Replies

M5A1 LIGHT TANK "STUART"
INTRODUCTION

In Germany in 1945.

During the 1930's the United States Army did not consider tanks to be a relevant weapon on the battlefield. Consequently, little research and development was performed. German victories in Europe exploiting firepower and mobility of tank warfare rekindled interest in tanks among U.S. military leaders, resulting in development plans for a light tank. Several models of the light tank were developed, including the M1, M2 and M3 series. In 1942 production began on the M5 series light tank at the Cadillac Division of General Motors Corporation. There was no M4 light tank designation in order to avoid confusion with the M4 medium tank, then under production. In September of 1942 design improvements were made, culminating in the M5A1, the ultimate refinement of the 1930's vintage U.S. light tank technology. A total production of 6810 M5A1 tanks occurred from 1942 to 1944.

DESIGN CONCEPT AND DEVELOPMENT

Evaluation of the M5A1 design concept entails the basic principles of tank warfare; armor, firepower and mobility. The inherent nature of the light tank implies light armor which is an obvious deficiency for a combat vehicle. The frontal armor was rolled homogeneous steel approximately 1.125 inches (29 mm), sufficient for the Far East theater, but insufficient for German munitions especially toward the end of the war. The vehicle had a relatively high profile (height 101 inches), easing the job of enemy gunners to acquire a target. Light tank also implies light firepower which, in the form of a 37mm main gun, was inferior to other combat vehicles at the time in the European theater. However, the armament was quite effective against Japanese combat vehicles in the Far East theater. Mobility was impressive with a maximum speed of 36 MPH. Interviews with actual drivers indicated that speeds in excess of 45 MPH were readily achieved. The V8 engines were very quiet and the Hydramatic transmissions allowed easy gear shifting, resulting in a stealthy vehicle.

ENGINEERING CHARACTERISTICS

The M5A1 was equipped with a .30 caliber bow machine gun, .30 caliber coaxial machine gun, 37 mm main gun and .50 caliber anti-aircraft machine gun. The M5A1 was originally equipped with a .30 caliber anti-aircraft machine gun on the turret but most tankers acquired the .50caliber machine gun since it was more effective. Ground pressure is 12.3 psi. The suspension uses vertical volute springs. The controlled differential is on the right side of the driver. This is essentially a 2 speed automatic shift gear box coupled to 2 drive shafts from 2 automatic 4 speed transmissions. This gives the vehicle 8 speeds forward and 2 speeds in reverse, all automatic shift. The power plant is the 346 cu.in. flat head V8 engine, two of which are mounted in the rear of the vehicle, connected to 4 speed Hydramatic transmissions. Each engine generated 110 horsepower. A two barrel Carter carburetor provides fuel to the engine with thermal spring automatic chokes for cold starts. The tank commander/main gun loader sits on the right, while the gunner sits on the left. A gyroscope to the right of the turret is used to aid in aiming the main gun on irregular terrain. The M5A1 had a crew of 4: the driver, assistant driver/bow gunner, main gunner and tank commander/loader. The M6 periscope was used in 5 locations on the vehicle with 4 looking forward and one to the rear.

USAGE IN WORLD WAR II

The M5 made its debut in the invasion of Casablanca in French North Africa. By 1943, and at the time of the invasion of Sicily, the M5A1 was becoming the standard light tank of the American armored divisions. Because of limited firepower, the M5A1 eventually took on reconnaissance and escort duties in Italy and, after the invasion of Normandy, throughout Europe. In the Pacific theater, the M5A1 made its debut at Roi-Namur in February of 1944 and on Saipan, the same year. The M5A1 was quite effective against most Japanese armor, even the Japanese Type 97 Chi-Ha medium tank typically used in the Pacific theater. The 37 mm main gun, although obsolete in Europe, was found to be effective against Japanese targets. Consequently, many other vehicles carrying the 37 mm gun, such as the M8 armored car and M3 anti-tank gun were retained and used in the Pacific theater.

Figure 1 is a view of M5A1 Light Tank, serial number 1243.

This tank was manufactured by Cadillac Motor Car Company in 1942. Cadillac was chosen to build the M5A1 because Cadillac engines and transmissions were readily available to replace the Continental radials of the earlier light tank models that were in short supply. The M5A1 is the most advanced version of the "Stuart" light tank series used by the U.S., England, Poland, France, Russia and China in World War II.

Figure 2 is a frontal view of Stuart 1243 with frontal armor stowage configuration typical of that found in Normandy, 1944. The Culin (named after Sgt. Culin, the inventor) hedge row cutter is shown, fabricated from steel obstructions deployed by the Germans along the French Coast. A length of extra track was usually secured to the frontal armor for stowage but also acted as added protection from shape charge anti-tank weapons. A single road wheel (bogie) is mounted in the center of the glacis plate. The anti-aircraft machine gun mounted on the sponson to the right of the turret was originally .30 caliber, but was typically replaced in the field with the .50 caliber Browning, which carried more punch.

The vehicle is equipped with a dry pin volute spring suspension with rubber track blocks and track pins with rubber bushings. This is the same suspension design for all the Stuart variants. The four road wheels gave a smooth cross-country ride on rubber block tracks. The rubber block tracks were light and fast but did not perform well in ice or snow and were prone to skidding. Grousers, which enhanced vehicle traction and reduced skidding, were stored on the turret and installed on the tracks during snowy conditions.

Figure 4 is a view of the driver's compartment at the left side of the vehicle. The twin Cadillac engines with automatic transmissions made for a smooth running machine, which is why the British often referred to the tank as a "Honey." The automatic transmission facilitated the training of drivers and the operation of the vehicle, and is great for reenacting as many present-day folks have difficulty operating a manual shift. To the right of the driver's seat is the controlled differential unit, which is essentially a 2 speed automatic gear box, giving the driver options of up to 8 gears in automatic. Steering levers are mounted above the driver when stowed and pulled down when the vehicle is being steered. The driver pulls on the right lever to go right and the left lever to go left. To stop, both levers are pulled. During turns, vehicle drag increases and power must be increased to keep the vehicle moving and help in skidding the turn, which is typical of fully tracked vehicles of that era.

Figure 5 is a view of the turret fighting compartment showing the breech end of the 37mm gun. The breech has been removed and a cannon simulator using propane and oxygen as fuels is placed in the barrel. An oil reservoir contains diesel fuel that is pumped into the gun periodically to add smoke and realism to the gun smoke signature. The tank commander and gunner sit on a turret basket in this area. A gyroscopic gun stabilization system was provided, an advanced feature at the time. During reenactments, the gunner and tank commander sit with open hatches as a safety precaution, watching out for other reenactors.

Figure 6 is a view of one of the two Cadillac 346 cubic inch flat head V8 engines as viewed from the rear of the engine compartment. The engine utilized the General Motors Hydramatic transmission making shifting easy, along with reduced training time for new drivers. The engine and transmission were nearly unaltered from the automotive application, which was usually found in the Cadillac LaSalle and other top of the line General Motors civilian vehicles. Since the Ordinance Department had failed to anticipate tank engine development requirements for future tank design, civilian automotive engines, especially those in large supply, were hurriedly adapted for tank usage. The Cadillac engines operated reliably but were underpowered. With one engine not functioning, the vehicle had difficulty operating without disconnecting one of the driveshafts, a time consuming task. The gasoline fueled V8's ran very quietly unlike the noisy radial aircraft engines in previous models.

ADDITIONAL TECHNICAL DATA
Weight................33500 lb.
Length.............15 ft.11 in.
Width...............7 ft. 6 in.
Height..............8 ft. 5 in.
Ground Clearance.......16.5 in.
Maximum speed............36 mph
Turning radius...........21 ft.
Maximum grade..............60 %

Armament:

1 37 mm Gun, M6;
ammunition
A.P.C., M51B1, M51B2; A.P., M74; H.E., M63
2 caliber .30 machine gun
1 caliber .50 machine gun

M3 Stuart Light Tanks
In Action In New Guinea
December 1942 to January 1943

Introduction

The M3 Light Tank series were the first vehicles delivered to Australia during the Second World War under the Lend Lease scheme. They were also the first tanks used by an Australian armoured unit in the jungle against the Japanese in New Guinea in late 1942. Australia received both M3 and M3A1 types, and both petrol and diesel engined versions.

Stuarts in Australia

The Stuart was the first of the lend-lease armoured vehicles supplied to Australia by Britain (from US stocks), with the first vehicles arriving in Puckapunyal late in 1941. The Stuart eventually equipped several of the units of the 1st Australian Armoured Division in 1942.

A Stuart at Giropa Point during the attacks of late December 1942. This tank lacks the hull stowage box on the front right of the vehicle.

Initial orders allowed for 150 M3 Lights and 250 M3 Mediums to be allocated to Australia in mid 1941, and in August 1941 deliveries of 46 tanks had been authorised. However, 36 of these were diverted to an allocation for Russia, leaving 10 M3 Lights to be delivered by the end of 1941. Deliveries increased during 1942 and by the middle of 1943, and the total number of Stuarts eventually to be held in Australia amounted to around 370 vehicles, of which some 50 were diesel engined.

The types of Stuarts received were varied, and were in different build states. Whilst the tanks were generally supplied direct from the United States under lend-Lease arrangements, a small number were supplied direct from the United Kingdom and at least one shipment was “Refugee Cargo”, indicating that a shipment bound for a destination other than Australia was diverted to this country when the original destination was overrun by the Japanese. The earliest tanks to arrive were M3s with octagonal, welded turrets and the high commander’s cupola. Subsequently, the rounded “horseshoe” turret with high commander’s cupola made its appearance. Both these types were designated Stuart I in British service, and generally these designations were used. The M3 Diesel was also received, in small numbers as previously described. Its designation was Stuart II. The introduction into production of the newer rounded turret with a flat top and two hatches, and with a turret basket, was known as the M3A1 or Stuart III. To complicate matters, these turrets were also fitted to M3s without a turret basket, whence they were known as Stuart Hybrids. Australian documentation listing local modifications also uses the designations Stuart Hybrid I & II, indicating that some diesel engined versions may have existed in Australia.

A C Squadron M3 assisting a B Squadron M3 from a bog. Note the turret protector ring, spare track link stowage, and grousers fitted to the front vehicle. The AA MG mount is fitted to the turret.

The period from late 1941 until late 1942 was one of considerable changes in fortune for the Allies, and in Australia there was great confusion over deliveries allocated and deliveries received, coupled with the fact that ships carrying refugee cargo arrived at undesignated ports and with cargoes unknown to local authorities until unloading and sorting took place. Official records therefore at best can only provide a part picture, and in Australian service the Stuarts were usually only divided into M3 Light Tank (petrol) and M3 Light Tank (diesel).

What is for sure is that Australia followed the British lead in trying to improve the “fightablility” of these tanks, and large numbers of modifications, generally in accordance with British practice, were authorised for the vehicles received. Some of the 43 modifications listed in early 1942 were as follows:

Fit periscope to Commander’s Cupola
Fit stop to Cupola Lid and weld up 4 vision slots
Remove Sponson machine guns and fit blanking plates
Fit modified engine air intake
Fit stowage bins and equipment boxes
Fit turret base ring protectors

Not all tanks were eventually fitted with all modifications, and variations existed within regiments and even squadrons.

Background to the Buna, Gona and Sanananda Battles

In the second half of 1942, the Australian forces in New Guinea had stopped the Japanese advance on Port Moresby, and had pushed them back over the Kokoda Track. This had been a brutal and difficult fight, with men and supplies having to be brought over the single jungle track in mountainous terrain. Sickness, disease and malnutrition had effect on both sides. In September, the Japanese landings at Milne Bay had been decisively defeated.

A burnt out M3 Stuart with rounded horseshoe turret, carrying the markings of 10 Troop C Squadron. The tank has bellied on a log, and the rubber track blocks are completely burnt away. Possibly Lieutenant Curtiss’s tank, hull number 2033

The Japanese had fallen back to the northern area around Cape Endaiadere, Buna, Gona and Sanananda. Here, substantial defence works were undertaken, with bunkers dug in at ground level, swamps and dense jungle providing impassable areas for assault troops, and aerial observation being virtually impossible due to the tree canopy.

In September 1942, it was decided that tanks were needed in New Guinea, and the 1st Australian Armoured Division, which had just completed a series of exercises in the north west of New South Wales, was tasked to provide that support. The original choice was the 2/5th Australian Armoured Regiment, but they were equipped with M3 Medium Tanks. These AFVs were to heavy for any transport then available in New Guinea, so the choice fell on the 2/6th Australian Armoured Regiment, who were fully equipped with M3 Light Tanks. Initially A Squadron was deployed to New Guinea, and arrived in Port Moresby on 25th September 1942, where they were given three tasks:

Airfield Defence
Mobile Reserve
Defence of Bootless Bay and Borio Areas against enemy landings

Shortly after, the remainder of the regiment moved to New Guinea. The regimental headquarters and C Squadron moved to Port Moresby, and B Squadron moved direct to Milne Bay.

A rear view of the tank pictured above. The rear has not burned as much, and some track links are intact and are fitted with grousers. Note the open stowage boxes and the sign of the 1st Australian Armoured Division.

The threat to Port Moresby had lessened by this time and the Regiment trained for operations as well as having troops employed as stretcher bearers unloading wounded men from aircraft, working as despatchers in air resupply aircraft and labouring on the wharves or making roads.

Actions at Buna and Sanananda

Attempts to dislodge the Japanese at Buna defied the efforts of Australian and US troops, and following a debacle where infantry machine gun carriers were used as tanks and were shot to pieces, it was decided that the tanks would get their chance to be used. Four tanks of C Squadron had already been shipped to Oro Bay, and were offloaded onto lighters which were then towed by launch to Hariko. This was done at night as the Japanese still had air parity at least. The tanks landed at Hariko and were moved along the beach at low tide, with low flying aircraft drowning the noise and the incoming tides removing traces of their tracks. Four tanks from B Squadron were also moved up from Milne Bay, and these eight tanks constituted a composite X Squadron under the command of Captain Norm Whitehead.

A Stuart at Sanananda. This is believed to be Sergeant Mc Gregor’s tank which was burnt out by a Molotov cocktail.

The attack on 18th December 1942 would be led by the 2/9th Australian Infantry Battalion supported by 7 tanks. The US 128th Regiment, the 2/10th Australian Infantry Battalion with one tank would comprise the reserve. The 2/9th battalion would attack with three companies forward. Three B Squadron tanks commanded by Lieutenant McCrohon, Sergeant Jack Lattimore and Corporal Evan Barnett would support the right flank company. The centre company had three tanks commanded by Lieutenant Curtiss, Sergeant John Church and Corporal Cambridge. The seventh tank was commanded by Corporal Tom Byrnes and had Captain Whitehead on board. This tank was to the rear of the two troops of forward tanks and was to act as the control tank.

After crossing the start line at 0700 hours, the tanks moved at an infantry pace, with the infantry moving beside or close behind. This work was not what the Stuarts were designed for and continuous slipping of clutches and low engine revs caused the drivers much trouble. Where the tanks encountered Japanese bunkers, these were attacked by the tanks at point blank range and finished off by the infantry throwing in grenades. The left flank company, having no supporting armour, faired badly and suffered many casualties. As Captain Whitehead had left his troop leaders to run their own battle, he was at a loose end until the request for tank support came from the left flank company. Turning west, he came up against three strongpoints. The southern bunker was despatched with five rounds and turning to take on the next, the gunner‘s sights fogged over. Whitehead had his face pressed against one of the turret vision slits when a Japanese soldier leaped onto the tank and fired his rifle against the slit. Severely wounded by shrapnel from the armour and the bullet, Whitehead fell into the tank. As the tank turned to evacuate him, the gunner fired a 37mm round at another Japanese firing from behind a tree.

Sergeant Lattimore’s tank on the dock in Sydney in 1971 before being transferred to the USA. Note the damage to the co-drivers hatch.

The Regiment’s Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Ralph Hodgson, took over the tank after Whitehead was removed. Returning to the battle, he was true to his teaching during training, and had his head out of the commander’s cupola to better see the battlefield. In any case the vision slits had been earlier damaged and were useless. Unfortunately, a machine gun burst on the vehicle wounded him, and so by 1000 hours both the Regimental and Squadron commanders were casualties.

Back on the right flank, Lattimore’s tank had bellied on a coconut log. Responding to a call, Corporal Barnett moved to Lattimore’s position but had run out of ammunition. Moving quickly to the rear (only a matter of 500 yards) and Barnett replenished and returned. The Japanese started to light fires under Lattimore’s tank, and so Barnett’s gunner machine gunned them off. The crew were saved. In the centre, Lieutenant Curtiss’s tank bellied on a stump and again the Japanese tried to burn them alive. Under cover of infantry small arms fire, Curtiss and his crew escaped, but the tank burned out. Corporal Byrnes’s tank was hit by a magnetic mine and destroyed.

The tank which now rests at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra being recovered in 1971, using a dozer to move it onto an Army landing craft.

In a gallant final effort, the infantry formed up at 1400 with several of the tanks and began a final assault. Using very pistols to indicate targets to the tank crews, the infantry moved forward, and the reserve platoon used Bren Guns to sweep the tree tops. The attack succeeded, and the Japanese broke, leaving their bunkers only to be gunned down by the Australians. It took another six days to reach the ultimate objective, Sinemi Creek, which was only 2500 yards from the start line.

On 24th December 1942, a fresh advance started to the west. Four tanks commanded by Lietenant McCrohon were in support. The Japanese had used antaircraft guns against allied aircraft, but these had not been fired recently. The tanks were advised these guns were well to the south. In the first hour, three tanks fell to three Japanese dual-purpose anti-aircraft guns. Lattimore’s tank was hit in the co-driver’s position, killing him and severely wounding Lattimore. The second tank had its tracks blown off and the third, commanded by Corporal Barnett took a round through the turret, killing the gunner and severely wounding Barnett. The fourth tank slipped into a shell crater.

M3A1 engaged in the Pacific Area. Most tanks employed in the Far-East were light tanks. Transport problems as well as the absence of a serious threat from Japanese tanks explain that.

In the meantime, a further 11 tanks of B Squadron left Milne Bay and were moved to the area. An attack on 29 December was ill-conceived and executed, using only four tanks which had only just arrived in the area. A further attack on 1st January 1943 was more successful and six tanks with three in reserve were used. The infantry however were exhausted, and against strong bunkers the attacks slowed. The actions were very fierce, and one tank had its radio put out of action and was set on fire. The crew remained with the tanks, putting out the fire and fought from the stationary vehicle for five hours.

The final chapter for the 2/6th Armoured Regiment came on 10th January 1943, when thre tanks of Lieutenant’s Heaps troop, plus one reserve, supported the attack of the 2/12th Infantry Battalion at Sanananda. The troop had to advance line ahead along a narrow track, and after some 60 yards the troop leader’s tank was hit by four rounds from an unlocated Japanese anti-tank gun. Both the hull hatches were blown open, and one round penetrated the left sponson. Corporal Broughton’s tank moved forward to cover the damaged vehicle, but received twenty rounds of 37mm fire before one round penetrated and wounded the four crew. The driver, although wounded, managed to extricate the tank and move off with the wounded. The third tank, commanded by Sergeant McGregor moved forward to support the troop leader, but his track was cut by a mine. and then set on fire by a Molotov Cocktail. Both the tank and the four crew were lost. Lieutenant Heap and his crew finally managed to exit the tank, which had been rendered unserviceable by the crew, and they withdrew to safety.

This finished the involvement of the 2/6th Australian Armoured Regiment in the jungle battles. They had proven that armour was an essential factor for the fight against the Japanese, and although they were equipped with unsuitable vehicles, had achieved results out of all proportion to their numbers.

The final words for the Regiment were spoken by Major General Ronald Hopkins, the father of the RAAC:

“It must be recognised that the gallantry and devotion of the officers and men of the 2/6th Armoured Regiment remained the vital factor in the success of their operations.”

The Tanks

The tanks which fought in these actions were all M3 Stuarts, either with octagonal welded, or horseshoe rounded turrets, both types having the high cupolas. All tanks were petrol engined.

Three of the tanks are still, more or less, in existence. The Australian War Memorial possesses one turret and upper hull, one tank less suspension exists at a Museum in New Guinea, and the third most complete vehicle is located at the Admiral Nimitz State Historical Park in Austin, Texas. This vehicle is Sergeant Lattimore’s tank.

At the end of the battles, the LAD Commander, Captain Cyril Diamond, produced a list by tank (hull) number showing the condition of each tank. Of the 27 tanks brought to the Buna – Sanananda area, the following summary is made:

Tanks at Soputa which are OK 8
Tanks at Cape Endiadere which are OK 12
Tanks which can be moved but not suitable for fighting 1
Tanks from which turrets have been removed 2
Tanks lost at Buna 3
Tanks lost at Sanananda 1

The tanks which had their turrets removed were used for towing and recovery after the battle, and were known as “bobtails”.

Paul D. Handel

Additional Sources:

www.roberts.ezpublishing.com/rarmory/
www.diggerhistory.info
anzacsteel.hobbyvista.com
www.battlefield.ru/library/lend/
www.armors.org
www.jodyharmon.com
www.lrdg.de
www.rock.sannet.ne.jp
members.terracom.net/~vfwpost
www.thortrains.net/armymen
softland.com.pl
users.swing.be/tanks.tanks/complet
www.wwiivehicles.com

On This Day In History

Birthdates which occurred on April 20:
0121 Marcus Aurelius 16th Roman emperor (161-80), philosopher
1442 Edward IV King (England, 1461-83)
1745 Philippe Pinel physician, founder of psychiatry
1808 Louis-Napoleon [Napoleon III] emperor of France (1852-71)
1809 John Smith Preston Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1881
1824 Alfred Holt Colquitt Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1894
1827 John Gibbon Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1896
1839 Carol I King of Romania (1881-1914)
1850 Daniel Chester French/American sculptor (The Minute Man)
1860 Charles Gordon Curtis US attorney/inventor (Curtis Turbine)
1879 Robert Lynd Irish writer/critic (Pleasures of Ignorance)
1881 Nikolai Miaskovsky Novogeorievsk Poland, composer (Kirov is With Us)

1889 Adolf Hitler Braunau Austria, dictator of Nazi Germany (1936-45)

1893 Harold Lloyd Burchard NE, silent comic (Why Worry, Safety Last)
1893 Joan Miró Spain, painter/sculptor (Dog Barking at the Moon)
1904 Bruce Cabot Carlsbad NM, actor (Diamonds are Forever, King Kong)
1907 Alan Reed actor/voice (Fred Allen Show, Fred Flintstone)
1909 Lionel Hampton orchestra leader/vibraphone improviser (Depths Below)
1913 Dick Wessel Wisconsin, actor (Dick Tracy vs Cueball, Beware of Blondie)
1920 John Paul Stevens Chicago IL, 103rd Supreme Court Justice (1975- )
1923 Tito Puente Puerto Rico, bandleader (Dance Mania)
1924 Nina Foch Leiden Netherlands, actress (American in Paris)
1927 Karl Müller Switzerland, superconductivity physicist (Nobel 1987)
1931 Lee H Hamilton Daytona Beach FL,(Representative-Democrat-IN, 1965- )
1936 Pat Roberts (Representative-Republican-KS, 1981- )
1938 Johnny Tillotson Jacksonville FL, singer (Gidget, Poetry in Motion)
1940 George Takei Los Angeles CA, actor (Sulu-Star Trek, Green Berets)
1941 Ryan O'Neal Los Angeles CA, actor (Peyton Place, Paper Moon, Love Story)
1943 Ian Watson UK, sci-fi author (Book of Being, Whores of Babylon)
1949 Jessica Lange Cloquet MN, actress (King Kong, Tootsie)
1951 Luther Vandross Bronx NY, rock vocalist (Here and Now, Never Too Much)
1955 Donald R Pettit Silverton OR, PhD/astronaut
1959 Clint Howard Burbank CA, actor (Gentle Ben)

Deaths which occurred on April 20:
1314 Clement V [Bertrand Got] pope (1305-14) move papacy to Avignon, dies
1632 Nicolas Antione converted to Judiasm, burned at the stake
1769 Pontiac Indian chief to Ottawa, murdered
1786 John Goodricke English deaf & dumb astronomer, dies at 21
1812 George Clinton 4th US Vice President, dies at 73 1st Vice President to die in office
1906 Australian wombat oldest known marsupial, dies in London Zoo at 26
1912 Bram Stoker Irish theater manager/writer (Dracula), dies
1962 Jesse G Vincent engineer designed 1st V-12 engine, dies at 82
1973 Robert Armstrong actor (Fall Guy, Exposed), dies at 82
1974 Mohammed Ayub Khan premier/President (Pakistan), dies
1982 Archibald MacLeish US, lawyer/writer (Conquistador), dies at 89
1984 Mabel Mercer English/US singer (Fly me to the moon), dies at 84
1991 Don[ald] Siegel US director (Coogan's Bluff/Dirty Harry), dies at 78
1991 Yumzhagin Tsendenbal PM of Mongolia (1952-74), dies
1992 Benny [Alfred Hawthorn] Hill comedian (Benny Hill Show), dies of a heart attack at 67
1992 Johnny Shines Delta blues singer/guitarist, dies at 76
1996 Christopher Robin Milne bookseller/son of writer A A Milne (Winnie the Pooh), dies at 75

Reported: MISSING in ACTION

1965 BUTLER PHILLIP N.---TULSA OK.
[02/12/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE IN 98]
1965 SHEA JAMES PATRICK---BURLINGAME CA.
[CRASH TARGET AREA / NO PARA]
1966 ABBOTT JOHN---SAN DIEGO CA.
[DRV RETURNED REMAINS 03/13/74]
1968 CESTARE JOSEPH ANGELO---NEW YORK NY.
1968 WALKER WILLIAM J.---RIVERSIDE CA.
1968 ZUTTERMAN JOSEPH A. JR.---MARYSVILLE KS.
1970 MAHAN DOUGLAS F.---COLUMBIA MO.
[07/05/72 REMAINS RECOVERED]
1972 AMOS THOMAS H.---REPUBLIC MO.
[REMAINS ID'D 11/03/99]
1972 BURNHAM MASON I.---PORTLAND OR.
[REMAINS ID'D 11/03/99]
1972 ELIAS EDWARD K.
[09/28/72 RELEASED HANOI]

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

On this day...
0295 8th recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet
0850 Guntherus becomes bishop of Cologne
1139 2nd Lateran Council (10th ecumenical council) opens in Rome
1505 Jews are expelled from Orange Burgundy by Philibert of Luxembourg
1653 Cromwell routes English parliament to house
1657 Battle in Santa Cruz Bay, Tenerife English fleet under Robert Blake sinks Spanish silver fleet
1702 Comet C/1702 H1 approaches within 0.0437 astronomical units (AUs) of Earth
1770 Captain Cook arrives in New South Wales
1775 British begin siege of Boston
1777 New York adopts new constitution as an independent state
1792 France declares war on Austria, Prussia & Sardinia
1799 Napoleon issues a decree calling for establishing Jerusalem for Jews
1809 Napoleon I defeats Austria at Battle of Abensberg, Bavaria
1836 Territory of Wisconsin created
1841 1st detective story (Poe's "Murders in the Rue Morgue") published
1853 Harriet Tubman starts Underground Railroad
1861 Battle of Norfolk VA
1871 3rd Enforcement Act (President can suspend writ of habeas corpus)
1879 1st mobile home (horse drawn) used in a journey from London & Cyprus
1884 Pope Leo XIII encyclical "On Freemasonry"
1894 136,000 mine workers strike in Ohio for pay increase
1896 1st public film showing in US John Philip Sousa's "El Capitán", premieres in NYC
1902 Marie & Pierre Curie isolate radioactive element radium
1904 George Bernard Shaw's "Candida", premieres in London
1910 Halley's Comet passes 29th recorded perihelion at 87.9 million km
1912 Fenway Park officially opens, Boston Red Sox beat New York Highlanders 7-6 in 11
1912 Tiger Stadium in Detroit opens, Tigers beat Cleveland Indians 6-5
1914 33 killed by soldiers during mine strike in Ludlow CO
1916 1st National League game at Weeghman Park (Wrigley Field) in Chicago opens, Chicago Cubs beat Cincinnati Reds 7-6
1917 Pravda (Lenin names Russia "Free land of world")
1919 Polish Army captures Vilno, Lithuania from Soviet Army
1920 Tornadoes kill 219 in Alabama & Mississippi
1920 Balfour Declaration recognized, makes Palestine a British Mandate
1926 1st check sent by radio facsimile transmission across the Atlantic
1931 British House of Commons agrees for sports play on Sunday
1934 Heinrich Himmler becomes inspector Prussian secret state police
1935 "You're Hit Parade" begins broadcasting (becomes #1 quickly)
1936 Jews repel an Arab attack in Petach Tikvah Palestine
1939 New York World's Fair opens
1939 Ted Williams' 1st hit (off of Yankee Red Ruffing) a double
1940 1st electron microscope demonstrated (RCA), Philadelphia PA
1941 100 German bombers attack Athens
1942 Heavy German assault on Malta
1945 Soviet troops enter Berlin
1945 US 7th Army & allies forces capture Nuremberg & Stuttgart in Germany
1945 Cleveland Browns organization formed by Arthur "Mickey" McBride
1945 US forces conquer Motobu peninsula on Okinawa
1946 1st televised baseball broadcast in Chicago, St Louis Cardinals vs Chicago Cubs
1949 Jockey Bill Shoemaker wins his 1st race, in Albany CA
1958 Morocco demands departure of Spanish troops
1962 NASA civilian pilot Neil A Armstrong takes X-15 to an altitude of 63,250 meters
1962 New Orleans Citizens Company gives free 1-way ride to blacks to move North
1962 OAS-leader ex-General Salan arrested in Algiers
1964 86% of black students boycott Cleveland schools
1965 People's Republic China offers North Vietnam military aid
1967 US planes bomb Haiphong for 1st time during the Vietnam War
1967 US Surveyor 3 lands on Moon
1967 French author Régis Debray("French radical theoretician") caught in Bolivia
1968 Pierre Elliott Trudeau sworn-in as Canada's PM
1970 Bruno Kreisky becomes 1st socialist chancellor of Austria
1971 Barbra Streisand records "We've Only Just Begun"
1971 US Supreme Court upholds use of busing to achieve racial desegregation
1972 Apollo 16's Young & Duke land on Moon with Boeing Lunar Rover #2
1974 Paul McCartney releases "Band on the Run"
1976 George Harrison sings the lumberjack song with Monty Python
1977 Supreme Court rules "Live Free or Die" may be covered on New Hampshire licenses
1977 Woody Allen's film "Annie Hall" premieres
1980 Cubans begin to arrive in US from Mariel boatlift
1981 Rocker Papa John Phillips arrested for drug possession
1983 President Ronald Reagan signs a $165 billion bail-out for Social Security
1984 Russian offensive in Panshirvallei Afghánistán
1985 Karyn Marshall of New York NY lifted 303 lbs in a clean-and-jerk lift
1986 Michael Jordan sets NBA playoff record with 63 points in a game
1986 Vladimir Horowitz performs in his Russian homeland
1987 Sri Lanka Tamils shoot 122 Singalesen dead
1987 US deports Karl Linnas, charged with nazi war crimes, to USSR
1988 US accuses Renamo of killing 100,000 Mozambiquians
1990 Pete Rose pleads guilty to hiding $300,000 in income
1993 Uranus passes Neptune (this occurs once every 171 years)
1994 Danny Harold Rolling, sentenced to death in Florida, for killing 5
1994 Serbian army bombs hospital in Goradze Bosnia, 47 killed
1994 Space shuttle STS-59 (Endeavour 6), lands
1996 Chicago Bulls win record 72 games in a season
1997 1st baseball game in Hawaii, St Louis Cardinals beat San Diego Padres in doubleheader
1997 Mark McGwire, is 4th to homerun on Detroit Tiger left field roof (others are Frank Howard, Harmon Killibrew, & Cecil Fielder)
1999 Deadliest school shooting in US history at Columbine High School, Littleton CO, 13 killed, 23 wounded

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

US : Boys and Girls Club Week (Day 3)
US : National Lingerie Week (Day 3)
US : National Science and Technology Week (Day 3)
Holy Humor Month

Religious Observances
RC : St. Marian

Religious History
1441 During the Council of Florence (1438-45), Eugenius IV issued the bull "Etsi non dubitemus," which asserted the superiority of the pope over the Councils.
1718 Birth of David Brainerd, colonial American missionary to the Indians of New England. Following his premature death from tuberculosis at 29, Brainerd's journal (published in 1649 by the Jonathan Edwards) influenced hundreds to become missionaries after him.
1826 Birth of Erastus Johnson, American hymnwriter. A lifelong student of the Bible, Johnson, at age 47, penned the hymn, "O Sometimes the Shadows are Deep" (a.k.a. "The Rock That Is Higher Than I").
1943 In Poland, Germans Nazi troops massacred the Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto.
1987 In Columbus, OH, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) was organized, making it the largest Lutheran denomination in the U.S. It represented the merger of three smaller Lutheran bodies, and was officially born on Jan 1, 1988.

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

Thought for the day :
"Freedom has a thousand charms to show, that slaves, however content, will never know."

Martha Stewart's Way vs. The Real Woman's Way...
Martha Way#1: Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of a sugar cone to prevent ice cream drips.
The Real Woman's Way #1: Just suck the ice cream out of the bottom of the cone, for Pete's sake, you are probably lying on the couch with your feet up eating it anyway.

New State Slogans...
Illinois: Sorry about Carol Mosely Braun.

Male Language Patterns...
"Let's take your car." REALLY MEANS,
"Mine is full of beer cans, burger wrappers and completely out of gas."

Female Language Patterns...
"It's a chick thing." REALLY MEANS,
"If I told you, you wouldn't believe me anyway, so why bother, besides it's none of your business. Are you sure we're legally married?"