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Posted on 09/07/2005 9:08:58 PM PDT by SAMWolf
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 are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
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| Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood and support. The FReeper Foxhole hopes to share with it's readers an open forum where we can learn about and discuss military history, military news and other topics of concern or interest to our readers be they Veteran's, Current Duty or anyone interested in what we have to offer. If the Foxhole makes someone appreciate, even a little, what others have sacrificed for us, then it has accomplished one of it's missions. We hope the Foxhole in some small way helps us to remember and honor those who came before us.
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The 'Second Pearl Harbor' Dubbed the 'second Pearl Harbor,' the 1943 German attack on Bari also revealed an Allied secret--mustard gas.  ME-210 Bari was a city of some 200,000 people, with an old section of town that dated back to the Middle Ages. Old Bari, clustered on a fist of land that jutted out into the Adriatic, boasted such famed landmarks as the Castello Svevo, a brooding medieval fortress dating to Norman times, and the Basilica San Nicola, which allegedly contained the bones of St. Nicholas. In contrast, new Bari had broad boulevards and modern buildings. These new buildings included a sports facility nicknamed "Bambino Stadium," which had been built by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini as a reward to the citizens for producing the most babies in a specified period of time. Bari--old and new--had been fortunate, suffering little damage because the Allies had earmarked the city as a major supply port from the start.  As 1943 drew to a close, Bari's medieval torpor and somnolent grace were shaken off by the influx of Allied shipping into its harbor. Tons of supplies were offloaded almost around the clock, transforming the once quiet town into a hive of activity. On December 2, at least 30 Allied ships were crowded into the harbor, packed so tightly they almost touched. The port was under the jurisdiction of the British, in part because Bari was the main supply base for General Bernard Law Montgomery's Eighth Army. But the city was also the newly designated headquarters of the American Fifteenth Air Force, which had been activated in November of that year. The Fifteenth's primary mission was to bomb targets in the Balkans, Italy and especially Germany. Fifteenth Air Force commander Maj. Gen. James H. "Jimmy" Doolittle had arrived in Bari on December 1. The Americans had championed daylight precision bombing, but the Eighth Air Force in England was suffering terrible casualties in order to prove the theory valid. Luftwaffe strength was increasing, not decreasing, over Germany. The Fifteenth Air Force was intended to take some of the pressure off the beleaguered Eighth.  Bari Harbor In addition to the usual war materiel, ships moored at Bari carried aviation fuel for Doolittle's bombers and other much-needed supplies. Selection of Bari as the Fifteenth Air Force headquarters--about 75 miles from the Fifteenth's primary airfields at Foggia--meant a large infusion of staff personnel. About 200 officers, 52 civilian technicians and several hundred enlisted men were being brought into the city. Totally absorbed by the task of getting the Fifteenth Air Force off the ground, the Allies gave little thought to the possibility of a German air raid on Bari. The Luftwaffe in Italy was relatively weak and stretched so thin it could hardly mount a major effort. Or so Allied leaders believed. German reconnaissance flights over Bari were seen as a nuisance. At first, British anti-aircraft batteries fired a half-hearted round or two, but eventually they ignored the German flights altogether. Why waste ammunition?  Responding to rumblings about lax security measures, British Air Vice Marshal Sir Arthur Coningham held a press conference on the afternoon of December 2 and assured reporters that the Luftwaffe was defeated in Italy. He was confident the Germans would never attack Bari. "I would regard it as a personal affront and insult," the air marshal haughtily declared, "if the Luftwaffe would attempt any significant action in this area." Not everyone was so sure that the German air force was a broken reed. British army Captain A.B. Jenks, who was responsible for the port's defense, knew that preparations for an attack were woefully inadequate. But his voice, as well as those of one or two others, was drowned out by a chorus of complacent officers. When darkness came, Bari's docks were brilliantly lit so unloading of cargo could continue. Little thought was given to the need for a blackout. In the harbor, cargo ships and tankers waited their turn to be unloaded. Captain Otto Heitmann, skipper of the Liberty ship SS John Bascom, went ashore to see if the process could be speeded up. He was disappointed in his quest, but he might have been even more concerned had he known what was aboard SS John Harvey.  SS John Harvey John Harvey, commanded by Captain Elwin F. Knowles, was a typical Liberty ship, scarcely different from the others moored in the harbor. Much of her cargo was also conventional: munitions, food and equipment. But the ship had a deadly secret cargo. Approximately 100 tons of mustard gas bombs were on board. The bombs were meant as a precaution, to be used only if the Germans resorted to chemical warfare.
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It happens to all of us.
Howdy neighbor
And any excuse to hit the museum is a good excuse.
There ya' go!
Howdy everyone. Busy, busy. Now if that would just translate into customers. LOL. Everyone is busy with back to school stuff!
No offense to the Marines, but if you think a ship's company Marine knew what the ship was really doing in the pre-war Navy, you don't know crap about the Navy. Even now, I could go to the smoke deck tomorrow and start the most absolutely stupid rumor about what the ship is going to be doing and it would be everywhere by lunch. If they don't know otherwise, then it's the truth to them, but it doesn't mean it's true.
But were delayed in getting there and could not enter the harbor because the sub nets were in place
The delay in the arrival of the ENTERPRISE group due to bad weather has been well documented for years. It had nothing to do with submarine nets. Do you really think we had nets with no way of moving them when we needed to? Give me a break.
The other thing is he states is the Japanese put 27 torps. into the Utah.
The idiocy of this statement is not even worth commenting on. Forget about the conspiracies, try reading a real history of Pearl Harbor like Prange's "At Dawn We Slept", or at least realize that especially when you are reading an oral history, just because they said it doesn't mean it's right.
Oh, well time a remedial trip to the Air Force Museum for me.
Tough it out big guy! You can do it.
Hmm I guess that funny looking Crow I had on my sleeve for over ten years was just for show.
Were you there? Why wouldn’t a ship's company Marine know what’s happening? What are some of the things Marines aboard a ship of this type use for?
Maybe things like courier duty or walking around with the Captain making him look important. (Captain’s guard)
It’s his story. And he doesn’t say what duties were. But I think a Marine assigned to a cruiser. Would have a better chance of knowing what’s going on that most of the ship's company.
If you want his full story. Get the book and read it. But if you must know the reason he gives for the Northampton being delayed. Is they were conducting carrier towing exercise with the Enterprise And later refueling Destroyers in rough seas.
An aft line parted and fouled there screws. So they had to send divers over the side to “unravel the mess”
And yes I can see a dispatcher telling them to delay entry to the next day instead of opening the nets at night.
OK you tell us were was the Enterprise due to tie-up.
Japanese pilots were ordered to ignore the UTAH.
Yes I have read those other books. And just because there the “big official” book don’t mean everything there is the gospel truth.
If you take the time. You will find out you can learn more about history thru oral historys Than the official storys.
Yes they can contain errors too. But put together with others and the “official” ones. A more accurate picture emerges.
There are other accounts that backup what he says.
http://www.lkwdpl.org/lore/lore45.htm
http://www.chiseledincloth.com/cgi/YaBB.pl?board=nora_cat;action=display;num=1091630730
You just may not have the whole story of why the Enterprise was late.
http://www.chiseledincloth.com/NHamptonnavigation.html
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