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

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

I interviewed a few of the Navy and Marine aces from the Pacific. Some of these will be in a future interview book.

I knew and interviewed Col. Aaron Bank, OSS and creator of US Army Special Forces. I have to look at that book. Many may remember the actor, Sorrell Booke (1930-1994) who played Boss Hogg in TV's The Dukes of Hazzard, had a theater degree from Yale, was a counterintelligence officer in Korea, and worked for the CIA under former OSS operators. He spoke Japanese, Korean, French, German, English.

May I suggest my book, Occupation and Insurgency: A Selective Examination of The Geneva and Hauge Conventions on the Eastern Front. This also has interviews with participants, dealing with partisans, guerrilas, SS units.

I knew and interviewed the senior surviving officer on the Bismarck, Lt. Baron Burkard von Mullenheim-Rechberg.

Thanks guys.

Patrick wrote: "All true, Colin. The murderous brutality of the Soviets is a constant theme in my books, including the savagery they inflicted on their own people.
However, when I think of the Battle of the Bulge..."

Agreed, I spent a year in the 502nd, 101st ABN at Ft. Campbell.

My wife is selling one of her sets of complete Doolittle Raiders authographs. If anyone here is interested, email me at cdheatonii@aol.com. I can send JPEGS. Anne was their official photographer, and she and I are honorary Raiders. We are raising money to get a young Marine who served in Afghanistan with our oldest son, Max, who was on the mission when his best friend was wounded, and who lost both legs and an arm in an IED blast, that wounded everyone else. I also have an old Erich Hartmann signed print, and a few other things.

Patrick wrote: "In researching my next book, in particular some details of the Battle of the Bulge, I came across the 333rd Artillery Battalion. Two companies of this segregated "Negro" battalion were caught behi..."

We must also remmeber the Free French Moroccan soldiers under white officers who raped Italian women and killed the men protecting them. Gen Mark Clark wanted the men hanged, but was told to "forget about it" by SHAEF via Gen George C. Marshall.Eisenhower due to the necessity to keep that idiot Gen Charles DeFraud on board.

We should also not forget the hundreds of thousand of European women raped and murdered by our allies the "liberating" Soviets.

Several of the surviving SS men and one officer in charge of that event, as well as Malmedy (including Peiper) were later captured and tried at the Nuremberg and Dachau tribunals.

That execution of the black soldiers was horrifying and inexcusable, no doubt, and much worse occured on the Eastern Front on a regular basis.

Von Werra went down due to engine failure, his aircraft and body were never found.

I interviewed a dozen former U-Boat commanders, the best who survived the war, and I am looking forward to this book. Ironically, Erich Topp sank the ship my great uncle was on (merchant seman), and then his second torpedoing was done by Reinhard Hardegen, both were my friends.

FYI, the book I am writing now is the same type as The German Aces Speak, but this is my interviews with Doolittle, Curtis LeMay, and other air heroes.

My wife Anne was the official Doolittle Raiders photographer, and we are both honorary members. We also have that status with the Black Sheep and others. Anne is getting ready to auction/sell off her collection of Doolittle Raiders autographs, amazing collection. Email me if interested in seeing jpegs of them at cdheatonii@aol.com

I appreciate the endorsements of the books. Remember that you can get signed copies from Anne and I, just email us at cdheatonii@aol.com and see the website at www.lewisheatonbooks.com. Members here get a 10% discount.

Matt Ridgeway was an excelent man, I knew him, and had the privilege of being with him, Reagan, Kohl, and Steinhoff (as Steinhoff's guest) in Germany in April 1984. He was one of a kind.

Hardy Krueger played Franz von Werra in the old B/W film. I knew some guys who flew with Werra, up until the time he went MIA. Most of the guys did not like him, believing he was a very arrogant man, and a mediocre fighter pilot. Despite that they applauded his ingenuity in escaping.

I have a German atlas from 1902, leather bound, weighs about 10 lbs, copper plate engraved coloer maps of the world as it was in 1900. Best detail atlas I have ever seen, and I used sections for my books when I need good detail maps.

I have flown in the B-17, B-24, B-25 and most of the vintage aircraft, and yes, they are a tight fit, given I am 6 ft 2 in tall. Some of my WW II friends who flew them during the war said I would not have been allowed to be anything other than a pilot, I was too tall. I believe them.

I knew the late actor BGEN James Stewart who flew B-24s, and he looked at me and said that I could understand his challenge, himself being tall for a pilot. I would be hard pressed to stick my boots into a Sperry ball turret, let alone get into one.

see my website for more personal items from the guys I interviewed at www.lewisheatonbooks.com

I fired the Thompson, it really takes firm control due to the desrie of the weapon to arc up. On the range we learned to start with a low point of aim, lean into it, and do 2 second bursts to get 80% of the rounds on target at 30-50 yards.

He was one of a kind indeed.