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THE SECOND WORLD WAR > SECOND WORLD WAR - THE LIBERATION TRILOGY - GLOSSARY - PART ONE ~ (SPOILER THREAD)

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message 101: by Alisa (new)

Alisa (mstaz) Admiral Harold R. Stark



Harold Rainsford Stark was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, on 12 November 1880. He was appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy in 1899 and graduated with the Class of 1903. In 1907-09, he served in the battleship Minnesota before and during the Atlantic Fleet's epic cruise around the World. Subsequently, Stark had extensive duty in torpedo boats and destroyers, including command of the Asiatic Fleet's Torpedo Flotilla in 1917, when these old and small destroyers steamed from the Philippines to the Mediterranean to join in World War I operations. Commander Stark served on the staff of Commander, U.S. Naval Forces operating in European Waters from November 1917 to January 1919.

Following the First World War, Stark was Executive Officer of the battleships North Dakota and West Virginia, attended the Naval War College, commanded the ammunition ship Nitro and served in Naval Ordance positions. During the later 1920s and into the mid-1930s, in the rank of Captain, he was successively Chief of Staff to Commander, Destroyer Squadrons Battle Fleet, Aide to the Secretary of the Navy, and Commanding Officer of USS West Virginia. From 1934 to 1937, Rear Admiral Stark was Chief of the Bureau of Ordnance. He then served at sea as Commander Cruiser Division THREE and Commander, Cruisers, Battle Force.

In August 1939, Stark became Chief of Naval Operations, with the rank of Admiral. In that position, he oversaw the great expansion of the Navy during 1940-41, its involvement in an undeclared war against German submarines in the Atlantic during the latter part of 1941 and the combat operations against Japan and the European Axis Powers that began in December 1941. In March 1942, Stark was relieved as CNO by Admiral Ernest J. King. He went to England the next month to become Commander, U.S. Forces in Europe.

From his London Headquarters, Admiral Stark directed the Naval part of the great buildup in England and U.S. Naval operations and training activities on the European side of the Atlantic. He received the additional title of Commander, TWELFTH Fleet, in October 1943 and supervised U.S. Navy participation in the invasion of Normandy in June 1944. Admiral Stark's diplomatic talents were much in evidence as he built and maintained close relations with British civilian and Naval leaders, and with the leaders of other Allied powers. From August 1945 until he left active duty in April 1946, he served in Washington, D.C., and made his home there after retirement. Admiral Harold R. Stark died on 21 August 1972.

USS Stark (FFG-31) was named in honor of Admiral Stark.
(Source: http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/pe...)

More:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/pea...
http://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/palit...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_R...
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/hrst...
http://ospreypearlharbor.com/encyclop...
US Commanders of World War II (1) Army and USAAF by James Arnold by James Arnold (no photo)
(no image) Admiral Harold R. Stark: Architect of Victory, 1939-1945 by B. Mitchell Simpson (no photo)
History of US Naval Operations in WWII 3 Rising Sun in the Pacific 31-4/42 by Samuel Eliot Morison and The Two-Ocean War by Samuel Eliot Morison by Samuel Eliot Morison Samuel Eliot Morison
The United States Navy in World War II by S.E. Smith by S.E. Smith (no photo)


message 102: by Bryan (new)

Bryan Craig Neutrality Laws of 1930s



The acts were laws passed in 1935, 1936, 1937, and 1939 to limit U.S. involvement in future wars. The 1935 act banned munitions exports to belligerents (countries that were engaged in warfare.in this case, specifically WW2) and restricted American travel on belligerent ships. The 1936 act banned loans to belligerents. The 1937 act extended these provisions to civil wars and gave the president discretionary authority to restrict nonmunitions sales to a "cash‐and‐carry" basis (belligerents had to pay in advance then export goods in their own ships).The 1939 act banned U.S. ships from carrying goods or passengers to belligerent ports but allowed the United States to sell munitions, although on a "cash‐and‐carry" basis. Congress repealed the Neutrality Acts on 13 November 1941.
(Source: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_were_t...)

More:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutrali...
http://history.state.gov/milestones/1...
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ma04/wood...
https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel...
https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel...
https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel...
https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel...
FDR and the Spanish Civil War Neutrality and Commitment in the Struggle that Divided America by Dominic Tierney by Dominic Tierney (no photo)
(no image) Illusion of Neutrality by R. A. Divine (no photo)


message 103: by Alisa (new)

Alisa (mstaz) General Hoyt S. Vandenberg



General Hoyt S. Vandenberg was the second chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.

The general was born at Milwaukee, Wis., in 1899. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy June 12, 1923, and commissioned a second lieutenant in the Air Service.

General Vandenberg graduated from the Air Service Flying School at Brooks Field, Texas, in February 1924, and from the Air Service Advanced Flying School at Kelly Field, Texas, in September 1924.

His first assignment was with the Third Attack Group at Kelly Field, where he assumed command of the 90th Attack Squadron. In 1927, he became an instructor at the Air Corps Primary Flying School at March Field, Calif. He went to Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, in May 1929, to join the Sixth Pursuit Squadron, and assumed command of it the following November.

Returning in September 1931, he was appointed a flying instructor at Randolph Field, Texas, and became a flight commander and deputy stage commander there in March 1933. He entered the Air Corps Tactical School at Maxwell Field, Ala., in August 1934, and graduated the following June. Two months later he enrolled in the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., and completed the course in June 1936. He then became an instructor at the Air Corps Tactical School at Maxwell Field, where he taught until September 1936, when he entered the Army War College.

After graduating from the War College in June 1939, General Vandenberg was assigned to the Plans Division in the Office of the Chief of Air Corps. A few months after the United States entered World War II, he became operations and training officer of the Air Staff. For his services in these two positions he received the Distinguished Service Medal.

In June 1943, General Vandenberg was assigned to the United Kingdom and assisted in the organization of the Air Forces in North Africa. While in Great Britain he was appointed chief of staff of the 12th Air Force, which he helped organize. On Feb. 18, 1943, General Vandenberg became chief of staff of the Northwest African Strategic Air Force and with this air force he flew on numerous missions over Tunisia, Italy, Sardinia, Sicily and Pantelleria during the North African campaign. He was awarded both the Silver Star and the Distinguished Flying Cross for his services during this time. For his organizational ability with the 12th Air Force and his work as chief of staff of the Northwest African Strategic Air Force, he was awarded the Legion of Merit.

General Vandenberg, in August 1943, was assigned to Air Corps headquarters as deputy chief of air staff. A month later he became head of an air mission to Russia, under Ambassador Harriman, and returned to the United States in January 1944. Two months later he was transferred to the European theater, and in April 1944, was designated deputy air commander in chief of the Allied Expeditionary Forces and commander of its American Air Component. In August 1944, General Vandenberg assumed command of the Ninth Air Force. On Nov. 28, 1944, he received an oak leaf cluster to the Distinguished Service Medal for his part in planning the Normandy invasion.

He was appointed assistant chief of air staff at Air Corps headquarters in July 1945. The following January he became director of Intelligence on the War Department general staff where he serviced until his appointment in June 1945, as director of Central Intelligence. He returned to duty with the Air Corps in April 1947, and on June 15, 1947, became deputy commander and chief of air staff. He was designated vice chief of staff of the Air Force on Oct. 1, 1947, and promoted to the rank of general. On April 30, 1948, General Vandenberg became chief of staff of the Air Force, succeeding General Carl Spaatz. He was renominated by President Harry S. Truman for a second term as chief of staff March 6, 1952, to June 30, 1953, and the nomination was confirmed by the Senate on April 28, 1952.

General Vandenberg retired from active duty June 30, 1953. He has been awarded the Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters, Bronze Star, Victory Medal, American Campaign Ribbon, American Defense Ribbon and the European-African-Middle East Campaign Ribbon.

His foreign decorations include: Mexican Military Order of Merit; Netherlands Order of Orange Nassau (Grand Officer with Swords); Brazilian Cruz del Sol (Grand Officer), and Medal of War; Luxembourg Order of Adolph von Nassau (Grand Cross), and Croix de Guerre; Belgian Order of Leopold I (Grand Officer with Palms); and Croix de Guerre with Palms; British Order of the Bath (Knight Commanders Cross); Polish Order of Polish Restoration (2nd Class); Portuguese Ordem de Avis, Gra Cruiz; Egyptian L'Ordre Du Nil Grand Cordon; Chinese Order of Pao Ting (Tripod with Grand Cordon); Chilean Medallia Militar de Primerera Clase; Argentine General Staff Emblem and the Military Order of Italy.
(Source: http://www.af.mil/information/bios/bi...)

More:
http://www.bigshipwrecks.com/history/...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoyt_Van...
http://www.nationalaviation.org/vande...
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/hsva...
http://roswellproof.homestead.com/van...
http://www.fla-keys.com/diving/vanden...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Gene...
(no image) Hoyt S. Vandenberg, the Life of a General by Phillip S. Meilinger (no photo)
December 8, 1941 MacArthur's Pearl Harbor by William H. Bartsch by William H. Bartsch (no photo)
J. Edgar Hoover The Man and the Secrets by Curt Gentry by Curt Gentry Curt Gentry
Legacy of Ashes The History of the CIA by Tim Weiner by Tim Weiner Tim Weiner


message 104: by Jill (new)

Jill Hutchinson (bucs1960) Emperor Hirohito of Japan





Emperor Hirohito’s father was the Taisho Emperor, Yoshihito. His mother, Empress Teimei, was Princess Sadako, the fourth daughter of Prince Michitaka Kujo. He became crown prince in 1916.

After graduating from the Crown Prince's School in 1921, he travelled in Europe for six months, a tour without precedent for a Japanese crown prince.

In November 1921, after his return to Japan, he became Regent for his father, who was ill. In 1924, he married Princess Nagako. Two years later, when the Taisho Emperor died, Crown Prince Hirohito became Emperor of Japan. His enthronement ceremony took place in Kyoto in November 1928.

The imperial messages of 15 August 1945, concluding hostilities in World War II, and of 1 January 1946, declaring that the Emperor is a mortal (until the end of 1945, the Emperor was revered as a god), were epoch-making events in the history of Japan. The constitution of 1947 determined that the Emperor would no longer have political power, which would rest with the people.

During the long and eventful reign of Hirohito, Japan emerged from a period of military expansion, and entered a new period of international cooperation, during which it became one of the world's three greatest economic powers.

In September-October 1971, Hirohito met with President Nixon in Anchorage, Alaska, and then toured western Europe, marking the first trip abroad for a reigning emperor.

In his youth, Emperor Hirohito developed an interest in marine biology that he continued to pursue during his reigning years. His work included the classification of sea animals and plants at the Biological Institute in the Imperial Palace and the collecting of plants at Nasu and Hayama. He published numerous scholarly works dealing with his scientific research.

Emperor Hirohito and Empress Nagako had seven children. The Emperor died of cancer at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on 7 January 1989.
(Source: http://www.history.co.uk/biographies/...)

More:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hirohito
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/macarthu...
http://www.muzosa.com/resources/artic...
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/t...
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/...
Hirohito Emperor of Japan by Leonard Mosley by Leonard Mosley (no photo)
Japan's Imperial Conspiracy How Emperor Hirohito Led Japan Into War Against the West by David Bergamini by David Bergamini (no photo)
Emperor Hirohito and Showa Japan A Political Biography by Stephen S. Large by Stephen S. Large (no photo)
Hirohito The Emperor and the Man by Edwin Palmer Hoyt by Edwin Palmer Hoyt (no photo)
Hirohito Behind the Myth by Edward Samuel Behr by Edward Samuel Behr (no photo)


message 105: by Bryan (new)

Bryan Craig The Great Depression





The Stock Market Crash
After nearly a decade of optimism and prosperity, the United States was thrown into despair on Black Tuesday, October 29, 1929, the day the stock market crashed and the official beginning of the Great Depression. As stock prices plummeted with no hope of recovery, panic struck. Masses and masses of people tried to sell their stock, but no one was buying. The stock market, which had appeared to be the surest way to become rich, quickly became the path to bankruptcy.

And yet, the Stock Market Crash was just the beginning. Since many banks had also invested large portions of their clients' savings in the stock market, these banks were forced to close when the stock market crashed. Seeing a few banks close caused another panic across the country. Afraid they would lose their own savings, people rushed to banks that were still open to withdraw their money. This massive withdrawal of cash caused additional banks to close. Since there was no way for a bank's clients to recover any of their savings once the bank had closed, those who didn't reach the bank in time also became bankrupt.

Businesses and industry were also affected. Having lost much of their own capital in either the Stock Market Crash or the bank closures, many businesses started cutting back their workers' hours or wages. In turn, consumers began to curb their spending, refraining from purchasing such things as luxury goods. This lack of consumer spending caused additional businesses to cut back wages or, more drastically, to lay off some of their workers. Some businesses couldn't stay open even with these cuts and soon closed their doors, leaving all their workers unemployed.

The Dust Bowl
In previous depressions, farmers were usually safe from the severe effects of a depression because they could at least feed themselves. Unfortunately, during the Great Depression, the Great Plains were hit hard with both a drought and horrendous dust storms, creating what became known as the Dust Bowl.

Years and years of overgrazing combined with the effects of a drought caused the grass to disappear. With just topsoil exposed, high winds picked up the loose dirt and whirled it for miles. The dust storms destroyed everything in their paths, leaving farmers without their crops.

Small farmers were hit especially hard. Even before the dust storms hit, the invention of the tractor drastically cut the need for manpower on farms. These small farmers were usually already in debt, borrowing money for seed and paying it back when their crops came in. When the dust storms damaged the crops, not only could the small farmer not feed himself and his family, he could not pay back his debt. Banks would then foreclose on the small farms and the farmer's family would be both homeless and unemployed.

Riding the Rails
During the Great Depression, millions of people were out of work across the United States. Unable to find another job locally, many unemployed people hit the road, traveling from place to place, hoping to find some work. A few of these people had cars, but most hitchhiked or "rode the rails."

A large portion of the people who rode the rails were teenagers, but there were also older men, women, and entire families who traveled in this manner. They would board freight trains and crisscross the country, hoping to find a job in one of the towns along the way.

When there was a job opening, there were often literally a thousand people applying for the same job. Those who weren't lucky enough to get the job would perhaps stay in a shantytown (known as "Hoovervilles") outside of town. Housing in the shantytown was built out of any material that could be found freely, like driftwood, cardboard, or even newspapers.

The farmers who had lost their homes and land usually headed west to California, where they heard rumors of agricultural jobs. Unfortunately, although there was some seasonal work, the conditions for these families were transient and hostile. Since many of these farmers came from Oklahoma and Arkansas, they were called the derogatory names of "Okies" and "Arkies." (The stories of these migrants to California were immortalized in the fictional book, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck.)

Roosevelt and the New Deal
The U.S. economy broke down and entered the Great Depression during the presidency of Herbert Hoover. Although President Hoover repeatedly spoke of optimism, the people blamed him for the Great Depression. Just as the shantytowns were named Hoovervilles after him, newspapers became known as "Hoover blankets," pockets of pants turned inside out (to show they were empty) were called "Hoover flags," and broken-down cars pulled by horses were known as "Hoover wagons."

During the 1932 presidential election, Hoover did not stand a chance at reelection and Franklin D. Roosevelt won in a landslide. People of the United States had high hopes that President Roosevelt would be able to solve all their woes. As soon as Roosevelt took office, he closed all the banks and only let them reopen once they were stabilized. Next, Roosevelt began to establish programs that became known as the New Deal.

These New Deal programs were most commonly known by their initials, which reminded some people of alphabet soup. Some of these programs were aimed at helping farmers, like the AAA (Agricultural Adjustment Administration). While other programs, such as the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) and the WPA (Works Progress Administration), attempted to help curb unemployment by hiring people for various projects.

The End of the Great Depression
To many at the time, President Roosevelt was a hero. They believed that he cared deeply for the common man and that he was doing his best to end the Great Depression. Looking back, however, it is uncertain as to how much Roosevelt's New Deal programs helped to end the Great Depression. By all accounts, the New Deal programs eased the hardships of the Great Depression; however, the U.S. economy was still extremely bad by the end of the 1930s.

The major turn-around for the U.S. economy occurred after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the entrance of the United States into World War II. Once the U.S. was involved in the war, both people and industry became essential to the war effort. Weapons, artillery, ships, and airplanes were needed quickly. Men were trained to become soldiers and the women were kept on the homefront to keep the factories going. Food needed to be grown for both the homefront and to send overseas.

It was ultimately the entrance of the U.S. into World War II that ended the Great Depression in the United States.
(Source: http://history1900s.about.com/od/1930...)

More:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_De...
http://www.history.com/topics/great-d...
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexper...
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~1930s/fro...
http://memory.loc.gov/fsowhome.html
http://docs.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/gdp...
http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/ng...
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/era....
Freedom from Fear The American People in Depression and War, 1929-1945 by David M. Kennedy by David M. Kennedy (no photo)
The Great Depression America 1929-1941 by Robert S. McElvaine by Robert S. McElvaine (no photo)
Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal, 1932-1940 by William E. Leuchtenburg by William E. Leuchtenburg (no photo)
The World in Depression, 1929-1939 by Charles P. Kindleberger by Charles P. Kindleberger Charles P. Kindleberger
The Forgotten Man A New History of the Great Depression by Amity Shlaes by Amity Shlaes Amity Shlaes
The Great Depression A Diary by Benjamin Roth by Benjamin Roth (no photo)
The Great Depression America In The 1930s by T.H. Watkins by T.H. Watkins (no photo)
The Worst Hard Time The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan by Timothy Egan Timothy Egan
Hard Times An Oral History of the Great Depression by Studs Terkel by Studs Terkel Studs Terkel


message 106: by Bryan (new)

Bryan Craig Neutrality Laws of 1930s



The acts were laws passed in 1935, 1936, 1937, and 1939 to limit U.S. involvement in future wars. The 1935 act banned munitions exports to belligerents (countries that were engaged in warfare.in this case, specifically WW2) and restricted American travel on belligerent ships. The 1936 act banned loans to belligerents. The 1937 act extended these provisions to civil wars and gave the president discretionary authority to restrict nonmunitions sales to a "cash‐and‐carry" basis (belligerents had to pay in advance then export goods in their own ships).The 1939 act banned U.S. ships from carrying goods or passengers to belligerent ports but allowed the United States to sell munitions, although on a "cash‐and‐carry" basis. Congress repealed the Neutrality Acts on 13 November 1941.
(Source: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_were_t...)

More:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutrali...
http://history.state.gov/milestones/1...
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-hi...
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ma04/wood...
https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel...
https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel...
https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel...
https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel...
FDR and the Spanish Civil War Neutrality and Commitment in the Struggle that Divided America by Dominic Tierney by Dominic Tierney (no photo)
Toward an Entangling Alliance American Isolationism, Internationalism, and Europe, 1901-1950 by Ronald E. Powaski by Ronald E. Powaski (no photo)
The New York Times Living History World War II, 1939-1942 The Axis Assault by Douglas Brinkley by Douglas Brinkley Douglas Brinkley
History of United States Isolationism Gore Vidal, Neutrality Acts, Charles Lindbergh, Pat Buchanan, Churchill, Hitler and the Unnecessary War by Books LLC by Books LLC (no photo)
(no image) Illusion of Neutrality by R. A. Divine (no photo)


message 107: by Bryan (last edited Jun 03, 2013 09:33AM) (new)

Bryan Craig Nazism

Nazi" is an abbreviation for the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (NSDAP), known in English as the German National Socialist Workers Party, as it existed under the control of Adolf Hitler from 1920 until the end of World War II. The party was held together primarily by populism, authoritarianism, militarism, and belief in German ethnic and cultural supremacy.

Contrary to the party name, its members were hostile to the socialist economic policies of Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin and had no affinity for worker's unions. (NSDAP was socialist in the same way that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is democratic; i.e., in name only.) Nazism is generally classified as a right-wing movement because of its emphasis on nationalism and military strength, but it does not fall anywhere within the left-right spectrum as we know it today. It can best be understood as an acute political reaction to the economic hardships and death toll generated by World War I and its aftermath.
(Source: http://civilliberty.about.com/od/hist...)

More:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazism
http://www.wnd.com/2013/03/hitler-naz...
http://www.holocaust-education.dk/bag...
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.p...
http://sitemaker.umich.edu/rememberin...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebite...
Occult Roots of Nazism Secret Aryan Cults and Their Influence on Nazi Ideology by Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke by Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke
Hammer of the Gods The Thule Society and the Birth of Nazism by David Luhrssen by David Luhrssen (no photo)
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich A History of Nazi Germany by William L. Shirer by William L. Shirer William L. Shirer
Hitler's Philosophers by Yvonne Sherratt by Yvonne Sherratt (no photo)
Heidegger, Philosophy, Nazism by Julian Young by Julian Young (no photo)
Heidegger The Introduction of Nazism into Philosophy in Light of the Unpublished Seminars of 1933-1935 by Emmanuel Faye by Emmanuel Faye (no photo)
Nazi Ideology by C.M. Vasey by C.M. Vasey (no photo)


message 108: by Bryan (last edited May 21, 2013 11:51AM) (new)

Bryan Craig Kent Roberts Greenfield



Kent Roberts Greenfield, Professor of History at Johns Hopkins University, and chief architect of the official United States Army history of World War II, was born in 1893 in Chestertown, Maryland. He received his bachelor's degree from Western Maryland College in 1911 and his Ph.D in history from Johns Hopkins University (1915). He taught at Delaware College, now the University of Delaware, from 1915 to 1920, and was an assistant professor of history at Yale University from 1920 to 1930. In 1930, he came to The Johns Hopkins University as professor of modern European history and chairman of the History Department. He was a leading authority in the field of Italian history, particularly the Risorgimento, the movement for political unity in late 19th century Italy. His best know work on the subject was Economics and Liberalism in the Risorgimento: A Study of Nationalism in Lombard, 1814-1848, published in 1934 and later translated into Italian. The work was reissued in 1966 by the Johns Hopkins Press. In 1960 Greenfield was knighted by the Italian government for his work in Italian history and for his "important scientific and historical studies of Italy."

Greenfield was chairman of the History Department from 1930-1946. During this time, he took a leave of absence (1942-1945) to serve as the assistant to the Historical Officer in the Army Ground Forces. This laid the groundwork for his being named to the position of Chief Historian of the Department of the Army in 1946. This involved directing the writing of the history of World War II which became a series of 80 volumes. Professor Greenfield was largely responsible for selecting numerous historians to work on the project, and before his retirement he edited 51 of the volumes. The monumental project covered every aspect of the second world war--planning, strategy and tactics, complex activities of the staff and technical services, as well as the command at all levels and the campaigns and battles themselves. Greenfield, in collaboration with others, wrote the first two volumes, but confined himself to editing and guiding the staff writers in the later volumes. In 1958 after his retirement as Chief Historian of the Department of the Army, Greenfiled returned to Baltimore to write American Strategy in World War II: A Reconsideration, which was published by The Johns Hopkins Press in 1963.

Kent Roberts Greenfield died suddenly on July 25, 1967. He was unmarried and left no surviving family members.
(Source: http://ead.library.jhu.edu/ms022.xml)

More:
http://ead.library.jhu.edu/ms022.xml
http://www.librarything.com/author/gr...
http://www.history.army.mil/html/book...
The Organization of Ground Combat Troops by Kent Roberts Greenfield American Strategy in World War II A Reconsideration by Kent Roberts Greenfield & (no images) Command Decisions & The Historian and the Army & United States Army in World War II, Pictorial Record: War Against Germany and Italy, Mediterranean, and Adjacent Areas & Economics and Liberalism in the Risorgimento: A Study of Nationalism in Lombardy, 1814-1848 & Economics and Liberalism in the Risorgimento: A Study of Nationalism in Lombardy, 1814-1848 all previous books by Kent Roberts Greenfield (no photos)


message 109: by Alisa (new)

Alisa (mstaz) Harry Hopkins



Harry Hopkins became a special adviser to U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt during World War II. He was one of Roosevelt’s closest and most trusted confidants and even lived in the White House at times. By the start of the war, Roosevelt and Hopkins had known one another for more than a decade. In 1931, when Roosevelt was governor of New York, Hopkins had become executive director of the state’s newly minted Temporary Emergency Relief Administration (TERA). In 1932, Roosevelt made Hopkins the head of the organization. Under Hopkins’ supervision, TERA focused on finding work for unemployed citizens suffering during the Great Depression. After Roosevelt won the presidential election in 1932 and moved to Washington D.C., he brought Hopkins along, charging him with the direction of the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA).

Hopkins had devoted his professional life to social concerns even before working with Roosevelt. After graduating from Grinnell College in 1912, Hopkins, a native of Iowa, moved to New York City, where he worked with various associations to improve the lives of the urban poor. He developed the belief that most people had the desire and drive to work and he attempted to provide jobs—rather than handouts—to able workers, confident that this type of aid allowed people to retain their dignity and fostered a sense of personal pride.

While working for FERA, Hopkins became involved in many of Roosevelt’s New Deal programs, including the Works Progress Administration and, through his position on the Committee on Economic Security, the development of the Social Security System. In 1938, Roosevelt appointed Hopkins as the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, but he resigned the position due to ill health two years later. During World War II, Hopkins accompanied the president to many Allied conferences; he also traveled to meet with both Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin. His reports back to Roosevelt helped justify the U.S. Lend-Lease program which he briefly directed.

Hopkins’ preference for bluntness and straight talk made him an invaluable asset for Roosevelt and earned him the nickname “Lord Root of the Matter” from Churchill. After Roosevelt’s death in April 1945, Hopkins continued to act as emissary for the new U.S. president, Harry S. Truman, and helped to arrange the last Allied conference. On September 5, 1945, Truman presented him with the Distinguished Service Medal, citing his “selfless, courageous, and objective contribution to the war effort.” A few months later, Hopkins, whose health frequently troubled him and who had long battled stomach cancer, died on January 29, 1946, from complications relating to the cancer.
(Source: http://www.pbs.org/behindcloseddoors/...)

More:
http://www.historynet.com/harry-hopki...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Ho...
http://www.documentstalk.com/wp/harry...
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/t...
http://www.gwu.edu/~erpapers/teaching...
http://www.library.georgetown.edu/dep...
http://www.naswfoundation.org/pioneer...
http://blog.oup.com/2013/01/who-was-h...
https://www.cia.gov/library/center-fo...
http://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/28/opi...
The Hopkins Touch Harry Hopkins and the Forging of the Alliance to Defeat Hitler by David Roll by David Roll (no photo)
Harry Hopkins Sudden Hero, Brash Reformer by June Hopkins by June Hopkins (no photo)
Harry Hopkins Ally of the Poor and Defender of Democracy by George McJimsey by George McJimsey (no photo)
Roosevelt and Hopkins An Intimate History by Robert E. Sherwood by Robert E. Sherwood (no photo)
The Sword & the Shield The Mitrokhin Archive & the Secret History of the KGB by Christopher Andrew by Christopher Andrew Christopher Andrew
(no image) Harry Hopkins: A Biography by Henry Hitch Adams (no photo)
(no image) Harry Hopkins and the New Deal by Paul A. Kurzman (no photo)


message 110: by Alisa (new)

Alisa (mstaz) Stephen Early



Stephen Tyree Early (August 27, 1889 – August 11, 1951) was a U.S. journalist and government official. He served as White House Press Secretary under Franklin D. Roosevelt from 1933 to 1945 and again under President Harry S. Truman in 1950 after the sudden death of Charles Griffith Ross.

Early met Franklin D. Roosevelt while covering the 1912 Democratic National Convention as a reporter for the United Press. From 1913 to 1917 Early was the Associated Press correspondent covering the Navy Department, during which time his acquaintance with Roosevelt and Louis Howe grew.

After serving in World War I with an Infantry Regiment and the Stars and Stripes he returned to the United States and was asked by Roosevelt to be the advance man for the 1920 Vice Presidential campaign. After the election, Early returned to the Associated Press, and in 1927 became the Washington representative of Paramount News, a newsreel company at the time.

After the election of 1932, Franklin Roosevelt asked him to serve as one of the three White House Secretaries,responsible for press relations. Early held that post throughout the entire Roosevelt years, leaving government service June 1, 1945.

In 1945 he became Vice President of Pullman, Inc..

He returned to the government as Under Secretary, later Deputy Secretary of Defense from April 1949 to June 1950.

In December 1950 Early was briefly Press Secretary to President Truman, filling in after the sudden death of Charles G. Ross.

Early died at George Washington Hospital on August 11, 1951. He had suffered a heart attack a week prior, and despite signs of recovery, had a turn for the worse. It was reported that he died at about one in the afternoon. Survivors included the former Helen Wrenn, whom he married in 1921, and three sons. Harry Truman issued a statement calling him "an outstanding newspaper man" and "always on the side of President Roosevelt." Defense Secretary George Marshall said in a statement that he was "very distressed" at the news of his death and he "served his country faithfully for many years." The full statements and other information on his life can be found in his New York Times obituary, printed on August 12, 1951.

In 1969, his widow donated his papers to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library, where they could be accessed by the public.
(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_...)

More:
http://www.pri.org/stories/arts-enter...
http://governmentcommunicators.blogsp...
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/stea...
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pi...
http://richmondthenandnow.com/Newspap...
http://web.mit.edu/course/21/21h.102/...
The Making of FDR The Story of Stephen T. Early, America's First Modern Press Secretary by Linda Lotridge Levin by Linda Lotridge Levin (no photo)
The Case for Combat How Presidents Persuade Americans to Go to War by Edward J. Lordan by Edward J. Lordan (no photo)
F. D. R. and the Press by Graham J. White by Graham J. White (no photo)
The Public Press, 1900-1945 by Leonard Ray Teel by Leonard Ray Teel (no photo)
Secrets of Victory The Office of Censorship and the American Press and Radio in World War II by Michael S. Sweeney by Michael S. Sweeney (no photo)


message 111: by Jill (new)

Jill Hutchinson (bucs1960) Wendell Willkie




Wendell Willkie was born in Elwood, Indiana, on February 18, 1892. The Republican party tapped Willkie, a lawyer and utilities executive, to run against FDR in 1940, even though Willkie was a former Democrat. Willkie campaigned against the New Deal and the government's lack of military preparedness. During the election, Roosevelt preempted the military issue by expanding military contracts. Willkie then reversed his approach and accused FDR of warmongering. On election day, FDR received 27 million votes to Willkie's 22 million, and in the Electoral College, Roosevelt buried Willkie 449 to 82.

After failing to unseat Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1940 presidential election, Willkie became one of FDR's most unlikely allies. To the chagrin of many in his party, Willkie called for greater national support for some of Roosevelt's controversial initiatives, such as the Lend-Lease Act, and embarked on a new campaign to awaken America from its isolationist slumber. On July 23, 1941, he urged unlimited aid to Britain in its struggle against Nazi Germany. That same year he traveled to Britain and the Middle East as FDR's personal representative and, in 1942, visited the USSR and China in the same capacity. In 1943, Willkie wrote One World, a plea for international peacekeeping after the war. Extremely popular, the book sold millions of copies and helped to bring the U.S. out of its isolationist slumber. Also in 1943, together with Eleanor Roosevelt and other Americans concerned about the mounting threats to peace and democracy, Willkie helped to establish Freedom House.

In 1944, Willkie once again sought the Republican presidential nomination, but his liberal progressive views gained little support due to the rightward shift of the Republican party. Willkie did not support the eventual 1944 Republican nominee, Thomas Dewey.

After surviving several heart attacks, Willkie finally succumbed, dying on October 8, 1944 at age fifty-two. ER in her October 12, 1944 "My Day" column eulogized Willkie as a "man of courage [whose] outspoken opinions on race relations were among his great contributions to the thinking of the world." She concluded, "Americans tend to forget the names of the men who lost their bid for the presidency. Willkie proved the exception to this rule."
(Source: http://www.gwu.edu/~erpapers/teaching...)

More:
http://www.kennesaw.edu/pols/3380/pre...
http://thecontenders.c-span.org/Conte...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendell_...
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/t...
http://www.indianahistory.org/our-col...
http://www.warhistory.ie/world-war-2/...
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pi...
Dark Horse A Biography of Wendell Willkie by Steve Neal by Steve Neal (no photo)
Wendell Willkie by Lambert M. Surhone by Lambert M. Surhone (no photo)
Wendell Willkie Hoosier Internationalist by James H. Madison by James H. Madison (no photo)
Wendell Willkie Fighter for Freedom by Ellsworth Barnard by Ellsworth Barnard (no photo)
One World by Wendell L. Willkie by Wendell L. Willkie (no photo)
Five Days In Philadelphia The Amazing "We Want Willkie!" Convention of 1940 and How It Freed FDR to Save the Western World by Charles Peters by Charles Peters (no photo)


message 112: by Jerome, Assisting Moderator - Upcoming Books and Releases (last edited May 22, 2013 04:36AM) (new)

Jerome Otte | 4780 comments Mod
Fascism

Origins of Fascism
While socialism (particularly Marxism) came into existence as a clearly formulated theory or program based on a specific interpretation of history, fascism introduced no systematic exposition of its ideology or purpose other than a negative reaction against socialist and democratic egalitarianism. The growth of democratic ideology and popular participation in politics in the 19th cent. was terrifying to some conservative elements in European society, and fascism grew out of the attempt to counter it by forming mass parties based largely on the middle classes and the petty bourgeoisie, exploiting their fear of political domination by the lower classes. Forerunners of fascism, such as Georges Boulanger in France and Adolf Stöker and Karl Lueger in Germany and Austria, in their efforts to gain political power played on people's fears of revolution with its subsequent chaos, anarchy, and general insecurity. They appealed to nationalist sentiments and prejudices, exploited anti-Semitism, and portrayed themselves as champions of law, order, Christian morality, and the sanctity of private property.

Emergence after World War I
The Russian Revolution (1917), the collapse of the Central Powers in 1918, and the disorders caused by Communist attempts to seize power in Germany, Italy, Hungary, and other countries greatly strengthened fascism's appeal to many sections of the European populace. In Italy, particularly, social unrest was combined with nationalist dissatisfaction over the government's failure to reap the promised fruits of victory after World War I. The action of Gabriele D'Annunzio in seizing Fiume (Rijeka) was one manifestation of the discontent existing in Italy. Appealing to the masses and especially to the lower middle class through demagogic promises of order and social justice, the fascists could depend upon support, financial and otherwise, from vested interests, who could not muster such popularity themselves.

Governmental paralysis enabled Mussolini in 1922 to obtain the premiership by a show of force. As leader of his National Fascist party, he presented himself as the strong-armed savior of Italy from anarchy and Communism. Borrowing from Russian Communism a system of party organization based on a strict hierarchy and cells, which became typical of fascism everywhere, he made use of an elite party militia—the Black Shirts—to crush opposition and to maintain his power.

In Germany at about the same time a fascist movement similar to that in Italy steadily gathered strength; it called itself the National Socialist German Workers' party (Nazi party). Its leader, Adolf Hitler, won support from a middle class ruined by inflation, from certain elements of the working class, especially the unemployed, and from discontented war veterans; he also gained the backing of powerful financial interests, to whom he symbolized stability and order. However, it was not until 1933 that Hitler could carry through his plans for making Germany a fascist state and the National Socialists the sole legal party in the country.

The military aggression so inherent in fascist philosophy exploded in the Italian invasion (1935) of Ethiopia, the attack (1936) of the Spanish fascists (Falangists) on their republican government (see Spanish civil war), and Nazi Germany's systematic aggression in Central and Eastern Europe, which finally precipitated (1939) World War II.

Fascism since World War II...
The Italian Social Movement (MSI), a minor neofascist party, was formed in Italy in 1946. It won wider support when the pervasive corruption of the governing parties was exposed in the early 1990s, and it became a partner in the conservative government formed after the 1994 elections. In 1995, however, the MSI dissolved itself as it was transformed into a new party headed by former MSI leader Gianfranco Fini and including the majority of former MSI members. Fini's right-wing National Alliance rejected fascist ideology, including anti-Semitism, and embraced democracy as one of its principles and has participated in center-right governing coalitions.

In postwar West Germany, neofascism appeared in the form of the temporary growth of the nationalistic National Democratic party in the mid-1960s. Following German reunification, neo-Nazi groups in the country gained increased prominence, with new members being drawn to the organization as a result of social upheaval and economic dislocation, and the nation experienced an increase in related violence, especially attacks on immigrants and foreigners. Neo-Nazi groups also exist on a small scale in the United States, and right-wing nationalistic movements and parties in countries such as France, Russia, and some republics of the former Yugoslavia have political groups with elements of fascism. For many of these parties, however, ethnic and racial animosity is often more significant than fascist philosophy.
Source: (http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedi...)

More:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazism
http://www.holocaust-education.dk/bag...
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.p...
http://www.la-articles.org.uk/fascism...
http://www.timetoast.com/timelines/80284
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/13/boo...
http://departments.kings.edu/history/...
Fascism 8a History by Roger Eatwell by Roger Eatwell (no photo)
Lenin, Stalin, and Hitler The Age of Social Catastrophe by Robert Gellately by Robert Gellately (no photo)
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich A History of Nazi Germany by William L. Shirer by William L. Shirer William L. Shirer
Nazi Ideology by C.M. Vasey by C.M. Vasey (no photo)
Occult Roots of Nazism Secret Aryan Cults and Their Influence on Nazi Ideology by Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke by Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke
The Rise of Fascism by F. L. Carsten by F. L. Carsten (no photo)
Sawdust Caesar The Untold History Of Mussolini And Fascism by George Seldes by George Seldes (no photo)
A History of Fascism, 1914-1945 by Stanley G. Payne by Stanley G. Payne (no photo)
The Devil in History Communism, Fascism, and Some Lessons of the Twentieth Century by Vladimir Tismaneanu by Vladimir Tismaneanu (no photo)
Franco's Spain by Jean Grugel by Jean Grugel (no photo)
Unearthing Franco's Legacy Mass Graves and the Recovery of Historical Memory in Spain by Carlos Jerez-Farran by Carlos Jerez-Farran (no photo)
Spanish History Since 1808 by Adrian Shubert by Adrian Shubert (no photo)


message 113: by Alisa (new)

Alisa (mstaz) Otto Weyland

[image error]

Post-World War II Commander of Far East Air Forces during Korean War and of Tactical Air Command: born Riverside, Calif., 1902.

O.P. "Opie" Weyland's family moved from California to Texas when he was a youth. He went to high school at Taft, Sinton, and Hempstead, Texas, From 1919 to 1923 he attended Texas A&M., graduating with a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering, and getting his commission in the Air Service. He took flying training at Brooks and Kelly fields, Texas, with initial duty with the 12th Observation Squadron at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. He returned to Kelly Field to teach flying.

Promoted to first lieutenant in June 1930, he went to Hawaii as commanding officer of the 4th Observation Squadron at Luke Field. He returned to Kelly Field in November 1934 as instructor and in 1935 became chief of the Observation Section, with promotion to captain that March. Weyland attended both the Air Corps Tactical School at Maxwell Field, Ala., and the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., with next duty in Washington in June 1939 as assistant to the chief of Aviation Division in the National Guard Bureau.

He was promoted to major in March 1940 and to lieutenant colonel in December 1941, the latter coming while he was in Panama as commanding officer of the 16th Pursuit Group and chief of staff of the 6th Air Force. Weyland was upped to colonel in March 1942 and was back in Washington in June as deputy director of air support at Headquarters Army Air Force. He was advanced to brigadier general in September 1943 and in November went to Europe as command general of the 84th Fighter Wing. Four months later he became command general of the XIX Tactical Air Command. Under him this combat unit gained fame for its classic air support of General George Patton's 3d Army in the successful movement across France in the spring of 1945.

By January 1945 Weyland had become a major general and finished the air war against Germany, participating in six major campaigns and called by Patton "the best damn general in the Air Corps." Back home in September 1945 Weyland for nine months served as assistant commandant of the school at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., and in June 1946 went to Washington as assistant chief of plans at Headquarters Army Air Force. He moved up to Plans and Operations when the Air Force became a separate service. From February 1948 to July 1950 he served as deputy commandant of the National War College in Washington. In July 1950 he was briefly commanding general of Tactical Air Command until going to Headquarters Far Eastern Air Force in Tokyo as vice commander for operations in the first full month of the Korean War.

In April 1951 he returned to Tactical Air Command and was promoted to lieutenant general, and in June went back to Tokyo as commanding general of Far Eastern Air Forces and the United Nations Air Forces when Lieutenant General George Stratemeyer had a heart attack. Weyland's widely recognized ability and experience in tactical warfare was demonstrated in 10 major campaigns in Korea.

He was promoted to four-star general on July 5, 1952. He stayed in Japan to help that nation reorganize its air defense forces and aircraft industry, and became known as the "father of the new Japanese air force." He again returned home, in May 1954, as commanding general of Tactical Air Command.

During his career he earned many decorations, including two Distinguished Service Medals, the Silver Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross (for personally leading a bomber formation against important Communist targets in North Korea when weather prevented fighter cover and escort), the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, and Air Medal, as well as awards from Great Britain (Commander, Order of the British Empire--for air cover of Normandy Invasion), France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Korea, Thailand, Philippine Islands, Japan and Brazil.
(Source: http://www.af.mil/information/bios/bi...)

More:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_P._...
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg....
http://www.airforcemag.com/MagazineAr...
http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/fact...
http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/cgsc/even...
http://en.wiki-videos.com/video/Otto+...
http://www.criticalpast.com/video/656...
Air Power for Patton's Army The XIX Tactical Air Command in the Second World War by David N. Spires by David N. Spires (no photo)
Gen Otto P. Weyland, USAF Close Air Support in the Korean War by Michael J. Chandler by Michael J. Chandler (no photo)
Texas Aggies Go to War In Service of Their Country, Expanded Edition by Henry C. Dethloff by Henry C. Dethloff (no photo)
Air Power for Patton's Army The XIX Tactical Air Command in the Second World War by David N. Spires by David N. Spires (no photo)


message 114: by Bryan (new)

Bryan Craig Historical Revisionism

In historiography, historical revisionism is the reinterpretation of orthodox views on evidence, motivations, and decision-making processes surrounding a historical event. Though the word "revisionism' is sometimes used in a negative way, constant revision of history is part of the normal scholarly process of writing history.
(Source: http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmv...)

More:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historic...
http://history.howstuffworks.com/hist...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historio...
Modern Historiography An Introduction by Michael Bentley by Michael Bentley Michael Bentley
Battle for History Refighting World War 2 by John Keegan by John Keegan John Keegan
Worshipping the Myths of World War II Reflections on America's Dedication to War by Edward W. Wood Jr. by Edward W. Wood Jr. (no photo)
Engagement with the Past The Lives and Works of the World War II Generation of Historians by William Palmer by William Palmer (no photo)
Ways of Forgetting, Ways of Remembering Japan in the Modern World by John W. Dower by John W. Dower John W. Dower


message 115: by Alisa (last edited May 22, 2013 12:52PM) (new)

Alisa (mstaz) General Leslie Groves



Leslie Groves was born in Albany, New York, on August 17, 1896. He attended the University of Washington for one year and then Massachusetts Institute of Technology for two years before entering West Point, from which he graduated in 1918. He was commissioned in the Engineers and took courses at the Engineer's School, Camp Humphreys (now Fort Belvoir), Virginia, 1918-20 and 1921, with time out for brief service in France during World War I.

In 1931, Groves was attached to the Office of the Chief of Engineers in Washington and was promoted to Captain in October 1934. In 1936, he graduated from the Command and General Staff School, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and from the Army War College in 1939, after which he was assigned to the General Staff in Washington. He was promoted to Major and Temporary Colonel in July and November 1940 and assigned first to the Office of the Quartermaster General and then to the Office of the Chief of Engineers.

In September 1942, Groves was placed in charge of the Manhattan Engineer Project, with the rank of Temporary Brigadier General, and under his direction, the basic atomic bomb research was carried out, mainly at Columbia University and the University of Chicago. He was in charge of all phases of the project - scientific, production, security and planning for use of the bomb. Under his direction, project plants were established at Oak Ridge, Hanford and the secluded Los Alamos installation in New Mexico.

Groves was promoted to temporary Major General in 1944, and he continued to head the atomic establishment created during wartime until January 1947. He was then named the Chief of the Army's Special Weapons Project. Promoted to Lieutenant General (temporary) in January 1948, he retired a month later. From that time until 1961, he worked as Vice President of Sperry Rand Corporation.

Groves died of heart disease on July 13, 1970, and was buried in Section 2 of Arlington National Cemetery. His wife, Grace Hulbert Wilson Groves, whom he married on February 10, 1922, is buried with him.
(Source: http://www.atomicarchive.com/Bios/Gro...)

More:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leslie_G...
http://www.hanford.gov/page.cfm/Famou...
http://www.lanl.gov/history/people/L_...
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexper...
http://youtu.be/e_U9icW3K7M
http://www.atomicheritage.org/mediawi...
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/lggr...
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h162...
http://amse.org/general-groves-and-th...
http://www.findingsources.com/id72.html
http://signaturesofwar.com/id28.html
Now It Can Be Told The Story Of The Manhattan Project by General Leslie R. Groves by General Leslie R. Groves (no photo)
American Prometheus The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird by Kai Bird Kai Bird
Racing for the Bomb General Leslie R. Groves, the Manhattan Project's Indispensable Man by Robert S. Norris by Robert S. Norris (no photo)
The Biographical Dictionary Of World War Ii Generals And Flag Officers The U. S. Armed Forces by R. Manning Ancell by R. Manning Ancell (no photo)
(no image) The General and the Bomb: A Biography of General Leslie R. Groves, Director of the Manhattan Project by William Lawren (no photo)
(no image) United States Army in World War II, Technical Services the Corps of Engineers: Construction in the United States/Cmh 10-5 by Lenore Fine


message 116: by Mark (new)

Mark Mortensen Sicily Campaign




Sicily is an island in the Mediterranean Sea, south-west of Italy. During the early stages of the Second World War the island was under the control of Benito Mussolini and his fascist government.

At the Casablanca Conference held in January 1943, Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt decided to launch an invasion of Sicily. It was hoped that if the island was taken Italy might withdraw from the war. It was also argued that a successful invasion would force Adolf Hitler to send troops from the Eastern Front and help to relieve pressure on the Red Army in the Soviet Union.

The operation was placed under the supreme command of General Dwight D. Eisenhower. General Harold Alexander was commander of ground operations and his 15th Army Group included General George Patton (US 7th Army) and General Bernard Montgomery (8th Army). Admiral Andrew Cunningham was in charge of naval operations and Air Marshal Arthur Tedder was air commander.

On 10th July 1943, the 8th Army landed at five points on the south-eastern tip of the island and the US 7th Army at three beaches to the west of the British forces. The Allied troops met little opposition and Patton and his troops quickly took Gela, Licata and Vittoria. The British landings were also unopposed and Syracuse was taken on the the same day. This was followed by Palazzolo (11th July), Augusta (13th July) and Vizzini (14th July), whereas the US troops took the Biscani airfield and Niscemi (14th July).

General George Patton now moved to the west of the island and General Omar Bradley headed north and the German Army was forced to retreat to behind the Simeto River. Patton took Palermo on 22nd July cutting off 50,000 Italian troops in the west of the island. Patton now turned east along the northern coast of the island towards the port of Messina.

Meanwhile General Bernard Montgomery and the 8th Army were being held up by German forces under Field Marshal Albrecht Kesselring. The Allies carried out several amphibious assaults attempted to cut off the Germans but they were unable to stop the evacuation across the Messina Straits to the Italian mainland. This included 40,000 German and 60,000 Italian troops, as well as 10,000 German vehicles and 47 tanks.

On 17th August 1943, General George Patton and his troops marched into Messina. The capture of the island made it possible to clear the way for Allied shipping in the Mediterranean. It also helped to undermine the power of Benito Mussolini and Victor Emmanuel III
(Source: http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/...)

More:
http://www.history.army.mil/brochures...
http://www.ww2-airborne.us/division/c...
http://www.britishmilitaryhistory.co....
http://www.ww2-airborne.us/division/c...
https://www.historyshots.com/usarmy/D...
http://www.worldwar2history.info/Sicily/
http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/w...
http://www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/exhibitio...
http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/history...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopl...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allied_...
The Day of Battle The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944 by Rick Atkinson by Rick Atkinson Rick Atkinson
The Liberator One World War II Soldier's 500-Day Odyssey from the Beaches of Sicily to the Gates of Dachau by Alex Kershaw by Alex Kershaw (no photo)
Bitter Victory The Battle For Sicily, July August 1943 by Carlo D'Este by Carlo D'Este Carlo D'Este
Assault on Sicily Monty and Patton at War by Ken Ford by Ken Ford (no photo)
The Battle of Sicily How the Allies Lost Their Chance for Total Victory by Samuel W. Mitcham Jr. by Samuel W. Mitcham Jr. (no photo)
The Battle for Sicily Stepping Stone to Victory by Ian Blackwell by Ian Blackwell (no photo)


message 117: by Bryan (new)

Bryan Craig Abraham Lincoln & War Powers



During the Civil War, the Court issued two significant opinions interpreting the war powers. In the Prize Cases (1863), the Court on a 5 to 4 vote upheld President Lincoln's order blockading southern ports--even though the order was issued prior to a formal declaration of war on the Rebel states by Congress. The Court found Lincoln's action authorized by a 1795 Act allowing the President to call out troops to suppress an insurrection. The dissenters argued the President's action were unconstitutional, as a blockade is quite different that an action merely directed at those participating in an insurrection. Three years later, in Ex Parte Milligan, the Court found unconstitutional Lincoln's order authorizing trial by a military tribunal of Lambdin P. Milligan, an Indiana lawyer accused of stirring up support for the Confederacy. The Court ruled that civilians must be tried in civilian courts, even during time of war, so long at least as the civilian courts are open and operating. The Court also found the President lacked authority to declare martial law in Indiana. Four concurring justices argued that even though the President did not have the power to order a military trial of Milligan in the absence of congressional action, the power to authorize use of military tribunals did reside in Congress under its war power.
(Source: http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects...)

More:
http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/ar...
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/...
http://www.whitehousehistory.org/whha...
http://facweb.furman.edu/~benson/docs...
http://www.history.umd.edu/Freedmen/c...
http://www.apsanet.org/imgtest/Perspe...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ex_parte...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habeas_C...
http://loc.gov/law/help/rare-books/li...
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/j/jala/2629...
http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/emerge...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S42uIg...
In the Name of Necessity Military Tribunals and the Loss of American Civil Liberties by Marouf Hasian by Marouf A. Hasian (no photo)
The Body of John Merryman Abraham Lincoln and the Suspension of Habeas Corpus by Brian McGinty by Brian McGinty (no photo)
Lincoln and Chief Justice Taney Slavery, Secession, and the President's War Powers by James F. Simon by James F. Simon (no photo)
Abraham Lincoln and Treason in the Civil War The Trials of John Merryman by Jonathan W. White by Jonathan W. White (no photo)
Abraham Lincoln A Presidential Life by James M. McPherson by James M. McPherson James M. McPherson
Lincoln and the Constitution by Brian R. Dirck by Brian R. Dirck (no photo)


message 118: by Alisa (new)

Alisa (mstaz) Henry Woodring



Harry Hines Woodring was born on May 31, 1887 in Elk City, Kansas, to Hines and Melissa Jane (Cooper) Woodring.

Woodring attended public schools in Elk City, and high school in Independence, Kansas. While still in his youth, Woodring earned pocket money by selling popcorn. By his middle teenage years, he got a job as a janitor in the Elk City Bank. Soon, he was promoted to book keeper, and two years later became assistant cashier.

Woodring dropped out of high school a year before he would have graduated. Instead, he took a one year course in business and commerce at the University of Lebanon in Lebanon, Indiana.

Woodring later moved to Neodesha, where he became the cashier of the First National Bank in 1907. He did not stay at that position long, however. In 1918, soon after the death of his mother, he resigned his position to join the army.

He enlisted on May 11, 1918 as a private, and after a brief time in officer candidate school, Woodring emerged as a lieutenant in the U.S. Tank Corps.

Upon his return to civilian life, Woodring went back to the First National Bank of Neodesha. He quickly climbed the ladder of success there at the F.N.B., becoming its president and later its owner. Woodring had savvy business sense, for he knew that the stock market bubble of 1929 would eventually burst. He sold his banking interests in March of 1929, not long before the crash, and temporarily retired from business life to enter politics.

In 1930, Woodring, with no prior experience, ran for and won the office of governor, defeating Republican Frank Haucke, and Independent John Brinkley. He served in this capacity for two years, then was defeated in his bid for re-election in 1933 to Republican Alf Landon.

Undaunted, Woodring remained in public service from 1933 to 1940 as the Assistant Secretary of War, under President Franklin Roosevelt. Following the death of Secretary George H. Dern in 1936, Woodring became Acting Secretary of War, later to be confirmed to that position. It was during his tenure that the military adopted the practice of competitive bidding as a standard procurement procedure. Also, artillery guns were motorized, semi-automatic guns developed, as well as the development of anti-aircraft weaponry and new tanks built. It was Woodring who led the development of the four-engine B-17, which he called the "Flying Fortress." Also, it was Woodring who recommended the appointment of George C. Marshall as the Army Chief of Staff.

Woodring resigned in June of 1940 because of a dispute with Roosevelt over the deployment of B-17s in Britain while the U.S. was still a neutral country.

Woodring returned to Kansas, and twice more, tried to regain the office of governor. He was defeated in both elections, the first in 1946 to Frank Carlson, the second to Democratic Party nominee George Docking in 1956.

Harry Woodring was a vice president of the Kansas Bankers' Association, he was state commander of the American Legion in 1928, and commander of the Neodesha American Legion Post. He was a Mason and a member of the Church of the Disciples of Christ prior to attending the first Congregational Church of Topeka.

Woodring married Helen Coolidge in 1933. They had three children: Marcus Coolidge (died in 1946), Melissa, and Cooper Coolidge.

Woodring and his wife divorced in 1960. He died at the age of eighty in 1967 and was buried in Topeka.
(Source: http://www.kshs.org/p/governor-s-reco...)

More:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Hi...
http://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/harry-...
http://www.kshs.org/p/governor-s-reco...
http://www.nga.org/cms/home/governors...
http://www.history.army.mil/books/Sw-...
http://www.shapell.org/manuscript.asp...
http://millercenter.org/president/fdr...
http://www.onlinefootage.tv/frontend_...
http://www.t3licensing.com/video/clip...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_S...
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/kansa...
http://books.google.com/books?id=UQIl...
No Ordinary Time Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt by Doris Kearns Goodwin by Doris Kearns Goodwin Doris Kearns Goodwin
General of the Army George C. Marshall, Soldier and Statesman by Ed Cray by Ed Cray (no photo)
Roosevelt's Lost Alliances How Personal Politics Helped Start the Cold War by Frank Costigliola by Frank Costigliola (no photo)
Governors of Kansas Alf Landon, Sam Brownback, Kathleen Sebelius, List of Governors of Kansas, Mark Parkinson, John Martin, Samuel J. Craw by Source Wikipedia by Source Wikipedia (no photo)
Secretaries of War and Secretaries of the Army Portraits & Biographical Sketches by William G. Bell by William G. Bell (no photo)
Master of the Mississippi Henry Shreve and the Conquest of the Mississippi by Florence L. Dorsey by Florence L. Dorsey (no photo)
(no image) Harry H. Woodring by Keith D. McFarland (no photo)


message 119: by Alisa (new)

Alisa (mstaz) Chester Nimitz



Chester William Nimitz was born on 24 February 1885, near a quaint hotel in Fredericksburg, Texas built by his grandfather, Charles Nimitz, a retired sea captain. Young Chester, however, had his sights set on an Army career and while a student at Tivy High School, Kerrville, Texas, he tried for an appointment to West Point. When none was available, he took a competitive examination for Annapolis and was selected and appointed from the Twelfth Congressional District of Texas in 1901.

He left high school to enter the Naval Academy Class of 1905. It was many years later, after he had become a Fleet Admiral that he actually was awarded his high school diploma. At the Academy Nimitz was an excellent student, especially in mathematics and graduated with distinction -- seventh in a class of 114. He was an athlete and stroked the crew in his first class year. The Naval Academy's yearbook, "Lucky Bag", described him as a man "of cheerful yesterdays and confident tomorrows."

After graduation he joined USS Ohio in San Francisco and cruised in her to the Far East. On 31 January 1907, after the two years' sea duty then required by law, he was commissioned Ensign, and took command of the gunboat USS Panay. He then commanded USS Decatur and was court martialed for grounding her, an obstacle in his career which he overcame.

He returned to the U. S. in 1907 and was ordered to duty under instruction in submarines, the branch of the service in which he spent a large part of his sea duty. His first submarine was USS Plunger (A- 1). He successively commanded USS Snapper, USS Narwal and USS Skipjack until 1912. On 20 March of that year, Nimitz, then a Lieutenant, and commanding officer of the submarine E-1 (formerly Skipjack), was awarded the Silver Lifesaving Medal by the Treasury Department for his heroic action in saving W.J. Walsh, Fireman second class, USN, from drowning. A strong tide was running and Walsh, who could not swim, was rapidly being swept away from his ship. Lieutenant Nimitz dove in the water and kept Walsh afloat until both were picked up by a small boat.

He had one year in command of the Atlantic Submarine Flotilla before coming ashore in 1913 for duty in connection with building the diesel engines for the tanker USS Maumee at Groton, Conn. In that same year, he was sent to Germany and Belgium to study engines at their Diesel Plants. With that experience he subsequently served as Executive Officer and Engineering Officer of the Maumee until 1917 when he was assigned as Aide and Chief of Staff to COMSUBLANT. He served in that billet during World War I.

In September 1918 he came ashore to duty in the office of the Chief of Naval Operations and was a member of the Board of Submarine Design. His first sea duty in big ships came in 1919 when he had one year's duty as Executive Officer of the battleship USS South Carolina. In 1920 he went to Pearl Harbor to build the submarine base there. Next assigned to the Naval War College, his studies of a possible Pacific Ocean war's logistics would become extremely relevant two decades later.

In 1922 he was assigned as a student at the Naval War College, and upon graduation went as Chief of Staff to Commander Battle Forces and later Commander in Chief, U.S. Fleet (Admiral S. S. Robinson).

In 1923, Commander Nimitz became aide to Commander Battle Force and later to Commander in Chief, U.S. Fleet. Later in the decade, he established the NROTC unit at the University of California at Berkeley. In 1929, now holding the rank of Captain, he began two years as Commander, Submarine Division 20, followed by two more years in charge of reserve destroyers at San Diego, California. He then took the heavy cruiser Augusta (CA-31) to the Orient, where, under his command, she was flagship of the Asiatic Fleet in 1933-35. Three years' duty at the Bureau of Navigation in Washington, D.C., ended in 1938 with his promotion to Rear Admiral.

His next sea command was in flag rank as Commander Cruiser Division Two and then as Commander Battle Division One until 1939, when he was appointed as Chief of the Bureau of Navigation for four years. In December 1941, however, he was designated as Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean Areas, where he served throughout the war. On 19 December 1944, he was advanced to the newly created rank of Fleet Admiral, and on 2 September 1945, was the United States signatory to the surrender terms aboard the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.

He hauled down his flag at Pearl Harbor on 26 Nov. 1945, and on 15 December relieved Fleet Admiral E.J. King as Chief of Naval Operations for a term of two years. On 01 January 1948, he reported as special Assistant to the Secretary of the Navy in the Western Sea Frontier. In March of 1949, he was nominated as Plebiscite Administrator for Kashmir under the United Nations. When that did not materialize he asked to be relieved and accepted an assignment as a roving goodwill ambassador of the United Nations, to explain to the public the major issues confronting the U.N. In 1951, President Truman appointed him as Chairman of the nine-man commission on International Security and Industrial Rights. This commission never got underway because Congress never passed appropriate legislation.

Thereafter, he took an active interest in San Francisco community affairs, in addition to his continued active participation in affairs of concern to the Navy and the country. He was an honorary vice president and later honorary president of the Naval Historical Foundation. He served for eight years as a regent of the University of California and did much to restore goodwill with Japan by raising funds to restore the battleship Mikasa, Admiral Togo's flagship at Tsushima in 1905.

He died on 20 February 1966.
(Source: http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq3...)

More:
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http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/n...
http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/n...
http://www.netplaces.com/world-war-ii...
http://www.history.navy.mil/library/s...
http://www.militarymuseum.org/Nimitz....
http://www.pacificwarmuseum.org/Fleet...
http://www.usna.edu/Library/sca/findi...
http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/sh...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Nimi...
Nimitz by E.B. Potter by E.B. Potter (no photo)
The Admirals Nimitz, Halsey, Leahy, and King—the Five-Star Admirals Who Won the War at Sea by Walter R. Borneman by Walter R. Borneman (no photo)
Admiral Nimitz The Commander of the Pacific Ocean Theater by Brayton Harris by Brayton Harris (no photo)
Nimitz Class (Admiral Arnold Morgan, #1) by Patrick Robinson and Nimitz Class ;Kilo Class. by Patrick Robinson both by Patrick Robinson Patrick Robinson
How They Won the War in the Pacific Nimitz and His Admirals by Edwin Palmer Hoyt by Edwin Palmer Hoyt (no photo)
Nimitz-Class Aircraft Carriers by Brad Elward by Brad Elward (no photo)
The Final Countdown by Martin Caidin by Martin Caidin Martin Caidin
Chester W. Nimitz Admiral of the Hills by Frank A. Driskill by Frank A. Driskill (no photo)
A Glorious Page in Our History, Adm. Chester Nimitz, 1942 The Battle of Midway, 4-6 June 1942 by Robert J. Cressman by Robert J. Cressman (no photo)
Command At Sea Great Fighting Admirals from Hawke to Nimitz by Oliver Warner by Oliver Warner (no photo)
Nimitz Reflections on Pearl Harbor by William H Ewing by William H Ewing (no photo)
Nimitz The Man and His Wars by Randall Brink by Randall Brink (no photo)
(no image) Chester Nimitz and the Sea by Jane Sutcliffe (no photo)
(no images) The Great Sea War and Sea Power by Chester W Nimitz (no photo)


message 120: by Alisa (new)

Alisa (mstaz) Richard E. Nugent



Lt. Gen. Richard Emmel Nugent was born in Altoona, Penn., December 1902. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy June 12, 1924, and was commissioned a second lieutenant of Infantry.

General Nugent joined the 17th Tank Battalion at Camp Meade, Md., in September. Later that month he entered the Tank School there, was graduated in March 1925, and rejoined the 17th. In August 1927 he was assigned to the Tank Section, Automotive Testing Division at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md. Entering the Air Corps Primary Flying School at Brooks Field, Texas, in March 1929, he graduated from Advanced Flying School at Kelly Field, Texas, a year later and was transferred to the Air Corps. Immediately thereafter he was assigned with the 20th Bomb Squadron at Langley Field, Va.

Assigned to the Panama Canal Zone in September 1930, General Nugent was stationed at France Field with the 25th Bomb Squadron until October 1931 when he joined the 7th Observation Squadron there. He was transferred to the 44th Observation Squadron the following February, and in May 1932 was named Post Adjutant and 6th Composite Group Adjutant at France Field.

Returning to Langley Field, Va., in October, General Nugent was Assistant Post Adjutant, becoming commanding officer of Flight A, 16th Observation Squadron, the following January. He was designated operations officer of the 2nd Bomb Group in December. From February to May 1934 he served as zone adjutant and assistant zone adjutant for personnel of the Eastern Zone of the Army Air Corps mail operations with stations at Floyd Bennett Field and Mitchel Field, N.Y.

Reassigned to Langley Field in July 1934, General Nugent was Wing Adjutant of the 2nd Bomb Wing and Commanding Officer of the 2nd Bomb Wing Headquarters, becoming Post Operations Officer at Langley Field in March 1935. In September he was named Flight Commander of the 96th Bomb Squadron, and was designated Adjutant of the 2nd Bomb Group in July 1936.

Entering the Air Corps Tactical School at Maxwell Field, Ala., in August 1937, General Nugent graduated the following June, and a year later graduated from the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. Moving to the Office of the Chief of Air Corps, Washington, D.C., he was assistant chief of the Personnel Division, and in July 1940 he was named chief of the Flying Cadet Section. The following January he was given temporary duty with the Royal Air Force in London, England, as Assistant Military Attache for Air. Six months later he returned to Air Corps Headquarters, Washington, D.C., as Chief of the Planning Section, becoming Chief of the Officers Section in January 1942. From March 1942 to April 1943 he served in the War Department General Staff in the Office of the Chief of Staff.

Moving to Mitchel Field, N.Y., General Nugent was Chief of Staff of the Eastern Defense Command and the First Air Force. He assumed command of the Philadelphia Fighter Wing in October 1943.

The following month General Nugent was named Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations for Ninth Air Force in Europe. In September 1944, he assumed command of the 29th Tactical Air Command in France, and in March 1945 he was assigned to 9th Fighter Command headquarters on detached service with the 29th Tactical Air Command.

In September 1945, General Nugent was transferred to Air Force Personnel Distribution Command at Louisville, Ky., and three months later he was named Military Attache and Military Air Attache to Brazil.

Reassigned at Air Corps Headquarters, Washington, D.C., in 1947, in succession served as Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel, Acting Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel in October 1950, and then Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel at Air Force Headquarters in 1951.

His decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star and Air Medal. He was awarded the Mackay Trophy in 1936. He is rated a command pilot, combat observer and technical observer.
(Source: http://www.af.mil/information/bios/bi...)

More:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_...
http://www.history.army.mil/books/int...
http://www.history.army.mil/books/int...#
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg....
http://www.generals.dk/general/Nugent...
http://www.afhra.af.mil/shared/media/...
Beyond the Wild Blue A History of the U.S. Air Force, 1947-1997 by Walter J. Boyne by Walter J. Boyne (no photo)
(no image) Mission Accomplished: The Story of the Campaigns of the VII Corps, United States Army, in the War Against Germany, 1944-1945 by VII Corps (no photo)
Integration of the Armed Forces, 1940-1965 by Morris J. MacGregor by Morris J. MacGregor (no photo)
Integration of the Negro in the U.S. Armed Forces (Prager Special Studies in U.S. Economic and Social Development) by Richard Joseph Stillman by Richard Joseph Stillman (no photo)
The Air Force Integrates 1945-1964 by Alan L. Gropman by Alan L. Gropman (no photo)
Aviation in the U.S. Army, 1919-1939 by Maurer Maurer by Maurer Maurer (no photo)


message 121: by Jill (new)

Jill Hutchinson (bucs1960) John McCormack



Born in South Boston, John W. McCormack's life paralleled the lives of the heroic young boys portrayed in Horatio Alger novels who overcame poverty and adversity to achieve prominence and wealth. Guided by a strong belief that hard work and integrity would be rewarded, McCormack pursued his own American dream, becoming one of the most influential and powerful figures in US history.

McCormack attended Boston public schools and later studied law in a private law office. After serving in the US Army, McCormack pursued politics and was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1928, where he served until 1971. McCormack was elected Speaker of the US House in 1962.

During his extraordinary tenure, McCormack presided over sweeping legislation — FDR's New Deal, including the Social Security Act of 1935, the Voting Rights Act and LBJ's Great Society acts creating Medicare and Medicaid — that forever altered American social policy. In a 1935 Boston Globe interview, McCormack said "I have no hesitancy in insisting that Government in an emergency do everything that can be reasonably done to relieve human suffering and distress."

Despite his legacy of championing such transformative legislation, McCormack himself kept a low profile. His accomplishments were held in high esteem by many, however, including President Lyndon B. Johnson, who said of McCormack: "From the first time I entered the House of Representatives as a young Congressman to this very hour, I have known few men whose courage and compassion, decency of character and honorable objectives match that of Speaker McCormack."
(Source: http://www.umb.edu/academics/mgs/abou...)

More:
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http://www.thekingcenter.org/archive/...
http://www.apsanet.org/~lss/newslette...
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http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/...
http://history.house.gov/People/Detai...
http://www.loc.gov/folklife/civilrigh...
http://whitehousetapes.net/clip/lyndo...
The Speaker of the House A Study of Leadership by Matthew N. Green by Matthew N. Green (no photo)
America's Leaders - The Speaker of the House (America's Leaders) by Howard Gutman by Howard Gutman (no photo)
United States House of Representatives by Jesse Russell by Jesse Russell (no photo)
They Had a Dream The Civil Rights Struggle from Frederick Douglass to Marcus Garvey to Martin Luther King and Malcolm X by Jules Archer by Jules Archer (no photo)
How the Good Guys Finally Won Notes from an Impeachment Summer by Jimmy Breslin by Jimmy Breslin Jimmy Breslin
Man of the House The Life and Political Memoirs of Speaker Tip O'Neill . by Tip O'Neill by Tip O'Neill (no photo)
The Austin-Boston Connection Five Decades of House Democratic Leadership, 1937-1989 by Anthony Champagne by Anthony Champagne (no photo)
(no image) I Remember Southie: A Boston Bicentennial Celebration by Leo P. Dauwer (no photo)
(no imaga) The Speakers of the U.S. House of Representatives: A Bibliography, 1789-1984 by Donald R. Kennon (no photo)


message 122: by Bryan (last edited Jun 03, 2013 09:34AM) (new)

Bryan Craig Katherine Boyce Tupper Brown Marshall



Katherine Tupper Marshall was born Katherine Boyce Tupper in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, on October 8, 1882. She was one of four children born to Rev. Henry Allen Tupper, Jr., (1856-1927) and his wife Marie Louise Pender. Her father was a prominent Baptist minister, and her mother was from a long line of Virginia and North Carolina planters. She entered Hollins College, near Roanoke, Va., in 1898, along with her sister Allene, and was graduated in 1902.

She graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, studied with the Comedie Francaise in Paris, and became a noted Shakespearean actress in London under the name Katherine Boyce. In 1911, after returning to the States, she married Clifton Stevenson Brown, a Baltimore lawyer. He died in 1928, leaving her with three children: Molly, Clifton & Allen.

In 1928, she met George C. Marshall at the home of an old Hollins friend, and they were married the next year on October 12. In 1946, Katherine wrote a book, Together, about her life with General Marshall. After Marshall death in 1959, she remained active, traveling widely, and maintaining residence in Virginia and North Carolina. She died in Leesburg, Va., on December 18, 1978.
(Source: http://www.marshallfoundation.org/Lib...)

More:
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_M...
http://www.marshallfoundation.org/lib...
Together Annals of an Army Wife by Katherine Tupper Marshall by Katherine Tupper Marshall Katherine Tupper Marshall
George C. Marshall Education of a General 1880-1939 by Forrest C. Pogue George C. Marshall Ordeal and Hope 1939-1942 by Forrest C. Pogue George C. Marshall Statesman 1945-1959 by Forrest C. Pogue by Forrest C. Pogue (no photo)
General of the Army George C. Marshall, Soldier and Statesman by Ed Cray by Ed Cray (no photo)
Partners in Command George Marshall & Dwight Eisenhower in War & Peace by Mark Perry by Mark Perry (no photo)


message 123: by Alisa (new)

Alisa (mstaz) Ralph Francis Stearley



Ralph Francis Stearley was born at Brazil, Ind., in 1898. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., and was commissioned a second lieutenant of Cavalry Nov. 1.

After graduation he remained at the academy until the following July, when he made a tour of battlefields in Europe. Upon his return to the United States in October 1919, he entered the Cavalry School at Fort Riley, Kan., from which he graduated the following July. He then joined the Fourth Cavalry at Fort Brown, Texas.

He entered Yale University of New Haven, Conn., in August 1921 and after completing the communications engineering course in June 1922 was assigned to the Fourth Cavalry at Fort McIntosh, Texas. In March 1923 he joined the 1st Signal Troop of the First Cavalry at Fort Bliss, Texas.

In March 1925 he was transferred to the Air Corps and went to Brooks Field, Texas, for training. In September of that year he was transferred to Kelly Field, Texas, where he attended the Advanced Flying School. Upon graduation in March 1926, he remained at Kelly Field for duty with the Third Attack Group.

He was ordered to the Philippine Islands in July 1928 for duty with the Fourth Composite Group at Nichols Field. Upon returning to the United States in July 1930, he was assigned to the Third Attack Group at Fort Crockett, Texas. In February 1934 he went to Chicago, Ill., for duty with the Army Air Mail Operations, and in August of that year he entered the Air Corps Tactical School at Maxwell Field, Ala. In September 1935 he entered the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. He graduated the following June, at which time he returned to Maxwell Field as instructor at the Air Corps Tactical School. In July and August 1938 he attended the Chemical Warfare School at Edgewood Arsenal, Md., after which he returned to Maxwell Field.

In May 1940 he became assistant executive officer in the Training and Operations Division of the Office of the Chief of Air Corps in Washington, which later became the Flying Training Command.

During April 1942 he served on the Canadian-American Military Board and in June of that year was appointed chief of the Air Group of the Military Intelligence Service of the War Department General Staff in Washington. He became director of Air Support at Army Air Forces headquarters in January 1943 and the following May assumed command of the First Air Support Command at Morris Field, N.C., which was soon redesignated the First Tactical Air Division.

In April 1944 he joined the Ninth Tactical Air Force in the European theater as operations officer. The following August he became operations officer of the newly-organized Allied Airborne Army, and in April 1945 was appointed commanding general of the Ninth Tactical Air Division of the Ninth Air Force, which operated in France and Northern Germany. The following September he became commander of the Air Section, 15th Army Theater General Board, in the European theater.

He returned to Air Force headquarters in January 1946 for duty as deputy chief of the Legislative and Liaison Division of the War Department General Staff. Two years later, he was appointed director of the Legislative and Liaison Division of the Directorate of Public Relations in the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force.

He was named commanding general of the 14th Air Force at Orlando Air Force Base, Fla., in July 1948 and retained that position when the 14th Air Force was moved to Robins Air Force Base, Ga., in October 1949.

In July 1950 he was appointed commanding general of the 20th Air Force at Kadena Air Force Base, Okinawa.

General Stearley has been awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Air Medal, Bronze Star Medal and the Commendation Ribbon. His foreign decorations include the Commander of the Order of the British Empire, the French Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur and Croix de Guerre avec Palme, the Belgian Order of Leopold, Croix de Guerre avec Palme, and the Netherlands Order of Orange Nassau, Degree of Commander.

He is rated a command pilot, combat observer and aircraft observer.

General Stearley has a strong interest in horses. He has always been a polo enthusiast and was a member of the 1939 Far Eastern Championship Polo Team.
(Source: http://www.af.mil/information/bios/bi...)

More:
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http://www.generals.dk/general/Stearl...
http://projects.militarytimes.com/cit...
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http://digitalassets.ushmm.org/photoa...
http://www.veteranshour.com/world%20w...
http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-12607...
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ralph...
http://books.google.com/books/about/R...
Normandy to Victory The War Diary of General Courtney H. Hodges and the First U.S. Army by William C. Sylvan by William C. Sylvan (no photo)
(no image) Air Force Combat Units of World War II by Maurer Maurer (no photo)
(no image) Ralph Francis Stearley by Jesse Russell (no photo)


message 124: by Mark (new)

Mark Mortensen Normandy Invasion




On 6 June 1944 the Western Allies landed in northern France, opening the long-awaited "Second Front" against Adolf Hitler's Germany. Though they had been fighting in mainland Italy for some nine months, the Normandy invasion was in a strategically more important region, setting the stage to drive the Germans from France and ultimately destroy the National Socialist regime.

It had been four long years since France had been overrun and the British compelled to leave continental Europe, three since Hitler had attacked the Soviet Union and two and a half since the United States had formally entered the struggle. After an often seemingly hopeless fight, beginning in late 1942 the Germans had been stopped and forced into slow retreat in eastern Europe, defeated in North Africa and confronted in Italy. U.S. and British bombers had visited ruin on the enemy's industrial cities. Allied navies had contained the German submarine threat, making possible an immense buildup of ground, sea and air power in the British Isles.

Schemes for a return to France, long in preparation, were now feasible. Detailed operation plans were in hand. Troops were well-trained, vast numbers of ships accumulated, and local German forces battered from the air. Clever deceptions had confused the enemy about just when, and especially where, the blow would fall.

Commanded by U.S. Army General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Normandy assault phase, code-named "Neptune" (the entire operation was "Overlord"), was launched when weather reports predicted satisfactory conditions on 6 June. Hundreds of amphibious ships and craft, supported by combatant warships, crossed the English Channel behind dozens of minesweepers. They arrived off the beaches before dawn. Three divisions of paratroopers (two American, one British) had already been dropped inland. Following a brief bombardment by ships' guns, Soldiers of six divisions (three American, two British and one Canadian) stormed ashore in five main landing areas, named "Utah", "Omaha", "Gold", "Juno" and "Sword". After hard fighting, especially on "Omaha" Beach, by day's end a foothold was well established.

As German counterattacks were thwarted, the Allies poured men and material into France. By late July these reinforcements, and constant combat, made possible a break out from the Normandy perimeter. Another landing, in southern France in August, facilitated that nation's liberation. With the Soviets advancing from the east, Hitler's armies were shoved, sometimes haltingly and always bloodily, back toward their homeland. The Second World War had entered its climactic phase.
(Source: http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/ev...)

More:
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http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/a...
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Longest Day The Classic Epic of D Day by Cornelius Ryan by Cornelius Ryan Cornelius Ryan
D-Day The Battle for Normandy by Antony Beevor by Antony Beevor Antony Beevor
The Bedford Boys One American Town's Ultimate D-day Sacrifice by Alex Kershaw by Alex Kershaw (no photo)
D-Day, June 6, 1944 The Battle for the Normandy Beaches by Stephen E. Ambrose by Stephen E. Ambrose Stephen E. Ambrose
Spearheading D Day American Special Units Of The Normandy Invasion by Jonathan Gawne by Jonathan Gawne (no photo)
Beyond the Beachhead The 29th Infantry Division in Normandy by Joseph Balkoski by Joseph Balkoski Joseph Balkoski
101st Airborne The Screaming Eagles at Normandy by Mark A. Bando by Mark A. Bando (no photo)
D-day The Invasion Of Normandy, June 6, 1944 by Randal J. Holderfield by Randy Holderfield (no photo)
The D Day Landing Sites (Visiting The Past) by Bob Rees by Bob Rees (no photo)
Utah Beach The Amphibious Landing and Airborne Operations on D-Day, June 6, 1944 by Joseph Balkoski by Joseph Balkoski Joseph Balkoski
Double Cross The True Story of the D-Day Spies by Ben Macintyre by Ben Macintyre Ben Macintyre
Invasion 1944 a firsthand account of Rommel's Normandy Campaign by Hans Speidel by Hans Speidel Hans Speidel
The Germans In Normandy by Richard Hargreaves by Richard Hargreaves (no photo)
Omaha Beach A Flawed Victory by Adrian R. Lewis by Adrian R. Lewis (no photo)
Juno Beach Canada's D-Day Victory, June 6, 1944 by Mark Zuehlke by Mark Zuehlke Mark Zuehlke
Overlord D-Day and the Battle for Normandy by Max Hastings by Max Hastings Max Hastings
Armor in Normandy The Americans by Alexandre Thers by Alexandre Thers (no photo)


message 125: by Jill (new)

Jill Hutchinson (bucs1960) General John "Black Jack" Pershing




John Joseph Pershing (1860-1948) was born on 13 September 1860 in Laclede, Missouri.

After a period spent as a schoolteacher at Prairie Mound, nine miles from Laclede, Pershing (known as 'Black Jack Pershing') entered a competitive examination for an appointment to West Point in spring 1882; his primary aim being to secure further education. Pershing won the exam and went to West Point.

Although not an especially outstanding student (graduating 30th out of a class of 77) he was noted early on by officers for his leadership qualities. He was elected president of the class of 1886, and each year held the highest rank in the Cadet Battalion. Pershing commanded the Corps of Cadets when it crossed the Hudson from West Point to Garrison to stand and present arms while the funeral train of Ulysses S. Grant passed by.

Pershing took up duty as Professor of Military Science and Tactics at the University of Nebraska in September 1891, a post he held for four years.

During his varied military career Pershing performed frontier duty against the Sioux and Apache from 1886-90, where he won the Silver Star Medal; fought in the Cuban War in 1898; in the Philippines in 1903, cleaning up the Moro insurrectionists; and with the Japanese army during the Russo-Japanese war of 1904-5, as an observer. He was promoted to Brigadier General in 1906. This was followed by the Mexican Punitive Expedition (of 10,000 men) to capture Pancho Villa in Mexico in 1915.

Following the U.S. declaration of war against Germany in 1917, Pershing - now a General - was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF). At the time of his appointment there was no expeditionary force available as such; the regular army comprised 25,000 men at most, and no effective reserves. Pershing needed to recruit an organised army and get it into the field; 500,000 men. Eventually the National Army grew - over the period of a year and a half - to nearly 3 million men.

Pershing personally led the successful Meuse-Argonne offensive of 1918.

In 1921 Pershing became U.S. Army Chief of Staff. He retired from active duty in 1924 at the age of 64, having been awarded the title 'General of the Armies' by Congress, a post previously held only by George Washington (and only then retrospectively awarded in 1976).
(Source: http://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/pers...)

More:
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_J._...
http://web.mit.edu/c12abn/www/pershin...
http://www.history.army.mil/documents...
http://www.nps.gov/prsf/historycultur...
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/john...
Black Jack The Life and Times of John J. Pershing by Frank E. Vandiver by Frank E. Vandiver (no photo)
Pancho Villa and Black Jack Pershing The Punitive Expedition in Mexico by James W. Hurst by James W Hurst (no photo)
Until the Last Trumpet Sounds The Life of General of the Armies John J. Pershing by Gene Smith by Gene Smith (no photo)
My Experiences in the World War by John J. Pershing by John J. Pershing (no photo)
Final Report of General John J. Pershing, Commander-In-Chief American Expeditionary Forces (1920) by John J. Pershing by John J. Pershing (no photo)
Guerrilla Warrior The Early Life of John J. Pershing by Donald Smythe Pershing General of the Armies by Donald Smythe by Donald Smythe (no photo)
Pershing Commander of the Great War by John Perry by John Perry (no photo)


message 126: by Alisa (new)

Alisa (mstaz) Alice Lee Roosevelt Longworth



Alice Lee Roosevelt Longworth (1884-1980) was the only daughter of Alice Hathaway Lee Roosevelt and Theodore Roosevelt. She was born on February 12, 1884. Her mother and paternal grandmother died two days later. Her aunt, Anna Roosevelt, raised her until her father married Edith Kermit Carow in December 1886.

Alice grew up with her five half-siblings at Sagamore Hill, and in Washington and New York City as her father’s jobs dictated. An autodidact and a life-long voracious reader, Alice was intelligent, stubborn, and strong-willed. When Theodore Roosevelt became president in 1901, she made her debut in the White House. Shortly after, she entered on the international stage by christening a ship belonging to the German emperor.

Alice Roosevelt was a celebrity First Daughter known for antics like smoking on the White House roof, carrying a snake in her purse, and betting at horse races. Her parents swallowed their aggravation because the public clearly adored her. In 1905, she accompanied congressmen to Asia as a goodwill ambassador for the Administration, the first First Daughter to act in this capacity.

On February 17, 1906, Alice married Republican Representative Nicholas Longworth of Ohio at the White House. The two were leaders of Washington society, but their marriage was riven by his infidelity and alcoholism. They drifted apart politically in the 1912 election when Alice supported her father’s Progressive Party rather than her husband’s Republican Party.

When Theodore Roosevelt died in 1919, Alice led the charge to keep the U.S. from joining the League of Nations by exerting her influencing over legislators. In the 1920s she was intimately connected to two of the most powerful men in Washington—Nick, who became Speaker of the House in 1925, and her lover, Senator William E. Borah of Idaho, the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Alice gave birth to her only child, Paulina, in 1925. Nick Longworth died in 1931.

Alice Roosevelt wrote her memoirs, entitled Crowded Hours, in 1933, and with her brother Ted, co-edited The Desk-Drawer Anthology: Poems for the American People in 1938. She allowed her likeness to be used in a cold cream and a cigarette advertisement, in part to raise money for her daughter.

Alice was a tough critic of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s attempts to combat the Great Depression. Her syndicated newspaper column condemned his policies. Her home became a magnet for anti-New Dealers and her sharpest jabs were directed at FDR and her cousin, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.

Her isolationist beliefs led her to a seat on the national board of directors of America First, an organization devoted to maintaining U.S. neutrality in World War II, until Pearl Harbor. After the war ended, Alice Longworth campaigned for Ohio Republican Robert Taft, and became friends with the Kennedys, the Nixons, and the Johnsons.

For six decades she hosted a salon at her Dupont Circle home where views were exchanged and deals struck. She invited scientists, authors, conservationists, diplomats, and politicians of all persuasions. Alice Roosevelt Longworth was well known for her witticisms. She suggested that Franklin Roosevelt was “one-thirds mush and two-thirds Eleanor,” and after a double mastectomy late in life she called herself “Washington’s only topless octogenarian.” At her tea table she kept a pillow which read, “If you can’t say something good about someone, sit right here by me.” Called “the other Washington monument,” she kept alive the memory of her father and family members until her death at age 96 in 1980.
(Source: http://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.or...)

More:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Ro...
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg....
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/18/boo...
http://edwardianpromenade.com/intervi...
http://voices.yahoo.com/alice-rooseve...
http://www.nytimes.com/1981/08/23/boo...
http://www.theodore-roosevelt.com/ali...
http://youtu.be/tkBtTrw5oro
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/art...
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/t...
http://affotd.com/2011/11/15/alice-ro...
http://www.ovguide.com/alice-roosevel...
http://carlanthonyonline.com/2012/02/...
http://www.americanheritage.com/conte...
http://www.rememberingtheladies.com/A...
Alice Alice Roosevelt Longworth, from White House Princess to Washington Power Broker by Stacy A. Cordery by Stacy A. Cordery (no photo)
Princess Alice The Life and Times of Alice Roosevelt Longworth by Carol Felsenthal by Carol Felsenthal (no photo)
Alice The Life and Times of Alice Roosevelt Longworth by Howard Teichmann by Howard Teichmann (no photo)
Roosevelt Family Franklin D. Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., Alice Roosevelt Longworth by Source Wikipedia by Source Wikipedia (no photo)
100 Opinions You Can Trust on "Alice Alice Roosevelt Longworth, from White House Princess to Washington Power Broker" by Sophia Manning by Sophia Manning (no photo)
Mind Your Manners, Alice Roosevelt! by Leslie Kimmelman by Leslie Kimmelman (no photo)
What To Do About Alice? How Alice Roosevelt Broke the Rules, Charmed the World, and Drove Her Father Teddy Crazy! by Barbara Kerley by Barbara Kerley (no photo)
The Roosevelt Cousins Growing Up Together, 1882-1924 by Linda Donn by Linda Donn (no photo)
The Roosevelt Women A Portrait In Five Generations by Betty Boyd Caroli by Betty Boyd Caroli (no photo)
All the Presidents' Children Triumph and Tragedy in the Lives of America's First Families by Doug Wead by Doug Wead (no photo)
(no image) Princess Alice: A Biography Of Alice Roosevelt Longworth by James Brough (no photo)
(no image) Crowded Hours by Alice Roosevelt Longworth Alice Roosevelt Longworth
(no image) The Desk Drawer Anthology; Poems For The American People by Alice Roosevelt Longworth Alice Roosevelt Longworth
(no image) Mrs. L.: Conversations with Alice Roosevelt Longworth by Alice Roosevelt Longworth Alice Roosevelt Longworth


message 127: by Katy (new)

Katy (kathy_h) Thanks for all of the information in this glossary. It has been nice for a background while I wait for my book to come.


message 128: by Alisa (new)

Alisa (mstaz) Glad you are enjoying browsing this thread. There is more to come, stay tuned! Hope your book arrives soon. We extended the first week reading so you will have time to get into the discussion.


message 129: by Alisa (new)

Alisa (mstaz) Charles Isiah Faddis



Charles Isiah Faddis, a Representative from Pennsylvania; born in Loudonville, Ashland County, Ohio, June 13, 1890; moved with his parents to Waynesburg, Green County, Pa., in 1891; attended the public schools and Waynesburg (Pa.) College; was graduated from the agricultural department of Pennsylvania State College at State College in 1915; served as a sergeant in the Tenth Infantry, Pennsylvania National Guard, on the Mexican border in 1916; served during the First World War with the Forty-seventh Regiment, United States Infantry, and the Fourth Ammunition Train; rose to rank of lieutenant colonel of Infantry; served in the Army of Occupation in Germany; awarded the Purple Heart Medal; engaged in the general contracting business in Waynesburg, Pa., 1919-1926; attended United States Army Command and General Staff School, Fort Leavenworth, Kans., in 1930; broker of oil and gas properties 1926-1933; elected as a Democrat to the Seventy-third and to the four succeeding Congresses and served from March 4, 1933, until his resignation on December 4, 1942, to enter the United States Army; unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1942 to the Seventy-eighth Congress; during the Second World War was a colonel in the United States Army; awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star; engaged in raising Hereford cattle, producing oil and gas, and operating coal mines; died in Matzatlan, Mexico, April 1, 1972; interment in Rosemont Cemetery, Rogersville, Pa.
(Source: http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/...)

More:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_...
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg....


message 130: by Bryan (last edited Jun 03, 2013 09:41AM) (new)

Bryan Craig Mark W. Clark



Mark Clark was born in Madison Barracks, New York on May 1, 1896.

He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1917 and served in France during World War I.

In World War II, before the Allied invasion of North Africa, General Clark, as Deputy Commander in Chief of the Allied Forces in the North African Theater, made a secret and hazardous trip to Algeria on the submarine SERAPH to gather intelligence for the landing.

In 1943, General Mark Clark became Commanding General of the 5th Army in Italy, and in 1944, he assumed command of the 15th Army Group, consisting of all the Allied Forces in Italy.

In 1945, General Clark was chief of U.S. Occupation Forces in Austria and U.S. High Commissioner for Austria. As Deputy to the U.S. Secretary of State, he negotiated a treaty for Austria with the Council of Foreign Ministers.

As commander in chief of the United Nations Command, General Clark in 1953 signed a military armistice between the United Nations Command, and the North Korean Army and the Chinese People's Volunteers in Korea.

On March 1, 1954, General Clark assumed the duties of President of The Citadel. He served for eleven years and was named President Emeritus of the college upon his retirement. General Clark died in 1984 and is buried on The Citadel campus next to Mark Clark Hall.
(Source: http://www.citadel.edu/citadel-histor...)

More:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_W._...
http://www3.citadel.edu/museum/Clark_...
http://www.historynet.com/mark-w-clar...
http://www.criticalpast.com/video/656...
http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?...
http://armedforcesmuseum.com/u-s-army...
http://eisenhower.archives.gov/Resear...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkDhry...
Calculated Risk by General Mark W. Clark by General Mark W. Clark (no photo)
An Army at Dawn The War in North Africa, 1942-1943 by Rick Atkinson The Day of Battle The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944 by Rick Atkinson The Guns at Last Light The War in Western Europe, 1944-1945 by Rick Atkinson by Rick Atkinson Rick Atkinson
The Battle for Rome The Germans, the Allies, the Partisans, and the Pope, September 1943--June 1944 by Robert Katz by Robert Katz (no photo)
Monte Cassino by David Hapgood by David Hapgood (no photo)


message 131: by Bryan (new)

Bryan Craig Caught in the Draft (1941)



Don Bolton (played by Bob Hope) is a famous Hollywood star who tries to get married in order to avoid the draft, as he feels it will interfere with his career. He falls for Antoinette, a colonel's daughter (played by Dorothy Lamour) and in an attempt to impress her he pretends to enlist in the army, though it turns out that he has in fact enlisted for the real thing, along with his agent and assistant.

Bolton is keen to impress both Antoinette and her father during training, however his skills as a soldier prove to be abysmal.
(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caught_i...)

More:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033455/
http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/70515/...
Bob Hope A Life In Comedy by William Robert Faith by William Robert Faith (no photo)


message 132: by Bryan (last edited Jun 03, 2013 09:51AM) (new)

Bryan Craig Edward Eugene Cox



Edward Eugene Cox, a Representative from Georgia; born near Camilla, Mitchell County, Ga., April 3, 1880; attended the grade schools, Camilla High School, the academic department of Mercer University, Macon, Ga., for nearly four years, and was graduated from the law department of that university in 1902; was admitted to the bar the same year and commenced practice at Camilla, Ga.; mayor of Camilla 1904-1906; delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1908; appointed and subsequently elected judge of the superior court of the Albany circuit and served from 1912 until he resigned in 1916, having become a candidate for Congress; unsuccessful candidate for election in 1916 to the Sixty-fifth Congress; elected as a Democrat to the Sixty-ninth and to the thirteen succeeding Congresses and served from March 4, 1925, until his death; chairman, Select Committee on Tax Exempt Foundations (Eighty-second Congress); had been reelected to the Eighty-third Congress; died in Bethesda, Md., December 24, 1952; interment in Oakview Cemetery, Camilla, Ga.
(Source: http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/...)

More:
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_E...
http://history.house.gov/People/Detai...
http://www.rockarch.org/collections/r...
http://www.rockefeller100.org/items/s...
The House The History of the House of Representatives by Robert V. Remini by Robert V. Remini (no photo)


message 133: by Bryan (last edited Jun 03, 2013 09:59AM) (new)

Bryan Craig Turner Catledge



Turner Catledge was born in 1901, on his grandfather's farm near New Prospect, Mississippi. His family moved to Philadelphia, Mississippi, when Turner was three. There he lived with his parents, Lee and Willie Catledge, and his sister Bessie. At the age of 14, he set type for the Neshoba Democrat. Catledge wanted to attend college at Ole Miss in Oxford, but he couldn't afford it. Instead, he chose to attend Mississippi A&M, also known as Mississippi State University. While in college, Catledge worked in the mess hall. He later learned the skill of touch-system typing, and he got a job as a secretary to Fitzjohn Wadell. Wadell was able to get Catledge a job as an assistant to the school's agricultural editor. His senior year, he was elected as the editor of the college yearbook. Catledge graduated from Mississippi A&M with honors and with an average above 85. After college, Turner was ready to get out on his own, but he wasn't sure where to begin. It was then that Clayton Rand, the publisher of the Neshoba Democrat, offered Catledge a job. In 1922, Catledge became editor of the Tunica Times and then managing editor and mechanical superintendent of the Tupelo Journal, where he campaigned against the Ku Klux Klan. He moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where he worked for the Commercial Appeal. In the spring of 1929, Catledge began working for the New York Times. Catledge joined the paper's Washington bureau and worked in the House of Representatives.

On March 19, 1931, Turner Catledge and Mildred Turner were married at the Church of the Transfiguration in New York. Mildred and Turner had two daughters together, Mildred Lee, who was born in 1932, and Ellen Douglas, who was born in 1936. In 1949, Turner and Mildred were legally separated and divorced later. Years later, Catledge met Abby Ray Izard, a widow from New Orleans, and they were married in December 1957.

Catledge continued working for the New York Times until he retired in January 1970. He became the managing editor and then the executive editor. When Catledge retired, he was the vice president of the Times. Catledge died in 1983 at the age of eighty-two. A memorial service for Turner Catledge was held June 28 at 11 A.M. in the Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Mr. Catledge died on April 27 at his home in New Orleans, where he had lived since his retirement from The Times in 1970.
(Source: http://www.mswritersandmusicians.com/...)

More:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turner_C...
http://www.nytimes.com/1983/04/28/obi...
http://library.msstate.edu/FindingAid...
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid...
http://books.google.com/books?id=wZcz...
http://www.nndb.com/people/406/000172...
My Life and The Times by Turner Catledge by Turner Catledge (no photo)
Times of My Life and My Life with the Times by Max Frankel by Max Frankel (no photo)
The Kingdom and the Power Behind the Scenes at The New York Times The Institution That Influences the World by Gay Talese by Gay Talese Gay Talese
(no image) The 168 Days by Joseph Alsop (no photo)
(no image) American Newspaper Publishers, 1950 1990 by Perry J. Ashley (no photo)


message 134: by Bryan (last edited May 24, 2013 01:40PM) (new)

Bryan Craig Elizabeth "Lily" Carter Coles



While a cadet at VMI, George Marshall met his future wife, Elizabeth ("Lily") Carter Coles (second from left). "She was a very lovely looking woman," said Marshall. "I guess you might call her a beauty." Lily lived with her mother in a house just off of the campus. She was "the finest amateur pianist" Marshall had ever heard, and her music and charm so captivated him that he routinely "ran the block" to see her. These visits were against school regulations and would be dismissal offenses if discovered. Because Marshall was the senior military officer of his class, he gambled that he was above suspicion. Moreover, he was in love. The young couple were married on February 11, 1902, in a simple Episcopal ceremony inside the bride's home. The somber-looking wedding party pictured here on the Coles's front porch was not entirely a harbinger of things to come. The marriage was an extraordinarily happy one for twenty-five years, until Lily's death in 1927. She died of a heart condition that had militated against a strenuous life or ever having children.
(Source: http://www.npg.si.edu/exh/marshall/mw...)

More:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_M...
http://www.marshallfoundation.org/abo...
http://www.georgecmarshall.org/Meet-G...
George C. Marshall Education of a General 1880-1939 by Forrest C. Pogue George C. Marshall Statesman 1945-1959 by Forrest C. Pogue by Forrest C. Pogue (no photo)
General of the Army George C. Marshall, Soldier and Statesman by Ed Cray by Ed Cray (no photo)
Partners in Command George Marshall & Dwight Eisenhower in War & Peace by Mark Perry by Mark Perry (no photo)


message 135: by Bryan (new)

Bryan Craig Bob Feller

description

Robert William Andrew Feller, nicknamed "The Heater from Van Meter," "Bullet Bob," and "Rapid Robert," was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher from 1936 to 1941, when he enlisted in the navy. He returned to baseball in 1945 and pitched until 1956. In a career spanning 570 games, Feller pitched 3,827 innings and posted a win–loss record of 266–162, with 279 complete games, 44 shutouts, and a 3.25 earned run average (ERA).

A prodigy who bypassed the minor leagues, Feller first played for the Cleveland Indians at the age of 17, and played for 18 seasons in total, all with Cleveland. His career was interrupted by four years military service in World War II during which he served as Chief Petty Officer aboard the USS Alabama. Feller became the first pitcher to win 24 games in a season before the age of 21. During his career he threw no-hitters in 1940, 1946, and 1951. Feller also recorded 12 one-hitters (his no-hitters and one-hitters were records at the time of his retirement). He helped the Indians win a World Series title in 1948 and an American League-record 111 wins and the pennant in 1954.

Feller led the American League in wins six times and strikeouts in seven seasons. In 1946, he recorded 348 strikeouts, a total not bettered for 27 years. An eight-time All-Star, Feller was ranked 36th on Sporting News's list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players and also the publication's "greatest pitcher of his time" as well as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999.

He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962 on his first ballot appearance; at the time only three players ever had a higher percentage of ballot votes. He was elected the inaugural President of the Major League Baseball Players' Association and participated in exhibition games which featured players from both the Major and Negro Leagues. Feller died at the age of 92 in 2010.
(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Feller)

More:
http://www.bobfellermuseum.org/hallof...
http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/mlb/...
http://www.sportshistorytoday.com/pit...
http://www.baseball-reference.com/pla...
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/...
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/st...
Bob Feller Ace of the Greatest Generation by John Sickels by John Sickels (no photo)
How to Pitch by Bob Feller Bob Feller's Little Black Book of Baseball Wisdom by Bob Feller Bob Feller's Strikeout Story by Bob Feller Hello Slider by Bob Feller Now Pitching, Bob Feller by Bob Feller by Bob Feller (no photo)


message 136: by Alisa (last edited May 24, 2013 12:19PM) (new)

Alisa (mstaz) Samuel Irving Rosenman



Samuel Irving Rosenman, one of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s most trusted speech-writers and advisers, was born in San Antonio, Texas in 1896 to Russian-Jewish immigrants. When he was eight years old, his family moved to New York City, where he attended Manhattan public schools and Columbia College. After graduating in 1915, Rosenman studied at Columbia Law School for two years before enlisting in the army in 1917, and then returned in 1919 to finish his LL.B at Columbia. He was admitted to the New York Bar in 1920.

Rosenman’s political career began soon after his admission to the Bar when he ran for the New York State Assembly. He defeated the Republican incumbent and won successive annual reelections through 1925. His work on the Assembly attracted the attention of New York’s Democratic leadership and he was appointed as the Democratic member of the Legislative Bill Drafting Commission.

During this period, Rosenman worked closely with New York Governor Al Smith. In 1928, after the Governor decided to run for president and had convinced an unwilling Franklin Roosevelt to enter the gubernatorial race, two leading New York Democrats recommended Rosenman as an adviser who would familiarize Roosevelt with New York’s legislative and political history before the election. Roosevelt asked the young legislator to accompany him on the campaign, and was immediately impressed by Rosenman’s ability to process and present large amounts of information, as well as his remarkably consistent and sound judgement. As the campaign progressed, Roosevelt encouraged Rosenman to draft a number of speeches, and, despite his lack of experience, he soon became one of the leading speech-writers working for the candidate. Roosevelt won the governorship by a small margin of 25,000 votes, while Governor Smith lost the state by more than 100,000 votes. Once elected, Roosevelt wanted to appoint Rosenman as his counsel, but Rosenman was reluctant to leave his position at the Legislative Bill Drafting Commission. He was also aware that previous gubernatorial counsels had done little to assist previous administrations. A few days after Roosevelt had approached him, Rosenman read in the news that he had already been appointed Counsel to the Governor. When he called Roosevelt to find out who had made the erroneous announcement, Roosevelt told him, “I made up your mind for you.”

After four years serving as Counsel to the Governor, Roosevelt appointed Rosenman to the Supreme Court bench of the State of New York in 1932, later referring to the appointment as “cutting off my right hand”. Rosenman continued to work for the governor in his spare time, however, helping him with the Jimmy Walker hearings and actively working on his gubernatorial speeches. Rosenman again accompanied him when he entered the ’32 presidential campaign, and then proposed and organized the “Brain Trust”, a group of scholars brought together to help formulate the policies that would later constitute the New Deal. When Roosevelt won the Democratic nomination at the Chicago convention, he delivered a speech prepared largely be Rosenman; neither he nor Rosenman had paid special attention to the section of the speech that pledged “to a new deal for the American people”, but historians would later credit Rosenman for coining one of the most prophetic and important phrases in the history of the United States.

During the first four years of Roosevelt’s presidency, Rosenman continued to serve on New York’s Supreme Court, but frequently visited the president and continued in his capacity as speech-writer and adviser. As Roosevelt began to prepare for the 1936 campaign he again asked Rosenman to accompany him to the convention, and Rosenman’s work once more proved to be invaluable to the President. However, up until this point, Rosenman had no official title and he was still dividing his time between his Supreme Court and Washington duties. He offered to resign from the bench after the war began, but Roosevelt didn’t want to ask him to relinquish his judicial duties unless it was absolutely necessary. Rosenman maintained this hectic schedule until he was so overworked that he lost sight in his left eye from optic nerve exhaustion. After six weeks of rest he completely recovered, and he decided to resign from the Supreme Court in order to further and fully devote himself to the President. As he and Roosevelt discussed his responsibilities and his title, Roosevelt suggested that he be called “Counsel to the President”, just as he had been “Counsel to the Governor”, and later changed the name to “Special Counsel to the President”. Rosenman was sworn in in the fall of 1943. It was the creation of a new position, and Rosenman stayed in that position through the end of the war and two years into the Truman administration.

As Special Counsel, Rosenman helped reorganize various governmental departments and prepared extensive presentations for the President as they conferred about every dimension of the President’s policies and decisions. Rosenman worked on Roosevelt’s fireside chats, as well as his campaign speeches, acceptance speeches, inaugural speeches, war-time speeches, and commemorative speeches. Even if he hadn’t contributed to one of Roosevelt’s speeches, the President often requested that Rosenman discuss the speech and its delivery shortly after the event. As the war progressed, however, Roosevelt assigned Rosenman a number of responsibilities that extended beyond his speech-writing and his general duties. He was part of the president’s postwar economic planning committee and also a leading figure in the discussion surrounding the Nazi war criminal trials. Early in 1945, Rosenman went to Europe to discuss both matters with Britain’s Prime Minister Winston Churchill. His first mission was to convince Churchill that food needed to be distributed more quickly to civilians in the countries liberated by the Allies, and his second was to discuss with the Prime Minister the manner in which to try Nazi war criminals. Many European leaders, including Churchill, favored a more political execution-style approach; Roosevelt disagreed. He sent Rosenman to convey to Churchill his determination that the Nazi leaders be put on trial in an effort not only to record the details and evidence of their atrocities but to set a precedent for an international judicial process should such widespread and carefully calculated violence occur in the future. Rosenman was in London when he received news of the President’s death at Warm Springs.

After Roosevelt died, Rosenman continued to serve President Harry Truman for two more years as Counsel to the President, and also played an important role as one of the judges who advised the organizers of the Nuremberg trials. In 1945, President Truman sent Rosenman to approach Supreme Court Justice Robert Jackson about serving as chief prosecutor at Nuremberg, and Rosenman also brought Chaim Weizmann news that President Truman would recognize an independent Jewish state. Before leaving the White House, the President awarded Rosenman the Medal of Merit “for exceptional meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services to the President of the United States and his country.”

Rosenman soon returned from Washington to New York in order to practice law and later was elected president of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York. He also served on fact-finding boards during the Truman and Kennedy Administrations, on the Mayor’s judicial committee in New York, and served as a director of the New York World’s Fair in 1964. Perhaps the proudest effort of the later part of his career, however, was his organization of the 1970 national opposition movement against President Richard Nixon’s nomination of Judge G. Harrold Carswell to the United States Supreme Court.

Rosenman lived in New York until his death in 1973. At the time of his death he was partially finished with his study of five American presidents, Presidential Style: Some Giants and a Pygmy in the White House. His wife Dorothy, with whom he had collaborated on the project, finished the book as a tribute to her husband. He also published Working With Roosevelt in 1952, an intimate portrait of his experiences with Roosevelt between 1928-1945, and edited the comprehensive thirteen-volume compilation of Public Papers and Addresses of Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1928-1945.

When President Roosevelt died, the only picture in his bedroom at Warm Springs was a photo of Rosenman. Rosenman’s calm and deliberate judgement, as well as his superb speech-writing skills and unwavering loyalty, inspired great confidence on the part of Roosevelt, who often said that Rosenman “was the only one who kept (my) head”. Rosenman was also the only counselor to stay with Roosevelt from the beginning of his governorship through the end of his presidency, and he wrote that Roosevelt “did not seek to impose respect toward himself on visitors, friends, or sevants; like all natural born leaders, he seemed to command respect and affection unconsciously.”

Rosenman was later recognized by historians as the man who, according to James MacGregor Burns in his Introduction to Presidential Style, “brought to the White House an understanding of the American legal and constitutional background, compassion for the needs of a depression-ridden people, an ear for the right words to help his chief talk to the nation, and an eye for the play of power among the master politicians of his time.”

Upon Rosenman’s death, The New York Times published this editorial on June 29, 1973:

Through thirteen of the most fateful years in American history, Samuel I. Rosenman served as an influential White House adviser. He did more than coin the name for Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal and help draft scores of memorable speeches for both FDR and Harry S. Truman. His sound counsel contributed significantly to shaping the policies that steered the United States through the Great Depression and led to victory in World War II.

After leaving the White House in 1946, Judge Rosenman took as his guidepost a message of hope that Roosevelt had penned as his death neared a few weeks before V-E Day: ’Let us move forward with strong and active faith.’ Through his own intense pressure for high standard of probity and competence on the bench, for social progress and for public protection against excesses of private power, Judge Rosenman helped America move forward with faith.”
(Source: http://newdeal.feri.org/kiosk/profile...)

More:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_...
http://www.trumanlibrary.org/oralhist...
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/...
http://personal.ashland.edu/~jmoser1/...
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pi...
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/...
http://wymaninstitute.org/articles/20...
Franklin D. Roosevelt's Rhetorical Presidency by Halford R. Ryan by Halford R. Ryan (no photo)
Roosevelt's Secret War FDR and World War II Espionage by Joseph E. Persico by Joseph E. Persico Joseph E. Persico
(no image) The Public Papers And Addresses Of Franklin D. Roosevelt by Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin D. Roosevelt
(no image) Working with Roosevelt by Samuel Irving Rosenman (no photo)
(no image) Presidential Style: Some Giants And A Pygmy In The White House by Samuel Irving Rosenman (no photo)


message 137: by Bryan (last edited Jun 03, 2013 10:08AM) (new)

Bryan Craig Beverly Vincent



Beverly Vincent, a Representative from Kentucky; born in Brownsville, Edmonson County, Ky., March 28, 1890; attended the public schools, Western Kentucky State Teachers College at Bowling Green, and the law department of the University of Kentucky at Lexington; was admitted to the bar in 1915 and commenced practice in Brownsville, Ky.; county judge of Edmonson County, Ky., 1916-1918; during the First World War served as a private in Battery A, Seventy-second Field Artillery, from August 27, 1918, to January 9, 1919; assistant attorney general of Kentucky in 1919 and 1920; member of the State senate 1929-1933; presidential elector on the Democratic ticket in 1932; attorney general of Kentucky from 1936 until his resignation in March 1937; elected as a Democrat to the Seventy-fifth Congress by special election, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of United States Representative Glover H. Cary, and reelected to the three succeeding Congresses (March 2, 1937-January 3, 1945); was not a candidate for renomination for the Seventy-ninth Congress in 1944; pursued agricultural interests, and resumed the practice of law; was a resident of Brownsville, Ky., until his death there on August 15, 1980; interment in Silent Grove Baptist Church Cemtery, Mammoth Cave, Ky.
(Source: http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/...)

More:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beverly_...
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg....
http://digital.library.louisville.edu...
Encyclopedia of Kentucky by Frank H. Gille by Frank H. Gille (no photo)


message 138: by Alisa (new)

Alisa (mstaz) Lillian Gish



Not only was Lillian Gish born in the right era, but she was also born with the ethereal beauty and grace to make her a star in the silent film industry. If Mary Pickford was the silent cinema's greatest personality, Lillian was its greatest actress.

A consummate actress, Lillian seemed to take delight in suffering for the art form that became her obsession. In order to experiment, Lillian worked in extreme conditions such as starvation, intense heat and bitter cold. Soon, she became the quintessential silent screen heroine, lovely and open to suffering. However, despite her characters' apparent weakness, Lillian's performances also let their inner strengths shine through.

Her stage debut took place in 1902 when she performed at The Little Red School House in Rising Sun, Ohio. From 1903 to 1904, with her mother and her sister Dorothy, Lillian toured in Her First False Step. The following year, she danced with the Sarah Bernardt production in New York City. From 1908 to 1911 she moved around, staying with various relatives. She lived with her aunt in Massillon, Ohio, with her mother in East St. Louis and briefly with her father in Oklahoma.

Lillian's film debut came in 1912, when she and her sister starred in An Unseen Enemy under the direction of D.W. Griffith. In 1913, during the production of A Good Little Devil, Lillian collapsed from anemia during a run of the play.

That same year, in The Mothering Heart, Lillian started showing signs of the emotional power hidden in the seemingly frail and hauntingly beautiful actress. Griffith utilized Lillian's aura to its fullest to develop the image of the suffering heroine. She also demonstrated an intense anger as shown in the same film, when she beats a bush after the death of her child. This intensity was present in all her films thereafter. Broken Blossoms is arguably Lillian's greatest silent film. The terror she expressed as her drunken father breaks down the door to the closet she was hiding in was communicated directly to the audience. She displayed that same intensity in Way Down East, when she baptizes a dying baby and in The Wind, where she roams, dying, through the streets of Montmartre. In 1920, she directed Dorothy Gish in Remodeling Her Husband and in 1922 she made Orphans in the Storm, her last film under Griffith's direction. She joined Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1924 and made her first "talkie" One Romantic Night in 1930. She then returned to the stage in Uncle Vanya.

During the 1930s Lillian began working in radio. She made her television debut in 1948 with the Philco Playhouse production The Late Christopher Bean. In 1969, Lillian began giving the film lecture "Lillian Gish and the Movies: The Art of Film, 1900-1928."

Lillian has been honored with many of the motion picture industry's top honors, including an honorary Academy Award, The American Film Institute Life Achievement Award and the D.W. Griffith Award for lifetime achievement.

Lillian's combination of fragility and strength, as well as her rare beauty and brilliant performance on screen, made her one of the greatest stars in silent films. She will always be remembered as one of the pioneers in the motion pictures industry.
(Source: http://www.lilliangish.com/about/bio....)

More:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lillian_...
http://wif.org/past-recipients
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001273/
http://www.ibdb.com/person.php?id=42299
http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/71895...
http://www.nypl.org/archives/4374
http://www.bgsu.edu/gish/
http://silentladies.com/PGish.html
http://www.virtual-history.com/movie/...
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmaste...
http://youtu.be/1HLLJevaaxM
http://www.goldensilents.com/stars/li...
http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/fi...
http://projects.latimes.com/hollywood...
http://www.criterion.com/current/post...
http://www.welcometosilentmovies.com/...
Lillian Gish Her Legend, Her Life by Charles Affron by Charles Affron (no photo)
Dorothy and Lillian Gish by Lillian Gish, James E. Frasher by Lillian Gish, James E. Frasher (no photo)
The Movies, Mr. Griffith, And Me by Lillian Gish by Lillian Gish Lillian Gish
Life and Lillian Gish by Albert Bigelow Paine by Albert Bigelow Paine (no photo)
Lillian Gish A Life on Stage and Screen by Stuart Oderman by Stuart Oderman (no photo)
The Lillian Gish Handbook - Everything You Need to Know about Lillian Gish by Emily Smith by Emily Smith (no photo)
(no image) Lillian Gish by Charles Silver (no photo)
(no image) Star Acting: Gish, Garbo, Davis by Charles Affron (no photo)
(no image) A Story of America First: The Men and Women Who Opposed U.S. Intervention in World War II by Ruth Sarles (no photo)


message 139: by Bryan (last edited May 24, 2013 01:22PM) (new)

Bryan Craig General William Wadsworth



William Wadsworth (1765 in Durham, Connecticut – 15 February 1833 in Geneseo, New York) was an officer in the New York State militia, before and during the War of 1812. As a Brigadier General, he commanded the New York militia contingent in the American army at the Battle of Queenston Heights. He waived his right to command over Lieutenant Colonel Winfield Scott, of the United States Army. During the battle, he faced the enemy at all times so that he would not be shot in the back and thus appear to be cowardly. Waving his sword and swearing at the troops back across the river, hoping to instill the fighting spirit in them, Wadsworth made a genuine but vain attempt to get the militia to cross and reinforce their position.

At the end of the battle, Wadsworth was taken prisoner when the American force, cut off on the Canadian side of the Niagara River, surrendered to avoid a massacre by Indians under John Brant attached to the British force.
(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_...)

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_...
http://www.galafilm.com/1812/e/people...
http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/w...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_o...
(no image) James S. Wadsworth of Geneseo, brevet major-general of United States volunteers by Henry Greenleaf Pearson (no photo)
The War Of 1812 by John K. Mahon by John K. Mahon (no photo)
A Very Brilliant Affair The Battle of Queenston Heights, 1812 by Robert Malcomson by Robert Malcomson (no photo)
Citizen Soldiers in the War of 1812 by Carl Edward Skeen by Carl Edward Skeen (no photo)


message 140: by Bryan (last edited Jun 03, 2013 10:10AM) (new)

Bryan Craig Sam Rayburn



Sam Rayburn, a Representative from Texas; born near Kingston, Roane County, Tenn., January 6, 1882; moved to Fannin County, Tex., in 1887 with his parents who settled near Windom; attended the rural schools and was graduated from the East Texas Normal College, Commerce, Tex., in 1903; studied law at the University of Texas at Austin; was admitted to the bar in 1908 and commenced practice in Bonham, Fannin County, Tex.; member of the State house of representatives 1907-1913, and served as speaker during the last two years; elected as a Democrat to the Sixty-third and to the twenty-four succeeding Congresses and served from March 4, 1913, until his death; chairman, Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce (Seventy-second, Seventy-third, and Seventy-fourth Congresses); majority leader (Seventy-fifth and Seventy-sixth Congresses), minority leader (Eightieth and Eighty-third Congresses); elected Speaker of the House of Representatives September 16, 1940, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Speaker William B. Bankhead; reelected Speaker in the Seventy-seventh, Seventy-eighth, Seventy-ninth, Eighty-first, Eighty-second, Eighty-fourth, Eighty-fifth, Eighty-sixth, and Eighty-seventh Congresses; died in Bonham, Tex., November 16, 1961; interment in Willow Wild Cemetery.
(Source: http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/...)

More:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Rayburn
http://www.cah.utexas.edu/museums/ray...
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/gener...
http://www.visitsamrayburnhouse.com/i...
http://artandhistory.house.gov/highli...
The Path to Power (The Years of Lyndon Johnson, #1) by Robert A. Caro Master of the Senate (The Years of Lyndon Johnson, #3) by Robert A. Caro by Robert A. Caro Robert A. Caro
The House The History of the House of Representatives by Robert V. Remini by Robert V. Remini (no photo)
(no image) Congressman Sam Rayburn by Anthony Champagne (no photo)
(no image) Sam Rayburn : a biography by Alfred Steinberg (no photo)
(no image) Rayburn: A Biography by D.B. Hardeman (no photo)


message 141: by Alisa (new)

Alisa (mstaz) Operation Anvil




Operation Anvil was the original name given to the Allied invasion of occupied Southern France. Operation Anvil, ultimately named Operation Dragoon, started in August 1944 and was not concluded until September 1944. To some the decision to initiate Operation Anvil was a highly controversial decisions as it meant that the weight of Allied power in Italy would move west as opposed to going straight into the heart of Europe. To some this was a signal that a decision had already been taken to leave central Europe – Czechoslovakia and central Germany – and the Balkans to the advancing Red Army.

In its original form, Operation Anvil was meant to have coincided with D-Day so that German forces were split in two with neither being able to reinforce the other because of the two simultaneous invasions. However, ‘Anvil’ started one month after D-Day and Allied forces in Normandy faced the real danger of Hitler ordering large troop movements from the south to the north during this time.

The planning for Operation Anvil quickly showed a split between the approaches of American Chiefs-of-Staff and their British equivalent. The same was true between F D Roosevelt and Churchill. For Roosevelt, Operation Anvil was part of what he called the “grand strategy” as was discussed at the 1943 Tehran Conference. Roosevelt believed that a ten division invasion of southern France combined with the attacks at Normandy would spilt in two the Germany Army in the west of Europe. Churchill and British Chiefs-of-Staff expressed their concern that such a concentration of effort and resources would leave Stalin’s Red Army with the spoils of central Europe. Roosevelt did not agree and said to his son Elliott while at the Tehran Conference:

“I see no reason for putting the lives of American soldiers in jeopardy in order to protest real or fancied British interests on the European continent. We are at war and our job is to won it as fast as possible, and without adventures.”

Stalin gave Roosevelt his full backing regarding this. However British General Brooke, who attended the conference, wrote:

“I am certain he (Stalin) did not approve such operations for their strategic value, but because they fitted in with his future political plans. He was too good a strategist not to see the weakness of the American plan. His (Stalin’s) political and military requirements could now be best met by the greatest squandering of British and American lives in the French theatre.”

However, a combined landing in south and north France never occurred. The issue was not political but more logistical. Dwight Eisenhower knew that he needed a specific number of landing craft for D-Day and that these would need to be supported by a specific number of naval craft. He was not prepared to jeopardise D-Day in Normandy by compromising on the number of vessels required or transferring some to southern France. Therefore the Supreme Commander of Allied forces in Europe decided that Normandy took priority and that Anvil would have to wait until the Allies had pushed inland.

Allied Combined Chiefs continued to argue about a landing in south France even after D-Day. Arguments were put forward for a landing in the Balkans or the Bay of Biscay as alternate choices. Eisenhower himself originally favoured a landing at Bordeaux but recognised that any of the large ports in south France represented a good choice. Neither he nor General Marshall (of Marshall Aid fame) favoured a landing in the Balkans and Marshall publicly questioned why the British would want to land there in particular. Eisenhower needed a deep-water port to land supplies and men. He believed that the ports in liberated north France simply could not cope with the logistical problems this would throw up. However, Marseilles and Toulon looked promising – Eisenhower had 40 to 50 divisions waiting in America, along with their equipment, to bring over to Europe. He knew that Cherbourg could not cope with such numbers but that Marseilles and Toulon combined with Cherbourg could.

Charles de Gaulle was keen for an invasion of south France to supplement the landings at D-Day. He insisted that he play a greater part in the planning for Operation Anvil than he had for the Normandy landing. De Gaulle later claimed both the Americans and British had frequently bypassed him in the planning for D-Day despite the fact that many in France saw de Gaulle as the most senior Frenchman. He put four French divisions in Italy on standby for an invasion of south France despite the opposition of General Juin, the commander of France forces in Italy.

Churchill continued to argue for the Allies to continue their push up Italy and then into France. This avoided any need for an amphibious landing. If successful, it would also have destroyed German military power in Italy. Churchill called the plan for Operation Anvil “bleak and sterile”. Churchill appealed directly to Roosevelt:

"Let us resolve not to wreck one great campaign (Italy) for the sake of another. Both can be won.”

Roosevelt replied that he would not depart from the “grand strategy” discussed at Tehran. He also reminded Churchill that November 1944 was election year in America and that he also had political considerations. A successful Operation Anvil combined with the success in Normandy would stand him in very good stead politically. The only concession Roosevelt made to Churchill was to rename the campaign ‘Operation Dragoon’. Churchill bowed to what Roosevelt wanted but with no enthusiasm. He informed Roosevelt that the British would do all they could to ensure success but that he hoped that Operation Dragoon would not ruin any other “greater project”.

Even after this decision, Churchill tried to get Roosevelt to change his mind. Once the breakout of Normandy and the liberation of Brittany had been cemented, Churchill put forward the port of St. Nazaire as the perfect port to land American troops and equipment. That way Operation Dragoon could be put on the shelf. Eisenhower believed that Churchill felt so strongly about this that he might tender his resignation to the King. When they met in Portsmouth after August 15th had been decided, Eisenhower found Churchill to be “stirred, upset and even despondent”. Churchill accused the Americans of being “a big, strong and dominating partner.” Churchill later claimed that Eisenhower agreed with him regarding St. Nazaire but the future president’s ADC, Captain Harry Butcher, present at the meeting, claimed that this was not so:

“Ike said ‘No’, continued to say ‘No’ all afternoon, and ended saying ‘No’ in every form of the English language at his command.”

After World War Two ended, the US commander in Italy, General Clark, supported Churchill and called Operation Dragoon “the outstanding political mistake of the war”. Clark believed that the Allied armies in Italy could have pushed past the Apennines, spared some troops for the liberation of south France, but with the bulk pushing north into Austria and southern Germany. Clark even envisaged the war ending in 1944 and with the Soviet expansion west being held at bay. However, it was not to be.

The attack was planned for August 15th – 5 weeks after the landings in Normandy.
(Source: http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/...)

More:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operatio...
http://www.history.army.mil/brochures...
http://web.archive.org/web/2007031203...
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h177...
http://archive.org/details/gov.dod.di...
http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/w...
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/j...
http://weaponsandwarfare.com/?p=1665
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ca...
http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/...
Operation Dragoon The Allied Invasion of the South of France by William B. Breuer by William B. Breuer (no photo)
Riviera to the Rhine by Jeffrey J. Clarke by Jeffrey J. Clarke (no photo)
Airborne A Combat History of American Airborne Forces by Edward M. Flanagan Jr. by Edward M. Flanagan Jr. (no photo)
First to the Rhine The 6th Army Group in World War II by Harry Yeide by Harry Yeide (no photo)
Operation Dragoon 1944 France's other D-Day by Steven J. Zaloga by Steven J. Zaloga (no photo)
Operation Dragoon The Liberation of Southern France 1944 by Anthony Tucker-Jones by Anthony Tucker-Jones (no photo)
Dragooned Into a Joint War American Airpower in the Mediterranean and Operation Dragoon by Ryan A Link by Ryan A Link (no photo)
Task Force Butler A Case Study in the Employment of an Ad Hoc Unit in Combat Operations, During Operation Dragoon, 1-30 August 1944 by Michael J Volpe by Michael J Volpe (no photo)
(no image) Operation Dragoon: Autopsy of a Battle: The Allied Liberation of the French Riviera August-September 1944 by Jean-Loup Gassend (no photo)
(no image) Command Decisions by Kent Roberts Greenfield (no photo)
(no image) United States Army in World War II, European Theater of Operations, Supreme Command by Forrest C. Pogue (no photo)


message 142: by Jill (new)

Jill Hutchinson (bucs1960) Norman Thomas




Norman Thomas, the son of a Presbyterian minister, was born in Marion, Ohio, on 20th November, 1884. He studied political science under Woodrow Wilson at Princeton University and graduated in 1905.

In 1905 Thomas helped to establish the Intercollegiate Socialist Society. Other members included Jack London, Upton Sinclair, Clarence Darrow, Florence Kelley, Anna Strunsky, Bertram D. Wolfe, Jay Lovestone, Rose Pastor Stokes and J.G. Phelps Stokes. Its stated purpose was to "throw light on the world-wide movement of industrial democracy known as socialism."

Thomas did voluntary social work in New York City before studying theology at the Union Theological Seminary. Influenced by the writings of the Christian Socialist movement in Britain, Thomas became a committed socialist. Thomas was ordained in 1911 and became pastor of the East Harlem Presbyterian Church.

A pacifist, Thomas believed that the First World War was an "immoral, senseless struggle among rival imperialisms". His brother shared his views and went to prison for resisting the draft. Thomas joined with Abraham Muste, Scott Nearing and Oswald Garrison Villard to form the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR). In 1917 Thomas, Crystal Eastman and Roger Baldwin established the National Civil Liberties Bureau (NCLB).

In 1918 he founded and edited the World Tomorrow and two years later joined with Jane Addams, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn and Upton Sinclair to establish the American Civil Liberties Union. As well as being associate editor of the Nation (1921-22), he was co-director of the League of Industrial Democracy (1922-37), an organization he had created with Jack London and Upton Sinclair. Thomas was also a frequent contributor to its journal, The Unemployed (1930-32).

Thomas, a member of the Socialist Party, was its candidate for Governor of New York in 1924. After the death of Eugene Debs Thomas became the party's presidential candidate in 1928, 1932 and 1936. Although easily defeated, Thomas had the satisfaction of seeing Franklin D. Roosevelt introduce several measures that he had advocated during his presidential campaigns.

Thomas joined Burton K. Wheeler and Charles A. Lindbergh in forming he America First Committee (AFC) in September 1940 and soon became the most powerful isolationist group in the United States. The AFC had four main principles: (1) The United States must build an impregnable defense for America; (2) No foreign power, nor group of powers, can successfully attack a prepared America; (3) American democracy can be preserved only by keeping out of the European War; (4) "Aid short of war" weakens national defense at home and threatens to involve America in war abroad.

The AFC influenced public opinion through publications and speeches and within a year had over 800,000 members. The AFC was dissolved four days after the Japanese Air Force attacked Pearl Harbor on 7th December, 1941. Although previously a pacifist, Thomas now supported United States involvement in the Second World War. However, he was critical of some aspects of Roosevelt's policies, including the internment of Japanese Americans and big business control of war production.

Thomas was the Socialist Party presidential candidate in 1940, 1944 and 1948. A strong critic of the Soviet communism, Thomas also denounced rearmament and the development of the Cold War. Other issues associated with Thomas during the post-war period included his campaigns against poverty, racism and the Vietnam War.

Thomas wrote several books on politics, including Is Conscience a Crime? (1927), As I See It (1932), A Socialist Faith (1951), The Test of Freedom (1954), The Prerequisites of Peace (1959) and Socialism Re-examined (1963).

Norman Thomas died on 19th December, 1968
(Source: http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/...)

More:
http://www.history.com/speeches/norma...
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h164...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GUyxN...
http://www.time.com/time/covers/0,166...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntAqtV...
http://encyclopedia.densho.org/Norman...
http://etcweb.princeton.edu/CampusWWW...
http://www.wnd.com/2008/02/56620/
http://drivethrupolitics.blogspot.com...
http://www.religion-online.org/showar...
http://www.cfr.org/us-strategy-and-po...
Norman Thomas The Last Idealist by W.A. Swanberg by W.A. Swanberg (no photo)
Norman Thomas A Biography by Harry Fleischman by Harry Fleischman (no photo)
Socialism in America (1916) by John Albert Macy by John Albert Macy (no photo)
Socialism in America from the Shakers to the Third International A Documentary History by Albert Fried by Albert Fried (no photo)
The Decline of Socialism in America, 1912-1925 by James Weinstein by James Weinstein (no photo)
(no image) Is Conscience a Crime? by Norman Mattoon Thomas (no photo)
(no image) The Test of Freedom by Norman Mattoon Thomas (no photo)
(no image)Socialism Re-examined by Norman Mattoon Thomas (no photo)


message 143: by Alisa (new)

Alisa (mstaz) Carl Spaatz



General Carl A. Spaatz was the first chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.

The general was born in 1891, in Boyertown, Pa. In 1910, he was appointed to the U.S. Military Academy. He graduated June 12, 1914, and was commissioned a second lieutenant of Infantry. He served with the 25th United States Infantry at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, from Oct. 4, 1914, to Oct. 13, 1915, when he was detailed as a student in the Aviation School at San Diego, Calif., until May 15, 1916.

In June 1916, General Spaatz was assigned at Columbus, N.M., and served with the First Aero Squadron under Gen. John J. Pershing in the Punitive Expedition into Mexico. He was promoted to first lieutenant July 1, 1916, in May 1917 joined the Third Aero Squadron in San Antonio, Texas, and in the same month was promoted to captain.

General Spaatz went to France with the American Expeditionary Forces in command of the 31st Aero Squadron and, after Nov. 15, 1917, served in the American Aviation School at Issoundun continuously, except for one month at the British Front, until Aug. 30, 1918. In this period, he received a temporary promotion to major.

He joined the Second Pursuit Group in September 1918, as pursuit pilot in the Thirteenth Squadron, and was promoted to flight leader. He was officially credited with shooting down three German Fokker planes, and received the Distinguished Service Cross. In 1919 he served in California and Texas and became assistant department air service officer for the Western Department in July 1919. He reverted to his permanent rank of captain Feb. 27, 1920, but was promoted to major July 1, 1920.

As a major, he commanded Kelly Field, Texas, from Oct. 5, 1920, to February 1921, served as air officer of the Eighth Corps Area until November 1921, and was commanding officer of the First Pursuit Group, first at Ellington Field, Texas, and later at Selfridge Field, Mich., until Sept. 24, 1924. He graduated from the Air Corps Tactical School, Langley Field, Va., in June 1925, and then served in the Office of the Chief of Air Corps at Washington, D.C.

General Spaatz commanded the Army plane "Question Mark" in its refueling endurance flight over Los Angeles and vicinity Jan. 1-7, 1929, keeping the plane aloft a record total of 150 hours, 40 minutes and 15 seconds, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

From May 8, 1929, to Oct. 29, 1931, General Spaatz commanded the Seventh Bombardment Group at Rockwell Field, Calif., and the First Bombardment Wing at March Field, Calif., until June 10, 1933. He then served in the Office of the Chief of Air Corps and became chief of the Training and Operations Division. In August 1935, he enrolled in the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., and while there was promoted to lieutenant colonel. He graduated in June 1936, and then served at Langley Field, until January 1939, when he returned to the Office of the Chief of Air Corps at Washington as assistant executive officer.

General Spaatz in November 1939, received a temporary promotion to colonel, and during the Battle of Britain in 1940, spent several weeks in England as a special military observer. In August 1940, he was assigned in the Office of the Chief of Air Corps, and two months later was appointed assistant to the chief of Air Corps, with the temporary rank of brigadier general. He became chief of the Plans Division of the Air Corps in November 1940, and the following July was named chief of the air staff at Army Air Force Headquarters.

A few weeks after Pearl Harbor, in January 1942, General Spaatz was assigned as chief of the Army Air Force Combat Command at Washington and promoted to the temporary rank of major general. In May 1942, became commander of the Eighth Air Force, transferring to the European theater of operations in that capacity in July 1942, to prepare for the American bombing of Germany. His accomplishments earned him an award of the Legion of Merit. On July 7, he was appointed commanding general of the U.S. Army Air Forces in the European Theater, an addition to his duties as commander of the Eighth. His promotion to the permanent rank of colonel was made on Sept. 17, 1942.

On Dec. 1, 1942, General Spaatz became commanding general of the Twelfth Air Force in North Africa. In February 1943, he assumed command of the Northwest African Air Force, which he organized. He received a temporary promotion to lieutenant general March 12, 1943.

After Rommel's Afrika Korps had been driven out of the North Africa and the invasion of Italy was launched, General Spaatz became deputy commander of the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces, including the 12th Air Force in Africa and the 15th Air Force and the Royal Air Force in Italy. He returned to England in January 1944, to command the U.S. Strategic Air Forces in Europe, which he headed throughout the pre-invasion period and the ensuing campaign which culminated with the utter defeat of Germany. His service in Africa won an award of the Distinguished Service Medal, and the accomplishments of his Strategic Air Force in 1944, earned him the Robert J. Collier Trophy for that year, awarded annually to the American making the outstanding contribution to aviation.

General Spaatz received a temporary promotion to general March 11, 1945, and was assigned to Air Force Headquarters in Washington, D.C., in June 1945. The following month he assumed command of the U.S. Strategic Air Forces in the Pacific, with headquarters on Guam. There he supervised the final strategic bombing of Japan by the B-29, including the two atomic bomb missions. He was present at all three signings of unconditional surrender by the enemy, at Rheims, Berlin and Tokyo.

In October 1945, General Spaatz returned to Army Air Force Headquarters, and the same month President Harry S. Truman nominated him for promotion to the permanent rank of major general in the Regular Army. In February 1946, he was nominated to become commander of the Army Air Forces. In September 1947, he was appointed by President Truman as the first chief of staff of the new United States Air Force until April 30, 1948.

He retired with the rank of general on June 30, 1948.

General Spaatz was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, Distinguished Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross and Bronze Star Medal. He also has the Mexican Interior Campaign ribbon, the World War I ribbon with three battle stars, the pre-Pearl Harbor ribbon with star, the European Theater ribbon with six stars, the Pacific Theater ribbons, the American Theater ribbon, and the World War II Victory ribbon. His foreign honors include a Grand Officer of the French Legion of Honor, the French Croix de Guerre with Palm, a Grand Commander of the British Empire, Russia's Second Order of Suvorov and Poland's Polonia Restituta, Commander's Cross with Star.

General Spaatz died July 14, 1974, at the age of 83. He was interred at the U.S. Air Force Academy.
(Source: http://www.af.mil/information/bios/bi...)

More:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_And...
http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/a...
http://www.spaatz.org/gen/spaatzbio.html
http://www.historynet.com/carl-a-spaa...
http://capmembers.com/cadet_programs/...
http://www.airforcemag.com/MagazineAr...
http://www.nationalaviation.org/spaat...
http://spaatzassociation.wordpress.com/
http://www.afhistoricalfoundation.org...
http://www.marshallfoundation.org/lib...
http://www.military.com/Content/MoreC...
http://earlyaviators.com/espaatz.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CpoUO...
Carl A. Spaatz and the Air War in Europe by Richard G. Davis by Richard G. Davis (no photo)
Master of Airpower General Carl A. Spatz by David R. Mets by David R. Mets (no photo)
Milit Rperson (United States Air Force) Hoyt S. Vandenberg, Carl A. Spaatz, Chuck Yeager, James Stewart, Boris Pash, Curtis E. Lemay by Books LLC by Books LLC (no photo)
The German Air Force by Asher Lee by Asher Lee (no photo) & Carl Spaatz (no photo)
The Biographical Dictionary of World War II by Mark Mayo Boatner by Mark Boatner (no photo)
Beneficial Bombing The Progressive Foundations of American Air Power, 1917-1945 by Mark Clodfelter by Mark Clodfelter (no photo)


message 144: by Alisa (new)

Alisa (mstaz) Warren Giles



Born in Illinois in 1896, Warren Giles began his professional baseball career shortly after his return from military service in World War I. The Minor League club in Moline, IL had struggled for some time and was open to change. Giles, who possessed no previous experience in baseball but was willing to offer many suggestions for improvement, was selected to run the club on a one-year trial basis. Moline's fortunes improved immediately and in his second year running the operation, Moline captured a Three-I league pennant.

Giles moved rather quickly up the Minor League chain, his success and work ethic catching the eye of Cardinals General Manager Branch Rickey, who hired him to run St. Louis's top farm club in Rochester where Giles's clubs reeled off four consecutive pennants.

When Reds general manager Larry MacPhail unexpectedly announced his resignation in September of 1936, Giles immediately came to Reds owner Powel Crosley's mind as an ideal replacement. Crosley had been impressed by Giles when the two had met the previous year, and his Minor League track record was beyond reproach. And so it was that the 40-year-old Giles was named vice president and general manager of the Reds on September 19, 1936.

The club that Giles inherited had its bright spots but was still struggling to free itself from a string of losing seasons that dated back to 1929. The 1937 edition of the club under incumbent manager Charlie Dressen all but eliminated any hope engendered by the fifth place finish of 1936 when it stumbled to last place with 98 losses. Despite its struggles, Giles knew that the club had talent with players like catcher Ernie Lombardi, outfielder Ival Goodman and pitchers Lee Grissom, Paul Derringer and rookie Johnny Vander Meer in the fold. He concluded that it needed a different leader and, as Crosley had known about him a year earlier, Giles was confident that he knew precisely who that leader should be.

Giles choice as the Reds' new manager was Bill McKechnie, a studious, gentlemanly man whose approach to managing stood in stark contrast to that of the impulsive, aggressive Dressen. McKechnie had forged an impressive managerial resume having previously won pennants and a World Series as manager of the Pirates and a second pennant as Cardinals manager. After trying in vain to resuscitate the moribund Boston franchise for the previous eight seasons, McKechnie was pursued by the Reds and four other clubs when his contract expired. McKechnie had managed under Giles briefly when both were in Rochester and this relationship, coupled with the Reds' willingness to outbid his other suitors, resulted in McKechnie signing with the club on October 13, 1937.

With McKechnie on board, Giles set about reworking his player roster. In December, he traded young infielder Eddie Miller to the Yankees for catcher Willard Hershberger, who would become an invaluable backup to Lombardi. Two months later, Giles purchased an underachieving infielder named Lonnie Frey from the Cubs. Under the patient guidance of McKechnie, Frey would blossom into an All-Star. Slowly, the pieces of what became the championship clubs of 1939 and 1940 were being put into place.

The Reds of 1938 bore little resemblance to the lackluster outfits of the previous decade, winning 82 games and finishing in fourth place. Perhaps the most significant event of that 1938 season was a trade the Reds consummated with the Phillies on June 13 when the Reds dealt pitchers Spud Davis and Al Hollingsworth along with $50,000 to the Phillies in exchange for shortstop-turned-pitcher Bucky Walters. Walters would team with Paul Derringer to form the best starting pitching duo in the National League and the finest such tandem in Reds history.

In his lone season as a Reds coach, McKechnie's good friend and all-time Reds great Edd Roush in assessing the 1938 Reds came to the conclusion that the key ingredient the club was missing was a good third baseman to solidify an infield that featured budding star Frank McCormick at first base, the rejuvenated Lonny Frey at second and team captain Billy Myers at shortstop. Giles found such a player when he purchased the contract of Billy Werber from the Philadelphia Athletics in March of 1939.

The competitive spirit of Werber, the continued development of the Reds' young talent and the indomitable pitching of Walters (who captured the pitching Triple Crown) and Derringer propelled the Reds to their first pennant since 1939. A sweep at the hands of the Yankees in the 1939 World Series already only served to intensify the Reds' desire to return to the Series in 1940.

In January of 1940, Giles immeasurably bolstered the Reds' already formidable roster with the acquisition of relief pitcher Joe Beggs from the Yankees. Under the deft handling of McKechnie, Beggs emerged as the Reds' relief ace, earning the nickname "Fireman" for his ability to squelch opponents' rallies.

The Reds were rolling to their second straight pennant when tragedy threatened to derail their season. Gifted back-up catcher Hershberger, struggling with the strain of handling full-time catching duties due to an injury to Lombardi, committed suicide on August 3 in his hotel room during a Reds road trip to Boston. His death shocked the Reds and remains the only in-season suicide by a player in Major League history. McKechnie and Giles acted quickly to hold the team together, helping the team through the grieving process and turning the pennant chase into a tribute to Hershberger.

The club's play remained strong and the club clinched the pennant on September 18. Giles added two more players in the season's final two months when he activated coach and former catcher Jimmie Wilson and acquired outfielder Jimmy Ripple on waivers from the Dodgers. Both Wilson and Ripple emerged as postseason heroes in the Reds' World Series victory over the Detroit Tigers. The hard-fought seven-game triumph marks the only time in franchise history that the Reds have clinched a World Championship at home.

The 1940 World Championship was the high watermark of Giles' tenure as Reds general manager. The Reds remained competitive through the middle of the 1940s, but by the end of the decade had begun a steep decline from which it would not emerge until the powerful Reds team of 1956 blasted its way to 91 victories.

Giles had departed by the time the Reds returned to the upper ranks of the National League having ascended to the presidency of the National League in September of 1951. As was the custom of the time, league presidents had the discretion to move league offices to the city of their choice and Giles decided to bring the National League office to Cincinnati.

Giles was an effective and distinguished league president who presided over a period of great change during his 18-year tenure. Under Giles's watch, the Braves moved not once but twice, baseball landed on the west coast as the Dodgers and Giants abandoned New York for more profitable locales in California, the league expanded twice and divisional play was introduced.

Giles was inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame in 1969 and was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Famer in 1979. He died on February 7 of that year. The National League Championship trophy is named in his honor.
(Source: http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/cin/ho...)

More:
http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/448fdd3f
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_G...
http://articles.philly.com/2008-10-16...
http://baseballhall.org/hof/giles-warren
http://www.baseball-almanac.com/hof/v...
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vaul...
http://articles.tutorialonline.info/p...
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid...
http://www.franciscogrande.com/histor...
The Big Book of Jewish Baseball An Illustrated Encyclopedia & Anecdotal History by Peter S. Horvitz by Peter S. Horvitz (no photo)
The Best Seat in Baseball, But You Have to Stand The Game as Umpires See It by Lee Gutkind by Lee Gutkind (no photo)
The 1940 Cincinnati Reds A World Championship and Baseball's Only In-Season Suicide by Brian Mulligan by Brian Mulligan (no photo)
Miracle Ball My Hunt for the Shot Heard 'Round the World by Brian Biegel by Brian Biegel (no photo)
The Integration of Major League Baseball A Team by Team History by Rick Swaine by Rick Swaine (no photo)
Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame Highlights Memorable Moments in Team History as Heard on the Reds Radio Network by Greg Rhodes by Greg Rhodes (no photo)


message 145: by Alisa (new)

Alisa (mstaz) Courtney H. Hodges



General Courtney Hicks Hodges (January 5, 1887 – January 16, 1966) was an American military officer, most prominent for his role in World War II, in which he commanded the First United States Army in Northwest Europe. In his career Hodges was a notable "mustang" officer, rising from private to general.

Hodges was born in Perry, Georgia where his father published a small-town newspaper. He attended West Point but dropped out after a year because of poor test scores ("found deficient" in mathematics). He would have graduated with the Class of 1909. In 1906 Hodges enlisted in the United States Army as a private, and commissioned as an officer three years later at North Georgia College (now known as the University of North Georgia). He served with George Marshall in the Philippines and Patton in Mexico.

He earned the Distinguished Service Cross (second only in precedence to the Medal of Honor), during the closing days of World War I while leading an attack across the Marne River. After the war he was sufficiently well thought of that he became an instructor at West Point, even though he had not graduated from that institution.

In 1938, he became an Assistant Commandant of the United States Army Infantry School, and in 1941, he became full Commandant.

In May 1941, he was promoted to major general, and he was given various assignments, including that of Chief of Infantry until he finally received a frontline command, that of the X Corps, in 1942. In 1943, while commanding the X Corps and then the Third Army, he was sent to England, where he served under General Omar Bradley. During Operation Overlord in June and July 1944, Hodges under the command of Bradley as the Deputy Commander of the First Army. In August 1944, Hodges succeeded Bradley as the commander of the First Army, taking command when Bradley moved up to command the 12th Army Group. Hodges continued serve under the command of Bradley and General Dwight Eisenhower all the way through the Nazi German surrender in May 1945.

Hodges's troops were the first ones to reach and liberate the French capital of Paris in large numbers, and then he led them through France, Belgium, and Luxembourg on their way to Nazi Germany.

Hodges's troops had a major role in blunting the Wehrmacht's major counteroffensive in the Ardennes: the Battle of the Bulge. When the German advance cut the 1st Army off from the 12th Army Group and Bradley, he was placed under the command, for several weeks, of the Allied 21st Army Group led by Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery. The 21st Army Group usually consisted of divisions from the British Army and the Canadian Army. The U.S. Ninth Army was also assigned to it termporarily because of the Battle of the Bulge.

Before, during, and after the Battle of the Bulge and the Allied reconquest of the Bulge, the First Army fought the Germans in the bloody Battle of Hurtgen Forest in westmost Germany. Historian Ernie Herr blames General Hodges for the catastrophe of the German defensive victory in the Battle of the Hürtgen Forest.

Divisions of the First Army were the first ones to cross the Rhine into the middle of Nazi Germany by using the captured Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen. After this bridge collapsed, the rest of the First and Third Armies had to cross the Rhine on pontoon bridges under heavy fire from the Wehrmacht's artillery and rockets, including V-2s.

Months later, Lt. General Hodges's troops of the First First met the those of the Soviet Red Army near Torgau on the Elbe River. Hodges was promoted to the rank of four-star general on April 15, 1945 making him only the second soldier in the history of the U.S. Army to make his way from private to four-star general. Hodges followed General Walter Krueger of the Pacific Theater, who fought under five-star General Douglas MacArthur.

After the end of World War II in Europe on May 7, 1945, Hodges and his troops were ordered to prepare to be sent all the way west to the War in the Pacific for the proposed invasion of Japan in late 1945 and March 1946. However, that move became unnecessary when two atomic bombs were dropped on Japanese cities and Emperor Hirohito ordered the defeated Japanese Empire to surrender immediately. The official surrender documents were signed in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945.

General Hodges was present at the surrenders of both Nazi Germany in Rheims, France and of the Japan Empire at Tokyo.

After World War II, Hodges continued command of First Army at Fort Jay at Governors Island, New York until his retirement in March 1949.

Hodges died in San Antonio, Texas in 1966.
(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courtney...)

More:
http://www.generals.dk/general/Hodges...
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/...
http://www.5ad.org/hurtgen_joe.htm
http://eisenhower.archives.gov/Resear...
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/chho...
http://theworldsmilitaryhistory.wikia...
http://ref-raff.wikispaces.com/United....
http://www.3ad.com/history/courtney.h...
http://www.3ad.com/history/courtney.h...
http://www.3ad.com/history/courtney.h...
http://youtu.be/Ge9QdH-ctkE
http://www.3ad.com/history/courtney.h...
http://www.marshallfoundation.org/lib...
http://www.criticalpast.com/video/656...
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vaul...
http://donmooreswartales.com/tag/gen-...
http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-30652...
http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/re...
http://muse.jhu.edu/login?auth=0&...
Marshall and His Generals U.S. Army Commanders in World War II by Stephen R. Taaffe by Stephen R. Taaffe (no photo)
Normandy to Victory The War Diary of General Courtney H. Hodges and the First U.S. Army by William C. Sylvan by William C. Sylvan (no photo)
The Oxford Companion To World War Ii by Ian Dear by Ian Dear (no photo)
(Volume I) Eisenhower's Lieutenants The Campaign Of France And Germany, 1944 1945 by Russell F. Weigley by Russell F. Weigley (no photo)
Courtney Hicks Hodges From Private to Four-Star General in the United States Army by Stephen T. Wishnevsky by Stephen T. Wishnevsky (no photo)
(no image) Omar Nelson Bradley: The Soldiers' General by Omar Nelson Bradley Omar Nelson Bradley
(no image) Eisenhower's Lieutenants Volume II by Russell F. Weigley (no photo)


message 146: by Alisa (new)

Alisa (mstaz) Andrew L. Somers



Andrew Lawrence Somers (March 21, 1895 – April 6, 1949) was born in Brooklyn, New York. He attended St. Teresa’s Academy in Brooklyn, Brooklyn College Preparatory School, Manhattan College, and New York University in New York City. He engaged in dry color and chemical business. During World War I, he enlisted on July 18, 1917, as a hospital apprentice, second class, in the United States Naval Reserve Force. Subsequently he served as ensign in the Naval Reserve Flying Corps and was then appointed a naval aviator on September 17, 1918. He proceeded to foreign service on September 30, 1918, and served there until honorably discharged March 4, 1919. He served as delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1928 and was elected as a Democrat to the Sixty-ninth and to the twelve succeeding Congresses and served from March 4, 1925, until his death in St. Albans, Queens, New York, April 6, 1949.
(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_L...)

More:
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg....
http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/...
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/membe...
http://www.jta.org/1929/01/29/archive...
http://www.jta.org/1934/05/18/archive...
http://wymaninstitute.org/kochremarks...
http://wymaninstitute.org/special/ber...
http://somersfamily.net/ASS/Timeline....
The Bergson Boys and the Origins of Contemporary Zionist Militancy by Judith Tydor Baumel by Judith Tydor Baumel (no photo)
Barney Ross by Douglas Century by Douglas Century Douglas Century
America's Defense Line The Justice Department's Battle to Register the Israel Lobby as Agents of a Foreign Government by Grant F Smith by Grant F Smith (no photo)
Millions of Jews to Rescue by Samuel Merlin by Samuel Merlin (no photo)
(no image) The Holocaust and Israel Reborn: From Catastrophe to Sovereignty by Monty Penkower (no photo)
(no image) Truman, the Jewish vote, and the creation of Israel by John Snetsinger (no photo)


message 147: by [deleted user] (new)

@ 13, George Marshall.

So I'm exploring background resources:

I found this to be an informative link on Marshall. Even during WWI, it was his organizational skills which were exceptionally strong. His time managing the CCCs would have strengthen those skills even more.


Also, it talks of Marshall's terrible temper when he was younger. I say, Good for him," that he learned to control it.



Very readable timeline:
http://www.marshallfoundation.org/abo...


message 148: by Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief (last edited Jun 03, 2013 06:31PM) (new)

Bentley | 44291 comments Mod
Thank you Adelle - thank you for finding the glossary thread and assisting with its development. We appreciate your add.


message 149: by Alisa (new)

Alisa (mstaz) Adelle, thanks for the add. I hope you also browse the information out here on some of the people and events. We appreciate your addition!


message 150: by [deleted user] (new)

Whew! I mistakenly posted on the Chapter 1 thread and then had to delete it off right quick!

Bentley, I am browsing here AND writing up my own index as I go along. Lol!


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