Old Sailors' Almanac

THIS WEEK IN HISTORY

Week 23, 2016

Previous Week   June 06, 2016 - June 12, 2016   Next Week

D-Day Landings: on June 06, 1944

D-Day Landings: on June 06, 1944

D-Day Landings: During World War II (1939-1945), the Battle of Normandy, which lasted from June 1944 to August 1944, resulted in the Allied liberation of Western Europe from Nazi Germany’s control. Codenamed Operation Overlord, the battle began on June 6, 1944, also known as D-Day, when some 156,000 American, British and Canadian forces landed on five beaches along a 50-mile stretch of the heavily fortified coast of France’s Normandy region.

The he invasion was one of the largest amphibious military assaults in history and required extensive planning. Prior to D-Day, the Allies conducted a large-scale deception campaign designed to mislead the Germans about the intended invasion target. By late August 1944, all of northern France had been liberated, and by the following spring the Allies had defeated the Germans. The Normandy landings have been called the beginning of the end of war in Europe.

After World War II began, Germany invaded and occupied northwestern France beginning in May 1940. The Americans entered the war in December 1941, and by 1942 they and the British (who had been evacuated from the beaches of Dunkirk in May 1940 after being cut off by the Germans in the Battle of France) were considering the possibility of a major Allied invasion across the English Channel.

The following year, Allied plans for a cross-Channel invasion began to ramp up. In November 1943, Adolf Hitler (1889-1945), who was aware of the threat of an invasion along France’s northern coast, put Erwin Rommel (1891-1944) in charge of spearheading defense operations in the region, even though the Germans did not know exactly where the Allies would strike. Hitler charged Rommel with finishing the Atlantic Wall, a 2,400-mile fortification of bunkers, landmines and beach and water obstacles.

A Weather Delay: June 5, 1944

Eisenhower selected June 5, 1944, as the date for the invasion; however, bad weather on the days leading up to the operation caused it to be delayed for 24 hours. On the morning of June 5, after his meteorologist predicted improved conditions for the following day, Eisenhower gave the go-ahead for Operation Overlord. He told the troops: “You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you.”

Later that day, more than 5,000 ships and landing craft carrying troops and supplies left England for the trip across the Channel to France, while more than 11,000 aircraft were mobilized to provide air cover and support for the invasion.

D-Day Landings: June 6, 1944

By dawn on June 6, thousands of paratroopers and glider troops were already on the ground behind enemy lines, securing bridges and exit roads. The amphibious invasions began at 6:30 a.m. The British and Canadians overcame light opposition to capture beaches codenamed Gold, Juno and Sword, as did the Americans at Utah Beach. U.S. forces faced heavy resistance at Omaha Beach, where there were over 2,000 American casualties. However, by day’s end, approximately 156,000 Allied troops had successfully stormed Normandy’s beaches.According to some estimates, more than 4,000 Allied troops lost their lives in the D-Day invasion, with thousands more wounded or missing.

Less than a week later, on June 11, the beaches were fully secured and over 326,000 troops, more than 50,000 vehicles and some 100,000 tons of equipment had landed at Normandy.

For their part, the Germans suffered from confusion in the ranks and the absence of celebrated commander Rommel, who was away on leave. At first, Hitler, believing the invasion was a feint designed to distract the Germans from a coming attack north of the Seine River, refused to release nearby divisions to join the counterattack. Reinforcements had to be called from further afield, causing delays. He also hesitated in calling for armored divisions to help in the defense. Moreover, the Germans were hampered by effective Allied air support, which took out many key bridges and forced the Germans to take long detours, as well as efficient Allied naval support, which helped protect advancing Allied troops.

In the ensuing weeks, the Allies fought their way across the Normandy countryside in the face of determined German resistance, as well as a dense landscape of marshes and hedgerows. By the end of June, the Allies had seized the vital port of Cherbourg, landed approximately 850,000 men and 150,000 vehicles in Normandy, and were poised to continue their march across France.

Victory in Normandy

The Normandy invasion began to turn the tide against the Nazis. A significant psychological blow, it also prevented Hitler from sending troops from France to build up his Eastern Front against the advancing Soviets. The following spring, on May 8, 1945, the Allies formally accepted the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany. Hitler had committed suicide a week earlier, on April 30. History Channel / Wikipedia / Encyclopedia Britannica The Atlantic / National WW2 Museum.org

Image: (Google Image Search) - Wikipedia Normandy landings - Battle of Normandy - D-Day (Operation Neptune / Operation Overlord) - (WWII September 1, 1939 – September 2, 1945)


“It was Beautiful Yesterday”

The Old Salt’s Corner

“It was Beautiful Yesterday”

Bha e brèagha an-de (It was Beautiful Yesterday)

There was a sailing vessel

With many a sail proudly lapping in the wind

A flag of the Celtic honor, in ruin an rented

As all the sailors sing

Of my love for you

From long ago

Before death became our friend

Oh would I be sailing from stormy seas to the Scottish glens

To lay some flowers at your side

Your beauty is now far under

My love ill wait for all eternity

For loves resurrection’s stormy thunder

Our bodies may be under stone

Our memories long lost in tales and fable

Let no man ever lay any such claim

Our love was not the gift of briny seaworthy fame

We be only stones, in a meadow blue

When you come upon our fate

Tiss with this verse, I state my case

The life that escaped our sadly date

Love though was true as sky

For long ago, she bid adieu

Her sadness at my drowning departure

As I her lover was told to be

Buried deep and under sea

~ Arthur Vaso


“I’m Just Sayin”

“I’m Just Sayin”

“A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a simple system that worked.”

~ Gall's law


“Thought for the Day”

“Thought for the Day”

“When we remember we are all mad, the mysteries disappear and life stands explained.”

~ Mark Twain


“What I Have Learned”

“What I Have Learned”

“What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.”

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson


Bizarre News (we couldn’t make up stuff this good – real news story)

Bizarre News (we couldn’t make up stuff this good – real news story)

This Little Bird Can Mimic Your iPhone Ringtone Perfectly

This Little Bird Can Mimic Your iPhone Ringtone Perfectly

This cockatiel must’ve heard the sound of an iPhone more than a few times because the little bird has one of its ringtones down pat.

The clip gained little attention when it was first posted last year, but a repost that appeared on both reddit and digg is sharing the bird’s talents with thousands of new viewers. Huffington Post (03/25/2016)

video
How Does Weather Radar Work?

Mr. Answer Man Please Tell Us: How Does Weather Radar Work?

Troops on the front lines during World War II discovered that the radar they used to track incoming enemy aircraft also detected precipitation, giving them the ability to keep watch over both storms and airplanes. Meteorologists studied this phenomenon once the war was over, and developed this technology into a tool we use every day.

The United States has more than 120 weather radar sites around the country continuously keeping an eye on the skies to keep us safe no matter what pops up on the horizon. Weather radar consists of a rotating dish protected by a large white dome; this dish sends pulses of energy (the radar beam) into the atmosphere to detect objects like rain or hail. If the radar beam encounters an object, some of the radiation will bounce off of it and return to the radar site.

PRECIPITATION: The strength of the return beam and the time it takes for the pulse to return to the radar dish allows us to see how heavy the precipitation is and how far away it is from the radar site. The resulting data is displayed on a map using a rainbow scale that typically spans from light blue to dark red and purple, with cooler colors indicating lighter precipitation and warmer colors showing heavy precipitation. Solid batches of oranges, reds, and purples on a radar image usually indicate an intense thunderstorm.

VELOCITY: Arguably the most important feature of weather radar is its use of the Doppler effect, which gives the radar the ability to detect how fast precipitation is moving in a certain direction—in other words, it shows us the wind. The National Weather Service started putting this to use in the 1980s, allowing us to see damaging wind gusts and tornadoes developing within a thunderstorm.

NON-PRECIPITATION RETURNS: Radar isn’t only useful for finding precipitation. You can also use this technology to spot tornado debris. This serves as an incredible advance notice to confirm tornadoes when it would have been otherwise impossible because of heavy rain or lack of sunlight. Radar can also spot plumes of smoke from wildfires, swarms of insects, flocks of birds, frontal boundaries (like cold fronts and sea breezes), and even tragedies like the disintegration of the Space Shuttle Columbia over Texas in 2003.

Radar has become such a ubiquitous feature of meteorology, it feels like it has been around forever. It's good to remind ourselves that it's an ever-evolving technology, one with future applications we cannot yet predict.

Earth Observing LaboratoryGlobal SecurityMental FlossNOAA.govWeather.comWikipedia video


Where Did That Saying Come From? “High and dry”

Where Did That Saying Come From?

High and dry:”  Meaning: Stranded, without help or hope of recovery.

Origin: This term originally referred to ships that were beached. The “dry” implies that, not only were they out of the water, but had been for some time and could be expected to remain so. It was used in a “Ship News” column in The [London] Times, August 1796:

“The Russian frigate Archipelago, yesterday got aground below the Nore at high water, which; when the tide had ebbed, left her nearly high and dry.”

Phrases.org.UK


NAVSPEAK aka U.S. Navy Slang - U.S. Navy America's Navy - A Global Force For Good

NAVSPEAK aka U.S. Navy Slang


Kamikaze: A hetero male Marine who is so gung-ho that he can only be sexually satisfied by another male Marine.

Khakis: Term used to describe senior enlisted members (E-7 and above) or officers, due to the khaki-colored working uniform typically worn by them.


Just for MARINES - U.S. Marines Marines - The Few. The Proud.

Just for you MARINE


LBV: Load Bearing Vest, personal equipment used to keep the most commonly used items within easy reach utilizing the PALS, usually a component of MOLLE or ILBE.

LCPLIC: Lance Corporal in Charge. A salty Lance Corporal.

Leatherneck: Nickname for Marine, so named for legends stating that stiff leather collars were once worn to protect the throat from sword-blows (also thought that high stocks were worn for discipline, to keep Marines' heads high and straight). The dress blue uniform still bears a high stock collar today. Also, Leatherneck Magazine.


Naval Aviation Squadron Nicknames

Naval Aviation Squadron Nicknames

HSC-15 - Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron FIFTEEN: “Red Lions”
Naval Air Station North Island - San Diego, California / Coronado, California


The Strange, Mysterious or Downright Weird

The Strange, Mysterious or Downright Weird

Photo Of Baby's Full Head Of Hair Goes Viral

Photo Of Baby's Full Head Of Hair Goes Viral

A 10-week-old baby has become an internet sensation after a photo of her luxuriant head of hair went viral.

Mrs Kaplan, of Redwood City, California, told ABC News' Good Morning America she doesn't put any product in the girl's perfectly coiffed mane.

“"She woke up that way”, Isabelle's father, David Kaplan, told the programme.

Isabelle has inspired numerous memes starring her hair.

SKY News (03/25/2016)


© CEASAR CHOPPY by cartoonist Marty Gavin - archives Ceasar Choppy's Navy! “© CEASAR CHOPPY” by Marty Gavin

SONG FACTS

“You're No Good” - Linda Ronstadt

“You're No Good” - Linda Ronstadt
Album: Heart Like A Wheel
Released 1974 video

One of the most blatant and memorable songs in the “no-good man” milieu, this one was written by a guy: Clint Ballard, Jr., who also wrote songs for Connie Francis and The Hollies. The song is about a woman who comes to the conclusion that the guy she split from was trouble from the start.

This song had been around for a while before Linda Ronstadt took it to the top of the chart. It was originally recorded by Dee Dee Warwick in 1963. Her version was produced by the famous team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, but it stalled at #117. Betty Everett had more success with her version, which went to #51 in 1964. First released on her 1963 album of the same name, Everett recorded the song at Chess Records in Chicago, with Maurice White on drums (White, who later formed Earth, Wind & Fire, was a staff drummer at Chess early in his career). Everett was a former Gospel singer who, like Ronstadt, had a very powerful voice. Her next single, “The Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss)video, became her biggest hit.

The song made one more chart appearance in 1964 when the British male band Swinging Blue Jeans switched the gender and took the song to #97 in the US and #3 in the UK, where it became the best-known rendition of the song.

A decade later, Ronstadt started performing the song and recorded it with her producer Peter Asher. Released as a single from her fifth album, the song was a huge breakthrough for Ronstadt, whose chart success to this point was sporadic (her biggest hit to then: “Long, Long Time” at #25). She became one of the biggest stars of the '70s, known for her musical versatility and impressive vocal range. Most of her hits were cover songs, including the follow-up, “When Will I Be Loved”, originally recorded by the Everly Brothers.

Van Halen recorded this for their second album. It was one of many successful cover songs by the group; Others include Roy Orbison's “Pretty Woman”, The Kinks' “You Really Got Me”, and Martha & the Vandellas' “Dancing in the Street”. This is the only cover on the album. Between 1978-1983, Van Halen released an album a year. Since they toured constantly, including cover songs on the albums helped ease the songwriting burden.

Linda Ronstadt official site‎ / Rock & Roll Hall of Fame / Rolling Stone / Billboard / Song Facts / Wikipedia

Image: “Heart Like A Wheel (album)” by Linda Ronstadt


Trivia

Trivia

● Cats are feline, Dogs are canine, Cows are bovine and Sheep are ovine

● Vitamin A, also called Retinolhelps maintain the skin, eyes, healthy bones and teeth, is found in milk, liver, eggs, butter, and vegetables.

● The Volga, flows through Russia into the Caspian Seaand - is Europe's longest and most powerful river flowing through only one country; eleven of the twenty largest cities of that country are located along this river.


Joke of the Day

Joke of the Day

By all means, marry.

If you get a good wife, you'll become happy; if you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher.

~ Socrates


Pun of the Day

I can never understand my trigonometry teacher because he always talks in sine language.