Sunday Open Thread – Japan Defeated at Midway

Flagship of Vice-Admiral Nagumo - the Akagi (It sank)

On June 7th 1942. the Battle of Midway ended as the United States soundly defeated an armada from the previously invincible Japanese navy.

A thousand miles northwest of Honolulu, the strategic island of Midway was a target for Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto’s Japanese fleet. Yamamoto planned a surprise assault, but U.S. naval intelligence had decoded Japanese messages and the United States was prepared for the attack.

An outnumbered squadron of American fighter aircraft deflected Japanese aircraft attacking Midway, and two U.S. attack fleets overwhelmed the Japanese armada, destroying all four of Yamamoto’s aircraft carriers, which marked the end of Japanese naval supremacy in the Pacific. The loss of ships, naval personnel and aviators set back the Japanese naval war effort by over a year.

Only a single US Navy capital ship, the carrier USS Yorktown (CV-5), suffered serious damage and ultimately sank. The USS Bon Homme Richard (CV-10, then under construction) was renamed, the USS Yorktown in her honor.

Ths is an open thread. Please offer comments here on any subject or in any following threads as appropiate.

Saturday Open Thread – DDay, June 6th, 1944

 

The invasion was coded under several names which were collectively grouped under a master plan, Operation Overlord. One note, this was the first successful cross channel invasion since Hastings in 1066 – 878 years earlier. It also was the greatest single day of  battle in the history of mankind. Including army, naval, air and supply forces; more then half a million combatants were fighting on the Allied side.

The Axis forces at the beachhead numbered about a hundred twenty thousand – most discards from the Eastern Front. Armored German units had been moved north on false intelligence. 

The German navy at the front was powerless due to damage and fuel rationing dictated by Hitler (to about 1/3 of the Kriegsmarine’s normal allocation), who had doubts about the surface fleet.

German forces were also weakened because a false alert of an immanent invasion during the previous lunar cycle fostered inattention on the actual invasion day. 

Further ensuring an Allied victory was a disabling injury of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel by Allied aircraft during the spring of 1944. Until then, he had commanded the Atlantic Wall, Germany’s prime defensive line against a cross-channel invasion. He was Germany’s utmost strategist in both offense and defense.

The initial phase – Operation Neptune, was intended to place about 1 million troops on the beachfront including armor, infantry, support units and two temporary harbors. This groundwork occupied the first eight weeks of the plan. The allied side used about 7000 vessels, about 1200 of them, warships. The French Resistance was also enlisted to sabotage German supply lines and guard posts.

James Earl Rudder, President of  Texas A&M University while I was there, was  key in establishing the Omaha beachhead. Aggies rule!

Following Operation Neptune was Operation Cobra, the breakout from the beachfront, which started on July 24th, 1944. We’ll stop here.

On a personal note, my Mom gave birth to triplets on this very day. I was three at the time.

This is an open thread and as usual, you are welcome to comment here on any subject. Feel more than welcome to comment in any of the threads below as well.

Open Thread for Wednesday – The Battle of Dunkirk

June 3rd in 1940 marked the formal end to this battle. Small craft from the British Isles worked into the next day evacuating British and French defenders. Winston Churchill delivered his stirring  speech that defined the resolve to seek the final victory.

Small Craft Help in Dunkirk Evacuation

 The same day 4 years  later was chosen as a symbolic date for the Allied invasion of Europe, but the weather was not forgiving on that date. Instead, the invasion was delayed until June 6th. We’ll report on that in a few days.

As always, this is an open thread and all can offer their input on any subject. If you have any opinions to offer in any of  the other threads, please feel free to do so.