Two Photograpys

 

I found this on Facebook a couple of days ago. It reminded me of another photograph I had seen a while back.



The W.A.S.P. were one of the great sucess scories of World War Two.  The flew everything - and flew it well.

Imagine if these women, and others like them, had been allowed to keep flying military aircraft in an unbroken chain from this photograph to the first one. 

Saturday At Camp Hearn POW Camp

This Saturday (05/19/2012) Helene and I spent a very pleasant day at the Camp Hearn POW Camp Museum open house. An Amateur Radio Club from College Station had come out with a portable Antenna and radios. In the course of the day they talked to other Ham Radio Operators all over the world.

The Museum is in a newly constructed barracks building of the type that housed German POW’s during World War Two. Helene and I were in the first room of the museum with a display of firearms that would have been used in and around the camp by the American Guards. Another gentleman brought a World War Two Jeep that delighted the crowd. In addition to answering questions about the guns I also shared stories about the Second World War, both the war it’s self and the home front.

One of the highlights of the day was an address given by former POW, Mr. Heino Erichson. Mr. Erichson was a serving with the Africa Corps when captured by British Forces. Due to overcrowding in British Camps he was send to the United States. After a short time in Camp Hearn he ended the war in a POW Camp in Kentucky.

If you find yourself anywhere near Hearn, Texas you might consider stopping at the Camp Hearn POW Camp Museum. Its well worth your time to stop and explore a part of history seldom covered in the detail it deserves. They are open Wednesday thru Saturday 11:00AMto 4:00PM.

100 Years Ago Today - Harriet Quimby

Timing is everything, so discovered Harriet Quimby, an Aviation Pioneer you have probably never heard of.

Harriet was a force to be reckoned with. She was a journalist and theater critic in New York City in the early 1900’s. She even wrote early screen plays. When she discovered aviation she entered that world with the same intensity as everything else in her life.

Her first major accomplishment was getting flight training. The Wright Brothers did not teach women to fly in 1910. It seemed no one would even discuss it. At long last she convinced Alfred Moisant to be her instructor after meeting him and his sister Matilde. As a result Harriet was the first American Woman to become a licensed pilot. But the license was only the first step. She needed to make her mark in aviation and thought she knew just how to get everyone’s attention.

In March of 1912 Harriet set sail for England with a letter of introduction to Louis Bleriot. Louis had thrilled the world on July 25, 1909 when he became the first man to cross the English Channel in an aircraft of his own design. In a series of meetings Harriet persuaded him to lend her a Bleriot XI similar to (if not the) one he had crossed the Channel with himself.

This was a different era in aviation. The fifty horse power Bleriot had no ailerons. Banking was controlled by a system called wing warping, changing the shape of the wing to control roll. I’ve known a number of pilots who have flown older planes with this type of control. NO ONE prefers it! The plane Harriet used was equipped with a compass. Louis assured her he wished he had one when he made his crossing. Harriet was taught to use it the morning of her channel flight.

On April 16, 1912 Harriet took off in the Bleriot XI for the first time and headed across the English Channel. The weather was dismal, but she plowed on through poor visibility and fog. Louis Bleriot’s flight took thirty seven minutes. Fifty nine minutes after Harriet took off she touched down near Hardelot, France. The crowd greeted her wildly, but that was about the only recognition she received.

Timing is everything.

You must remember dear reader; the RMS Titanic had just sunk the day before. News papers all over the world were printing every scrap on information they could find and the public was clamoring for more. Harriet did have enough clout with in New York to have the story run, but the best they could manage was page 17 in the New York Times.

Harriet Quimby would have overcome this in time, but that was a luxury she didn’t have. Three months later to the day - July 16, 1912 – she was involved in a fatal flying accident. One can only wonder what she could have accomplished with more time.

100 Years Ago Tonight – Titanic

We have heard the story all our lives. 100 years ago tonight, on April 14, 1912 at eleven forty PM, the RMS Titanic stuck a glancing blow on an Iceberg 375 miles south of Newfoundland. It was actually on April 15, 1912 the ship “not even God could sink” went down. She was four days into her maiden voyage. Two hours and forty minutes after the iceberg strike she slipped beneath the waves taking the lives of 1,514 people in the process. I will not retell the story here. I am sure others can and will do that. I am more interested in the effect Titanic’s legend has had on our lives.

Titanic was more famous in death than she ever would have been in life. Over the years there have been hundreds of articles, books TV Specials and Movies to keep the story alive. The 710 survivors were haunted for the rest of their lives by a cruel celebrity. I can remember as a child seeing news stories about reunions of the survivors, often on the anniversary of
the sinking.

The last survivor, Millvina Dean, passed away in 2009 at the
age of 97. She was two months old when she was lowered to a lifeboat in a sack and spent the rest of her life famous for something she had no memory of.

For more than seventy years the location of the ship was a mystery. That changed in 1985 when she was located in 12,415 feet of water. Since then the already thriving Titanic industry has swelled to include mining the debris field and high price submarine rides to visit the wreak.

Problems for the Titanic didn’t end with sinking. Due to the growth of iron-eating bacteria on the hull she is growing into the seabed. Visitors who want to see the Titanic still resembling the ship she was will probably need to visit in the next fifty years. Luckily the images will last forever.

News - Not Unexpeted

I got a call from my sister Alesia last Saturday (March 30). She told me my Aunt Frances, my fathers sister, had passed away that morning. This was not unexpected, but still sobering.

The world knew her most of her life as Mrs. Frances Fisher, a life long resident of Moore County, Texas. She married my Uncle Thurman in 1941, and they were only parted by World War Two until he passed away in 1996.

To me she was, and will always, be Aunt Tansy. For the life of me I can't recall where the nick name came from.

Aunt Tansy was the strong one who looked after those around her. She gave wise councle.

When we are young we expect parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins to be with us forever. All too often we don't realize what a treasure they are until they are gone.

We had Aunt Tansy for 93 years. The years ahead will be poorer for her absents.

God's speed Aunt Tansy. You were loved and will be missed.

Good-By Earl Scruggs

I felt a real sense of loss today when I learned Earl Scruggs had passed away. This may surprise a lot of folks, Country Western Music isn't really my thing. Having said that, I can lessen to a good Banjo picker all night long. I have never met anyone who didn't turn the radio up when FOGGY MOUNTAIN BREAKDOWN came on.

Being a child of the 50's and 60's my first introduction to Earl Scruggs and Lester Flatt was THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES. In addition to writing and performing The Ballad of Jed Clampet Earl and Lester made a number of guest appearances on the show.

Go with God Earl. Your gift of music will help us deal with the loss.

Granny Burnetts Airplane Book

The other day I was on E-Bay (a dangerous place according to my Wife) and found a delightful surprise. One of my searches turned up AMERICA’S FIGHTING PLANES by Reed Kinert. The amazing thing was that it was in Kindle format. I was overjoyed that a new generation would be exposed to this wonder book.

In World War Two my Uncle Jack Burnett went to the Aircorps as an aircraft mechanic. He wrote home strange letters speaking of Pt-19s, AT-6 and B-25s. My Grandfather bought a copy of this book on a business trip to Amarillo, Texas in order to read the code.

My Cousin Eddie read to me from this book at Granny Burnett’s farm. It was the first exposure I had to the planes that would become so important in my life. I’m afraid we grand kids wore that book out. I reattached the covers while working as a library assistant in high school. When Granny Burnett passed away that book went to Eddie – as it should have.

In 1994 I visited THE BOOK BUYERS SHOPE on Alabama Street in Houston, a place every bit as dangerous as E-Bay. I had not thought about Granny Burnett’s airplane book in twenty years at least. I had long since given up any chance of finding another. There on the shelf was the second copy I had seen in my life.

Nothing could ever take the place of Granny Burnett’s book, but I made this one special in another way. I take this book to the Men (and Women) who flew, and now fly, the planes described here. It’s a great ice breaker. Most of them honor me by signing the pages of the planes they flew.

As they thumb through the book two things happen. I have had a number of folks, when they spot performance figures listed here ask, “Weren’t they worried about this information getting into enemy hands?”

Friends and neighbors – they were counting on it! I have had a number of old timers laugh openly at the speeds, ranges and fuel capacities listed.

But the pictures also bring out the stories. Sometimes stories they haven’t thought about in years.

A Blinding Flashback!

Facebook offered up an unexpected treasure today. My little friend Scottie (6'4" and at the time I knew him you wouldn't believe the weight) was one of those rare companions who could be depended on to encourage bad ideas, support a reckless course of action and carry secrets to the grave. We have enough dirt on each other to assure there will be no survivors if it either of us starts talking.

Scott left Texas a few years ago and we had lost touch until Facebook. Today I found this:

I am pleased to report that the bean has been successfully extracted from X ear. It will, of course, be saved and produced at inopportune moments throughout the remainder of his life. :)

I have with held the lad's name as I am a firm believer that it is the parent's duty to embarrass their children. For other adults to do it feels like bullying. Still, this simple statement triggered a flood of memories.

I was already familur with the Winnemucca Nevada emergency room. I still sported the walking cast from my first (and thankfully only) adventure in broken bones. I had the names of friends and family spread across it's surface.

Since I wasn't able to move around as much as usual Mom had brought me some supplies to help pass the time. There were comic books, a new coloring book and crayons, and a pea shooter.

You need to understand I was never one of those punks that sat in class shooting spit wads at their classmates in the front of the room. I was the hapless kid that got caught the first time I chunked my eraser back at them after half a day of being the target.

I had the better part of a week with the pea shooter before the horrible accident. My little brother and I had gone to bed and I was doing the fiddeling kids do prior to drooping off to sleep. In my case, I was playing with a pea shooter pea.

Inquiring minds want to know. Will the pea shooter pea fit into a seven year olds ear? Yes it will. Will it come back out? I'm sure it will come back out. It's got to come out.

IT WON'T COME OUT!

I tried everything my desperate seven year old mind could think of. Nothing. So what happened if it stayed there? I had it on good authority it would take root and grow. That couldn't be good. And what if it took roots and my Dad had to pull it out? I was sure he could, he was really big! I was also sure it would hurt!

My Grand Parents could fix this. Problem, how could they get to Winnemucca from the Texas Panhandle before my folks woke up in the morning? Then I remembered I didn't know how to dial a long distance telephone number. Well, there was only one thing to do. I had to tell my Mom and Dad. They would know what to do, they knew everything.

Problem, telling my folks I had done something stupid. Worst problem, everyone was in bed. I would have to wake them up to tell them I did something stupid. With my life flashing before my eyes I clumped down the hall with my walking cast to face my doom.

I don't recall either of my parents laughing. Both got miles of amusment out of it later but that night they kept strait faces - after a fashion. They had more ideas about how to get the pea out than I had. My Dad had all kinds of ideas involving power tools that mom promptly shot down. I'm about half convinced that he was kidding, and Mom wouldn't let him do it.

At long last Dad called the emergency room and was told to bring me in. Mom stayed with the other kids while Dad took me to the Doctor that had set my leg.

Once we reached the emergence room things were anti-climatic. We were in the exam room less than a minute when the Doc. popped the pea out of my ear. I learned that day having the right tool is everything. The doctor told me not to go sticking things in my ear - I could break my ear drum. I never told anyone until tonight that I already did and thought I had.

There was no school the next day so the other kids were up when we got back home and Mom had hot chocolate ready. The night ended better than I would have thought possible. I was even allowed to keep the pea shooter.

I have written this for three reasons.

First, I was not the first kid in Winnemucca, Nevada to stick a pea shooter pea in my ear. The doctor told my Dad they averaged one child a day in the week the things had been on sale at TG&Y.

Second, I want Scott's son - known here as "X" - to know he was not the first kid to ever do that. I did it before his father was ever born.

Third, at some point in the future "X" will hear of this happening to another kid. It will be his turn to let that boy or girl know they are not the first to stick a pea shooter pea in their ear, and they will not be the last.

The Sedgley Glove

Looking back it seem a fair number of my blogs of late have started off by referencing
something I saw at hellinahandbasket. This is another one. There was an article discussing gimmick weapons or systems. This odd ball came up in the comments.

The curious device above is known far and wide as a Glove Gun. More properly it is a Sedgley Glove or Sedgley Glove Gun if you prefer. For years they have appeared in books or articles about the OSS (Office of Strategic Services) with a one paragraph description. As the name suggest the implement attached to the back of a standard cowhide work glove is a fire arm. To be exact it is a single shot .38 caliber fire arm. The plunger extending past the barrel is the triggering device. To discharge it, you punch the dude where you want the bullet to go – can’t miss!

Sources differ as to whether these are chambered in .38 Special or .38 S&W. I know the part of the block containing the barrel would rotate up for loading and unloading. I have no idea how it is cocked. Is there a safety? I can see arguments for and against it. One would assume there is a manual on this beastie somewhere but I have never encountered either the manual or the weapon it’s self in the ‘flesh’. In the day it would most certainly have been classified. If anyone out there can address any of these points I would love to hear from you.

My best information is that the weapon was designed by the Office of Naval
Intelligence. There are several theories about how it was employed.

One is that Sedgley Gloves were provided to heavy equipment operators with the Sea Bees. Reason being that bulldozer operators were unarmed due to the requirements of their jobs. The story goes that Sedgley Gloves came in right and left hand pairs. In case of a surprise attack by the Japanese this gave the Sea Bees a way to defend themselves.

With all due respect, I wouldn’t even have mentioned this one if I hadn’t encountered it several times in my research. Japanese soldiers tended to lead with their bayonets during an attack on what they thought to be an unarmed opponent. A glove, even a Sedgley Glove, against a bayonet looses. I have talked to a lot of Sea Bees. Some of them have mentioned side arms, others spoke about finding a way to keep a rifle or shotgun handy if they felt the need. Sedgley Gloves never came up.

I would offer two other arguments against this practice. First, in all my years of research I have only seen pictures of Sedgley Gloves made for the right hand, never the left. Second, if they had been issued in quantity to the Sea Bees we would be seeing a lot of them at gun shows. This is not to say the idea wasn’t suggested, maybe tested, but there has to be a reason Naval Intelligence designed them and the OSS ended up with them.

The Sedgley Glove pictured above is from the World War Two Museum in New Orleans. It was the property of Lawrence Ney Hanna. Lt. Hanna had been an officer with a unit called the Beach Jumpers and is the only case I know of where a Sedgley Glove was carried in combat.

The Beach Jumpers were the brain child of none other than Douglas Fairbanks
Jr. Fairbanks was that rare Hollywood type that existed outside officers clubs and PR appearances. His like traveled to dangerous places and made them more dangerous when they got there.

The job of the Beach Jumpers was to convince the enemy that a major force was attacking an all but empty beach. Their ride was a 63-foot double-hulled plywood air-sea rescue fast boat. Each boat was crewed by an officer and six enlisted men. The boats were equipped with twin 50 caliber machine guns, 3.5 inch window rockets, smoke pots and generators, and floating time-delay explosive packs. They also carried the unit’s specialized deception equipment: the multi-component "heater," consisting of a wire recorder; 5-phase amplifier, and 1000 watt, 12 horn speaker; and ZKM and MK-6 Naval balloons to which strips of radar reflective window had been attached. The latter could be towed behind the boats to enhance their radar cross-section.

This boat could convince the enemy a task force was landing in their back yard. By the time the defenders responded they were long gone – they hoped!

The glove had been issued to Lt. Hanna in case his boat was ever boarded. He was to hold his hands up as if surrendering until someone got close. With the fire arm component on the back of the glove it would not be seen by anyone in front of him. Once a boarder was close enough Lt. Hanna would punch them with the Sedgley Glove. The theory being that the punch and unexpected weapon report would take the man out and could create enough of a diversion for the crew to take back the boat.

So what are the chances of surviving such a stunt? Slim, but considering the kind of interrogation these folks could expect, being taken alive wasn’t an option. Luckily for Lt. Hanna he never had to use the Sedgley Glove.

In the half century plus since World War Two the only time Sedgley Gloves have been used in a movie was INGLORIOUS BASTARDS. I am pretty sure these were re-pops.

The Sedgley Glove reminds me of a saying my Grandmother used to have, “Book smart
and horse stupid!” Someone put a great deal of thought into this beastie, but never stopped to ask themselves if it was worth the effort to build it. This is the kind of thing I would expect a street thug to cobble up, not Military Intelligence.

I would love to have one for my collection, but would never fire it.

This is the DUKW

A couple of days ago James at hellinahandbasket talked about always wanting an amphibious vehicle. He had photos of several military and civilian examples, including some from comics and movies. I was surprised to see he had left out my all time favorite, the DUKW.

This is not an example of my lousy spelling. In military nomenclature of World War Two the letters stand for;

D - 1942, the first year of manufacture

U - Amphibious

K - Drive to all wheels

W- Dual rear axles

Today, the picture above is the DUKW most folks know. A number of companies around the country operate "Duck Rides" for tourist. A 31 foot, street legal party barge!

This is the DUKW of World War Two, a versatile workhorse that made a lasting impression on everyone who encountered it.

The DUKW had its roots in the much more common GMC CCKW, the "duce and a half" that saw service all over the world.

The CCKW drive train was fitted with a water tight hull and an extra drive shaft for a propeller. So, you might ask, what was the point of a truck that could run on water?

The DUKW had a generous cargo bay that allowed for twenty armed troops or a couple of tons of whatever the military might think to load on board. Dangerous ground that.

Folks who have taken "Duck Rides" might think they were used a landing craft. Indeed they were used to ferry troops to shore, but usually after a beach head had been established. The DUKW had other jobs.

The beastie was able to pull up next to a ship and have cargo nets of goods dropped directly into her cargo bay. Once loaded she could head to shore.

Unlike a boat DUKW's didn't need a dock, but could drive out of the water and take it cargo strait to where it was needed. This eliminated two steps of the cargo process, unloading at the dock and transfering to a truck for transport. Unloading the ducks by hand slowed things down, but when there was a crane on shore to unload the nets, turn around was pretty quick.
The drivers compartment of the DUKW was familur to anyone who had ever driven a truck.
There were some additional bells and whistles, but once the driver learned their functions the beast became much more versatile.
One feature well known to military personal today is the ability to control the airpressure of the tires from the drivers compartment. This way the pressure could be reduced for operating in sand and incressed for roads. The crew didn't have to leave the vehicle and expose themselves to hostile fire to do so.

The read deck of the DUKW held a 10,000 or 12,000 pound winch depending on what was available that day. In addition to towing the DUKW off sand bars, and assisting other vehicles it acted as a light duty crane.

It can be argued that the DUKW was neither truck or boat, half doing two jobs. I am already on record as liking the beast, but there is some truth to that. For one, it had only one propeller which limited it's maneuverability on water. As my boating experience is with canoe's I can't really address that.
One problem the DUKWs had was the narrow streets in European towns and villages. They would take up the whole thing; there was no two way traffic.

DUKWs had to be loaded and unloaded over the side rather than with a tailgate. With light weight items its not a problem. Something that took a crane to get it there was going to need a crane to get it off.

Take this one this one transporting a field piece. I have seen a number of photos showing DUKWs carrying field pieces like this. I have no knowledge of anyone firing a field piece while mounted on a DUKW. Then again, it would only take one fresh new lieutenant no knowledge of artillery and visions of glory to try it. It's the sort of thing that leads to never ending, sometimes posthumous, fame.

I know this looks like the sort of project a couple of drunks would undertake on a bet, but the platform between the DUKWs was worked out by a couple of engineers. It allows the DUKWs to ferry heavier loads to shore than one could handle.

This last photo combines two of my favorite things, DUKWs and a P-38 lighting. I can't help but think, if they had mounted it pointed the other way, they could have gotten to shore much faster.