Posted on Dec 16, 2015
Did you know For some in WWII, war meant defending against invasion?
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Did you know For some in WWII, war meant defending against invasion?
RP Members some great history about WWII - enjoy!
“We were called to a defense duty in Alaska and did it well. Even though there were no fatalities in the unit, no credit was given to them for the casualties — civilians as well as soldiers — that were prevented by preparing the Alaskan front for the invasion of the Japanese forces,” he said. “When the Japanese got ‘cold feet’ and fled to a warmer climate, the Florida boys got cold feet but stood their ground.”
http://www.stripes.com/military-life/military-history/for-some-in-wwii-war-meant-defending-against-invasion-1.384030
A 10-inch blanket of snow covered Fort Richardson, Alaska, when Oscar “Buck” Buchanan first arrived in October 1942.
“To some of us Florida boys, this was an experience,” Buchanan wrote in an account detailing his service during World War II that he mailed to The News Herald. “The train was late [to pick us up] and we were told it was due to moose, who would use the tracks for walking through a tunnel made of snow and couldn’t get off the tracks.”
This is where Buchanan, a private in the National Guard, spent most of World War II with the Company D, Second Battalion, 106th Engineers.
Two years earlier, Buchanan, then 22, left West Bay with his friend Alex Hinote to enlist.
“Our trucks, with a lot of equipment, were loaded onto a train and preceded us to Fort Dix, and sent directly to England. We followed later on Pullman cars — our first train ride — and were scheduled to follow our equipment to England on the Queen Mary,” Buchanan wrote. “While waiting for the boat, another decision was made for us to be sent to Alaska.”
The Japanese had occupied the Aleutian Islands, which fan out toward Asia from the southwestern tip of Alaska, and the U.S. government was worried about the possibility of a mainland invasion from the north.
So Buchanan was sent in the opposite direction of his things.
RP Members some great history about WWII - enjoy!
“We were called to a defense duty in Alaska and did it well. Even though there were no fatalities in the unit, no credit was given to them for the casualties — civilians as well as soldiers — that were prevented by preparing the Alaskan front for the invasion of the Japanese forces,” he said. “When the Japanese got ‘cold feet’ and fled to a warmer climate, the Florida boys got cold feet but stood their ground.”
http://www.stripes.com/military-life/military-history/for-some-in-wwii-war-meant-defending-against-invasion-1.384030
A 10-inch blanket of snow covered Fort Richardson, Alaska, when Oscar “Buck” Buchanan first arrived in October 1942.
“To some of us Florida boys, this was an experience,” Buchanan wrote in an account detailing his service during World War II that he mailed to The News Herald. “The train was late [to pick us up] and we were told it was due to moose, who would use the tracks for walking through a tunnel made of snow and couldn’t get off the tracks.”
This is where Buchanan, a private in the National Guard, spent most of World War II with the Company D, Second Battalion, 106th Engineers.
Two years earlier, Buchanan, then 22, left West Bay with his friend Alex Hinote to enlist.
“Our trucks, with a lot of equipment, were loaded onto a train and preceded us to Fort Dix, and sent directly to England. We followed later on Pullman cars — our first train ride — and were scheduled to follow our equipment to England on the Queen Mary,” Buchanan wrote. “While waiting for the boat, another decision was made for us to be sent to Alaska.”
The Japanese had occupied the Aleutian Islands, which fan out toward Asia from the southwestern tip of Alaska, and the U.S. government was worried about the possibility of a mainland invasion from the north.
So Buchanan was sent in the opposite direction of his things.
WWII World War Two
Military History
Defense
Edited 10 y ago
Posted 10 y ago
Responses: 10
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Yes Sir, check out this if you're interested.
http://www.beachconnection.net/news/battruss061912_510.php
http://www.beachconnection.net/news/battruss061912_510.php
Where a Japanese Sub Fired on Oregon: Battery Russell and Fort Stevens
Where a Japanese Sub Fired on Oregon: Battery Russell and Fort Stevens - WWII History: That incident turned out to be of mammoth historical significance, almost the only time the continental U.S. was fired upon by a foreign power
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LTC Stephen C.
The Japanese also used hydrogen balloons with bombs or fire producing elements that made it over the coast of the U.S. (utilizing the jet stream), one of which was actually responsible for the deaths of six civilians. SrA Daniel Hunter COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Stephen F.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_balloon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_balloon
Fire balloon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A fire balloon (風船爆弾, fūsen bakudan?, lit. "balloon bomb"), or Fu-Go (ふ号[兵器], fugō [heiki]?, lit. "Code Fu [Weapon]"), was a weapon launched by Japan during World War II. A hydrogen balloon with a load varying from a 15kg (33lb) antipersonnel bomb to one 12-kilogram (26lb) incendiary bomb and four 5kg (11lb) incendiary devices attached, it was designed as a cheap weapon intended to make use of the jet stream over the Pacific Ocean and drop...
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SrA Daniel Hunter
LTC Stephen C. - Yes Sir, the civilians went messing with one that didn't ignite, and then it did.
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COL Mikel J. Burroughs
SrA Daniel Hunter I understand that, but it is important to me to recognize you - thanks
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Yes. We sent units to repulse the Japanese in the Aleutians. We fought submarines on all three coasts (though mostly in the Gulf and the Atlantic), we looked for infiltrators on the Mexican and Canadian borders and Japanese floating bombs in the Pacific Northwest. Many who were involved in these actions were citizens as there were too few military members available.
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Yes COL Mikel J. Burroughs I was aware that many people and many military personnel were "coast watchers" besides the members for the Coast Guard who watched for landings, submarines, and espionage.
They used binoculars, patrol boats, private airplanes to assist those stationed near significant areas such as airfields, refineries, ship builders and ports which manned anti-aircraft weapons such as those in the picture above.
They used binoculars, patrol boats, private airplanes to assist those stationed near significant areas such as airfields, refineries, ship builders and ports which manned anti-aircraft weapons such as those in the picture above.
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COL Mikel J. Burroughs - Mikel; The Aleutian Campaign was an interesting sideshow and its biggest contribution was probably the construction of the Alaska Highway.
A little known sidelight is that when the DoD asked the Canadian government if it would send some RCAF fighters to Alaska to reinforce the USAAF forces in place the Canadian government agreed and almost instantly dispatched a fighter wing to Alaska. Mind you, there was a delay in getting those fighters operational because the US Customs officers demanded that the Canadian government pay duty on the aircraft because they were being "imported" into the United States of America.
My guess is that several miles of telephone wire had to be installed to replace the lines melted during the conversation between DC and Alaska over THAT decision (which was rescinded within 24 hours).
"Civil Servants" - what more can I say?
A little known sidelight is that when the DoD asked the Canadian government if it would send some RCAF fighters to Alaska to reinforce the USAAF forces in place the Canadian government agreed and almost instantly dispatched a fighter wing to Alaska. Mind you, there was a delay in getting those fighters operational because the US Customs officers demanded that the Canadian government pay duty on the aircraft because they were being "imported" into the United States of America.
My guess is that several miles of telephone wire had to be installed to replace the lines melted during the conversation between DC and Alaska over THAT decision (which was rescinded within 24 hours).
"Civil Servants" - what more can I say?
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SSgt Jim Gilmore
I have done a lot of reading on the Aleutians and have a link, http://www.hlswilliwaw.com/aleutians/Shemya/pdf/Shemya-Construction-1943-1945.pdf that is an interesting read. I was TDY to Shemya more than once.
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A lot of people don't know that a zero was shot down in Alaska. It was a plan of Japan to attack the coast and Alaska but had issues with the fueling.
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COL Ted Mc
PO2 Mark Saffell - PO; The "Zero" was hit by small arms fire from the ground and later crash landed because its oil line had been severed. The pilot was killed in the crash. A month after the crash the wrecked aircraft was discovered and recovery operations initiated. As the "Zero" was shipped to Seattle by sea the rumors that it was flown all the way from Alaska to Seattle without being spotted are false. Whether the rumor that the "Zero" was actually slower after its Japanese paint job had been removed and the best possible American paint job applied, is still unsettled.
The largest military action in the Aleutian Campaign was the invasion of Kiska Island by 34,426 Canadian and American troops on 15 AUG 43. There were over 300 casualties in that invasion campaign despite the fact that there were no Japanese forces whatsoever on the island.
The largest military action in the Aleutian Campaign was the invasion of Kiska Island by 34,426 Canadian and American troops on 15 AUG 43. There were over 300 casualties in that invasion campaign despite the fact that there were no Japanese forces whatsoever on the island.
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SN Stacey Werkmeister
I never heard . I was shown a bunker in Long Beach or there abouts. I had no idea that sort of thing even existed in the US It was pretty cool..
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COL Mikel J. Burroughs
SGT Forrest Stewart I had no idea either and there are many that may have not know this as well, except for the "hard-core" history buffs!
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Luckily though the US didn't have to deal with a invasion although I am not sure it would have went all that well for the Japanese had they tried. Today's people should try to be more like the old timers as Americans we are getting to soft.
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There was real concern that the country was going to be divided in 2 half to Germany and half to Japan.
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