8-16 NOVEMBER 1942 THE FRENCH PROBLEM AND OPERATION “TORCH” (cont.) The landing of 84,000 American troops in French North Africa brought the full rage of Vichy President Marshal Philippe Pétain against President Franklin Roosevelt. “It is with stupor and sadness that Read More
8 NOVEMBER 1942 THE FRENCH PROBLEM AND OPERATION “TORCH” After the fall of France to the wehrmacht in June of 1940, der Fuhrer was content to allow France to be divided. A German puppet government centered in the city of Vichy Read More
21-30 SEPTEMBER 1942 CONVOY RB-1 In the decades before practical automobile transportation, Americans traveling between cities of the eastern United States often did so by way of intercoastal steamer. Numerous private steamship companies offered passenger service on 200-400-foot, shallow draft screw Read More
8-10 JUNE 1944 THE FIGHT TO SAVE GLENNON USS GLENNON (DD-620), JEFFERS (DD-621), and BUTLER (DD-636) spent June 7th close inshore against “Utah” beach, the former expending 430 five-inch rounds against enemy pillboxes and machine gun nests from which American Read More
6 JUNE 1944 CORRY CONTROVERSY The morning of 18 December 1941 dawned at the Charleston Navy Yard with palpable anticipation. Our citizenry was united against the Pearl Harbor attack only 11 days earlier, and this morning our Navy was set to Read More
TODAY IN NAVAL HISTORY 30 APRIL 1943 OPERATION “MINCEMEAT” When the American 7th and British 8th Armies landed on southern Sicily 10 July 1943 they found lighter than anticipated resistance. It seems the Germans had concentrated their defenses on the Read More
23 APRIL 1945 THE CONTROVERSY OF PE-56 On this day the 62 sailors aboard the Navy’s “Eagle”-class patrol craft PE-56 were carrying out the plan of the day, patrolling for German submarines off the Maine coast. Duty on board such vessels Read More