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

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

Allan wrote: "It's one minute after 12.00 on the west coast so I'm starting to read William Green's Rocket Fighter which has been sitting on my shelf for far too long!"

Look at The History Channel show "Dogfights: Secret Weapons" which is now on Youtube also, as well as the The History Channel website archive. I was a guest historian on the Komet with my friends historian Barrett Tillman and the late Bubi Glogner, who was a Komet pilot with the only Mosquito kill.

they could have used the Tiger I in the UK which is seen in Fury. But then again, the Hellcat would not have fared well.

I saw the glaring innacuracy of the Pzkfw Mk III, which was discontinued in 1942, otherwise seemed OK.

Ethan wrote: "Colin wrote: "Ethan wrote: "Colin wrote: "RADM Lyon created them, and he still lives in southern CA"

Really? He's still alive? That's amazing! Man, you have some amazing tidbits of information.

O..."

Just order a signed copy from us if you can't get one on Amazon. Go to www.lewisheatonbooks.com

I went to USMC infantry school at Camp Geiger, named after him

Ethan wrote: "Colin wrote: "RADM Lyon created them, and he still lives in southern CA"

Really? He's still alive? That's amazing! Man, you have some amazing tidbits of information.

Oh, and by the way, Colin, I ..."

Thanks, Adam Makos and I help each other out. I had material critical to his book from my interviews with Steinhoff, Stigler, Trautloft and others that he was unaware of when I proof read the manuscript.

RADM Lyon created them, and he still lives in southern CA

Actually, the largest man made explosion in history non nuclear in WW II was the German bombing of Pireaus, Greece in 1941, when Captain Hajo Herrmann dropped his bombs on a British transport ship. That ship was full of munitions, and the explosion sank another 10 ships tied to the dock, which totally destroyed the port (which was unusable until the 1950s), and the shockwave was felt over thirty miles away with windows being shattered and people knocked off their feet. Every one of the ships in port was packed with high explosive and gasoline.

This is a true assessment. Having interviewed hundreds of German vets, even high ranking SS men, all agree that the railway used to support the Holocaust was lethal to the German military, as upwards of 70% of all European rail was so dedicated. Talk about shooting oneself in the foot.

Manray9 wrote: "Geevee wrote: "Manray9 wrote: "From my current book --

The Longest Winter..."

I would add Bataan/Corregidor, Demyansk, Cherkassy, Alesia, Zama, Culloden, Hastings, Stamford Bridge, Poiters, Crecy, Agincourt, Constantinople

I know this story about Churchill well, great man indeed.

I was with the FFL 2nd BEP and 10th Pioneers, two separate occasions, and trained at the school at Castelnautary. Tough guys, love to fight, and very loyal to each other. had a good time.

Ugo wrote: "Colin wrote: "Actually the kill ratio for US forces in Vietnam was much higher in open combat, and unlike the French, the US never lost a major battle, neither did the Aussies. The major difference..."

My comments regarding the French reluctance to fight was related to the government's approach, not the average soldier. Remember the key component in French Froeign Legion is "Foreign", and I trained with them and also served in Africa alongside a few. Great soldiers nideed, but France has a history of making bad tactical decisions for political expediency. Look at the location of Dien Bien Phu, a glaring terrain appreciation that the Viet Minh exploited to the fullest, and deCastries should have known better.

I published one in an interview many years ago in WW II magazine, Cpl. Hans Jennewein with the 3rd Gebirgsjaeger.

I inteviewed some German soldiers from the Hungarian battles, very niteresting.

Actually the kill ratio for US forces in Vietnam was much higher in open combat, and unlike the French, the US never lost a major battle, neither did the Aussies. The major difference in approaches was the French were trying to keep Indochina within their crumbling empire, while the US just fought to keep the Communists out of the south.

Regarding the French, their lackluster and tepid approach to anything resembling honorable combat is painly due to their shell shock from WW I, their collaboration with Hitler in WW II, and their inability to come to terms with the real world.

It also helps when French companies continued doing business with Iraq and other nations, despite sitting on the UN Security Council and voting for the very sanctions they were violating.

France is also paranoid due to the large numbers of Muslims living in the country, due to their free and open door immigration policy. I guess Lifeboat logic(when you have a max capacity until tipover) never occurred to them.

If he does Liberace, I will pass on that one.

All of those books are good reads

All of Barrett's books are good, and he is a friend, and we did a History Channel show together. Good man.

Look up the name Rudolf Muehlkamp, commander of 5th SS Division "Wking" during that time. I interviewed him, and if not for his active participation against Himmler's orders, sent the uniformed POWs to legitimate POW camps. That was also covered in Rita Cosby's book "Quiet Hero' about her father, who was saved.