The Story of One POW’s Working on the Railway of Death
American Sailor Howard Brooks survived the Battle of the Sundra Strait only to slave away in the Burmese jungles as a prisoner of the Japanese.
When Howard Brooks joined the United States Navy in 1939, the 20-year-old farm boy from Tennessee had no idea that he was going to experience one of the most harrowing adventures of World War II. In the early months of the war, Brooks and his fellow crewmen aboard USS
Houston fought heroically against overwhelming odds, only to have their ship blown out from under them at the Battle of the Sunda Strait in February 1942. But the battle, horrific as it was, marked the beginning, not the end, of their ordeal.
PT-35, and Bulkeley’s flagship,
PT-41. Squadron 3 boasted a compliment of 11 officers and 68 men. In general, each boat had a crew of two officers and 10 to 12 men. The PT-boats were of the latest design, 77-footers that came equipped with four 21-inch torpedo launchers and two pairs of 50-caliber machine guns in power turrets.
By the late summer of 1941, it was clear that Japan and the United States were on a collision course. War was coming, though no one knew when, and there was a sense of urgency in the air. Bulkeley’s command was selected for rapid deployment in the Philippines, even though with six boats he had only half a squadron. The second half was supposed to follow later but never arrived because of Pearl Harbor.
Battle of Java Sea Holds Crucial Lessons for Today VIEWPOINT DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
12/30/2020 By
Brent D. Sadler Philippine navy sailors participate in a visit, board, search and seizure practical scenario training as part of Southeast Asia Cooperation and Training 2018.
Naval History and Heritage Command
Speaking in October this year on the readiness of U.S. armed forces, then-Secretary of Defense Mark Esper referenced Task Force Smith a unit decimated in the early days of the Korean War as a result of being sent into combat with insufficient training, inadequate munitions and equipment, and understrength manning.
This spectacular battlefield failure gave birth to a new rallying cry: “No more Task Force Smiths!”
The COVID-19 pandemic will have long-term ramifications on the nation, from the deaths of more than 300,000 Americans to a massive spike in federal spending at least an additional $4 trillion. As a result, the world will look much different after this event and the U.S. Navy will face changes in how it operates in the future. The potential for smaller budgets and a shift in priorities will impact operations. One of the actions the Navy may be forced to consider will be a decreased forward presence and reduced deployments to lower costs.
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Sunsets over Manila Bay are nothing less than spectacular. Once the sun dips below the horizon there is a lingering illumination known as “blue hour” as the sky gradually shifts from pale azure to deep indigo before fading completely into the black tropical night. But for the men of USS
Seawolf there was no blue hour that warm January evening in 1942. Their submarine rested on the inky bottom of the bay awaiting nightfall when it would be safe to surface.
At 7:30 pm, Lt. Cmdr. Frederick “Fearless Freddie” Warder, gave the command. The submarine broke the calm waters off the besieged island of Corregidor, sailing cautiously toward South Dock. When