The FReeper Foxhole's TreadHead Tuesday - The Battle of Honkaniemi (2/26/1940) - Mar. 22nd,2005

www.winterwar.com ^ | Sami H. E. Korhonen

[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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The Battle of Honkaniemi
The attack of the strengthened 3rd Jaeger Battalion
26 February 1940
(The only Finnish tank attack in the Winter War)

The situation on 25 February

As the situation on the Honkaniemi-area had developed into a threatening salient, the C-in-C of the II Corps (Lt. General Öhquist) attached the JP 3 and the newly arrived 4th tank company with 13 Vickers tanks to the 23rd division, commanded by Col. Voldemar Oinonen (from 25 February onwards). Also the 3rd battalion of the 67th regiment, which was "on loan" to the 5th division, was returned.


This map shows the location of Naykkijärvi, and the divisions on both sides in the area.
(the square, 15 km SE from Viipuri)

As the 23rd received these reinforcements, Col. Oinonen decided to destroy the the small salient east of Naykkijärvi.

The commander of JP 3, Capt. I. Kunnas, and the commander of the 4. / Pans.P, Lt. O. Heinonen, received the order to attack at 2215 hrs.

The Plan

The original plan was to conduct a counterattack with 6 battalions, 3 artillery battalions and the 4th tank company. After the hurried preparations were begun, the units eligible for attack decreased to 4 battalions, 2 artillery battalions and the tank company. The plan was (in short) as follows:


Finnish soldiers armed with Russian SVT-automatic rifles. Finland lacked weapons and thus captured equipment was taken in use.

After the JP 3 and the 4. / Pans.P, with the help of I / JR 67 have penetrated the enemy line and reached the 1st objective, two battalions (II and III / JR 67) would carry the attack on to the 2nd objective and straighten the line.


The map shows the planned attack. The Jaegers were to cut through the defending Soviet forces, and two battalions from the JR 67 would advance forward through the Jaegers.

Unit Legends

• JR 67 is the 67th infantry regiment
• I / JR 67 is the 1st battalion of the JR 67
• JP 3 is the 3rd Jaeger battalion
• I JK is the 1st Jaeger company
• 4./ Pans.P is the 4th company of the Tank Battalion
• II / JR 14 is the 2nd battalion of JR 14

Map Legends

1. woods, the color represents different kinds of trees (pine, broadleaf, spruce & mixed), and different densities of the forest.
2. open ground, mostly cultivated fields
3. marshy / swampy forest (see #1)
4. marshy / swampy ground
5. marshy / swampy deforested area
6. deforested area
7. a building and it's "yard perimeter" i.e. the farmyard (meaning a main building and possible rear buildings, like barns, cowsheds etc.)
8. road
9. the Viipuri (Vyborg) - Leningrad railroad
10. Finnish tanks (blue), and knocked out Soviet tanks (red)

26 February

On the night between 25th / 26th, the JP 3 was transferred by trucks to Heponotko (the road on the map leads to it, 3 km NE from the Honkaniemi depot) and skied to the starting point, arriving at 0400 hrs. The tank company arrived 30 minutes later, after making a 50 km march. The march in bad conditions, costed the tank company 5 tanks to various reasons, mainly engine failures. Capt. Kunnas divided his tanks into two sections, 6 tanks to support the 2nd and 3rd Jaeger companies and 2 tanks to support the 1st company securing the left flank.



The attack was decided to begin at 0500 hrs, but as the communication link to the artillery failed, it was decided to try again at 0615.

As the preliminary bombardment started, some of it fell on the starting points inflicting a total of 30 casualties (dead + wounded), so the attack was postponed again by an hour.

The Enemy

The defending forces were lead elements from the 84th division which, as usually, were supported by T-26 tanks. It has to be remembered, that the soviet divisions had very strong antitank capability, even with attacking formations.


Soviet T-26

The Soviet forces were preparing an attack on that same day (started around noon), so the opposition was stronger than expected, since the units that were ordered to attack had taken their positions along the front. (The attacks started on schedule regardless of the Finnish attack.)


Soviet T-28

The Soviet tanks, that the Finnish 4./PansP faced, were tanks of the 112th tank battalion of the 35th Light Tank Brigade, the brigade being commanded by Col. V.Kashuba.

[SAMWolf]

The Attack

This map shows the maneuvers of the Finnish tanks, and roughly the locations in where the three (confirmed) Soviet tanks were knocked out.

After a short artillery bombardment by I / KTR 21* and I / KTR 5** the attack began. The Finns encountered problems right from the start. Only 6 tanks managed to join the attackers, as 2 tanks suffered technical problems.

• The I / JR 67 managed to advance 200 meters before halting in a murderous fire.
• The 1st Jaeger company, covering the left flank, advanced to the railroad, but was unable to cross it.
• The main attacking force, 2nd and 3rd Jaeger companies managed to advance 200 meters SW from the railroad until it too had to stop.

* = the 1st artillery battalion of the 21st artillery regiment
** = the 1st artillery battalion of the 5th artillery regiment

During the battle, the lack of radios was painfully realized (the tanks were purchased from the UK without guns, optics and radios, and some even without the driver's seat, in order to save money). As communications between the individual tanks was impossible, all tanks were acting with their own initiative, according to the original plan.

The Vickers Mk. E (6-Ton)

The 4th tank company had a sad day. One of the tanks (# 644) got stuck in a ditch, and the turret was damaged, later returning back to the starting point of the attack. All the other tanks were lost in the concentrated fire of T-26's and T-28's and numerous 45 mm AT-guns. Only 3 tanks managed to break into soviet positions before they too were destroyed.

The command tank of 1st tank platoon, commanded by Lt.V.Mikkola, Vickers Nr. 648, advanced farthest, some 500 meters. While the exact number of Soviet tanks knocked out isn't known, some kills by individual tanks were recorded, e.g. the tank Nr. 670, led by 2nd Lt. J.Virniö, which managed to knock out one Soviet tank before it was damaged. Tank Nr. 667, led by Corporal E.Seppälä, kept fighting after being immobilized. It destroyed 2 Soviet tanks, but after the enemy scored a few more hits, the crew abandoned their vehicle. The attacking 3rd Jaeger battalion had also an AT-gun platoon as it's disposal, but no Soviet tanks were destroyed by it's guns in the attack.

This map shows with more detail, the attacks of the Finnish infantry, and how far they advanced

The attack came slowly into a halt by 0900 hrs and on 1000 hrs, Capt. Kunnas received an order to abort the attack and withdraw. The first Finnish tank action, fought by inexperienced crews had been unsuccessful. The tank company lost one NCO killed, two officers were wounded and two NCO's and three privates were reported missing. Among the reasons for failure (in addition to the lack of experience of the crews and the lack of radios), the absolute superiority of numbers, that the enemy had, was definitely one of the main reasons, and one can say that the pre-attack reconnaissance was insufficient. But as the tankers, even while acknowledging these shortages, mounted their tanks and started the attacks, one can say that while the Finns lacked nearly everything, courage wasn't on short supply.

The next day, on Feb 27th, the remaining 8 tanks of 4./PansP were ordered to move to the Rautalampi area for AT-duties.

[SAMWolf]

The individual Finnish tanks



I found from the Armour Museum (in Hämeenlinna, Finland) a map, where the individual ID-numbers and the rough locations, in where they were destroyed. There was also more information of what happened to the individual tanks, and I've included most of the information to the table below.

Note that there were some other small ditches present in the area, but I've included, in all the maps on this site, only the one ditch in where the Vickers #644 got stuck


Abandoned Finnish Vickers Mk.E with 37mm gun, examined by the Soviet soldiers. The Finnish tanks in the Winter War had white-blue-white belts painted on a turret [source: E. Muikku and J. Purhonen; "Suomalaiset Panssarivaunut 1918 - 1997", Apali Oy].

Tank ID #: Vickers #644 Commander: Corporal Rassi
What happened:
The tank gets stuck in a ditch. The turret is damaged, and the tank returns to the jump-off area in Jukkala.

Tank ID #: Vickers #648 Commander: Lt. V.Mikkola (Comdr. of the 1st tank platoon)
What happened:
This tank was the platoon commander managed to advance the furthest into the enemy positions. The crew bailed out, but Lt.Mikkola was the sole survivor of the crew.

Tank ID #: Vickers #655 Commander: ?
What happened:
Was destroyed.

Tank ID #: Vickers #667 Commander: Corporal Seppälä
What happened:
The tank fought stubbornly. Makes one effort to get the Jaegers to follow the tank. Knocks out 2 Soviet tanks, before the crew bails out.

Tank ID #: Vickers #668 Commander: Corporal Pietilä
What happened:
The tank gets bogged down, the crew bails out, of whom one survived.

Tank ID #: Vickers #670 Commander: 2nd Lt. J.Virniö
What happened:
The tank made two efforts to get the Jaegers advance with the tanks. Knocks out one tank before it got knocked out. The crew retreated back to friendly lines.

Additional Sources:

derela.republika.pl
heninen.net/ raatteentie/kuvia
www.shift.sk/military/ sifoner/mil
www.battlefield.ru
mailer.fsu.edu/~akirk/ tanks/finland
www.politicsforum.org
faw.hl2files.com

[SAMWolf]

The Vickers Mk. E (6-Ton) Tank

Finland bought the first tank Vickers Mk.E Type B for testing in 1933. It was in standard configuration - with the turret on the left, armed with 47mm gun. Following the tests, on 20 July 1936 the Finns decided to order a series of 32 tanks. Of this number, 26 tanks were delivered in 1938-39, while the remaining 6 were delivered only after the Winter War. Therefore, Finland had 33 tanks Vickers Mk. E. The newly acquired tanks had new 'Mark F' hulls and turets on the right, with a rear niche for a radio. However, the radios weren't bought in order to lower costs. The tanks were also bought without any armament, because the original 47mm gun was considered as not satisfactory. It was decided to arm these tanks with the Swedish semi-automatic anti-tank gun 37mm Bofors L/45, produced in Finland (a data of similar Polish variant).


The Finnish Vickers Mk.E in a configuration from the Winter War, in Panssarimuseo Parola museum (photo courtesy of Jarkko Vihavainen)

Finnish tanks were much rebuilt during their service. Since it took a time to complete the guns, the tanks were unarmed for the first period of their service. Only several tanks were temporarily fitted with one air-cooled MG in a turret. A few others were provisionally fitted with 37mm SA-18 Puteaux guns, but due to a weak mounting, they could fire blanks only, for exercise purpose. In the front armour of a combat compartment of all tanks, a pistol port for 9mm Suomi SMG was made, with a roof raised above the gunner's head. In the beginning of 1940, the tanks were finally fitted with 37mm Bofors guns and a coaxial MG, most likely a modified 7.62mm Maxim (despite the cover's look, the MG was air-cooled). The mounting of guns was probably designed by Bofors (it was very similar to the Bofors-designed gun mounting for the Polish 7TP tank). However, Finnish tanks had only simple colimator gun sights, because the Germans failed to deliver ordered special sights.



In the Winter War, the Finns captured great number of Soviet T-26 tanks (developed from Vickers Mk.E), which were put into the Finnish service next. In order to make easier maintenance, the Finns decided to rearm Vickers Mk.E tanks with Soviet long-barrel 45mm 20K tank guns, used in T-26. Complete 45mm gun mountings, with MG's and sights, dismounted from destroyed T-26 tanks, were mounted in Vickers turrets, in a place of 37mm gun mountings. Also, some other parts were taken from T-26. The Finns designated rebuilt Vickers Mk.E tanks as: T-26E ("E" for 'English').

Combat use:

The only Finnish Vickers unit formed during the Finnish-Soviet Winter War (30.11.1939 - 13.03.1940) was the 4th tank company (4./Pans.P), with 13 Vickers Mk.E tanks armed with 37mm Bofors guns. The company made a combat debute supporting infantry in an attack on Honkaniemi, 26 February 1940. Soviet units were supported by T-26 and T-28 tanks of the 112nd tank battalion of the 35th light tank brigade and AT-guns. The attack was a complete fail. 5 Finnish tanks didn't take part in combat at all due to bad fuel quality, another one was immobilized in a ditch. From the remaining 7 tanks, 5 were destroyed, and one damaged. Despite a lack of experience and a poor sights, the Finnish tankers hit at least 3 Soviet tanks. On 29 February the Finnish tanks were delaying Soviet advance, losing 1 Vickers tank, but destroying 4 enemy tanks. One more Vickers was destroyed by the crew on 6 March 1940, after being stuck on rocks. Total losses in the Winter War were 7 Vickers tanks lost and 1 damaged (not repaired).



Vickers Mk.E tanks, which remained after the Winter War, were rebuilt to T-26E standard, and then used with captured T-26 tanks in the Continuation War against Soviets (1941-44). In 1945, Finland had 19 tanks T-26E left, which were used for training until 1959.

[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

Blue Stars for a Safe Return

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UPDATED THROUGH APRIL 2004



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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, still home?. :-)

[AZamericonnie]

[Iris7]

Amen.

[Iris7]

Boy, those lads sure lacked for equipment.

That second photo of infantrymen shows a face shield mask with very small holes over the eyes. Looks like the temperature was a bit low that day or such gear would not be needed. About thirty below Fahrenheit or colder is my guess. Hypothermia and frostbite weather.

The Finnish business showed the effectiveness of riflemen. Personally I like rifles.

[Aeronaut]

Good morning Snippy.

[GailA]

Good morning, it's raining and looks like it will do so most of the day here.

[Mudboy Slim]

Good morning, snippy...good morning, Sam...MUD

[E.G.C.]

Good morning, Snippy and everyone at the Foxhole.

[alfa6]

Regards

alfa6 ;>}

[The Mayor]

March 22, 2005

Our Mysterious God

Read:
Judges 13:15-23

God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past . . . , has in these last days spoken to us by His Son. -Hebrews 1:1-2

Bible In One Year: Judges 13-15

In today's Scripture, we read that a mysterious and awesome visitor appeared to Manoah and his wife (Samson's parents). When Manoah asked, "What is Your name?" the visitor didn't answer the question directly but instead "ascended in the flame of the altar" (Judges 13:17-20). Then Manoah knew he had seen God in human form.

Who can understand such a God-the God who wrote the 3-billion-letter software code in the DNA molecule of every human cell? Who can fully comprehend the God who knows everything, even our inner thoughts? Yet many Old Testament saints knew and loved this God. They experienced the joy of His grace and forgiveness, even though they didn't completely understand how a holy God could forgive their sins.

As Christians, we too stand in awe before the majesty and mystery of an incomprehensible God. But we have a great advantage because we see Him revealed in Jesus, who said, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father" (John 14:9). And when Jesus hung on the cross, He revealed God's compassion and love, for He died there for us.

A mystery? Yes. But how wonderful that we can know the love of this incomprehensible God! -Herb Vander Lugt

Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious-Thy great name we praise. -Smith

To understand God is impossible-to worship Him is imperative.

FOR FURTHER STUDY
How Can I Know There Is A God?
God Our Father

[Valin]

On This Day In History


Birthdates which occurred on March 22:
1459 Maximilian I of Habsburg German Emperor/archduke of Austria
1599 Sir Anthony Van Dyck Flemish painter (Charles I of England)
1609 John II Casimir Vasa cardinal/king of Poland (1648-68)
1797 Kaiser Wilhelm I German emperor (1871-88)
1799 F W A Argelander Memel E Prussia, cataloguer of 324,188 stars
1813 Gabriel Rene Paul Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1886
1817 Braxton Bragg General (Confederate Army), died in 1876
1819 William Wirt Adams Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1888
1822 Seth Williams Brevet Major General (Union Army), died in 1866
1824 William Henry Chase Whiting Major General (Confederate Army)
1834 Francis Asbury Shoup Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1896
1857 Arnold Sauwen Flemish poet (Along the Meuse)
1857 Paul Doumer Governor-General of Indo-China/13th President of France (1931-32)
1868 Robert A Millikan US physicist (photoelectric effect; Nobel 1923)
1887 Chico [Leonard] Marx New York NY, comedian (Marx Brothers)
1903 James S Russell US pilot/Admiral (WWII Pacific Ocean)
1907 James Gavin US, 82nd Airborne Division General (Sicily/Normandy)
1908 Louis D L'Amour Jamestown ND, author (Hondo, Jubal Sackett)
1913 Karl Malden Chicago IL, actor (Mike-Streets of San Francisco, American Express)
1917 Virginia Grey Los Angeles CA, actress (Another Thin Man, Idiot's Delight, Idaho)
1920 Ross Martin Grodek Poland, actor (Mr Lucky, Wild Wild West)
1923 Marcel Marceau Strasbourg France, mime (Barbarella, Silent Movie)
1924 Al Neuharth newspaper founder (USA Today)
1930 Pat Robertson televangelist (700 club, Presidential candidate-Republican-1989)
1930 Stephen Sondheim New York NY, lyricist/composer (Sweeney Todd, Into The Woods, West Side Story, A Little Night Music)
1931 William Shatner Montréal Canada, actor (Star Trek, T J Hooker, Boston Legal DENNY CRANE)
1934 Orrin G Hatch (Senator-Republican-UT, 1977- )
1935 M[ichael] Emmet Walsh Ogdensburg NY, actor (Wildcats, War Party)
1936 Roger Whittaker Nairobi Kenya, country singer (Durham Town)
1936 Ron Carey union president (Teamsters)
1943 George Benson Pittsburgh PA, singer/guitarist (Greatest Love of All)
1944 Jeremy Clyde Buckinghamshire England, rocker (Chad & Jeremy-Yesterday's Gone)
1948 Andrew Lloyd Webber London England, composer (Evita, Starlight Express, Phantom of the Opera, Jesus Christ Superstar)
1951 Howard Reitzes Southgate CA, rocker (Iron Butterfly)
1951 Musa Khiramanovich Manarov USSR, cosmonaut (Soyuz TM-4, TM-11)
1952 Bob Costas Queens NY, sportscaster/talk show host (Later)
1970 Reggie White NFL nose tackle (New England Patriots)
1974 Kim Yun-Jung Miss Korea-Universe (1996)
1979 Mariah Leanne Bergmann Miss Kansas Teen-USA (1997)

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Deaths which occurred on March 22:
0337 Constantine Emperor of Rome, dies at 47
1471 George van Podiebrad, king of Bohemia (1458-71), died
1639 Thomas Carew English poet/diplomat (The Rapture), dies
1758 Jonathan Edwards theologian/philosopher (Original Sin), dies at 54
1820 Stephen Decatur killed in a duel with Com James Barron, at 41
1867 Ferdinando Giorgetti composer, dies at 70
1931 Ban Johnson founder of baseball's American League, dies at 67
1958 Michael Todd producer (Around the World in 80 Days), dies at 56
1974 Peter Revson US race car driver (Indianapolis 500), dies at 35
1978 Karl Wallenda falls to death walking high-wire in Puerto Rico, at 73
1994 Walter Lantz US cartoonist (Woody Woodpecker), dies at 93
1996 Robert Franklin Overmyer astronaut (STS 5, STS 51-B), dies at 59
2002 Thomas Kelly (72), the Grumman engineer who had overseen the building of the 1969 lunar module, died.

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GWOT Casualties

Iraq 3/22
22-Mar-2003
US Lance Corporal Eric James Orlowski Southern part Non-hostile - weapon discharge (accid.)
US Specialist Brandon Scott Tobler Southern part Non-hostile - vehicle accident
US Lieutenant Thomas Mullen Adams Persian Gulf Hostile - helicopter crash
UK Lieutenant Philip D. Green Persian Gulf Hostile - helicopter crash
UK Lieutenant Anthony King Persian Gulf Hostile - helicopter crash
UK Lieutenant Marc A. Lawrence Persian Gulf Hostile - helicopter crash
UK Lieutenant Philip West Persian Gulf Hostile - helicopter crash
UK Lieutenant James Williams Persian Gulf Hostile - helicopter crash
UK Lieutenant Andrew S. Wilson Persian Gulf Hostile - helicopter crash

22-Mar-2004
US Lance Corporal Andrew S. Dang Ramadi Hostile - hostile fire
US Private 1st Class Bruce Miller Jr. Mosul Non-hostile - weapon discharge

Afghanistan
A Good Day


Source
http://icasualties.org/oif/default.aspx
Data research by Pat Kneisler
Designed and maintained by Michael White

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On this day...
1387 Jogaila gave Vilnius the rights of Magdeburg. Vilnius became the 1st self-governed Lithuanian city
1752 Pope Stephen II elected to succeed Zacharias, died 2 days later
1349 Townspeople of Fulda Germany massacre Jews (blamed for black death)

1457 Gutenberg Bible became the 1st printed book

1556 Cardinal Reginald Pole becomes archbishop of Canterbury
1594 French King Henri IV festival in Paris France
1621 Massasoit & Pilgrims agree on league of friendship (Plymouth)
1622 1st Indian (Powhattan) massacre of whites, Jamestown VA; 347 slain
1630 1st colonial legislation prohibiting gambling enacted (Boston)
1638 Religious dissident Anne Hutchinson expelled from Massachusetts Bay Colony
1733 Joseph Priestly invents carbonated water (seltzer)
1765 Stamp Act passed: 1st direct British tax on colonists
1775 Edmund Burke presents his 13 articles to the English parliament
1778 Captain Cook sights Cape Flattery, in Washington state
1790 Thomas Jefferson becomes the 1st US Secretary of State
1794 Congress bans US vessels from supplying slaves to other countries
1841 Cornstarch patented (Orlando Jones)
1861 1st US nursing school chartered
1865 Raid at Wilson's: Chickaswas AL to Macon GA
1871 William Holden of North Carolina is 1st governor removed from office by impeachment
1872 Illinois becomes 1st state to require sexual equality in employment
1873 Slavery is abolished in Puerto Rico
1874 Young Men's Hebrew Association is founded in New York NY
1882 Edmunds Act adopted by US to suppress polygamy in the territories
1894 First Stanley Cup championship game played; the home team Montreal Amateur Athletic Association defeated the Ottawa Capitals, 3-1.
1903 New York Highlanders (Yankees) tickets 1st go on sale
1903 Niagera Falls runs out of water because of a drought
1914 World's 1st airline, St Petersburg Tampa Airboat Line, begins
1922 British court sentences Mahatma Gandhi to 6 years in prison
1929 USCG vessel sank Canadian schooner suspected of carrying liquor
1933 FDR makes wine & beer with up to 3.2% alcohol legal
1934 1st Masters golf championship began in Augusta GA
1934 Fire destroys Hakodate Japan (kills 1,500, injures 1,000)
1935 Blood tests authorized as evidence in court cases (New York)
1941 Grand Coulee Dam in Washington goes into operation
1943 SS police chief Rauter threatens to kill half Jewish children
1944 600+ 8th Air Force bombers attack Berlin
1945 Arab League forms with adoption of a charter in Cairo Egypt
1945 US 3rd Army crosses Rhine at Nierstein
1946 1st US rocket to leave the Earth's atmosphere (50 miles up)
1946 Britain signs treaty granting independence to Jordan
1953 Antonín Zápotocky chosen as president of Czechoslovakia
1954 1st shopping mall opened in Southfield MI
1958 Faisal succeeds Saudi as king of Saudi-Arabia
1958 Liz Taylor's 3rd divorce (Mike Todd)
1960 1st patent for lasers, granted to Arthur Schawlow & Charles Townes
1963 British Minister of War John Profumo denies having sex with Christine Keeler
1967 Muhammad Ali KOs Zora Folley in 7
1968 Student riot in Nanterre near Paris France
1972 Congress approves Equal Rights Amendment (never ratified)
1972 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar named NBA MVP
1977 Indira Gandhi resigns as Prime Minister of India
1981 1st class postage raised to 18¢ from 15¢
1983 Chaim Herzog elected Israeli president
1984 Islander Bryan Trottier ties NHL rec scores 5 seconds into game
1986 Kurt Browning (Canada) becomes 1st skater to land a quadruple jump
1987 A garbage barge, carrying 32,00 tons of refuse, left Islip, N.Y., on a six-month journey in search of a place to unload. The barge was turned away by several states and three countries until space was found back in Islip
1988 Congress overrides Reagan's veto of sweeping civil rights bill
1989 US Supreme Court upholds 1 person 1 vote rule of New York NY Board of Estimate
1990 Anchorage jury finds Captain Hazelwood innocent of Valdez oil spill
1990 The Major League umpires announce that they will boycott exhibition games
1991 Law enforcement officers raid fraternities at University of Virginia seizing drugs
1991 Pamela Smart (HS teacher) found guilty in New Hampshire of manipulating her student-lover to kill her husband
1993 Intel introduces Pentium-processor (80586) 64 bits-60 MHz-100+ MIPS
1994 Dutch Ambassador to US christens a new tulip (the Hillary Clinton)
1995 Deputy Governor of Bank of England, Rupert Pennant-Rea, resigns following revelations of his affair with a freelance journalist
1995 Shouting erupted in the U.S. House of Representatives as Democrats bitterly accused majority Republicans of trying to ram through a mean-spirited welfare overhaul bill.
1996 Cheryl Depew, of Florida, crowned 13th Miss Hawaiian Tropic International
1997 Comet Hale-Bopp Closest Approach to Earth (1.315 AU)
1997 In Canada five Solar Temple cult members died in an apparent mass suicide in Quebec. Devotees believed that suicide transports them to a new life in a place called Sirius
1999 Acting as his own lawyer, Dr. Jack Kevorkian went on trial on murder charges. Kevorkian was convicted of second-degree murder.
2003 4th day of Operation Iraqi Freedom intermittent explosions were heard throughout the day in Baghdad and by late afternoon at least 12 huge columns of smoke could be seen rising from all along the southern horizon of the city. US and British forces reached half way to Baghdad and British forces were left surrounding Basra.
2004 Israel killed Hamas founder Ahmed Yassin and 7 other Hamas members in a helicopter missile strike outside a Gaza City mosque

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

Jordan, Lebanon : Arab League Day (1945)
Puerto Rico : Emancipation Day (1873)
US : National Goof-off Day
US : We Love Broccoli Day (Not me and George Bush)
US : Chocolate Week (Day 3)(Hooray)
Humorists Are Artists Month

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Religious Observances
Christian : Earliest possible Easter (eg, 1818, 2285)
old Roman Catholic : Commemoration of St Isidore the Farm-Laborer, confessor
Lutheran : Commemoration of Jonathan Edwards, teacher/missionary
Anglican : Commemoration of James De Koven, priest

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Religious History
1621 In colonial Massachusetts, the Plymouth Colony made a treaty with the neighboring Indians which both sides kept for fifty years.
1819 Birth of Joseph P. Webster, American sacred music writer. During his lifetime, Webster composed over 1,000 pieces of music, including the still_popular hymn tune SWEET BY AND BY ("There's a Land That is Fairer Than Day").
1836 Birth of Edgar P. Stites, American Methodist frontier preacher and missionary. Stites is remembered today as author of the hymns "Beulah Land" and "Trusting Jesus."
1874 The first meeting of the newly established Young Men's Hebrew Association was held in New York City. Other early "Y's" were founded in Philadelphia (1875), St. Louis (1880) and San Francisco (1885). (The YMHA became the forerunner of the modern Jewish Community Center.)
1930 Birthday of Marion Gordon "Pat" Robertson, religious broadcaster, politician and founder in 1963 of the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN).

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

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Thought for the day :
"O give me a home,
Where the buffalo roam,
Where the deer and the antelope play,
Where seldom is heard
A discouraging word,
Cause what can an antelope say?"

[Soaring Feather]

Good morning everyone.

[The Mayor]

Morning Feather!

[SAMWolf]

Morning Snippy.

Gonna try and finish putting up the fence today. I hurt just thinking about it. ;-)

[SAMWolf]

Morning AZamericonnie.

Thanks for the prayer.