LAST JAPANESE FIGHTER RECOVERED IN HAWAII

AOPA ePilot ^ | 18 August 2006

[VOA]

bump

[ExSES]

Actually, he was court-martialed at Calvin Coolidge's direct order for issuing a public statement accusing senior leaders in the Army and Navy of incompetence and "almost treasonable administration of the national defense" following the crash of the Navy dirigible Shenandoah.

Correct, that was the "last straw" for his sin of being too frank in his observations on military incompetence...

[ozzymandus]

I read this story some years ago. Apparently the aid given to the Japanese pilot by the local Japanese-Americans was a factor in the decision to intern them.

[metesky]

Manila harbor, guarded by the "impregnable" island fortress of Corregidor. Key to the Philippines in 1941. Think Bataan Death March.

Planned thirty years before...

[xone]

' while the Washington cloased on the Kirishima and then crippled it.)'

Since the Kirishima sank, mortally wounded would be more accurate.

There is a GREAT story about this engagement and another on shore around the same time.

[U S Army EOD]

Note four turrets and massive amount of anti-aircraft guns. I think the main guns were to be bigger than 16" also.

[Mr. Jeeves]

Court-marshalled for being "innovative" in demonstrating what airpower could do to surface ships!!!

I'm waiting for a successor of his to get court-martialed in a few years for demonstrating what the next generation of ground-controlled UAV's can do to a $150M F-22.

[glock rocks]

Thank you!

[xone]

http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a39f47141497d.htm

[Tallguy]

I'm waiting for a successor of his to get court-martialed in a few years for demonstrating what the next generation of ground-controlled UAV's can do to a $150M F-22.

The way they kill innovative weapons systems now is to lard them down with so many extras that they are no longer cost competitive. Many of the UAV's that are now on the drawing board are way more expensive than they need to be. These things should be so cheap that when we lose one it should be no big thing.

[PzLdr]

Actually, the Germans became aware of the potential problem with "his" [Lindemann refused to call BISMARCK "her"]rudder during working up exercises in the Baltic. One of the principal reasons the Swordfish succeeded was it's obsolescence. The BISMARCK's AA system was so technologically advanced for the time it couldn't adjust for a plane that slow.

I disagree with your contention that the Germans would have been better served developing new submarine types with the money they put in BISMARCK. Aside from the fact that the industrial base wasn't geared up to turn out large numbers of U-boats [the "Happy Time" of 1939-1940 was largely carried out by a force of 16 boats on patrol at one time], look at the resources the Allies had to commit for the TIRPITZ.

The TIRPITZ tied up at least three British and two U.S battleships for in excess of two years. The British wound up developing not only the X-craft submarine, but the "tall boy" bomb to deal with her. That tied up British R & D for several years. They made repeated air raids in an effort to sink her, and were only able to do that when she left Kaa Fjord with her smoke generators [and a sole attacking base from the USSR for Tromstadt Fjord, with no smoke, and within range of British bases. They used 631 Squadron to undertake the raid that sunk her - in November, 1944.

Germany did develop advanced submarines - in 1944 - 1945 [Type XXIII]. That was some two years after naval production had been switched almost entirely to U-boats, and after Doenitz was made Grand Admiral.

[PzLdr]

The Japanese developed the YAMATO class on the premise America would never build a battleship that couldn't traverse the Panama Canal, and in anticipation that they wouldn't.

[PzLdr]

The MONTANA seems to have an extra aft turret. So that's 12, as opposed to 9 main guns. What size rifles was she designed for?

[KneelBeforeZod]

[Paleo Conservative]

The MONTANA seems to have an extra aft turret. So that's 12, as opposed to 9 main guns. What size rifles was she designed for?

You are correct about the number of turrets. Besides not being able to transit the Panama Canal, it would have been slower taking away the speed advantage of the North Carolina and Iowa classes.

Montana Class (BB-67 through BB-71)
1941 Building Program. Construction cancelled 1943.

The five battleships of the Montana class, authorized under the 1940 "Two Ocean Navy" building program and funded in Fiscal Year 1941, were the last of their kind ordered by the U.S. Navy. With an intended standard displacement of 60,500 tons, they were nearly a third larger than the preceding Iowa class, four of which were the final battleships actually completed by the United States. The Montanas were intended to carry twelve 16"/50 guns, three more than the earlier class. Protection against underwater weapons and shellfire was also greatly enhanced. They would have been the only new World War II era U.S. battleships to be adequately armored against guns of the same power as their own. To achieve these advances, the Montana class was designed for a slower maximum speed than the very fast Iowas and had a beam too wide to pass through the existing Panama Canal locks.

Completion of the Montana class would have given the late 1940s U.S. Navy a total of seventeen new battleships, a considerable advantage over any other nation, or probable combination of nations. The Montanas also would have been the only American ships to come close to equalling the massive Japanese Yamato. However, World War II's urgent requirements for more aircraft carriers, amphibious and anti-submarine vessels resulted in suspension of the Montanas in May 1942, before any of their keels had been laid. In July 1943, when it was clear that the battleship was no longer the dominant element of sea power, their construction was cancelled.

[PzLdr]

Interesting philosophy on the armor. German tanks were designed to be able to stop the same caliber they fired - which was one reason Shermans never had a one on one chance with a Tiger, Panther, or a Mark IV with a long barreled 75.

[M Kehoe]

The locals call the crash landing, capture of the Japanese pilot, subsequent escape, eventual recapture and execution the "Battle of Niihau."

I especially like the "execution" part. FDR knew what he was doing. President Bush, please do the same with the animals at Gitmo. Thanking you in advance, I am...

5.56mm

[Paleo Conservative]

Interesting philosophy on the armor. German tanks were designed to be able to stop the same caliber they fired - which was one reason Shermans never had a one on one chance with a Tiger, Panther, or a Mark IV with a long barreled 75.

That's why Patton developed his tactics of coordinating tactical air cover with tanks. The Sherman tanks could see German tanks out of the range of their guns, call in P-47's to knock them out, and continue rolling at high speed towards Berlin. The fact that Sherman tanks used gasoline instead of diesel fuel also was a disadvantage.

[SunkenCiv]

someone mentioned Guadalcanal, here's some related reading. This particular story has been posted multiple times on FR, I think this is the oldest one:

Autumn, 1942: It came down to one Marine, and one ship
Culture/Society Opinion (Published) Keywords: COL. MITCHELL PAIGE REAR ADM. WILLIS A. "CHING CHONG CHINA" LEE GUADALCANAL WORLD WAR II
Source: Enter Stage Right - A Journal of Modern Conservatism
Published: October 23, 2000 Author: Vin Suprynowicz
Posted on 10/23/2000 10:11:29 PDT by gordgekko
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a39f47141497d.htm

[U S Army EOD]

They were 16" 50's the same as the other battleships, I think there was some discussion at one time on going to a bigger gun. I know because I just looked it up.