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re: WWII Buffs – what was the most audacious action by a US unit in the war?
Posted on 5/14/19 at 2:51 pm to Jim Rockford
Posted on 5/14/19 at 2:51 pm to Jim Rockford
quote:
The Manhattan Project
quote:
At the Trinity shot, scientists were taking bets on whether it would ignite the atmosphere.
Oppenheimer gave it a 50/50 chance of doing so.
0
Posted on 5/14/19 at 2:51 pm to el Gaucho
Torpedo 8 at Midway...
Posted on 5/14/19 at 2:56 pm to McGregor
Would’ve rather jumped.
Posted on 5/14/19 at 2:57 pm to Breauxsif
As to the OP, I really think the Taffy 3 action took the biggest balls of the war.
7 destroyers and destroyer escorts against 23 Japanese cruisers, destroyers and two battleships, including the most powerful in the world, the "Yamato".
The escort carriers and destroyer escorts which had been designed to protect slow convoys from submarine attack had been repurposed to attack ground targets, and had few torpedoes as they could normally rely on Halsey's fleet to protect them from any threats from armored warships. A Japanese surface force of battleships and cruisers, battered earlier in the larger battle and thought to have been in retreat, instead turned around unobserved and encountered the northernmost of the three groups, Task Unit 77.4.3 ("Taffy 3"), commanded by Rear Admiral Clifton Sprague. Taffy 3's three destroyers and four destroyer escorts possessed neither the firepower nor the armor to effectively oppose the 23 ships of the Japanese force, but nevertheless desperately attacked with 5"/38 caliber guns and torpedoes to cover the retreat of their slow "jeep" carriers. Aircraft from the carriers of Taffy 1, 2, and 3, including FM-2 Wildcats, F6F Hellcats and TBM Avengers, strafed, bombed, torpedoed, rocketed, depth-charged, fired at least one .38 caliber handgun and made numerous "dry" runs at the Japanese force when the American planes ultimately ran out of ammunition.[3][4]
Sprague's task unit lost two escort carriers, two destroyers, a destroyer escort and several aircraft. Over a thousand Americans died, comparable to the combined losses of American men and ships at the better known Battles of the Coral Sea and Midway. But in exchange for the heavy losses for such a small force, they sank or disabled three Japanese cruisers and caused enough confusion to persuade the Japanese commander, Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita, to regroup and ultimately withdraw, rather than advancing to sink troop and supply ships at Leyte Gulf. In the combined Battle of Leyte Gulf, 10,000 Japanese sailors and 3,000 Americans died. Although the battleship Yamato and the remaining force returned to Japan, the battles marked the final defeat of the Imperial Japanese Navy, as the ships remained in port for most of the rest of the war and ceased to be an effective naval force.[5]
7 destroyers and destroyer escorts against 23 Japanese cruisers, destroyers and two battleships, including the most powerful in the world, the "Yamato".
The escort carriers and destroyer escorts which had been designed to protect slow convoys from submarine attack had been repurposed to attack ground targets, and had few torpedoes as they could normally rely on Halsey's fleet to protect them from any threats from armored warships. A Japanese surface force of battleships and cruisers, battered earlier in the larger battle and thought to have been in retreat, instead turned around unobserved and encountered the northernmost of the three groups, Task Unit 77.4.3 ("Taffy 3"), commanded by Rear Admiral Clifton Sprague. Taffy 3's three destroyers and four destroyer escorts possessed neither the firepower nor the armor to effectively oppose the 23 ships of the Japanese force, but nevertheless desperately attacked with 5"/38 caliber guns and torpedoes to cover the retreat of their slow "jeep" carriers. Aircraft from the carriers of Taffy 1, 2, and 3, including FM-2 Wildcats, F6F Hellcats and TBM Avengers, strafed, bombed, torpedoed, rocketed, depth-charged, fired at least one .38 caliber handgun and made numerous "dry" runs at the Japanese force when the American planes ultimately ran out of ammunition.[3][4]
Sprague's task unit lost two escort carriers, two destroyers, a destroyer escort and several aircraft. Over a thousand Americans died, comparable to the combined losses of American men and ships at the better known Battles of the Coral Sea and Midway. But in exchange for the heavy losses for such a small force, they sank or disabled three Japanese cruisers and caused enough confusion to persuade the Japanese commander, Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita, to regroup and ultimately withdraw, rather than advancing to sink troop and supply ships at Leyte Gulf. In the combined Battle of Leyte Gulf, 10,000 Japanese sailors and 3,000 Americans died. Although the battleship Yamato and the remaining force returned to Japan, the battles marked the final defeat of the Imperial Japanese Navy, as the ships remained in port for most of the rest of the war and ceased to be an effective naval force.[5]
Posted on 5/14/19 at 3:17 pm to el Gaucho
quote:
My grandpa killed fiddy men in world war 2
He shoveled shite in Louisiana.
Posted on 5/14/19 at 3:19 pm to El Magnifico
quote:
Fire bombing of civilians in Dresden
That was largely the Brits and Arthur "Bomber" Harris.
After multiple German bomber, buzz-bomb, and V-2 attacks on the civilians of London. Karma is a bitch.
Posted on 5/14/19 at 4:01 pm to blueridgeTiger
"NUTS!"
On December 22, 1944, von Lüttwitz dispatched a party, consisting of a major, a lieutenant, and two enlisted men under a flag of truce to deliver an ultimatum. Entering the American lines southeast of Bastogne (occupied by Company F, 2nd Battalion, 327th Glider Infantry), the German party delivered the following to Gen. McAuliffe:.[2]
To the U.S.A. Commander of the encircled town of Bastogne.
The fortune of war is changing. This time the U.S.A. forces in and near Bastogne have been encircled by strong German armored units. More German armored units have crossed the river Our near Ortheuville, have taken Marche and reached St. Hubert by passing through Hompre-Sibret-Tillet. Libramont is in German hands.
There is only one possibility to save the encircled U.S.A. troops from total annihilation: that is the honorable surrender of the encircled town. In order to think it over a term of two hours will be granted beginning with the presentation of this note.
If this proposal should be rejected one German Artillery Corps and six heavy A. A. Battalions are ready to annihilate the U.S.A. troops in and near Bastogne. The order for firing will be given immediately after this two hours term.
All the serious civilian losses caused by this artillery fire would not correspond with the well-known American humanity.
The German Commander.
Brigadier General Anthony McAuliffe and his staff gathered inside Bastogne's Heintz Barracks for Christmas dinner December 25th, 1944. This military barracks served as the Division Main Command Post during the siege of Bastogne, Belgium during World War II.
According to those present when McAuliffe received the German message, he read it, crumpled it into a ball, threw it in a wastepaper basket, and muttered, "Aw, nuts". The officers in McAuliffe's command post were trying to find suitable language for an official reply when Lt. Col. Harry Kinnard suggested that McAuliffe's first response summed up the situation pretty well, and the others agreed. The official reply was typed and delivered by Colonel Joseph Harper, commanding the 327th Glider Infantry, to the German delegation. It was as follows:
To the German Commander.
NUTS!
The American Commander.
The German major appeared confused and asked Harper what the message meant. Harper said, "In plain English? Go to hell."[3] The choice of "Nuts!" rather than something earthier was typical for McAuliffe. Vincent Vicari, his personal aide at the time, recalled that "General Mac was the only general I ever knew who did not use profane language. 'Nuts' was part of his normal vocabulary."[4]
The artillery fire did not materialize, although several infantry and tank assaults were directed at the positions of the 327th Glider Infantry. In addition, the German Luftwaffe attacked the town, bombing it nightly. The 101st held off the Germans until the 4th Armored Division arrived on December 26 to provide reinforcement.
On December 22, 1944, von Lüttwitz dispatched a party, consisting of a major, a lieutenant, and two enlisted men under a flag of truce to deliver an ultimatum. Entering the American lines southeast of Bastogne (occupied by Company F, 2nd Battalion, 327th Glider Infantry), the German party delivered the following to Gen. McAuliffe:.[2]
To the U.S.A. Commander of the encircled town of Bastogne.
The fortune of war is changing. This time the U.S.A. forces in and near Bastogne have been encircled by strong German armored units. More German armored units have crossed the river Our near Ortheuville, have taken Marche and reached St. Hubert by passing through Hompre-Sibret-Tillet. Libramont is in German hands.
There is only one possibility to save the encircled U.S.A. troops from total annihilation: that is the honorable surrender of the encircled town. In order to think it over a term of two hours will be granted beginning with the presentation of this note.
If this proposal should be rejected one German Artillery Corps and six heavy A. A. Battalions are ready to annihilate the U.S.A. troops in and near Bastogne. The order for firing will be given immediately after this two hours term.
All the serious civilian losses caused by this artillery fire would not correspond with the well-known American humanity.
The German Commander.
Brigadier General Anthony McAuliffe and his staff gathered inside Bastogne's Heintz Barracks for Christmas dinner December 25th, 1944. This military barracks served as the Division Main Command Post during the siege of Bastogne, Belgium during World War II.
According to those present when McAuliffe received the German message, he read it, crumpled it into a ball, threw it in a wastepaper basket, and muttered, "Aw, nuts". The officers in McAuliffe's command post were trying to find suitable language for an official reply when Lt. Col. Harry Kinnard suggested that McAuliffe's first response summed up the situation pretty well, and the others agreed. The official reply was typed and delivered by Colonel Joseph Harper, commanding the 327th Glider Infantry, to the German delegation. It was as follows:
To the German Commander.
NUTS!
The American Commander.
The German major appeared confused and asked Harper what the message meant. Harper said, "In plain English? Go to hell."[3] The choice of "Nuts!" rather than something earthier was typical for McAuliffe. Vincent Vicari, his personal aide at the time, recalled that "General Mac was the only general I ever knew who did not use profane language. 'Nuts' was part of his normal vocabulary."[4]
The artillery fire did not materialize, although several infantry and tank assaults were directed at the positions of the 327th Glider Infantry. In addition, the German Luftwaffe attacked the town, bombing it nightly. The 101st held off the Germans until the 4th Armored Division arrived on December 26 to provide reinforcement.
Posted on 5/14/19 at 4:04 pm to blueridgeTiger
force 10 from navarone
Posted on 5/14/19 at 4:17 pm to Jim Rockford
quote:
He was an enemy serving his country. He was a naval attache in the US before the war, knew and liked Americans, and thought Japan was making a terrible mistake. Nevertheless, he did his duty.
Pretty sure I've posted this before, but my grandad was a POW for 2.5 years in Japan after having his plane hit by a kamikaze and being picked up by a patrol boat. Until the day he died, he held no ill will towards most of the Japanese. He said they were just 20 year old boys doing what they were told just like he was
Posted on 5/14/19 at 10:10 pm to blueridgeTiger
Every frickin' one of them.
Anyone who contributed was a hero, in my opinion.
Never has the world come so close to being overtaken by evil, and it was a very close thing, it could have easily gone the other way.
Anyone who contributed was a hero, in my opinion.
Never has the world come so close to being overtaken by evil, and it was a very close thing, it could have easily gone the other way.
Posted on 5/14/19 at 10:45 pm to blueridgeTiger
I will vote for the U.S. Rangers at Pointe du Hoc. I was in Normandy a few weeks ago and took an extensive tour of the D-Day beach area. We went to Gold, Omaha and Utah beaches as well as St. Mere Eglaise among other places. We also went to Pointe du Hoc and stood on top of the 100 ft. cliff that those brave Rangers had to scale on D-Day. It was necessary for us to capture Pointe du Hoc because it was right between Omaha and Utah Beaches and from that point the Germans could fire at both beaches. My dad was in the navy and fought in the Pacific. It took great courage to participate in any part of the war, but especially in the first wave of the D-Day landings and the Pointe du Hoc mission had to have been the most daring of them all.
Posted on 5/14/19 at 10:55 pm to BuckyCheese
quote:My Uncle did that after serving 3 tours in Europe and becoming a literal Ace fighter pilot. He came home to his farm and went back to living the quiet life of farmer/rancher. Did crop dusting too.
He shoveled shite in Louisiana.
My Great Uncle did some shoveling too after surviving Dunkirk with a German bullet to the head. 1 of only 30 men in his battalion to survive.
If you think you're too good to shovel shite in your lifetime you should thank every soldier, sailor, AF, Marine, and CG who has ever served for sacrificing so you can be that privileged.
Posted on 5/14/19 at 11:03 pm to blueridgeTiger
quote:
2. The Doolittle Raid.
That was pretty audacious. Early in the war and far from a certainty that any of them would come back alive. It was pretty risky. A Japanese fishing trawler did spot them and it was sunk; not sure if it got off a radio transmission, but that's why they had to launch the bombers earlier than planned and at a greater distance out than planned. One not widely-known fact about the Doolittle Raid is that likely over 100,000 Chinese were killed by the Japanese as a result of the raid during their aggressive search for the Doolittle raiders.
Posted on 5/14/19 at 11:07 pm to vl100butch
quote:
Torpedo 8 at Midway...
I think this is a winner. Those guys had a whole lot of guts, incredibly brave men.
Posted on 5/14/19 at 11:16 pm to blueridgeTiger
The 101st holding the line at Bastogne in sub zero temperatures.
Posted on 5/14/19 at 11:21 pm to TigersFan64
quote:
One not widely-known fact about the Doolittle Raid is that likely over 100,000 Chinese were killed by the Japanese as a result of the raid during their aggressive search for the Doolittle raiders.
And nobody ratted them out. Even deep in the throes of Mao's cultural revolution, the Doolittle Raiders and Flying Tigers were revered.
Posted on 5/15/19 at 12:10 am to Jim Rockford
quote:
One not widely-known fact about the Doolittle Raid is that likely over 100,000 Chinese were killed by the Japanese as a result of the raid during their aggressive search for the Doolittle raiders.
And nobody ratted them out. Even deep in the throes of Mao's cultural revolution, the Doolittle Raiders and Flying Tigers were revered.
+1 A pretty amazing story, indeed.
Posted on 5/15/19 at 12:27 am to Jim Rockford
quote:
Even deep in the throes of Mao's cultural revolution,
I know I'm being a bit nit-picky and not trying to be a pompous arse, but wasn't Mao's disastrous Cultural Revolution during the early 60's? I think it was after that other catastrophe for the Chinese people, The Great Leap Forward.
Posted on 5/15/19 at 12:35 am to TigersFan64
Yes, that was my point. I read that even in those dark times they were among the few westerners who could and did visit.
Posted on 5/15/19 at 1:03 am to geauxpurple
Nice post. It is absolutely incredible the amount of things that were accomplished to defend our freedom during WW2. Including everything previously mentioned.
It is also great to see people from other parts of the country mentioning the tremendous accomplishment achieved at Pointe du Hoc.
It is also great to see people from other parts of the country mentioning the tremendous accomplishment achieved at Pointe du Hoc.
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