The FReeper Foxhole's TreadHead Tuesday - Soviet T-60 Tank - Feb. 8th, 2005

www.battlefield.ru ^ | Mark Jeremco

[SAMWolf]

The T-60 light tank of the 2nd Battalion of the 3rd Guards Tank Brigade. Kalinin Front. 1942.

Development history

In May 1941, Moscow Factory #37 received an order to manufacture the new T-50 light tank, which was designed in Leningrad by factory #174. This tank had features that suited mass production, namely, small dimensions and low metal requirements (total weight was only 14.5 tones). It was envisaged that it would be manufactured in large numbers of small factories and industrial sub-stations that originally could not manufacture 'serious' vehicles like the T-34 or KV. This would utilize those production facilities that weren't yet involved in tank manufacturing. Simultaneously, factory #37 was ordered to develop and manufacture a complex and labor-intensive new 6-cylinder diesel engine, the V-4.


The T-60 light tank.

This order was met with scepticism among the factory's engineers and workers since the modest capabilities of the factory didn't match the task. Highlighting just one of the obstacles, the manufacturing of cogwheels was difficult for the factory and the T-50 had a very complex 8-speed plancyclic gearbox. However, at this time, the war was proving that maneuverable lightly-armored vehicles like the T-50, with their light armament, were urgently needed by the Red Army (for reconnaissance or convoy duties particularly). The catastrophic situation faced by the Red Army in the summer and autumn of 1941 also gave urgency to this project.

The increased production of the T-40 light tank, and the move to make them non-amphibious and better-protected, led the engineers of factory #37 to the conclusion that there was a need to develop a new light tank for close infantry support. At the time, each Soviet rifle division was supposed to have (according to TO&E) one light tank company with 16 tanks.

In developing the new tank, engineers used some parts from the existing T-40 tank, including the transmission, the chassis, and the engine. The hull of the new tank had a rationalized silhouette, with reduced dimensions but increased armor protection. The whole project was accomplished in only 15 days (in August 1941) and was headed by N.A. Astrov. Within this very short time, the paper project of the "060" light tank was completed, and its scale-model was built.


Technical examination of just produced tanks.

However, Astrov, together with Lt. Colonel V.P. Okunev, wrote a letter to Josef Stalin where they had detailed the impossibility of manufacturing the T-50 in Factory #37. Alternatively, they offered their project "060" which could have been put into large-scale production immediately. Stalin read the letter, and the next morning V.A. Malyshev, who was the Chairman of the Council of Ministers, visited Astrov and Okunev.

Malyshev examined the new vehicle, discussed some technical problems and aspects, and offered to replace the initially projected 12.7 mm heavy machine-gun with the much more powerful 20 mm ShVAK automatic gun that was already manufactured and used widely in aviation applications. Astrov agreed, and Malyshev connected him with OKB-15 (which was the designer of the ShVAK gun) and ordered it to develop a tank version of their gun. By the evening of that day, the new light tank was accepted for service, and a special order to manufacture 10,000 of those tanks was issued. This tank was designated the T-60 (some documents call it T-60Sh, where "Sh" means ShVAK). Initially this order was assigned to five factories:

- the Factory #37 in Moscow;
- the Factory #176 (Gorkovskiy Avtomobil'niy Zavod) in Nizhnij Novgorod;
- the Factory KPZ (Kolomenskiy Parovozostroitel'niy Zavod) in Kolomna;
- the Factory #264 (Krasnoarmeiskiy Sudostroitel'niy Zavod) in Stalingrad;
- the Factory KhTZ (Kharkovskiy Traktorniy Zavod) in Kharkov.


The T-60 light tank.

Soon, the KhTZ was evacuated, so it was excluded from the list. Later, another two factories were involved:

- the Factory #38 in Kirov;
- the Factory #37 in Sverdlovsk.

Three additional factories were also assigned the manufacture of various pieces of the T-60:

- the Factory KIM in Moscow;
- the Factory "Krasniy Proletariy" in Moscow;
- the Factory #592 in Mytishy.


Baking the just painted T-60.

The T-60 had a new welded hull designed by A.V. Bogachev. This hull was more rigid, with a low silhouette (1360 mm) and well-sloped armor made of rolled homogeneous armor plates (steel grade 2P). Small dimensions allowed an increase of the front armor thickness to 15-20 mm initially, and later up to 20-35 mm. The side armor was increased to 15 mm (later to 25 mm), and the rear armor was increased up to 13 mm (later to 25 mm). The driver's hatch thickness was 10 mm (later 13 mm). An emergency hatch was placed at the bottom of the tank. The overall capacity of the two internal fuel tanks was 320 litres.

U.P. Udovich designed the new eight-sided conical turret. It was much cheaper to produce compared to the turret of the T-40. Protection was provided by 25 mm armor plates welded together. The thickness of the gun mantlet was increased to 35 mm. It is important to note that the KPZ factory manufactured tanks with rounded conical turrets like on the T-40.

On the second T-60 prototype, the DShK machine-gun was replaced with a 20 mm 'ShVAK-tankovaya' gun (L/82.4). This gun was based on the ShAK-20 aircraft gun. Testing of the new gun was conducted at the same time as the first trials of the T-60. This gun was therefore only officially accepted for service on December 1, 1941. From January 1, 1942, this gun received the designation TNSh-1 (later this gun was re-designated TNSh-20).


The tank column before sending to front. Kirov. 1942.

Ammunition consisted of fragmentation tracer rounds, fragmentation incendiary rounds, and armor-piercing rounds with carbide-tungsten cores. Later, sub-calibre armor-piercing incendiary rounds became available, so the armor penetration increased to 35 mm on 60 degree sloped armor from 500 metres. This allowed the T-60 to successfully combat early German Pz-IIIs and Pz-IV's as well as German APCs and other lightly-armored targets.

The T-60 was also armed with a coaxial 7.62 mm DT tank machine-gun. The mounting of this machine-gun allowed its use as a light machine-gun outside the tank. It could be quickly dismounted, and was equipped with a shoulder butt and spade grips. Situations where this occurred were quite common. If needed, the TNSh could also be quickly dismounted as its weight was only 68 kg. The closest German counterpart for the T-60 was the Pz-II and the "Lynx". The T-60 was slightly better-protected, and had a longer range and better mobility on rough terrain, while its German counterparts enjoyed better reliability and were radio-equipped.

The first T-60s had spiked road wheels, sometimes without rubber tyres. Later, all rubber tyres were removed because of the scarcity of rubber. Road wheels and idlers were made to become interchangeable. The first production tanks did not have radios. Internal communication was performed either by TPU-2 or by signal lamps.


The T-60 Light Tank. Stalingrad Front. Winter 1942-1943.

After up-armoring, the weight of the T-60 increased from 5800 to 6400 kg, but due to use of the same engine, the specific power decreased and speed suffered as a result. To increase mobility on swampy and snowy terrain, special removable track extensions for increasing the track width were developed which could be fitted over the standard tracks. The large-scale production of these track extensions was set up from 1942. Compared to other Soviet tanks, the T-60 had the best mobility on snowy and swampy terrain, on water-logged meadows, and in muddy conditions.

For the Red Army, the importance of this tank was so great that Stalin himself attended the trials of the second prototype (this prototype was armed with the TNSh). After that, all factories to be involved in the manufacturing the T-60 began preparations with frantic haste. Additionally, the Moscow automobile factory ZIS became involved in production of this tank.

A Soviet engineering team headed by Chief Engineers B.M. Fitterman and A.M. Avenarius designed a new version of the T-60. It was named the ZIS-60. It was distinguished from the original tank by a new turret, slightly redesigned hull, and a new automobile engine, the ZIS-16 (88 h.p.). This engine was much heavier than the GAZ-202, but was satisfactory. At least ten ZIS-60 tanks were manufactured.


Military parade in Moscow. November 7, 1942.

Because of the lack of GAZ-202 engines, in October 1941 Malyshev issued an order to use any engine that could be installed. Among others, there were some T-60s equipped with Ford V-8 engines. As a last resort, it was possible to install the GAZ-M engine, though it was underpowered for the T-60.

To further increase the output of the GAZ factory, some modifications to the engine were made. These changes were managed by A.A. Lipgart (Chief Engineer of GAZ) and A.M. Kriger (Chief of the Chassis and Engine Department). Initially these engines were designated "030", later they received the "060" designation.

Meanwhile, on September 15, 1941, the first production T-60 was manufactured at factory #37. However, this factory was evacuated soon after (by an order issued on October 9, 1941), and the industrial process was cancelled on September 26. Only 245 tanks were manufactured.


Training of the Soviet infantry. Western Front. 1942.

Factory #37 was evacuated to Sverdlovsk in three places: to the Metallist factory; to the Voevodin's railway-carriage repair works; and to a branch of the Uralmash factory. Together with the elements of the KIM factory, they founded the new tank factory #37 (the Chief Engineer was G.S. Surenyan, later N.A. Popov). The new factory opened on December 15, 1941. The first 20 T-30 and T-60 tanks were tested on the new proving grounds, then through Sverdlovsk, to be sent to the front. Over the next three months, the factory manufactured 512 tanks.

In February 1942, factory #37 and its design bureau developed, manufactured, and tested the modified T-60, which was named the T-60-1 (some sources name it "060" or T-60-ZIS). It was powered by the ZIS-60 engine (95 h.p., later 110 h.p.). This engine was put in full-scale production in the Miassky Automobile Engine Factory that was situated nearby.


The meeting. The regiment of Colonel Gatchenko. South-Western Front. 1942.

By September 1942, 1144 T-60 tanks were manufactured. After that, the factory was switched to manufacturing the T-70 light tank. The largest factory that was producing T-60 tanks was GAZ, in which N.A. Astrov had arrived together with a small group of engineers. Soon he became the Deputy Chief Engineer of the factory, and in the beginning of 1942 he was awarded the Stalin's Prize for development of the T-40 and the T-60 tanks.

Very quickly, this factory finished all required technological preparations and from October 26 started the mass production of the T-60. The hulls were supplied by factory #177 in Vyksunsky; later they were supplied by factory #176 in Murom as well as by factory #178 in Kulebaki and factory #180 in Podolsk. At times there were shortages of tank hulls, thus the manufacturing of T-60s became sporadic. To solve this problem, a whole GAZ workshop was switched to production of hulls for the T-60. It is worth noting that the hulls of different factories had minor differences that didn't affect the characteristics of the whole tank.


The T-60 armed with the 37 mm Tank Gun ZIS-19 mounted in the new turret.

To increase the firepower of the T-60, and in particular its armor penetration, there was a plan to rearm the T-60 with the 23 mm VYa automatic gun that was far superior to the TNSh-20. Unfortunately, the large recoil force could jam the turret. After a few attempts, the plan was cancelled, and the T-60 wasn't rearmed with the VYa.

Besides the VYa gun, there were other several attempts to rearm the T-60. Two attempts stand out, and the first of these attempts was undertaken at the beginning 1942 to rearm T-60 with the 37 mm ZIS-19 automatic tank gun. The gun was developed in August 1941 by design bureau #92 led by V.Grabin. Although the gun was intended for universal use, it was ultimately planned for use in light tanks.


The T-60 light tank. Leningrad Front. 1942.

The gun was very powerful, and the muzzle velocity of the armor-piercing shell was 915 m/s. The gun was too big to be installed in the standard turret, so a new turret was designed. The T-60 with the new turret and the 37 mm gun passed all trials but wasn't accepted for service because of a major shortage of 37 mm ammunition.

The second notable attempt to rearm the T-60 was made in March and April of 1942. The 45 mm ZIS-19BM tank gun was chosen. This gun was also developed by design bureau #92. Compared with the ZIS-19, the new gun had some significant advantages: most of its elements were similar to the existing 45 mm 20K tank gun, but most importantly, there was no problem with procuring 45 mm ammunition since it was already manufactured by several factories.

On April 5, 1942, the factory trials began. After that, the gun was sent to factory #37, which was developing the T-45 light tank. Because the ZIS-19BM was too big to be installed into the standard T-60 turret, the gun was installed into the T-45's turret. The T-60 with the new turret and armed with the 45 mm ZIS-19BM was sent to the factory trials.


The T-60-2 tank armed with ZIS-19BM gun.

This T-45/T-60 hybrid was named T-60-2 or simply "062". The gun was placed to the right of the turret's center. This layout was very handy to load the gun, and consequently the rate of fire was significantly increased.

Unfortunately, by that time, the newest T-70 Light Tank was tested and accepted for service, so the attempts of modernisation of the T-60, the T-45, and the ZIS-19BM were considered as "having no prospects" and further work was cancelled.

To protect the T-60 from Molotov cocktails (which the Germans used beginning in the winter of 1941-1942) there was a plan to mount a special wire-mesh shield. In February 1942, near Chkalov, trials of the T-60 fitted with these shields were carried out. The trials were successful, but unfortunately such shields were rarely used due to the additional expense involved.


The T-60 in Kubinka.

In 1942, in spite of the successful development of the T-70, the production of the T-60 continued concurrently up to August 1942. In 1942, the total output of the T-60 was 4164 tanks. In February 1943, the last batch of 55 tanks was sent to the front, after which the T-60 was removed from production.

[SAMWolf]

The T-60 in Action



The first verified battle involving the T-60 light tank occurred at the end of September 1941, while serving in the 10th Tank Brigade they were involved in intense battles near the Poltava region.

Large numbers of this tank fought in the Battle for Moscow (1941-42). Those tanks fought in almost tank brigade and battalion strength. On November 7, 1941, 48 T-60's took part in the Red Square military parade. Just after the parade, the tanks were sent to front. Many of those tanks were built in Moscow factories. Tanks of the Gorkij Factory (GAZ) first appeared on the Eastern Front on December 13, 1941. The role of the T-60 in the Battle for Moscow was very important because the overall Soviet tank production of that time was extremely low as most Soviet industry was being evacuated.

The T-60 on the training field. 1942.

Only the STZ and KTZ factories were operational, though KTZ in Leningrad was already encircled by German forces, thus in effect, only STZ remained. However, STZ itself didn't produce tanks, it only assembled tanks from already manufactured parts. Those hulls, turrets, and chassis elements were supplied by other factories which were already being evacuated and were not operational.

By the beginning of spring of 1942, 60 T-60 tanks were sent to the Leningrad Front to form the 61st Tank Brigade. It is interesting to note that since Leningrad was encircled by the Germans, it was important to hide delivery of those tanks, and therefore tanks were put on coal barges and well-camouflaged with coal.

Loading the 20 mm ammunition. Leningrad Front. 1943.

Those barges often delivered coal to Leningrad, and the Germans didn't pay them proper attention and allowed them to pass unharmed, and all the tanks were delivered successfully in this manner.

On January 12, 1943 (the first day of the Soviet offensive which broke the Leningrad encirclement), the 61st Tank Brigade together with the 86th and 118th Tank Battalions were engaged in battles as elements of the 67th Army. Tank units of medium and heavy tanks crossed over the ice of the Neva river a day later, after Soviet infantry supported by light tanks and sappers had strengthened the ice for safe tank crossings.

Tanks of the 61st Tank Brigade successfully met with units of Volkhovsky Front, and after that operation, the 61st Brigade received the "Guards" status and renamed the 30th Guards Tank Brigade.

The T-60 tank of the 30th Guards Tank Brigade, Leningrad Front. 1943.

There were several successful attempts to increase the frontal armor of the T-60. Additional 10 mm armor plates were placed on the glacis of the hull and around the turret.

T-60's were used on the Southern Front, especially in the spring of 1942 in the Crimea. These tanks were used in the Kharkov operation as well as during the Stalingrad operation. The Germans called the T-60 the "ineradicable locust."

T-60 tanks were the core of the 1st Tank Corps (commander - Major-General M. E. Katukov). In the summer of 1942, this corps, as an element of the Bryansk Front, was engaged in defensive battles near Voronezh. The 1st Tank Corps and the 16th Tank Corps were combined as a single unit. After the heavy battles, this unit was in a desperate situation. Katukov relates in his memoirs:

The T-60 with pressed roadwheels.

"The Germans attacked us continuously. They tried to find a weak point in our defense. After several attempts they found it, and German infantry was able to make a breakthrough through our first lines of defense where we didn't have proper artillery coverage. It was a precarious situation, because the Germans continued their attacks to cut off and destroy our forces.

The German forces attacked along the whole front line, thus there weren't any available reserves. I had only two T-60 light tanks in operational reserve, but whom could stop these "armored miniatures" with their 20 mm guns?

They were useless against German tanks, but they could be used successfully against enemy infantry and usually caused heavy losses among them. This happened at both Mtzensk and Moscow.

The T-60 with the uparmored turret. The 3rd Guards Tank Brigade, Kalinin Front. 1942.

And now, in this fateful hour, when the Germans had almost defeated us, those "ridiculous" tanks saved our positions. It was lucky that the rye in the area was 1.5 metres tall, as the T-60's were almost hidden by it. Using this rye field, both of our T-60 tanks were able to infiltrate to the rear of the German infantry and then opened fire. After several minutes of intensive fire, the German attack was halted."

In September 1942, during the rugged defense at Stalingrad, the 91st Tank Brigade was engaged in action having T-60 tanks in its service. Many of those little "baby" tanks had impressive nicknames like "Grozniy" (Terrible), "Orel" (Eagle), "Smelij" (Brave), etc.

T-60s ready for anti-aircraft firing. The South-Western Front. 1942.

The Stalingrad battle and the run on the Leningrad blockade became the apogee for T-60 light tank. From the end of 1942, the usage of these tanks decreased. They served well and completed their tasks but they couldn't withstand modern German tanks and the increasing demands placed upon them. The use and production of the T-60 was on the decline.

Soviet tankers didn't love the T-60 because of its weak armament and too light armor. Tankers called them BM-2 which meant "Bratskaya Mogila na dvoikh" (a brother's grave for two).

Before the battle. Stalingrad area. 1942.

Breaking the encirclement around Leningrad (January 1944) was the last large operation where the T-60s took part. For example, among the 88 tanks of the 1st Tank Brigade there were 21 T-60's, and 18 T-60's were in the 220th Tank Brigade. At the same time, the 124th Tank Regiment (attached to the Volkhov Front) possessed only ten tanks: a pair of T-34's, a pair of T-70's, five T-60's and one T-40 (still alive! unlikely, but true!).

After that operation, T-60's were used only as convoy vehicles, in signal units, for reconnaissance, and as artillery tractors for ZIS-2 antitank and ZIS-3 field guns. They were also used as commanders' tanks. In that capacity, T-60's were used until the end of the war.

Repairing a tank in field conditions.

Besides the Red Army, three T-60's served in the Voisko Polskoe (Polish Army) in 1945. Many T-60's were captured by the Germans and Finns. The Germans usually used them as armored tractors, and occasionally they removed their turrets. Some of those tanks were given to Rumania. The Rumanians used them to build a batch of quite successful self-propelled guns "Takam," armed with the ex-Soviet 76.2 mm F-22 (the predecessor for the ZIS-3 Field Gun) installed in a non-rotating compartment open at the top and rear.

The hull and the chassis of T-60 satisfied the Rumanians and were left almost unchanged. Moreover, some sources indicate the Rumanians built two other self-propelled guns armed with a 105 mm howitzer.

>
A knocked out T-60. Leningrad Front. 1943.

After the war, all surviving T-60's were quickly removed from service. Today, the last "pure" T-60 is displayed in the tank museum in Kubinka.

[SAMWolf]

Modifications of the T-60




The T-60 was an excellent base for many experimental projects. An armored self-propelled anti-aircraft vehicle was needed to protect tank units and staff vehicles, and at the end of 1942 a new tank was developed and manufactured at the GAZ Factory. That tank was named "063" or T-60-3 (the "3" meaning third modification). Some post-war sources also claim the tank had the "T-90" designation, although I didn't see this designation in archival documents.


The experimental T-60-3 tank.

This tank had the hull, the chassis, and the engine taken from the production T-60, but the tank had a new turret with double 12.7 mm DShK anti-aircraft machine-guns installed. Because of some technological troubles, GAZ was unable to manufacture the turret's traversing mechanism with proper precision (which is required for anti-aircraft combat). This was the main reason why the "063" wasn't accepted for service.


The BM-8-24 rocket launcher

The BM-8-24 multiple rocket launchers were based on chassis of T-60 tanks as well as on T-40's. They were accepted for service in October 1941. In autumn 1941, Soviet engineer O.K. Antonov offered to develop a simplified glider with a hull taken from the production T-60.

The glider was intended for transport by the four-engined TB-3 bomber or by the twin-engined DB-3F bomber. After landing, this vehicle had to drop its wings and empennage (tail) and thus, be ready for immediate combat.

Antonov's project was supported by General S.A. Afonin (Director of the General Tank Directorate), and at the end of 1941, Antonov's Design Bureau received an official order to develop this vehicle. The project was completed in only three weeks and by the summer of 1942, the very first experimental tank was manufactured in the glider factory in Tiumen. This tank received the "KT" index which meant "Kryl'ya tanka" (Tank's Wings). Please notice, that "Krylatyj Tank" (Winged Tank) is a wrong name, but still in use by some sources. Several other sources use the designations "A-T", "AT-1" or "glider A-40."


The KT tank in flight.

The wingspan of the KT was 18 metres, and the length was 12.06 metres. The tail was managed by a driver through special hawsers. The tank was lightened (weight decreased to 5800 kg!) by removing armament, ammunition, headlights, and was left only a very limited amount of fuel. The final flight weight of the KT was 7804 kg. A test flight was performed in the autumn of 1942. The KT was transported by the TB-3 bomber. S. Nanokhin was the driver of the KT, and he reported that idea of the flying tank was quite realistic and could be successful. However, because of the poor aerodynamics of the KT, the transportation of the tank was a huge strain on the TB-3, its engines overheated, and to avoid crashing, the KT was ditched in an emergency.


The KT tank with removed turret. 1942.

However, the KT glided very smoothly and successfully landed on a rough field near the Ramenskij Airfield. After landing, the wings and tail were dropped, and it successfully returned to its base at Monino. But because of a lack of sufficiently powerful airplanes, further work on the KT were cancelled and never resumed.

Additional Sources:

www.worldwar2.ro
rkkaww2.armchairgeneral.com

[SAMWolf]

TACAM T-60


The Rumanian SP gun based on T-60.

To counter the growing threat of the T-34 and KV tanks, The Roumanians developped an assault gun made of pieces taken from the Russians. A 7.62 cm gun was mounted on the hull of a T-60 (or T-60 A). The superstructure was built with armored plates from BT-7. The first prototype was demonstrated in January 1943. The subsequently built units were issued to two companies of tank-destroyers.


TACAM T-60 at the parade. Bucharest, 10 May 1943

[SAMWolf]

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.

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We here at Blue Stars For A Safe Return are working hard to honor all of our military, past and present, and their families. Inlcuding the veterans, and POW/MIA's. I feel that not enough is done to recognize the past efforts of the veterans, and remember those who have never been found.

I realized that our Veterans have no "official" seal, so we created one as part of that recognition. To see what it looks like and the Star that we have dedicated to you, the Veteran, please check out our site.

Veterans Wall of Honor

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UPDATED THROUGH APRIL 2004



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

Click on Hagar for
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[snippy_about_it]

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************Snippy, I bequeath to you the FR TH PL.

148 posted on 08/24/2004 11:39:45 AM PDT by Cannoneer No. 4 (I've lost turret power; I have my nods and my .50. Hooah. I will stay until relieved. White 2 out.)

Good morning Cannoneer. Seems like you've been gone forever. When you comin' home?

[alfa6]

Call in overtime bump for Treadhead Tuesday on the Freeper Foxhole

Regards

alfa6 ;>}

[Aeronaut]

Good morning Snippy.

[quietolong]

Neillsville WI. Korean War Tribute
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1338442/posts

[Iris7]

www.battlefield.ru is an excellent web site. Too bad I have no Russian.

My reaction to the T-60 is quite positive. Obviously it is no T34, but the design fitted the Soviet capabilities and needs very well at the time and the basic structure is well conceived.

I especially enjoyed the photo "Repairing a tank in field conditions." The fellow with the sledge on the left is so neat.

The Russian designs actually could be maintained by their crews. The crews did all the first echelon and I think second echelon maintenance themselves. Replace drive and track clutches, pull engines and gear boxes, and were known to do engine and gearbox tear downs in the field.

Probably just slammed in scrap parts and stuffed in sawdust right to the top, and then filled with oil. No manuals, I believe. Amazing.

[GailA]

Good morning

[Eaker]

The whole project was accomplished in only 15 days (in August 1941) and was headed by N.A. Astrov.

Wow!!!!

[The Mayor]

February 8, 2005

What's The Connection?

Read:
Colossians 3:1-14

Whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, . . . meditate on these things. -Philippians 4:8

Bible In One Year: Exodus 38-40

The image on the TV screen captures our attention and we sit down to watch. As we flip from channel to channel, is there any connection between what we decide to watch and what is in our heart? Does our faith in Christ have anything at all to do with our TV choices?

In a world of falling standards, we must think through this question: How does our relationship with Christ affect our TV viewing habits?

One secular writer speaking about today's television programs said, "The notion of indecency has become obsolete." He is suggesting that a standard has been pushed aside. What is that standard? I believe it's the moral standard found in biblical teaching.

Most TV productions are not governed by the guidelines God wants us to follow. The Bible tells us, "Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy-meditate on these things" (Philippians 4:8). It's hard to do that when we're being bombarded by the ungodly images presented on television.

Let's ask God to help us make godly choices in what we watch on TV. -Dave Branon

Sow a thought, and you reap an act;
Sow an act, and you reap a habit;
Sow a habit, and you reap a character;
Sow a character, and you reap a destiny. -Anon.

Character is formed by making choices in one direction.

FOR FURTHER STUDY
What In The World Is Satan Doing?

[alfa6]

Regards

alfa6 ;>}

[Valin]

On This Day In History


Birthdates which occurred on February 08:
412 St Proclus patriarch of Constantinople
1291 Afonso IV King of Portugal (1325-57)
1612 Samuel Butler England, poet/satirist (Hudibras) (baptized)
1795 Friedlieb F Runge German chemist (Chinoline)
1811 Edwin Denison Morgan Secretary of War (Confederacy), dies in 1883
1817 Richard Stoddert Ewell Lieutenant General (Confederate Army), dies in 1872
1820 William Tecumseh Sherman Major General (Union Army), dies in 1891 (War is hell)
1824 Barnard Elliot Bee Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1861
1828 Jules Verne France, pioneered sci-fi (From the Earth to the Moon)
1878 Martin Buber German/Israeli philosopher/theologist (Ich und Du)
1883 Joseph A Schumpeter Austria/US economist/minister of finance
1886 Charlie Ruggles Los Angeles CA, actor (The Ruggles, Aesop-Bullwinkle Show)
1895 King Vidor director (War & Peace, Stella Dallas)
1913 Betty Field Boston MA, actress (Kings Row, Bus Stop)
1913 John Grandy British Royal Air Force-marshal
1920 Lana Turner Wallace ID, actress (Survivors, Falcon Crest)
1924 Audrey Meadows Wu Chang China, actress (Alice-Honeymooners)
1925 Jack Lemmon Boston MA, actor (Days of Wine & Roses, Missing)
1926 Neal Cassaday, writer, beatnik, was born.
1931 James Dean Marion IN, stage/film actor (Giant, Rebel Without a Cause)
1933 Jack Larson Los Angeles CA, actor (Jimmy Olsen-Superman)
1940 Nick Nolte Omaha NB, actor (Under Fire, Lorenzo's Oil, Teachers, 48 Hours, North Dallas 40)
1944 Jim Capaldi rocker (Traffic)
1952 Nancy Lord Libertarian Vice-President candidate (1992)
1955 Ethan Phillips actor (Neelix-Star Trek Voyager)
1955 Jim "the Anvil" Neidhart wrestler (WWF/WCW/NJPW/CWFI/Calgary)
1955 John Grisham writer (Client, Firm, Pelican Brief)
1958 Barry Miller New York NY, actor (Joe & Sons, Szysznyk)
1960 Dino Ciccarelli Ontario, NHL right wing (Minnesota North Stars, Washington Capitals)

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Deaths which occurred on February 08:
1124 Stefanus of Thiers/Muret founder of order of Grammond/saint, dies
1245 Johannes de Rupella/de la Rochelle French theologist, dies
1587 Mary Stuart Queen of Scots (1560-87), beheaded at 44
1676 Aleksei M Romanov Czar of Russia, dies at 46
1725 Peter I "the Great" Romanov czar of Russia (1682-1725), dies at 52
1740 Clement XII [Lorenzo Corsini], blind Pope (1730-40), dies at 87
1874 David F Strauss German theologist, dies at 66
1924 Gee John US mobster (1st executed in gas chamber-Nevada), dies
1932 Vincent "Mad Dog" Coll mobster, killed by Dutch Schultz gang
1956 Connie Mack baseball manager (Philadelphia A's, 1901-50), dies at 93
1957 John Von Neumann astronomer, dies at 53
1959 William J "Wild Bill" Donovan Office Strategic Services, dies at 76
1963 Abdul Karim Kassem PM of Iraq (58-63), assassinated in Baghdad at 48
1974 Fritz Zwicky Swiss/US astronomer (supernova), dies at 75
1987 Harriet MacGibbon actress (Mrs Drysdale-Beverly Hillbillies), dies
1990 Del Shannon Coopersville MI, rock vocalist (Runaway), shoots self at 55
1995 B G Hooghoudt radio-telescope builder (Dwingeloo/Westerbork), dies at 70
1995 William Fulbright, US politician, dies

---

Reported: MISSING in ACTION

1968 CHENOWETH ROBERT P.---PORTLAND OR.
[03/16/73 RELEASED BY PRG, ALIVE AND WELL IN 1997]
1968 GEORGE JAMES E.---FORT WORTH TX.
1968 HAMMOND DENNIS W.---DETROIT MI.
1968 LENKER MICHAEL R.---ROCKFORD IL
[03/16/73 RELEASED BY PRG, ALIVE IN 98]
1968 LAPHAM ROBERT G.--- MARSHALL MI.
1968 PURCELL BENJAMIN H.---COLUMBUS GA.
[03/27/73 RELEASED BY PRG, (AUTHOR LOVE AND DUTY)ALIVE AND WELL 98
1968 ROSE JOSEPH III---MORGANTOWN WV.
[03/05/73 RELEASED BY PRG, ALIVE IN 98]
1968 ZAWTOCKI JOSEPH S. JR.---UTICA NY.
[REMAINS RETURNED 08/14/85]
1968 ZIEGLER ROY E.
[03/73 RELEASED BY PRG, ALIVE IN 98]
1969 CLARK THOMAS E.---EMPORIUM PA.
1969 FRITZ JOHN J. JR.---WILLIAMSTOWN NJ.
[02/12/73 RELEASED BY PRG INJURED]
1969 KALIL TANOS E.
[06/69 DIC ON PRG LIST]
1969 MAC PHAIL DON A.---CHELMSFORD MA.
[03/16/73 RELEASED BY PRG, ALIVE IN 1998]
1969 NEWINGHAM JAMES A.
[02/12/73 RELEASED BY PRG]
1969 WILKINS CALVIN WAYNE---WACO TX.
1971 STEWART PAUL C.---BEUENA PARK CA.

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

---

On this day...
0421 Flavius Constantine becomes emperor Constantine III of West Roman empire
1587 Mary, Queen of Scots beheaded
1600 Vatican sentenced scholar Giordano Bruno to death.
1601 Earl Robert Devereux of Essex armies draws into London
1622 King James I disbands the English parliament
1672 Isaac Newton reads 1st optics paper before Royal Society in London
1690 French & Indian troops set Schenectady settlement New York on fire
1743 Comet C/1743 C1 approaches within 0.0390 astronomical units (AUs) of Earth
1744 French/Spanish fleet leaves Toulon
1775 Leidse University 400th anniversary dinner
1802 Simon Willard patents banjo clock
1807 Napoleon defeats Russians in battle of Eylau
1809 Franz I of Austria declares war on France
1837 1st Vice President chosen by the Senate, Richard Johnson (Van Buren administration)

1861 Confederate States of America organizes in Montgomery AL

1862 Battle of Roanoke Island NC, Federals gain control of Pamlico Sound
1865 1st black major in US army, Martin Robinson Delany
1883 Louis Waterman begins experiments to invent the fountain pen
1887 Dawes Act passed (Indians living apart from tribe granted citizenship)
1887 Aurora Ski Club of Red Wing MN became the 1st US ski club
1894 Enforcement Act repealed, making it easier to disenfranchise blacks
1895 Tchaikovsky/Petipa's "Swan Lake" premieres in Petersburg
1896 Western Conference forms of Midwestern U, later renamed Big 10 Conference
1898 John Ames Sherman patents 1st envelope folding & gumming machine (Massachusetts)
1904 Outbreak of hostilities in Russo-Japanese war
1905 Cyclone hit Tahiti & adjacent islands, killing some 10,000 people

1910 Boy Scouts of America incorporated & chartered (William D Boyce-Chicago)

1911 US helps overthrow President Miguel Dávila of Honduras
1912 1st eastbound US transcontinental flight lands in Jacksonville FL
1915 "Birth of a Nation" opens at Clune's Auditorium in Los Angeles CA
1918 "Stars & Stripes", weekly US armed forces newspaper, 1st published
1920 Swiss men vote against women's suffrage
1922 Radio arrives in the White House
1923 Coal mine explosion at Dawson NM kills 120
1924 1st coast-to-coast radio hookup General John Joseph Carty speech in Chicago
1925 Marcus Garvey enters federal prison in Atlanta GA
1926 Walt Disney Studios is formed
1926 German Reichstag decides to apply for League of Nations membership
1928 1st transatlantic TV image received, Hartsdale NY
1928 Scottish inventor J Blaird demonstrates color-TV
1930 "Happy Days Are Here Again" by Benny Mereoff hits #1
1933 -23ºF, Seminole TX (state record)
1933 1st flight of all-metal Boeing 247
1934 Export-Import Bank organizes in Washington DC
1936 1st ski jumping tournament, Red Wing MN
1936 Pandit Jawaharlal follows Gandhi as chairman of India Congress Party
1942 Congress advises FDR that, Americans of Japanese descent should be locked up en masse so they wouldn't oppose the US war effort
1943 British General Wingate leads a guerrilla force of "Chindits" against the Japanese in Burma.
1943 Red Army recaptures Kursk
1944 1st black reporter accredited to the White House, Harry McAlpin
1946 Premier Salazar of Portugal forbids opposition parties
1948 5th Winter Olympics games close at St Moritz, Switzerland
1949 Hungarian Cardinal Mindszenty sentenced to life in prison
1955 Malenkov resigns as USSR premier, Bulganin replaces him
1960 Boston Celtic Bill Russell becomes 1st NBAer with 50 rebounds (51)
1963 AFL's Dallas Texans become Kansas City Chiefs
1963 Iraqi the Baath Party take power. Right-wing Baathists succeede in mounting a coup and executed PM Gen. Abdel Karim Qassim. Abdul Salam Arif came to power.
1965 Supremes release "Stop In the Name of Love"
1968 Officers kill 3 students demonstrating in South Carolina State (Orangeburg)
1969 Meteorite weighing over 1 ton falls in Chihuahua, México
1969 Last edition of Saturday Evening Post
1971 Pedro Morales beats Ivan Koloff in New York, to become WWF wrestling champion
1971 South Vietnamese troops invade Laos
1973 Senate names 7 members to investigate Watergate scandal
1974 "Good Times" debuts on CBS TV
1975 1800 Unification church couples' wed in Korea
1977 Earthquake in San Francisco CA, at 5.0, strongest since 1966
1978 Crown Prince Sad Abdallah al-Salim Al Sabah becomes PM of Kuwait
1983 Champion thoroughbred Shergar kidnapped in Ireland; never found Lloyds of London pays $10.6 million insurance
1983 Eric Peters sets transatlantic sailboat record (E-W)-46 days
1983 Baseball orders Mickey Mantle to sever ties with Claridge Casino
1985 Bruce Morris, Marshall University, makes a 92' 5¼" basketball shot
1985 Opposition leader Kim Dae Jung returns to South-Korea
1986 5' 7" Spud Webb of Atlanta Hawks wins NBA Slam Dunk Competition
1989 5 cm of snow falls in outskirts of Los Angeles
1990 "60 Minutes" commentator Andy Rooney suspended by CBS for racial remarks attributed to him by a gay magazine
1992 Ulysses spacecraft passes Jupiter
1993 GM sues NBC, alleging that "Dateline NBC" program had rigged 2 car-truck crashes to show that 1973-87 GM pickups were prone to fires
1999 The Senate heard closing arguments at President Clinton's impeachment trial, with House prosecutors challenging senators to "cleanse the office" and the president's attorney dismissing the case as one of partisan retribution.
2000 Net hackers shut down at least 4 popular Web sites including Amazon.com, eBay, CNN.com and buy.com with "denial of service attacks."
2001 President Bush sent his proposed $1.6 trillion, 10-year tax cut plan to Congress
2002 Mullah Wakil Ahmed Muttawakil, Taliban foreign minister, surrendered in Kandahar and was turned over to US military.
2004 Swiss voters approved a measure to put into effect some of Europe's harshest laws on violent criminals and pedophiles

---

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

Iraq : Ramadan Revolution
Norway : Narvik Sun Pageant Day
World : Boy Scouts Day (1910)
US : New Idea Week Begins
US : Future Homemakers of America Hero Week Begins
Great American Pies Month

---

Religious Observances
Christian : Feast of Bl Jacoba (Bl Jacqueline)
Methodist : Race Relations Sunday (2nd Sunday in February)
Roman Catholic : Commemoration of St John of Matha, confessor/ransomer of captives
Roman Catholic : Memorial of St Jerome Emiliani (opt)

---

Religious History
1693 The College of William and Mary was founded in Williamsburg, Virginia for the purpose of educating Anglican clergyman. After Harvard, it is the second oldest institution of higher learning in America.
1744 Colonial missionary to the American Indians, David Brainerd wrote in his journal: 'I find that both mind and body are quickly tired with intenseness and fervor in the things of God. Oh that I could be as incessant as angels in devotion and spiritual fervor.'
1851 Death of Alexander Haldane, 83. In 1797 he founded the Society for Propagating the Gospel at Home, after discovering that the Church of Scotland was as little interested in home missions as it was in foreign missions.
1865 Birth of Lewis E. Jones, American YMCA director. Jones was also a writer of hymns, and his most enduring contribution (which he both wrote and composed) was "Power in the Blood."
1950 American missionary and martyr Jim Elliot wrote in his journal: 'Sin in a Christian makes God seem distant, deaf. In the body, sin saps animation, as cancer. In the soul, sin stifles the affections; as corrosion in the spirit, sin solidifies the attitudes, as a callous.'

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

---

Thought for the day :
"Every happening, great and small, is a parable whereby God speaks to us, and the art of life is to get the message."

[Professional Engineer]

Good morning ladies. Flag-o-Gram.

Operation Hero 'deploys' Airmen's children

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Dominic Mahoney warms up to Sparky the Fire Dog during Operation Hero held here Jan. 8. The event was designed to help children better understand what a deployment is and what happens when their parents deploy. The fire department helped children with remembering who and how to call for help in case of an emergency. Dominic, 2, is the son of Senior Master Sgt. Kevin Mahoney of the 33rd Maintenance Squadron. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Robert Zoellner)

Is he really old enough to fly size

[E.G.C.]

Good morning, Snippy and everyone at the Foxhole.

Thanks for bearing with me this morning. Our ISP's primary database server went down sometime last night. We couldn't get on the Internet. It's back up for now.

OSU 79 OU 67 at Stillwater.

[Darksheare]

Flying tanks, who knew?

[SAMWolf]

Morning Snippy. (This is really Samwolf)

[SAMWolf]

Morning alfa6.

What? Someone didn't show up?