True Story behind the sinking of the USS Ingraham 1942

Propaganda is as old as conflict itself. Propagandize was used in World War Two to ensure push for an increase in recruitment numbers, especially in coastal towns such as Halifax, Nova Scotia.

For 70 Years the deaths of 300 US Navy sailors have been buried in the propaganda of the time. The USS Ingraham, which was launched in 1941, was escorting two Canadian troop transports and a larger supply convoy on its way towards England, when on August 22nd 1942 is sank off of Sable Island, known as the Maritime Graveyard of the Atlantic.

It was not Sable island that caused the sinking, but a false U-Boat scare that led the USS Ingraham and USS Buck to begin a cross-search and destroy pattern. In the fog and darkness of the North Atlantic, the Buck's bow was hit by the troop transport Awatea and almost simultaneously, the oil tanker Chemung t-boned the Ingraham, causing the Ingraham to sink instantly killing all by 11 of its crew. As the Ingraham sank, the unlocked depth charges on its deck exploded, killing many of the survivors in the water.

Until recently, thanks to a National Post investigation the Ingraham was thought to have been hit by a torpedo while protecting the Awatea. There are no specific memorials to the USS Ingraham in Halifax - the port it last sailed from.

You can read the entire report here:

How 300 U.S. sailors died off the coast of Nova Scotia

Devil's Brigade to Receive Congressional Gold Medal

This week in the U.S Capital as things continue to heat up with the Republican controlled Congress, members of Canada's first Special Forces Unit will be present and honoured. 

Members from the Joint U.S.-Canadian Devil's Brigade from World War Two are set to receive the Congressional Gold Medal. Around 40 or more surviving members will receive the medal on February 3, 2015. 

According to the Vancouver Province the Devil's accounted for 12,000 German casualties and captured more than 7,000 prisoners - while mainly operating in Italy and Souther France. 

In 2013, Canada Special Operations Forces Command (CANSOFCOM) said this about the Devil's Brigade: 

“Upon arrival in the Mediterranean Theatre, the FSSF was given the extremely difficult mission of taking the German-held, 963-metre mountain protecting the approaches to Rome, Italy.

Monte La Difensa, officially known as Hill 960, was the first major battle for the FSSF. The Forcemen, as members of the FSSF were known, battled rain, fog and snow during the night of December 2-3, 1943 to scale the treacherous northern side of the mountain as part of their surprise attack against the German positions. After an intense battle, despite sustaining severe casualties on the mountain, the members of the force were successful in taking their objectives.”

To read the full article please see the link Below:
Devil's Brigade to Receive Congressional Gold Medal

To read more about the Devil's Brigade see the Canada at War link