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

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

Welcome aboard.

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "In the YouTube video above at the 3-5 second mark you will see Unteroffizier Kurt Knispel who was credited with the destruction of 168 enemy tanks.

Kurt Knispel:
https://www.findagrave.com/memoria..."

Kurt Knispel was the Hans-Joachim Marseille of the Panzerwaffe. He was recommended for not only the Knight's Cross, but also the Oak Leaves and Swords. Rosen personally tried to intervene on his behalf, as did Hans von Luck and Heinz Guderian. However, Knispel ran into serious trouble on several occasions. According to Albert Kerscher, "He was a walking bar fight looking for a bar. When it came to hard corps Nazis, he would just lose his mind, and rank did not matter."

The link mentions the Soviet POW's, but he also intervened in a situation where Jews were being abused and rounded up on a train. The SS captain in charge found the 5' 4" Knispel packed a solid punch when he knocked him out, and then took on another four SS guards in a fist fight after he saw one of them kick an old woman knocking her down. Knispel beat the hell out of all five men and was still standing until other guards arrived and held him at gunpoint.

Once in Hungary Knispel witnessed another incident regarding mistreatment of civilians, and when the SS Lt.Col. told him and his crew to 'mind their own business, get a haircut and a shave' he apparently said something to the effect that the SS officer "...was a slave dog to a rabid master."

Gen. von Strachwitz also intervened and kept him our of a penal battalion, and as he was awarded his Diamonds, Strachwitz asked Hitler that Knispel be decorated with the Knight's Cross. Each time Himmler intervened to Hitler and Jodl to block the award.

What a guy. Rosen told me that "Knispel was the most dangerous man in the tank corps, regardless of which uniform you wore. he had more respect for our enemies than our masters, and stated this openly."

Amazing when you consider the fact that Bernhard Rogge was not only a great surface raider, he was also Jewish.

Kampfgruppe von Rosen was in fact contained the most highly decorated group of tank and TD commanders in crews in the German Heer. I interviewed many of them. Amazing stories.

KOMET wrote: "German Fighter Ace Hans-Joachim Marseille: The Life Story Of The Star Of Africa by Franz Kurowski.

[bookcover:German Fighter Ace Hans-Joachim Marseille: The Life Sto..."

Many people think my book on Marseille is better, perhaps because as I wrote it with Anne, I referred to not just the records, but the dozens of interviews I conducted with the pilots and others who knew and fought with Marseille. I wanted it "in their own words" so to speak as they witnessed his life.


https://www.amazon.com/Star-Africa-Co...

Not likely, at least not with Zenith Quarto. The contract period ended, and they changed their contracts to enforce retention of foreign/film rights, to the point that I cannot publish with them anymore. I never relinquish my foreign and film rights. I was thinking about releasing an expanded and revised version as a self published option, cutting out the middle man. problem is I still have other books in progress with my agent with different publishers eating up my time.

Soviet ground attack pilots used the IL-2 and Airacobra as tank busters big time, even having specialized units. Not much different from the Luftwaffe using extra armed/armored Fw-190F models to supplement the Ju-87 Stukas as tank busters. Walter Krupinski had over 20 tank kills in the Me-109, mostly during Kursk.

Beurling was one of the very best indeed.

I would throw out my book The Star of Africa, but it is now only available in ebook form. Hardcover sold out. Many people liked it.

Good news. Anne and I knew many of and were made honorary members of the Tuskegee Airmen. She was their official photographer. Great guys indeed.

Pershing was kept in command due to his political connections, and much like Haig, he could not comprehend the nature of modern maneuver warfare. This was one of the reasons that Maj Gen John A. Lejeune (USMC) was placed as the first Marine Corps commander of an Army division, taking his 5th and 6th Marine Regiments into the spearhead. Both units earned the French Foraguerre. Members serving in the 5th and 6th still wear it on their uniform today, as I did when I was in 6th Mar Reg.

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Don't forget that the next theme read will be in August and is on any WW2 biography of your choice. I'm thinking of this book as my theme read:

[bookcover:Panzer Ace: The Memoirs of an Iron Cross ..."

Major General Count Richard von Rosen was great guy, awesome intellect, and always a good interview. Rosen, Ernst Barkmann, Otto Carius, Albert Kerscher, Will Fey, Paul Egger, Hans von Luck, Willi Jaehde, Wolfgang Koltermann, and other legendary Tiger commanders (Barkmann commanded a Panther V earning the Knight's Cross in France) commanders and I had a blast at a reunion party many years ago. Rosen. The only strain in the room was that Carius liked the Waffen SS tankers personally, but he was always clear and up front about reminding people that he was Heer, not SS. Kerscher was the same.

We know Dick Cole, and the rest of the Doolittle Raiders. He has always been the coolest guy to speak with. He is the last living Raider.

The anit-war movement was very strong, and the atrocities in Europe, while argued were not enough to sway Wilson. It was Lindley Miller Garrison, his Secretary of War, who pushed Wilson in that direction. he also owned stock in four major corporations, US Steel (Carnegie), Standard Oil (Rockefeller), Ford motor Company and General Electric. He stood to lose millions.

I have one for you. I was in a BoB symposium with my friend and fellow historian Jeffrey Ethell when a journalist (of sorts) asked RAF ace Brian Kingcome if he ever had to pull the handle to launch the ejection seat in his Spitfire. German bomber general Dietrich Peltz and Col. Hajo Herrmann both looked at me and laughed. John Cunningham ever the gentleman politely said, "Those were not available back then my dear."

The primary pretext was the Zimmerman Telegram which was intercepted by the British and given to the US, where Germany wanted to bring Mexico into the war as an ally to attack the US southern states )Pancho Villa style) only more effectively. This would have in theory kept the US too busy to engage in Europe. Woodrow Wilson used this as his reasoning to addreee Congress on the declaration of war.

The more realistic issue was that the richest families in the world were American businesses, such as the Rockefellers, Firestones, Carnegies, Vanderbilts, Fords, etc. They had hundreds of billions of dollars (in today's money adjusted) invested in Western European nations and in Russia, and in their banks. If Germany succeeded they would have lost all their wealth overseas. These were also Democratic supporters who helped elect and re-elect Wilson, and he owed them.

In addition, these businesses also saw the great opportunity for more business in the armaments industries, which would explode should the US go to war increasing their wealth.

Oh, sorry.

Werner Hartenstein was the skipper, KIA 1943. he was the U-Boat commander responsible for the Laconia Incident, and his humanitarian efforts to help the crew was the primary reason Hitler ordered U-Boats to "never again attempt to assist survivors," an order Doenits said "violating that order would be unforgivable."

Yep, confusion was rampant.

I had twenty something students when I was a professor whose lack of knowledge of history in general was so shocking I decided to administer a first day test to all my US student. My European (primarily UK) students were far more informed. Depending upon the class I was teaching, I would give them a map of either Africa, North America and Europe and asked them to name the respective countries. Each nation (or state) depicted had a numerical value of say 1-50 for example. "What country is No.1?" for example. The results were often shocking.