The Second World War.

[tygrkhat40]

Originally Posted by Ennath

General Patton visits a field hospital and slaps a shell-shocked soldier, accusing him of cowardice. When the incident hits the papers, there is a storm of controversy. Patton eventually apologizes, but the incident probably costs him any chance of higher command.

The soldier that Patton slapped was Pvt. Charles Kuhl who was suffering from malaria and chronic dysentery, but that was not known at the time. When ordered to apologize to Kuhl, he did so with the knowledge of Kuhl's illnesses. Kuhl wrote to his family and asked them to "just forget about it," and they did, not wanting to cause trouble for Patton.

The story was not reported in the States until November 21, 1943 when reporter Drew Pearson broke the story on his radio show. Many in the States were outraged and demands were made for Patton to be recalled from citizens, newspaper editorials and from Congress. But there was much more support for Patton than condemnation and Eisenhower never considered relieving Patton. Ike felt the same about Patton as Lincoln did of U.S. Grant, "I cannot spare this man, he fights."

After the premier of the movie Patton, Kuhl was interviewed about the incident and he felt that Patton may have been suffering from battle fatigue as well.

[palo5]

General Patton visits a field hospital and slaps a shell-shocked soldier, accusing him of cowardice. When the incident hits the papers, there is a storm of controversy. Patton eventually apologizes, but the incident probably costs him any chance of higher command

Patton was inappropriate for higher command because he was strategically stupid. Just like Macarthur and LeMay. Eisenhower, on the other hand, understood more than those three together. It's true

Who was the genius who recognized Ike when he was only a 2-star man?

[scoundrel]

Originally Posted by haroldeye

Scoundrel,

I was once quite pally with a German pilot who flew F104's and he loved the thing. Apparently the first buy had engines that kept failing and with a 104 there was no chance of any sort of glide. Up engined with a more powerful and reliable plant he thought the aircraft was one of the best in the world.

Apparently, Hartmann's criticisms were:

• The Lookheed was designed as a high-altitude supersonic high-altitude interceptor, same generation as the less commercially successful competitor, the English Electric Lightning; a better aeroplane by most accounts. The Bundeswehr needed a multi-role combat aircraft, something more comparable with the BAe Tornado or the excellent General Dynamics F16. Many of the fatalities were low-flying accidents in which the pilot flew straight into hills, buildings or the sea.
• The F104 was extremely vulnerable to cold-humid climates such as NW Europe and required a rather unrealistic level of maintenance to keep it airworthy over its service life in places where it got rained on a lot. Electrical and hydraulic failires caused by humidity were common.
• The F104 was an awful lot of aeroplane for weekend reservist flyers, of whom the Bundeswehr had many. Their airforce was run a lot like the Royal Auxiliary Air Force used to be run; men who certainly had lots of skill and experience were retained as part-timers; but flying the F104 was a quantum leap in technology forward from the F86 Sabre Hartmann's wing had been operating before; it was almost twice as fast for one thing. It was designed to be operated by a full time professional airforce.
• The Lockheed original equipment ejector seat didn't work. many pilots died because that seat let them down. Eventually, the seats were replaced in service with the May-Baker seat, which does work and is still widely used.

Basically, Hartmann lost his second career and his chance to achieve high rank; he retired as a full colonel. He stood by his principles and refused to endorse an aeroplane which he considered a POS. 115 dead Bundeswehr pilots would probably have seconded his opinion, except that the dead can't talk.

[squigg58]

At the risk of going somewhat off-subject by not even mentioning WWII, it's interesting to note that although Spain only took delivery of twenty-one F-104G's, not one was lost during their seven years of operational service.

[tygrkhat40]

Originally Posted by palo5

Patton was inappropriate for higher command because he was strategically stupid. Just like Macarthur and LeMay. Eisenhower, on the other hand, understood more than those three together. It's true

Who was the genius who recognized Ike when he was only a 2-star man?

Palo, how would you consider Patton "strategically stupid?"

[Ennath]

Thanks for the input on the Sado Island incident. It has been removed from my chronology.

[Ennath]

August 4, 1935
India The Government of India Act. Some concessions are made to local Indian representation, but responsible government is not granted. Both the INC and Muslim League are hostile to the new system.

August 4, 1936
Greece A royal dictatorship is established with retired General Ioannis Metaxas as premier.

August 4, 1939
Diplomatic Relations Roosevelt urges Stalin not to deal with Berlin, predicting that if France should fall, Russia would be next.

August 4, 1940
War at Sea Force H leaves Gibraltar to help protect home waters.

August 4, 1943
Eastern Front The Soviets enter Orel, leading to bitter street fighting. In the south, Vatutin and Koniev have completed regrouping and begin to attack toward Belgorod. The attack falls on the junction between 4th Panzer Army and 8th Army.
Sicily The British renew the attack on Catania, while the Americans are still battling to take Troina.

August 4, 1944
Western Front In Brittany the Germans pull back to the major ports, St. Malo, Brest, Lorient, and St. Nazaire (these last two will remain in German hands until the end of the war). US troops complete the liberation of Rennes and advance toward Vannes. US 1st Army also pushes forward. In the British sector, Evrecy and Villers Bocage are taken. The Canadians are ordered to attack toward Falaise.
The Netherlands Anne Frank and the others in the Attic are arrested by the Germans. They have hidden here for four years and the diary she leaves behind will become a classic work.
Italy South African troops enter Florence and secure the area south of the Arno. The Germans have destroyed all the bridges except the Ponte Vecchio.
Eastern Front German counterattacks between Riga and Jelgava reopen communications between Riga and Lithuania. Most of Warsaw is under insurgent control.
New Guinea A last desperate counterattack in the Afua area fails and the Japanese withdraw to the south. The Americans prepare an advance over the Driniumor.
Marianas US troops take Mount Barrigada on Guam.
Burma British 2nd Division captures Tamu, across the Burmese frontier.
China The Chinese penetrate into Tengchung, where bitter house-to-house fighting begins.
Canada, Home Front Japanese-Canadians who resisted evacuation are ordered deported to Japan. Some 3900 are sent.

August 4-5, 1944
Bonin Islands US naval forces attack Iwo Jima and Chichi Jima. A Japanese destroyer and two transports are sunk and considerable damage done.

August 4, 1945
Burma Japanese troops are cleared from the Pegu-Martaban railway at Abya.
China Sinning is liberated by Chinese troops.
United States German POW Kurt Rossmeis escapes from a North Carolina camp, makes his way to Chicago, assumes a false identity, and remains at large until 1959.

[keefriff]

Originally Posted by palo5

Who was the genius who recognized Ike when he was only a 2-star man?

I would assume you are speaking of George C. Marshall palo. A towering figure in 20th century American politics and military. He doesn't get the acclaim or often times the credit as much as he deserves but he was as valuable as any American during WWII. And he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953 for the Marshall Plan. An outstanding leader.

[Ennath]

August 5, 1940
Germany, Planning The first operational plans for the invasion of the Soviet Union are presented to General Halder, OKH Chief of Staff. They envisage a two-pronged attack with the major effort being directed toward Moscow and a minor advance being made toward Kiev. Work continues at both OKH and OKW.
Germany, Home Front A new law requires that all citizens must be able to prove their ancestry back to 1800 to qualify for a mandatory Certificate of Racial Purity.
British Defenses Brooke reports that beach defenses along the south and southeast coasts are well-advanced.
East Africa Zeila and Hargeisa fall to the Italians.

August 5, 1941
Eastern Front The fighting around Smolensk comes to an end. The Germans claim to have taken 310,000 prisoners and to have killed many of the 700,000-strong Soviet force. The Soviets admit to far fewer losses. The German figures are probably more accurate. The Finns in the Karelian Isthmus force the Soviets from the line of the Vuoksi.
France, Politics Admiral Darlan is promoted to be in charge of Vichy policy in North Africa. Weygand is to be his subordinate.

August 5, 1942
Eastern Front The German attacks continue, with Army Group A making progress near the Kuban, establishing a bridgehead near Armavir. Kropotkin also falls.

August 5-13, 1942
Battle of the Atlantic Convoy SC-94 is attacked by a wolfpack in the North Atlantic. This marks the return of the U-Boats to large-scale operations on the main convoy routes. SC-94 loses 11 ships, but two attacking U-Boats are sunk and four damaged.

August 5, 1943
New Georgia The Americans complete the capture of Munda and its airfield. Mopping up begins.
Sicily The British take Catania and Paterno.
Eastern Front The attacks of Koniev’s armies make rapid progress, capturing Belgorod and advancing to the southwest. In the Orel sector the Germans are also being pushed back after 2nd Panzer Army has suffered such heavy losses that it is now incorporated into 9th Army. The Germans have prepared a fortified line called the Hagen Line based on Bryansk and covering the front from Sevsk to Kirov.

August 5, 1944
Western Front Vannes is liberated. Other US troops attack near St. Malo and reach the outskirts of Brest. XV Corps reaches Mayenne and Laval. To their left, VII Corps is pushing rapidly beyond Mortain.
Europe, Air Operations The U-Boat pens at Brest are destroyed with 6-ton bombs.
Eastern Front The Warsaw revolt has reached its maximum extent. German reinforcements have arrived and a slow, methodical counterattack begins.
Black Sea The Turkish ship Mefkure, en route from Rumania to Istanbul with 325 passengers, mostly Jewish refugees, is sunk by an unidentified submarine, believed Soviet, and the survivors machine gunned in the water; only 11 survive.
Australia, Home Front Japanese POW’s attempt a mass break-out from a camp in New South Wales during the night. 231 Japanese and 3 guards are killed.
Atomic Research David Greenglass joins the team developing an implosion lens. He is a Soviet agent.

August 5, 1945
China Chinese 13th Army captures Tanchuk town. 58th Division liberates Hsinning.

August 5, 1946
Germany American General Clay proclaims an amnesty for Nazi associations to anyone born 1919 or later on the grounds that young people are more impressionable and thus less responsible for their actions.

August 5, 1949
China A US government White Paper, criticizing the Nationalist government, formally cuts off all further military aid.

[Rendell]

Originally Posted by Ennath

August 5, 1940

Black Sea The Turkish ship Mefkure, en route from Rumania to Istanbul with 325 passengers, mostly Jewish refugees, is sunk by an unidentified submarine, believed Soviet, and the survivors machine gunned in the water; only 11 survive.

Is it possible that the Soviets thought that the ship was being used as a cover to evacuate high ranking Fascists and decided to "terminate with extreme prejudice"?