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Navy Log - 1955 Helldivers Over Greece 3-25 was released on:
USA: 6 March 1958
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The earlier attack by American torpedo bombers had drawn the Japanese air cover down near the surface of the water, which left them completely out of position to repel an attack by the Helldiver dive bombers.
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US: P-40 Warhawk; Brewster Buffalo; B-17 Flying Fortress; B-26 Marauders; B-25 Mitchells; B-24 Liberators; B-29 Super Fortress; Wildcats; Hellcats; Devastators; Vindicators; Avengers; Helldivers; Corsairs; P-51 Mustangs; P-39 Airacobras; P-61 Night Fighters; P-47 Thunderbolts.
Japan: Zeros; Kates; Val; Nell; Betty; Tony; Shinden fighters.
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Escort carriers (aka Jeep Carriers, Baby Flat-tops) carried the same type of aircraft as the light and fleet carriers did: Fighters (Wildcats & Hellcats); torpedo planes (Avengers); and dive bombers (Dauntless & Helldivers). Escorts simply carried about 30 airplanes compared to 50 plus planes for light carriers and 90 plus planes for fleet carriers.
In the Atlantic, subs were the primary prey; and Escort Carriers (along with Escort Destroyers) spent their times hunting submarines.
Escort Destroyers were smaller than regular US Navy destroyers, and also spent most of their duties in the Atlantic theater.
In the Pacific, the large carriers and large destroyers took on the IJN. But USN destroyer escorts and escort carriers also fought in the Pacific, supplimenting USN firepower. For example: the destroyer ESCORT "Samual B. Roberts" was sunk while charging an IJN Cruiser at Leyte Gulf. The ESCORT Carrier "USS Bismarck Sea" was the last USN aircraft carrier sunk in WWII; during the Battle for Iwo Jima (where the US Marines raised the flag).
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Primarily speaking for and beginning in WWII; the US out-produced EVERY nation in EVERYTHING! From clothing and food to guns and ammunition; from tanks and trucks to ships and airplanes. The US built so many airplanes and tanks, that the factories had to fill up their parking lots with rows upon rows of their finished products, then suddenly...the war ended. Those brand new tanks, artillery pieces, airplanes, etc. went from the parking lot directly to the smelters (re-melted).
Left over material, such as was gathered about here and there were collected at strategic points and piled up for transport to other scrap yards (for smelting). Many were cut up in those particular spots. Still more material was discovered from here and there, and the good ones were sold at government auction: B-24 Liberators were auctioned off to the Forest Service for fire fighting duties; 2 1/2 ton and 5 ton army trucks went to a man who started the "U-Haul Company"; M4 Sherman medium tanks went to the newly created nation of Israel; M24 Chaffee light tanks went to the French along with some Hellcat and Bearcat USN fighters for their war in Indochina (Vietnam); Tents, shovels, pistol belts, canteens, helmets, helmet liners, lamps, desks, etc. were sold to surplus stores. The USSR tried to unload their left over P39 Airocobra attack planes back to the US, along with some transport ships.
The USN bulldozed (possibly hundreds) of Corsair, Hellcats, Wildcats, Helldivers, and Avengers over the side into the ocean to make way for operation magic carpet...making room for the thousands of returning US servicemen from all points of the pacific.
Why did all this happen? Because (generally speaking; as there are exceptions to every rule) Americans don't like war...but when it comes (or came in WWII) they went "all out" to win it. And all of the war material to the typical American was simply a necessary evil; an end to a means. They just wanted the war over with; and get back to football, baseball, mom and apple pie (plus new homes, jobs, and family). EVERYTHING (war equipment) was expendable. Even battleships and aircraft carriers were scrapped; and nothing was more expensive than a battleship.
Believe it or not; with all those tossed over board war machines and mass scrappings, today more than half a century later, there's still dozens of individual types of WWII airplanes remaining, in some cases still flying; theres still hundreds of M4 Shermans and M24 Chaffees laying about here and there. And literally thousands upon thousands of WWII M1 Garand Rifles and (M1 Carbines, mostly returns from over-seas) are still being sold almost brand new, available from the NRA (National Rifle Association of America/Citizen Marksmanship Programs). That should give an idication of how much war material was made.
Of the nearly 800 US PT boats built, close to 300 of them were burnt; as the USN wanted NO wooden boats in their navy. 69 were lost in combat, and the balance were auctioned off to civilians. One more point; Most of the WWII equipment was obsolete; or was soon to be designated obsolete. They had to go, to make room for the new stuff...like jets!
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The Korean War 1950-1953 is more closely related to WWI, for the following reasons:
1. Both the Korean War & WWI were ENDED by an "Armistice."
2. Both the Korean War & WWI were were the FIRST aerial wars involving aircraft to aircraft combat (better known as "Dog-Fighting"). WWI used bi-planes (aircraft with two wings) & the Korean War used "Jet to Jet" for the first time on a general combat scale.
3. Both Wars stalemated into trench warfare.
4. Both Wars have been overshadowed (neglected) by Hollywood & Writers; by WWII and the Vietnam War. WWII receives MORE publicity than WWI, and the Vietnam War has more movies (films) made about it than the Korean War.
By contrast; WWII & the Vietnam War, each have many films/books about them. Both WWII & Vietnam had a vast amount of different Aircraft, Weapons/Equipment, and new concepts: WWII introduced the AIRBORNE Divisions (Paratroopers); Vietnam introduced the AIRMOBILE Divisions (Helicopters). Both WWII & Vietnam had massed aerial bombing campaigns (B-17's over Germany in WWII; B-52's over North Vietnam).
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