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Posted on 06/04/2003 5:33:59 AM 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.
Where the Freeper Foxhole introduces a different veteran each Wednesday. The "ordinary" Soldier, Sailor, Airman or Marine who participated in the events in our Country's history. We hope to present events as seen through their eyes. To give you a glimpse into the life of those who sacrificed for all of us - Our Veterans.
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Torpedo 8 at The Battle of Midway John C. Waldron was born at Fort Pierre, South Dakota, on 24 August 1900. Graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1924, he became a Naval Aviator in 1927. During the years prior to World War II, he served in several air units, was an instructor at the Naval Academy and at Pensacola, Florida, and performed other duties connected with aviation. In 1941, LCdr. Waldron became Commanding Officer of Torpedo Squadron Eight (VT-8), which was to serve on the new aircraft carrier Hornet (CV-8). He led that unit during the Battle of Midway, when all fifteen of its planes were lost to overwhelming enemy fighter opposition while making an unsupported attack on the Japanese aircraft carrier force. Lieutenant Commander John C. Waldron was killed during that action.  Lieutenant Commander John Charles Waldron, USN (1900-1942) John Waldron was commanding officer of Torpedo Squadron 8 which the lost the entire squadron of 15 TBD's at the Battle of Midway on June 4, 1942. His body was not recovered. As reported in Captain M. A. Mitscher's report to the Commander in Chief, U. S. Pacific Fleet on June 13, 1942: "Torpedo 8 led by Lieutenant Commander John C. Waldron was lost in its entirety. This squadron flew at 100 knots below the clouds while the remainder of the group flew at 110 knots, climbing to 19,000 feet. Lieutenant Commander Waldron, a highly aggressive officer, leading a well trained squadron, found his target and attacked.... This squadron is deserving of the highest honors for finding the enemy, pressing home the attack, without fighter protection and without diverting dive bomber attacks to draw the enemy fire. Ensign G. H. Gay, A-V (N), U. S. N. R. is worthy of additional praise for making a torpedo hit and for the presence of mind he showed in hiding under his seat cushion, after being shot down, for several hours, thereby probably saving his own life and giving us an excellent eye-witness picture of the damage caused by the attack on the enemy carriers".  The last of Torpedo Eight's TBDs, T-16 (BuNo 1506), flown by LCDR John C. Waldron with Horace Franklin Dobbs, CRMP, in the rear seat, taking off Hornet on 4 June 1942. Notice the unstowed twin .30 cal. Photo courtesy Mark Horan Captain Mitscher later added in his report the following , making reference to recommended awards: "In particular, the Commanding Officer feels that the conduct of Torpedo Squadron Eight, led by an indomitable Squadron Commander, is one of the most outstanding exhibitions of personal bravery and gallantry that has ever come to his attention in the records of the past or present". Commander Waldron was awarded the Navy Cross for heroism posthumously. The Battle of Midway has been termed the turning point in the Pacific Theatre in WW II and was the subject of an epic motion picture film.  Waldron Field was named 5 March 1943, prior to establishing of station, in honor of Lieutenant Commander John C. Waldron, killed in action leading the attack of Torpedo Squadron 8 in the Battle of Midway; 4 June 1942. The former NAAS now an OLF to NAS Corpus Christi. On August 10, 1941, Waldron became commander of Torpedo Squadron 8, based on the USS Hornet. Waldron was forty-one when he was killed in the Battle of Midway, the turning point of the war in the Pacific. Flying without fighter protection and without sufficient fuel in which to make it back to his carrier, Waldron, leading the rest of his Torpedo Squadron 8, delivered an attack against the Japanese on June 4, 1942. Battling fierce Japanese fire, Waldron’s squadron had little chance. He and others tried to escape their planes as they were hit, but few were successful. Of the fifteen planes and thirty men, only one officer lived to tell of the heroic leadership of Lt. Cmdr. Waldron. It is apparent that Waldron’s outstanding leadership motivated his men to die for him and with him and the cause for which they stood.  John Waldron (left), and Horace Dobbs (right) during Coral Sea An airfield at Corpus Christi, Texas, was named for Cmdr. Waldron in April of 1943. A destroyer, USS Waldron, also became his namesake. In addition, a street in Ft. Pierre, South Dakota is named for John Waldron, WW II hero.
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HMS K6
HMS K9
HMS K15
Wednesday’s weird warship, HMS “K” class submarines
Displacement. Surface 1880, Submerged 2650
Lenght. 337’
Beam. 26’6”
Draft. 16’
Complement. 60
Speed. Surface 24 k., Submerged 9.5 k.
Armament. 1 4”; 1 3”, 1 dct.
The story of the K class submarines is a huge disaster. The idea of an oil fired, steam driven submarine seems so ridiculous as to prove the Royal Navy was hopelessly incompetent.
In 1915, Admiral Sir John Jellicoe asked the Admiralty for a new class of fleet submarine capable of accompanying the battlefleet to sea. This required a minimum speed of 21 knots. The diesel engines of the day were capable of only 19 knots at their best, so the Royal Navy decided on steam. Steam powered submarines were not a new concept. By 1914 the French (why does that not surprise me) were operating several classes of steam submarines.
To meet the requirement for speed, a pair of steam turbines developing 10,000 hp, using steam generated by two Yarrow boilers, was used. An 800 hp diesel engine drove a 700 hp dynamo to supply electric current. A 386 cell battery was used to provide power to two 700 hp electric motors for use while submerged. 17 K class submarines were built.
Soon after entering service, the problems arose. They were much larger and complicated than any previous submarines. The ease with which they could operate on the surface with the battlefleet was greatly exaggerated. A K class officer said that “they handled like destroyers but had the bridge facilities of a picket boat.” The view from the conning tower was limited because it was too close to the water, and the submarine itself was equally difficult to spot from surface ships. The K’s were built with a flush bow and they took a lot of water when steaming at speed in rough weather. It was soon discovered that a heavy wave taken over the bow would cause the submarine to submerge on its own, and due to its high speed, it could easily go beyond its crush depth before it began to respond to the diving planes. All of the K’s were retrofitted with a prominent “swan bow” to correct this problem.
To dive the ship, the procedure was to shut down the boilers, lower the funnels into wells in the superstructure and then clutch in the electric motors and the 386 cell battery. The funnels folded down into their wells in only 30 seconds, but there were also a number of quadruple mushroom capped ventilators to be secured, and any small obstruction, such as any small piece of debris could keep the ventilator from closing properly. With the ship submerged, there was no place for the heat from the boilers to go, and the ships became quite hot.
The K class were involved in a number of accidents, and talk of a “jinx” soon went around the fleet. Of the 17 built, 5 were lost from 1917 to 1921. The biggest blot on their reputation was the so called “Battle of May Island” in the Firth of Forth on 31 January 1918. Two flotillas of K class submarines were steaming at high speed without lights. K14’s helm jammed and she was rammed by K22, throwing the flotillas into confusion. A squadron of battlecruisers coming up astern steamed right into the milling submarines. In the confusion, HMS Inflexible rammed K22. HMS Fearless rammed K14, cutting her in half. K6 rammed K8. K17 rammed K8. K4 was rammed and sunk by an unknown battlecruiser or submarine.
The K class submarine remained in service for less than 8 years. The K class submarines were a bold attempt to integrate the submarine with surface ship operations. The high speed plant of the K class required large quantities of air to provide sufficient draft for the boilers, and produced a great amount of heat. That meant large ventilators and funnels, each set of which had to be closed as tightly as possible when diving. Any failure of procedure was potentially fatal. The K class was the last attempt at a high speed steam powered submarine until the advent of nuclear power.
If the news hadn't told me otherwise, I would say we are in a hurricane. The wind and rain is the strongest I've seen in a long time. I'm surprised my computer is still on.
I may have been born there, but...and I want you to take note of this...I never...had anything to do...with those boats...the K Class. And that's the truth as I know it.
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82nd Airborne
 United States Army paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division deploy June 4, 2003 in the Iraqi city of Falluja, some 60 km from the capital Baghdad. Scores of U.S. tanks and military vehicles rolled into Falluja on Wednesday to tighten their grip on the Sunni city that has witnessed growing tension and clashes between residents and troops. REUTERS/Jamal Saidi  A Member of the U.S. 82nd Airborne takes an Afghan prisoner on suspicion of being Taliban and/or al Qaeda, June 2, 2003 during Operation Dragon Fury in eastern Afghanistan. U.S. forces mounted a major operation in Afghanistan this week to hunt for suspected al Qaeda and Taliban militants crossing from Pakistan, but arrested just four men on a farm. The two-day operation involving some 500 troops, was the latest in a series of actions concentrating on the east and southeast of the country. Photo by Pool/Reuters  U.S. soldiers of the 82nd Airborne march through the Showi Kowt mountains, Afghanistan June 2, 2003 during the start of Operation Dragon Fury in eastern Afghanistan. The objective of the operation, which took place in the same vicinity as Operation Anaconda, and was the largest since that March 2002 mission, was to capture remaining Taliban and Al Qaeda forces rumored to be working in the region. REUTERS/Pool  U.S. soldiers of the 82nd Airborne ride in a Chinook helicopter, June 2, 2003 at the start of Operation Dragon Fury in Bagram, Afghanistan. REUTERS/Pool
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IMHO, Midway was the decisive battle of the war in the Pacific - the Japanese were placed permanently on the defensive.
I also admire Adm. Nimitz's courage in deciding to risk what was left of his fleet to play offense rather than defense at Midway, despite the risks and the naysayers in Washington.
And I must say I've always been surprised that the Japenese, for all their warlord mentality, were just not very good planners and strategists. The sure made a mistake dividing their forces at Midway and not paying close enough attention to the US carriers until it was too late.
I agree, Sam. It's so hard to coordinate forces in the "fog of battle" that the KISS principle is the way to go.
I've never understood why the Japanese invaded the Aleutians. Did they seriously think we'd send half the Army and Navy north just because they took Attu and Kiska? C'mon, seals and snow are not strategic commodities.
I did the same with Pearl Harbor and found I could actually stand to watch the movie, although Tora Tora Tora is the best movie on the subject.
I understand that some footage shot for Tora Tora Tora was actually used in the Midway movie.
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