Quote from: kalash on December 08, 2015, 09:33:38 AM
Sad news - The last veteran, participant of storm of Reichstag in Berlin in the spring of 1945, died.  Nikolay Beliaev, died september 8, at the age of 93. In 1945 he was young leutenant in 756th regiment, what was the first to storm into Reighstag.

A noble ally he was.

What a surging rush of adrenaline to be among the first to storm that lurid citadel.  Then witness the raising of the Red Flag on one of its now-barren flagpoles. 

Rest In Peace, Nikolay

Quote from: Billy's bayonet on December 08, 2015, 03:33:12 PM

You know I could say that Your Father and My Father (and all my Uncles) sounded like the same person, all had been in WW2, different theaters, My Father was third wave on the Beach on D day, another fought his way thru Italy w/Patton (Artillery) and two in the Navy in The Pacific, in addition to the one I mentioned previously who saw the flag raised over IWO, another had his ship hit by Kamakazi's, I think off Okinawa. One thing I can say about them all....they HATED the Japanese, even after the war, God forbid my mother bring anything into the house made in Japan, he'd throw it away or smash it. 

Even though he fought against Germans he never had the same feeling, I noticed that Vets of the WW2 era were much the same....I think it was the whole sneak attack thing they found so reprehensible....that and the brutality of the JIA troops who slaughtered lots of American/British and Aussie POW's.

Exactly!  ..and the more they heard/saw of the Japanese culture, the less they wanted it - so repressive and cruel.
Yeah, our first TV was a Zenith - dad wouldn't go for Jap-crap.

Quote from: kit saginaw on December 08, 2015, 03:36:09 PM
Thanks for both of your fathers' service, Shooterman and Hoofer.  They stood like a stone-wall.

Boys became men, before they wanted to.   We have a great generation coming up behind us, boys that deserve the same honor for fighting for freedom in the middle east...  all we need is the right leader to galvanize them again.  I am very optimistic about the future.

Quote from: Shooterman on December 08, 2015, 11:57:43 AM
Magnificent airplane. Came late to the war. Before that it was the Wildcats, Hellcats, TBFs, and Corsairs that carried the fight. My Pop was on a small Minesweeper at Leyte Gulf and told me years afterwards, the only thing that saved their bacon were the Marine and Navy carrier pilots that kept the Japs at bay.

Personally, I believe MacArthur received far too much credit for winning the Pacific Theater. Nimitz and Halsey got the marines and soldiers to where they fought.

Actually the P38 preceded the Hellcat and the Corsair. The Army Air Corps in the Pacific, like them for their range, and that 20mm nose cannon was deadly on those flammable Japanese aircraft.
Actually MacArthur fought a number of battles that weren't necessary. He invade the Philippines simply to make good on his promise, when it would have been smarter to simply go around them and attack Formosa.

Quote from: Hoofer on December 08, 2015, 04:09:50 PM
Exactly!  ..and the more they heard/saw of the Japanese culture, the less they wanted it - so repressive and cruel.
Yeah, our first TV was a Zenith - dad wouldn't go for Jap-crap.

Boys became men, before they wanted to.   We have a great generation coming up behind us, boys that deserve the same honor for fighting for freedom in the middle east...  all we need is the right leader to galvanize them again.  I am very optimistic about the future.

Two things that will bring a tear to your eye....one is the actual Bridge on the river Qwai in Thailand, first you go to the Historical center and cemetary, walking thru the burial grounds where the POWs who were forced to build the RR for the Japanese you see nothing but headstones of 17 18 and 19 year old BOYS from Australia and New Zealand, hundreds and hundreds of them.

The second thing is the Bata'an death march, long ago me and some friends took a bike hike along this 60 some mile route, markers all over...here died 10 men, US Army, here died 12 men Filipino armed forces etc....dozens of trail markers of men who were killed, often bayoneted when they couldn't walk any more.  The Local Filipino's regularly put flowers and crosses to mark these little headstones and monuments and Pray for the souls of the dead.

Quote from: Shooterman on December 08, 2015, 11:36:50 AM
Hmmmmn! I always thought Harry S was a DIM. My bad, I guess.

And as Rompin' Ronnie Reagan said, you old coot, "There you go again!" 

Harry S Truman was in fact a Democrat, and the last one we didn't have to apologize for. He knew there are some hard calls no President can avoid, and enemies who will never listen.

Truman would take Obama off to one side and probably rip his throat out. But that would be fantasy, for Truman and old-style Democrats are all dead, and so is their idea of patriotism.

Quote from: mdgiles on December 08, 2015, 04:34:56 PM
Actually the P38 preceded the Hellcat and the Corsair. The Army Air Corps in the Pacific, like them for their range, and that 20mm nose cannon was deadly on those flammable Japanese aircraft.
Actually MacArthur fought a number of battles that weren't necessary. He invade the Philippines simply to make good on his promise, when it would have been smarter to simply go around them and attack Formosa.

Yeah, he sure did a heck of a job driving Islam out of Mindanao.....   

Quote from: SalemCat on December 07, 2015, 08:06:24 PM
America expended plenty of Blood and Treasure liberating the Chinese from the Japanese.

Why did China turn on us so soon afterwards ?

We helped Chang Kai Chek, a warlord that had come to power. The Commies then fought Chang after the war. They felt they owed us nothing. Plus they were under the influence of Uncle Joe.

Quote from: Hoofer on December 08, 2015, 02:57:05 PM
My dad fought in the Army as a Radio Signalman, taking one island after another, towards Tokyo (clearing the way for McArthur...eh).  One of those "targeted" by Jap snipers.  He lost his best friend when a mortar hit his foxhole, and one night when the forward communication lines kept getting cut, he was the last of 4 men to run new wire, said they literally drew straws ... the other 3 were sniped.   I can't imagine crawling over the body of your buddy's...  an hour before you wish "good luck" to, with a roll of wire in each arm.   Hated Japs until the day he died, but, watched every movie, documentary about the pacific theater and Japanese life.   Hated them, but kept studying them, long after the war was won.

The stuff he saw must have been bad, he rarely talked about it, but had terrible nightmares for decades - even my mom said she would be awaken - his hands on her throat, thinking she was a Jap, re-living that nightmare of hand-to-hand combat, over and over.  He often talked of sleeping while the Navy fired shells over their heads, but if the whistling of the bombs stopped, they'd immediately wake up.  And, unlike BO., he said the Japs were fierce, dedicated fighters, to-the-death, and never surrendered, we owe them NO APOLOGY.  They took  no prisoners, nobody surrendered, it was fight to the death, or commit suicide.

He was the kind of father & man that made many lasting friendships, loved my mom ... despite his war experience, he brought much joy and humor into our lives, a man's man, the kind of guy most women would want, and real men would aspire to.  His word was as good as a contract, his handshake a down payment.  Yeah, I miss him.  He died 35 years ago.  I'm glad to say, "They STILL make 'em like that today!"  Just as many, maybe even more than before, and every one of them is starting to stand up for this country and expecting to be heard, soon enough.

Pop fought the same demons when he came home. Mom walked the floor many a night with him. Now days it is called PTSD. Back then, a guy got through it the best he could. Pop had a total of 12 years in and was offered a Warrant Officer commission to stay. Nope, he said, enough is enough, I'm going home. He didn't do too shabby for a fellow without a high school diploma.

He's been dead 26 years and not a day goes by I don't miss him.

Quote from: quiller on December 08, 2015, 05:07:51 PM
And as Rompin' Ronnie Reagan said, you old coot, "There you go again!" 

Harry S Truman was in fact a Democrat, and the last one we didn't have to apologize for. He knew there are some hard calls no President can avoid, and enemies who will never listen.

Truman would take Obama off to one side and probably rip his throat out. But that would be fantasy, for Truman and old-style Democrats are all dead, and so is their idea of patriotism.

That would be difficult.  Could you gut a piece of dental floss?

Quote from: kit saginaw on December 08, 2015, 03:36:09 PM
Thanks for both of your fathers' service, Shooterman and Hoofer.  They stood like a stone-wall.

After Coral Sea, we were desperate for carriers so his tanker went into dry dock to be converted to a carrier. He went to the Atlantic on convoy duty into Murmansk, which was above the Arctic Circle. I can only imagine how cold it got with nothing but the steel all around you. Hell, I almost froze to death going over to Korea. 

For those interested, get a copy of the 'With The Old Breed'. It is scary what the First Marines went through.

''even my mom said she would be awaken - his hands on her throat, thinking she was a Jap,"

I'll bet THIS was his greatest nightmare - that he would harm the LOVE of his life while dreaming she was a JAP.

Awful.

I'm not revealing my life to strangers, but some of us have dreams like your Dad did.

May God bless him.

Quote from: quiller on December 06, 2015, 05:25:14 PM
Would FDR actually have USED a nuke against Japan? Doubtful! Democrats have this amazing childlike belief that you can REASON with your enemies.

Um... Truman (who ordered the attacks) was a Democrat, too!

Also, the A-bomb was developed at the direction of FDR's Administration. The purpose of the bomb was to bring the war to quick end, saving American lives.

If FDR had lived, he would have dropped the bomb.

Quote from: Billy's bayonet on December 08, 2015, 05:04:34 PM

Two things that will bring a tear to your eye....one is the actual Bridge on the river Qwai in Thailand

I refuse to ever watch this movie again. It humanizes the Japs, of that era, who do not deserve that.

On the other hand, I pray the modern day Japanese quickly improve their Military. They can no longer count on Obama's America to protect them.

Quote from: Billy's bayonet on December 08, 2015, 05:04:34 PM

Two things that will bring a tear to your eye....one is the actual Bridge on the river Qwai in Thailand, first you go to the Historical center and cemetary, walking thru the burial grounds where the POWs who were forced to build the RR for the Japanese you see nothing but headstones of 17 18 and 19 year old BOYS from Australia and New Zealand, hundreds and hundreds of them.

The second thing is the Bata'an death march, long ago me and some friends took a bike hike along this 60 some mile route, markers all over...here died 10 men, US Army, here died 12 men Filipino armed forces etc....dozens of trail markers of men who were killed, often bayoneted when they couldn't walk any more.  The Local Filipino's regularly put flowers and crosses to mark these little headstones and monuments and Pray for the souls of the dead.

While in basic training, one of our chem-bio instructors was a career soldier, SFC if I remember that had survived the Bataan Death March, I believe he was Filipino.

Speaking of irony:

Today, in Lafayette Indiana,
there's a factory built by a Japanese auto company.

It's just off the Bataan Death March Memorial Highway.