Just Finished a Good Book

[Lon]

If you like reading WW 2 history you might give Max Hastings "Inferno" a go. He covers a number of things not previously covered like the thousands of Allied desertions during the Italian Campaign and the thousands of non combat airmen's deaths during training exercises.

[gmc]

Don't know about the american side of things but the trial of the british mutineers at salerno was controversial both at the time and subsequently, with the britush you are`talking about soldiers that had been fighting for three or four years already.

BBC - History - World Wars: Mutiny at Salerno: The Story and the Background

D-Day Dodgers - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

RosieBell: D-Day Dodgers

It's maybe not covered in american history books but it is in british ones. They perhaps also skate over the part played the american japanese regiment - I came across mention of them in one of james micheners books and did some digging, certainly the part played by black regiments in europe never seems to get a mention you would think they hadn't been involved at all unless you read widely. Modern war films are quite good at highlighting some things, I had read about the turkegee airman but only in passing, not that we are that much better at giving credit where it is due.

[Clodhopper]

Was aware of the Salerno mutiny. Both the cause and the handling were a disgrace.

The Nisei were very good: the 442nd Regimental Combat Group was the most decorated unit for its size in Europe. I hadn't realised (until checking the name just now) that another Nisei unit liberated Dachau.

[Lon]

Clodhopper;1378544 wrote: Was aware of the Salerno mutiny. Both the cause and the handling were a disgrace.

The Nisei were very good: the 442nd Regimental Combat Group was the most decorated unit for its size in Europe. I hadn't realised (until checking the name just now) that another Nisei unit liberated Dachau.


I play golf with a highly decorated Nesei Vet that served with the 442nd and another that served in the Pacific as a Captain in Army Intelligence (Interpreter). Both volunteered.

[Clodhopper]

I play golf with a highly decorated Nesei Vet that served with the 442nd and another that served in the Pacific as a Captain in Army Intelligence (Interpreter). Both volunteered.


Must admit I thought all the Japanese-Americans were volunteers. Please tell your golfing buddy that in Britain at least some of us know about them and appreciate what they did. Much respect.

In the last decade or so, I've noticed many Americans of a certain age visiting Devon. I think they are vets coming back for a last look at the scenes of their youth and I do make a special point of being particularly nice to them.

[Lon]

Clodhopper;1378582 wrote: Must admit I thought all the Japanese-Americans were volunteers. Please tell your golfing buddy that in Britain at least some of us know about them and appreciate what they did. Much respect.

In the last decade or so, I've noticed many Americans of a certain age visiting Devon. I think they are vets coming back for a last look at the scenes of their youth and I do make a special point of being particularly nice to them.


You are right ---- they all were volunteers.

I was a schoolboy in California 1946-------1949 when many of the Japanese children were coming back from their interment camps. It was small compensation but several years back all former Japanese that we're interred during WW 2 received a lump sum cash settlement from the US government along with a apology.

[Clodhopper]

It was small compensation but several years back all former Japanese that we're interred during WW 2 received a lump sum cash settlement from the US government along with a apology.


I remember hearing about it at the time. It has always seemed to me that the deep tragedy was that a better understanding of Japanese culture would have told the US administration of the time that those Japanese who had taken American citizenship would probably be the most loyal of troops. (I do not mean to imply others were less loyal...you know what I mean)

[Lon]

Clodhopper;1378598 wrote: I remember hearing about it at the time. It has always seemed to me that the deep tragedy was that a better understanding of Japanese culture would have told the US administration of the time that those Japanese who had taken American citizenship would probably be the most loyal of troops. (I do not mean to imply others were less loyal...you know what I mean)


It was purely racist that Japanese Americans were incarcerated and not German/Italian Americans.

I remember as a kid the many folks that got Chinese and Japanese mixed up, couldn't distinguish the difference.

[Clodhopper]

It was purely racist that Japanese Americans were incarcerated and not German/Italian Americans.




Yes. The silver lining to that particular cloud (both sides of the Pond) is that we are much better at dealing with our minorities now, especially those of different cultures/colours. It seems to me one of the few things that has happened over the last seventy years that is genuinely good.

[gmc]

Some of bhe best books are not by historians but some of the autobiographies coming out written by those who are deciding to tell their stories near the end of their lives. There are a few written by americans that fought within the British before their nation came in to the war, it's quite interesting seeing foreign viewpoints on life in the UK.

Spitfires, Thunderbolts, and Warm Beer: An American Fighter Pilot Over Europe (The Warriors) eBook: Philip D. Caine: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

There was also one a by a british sldier who fought with the auslander brigade on the russian front. That was a real eye opener to me, you tend to forget how widespread support for fascist ideology was.

British Free Corps - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia