On Mon, 23 Sep 2013 15:13:15 -0700, Gunner Asch
wrote:
You might enjoy this from Col D. G. Swinford, USMC, Ret., and history
buff.
You would really have to dig deep to get this kind of ringside seat to
history:
1. Twas killed by the
Japanese (China, 1937).
The first American serviceman killed was killed by the Russians
(Finland 1940); highest ranking American killed was Lt. Gen Lesley
McNair, killed by the US Army Air Corps. So much for allies.
2. The youngest US serviceman was 12 year old Calvin Graham, USN. He
was wounded and given a Dishonorable Discharge for lying about his
age. His benefits were later restored by act of Congress.
3. At the time of Pearl Harbor, the top US Navy command was called
CINCUS (pronounced 'sink us'); the shoulder patch of the US Army's
45th Infantry division was the Swastika, and Hitler's private train
was named 'Amerika.' All three were soon changed for PR purposes.
4. More US servicemen died in the Air Corps than the Marine Corps.
[Actually the 8th Air Force alone suffered about 5,000 more KIA than
the entire Marine Corps in WW2.) While completing the required 30
missions, an airman's chance of being killed was 71%.
The Air Force had, at its height in mid-1944, 2.6 million people
The Marines had approximately 475,000 personnel.
Actually the original tour of duty for A.F. combat crews was 1 year in
1942. Later various criteria was specified. 25 - 30 missions in some
commands. The number 25 was at a time when the life expectancy of a
crew/pilot was 8 - 12 missions.
5. Generally speaking, there was no such thing as an average fighter
pilot. You were either an ace or a target. For instance, Japanese
Ace Hiroyoshi Nishizawa shot down over 80 planes. He died while a
passenger on a cargo plane.
Erich Alfred Hartmann flew some 1,404 combat mission for the Germans
in WW II, had 352 confirmed kills and died in 1993 at the age of 91
6. It was a common practice on fighter planes to load every 5th round
with a tracer round to aid in aiming. This was a mistake. Tracers
had different ballistics, so (at long range) if your tracers were
hitting the target, 80% of your rounds were missing. Worse yet
tracers, instantly told your enemy he was under fire and from which
direction. Worst of all was the practice of loading a string of
tracers at the end of the belt to tell you that you were
out of ammo. This was definitely not something you wanted to tell the
enemy.
Units that stopped using tracers saw their success rate nearly
double and their loss rate go down.
1 in 5 Tracers were still being loaded in B-29 turrets in the 1950's
in Japan. Both in the aircraft assigned to the 98th bomb wing and the
91st reconnaissance squadron.
--
Cheers,
John B.