Podcasts about USS Lexington

In this special Memorial Day episode of the Say What Again Billy? podcast, Joey and Billy dive into three chilling ghost stories tied to the holiday weekend. From the haunted grounds of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, to the eerie Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, and finally to the ghostly decks of the USS Lexington, the boys break down these spine-tingling tales and offer their signature take—part spooky, part thoughtful. It's been a little while, but they're back with another hauntingly good episode. Tune in and enjoy the Memorial Day special!

Hey Boos, join us today as we discuss the ghosts of the USS Lexington in Corpus Christi, Texas! Before we get into that, we discuss our thoughts on Smile 2 and we also briefly talk about Wicked. Then we get into the history of the Lexington, the ghost stories, and the pop culture surrounding it. For our Boo Crew Moment of the Week, Bobby shares ten creepy short horror stories. We would love to interact with you, send us an email or DM us on Instagram or Facebook! Follow us on Instagram - boo.busters.podcast Follow us on Facebook - Boo Busters Podcast Follow us on TikTok - Boo Busters Email us - boo.busters.podcast@gmail.com --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/boo-busters/support

Last time we spoke about the advance to Ormoc Valley. As October 1944 unfolded in the Leyte campaign, American forces steadily pushed Japanese troops inland. Despite fierce resistance, they captured key positions, like Dagami, Catmon Hill, and multiple airstrips. While the Japanese reinforced areas like Ormoc, American regiments advanced through challenging conditions, relying on artillery amid minimal air support due to weather and resource constraints. By month's end, American forces had inflicted heavy casualties on the Japanese, securing vital beachheads and pushing closer to full control of Leyte. After suffering losses at Leyte Gulf, the 7th Fleet withdrew, leaving Kenney's P-38s to defend Tacloban airfields amid Japanese air raids. As kamikaze attacks grew, USS Franklin sustained heavy casualties, while the Americans pressed forward, capturing Carigara on Leyte. Meanwhile, Australian forces began reclaiming New Britain, pushing Japanese forces back through guerilla warfare. Facing tough jungle conditions, Australian and native troops gradually secured strategic positions by December, reinforcing the Allied grip in the Pacific. This episode is the Battle of Ormoc Bay Welcome to the Pacific War Podcast Week by Week, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about world war two? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on world war two and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel you can find a few videos all the way from the Opium Wars of the 1800's until the end of the Pacific War in 1945.  As we have seen over the past few weeks, the Battle of Leyte Gulf saw Generals MacArthur's forces land and successfully defeat the 16th Division of Leyte Island as well as seized Carigara and Pinamopoan over the northern coast. The 24th Division also engaged the enemy's reinforcements, centred around the elite 1st Division during the battle for the northern entrance into the Ormoc Valley. Meanwhile Admiral Okawachi and General Yamashita aimed to bring more reinforcements to Leyte which would lead to another air-naval battle. The previous week, Colonel Verbeck's 21st Regiment was engaged in a mission to capture Breakneck Ridge, fiercely defended by Colonel Miyauchi's 57th Regiment. Simultaneously, General Kataoka mobilized his remaining two regiments to initiate a broad, four-pronged assault on the Pinamopoan perimeter. However, the rugged terrain slowed their movement toward assembly areas. On the morning of November 8 a typhoon, moving in from the west, swept over the entire island of Leyte. Jan Valtin, a member of the 24th Division, graphically describes it: "From the angry immensity of the heavens floods raced in almost horizontal sheets. Palms bent low under the storm, their fronds flattened like streamers of wet silk. Trees crashed to earth. In the expanse of… [cogon] grass the howling of the wind was like a thousand-fold plaint of the unburied dead. The trickle of supplies was at a standstill. On Carigara Bay the obscured headlands moaned under the onslaught of the… seas. Planes were grounded and ships became haunted things looking for refuge. Massed artillery… barrages to the summit of Breakneck Ridge sounded dim and hollow in the tempest. Trails were obliterated by the rain. The sky was black." In the midst of the storm, the 21st's infantry attacked. As the typhoon swept across the island, Verbeck's forces launched a three-pronged assault on Breakneck Ridge and Hill 1525, facing staunch resistance from Miyauchi's defenders but making considerable progress toward Hill 1525. Notably, plans for General Suzuki's offensive were found on a deceased Japanese officer, enabling General Krueger to redeploy his forces effectively. On 10 November General Mudge sent elements of the 1st Cavalry Division to patrol the area of the mountains of central Leyte extensively. From 5 November through 2 December, elements of the 1st Cavalry Division extensively patrolled the central mountain area and had many encounters with small forces of the enemy. At all times the supply situation was precarious. The 12th Cavalry established high in the foothills, at the entrance to the passes through the mountains, a supply base that was also a native camp, a hospital, and a rest camp. About 300 Filipino carriers were kept here under the protection of the guerrillas. The carriers had been hired for six days at a time and were not allowed to leave without a pass from their Filipino leader. This precaution was necessary, since the ration-carrying assignment was extremely arduous. The cavalrymen would frequently skirmish with the 41st Regiment and the 169th and 171st Independent Battalions during this period. Brigadier-General Julian Cunningham's 112th Cavalry Regiment, expected by November 14, was tasked with relieving General Mudge's 1st Cavalry Division in the Carigara-Barugo area to enable a southwest advance from the central mountains and ease pressure on General Irving's 24th Division.  General Bradley's 96th Division was directed to capture the high ground between Jaro and Dagami, with the 382nd Regiment remaining at Dagami to inflict significant losses on the 16th Division while securing Bloody Ridge. By November 4, the 382nd Regiment had made some progress into Bloody Ridge. The night of 4-5 November was not quiet. The Japanese delivered harassing fire on the 1st Battalion, and at 2205 elements of the 16th Division launched a heavy assault against the perimeter of the 2d Battalion. An artillery concentration immediately stopped the attack, and the Japanese fled, leaving 254 dead and wounded behind them. The following morning, after the artillery had fired a preparation in front of the 1st and 2d Battalions, the two battalions renewed the attack at 0900 and two companies from the 3d Battalion protected the regimental left (south) flank. The battalions advanced about 1,000 yards before they encountered any strong resistance. The defenses of the 16th Division consisted of a great many concrete emplacements, concealed spider holes, and connecting trenches. By nightfall, at 1700, the two battalions, assisted by the tanks from Company A, 763d Tank Battalion, successfully reduced the enemy to their front and captured the ridge. Each battalion formed its own perimeter and made plans to renew the attack on 6 November. At 0830 the 1st Battalion, with light tanks in support, moved out in the attack westward against a strong enemy force that was well entrenched in foxholes and pillboxes. Each of these defensive positions had to be reduced before the advance could continue. At 1300 the 2d Battalion moved to the high ground on the right flank of the 1st. The 1st Battalion encountered a strong concrete enemy pillbox which was believed to be a command post, since there were no firing apertures. As grenades had no effect it became necessary finally to neutralize the pillbox by pouring gasoline down the ventilation pipes and setting it afire. Two officers and nineteen enlisted men of the enemy were killed in the pillbox. The Japanese continued to fight tenaciously. There was no withdrawal, but by the end of the day only isolated pockets of enemy resistance remained. The Japanese 16th Division was taking a bad beating. Its supply of provisions had run out. All the battalion commanders, most of the company commanders, and half the artillery battalion and battery commanders had been killed. On the night of 6 November the 16th Division contracted its battle lines and on the following day took up a new position in the Dagami area. The new position ranged from a hill about four and a half miles northwest of Dagami to a point about three and three-fourths miles northwest of Burauen. On 7 November all three battalions of the 382d Infantry engaged the enemy and maintained constant pressure against his positions. The 1st and 3d Battalions advanced west, while the 2d Battalion drove north and west. The 3d Battalion encountered -the more determined resistance. Advancing, preceded by tanks, it met heavy enemy machine gun and rifle fire. A large enemy force assaulted the troops at close quarters and tried to destroy the tanks, but when the 382d Infantry introduced flamethrowers and supporting machine guns, the attackers fell back in disorder. The regiment overran the Japanese defensive positions and killed an estimated 474 of the enemy. Company E of the 2d Battalion had remained in the Patok area, engaged in patrolling and wiping out isolated pockets of enemy resistance. On 8 November strong patrols from the 1st and 2d Battalions probed west into the hills. They encountered the left flank of the enemy supporting position at a point about 2,600 yards west of Patok. A very heavy rainfall on the night of 8-9 November made an assault against the position impossible on 9 November. After all-night artillery fire, the 1st and 3d Battalions moved out at 0900 on 10 November. They met no resistance, but progress was slow because of the swamps. By 1225 the two battalions, supported by a platoon of light tanks, occupied the ridge formerly held by elements of the 16th Division. The 1st Battalion had advanced 2,500 yards. The 382d Infantry had destroyed all organized enemy resistance in its sector and removed the threat to Dagami.  Meanwhile, General Arnold's 7th Division stationed at the Burauen-Abuyog area began sending patrols from Baybay toward Ormoc to prepare for a larger advance, while the 2nd Battalion, 32nd Regiment moved to Baybay, successfully ambushing the Japanese unit advancing to Abuyog. Concurrently, Okawachi sent his fourth convoy from Manila, consisting of three transports, four frigates, and six destroyers under Admiral Kimura. This convoy carried the bulk of General Yamagata's 26th Division and approximately 3,500 tons of supplies, followed by another echelon of three transports with the remainder of the 1st Division. The echelon reached Ormoc the next day, unloaded successfully, and departed without issue. However, the main convoy encountered air attacks as it approached Ormoc Bay, beginning its debarkation by nightfall. On 10 November the 38th Bomb Group, based on Morotai, sent 32 B-25 Mitchells escorted by 37 P-47 Thunderbolts to attack TA-4 near Ponson Island. Reaching the convoy just before noon, the B-25s attacked at minimum altitude in pairs, sinking the two largest transports, Takatsu Maru and Kashii Maru, disabling a third, and sinking two of the patrol craft escorts at a cost of seven bombers, for which the group was awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation. Although Yamagata's troops were finally ashore by November 10, most of the supplies couldn't be unloaded due to ongoing enemy air attacks. Shortly after leaving Ormoc, American planes intercepted the convoy, destroying two transports and one frigate, while further damaging another frigate and a destroyer. Meanwhile, Okawachi dispatched a third convoy, consisting of five transports, a submarine chaser, and five destroyers under Rear Admiral Hayakawa Mikio, transporting special troops and heavy equipment of the 26th Division. When one transport ran aground on Luzon's Bondoc Peninsula, Kimura sent two frigates and three destroyers to transfer its cargo to Ormoc. As a result, Hayakawa's convoy arrived at Ormoc Bay on November 11 and began unloading. However, ULTRA intercepts had detected the enemy convoy departing Manila, prompting Admiral Halsey to redeploy Task Force 38 under Admiral McCain. While under repair at Manila on 29 October, Nachi and Kumano were attacked by aircraft from USN Task Force 38. Nachi was hit by a single bomb to her aircraft deck, and this, as well as strafing attacks, killed 53 crewmen and further delayed repairs. On 5 November, again in Manila Bay, Nachi was attacked by three waves of U.S. planes from the aircraft carriers USS Lexington and Ticonderoga. She escaped the first wave undamaged, but was hit by five bombs and two or three torpedoes in the second wave while attempting to get underway. During the third wave, Nachi was hit by five torpedoes in her port side, which severed her bow and stern, and by an additional 20 bombs and 16 rockets. Nachi's flag commander, Vice Admiral Kiyohide Shima, was ashore for a conference at the time of the attack, but arrived at dockside in time to see his flagship blown apart. The central portion of the vessel sank in 102 feet (31 m) of water about 12 nautical miles (22 km) northeast of Corregidor. McCain launched an attack on Kimura's convoy. Just as unloading began, 347 planes struck, sinking all four transports and four destroyers, including the flagship Shimakaze, on which Hayakawa lost his life. This costly reinforcement operation thus ended in partial failure, with most equipment lost and over 1,500 casualties. Nevertheless, elements of the 1st Division moved immediately toward the Limon area, while Yamagata's units, though short on weaponry, were ordered to assemble at Dolores to prepare for joining the Imahori Detachment at Daro. At the same time, noticing the rapid advance of the enemy into the Carigara area, Yamashita concluded that Suzuki's proposed offensive toward Tacloban was destined for failure. He ordered the main force of the 35th Army to join the 16th Division in the advantageous mountainous positions of the Burauen-Dagami area to regain control of the recently captured airstrips, thereby limiting operations in the Carigara area to a holding action. Concurrently, as this adjustment to the tactical plan was made, Yamashita communicated his growing belief that the overall situation offered little hope for victory on Leyte and unsuccessfully tried to persuade General Terauchi to shift the decisive battle to Luzon. As a result of Terauchi's decision, the 68th Brigade was still to be sent to Leyte; the 23rd Division was scheduled to go to Manila in mid-November before returning to Leyte; and the 10th and 19th Divisions were planned for movement to the island by the end of the year. With the plans finalized for continuing the decisive battle on Leyte, Terauchi's headquarters departed Manila for Saigon on November 17. Back on Leyte, on November 9, the weary, mud-stained troops of the 21st Regiment launched another attack, with the 3rd Battalion assaulting the center of Breakneck Ridge and the 2nd Battalion targeting OP Hill, though they made only minor gains. Additionally, Verbeck's 1st Battalion attacked Limon but was repelled by heavy enemy fire, and fresh Japanese troops subsequently counterattacked the Hill 1525 position, forcing the Americans to retreat. Finally, Colonel Chapman's 2nd Battalion reached the western slopes of Hill 1525 in the afternoon, but it was too late for them to take part in the battle. On November 10, Verbeck continued his assault, successfully capturing OP Hill and making significant headway in the area. At the same time, Chapman's 2nd Battalion began advancing westward to establish a roadblock on Highway 2, approximately 2000 yards south of Limon. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Clifford's 1st Battalion of the 34th Regiment landed on the western shore of Carigara Bay and initiated a wide envelopment around the western flank of the 57th Regiment to secure the high ground known as Kilay Ridge. Additionally, Mudge's cavalrymen pressed forward toward Mount Minoro. On this day, Yamashita's adjustments to the tactical plan finally reached Suzuki's headquarters. As a result, Suzuki abandoned his initial strategy and directed Yamagata to move his troops quickly to Albuera to prepare for an offensive eastward, dubbed Operation Wa. To replace the 26th Division in upcoming operations on the Jaro front, Suzuki decided to deploy the 30th Division, which had not yet departed Mindanao, instructing them to land at Ipil and prepare to support the Imahori Detachment, already skirmishing with Bradley's patrols. On November 11, following a heavy artillery barrage, Verbeck resumed his assault, although the 2nd Battalion quickly found itself pinned down, while the 1st Battalion successfully secured a ridge 300 yards southwest of OP Hill. The next morning, the 1st and 3rd Battalions advanced against the crest of Breakneck Ridge, successfully capturing the objective before being halted by Japanese artillery fire. At the same time, Chapman's 2nd Battalion reached Highway 2, and Clifford's 1st Battalion, supported by elements of the guerrilla 96th Regiment, arrived in the Cabiranan area. By November 13, Verbeck's 1st and 2nd Battalions advanced 600 and 400 yards, respectively, without encountering opposition. Breakneck Ridge was secured, although the Japanese maintained control over several nearby spurs, particularly Corkscrew Ridge. Nonetheless, the 21st Regiment reported approximately 1,779 Japanese soldiers killed, suffering 630 casualties in the process. Additionally, Clifford's 1st Battalion successfully reached Kilay Ridge undetected and quickly established defensive positions. At 0855 on 13 November a column of Filipino men, women, and children entered the perimeter and brought approximately thirty-five boxes of rations from Consuegra. The battalion left the area at 0930 and reached the ridge without opposition. Trenches and prepared gun positions without a man in them honeycombed the ridge from one end to the other. It was evident that elements of the 1st Division had intended to occupy the area in the latter stages of the battle for Limon. On 14 November Colonel Clifford ordered his battalion to entrench itself along the ridge in positions that would afford the best tactical advantage. The battalion established strong points and observation posts on the knolls, placed blocks on the trails leading through the area, and sent out reconnaissance patrols to locate enemy positions. Colonel Clifford made arrangements to utilize the Filipinos as carriers. These men were to use a trail on the north end of the ridge and bring supplies to the battalion from a supply dump at Consuegra. The first human pack train arrived in the area at 1010 with twenty-eight cases of rations and a supply of batteries for the radios. At 1125 enemy artillery shelled the southern end of the ridge and twenty minutes later shifted its fire to the Limon area. The battalion did not succeed in establishing physical contact with the 2d Battalion, 19th Infantry, which was operating east of the road, but it was able to make radio contact. Throughout the day, patrols of the battalion were active in searching out enemy positions. Meanwhile the 112th Cavalry was landed at Carigara and attached to the 1st Cavalry Division to strengthen the assault on the central Leyte mountains. Meanwhile, the reserve 32nd Division, led by Major-General William Gill, was also dispatched to the island to relieve the fatigued 24th Division. This newly arrived division was assigned the mission of capturing Limon and advancing down the Ormoc Valley toward Ormoc. On the Japanese side, after receiving the rest of his division, Kataoka chose to move the 1st Regiment to the left flank to assist the 57th, which had also been bolstered by two fresh battalions. This combined force aimed to launch an attack along the main road toward Pinamopoan while the 49th Regiment and the 171st Independent Battalion sought to envelop the enemy's left flank toward Colasian. By mid-November, the headquarters of the 102nd Division and most of the 364th Independent Battalion had also arrived in Ormoc, with Lieutenant-General Fukei Shinpei taking command of the 41st Regiment and his other battalions on the island as they advanced toward Mount Pina. Furthermore, despite significant losses to enemy aircraft, five air regiments had reinforced the 4th Air Army, enabling General Tominaga to make the 4th Air Division fully operational, a unit that had previously focused solely on base activities and anti-submarine patrols. The replenishment of naval air strength was progressing well, with replacement aircraft for the 1st Combined Base Air Force outnumbering losses by 26% in November. On November 15, the Combined Fleet opted to cease training carrier air groups and instead focus on expanding the base air forces. The 3rd Air Fleet, stationed in the homeland, was tasked with training replacement units for deployment to the Philippines. Due to the successful reinforcement of Japanese air forces in the Philippines and General Kenney's ongoing inability to provide close air support, Halsey once again directed Task Force 38 to attack enemy airbases on Luzon. On November 13 and 14, McCain's carriers conducted several strikes against Japanese airfields in Luzon, resulting in a significant decrease in enemy air operations over Leyte. On 13 November 1944, on the threat of American carrier strikes on Luzon, Kiso was ordered to return to Brunei that evening carrying Vice Admiral Kiyohide Shima. Before she could leave for Brunei, she was attacked on 13 November while underway in Manila Bay by more than 350 carrier planes of Task Force 38's carrier task groups 38.1's Hornet, Monterey and Cowpens, TG 38.3's Essex, Ticonderoga and Langley and TG 38.4's Enterprise and San Jacinto. Three bombs hit Kiso to starboard - one in the bow, one near her boiler rooms and one near her aft gun mounts. Kiso sank in shallow water 13 kilometres (7.0 nmi; 8.1 mi) west of Cavite. Captain Ryonosuke Imamura and 103 of her crew survived, but 175 crewmen went down with the ship. Akebono, while alongside destroyer Akishimo at Cavite pier near Manila, was attacked in a USAAF air raid. A direct bomb hit set both ships ablaze, and the following day a large explosion on Akishimo blew a hole in Akebono, which sank upright in shallow water, with 48 crewmen killed and 43 wounded. After returning to Manila, Hatsuharu was caught in an air raid in Manila Bay. A series of near misses buckled plates and set fires, causing the ship to sink in shallow water. The attack killed 12 crewmen and injured 60 more, but 218 survived. Several other vessels were also sunk. Meanwhile, on November 14, the Hi-81 convoy, comprising the escort carriers Shinyo and Akitsu Maru, destroyer Kashi, seaplane tender Kiyokawa Maru, submarine chaser No. 156, seven escort ships, five oilers, and three transports, left Imari Bay under Rear-Admiral Sato Tsutomu. The convoy carried most of Lieutenant-General Nishiyama Fukutaro's 23rd Division and headed into the Yellow Sea, wary of enemy submarines. After stopping for the night in Ukishima Channel near the Gotō Islands, Sato's convoy resumed its journey on November 15 but was soon ambushed by two submarine wolfpacks. Commander Charles Loughlin's submarines were the first to strike, successfully hitting the Akitsu Maru with two torpedoes, which later sank, resulting in the loss of 2,046 lives, including most of the 64th Regiment. After the attack, Sato withdrew to Strange Island, located off the coast of Korea, to take refuge for the day. On the morning of November 17, the convoy resumed its journey but was soon detected by a B-29 Superfortress as it made its way toward the Shushan Islands. By late afternoon, Commander Gordon Underwood's submarines launched an assault on the Japanese ships, successfully striking the transport vessel Mayasan Maru, which sank quickly, resulting in the loss of 3,437 men, including most of the 72nd Regiment. Almost twelve hours later 200 kilometers off Saishu Island, Spadefish surfaced and attacked the Shinyo with six torpedoes. Four struck the carrier on the starboard at 11:03 pm, and it caught fire. At least 1,130 Japanese sailors went down with their ship; only about seventy survived, including Ishii. Kashi immediately dropped several depth charges where the Spadefish was thought to be. An oil slick and other debris eventually made the Japanese believe they had sunk Spadefish so the Kashi broke off the engagement, but Spadefish had escaped apparently without serious damage. Only minor cracks were reported to have appeared on the submarine after the alleged "sinking" by Kashi. Underwood's final strike was against the submarine chaser No. 156, which sustained three torpedo hits and sank rapidly. Following some rescue efforts, Sato continued his advance on November 21, eventually arriving in Kaohsiung five days later. Half of the convoy then proceeded to San Fernando, where the remaining members of the 23rd Division disembarked on December 2.  Yet thats it for today for the Philippines as we now need to shift over to Morotai.With Japanese reinforcements pushed back into the interior of the secured island, General Persons directed the 31st Division to capture several islands off New Guinea that served as observation points for Japanese outposts monitoring Allied movements. On November 15, the 2nd Battalion of the 167th Regiment landed on Pegun Island, followed by a successful attack on Bras Island the next day. By November 18, with the Mapia Islands secured, Company F of the 124th Regiment was sent to occupy the unguarded Asia Islands on November 19. In the Aitape region, Major-General Jack Stevens' 6th Australian Division was assigned to relieve American forces, similar to the Australian efforts on New Britain and Bougainville, in order to free up troops for the Philippines Campaign. By late October, a base had been successfully set up, allowing the 19th Brigade to arrive by mid-November, with the 17th Brigade scheduled for early December, and the 16th by year-end. Under General Blamey's orders, the new Australian garrisons were to adopt a more active approach than the American units had, so Stevens planned not only to secure the airfield and radar installations in the Aitape-Tadji area, but also to carry out extensive patrols in support of intelligence and guerrilla operations aimed at weakening the enemy in Wewak.  One of General Stevens' tasks was to give maximum help to AIB. and Angau units in the area in their tasks of gaining Intelligence, establishing patrol bases and protecting the native population. These AIB. and Angau units had been active in the Sepik-Aitape triangle since the time of the landing of American forces at Aitape in April 1944, and the 6th Division came into an area where, from the outset, practically all the deep patrolling had been done by groups of Australians. In the Aitape area, prior to the arrival of the Division (said the report of the 6th Division), Angau long-range patrols operated without troop support and, for their own protection, inaugurated a type of guerilla warfare. Selected village natives called "sentries" were taught to use grenades and Japanese rifles. The sentries, besides furnishing Intelligence, accounted for large numbers of enemy. This system was continued. As each area was freed the sentries were rewarded and returned to their villages. By early November, the 2/10th Commando Squadron had established a patrol base at Babiang, conducting numerous patrols throughout the month. Intelligence gathered suggested the Japanese forces were weakened, poorly nourished, and mainly focused on sourcing food. In response, Stevens planned two significant December operations: to sever the enemy's communication line along the Malin-Walum-Womisis-Amam axis and to neutralize enemy positions east of the Danmap River. By November 25, the seasoned 2/7th Commando Squadron had arrived at Babiang, and by month-end, the 19th Brigade took over the area. The commandos then advanced southward, setting up a base at Tong on December 4 and establishing an outpost at Kumbum three days later. Now to finish this week's episode let's explore the B-29 Superfortress operations during this time. After the Formosa Air Battle and the Omura raid on October 25, General LeMay's 20th Bomber Command conducted four missions in November. Three of these supported Southeast Asia operations as part of “PAC-AID,” while the fourth targeted the Omura Aircraft Factory, a key focus for the command. On November 3, 44 B-29s from India effectively bombed the Malegon Railway Yards at Rangoon. Two days later, 53 bombers hit Singapore's King George VI Graving Dock, the largest of several dry docks at Singapore and one of the world's best. The first of 53 Superforts attacking was over target at 0644, and the bombardier, Lt. Frank McKinney, put a I,ooo-pound bomb into the target within 50 feet of the aiming point, the caisson gate; Lt. Bolish McIntyre, 2 planes back, laid another alongside. This was the sort of pickle-barrel bombing the Air Corps had talked about before the war. Strike photos showed a rush of water into the dock, presumptive evidence that the gate had been strained, and subsequent reconnaissance photos indicated that the dock was out of use (A-2's estimate of three months of unserviceability was to prove quite accurate). There were other hits on the dock, on a 465-foot freighter in it, and on adjacent shops. For “baksheesh,” as the boys had learned to say in India, seven B-29's bombed the secondary target, Pangkalanbrandan refinery in Sumatra, and reported direct hits on the cracking plant. The Japanese, evidently relying on the inaccessibility of Singapore, put up a feeble defense, but the long trip took a toll of two planes and twelve crewmen, including Col. Ted L. Faulkner, commander of the 468th Group. On November 11, 96 B-29s launched from China to strike Omura under difficult weather; only 29 reached the aircraft factory unsuccessfully, while 24 more bombed Nanking with limited results. The month's final mission on November 27 saw 55 B-29s severely damage the Bang Soe marshaling yards in Bangkok. Meanwhile, in the Marianas, General Hansell's 21st Bomber Command prepared for strikes on the Japanese Home Islands. In order to properly plan missions to Japan, up-to-date reconnaissance photos of the proposed targets were needed. Other than information which was used during the Doolittle Raid in 1942, there was scant information about the locations of Japanese industry, especially the aircraft industry. On November 1, two days after arriving on Saipan, a 3rd Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron F-13A Superfortress (photo reconnaissance-configured B-29) took off bound for Tokyo. The aircraft flew over Tokyo at 32000 feet for 35 minutes taking picture after picture. A few fighters made it up to the camera plane's altitude but did not attack. These photos, along with other intelligence, gave the 21st Bomber Command the locations of the Japanese aircraft manufacturing plants and enabled mission planners to plan missions for the combat crews to attack. In honor of his mission, the aircraft was named "Tokyo Rose". In response, about ten G4Ms launched from Iwo Jima attacked Isley Field on Saipan the next day, scoring five bomb hits but losing three bombers. Hansell responded with a practice strike on Iwo Jima on November 5, though results were again limited. On November 7, the Japanese launched a follow-up attack, but it again resulted in minimal damage and cost them three bombers. A retaliatory strike by 17 B-29s the next day also fell short: one squadron had to jettison its bombs into the ocean, while another dropped its load through a gap in the undercast. Between Japanese attacks, American aircrew inexperience, delays in constructing airfields in the Marianas, and the slow movement of B-29s to Saipan, the 21st Bomber Command was behind schedule in its planned offensive against Japan. By November 15, only half of the 73rd Bombardment Wing's authorized 180 B-29s had arrived, but by November 22, around 118 bombers were finally in place. At this point, General Arnold ordered Hansell to begin Operation San Antonio I, marking the first strike against Tokyo. The chosen target was Nakajima's Musashi Aircraft Engine Plant, which supplied 27% of Japan's combat aircraft engines. On November 24, 111 B-29s took off for Japan, collectively carrying 277.5 tons of bombs. However, 17 bombers aborted mid-flight, and six others couldn't bomb due to mechanical issues. For the first time, the B-29s encountered the Jet stream, which was a high-speed wind coming out of the west at speeds as high as 200 mph at precisely the altitudes at which the bombers were operating. This caused the bomber formations to be disrupted and made accurate bombing impossible. As a result, only 24 B-29s bombed the Musashi plant, while 64 hit nearby dock and urban areas instead. The Japanese fighter response was less intense than expected, with the Americans claiming to have downed seven fighters, likely destroyed 18 more, and damaged nine, losing just one bomber in return. Another B-29 was lost on the return trip after running out of fuel and ditching. Despite disappointing bombing results in the mission—only 48 bombs struck the factory area, causing damage to just 1% of the building area and 2.4% of the machinery, with 57 killed and 75 injured—the raid exposed the weaknesses in Japan's air defense and showed the six million residents of Tokyo that they were vulnerable to attack. Given the limited impact of the November 24 mission, Hansell decided to launch a second major strike, dubbed San Antonio II, targeting Musashi once more. However, in the early hours of November 27, two G4M bombers from Iwo Jima carried out a low-altitude raid on Isley Field, escaping after destroying one B-29 and damaging eleven others.  Later that day, twelve bomb-equipped Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" fighters from the IJN's 252 Kōkūtai (252 Air Group) accompanied by two Nakajima C6N "Myrt" reconnaissance aircraft for navigation purposes departed Iwo Jima for Saipan. The attackers flew just above sea level to avoid US radar, and one of the A6Ms was forced to divert to Pagan after its propeller struck a wave; this aircraft was shot down by a USAAF Thunderbolt while attempting to land. The remaining eleven A6Ms arrived over Saipan at noon, shortly after XXI Bomber Command's second raid on Tokyo had departed. These aircraft strafed Isley Field destroying three or four B-29s and damaging up to two others. One of the Japanese pilots landed his fighter on Isley Field and fired on airfield personnel with his pistol until he was killed by rifle fire; this incident was witnessed by Brigadier General Haywood S. Hansell, the commander of XXI Bomber Command. None of the ten other A6Ms survived; four were shot down by USAAF fighters and six by anti-aircraft guns. The U.S. gunners also downed a USAAF Thunderbolt in circumstances which an official assessment later described as "inexcusable". Of the 81 bombers launched, 19 aborted, and those that reached Tokyo found the target covered by clouds, forcing them to drop bombs by radar over Tokyo's docks, urban areas, and the cities of Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Numazu, and Osaka. Ultimately, for the loss of one Superfortress, the damage caused by this second strike was minimal. However, the strong Japanese response led Hansell to relocate some B-29s from Isley to safer Guam, strengthen Saipan's defenses and radar, and plan coordinated air-sea operations to neutralize Iwo Jima's staging fields. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. The Americans pressed through Leyte's treacherous terrain and fierce resistance, aiming to secure strategic positions. Typhoons, enemy reinforcements, and brutal battles tested them harshly, but they advanced steadily. Despite heavy losses and airstrikes from both sides, American forces captured Breakneck Ridge and pushed onward, inching closer to victory.

OVERTASKED UNDERGUNNED: 2/4: To Provide and Maintain a Navy: Why Naval Primacy Is America's First, Best Strategy by Henry J Hendrix (Author) https://www.amazon.com/Provide-Maintain-Navy-Americas-Strategy/dp/0960039198 The national conversation regarding the United States Navy has, for far too long, been focused on the popular question of how many ships does the service need? "To Provide and Maintain a Navy," a succinct but encompassing treatise on sea power by Dr. Henry J "Jerry" Hendrix, goes beyond the numbers to reveal the crucial importance of Mare Liberum (Free Sea) to the development of the Western thought and the rules based order that presently governs the global commons that is the high seas. Proceeding from this philosophical basis, Hendrix explores how a "free sea" gave way to free trade and the central role sea borne commercial trade has played in the overall rise in global living standards. This is followed by analysis of how the relative naval balance of power has played out in terms of naval battles and wars over the centuries and how the dominance of the United States Navy following World War II has resulted in seven decades of unprecedented peace on the world's oceans. He further considers how, in the years that followed the demise of the Soviet Union, both China and Russia began laying the groundwork to challenge the United States maritime leadership and upend five centuries of naval precedents in order to establish a new approach to sovereignty over the world's seas. It is only at this point that Dr. Hendrix approaches the question of the number of ships required for the United States Navy, the industrial base required to build them, and the importance of once again aligning the nation's strategic outlook to that of a "seapower" in order to effectively and efficiently address the rising threat. "To Provide and Maintain a Navy" is brief enough to be read in a weekend but deep enough to inform the reader as to the numerous complexities surrounding what promises to be the most important strategic conversation facing the United States as it enters a new age of great power competition with not one, but two nations who seek nothing less than to close and control the world's seas. May 8, 1942 USS Lexington

Last time we spoke about the conquest of Angaur and the Japanese Triumph in China. By October 18th, the remaining Japanese on Angaur were compressed into a small area, and by the 21st, resistance had ceased. The Americans suffered 264 killed and 1,355 wounded, while approximately 1,300 Japanese were killed. Over in China, Hara's forces suffered heavy losses during a delaying action at Momauk, with troops joining Bhamo's defense by November 16. The 113th Regiment maneuvered to encircle Bhamo from the south, while the 114th Regiment approached from the north, creating a loose encirclement. The 22nd Division's movement prompted concerns of severing key rail lines, leading Japanese forces to reposition defensively. Despite intense fighting, including a strong Chinese offensive on November 19, the Japanese withdrew from key positions, allowing Chinese forces to capture Mangshi and secure a strategic airfield for resupply, significantly impacting the campaign's dynamics. This episode is the Formosa Air Battle Welcome to the Pacific War Podcast Week by Week, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about world war two? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on world war two and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel you can find a few videos all the way from the Opium Wars of the 1800's until the end of the Pacific War in 1945.  As we last saw on Peleliu, General Rupertus' 1st Marine Division, bolstered by Colonel Dark's 321st Regiment, successfully secured the island after approximately two weeks of intense fighting. However, Colonel Nakagawa's isolated and outnumbered garrison continued to resist in the Umurbrogol Pocket. As left by nature, the Umurbrogol Pocket was much like the Ibdi Pocket on Biak Island, but larger and rougher. Like Ibdi, the Umurbrogol originally had a thick cover of tropical trees and dense jungle undergrowth which, as the result of continued air, naval, and artillery bombardment (including extensive employment of aerial napalm strikes), was gradually knocked down or burned away. Again, as on Biak, the Japanese had improved upon nature. There were many artificial or semi-artificial caves which had been constructed to protect approaches to the inner sections of the pocket, and the Japanese had improved almost every natural cave. Where no caves were available or could be constructed, the defenders employed rock faults and crevices for defensive positions. Digging new entrances to existing caves or even cutting new levels within some caves, the Japanese were well prepared to execute a long and bloody holding action along the many ridges. These ridges, with the exception of the Five Sisters group at the southern side of the pocket, were generally parallel and oriented north-northeast to south-southwest. Steep-sided and fissured, many of them had razor-back summits upon which no cover could be found. The ridges were separated by deep draws, gullies, and wider valleys, the floors of which were strewn with coral boulders or coral outcroppings similar to stalagmites. Steep as they were, the sides of some ridges also were covered with such chunks and outcroppings. In late September, the exhausted infantrymen, who were tasked with containing the pocket while the Marines cleared northern Peleliu, made several heavy assaults. They only managed to reach the X-ray phase line, marking what was believed to be the northern edge of the core Japanese defenses, before being relieved by the 7th Marines. With Colonel Hanneken's 1st and 3rd Battalions now holding the X-ray line, Rupertus planned a strong attack southward while other Marine units maintained their positions on the western and southern sides of the pocket. On the morning of September 30, the attack was launched. However, fierce Japanese resistance, heavy rain, fog, and sickness hindered the 7th Marines' progress southward by October 2. On the following day, Hanneken's 2nd Battalion, supported by tanks, secured a foothold along the eastern side and top of Walt Ridge, while the 3rd Battalion finally captured the eastern slope of Boyd Ridge. By October 4, however, the 7th Marines had suffered such heavy losses and were so depleted that Rupertus was left with no choice but to relieve them as well. As a result, Colonel Harris's 5th Marines were once again thrust into action. On October 7, following an hour-long artillery and mortar barrage, the 3rd Battalion, along with six tanks, advanced into Mortimer Valley. However, Nakagawa's determined defenders continued to resist fiercely, successfully repelling two powerful tank-infantry assaults, causing heavy American casualties. Our old friend Eugene Sledge with K Company, 3d Battalion, 5th Marines, wrote about fighting in this area, it is as follows  “Johnny led us on up through a jumble of rocks on Hill 140. Company K's line was emplaced along a rock rim, and we set up the mortars in a shallow depression about twenty yards behind it. The riflemen and machine gunners in front of us were in among rocks along the rim of Hill 140 facing east toward Walt Ridge and the northern end of the infamous Horseshoe. We had previously attacked that valley from its southern end. From the rim of Hill 140 the rock contours dropped away in a sheer cliff to a canyon below. No one could raise his head above the rim rock without immediately drawing heavy rifle and machine-gun fire. The fighting around the pocket was as deadly as ever, but of a different type from the early days of the campaign. The Japanese fired few artillery or mortar barrages, just a few rounds at a time when assured of inflicting maximum casualties. That they usually did, and then secured the guns to escape detection. Sometimes there was an eerie quiet. We knew they were everywhere in the caves and pillboxes. But there was no firing in our area, only the sound of firing elsewhere. The silence added an element of unreality to the valleys. If we moved past a certain point, the Japanese opened up suddenly with rifle, machine-gun, mortar, and artillery fire. It was like a sudden storm breaking. More often than not we had to pull back, and not a man in the company had seen a live enemy anywhere. They couldn't hope to drive us off by then or to be reinforced themselves. From that point onward, they killed solely for the sake of killing, without hope and without higher purpose. We were fighting in Peleliu's ridges and valleys, in terrain the likes of which most Americans could not even visualize, against an enemy unlike anything most Americans could imagine”. In response to this setback, Rupertus halted further offensive operations and ordered his forces to maintain pressure on the Japanese stronghold through sustained artillery fire and aerial bombardments. Over the next two days, this relentless bombardment cleared so much foliage and undergrowth that visibility across the ridges improved significantly. This allowed the attacks to resume on October 9, and although no ground was gained initially, Harris's 2nd Battalion succeeded in securing Wattie, Baldy, and 120 Ridges on October 10. They then pushed south to capture the tactically vital Hill 140. From this position, a Marine howitzer provided critical support to the 5th and 7th Marines as they cleared an area approximately 700 yards long and up to 200 yards east beyond the previous containment lines along West Road. However, on October 14, Dark's 321st Regiment began moving up to relieve the Marines, as General Geiger had decided to end Marine participation in the Battle of Peleliu.  Just before they were relieved, Eugene Sledge wrote a passage about moving through positions in October, finding numerous dead, stinking in the hot sun. One corpse he found made a significant impact on him, here is the passage. “As we moved past the defilade, my buddy groaned, “Jesus!” I took a quick glance into the depression and recoiled in revulsion and pity at what I saw. The bodies were badly decomposed and nearly blackened by exposure. This was to be expected of the dead in the tropics, but these Marines had been mutilated hideously by the enemy. One man had been decapitated. His head lay on his chest; his hands had been severed from his wrists and also lay on his chest near his chin. In disbelief I stared at the face as I realized that the Japanese had cut off the dead Marine's penis and stuffed it into his mouth. The corpse next to him had been treated similarly. The third had been butchered, chopped up like a carcass torn by some predatory animal. My emotions solidified into rage and a hatred for the Japanese beyond anything I ever had experienced. From that moment on I never felt the least pity or compassion for them no matter what the circumstances. My comrades would field-strip their packs and pockets for souvenirs and take gold teeth, but I never saw a Marine commit the kind of barbaric mutilation the Japanese committed if they had access to our dead. When we got back to the gun pit, my buddy said, “Sledgehammer, did you see what the Nips did to them bodies? Did you see what them poor guys had in their mouths?” I nodded as he continued, “Christ, I hate them slant-eyed bastards!” “Me too. They're mean as hell,” was all I could say.” About mid-October, a number of command changes occurred in the Palaus area. On the 12th, for instance, the 1st Marine Division was relieved of all responsibilities other than continuing the fight in the Umurbrogol Pocket. The 321st Infantry took over the defenses along the eastern arm, while the Island Garrison Force assumed responsibility for the area south of the pocket. On the morning of October 12, the command post of the 3rd Amphibious Corps moved ashore and General Geiger, the corps commander, declared that the assault and occupation phase of operations on Peleliu was ended. The exact meaning of this announcement is not clear, especially in relation to Admiral Fort's somewhat similar declaration of September 30, stating that Angaur, Peleliu, Ngesebus, and Kongauru had been captured and occupied. However, General Geiger's announcement seems to have been made in preparation for the 1st Marine Division's imminent departure from the Palaus. The statement also bears relation to the passing of control of operations in the Palaus from the 3rd Fleet and Admiral Halsey (as then represented by Admiral Fort's Western Attack Force headquarters) to the Headquarters, Forward Area Central Pacific (Task Force 57), under Admiral Hoover. On the 13th General Geiger issued orders alerting the 321st Regimental Combat Team to relieve the 1st Marine Division elements still at the Umurbrogol Pocket. The next day, control over all operations in the Palaus passed from Admiral Fort to Admiral Hoover's command. With the relief of the Marines at the Umurbrogol, the remainder of the battered 1st Marine Division then began preparations for leaving the Palaus. At the same time, the 1st Battalion, 323rd Regiment, fresh from operations at Ulithi Atoll, started preparations to relieve Marine units in the southwest corner of the pocket, with the rest of the regiment to follow. Consequently, the Marines prepared to depart from the Palaus, with Dark taking over responsibility for the reduction of Umurbrogol. Since September 29, the Marines had endured an additional 1,000 casualties, bringing their total to 1,252 killed and 5,274 wounded. In return, they estimated having killed between 850 and 1,000 Japanese soldiers, leaving roughly 1,000 defenders in the shrinking pocket as the 321st moved back in. After a failed local attempt to capture the northernmost peak of the Five Brothers Ridge on October 16, Dark launched a general attack the next day, which resulted in a modest gain of about 125 yards and the neutralization of some caves to the east. On the morning of October 18, the attack resumed, with Dark's 2nd Battalion successfully capturing three peaks of the Five Brothers, thanks to support from mortars, tanks, and LVT-mounted flamethrowers. However, undeterred by this overwhelming firepower, the Japanese immediately counterattacked and reclaimed the three peaks by nightfall. On the southwest side of the pocket, Nakagawa had also sent infiltrators through tunnels and connecting caves to raid the enemy lines, forcing Geiger to redirect elements of the 7th Marines and 323rd Regiment to address this new southern pocket. After much effort, most of the infiltrators were finally pushed north on October 23, though mopping up in the Southern Pocket wasn't completed until November 3. Meanwhile, on October 19, following a deadly napalm strike, Dark's 1st Battalion advanced up to 50 yards along the ridges west of Hill 140 with the help of howitzers and much-needed sandbags. The battalion's men, lying prone on the ground, inched their sandbags forward with rifle butts or sticks, laboriously expanding their hold and almost realizing the infantrymen's dream of portable foxholes. The next day, General Mueller formally assumed command of the Peleliu campaign. Following some reconnaissance and a napalm strike, the 321st resumed its assault on October 21, making significant progress by advancing over 100 yards and capturing the northernmost peak of the Five Brothers. On the subsequent day, Dark launched a coordinated attack with his 2nd Battalion securing the first three Brothers, the reinforced 1st Battalion struggling to breach Death Valley, and the 3rd Battalion sweeping through Mortimer Valley with tank support. After this achievement, while Colonel Watson was bringing the remaining 323rd Regiment to the Umurbrogol area, the only major progress was the capture of the fourth Brother on October 23. Two days later, the 323rd began relieving the weary 321st Regiment. By this time, Dark had lost 146 men killed and 469 wounded on Peleliu. As Watson took over, Nakagawa's forces had been reduced to about 700 effective troops, including those lightly wounded. The pocket's dimensions had also been compressed to an average north-south length of about 600 yards. Fortunately for the defenders, heavy rains, fog, and poor visibility significantly hampered Watson's operations in the Umurbrogol Pocket from October 26 to November 1. This period was used mainly for mortar barrages, napalm strikes, defense enhancements, and extending sandbag fortifications. Despite this pause, Nakagawa launched near-nightly counterattacks over the six days, primarily targeting the Five Brothers, which mostly resulted in further casualties for the defenders. To understand the eventual reduction of the Umurbrogol Pocket, we will need to shift our focus to the plans and preparations for General MacArthur's grand return to the Philippines. Previously, General MacArthur, along with Admirals Nimitz and Halsey, decided to abandon the preliminary operations for Mindanao and Yap in favor of a direct assault on Leyte. To be much more frank General MacArthur was having a turf war with Admiral Nimitz. After the Marianas campaign, the endgame of Nimitz island hoping across the Pacific forced the Joint Chiefs of staff to make a choice, to invade the Philippines, or leave it to wither on the vine and instead invade formosa. Admiral King, the joint chiefs of staff, Admiral Leahy and General Hap Arnold all favored the Formosa option. For quite awhile Nimitz got everyone onboard with this plan as Formosa was a logical choice being only 900 kms away from Japan and its seizure would cut off southeast asia from the home islands. With Formosa the Americans could even begin an invasion of southern CHina to aid their allies there and toss plenty of B-29s at the home islands from a much closer location. But then there was the force of nature that was Douglas MacArthur. MacArthur argued Formosa would be “a massive operation, extremely costly in men and shipping, logistically precarious and time consuming.” And he was willing to take his case straight to Washington. In July of 1944 he along with Nimitz went to Honolulu to meet with FDR. MacArthur bitterly protested the meeting, as he knew full well FDR was trying to get re-elected for a fourth term “humiliation of forcing me to leave my command to fly to Honolulu for a political picture taking junket.” So not to be outdone by FDR, MacArthur showboated, by landing early with. He went to a local shop in a limousine he borrowed, and had his staff place a 4 star general insignia upon. He wore khaki trousers a brown leather air force jacket and the cap of a Filipino Field Marshall, going out into public waving at crowds gathering to see the president. When he moved into a cabin to meet with FDR he refused to change into cooler attire stating to FDR , “you haven't been up there where I came from, and it's cold up there in the sky.” MacArthur then pretended Nimitz was not in the room and dominated the strategic discussions and attempted at every possible moment to impose his will on the rather ailing and sickly president, whose physical decline had become more apparent. During a private meeting between the two MacArthur said this to FDR “Mr. President, the country has forgiven you for what took place on Bataan. You hope to be re-elected president of the United States, but the nation will never forgive you if you approve a plan which leaves 17 million Christian American subjects to wither in the Philippines under the conqueror's heel until the peace treaty frees them. You might do it for reasons of strategy or tactics, but politically, it would ruin you” Rather ironic given it was his responsibility to defend those he was now blackmailing FDR to save. But the truth of the matter was, MacArthur had stolen the American press and American peoples hearts, his grand statement to return to the Philippines was a huge issue. There of course was the other issue, MacArthur could run on the Republican ticket against FDR. Some would allege FDR was bullied into an invasion of the Philippines because of this. To twist FDR's arm, MacArthur assured him the losses in retaking Luzon would be minimal “Mr. President, my losses would not be heavy, any more than they have been in the past … your good commanders do not turn in heavy losses.” Despite it being a slight against Nimitz, MacArthur's arguments did twist his wrist. That evening FDR spoke to his doctor Ross McIntire stating this “Give me an aspirin before I go to bed. In fact, give me another aspirin to take in the morning. In all my life nobody ever talked to me the way MacArthur did.” When leaving back on his plane, MacArthur turned to his aide and boasted, “We've sold it.” and when he returned to his South West Pacific Area Command HQ in Brisbane, MacArthur informed his staff, “the President has accepted my recommendations and approved the Philippines plan.” MacArthur was a bit too optimistic, although FDR agreed to invade the Philippines he did not do so without recommendations of his joint chiefs of staff. The Navy was to bear the brunt of furnishing air support in the early stages of the campaign. By arrangement with Admiral Nimitz, the Carrier Task Force from Admiral Halsey's 3rd Fleet was to strike northern Luzon and Okinawa or Formosa, or both, from A Day minus 10 to A minus 7. From A minus 4 through A Day, strikes were to be made on Luzon, the Cebu-Negros area, and the Leyte area in support of the landings. As soon as the Palau air base facilities would permit, shore-based air forces from the Central Pacific were to operate in the Bicol area. The Allied Naval Forces was to furnish carrier aircraft as protection for convoys and naval task forces and, supplemented by aircraft of the 3rd Fleet and the Allied Air Forces, to provide direct air support for the landings. In addition, it was to furnish protective air support and cover by carrier aircraft prior to A Day for the preliminary landings in Leyte Gulf and for the mine sweeping. On September 24, General Kenney issued his order for the Leyte operation and assigned missions to the Allied Air Forces. He designated General Whitehead's 5th Air Force as the Air Assault Force. It was to support the operation by intensified air activities against enemy installations, destroy hostile air and surface forces in the Celebes Sea and assigned areas in the Philippine Archipelago, and provide air defense for existing bases and forces in transit to Leyte within range of its capabilities. It was also to be prepared to establish, on order, land-based air forces on Leyte. The 13th Air Force was to support the missions of the 5th Air Force, while the Royal Australian Air Force Command was to destroy Japanese installations and sources of raw materials in the Netherlands Indies. Additionally, Halsey's 3rd Fleet was to be on standby to support the Leyte operation, with the objective of "destroying enemy naval and air forces in or threatening the Philippine Area." Submarines from both the Southwest and Central Pacific Areas would provide support through offensive reconnaissance of likely Japanese routes, maintaining observation and lifeguard services, and offering weather reports and strategic patrols. On the ground, General Krueger's 6th Army would lead the Leyte assault, taking over the operation after the disbandment of Alamo Force on September 25. With this force moving to the Philippines, General Eichelberger's 8th Army was assigned garrison duties in New Guinea, New Britain, the Admiralties, and Morotai. For King II, Krueger's forces included General Sibert's 10th Corps, consisting of the 1st Cavalry and 24th Infantry Divisions, totaling 53,000 men, and General Hodge's 24th Corps, comprising the 7th and 96th Divisions, totaling 51,500 men. The corps originally designated for the canceled Yap operation was reassigned to the 6th Army, replacing the 14th Corps, which was meant to carry out the initial Leyte landings after securing Mindanao. However, the 14th Corps was still in the process of being relieved at Bougainville. To further support the operation, Krueger kept the 32nd and 77th Divisions in reserve, totaling approximately 28,500 troops. Krueger's plan involved an advance team landing Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Mucci's 6th Ranger Battalion on the islands guarding the approaches to Leyte Gulf on October 17. As the Rangers took control of these small islands, Admiral Oldendorf's Fire Support Group would initiate a comprehensive bombardment campaign in preparation for the landings. Minesweepers and underwater demolition teams would also begin clearing natural and man-made obstacles from the gulf. On October 20, Admiral Barbey's Task Force 78 was to transport and land the 10th Corps, while Admiral Wilkinson's Task Force 79 was tasked with landing the 24th Corps. The reinforced 21st Regiment was scheduled to land at 09:30 near Panaon Strait, at the southeastern tip of Leyte, to secure control of the entrance to Sogod Bay. Further north, the 10th Corps was to land two divisions abreast in the Marasbaras and Palo areas at 10:00, while the 24th Corps would simultaneously land two divisions abreast in the Dulag area, about 15 miles to the south. Major-General Verne Mudge's 1st Cavalry Division was to capture Tacloban and its airfield and secure control of San Juanico Strait, while Major-General Frederick Irving's 24th Division seized Palo and advanced northwest through the Leyte Valley. The two divisions would then converge on Carigara at the northern end of the valley. Hodge's strategy involved Major-General James Bradley's 96th Division landing between Dulag and San Roque to secure a segment of Highway 1 within its operational zone, as well as Catmon Hill and the Dagami-Tanauan area. Since Bradley's task was relatively easier, the 381st Regiment was designated as Krueger's floating reserve. At the same time, Major-General Archibald Arnold's 7th Division was tasked with coming ashore in the Dulag area. One part of this division was to move south to capture the Highway 1 bridge and the Daguitan River crossings at Dao, while the main force advanced along the Dulag-Burauen road to take Burauen and then push on to Dagami. From there, Arnold's troops were expected to be ready to seize Abuyog and Baybay, eliminating enemy forces on the west coast and in southern Leyte. With the successful completion of these objectives, Krueger aimed to break the backbone of Japanese resistance. Consequently, with Leyte Valley and its airfields and base sites secured by the 6th Army, the 10th Corps would then advance south through the Ormoc Valley towards Ormoc, while the 24th Corps would move north from Baybay along the Ormoc Bay coast to link up with Sibert. Meanwhile, General Yamashita relied on General Suzuki's 35th Army, which consisted of four divisions and two independent mixed brigades dispersed across the central and southern Philippines. Specifically, Leyte was defended by Lieutenant-General Makino Shiro's 16th Division, experienced veterans of the initial Japanese invasion of the Philippines. Aside from minor forces left on Luzon and Samar, Makino commanded the full combat strength of the 16th Division, supplemented by 4th Air Division ground units, 35th Army service units in the area, and elements of the 36th Naval Guard Unit stationed at Ormoc and Tacloban. Anticipating that enemy landings would most likely occur in the Dulag-Tarragona-Abuyog sector, Makino strategically positioned the majority of his troops in fortified coastal positions between Abuyog in the south and Palo in the north, with the densest concentration around Dulag. By October, the 16th Division had completed three lines of trenches along the shoreline, but these defenses were weak and inadequately placed. The field positions were old-type long connecting trenches prepared in three echelons. These were difficult to defend and easily discovered from the air since camouflage was lacking. The only effective positions were the cave emplacements for artillery, which had been constructed on Catmon Hill. About 60% of the defenses constructed were completed by the time of the invasion. In the event of an enemy invasion, Suzuki kept the 30th Division and three battalions of the 102nd Division as a mobile reserve, ready to be deployed to destroy the enemy wherever they landed. This strategy was known as the Suzu Plan: if the enemy landed at Davao, the mobile reserve would reinforce the 100th Division; if they landed on Leyte, the main force of the 30th Division and three battalions of the 102nd Division were to land at Ormoc to support Makino's defenders. Meanwhile, back in September, Mitscher's fast carriers had conducted several strikes against the Philippines, leading to the near destruction of Japanese air forces and shipping in the region. To prevent air reinforcements to the Philippines, Halsey ordered Admiral Sherman's carrier-based aircraft to launch strikes against enemy aircraft staging areas in the Ryukyus, particularly Okinawa, on October 10. These strikes successfully destroyed an estimated 111 planes and sank or damaged 34 ships. Simultaneously, a cruiser force under Rear Admiral Allan Smith shelled Minami Torishima. The following day, the carriers under Admirals McCain and Davison carried out a feint attack on northern Luzon, sinking two more ships off Aparri. As the attack on the Ryukyus began, Admiral Toyoda was at Shinchiku in northern Formosa, returning to Tokyo after a command inspection in the Philippines intended to boost morale. Upon learning of the strikes, Toyoda believed that the American carriers in the northern Philippine Sea were vulnerable to his powerful land-based air forces. Over 1,800 aircraft were allocated for Sho in total, but they were widely dispersed across the four operation regions. About one third of them were not battle-ready due to casualties and a lack of parts or trained pilots. When the fighting began, Vice-Admiral Fukudome Shigeru (commander of the 2nd Air Fleet based in the Kyūshū-Okinawa-Formosa district) had approximately 700 planes ready in Formosa and Kyushu. 100 or so aircraft in the Seto Inland Sea was later added to his command. Over the next four days, an additional 690 or so planes flew in from bases in Japan and China. Toyoda saw this as a prime opportunity to deal a crippling blow to the enemy fleet and disrupt the Allied invasion timeline. Consequently, he decided to risk all available naval air power in a determined effort to destroy Mitscher's carrier forces, taking personal command of the battle operations in Formosa on October 10. As anticipated, Halsey planned to launch strong carrier-based strikes against Formosa on October 12 and 13. Mitscher's four task groups were assigned targets in southern, northern, and central Formosa, as well as the Takao area. Additionally, General LeMay's first two B-29 strikes of October were scheduled to support the attack, targeting the Okayama aircraft repair and assembly facility in Takao with 170 sorties. Originally set for October 11 and 14, these strikes were postponed to October 14 and 16 due to unfavorable weather forecasts. After a rapid overnight approach on October 11, Mitscher's carriers reached their positions off Formosa the next morning. All four task groups completed launch of predawn fighter sweeps by around 06:00 hours. Because the Japanese were on alert, Grumman F6F Hellcat fighters from all four groups were intercepted by enemy aircraft and moderate to intense anti-aircraft fire was universally reported. Air-to-air engagements were fiercest over northern and central Formosa, where aircraft from Rear Admiral Gerald F. Bogan's TG 38.2 and Rear Admiral Frederick C. Sherman's TG 38.3 operated. Sherman's USS Lexington and USS Essex claimed almost 50 enemy aircraft shot down between them. Bogan's task group contained three Essex-class carriers – USS Intrepid, USS Bunker Hill and USS Hancock. Intrepid and Bunker Hill claimed over 50 Japanese aircraft destroyed, making the combined claims for the two groups around 100. Many of Japan's more experienced pilots were killed during the first wave of American air raid. American carrier air groups had suffered minimal personnel losses with nine U.S. aircraft shot down with three pilots subsequently recovered by nearby ships or submarines. These lopsided results were in part due to a lack of experience among Japanese pilots. IJAAS fighters stationed to the north of the Philippines were still in training. The bulk of enemy fighter aircraft reported by U.S. aviators were Japanese Army types, primarily the Nakajima Ki-44 (Allied reporting name "Tojo"), Kawasaki Ki-61 ("Tony") and Nakajima Ki-43 ("Oscar") models. Even though there were some experienced Japanese naval aviators operating at this time, IJNAS Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter units reconstituted after the Battle of the Philippine Sea were still learning to work together and did not execute the kind of section or division flying that yielded tactical advantage. By the third strike, the Hellcats had established air dominance over Formosa, with Admirals Bogan and Sherman each claiming over 50 Japanese aircraft destroyed at the cost of nine American planes shot down. This enabled the Americans to carry out four strikes during the day preceded by a fighter sweep. The Hellcats quickly gained air control over Formosa against the 230 Japanese fighters on the island. By the third strike of the day, the Americans faced no air opposition. A total of 1400 sorties were carried out on this day, sinking or damaging 24 vessels off the Pescadores and Takao.  This led Toyoda to order the activation of the air component of Operation Sho-Go at 10:30 on October 12. Although over 1,900 dispersed aircraft were assigned to Sho-Go, most did not arrive in the forward area for several days. Consequently, Vice-Admiral Fukudome Shigeru's 2nd Air Fleet began preparing up to 800 planes in southern Kyushu for an attack, supported by Admiral Ozawa's newly-reconstituted flying groups from the 3rd and 4th Carrier Divisions. Though the day's remaining carrier strikes by Hellcat fighters, Curtiss SB2C Helldiver dive bombers, and Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo bombers did significant damage to military installations on Formosa, they failed to completely neutralize Japanese air power based on the island. Lead aircraft on 14 October had made photos revealing Navy damage which included four buildings destroyed and nine damaged out of eighty at the assembly plant, and five hangars destroyed at the air base. Many surviving structures would be destroyed by B-29 raids during the later days of the battle, however.  The only Japanese attack that day involved about 45 torpedo bombers, which mistakenly reported two carriers as damaged. Meanwhile, the T Attack Force, a special unit for operations in adverse weather, conducted a strike within a sudden typhoon from 19:00 to 20:20 before landing on Formosan bases. Their efforts were largely ineffective as American ships used smoke screens and evasive maneuvers to avoid damage. Eight Japanese aircraft were shot down by ships' guns during the night, and three Mitsubishi G4M "Betty" bombers were claimed by night fighters from the USS Independence. USS Pritchett suffered damage from friendly fire, but no damage from enemy aircraft was incurred. On October 13, Mitscher's forces resumed strikes against Formosa and the Pescadores with up to 600 aircraft, encountering less opposition but achieving only minor damage due to poor weather. Despite this, Halsey reported the destruction of 520 Japanese aircraft, the sinking of 37 ships, and 74 probable sinkings over the two days. At dusk, the carriers came under attack from 32 planes of the T Attack Force. Despite Belleau Wood's combat air patrol shooting down 16 enemy aircraft, six G4M bombers managed to evade the interceptors and launched a series of determined attacks on Davison's carriers, releasing four torpedoes before all six were eventually downed by shipboard anti-aircraft guns. Fortunately, the torpedoes missed their targets. One torpedo ran just ahead of the USS Franklin, and another ran too deep and passed beneath the carrier. One of the Bettys attempted to crash into Franklin on its way down but glanced off the flight deck and slid over the starboard edge of the ship into the water. However, McCain's carriers faced more challenges as eight B6N2 bombers, evading radar by flying low, attacked the group. While six of the bombers were shot down by anti-aircraft fire, one successfully torpedoed the cruiser Canberra, killing 23 crew members and causing severe damage. The torpedo struck the cruiser in a vulnerable spot—under the main armor belt between both firerooms. The ship lost all power, laying just 90NM off Formosa. As a result, Halsey organized a unit to tow Canberra to safety, necessitating an additional day of protection for the damaged cruiser. On October 14, Mitscher launched early morning fighter sweeps to suppress enemy air power over Luzon and Formosa, while the newly-formed unit escorted Canberra. Japanese reports claimed two carriers were sunk and one was burning, leading Toyoda to believe the enemy retreating east had been severely damaged. Consequently, Fukudome ordered his full strength of 450 planes to launch from southern Kyushu, and Vice-Admiral Shima Kiyoshide's 2nd Striking Force was deployed to sweep the waters east of Formosa. However, before the Japanese could counterattack, 130 B-29s from Chengdu attacked Formosa in the afternoon, with 104 bombers successfully dropping about 650 tons of bombs on Okayama and 13 hitting secondary targets. A dozen planes made emergency landings at friendly fields in China, one crashed near Changteh whence its crew walked out, and one was listed as missing. This was a cheap price to pay for very severe damage done to Okayama installation. At 15:25, Fukudome's initial wave of 124 planes attacked Bogan's carriers. A formation of 25 Yokosuka D4Y "Judy" dive bombers, using cloud cover to evade detection, was intercepted by the group's combat air patrol. Only a few Japanese planes made it past the American fighters. The surviving bombers were able to put two bombs in the vicinity of the Hancock, and one hit the forward port side gun tube without detonating on impact. No serious damage was inflicted by this attack. At around 17:00 a large formation of enemies showed up on radar headed towards TG 38.3. As before, a great many of these were shot down by combat air patrol. The surviving enemy planes flew down to the water level to evade further radar detection. These planes – torpedo bombers and fighters – successfully ambushed the formation just minutes later. Evasive maneuvers, squall weather, and poor fighter cover on the part of the Japanese helped TG 38.3 escape without suffering any significant damage. The only bright spot for the Japanese was another twilight attack by the T Force by 52 aircraft against TG 38.1. Four Jills broke through to attack light cruiser Houston. Three were shot down, but the last succeeded in placing a torpedo in another vulnerable spot that flooded the engineering spaces and caused all power to be lost. As a result, Halsey was left needing to tow two cruisers to safety. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. By hook or by crook, General MacArthur bullied FDR into allowing an invasion of the Philippines. To soften up the new targets, strikes were unleashed against Luzon, Formosa and Okinawa. Despite a strong Japanese defense, American air superiority was achieved through aggressive carrier strikes, leading to the destruction of numerous Japanese aircraft and ships.

Great battleships and aircraft carriers have always been a massive asset and a nation with an abundance of them was a power to be feared. The USS Lexington was a massive aircraft carrier that set more records than any other Essex Class carrier in the history of naval aviation during a career that made it the oldest working aircraft carrier in the US Navy. Today, the carrier is a museum offering historical and ghost tours.  There are many reports of unexplained happenings aboard the carrier. Join us as we explore the history and hauntings of the USS Lexington. Check out the website: http://historygoesbump.com Music used in this episode: Main Theme: Lurking in the Dark by Muse Music with Groove Studios Outro Music: Happy Fun Punk by Muse Music with Groove Studios Other music in this epsiode from Pixabay: Sea by Dubdown

Join us this week as we share our exciting 4th of July adventure at Gulf Waters RV Resort in beautiful Port Aransas, Texas. From picturesque pond views at our RV spot to savoring exquisite seafood with a French twist at the YardArm Restaurant in Corpus Christi, our journey was so much fun. From a distance in Corpus, we saw the amazing USS Lexington and paid homage at the Selena Memorial, surrounded by the vibrant marina. We took in the lively beach scene of Port Aransas, where we also enjoyed the best of coastal dining at The Black Marlin and indulged in a unique sundae at Taiyaki Ice Cream. We capped off our visit with fireworks at Robert's Point Park and soaked in the beauty of the Gulf Coast with a morning bike ride. Despite a sudden evacuation due to Hurricane Beryl, our time in Port Aransas left us longing for more. Whether you're a history buff, food enthusiast, or beach lover, Port Aransas offers something special for everyone. When you watch this video, you'll see what I mean!

On this episode of Our American Stories, our regular contributor, Anne Clare, tells the story of a unique aircraft carrier, the USS Lexington. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode Craig and Ian cover the Battle of the Coral Sea. The Battle of the Coral Sea, fought from May 4 to May 8, 1942, was a pivotal naval engagement between the United States and Imperial Japan during World War II. It marked the first time in history that two opposing naval forces engaged each other without the ships ever coming within sight of one another, relying solely on aircraft carriers and aircraft. The battle took place in the Coral Sea, northeast of Australia. Both sides suffered significant losses in terms of ships and aircraft. The Japanese aimed to capture Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea, which would have provided them with a strategic foothold to threaten Australia. However, their plans were thwarted by Allied intelligence, allowing the American and Australian naval forces to intercept the Japanese fleet. The battle resulted in a tactical victory for the Japanese, as they sank more Allied ships than they lost. However, it was a strategic victory for the Allies, as they successfully prevented the Japanese from achieving their objective of capturing Port Moresby. The Japanese carrier Shoho was sunk, and the larger carrier Shokaku was damaged, which hindered Japanese operations in the Pacific theater. Both sides suffered heavy casualties, with the USS Lexington and the Japanese carrier Shoho being sunk, and several other ships damaged on both sides. The Battle of the Coral Sea demonstrated the importance of naval air power and marked a turning point in the Pacific War, as it halted Japanese expansion and set the stage for the Battle of Midway.

Hello scary friends Stephen has a great show. The Moody Mansion, Demons Road, Old Spring, USS Lexington, Plaza Theatre. Hope you don't get scared. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

The USS Lexington, AKA the Blue Ghost, is an aircraft carrier that first entered into service in 1943 during World War II. She, and the approximately 3,000 people who lived and worked on her during the war, were primarily in the Pacific. There, the ship was attacked but never sank — despite claims to the contrary. Now, she's stationed in the bay off of Corpus Christi, Texas.Much like her sister ship the USS Yorktown (episode 83), the Blue Ghost is now a museum where many people tour, work, volunteer — and experience ghostly phenomena. There are reports of shadow figures, disembodied voices, and the eerie feeling of being watched. There are even some who say that full-bodied apparitions appear on the boat; one may even give you a rundown on the mechanics of an engine.In this episode, we discuss the USS Lexington and all the ghostly shenanigans onboard!But first, Zoey is here with her Something Southern: Alabama Man!Sources: https://hauntedhospitality.wordpress.com/2024/03/12/ep-153-the-girl-dinner-of-ghost-storiesVisit us on Social Media! Stay Spooky!

The history of the USS Lexington and how it earned the reputation of the most haunted ship in Texas. X: @topsecrettexan CashApp: $beyondtopsecrettexan business email: beyondtopsecrettexanofficial@gmail.com --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/beyondtopsecrettexan/support

As Halloween approaches, people are starting to celebrate the spooky season. Haunted houses are operating, and even haunted tours of cities. While Texas has a lot of haunted spots like the Millermore Mansion, Yorktown Memorial Hospital, and the USS Lexington, there's a whole city that is filled with haunted spots and stories. Join us to learn about some of the ghost stories that originated from a city known for its historic preservation: Granbury.

 SCARED TO DEATH IS EXPLICIT IN EVERY WAY. PLEASE TAKE CARE WHILE LISTENING. Dan has two stories this week with the first one being bigger and more scary! It's such a strange story about a young man who seems to fall in with the wrong crowd and wreak havoc in his families life. But is it him or something else? Then, the legends and hauntings of the USS Lexington. Lynze gets crazy with three stories this week. A definitely haunted house, yes, but what is haunting the house? The former resident or something else. Then a new kind of tale, a tale of lore from Transylvania, and lastly a haunted warehouse that has an especially creepy character residing there. New Merch: Check out our amazing merch  at badmagicmerch.comBad Magic Productions Monthly Patreon Donation: We will report on this later this month! Standup:If you want to see a very different side of Dan than you see here and possibly see Lynze in the crowd (she is always happy to say HI!) get on over to   dancummins.tv for ticket links to shows. You can find Dan in Buffalo, Providence and Chicago and more!  Reminder that Dan is not touring in 2024 so this is your last chance to see him! Thank you for continuing to send in your stories, Creeps and Peepers!**Please keep doing so. Send them to mystory@scaredtodeathpodcast.comSend everything else to info@scaredtodeathpodcast.comWant to be a Patron? Get episodes AD-FREE, listen and watch before they are released to anyone else, bonus episodes, a 20% merch discount, additional content, and more! Learn more by visiting: https://www.patreon.com/scaredtodeathpodcastPlease rate, review, and subscribe anywhere you listen. Thank you for listening!Follow the show on social media: @scaredtodeathpodcast on Facebook and IGWatch this episode: https://youtu.be/Qt71iZOSxckWebsite: https://scaredtodeathpodcast.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scaredtodeathpodcast/](https://www.facebook.com/scaredtodeathpodcast/)Instagram: https://bit.ly/2miPLf5Mailing Address:Scared to Deathc/o Timesuck PodcastPO Box 3891Coeur d'Alene, ID 83816Video/Audio by Bad Magic ProductionsAdditional music production by Jeffrey MontoyaAdditional music production by Zach CohenVarious free audio provided byhttp://freesound.orgOpening Sumerian protection spell (adapted):"Whether thou art a ghost that hath come from the earth, or a phantom of night that hath no home… or one that lieth dead in the desert… or a ghost unburied… or a demon or a ghoul… Whatever thou be until thou art removed… thou shalt find here no water to drink… Thou shalt not stretch forth thy hand to our own… Into our house enter thou not. Through our fence, breakthrough thou not… we are protected though we may be frightened.  Our life you may not steal, though we may feel SCARED TO DEATH."

In the early days of the Pacific War, the Japanese empire seized Wake Island from the United States. It was an epic battle, despite the inevitable outcome. An outnumbered and unsupported Marine garrison held out far longer than anyone imagined that they would. Upon seizing the island, the Japanese removed the Marines, but kept ninety-eight civilian workers, who were forced into slave labor to build defensive infrastructure on the island. In October of 1953, a air attack from the USS Lexington, in which future US President George HW Bush got his first combat experience, convinced the local Japanese commander than an invasion was immanent. It wasn't. But he still made a decision that reverberates today… --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/plausibly-live/message

There has been a long history of tales about ghost ships - those that appear out of the mists on the high seas with tattered sales and creaking hulls. These ships seem to drift endlessly forever looking for a safe harbour so that they can set ashore their long dead crew.Other ghost ships lay at the bottom of the sea or are now part of huge floating museums that allow the public onboard to vicariously see what life would have been like onboard and to imagine raging air battles with suicide pilots overhead whilst waiting in abject terror for the bomb to hit that would send the ship and all aboard to its death.In this episode of the True Hauntings Podcast we welcome you aboard one such ghost ship – the USS Lexington as we look for the ghosts that still call this place home and find out whether they scare the many visitors that walk its deck every year at Corpus Christi, Texas where she is now to be found.LOVE OUR WORK?Consider supporting our work by buying us a "cup of coffee" https://www.buymeacoffee.com/anneandrenataORbecome a Grand Poobah Patreon supporter, and join our inner circle of craziness!https://www.patreon.com/anneandrenataJoin us on our Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/TrueHauntingsPodcastP.S. If you want more Anne and Renata - catch our PODCAST - Diary of a Ghost Hunter on all the best streaming platforms to find out what our life as female ghost hunters is really like (no Bullsh*t).NOW we also have SERIOUSLY WEIRD on our YouTube Channel just because we LOVE story telling and who doesn't love a seriously weird spooky story!Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel as we are wanting to get more views and engagement and check out our travel videos Frightfully Good MisadventuresAlso Follow Anne and Renata:Facebook: @AnneAndRenataInstagram: @AnneAndRenataYouTube: @AnneAndRenataTikTok: @AnneAndRenata#anneandrenata #ghosts #hauntings #paranormalpodcast #frightfullygood #FrightfullyGood #HauntedHolidays #diaryofaghosthunter #spookysundays #ghosts #mythsandlegends #warshiplexington #usslexington #hauntedusslexington #hauntedbattleship #ghostship #apparitions Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, our regular contributor, Anne Clare, tells the story of a unique aircraft carrier, the USS Lexington. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Football Is Football is part of the Sports History Network - The Headquarters For Sports Yesteryear.EPISODE SUMMARYThe episode recounts the story of World War II hero Edward "Butch" O'Hare and his gangster-affiliated father. Butch O'Hare, an American naval aviator, displayed extraordinary courage and skill by single-handedly taking down five enemy bombers threatening his ship, the USS Lexington, an act that earned him the Medal of Honor in 1942. His father, Edward O'Hare, despite being a lawyer and one of the directors of the Chicago Cardinals football team in the 1930s, was also a partner of infamous gangster Al Capone. Edward was murdered in what appeared to be a mob hit in 1939, but was later revealed to have secretly helped the government convict Capone on tax evasion charges. Butch O'Hare's untimely death came in 1943 when he was lost in aerial combat. His heroism and legacy are commemorated in the naming of the O'Hare International Airport in Chicago.Read the entire episode blog post and check out some other cool info regarding this episode here.WHEN FOOTBALL WAS FOOTBALL BACKGROUNDEach episode takes the listener back to the very early days of the National Football League. Author Joe Ziemba will share a forgotten or lost story from one of the NFL's two oldest teams: The Bears and the Cardinals. Team championships, individual exploits, or long-buried items of interest from the earliest years of the NFL will be dusted off and resurrected for the listener. Not for the football faint-of-heart since these programs will document when the struggling Bears nearly went out of business or when Cardinals' players earned $15 a game and were proud of it! It's NFL history—with a twist!. See Joe's books below.Cadets, Canons, and Legends: The Football History of Morgan Park Military AcademyWhen Football Was Football: The Chicago Cardinals and the Birth of the NFLMusic for the episode - https://www.purple-planet.com/

Hello! Welcome back to Monday Night Fright. This week's episode was recorded only with Deziray, Alejo will be back next week. Listen to the haunting details of a WW2 aircraft ship.

Hello everyone!It's Monday, which means it's time for another episode! I sat down with Jerry Frye, who wrote Cannabis the cat, an educational book for kids.Jerry is a veteran of the United States Navy, serving on board of USS Lexington. He is also a dad, recovering alcoholic and an author.We spoke about his past, his book, what he is trying to achieve and the response he had so far.Check out Cannabis the cat on Amazon and the website:www.cannabisthecat.comSee you at the next oneAnzeClick here for more info

While the hit and run carrier raids of February and March tested American carrier doctrine to an extent, and the Pearl Harbor raid as well as Indian Ocean raids tested Imperial Navy doctrine also to an extent, this is the very first time that both navies tested each other's way of doing things, and in the process found things that worked, and things that well…didn't work.  Let's dig into it…Talking Points:• What sets off the battle of Coral Sea?o Outline Japanese plans for Operation MO Japanese wanted to seize Port Moresby and all of New Guinea.  By doing this, it would provide Japan with both a way to isolate Australia as well as New Zealand from allied supply lines, specifically American supply lines.  • Why Rabaul (Opeation R) wasn't good enough This was to be prefaced by the Japanese capture of Tulagi, which is an island we will hear a lot about in the near future.  By capturing Tulagi, in the Solomons, the Japanese could patrol the area and the sea lanes to Port Moresby so as to allow their invasion force a free hand. As part of the Port Moresby invasion attempt, the invasion group was to be covered by two separate carrier groups, one which centered around the light carrier Shoho, and another which centered around the fleet carriers Shokaku and Zuikaku.o US intel at Station HYPO and fleet radio unit Melbourne, or FRUMEL decrypt Japanese messages to an extent, and in turn believe that the Japanese will strike the area of Port Moresby, or the northern coast of Australia on or about the first week of May. As a result of this intel, Nimitz deploys the only two carrier task forces at his disposal at this time, those centered around USS Lexington, and USS Yorktown, TF 11 and TF 17 respectively, to stand by the area of the Coral Sea with designs to intercept and destroy the incoming Japanese invasion and support fleets.• On May 1 the two US CV TFs unite under the command of ADM Fletchero May 4, Fletcher detaches CV5 to attack recent Japanese positions on Tulagi CV5's attacks are relatively successful, with damage inflicted on enemy positions and shipping in and around the harbor of Tulagi• US losses are minimal• By May 6, Fletcher is aware that Japanese CVs are in the area, and the Japanese invasion fleet is not far behind.  As a result, he detaches ADM Crace's cruisers WITHOUT air cover to block the invasion force.o This is potentially a critical blunder by Fletcher.  Crace's CAs could have been blown out of the water by Japanese CVs, as it was, they were attacked three times by Japanese aircraft and once by MacArthur's B17s.   Japanese reports stated that they had sunk a BB, damaged a second BB and a CA.  Japanese sent no further attacks towards Crace.  His vessels survived due to poor Japanese (and American) accuracy as well as his skillful maneuvering.   The sighting of the supposed BBs by the Japanese informed the invasion fleet to reverse course Still a horrible decision by Fletcher• First day of the carrier battle May 7• Early on the morning of the 7th, Japanese launch searches to find US CVso Japanese scout planes from Shokaku find US ships and radio ADM Tagaki of 1 CV, 1 CA, and 3 DD. What the Japanese actually sight is the detached oiler Neosho and her escort DD Sims.  • How did the Japanese pilot screw this up this bad?• Japanese arrive over oiler and DD, realize their mistake and continue their search, they return and attack and sink Sims and force Neosho to be abandonned• At 0815 a CV5 SBD piloted by John Nielsen finds the Japanese screening force under ADM Goto, which includes light carrier Shoho.  o An error in Nielsen's coding made the message read 2 Japanese CVs instead of 1.• Fletcher loses his mind on Nielsen when he lands and clarifies his message Believing this to be the main Japanese CV force, Fletcher launches everything he has.  • 93 aircraft are flung at Shohoo 18 F4Fs, 53 SBDs, 22 TBDs from CV2 and CV5• Lexington Air Group, under Bill Ault arrive over Shoho firsto The SBDs attack first, and score at least 2 bomb hits and the TBDs score 5 torpedo hits This is the only real successful TBD attack of WW2• Lex AG executes a hammer and anvil attack and leave Shoho a wreck Talk about Walt Nelson and Ted Wiebe• Yorktown Air Group arrive next and continue to pummel Shoho.o Estimated 11 bombs and 2 more torpedoeso She is barely afloat as US aircraft leave and is gone by 1135• Lexington VB2 CO, Bob Dixon sent a prearranged radio signal back to Fletcher that simply said, “Scratch One Flattop”• Second day of the carrier battle May 8• Both Japanese and US locate each other almost simultaneouslyo US launch first at 0900, Japanese at 0915 Opposing forces actually pass each other on the way to their targets• US attack Japanese firsto The well-coordinated attack of May 7 gives way to the mess of May 8 US aircraft have trouble finding the targets due to squally weather• When they do find them, they can't coordinate their attacks as the previous day Yorktown aircraft under Bill Burch find and attack Shokaku.• The ship is moving radically but is still hit with 2 1,000 pound bombs which puts her flight deck out of action.• Lex Air Group attacks and half of her SBDs find Shokaku and attack, hitting her once, the other half of the attackers from Lex can't find the ship.• All TBD torpedo attacks by both Air Groups miss their targets or the weapons fail to explode• Japanese attack on US fleet• Enemy is picked up 68 nautical miles away by US radaro Poorly executed fighter direction operations positioned the US CAP too low to intercept the incoming enemy strike.• One of the stranger aspects of Coral Sea is that SBDs were utilized as anti-torpedo plane CAPo The assumption was that the Japanese Kate was as slow and sluggish as the TBD, which was obviously false One of the anti-VT pilots was Swede Vejtasa• Talk about Swede's dogfight against Zuikaku aircraft• Despite the best efforts of the US CAP, the Japanese break througho The Kates attack CV5 and miss, yet a hammer and anvil attack against CV2 succeeds CV2 turned like a whale and could not evade the torpedoes.  • She takes two on her port side, one ruptures her avgas tanks, which eventually seal her fateo The Vals attack Lex and hit her twiceo The Vals attack Yorktown and hit her severely damaging her as well• Lexington goes downo Avgas fumes spread throughout the ship, it is thought that a spark from a DC powered motor ignited the fumes which eviscerated the internals of the ship, starting uncontrollable fires. The first major explosion kills Lex's main DC party IF WE HAVE THE TIME, LET'S GO THROUGH LEX'S DEATH• Outcomeo Coral sea is technically a draw Seen as US strategic victory in that it is the first time the Japanese are stopped• Port Moresby is not invaded, and the Japanese expansion, at least for now, is checked Tactical defeat for the US Navy• Losing Lex in exchange for Shoho is not acceptable in any wayo Poor FDO operations stationing CAP too low and out of place contributed to losing Lexo Poor design (prewar design) heavily contributed to Lex's losso Poor US coordination on the morning attack against Shokaku and Zuikaku allowed both to escape the battle Sho and Zui would be unavailable for the Midway operation• Sho due to damage and Zui due to heavy aircrew losseso What lessons do we learn regarding future operations?

This week we explore the haunted history of the USS Lexington, which can be found in Corpus Christi Texas. It's a museum where you can get a feel for what it was like to be on a real WWII aircraft carrier. We were joined by the Lexington's lead paranormal investigator, Bill Miller to talk about what you might see and find on this ship.Tour the Lexington:https://usslexington.com/haunted-house/All of our links:https://linktr.ee/UnrefinedPodcast

On this episode of Our American Stories, regular contributor, Anne Clare, tells the story of a unique aircraft carrier, the USS Lexington. Tom Zoellner purchased a diamond engagement ring and proposed. His girlfriend said, "yes" and then, suddenly, walked out of his life making Tom the owner of a used engagement ring. Instead of hitting the self-help shelves of his local bookstore, he hit the road to discover the true worth of this shining gem and then wrote The Heartless Stone. Mike Freeman, author of Clarence Saunders & the Founding of Piggly Wiggly: The Rise and Fall of a Memphis Maverick, tells us how Clarence Saunders revolutionized the way people shopped by developing “self-service” grocery shopping. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Time Codes: 00:00 - The USS Lexington, The Naval Juggernaut 10:00 - The Shocking Story Behind the Diamond Engagement Ring 23:00 - How Piggly Wiggly Created the Modern Supermarket See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yes, today's episode proves that ghosts do sail the high seas! Celeste covers two naval ships: the USS Constellation and USS Lexington while Kaytlyn covers the puzzling events of the Ourang Medan and a real life shipwreck from Maine.   To get your Ghoul Friends gear, head over to ghoulfriendspod.redbubble.com Got a spooky tale? Send it to us at ghoulfriendspodcast@gmail.com You can find us on Instagram (ghoulfriendspodcast), on Facebook (Ghoul Friends Podcast) or send us a message at ghoulfriendspodcast@gmail.com

WE ARE BACKKKK what's up friends? We're both STOKED for this spoopy week and Sami is gonna get down with some good old fashioned curses, specifically the Egyptian tomb variety. Jack, of course, did not follow suit with this topic and decided to talk about his all-time favorite haunted location, which is, the USS Lexington. Special thanks to History Goes Bump Podcast for their FANTASTIC information and outstanding research and presentation on this one. 

Der Schweizer Historiker und Friedensforscher Dr. Daniele Ganser hat in St. Leon Roth am 14. September 2020 einen Vortrag gehalten, in dem er über sein neues Buch Imperium USA und den Eintritt der USA in den Zweiten Weltkrieg sprach. Gemäss Ganser waren Präsident Roosevelt und seine engsten Mitarbeiter nicht überrascht, als die Japaner am 7. Dezember 1941 den US-Militärstützpunkt Pearl Harbor auf Hawaii angriffen. Der US-Marinegeheimdienst Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) hatte schon am 7. Oktober 1940 Roosevelt einen Plan vorgelegt, wie man Japan zu einem Angriff auf die USA provozieren könnte. Roosevelt wünschte, dass Japan die erste offene Kriegshandlung begeht, da nur durch einen Schock die US-Bevölkerung und der US-Kongress von der Notwendigkeit eines Krieges gegen Japan und Deutschland überzeugt werden konnten. Die US-Bevölkerung und auch die Menschen in Europa wussten nichts über diese geheimen Pläne. Gemäss dem geheimen ONI-Plan verlegte Roosevelt im Februar 1941 die US-Pazifikflotte von Kalifornien nach Hawaii, näher zu Japan. US-Admiral James Richardson, der Kommandant der Pazifikflotte, hielt das für einen Fehler und protestierte. Roosevelt entliess ihn und beförderte Admiral Husband Kimmel zum neuen Kommandanten der Pazifikflotte. Danach drehte Roosevelt am 25. Juli 1941, vier Monate vor Pearl Harbor, den Japanern den Erdölhahn vollständig zu, wie es der geheime ONI-Plan vorschlug. Gleichzeitig gelang es dem US-Marinegeheimdienst ONI den Nachrichtenverkehr der Japaner abzuhören und zu entschlüsseln, ohne dass die Japaner dies bemerkten. Die abgefangenen Daten wurden als «Magic» bezeichnet. Nur der US-Präsident und seine engsten Mitarbeiter hatten dazu Zugang. «Wir wissen, was sie wissen, aber sie wissen nicht, dass wir es wissen», erklärte US-Generalstabschef George Marshall treffend. Daher wussten die führenden Politiker in Washington, wann und wo Japan die USA angreifen würde. Kurz vor dem japanischen Angriff entfernten die USA ihre zwei wertvollen Flugzeugträger USS Enterprise und USS Lexington aus Pearl Harbor. Die USS Enterprise verliess den Stützpunkt auf Hawaii am 28. November 1941, eskortiert von elf der neusten Kriegsschiffe der Pazifikflotte. Die USS Lexington lief am 5. Dezember 1941 aus Pearl Harbor aus, begleitet von acht modernen Kriegsschiffen. Danach gab es in Pearl Harbor keine US-Flugzeugträger mehr, sondern nur noch alte, aus dem Ersten Weltkrieg übrig gebliebene Kriegsschiffe. Am 7. Dezember 1941 griff Japan wie erwartet die Philippinen und die amerikanische Pazifikflotte in Pearl Harbor an. Die Japaner töteten in Pearl Harbor 2400 US-Amerikaner, zerstörten 164 Flugzeuge und versenkten achtzehn ältere amerikanische Schiffe. Joseph Rocheforts, ein führender Mitarbeiter des US-Marinegeheimdienstes ONI, fasste die geheime US-Politik gegenüber Japan so zusammen: »Wir drehten die Daumenschrauben immer enger zu. Sie (die Japaner) sahen kein anderes Mittel, sich aus diesem Würgegriff zu befreien, als den Krieg» so Rocheforts. Zu den 2400 toten US-Soldaten in Pearl Harbor sagte er: «Es war ein recht billiger Preis, den wir für die Einmütigkeit der Nation bezahlen mussten.» Abonniere hier den Daniele Ganser YouTube Kanal: https://bit.ly/3i0QecQ Daniele Ganser: https://www.danieleganser.ch https://twitter.com/danieleganser https://www.facebook.com/DanieleGanser https://www.instagram.com/daniele.ganser/ https://t.me/s/DanieleGanser See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We find ourselves this week in the Pacific theater of the second world war. A ship that has said to have sunk up to four times continues to float in the vast cold ocean. That ship is the USS Lexington, nicknamed as the Blue Ghost by the enemy. And it is still up, despite taking so many different hits.Now, we cut to today, the ship is now a museum, but we see the ghost stories that haunt this ship now turned into a museum. Not only was this ship used in Pearl Harbor, just not on the day of infamy, but it also showed up in the movie Pearl Harbor with Ben Affleck.Tune in this week to hear Lisa talk about all the war history this ship endured, including a ton of Japanese propaganda. Regale in Jake's scary stories of first hand account of WWII officers that still live on the ship. And laugh at Davis as he bring us into a new sci-fi series with a Western twist. All this and more on this week's episode of The Possibly Paranormal Podcast!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/tppp)

Debbie and Alison visit the USS Lexington!! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cecilia Korzekwa, a junior at Poth High School, was selected as the Wilson County Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8555 and VFW District 20 winner of the annual Voice of Democracy competition. She was also notably selected as a Texas VFW Top 10 finalist and was duly recognized at the 2022 VFW Mid-Winter Awards Banquet onboard the USS Lexington at Corpus Christi. Cecilia was recognized at the Feb. 9 Poth ISD School Board meeting, where she was presented a plaque and a framed certificate from VFW Post 8555 Commander Marvin Roemer. For her accomplishment she also received a monetary scholarship...Article Link

The USS Lexington is a world war 2 aircraft carrier that saw a lot of action in it's day. That being said there were many soldiers that died on this ship through out it's years in active duty, many of which still haunt it's halls to this very day. Join us in today's episode as we unpack it all! Keep up with the show: Instagram: @thedwtdpodcast Music by: lex music

Join C.J. and Kenzie as they discuss Amelia Earhart's Lockheed Electra 10E, her attempt to circumnavigate the globe, and her eventual disappearance near Howland Island, in the South Pacific. Lastly, they talk about the massive search and rescue operation, which involved the battleship USS Colorado and the aircraft carrier USS Lexington.

Let's Chat Paranormal is a podcast for anything paranormal: ghosts, cryptozoology, UFO's, occult, folklore, dreams and anything else crazy in between. In our FIFTIETH EPISODE, we talk about the USS Lexington and some of it's possible inhabitants, mentions of Zak Bagans and LOTS of creepy updates. Send in your stories to be read on the podcast to letschatparanormal@gmail.com. Find us on Facebook and Instagram @letschatparanormal

Today's guest is friend of the podcast, and paranormal investigator, Joseph Mendez of The Paranormal Journal. We had a blast talking about The Paranormal Journal's first season and their upcoming season finale at the USS Lexington in Corpus Christi, Texas. If you want to check out their first season make sure to subscribe to PARAFlixx.

Hello Beautiful Human Unicorns! Tess shares a LOT of stories from her week in hell - we mean - Vacation! And we also get some spooky scary stories from her visit to the USS Lexington! Let us know whether we should do some more paranormal stories on Instangram or at MindoverMillennialpodcast@gmail.com! Love y'all!

The USS Lexington was put into service before the camouflage paint could be applied. When Tokyo Rose announced the ship had been sunk only for it to reappear it was given the name "Blue Ghost." Nearly 400 people lost their lives either in war time conflicts or peace time accidents. Their spirits remain all over the ship seen by hundreds of visitors.

Madeleine Fontenot, Education Coordinator at the USS Lexington Museum on the Bay, joins me for an in-person tequila shot to discuss the Anthropology class that started it all, helping send a Peruvian mummy back to their country of origin, the first full-time job that allowed her to experiment with fashion, her amazingly open minded and supportive family, and why her 5th grade self would be so happy with their current career in episode 130.

The Battle for Hell's Island: How a Small Band of Carrier Dive-Bombers Helped Save Guadalcanal by Stephen L. MooreJohn Batchelor interviews author.http://JohnBatchelorShow.com/ About the book-The Battle for Hell's Island: How a Small Band of Carrier Dive-Bombers Helped Save Guadalcanal by Stephen L. Moore November 1942: Japanese and American forces have been fighting for control of Guadalcanal, a small but pivotal island in Japan’s expansion through the South Pacific. Both sides have endured months of grueling battle under the worst circumstances: hellish jungles, meager rations, and tropical diseases, which have taken a severe mental and physical toll on the combatants. The Japanese call Guadalcanal Jigoku no Jima—Hell's Island. Amid a seeming stalemate, a small group of U.S. Navy dive bombers are called upon to help determine the island's fate. The men have until recently been serving in their respective squadrons aboard the USS Lexington and the USS Yorktown, fighting in the thick of the Pacific War's aerial battles. Their skills have been honed to a fine edge, even as injury and death inexorably have depleted their ranks. When their carriers are lost, many of the men end up on the USS Enterprise. Battle damage to that carrier then forces them from their home at sea to operating from Henderson Field, a small dirt-and-gravel airstrip on Guadalcanal. With some Marine and Army Air Force planes, they help form the Cactus Air Force, a motley assemblage of fliers tasked with holding the line while making dangerous flights from their jungle airfield. Pounded by daily Japanese air assaults, nightly warship bombardments, and sniper attacks from the jungle, pilots and gunners rarely last more than a few weeks before succumbing to tropical ailments, injury, exhaustion, and death. But when the Japanese launch a final offensive to take the island once and for all, these dive-bomber jocks answer the call of duty—and try to perform miracles in turning back an enemy warship armada, a host of fighter planes, and a convoy of troop transports. A remarkable story of grit, guts, and heroism, The Battle for Hell's Island reveals how command of the South Pacific, and the outcome of the Pacific War, depended on control of a single dirt airstrip—and the small group of battle-weary aviators sent to protect it with their lives.    The John Batchelor Show is a breaking-news program that focusses on global politics, economics, war-fighting, hard sciences, space exploration, literature and whimsy. Four hours a night, seven days a week; most rigorous news analysis in the New World; followed daily in 192 countries.  For a great archive of shows visit-http://JohnBatchelorShow.com/ Listen to John Batchelor at-https://audioboom.com/channel/johnbatchelor  Listen to John Batchelor on iTunes at-https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-john-batchelor-show/id589864479?mt=2  blog Twitter: @BatchelorShow Listen on Podcast Addicthttps://podcastaddict.com/podcast/1707620

The Battle for Hell's Island: How a Small Band of Carrier Dive-Bombers Helped Save Guadalcanal by Stephen L. Moore John Batchelor interviews author. http://JohnBatchelorShow.com/   About the book- The Battle for Hell's Island: How a Small Band of Carrier Dive-Bombers Helped Save Guadalcanal by Stephen L. Moore   November 1942: Japanese and American forces have been fighting for control of Guadalcanal, a small but pivotal island in Japan's expansion through the South Pacific. Both sides have endured months of grueling battle under the worst circumstances: hellish jungles, meager rations, and tropical diseases, which have taken a severe mental and physical toll on the combatants. The Japanese call Guadalcanal Jigoku no Jima—Hell's Island. Amid a seeming stalemate, a small group of U.S. Navy dive bombers are called upon to help determine the island's fate. The men have until recently been serving in their respective squadrons aboard the USS Lexington and the USS Yorktown, fighting in the thick of the Pacific War's aerial battles. Their skills have been honed to a fine edge, even as injury and death inexorably have depleted their ranks. When their carriers are lost, many of the men end up on the USS Enterprise. Battle damage to that carrier then forces them from their home at sea to operating from Henderson Field, a small dirt-and-gravel airstrip on Guadalcanal. With some Marine and Army Air Force planes, they help form the Cactus Air Force, a motley assemblage of fliers tasked with holding the line while making dangerous flights from their jungle airfield. Pounded by daily Japanese air assaults, nightly warship bombardments, and sniper attacks from the jungle, pilots and gunners rarely last more than a few weeks before succumbing to tropical ailments, injury, exhaustion, and death. But when the Japanese launch a final offensive to take the island once and for all, these dive-bomber jocks answer the call of duty—and try to perform miracles in turning back an enemy warship armada, a host of fighter planes, and a convoy of troop transports. A remarkable story of grit, guts, and heroism, The Battle for Hell's Island reveals how command of the South Pacific, and the outcome of the Pacific War, depended on control of a single dirt airstrip—and the small group of battle-weary aviators sent to protect it with their lives.       The John Batchelor Show is a breaking-news program that focusses on global politics, economics, war-fighting, hard sciences, space exploration, literature and whimsy. Four hours a night, seven days a week; most rigorous news analysis in the New World; followed daily in 192 countries.     For a great archive of shows visit- http://JohnBatchelorShow.com/   Listen to John Batchelor at- https://audioboom.com/channel/johnbatchelor   Listen to John Batchelor on iTunes at- https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-john-batchelor-show/id589864479?mt=2   blog Twitter: @BatchelorShow   Listen on Podcast Addict https://podcastaddict.com/podcast/1707620

The episode where we talk all things paranormal and revisit Lindsey’s unfortunate childhood bowl haircut. Sarah starts us off with the curse of Dudleytown, CT. Not to be confused with Deadlytown - which probably doesn’t exist...probably. It’s a town cursed that inspired one of her favorite movies - The Blair Witch Project! Next up is Boydston with the USS Lexington in Corpus Christi, TX. This is one haunted thiccc ship that just wouldn’t sink during WWII. Drink for every time you hear sea men. Finally, Lindsey (really it’s Linda at this point) talks about sleep paralysis, including a personal story at the end. Lots of science here, but we swear it’s a fascinating story! www.thetipsyghost.com Find us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok @thetipsyghost and at Patreon.com/thetipsyghost Email us your stories at thetipsyghost@gmail.com Show your support when you subscribe, leave a great review & give us a 5 star rating—it really helps!

Stephen Brynestad is the music director of Trinity Our Savior Lutheran Church in Corpus Christi, Texas. Trinity Our Savior's website: coming soon! Trinity Our Savior's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/trinitylutherancc (https://www.facebook.com/trinitylutherancc) Stephen's recommended things to check out: The Executive Surf Club: http://www.waterstmarketcc.com/executive-surf-club (http://www.waterstmarketcc.com/executive-surf-club) USS Lexington: https://www.usslexington.com (https://www.usslexington.com)/ Texas State Aquarium: https://www.texasstateaquarium.org (https://www.texasstateaquarium.org)/ Go see the beach Schlitterbahn Corpus Christi (now Waves Resort): https://www.wavesresortcc.com (https://www.wavesresortcc.com)/ See the Hooks, the AA minor league team: https://www.milb.com/corpus-christi (https://www.milb.com/corpus-christi) Go to the sea wall Try shrimping Friend Stephen on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/SLBrynestad (https://www.facebook.com/SLBrynestad) This episode's sponsor is Ad Crucem. They make beautiful, robustly Lutheran cards, gifts, Christmas Ornaments and Art. Get prepared for Christmas and check them out at https://adcrucem.com/ (https://adcrucem.com) If you enjoy the show, please take a moment to rate and review the show on iTunes so that more people will see and listen!

Grab a handy flotation device and make sure you have room to muster in the porthole, ‘cause this week the BnB crew are setting sail with more Haunted Boats! Melissa sets up on the starboard with the story of the USS Hornet, who loves having astronauts inside her and served during the turkey holocaust. Then Vanessa takes it in the stern with the tale of the USS Lexington, a boat that refused to die in WWII and is doing her best to keep the war alive on her boat boobs. Our beer this week is Captain Fatty’s Brewery's Calypso Cucumber Sour. Who will win in the battle of an Essex Class Aircraft Carrier vs... well, an Essex Class Aircraft Carrier? Listen and find out!

The significance of a floating WW2 Museum! See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Episode 55: On this episode, Matthew Swayne comes back on the show to talk about some fascinating and eerie haunted stories from his Haunted Rails and Haunted World War II books. He covered stories about haunted rail stations, haunted trains and haunted museums, to include the infamous Abraham Lincoln Ghost Train and why railroad locations are good recipe for hauntings. He also talked about a few very interesting haunted stories surrounding World War II, to include the story of the Ghost Admiral who gives boy scout troops a tour of the USS Lexington, a spirit-sailor who keeps watch over Pearl Harbor and a few others. Matthew is an research writer and has written several books on various haunted subjects. Music by: Sergey Cheremisinov

This is a very special episode for the podcast! We are celebrating our one year podiversary! For this special occasion we take it back to our home state of Texas and look at some spooky locations that can only be found in the lone star state. Vanessa checks us in at the Jefferson Hotel while Bailie takes us on board the USS Lexington. The cocktail for this episode is the Texas Hurricane. To this delicious drink yourself you will need 1 fluid ounce rum, 1 fluid ounce coconut flavored rum, 1 fluid ounce vodka, 1 fluid ounce gin, 1 fluid ounce triple sec, 2 fluid ounces orange juice, 1 fluid ounce pineapple juice, 1 fluid ounce grenadine syrup, 1 fluid ounce 151 proof rum. Fill a hurricane glass with ice. Then pour in the rum, coconut rum, vodka, gin, triple sec, orange juice, pineapple juice, and grenadine. Stir well with a bar spoon, then pour the 151 rum over the back of the spoon to float the liquor on top of the drink. Finally garnish the glass with orange slice, lime slice, and a cherry. Find more wonderfully strange podcasts like ours at StraightUpStrange.com

In episode 50 Carly & Cecilia each share surprise stories from two different places in an attempt to show you that ghosts really are everywhere. Carly heads to the American south, where everything is BIG, sharing spooky stories of what might be found in Texas lurking aboard the USS Lexington. Then, Cecilia brings us a good ole Ontario tale of small town hauntings, recounting the sad and scary happenings at the Huron Historic Gaol. 

Join the boys this week as they talk about mental health days, the USS Lexington, The Witcher, and the latest streaming platforms! Don't forget to follow them on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter with @commanderboys or send them an email with commanderboyspodcast@gmail.com. Don't forget if you would like to join their patreon its patreon.com/commanderboyspodcast --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Today it's almost hard to imagine a time when our military wasn't really very open for women. Women serve in just about every critical role all across our services. Today we are saluting a woman who was a pioneer among women in the service: Rosemary Bryant Mariner of the United States Navy. Mariner logged a lot of firsts during her service but the biggest was becoming the first EVER female fighter pilot in the United States military. Mariner was selected for the Navy back in 1973 along with 7 other women.  She became the first female Jet pilot in 1974 flying the A-4C and the A-7E Corsair II in 1974. Shortly after this the young aviator reported for duty aboard the USS Lexington where she qualified as a Surface Warfare Officer. Fast forward to 1990 Rosemary Mariner logged another first when she became the first ever female air squadron commander when she took command of VAQ-34 based in California. In 1997 Captain Mariner finally retired after a long and distinguished career where she opened many doors for other women in the service. Sadly Captain Rosemary Mariner passed away last January after a battle with ovarian cancer.  She was just 65 years old. Captain Mariner was laid to rest in a full military honors service including the first ever all female piloted "missing man" formation flight over her service in F/A-18 Super Hornets. Many friends and admirers attended her service along with her family including the Second ever female fighter pilot AND the first ever female helicopter pilot, who were both friends and classmates of Captain Mariner.  Today, we honor Captain Rosemary Mariner for her service, for her determination, and for her life well spent defending this great nation.

Honey Island Swamp -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88Laoa06ADE  Bonner Mansion - http://www.texasescapes.com/BobBowman/Perfect-haunted-house.htm Texas Burn Victim - https://www.ktre.com/story/11568961/unsolved-murder-of-lufkin-girl-one-of-most-gruesome-in-local-history/ Hawaii Night Marchers - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tUrebmUvGk Ken Rex McElroy - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZktTdGHaJY Goatman’s Grave - https://americanghoststories.com/mid-west-ghost-stories/missouri/goat-mans-grave-rolla-missouri Driskill Hotel - https://www.haunted-places-to-go.com/driskill-hotel.html Salt Lake City Hobbitville -  http://utahspresenthistory.blogspot.com/2013/02/urban-myth-salt-lake-citys-hobbitville.html USS Lexington - http://www.usslexington.com/ USS Hornet -  https://www.uss-hornet.org/ Queen Mary Video- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzHjX3pCrxs&t=19s UTMB Face in Panel - https://texashillcountry.com/utmb-galveston-face-still-haunts-island/ Col. Buck's Grave - https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/6159 Mary Henry Horseshoe Grave - https://www.hauntedhocking.com/Bloody_Horseshoe_Grave.htm Lake Shasta monster - http://mikemorgandesigns.com/2017/07/14/shasta-lake-horned-serpent-sighting-northern-californias-loch-ness-monster/ Lake Shasta video - https://www.npr.org/2015/06/07/412098380/a-mountain-of-many-legends-draws-spiritual-seekers-from-around-the-globe Farmington UFO Armada - https://noriohayakawa.wordpress.com/2015/10/06/that-was-what-i-call-a-sighting-indeed-it-happened-on-march-15-16-and-17-in-farmington-new-mexico/

We're back from a busy week of Minor League Baseball in the Lone Star State.OPENING (Time: 00:00;30) We visited the Hooks, the Blue Ghosts, the Chupacabras, the Express and a quick word on the controversial subject of nets.FROM THE DECK (Time: 00:08;14)Jessica and Jim come to you from below the flight deck of the USS Lexington.TO THE FIRST 10,000 FANS Promotion of the Week (Time: 00:18;54)We take a look at some of the MANY MiLB teams hosting pride night!TEAMS:Durham BullsLakewood Blue ClawsTrenton ThunderLehigh Valley IronPigsTHE BIG LEAGUE CHEW (Time: 00:20;11)Scott and Jim talk about the start of the NCAA Baseball tournament. GO GO ASTROS (Time: 00:32;30)Larry the GM joins the show to talk about the Astros youth movement.ON DECK WITH THE CORPUS CHRISTI HOOKS (Time 00:42;40)Hooks Marketing Director JD Davis joins us for a wide ranging conversation about the Astros AA affiliate.CLOSING IT OUT (Time 01:11;44)We talk about the Fresno snafu and our players and teams of the week.Team of the Week:Frisco RoughridersTacoma RainiersHartford Yard GoatsPlayers of the Week:Jojanse TorresEddie MedinaFollow Us:FacebookTwitter

Darrell Castle continues with part two of A Hero's Journey leading into Memorial Day. Transcription / Notes A HERO'S JOURNEY—PART TWO Hello this is Darrell Castle with today's Castle Report. Today is Friday May 24, 2019 the Friday before Memorial Day, just a three day weekend for most people but for us a chance to pause and remember. To that end we continue with part two of our Hero's Journey to honor some of those who fought World War Two, and made that hero's journey.  The early days of World War Two were desperate times for the naval and marine aviators trying to defend their ships from attack in the pacific. The only fighter aircraft they had for the first 15 months or so of the war was the F4F Wildcat which was vastly inferior to its main opponent the Japanese zero. The Wildcat did not have automatically retractable landing so the gear had to be manually retracted by the pilot turning a crank in the cockpit that operated a set of wheels and pulleys. It was less agile, less maneuverable, and slower than the Zero which all added up to a lot of dead American pilots. The pilots used to joke about the Wildcat that it was so bad that when they launched from the deck of the Carrier the aircraft should immediately be reported as missing. One man named Jimmy Thach, decided that he would do something to change that. Lt. Com. Thach said that even though the aircraft was inferior to its Japanese counterpart, the men who flew them were not. He picked two other flyers from the squadron he commanded, and invited them to a training session in his quarters. He took a few matchsticks and laid out for the other two pilots his tactical method. That method of changing tactics to accommodate the aircraft's strengths and weaknesses redefined American fighter tactics and saved countless American lives as well as protected their ships from destruction. His theory was that since their aircraft were inferior to the enemy's aircraft tactics had to change to even the score. His tactical change became known as the Thach weave whereby two Wildcats would weave back and forth in a kind of figure eight fashion thus making it almost impossible for a Zero to get on a Wildcat's tail without exposing itself to attack from the other Wildcat. The three of them went up and practiced the maneuver over and over until they had it down, and then they taught it to the rest of the squadron, and to the other squadrons on their ship, the USS Lexington. Jimmy Thach went on to become the best known tactician in the navy. He also developed what became known as the big blue blanket, to help protect ships from kamikaze attack later in the war. Jimmy Thach was born in Pine Bluff Arkansas just across the river from where I live now. He did about everything a good hero can do during his journey. Throughout his forty years in the navy he was a theoretical innovator and a tactical genius. In the last year of the War he was a task force operations officer, and during the Korean War he was an aircraft carrier commander. During the cold war he contributed greatly to the navy's anti-submarine warfare efforts.  There is still an award for excellence named for him at the navy's anti-submarine school. He was also a great fighter pilot credited with many enemy aircraft, including six in one day. He served on the staff of Vice Admiral John McCain, that's the senator's father, and was aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay for the Japanese surrender. He was eventually promoted to four star rank and commanded the US naval operations in Europe. He retired from the navy in 1967 with 40 years of service.  He died on April 15, 1981 four days before his 76th birthday thus completing his journey. One of those men sitting at Jimmy Thach's table to learn about the Thach weave was Edward “ Butch” O'Hare. You might recognize that name if you've ever flown into Chicago because O'Hare airport is named for Butch O'Hare although he was not from Chicago and never lived there.

Rigor Mortis Paranormal podcast episode 31 is Part 2 of stories we recorded from the Nightmares of San Antonio Paranormal Fest on September 22, 2018. A haunting at Waverly Hills Sanatorium. A spiritual interaction on the USS Lexington. A smoky ghost scares three little girls. A shadow person darts across the room in the night. Okinawa Japan – Ghost of the house. Three demonic heads are scarier than one. Murder suicide house of Von Army, Texas. Two girls chased by their Doppelgangers in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. A short story of a tall hooded figure. A story from “Drunken” Jennifer – Grandmas shoes. Mallory, the Atascosa County hitchhiker ghost. Ghosts play in the Toy Aisle of K-Mart. Podcast produced by: Robert Limon (host), David Limon (host), Jasmine Limon (host), Kory Earle (graphics), Ian Limon (Sobering Thoughts Segment), “Bum Tab” Nathan Limon (background music and sounds).

This was our trip to the #CorpusChristi #USSLexington with the #boyscouts. It was super fun and very interesting! I reccomend this trip to any boyscout and even if you are not its a wonderful fun tour and amazing place to visit. #BSA #travel #fun. Vie pics on our instagram. @vanessavillatoro1

Episode #514 3/10/2018

Girls are going to State! This week we have the discovery of the sunken USS Lexington, changes in legislation and diabetes medication, and a Fundraiser. Follow us on Twitter @TheEggEVN

USS Lexington sailed with Task Force 12 to ferry Marines to Midway, Empire of Japan attacked military airfields and installations at Pearl Harbor, Japanese launched two waves of air strikes, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the legislation establishing the Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps.

Hi Listeners! In this weeks episode of the Warships Podcast, we continue with more carrier talk with special guest Femennenly. Kelorn and Fem talk about their experiences from the recent Lets Battle Tour at USS Lexington. They also discuss Fem's background and her experiences getting into World of Warships and carriers, in addition to catching up with all the events and changes from the last time she was on the show. Getting into the main topics. The cast discusses the new CV changes with the USN carriers, going ship by ship and gathering the opinions of each. The topic of the recent destroyer anti air changes is also discussed. Carrier tactics are debated, such as scouting, anti air, fleet support, and target selection. A final thought is giving about the overall changes to carriers and in particular USN CV's and premium carriers. We wrap up our carrier discussion with competitive talk and the lack of CV's in Clan battles. The cast sails along to talks about the new release of the Pan Asian Destroyer line, and do the Quick Hits for the week. The new Quick Hits the crew covered are: New Patch 6.14, New Artic Camo schemes and new Campaign, Preimum Pan Asian ships Huang He, Lo Yang, and Anshan are in the shop, a new Hamburg Port, and a first look at French Battleships. Kelorn will be on Wargaming's official Twitch stream tomorrow at 1 PST, and look out for Kami's Stream for awesome prizes and content. Thank you everyone for listening and supporting our show. See you next cast!

Hi Listeners! We are back for another episode of the Warships Podcast and we have plenty of topics to cover. The Let's Battle Tour event at USS Lexington was a success and Wargaming's Sub Octavian came to visit. Where he revealed some new information on the future of USN carriers and cruisers. Getting right into show topics, the crew sets off with the topics of the LBT. Discussing USN CV changes and carrier module choice in general or now, lack there of. The news about the USN cruiser split was also discussed as the news from LBT had much to talk about. Sailing right along, the cast gets into a plethora of new premium ships that are being tested. The first of which is the Huang He, a Chinese light cruiser that the cast has been testing for awhile but now has the addition of a smoke option. The podcast gives their thoughts and moves onto the new tier 6 German (Dutch designed) Destroyer, KMS T-61. After this, the next premium, the tier 7 HIJMS Ashitaka is discussed and the use of the old stock hull ships leads to a debate on their use. Rounding out our new premiums the crew brings up the tier 7 RM Duca delgi Abruzzi. The discussion of this ship brings a debate on cruiser life and the future of Italian ship lines and what that national flavor might be. Moving full steam ahead, the show finishes out with our Quick Hits, bringing up points on; Offical Wargaming Stream starting Friday, World of Warships now available on Steam, USS Indianapolis is for sale again, Patch 6.14 is being tested, and the new changes that brings. The show finishes with the topic of further testing to KMS Graf Zeppelin, and the cast brings up CV expert Farazelleth who did an amazing write up, analysis, and opinion piece on reddit. While on the topic of carriers, recent changes to destroyer AA has led to a further power creep in Anti Air capability leaving CV players with harder choices to make when attacking, and the crew again discusses the impact that this has on the game. Thank you listeners so much for your continued support and we will see you next cast! How to use your WoWS account on Steam: https://www.reddit.com/r/WorldOfWarships/comments/7cpg24/how_to_use_your_main_wows_account_through_the/

PSA: Our apologies in advance for the audio quality this week, we were all in one room! Hi Listeners! In our anniversary episode of the Warships Podcast KamiSamurai and Kelorn got the opportunity to travel to Wargaming Headquarters North America for a special visit to see what awesome things Wargaming has been doing with World of Warships. (Regretfully Vanessaira just recently had surgery to remove her gallbladder and could attend :/ but joined in online, Sorry) The crew got to do some amazing things including visiting the USS Hornet while there in San Francisco. Trevzor joins the cast for this episode and the appearance of the infamous TorPillow was once again, a great topic of discussion. Getting into show topics, Kelorn asks Trevzor about some of the new content we have been seeing including Operations Dynamo. Trevzor talks about the excitement behind it as well as the thirst for new content from a community that is always looking for more from Wargaming. Kelorn then asks Trevzor about the Super Testing program and what that entails per se. Trevzor breaks down what Super Testers do and how they impact and help shape Wargaming products. KamiSamurai also took the opportunity to talk about his experience while being a Super Tester and recall some of the good and bad times from program. While moving to a similar subject Trevzor then talks about Community Contributors and contrast the differences between the two programs. Hopefully clearing up some questions that many people often have when comparing the two groups. Continuing with show topics, Trevzor is asked about this recent trip to the Let's Battle Tour that was held up in Minnesota. Trevzor talks about challenges of holding an event like this, but wanted to stress how much he really enjoyed it. Kelorn is excited for he will be attending the next event being held at the USS Lexington down at Corpus Christi, TX. If you are able to attend a Let's Battle Tour event, please do. Wrapping up this episode, the cast host a questions and answers session for Trevzor that our listeners submitted. We want to thank everyone for listening and supporting the game, community, and the show for the last year. Here is to looking forward to many more anniversaries to come! 0.6.8 Bert Strips by Fuzzy Collie The Climb to Rank 1 by Your SAT Score

During the second world war, sea battles became a much more prevalent and impactful form of warfare. Great battleships and aircraft carriers became massive assets and a nation with an abundance of them was a power to be feared. This was proven in December of 1941 with the attack on Pearl Harbor which forced the hand of the US Government and set off America's involvement in WWII. Many ships were lost to the sea during battle, but one ship's legacy carried on in an interesting way. Another ship was named for it, and this ship went on to be the oldest working aircraft carrier in the US Navy. Something else continues on in the afterlife. There are many reports of unexplained happenings aboard the carrier. Join us as we explore the history and the hauntings of the USS Lexington. The Moment in Oddity is suggested by listener Toby Hessenauer and researched by Bob Sherfield and features the Gate of the Sun and This Day in History is by Jessica Bell and features Martin Luther King Jr's march to Montgomery. Research Assistant on this was provided by our Assistant Producer Steven Pappas. Check out the website:  http://historygoesbump.com Show notes can be found here:  http://historygoesbump.blogspot.com/2016/03/hgb-ep-114-uss-lexington.html Become an Executive Producer:  http://patreon.com/historygoesbump

The Battle of the Coral Sea was a strategic victory for the United States, the first time in the Pacific war Japanese forces had been thwarted from taking their objective. Tactically, however, the Japanese had won, sinking more than twice the tonnage they had lost. But the tide of the war was beginning to turn. And the real test of what the losses meant to both sides in the Coral Sea would come a month later at Midway. In this webcast, you will hear from Vice Adm. Paul Stroop, who served as a flag secretary aboard USS Lexington. Courtesy of U.S. Naval Institute Oral History Program.

The Battle of the Coral Sea was a strategic victory for the United States, the first time in the Pacific war Japanese forces had been thwarted from taking their objective. Tactically, however, the Japanese had won, sinking more than twice the tonnage they had lost. But the tide of the war was beginning to turn. And the real test of what the losses meant to both sides in the Coral Sea would come a month later at Midway. In this webcast, you will hear from Vice Adm. Paul Stroop, who served as a flag secretary aboard USS Lexington. Courtesy of U.S. Naval Institute Oral History Program.