Skip to comments.
The FReeper Foxhole Revisits The Berlin Airlift - January 28th, 2005
see educational sources
Posted on 01/27/2005 9:54:04 PM PST by 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
Operation Vittles June 1948 - September 1949
PRELUDE TO CONFLICT
At the end of WWII, a defeated Germany was divided amongst the victors, the United States, the Soviet Union, Great Britain, and France. The Soviet Union took control of the Eastern half of Germany, the Western half was divided amongst the US, Great Britain, and France. Like the rest of the country, the capital city of Berlin, sitting dead in the middle of the Soviet-controlled Eastern half, was also divided into four parts, one half being Soviet controlled, and the rest divided amongst the others. A four-power provisional government, called the Allied Control Council, was installed in Berlin. This union of governments was to control and rebuild the city of Berlin.
By 1948, it became apparent that the Western Powers (Great Britain, France, and US) plan to rebuild Germany differed from the Soviet Union's plan. Currency, German Unification, Soviet War reparations, and mere ideology were among the many differences the two sides had. There would be no compromise. As a result, Stalin wanted them out of Berlin. In early 1948, tensions between the once former Allies climaxed. On April 9, 1948, Stalin ordered all American Military personnel maintaining communications equipment out of the Eastern Zone (Soviet controlled Berlin). Trains were halted on June 1and June 10. On June 21, the Soviets halted a US Military Supply Train and refused it passage to Berlin. On the 22nd, they placed armed guards aboard, attached a Soviet engine and hauled it back to Western Germany. In a final move to spurn the Americans, British, and French out, on June 24, 1948, all land and water access to West Berlin was cut off by the Soviets. There were to be no more supplies from the West. What was going to happen? Where were the necessary supplies going to come from for the Occupation Forces? For that matter, where were the supplies for the 2,008,943 Berliners going to come from? It was a grave situation.
The Allies were certainly not going to stand for this. Diplomacy failed, Ground invasions were planned, and World War 3 was on the brink of existence. US Military Commander Lucius Clay had developed a plan by which an armed convoy through Soviet Controlled Germany would break the blockade. This action would certainly create a war.
MEAGER BEGINNINGS
However, British Commander Sir Brian Robertson offered an alternative: supply the city by air. A daunting task. Supplying the Occupation forces of 2,2679 was easy, but the entire population? The only aircraft the Americans had available for the task were 5 year old Douglas C-47 Skytrains, which would only hold 3.5 tons each. After some consultation, the decision was made: it was worth a try. Earlier in April, US Forces airlifted in supplies to replace the ones being delayed by the Soviets. This was what became known as the "Little Lift". West Berlin had two airports, Tempelhof, which was Berlin's main airport and located in the American Sector, and Gatow, in the British Sector. Supplies could be airlifted in by C-47 and there was nothing the Soviet Union could do about because in 1945, someone had foresight. On November 30, 1945, it was agreed, in writing, that there would be three 20-mile wide air corridors providing access to the city. These were unarguable.
When the blockade began, the Soviets rejoiced, because they believed the Western powers had only one option, to leave Berlin. But they underestimated the West airlift supplies. Gen. Clay called upon General Curtis E. LeMay, commander of USAFE and asked him if he could haul supplies to Berlin. LeMay responded, "We can haul anything". Two days later Gen. LeMay called upon Brig. Gen. Joseph Smith, Commander of the Wiesbaden Military Post, and appointed him Task Force Commander of an airlift operation estimated to last a few weeks. The only US aircraft initially available were 102 C-47's and 2 C-54 Skymasters. On June 26, the first C-47's landed at Tempelhof Airfield, foreshadowing the great operation that was to come. Smith dubbed the mission "Operation Vittles", because he said "We're haulin' grub." The British called their part "Operation Plane Fare".
It was determined that the city's daily food ration would be 646 tons of flour and wheat; 125 tons of cereal; 64 tons of fat; 109 tons of meat and fish; 180 tons of dehydrated potatoes; 180 tons of sugar; 11 tons of coffee; 19 tons of powdered milk; 5 tons of whole milk for children; 3 tons of fresh yeast for baking; 144 tons of dehydrated vegetables; 38 tons of salt; and 10 tons of cheese. In total, 1,534 tons were needed daily to keep the over 2 million people alive. That's not including other necessities, like coal and fuel. In fact, the largest quantity of anything required was coal. It wasn't needed to heat homes as much as it was necessary for industry. In addition, there was limited electricity, because the city's power plant was located in the Soviet sector, so that was cut off, too. It was determined that in total supplies, 3,475 tons would be needed daily. A C-47 can haul 3.5 tons. In order to supply the people of Berliners, C-47's would have to make 1000 flights each day. Impossible.
Initially, Gen. Clay determined that, with the limited number of airplanes available to him, he could haul about 300 tons of supplies a day, the British effort, was estimated to be capable of 750 tons a day. This leaves a 2,425-ton deficit daily. Realizing that this kind of tonnage could not be achieved using C-47's, Gen. Clay and Gen. LeMay made requests for more C-54's, for they could carry over three times more cargo than C-47's. On June 27, an additional 52 Skymasters were ordered to Berlin.
On June 28, President Truman made a statement that abandoning Berlin was out of the question. He then ordered US B-29 Superfortresses to be stationed at British airfields to show the Soviets that the Western powers were not taking this lightly. We would not abandon these people!
By July 1, C-54's were slowly taking over airlift flights, and they were operating 24 hours a day. Rhein-Main Air Base in Frankfort was made exclusive C-54 base, and Wiesbaden was a mix of C-54's and C-47's. To accommodate these two different aircraft, General smith established a block system, giving the bigger, faster C-54's priority. They were also given radio codes to identify each type and the direction it was going. C-47's going East to Berlin were called "Easy", returning C-47's traveling West, were called "Willie". C-54's had the names 'Big Easy' and "Big Willie". Aircraft were also given a spacing of three minutes apart.
The size of the operation had to be increased in order to sufficiently supply this city and keep these people going. It needed to be commanded by someone who had expertise in air transport. That man came in the form of Maj. General William H. Tunner. He was revered as "The transportation expert to end all transportation experts" by LeMay. Tunner had previously established the Ferrying Command in WWII, and successfully organized and commanded the "Hump" operation into China near the end of the war. His reputation was not falsely earned. Tunner hated to see airplanes parked on the ramp not being utilized. This was a waste to him. He longed for efficiency and was about to set the standard for all that followed.
BLACK FRIDAY
Tunner assumed command of airlift operations on July 28, 1948. The airlift had been operating for just over a month. One of the first major changes he made came as a result of "Black Friday". On Friday, August 13, Tunner flew into Berlin to grant an award to Lt. Paul O. Lykins, and airlift pilot who had made the most flights into Berlin up until that time. Weather that day was awful, and conditions in Berlin were impossible. Clouds had lowered to the tops of buildings and heavy rain had disrupted radar. One C-54 had crashed and burned at the end of the runway a second landed behind him and blew its tires trying to stop to avoid hitting the burning C-54. A third ground looped on the auxiliary runway. Pure havoc was reigning supreme. Aircraft were beginning to stack up over Tempelhof and a huge number of airplanes were circling stacked from 3000 to 12000 feet in no visibility conditions. These conditions spur red Tunner to make a fateful decision. He called the tower. "Tunner here, send everyone back to their base and let me know when it's safe to come down". To avoid this stacking problem, a new policy was created. Any aircraft that missed its approach was to continue back to its station via the outgoing center corridor. This created a continuous loop of planes to and from Berlin. If a pilot missed his approach, he would immediately become a departure and head back to his base. The loaded aircraft would get a fresh crew and be sent back as a regular flight. In addition, all aircraft were required to fly by instrument rules to maintain the same speed, interval and altitude. This almost eliminated accidents and became the key to the success of the operation.
Another essential decision was to standardize aircraft, parts, and procedures. It was decided to base these around the C-54. One of the reasons was that it took just as long to unload a 3-1/2 ton C-47 as it did to unload a 10-ton C-54. One of the reasons for this was the slanted floor made truck loading difficult, whereas the C-54 was level and a truck could back up to it and cargo could be unloaded fast. In addition, no pilot was to be away from his aircraft. General Tunner had seen many aircraft sitting idle, loaded and waiting for their crews to return from inside the terminal. He thought this to be a great waste of resources, therefore the order was sent that no pilot should be away from his aircraft from the time it landed until the time it took off from Berlin. Weather and up to date information was brought out to the aircraft while they were being unloaded, so the crews didn't need to go inside the terminal. In addition, several trucks were outfitted as mobile snack bars and staffed by some of the prettiest Berlin girls. This enabled the crews to get coffee, a snack or other goods without having to leave the airplane. This reduced the average turn around time from landing to departing to about 25 minutes.
FLYING THE CORRIDORS
Pilots flying in the corridors encountered numerous problems; one was the erratic German weather. Weather changed so often that it was not uncommon to leave a base in West Germany under ideal conditions, only to find impossible conditions in Berlin. What made it even more treacherous was the approach to Tempelhof. In order to land there, a pilot had to literally fly between the high rise apartment buildings at the end of the runway so he could land. A second runway required a steep drop over a building in order to land soon enough so there was enough runway for braking. All these conditions plus a fully loaded C-54 with a 10 ton cargo load were more than enough for any pilot to handle, especially during the German winter.
Unfortunately, that wasn't all the pilots had to deal with. The Soviets constantly harassed the pilots during the operation. Between 10 August 1948 and 15 August 1949, there were 733 incidents of harassment of airlift planes in the corridors. Acts of soviet pilots buzzing, close flying, shooting near, not at airlift planes were common. Balloons were released in the corridors, flak was not unheard of, radio interference and searchlights in the pilots' eyes were all forms of Soviet harassment in the corridors. However, this did not stop the pilots, the planes kept chugging on in. In spite of all these acts of harassment, no aircraft was shot down during the operation. That would have started a war, and the Soviets did not want that. Especially with B-29's stationed in England. Although the B-29's that were there were not atomic bomb capable, the Soviets did not know that and did not want to find out.
So, the airlift went on. American C-54's were stationed at Rhein-Main, Wiesbaden, Celle and Fassberg in the British Sector. The British flew Lancasters, Yorks, and Hastings aircraft. They even used Sunderland Flying Boats to deliver salt, using Lake Havel in the middle of Berlin for a base. Every month the tonnage increased and soon exceeded the daily requirements. Every day, tonnage records were being set, and the constant drone of airplanes overhead was music to the Berliners ears. Eventually, rations were increased and life in was improving.
THE EASTER PARADE
By April 1949, airlift operations were going rather smoothly, and General Tunner wanted to break up the monotony. He liked the idea of a big event that would show the capabilities of his command, as well as give everyone a big morale boost. He wanted to set a record. In order to do that, much planning was necessary, and it was decided that on Easter Sunday, the only cargo was to be coal. In fact general Tunner wanted to desecrate all previous tonnage records set so far. Secretly, coal was stockpiled for the event. Maintenance schedules were altered so that the maximum number of planes was available. Everyone put in extra effort for this special event. From 12:00PM April 15, to 12:00PM April 16, 1949, crews worked overtime to deliver more tonnage than had ever been delivered in a 24 hour period. When it was over, 12,941 tons of coal had been delivered as a result of 1,383 flights without a single accident. As a matter of fact, as a result, the daily tonnage also increased from 6,729 tons a day befor the Easter Parade, to 8,893 tons per day, an unexpected benefit. This was the straw that broke the camel's back.
THE END OF THE BLOCKADE
On May 12, 1949, the Soviets capitulated. The blockade was over. It was decided to continue supplying Berlin by air in addition to the land routes in order to build up a sufficient supply of goods. The Airlift officially ended on Sept. 30, 1949, fifteen months after its meager beginnings in June of '48. In total, the US delivered 1,783,572.7 tons, while 541,936.9 tons were delivered by the British totaling 2.3 Million tons from 277, 569 total flights to Berlin. C-47's and C-54's alone traveled over 92 million miles in order to do so. These were astounding figures, considering that in the beginning it seemed impossible to even try. Nevertheless, even the greatest operation is not without risk. A total of 101 fatalities were recorded as a result of the operation, including 31 Americans, mostly due to crashes.
The end of the blockade was unexpected; however, as bigger plans were made and bigger planes were set to replace the existing fleet of C-54's. The USAF had already used a C-74 "Globemaster" and one Boeing YC-97A "Stratofreighter" in the airlift, testing the feasibility of heavy-lift transports and their use in a continued operation. The Douglas C-124 "Globemaster II" was coming and the plan was to use C-97's and 124's to continue the operation without as many flights. Fortunately, that was not necessary.
|
|
FReeper Foxhole Armed Services Links



TOPICS: VetsCoR
KEYWORDS: airforce; berlin; berlinairlift; candybomber; coldwar; freeperfoxhole; germany; harrytruman; history; samsdayoff; tempelhof; veterans
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-20, 21-40, 41-60, 61-80, 81-87 next last
.......
LIFE FOR THE BERLINERS
Life for the Berliners was hard. In the beginning, there was about a month's worth of supplies to be had, but stockpiles were dwindling. The airlift had not reached its predicted consumption rate yet, and starvation was near. In addition, when the winter of 1948-49 hit, there was little fuel to run the remaining industry, let alone heat the homes. Berliners soon found themselves chopping down all of the trees in the city for fuel, and learning what grasses could be eaten for food. In addition, people rummaged through garbage cans for food, but soon found that there was very little of that to go around. It was a dire circumstance, but still they knew that their suffering in this manner would be better than succumbing to Soviet control. They had seen the treatment the Soviet soldiers had given them when they arrived. They were stealing everyone's valuables, systematically stripping the industry and all of the necessary equipment and shipping it back to Moscow. In addition, German wives and daughters were being raped and abused all of the time. German scientists and engineers were forcibly sent to Moscow and forced to reveal all of the German technological secrets. Starvation was far better than that treatment. When it was decided that an airlift would be attempted, Berlin's Lord Mayor Ernst Reuter held a public rally in support of the effort. Germans would suffer and sacrifice to make it work. The German resolve was strong, even in such a desperate situation.
GERMAN VOLUNTEERS
One of the biggest problems during the airlift was the lack of manpower. It was decided to use the very people who the airlift was helping, the Berliners themselves. There was no lack of supply as they were eager to help because it was all for them anyway. In addition those who helped got an extra ration. This was very important to them, as the allotted ration was very small. It also gave the people a great sense of pride that they were helping the effort. So, soon German volunteers were used for unloading crews at Tempelhof. They would board the aircraft as soon as it stopped and commence unloading. If the crews did an especially good job, they might get a reward, such as a pack of cigarettes or an extra ration. This became quite the incentive, as the record for unloading 10-tons of coal was set at 10 minutes.
Another large problem was the lack of skilled mechanics. There just weren't enough mechanics to keep a fleet of C-54's maintained so that there could be no disruption in the conveyor belt of supplies to Berlin. They needed people to perform inspections, repairs, engine replacements, cleaning and servicing these aircraft. General Tunner had a solution to that problem, too. There were a large number of skilled former Luftwaffe mechanics available right in Berlin. It was decided to create crews comprised of these men, an American Maintenance supervisor and an interpreter. Soon the manpower was there. Soon, any aircraft that wasn't being fixed, inspected, or overhauled was flying the corridors. A far cry from the beginnings.
THE AIRLIFT'S LEGACY
The most obvious was the 40-year Cold War with the Soviet Union, which ebbed with the construction of the Berlin Wall, and the Korean and Vietnam Conflicts. We also forged a newfound friendship with Germany, our former foe, and established the Federal Republic of Germany as a result. In addition, the North Atlantic Treaty organization (NATO) was formed as a result of the crisis.
Less politically, our aircraft and airway system we enjoy today was developed and perfected as a result of the Berlin Airlift. Ground Controlled Approach or GCA was greatly improved as a necessity for the aircraft to land in Berlin, and our air traffic control system is a direct development of that technology. Loading procedures and maintenance procedures are greatly improved as a result, too.
More importantly, The Berlin Airlift demonstrated the military need for Air Transport in addition to Bombers and Fighters. A result is the Air Mobility Command and aircraft like the C-141 Starlifter, the C-130 Hercules, the C-5 Galaxy, and our newest transport, the C-17 Globemaster III.
All of these political and logistical ideas came as a result of the resolve of the US, Great Britain, France, and Germany to resist totalitarian tactics and wage a battle of air transport. This battle saved over 2.5 million people without firing a single shot. In a matter of fifteen months in 1948-49, world history was changed by the greatest humanitarian aviation event in history, the Berlin Airlift.
31 Americans lost their lives during the Berlin Airlift
28 U.S. Air Force, 1 US Navy, 1 US Army, 1 Army civilian
1st Lt George B. Smith 1st Lt Leland V. Williams
Tuscaloosa, Alabama Abilene, Texas
Mr Karl V. Hagen 1st Lt Charles H. King
New York, New York Britton, South Dakota
1st Lt Robert W. Stuber Major Edwin C. Diltz
Arlington, California Fayetteville, Texas
Captain Willian R. Howard Captain Joel M. DeVolentine
Gunnison, Mississippi Miami, Florida
1st Lt William T. Lucas PFC Johnny T. Orms
Wilson, North Carolina Rhein-Main Air Base
Captain James A. Vaughan 1st Lt Eugene S. Erickson
New Haven, Connecticut Collinsville, Illinois
Sgt Richard Winter Captain Billy E. Phelps
Seattle, Washington Long Beach, California
1st Lt Willis F. Hargis TSgt Lloyd C. Wells
Nacogdoches, Texas San Antonio, Texas
AD/3 Harry R. Crites, Jr. 1st Lt Richard M. Wurgel
Lafayette, Indiana Union City, New Jersey
1st Lt Lowell A. Wheaton, Jr. Captain William A. Rathgeber
Corpus Christi, Texas Portland, Oregon
Sgt Bernard J. Watkins Cpl Norbert H. Theis
Lafayette, Indiana Cunningham, Kansas
PFC Ronald E. Stone 1st Lt Ralph H. Boyd
Mt. Sterling, Kentucky Fort Worth, Texas
1st Lt Craig B. Ladd TSgt Charles L. Putnam
Minneapolis, Minnesota Colorado Springs, Colorado
1st Lt Robert P. Weaver 1st Lt Royce C. Stephens
Fort Wayne, Indiana San Antonio, Texas
1st Lt Robert C. von Luehrte 2nd Lt Donald J. Leemon
Covington, Kentucky Green Bay, Wisconsin
TSgt Herbert F. Heinig
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Today's Educational Sources and suggestions for further reading:
www.avialantic.com/bahf.html
http://www.usafe.af.mil/berlin/photos.htm
The FReeper Foxhole Remembers The Berlin Airlift - Jan 5th, 2003 Gail S. Halvorsen, The Berlin Candy Bomber
"To Save A City", Roger G. Miller, United States Air Force History and museums Program, 1998.
"MAC and the Berlin Airlift" by Roger D. Launius and Coy F. Cross III Military Airlift Command, 1998
"Over The Hump" William H. Tunner, 1964 Duell, Sloan and Pearce. New York.
To: All
............
TEGEL
Berlin had only 2 airports at the outset of the airlift, Tempelhof and Gatow. Soon, it became obvious that a third was needed. Heavy equipment was needed, but there were no aircraft large enough to carry bulky items like that. So, it was cut into smaller pieces, loaded onto one of 5 Fairchild C-82 Packet aircraft, flown into Berlin, and welded back together again. Incidentally, a new power plant for Berlin was constructed this way also. Nevertheless, an area in the French Sector was chosen to become Tegel Airfield. American, French, and German volunteers broke ground on august 5th, 1948. Through dedication, hard work and extreme organization, the first c-54 landed with its 10-ton cargo only a mere three months later. Quite a feat. Tegel, incidentally, is Berlin's main airport today.
There was an obstacle in the way on the approach to Tegel, however. A Soviet controlled radio tower caused problems with its proximity to the airfield. Pleas to remove it went unheard. Finally, on November 20, French General Jean Ganeval made a decision. If they would not take it down, he would simply blow it up. So, on December 16, the dynamite was used. The tower fell, and the obstacle was gone.
"DER SCHOKOLADEN FLIEGER"
OPERATION LITTLE VITTLES
One of the most poignant stories of the Berlin Airlift was that of one 1st Lt. Gail S. Halvorsen. Halvorsen was somewhat of an ammeter moviemaker, and on July 17, he decided that on one of his off days, he would hitch a ride as a passenger on a C-54 and visit the City he was saving. Once at Tempelhof, Halvorsen walked to the end of the runway to film some aircraft landings when he noticed a group of children near the fence watching the planes, too. He went over to them. The asked questions about the aircraft, the cargo, how fast it was going and things like that. During this conversation he noticed that these children, unlike others he had encountered in Europe as a Ferry command Pilot during the War, did not ask him for any candy or gum, like others always had. This struck him funny, and he knew that they were too proud to beg for such things. Some having been born during wartime had not even heard of treats like that. He made a fateful decision at that moment which was to become one of the symbols of the airlift. He reached into his pocket and found that he had only twosticks of Wrigley's Doublemint Gum. He remarked that if they did not fight over it, he would drop some candy to them if they were there the next day. They agreed, took the sticks of gum and divided it amongst themselves, some happy to get only a piece of the wrapper. Before he left them, a child asked him how they will know it was him flying over. He replied, "I'll wiggle my wings."
True to his word, the very next day, on approach to Berlin, he rocked the airplane and dropped some chocolate bars attached to a handkerchief parachute to the children waiting below. Every day, the number of children would increase and he made several more drops. Soon there was a stack of mail in Base Ops addressed to "Uncle Wiggly Wings', "The Chocolate Uncle" and "The Chocolate Flier".
Halvorsen didn't tell anyone about what he was doing for fear he'd get in trouble. Then, he was called into his commander and asked what he was doing. He replied 'Flying, Sir." His commander asked again, and received the same response. He then pulled out a newspaper with a picture of Halvorsen's plane and tiny parachutes trailing behind. Apparently, a newspaper reporter narrowly escaped being hit on the head with a chocolate bar. His commander wasn't happy about it, but General Tunner though it was just the kind of gesture that the operation needed. It was dubbed "Operation Little Vittles". It continued, and many C-54 pilots participated. Candy and parachutes were assembled and sent from Chicopee Falls, MA to assist in the gesture. In the end, over three tons of candy was dropped over Berlin, some even in the Soviet sector. For this simple kindhearted gesture, Halvorsen became the most recognized pilot of the Berlin Airlift.
BERLIN AIRLIFT QUICK FACTS
2
posted on
01/27/2005 9:55:16 PM PST
by
snippy_about_it
(Fall in --> The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)
To: All
'"The Air Force can deliver anything.' -- Curtis LeMay, when asked if he could haul supplies to Berlin. |
3
posted on
01/27/2005 9:55:41 PM PST
by
snippy_about_it
(Fall in --> The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)
To: All

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.
NOW UPDATED THROUGH JULY 31st, 2004

The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul
Click on Hagar for
"The FReeper Foxhole Compiled List of Daily Threads"
LINK TO FOXHOLE THREADS INDEXED by PAR35
4
posted on
01/27/2005 9:56:27 PM PST
by
snippy_about_it
(Fall in --> The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)
To: AZamericonnie; SZonian; soldierette; shield; A Jovial Cad; Diva Betsy Ross; Americanwolf; ...

"FALL IN" to the FReeper Foxhole!

It's Friday. Good 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
Oregon City, OR 97045
5
posted on
01/27/2005 9:57:58 PM PST
by
snippy_about_it
(Fall in --> The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)
To: snippy_about_it
Absolutely WONDERFUL!!!
This is SUCH a well-documented thread!!!
I have a personal favor to ask of someone, anyone, who has the "archives" to the Foxhole. I want to know if you have anything from the ships my Daddy was on during WWII.
Would ya be so kind as to FRmail me? Please?
6
posted on
01/27/2005 10:40:15 PM PST
by
Brad’s Gramma
(Proud Patriots dot ORG!!! Operation Valentine's Day!!)
To: snippy_about_it
Excellent post. The Berlin Airlift was a fine hour for the United States, the American military and even Truman, who by standards would probably be considered a conservative.
To: Brad's Gramma
Morning Brad's Gramma.
What ships did your dad serve aboard?
8
posted on
01/27/2005 10:58:21 PM PST
by
SAMWolf
(Never make the same mistake twice. There are too many new ones to try)
To: SAMWolf
Hold on....I'll go get the info...and THANK YOU!!!
9
posted on
01/27/2005 10:59:00 PM PST
by
Brad’s Gramma
(Proud Patriots dot ORG!!! Operation Valentine's Day!!)
To: Reaganwuzthebest
Morning Reaganwuzthebest.
One of our finer hours.
10
posted on
01/27/2005 10:59:13 PM PST
by
SAMWolf
(Never make the same mistake twice. There are too many new ones to try)
To: snippy_about_it
11
posted on
01/27/2005 10:59:25 PM PST
by
SAMWolf
(Never make the same mistake twice. There are too many new ones to try)
To: SAMWolf
USS WAKE ISLAND CVE-65 AND THE USS BOXER CV-21
The REST of it I'm FRmailing to you!!! A girl has to keep SOME secrets! Ha!
12
posted on
01/27/2005 10:59:59 PM PST
by
Brad’s Gramma
(Proud Patriots dot ORG!!! Operation Valentine's Day!!)
To: Brad's Gramma
OK. Let me see what we've covered, I don't believe either ship was covered as a separate thread but we may have covered some of the actions they were involved in.
13
posted on
01/27/2005 11:03:36 PM PST
by
SAMWolf
(Never make the same mistake twice. There are too many new ones to try)
To: SAMWolf
One of our finer hours. Hi Sam it sure was a fine hour.
To: SAMWolf
Oh, boy...thank you SO MUCH!!!
Wow.....what fun this would be to give to him!!!
15
posted on
01/27/2005 11:06:40 PM PST
by
Brad’s Gramma
(Proud Patriots dot ORG!!! Operation Valentine's Day!!)
To: snippy_about_it
Good morning Snippy.
16
posted on
01/28/2005 1:29:49 AM PST
by
Aeronaut
(Proud to be a monthly donor.)
To: snippy_about_it
I rather like General Curtis LeMay. The bombing campaign he ran over Japan worked very well indeed.
I lived in Japan from 1956 to 1959. The US air attack was very fresh in the Japanese mind. I talked to those people, got to know them, I know what I am saying.
The C-154 had four Pratt R-3360 engines. Big iron, the biggest radials ever built.
Had an opportunity to buy a R-3360 a while back, zero hours since an Air Force overhaul about 1960. The guy wanted $10,000 for it. Thing weighs about three tons, and the only warm place I had to put it was in the living room. Have to demolish a wall to get it in, too. Wife did not approve. Never bought the machine, sigh. People have no appreciation for great art.
17
posted on
01/28/2005 1:50:25 AM PST
by
Iris7
(.....to protect the Constitution from all enemies, both foreign and domestic. Same bunch, anyway.)
To: snippy_about_it
Good morning, Snippy and everyone at the Foxhole.
18
posted on
01/28/2005 3:01:49 AM PST
by
E.G.C.
To: snippy_about_it; SAMWolf; All
"20 years of schollin and they put you on the day shift" Bump for the Freeper Foxhole
Off to work but here ia a somewhat interesting tie in between the Berlin Airlift and the tsunami relief efforts.
http://varifrank.com/archives/2005/01/today_i_was_unp_1.php
Gotta go will try to check back in later
Regards
alfa6 ;>}
19
posted on
01/28/2005 3:18:24 AM PST
by
alfa6
To: snippy_about_it; SAMWolf; All
January 28, 2005
Ants And Elephant Seals
Read: Proverbs 6:6-11
Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. 1 Corinthians 15:34
Bible In One Year: Exodus 1-4
Elephant seals spend most of their lives sleeping. Science News magazine reports, "Male elephant seals measure 16 feet from trunk-like nose to flipper, and they weigh about 3 tons. Occasionally, a seal will use a front flipperincredibly tiny for such a massive creatureto scratch itself or flip sun-shielding sand on its body." Otherwise these huge animals are basically motionless.
The article goes on to state that because they don't eat while on land during the breeding season, they sleep most of the time. Besides scratching, dirt-flipping, or rolling over, these ponderous animals seldom move.
By contrast, the little ant seems tireless as it goes about its industrious work of storing up food for the colony. The writer of Proverbs commends the diligence of the ant, citing her active ways as a model for people who would live wisely.
There's a spiritual lesson here. Christians who pattern their service after the ant get things done for the Lord. But others, like the elephant seal, scarcely move. They seem to be barely alive spiritually, as if they are conserving their energy for some huge effort later on. But the time to get busy for Christ is now, even though our talents may seem insignificant.
Imitate the ant, not the elephant seal. Dave Egner
Lord Christ, we humbly ask
Of Thee the power and will
With fear and meekness every task
Of duty to fulfill. Montgomery
Many Christians do nothing, but no Christian has nothing to do.
20
posted on
01/28/2005 5:28:45 AM PST
by
The Mayor
(Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.)
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-20, 21-40, 41-60, 61-80, 81-87 next last
Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson