Regards
alfa6 :>}
Posted on 12/16/2004 10:19:02 PM PST by snippy_about_it
In 1942 New Guinea was really, really a near run thing. MacArthur made Guadalcanal happen mostly to take pressure off of New Guinea, the Coral Sea battle was to stop the Japanese landing on the southern shore of New Guinea, and then on to Australia, all that. Australia came to within an inch of having hordes of Japanese landing. Pressure and extreme danger was, in retrospect, not over until after Guadalcanal and Midway.
So those Asiatic Fleet lads paid a huge price, all that mortality can bear. Could be, I think so, they bought just the time absolutely needed to defend Australia.
The war ran real close in 1941 and 1942. How about the Third Reich occupying Egypt and tying in with the Japanese by sea across the Indian Ocean and up the Red Sea? Hmmm??
Hadn't realized you had done so much work on the von Rundstedt offensive. Lots of fine rear guards and last stands in those hills. Running around blowing those bridges must have been fun, well, for a younger man than I! I bet Joachim Pieper was disgusted.
Speaking of Pieper, he survived the war. "Thoroughly disillusioned with the "new Germany," he retired to rural seclusion in eastern France. In 1976, French communists orchestrated a campaign to drive him from the country. He refused to leave, and on the night of 14 July, Bastille Day, after having sent his wife to safety in Germany, he was killed in a fire-bomb attack on his home."
Brave Communists, brave Frenchmen, burn a guy out in the middle of the night.
Hope you don't find offensive that I write both to you and for the other readers, good folks with varying backgrounds in this sort of stuff. My obsession with geopolitics, grand strategy, and battle stories is not shared by many!!
I'm not sure why I find the Bulge such an interesting battle. Maybe it's because there were so many desperate fights and acts of heroism.
My mother-in-law said Christmas 1944 was colored by the whole country desperate for news from the front and hoping for the best.
Have fun with the party!
I'm not sure why I find the Bulge such an interesting battle. Maybe it's because there were so many desperate fights and acts of heroism.
My mother-in-law said Christmas 1944 was colored by the whole country desperate for news from the front and hoping for the best.
Have fun with the party!
I enjoy your comments, Iris7.I would feel much better about Rummy if he didn't seem to have such a grudge against the Army and armor in particular. I would hope the experience of the Iraq war would make him understand that heavy units are still needed.
McCain is as bad as the Libs, he'll use anything to get himself in the News.
I find the Bulge to be a fascinating battle.
According to his biography, Pieper's body was found in the ashes along with an empty pistol, looks like he went out fighting.
"Those Damned Engineers" is an excellent read on how small units slowed down Pieper's advance and finally helped to cut him off in La Gleize.
Your comments are more than welcome here Iris7. We learn new stuff here every day becasue of our readers.
Regards
alfa6 :>}
I know that's part of it for me.
LOL! Could be the "Anti-Christmas" Police too.
Hello, Foxhole
Excellent thread for an ice cold, sunny Friday.
"My first assignment was as a "Jeep" driver for the 2nd squad, 1st Platoon - a machine-gun squad (30 cal water-cooled). After a short time as Jeep driver, I requested to join the squad for whom I drove. I was given the position of "second gunner." Shortly after that my Squad Leader was sent to a replacement depot for an overseas assignment. I then made "first gunner." Then, again, the new squad leader was sent to a replacement depot at which time I became "acting squad leader." A few days before we embarked on the Queen Elizabeth to England, in October 1944, I was made Sergeant - machine gun squad leader. That was my rank and duty until I was captured in The Battle of the Bulge on 19 December 1944.
As a prisoner I walked a total of approximately 525 miles. One hundred and ten miles from the point of capture on the German-Belgium border to Stalag 12-A (German prison camp), Limburg, Germany. We never entered the camp, but were loaded into box-cars, 60 men to a box-car. We then traveled seven days, six nights in the 40&8 box-cars (Originally built for 40 men or 8 horses) to Stalag 4-B, Muhlberg, Germany (on the Elbe River). Due to bombing raids and bad tracks our trip was much longer than normal. We did not get out of the box-cars during the whole trip. Our toilet facility for 60 men was a 5 gallon bucket. We were fed only three times during the trip. A slice of bread and a small, very small portion of cheese, water only twice. We used a can on a string to scoop snow from the tracks. "
ROFLOL
It finally turned fairly nice...low 50's with SUN.
Afternoon tomball.
Hiya tomball.
Thanks ct. The food was yummy. Sam got coffee and I got a bowl. :-)
LOL. Stick 'em up Santa.
I'd be sad if you stopped commenting.
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