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

www.3ad.com ^

[SAMWolf]

Morning Feather.

[SAMWolf]

Saw that movie a loooong time ago.

[SAMWolf]

1965 "A Charlie Brown Christmas" premieres

And it's been shown every year since, it's the cartoon veron of "It's a Wonderful Life"

[SAMWolf]

Even with it's faults, the King Tiger is impressive.

[SAMWolf]

Free Dixie!!

[SAMWolf]

I'm a WWII armor buff (my favorite model building genre)

Built a whole lot of armor models in my day. Found Tamiya to be some of the best. Welcome to the Foxhole, check out Treadhead Tuesdays.

[E.G.C.]

Be very careful with those high winds. If the power goes out with your computer running you're liable to have problems.

Nice weather today. Tempertures in the low 60's. My uncle and aunt from New Mexico visiting today.

How's it going, Snippy?

[SAMWolf]

the US "Tank Destroyer" doctrine didn't quite work out as we planned, seemed our enemies wouldn't cooperate.

[SAMWolf]

Morning Grzegorz 246

[SAMWolf]

Thanks Par35.

We haven't been able to keep up with the "compiled list" what do you have in mind?

[SAMWolf]

I'd hate to pay the insurance on it. =:-o

[colorado tanker]

Great post! I wonder how that crew was lucky enough to draw the only Super Pershing in the ETO?

How's the gunners book? I haven't heard of this one.

Is the store opening tomorrow? Best of luck to both of you!

[msdrby]

Wow! Great picture of an honorable man. (It is amazing how much he has aged in the last 4 years.)

[PAR35]

I was thinking of indexing them by time periods and by subject. I occasionaly like to refer back to an old thread, and finding it can take an effort. It may be that it is more than I'll be able to handle, but I'll give it a try.

[Iris7]

All of the armies went into 1914 with the wrong machines and doctrine, obviously a silly attachment to horses instead of trucks and foot propulsion instead of tracked.

After the war the vets who had seen combat got to design things for a while, but their experience was only appropriate until about 1930. They were obsessed with water cooled machine guns, infantry tanks, and uninterested in radio and motorized combined arms warfare (except in Germany, natch).

World War II, ditto. The Abrams tank is what Creighton Abrams wanted for his attack from the south to Bastogne to cut the Ardennes Offensive, what he wanted instead of the Sherman.

Current crop of helicopters come from the Viet Nam guys.

I think the HMMV comes from being embarrassed by the Germans in training maneuvers in German mud. The Germans loved driving off the track into the really deep mud with their UniMogs to drive around stuck American vehicles on the track, especially when the line of stuck American vehicles was a half mile long. The Germans would drive through the real mud, around all those stuck Americans, and lay on a big smirk.

The Oshkosh tactical trucks come from this design criteria as well. The Army was real mad that the trucks were not "real mudders", that is, could not do the Germans one back.

[SAMWolf]

Haven't read the book.


We're gonna open tomorrow come hell or high water. :-)

[SAMWolf]

Go for it. We'd appreciate it, we have trouble finding old ones too.

[U S Army EOD]

But they did destroy some tanks as long as they didn't have to fight infantry.

[aomagrat]

Today's classic warship, USS Kimberly (DD-521)

Fletcher class destroyer

Displacement. 2,050
Lenght. 376'6"
Beam. 39'8"
Draft. 17'9"
Speed. 35 k.
Complement. 273
Armament. 5 5", 14 40mm., 12 20mm., 6 dcp., 2 dct., 5 21" tt.

USS Kimberly (DD-521) was launched 4 February 1943, by Bethlehem Steel Co., Staten Island, N.Y.; sponsored by Miss Elsie S. Kimberly, daughter of Admiral Kimberly; and commissioned 22 May 1943, Comdr. H. W. Smith in command.

After shakedown Kimberly cleared Norfolk 10 September 1943, and steamed toward the action in the Pacific. Following additional training at Pearl Harbor, the destroyer arrived off Makin 20 November to begin the Navy's relentless conquest of Micronesia. Throughout the Gilbert Islands campaign, the destroyer served in ASW screen for the battleships and cruisers supporting marines fighting ashore with deadly accurate and devastating gunfire.

Kimberly departed Tarawa 6 December for the West Coast. After repairs at San Francisco, she sailed 22 January 1944, for the Aleutian Islands. Operating with Rear Admiral Baker's Task Force 94, the destroyer departed Attu 1 February to silence enemy antiaircraft batteries on Suribachi Wan and Kurabi Saki. Kimberly remained in the Aleutians for 7 months on ASW patrol, offensive sweeps, bombardment of the Kuriles, and training exercises before steaming toward San Francisco 18 September.

As the tempo of the Pacific war quickened, Kimberly arrived at Manus, Admiralty Islands, to prepare for her roles in the reconquest of the Philippines. In 10 November she departed escorting a supply convoy to Leyte Gulf, carrying material to replenish U.S. forces there. On the evening of 21 December, while Kimberly escorted another convoy to Mangarin Bay, Mindoro, Japanese suicide planes attacked the American ships. During the 2-hour battle, Kimberly's guns splashed one plane and assisted in the downing of two others. After repulsing the attack, the convoy proceeded to Mangarin Bay bringing men and material for the construction of an airstrip and a PT-boat base needed to support the invasion of Luzon, Kimberly's next mission.

The destroyer departed Leyte 2 January 1945, screening a preinvasion battleship group. En route, during one of many kamikaze attacks, the destroyer scored another kill. Arriving off Lingayen Gulf 6 January, the bombardment group was immediately placed on alert to ward off the fanatic enemy suicide pilots. That day Kimberly splashed two more planes. For the remainder of the month, she bombarded enemy railroad and supply centers.

During February the destroyer prepared for the Okinawa campaign which would advance American forces next door to the Japanese homeland. Departing San Pedro Bay 21 March for radar picket duty, the destroyer off the Ryukyus, was attacked 26 March by two "Vals." Despite accurate antiaircraft fire and numerous hits, one enemy plane, trailing fire and smoke, crashed into the aft gun mounts killing 4 men and wounding 57. Kimberly cleared the area 1 April for repairs at Mare Island arriving 25 April.

Returning to the fight, she cleared Pearl Harbor 10 August but Japan capitulated as the veteran destroyer steamed to join the 3d fleet in the Far East. She entered Tokyo Bay 4 September and 2 days later sailed, escorting Missouri. In company with the famed battleship, she arrived Philadelphia 18 October. After Navy Day ceremonies, Kimberly departed Philadelphia 2 November and arrived Charleston, S.C., the next day. She remained there until 5 February 1947 when she was placed in reserve.

The United States shrank her Navy too far. Encouraged by the weakness, the Communists struck in Korea. As fast as crews and material could be assembled, the nation rebuilt her fleet. Kimberly recommissioned 8 February 1951, Comdr. O B. Parker in command. After shakedown out of Guantanamo and exercises along the coast, she cleared Norfolk 15 May 19.51, and steamed to the Pacific as reinforcement. She arrived Yokosuka 18 June and 5 days later sailed for fire support operations off the western coast of Korea. The destroyer also acted as ASW screen and plane guard for the carriers during the raids on enemy positions ashore. In mid-September she arrived off Formosa for patrol operations before sailing 6 October via the Philippines. the Suez Canal, and the Mediterranean, for the United States.

Arriving Norfolk 12 December, Kimberly operated along the Atlantic coast and Caribbean on training exercises until she arrived Charleston, S.C., 20 June 1953. She remained there and decommissioned 15 January 1954.

After 12 years in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at Charleston, S.C., Kimberly proceeded to Boston Naval Shipyard in July 1966 for overhaul prior to being loaned to the government of the Republic of China. In June 1967, she was transferred to the Republic of China. Renamed An Yang, she served in the ROC Navy until 1999. She was sunk as a target on October 14 2003.

Kimberly received five battle stars for World War II and one star for Korean service.

[SAMWolf]

IMHO the Fletcher's were the ultimate in DD's.