Keyword: wwii

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  • Pearl Harbor submarine find rewrites history

    12/08/2009 12:09:56 PM PST · by jazusamo · 33 replies · 1,005+ views
    Seattle Times ^ | December 8, 2009 | Thomas H. Maugh II
    A Japanese mini-submarine, newly discovered in other underwater debris, may have capsized the battleship Oklahoma with a torpedo.The remains of a Japanese mini-submarine that participated in the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor have been discovered, researchers say, offering strong evidence that the sub fired its torpedoes at Battleship Row. That could settle a long-standing argument among historians. Five mini-subs were to participate in the strike, but four were scuttled, destroyed or run aground without being a factor in the attack. The fate of the fifth has remained a mystery. But a variety of new evidence suggests it fired...
  • Bill and Buck Pattillo - WWII Veterans Reunited with their Warbirds

    12/08/2009 10:21:26 AM PST · by Notoriously Conservative · 5 replies · 309+ views
    Notoriously Conservative ^ | 12 08 09 | Notoriously Conservative
    Two P-51 pilots reunite with their warbirds Most times when you look forward to a big event that is years in the making and is the culmination of a tremendous amount of time work, it can be a big letdown. This was not the case at Oshkosh this year. The airshow and our time with these two WWII legends far exceeded even my wildest dreams. They were AWESOME. Funny, lively, and absolute gentleman. When people speak of the Greatest Generation, I now know what they mean. It is Bill and Buck Pattillo they are referring to. These men are warriors...
  • Pearl Harbor 68 Years Ago Today - Attack Details; Roosevelt "Day of Infamy" Speech - Videos

    12/07/2009 7:13:09 AM PST · by Federalist Patriot · 6 replies · 212+ views
    Freedom's Lighthouse ^ | December 7, 2009 | Brian
    Today is the 68th anniversary of the Japanese sneak attack on Pear Harbor, December 7, 1941. The attack drew the United States into World War II. The United States suffered 2,402 killed, and 1,282 wounded. Until September 11, 2001, Pearl Harbor was the single worst enemy attack on U.S. soil in American History (not including Civil War battles). Here are some videos on the events of that day . . . (VIDEOS)
  • Full Pearl Harbor Casualty List

    12/07/2009 8:52:16 AM PST · by Kartographer · 1 replies · 294+ views
    Below is a list of all of all those who perished as a result of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. You may also use the letters above to narrow the list to last names starting with a specific letter.
  • PEARL HARBOR DAY REMEMBRANCE AND THOUGHT

    12/07/2009 12:31:38 PM PST · by Edisto Joe · 7 replies · 197+ views
    The Edisto Joe Outlook ^ | 12/07/2009 | Edisto Joe
    December 7, 1941 is a day that will be forever ingrained in the minds of my family. That morning a knock came at the door of my grandparents home. My grandfather opened the door, and it was Mr. Steele, their next door neighbor. He was in a very excited state and kept repeating, have you heard, have you heard? The news he was carrying stunned them, Pearl Harbor had been attacked. After the initial shock passed, my grandfather and Mr. Steele went into the living room and turned on the radio as my grandmother made coffee. Their they stayed for...
  • Presidential Proclamation - National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

    12/07/2009 11:14:30 AM PST · by a fool in paradise · 29 replies · 326+ views
    White House.gov ^ | Dec 4, 2009 | Barack Obama
    A PROCLAMATION President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared December 7, 1941, a "date which will live in infamy." With over 3,500 Americans killed or wounded, the surprise attack by the Imperial Japanese on Pearl Harbor was an attempt to break the American will and destroy our Pacific Fleet. They succeeded in doing neither. On National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, we pay tribute to the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, and we honor all those who selflessly served our Nation at home and abroad during World War II. On a tranquil Sunday morning, as war...
  • Why We Fight

    12/07/2009 10:54:59 AM PST · by blu · 1 replies · 182+ views
    Today on Turner Classic Movies... This is a series of 7 films made before and during WWII. The main aim of the films was to talk the public into supporting the war in Europe and the Far East. When I teach World History, I show these films. Today is Pearl Harbor Day. I think we might need reminding of what's at stake. And please don't let the cite (Wiki, I know, I usually disapprove, but not this time) or the use of the word "propaganda" turn you off. This is what our Dear Leader should be doing....showing us what's going...
  • World War Two Google Earth

    12/07/2009 8:19:46 AM PST · by GonzoII · 2 replies · 530+ views
    You Tube ^ | 7 Dec 09 | azazel87
    Here are a series of places I found on Google Earth where significant events happened in World War Two.
  • The Truth About Pearl Harbor: A Debate [Did FDR know about Japan's plans in advance?]

    12/07/2009 7:25:33 AM PST · by oblomov · 202 replies · 2,168+ views
    The Independent Institute ^ | 30 January 2003 | Robert B. Stinnett, Stephen Budiansky
    Introductory Remarks: On December 7, 1941, U.S. military installations at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii were attacked by the Imperial Japanese Navy. Could this tragic event that resulted in over 3,000 Americans killed and injured in a single two-hour attack have been averted? After 16 years of uncovering documents through the Freedom of Information Act, journalist and historian Robert Stinnett charges in his book, Day of Deceit, that U.S. government leaders at the highest level not only knew that a Japanese attack was imminent, but that they had deliberately engaged in policies intended to provoke the attack, in order to draw...
  • FReeper Canteen ~ Remembering Pearl Harbor ~ December 7, 2009

    12/06/2009 5:00:00 PM PST · by Kathy in Alaska · 209 replies · 1,106+ views
    Serving The Best Troops and Veterans In The World !! | The Canteen Crew
    USS Arizona Memorial Canteen Mission Statement Showing support and boosting the morale ofour military and our allies militaryand the family members of the above.Honoring those who have served before. Time Line Pearl Harbor Blue Champagne Embraceable You GI Jive Moon Dreams Stealin' Apples USS Ward, Report of Pearl Harbor Attack The Search for the World War II Japanese Midget Submarine Sunk off Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941 Here We Go Again I Can't Give You Anything But Love, Baby I've Got A Heart Filled With Love Songs My Mother Taught Me Wang Wang Blue Army Private, Wetzel Sanders, Remembers...
  • Pearl Harbor memories still vivid for some

    12/06/2009 2:21:06 PM PST · by rdl6989 · 29 replies · 443+ views
    MSNBC ^ | Dec 6, 2009
    PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii - Ed Johann will always remember the sound of planes diving out of the sky to bomb U.S. battleships, the explosions and the screams of sailors. He still recalls the stench of burning oil and flesh. The 86-year-old retired firefighter is due to return to Pearl Harbor Monday for the first time since World War II to attend a ceremony marking the 68th anniversary of the Japanese attack. "I really don't know how I'm going to handle it," said Johann, from his home in Oregon. "When I think about it, all I have is unpleasantness. I'm sure...
  • When the Sun Turned Black

    12/05/2009 6:00:32 PM PST · by NYer · 333 replies · 3,228+ views
    Insight Scoop ^ | December 5, 2009 | Paul Glynn, S.M.
    Major "Chuck" Sweeney had an extremely risky takeoff before dawn, loaded as he was with the 4.5-ton A-bomb, "Fat Man". Now they were over their primary target, Kokura. He had made three runs over the hopelessly clouded city when he made a shocking discovery: the auxiliary gasoline pipe was blocked. Unless they dropped the bomb soon, they would never get home. He turned his plane southwest for the secondary target, "Nagasaki, urban area". His B-29 was over Shimabara just before 11 A.M. A radio announcer saw this and excitedly broadcast a warning, and Nagasaki people who heard him ran for...
  • WWII Fighter Plane Returns to Land

    12/03/2009 3:45:26 PM PST · by Flavius · 7 replies · 858+ views
    nbc ^ | 12/3/09 | nbc
    WWII Fighter Plane Returns to Land A World War II fighter plane that crashed into an icy Lake Michigan during a training flight almost 65 years ago was brought to the surface Monday. please watch video at link 'I remember it like it was yesterday': WWII fighter pilot's Hellcat is pulled out of Lake Michigan 65 years after he crash landed Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1232327/I-remember-like-yesterday-WWII-fighter-pilots-Hellcat-pulled-Lake-Michigan-65-years-crash-landed.html#ixzz0Ya9UisLi
  • Battle of Bulge Anniversary Remembered at Tree Lighting

    12/04/2009 3:12:20 PM PST · by SandRat · 16 replies · 341+ views
    WASHINGTON, Dec. 4, 2009 – The Army’s chief of staff stepped back in history Thursday evening to Christmas Eve in Belgium 65 years ago by reading one of the most inspirational letters written by a commander to his troops. Gen. George W. Casey Jr., chief of staff of the Army, reads the World War II Christmas letter from Gen. Anthony McAuliffe to his troops during the 13th annual Norwegian Tree Lighting Ceremony in Union Station, Washington D.C., Dec. 3, 2009. The tree is a gift from Norway and a symbol of the friendship between the United States and Norway. DoD...
  • Vladimir Putin praises Stalin for creating a superpower and winning the war

    12/04/2009 1:51:00 AM PST · by Schnucki · 20 replies · 434+ views
    Times Online (U.K.) ^ | December 4, 2009 | Tony Halpin
    Joseph Stalin sent millions to their deaths during his reign of terror, and his name was taboo for decades, but the dictator is a step closer to rehabilitation after Vladimir Putin openly praised his achievements. The Prime Minister and former KGB agent used an appearance on national television to give credit to Stalin for making the Soviet Union an industrial superpower, and for defeating Hitler in the Second World War. In a verdict that will be obediently absorbed by a state bureaucracy long used to taking its cue from above, Mr Putin declared that it was “impossible to make a...
  • Airman carries wartime flag family heirloom

    12/01/2009 5:50:01 PM PST · by SandRat · 7 replies · 337+ views
    Staff Sgt. Heriberto Gonzalez, a force protection escort for the 332nd Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron, holds the American flag his father and grandfather both carried during wartime. Photo courtesy of the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing. JOINT BASE BALAD — Staff Sgt. Heriberto Gonzalez, 332nd Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron, possesses an American flag that was carried by both his father and grandfather during wartime. "Gonzo," as he is referred to by his flight line coworkers, is on his eighth deployment since joining the Air Force. An avionics craftsman by trade, he volunteered to deploy to Iraq to provide security for local...
  • Belgians, Americans to Celebrate Anniversary of Landmark Victory

    12/01/2009 5:44:42 PM PST · by SandRat · 3 replies · 175+ views
    America Supports You ^ | Kevin Downey
    CHIÈVRES, Belgium, Dec. 1, 2009 – Sixty-five years after World War II's landmark Battle of the Bulge, U.S. and Belgian troops will again march side by side in Bastogne on Dec. 12 and 13. Veterans and servicemembers from both nations are scheduled to join thousands of well-wishers, including town officials, dignitaries and local residents, in commemorating the Allied forces' victory in the famous World War II battle. "The traditional carnival-like atmosphere in Bastogne over the weekend celebrates the historic grit and determination of our two nations' veterans 65 years ago, and the solemn ceremony at the Mardasson Memorial overlooking the...
  • Demjanjuk trial opens in Germany

    11/30/2009 10:05:19 AM PST · by mojito · 38 replies · 693+ views
    Jerusalem Post ^ | 11/30/2009 | Unattributed
    A German court put John Demjanjuk on trial Monday to face charges of being an accessory to the murder of 27,900 Jews at a Nazi death camp, and his lawyer immediately accused the court of bias. The 89-year-old retired Ohio autoworker arrived at the opening of the trial in a wheelchair to face the final chapter of some 30 years of efforts to prosecute him, wearing a navy baseball cap and covered in a light blue blanket. After the first 90-minute session, Demjanjuk was returned to the courtroom lying flat on his back on a gurney, covered in blankets. Doctors...
  • World at War DVD series (by Jeremy Isaacs - 1974)

    11/30/2009 10:02:29 AM PST · by tsmith130 · 31 replies · 520+ views
    11/30/2009 | me
    Has anyone watched or heard anything about this DVD series...good, bad or indifferent? Thinking about purchasing it as a gift for my son but I'd like input from someone who has seen it first. Thanks in advance!
  • WW II Battleship sailor tells Obama to shape up or ship out!

    11/24/2009 2:06:58 PM PST · by RolandTignor · 28 replies · 3,605+ views
    Came through the email ^ | November 24, 2009 | Harold Estes
    WW II Battleship sailor tells Obama to shape up or ship out ! This venerable and much honored WW II vet is well known in Hawaii for his seventy-plus years of service to patriotic organizations and causes all over the country. A humble man without a political bone in his body, he has never spoken out before about a government official, until now. He dictated this letter to a friend, signed it and mailed it to the president. Dear President Obama, My name is Harold Estes, approaching 95 on December 13 of this year. People meeting me for the first...
  • Nation's oldest female Marine is laid to rest . . .

    11/22/2009 2:40:05 PM PST · by ConorMacNessa · 26 replies · 1,240+ views
    The New York Daily News ^ | Sunday, November 22nd 2009, 4:00 AM | Denis Hamill
    On a crisp fall day in a cemetery in Queens, a Marine Corps honor guard blew taps over the country's oldest female Marine. Sgt. Miriam Cohen did not die jumping on a hand grenade, or storming the beaches of Normandy or battling the Japanese on Iwo Jima. Most appropriately, she died on Veteran's Day, one day after the 234th birthday of the United States Marines Corps. Cohen lived nearly half as long: She would have been 102 on Dec. 13. When World War II threatened civilization, this beautiful, gutsy Brooklyn gal answered the call of a bugle, just like the...
  • Remembering the missions: Don Schoen describes life as a WWII fighter pilot

    11/22/2009 6:58:26 AM PST · by SandRat · 15 replies · 583+ views
    SIERRA VISTA — Don Schoen started a slightly more than 27-year career in the Air Force as a fighter pilot during World War II with the Army Air Forces. There were about two years of training to become a pilot, said Schoen. It was September 1944 when Don arrived in Europe after sailing from the East Coast of the U.S. for five days. And it was after arriving at an air base in England that he got his first look at and first ride in a C model of the P-51. After five days of local terrain flying, he and...
  • 'This isn't the Britain we fought for,' say the 'unknown warriors' of WWII

    11/20/2009 6:57:37 PM PST · by naturalman1975 · 38 replies · 1,340+ views
    Daily Mail (UK) ^ | 21st November 2009 | Tony Rennell
    Sarah Robinson was just a teenager when World War II broke out. She endured the Blitz, watching for fires during Luftwaffe air raids armed with a bucket of sand. Often she would walk ten miles home from work in the blackout, with bombs falling around her. As soon as she turned 18, she joined the Royal Navy to do her bit for the war effort. Hers was a small part in a huge, history-making enterprise, and her contribution epitomises her generation's sense of service and sacrifice. Nearly 400,000 Britons died. Millions more were scarred by the experience, physically and mentally....
  • PICTURES: WWII "Samurai Subs" Found -- Carried Aircraft

    11/18/2009 9:50:26 AM PST · by JoeProBono · 14 replies · 1,404+ views
    nationalgeographic ^ | November 12, 2009
    After 60 years in a watery Hawaiian grave, two World War II-era Japanese attack submarines have been discovered near Pearl Harbor, marine archaeologists announced today. Specifically designed for a stealth attack on the U.S. East Coast--perhaps targeting Washington, D.C., and New York City--the "samurai subs" were fast, far-ranging, and in some cases carried folding-wing aircraft, according to Dik Daso, curator of modern military aircraft at the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum, speaking in the new National Geographic documentary Hunt for the Samurai Subs. When World War II ended in 1945, the U.S. Navy seized the Japanese fleet in the Pacific,...
  • Soldiers risk it all for something priceless...a life less ordinary

    11/15/2009 6:57:14 PM PST · by naturalman1975 · 8 replies · 398+ views
    Daily Mail (UK) ^ | 15th November 2009 | Liz Jones
    I observed the two minutes of silence on November 11. I bought a poppy and thought of my Dad, someone I always miss at this time of year. He wasn’t killed in action, but he served in the Second World War – he was a captain in a tank regiment – and lost many friends. .... The Army made him brave, and that bravery stood him in good stead when it came to facing loss, illness, mediocrity... ..... His memories, good and bad, kept him alive, alert, proud. He knew he had really lived, seen the world and made a...
  • HOLY ROMAN SPIES: THE VATICAN'S SECRET AGENTS

    11/15/2009 4:25:58 PM PST · by NYer · 27 replies · 895+ views
    EWTN ^ | November 15, 2009
    Meet the men who passed through the Iron Curtain in this fascinating program about the priests trained by the Vatican to infiltrate the USSR and minister to the people suffering under communist oppression. Sun 11/15/09 10 PM ET / 7 PM PT Tues 11/17/09 1 PM ET / 10 AM PT Fri 11/20/09 4 AM ET / 1 AM PT PT
  • TARGET: TOKYO

    11/14/2009 5:12:59 PM PST · by Saije · 11 replies · 585+ views
    OC Register ^ | 11/14/2009 | Gary A. Warner
    There is no massive statue at Sagami Bay of an angel with a sword and a coronet. No rows of white crosses above “99 Beach.”*** That the region around Tokyo isn't dotted with American war memorials is a matter of science, luck, politics – and endless controversy. These were all objectives in Operation Coronet, the planned seaborne attack on Tokyo in World War II. The greatest battle that never was. Guadalcanal, North Africa, Italy, Tarawa, Saipan, D-Day, Iwo Jima, Okinawa – even the planned invasion of the southern Japanese island of Kyushu – were all prelude. Each a step toward...
  • Obama Stumbles Again (video of Barry speaking sans teleprompter alert)

    11/14/2009 4:32:27 PM PST · by OldDeckHand · 47 replies · 3,334+ views
    Powerlineblog.com ^ | 11/14/09 | John Hinderaker
    Barack Obama: you can dress him up, but you can't take him out. Every time he goes abroad, he embarrasses himself and sells out his country. In Japan today, Obama gave a press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Hatoyama. He was asked this question, for which he was unaccountably unprepared: "And to President Obama, you are a proponent of a nuclear-free world, and you've stated, first of all, you would like to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki while in office. Do you have this desire? And what is your understanding of the historical meaning of the A-bombing in Hiroshima and Nagasaki?...
  • Henry Bourgeois, 'Black Sheep' aviator (Died)

    11/14/2009 3:48:04 PM PST · by jrushing · 45 replies · 1,053+ views
    NOLA.COM ^ | Saturday, November 14, 2009 | St. Tammany bureau
    Lt. Col. Henry "BOO" Bourgeois that flew on the 2nd Tour with Pappy Boyington.Henry Mayor "Hank" Bourgeois, one of the last surviving aviators from World War II's famed Black Sheep Squadron, died Monday at St. Tammany Parish Hospital in Covington. He was 88. (Near New Orleans)
  • Russia holds military march in honor of 1941 parade (Video)

    MOSCOW, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Russian soldiers in World War II Soviet uniform and other historical military costumes, accompanied by two famed T-34 tanks, marched through Moscow's Red Square on Saturday to mark the 68th anniversary of a legendary military parade in 1941. About 4,000 young Muscovites also participated in the parade, watched by some 6,000 spectators, including at least 45 participants of the 1941 parade. The Nov. 7, 1941 parade, which commemorated the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, was held after Russia joined World War II and aimed to raise morale as Nazi German forces approached Moscow. The troops headed straight...
  • Should President Obama have defended the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Poll

    11/13/2009 2:21:52 PM PST · by DBlake · 30 replies · 1,094+ views
    Youpolls ^ | 11-13-2009 | Youpolls
    Obama Refuses To Defend Bombing Of Hiroshima, Nagasaki
  • Obama Says He Would Be ‘Honored’ to Visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki

    11/13/2009 8:20:30 AM PST · by Sub-Driver · 55 replies · 1,163+ views
    Obama Says He Would Be ‘Honored’ to Visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki Friday, November 13, 2009 (CNSNews.com) – Visiting the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki – targets of a U.S. atomic bomb attack that hastened the end of World War II – would be “meaningful,” President Obama said Friday in Tokyo. “I certainly would be honored – it would be meaningful for me to visit those two cities in the future. I don’t have immediate travel plans, but it’s something that would be meaningful to me.” In an interview with a Japanese network earlier this week, Obama said something similar:...
  • Local Silence is broken: WW II vet relives experiences

    11/11/2009 7:58:57 PM PST · by org.whodat · 11 replies · 613+ views
    Vernon Davis, who turns 90 on Nov. 14, served in World War II. “Three years, 10 months, and seven days,” Davis said with an ever-present smile. You might think that Davis participates among a litany of veterans organizations, parades, events and such. Fighting was fierce during those culminating days and nights of World War II. By April 20, Vernon along with less than 50 other men navigated to the top of Mike Ridge on Okinawa. About 500 well-fortified Japanese were their foes. According to a citation given to him, Vernon and the band of less then 50 men had “slept...
  • One Man's Solemn Mission to Recover WWII Remains

    11/11/2009 12:23:44 PM PST · by fishhound · 20 replies · 898+ views
    AOl/ Sphere ^ | 11/11/09 | Steve Freiss
    (Nov. 11) -- At first, it seemed like a sick joke or, worse, some sort of scam. The caller from North Carolina was telling John Lenox that the wreckage of his father's plane had been located. Staff Sgt. Alvin Lenox had been dead for two weeks longer than his 66-year-old son, John, had been alive. The Army Air Force radio operator crashed with four others in a cargo plane flying a supply mission from Yantai, China, to Joraht, India, in August 1943. They went down in a treacherous mountain region known as The Hump, which swallowed about 600 U.S. planes...
  • D-Day historian: 'Ryan' not best war film

    11/11/2009 5:34:19 AM PST · by Saije · 158 replies · 3,121+ views
    CNN ^ | 11/11/2009 | Matthew Carey
    Some reviewers have called "Saving Private Ryan," Steven Spielberg's World War II film about D-Day and the search for a soldier, one of the greatest war movies. Military historian Antony Beevor begs to differ. Not only is it not the greatest war movie, it's not even the best cinematic depiction of D-Day, says Beevor, author of the newly published "D-Day: The Battle for Normandy" (Viking). He admires the famed Omaha Beach opening -- "Probably the most realistic battle sequence ever filmed," he said -- but described the rest of "Saving Private Ryan" as "ghastly." "It's sort of a 'Dirty Dozen'...
  • A Normandy riddle is solved

    11/11/2009 5:10:57 AM PST · by malkee · 2 replies · 785+ views
    Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ^ | 11/11/09 | Torsten Ove
    Thirty years ago, a young Frenchman walking in Normandy came across an American soldier's rusted dog tag among the rocks at Nacqueville, west of the port of Cherbourg. The name read: "Addison W. Arthurs." Etienne Desquesnes, now 46, wanted to return it to the owner or his family. But who was Addison Arthurs? Mr. Desquesnes wrote to the U.S. embassy in Paris but never got an answer. He finally has one now, and just in time for Veterans Day, thanks to some Internet sleuthing by his friend, Bertrand Goucovitch, 49, an amateur D-Day historian, and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. After a...
  • Victims, Villains and Heroes

    11/11/2009 3:02:41 AM PST · by Scanian · 3 replies · 247+ views
    The American Thinker ^ | November 11, 2009 | Ben Voth
    American soldiers find themselves once again caught in the inhumane crossfire of the Media. Since the Vietnam War, the Media designates Soldiers as being in one of two unfortunate categories: victim or villain. The current struggle to make meaning out of the Hisan Nidal terror attack at Fort Hood is indicative of the immoral rhetorical frame created by the national punditry. Even the President has entered the fray, departing from his rash indictment of the Cambridge police officer to urge caution in judging Nidal's actions. For NPR and related 'journalistic' outlets, Nidal is a "victim" of the trauma associated with...
  • Bonnie Henry : Their stories share theme: survival

    11/09/2009 4:51:35 PM PST · by SandRat · 1 replies · 195+ views
    Arizona Daily Star ^ | Bonnie Henry
    One landed on Omaha Beach just past dawn on D-Day, June 6, 1944. The other survived a German POW camp. Neither claims to be a hero — which is precisely why we honor these two Tucsonans as Veterans Day approaches. "Yes, I was scared. You had to be. But I credit our training for getting me through," says Bob Kirby, 88. A corporal with the 81st Chemical Mortar Battalion, Kirby waded in chest-deep water onto Omaha Beach 50 minutes past the first landings. "Bodies were floating all around, and bullets were pinging in the water. I don't know why we...
  • Catholic Martyrs of the Holocaust

    10/01/2009 7:37:11 AM PDT · by the invisib1e hand · 22 replies · 656+ views
    This Rock, via CERC ^ | Nov 2008 | Matthew E. Bunsen
    By 1939, more than 10,000 Catholic schools had been closed and the Catholic boys and girls sent to Nazi public schools for indoctrination. Catholics are constantly confronted with the claims that Pope Pius XII was complicit in the Holocaust, that vast numbers of Catholics collaborated with Hitler's diabolical regime, and that Catholic priests, nuns, and bishops were ardent members of the Nazi Party and supporters of its policies. It is true that many Catholics turned a blind eye to the Holocaust, and others remained silent out of fear for their lives and the safety of their families. There were certainly...
  • A Nazi at Harvard

    11/07/2009 11:14:49 AM PST · by Ravnagora · 9 replies · 465+ views
    New York Review of Books ^ | November 2, 2009 | Anthony Grafton
    In 1934, the Harvard class of 1909 held its 25th reunion—then as now an occasion for members of the American elite to parade in public and celebrate their achievements. But this year the star attraction was a German: Ernst “Putzi” Hanfstaengl, the son of a Munich art dealer and publisher who had joined the Nazi movement and enjoyed personal access to Hitler (Hitler liked hearing him play the piano, as had his Harvard classmates, for whom he composed football fight songs). In the early 1930s he served as foreign press chief for the Nazi party. Ernst Hanfstaengl (center, with raised...
  • Exhibit traces the 20-year history of Hitler Youth [During Q&A - warning of Obama]

    11/05/2009 8:15:05 AM PST · by Berlin_Freeper · 9 replies · 594+ views
    thejewishchronicle.net ^ | Nov 5, 2009 | Eric Lidji
    The children of the Nazi party began as a shining hope for the future, but by the end of the war they became reserve soldiers as the Germans faced military defeat. That descent from twisted idealism to cynicism and eventually disillusionment is traced in “Tempted, Misled, Slaughtered: The Short Life of Hitler Youth Paul B.,” an exhibit at the American Jewish Museum of the Jewish Community Center in Squirrel Hill. The exhibit, on display in the Kaufmann Building through Dec. 31, is presented with the Holocaust Center of the United Jewish Federation of Pittsburgh — part of a busy schedule...
  • WWII Veteran Flies Flag Upside Down in Protest

    11/04/2009 11:25:50 AM PST · by Notoriously Conservative · 9 replies · 342+ views
    Notoriously Conservative ^ | 11 04 09 | Notoriously Conservative
    A friend of a friend in Midland, Texas is protesting the federal government's spending and push for nationalized healthcare. Thomas Flournoy, a WWII veteran, is flying his flag upside down, as a sign of distress. From KWES: One Midlander says enough is enough with the federal government. He says outragous spending and a push for Nationalized healthcare has put him over the top. Now, he's not only protesting, but sending out a sign of distress. On Tuesday, NewsWest 9 spoke with the World War II Veteran who is telling everyone to fly their flags upside down. "We've got to concentrate...
  • Mullen Praises World War II Japanese-American Troops

    11/03/2009 3:43:25 PM PST · by SandRat · 15 replies · 484+ views
    WASHINGTON, Nov. 3, 2009 – For three days in October 1944, a Japanese-American military unit fought in dense woods, heavy fog and freezing temperatures in the mountains of France, answering the prayers of an American battalion pinned down by German forces. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, speaks with Medal of Honor recipient George "Joe" Sakato at the 65th anniversary of the rescue of the "Lost Battalion" in Houston, Nov. 1, 2009. The event honored the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, a segregated unit composed mostly of Japanese-Americans. The unit rescued 230 men, lost more than...
  • Saviors still [‘Lost Battalion,' Japanese(American) rescuers reunite]

    11/02/2009 12:06:44 PM PST · by SwinneySwitch · 10 replies · 1,093+ views
    HOUSTON CHRONICLE ^ | Nov. 2, 2009 | MOISES MENDOZA
    The ‘Lost Battalion’ was surrounded by Nazis and near certain death – until the men of the 442nd appeared. Now, they meet again Even 65 years later, Astro Tortolano thinks almost daily of his struggle to survive in the Vosges Mountains of northern France in October 1944. Surrounded by German soldiers after stumbling into a trap, Tortolano and about 280 men in the 1st Battalion of the Texas 141st Infantry Regiment of the 36th Infantry Division rationed food and bullets. They fended off Nazi assaults. They thought all hope of surviving was lost. Six days into the crisis, different soldiers...
  • Final Member of Hitler's Inner Circle Dies at 96

    10/30/2009 7:40:42 AM PDT · by AngelesCrestHighway · 47 replies · 1,848+ views
    Fox News ^ | 10/30/09 | FoxNews
    The last member of Adolf Hitler's notorious inner circle has died at age 96, leaving behind instructions to publish a manuscript about his time spent alongside the German dictator, the Telegraph reported. Fritz Darges was present for all major conferences, social engagements and policy announcements during World War II — and experts believe his memoir could disprove claims by some disputed historians that Hitler never directly ordered the extermination of the Jews, and that the "final solution" was the brainchild of SS chief Heirich Himmler. Darges rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel and thought Hitler was a genius. It...
  • OXI Day: How the Greeks Helped End World War II

    10/29/2009 3:49:54 AM PDT · by Ravnagora · 22 replies · 753+ views
    "One Man's Blog" ^ | October 28, 2009 | John Pozadzides
    Today, October 28, marks the anniversary of one of the most important days in the history of the world, yet few people remember it’s significance. But the Greeks do, and they celebrate OXI day, every year. The day was October 28, 1940. At dawn that morning (4:00am), after a party in the German embassy in Athens, Mussolini (through Emanuele Grazzi, the Italian ambassador in Greece) issued an ultimatum to Greek Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas to surrender, or face open war with Italy. Metaxas, a career military officer and more importantly a proud Greek, was not inclined to acquiesce to Mussolini’s...
  • Mansfield, first American Officer with Mihailovich, testifies before Commission of Inquiry

    10/26/2009 3:10:53 PM PDT · by Ravnagora · 4 replies · 262+ views
    www.generalmihailovich.com ^ | March 8, 2009 | Commission of Inquiry // Committee for a Fair Trial for Mihailovich
    Testimony of Captain Walter R. Mansfield, first American Liaison Officer with General Mihailovich, before the Commission of Inquiry Captain Walter R. Mansfield, U.S. General Draza Mihailovich 1943 MR. KIENDL TO CAPTAIN MANSFIELD: You never saw any evidence of collaboration all the time you were there? CAPTAIN MANSFIELD: I never saw any evidence of collaboration between Mihailovich personally and the Germans. Q: Did you ever hear any reports from any Americans to the effect that there was such collaboration between Mihailovich and the Germans? A: I have only heard reports to the contrary, that there was none. From the first day's...
  • Aces high - the last of the Flying Tiger raiders

    10/26/2009 7:57:40 AM PDT · by where's_the_Outrage? · 35 replies · 939+ views
    The Bangkok Post ^ | October 25, 2009 | Jack Eisner
    Charlie Bond, one of the last pilots of a covert World War Two fighter squadron, died recently, but the heroics of the US servicemen who took on the might of the Japanese air force in Burma will never be forgotten Published: 25/10/2009 at 12:00 AM Newspaper section: Spectrum Charlie Bond, one of the last surviving pilots of the legendary World War Two 1st American Volunteer Group (AVG), dubbed the "Flying Tigers", died in Dallas, Texas, on Aug 18, at the age of 94. Major General Charles R Bond, Jr, served 30 years in the US Air Force, retiring in 1968....
  • Haunting Germans with the "Ghost Army"

    10/24/2009 11:48:15 PM PDT · by Saije · 3 replies · 507+ views
    Cleveland Plain Dealer ^ | 10/25/2009 | Brian Albrecht
    A lot of colorful phrases are associated with World War II. Like, "Nuts!" -- one American commander's defiant response to German surrender demands. Or, "Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition," attributed to a U.S. Navy chaplain during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. But here's another one, appropriate for this season. Trick or treat! The trick was setting up phony, inflatable tanks, trucks and artillery under cover of darkness. Then generating some ersatz radio traffic between units and commanders. Igniting flash canisters mimicking the glare of cannons firing. Erecting loudspeakers and playing the pre-recorded sounds of troops and vehicles...
  • A Veteran Meets the Faith

    10/24/2009 11:18:56 AM PDT · by NYer · 9 replies · 266+ views
    NC Register ^ | October 25, 2009 | MATTHEW A. RAREY
    Veterans Day is coming up, but there are few vets who have a story to tell like Mario Avignone.His life was changed during World War II when he was stationed near the monastery inhabited by St. Pio of Pietrelcina. Avignone, a salt-of-the-earth Chicagoan, and two fellow soldiers befriended the stigmatic miracle worker. Since then, he expresses his devotion to the saint by sharing his experiences with others, visiting the sick, and praying with the aid of relics.After a talk Avignone gave at St. Mary of the Angels Church on the city’s North Side, the 90-year-old veteran, over a meal...