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Shortly before 10 a.m., the silence of the aerodromes was abruptly shattered. Wright Cyclone radial engines coughed, shuddered, spat smoke and burst into life. The three-bladed props seemed to windmill for a second, then faded into a blur as the engines settled into a smooth roar. Soon, almost 1,400 engines were flattening the grass behind the bombers, and the din rolled across the English countryside.

Colonel "Budd" J. Peaslee, Mission 115 commander, would fly to Schweinfurt as copilot in Captain James K. McLaughlin's 92nd BG B-17, and about 10:15 he saw the signal flare that indicated the mission was on. Because of the dense fog and the overcast, which limited visibility to a quarter-mile, Mission 115's status had gone down to the wire. But word finally came that weather over the continent was clear, and this was enough to put the mission into operation.

Takeoff proceeded without incident, but conditions began to unravel shortly after the bombers climbed above the overcast. Because the 305th Bomber Group could not locate the 40th Combat Wing to take its assigned position, the 305th was forced to link with the 1st Wing. The 40th Combat Wing, now composed only of the 92nd and 306th bomber groups, tagged along with the 41st Wing.

Because of the thick fog, only 29 of the 60 Liberators scheduled to fly the mission could take off; eight of these could not form up and returned to base. The remaining 21 Liberators made a diversionary sweep toward Emden.

As the B-17s flew toward Schweinfurt, 26 aborted for various reasons. Thus, of the 351 bombers that set out to hit Schweinfurt, 86 were not on hand when the force reached the German frontier.

The overcast also disrupted a scheduled escort by four P-47 Thunderbolt groups. The 353rd and 56th fighter groups rendezvoused successfully with the bombers and eventually shot down 13 fighters, but the 4th Fighter Group could not locate its B-17s and returned to base. The 352nd Fighter Group wound up escorting the B-24s on their diversionary sweep. The 55th Fighter Group, flying P-38 Lightnings, did not become operational in time to participate.

The Luftwaffe was apparently aware of the range limitations of the P-47s, and most German fighters delayed their attacks until the escort turned back. What at first could be mistaken for mere specks on B-17 Perspex windshields became fighters-swarms of them, getting larger as they queued up to attack. B-17 interphones immediately came alive as gunners called out "bogies"first at 12 o'clock (straight ahead on the clock-based locator system), then at every position on the clock. Gunners were warned to keep chatter to a minimum and to not waste ammunition.

"The opening play is a line plunge through center," mission commander Peaslee later told Martin Caidin, author of the 1960 book Black Thursday. "The fighters whip through our formation, for our closing speed exceeds 500 mph. Another group of flashes replaces the first, and this is repeated five times, as six formations of Me-109s charges us .... I can see fighters on my side ... their paths marked in the bright sunlight by fine lines of light-colored smoke as they fire short bursts. It is a coordinated attack ... their timing is perfect, their technique masterly."

Although they were still far from the target, smoking Fortresses started to fall out of formation-37 in all. That left 228 to actually bomb the target, about twothirds of the original strength.

The saga of the 94th Bomber Group's B-17F Brennan's Circus was typical of the heroics that became routine on Mission 115. Ten minutes from the target, Circus lost an engine and began to fall behind when the bombs could not be jettisoned. To escape the circling fighters, pilot Joseph Brennan put the B-17 into a dive. The crew eventually got rid of the bombs, but another engine "ran away" into high rpm and had to be feathered. Over Holland and Belgium, a burst of flak took out a third engine. Circus struggled out over the North Sea, kept barely aloft by the one remaining engine, to within a few miles of the English coast before settling into the water. The crew was credited with four German fighter kills and one damaged for the mission.

Meanwhile, back over the target, fighter attacks stopped abruptly as German pilots turned their attention to groups of bombers still en route to the target. It was to be the only respite for the beleaguered crews in more than three hours of ceaseless combat.

On the return trip, the fury of air combat was entered anew, as many of the German fighters that had left the fight to refuel and rearm returned. But the attacks were not as precise as they had been earlier because many of the fighters had lost their original units and had formed up with any friendly aircraft in the area.

It was estimated that more than 300 German fighters participated in the day's combat at some point. Most were the familiar single-engine Messerschmitt Bf-109G and Focke-Wulf Fw-190, but the Luftwaffe also made extensive use of night-fighter Junkers Ju-88 and Messerschmitt Bf-110 twin-engine craft. The use of these aircraft was controversial because their pilots, used to night attack techniques, often left themselves wide open to American gunners.

Other aircraft reportedly in the fray included the ungainly, fixed-landing gear Ju-87 Stuka dive bomber, the Fw-189 tactical reconnaissance aircraft and the experimental He- 100 fighter of 1940 vintage. Although it seems unlikely the Luftwaffe would risk such unsuitable, specialized aircraft for bomber interception, the mystery of their alleged appearance contributed to the jumbled patchwork of the running fight.

"The fighters were unrelenting; it was simply murder," recalls Carl Abele, who was serving as navigator on a 544th Squadron, 384th BG, B-17F unofficially called Blackjack on the mission. Schweinfurt was the crew's fourth mission, and there had been no time to paint the name on.

"As it turned out, the name was destined never to be painted on," Abele remembers. "We lost an engine to flak and another to fighters, but the prop on one of the engines couldn't be feathered. The drag of the dead engine was tremendous, and helped doom the plane. Our pilot held her steady while we all bailed out, then he came out last. I never saw my chute open. The next thing I knew 1 was lying down in the back of a Totenkopf [Death's Head SS Army Division] truck on the way to POW camp."

The punishment being meted out was not always one-sided, however. Fortress gunners claimed 186 aircraft shot down, although German documents reviewed after the war placed their losses at approximately 40. Some overclaiming by gunners was inevitable, since several gunners within a combat "box"of bombers would fire on the same plane.

The fighter attacks continued without letup throughout the return flight, since poor weather had grounded the Spitfires and Thunderbolts that were to have provided cover for the bombers' withdrawal. A few German fighters continued their attacks almost to the British coast.

Soon after the drone of the returning bombers was heard, it was apparent that a disaster had occurred; bomber after bomber failed to return to its hard stand. Then the results were tabulated: 60 bombers down over Europe, five more lost near or over England, and 17 aircraft damaged beyond repair. Although other targets produced equal or greater total losses, the 26 percent loss figure recorded during Schweinfurt II gave it the dubious honor of being the most costly mission of the war for the Eighth Air Force.

The element of chance involved in death, injury or capture was never more evident than on Black Thursday. Some bomb groups were almost annihilated, while others were untouched. The 305th lost 13 out of 15 Fortresses dispatched and the 306th lost 12, while three other 1st Bomb Division groups, the 92nd, 379th and 384th, lost six each. The 3rd Bomb Division fared much better, with its seven groups losing only 15 aircraft overall and three-including the Bloody 100th-losing none. From the vantage of hindsight, had the raids been repeated at two-month intervals for a six-month period, the bearings industry "could not possibly have survived."

Mission Number 115 may sound like an ordinary one, but for the 8th Air Force the mission to Schweinfurt on October 14 1943 was anything but ordinary. In fact it was a costly disaster, which nearly stopped daylight offensive deep raids into Germany. It marked the low point for the USAAF and the high point for German fighters, a true turning point in the aerial war in Europe. Ironically things would turn for the better for the losers of the Schweinfurt attack and get worse for the winners.

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History

On this Day In History

Birthdates which occurred on January 17:
1342 Philip the Bold, duke of Burgundy
1463 Frederick III the Wise, elector of Saxony (1486-25), protector Luther
1501 Leonhard Fuchs Germany, botanist (History of Plants)
1504 Pius V [Antonio Ghislieri] saint, pope (1566-72)
1517 Antonio Scandello Italian composer (Passion of Johannes)
1545 Antonio Pace composer
1574 Robert Fludd composer
1600 Pedro Caldéron de la Barca Spanish poet/dramatist
1612 Thomas Fairfax Lord Fairfax, English Parliamentary General
1657 Pieter van Bloemen [Standaart], Flemish painter, baptized
1659 Antonio Veracini composer
1683 Gerard van Loon Dutch historian
1706 Benjamin Franklin Boston, kite flyer/statesman/wit/inventor
1712 John Stanley composer
1719 Jean-Joseph Vade composer
1728 Johann Gottfried Muthel composer
1732 Stanislaw II August Poniatowski last king of Poland (1764-95)
1733 Thomas Linley composer
1734 François-Joseph Gossec Belgian-French composer (Les Pêcheurs, Mirza)
1745 Nicolas Roze composer
1759 Paul Cuffe Massachusetts, merchant/shipbuilder/black nationalist
1761 James Hall Scotland, geologist
1769 Ole Andreas Lindeman composer
1771 Charles Brockden Brown father of American novel (Wieland)
1806 James Madison Randolph (Jefferson's grandson) 1st born in White House
1814 Ellen Wood English author (East Lynne, Pomeroy Abbey)
1818 Sir Antoine Dorion (L) joint premier of Canada (1858, 1863-64)
1820 Anne Bronte English novelist/poet (Tenant of Wildfell Hall)
1828 Lewis Addison Grant Bvt Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1918
1834 Wilhelmina J R Albregt-Engelman Dutch actress/daughter of Mimi Bia
1835 Antanas Baranauskas Lithuanian bishop/poet/dialectologist
1835 Johan Filip von Schantz composer
1836 Jose Silvestre de los Dolores White Lafitte composer
1842 Anton G van Hamel founder (Roman Philology in Netherlands)
1845 Lucas Lindeboom Dutch vicar/evangelist (Vredebond)
1850 Alexander Sergeyevich Taneyev St Petersburg Russia, composer
1853 Alva Vanderbilt Beaumont women's rights advocate & activist
1857 Eugene Augustin Lauste developer (1st sound-on-film recording)
1857 Wilhelm Kienzl Austrian composer (Evangelimann)
1858 Tomas Carrasquilla Colombian author (Frutos de mi Tierra)
1862 John E Akkeringa Dutch painter/etcher
1863 David Lloyd George (L-PM-Britain, 1916-22)
1863 Henry Charles Tonking composer
1863 Konstantin S Stanislavski Russia, director (Stanislavski Method)
1864 Lucien Herr France, scientist (Corresp entre Schiller et Schiller)
1873 François Rasse composer
1876 Olga Fastrova writer
1877 Hans Jelmoli composer
1878 Oscar Apfel Cleveland OH, actor (Abraham Lincoln, Inspiration, Before Dawn)
1880 Mack Sennett movie creator (Keystone Kops)
1881 Alfred R Radcliffe-Browne British anthropologist (Andaman Islanders)
1884 Noah Beery US actor (Mark of Zorro, Sea Wolf)
1885 E Ball-Hennings writer
1885 Joseph Arendt Belgian worker's union leader
1886 Glenn Luther Martin aviator (Collier Trophy-1933)
1886 Ronald Firbank London England, novelist (The Flower Beneath the Foot)
1891 Marjorie Gateson Brooklyn NY, actress (One Man's Family)
1891 Norman "Squab" Read US aviator who lived to be 101
1891 Walter Eucken German economist
1896 Harry Reser Ohio, orchestra leader (Sammy Kaye Show)
1897 Nils Asther Malmö Sweden, actor (Bluebeard, Night Monster)
1899 Nevil Shute (Norway) London, novelist (On the Beach, Town Like Alice)
1899 Robert Maynard Hutchins US, educator/civil libertarian
1899 Al Capone Italy, gangster (Chicago bootlegging)
1899 Roel [Martinus F] Houwink Dutch literary (1 Man Without Character)
19-- Nina Wilcox New York City NY, actress (Harbourmaster, Jessica Novak)
19-- William Lucking Vicksburg MI, actor (A-Team, Jessie, Shannon)
1900 Olga Maria Nicolis di Robilant patron of the arts
1901 Vasily Petrovich Shirinsky composer
1902 Geoffrey W Lloyd British minister of Brandstoffen/Energy (1951-55)
1903 Warren Hull Gasport NY, actor (Strike it Rich, Who in the World)
1904 Grant Withers Pueblo CO, actor (Oklahoma, Annie)
1904 Patsy Ruth Miller actress (Québec, Wide Open, Sap, Twin Beds)
1905 Franz Schmid Germany, ascended northside of Matterhorn (1931)
1907 Henk H Badings Bandung Indonesia, Dutch opera composer (Orestes)
1908 Akkineni LV Lakshmi Varaprasada Rao Prasad producer
1910 Edith S Green (Representative-D-OR)
1910 Michael Economides restaurateur
1911 Hermann Pfrogner Austria, musicologist (Zerrissene Orpheus)
1911 Luis W Alvarez US, physicist (sub atomic, Nobel 1968)
1912 Orest Alexandrovich Evlahkov composer
1913 Werenfried [Flip] van Straaten founder (Oostpriesterhulp)
1913 Yuvraj of Patiala cricketer (scored 24 & 60 in only Test India vs England)
1916 Joel Herron Chicago IL, orchestra leader (Jaye P Morgan Show)
1917 Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran (MGR) Indian film star, politician
1917 Oskar Morawetz Svetla Czechoslovakia, composer
1917 Ulyses Simpson Kay composer
1918 Joseph Walker Barr banker/politician
1920 Nora Kaye New York City NY, prima ballerina
1920 Joseph George Handy Hendleman musician
1921 Dehl Berti Pueblo CO, actor (John Taylor-Guns of Paradise)
1922 Betty White Oak Park IL, actress (Mary Tyler Moore Show, Golden Girls)
1922 Luis Echeverría Alvarez President of Mexico
1923 Onno Molenkamp Dutch actor (Lifespan, Broken Mirrors, The Lift)
1924 Jewel Plummer Cobb educator/president (California State University at Fullerton)
1925 Rock Hudson Winnetka IL, actor (McMillian & Wife)
1925 A H Kardar cricketer (Pakistana 1st Test captain, previously played for India)
1925 Annie Delorie Dutch opera singer (Scenes & Arias)
1925 Duane Hanson US sculptor
1926 Clyde Walcott cricketer (one of the three W's, later ICC chairman)
1926 Moira Shearer Dunfermline Scotland, ballerina (Red Shoes)
1926 Richard Michael Hills comedy script writer
1927 Donald Erb Youngstown OH, composer
1927 Eartha Kitt singer/actress (Catwoman-Batman)
1927 Michael Herford Wooller TV/film producer
1928 Vidal Sassoon London, hair stylist/CEO (Vidal Sasson)
1928 Jean Barraqué French composer
1928 Ken Archer cricketer (Australian batsman, 5 Tests early 50s)
1929 Jacques "Jake the Snake" Plante Québec Canada, NHL goaltender (#1)
1930 Thomas P Stafford Oklahoma, astronaut (Gemini 6, Gemini 9, Apollo 10)
1930 Bill Benyon English large landowner/Conservative Lower house leader
1930 Robert Ceely composer
1931 James Earl Jones Mississippi, actor (Darth Vader, Exorcist II, Soul Man)
1931 L Douglas Wilder (Gov-D-VA)
1931 Frederick Alfred Fox composer
1933 Aga Khan religious leader (Muslims)
1933 Bruno Schroder British baron/banker/multi-millionaire
1933 Sheree North [Dawn Bethel], Louisiana, actress (Mary Tyler Moore Show, Breakout, Madigan)
1933 Yolande Christina Dalida Cairo Egypt, actress/singer, Miss Egypt (The 6th Day)
1934 Shari Lewis Bronx NY, ventriloquist/puppeteer (Lamb Chop)
1934 Donald Cammell film director
1934 Sydney Phillip Hodkinson composer
1935 Jimmy Powell Dallas TX, PGA golfer (1990 Southwestern Bell Classic)
1935 Paul O[sborne] Williams US, sci-fi author (Ends of the Circle)
1936 Jerry Fogel Rochester NY, actor (Jerry-Mothers-in-Law, White Shadow)
1938 Paul Revere Harvard Nebraska, pianist (Paul Revere & Raiders)
1938 John Bellairs US, sci-fi author (Chessmen of Doom)
1939 Toini Gustafson Sweden, 5K/10K cross country skier (Olympics-gold-1968)
1939 Antao D'Souza cricketer (Pakistani pace bowler in six Tests 1959-62)
1939 Maury Povich TV host (Current Affair, Maury)/Mr Connie Chung
1940 H Kipchoge "Kip" Keino Kenya, 1500m runner (Olympics-gold-1968, 72)
1940 Oswald Mbuyiseni Mtshali South African poet (Fireflames)
1942 Muhammad Ali [Cassius Clay], heavyweight champ boxer (1964-7 74-8)
1942 Randy Boone Fayetteville NC, actor (Cimarron Strip, Virginian)
1943 Chris Montez rocker
1943 Daniel Charles Brandenstein Watertown Wi, astronaut (STS 8, 51-G, 32, 49)
1945 William Hart US singer (4 Gents, Delfonics-I'm Sorry)
1947 Todd Susman St Louis MO, actor (Goodnight Beantown)
1947 Gail Toushin LPGA golfer
1947 Jane Elliot New York City NY, actress (Baby Boom, General Hospital, Knots Landing)
1947 Ulysses Dove dancer/choreographer
1948 Alexander "Alec" Erwin South African worker's union leader
1948 Mick Taylor rock bassist (Rolling Stones-Brown Sugar)
1949 Andy Kaufman New York City NY, comedian/actor (Latka Gravas-Taxi)
1949 Debbie Watson La Mirada CA, actress (Karen, Tammy)
1951 Rolando Thoeni Italy, slalom (Olympics-bronze-1972)
1952 Ryuichi Sakamoto Japan, rocker (Academy Award 1988, Yellow Magic Orchestra)
1952 Larry Fortensky former husband (7th) of Liz Taylor
1953 Sheila Hutchinson rocker
1954 Robert F Kennedy Jr attorney (Natural Resources Defense Council)
1954 Janet Dykman Monterey Park CA, archer (Olympics-1996)
1955 Steve Earle San Antonio TX, country singer (Guitar Town)
1956 Mitch Vogel Alhambra CA, actor (Jamie-Bonanza)
1956 Paul Young rock vocalist/keyboardist (Every Time You Go Away)
1956 David Caruso actor (NYPD Blue, Michael Hayes)
1957 Donna Stone New Jersey, fencer-epee (Olympics-96)
1958 Jez Strode rocker (Kajagoogoo)
1960 John Crawford Palo Alto CA, bass (Berlin-You Take My Breath Away)
1960 Chili Davis Kingston Jamaica, outfielder (California Angels)
1961 Maia Chiburdanidze Kutaisi USSR, women's world chess champ
1961 Susanna Hoffs actress/rocker (Bangles-Walk Like an Egyptian)
1962 Jim Carrey Ontario Canada, actor (Living Color, Dumb & Dumber, Mask, Skip-Duck Factory)
1964 Jeff Tabaka US baseball pitcher (San Diego Padres)
1966 Karissa Rushing Benton AR, Miss America-Arkansas (1990)
1966 Anna Ivan La Jolla CA, tennis star
1966 Don Myrah Oakland CA, cyclist (Olympics-20th-96)
1966 Rexton Gordon "Shabba Ranks" Jamaican dj/rapper (Extra Naked)
1966 Trish Johnson Bristol England, LPGA golfer (1993 Las Vegas)
1967 Gregory Caccia Bayshore NY, team handball right back (Olympics-1996)
1967 William Michael Heinen Jr Rayne LA, PGA golfer (1994 Shell Houston)
1970 Candace Murray Vancouver BC, softball shortstop (Olympics-96)
1970 Darnell Walker NFL cornerback (Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers)
1970 Jeremy Roenick Boston MA, NHL center (Team USA, Blackhawks, Coyotes)
1971 Derek Plante Cloquet, NHL center (Buffalo Sabres)
1971 Peter Winter Australian decathlete (Olympics-96)
1971 Tyler Houston US baseball catcher (Atlanta Braves)
1972 Rohn Meyer CFL offensive linebacker (Calgary Stampeders)
1972 Wendall Gaines NFL tight end (Arizona Cardinals)
1973 Amanda Elizabeth Spivey Spartanburg SC, Miss South Carolina-America (1995)
1974 Derrick Mason wide receiver (Tennessee Oilers)
1974 Guillermo Mercedes Dominican/US baseball infielder (Texas Rangers)
1974 Marcus Spriggs offensive tackle (Buffalo Bills)
1974 Sharon Marie Ferris New Zealand, yachter (Olympics-96)
1977 Ali el Kattabi soccer player (Sparta)
1978 Irina A Borisova Miss Ukraine-Universe (1996)
1981 Ray J singer

Deaths which occurred on January 17:
0395 Theodosius I the Great, Spanish emperor of Rome, dies at 49
1103 Frutolf German monk/musicologist/historian, dies
1119 Boudouin VII Hapkin count of Flanders, dies
1229 Albert bishop of Riga/founder (Sword Knights), dies at about 68
1604 Santino Garsi composer, dies at 61
1617 Pieter C Bockenberg Dutch historian, dies at 68
1620 Diego Alvarez de Paz Spanish missionary/writer (Peru), dies at about 59
1625 Nicolo Rubini composer, dies at 50
1654 Paul Potter Dutch painter, buried
1661 Andres Malong Philippines rebel leader, executed
1676 Pier Francesco Cavalli Italian opera composer, dies at 73
1702 Thomas Franklin English smith/uncle of B Franklin, dies
1738 Jean-Francois Dandrieu composer, dies
1750 Tomaso Albinoni Italian composer (Adagio in G Minor), dies at 78
1781 Marie de Negre Dables marquess, dies
1788 Alessio Prati composer, dies at 37
1805 Abraham-Hyacinthe Anquetil du Perron French interpreter, dies at 73
1820 Daniel W Wyttenbach Dutch classicist/historian, dies at 73
1823 Zacharius Werner German playwright, dies at 36
1826 Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga y Balzola Spanish composer, dies at 19
1830 W Waiblinger writer, dies
1833 James Ball Antyne Scot founder (Ball Antyne Press), dies at about 60
1833 William Rush Indian sculptor (Spirit of the Schuylkill), dies
1856 Thomas Attwood Walmisley composer, dies at 41
1863 E J Horace Vernet French painter, dies at 73
1869 Alexander Sergeyevich Dargomyzhsky composer, dies at 55
1874 Chang & Eng Bunker Chinese/Thai Siamese twins, die at 62
1886 Amilcare Ponchielli Italian composer (La Gioconda), dies at 51
1889 Juan Montalvo Ecuadorian author (Siete Tratados), dies at 56
1890 Salomon Sulzer composer, dies at 85
1891 Johannes Josephus Hermanus Verhulst composer, dies at 74
1892 Alexandre Levy composer, dies at 27
1893 Rutherford B Hayes 19th US President (1877-81), dies in Fremont OH at 70
1901 Jacob G Agarah Swedish algologist, dies at 87
1902 Gideon Scheepers South African Boer leader, executed
1908 Ferdinand IV ruler of Toscane, dies at 72
1910 Thomas Crapper inventor (flush toilet), dies
1910 Wilhelm F Kohlrausch Germ physicist (Additiviteitsregel), dies at 69
1911 Francis Galton English scholar, dies at 88
1913 Carl Baermann composer, dies at 73
1917 Hendrik Goeman Borgesius Dutch politician, dies at 70
1933 John Hodges cricketer (6 wickets in Australia's 1st two Tests), dies
1938 William H Pickering astronomer (predicted Pluto), dies at 79
1941 José Leite de Vasconcelos Portuguese scholar (Etnografia), dies at 82
1942 Frederick Jerome Work composer, dies at 61
1946 Gottfried Rudinger composer, dies at 59
1952 Walter O "Spike" Briggs owner (Detroit Tigers), dies at 74
1955 Joannes A Veraart Dutch judge/MP, (Jews in Netherlands), dies at 68
1959 Abdul Aziz cricket, dies at 17 struck by ball in fc match for Karachi
1961 Patrice Lumumba African revolutionary, murdered at 36
1962 Gerrit Achterberg Dutch poet (Dead End), dies at 56
1964 Terence Hanbury White novelist (England Have My Bones), dies at 57
1966 Vincent J Donehue director (Lonelyhearts), dies of Hodgkin's at 50
1967 Evelyn Nesbit actress (Redemption), dies at 82
1968 Julis Deutsch Austria politician/General Spanish republican army, dies at 83
1969 Grazyna Bacewicz composer, dies at 59
1970 Billy Stewart singer (I Do Love You), dies in auto-accident at 32
1972 Rochelle Hudson actress (That's My Boy, Curly Top), dies from pneumonia at 55
1973 Fred Essler actor (Unsinkable Molly Brown), dies at 77
1976 Ad Verhoeven soccer player (Xerxes/Sparta), dies in auto-accident
1977 Gary Gilmore executed in Utah, 1st US execution since 1967
1980 Barbara Britton actress (Pamela-Mr & Mrs North), dies at 59
1983 Doodles Weaver actor/comedian (Ring of Fire), shoots himself at 71
1989 Sterling A Brown US poet/critic (Southern Road), dies at 87
1990 Charles Hernu French minister of Defense (1981-85), dies
1991 Olav AFEC van Sleeswijk-Holstein-S-G V King of Norway (1957), dies
1992 Bill Walker actor (Big Mo, Mask, Harlem Globetrotters), dies at 95
1992 Charlie Ventura jazz sax (Bop for the people), dies of cancer at 75
1992 Dorothy Alison actress (Maggie, 3rd Key, Long Arm), dies
1993 Ger ter Horst Dutch soccer trainer (Sparta), dies
1994 Allan G Odell Ad executive (Burma Shave), dies at 90
1994 Chung Il Kwon PM of South Korea (1964-70), dies
1994 Grady "Fats" Jackson tenor sax Player, dies at 66
1994 Han Jansen Dutch journalist (Volkskrant), dies at 61
1994 Klaas Peereboom Dutch sports reporter (Het Parool), dies at 77
1994 Noel Chiboust trumpeter/sax, dies at 84
1995 Isador Caplan lawyer/Aldeburgh Festival pioneer, dies at 82
1995 Urias Nooteboom Dutch journalist/critic (The Time), dies at 54
1996 Barbara Charline Jordan politician, dies at 59
1996 Charles Henry Madge poet writer/sociologist, dies at 83
1996 Giles William Playfair writer, dies at 85
1996 John Adrian Hope politician/businessman, dies at 83
1996 Robert Covington drummer/singer, dies at 54
1997 Andrea Fisher artist, dies at 21
1997 Asfa Wossen [Amha Selassie], crown emperor of Ethiopia in exile, dies
1997 Clyde William Tombaugh discoverer (Pluto), dies at 90
1998 Emil Sitka actor (3 Stooges shorts), dies of stroke at 82

On this day...
1501 Cesare Borgia returns in triumph to Rome from Romagna
1536 François Rabelais absolved of apostasy by Pope Paul III
1562 Edict of St Germain recognizes the Huguenots in France
1584 Bohemia adopts the Gregorian calendar
1595 French king Henri IV declares war on Spain
1601 France gains Bresse, Bugey, Valromey & Gex in treaty with Spain
1656 Brandenburg & Sweden sign Treaty of Königsberg
1718 Avalanche destroys every building in Leukerbad, Switzerland; kills 53
1746 Battle of Falkirk, Scotland-Prince Charles Edward Stuart defeated by Scots
1757 German Diet declares war on Prussia
1773 Captain James Cook becomes 1st to cross Antarctic Circle (66º 33' S)
1775 9 old women burnt as witches for causing bad harvests, Kalisk, Poland
1775 R B Sheridan's "Rivals" premieres in London
1779 Captain Cook's last notation in ship's log Discovery
1821 México permits Moses Austin & 300 US families to settle in Texas
1827 Duke of Wellington appointed British supreme commander
1832 Johannes van den Bosch appointed Governor-General of Dutch-Indies
1852 British recognize independence of Transvaal (in South Africa)
1861 Flush toilet (with separate water tank and a pull chain) patented by Mr Thomas Crapper (Honest!)
1862 -Jan 22nd) BBT Fort Henry TN by USS Lexington
1863 Civil War skirmish near Newtown VA
1864 General Longstreet's command ends heavy fighting at Dandridge TN
1871 1st cable car patented, by Andrew S Hallidie (begins service in 1873)
1874 Armed Democrats seize Texas government ending Radical Reconstruction
1882 1st Dutch female physician Aletta Jacobs opens office
1885 British beat Mahdists at Battle of Abu Klea in the Sudan
1893 -17ºF (-27ºC), Millsboro DE (state record)
1893 Queen Liliuokalani deposed, Kingdom of Hawaii becomes a republic
1895 French President Casimir-Perier resigns
1895 Félix Faure installed as President of France
1899 US takes possession of Wake Island in Pacific
1904 Anton Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard" opens at the Moscow Art Theater
1905 Punchboards patented by Charles Brewer & C G Scannell, Chicago IL
1911 Failed assassination attempt on premier Briand in French Assembly
1911 Percy Mackaye's "Scarecrow" premieres in New York City NY
1912 English explorer Robert Falcon Scott & his expedition reach the South Pole, only to discover that Roald Amundsen had gotten there 1 month before
1913 Raymond Poincaré elected President of France
1914 Gerhart Hauptmann's "Der Bogen des Odysseus" premieres in Berlin
1915 Antoni van Leeuwenhoek's Hospital in Amsterdam opens
1915 Russia occupies Bukovina & Western Ukraine
1916 1st PGA Championship Jim Barnes at Siwanoy Country Club, Bronxville NY; Professional Golfer Association (PGA) forms
1917 US pays Denmark $25 million for the Virgin Islands
1920 Paul Deschanel elected President of France
1923 Origin of Brown lunation numbers
1923 Belgian Working people Party protest against occupied Ruhrgebied
1926 George Burns marries Gracie Allen
1928 1st fully automatic photographic film developing machine patented
1929 Popeye makes 1st appearance, in comic strip "Thimble Theatre"
1933 Bradman takes second Test wicket, Hammond, bowled
1934 Electric Home & Farm Authority incorporated
1934 New York Giants reward NL MVP pitcher Carl Hubbell with $18,000 contract
1938 Supreme Soviet elects Michail Kalinin as presidium chairman
1939 Ed Barrow is elected Yankee president succeeding deceased J Ruppert
1943 Tin Can Drive Day
1944 Corvette Violet sinks U-641 in Atlantic Ocean
1945 Gilbert Dodds, record miler (4 05.3), retires to do gospel work
1945 Liberation of Warsaw by Soviet troops (end of Nazi occupation)
1945 Auschwitz concentration camp begins evacuation
1945 Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, credited with saving tens of thousands of Jews from the Nazis, arrested by secret police in Hungary
1946 United Nations Security Council holds its 1st meeting
1947 Muiden Netherlands ammunition factory explodes, 16 die
1948 Netherlands & Indonesia agree to a cease fire
1948 Trial of 11 US Communist party members begins in New York City NY
1950 11 men rob Brink's office in Boston of $1.2M cash & $1.5M securities
1950 "Alive & Kicking" opens at Winter Garden Theater New York City NY for 46 performances
1951 China refuses cease-fire in Korea
1954 Jacques Cousteau's 1st network telecast airs on "Omnibus" (CBS)
1954 NFL Pro Bowl East beats West 20-9
1954 Suggs Louise wins LPGA Sea Island Golf Open (Cloister)
1955 Submarine USS Nautilus begins 1st nuclear-powered test voyage
1957 9-county commission recommends creation of BART
1959 "Say, Darling" closes at ANTA Theater New York City NY after 332 performances
1960 Mickey Wright wins LPGA Sea Island Women's Golf Invitational
1960 NFL Pro Bowl West beats East 38-21
1961 Eisenhower allegedly orders the assassination of Congo's Lumumba
1962 NASA civilian pilot Neil A Armstrong takes X-15 to 40,690 m
1962 Roy Harris' 8th Symphony, premieres in San Francisco
1963 Joe Walker takes X-15 to altitude of 82 km
1963 Wilt Chamberlain of NBA San Francisco Warriors scores 67 points vs Los Angeles
1966 Martin Luther King Jr opens campaign in Chicago
1966 USAF B-52 carrying 4 unarmed hydrogen bombs crashes on Spanish coast at Palomares, 7 die
1968 Soyuz 4 & 5 completed 1st docking of 2 manned spacecraft
1969 Beatles release Yellow Submarine album in UK
1969 Debut album of Led Zeppelin released in US
1970 John M Burgess installed as bishop of Protestant Episcopals (Massachusetts)
1970 357 baseball players are available in the free-agent draft
1970 AFL Pro Bowl West beats East 26-3
1970 Sporting News names Willie Mays as Player of the Decade for the 1960s
1971 Super Bowl V Baltimore Colts-16, Dallas Cowboys-13 in Miami; Super Bowl MVP Chuck Howley, Dallas, Linebacker
1972 Section of Memphis' Highway 51 South renamed Elvis Presley Blvd
1973 New Philippine constitution names Marcos president for life
1973 City of Amsterdam decides to support Hanoi
1974 Styne, Comdem & Green's musical "Lorelei" premieres in New York City NY
1976 Hermes rocket launched by European Space Agency
1976 "I Write the Songs" by Barry Manilow hits #1
1977 7th AFC-NFC pro bowl, AFC wins 24-14
1977 Kansas City releases Tommy Davis, ends an 18-year career with 10 teams
1977 Zaire President Mobutu visits Belgium
1979 Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi flees Iran
1979 New York Islanders didn't get a shot off in 1 period against New York Rangers
1979 USSR performs underground nuclear test
1980 NASA launches Fltsatcom-3
1981 Philippino President Marcos ends state of siege
1983 Nigeria expels 2 million illegal aliens, mostly Ghanaians
1983 10th American Music Award Kenny Rogers
1983 Alabama Governor George C Wallace, becomes governor for record 4th time
1984 Supreme Court rules (5-4) private use of home VCRs to tape TV programs for later viewing does not violate federal copyright laws
1985 Azharuddin scores second Test century in second Test (v England)
1986 Tim Witherspoon beats Tony Tubbs in 15 to regain WBA heavyweight title
1987 President Reagan signs secret order permitting covert sale of arms to Iran
1988 "Teddy & Alice" closes at Minskoff Theater New York City NY after 77 performances
1988 Leslie Manigay elected President of Haiti
1989 Al Arbour wins his 600th NHL game as coach
1989 Gunman opens fire in California schoolyard; 5 students slain, 30 wounded
1989 Victoria Murden & Shirley Metz are 1st women to reach South Pole overland (on skis)
1989 Phoenix Suns cancel game at Miami Heat, due to racial unrest in Miami
1990 Dave Stewart signs record $3,500,000 per year Oak A's contract
1990 5th Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Awards Bobby Darin
1990 Who, Simon & Garfunkel, 4 Seasons, 4 Tops, Hank Ballard, Platters & Kinks inducted into Cleveland's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
1991 Iraq fires 8 SCUD missiles on Israel - 1st US pilot shot down (Jeffrey Zahn)
1991 Mountie Jacques Rougeau beats Hart for WWF intercontinental title
1992 Sarah Ferguson attends dinner of Everglades club (club excludes Jews)
1993 14th ACE Cable Awards HBO wins 32 awards
1993 Russian Irina Privalova cycles world record 300m indoor (35.45")
1994 6.6 Earthquake hits Los Angeles killing 60, $30B in damage
1994 Liz Taylor released from the hospital after hip treatment
1995 "Carousel" closes at Beaumont Theater New York City NY after 322 performances
1995 7.2 earthquake destroys Kobe Japan (5,372 die)
1995 Australia beat Australia A 2-0 to win the World Series Cup
1995 Los Angeles Rams announce that they are moving to St Louis
1997 NBA suspends Dennis Rodman indefinitely/$25,000 for kicking cameraman
1998 President Clinton faces sexual harassment charges from Paula Jones

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

Poland : Liberation Day
US : Martin Luther King Jr Day (1929) - - - - - ( Monday )
Virginia : Lee-Jackson Day - - - - - ( Monday )
Florida : Arbor Day - - - - - ( Friday )

Religious Observances
Roman Catholic, Anglican : Memorial of St Anthony, abbot, patron of domestic animals

Religious History
395 With the death of Emperor Theodosius I (the Great), this became the last day the (Christian) Roman Empire was controlled by a single leader. In his wisdom, Theodosius had divided the empire into western and eastern portions.
1377 The Papal See was moved back to Rome by Gregory XI. Located in France for 72 years, it had been moved to Avignon by French pope Clement V in 1305, originally to escape the political turmoil rampant within Italy at the time.
1562 The Edict of St. Germain officially recognized French Protestantism.
1745 Colonial missionary to the American Indians David Brainerd wrote in his journal: 'Oh, how comfortable and sweet it is, to feel the assistance of divine grace in the performance of the duties which God has enjoined on us!'
1963 The Baptist World Mission was incorporated in Chicago. This independent organization of Baptist tradition is engaged primarily in evangelism, church planting and education in 17 overseas countries.

Thought for the day :
"Artificial Intelligence is no match for natural stupidity."

PING to the FReeper Foxhole daily thread in the VetsCoR Forum!

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If you have comments for me to read, use this link. Thanks!

Thanks for the post. My Uncle John Farley was a pilot with the 305th and was knocked down on Black Thursday. He spent the rest of the war as a POW. He's still alive, too.

Bump

Aw, man, you bring tears to my eyes. I can't see a WWII bomber without thinking of my dad, a tail gunner on B-24.

"Despite all the terrible destruction of German cities, despite all the hardship and death it brought to the civilian population and industrial workers--whose ordeal was now often worse than the soldiers at the front--it was not,as we have seen, area bombing by night that struck the vital blow at German survival. This mission was accomplished to a far greater extent by the selective and precision bombing of the American Eighth Air Force in daylight. By careful choice of target, this first blocked the bottle-necks of armaments production, and finally brought the whole German war machine to a standstill."

Luftwaffe War Diaries, p.340 by Cajus Bekker

"In the course of the year 1943 the accent of the Reich defense shifted more and more toward action against daylight raiders. Even though numerically the British were still stronger than the Americans and were undoubtedly a great trial for for the civilian population, the American precision raids were of greater consequence to the war industry. They received priority attention over the British raids on our towns."

"The First and the Last" p. 178, Adolf Galland

Boy it really torques the Brits off when you point out little factoids like this.

Walt

Being the kind of SAC crew dog who actually read books in college, I had this terrible recurring dream that one day I'd go into crew briefing on Guam and they'd say: "Gentlemen, your target for today is..." and put a slide of Schweinfurt up on the screen.

So I was 'kind-of' ready when on 19 Dec. '72 they put up a slide of... not Schweinfurt....

I have heard more than 600 J57s running at the same time. Have you any idea what that sounds like?

Today's classic warship, USS Dixie (AD-1)

Dixie class destroyer tender
Displacement: 6,114 t.
Length: 405’10”
Beam: 48’3”
Draft: 19’11”
Speed: 14 k.
Complement: 224
Armament: 10 3”

The USS DIXIE, a steam brig, was built in 1893 as EL RIO by Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Newport News, Va.; purchased by the Navy 15 April 1898; converted to an auxiliary cruiser by her builder; and commissioned 19 April 1898, Commander C. H. Davis in command.

DIXIE stood out of Hampton Roads, Va., 11 June 1898, and arrived at Santiago de Cuba on 19 June. Attached to Eastern Squadron, North Atlantic Fleet, she cruised in the West Indies during the Spanish-American War on blockade duty and convoying Army transports. During 27 and 28 July, she participated in the capture of Ponce, Puerto Rico, landing an armed force which received the surrender of the towns of Ponce and La Playa. She sailed from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, 24 August and arrived at Philadelphia 22 September, where she was placed out of commission 7 March 1899. Between 15 March and 15 July she was on loan to the War Department for use as a transport.

Recommissioned 15 November 1899, DIXIE began service as a training ship for recruits. From 17 December 1899 to 8 August 1900, she sailed to the West Indies, the Mediterranean, through the Suez Canal to the Philippines, where she transferred men to the base at Cavite, returning to the United States by the same route. Another training cruise was made from 29 September 1900 to 28 February 1901, during which she visited the Azores, Madeira, Gibraltar, and Mediterranean ports returning by way of the West Indies and La Guaira, Venezuela, to Norfolk. She transferred men and stores to the South Atlantic Station between 7 May and 3 July 1901, then made another training cruise to northern European waters and the Mediterranean between 24 July 1901 and 7 May 1902. From 14 May to 6 June 1902 she was on special duty, transporting provisions and supplies for the relief of victims of the volcanic eruptions on Martinique and St. Vincent in the West Indies. She went out of commission at New York Navy Yard 21 July 1902.

DIXIE was recommissioned 1 October 1903 and joined the Caribbean Squadron, North Atlantic Fleet. She served principally as a transport on the east coast, in the Caribbean, and Canal Zone, carrying Marines, recruits for training, and drafts of men for other vessels as well as engaging in target practice for her crew and Reserves. Assigned to the Special Service Squadron she steamed from Philadelphia 26 June 1905 to carry a party of scientists to the Mediterranean to observe the solar eclipse of 30 August. She arrived at Bone, Algeria, 21 July, and established Eclipse Station No. 2 for these observations. Returning to Philadelphia 13 October, she was returned to a noncommissioned status 10 days later.

In commission again from 2 June 1906 to 1 November 1907, she transported Marines and stores to the Caribbean and cruised in that area to protect American interests. She remained out of commission until 2 February 1909 when she was assigned as tender to Atlantic Torpedo Flotilla and Destroyer Squadron, Atlantic Fleet. She cruised on the east coast, in the Caribbean, and in the Gulf of Mexico in this service. In addition to her tender duty, she towed submarines; transported Marines and crews for other ships; carried the Nicaraguan expeditionary force to Colon, C.Z., and took part in the operations off Mexico during April and May of 1914, transporting supplies and refugees. She returned to Philadelphia 16 December 1915.

From 18 June 1916 to 6 May 1917, DIXIE served as tender for Destroyer Force, Atlantic Fleet; engaged in gunnery exercises with destroyers and maneuvers with the fleet; delivered stores and mail; transported refugees from Mexico to Galveston, Tex., and served as tender to Squadron 4, Patrol Force, at Key West.

With American entry into World War I, DIXIE departed Philadelphia 31 May 1917 to join U.S. naval forces operating in European waters. Arriving at Queenstown, Ireland, 12 June, she served as tender for American destroyers based at that port until 15 December 1918, except for a period of similar duty at Berehaven (21 June-27 August 1917). Returning to Philadelphia 22 February 1919, DIXIE served as tender to destroyer flotillas operating on the east coast, and in the Caribbean. Classified AD-1 on 17 July 1920 she arrived at Philadelphia 16 July to tend the destroyers in reserve at Philadelphia Navy Yard. From 6 April 1921 to 17 May 1922 she was again tender to Destroyer Squadrons Atlantic Fleet, cruising along the east coast from New York to Charleston, S.C. DIXIE was decommissioned 30 June 1922 and sold 25 September of the same year.

bump

I had the opportunity to go inside a B-17 at the old Republic Airpot Museum on Long Island. The plane had been widened by about two feet so people could tour it, but I was still shocked at how narrow an area these men had to work and fight in. The side gunners backs would touch as they fired, and the tail gunner would have to climb over about thirty feet of girders in order to bail out. These were truly brave men.

Thanks for these posts; my husband and I really enjoy them.

The old and the new

Air Base Somber After Helicopter Crash
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/833777/posts