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

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

Lilo wrote: "Colin wrote: "I find the Trump Hitler comparison more than amusing, it is quite disturbing. Only the most intellectually bankrupt of minds can even equate the two. First Hitler as an anti-capitalis..."

No insult intended, just a clear, unemotional historical comparison based upon facts, not rhetoric or politics.

See the film The Grey Zone also dealing with the same subject. Harvey Keitel plays the German sergeant at Ascuwitz, good role, considering he is Jewish as well.

I find the Trump Hitler comparison more than amusing, it is quite disturbing. Only the most intellectually bankrupt of minds can even equate the two. First Hitler as an anti-capitalist and targeted specific minorities for extermination after forced deportation failed.

Second, Trump is a master capitalist and job creator; Hitler created jobs, but Trump has never used, and never advocated the use of slave labor.

Third, Trump believes in our 2nd Amendment right to bear arms, Hitler confiscated all weapons from the population

Fourth, Trump understands the need for global commerce, whereas Hitler internalized his economy based upon a socialist paradigm.

Nuff said I guess

Well, i always accepted the maxim that "man made defenses are the ultimate in hubris and will be challenged."

Mark Mazower is a good historian, read his book Inside Hitler's Greece

The Germans learned from this episode, thus creating the Brendenburg Kommando under Adrian von Foelkersam, and Otto Skorzeney took it to the next level.

The French volunteers created three Waffen SS Regiments, with Charlemagne becoming a full Division. Referencing No. 4 you may like my book on Marseille, The Star of Africa; The Rogue Ace who Dominated the WW II Skies. Referencing No. 10, I knew Buchner and you may enjoy his and 20 other jet pilots' accounts from my interviews in my book The Me-262 Stormbird.

Bevan wrote: "Very interesting.
Colin, when you say jets do you mean airline or military? You must have had some fruitful talks with those men.
Im still reading [book:The Battle Of The Atlantic: How the Allies ..."

They flew the Me-262 in combat, see my website at www.lewisheatonbooks.com at my book The Me-262 Stormbird, and the Walter Shuck page, among others.

The euthanasia program was called the "T-4" program, and was conducted by medical professionals in order to reduce costs and the increased patient care. There ideal was to cleanse the un-pure, mentally feeble, handicapped, etc. The only reason it stopped was that Pope Pius became involved and threatened to cut ties with the Catholic Church in Germany, and many Protestant leaders such Bishop Galen and Martin Niemoller also exposed it. To Hitler it became an embarrassment and they halted the project. that did not mean the targeted people were safe, they were simply warehoused until later when they could be "relocated" along with Jews and others.

As far as Guy Sajer's book not being 100% accurate, it has flaws, which could be of memory or lack of understanding of the larger picture. Unlike in the case of Ambrose, I would not condemn Sajer's account out of hand. There have been a couple of questions as to the voracity of of Pieter Krueler's story as he told it to me, for some of the same reasons. In my case, I spent 25 years researching, even travelling to East and South Africa to corroborate his story, and the end result is Four War Boer.

My friend (who is still living) is former Luftwaffe fighter pilot Kurt Schulze, and late friend Walter Schuck was also in JG-5 at that time. They were assigned to JG-5 in Norway at the time when Major Heinrich Ehrler was the group CO. Ehrler was court martialed for not having his planes in the air to protect the Tirpitz, although he was on a short leave and there was no warning of the attack, and Goering and Raeder needed a scapegoat. Interesting story. Ehler and Schuck went on to fly jets together.

Victor wrote: ""The Forgotten Soldier" is popular for a reason, but I would suggest you familiarize yourself with the GrossDeutschland division before you read the book, Helen. Guy Sajer had only a slight idea wh..."

Grossdeutschland was commanded for a time by a distant relative of mine on my mother's side, Hasso von Manteuffel on the Eastern Front, fyi. He was also the 25th of only 27 men to receive the Diamonds to the Oak Leaves and Swords to the Knight's Cross in January 1945.

Dj wrote: "Manray9 wrote: "Dj wrote: "Manray9 wrote: "Dj wrote: "Betsy wrote: "Have read a couple of books on Pegasus Bridge, but not that one. Let us know how you like it. I made a special point to visit the..."

I knew Irving, met him, in fact his attorney on the charges in Germany saw him defended by my good friend and late attorney (as well as Spanish Civil War and WW II Luftwaffe pilot) Hajo Herrmann.

happy wrote: "If anyone is interested, I finally got around to typing up my thoughts on A Higher Call: An Incredible True Story of Combat and Chivalry in the War-Torn Skies of World War II

https..."

The author Adam Makos is a good friend, and you will see my contributions in his boo, all of the Steinhoff and Marseille info I gave him.

True, I interviewed Saburo Sakai, and he had issues with Caiden's work.

Ambrose was very creative with the truth, and even more creative at attacking his perceived rivals. He instructed the volunteers in New Orleans at the WW II Museum in 2001, when many of us authors were doing book signings, to throw my boxes of books into the dumpster behind the museum. The local NOPD got involved, investigated and interviewed the firemen volunteers, and the story came out.

Ambrose and I hated each other, I will admit, and I lost all respect for him, and not because of the plagiarism, but his personal conduct towards me when we were doing book signings together.

I interviewed a U-Boat commander, and my good friend the late Col. Hajo Herrmann, who sank 70,000 tons of convoy shipping, as both men were on that PQ-17 convoy attack. Ironically my great uncle was also in that convoy run to Russia, and he would be sunk in two ships and survive during the war. Ironically, two of my U-Boat commander friends Erich Topp and Reinhard Hardegen were the two guys who sank the two ships my great uncle Vernon was on. Small world.

If you like the eastern Front, and the partisan war, see my books German Anti-Partisan Warfare in Europe, and Occupation and Insurgency. These books are heavy with interview content from all the players, including US, Italian, Red Army and SS officers.

The commanders did turn off their receivers. The Luftwaffe chief of communications, Gen. Wolfgang Martini had informer Doenitz, Galland, Goering, Falck and many others that he felt positive that the Enigma had been cracked, and that the Metox receivers were also compromised. Falck already suspected this with his night fighters, and Erich Raeder ordered an updated additional rotor system for Enigma. Erich Topp and others said that they would not even use the detection system, as they tended to be welcomed by patrol aircraft when they did use it, hence the suspicion.