August 13, 2025 • 36 mins
Pamela shares more information on the U.S.S. Drexler.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
Welcome to the New High Show on Education. This is
your host, Pamela Clark, and this is an episode of
American service Men and Women tell their Stories of Survival. So,
if you've been listening to the last month, last four weeks,
(01:03):
this is a new episode or new show. And we've
been covering the USS Stressler thinking and the lives claimed
and the people's stories from that. As mentioned before, my
paternal grandfather was one of those that lost his life
(01:26):
aboard the USS Stresler, and I've been trying to just
cover those things, those stories, and then we're just gonna
branch out. I'd love to have some veterans that maybe
don't feel like their stories have ever been heard. I
(01:49):
invite them to send us an email at info at
New Heights Education dot org. I'm not going to charge
them or anything to be part of our show. We
just want them to have a voice as well and
tell their stories. And yeah, so we invite anybody like
(02:09):
that that would like to share.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Okay, So.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
I have been reading from like historical reviews that we're
put together. There's an initial edition and then the second edition,
which I had done the second edition first, and then
I located the first edition, so that's why we're kind
of going back again to cover some of these. Now.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
I was given these documents.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
From the Pentagon when I went in at the tombstone
from my grandfather because it was never given to him
when or any rights really after the sinking of the Drexler,
So he does have a tombstone in Arlington now. And
there is a lot of other information about each and
(03:05):
every place that they were and which I really love.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
It has like the month and the year and so forth.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
But I'm really not covering all of that. I'm mostly
just covering the stories. And during the first episode, I
had suggested looking up the history of the Drextler, and
I gave links for you to go and research and
learn a little bit about this as well. This first
(03:41):
part that I want to share in this new review
is it's titled the Okinawa Invasion.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
And then we're going to get back to the stories.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Well I'm not sure for make it back to the
stories today or not, but we'll see what happens. We'll
take it one step at a time. So anyways, the
Okinawa Invasion, since the invasion of Okinawa was the only
war that the USS Drexler participated in. It would be
(04:19):
fitting to include some historical data on this final blow
to the Japanese, which subsequently led.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
To the end of the war.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
The following is quoted from a book written by Brosco
entitled quote Destroyer Operations in World War Two. And that
was end of quote. But then it's called love Day.
D Day for Okinawa fell on Easter Sunday.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
I did not know that.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
And remember that beautiful weather for the East China sea
cloudiness or cloudless sky, smooth jade water, promise of sparkling
spring morning with a hint of Guardina in the air.
At home there would be the simulent playing of church
(05:18):
bells sunrise services. But to the men in Operation Iceberg,
the day was just April first, nineteen forty five, ironically
designated quote Loveday. In the pre dawn gloom, the Iceberg
(05:42):
expendentire expeditiary forces had taken up position off the Okinawa coast.
Marked for the landings were beaches below Capeampa on the
west shore. For five days, these beaches had been softened
(06:05):
up in the usual fire and iron manner by preliminary
bombings and shore bombardments. Meanwhile, underwater demolition teams had gone
into dynamite obstacles and cut out away snares. A force
(06:27):
of seventy five minesweepers and forty five auxiliary craft had
combed the entire perimeter of the island's southern coast. During
all these preliminary activities, Okinawa shore guns were as silent
(06:48):
as though they had been.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Spiked.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Not a shot was fired in the island's defense. The
shore remained in sinister silence. The invaders did not know
that the General Yushi Jima had concentrated his forces and
their southern Okinawa on a line athwart the island between
(07:19):
the Thegushi Beach beaches in Naha and ah. They did
not know that this line, with ancient Shuri Castle at
its key at its keystone, contained a system of deep
(07:40):
tunnels and limestone caves reinforced with vero concrete that made
a warren almost vulnerable to air bombardment and naval barrage. Nevertheless,
us the Iceberg leaders knew that Okinawa was a Japanese gibraltar,
(08:09):
and that its capture would be resisted to the last.
To subdue and secure this Nancia chateau, bastine or bastion,
maybe Admiral Nimits had allocated some one thousand, four hundred
(08:32):
and fifty United States vessels manned by wall over half
a million Americans operations at the southern and of the
Nancia shadow chain. A British carrier force under Vice Admiral
(08:52):
Sir B. M. Rawlings added its weight to the immense
armada directly off Okinawa. Admiral Turner's ambitious force contained one thousand,
two hundred and thirteen ships carrying one hundred and eighty
(09:12):
two thousand assault troops under command of General Simon Olivar
Buckner USA. A total of three hundred and eighteen combatant
vessels were on the Iceberg front. Several European invasions had
(09:34):
covered wider fronts, but the Atlantic and Mediterranean transport halls
were relatively short compared with the trans Pacific lifts, which
carried the Iceberg forces and their supplies from America. Of
(09:56):
Ai Esperadu sent Gaudamaala Canal and other distant bases to Okinawa. Altogether,
the Operation Iceberg employed the largest fleet yet assembled in
(10:19):
naval history, over forty carriers and eighteen battleships, scores of
cruisers submarines minesweepers, landing crafts, patrol vessels, salvage vessels, and auxiliaries,
and more than one hundred and forty eight American destroyers
(10:44):
and destroyer escorts were in the armada that fought the
Okinawa campaign campaign. As had been stated from a naval standpoint,
the story of that campaign is the story of those
(11:06):
American dds and dees that bore the brunt of the
sea air battle. Allied carrier groups stood far offshore. Bombardment
(11:27):
groups came in and went on blockade duty. The American
submarines met practically no opposition, but the destroyer forces on
the Iceberg Front were in there fighting for days and
(11:47):
weeks on end. The small boys got the man sized
job at Okinawa, and they put up a giant size
effort to accomplish that job. Most of the destroyers and
destroyer escorts on the Iceberg Front worked as a radar
(12:13):
as radar pickets or patrol vessels in the area screen
covering the approaches to Okinawa. They mounted guard at radar
picket stations positioned in a ring encircling the island or
(12:34):
patrolling the convoy approaches, and served as as and anti
aircraft guards on a perimeter which embraced the transports area.
(12:54):
These picket and patrol ships constituted tasks of Flotilla five
under command of a veteran Destroyman destroy Man, Commodore Frederick
moose Brugger. The Iceberg mission of the DDS and dees
(13:19):
and tasked Flotilla five is best described in the words
of Commodore Moosebruger Bruger, whose official summarization is quoted Herewith
(13:41):
radar pickets and supports, distant radar pickets were stationed between
forty and seventy miles from the transport area in the
direction of the approach of enemy aircraft from the Japanese
island chain China basis, and for Mosa close radar pickets
(14:06):
were stationed twenty to twenty five miles from the transport
area in addition, sorry.
Speaker 3 (14:17):
It takes me a moment sometime.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
In addition, stations in the outer and inner anti submarine
screen were designated as radar picket stations. Their special duty
consisted of detecting, tracking, and reporting on aircraft in the
(14:40):
vicinity of the transport area. The function of the distant
radar pickets was to give early warning of enemy air
raids and surface craft and to perform the duties of
fighter direction. Specifically equipped fighter director destroyers, which with fighter
(15:07):
director teams embarked, were used as fighter directorships. These fighter
director destroyers controlled much units of the caap as were
assigned them by the central Fighter Director unit embarked in
(15:30):
the Eldorado or other headquartership. Initially, a radar picket group
was composed of the FD known as the Fighter Director
Destroyer and two LCS supports. Each LCS was stationed one
(15:52):
third the distance to an adjacent radar picket station to
increase and to increase the probability of detection of low
flying planes and a large or other surface movement along
the island chain. In case of attack, the support the
(16:17):
supports closed the radar picket for mutual protection. This formation
was later changed and the lcs's were stationed with the
picket as close support as close supports, The vital importance
(16:40):
of maintaining radar picket groups on station can be tested
by the fact that the bulk of the defense of
the Okinawa Ambitious operation evolved around the raid reporting and
fighter direction exercised by these fighter directorships and their supporting elements.
(17:07):
It became apparent early in the operation that the brunt
of the enemy air attacks would be absorbed by the
radar pickets and units of the outer as screen. Therefore,
(17:28):
it was considered necessary to increase the number of units
on each radar picket station and provide a protective cap
over each radar picket. The possibility of the sorry on
(17:53):
each radar picket station and provide a protective cap over
radar pick it. The possibility of reducing the number of
the occupied radar picket stations were seriously examined, but the
number could not be reduced until after shore based radar
(18:20):
picket stations for an operation. We've had to take a
quick commercial break, and I'm gonna come right back and
continue reading this report. Stay tuned for more New Heightshow
on Education. Are you enjoying the New Heights Show on Education.
(18:44):
If you love our show, please consider liking and following
us on your favorite podcast player. To learn more, visit
Radio dot New Heights Education dot org or email us
at info at New Heights Education dot org. Listen in
on When Days for Education in the News with host
Pam La Clark at six pm and Fridays for our
(19:06):
empowering hr and the Workforce with host Manya Shukla at
seven pm. And don't forget to check out our organization's
website for the latest updates on courses, reading programs, comic books, magazines,
informational services and happenings, or even to learn how you
can become a volunteer. Consider donating to our calls at
(19:30):
www dot New Heights Education dot org. Welcome back to
an episode of American Servicemen and Women tell their Stories
of Survival.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
Get back to what I was reading.
Speaker 1 (19:53):
During the first days of the operation, there were insufficient
destroyers available to assigned more than one destroyer to each
picket station. This was occasioned by other acquired employment, such
as one the necessity of assigning destroyers to screen transport
(20:13):
groups and covering groups in night retirement, two, assignment of
destroyers to task groups and awaiting areas. Three the necessity
of having units available to meet emergencies. However, the strength
(20:33):
of the radar picket stations was increased by assigning all
available lcs's LSM R and PGM types as close supports. Later,
when the night retirement was discontinued in groups returned from
(20:56):
awaiting areas, additional destroyers were as assigned as radar picket supports.
Beginning April tenth, it was possible to assign two destroyers
and four small support crafts to the more exposed radar
picket stations. Continued damage to units prevented increasing the strength
(21:21):
further until reinforcements arrived from other areas and the number
of picket stations was reduced. Finally, on May nineteenth, it
became possible to maintain at least three destroyers and four
lcs's on each of the five occupied stations. Destroyer escorts
(21:48):
and similar types were considered as picket supports. Their inadequate
anti aircraft armament included exposing them to vicious air attacks
experienced on radar picket stations. None of the destroyer escorts,
(22:10):
with the increased armament of two five inch or ten
forty millimeter and ten twenty millimeter guns were at the objective.
Continued efforts were made to obtain a protective cap of
from four to six planes for each picket station. This
(22:33):
special cap was to employ or to be employed solely
for the local picket protection, reporting directly to the to
the radar picket on a special frequency. It was entirely
separate from the regular cap cap. Sufficient planes were not
(22:55):
available at the objective to support support.
Speaker 3 (23:02):
Oh no no.
Speaker 1 (23:05):
Were not available at the objective to supply the desired
protective cap, but commencing on April fourteenth, the taf Tactical
Air Force was able to maintain a two plane protective
cap over three picking stations. In the early stages of
(23:27):
radar PICKA stations one to three, four, seven, ten, and
twelve and fourteen were filled with number nine later when
more warning was thought necessary against low flying planes approaching
(23:50):
Kerama Reto from southwest.
Speaker 2 (24:09):
Just a moment sorry.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
On May sixteenth, with the compilation or completion of shore
based radar and installations on Hitosake and ea Shima, the
number of occupied radar pick US STATIONSSUS was reduced to
five stations five, seventy nine, fifteen and sixteen. Due to
(24:39):
damage to fighter directorships, it was necessary to continuously equip
additional ships with fighter director radios and associated equipment, and
in some ships not so equipped with suitable visual fighter
direction stations. A number of formations were used in the
(25:05):
course of the operation. The typical normal cruising formation used
with a group of three or more destroyers and four
lcs's under the tactical command of the squadron or division
commander consistedfa for off some offa maybe destroyer unit concentrated
(25:32):
in an anti aircraft's circular formation with ships equally spaced
and distance between ships of one hundred one thousand yards,
and an LCS unit similar similarly disposed with distance between
(25:55):
ships of five hundred yards or less. The LCS unit,
under the direct tactical command of the senior LCS commander
would patrol along a track designated by the officer and
tactical command of.
Speaker 2 (26:13):
The picket group.
Speaker 1 (26:16):
The picket group, the destroyer unit would be patrol as directed,
keeping within a thousand yards of the LCS unit.
Speaker 3 (26:29):
Bear with me, okay.
Speaker 1 (26:46):
The Okinawa conclusion of the support at Okinawa, the rising
sun went down for the last time. History's almanac would
record the date as June twenty, nineteen forty five. Now, remember,
my grandfather died May twenty eighth, nineteen forty five, so
(27:08):
if he just had another full month, right, he would
have survived those kind of things, just they hurt. The
brief twilight that followed was no more than a creepuscular afterglow.
(27:30):
Imperial Japan was finished on that twenty first of June.
On that day, General General Yushi Jama, commander of the
Japanese thirty second Army, and his chief of staff, Lieutenant
General Isamu Chao, committed Harry Kri rather than surrender. Some
(27:55):
one hundred thousand Japanese troops had already died. The Battle
of Okinawa was the last battle was over for the Americans.
Okinawa had been a costly campaign, one at a price
of over twelve thousand dead. Buckner's tenth Army pade the
(28:18):
lion's share of this fatality toll, the general himself being
among the slaand killed by an enemy shell burst three
days before the last jap survivors surrendered, but the US
Navy losses were well over a third of the total
(28:41):
of about five thousand fatalities and a like number of wounded.
In no previous campaign of a comparable time period had
shipped casualties been as severe. Although the twelve destroyers and
(29:03):
the destroyer escorts sunk off at Okinawa between late March
and the end of June, where the latest warships I'm
sorry downed in Operation Iceberg, many MINECRAFT patrol vessels and
(29:25):
landing crafts were battered under destroyers and dees footed most
of the crash crash bill. The warships of all classes
took south. Texts have each punishment this no. Thirteen carriers,
(29:49):
including bunker Hill, Enterpede and Cock Enterprise, were batting mulled
in the Okinawa battle, as were ten battleships and five cruisers.
About eighty percent of this damage was wrought by kamikaze crashes,
(30:10):
and most of the ships struck by suicide planes were incapacitated.
For the wars duration. It is not difficult to conceive
of the odds accepted by destroyers when they entered the
combat with these enemy capable of entering steel coated battleships
(30:31):
and crippling such powerful carriers as bunker Hill and Hancock,
and crippling such powerful carriers such as Okay Sorry did that.
The length of those odds has its measure in DD
and DE casualty lists, and in the roll call of
(30:53):
the fleet that stayed permanently Hologan Bush, Calhoun, Mannered, l Abel, Kringle,
Little Loose, Morrison, abur Render, longshawl Drexler, William, Deep Porter,
(31:19):
Twigs Underhill in Callahan twelve of these fifteen ships were
downed by comic cazes. In regard to their chances against
this foe and Navy destroyment expressed an almost undivided opinion.
(31:40):
The consensus was that a coordinated and sustained suicide ari
assault spelled disastrous damage, if not doomed for the unarmed
I'm sorry, unarmed American destroyers or dee of the World
(32:00):
War two classes.
Speaker 2 (32:04):
There is an old Oriental.
Speaker 1 (32:06):
Proverb that or which observes quote, he who knows he
is about to die dies twice end of quote. Well
aware of the odds, they faced the destroyment in the
Okinawa picket line and endured the conviction with a stoicism
(32:31):
that whent far to invalidate the proverb. Here is something
wrote written by commodore Musburg Bruger.
Speaker 2 (32:42):
Or Bruger.
Speaker 1 (32:44):
The performance of the personnel of the screening and radar
pic of chips, both individually and collectivity, was superb throughout
the Okinawa campaign. Acts of heroism, an unselfishness, fighting spirit,
fullness under fire, unswerving determination, endurance, and qualities of leader
(33:13):
leadership and loyalty. Loyalty exceeded all previous concepts of standard
set for the US Navy. The radar picket station groups
took every blow that the jabs could inflict and absorb
(33:35):
terrific punishment and personal casualties and material damage, but the
mission was successfully completed. This comes with a diagram that's
(33:56):
pretty neat. Operations of Canada March April May of nineteen
forty five. Yet I'm sure you can find it online
if you'd like to see it.
Speaker 2 (34:08):
It does show.
Speaker 1 (34:13):
Well, show's what's numbered, and then it shows dates with
it if they were lost or not. This show's exactly
where my grandfather was. I'm fifteen just looking through it.
Speaker 2 (34:39):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (34:41):
Anyways, it's hard for me to read these, you know,
without and I feel it so strongly now.
Speaker 2 (34:48):
I feel that loss or my grandfather and what he's given.
Speaker 1 (34:54):
To all of us along with the very many men
that also died. I hope that this is educating you.
I hope you appreciate these episodes. And again, if you
have someone that you know that would like to share
a story, then you know I want to hear from you.
(35:16):
This show is taking over, not completely possibly, but the
education and the news show that I normally have on
Wednesdays at six, this show is airing at that time
because I can't do both shows. But if there's major news,
you can always check out our publications dot new Heights,
(35:37):
Education dot org page for breaking news. And then if
it's something really major that I feel, then I may
do another episode obviously, but this is going to take
some time to to cover these stories. Okay, so until
next time,
Welcome to the New High Show on Education. This is
your host, Pamela Clark, and this is an episode of
American service Men and Women tell their Stories of Survival. So,
if you've been listening to the last month, last four weeks,
(01:03):
this is a new episode or new show. And we've
been covering the USS Stressler thinking and the lives claimed
and the people's stories from that. As mentioned before, my
paternal grandfather was one of those that lost his life
(01:26):
aboard the USS Stresler, and I've been trying to just
cover those things, those stories, and then we're just gonna
branch out. I'd love to have some veterans that maybe
don't feel like their stories have ever been heard. I
(01:49):
invite them to send us an email at info at
New Heights Education dot org. I'm not going to charge
them or anything to be part of our show. We
just want them to have a voice as well and
tell their stories. And yeah, so we invite anybody like
(02:09):
that that would like to share.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Okay, So.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
I have been reading from like historical reviews that we're
put together. There's an initial edition and then the second edition,
which I had done the second edition first, and then
I located the first edition, so that's why we're kind
of going back again to cover some of these. Now.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
I was given these documents.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
From the Pentagon when I went in at the tombstone
from my grandfather because it was never given to him
when or any rights really after the sinking of the Drexler,
So he does have a tombstone in Arlington now. And
there is a lot of other information about each and
(03:05):
every place that they were and which I really love.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
It has like the month and the year and so forth.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
But I'm really not covering all of that. I'm mostly
just covering the stories. And during the first episode, I
had suggested looking up the history of the Drextler, and
I gave links for you to go and research and
learn a little bit about this as well. This first
(03:41):
part that I want to share in this new review
is it's titled the Okinawa Invasion.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
And then we're going to get back to the stories.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Well I'm not sure for make it back to the
stories today or not, but we'll see what happens. We'll
take it one step at a time. So anyways, the
Okinawa Invasion, since the invasion of Okinawa was the only
war that the USS Drexler participated in. It would be
(04:19):
fitting to include some historical data on this final blow
to the Japanese, which subsequently led.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
To the end of the war.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
The following is quoted from a book written by Brosco
entitled quote Destroyer Operations in World War Two. And that
was end of quote. But then it's called love Day.
D Day for Okinawa fell on Easter Sunday.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
I did not know that.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
And remember that beautiful weather for the East China sea
cloudiness or cloudless sky, smooth jade water, promise of sparkling
spring morning with a hint of Guardina in the air.
At home there would be the simulent playing of church
(05:18):
bells sunrise services. But to the men in Operation Iceberg,
the day was just April first, nineteen forty five, ironically
designated quote Loveday. In the pre dawn gloom, the Iceberg
(05:42):
expendentire expeditiary forces had taken up position off the Okinawa coast.
Marked for the landings were beaches below Capeampa on the
west shore. For five days, these beaches had been softened
(06:05):
up in the usual fire and iron manner by preliminary
bombings and shore bombardments. Meanwhile, underwater demolition teams had gone
into dynamite obstacles and cut out away snares. A force
(06:27):
of seventy five minesweepers and forty five auxiliary craft had
combed the entire perimeter of the island's southern coast. During
all these preliminary activities, Okinawa shore guns were as silent
(06:48):
as though they had been.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Spiked.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Not a shot was fired in the island's defense. The
shore remained in sinister silence. The invaders did not know
that the General Yushi Jima had concentrated his forces and
their southern Okinawa on a line athwart the island between
(07:19):
the Thegushi Beach beaches in Naha and ah. They did
not know that this line, with ancient Shuri Castle at
its key at its keystone, contained a system of deep
(07:40):
tunnels and limestone caves reinforced with vero concrete that made
a warren almost vulnerable to air bombardment and naval barrage. Nevertheless,
us the Iceberg leaders knew that Okinawa was a Japanese gibraltar,
(08:09):
and that its capture would be resisted to the last.
To subdue and secure this Nancia chateau, bastine or bastion,
maybe Admiral Nimits had allocated some one thousand, four hundred
(08:32):
and fifty United States vessels manned by wall over half
a million Americans operations at the southern and of the
Nancia shadow chain. A British carrier force under Vice Admiral
(08:52):
Sir B. M. Rawlings added its weight to the immense
armada directly off Okinawa. Admiral Turner's ambitious force contained one thousand,
two hundred and thirteen ships carrying one hundred and eighty
(09:12):
two thousand assault troops under command of General Simon Olivar
Buckner USA. A total of three hundred and eighteen combatant
vessels were on the Iceberg front. Several European invasions had
(09:34):
covered wider fronts, but the Atlantic and Mediterranean transport halls
were relatively short compared with the trans Pacific lifts, which
carried the Iceberg forces and their supplies from America. Of
(09:56):
Ai Esperadu sent Gaudamaala Canal and other distant bases to Okinawa. Altogether,
the Operation Iceberg employed the largest fleet yet assembled in
(10:19):
naval history, over forty carriers and eighteen battleships, scores of
cruisers submarines minesweepers, landing crafts, patrol vessels, salvage vessels, and auxiliaries,
and more than one hundred and forty eight American destroyers
(10:44):
and destroyer escorts were in the armada that fought the
Okinawa campaign campaign. As had been stated from a naval standpoint,
the story of that campaign is the story of those
(11:06):
American dds and dees that bore the brunt of the
sea air battle. Allied carrier groups stood far offshore. Bombardment
(11:27):
groups came in and went on blockade duty. The American
submarines met practically no opposition, but the destroyer forces on
the Iceberg Front were in there fighting for days and
(11:47):
weeks on end. The small boys got the man sized
job at Okinawa, and they put up a giant size
effort to accomplish that job. Most of the destroyers and
destroyer escorts on the Iceberg Front worked as a radar
(12:13):
as radar pickets or patrol vessels in the area screen
covering the approaches to Okinawa. They mounted guard at radar
picket stations positioned in a ring encircling the island or
(12:34):
patrolling the convoy approaches, and served as as and anti
aircraft guards on a perimeter which embraced the transports area.
(12:54):
These picket and patrol ships constituted tasks of Flotilla five
under command of a veteran Destroyman destroy Man, Commodore Frederick
moose Brugger. The Iceberg mission of the DDS and dees
(13:19):
and tasked Flotilla five is best described in the words
of Commodore Moosebruger Bruger, whose official summarization is quoted Herewith
(13:41):
radar pickets and supports, distant radar pickets were stationed between
forty and seventy miles from the transport area in the
direction of the approach of enemy aircraft from the Japanese
island chain China basis, and for Mosa close radar pickets
(14:06):
were stationed twenty to twenty five miles from the transport
area in addition, sorry.
Speaker 3 (14:17):
It takes me a moment sometime.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
In addition, stations in the outer and inner anti submarine
screen were designated as radar picket stations. Their special duty
consisted of detecting, tracking, and reporting on aircraft in the
(14:40):
vicinity of the transport area. The function of the distant
radar pickets was to give early warning of enemy air
raids and surface craft and to perform the duties of
fighter direction. Specifically equipped fighter director destroyers, which with fighter
(15:07):
director teams embarked, were used as fighter directorships. These fighter
director destroyers controlled much units of the caap as were
assigned them by the central Fighter Director unit embarked in
(15:30):
the Eldorado or other headquartership. Initially, a radar picket group
was composed of the FD known as the Fighter Director
Destroyer and two LCS supports. Each LCS was stationed one
(15:52):
third the distance to an adjacent radar picket station to
increase and to increase the probability of detection of low
flying planes and a large or other surface movement along
the island chain. In case of attack, the support the
(16:17):
supports closed the radar picket for mutual protection. This formation
was later changed and the lcs's were stationed with the
picket as close support as close supports, The vital importance
(16:40):
of maintaining radar picket groups on station can be tested
by the fact that the bulk of the defense of
the Okinawa Ambitious operation evolved around the raid reporting and
fighter direction exercised by these fighter directorships and their supporting elements.
(17:07):
It became apparent early in the operation that the brunt
of the enemy air attacks would be absorbed by the
radar pickets and units of the outer as screen. Therefore,
(17:28):
it was considered necessary to increase the number of units
on each radar picket station and provide a protective cap
over each radar picket. The possibility of the sorry on
(17:53):
each radar picket station and provide a protective cap over
radar pick it. The possibility of reducing the number of
the occupied radar picket stations were seriously examined, but the
number could not be reduced until after shore based radar
(18:20):
picket stations for an operation. We've had to take a
quick commercial break, and I'm gonna come right back and
continue reading this report. Stay tuned for more New Heightshow
on Education. Are you enjoying the New Heights Show on Education.
(18:44):
If you love our show, please consider liking and following
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(19:06):
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(19:30):
www dot New Heights Education dot org. Welcome back to
an episode of American Servicemen and Women tell their Stories
of Survival.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
Get back to what I was reading.
Speaker 1 (19:53):
During the first days of the operation, there were insufficient
destroyers available to assigned more than one destroyer to each
picket station. This was occasioned by other acquired employment, such
as one the necessity of assigning destroyers to screen transport
(20:13):
groups and covering groups in night retirement, two, assignment of
destroyers to task groups and awaiting areas. Three the necessity
of having units available to meet emergencies. However, the strength
(20:33):
of the radar picket stations was increased by assigning all
available lcs's LSM R and PGM types as close supports. Later,
when the night retirement was discontinued in groups returned from
(20:56):
awaiting areas, additional destroyers were as assigned as radar picket supports.
Beginning April tenth, it was possible to assign two destroyers
and four small support crafts to the more exposed radar
picket stations. Continued damage to units prevented increasing the strength
(21:21):
further until reinforcements arrived from other areas and the number
of picket stations was reduced. Finally, on May nineteenth, it
became possible to maintain at least three destroyers and four
lcs's on each of the five occupied stations. Destroyer escorts
(21:48):
and similar types were considered as picket supports. Their inadequate
anti aircraft armament included exposing them to vicious air attacks
experienced on radar picket stations. None of the destroyer escorts,
(22:10):
with the increased armament of two five inch or ten
forty millimeter and ten twenty millimeter guns were at the objective.
Continued efforts were made to obtain a protective cap of
from four to six planes for each picket station. This
(22:33):
special cap was to employ or to be employed solely
for the local picket protection, reporting directly to the to
the radar picket on a special frequency. It was entirely
separate from the regular cap cap. Sufficient planes were not
(22:55):
available at the objective to support support.
Speaker 3 (23:02):
Oh no no.
Speaker 1 (23:05):
Were not available at the objective to supply the desired
protective cap, but commencing on April fourteenth, the taf Tactical
Air Force was able to maintain a two plane protective
cap over three picking stations. In the early stages of
(23:27):
radar PICKA stations one to three, four, seven, ten, and
twelve and fourteen were filled with number nine later when
more warning was thought necessary against low flying planes approaching
(23:50):
Kerama Reto from southwest.
Speaker 2 (24:09):
Just a moment sorry.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
On May sixteenth, with the compilation or completion of shore
based radar and installations on Hitosake and ea Shima, the
number of occupied radar pick US STATIONSSUS was reduced to
five stations five, seventy nine, fifteen and sixteen. Due to
(24:39):
damage to fighter directorships, it was necessary to continuously equip
additional ships with fighter director radios and associated equipment, and
in some ships not so equipped with suitable visual fighter
direction stations. A number of formations were used in the
(25:05):
course of the operation. The typical normal cruising formation used
with a group of three or more destroyers and four
lcs's under the tactical command of the squadron or division
commander consistedfa for off some offa maybe destroyer unit concentrated
(25:32):
in an anti aircraft's circular formation with ships equally spaced
and distance between ships of one hundred one thousand yards,
and an LCS unit similar similarly disposed with distance between
(25:55):
ships of five hundred yards or less. The LCS unit,
under the direct tactical command of the senior LCS commander
would patrol along a track designated by the officer and
tactical command of.
Speaker 2 (26:13):
The picket group.
Speaker 1 (26:16):
The picket group, the destroyer unit would be patrol as directed,
keeping within a thousand yards of the LCS unit.
Speaker 3 (26:29):
Bear with me, okay.
Speaker 1 (26:46):
The Okinawa conclusion of the support at Okinawa, the rising
sun went down for the last time. History's almanac would
record the date as June twenty, nineteen forty five. Now, remember,
my grandfather died May twenty eighth, nineteen forty five, so
(27:08):
if he just had another full month, right, he would
have survived those kind of things, just they hurt. The
brief twilight that followed was no more than a creepuscular afterglow.
(27:30):
Imperial Japan was finished on that twenty first of June.
On that day, General General Yushi Jama, commander of the
Japanese thirty second Army, and his chief of staff, Lieutenant
General Isamu Chao, committed Harry Kri rather than surrender. Some
(27:55):
one hundred thousand Japanese troops had already died. The Battle
of Okinawa was the last battle was over for the Americans.
Okinawa had been a costly campaign, one at a price
of over twelve thousand dead. Buckner's tenth Army pade the
(28:18):
lion's share of this fatality toll, the general himself being
among the slaand killed by an enemy shell burst three
days before the last jap survivors surrendered, but the US
Navy losses were well over a third of the total
(28:41):
of about five thousand fatalities and a like number of wounded.
In no previous campaign of a comparable time period had
shipped casualties been as severe. Although the twelve destroyers and
(29:03):
the destroyer escorts sunk off at Okinawa between late March
and the end of June, where the latest warships I'm
sorry downed in Operation Iceberg, many MINECRAFT patrol vessels and
(29:25):
landing crafts were battered under destroyers and dees footed most
of the crash crash bill. The warships of all classes
took south. Texts have each punishment this no. Thirteen carriers,
(29:49):
including bunker Hill, Enterpede and Cock Enterprise, were batting mulled
in the Okinawa battle, as were ten battleships and five cruisers.
About eighty percent of this damage was wrought by kamikaze crashes,
(30:10):
and most of the ships struck by suicide planes were incapacitated.
For the wars duration. It is not difficult to conceive
of the odds accepted by destroyers when they entered the
combat with these enemy capable of entering steel coated battleships
(30:31):
and crippling such powerful carriers as bunker Hill and Hancock,
and crippling such powerful carriers such as Okay Sorry did that.
The length of those odds has its measure in DD
and DE casualty lists, and in the roll call of
(30:53):
the fleet that stayed permanently Hologan Bush, Calhoun, Mannered, l Abel, Kringle,
Little Loose, Morrison, abur Render, longshawl Drexler, William, Deep Porter,
(31:19):
Twigs Underhill in Callahan twelve of these fifteen ships were
downed by comic cazes. In regard to their chances against
this foe and Navy destroyment expressed an almost undivided opinion.
(31:40):
The consensus was that a coordinated and sustained suicide ari
assault spelled disastrous damage, if not doomed for the unarmed
I'm sorry, unarmed American destroyers or dee of the World
(32:00):
War two classes.
Speaker 2 (32:04):
There is an old Oriental.
Speaker 1 (32:06):
Proverb that or which observes quote, he who knows he
is about to die dies twice end of quote. Well
aware of the odds, they faced the destroyment in the
Okinawa picket line and endured the conviction with a stoicism
(32:31):
that whent far to invalidate the proverb. Here is something
wrote written by commodore Musburg Bruger.
Speaker 2 (32:42):
Or Bruger.
Speaker 1 (32:44):
The performance of the personnel of the screening and radar
pic of chips, both individually and collectivity, was superb throughout
the Okinawa campaign. Acts of heroism, an unselfishness, fighting spirit,
fullness under fire, unswerving determination, endurance, and qualities of leader
(33:13):
leadership and loyalty. Loyalty exceeded all previous concepts of standard
set for the US Navy. The radar picket station groups
took every blow that the jabs could inflict and absorb
(33:35):
terrific punishment and personal casualties and material damage, but the
mission was successfully completed. This comes with a diagram that's
(33:56):
pretty neat. Operations of Canada March April May of nineteen
forty five. Yet I'm sure you can find it online
if you'd like to see it.
Speaker 2 (34:08):
It does show.
Speaker 1 (34:13):
Well, show's what's numbered, and then it shows dates with
it if they were lost or not. This show's exactly
where my grandfather was. I'm fifteen just looking through it.
Speaker 2 (34:39):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (34:41):
Anyways, it's hard for me to read these, you know,
without and I feel it so strongly now.
Speaker 2 (34:48):
I feel that loss or my grandfather and what he's given.
Speaker 1 (34:54):
To all of us along with the very many men
that also died. I hope that this is educating you.
I hope you appreciate these episodes. And again, if you
have someone that you know that would like to share
a story, then you know I want to hear from you.
(35:16):
This show is taking over, not completely possibly, but the
education and the news show that I normally have on
Wednesdays at six, this show is airing at that time
because I can't do both shows. But if there's major news,
you can always check out our publications dot new Heights,
(35:37):
Education dot org page for breaking news. And then if
it's something really major that I feel, then I may
do another episode obviously, but this is going to take
some time to to cover these stories. Okay, so until
next time,
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