This ain't Hell, but you can see it from here

Category: Historical

  • Sixty-Nine Years Ago Today . . . .

    . . . the city of Rome was liberated by Allied forces. 

    More properly, it was occupied by forces of the US 5th Army commanded by LTG Mark Clark – or as he was sometimes referred to by those who found him self-centered and arrogant, “Marcus Aurelius Clarkus”. US forces entered Rome after most Nazi occupation forces had been withdrawn vice used to conduct a Stalingrad-style battle for the city. Only a smallish rearguard force was left to delay Allied entry into Rome.

    The Allied occupation of Rome was not without substantial controversy.  During the breakout from the Anzio beachhead, Clark’s forces had the opportunity to attack northeast into the Valmontone Gap instead. This would have severed Route 6 (the Appian Way), potentially cutting off and trapping the bulk of German forces then south of Rome between the 5th Army at Anzio and 8th Army forces to the south under British General Bernard Montgomery. 

    Indeed, in late May 1944 Clark’s initial orders to then-MG Lucian Truscott were to attack into the Valmontone Gap with his forces (VI Corps) during the breakout from the Anzio beachhead.  However, Clark shortly afterwards countermanded that order. His new orders directed Truscott to split his forces, with a large portion of VI Corps instead attacking northwest towards Rome while the remainder attacked towards Valmontone.

    The early liberation of Rome was uplifting and afforded the US 5th Army great PR, but was of little military utility. It is thought by many that Clark’s desire to gain publicity prior to the Normandy landings (scheduled for a few days hence) played a large role in his ordering the dash for Rome.  Clark indeed both knew the approximate date of the Normandy landings and actively sought publicity, so that theory is plausible.

    In any case: one of the more famous photographs related to the liberation of Rome is that of two GIs carrying what was essentially a “Rome City Limits” highway sign. The sign is pierced with a bullet hole – the small white dot below and slightly to the right of the letter “O” in the word “ROMA”.

    That sign has its own interesting story.  It very nearly changed history.

    During the dash to Rome, on 3 June 1944 US forces – specifically, the First Special Service Force under BG Robert Frederick – were briefly held up by Nazi rearguard forces on Rome’s outskirts.  Wanting to know what was causing the delay, LTG Clark and his II Corps Commander, MG Geoffery Keyes, went forward to meet with BG Frederick.

    They caught up with Frederick near the ROMA sign pictured above, while that sign was still in place on the road to Rome.  While chatting with Frederick, Clark noticed the “ROMA” sign. Clark then remarked that he’d like to have the sign for his office.

    About that time, a unknown German sniper nearly changed the course of history. That German sniper took the three US generals under fire – and missed.  His first round was high, striking the sign and leaving the bullet hole seen above.  That miss gave Clark, Keyes, and Frederick the chance to take cover.  They scrambled to safety, but were pinned down by sniper fire for some time.

    During the time they were pinned down by enemy fire, Frederick told Clark:  “That is what’s holding up the First Special Service Force!”

    US forces liberated Rome the following day. And as the photo above shows, Clark got his sign.

  • We Once Had an Official “Red Badge of Courage”

    I’d guess many if not most TAH readers have read Steven Crane’s Civil War novel The Red Badge of Courage.  And I’d also guess that virtually all TAH readers know a bit about the Purple Heart and its history.

    But like the main character in Crane’s novel, with one minor change in history we easily could have ended up with a literal “red badge of courage” for wounded soldiers vice today’s Purple Heart.  In fact, the Army actually did have and award such a thing – for a period of roughly three months.

    Many TAH readers know that the Purple Heart was not the first decoration used by the Army to recognize combat wounds.  The World War I Wound Chevron preceded the Purple heart.  It was a gold chevron worn on the lower right sleeve of the uniform where today’s Overseas Bars are worn, and was instituted in War Department General Orders 6 of January 12, 1918.

    Army Wound Chevron, 1918-1932
    In fact, when the Purple Heart was instituted in 1932, conversion of a previously-awarded Wound Chevron to a Purple Heart was authorized but was not mandatory.  Though regulations during World War II apparently proscribed wearing both, it was also not unknown for World War I veterans who had been wounded in both wars to ignore the prohibition and wear both their World War I Wound Chevron(s) and their World War II Purple Heart(s).

    But the Wound Chevron was not the first decoration or badge used to recognize combat wounds.

    The Wound Chevron itself was preceded by a different but short-lived means of recognizing combat-wounded soldiers.  The Army Wound Ribbon was the original Army recognition for combat wounds.

    The Army Wound Ribbon was a ribbon-only award.  It was also a very short-lived decoration – it was awarded for a period of roughly three months. It was created by order of the Secretary of War on September 6, 1917 and implemented by the War Department on October 12, 1917.  It was formally rescinded on January 12, 1918, with the directive creating the Wound Chevron.

    The ribbon was scarlet with a rather wide white center stripe.

     

    Army Wound Ribbon, 1917

     

    I wasn’t kidding with the title above.  As you can see, for a short while the US Army really did have a literal “Red Badge of Courage” for combat wounds.   And had the Army not taken that little “side trip” down Wound Chevron Way, my guess is that we’d use that same scarlet and white ribbon today – almost certainly with an accompanying medal – instead of the Purple Heart to recognize individuals wounded in combat.

     

    Hat tip to Sparks’ comment here regarding the Red Badge of Courage for prompting the research that led to me finding this little bit of history.

  • An Interesting Bit of US Military History

    Poke around on the Internet enough, and you learn new things. Sometimes you even learn something useful. (smile)

    We often hear people refer to the Purple Heart as the US military’s “oldest decoration”. It turns out that statement is only partially true.

    While the Purple Heart is the oldest US military decoration still in use, the Purple Heart was not the first US military decoration or medal awarded to members of the Continental Army.  It was also not the first awarded to recognize exceptional performance of duty.

    The Purple Heart was first awarded in 1782 as the “Badge of Military Merit”.  However, a number of other US medals were authorized by the Continental Congress, struck, and awarded that predate the Purple Heart.  Most of these do not appear to qualify as military decorations per se; rather, they were awarded to single individuals, had varying criteria, and had varying designs.  They also appear to have been without a means of suspension to allow them to be worn with a uniform or civilian clothing; they were more like large coins than military decorations.  In short, these medals appear to have been commemorative medals issued as a Congressional “thank you” to specific individuals by name (indeed, on several the individual being honored was portrayed), but not intended to be worn by the recipient as a military decoration.

    However, one medal authorized by the Continental Congress exists that predates the Badge of Military Merit and which does appear to qualify as a military decoration.  That medal has a standard design, had specific criteria, and was awarded to multiple individuals for exceptional performance of duty.  This medal also has a suspension ring – and was thus clearly intended to be worn by the individual.  That decoration is the Fidelity Medallion, authorized by act of the Congressional Congress and awarded in 1780 – two years before the Badge of Military Merit.

     

    The Fidelity Medallion (AKA the “Andre Capture Medallion”)

     

    The Fidelity Medallion was awarded to three enlisted personnel of the Continental Army, all members of the New York militia:  Privates John Paulding, Isaac Van Wart, and David Williams. They received this award for capturing Major John Andre – the British recruiter, “handler”, and courier for US traitor and spy Benedict Arnold.  For this reason the Fidelity Medallion is sometimes called the “Andre Capture Medallion”.

    Since it was authorized by the Continental Congress for exceptional performance in connection with a specific act, only those three Fidelity Medallions were awarded.  It was never awarded again and is now considered obsolete.  However, it does appear to meet the criteria of a military decoration awarded for exceptional performance of duty.  And it predates the Badge of Military Merit – the forerunner of today’s Purple Heart – by roughly two years.

    Even though the above qualifies as trivia, IMO this info is interesting as US military history.  And it might not be completely useless trivia, either.  Knowing it might even allow you to win a libation or two in a friendly wager while socializing. (smile)

  • “It was the most moving gesture I ever saw.”

    Wednesday, 30 May 1945 dawned as the first Memorial Day after World War II ended in Europe.  War still raged in the Pacific; it would continue there for another 3 months.  But in the US and Europe it was a day for somber ceremonies and remembrances of lost comrades.

    This was especially true at US cemeteries in Europe, where tens of thousands of US war dead were buried.  At some if not all of these ceremonies were held; many political figures and/or senior military officers gave speeches.  I’m sure all of them were worthwhile, and paid appropriate tribute to the fallen.

    But one speech in particular that day was unique.  It occurred at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery.

    Sicily-Rome American Cemetery is near the modern Italian town of Nettuno, called Antium in antiquity.  It lies within what had been the US sector of the Anzio beachhead – or “bitchhead,” as those who were trapped there for 4+ months came to call it.  The cemetery was originally intended a temporary resting place for US dead from the Anzio landings and subsequent combat.  It became a permanent resting place for US war dead.

    Today, only 7,861 US fallen remain in eternal rest near Nettuno. However, the cemetery on 30 May 1945 held approximately 20,000 graves.  Most were soldiers who were lost before the fall of Rome – in Sicily, at Salerno, or at Anzio.  (Some years later, the US government gave families the choice to allow fallen relatives to remain with their comrades or be repatriated.  Many of those originally buried near Nettuno – about 60% – were repatriated.)

    A number of VIPs were present at Sicily-Rome American Cemetery that day.  Some were senior military officers; some were political figures.  Several senators were in attendance.

    One of the speakers at the ceremony was the US 5th Army Commander, LTG Lucian K. Truscott, Jr.  (Truscott would later receive a post-retirement honorary promotion and a 4th star, but at the time he still wore 3 stars.)  He had returned to Italy from France to command 5th Army earlier that year.

    When it was his turn to speak, Truscott moved to the podium.

    What happened next was truly remarkable.

    (more…)

  • Saving the story of World War II

    Our buddy, Surae Chinn, at WUSA9 in DC did a great story that I caught on the news last night about a retired local teacher who has enlisted help of some of his former students to interview every living World War Two Veteran. So far, Jim Percoco, formerly of Springfield High School has influenced his students to talk to over 350 veterans so far;

    You’ll find Heidi Abou-Ghaida, a West Springfield H.S. senior at the memorial on most weekends. She’s spent nearly a year on the project.

    “I was in Mr. Percoco’s class and he can even tell you I wasn’t interested in WWII or any of it. Once he asked me to be in this project. It just really opened my eyes. I thought this is bad because I need to know my history and we don’t want to repeat history.”

    Thanks to Surae for reporting their story and thanks to Jim Percoco for teaching his students to care about the real history of this country and the people who have preserved this way of life for us all.

  • Liberation Trilogy Complete

    A quick note for those interested in US military history – and specifically the history of the US Army during World War II.

    Some of you may have heard of Rick Atkinson.  He’s been working on a 3-volume history of the US Army during World War II for several years.  He called the 3-volume series the “Liberation Trilogy.”

    The first volume, “An Army at Dawn”, covered the North Africa campaign.  It was published in 2002.  It received the Pulitzer.Prize for History in 2003.

    The second volume, “The Day of Battle”, was published in 2007.  It focused on Sicily and Italy.  It did not receive a Pulitzer, but was nonetheless excellent.

    The third volume, “The Guns at Last Light”, was released this week.  It covers the liberation of France and the end of Nazi Germany.

    Atkinson’s Wikipedia bio can be found here.  It’s quite impressive.

    Can he write?  In a word – yes.  But you’d expect that from someone who’s been awarded a Pulitzer for History; has had a hand in two others as a journalist; has received the Gerald R. Ford Award for Distinguished Reporting on National Defense; who’s held the Omar N. Bradley Chair for Distinguished Leadership at the National Defense University; and who’s been awarded the Pritzker Military Library Literature Award for Lifetime Achievement in Military Writing.

    But don’t take my word for it; judge for yourself.  A sample of his latest work (the Prologue) can be found here. Excerpts from the other two volumes may be found here (Volume 1) and here (Volume 2).

    I have no economic interest in Atkinson’s works.  But for anyone interested in the history of the US Army – like many readers of TAH – the first two volumes are absolutely wonderful books. I have no doubt that the third will be their equal.

    I’ll let you know how good the third volume is after my copy comes in and I’ve finished it. I ordered it today. It’s the first time in quite a while I’ve bought a book the week it was released.

  • Sixty-one Years Ago Today: A Performance for the Ages

    Today is the anniversary of a singular and amazing achievement.  It’s also one you’ve probably never heard of.

    Sixty-one years ago, a 19-year-old right-handed pitcher with the Bristol Twins – the Appalachian League farm club for the Pittsburgh Pirates – pitched a complete game shutout.  Complete game shutouts were nothing unusual in that day and age.

    He pitched the game in front of a crowd of less than 1,200.  Nothing too out of the ordinary about that for a minor-league game in the 1950s.

    He pitched a 9-inning no-hitter, but not a perfect game.  Excellent – but not terribly uncommon, either.

    He won the game (that’s not a given; at least five 9-inning games have been recorded in the Major Leagues alone where one team was held hitless but nonetheless won the game by scoring unearned runs).  So even if had he had lost the game while pitching a no-hitter (he didn’t), that fact would hardly be unique.

    What was unique – and amazing – about the performance involves what he did during this no-hitter.

    The young man pitched a complete game – all 9 innings.  He was the only pitcher for his team.

    He recorded 27 strikeouts.

    In professional baseball at any level that had never been done before.  It has never been repeated.

    (more…)

  • About that IRS thing

    The TEA Party is pretty wary of the federal government, its a well known fact that they think the Federal Government has become corrosive towards individual liberty.  You could call the TEA Party a coalition of conservatives and libertarians.  You could call them paranoid.  You could call them funny.  You could call them idealistic.  You could call them wacky.  All of these tittles do have some element of truth to them.  It’s not like a guy walking around in a tri-corner hat with teabags hanging from it  is necessarily hard to make fun of.  But whatever else the TEA party is/was, it was and remains a legitimate political movement.  Our laws are created to protect any group of people that are passionate about any issue, and there are groups from both sides of the isle that are exempt from taxes because they are legitimate political groups.  Speech, it would seem is the one thing the Government isn’t trying to tax these days.

    Only, that doesn’t seem to be the case.  Apparently the IRS has been harassing groups with the words TEA party or Patriots in the title.  What it all boils down to is after the Citizen United ruling in 2010, the number of groups seeking 501(c)(4) status increased in order of magnitude.  Many of those groups were conservative, like the TEA party.  What appears to have happened is that following this sudden outgrowth of the TEA party, and the Citizens United ruling, some low level bureaucrats in the IRS specifically targeted the conservative groups.  They would target for auditing, demand donor information (which is illegal), name of who sat on the board (inappropriate), and in certain cases apparently asked question about the children of the leaders of these groups (HIGHLY inappropriate).  Keep in mind all of this is in the space of 2010-2012.  The run up to the 2012 election saw a lot of TEA party groups complaining about harassment, which most everyone dismissed as right wing wackos who were paranoid about the government.  Turns out they were right.

    Let’s step back for a second and look at that.  The IRS was using it’s almost God-like powers of paper to cause these people no end of grief.  If you haven’t been harassed by a government agency you have no idea what a nightmare it is.  Think bumbling psycho stalker that happens to have all the keys.  The term “harassment” doesn’t do it justice.  But there’s something else that should send a cold chill of fear down your spine.  a branch of the Federal Government used its power to assist a political ideology, or  more accurately to punish an opposing political ideology that could have potentially, affected the election.  That should stop everyone cold.  That should cause congress, and the American people in all areas of the political spectrum break out in a cold sweat.  The gears of government are choosing a winner.

    I know that Romney probably would have lost anyway, I know that Obama was still riding the “historic” wave, and the TEA party were just dismissed as loonies, but history has shown time and again that suppression of a political ideology by gears of the governing body is a very bad thing.  I’m not saying that the Sturmabteilung are going to be marching down the streets, or that the anarchists are going to finally “bring it all down.”  What I’m saying is that like Rome we have reached the apex of our power.  Our great philosopher leaders have come and gone.  We’ve had our Ceasars, we’ve had our Marcus Aurelius, and now the Praetorian Guard is auctioning off the crown.  This is a mark of corruption, perhaps of well meaning individuals, though that’s probably not the case.  We have devolved to the point were we are willing to intimidate and bully the very people our Constitution was designed to protect.

    It should not matter to you where you stand on the political spectrum.  You may personally despise the TEA party.  You may be diametrically opposed to everything they stand for, at the end of the day you should still defend them from government abuses, and protect their right to free speech.  It should not matter how despicable you find them, the principle is the same, if it can be done to them, it can be done to you.  If you are say a died in the wool Paulbot, or a die-hard Obamanut you should be on your phones to your senator or representative, calling them demanding an investigation.  Your party affiliation should never matter when the feds are harassing someone about their political beliefs.  What’s even worse is that this is being put out by pencil pushers.  Its a tyranny of bureaucracy.  There’s no congress critter to throw out of office.  Much like a “fire and forget” javelin anti tank missile once the mountain of paper avalanches on someone, there’s no way to recall it.  It should give you all a cold sweat that one stroke of a pen in the wrong place, one decimal point in the wrong spot, one “low level” clerk in an office in Ohio can make your life a living hell or send you to jail.

    This is your government doing this.  You, sitting there reading this, have a roughly 1/308,745,538 +/- ownership stake in the federal government.  Every bit of good it does on your behalf, every piece of property it owns, and every misstep it takes belong in some portion to YOU.  Abraham Lincoln called this a government “Of the People, By the People, and For the People.”  If the Government is picking winners, if the People don’t give a damn.  If the People are so apathetic that they do not act when their rights are clearly threatened, that they do not take ownership of their government, then this will no longer be the case.  It will be a government “Of the Government, By the Government, and For the Government,” and the people can go screw themselves.