A Forgotten American Hero Who Sunk Two Japanese Aircraft Carriers

 

Andrew Dang

·

February 28

HSE Officer (2012–present)

What are historical examples of a single soldier changing the outcome of a battle?

Richard Halsey “Dick” Best and the Battle of Midway (1942)

With my answer today, I would like to introduce to your readers a typical single bomber pilot who changed the outcome of the historical Battle of Midway (04 to 07 June 1942) between the U.S. Pacific Fleet and the Combined Fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy.

He was Richard Halsey “Dick” Best (1910–2001) or Lieutenant Commander Best, who successfully bombed and sunk two Japanese aircraft carriers in only one day. In my opinion, his remarkable war achievements subsequently changed not only the single Battle of Midway but also the course of war, if we consider the American victory at Midway as the historical turning point of the Pacific War (1941–1945).

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At 10:22 AM, 04 June 1942, under the commanding of the Lieutenant Commander McClusky, the squadrons of 31 Douglas SBD Dauntless aircraft started the bombing against the Japanese aircraft carrier Kaga. However, McClusky had a small mistake: he ordered the leading squadron (VS-6) to attack Kaga, while the designated target of VS-6 would be the aircraft carrier Akagi.

The first SBD is Best's aircraft at the flight deck of USS Enterprise, 15 May 1942.

As the VB-6 squadron commander, Best recognized the error of McClusky and he still decided to attack the Akagi. Despite the confusions which let most of the aircraft from his VB-6 squadron missed the target and continued to dive on the Kaga, with only two wingmen left, Best launched the attack on Akagi at 10:26 AM.

USAAF photo: Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi and a destroyer under high-level bombing attack by B-17 bombers at around 8:00 AM, 04 June 1942, during the Battle of Midway.

The first bomb dropped by Lieutenant Edwin John Kroeger only hit the water near the Akagi. A few seconds later then came the second bomb dropped by Best himself, which successfully penetrated the flight deck and exploded inside the hangar, destroying a lot of Japanese aircraft. Like a knock-out punch, the bomb drop by Best destroyed not only numerous aircraft but also put the Akagi out of its action. It was subsequently sunk on the next day (05 June 1942).

But that was not all. Later on that day, Best continued to participate in the attack of Japanese aircraft carrier Hiryu. Again, Lieutenant Commander “Dick” Best knocked it out with a direct bomb hit. The Hiryu was finally sunk on the next day. In general, the Japanese lost all of its four aircraft carriers during the Battle of Midway and it was turned out to be a decisive U.S. victory. Also, the outcome of the Battle of Midway was a striking blow to the Japanese Combined Fleet, as it marked the beginning of the end for the Empire of Japan.

The burning and sinking Japanese aircraft carrier Hiryu during the Battle of Midway, photographed by a Yokosuka B4Y aircraft, 05 June 1942.

The historical Battle of Midway was also the last battle for “Dick” Best during his military career. He was suffered from Hemoptysis and his lung was severely damaged during the battle. Consequently, he retired from U.S. Navy in 1944, with 100% disability. After the battle, Lieutenant Commander “Dick” Best finally received the honorable Navy Cross and the Distinguished Flying Cross. His Navy Cross citation reads:

“Defying extreme danger from concentrated anti-aircraft barrage and powerful fighter opposition, Lieutenant Commander Best, with bold determination and courageous zeal, led his squadron in dive-bombing assaults against Japanese naval units. Flying at a distance from his own forces which rendered return unlikely because of probable fuel exhaustion, he pressed home his attacks with extreme disregard for his own personal safety. His gallant intrepidity and loyal devotion to duty contributed greatly to the success of our forces and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.”

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In conclusion, it can be seen that Richard Halsey “Dick” Best was indeed a historical example of a single bomber pilot who changed the outcome of not only a battle but probably the course of a war. Furthermore, he was the only American bomber pilot who successfully bombed and sunk two enemy aircraft carriers in one day. Once again, thank you very much for reading my answer and best regards,

Andrew

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Understanding The China/Iran Deal

 

CHINA / IRAN

Go East, Young Man

China and Iran signed a 25-year cooperation agreement over the weekend, a move that defies the United States attempts to isolate Iran and allows it to form closer diplomatic ties with non-Western powers, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The agreement will offer an economic lifeline, technology transfer and foreign investment opportunities to Iran in sectors ranging from nuclear energy to the oil-and-gas industry.

In return, China will receive steady supplies of Iranian oil, currently subject to US sanctions.

The two countries also agreed to the formation of an Iranian-Chinese bank to help Tehran bypass US sanctions that have barred its participation in global banking systems.

Analysts said that the deal gives Iran “a way out of economic strangulation” caused by US sanctions, while also allowing China to increase its influence in the Middle East.

The pact comes amid an ongoing spat between the US and Iran over the latter’s nuclear program: In 2018, the Donald Trump administration withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and reimposed sanctions. The move prompted Iran to retaliate by violating some of the terms of the deal.

The Biden administration has expressed a willingness to return to the deal if Iran upholds its commitments spelled out in the accord. Tehran, however, demands sanctions relief before conceding to Washington’s demands.

Third Atomic Bomb Attack - Japan 1945

Some Advice To My Daughter With Respect To Her Now Unborn Children

 

       The article in the FT of London yesterday about the changes in the labor force got me thinking and reflecting. The first challenge we have is the millions of lower skilled people who have lost their jobs. Many of these jobs will not come back. (This is not just a US problem.) We might have a segment of the population permanently unemployed. What do we do about this? I will leave you to reflect on this.

        Now the next challenge is our grandchildren who will one day enter the labor market and be forced to compete for jobs and economically survive. They will face competition from very smart artificial intelligence machines. They will face competition from very smart and highly-skilled people living in less-developed countries willing to work for lower wages. They will face the challenge of climate change and previously politically stable countries that become politically unstable (The US and Chile are examples.)

      Anna, what would I advise you and Gabriel to do when your now-unborn children come into the world? Get the hell out of Brasil!!!!!!! For me, Brasil is a beloved country. But it is collapsing into an ungovernable environmental mess. High crime and social unrest will be the way of life. Climate change will create a disaster with my beloved Rio eventually being flooded out of existence.

    Where would I tell you to go? Looking forward, I would advise you to look seriously at Canada, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Greenland. These places have cold climates now. They will become more temperate as temperatures rise. Norway would be the best of the best. It is prosperous, politically stable, economically viable, and very welcoming. They now have quite a number of immigrants from African countries and the Middle East, for example. Everyone is required to learn English.

     How do you prepare these yet unborn children for the harsh new world that we are facing? I would say be honest with them and realistic. Do not frighten them. Instead tell them that original thinking and innovativeness are the keys to survival. Give them the best education that you can. The rugged individualism of past generations is not going to work any more. It is not going to be "every man and woman for himself or herself."

     As most of you know, I spent 8 months of my life in an African village in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. These wonderful people were members of Nelson Mandela's Xhosa tribe. Their whole mindset was to think of the welfare of the group first and the individual second. Your family will be your tribe. One of your children could be a super star. The rest of the kids may not achieve that status. You and Gabriel will need to provide inherited wealth. You children will need to share their wealth between them. I'm not advocating socialism on a grand scale. I am advocating it at the family level.

     I have a passion for Charles Darwin. He was that man with one eye in a world full of blind people. People believe that his banner saying was "The survival of the fittest." He was misunderstood. What he was really saying is: "The survival of the most adaptable." I will add the word innovative to that expression.

A Supply Chain Disaster

 

EGYPT

Calling Little Toot

A large cargo container ship became grounded in the middle of Egypt’s Suez Canal this week, effectively disrupting one of the world’s most important shipping routes, CBS News reported Wednesday.

The Panama-flagged MV Ever Given, one of the largest ships in the world, turned sideways on Tuesday, with Egyptian officials and shipping companies blaming “a blackout” and strong winds for the incident.

Satellite images showed the ship’s bow touching the canal’s eastern wall, while its stern seemed lodged against the western wall. On Wednesday, Egyptian authorities sent tugboats to assist in moving the ship but said the operation could take at least two days.

Meanwhile, about 100 vessels at both the southern and northern entrance of the canal have been stuck.

Opened in 1869, the Suez Canal provides an important link for oil, natural gas and other cargo being shipped from Asia to Europe and beyond. Around 10 percent of the world’s trade flows through the waterway and it remains one of Egypt’s top foreign currency earners.

Analysts said the incident is the latest to affect mariners amid the pandemic: Many sailors have been stuck aboard vessels due to restrictions imposed by countries to contain the virus even as shipping demands have increased in recent months.

P

A 1922 US Dollar Bank Note With A Fascinating History.

 

       If you visited our house and walked into the study, I would ask you to look to the right as you entered. I would point out a US dollar bill in an old frame. The $1 bill is from 1922. It has been in the family 75 years. There is quite a story behind it.

       When World War II ended, my dad transitioned from commanding a heavy armored vehicle with a 155 mm Howitzer on top. His new vehicle was a US Army Willys Jeep. He went from being a combat artilleryman. His new job was a social worker. He would drive around the German countryside all day long. His primary job was to help displaced people find food, shelter, and medical care. His secondary job was to round up German soldiers. These military people would go to camps for processing.

   One morning as dad was riding down a country road, he spotted a group of German soldiers huddled on the roadside. Their uniforms were in tatters. They were filthy. They looked hungry and exhausted. Dad brought his jeep to a stop. He looked at the men. He noticed that all the soldiers gave special respect to one man. He got out of his jeep and walked toward the men.

         He started to speak German to the man who appeared to be in charge. Dad got the surprise of his life. The German responded to him speaking American English (Many decades ago if a German spoke English, they spoke British English.) The German introduced himself as a Field Marshal (General). As the conversation continued, it came out that this German officer had been an exchange student at the University of Tennessee in the early 1920's. Dad and this German officer "hit it off famously." They became good friends.

         Dad drove this German officer in his jeep to a processing center for senior German officers. Enquiries revealed that this officer had not been involved in war crimes. He was detained in comfortable circumstances befitting an officer of high rank. Dad became this general's "go to man." If the general was having a problem with the US Army bureaucracy, dad would go up the chain of command and work it out. If the general had other special requests, dad would see that these were taken care of.

         In early 1946 when dad was told to pack up and leave for the US. The general was very sad to see his friend go. He reached into his pocket. He brought out his wallet. He gave my dad a 1922 US dollar that he had kept since his days at the University of Tennessee. Dad thanked him and left.

       For the rest of his life, dad would proudly boast the following:

       "Son in World War II, I captured a German Field Marshal."

     This $1 note has stayed in the family for 75 years. Being a collector, I got curious yesterday as to what this almost 100-year bank note would be worth. I went to EBay. A 1923 banknote like ours was valued at $4,700 US. I bet that our bill is worth more than $5,000 US!

The Solar Winds Hack Was Not The Worst

 

          Yesterday I listened to a most-fascinating and enlightening podcast from the FT of London. It was an interview with their resident cybersecurity expert. I have always assumed that the hack by Russian intelligence operatives of Solar Winds was the most damaging hack in US history. The resident expert discussed this hack in detail. He dismissed it as a routine matter. He said: "Do not be too concerned. Retaliation is not required."

        He then turned to the Chinese hack of Microsoft. He said this was a much more serious and irresponsible hack. He said that it caused much more damage. He called for retaliation.

            There is a saying in English: "Speak of the devil." I got this warning early this morning from one of my computer-security services as follows:

 

 

Lookout Breach Report

 

 

 

 

At least 30,000 organizations hacked in a massive breach of Microsoft Exchange email software

 

Starting in January 2021, cyberattacks exploited four vulnerabilities in on-premises Microsoft Exchange Servers, which provided hackers with full access to user emails and passwords, administrator privileges, and broader access to devices on the network. On March 12, Microsoft announced that a new family of ransomware is being deployed to servers initially infected, encrypting all files, making the servers inoperable and demanding payment to reverse the damage. At least 30,000 organizations across the United States — including a significant number of small businesses, towns, cities and local governments — have over the past few days been hacked. Microsoft said a Chinese hacking crew called ‘Hafnium’ is responsible for the attack and continues to target email systems used by a range of industry sectors, including infectious disease researchers, law firms, higher education institutions, defense contractors, policy think tanks, and NGOs.

 

Read More

https://krebsonsecurity.com/2021/03/at-least-30000-u-s-organizations-newly-hacked-via-holes-in-microsofts-email-software/

 

Next Steps:

Potentially affected customers should apply the security patches released by Microsoft and exercise incident response to mitigate risk and remediate any damage. Organizations should also evaluate their cybersecurity defense to ensure they have comprehensive endpoint-to-cloud protection in place.

 

Breach occurred on March 2021