The FReeper Foxhole Remembers Gen. Anthony McAuliffe at Bastonge - Dec. 22nd, 2002

http://www.thedropzone.org/europe/Bulge/kinnard.html ^ | Patrick O'Donnell

[Nitro]

I was always less than thrilled that the US Navy couldn't take part in that battle,...

they definitely could have used a little NGFS (Naval Gun Fire Support)!!

But I have all the respect in the world for "Mad Anthony" McAuliffe and George "Blood and Guts" Patton!!

[jwfiv]

Nice goin', another great thread...thanks for the info.

Good morning, and Merry Christmas to you!

[dighton]

"All the serious civilian losses caused by this artillery fire would not correspond with the well known American humanity."

Hellinahandcart, does this patronizing tone sound familiar?

[jla]

If I had kids in school I'd copy out the stories you post here so they could read them along with what's published in their history books.

Thanks for the PING, Jen.

[aomagrat]

Today's classic warship, USS Orca (AVP-49)

Barnegat class small seaplane tender
Displacement 2,800
Length 310'9"
Beam 41'2"
Draw 13'6"
Speed 18.2 k
Complement 285
Armament 3 5", 8 40mm

USS Orca (AVP-49) was laid down 13 July 1942 by the Lake Washington SB Corp., Houghton, Wash., launched 4 October 1942; sponsored by Mrs. J. W. Reeves, Jr., and commissioned 23 January 1944, Comdr. Morton K. Fleming, Jr., in command.

After shakedown off San Diego, Orca sailed for Pearl Harbor, escorting Fanshaw Bay (CVE-70). Reporting to ComNavAir 7th Fleet, she was ordered on to Hollandia, Dutch New Guinea. where she commenced operations with her first squadron on 26 May 1944.

Orca's squadrons carried out "Black Cat" missions during the ensuing five months, for which they were awarded the Presidential Unit Citation. Comdr. Fleming, Orca's skipper and CO of the task unit, was awarded the Legion of Merit. These missions, in which black-painted Mariner seaplanes conducted night bombing strikes against Japanese shipping, proved to be tremendously destructive to the enemy. The squadrons also carried out air-sea rescue missions in support of the 13th Army Air Force.

In early November, Orca moved into the Leyte Gulf area as that campaign was reaching the critical stage. She sent her planes into Ormoc Bay right under the noses of the Japanese on 3 December, and they taxied around the bay for nearly an hour picking up survivors of Cooper (DD-695), sunk the previous night. After the Japanese finally realized what was taking place, they threw up quite a fusillade. The pilots bore down on the throttles and headed for the open sea. Heavily loaded, the old Catalinas finally heaved themselves into the air, after about a three mile run. Making additional trips, they were able to rescue 167 Cooper survivors.

Orca was attacked by a lone plane on 27 August, but her guns drove it off. That next night, "Tokyo Rose" announced that "The volume of ack-ack which met the previous night's raid indicated that a battleship of the Wisconsin class had been sighted at Middleburg Island." Orca came under similar attack twice on 26 November and was credited with an assist on a plane which narrowly missed Oyster Bay.

On 2 January 1945, Kamikaze planes attacked Orca's convoy formation in which a minesweeper was destroyed and Orca was slightly damaged as a plane splashed close alongside, showering her with wreckage and bomb fragments: six of her gun crew were wounded. Tokyo Rose announced that their "special attack group" had sunk one battleship, one heavy cruiser, and seriously damaged three other cruisers in a large convoy moving north along the cost of Mindoro.

Orca continued to service air squadrons and carry out rescue missions until 15 August. She had also been commended along with her squadrons, by General Walter Kreuger, U. S. 6th Army commander, for landing scouts behind enemy lines, carrying supplies to guerilla forces, and evacuating wounded.

On 26 September, Orca arrived at Okinawa to assist in the occupation of the Japanese Islands. She was soon detached to proceed to the United States.

Orca's next big assignment was furnishing services for the Bikini A-Bomb tests. Orca then decommissioned 31 October 1947 and joined the reserve fleet in San Francisco.

Orca re-commissioned 15 December 1951 and operated out of San Diego through 1952, under command of Cmdr. A. K. Espenas. On 5 January 1953 she was underway for the Philippines.

On 2 August 1954, Orca relieved Walton (DE-361) at Hong Kong as station ship. By 25 February 1955 she was back in San Diego for leave and upkeep.

Orca deployed to WestPac on 11 July for another tour, in which she weathered two severe typhoons. She returned to the States again on 1 December and was able to spend her first Christmas in four years at home. Her leave period was extended to 15 January 1956.

Following extensive training during the early months of 1956, Orca deployed to the Western Pacific for a seven month tour on 24 April. During this deployment, she was awarded the yellow "E" for excellence in the Air Department for fiscal year 1956. She returned to San Diego on 19 November.

Orca made a subsequent WestPac cruise beginning 22 August and continued to provide a vital service to the Pacific Fleet until she decommissioned in March 1960 and went into reserve at Columbia River, Oregon.

She was transferred to Ethiopia in January 1962 and served under the name Ethopia as that nation's largest naval ship for almost 30 years. In 1991 during the Eritrean revolution she escaped to Yemen with other units of the Ethiopian navy. By then in unserviceable condition, she was probably sold locally for scrap.

Orca earned three battle stars for service in World War II.

[conservativemusician]

These stories are awesome daily history lessons.

Thank you!

[SAMWolf]

" There`s at least one fool in every married couple. "

My wife agrees 100% with you. LOL

[SAMWolf]

Thank you Cote, I love that graphic. I still have a pair of my Jungle boots.

[SAMWolf]

Sounds like everyone has always "had out number", It didn't work back then.

[SAMWolf]

jla, thanks for one of the nicest compliments the Foxhole has received.

Even as our Government and some people are trying to rewrite our history, there are those of us who try to make sure the sacrifices of those before us are not forgotten.

U.S. Corrects 'Southern Bias' at Civil War Sites

[habs4ever]

Great stuff today, Sam."Nuts" is the stuff of legend, but the legend belongs to the brave men of the 101.

[SAMWolf]

Anecdotes From the Bugle

At 3:26 PM on December 23rd, the "American Luftwaffe" carried out another bombing run. Six B-26s from the 322nd Bombardment Group, a unit of the Ninth Air Force, were nearing their secondary target. Despite the crystalline clarity of the day, the flight leader had somehow failed to locate their primary target, the town of Zulpich, Germany. After consulting his maps, though, he decided that he was close to Lammersum, another German town that was also a legitimate target. He decided to proceed with the bomb run on Lammersum.

From 12,000 feet, the six bombers dropped a total of 98 250-pound bombs, using their top-secret Norden bombsights for precise targeting. Twelve tons of high explosives whistled down and pulverized the small town. Another successful mission accomplished, the B-26s banked and returned to their base in England. Below, in Malmedy, Belgium, the survivors of their attack, Belgian civilians and GIs from the 30th Infantry Division, screamed futile imprecations at the departing bombers. 37 Americans and scores of Belgians died in the attack.

General Hobbs, commanding the 30th Infantry Division, telephoned an Air Force general to berate him for yet another fatal screwup. This was not the first time that the Ninth Air Force had bombed American ground forces. It wasn't even the first time that they'd bombed the 30th Infantry Division. The Air Force general apologized and promised that it wouldn't happen again. But his superiors later denied that any error had occurred. And over the next five days, there were four more mistaken bombings.

[SAMWolf]

Thanks for your Ship profiles.

It's good to see the lesser known ships getting their recognition.

[SAMWolf]

NGFS (Naval Gun Fire Support)!!

Made a big difference in the Normandy battles.

[top of the world ma]

"From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother"

Excerpt from Shakespeare's St. Crispen's Day Speech-
Henry V

[SAMWolf]

Thanks Habs. I'm getting the HBO "Band of Brothers" for Christmas. I can't wait.

[top of the world ma]

A Midnight Clear

[Darksheare]

It was somewhere around the time of teh "bulge" that my grandfather got his silly underage butt knocked out. (He lied about his age to join the Army. The crazy idiot.)
They gave him some R&R afterwards since he'd been unconcious for about a week. He knocked himself out on a tree.

"If it wasn't for bad luck, he'd have had no luck at all."

[Aeronaut]

Good morning Jen.