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MWH
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Post what you know happened on This Day in Military History during the month of November.
11/1/2009 8:42:57 AM |
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MWH
Joined: 02/12/2008
Posts: 346
Ohio
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November 1, 2007
Brigadier General Paul Tibbets passes away on this day. Tibbets was the pilot of the Enola Gay that dropped the first Atomic Bomb Little Boy on Hiroshima. Tibbets was known as the best flier in the Army and was Dwight Eisenhower personal pilot for a period of time. Later in life with the anti-war activist came attacked; Tibbets found himself on the defense defending his actions and felt like even the government did support him. The truth is that the Atomic Bomb saved millions of people and ended World War II and Tibbets was a great American. Tibbets requested to be cremated and ashes spread over the English Channel so that crazy people could not desecrate his grave.
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MWH
Joined: 02/12/2008
Posts: 346
Ohio
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November 2, 1947
On this day the Spruce Goose made its one and only flight for a total of 8 minutes. The H-4 Hercules which is not even made of spruce is still the largest ever flying boat every made. With the lack of metal due to war rationing, Howard Hughes had to get inventive. Actually the Hercules was a very advanced aircraft using many cutting edge technologies which were later copied in subsequent aircraft. Hughes had to face Senate hearings on the miss appropriations of war time contracts for the Spruce Goose. Currently the aircraft is on display in McMinnville, Oregon.
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MWH
Joined: 02/12/2008
Posts: 346
Ohio
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November 3, 1941
The order is given to the Japanese fleet, bomb Pearl Harbor. After relations have been quickly deteriorating over the past year and war in Europe every growing, war is eminent for the United States.
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MWH
Joined: 02/12/2008
Posts: 346
Ohio
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November 4, 1916
Walter Cronkite is born on this day. Cronkite was a legend in broadcasting, he reported extensively on World War II and Vietnam. He flew bombing missions in a B-17 and covered battles all the way from North Africa through Europe and finally the Nuremburg trials. Cronkite made a large impact on CBS and by 1962 he was the anchor and would become the most believable man in America. I would cover the Vietnam War and the space race.
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MWH
Joined: 02/12/2008
Posts: 346
Ohio
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November 5, 1862
On this day President Lincoln demotes General George McClellan from his command. McClellan at times showed amazing potential but when it came to battlefield decisions, McClellan was weak and indecisive. Early on Lincoln saw this and removed General McClellan from his command from the Army of the Potomac but after Lee defeated his successor, McClellan was back in command. McClellan took on Lee at Antietam but refused to pursue General Lee after the battle. After numerous attempts by Lincoln to tell McClellan what to do, McClellan finally listened but Lincoln had enough and once and for all ended General McClellan’s command.
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MWH
Joined: 02/12/2008
Posts: 346
Ohio
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November 6, 1945
FR Fireball on this day was the first jet to land on an aircraft carrier USS Wake Island. The Fireball was a unique decision whereas the plan has a piston engine and jet engine. A rush was put on the design to get the plane into service for World War II and jet engines were not exactly fitting for an aircraft carrier. The landing was actually an accident where the piston engine failed and the jet engine was ignited almost causing a crash. The Fireball’s where truly fireballs and were quickly taken out of service as the Navy went back to the drawing board with the pressure of world war.
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MWH
Joined: 02/12/2008
Posts: 346
Ohio
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November 7, 1954
B-29 was shot down on this day by the Russians. Two Mig-15’s near Japan shot down the B-29 because the Russian’s said it was spying, one crew member died and 10 were rescued.
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MWH
Joined: 02/12/2008
Posts: 346
Ohio
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November 8, 1939
Adolf Hitler survives one of many assassination attempts. During Hitler’s Beer Hall Putsch which is the anniversary of his rise to power a bomb exploded, leaving many dead and wounded except Hitler was unharmed. The Nazis deflected it as a British spies and even set a trap and captured two British agents to pin the blame on in order to stir up propaganda to the German public against Britain.
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MWH
Joined: 02/12/2008
Posts: 346
Ohio
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November 9, 1989
The Berlin Wall falls down on this day. Communism as it was known was about to fall all around Europe. Mikhail Gorbachev openly ceased action for East Germany. Once the Soviet support for East Germany was no longer there, the public began an uprising and soon the East German government opened the border and shortly thereafter Germany was reunified. The Berlin Wall coming down was quite a shock to every as it happened so fast and the public dismantled it with their bare hands just as fast. The Berlin Wall was constructed after World War II when the allies divided Germany into East and West, the allies had the West and the Soviet took the East. Because of the capital being Berlin, it was also divided into East and West post World War II.
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MWH
Joined: 02/12/2008
Posts: 346
Ohio
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November 10, 1964
Robert McNamara on this day said that the US will not send troops to Vietnam. At this point the US already had some troops there and before 1970 would have over 500,000. Either the Secretary of Defense was misleading the public or he did not even know what his job entailed.
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MWH
Joined: 02/12/2008
Posts: 346
Ohio
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November 11, 1919
After the Great War as World War I was known until World War II started. 11/11 11AM was armistice day ending World War I. Seven year later President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the day with congress that it should be a national day of remembrance. Later Veterans Day as it would be known was for all veterans not just World War I. Today it is a national holiday and banks observe it as a day off but since the day in the week changes, it has fallen off for most companies to observe the day off along with other reasons.
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MWH
Joined: 02/12/2008
Posts: 346
Ohio
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November 12, 1864
General Sherman’s infamous march to the sea and the destruction of the South via a total war strategy culminates with the destruction of Atlanta. Nearly half of Atlanta was destroyed as the North could not continue to occupy the city and did not want the South to use it. Although the use of total war strategies may seem extreme there are opinions that in the end it shortened the Civil War thus saving lives.
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MWH
Joined: 02/12/2008
Posts: 346
Ohio
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November 13, 1942
The Sullivan brother’s ship sinks and all five brother parish sometime during the day or days following. The Sullivan’s from Iowa were George, Francis, Joseph, Madison, and Albert. They all signed up on the same day and demanded to be on the same ship even though it was against Navy policy but it was not enforced. They served on the light cruiser USS Juneau. The Juneau was hit by a Japanese torpedo during the Battle of Guadalcanal, the cruiser escaped the battle on its way to safety when it was struck by another torpedo which exploded the ship and quickly sank. Because the waters were so hostile the task force commander declined to search for any survivors and carried on to Espiritu Santo. 100 sailors survived the sinking but information got lost and rules made it counter productive. 8 days later only 10 survivors remained and were rescued. In an infamous event, the Navy notified the father and said he has news about his boys and Thomas said which ones, and the officer replied all five. The Sullivans’ became national heroes, a ship was named after them, and a new policy was created maintain a sole survivor which inspired the movie Saving Private Ryan.
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MWH
Joined: 02/12/2008
Posts: 346
Ohio
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November 14, 1908
Joseph McCarthy was born on this day. In 1942 McCarthy was a judge an exempted from service but he decided to join the Marines with an auto commission because he thought it would help him in his aspiring political career. McCarthy served as an intelligence officer for a diver bomber squadron in the pacific. He would later go onto to lie about what he did in the serivce making up all kinds of stories. He even tried to run for office while still in the service, after being defeated he later quit the Marines to start his full time political career. In 1946 McCarthy would win a Senate seat on a campaign that included many lies against his opponent. McCarthy is most known for the red scare in the 1950’s as the cold war was heating up. The ant-communist movement was huge and McCarthy pushed it, numerous people were found guilty without and evidence which induced a panic and goes against the innocent until found guilty. Eventually McCarthy was exposed but not before mass damage was done to many people’s lives.
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MWH
Joined: 02/12/2008
Posts: 346
Ohio
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November 15, 1906
Curtis LeMay was born on this day. A Columbus, Ohio native LeMay and Ohio State ROTC graduate made his mark in the military when he led the strategic bombing campaign during World War II for the pacific. Once the war ended he used his skills to organize the Berlin airlift then the Strategic Air Command. General LeMay achieved four stars and even made a run at vice president in the 1960’s.
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MWH
Joined: 02/12/2008
Posts: 346
Ohio
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November 16, 1960
Clark Gable died on this day. After Gable’s wife died in a plane crash, Gable enlisted into the Army Air Corps. After Gable enlisted he was sent to Officer Candidate School because of his status. He finished in the middle of the class and graduated. His assignment was to go to gunnery school for the purpose of making a film to recruit gunners. Gable was quickly promoted to Major for doing nothing and spent a lot of time in Britain. He however did fly 5 combat missions in a B-17 which was fired upon. He requested a discharge after a lack of orders and left before the war ended.
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MWH
Joined: 02/12/2008
Posts: 346
Ohio
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November 17, 1863
General James Longstreet besieges Knoxville, Tennessee but after two weeks fails to take the city and abandons the siege. Longstreet having superior forces failed to cut off Union supply lines and lost a bloody battle. General Longstreet was General Lee’s primary General and most trusted subordinate. Longstreet proved to be a great commander in many Confederate victories. However his reputation suffered greatly in the south when he had conflicting opinions with Lee at the Battle of Gettysburg. Longstreet was also blamed for Gettysburg as he led Pickett’s charge. Longstreet lived a successful life after the war and made good friends with many Northerners like President Grant which Southerner’s did not like much.
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MWH
Joined: 02/12/2008
Posts: 346
Ohio
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November 18, 1923
Alan Shepard was born on this day. He graduated from the Naval Academy in 1944 and did serve sometime on a destroyer in World War II. He later entered flight training, and eventually entered Naval Test Pilot School. He did some tours in the USS Oriskany before becoming an astronaut during Project Mercury. Shephard is the first American to travel to go into space on Freedom 7. Later Shepard would command Apollo 14 after swapping crews with the infamous Apollo 13 and walked on the moon.
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MWH
Joined: 02/12/2008
Posts: 346
Ohio
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November 19, 1967
Medal of Honor recipient Father Charles Watters died on this day for his country. Serving as a chaplain in Vietnam with the 173rd Airborne, Watters help medics save soldiers while passing through direct fire. He left the perimeter at least 6 times to read the last rights of dead soldiers and provide medical treatment. He was killed by a direct hit by an American bomber.
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MWH
Joined: 02/12/2008
Posts: 346
Ohio
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November 20, 1945
Nazis go on trial for war crimes against humanity in Nuremberg. The tribunal consisted of all three Allied powers which was especially unique as it was the first time in history such a court was setup. 24 of the major Nazis were tried of which three were acquitted. Many were hung or served life sentences. Thousands of such trials have taken place since Nuremberg and even today some trials are still occurring.
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MWH
Joined: 02/12/2008
Posts: 346
Ohio
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November 21, 1916
Emperor Franz Josef dies on this day after ruling for 66 years and so does the monarchy of Austria. Josef outlived many of his family members and the rest died leaving a void in the chain. Nephew Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the heir but was assassinated as World War I began. This only left a great nephew to take over who immediately tried for peace and followed a liberal outlook for the country revoking the monarchy ways.
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MWH
Joined: 02/12/2008
Posts: 346
Ohio
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November 22, 1963
John F. Kennedy was assassinated on this day. Kennedy served in the Pacific during World War II. He was a commander in the Navy of PT Boat 109. Kennedy enlisted in the Army before Pearl Harbor but was rejected due to his back so with his dad’s influence was accepted into the Navy a few months later. After the attacked on Pearl Harbor he entered officer training and motor patrol torpedo boat. In 1943 Solomon Islands PT-109 was hit by a Japanese destroyer which destroyed the boat, Kennedy was commended for dragging a sailor to safety. Kennedy would go back into service until 1945 commanding various other PT boats.
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MWH
Joined: 02/12/2008
Posts: 346
Ohio
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November 23, 1902
Walter Reed died on this day. Major Reed M.D. was an Army physician which figured out that yellow fever was transmitted by mosquitoes. This theory led to the discovery and knowledge of bacteria and its affects. Yellow fever was an epidemic while building the Panama Canal so the insight of its cause allowed for the completion of the canal. The Walter Reed Army Medical Center is named after him.
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MWH
Joined: 02/12/2008
Posts: 346
Ohio
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November 24, 1784
12th President Zachary Taylor is born on this day. Taylor was commissioned as a First Lieutenant by his cousin James Madison. Taylor went on to a very long military career before being elected President. His assignments include command at Fort Knox, Fort Harrison in the War of 1812, Black Hawk War and Mexican-American War. Taylor was non-political but nonetheless got the nomination and was elected in 1848 and mysteriously died in 1850.
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MWH
Joined: 02/12/2008
Posts: 346
Ohio
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November 25, 1783
On this day the last British troops leave the newly formed United States. Even though the Treat of Paris was signed months before it took up until this day for the last redcoats to leave New York City. General Washington lead the city in triumph.
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MWH
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Ohio
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November 26, 1926
John Browning died on this day. Browning was one of the most influential gun designers of all time. He made his first gun at age 13 and recorded 128 patents. He is most noted for pioneering automatic firearm design. The most notable gun designs were the B.A.R. which was a staple during World War II and the M2 50 Caliber gun which still serves in the United States military today. That is more than 80 years of service with no end in sight.
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MWH
Joined: 02/12/2008
Posts: 346
Ohio
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November 27, 1942
On this day the French sink their own fleet. The Germans invaded in 1940 but the French were able to keep their fleet out of German hands. The British encouraged them to sail out of German occupation but the weak French refused. The Brits launched a bomb mission to take them out but was unsuccessful. As the German’s close in the French scuttle their fleet successfully keeping it out of German control.
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MWH
Joined: 02/12/2008
Posts: 346
Ohio
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November 28, 1954
Enrico Fermi dies on this day. Fermi was instrumental in creating the first nuclear reaction. Italian born Jewish scientist won the Nobel Prize in 1938, upon going to Sweden Fermi intelligently never returned to Mussolini’s Italy, instead travelling to New York City. Fermi warned President Roosevelt of a possible nuclear weapon by the Axis powers and thus the Manhattan Project was created. Fermi was responsible for creating the nuclear reaction and thus was an important part of creating the atomic bombs that ended World War II.
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MWH
Joined: 02/12/2008
Posts: 346
Ohio
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November 29, 1971
The 23rd Division beings its withdraw from Vietnam on this day. Only one infantry brigade will be left in South Vietnam and soon the Vietnam war will be over as the United States forfeits.
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MWH
Joined: 02/12/2008
Posts: 346
Ohio
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November 30, 1939
The Soviets take the opportunity while the German’s set Europe ablaze to attack Finland. Thinking few people would notice and the Fins being week the Soviets Karelian Isthmus as it provided a means to Leningrad and connects the Soviet Union and Finland together. The Finns with very few supplies inflicted heavy casualties on the Russians but the Winter War would not last long as the Soviets were too many. When the Germans attacked during Operations Barborosa the Finnish took back the Karelian Isthmus which irritated the Soviets as they were basically on the same side at that point. However in the end when the Soviets drove out the Germans, the Soviets destroyed the Finnish once again taking back the Karelian Isthmus once and for all.
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