Belated tribute to the Charge of the Light Brigade! 25 OCT....1944??

Some stories never grow old....

 

They made people different back then.



It was an amazing battle!
The ship under the black smoke is a baby carrier, but it's still over 500' long!
Those splashes are from the largest battleship ever built, lobbing Prius-sized shells causing 500' columns of water to straddle the ship.
The ship circled is a mere escorting cruiser lobbing 8" shells.

The Americans fought back so fiercely that the Japanese (NO Cowards!!) withdrew west through the San Bernardino Strait, as the smaller and heavily damaged American force continued to press the battle!!

While watching the Japanese retreat, Admiral Sprague heard a nearby sailor exclaim, "Damn it, boys, they're getting away!"

 

They would have found something for you to do!

It was a group effort.
There were lots of folks back home building stuff and innovating in the aerospace, physics and electronics industries.

That baby flat-top in the picture was built in a little over a year - an absurdly short time for a carrier - even a CVE!
The baby destroyer (Sammy-B) that knocked the stern off of a heavy Japanese cruiser went from drawings to combat-ready in six months!

Not many idle hands in a wartime economy.

 

Careful what you wish for.....