American Hero's

Buka: 16 June 1943

"For this single mission by a single aircraft two crewman, Jay Zeamer and Joseph Sarnoski would each receive the Medal of Honor. It was over Buka that pilot Jay Zeamer heard reports from bombardier Sarnoski, and other crewman, that approximately twenty Japanese Zero fighters were taking off and heading their way. Zeamer knew that if they didn't complete their mission someone else would have to be sent out over the dangerous Northern Solomons. He also understood that the lives of many soldiers and Marines depended upon accurate knowledge of conditions at the invasion target. So, Zeamer continued with the mission.

The result was an epic of aerial combat. For forty minutes the lone B-17 fought against overwhelming outs. All but two of the crew were wounded, some seriously. Joseph Sarnoski died at his gun in the nose of the aircraft after shooting down at least two of the Zeros. When "Old 666" returned to Dobodura it was a flying wreck. Jay Zeamer had passed out during the return flight due to loss of blood, as had copilot J.T. Britton. Top turret gunner John Able flew the B-17 home. The pilots returned to consciousness just in time to land the aircraft. Dogfights recreates this incredible battle:"

See the video.

D-Day Tech

Archive Gallery: D-Day Tech Popular Science: "On the 65th anniversary of the invasion of Normandy, a look at the military tech of D-Day, as covered in our pages"

(via Instapundit)

A Few Words From the Supreme Commander

The Dougout: "Reading history makes me nostalgic for a "better, vanished time" when America was led by men. That is men and women who did not evade facts. Who did not denigrate America, and its people, at every opportunity, including D-Day speeches on Omaha Beach. Who did not chronically apologize for the nation's existence. Who did not give the benefit of the every doubt (and laptop computers) to the nation's sworn enemies."

A piece of history

History, woman, aircraft, skill, intensity, concentration. Nice picture.

Palmer, Alfred T., photographer.
Women are trained to do precise and vital engine installation detail in Douglas Aircraft Company plants, Long Beach, Calif.1942 Oct.

WWI Aircraft Footage


Military aviation advanced rapidly during the World War I. This fascinating video takes through the development from a simple reconnaissance plane to the bombers and eventually the super fighters.

Is war good for economies?

Over at simply Capitalism, blogger RealistTheorist, explores a stupid theory that war is somehow good for economies. This is my take on this topic-

There is one thick line missing in the graph which measures production. It's the line which measures the horror, the tragedy, the misery and the vacuum left in lives of those whose loved ones never returned. This is not the "broken window" hypothesis, its the "broken human" hypothesis.

Every time I see the old grainy footage of cheerful young soldiers waving to the cameras, I feel very sad and also grateful that today a lot what we have achieved would not have been possible without them. It also makes me mad that people can sit and say that hey, all that wanton destruction of life and property was good for us.

There is no choice but to fight certain wars and they ensure our subsequent survival and economic prosperity. The loss of human lives is the greatest loss of all and anybody who says that we prospered, better not say it in front of me.

Debunking the Israeli 'women in combat' myth

This is in response to a comment on my post "Women in the special forces?" by Steven Brockerman which was:
What about the the War of Independence (1948) in which Israeli women engaged in combat? From what I've researched, they functioned very well. As far as I can determine, moreover, there were no differences in the physical requirements for either male or female soldiers--except that all were expected to kill the enemy. Which they all did quite effectively, IIRC.

Well Steven here's an article by Jon Dougherty which should answer your question. Do read the full article.

Debunking the Israeli 'women in combat' myth: "'History shows that the presence of women has had a devastating impact on the effectiveness of men in battle,' wrote John Luddy in July 27, 1994, for the Heritage Foundation backgrounder.
'For example, it is a common misperception that Israel allows women in combat units. In fact, women have been barred from combat in Israel since 1950, when a review of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War showed how harmful their presence could be. The study revealed that men tried to protect and assist women rather than continue their attack. As a result, they not only put their own lives in greater danger, but also jeopardized the survival of the entire unit. The study further revealed that unit morale was damaged when men saw women killed and maimed on the battlefield,' Luddy said."

Fighter planes of World War I

A fascinating post at The Dougout2 about the development of fighter planes of WW I. One of the first scale models I did was a Spad XIII (actually it was the easiest one to do). Unlike the real ones my Spad met its demise in a one sided dogfight with an evil duster.
http://thedougout2.blogspot.com/2008/06/development-of-fighter-plane-over.html