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Air Raid On Bari - Wikgb
Air Raid On Bari - Wikgb
1
2 3 JOHN HARVEY
Taranto. They threaded their way past burning wrecks, In 1988, through the eorts of Nick T. Spark, U.S. Sen-
with the otilla leader, Bicester having to follow Zetland ator Dennis DeConcini and U.S. Senator Bill Bradley,
as her navigation equipment was damaged. Some sur- Alexander received recognition from the Surgeon Gen-
vivors were picked up from the water in the harbour en- eral of the United States Army for his actions in the af-
trance by Bicester. When dawn broke, it became clear termath of the Bari disaster.[35]
that the magnetic and giro compasses had acquired large
errors, requiring a large course correction. Symptoms of
mustard gas poisoning then began to appear. By the time 4 Aftermath
they reached Taranto, none of Bicesters ocers could see
well enough to navigate the ship into harbour and assis-
A subsequent inquiry exonerated Coningham but found
tance had to be sought from the shore.[31]
that the absence of previous air attacks had led to
complacency.[7]
3.1 Cover-up
A member of Allied Supreme Commander General 5 See also
Dwight D. Eisenhower's medical sta, Dr. Stewart F.
Alexander, was dispatched to Bari following the raid. List of accidents and incidents involving transport or
Alexander had trained at the Armys Edgewood Arse- storage of ammunition
nal in Maryland, and was familiar with some of the ef-
fects of mustard gas. Although he was not informed of SS Charles Henderson
the cargo carried by John Harvey, and most victims suf-
fered atypical symptoms caused by exposure to mustard
diluted in water and oil (as opposed to airborne), Alexan- 6 Notes
der rapidly concluded that mustard gas was present. Al-
though he could not get any acknowledgment from the [1] Atkinson, pp. 275276.
chain of command, Alexander convinced medics to treat
patients for mustard gas exposure and saved many lives [2] Orange, p. 175.
as a result. He also preserved many tissue samples from [3] Faguet, Guy B. (2005). The War on Cancer. Springer. p.
autopsied victims at Bari. After World War II, these sam- 70. ISBN 1-4020-3618-3.
ples would result in the development of an early form of
chemotherapy based on mustard, Mustine.[32] [4] Saunders, p. 36.
From the start, Allied High Command tried to conceal the [5] Ineld, p. 28.
disaster, in case the Germans believed that the Allies were
[6] Kampfgeschwader 54 Totenkopf - Kampfgeschwader
preparing to use chemical weapons, which might provoke
(Jagd) 54 - 1. Lebenslauf - 1943. lexikon-der-
them into preemptive use, but there were too many wit- wehrmacht.de. Lexikon der Wehrmacht (in German).
nesses to keep the secret, and in February 1944, the U.S. Retrieved December 1, 2016. Im Dezember og das
Chiefs of Sta issued a statement admitting to the acci- Geschwader weiter Einstze gegen alliierte Schie in der
dent and emphasizing that the U.S. had no intention of us- Adria und den Hafen von Bari (English - In December,
ing chemical weapons except in the case of retaliation.[33] the wing continued to carry out operations against Allied
ships in the Adriatic and the port of Bari.)
General Dwight D. Eisenhower approved Dr. Alexan-
ders report. Winston Churchill, however, ordered all [7] Orange, p. 176.
British documents to be purged. Mustard gas deaths were
described as burns due to enemy action.[3] [8] D/S Bollsta. Warsailors. Retrieved 25 January 2012.
U.S. records of the attack were declassied in 1959, but [9] Barletta, Incrociatore ausiliario (in Italian). Marina Mil-
the episode remained obscure until 1967 when author itare. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
[32]
Glenn B. Ineld published the book Disaster at Bari. [10] Motonave BARLETTA"" (in Italian). Franco Prevato.
In 1986 the British government admitted to survivors of Retrieved 21 February 2015.
the Bari raid that they had been exposed to poison gas
and amended their pension payments.[34] [11] Bollsta (+ 1943)". Wrecksite. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
In his autobiographical work Destroyer Captain published [12] Devon Coast (+ 1943)". Wrecksite. Retrieved 28 July
in 1975 by William Kimber & Co, Lieutenant Comman- 2011.
der Roger Hill describes refuelling HMS Grenville in Bari
[13] Fort Athabasca (+ 1943)". Wrecksite. Retrieved 28 July
shortly after the attack. He describes the damage done
2011.
and details how a shipload of mustard gas came to be
in the harbour because of intelligence reports which he [14] Fort Lajoie (+ 1943)". Wrecksite. Retrieved 28 July
viewed as incredible. 2011.
4 8 EXTERNAL LINKS
[15] Frosinone (+ 1943)". Wrecksite. Retrieved 28 July Langford, R. Everett (2004). Introduction
2011. to Weapons of Mass Destruction. John Wi-
ley/Interscience. ISBN 978-0-471-46560-7.
[16] Inaondabile (+ 1943)". Wrecksite. Retrieved 28 July
2011. Mason, Georey B. (2004). Service Histories of
Royal Navy Warships in World War II.
[17] http://www.armed-guard.com/sunk.html
[27] Orange, p. 176, citing Roskill. Saunders, D.M., Capt. USN (September 1967).
The Bari Incident. United States Naval Institute
[28] Saunders, p. 37. Proceedings. Annapolis: United States Naval Insti-
[29] Saunders, p. 38. tute.
7 References
Atkinson, Rick (2007). The Day of Battle: The War
in Sicily and Italy, 19431944. New York: Henry
Holt. ISBN 0-8050-6289-0.
9.2 Images
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