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Eighty years ago this week...
- Thread starter kingofnerf
- Start date
I've been a WWII buff ever since I was about 12 years old. It's a fascinating story of the ultimate good vs evil struggle. I've read literally at least 500 books on WWII.
In Middle School I read things like "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich," "Inside the Third Reich," "Hitler Moves East: Operation Barbarossa" etc.
I was always fascinated/bewildered by the notion that such a cultured country like Germany could have been swayed by Hitler. I often still shudder at the thought of what might have happened had someone in Hitler's inner circle had had the courage to wake him up early on June 6th instead of letting him sleep until 2pm ish.
In Middle School I read things like "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich," "Inside the Third Reich," "Hitler Moves East: Operation Barbarossa" etc.
I was always fascinated/bewildered by the notion that such a cultured country like Germany could have been swayed by Hitler. I often still shudder at the thought of what might have happened had someone in Hitler's inner circle had had the courage to wake him up early on June 6th instead of letting him sleep until 2pm ish.
I was only about 7 years old when my parents took me to see the movie Tora!Tora!Tora! when it first came out. My mom also took me to see that Steve McQueen movie LeMans. Then we drove up to Greenville to see the Midway movie in 1976. So I was hooked on cars and military aviation at a very young age.
I read from Pearl Harbor to Okinawa when I was in elementary school. They actually had a simpler version for young grade schoolers I believe and that was in the school library. I read 30 Seconds over Tokyo about the Doolittle Raid around the same time.
I have read that the utter financial ruin and poverty of post-WW1 Germany contributed greatly to Hitler's rise to power. That would seem to make the most sense to me.
I read from Pearl Harbor to Okinawa when I was in elementary school. They actually had a simpler version for young grade schoolers I believe and that was in the school library. I read 30 Seconds over Tokyo about the Doolittle Raid around the same time.
I have read that the utter financial ruin and poverty of post-WW1 Germany contributed greatly to Hitler's rise to power. That would seem to make the most sense to me.
I had a WWII vet as a teacher in HS. His name was Colonel Lawther. There was no bullshit or cutting up in his class. He was all business and didn't tolerate misbehavior. He wasn't mean or anything like that, he just didn't put up with crap. He also landed at Normandy as part of the invasion. He was my 9th grade geography teacher at Airport HS, Freshman class which was 1969.
Every day we'd come into class and he'd have the lesson written on both blackboards in exquisite hand writing and we'd have to copy every word of it in our notebooks. On most occasions we'd all be finished copying the lesson with maybe 5 minutes left in the class period.
He'd always ask was there any questions and I (and others) would ask about his WWII experiences and he'd give us occasional tidbits but nothing gory. If you have ever seen the movie "The Great Escape" he knew the guy that was played by Steve McQueen in the movie, the one who was always getting sent to solitary confinement by the Germans and stole the motorcycle after the escape.
I don't remember the exact nature of their relationship but he had the guy come to Airport HS and speak to all of his classes one day. We were all spellbound and hanging on his every word as he was quite the story teller. As he was nearing the end of his talk he remarked about how we (the Allies) had persevered and kicked Germany's ass.
As he said the words "kicked Germany's ass" he actually threw out his leg in a kicking motion and caught the underside of a desk in the front row (unintentionally....I think) and it made a loud knocking sound and literally startled the entire class, myself included. That's how engrossed we all were in his talk. He was quite the fiery character.
Every day we'd come into class and he'd have the lesson written on both blackboards in exquisite hand writing and we'd have to copy every word of it in our notebooks. On most occasions we'd all be finished copying the lesson with maybe 5 minutes left in the class period.
He'd always ask was there any questions and I (and others) would ask about his WWII experiences and he'd give us occasional tidbits but nothing gory. If you have ever seen the movie "The Great Escape" he knew the guy that was played by Steve McQueen in the movie, the one who was always getting sent to solitary confinement by the Germans and stole the motorcycle after the escape.
I don't remember the exact nature of their relationship but he had the guy come to Airport HS and speak to all of his classes one day. We were all spellbound and hanging on his every word as he was quite the story teller. As he was nearing the end of his talk he remarked about how we (the Allies) had persevered and kicked Germany's ass.
As he said the words "kicked Germany's ass" he actually threw out his leg in a kicking motion and caught the underside of a desk in the front row (unintentionally....I think) and it made a loud knocking sound and literally startled the entire class, myself included. That's how engrossed we all were in his talk. He was quite the fiery character.
Yes, the heavy burden of war reparations imposed upon Germany was a major factor in Hitler's rise to power. He promised the German people that he would free Germany from those shackles.
German support of the repudiation of the Versailles Treaty was something like 97% IIRC.
Here is a link about an SC D-Day vet who was a paratrooper captured 5 days after being dropped into an area thick with Germans.
www.blythewoodonline.com
He was the father of the publisher.
D-Day: Jumping into History | The Voice of Blythewood & Fairfield County
‘Longest Day’ Turned into Long Haul for Father of Publisher Shortly after my dad, Bruce Baker, enlisted in the Army on Oct. 6, 1942, to serve in World War II, he learned paratroopers were being paid $100 a month more than the regular infantry, so he opted for the higher pay and the 508th Parachute …
www.blythewoodonline.com
He was the father of the publisher.
It all looks so peaceful and beautiful today, but that came at a tremendous price.
A movie that is a little bit different in some ways.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRyL1aUlAPU
My father fought in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. He did not hear about Pearl Harbor until Dec. 9th. News moved slower back then. As soon as he heard about it, he went to Augusta to the recruiter's office to sign up. After WWII he got out and came home to work on his father's dairy, but as soon as Korea started, he went back in and stayed until he was medically retired in 1972. He would talk some about WWII and Korea, but he did not like to talk about Korea or Vietnam. He said they would not let them fight those wars like they should. They would fight to take a hill, turn it over to the South Vietnamese or Koreans and they would just give it right back.
In Vietnam he said the officers they had knew nothing and were cowards. He was an E-9 and got busted back to E-8 for supposedly beating the snot out of a dumb Lt. that was about to get the troops killed. Then he got busted again when he decided to "fight the war" himself.
He just kept going on one mission when they wanted him to stop after one hill. His LT had got injured trying to take the hill and carried out on a helicopter. Instead of just one hill, he had his troops march about 15 miles north wiping out every Vietcong in the area. The Gen. did not like that because it was "bad politics." The South were supposed to be leading all of that. They busted him to E-6 and sent him to a supply battalion so he would not be near the fighting anymore. Then his Heart Condition and Diabetes caught up with him and they retired him.
He did not like to talk about either, but he said we could have easily won all of North Korea and North Vietnam all the way up to China, if they would have just let them fight. Supposedly the Generals were afraid China would have attached if they went that far. Both countries are attached to China.
In Vietnam he said the officers they had knew nothing and were cowards. He was an E-9 and got busted back to E-8 for supposedly beating the snot out of a dumb Lt. that was about to get the troops killed. Then he got busted again when he decided to "fight the war" himself.
He just kept going on one mission when they wanted him to stop after one hill. His LT had got injured trying to take the hill and carried out on a helicopter. Instead of just one hill, he had his troops march about 15 miles north wiping out every Vietcong in the area. The Gen. did not like that because it was "bad politics." The South were supposed to be leading all of that. They busted him to E-6 and sent him to a supply battalion so he would not be near the fighting anymore. Then his Heart Condition and Diabetes caught up with him and they retired him.
He did not like to talk about either, but he said we could have easily won all of North Korea and North Vietnam all the way up to China, if they would have just let them fight. Supposedly the Generals were afraid China would have attached if they went that far. Both countries are attached to China.
If you want to read a good book check out "About Face" by David Hackworth. He talks about many of the same issues fighting those wars, especially Vietnam.
He became so disillusioned with the war that he began to attack the VC and the NVA as you described. Conducting hit and run raids on their known camps, ambushing them, assassinating corrupt S Vietnam officers and politicians.
The Army tried to reign him in but failed and eventually forced him to retire as a Lt. Colonel. He was so frustrated that he actually moved to N Zealand and lived there for 20 some years before returning to the US. It's a fascinating read.
You should read this book. It chronicle how Vietnam-era officers, like Colin Powell, and senior enlisted personnel stayed in the military after the Vietnam War and changed the culture to put is in a position for victory in Desert Storm. I read when it came out and it's pretty good.
Book Review: Prodigal Soldiers by David Kerby
James Kitfield. Prodigal Soldiers: How the Generation of Officers Born of Vietnam Revolutionized the American Style of War. New York City: Simon and Schuster, 1995. Pp. 13 + 436. Notes and index.https://www.amazon.com/Prodigal-Soldiers-Generation-Officers-Revolutionized/dp/157488123X James...
www.themaneuverist.org
