June/July 2025 Musings

Riddleblog and Blessed Hope Podcast Updates:

  • I expect to be traveling a bit this Summer and Fall, so Riddleblog posts may be irregular

  • I am hard at work on Season Four of the Blessed Hope Podcast, “Life in the Midst of Death,” a deep-dive into 2 Corinthians. Look for new episodes soon

  • I hope you are enjoying my series on memories of my days in the Christian bookstore industry while I was becoming Reformed. I’ve had much fun working on it

  • I recently updated my Riddlebarger Family History tab (my cousin finder) with new DNA info. It will explain why I like to draw buffaloes in charcoal on our walls

Thinking Out loud:

  • Wars and rumors of wars will persist until the Lord returns. It never ceases to amaze me at how prophecy pundits can turn any event in the Middle East which involves Israel—no matter how flawed their understanding of Scripture, or how distorted their interpretation of the facts on the ground may be—into a sensational “proof” that the rapture is at hand. My inner cynic says “follow the money.” The pundits sell books and get clicks. But so far, they’ve also been wrong every time

  • Iran has been killing and threatening Americans since the 1979 revolution. As the Ayatollah says, “death to America is not merely a slogan, it is our policy.” How close Iran was to constructing a nuclear weapon, matters not a wit to me. It is beyond all doubt they were building such a weapon. They have never attempted to build a nuclear power facility—which was the justification for their uranium processing program. Israel took out Hamas, crippled Hezbollah (Iranian proxies posing a serious threat on Israel’s border), and with the fall of Syria there were no Syrian or Russian air defenses blocking Israel’s air corridor into Iran. Trump was vocal in his support for Israel. As the old Jewish saying goes, “if not now, when?” It needed to be done and finally it has been done

  • I heard a great term to describe Trump’s style of governing —“adhocracy.” There’s no brilliant master plan. He’s making it up as he goes along, and he frequently changes his mind

  • Oh, the irony . . . Texas Republicans passed a bill requiring that the Ten Commandments be posted in every classroom. The vote was held on Sunday

  • The Trump - Musk bromance and subsequent feud are over, but I’m still waiting for the ultimate insult from either: “You play ball like a girl!”

  • Endnotes are still of the devil!

Recently Read:

Evan Mawdsley’s Supremacy at Sea is must reading for those interested in the Pacific War or naval history. The tactical defeat the American navy suffered at the Battle of Santa Cruz in October 1942 brought about significant changes in American strategy and weaponry to ensure that such a thing never happened again—giving birth to Task Force 58 (TF-58), which was the most powerful naval force ever to set sail.

Between January and June of 1944 (the time frame covered in the book), TF-58 was composed of 9 fleet carriers, 9 light carriers, 7 fast new battleships, 8 older battleships (including several Pearl Harbor survivors), more than a dozen cruisers (built post Pearl Harbor), a half-dozen pre-war cruisers, more than a dozen new light-cruisers (with modern AA defenses), more than one hundred destroyers and destroyer escorts (each with modern anti-submarine and AA weapons), and nearly a dozen modern fleet oilers to keep fuel oil in everyone’s tank. There were also nearly two dozen escort carriers, numerous troop transports, supply ships, and various auxiliaries. The numbers are frankly stunning.

It is incredible that TF-58 could collectively put a thousand aircraft in the sky at any time and any place they were directed. Japan’s depleted army and naval air forces, with mostly untrained pilots and inferior aircraft, were no match. In the so-called Marianas “Turkey Shoot” more than 300 Japanese aircraft were shot down or destroyed on the ground in a 24 hour period. Any Japanese warship sighted by aircraft or submarine was going to be attacked by TF-58’s air or battleship group, and any Japanese held-island was subject to repeated shelling, bombing, and strafing.

Unlike Ian Toll’s brisk narrative of this period, in recounting TF-58’s movements and campaigns Mawdsley focuses upon the vessels, the key admirals, the naval weapons, the carrier aircraft (their design and capabilities, vis-a-vis their Japanese opponents), the massive sea-train required to keep such a fleet at sea, as well as the critical role played by the large numbers of new submarines scouting, rescuing downed pilots, and sinking anything which came their way. Japan’s merchant fleet virtually disappeared through their efforts. It is easy to overlook these details, but no victory is possible without this support. As one military wag once put it, amateurs focus on tactics, professionals focus on supply.

This is a well-written book, it has good maps and charts, and a number of pictures I had not seen previously, recounting the massive naval power and aggressive tactics of mighty TF-58, and reminding us of the gigantic and efficient sea-train required to make it all work.

Recommended Links:

Bit of Dad Joke humor:

Previous Musings:

Spring Musings, May 9, 2025

Video:

Every baseball loving boy’s dream!

MusingsKim RiddlebargerTrump, Iran, 2 Corinthians, Supremacy at Sea, TF-58, Brigham's SecretComment