|
"South Pacific Rendezvous" by Paul McGehee. In the Pacific theatre of World War II, one of the most effective weapons against the Japanese was the PT boat (patrol boat). Also known as "mosquito boats", these small craft could manage the treacherously winding inlets of the tropical islands as no other could, striking swiftly with their torpedos and guns, then disappearing back into the murky jungle waters. This 1943 scene depicts a night rendezvous with an American submarine...with coordinates radioed in advance, this would be a way of transfering personnel or supplies under the cover of darkness. It took a special kind of bravery to be a part of a PT boat crew...remember the famous incident of PT 109 and future President John F. Kennedy? Casulties were high for those that manned these wooden boats, but the damage inflicted on the Japanese war machine by the PT boat patrols was huge. Those called to duty during the perilous years of the second World War were truly our "finest generation". All gave some...but some gave all.
|
