TOLL OF HONOR: CONVOY PQ-17
another fine war story............
But prey tell, WE THE PEOPLE still want to know what your personal combat experience is?
At the moment, I am concerned only with the experience of an honest and accurate historian.
I will confess that I did not enjoy producing this article, although I worked on it for three straight evenings, when I could have been relaxing like most other civilized people. The subject was painful, its lessons are painful, and the disaster coincides uncomfortably with Independence Day.
However, I believe that we should remember. Many paid for the lessons provided us by such as disaster as this. Blunders are part of our nature; none of us are omniscient or infallible. Blunders (such as Munich) made World War II possible in the first place; blunders dogged our footsteps throughout that war, and all others, for that matter. Blunders made the price of freedom, never cheap in the first place, much higher than it otherwise might have been.
Blunders are a given. But they did not prevent those who fought for freedom in World War II from winning through. Nobody rolled over and gave up because of blunders. Nobody said, “Oh, maybe we made a mistake in getting involved at all, let’s pack up and go home.” Nobody lost the will to win. Few could lose sight of the fact that such behavior would be the worst blunder of all.
Nor can we afford to lose sight of that fact now, amid the trials of our own age and time. The fight for freedom is just as necessary and just as costly now as it ever was. Now, as before, blunders cannot be helped. Our overall resolution is what we can help--and what we must hold high, just as in World War II, or all who died to preserve our freedom have died in vain.
Happy Independence Day to one and all.
You can ask that when you show us your DD-214, OCM.
Excellent work, Tann. Those Merchant Sailors were never given the credit remotely due their service. They kept the U.K. from starving to death, they supplied our troops and our allies while suffering tremendous losses and never flinched, unarmed in the face of danger.
Pound should have been cashiered.
I appreciate your work, Tann. You have presented a story that, unfortunately, is all but lost in the mists of time, regrets, remorse and guilt. It’s a story that should be remembered, especially as we celebrate our Independence Day.
Let us remember those who paid for our freedoms and liberty, as well as that of others - including our former enemies, through the years and honor their sacrifice as we stuff ourselves with food and drink and enjoy the fireworks displays.
This is but one story of those who have paid the toll and stood up to be counted, even in the darkest of days.
Happy Independence Day.
Great reading, Tanney............Today I found a moth in my garden - took a pic & sent to Allan - he said he will post it next week for you ...........Don’t know what kind it is - perhaps you will know...........
Posted by Dottie
07/01/2005 at 06:58 PM
Perhaps so, Stin, and he made other blunders in addition to blundering Convoy PQ-17. In his book Pursuit, Ludovic Kennedy narrates some of these, stressing that the worst of them was Pound’s tendency to override commanders on the spot and attempt to micro-manage everything from Whitehall (does that sound familiar?). According to Kennedy, Tovey noted that Pound was “neither a great tactician nor a great strategist, but unfortunately he believed he was.”
On the other hand, Pound was a sick man; according to Kennedy, he had “only become First Sea Lord because other, more senior officers had been even iller than himself. He had a tumour of the brain that was eventually to kill him, also a disease of the hip that caused him pain and insomnia.....He was not really fit to be a wartime First Sea Lord, with all the strains of office: pain and loss of sleep at night meant that he sometimes dozed off at daytime meetings. But he was flattered by the Prime Minister’s trust in him; and Churchill liked him because he was often amenable to his wishes.”
Perhaps the heart of the matter rests in that last sentence. Who can say?
I agree completely that the merchant sailors never got their due; they had the dirtiest job of all wartime sea jobs. It is just as you say. At least the men aboard warships, when hit, could hit back. Not so the merchant sailors. They had to take it. But they were the blood in the vessels of supply, and they knew it, and they came through despite all adversity. They are due every bit of the honor we accord to those “up front.” They were all part of the team--the winning team that won us every 4th of July we have observed since.
And an especially happy 4th to you and all dear to you, my friend.
Addendum: My #6 was meant in answer to Stin’s #3, discussing Sir Dudley Pound. #4 and #5 weren’t showing at the time I began to write an answer. Hope this helps.
Thank you, Dottie. And I look forward to seeing that moth you found. I hope you find more. My spring is never complete until I find at least one luna, nestling on a tree somewhere and looking like a little princess with her violet shoulder insignia.
A happy 4th of July to you, your son, and all the family....
Stin,
It’s dangling between my legs..........
You disappointment me--a person who generally shows tolerance.....
“I don’t have to show you no stinkin’ discharge papers....”
WE, the millions of non military servers, appreciate all that you COMBAT VETS have done for US
but it sure as hell doesn’t give you any more RIGHTS than anyone else to talk about anything.If you can’t get into that concept, then this country has another problem to deal with.
Tanny,
Thank you for your work on this article. Thank you, as well, for your commentary. Your insights of these historical works are superceded only by your brilliant ability to put those insights into words.
These accounts you give us make us pause and think very deeply about why we are such a great country and about the sacrifices that have made us great. We should pause often for this kind of reflection. - Not just because of a holiday.
Posted by Phoenix
07/01/2005 at 09:52 PM
Just to make one correction. I am not a combat veteran. I did nearly six years in the Navy, five of it in the fleet. I’ve never heard a shot fired in anger. Although I nearly beshat myself when a Spanish Fort fired their guns over our heads in a salute the morning after we moored there. On the occasions when I’ve steamed into harm’s way, harm decided not to mess with us. On the whole, I’m glad for that.
Other than that clarification I’m not going to contribute to dragging this thread down as so many others have been lately.
Back on topic: I’m glad I didn’t get to experience the winter weather in that part of the world. The seas in spring can be impressive on their own. I woke up half-way out of my rack gripping a light cable one night during a 57 degree roll. For a moment I wasn’t real sure that my Forest Sherman class tin-can was going to recover. Had we a layer of ice topside she might not have righted.
Thank you, Stin, I rest my case...............................
I very much appreciate your support, Phoenix, and all the support I get from other good folks for work like this. When you’re trying to do some good, it helps to know that the good has been done. Thank you all once again.
