I hope you enjoyed the Gardens. Your answer to me was much too polite, and UF will kick you off the thread if you keep it up.
Speaking of war stories, the web is producing tremendous sources for History, and the Naval History of WWII is a favorite of mine. My favorite Naval battle of all time is the Action off Samar during the battle of the Philippines.
That was the action that happened when Halsey got sucked north after the carriers, and Sprague's Jeep carriers were attacked by an entire Japanese BatDiv. If it had broken through, it would have wiped out the American landing force.
That action produced my favorite Naval Hero of WWII, Ernest E Evans, CO of the Destroyer, USS Johnston. Sprague was forced to send his destroyers in on a torpedo attack against the Japanese force, and they fought so well that the Japanese thought they were up against a Cruiser Division.
Evan's widow received the medal from Truman. Interestingly, Evans, and the other Destroyer commanders, were all reserves. I found out recently that this is now all on line, in detail, and very well organized. Here is the connection:
escortcarriers.org |
