Any WWII or History Fans out there?

[repete66211]

I recently visited the Air Force museum in Dayton, Ohio. Hands down it's the best collection of contemporary and vintage aircraft I've ever seen. Three 200,000 square foot hangars with plans to add another. WWI, WWII, Cold War, modern day and missiles are all featured. I understand the Air & Space Museum (Dulles) is comparable, but I haven't been there so I can't compare.

[rebfandan]

Huge WWII history fan in particular, but also a history fan in general. Majored in history for a couple of semesters.

[jbig31]

Just finished watching a very interesting documentary on the B-17 Flying Fortress Bomber. Those planes were tough as nails and played a key role in the daytime bombing runs over Germany-weakening Germany's indusrtrial centers.





This was the Bomber that the 1990 movie Memphis Belle was based on.

[sfmarine]

Originally Posted by DeathByAsh'aman

I wouldnt say Im a "history buff" but I do read a fair amount of history. I just read Psines Common Sense and John Lockes Two Treatises on Civil Government. One book that Im still trying to get though is The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, by William J. Shirer. Its fantastic I just never seem to have the time to get to involved with it.

That looks like a good read. Too bad I don't have much time to read because I'm always on here lol.

[Teufel Hunden]

Originally Posted by jbig31

Just curious if there are any other history buffs out there? I love reading/watching anything related to WWII. The Allied Invasion of Normandy really interests me-what/who was involved, vehicles and weapons used, military strategies put into place....etc. Bascially anything that has to do with history intrests me.

Thoughts anyone?

Normandy is WAY overrated. Half the "history" of the landing is exaggerated and/or misrepresentations.

If you military amphibious landings interest you, expand your search a little..Crazy stuff out there.

[Teufel Hunden]

Originally Posted by crxvtec

I really enjoyed learning history in community college. I have always been interested in this country's beginnings. .However, it is kinda disappointing to also learn that this country was pretty racist up until the last 70 years or so. I mean, African, Japenese, kinda shameful. Yes, I know it is still around but, wow, I was shocked.

I also really enjoyed when our teacher talked a bit of the military aspects( he also taught all many other history....and he was a great teacher that could make anything seem interesting)

Are you aware that the US kept German-Americans in camps much longer than they kept the Japanese?

American history (or history in general) is interesting because it is taught with a high level of bias and agenda. Most history that shows that putting the Japanese is camps as "racist" is conveniently leaving out huge gaps in logic that would make it more difficult to learn and understand.

Another example that sticks out to me is the myths about the civil war, and the connection with abolishing slavery. Though, my favorite bastardized historic event is the Great Depression and FDR is God ridiculous retelling.

The worst offense is the limited time to teach a class or space in a book that simplifies very complex issues and events.

[Teufel Hunden]

Originally Posted by jbig31

Just finished watching a very interesting documentary on the B-17 Flying Fortress Bomber. Those planes were tough as nails and played a key role in the daytime bombing runs over Germany-weakening Germany's indusrtrial centers.

My grandfather flew B-17s.

I saw the nine-o-nine in person, and it was about the most interesting thing I have seen...


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nine-O-Nine

[Blu-Curry]

2 years ago when i was in grade 10 and taking American history (i'm Canadian), i found WWI, WWII and the Cold War to be very interesting. Then last year it was Canadian history (kinda same things when i was in grade 6) and i was sooooooo BORED!

I basically find the powder keg of WWI to be extremely interesting, how it resulted in war, how the war's affects resulted in WWII and how the affects of that war in turn caused the tensions during the Cold War era (and the battles which happened at this time).

[jbig31]

Originally Posted by Teufel Hunden

My grandfather flew B-17s.

I saw the nine-o-nine in person, and it was about the most interesting thing I have seen...


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nine-O-Nine

Beautiful plane-and interesting history.
Do you know the name of the B-17 your grandfather served on?

[jbig31]

Originally Posted by Teufel Hunden

Normandy is WAY overrated. Half the "history" of the landing is exaggerated and/or misrepresentations. If you military amphibious landings interest you, expand your search a little..Crazy stuff out there.

How is the invasion of Normandy overrated? The largest amphibious landing ever.....how is that exaggerated or misrepresented? Just curious.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_of_Normandy

[DC_Street]

Originally Posted by Teufel Hunden

Normandy is WAY overrated. Half the "history" of the landing is exaggerated and/or misrepresentations.

If you military amphibious landings interest you, expand your search a little..Crazy stuff out there.

according to members in my family that actually were there, they said Saving Private Ryan was exactly what it felt like to be there and reminded them of how gruesome it really was.

[Teufel Hunden]

Originally Posted by jbig31

Beautiful plane-and interesting history.
Do you know the name of the B-17 your grandfather served on?

He actually severed with several. I cant remember the names off hand. Two were unnamed iirc (non-combat radar research). He has pictures of his wall still, along with his OCS (ROTC?) class graduation at Harvard. I dont otherwise think of Harvard as a military type place. Nutso in the buttso.

[Teufel Hunden]

Originally Posted by jbig31

How is the invasion of Normandy overrated? The largest amphibious landing ever.....how is that exaggerated or misrepresented? Just curious.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_of_Normandy

Number of casualties if often reported as dead, and/or an ungodly number, or the largest ever. It is often reported and told as the most complicated and most heavily resisted landing ever. It is also reported as the most unlikely to be successful landing ever. Etc.

It was none of the above. It was a very underwhelming landing given the pre-landing hype (hype is a poor word, but given the effort, expected resistance and planning, it was easier than expected, and later reported, as compared to other landings).

As a large number of people involved, it was very much what it claims to be. As for everything else, it is exaggerated to say the least.

It is not to undermine the battle, it is just that the misinformation surrounding the event undermines other events...


For example,
Normandy: 5% casualty rate, 1% KIA (10,264)
Tarawa: 8.5% casualty rate, 5% KIA
Iwo Jima: 23.6% Casualty rate, 6.2% KIA
Guadalcanal: 11.8% Casualty rate, 2.6% KIA
Makin: 15.4% casualty rate, 11.7% KIA
Saipan: 18.7% casualty rate, 4.1% KIA
Peleliu: 34.4% casualty rate, 6.3% KIA
Okinawa: 15% Casualty rate, 2.3% KIA (12,513)
Inchon: 2.5% Casualty rate, .5% KIA

Like I said, there are a lot of cray landings out there.

[Teufel Hunden]

Originally Posted by DC_Street

according to members in my family that actually were there, they said Saving Private Ryan was exactly what it felt like to be there and reminded them of how gruesome it really was.

I bet it was.

I have talked to people of several landings, from Tarawa, to Iwo, to Normandy, to Inchon and I would not claim that any of them were easy or laid back. I am sure the guys who were at all of them who were wounded or died are just as wounded or dead.

Normandy was no cake walk, that is not at all what I am claiming.

[Teufel Hunden]

Anyway, the half of Normandy that is not exaggerated or misrepresented is amazing. I am not denying that.

The whole operation was nuts in scope. That is for sure. And I am not in the dark of the consequences of it failing.

[JUDGEMENT 4400]

I also like America's history of crime (Wild West, gangsters) and the Time of the Dinosaurs.

[Lord_Stewie]

okay I thought this was a history thread.