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

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

It was interesting indeed, and I learned a lot.

Dj wrote: "Nice, may the rest of the year be as lucky as this day was.

Gerald wrote: "My first 2014 purchase is Alexandria Richie's "Warsaw 1944: Hitler, Himmler, and the Warsaw Uprising." This book was rele..."

I will have to read that. I interviewed the 2nd in command at Warsaw, Rudolf Muellenkamp, the 5th SS Division commander under Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski. I wonder if she mentions what he did...? FYI, TV journalist Rita Cosby wrote the book about her father, Quiet Hero. Her father was a Polish soldier in the ghetto at that time.

Dr. Showalter has been very kind to me over the years as we have a mutual respect, and he has written forwards and reviews/blurb for my books over the years. His books are top notch. His foreword to our next WW II book, The German Aces Speak Vol II was great, and out in March.

Heather wrote: "Popping in to introduce myself...I'm New to this group. I love a good WW2 book, especially European theater/holocaust, but would love to expand my knowledge in other areas!"

You may like my book Occupation and Insurgency, which deals with the holocaust/war crimes in the field on the eastern front, and I interviewed SS officers and Soviet irregulars.

Dj wrote: "This would be on the German side of the equation?

Colin wrote: "Night fighting started in 1940, when Wolf Falck gained permission to experiment.""

Both the RAF and Luftwaffe started night fighting about the same time, the main difference was that Falck (who was a good friend, see my book night Fighters) was the first to have the scientists involved to develop on board radar and other electronic systems. Then it became a wizards war of one upmanship b/w the two sides. My book described all this, with interviews on both sides, as well as the results of that technology that we use everyday that people take for granted.

Correct, I went back and researched that. I interviewed RAF night fighter ace and test pilot John Cunningham, and I saw his comments on that, as he also flew it. Thanks.

Night fighting started in 1940, when Wolf Falck gained permission to experiment.

I interviewed Bradley briefly in high school, he was very accommodating. He thought the film was rubbish for the very reasons mentioned here. He also said that Patton, while an admitted egomaniac, never openly disrespected his superiors, except the British. Eisenhower removed him from D-Day directly as a result of British opposition because of Patton's open disdain of "the British way of doing things, despite the illogic." Patton also said that Market Garden was a bad idea due to the lack of more U.S. Armored support. Bradley agreed, but was overruled for political considerations. Patton also got into trouble when he said that Patton said "...DeGaulle deserved to enter Paris first as much as Hitler deserved a ticker tape parade in New York or Picadilly."

Remember what Rommel said: "If your men can see the back of your head, then you are a leader. If you see the back of theirs, you are in the wrong place."

Dj wrote: "Keegan wrote a number of the books for the series.
http://www.angelfire.com/sk/checklist...
Here is a link for the series. Some of the books listed were never published, but it is a goo..."

I was with Sir John Keegan at Oxford, great intellect, and I had the benefit of Messenger proof reading my graduate thesis, which became the book Night Fighters many years later. Good historians and great books in my opinion.

Some may find our book The Star of Africa, the biography of Hans-Joachim Marseille, and his men regarding the air campaign in Libya and Egypt.

Dj wrote: "So I am still reading Forgotten Battles.
When last we left these battles I had been pondering why the author would think that the Murmansk Run was forgotten.
Well it turns out that unlike many of..."

You may want to read my book Night Fighters, that covers the RAF v Luftwaffe night war, complete with interviews of the participants, including Lemay, Doolittle, Galland, Falck and others. The BDA and post war analysis proves several points.

Dj wrote: "So I am still reading Forgotten Battles.
When last we left these battles I had been pondering why the author would think that the Murmansk Run was forgotten.
Well it turns out that unlike many of..."

Unfortunately, the historical military record proves that the select Waffen SS units were in fact the most valuable and critical components on the eastern and even Western Fronts. Look at the battle records and tide turning moments of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 9th and 10th SS Divisions, as well as Leon Degrelle's 28th Wallonien.

Manray9 wrote: "'Aussie Rick' wrote: "My pleasure folks. I'll be interested to see what great quotes pop up on that thread, enjoy :)"

As Jimmy Durante used to say: "I gotta million of 'em."

Does anyone remember..."

"Good night Miss Haversham, wherever you are"

There were several Allied soldiers who testified for Germans as a matter of professional courtesy. Otto Skorzeny and several of his SS commandos were not convicted of murder and sabotage due to the testimony of the SOE's "White Rabbit". Look him up.

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "A May 2014 release that covers something a bit different in the Pacific theatre:


b..."

Captain Hashimoto, who sank the USS Indianapolis carried a Kaiten and crew. As he knew the war was lost he refused to launch them and let them die. he was an amazing man indeed. He also felt great remorse for the lives lost, and McVay's court martial, where he was brought in as a witness against him.

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Some interesting bits of information from my current book; Demolishing the Myth. Most members are aware that most tanks in the Soviet army had no radio's except for command vehicles. Those tanks wi..."

I interviewed a T-34 driver (later commander). They used to have a hammer next to them to knock the transmission into reverse or forward if it became stuck. Gregor Koronov said that T-34 drivers (and even JS-1 and KV drivers)developed massive biceps as a result.

I interviewed some Germans involved, quite interesting.

I have the records of such events. In my book, Anti-Partisan Warfare I was excoriated for mentioning such things, especially the French ordered murders and rapes of Italian men and women. I showed the pensions being paid to the female victims as restitution for losing their men, killed protecting them, as well as for being beaten and raped.

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Lilo wrote: "@ Manray9: The weather seems to be off-kilter in many places, indeed. I just heard from a GR friend who lives on the island of Cyprus, in the Mediterranean, that they are freezing ther..."

You must have been in the Troodos Mountains