Gaither, Ridgely A Jr.

Gaither, Ridgely A Jr., born 23-02-1903 in Baltimore, Maryland, the son of Ridgely Gaither, Sr. and Genevieve Dumeste Ridgely. Husband of Dorothy White Bassford and Anne Stuart Harcourt, Father of Elizabeth Ridgely “Betty” Gaither, who died in 2010 (age 81-82). Ridgely began his career as a military officer in 1924 after his graduation from St. John’s College in Annapolis. His family had included Army officers since the Revolutionary War. Before World War II, he served at various posts in this country, Alaska, then a territory and China, where he was stationed when the Japanese invaded China in 1937. After heading the Parachute School from 1943 until 1945, he jumped with the 17^th Airborne Division, nicknamed “Goldan Talons” iunder command of Brigade General William Maynadier “Bud” Miley, east of the Rhine River, landing almost on top of a German anti-aircraft battery.

The German Armed Forces pioneered the use of large-scale airborne formations, first during the invasion of Norway and Denmark and later that year during the assaults on the Netherlands and Belgium in 1940 and later in the Battle of Crete in 1941. The Allied governments were aware of the success of these operations (but not of the heavy German casualties incurred, particularly during the assault on the Netherlands and the invasion of Crete) and decided to form their own airborne formations. This decision would eventually lead to the creation of five American and two British airborne divisions, as well as many smaller units. The 17th Airborne Division was activated on 15-04-1943 at Camp Mackall in North Carolina, under the command of the newly promoted Major General William Miley, a veteran of World War I. The division was originally composed of the 513th Parachute Infantry Regiment, activated on 11-01-1943 at Fort Benning, the 193rd Glider Infantry Regiment, and the 194th Glider Infantry Regiment. The official dedication ceremony for the unit took place on 01-05-1943, with thousands of civilian and military spectators, including Major General Elbridge Gerry Chapman, overall commander of Airborne Command and of all American airborne forces during World War.

Elbridge Gerry Chapman Jr. ( 20-11-1895 – 06-07-1954, age 58 ) was a senior United States Army officer who served in both World War I and World War II. During the latter he commanded the 13th Airborne Division, but saw no action.- II.

In terms of casualties, the 17^th suffered a total of 1,346 casualties between 24 and 29 March, when Operation Plunder came to an end. The German Generalfeldmarschall der Panzertruppe,  Kommandeur XXXXI Panzergruppe, Walter Model

   committed suicide there, because of the hopeless situation. The Americans took the position, and later, General Gaither said one group of Germans might have been taken prisoner sooner if he had not shot down their truce flag, which was so dirty he did not immediately recognize it. In addition, he said, he risked being fired upon to retrieve a dental plate in a bag he had dropped in the landing. General Lieutenant, Gaither then served briefly with the 86^th Infantry Division, nickname “Blackhawk Division”  , in the Philippines and then from 1946 until 1949 with troops on the border between Italy and Yugoslavia, becoming a member of the allied commission that established the border and serving as military governor of Trieste. Casualty figures for the 86^th Infantry Division, European theater of operations, total battle casualties: 785, total deaths in battle: 161. During this period he also served as president of a War Crimes Court in Florence, Italy.

  Gaither died of heart failure, at the old age of 89, on 26-10-1992 and is buried with his wives, Dorothy White, born Bassford, who died age 65 on 26-12-1969 and Anne Stuart, born Harcourt, who died age  69 on  29-11-1988, on the Arlington National Cemetery, Section 2. Close by in Section 2, the graves of the General, Commander 92^nd “ Negro Division”, Edward “Ned” Almond, Major General, Commander 8^th Bomber Command Europe, Frederick Anderson, Rear Admiral, Commander Destroyer Greyson, Frederic Bell, Navy Admiral, “Operation Crossroads”, William Blandy, General, Commander 32^nd Infantry Division, Clovis Byers, Navy Admiral. Battle of the Leyte Gulf, Robert Carney, Air Force General Lieutenant, Claire Chennault, Lieutenant General, Commander 4^th Corps, Italy Campaign, Willis Crittenberger Brigadier General, First African-American General, Benjamin Davis, Quartermaster Lieutenant General,  John Lesesne De Witt, Major General and Head OSS, William Donovan, Brigadier General, Speck Easley, Marine Corps Major General, Commander 1^st Raider Battalion, Merritt “Wild Mike” Edson, Lieutenant General, VIII Army, Robert Eichelberger,  Navy Admiral, Commander Nord Pacific Fleet, Frank Fletscher and Navy Admiral, Commander VII Forces, William Fechteler, Brigadier General, “ Merrill’s Marauders “ in Burma, Frank Dawn Merrill, U.S. 4* Navy Vice Admiral, Commander U.S.S. Hornet, Doolittle Raid, Marc Mitscher.

The Doolittle Raid, also known as Doolittle’s Raid, as well as the Tokyo Raid, was an air raid on 18-04-1942 by the United States on the Japanese capital Tokyo and other places on Honshu during World War II. It was the first American air operation to strike the Japanese archipelago. Although the raid caused comparatively minor damage, it demonstrated that the Japanese mainland was vulnerable to American air attacks. It served as an initial retaliation for the 07-12-1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, and provided an important boost to American morale. The raid was planned by, led by, and named after Lieutenant Colonel James Harold Jimmy Doolittle.

It was one of six American carrier raids against Japan and Japanese-held territories conducted in the first half of 1942 as part of the undertaken strategy. Out of the 80 crewmen, 3 died, 8 were captured (as seen here) and 3 were killed in captivity by the Japanese. The surviving captured airmen remained in military confinement on a starvation diet, their health rapidly deteriorating. In April 1943, they were moved to Nanjing, where Robert John Meder died on 01-12-1943. Robert John Meder (23-08-1917 – 01-12-1943) was a lieutenant in the United States Army Air Forces who participated in the Doolittle Raid.

  The crew of the Green Hornet (crew #6) just before take off for the mission on USS Hornet (CV-8) , 18-04-1942.(Left to right) Lt. Chase J. Nielsen (navigator), Lieutenant Dean Edward Hallmark (pilot) , Sergeant. Donald E. Fitzmaurice (engineer-gunner), Lieutenant. Robert John. Meder (co-pilot) and Sergeantt. William J Dieter (bombardier)

In February 1942, John volunteered to participate in the raid, which took place on April 18 that year. Meder and his bomber crew was captured by the Japanese after the completion of his bombing mission. He died while in Japanese captivity in 1943. Months of starvation and disease resulted in Meder becoming weaker and requiring medical assistance. He died of malnutrition and beri-beri on 01-12-1943, age 26, while still in captivity.

The Pearl Harbor naval base in Hawaii was attacked by 184 Japanese bombers on the morning of 07-12-1941. During this first wave of attacks, the Japanese targeted moored battleships and several military airfields were also bombarded. After the first wave of attacks, another 54 bombers and 80 dive bombers arrived to finish the job.

The attack killed 2,403 U.S. personnel, including 68 civilians, and destroyed or damaged 19 U.S. Navy ships, including 8 battleships. The three aircraft carriers of the U.S. Pacific Fleet were out to sea on maneuvers.