CR May 2014 copy - The Cannon Report


Official Newsletter of the Michigan Company of Military Historians & Collectors
May 12, 2014
Presbyterian cleric: “Tis against the will of the nation: there will be nine in ten against you.”
Cromwell: But what if I should disarm the nine, and put a sword in the tenth man’s hand?” Oliver
Cromwell shortly after dissolving Parliament in 1649.
“There are no greater patriots than those good men who have been maimed in the service of
their country.” Napoleon, Political Aphorisms, 1848
“I consider these wounds a blessing; they were given me for some good and wise purpose,
and I would not part with them if I could.” Lt. Gen. Thomas J. ‘Stonewall’ Jackson, as he lay on his
deathbed after the Battle of Chancellorsville, 1863.
“Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with
their ingenuity.” General George S. Patton, Jr. War, As I Knew It, 1947.
“New weapons would seem to be regarded merely as an additional tap through which the
bath of blood can be filled all the sooner.” Captain Sir Basil Hart, Paris, Or The Future of War,
1925.
Our Speaker will be memberTom Buettner, who will be doing a Memorial day tribute titled " A
time to Remember""
GENERAL STAFF
OFFICERS OF THE COMPANY
Commandant - Richard O’Beshaw
Executive Officer -Gary Brown
Adjutant - Bruce Whitman
Judge Advocate - Boyd Conrad
Mess Officer - Mike Krushinsky
Sgt-at-Arms - Richard Foster
Editor Cannon Report - Kingman Davis
Editor Emeritus - Jose Amoros
Open Mess Chairman - Jay Stone
Membership Committee - Kingman
Davis
Archivist - Richard O’Beshaw
Website:
http://www.thecannonreport.org/
Facebook:
Michigan Company of Military Historians
Company Notes"
✦ The Hughes 3rd Battery, 1st Michigan Light Artillery will
present a demonstration of their ordnance at the Turkeyville
Civl War Reenactment June 14-15 in Marshall, MI. Also at
Sandy Pines Civil War Reenactment June 27-29. See
websites for further info. Fortifications and breastworks are
being prepared at Turkeyville. It should be an outstanding
reenactment."
✦ Wes Michigan Freedom Cruise is planned for June 27-28,
see www.freedomcruise.net "
✦ At Grand Valley State University - L.V. Eberhard Center
Conference Center - 301 Fulton Street W Tuesday, May 13
at 7 PM, Rick Atkinson will present "The Guns at Last Light:
The War in Europe, 1944-1945" Please call ahead
889-975-2399.
*The editorial opinions and articles in The Cannon Report do not represent any official position of the Michigan
Company of Military Historians and Collectors (MCMH&C) only the opinions of the editor. The MCMH&C is a
non-partisan, non-ideological association. All members are welcome to submit material, letters, “for the good of the
company items”, etc. Direct inquiries or comments to [email protected]
"
Private Military Contractors - WWII
In an effort to aid the Nationalist government of China and to put pressure on Japan, President Franklin
Roosevelt in April 1941 authorized the creation of a clandestine "Special Air Unit” equipped with American
aircraft and staffed by volunteer aviators and technicians recruited from the U.S. Army, Navy and Marine
Corps for service in China. The program was fleshed out in the winter of 1940–1941 and was headed by a
former American aviator already in China. In April, 1937 Claire Lee Chennault, then a captain in the United
States Army Air Corps, had retired from active duty and had accepted an offer from Madame Chiang Kai-shek
(she could speak English while her husband could not) for a three month mission to China to make a
confidential survey of the Chinese Air Force and become air advisor to the Chinese Nationalist leader Chiang
Kai-shek.
There already was a civilian enterprise operating in China which could disguise any evidence of direct
American government activity. The Central Aircraft Manufacturing Company (CAMCO) was the creation of
American entrepreneur William D. Pawley, the Curtiss-Wright sales representative in China during the 1930s.
Starting in 1933, CAMCO assembled from factory-supplied kits about 100 Hawk II and Hawk III fighterbombers at a factory in Hangzhou, China. These served as the backbone of the Chinese Air Force during the
first years of the Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945). As Nationalist Chinese forces were driven back from the
coast in the winter of 1937-38, CAMCO retreated with them. Pawley's factory was rebuilt in Hankou, where
it repaired airplanes damaged in combat or by bombing. In the winter of 1940-1941, Pawley became involved
in the recruitment and supplying of this “Special Air-Unit” henceforth known as the American Volunteer
Group or 1st AVG, later known as the Flying Tigers. AVG pilots were released from U.S. military service to
serve as "instructors" or "Metal Workers" for the Chinese; their employer of record was CAMCO, which also
set up a facility at Mingaladon airport outside Rangoon, Burma to assemble the 100 Curtiss P-40 fighters sold
to China to equip the AVG. From offices in Rangoon and New York City, CAMCO also provided
housekeeping and record-keeping services for the AVG until its disbandment in July 1942 when it became the
United States Army Air Forces' 23rd Fighter Group.
Of all the volunteer pilots recruited, 60 came from the Navy and Marine Corps and 40 from the Army
Air Corps. Ten more army flight instructors were hired as check pilots for Chinese cadets, and several of
these would ultimately join the AVG’s combat squadrons.. CAMCO paid $600 a month for pilot officers,
$675 a month for flight leaders, and about $250 for a skilled ground crewman, far more than they had been
earning in their parent services ($675 translates to $10,823 in 2014 dollars, and at the time was more than
enough to buy a new Ford automobile. Some of the pilots were also orally promised a bounty of $500 for
each enemy aircraft shot down; however, no one knew if that would actually happen until they returned home
and found the funds deposited in their bank.
As head of this group of mercenaries Chennault had never learned to speak Chinese. Consequently, all
communications between the Generalissimo and his Air Chief were routed through Soong May-ling, or
"Madame Chiang" as she was known to Americans, and she was designated the group's "honorary
commander.” In the beginning Chennault encountered resistance from the poorly trained (his belief)
American aviators for he preached a radically different approach to air combat based on his study of Japanese
tactics and equipment. His observation of the successful tactics used by Soviet pilots in China, and his
judgment of the strengths and weaknesses of his own aircraft and pilots made him realize that in order to
survive against the superior and more experienced pilots who flew better aircraft he had to teach his men new
tactics. The actual average strength of the AVG was never more than 62 combat-ready pilots and planes.
Chennault faced serious obstacles since many AVG pilots had no combat experience and a few quit at the first
opportunity. However, he made a virtue out of these disadvantages, shifting unsuitable pilots to staff jobs and
always ensuring that he had a squadron or two in reserve. The AVG had no ranks, so no division between
officers and enlisted soldiers existed.
What really helped Chennault and the Flying Tigers was China’s warning network, called "the best airraid warning system in existence”. Starting from areas in Free China, in hundreds of small villages, in lonely
outposts, in hills and caves, stretching from near Canton through all Free China to the capital in Chungking
and to Lanchow, in the far northwest, there were a maze of alarm stations equipped with radios and telephones
that gave instant warning to the approach of Japanese planes. So when Japanese planes attacked, Chennault's
doctrine called for his pilots to take on enemy aircraft in teams from an altitude advantage (gained from the
early warning). The P-40 was initially used by the British in North African but its lack of a two-stage
supercharger made it inferior to Luftwaffe fighters such as the Messerschmitt Bf 109 or the Focke-Wulf Fw
190 in high-altitude combat and it was rarely used in operations in Northwest Europe. Nor was it as
maneuverable or as numerous as the Japanese fighters used in China. And so Chennault prohibited his pilots
from entering into a turning fight with the more nimble Japanese planes, telling them to execute a diving or
slashing attack and to dive away to set up for another attack. This "dive-and-zoom" technique was contrary to
what the men had learned in the U.S. service as well as what the Royal Air Force (RAF) pilots in Burma had
been taught; it had been used successfully, however, by Russian units serving with the Chinese Air Force.
Several notable pilots got valuable training with the Tigers. Former naval aviator David Lee "Tex" Hill
later commanded the USAAF 23rd Fighter Group when the AVG was disbanded. Gregory "Pappy" Boyington
was a P-40 Warhawk combat pilot who butted heads with Chennault many times over tactics. In September
1942, he rejoined the Marine Corps as a major. In early 1943, he deployed to the South Pacific and began
flying combat missions as a Marine F4U Corsair fighter pilot. In September 1943, he took command of U.S.
Marine Corps fighter squadron VMF-214, known as the Black Sheep. He was credited with destroying 26
enemy aircraft before being shot down over Rabaul on January 3, 1944. Following a determined but futile
search, Boyington was declared missing in action. He had been picked up by a Japanese submarine and
became an undeclared POW housed in Rabaul. The submarine was subsequently sunk 13 days after picking
him up. Shortly after his return to the U.S., as a lieutenant colonel, Boyington was ordered to Washington to
receive the nation's highest honor — the Medal of Honor — from the President. The medal had been awarded
by the late president, Franklin D. Roosevelt in March 1944 and held in the capital until such time as he could
receive it.
While only seeing active service for eight months the AVG was critical to the defense of Burma and
siphoned many Japanese forces away from other fronts. The AVG had its first combat on 20 December 1941,
when aircraft intercepted 10 unescorted Kawasaki Ki-48 "Lily" bombers raiding Kunming, the AVG base in
Southwest China. Three of the Japanese bombers were shot down and a fourth was damaged so severely that
it crashed before returning to its airfield at Hanoi. No P-40s were lost through enemy action, and the
remaining bombers jettisoned their loads before reaching their target. Furthermore, the Japanese discontinued
their raids on Kunming. At this time, the focus of Japan's offensive efforts in the AVG's coverage area was
southern Burma. It is estimated while defending Rangoon, the AVG destroyed 50 Japanese aircraft while
losing 20 P-40s. Ten AVG pilots were either killed or listed as missing—a very creditable performance,
considering the AVG was outnumbered and faced experienced and fully trained Japanese pilots. The main
disadvantage of Japanese Army Air Force fighter pilots of this period was the near-obsolescence of their
predominant fighter type in the theater, the Ki-27. Though more maneuverable than the P-40, its armament
and performance was inferior. Lightly constructed and armed, it could not withstand frontal attacks nor could
it out-dive Allied fighters such as the P-40; if it attempted to, it often came apart in the air. In fact, its cruising
speed was less than that of the Ki-21 bombers it was intended to escort.
Overall, given its brief history, the AVG gave an outstanding performance despite lacking many
resources, especially parts and operating in areas with malaria and cholera, it only had four doctors, three
nurses and a bottle of iodine. Pilots found the food disgusting, and the slow mail from home and lack of
women hurt morale. A squadron had 45 maintenance personnel compared to the normal of more than 100,
and only one base could perform major repairs. Nonetheless, the AVG was officially credited with 297 enemy
aircraft destroyed, including 229 in the air. However, a researcher, using Japanese accounts, concluded that
the number was much lower: 115. The same sources also revealed Japanese claims of over 500 AVG aircraft
destroyed. Fourteen AVG pilots were killed in action, captured, or disappeared on combat missions. Two died
of wounds sustained in bombing raids, and six were killed in accidents during the Flying Tigers' existence as a
combat force in Malaya, the Philippines, and elsewhere in the Pacific theater. The AVG's success is all the
more remarkable since they were outnumbered by Japanese fighters in almost all their engagements. The
AVG's P-40s were superior to the JAAF's Ki-27s, but the group's kill ratio against modern Ki-43s was still in
its favor. In Flying Tigers: Claire Chennault and His American Volunteers, 1941–1942, Daniel Ford attributes
the AVG's success to morale and group esprit de corps. He notes that its pilots were "triple volunteers" who
had volunteered for service with the U.S. military, the AVG, and brutal fighting in Burma. The result was a
corps of experienced and skilled volunteer pilots who wanted to fight When the USAAF took over in July,
1942, only five pilots elected to remain, the rest returned to their original units where they brought invaluable
experience and skills. While in China twenty-one AVG pilots became aces, scoring 5 or more kills in air to air
combat. Tex Hill had 10.25 victories while Pappy Boyington didn’t become an ace till he flew with the Black
Sheep.
"
Burial for WW2 air crash victims after 67 years
Finally, after 67 years, the air crash victims of a British Royal Air Force plane will be buried with full
military honours at the Cheras Road Commonwealth War Grave Cemetery, Malaysia. On August 23, 1945, an
eight-member crew from the 356 Squadron left Cocos Islands, Australia on a supply mission to Malaya during
World War II. Unfortunately due to poor weather conditions, Royal Air Force Liberator KL654 crashed in the
jungle in Kuala Pilah, Negri Sembilan, Malaysia and everyone on the plane lost their lives.
Excerpt from a news article by Lydia Koh, October 18, 2012. “For many years my mother never knew
what happened to her brother and she tried to find out. They were very close and they looked alike.
According to her, he was very religious too. He was a Methodist and he would go into the villages to preach,”
said Diane Fletcher, niece of Flight Lieutenant John Selwyn Watts, the pilot who died in the crash.
The Royal Malaysian Air Force visited the site of the aircraft crash in 1991 when it was found by
locals. Subsequently, the Malaysian Armed Forces, Malaya Historic Group and Malaya Wrecks Research
Group visited the crash site in 1996. “It is a privilege and honor to work on this. I’m grateful for those who
were involved including the Malaysian Armed Forces, Malaya Historic Group and Malaya Wrecks Research
Group. Tomorrow (today) will be a special day where the aircraft victims will finally be laid to rest. It is the
close of the final chapter,” said Sue Raftree, historic casework manager in the UK Ministry of Defence, at a
press conference yesterday.
“I’ve always had a fascination for history and aircraft as a child so when I read the news about the
discovery in 1996, I decided to find out more about the Royal Air Force Liberator KL654,” said Shaharom
Ahmad of the Malaya Historic Group. Shaharom then contacted Sager Ahmad who had been actively
involved in expeditions similar to this. The Malaya Historic Group comprises five members and they were
also involved in the recovery of the remains of the crew of Royal Air Force Dakota KN630. The team selffunded the expeditions before the British officials approved of the recovery. “In 2000, we managed to get the
full information of the people aboard the plane. We corresponded with the family members and helped them
to get more information to present it to the authorities. “During our initial find, we managed to get the R
number of the plane but back then the British officials refused to accept this as evidence because there were
several planes with the same number at that time. “Three years later, we found a faded KL654 marking on the
fuselage and we sent this proof of identification to the families. In 2005, we managed to find a stronger
marking of KL654 but at that time the British authorities said that there was not enough budget to recover the
remains. “It was only later that we found a plate bearing a Pratt & Whitney engine serial number and some
personal belongings that the British authorities decided to accept this as a proof of identity,” said Shaharom.
Between 2005 and 2008, the family members of the aircraft victims used this information to encourage
the British officials to send out a team. In late 2008, Arthur Lane from the National Ex-Services Association
requested for British volunteers to help out with the recovery of the remains. “I decided to help out as a
tribute to my great-uncle Bob Ungless who was a PoW at that time,” said Clayton Ford, one of the British
volunteers who helped out in the expedition together with Ed Macy. “These men deserve a proper burial
because they did a service for the country. They died to help out my great-uncle’s friends,” said Ford.
An expedition involving Ford, Macy and a number of Malaysians in 2009 resulted in a post-expedition
report that stated that 63 human bones and 18 possible human bones had been found. The UK Ministry of
Defence and Malaysian authorities then engaged forensic experts in Hospital Kuala Lumpur to identify the
remains of Royal Air Force Liberator KL654. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission then agreed that
the remains should be interred in a single coffin after discussions with the family members of the crew.
“The UK Ministry of Defence
doesn’t actively search for crash
sites and the expedition in 2009 was
privately funded by individuals,”
said Raftree. The ministry needed
evidence, such as the engine serial
number. Otherwise, the site would
remain a war grave.
“It has been 67 years since the
crash and 3½ years since their
remains were discovered, and now
the servicemen, who had tragically
lost their lives for their country, can
finally be laid to rest. I am glad that
their family members will be able to
pay their last respects and that they
will be accorded the military
honours that they deserve,” said
Simon Featherstone, British High
Commissioner to Malaysia.
Member Tom Buettner’s son Mike works in Kuala Lumpur, Maylaysia and is a scout leader. He
took his troops on a campout into the jungle and came upon the remnants of the crash with the
above memorial. Sent Tom several pictures and Tom researched the above article. It is never
too late to recover the remains of fallen warriors, from all sides. Mike had included many
other pictures of the present day crash site with I will send out in another email.
"
MK 15 Phalanx Close-In Weapons System (CIWS)
The MK 15 Phalanx Close-In Weapons System (CIWS - pronounced "sea-whiz") is a fast-reaction,
rapid-fire 20-millimeter gun system that provides US Navy ships with a terminal defense against anti-ship
missiles that have penetrated other fleet defenses. Designed to engage anti-ship cruise missiles and fixedwing aircraft at short range, Phalanx automatically employs functions usually performed by separate,
independent systems such as search, detection, threat evaluation, acquisition, track, firing, target destruction,
kill assessment and cease fire. Phalanx underwent operational tests and evaluation onboard USS Bigelow in
1977, and exceeded maintenance and reliability specifications. Phalanx production started in 1978 with
orders for 23 USN and 14 Foreign Military Sales (FMS) systems.
Phalanx is a point-defense, total-weapon system consisting of six 20mm gun barrels that provide a last
line of defense against incoming air targets. CIWS, without assistance from other shipboard systems, will
automatically engage incoming anti-ship missiles and high-speed, low-level aircraft that have penetrated the
ship primary defense envelope. As a unitized system, CIWS automatically performs search, detecting,
tracking, threat evaluation, firing, and kill assessments of targets while providing for manual override. Each
gun mount houses a fire control assembly and a gun subsystem. The fire control assembly is composed of a
search radar for surveillance and detection of hostile targets and a track radar for aiming the gun while
tracking a target. The unique closed-loop fire control system that tracks both the incoming target and the
stream of outgoing projectiles gives CIWS the capability
to correct its aim to hit fast-moving targets, including
ASMs. The intent is to destroy the warhead on an
incoming missile. As a secondary measure, should it fail
to hit the warhead, CIWS's rate of fire is intended to blow
holes in the missile body, causing it to break up in air. The
gun subsystem employs a gatling gun consisting of a
rotating cluster of six barrels. The gatling gun fires a
20mm subcaliber sabot projectile using a heavy-metal
(either tungsten or depleted uranium) 15mm penetrator
surrounded by a plastic sabot and a light-weight metal
pusher. The gatling gun fires 20mm ammunition at either
3,000 or 4,500 rounds-per-minute with a burst length of
continuous, 60, or 100 rounds.
As a defensive weapon, the Close In Weapons System
(CIWS) has special significance for Navy ships and their
crews. Battle tested by the British during the Falkand War
in the early 1980's, CIWS proved remarkably effective
against planes. Navy ship crews routinely test and operate
CIWS to ensure the system is working correctly. While
most testing involves tracking and firing at a simulated
target, the real excitement starts when the fire control teams can fire at a real target. CIWS has been a
mainstay self defense system aboard nearly every class of ship since the late 70’s. It was originally designed
to defeat low altitude antiship cruise missiles (ASCMs). As antiship cruise missiles became more complex in
maneuvers and ability to be detected, and warfare areas moved from open ocean to littoral environments,
CIWS has evolved to meet the threat. Over the years it has undergone a number of iterations, with five
substantial upgrades to improve reliability and performance, with an accompanying increase in cost.
This weapon sounds almost too perfect, with a rate of fire of 4,500 rounds per minute and a capacity of
900 rounds on the smaller ship installations, it is out of ammo in 12 seconds. On the larger ships the gun is
fed from a magazine below deck which can hold up to 3000 rounds, still only 45 seconds worth of
ammunition. So when the radar acquires a target it must be destroyed within seconds. The CIWS has two
antennas that work together to engage targets. The first antenna, for searching, is located inside the radome on
the weapon control group (top of the white-painted portion). The search subsystem provides bearing, range,
velocity, heading, and altitude information of potential targets to the CIWS computer. This information is
analyzed to determine whether the detected object should be engaged by the CIWS system. Once the
computer identifies a valid target, the mount moves to face the target and then hands the target over to the
track antenna. The track antenna is extremely precise, but views a much smaller area. The tracking
subsystem observes the target until the computer determines that the probability of a successful hit is
maximized and then, depending on the operator conditions, the system will either fire automatically or will
recommend fire to the operator. While firing, the system tracks outgoing rounds and 'walks' them onto the
target. The CIWS does not recognize identification friend or foe, also known as IFF. The CIWS has only the
data it collects in real time from the radars to decide if the target is a threat and to engage it. A contact has to
meet multiple criteria for it to be considered a target. Still this weapon has not been without its problems.
On February 10, 1983, the USS Antrim was conducting a live fire exercise off the east coast of the
United States using the Phalanx against a target drone. Although the drone was successfully engaged at close
range, the target debris bounced off the sea surface and struck the ship. This caused significant damage and
fire from the drone's residual fuel, which also killed a civilian instructor aboard this ship.
On October 11, 1989, the USS El Paso was conducting a live fire exercise off the east coast of the
United States using the Phalanx against a target drone. The drone was successfully engaged, but as the drone
fell to the sea, the CIWS re-engaged it as a continued threat to the El Paso. Rounds from the Phalanx struck
the bridge of the nearby USS Iwo Jima, killing one officer and injuring a petty officer.
On February 25, 1991, during the first Gulf War, the Phalanx-equipped frigate USS Jarrett was a few
miles from the battleship USS Missouri and the British destroyer HMS Gloucester. The ships were attacked
by an Iraqi Silkworm missile, at which time the Missouri fired its SRBOC chaff. The Phalanx system on
Jarrett, operating in the automatic target-acquisition mode, fixed upon Missouri's chaff, releasing a burst of
rounds. From this burst, four rounds hit Missouri which was two to three miles (about 5 km) from Jarrett at
the time. There were no injuries. A Sea Dart missile was then launched from Gloucester in a 'tail end'
engagement; destroying the Iraqi missile as it passed between Gloucester and Missouri, achieving the first
successful engagement of a missile by a missile during combat at sea. Each of the preceding incidents forced
changes in the software to account for unforeseen scenarios.
On June 4, 1996, a Japanese Phalanx accidentally shot down an A-6 Intruder from the
USS Independence that was towing a radar target during gunnery exercises about 1,500 miles west of the main
Hawaiian island of Oahu. A Phalanx aboard the Asagiri class destroyer Yūgiri locked onto the Intruder instead
of the target. Both pilots ejected safely. A post-accident investigation concluded that the Yūgiri's gunnery
officer gave the order to fire before the A-6 was out of the CIWS engagement envelope. A human error that
should have been prevented if the gun was in the auto mode.
And finally, the most definitive boondoggle of all. On November 16, 2013 a target drone was launched
from the Point Magu Naval Station into a naval testing area off the Southern Californian coast. The USS
Chancellorsville (CG-62) was testing a new Aegis system when the drone went off course. Instead of passing
one mile in front of the ship and going from left to right, it headed directing for the cruiser at 600mph (880 ft/
sec). The CWIS was engaged when the missile was 2 miles away and going rogue; the gun failed to hit the
drone. Instead the Chancellorsville was struck dead center on the forward port side superstructure leaving a
2-sq-ft hole and causing a fire inside injuring two sailors. Had the target drone been a live anti-ship missile
this $1+ billion Ticonderoga class cruiser would likely have been seriously damaged if not sunk. Of all the
testing the CWIS system has done over the years none had involved a head on attack. You would have hoped
that this $35 million gun, with at least two installed on every major US vessel would perform its designed task
of eliminating a direct missile attack. After 30 years in operation the gun failed in its only real test, and the
NAVY compounded this failure by stating that the “problem was with the target drone.” The poor
performance of the Phalanx CWIS which should have dispatched the incoming drone with ease must be
corrected at once. A gathering storm seems to be appearing in the South China Sea and our ships need every
proven advantage that technology can provide.
"
"
"
"
The Culper Spy Ring
Seldom has a book Washington’s Spies by acclaimed historian Alexander Rose and based on
remarkable new research generated such an interest in the Revolutionary War. The Culper Ring was a spy
ring organized by American Major (later Colonel) Benjamin Tallmadge under orders from General George
Washington in the summer of 1778 during the British occupation of New York City at the height of the
American Revolutionary War. The "Culper" name was suggested by Washington who devised it from
Culpeper County, Virginia. The Ring's task was to send messages to General Washington about the activities
of the British Army in New York City, the British headquarters and base of operations. The members of the
Ring operated mostly in New York City, Long Island, and Connecticut. The Ring's covert operations started
in about late June 1778 and continued through the British evacuation of New York in 1783, but its heyday was
between 1778 and 1781.
The Culper Ring provided valuable information to General Washington including that the British
planned a surprise attack on the newly-allied French forces under Lieutenant General Rochambeau at
Newport, Rhode Island before the French could fully recover and set up defenses after their arduous sea
journey to America; that the British planned to counterfeit American currency on the actual paper used for the
Continental dollars, prompting the Continental Congress to retire the bills; that British Major General William
Tryon's raid in Connecticut in July 1779 was a diversion to induce Washington to divide his forces so British
Lieutenant General Sir Henry Clinton could attack them piecemeal; and that a high ranking American officer,
soon shown to be American Major General Benedict Arnold, had been plotting with British Major John Andre
to surrender the garrison and to turn over the vitally important American fort at West Point, New York on the
Hudson River to the British. All this history has been made more interesting by the dramatization of Roses’s
book by the American Movie Channel in a series entitled Turn airing Sunday evenings at 9 PM.
The stage sets in the series are so historically accurate that just viewing the background gives the
viewer an additional perspective not available from a book. From the practice of the British Army stabling
their horses in the churches not affiliated with the Church of England to visually portraying farm life in
colonial New England, even showing the effects of quartering troops in the homes of civilians, both Tory and
Patriot. But the most interesting result of watching this series is the presentation of men somehow lost after
their notoriety in American history had dimmed. One name that popped up was Major Robert Rogers of the
French and Indian War era. The founder of Rogers' Rangers (1755), initially a provincial company from the
colony of New Hampshire, attached to the British Army during the Seven Years' War. The unit was quickly
adopted into the British army as an independent ranger company. It was trained by Rogers as a rapidly
deployable light infantry force tasked mainly with reconnaissance as well as conducting special operations
against distant targets. Their tactics, built on earlier colonial precedents, but codified for the first time by
Rogers, proved remarkably effective, so much so that the initial company was expanded into a ranging corps
of more than a dozen companies (containing as many as 1,200-1,400 men at its peak). The ranger corps
became the chief scouting arm of British Crown forces by the late 1750s. The British valued them highly for
gathering intelligence about the enemy.
Later, the company was revived as a Loyalist force during the American Revolutionary War. Rogers
was made its titular head but his excessive drinking and displays of licentious manners prevented him from
attaining his former rank with the British. At that time, Rogers was perhaps suffering from the alcoholism that
blighted his later life and led to the loss of his family, land, money. Nonetheless, a number of former ranger
officers became Patriot commanders. Some ex-rangers also participated as patriot militiamen at the Battle of
Concord Bridge. Seen as a traitor by the patriots Rogers was sequestered in New York City, traveling into the
countryside only in the company of an armed militia. His knowledge of the rural New England areas and its
people gave him an insight into the behaviors of its inhabitants and he could discern when situations were not
all that they appeared to be. He knew Benjamin Tallmadge and was his greatest nemesis, suspecting that there
was a patriot spy network at work and continually tried to stymie their efforts. Roberts was instrumental in
uncovering the role of Nathan Hale who would have escaped notice by the British were it not for Roberts
ability to sense something was amiss and ordered Hale searched.
In May 1777, Rogers was forcibly retired on grounds of "poor health.” A return home now was
impossible; Hale's execution and Rogers raising troops against the colonials seemed to confirm Washington's
suspicions that he was a traitor. At Washington's prompting, the New Hampshire legislature passed two
decrees regarding Rogers: one a proscription and the other a divorce from his wife on grounds of
abandonment and infidelity. She could not afford any friendship or mercy toward Robert now if she expected
to remain in New Hampshire. Later, Elizabeth married an American naval officer John Roche. She died in
1811.
After a brief sojourn in England, Rogers returned in 1779 to raise the King's Rangers in Nova Scotia,
Canada, for General Sir Henry Clinton. He was unable to keep the position due to his alcoholism, but his
place was taken by his brother, James. Now, he was of no further use to the British army. Accidentally snared
by an American privateer, he spent some time in a prison in New York, escaping in 1782. In 1783, he was
evacuated with other British troops to England. There, he was unable to earn a living or defeat his disease.
He died in obscurity and debt, what little money he had went to pay an arrears in rent. His legacy is
troublesome in that he is revered on one hand and yet vilified on the other. John Paul Jones' ship during the
American Revolutionary War was named USS Ranger in honor of Robert Rogers and his famous rangers. The
few early triumphs of the Continental Navy during the War for Independence were achieved by the Ranger.
Under John Paul Jones' command, this famous ship would later witness the second salute to the American flag
by a foreign country. On 30 May 2005, (Memorial Day in the U.S.), a statue of Rogers was unveiled during a
ceremony on Rogers Island in the Hudson River, 40 miles (64 km) miles north of Albany, New York. This is
near to the site where Rogers penned his "Rules of Ranging.” Rogers is mentioned respectfully in "The
Ranger Handbook" which is given to every soldier in the U.S. Army's Ranger School, and is referred to in that
publication as the originator of ranger tactics in the American military. The Handbook summarizes Rogers'
principles of irregular warfare as presented in "Robert Rogers' 28 "Rules of Ranging"."
Three military formations now claim descent from Rogers' Rangers: the Queen's York Rangers (1st
American Regiment) of the Canadian Army, formed by Rogers and Loyalist veterans of Rogers' Rangers;
the 1st Battalion 119th Field Artillery of the Michigan National Guard, with members directly descended from
the 30-strong detachment of Rogers' Rangers stationed in Fort Detroit; and the U.S. Army Rangers, who claim
they revive the traditions of Rogers' Rangers but whose members have no direct personal line of descent from
the original group.