Secret Storm

<p><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1); background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1)>Secret Storm</span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1); background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1)>In 1943 during World War 2 a top secret hurricane formed in the Gulf of Mexico due South of New Orleans La. Because U-boats were lurking offshore the US government would not allow any warnings of the storm to be issued hoping that the storm would sink the U-boats. It did.</span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1); background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1)>At the same time at Bryan Air Force Base in Texas Lt. Colonel Joe Duckworth was training British pilots to use his new tactic to fly through heavy cloud cover using only their instruments flying blind he called it.</span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1); background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1)>One night during a card game Colonel Duckworth made a bet with the British airmen that he could fly his trainer the AT-6 Texan into the eye of the storm and return safely. He won the bet. Thus was the beginning of today's Hurricane Hunters.</span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1); background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1)>Duckworth's system became invaluable to the allies and contributed greatly to us winning the war.</span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1); background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1)>The 1943 storm caused 16 deaths and great destruction in the Houston area causing a disruption in fuel and ammunitions being delivered to the front.</span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1); background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1)>But due to the heavy cost of life and destruction the US government never again prevented warnings of such storms from being given to the public.</span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1); background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1)>Today Lt. Colonel Joe Duckworth is heralded for his assistance in ending the war.</span></p>