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Milestones
- Thread starter admihoek
- Start date
In our National Cemeteries anyone who had served can, along with their spouses, be buried there even if they did not die in combat. The cemeteries in other countries only those who died on the battlefield are interned there.
Not reflected in this were sailors both lost at sea, buried at sea, and airmen whose bodies were never found.
RacingRodent
Consul
May 30 1899: Pearl Hart and Joe Boot hold up the Globe to Florence (Arizona) stagecoach the last recorded stagecoach hold up in American history. The two relieved the passengers and driver of their weapons and funds amounting to some $451. The pair were successfully tracked and apprehended in their sleep by a posse. According to Sheriff Truman Mrs Hart putting up far more of a struggle than Boot who surrendered quietly.
Nevertheless following an initial trial for the robbery itself in which Pearl Hart would influence the jury into a not guilty verdict...the pair were retried for interfering with the United States Mail and Boot received the much stiffer sentence of thirty years to Hart's five.
Nevertheless following an initial trial for the robbery itself in which Pearl Hart would influence the jury into a not guilty verdict...the pair were retried for interfering with the United States Mail and Boot received the much stiffer sentence of thirty years to Hart's five.
Loxuru
Graf von Kreuzigung
On the 4th of June 1942, 75 years ago, the Battle of Midway.
After the Doolittle Raid on April 18th, Japan felt the urge to expand its security perimeter more eastward. Admiral Yamamoto therefore planned an attack on the Midway Atoll, where a US military base and airfield were established, the westernmost outpost of American Forces in the Pacific then. Capturing Midway would make Hawaii, some 2100 km more east, vulnerable for conquest. So, Yamamoto reasoned, the US would do everything to defend it. He then hoped to draw the American carrier forces into a decisive naval battle.
But the American cryptanalysts had broken the Japanese code and discovered the plan. The US Navy dispatched three fleet carriers (USS Yorktown, USS Hornet and USS Enterprise) to Midway.
In the preparations to the battle, the Japanese Navy neglected however good reconnaissance. So they remained too long unaware of the whereabouts of the US carriers.
In the morning of June 4th, Admiral Nagumo, commander of the Japanese operations, launched an air raid on Midway. He kept a reserve group on his carriers with armor piercing bombs and torpedoes, in case carriers should show up.
When the air raid was over, Nagumo got the message that the air strip on Midway was still intact, and a second raid was needed. Since there were still no enemy carriers spotted, he ordered to rearm his reserve for land bombing.
Coincidentally, when the conversion was finished, two things happened simultaneously. The planes returned from Midway, short of fuel and so eager to land. Secondly, a reconnaissance plane sent a message that a US carrier had been spotted, northeast of Midway. Nagumo decided to have his planes landed, while the reserve was again rearmed for attacking ships. Ultimately, he would send his whole air fleet to attack the enemy carrier.
Meanwhile, his ships got under attack by US planes from Midway and from the carriers. All attacks were repulsed, but the Japanese had no radar and relied for their protection entirely on a cover of zeros. The multiple attacks on the Japanese carriers had however dispersed this air cover completely. So, the approach of two dive bomber groups over the Japanese carriers remained unnoticed. They were not spotted than when the outlooks on the ships heard the howling sound of dive bombers coming down.
The attack took place just when the massive air fleet stood ready for takeoff on the decks. During the rapid armament changes, little priority had been given to safety and securing ammunition. The bombs fell amidst the lined up planes and caused an inferno on Akagi, Kaga and Soryu.
The fourth Japanese carrier, Hiryu, was out of sight during the attack. Its planes made two attacks on the USS Yorktown, causing severe damage. Finally, the Hiryu would also be knocked out by US bombers. All four Japanese carriers would sink, as would ultimately do the Yorktown.
Midway stopped the Japanese expansion. The Japanese Navy would never recover from the loss of four carriers and of experienced pilots. It is considered as the turning point in the war in the Pacific, and as one of the most decisive naval battles ever in history.
After the Doolittle Raid on April 18th, Japan felt the urge to expand its security perimeter more eastward. Admiral Yamamoto therefore planned an attack on the Midway Atoll, where a US military base and airfield were established, the westernmost outpost of American Forces in the Pacific then. Capturing Midway would make Hawaii, some 2100 km more east, vulnerable for conquest. So, Yamamoto reasoned, the US would do everything to defend it. He then hoped to draw the American carrier forces into a decisive naval battle.
But the American cryptanalysts had broken the Japanese code and discovered the plan. The US Navy dispatched three fleet carriers (USS Yorktown, USS Hornet and USS Enterprise) to Midway.
In the preparations to the battle, the Japanese Navy neglected however good reconnaissance. So they remained too long unaware of the whereabouts of the US carriers.
In the morning of June 4th, Admiral Nagumo, commander of the Japanese operations, launched an air raid on Midway. He kept a reserve group on his carriers with armor piercing bombs and torpedoes, in case carriers should show up.
When the air raid was over, Nagumo got the message that the air strip on Midway was still intact, and a second raid was needed. Since there were still no enemy carriers spotted, he ordered to rearm his reserve for land bombing.
Coincidentally, when the conversion was finished, two things happened simultaneously. The planes returned from Midway, short of fuel and so eager to land. Secondly, a reconnaissance plane sent a message that a US carrier had been spotted, northeast of Midway. Nagumo decided to have his planes landed, while the reserve was again rearmed for attacking ships. Ultimately, he would send his whole air fleet to attack the enemy carrier.
Meanwhile, his ships got under attack by US planes from Midway and from the carriers. All attacks were repulsed, but the Japanese had no radar and relied for their protection entirely on a cover of zeros. The multiple attacks on the Japanese carriers had however dispersed this air cover completely. So, the approach of two dive bomber groups over the Japanese carriers remained unnoticed. They were not spotted than when the outlooks on the ships heard the howling sound of dive bombers coming down.
The attack took place just when the massive air fleet stood ready for takeoff on the decks. During the rapid armament changes, little priority had been given to safety and securing ammunition. The bombs fell amidst the lined up planes and caused an inferno on Akagi, Kaga and Soryu.
The fourth Japanese carrier, Hiryu, was out of sight during the attack. Its planes made two attacks on the USS Yorktown, causing severe damage. Finally, the Hiryu would also be knocked out by US bombers. All four Japanese carriers would sink, as would ultimately do the Yorktown.
Midway stopped the Japanese expansion. The Japanese Navy would never recover from the loss of four carriers and of experienced pilots. It is considered as the turning point in the war in the Pacific, and as one of the most decisive naval battles ever in history.
Repertor
Artifex Imaginum
Being on that carrier may even be worse.
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RacingRodent
Consul
From what I have heard on the subject from people from more expert on the Kido Butai (literal translation 'Mobile Force) or Japanese carrier force than I, the big flaw was that the Japanese assigned low priority to evacuating their aircraft maintenance crews. This cost them even worse in the long run than the loss of pilots as military aircraft are temperamental beasts and high performance is often a must to get out of trouble.
Yup.
I've lived my entire life without being expected to kill anyone, or be killed. Lots of good men died so I can have that privilege. Far too easy to forget that.
windar
Teller of Tales
It's interesting how decisive code-breaking was in both the European and Pacific theaters. And given how much of our lives are led on-line and how many complex systems depend on computers, imagine how much of a role it would play today. Cyberwarfare is war even if no bullets fly.
Yes the last 70 years have been incredibly peaceful for most of humankind, despite the nasty small-scale conflicts that have broken out. But the entire Americas, Europe, China and India have been largely conflict free for many years. And that's well over half of humanity. So while the post WWII order is not perfect, when people talk about overturning it, my reaction is "Not so fast!".
Yes the last 70 years have been incredibly peaceful for most of humankind, despite the nasty small-scale conflicts that have broken out. But the entire Americas, Europe, China and India have been largely conflict free for many years. And that's well over half of humanity. So while the post WWII order is not perfect, when people talk about overturning it, my reaction is "Not so fast!".
windar
Teller of Tales
Thanks Windar, a song that has become an important part of Australian culture and war remembrance, along with Redgum's I Was Only 19. Very powerful.
The scrolling text at the start of the video is wrong however, Australia did not suffer 50,000 dead at Gallipoli but closer to 8,000. We lost 60,000 in the whole of WWI.
Eric Bogle himself was originally from Scotland, but with this song he gave an Australian voice to the spirit of naive adventure and senseless loss that comes with wars like that one. It's almost unbearably sad.
windar
Teller of Tales
The comments on YouTube noted the error as well. It was 50,000 casualties-dead + wounded not 50,000 dead. Some also took offense that some of the pictures were of Canadian soldiers not Australian. That seems to miss the point, doesn't it?
D-Day, 73 years ago...
Gibbs505
SERVORUM DOMITOR
Lest we forget.
Far too many have... I include myself
RacingRodent
Consul
Today marks the anniversary of both a famous English defeat and a famous British victory.
14 June 1667 (old style calendar) saw the Dutch finally withdraw having trounced the Royal Navy for five days in their Raid on the Medway.
14 June 1982 saw the Argentine's surrender Port Stanley to the British Task Force sent to reclaim the Falkland Islands.
Also for computer buffs on 14 June 1822 Charles Babbage submitted his paper to the Royal Society entitled "Note on the application of machinery to the computation of astronomical and mathematical tables" in which he first proposed a difference engine.
14 June 1667 (old style calendar) saw the Dutch finally withdraw having trounced the Royal Navy for five days in their Raid on the Medway.
14 June 1982 saw the Argentine's surrender Port Stanley to the British Task Force sent to reclaim the Falkland Islands.
Also for computer buffs on 14 June 1822 Charles Babbage submitted his paper to the Royal Society entitled "Note on the application of machinery to the computation of astronomical and mathematical tables" in which he first proposed a difference engine.
Loxuru
Graf von Kreuzigung
Unfortunately, the industry in those days could supply neither the quality (precision) nor the quantity of parts needed to build it and make it work.
It required the lateral thinking of a woman, Ada Lovelace (one of Byron's brats)
to see where it would lead:
the first published description of a stepwise sequence of operations for solving certain mathematical problems and Ada is often referred to as 'the first programmer'. The collaboration with Babbage was close and biographers debate the extent and originality of Ada's contribution.
Perhaps more importantly, the article contained statements by Ada that from a modern perspective are visionary. She speculated that the Engine 'might act upon other things besides number... the Engine might compose elaborate and scientific pieces of music of any degree of complexity or extent'. The idea of a machine that could manipulate symbols in accordance with rules and that number could represent entities other than quantity mark the fundamental transition from calculation to computation. Ada was the first to explicitly articulate this notion and in this she appears to have seen further than Babbage. She has been referred to as 'prophet of the computer age'. Certainly she was the first to express the potential for computers outside mathematics. In this the tribute is well-founded.'
to see where it would lead:
the first published description of a stepwise sequence of operations for solving certain mathematical problems and Ada is often referred to as 'the first programmer'. The collaboration with Babbage was close and biographers debate the extent and originality of Ada's contribution.
Perhaps more importantly, the article contained statements by Ada that from a modern perspective are visionary. She speculated that the Engine 'might act upon other things besides number... the Engine might compose elaborate and scientific pieces of music of any degree of complexity or extent'. The idea of a machine that could manipulate symbols in accordance with rules and that number could represent entities other than quantity mark the fundamental transition from calculation to computation. Ada was the first to explicitly articulate this notion and in this she appears to have seen further than Babbage. She has been referred to as 'prophet of the computer age'. Certainly she was the first to express the potential for computers outside mathematics. In this the tribute is well-founded.'