Volume 16, Number 11 November 2013

We’re at the start of the holiday season with Thanksgiving,Christmas and New Year’s Day coming up. I’d like to wisheveryone a Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy being with family andfriends, but don’t overdo the food and drink.

I’m using a new desktop publishing program called PagePlus.My old version of Microsoft Publisher didn’t recognize the newWord format everyone’s using and the new Publisher was about$80.00 more than this version of PagePlus. I’ve still got a few thingsto work out but it’s working well enough for me to use it.

The Paranormal Society will be making an appearance at thismeeting. I’m keeping an open mind about the paranormal but manypeople have experienced strange happenings so the possibility canbe completely ignored.

The usual articles are also here this month. A book report fromHal and the GraniteCon results are also present.

Our next meeting will be on Thursday, November 7 at the FirstCongregational Church in West Springfield, starting at 7 PM. Hopeto see you there.

PreflightSubmitted by Bob Niemiec

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Agawam Paranormal Society

Our November meeting comes close on the heels of Halloween. To celebrate this we will have a specialpresentation by the Agawam Paranormal Society ( http://agawamparanormal.com/) who will do apresentation on their work. This will focus particularly on the Day House in West Springfield and theinvestigation they did early in 2013.

The Day House is located a block east of the First Congregational Church. It is the oldest brick saltboxstyle house on its original foundation in the United States. It was built by Josiah day in 1854 and his familylived there until 1902 when its ownership[ transferred to the Ramapogue Historical Society. Over theyears, there have been reports of a figure being seen in the central second floor window even though thehouse was empty.

Join us at 7:00 pm on Thursday 7 November at the First Congregational Church (Latrhop and ParkStreets) in West Springfield for a fun and informative presentation. Bring your family and friends. We’llbe offering more than just model talk this month. Light refreshments will be available

Table of Contents

Agawam Paranormal Society.....................................................1Preflight......................................................................................1Meeting Notes............................................................................1Interesting Links........................................................................2Show Me The Trophy................................................................3On The Table.............................................................................4Book Review - Ship of Ghosts...................................................4

Meeting NotesSubmitted by Ed Potkai

Twenty members attended our second Thursday meeting. It wasgreat to see Paul Ricardi back after a long recovery from an accident.

Al has arranged a presentation (date to be determined) by a teamof Ghost hunters. Once scheduled, family members and friends willbe invited.

Al and Pete Dawson reported on their separate trips to Lime Rockfor the last ever Grand Am race. They enjoyed the presence of exoticrace cars but Pete was disappointed that race day ended withoutcommemorating the significance of the event.

(Continued on page 2)

Interesting LinksVarious contributors

This one may been seen before but it’s still fun to watch.

Top 10 low level flybys.

We all remember Tom Cruise in the Movie “TOP GUN” when he makes a low pass near the control tower and causes an officer tospill coffee down his shirt.

Well here are short clips of the top 10 low pass flybys ever filmed ... and of course for nostalgia, let’s see that unedited Top Gun lowpass again.

Pay particular attention to the last shown low pass. It is number one. Watch the halo of water around the plane. It happened during aBlue Angels event over San Francisco several years ago. It was the pilot’s last show with the team and he had nothing to lose.

Many of the boats in the bay lost windows to the sonic blast. It’s a kick to watch.

http://biertijd.com/mediaplayer/?itemid=19448

This is an amazing accumulation of photos... When you look at these photos, you wonder how any of our fathers, brothers, unclesmade it back. ALL Very Brave People. They took care of each other.

When you get to the bottom, click on the next pages.

http://www.mission4today.com/index.php?name=ForumsPro&file=viewtopic&t=14428&finish=15&start=0

Fwd: Royal Air Force Air Tattoo

This has nothing to do with needles, ink, etc.Some great photography.

http://www.sbap.be/events/2013/028riat2013/028riat2013.htm

Many of you have seen most of these pics before, but I started noticing small details. Amazing as late as 1944, Marines are still carryingSpringfield 03 rifles.

Many of us have not seen photography like this before. Beautiful, stark black and white pictures, about 110 of them, of historicalsignificance in this collection. At the end of the pics there are some interesting comments.

For many of us, our fathers and/or grandfathers participated in this action...World War II: The Pacific and Adjacent Theaters.

http://blogs.denverpost.com/captured/2010/03/18/captured-blog-the-pacific-and-adjacent-theaters/#more-1547

US Navy Aircraft Carrier ... no wonder the Iranians want this vessel out of the Persian Gulf.This is a great example of technology, teamwork and strength in action. And many of the launch team are only 18-20 years old!This is pretty impressive... Go for the ride!!

http://www.dump.com/aircraftcarrier/

First time I can remember seeing a customized Kaiser. And that 50 Buick toward the end, nothing can make that beast look pretty, Iknow, I had one.. Hal Sr

Great video for all of us ex, (or present), gearheads …. This bunch of pictures really takes this old man back in time. I hope you enjoythe video as much as I did, and share it with your friends, too.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/AFKtlu-zL-w(Continued on page 3)

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Pete also gave his strong endorsement to the movie “Rush”. Hegrouped it with the highly regarded racing films “Grand Prix” and“LeMans”.

There was more discussion of possible museum visits but, at thispoint, the negatives seem to outweigh the positives.

Chuck Horner related that the offer by the New England AirMuseum of a display case has yet to be resolved due to missedphone calls. He did measure the showcase at a diameter of 24 inches.

Meeting Notes Continued from page 1) To be displayed, a model will need to be able to fit through anopening of 11 inches.

Scott Jamieson opened a discussion about the state of the hobby.He made a case that an excess of negativity is harmful to all aspectsof the hobby and that the Internet has become home to much of it.

It was noted that our website is lacking in member-generatedcontent. All are invited to create an on-line profile, write articles,post pictures, etc. Contact Dave Calhoun for details.

Vintage BBC Hunt Lauda – Ed PotkaiYou may have seen this before...

http://www.autoweek.com/article/20130411/f1/130419971

If you think the streets in your town are rough, watch this, unbelievable.This was the day when cars were cars and men were men!

They just don’t build them that way anymore!

http://www.youtube.com/embed/nq2jY1trxqg?rel=0

The Lockheed Constellation was probably the most esthetically pleasing of the postwar prop airliners. I was privileged to do the weightand balance forms on the Eastern Connie freighters, and supervised the loading. Hal

That photo of the Eastern Connies on the ramp is at Atlanta.

http://tripletails.weebly.com/photo-gallery.html

Pacific 2013: Aboard USS Chosin (CG 65)

Lockheed Martin: Australia visits the USS Chosin and talks about the Aegis weapons system and its role in the new Australian HobartClass DDG

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yh0As_xZKe4&feature=em-subs_digest

Interesting Links (Continued from page 2)

Show Me The TrophyUpdates from the Model Show Landscape

Granitecon Nashua New Hampshire 19 October 2013Name Award Class Model

Dave Calhoun 2nd Rigged Aircraft Caudron D-33rd Unmounted Larger then 54-mm Raoul Lufberry Bust

Gus Forgey 3rd Junior Aircraft P-51DIan Forgey 2nd Diorama Flames of WarScott Jamison 1st Propeller, single engine and glider * 1:72 and smaller Spitfire I-ARon Harrison 1st Science Fiction & Fantasy ALL Elf Maiden

2nd Collections Movie Heroes2nd Unmounted Larger than 54mm Viking Raider bust

Al LaFleche 1st Collections Indian Busts1st Mounted ALL Order of the Golden Griffon1st Unmounted Larger than 54mm Iroquois Sunset2nd Unmounted 54mm and smaller Regiment Languedoc 17553rd Wheeled, Soft Skinned, Half Tracked M998 Guntruck

Pete L’Heureux 1st Jets, single engine * 1:72 and smaller MiG-15 bis3rd Propeller, multi- engine and glider * 1:72 and smaller P-38 Lightning3rd Diorama Spitfire3rd Rigged Aircraft Fokker Dr 13rd Propeller, single engine and glider * 1:72 and smaller FW 190 Dora

Ken Myers 2nd Propeller, multi- engine and glider * 1:72 and smaller DH-5 BuffaloWings & Wheels Modelers Page 3

On The TableShow-and-Tell from the Last Meeting

� Bruce Cohen: 1/25 scale MPC 1971 Chevy Impala; conver-sion from 2-door Impala to a 4-door Bel Air (replica of mycar).

� Walt Damon: 1/30 scale King & Country Redtail Mustangwith crew; pre-built.

� Ron Harrison: 1/10 scale Nocturna Viking raider; GunzeSanyo buff metal bailts for helm; wood chips for base.

� Chuck Horner: 1/48 scale F-82G Twin Mustang� Al LaFleche: 1/35 scale Academy M998 Guntruck; Live

Resin M134D minigun, accessories and M240 and pintle;Pro Arts front seats and swing arm; Verlinden mesh in brushguard and antenna mounts; RB minigun barrels; Academyseats repositioned to the rear; DEF wheels and cooler;Dragon SMAW; Archer rear warning sign; Detail Masterwiring for radios, minigun and antennas; Various manufac-turers radios; scratchbuilt computer, seat belts, rear strap andantenna masts.

� Jack Maynard: 1/25 scale Polar Lights Gas Ronda Mustangfunny car; work in progress.

� Ed Potkai: 1/20 scale Hasegawa Ferrari 312T 1976 NikiLauda; Tamiya and Alclad lacquers; added wiring; Vallejowashes.

� Bob Rys: 1/48 scale Kittyhawk F-94C Starfire; out of box� Brad Wells: 1/24 scale Revell Audi R8; finished; nice kit;

tough suspension; hard to glue door windows so I left themout.

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Ship of Ghosts by James D. HornfischerPublished by Bantam Dell, 2006

ISBN, 978-0-553-38450-5Submitted by Hal Marshman Sr.

All my life, I’ve heard and read about Japanese atrocities duringWorld War II, from going back to the “Rape of Nanking”, to theexecution of POWs at the war’s end. Probably, the treatment of theprisoners who were forced into slavery to build a railroad throughthe jungles and mountains of Burma and Siam, ranks among themost cruel. It’s so hard to say that, because it’s well documentedthat the Japanese military, with the benediction of their highestleaders, seemed to almost revel in how badly they treated thosehelpless individuals in their charge, not only military, but subjugatednative populations.

“Ship of Ghosts” details the travail of the survivors of the USSHouston, a pre war heavy cruiser, along with the Australian cruiser,HMRAN Perth, and later on, members of the US Army’s 131stField Artillery Regiment, as they become captives, enslaved to buildthis “Death Railway” to aid the Japanese military in keeping theSoutheast Asian Nations under their thumb.

The book starts out with a history of the Houston, her early yearsas President Frank D. Roosevelt’s “private yacht”, and her place asone of the premier ships of the prewar Asiatic Fleet. We seldomhear of the early sea battles off Java, as the US joined the BritishRoyal Navy, the Royal Australian Navy, and the Royal NetherlandsEast Indies Navy, in the futile battles to protect the East Indies fromthe Japanese Imperial Navy in its quest to subjugate the entireSoutheast Asian area. We are reminded in no uncertain terms, ofhow Japanese Air Power played a great role in the defeat of theAllied Forces in the Java and Malaya Theaters, and how proficient

the Japanese Navy was, with its night battle superiority, and it’s useof the superb “Long Lance” torpedo. The reader is also remindedof how the major Allies allowed the Netherlands Navy to commandthe battle, and the ships of all the Allied navies. The end battleoccurs when the Houston and the Perth wind up in a night battlewith the enemy cruisers and destroyers that are protecting theJapanese invasion fleet. Heavily outnumbered, the Allied shipsfought until they were sunk, with their colors unstruck. We thensee how the survivors manage to save themselves, but eventuallyall come under enemy control. We also see how the US Army’s131st Field Artillery Regiment joins the sailors. A few prisonersare sent to Japan, but the large majority were sent to S. E. Asia tobuild the railroad I mentioned above. Yes, this is the same railroadthe movie “Bridge Over the River Kwai” is written about, and theauthor of the book makes mention of that movie several times, andwhether it does or does not reflect the true story of building thisrailroad.

Several chapters detail the day to day terrible routine of cuttinga railroad right of way through dense jungle, over and throughmountains, and continuing this toil, even in the teeth of the monthslong monsoon season. I am defied in my effort to find superlativesto describe the absolute horrendous conditions these men workedunder. This was manual labor that could wear down a healthy strongman, so imagine how it effected prisoners who were very ill fed,and denied the medicines necessary to fight the numerous fataltropical diseases the jungle was rife with. You see, the Japanesecould not have cared less how many prisoners died, nor how theymight suffer. “Speedo-speedo” build the railroad as rapidly as it canbe done with completely no regard whatsoever for those that aretasked to do it. Yes, and do it with crude hand tools, with only abare few modern pieces of machinery to help. In retrospect, thismust be the way the Pharaohs built their monumental pyramids,over the bodies of the slaves they worked to death. Indeed, JapaneseCol. Yoshitada Nagatomo initiated the prisoners with a speech thatin part said, “You will build the railroad if we have to build it overthe white man’s body. You are merely rubble....and there are manyof you who will not see your homes again.”

The brutality of the Japanese military system started with theofficers who meted out corporal punishment to their NCOs. TheNCOs visited that brutality on the common soldiers. It didn’t stopthere, the Japanese employed Koreans as guards, and the Japanesesoldiers beat them. Who was lower than the Korean guards? Simpleanswer, the helpless prisoners in their charge. Of course theJapanese themselves, could and did beat the POWs often, it wasn’tjust reserved for the Koreans. Allied rank meant nothing, officerswere forced to join their soldiers in the labor, and shared theirbeatings. It was in no way uncommon for a prisoner to be beatento death. He could be beaten with the fists, feet, rifle butt, or flat ofthe sword. To strike back was to be executed, as was any attemptto escape. That anyone survived is a genuine miracle, but many did,and lived to see the day when their tormentors paid for theirdepredations. The book ends with a listing of all those from theHouston, and the 131st FAR who died.  I feel that this book is afitting tribute to the indomitable spirit of the dead and the survivors,and I offer my deeply heartfelt recommendation that anyone evenslightly interested in World War II take the time to read and absorbthis narrative.  Hal Marshman Sr

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Front row: Scott Jamieson, Pete L’Heureux, Ken MyersSecond row: Al LaFleche, Dave Calhoun, John Boilard,Ron Harrison