AFTER ACTION BLOG

The cover of The BlueJackets' Manual 1944.

US Navy Pay Grades For Enlisted Men in 1944

February 23, 2024
The Bluejackets' Manual 1944. Author's photo I've been reading various histories of the...
Shipboard Life / US Navy
Ship formation used during daylight of Task Force 58. In a round circle the carrier flag ship is at the center. To its port and starboard are two other carriers, with a light carrier behind it. Surrounding them are battleships, cruisers and destroyers. This formation, called 5-VD, is used when the probability of air attack is high and that of submarine attack is low.

US Navy Task Force 58 Ship Formations

February 21, 2024
Readers familiar with the US Pacific Fleet in World War II know that...
Admiral Marc Mitscher / Research / Strategy and Tactics

World War II Movies Are Not Always Accurate–That’s Okay

February 12, 2024
I am pausing my research into USS Franklin to discuss movies and TV...
Books, Movies, Videos, and other media
The ship is floated out of her building dock immediately after christening, at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company shipyard, Newport News, Virginia, on 14 October 1943. Note WAVES officers in the foreground. The WAVES' Director, Lieutenant Commander Mildred H. McAfee, USNR, was Franklin's sponsor. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives.

USS Franklin Anniversary–And An Afternoon At The Museum (of the Pacific War)

December 7, 2023
When people think of December 7 as an anniversary, they usually remember the...
The Museum of the Pacific War / USS Franklin
Selection of the books I'm using for research

Books About USS Franklin Or Its Crew

November 29, 2023
Recently I read a story about actor Sean Connery. He was asked what...
Books, Movies, Videos, and other media / USS Franklin / What I am Reading
A smiling Julia Moore taken in her 70s. Photo courtesy of Hal Moore, Jr.

Julia Moore, Army Wife, Takes On The US Army–And Wins

November 17, 2023
Within the course of several weeks, I learned the story behind the change...
Things I Have Learned / What I am Reading
A crowed deck of planes, pilots, and crews of Air Group 13 in October 1944. The first nine are Hellcat fighters, the ones in the back are Helldivers and Avengers. Franklin would be struck by a Kamikaze on 30 October 1944.

Kamikazes Attack USS Franklin (CV-13)

October 30, 2023
Air Group-13 Hellcats, Avengers, and Helldivers prepare to strike the Japanese in the...
Air Group 13 / Kamikaze attack / October 1944
Map of the various battles fought between 24-26 October 1944 in the Philippines.

The Battles Continue: USS Franklin 15-29 October 1944

October 21, 2023
Map of the various battles fought between 24-26 October 1944 in the Philippines....
Air Group 13 / Battle of Leyte Gulf / October 1944 / USS Franklin
A crowed deck of planes, pilots, and crews of Air Group 13 in October 1944. The first nine are Hellcat fighters, the ones in the back are Helldivers and Avengers. Franklin would be struck by a Kamikaze on 30 October 1944.

10-15 October 1944: USS Franklin Attacks

October 10, 2023
Air Group-13 Hellcats, Avengers, and Helldivers prepare to strike the Japanese in the...
October 1944 / USS Franklin
Cover of Richard B. Frank's book, Tower of Skulls: A History of the Asia-Pacific War July 1937-May 1942

Historian Richard B. Frank On The Asia-Pacific War

October 6, 2023
My copy of the cover of Richard B. Frank's book, Tower of Skulls:...
Richard B. Frank

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