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re: WWII: Would You Choose the Pacific or Europe?
Posted on 7/9/14 at 1:05 pm to Darth_Vader
Posted on 7/9/14 at 1:05 pm to Darth_Vader
It is a really well-done site. It even has a few pictures of his plane, "Monsoon." I could spend all day reading stuff like that. Heck, not long after he passed, my Grandmother gave two of his leather-bound notebooks, but enclosed with a zipper: One contained every single order/military document he received from the time he enlisted in the 1930's to OCS to bombardier training to his retirement in 1967; and the other was his flight notebook that contained many pictures. Both are kept safe at home..might have to pull them out soon!
I also know all of the markings of his plane and got a friend who is good with photoshop to create images from some of the pictures which I can use to make decals for a 1/72 B-29 that I will one day build.
I also know all of the markings of his plane and got a friend who is good with photoshop to create images from some of the pictures which I can use to make decals for a 1/72 B-29 that I will one day build.
This post was edited on 7/9/14 at 1:11 pm
Posted on 7/9/14 at 1:27 pm to Spaceman Spiff
I choose anywhere but the ball turret of a B-17.
Posted on 7/9/14 at 1:41 pm to Tchefuncte Tiger
I got a chance to walk through "Fifi" several weeks ago here in Olympia. Absolutely amazing to see the flight deck and touch everything on that monster.
Posted on 7/9/14 at 1:43 pm to NWarty
quote:
I got a chance to walk through "Fifi" several weeks ago here in Olympia. Absolutely amazing to see the flight deck and touch everything on that monster.
It is an amazing piece of machinery considering it's '40's tech... Got to see it with my Grandfather many years ago when it came to Savannah.
Posted on 7/9/14 at 1:53 pm to Darth_Vader
quote:
And speaking of odd coincidences, the Zero did not have the most kills against the Americans despite the fact it was the most numerous fighter aircraft the Japs had. Instead the Jap fighter that scored the most kills against us was the Nakajima Ki-43 "Oscar".
True and strange. By 42 the Oscar was not a front line fighter.
Posted on 7/9/14 at 1:54 pm to Spaceman Spiff
Even my wife, who doesn't know jack about aviation, looked up to the sky while we were having drinks on the patio and as Fifi was departing KOLM at 1000ft. AGL, she said "Holy Crap that's cool!"
Posted on 7/9/14 at 2:27 pm to NWarty
quote:
Even my wife, who doesn't know jack about aviation, looked up to the sky while we were having drinks on the patio and as Fifi was departing KOLM at 1000ft. AGL, she said "Holy Crap that's cool!"
Would have loved to see that!
Posted on 7/9/14 at 2:30 pm to NWarty
My late father served in 1st Division, USMC for about three years in the Pacific. Never would talk much about it other than a few humorous stories non-combat related. His health suffered throughout his life and I'm convinced it was service connected. He died at 59, pretty broken down. Would never buy anything Japanese made mainly because they beheaded his best friend when the war was all but over. My father in law spent about three years in Europe driving a jeep mainly. He never suffered from much of anything and died at age 85. From what I know, take Europe any day.
Posted on 7/9/14 at 2:43 pm to Spaceman Spiff
quote:
Would have loved to see that!
Yeah, it was pretty awesome.
It blew a tire on a crosswind landing the Friday prior as it was really windy here and she sat for four days awaiting a new one. Can't even imagine how much that sucker cost and how much it was to ship.
Posted on 7/9/14 at 5:17 pm to Darth_Vader
Darth,
I figured you would get a kick out of this. So apparently I got what I said earlier about the Bataan Death March mixed up with a family member of mine. My great aunts father was actually on the USS Indianapolis and was 1 of the 317 survivors. He passed away in 2009. Another vet from my dads hometown, its a super small town, was a survivor of the Bataan Death March and POW for 3 1/2 years after it. He is the one who hated MacArthur and cursed him to damnation haha. Crazy to think 2 guys from such a small town were survivors of such historical military events. Mr Dugas passed away in 2002. My grandparents were friends with both, though I do not know if they ever got any stories. Boy I would have loved to have been a little bit younger and heard what it was like. Unreal their ordeals.
I figured you would get a kick out of this. So apparently I got what I said earlier about the Bataan Death March mixed up with a family member of mine. My great aunts father was actually on the USS Indianapolis and was 1 of the 317 survivors. He passed away in 2009. Another vet from my dads hometown, its a super small town, was a survivor of the Bataan Death March and POW for 3 1/2 years after it. He is the one who hated MacArthur and cursed him to damnation haha. Crazy to think 2 guys from such a small town were survivors of such historical military events. Mr Dugas passed away in 2002. My grandparents were friends with both, though I do not know if they ever got any stories. Boy I would have loved to have been a little bit younger and heard what it was like. Unreal their ordeals.
This post was edited on 7/9/14 at 5:43 pm
Posted on 7/9/14 at 5:18 pm to NWarty
quote:
blew a tire on a crosswind landing the Friday prior as it was really windy here and she sat for four days awaiting a new one. Can't even imagine how much that sucker cost and how much it was to ship.
I saw that... I bet Some got quite nervous!
Posted on 7/9/14 at 6:16 pm to NWarty
quote:
McGuire
Actually wrote a book/pamphlet on tactics and violated three of his main rules on his final flight.
He tried to turn with a Zero, at low speed and low altitude, and didn't release his drop tanks.
It was early in the flight, and he was near-obsessed with equaling and passing Bong's total score of 40. With his flight of 4 P-38s against a single Zero, he was thinking quick kill, then resume hunting. But the Zero was flown by an expert.
Posted on 7/9/14 at 6:25 pm to FightinTigersDammit
quote:
Actually wrote a book/pamphlet on tactics and violated three of his main rules on his final flight. He tried to turn with a Zero, at low speed and low altitude, and didn't release his drop tanks. It was early in the flight, and he was near-obsessed with equaling and passing Bong's total score of 40. With his flight of 4 P-38s against a single Zero, he was thinking quick kill, then resume hunting. But the Zero was flown by an expert.
^^^^
Yup
It was kind of surreal seeing a replica static display of "Pudgy" at Joint Base McGuire Dix. Kind of like if you saw a replica of "Marge".
Posted on 7/9/14 at 6:48 pm to undecided
Europe, serving under Patton.
Posted on 7/9/14 at 7:05 pm to WPBTiger
quote:
Europe, serving under Patton.
He'd still slap you :)
This post was edited on 7/9/14 at 7:25 pm
Posted on 7/9/14 at 7:28 pm to NWarty
Here are photos of my Grandfather, SSG Charles L. Melancon Jr., in Berlin in 1945, his 78th IN DIV yearbook, 309th Regimental Crest, Dogtag and Ribbon, and the framed photo with his CIB.
ETA: He was born in Nov. 1926, so at the time of this photo, he's an 18 year old SSG E-6
ETA: He was born in Nov. 1926, so at the time of this photo, he's an 18 year old SSG E-6
This post was edited on 7/9/14 at 7:42 pm
Posted on 7/9/14 at 7:32 pm to undecided
quote:
For me my preference would be Europe. War is hell no matter where it is but the Pacific seems like a special kind of hell. I imagine being in the Pacific is like being stuck in the Ardennes during The Battle of the Bulge for the entirety of the war. As an observer, the Ardennes forest represented the worst of Europe; being stuck in Belgium during winter with no supplies, as artillery rained downed upon you mixed in with falling trees and splintered wood. I imagine everyday in the Pacific being like this
In The War, someone comments that you can surround 50,000 Germans and they'll surrender but if you surround 500 Japanese they'll fight to the death
Europe.
It's not just the Japanese soldiers but the tropical diseases, which ravaged our forces.
Posted on 7/9/14 at 7:35 pm to undecided
My dad served in New Guinea, I have heard horror stories about it. I guess Pacific. I am from La and was raised in the woods. I am guessing La swamp comes close to jungle.
Posted on 7/9/14 at 7:48 pm to mkibod1
quote:
The Waffen did not. They were probably more brutal than the Japanese Imperial Soldiers. To me, the SS were the most scary soldiers because how well trained they were. I think the common Japanese soldier was more fierce than the common German soldier, but the SS were top of the list in regards to brutal and effective opposition.
I posted this earlier. The SS appeared to have a completely different mentality than the average German soldier. They were everything a true Nazi was supposed to be
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