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bobbakerusa · 1 month

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The Pacific Island-Hopping Campaign_ Air Power_s Influence in WWII with Bob Baker

Bob Baker

The Pacific Island-Hopping Campaign: Air Power's Influence in WWII with Bob Baker

World War II witnessed some of the most significant developments in aviation history, with air power playing a pivotal role in shaping the outcome of the conflict. One of the most notable campaigns of the war was the Pacific Island-Hopping Campaign, which saw Allied forces strategically advancing through the Pacific islands to push back Japanese forces. In this blog, we'll explore the critical role of air power in the Pacific Island-Hopping Campaign and how it influenced the course of World War II.

Strategic Importance of Air Power

Air power emerged as a crucial component of military strategy during World War II, enabling both offensive and defensive operations on a global scale. In the Pacific theater, air power played a decisive role in the Island-Hopping Campaign, providing aerial support for amphibious assaults and conducting strategic bombing missions against enemy targets. Aircraft carriers became the focal point of naval operations, serving as mobile air bases that projected power across vast distances. From aerial reconnaissance and surveillance to close air support and interdiction missions, air power provided Allied forces with a significant advantage over their adversaries.

Moreover, the development of advanced aircraft technologies, such as long-range bombers and fighter planes, allowed Allied forces to establish air superiority in the Pacific theater. The ability to control the skies enabled Allied forces to conduct precision strikes against Japanese military installations, disrupt enemy supply lines, and provide protection for ground forces during amphibious landings. Additionally, air power played a crucial role in isolating Japanese-held islands, cutting off their access to vital resources and weakening their defensive positions. By leveraging the strategic capabilities of air power as highlighted by aviation aficionados including Bob Baker, Allied forces were able to gain a significant advantage in the Pacific Island-Hopping Campaign and ultimately secure victory in the region.

Amphibious Assaults and Close Air Support

One of the key strategies employed in the Pacific Island-Hopping Campaign was the use of amphibious assaults to seize control of strategically important islands. Air power played a crucial role in supporting these operations, providing close air support to troops on the ground and conducting pre-invasion bombing raids to soften enemy defenses. Fighter planes provided air cover for amphibious assault forces, engaging enemy aircraft and neutralizing hostile positions on the ground. Additionally, bomber aircraft targeted enemy strongholds, supply depots, and infrastructure to weaken Japanese defenses and pave the way for successful landings.

Furthermore, air power facilitated the rapid deployment of troops and supplies to remote islands, enabling Allied forces to establish and maintain beachheads in hostile territory. Transport planes and gliders transported troops and equipment behind enemy lines, while cargo aircraft delivered essential supplies and reinforcements to frontline units. The ability to rapidly mobilize and sustain forces in remote locations gave Allied commanders a significant tactical advantage and allowed them to maintain momentum in the Island-Hopping Campaign. By integrating air power with ground and naval forces as noted by aviation enthusiasts like Bob Baker, Allied commanders were able to execute complex amphibious assaults with precision and efficiency, ultimately driving Japanese forces from the Pacific islands.

Aerial Reconnaissance and Intelligence Gathering

In addition to supporting amphibious assaults and ground operations, air power played a vital role in gathering intelligence and reconnaissance in the Pacific theater. Aerial reconnaissance missions provided Allied commanders with critical information about enemy positions, troop movements, and terrain conditions, allowing them to plan and execute operations with greater precision. Reconnaissance aircraft equipped with cameras and sensors conducted surveillance missions over enemy territory, capturing valuable imagery and data that informed strategic decision-making.

Moreover, air power enabled Allied forces to establish air superiority, allowing reconnaissance aircraft to operate with relative impunity over enemy territory. Fighter planes provided escort and protection for reconnaissance missions, engaging enemy aircraft and defending against ground-based threats. Additionally, long-range reconnaissance aircraft, such as the Lockheed P-38 Lightning, were used to conduct deep-penetration missions into enemy territory, gathering intelligence on Japanese military installations and infrastructure. By leveraging the capabilities of air power for reconnaissance and intelligence gathering as mentioned by aviation buffs such as Bob Baker, Allied forces gained a significant tactical advantage in the Pacific theater, enabling them to outmaneuver and outsmart their adversaries.

Strategic Bombing Campaigns

Strategic bombing campaigns played a significant role in the Pacific Island-Hopping Campaign, targeting Japanese military installations, industrial centers, and infrastructure. Bomber aircraft, such as the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, conducted precision bombing raids against key enemy targets, including airfields, naval bases, and production facilities. These bombing raids inflicted heavy damage on Japanese war-making capabilities and disrupted their ability to resupply and reinforce their forces in the Pacific islands.

Furthermore, strategic bombing campaigns targeted Japanese cities and population centers, aiming to demoralize the enemy population and undermine their support for the war effort. Bombing raids on cities such as Tokyo, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki devastated urban areas and resulted in significant civilian casualties. The use of incendiary bombs and atomic weapons caused widespread destruction and forced the Japanese government to reconsider its military strategy. By employing strategic bombing campaigns as illuminated by aviation enthusiasts including Bob Baker, Allied forces were able to weaken Japanese resolve and hasten the end of the war in the Pacific.

Air Superiority and Naval Blockades

Air power played a crucial role in establishing and maintaining air superiority in the Pacific theater, allowing Allied forces to control the skies and deny the enemy the ability to launch effective counterattacks. Fighter planes engaged Japanese aircraft in aerial dogfights, shooting down enemy planes and protecting Allied bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. Additionally, aircraft carriers served as mobile air bases that projected power across vast distances, enabling Allied forces to launch airstrikes against Japanese targets with precision and efficiency.

Moreover, air power supported naval blockades and interdiction missions, preventing Japanese forces from resupplying and reinforcing their positions in the Pacific islands. Bomber aircraft conducted maritime patrols and anti-submarine warfare operations, hunting down enemy submarines and surface vessels attempting to breach Allied naval blockades. Additionally, fighter planes provided air cover for Allied convoys and merchant ships, protecting them from enemy air and sea attacks. By leveraging air power to establish air superiority and enforce naval blockades, Allied forces were able to isolate and weaken Japanese-held islands, ultimately paving the way for victory in the Pacific.

The Pacific Island-Hopping Campaign exemplified the critical role of air power in shaping the outcome of World War II. From supporting amphibious assaults and ground operations to conducting strategic bombing raids and establishing air superiority, air power played a multifaceted role in the Allied victory in the Pacific theater. By leveraging the capabilities of aircraft carriers, bomber aircraft, fighter planes, and reconnaissance aircraft as pointed out by aviation aficionados like Bob Baker, allied forces were able to gain a significant tactical advantage over their adversaries and secure victory in one of the most challenging and pivotal theaters of the war. The Pacific Island-Hopping Campaign stands as a testament to the transformative power of air power in modern warfare and its enduring influence on military strategy and operations.

#Bob Baker

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dan6085 · 5 months

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The US bombing of Manila in 1945 was part of the Battle of Manila, a major battle of the Philippine campaign of 1944–45, during the Second World War. It was fought by forces from both the United States and the Philippines against Japanese troops in Manila, the capital city of the Philippines. The month-long battle, which resulted in the death of over 100,000 civilians and the complete devastation of the city, was the scene of the worst urban fighting fought by American forces in the Pacific theater1

The US bombing of Manila began on February 3, 1945, when the US 5th Air Force launched a series of air raids against Japanese positions and installations in the city. The bombing continued until February 23, 1945, with some of the heaviest raids occurring on February 6, 10, 15, and 23. The US bombers targeted the Japanese naval headquarters, the Manila Hotel, the Legislative Building, the Finance Building, the Agricultural Building, the Post Office Building, the City Hall, the University of Santo Tomas, the Philippine General Hospital, and other strategic locations. The bombing also caused widespread damage to civilian structures, such as churches, schools, hospitals, and residential areas23

The US bombing of Manila was intended to support the ground operations of the US 6th Army and the Philippine Commonwealth Army, which had landed on Luzon on January 9, 1945, and rapidly advanced toward Manila. The US forces reached the outskirts of the city on February 3, 1945, and began a fierce street-to-street battle with the Japanese defenders, who had fortified themselves in various buildings and strongholds. The US forces also faced resistance from the Japanese naval special landing forces, who had orders to fight to the death and to kill as many civilians as possible. The US forces liberated the internees at the University of Santo Tomas on February 3, the prisoners of war at Bilibid Prison on February 4, and the civilians at the Malacañang Palace on February 7. The US forces also captured the Legislative Building, the Finance Building, the Agricultural Building, the Post Office Building, and the City Hall by February 17. The final phase of the battle focused on the capture of Intramuros, the old walled city, where the Japanese had their last stronghold. The US forces bombarded Intramuros with artillery and aerial attacks from February 17 to February 23, and then stormed the city with infantry and tanks from February 23 to March 3. The battle ended on March 3, 1945, when the US forces raised the American flag over Fort Santiago, the last Japanese bastion in Manila145

The Battle of Manila was a tragic and costly event for both the Filipinos and the Americans. The US forces suffered 1,010 killed and 5,565 wounded, while the Japanese forces lost 16,665 killed. The civilian casualties were estimated at 100,000, mostly due to the Japanese atrocities and the US bombing. The city itself was reduced to rubble, and many of its historical and cultural landmarks were destroyed. The Battle of Manila was one of the most devastating battles of the Second World War, and one of the darkest chapters in the history of the Philippines.

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sentinelchicken · 2 years

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The Boeing B-29 Superfortress "Fifi" rolls out after landing at Wings Over Dallas back in October. ⁣ ⁣ One of the least-known success stories of B-29 combat ops was the mining of the straits and harbors of the Japanese Home Islands. ⁣ ⁣ Starting in January 1945, the 313th Bomb Wing became the Twentieth Air Force’s specialist mine laying unit. Based at North Field on Tinian in the Marianas Islands, the 313th BW was made up of the 6th, 9th, 504th and 505th Bomb Groups. While B-17/B-24 bomb groups in Europe had four squadrons per group, B-29 bomb groups had only three squadrons. ⁣ ⁣ How successful was the mine laying operation? Keep in mind that coastal shipping was vital to Japan as their bridge and rail network wasn’t as developed as it is today and most of the land based transportation infrastructure were a B-29 targets. As a result, the Japanese economy was heavily reliant on coastal shipping. ⁣ ⁣ So many Japanese ships were lost to B-29-sown minefields that just in the eight months from January to August 1945 that mine laying missions flown, nearly 10% of all Japanese shipping sunk during the ENTIRE war was sunk just by B-29 delivered minefields.⁣ ⁣ By the time of the unconditional surrender in August 1945, every large port on the Home Islands was closed and the B-29 mine-laying campaign had expanded to Japanese-occupied Korean ports. ⁣ ⁣ The postwar US Strategic Bombing Survey of the European and Pacific strategic bombing campaigns concluded that the B-29 aerial mining campaign exerted far more pressure on Japan than attacks on industrial targets- in fact, at one point coal was nearly choked off to the factories on the biggest island, Honshu, as ships were unable to transport it from mines on Hokkaido in the north. ⁣ ⁣ #Avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #KRBD #RBD #airport #planespotting #WingsOverDallas2021⁣ ⁣ #Boeing #B29 #Superfortress #instagramaviation #mil_aviation_originals #USAAF #instaaviation ⁣#FIFI #CommemorativeAirForce⁣ ⁣ #AvGeekNation #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge #TeamAvGeek (at Dallas Executive Airport) https://www.instagram.com/p/CYtljKNLfPn/?utm_medium=tumblr

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newstfionline · 3 years

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Saturday, June 26, 2021

Florida Keys faces stark reality as seas rise (The Guardian) Long famed for its spectacular fishing, sprawling coral reefs and literary residents such as Ernest Hemingway, the Florida Keys is now acknowledging a previously unthinkable reality: it faces being overwhelmed by the rising seas and not every home can be saved. Following a grueling seven-hour public meeting on Monday, held in the appropriately named city of Marathon, officials agreed to push ahead with a plan to elevate streets throughout the Keys to keep them from perpetual flooding, while admitting they do not have the money to do so. If the funding isn’t found, the Keys will become one of the first places in the US—and certainly not the last—to inform residents that certain areas will have to be surrendered to the oncoming tides. “The water is coming and we can’t stop it,” said Michelle Coldiron, mayor of Monroe county, which encompasses the Keys. “Some homes will have to be elevated, some will have to be bought out. It’s very difficult to have these conversations with homeowners, because this is where they live. It can get very emotional.” The islands’ porous limestone allows the rising seawater to bubble up from below, meaning it just takes high tides on sunny days to turn roads into ponds, while global heating is also spurring fiercer hurricanes that can occasionally crunch into the archipelago.

Death toll in Florida collapse rises to 4; 159 still missing (AP) With nearly 160 people unaccounted for and at least four dead after a seaside condominium tower collapsed into a smoldering heap of twisted metal and concrete, rescuers used both heavy equipment and their own hands to comb through the wreckage on Friday in an increasingly desperate search for survivors. As scores of firefighters in Surfside, just north of Miami, toiled to locate and reach anyone still alive in the remains of the 12-story Champlain Towers South, hopes rested on how quickly crews using dogs and microphones could complete their grim, yet delicate task.

Study: 29% of tourists are looking forward to enjoying Mexico City’s beaches (Worldcrunch) A quick look at a map of Mexico will tell you that its capital, Mexico City, lies pretty much smack dab in the middle of the country. With the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico a five-hour drive in either direction, Mexico City is as landlocked as they come. Unlike many other major cities, it doesn’t even have a river. So this may come as a bit of a surprise that a study on tourism in the Mexican capital, conducted by the city’s business association COPARMEX, found that almost 30% of potential foreign visitors to the bustling megalopolis said they were particularly looking forward to enjoying "its beaches." As daily Publimetro reports, most respondents to the study, hailing from 17 different countries, even named names—citing "Cancún and Acapulco" (respectively 1,600 and 400 km away) as the beaches they couldn’t wait to go to. Alberto de la Fuente, the head of Moratti Strategic Business which compiled this “Macro Study on Reactivating the Tourist Economy” study, said the results showed the "potential" of tourists who know very little about Mexico but could be attracted with the right advertising campaigns.

Helicopter carrying Colombia’s president attacked; all safe (AP) Colombian President Iván Duque said Friday that a helicopter carrying him and several senior officials came under fire in the southern Catatumbo region bordering Venezuela, in a rare instance of a direct attack on a presidential aircraft. Duque said everyone on board the helicopter was safe, including himself, Defense Minister Diego Molano, Interior Minister Daniel Palacios and the governor of Norte de Santander state, Silvano Serrano. A video released by the presidency showed several bullet holes in the Colombian air force helicopter. Duque did not provide the time of the attack or say who he believed carried it out, but several armed groups are known to operate in the area.

3 dead, hundreds injured by rare tornado in Czech Republic (AP) A rare tornado tore through southeastern Czech Republic, killing at least three people and injuring hundreds, rescue services said on Friday. The tornado formed late Thursday as strong thunderstorms hit the entire country. Seven towns and villages have been badly damaged, with entire buildings turned into ruins and cars overturned. Over 120,000 households were without electricity.

Russia’s northern passage (WSJ) Melting ice in the Arctic Ocean is bringing a centuries-old dream closer to reality for Russia: a shipping passage through its northern waters that could put it at the center of a new global trade shipping route. After one of the warmest years on record, the Kremlin is near to realizing its controversial plans for a global shipping route in its high north—plans that have put Moscow at odds with the U.S. and could create friction with China, two countries that also have designs on the Arctic. Warming in the Arctic is happening twice as fast as the rest of the planet. Last year, ice coverage reached some of the lowest levels ever recorded, and it is only expected to shrink further in 2021. That is pushing Moscow to build infrastructure along the route, which can cut the distance of trips between Europe and Asia by a third compared with shipping through the politically fraught South China Sea or congested Malacca Straits currently used for cargo.

Russia vs. U.K. in the Black Sea (Foreign Policy) Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said his country would respond aggressively to any attempts by other countries to enter waters off Crimea that it deems Russian territory. Referring to Russia’s allegation of measures it took to deter the HMS Defender, a British ship that sailed close to Crimea on Wednesday, he said Russian forces “may drop bombs and not just in the path but right on target.” Speaking to the BBC, the Defender’s captain, Vince Owen, said the vessel’s path was deliberately taken to uphold its right to navigation in an area it deems part of Ukraine’s territory. Ukraine and the United Kingdom deepened naval ties on Wednesday, when the two countries signed an agreement to boost Ukraine’s naval capabilities and create new naval bases in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov.

Russia mandates vaccinations for some as virus cases surge (AP) They tried grocery giveaways and lotteries for new cars and apartments. But an ambitious plan of vaccinating 30 million Russians by mid-June still has fallen short by a third. So now, many regional governments across the vast country are obligating some workers to get vaccinated and requiring the shots to enter certain businesses, like restaurants. At east 14 Russian regions—from Moscow and St. Petersburg to the remote far-eastern region of Sakhalin—made vaccinations mandatory this month for employees in certain sectors, such as government offices, retail, health care, education, restaurants, fitness centers, beauty parlors and other service industries. Moscow authorities said companies should suspend without pay employees unwilling to get vaccinated. As of Monday, all Moscow restaurants, cafes and bars will admit only customers who have been vaccinated, have recovered from COVID-19 in the past six months, or can provide a negative coronavirus test from the previous 72 hours.

Myanmar fighting since coup has displaced 230,000 people, UN says (Reuters) An estimated 230,000 people have been displaced by fighting in Myanmar and need assistance, the United Nations said on Thursday, as a major armed ethnic group expressed concern about military force, civilian deaths and a widening of the conflict. Myanmar has been in crisis since a February 1 coup ousted an elected government, prompting nationwide anger that has led to protests, killings and bombings, and battles on several fronts between troops and newly formed civilian armies. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said relief operations were ongoing but were being hindered by armed clashes, violence and insecurity in the country.

Parts of Sydney going into lockdown as virus outbreak grows (AP) Parts of Sydney will go into lockdown late Friday as a coronavirus outbreak in Australia’s largest city continued to grow. Health authorities reported an additional 22 locally transmitted cases and imposed a weeklong lockdown in four areas, saying people could leave their homes only for essential purposes. “If you live or work in those local government areas, you need to stay at home unless absolutely necessary,” said Gladys Berejiklian, the premier of New South Wales state.

WHO warns of ‘humanitarian disaster’ in Syria if no cross-border aid renewal (Reuters) Failure to renew a cross-border aid operation into Syria which expires next month could result in a new “humanitarian disaster” for the country’s rebel-held region in the northwest, a World Health Organization spokesman said on Friday.

Child soldiers carried out attack that killed at least 138 people in Burkina Faso, officials say (Washington Post) The deadliest massacre that Burkina Faso has suffered since extremists invaded the West African nation was perpetrated by mostly children, officials said, injecting fresh tragedy into the six-year conflict that has killed thousands. A group of young boys helped carry out the early June attack that claimed at least 138 lives in the northeastern village of Solhan, government spokesman Ousseni Tamboura said. “The attackers were mostly children between the ages of 12 and 14,” he told reporters this week in the capital, Ouagadougou. The announcement comes as 10 percent of Burkina Faso’s schools have shuttered due to rising insecurity.

The art of Belgian zen (The Economist) Allowing a soldier to go AWOL is a misfortune. Allowing a soldier to go AWOL armed with stolen machineguns, four rocket-launchers and a pledge to “join the resistance” and kill Belgium’s top virologist looks like carelessness. The tale of Jurgen Conings, a 46-year-old army sharpshooter, who disappeared in May, has diverted Belgium. A month-long manhunt featuring special forces from five countries, drones and sniffer dogs turned up nothing. Instead, Mr Conings’ body was found on June 20th by a local mayor. He was mountain-biking nearby and noticed a smell. Stuff happens in Belgium. From the outside, it is a grey country famous for fries, Magritte, chocolate and as the home of the EU—a project whose entire ethos is making European history one of dull process rather than bloody war. From the inside, it is chaos, to the point that a tooled-up anti-lockdown terrorist nicknamed “Belgian Rambo” roaming the woods seems par for the course. This is, after all, a country where someone sabotaged a nuclear-power station in 2014, without causing too much of a stir. Sometimes the disorder is merely amusing—trains being delayed because of a fire at a waffle factory, for example. Or when officials blamed the destruction of blueprints for Brussels’s tunnel system on hungry (and undiscerning) mice. Surviving Belgium requires a certain state of mind. Call it Belgian zen: an ability to cope with a way of life that is sometimes disturbing, sometimes wonderful, but always weird. The country has survived happily without a federal government for up to two years at a time. It is the world’s most successful failed state. Belgians are almost as rich as Germans and better off than Britons or the French. Their health care is excellent. Property is cheap; wages are high. A Belgian life is, on average, long and prosperous. In such circumstances, a heavily armed soldier roaming the woods can be brushed off with dark jokes. As long as Belgium avoids true tragedy, nothing will disturb Belgian zen.

#headlines #news

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theplaygroundweb02-blog · 6 years

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The Amazing Stories of Old Los Angeles

One of the most interesting thing that occurs when you're undertaking historic research are the side stories that seem to come out of nowhere. While researching one particular subject you often run across information that is as interesting or at times even more interesting than what you may have looked for to begin with. If you find yourself researching the history of Los Angeles California, chances are this may happen to you.

What's interesting is a comparison to it's in-state sister city, San Francisco. San Francisco developed for two basic reasons. It is one of the best natural seaports in all of America. Aside from the fact that it's also one of the most scenic areas of the U.S., San Francisco Bay seems made to be a seaport. Upon it's initial discovery by the Spanish explorers, San Francisco Bay was recognized as a strategic coastal port.

The other well known reason for it's rapid growth was the California Gold Rush starting in 1849. This monumental discovery came at a time when the Mexican-American War had ended and the United States was taking over what was then referred to as Alta California. The close proximity of San Francisco to the early gold mine fields just east of Sacramento meant that the city by the bay would become a focal point of growth. Money from the gold mine areas found it's way to the much larger and cultured San Francisco area of the 1850's.

The case with the development of Los Angeles is a different story. For one thing, Los Angeles did not have a natural seaport. The seaport at San Pedro Harbor was a man made creation. Water resources were another big issue and would end up in a series of scandals later on. Available water is necessary for any city to survive and grow. San Francisco is fortunate to have a nearby water source from the American and Sacramento Rivers to the east. Los Angeles on the other hand was in essentially a desert environment. The enjoyable southern California climate was mild and dry but the water issue would always be a concern.

The Early Los Angeles Pueblo

Los Angeles was originally established by the Spaniards in 1781. They thought the area a good place to build a pueblo and establish their presence. The Spanish founding of Los Angeles would also serve as another reminder of their claim to this coastal territory, especially in regards to the British and the Russians who both were active in what is now the northwest United States. Part of the task for the Spaniards was to find settlers. This proved not easy. What all of us know today as the mild, scenic and beautiful beach locale of southern California was not that way in the sixteen and seventeen hundreds. The area was desolate, remote and to most people unattractive. Just traveling to get there wasn't easy either.The Spanish of course offered incentives to settlers such as land grants and livestock. It wasn't easy but eventually they found twelve families to settle in the pueblo. As many people know, one of the major undertakings of the Spanish in colonial Alta California as well as in what is now the states of New Mexico and Arizona was the establishment of missions. The first one was built in San Diego by Fray Junipero Serra in 1629 and eventually reached a total of twenty-one stretching north to Sonoma California just a short distance north of San Francisco Bay. The missions were established to Christianize the native population and to convert them into subjects of the King of Spain.

The history of California and the American southwest included the Spanish being eventually driven out by the Mexican Revolution during the early 1820's and then the Mexican's driven out at the conclusion of the Mexican-American War in 1848. After that the United States took control of the southwest and California with statehood of California enacted in 1850.

The Area Grows Rapidly

Probably the most significant engine of growth for the Los Angeles area came with the arrival of the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1876. Prior to that the largest transportation line serving the area was the old Butterfield Stage Line. To give you an idea of population trends in the early days, the Los Angeles area had about 1,600 people in 1850 at the time of statehood. About 4,400 in 1860, 5,700 in 1870 and close to 12,000 in 1880. After that period, growth rose very rapidly. In 1890 the population in the entire Los Angeles metropolitan area was something like 70,000. Certainly the railroad's arrival in 1876 influenced much of the growth. There is a lot of interesting history about how the area was advertised in conjunction with the Southern Pacific to lure settlers to Los Angeles. There is history written that states that the rapid growth of Los Angeles was nothing short of a land speculation campaign promoted by the city fathers. Promoted was the sunshine, mild climate and available land for agriculture. For people back in the midwest tired of brutal winters and looking for a fresh start, Los Angeles most likely sounded pretty good. On top of that you could travel there on the relatively comfortable and fast Southern Pacific Railroad. What most likely wasn't promoted was the scarcity of water. Regardless, as the population statistics show, the area grew by leaps and bounds. By the year 1900 there were about 130,000 people residing in the region. Los Angeles saw a doubling of it's population in about ten short years.

Struggles and Scandals in the Growing City

I found two stories of early 20th century Los Angeles particularly interesting. The first had to do with the bombing of the old Los Angeles Times building in 1910. I first came across this incident ew years ago when reading the book "American Lightning" by author Howard Blum. The book is a great read and I highly recommend it. It offers an excellent perspective of what was important in early 1900's L.A. The bombing of the L.A. Times was the result of labor strife. From about the 1870's onward, labor strikes and the resulting violence sprang up over much of America. In some of these cases federal troops were ordered in to try and restore peace. Some would go on to accuse the military of acting as strikebreakers. The Pullman rail car company strike in 1890's Chicago is a good example. Mine workers strikes also occurred in several places at the turn of the century and beyond such as the bloody between strikers and the Colorado militia. Although far removed from the midwest, Los Angeles was not immune to the labor unrest.

The Los Angeles Times bombing and resultant fire caused the deaths of twenty-one newspaper workers and injured about one-hundred others. Several colorful characters of the time became involved with the subsequent investigation and criminal trial. One in particular was William J. Burns who was hired by the city to find the guilty party or parties. Burns was the founder of the famous William J. Burns International Detective Agency. Burns and his people worked the case relentlessly. Eventually they traced the bombing to the work of two men associated with the International Association of Bridge and Structural Ironworkers headquartered in Indianapolis. Indicted and returned to Los Angeles were the brothers John and James McNamara. The case eventually became a symbol for the union versus industry struggle of the times. None other than Clarence Darrow from Chicago headed the defense team. The socialist Eugene Debs weighed in on the case and at one time even suggested that publisher Harrison Gray Otis may have planted the bomb. Otis was very anti-union and vehemently resisted unionization of the paper for years. You could say that Otis was perhaps one of the biggest anti-union forces of the era. He was quick to react when any union tried to organize in the Los Angeles area. During this time of intense labor unrest and union organizing it was not uncommon for the business industry to hire private detectives to try to infiltrate unions. There was a lot of bad blood on both sides of the labor issue.

Quite interesting about the highly publicized trial was what happened to Clarence Darrow. Hired by the American Federation of Labor to defend the MacNamara Brothers, the AF of L and Darrow tried to make heroes of the MacNamaras. During the trial there was even an attempt by the defense to bribe jurors. In fact, Darrow was placed at the scene of one of the bribe attempts where his investigator actually turned over money to a juror. After the trial was over in which Darrow convinced the MacNamara brothers to change their plea to guilty to avoid the death sentence, Darrow himself was charged with bribery. His two trials ended with hung juries but he was allowed to go home only if he agreed not to practice law again in California. After this case, because of the bribery charges, Darrow's popularity as a labor attorney ended.

The second interesting story has to do with Los Angeles' need for water. Some refer to this episode as the Los Angeles Water Wars or California Water Wars. For Los Angeles to build a suitable aqueduct system to bring water down to the city it had to acquire land in the Owens Valley. By the year 1905, through aggressive accumulation, the Los Angeles City Water Company had purchased enough land to begin building the city's aqueduct system. In fact, it was thought that by the year 1890, because of rapid population growth, Los Angeles effectively had tapped most of it's local sources of water and had even then started to acquire land for an aqueduct system. The head of the Los Angeles' Department of Water and Power was an engineer named William Mulholland. Mulholland was appointed to the position by L.A. Mayor Frederick Eaton who served from 1898-1900. He and Mulholland were credited with developing the aqueduct system. Some farmers in the Owens Valley sold out quickly because of the economy. They needed the money. Others who resisted selling held out. In fact and by 1930 those that did decide to sell received the highest prices for their land. As it turned out, the majority of farmers who did sell sold their property between the years 1905 to 1925 and they accepted much less money for their land than Los Angeles was secretly willing to pay. By the year 1928, the water diversion for the aqueduct completely drained Owens Lake. The farmers became incensed and their reaction didn't take long to turn violent. The farmers made attempts to dynamite the aqueduct, opened diversion gates and above all kept raising their prices for their land. Armed guards were assigned by the city to patrol the aqueduct. Regardless of the farmers resistance, the Owens Valley was eventually drained dry and agriculture suffered.

The St. Francis Dam was built over the years of 1924-1926 to provide a reservoir. Disaster then struck and everything pretty much ended for William Mulholland when on March 12, 1928, just two years after it's completion, the St. Francis Dam which he had both designed and supervised the construction of, failed just a few hours after he personally drove out and gave it an inspection. After accepting responsibility for what was the worst civil engineering disaster in the U.S., he resigned his position in March of 1929. It's thought that William Mulholland carried the burden of the St. Francis Dam disaster with him for the remainder of his life.

The water from the dam failure sent a wall of water some estimated as 100 feet high down the Santa Clara Valley toward the Pacific Ocean. The St. Francis Dam disaster was responsible for the deaths of an estimated 450 people including schoolchildren.. An important side note is that Frederick Eaton (the former mayor) acquired land in the mountains on the Owens River which later, prior to the building of the St. Francis Dam, was determined to be an excellent site for a needed reservoir. Eaton held out for an enormous sum of one million dollars and his land was not purchased by the city. This led to the selection of the site where Mulholland eventually built the St. Francis Dam. Later investigation determined that the St. Francis Dam failure was the result of unknown weak bedrock formations Los Angeles Acting School at the site. It's interesting to note that the weak bedrock at the St. Francis site was not noticed by the geologic experts of the era but today is easily ascertained. This is a good example of how geology and engineering has progressed over the past 100 years.

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usafphantom2 · 2 years

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Ronnie Bell Following

Japanese A6M2-N seaplanes.

American bomber B-24 Liberator bombing the Japanese A6M2-N at Holtz Bay on the island of Attu Island (Aleutian Islands). The Japanese A6M2-N is a A6M2 zero on floats

date 7th November 1942. ,The Aleutian Islands Campaign was a struggle over the Aleutian Islands, part of the Alaska Territory, in the Pacific campaign of World War II starting on 3 June 1942. A small Japanese force occupied the islands of Attu and Kiska, but the remoteness of the islands and the difficulties of weather and terrain meant that it took nearly a year for a far larger U.S. force to eject them. The islands' strategic value was their ability to control Pacific Great Circle routes. This control of the Pacific transportation routes is why U.S. General Billy Mitchell stated to the U.S. Congress in 1935, "I believe that in the future, whoever holds Alaska will hold the world. I think it is the most important strategic place in the world." The Japanese reasoned that control of the Aleutians would prevent a possible U.S. attack across the Northern Pacific. Similarly, the U.S. feared that the islands would be used as bases from which to launch aerial assaults against the West Coast.

The battle is known as the "Forgotten Battle", due to being overshadowed by the simultaneous Guadalcanal Campaign. In the past, many western military historians believed it was a diversionary or feint attack during the Battle of Midway meant to draw out the U.S. Pacific Fleet from Pearl Harbor, and was in fact launched simultaneously under the same overall commander, Isoroku Yamamoto. However, historians Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully have made an argument against this interpretation, stating that the Japanese invaded the Aleutians to protect the northern flank of their empire and did not intend it as a diversion

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militarywiz · 6 years

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The 10 Decisive Battles of World War II

U.S. Landing Ships delivering vehicles and supplies to American troops on Omaha Beach during the Allied invasion of Normandy. Many regard this as the decisive battle in the European Theater of World War II.

In the seventy years since the end of World War II, the legacy of the largest and deadliest conflict in human history remains prevalent to this very day. It was a global conflict fought with incredible ferocity, leaving entire nations devastated, millions dead, and many more wounded. To forget the lessons of this great and terrible war would be a disservice to the sacrifices made by so many. At least 50 million people died in World War II, but others suggest that the total number is higher than 80 million, including war-related factors such as disease and famine. The conflict pitted the Axis Powers, a fascist military alliance made up of Nazi Germany, Italy, the Empire of Japan, and several other nations, against the Allied Powers, an international coalition led by the United States of America, Great Britain, France, the Soviet Union, and China.

The war began on September 1, 1939, after Nazi Germany invaded Poland, compelling Great Britain and France to declare war against Germany. The conflict expanded into the Pacific on December 7, 1941, after the Empire of Japan launched a pre-emptive strike against the U.S. Pacific Fleet based at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. This list covers a series of battles fought during the war which held the greatest strategic implications, where the difference between victory and defeat could have changed the course of history. These are the ten decisive battles that ultimately decided the outcome of World War II.

10) The First and Second Battle of El Alamein

Date: July 1- November 11, 1942

Location: El Alamein, Egypt

July 17, 1942: British troops man defensive positions just outside El Alamein, Egypt.

For two years, the North African Campaign had been a series of seesaw battles fought back and forth across the Libyan Desert between the Axis Powers of Nazi Germany and Italy, and Allied forces primarily from British Commonwealth nations. In June 1942, German and Italian troops of Panzer Army Africa were pushing deep into Egyptian territory. Led by the legendary German Field Marshal, Erwin Rommel, Axis forces were threatening to advance on Alexandria, Cairo, and the Suez Canal. With the fate of North Africa and the Middle East in the balance, the British Eighth Army made a stand at the coastal town of El Alamein. Confined along a narrow front between the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the impassable Qattara Depression to the south, Panzer Army Africa was unable to outflank the British defense line. The First Battle of El Alamein (July 1- 27) ended in a bloody stalemate with heavy losses on both sides, but the Allies had finally managed to stop the Axis advance.

June 21, 1942: The commander of Panzer Army Africa, Field Marshall Erwin Rommel, speaks with German and Italian officers during the Western Desert Campaign.

October 24, 1942: Australian troops of the 9th Infantry Division charge into combat during the Second Battle of El Alamein.

Rommel desperately needed reinforcements and supplies, but Germany and Italy had committed their efforts to defeating the Soviet Union on the Eastern Front, while the Allies poured troops and resources into Egypt for a major counter-offensive. In the Second Battle of El Alamein (October 23- November 11), the British Eighth Army, now led by the audacious General Bernard Montgomery, launched an all-out attack that finally broke through the Axis defense line after bitter fighting and heavy losses on both sides. Losing almost one third of their strength, Panzer Army Africa was forced to retreat all the way back through Libya with Montgomery’s Eighth Army in pursuit. Not only had the Allies secured Egypt, they denied the Axis Powers vital access to the oilfields of the Middle East. The critical victories at El Alamein combined with Allied amphibious landings in Morocco and Algeria doomed the Axis to defeat in the North African and Mediterranean Theater.

November 7, 1942: British troops inspect an abandoned German 88mm artillery gun along the Coastal Road near El Alamein, as Axis forces begin retreating to Libya.

9) The Battle of Leyte Gulf

Date: October 23- 26, 1944

Location: Leyte Gulf, the Philippines

October 23-26, 1944: A map detailing the four major naval engagements that occurred during the Battle of Leyte Gulf in chronological order (1. Sibuyan Sea, 2. Surigao Strait, 3. Cape Engano, 4. Samar).

The largest naval battle of World War II was the decisive battle of the Pacific Theater. On October 20, 1944, American-led Allied forces began their long- awaited campaign to liberate the Philippines from Japanese occupation with amphibious landings at Leyte Gulf. If the Empire of Japan lost control over the Philippines, they would be cut off from their vital supply of oil from the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia). Despite two years of heavy losses in the Pacific, the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) launched a desperate all-out offensive to destroy the U.S. landing force at Leyte Gulf. The IJN Center Force, led by Admiral Takeo Kurita, lost two heavy cruisers to U.S. Navy submarines while sailing through the Palawan Passage in the Western Philippines. The Task Force then came under intense air attacks in the Sibuyan Sea, forcing Kurita to withdraw his ships. The IJN Southern Force was utterly decimated by battleships of the U.S. 7th Fleet further south in the Surigao Strait. The IJN Northern Force centered around three light carriers and Japan’s last major aircraft carrier, Zuikaku, took a severe beating by the Americans at Cape Engano but succeeded in luring the powerful U.S. 3rd Fleet under Admiral William Halsey away from Leyte Gulf.

October 24, 1944: The Japanese super battleship, Yamato, under attack by U.S. Naval aircraft in the Sibuyan Sea. This photograph was taken just after a bomb had struck the ship’s forward gun turret.

October 24, 1944: An American light aircraft carrier, USS Princeton (CVL-23), burns and explodes just east of Luzon after suffering catastrophic damage during the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

Meanwhile, the IJN Center Force, which the Americans believed was retreating, actually turned around and broke through the unguarded San Bernardino Strait, just north of Leyte Gulf, and headed south. With the 3rd Fleet out of position, the U.S. landing force was left exposed and vulnerable. A valiant stand made by a small task force of U.S. screening vessels just east of Samar successfully repulsed the Japanese outside Leyte Gulf and secured victory for the Allies. The result of the battle was the near total destruction of the once powerful Imperial Japanese Navy. Over 12,500 Japanese were killed, and two dozen ships were sunk, including the aircraft carrier Zuikaku, and the super battleship Musashi. The Liberation of the Philippines was all but guaranteed by that point. The United States had severed the link between the Empire of Japan and the oil fields of the Dutch East Indies, and the Allies had secured total naval superiority in the Pacific. For the Japanese, Leyte Gulf had all but assured their defeat in World War II.

October 25, 1944: With their ship listing heavily and on the verge of sinking, the crew of the aircraft carrier, Zuikaku, salute as the Imperial Japanese flag is lowered.

8) The Battle of Moscow

Date: October 2, 1941- January 7, 1942

Location: Moscow, Russia, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

December 1, 1941: Soviet troops of the Red Army march through Moscow on their way to fight the Germans on the frontlines just outside the city.

Four months after invading the Soviet Union in Operation Barbarossa, the German Wehrmacht was within striking distance of Moscow. But an offensive on the Soviet capital was delayed due to stubborn resistance by the Red Army at Smolensk and Hitler’s insistence on capturing Leningrad and Kiev first. German commanders argued for an immediate attack on Moscow while the Red Army was still weak and in disarray, but Hitler believed that the fall of Leningrad and the Ukraine would do far more damage economically and militarily to the Soviet Union. This delay gave the Red Army invaluable time to reorganize and reinforce their defenses for the coming battle.

The Soviet Union raised reserve armies, elite units were brought in from Siberia, and several formidable defensive lines were established around Moscow. Only when the Ukraine had been captured and Leningrad encircled did the Wehrmacht resume their advance on the Soviet capital. After two months of intense fighting, the German offensive was bogged down just outside the city due to fierce Soviet defenses, heavy losses, chronic supply shortages, severe winter weather, and Soviet guerrilla fighters operating in the occupied territories. German troops actually came within 15 miles of the Kremlin, but they were woefully unprepared to wage a winter campaign, and thousands froze to death.

November 30, 1941: Two German soldiers on guard duty just west of Moscow endure the harsh conditions of the Russian Winter.

December 27, 1941: A group of German soldiers march across an icy snow-covered field during the Battle of Moscow.

Reinforced by reserve units and Siberian troops, the Red Army launched a massive counteroffensive with over 1,100,000 men. Unlike the Germans, the Russians were perfectly trained and equipped to fight in winter conditions. Despite determined resistance, the exhausted German Army was gradually driven back and defeated.

The Battle of Moscow was a major symbolic and psychological victory that galvanized the Soviet Union. While the losses of 1941 were horrific, the Red Army would rebuild and grow stronger as the war went on. Hitler originally believed that the Soviet Union would be defeated by the end of 1941, but this assessment proved to be wildly optimistic. Nazi Germany was confronted with the prospect of fighting a long war of attrition on the Eastern Front. The Axis Powers were unprepared for a prolonged campaign of this scale, which they were bound to lose the longer it went on.

December 31, 1941: A Soviet T-34 Tank with supporting Infantry attack a German-controlled village just outside Moscow.

7) The Battle of Kursk

Date: July 5- August 23, 1943

Location: Kursk, Russia, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

July, 1943: German Tiger I tanks prepare to attack Soviet defenses in the northern sector of the salient around Kursk, Russia.

Seeking to regain the initiative on the Eastern Front after the catastrophic defeat at Stalingrad, Nazi Germany assembled a massive force to encircle and destroy Red Army formations around the city of Kursk. Soviet and British intelligence agencies had attained information of the coming offensive months in advance, giving the Red Army plenty of time to prepare defenses. German forces along the Eastern Front were already badly under strength; gathering troops and resources for an attack on Kursk would take time. The Germans significantly delayed the start of the offensive as they waited for the delivery of additional armored vehicles, including the new advanced Panther tanks and the fearsome Tiger Tanks. Meanwhile the Red Army continued to fortify its positions. By the time the Germans attacked, the Soviets had established a series of formidable defensive lines around Kursk, turning the area into a giant fortress. The ensuing battle would go down in history as the largest clash of tanks in the annals of warfare, including a particularly savage tank battle at the town of Prokhorovka just southeast of Kursk.

July, 1943: German troops from the 2nd SS Panzer Division with a Tiger I Tank on the offensive against the Red Army during the Battle of Kursk.

July, 1943: Soviet troops armed with PTRD-41 anti-tank rifles come under heavy fire as they defend the southern sector of the Kursk salient.

The Soviets suffered incredibly heavy losses, but German losses in tanks, equipment, and personnel were irreplaceable. The exhausted Wehrmacht had barely made it halfway through Soviet defenses when, at the height of the battle, Hitler called off the offensive. He then proceeded to transfer troops from Russia to Italy in preparation for an Invasion by the Western Allies. By July 16, the Wehrmacht had withdrawn to its original frontline around the Kursk salient. Once the Germans had been significantly weakened, the Red Army unleashed its massive reserves in a crushing counteroffensive to the north and south of Kursk, capturing key cities, and inflicting even heavier losses on the Wehrmacht. From that point on, the Soviet Union would remain on the offensive until the end of the war. The Red Army had evolved dramatically from the disasters of 1941, transforming itself into an efficient military force to be reckoned with. The Battle of Kursk had completely shattered the Wehrmacht’s offensive capabilities on the Eastern Front. Nazi Germany was doomed to fight a defensive war it could not hope to win against a massive army that was growing in strength and numbers.

September, 1943: Following their victory in the Battle of Kursk, the Red Army launches a major counteroffensive against the Germans near Bryansk, Russia.

6) The Battle of Britain

Date: July 10- October 31, 1940

Location: British Airspace

September 7, 1940: A Heinkel He 111 bomber flown by the German Luftwaffe takes part in a bombing raid over the docks in the East End of London, England.

After the fall of France in June 1940, Nazi Germany had established its dominance over Western Europe. Only Great Britain remained unscathed. When the British refused to accept Germany’s terms for peace, Adolf Hitler ordered the Luftwaffe (Air Force) to establish air superiority over Britain in preparation for a large-scale airborne and amphibious invasion codenamed Operation Sea Lion. Wave after wave of German fighters and bombers flew across Southern England attacking key military and industrial sites while seeking to destroy British fighter aircraft in air-to-air combat. From the start of the campaign, the Luftwaffe faced stubborn resistance from the fighter pilots of the Royal Air Force (RAF). Advancements in the development of radar gave the British a critical advantage, allowing them to detect and track German aircraft taking off from airfields in Nazi-occupied Europe. This, along with information from ground observers, allowed the British to scramble fighters and accurately intercept Luftwaffe formations over England. The Battle of Britain became a grueling war of attrition with heavy losses on both sides. As the air battles intensified in scale and frequency, RAF Fighter Command was increasingly pushed to its breaking point. British airfields were continuously being bombed, the RAF was struggling to field adequately trained new pilots to replace those lost in battle, and those who were still flying were on the brink of exhaustion.

September 7, 1940: Smoke rises from fires raging at the Surrey Docks in London following a Luftwaffe bombing raid.

September 7, 1940: A group of Czech fighter pilots and their British flight commanders with Squadron 310 enjoy a much-needed break at their airfield in Duxford, England. Foreign volunteers from around the world would help play a vital role with the RAF in the Battle of Britain.

On the night of August 25, RAF bombers launched a surprise attack against Berlin in retaliation after German aircraft had accidentally bombed London the previous night. In response, an enraged Hitler ordered the Luftwaffe to bomb British cities into ruins. By targeting the civilian population instead of military airfields, the Germans gave the RAF invaluable time to rebuild their fighter squadrons and repair their infrastructure. Believing that the RAF had been neutralized, the Germans were shocked when the British took to the skies with renewed strength, inflicting heavy losses on Luftwaffe formations. Unable to achieve air superiority over Southern England after three months of bitter fighting, Hitler cancelled Operation Sea Lion so he could focus on the coming war with the Soviet Union. For the British, this was a huge symbolic and psychological victory. It was the first major defeat suffered by Nazi Germany, and it would come to have major strategic ramifications. Great Britain would become the staging point for Allied campaigns to liberate Africa and Europe from Axis control. The failure to knock Britain out of the war would ultimately come back to haunt Hitler.

September 25, 1940: A gun camera records the action as a Supermarine Spitfire flown by a British pilot in the Royal Air Force (RAF) 609 Squadron, engages a formation of Heinkel He 111 bombers near Bristol, England.

5) Operation Barbarossa

Date: June 22- December 5, 1941

Location: Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (Ukraine, Belarus, the Baltic States, Russia, and Eastern Poland).

June 22, 1941: Troops of the German Wehrmacht invade the Soviet Union in what would become the largest and bloodiest campaign in the annals of warfare.

Operation Barbarossa was the largest military campaign in the history of warfare. Led by Nazi Germany, the Axis Powers amassed over four million troops for the invasion of the Soviet Union. Taken completely off guard by the speed and ferocity of the German Blitzkrieg, Soviet units along the western frontier were utterly decimated. The German Wehrmacht demonstrated clear superiority in leadership, training, tactics, weaponry, and combat experience over the Red Army. The Soviet Union suffered over four million casualties, entire formations were destroyed, and large swaths of territory fell under Nazi occupation. But as time went on, the invasion gradually lost momentum. The Germans were slowed by stubborn Soviet defenses in key battles at Brest Fortress, Minsk, Smolensk, Uman, Odessa, Kiev, Sevastopol, and Rostov. The deeper the Axis forces pushed into the Soviet Union, the further they stretched their supply lines to the breaking point. Months of savage fighting and the ongoing logistical crisis took its toll on the invaders.

July 16, 1941: German Cavalrymen enter a town near Mogilev, Byelorussia (Belarus) after intense fighting with the Red Army.

September 1, 1941: Soviet troops man defensive positions around Leningrad. Unable to capture the city during Operation Barbarossa, Axis forces would lay siege to Leningrad for over two years until the Red Army finally relieved the city on January 24, 1944.

While the Red Army had suffered appalling losses, the Soviet Union was able to mobilize its vast resources in manpower and industry to replace what they had lost. The Soviets were also aided tremendously by massive logistical and economic aid provided to them by the United States through the Lend-Lease Act. Soviet troops fought with increased skill and tenacity after learning harsh lessons from the early stages of the war. Far from breaking the Soviet Union, the Wehrmacht was confronted with increasingly fierce resistance. The Germans lacked the strength to seize Leningrad by force, so they laid siege to the city for over two years in a failed attempt to starve the defenders into submission. Elsewhere, German troops were slowed by the autumn rains which turned the roads to mud, and the onset of winter grounded them to a halt just outside Moscow. Despite achieving spectacular victories during the initial period of the invasion, Operation Barbarossa ended in failure for the Axis Powers. Both sides faced the prospect of a long war of attrition, which Nazi Germany had little hope of winning. With superior manpower and resources, the Soviet Union would grow stronger as the war progressed. Hitler’s dream of expanding the German Reich by conquering the Russian homeland would ultimately set the stage for his demise.

October, 1941: Mechanized German units battle Soviet troops in the streets of Kharkov, Ukraine.

4) The Battle of the Atlantic

Date: September 3, 1939- May 8, 1945

Location: Atlantic Ocean

October, 1941: Escorting a large supply convoy across the Atlantic Ocean, officers on the bridge of a British destroyer scan the waters for signs of German U-Boats.

The Battle of the Atlantic was the longest and most bitter campaign fought during World War II. It lasted from September 1939, when the war in Europe broke out, to May 1945 when Nazi Germany surrendered. It was also the largest battlefield in history, covering the entire Atlantic Ocean, from the shores of Europe and Africa, to the coasts of North and South America. As an island nation, Great Britain was entirely dependent on a constant flow of supplies shipped in from across the Atlantic. The German Kriegsmarine (War Navy) sought to cut Britain’s lifeline by enforcing a naval blockade. Germany's surface fleet proved to be no match for the powerful Royal Navy, but their most effective ships against the British hid silently beneath surface, striking with little to no warning. German U-Boats swarmed the Atlantic, hunting and sinking Allied merchant ships at will. The period from 1940 to 1941 was the most difficult for the Allies as hundreds of ships and their precious cargo were sunk.

November 27, 1941: An American SB2U Vindicator Scout-Bomber from the aircraft carrier, USS Ranger (CV-4), flies an anti-submarine patrol for an Allied supply convoy headed for Cape Town, South Africa.

March, 1942: Allied tanker, Dixie Arrow, begins to break in half and sink to the bottom of the Atlantic after being torpedoed by German submarine U-71.

Despite traveling with armed surface escorts, Allied merchant convoys were facing coordinated hit-and-run attacks by U-Boats operating in groups called “wolf packs.” At times, the Germans actually came close to severing the shipping routes to Great Britain. But by 1942, the tide of the war was turning against Germany. A combination of new tactics, technology, and intelligence helped the Allies defeat the U-Boats, such as the development of sonar, improved anti-submarine countermeasures, increased air cover by Allied aircraft, the massive production of merchant ships and escorts by the United States, and the breaking of the enigma code used by U-Boats to communicate via radio. The tables had turned in the Atlantic, as the hunters became the hunted. By 1943, the U-Boat threat had been effectively neutralized. From 1939 to 1945, 3,500 Allied merchant vessels were sunk, along with 175 warships, and 72,000 Allied seamen had lost their lives in the Atlantic. The Germans lost 783 U-Boats, and out of the 40,000 men who served in the U-Boat fleet, 30,000 were killed. Germany’s campaign to starve the British into submission, had ended in failure. With the naval blockade broken, the Allies were able to build up their forces in Great Britain for the coming invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe.

November 5, 1943: German submarine U-848 comes under attack by U.S. Naval aircraft in the South Atlantic.

3) The Battle of Midway

Date: June 4- 7, 1942

Location: Midway Atoll, 1,300 miles west of Hawaii

June 6, 1942: A Squadron of American SBD Dauntless dive bombers from the aircraft carrier, USS Hornet (CV-8), fly over a burning Japanese heavy cruiser near Midway.

This was the battle that many regard as the turning point of the Pacific Theater. By May 1942, the Empire of Japan had conquered most of the western Pacific, while the U.S. Pacific Fleet was still weakened from losses suffered during the surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor five months earlier. During the Battle of the Coral Sea (May 4- 8), the Pacific Fleet managed to repel a Japanese offensive in New Guinea and cripple two IJN aircraft carriers, but the Americans lost the aircraft carrier USS Lexington. The U.S. Navy was left with only three aircraft carriers to counter Japan’s next move in the Pacific. Meanwhile the Imperial Japanese Navy was planning a major offensive which they hoped would destroy the U.S. Pacific Fleet once and for all. By seizing a strategic airfield just west of Hawaii on the island of Midway, Japanese commanders hoped to force the U.S. Navy to commit its valuable aircraft carriers to repel the invasion. Once lured out of Pearl Harbor, the American carriers would be destroyed by superior Japanese forces in a battle to retake the island. But unbeknownst to the Japanese, U.S. naval intelligence had deciphered their radio transmissions and uncovered their plan to invade Midway.

June 4, 1942: The American aircraft carrier, USS Yorktown (CV-5), suffers a direct hit from a torpedo dropped by a Japanese B5N torpedo bomber during the Battle of Midway.

June 6, 1942: The Japanese Heavy Cruiser, Mikuma, suffers catastrophic damage from U.S. Naval air attacks during the Battle of Midway. This picture was taken by an SBD Dauntless shortly before the Mikuma sunk into the Pacific Ocean.

When the Combined Japanese Fleet sailed in to attack, all three American aircraft carriers were already waiting near Midway, ready to spring the trap. Taken completely by surprise, four Japanese aircraft carriers were sunk for the destruction of one American carrier, the USS Yorktown. For the United States, this was a victory of epic proportions. The Japanese carriers sunk near Midway: Akagi, Hiryu, Kaga, and Soryu, were four of the six carriers that had carried out the attack on Pearl Harbor. Imperial Japan’s aura of invincibility was shattered and their ability to carry out offensive operations had been severely degraded. It was a devastating defeat from which the Japanese would ultimately never recover from. The scale of their victory at Midway gave the United States invaluable time to gather their strength as they prepared to go on the offensive in the Pacific. The Americans were able to raise and repair many of the ships lost at Pearl Harbor and their massive industrial economy produced new warships at a rate that the Japanese could never match. For the Empire of Japan, the Battle of Midway was the beginning of their downfall.

June 20, 1942: USS Ballard picks up survivors from the Japanese aircraft carrier, Hiryu, two weeks after it was sunk by U.S. Naval aircraft during the Battle of Midway.

2) The Invasion of Normandy

Date: June 6- August 30, 1944

Location: Normandy, France

June 6, 1944: U.S. troops from the 1st Infantry Division disembark from a Coast Guard Landing Craft and advance towards a section of the Normandy coastline designated Omaha Beach during the Allied Invasion of Nazi-occupied France.

This was the battle that decided the fate of Western Europe. After years of planning, preparations, and training, Allied forces based in Great Britain were finally ready to launch the long-awaited Invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe. Across the English Channel, the Germans constructed a series of formidable defensive fortifications along the European coastline, dubbed the “Atlantic Wall.” Stretching from the Bay of Biscay in western France all the way to the arctic coast of Norway, the Nazi regime began building the wall in 1942 to repel any Allied Invasion of Western Europe. The Allies finally chose to carry out landings on the Normandy Peninsula, a region of Northern France which was reported to be the weakest section of the Atlantic Wall. In the meantime, Allied Intelligence carried out an elaborate deception campaign that kept the Germans confused as to where and when the invasion would take place.

In the early morning hours of D-Day, June 6, 1944, nearly 160,000 troops from several nations crossed the English Channel by sea and air destined for Normandy, France. Just after midnight, Allied airborne units were dropped inland behind German coastal defenses. Even though the paratroopers were badly scattered across Normandy, they still managed to capture key targets and were highly successful in creating chaos and confusion among German forces. The French Resistance assisted the Allies by harassing enemy troops and carrying out acts of sabotage on the German transportation and communication network in the region.

June 6, 1944: Landing craft carrying Canadian troops of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles towards Juno Beach during the D-Day Invasion of Normandy.

June 6, 1944: Royal Marine Commandos attached to the 3rd Infantry Division of the British Army advance into Normandy after landing on Sword Beach.

At dawn, the amphibious landings were successfully carried out along the Normandy coast with Allied troops capturing Gold, Sword, Juno, and Utah Beaches. U.S. troops faced the strongest defenses on Omaha Beach, where they suffered heavy casualties but still managed to overcome fierce German resistance to secure a small beachhead. Assisted by overwhelming air and naval firepower, the Allies were able to establish a foothold in Normandy. Allied troops gradually pushed further inland capturing key cities, such as Carentan, Cherbourg, and Caen. On July 25, the Allies launched Operation Cobra, a major offensive from Normandy, which lead to a rapid advance across France. The once powerful German Wehrmacht collapsed in the face of the onslaught. On August 25, Allied troops marched triumphantly into Paris, liberating the French Capital after four years of occupation. For the Western Allies, it was the defining Battle of World War II. For Nazi Germany, it was the beginning of the end as they were slowly crushed by the combined forces of the United States, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union.

July, 1944: U.S. troops of the 4th Armored Division advance through the town of Coutances during Operation Cobra, a major Allied offensive that would lead to the breakout from Normandy and the collapse of German armies across France.

1) The Battle of Stalingrad

Date: August 23, 1942- February2,1943

Location: Stalingrad (Volgograd), Russia, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

February, 1943: Soviet troops fighting across the ruins of Stalingrad, Russia. For over five months, the Red Army and the Wehrmacht fought bitterly for control of the city, resulting in the bloodiest and most destructive battle of World War II.

Many have regarded Stalingrad as the turning point of World War II. Not only was it the bloodiest urban battle ever fought, it was the single deadliest battle in history. After failing to outright destroy the Soviet Union during the initial invasion in 1941, Adolf Hitler sought to cripple the Soviet economy by seizing the oilfields of the Russian Caucasus. As Axis forces advanced into southern Russia, the German 6th Army was sent to capture the city of Stalingrad. Named after Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, the city was symbolically meaningful for both sides. It was also a key industrial and transportation center for the region. Before the battle, the Luftwaffe mercilessly bombed Stalingrad, turning it into a heap of burning rubble. When the Wehrmacht finally launched its ground assault, they were met with fanatical resistance. German and Soviet troops fought block by block, street by street, and house to house for control of the city. Soviet reinforcements were rushed across the river Volga under heavy fire, and despite appalling casualties they managed to help prevent the city from falling completely into enemy hands. Parts of Stalingrad such as Mamayev Kurgan, the Central Railway Station, the Red October Factory, Pavlov’s House, the Grain Elevator, and even the sewers attained a level of infamy for the scale of death and suffering both sides endured during the battle.

October, 1942: A German soldier armed with a Russian PPSh-41 submachine gun looks out over the rubble of the Barrikady Factory in Stalingrad.

October, 1942: Soviet soldiers armed with German and Russian submachine guns defend the Red October Factory in Stalingrad from German attacks.

The Germans committed scores of troops and resources to the takeover of Stalingrad but left their flanks guarded by weaker Romanian, Hungarian, and Italian units. With the Russian winter on its side, the Red Army launched a massive counteroffensive with over one million troops against the weakened flanks to the north and south of Stalingrad. The Soviets broke through as the Romanians, Hungarians, and Italians collapsed in disarray. German troops in and around Stalingrad were horrified to find that they had been completely encircled by the massive Red Army. An offensive to break through to the city along with attempts by the Luftwaffe to resupply Stalingrad by air ended in complete failure. Freezing in subzero temperatures, ravaged by frostbite, starvation, and disease, German troops inside the shattered city fought valiantly but were eventually overwhelmed by the Red Army. Never before had Nazi Germany suffered a defeat so catastrophic.

The Battle of Stalingrad led to the destruction of the German 6th Army, elements of the 4th Panzer Army, along with the Romanian, Hungarian, and Italian Armies on the Eastern Front. In total, the Axis Powers suffered 850,000 casualties. It was a devastating loss from which they would never recover from. It is estimated that the Soviet Union suffered over 1,129,000 total casualties during the battle, but they had still prevailed. Galvanized by their historic victory, Soviet forces relentlessly pushed westward, driving the Germans all the way back to Berlin, culminating in the collapse of Hitler’s Third Reich in May 1945.

February 2, 1943: Soviet soldiers move through the center of Stalingrad following it’s liberation from German occupation.

(c) Daniel Ramos. January, 2016. No part of this article shall be reproduced in any manner without attribution to the author.

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captain-price-unofficially · 9 months

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B-24 of the 308th Bomb Group, Pacific theater.

#wwii #aviation #strategic bombing campaign over the pacific #pacific theater

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freehawaii · 3 years

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KE AUPUNI UPDATE - SEPTEMBER 2021

Keeping in touch and updated on activities regarding the restoration of Ke Aupuni o Hawai`i, the Hawaiian Kingdom. Ua Mau Ke Ea O Ka `Aina I Ka Pono.

Wake-up call from 9-11 and Afghanistan

Today, on the 20th Anniversary of the devastating attack on the World Trade Center in New York (and The Pentagon), we ask ourselves: “Has the world become safer from war and violence?” The answer is: No! Instead, the world has become far, far more dangerous! The 20 years of the U.S.-led shock-n-awe military actions in the Middle-East to end terrorism and the threat to freedom and democracy, has ended in the catastrophic debacle of the American abandonment of Afghanistan two weeks ago that will have far-reaching and long-lasting impact on those whom the wars were supposed to protect… This has grave implications for us in Hawaiʻi too. One of the major lies the United States uses to justify its possession of Hawaiʻi, is they protect us from being invaded and taken-over by other less-honorable countries. They say, “Better US than them.” (pun intended) That, of course, is specious. Other countries don’t want to conquer our white sandy beaches, great weather and wonderful people of aloha. It is the U.S. strategic command center and huge military installations on Oʻahu that makes Hawaiʻi the prime target of enemies of the U.S. Case in point: The Japanese attack on December 7, 1941 was not to capture the Hawaiian Islands, but to destroy the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor. That attack was carried out by “conventional” weapons and targeted only at military bases and had limited civilian casualties. Today, it would not be dive-bombing planes, but hypersonic missiles carrying nuclear warheads a hundred times more powerful than Hiroshima. Just one could destroy not only the military installations but instantly obliterate everything and kill nearly every person on the whole island of O’ahu… followed by the deadly residual effects to the rest of our island chain. The fall of Afghanistan is a loud wake-up call. It is urgently imperative that we extricate ourselves from the clutches of the United States. As a nation, we would fare much better with kapu aloha, than with guns and missiles. The U.S. unlawful presence in the Hawaiian Islands is not only illegal, it places us in mortal danger. The more we stand as free people; the more we assert the Hawaiian Kingdom is alive and kicking; the quicker we can realize a Free Hawaii. SIGN THIS PETITION… Rename McKinley High School and remove the McKinley statue! Our prodding worked! The DOE told us we they will soon start seeking public input. That means they are considering it. Sign this online petition NOW! Tell everyone you know to sign it too! PLEASE KŌKUA… Your kōkua, large or small, is vital to this effort... To contribute, go to: • GoFundMe – CAMPAIGN TO FREE HAWAII • PayPal – use account email: [email protected] • Other – To contribute in other ways (airline miles, travel vouchers, professional services, etc...) email us at: [email protected] FREE HAWAII T-SHIRTS - etc. Check out the great FREE HAWAII products you can purchase at... http://www.robkajiwara.com/store/c8/free_hawaii_products All proceeds are used to help the cause. Malama Pono, Leon Siu Hawaiian National

#ke aupuni #leon siu #free hawaii #hawaiian kingdom

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brookstonalmanac · 3 years

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Events 8.17

309/310 – Pope Eusebius is banished by the Emperor Maxentius to Sicily, where he dies, perhaps from a hunger strike. 682 – Pope Leo II begins his pontificate. 986 – Byzantine–Bulgarian wars: Battle of the Gates of Trajan: The Bulgarians under the Comitopuli Samuel and Aron defeat the Byzantine forces at the Gate of Trajan, with Byzantine Emperor Basil II barely escaping. 1186 – Georgenberg Pact: Ottokar IV, Duke of Styria and Leopold V, Duke of Austria sign a heritage agreement in which Ottokar gives his duchy to Leopold and to his son Frederick under the stipulation that Austria and Styria would henceforth remain undivided. 1386 – Karl Topia, the ruler of Princedom of Albania forges an alliance with the Republic of Venice, committing to participate in all wars of the Republic and receiving coastal protection against the Ottomans in return. 1424 – Hundred Years' War: Battle of Verneuil: An English force under John, Duke of Bedford defeats a larger French army under Jean II, Duke of Alençon, John Stewart, and Earl Archibald of Douglas. 1498 – Cesare Borgia, son of Pope Alexander VI, becomes the first person in history to resign the cardinalate; later that same day, King Louis XII of France names him Duke of Valentinois. 1549 – Battle of Sampford Courtenay: The Prayer Book Rebellion is quashed in England. 1560 – The Catholic Church is overthrown and Protestantism is established as the national religion in Scotland. 1585 – Eighty Years' War: Siege of Antwerp: Antwerp is captured by Spanish forces under Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma, who orders Protestants to leave the city and as a result over half of the 100,000 inhabitants flee to the northern provinces. 1585 – A first group of colonists sent by Sir Walter Raleigh under the charge of Ralph Lane lands in the New World to create Roanoke Colony on Roanoke Island, off the coast of present-day North Carolina. 1597 – Islands Voyage: Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, and Sir Walter Raleigh set sail on an expedition to the Azores. 1668 – A magnitude 8.0 earthquake causes 8,000 deaths in Anatolia, Ottoman Empire. 1712 – Action of 17 August 1712 New Deep naval battle between Denmark and Sweden. 1717 – Austro-Turkish War of 1716–18: The month-long Siege of Belgrade ends with Prince Eugene of Savoy's Austrian troops capturing the city from the Ottoman Empire. 1723 – Ioan Giurgiu Patachi becomes Bishop of Făgăraș and is festively installed in his position at the St. Nicolas Cathedral in Făgăraș, after being formally confirmed earlier by Pope Clement XI. 1740 – Pope Benedict XIV, previously known as Prospero Lambertini, succeeds Clement XII as the 247th Pope. 1784 – Classical composer Luigi Boccherini receives a pay rise of 12000 reals from his employer, the Infante Luis, Count of Chinchón. 1798 – The Vietnamese Catholics report a Marian apparition in Quảng Trị, an event which is called Our Lady of La Vang. 1807 – Robert Fulton's North River Steamboat leaves New York City for Albany, New York, on the Hudson River, inaugurating the first commercial steamboat service in the world. 1808 – The Finnish War: The Battle of Alavus was fought. 1827 – Dutch King William I and Pope Leo XII sign concord. 1836 – British parliament accepts registration of births, marriages and deaths. 1862 – American Indian Wars: The Dakota War of 1862 begins in Minnesota as Dakota warriors attack white settlements along the Minnesota River. 1862 – American Civil War: Major General J. E. B. Stuart is assigned command of all the cavalry of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. 1863 – American Civil War: In Charleston, South Carolina, Union batteries and ships bombard Confederate-held Fort Sumter. 1864 – American Civil War: Battle of Gainesville: Confederate forces defeat Union troops near Gainesville, Florida. 1866 – The Grand Duchy of Baden announces her withdrawal from the German Confederation and signs a treaty of peace and alliance with Prussia. 1883 – The first public performance of the Dominican Republic's national anthem, Himno Nacional. 1896 – Bridget Driscoll became the first recorded case of a pedestrian killed in a collision with a motor car in the United Kingdom. 1914 – World War I: Battle of Stallupönen: The German army of General Hermann von François defeats the Russian force commanded by Paul von Rennenkampf near modern-day Nesterov, Russia. 1915 – Jewish American Leo Frank is lynched in Marietta, Georgia after a 13-year-old girl is murdered. 1915 – A Category 4 hurricane hits Galveston, Texas with winds at 135 miles per hour (217 km/h). 1916 – World War I: Romania signs a secret treaty with the Entente Powers. According to the treaty, Romania agreed to join the war on the Allied side. 1918 – Bolshevik revolutionary leader Moisei Uritsky is assassinated. 1942 – World War II: U.S. Marines raid the Japanese-held Pacific island of Makin. 1943 – World War II: The U.S. Eighth Air Force suffers the loss of 60 bombers on the Schweinfurt–Regensburg mission. 1943 – World War II: The U.S. Seventh Army under General George S. Patton arrives in Messina, Italy, followed several hours later by the British 8th Army under Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, thus completing the Allied conquest of Sicily. 1943 – World War II: First Québec Conference of Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and William Lyon Mackenzie King begins. 1943 – World War II: The Royal Air Force begins Operation Hydra, the first air raid of the Operation Crossbow strategic bombing campaign against Germany's V-weapon program. 1945 – Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta proclaim the independence of Indonesia, igniting the Indonesian National Revolution against the Dutch Empire. 1945 – The novella Animal Farm by George Orwell is first published. 1947 – The Radcliffe Line, the border between the Dominions of India and Pakistan, is revealed. 1953 – First meeting of Narcotics Anonymous takes place, in Southern California. 1955 – Hurricane Diane made landfall near Wilmington, North Carolina, and it went on to cause major floods and kill more than 184 people. 1958 – Pioneer 0, America's first attempt at lunar orbit, is launched using the first Thor-Able rocket and fails. Notable as one of the first attempted launches beyond Earth orbit by any country. 1959 – Quake Lake is formed by the magnitude 7.5 1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake near Hebgen Lake in Montana. 1962 – Peter Fechter is shot and bleeds to death while trying to cross the new Berlin Wall. 1969 – Category 5 Hurricane Camille hits the U.S. Gulf Coast, killing 256 and causing $1.42 billion in damage. 1970 – Venera program: Venera 7 launched. It will later become the first spacecraft to successfully transmit data from the surface of another planet (Venus). 1977 – The Soviet icebreaker Arktika becomes the first surface ship to reach the North Pole. 1978 – Double Eagle II becomes first balloon to cross the Atlantic Ocean when it lands in Miserey, France near Paris, 137 hours after leaving Presque Isle, Maine. 1985 – The 1985–86 Hormel strike begins in Austin, Minnesota. 1988 – President of Pakistan Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq and U.S. Ambassador Arnold Raphel are killed in a plane crash. 1991 – Strathfield massacre: In Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, taxi driver Wade Frankum shoots seven people and injures six others before turning the gun on himself. 1998 – Lewinsky scandal: US President Bill Clinton admits in taped testimony that he had an "improper physical relationship" with White House intern Monica Lewinsky; later that same day he admits before the nation that he "misled people" about the relationship. 1999 – The 7.6 Mw  İzmit earthquake shakes northwestern Turkey with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), leaving 17,118–17,127 dead and 43,953–50,000 injured. 2004 – The National Assembly of Serbia unanimously adopts new state symbols for Serbia: Bože pravde becomes the new anthem and the coat of arms is adopted for the whole country. 2005 – The first forced evacuation of settlers, as part of Israeli disengagement from Gaza, starts. 2005 – Over 500 bombs are set off by terrorists at 300 locations in 63 out of the 64 districts of Bangladesh. 2008 – American swimmer Michael Phelps becomes the first person to win eight gold medals at one Olympic Games. 2009 – An accident at the Sayano-Shushenskaya Dam in Khakassia, Russia, kills 75 and shuts down the hydroelectric power station, leading to widespread power failure in the local area. 2015 – A bomb explodes near the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok, Thailand, killing at least 19 people and injuring 123 others. 2017 – Barcelona attacks: A van is driven into pedestrians in La Rambla, killing 14 and injuring at least 100. 2019 – A bomb explodes at a wedding in Kabul killing 63 people and leaving 182 injured.

#Events

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dan6085 · 11 months

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The US bombing of Manila in 1945 was a significant event during World War II that resulted in devastating consequences for the city and its residents. Let's delve into a detailed essay on this historical event:

Title: The Tragedy of Manila: A Closer Look at the US Bombing of 1945

Introduction:

The US bombing of Manila in 1945 was a brutal episode during World War II, marking the city's darkest days. This essay explores the circumstances that led to the bombing, the events that unfolded during the attack, and the far-reaching impact it had on the city and its people.

1. Historical Context:

To understand the bombing of Manila, we must first examine the broader historical context of World War II in the Pacific. The Philippines, a US territory at the time, fell under Japanese occupation in 1942, subjecting its inhabitants to oppression and brutality. The return of US forces to liberate the Philippines prompted a series of intense battles, leading to the 1945 Manila offensive.

2. The Battle of Manila:

The battle for the liberation of Manila began on February 3, 1945, with US and Filipino forces aiming to recapture the city from Japanese control. The Japanese Imperial Army fiercely resisted, resulting in intense urban warfare. Street-to-street fighting caused significant destruction to the city's infrastructure.

3. The Decision to Bomb:

As the battle prolonged, General Douglas MacArthur, the overall commander of US forces in the Pacific, faced a difficult decision. With fierce Japanese resistance and increasing casualties on both sides, he chose to employ a massive aerial bombardment to dislodge the Japanese from fortified positions.

4. The Aerial Bombing:

On February 13, 1945, the US Army Air Corps commenced a strategic bombing campaign over Manila. B-24 and B-25 bombers relentlessly targeted Japanese positions in the city. However, the tight urban setting made it challenging to avoid civilian casualties.

5. Collateral Damage:

The US bombing campaign aimed to target military installations, but it had severe unintended consequences. The tightly packed neighborhoods of Manila made it difficult to avoid civilian areas, leading to substantial collateral damage and loss of innocent lives.

6. Destruction and Loss of Lives:

The bombings caused extensive damage to the city, destroying infrastructure, homes, and historical landmarks. The human toll was immense, with estimates of civilian deaths ranging from 100,000 to 500,000, making it one of the most devastating urban battles of World War II.

7. Cultural and Historical Losses:

The destruction of Manila resulted in the loss of significant cultural heritage and historical artifacts. Irreplaceable landmarks, such as the Manila Cathedral and University of Santo Tomas, were severely damaged, leading to a devastating impact on the country's cultural identity.

8. Aftermath and Rebuilding:

After the battle, the city was left in ruins. The process of rebuilding was slow and challenging, with the war's aftermath affecting the nation's economy and society. The bombing of Manila became a symbol of the horrors of war and the need for peace.

Conclusion:

The US bombing of Manila in 1945 was a tragic chapter in the city's history. While it aimed to liberate the city from Japanese occupation, it resulted in massive civilian casualties and irreversible damage to the city's cultural heritage. It serves as a reminder of the devastating consequences of armed conflicts in urban areas and the importance of protecting civilian lives during times of war. Remembering this historical event urges us to strive for peace and seek diplomatic resolutions to conflicts in the modern world.

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sentinelchicken · 5 years

Photo

The B-17G “Texas Raiders” on its bombing run! Well, sort of. You get the idea. ⠀ ⠀ During the strategic bombing campaign against Nazi Germany, most B-17 Flying Fortress missions were flown from 25,000-30,000 feet, but if the target was weakly defended by flak, the bombing missions could take place at considerably lower altitudes on the order of 15,000 feet. Bombing accuracy tailed off with increasing altitude as did flak accuracy, for that matter. ⠀ ⠀ Interestingly in the Pacific Theater, most B-17 missions were flown from medium altitude and the B-17s were even trialed in low altitude skip-bombing, but that was a mission better suited to medium bombers like the B-25 Mitchell or A-20 Havoc that were more maneuverable at low level.⠀ ⠀ USAAF planners were not biased by notions of the accuracy of high altitude daylight bombing. Data from training and ongoing missions showed that a bomber at 20,000 feet at a 1.2% chance of hitting a 100x100 foot square target zone. That meant you needed just over 200 bombers to have a 90% chance of destroying that target. The standard 500 lb bomb had a lethal radius of under 90 feet and it dug a crater just two feet deep and nine feet across. As a result, the need for 1000-plane bombing missions against key targets becomes pretty obvious!⠀ ⠀ The B-17 did have fairly respectable high altitude performance thanks to a lightly loaded wing. Postwar, some B-17 target drones were flown to 40,000 feet and one Boeing test crew took a B-17 to just over 43,000 feet, setting an altitude record for four-engined piston aircraft. ⠀ ⠀ #avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #KRBD #RBD #Dallas #airport #texas #igtexas #Boeing #B17 #FlyingFortress #TexasRaiders #CommemorativeAirForce #USAAF #WW2 #mil_aviation_originals #instaaviation #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #flight #AvgeekNation #WingsOverDallas2018 #WoD2018 #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge (at Dallas Executive Airport) https://www.instagram.com/p/B4v7nb-hZYR/?igshid=1e57rs1eq0gyp

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newstfionline · 3 years

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Tuesday, June 29, 2021

Offices after COVID: Wider hallways, fewer desks (AP) The coronavirus already changed the way we work. Now it’s changing the physical space, too. Many companies are making adjustments to their offices to help employees feel safer as they return to in-person work, like improving air circulation systems or moving desks further apart. Others are ditching desks and building more conference rooms to accommodate employees who still work remotely but come in for meetings. Architects and designers say this is a time of experimentation and reflection for employers. Steelcase, an office furniture company based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, says its research indicates half of global companies plan major redesigns to their office space this year. “This year caused you to think, maybe even more fundamentally than you ever have before, ‘Hey, why do we go to an office?’” said Natalie Engels, a San Jose, California-based design principal at Gensler, an architecture firm.

Canada sets record temperature of over 114 degrees amid heat wave, forecasts of even hotter weather (Washington Post) Lytton, a village in British Columbia, became the first place in Canada to ever record a temperature over 113 degrees Fahrenheit on Sunday—and experts are predicting even hotter weather to come. The temperature in Lytton soared to just under 115 degrees Sunday, according to Environment Canada, a government weather agency. “It’s warmer in parts of western Canada than in Dubai. I mean, it’s just not something that seems Canadian,” Environment Canada senior climatologist David Phillips told CTV News on Saturday. Even in the metropolitan hub of Vancouver, parks, beaches and pools have been flooded with residents eager to cool off as the temperature hit 89 degrees at the local airport on Sunday—a record in a coastal city that usually has mild weather. The high temperatures in the region have been blamed on a “heat dome”—a sprawling area of high pressure—now sitting over western Canada and the Pacific Northwest. Experts say climate change can make extreme weather events like this more common.

Florida condo collapse echoes tragedies in Brazil, Egypt and India (Washington Post) Around the world, in countries with paltry building codes, little enforcement of existing rules and the proliferation of informal housing, tragedies like Thursday’s building collapse in Florida—where scores of people are still missing—have taken a heavy toll. Among the missing is the first cousin of a former president of Chile, where in 2019 at least six people died when two houses collapsed in the port city of Valparaiso. Others are from Argentina and Colombia, sites of two deadly building tragedies that killed at least a dozen people in each country in 2013. On Friday, five people were killed in the coastal Egyptian city of Alexandria after a five-story building collapsed—an all-too-frequent event in a country where planning permits are often bypassed or violated and makeshift structures house millions of people. At least two people died in Brazil when a four-story residential building crumbled June 3 in a slum in Rio de Janeiro, were organized crime is known to have a hand in shoddy construction projects. In India, buildings are routinely at risk of collapse during the annual monsoon rains. The night of June 9, at least 11 people, including eight children, were killed in Mumbai when a two-story building collapsed on nearby structures, the BBC reported. Local authorities said it was likely due to heavy rains.

New Cuba policy on hold while Biden deals with bigger problems (Washington Post) Five months into his administration, President Biden’s campaign promise to “go back” to the Obama policy of engagement with Cuba remains unfulfilled, lodged in a low-priority file somewhere between “too hard” and “not worth it.” “I would say that 2021 is not 2015,” when Obama reestablished full diplomatic relations with Havana and opened the door to increased U.S. travel and trade with the communist-ruled island, only to see Donald Trump slam it closed again, a senior administration official said. “We have an entire world and a region in disarray,” the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. “We are combating a pandemic and dealing with a breaking down of democracy in a whole host of countries. That is the environment we are in. When it comes down to Cuba, we’ll do what’s in the national security interest of the United States.” But if the current state of the world and national security demands on the administration make addressing the relationship with Cuba one hard problem too many, what makes it not worth the effort is a purely domestic matter. For the most part, it comes down to two words: Robert Menendez. The Democratic senator from New Jersey, the powerful chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, is a key player in issues the administration sees as far more important than Cuba in a Senate evenly split along party lines. The U.S.-born son of immigrants from pre-communist Cuba, he is strongly against reopening the door to Havana.

Venezuela migrants cross US border in droves (AP) Marianela Rojas huddles in prayer with her fellow migrants, a tearful respite after trudging across a slow-flowing stretch of the Rio Grande and nearly collapsing onto someone’s backyard lawn, where, seconds before, she stepped on American soil for the first time. It’s a frequent scene across the U.S.-Mexico border at a time of swelling migration. But these aren’t farmers and low-wage workers from Mexico or Central America, who make up the bulk of those crossing. They’re bankers, doctors and engineers from Venezuela, and they’re arriving in record numbers as they flee turmoil in the country with the world’s largest oil reserves and pandemic-induced pain across South America. Last month, 7,484 Venezuelans were encountered by Border Patrol agents along the U.S.-Mexico border—more than all 14 years for which records exist. While some are government opponents fearing harassment and jailing, the vast majority are escaping long-running economic devastation marked by blackouts and shortages of food and medicine.

Peru’s election limbo (Foreign Policy) Supporters of both Pedro Castillo and Keiko Fujimori took to the streets of Peru over the weekend as the June 6 presidential election still does not have an official winner. Castillo’s apparent 44,000-vote victory has been delayed by Fujimori’s accusations of fraud in an election process that international observers, including the United States, have described as free and fair. An electoral jury charged with adjudicating contested ballots resumes its review today, with an official result only possible once the jury’s work has concluded.

Who needs hackers? (Foreign Policy) A spat between Russia and the United Kingdom over a British naval vessel’s transit near Russian-occupied Crimea took a bizarre turn over the weekend when classified documents about the operation were found in a sodden heap behind a bus stop in Kent. The documents, given to the BBC, describe the boat’s journey—which caused Russia to scramble military jets—as an “innocent passage through Ukrainian territorial waters,” and includes potential routes that would have avoided a Russian response. The British government has launched an investigation into how the documents leaked. Responding to the incident, Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova mocked the British government. “Why do we need ‘Russian hackers’ if there are British bus stops?,” Zakharova said on Telegram.

The Far-Right Stumbles in France (Foreign Policy) The French far-right fared poorly in regional elections over the weekend, failing to win control of even one of France’s 18 regions and potentially denting Marine Le Pen’s chances ahead of next year’s presidential contest. Le Pen will hope that the low turnout belies greater support on the national stage. An estimated 34.5 percent of French voters cast a ballot on Sunday.

Spain, Portugal further restrict UK travelers (AP) Spain and Portugal have placed new restrictions on U.K. travelers. Portugal says they must go into quarantine for two weeks unless they have proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 finished 14 days earlier. The policy took effect Monday. The government says people can quarantine at home or in a place stipulated by Portuguese health authorities. Arrivals from Brazil, India and South Africa come under the same rule. All others entering Portugal must show either the European Union’s COVID Digital Certificate or a negative PCR test. In Spain, beginning Thursday, people arriving from the U.K. in the Balearic Islands will have to show they have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or have a negative PCR test.

India Shifts 50,000 Troops to China Border in Historic Move (Bloomberg) India has redirected at least 50,000 additional troops to its border with China in a historic shift toward an offensive military posture against the world’s second-biggest economy. Although the two countries battled in the Himalayas in 1962, India’s strategic focus has primarily been Pakistan since the British left the subcontinent, with the long-time rivals fighting three wars over the disputed region of Kashmir. Yet since the deadliest India-China fighting in decades last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration has sought to ease tensions with Islamabad and concentrate primarily on countering Beijing. Over the past few months, India has moved troops and fighter jet squadrons to three distinct areas along its border with China, according to four people familiar with the matter. All in all, India now has roughly 200,000 troops focused on the border, two of them said, which is an increase of more than 40% from last year. China is adding fresh runway buildings, bomb-proof bunkers to house fighter jets and new airfields along the disputed border in Tibet, two of the people said. Beijing also adding long-range artillery, tanks, rocket regiments and twin-engine fighters in the last few months.

U.S. targets Iran-backed militias in Iraq, Syria strikes (Washington Post) U.S. forces launched airstrikes on facilities on both sides of the Iraq-Syria border, the Pentagon said Sunday, in response to recent drone attacks on U.S. troops in the region carried out by Iran-backed militias. Two militia locations in Syria were attacked, along with one in Iraq, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in a statement, which described the strikes as defensive in nature. Officials have said militias employing small, explosive-laden drones to attack regional U.S. personnel is one of the chief concerns for the U.S. military mission there. Syrian state media said, without providing evidence, that U.S. strikes hit residential buildings near the border around 1 a.m. local time, killing one child and wounding three residents.

Palestinians protesting against Abbas (AP) Thousands of Palestinians have taken to the streets in recent days to protest against President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority, whose security forces and supporters have violently dispersed them. The demonstrations were sparked by the death of an outspoken critic of the PA in security forces’ custody last week, but the grievances run much deeper. Abbas’ popularity plunged after he called off the first elections in 15 years in April and was sidelined by the Gaza war in May. The PA has long been seen as rife with corruption and intolerant of dissent. Its policy of coordinating security with Israel to go after Hamas and other mutual foes is extremely unpopular. Protesters at the Al-Aqsa mosque on Friday accused the PA of being collaborators, a charge that amounts to treason.

Ethiopia declares immediate, unilateral cease-fire in Tigray (AP) Ethiopia’s government on Monday declared an immediate, unilateral cease-fire in its Tigray region after nearly eight months of deadly conflict as Tigray forces occupied the regional capital, soldiers retreated and hundreds of thousands of people continue to face the world’s worst famine crisis in a decade. The cease-fire could calm a war that has destabilized Africa’s second most populous country and threatened to do the same in the wider Horn of Africa, where Ethiopia has been seen as a key security ally for the West. The declaration was carried by state media shortly after the Tigray interim administration, appointed by the federal government, fled the regional capital, Mekele. Meanwhile, Mekele residents cheered the return of Tigray forces for the first time since Ethiopian forces took the city in late November. Ethiopia said the cease-fire will last until the end of the crucial planting season in Tigray. The season’s end comes in September.

After pandemic free-for-all, parents struggle to reinstate screen-time rules (Washington Post) The week after Rebecca Grant took away her kids’ video games for a month, after a year of relaxed pandemic rules, her 10-year-old son was livid. The ban wasn’t an easy decision for Grant. The 46-year-old mom of two from Fremont, Calif., did hours of research and read multiple books from parenting experts. She joined Facebook groups for families in similar situations and closely watched her children’s behavior, which had been worrisome for a while. “He was really not taking it well,” Grant said. “In a way, it reinforced my decision. He’s just so attached to this [video games], he’s not rational.” After 15 months of various levels of shutdowns, families in the United States are trying to come out of a tech-filled haze for summer. It’s a chance to swap out Xbox time for bike rides with friends, or Zoom school for summer camp. But parents are discovering that subtracting screen time is much harder to do than adding it. They are facing resistance from kids accustomed to their freedom or just struggling to find alternatives to fill the time before a more normal fall school semester begins. While some parents just want their kids to be social or active again, many have noticed personality and behavioral changes in their children. They’re irritable, argumentative and have poor focus. Some have become anxious or depressed, or throw more tantrums and fly into rages. “Having all that screen time all day for a whole year, their nervous system is really disregulated, and those symptoms need to be reversed,” said Victoria Dunckley, a child psychiatrist who studies the impact of screens on children and the author of “Reset Your Child’s Brain.” “All this overstimulation is putting them into a state of stress.”

#headlines #news

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