Battle of Trenton in the American Revolution

Battle of Trenton in the American Revolution The Battle of Trenton was fought December 26, 1776, during the American Revolution (1775-1783). General George Washington commanded 2,400 men against a garrison of about 1,500 Hessian mercenaries under the command of Colonel Johann Rall. Background Having been defeated in the battles for New York City, General George Washington and the remnants of the Continental Army retreated across New Jersey in the late fall of 1776. Vigorously pursued by the British forces under Major General Lord Charles Cornwallis, the American commander sought to gain the protection afforded by the Delaware River. As they retreated, Washington faced a crisis as his battered army began to disintegrate through desertions and expiring enlistments. Crossing the Delaware River into Pennsylvania in early December, he made camp and attempted to reinvigorate his shrinking command. Badly reduced, the Continental Army was poorly supplied and ill-equipped for winter, with many of the men still in summer uniforms or lacking shoes. In a stroke of luck for Washington, General Sir William Howe, the overall British commander, ordered a halt to the pursuit on December 14 and directed his army to enter winter quarters. In doing so, they established a series of outposts across northern New Jersey. Consolidating his forces in Pennsylvania, Washington was reinforced by around 2,700 men on December 20 when two columns, led by Major Generals John Sullivan and Horatio Gates, arrived. Washingtons Plan With the morale of the army and public ebbing, Washington believed that an audacious act was required to restore confidence and help boost enlistments. Meeting with his officers, he proposed a surprise attack on the Hessian garrison at Trenton for December 26. This decision was informed by a wealth of intelligence provided by spy John Honeyman, who had been posing as a Loyalist in Trenton. For the operation, he intended to cross the river with 2,400 men and march south against the town. This main body was to be supported by Brigadier General James Ewing and 700 Pennsylvania militia, which were to cross at Trenton and seize the bridge over Assunpink Creek to prevent enemy troops from escaping. In addition to the strikes against Trenton, Brigadier General John Cadwalader and 1,900 men were to make a diversionary attack on Bordentown, NJ. If the overall operation proved a success, Washington hoped to make similar attacks against Princeton and New Brunswick. At Trenton, the Hessian garrison of 1,500 men was commanded by Colonel Johann Rall. Having arrived at the town on December 14, Rall had rejected his officers advice to build fortifications. Instead, he believed that his three regiments would be able to defeat any attack in open combat. Though he publicly dismissed intelligence reports that the Americans were planning an attack, Rall did request reinforcements and asked that a garrison be established at Maidenhead (Lawrenceville) to protect the approaches to Trenton. Crossing the Delaware Combating rain, sleet, and snow, Washingtons army reached the river at McKonkeys Ferry on the evening of December 25. Behind schedule, they were ferried across by Colonel John Glovers Marblehead regiment using Durham boats for the men and larger barges for the horses and artillery. Crossing with Brigadier General Adam Stephens brigade, Washington was among the first to reach the New Jersey shore. Here a perimeter was established around the bridgehead to protect the landing site. Having completed the crossing around 3 a.m., they began their march south toward Trenton. Unknown to Washington, Ewing was unable to make the crossing due to the weather and heavy ice on  the river. In addition, Cadwalader had succeeded in moving his men across the water but returned to Pennsylvania when he was unable to move his artillery. A Swift Victory Sending out advance parties, the army moved south together until reaching Birmingham. Here Major General Nathanael Greenes division turned inland to attack Trenton from the north while Sullivans division moved along the river road to strike from the west and south. Both columns approached the outskirts of Trenton shortly before 8 a.m.  on December 26. Driving in the Hessian pickets, Greenes men opened the attack and drew enemy troops north from the river road. While Greenes men blocked the escape routes to Princeton, Colonel Henry Knoxs artillery deployed at the heads of King and Queen Streets.  As the fighting continued, Greenes division began to push the Hessians into the town. Taking advantage of the open river road, Sullivans men entered Trenton from the west and south and sealed off the bridge over Assunpink Creek. As the Americans attacked, Rall attempted to rally his regiments. This saw the Rall and Lossberg regiments form on lower King Street while the Knyphausen regiment occupied Lower Queen Street. Sending his regiment up King, Rall directed the Lossberg Regiment to advance up Queen toward the enemy. On King Street, the Hessian attack was defeated by Knoxs guns and heavy fire from Brigadier General Hugh Mercers brigade. An attempt to bring two three-pounder cannon into action quickly saw half the Hessian gun crews killed or wounded and the guns captured by Washingtons men. A similar fate befell the Lossberg regiment during its assault up Queen Street. Falling back to a field outside of town with the remnants of the Rall and Lossberg regiments, Rall began a counterattack against the American lines. Suffering heavy losses, the Hessians were defeated and their commander fell mortally wounded. Driving the enemy back into a nearby orchard, Washington surrounded the survivors and forced their surrender. The third Hessian formation, the Knyphausen regiment, attempted to escape over the Assunpink Creek bridge. Finding it blocked by the Americans, they were quickly surrounded by Sullivans men. Following a failed breakout attempt, they surrendered shortly after their compatriots. Though Washington wished to immediately follow up the victory with an attack on Princeton, he elected to withdraw back across the river after learning that Cadwalader and Ewing had failed to make the crossing. Aftermath In the operation against Trenton, Washingtons losses were  four men killed and eight wounded, while the Hessians suffered 22 killed and 918 captured. Around 500 of Ralls command were able to escape during the fighting. Though a minor engagement relative to the size of the forces involved, the victory at Trenton had a massive effect on the colonial war effort. Instilling a new confidence in the army and the Continental Congress, the triumph at Trenton bolstered public morale and increased enlistments. Stunned by the American victory, Howe ordered Cornwallis to advance on Washington with around 8,000 men. Re-crossing the river on December 30, Washington united his command and prepared to face the advancing enemy. The resulting campaign saw the armies square off at Assunpink Creek before culminating with an American triumph at the Battle of Princeton on January 3, 1777. Flush with victory, Washington wished to continue attacking up the chain of British outposts in New Jersey. After assessing his tired armys condition, Washington instead decided to move north and enter winter quarters at Morristown.

Hawker Typhoon in World War II

Hawker Typhoon in World War II A troubled aircraft in its early days, the Hawker Typhoon became a critical part of the Allied air forces as World War II (1939-1945) progressed. Initially envisioned as mid- to high-altitude interceptor, early Typhoons suffered from a variety of performance issues that could not be rectified to allow it to achieve success in this role. Initially introduced as a high-speed, low-altitude interceptor in 1941, the following year the type began transitioning to ground-attack missions. Highly successful in this role, the Typhoon played a critical part in the Allied advance across Western Europe. Background In early 1937, as his previous design, the Hawker Hurricane was entering production, Sydney Camm commenced work on its successor. The chief designer at Hawker Aircraft, Camm based his new fighter around the Napier Sabre engine which was capable of around 2,200 hp. A year later, his efforts found a demand when the Air Ministry issued Specification F.18/37 which called for a fighter designed around either the Sabre or the Rolls-Royce Vulture. Concerned about the reliability of the new Sabre engine, Camm created two designs, the N and R which centered on the Napier and Rolls-Royce power plants respectively. The Napier-powered design later received the name Typhoon while the Rolls-Royce-powered aircraft was dubbed Tornado. Though the Tornado design flew first, its performance proved disappointing and the project was later cancelled. Design To accommodate Napier Sabre, the Typhoon design featured a distinctive chin-mounted radiator. Camms initial design utilized unusually thick wings which created a stable gun platform and allowed for ample fuel capacity. In constructing the fuselage, Hawker employed a mix of techniques including duralumin and steel tubes forward and a flush-riveted, semi-monocoque structure aft. The aircrafts initial armament consisted of twelve .30 cal. machine guns (Typhoon IA) but was later switched to four, belt-fed 20 mm Hispano Mk II cannon (Typhoon IB). Work on the new fighter continued after the beginning of World War II in September 1939. On February 24, 1940, the first Typhoon prototype took to skies with test pilot Philip Lucas at the controls. Development Problems Testing continued until May 9 when the prototype suffered an in-flight structural failure where the forward and rear fuselage met. Despite this, Lucas successfully landed the aircraft in a feat that later earned him the George Medal. Six days later, the Typhoon program suffered a setback when Lord Beaverbrook, Minister of Aircraft Production, proclaimed that wartime production should focus on the Hurricane, Supermarine Spitfire, Armstrong-Whitworth Whitley, Bristol Blenheim, and Vickers Wellington. Due to the delays imposed by this decision, a second Typhoon prototype did not fly until May 3, 1941. In flight testing, the Typhoon failed to live up to Hawkers expectations. Imagined as a mid- to high-altitude interceptor, its performance fell off quickly above 20,000 feet and Napier Sabre continued to prove unreliable. Hawker Typhoon - Specifications General Length: 31 ft., 11.5 in.Wingspan: 41 ft., 7 in.Height: 15 ft., 4 in.Wing Area: 279 sq. ft.Empty Weight: 8,840 lbs.Loaded Weight: 11,400 lbs.Maximum Takeoff Weight: 13,250 lbs.Crew: 1 Performance Maximum Speed: 412 mphRange: 510 milesRate of Climb: 2,740 ft./min.Service Ceiling: 35,200 ft.Power Plant: Napier Sabre IIA, IIB or IIC liquid-cooled H-24 piston engine each​ Armament 4 Ãâ€" 20 mm Hispano M2 cannon8 Ãâ€" RP-3 unguided air-to-ground rockets2 Ãâ€" 500 lb. or 2 Ãâ€" 1,000 lb. bombs Problems Continue Despite these problems, the Typhoon was rushed into production that summer following the appearance of the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 which quickly proved superior to the Spitfire Mk.V. As Hawkers plants were operating at near capacity, construction of the Typhoon was delegated to Gloster. Entering service with Nos. 56 and 609 Squadrons that fall, the Typhoon soon mounted a poor track record with several aircraft lost to structural failures and unknown causes. These issues were made worse by the seepage of carbon monoxide fumes into the cockpit. With the aircrafts future again under threat, Hawker spent much of 1942 working to improve the aircraft. Testing found that a problematic joint could lead to the Typhoons tail tearing away during flight. This was fixed by reinforcing the area with steel plates. In addition, as the Typhoons profile was similar to the Fw 190, it was the victim of several friendly fire incidents. To rectify this, the type was painted with high visibility black and white stripes under the wings. Early Combat In combat, the Typhoon proved effective in countering the Fw 190 particularly at lower altitudes. As a result, the Royal Air Force began mounting standing patrols of Typhoons along the southern coast of Britain. While many remained skeptical of the Typhoon, some, such as Squadron Leader Roland Beamont, recognized its merits and championed the type due to its speed and toughness. After testing at Boscombe Down in mid-1942, the Typhoon was cleared to carry two 500 lb. bombs. Subsequent experiments saw this doubled to two 1,000 lb. bombs a year later. As result, bomb-equipped Typhoons began reaching frontline squadrons in September 1942. Nicknamed Bombphoons, these aircraft began striking targets across the English Channel. An Unexpected Role Excelling in this role, the Typhoon soon saw the mounting of additional armor around the engine and cockpit as well as the installation of drop tanks to allow it to penetrate further into enemy territory. As operational squadrons honed their ground attack skills during 1943, efforts were made to incorporate RP3 rockets into the aircrafts arsenal. These proved successful and in September the first rocket-equipped Typhoons appeared. Capable of carrying eight RP3 rockets, this type of Typhoon soon became the backbone of the RAFs Second Tactical Air Force. Though the aircraft could switch between rockets and bombs, squadrons were typically specialized in one or the other to simplify supply lines. In early 1944, Typhoon squadrons commenced attacks against German communications and transportation targets in northwest Europe as a precursor to the Allied invasion. Ground Attack As the new Hawker Tempest fighter arrived on scene, the Typhoon was largely transitioned to the ground attack role. With the landing of Allied troops in Normandy on June 6, Typhoon squadrons began providing close support. RAF forward air controllers traveled with the ground forces and were able to call in Typhoon air support from squadrons loitering in the area. Striking with bombs, rockets, and cannon fire, Typhoon attacks had a debilitating effect on enemy morale. Playing a key role in the Normandy Campaign, the Supreme Allied Commander, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, later singled out the contributions the Typhoon made to the Allied victory. Shifting to bases in France, the Typhoon continued to provide support as Allied forces raced east. Later Service In December 1944, Typhoons helped turn the tide during the Battle of Bulge and mounted countless raids against German armored forces. As spring 1945 began, the aircraft provided support during Operation Varsity as Allied airborne forces landing east of the Rhine. In the wars final days, Typhoons sank the merchant vessels Cap Arcona, Thielbeck, and Deutschland in the Baltic Sea. Unknown to the RAF, Cap Arcona carried around 5,000 prisoners taken from German concentration camps. With the end of the war, the Typhoon was quickly retired from service with the RAF. During the course of its career, 3,317 Typhoons were built.