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

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

The Germans were the first to use gliders at Eban Emael, Belgium, 1940 and were very successfully in a three pronged attack.

Gen Curtis LeMay and Gen. Matthew Ridgeway both knew that even with an atomic bomb, US air superiority would have prevented the Soviets from aerial delivery, and they did not have the proper missile technology at that time. Truman stated that he was more concerned with Stalin driving into Western Europe through his puppet states Hungary, Poland, East Germany and Czechoslovakia, forcing a two front global conflict. That was a more realistic threat than dropping the big one in Korea. LeMay made the comment that, "Well, if Stalin is entertaining any thoughts about that bullshit, I can have a few dropped on the Kremlin to change his mind, with your permission Mr. President."

Manray9 wrote: "Today is the centennial of Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points speech which created the basis for the peace negotiation ending WW I.

The Fourteen Points:

http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_centu......"

The US Senate failed to ratify America's participation as a result of the rejection of several points, primary Nos. 3 (fear of being unable to control market prices), 8 (they knew better than trust the communists), 12 (problems with the French and British reneging on the Balfour Declaration), and the penultimate statement was definitely not one which the French, Japanese and British were really happy about, especially after grabbing former German and Turkish territories.

Woodrow Wilson was also a great democratic hypocrite, and was one of the most racist presidents we had. However, in his defense, he did not want the heavy reparations to burden Germany (payments made until 1984), as he believed that would create internal discord that could erupt into future violence. He had no idea.

The King's Speech was a great film, and Rush is a top actor, up there with Oldman, but I am not fully aware of the complete accuracy, so on that I cannot comment.

Downfall was historically accurate as any film can be, I interviewed the last living 7 persons in that bunker, and it makes my top list of accurate WW II films, with A Bridge Too Far, Tor Tora Tora, Battle of Britain being on that list. Disney's Pearl harbor made me want to gag, Alec Baldwin playing Jimmy Doolittle (who I knew and interviewed) made as much sense as Charlie Chaplin playing warrior Pope Julius II. I hate these films that fabricate the bullshit love interest, and Enemy at the gates, while entertaining was so full of errors, I was saddened. Das Boot makes the top list for accuracy. I watched it with Otto Kretschmer, look him up.

Blackhawk Down is a hard film to watch, since I had been in Somalia, and at various times I also knew and served with some of the real guys who were killed, such as Gary Gordon, Bill Cleveland, Randy Shughart (recently married before his deployment), and of course Cliff "Elvis" Wolcott. Cliff and I did celebrity impersonations at the local karaoke club, and he was good.

Saving Private Ryan is a good film, just not great history. As a historian and a consultant on films, I use that professional eye in my assessment. Shakespeare in Love was not even history, just my penalty for having booked on a flight to Scotland from the USA, and it was one of my inflight movies. I felt as if I were being tortured. When it won Best Pic, I would not have been more surprised if a Subaru wagon won the Indy 500.

I have my moments, according to my wife

I have over 100 film producers, directors, screenwriters, you name it contacting me in the last year, from several nations, and almost all of them want to discuss my book The Star of Africa, a few on other books.

When I direct them to my agent and contract attorney, they often respond back with "we like to purchase rights in total, why do you need creative control of content?" Simple reason, I am not going to allow some celluloid primate to distort my history, create some abysmal romantic, inaccurate rubbish and betray the men who gave me their stories out of trust, just for a profit.

Hoping that a deserving film wins best picture may be fleeting. After the Best Pic Academy Award went to "Shakespeare in Love' over "Saving Private Ryan" I lost all faith in the inbred bent liberal elite. Sadly, I worked in the TV/film industry, and still do occasionally as a consultant.

I would recommend my own book, Four War Boer, but Piet's biography only has 3-4 chapters on WW I in Africa, although they are grueling pages indeed. One thing I did not know was that his Askari Schuetztruppe performed the longest infantry combat patrol in history, covering 1300 miles in six months over land, water, through jungle. Incredible. His personal relationships with von Lettow-Vorbeck during the war and Jan Smuts before and after the war allowed Piet to describe these men as he knew them.

My book, Noble Warrior was written with my wife and the subject, and is the autobiography in the first person, the life of Maj Gen James E. Livingston, and I served under Livingston (MOH recipient) when I was a scout sniper in east Asia.

Burns' documentary was, to be polite, liberal trash. He never once wanted to have a high profile REAL Vietnam veteran interviewed who may have a contradictory viewpoint. Notice how not one Medal of Honor recipient, not even a Navy Cross, was on the interview list. He had over 40 to choose from.

Burns has really angered MANY Vietnam vets who watched the entire series, because he never once highlighted the mass murders of the communist against the civilian population, nor did he make clear that situations such as My Lai were very rare.

These are just a few observations. Burns is so left wing he does not make right turns in traffic.

I would consider adding the Lake Victoria, N. Rhodesia/Zambia, Uganda and East African 1918 campaigns in Africa. Most people ignore Africa in WW I, but it set the standard for colonial rule until after 1945.

I am rereading The Great War in Africa by Farwell, as well as von Lettow-Vorbeck and Jan Smuts' autobiographies on the 1918 east African campaign. These were just a couple of the great sources I cited when I wrote Four War Boer.

Jonny wrote: "Manray9 wrote: "'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Glad you are enjoying the audio book. Ham's account is one of the better ones on the subject."

Just heard the second 45 minute segment. Very interesting. I li..."

Well, if it makes you feel better, Generals Omar Bradley, Curtis Lemay, Matthew Ridgeway, James Gavin, and Maxwell Taylor all thought MacArthur was created as a propaganda machine as opposed to being a courageous military genius, despite his Medal of Honor in WW I. They did not doubt his drive, just his judgement. According to Ridgeway, "Mac was our DeGaulle, to big to dismiss, and too self serving and a pain in the ass to be effective without a lot of political support."

Jim wrote: "So I've just finished Escape - Or Die: Authentic Stories Of The RAF Escaping Society by Paul Brickhill, soon to post review. I noted that in one short story Brickhill..."

He may be referring to the Ppsh Soviet sub-machine gun, which was a favorite among Germans if they could get their hands on one.

I knew Leon Degrelle, interviewed him twice in fact at his home in Spain. I published the short interview in Military History back in 2008 I think, and I quoted him in a couple of my books. He was quite a character indeed. See him on my website www.heatonlewisbooks.com at the Future books page.

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Goebbels again in his fury over Allied bombing:

"However, on 27 May 1944 in a front-page editorial in Nazi Party newspapers the Reich Propaganda Minister Josef Goebbels had declared it was a Germa..."

There was a standing order to capture crews and pilots for interrogation, the majority of whom went to visit the Luftwaffe's chief interrogator, Hans Scharff. Goebbels was a real bastard, and he even suggested that all Allied POWs be given the death sentence to alleviate food shortages and release guards for front line duty.

During this dinner conversation, his wife Magda reminded him that the Allies may retaliate in the same way, and that her son Harald from her previous marriage was in a Canadian POW camp. Goebbels was quite unconcerned, but he did get kickback from several who were present, including from Albert Speer (witnessed by Karl Wolff), who stated that "killing those men will do nothing but eliminate any chance of a negotiated surrender should that arise," which Wolff said "was a shocking statement, since the average German would be severely punished for such defeatist talk."

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Slightly off topic but in regards to Colin's comment on some of the Waffen-SS commanders I recall reading an interesting book on General Wilheim Mohnke and his alleged role in war crimes against Al..."

Mohnke's case was initially dismissed, because his accuser said that he repeated the rumor that Mohnke gave the order. It may have in fact been true, Mohnke even admitted to following the execution orders as stated in Hitler's Commando order, filtered through Wilhelm Keitel. Regarding the Ardennes situation, that responsibility fell upon Joachim Peiper, who was ironically over ten miles away at that time. That was what saved him from the hangman.

Jonny wrote: "'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Jonny wrote: ""The Last Battle" has reached summer 1943, with a chapter on the events of July. A number of major events, with the arrival with the RAF of Serrate AI kit, anoth..."

I knew Hajo Herrmann very well, and met Kammhuber also. Goering was desperate to have something resembling a "personal" success, and when Hajo threw out the idea of Wilde Sau, Goering jumped on it. Hajo made that presentation in June 1943, and he expected to be staffed and ready by late August, which was very fast for a fighter group. Goering called him that night in July and told him to get airborne the British were inbound, so he did so with five aircraft.

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "A moving footnote from the book; "Men of Air" concerning the crew of a shot down Lancaster from 106 Squadron RAF whilst on a mission to bomb Schweinfurt:

"Villagers at Schraudenbach testify that t..."

Regarding events like this, if you read my German Aces Speak books, volume I has Falck describing the time when Steinhoff was late for a meeting, because he had to engage a British bomber, which he shot down. Steinhoff and Falck drove to the crash site, and some local Germans were kicking and poking the dead airmen. Steinhoff pulled his pistol, and he said he would shoot anyone who desecrated the men, that"they fought for their country, and I will shoot anyone who dishonors them." Heinrich baer did the same thing after he shot down a B-17 named "Henn's Revenge", when the surviving Americans weher set upon by locals. He pulled his pistol and fired a shot, and aimed it right at a German official, telling him he would shoot him dead if the Americans were harmed.

P-51 pilot Edward R. "Buddy" Haydon told me of his POW status, after being shot down, when he was placed on the train to be sent to the Stalag, locals thought he was a bomber pilot, and tried to get to him, carrying clubs. The teenage SS escort pulled his MP-40 and pulled the bolt back, telling them he would shoot them all if they tried to harm him.

In 1944 Adolf Galland openly ignored Goering's orders to hand over any black American pilots shot down to the SS under Himmler's direction, and Galland called every fighter group commander and told them not to do this. Steinhoff (JG-77), Neumann (JG-27), Priller (JG-26), and Dahl (JG-300) all agreed, and informed them that this would not be done, and Galland went to see Hitler about it.

Galland also openly defied Goering, when asked what he thought about shooting the enemy in parachutes to ensure they were out of the war. Galland told Goering "I will court martial any man who does this, and I will resign my command authority if you make this an order." I had five other interview subjects who witnessed this.

Waffen SS Brigadefuhrer Otto Kumm, when told that Himmler wanted any and all Soviet airmen and soldiers handed over to the Gestapo if captured, went to Obergruppenfuehrer Otto Gille and complained. Gille, Wilhelm Bittrich, Mohnke and others also agreed that would be a violation of Geneva, and all stated that they would not comply.

Oberfuhrer Johannes-Rudolf Muehlenkamp defied similar orders during the 1944 Warsaw general Uprising, and convinced his superior, Obergruppenfuehrer Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski, to have the soldiers captured in uniform sent to a regular POW camp, and not Auschwitz, and he also managed protection for many of the women and children. My friend, author and TV journalist Rita Cosby (see her book Quiet Hero) is alive today because her father was a Polish corporal, captured, and saved by Muehlenkamp.

Just a few bits of info I gathered over the years.