America at War Podcast

04/08/2024

Dear listeners and Facebook followers: I am moving! You will note that my last post was from July 25. I have been distracted of late because I am moving across the country for my job.

A hiatus from FaceBook may change the metrics of my page, unfortunately, I am far too busy to work on regularly scheduled posts. My best guess is that the feed will be started up again at either the end of September or sometime in early October. Thank you for your patience!

In terms of the podcast, I plan to upload one more episode before I need to pack up. More episodes will follow once I get a chance to unpack and set up a home. Stay tuned!!!

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25/07/2024

With the recent death of Donald Sutherland, the actor who played 'Oddball' in the war movie, Kelly's Hero's, the online tank encyclopedia had a short article on his fictitious tank. It seems appropriate to share that here.

The 1970 movie 'Kelly's Heroes' featured an all-star cast of actors, as well as some unique Yugoslavian Sherman tanks.

23/07/2024

The USS Enterprise, CV-6, served in and survived World War Two. While not saved as a museum ship, her name lived on in CVN 65, the first nuclear powered aircraft carrier in the fleet. She was a class of a single ship and the navy would continue to build conventionally powered vessels before finally transitioning to a nuclear fleet. The primary motive was that once the reactors were powered up, they had the potential of moving the ship around without regular refueling, certainly a boon. She was blessed with a long service life, leaving the fleet after 55 years of service in 2012.

She had a long career, so this will be the highlight reel. Laid down in 1958, she joined the fleet in 1961, served in the Cuban Missile Crisis and several tours in Vietnam. In 1969, there was an accident onboard, resulting in a large fire. The damaged ship was repaired and returned to service. She had an extensive refit in 1982 that substantially changed her appearance. The distinctive island she had was modified to something that looked similar to more modern carriers. She would serve in the Persian Gulf, supporting American operations throughout this period. With sky rocketing costs of keeping her in service, the decision was to decommission her in 2016. Since was a nuclear powered aircraft carrier, there was no hope of it becoming a museum ship, so in a long and laborious process, her nuclear power plants were removed, and the rest of the ship should be scrapped in 2025.

36°58′50″N 76°26′18″W / 36.9805°N 76.4384°W / 36.9805; -76.4384 USS Enterprise (CVN-65), formerly CVA(N)-65, is a decommissioned[12] United States Navy aircraft carrier. In 1958 she was the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and the eighth United States naval vessel to bear ...

18/07/2024

With the defeat of France in the summer of 1940, mechanization reigned supreme. The United States began to explore heavier tanks, which were dubbed medium. The design was rather ad hoc, with a 75 mm gun in the hull and a 37 mm gun in the turret. With the heavier gun in the hull, it limited its field of fire. Nevertheless, the vehicle quickly entered service with not only the United States, but the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union as well. With the advent of the M 4 Sherman, the tank would leave front line service but still serve in other theaters of operation.

The M3 Lee (US Service) or Grant (British service) was the earliest model of medium tank mass-produced for the Allies.

16/07/2024

The USS Constellation was the second ship of the Kitty Hawk class. She was laid down in 1957, was launched in 1961. Damaged by a fire, it delayed her joining the fleet, which occurred in 1961. She would join the Pacific fleet and was one of the carriers on station when the Tonkin Gulf incident occurred. US ships were allegedly attacked buy North Vietnamese ships, triggered an aerial response. She would serve several tours during the Vietnam War.

After a couple of comprehensive overhauls, she would serve in the Indian Ocean during the Iranian hostage crisis. She would continue to serve in the Pacific and would also support operations in the Persian Gulf in the aftermath of Desert Shield/Desert Storm. With the advent of what happened in 9/11, she also provided support in the opening stages of the second war against Iraq. She would be stricken from the fleet in 2003 and would eventually be scrapped in 2015.

The configuration of the 15 stars in the original United States national flag. III (CVA-64: displacement 60,100; length 1,047'6

11/07/2024

We've been focusing on American light tanks, let's move on to medium tanks. Design of a medium tank had started in 1938 with the T 5 which would eventually evolve into the M 2 medium tank which was standardized in 1939. When you look at photographs of the vehicle, you can see that the body and armament bears a strong resemblance to the Stuart light tanks. It was lightly armed, with a 37 mm gun and eight machine guns. Given it's lighter armament and the events of the first eighteen months of the war, it was functionally obsolete. It never saw combat and was used for training. See the following: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M2_medium_tank.

09/07/2024

When we last focused on aircraft carriers, we spoke of the Independence. Let's continue our conversation with the the USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63). Laid down in 1956, she was launched in 1960 and commissioned in 1961, remaining in service until 2009. After joining the fleet, she would join the Pacific Fleet. Given her location, she was involved in several tours off of the coast of Vietnam, including during the Tet offensive. She would remain in the Pacific until the end of the war. Unfortunately, the ship has a well publicized race riot that would trigger investigations and reforms of crew discipline.

In 1973 there was a large fire caused by the failure of equipment and a fuel spill. After repairs she would continue to serve in the Pacific. The vessel collided with a Soviet submarine in 1984, causing more damage to the submarine than the vessel. While she missed out on Desert Storm and Shield, she would provide support in the aftermath of the campaign and in the Horn of Africa. After a service life extension, she would remain in service until 2009. While there was some interest in preserving the ship as a museum ship, she was ultimately sold for scrapping in 2022.

For the Wikipedia article, go here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Kitty_Hawk_(CV-63). For this historic naval ship article, go here: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/k/kitty-hawk-cva-63-ii.html

04/07/2024

Happy Independence Day! Having seen the original Declaration of Independence in the National Archives, why not share! Take a look: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration.

02/07/2024

A wee bit off topic, however, something cool to consider. Those of you who follow this feed know I am an advocate of historic ships. Recently, the USS New Jersey, one of our Iowa Class Battleships on display, was in dry dock. Even museum ships need to be maintained. They have a fantastic YouTube channel. If you would like to see an overview of the ship's dry docking, take a look here: https://youtu.be/jcScaxaF2PQ?si=1vxoiu6uOc52e_30.

27/06/2024

In our last post, we spoke of the Stuart Family of light tanks. While I am jumping ahead of the timeline, since we were speaking of light tanks, it seems appropriate to talk about the M 24 Chaffee. The Stuart family was functionally obsolete, despite the upgrades, so in April 1943 development began on the T 24, which would become the M 24. It carried a light weight, 75 mm gun, which was a significant improvement over the 37 mm weapon of its predecessor. It was powered by twin Cadillac engines and a chassis adapted from the M 8 Motor gun carriage. It entered service late in the war, but would remain in service in many foreign armies for years to come. For more information, please take a look here: https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/us/m24_chaffee.php.

25/06/2024

The Independence was the last of the Forrestal class ships to enter service. She was laid down in 1955. launched in 1958, and joined the fleet in 1959. She started her career in the Mediterranean and. like her sisters, would serve some tours off of Vietnam, beginning in 1965 through 1970. After the war she would return to the Med and then the Persian Gulf, until returning to the Pacific after a refit. She was decommissioned in 1998 and remained in the mothball fleet until she was scrapped. For more information: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/i/independence-v.html

20/06/2024

We focused on the M 2/3 in our last post. The last iteration of this vehicle was the M 5. It remained in a reconnaissance role for most of the war. It could not stand up to more modern medium and heavy tanks and was beginning to be replaced by the M 24 Chaffe as the war was drawing to a close. When you look at photographs, you can see that the most significant changes was the engine deck and hull. For more information, please visit: https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/us/m5_stuart.php

18/06/2024

The Ranger, the next ship to consider in the Forrestal class, was laid down in 1954, launched in 1956 and joined the fleet in 1957. While she did sea trials in the Atlantic, unlike her sisters, she was sent to the Pacific. The Ranger provided air cover in 1964 during the Tonkin Gulf incident which triggered American intervention into Vietnam. She would continue to serve off Vietnam until the end of war. She would, for the most part, continue to serve in the western Pacific. In 1991, with the American participation in Desert Shield and Storm, the Ranger would deploy to the Persian Gulf where she would end her career. The Ranger was decommissioned and eventually scrapped after she was unsuccessful in a bid for a museum ship. For more information: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/r/ranger-x.html

17/06/2024

We have finished western expansion and the Army's campaigns 'out west'. With this episode we move into reform and revitalization of the Army and Navy until the end of the nineteenth century. In the aftermath of the Civil War, the United States remained insular. Without any external threats, the Army and Navy began to professionalize and think about the future. We will be focusing on a number of topics in this new series: the rise the National Guard, the expansion of officer education and professionalization, the modernization of the country's coastal defense infrastructure, and the rebirth of the navy. This was an exciting time. The growth of American military power at the beginning of the twentieth century cannot be understood without taking a look at this era. Download the episode: https://traffic.libsyn.com/americaatwarpodcast/162_Intro_to_Reform_and_Revitalization.mp3

13/06/2024

We have been focusing on tanks that were found around the world in the late 1930s. Let's return to the United States. The M 3 was based on the M 2 which had its roots in the light tank developed by the cavalry (For more on the M 2 please go here: https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/light-tank-m2a2-a3/). When the war started, the M 3 was the primary light tank in service in the United States and its Allies. Take a look at what the tank encyclopedia has to offer: https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/us/m3_stuart.php

11/06/2024

The USS Saratoga was laid down in 1952 and launched in 1955. She joined the fleet in 1956. Like her sister ship, she served in the Mediterranean during the first part of her career. Also, like her sister, the Saratoga would serve off the coast of Vietnam in 1972 where she would conduct a variety of missions until the end of the United States' participation in the war. After a refit, she would return to the Med and the Middle East. She participated in Desert Shield and Storm in the early 1990s, providing support to coalition forces. As with her sister, she was put on donation hold, but there a group could not raise the funds to set her aside and she was scrapped. For more information, please visit: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/s/saratoga-vi.html

06/06/2024

What can I say, but it is the 80 Anniversary of Operation Overlord, otherwise known as D-Day. It seems appropriate to highlight the American cemetery in Normandy. Take a look: https://www.abmc.gov/normandy.

04/06/2024

The USS Forrestal was the follow up ship and class to the Midway Class. She would be in a class of four other conventional powered ships - the Forrestal, Saratoga, Ranger, and Independence. The lead ship, the USS Forrestal was laid down in 1952, she was launched in 1954 and entered service the next year in 1955. She would have a long career.

One of her first major deployments was to the Middle East during the Suez Crisis of 1956 and would remain in the Mediterranean for the first part of her career. After a decade of serving in Europe, after a major refit she would serve in Vietnam beginning in 1967. In July of that year, an accident on the flight deck triggered a fire among aircraft on the rear of the carrier. A major fire developed and set off munitions. She was heavily damaged and had to return to the states for repairs. After returning to service she remained in the Mediterranean, off and on for the remainder of her career. She was decommissioned in 1993 and, after a failed attempt to make her a museum ship, she was scrapped. Take a look at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/f/forrestal-cva-59.html

31/05/2024

In our last episode on the frontier army, it seems appropriate to highlight the African-Americans who served in the west - the Buffalo soldiers. Two infantry and cavalry regiments were set aside for African-American soldiers. They flocked to the colors to serve. Taking part in many of the campaigns in the west, they cemented their reputation. The officers who led these regiments were white. In the decades after the end of the Civil War, several men of color were admitted into the US military academy at West Point. Three men were able to finish their military schooling and build careers in the US Army. We will focus on their stories. To download the episode, please go to: https://traffic.libsyn.com/americaatwarpodcast/161_Buffalo_Soldier.mp3

30/05/2024

In our last tank post, we highlighted the British penchant for infantry support tanks. The Mathilda Mk. I served briefly in France and was functionally obsolete. It's successor, the Mk. II would remain service for the remainder of the war. It was heavily armored, but handicapped by a less than adequate gun, a two pounder. While it served in the western desert and could stand up to German Anti-Tank guns, its miniscule main weapon relegated to secondary service in Asia. While the Matilda was admired by the British Tommys, the mission of a singular tank to support the infantry proved to be a developmental dead end. Over the course of the Second World War, while there would still be weight classes of light, medium, and heavy tanks, tanks would gradually evolve to the main battle tanks we see today. Take a look: https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/gb/infantry_tank_matilda_ii.php

28/05/2024

We doubled up on the USS Midway last week, so let's continue talking about other US aircraft carriers. We are too far from the Cold War, but let's touch on the saga of the USS United States. Originally conceived as a super carrier, it was to be one of five super carriers, allowing the navy to move beyond the Essex Class and bring the navy into the atomic era. It's aircraft complement would allow for nuclear capable, bombers. The ship was cancelled five days after its keel was laid. The Secretary of Defense at the time, Louis Johnson listened to the Air Force, who decided that the Air Force would keep the monopoly on nuclear weapons. The admirals who disagreed, were asked to resign. Please take a look here for more information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_United_States_(CVA-58)

23/05/2024

We usually do posts related to armor on Thursdays, but since we just talked about the USS Midway, I can't help it. The Midway is preserved in San Diego. What more can I say.

Live the adventure & honor the legend of the USS Midway Museum with activities & fun for the whole family onboard! Voted #1 “Things to Do” on Trip Advisor SD!

21/05/2024

The last of the Midway Class ships we will consider, let's focus on the USS Midway. She was laid down in 1943, launched in March 1945 and commissioned in September 1945, again missing the war. As with her sisters, she served in the Mediterranean until she was heavily modified, again like her sisters, with an angled flight deck and enclosed bow. She would serve off the shores of Vietnam from 1966 through 1971, including assisting with the evacuation of US Forces and Vietnamese allies in 1975 after the fall of the country to North Vietnam. In the 1980s she would serve in the Mediterranean and in Asia, including supporting Operation Desert Shield and Storm. Unlike her sisters, she would not end up in the scrap yard, but as a museum ship in San Diego.

USS Midway (CVB/CVA/CV-41) is an aircraft carrier, formerly of the United States Navy, the lead ship of her class. Commissioned 8 days after the end of World War II, Midway was the largest warship in the world until 1955, as well as the first U.S. aircraft carrier too big to transit the Panama Canal...

17/05/2024

The United Kingdom split their vehicles into those that supported the infantry and those who were more akin to mechanized cavalry. The Matilda Mark I was akin to many of the vehicles that we have been talking about. Heavily armored, but slow and poorly armed (one machine gun), it was designed to accompany the infantry. While its follow on models were better armed and continued to have a thick armor hide, these vehicles were not built to exploit, such as their Germany peers, but support infantry. They were deployed to France in 1940, but were not successful.

The Matilda was the first British infantry tank. It saw action only in France, where most were lost during the German invasion.

14/05/2024

The USS Coral Sea, also of the Midway Class carriers, was launched in April 1946 and commissioned in May 1947. Like her sister, she remained in the Mediterranean Sea until 1957 when, like her sister, she was given an angled flight deck to accommodate jet operations. From 1965 until the end of the Vietnam war, she served in southeast Asia, providing a variety of air operations, including operations that occurred after the war in Cambodia. She was also the source of anti-war agitation among the crew members. She would continue to serve in the Mediterranean Sea until she was taken out of service in 1990.

USS Coral Sea (CV/CVB/CVA-43), a Midway-class aircraft carrier, was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named for the Battle of the Coral Sea. She earned the affectionate nickname "Ageless Warrior" through her long career. Initially classified as an aircraft carrier with hull classificati...

09/05/2024

One of the most sophisticated light tanks of the early years of the Second World War was the Hotchkiss H35/39. Yes, the French lost in 1940, but there tanks were well built and modern by the standards of the 1930s. Unfortunately, unlike their contemporaries, in particular in Germany, despite their sophistication, French tanks tended to have one man turrets without a radio, which limited their tactical usefulness. As with many of its contemporaries, it was initially armed with a short barreled 37 mm weapon that was up gunned to a longer weapon. While they were useful for reconnaissance, there weaknesses limited them as the war continued.

The Hotchkiss H35 was one of the new French light infantry tanks, alongside the very similar Renault R35.

07/05/2024

The USS Franklin D. Roosevelt was laid down during the war, in December 1943. She was launched in April 1945 and commissioned in October 1945, obviously after the Second World War had ended. She served in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean as the Cold War was heating up in Greece. She would continue to serve in the Mediterranean until she was decommissioned in 1954. She was heavily modified with an angled flight deck before re-entering service. again, in the Mediterranean. In 1966 she went to Asia and began serving off the coast of Vietnam. She would return home two years later and after upgrades would return to the Mediterranean. She was present during the 1973 Yom Kippur War in the Middle East. After years of service she was decommissioned in 1977 and scrapped in the same year.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (30 January 1882–12 April 1945), the 32nd President of the United States (4 March 1933–12 April 1945). (CVB-42: displacement 45,000; length 968'; beam 113'; extreme width 136'; draft 35'; speed 33 knots; compliment 4,104; armament 18 5-inch, 84 40-millimeter; aircraft 1...

02/05/2024

The Italians developed a number of vehicles in the 1930s that like their contemporaries, served in the late 1930s, but were hopelessly outclassed by the beginning of the war. In this case, I am thinking of Carro Veloce 33. Like the Soviet T-25, the chassis was developed in Great Britain and adapted by the Italians into this tankette. It was armed with twin 8 mm machine guns and also a flame thrower and another machine gun version. They fought in the Spanish Civil War where their weaknesses were apparent. They were basically lightly armored machine gun carriers and could barely resist the anti-tank weapons prevalent during that war. Take a look!

The Carro Veloce 33 (CV 33) or L3/33 was a tankette originally built in 1933 and used by the Italian Army before and during World War II. It was based on the imported British Carden Loyd tankette (license-built by Italy as the CV 29). Many CV 33s were retrofitted to meet the specifications of the...

02/05/2024

This episode follows up with the previous. After focusing on what it was like to serve in the west after the Civil War, we close the circle with this episode where we focus on the campagin trail and combat. Rather than fighting standing armies as had occured in the Civil War, the 'wars' more often than not, these brushes with violence could be called skrimishes rather than set piece battles. Regardless of the size of the battles, combat was a very personal and, in many cases, terrifying experience. Some men excelled, others did not. Nevertheless, the crucible of serving on the frontier would propel the army to change at the end of the century.

30/04/2024

Now that we have left the Second World War behind us, we will begin to focus on the carriers built after 1945. The first class to enter service was the Midway class, composed of the USS Midway, USS Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the USS Coral Sea. They were larger than the Essex class carriers and could carry approx. thirty more aircraft. Because of their size, they were better suited to make the transition to jet aircraft. The Midway remained in service until the 1990s, which suggests just how versatile this design was.

The Midway-class was a class of three United States Navy aircraft carriers. The lead ship, USS Midway, was commissioned in September 1945 and decommissioned in 1992. USS Franklin D. Roosevelt was commissioned in October 1945, and taken out of service in 1977.[2] USS Coral Sea was commissioned in ...