Charles McCain

Your attitude towards MacArther is without merit a...

2011-09-08T00:23:12.133-04:00

Your attitude towards MacArther is without merit and you need to do more research into why the Iowa Class battleships were recommissioned by the US Navy. Don't inject your distastefull personal opinions into the matter.

2011-08-21T18:25:47.126-04:00

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

They certainly were handsome ships although like m...

2011-08-15T11:37:20.690-04:00

They certainly were handsome ships although like most German ships of that era they had numerous design flaws and weren't that well built. After W W One, when the Treaty of Versailles gutted the German Navy, all the shipyards which made naval ships went out of business and their skill workforces scattered to the winds. So it was difficult for the Germans to start their warship building industry from scratch. Admiral Lutjens,commanding the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau task force,was scared off after he took some hits from HMS Renown. Lutjens later commanded the Bismarck task force and did a poor job with that. You are absolutely right: had Lutjens engaged, he could have sunk HMS Renown. Due to the atrocious weather, Renown had left her destroyer screen which could not keep up with her. In the horrendous weather, superior German gunnery probably would have won the day.

Gorgeous ships - especially with their 'Atlant...

2011-08-11T14:10:28.999-04:00

Gorgeous ships - especially with their 'Atlantic' bows.

Too bad - for the Germans sake - that they didn't give them 6x15 inch guns instead of the 9x11 inch guns...and maybe even a longer 'Atlantic' bow to cure the bad wetness problem they apparently had forward.

They could have sunk the Renown (off Norway) and done a lot more damage on convoy patrols.

Seemed like more of a Cliffs Notes than a critique...

2011-07-21T14:53:45.198-04:00

Seemed like more of a Cliffs Notes than a critique.

good pix

2011-06-30T12:07:04.110-04:00

good pix

Thank you, Brendan. I have to give credit where cr...

2011-06-27T12:42:20.370-04:00

Thank you, Brendan. I have to give credit where credit is due, however. My blogmaster and assistant, Terrific Tad, always puts together the Thursday pic post and Friday 'poster' post. I flash through them but he finds the posters and the pictures and chooses the ones which get posted. He has a great eye for this and always seems to find just the right photographs (for both the posts I write and the photo post on Thursday) and just the right posters posters. Not sure where he finds all this stuff but he is a great net researcher and, as I said, has a great eye in picking out just the right pics and posters. So thank you Tad for your great work and thank you Brendan for your kind compliment.

Excellent choices. thanks for posting Charles b

2011-06-24T13:31:29.373-04:00

Excellent choices. thanks for posting Charles

b

The CIA produces all sorts of public information. ...

2011-06-21T12:59:16.210-04:00

The CIA produces all sorts of public information. Is it correct? Who knows. I don't know if they teach kids about Liberia anymore. It is a fascinating and ultimately tragic story. I think when all the killing began about 14 years ago there was much talk of US intervention but we never went in. As to the Quakers, one thing I have noticed in my years of reading history is that the moment a totalitarian government comes to power, such as the Nazis, they first execute all the Quakers since they take their religion most seriously and won't do things like serve in the armed forces.

thank you, Jack. I'm always grateful to hear f...

2011-06-21T12:52:26.031-04:00

thank you, Jack. I'm always grateful to hear from a reader that you like you like the blog. I put a lot of effort into it, which is my choice, no one makes me do it, but it is always pleasing to know that people read it and enjoy it. I have eclectic historical interests and I veer around a lot from subject to subject and worry that readers don't like that but the readership keeps growing so maybe they do. I am working on a proposal for a second novel and will announce more about it soon. thank you again.

Good stuff, Chas. Love your work. Another novel in...

2011-06-17T08:34:38.765-04:00

Good stuff, Chas. Love your work. Another novel in the mix?

It's nice of the CIA to provide such convenien...

2011-06-15T08:25:51.520-04:00

It's nice of the CIA to provide such convenient listings for the international criminal club. I doubt anyone is currently exerting any actual law enforcement muscle in those places. I have always found the story of Liberia to be very interesting. We learned about it in grade school in Eastern, PA because of the Quaker connection. Do they even teach this kind of thing today?

Charles: Thanks for the very kind post and warm w...

2011-06-03T19:27:49.324-04:00

Charles:

Thanks for the very kind post and warm wishes. Great photos!

We very much appreciate it!

Very Respectfully,
J. I. Holwitt
LT USN

I could not have said it better myself.

2011-06-01T16:31:50.708-04:00

I could not have said it better myself.

Why should one read on? None of Horton's sto...

2011-06-01T10:29:27.162-04:00

Why should one read on?

None of Horton's story is propaganda; just the cold hard truth about an exceptional sailor who knew his business inside out.

Donitz was squarely beaten by new detection technologies(sonar)and the capture of German
enigma codes. These tools plus effective escort training techniques were expertly and ruthlessly used by an unrelenting Max Horton at Western Approaches Command to secure the destruction of the u-boat arm.

The crews of the Unterseebooten were undoubtably brave and resolute men and thousands of them paid the ultimate sacrifice during WWII.Sadly, they were let down by a leader who was not of the same strategic calibre and tactical capabilities as Admiral Horton.

hmmm. ANd an ardent Nazi. And a man who sank a n...

2011-05-27T09:34:58.552-04:00

hmmm. ANd an ardent Nazi. And a man who sank a neutral US merchant ship which went down with most of its crew. Not so sure if he is worth remembering.

Luth is a Legend!! Let*s keep is spirit alive for...

2011-05-27T08:45:32.375-04:00

Luth is a Legend!! Let*s keep is spirit alive forever*** thanks, Rick..

"...[Doenitz] As an admiral he was second-rat...

2011-04-29T09:51:43.855-04:00

"...[Doenitz] As an admiral he was second-rate at best, incompetent at worst. As a strategist and a tactician he was uninformed and tunnel minded. Morally, he was a weak man of the lowest character ..."

Why should one read on after this enlightening entry ? There are already enough propaganda films, and books.

Howdy, You asked for me to stop by and comment on ...

2011-04-19T18:17:00.340-04:00

Howdy,
You asked for me to stop by and comment on my experience flying in a B-24 and B-17. I could go on for days. The best thing on earth is experincing the low frequency rumble of radial engines at full power. What a rush!! My friends and I just started screaming our heads off when the pilot punched it for the takeoff roll. Also, on the B-17 flight, a guy who was a radio operator on 17s during the war got a surprise ride as his 81st birthday gift from his kids. He was like a guy of 20, the way he moved around in that plane during the flight. It was his first time back on the plane since the war. It made the experience even more rewarding for us. I must say, the 17 was more fun to fly in than the 24, even though it can be argued that the 24 was the better aircraft.
The Collings Foundation is a terrific outfit. The rides aren't cheap, but they are tax deductable. Even so, that was the best money I ever spent. I will do it again.

If memory serves, the British did attempt to take ...

2011-04-16T10:55:39.620-04:00

If memory serves, the British did attempt to take the Spanish city of Cartagena, in South America, but the expeditionary force had to withdraw after many of the soldiers came down with yellow fever. There were also skirmishes on the border between Spanish Florida and the new British colony of Georgia.

@ Gary The US Congress passed a resolution (that ...

2011-04-15T13:41:40.666-04:00

@ Gary

The US Congress passed a resolution (that the President signed) in October 2000 exonerating Captain McVay for the loss of the USS Indianapolis. While the formal conviction still remains on his service record, does this act not attempt to repair the damage done in November 1945 by his court-martial? What do you think could be done if not this? Obviously the fact that it happened can not be changed but can anything be done to atone?

Not only was the Indianapolis sinking one of the g...

2011-04-15T11:45:01.795-04:00

Not only was the Indianapolis sinking one of the greatest tragedies of the war, the court-martial of Captain Charles Butler McVay III is another blight on the honor of the Navy.

Indianpolis ceased zigzagging several hours before she was torpedoed. Zigzagging was a common technique in WWII, but I should point out when a ship zigzags, she is just as likely to zig towards an enemy submarine as away from it. The Navy does not practice zigzagging as an anti-submarine technique anymore—they rely on their sonar as a more effective anti-submarine deterrent.

The other thing that contributed to the tragic loss of life amongst Indianapolis's crew is that she was not accompanied by a single escort ship. At that time in the war, the Navy had plenty of destroyers to spare and one of them should have been detailed to accompany Indianapolis. It is highly improbable that a Japanese sub could successfully have attacked both ships without distress messages being sent.

The Navy in WWII suffered from a really poor system of reporting ship's arrivals/departures and had no effective way of knowing if a ship was delayed or missing.

The stain on Captain McVey's honor is something the Navy will never be able to erase.

Gary, some of them might have. If they did get it ...

2011-04-09T22:22:26.208-04:00

Gary, some of them might have. If they did get it mixed up, I imagine the next morning was awkward. But they were drunk and didn't remember and they didn't have DADT.

"...killing the men and raping the women.&quo...

2011-04-07T14:56:18.996-04:00

"...killing the men and raping the women."

Well, Charles, I'm glad they weren't so drunk that they didn't get it mixed up!

Thanks for another informative article!

thank you! Glad you liked it. I plan more posts o...

2011-03-25T16:38:01.390-04:00

thank you! Glad you liked it. I plan more posts on women in WW Two.