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Called "Hell Fighters" by the Enemy

The men of the 369th came to be known among the French and the Germans as "Hell Fighters." The regiment participated in the action which followed the German offensive on the 15th of July, 1918, when the Germans were reinforced by released prisoners from Russia, so that they then had their maximum forces.

They had broken through the British line and disaster was at hand. This was east of Rheims. The Germans had also torn through the French at Montdidier and had gone through for 30 or 40 kilometers.

During the 191 days that the regiment was in the trenches there were weeks in that immediate sector when there was nothing between the German army and Paris but these black men from America. It was through the action of the men of the 369th in capturing German prisoners on the night of July 14 that the expected German attack was learned. When the French found out that the great German offensive was coming, their forces did not remain a thin blue line. Gen. Gouraud, who commanded the Fourth French Army, took his troops out of the front line trenches over a front of 50 kilometers, and when the attack occurred he had the 369th on one flank of a 50-kilometer line and the old 69th New York, a part of the Rainbow Division, on the other. When the German fire fell on these front line trenches for five hours and twenty minutes, the shells fell on empty trenches except for a few patrols left in reinforced trenches with signal rockets, gas shells, and a few machine guns. When the hour for the German infantry attack came, these patrol let off their gas bombs and signal rockets and the massed allied artillery let loose on the massed Germans, who were literally smashed and never got through to the second line of the 369th. On the other end they did get through, crashing into the Rainbow Division and the old 69th New York, which met them hand-to-hand in some of the most terrible fighting of the war.

Won the Cheers of the French

Of the 369th it may be stated that although the Germans never captured a single man, they killed nearly 200 of them and wounded more than 800 others, but on the other side of the score were to be found more than 400 Germans captured by the Third Battalion of the 369th alone, and countless men of the enemy killed and wounded.

It proved itself to be one of the most efficient military units of all the Allied forces. The officers and men were constantly cheered by the gratitude of the French, who never failed to place in evidence their appreciation for the wonderful fighting prowess of the men of the 369th. The French were amazed not only at the proficiency of the men as soldiers but at their proficiency in laying railroad tracks, which was the first duty assigned them near one of the larger French ports. The 369th laid many stretches of track, pushed them into alignment, gave twists to the bolts, and proceeded half a mile farther down to repeat the performance. "Magnifique!" exclaimed a party of French officers who watched them do the work.

The story of the wanderings of "the old 15th," of its hard fighting in France, of its returning to America, and of the triumphant procession through the streets of New York City, down Fifth Avenue, is one of the proudest possessions of the Negro race and of American arms.

Five colored officers went over with , the 369th Regiment. These officers were afterwards transferred to the 92nd Division. Considerable criticism followed the transfer of these colored officers from a colored regiment which had won such renown as the 369th. Col. Hayward, however, gave the following as reason for the transfer:

"In August, 1918, the American Expeditionary Force adopted the policy of having either all white or all colored officers with Negro regiments, and so ours were shifted away (though Lieut. Europe later was returned to us as bandmaster, whereas he had been in the machine gun force before). Our colored officers were in the July fighting and did good work, and I felt then and feel now, that if colored officers are available and capable, they, and not white officers, should command colored troops. I hope, if the Fifteenth is reconstructed, as it should be, colored men will have the active work of officering it, from top to bottom.

"There is splendid material there. I sent away forty-two sergeants in France who were commissioned officers in other units. I would have sent others, but they declared they'd rather be sergeants in the Fifteenth than lieutenants or captains in other regiments."

Individual Exploits of the 369th

There are many outstanding exploits of the men of the 369th and of Col. Hayward himself. In Belleau Wood on June , 6, 1918, the regiment came up to the German front lines where it met a very heavy counter-attack. Some one suggested that they turn back. "Turn back? I should say we won't. We are going through there or we don't come back," was what Colonel Hayward said as be tore off the eagles of his insignia, grabbed a gun from a soldier, and darted out ahead of the rest of Company "K," which went through a barrage of German artillery that was bearing down upon it. A French General ordered the regiment to retire, but Colonel Hayward, who, of course, was under direct command of this French General said: "I do not understand you."

Then the French General raised his arms above his bead and cried:

"Retire! Retire!"

And then Colonel Hayward, with his hat knocked off, came running up and cried: "My men never retire. They go forward, or they die!"

A Prussian officer captured by the "Black Watch," as the 369th was called after they had reached the Rhine, is said to have remarked: "We can't hold up against these men. They are devils! They smile while they kill and they won't be taken alive."

The regiment was eleven times cited for bravery in action, and Colonel Hayward himself received a citation, reading: "Colonel Hayward, though wounded, insisted on leading his regiment in battle."

A typical story of the dare-devil courage of the men of the 369th is afforded in the exploit of Elmer McCowin of Company

"K, " who won the Distinguished Service Cross. He tells his own story as follows: "On September 26 the Captain asked me to carry despatches. The Germans pumped machine-gun bullets at me all the way. But I made the trip and back safely. Then I was sent out again. As I started with the message the Captain yelled to bring him back a can of coffee. He was joking, but I didn't know it at the time.

"Being a foot messenger, I had some time ducking those German bullets. Those bullets seemed very sociable, but I didn't care to meet up with them, so I kept right on traveling on high gear. None touched my skin, though some skinned pretty close.

"On the way back it seemed the whole war was turned on me. One bullet passed through my trousers and it made me hop, step, and jump pretty lively. I saw a shell hole six feet deep. Take it from me, I dented another six feet when I plunged into it hard. In my fist I held the Captain's can of coffee.

"When I climbed out of the shell hole and started running again, a bullet clipped a hole in the can and the coffee started to spill. But I turned around, stopped a second, looked the Kaiser, in the face, and held up the can of coffee with my finger plugging up the hole to show the Germans they were fooled. Just then another bullet hit the can and another finger had to act as stopgap.

"It must have been good luck that saved my, life, because bullets were picking at my clothes and so many hit the can that at the end all my fingers were hugging it to keep the coffee in. I jumped into shell holes, wriggled along the ground, and got back safely. And what do you think? When I got back into our own trenches I stumbled and spilled the coffee!"

Not only did Lieut. George Miller, Battalion Adjutant, confirm the story, but he added about Private McCowin: "When that soldier came back with the coffee his clothes were riddled with bullets. Yet half an hour later he went back into No-Man's-Land and brought back a number of wounded until be was badly gassed. Even then he refused to go to the rear and went out again for a wounded soldier. All this under fire. That's the reason he got the D. S. C. "

Corporal Elmer Earl, also of Company "K," living at Middletown, New York, also won the Distinguished Service Cross. He explained: "We had taken a hill September 26 in the Argonne. We came to the edge of a swamp, when enemy machine guns opened fire. It was so bad that of the fifty-eight of us who went into a particular strip, only eight came out without being killed or wounded. I made a number of trips out there and brought back about a dozen wounded men."

How Sergeant Butler Won the D. S. C.

On authority of General Pershing, Colonel Hayward himself presented the Distinguished Service Crosses to the heroes among his regiment. Then, from the hands of General Collardet, of the French Army, he received the medal of the Legion of Honor. But even among this list of distinguished heroes those who knew of the exploits of Sergeant "Bill" Butler insisted upon calling for him and making him the object of their attentions.

It was on the night of August 12, 1918, while the fighting was raging in the Champagne District, that Sergeant Butler's opportunity came to him. A German raiding party had rushed the American trenches and, after firing a few shots and making murderous use of the short trench knives and clubs carried for such encounters, had captured five privates and a lieutenant. The victorious raiders were making their way back to their own trenches when Butler, occupying a lone position in a forward post, saw that it would be necessary for the party to pass him.

US 369th Infantry (Harlem Hellfighters) members wearing French helmets and equipment

The Negro sergeant waited until the Germans were close to his post, then opened fire upon them with his automatic rifle. He kept the stream of lead upon the raiders until ten of their number had been killed. Then he went forth and took the German lieutenant, who was slightly wounded, a prisoner, released the American lieutenant and five other prisoners, and returned to the American lines with his prisoner and the rescued party.

Under the heading, "Trenton Has Nothing on Salisbury," The Afro-American of Baltimore said: "Trenton, New Jersey, may have her Needham Roberts, but it takes Salisbury, Maryland, to produce a William Butler. Roberts had his comrade, Henry Johnson, to help him in repulsing a raiding party of Germans, but Butler took care of a German lieutenant and squad of Boches all by himself. Herbert Corey, a white newspaper correspondent, in telling of the incident said that Butler came 'a-roaring and fogging, through the darkness with his automatic, and 'nobody knows how many Germans he killed.' It was for this that General Pershing awarded him the Distinguished Service Cross recently and the citation read: 'Sergt. William Butler, Company L, 369th Infantry (A. S. No. 104464). For extraordinary heroism in action near Maison de Champagne, France, August 18, 1918. Sergeant Butler broke up a German raiding party which had succeeded in entering our trenches and capturing some of our men. With an automatic rifle he killed four of the raiding party and captured or put to flight the remainder of the invaders. Home address, Mrs. Jennie Butler, Water Street, Salisbury, Maryland.'

"The rest of the State of Maryland and the whole United States now has its hat off to Butler of Salisbury."

And the New York Tribune, on April 28, 1919, said: " 'Bill, Butler, a slight, good-natured colored youth, who until two years ago was a jack-of-all-trades in a little Maryland town, yesterday came into his own as a hero among heroes. More than 5,000 men and women arose to their feet in City College stadium and cheered themselves hoarse while representatives of two Governments pinned their highest medals upon the breast of the nervous youth. Sergeant Butler was one of a list of twenty-three members of the famous 15th Regiment upon whom both France and the United States conferred medals of honor because of extraordinary heroism on European battlefields. But by common consent his name comes first on the list a list that was made up only after a careful comparison of the deeds of gallantry that finally resulted in the breaking of the Hun lines."

On This Day In History

Birthdates which occurred on February 27:
0280 Constantine the Great Roman emperor (306-37), adopted Christianity
1539 Franciscus Raphelengius Dutch book publisher
1622 Rembrandt Carel Fabritius Dutch painter
1649 Johann Philipp Krieger composer
1702 Johann Valentin Gorner composer
1745 Silverius Muller composer
1746 Gian Francesco Fortunati composer
1759 Johann Carl Friedrich Rellstab composer
1784 Elias Annes Borger Dutch theologist/poet (To the Rhine)
1784 Job Plimpton composer
1792 Don Joaquin B F Espartero Spanish adventurer/field marshal
1802 William George Frederick Cavendish Bentinck Lord George Bentinck
1807 Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Portland ME, poet (Hiawatha)
1811 [Catherine] Mildred Lee sister of US General Robert E Lee
1822 Eugene Gautier composer
1823 Ferdinand Van Derveer Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1892
1823 William Buel Franklin Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1903
1827 Richard W Johnson Bvt Major General (Union Army), died in 1897
1832 Alfred Pollard Edward Civil War journalist, died in 1872
1835 Charles Cartuyvels Belgian pulpit orator
1835 Richard Garnett English author (Ananda the Miracle Worker)
1841 [Eleanor] Agnes Lee daughter of US General Robert E Lee
1846 Joaquin Valverde composer
1847 Dame Ellen Alice Terry Coventry England, Shakespearian stage actress
1848 Charles Hubert H Parry England, musicologist/composer (Jerusalem)
1850 Henry Edwards Huntington US, railroad exec
1861 Rudolph Steiner Kraljevic Austria, founder (doctrine of anthroposophy movement)
1867 Irving Fisher US economist (compensating dollar)
1867 Wilhelm Peterson-Berger composer
1869 Alice Hamilton physician/writer (workmen's compensation laws)
1870 Louis Coerne composer
1874 Max Ettinger composer
1879 Jose Sancho Marraco composer
1881 Luitzen [Bertus] Brouwers Dutch mathematician
1881 Sveinn Björnsson 1st President of Iceland (1944-52)/poet (Figur ild)
1886 Hugo L Black Alabama, (Senator-D-AL)/78th US Supreme Court justice (1937-71)
1887 James D Innes English painter
1888 Lotte Lehmann Perleberg Germany, soprano (Fidello)
1891 David Sarnoff US, radio/TV pioneer/CEO (RCA)
1891 Georges E Migot French composer
1892 William Demarest St Paul MN, actor (Uncle Charlie-My 3 Sons)
1893 Joseph Messner composer
1893 Ralph Linton US cultural anthropologist (Tree of Culture)
1894 Robert-Lucien Siohan composer
1895 Edward Brophy actor (Champ, Dumbo, Great Guy, Cameraman, Doughboys)
1897 Bernard F Lyot French astronomer (Lyot filter)
1897 G Paul H Schuitema graphic designer/photographer (System-O-Color)
1898 Allison Danzig sports writer (Tennis Pictorial History)
1898 Rutkowski Bronislaw composer
1899 Charles H Best Maine, physiologist/co-discoverer of diabetes treatment (Insulin)
1899 Ian Keith Boston MA, actor (Rochefort-3 Musketeers)
1899 Sulo Nikolai Salonen composer
19-- Stephen Yates actor (Another World, Guiding Light)
19-- Tim Topper Baltimore MD, actor (Evan-Seven Brides for Seven Brothers)
1901 Marino Marini Italian sculptor/painter
1902 Gene Sarazen Harrison NY, PGA golfer (Masters 1935, US Open 1922, 32)
1902 John Steinbeck Salinas CA, author (Grapes of Wrath-Nobel 1962)
1902 Marian Anderson singer, banned by D A R
1902 Ethelda Bleibtrey 100 meter/300 meter US swimmer (Olympics-3 gold-1920)
1903 Reginald Gardiner Wimbledon England, actor (Great Dictator)
1904 James Thomas Farrell US, author (Studs Lonigan trilogy)
1904 Renaat Verheijen Flemish actor/director (Innocent Heart)
1905 Franchot Tone Niagara Falls NY, actor (Dr Freeland-Ben Casey)
1905 Charles de Keukeleire Belgian director (Evil Eye)
1906 Alexander Matheson New Zealand cricket pace bowler (2 Tests 1930-31)
1906 H Algernon F "Algy" Rumbold English diplomat (South Africa/Tibet)
1907 Gerhard Alexander [Veldheer], Dutch actor (Prince Willem of Orange)
1909 Elisabeth Welch singer (Song of Freedom, Over the Moon)
1910 Joan Bennett Palisades NJ, actress (Elizabeth-Dark Shadows, Little Women, Disraeli)
1910 Peter De Vries Chicago IL, author (Reuben Reuben, The Prick of Noon)
1912 Hugues Panassié French jazz saxophonist/author (Hot Club of France)
1912 Lawrence Durrell Darjeeling India, writer (Alexandria Quartet)
1913 Frank Allaun British MP (L)
1913 Irwin Shaw US, novelist (Rich Man Poor Man)
1915 Arthur Gilson Belgian attorney/minister of Defense (1958- )
1917 John Bowden Connally Jr Floresville TX, (Governor/Senator-D/R-TX), Wounded in the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy
1919 Roman Haubenstock-Ramati composer
1920 Jose Melis Havana Cuba, orchestra leader (Jack Paar Program)
1920 David Vere Bendall former diplomat
1920 Reg Simpson cricketer (prolific England opener 1948-55)
1921 Andras Szollosy composer
1921 Michael Fox US, actor (Saul-Bold & Beautiful, Young Frankenstein)
1922 Mervyn Jones author (Nobody's Fault, 5 Hungarian Writers)
1923 Dexter Gordon US, tenor saxophonist/actor (Connection)
1923 Viktor Kalabis composer
1924 M M Shearer former Lord Lieutenant of Shetland
1924 Norman Marshall cricketer (brother of Roy, one Test for West Indies 1955)
1925 Guy Mitchell Detroit MI, singer/actor (Guy Mitchell Show)
1925 Hugh Leggatt art dealer
1925 Michael Kaye director (City of London Festival)
1925 Richard AFM Auwerda Dutch journalist/writer
1926 Sir Peter Emery British MP
1927 Guy Mitchell [Al Cernick], Detroit MI, rocker/actor (Red Garters)
1927 Lord Belhaven & Stenton
1927 Michael Butler Pro-Provost/chairman (Royal College of Art)
1930 Joanne Woodward Thomasville GA, actress (3 Faces of Eve, Rachel)
1930 Lieux Dressler actress (Alice Grant-General Hospital)
1931 Andrew Sloan Chief Constable (Strathcourt)
1932 Elizabeth Taylor London, actress (Cleopatra) violet eyes
1932 Lord Young of Graffham CEO (Cables & Wireless)
1932 Dolf Zwerver Dutch painter
1933 Edward Lucie-Smith poetry critic
1933 Raymond Berry Texas, NFL hall of famer (Baltimore Colts)
1933 6th marquess of Bute Scottish large landowner/bibliophile
1933 Geoffrey Maitland Smith CEO (Sears)
1933 Malcolm Wallop (Senator-R-WY, 1977- )
1934 Van Williams Fort Worth TX, actor (Green Hornet, Tycoon)
1934 [Navarre] Scott Momaday US author (House Made of Dawn, Pulitzer 1969)
1934 Ralph Nader Winsted CT, consumer advocate (Unsafe at Any Speed)
1935 Mirella Freni Modena Italy, lyric soprano (Madame Butterfly)
1935 Alberto Remedios opera/concert singer
1936 Roger M Mahoney Hollywood CA, archbishop of Los Angeles (1985- )
1936 Chuck Glaser Spalding NB, singer (Glaser Brothers-Getting to Me Again)
1936 Timothy Spall actor (1871, Life is Sweet, Crusoe, Remembrance)
1936 Virginia Maskell actress (Suspect, Doctor in Love, Man Upstairs)
1937 L Jay Silvester US, discus thrower (Olympics-silver-1972)
1937 Barbara Babcock Pasadena CA, actress (Dr Quinn, Dallas, Hill St Blues)
1937 Donald MacKay CEO (Scottish Enterprise)
1937 Viscount Head
1938 Pascale Petit Paris, actor (Code Name Jaguar, End of Desire)
1939 Peter Revson auto racer (1971 Indianapolis pole winner)
1939 Antoinette Sibley ballerina (Turning Point)
1939 Kenzo Takada Japanese director (Dream After Dream)
1939 Lester King cricketer (West Indies fast bowler, 2 Tests 1962-68, 9 wickets)
1940 Howard Hesseman Salem OR, actor (Dr Johnny Fever-WKRP, Head of Class)
1940 Barbara Kelly CEO (Scottish Consumer Council)
1941 Paddy Ashdown New Delhi India, 1st leader of Britain's Social/Liberal Democrat Party
1941 Ian McGarry General Secretary (British Actors' Equity Association)
1941 Sandy Wilson director (Harmony Cats, American Boyfriends)
1942 Charlayne Hunter-Gault Due West SC, news reporter (McNeil-Lehrer)
1943 Mary Frann St Louis MO, actress (Joanna-Newhart, Days of Our Lives)
1944 Alan Fudge Wichita KS, actor (Man From Atlantis, Paper Dolls)
1944 Graeme Pollock cricketer (South African batting prodigy)
1944 Roger Scruton philosopher
1945 Daniel Olbrychski Poland, actor (La Truite)
1947 Gidon Kremer Riga Latvia, violinist (Tchaikovsky Prize 1970)
1947 Ashley Woodcock cricketer (one Test Australia vs New Zealand 1974, only knock 27)
1947 Marian G Klaren Dutch mime/actress (Red Cabbage)
1948 Eddie Gray rock guitarist (Tommy James & Shondells-Crystal Blue Persuasion)
1948 Stephen Curtis CEO (DVLA)
1950 Franco Moschino fashion Designer
1950 Julia Neuberger British Rabbi
1951 Lee Atwater Republican National Committee Chairman (1989-91)
1951 Steve Harley London England, rocker (Cockney Rebel-Make Me Smile (Come Up & See Me))
1952 Dwight Elmo Jones Houston TX, basketball player (Olympics-silver-1972)
1952 Henk Westbroek Dutch singer (Good Cause)
1952 Kevin Raleigh rock vocalist/keyboardist (Michael Stanley Band)
1954 Neal Schon rock guitarist (Journey-Open Arms, Bad English)
1955 Garry Christian rocker
1955 Sally Spencer actress (M J McKinnon-Another World)
1957 Adrian Smith heavy metal guitarist (Iron Maiden-Aces High)
1960 Paul Humphreys rock keyboardist/synthesizer player (OMD-Crush, Pacific Age)
1960 Stoney Jackson Richmond VA, actor (White Shadow, Insiders)
1960 Andres Gomez Ecuador, tennis pro (Madrid Grand Prix-1990)
1960 Bolik Dahan Suriname singer/radio host (Radio KBC)
1960 John van Grinsven soccer player (MVV)
1961 James Worthy NBA forward (Los Angeles Lakers, 1988 Playoff MVP)
1961 Grant Shaud actor (Miles Silverburg-Murphy Brown)
1962 Adam Baldwin Chicago IL, actor (Full Metal Jacket, My Bodyguard)
1962 Grant Show Detroit MI, actor (Jake Hanson-Melrose Place)
1962 Kory Tarpenning Portland OR, pole vaulter
1962 Veronica Ribot-Canales Buenos Aires Argentina, US diver (Olympics-96)
1963 Francesco Cancellotti Italy, tennis star
1964 April Heinrichs Littleton CO, US women's soccer coach (Olympics-96)
1964 Ewen Vernal British pop bassist (Deacon Blue-Your Town)
1964 Richard de Vries soccer player (De Graafschap)
1965 Sandra Cecchini Bologna Italy, tennis star (1995 Warsaw doubles)
1966 Gregg Rainwater actor (Buck Cross-The Young Riders)
1966 Chris Howard US baseball catcher (Seattle Mariners)
1966 Pete Smith US baseball player (Atlanta Braves, New York Mets)
1967 Dallas Eakins Dade City, NHL defenseman (Winnipeg Jets)
1967 Frantisek Kaberle Brno Czechoslovakia, hockey forward (Team Czechoslovakian Republic)
1967 Robert Kron Brno Czechoslovakia, NHL right wing (Hartford Whalers)
1968 Loy Vaught NBA forward (Los Angeles Clippers)
1968 Mike Sullivan Marshfield, NHL center (Calgary Flames)
1968 Ron Cox NFL linebacker (Chicago Bears)
1969 Victoria Fair Jackson MI, Miss Michigan-America (1990)
1969 Greg Stevenson Sherbrooke Québec Canada, rower (Olympics-11-92, 96)
1969 Robert Massey NFL cornerback (New York Giants)
1969 Robert Molenaar Dutch soccer player (FC Volendam)
1969 Willie Banks US baseball pitcher (Chicago Cubs)
1970 David White NFL linebacker (Buffalo Bills)
1971 Ivan Robinson Philadelphia PA, US boxer (Olympics-92)
1971 Jaroslav Modry Ceske-budejovice C, NHL defenseman (Ottawa Senators)
1971 Rich Tylski guard/center (Jacksonville Jaguars)
1973 "Pooh" Clark rocker (High-5)
1973 Terence Davis WLAF wide receiver (London Monarchs)
1974 Chris Dishman guard (Arizona Cardinals)
1974 Jim Maher cricketer (Queensland lefty batsman victorious 1995 side)
1975 Christina Nigra actress (Out of This World)
1975 Dana Marie Lane Cheyenne WY, Miss Wyoming-America (1995)
1975 Duce Staley running back (Philadelphia Eagles)
1975 Marcus Robinson wide receiver (Chicago Bears)
1976 Tony Gonzalez tight end (Kansas City Chiefs)
1980 Chelsea Victoria Clinton Daughter of Bill & Hillary Clinton

Deaths which occurred on February 27:
1167 Robert of Melun English philosopher/bishop of Hereford, dies
1656 Johan van Heemskerk Dutch lawyer/writer/interpreter, dies
1706 John Evelyn diarist, dies
1731 Angelo Predieri composer, dies at 76
1733 Johann Adam Birkenstock composer, dies at 46
1735 John Arbuthnot physician/mathematician, dies
1779 Jan Nepveu Dutch Governor-General of Suriname (1769-79), dies at 59
1797 Benvenuto Robbio San Rafaele composer, dies at 61
1805 Stefan Paluselli composer, dies at 57
1844 Nicholas Biddle US lawyer/diplomat/statesman/financier, dies at 85
1852 Joseph Drechsler composer, dies at 69
1862 Gabriele dell' Addolorata patron of Italian Catholic youth, dies at 23
1881 George Colley British governor of Natal/General, dies in battle at 46
1887 Alexander Porfir'yevich Borodin Russian composer, dies at 53
1913 Adam Sedgwick English zoologist (Peripatus), dies at 58
1920 Alexandru D Xenopol Romanian historian, dies at 72
1921 Schofield Haigh cricketer (England all-rounder 11 Tests 1898-1912), dies
1923 Charles Francis Abdy Williams composer, dies at 67
1929 Manuel Manrique de Lara y Berry composer, dies at 65
1936 Ivan P Pavlov Russian physiologist (reflexes, Nobel 1904), dies at 86
1939 Nadezjda K Krupskaya Russian revolutionary/wife of Lenin, dies at 70
1940 Peter Behrens German architect, dies
1942 Karel WFM Doorman Dutch Rear Admiral (Java Sea), KIA at 52
1943 Kostís Palamis Greek poet/scholar (Flogera tou Basília), dies at 84
1945 HJ Lochtman Dutch chaplain/resistance fighter, dies in Bergen-Belsen
1947 Mackinnon of Mackinnon cricketer (Tests England vs Australia 1879), dies at 89
1950 Ivan Goll writer, dies at 58
1952 Theodorus Pangalos Greek General/dictator 1926, dies at 74
1955 Tom Howard comedian (It Pays to be Ignorant), dies at 66
1956 Frank Dailey orchestra leader (Music at Meadowbrook), dies at 54
1956 Günther Ramin German organist/composer/choir conductor, dies at 57
1958 Harry Cohn CEO (Columbia Pictures), dies of a heart attack
1960 Adriano Olivetti Italian engineer/manufacturer, dies at 58
1961 Platt Adams high jumper (Olympics-gold-1912), dies
1962 Willie Best actor (Charlie-My Little Margie), dies at 45
1966 Minerva Urecal actress (Apache Rose, Ghost Crazy), dies at 81
1968 Johannes Tralow writer, dies at 85
1968 Ludvik Podest composer, dies at 46
1969 John Boles actor (Stella Dallas, Curly Top), dies at 73
1970 Robert Bruce Lockhart diplomat/writer, dies
1973 Lucijan Marija Skerjanc Yugoslav composer/conductor, dies at 72
1974 Pat Brady Toledo OH, actor (Roy Rogers Show), dies at 59
1975 Neville Cardus writer/cricketer, dies
1977 Allison Hayes actress (Attack of 50 Foot Woman), dies at 47
1978 Vadim Nikolayevich Salmanov composer, dies at 65
1980 George Tobias actor (Abner Kravitz-Bewitched), dies at 78
1982 Malika A Sabirova Russian dancer, dies at 39
1985 J Pat O'Malley actor (My Favorite Martian, Maude), dies at 83
1985 David Huffman actor (FIST, Jane Doe, Firefox, Onion Field), dies
1985 Henry Cabot Lodge (Senator-R)/diplomat, dies at 82
1987 Joan Greenwood English actress (Gentle Sex, Bad Sister), dies at 65
1989 Joe Silver actor (Rage, Rapid, Deathtrap, Shivers), dies at 66
1989 Konrad Lorenz Austria zoologist (Nobel 1973), dies at 85
1991 Artie Mitchell porn producer (Behind the Green Door), shot at 45
1991 H J of Royen manager Dutch (Concertgebouw Orchestra), dies at 52
1991 Robert-Jan Akkerman Dutch diplomat (to Tunis), murdered
1992 Marinus Ruppert Dutch trade union leader (CNV), dies at 80
1992 S I Hayakawa (Senator-CA, 1977-83), dies of a stroke at 85
1993 José Duval actor (Juan Valdez), dies at 72
1993 Lillian Gish US actress (Birth of a Nation), dies at 96
1993 Ruby Keeler actress (42nd Street), dies of cancer at 83
1994 Harold Acton English/Italian historian/art collector, dies at 84
1994 Karl I Pelgrom Dutch sculptor, dies at 66
1994 Laurence "Bill" Craigie jet pioneer, dies at 92
1994 Leopold "Hans" Kohr Austria social philosopher/economist, dies at 84
1995 Bernard Cornfield financier, dies at 67
1995 Philip Sherrington opus Dei Priest, dies at 51
1996 François Chaumette actor (They Never Slept, Christine), dies at 72
1996 George Ian Murray 10th Duke of Atholl, dies at 64
1996 Pat Smythe show jumper, dies at 67
1996 Sylvia Williams museum director/curator, dies at 60

On this day...
0837 15th recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet
1526 Saxony & Hesse form League of Gotha (league of Protestant princes)
1531 Evangelical German monarchy/towns form Schmalkaldische Union
1557 1st Russian Embassy opens in London
1563 William Byrd is appointed organist at Lincoln Cathedral
1594 Henri IV crowned king of France
1665 Battle at Elmina, Gold Coast Vice-Admiral De Ruyter beats English
1667 Abraham Crijnssen conquerors Fort Willoughby (Zeelandia), Suriname
1670 Jews are expelled from Austria by order of Leopold I
1678 Earl of Shaftesbury freed out of London Tower
1696 English/Welsh nobles lay down Oath of Association
1700 Pacific island of New Britain discovered
1713 French troops bomb Willemstad Curaçao
1801 Washington DC placed under Congressional jurisdiction
1803 Great fire in Bombay, India
1813 1st federal vaccination legislation enacted
1813 Congress authorizes use of steamboats to transport mail
1814 Ludwig von Beethovens 8th Symphony in F, premieres
1816 Dutch regain Suriname
1827 1st Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans LA
1844 Dominican Republic gains independence from Haiti (National Day)
1854 Composer Robert Schumann saved from suicide attempt in Rhine
1861 US Congress authorizes 1st stamped newspaper wrappers for mailing
1861 Warsaw Massacre Russians fire on crowd demonstrating against Russian rule of Poland
1864 Near Andersonville GA, rebels open a new POW camp "Camp Sumter"
1864 6th & last day of Battle at Dalton, Georgia (about 600 casualties)
1865 Civil War skirmish near Sturgeon MO
1869 John Menard is 1st black to make a speech in Congress
1871 Meeting of Alabama claims commission
1872 Charlotte Ray, 1st Black woman lawyer, graduated Harvard U
1873 Dutch socialist Samuel van Wooden demands law against child labor
1874 Baseball 1st played in England, at Lord's Cricket Grounds
1877 US Electoral College declares R Hayes winner Presidential election
1879 Constantine Fahlberg discovers saccharin (artificial sweetener)
1881 Battle at Amajuba, South Africa Boers vs British army under General Colley
1883 Oscar Hammerstein patents 1st cigar-rolling machine
1890 D Needham & P Kerrigan box 100 rounds (6 hours 39 minutes), San Francisco; match is draw
1900 Conference in London calls for creation of a British labor party
1900 Battle at Pietershoogte; Boer General Cronjé surrenders to English in Pardenberg, South-Africa
1901 NL Rules Committee decrees that all fouls are to count as strikes except after two strikes
1906 France & Britain agree to joint control of New Hebrides
1908 Sacrifice fly adopted (repealed in 1931, reinstated 1954)
1908 Star #46 was added to US flag for Oklahoma
1912 Lord Kitchener opens Khartoum-El Obeid (Nyala) railway
1919 1st public performance of Holst's "The Planets"
1919 American Association for the Hard of Hearing formed (New York NY)
1921 US female Figure Skating championship won by Theresa Weld Blanchard
1921 US male Figure Skating championship won by Sherwin Badger
1922 Supreme Court unanimously upheld 19th amend woman's right to vote
1922 Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover convenes 1st National Radio Conference
1922 G B Shaw's "Back to Methusaleh I/II" premieres in New York NY
1924 Belgium's Theunis government falls
1925 Hitler resurrects NSDAP political party in Munich
1925 Test Cricket debut of Clarrie Grimmett, who took 5-45 & 6-37 vs England
1927 For 2nd Sunday in a row golfers in South Carolina arrested for violating Sabbath
1929 Turkey signs Litvinov-pact
1929 Russia & US sign trade agreement
1930 Bouvet Island declared a Norwegian dependency
1932 Explosion in coal mine Boissevain, Virginia, USA (38 dead)
1933 German parliament building, Reichstag, destroyed by fire (set by Nazis, blamed on communists)
1933 Jean Genet's "Intermezzo" premieres in Paris
1936 Willy den Ouden swims world record 100 meter free style (1:04.6)
1937 Bradman scores 169 in 5th Test Cricket vs England in 223 minutes
1938 Britain & France recognize Franco government in Spain
1939 Supreme Court outlaws sit-down strikes
1939 Belgian government of Pierlot falls
1939 English Spook house Borley Rectory destroyed in a fire
1942 Battle of Java Sea began 13 US warships sunk-2 Japanese
1942 J S Hey discovers radio emissions from the Sun
1942 1st transport of French Jews to Nazi-Germany
1945 Battle of US 94 Infantry
1946 4th "Road" film, "Road to Utopia" premieres (New York NY)
1947 Paul-Emile Victor French polar expeditions organized
1949 Chaim Weizmann becomes 1st Israeli President
1950 General Chiang Kai-shek elected President of Nationalist China
1951 22nd amendment to the Constitution is ratified, limiting President to 2 terms in office
1955 Betty Jameson wins LPGA Sarasota Golf Open
1956 Elvis Presley's releases "Heartbreak Hotel"
1956 Female suffrage in Egypt
1957 Mao's speech "On the Correct Handling of Contradictions Among People"
1957 Premiere of only prime-time network TV show beginning with an "X" "Xavier Cugat Show" on NBC (until X-Files)
1958 USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR
1959 Boston Celtic Bob Cousy sets NBA record with 28 assists Boston Celtics score 173 points against Minneapolis Lakers
1959 Chicago Cards trade running back Ollie Matson to Los Angeles Rams for 9 players
1960 Oil pipe line from Rotterdam to Ruhrgebied opens
1960 US Olympics Ice Hockey Team beats USSR 3-2 en route to gold medal
1962 South-Vietnam President Ngo Dinh Diem's palace bombed, 1st US killed
1963 Mickey Mantle of New York Yankees sign a baseball contract worth $100,000
1964 "What Makes Sammy Run?" opens at 84th St Theater NYC for 540 performances
1965 "High Spirits" closes at Alvin Theater NYC after 375 performances
1965 Dutch Marijnen government resigns
1965 France performs Underground nuclear test at Ecker Algeria
1966 Ice Dance Championship at Davos won by Diane Towler/Bernard Ford Great Britain
1966 Ice Pairs Championship at Davos won by Belousova & Protopopov of USSR
1966 Ladies Figure Skating Championship in Davos won by Peggy Fleming of US
1966 Men's Figure Skating Championship in Davos won by Emmerich Danzer Austria
1967 Antigua & St Christopher-Nevis become associated states of UK
1967 Dominica gains independence from England
1967 Pink Floyd release their 1st single "Arnold Layne"
1967 Rio de la Plata Treaty
1969 General Hafez al-Assad becomes head of Syria via military coup
1969 President Nixon visits West-Berlin
1970 New York Times (falsely) reports US army has ended domestic surveillance
1972 President Nixon & Chinese Premier Chou En-lai issued Shanghai Communique
1973 American Indian Movement occupy Wounded Knee in South Dakota
1973 Dick Allen signs a record $675,000 3-year contract with White Sox
1973 Pope Paul VI publishes constitution motu proprio Quo aptius
1974 "People" magazine begins sales
1974 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1975 House of Representatives pass $21.3 billion anti-recession tax-cut bill
1975 CDU-politician Peter Lorentz kidnapped in West Berlin
1976 Final meeting between Mao tse Tung & Richard Nixon
1977 Keith Richards gets suspended sentence for heroin possession, Canada
1977 Judy Rankin wins LPGA Bent Tree Golf Classic
1978 France performs nuclear test at Muruora Island
1980 22nd Grammy Awards What a Fool Believe, Streisand-Diamond duet (You Don't Bring Me Flowers)
1980 Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF wins elections in Zimbabwe
1980 Terrorists occupies Dominican embassy in Bogota
1981 Greatest passenger load on a commercial airliner-610 on Boeing 747
1981 Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder record "Ebony & Ivory"
1982 Dan Issel (NBA-Nuggets), hits on 63rd consecutive free throw
1982 Earl Anthony becomes 1st pro bowler to win more than $1 million
1982 Wayne Williams found guilty of murdering 2 of 28 blacks in Atlanta GA
1982 France performs nuclear test at Muruora Island
1983 Eamonn Coghlan sets indoor mile record of 3 49.78
1983 Jan Stephenson wins Tucson Conquistadores LPGA Golf Tournament
1984 WRC-AM in Washington DC changes call letters to WWRC
1984 Carl Lewis jumps world record indoor (8,675 meters)
1984 Worker's union leader Billy Nair freed in South Africa
1985 Farmers converge in Washington to demand economic relief
1985 Mauritania's new constitutional charter published
1985 US dollar is worth ƒ3.9355 (Netherlands)
1987 Donald Regan resigned as White House chief of staff
1987 NCAA cancels SMU's entire 1987 football schedule for gross violations of NCAA rules regarding athletic corruption
1987 "Washington Week In Review", 20th anniversary on PBS
1987 Mike Conley triple jumps world indoor record (17.76 meters)
1988 Bonnie Blair (US) wins Olympics 500 meter speed skating in record 39.1
1988 Katarina Witt (GDR) wins 2nd consecutive Olympics figure skating
1988 Ayako Okamoto wins LPGA Orient Leasing Hawaiian Ladies Golf Open
1988 Gulfstream G-IV goes around the world 36 08 34
1989 German war criminals Austria der Fünten/Fischer, freed in Holland
1990 Exxon Corp & Exxon Shipping are indicted on 5 criminal counts (Valdez)
1991 Noureddine Morcelli set 1500 meter mark at 3 34 16
1991 Singer James Brown is released from prison
1991 Ben Elton's "Silly Cow" premieres in London
1991 Gulf War ends after Iraqi troops retreat & Kuwait is liberated
1992 Larry Smith, named 9th Commissioner of the CFL
1992 Tiger Woods, 16, becomes youngest PGA golfer in 35 years
1993 PBA National Championship Won by Ron Palombi Jr
1994 17th Olympics Winter games close in Lillehammer, Norway
1994 Maronite church near Beirut bombed, 10 killed
1995 Car bomb explodes in Zakho, North-Iraq (54-80 killed)
1996 Mark Waugh scores 126 in World Cup against India
1997 "Last Night of Ballyhoo" opens at Helen Hayes Theater NYC
1997 Singer Sade (Helen Folasade), arrested in Jamaica for disobeying a cop
1998 14th Soap Opera Digest Awards
1998 Apple discontinues developing Newton computer
1998 FBI arrests 10 most wanted suspected serial killer Tony Ray Amati
1998 New England Patriot David Meggett arrested in Toronto on sex assault charges

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

Dominican Republic : Independence Day (1844)
St Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla : Statehood Day (1967)
St Kitts & Antigua : Independence Day (1967)

Religious Observances
Christian : Feast of St Leander
Anglican : Commemoration of George Herbert, priest
Roman Catholic : Commemoration of St Gabriel Possenti [non-leap years]

Religious History
280 Birth of Constantine the Great, the first Roman emperor to be converted (ca. 312) to the Christian faith.
1838 Birth of William J. Kirkpatrick, American Methodist sacred composer. He edited his first collection of hymns at age 21, and is still remembered today for composing the melodies to such hymns as: "He Hideth My Soul," "'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus," "Redeemed, How I Love to Proclaim It" and "Lord, I'm Coming Home."
1839 Scottish clergyman Robert Murray McCheyne wrote in a letter: 'Most of God's people are content to be saved from the hell that is without. They are not so anxious to be saved from the hell that is within.'
1849 William Jewell College was chartered in Liberty, Missouri, under Baptist sponsorship.
1938 English Bible expositor Arthur W. Pink wrote in a letter: 'Slackness and carelessness are inexcusable in a child of God. He should ever present a model and example of conscientiousness, painstaking care, and exactness.'

Thought for the day :
"Let a fool hold his tongue and he will pass for a sage."

Today's classic warship, USS Quincy (CA-71)

Baltimore class heavy cruiser
Displacement: 13,600 t.
Length: 673’5”
Beam: 70’10”
Draft: 20’6”
Speed: 33 k.
Complement: 1,142
Armament: 9 8”; 12 5”; 48 40mm; 24 20mm

The USS QUINCY (CA-71), a heavy cruiser, was authorized 17 June 1940; laid down by Bethlehem Steel Co., Shipbuilding Div., Quincy, Mass., as ST. PAUL 9 October 1941; renamed QUINCY 16 October 1942 to perpetuate that name after destruction of the USS QUINCY (CA-39) at the Battle of Savo Island 9 August 1942; launched 23 June 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Henry S. Morgan, a daughter of Charles Francis Adams; and commissioned at the U.S. Naval Drydock, South Boston, Mass., 15 December 1943, Capt. Elliot M. Senn in command.

After shakedown cruise in the Gulf of Paria, between Trinidad and Venezuela, the new cruiser was assigned, 27 March 1944, to Task Force 22 and trained in Casco Bay, Maine until she steamed to Belfast, Northern Ireland with TG 27.10, arriving 14 May and reporting to Commander, 12th Fleet for duty. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Force, accompanied by Rear Admiral Alan G. Kirk, inspected the ship's company in Belfast Lough 15 May 1944.

QUINCY stood out of Belfast Lough 20 May for the Clyde and anchored off Greenock, Scotland to begin special training in shore bombardment. She then returned to Belfast Lough and began final preparations for the invasion of Europe. At 0537, 6 June 1944, she engaged shore batteries from her station on the right flank of Utah Beach, Baie de la Seine.

During the period 6 through 17 June, in conjunction with shore fire control parties and aircraft spotters, QUINCY conducted highly accurate pinpoint firing against enemy mobile batteries and concentrations of tanks, trucks, and troops. She also neutralized and destroyed heavy, long range enemy batteries, supported minesweepers operating under enemy fire, engaged enemy batteries that were firing on the crews of CORRY (DD-463) and GLENNON (DD-620) during their efforts to abandon their ships after they had struck mines and participated in the reduction of the town of Quineville 12 June 1944.

QUINCY steamed to Portland, England 21 June and joined TF 129. She departed Portland 24 June for Cherbourg, France. The bombardment of the batteries surrounding the city commenced in conjunction with the Army's assault at 1207. Nineteen of the twenty-one primary targets assigned the task force were successfully neutralized or destroyed thus enabling Army troops to occupy the city that day.

The heavy cruiser sailed for Mers-el Kebir, North Africa 4 July, arriving there the 10th. She proceeded to Palermo, Sicily, 16 July, arriving two days later. QUINCY, based at Palermo through 26 July, conducted shore bombardment practice at Camarota in the Gulf of Policastro. She then steamed to Malta via the Straits of Messina. Between 27 July and 13 August, the cruiser participated in training exercises at Malta and Camarota, Italy.

On the afternoon of 13 August, in company with four British cruisers, one French cruiser, and four American destroyers, QUINCY departed Malta for the landings on the southern coast of France, arriving Baie de Cavalaire 15 August. For three days the group provided fire support on the left flank of the 3rd U.S. Army. QUINCY transferred 19 August to TG 86.4, and until the 24th, engaged the heavy batteries at Toulon, St. Mandrier, and Cape Sicie. She steamed westward the afternoon of 24 August to support minesweepers clearing the channel to Port de Bouc in the Marseilles area.

QUINCY was detached from European duty 1 September and steamed for Boston, arriving one week later. She remained at Boston for the installation of new equipment through 31 October, when she got underway for training in Casco Bay. After fitting out at Boston for a Presidential cruise, QUINCY steamed for Hampton Roads, Va. 16 November.

President Roosevelt and his party embarked in QUINCY 23 January 1945 at Newport News, Va. for passage to Malta, arriving 2 February. After receiving calls by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and other dignitaries, President Roosevelt departed QUINCY and continued on to the Crimea by air.

QUINCY departed Malta 6 February and arrived Great Bitter Lake in the Suez Canal two days later, after calling at Ismalia, Egypt. The President and his party returned 12 February and the next day received Farouk I, King of Egypt, and Haile Selassie, Emperor of Ethiopia. President Roosevelt received Ibn Saud, King of Saudi Arabia, 14 February. After a call at Alexandria and a final meeting between President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill, QUINCY steamed for Algiers, arriving 18 February. Following a presidential conference with the American ambassadors to Great Britain, France, and Italy, the cruiser steamed for the United States arriving Newport News, Va. 27 February.

QUINCY stood out of Hampton Roads 5 March 1945, arriving Pearl Harbor the 20th. After training in the Pearl Harbor area, she steamed for Ulithi via Eniwetok, joining the 5th Fleet there 11 April. Two days later, she departed Ulithi and joined Rear Admiral Wiltse's Cruiser Division 10, in Vice Admiral Mitscher's Fast Carrier Task Force. From 16 April, QUINCY supported the carriers in their strikes on Okinawa, Amami Gunto, and Minami Daito Shima. She returned to Ulithi with units of the task force 30 April.

In company with units of TF 58, QUINCY departed Ulithi 9 May for the area east of Kyushu, arriving 12 May for carrier strikes against Amami Gunto and Kyushu. Before dawn on 14 May, the cruiser splashed a Japanese plane. Her own aircraft strafed targets in Omonawa on Tokune Shima 19 May. QUINCY continued to support carrier aircraft strikes against Okinawa, Tokuno Shima, Kikai Jima, Amami Gunto, and Asumi Gunto until the force returned to base 13 June. Enroute, QUINCY safely rode out the severe typhoon of 5 June.

During the period of replenishment and upkeep at Leyte Rear Admiral Wiltse, ComCruDiv 10 transferred to QUINCY. The cruiser departed Leyte 1 July with Task Force 38 to begin a period of strikes at Japan's home islands which lasted until the termination of hostilities. She supported carriers in strikes in the Tokyo Plains area, Honshu, Hokkaido, and Shikoku.

QUINCY joined the Support Force, 23 August, and four days later, helped occupy Sagami Wan, Japan, and entered Tokyo Bay 1 September.

Rear Admiral Wiltse transferred his flag 17 September to VICKSBURG (CL-86), and 20 September QUINCY joined the 5th Fleet as a unit of the Eastern Japan Force, TF 53, basing in Tokyo Bay.

QUINCY decommissioned 19 October 1946 in the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Wash. She was assigned to the Bremerton Group, Pacific Reserve Fleet until 31 January 1952, when she recommissioned to serve in the 7th Fleet in support of United Nations Forces in Korea. Following fitting out and readiness training, she served in the screen of the Fast Carrier Task groups ranging off the coastline of Korea 25 July through 1 December 1953.

She again decommissioned 2 July 1954; and was berthed at Bremerton, Wash., in the Pacific Reserve Fleet. Stricken on 1 October 1973, QUINCY was sold for scrap on 20 August 1974.

QUINCY received four battle stars for World War II service.

Big Guns in Action!

FALL IN to the FReeper Foxhole!

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A small number of the Fifteenth's men were sent with each French company, with instructions to observe all regulations and familiarize themselves with the tactics of the French.

I don't know what the French could have tought these brave men. They never did learn to retreat, and that's all the French know how to do. LOL

WWI Print: "The Colored Man is No Slacker"