Dear Naval Historical Foundation Family,
Welcome back to Thursday Tidings.
On 30 March 1972, the North Vietnam Army seized a crucial time to attack South Vietnam and potentially end the war by conventional invasion. The attack was a three-pronged drive into South Vietnam using mobile units and tanks. Although the United States was expecting an attack in 1972, they could not anticipate the size and immensity brought forth by the People’s Army of Vietnam. Although most of the U.S. troops were out of South Vietnam by 1972, the United States Navy responded to the attack in kind. The attack, which later became known as the “Easter Offensive,” was eventually turned back by U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force air attacks as part of Operation Linebacker. For the Navy, air operations also included Operation Pocket Money: the aerial mining of Haiphong Harbor and the North Vietnamese coastal and inland waters.
The surface fleet also played a critical role in the defense of Hue and subsequent counterattacks to retake areas already overrun. The mining campaign, along with U.S. air attacks on North Vietnam's supply lines ashore, helped cut short the calculated attack in South Vietnam. Eventually, the mining operation and the Linebacker bombing campaign induced the North Vietnamese to negotiate an end to the war at the peace table. As a primer for the upcoming Second Saturday talk by Dr. Edward Marolda, this week's Thursday Tidings will focus on the events during the Navy's involvement in the Easter Offensive.
This week's book reviews by Ingo Heidbrink and Charles Bogart focus on, respectively, oil tankers and a biography of Royal Navy Commander D. G. H. ‘Jake’ Wright. We have also once again included some helpful links on the U.S. Navy's role in the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.
As always, fair winds and following seas shipmates. This email is best viewed as a webpage for your reading convenience and best quality.
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Second Saturday Webinar
THIS SATURDAY
9 April 2022 | 11am EST
50th Anniversary -- The North Vietnamese Easter Offensive - the Mining of Haiphong Harbor - Linebacker I, II, and Ending the War
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2022 marks the 50th anniversary of one of the Vietnam War’s most memorable events, perhaps second only to the 1968 Tet Offensive. On 30 March 1972, the Peoples Army of Vietnam shamed across the DMZ and invaded the Republic of Vietnam in the opening phase of the Nguyen Hue Offensive, better known as the Easter Offensive. To the United States in the midst of withdrawing troops under the Nixon Administration, the attack caught forces by surprise, forcing the United States Navy to respond accordingly with its own endgame: the mining of Haiphong Harbor, and Linebacker I and II.
Join us for our next Second Saturday webinar on the 50th Anniversary of the North Vietnamese Easter Offensive
The featured speaker will be Dr. Edward J. Marolda, author of Admirals Under Fire: The U.S. Navy and the Vietnam War.
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Don't Forget to Read It!
Pull Together: Winter 2022 Issue
USS Langley Centennial Commemoration:
The Birth of USN Carrier Aviation
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Our latest issue of Pull Together, the official newsletter of the Naval Historical Foundation, is available to view in digital format online! The lead story is "Clayton M. Simmers: The Unknown Father of American Aircraft Carriers," by Dr. David F. Winkler. Dr. Winkler tells the fascinating story of the individual responsible for converting the collier Jupiter into the experimental aircraft carrier Langley. Unknown to him, he would usher in the dawn of naval aviation and change the character of military operations forever.
Other fascinating items in the Winter 2022 issue:
- 2022 Plan of the Year for NHF
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Entering the Third Decade of the IJNH
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Solving the Mystery of Oklahoma’s Unidentified MIAs
- Upcoming Conferences and more!
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NHF Historian Featured in U.S. Naval Insititute Podcast on Carrier Aviation |
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NHF Historian Dr. David Winkler was featured on a recent Proceedings Podcast on the beginning of U.S. Naval Carrier Operations.
Dr. Winkler reviewed excerpts from the diary of a USS Langley crewman that chronicled the landmark first steps in U.S. aircraft carrier flight operations. The podcast featured podcast co-hosts Ward Carroll and Eric Mills. This is an excellent companion to the information presented at the recent Second Saturday webinar on the subject of USS Langley.
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Admiral Holloway: Into the Lion's Den Interview |
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Watch this 18-minute interview with Admiral James L. Holloway III, USN (Ret), former CNO and Naval Historical Foundation Chairman Emeritus, as he spoke at length about Operation Lion’s Den, a 1972 raid by four U.S. Navy warships into Haiphong Harbor to shell enemy shore positions during the Vietnam War. Admiral Holloway was along as Commander, Seventh Fleet, and had a front-row seat for the dramatic events that unfolded.
2012 interview footage courtesy of Aerocinema.
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Task Force 78, Haiphong Harbor Sweep Detail |
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Emblem used in 1973 during North Vietnam mine clearance operations. (NHHC Photo # NH 85388-KN) |
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Easter Offensive Picture Gallery
(U.S. Navy in the Vietnam War - HRNM)
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An RA-5C prepares for launch aboard the USS Kitty Hawk (CVA 63) during the 1972 Easter Offensive in Vietnam. The Easter Offensive which began on March 30, 1972, was a series of coordinated attacks launched by the North Vietnamese Army and the Viet Cong to retake major cities throughout Vietnam. The Easter Offensive concluded on October 22, 1972.
Photo courtesy of Don Hickman
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Loaded with bombs, an A-7 Corsair II from VA-147 ("Argonauts") and an A-6 Intruder from VA-165 ("Boomers") off USS Constellation (CVA 64) fly a mission against the North Vietnamese "Easter Offensive" in spring 1972. Naval airpower was crucial in helping to stem this advance.
Official U.S. Navy photo (K-93903)
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An F-4J from VF-114 "Aardvarks" armed with AIM-7E Sparrow and AIM-9D Sidewinder missiles in flight during the squadron's 1972 deployment to Vietnam. The "Aardvarks" made nine deployments to Vietnam.
Official U.S. Navy Photograph
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Inside America's daring plan to mine Haiphong Harbor
On the night of May 8, 1972, President Richard Nixon was preparing for a major TV speech. He wanted to communicate his dissatisfaction with the leaders of North Vietnam and their allies, especially the Soviet Union. The speech also had a more...
Read more
www.navytimes.com
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The Development of Crude Oil Tankers: A Historical Miscellany
By Ray Solly
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Reviewed by Ingo Heidbrink, Ph.D.
One of the groups this book can be commended to without any hesitation are any kind of ship lovers or merchant marine history buffs who are looking for a plain overview on the development of the oceangoing crude oil tanker. A second group are crewmembers or anybody else with a direct connection to this particular type of ship. When it comes to professional maritime historians interested in the field of transoceanic crude oil transportation, there are books that are providing a much more in-depth analysis, but as these books have been either published in languages other than English or do not cover the last two or three decades of the development, Solly’s book might still be a useful addition to a personal or institutional research library despite of its limitations as a research publication. Finally, and as strange as it may read given the highly specialized subject of the book, due to its good selection of photographs, with many of them reproduced on at least half-page size, it has certain qualities of a coffee-table book for everybody simply interested in ships and maritime history. Given the sheer dimensions of these ships, they have a very specific esthetic that is hard not to be attracted by when flipping the pages of the book.
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Torpedoes, Tea, and Medals: The Gallant Life of Commander D. G. H. ‘Jake’ Wright DSC** Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
By Chris O'Flaherty
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Reviewed by Charles H. Bogart
The word “Tea” in the book’s title refers to the fact that, both prewar and postwar, Cdr. Wright’s occupation was that of tea merchant. How a tea merchant became one of the leading Royal Navy small boat commanders is the heart of this book’s story. Every war produces naval leaders who find in themselves some quality that allows them to become effective and fearless leaders. Cdr. Wright is such a person. Much of the book is concerned with the mundane effort of preparing for combat. The preparation includes not only training but evaluating after action reports and revising tactics to improve the odds of conducting a successful attack. These mundane accounts are punctuated by detailed descriptions of convoy attacks. The account of each attack covers the who, what, where, and when of the operation. Nicely drawn diagrams give the reader a visual understanding of each of the actions being described.
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If you are interested in biography, please consider reviewing To the Java Sea: Selections from the Diary, Reports, and Letters of Henry E. Eccles, 1940-1942, edited by John B. Hattendorf and Pelham Boyer.
Guidelines for getting involved in the NHF Book Review program can be found here,
and a list of titles available for review can be found here.
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History in the Making: The U.S. Navy and the Ukranian Crisis -- Select Links and Topics of Interest
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We are currently witnessing history in the making with the situation involving the Russian invasion of Ukraine beginning last week. How does the U.S. Navy fit in? How are strategists, theorists, and journalists gauging the role of the U.S. Navy in any impending conflict? Here are several articles of note that seek to answer these questions as the situation progresses. Article opinions reflect those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect any stance by the Naval Historical Foundation.
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Fire and Ice: A Rick Holden Novel
By George Galdorisi
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Many commentators have accused the U.S. military of “preparing for the last war.” While there may be some truth to this criticism, there is a movement afoot to better prepare for the wars of tomorrow.
Throughout the 20th Century, planning for tomorrow’s conflicts occurred almost exclusively within the walls of the Pentagon. With a known adversary – first the Soviet Union and then the threat of worldwide terrorism – this was an acceptable strategy. However, today, with substantially more-nuanced threats to the United States, this is no longer the case.
For years, a number of writers have envisioned future warfare and have expressed those ideas in novels and shorter works. Those U.S. officials responsible for the security and prosperity of America either disregarded these stories or criticized them as unhelpful to crafting a coherent national and military strategy.
This has changed in the 21st Century with a new genre of military-themed works of fiction. Labeled FICINT – generally understood to be imagining future warfare scenarios based on the realities of high-end combat and real-world intelligence, not fantasy – the U.S. national security community has now embraced this new genre as a useful instrument to intuit how tomorrow’s wars will be fought.
As one indication of how FICINT is having an impact, a number of U.S. military commands and think tanks focused on military matters such as The U.S Army Training and Doctrine Command, the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center, the U.S. Naval War College, the U.S. Army War College, the Atlantic Council, the Center for International Maritime Security, the U.S. Naval Institute, and others, now sponsor fiction writing contests to tease out good ideas from FICINT writers.
There is sea change in the way that the U.S. national security community, and especially the U.S. military, are embracing these changes. There have been several recent FICINT novels, Fire and Ice among them, as well as other works – many written by active or retired military officers – that are helping the U.S. plan for tomorrow’s wars, not yesterday’s.
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U.S. Naval War College Awards the 5th Hattendorf Prize to James Goldrick |
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The U.S. Naval War College (NWC) awarded retired Rear Adm. James Vincent Goldrick, Royal Australian Navy, the 5th Hattendorf Prize for Distinguished Original Research in Maritime History in a ceremony at Spruance auditorium, March 2. The Hattendorf Prize is an international award that was established in recognition of Professor John B. Hattendorf’s legacy of scholarship and service at the Naval War College.
“It will be clear that I am greatly honored by this award and more so because the selection committee includes previous winners to include a number of their historians whom I have always deeply respected and admired and who themselves have done an extraordinary amount to get navies to understand themselves better,” said Goldrick. “But also, because they named the prize in honor of Professor John Hattendorf, who I owe a great deal and who has himself contributed so much for the understanding of navies.”
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Retired Royal Australian Navy Rear Adm. James Goldrick visited the U.S. Naval War College to receive the Hattendorf Prize for Distinguished Original Research in Maritime History as well as present an evening lecture to students, staff and faculty, March 2, 2022.
(U.S. Navy photo by Cmdr. Gary Ross/released)
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CALL FOR PAPERS:
2022 NASOH CONFERENCE
Call for Papers EXTENDED - Monday 11 April
Maritime Commerce and Trade:
North American Waterborne Supply Chains in Historical Context
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Cape Fear Community College will host the 2022 Annual Conference of the North American Society for Oceanic History. It will take place 22-25 June 2022 in Wilmington, North Carolina. At this time, the conference will be in-person only, but subject to change if warranted due to updated local COVID-19 protocols or requirements and at the discretion of NASOH.
From MV Ever Given’s grounding in the Suez Canal to shipping backlogs off the world’s container ports, global oceanic commerce has recently received renewed public attention and scrutiny. Ninety-percent of the world’s commerce travels by sea, yet the maritime connections that thread the global economy remain poorly understood and only partially recognized. Indeed, shipping as an agent and network of global trade has deep historical roots, and maritime archaeologists and historians are well-situated to provide insights on the emergence of our modern world. The NASOH 2022 Program Committee invites papers, in particular, that shed light on the North American maritime dimensions of trade and commerce, including activities on both fresh and saltwater. Papers may focus on economic, political, and military aspects, but the committee also welcomes social, cultural (including race, class, and gender), and environmental analyses as well as interdisciplinary approaches.
The 2022 NASOH Conference also invites paper and session proposals that explore maritime history and archaeology as they relate to larger connections concerning landscapes, heritage and the preservation of cultural resources. Suggested topic areas include, but are not limited to, maritime landscapes, archaeology, empire, race, gender, military, cultural contact, environmental impact, public history, cultural resource management, and historic preservation. NASOH is also committed to promoting and including papers/panels that provide diverse perspectives and encourage scholarship related to race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and identity, and class.
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Centennial Year of Aircraft Carriers with Curator Dina Linn
The National Naval Aviation Museum's Curator Dina Linn commemorates the centennial year of the Navy's aircraft carrier. She talks about the early years of the carrier, how carriers have changed, and how to care for historic aircraft.
Read more
scuttlebutt-and-a-cup-o-joe...
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Naval Warfare in the Age of Sail Conference |
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Calling all naval historians!
From Reason to Revolution 1721-1815 series editor Andrew Bamford is inviting contributions to a Helion and Company online conference in October 2022. The conference will cover naval warfare in the period circa 1721-1815. If you are interested, please email your outline proposals to Andrew at [email protected] by no later than 1 June 2022.
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How the Sun Set Off Dozens of Mines During the Vietnam War
In 1972, the United States was deep into the Vietnam War with little end in sight. North Vietnam had just launched an offensive on the South, the Easter Offensive. The United States military was desperate to gain any advantage it could, so top...
Read more
www.popularmechanics.com
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Luke Nichter on the Nixon Tapes and the End of the...
On this edition of the Nixon Now podcast, we're talking the Nixon Tapes again, with specific focus on President Nixon's taped conversations about the end of the Vietnam War in 1972 and 1973. Our guest again is Luke Nichter, Professor of History...
Read more
soundcloud.com
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The Mining of Haiphong Harbor
(Hampton Roads Naval Museum/YouTube)
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Flying an A-6 During Linebacker II
(Hampton Roads Naval Museum/YouTube)
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This Day in Naval History - 7 April
Produced by NHHC
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If you would like to recommend online content to be passed on to our Naval Historical Foundation Members in an upcoming edition of Thursday Tidings, please email Matt Eng, at: [email protected]
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Did you know that the Naval Historical Foundation participates in the Combined Federal Campaign? Our CFC number is: 11010
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