Waddy's Wagon

When life imitates (nose) art.

B-29 Superfortress crew replicate the nose art which is a caricature of them in November 1944.

I believe the aircraft and crew was lost in action in 1945. pic.twitter.com/BwcNG9YnJa

— WW2 Airfields Archive (@WW2Airfields) February 14, 2023

 

I'd seen this photo before but until recently did not know the entire crew was killed in action.  This is Waddy's Wagon, a B-29 Superfortress based in Saipan.  The crew is imitating the caricature painted on the plane.  They flew their first mission over Tokyo in November 1944.  On January 9, 1945 Waddy's Wagon was shot down while attempting to escort another damaged B-29 to safety after a raid on the Nakajima aircraft factory.

The man in the lead is Captain Walter R "Waddy" Young from Oklahoma, an All-American college football player who also played in the National Football League.  He volunteered for the Army Air Corps in 1941 and was 28 when he died.

The other crew members are:

Jack Vetters, pilot, Texas

John Ellis, bombardier, Missouri

Paul Garrison, navigator, Pennsylvania

George Avon, radio operator, New York

Bernard Black, flight engineer, New York

Kenneth Mansie, flight technician, Maine

Lawrence Lee, gunner, North Dakota

Wilbur Chapman, gunner, Texas

Corbett Carnegie, gunner, New York 

Joseph Gatto, gunner, New York

Time Passes

 Tina, gone at 83.

pic.twitter.com/3QrVGMRh5u

— Giles, pronounced “Giles” (@keaneddie) May 24, 2023

Dylan turns 82 today.

Memory Against Forgetting

The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting.

Milan Kundera

The 94 year old Kundera was born in Czechoslovakia.  With the failure to reform socialism in the Prague Spring of 1968 and the resulting suppression by communist authorities, the author went into exile in France.

Many Soviet, Eastern European, and Chinese emigres to the U.S. have expressed their worries about developments they've seen in this country over the past decade.  Some of the Eastern Europeans have now returned to their original countries because of what they see as greater freedom for expression.

This blog has touched on this issue a number of times, including here and here.

Ben Butler

The Scottsdale Civil War Roundtable ended its 2022-23 season with a special event; many members attending a performance of Ben Butler, a play presented at the Don Bluth Front Row Theatre.  The play is in the midst of an extended run at Don Bluth, and the theater made available discounted tickets to our group along with a special "talk back" session, at which, after the play's conclusion, the director, cast, and the playwright (who happened to be visiting that day), answered our questions.

Back at the beginning of the year, when one of our Board members approached me with the proposal to do this, explaining there was a play about Ben Butler and it had comic aspects, I was incredulous.  Ben Butler?  The incompetent Union general?  But I found that yes, indeed, it was about an incident involving Butler during the Civil War, and the play had garnered positive reviews.

My reaction was natural.  Ben Butler has a bad reputation.  Before the Civil War, Butler, a Massachusetts politician, was not only anti-abolitionist, he'd actually spoken in favor of slavery.  As a delegate to the 1860 Democratic Convention, he'd voted, ballot after ballot, for Jefferson Davis to be the party's presidential nominee.

However, he was a strong Unionist when secession occurred.  President Lincoln, desperate for Democratic support, appointed Butler as a general.  During the war he became notorious when as the general overseeing the occuption of the New Orleans area in 1862 he was accused of terrible conduct, including stealing silver spoons from wealthy Confederate supporters.  His generalship was generally poor, most notoriously in June 1864 when his incompetence resulted in the failure to capture Petersburg, Virginia, which, if successful, might have shortened the war by several months.  After another fiasco, Butler's failure to capture Fort Fisher, North Carolina, U.S. Grant was finally able to get Lincoln to agree to relieve him from his command.

By that time, Butler had become a Republican.  Elected to Congress, he led the prosecution in the 1868 impeachment trial of President Andrew Johnson.  Once again, many people then and now viewed his performance as incompetent.  Serving several terms, Butler played an important role in the passage of the Civil Rights Acts of 1871 and 1875 (the latter, the last enacted by Congress until 1957).

After several unsuccessful attempts to gain election as governor of Massachusetts until he changed parties once again, and was elected as a Democrat in 1882.

The play is centered on a specific incident in May 1861, one that casts Butler in a somewhat different light than many of his other actions.  The newly appointed general had just taken command of Fort Monroe, at the mouth of the James River in Virginia, when he was notified that three escaped slaves had entered the fort.  The slaves, Sheppard Mallory, Frank Baker, and James Townsend, had been employed by the Confederates in constructing fortifications for their planned assault on Fort Monroe.  Butler learned that a Major Carey was coming to the fort, under a flag of truce, to demand the return of the slaves.

At the beginning of the war the express policy of the Lincoln administration was not to interfere with slavery in the states where it was legal.  Moreover, the Fugitive Slave Act was, at least technically, still in force, and the three were the property of Colonel Mallory, serving in the rebel forces near the fort.  This was still 16 months before Lincoln announced the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation.  What was Butler to do?

Butler's solution was based on the general principles of the Laws of War, which allowed combatants to confiscate property declared as "contraband", most commonly materials used in the construction or support of military activities.  In this case, Butler refused to turn over the slaves to Carey on the grounds that they were "contraband" since they were being used to construct fortifications.  In his interpretation the slaves were the same as the shovels and axes they were using.  The enraged Carey left with his demands unsatisfied.

While Butler hoped to contain the fallout from his decision, within a couple of days 8 more escaped slaves reached the fort and a month later the total reached 500 (by end of the war the fort would receive more than 10,000 escapees).  Lincoln and his cabinet discussed Butler's decision and reasoning and decided to tacitly endorse it, though making no public announcement.  Nonetheless, across all theaters of the war escaped slaves began to be deemed contraband by Union commanders and set to work on constructing fortifications and supporting the federal army.  In 1862, Congress passed the first of its Confiscation Acts, providing legal support for Butler.

Butler also became an enthusiastic supporter for enlisting blacks as soldiers in the army and later, as mentioned, an advocate for civil rights.

The play Ben Butler takes this very serious moment and manages to deftly make its points with the use of comedy.  It is a very funny play that had all of us laughing uproariously at times.  There are only four roles, Butler, Mallory, Major Carey, and a fictional Union lieutenant.  The Don Bluth Theatre is in-the round, but the stage is not elevated, and there are only 74 seats, making for an intimate setting.  The cast was outstanding, and their performance successfully balanced the comic and the serious.  Everyone I spoke with loved the play and the performances.

We know little of the three escaped slaves beyond this incident.  Sheppard Mallory was regarded as the leader.  He was born around 1835, his wife was named Fanny (she later joined him at Fort Monroe).  They had several children and after the war the family remained in residence at Hampton Roads, near the fort.  Mallory died in 1924 at the age of 89.

Brothers In Arms

Today marks 38 years since the release of Dire Straits fifth studio album Brothers In Arms, which has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide.  The big hit from the album was the gimmicky Money For Nothing with its groundbreaking video shown endlessly on MTV, but for me the highlight was the song Brothers In Arms, which I've posted on before but will continue to do so as I find it so beautiful and remains one of my favorite songs.  This version is from a 1996 live performance by Mark Knopfler.  The song's lyrics (here artfully mumbled in Knopfler's rough voice) and his evocative, big fat note guitar playing make quite a combination.

The Air And Space Annex

Officially it's the Steve F. Udvar-Hazy Center, located at the end of one of the runways at Dulles Airport in suburban Virginia.  Operated by the Smithsonian, it is the annex of the Air and Space Museum on the Washington Mall and, for my money, it is a superior visitor experience. 

I made my first visit last week.  Entering the huge hanger facility I saw a thrilling vista.  I felt like a ten-year old.

A huge display of military and commercial aircraft from the early 20th century as well as missiles and space craft from the NASA program, including the Space Shuttle Discovery, an SR-71 Blackbird, the Enola Gay, a Concorde, and a slew of other flying objects.

When you first walk in:

That's a Corsair, a Navy fighter from WW2 and Korea.

 

Below is a P-38 (that's the Enola Gay behind), one of the three top Army Air Corps fighters of WW2, along with the P-51 and P-47.  It's also the plane that my father-in-law loved above all.  He went to Southern California from Nebraska just before the war to become an aircraft mechanic and worked on the Allison V-1710 engine that powered the P-38.  Later he enlisted and became a naval aviator.  A few years before he passed I located an original 1942 maintenance manual for the engine, the same one he used, and gave it to him. 

And here's the Allison engine!

Space Shuttle Discovery.  Flew 39 missions, more than any other shuttle.

The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird.  Flew at 85,000 feet and more than 2,000 mph.  Utilizing stealth technology, it was a fragile frame attached to two giant engines.  That's a P-40 above it in the foreground.

The Enola Gay.  The B-29.  It cost more to develop than the A-bomb it carried.

This is Flak-Bait, a B-26 bomber under renovation in the museum's Restoration Hanger.  Flak-Bait was preserved by the Air Force after WW2 because it flew more combat missions, 207, than any other American aircraft during the war.  Used in the European Theater, the plane was hit more than 1,000 times by bullets and flak yet survived.

An Election Riot

 On Sunday I visited the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico, Virginia.  Making my way through an exhibit on the early history of the Corps, I came across a small display referencing an 1857 election riot in Washington DC, in which President Buchanan called out the Marines to restore order, leading to an incident where the Commandant of the Corps, Brigadier General Archibald Henderson, 74 at the time, placed himself in front of a cannon operated by the rioters, admonishing them not to fire.  While the rioters hesitated, the Marines advanced and seized the gun.  Eight people were killed during the event.

A DC election riot in the years leading up to the Civil War?  One in which rioters in Mount Vernon Square, less than a mile from the White House, had a cannon?  Never heard of it.  Deciding to remedy my ignorance I now pass on to you, faithful reader, what I've learned.

June 1, 1857 was election day in the District and a fear of violence hung over the city.  The early 1850s had seen the rise of the anti-immigrant Know-Nothing Party, a rise sparked by the large scale immigration of Irish and Germans, beginning in the 1840s.  Not only were these groups not English or Scottish, even worse they were Roman Catholic.

Like many other cities in the Northeast, DC saw the party quickly gain strength and in 1854 John T Towers, a Know-Nothing, was elected mayor of the District.  Though the Know-Nothing mayoral candidate in 1856 was narrowly defeated by only 32 votes out of almost 6,000 cast, the party remained strong.  The June 1 election was a mid-term contest for other city offices.  

The Know-Nothings were determined to win the election at all costs and, to that end, a gang from Baltimore, the Plug Uglies, took the train to DC that morning where they were joined by two local gangs, the Chunkers and the Rip-Raps.  Heading to a polling place at Mount Vernon Square, the gang started by harassing anti-Know Nothing voters and escalating to assaults on anyone looking like a recent immigrant.  The gangs employed revolvers, bowie knives, stones, iron bars, and wood clubs, among their weapons, bloodying several immigrants and injuries police who tried to intervene, shutting down the voting station and breaking doors and windows in adjacent buildings. 

The mob then headed to another polling station near 11th St and Pennsylvania Ave., leaving more wounded immigrants at that location.

President Buchanan received a request for help from the Mayor and responded by ordering two companies of Marines to be sent.  Meanwhile, the gangs got a hold of a small brass cannon from a firehouse near the Navy Yard and returned to the Mount Vernon Square area.

The Marines approached the square, led by General Henderson.  Archibald Henderson joined the Corps in 1806 and served on board the USS Constitution during its famous naval battles in the War of 1812.  Becoming Commandant of the Corps in 1820, he would serve as its leader until his death on January 6, 1859, longer than any other Commandant in its history. 

Henderson marched up to the cannon, placing himself against the muzzle of the loaded gun, demanding the rioters not fire.  As the Marines seized the gun, the rioters began to retreat but several fired revolvers as they did so.  One shot, seriously wounded a Marine in the jaw and with that the Marines began firing, without orders, into the crowd, killing several people, including a government clerk watching from a second floor window, a German immigrant, and an African-American waiter at a nearby restaurant.

The Plug Uglies went back to the station to catch the train back to Baltimore but many were arrested before they could board. 

The actions of the Know-Nothings contributed to their precipitous decline as a factor in American politics, but violence in the District of Columbia would continue in the lead up to the Civil War.

Happy Birthday, Willie!

Willie Mays turns 92 today.  My forever favorite athlete.

Here's a neat story and video from today's MLB.com.   And another from MLB.com - 24 amazing Willie Mays' stats (24 was Willie's uniform #).  My favorites are 3 through 7 which go to his 13-season string of MVP worthy seasons.

You Can't Hurry Phil

I was putting together a playlist of 1980s Pop.  Not a big fan of post-Peter Gabriel Genesis and a lot of Phil Collins stuff leaves me cold, but I did add one Genesis single (Turn It On Again) and two Collins songs - Against All Odds and, of course, this, which is the most 80s of all 80s songs - if you have any question about that I have three words for you; "Crockett and Tubbs".(1)

Of course, this brought back memories of how Collins and Genesis were all over the music world and their domination of MTV back in that decade, so I decided to double check to make sure my memory was correct.  It was.  Here is the decade for Collins, Genesis, and Mike Rutherford's solo project, Mike and The Mechanics, as well as a nod to Peter Gabriel, the band's former front man.

Collins and Genesis released eight albums in the decade and in the US the worst performing reached #11 on the charts, while two hit #1.  They had 17 top 10 singles with 8 reaching #1, while Mike & The Mechanics added three top 10s, including a #1.  Based upon this exhaustive analysis it appears that both Peak Phil and The Genesis Maximum occurred between the fall of 1984 and spring 1987.

Here's the breakdown with US release date and the chart position in parens:

1980

Duke, Genesis Album, 3/80 (11)

Misunderstanding, Genesis Single, 5/80 (14)

 

1981

In The Air Tonight, Collins Single, 1/81 (18, but #1 in UK and elsewhere and the video was in constant MTV rotation)

Face Value, Collins Album, 2/81 (7)

Abacab, Genesis Album, 8/81 (7) 

1982

You Can't Hurry Love, Collins Single, 11/82 (10)

Hello, I Must Be Going, Collins Album, 11/82 (8)

1983

Genesis, Genesis Album, 10/83 (9)

That's All, Genesis Single, 10/83 (6)

1984

Against All Odds, Collins Single, 2/84 (1)

In The Air Tonight featured on Miami Vice, 9/84

Easy Lover, Collins Single, 11/84 (2) 

1985

No Jacket Required, Collins Album, 1/85 (1)

Sussudio, Collins Single, 1/85 (1)

One More Night, Collins Single, 2/85 (1)

Don't Lose My Number, Collins Single, 7/85 (1)

Collins only musician to play at Live Aid Concerts in UK & US on 7/13/85

Separate Lives, Collins Single, 9/85 (1)

Silent Running, Mike & Mechanics Single, 11/85 (6)

1986

All I Need Is A Miracle, Mike & Mechanics Single, 2/86 (5)

Take Me Home, Collins Single, 3/86 (7)

Sledgehammer, Gabriel Single, 4/86 (1)

So, Gabriel Album, 5/86 (2)

Invisible Touch, Genesis Single, 5/86 (1)

Invisible Touch, Genesis Album, 6/86 (3)

Throwing It All Away, Genesis Single, 8/86 (4)

Land Of Confusion, Genesis Single, 11/86 (4)

 

1987

Tonight, Tonight, Tonight, Genesis Single, 3/87 (3)

In Too Deep, Genesis Single, 4/87 (3)

 

1988

A Groovy Kind Of Love, Collins Single, 8/88 (1)

Two Hearts, Collins Single, 11/88 (1)

The Living Years, Mike & Mechanics Single, 12/88 (1)

 

1989

But Seriously, Collins Album, 11/89 (1)

Another Day In Paradise, Collins Single, 11/89 (1)

 

Not too shabby.

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(1)  Miami Vice made incredibly creative use of pop music integrated into the flow of the show.  This is perhaps the finest example.

Nobody's Fool

 From the twitter account Of which randomly posts interesting pictures.

This reminds me of winter scenes in so many New England mill towns.  I can feel the bitter chill and damp and you just know the day had been gray.  Though I'd seen some growing up it was only when I moved to Worcester, Massachusetts for my last semesters of college and then took my first professional job there that I saw a lot of towns that looked like this.

The photo immediately reminded me of Nobody's Fool, a fine movie from the 1990s with one of Paul Newman's best performances.  Set during winter in a declining upstate New York town it features a sparkling cast - Bruce Willis, Jessica Tandy, Melanie Griffith, and a host of other familiar faces.  Hadn't seen it since then, but need to get this on my rewatch list.  From an excellent novel by Richard Russo.  You can listen to my friend Titus Techera's insightful podcast on the film here.