The “Aguilas Aztecas” in the War with Japan

Just so people don't think that I only do USA

In March 1942 Mexico declared war on Germany and Japan. This was more than just a gesture of support for the United States in its struggle with the Axis, for Mexican ships had been sunk by enemy action. Nor was the declaration merely a symbolic one, for Mexico ultimately made a valuable, if modest, contribution to the military defeat of the enemy.

With the cooperation of the United States, the Mexican Air Force organized a special air wing of three squadrons.

Squadron	Function
201st	combat
202nd	replacement training
203rd	primary training

Initially The Mexican airmen trained with the famed AT-6. They were subsequently equipped with P-40s, but went into combat after having transitioned to P-47s.

In July 1944 the 201st Squadron (“Aguilas Aztecas” – Aztec Eagles) arrived in the US for advanced flight training in P-47s. Upon completing training, the squadron departed for the Philippines in March 1945. Attached to the 58th Fighter Group, Fifth Air Force, and based at Clark Field on Luzon, the 201st Squadron performed reconnaissance, ground attack, and close air support operations against Japanese forces in the Philippines and on Formosa until August. Shortly before the surrender of Japan the squadron was reassigned to the Thirteenth Air Force and transferred to Okinawa in anticipation of participating in the Invasion of Japan. The squadron was still in Okinawa when Japan surrendered.

The 210th Squadron performed 785 combat sorties during the Philippine Campaign, during which only one man was killed by enemy action, and four others in operational accidents, and others had died in training.

The Aguilas Aztecas returned to Mexico in the autumn of 1945, and were disbanded on November 22nd.

Lend-Lease

During World War II one of the most important American contributions to the Allied war effort was Lend Lease. The program was created because by early 1941 Britain and the other Allied countries were running out of money with which to purchase munitions and other assistance from the United States. As a result, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed an arrangement under which he would be authorized to "lend" military equipment and other materials to nations whose defense he deemed vital to that of the United States. The program was enacted as Public Law 1776 on March 11, 1941, over often hysterical ("This bill will guarantee that every fourth American boy is plowed under!") opposition from isolationist groups ranging from the German-American Bund to the Communist Party, then still faithfully following the Moscow line of friendship with Hitler.

Lend Lease had an enormous impact on the war. Military equipment, foodstuffs, and in some cases cash totalling nearly $51 billion of very uninflated 1940s money was dispensed to nearly 45 countries, including the U.S.S.R. beginning within days of Hitler's invasion, after which the hitherto vigorously isolationist American Communist Party suddenly became just as equally interventionist.

Lend Lease Aid
Country	Sum
Belgium	$ 148,394,457.76
Bolivia	5,633,989.02
British Empire	31,267,240,530.63
Brazil	332,545,226.43
Chile	21,817,478.16
China	1,548,794,965,99
Colombia	7,809,732.58
Costa Rica	155,022.73
Cuba	5,739,133.33
Czechoslovakia	413,398.78
Dominican Republic	1,610,590.38
Ecuador	7,063,079.96
Egypt	1,019,169.14
El Salvador	892,358.28
Ethiopia	5,151,163.25
France	3,207,608,188.75
Greece	75,475,880.30
Guatemala	1,819,403.19
Haiti	1,449,096.40
Honduras	732,358.11
Iceland	4,795,027.90
Iran	4,795,092.50
Iraq	4,144.14
Liberia	6,408,240.13
Mexico	36,287,010.67
Netherlands	230,127,717.63
Nicaragua	872,841.73
Norway	51,524,124.36
Panama	83,555.92
Paraguay	1,933,302.00
Peru	18,525,771.19
Poland	16,934,163.60
Saudi Arabia	17,417,878.70
Turkey	26,640,031.50
U.S.S.R.	11,260,343,603.02
Uruguay	7,148,610.13
Venezuela	4,336,079.35
Yugoslavia	32,026,355.58
Total Payments	$48,361,210,768.24
Other Expenditures	2,578,827,000.00
Grand Total	$50,940,037,768.24
Note: "Other Expenditures" includes materials not charged to the recipient nations, including goods lost in shipment, items consumed by American forces, and administrative costs

In terms of 2002 dollars, the $51 billion expended through Lend Lease is roughly the equivelent of some $800 billion.

The range of materials covered by Lend Lease was extraordinary. Russia, for example, received over 430,000 trucks, nearly 7,000 fighters, and over 340,000 field telephones, as well as samples of unusual equipment such as the M?1 rifle, the T?10 heavy tank, and the B?17, not to mention a lot of gold braid, which was found useful in raising the morale of Red Army officers (who wore it) and men (who saluted it.)

Several countries provided the U.S. with what was termed "reverse lend-lease," goods and equipment not readily available, a category including everything from uranium ore to cheese. The total value of this was about $10 billion, leaving a deficit of about $41 billion. It is, however, worth recalling that virtually all the money involved was actually spent in the U.S. Some one owes us a whole lot of money.

David Bushnell’s American Turtle

David Bushnell (1740-1824), of Connecticut, began experimenting with the possibility of underwater explosions while attending Yale, 1771-1775, and created a viable device using a waterproof keg and a clock. He then set about building a submarine, on the Connecticut River.

Completed in early 1776, Bushnells’ American Turtle consisted of two large wooden demi-hemispheres built of shaped oak staves, caulked with cork, joined by iron bands, and with the hull tarred, which formed an enclosed vessel of about six feet by seven. It had a hatch and eight small windows in little conning tower. The vessel had a rudder, and two short, hand cranked screw propellors, one for vertical and one for horizontal movement. There were two brass schnorkles, one for intake and one for exhaust, which could be sealed, leaving the operator 30 minutes of air when completely submerged. There was 900 pounds of lead ballast, of which 200 pounds could be detached for buoyancy. For navigation underwater, the operator had a compass and a barometer both rimmed with phosphorus to aid visibility.

An iron auger bit that could be worked from inside the vessel wasa intended to be used to affix a screw against the hull of an enemy ship. A rope attached to the screw extended to the mine, which could then be released from its storage site on the “back” of the vessel, which simultaneously activated the clockwork mechanism, and left the mine floating against the hull of the enemy ship.

Initially intended for use against the British fleet in Boston Harbor, the American Turtle was not ready before the British evacuated Boston in March of 1776. However, with the British landing on Staten Island later that summer, Bushnell convinced Benjamin Franklin and George Washington that he should be given a chance to try his device.

An intial effort against a ship anchored in the Narrows failed because neither Bushnell nor his brother were strong enough to maneuver the vessel. Sgt. Ezra Lee of the Connecticut was chosen to be the pilot, and shortly after midnight on September 7, 1776, attempted to attack HMS Eagle, 64, the flagship of Admiral Richard Howe, off South Ferry, New York. This effort failed because the screw mechanism was unable to penetrate the ship’s copper sheathing.

As he returned to Manhattan, Lee cast off the mine, which exploded harmlessly about an hour later, leading the British to cut their cables so that their could drift down the bay to avoid danger.

When Washington evacuated Manhattan, the American Turtle was hauled to safety. Several other attempts were made to use the vessel, none successful, although an attack on HMS Cerberus in 1777 off New London did result in the destruction of a schooner. The ultimate fate of the American Turtle is unknown

So Why Does a Lieutenant General Outrank a Major General?

Well, it's a bit complicated.

Aside from a few men to guard the royal person and some critical castles, prior to the fifteenth century most countries did not have standing armies. When war came, the king would call for troops, often using a combination of feudal levies, paid contractors, and mercenaries, who were often feudal lords commanding their own vassals. But in the late fifteenth century the kings of France and of the Spains began keeping a larger body of troops on the royal payroll even in peacetime, primarily to preserve internal order.

These were organized into "companies" of vaguely similar size, each of which was commanded by a "captain," a word deriving from the Latin and meaning essential "head." Assisting the captain was a lieutenant, deriving through French from the Latin locum tenens, which means "in place of the holder [of command]." Now since these companies were initially composed of mounted troops -- men-at-arms -- the individual soldiers were all "serjeants," essentially unknighted knights. So the next lowest ranking man in the company was the "sergeant major."

When an army was needed, a bunch of the companies was ordered to report to an officer appointed as the "captain general," who would command them in action. Of course with so many individual companies under his command, the captain general had a lot to do. So early in the sixteenth century, King Ferdinand of Spain (Columbus' friend), grouped batches of ten companies into colunelas --columns -- under a capitan de colulnela, thus creating the first regiments. He also created the basis for the modern rank structure The colunelas worked pretty well in combat, as the captain general now had a lot fewer subordinates to deal with. Within his colunela the capitan de colunela -- the "colonel" -- had several subordinates, notably a teniente de colunela and a sergente mayor de colunela. And within his army, the captain general also had some subordinates, a teniente general and a sergente mayor general.

On each level, the role of the officers was the same:

Rank (in Spanish)	Assignment
capitan, capitan di colunela, capitan general	The commanding officer
teniente, teniente di colunela, teniente general	Deputy commander
sergente mayor, sergente mayor di colunela, sergente mayor general	Management of the troops

With changes in spelling to account for language differences, the Spanish usage spread to the other armies in Europe. And it from these roots that modern rank structure developed.

Evolution of the Rank Structure
Original Spanish	Modern English
capitan general	general
teniente general	lieutenant general
sergente mayor general	major general
capitan di colunela	colonel
teniente di colunela	lieutenant colonel
sergente mayor di colunela	major
capitan	captain
teniente	lieutenant
sergente mayor	sergeant major

There are, of course, some other ranks. The differentiation between first lieutenant and second lieutenants -- and in some armies even third lieutenants -- was an evolutionary matter. The brigadier general is named after a non-commissioned officer rank found in some Latin armies, the brigada or brigadier , who was the principal subordinate of the sergeant major. It seemed reasonable to call the commander of a group of regiments by this title because he would be directly subordinate to the sergeant major general of the army. Eventually, of course, the commander's title became the name of his command, the brigade. In German and Russian usage there is a "colonel general." But these armies lack a grade between colonel and major general, so the colonel general actually ranks with a full general.

Gulf War Beta version

A totalitarian dictator of a Muslim nation kills hundreds of thousands while spending his nation's resources building a palace of mind-boggling size.
European powers toady to a Muslim tyrant who projects his power in provocative ways, preferring to pay him off and do business rather than take action against him - even though they have enough military power to do so.
The American president authorizes a mission to install a friendly government in a hostile Muslim country.
Sleazy French agents undermine the mission and warn the dictator.
An American diplomat whose marriage keeps him well connected scorns the idea that a government friendly to America can be established – or a military mission can succeed – then sets about to cause appeasement and containment.
Marines are left hanging without support in unfriendly territory after a spectacular military success.
Americans take the lead in stopping nation-sponsored terrorism in the Middle East, while the Europeans maintain a safe distance, becoming involved only in mop-up operations and peace negotiations.
If you suppose this scenario was taken from recent headlines, think again. Some are the main elements of a nearly 300-year old story, others from America's first shooting war during the Thomas Jefferson administration.

• Jefferson became president in 1801 he refused to accede to Tripoli's demands for an immediate payment of $225,000 and an annual payment of $25,000.

• May of 1801, the Corsairs of Tripoli became restless and declared war on the United States,

• The Americans cruised the Mediterranean, evacuating American merchantmen and winning several engagements with the Corsairs.

• The American show of force quickly awed Tunis and Algiers into breaking their alliance with Tripoli.

• Sweden declared war on the Tripolitans

• The combined fleet of Swedish and American, and infrequently Danish, ships was unwilling to bombard the city until early 1802

• President Jefferson ordered that the war be pursued with greater vigor.

• Sweden made peace that year

• Early 1803, an accidental explosion aboard an American ship killed nineteen men.

• May of that year, a large squadron of American warships was assembled and proceeded to Tripoli to destroy the Corsairs' fleet entirely Large guns protected the anchored fleet, but marines landed close to the walls of the city to set fire to many of the docked ships as they were pelted with stones from the town’s inhabitants.

• October of that year, a large U.S. man-of-war, Philadelphia, gave chase to a Corsair ship trying to break the blockade, but was lured into an uncharted reef. The ship was paralyzed and overtaken and put into the service of the pirates.

• February, eight marines sailed a small merchant vessel alongside the anchored Philadelphia, killed twenty Corsairs, and destroyed the warship without any loss of life of their own side.

• The aggressive action of Commodore Edward Preble (1803-4) forced Morocco out of the fight and his five bombardments of Tripoli restored some order to the Mediterranean.

• 1804, the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies declared war on Tripoli, lending a number of small, maneuverable gunboats that were thought to be helpful in subduing the pirates.

• August 3, the American-led force began an all-out attack, sailing into the harbor and bombarding the city at direct range The Americans aboard the smaller gunboats decided to counter the pirates' standard technique and approached the enemy ships fast, boarding them and engaging in hand to hand combat. After destroying much of the town's fortifications, several gunboats, and a large mosque, the squadron withdrew.

• A small force of marines was sent to Alexandria, Egypt, to locate the original hereditary ruler of Tripoli, with the intent of restoring him to the throne.

finding him, they raised a mercenary army of Arabs and Greeks

began a several hundred-mile march towards Tripoli from the land.

• After a difficult march across the Libyan Desert and a bloody victory in the outlying town of Derne, the marines were informed by messenger that the war was over.

• The humiliating loss of the frigate Philadelphia and the capture of her captain and crew in Tripoli in 1803, criticism from his political opponents, and even opposition within his own cabinet did not deter Jefferson from his chosen course during four years of war.

• In fact, it was not until the second war with Algiers, in 1815, that naval victories by Commodores William Bainbridge and Stephen Decatur led to treaties ending all tribute payments by the United States. European nations continued annual payments until the 1830s.

http://hnn.us/articles/287.html

http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/17128.html

http://www.hnn.us/roundup/comments/26846.html

Marine Corps Martial Art Program

This is a good read about the Marine Corp Martial Art Program, goes over what belts are available and what you need to get them, along with some history
MCMAP

Rank structure

This is a very interesting read, the article goes over rank, and the history of that rank. It also delves into Feudal rank a must read.
check it out

Rank Stucture

Iraq as long as WWII

It has been reported that we have now been in Iraq as long as we were in WWII. While this is true on a base level, it seems that every one tends to forget that we have been in Germany for 64 years.
At first it was to "liberate", then for the next 15 years (give or take) we were there to stabilize the country. From then till the mid 90's we were in Germany to protect them from their evil neighbors, but now we are there t0 uhm..... (Well we have just been there for so long nobody cares any more)
I guess my point is that if you are going to count the occupation and the subsequent stabilization as the whole war I am a WWII vet. Not only a WWII vet but I am also a Spanish American war Vet, as we were still occupying the Philippines. That we are still there, and should we still be there is not the point of this post. I just want apples to apples.

Michigan vs. Ohio

Today is the big game, said by some to be the game of the century. Why the big rivalry between Michigan & Ohio. It all goes back to the Toledo war (1835-1836). In 1787 the Northwest Ordinance declared that the north/south border of three of the future states would be "an east and west line drawn through the southerly bend or extreme of Lake Michigan."

When Ohio became a state their constitution set the northern border as "an east and west line drawn through the southern extreme of Lake Michigan, running east...until it shall intersect Lake Erie or the territorial line [with Canada]; thence with the same, through Lake Erie to the Pennsylvania line aforesaid." This in effect stole the port of Miami (later to be called Toledo) from the territory of Michigan. When Congress finally got around to having it surveyed they hired former Ohio Governor Edward Tiffen, who at no surprised surveyed the line in accordance with the Ohio Constitution and not the Northwest Ordinance. Michigan was forced to pay for a new survey that found the Ohio border to be below the mouth of the Maumee River. This disputed area became known as the Toledo strip. This area was and still is a commercially important area.Ohio refused to cede its claim, Michigan quietly occupied it for the next several years, setting up local governments, building roads, and collecting taxes throughout the area.

After some laws passed by both sides with Ohio making the disputed area Lucas County and Michigan passing a law that made it a criminal offense for Ohio to carry out governmental actions in the Strip, under penalty of a fine up to $1,000 and/or up to five years imprisonment at hard labor. Michigan occupied Toledo with 1000 troops while Ohio was able to field 600 troops.

In a attempt to prevent armed battle President Jackson stepped in. Being Ohio was already a state, and he needed the votes Jackson sided with Ohio. (They voted Whig that year and he lost the re-election)On June 15, 1836, Jackson signed a bill that allowed Michigan to become a state, but only after it ceded the Toledo Strip. In exchange for this concession, Michigan would be granted the western three-quarters of the Upper Peninsula (the easternmost portion had already been included in the state boundaries). Michigan promptly rejected this, but due to financial hardships accepted this on December 14, 1836. Michigan picked up the rest of the Upper peninsula although it was deemed worthless at the time and Ohio gained the Toledo strip.

The latest adjustment in the border happened in 1915, and in 1973 Michigan lost half of Turtle Island to Ohio.

Michigan has never signed a peace agreement with Ohio. The war is still on and we want our land back with monies lost, The Upper Peninsula would have still came to Michigan as 1/3 of it was already part of our territory. Unlike Ohio,Michigan still has a Militia that we can send to defend our territory, after all they have defended us from evil Canada all these years.

USMC returns to China

According to CCTV 9 China's english tv station Marines from the USS Juneau conducted a competition with the Chinese Marines including obstical course and markmanship. The Chinese Marines fared very well. I have tried to find the clip but as of yet no luck. If I do find it I will post.

Marine Posters

http://www.bluejacket.com/usmc_posters.html

This is a cool site with Marine Posters starting during the Civil War

USMC Farewell

This is a very well done tribute to fallen Marines. It isn't something that I would normally post or pass on but it is very good, althoug kind of sad at the same time.

Semper Fi

http://www.pcsuccess.us/yrg/farewellmarine_final.swf

Veterans Day

Yes its veterans day. The day to give thanks to the veterans that have servered their country

Thank you

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARINE

Happy Birthday Marine

#231

It seems like only yesterday on 10 November 1775 ,
that the Marine Corps was born

Birthed in a Tavern
A Idea
A Brotherhood

Did they know on that cold November
The very name
United States Marine
would strike fear in the bad guys heart

A name that could strike fear
Would ever sound sound so sweet
to the ears of one held in Captivitey
United States Marine
We're here to get you out

No job to big
No job to small
All done on a shoe string buget

It is not the rifle
Nor is the big guns
Not the tanks running over the crunchies
That make the Marines
That pierces the breath
of those who would oppose us

It is the heart
of the Marine behind
the rifle
and the heart of the Marines
that came before

Happy Birthday

Iraq Casualties

There has been a lot of talk about excessive casualties of the US troops in Iraq, and more precisely the deaths of our US troop. I thought that I would put my input on the subject

As of 9/11/2006 according to the DOD 1.3 million troops have served
As of 11/7/2006 US serviceman deaths including sickness accident and misc was 2832

This number include a %20 non combat related deaths (617 deaths)

This brings the death rate percentage to a grand total of 0.00219

Subtract the noncombat deaths and you get a total of 0.00170

In 2003 US death caused by accidents was 3.64

109,277 deaths

US death caused by transportation accidents was 1.60

48,071 deaths

these stats are from national saftey council and can be view at http://www.nsc.org/lrs/statinfo/odds.htm

I used 300 million people living in the USA although we didn't officially reach this number until 10/06

Going on these numbers its safer in Iraq

To put these numbers in respect to Vietnam as many people like to compare Iraq war to Vietnam

US Troop served in Vietnam 8.7 million troops

US deaths in Vietnam 58,000

This puts deaths at 6.66 (nice number)

http://www.heritage.org/Research/NationalSecurity/bg1954.cfm

I guess my point is as President if I was told that going to war would result any where near the death rate we have seen during Gulf War II, the question of should we go to war or not would be a whole lot easier.

It is also said that We only entered into war because of Oil. This may be so or not, however WWII was also about oil. Japan declared war on us only because we cut them off from oil. Germany declared war on us because we declared war on Japan.

You would be hard pressed to find a war not based on economics. Be it from expansion of territory, seizing a key area to better defend your assets. or elimating a threat to your assets.

It is possible to find wars fought out of pure Hate for the other side or because Paris stole your woman (Troy) I would put forth that these wars are by far less noble than expanding your $

pics are gone

I lost my pics for some reason. I don't know why but we will figure it out. We will try a new pic, and a little French bashing

Blogger beta

Well I just switched over to the new improved beta version we will see how that works. There might be some good changes or not. Time will tell.

The question was raised what is this blog site about. Truth betold I had not thought about it. I was digging around on the google site and decided, hey lets do a blog. The over all theme will end up being on the military both present and past, USA military affairs and others. There will be other post on other subject, as I spought off at the mouth with my self percieved wisdom.
The thought had crossed my mind that once you have served, your path is for ever dominated by your time in. On second thought I think that maybe you were already on that path that is why you joined in the first place. I belive this to be especially true for Marines.

A couple of pic of my old USMC unit in Iraq and coming home

Sunset Humvee

I took this pic from www.grunt.com a great source for USMC stuff. Any thing from bages and medals to clothing.

test

this is a test of the emergency blog network
In an event of an actual emergency please place tray in a upright position and put your head between your knees