The FReeper Foxhole Remembers the Duel at Dessau (4/21/1945) - Dec 9th, 2004

www.3ad.com ^

[SAMWolf]

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.

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

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DUEL AT DESSAU
3AD's "Super Pershing"
vs
Germany's "King Tiger"
WWII's two most powerful tanks meet in a historic encounter

Only three days before the 3rd Armored Division's final combat action of WWII, a Super Pershing of the 33rd Armored Regiment met and defeated the most powerful and most heavily armored German tank of the war - the legendary 77-ton King Tiger, also known as the Tiger II or Tiger Royal. It would be the first and only meeting between a King Tiger and the Super Pershing, a modified standard M26 Pershing weighing 53 tons - an almost "secret" tank that, to this day, remains largely an enigma to military historians.

Only two Super Pershings were ever built, and the 3AD had the only one in the European Theater - an experimental version with its remarkably long barrel. Arriving very late in the war (March, 1945), it was field tested and modified inside Germany and subsequently saw about ten days of actual combat action, beginning several days after the Battle of Paderborn and ending with the Battle of Dessau on the Elbe River.

The Super Pershing (aka T26E4-1) was equipped with a new long-barreled T15E1 90mm gun that was designed to out-perform the German high-velocity 88mm on the King Tiger. This new U.S. gun had successfully penetrated 8.5 inches of armor at 1,000 yards at 30 degrees. Even more remarkable, it had penetrated 13 inches of armor at 100 yards. The special 90mm ammunition had produced a muzzle velocity of 3,850 feet per second, or some 600 feet per second faster than the 88mm of the King Tiger. But in testing, the new 90mm also proved to have amazing range and accuracy.


The "Super Pershing" T26E4-1 (originally designated T26E1-1) is shown at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, in early 1945, shortly before being shipped to the 3rd Armored Division inside Germany via England. Additional armor plating and other modifications were made in Germany.

Army ordinance technicians (in the U.S. and Europe) had been anxious about getting the new tank into combat, hoping to match it against a King Tiger. But by April, 1945, German armor west of Berlin had dramatically thinned out, not to mention an extreme shortage of fuel, and the odds of spotting the monster German tank were slim. But in Dessau on April 21, "luck" would befall the Super Pershing crew commanded by SSgt Joe Maduri, a veteran 3AD tanker in his tenth straight month of combat.

The 3AD had begun a four-pronged attack on the city, which was heavily defended. Division armor were finally able to enter the city slowly after numerous concrete tank barriers were destroyed. With 3AD tanks fanning out, and 36th Infantry riflemen following, the Super Pershing reached an intersection and began to round a corner to its right. Unknown to its crew, a King Tiger had apparently been waiting in ambush at a distance of two blocks or roughly 600 yards away, and in the same direction that the Americans were turning into.


German King Tiger, or Tiger II.

At this distance, easily within its capability, the Tiger fired at the Super Pershing. But its infamous high-velocity 88mm shell, of the type that had destroyed so many American tanks and vehicles during the war, went high and was not even close. Gunner Cpl John "Jack" Irwin, only 18 years old, responded almost instantly with a round that struck the Tiger's huge angled glasis, or front plate. But the shot, a non-armor-piercing high explosive (HE) shell, had no effect. Ricocheting off the armor, it shot skyward and exploded harmlessly. The Super Pershing had been loaded with an HE only because Irwin had been expecting urban targets, such as buildings, personnel, and light anti-tank guns. "AP!", he shouted to his loader "Pete," which meant an armor-piercing shell would be next.

Maduri and crew then felt a concussion or thud on the turret. It was never known if this shot came from the Tiger, or from some other anti-tank weapon. In any case, no serious damage was done - probably a lucky glancing impact. In the next instant, Irwin aimed and fired a second time, just as the royal monster was moving forward and raising up over a pile of rubble. The 90mm AP round penetrated the Tiger's underbelly, apparently striking the ammo well and resulting in a tremendous explosion that blew its turret loose. With near certainty, the entire crew was killed.


3AD soldiers above in 1945: Staff Sgt. Joseph Maduri of Massachusetts, commander of the Super Pershing, is shown in portrait at right and in middle of group photo. Corporal John P. Irwin of Pennsylvania, the tank's gunner, is at right in the group. Crewman at far left is believed to be "Pete" (last name not yet known). Not in the photo are the two remaining crewmen, whose names are not yet known (Photos from the Maduri family)

But there was no time to examine their "trophy." A battle was raging, and the Super Pershing continued down the street, passing the lifeless and burning King Tiger. Tough fighting still lay ahead, as German bazooka, Panzerfaust, and machine-gun fire came from windows and doorways.



The encounter with the King Tiger had been "short and sweet," lasting less than twenty seconds. It may not have been the titanic "slug fest" that could have occurred on an open field, but it was an overwhelming victory for the quick-reacting Super Pershing crew. The battle for Dessau would end completely on the following day, but not without the Super Pershing destroying another German heavy tank (believed to be a 50-ton Panther Mark V) with two shots. The first disabling its drive sprocket, and the second round completely penetrating the tank's side armor. That apparently set off an internal blast, again probably from stored ammo. And, still in Dessau, that was followed by Maduri and crew forcing the commander of a German medium tank to surrender without firing a shot. For the German crew, out of ammo for their main gun, the intimidating "look" of that long-barrel 90mm gun that must have destroyed any remaining will to fight or flee.

[SAMWolf]

More background on the "Super Pershing"

In mid-March, 1945, fresh from gunnery trials in the United States, a modified Pershing T26E1 arrived at the Maintenance Battalion of the 3rd Armored Division. In his book Death Traps (see feature story in ths same website section) Belton Cooper writes, "Having already lost several of the new [Pershing] M26's [aka T26] to high-velocity German anti-tank guns, we knew that its armor was still inferior to that of the Mark VI Tiger."

Cooper writes, "Anyone standing behind an M4 Sherman could see the projectile go out and curve down slightly as it sped toward the target. This new high-velocity gun was entirely different. When we fired the first round, we could barely see the projectile. It appeared to rise slightly as it struck the target. This was an optical illusion, but the effect was awesome. When it hit the target (a knocked out German tank-destroyer/assault gun), sparks shot about sixty feet into the air, as though a giant grinding wheel had hit a piece of metal."

Cooper described how, despite the 3AD maintenance crew painstakingly and very creatively adding seven tons of weight in additional armor to the Super Pershing, its highest speed had only been dropped by about five miles an hour. Its 550-horsepower engine had proven itself. Cooper felt that the tank's maneuverability and firepower had it marked for great success in combat. "We realized that we had a weapon," Cooper writes, "that could blast the hell out of even the most powerful German Mark VI Tiger."

But, finally, on April 4, 1945, between the Weser River and Northheim, the Super Pershing was to fire its gun in anger. Cooper writes, "Some of the German units that had fallen back from the bridgehead set up a few isolated strong points along our route. One such position on a wooded hill ... opened fire as the column passed. The Super M26, in the forward part of the column, immediately swung its turret to the right and fired an armor-piercing shot toward an object on the forward slope of a wooded hill about fifteen hundred yards away [over three-quarters of a mile]. A blinding flash of sparks accompanied a tremendous explosion as debris shot fifty feet into the air ... The unknown object was a tank or self-propelled gun; had it been a half-track or other vehicle, the flash would not have been as large ... The rest of the column let go with a deluge of tank and automatic weapons fire, and the Germans soon broke off the action ... we didn't know what the Super M26 hit ... no one was anxious to go over and check it out."

Some days after the above event, the Super M26 was transferred to a new crew with the 33rd Armored Regiment, where more of it's great potential would be realized, if only weeks before WWII would end.

---

Panzerkampfwagen VI - King Tiger

Officially designated Panzerkampfwagen VI Sd.Kfz 182, the King Tiger was placed into service early 1944. It served in the western and eastern front notably in the battle of Normandy, operation "Market Garden" in Holland, and the offensive in Ardennes. It also served in various other operations in Poland, Hungary, Minsk and a small number also defended Berlin in April and May 1945. With its great firepower and thick armor, it proved to be more than an opponent for any tank the allied forces could field. However, the size and weight of the King Tiger had its share of problems. It suffered mechanically with many breakdowns and had poor maneuverability. Many roads and especially bridges were not suitable for a tank this size and the fuel requirements was enormous. Many were abandoned due to lack of fuel rather then being destroyed during the offensive in the Ardennes. Production also suffered with the bombing of the Henschel factory and there simply weren’t enough of these around. The King Tiger was a case of too late and too few in number to make a difference in the outcome of the war.



However, the great firepower and armor of the King Tiger created the impression of a powerful armored force with almost invulnerable tanks. Able to destroy enemy tanks at extreme ranges and impervious to those same tanks made the King Tiger more than a match for any allied tank. Indeed for the allied forces, the sight of a King Tiger on the battlefield was terrifying and did great physical and morale damage to the enemy. This fame and almost mystical fascination helped it earn its reputation as the most feared weapon of world war 2. For the German forces, it was the hallmark of German armored might and restored morale even in the last days of the war. Due to the havoc it wreaked during the Ardennes offensive, the allies advancing into Berlin would fear the King Tiger up to the very last day of the war.

The main gun specification of the King Tiger was to be a variation of the 88mm anti-aircraft gun. Although the 88mm was initially designed for an anti aircraft role, it proved to be an excellent tank killer. Originally, the intention was to mount an 88mm Flak 41 into a turret for the Porsche VK4501 (P) chassis. The turret had been originally designed by Krupp to hold the 56 caliber 88mm KwK 36 gun of the Tiger 1. After much experimentation and debate, it was decided in early 1943 that it was not possible to mount the 88mm Flak 41. Krupp had then been contracted to design a new turret that could mount their own version of a 71 caliber 88mm Kwk 43 gun that could fit in both the chassis for Henschel and Porsche.

The 88mm gun with the designation KwK 36 and KwK 43 indicated the model number year 36 and 43. The Tiger II with the model 43 has a length of 71 calibers (71 times 88mm) as compared with 56 calibers of the Tiger 1 with model 36. The length of the barrel itself is over 20 feet long while the rounds weighed almost 20kgs. It is in effect a much more powerful gun than the Tiger 1.

The King Tiger’s 88mm main gun has a muzzle velocity of 1000m per second when firing armor piercing rounds. It was highly accurate and able to penetrate 150mm of armor at distances exceeding 2200m. Since the flight time of an armor piercing round at a range of 2200m is about 2.2 seconds or less, accuracy and correction of fire against moving targets is more important than with older anti tank guns. This made this heavy predator ideally suited to open terrain where it could engage enemy tanks at long range before the opponent’s weapons were even in range.

For the chassis, much has been learnt from the sloped armor design of the Russian T-34. As with the Panther, the King Tiger was to have sloped and interlocked front and side armor. The front armor was 150mm thick and the side was 80mm thick. Both firms Henschel and Porsche submitted their own designs.

[SAMWolf]

Assault on Dessau

To the Texans of the 3rd Armored Division, April 21 was a significant date for the opening assault on Dessau. It was San Jacinto day. Moving up for the final drive, troops of the "Spearhead" Division were high strung and nervous. They had been fighting almost continuously for the past two months, and this entry into Dessau was almost certain to mean the end of 3rd Armored Division campaigning. Already Russian shells were falling beyond the Elbe, and thousands of German troops were surrendering all along the line. The last days of the war in the west were not pleasant.



On April 21, Task Force Welborn attacked Dessau from the south. Colonel Boles, leading Task Force " X" spearheaded through Alten to enter the city. The men of Colonel Richardson's command battled heavy resistance in Jessnitz, while Task Force Hogan took Kleinkuhnau and Grosskuhnau, encountering road blocks, small arms fire, artillery and mortar concentrations.

The battle for Dessau developed into a furious house to house melee. Crack German officer candidates and non-commissioned officers from the Rosslau-Dessau army school of combat engineering, were thrown into the battle. The elaborate "Panzersperre" road blocks and other obstacles constructed by these men indicated that they were of the highest quality. In addition to being well trained engineers, these school troops were expert riflemen. Colonel Orr, attacking from the southwest, found that his "Blitz Doughs" were facing an enemy whose every soldier might be considered a sharpshooter.



In spite of a resistance born of desperation, much of Dessau was cleared by 1800 hours on April 21. However, there was still heavy fighting ahead. "D" Company of the 32nd Armored Regiment, working with attached infantry, encountered a well defended position on the north outskirts of the city on April 22. The enemy was well dug in and protected by wire barricades and other obstacles. Mine fields were expertly covered with small arms fire, mortars, and by panzerfaust teams. Bitter fighting went on until 2400 hours that day, but tanks and supporting infantry were unable to advance.

At 0600 hours on April 23rd, the 2nd Platoon of "D" Company, led by Lt. Lewis Lively, and one platoon of the attached infantry, reconnoitered to the east in preparation for an encircling movement. The enemy wasn't fooled; he was ready with small arms, artillery, and a smoke screen. Lively changed his tactics. Deploying his platoon in line, he ordered tank commanders to open up with all guns and move forward! It was a simple frontal attack, and yet the American fire power was so great that German defenders were thrown into a panic. Twenty-five yards from the first Nazi fire trenches, Kraut soldiers began to surrender. They came limping through the mist and smoke of battle, waving handkerchiefs and other bits of white material. The attack went on through the second line of resistance and reached the Mulde River, one of the "Spearhead" Division's final objectives.



Dessau provided a last flurry of resistance on April 22 and 23. On the following day all of the city was cleared and Combat Command "A" went on to mop up the last of the Rosslau-Dessau engineer school troop garrison. At Division Forward Echelon in Lingenau, a barrage of high explosive shells hit the CP area. A barn which housed the engineer kitchen was hit and set afire and several men were seriously burned. It was a grim farewell to combat.

By April 25 the 9th Infantry Division had relieved all "Spearhead" elements on the now stable front. It was like a dream come true to those men of the old 3rd who still remained unscathed.



Weary tankers, red eyed and grimy, tooled their big Shermans back over the roads of conquest. The "Blitz Doughs," sprawling in personnel half-tracks, still had weariness steeped in their bones and the frontline look in tired, red-rimmed eyes; but they were happy. It was a wonderful feeling, for, no matter how the words are twisted, a combat soldier has only three things to look forward to: a wound, death, or cessation of hostilities. There had been times when the first two were alternatives, and the last - a dream in the dim future.

Additional Sources:

www.worldwar2aces.com
www.tridentmilitary.com
klub.chip.pl
home.sandiego.edu
www.wwiivehicles.com
www.randomhouse.com

[SAMWolf]

Task Force Wellborn was one of four task forces joining in a four-pronged attack on the city. TF Hogan was attacking directly from the West; TF Boles and TF Orr were moving in from the southwest; we were driving from the south. ...



Dessau had been taking punishment from artillery and air strikes for several days. As we approached, the city appeared shrouded in an eerie, hazy fog, a mixture of smoke and the thin cloud cover already dimming the early sun's rays. Unlike on our approach to Paderborn, we were not greeted by attacking armor, which told us that the German stand would be purely defensive. They had no benzene to spare, and we knew that what they had would have to suffice, for there were no supply routes open to the city. Dessau was a city under siege.


John P. Irwin

We had learned much about the German will and determination by this time. We had learned, for example, that they were trained not to think about their weaknesses but only about their superiority. And, unfortunately, despite Allied successes, a certain mythology persisted among GIs that German technology had produced tanks that were almost invincible. I had heard this view in advance of my first contact with German armor, and it had worried me greatly. But my own experience proved the myth to be exactly that. On the other hand, I could not free myself of a fear of the giant Tiger, Germany's awesome heavy tank. I knew of its firepower and heavy armor. But I had also learned of one of its weaknesses -- its slow turret traverse. Unlike our Shermans and Pershings, the Tiger had a manual rather than a power traverse. It was a weakness I had learned to exploit. And I got my chance all too soon.



Our tanks entered the city slowly and spread out along different streets, alert to any sudden appearance of German firepower. The half-tracks behind us stopped, and the armored infantry doughs dismounted and began to move with the tanks. Fortunately, Pete had loaded our cannon, for as we turned the corner onto a street, we were confronted with a Tiger, and it was ready for us. The gunner fired at us as we rounded the corner, but missed us completely. The shell went high, over our tank. I returned fire point-blank at the royal monste), but saw the tracer of my shell ricochet off the front armor and take a course of its own skyward. Pete slammed another round into the breech, and at that same moment we heard a thud on the turret. But I took aim and fired again, and this time the shell penetrated the thin armor on the Tiger's exposed underbelly as it attempted to climb over some rubble. The ammo, located in the turret floor, exploded, leaving the burning hulk of the Tiger obstructing our path.

We had been hit, but there was no evidence of serious damage.

"Just keep going," Joe said into the intercom. "Great shot, kid."

From: Another River, Another Town A Teenage Tank Gunner Comes of Age in Combat -- 1945;
by John P. Irwin (Random House, copyright 2002), pp. 137, 138.

[SAMWolf]

Here are the recommended holiday mailing dates for military mail this year:

For military mail addressed TO APO and FPO addresses, the mailing dates are:

• Parcel Post - November 13
• Space Available - November 27
• Parcel Airlift - December 4
• Priority Mail, First Class cards and letters - Mailing date is December 11 to all locations
  • EXCEPT for locations starting with ZIP 093. For all locations starting with ZIP 093 the mailing date is December 6.
• Express Mail - December 20 to locations where Express Mail service is available. Check with your local post office to determine which APO/FPO addresses can receive Express Mail. Note: This service is not available to ships.

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For military mail FROM APO and FPO addresses, the mailing dates are:

• Space Available - November 20
• Parcel Airlift - December 4
• Priority Mail, First Class cards and letters - December 11
• Express Mail - December 18 from APO/FPO addresses where Express Mail can be accepted. Check with your local military post office to determine if they can accept Express Mail. Note: This service is not available from ships.

Thanks for the information StayAtHomeMother

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Veterans for Constitution Restoration is a non-profit, non-partisan educational and grassroots activist organization. The primary area of concern to all VetsCoR members is that our national and local educational systems fall short in teaching students and all American citizens the history and underlying principles on which our Constitutional republic-based system of self-government was founded. VetsCoR members are also very concerned that the Federal government long ago over-stepped its limited authority as clearly specified in the United States Constitution, as well as the Founding Fathers' supporting letters, essays, and other public documents.

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

---

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"

[snippy_about_it]

"FALL IN" to the FReeper Foxhole!



Good Thursday Morning Everyone.


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

If you'd like to drop us a note you can write to:

The Foxhole
19093 S. Beavercreek Rd. #188
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[radu]

Good morning everyone!

To all our military men and women past and present, military family members, and to our allies who stand beside us
Thank You!

I hope this finds everyone well ...... and dry. LOL! It's been a heck of a time getting this post ready because the clouds and rain keep knocking the satellite signal out. But I was determined to get a "Hello" in before I left and waited things out. Sometimes stubborness pays off. hehe!
Y'all have a fabulous day! *HUGZ* all 'round!

[alfa6]

Good night SAM, good nite snippy

Regards

alfa6 ;>}

[Iris7]

This interesting machine, with which I am not familiar - thanks, SAM - is said to weigh 53 tons (probably short tons, 2,000 pounds to the ton, not long or metric) with 7 tons of add on armor, total 60 tons. Horsepower is said to be 550, and fully adequate.

This is about 8.11 horsepower per ton. As I have said before this is enough in almost all circumstances if protection is adequate.

Nice to see a proper gun.

Armor should have been much better. WWII Armor Piercing Capped can be defeated readily by the correct air spaced armor, which was well understood in those days. Germans used it on the PzKw III and IV as I recollect, as the sides were thin.

Modern stuff could have protected a Sherman against King Tiger fire without any increase in weight at all. (I think!!)

[Aeronaut]

Good morning Snippy.

[Iris7]

Looks like Rumsfeld took some flak from combat troops while in Kuwait about inadequately armored vehicles. Perhaps you recollect I have been talking about this very problem since before the invasion.

No reason for command detonated mines to seriously injure a soldier riding in a standard sort of mine resistant vehicle. Even the Israeli RAM would give ten, twenty times less injury compared to a HMMV.

http://www.israeli-weapons.com/weapons/vehicles/light_combat_vehicles/ram/Ram.html

Too many photos to post. Same website I posted earlier, a page on this class of vehicle. Machine is armored only where the weight will protect the crew. The running gear, engine, and transmission are designed to protect the armored crew compartment by absorbing the explosion. Engine is an air cooled Deutz.

[E.G.C.]

Good morning, snippy and everyone at the Freeper Foxhole.

[GailA]

Good morning

[The Mayor]

December 9, 2004

Afraid To Be Afraid

Read: Psalm 56

Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. —Psalm 56:3

Bible In One Year: Daniel 11-12; Jude

---

A young woman was waiting for a bus in a crime-ridden area when a rookie policeman approached her and asked, "Do you want me to wait with you?" "That's not necessary," she replied. "I'm not afraid." "Well, I am," he grinned. "Would you mind waiting with me?"

Like that policeman, we as Christians must be willing to admit that sometimes we become fearful—about dying, about getting cancer, about losing our mind, about losing our job, about our children getting in trouble, about getting old. We don't like to confess it, so we may ignore, deny, or repress those fears. But to overcome our fear, we must first acknowledge it.

The psalmist recognized his fears. "Whenever I am afraid," he said, "I will trust in You" (Psalm 56:3). This trust in the Lord gave him a growing confidence. "I will not fear," he said (v.4). And again, "I will not be afraid" (v.11). This was much more than self-talk. It was a conscious decision to trust in God: "I will."

We can conquer our fears. To admit that we are afraid is to admit that we are human. But to admit being afraid and then trusting the Lord and going forward will take the fear out of fear. —Dennis De Haan

I can walk with Christ in safety,
Trusting Him, my faithful Guide;
There's no reason to be fearful,
Knowing He is by my side. —Hess

We have nothing to fear but fear itself.

[Professional Engineer]

Good morning ladies. Flag-o-gram.

[Soaring Feather]

Good morning everyone.

[U S Army EOD]

Buy the movie, "The Tanks Are Coming". They have the M26's in that movie.

[Valin]

On this Day In history


Birthdates which occurred on December 09:

1561 Edwin Sandys, a founder of Virginia colony
1569 Martinus de Porres, Peru, saint (patron of social justice)
1594 Gustavus II Adolphus, king who made Sweden a major power (1611-32)
1608 John Milton, London, poet/puritan (Paradise Lost)
1717 Johann J Winckelmann, German archaeologist (History of Ancient Art)
1742 Carl W Scheele, Swedish pharmacist/chemist (lemon acid)
1848 Joel Chandler Harris, US journalist (created Uncle Remus stories)
1886 Clarence Birdseye, frozen vegatable king (Birdseye)
1898 Emmett Kelly (clown: Ringling Bros.: hobo, Weary Willie)
1899 Jean de Brunhoff, France, children's book author (Babar the Elephant)
1902 Margaret Hamilton, Cleveland OH, actress (Wicked Witch-Wizard of Oz)
1905 Dalton Trumbo US, writer/film director (Johnny Got His Gun)(blacklisted)
1909 Douglas Fairbanks Jr, NYC, actor (Ghost Story)
1911 Lee J. Cobb (actor: On the Waterfront, Twelve Angry Men, Death of a Salesman, Exodus, The Virginian)
1912 Tip O'Neil (Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives)
1915 Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Jarotschin Germ, soprano (Der Rosenkavalier)
1916 Kirk Douglas (Isidore Demsky/Issur Danielovitch) (actor: Young Man with a Horn, Spartacus; father of actor, Mike Douglas)
1922 Redd Foxx (John Elroy Sanford) (comedian: Sanford & Son)
1928 Dick Van Patten (actor: Eight is Enough)
1929 John Cassavetes (actor: Shadows)
1930 Buck Henry, NYC, screenwriter/comedian (SNL, Get Smart)
1934 [Amos] Junior Wells Memphis TN, blues singer/harp player
1934 Al Kaline Baltimore MD, baseball outfielder (Detroit Tigers)
1941 Beau (Lloyd III) Bridges (director, actor: The Fabulous Baker Boys; son of actor, Lloyd Bridges, brother of actor, Jeff Bridges)
1942 Dick Butkus (Pro Football Hall of Famer: Chicago Bears: NFL Defensive Player of the Year [1969, 1970])
1943 Rick Danko Canada, rocker (The Band, Stage Fright)
1949 Tom Kite (golf champion: U.S. Open [1992])
1953 John Malkovich, Christopher Ill, actor/director (Killing Fields)
1957 Donny Osmond (singer: Go Away Little Girl, Puppy Love; TV host: Donny and Marie)
2340 Worf Klingon warrior

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Deaths which occurred on December 09:
1165 Malcom IV, king of Scotland (1153-65), dies at 24
1292 Sa'di, great Persian poet (Orchard, Rose Garden), dies
1565 Pius IV, [Gianangelo de' Medici], Italian Pope (1559-65), dies at 66
1641 Anthonie "Antoon" van Dyck, Flemish painter, dies at 42
1767 Benedetto Alfieri, Italian architect (San Giovanni Battista), dies
1770 Gottlieb Theophil Muffat, composer, dies at 80
1971 Ralph J Bunche, UN delegate/Nobel Prize winner, dies at 67 in NYC
1979 Fulton J Sheen, archbishop/religious broadcaster, dies in NYC at 84
1982 Leon Jaworski, special prosecutor (Watergate), dies at 77
1994 Kim II Sung President of North Korea (1945-94), dies at 82
1995 Douglas "Wrong Way" Corrigan (aviator), dies
1996 Mary Douglas Nichol Leakey, archaeologist/anthropologist, dies at 83

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Reported: MISSING in ACTION
1967 LIRA JOSE T.
1968 FORD EDWARD---BIRMINGHAM AL.
1968 MINOR CARROLL WILLIAM---GREENVILLE SC.
1968 SHIMEK SAMUEL D.---UNIONTOWN PA
1972 ACOSTA HECTOR M.---SAN ANTONIO TX.
[03/29/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE IN 98]
1972 WILLIAMS BILLIE J.---MALDEN MO.
[REMAINS RETURNED I.D. 12/20/90]

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

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On this day...
0656 Battle of Kameel: Kalief Al ibn Abu Talib beats rebellion
1212 Frederik II crowns himself Roman Catholic king
1315 Swiss Woudsteden renews Eternal Covenant (Oath Society)
1425 Pope Martinus V forms University of Leuven
1570 Geuzen under Herman de Ruyter occupies Loevestein
1625 Netherlands & England sign military treaty
1640 Settler Hugh Bewitt banished from Massachusetts colony when he declares himself to be free of original sin
1658 Dutch troops occupy harbor city Quilon (Coilan) India
1688 King James II's wife & son flee England for France
1738 Jews are expelled from Breslau Silesia
1783 1st execution at English Newgate-jail
1793 Noah Webster establishes New York's 1st daily newspaper, American Minerva
1805 Comet 3D/1805 V1 (Biela) approaches within 0.0366 astronomical units (AUs) of Earth
1824 Battle of Ayacucho (Candorcangui), Peru defeats Spain
1851 1st Young Men's Christian Association in North America (Montréal)
1854 Lord Tennyson's poem, "Charge of the Light Brigade" published
1861 Battle of Bird Creek, Indian Terr (High Shoal, Chusto-Talasah)
1868 1st British government of Gladstone forms
1869 Noble Order of Knights of Labor founded, Philadelphia
1878 Joseph Pulitzer buys St Louis Dispatch for $2,500
1883 New Brunswick adopts Eastern Standard Time (until 1902)
1884 Levant Richardson patents ball-bearing skate
1900 Dutch President Paul Kruger & Queen Wilhelmina have a triumphant procession
1902 American League announces purchase of grounds for a stadium in New York
1903 Norwegian parliament vote unanimiously for female suffrage
1905 French Assembly National votes for separation of church & state
1905 Richard Strauss' opera "Salome" premieres in Dresden
1906 New York American reports Belgian King Leopold II bribed US Senate commission on the Congo
1907 1st Christmas Seals sold (Wilmington DE post office)
1907 Gustav Mahler departs Vienna
1909 1st US monoplane flown (Henry W Walden, Long Island NY)
1910 French troops occupy Morrocan harbor city Agadir
1913 John K Tener becomes president of baseball's National League
1913 Heavyweight Jack Johnson-Jim Johnson fight to no decision in Paris
1917 British forces under General Allenby capture Jerusalem
1918 French troops occupies Mainz
1922 Gabriel Narutowicz elected Polish President
1924 Michael Hainisch re-elected Austrian President
1925 Pro football a hit in NYC; Grange & Bears beat Giants before 73,000
1925 American League extends Ban Johnson's contract to 1935 & raise to $40,000
1926 USGA legalizes steel shaft golf clubs
1931 Spain becomes a republic
1931 Baseball cuts squad from 25 to 23 players & National League continues to prohibit uniform numbers
1931 Japanese army attacks Chinese province of Jehol
1933 Romania disallows fascist Iron Guard
1934 New York Giants defeat Chicago Bears 30-13 for NFL championship
1936 American League OKs night baseball for St Louis
1939 Russian air raid on Helsinki
1940 Illegal Jewish immigrants to Haifa are deported to Mauritius
1940 British assault on Banghazi Libya
1940 British troops 1st major offensive in North Africa (Libya) during WWII
1941 1st US WWII bombing mission in the Far East, Luzon, Philippines
1941 300 Montgomery, San Francisco opens as new Bank of America HQ
1941 China declares war on Japan, Germany & Italy
1941 Hitler orders US ships torpedoed
1948 UN General Assembly unanimously approves Convention on Genocide
1949 NFL merges Cleveland Browns, San Francisco '49ers & Baltimore Colts from AAFC
1949 Dutch 2nd Chamber accept Indonesian sovereignty
1951 Voters approve merger of 3 states to form Baden-Württemberg, West Germany
1953 General Electric announces all Communist employees will be fired
1954 Dmitri Shostakovich appointed honored guest of Swedish Royal Music Academy
1957 1st Japanese ambassador to Israel
1958 Robert H W Welch Jr & 11 other men meet in Indianapolis to form the anti-Communist John Birch Society
1960 1st broadcast of "Coronation Street" on British ITV
1961 SS Colonel Adolf Eichmann found guilty of war crimes in Israel
1961 Tanganyika gains independence from Britain takes name Tanzania
1961 Wilt Chamberlain of NBA Philadelphia Warriors scores 67 points vs New York
1962 Tanganyika becomes a republic within the British Commonwealth
1963 Frank Sinatra Jr is kidnapped
1963 Zanzibar gains independence from Britain
1965 Nikolai Podgorny replaces Anastas Mikoyan as President of Presidium
1965 "A Charlie Brown Christmas" premieres
1965 Frank Robinson is traded from Cincinnati to the Orioles
1967 Jim Morrison, arrested on stage for disturbing the peace (SHOCK!)
1967 Lyndon Johnson's daughter Lynda marries in the White House
1967 Nicolae Ceausescu becomes President (dictator) of Romania
1968 Doug Engelbart demonstrates first computer mouse at Stanford
1968 KRNE TV channel 12 in Merriman NE (PBS) begins broadcasting
1971 Lewis F Powell Jr appointed to the Supreme Court
1973 Bruno Sammartino beats Stan Stasiak in New York, to become WWF champion
1973 St Louis Cardinal Jim Bakken kicks 6 field goals vs Atlanta Falcons
1973 Sunningdale Agreement in Northern Ireland
1974 Johnson Grigsby freed after 66 years in jail
1974 Jack Brisco beats Giant Baba in Tokyo, to become NWA wrestling champion
1975 President Gerald Ford signs $2.3 Billion loan-authorization for NYC
1975 Jelena Bonner receives Andrei Sacharov's Nobel Prize
1978 1st game of the Women's Pro Basketball League (WBL), Chicago Hustle vs Milwaukee Does
1978 Pioneer Venus 2 drops 5 probes into atmosphere of Venus
1980 61ºF in Boston at 1 AM
1984 6 day hijack of Kuwaiti jet ends
1984 Great Britain performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1984 Iranian commandos end capture of Kuwaiti plane
1984 Los Angeles Ram Eric Dickerson rushes 215 yards for season record 2,003 yards
1985 Phoenix AZ, gets 3" of snow
1985 74th Australian Men's Tennis: Stefan Edberg beats Mats Wilander (64 63 63)
1985 Jerry Rice begins NFL streak of 100+ consecutive game receptions
1987 Larry Bird, ends streak of 59 consecutive free throws
1987 Palestine uprising begin in Israeli-occupied West Bank
1988 New York Yankees sign 12-year television contract with Madison Square Garden for $500 million

1990 Lech Walesa wins presidential election in Poland

1990 NFL New York Giant Otis Anderson becomes 8th to rush for 10,000th yard
1990 Houston scores most points against Cleveland, Oilers 58, Browns 14
1992 Prince Charles & Princess Diana separation announced by British PM, John Major
1992 Cincinnati Red owner Marge Schott apologizes for racist remarks
1992 Operation Restore Hope - US Marines land in Somalia
1993 Ivory Coast Premier Ouattara resigns
1994 5 meter meteor 1994 XM1 passes within 100,000 km of Earth
1994 Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders resigns after masturbation comments
1995 61st Heisman Trophy Award: Eddie George, Ohio State (RB)
2004 alfa6's "Weekend Home Improvement Project" part II begins (oh when will the horror end)

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

Tanzania : Independence Day/Republic Day (1961)
World : Human Rights Week (Day 3)
Read A New Book Month

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Religious Observances
Christian : Commemoration of the Conception of Anne, mother of Mary
Roman Catholic : Commemoration of St Peter Fourier, French priest

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Religious History
1840 Scottish missionary explorer David Livingstone, 27, set sail on his first journey to Africa. (He had been accepted to serve under the London Missionary Society two years earlier.)
1863 Birth of G. Campbell Morgan, English congregational clergyman and Bible expositor. Morgan authored more than 60 Bible commentaries and books of sermons many still be in print.
1870 The Society of Biblical Archaeology was founded in London "for the investigation of the archaeology, history, arts, and chronology of ancient and modern...biblical lands...."
1905 An Act for the Separation of Church and State became law in France, rescinding Napoleon's Concordat of 1801. The new law guaranteed freedom of conscience, but also severed all religious groups from any further economic support by the national government.
1973 "Marshall Efron's Illustrated, Simplified and Painless Sunday School" first aired over CBS television. This religious series was broadcast on Sunday mornings until August 1977.

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

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Thought for the day :
"Adversity does teach who your real friends are."

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Albums We Will Never Buy...
The Rolling Stones - Aren't We Dead Yet?

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You Just Might Be A Scrooge...
If your idea of Christmas dinner is
a six pack of beer and a cheese log -
you just might be a Scrooge

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Dictionary of the Absurd
yearly
What a colleague might say if you arrive before time

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Famous Last Words...
Which wire was I supposed to cut?

[Darksheare]

Coolbeans.
Super Pershing vs King Tiger.

[stand watie]

GM, Sam!

free dixie,sw

[SZonian]

Could you add me to your ping list please.

Great story on the Pershing. I'm a WWII armor buff (my favorite model building genre) and love reading articles such as this.

Cheers!