 7-6 win by a protest
1944 Deportation of 70,000 jews from Lodz Poland to Auschwitz begins
1945 Hiroshima Peace Day-atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima by "Enola Gay"
1946 US officially submits to jurisdiction of World Court
1948 Bob Mathias, US, wins decathlon at London Olympics
1948 Fanny Blankers-Koen (Neth) is 1st women to win 3 golds at Olympics
1951 Typhoon floods kill 4,800 in Manchuria
1958 Glenn Davis sets record of 49.2 in 400-meter hurdles
1960 Pitt Steelers (NFL) beat Toronto Argonauts (CFL) 43-16 in Toronto
1961 Gherman S Titov, 2nd Russian in space aboard Vostok 2 (17 orbits), 1st case of motion sickness in space reported
1962 Jamaica gains independence from Britain
1965 Beatles release "Help" album in UK
1965 Federal Voting Rights Act guarantees black voting rights
1967 Minn Twin Dean Chance perfect games Boston Red Sox, 2-0 in 5 innings
1969 Balt Orioles pull their 3rd triple play (5-4-3 vs KC Royals)
1974 6th time Phils get just 1 assist in game; no other team did it twice
1974 Explosion & fire destory Great Northern RR yard in Wenatchee, Wash
1980 University adm declares 5 Pac-10 schools ineligible for conference titles & post-season play due to transcript &curriculum abuses
1981 NASA launches Fltsatcom-5, it failed
1983 Minn Vikings beat St Louis Cards 28-10 in London, England (NFL expo)
1984 203.05 million shares traded in NY Stock Exchange
1984 Carl Lewis wins 2nd (long jump) of 4 gold medals in Summer Olympics
1985 19th space shuttle mission (51-F), Challenger 8, lands at Edwards AFB
1985 STS 51-I vehicle moves to the launch pad
1986 Baltimore Orioles (Dwyer & Sheets) & Rangers (Harrah) hit record 3 grand slams
1986 Phil Katz releases PKARC version 1.0, for the IBM
1988 Oakland A's Jose Canseco becomes 11th to hit 30 HRs & steal 30 bases
1989 Boston Red Sox retire Carl Yastrezemski's #8
1989 Pilot Union tells pilots okay to cross Eastern picket lines
1990 NY Yankee Kevin Mass sets record with 11th HR in 1st 86 at bats
1990 UN Security Council votes 13-0 (2 abstentions Cuba & Yemen) to place economic sanctions against Iraq

---

Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"
Wiggle Your Toes Day
National Gossip Day
Australia : Bank Holiday
Bolivia : Independence Day (1825)
Hiroshima, Japan : Peace Festival at Peace Memorial Park (1945)
Iceland : Bank Holiday
Jamaica : Independence Day (1962)
Malawi, Ireland : August Holiday
UAE : Accession of H.H. Sheik Zayed Ben Sultan Al-Nahayan
Arizona, Michigan : American Family Day ( Sunday )
Italy : Joust of the Quintana (1st Sunday) ( Sunday )
British Commonwealth : Bank Holiday ( Monday )
Canada : Civic Holiday (1st Monday) ( Monday )
Colorado : Colorado Day (1876) ( Monday )
Jamaica : Independence Day (1962) ( Monday )
St Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla : August Monday ( Monday )
US : National Smile Week begins ( Monday )
Grasmere England : Rush-Bearing Day ( Saturday )

---

Religious Observances
RC, Ang : Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord

---

Religious History
1651 Birth of Francois Fanelon, French priest and scholar. His 1697 writing, "Christian Perfection," provided a reasoned defense of mystical spirituality, though it afterward brought him into disfavor with the pope.
1727 French Ursuline nuns first arrived at New Orleans, where they set up the first Catholic charitable institution in America. It comprised an orphanage, a girl's school and a hospital.
1774 English religious leader Ann Lee (1736-1784) and a small band of followers first arrived in America. Her sect called itself the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Coming, but to the rest of the world her followers came to be known as the "Shakers."
1801 The Great Religious Revival of the American West began at a Presbyterian camp meeting in Cane Ridge, Kentucky.
1821 Birth of Edward H. Plumptre, Anglican theologian. He served on the Old Testament committee for the 1881 English Revised Version of the Bible. Today, he is better remembered as author of the hymn, "Rejoice, Ye Pure in Heart."

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

---

Thought for the day :
" The average woman would rather be beautiful than smart because the average man can see better than he can think."

---

You might be an animaniacs fan if...
whenever in the hospital, you have the urge to say, "Helllooooooo Nurse!"

---

Todays Murphys law...
The other line always moves faster.

---

Cliff Clavin says, it's a little know fact that...
A typical lightning bolt is two to four inches wide and two miles long.

[MoJo2001]

LMAO! Good morning Radix and Goddess!! I'm trying to move on in the thread, but the graphic that you have with everyone is absolutely hilarious. I'm trying not to wake the Sailor up. (He just got home from Watch this morning.) And I'm gonna have to leave for a few. It is so hilarious! Great job, Radix! Goddess, you've outdone yourself again! *HUGS* to you both.

[armymarinemom]

Good Morning!!

God Bless our troops and God Bless Freepers!!!

[beachn4fun]

HELLO EVERYONE. Well I have used up my whole lunch hour trying to catch up on this thread. Now I have to get back to work.

But first I want to say.........

I am so upset that I didn't get in the group photo.

Next, Radix this graphic is so cool....

And then, Mr.Hawk please don't tell eveyone how much money I have! Next thing you know others will start looking at my money like you have been!

And, then finally, I am leaving you with a little dash of humor as I leave.........

Two old men feeling they are close to their last days on earth decided to have a last night on the town. After a few drinks they end up at the local brothel. The madam takes one look at the two old geezers and whispers to her manager, "go up to the first two rooms and put an inflated doll in each bed, I'm not wasting two of my girls on them". These two are so old and drunk they won't know the difference." The two men go up the stairs and take care of their business. As they are walking home the first one says, "You know, I think my girl was dead!" "Dead?" says his friend, "why would you think that?" "Well, she never moved or made a sound all the time I was loving her.." His friend says, "I think mine was a witch." "A WITCH!!! Why the hell would you say that?" "Well, I was making love to her, kissing on her neck and I gave it a little bite, then she farted and flew out the window.

[wolficatZ]

Happy Wednesday Canteen and Troops!

 

60 years ago...TODAY

August 6, 1943

www.onwar.com

In Sicily... The US 1st Division takes Troina after several days of heavy fighting. There are new British attacks toward Adrana.

On the Eastern Front... Northwest of Kharkov, Zolochev falls to the advancing Red Army.

In the Solomon Islands... In Vela Gulf there is an encounter engagement between 6 American destroyers and 4 Japanese destoyers carrying troops and supplies to Kolombangara. Three of the Japanese vessels are sunk.

In Italy... At Verona, representatives of the German and Italian governments meet. The Foreign Ministers (Ribbentrop and Guaniglia) and the Chiefs of Armed Forces High Commands (Keitel and Ambrosio) are among those present. The Italians attempt to assure the Germans that they are not negotiating with the Allies.

6 AUGUST 1943

AMERICAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS

  ANTISUBMARINE WARFARE (AAF Antisubmarine Command): A B-25 of the 10th
Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 25th Bombardment Group (Medium), and US Navy
land-based aircraft sink U-615 at l2-38N 64-15W.

(This was possibly the longest ongoing combat between a U-boat and aircraft. U-615's battle enabled many other U-boats in the Caribbean to surface and escape to the east. The aircraft were from the following squadrons; VP-204 (P-6 and P-8), VP-205 (P-2, P-11 and P-4) and VB-130 (Ventura B-5).

On 11 April, 1943 U-615 was slightly damaged by debris, when the Liberty ship Edward B. Dudley exploded after being hit by a coup de grâce from a distance of 800 meters. The commander was wounded and the U-boat was forced to return to base.

Men lost from U-boats
Unlike many other U-boats, which during their service lost men due to accidents and various other causes, U-615 did not suffer any casualties (we know of) until the time of her loss.

U-615 Successes against aircraft

6 Aug, 1943
(American Mariner aircraft, Squadron VP-205/P-4)
The boat was lost in this massive hunt in the Caribbean. It fought bravely for days against overwhelming odd before finally being sunk.)

Lieutenant (jg) John M. Erskine, pilot of a PBM-3S Mariner of VP-204, attacked the surfaced U-615 on 6 August, causing moderate damage. The squadron aircraft maintained contact with the submerged submarine and kept it down over night. On the morning of the 7 th , Lieutenant Anthony R. Matuski spotted the U-boat when it surfaced and made an attack run. His aircraft was damaged by return fire and crashed with the loss of all hands. Lieutenant Lewis D. Crockett, flying a VP-204 Mariner, located the U-boat and conducted a bomb run that further damaged the vessel, but resulted in severe damage to his aircraft from AA fire. He remained on the scene until Lieutenant Holmes, pilot of a PV-1 Ventura of VB-130, arrived to assist him. The two aircraft conducted a coordinated bombing and strafing attack. Lieutenant (jg) John W. Dresbach, in a VP-204 Mariner, arrived and made a bombing and strafing attack on the U-boat. This attack resulted in mortal wounds to the pilot, Lieutenant Dresbach, and the final blow for the submarine. A U.S. Navy destroyer from Trinidad reached the area the next morning and rescued forty-five of the U-boat's crew of 49.

 

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS

  ANTISUBMARINE WARFARE (AAF Antisubmarine Command): HQ 479th Antisubmarine
Group and it's 4th and 19th Antisubmarine Squadrons (Heavy) transfer with
B-24's from St Eval to Dunkeswell, England.

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): The 352d Fighter Squadron, 353d
Fighter Group, transfers from Goxhill to Raydon, England with P-47's. The
squadron will fly it's first combat mission on Monday and will remain at
this station until Apr 44.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS

  EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN (Ninth Air Force): In Sicily, 60+ B-26's hit
Bronte, Catania, and Randazzo and the area N of the Adrano-Biancavilla
road; 20+ others bomb road intersections in Adrano and Bronte; and 100+
P-40's attack shipping and shore targets in the Messina area while 30
others attack shipping on the W coast.
 
  WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN (Northwest African Air Force): In Sicily, Northwest
African Strategic Air Force (NASAF) B-17's bomb coastal roads near Messina;
B-26's and B-25's hit a road junction SW of Badiazza and railroad bridges N
of Gesso; Northwest African Tactical Air Force (NATAF) light and medium
bombers hit roads, junctions, and buildings in the Troina, Adrano, Bianca-
villa, Tortorici, Bronte, Piranino, and Randazzo areas and the Bagnara,
Italy area; and fighter-bombers hit shipping from Vibo Valentia S to the
Straits of Messina.
  On the ground in Sicily, US troops are unable to cross the Furiano River
as fierce resistance continues. At Troina, troops push through the town and
1 mile (1.6 km) to the E before opposition halts them. The British take
Biancavilla, and Adrano falls as the enemy pulls out during the night of
6/7 Aug.
  HQ 301st Bombardment Group (Heavy) and it's 32d, 353d and 419th Bombard-
ment Squadrons (Heavy) transfer with B-17's from St-Donat, Algeria to
Oudna, Tunisia.

SOUTH PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Thirteenth Air Force): On Santa Isabel
Island in the Solomon Islands, 20 P-39's and P-40's hit the Tanagaba Harbor
area; and 24 B-17's and B-24's, 24 B-25's, and 50+ US Navy and US Marine
Corps fighters and dive bombers pound the Rekata Bay area, hitting bivouac
and supply areas.
  The 63d Troop Carrier Squadron, 403d Troop Carrier Group, arrives on
Espiritu Santo Island, New Hebrides Islands from the US with C-47's. The
squadron begins flying missions upon arrival.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Fifth Air Force): During the night
of 6/7 Aug, B-24's bomb Laha Airfield on Amboina Island in the Celebes
Islands.

                        Martin PBM-1 Mariner