- Location
- West Central Alberta
Love these pics
Picture of the day
- Thread starter jwhc
- Start date
Dark Alley Dan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Darkest Edmonton
Fastest Medal of Honor ever awarded!
On April 12, 1945 Staff Sgt. Henry R. Erwin was a radio operator aboard a B29 flying a bombing run over Japan. Upon reaching the target area, a white phosphorus canister ignited inside the bomb bay of the aircraft. As the billowing white smoke filled the aircraft, Erwin immediately crawled to his hands and knees, dropped inside the bomb bay, and cradled the 1300 degrees burning white phosphorus canister. With his hair on fire, melting nose, arms and entire upper body, he crawled towards the cockpit, open the cockpit window and threw it out of the plane. With his clothing on fire and face charred beyond recognition, he was barely still alive when the plane made its way back. Upon landing back in base, his body was so stiff, they had to dismantle the side of the plane to get him out. He was transferred to a hospital in Guam where the doctors were sure he was a goner. Erwin was immediately recommended for the Medal of Honor and authorities in D.C. expedited the process so that it could be presented to him before he died. But there was only one Medal in the Pacific, on display in a locked glass case in Hawaii. An officer there, unable to find the key, smashed the glass case and personally flew it to Guam. One week from the bombing run, Erwin was presented the Medal of Honor.
Erwin survived the war, his injuries and lived a full life until he was 81.
That kid is probably 18 or so? Compare him to an 18 year old today. No wonder they are called “ The Greatest Generation “....
Dark Alley Dan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Darkest Edmonton
Lotta pressure on a kid that age in those days. It was what was expected, plus a chance to get off the farm or away from a podunk home town, see some places, maybe even get laid. That was the carrot.
The "stick" included parental pressure, pressure from friends specifically and society in general, and the dread spectre of their kids asking "Daddy, what did you do during the war?" Propaganda hollered at these young men from every vertical surface plus the radio. The war needed bodies, didn't much matter who, and the machine had to be fed. I daresay that, placed in a situation like that, our 21st century kids would likely do what their great grandfathers did.
But hey, at least they got to make the choice, even if under duress. On the other side of the ridge, kids like these had no choice at all:
The "stick" included parental pressure, pressure from friends specifically and society in general, and the dread spectre of their kids asking "Daddy, what did you do during the war?" Propaganda hollered at these young men from every vertical surface plus the radio. The war needed bodies, didn't much matter who, and the machine had to be fed. I daresay that, placed in a situation like that, our 21st century kids would likely do what their great grandfathers did.
But hey, at least they got to make the choice, even if under duress. On the other side of the ridge, kids like these had no choice at all:
Lotta pressure on a kid that age in those days. It was what was expected, plus a chance to get off the farm or away from a podunk home town, see some places, maybe even get laid. That was the carrot.
The "stick" included parental pressure, pressure from friends specifically and society in general, and the dread spectre of their kids asking "Daddy, what did you do during the war?" Propaganda hollered at these young men from every vertical surface plus the radio. The war needed bodies, didn't much matter who, and the machine had to be fed. I daresay that, placed in a situation like that, our 21st century kids would likely do what their great grandfathers did.
But hey, at least they got to make the choice, even if under duress. On the other side of the ridge, kids like these had no choice at all:
"SS" they are very lucky, they still alive!
Kampfhamster
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Switzerland
Today's youth grew up a lot softer with less hardship. They have their problems, too, but back then life was a lot harder I guess. Hard times makes hard man. Soft times make soft man.
Dark Alley Dan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Darkest Edmonton
Swords into plowshares.
There were plenty of 18 and 19 YOs in Afghanistan and Iraq stepping up like previous generations. Not all of todays kids a lazy schlubs. People have been talking about "kids these day" for millennia, the more things change the more they stay the same.
Probably shot them right after the photo was taken.
I know a lot of these very young German soldiers were recruited for the final defense of Germany right at the end of the war. The Americans didn't like that they would not give up until their ammunition ran out and so executed them immediately after surrender, SS or not.
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