Odd Military Events in History

Mark Conley

Active member
Surely out there in history land is a lot of unusual or odd event that have occured as a side effect to a military operation. This area is to chronicle these events for the enjoyment of others.

The only thing I ask is that they be true odd events not taken out of a war comic or fiction. If you have a link on the web, please post it.

My contribution to this topic: The submarine that sank itself:

The USS Tang. The USS TANG under Cmdr. R.H. O’Kane set out from Pearl Harbor on September 24, 1944, to begin her fifth war patrol. The story of TANG’s sinking comes from the report of her surviving Commanding Officer. A night surface attack was launched on October 24, 1944 against a transport which had previously been stopped in an earlier attack. The first torpedo was fired, and when it was observed to be running true, the second and last was loosed. It curved sharply to the left, broached, porpoised and circled. Emergency speed was called for and the rudder was thrown over. These measures resulted only in the torpedo striking the stern of TANG.

Although it was rumored that another american submarine had been sunk by a circling torpedo it fired, only the Tang had survivors to report the incident to the US Navy Command after the war was over. Go to this link to review the incident, and learn more.

http://www.csp.navy.mil/ww2boats/tang.htm


see you in the military odd world . :D
 
I think the Israeli attack on the USS Liberty was odd. They had to have known it was an American warship, they shot up the flag twice, in order to do that you must be looking right down the crosshairs, which means you would have to be looking right at the flag to shoot it. They knew it was an American warship, yet they still continued the attack. And why wasn't the sixth fleet allowed to send in aircraft to chase off the Israeli aircraft and and attack boats?
 
Well, its very odd indeed.

I have heard different storys on this one...Yes they had a monster US Flag (It wasnt unfurled, no breeze to move it), that israeli intelligence figured or had heard that an egyptian vessel was trying gain entry to an israeli port by ruse (disguised as american), ect. Yes, this one really belongs in the odd coloum.

what else do you find odd in military history? keep looking folks. :D
 
The Israeli attack on the USS Liberty wasn't just odd - it was criminal. The people in the Israeli government who ordered the attack had to know that the USS Liberty was not an Egyptian ship, that it was in international waters and was in no position to threaten anyone.

Stories abound on why they did this - more to follow.
 
well not to throw a damp towel on things...i remember the liberty thread on another topic that got out of hand for a while...really would just like to look at the odd aspects of the USS liberty attack.

But as long as it stays civil...okay. :D


The really oddest thing about the USs Liberty attack, in my opinion, was just how lucky that ship was. To go from off shore of israel to malta, with this huge torpedo hole in her side, really showed how determine them guys were to keep from going to the bottom.
 
How could Israel suspect it was an Egyptian warship that was shelling their forces when the only deck gun was a .50 cal AA gun? They did it on purpose, the reason I do not know, perhaps they thought we would not support them for their tactics in the Six Days War, maybe they were planning on using nukes and were worried we would find out and try to stop them, even if it meant letting the Arab countries defeating them to avoid a nuclear exchange.
 
The attack on the USS Liberty has always caused me a great deal of discontent amongst myself, see, I like Israel because when they think something needs to be done they go out and they do it, like attacking Hamas, which is also why I was surprised to learn about how Saddam bombed Israel with his SCUDS and Israel did nothing, think about what he was trying to do. If Israel attacked Iraq then it was no longer a war against a evil dictator, it was a war of the Jews and Christains against the Muslims, then all the Arab countries would be forced to join Saddam and the US' worst nightmare would come true, a unified Arab world backing Saddam. I still can't believe Israel didn't attack, they had whipped the Arabs several times, why should the fear one more war with them?
 
I've got a doozie, this is from the US Navy. About 6 years ago this happened, the Navy's Radar on the USS George Washington showed that they were headed straight towards another object. The Radio operator got on the line, told the radio operator of that abject to change course, the Canadian radio operator told the George Washington to change course, after several minutes of arguing the Skipper of the George Washington started talking to the Canadians, he told them this "We have 80 Fighters, 17 Destroyers, 4 Cruisers, etc." The Canadian Radio operator then said this "We are a lighthouse, it is your choice."
 
okay...heres another little oddity from history.

WWII. its a dark night in March. Everything is quiet at pearl harbor. Suddenly, the dreary rainy night is shattered by the sound of eight explosions. A few boats in the harbor go to full alert, but nothing is seen on radar. Everyone is puzzled, but since there doesnt appear to be any more explosions, things go back to normal.

So much for the second attack on Pearl Harbor...by the Japanese Navy.

March 4/5 The second Japanese air attack on Pearl Harbor occours. Two H8K1 'Emily' flying boats refuel from submarines at French Frigate shoals north of hawaii and streak to honolulu to drop some bombs on the intended target, the 1010 dock. Both planes drop bombs but cause almost no damage. Shortly thereafter, the US Navy maintains an armed presence at the islands to prevent a reoccurence.

Odd, no? :D
 
What about this one:
WW2, the Germans are rushing in France. At that time France had 2 long range airplane prototypes design for cross Atlantic trips. One was painted black and from the western shores of France, was daily flown all the way North around England and South behind German lines to observe and report battle field Intel before returning. One day, before Paris fell, that airplane was fitted with a single 30 cal "Camembert fed" MG on its side door and loaded with 100s of inciendary bomblets. It flew all the way North. The Captain opened his enveloppe: objective Berlin.
They went there, fles low over Berlin and bombed it (a crew member opened the door and threw the incendiary grenades out, one at a time) before making a last MG run and returning, all the way North again, than west, than South, back to western France.
Berlin was bombed for the first time in 1940!!!
(if you want to I will give you all the references tmrw, airplane brand and type, book references...).
Vive la France :lol:
 
Yeah! good job marksman and eric..the more odd the better!

so France actually bombed Berlin first? that would be a neat trivia type question. yeah send on that info! :D
 
another odd military fact: todays country in the barrel is Russia!

During the late 30's and early 40s: to save on parachute silk or to save on the time...russian parachutists practiced coming out of the aircraft at relatively slow speeds and altitudes...without a parachute...by jumping into snowbanks

and you weren't there..... :D

on a lighter note: Da Nang AB, Viet Nam: 1968: In what had to be the worlds luckiest shot, A million gallon fuel bladder was hit with a 88mm rocket fired from busy night crew. The rocket actually hit the buried bladder in the most hardest to hit spot, one of the skinny 4 inch vent pipes...traveled down the entry 20 feet...and didn't go off. When they finally drained the bladder and recovered the rocket...they found that the crew that fired it had done everything right,,,except put the firing pin in the nose of the rocket. To prevent accidents while carrying these beautys on the trails, they would be transported without the pins. All that way from the soviet union...and no boom...! :D
 
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