Remembrance Day

[Ref]

Poppies are now on sale. Please donate generously.

Here is another tale of courage and sacrifice above and beyond the call of duty.

"Despite their failure to score any hits, the American torpedo attacks achieved three important results. First, they kept the Japanese carriers off balance and unable to prepare and launch their own counterstrike. Second, the poor control of the Japanese combat air patrol (CAP) meant they were out of position for subsequent attacks. Third, many of the Zeros ran low on ammunition and fuel.[98] The appearance of a third torpedo plane attack from the southeast by VT-3 from Yorktown at 10:00 very quickly drew the majority of the Japanese CAP to the southeast quadrant of the fleet.[99] Better discipline, and the employment of a greater number of Zeroes for the CAP might have enabled Nagumo to prevent (or at least mitigate) the damage caused by the coming American attacks.[100]"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Midway

https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/daily/wwii/the-heroic-flight-of-torpedo-squadron-8/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_H._Gay_Jr.
Not sure if George Gay and Enola Gay Tibbets are related.

This past summer I enjoyed the tour of the battleships and submarine in Buffalo Naval Park. Incredible as to how those boys lived in those conditions back then. Had the opportunity to spend some time with the veterans and share a few pints afterwards.

Nice part of Buffalo, right by the new hockey arena.

https://buffalonavalpark.org/

 

[Darts]

Had the opportunity to spend some time with the veterans and share a few pints afterwards.

Good for you. Many of us know the "big" stories like Pear Harbor, D-Day, the A-bombs, etc. I wanted to tell the "little" stories about individual or smaller groups who were also heroes and contributed to victory.

 

[Darts]

Charles Lindbergh - a complex and controversial figure. Roosevelt even accused him of being a Nazi.

"Roosevelt disliked Lindbergh's outspoken opposition to his administration's interventionist policies, telling Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau, "If I should die tomorrow, I want you to know this, I am absolutely convinced Lindbergh is a Nazi.""

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Lindbergh joined the war effort as a civilian consultant to avionic companies, pilot trainer and even as a civilian combat pilot.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Lindbergh

 

[scdave2003]

As a person with native American ancestry (same as Elizabeth Warren), it would be remiss of me not to mention the contribution of native Americans and Canadians to the war effort. Here are two prime examples.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Prince

https://www.azcentral.com/story/new...code-talker-facts-unbreakable-code/460262002/

Tommy Prince was my neighbour's uncle. I'm wearing my grandfather's hat badge on Remembrance Day along with my poppy.

 

[Darts]

What was the former name of the great city of Kitchener, Ontario?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_to_Kitchener_name_change

 

[Darts]

Due to its necessary secrecy, few people are aware of the major contribution made by the Dupont Company in the development of the A-bombs that ended the bloody Pacific War.

"On October 3 DuPont agreed to design and build the chemical separation plant. Groves tried to entice further DuPont participation at Oak Ridge by having the firm prepare an appraisal of the pile project and by placing three DuPont staff members on the Lewis committee. Because DuPont was sensitive about its public image (the company was still smarting from charges that it profiteered during World War I), Groves ultimately obtained the services of the giant chemical company for the sum of one dollar over actual costs. In addition, DuPont vowed to stay out of the bomb business after the war and offered all patents to the United States government." Dupont made a profit of $1.00.

http://www.atomicarchive.com/History/mp/p4s16.shtml

 

[radagast]

Mussolini did some good for Italy, his public health initiative eradicated cholera and he took on the Mafia

The trains ran on time, too...

 

[Darts]

Even the Italian/American Mafia contributed to the war effort.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collaborations_between_the_United_States_government_and_Italian_Mafia

 

[Zaibetter]

Moving....Since 1991 the school children of Holten, Netherlands have on December 24th, placed candles on the graves of the Canadian soldiers who died liberating the town of Holten in the 2nd World War.

 

[Aardvark154]

What was the former name of the great city of Kitchener, Ontario?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_to_Kitchener_name_change

Don't even need to look it up: Berlin.

Now ironically Berlin, New Hampshire never changed its name.

 

[Aardvark154]

Moving....Since 1991 the school children of Holten, Netherlands have on December 24th, placed candles on the graves of the Canadian soldiers who died liberating the town of Holten in the 2nd World War.

In almost all ways, 'the' Christmas battle of World War II on the Western Front was the Battle of the Bulge.

There is a great deal of irony that "Stille Nacht" is in many ways the universal Christmas Carol. -- Even as it was in Christmas 1914 it was to a much lesser degree at Christmas 1944.

 

[Aardvark154]

About 28 years between these two Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemeteries. Maple Copse, is one of Canada's forgotten War Cemeteries.

As the camera enters the cemetery, to the left is where the 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles were from reserve poured into the Battle of Mount Sorrel the afternoon of June 2, 1916.

This ground was so pulverized by German artillery fire, that scores of graves of those killed in the first two days of the battle were never able to be identified afterwards, and so are commemorated on the Menin Gate.

 

[Darts]

The brave, skilled and trailblazing story of the female pilots of the Air Transport Auxiliary (Royal Air Force). They flew Spitfires and dozens of other planes. Here is the story of one of them.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Ellis_(pilot)

 

[Darts]

It was still fairly common practice in WWI to shoot soldiers at dawn for "cowardice". To their credit, the Australians refused to allow anyone to shoot their soldiers at dawn or any other time pf the day or night.

 

[Darts]

The Boston Christmas Tree is an annual gift to the good people of Boston from the good people of Nova Scotia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Christmas_Tree

 

[Darts]

The Muslim Moros of Mindanao fought the Japanese invaders in WW II.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moros_during_World_War_II

 

[Darts]

More than 24 veterans received their long overdue Medal of Honor in 2014, 2015 and 2016.

Obama to award Medal of Honor to two dozen veterans, including 19 ...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/.../obama...medal-of-honor.../209594e8-9b10-11e3-...
Feb 21, 2014 - Read more about the latest Medal of Honor recipients, including 19 Hispanic, Jewish and African-American veterans who were overlooked ...

"Obama Awards Highest Military Honor to Vietnam Veteran After 50 ...
https://www.voanews.com/a/obama-will-present...ar...medal-honor/3422861.html
Jul 18, 2016 - In bestowing the Medal of Honor, President Barack Obama said everyone who knows “Chuck” Kettles agrees there is no one who deserves it ..."

Obama awards Medal of Honor to slighted WWI soldiers - USA Today
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/.../obama-medal--honor.../28348029/
Jun 2, 2015 - President Obama will present The Medal of Honor to two war ... who was Jewish, and Army Private Henry Johnson, an African-American.

 

[kkelso]

The Boston Christmas Tree is an annual gift to the good people of Boston from the good people of Nova Scotia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Christmas_Tree

Ahem. Don't you mean "holiday tree"?

 

[Darts]

An early sign that the U.S. was about to become a superpower was the sailing of the "Great White Fleet" around the world shortly before the outbreak of WWI. (The color "white" refers to the fact that the ships were painted white.)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_White_Fleet

 

[Zaibetter]

The Muslim Moros of Mindanao fought the Japanese invaders in WW II.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moros_during_World_War_II

You know the 38 special gun was invented because they needed more stopping power against the Filipino Muslims that drugged themselves out of control before charging?

"The .38 Special was introduced in 1898 as an improvement over the .38 Long Colt which, as a military service cartridge, was found to have inadequate stopping power against the charges of Filipino Muslim warriors during the Philippine–American War.[9]