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

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

I was in Normandy a few times, and I was looking at many grave sites. My grandfather had been buried in France until his remains were returned in 1952. I was stunned at all the cemeteries and graves, so out of curiosity I asked a local man where the French graves were. he said that he was not aware of any.

FYI I knew Ambrose, and we did not think a lot of each other, and he was in big trouble before his death for plagiarism.

We managed to solve a long mystery

Dennis Showalter is a good friend, wrote nice reviews and blurbs for my books

My great uncle was on Bataan. Never spoke about it

Hiroo was a pretty reserved guy, given 30 years or so still fighting a war long over, but he was affable, and in good spirits. He did not regret his service, but he did regret losing all those years and not knowing.

I spoke with Hiroo Onada once, interesting man. He owned the largest cattle farm in Brazil.

Manray9 wrote: " Slingshot Warbirds: World War II U.S. Navy Scout-Observation Airmen by William Neufeld

Mr. Neufeld's Slingsh..."

My brother-in-law's grandfather was on the USS Salt Lake City at that time in fact. He is still alive and doing well.

Dimitri wrote: "The Boer War by Thomas Pakenham

wrapping up all the pre-WWI wars before August 4th. Then let's get amphibious :)"

Pakenham's book is the best on this subject. I relied upon it heavily in my chapters related to that conflict when I wrote Four War Boer.

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Here is a September 2015 release that I am sure will interest a number of members in the group:

[book:Karl Doenitz and the Las..."

I interviewed many officers who served with and under Doenitz, and he was highly respected, even by Hitler.

I knew Victoria MacLean, his widow, and was able to go through his papers. Very interesting man.

Speaking of Buchenwald, go to my website at www.lewisheatonbooks.com and go to The Buchenwald Story page. This story is also mentioned in my friend Adam Makos' book A Higher Call, and my book, The German Aces Speak II.

Lilo wrote: "Colin wrote: "Lilo wrote: "Matthew wrote: "Since I am still fairly new here, I don't know if you have discussed this topic before.

Over the last few days, I found myself engrossed by The Taste of..."

Stalin needed hard currency, so selling the agricultural products of the rich Ukraine gave him much needed capital. He knew what he was doing. In fact he sent the Checka and later the NKVD into the regions. Stalin's psychotic paranoia led him to believe that the Ukrainians, especially under Stepan bandera were going to start a civil war to break away from the USSR. He was not far off, and this attitude was also prevalent in Georgia and the rest of the Caucasus.

Levrenti Beria later took control, and the forced deportations and murders of Ukrainians and Chechens to the gulags, confiscation of property, and the intentional starvation policy were all used as a weapon to control the Ukrainians.

This was when Stalin also destroyed the churches, had priests, Jews, and 'kulaks' shot or deported, and this really angered the Ukrainians.

In my book German Anti-Partisan Warfare, I chronicled the documents found in the offices in Kiev and other cities, stamped and signed, ordering all of the above mentioned actions. This was what gave Himmler the bright idea of recruiting Ukrainians as allies, to fight the communists. He created three Waffen SS divisions out of the population, and also the Vlasov Army (ROA) and the Free Ukrainian Air Force.

Lilo wrote: "Matthew wrote: "Since I am still fairly new here, I don't know if you have discussed this topic before.

Over the last few days, I found myself engrossed by The Taste of War: World War II and the ..."

Stalin managed to starve 20 million Soviet citizens to death, and 7 million Ukrainians between 1925-1937, before the war started.

I wrote a book that may interest you, Occupation and Insurgency which gives interviews and situations regarding German military operations, related to the Holocaust as well.

Watching "Dallas" in German back in the early 1980s was a real hoot also. They gave J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman) a sinister voice, sort of like Darth Vader mixed with Al Capone.

My friend Harald Bauer was a 15 year old 88mm flak gunner, and later a He-162 Volksjaeger jet pilot. He is still alive, and has crazy stories. He later became a US Navy aviation officer. He was born in New York, American mother, German father diplomat.

This will be an interesting read, as I interviewed the last 7 survivors in Hitler's bunker, as well as hundreds of others in the war until it ended.

My book, Night Fighters has interviews with German and British fliers, and explains how that all unfolded.

Dj wrote: "So I have a few questions about DeGaulle (not one of my favorite individuals of the war.)
1. Was he a nobody, or was he a Armored Division Commander who had became an member of the Government or at..."

De Gaulle was a commander, in WW I he serve with some distinction as a company commander, I will give him that. De Gaulle was ordered to Britain to establish the Free French Gov't in exile, as he was the most public face they could use to rally the people. I understand that. However, his decisions, including allowing rape and murder in Italy, and his complete disregard for for the Americans and British post war place him in a special category. De Gaulle entered politics like Henri Petain did, as a stepping stone to higher office and prestige. I do not fault him for that. His insistence that Free French forces enter Paris ahead of the Brits, Canadians and Americans who actually died getting to the city was a political decision, again understood. however, once again, his post war lies and propaganda about his great role in the liberation of Europe is laughable, even more so than his handling of the Algerian and Indochina crises.