Picture of the day

Innercity pointed me at this imgur page... Don't know the hole story, but a staggering collection of pics from Anzio, 1944:

http://imgur.com/a/nnYkd

This looks like it'll buff right out:

ZDXDyaC.jpg

Caption: Smashed Panthers at Anzio

These next couple are a bit rough to look at. But something about what's going on... Once the bullets stop flying, regardless of the uniforms, they're all just a bunch of scared kids who'd probably rather be back in their hometown going to the factory all day and making babies at night.

hdVMy6J.jpg

Caption: Captured Fallschirmjäger Carrying a British Soldier Who Lost a Foot to a Mine


pRZU8Ke.jpg

Caption: Americans and a German Medic Giving Aid to a Wounded German
The medic on the left (looks American) looks like he's about to tell the cameraman where he can store his camera.
 
Grelmar -

Thank you for sharing the link. My Grandfather was a Fallschirmjager at Anzio. He spoke little of the war, but what he did share was brutally uncensored, very powerful and sometimes downright scary. The pictures in the link add a lot of insight for me, thanks again.

Your line, "Once the bullets stop flying, regardless of the uniforms, they're all just a bunch of scared kids who'd probably rather be back in their hometown going to the factory all day and making babies at night", very poignant.

Brookwood
 
You're doubtless right, Grelmar. War's a terribly wasteful Goddamn thing. We'd be better off if we could avoid it altogether. I like to think that most politicians are in agreement and only send troops when it's a necessity, but sadly history shows us the exceptions.

Thanks for the pics. Sobering, mindful stuff. Makes one wonder where they all ended up.
 
grelmar said:
Innercity pointed me at this imgur page... Don't know the hole story, but a staggering collection of pics from Anzio, 1944:

http://imgur.com/a/nnYkd

This looks like it'll buff right out:

ZDXDyaC.jpg

Caption: Smashed Panthers at Anzio

These next couple are a bit rough to look at. But something about what's going on... Once the bullets stop flying, regardless of the uniforms, they're all just a bunch of scared kids who'd probably rather be back in their hometown going to the factory all day and making babies at night.

hdVMy6J.jpg

Caption: Captured Fallschirmjäger Carrying a British Soldier Who Lost a Foot to a Mine


pRZU8Ke.jpg

Caption: Americans and a German Medic Giving Aid to a Wounded German
The medic on the left (looks American) looks like he's about to tell the cameraman where he can store his camera.
Click to expand...

The British soldier who lost his foot to a mine is Pte Mornington Sutton. His photo appears in the book, "Rome '44" by Raleigh Trevelyan. Sutton was a member of Trevelyan's platoon. Trevelyan's photo caption states that the incident occurred at the Moletta crossing on 23 May and that he bandaged the German soldier seen on the left.
 
Dark Alley Dan said:
You're doubtless right, Grelmar. War's a terribly wasteful Goddamn thing. We'd be better off if we could avoid it altogether. I like to think that most politicians are in agreement and only send troops when it's a necessity, but sadly history shows us the exceptions.

Thanks for the pics. Sobering, mindful stuff. Makes one wonder where they all ended up.
Click to expand...

“Why would some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best that he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece. Naturally, the common people don’t want war; neither in Russia nor in England nor in America... That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy or a fascist dictatorship or a Parliament or a Communist dictatorship . . . voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country.” - Hermann Göring

purple said:
The British soldier who lost his foot to a mine is Pte Mornington Sutton. His photo appears in the book, "Rome '44" by Raleigh Trevelyan. Sutton was a member of Trevelyan's platoon. Trevelyan's photo caption states that the incident occurred at the Moletta crossing on 23 May and that he bandaged the German soldier seen on the left.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the extra info. Not an over-abundance of context with the photos in that imgur series. But the pictures themselves do tell a tale.
 
grelmar said:
“Why would some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best that he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece. Naturally, the common people don’t want war; neither in Russia nor in England nor in America... That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy or a fascist dictatorship or a Parliament or a Communist dictatorship . . . voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country.” - Hermann Göring
Click to expand...

The older I get, the more evident it becomes to me that 90+% of politics is manipulation. Call me cynical, but I'm seeing more and more of it. Tell the suckers what they want to hear, and if enough of them fall for it, you get what you want.

Anyhow, pics:

faf306637e33ddffa64ab473c1802bd9.jpg
 
Dark Alley Dan said:
The older I get, the more evident it becomes to me that 90+% of politics is manipulation. Call me cynical, but I'm seeing more and more of it. Tell the suckers what they want to hear, and if enough of them fall for it, you get what you want.
Click to expand...

99.99%, have to allow for when they don't say a word and gaps between sentences.
 
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Dan - congratulations on becoming politically aware. Came late in life for you, but better late than never.


Dark Alley Dan said:
The older I get, the more evident it becomes to me that 90+% of politics is manipulation. Call me cynical, but I'm seeing more and more of it. Tell the suckers what they want to hear, and if enough of them fall for it, you get what you want.
Click to expand...
 
Sharps '63 said:
Dan - congratulations on becoming politically aware. Came late in life for you, but better late than never.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Sharps. I always had suspicions - chalk that up to youthful optimism and naivete - but the older I get, the more suspicion turns to certainty. It's part of what makes me enormously sceptical about the merits of people like O'Leary and Trump.

The Lady Be Good. That's a sad, sad story.
 
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