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Tag: World War II

This plaque commemorates the sailors onboard the Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413). M. Brodsky can be seen in the leftmost column. The plaque was displayed aboard the Samuel B. Roberts (FFG-58), and helped inspire that ship’s crew when it was hit by an Iranian mine in 1988.

Oct. 23, 2024

Maurice Brodsky: An “Average Enlisted Man” at the Battle off Samar

Eighty years ago, a handful of American destroyers, destroyer escorts, and escort carriers faced off against a superior Japanese force of battleships, cruisers, and destroyers at the Battle off Samar (25 October 1944). Task Unit 77.4.3 “Taffy 3’s” small combatants, commanded by Rear Admiral Clifton Sprague, famously attacked Vice Admiral Takeo

Map of Aleutians Theater with major U.S. Installations as of 1 August 1942, Naval History and Heritage Command Image.

May 22, 2024

The “Aleutian Stare”: Environment, Morale, and the Mental Health of the Naval Fighting Force

Flipping through the 1945 cruise book of the 138th Naval Construction Battalion (NCB), it’s easy to get lost in the detailed etchings of daily life “On Island X.” Produced by the Welfare and Recreation Department and 138th NCB, the book contains images paired with descriptions of various objects, events, and colloquial phrases familiar to the

An eight-and-a-half by eleven-inch sheet of white paper, with the colored drawing of the coat of arms of USS John L. Hall (FFG-32), along with typewritten text in black- and blue-colored ink describing the coat of arms’ symbolism, 1982

April 17, 2024

“Viking of the Sea”: Task Force 124’s Rear Admiral John L. Hall, Jr. Before Operation Overlord

Author’s Note: During this 80th anniversary cycle of World War II, I hope to correct, at least in some small way through multiple weblog posts, the incomplete historical scholarship given to the U.S. Navy’s missions and activities in the European and Mediterranean Theaters of Operation, compared with those in the Pacific Theater. By utilizing

Virtually undamaged Japanese bunker on northwest coast of Roi Island. Author photo.

Feb. 23, 2024

Operation FLINTLOCK: Invasion of the Marshall Islands, January-February 1944 Part 2

The first week of February marked the 80th Anniversary of Operation FLINTLOCK, the U.S. invasion of the Marshall Islands during WWII. This operation, the largest amphibious assault of the war to that date, was the first major central Pacific expedition and directly contributed to the Allied defeat of Imperial Japan the Pacific. To honor those who

Marines on the Roi Island beach watch as a Japanese torpedo magazine explodes on neighboring Namur Island, 1 February 1944. Note Debris splashing among the landing craft offshore. Naval History and Heritage Command Photo.

Feb. 20, 2024

Operation FLINTLOCK: Invasion of the Marshall Islands, January-February 1944

The first week of February 2024 marked the 80th Anniversary of Operation FLINTLOCK, the U.S. invasion of the Marshall Islands during WWII. This operation, the largest amphibious assault of the war to date, was the first major central Pacific operation of the Pacific War. The successful landings in the Marshalls, both at Roi-Namur and Kwajalein,

A five-by-eight inch piece of cream-colored paper (index card) with typewritten and handwritten text detailing the major specifications and events of USS Portent (AM-106), circa 1955

Jan. 22, 2024

“All . . . Behaved Courageously and Cooly”: The Loss of USS Portent (AM-106) During Operation Shingle

Author’s Note: During this 80th anniversary cycle of World War II, I hope to correct, at least in some small way through multiple weblog posts, the incomplete historical scholarship given to the U.S. Navy’s missions and activities in the European and Mediterranean Theaters of Operation, compared with those in the Pacific Theater. By utilizing

The crisp, clear black- and white-photograph of a PB4Y-1 “Liberator” airplane viewed from its starboard side, flying over the Bay of Biscay in November 1943

Dec. 11, 2023

“Naval Liberators Over Biscay”: Patrol Bombing Squadron ONE ZERO THREE’s Actions Over France’s Largest Bay

Author’s Note: During this 80th anniversary cycle of World War II, I hope to correct, at least in some small way through multiple weblog posts, the incomplete historical scholarship given to the U.S. Navy’s missions and activities in the European and Mediterranean Theaters of Operation, compared with those in the Pacific Theater. By utilizing

A colorized, rounded disc depicting MTBRON-15’s insignia: a red-colored dragon sitting on top of a black-colored torpedo flying in the air above ocean waves, with the words “MTB RON” and “15” on the disc.

Nov. 1, 2023

“No Comparable Period of Activity”: Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron FIFTEEN’s Actions After Operation Avalanche

 Author’s Note: During this 80th anniversary cycle of World War II, I hope to correct, at least in some small way through multiple weblog posts, the incomplete historical scholarship given to the U.S. Navy’s missions and activities in the European and Mediterranean Theaters of Operation, compared with those in the Pacific Theater. By utilizing

The first page of the “War Record of the U.S.S. BENSON (DD-421)” 1 July 1945

Aug. 30, 2023

“Without a Single Day’s Upkeep”: USS Benson (DD-421) During Operation Husky

Author’s Note: During this 80th anniversary cycle of World War II, I hope to correct, at least in some small way through multiple weblog posts, the incomplete scholarship given to the U.S. Navy’s missions and activities in the European and Mediterranean Theaters of Operation, compared with those in the Pacific Theater. By utilizing little known

USS Augusta (CA-31). View taken off the “Bund” at Shanghai, China, being moved into position at the foot of "Man of War" row, during the Sino-Japanese hostilities there, 18 August 1937. Note American flags at fore, gaff, and flagstaff. Ship was then the flagship of Admiral H.E. Yarnell, USN, CINCAF (NH 84774).

Sept. 3, 2021

Seaman First Class Freddie Falgout: First Military Casualty of World War II

On the evening of August 20, 1937, on the eve of his 21st birthday, Seaman First Class Freddie Falgout was searching for a seat for movie night on the well deck of USS Augusta (CL-31). Augusta had arrived off Shanghai a week earlier, on August 14, 1937, and was moored on the Huangpu River. A humanitarian crisis was underway as hostilities between Chinese and Japanese military forces had resulted in the death of hundreds of civilians, including four Americans, and the ship and her crew were evacuating American citizens and refugees from Shanghai.