WW II Historical Thread, Discussion, Pics, Videos

Miragedriver

Brigadier
Voldemārs Veiss (right), second in command of the 2nd Brigade SS-Freiwilligen Lettische talks with his Latvian volunteers just before an attack on Russian positions in Volkhov River. Veiss won the Iron Cross for this action, and a year later was awarded the Knights Cross to repel repeated Soviet attempts to take Nekokhovo. Soviet Union. 1943.
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Dutch resistance members armed with German material release Breda held by troops of the 1st Polish Dywizja Pancern, encompassed under British command. Breda, North Brabant, Netherlands. October 1944.
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Miragedriver

Brigadier
Serbian Partisan Brigade of the 1st Proletarian Liberation Army of Yugoslavia, pose for the camera shortly before the Soviet offensive on Belgrade. Zarkovo, Belgrade, Yugoslavia Serbian territory. October 14, 1944.
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A German soldier surrenders to an ally vehicle during the Battle of the Bulge. Province of Luxemburg, Wallonia, Belgium. December 28, 1944.
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Miragedriver

Brigadier
German gunners loaded a piece of sIG 33 (schweres Infantry Geschütz 33) 15 cm, during the first days of the siege of Leningrad. Near Leningrad (St. Petesburg), Leningrad Oblast, USSR September 1941.
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Two German soldiers take the opportunity to eat something in an airfield. Behind them, a squadron of Bf-109. North of Africa. 1942
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Miragedriver

Brigadier
Spanish troops Div. Azul during a counterinsurgency operation in occupied territory. Belarus, 1942.
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Arab volunteers pose with a soldier of the Afrika Korps. Libya, 1942.
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Jeff Head

General
Registered Member
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USS-The-Sullivans-Sails-for-Exercise-Joint-Warrior-1024x592.jpg

Naval Today said:
The guided-missile destroyer USS The Sullivans (DDG 68) departed Naval Station Norfolk Sept. 21 to participate in Exercise Joint Warrior off the coast of Scotland.

Besides The Sullivans, other U.S. Navy units participating in the exercise include the guided-missile destroyer USS Ross (DDG 71), the fleet replenishment oiler USNS William McLean (T-AKE 12), and U.S. maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft from Commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing (CPRW) 11.

Also participating are maritime, land and air units from nine countries including Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom.

Exercise Joint Warrior, course-designed and led by the Joint Tactical Exercise Planning Staff (JTEPS) in the United Kingdom, is intended to improve interoperability between allied and partner navies and prepares participants for a role in a joint maritime environment during deployments.

As one of the largest concentrations of allied and partner forces in one integrated training event, Joint Warrior addresses the full spectrum of maritime and joint warfare mission areas.

The Sullivans is named in honor of the five Sullivan brothers, who were killed when the ship they were assigned to, USS Juneau (CL-52), was sunk on November 13, 1942 and is homeported in Mayport, Florida.
The history associated with this name is important to the US Navy.

On January 3, 1942, less than a month after Pearl Harbor, the five Sullivan brothers (George, 27, Frank, 25, Joe, 23, Matt, 22, and Al, 19) enlisted in the US Navy with a stipulation that they be allowed to serve together. The Navy had a policy at the time separating siblings, but in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor it was waived for these brothers. They were all assigned to the light cruiser, USS Juneau (CL-52).

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On November 13, 1942, ten months later, during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, the Juneau was struck by a torpedo and had to withdraw. Later that same day, it was struck again by a torpedo from another Japanese submarine. The ship quickly sank and rescue efforts were cut short because of fears of the overwhelming Japanese presence in the area. The US Navy was forced to withdraw leaving hundreds of men still in the water..

Three of the brothers were killed in the attack. A fourth brother, Al, drowned in the water that first day. the fifth (and last) brother, George, drowned in the water after four or five days at sea. Eight days after the attack, only ten survivors of the USS Juneau were found alive.

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In April 1943, six months after their death, a brand new Fletcher class destroyer was launched and christened USS Sullivans, DD-537. She was not struck from US Navy service until 1974, when she became a Museum Ship, which you can visit to this day in Buffalo, New York

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Twenty-one years later, a brand new AEGIS Destroyer was launched, she was Christened the USS The Sullivans, DDG-68. She serves to this day and is the ship mentioned above.

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Of the 73 years since the Sullivan brothers died, for 52 of those years, there has been a USS The Sullivans. I expect this tradition will go on long after my own life time. It is one of those worthy traditions, like the USS Enterprise, or the USS Constitution, which will live on through the years.
 
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Miragedriver

Brigadier
Control room of UB-110, German submarine
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There have been several movies about German submarines and how they looked back in the day, but here is an actual picture taken from 1918.


First Atomic Bomb
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The nuclear test was code named Trinity, but the atomic device was nicknamed The Gadget. The Gadget was the first atomic bomb ever made and was tested at Trinity Site, New Mexico, near Alamogordo.


Target practice
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German soldiers practice their marksmanship at the Karshorter Racecourse, Berlin, in 1935. Cavalry soldiers of the era would condition their horses to the stimulus of gunshots by shooting from their backs in this way, during calm conditions, so that they won’t panic during combat. Standing with both feet on the saddle was not common – they usually kept one foot in a stirrup.


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Jeff Head

General
Registered Member
The loss of the five Sullivan brothers was a tragic lass for that family and for the nation. But it is now one of the great traditions of the US Navy, and with good cause.

The five Sullivan brothers died with the sinking of the light cruiser Juneau (CL-52) in November 1942.

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A new Fletcher class destroyer was soon named USS The Sullivans, DD-537, and was laid down on April 4, 1943, five months after their deaths, and commissioned September 30, 1943 and served through World War II, the Korean War, and into the Cold War, and was decommissioned in January 1965 and put into reserves until 1974 when she was struck.

The USS The Sullivans, DD-537 during World War II:

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The USS The Sullivans, DD-537 during the Cold War:

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She was donated as a museum ship and now exists to this day at the:

Buffalo Naval Park
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The USS The Sullivans, DD-537, berthed as a Museum ship:

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But the US Navy would not let the name die, or the memory. Another destroyer, a new Arleigh Burke class AEGIS destroyer, was named USS The Sullivans and started construction in July 1994. She was launched and then commissioned in August 1995, 20 years ago, and serves to this day.

The Arleigh Burke AGES destroyer, DDG-68, The Sullivans, at sea now:

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