Hoping someone is awake to talk about Burma

[historybuff]

Thanks for taking the time to write, Paul. You have an impressive resume of accomplishments.

Although I've always had an interest in the war, based on my fathers stories from when he was a child (yes, they had blackouts here, too, in central Canada!...and rationing too), it wasn't until I'd moved to Nova Scotia and met several veterans that everything I'd read had involved so many people so many different ways. Much history has been and will continue to be lost as these servicemen die off with their stories untold.

[historybuff]

Hi, dbf! I could recommend dozens of excellent books, but the best method is just to keep reading -- something from one book will spur you on to read another. Churchill's 6 volume History of the Second World War is certainly excellent, as is a volume (name escapes me now) consisting of exerpts from diaries of German soldiers serving in Stalingrad. One passage is unforgettable, I have it committed to memory: "We have fought for two weeks for posession of a single house. There is nothing left except a pile of bricks and mortar. By day we snipe and machine gun this rubble and take it back, only to have the Russians come during the night and recapture it."

Recently I came across records of British submarines and brief histories of them. The H.M.S. Triumph once hit a mine and the forward section was blown off. The forward torpedoes were damaged in the explosion, but did not detonate. As the sub inched along on the surface, heading for home, German bombers detected it and began their bombing run. At that very moment, the Royal Navy appeared to escort, and chased the bombers away. Is this crew lucky or what?

[historybuff]

Donnie, hello.
Your family certainly has an outstanding record of service, and suffering loss. I'm wondering if you know that "Flanders Fields" was written by a young Canadian, whose home, now a museum, is not far from where I live?
Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae - Veterans Affairs Canada

McRae House
108 Water St Guelph, ON 519-839-1482 Open June 1 - Aug 31, daily 1 to 5pm/ Sept 1 - May 30 Sun - Fri 1 to 5pm Birthplace of Colonel John McRae, respected physician, military officer and author of the poem "In Flanders Fields".

[Gotthard Heinrici]

Hi Historybuff. Glad to see you found out that we dont bite (much!!) and that you are making yourself right at home!!

[Owen]

Hello HistoryBuff,
I haven't said "Hello" yet on this thread as I went to Silverstone for the British Grand Prix and I have my F1 "head" on at the moment and am having a break from all the war stuff.
So "Hello & welcome to the forum."

[spidge]

Originally Posted by historybuff

Hi Spidge! That is a very interesting piece of information about the RAAF servicemen buried across the country. How did you find that one out? Canadians don't record their history very well, neither do they teach it very well, I feel.
Do you think that the 146 that are buried are victims of training accidents, guys that were part of the Commonwealth Air Training program?

Steve (History Buff)

Hi Steve,

Most of the information initially was from the CWGC website.

I would imagine that without corroborating evidence to the contrary, most of them would have been training accidents. They would have all been part of the EATS scheme in some shape or form.


Cheers

Geoff

[historybuff]

Sorry, unfamiliar with CBI and ABDA acronyms...

[Warlord]

American, British, Dutch, Australian Command, a contraption allied armies came up with to have some sort of unified control over forces in the area covering west to east from Burma to Dutch New Guinea, and north to south from the southern coast of China (excluding the mainland) to the northern territories of continental Australia, in the hectic days between Pearl Harbor and March 1942.

China, Burma, India Theater, a US armed forces definition for its resources and their operations in the area. I commonly use it to refer to the area and the whole of allied forces fighting there, not only americans, not regarding command structures.

[WotNoChad?]

Welcome HB.

I've always taken the lack of a reply as implicit proof that you're right about something. ;-)

cheers,

[jayhawker]

I've posted two threads on this forumn and got replies in a day or two. So I believe the posts are answered when somthing stikes ones fancy or when we have heavy traffic on site. I'm also interested in Burma and India. My father served with 1382nd EPD. and lateron an AA unit unsure what #.
later, jayhawker