Finding the Lost Ships

Since 2017, R/V Petrel’s team has been locating wreckage of Japanese and American ships that were sunk during World War II. To date, 23 ships have been discovered, the most recent of which is the USS Hornet, the aircraft carrier from which the Doolittle Raid began. A reporter from CBS This Morning tagged along on the hunt for the USS Hornet, giving us an idea about the process behind finding one of these ships.

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Want to read more about the work of the R/V Petrel team? Read this captivating article on the discovery of the USS Wasp.

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Repost: That Saga-Writing Kavieng Cat Crew

Seventy-five years ago today, a PBY Catalina pilot performed a series of daring rescues. His bravery was the subject of a post back in June 2014 and is being reposted today.

Meet Lt. (J.G.) Nathan Gordon. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for rescuing three aircrews near Kavieng on February 15, 1944. His crew received  high praise for the daring rescues made that day. Admiral Halsey sent a telegram saying, “Please pass my admiration on to that saga writing Kavieng Cat crew.”

Here’s a short video of Gordon talking about how he saved the men. One of the crews that was rescued by the men on his Catalina was the subject of the previous post. Don’t forget to read their story after you watch the video.

Medium Bombardment Attack and Aviation

We’re always glad to see how much video footage from World War II is so easily accessible to us more than 70 years after it was first taken. This film is no exception. It was meant to introduce life in the Pacific Theater to the men who were transferring over from the European Theater. The film focuses on a familiar bomb group: the 345th. After covering some of the basics in the Pacific, there’s some great footage taken from bombing missions that you won’t want to miss.

World War II Newsreel: War Bond Tours, US Production, RAF Air Raids

How do you keep motivating people to buy more war bonds? Bring in the celebrities. We came across a fascinating newsreel to share with our readers that covers the war efforts in the United States and updates viewers on recent events from the European Theater.

 

IHRA’s Top 7 Posts of 2018

This week, we’re listing our most popular posts published this year as determined by the number of views. Did your favorite post make the list?

Thank you for your continued support by subscribing, reading and sharing our work, and buying our books. If there’s anything you’d like to see more of, let us know in the comments. We’ll be back next year with more great content. And now, without further ado, our most popular posts of 2018.

 

1. Remember the 15  The 65th Squadron suffers a terrible loss on a mission to Tainan Airdrome.

 

 

2. Mickey The profile history of a 389th Squadron, 312th Bomb Group A-20, coming straight to you from our book Rampage of the Roarin’ 20’s.

 

 

3. How Phosphorus was Used in the Pacific Theater During World War II After writing this post, we wanted to dive into the use of phosphorus and how it impacted air missions.

 

4. Lady Luck’s Unlucky Day LADY LUCK‘s pilots were having an inexplicably hard time taking off from Lipa Airdrome.

 

5. Your Army in the Making: The Carolina Maneuvers 1941 This video goes into some of the Stateside training done in 1941.

 

6. Working With the Low Altitude Bombsight This technology was used by a few heavy bomber squadrons to attack shipping targets at night.

 

7. The Old Man’s Ordeal A 65th Squadron B-17 crew is in the middle of a harrowing mission in this painting by Jack Fellows from our book Ken’s Men Against the Empire, Volume I.

Interview with WWI US Navy Veteran Lester Hillegas

While Veterans Day is always a time for us to honor those who have served in wars, this November 11th is especially notable because it also marks the 100th anniversary since the end of World War I. Instead of posting an interview with a World War II veteran, we wanted to share a superb interview posted by YouTube user ly776 that was recorded in the 1980s. Lester Hillegas served in the U.S. Navy during World War I and died in 1989.

To all of our veterans, we want to extend our sincerest appreciations for your military service.

Interview with Lee Hutchinson

Of all the interviews with World War II veterans that we have watched, this might be the first time we have found one who was a radio operator on a B-17.  Watch his compelling interview with WHAS11 below.

 

National POW/MIA Recognition Day 2018

Posting a tweet in a blog like this is a first for us. We felt the video was so well done that it had to be shared. Click on the link that starts with pic.twitter.com to watch the DPAA at work and remember those who have not yet returned home. A couple of those stories can be found here and here.

 

“Until they all come home."

On National POW/MIA Recognition Day, we present to you the story of the @dodpaa and their quest to bring our service members home. #POWMIADay #USArmy video by the DMA Army Team. pic.twitter.com/ILUQzuE50i

— U.S. Army (@USArmy) September 21, 2018

Profiles in Valor: Corporal Frank Hall

A few years ago, World War II veteran Corporal Frank Hall was interviewed by the American Veterans Center. In this interview, he talks about his time as a Marine in the Pacific Theater, the survivor guilt he felt for many years after he came home and what helped him cope with it.

An interview with World War II veteran Julius Haberman

We found an excellent interview by WWII Veterans History Project with Julius Haberman, a former member of the 69th Infantry Division who served in the European Theater in World War II. Among his experiences was an encounter with prisoners in a concentration camp. Listen to his story below.