Colin’s Comments (group member since Dec 16, 2012)

Colin’s comments from the THE WORLD WAR TWO GROUP group.

Damn, sounds like incompetence.

I interviewed two Germans involved in that mission as fighter pilots. Hajo Herrmann radioed that he was going to engage the bomber stream, when he received orders directly from Goering that he "was to go nowhere near Peenumende, regardless of the problem." Most of the Germans still did not know of the secret rocket base.

Perry said, "Don't give up the ship." As a former Marine, I find it interesting that JPJ was the first US ranked commander to conceive of and deploy marines as naval infantry, as opposed to just shipboard security and combat sharpshooters in naval combat.

Operation Reinhard was the liquidation of several cities and towns in Czechoslovakia following his death in June 1942, with Lidice being the one example of retaliatory action against innocent civilians. It was not in Poland. Hans Frank handled that operation under Himmler's orders.

Wow, Oskar sounds like my late friend Georg-Peter Eder, fighter pilot with 76 victories. Shot down 17 times, wounded 14 times, bailed out 12 times, survived a collision with a B-17 in his Me-262, survived a collision with an enemy fighter, etc.

We have quite a bit of film interest, including TV documentary interest in Hans Marseille. Will keep you posted on what develops.

I read that article. In my book The Star if Africa, when Hans Marseille learned of what was happening to Jews, he told all the others (to their disbelief at first) in his unit. He made them swear to ensure that if anything happened to him they would protect Matthew (Mathias) from such a fate. They kept their word.

When the late Bob Dorr was writing that book, he called me to consult on many things due to my interviews and my book on the Me-262. I never proofed his manuscript, but he did send me a signed copy when it came out. I have to agree with the editing comment. The great problem we authors have, is that after we get the editorial PDF files back (in the old days it was a printed galley format), and we go through it, we write comments for additional changes. Sometimes those go unheeded. Editors tend to do what they want, if they do anything at all.

I knew and interviewed the senior survivor of the Bismarck, Baron Burkhard von Mullenheim-Rechberg. His personal account was very gripping. I also interviewed Ted Briggs, one of the three survivors from Hood. His story was even more harrowing. Tragic that such an event even had to happen. I salute all Royal Navy men.

Most editors in today's publishing world are not specialists in the military field. When I wrote The Star of Africa, my agent submitted the manuscript to a publisher that had already published 4 of my books. It landed on the desk of a children's book editor at first. The initial comments from this "editor" were, "Can you state in English what 'Luftwaffe' means for me?" There you go. Later this was straightened out.

Bong's was backdated per the confirmation, Johnson's was confirmed that daw, his victory was witnessed by 12 other pilots. Bong's was not, claim had to be verified. But yes, given the verification and backdating Bong would be the first, but the papers heralded Johnson as the first due to the immediacy of the confirmation. Strange, but it sometimes happened.

German Admiral Benrhard Rogge was a successful raider commander, and he was given a NSDAP dispensation by Hitler personally, removing him from the roles for being half Jewish.

Actually Robert S. Johnson of the 56th Fighter Group broke Rickenbacker's record first in the ETO, Bong was right behind him. They were both pulled out of operations for a war bond tour.

Of interest, Johannes Steinhoff was Kommodore of JG-77 and his group had shot down some bombers and a couple of fighters in northern Italy. They were accustomed to collecting Allied airmen, but one was a black American pilot. Steinhoff knew enough to keep him out of the hands of others. After calling Galland, he and the other senior officers ensured that he was placed in a proper Luftwaffe operated temporary camp. I am not sure to this day which pilot that was, but would be interested to know.

After over 500 interviews, mostly with WW II vets (a few WW I), and later conflicts, it is sad to see them go. That is why I write the books, so they can tell their stories in their own words. One of my good buddies is now 95, Jorg Czypionka, and I believe the last Me-262 pilot living and one of the few night fighter pilots still alive along with Peter Spoden. Kurt Schulz is still alive, but barely. He was wing man to Walter Schuck.

Lee wrote: "Colin wrote: "Dragoon was also intended to force the Vichy government into surrender in the face of American opposition, as well as distract and force Hitler to deploy more divisions south to weake..."

The source was Omar Bradley, he was my first interview, and also Curtis Lemay, Matthew Ridgeway, James Gavin and James H. Doolittle. Common knowledge to the upper echelons.

Dragoon was also intended to force the Vichy government into surrender in the face of American opposition, as well as distract and force Hitler to deploy more divisions south to weaken the northern front. It also showed Stalin that we were serious about adding into the equation. It was really more political than military in planning and execution.

Outstanding account of Uncle Cam indeed.

I know it well, I was at Strathclyde for four years, lived in Partick.

you may like my book on the subject, Occupation and Insurgency, which deals with the early days of the mass murders. It has interviews with participants on both sides. When a professor, I also created the Holocaust Studies program at American Military University in 2004.