[HN Gopher] WWII heroics of 'Bazooka Charlie' doubted until daug...
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WWII heroics of 'Bazooka Charlie' doubted until daughter sets
record straight
Author : alehlopeh
Score : 78 points
Date : 2023-12-31 18:13 UTC (4 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (www.dispatch.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (www.dispatch.com)
| ilamont wrote:
| There was a story from the Vietnam War which sounds totally
| outlandish - a damaged USAF jet pushing another damaged jet via
| its tailhook (pressed up against a glass windshield of the
| pusher) as it leaked fuel and was in danger of crashing in enemy
| territory. But the account is real, despite sounding so
| improbable. https://theaviationgeekclub.com/pardos-push-how-
| an-f-4-pushe...
|
| For WW2 air crews, I believe gun cameras were standard in many
| aircraft (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_camera), but for an
| ad hoc weapon like the one described in the article it would less
| likely, which makes witness accounts or other evidence so
| important.
|
| My grandfather was in a US Navy salvage group in WWII. At the
| time, to verify an enemy vessel (especially subs) were sunk, they
| would send down divers in the old fashioned "heavy gear" suits to
| identify the vessels. They would also bring up proof, usually
| something that could be tied to the vessel, which could be a
| piece of military-grade equipment or even silverware engraved
| with the name of the ship.
|
| This is what the suits looked like:
| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_diving_dress
| ceejayoz wrote:
| > At the time, to verify an enemy vessel (especially subs) were
| sunk, they would send down divers in the old fashioned "heavy
| gear" suits to identify the vessels.
|
| Just hope you don't sink someone over the Mariana Trench.
| globalise83 wrote:
| Your grandpa probably saw some REALLY unnerving sights down
| there. I shudder to think about it.
| WalterBright wrote:
| I doubt there were gun cameras installed on B-17s because:
|
| 1. I've seen a lot of WW2 aviation footage, and none appeared
| to be from B-17s.
|
| 2. The combat footage that exists for B-17s was shot(!) for the
| "Memphis Belle" documentary, and some footage for it left on
| the cutting room floor. This was filmed by a camera crew going
| along for the ride on several missions. Memphis Belle footage
| appears in countless WW2 documentaries.
|
| 3. My dad flew 32 missions in one and never mentioned gun
| cameras, though he did talk about them when he flew ground
| attack missions in the Korean War. I have a couple of them from
| his airplane that the military didn't want.
| danielvf wrote:
| Gun cameras on B-17's might have been a late war thing?
| Here's a photo of some B-17 crew members with new gun cameras
| in 1945:
|
| https://www.superstock.com/asset/crew-members-rd-bomb-
| group-...
|
| The B-29's and B-26's were built from the factory with gun
| camera fixtures in their turrets as well.
|
| That said, I've hard a hard time finding any footage from a
| B17.
| pdonis wrote:
| Wikipedia also has an article on Pardo's Push:
|
| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pardo%27s_Push
|
| The article addresses a point that occurred to me when reading
| the Aviation Geek Club article: Air Force planes didn't land on
| carriers, so why would they have a tail hook? But according to
| the Wikipedia article, all F-4s were built with tail hooks
| since the plane was originally designed for the Navy and
| Marines and was not redesigned when the Air Force started using
| it.
| throwup238 wrote:
| The titular Bob Pardo passed away a few weeks ago. RIP o'
| brave airman!
| FredPret wrote:
| What a crazy thing!
|
| Weird that he died a couple of weeks ago. But what a pilot.
| thedrbrian wrote:
| >The article addresses a point that occurred to me when
| reading the Aviation Geek Club article: Air Force planes
| didn't land on carriers, so why would they have a tail hook?
|
| Loads of air force aircraft have tail hooks ,they're used to
| stop the aircraft in an emergency
|
| https://www.quora.com/Why-do-F16s-have-tail-hooks-even-
| thoug...
| pdonis wrote:
| _> they 're used to stop the aircraft in an emergency_
|
| Ah, yes, I'd forgotten that they have arresting gear on
| many runways for emergency use.
| kevin_thibedeau wrote:
| Some air force planes have tail hooks for landing with
| emergency arrestor gear on land.
| AndrewKemendo wrote:
| Please also appreciate that as a cadet at the Air Force
| Academy, you live and breathe these stories day and they out
| because they are real and absolutely insane. They are also
| taught as the types of things expected of us as military
| officers.
|
| Worth reading about some of the insanity that Lt Lance Sijan
| went through before his
| flir wrote:
| Riffing off the diving suit link:
| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Walker_(diver)
| ChrisMarshallNY wrote:
| That's a great story. I liked hearing about his daughter.
|
| My father was affected by PTSD. He never treated it, and I think
| he never recovered. He was a war hero, and is buried in
| Arlington[0].
|
| I have another friend who is a Vietnam vet (and also a decorated
| hero), and treated his PTSD. The difference is night and day.
|
| My father was quiet, and _never_ talked about the war. We 're
| still not sure what earned him his stars.
|
| My friend has absolutely no problem talking about his action.
| He's not boastful, but it doesn't bother him to talk about it.
|
| [0] https://cmarshall.com/miscellaneous/MikeMarshall.htm
| AndrewKemendo wrote:
| PTSD is under treated if you can actually believe it.
|
| I only recently realized I had it and just had decades of
| coping mechanisms. So there's often a lot to unpack especially
| with high performing people before you can even start looking
| at it.
| livinginfear wrote:
| Thank you for sharing that link, and your story. Your father
| led an extraordinary life.
| WalterBright wrote:
| What a great story! Glad it has been preserved.
| eszed wrote:
| What a cool story! I just bought the book referred to in the
| article. Won't link, but search for "Bazooka Charlie" on an
| online book seller site. I'll give it to my dad when I finish it.
| vasco wrote:
| People online will prove that all kinds of things would never be
| possible, come up with explanations of why pictures are doctored
| or videos edited or CGI'ed, even calculate based on physics, and
| it has happened to me more than once that they could convince me
| of the impossibility of things I've witnessed myself.
|
| Tells you something about what we think we know about history.
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(page generated 2023-12-31 23:01 UTC)