The FReeper Foxhole Remembers Eisenhower, Berlin, & the National Redoubt (Part I) - Oct 6th, 2003

http://grad.usask.ca/gateway/archive22.html ^ | Jeff Korte

[SAMWolf]

Lord,

Keep our Troops forever in Your care

Give them victory over the enemy...

Grant them a safe and swift return...

Bless those who mourn the lost.
.

FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer
for all those serving their country at this time.

...................................................................................... ...........................................

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The Allies and Berlin

The failure of the western allied forces, under Supreme Allied Commander, American General Dwight D. Eisenhower, to capture Berlin during the Second World War has been a divisive issue among historians, politicians and military personnel both past and present since before the war ended. The ultimate consequences of the Allied actions during the war, both military and political, resulted in a divided Germany and a divided Europe during the Cold War that followed. Eisenhower's critics tend to believe that he did not recognize the political importance that the capture of Berlin would entail, and that by allowing the Soviet Union to take the German capital, it provided them with a significant political advantage during the post-war period. The benefit that could have been achieved by Eisenhower racing the Soviets to Berlin remains unclear, as the post-war divisions had already been decided at the political level. Despite the enormous forces that Eisenhower had at his disposal, he was not in a position to make policy. Thus, the question of whether Eisenhower should have made an attempt to either take Berlin prior to the Soviets or join in the fighting for the city is largely moot. I believe that, with the political situation taken into consideration, along with the training and information that Eisenhower had at the time, he made the only decision he could regarding Berlin.

General Dwight Eisenhower

Eisenhower offered three reasons for his decision to abandon a northern advance to Berlin and instead target those remaining German forces in the south. First and foremost were the zones of occupation. Eisenhower himself had argued against these zones, specifically the placement of Berlin deep in the Soviet zone. Once this decision had been made, however, all strategic planning at SHAEF (Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Force) took these boundaries into consideration. Although Eisenhower was willing to alter his plans if ordered to do so, there would be no such orders from Washington.

Eisenhower and American General Omar Bradley, Commander of the 12th Army Group, also believed that the capture of Berlin would entail huge losses for the attacking forces. Critics have dismissed Bradley's estimate of 100,000 casualties as far too pessimistic, as it would mean a greater number of casualties than the Americans had suffered since landing at Normandy. However, it should be noted that the Soviet Union placed their own casualties as over 300,000 in the two weeks of fighting from the Oder to the collapse of Berlin. This number included killed, wounded and missing. Interestingly, recent western sources place the total casualties suffered by the Soviets as even higher.



Besides the zones of occupation and the possible casualties, Eisenhower also offered the National Redoubt. The Redoubt is generally overlooked in recent history, yet after the zones of occupation and possible casualties, it was the third reason given by Eisenhower for the shift of the allied forces to the south. Indeed, Eisenhower appeared convinced during the final months of the war that Germany had only three remaining avenues of resistance available; a falling out among the Allies, the Werwolf movement, and the National Redoubt, all of which will be discussed in greater detail in Part Two of this article.

Since their arrival on the beaches of Normandy in June, 1944, the German capital was considered the natural and expected target for SHAEF. Throughout the campaign into German-occupied Europe, Eisenhower had allowed for a Broad-Front strategy, pushing forward across the entire front, with the onus on his forces in the north. This approach allowed SHAEF to fully utilize their considerable manpower and equipment, but also forced the Germans to deploy their own troops and equipment along the entire front as well. With the increased mobility of the Allied forces, this arrangement helped to keep the German defenders off-balance. So great was the Allied success in the summer and fall of 1944, that their forces had managed to liberate most of France and considerable territory of Belgium and The Netherlands. By September, 1944, the Allies had managed to fight their way to the point their logistical services had planned for them to reach by May, 1945. Indeed, several allied intelligence summaries predicted an end to the war in late 1944. Regardless, critical shortages of gasoline and ammunition were beginning to slow the Allied forces.


Russian Forces raise the flag over the Reichstag

German Leader Adolf Hitler apparently realized that the amount of supplies and gasoline that could flow through the Normandy area would not be sufficient to sustain the massive Allied formations for long. By leaving strong garrisons in place in many of the coastal harbours while the surrounding territory was overrun Hitler was able to forestall the Allied seizure of the much needed seaports. By September, Eisenhower was forced to repeatedly starve his southern armies of fuel and ammunition in order to continue pushing forward in the north. The major sea port of Antwerp, Belgium was captured by the Allies in September, but was not cleared and safe to receive supplies until the end of the following month. The incredible advance of the Allies was a double-edged sword.

As the Germans were forced back towards their own borders resistance began to stiffen. By November, the combat experience and the skill of the German Wehrmacht was beginning to show to such an extent that some in the Allied command were no longer sure about victory even in 1945. In addition, while the Allies were increasingly stretching their supply lines to the limit, the German supply lines shortened as they fell back closer to their own territory. Regardless, by December the Allies had managed to push their way up to the German frontiers and the Rhine in some places, and were ready to continue into Germany itself. With the Russian winter offensive in the east gaining momentum, it apparently appeared to SHAEF that the Germans could do little but remain on the defensive.


Volkssturm Defender

On December 16th, however, the Western Allies were shocked when the Germans launched a major offensive against the thinly held junction of the Northern and Central Allied Army Groups through the Ardennes. Hitler apparently hoped to smash through the thinly held Allied lines and cut off the British and Canadian forces fighting in the north from their supply lines, and their American counterparts, and eventually destroy as many as thirty Allied divisions. Although Berlin itself was threatened by the Russian forces in the east, Hitler apparently realized that he could destroy as many as thirty Red Army divisions and it would make little difference, so great was the Russian advantage in manpower. In the west however, the loss of thirty divisions would cripple the Allied war effort and allow the Germans time to turn their full attention to the east.



The German Ardennes Offensive took the Western Allies completely by surprise. Hitler had assembled some of his best remaining troops, consisting of just under thirty divisions, of which over ten were Panzer or Panzer Grenadier. The Germans attacked in weather that negated the Allied air superiority and smashed through the thin Allied lines as SHAEF desperately tried to rush reinforcements to the area. Although the Allies were able to contain the offensive after their initial shock, the German forces managed to move over twenty miles into the allied lines virtually unopposed, with the battle raging until mid January, 1945. While the Allies managed to contain and eventually repulse this attack, the effect upon SHAEF confidence was significant, and although they were able to make up their losses with equipment and supplies coming in from America and Britain, their timetable had been set back six weeks.



While the Allies were able to make up their losses in manpower and equipment, Hitler was not. By bleeding the other fronts white in an effort to regain the initiative against the Western Allies through the Ardennes, the German armed forces were now paying the price for their leader's gamble. Indeed, by January, 1945, the German situation on the Eastern Front was so desperate, the Russians outnumbered the German forces by a rate of ten to one, with a similar massive advantage in tanks, assault guns and other equipment. Before the Russian winter offensive reached the end of its supply lines in the middle of February 1945, the Red Army had crushed the German opposition and Soviet advance units had forced their way to the Oder River, the final natural obstacle in their path, and only thirty-five miles from Berlin.

The Allied armies, having regained their balance after the shock of the Ardennes, had forced the remaining German defenders further back during February, and had managed to bring all of the army groups up to the Rhine. British General Bernhard Montgomery, commander of Eisenhower's northernmost Army Group, was making extensive preparations for an Allied crossing of this river into Germany proper. With the onus of the Allied advance remaining with Montgomery in the north, including priority of supply, both the Central and Southern Army Groups expected to remain for in position on the Rhine for several weeks in order to allow for regrouping.



The defensive strategy of the German Western Front, however, was shattered by the 12th Army Groups seizing of an intact bridge over the Rhine at Remagen on March 7th. As mentioned, Eisenhower's basic plan had always proposed a broad front strategy, with the primary onus to be in the north. With this sudden and unexpected capture of a large bridge over the Rhine, Bradley was suddenly in a position to swiftly put troops across this major obstacle and into central Germany. American General George S. Patton also managed to force the Rhine further south a full day before Montgomery's planned crossing in the north.


Volkssturm Defenders

Originally, Eisenhower wanted to use this bridgehead as a threat, pulling German defenders from their posts across from Montgomery in the north. However, although the Germans tried desperately to destroy this remaining bridge, Bradley was able to put five divisions across before its collapse, and had used this cover to build several temporary bridges in the immediate area. Although Montgomery still had a considerable force that jumped the Rhine several days later, Eisenhower was forced to decide which of his commanders would be able to best exploit their position, Montgomery or Bradley. Considering the deliberate preparations and cautionary methods of Montgomery, Eisenhower began to shift his strategy to Bradley in Central Germany. Eisenhower believed that of the two, Bradley had the greater possibility of success in destroying enemy forces and bringing the war to a close. In short, due to Remagen, the focus on a northern advance shifted away somewhat to central Germany in hopes of exploiting this military windfall.


Marshal Georgy K. Zhukov

With the massive Allied crossing in the north underway, and a considerable Allied contingent forcing the Rhine at Remagen, Eisenhower was able to concentrate on eliminating one of the primary targets of the Allied Expeditionary Force since the planning for D-Day had begun, the Ruhr industrial basin. The Ruhr area was home to a majority of Germany's war-making heavy industry, and absolutely essential for any hope of Germany to continue the war. With the unexpected capture of the Remagen Bridge, the entire German defensive strategy had been thrown off-balance, and by the end of March this primary goal of surrounding and cutting off of the Ruhr industrial basin from the rest of Germany was completed. Allied intelligence believed that as many as 150,000 German soldiers were now trapped within the Ruhr area, and as a result, Eisenhower decided to devote considerable resources (eighteen divisions) to its destruction, although this further slowed the advance in the north. Eisenhower believed that this was simply too large a force to contain and bypass. By April 18th, the Ruhr forces surrendered, and it would be discovered that the Ruhr held not 150,000, but 317,000 German troops that were taken prisoner, including thirty general officers, which was not including those who fell during the three week battle.

[SAMWolf]

When initially given the task of leading SHAEF, Eisenhower had been given specific orders to follow. These orders specified him to drive into the heart of Germany and destroy its ability to resist. For Eisenhower, this included military targets, such as the German Armies in the field, and the industrial centres that supplied war material and kept Germany in the war, such as the Ruhr, and the German capital of Berlin. With the destruction of the Ruhr pocket, the Allies effectively destroyed the German ability to defend themselves in the north, removing "twenty-one divisions and captur[ing] enormous quantities of supplies [from their order of battle.]"



With such a massive defeat for the Germans in the north, and worrisome to Allied Intelligence, the vast majority of the still considerable remaining German Armed Forces were in the south. In the northern area, which included Berlin, remained approximately twenty to thirty German divisions including three to four Panzer divisions. In the south, which included the Redoubt zone, were over one hundred German divisions of which approximately thirty were Panzer divisions. It is important to mention that this total did not include the twenty to thirty divisions still fighting in the Italian theatre. These southern forces also included the vast majority of the remaining Luftwaffe regular and new jet forces.

Worse, Allied Intelligence had been reporting for several months that Berlin may not be the prize that it once was. Specifically, SHAEF had received voluminous amounts of information which stated that German military, government and Nazi Party offices and their staffs had been fleeing Berlin for the area around Berchtesgaden, Hitler's retreat in the German Alps. While this intelligence stated that most of the German agencies had moved at least a skeleton staff into this area during February and early March, by the time the Ruhr had surrendered, these reports had confirmed that the flow of German officials from Berlin to the Berchtesgaden area had reached such a level that few departments were still operating in Berlin.

Unterscharfurher Karl-Heinz Turk of the Schwere SS Panzerabteilung 503, in one of the units few remaining Kingtigers, defends the Potsdammer Platz along with elements of the Munchberg Division against the rapidly encroaching Soviet forces.

With Allied Intelligence relatively clear on the fact that Hitler was unlikely to capitulate even with the capture of Berlin, the possibility of the still considerable German forces remaining in the south putting up a final stand in the German Alps had to be taken into consideration. Worse, while Hitler's exact whereabouts were still unclear even at this late stage, the Allies had been able to pinpoint other important Nazi figures, such as Herman Goering, head of the Luftwaffe and Hitler's publicly chosen successor, and Heinrich Himmler, head of the SS, as being either in the Berchtesgaden area or setting up command posts there. Allied Intelligence had confirmed that significant construction activity and what appeared to be massive convoys of supplies had been flowing into the southern region for some time. For SHAEF, it appeared that the Nazis had all but abandoned Berlin, and were preparing a last-ditch stand in the Alps.


Volkssturm Defender

With the Allied armies making significant headway across Central Germany, it was only a matter of time before Germany was cut in two by the Allies from the west and the Soviets from the east. The question facing Eisenhower was whether, with this final meeting of the allies looming, to turn north in the direction of Berlin and assist Montgomery's forces, or turn south in the direction of Berchtesgaden and the remaining cluster of German forces. Eisenhower decided to swing his forces south, leaving the battle of Berlin to the Soviet forces, and order his northern armies to halt at the Elbe river, fifty miles from Berlin. Thus, to SHAEF, the mass of forces in the south must have appeared to be a credible and significant threat.


Volkssturm Defender

Considering the political implications the capture of the German capital would entail, the objections were swift in coming, particularly from the British. British Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill, along with the British Chiefs of Staff and Montgomery, were unhappy with Eisenhower's decision, as any drive for Berlin would be primarily in the British force's frontlines to the north, as well as the political and psychological importance of Berlin. The American Chiefs of Staff disagreed, believing that Eisenhower's strategy was sound. With the American forces outnumbering their own by almost three to one, the British were simply not in a position to force the issue, particularly after Churchill had agreed with the other Allied leaders to place Berlin in the Soviet zone of occupation.

[SAMWolf]

There has been some discussion among historians to include personal factors into the debate, such as the relationship between Eisenhower and Montgomery. Some historians believe that Montgomery's behaviour during the Ardennes Offensive and the public statements that he made following this battle led to a serious rift among the Allied Command. This appears to be borne out as some post-war memoirs and personal histories make clear. It apparently appeared to the American commanders, particularly Eisenhower and Bradley, that Montgomery implied he had to come to the rescue of the American forces in the Ardennes. Some historians argue that the personal rift between Eisenhower and Montgomery caused the former to be somewhat predisposed to any reason to keep Montgomery out of the headlines further. Montgomery's arrogance and lack of tact was legendary, and was disparaged by even some of his staunchest supporters. The personalities of both Eisenhower and Montgomery do provide some support for such theories. This remains speculation of course, as none of the parties involved cared to comment in detail on such matters, although some historians have correctly offered up such disagreements as food for thought.



Regardless, Eisenhower, perhaps in keeping with his orders to destroy military and industrial targets, refused to consider a target with only political significance. Eisenhower repeatedly stated that his strategy was flexible, and he was prepared to target any area chosen by his superiors. However, few such orders were forthcoming. The physically weakened American President Franklin D. Roosevelt did not dispute the actions of Eisenhower, nor did the American Chief of Staff General George C. Marshall and the rest of the American Staff. Newly appointed President Harry S. Truman was apparently not in a position to challenge the general course of strategy laid out by Eisenhower. All often stated that events on the ground usually outraced their ability to offer specific orders to Eisenhower, and were content to propose general guidance alone.

Many of America's allies would later comment after the war on the single-mindedness of the American Command with strictly military affairs, often refusing to take political matters into consideration at all. Eisenhower was apparently conscious of political necessities, albeit in his own fashion. For example, Eisenhower was aware of the American government and military's need for the bulk of American forces to be concentrated against Japan as soon as possible. In this regard, an end to the war in Europe as soon as could be managed would free up countless divisions and material for the Pacific Theatre. With the atomic bomb still an uncertainty, the war with Japan was expected to continue for some time after the collapse of Germany. Allied political leaders had already made a concerted effort to bring the Soviet Union into the war with Japan, and Eisenhower apparently made an effort to avoid any last minute complications.


Entrance to the Fuhrerbunker

Regardless, one of the primary reasons given by Eisenhower were the future zones of occupation for the Allied forces in Germany. These areas had already been decided at the political level, which placed Berlin deep in the future Soviet zone. Eisenhower had cabled Soviet Leader Joseph Stalin on March 31st regarding his intentions to leave Berlin to the Soviets and attempt to stop those forces that appeared to be massing in the south. In his message, Eisenhower stated that Berlin has lost its former strategic importance, and that he planned to head further south with his forces. Stalin agreed with Eisenhower's claim for Berlin, and stated that the Soviet High Command would allot only secondary forces to its capture. This was not borne out by events, as Stalin ordered a massive assault to capture the city, allegedly fully recognizing Berlin's importance in political terms. For Stalin, "Berlin was a symbolic reward for the immense sacrifices they had made . . . his people would see an Allied entry into Berlin ahead of the Russians as a resounding slap in the face. Newly-discovered archives have shown he was quite ready to shoot his way into . . . Berlin, if necessary, through an American advance guard." Unlike Berlin in the north, the majority of the remaining German forces were in the south in the future American zone and therefore would primarily be an American problem.



Both Eisenhower and Bradley have pointed out their concern over Allied casualties in an expected house-to-house battle for Berlin. Bradley believed that Berlin would cost as many as 100,000 Allied casualties. As he stated after the war, this was a pretty stiff price to pay for a prestige target. However, it is interesting to note that the Soviet Union placed their own casualties for taking Berlin much higher than Bradley's estimate. Some Soviet soldiers reportedly did not appear impressed by the decision to sweep into Berlin, and stated that it was not needed for the outcome of the war and incredibly costly for the Soviet troops. Historian Stephen Ambrose, who had done extensive research with Allied veterans, pointed out that the general mood of the American soldiers he spoke to was that if the Russians wanted to get involved in "the ultimate street fight, that was their business." Thus, Allied casualties would be heavier if Eisenhower attempted to race the Soviet Army to Berlin first before moving south into the future American zone of occupation.



Even though Eisenhower apparently took the future zones into consideration, the Allied armies managed to fight their way up to the Elbe river before being ordered to halt. This already placed them deep into the future Soviet zone. Interestingly enough, the zones of occupation were known to Hitler and the upper echelons of the German Command. Hitler was allegedly delighted at the movement of the Western Allies up to the Elbe River, and believed this was the beginning of the break up of the Allies. Eisenhower, however, was simply moving up to an easily recognizable stopping point and did not move past this, apparently much to the chagrin of both Hitler and some of Eisenhower's subordinates.



While the Western Allies had been increasingly concerned over Soviet failures to live up to past agreements, the continued existence of the Nazis kept them together. Undeniably, when the Western Allies and the Soviet armies met in Germany, there were often serious suspicions of each other. Indeed, the Soviets allegedly appeared to expect a renewal of hostilities with their allies. Certainly, after having communicated directly with Stalin his intention to leave Berlin to the Soviet forces, a sudden dash for the city would have made the situation between the Soviet Union and the Western Allies worse.



Eisenhower was mindful that the Soviet Union was also aware of the possibility of Hitler fleeing Berlin for Berchtesgaden. The Soviets were also apparently deeply suspicious of the strategic oddities of German defence and the mass of forces to the south, as well as the flow of government, political and military assets moving from Berlin to the German Alps, and appeared to also believe the Nazis would conduct a final stand in this area. When asked previously what Soviet forces would do if Hitler fled into the Alps, Stalin's reply was a curt, "We shall follow him." Bradley appeared to share Eisenhower's appraisal of the situation, and did not want to drive for Berlin, then have the Red Army continue south and force the Allies to make Southern Germany "a test of Russian compliance with the zonal agreement." By striking south, Eisenhower was able to clear the American zone, while, as mentioned, still placing his forces on the Elbe River, deep in the Soviet zone.



The massive Soviet offensive to capture Berlin commenced as the Allied advance forces were perched on the Elbe River, some fifty miles from Berlin themselves. Launched from their positions on the east bank of the Oder River, the Red Army pushed through the remaining German defences and had both surrounded and entered the city itself between April 22nd and April 25th. After approximately two months of building up their forces and moving supplies and troops into position, the estimated strength of the Soviet forces facing Berlin was approximately 2.5 million troops, over 6000 tanks and other self-propelled guns, and over 7500 combat aircraft. Facing this Soviet onslaught was approximately one million German troops of varying effectiveness. Although some later critics point out that Eisenhower had troops at the Elbe at this point, about the same distance from Berlin as the Soviets, and should have made a quick run for the German capital, this was primarily the American 2nd Armoured division, of approximately 50,000 troops in total, all at the feathered edge of their supply lines.

Additional Sources:

mcmsoftware.tripod.com
www.redarmyonline.org
www.tilmanremme.com
www.multied.com
www.informationwar.org
www.military-art.com
www.funet.fi
www.wiking.org
mars.vnet.wnec.edu
www.archives.gov
www.matterhorntravel.com
baby.indstate.edu

[SAMWolf]

Having made his decision not to flee to Berchtesgaden on April 22nd, Hitler committed suicide on April 30th in his Berlin bunker, with the Red Army only a few hundred metres away. News of his death was broadcast to the German forces the following day. On May 2nd, Berlin officially fell to the Soviet forces after weeks of ferocious fighting that was not only street-to-street and house-to-house, but even room-to-room. Although the exact estimate of Russian casualties during the battle for Berlin is unclear, the Soviet Union, as mentioned, placed the number of killed and wounded at far over Bradley's 100,000 estimate. Also as mentioned, this number of casualties was higher than the Western Allies had sustained in the entire eleven month campaign from Normandy to the German Unconditional Surrender. Two months after Berlin fell to the Red Army at such a great cost, the Western Allies took control of their agreed upon sectors of the German capital, at no cost to themselves.

[SAMWolf]

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[snippy_about_it]

.......FALL IN to the FReeper Foxhole!

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[E.G.C.]

Good mornint, Snippy and everyone at the freeper Foxhole.

Big sports week for us. O.U. Texas at Dallas on Saturday. How are things where you are?

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning EGC.

There was a time when I really enjoyed sports, but all the trouble and strikes ruined it for me. I gave up football first, then I tried to hang on to baseball and the Indians at least but then Jacobs sold and I didn't like the way the new owner rearranged the team so I gave it all up.

Locally the news media really over does coverage of the OSU Buckeyes, taking up half of the news hour, too much for me.

I hope you have a good time though and your teams win.

[larryjohnson]

The heat came on
In my Maine home

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning larry.

LOL.

I was scrapping ice off my windshield one day last week, the heat has been on in Ohio. Can't crawl out of bed without it. ;)

[The Mayor]

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning Mayor. I always look forward to that Monday morning coffee to get the week going. Thanks.

[aomagrat]

Today's classic warship, USS Oregon (BB-3)

Indiana class battleship
displacement. 11,688
length. 351'2"
beam. 69'3"
draft. 24'0"
speed. 16 k.
complement. 473
armament. 4 13", 8 8", 4 6", 20 6-pdr., 6 1-pdr., 6 18" tt.

USS Oregon (Battleship No. 3) was laid down 19 November 1891 by Union Iron Works, San Francisco, Calif.; launched 26 October 1893; sponsored by Miss Daisy Ainsworth; and commissioned 15 July 1896, Capt. Henry L. Howison in command.

After commissioning, Oregon was fitted out for duty on the Pacific Station, where she served for a short time. Leaving drydock on 16 February 1898, she received news that Maine had blown up in Havana harbor the previous day. As tensions with Spain grew, on 9 March Oregon arrived in San Francisco and loaded ammunition. Three days later she was ordered on what was to become one of the most historic voyages ever undertaken by a Navy ship.

Oregon departed San Francisco on 19 March for Callao, Peru, the first coaling stop on her trip around South America to the East Coast for action in the impending war with Spain. Arriving at Callao 4 April and departing several days later, her commanding officer, Capt. Charles E. Clark, elected not to stop at Valparaiso, Chile, for coal but to continue on through the Straits of Magellan. On 16 April Oregon entered the Straits and ran into a terrific gale which obscured the perilously close rocky coastline. For a time she was in great danger, but just after dark she let go her anchors on a rocky shelf fringed by islets and reefs, and safely weathered the night. Before dawn on the 17th, the gale moderated and Oregon proceeded around Cape Forward to Punta Arenas, where she was joined by gunboat Marietta, also sailing to the East Coast.

Both ships coaled and departed on the 21st for Rio de Janeiro, keeping their guns manned all the while for a Spanish torpedo boat rumored to be in the area. Head seas and winds delayed them, and they did not reach Rio until 30 April. There Oregon received news of the declaration of war against Spain, and on 4 May she left on the next leg of her remarkable journey. With a brief stop in Bahia, Brazil, she arrived at Barbados for coal on 18 May, and, on the 24th, anchored off Jupiter Inlet, Fla., reporting ready for battle. Altogether, Oregon had sailed over 14,000 miles since leaving San Francisco 66 days earlier. On one hand the feat had demonstrated the many capabilities of a heavy battleship in all conditions of wind and sea. On the other it swept away all opposition for the construction of the Panama Canal, for it was then made clear that the country could not afford to take two months to send warships from one coast to the other each time an emergency arose.

On 26 May Oregon proceeded to the Navy Base at Key West, joined Admiral Sampson's fleet two days later, and on 1 June arrived off Santiago, Cuba, to shell military installations and to help in the destruction of Admiral Cervera's fleet on 3 July. Oregon then went to the New York Navy Yard for a refit., and in October sailed for the Asiatic station.

She arrived at Manila on 18 March 1899 and remained in the area until the following February. In cooperating with the Army during the Philippine insurrection, the battleship performed blockade duty in Manila Bay and off Lingayen Gulf, served as a station ship, and aided in the capture of Vigan.

Departing Cavite 13 February 1900, Oregon cruised in Japanese waters until May when she went to Hong Kong. Under orders then to proceed to Taku on account of the Boxer Rebellion, she departed 23 June for that northern port; and, on the 28th, while steaming through the Straits of Pechili, she grounded on an uncharted rock. Suffering some damage and taking on water, the battleship was in a precarious situation for a week. On 5 July Oregon refloated and the following day was towed to Hope Sound for temporary repair. Arriving Kure, Japan, on 17 July she was placed in dry dock at the naval station there for final repairs.

On 29 August 1900 the battleship departed again for the coast of China and cruised off the Yangtze River and served as station ship at Woosung. On 5 May 1901 she got underway for the United States. Sailing via Yokohama and Honolulu, she arrived at San Francisco 12 June and entered Puget Sound Navy Yard on 6 July for overhaul.

Remaining in the Puget Sound area for well over a year, it was not until 18 March 1903 that Oregon returned to Asiatic waters, and arrived in Hong Kong on that day. Visiting various Chinese, Japanese, and Philippine ports, the battleship remained in the Far East until returning to the West Coast in February 1906. She decommissioned at the Puget Sound Navy Yard 27 April that year.

Oregon recommissioned 29 August 1911, but remained in reserve until October, when she sailed to San Diego. The following years were ones of relative inactivity for the aging veteran, as she operated out of West Coast ports. On 9 April 1913 she was placed in ordinary at Bremerton, Wash., and on 16 September 1914 went into a reserve status, although she remained in commission. On 2 January 1915 she was again in full commission and sailed to San Francisco for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. From 11 February 1916 to 7 April 1917 she was placed in commission in reserve, this time at San Francisco. Returned to full commission again on the latter date, Oregon remained first on the West Coast, then acted as one of the escorts for transports of the Siberian expedition. With World War I over, on 12 June 1919 she decommissioned at Bremerton. From 21 August to 4 October of that year she recommissioned briefly and was the reviewing ship for President Woodrow Wilson during the arrival of the Pacific Fleet at Seattle.

With the adoption of ship classification symbols on 17 July 1920, Oregon was redesignated BB-3. In 1921 a movement was begun to preserve the battleship as an object of historic and sentimental interest, and to lay her up permanently at some port in Oregon.

In accordance with the Washington Naval Treaty, Oregon was rendered incapable of further warlike service on 4 January 1924, and was retained on the Navy List as a naval relic with a classification of "unclassified." In June 1925 she was loaned to t he State of Oregon, restored, and moored at Portland as a floating monument and museum, to be visited by thousands in the ensuing years.

On 17 February 1941, when identifying numbers were assigned to unclassified vessels, Oregon was redesignated IX-22. With the outbreak of World War II, it was deemed that the scrap value of the old veteran was vital and necessary to the war effort of the nation. Accordingly, she was struck from the Navy List on 2 November 1942 and sold on 7 December. Towed to Kalima, Wash., the following March for dismantling the Navy requested that the scrapping process be halted when progress reached the main deck and after the ship's interior had been cleared out. She was returned to the Navy to be use as a storage hulk or breakwater in connection with the reconquest of Guam, and by July 1944 she had been loaded with dynamite and other types of ammunition and towed to that island.

The hulk of the old battleship remained at Guam for several years; during a typhoon on 14-15 November 1948, she broke her moorings and drifted to sea. Finally, on 8 December, the old warrior was located by search planes some 500 miles south east of Guam and towed back. She was sold on 15 March 1956 to the Massey Supply Corp.; resold to the Iwai Sanggo Co.; towed to Kawasaki, Japan; and scrapped.

USS Oregon (IX-22) at Guam in 1945.

[The Mayor]

You are very Welcome

[Valin]

On This Day In History


Birthdates which occurred on October 06:
1552 Matteo Ricci, Italian Jesuit missionary (China)
1820 Jenny Lind Sweden, soprano/nightingale (Agathe-Der Freischultz)
1824 Henry Chadwick baseball pioneer, developed 1st rule book
1831 Richard Dedekind mathematician (Nature & Meaning of Numbers)
1846 George Westinghouse, prolific inventor, held over 100 patents on creations including air brakes for trains.
1849 Sir Basil Zaharoff arms dealer, "merchant of death"
1862 Albert Jeremiah Beveridge US, politician/author (Progressive)
1866 Reginald Aubrey Fessenden broadcast 1st program of voice & music
1882 Karol Szymanowski Timoshovka Ukraine, composer (Stabatmater)
1884 Lloyd Spooner US, marksman (Olympic-4 gold/1 silver/2 bronze-1920)
1887 Le Corbusier Switzerland, architect/city planner/artist (Urbanisme)
1887 Mart¡n Luis Guzm n Mexico, novelist (The Eagle & the Serpent)
1888 Li Ta-chao cofounder with Mao Tse-tung of Chinese Communist Party
1895 Caroline Gordon Kentucky, writer (Green Centuries)
1897 Jerome Cowan NYC, actor (Mr Dithers-Blondie, Tab Hunter Show)
1905 Helen N Moody tennis pro (8 Wimbledon titles 1927-1938)
1906 Janet Gaynor Philadelphia, actress (Sunrise, A Star Is Born)
1909 Carol Lombard actress (My Man Godfrey, In Name Only)
1914 Thor Heyerdahl Norway, anthropologist/explorer (Kon Tiki, Aku-Aku)
1925 Shana Alexander NYC, journalist (60 Minutes)
1926 Alan Copeland LA Calif, orch leader/singer (Your Hit Parade)
1927 Paul Badura-Skoda Vienna Austria, pianist (Mozart Interpretation)
1930 Hafez al Assad president (Syria)
1936 Anna Quayle actress (Mistress Pamela)
1940 Ellen Travolta Englewood NJ, actress (Louise-Joanie Loves Chachi)
1942 Britt Ekland Stockholm Sweden, actress (Wicker Man, Asylum)
1942 Fred Travalena NYC, comedian/impressionist (Buy & Cell)
1943 Michael Durrell Brooklyn NY, actor (Shannon, V, Alice, Chiefs)
1946 Gary Gentry baseball player (NY Mets)
1947 Klaus Dibiasi Italy, platform diver (Olympic-gold-1968, 72, 76)
1960 Jeffrey Trachta Staten Island NY, actor (Thorne-Bold & Beautiful)
1960 Richard Jobson British TV person/rocker (Skids-Scared to Dance)

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Deaths which occurred on October 06:
0877 Charles II the Kale, King of France/Roman emperor (875-77), dies at 54
1072 Sancho II, king of Castilia (1065-72), murdered
1891 Charles Stewart Parnell leader of the Irish party, dies
1892 Alfred Tennyson, writer/poet laureate, dies at 83
1951 Henry Gurney British high commissioner to Malaya assassinated
1956 Walter Herlihy announcer (Music at Meadowbrook), dies at 42
1969 Walter Hagen PGA golfer (US Open 1914, 19), dies at 76
1975 Henry Calvin actor (Sgt Garcia-Zorro), dies at 57
1981 Anwar Sadat assassinated Hosnai Mubarak becomes Egytian president
1983 Terence Cooke NY's Cardinal, dies at 62
1989 Bette Davis dies at 81

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Reported: MISSING in ACTION

1962 ANDERSON THOMAS EDWARD SPENARD AK.
1966 JOHNSON WILLIAM EDWARD TALLAHASSEE FL.
[01/14/69 REMAINS RECOVERED]
1966 MAKOWSKI LOUIS FRANK WAUCHULA FL.
[03/04/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE IN 98]
1966 MOSER DAVID LLOYD GEORG MCKEESPORT PA.
[01/69 REMAINS RECOVERED]
1966 PFEIFER RONALD EDWIN BELLEROSE NY.
[01/69 REMAINS RECOVERED]
1967 ARMSTRONG FRANK A. III SHREVEPORT LA.
1969 BOWER IRVIN LESTER JR. LINGLESTOWN PA.
1972 ANDERSON ROBERT D. BATTLE CREEK MI.
[REMAINS IDENTIFIED 10/30/98 NAME WITHHELD]
1972 BAKER VETO H.
["11/75 AWOL, RELEASED BY SVN"]
1972 BOLTZE BRUCE E. FLINT MI.
1972 LATELLA GEORGE F. NEW YORK NY.
[03/29/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE AND WELL 98]
1972 MC CORMICK CARL O. PEORIA IL.
1973 ELM HOMER L.
[12/11/73 RELEASED]

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

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On this day...
891 Formosus begins his reign as Catholic Pope
1014 The Byzantine Emperor Basil earns the title "Slayer of Bulgers" after he orders the blinding of 15,000 Bulgerian troops
1536 William Tyndale was burned at the stake as a heretic.
1683 13 German families arrive in present day Philadelphia
1781 Americans & French begin siege of Cornwallis at Yorktown; last battle of the Revolutionary War
1783 Benjamin Hanks patents self-winding clock
1857 American Chess Assn organized; 1st major US chess tournament (NYC)
1863 Dr Charles H Sheppard opens the 1st public bath, in Brooklyn
1866 1st train robbery in US
1876 American Library Association organized in Philadelphia
1884 Naval War College established in Newport RI
1886 Start of the Sherlock Holmes adventure "The Resident Patient" (BG)
1889 Thomas Edison shows his 1st motion picture
1890 Mormon Church outlaws polygamy
1908 Austria annexes Bosnia & Herzegovina
1908 Yanks lose 100th game of the year go 51-103 for season
1910 Braves beat Phillies 20-7
1923 1st NL unassisted triple play (Ernie Padgett, Braves against Phillies)
1923 USSR adopts experimental calendar
1926 Babe Ruth hits 3 HRs in a world series game, Yanks beat Cards 10-5 (World Series #23)
1927 "Jazz Singer," 1st movie with a sound track, premieres (NYC)
1928 Chiang Kai-Shek becomes president of China
1935 Market Street Railway starts using trackless trolley coaches
1936 NY Yankees beat Giants 4 games to 2 in 33rd World Series
1939 Hitler announces he has no attention of war with Britain & France
1939 Hitler announces plans to resolve "The Jewish problem"
1940 Zoological Gardens opens on Sloat & Skyline in SF
1941 NY Yankees beat Dodgers 4 games to 1, in 38th World Series
1947 NY Yankees beat Dodgers 4 games to 3, in 44th World Series
1949 Iva Toguri D'Aquino (Tokyo Rose) sentenced to 10 years & $10,000 fine
1949 Pres Truman signs Mutual Defense Assistance Act (for NATO)
1959 Single game World Series (World Series #56) attendance record set (92,706 in LA)
1959 Soviet Luna 3, 1st successful photographic spacecraft, impacts Moon
1963 Barbra Streisand appears on "The Judy Garland Show"
1963 LA Dodgers sweep NY Yankees, in 60th World Series
1965 Supremes release "I Hear a Symphony"
1966 Oriole Jim Palmer, 20, is youngest to pitch a World Series shutout (World Series #63)
1967 Haight-Ashbury hippies throw a funeral to mark the end of hippies
1972 22-car train carrying 2,000 pilgrims derails, kills 208 in Mexico
1973 Yom Kippur War begins as Syria & Egypt attack Israel
1976 John Hathaway completes a bicycle tour of every continent in the world & cycling 50,600 miles
1976 Pres Ford says there is "no Soviet domination in Eastern Europe"
1976 "Gang of Four" arrested in Beijing
1977 Yankees win AL pennant by rallying for 3 runs in 9th to beat KC Royals 5-3 in 5th & deciding playoff game
1978 Royals' George Brett hits 3 HRs, Yanks win championship game 3, 6-5
1979 Harry Drake set long distance footbow shot record of 2,006 yds 1'9"
1979 Pope John Paul II is 1st Pope to visit the White House
1982 Auburn's Al Del Greco kicks 6 field goals
1983 Buffalo Bill QB Joe Ferguson passes 419 yards with 5 TDs
1983 Islander's Mike Bossy's 25th career hat trick
1983 NY Jets announce they are leaving Shea for the Meadowlands
1985 Marita Koch of Germany sets 400m women's record (47.6) in Australia
1985 Yankee Phil Niekro becomes the 18th pitcher to win 300 games & also at 46 becomes the oldest to pitch a shut-out beating Toronto 8-0
1988 Oakland A's sweep Boston Red Sox in 4 games for AL pennant
1990 US 67th manned space mission STS 41 (Discovery 11) launches into orbit
1991 Elizabeth Taylor weds for the 8th time (Larry Fortensky)
1991 NY Met David Cone ties NL record by striking out 19 Phillies
1991 Anita Hill a former personal assistant to Supreme Court justice nominee Clarence Thomas, accuses Thomas of sexual harassment from 1981 to 1983.

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

Egypt : Military Day
Massachusetts : Grandparents Day (Sunday)
Missouri : Missouri Day (Monday)
World : Child Health Day, Universal Children's Day (1928) (Monday)
National Chimney Sweep Week (Day 2)
Mental Illness Awareness Week (Day 2)
National Pickled Pepper Week (Day 4)
American Magazine Month
Arizona Book Month
Pizza Festival Time Month!!

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Religious Observances
Yom Kippur
Ang : St Faith's Day
Christian : St Bruno, Blsd Marie-Rose Durocher
RC : Memorial of St Bruno, patron of the possessed CE (opt)
Ang, Luth : Commemoration of St William Tyndale, priest
RC-US : Memorial of Bl Marie-Rose Durocher, Canadian virgin (opt)

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Religious History
1520 German reformer Martin Luther, 36, published "Prelude on the Babylonian Captivity of the Church," his famous writing which attacked the entire sacramental system of the Catholic Church.
1552 Birth of Matteo Ricci, an Italian Jesuit who was sent as a missionary to China in 1583. His complete adoption of Chinese customs raised the issue of the limits of "accommodation" to other cultures, in the preaching of the gospel.
1683 A band of religious refugees from Krefield, Germany came ashore at Philadelphia -- the first Mennonites to arrive in North America. Their pastor, F. Daniel Pastorius, was considered by many the most learned man in America at the time.
1899 B.H. Irwin began issuing "Live Coals of Fire," official publication of the Fire Baptized Holiness Association of America. Organized in 1898, the denomination was comprised of former Methodists, Quakers and River Brethren.
1982 In his daily radio broadcast, American Bible expositor Derek Prince declared: 'God accepts responsibility for the maintenance of his appointed temple -- our body.'

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

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Thought for the day :
"Middle age is when you've met so many people that every new person you meet reminds you of someone else."

---

You might be a caffeine addict if...
You lick your coffeepot clean.

---

Murphys Law of the day...(The Pollyanna Paradox)
Every day, in every way, things get better and better; then worse again in the evening.

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It's a little known fact that...
Martha Washington, Pocahontas, and Susan B. Anthony are the only 3 women to have been represented on US currency.

[manna]

Present!

[snippy_about_it]

1783 Benjamin Hanks patents self-winding clock

I'm still looking for a watch you wind yourself!! I hate the battery operated ones.

[snippy_about_it]

Thank you SAM for today's thread.

This was really interesting and I am looking forward to part II tomorrow. I wish we wouldn't have had to make the political agreements about who got what in the end, especially since we left Poland in the cold.

I read in today's thread about the overwhelming man power that Russia had and how effective that was. I understand so much more now.

Looks like Ike did all the right things, looking our for our troops despite the political plans especially considering the war in the pacific and what of our forces would be needed was still in question.

Thanks SAM, good read.

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning manna.

[Soaring Feather]

Good morning everyone!!!