Comments by "Colonel K" (@Paladin1873) on "Drachinifel" channel.

  1. Lee is largely overlooked by military history, perhaps because he had no interest in self-promotion and PR. He just wanted to solve technical problems and shoot the enemy at every opportunity.
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  2. My pick would be the 1942 Naval Battle of Guadalcanal where the USS San Francisco joined the IJN in a game of who can put the most shells in the USS Atlanta.
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  3. ...except the Phoenix is supposed to rise from the ashes. Maybe the Japanese Defense Force has a new ship named the Taiho.
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  4. I remember being assured during the Falklands War that newer US Navy combat ships would have survived the Exocet damage because we had superior damage control systems, better defensive armament, and steel superstructures. Imagine my dismay when a few days later I sat in a briefing that quickly dispelled any such notions. I'm glad to see the Navy did respond quickly and positively to the threat.
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  5. Was there ever a braver or more determined crew than that of the SS Stephen Hopkins? Captain Buck was posthumously awarded the Merchant Marine Distinguished Service Medal for his actions, as was US Merchant Marine Academy cadet Edwin Joseph O'Hara, who single-handedly fired the last shots from the ship's 4-inch gun after everyone else had been killed. Navy reservist Lt. (j.g.) Kenneth Martin Willett, gun boss for the 4-inch gun, was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross. In my book every man on that shipped deserved the Medal of Honor.
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  6. If they ever build another large warship, I think they should name it Godzilla.
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  7. I get the impression we reassigned our incompetent admirals to shore duties while the Japanese reassigned their competent admirals to shore duties.
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  8. A line from Peter Hart's "Gallipoli" seems appropriate when discussing the MK14 torpedo debacle. ". . . if they typified any . . . trait, it was a lunatic persistence in the face of the obvious."
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  9. I live in Montana. We are the second or third largest state in terms of the percentage of residents who have served in the military. You're right about the name, though. It's even worse if you consider the fate of the last of the four ships named after our capitol city, Helena. Next to the Lewis & Clark Library in that city is a small park where rests an anchor, propeller, and bell to commemorate the four cruisers named Helena and the 168 men lost on the last one when she went down in 1943 after having survived damage at Pearl Harbor and two major engagements with the Japanese in the South Pacific in 1942.
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  10.  @kentvesser9484  Certainly possible. They could have billed him as the Navy's answer to Alvin York, but the Marines might have gotten pissed. Shooting snipers is sometime of a specialty of theirs, one which they take great delight in doing.
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  11. Thanks for the details, Larry. To me, any ship built during the the 50s -70s would have been considered a newer ship, so I think your comments dovetail with my own. We were briefed at the time that the real advantage of steel over aluminum was its higher melting point. If anyone had illusions of steel actually stopping a missile, they need only consider how shape charges easily burn through tank hulls to be dispelled of that myth. The only vessel I am aware of that might have been able to stop a missile from fully penetrating its hull or gun turrets is a battleship, but even it has vulnerable spots such as the superstructure and teak decks. What is your opinion on this?
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  12.  @stanleyrogouski  That's a bit harsh. Nobody has a perfect track record. I think Halsey turned around the Guadalcanal campaign and boosted American morale at a desperate low point in the Pacific war. I agree he screwed up in the Philippines and pulled a Navy version of Clark marching triumphantly into Rome instead of cutting off the German retreat. Had it not been for the amazing courage and tenacity of the sailors in Taffy 3, the invasion of the Philippines could have turned into a real disaster.
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  13.  @lancerevell5979  I once received a reprimand from a Navy Chief. It was in lieu of going before the boss, an Army BG. It was really verbal counseling and did not enter my record. The Chief was polite and formal, but also serious. He explained how my error in judgement could have jeopardized the unit's security clearance. I admitted my mistake and promised not to err again. I was an Air Force Major at the time.
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  14.  @donnacorrell3527  Good humored rivalry and ribbing between the services is a long cherished tradition. Don't take my comment too seriously.
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  15. The Sullivan brothers were another legend reinvented by the Navy to preserve and enhance morale at home. The true story of them serving together puts a bit of tarnish on their reputation and their loss pretty much destroyed their family as well, if the accounts I've read are true.
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  16.  @michaelmayfield4304  I suspect it is because nearly everyone posting here is prior service. While I enjoying poking a little fun at the squids, jar heads, grunts, and coasties I've known, I also maintain a healthy respect and admiration for the work and risks they undertake. It keeps us Airmen warm and cozy at night knowing they've got us covered while we relax in front of the 80" wide screen TV, sipping our cocktails.
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  17.  @jasonirwin4631  About 20 years ago I was asked by a retired BG friend who had been an Air Force doctor to offer my opinion to a retired colonel who was working for the VA (he also happened to be a Medal of Honor recipient). I was very blunt and suggested we get rid of the VA hospital system and replace it with a portable health insurance card that could be used anywhere. Neither the general nor the Colonel were impressed by my suggestion. I still think it's a good idea. By the way, I've been retired for 16 years and never use the local VA hospital for anything. I don't need the hassle and maybe my not using it will free up space for some poor vet who has nowhere else to turn.
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  18. Wow, the modernization program had them looking like brand new designs.
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  19. Another of Pyke's creations did come to fruition, the First Special Service Force, aka Devil's Brigade, a joint Canadian-American commando force that saw action in the Aleutians, Italy, and France during WWII.
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  20.  @fastyaveit  During the war a movie was made about the Sullivan brothers. My Mother saw it before it was pulled from the theaters over adverse morale concerns. They weren't the only brothers to serve on the same ship, and contrary to popular belief, there were no regulations preventing it. Such an opportunity was seen as a good recruiting tool. After their loss, it was seen a good rallying cry.
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  21. I watched the movie version years ago. It's a great story of courage and desperation, probably driven in part by the fact British merchant seamen were docked pay when their ships went down and they were left adrift.
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  22. Much like 911 where the only effective response to the terrorist attacks was conducted by an ad hoc unorganized militia formed about United Airlines Flight 93.
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  23. Ah yes, the joys of youthful discovery. Did you ever put gasoline in a Styrofoam cup (the poor man's napalm)?
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  24. I just finished reading "Devil Boats" to my wife. While it contains some common errors, such as repeatedly referring to PTs as being of plywood construction, and perpetuating the myth that RON 3 sank or heavily damaged the IJN cruiser Kuma, it also contains details of many of the better documented actions of PTs in the Pacific war. Near the end of the book the author describes a shore action on the island of Tidore (off Halmahera island in eastern Indonesia) involving the heroics of the crews of PT 179 (Betty Lou) and PT 180 (Marie). I took pause while reading this account aloud to my wife because her late uncle was the gunner's mate on Marie. The supporting fire his gunners gave to the men when they were ambushed ashore resulted in all of them escaping safely back to their boats. He rarely talked about his service in WWII and never mentioned this incident, not even in a letter my wife had coaxed him into writing for my 50th birthday. Like so many PT men, he tended to open up only when among his old shipmates at their annual reunions. One can but wonder how many sagas were left untold. Videos and books barley scratch the surface, but they will have to do, so thanks, Mark, for your continuing efforts. Sometimes they touch a personal chord when we least expect it.
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  25. Great name for a sub. Tragic end.
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  26. Typical Marine, always showing everyone how tough he is. ;-)
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  27.  @Wolfeson28  It is both. Above two-star rank all positions are temporary political promotions. The fact that only one person - a Marine LTC - was ethical enough to say out loud what everyone else was thinking is an indictment of our entire senior military leadership. These generals and admirals do have clout to counter extremely bad decision making. They can offer mass resignations. The last time this was seriously contemplated was during the Vietnam War when the entire Joint Chiefs of Staff planned to march into LBJ's officer and tender their resignations because of the way he was mishandling the war. One by one they each chickened out until the last general arrived at the White House alone, sat in his car for a while to ponder if his lone resignation would accomplish anything, then decided to drive away. He regretted his decision for the rest of his life. I'm not sure this current crop even considered the idea or ever would.
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  28.  @gtarulli  I read an article about his deed in a magazine that contained the painting. From everything I've read and heard over the years (admittedly not that much), the Merchant Marines of WWII really got the short end of the stick. They were repeatedly denied veteran's benefits long after the war even though Congress authorized them for other civilian organizations such as the WASPs. I guess they never had the glamor and popular support they deserved, especially in the early years of WWII when their casualties exceeded those of the US military. I also read that in the British Merchant Marines you did not receive pay, benefits, or medical care if your ship was sunk by enemy action because you failed to honor your contract obligation. This kind of treatment makes sweat shops look attractive.
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  29.  @stanleyrogouski  And there's an Admiral Halsey on The Orville sci-fi series. That name has legs (sea legs).
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  30. I would have included the Liberty ships because of their mass construction, though the Victory ships might be a better choice because they were structurally sounder and considerably faster.
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  31. Truly a group of unsung heroes, these salvage men.
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  32. Admiral Lee knew what the hell he was doing and deserved the Medal of Honor for this action alone, but received a Navy Cross instead. I suppose if he'd been killed during the engagement, the Navy would have insisted on the higher award. I doubt it mattered to Lee. He won the day and changed the course of the war in this part of the Pacific. Yet for some reason all the stories we read and hear are about Callaghan and Scott, two admirals who are best remembered for their failures around Guadalcanal. I am curious to know why the South Dakota had so many electrical problems during this latest fight when Washington did not. I know they were different class ships but they were built during the same time period.
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  33. My earliest flying memories are riding around in a CAP Piper PA12 my Dad flew and maintained (he was a licensed A&E mechanic) back in the late 1950s. The CAP shack (and it was a shack) was attached to a small open hangar that housed the plane. Originally thye operated an old Fleet biplane, but it was replaced by the PA12 Super Crusier. Most of the CAP members were WWII and Korean vets who wanted to log some cheap or free flying time. During WWII it was about the only way a civilian pilot was allowed to do any private flying, so it was great incentive to join and use your plane for the cause. The Navy was doing something similar with private yachts early in the war. As an aside, I spotted a rare Luscombe Phantom in the photo at 27:16. They only built 25 of them. This was a plane my Dad always wanted to own. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
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  34. I guess it isn't just old soldiers who never die, but just fade away. This is another great story, like those of other Imperial German Navy ships and crews of WWI such as the SMS Emden and SMS Wolf. C.S. Forester must have envied these true life adventures, or even used them as inspiration for some of his work.
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  35. I have never understood why Callaghan and Scott received the Medal of Honor for that cock-up. I can only presume it was done for morale and propaganda reasons.
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  36. My favorite quote from the "Battle off Samar" was by a sailor who, upon seeing the Japanese inexplicably retire just as they were about to annihilate Taffy 3, yelled, "Dammit, boys, they're getting away!" Those men needed wheel barrels to haul their stainless steel balls.
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  37.  @jasonthomas9596  Yep.
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  38.  @Edax_Royeaux  When I was very young I used to watch a TV show called The Silent Service (available on YouTube). It was reenactments (sometimes slightly embellished) of true stories about US subs, mostly set during WWII. It's a great series, with a lot of future stars and familiar faces. It was created and produced by retired Rear Admiral Thomas Dykers, a former WWII sub commander. I think you'll enjoy watching it.
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  39.  @andyberry2025  I never minded exercising command over other personnel, but I usually left the control to them and their own devices. If they screwed up, it was my responsibility to take the heat, not theirs. And I've got the singed tuchus to prove it.
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  40.  @Wolfeson28  You may well be right. If so, don't expect any of our current senior military leadership to get sacked over the debacle in Afghanistan.
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  41. The C-47 of salvage ships.
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  42. The ship that would not die.
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  43.  @dungareenavy5970  You have my sympathy. The Carter era Montgomery GI Bill was an insulting joke. I used it once and gave up, then switched to Tuition Assistance. Years later when the GI Bill was revamped I found out I did not qualify for it because of the $50 I had gotten from the Montgomery Bill. I was told not to worry though because the law cancelling the original GI Bill in 1976 had changed to grandfather in my class from 1977 because we were committed to federal service in 1976, but had been overlooked. There was just one catch; we had to enter our first day of continuous active duty by Dec 31, 1977. I was activated on 15 Jan 77, so once again I did not qualify. The good news is nobody ever spat on me or called me a baby killer like those poor Vietnam era guys. Anyway, I still managed to make a career out of it and I didn't end up with a watered-down retirement pay scale when I did retire.
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  44. Actually, the ship lost was the second one name Helena.
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  45. The first American PT boats used in combat were 77 foot Elcos of Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three (MTBRon 3) in the Philippines from 1941-42. Huckins only built 18 boats and none of them saw combat.
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  46. What if they had a naval battle and nobody was sunk?
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  47. I felt like I was listening to a Hornblower adventure.
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  48. A Navy colleague of mine at USCENTCOM once served on the New Jersey. When he left the ship he was presented a teak plank from her deck which was mounted in a display case. He proudly kept it over his mantle at home.
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  49.  @Wolfeson28  I think the undisputed king of self-promotion was MacArthur. Why he wasn't fired after the Philippine debacle remains a mystery to me. From what I've read, Marshall had every reason to do so, both professional and personal, but let it pass.
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  50. Nice to see dry understated English wit is still alive and well thanks to Peter Laurie.
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