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

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

Selena wrote: "For those in the Twin Cities area, the World War II Roundtable starts up again on Thursday Sept. 11 for it's monthly meetings: http://www.mn-ww2roundtable.org/"

If you see Steve Daubenspeck there tell him to call me sometime

You may find my book Occupation and Insurgency of interest, I have interviews with SS men and officers regarding the killings in the east, and a comparative analysis on those actions and the laws of warfare. More on my website at Future Books also: www.lewisheatonbooks.com

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Following on from his recent book on Heinrich Himmler, author Peter Longerich has this new book out on Goebbels that may interest some members of the group:

[bookcover:Goebbels: A Biography|206870..."

I interviewed many Germans who knew Goebbels personally. The stories are great, and he is mentioned in several of my books regarding Luftwaffe subjects.

Obergruppenfuehrer Wilhelm Bittrich told me in 1977 that what he saw at Arnhem on the part of the British was perhaps the bravest sight he had seen in his entire military life.

I saw them fly out of Kadena also, usually while getting drunk in Kenville at the East Coast Lounge

Charles Messenger proof read my master's thesis, which became my book Night Fighters, and all of his books are great.

De Gaulle gave the order to allow the Moroccans to do what they wished, and told Churchill that the coalition was "more important than a few collaborators" if it kept them in the field. This tacit support equals authorization and complicity. The Nuremburg and Dachau Trials were for war crimes, where the top tier were held responsible for the orders they gave to subordinates, and for tacit support of those actions in violation of Geneva 1929 then in force.

Charels de Fraud was responsible for the rapes and murders of Italian women and their men folk in 1944. His French Moroccan mercenaries wanted to be paid, or they would not fight. Led by white French officers, who knew they had no money (the Moroccans did not like paper, they were paid in gold boulion), so the Arabs were appeased. The officers looked the other way as they did their deeds.

Gen. Mark Clark learned of this, and wanted the mercenaries brought to justice, as well as the officers in charge. The request went all the way to FDR, then Churchill. Both men decided that the alliance was too important to risk, so no action was taken.

The Italians, I believe still pay damages/pensions to these women, whose husbands and sons were often shot trying to defend them. I found this out when in Rome years ago doing research on partisan/guerrilla movements in Europe. I met one of the old women who was still alive, who related her story. Horrible by any definition.

Degrelle was a fervent anti-Communist, and later anti-Catholic after the Catholic leftists murdered his brother and kidnapped his children. he also saw the rise of communism in Belgium through the labor movements, which Hitler crushed, actually his first act as chancellor. Degrelle denied that he had any role in the Holocaust, and his claims are supported by historical facts, and others I interviewed. In fact Degrelle and SS Gen Gille rebuilt the Orthodox Churches destroyed by the Red Army, found the exiled priests and brought them back, hunted down the Cheka and NKVD responsible, handed the farms back to the peasants, all while operating in the Ukraine and Cacuasus. It was much to their credit that over 25,000 Soviet citizens defected to the Germans to fight Stalin. They created 3 Ukrainian and two Free Russian Waffen SS Divisions. I guess you have to choose your enemy.

Mikey B. wrote: "Jerome wrote: "A February 2015 release:

Beyond The Call: The True Story of One World War II Pilot's Covert Mission to Rescue POWs on the Eastern Front

Thanks - definitely sounds i..."

Mikey B. wrote: "Jerome wrote: "A February 2015 release:

Beyond The Call: The True Story of One World War II Pilot's Covert Mission to Rescue POWs on the Eastern Front

Thanks - definitely sounds i..."

Read my book, The German Aces Speak II regarding what that fun enatiled. You will be ashamed of being a man.

I knew Degrelle, and he was one of my best interviews. The books are good, he wrote many. I used one of his quotes my my book Noble Warrior.

That's it. This was what saved Europe, and started the downfall of the Soviet Union.

Justin wrote: "This looks interesting. WW2 film about a Sherman tank crew towards the end of the war, starring Brad Pitt:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OGvZ..."

I did some research for this film, took them a while to get finished. I can't wait to see the engagement b/w the M4 and Tiger I, taken directly from the actual event from one of my interviews.

FYI, Gen. Charles de Fraud wanted French troops going into Paris. This solidified his " falsely created" image as the Free French leader fighting the war, when the coward did no such damned thing.

Eisenhower agreed that it needed to be done for propaganda purposes, to keep the French Resistance active, and have them recruit more, and then purge collaborators, especially the Vichy government under Henri Petain in the south.

In reality, de Gaulle could and should have been charged with war crimes had France not been critical in the post war Cold War.

There is a book on the Marshall Plan, cannot remember the author. That was the start.

My first written corrrespondence/interview with a German was SS Lt. Gen. Wilhelm Bittrich when I was in high school. I had seen A Bridge Too Far and managed to locate him. Interesting man indeed. That led to many other such interviews when I lived in Germany.

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Look what arrived for me today:



The World's War by David Olusoga
Description:
A unique account of the millions of colonial t..."

Our new book Four Wr Boer covers this in gret detail, from both sides during WW I in Africa.

Yep

Ian wrote: "While visiting friends in Switzerland last week we visited the Allerheiligen museum in Schaffhausen. There is a (very) small but interesting exhibition there to commemorate the bombing of Schaffhau..."

Bombing errors were more common than most believe. The RAF Bomber Command (see my book Night Fighetrs) averaged missing their intended targets by 4-5 miles. That's why they began targeting cities, easier to find.

Ironically, it was a young Lt. Hajo Herrmann (a friend of mine) who was the first German bomber pilot to accidentally bomb a civilian area while attacking the East India Docks, after flak blew him around and knocked out his instruments. He was almost court-martialed, along with his He-111 crew as a result of the furor, and Hitler was personally irritated with him until he explained in detail how it occurred.

The RAF responded in kind, and thus it started.

This is a sibject with which I am well versed, and it is very facinating when you get into the details of the Grand Muftis of both Jreusalem and Egypt having audiences with Hitler. Following one of these meetings, Himmler authorized the creation of the 13th der Waffen SS Division "Hanschar", comprised of Bosnian muslim volunteers. They were primary an anti-partisan force.