Oroville Mercury Register
August 16, 1945
880 Dead, Missing In Cruiser Loss
Guam –(U.P.)- Two tremendous torpedo explosions sank the heavy cruiser
Indianapolis July 30 and caused 1190 causalities-every man aboard
ship—while she was bound from Guam to Leyte, survivors reported
Wednesday. The Navy announced that 880 of the casualties were killed
or missing in one of thee worst U. S. naval disasters of war or
peacetime history. The other 316 causalities were wounded. The cruiser
was sunk shortly after delivering essential atomic bomb material
to Guam. Survivors said they watched some 200 of their shipmates
perish after five days of helpless threshing in the sea. Many of
the men went mad from drinking sea water before the group was sighted
by search planes 280 miles north of Peleliu.
Oroville Mercury Register
August 16, 1945
Atomic Bomb Saved Million American Lives: Churchill. By
Phil Ault
London -(U.P)- The atomic bombs that forced Japan to surrender enabled
the Allies to call off a gigantic offensive that would have cost
1,000,000 American and 250,000 British lives, Winston Churchill
revealed in Commons today. In his first major speech as leader of
the opposition, the former prime minister said the offensive was
planned at Potsdam and that he and President Truman already had
given the order to set in motion what might have proved the bloodiest
campaign in history. It was averted only by the atomic bombing and
Japan’s sudden and unconditional surrender, he said. “Success beyond
all our dreams crowned this somber and magnificent venture of our
American Allies.” Churchill said. The Americana and British Joint
Chiefs of Staff submitted a master plan for a knockout offensive
against the Japanese in Malaya, the Dutch East Indies and Japan
itself. That undertaking, Churchill said would have been the greatest
military operation in history. The Allied high command ordered it
to begin with the full realization that it probably would mean the
sacrifice of 1,250,000 American and British lives. It was with that
price in blood before them that the Allied leaders made their decision
to unchain the devastating power of the atomic bomb against Japan,
Churchill declared.
Stu’s Notes: The 66th anniversary of
the Atom Bombs dropped on Japan has come and gone. Aug 6th
and 9th, 1945. Hiroshima and Nagasaki,
yes close to 200,000 plus Japanese lost their lives’, but we must
remember the USA had made plans to invade the Japanese
Islands to end the war. Estimates are 200 to 500 thousand young
American men would die in this invasion plus all their children
to be born, until way into the future. Many people alive today are
alive by that bomb, as sad and terrible as it was. Estimates on
Japanese killed in an Invasion , would have been in the millions,
do doubt, as the Japanese were prepared to fight to the last man,
women and child on their beaches and Japan has a lot of beaches.
They had prepared well for this fight. Weapons were hidden and ready,
I’ve read 5,000 Kamikaze planes were hidden all over the Islands.
At the end of WWII in Europe, May 8, 1945, my very good friend Nick
Krpan, who fought all the way to the outskirts of Berlin, was told
you stay for 6 months, Occupation duty in Germany or you can go
to the Japan Invasion. Nick chose occupation duty. Thermalito’s
Big Jim Townsend, was on the way to the invasion. My friend, who
chooses not to be named, fought in the skies over Europe as a gunner
in a B-17, and then he went into an Engineering outfit after the
liberation of France and trained in gliders at Camp Chicago, France.
At the end of the War in Europe, V-E Day which means Victory over
Europe, he was ordered to go on a ship, the SS Baroque, which would
sail with his group via India, then to China and prepare for the
Invasion of the Japanese Islands and other areas. As they
were getting ready to sail the bombs were dropped on Japan and their
ship set sail for America. They sailed past the Statue
of Liberty, he remembered pretty girls on a tugboat singing popular
songs from the early 40’s. Then it landed at Hoboken, New Jersey.
For them the war was over. V.J Day, Victory over Japan, August 14,
1945, had come and gone, there were no parades for him. He came
home to California with no great fan fare and took up life where
he had left off. As you read of some of our losses above the War
had to end quick and it did. My friend Rudi Messerschmidt, Prisoner
of War of the Japanese, in the Dutch East Indies, probably would
not have survived much longer.
There will be a big event out at the Oroville Airport headed
up by Oroville’s Mike Howard, from 8AM to 4PM on Saturday, August
20th. Go in the main gate on Chuck
Yeager Way. Along with others previously mentioned, The
California National Guard from Mather will bring the Black Hawk
Helicopter, Butte County Sheriff’s Helicopter and Air plane. See:
AirportDayFlyIn.com.
Happy Birthday Jeff, Shakey’s 4pm Sunday?