Remember that. Of course by then you had attack helicopters involved on the battlefield as well.
OT: 80 years ago today
- Thread starter DJ Spanky
- Start date
Remember that. Of course by then you had attack helicopters involved on the battlefield as well.
Not "Russia" but the "Union of Soviet Socialist Republics." Their military build up made for terrific hardships across the republics, which ultimately led, of course, to the breakup of the USSR. The USA, by contrast, was able to contract its forces following the war yet remain very capable militarily. Our economy and our citizens did not suffer any such hardships. We thrived.
My Dad served in a G2 role (noncom) in West Germany during the Korean Conflict. We amassed a good deal of armor thereabouts, waiting for the Soviets to roll across the border, thinking we were distracted by and over-committed in Korea. We weren't.
The SKS was the precursor to the AK, using the same cartridge and an internal 10-round box magazine. Pretty effective weapon in its own right.
Three key requirements to wage "Total war" successfully: men, money, material. Need all three. USSR was lacking in the "money" department and in "material" to some degree. Modern China, though, has all three....
Fair point. But the USSR did have all 3 at the point in time that Patton would have continued on to Moscow.
And it wouldn't have been just the US...a reconstituted French army plus the British and any partisans from Poland and Ukrain would have helped...at least shared some of the burden.
Uncle Joe Stalin promised Roosevelt that he would commit a big force to invade Japan. The Japanese's military and civilian population were going to make our troops pay dearly for every square foot of soil we took on the mainland. We were tired of the carnage suffered by our troops on Iwo, Pelilou, Okinowa and the kamakazi raids. Stalin didn't care how many of his troops would have been killed or maimed during the invasion of Japan. Invading Russia was therefore out of the question at that time.
I was born 1 yr later. My Dad was drafted into the navy 2 yrs later. Called him "pop" at 27 or 28 yrs old. Saw a great deal of action on a destroyer at Iwo Jima & Okinawa & other battles, and through 2 typhons.
Excellent docu on Pearl Harbor and the Arizona in particular. Long (about 90 minutes) but a good watch.
The NPS sends a RC camera into the Arizona and you see some very cool stuff.
Visited PH a couple of years ago. The USS Missouri is now anchored in he same spot as the Oklahoma which was hit by multiple torpedos and capsized with 429 lives lost. If you stand on the starboard side of the ship you can almost picture the Japanese planes headed down the Southeast Loch on their torpedo runs.
At Dawn We Slept by Gordon Prange is the definitive book about Pearl Harbor. It is required reading for all Park Rangers and guides at Pearl.
The NPS sends a RC camera into the Arizona and you see some very cool stuff.
Visited PH a couple of years ago. The USS Missouri is now anchored in he same spot as the Oklahoma which was hit by multiple torpedos and capsized with 429 lives lost. If you stand on the starboard side of the ship you can almost picture the Japanese planes headed down the Southeast Loch on their torpedo runs.
At Dawn We Slept by Gordon Prange is the definitive book about Pearl Harbor. It is required reading for all Park Rangers and guides at Pearl.
Do you guys listen to any good military podcasts? Besides hardcore history (which is awesome btw) what else do you guys listen to?
Just a lifetime of reading. My father's side of the family were all of WWII prime age, all served. One's in that Private Ryan cemetery with a posthumous DSC after being nominated for a CMH. One survived 56 missions as a B-17 pilot with a DFC. One who was a 4F due to being deaf in one ear drove an ambulance on the CBI front. On my mother's side, her brother was West Point '54 and was a B-47 co-pilot for his 5 years of service.
BTW, when it comes to watching or listening to things, there is a 2 hour show that occasionally runs on the Nat Geo channel called "After Hitler" which deals with Europe between V-E Day and the end of the Berlin Airlift. Not generally well covered and it's absolutely fascinating.
What a great legacy! I put my family's story in a "war stories" thread sometime last year...
My grandfathers served in WW2 - grew up watching victory at sea at 6am with my grandfather...back when tv actually turned off and then turned their programming back on again in the early 80s.
My grandfathers served in WW2 - grew up watching victory at sea at 6am with my grandfather...back when tv actually turned off and then turned their programming back on again in the early 80s.
First Stalan did nothing to help the US with Japan. Only after we dropped the bomb did Russia go for a land grab of Japanese held territory. He didn't plan to invade the island but just conquer more land.
The US had a far superior air force, Navy and weapons plus the bomb.
However the British wouldn't go along as Stalan and Churchill had secret deals on certain territories.
There are many stories on this in books and articles as well documentaries.
There have been credible rumors of a side deal at Yalta and Potsdam, but it was mainly about what later became the Warsaw Pact countries and the UK presence in the Middle East. The only thing that affected Japan was the promise of Stalin to attack Japanese forces in Manchuria within, I believe, 3 months of the surrender of Germany. Of course by the end of 3 months the US had the bomb so it turned out to be a bad move. Stalin was only too willing to make a land grab and at the same time be in a position to provide arms to Mao. He also had his sights on the Kurile Islands but Japan surrendered too fast for that to happen.
The Kurile islands are still in dispute as of today. Russia controls them, Japan consider them occupied.
One of my uncles (the "Moose") headed the security detail at Potsdam. Truman sent him a personal "thank you note" at the conclusion. (I was gifted a copy of it). Truman was very wary of Stalin, but secured his "nod" for the USA to use a new and devastating weapon on Japan. Joe knew of the bomb, of course. He officially declared war on Japan at Potsdam. Germany was divided up. The rest were considered table scraps, as we were focused on bringing all we had to Japan and end the war. "The Moose" was quite a character, larger than life. He was twice wounded in battle.
Not that long ago.
Especially if your mom and dad or grandparents fought or contributed to the war effort from home.
It’s very important my teenage daughters know Grandpa fought at DDay, Southern Italy and Northern Africa
Especially if your mom and dad or grandparents fought or contributed to the war effort from home.
It’s very important my teenage daughters know Grandpa fought at DDay, Southern Italy and Northern Africa
Interesting. My nieces and nephew all did semesters abroad in Europe in college. They all made a point of going to that Normandy cemetery to see the grave of their grand-uncle. Interesting comment from all three. The closer they got to Normandy the friendlier the French were to Americans.
I believe I previously mentioned in an earlier thread that my father landed on Omaha Beach in one the very early waves, and my mother worked with the group that broke the Japanese Code. One of things that bothers me is that younger generations don't seem to appreciate or understand how different their lives would be without the greatest generation. Hell, a lot of older people don't seem to get it as well.
My dad was in the Army Air Corp based in Tinian and flew many bombing missions over Japan on a B-29. I have some of his medals on a bookshelf, along with his leather cap, and Sun glasses. I also have his officer’s dress cap, dress uniform, and flight jacket. Also have his trunk that was sent back at the end of the War with scores of pictures, navigation tools, records of his missions, etc. I have saved these for my grown kids and have told them to donate them or some portion if they choose to do so at some point (I hope thing on to at least some of the artifacts. ) “A date which will live in infamy”
A dozen Rutgers athletes, eight of them football players, were already in the military by February, 1942 when 41-year old Rutgers head coach Harvey Harman along with backfield coach Eddie Masavage enlisted in the Navy’s V-5 physical training aviation program as instructors. Months later, end coach Al Sabo also enlisted and freshman football coach Dave Bender was made a captain in the Air Corp Intelligence. Rutgers athletic director George Little recommended them to the officers who were in charge - Lt. Commander Thomas J. Hamilton (19-8 as Navy coach 1934-36) and Gene Tunney, (retired heavyweight champion and a commander by WWII’s end). Little said, “In times of peace we indulge in considerable talk of what football and other sports can do for the making of men. If our theories are practical, we should feel in time of war there is a great opportunity offered for athletic leaders… ”
Harvey Harman later returned to coach the 1946-55 Rutgers team. He had wound up on the U.S.S. Bon Homme Richard aircraft carrier in the Pacific participating in the Battle of Okinawa and Battle of Leyte Gulf and was discharged from the Navy with the rank of Commander. His staff coach, Eddie Masavage, served 14 months and also wound up on an aircraft carrier, the Essex, before returning to his peacetime job “On the Banks of the Old Raritan.” Both he and Al Sabo were lieutenants, junior grade.
Harvey Harman later returned to coach the 1946-55 Rutgers team. He had wound up on the U.S.S. Bon Homme Richard aircraft carrier in the Pacific participating in the Battle of Okinawa and Battle of Leyte Gulf and was discharged from the Navy with the rank of Commander. His staff coach, Eddie Masavage, served 14 months and also wound up on an aircraft carrier, the Essex, before returning to his peacetime job “On the Banks of the Old Raritan.” Both he and Al Sabo were lieutenants, junior grade.
I was watching the War in the Pacific one day and they were talking about how Nimitz decided to do island hopping. Knowing that my father was on his staff I was very interested. All of a sudden they are showing Nimitz and staff on Tarawa I the guy second from the back looks at the camera and it was my father. I could not believe it and kept playing it back and forth and sent it to my sisters all of them freaking out. I saved it on my DVR and when my mother came over ( 98 years old ) I showed her and she started to cry realizing that was her boyfriend at that point in their life during the war.
THE GREATEST GENERATION
THE GREATEST GENERATION
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