Picture of the day
- Thread starter jwhc
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I spent almost 3 years working with a guy who spent 1941 to 1947 in Russia, first in the Waffen-SS, later as a POW/War Criminal.
Anyone who could make it from the Vistula to Mozhaisk in a tank, then all the way back to Berlin, being shot at the whole way, is definitely worth some respect.
Greatness does not know upon what side it serves, nor does it attach itself to a single flag.
Anyone who could make it from the Vistula to Mozhaisk in a tank, then all the way back to Berlin, being shot at the whole way, is definitely worth some respect.
Greatness does not know upon what side it serves, nor does it attach itself to a single flag.
My take on the term "The greatest generation" implies a greatness of resolve, bravery and fortitude. It could be said of many generations and is not restricted to any single political group. We may not have much good to say about the German politics of WW2, but one cannot denie the fact that they too had brave soldiers.
IIRC this was part of cold war disarmament. Both the US and the Soviets had to display their decommissioned bombers in this way, so that the other side could count them with their satellites to make sure the other side was meeting their side of the pact.
George, I have been trying to find something about the rumors of Allied POWS that were captured by the Axis forces and held in POW camps that were overrun by the Soviets and were shipped back to the Soviet Union and interned in Gulags. Rumor has it that none of them returned home.
Do you have any information on this???
Quote Originally Posted by XRCD011 View Post
^ I for one find the aerial pictures of row, upon row, upon row of bombers post WWII awaiting the scrapman hard to look at.
It may be hard now that so few are left but no one wanted or could afford to operate those aircraft when the war was over. It cost more to fly them back to the US scrapyards than they were worth in scrap metal. Not only that but technology that had advanced during the war had already overtaken them and they would have become slow easy targets in the next war.
I visited China Field with my parents when I was ten. There were thousands of planes, trucks, cars, trailers, there being stripped for parts. I didn't see any armored vehicles other than a bunch of very rusty half tracks.
I remember my father wanting to strap a half dozen tires to the roof of the car to take back home. They were a buck apiece. Remember, this was around fifteen years after the war was over and everything was basically just shells. Rows of different model P51s and other fighters as well as stuff I had never seen pictures of and haven't seen since. The only reason my parents took me is that it was my birthday and we were driving by and saw the signs along the highway starting about 20 miles away. It wasn't just a free for all where you could walk in and just grab what you wanted. There were armed sentries at the gate and driving around the planes and vehicles. They weren't aggressive at all and cheerfully regaled us with stories and descriptions of things there. There was also a private contractor that was steadily stripping what was most valuable at the time for scrap resale. Lots of the stuff had seen service in Korea and had Korean emblems painted on their wings and fuselages and on the vehicles.
You're right, I rode around the whole place in the back of a pick up truck looking at all of the sad wrecks. There was another field there as well that we weren't allowed near. It was off a few miles in the desert and supposedly all of the planes in it were more modern or in better condition and considered war reserves.
^ I for one find the aerial pictures of row, upon row, upon row of bombers post WWII awaiting the scrapman hard to look at.
It may be hard now that so few are left but no one wanted or could afford to operate those aircraft when the war was over. It cost more to fly them back to the US scrapyards than they were worth in scrap metal. Not only that but technology that had advanced during the war had already overtaken them and they would have become slow easy targets in the next war.
I visited China Field with my parents when I was ten. There were thousands of planes, trucks, cars, trailers, there being stripped for parts. I didn't see any armored vehicles other than a bunch of very rusty half tracks.
I remember my father wanting to strap a half dozen tires to the roof of the car to take back home. They were a buck apiece. Remember, this was around fifteen years after the war was over and everything was basically just shells. Rows of different model P51s and other fighters as well as stuff I had never seen pictures of and haven't seen since. The only reason my parents took me is that it was my birthday and we were driving by and saw the signs along the highway starting about 20 miles away. It wasn't just a free for all where you could walk in and just grab what you wanted. There were armed sentries at the gate and driving around the planes and vehicles. They weren't aggressive at all and cheerfully regaled us with stories and descriptions of things there. There was also a private contractor that was steadily stripping what was most valuable at the time for scrap resale. Lots of the stuff had seen service in Korea and had Korean emblems painted on their wings and fuselages and on the vehicles.
You're right, I rode around the whole place in the back of a pick up truck looking at all of the sad wrecks. There was another field there as well that we weren't allowed near. It was off a few miles in the desert and supposedly all of the planes in it were more modern or in better condition and considered war reserves.
I have a first hand story from my grandfather. He was a German soldier captured after D day and held as a pow in France till 46. His home town regiment was in east Germany so they were loaded into box cars and locked in for the trip home. My grandfather knew that all was not going well as they continued past all the stops he knew, so him and a couple of buddies escaped the train. Every other guy on the train continued to Russia and were never seen again. Not a rumour.
All static displays at legions and bases are the property of the Queen and custody is managed by the War Museum or another major military museum. Displays of sufficience were removed after the war museum got new digs. Most were rebuilt for display at the new digs. Some were lent to other entities (Legions and town parks). Of note, everything on display (except one Centurion) in town of Oromocto, NB belongs to the Artillery Museum in Shilo.
Under the Yalta Agreement signed by the ALLIES and USSR, any German POW or civilian internee, in Allied hands, who spent anytime on the Eastern Front in the service of the German Armed Forces or as a civlian "settler" was liable to be volunteeered in the re-construction of the USSR on release Allied custody.
Amen
Dark Alley Dan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
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Here's the process:
[youtube]qhGYFqzvmMg[/youtube]
And "back in the day" in the field, in this case, North Africa:
[youtube]P5N2APKJtrg[/youtube]
Avert your eyes if you're particularly sensitive.
At the end, the Italians said "If the Allies win, we lose. If the Nazis win, we are lost"
