February 1943 (1)
PT Report:
1/2 February – This was the last fight between the Tokyo Express and the PT’s at Guadalcanal and it was the most violent. Three boats were sunk – the 37, 111 and 123, with a total of 6 enlisted men killed, 3 officers killed, 6 enlisted missing and 6 others wounded. Five PTs fired 19 torpedoes, claiming 2 destroyers sunk and 2 damaged.
The Makigumo was either damaged by the PTs or by one of the 300 mines laid that day. Two more Japanese evacuation trips were made on 4/5 and 7/8, but the boats did not attempt to intercept. During this time, Japanese Gen. Hyakutake and his remaining troops were ferried off Guadalcanal 6 months after the US troops arrived on the island.
In the Bismark Sea, the 5th Air Force spotted a convoy and performed the first “skip-bombing” technique. Mitchell bombers went at the enemy transports mast-high and the bombs skimmed like stones on a pond with the accuracy of torpedoes. Eight transports and 4 destroyers were sunk. During aerial combat, 60 Japanese aircraft were downed at the cost of 4 US fighters. As the sun set, the enemy lifeboats were attacked by PT boats. Gen. Hatazo Aidichi and only 2,000 of his men made it to shore on New Guinea.
MacArthur used the Bismark victory to request 5 more divisions; 1,800 aircraft and more naval forces including carriers for his “Elkton” plan. But due to the decisions made at Casablanca, Gen. Marshall could not comply. Rather than cable his response, Gen. Wedemeyer was sent to the Pacific to render an explanation to Mac.
A furious MacArthur cabled Washington D.C. that the New Guinea campaign would be cancelled due to the lack of resources. In turn, Mac, Nimitz and Halsey were ordered to send representatives to Washington for a “Pacific Military Conference” to be held in March.
1-15 February – the British offensive in the Arakan peninsula in Burma ended without success. The Japanese continued to hold on to their strong defensive positions. Gen. Orde Wingate and his newly formed 3,000-man 77th Indian Brigade (aka “Chindits”) entered Burma to go behind enemy lines. Their mission was to disrupt the Japanese communications and tactical deployments.
6 February – the Allies began to show their superiority in the skies of New Guinea when 37 fighters shot down 26 Japanese aircraft out of their raiding party of 70 planes.
Click on images to enlarge.
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Military Humor – the Navy’s answer to Sad Sack…..
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Merchant Navy Day – New Zealand – 3 September
The men and boys of the New Zealand Merchant Navy had one of the most perilous wartime occupations as they carried supplies to the troops and wounded to safety. Their virtually unarmed ships were sitting ducks for the enemy. Hundreds of mines were laid by German raiders in the early years of the war and several vessels were sunk, including the minesweeper, Puriri, May 1941 off Whangarei, NZ.
Around 130 New Zealand seafarers lost their lives and around 140 were taken prisoner. Captain Inkster, pictured above, served for 60 years, including all six years of WWII. Let’s join them this today in honoring these civilians who put their lives on the line for the Allied troops!
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Farewell Salutes –
John Bradley Jr. – Fairfield, AL; USMC, WWII
Graham Carkeek – NZ; RNZ Navy # NZ6315, WWII
Ernest Fox – CAN & TX; RC Air Force, WWII
Roy Griffin – Sacramento, CA; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, 20th Army Air Force
Charles Hill – Stanley, NC; US Army, WWII, Sgt.
Martin Johnson – Boise, ID; US Army, Vietnam
Matthew Leggett – Ruskin, FL; US Army, Afghanistan, Sgt.
Franklin Slack – Seattle, WA; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO,b CO/188th/11th Airborne
Peter Veltmeijer – Caloundra, AUS; RA Army, Vietnam
Richard Votava – Chicago, IL; US Navy, WWII
R. Eugen Wolford – US Army, WWII, 10th Mountain Division
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Posted on September 3, 2015, in WWII and tagged Burma, family history, Guadalcanal, History, Japan, Military, Military History, USA, veterans, WW2, WWII. Bookmark the permalink. 87 Comments.
Reblogged this on PenneyVanderbilt.
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I thank you very much for helping to keep their memories alive!
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Couldn’t find a reply button so adding my pennyworth here—at one time they were wrapping gun barrels with cordite string, and when iced up they hit the button to shatter the ice away instantly.
As for shooting up the enemy’s lifeboats … not considered ‘good form’ by some (and possibly grounds for complaint—the land versions of such actions got a few eyebrows raised; especially at the Bulge) but if the name of the game is kill the other guy then him being helpless in a lifeboat—hell, it just doesn’t come any better than that.
Reminds me a bit of that Noel Coward movie ‘In Which We Serve’ (horribly dated now, but still a classic).
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Thanks for putting in your thoughts, Argus. I appreciate you taking the time.
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First time I’ve heard of Gabby Gob! Cool! And as I’ve remarked before, why are so many Japanese flags held upside down? 🙂 I did love the mosquito boat symbol above the sailors.
The book, “They Were Expendable”, did much to generate enlistments in 1942. It later became a classic John Wayne movie in 1945 as you know.
Just as a matter of opinion, these tight knit crews who lived on the boats 24/7 were gritty and tough. Initial attempts to use these PT boats against larger ships like destroyers early on led to chaos and ineffective results… but they learned. Heavier armaments like Bofors and 50 cals began to adorn the wooden decks and horrid WWI torpedo tubes were finally replaced with more reliable tubes and Mark 8s. Still, some captains removed a couple of tubes and replaced them with heavier armaments. (Some had mortars!) Illness and stressful night patrols took their toll but they bravely carried on.
But by the Battle of Surigao Straights in October 1944, these gritty crews were effective. 39 PT boats, for example, laid havoc to Japanese shipping during that battle. In other actions, they were effective in attacking barges and transports and otherwise harassing the enemy. Because their ships were small and cramped, they had no room for prisoners.
Anyways, just my thoughts on this heroic chapter in US Naval history…
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That added info is always welcome, Koji and thank you! I do know that Americans knew next to absolutely nothing about the orient back then, so holding the Japanese flag upside down would not be unusual. i.e. – It was the same with the Japanese – when they reported an Allied prisoner, the names were backwards. Thanks for taking the time to share with everyone.
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Their names were backwards? Really??
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The positions of the given and last names.
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Ah… I get it. They were written in their ways… In Japan, I would write my name like that: last name followed by first. You can see it on my uncle’s death certificate. You can read Japanese, right? 😉
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Right, I should have been more precise. I can see how easily I confuse people.
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Blahaha! It’s no wonder I’ve divorced twice!!!
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This was MY fault – your two divorces you’ll have to take up with them – right?
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Remembering the War in the Pacific – I was bought up with films including; Tora! Tora! Tora! Bataan (and Back To Bataan) Hell in The Pacific, Battle Cry, The Halls of Montezuma, The Sands of Iwo Jima and many others. I reckon I could get to thirty before even starting on the movies after 1970. So in our household it’s Semper fidelis
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Glad to hear it, but please remember that they are made in Hollywood. Many facts are altered so the movie will be dramatic and sell. Like John Wayne climbing Mount Suribachi amidst bullets and bombs. In reality, not one shot was fired at the Marines when they climbed it. The napalm had sucked the oxygen out of the caves, leaving the enemy either dead or in a stupor-like state. Thanks for coming by, Gustav.
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There’s always something to learn in your posts gp, Skip bombing sounds like the same technique used by the Dam Busters, not sure who used it first, the statement, the enemy lifeboats were attacked by PT boats, leaves me perplexed, who actually attacked the lifeboats, the enemy attacking their own doesn’t sound right.
Cheers.
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The Cactus Air Force was in operation at the same time, they performed the strafing. Sorry for the confusion. Sometimes I cut things too short while trying to limit the size of the posts.
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Thanks for the clarification gp.
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No problem.
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Although it was the Cactus Air Force, I though that strafing life boats was a no no
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Atrocities were performed on both sides I’m afraid.
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It’s amazing what I glean when reading the “untold” or “forgotten” efforts of so many.
Also, my admiration to the gentleman that gave 60 years of service to his country. Now that is AMAZING!
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THAT was a great story!! Thanks for stopping in to read the post.
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Gabby Gob comic book made me smile. Never saw it before!
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I had heard of him, but it took me all this time for my ‘black-hole’ of a brain to remember it!! [I call it a ‘black-hole’ because everything goes in, but nothing ever comes out. What can I tell you, I’m even older than my years.]
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At least your memory is still working well, so don’t mind the years!
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Thanks to the mountain of notes and post-its around the house!! 🙄
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Nice to know I’m not the only one with piles of notes! 🙂
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Well… when I try to “clean-up” or “get organized” that’s when I lose details and have to go hunting or just plain forget to include some data. I’m just one of those ‘organized-chaos’ kind of people I suppose…. 🙄
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I had an uncle who served on Biak , an island near New Guinea , with MacArthur’s troops . The family story is that he went over with black hair and came back with white hair .
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Believe it or not, my father told me about that happening during the war. Those islands had to be beyond our comprehension to fight in. Thanks for sharing part of your uncle’s story, Dan.
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Very interesting! Learning something new everytime I read your blog. 🙂
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Always good to be of service.
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Interesting post and once again learned something new.
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Always glad to hear that!
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About the B-25 photo, it’s a 405th Bomb Squadron plane from the 38th Bomb Group. Anyway, both B-25 and A-20 crews put the skip-bombing technique to use during the Battle of the Bismarck Sea. One man aboard a 43rd Bomb Group B-17 wrote a bit about watching the crews below: “it was the greatest show I ever hope to see … The sky was full of planes. I saw one A-20 or B-25 strafe the deck of a destroyer [and] cause an explosion on the stern which sent doughnut like billows of smoke a thousand feet into the air. When I left for home, at least 10 of the boats were sinking or burning and a lot of our planes [were] still there …”
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Yes, that’s why I captioned the photo as an example; it was the clearest picture of skip-bombing I could locate, actually 1945. Thank you for sharing the story you had of the Battle. This was NOT the Battle of the Bismark Sea, but another convoy in the general area. ( at least according to Costello in his version of the war.)
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Was pretty sure you wouldn’t be referring to the big event in March, but still had to share that bit. You’re getting close to the exciting stuff!
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I even looked today and couldn’t find a name for the battle. I suppose more went on out there than anyone will discover.
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Hmmm. What day was it?
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my notes have it at between the 1st and 9th of February. If you like, I’ll go back and try to locate the exact date.
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That’s ok. Thanks though!
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I couldn’t let it go – had to relocate the info. In Costello’s “The Pacific War” page 391, it states:
“The weather proved a fickle ally for the Japanese. On February 1, when the heavy clouds began breaking up, a patrol of 5th Air Force B-25s spotted the convoy hugging the coastline of New Britain…. It was the first demonstration of the ‘skip-bombing’ technique perfected by the 5th Air Force…Eight transports, along with 4 destroyers were sunk….”
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Haha, that’s understandable. Glad you were able to find it again and thank you for sharing. 🙂
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No problem – guess I have a little OCD in me!
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We all like getting to the bottom of the story!
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Thanks for shedding light, yet again, on a theatre of war that is very little known over here in Europe. Eight transports, 4 destroyers and 60 Japanese aircraft is a very impressive tally for one day!
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Seems like a rather busy day to me too, John! I’m very glad you find this interesting.
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That sentence about PT boats attacking enemy lifeboats as the sun set was chilling. A too-stark reminder of how savage the fighting has to be in order to defeat certain enemies. ‘Kill or be killed’ cannot be understood by those who never are in that situation. No wonder our men and women are haunted by dreams when they return to ‘normal’ lives. God Bless us all.
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But you have to remember who is writing the history. When the Japanese strafed our unarmed men in lifeboats – they were murdering monsters. When our troops strafed them – they were doing what was right to defeat the enemy. It’s all a matter of perspective, which is why I try to keep my own feelings on the data separate from the articles.
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Absolutely. I’ve come to learn that ‘history’ is written by those with agendas who can just as easily manipulate facts as they can tell the ‘truth’.
Whose truth? Has become my new mantra in our hyper-politically-correctness.
God willing, our troops deserve a Commander In Chief who understands the necessity for a strong, well-trained military. It’s been too long.
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Thank you for expressing my thoughts so clearly, Sammy!! I was very lucky to have Smitty as my father, he always told me to find out ALL the sides to the story – no matter how many there were.
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Yup. I always ask “who is writing this and why”. That critical thinking is fast fading in today’s Google searches.
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Wonderful history and photos as usual. But.. as a collector of comics I’m shocked that I have never heard of Gabby Gob. This is awful. I feel so deficient. I must find one. (joke)
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Ah – ha, I finally got you?
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You’re funny!
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Had not know Merchant Marines were civilians.
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Yes. Many went into dangerous waters with little or no armaments too.
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That’s dedication…and guts. By any chance do we know if these were guys who wanted to enlist but didn’t qualify?
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I’m afraid I really don’t know, Mrs P. I appreciate your curiosity.
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Violent warfare in a tropical, paradise-like setting seems incongruous to me. But the warm weather makes me wonder if it was better to serve in the Pacific Theater, rather than the European. No freezing your butt off in the Ardennes, and all that.
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That I imagine is a personal preference, but remember the men in the Aleutians were Pacific fighters too.
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Whoops! Yep. With my luck I’d get that Aleutian duty.
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Haha
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I’ve said it before, but I appreciate reading about the war in the Pacific. It wasn’t discussed much, even as I was growing up because most of my relatives had served in Europe.
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There are people who still believe only the army served in Europe and the Marines in the Pacific.
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Sad – my dad would beg to differ 😦
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Ny dad as well!
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….and thank you ♡
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Anytime!
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The merchant did their bit I reckon, one of my relatives was on the North Atlantic convoys, I read about it some years ago (cannot remember the title) tough conditions..
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They lost quite a few men during the 6 years of war and they were civilians – they definitely did their part.
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Maybe read this if you have a spare moment (lol), “HMS Ulysses by Scottish writer Alistair MacLean”, about the Arctic convoys, if i remember rightly, good book..
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I’ll look into it and put it on my new book list – thanks.
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I seem t recall that keeping the ice off of the upper part of the vessel was important to remaining the correct way up in the water, so they took shifts with fire axes to remove the unwanted ice.. It was a good read
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Sounds exciting.
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😀
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These posts on the Pacific theater is great not many remember too much about the war there….thanx for keeping their memories alive….chuq
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My pleasure – although a longer and larger war than Europe – it was buried as far as the media was concerned and basically still is!
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I agree…..like Korea it is a forgotten war by most….
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Another period of fierce fighting that went almost unnoticed, due to the campaign in Europe. The guys in those PT boats showed great nerve, in difficult conditions.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Often they were like mosquitoes poking at elephants, but they did their job !!!
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I learn something new every day with your blog.
The PT boats actions needed to be known.
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Thank you, Pierre. With you researching for the ETO and me in the PTO – we’re bound to hit on info the other did not know.
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Much appreciated, Ian!
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