179th Fighter Squadron, History, Minnesota Air National Guard, Cold War
The unit was organized by 1 January 1953 and ADC became its gaining command upon call to active duty. It resumed its peacetime training mission. The squadron upgraded in 1954 to the radar equipped Lockheed F-94 Starfire all-weather interceptor, armed with 20 millimeter cannon. With this new aircraft, the 179th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron became an all-weather interceptor unit. In 1957, the 179th again upgraded to the improved Northrop F-89C Scorpion then in 1959, the unit converted to the F-89J model of the Scorpion, which was not only equipped with data link for interception control through the Semi-Automatic Ground Environment system, but which carried the nuclear armed AIR-2 Genie.


179th Fighter Squadron, History, Minnesota Air National Guard, Cold War
On 1 July 1960, the 179th was authorized to expand to a group level, and the 148th Fighter Group (Air Defense) was established along with supporting squadrons. The 179th became the new group's flying squadron. The other squadrons assigned to the group were the 148th Material Squadron, 148th Air Bse Squadron and the 148th USAF Dispensary. The same day, the squadron assumed a 24-hour air defense alert status at Duluth alongside the regular Air Force 11th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron.


179th Fighter Squadron, History, Minnesota Air National Guard, Cold War
In 1967, the supersonic Convair F-102A Delta Dagger replaced the squadron's F-89J. The McDonnell F-101B Voodoo came aboard in April 1971 and remained until January 1976 when the unit was redesignated, becoming the 179th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron with McDonnell Douglas RF-4C Phantom II Mach-2 unarmed reconnaissance aircraft. Its new mission entailed all weather, high or low altitude, day or night, reconnaissance. This mission also required the unit to have the capability to deploy to a wide variety of operating locations. The 179th TRS deployed seven RF-4Cs to Erding Air Base in West Germany between 3 and 23 August 1979 as part of Exercise Coronet Bridle.


179th Fighter Squadron, History, Minnesota Air National Guard, Cold War
In October 1983, the mission changed again and the 179th returned to air defense becoming the 179th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron. The return to alert and air defense was accompanied by the McDonnell Douglas F-4D Phantom II tactical fighter, most of the unit's aircraft being veterans of the Vietnam War.


179th Fighter Squadron, History, Minnesota Air National Guard, Cold War
Between 1 March 1986 and 6 April 1987, three F-4Ds (65-0585, 65-0593 and 65-0648) from the 179th FIS were deployed to Ramstein Air Base, West Germany, alongside Phantoms of the 178th FIS and 194th FIS as part of Exercise Creek Klaxon, which saw the ANG units take QRA responsibilities while the 526th TFS converted to the General Dynamics F-16C Fighting Falcon.


179th Fighter Squadron, History, Minnesota Air National Guard, Post-Cold War
On 10 March 1990, the 179th FIS received the first variants of the F-16A Fighting Falcon air defense fighter (ADF) to take over from the F-4D Phantom II. The early F-16 markings included "Duluth" on a tail stripe as well as an image of the Big Dipper. The last flight of a 179th FIS F-4D was under taken by 65-0608 on 17 April 1990. On 17 March 1992, the 179th was renamed the 179th Fighter Squadron. A few years later, in October 1995, the unit was tasked with maintaining a detachment (Detachment 1, 148th Fighter Wing), which maintained alert status at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida.


179th Fighter Squadron, History, Minnesota Air National Guard, Post-Cold War
To fit the needs of a shrinking air force, the squadron dropped the air superiority role and became a general purpose tactical fighter squadron. Already proficient in the air-to-air mission, the 179th had to be brought up to speed with both using guided and unguided bombs. Live bombs were dropped for the first time in March 2000 during a training exercise. Due to the role change, the squadron's base facilities also had to be renovated.


179th Fighter Squadron, History, Minnesota Air National Guard, Post-Cold War
On 11 September 2001, the squadron became very busy as a result of the attack on the two World Trade Center towers in New York City. As an immediate aftermath, the 148th was again tasked with air defense, providing combat air patrols over the capital and New York City, and with deploying personnel and aircraft back to its detached alert facility at Tyndall.


179th Fighter Squadron, History, Minnesota Air National Guard, Post-Cold War
Towards the end of 2003 the Bulldogs began conversion to the F-16C/D block 25. Most F-16A/Bs were retired straight to the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center. During the course of the conversion, Detachment 1 at Tyndall was discontinued. With the newer Fighting Falcons, the squadron began combat deployments, sometimes operating as an expeditionary fighter squadron. As part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the 179th was one of the first F-16 units to be based in Balad Air Base, Iraq. The 179th deployed more than 200 personnel between April and June 2005. The squadron was tasked with both air-to-air and air-to-ground combat operations. Another deployment to Balad was set up between September and December 2008.


179th Fighter Squadron, History, Minnesota Air National Guard, Post-Cold War
On 27 April 2010, the squadron began another conversion being the first Air National Guard unit to operate the block 50 F-16C/D when five aircraft arrived from Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany when 22d and 23d Fighter Squadrons at Spangdahlem were replaced by the 480th Fighter Squadron, with the surplus aircraft going to the 179th. The majority of the block 25s were sent to retirement at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona.


179th Fighter Squadron, History, Minnesota Air National Guard, Post-Cold War
Between April and July 2016, the 179th deployed to Osan Air Base, South Korea, as the 179th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, being replaced by the 157th Fighter Squadron. The 179th EFS deployed to Southwest Asia as part of Operation Inherent Resolve between April and August 2018, flying nearly 3,500 hours across over 600 sorties. From 1 to 12 April 2019, the 179th FS deployed to Leeuwarden Air Base in the Netherlands to participate in Exercise Frisian Flag 2019.


179th Fighter Squadron, References, Bibliography
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website .


179th Infantry Regiment (United States)
The 179th Infantry Regiment ("Tomahawks") is an infantry regiment of the United States Army's National Guard.


179th Infantry Regiment (United States)
Currently, the 1st Battalion is the only active battalion in the regiment and is organized as a combined arms battalion under the brigade unit of action table of organization and equipment. The battalion is an organic element of the 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the Oklahoma Army National Guard.


179th Infantry Regiment (United States), Current units
1st Battalion is a subordinate unit of the 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, headquartered in Edmond, Oklahoma. The battalion commands six companies. These units are:


179th Infantry Regiment (United States), Battlefield or campaign honors and awards, Unit Decorations
Additionally, the following units are entitled to the Meritorious Unit Citation


179th Motorized Infantry Brigade (People's Republic of China)
The 179th Division (Chinese: 第179师) was created in February 1949 under the Regulation of the Redesignations of All Organizations and Units of the Army, issued by Central Military Commission on November 1, 1948, basing on the 23rd Brigade, 8th Column of the Huabei Military Region Field Force. Its history could be traced to the 23rd Brigade of Taiyue Military District, activated in December 1945.


179th Motorized Infantry Brigade (People's Republic of China)
The division was part of 60th Corps. Under the flag of the 179th division, it took part in many major battles in the Chinese Civil War, including the Linfen Campaign, Jinzhong Campaign, Taiyuan Campaign, and Chengdu Campaign. The division (then brigade) became the first unit that breached into the city perimeter during the Linfen Campaign, and received the honorific title of Linfen Brigade(Chinese: 临汾旅) after that.


179th Motorized Infantry Brigade (People's Republic of China)
In March 1951, the division was deployed into Korea as a part of the People's Volunteer Army along with the 60th Corps. In September 1953, the division left Korea.


179th Motorized Infantry Brigade (People's Republic of China)
In November 1953, the 559th Artillery Regiment was activated and attached to the division.


179th Motorized Infantry Brigade (People's Republic of China)
From April 1960, the division was renamed as the 179th Army Division(Chinese: 陆军第179师). By then the division was composed of:


179th Motorized Infantry Brigade (People's Republic of China)
In January 1961, the division was defined as one of the first ten combat alert divisions.


179th Motorized Infantry Brigade (People's Republic of China)
In February 1961, the 283rd Tank Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment joined the division from the 181st Army Division.


179th Motorized Infantry Brigade (People's Republic of China)
From July 1962, the division maintained as a northern division, category A.


179th Motorized Infantry Brigade (People's Republic of China)
From June to November 1962, the division was deployed to Fujian Province for counter-invasion operation against the ROC Army. The invasion did not happen and the 179th returned to its barracks in November.


179th Motorized Infantry Brigade (People's Republic of China)
On September 30, 1967, 283rd Tank Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment detached from the division to join the newly-activated 9th Tank Division.


179th Motorized Infantry Brigade (People's Republic of China)
In August 1969, 566th Artillery Regiment was renamed the Artillery Regiment, 179th Army Division.


179th Motorized Infantry Brigade (People's Republic of China)
In September 1985, the division was redesignated as the 179th Infantry Division(Chinese: 步兵第179师) and reconstituted as a northern infantry division, category B. The division was transferred to the 12th Army following 60th Army Corps' disbandment.


179th Motorized Infantry Brigade (People's Republic of China)
In 1989, 535th Regiment was reconstituted as the Special Security Regiment of the Nanjing Military Region.


179th Motorized Infantry Brigade (People's Republic of China)
In 1998 the division was reduced and reorganized as the 179th Motorized Infantry Brigade(Chinese: 摩托化步兵第179旅).


179th Motorized Infantry Brigade (People's Republic of China)
In April 2017, the brigade was reorganized as the 179th Light Combined Arms Brigade(Chinese: 轻型合成第179旅).


179th Motorized Infantry Brigade (People's Republic of China)
The brigade now stations in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, as a maneuvering part of PLA 72nd Army.


179th New York Infantry Regiment
The 179th New York Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the Union Army during the American Civil War.


179th New York Infantry Regiment, Service
The regiment was organized in Elmira, New York and companies were mustered in for one or three year enlistments in April, May, July, and September 1864; it was composed of  companies from Chemung, Steuben, Erie, Tioga, Tompkins  and other Counties.


179th New York Infantry Regiment, Service
The regiment left the State in detachments throughout 1864; it served in 22nd Corps, from May 1864; in 1st Division, 9th Corps, from June 1864; in 2nd Division, 9th Corps, from September 1864; and was honorably discharged and mustered out June 8, 1865, near Alexandria, Virginia.


179th New York Infantry Regiment, Service
The 179th proceeded to Washington, D. C., where it served in the summer of 1864 in the performance of garrison duty. In June, it joined Grant's army at Cold Harbor, and took part in the first failed assaults on Petersburg; then went into entrenchments exposed to fire during the siege, daily losing men. The 179th was engaged in the Battle of the Crater, with dozens killed, wounded and missing; it was reduced by severe losses, and reorganized with more losses in the fall. The regiment rendered service during the attack of Fort Stedman in March 1865 and took part in its last battle, the storming of Petersburg in April, with yet more losses.


179th New York Infantry Regiment, Total strength and casualties
During its service the regiment lost by death, killed in action, 4 officers, 36 enlisted men; of wounds received in action, 3 officers, 30 enlisted men; of disease and other causes, 118 enlisted men; total, 7 officers, 184 enlisted men; aggregate, 191; of whom 25 enlisted men died in the hands of the enemy.


179th New York State Legislature
The 179th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 6, 1971, to May 12, 1972, during the thirteenth and fourteenth years of Nelson Rockefeller's governorship, in Albany.


179th New York State Legislature, Background
Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1938, and the U.S. Supreme Court decision to follow the One man, one vote rule, re-apportioned in 1966 by order of the New York Court of Appeals, 57 Senators and 150 assemblymen were elected in single-seat districts for two-year terms. Senate and Assembly districts consisted of approximately the same number of inhabitants, the area being apportioned without restrictions regarding county boundaries.


179th New York State Legislature, Background
At this time there were two major political parties: the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. The Conservative Party, the Liberal Party, the Communist Party, the Socialist Workers Party, the Socialist Labor Party, a "Civil Service Independent Party" and an "Independent Alliance" also nominated tickets.


179th New York State Legislature, Elections
The New York state election, 1970, was held on November 3. Governor Nelson Rockefeller and Lieutenant Governor Malcolm Wilson were re-elected, both Republicans. The elections to the other three statewide elective offices resulted in a Republican Attorney General with Liberal endorsement; a Democratic State Comptroller with Liberal endorsement; and a Conservative U.S. Senator with Independent Alliance endorsement. The approximate party strength at this election, as expressed by the vote for Governor, was: Republicans/C.S.I.P. 3,151,000; Democrats/Liberals 2,421,000; Conservatives 423,000; Communists 8,000; Socialist Workers 6,000; and Socialist Labor 4,000. However, Conservative James L. Buckley polled almost 2.3 million votes and was elected to the U.S. Senate.


179th New York State Legislature, Elections
Three of the four women members of the previous legislature—Assemblywomen Constance E. Cook (Rep.), a lawyer of Ithaca; Rosemary R. Gunning (Cons. ), a lawyer of Ridgewood, Queens; and Mary Anne Krupsak (Dem. ), a lawyer of Amsterdam—were re-elected.


179th New York State Legislature, Elections
The New York state election, 1971, was held on November 2. No statewide elective offices were up for election. Two vacancies in the State Senate and four vacancies in the Assembly were filled.


179th New York State Legislature, Sessions
The Legislature met for the first regular session (the 194th) at the State Capitol in Albany on January 6, 1971; and adjourned sine die on June 9.


179th New York State Legislature, Sessions
Earl W. Brydges (Rep.) was re-elected Temporary President of the State Senate.


179th New York State Legislature, Sessions
The Legislature met for a special session at the State Capitol in Albany on December 14, 1971; and adjourned sine die on December 18. This session was called to enact a new apportionment of the state's legislative districts.


179th New York State Legislature, Sessions
The Legislature met for another special session at the State Capitol in Albany on December 27, 1971; and adjourned sine die on January 4, 1972. This session was called to consider measures to balance the state's finances, and ended with the enactment of tax increases.


179th New York State Legislature, Sessions
The Legislature met for the second regular session (the 195th) at the State Capitol in Albany on January 5, 1972; and adjourned sine die on May 12.


179th New York State Legislature, Sessions
On May 9, the Assembly passed a bill to repeal the permissive 1970 abortion law. The bill also passed the Senate, but was vetoed by Governor Rockefeller.


179th New York State Legislature, State Senate, Senators
The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature. Assemblymen William J. Giordano and Emanuel R. Gold were elected to fill a vacancies in the Senate.


179th New York State Legislature, State Senate, Senators
Note: For brevity, the chairmanships omit the words "...the Committee on (the)..."


179th New York State Legislature, State Assembly, Assembly members
The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature.


179th New York State Legislature, State Assembly, Assembly members
Note: For brevity, the chairmanships omit the words "...the Committee on (the)..."


179th Ohio Infantry Regiment
The 179th Ohio Infantry Regiment, sometimes 179th Ohio Volunteer Infantry (or 179th OVI) was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.


179th Ohio Infantry Regiment, Service
The 179th Ohio Infantry was organized at Camp Chase in Columbus, Ohio, and mustered in for one year service on September 29, 1864, under the command of Colonel Harley H. Sage.


179th Ohio Infantry Regiment, Service
The regiment was attached to Post of Nashville, Tennessee, Department of the Cumberland, to December 1864. 2nd Brigade, 4th Division, XX Corps, Department of the Cumberland, to March 1865. Post of Nashville to June 1865.


179th Ohio Infantry Regiment, Service
The 179th Ohio Infantry mustered out of service June 18, 1865, at Nashville, Tennessee.


179th Ohio Infantry Regiment, Detailed service
Ordered to Nashville, Tennessee, arriving there October 8. Engaged in post and garrison duty at Nashville, Tenn., October 1864 to June 1865. Battle of Nashville December 15–16, 1864.


179th Ohio Infantry Regiment, Casualties
The regiment lost a total of 80 enlisted men during service, all due to disease.


179th Reserve Panzer Division (Wehrmacht)
The 179th Reserve Panzer Division (German: 179. Reserve-Panzer-Division) of the German army in World War II was formed in July 1943. The division was stationed in France from July 1943 to May 1944 when it was disbanded and absorbed by the 116th Panzer Division.


179th Rifle Division (Soviet Union)
The 179th Vitebsk Red Banner Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Soviet Union's Red Army during World War II.


179th Rifle Division (Soviet Union), World War II, Formation
Established at Vilnius on 17 August 1940 as part of the 29th Lithuanian Territorial Rifle Corps on the basis of the 1st Infantry Division of the Lithuanian Army:


179th Rifle Division (Soviet Union), World War II, Battles
With 29th Rifle Corps of 11th Army on June 22, 1941. Fought at Kalinin, Gomel, and Vitebsk; with 4th Shock Army of the Kurland Group (Leningrad Front) May 1945.


179th Rifle Division (Soviet Union), After World War II
It was reduced to the 27th Rifle Brigade in 1948 at Uralsk. It became a division again in October 1953.


179th Rifle Division (Soviet Union), After World War II
In 1955, the division became the 4th Rifle Division at Buzuluk in the South Ural Military District.


179th Tunnelling Company
The 179 Tunnelling Company was one of the tunnelling companies of the Royal Engineers created by the British Army during World War I. The tunnelling units were occupied in offensive and defensive mining involving the placing and maintaining of mines under enemy lines, as well as other underground work such as the construction of deep dugouts for troop accommodation, the digging of subways, saps (a narrow trench dug to approach enemy trenches), cable trenches and underground chambers for signals and medical services.


179th Tunnelling Company
179th Tunnelling Company is particularly known for its role at L'îlot de La Boisselle and for firing the Lochnagar mine during the Battle of the Somme 1916. The Lochnagar mine formed part of a series of 19 mines that were placed beneath the German lines on the British section of the Somme front to assist the start of the battle.


179th Tunnelling Company, Background
By January 1915 it had become evident to the BEF at the Western Front that the Germans were mining to a planned system. As the British had failed to develop suitable counter-tactics or underground listening devices before the war, field marshals French and Kitchener agreed to investigate the suitability of forming British mining units. Following consultations between the Engineer-in-Chief of the BEF, Brigadier George Fowke, and the mining specialist John Norton-Griffiths, the War Office formally approved the tunnelling company scheme on 19 February 1915.


179th Tunnelling Company, Background
Norton-Griffiths ensured that tunnelling companies numbers 170 to 177 were ready for deployment in mid-February 1915. In the spring of that year, there was constant underground fighting in the Ypres Salient at Hooge, Hill 60, Railway Wood, Sanctuary Wood, St Eloi and The Bluff which required the deployment of new drafts of tunnellers for several months after the formation of the first eight companies. The lack of suitably experienced men led to some tunnelling companies starting work later than others.


179th Tunnelling Company, Background
The number of units available to the BEF was also restricted by the need to provide effective counter-measures to the German mining activities. To make the tunnels safer and quicker to deploy, the British Army enlisted experienced coal miners, many outside their nominal recruitment policy. The first nine companies, numbers 170 to 178, were each commanded by a regular Royal Engineers officer. These companies each comprised 5 officers and 269 sappers; they were aided by additional infantrymen who were temporarily attached to the tunnellers as required, which almost doubled their numbers.


179th Tunnelling Company, Background
The success of the first tunnelling companies formed under Norton-Griffiths' command led to mining being made a separate branch of the Engineer-in-Chief's office under Major-General S.R. Rice, and the appointment of an 'Inspector of Mines' at the GHQ Saint-Omer office of the Engineer-in-Chief. A second group of tunnelling companies were formed from Welsh miners from the 1st and 3rd Battalions of the Monmouthshire Regiment, who were attached to the 1st Northumberland Field Company of the Royal Engineers, which was a Territorial unit. The formation of twelve new tunnelling companies, between July and October 1915, helped to bring more men into action in other parts of the Western Front.


179th Tunnelling Company, Background
Most tunnelling companies were formed under Norton-Griffiths' leadership during 1915, and one more was added in 1916. On 10 September 1915, the British government sent an appeal to Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand to raise tunnelling companies in the Dominions of the British Empire. On 17 September, New Zealand became the first Dominion to agree the formation of a tunnelling unit. The New Zealand Tunnelling Company arrived at Plymouth on 3 February 1916 and was deployed to the Western Front in northern France. A Canadian unit was formed from men on the battlefield, plus two other companies trained in Canada and then shipped to France. Three Australian tunnelling companies were formed by March 1916, resulting in 30 tunnelling companies of the Royal Engineers being available by the summer of 1916.


179th Tunnelling Company, Unit history, The Somme 1915/16
The 179th Tunnelling Company was formed in Third Army area in October 1915 and moved into the Thiepval-La Boisselle sector of the area of the Somme recently taken over by the BEF. In the Somme sector of the Western Front, local but very fierce underground fighting had taken place in the winter of 1914 and spring of 1915 at La Boisselle, Fricourt, Bois Français and Carnoy. Fowke moved the 174th and 183rd


179th Tunnelling Company, Unit history, The Somme 1915/16
Tunnelling Companies there to relieve the French engineers, but the British did not have enough miners to take over the large number of French shafts and the French agreed to leave their engineers at work for several weeks. To provide the tunnellers needed, the British formed the 178th and 179th Tunnelling Companies in August 1915, followed by the 185th and 252nd Tunnelling Companies in October. The 181st Tunnelling Company was also present on the Somme. Early attempts at mining by the British on the Western Front had commenced in late 1914 in the soft clay and sandy soils of Flanders.


179th Tunnelling Company, Unit history, The Somme 1915/16
Mining at La Boisselle was in chalk, much harder and requiring different techniques. The German advance had been halted at La Boisselle by French troops on 28 September 1914. There was bitter fighting for possession of the village cemetery, and for farm buildings on the south-western edge of the village known as L'îlot de La Boisselle to the French, as Granathof (German: "shell farm") to the Germans and later as Glory Hole to the British. In December 1914, French engineers had begun tunnelling beneath the ruins.


179th Tunnelling Company, Unit history, The Somme 1915/16
With the war on the surface at stalemate, both sides continued to probe beneath the opponent's trenches and detonate ever-greater explosive charges. In August 1915, the French and Germans were working at a depth of 12 metres (39 ft); the size of their charges had reached 3,000 kilograms (6,600 lb). The British tunnelling companies extended and deepened the system, first to 24 metres (79 ft) and ultimately 30 metres (98 ft). Around La Boisselle, the Germans also dug defensive transversal tunnels at a depth of about 80 feet (24 metres), parallel to the front line. No man's land at L'îlot was very narrow, at one point about 46 metres (50 yd) wide, and had become pockmarked by many chalk craters.


179th Tunnelling Company, Unit history, The Somme 1915/16
In October 1915, the 179th Tunnelling Company began to sink a series of deep shafts in an attempt to forestall German miners who were approaching beneath the British front line. At W Shaft they went down from 9.1 metres (30 ft) to 24 metres (80 ft) and began to drive two counter-mine tunnels towards the Germans. From the right-hand gallery the sounds of German digging grew steadily louder.


179th Tunnelling Company, Unit history, The Somme 1915/16
On 19 November 1915, 179th Tunnelling Company's commander, Captain Henry Hance, estimated that the Germans were 15 yards away and ordered the mine chamber to be loaded with 2,700 kilograms (6,000 lb) of explosive. This was completed by midnight from 20–21 November. At 1.30 am on 22 November, the Germans blew their charge, filling the remaining British tunnels with carbon monoxide. Both the right and left tunnels were collapsed, and it was later found that the German blow had detonated the British charge. The wrecked tunnels were gradually re-opened, but about thirty bodies still lie in the tunnels beneath La Boisselle.


179th Tunnelling Company, Unit history, The Somme 1915/16
At the start of the Battle of Albert (1–13 July), the name given by the British to the first two weeks of the Battle of the Somme, La Boisselle stood on the main axis of British attack.


179th Tunnelling Company, Unit history, The Somme 1915/16
The tunnelling companies were to make two major contributions to the Allied preparations by placing 19 large and small mines beneath the German positions along the front line and by preparing a series of shallow Russian saps from the British front line into no man's land, which would be opened at zero hour and allow the infantry to attack the German positions from a comparatively short distance.


179th Tunnelling Company, Unit history, The Somme 1915/16
Russian saps in front of Thiepval, Ovillers and La Boisselle were the task of 179th Tunnelling Company. In the front section allocated to the 36th (Ulster) Division, ten saps were run from the British lines into no-man's land north-east of Thiepval Wood. The intention was for each of the ten tunnels to house two mortars.


179th Tunnelling Company, Unit history, The Somme 1915/16
At La Boisselle, four mines were prepared by the Royal Engineers: Two charges (known as No 2 straight and No 5 right) were planted at L'îlot at the end of galleries dug from Inch Street Trench by the 179th Tunnelling Company, intended to wreck German tunnels and create crater lips to block enfilade fire along no man's land.


179th Tunnelling Company, Unit history, The Somme 1915/16
As the Germans in La Boisselle had fortified the cellars of ruined houses, and cratered ground made a direct infantry assault on the village impossible, two further mines, known as Y Sap and Lochnagar after the trenches from which they were dug, were laid on the north-east and the south-east of La Boisselle to assist the attack on either side of the German salient in the village – .


179th Tunnelling Company, Unit history, The Somme 1915/16
The 185th Tunnelling Company started work on the Lochnagar mine on 11 November 1915 and handed the tunnels over to 179th Tunnelling Company in March 1916. A month before the handover, 18 men of the 185th Tunnelling Company (2 officers, 16 sappers) were killed on 4 February when the Germans detonated a camouflet near the British three-level mine system, starting from Inch Street, La Boisselle, the deepest level being just above the water table at around 30 metres (100 ft). The Lochnagar mine consisted of two chambers with a shared access tunnel (see map).


179th Tunnelling Company, Unit history, The Somme 1915/16
The shaft was sunk in the communication trench called "Lochnagar Street". After the Black Watch had arrived at La Boissselle at the end of July 1915, many existing Allied fortifications, originally dug by the French, had been given Scotland-related names. The Lochnagar mine probably had the first deep incline shaft, which sloped 1:2–1:3 to a depth of about 29 metres (95 ft) –   26 June 2015 at the Wayback Machine. It was begun 91 metres (300 ft) behind the British front line and 270 metres (900 ft) away from the German front line.


179th Tunnelling Company, Unit history, The Somme 1915/16
Starting from the inclined shaft, about 15 metres (50 ft) below ground, a gallery was driven towards the German lines. For silence, the tunnellers used bayonets with spliced handles and worked barefoot on a floor covered with sandbags. Flints were carefully prised out of the chalk and laid on the floor; if the bayonet was manipulated two-handed, an assistant caught the dislodged material. Spoil was placed in sandbags and passed hand-by-hand, along a row of miners sitting on the floor and stored along the side of the tunnel, later to be used to tamp the charge.


179th Tunnelling Company, Unit history, The Somme 1915/16
When about 41 metres (135 ft) from the Schwabenhöhe, the tunnel was forked into two branches and the end of each branch was enlarged to form a chamber for the explosives, the chambers being about 18 metres (60 ft) apart and 16 metres (52 ft) deep – . When finished, the access tunnel for the Lochnagar mine was 1.37 by 0.76 metres (4.5 ft × 2.5 ft) and had been excavated at a rate of about 46 centimetres (18 in) per day, until about 310 metres (1,030 ft) long, with the galleries beneath the Schwabenhöhe.


179th Tunnelling Company, Unit history, The Somme 1915/16
The mine was loaded with 27,000 kilograms (60,000 lb) of ammonal, divided in two charges of 16,000 kilograms (36,000 lb) and 11,000 kilograms (24,000 lb). As the chambers were not big enough to hold all the explosive, the tunnels that branched to form the 'Y' were also filled with ammonal. The longer branch was 18 metres (60 ft) long, the shorter was 12 metres (40 ft) long. The tunnels did not quite reach the German front line but the blast would dislodge enough material to form a 4.6 metres (15 ft) high rim and bury nearby trenches.


179th Tunnelling Company, Unit history, The Somme 1915/16
The tunnel for the Y Sap mine underneath the German trenches overlooking Mash Valley just north of La Boisselle started in the British front line near where it crossed the D 929 Albert–Bapaume road, but because of German underground defences it could not be dug in a straight line. About 460 metres (500 yd) were dug into no man's land, before it turned right for about another 460 metres (500 yd). About 18,000 kilograms (40,000 lb) of ammonal was placed in the chamber beneath the Y Sap mine.


179th Tunnelling Company, Unit history, The Somme 1915/16
The Lochnagar and the Y Sap mines were "overcharged" to ensure that large rims were formed from the disturbed ground. Communication tunnels were also dug for use immediately after the first attack but were little used in the end. The mines were laid without interference by German miners but as the explosives were placed, German miners could be heard below Lochnagar and above the Y Sap mine.


179th Tunnelling Company, Unit history, The Somme 1915/16
At one place in particular our men swore they thought he [the German enemy] was coming through, so we stopped driving forward and commenced to chamber in double shifts. We did not expect to complete it before he blew, but we did. A chamber 12' x 6' x 6' in 24 hours. The Germans worked for a shift more than we did and then stopped. They knew we had chambered and were afraid we should blow and no more work was done there.


179th Tunnelling Company, Unit history, The Somme 1915/16
I used to hate going to listen in that chamber more than any other place in the mine. Half an hour, sometimes once sometimes three times a day, in deadly silence with the geophone to your ears, wondering whether the sound you heard was the Boche working silently or your own heart beating. God knows how we kept our nerves and judgement. After the Somme attack when we surveyed the German mines and connected up to our own system, with the theodolite we found that we were 5 feet apart, and that he had only started his chamber and then stopped.


179th Tunnelling Company, Unit history, The Somme 1915/16
The four mines at La Boisselle were detonated at 7:28 a.m. on 1 July 1916, the first day on the Somme. The explosion of the Lochnagar mine was initiated by Captain James Young of the 179th Tunnelling Company, who pressed the switches and observed that the firing had been successful. The two charges of the Lochnagar mine created a single, vast, smooth sided, flat bottom crater measuring some 220 feet (67 metres) diameter excluding the lip, and 450 feet (137 metres) across the full extent of the lip.


179th Tunnelling Company, Unit history, The Somme 1915/16
It had obliterated between 300 and 400 feet (91 and 122 metres) of the German dug-outs, all said to have been full of German troops. At the time, the Lochnagar mine, along with the Y Sap mine, were the largest mines ever detonated. The sound of the blast was considered the loudest man-made noise in history up to that point, with reports suggesting it was heard in London. They would be surpassed a year later by the mines in the Battle of Messines.


179th Tunnelling Company, Unit history, The Somme 1915/16
Despite their colossal size, the Lochnagar and Y Sap mines failed to help sufficiently neutralise the German defences in La Boisselle. The ruined village was meant to fall in 20 minutes, but by the end of the first day of the battle, it had not been taken while the III Corps divisions had lost more than 11,000 casualties. At Mash Valley, the attackers lost 5,100 men before noon, and at Sausage Valley near the crater of the Lochnagar mine, there were over 6,000 casualties – the highest concentration on the entire battlefield. The III Corps' 34th Division suffered the worst losses of any unit that day.


179th Tunnelling Company, Unit history, Ypres Salient
In spring of 1917, the 179th Tunnelling Company moved to the Ypres Canal sector near Boezinge where it commenced work on dugouts. The BEF had decided to carry out all operations in the offensive of summer 1917 from deep dugouts. East of the Ypres Canal in the close vicinity of Boezinge there were several dugouts, seven of which were finished by the 173rd or 179th Tunnelling Company. Of these, Yorkshire Trench, Butt 18, Nile Trench and Heading Lane Dugout were double battalion headquarters, Bridge 6 was a brigade headquarters, and Lancashire Farm Dugout contained two battalion and two brigade headquarters.


179th Tunnelling Company, Unit history, Ypres Salient
The condition of the ground made digging the deep dugouts extremely difficult and dangerous. Work had to be carried out silently and secretly, facing an observant enemy who was only a few hundred metres away. About 180 dugout sites have been located in the Ypres Salient and in the 1990s some of them were entered, at least in part. Yorkshire Trench and its dugout were rediscovered by amateur archaeologists and systematically excavated in 1998. Although the area is now part of a large industrial estate, the location was opened to the public in 2003 (). Yorkshire Trench is located close to the John McCrae memorial site at Essex Farm.


179th Tunnelling Company, Unit history, La Bassée
During the winter of 1917–18 the company was in the La Bassée sector, engaged in defensive tunnel warfare and in constructing deep concrete dugouts in the support line (the 'Village Line') in cooperation with 42nd (East Lancashire) Divisional Engineers. These defences enabled 55th (West Lancashire) Division to hold its ground during the subsequent German spring offensive.


179th Tunnelling Company, Unit history, La Bassée
Once the front had stabilised after the German offensive, British engineers began digging stronger defences. Sections of 179th Tunnelling Co assisted the field companies of 42nd (EaL) Divisional Engineers in digging deep dugouts in the Hébuterne sector.


179th Tunnelling Company, In popular culture
Thomas Shelby, protagonist of the popular BBC drama Peaky Blinders, was said to have served as a tunneller in the 179th Tunnelling Company.


179th meridian east
The meridian 179° east of Greenwich is a line of longitude that extends from the North Pole across the Arctic Ocean, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Southern Ocean, and Antarctica to the South Pole.


179th meridian east
The 179th meridian east forms a great circle with the 1st meridian west.


179th meridian east, From Pole to Pole
Starting at the North Pole and heading south to the South Pole, the 179th meridian east passes through:


179th meridian west
The meridian 179° west of Greenwich is a line of longitude that extends from the North Pole across the Arctic Ocean, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Southern Ocean, and Antarctica to the South Pole.


179th meridian west
The 179th meridian west forms a great circle with the 1st meridian east.


179th meridian west, From Pole to Pole
Starting at the North Pole and heading south to the South Pole, the 179th meridian west passes through:


17:28
17:28 was a boy band in the Philippines active during the early 2000s (decade). Though known as a boy band, they considered themselves more of a vocal group. The group had four members: Gian Magdangal, Jonard Yanzon, Chino Alfonso and Wackie Valdes. The group was formed when all four members were in their college days, such as that of Gian being from La Salle, Chino being from Ateneo, and Wackie being an alumnus of UP Diliman.


17:28
After the band was formed, producer Vic Del Rosario discovered them while they were performing in a live bar gig. Since then, the group adopted the name 17:28 as a reference to verse 17:28 of the Biblical Book of Acts of the Apostles, For in him, we live, move and have our being. And as some of your own poets have said, we are His offspring. They chose the name since all of the members were devout Roman Catholics as they agreed on that decision.


17:28
In 2002, though yet without an album, the boys continued performing in various bars and made opening-act guest appearances in concerts of famous Filipino artists. The band specialized in Pop, RnB, and even Gospel music which highlighted their vocal harmony as a group.


17:28
Finally in 2003, the band released their self-titled debut album, 17:28 with 18-tracks from Star Music. The album featured tracks such as "Sukob Na" (a 2002 Rainy Station ID of ABS-CBN 2), "Come Breathe Me", and "Natutulog Ba Ang Diyos? ", which were mostly used as theme songs for ABS-CBN shows. Later that year, Wackie Valdes left the band citing his priorities in his studies. Thus, only three members remain.


17:28
In early 2004, Viva Records released their second album titled Cozy, a 12-track CD composed of pop ballads and RnB tunes. It featured carrier singles including "S.H.B.G. ", "Sana Muli", and "Close Your Eyes", which were mostly written by the band members themselves.


17:28
Before 2005, the band publicly announced their split. Members of the defunct band have encountered different paths in life soon after: Jonard Yanzon migrated to the U.S., Chino Alfonso and Wackie Valdes became working professionals, while Gian Magdangal is pursuing a comeback to the entertainment business as he joined talent contest Philippine Idol and reached the top 3 grand finals show of the internationally franchised television program, he's recently performed at Hong Kong Disneyland, now recently a TV actor for an action series Ang Probinsyano in 2018 up to 2019.


17:28
Self Titled played one more concert in their hometown, before breaking up again and permanently on 2 February 2007.


17A
The 17A protests were a series of massive demonstrations in Argentina which took place on August 17, 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, for several causes, among which: the defense of institutions and separation of powers, against a justice reform announced by the government, against the way quarantine was handled, the lack of liberty, the increase in theft, and a raise on state pensions.


17A
The main protest was in the Buenos Aires Obelisk. Demonstrations were also held in other parts of the city, such as Cabildo and Juramento (a main intersection in Belgrano), in front of the department of Cristina Kirchner (in Recoleta), and in other cities: Córdoba, Santa Fe, Mendoza, Tucumán, Mar del Plata, Lomas de Zamora, Adrogué, Avellaneda (Santa Fe), Viedma. Protests were also held in Punta del Este, Uruguay.


17A
The protests were organised mainly through social networks, by accounts that oppose the government, but with a nonpartisan focus, since no political party claimed the protests, and neither any party emblems were seen in the protests. Still, some politicians who oppose the government took part in the protests as private citizens, such as Patricia Bullrich, the leader of the PRO party. The government of the time accused the participants of being "anti-quarantine" and mocking the pandemic containment efforts.


17A, Causes
On March 12th, 2020, a strict lockdown was established across Argentina. This, at first, caused a spike in the positive image of President Alberto Fernández during March. Several causes made it went down over the following months of "preventive and mandatory isolation", reaching in August a record-low positive image since the start of the lockdown measures. Opinion Polls showed a sharp decline in economic expectations of the population, primarily in the future employment and prices expectations.


17A, Causes
People who approved the handle of the pandemic went from a 91.7% in March to a 62.4% in June, while disapproval went from a 5.5% in March to a 35.8% in June.


17A, Causes
On the 9th of July, protesters rallied against the government on the Buenos Aires Obelisk and in several other points of the country.


17A, Causes
On the 30th of July, the President sent the Congress a Bill for Justice Reform with the objective, according to Fernández, of being able to "better organize the Federal Justice and overcoming the crisis affecting the credibility and well-function of the Federal Criminal Justice. This project foresaw the unification of Criminal and Economic Justice and the creation of 23 new courts, what would dilute the influence of the country's 12 federal judges, as well as the merger of appeal courts and imposing several new procedure rules for Federal Judges. Also, an Advisory Board was created to propose reforms on the Supreme Court and the Council of Magistracy.


17A, Causes
In August, negative image of Alberto Fernandez surpassed, for the first time, the positive one. Only one poll, conducted by the state-owned UBA School of Social Sciences, showed a larger positive than negative image on the President.


17A, Causes
In the Buenos Aires Province, primarily the Greater Buenos Aires, an increase in crimes committed by people with no previous record was seen, qualified as "survival crime" by the Minister of Security of the province, Sergio Berni. This increase on crime was heavily covered by mass media and was one of the protesters claims. The National Ministry of Security, Sabina Frederic, stated: "The are not so much robberies  [...] we are seeing violence acts during crime happening, which are being alerted, mainly, by mass media, which make them visible and follow-up the cases". After this statements, the Chief of the Cabinet of Ministers (Santiago Cafiero) added: "What I know is what the Ministry of Security, Frederic, is proposing according to a statistics comparing with the last year. Now, comparing with March, there are there are obviously more cases".


17A, Causes
By the 17th of August, the day protests took place, the lockdown measures (officially known as "preventive and mandatory social isolation") had been on for 151 days in both the City of Buenos Aires and its Greater Area, while most of the rest of the country had went to a less-strict phase called Social Distancing.


17K-AM
17K-AM was the name of a two-stage-to-orbit russian orbital launch vehicle projected in 1993, proposed by the Russian Air Force and to be constructed by Chelomey. It didn't pass the phase of study. The vehicle was to be composed by a Horizontal takeoff, horizontal landing launch stage with a spaceplane mounted on it that would reach orbit.


17LIVE
17 Live is a global live social entertainment platform, operating in eight different markets across the continents.’


17LIVE
The business was first founded in Taiwan in 2015 by Jeffery Huang. The company has maintained its leading position since its entry into the Japan market in 2017, becoming the biggest platform for live entertainment in Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and other countries. The platform now has more than 46K contracted artist globally, attracting more than 2million active users monthly.


17LIVE
Alongside its success, 17 Live has also encountered some headwinds throughout the years. Most notably was the unsuccessful US IPO attempt in 2018. Since then, the company has furthered affirmed its ambition to reform and transform the business. Some key initiatives include the hiring of current CEO Hirofumi Ono, spin-off of Paktor (dating software business unit), full buy-out of founder Jeffery Huang, acquisition of MEME and HandsUp, etc.


17LIVE
17 Live now is the #3 live broadcasting platform globally, formed by its flagship live stream app 17LIVE (LIVIT in English markets), MEME Live and live stream e-commerce platforms HandsUP and FBBuy.


17LIVE, History
17 Media (Now 17Live) was founded by Jeffery Huang 2015 in Taiwan.


17LIVE, History
In 2017, 17 Media closed out US$33M in series B  round to merge with dating software Paktor, as well as to enter the Japan and Hong Kong market. Within one year, 17 Media became the #1 market leader in Japan.


17LIVE, History
In 2018, the company raised $25M in series C round as it got ready for US IPO, which failed to materialize. Despite the failed IPO attempt, the company continued to push for international expansion, including creating ‘LIVIT’ for the English-speaking markets to enter US, India, and North Africa.


17LIVE, History
In 2019, 17's flagship live streaming app reached 10M downloads in Japan, and the business continues to push for both organic and inorganic expansion. Some key M&A highlights in the year include the acquisition of MEME Live in Southeast Asia, as well as HandsUp, a live e-commerce platform.


17LIVE, History
In 2020, M17 closed out $26.5M in Series D round to continue organic growth in Japan, US and Middle East. In the same year, the company also sold its dating app business, Parktor, to rationalise M17 into a live-stream pure play business, followed by the appointment of its current Global CEO, Hirofumi Ono. With the buy-out and departure of founder Jeff Huang, the parent holding company M17 Entertainment Limited officially renamed as 17 Live Group.


17LIVE, Features
On 17LIVE, artists (LIVERs) are able to broadcast live, and post photos and videos from their album. The app has been designed for LIVERs to simply open the App, and start sharing contents without the need to edit or professionally curate their videos.


17LIVE, Features
The platform cultivates LIVERs, supports them with a local content management team, and provides artists with various functions, such as real time chatting, gifting, fan clubs, interactive competition and events.


17LIVE, Features
Today, 17LIVE has 46 thousands contracted artists and more than 2.3 million MAU, who spend 44 minutes on the platform everyday. 17LIVE continues to advocate content-driven philosophy and delivers diverse topics, from politics and music to entertainment, to broaden its audience groups. 17LIVE also hosts offline flash events and concerts to attract new users and support LIVERs better connect with their fans.


17LIVE, Operation
The app provides few monetization models for LIVERs on the platform, including:


17LIVE, Operation
Gifting: user / fans buy virtual gifts on the app to send to their favored LIVERs.


17LIVE, Operation
Subscription: monthly subscription fan club service for access to exclusive content


17LIVE, Operation
In the past, 17LIVE has encountered some regulatory headwinds with reported incidents of inappropriate livestream content on the platform. The incidents were direct results of the lack of oversight and supervision capability in place in the business at the time. Over the years, 17LIVE claims to have put in tremendous manpower and effort into improving, monitoring and maintaining control over both the live stream content and the KYC procedures and systems.


17pdr SP Achilles
The 17pdr SP Achilles (officially 17 pounder, Self-Propelled, Achilles) was a British variant of the American M10 tank destroyer armed with the British Ordnance QF 17 pounder high-velocity 76.2 mm (3-inch) anti-tank gun in place of the M10's considerably less powerful 3-inch (76.2 mm) Gun M7. A total of 1,100 M10s were converted to Achilles, making it the second most numerous armoured fighting vehicle to carry the 17 pounder gun, behind the Sherman Firefly.


17pdr SP Achilles
The name "Achilles" was officially a designation applied to both the 3" gun and 17 pounder versions (as Achilles I/II and Achilles Ic/IIc respectively) but was little used during the Second World War; at the time, the vehicle was called 17pdr M10, or 17pdr SP M10, or even occasionally, "Firefly". It has since become identified almost exclusively with the 17 pounder version.


17pdr SP Achilles, Origins
In the wake of Germany's successful 1939–41 campaigns, US armor doctrine had incorporated the idea of fast, lightly armoured vehicles carrying high-velocity anti-tank guns as the best way to deal with the fast-moving spearheads of the German Blitzkrieg. The M10 was based on the chassis of the M4 Sherman but carried thinner although more sloped armor in order to comply with the high-speed requirement for the tank.


17pdr SP Achilles, Origins
At the same time, the British had been examining the possibility of designing a low-silhouette self-propelled anti-tank gun, preferably with a 360-degree traversing turret, with armour that would be able to resist the German 5 cm KwK 39 gun fitted to German tanks at 800 yards and mounting the 17 pounder anti-tank gun. However, with the arrival of the M10 on the battlefield in late 1942, British plans for a turreted self-propelled gun were cancelled.


17pdr SP Achilles, Origins
During the North African campaign, the British did use self-propelled AT guns such as 6-pdr Sexton. The Valentine tank chassis was fitted with the 17pdr and to create the Archer which was used later in north-west Europe.


17pdr SP Achilles, Origins
The armour of the M10 provided good protection against the 50 mm mounted on most German tanks and anti-tank guns. The M10 was first made available to the British in 1943. These vehicles were open-topped and mounted a 3-inch (76.2 mm) M7 American gun, which was significantly more powerful than the Ordnance QF 6 pounder that was mounted on British tanks of the period and was of equal power to the 7.5 cm KwK 40 used by the Panzer IV and Sturmgeschütz III.


17pdr SP Achilles, Design
The 17 pdr SP Achilles was basically a modified M10, the principal difference being the gun. The main armament of the Achilles was the Ordnance QF 17 pounder, a substantially more powerful gun than the 3 in (76.2 mm) M7 mounted on the standard M10. The single top-mounted .50 caliber M2 Browning heavy machine gun was retained.


17pdr SP Achilles, Design
The 17 pounder mounted on the Achilles was able to penetrate some 140 mm of armour at 500 m (550 yd) and 131 mm at 1,000 m (1,100 yd) using standard Armour Piercing, Capped, Ballistic Capped (APCBC) ammunition impacting at a 30-degree angle. When supplied, Armour-piercing discarding sabot (APDS) ammunition could penetrate some 209  mm (8 inches) of armor at 500 meters and 192  mm at 1,000 meters at a 30-degree angle, though the accuracy of the APDS round was poor during the war.


17pdr SP Achilles, Design
In comparison, the M7 gun on the standard M10 using the same type of ammunition (APCBC) would penetrate 98  mm of armor at 500 m at a 30-degree angle, and 88  mm of armor at 1,000 meters at a 30-degree angle. Only with High-Velocity Armour Piercing (HVAP) ammunition did that gun compare with the 17 pounder, the ammunition being able to penetrate 140  mm at 500 m at a 30-degree angle, and 127  mm at 1,000 m at a 30-degree angle. However, HVAP ammunition was in very short supply, whereas the standard 17 pounder ammunition was available in huge quantities for the British.


17pdr SP Achilles, Design
The 17 pounder required a counterweight fitted behind the muzzle brake on its long barrel. This gave the Achilles a distinctive appearance compared to the comparatively short-barrelled, brakeless, entirely straight barrel of the M10. Once the Germans discovered the effectiveness of the Achilles' gun on the same M10 carriage as the much less powerful M7 gun, attempts were made to disguise the 17 pounder by painting its brake and counterweight.


17pdr SP Achilles, Design
Two other material changes were made to the Achilles: the addition of 17 mm (0.67 in) thick armor plates welded to the front and sides of the M10 to increase armor protection, and the M10's open turret was fitted with a 20  mm thick shield to provide protection from overhead threats.


17pdr SP Achilles, Production
The desire to mount the 17 pounder on the M10 was governed by the degree of difficulty involved in mounting the 17 pounder on the tank itself. Luckily for the British, the initial batches of M10s had an easily modified gun mounting to facilitate the future replacement of the older 3-inch M7 gun with the newer 76 mm gun M1. This gun mounting design allowed for the British to replace the 3-inch gun with the 17 pounder gun. The British took delivery of some 845 vehicles in 1943, but of the second version of the M10, only the T71 mark designed to carry the M1 gun could carry the 17 pounder.


17pdr SP Achilles, Production
The British had planned to convert some 1,000 M10s into 17pdr armed variants for Normandy, but for some reason conversions were not started until April 1944. By D-Day, only some 124 M10s had been converted; however, the number of conversions post D-day increased and by the end of the year 816 M10s had been converted, 152 vehicles in November alone. However, the low numbers at D-day meant both that many British units went ashore fielding standard M10s and losses in Achilles units were often replaced by standard 3" armed M10s.


17pdr SP Achilles, Production
As a self-propelled anti-tank gun, both Achilles and standard M10s were distributed to and operated by the regiments of the Royal Artillery. Around 1,650 M10s were received by the British during the war, with 1,100 converted to the 17 pdr by its end.


17pdr SP Achilles, Operational use
The standard anti-tank gun used in infantry units in the British Army was the QF 6-pounder gun a small, light gun able to defeat the more common German Panzer IV and Sturmgeschütz with regular ammunition but not the heavier Panthers and Tigers front on. The next generation British anti-gun, the 17 pounder, was able to deal with Tigers and Panthers but had a far longer emplacement time prior to battle than the 6 pounder due to its larger size, often taking a day to fully prepare for action.


17pdr SP Achilles, Operational use
As a result, the British used the Achilles as a quickly deployable anti-tank gun, able to reinforce a position taken by infantry and engage counter-attacking German forces while the slower towed 17 pounders were pulled up and dug in for a more long-term defensive presence. This had the advantage of mitigating the weak armour protection of the Achilles as being used defensively usually allowed it to fire the vital first shot. This was in line with the original design concept of the vehicle, intended to blunt German "blitzkrieg" attack tactics.


17pdr SP Achilles, Operational use
The M10/Achilles turret had an extremely slow manual only turret rotation, a limited tactical disadvantage when the tank was used only in a defensive role. As such, they had an advantage over German Stugs, which had no turret rotation. However, the Stug's low profile and heavy armour were significant assets that allowed it to be successful in its different tactical environment. Usually, the only time the British used the M10 and Achilles offensively was in support of Churchill tank units, which lacked the associated 17 pdr-armed tanks that Sherman and Cromwell tank units had.


17pdr SP Achilles, Operational use
Achilles went ashore on D-Day, equipping units of the Royal Artillery and Royal Canadian Artillery in Armoured Division or Corps Anti-tank Regiments. A typical A/Tk Regiment would have 4 Batteries, 2 x Towed 17 Pdr Batteries, 1 x Achilles and 1 x M10 Battery. The M10 Battery was replaced by a second Achilles Battery as more vehicles became available. Perhaps the most successful action of the Achilles was conducted by B troop, 245th Battery, 62nd Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery attached to the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry during Operation Charnwood.


17pdr SP Achilles, Operational use
South of Buron, a counterattack by a mixed force of Panzer IV and Panther tanks of the 12th SS Panzer Regiment was defeated by Achilles and 17-pounder anti tank guns of 245th Battery, 62nd Anti-tank Regiment. Thirteen German tanks were destroyed in one of the most successful antitank engagements of the campaign, for the loss of four self-propelled guns and a further four damaged.


17pdr SP Achilles, Surviving examples
17pdr SP Achilles on display at The Tank Museum, Bovington UK


17q12 microdeletion syndrome
17q12 microdeletion syndrome, also known as 17q12 deletion syndrome, is a rare chromosomal anomaly caused by the deletion of a small amount of material from a region in the long arm of chromosome 17. It is typified by deletion of the HNF1B gene, resulting in kidney abnormalities and renal cysts and diabetes syndrome. It also has neurocognitive effects, and has been implicated as a genetic factor for autism and schizophrenia.


17q12 microdeletion syndrome
17q12 microdeletion syndrome is not to be confused with 17q12 microduplication syndrome, caused by the addition of genetic material in the same region from which it is removed in the microdeletion, or 17q21.31 microdeletion syndrome, another name for Koolen–De Vries syndrome.


17q12 microdeletion syndrome, Presentation
17q12 microdeletions have a variable phenotype, ranging from few or no symptoms to severe disability. The condition is thought to be underdiagnosed, and cases with milder phenotypes may not reach clinical attention unless they have an affected child themselves. The most characteristic symptom is renal cysts and diabetes syndrome (RCAD), also known as "type 5 diabetes", which is caused by deletion of the associated HNF1B gene in the region. RCAD is associated with kidney abnormalities and a characteristic form of diabetes that causes atrophy of the pancreas. However, some people with 17q12 microdeletions have normal renal function. RCAD is diagnosed in approximately 40% of people with 17q12 microdeletions, usually prior to age 25, while kidney abnormalities more broadly occur in approximately 85-90%.


17q12 microdeletion syndrome, Presentation
People with 17q12 microdeletions have a characteristic facial phenotype, albeit a subtle one not usually obvious in daily life. Macrocephaly is common, along with high arched eyebrows, flattening of the malar region, and epicanthic folds. Pathological short stature is possible, and a characteristic "short and stocky" body shape occurs in many cases.


17q12 microdeletion syndrome, Presentation
17q12 microdeletions are associated with neurocognitive and developmental involvement of variable severity. Some have mild to moderate intellectual disability; however, such impairment is not universal. Average intelligence is in the average to low average range. Speech delay is common, regardless of intellectual functioning. The most striking association between 17q12 microdeletions and neurodevelopment is the raised prevalence of autism spectrum disorder, with significant increases in both diagnosis and subclinical autistic traits. 17q12 microdeletions have been implicated as one of the major genetic causes of high-functioning autistic spectrum disorders. Schizophrenia is also a significant psychiatric complication of 17q12 microdeletion syndrome. 17q12 microdeletions are estimated to occur in approximately 1 in 1,600 schizophrenic people, compared to an estimation of below 1 in 50,000 in the general population. Epilepsy, usually mild, occurs in approximately one-third of cases.


17q12 microdeletion syndrome, Presentation
Reproductive system anomalies are associated with 17q12 microdeletions, particularly in females. 17q12 microdeletions have been linked to uterine malformations, most frequently Müllerian agenesis, where the uterus and part of the vaginal canal are absent.


17q12 microdeletion syndrome, Causes
17q12 microdeletion syndrome is an autosomal dominant disorder, where one copy of the relevant mutation is enough to cause the condition. Most cases are de novo, or spontaneous mutations that do not occur in the proband's parents; approximately 75% are de novo, while 25% are inherited. People with 17q12 microdeletions who have normal fertility have a 50% chance of passing the deletion down to their offspring. Environmental factors have not been implicated in the syndrome.


17q12 microdeletion syndrome, Diagnosis
Like other chromosomal microdeletions, 17q12 microdeletion syndrome is diagnosed via fluorescence in situ hybridization. Traditional karyotyping, used to diagnose major chromosomal disorders such as aneuploidy, is rarely sensitive enough to detect microdeletions.


17q12 microdeletion syndrome, Treatment
As the underlying 17q12 microdeletion is an innate genetic disorder, it cannot by itself be treated. Rather, treatment is symptomatic and supportive. The high prevalence of kidney disease indicates routine monitoring of renal function, particularly in people taking potentially nephrotoxic medications such as lithium. The comorbities involved in 17q12 microdeletion syndrome require caution in medical treatment; for instance, the increased risk of diabetes requires strict monitoring for post-transplantation diabetes mellitus in kidney transplant patients, as does the risk of weight gain and diabetes from neuroleptic drugs in those with a mental health diagnosis.


17q12 microdeletion syndrome, Epidemiology
The prevalence of 17q12 microdeletion syndrome is unknown, and it is likely to be underdiagnosed. 17q12 microdeletions are estimated to occur in approximately 1 in 600 people on the autism spectrum and 1 in 1,600 with schizophrenia, but are far rarer in the general population. General prevalence is estimated to be between 1 in 14,000 and 1 in 62,500.


17q12 microdeletion syndrome, Epidemiology
In addition to the increased prevalence in autism and schizophrenia, some other clinical populations have increased prevalence of 17q12 microdeletion syndrome. The condition occurs in approximately 2% of those with congenital kidney abnormalities and 3-6% of women with Müllerian agenesis. It is one of the ten most common microdeletions amongst children with idiopathic developmental delay.


17q12 microdeletion syndrome, Microduplication
17q12 microduplication syndrome is far rarer than the corresponding microdeletion, estimated to occur roughly one-fifth as frequently as 17q12 microdeletion syndrome. Due to its rarity and the overlap between their phenotypes, 17q12 microduplications are usually discussed as an adjunct to microdeletions. Like the microdeletion syndrome, the microduplication syndrome has a broad phenotypic range, ranging from asymptomatic to profound disability; intellectual disability is frequently but not always more severe than the microdeletion, while physical health is often better. Epilepsy is a frequent finding. A case of sex reversal has been reported.


17q12 microdeletion syndrome, Microduplication
While autism comorbid with 17q12 microduplication has been reported, it appears far rarer than in the microdeletion. Physical anomalies associated with 17q12 microduplication syndrome include syndactyly, microcephaly, epicanthic folds, and thick eyebrows or a unibrow. The 17q12 microduplication appears to have a low penetrance, as many cases are inherited from asymptomatic parents.


17th (Northern) Division
The 17th (Northern) Division was an infantry division of the British Army, a Kitchener's Army formation raised during the Great War.


17th (Northern) Division, Formation history
The 17th (Northern) Division was created under Northern Command in September 1914, just a month after the British entry into the Great War, from men volunteering for Lord Kitchener's New Armies. Most of the volunteers had had little prior military experience. Worsening the situation was an acute lack of experienced officers and NCO's to train the new men as, due to the huge expansion of the British Army, experienced soldiers were needed everywhere. Furthermore, weapons and equipment, along with billets, were scarce.


17th (Northern) Division, Formation history
The division, commanded by Major General Walter Kenyon-Slaney, part of Kitchener's Second New Army (K2), concentrated throughout Dorset for training, moving to Hampshire in late May 1915. In early July the division sent advance parties to France in preparation for a move overseas, the rest of the division following a week later, moving to Saint-Omer for concentration. The division was to remain on the Western Front for the rest of the war, with most of the rest of 1915 being spent in the southern sector of the Ypres Salient, being instructed in trench warfare.


17th (Northern) Division, Formation history
The division's first major engagement was in July 1916, where the division, as part of V Corps, fought in the battles of Albert and Delville Wood, both part of the larger Battle of the Somme. On the first day on the Somme, on 1 July 1916, the 50th Brigade, in particular the 10th (Service) Battalion, West Yorkshires, suffered very heavy casualties, the highest sustained by any British unit on that day. On 13 July Major General Thomas Pilcher, who had been in command since January 1915, was sacked by his superiors, who were not impressed with him. He was replaced by Major General Philip Robertson, who was to remain in command for the rest of the war.


17th (Northern) Division, Formation history
In April 1917 the division, now part of VI Corps, fought in the first and second battles of the Scarpe, both part of the Battle of Arras, where heavy casualties were sustained. The division later fought in the First and Second Battles of Passchendaele, part of the much longer Third Battle of Ypres.


17th (Northern) Division, Formation history
Early 1918 saw the division resting after the battles of the previous year, again as part of V Corps. The division fought in the German Army's Spring Offensives, followed by the Battle of Epehy and the Battle of Cambrai, both part of the attempt to smash the German Hindenburg Line during the Hundred Days Offensive which saw the end of the trench warfare and brought the war to an end on 11 November 1918.


17th (Northern) Division, Formation history
During the Great War the 17th (Northern) Division had, from 1915, when it departed for the Western Front, until 1918, when the war ended, sustained 40,258 casualties.


17th (Northern) Division, Order of battle
The 17th (Northern) Division was constituted as follows during the war:


17th AARP Movies for Grownups Awards
The 17th AARP Movies for Grownups Awards, presented by AARP the Magazine, honored films and television shows released in 2017 and were announced on February 5, 2018. The awards recognized films created by and about people over the age of 50. The ceremony was hosted by actor Alan Cumming at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. This was the first year since 2015 that the ceremony was broadcast on television, airing on PBS as part of its Great Performances series on February 23, 2018.


17th AARP Movies for Grownups Awards, Awards, Winners and Nominees
Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface, and indicated with a double dagger ().


17th AVN Awards
The 17th AVN Awards ceremony, presented by Adult Video News (AVN), took place January 8, 2000 at the Venetian Hotel Grand Ballroom, at Paradise, Nevada, U.S.A. During the ceremony, AVN presented AVN Awards (often dubbed the "Academy Awards Of Porn") in 77 categories honoring the best pornographic films released between Oct. 1, 1998 and Sept. 30, 1999. The ceremony was produced by Gary Miller and directed by Mark Stone. Adult film star Juli Ashton hosted the show.


17th AVN Awards
Double Feature! won 10 awards including Best Director—Video for Jonathan Morgan while the night's other big winner, Seven Deadly Sins captured eight awards including Best Film and Best Director—Film for Ren Savant. Several other movies won two trophies apiece including: Cashmere, Chloe, Dark Garden, Playthings, Search for the Snow Leopard, Tristan Taormino's Ultimate Guide to Anal Sex for Women, What Makes You Cum and When Rocco Meats Kelly 2: In Barcelona.


17th AVN Awards, Winners and nominees
The nominees for the 18th AVN Awards were announced in November 1999. Seven Deadly Sins received the most nominations with 15, followed by Nothing to Hide 3 & 4 with 12 and Double Feature! and The Awakening with 11 apiece.


17th AVN Awards, Winners and nominees
The winners were announced during the awards ceremony on January 8, 2000. Besides winning Best Actress—Film, Chloe also won or shared in four other awards: Best Solo Sex Scene, Best Anal Sex Scene—Film, Best All-Girl Sex Scene—Video and Best Group Sex Scene—Video. The most sought-after awards, Best New Starlet and Female Performer of the Year, went to Bridgette Kerkove and Inari Vachs respectively. Dark Garden was named best video feature, the fourth time a Michael Ninn-directed feature had won either Best Film or Best Video.


17th AVN Awards, Winners and nominees, Major awards
Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface, and indicated with a double dagger ().


17th AVN Awards, Winners and nominees, Additional Award Winners
These awards were announced, but not presented, in two winners-only segments read by Taylor Hayes and Christi Lake during the event. Trophies were given to the recipients off-stage:


17th AVN Awards, Winners and nominees, Honorary AVN Awards, Hall of Fame
AVN Hall of Fame inductees for 2000 were: No announcement at the show


17th AVN Awards, Presenters and performers
The following individuals presented awards or performed musical numbers or comedy. The show's trophy girls were Layla and Alexa Rae.


17th AVN Awards, Ceremony information
For 2000, the event was moved to the eight-month-old Venetian Hotel and Casino and Genesis magazine noted the annual show "was as much style as substance as several thousand porn stars, directors, producers and fans poured into the massive ballroom."


17th AVN Awards, Ceremony information
Following criticism of the previous year's four-hour show, host Juli Ashton announced she was going to try to keep the 2000 show short; it ended up running slightly longer than two hours.


17th AVN Awards, Ceremony information
Alisha Klass tried to shock the audience during the show, first by coming out wearing a microscopic dress and with a ball-gag in her mouth to announce the winner of Best New Starlet, then later by pulling off her clothes as adult stars jumped on stage to dance to orchestra Jimmie Lykes and the Club Swingers prior to announcement of the final two awards.


17th AVN Awards, Ceremony information
AVN founder Paul Fishbein, who presented the AVN Special Achievement awards, announced they were being renamed the Reuben Sturman Memorial Award to honor Sturman for his contributions to the industry. Meanwhile, when Howard Stern refused to attend and accept his Achievement Award, Beetlejuice took to the podium to accept on his behalf and "rambled incomprehensibly" and had to be interrupted to stop what seemed like an endless speech.


17th AVN Awards, Ceremony information
Meanwhile, Hustler noted, "This year's AVN Awards inspired many catcalls and boos from the allies of losing nominees, prompting Jill Kelly to remark that the camaraderie of past awards shows had been replaced with a mean-spirited competitiveness this year."


17th AVN Awards, Ceremony information
Several new awards were introduced for this years show; among them: Best Specialty Tape—Big Bust. The show was recorded and a video of the awards show was issued by VCA Pictures.


17th AVN Awards, Ceremony information, Performance of year's movies
The Houston 620 was announced as the adult movie industry's top selling movie while The Devil in Miss Jones 6 was the top renting movie of the previous year.


17th AVN Awards, In Memoriam
The annual moment of silence tribute for those who died during the past year, presented by AVN founder Paul Fishbein, honored the following people: Bob Vosse, Bruce Walker, Stanley Fleischman, Paul Wisner, Kim Kataine, Albert Sanchez, David Chandler, Lou Perraino and Rene Bond.


17th Academy Awards
The 17th Academy Awards marked the first time the complete awards ceremony was broadcast nationally, on the Blue Network (ABC Radio). Bob Hope hosted the 70-minute broadcast, which included film clips that required explanation for the radio audience. This tradition ended abruptly after the 1948 ceremony as a result of the Paramount antitrust decrees, only to return gradually since the late 1960s.


17th Academy Awards
This is the first year that the Best Picture category was limited to five pictures. This was also the first and only time an individual was nominated for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor for playing the same role in the same film: Barry Fitzgerald for the character of Father Fitzgibbon in Going My Way. He won for Best Supporting Actor.


17th Aero Squadron
The 17th Aero Squadron was a United States Army Air Service unit that fought on the Western Front during World War I.


17th Aero Squadron
As a Day Pursuit (Fighter) Squadron. its mission was to engage and clear enemy aircraft from the skies and provide escort to reconnaissance and bombardment squadrons over enemy territory. It also attacked enemy observation balloons, and perform close air support and tactical bombing attacks of enemy forces along the front lines.


17th Aero Squadron
The unit achieved a number of "firsts". It was the first United States Aero Squadron sent to Canada to be trained by the British; the first squadron to be completely trained prior to be sent overseas with its complete quota of trained pilots; the first squadron to be attached to British Royal Air Force squadrons and the first to be sent into combat.


17th Aero Squadron
In October 1918, the squadron was transferred to the United States Second Army 4th Pursuit Group. However, with Second Army's planned offensive drive on Metz cancelled due to the 1918 Armistice with Germany, the squadron saw no combat with Second Army. It returned to the United States and was demobilized on 1 April 1919 as part of the demobilization of the Air Service after the war.


17th Aero Squadron
On 17 October 1936, the World War I Aero squadron was consolidated with the United States Army Air Corps 17th Pursuit Squadron to preserve the lineage and history of the unit. Today, the United States Air Force 17th Weapons Squadron flies the F-15E Strike Eagle at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.


17th Aero Squadron, History, Formation and initial training
The squadron was first organized as "Company A", Remount Station, Fort Sam Houston, Texas, on 13 May 1917, about a month after the declaration of war by President Woodrow Wilson. It was later re-designated "Company M", and later, "Company B". On 16 June, it again was re-designated as the 29th Provisional Aero Squadron, Aviation Section, Signal Corps, and then on 30 July, the 17th Aero Squadron. It was made of entirely of volunteers, and the majority of the unit had enlisted in the Army believing they would be flying officers.


17th Aero Squadron, History, Formation and initial training
Unit members came from thirty-five states, Puerto Rico, Canada, and Mexico, and they were among the first to arrive at the new Kelly Field. The initial duties of the squadron consisted of surveying and building the first sewage and water system, and the first barracks and hangars of the new airfield.


17th Aero Squadron, History, Formation and initial training
On 2 August, the squadron was ordered to Toronto, Ontario, Canada for training under the British Royal Flying Corps (RFC). The previous month, a reciprocal agreement was made between the British and American governments under which the British would organize and train at the RFC's camps near Toronto the pilots and mechanics of ten Aero squadrons for overseas service. The 17th Aero Squadron was the first group to arrive under that agreement. The squadron arrived on 4 August at the recruit's depot at Leaside, Ontario. Here the men underwent three weeks of British drill and discipline.


17th Aero Squadron, History, Formation and initial training
Then, the squadron was divided into detachments and went on to other camps in the area for training in rigging and fitting and all the trades involved in maintaining airplanes. The gunners and radio operators went to the School of Military Aeronautics at Toronto University; six went to the motor transport depot; seventy-five went to the RFC Airplane Repair Park; six to the flying field at Desoronto for training under the 43d Wing, RFC, and ninety-nine men went on to further training at Leaside.


17th Aero Squadron, History, Formation and initial training
In early October, the squadron was re-assembled at Leaside. New orders were received and the 17th was transferred to Camp Taliaferro, near Fort Worth, Texas on 12 October, for additional RFC training, although an advance party of twenty men had left for the same destination on 24 September. The squadron was assigned to Hicks Field, which afterward was given designation Taliaferro Field #1. Upon arrival, the airfield was in an unfinished state. The barracks were unfinished and the hangars for the airplanes were still to be built.


17th Aero Squadron, History, Formation and initial training
Both officers and men lived in tents from which they had to chase an occasional tarantula. There was no telephones, no electricity and no transport. The training airplanes were still un-assembled in packing crates, and supplies were just beginning to arrive. However, within a week, the training aircraft, Curtiss JN-4 Jennies had been uncrated, assembled and flying. The flying cadets, who had been instructed in primary training during their time at Desoronto, were taught further details of flying. By 1 December, thirty cadets had completed their training and received commissions as First Lieutenants. The squadron's equipment has been received and on 20 December, the squadron received its overseas movement orders and departed for Garden City, New York for deployment.


17th Aero Squadron, History, Formation and initial training
Upon arrival in Garden City, it found New York in the grip of a coal shortage and a severe cold streak of weather. For two weeks, sailing was held up. The squadron was finally allowed to embark on 9 January at New York Haber pier 54 on the RMS Carmania, a former Cunard ocean liner that had been impressed as a troop ship. The Carmania sailed as part of a convoy of fourteen ships. Everything went according to schedule, and the ship arrived in Liverpool, England on 25 January. After disembarking, the squadron was marched from the docks to the Liverpool railway station where it boarded a London and North Western Railway train which took them to Winchester, Hampshire, near the south coast of England. Arriving in the late afternoon the squadron was moved to the Romsey Rest Camp.


17th Aero Squadron, History, Formation and initial training
Prior to leaving the United States, the squadron was informed that they were the first United States pursuit squadron to be deployed overseas; that they were well trained and organized; and the men were eager to do their part in the war. However now they were told by the British officers at Romsey that the squadron would be again split up into Flights and scatter the unit among Royal Flying Corps units in France for more training. It was arranged that each flight, would be attached to a separate RFC fighting squadron for duty and final training, while the pilots would be sent to various flying schools in Great Britain.


17th Aero Squadron, History, Training in France
After a month of confusion and very uncomfortable living conditions at Romsey on 9 February 1918, the Ground Echelon of the squadron sailed from Southampton for Le Havre, Upper Normandy, France, with a shipload of mules and horses. After landing, the squadron was met by a British officer and the Flights were sent off to their various destinations. Headquarters Flight was assigned to 24 Squadron at Matigny in the Somme; "A" Flight to 84 Squadron at Guizancourt, also in the Somme; "B" to 60 Squadron at Ste. Marie Capelle, near Hazebrouck on the Flanders front; and "C" to 56 Squadron at Baizieux Airdrome in Somme. All left at once except "B" Flight which followed on the 10th.


17th Aero Squadron, History, Training in France
Thanks to the training the men received in the United States, the men of the 17th knew their aircraft well enough to be a help rather than a hindrance to the squadrons to which they were attached. Also, both officers and men realized they were a part of an experiment in training squadrons in the field, and that, with their ability to get on well with the British, the future of this method of training in no small measure depended for the following units coming from the United States.


17th Aero Squadron, History, Training in France
The 17th was completely detached from the United States Army Air Service; its flights were totally out of touch with each other. Occasionally an American officer would come by for an hour or so, at widely scattered intervals, to see how well they were "getting on". Each flight relied on the British for all of its necessary resources, including clothing and transport.


17th Aero Squadron, History, Training in France
As a result of the German spring offensive, all of the Flights, with the exception of "B", were still at the Airdromes to which they were originally assigned. "B" Flight had moved to Bailleul Airdrome on the Somme, where it and 60 Squadron came under shell fire from the advancing German Army, although it suffered no casualties. On 23 March, the squadron moved to La Bellevue, near Arras, Pas-de-Calais, while the Flight left for Fienvillers, Somme, on 28 March, where the squadron had arrived the previous day.


17th Aero Squadron, History, Training in France
All of the Flights were now on the front involved in defending the line against the Germans and from the end of March, all Flights took part in a succession of movements carried out in the face of the enemy advance. The men of the 17th helped build new Airdromes; break them down and build still others as the British Army moved back.


17th Aero Squadron, History, Training in France
Headquarters Flight began moving on the first day of the German Attack (21 March) when 24 Squadron moved from Matigny less than two hours before the Germans reached it, and some squadron members were still burning the quarters and hangars. While doing so, advance soldiers of the Germans had reached the airfield and they were under machine-gun fire. From Matigny, the Flight and Squadron moved to Bertangles; then from Bertangles to Conteville.


17th Aero Squadron, History, Training in France
At Guizancourt, "A" Flight had received enemy artillery fire, and along with 64 Squadron had moved to Champien Aerodrome, near Roye; the last man got away only an hour and a half before the Germans arrived. From Roye it moved to La ferme du Vert Galand aerodrome on 24 March and then to Conteville, been billeted in Maison-Ponthieu on 29 March. By the time the front was held, "A", without 64 Squadron, only made one more move on 5 April to Bertangles.


17th Aero Squadron, History, Training in France
The other two flights had much the same experience. "B" Flight had come down from Flanders to Bellevue with 60 Squadron just in time to stand by to move. All the British Squadrons supplies and property were divided up so that, if the need arose, they could be destroyed quickly in the order of their importance. Nothing, in spite of the danger, was lost. The Flight and Squadron moved to Fienvillers on 28 March where they remained until 18 April when it moved again to Boffles aerodrome, setting camp at Rougefay. "C" Flight moved only one time on 26 March from Baizieux to La ferme du Valheureux, near Candas.


17th Aero Squadron, History, Training in France
During the three months of the German offensive, the RAF experienced the busiest and most dangerous times it had ever known, and during this period, the men of the 17th Aero Squadron learned much more than the maintenance of aircraft. They learned what it meant to send out patrols and move frequently from one airdrome to another at the same time. The knowledge that it gained in actual experience was more valuable than the knowledge they gained working with the RAF in maintaining aircraft. This became invaluable when the 17th began operating as an American unit with the RAF and word came in the middle of the night to move in five hours, they were fully capable of the task.


17th Aero Squadron, History, Training in France
On 18 May it was decided that the Americans should be assigned to Sopwith Camel units. The mechanics would be given a month to master their overhaul and upkeep. Headquarters and "A" flights were assigned to 23 Squadron, then to 60 Squadron; "B" Flight was assigned to 46 Squadron and "C" Flight to 3 squadron. The men learned rapidly, and on 20 June the 17th Aero Squadron was re-assembled at Petite Synthe Aerodrome, near Dunkirk, to become a combat squadron and resume its identity as a squadron.


17th Aero Squadron, History, RAF combat operations, Petite Synthe
At Petite Synthe Airdrome the 17th received its official insignia, secret at the time, a white Dumbbell painted on each side of the fuselage aft of the cockpit. Later, in anticipation of its return to American command, the squadron adopted its own symbol, the "Great Snow Owl". However, it was with the Dumbbell that the squadron engaged in combat. The squadron was assigned to No. 65 Wing RAF for operations.


17th Aero Squadron, History, RAF combat operations, Petite Synthe
However, No. 19 Squadron RAF also used the same basic form of "dumbbell" squadron marking, albeit with slightly larger circles at each end, on its own Sopwith Dolphin fighters from November 1917 onward through the summer of 1918, and is believed to have used them on its Dolphins right up to Armistice Day.


17th Aero Squadron, History, RAF combat operations, Petite Synthe
After several weeks of familiarization flights, the 17th Aero Squadron entered combat on 15 July 1918 for the first time. The front was very quiet. Lt . Rodney D. Williams brought down its first enemy airplane not far from Ostend, Belgium about 09:45 on 20 July when the squadron encountered a formation of five German Fokker biplanes at approximately 21,000 feet.


17th Aero Squadron, History, RAF combat operations, Petite Synthe
Several bursts of machine-gun fire were fired at a rather long range at two different aircraft, and one German aircraft seemed to be hit as a tracer bullet exploded in the fuselage behind the pilot, however the plane went down under control. Another Fokker dove on Lt. Williams, firing short bursts. He maneuvered so he was about twenty-five yards to the enemy pilot's left rear and gave him a burst of forty or fifty bullets which appeared to strike the enemy plane at the pilot's seat.


17th Aero Squadron, History, RAF combat operations, Petite Synthe
The enemy plane then turned on its back then fell out of the sky apparently out of control. That same day, the first casualty of the war was suffered by the squadron, when Lt. George Glenn was seen diving deeply south of Ostend after being attacked by a German Fokker D.VII.


17th Aero Squadron, History, RAF combat operations, Petite Synthe
From Petite Snythe Airdrome, the squadron engaged in combat operations almost daily afterward, frequently engaging German aircraft in aerial battles over the skies of northern France and Belgium. Missions included escorting RAF bomber squadrons attacking enemy positions in occupied areas. A major attack on a German airfield in Belgium, at Vessanaere, near Bruges was carried out with the 210 and 213 Squadrons RAF. The 17th rendezvoused with the squadrons over the English Channel and once assembled, the 17th was to provide cover from enemy aircraft interceptors. After several postponements, the attack was carried out on 13 August.


17th Aero Squadron, History, RAF combat operations, Petite Synthe
The 17th took off before dawn and in conjunction with the RAF 5th Group squadrons, the bombers attacked the airfield from a low level, then proceeded to shoot at hangars and huts on the aerodrome. A gasoline dump was set on fire with six Fokker biplanes being set on fire on the ground, with an additional two being hit directly by bombs. Two hangars sere set on fire and another one severely damaged. The 17th circled the airdrome and attacked enemy aircraft and ground personnel preparing them to take off. The 17th claimed seven enemy aircraft destroyed on the ground. Later, it was confirmed that the raid destroyed a total of fourteen enemy aircraft. Many of the attacking aircraft were hit by ground fire but all managed to return without loss.


17th Aero Squadron, History, RAF combat operations, Auxi-le-Chateau
On 18 August the squadron was ordered to move to Auxi-le-Chateau Airdrome. The word came at 23:00 and the squadron pulled out at dawn. They arrived the next day, and were settled in enough to send the first combat patrol over the lines on 21 August, shooting down four enemy aircraft. The Chateau Thierry offensive was in full swing, with the squadron flying low bombing patrols, attacking gas balloons and infantry with their machine guns. Each pilot went on two patrols each day from dawn until disk.


17th Aero Squadron, History, RAF combat operations, Auxi-le-Chateau
On 23 August, Lt. Williams was hit in the back and his petrol tank was pierced by enemy machine gun fire. Despite his wound, he put his finger in the petrol tank to plug the leak, then was able to land his aircraft successfully. The squadron over the next few days shot down one enemy gas balloon each day, with the exception of the 23d when they were put on low bombing dive and strafing missions all day.


17th Aero Squadron, History, RAF combat operations, Auxi-le-Chateau
Attacks on the enemy was largely concentrated in the vicinity of Cambrai, but the congestion on the roads behind his lines presented opportunities for much greater damage to his morale by attacking trucks and troops on the highway from altitudes of less than a few hundred feet. When flying the low-level attacks, the 17th relied on other squadrons patrolling higher up to look out for the enemy's Fokkers, while the squadron received ground fire from the enemy below.


17th Aero Squadron, History, RAF combat operations, Auxi-le-Chateau
26 August was the squadron's most tragic day. It had rained during the night and a gusty wind had begun to blow at dawn and was getting stronger and gustier. Low clouds, with gaps of blue between them moved in from the southwest. The squadron was called for a patrol about 16:30 with a mission to attack a lot of enemy on the lines and some friendly "low-straffers" in trouble on the Bapaume-Cambrai road.


17th Aero Squadron, History, RAF combat operations, Auxi-le-Chateau
The squadron took off and upon reaching the lines, shot down an enemy balloon, On crossing the line, five Fokkers were seen attacking friendly forces on the line. Immediately afterwards, a Camel was seen being attacked by the five Fokkers at a height of about 1,000 feet. The patrol at once went to the assistance of the Camel and attacked the enemy aircraft. Several other flights of Fokkers were then seen diving from the clouds. A general engagement took place in which still other flights of Fokkers came down from higher altitudes.


17th Aero Squadron, History, RAF combat operations, Auxi-le-Chateau
Six 17th pilots were shot down and another only just succeed in getting back to the Auxi Airdrome with a number of Fokkers on his tail and firing continuously. All of the downed pilots (William Tipton, Robert Todd, Henry Frost, Laurence Roberts, Henry Jackson, and Howard Bittinger) were given up for loss, but about a month later a post card was sent from William Tipton that he, Robert Todd and Henry Frost had survived, along with George Wise who was captured on 24 August. However, Henry Frost had died of his wounds. The post card also confirmed that the patrol had downed three German planes, of which Tipton was credited for two and Todd one.


17th Aero Squadron, History, RAF combat operations, Auxi-le-Chateau
After the losses that day, the RAF kept the squadron out of combat for about a week. Several new aircraft arrived along with some new pilots being assigned. While the squadron operated from the Auxi Airdrome, often in conjunction with the 148th Aero Squadron, the line moved east rapidly and it was necessary for the squadron to establish an Advanced Landing Ground at Beugnatre on 10 September from which the squadron took up wireless interception and devoted itself to attacking enemy two-seater observation aircraft. A detail of mechanics were sent to Beugnatre and several hangars were erected.


17th Aero Squadron, History, RAF combat operations, Auxi-le-Chateau
Beugnatre was a former British Airdrome that had been captured by the Germans and was severely damaged during its occupation. The fields were a mess of shell holes, rusty Nissen huts lined the road which were riddled by machine gun holes and had caved in. The ground mechanics and crew managed to fill in the shell holes and operations by the squadron flew from dusk to dawn until 20 September.


17th Aero Squadron, History, RAF combat operations, Soncamp
With the line advancing east and north, the squadron was again ordered to move to an airdrome near Doullens which was being vacated by No. 12 Squadron on 20 September. The day was cold and rainy with low clouds, however the aircraft took off and the trucks were loaded with stores and other equipment. Soncamp Aerodrome occupied the north side of a farm house, south of the typical French farming village of Sombrin, Pas-de-Calais. The farm buildings were enclosed in a large stone wall, perhaps the relic of a small convent, with a high archway into a farmyard. The hangars were permanent and of camouflaged corrugated iron. There were good huts as barracks for the enlisted men.


17th Aero Squadron, History, RAF combat operations, Soncamp
Flight operations begin on the 22d, and on the first morning patrol, fifteen Fokkers were seen diving on the squadron's "C" flight, outnumbering them five-to-one. The 17th's pilots, however, returned their fire and eventually about thirty aircraft were engaged in the aerial battle and downed six enemy aircraft. A Lt Tillinghast, was shot down in the battle. He turned up later in London with a remarkable story of how he was captured by the Germans and taken to a house in the rear of their lines.


17th Aero Squadron, History, RAF combat operations, Soncamp
Being locked up in a room, he managed to escape through a hole in the roof and made his way from Valenciennes to Belgium, where he obtained a suit of civilian clothing. Friendly Belgians moved him from one home to another at night on an underground railway. Finally he reached Brussels, where he moved freely on the streets. He even went to the length, it seems, of taking a streetcar ride to a neighboring German Aerodrome that he inspected carefully and at length.


17th Aero Squadron, History, RAF combat operations, Soncamp
Somewhere in Brussels he became friends with a Belgian engineer who ran the electric plant from which the current for charging the frontier wire barrier was generated. The engineer let him into all his official secrets and gave him a clippers and wire gloves. Having set the hour of his crossing over, the engineer gave him final instructions about making good his escape and managed to cross over onto our side of the line.