"OLDER BROTHER OF FUTURE PRESIDENT KENNEDY"

JOSEPH P. KENNEDY JR. BORN IN HULL, MASSACHUSETTS

Hull, Massachusetts (JFK+50) Joseph Patrick Kennedy, Jr.*, older brother of future POTUS John F. Kennedy, was born in Hull, Massachusetts on July 25, 1915. the first child of Joseph Patrick Kennedy, Sr. and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy.

Joe Junior was delivered in a rented cottage on Atlantic Avenue in Nantasket by Kennedy family physician Dr. Frederick L. Good.

JFK+50 NOTE

It was Joe Junior who was expected to enter politics as an adult and become the first Catholic POTUS.  He was an accomplished student and star athlete in prep school & college.

His untimely death in 1944, led to the family expectations for Joe Jr. to be transferred to JFK.  Jack wrote a book in honor of his older brother titled "We Remember Joe".

*Joseph Patrick Kennedy, Jr. (1915-1944) graduated from Harvard University in 1938 & studied at the London School of Economics.  JPK Jr. was a delegate to the 1940 Democratic National Convention & joined the U.S. Navy in WWII.  He was killed during a dangerous top secret mission.

SOURCE

"Kennedys Announce Birth Of First Child, July 25, 1915," JFK+50, July 25, 2011, www.jfk50.blogspot.com/

 

 

Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr.

U.S. Navy

JFK Library & Museum

PD

"JOE WAS SUCH A GOOD PILOT WE WOULD HAVE FLOWN WITH HIM ANYWHERE"

JOSEPH P. KENNEDY, JR. DIES IN AIR EXPLOSION

London (JFK+50) On August 12, 1944, Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr.*, eldest son on of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr., was killed in an explosion of his aircraft flying over the English Channel.  One of his mechanics, Alvin Jones, Jr. later recalled..."Kennedy was such a good pilot that we would have flown with him anywhere." 

 Joe volunteered for a special assignment known as Operation Aphrodite.  The target was to be a Nazi fortress in northern France known as Mimoyecques**, a V-3 Supergun site. The installation, when completed, was to house 25 cannons designed to reach London 95 miles away.

Joe, Jr. and co-pilot/radio control technician, Lt. Wilford John Willy, took off from the RAF station at Fersfield at 5:59 p.m. on August 12, 1944 in a B-24 Liberator PB4Y loaded with 21,150 pounds of Torpex*** explosives. 

The B-24, accompanied by two Ventura mother ships, four Mustangs, one B-17 and two Mosquitoes, reached and maintained a cruising altitude of 2000 feet while the other planes climbed to 20,000 feet.  Joe Jr.'s aircraft became a drone as one of the mother ships flew it by remote control.  

The purpose of the B-24's pilot and co-pilot was to complete take off and position the plane for remote-control flying and then parachute out into the English Channel to be picked up by the Navy.  After the B-24 was in position at 2000 feet, Joe Jr. radioed the code words ZOOT SUIT which meant everything was working properly.

Lt. Willy then switched on a television camera in the nose of the B-24 which was to guide the drone into the target, but minutes later the drone exploded.
The remains of Joe Jr. and Lt. Willy were never found, and the wreckage of the B-24 was scattered over a wide area.

An investigation revealed the cause of the explosion was the failure to provide electrical shielding which allowed electromagnetic emissions to open a relay solenoid which in turn set off a MK9 detonator prematurely.


*Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. (1915-1944) graduated from Harvard in 1938.  He studied at the London School of Economics and was a delegate to the 1940 Democratic Convention.  Joe joined the US Navy earning his wings as a naval aviator in May 1942.  

**Fortress of Mimoyecques, located in northern France, was an underground Nazi military complex built in 1943 and 1944.  It was to house 25 V-3 cannons which could fire 600 rounds an hour at London.

***Torpex (Torpedo Explosive) was a secondary explosive developed in the UK during WWII which had 50% more power than TNT.  Torpex is said to be obsolete today.

SOURCES

"Lt. Joe Kennedy," by Trevor Jermy, edited by Lester Curtis, Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum, www.aviationmuseum.net/Joe_Kennedy.htm

"Top Secret Drone Mission That Killed Joseph Kennedy, Jr." by Ed Grabianowski, February 21, 2013, www.i09.com/

"What if Joseph Kennedy, Jr. had not died on WWII mission?," by Jagdtigerl, www.ww2f.com/

Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr.

John F. Kennedy Library Photo

"AS WE REMEMBER JOE"

JOSEPH P. KENNEDY JR. BORN IN HULL, MASS

Hull, Massachusetts (JFK+50) On July 25, 1915, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph P. Kennedy announced the birth of their first child, Joseph Patrick Kennedy, Jr.*

Joe Junior was delivered by Kennedy family doctor Frederick L. Good in a rented cottage.

Joe attended Choate School and the London School of Economics before attending Harvard where he graduated cum laude in 1938.  He joined the United States Navy in June 1941 and was awarded his aviator wings in May 1942.

Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. became "one of the most experienced pilots in the  navy."  Twice he was scheduled to return to the States but volunteered to stay to run additional bombing missions, some of them coinciding with the Normandy invasion.

On the second occasion that Joe was scheduled to return home, he told his crew to do so, but he remained.   Joe volunteered for a special assignment known as Operation Aphrodite.  The target was to be a German vengeance weapon bombing site located  in northern France.  

On August 12, 1944, Joe's B-24 Liberator, loaded with 21,150 pounds of explosives, was in position at 2000 feet when it exploded before Joe and his navigator could parachute to safety as planned. After his death, Joe Jr. was awarded the Air Medal and Navy Cross for heroism.  

In 1945, As We Remember Joe**, a book of remembrances for Kennedy family, friends and associates, was published.  The book included a forward by brother Jack along with his essay titled "My Brother Joe."

*Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. (1915-1944) graduated from Harvard in 1938.  He studied at the London School of Economics and was a delegate to the 1940 Democratic Convention.  Joe joined the US Navy earning his wings as a naval aviator in May 1942.  He completed 25 combat missions before volunteering for the one that took his life.

**As We Remember Joe (1945) is described at www.buddenbrooks.com/ as "scarce and one of the most difficult to obtain JFK related books."  It is estimated that there were a total of 360 copies printed.  The price is $1850. http://www.buddenbrooks.com/pages/books/22913/john-f-kennedy/as-we-remember-joe

SOURCES

"Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., Pilot (1915-1944)," Bio., www.biography.com/

"Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr.," John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, www.jfklibrary.org/

"Lt. Joe Kennedy," by Trevor Jermy, edited by Lester Curtis, Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum, www.aviationmuseum.net/Joe_Kennedy.htm

"Top Secret Drone Mission That Killed Joseph Kennedy, Jr." by Ed Grabianowski, February 21, 2013, www.i09.com/

"What if Joseph Kennedy, Jr. had not died on WWII mission?," by Jagdtigerl, www.ww2f.com/

Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr.

John F. Kennedy Library Photo

TELL MY FATHER I LOVE HIM VERY MUCH

JFK'S BROTHER DIES ON DANGEROUS AIR MISSION

London (JFK+50) On August 12, 1944, Lieutenant Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr.*, eldest son on of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr., was killed in an explosion of his aircraft flying over the English Channel.  Joe Jr., who graduated from Harvard in 1938 was said to be..."such a courageous and skilled flier that even after completing his designated number of missions...volunteered to fly bombing runs during the D Day invasion."

One of his mechanics, Alvin Jones, Jr. later recalled..."Kennedy was such a good pilot that we would have flown with him anywhere."  Joe volunteered for a special assignment known as Operation Aphrodite.  The target was to be a Nazi fortress in northern France known as Mimoyecques**, a V-3 Supergun site. The installation, when completed, was to house 25 cannons designed to reach London 95 miles away.

Joe, Jr. and co-pilot/radio control technician, Lt. Wilford John Willy, took off from the RAF station at Fersfield at 5:59 p.m. on August 12, 1944 in a B-24 Liberator PB4Y loaded with 21,150 pounds of Torpex*** explosives.  The B-24, accompanied by two Ventura mother ships, four Mustangs, one B-17 and two Mosquitoes, reached and maintained a cruising altitude of 2000 feet while the other planes climbed to 20,000 feet.  Joe Jr.'s aircraft became a drone as one of the mother ships flew it by remote control.  

The purpose of the B-24's pilot and co-pilot was to complete take off and position the plane for remote-control flying and then parachute out into the English Channel to be picked up by the Navy.  After the B-24 was in position at 2000 feet, Joe Jr. radioed the code words ZOOT SUIT which meant everything was working properly.

Lt. Willy then switched on a television camera in the nose of the B-24 which was to guide the drone into the target, but minutes later the drone exploded.
The remains of Joe Jr. and Lt. Willy were never found, and the wreckage of the B-24 was scattered over a wide area.

An investigation revealed the cause of the explosion was the failure to provide electrical shielding which allowed electromagnetic emissions to open a relay solenoid which in turn set off a MK9 detonator prematurely.

Joe Jr.'s death hit the Kennedy family really hard, but especially father Joe, Sr. who locked himself in his bedroom for days and weeks to come.  Before going on the mission, Joe Jr. had reportedly told a friend that if something happened to him... "tell my father I love him very much."

*Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. (1915-1944) graduated from Harvard in 1938.  He studied at the London School of Economics and was a delegate to the 1940 Democratic Convention.  Joe joined the US Navy earning his wings as a naval aviator in May 1942.  

**The Fortress of Mimoyecques, located in northern France, was an underground Nazi military complex built in 1943 and 1944.  It was to house 25 V-3 cannons which could fire 600 rounds an hour at London.

***Torpex (Torpedo Explosive) was a secondary explosive developed in the UK during WWII which had 50% more power than TNT.  Torpex is said to be obsolete today.

SOURCES

"Lt. Joe Kennedy," by Trevor Jermy, edited by Lester Curtis, Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum, www.aviationmuseum.net/Joe_Kennedy.htm

"Top Secret Drone Mission That Killed Joseph Kennedy, Jr." by Ed Grabianowski, February 21, 2013, www.i09.com/

"What if Joseph Kennedy, Jr. had not died on WWII mission?," by Jagdtigerl, www.ww2f.com/

Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr.

John F. Kennedy Library Photo

JOSEPH P. KENNEDY, JR. DIES

JFK+50:  Volume 6, No. 2037

DEATH OVER THE ENGLISH CHANNEL

London (JFK+50) Seventy-two years ago today, August 12, 1944, United States Navy Lieutenant Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr.*, eldest son on of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr., was killed in an explosion of his aircraft flying over the English Channel.

Joe Jr., who graduated from Harvard in 1938 and became a naval aviator serving in England during WWII, was said to be...

"such a courageous and skilled flier that even after completing his designated number of missions...volunteered to fly bombing runs during the D Day invasion."

One of his mechanics, Alvin Jones, Jr. later recalled...

"Kennedy was such a good pilot that we would have flown with him anywhere."

Joe was scheduled to return home on leave, but instead volunteered for a special assignment known as Operation Aphrodite.  The target was to be a Nazi fortress in northern France known as Mimoyecques**, a V-3 Supergun site. The installation, when completed, was to house 25 cannons designed to reach London 95 miles away.

Joe, Jr. and co-pilot/radio control technician, Lt. Wilford John Willy, took off from the RAF station at Fersfield at 5:59 p.m. on August 12, 1944 in a B-24 Liberator PB4Y loaded with 21,150 pounds of Torpex*** explosives.

The B-24, accompanied by two Ventura mother ships, four Mustangs, one B-17 and two Mosquitoes, reached and maintained a cruising altitude of 2000 feet while the other planes climbed to 20,000 feet.  Joe Jr.'s aircraft became a drone as one of the mother ships flew it by remote control.  

The purpose of the B-24's pilot and co-pilot was to complete take off and position the plane for remote-control flying and then parachute out into the English Channel to be picked up by the Navy.  After the B-24 was in position at 2000 feet, Joe Jr. radioed the code words ZOOT SUIT which meant everything was working properly.

Lt. Willy then switched on a television camera in the nose of the B-24 which was to guide the drone into the target, but minutes later the drone exploded.
The remains of Joe Jr. and Lt. Willy were never found, and the wreckage of the B-24 was scattered over a wide area.

An investigation revealed the cause of the explosion was the failure to provide electrical shielding which allowed electromagnetic emissions to open a relay solenoid which in turn set off a MK9 detonator prematurely.

Joe Jr.'s death hit the Kennedy family really hard, but especially father Joe, Sr. who locked himself in his bedroom for days and weeks to come.  Before going on the mission, Joe Jr. had reportedly told a friend that if something happened to him... "tell my father I love him very much."

Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., 29 years old at the time of his death, was awarded posthumously the Navy Cross, the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal. 

In 1945, a destroyer was christened named the USS Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. and the following year the Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation was established.

*Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. (1915-1944) graduated from Harvard in 1938.  He studied at the London School of Economics and was a delegate to the 1940 Democratic Convention.  Joe joined the US Navy earning his wings as a naval aviator in May 1942.  

**The Fortress of Mimoyecques, located in northern France, was an underground Nazi military complex built in 1943 and 1944.  It was to house 25 V-3 cannons which could fire 600 rounds an hour at London.

***Torpex (Torpedo Explosive) was a secondary explosive developed in the UK during WWII which had 50% more power than TNT.  Torpex is said to be obsolete today.

SOURCES

"Lt. Joe Kennedy," by Trevor Jermy, edited by Lester Curtis, Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum, www.aviationmuseum.net/Joe_Kennedy.htm

"Top Secret Drone Mission That Killed Joseph Kennedy, Jr." by Ed Grabianowski, February 21, 2013, www.i09.com/

"What if Joseph Kennedy, Jr. had not died on WWII mission?," by Jagdtigerl, www.ww2f.com/

Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr.

John F. Kennedy Library Photo

Map by Prioryman 

 at en.wikipedia.org

AS WE REMEMBER JOE

JFK+50:  Volume 6, No. 2020

THE FAMILY HONORS JOSEPH P. KENNEDY, JR.

Cambridge, Massachusetts (JFK+50) Today, July 25, 2016, is the 101st anniversary of the birth of Joseph Patrick Kennedy, Jr.*  Joe Junior was the first child of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr., and the older brother of President John F. Kennedy.

Joe Junior was delivered by Kennedy family doctor Frederick L. Good in a rented cottage, where the Kennedys were spending the summer, located on Atlantic Avenue in Nantasket.

Joe Jr., stationed in England during WWII, became "one of the most experienced pilots in the  navy."  Joe was part of Operation Aphrodite.  The target was to be a German vengeance weapon bombing site located  in northern France.  Before he took off on the mission, Joe told a friend, "If I don't come back, tell my Dad I love him very much."

On August 12, 1944, Joe's B-24 Liberator, loaded with 21,150 pounds of explosives, was in position at 2000 feet when it exploded before Joe and his navigator could parachute to safety as planned.  The remains were never found and the wreckage of the B-24 was scattered over an area 3 miles x 2 miles. After his death, Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. was awarded the Air Medal and Navy Cross for heroism.  

In 1945, As We Remember Joe**, a book of remembrances for Kennedy family, friends and associates, was published.  The book included a forward by brother Jack along with his essay titled "My Brother Joe."


*Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. (1915-1944) graduated from Harvard in 1938.  He studied at the London School of Economics and was a delegate to the 1940 Democratic Convention.  Joe joined the US Navy earning his wings as a naval aviator in May 1942.  He completed 25 combat missions before volunteering for the one that took his life.

**As We Remember Joe (1945) is described at www.buddenbrooks.com/ as "scarce and one of the most difficult to obtain JFK related books."  It is estimated that there were a total of 360 copies printed.  The price is $1850. http://www.buddenbrooks.com/pages/books/22913/john-f-kennedy/as-we-remember-joe

As We Remember Joe

University Press

Cambridge, MA (1945)

www.buddenbrooks.com

SOURCES

"Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., Pilot (1915-1944)," Bio., www.biography.com/

"Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr.," John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, www.jfklibrary.org/

"Lt. Joe Kennedy," by Trevor Jermy, edited by Lester Curtis, Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum, www.aviationmuseum.net/Joe_Kennedy.htm

"Top Secret Drone Mission That Killed Joseph Kennedy, Jr." by Ed Grabianowski, February 21, 2013, www.i09.com/

"What if Joseph Kennedy, Jr. had not died on WWII mission?," by Jagdtigerl, www.ww2f.com/

      

HENRY CABOT LODGE

HENRY CABOT LODGE SWORN IN AS AMBASSADOR TO SOUTH VIETNAM 50 YEARS AGO 

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) Fifty years ago today, August 12, 1965, Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.* was sworn in by President Lyndon B. Johnson at the White House as United States ambassador to South Vietnam.  

At the swearing-in ceremony, LBJ said that the US would not be fighting in Vietnam if our help was "not wanted and requested."

President John F. Kennedy had originally nominated Lodge to the position. Later in the Johnson years, Mr. Lodge served as Ambassador to West Germany.

*Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. (1902-1985) was born in Nahant, MA, the grandson of US Senator Henry Cabot Lodge.  He graduated cum laude from Harvard in 1924 & was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1933  and the US Senate in 1936.

HCL, Jr. served with distinction in the US Army during WWII then returned to the Senate after the war.  After he was narrowly defeated in an upset victory for JFK in 1952, Mr. Lodge served as UN Ambassador.

Lodge ran as Nixon's Vice-Presidential nominee in 1960 only to lose to the Kennedy-Johnson ticket.

Kennedy-Lodge Meeting

White House Oval Office

Photo by Abbie Rowe (1961)

Kennedy Library Image

JOE JR. KILLED 71 YEARS AGO TODAY

London (JFK+50) Seventy-one years ago today, August 12, 1944, Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., the son of former US Ambassador to Great Britain, Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. was killed along with his navigator over the skies of England.

Lt. Kennedy (29) and Lt. Wilford 'Bud' J. Willy (35) were aboard a PB-44 Liberator bomber filled with 21,170 pounds of explosives.  They were on a mission to destroy a German V-3 launch site in northern France when a malfunction occurred.

The site they were targeting was the Fortress of Mimoyecques used by the Germans to wreak vengeance upon cities in England.  The explosion came 10 minutes before the two US Navy men were to eject from their aircraft allowing it to be guided into the V-3 site by remote control.

The wreckage from the explosion landed near the village of Blythburgh in Suffolk, England.

Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr.

United States Navy