The FReeper Foxhole Revisits "Black Thursday" Schweinfurt, 1943 - May 30th, 2004

see educational sources

[snippy_about_it]

Lord,

Keep our Troops forever in Your care

Give them victory over the enemy...

Grant them a safe and swift return...

Bless those who mourn the lost.
.

FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer
for all those serving their country at this time.


...................................................................................... ...........................................

U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues

Where Duty, Honor and Country
are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.

Our Mission:

The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans.

In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood and support.

The FReeper Foxhole hopes to share with it's readers an open forum where we can learn about and discuss military history, military news and other topics of concern or interest to our readers be they Veteran's, Current Duty or anyone interested in what we have to offer.

If the Foxhole makes someone appreciate, even a little, what others have sacrificed for us, then it has accomplished one of it's missions.

We hope the Foxhole in some small way helps us to remember and honor those who came before us.

To read previous Foxhole threads or
to add the Foxhole to your sidebar,
click on the books below.

The FReeper Foxhole Revisits

Black Thursday
Schweinfurt Oct. 14, 1943

Imagine if a squadron-sized unit simply failed to return to duty after taking part in a contingency.

That's precisely what confronted in the 305th Bombardment Group 59 years ago, following what is perhaps the greatest air battle in history.

Rightly called "Black Thursday" by veterans, the Oct. 14, 1943 mission to Schweinfurt, Germany, was the most arduous of the war. Incredibly, of the 15 group aircraft able to participate in the mission, the Luftwaffe claimed 13, and 130 crewmembers.

Of the downed airmen, 40 died and 20 were wounded, while another 79 became prisoners of war. Four airmen evaded capture and eventually returned to duty, while the remaining crewmen spent the war interned in Switzerland.



It took many months for the "Can Do" group to recover from the raid, and the wounds of that day are still felt by the group's veterans. The 305th BG had raided Schweinfurt before, on Aug. 17, 1943. The experience had been chilling, with much aerial opposition and flak, but the group held together and lost no aircraft.

The "Black Thursday" Schweinfurt raid was completely different. Mistakes up and down the chain of command -- from security lapses to poor weather briefings -- led to unmitigated disaster for the Eighth Air Force and nearly halted the combined bombing offensive.

Departing from the disciplined model of Col. Curtis LeMay, the group struggled with one problem after another in the bad weather that blanketed England. The group missed its assigned rendezvous with its element leader and every other subsequent navigational waypoint over England. Eventually, the 305th formed up on the wrong combat wing -- the 1st Combat Wing rather than the 40th -- becoming the "low group" in a very unconventional four-group alignment.

Unlike England, the weather over occupied Europe was generally excellent for the defending fighters, only adding more misery to the 305th's longest day, as flak, fighters and coast watchers had no trouble plotting their course.



Rocket-firing German Messerschmitt-110s and Messerschmitt-210s destroyed most of the 305th BG before they even reached the Rhein River -- some 115 miles short of the target. Only three of the group's B-17s made it to the target area -- one of those crews released its bomb load while the aircraft burned.

Only two 305th BG B-17s left Schweinfurt that day, and their crews managed to survive the long trip back to England by tucking into the 92nd Bomb Group's protective formation. Many tales of bravery transpired that day, such that unbelievable courage was the rule rather than the exception.

Unfortunately, there weren't enough survivors to write many decoration packages.

Since only two moderately damaged "Flying Fortresses" had taxied to the maintenance area, Lt. Col. Thomas McGehee, commander of the 305th, asked a returning crewman where the rest of the group's B-17s were. He received the most chilling reply in 305 AMW history.



"Sir, there are no more ships," the crewman said. "We are the only ones left." The ground crews of the missing 13 aircraft refused to give up hope and desperately milled about the hardstands for hours until ordered to stand down.

Leadership sometimes requires that higher headquarters be disappointed. Given the abysmal weather over England, the lack of coordination in the air, and the known, strong aerial opposition ahead, the Schweinfurt mission should have been scrubbed.

Despite the odds, the Eighth Air Force had not turned back, had hit its intended target, and suffered the loss of more than 600 crewmen that day. As a result, the face of the bomber offensive changed almost immediately. Never again would the Eighth Air Force commit so many lives to deep penetrations of occupied Europe without adequate fighter protection. No group ever again suffered the horrendous 87-percent attrition rate the "Can Do" group did that October day.

When the 42nd "Rainbow" Infantry Division liberated Schweinfurt in 1945, they sent the Nazi flag flying over the town hall to the men of the 305th Bombardment Group. Now housed at the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio, the flag is inscribed with the simple words, "The Rainbow has avenged your losses at Schweinfurt."

---

---

FReeper Foxhole Armed Services Links

[snippy_about_it]

.................

Shortly before 10 a.m., the silence of the aerodromes was abruptly shattered. Wright Cyclone radial engines coughed, shuddered, spat smoke and burst into life. The three-bladed props seemed to windmill for a second, then faded into a blur as the engines settled into a smooth roar. Soon, almost 1,400 engines were flattening the grass behind the bombers, and the din rolled across the English countryside.



Colonel "Budd" J. Peaslee, Mission 115 commander, would fly to Schweinfurt as copilot in Captain James K. McLaughlin's 92nd BG B-17, and about 10:15 he saw the signal flare that indicated the mission was on. Because of the dense fog and the overcast, which limited visibility to a quarter-mile, Mission 115's status had gone down to the wire. But word finally came that weather over the continent was clear, and this was enough to put the mission into operation.

Takeoff proceeded without incident, but conditions began to unravel shortly after the bombers climbed above the overcast. Because the 305th Bomber Group could not locate the 40th Combat Wing to take its assigned position, the 305th was forced to link with the 1st Wing. The 40th Combat Wing, now composed only of the 92nd and 306th bomber groups, tagged along with the 41st Wing.

Because of the thick fog, only 29 of the 60 Liberators scheduled to fly the mission could take off; eight of these could not form up and returned to base. The remaining 21 Liberators made a diversionary sweep toward Emden.

As the B-17s flew toward Schweinfurt, 26 aborted for various reasons. Thus, of the 351 bombers that set out to hit Schweinfurt, 86 were not on hand when the force reached the German frontier.



The overcast also disrupted a scheduled escort by four P-47 Thunderbolt groups. The 353rd and 56th fighter groups rendezvoused successfully with the bombers and eventually shot down 13 fighters, but the 4th Fighter Group could not locate its B-17s and returned to base. The 352nd Fighter Group wound up escorting the B-24s on their diversionary sweep. The 55th Fighter Group, flying P-38 Lightnings, did not become operational in time to participate.

The Luftwaffe was apparently aware of the range limitations of the P-47s, and most German fighters delayed their attacks until the escort turned back. What at first could be mistaken for mere specks on B-17 Perspex windshields became fighters-swarms of them, getting larger as they queued up to attack. B-17 interphones immediately came alive as gunners called out "bogies"first at 12 o'clock (straight ahead on the clock-based locator system), then at every position on the clock. Gunners were warned to keep chatter to a minimum and to not waste ammunition.

"The opening play is a line plunge through center," mission commander Peaslee later told Martin Caidin, author of the 1960 book Black Thursday. "The fighters whip through our formation, for our closing speed exceeds 500 mph. Another group of flashes replaces the first, and this is repeated five times, as six formations of Me-109s charges us .... I can see fighters on my side ... their paths marked in the bright sunlight by fine lines of light-colored smoke as they fire short bursts. It is a coordinated attack ... their timing is perfect, their technique masterly."

Although they were still far from the target, smoking Fortresses started to fall out of formation-37 in all. That left 228 to actually bomb the target, about twothirds of the original strength.



The saga of the 94th Bomber Group's B-17F Brennan's Circus was typical of the heroics that became routine on Mission 115. Ten minutes from the target, Circus lost an engine and began to fall behind when the bombs could not be jettisoned. To escape the circling fighters, pilot Joseph Brennan put the B-17 into a dive. The crew eventually got rid of the bombs, but another engine "ran away" into high rpm and had to be feathered. Over Holland and Belgium, a burst of flak took out a third engine. Circus struggled out over the North Sea, kept barely aloft by the one remaining engine, to within a few miles of the English coast before settling into the water. The crew was credited with four German fighter kills and one damaged for the mission.

Meanwhile, back over the target, fighter attacks stopped abruptly as German pilots turned their attention to groups of bombers still en route to the target. It was to be the only respite for the beleaguered crews in more than three hours of ceaseless combat.

On the return trip, the fury of air combat was entered anew, as many of the German fighters that had left the fight to refuel and rearm returned. But the attacks were not as precise as they had been earlier because many of the fighters had lost their original units and had formed up with any friendly aircraft in the area.



It was estimated that more than 300 German fighters participated in the day's combat at some point. Most were the familiar single-engine Messerschmitt Bf-109G and Focke-Wulf Fw-190, but the Luftwaffe also made extensive use of night-fighter Junkers Ju-88 and Messerschmitt Bf-110 twin-engine craft. The use of these aircraft was controversial because their pilots, used to night attack techniques, often left themselves wide open to American gunners.

Other aircraft reportedly in the fray included the ungainly, fixed-landing gear Ju-87 Stuka dive bomber, the Fw-189 tactical reconnaissance aircraft and the experimental He- 100 fighter of 1940 vintage. Although it seems unlikely the Luftwaffe would risk such unsuitable, specialized aircraft for bomber interception, the mystery of their alleged appearance contributed to the jumbled patchwork of the running fight.

"The fighters were unrelenting; it was simply murder," recalls Carl Abele, who was serving as navigator on a 544th Squadron, 384th BG, B-17F unofficially called Blackjack on the mission. Schweinfurt was the crew's fourth mission, and there had been no time to paint the name on.



"As it turned out, the name was destined never to be painted on," Abele remembers. "We lost an engine to flak and another to fighters, but the prop on one of the engines couldn't be feathered. The drag of the dead engine was tremendous, and helped doom the plane. Our pilot held her steady while we all bailed out, then he came out last. I never saw my chute open. The next thing I knew 1 was lying down in the back of a Totenkopf [Death's Head SS Army Division] truck on the way to POW camp."

The punishment being meted out was not always one-sided, however. Fortress gunners claimed 186 aircraft shot down, although German documents reviewed after the war placed their losses at approximately 40. Some overclaiming by gunners was inevitable, since several gunners within a combat "box"of bombers would fire on the same plane.

The fighter attacks continued without letup throughout the return flight, since poor weather had grounded the Spitfires and Thunderbolts that were to have provided cover for the bombers' withdrawal. A few German fighters continued their attacks almost to the British coast.



Soon after the drone of the returning bombers was heard, it was apparent that a disaster had occurred; bomber after bomber failed to return to its hard stand. Then the results were tabulated: 60 bombers down over Europe, five more lost near or over England, and 17 aircraft damaged beyond repair. Although other targets produced equal or greater total losses, the 26 percent loss figure recorded during Schweinfurt II gave it the dubious honor of being the most costly mission of the war for the Eighth Air Force.

The element of chance involved in death, injury or capture was never more evident than on Black Thursday. Some bomb groups were almost annihilated, while others were untouched. The 305th lost 13 out of 15 Fortresses dispatched and the 306th lost 12, while three other 1st Bomb Division groups, the 92nd, 379th and 384th, lost six each. The 3rd Bomb Division fared much better, with its seven groups losing only 15 aircraft overall and three-including the Bloody 100th-losing none. From the vantage of hindsight, had the raids been repeated at two-month intervals for a six-month period, the bearings industry "could not possibly have survived."

---

Today's Educational Sources and suggestions for further reading:

The FReeper Foxhole Remembers "Black Thursday" Schweinfurt, 1943 - Jan. 17th, 2003 - Original Thread by SAMWolf

[snippy_about_it]

..........

Mission Number 115 may sound like an ordinary one, but for the 8th Air Force the mission to Schweinfurt on October 14 1943 was anything but ordinary. In fact it was a costly disaster, which nearly stopped daylight offensive deep raids into Germany. It marked the low point for the USAAF and the high point for German fighters, a true turning point in the aerial war in Europe. Ironically things would turn for the better for the losers of the Schweinfurt attack and get worse for the winners.



On the morning of October 14th 1943 along with 15 others from the 305th Bomb Group, Lazy Baby set off from Chelveston in England on Mission 115, the second Schweinfurt raid, later to become known as Black Thursday. By the time they reached Aachen on the outward leg only Lazy Baby and two others of the 305th were left flying.



They were then seriously damaged and three crew severely injured whilst two bailed out. Diving from 23,000 ft to only 3,000 ft, pilot Ed Dienhart managed to escape the attacking fighters. With the ball turret gunner trapped and navigator seriously injured they proceeded at 30 to 50 feet, hedge-hopping all the way, to Switzerland and safety. Guided by the navigator Don Rowley who, despite having both arms virtually severed, managed to steer them from memory for over an hour to Switzerland where they made a dramatic crash landing only four miles from the German border. The navigator died the following day from his injuries. Whilst the pilot drew upon every ounce of his flying skills, the rest of the crew exhibited untold valor in the face of terrible adversity and selfless devotion to their stricken comrades.

[snippy_about_it]

......



Reconnaissance photo of Schweinfurt, Germany after raids shows hits on machine shops (A and B) and powerhouse for shops (C). Arrows in left part of photo show where camouflage is used to confuse damage assessors.U.S. Air Force Photo4


Ball bearing factory burning after bomb hit.

[snippy_about_it]

'I had accepted the fact that I was not going to live through this mission. It was as simple as that. I was calm; it was a strange sort of resignation. I knew for certain that it was only a matter of seconds or minutes. It was impossible for us to survive....'

-- B-17 Pilot,
Post Mission De-briefing

[snippy_about_it]

FALL IN to the FReeper Foxhole!



Good Sunday Morning Everyone.


If you would like to be added to our ping list, let us know.

[snippy_about_it]

Veterans for Constitution Restoration is a non-profit, non-partisan educational and grassroots activist organization.

---

Actively seeking volunteers to provide this valuable service to Veterans and their families.

Thanks to quietolong for providing this link.

---

Iraq Homecoming Tips

~ Thanks to our Veterans still serving, at home and abroad. ~ Freepmail to Ragtime Cowgirl | 2/09/04 | FRiend in the USAF

---

UPDATED THROUGH APRIL 2004



The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul

Click on Hagar for
"The FReeper Foxhole Compiled List of Daily Threads"

[SAMWolf]

Good Night Snippy. Great game of "Call of Duty" tonight.

[snippy_about_it]

Good night Sam. I have to learn how to read a compass better. :-) Thanks for your patience. It was fun!

[E.G.C.]

Good morning, Snippy and everyone at the Freeper Foxhole.

[aomagrat]

Good morning. Just a quick note to let you all know that I'm still alive. I've been on the road for a few weeks.

[Samwise]

Morning, Mom.

[Iris7]

"the Luftwaffe also made extensive use of night-fighter Junkers Ju-88 and Messerschmitt Bf-110 twin-engine craft. The use of these aircraft was controversial because their pilots, used to night attack techniques, often left themselves wide open to American gunners.

Other aircraft reportedly in the fray included the ungainly, fixed-landing gear Ju-87 Stuka dive bomber, the Fw-189 tactical reconnaissance aircraft and the experimental He- 100 fighter of 1940 vintage. Although it seems unlikely the Luftwaffe would risk such unsuitable, specialized aircraft for bomber interception, the mystery of their alleged appearance contributed to the jumbled patchwork of the running fight."

I read somewhere that the Germans used ball bearings in their machines much more often than Americans. Ball bearings have a definite service life, so a total loss of German ball bearing manufacturing capacity would mean that cars, trucks, aircraft, tanks, the whole shebang, would grind to a halt.

Schweinfurt had something like 90% of the German ball bearing manufacturing capacity. Albert Speer said that if the Schweinfurt bearing plants had been bombed every day for three months the war would have been over in 1943. As it was, the Americans stopped bombing Schweinfurt and the Germans moved all of the machinery into deep bunkers.

The reason every airplane the Germans had with a gun mounted went after the Schweinfurt bombers is that they had no choice. They had to stop the Schweinfurt raids.

*****************

'I had accepted the fact that I was not going to live through this mission. It was as simple as that. I was calm; it was a strange sort of resignation. I knew for certain that it was only a matter of seconds or minutes. It was impossible for us to survive....'

Yeah, strange realities. You write yourself off.

Commander Evans of Johnston, Taffy 3 at Leyte Gulf, told his crew over the ship public address system that they were going to attack the Japanese battle line of four battleships, seven cruisers, and a dozen destroyers with their 2,200 ton Fletcher class tin can. Commander Evans told them that "There can be no expectation of survival."

You never forget when this happens to you.

[The Mayor]

I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever. —John 14:16

In every desert of trial, the Holy Spirit is our oasis of comfort.

[The Mayor]

May 30, 2004

The Best Consoler

Read: John 14:16-21,24-27

I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever. —John 14:16

Bible In One Year: 2 Chronicles 10-12; John 11:30-57

---

When two uniformed men came to my door on Memorial Day afternoon, I thought they were collecting for charity. Instead, they told me that my sister and her husband had been killed in an accident earlier that day.

Just over a year after that shattering event, our church choir sang "Veni, Sancte Spiritus" ("Come, Holy Spirit") on Pentecost Sunday (Whitsunday). It brought a wave of peace over my still-aching soul. One verse says: "Thou best of Consolers, sweet guest of the soul, sweet refreshment. In labor, Thou art rest; in heat, the tempering; in grief, the consolation."

On Pentecost Sunday, many churches celebrate the Holy Spirit's coming in power on the disciples (Acts 2:1-21). But the Spirit came also as the Comforter promised by Jesus: "I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever" (John 14:16). The Spirit lives within each Christian, bringing the peace of Christ along with encouragement and alleviation of grief.

Pentecost and Memorial Day seldom fall next to each other as they do in 2004. But the "sweet guest of the soul" is always with us on any day we remember our loved ones who have died. In grief, the Spirit is our consolation, the light of our hearts, the giver of everlasting joy. —David McCasland

O spread the tidings 'round wherever man is found,
Wherever human hearts and human woes abound;
Let every Christian tongue proclaim the joyful sound:
The Comforter has come! —Bottome

In every desert of trial, the Holy Spirit is our oasis of comfort.

[U S Army EOD]

After this raid the Germans were able to repair most to their facilities. However, they started to buy ball bearings from Sweden. The British learned of this and also tried to out buy the Germans on the Swedish ball bearing production. The Swedes simply increased their production and made a killing selling ball bearings to both sides.

[Soaring Feather]

Good morning, everyone.

[Samwise]

The Gaffer in Alaska--redux

photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 3

Can you see any of these?

[Valin]

On This Day In History


Birthdates which occurred on May 30:
1220 Alexander Nevski [Aleksandr] Russian ruler (1252-63)
1524 Selîm II Sari the blonde, sultan of Turkey (1566-74)
1672 Peter I "the Great" Romanov tsar of Russia (1682-1725)
1800 Karl W Feuerbach German mathematician (Position of Feuerbach)
1812 John Alexander McClernand Major General (Union volunteers)
1830 Edward Winslow Hinks Brevet Major General (Union volunteers)
1832 George Doherty Johnston Brigadier General (Confederate Army)
1835 Alfred Austin Leeds England, poet laureate of England (Garden)
1846 Peter Carl Fabergé Russia, goldsmith/jeweler/egg maker
1867 Arthur Vining Davis Sharon MA, CEO (Alcoa-1910-57)
1896 Howard Hawks Goshen IN, director/producer (Rio Bravo, Scarface)
1902 Seton Howard Frederick Lloyd archaeologist
1908 Mel[vin Jerome] Blanc San Francisco CA, voice (Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd & Porky Pig)
1909 Benny Goodman Chicago IL, clarinetist/bandleader (King of Swing)
1912 Hugh Griffith Anglesey Wales, actor (Ben Hur, Mutiny on the Bounty, Oliver!)
1916 Dr Joseph W Kennedy scientist (1 of 4 discoverers of plutonium)
1926 Christine Jorgensen pioneer transsexual
1934 Alexei A Leonov Siberia USSR, cosmonaut (Voskhod II, Soyuz 19)
1936 Keir Dullea Cleveland OH, actor (2001, 2010, David & Lisa)
1939 Michael J Pollard Passaic NJ, actor (Bonnie & Clyde, Roxanne)
1943 Gale Sayers NFL running back (Chicago Bears)
1945 Meredith MacRae Houston TX, actress (Petticoat Junction, My 3 Sons)
1946 Candy Lightner political activist/founder (MADD)
1958 Michael E Lopez-Alegria Madrid Spain, US Navy Lieutenant Commander/astronaut (STS 73, sk 92)
1963 Helen Patricia Sharman Great Britain, cosmonaut (Soyuz TM-12)
1964 Wynonna [Christina Judd] Ashland KY, singer (Judds-Why Not Me, Love Can Build A Bridge)
1978 Krassmira Todorava Miss Bulgaria Universe (1997)

---

Deaths which occurred on May 30:
0727 Hubertus bishop of Tongeren-Maastricht/saint, dies at about 72
1252 Ferdinand III the holy King of Castilië/León, dies
1416 Jerome of Prague burned as a heretic by the Church
1431 Joan of Arc burned as a witch by the English at Rouen at 19
1574 Charles IX King of France (1560-74), dies
1593 Christopher Marlowe British dramatist (Tamburlaine the Great), murdered
1778 Voltaire [François-Marie Arouet] French writer (Candide), dies at 42
1864 James Barbour Terrill US attorney/Confederate Brigadier-General, dies at 26
1865 William Clarke Quantrill criminal/Confederate bushwhacker, dies at 27
1912 Wilbur Wright US aviation pioneer, dies
1918 Georgi V Plechanov Russian revolutionary theorist, dies
1945 Irma Laplasse Flemish farmer/Nazi collaborator, executed
1951 Hermann Broch writer, dies at 64
1954 Ahmad Amin Egyptian historian/author, dies at 67
1960 Boris Pasternak Russian poet/writer (Dr Zhivago), dies at 70
1961 Rafael L Trujillo Molina dictator Dominican Republic (1930-61), murdered at 69
1964 Leo Szilard Hungarians/US nuclear physicst, dies at 66

1971 Audie Murphy WWII hero/actor (Sierra), killed in plane crash at 46

1977 Paul Desmond US jazz saxophonist, dies at 52
1981 Ziaur Rahmen President of Bangladesh, is assassinated
1983 Alfred M Gruenther US General/NATO-commander (1953-56), dies at 84
1986 Hank Mobley US jazz saxophonist, dies at 55
1993 Herman S Blount Sun Ra, US jazz pianist (Solar Arkestra), dies at 79

---

Reported: MISSING in ACTION

1962 GERBER DANIEL A.
{TAKEN FROM LEPROSARIUM}
1962 MITCHELL ARCHIE E. ELLENSBURG WA.
{TAKEN FROM LEPROSARIUM}
1962 VIETTI ELANOR A. HOUSTON TX.
{TAKEN FROM LEPROSARIUM}
1966 HATCHER DAVID B. MT. AIRY NC.
{02/12/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE AND WELL 98}
1967 MEHL JAMES P. BELLE HARBOR NY.
{03/04/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE IN 98}
1968 IODICE FRANK C.
{06/01/68 ESCAPED}
1968 POTTER ALBERT J.
{06/01/68 ESCAPED, DECEASED}
1968 SMITH LEWIS P. II BELLEFONTE PA.
1970 DUKE CHARLES R.
1970 ISHI TOMOHARA JAPAN
{NOT ON OFFICIAL DIA LIST.}
1970 MARK KIT T.


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

---

On this day...
1434 Battle at Lipany
1498 Columbus departs with 6 ships for 3rd trip to America
1522 French troops driven out of Genoa
1527 University of Marburg (Germany) founded
1536 English king Henry VIII marries Jane Seymour
1539 Spanish explorer Fernando de Soto discovers Florida
1574 Henry III follows brother Charles IX as king of France
1588 Spanish Aramada under Medina-Sidonia departs Lisbon to invade England
1783 Benjamin Tower of Philadelphia publishes 1st daily newspaper in US
1808 Napoleon annexes Tuscany & gave it seats in French Senate
1814 1st Treaty of Paris, after Napoleon's 1st abdication
1821 James Boyd patents Rubber Fire Hose
1822 House slave betrays Denmark Vesey conspiracy (37 blacks hanged)
1842 John Francis attempts to assassinate Queen Victoria
1848 2nd battle at Gioto: Sardinia-Piemonte beats Austrians
1848 México ratifies treaty giving US; New Mexico, California & parts of Nevada, Utah, Arizona & Colorado in return for $15 million
1848 William G Young patents ice cream freezer
1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act repealed Missouri Compromise opens north slavery
1858 Hudson Bay Company's rights to Vancouver Island revoked
1862 Battle of Booneville MS - captured General Beauregard evacuates Corinth MS
1862 Battle of Front Royal VA
1864 Battle of Bethesda Church VA
1864 Cavalry fight at Old Church (Totopotomoy Creek) VA


1868 Memorial Day 1st observed when 2 women in Columbus MS placed flowers on both Confederate & Union graves


1872 Mahlon Loomis patents wireless telegraphy
1879 92º F highest temperature ever recorded in Cleveland OH in May
1879 Gilmore Garden (NYC) renamed Madison Square Garden
1883 Rumor that the Brooklyn Bridge is going to collapse caused a stampede that kills 12
1889 The brassiere is invented
1890 1st Dodger homerun (Dave Foutz)
1894 Bobby Lowe is 1st to hit 4 homeruns in 1 baseball game
1896 1st car accident occurs, Henry Wells hit a bicyclist (NYC)
1904 Frank Chance gets hit by pitch 5 times in a doubleheader
1908 1st federal workmen's compensation law approved
1908 Aldrich Vineland Currency Act forerunner to Federal Reserve System
1909 Reuben Siegel laid cornerstone of 1st home in Tel-Aviv
1912 US Marines sent to Nicaragua
1913 1st Balkan War ends, Treaty of London
1913 New country of Albania is formed
1921 Memorial to Captain Eddie Grant, killed in WWI, unveiled at Polo Grounds
1921 Salzburg Austria votes to join Germany
1922 Cubs swap Max Flack for Cardinals Cliff Heathcote during the middle of a doubleheader. Both play for both teams that day

1922 Lincoln Memorial dedicated

1925 Peter DePaolo became 1st man to average over 100 mph at Indianapolis 500
1925 Roger Hornsby replaces Branch Rickey as manager of Cardinals
1927 Walter Johnson records 113th & last shutout of his career
1930 Bill Arnold wins Indianapolis 500 car race (161.6 kph)
1933 Patent on invisible glass installation
1937 Memorial Day Massacre - Chicago police shoot on union marchers at Republic Steel Plant in Chicago, 10 die
1941 1st anti semitic measures in Serbia
1941 English Army enters Baghdad, chasing pro-German coup government
1942 1,047 bombers bomb Cologne in RAF's raid of WWII
1942 Reichsführer Himmler arrives in Prague
1942 Satchel Paige pitches 5 innings to defeat Dizzy Dean All-Stars 8-1
1942 US aircraft carrier Yorktown leaves Pearl Harbor
1943 US troops reconquer Attu Aleutians
1949 East Germans constitution approved
1954 Dutch bishops forbid membership to non-catholic sporting clubs
1955 KMVT TV channel 11 in Twin Falls ID (CBS/NBC/ABC) begins broadcasting
1955 Said el-Mufti forms Jordan Government
1955 Tunisia begins domestic self governing
1956 Bus boycott begins in Tallahassee FL

1958 Unidentified soldiers killed in WWII & Korean War buried in Arlington

1959 President Stroessner disbands Paraguay's parliament
1959 World's 1st hovercraft (SR-N1) tested at Cowes England
1961 Roger Maris hits his 10th & 11th of 61 homeruns
1964 Beatles' "Love Me Do" single goes #1
1965 Viet Cong offensive against US base Da Nang, begins
1965 Vivian Malone, is 1st black to graduate from University of Alabama
1966 300 US airplanes bomb North Vietnam
1967 Biafra declares independence from Nigeria
1967 King Hussein of Jordan visits Cairo
1967 Robert "Evel" Knievel's motorcycle jumps 16 automobiles
1967 Yankee Whitey Ford, nearing 41, announces his retirement from baseball
1968 President De Gaulle disbands French parliament
1971 US Mariner 9 1st satellite to orbit Mars launched
1971 Willie Mays hits his 638th homerun, sets National League record of 1,950 runs scored
1972 3 Japanese PFL terrorists kill 24, wound 72 at Tel Aviv's Lod International Airport
1979 Pat Underwood makes his pitching debut for Detroit beats brother Tom
1979 Percom Data Company Inc release Microdos for Radio Shack's TRS-80
1980 1st papal visit to France since 1814
1981 "Nightline" extends from 4 nights to 5 nights a week (Friday)
1982 Spain becomes 16th member of NATO
1983 American League president Lee MacPhail suspends Yankees owner George Steinbrenner for one week, for his public criticism of umpires
1984 Bomb explodes in rebel leader Eden Pastora headquarters in Nicaragua
1986 Bobby Rahal is 1st to average over 170 mph in the Indianapolis 500
1987 West German Mathias Rust lands airplane on Red Square
1991 64th National Spelling Bee: Joanne Lagatta wins spelling antipyretic
1991 Supreme Court rules prosecutors can be sued for legal advice they give police & can be held accountable
1992 UN votes for sanctions against Serb-led Yugoslavia to halt fighting
1997 Betty Shabazz, widow of Malcolm X, set afire by 12 year old grandson
1997 Child molester Jesse K. Timmendequas was convicted in Trenton, N.J., of raping and strangling a 7-year-old neighbor, Megan Kanka, whose 1994 murder inspired "Megan's Law," requiring that communities be notified when sex offenders move in. (Timmendequas was later sentenced to death.)
2001 Former French Foreign Minister Roland Dumas was convicted of corruption and sentenced to six months in prison.

---

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

Channel Is, England, N Ireland, Wales : Spring Holiday
Guam, Puerto Rico, US, US Virgin Islands : Memorial Day
Lincoln City IN : Nancy Hanks Lincoln Memorial Day
US : The REAL Memorial Day (Decoration Day) (1868)
US : Memorial Day/Decoration Day, a legal holiday (1868) (Monday)
Virginia : Confederate Memorial Day (1868)(Monday)
Public Relations Week Begins
National Salad Month

---

Religious Observances
Roman Catholic : Commemoration of St Felix I, pope [268-73], martyr
Roman Catholic : Commemoration of St Ferdinand III, Spanish king/patron of engineers
Roman Catholic : Commemoration of St Jeanne d'Arc, Maid of Orleans, patroness of France
Christian : Solemnity of Pentecost (Whitsunday)
Christian-Scotland : Term Day
Christian : Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity (Trinity Sunday)

---

Religious History
339 Death of Eusebius, 74, Father of early church history. He attended the Council of Nicea in A.D. 325, and his "Historia Ecclesiastica" contains an abundance of detail on the first three centuries of the Early Church found nowhere else in ancient literature.
1431 French heroine Joan of Arc, 19, a prisoner of the English, was burned at the stake for heresy. (She was later canonized in 1920 by Benedict XV.)
1819 Anglican bishop Reginald Heber, 36, penned the words to the missionary hymn, "From Greenland's Icy Mountains."
1934 The two-day Barmen Synod ended in Germany. The resulting Barmen Declaration affirmed that the German Confessing Church recognized Jesus Christ to be the only authoritative voice of God, in clear contrast to all other (i.e., Nazi) powers representing divine revelation.
1968 Death of Martin Noth, 66, German Old Testament scholar. Noth was the first authority to note that 1&2 Samuel and 1&2 Kings contain virtually no mention of the classic prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos and Hosea.

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

---

Thought for the day :
"The hero dead cannot expire:
The dead still play their part."

---

Actual Newspaper Headlines...
British Union Finds Dwarfs in Short Supply

---

Why did the Chicken cross the Road...
The Sphinx:
You tell me.

---

Dumb Laws...
Helena Montana:
No item may be thrown across a street.

---

A Cowboy's Guide to Life...
The easiest way to eat crow is while it's still warm. The colder it gets, the harder it is to swaller.

[snippy_about_it]

I think we're psychic. LOL. Sam and I were just talking about you two days ago. We knew you forewarned us you were pretty busy but missed you just the same. Thanks for dropping a note.

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning EGC.