Lex Anteinternet: Sunday, February 20, 1944. The Big Week.

Lex Anteinternet: Sunday, February 20, 1944. The Big Week.: 

Sunday, February 20, 1944. The Big Week.

Today in World War II History—February 20, 1944: Allies launch Operation Argument (“Big Week”), a week-long aerial attack of 6000 sorties which devastates the German aircraft industry.

Sarah Sundin.

For the first time, one of the features of the daylight portions of the bombing raids was to draw German fighters into combat, a change in strategy.  The six-day offensive would see heavy German fighter losses, but Allied bomber crew losses were nearly ten times higher.

Two Medals of Honor were awarded to crewmen killed attempting to land their bomber and save the life of stricken pilot they would not abandon.

 Walter E. Truemper.

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy in connection with a bombing mission over enemy-occupied Europe on 20 February 1944. The aircraft on which 2d Lt. Truemper was serving as navigator was attacked by a squadron of enemy fighters with the result that the copilot was killed outright, the pilot wounded and rendered unconscious, the radio operator wounded, and the plane severely damaged. Nevertheless, 2d Lt. Truemper and other members of his crew managed to right the plane and fly it back to their home station, where they contacted the control tower and reported the situation. Second Lt. Truemper and the engineer volunteered to attempt to land the plane. Other members of the crew were ordered to jump, leaving 2d Lt. Truemper and the engineer aboard. After observing the distressed aircraft from another plane, 2d Lt. Truemper's commanding officer decided the damaged plane could not be landed by the inexperienced crew and ordered them to abandon it and parachute to safety. Demonstrating unsurpassed courage and heroism, 2d Lt. Truemper and the engineer replied that the pilot was still alive but could not be moved and that they would not desert him. They were then told to attempt a landing. After two unsuccessful efforts their plane crashed into an open field in a third attempt to land. Second Lt. Truemper, the engineer, and the wounded pilot were killed.

 Archibald Mathies

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy in connection with a bombing mission over enemy-occupied Europe on 20 February 1944. The aircraft on which Sgt. Mathies was serving as engineer and ball turret gunner was attacked by a squadron of enemy fighters with the result that the copilot was killed outright, the pilot wounded and rendered unconscious, the radio operator wounded, and the plane severely damaged. Nevertheless, Sgt. Mathies and other members of the crew managed to right the plane and fly it back to their home station, where they contacted the control tower and reported the situation. Sgt. Mathies and the navigator volunteered to attempt to land the plane. Other members of the crew were ordered to jump, leaving Sgt. Mathies and the navigator aboard. After observing the distressed aircraft from another plane, Sgt. Mathies' commanding officer decided the damaged plane could not be landed by the inexperienced crew and ordered them to abandon it and parachute to safety. Demonstrating unsurpassed courage and heroism, Sgt. Mathies and the navigator replied that the pilot was still alive but could not be moved and they would not desert him. They were then told to attempt a landing. After two unsuccessful efforts, the plane crashed into an open field in a third attempt to land. Sgt. Mathies, the navigator, and the wounded pilot were killed.

Lt.  William R. Lawley Jr. wouldn't abandon his crewmen, but managed to come out of it alive.

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action above and beyond the call of duty, 20 February 1944, while serving as pilot of a B-17 aircraft on a heavy bombardment mission over enemy-occupied continental Europe. Coming off the target he was attacked by approximately 20 enemy fighters, shot out of formation, and his plane severely crippled. Eight crewmembers were wounded, the copilot was killed by a 20-mm. shell. One engine was on fire, the controls shot away, and 1st Lt. Lawley seriously and painfully wounded about the face. Forcing the copilot's body off the controls, he brought the plane out of a steep dive, flying with his left hand only. Blood covered the instruments and windshield and visibility was impossible. With a full bomb load the plane was difficult to maneuver and bombs could not be released because the racks were frozen. After the order to bail out had been given, 1 of the waist gunners informed the pilot that 2 crewmembers were so severely wounded that it would be impossible for them to bail out. With the fire in the engine spreading, the danger of an explosion was imminent. Because of the helpless condition of his wounded crewmembers 1st Lt. Lawley elected to remain with the ship and bring them to safety if it was humanly possible, giving the other crewmembers the option of bailing out. Enemy fighters again attacked but by using masterful evasive action he managed to lose them. One engine again caught on fire and was extinguished by skillful flying. 1st Lt. Lawley remained at his post, refusing first aid until he collapsed from sheer exhaustion caused by loss of blood, shock, and the energy he had expended in keeping control of his plane. He was revived by the bombardier and again took over the controls. Coming over the English coast 1 engine ran out of gasoline and had to be feathered. Another engine started to burn and continued to do so until a successful crash landing was made on a small fighter base. Through his heroism and exceptional flying skill, 1st Lt. Lawley rendered outstanding distinguished and valorous service to our Nation.

He died in 1999 at age 78. 

World War Two and Korean War Memorial, Haleiwa, Hawaii.

The Hawaiian Island are so associated with the Japanese December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor that its easy to forget it has a native population, like any territory (as it then was) or state, which served in the armed forces just like those of any other.

This is a memorial to those who lost their lives in the Haleiwa region of O'ahu, while serving in the U.S. military.

Haleiwa is n the island's North Shore.

 

Private Memorial, Haleiwa, Hawaii.

 On a man made pier at Haleiwa.

Lex Anteinternet: The Lost Cause and the Arlington Confederate Monument. Cliffnotes of the Zeitgeist, 53d Edition.

Lex Anteinternet: The Lost Cause and the Arlington Confederate Monum...: 

The Lost Cause and the Arlington Confederate Monument. Cliffnotes of the Zeitgeist, 53d Edition.

Laying the cornerstone in 1912.

Coming at a particularly odd time, given the resurgence of the type of views that the monument represents¹, the Federal Government is removing the Confederate Memorial from Arlington National Cemetery.

A massive allegorical work, the monument by Moses Jacob Ezekiel² portrays the Southern cause heroically, and includes a slave in the "mammy" role, saddened by the departure of her soldier owner.

Probably always offensive, the work was part of the rise of the Lost Cause myth in the early 20th Century, which is when many of these monuments date from.  It's being removed and will be relocated at a park dedicated to Confederate monuments.

This process has been going on for a while. Under President Biden, military posts named for Confederate generals have been renamed, but even before that, monuments in Southern states started coming down on a local basis.  Interestingly, right now the Southern cause is strongly in mind as Donald Trump tacks closer and closer to the secessionist's view of the nation that brought the war about and which preserved racial segregation for a century thereafter.

The monument itself was located in the Confederate Section of Arlington, which was created in 1900 at the request of those who felt that Confederate dead in the cemetery should be located together.  Ironically, the move was opposed by some in the South, who felt that they should be relocated to "Southern soil".  Laying of the cornerstone of the monument came in 1912, and it was dedicated, Woodrow Wilson in attendance, in 1914.

Wilson at dedication of the monument in 1914.

Things like this are particularly problematic in various ways. For one thing, the monument is a work of art, and as such it has its own merits, no matter how dramatically flawed its image of the Southern cause was.  And they have, interestingly, an image of the South which was, while false, sort of bizarrely aspirational in that it depicted, as many such monuments of that period for that cause do, a South which was a yeoman state, when in reality the South was controlled by strong large scale economic interest to the detriment of the Southern yeoman, and certainly to the massive detriment of Southern blacks.

And they also reflect a period of American history, lasting roughly from the end of Reconstruction to the Civil Rights Era, when the nation as a whole adopted a false view of itself, or at least a large portion of itself.  They reflect, therefore, the zeitgeist of that time and our own.  Removing the monuments is understandable, but it doesn't cure the massive defect of past racism and slavery.  It does serve to help us forget how racist we once were, and not only in the 1776 to 1865 time frame, but the 1865 to mid 1970s time frame as well.

Footnotes:

1.  Just this past week Donald Trump, whose acolytes sometimes brandish the Confederate battle flat at his events, or in support of him in general, spoke of immigrants "poisoning" the blood of Americans, much like Southern Americans sometimes did in regard to desegregation in the 1960s.  The Nazi allegory has come up frequently, but to my ear, perhaps because I'm old enough to remember the tail end of that era, it sounds more the Southern view of the 60s or even 70s.

2.  This work is by far Ezekiel's best known one.  Interestingly, another major one is an allegorical monument from the 1870s dedicated to and entitled Religious Liberty.

Last Prior Edition:

Lame. Cliffnotes of the Zeitgeist, 52nd Edition.

Fort Gordon now Fort Eisenhower.

The post in Georgia has been renamed for Kansan and former President, Dwight Eisenhower.

It's somewhat surprising to realize that nothing had been named for Eisenhower until now.   Eisenhower is so well known to Americans, he really needs no introduction here.

Gordon might.

A lawyer and a plantation owner, Gordon was a cavalry commander during the Civil War.  Following the South's defeat, he was elected to the U.S. Senate from Georgia, became its Governor, and then returned to the Senate.  He never recanted from his racist views.  He died in 1904.

Today In Wyoming's History: Battle of the Rosebud Battlefield, Montana.

Today In Wyoming's History: Battle of the Rosebud Battlefield, Montana.: 

Battle of the Rosebud Battlefield, Montana.

The Battle of the Rosebud was an important June 1876 battle that came, on June 17, just days prior to the Battle of the Little Big Horn.  Fought by the same Native American combatants, who crossed from their Little Big Horn encampment to counter 993 cavalrymen and mule mounted infantrymen who had marched north from Ft. Fetterman, Wyoming, at the same time troops under Gen. Terry, including Custer's command, were proceeding west from Ft. Abraham Lincoln.  Crook's command included, like Terry's, Crow scouts, and he additionally was augmented soon after leaving Ft. Fetterman by Shoshoni combatants.

The battlefield today is nearly untouched.

Called the Battle Where the Sister Saved Her Brother, or the Battle Where the Girl Saved Her Brother, like Little Big Horn, it was a Sioux and Arapaho victory, although it did not turn into an outright disaster like Little Big Horn. Caught in a valley and attacked, rather than attacking into a valley like Custer, the Army took some ground and held its positions, and then withdrew.  Crook was effectively knocked out of action for the rest of the year and retreated into the Big Horn mountains in Wyoming.

 

Fort A. P. Hill renamed Ft. Walker.

Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia was redesignated Friday as Fort Walker in honor of Dr. Mary Walker, the only female recipient of the Medal of Honor.

She was a surgeon who was awarded the medal during the Civil War.  Her citation, which was rescinded with the mass Medal of Honor retractions of the 20th Century, and then restored by President Carter, reads:

Whereas it appears from official reports that Dr. Mary E. Walker, a graduate of medicine, “has rendered valuable service to the Government, and her efforts have been earnest and untiring in a variety of ways,” and that she was assigned to duty and served as an assistant surgeon in charge of female prisoners at Louisville, Ky., upon the recommendation of Major-Generals Sherman and Thomas, and faithfully served as contract surgeon in the service of the United States, and has devoted herself with much patriotic zeal to the sick and wounded soldiers, both in the field and hospitals, to the detriment of her own health, and has also endured hardships as a prisoner of war four months in a Southern prison while acting as contract surgeon; and Whereas by reason of her not being a commissioned officer in the military service, a brevet or honorary rank cannot, under existing laws, be conferred upon her; and

Whereas in the opinion of the President an honorable recognition of her services and sufferings should be made:

It is ordered, That a testimonial thereof shall be hereby made and given to the said Dr. Mary E. Walker, and that the usual medal of honor for meritorious services be given her.

Given under my hand in the city of Washington, D.C., this 11th day of November, A.D. 1865.

Andrew Johnson,

President

A free thinker who had taken up medicine before the Civil War, she lived until 1919, dying at age 86.  In spite of her long life, her health was impared after the war due to conditions she indured with a Confederate prisoner of war.

The lonely B-24

After putting up the post yesterday on the B-17 "Casper Kid", I realized I hadn't posted these photos of the marker for the B-24 that went down in Natrona County in 1945.  I took the photos a year ago.

I've been aware of this wreck my entire life, although apparently the location was regarded as lost.  Only recently has this memorial been put up.

As with the Casper Kid, it's good to see the plane and its crew remembered.  Men who gave their lives for their country, but not in the way the expected.  In this case, they went down in the dead of winter and the conditions were so severe that there was little that could be done to attempt to rescue them. All perished.

 

The Crew of the B-17F, "The Casper Kid".

 

This is a new memorial in Wyoming's Powder River Basin, dedicated to the crew of the "Casper Kid", a B-17F that went down in what would have been an incredibly remote lonely spot on February 25, 1943.

In recent years, there's been a dedicated effort in Central Wyoming to memorialize the crews who did in aviation accidents during the Second World War. This is the second such memorial I'm aware of (there may be more) which is dedicated to the crew of an airplane that was flying out of the Casper Air Base, which is now the Natrona County International Airport. Both accidents memorialized so far were winter accidents which resulted in the loss of an aircraft in remote country.

We don't tend to think of those lost in training accidents as war dead, but they were.  And there are a lot of them.

Lex Anteinternet: Friday, June 25, 1943. Murder in Ukraine, tragedy in Nova Scotia, race riot in UK.

Lex Anteinternet: Friday, June 25, 1943. Murder in Ukraine, tragedy...: 

Friday, June 25, 1943. Murder in Ukraine, tragedy in Nova Scotia, race riot in UK.

The Germans completed the eradication of the Jewish population of Stanislav (Ivano-Frankivsk) in Ukraine.

The "Battle of Bamber Bridge" occurred in the UK when white Military Police intervened in a pub which had stretched out drinking hours for black US troops and then attempted to cite one for improper uniform.  Shots were ultimately fired and one of the soldiers was killed.

The Smith-Connoally Act was passed, which allowed the government to seize industries threated by strikes.  It went into law over President Roosevelt's veto.

 No. 21 Squadron RAF Ventura attacking IJmuiden, February 1943.

A Ventura AJ186 crashed in Summerville, Nova Scotia, killing P/O John C. Loucks, air gunner, Bracebridge, Ont., P/O George W. Cowie, pilot, Wellington, New Zealand., P/O Clifford A. Griffiths, navigator, Auckland, New Zealand., Sgt. Arthur Cornelius Mulcahy, wireless air gunner, Sydney, Australia.

The men were undergoing training.  A memorial service will be held for them today in Summerville.

Classified as a medium bomber, the Ventura is one of the numerous Allied warbirds that are now basically forgotten, in spite of having received widespread use.  It was an adaptation of a civilian airliner.

Sarah Sundin notes, on her blog:

Today in World War II History—June 25, 1943: 80 Years Ago—June 25, 1943: Bob Hope begins his first major USO tour; he will spend 11 weeks touring England, North Africa, and Sicily.

Ft. Bragg renamed Ft. Liberty

 

This one leaves me wondering. Surely somebody could have been found to honor in place of Confederate General Braxton Bragg for this North Carolina post?

The post was renamed yesterday.

Bragg was a West Point graduate from North Carolina who had a career in the U.S. Army as an artilleryman, a branch that generally went to those graduating in the upper ends of their class.  His career was mixed as a Confederate general, many would say poor, and he was ultimately relegated to advisory positions after the middle of the war.  He died in 1876 at age 59, walking down a sidewalk in Galveston, Texas.  His famously argumentative personality meant that after the war he occupied a string of occupations from which he resigned.

He'd been an opponent of succession personally.

Ft. Benning renamed Ft. Moore.

 

This will be the first in a series of such name changes.

Ft. Benning was named for Henry L. Benning, a Georgia lawyer who had served as a Confederate General during the Civil War.  Benning was a lifelong Georgia resident who died in the state at age 61 in 1875.  He was an ardent secessionist and opponent of emancipation, who nonetheless had the fort and a Liberty Ship named for him.

Lt. Gen. Hal Moore was a legendary Vietnam War commander who served as the first air cavalry commander in the war.    Julia Moore was his wife, who was born of a military family, and who is closely associated with supporting the family members of the unit when it was deployed.  Their relationship is portrayed in the film version of the general's book, We Were Soldiers Once, And Young.

The forst was renamed yesterday.

Governor Gordon Orders Flags Be Flown at Half-Staff Statewide on Thursday, February 23 in Honor of Wyoming Sailor Killed at Pearl Harbor

 

Governor Gordon Orders Flags Be Flown at Half-Staff Statewide on  Thursday, February 23 in Honor of Wyoming Sailor Killed at Pearl Harbor

 

CHEYENNE, Wyo. - Governor Mark Gordon has ordered both the U.S. and State of Wyoming flag be flown at half-staff statewide on Thursday, February 23, 2023 in honor and memory of World War II veteran Herman Schmidt from Sheridan.

Schmidt, a U.S. Navy Gunner’s Mate Third Class, served on the U.S.S. Oklahoma and was killed in action during the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. Schmidt’s remains were recently identified through DNA testing and dental records. Schmidt  was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart Medal, the Combat Action Ribbon, a Good Conduct Medal, the American Defense Service Medal (with Fleet Clasp), the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (with Bronze Star), the American Campaign Medal and the World War II Victory Medal. He will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery on February 23. 

--END--

Lex Anteinternet: Sunday, November 7, 1943. The heroism of Sgt. Thomas

Lex Anteinternet: Sunday, November 7, 1943. The heroism of Sgt. Tho...: 

Sunday, November 7, 1943. The heroism of Sgt. Thomas, Shoes rationed.

Sgt. Herbert J. Thomas.

Marine Corps Sgt Herbert J. Thomas displayed heroism on Bougainville that would lead to him being posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

SERGEANT HERBERT J. THOMAS

UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS RESERVE

for service as set forth in the following CITATION:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with the Third Marines, Third Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces during the battle at the Koromokina River, Bougainville Island, Solomon Islands, on November 7, 1943. Although several of his men were struck by enemy bullets as he led his squad through dense jungle undergrowth in the face of severe hostile machine gun fire, Sergeant Thomas and his group fearlessly pressed forward into the center of the Japanese position and destroyed the crews of two machine guns by accurate rifle fire and grenades. Discovering a third gun more difficult to approach, he carefully placed his men closely around him in strategic positions from which they were to charge after he had thrown a grenade into the emplacement. When the grenade struck vines and fell back into the midst of the group, Sergeant Thomas deliberately flung himself upon it to smother the explosion, valiantly sacrificing his life for his comrades. Inspired by his selfless action, his men unhesitatingly charged the enemy machine gun and, with fierce determination, killed the crew and several other nearby defenders. The splendid initiative and extremely heroic conduct of Sergeant Thomas in carrying out his prompt decision with full knowledge of his fate reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.

The 25-year-old Thomas had first served, in the war, in the United Stated Army Air Corps before transferring to the Marine Corps.

According to Sarah Sundin's blog, on this day in 1943 shoe rationing commenced in the US.  She has an article about it here:

Make It Do – Shoe Rationing in World War II

It's a really interesting article.

The rationing move was announced suddenly, and limited Americans to three pairs of new shoes per year.  I'm sure I don't buy a new pair of shoes most years, which makes this limit interesting in context.

The Red Army captured Fastiv near Kyiv.

The Detroit Lions and the New York Giants played a scoreless tie game, the last such game in NFL history.

Lex Anteinternet: Sunday, February 7, 1943. The sacrifice of Howard W. Gilmore.

Lex Anteinternet: Sunday, February 7, 1943. The sacrifice of Howard...:

Sunday, February 7, 1943. The sacrifice of Howard W. Gilmore, Japanese complete Operation Ke, Hitler rallies his followers.

Howard W. Gilmore, age 40, commander of the USS Growler, ordered the submarine to submerge even though he was too wounded to escape down the hatch, thereby allowing the boat to escape, and causing his drowning.

He was awarded a posthumous Medal of Honor.

The Japanese successfully completed Operation Ke, the withdrawal of 10,000 Japanese troops from Guadalcanal.  Deception was a key part of the operation, causing the U.S. to believe that the Japanese were reinforcing the island.

Hitler gave a rousing speech to German officials and high ranking Nazis at his headquarters, successfully reassuring them that Germany would win World War Two.  During the speech, according to notes taken at the time, he stated "„Entweder wir werden Herr über Europa, oder wir erleben eine komplette Liquidierung und Vernichtung“, or "Either we will be the master of Europe, or we will experience a complete liquidation and extermination,", which likely seemed impossible to the audience, who were also seeking reassurance.  He also promised total war against the remaining Jewish population within his control.

Lex Anteinternet: Wednesday, February 3, 1943. The Chaplains Fox, ...

Lex Anteinternet: Wednesday, February 3, 1943. The Chaplains Fox, ...:

Wednesday, February 3, 1943. The Chaplains Fox, Poling, and Goode.

The transport ship SS Dorchester was sunk by the U233 off of Greenland.  605 of the 904 men on board died in the attack, including chaplains Methodist minister George L. Fox, Reformed Church in America minister Clark V. Poling, Roman Catholic Priest John P. Washington, and Rabbi Alexander D. Goode.

They gave up their life jackets to others and went down with the ship, arms linked, praying, and singing hymns.

The chaplains are remembered in a stained-glass window in the Episcopal National Cathedral.

Survivors were rescued by the Coast Guard cutters Escanaba and Comanche, with the Escanaba using rescue swimmers for the first time.

The U-265 was sunk by a RAF B-17 in the Atlantic.

German radio informed the German people of the defeat at Stalingrad in a special radio announcement, causing widespread German public consternation.  A secret poll conducted thereafter revealed that hte Germans wondered why troops had not been evacuated from the city and why the war situation had been reported as secure only a few months prior.